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Volume 24 - No. 34 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages

SePtember 1-7, 2017 Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEw YORk/NEw JERSEY

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Ombudsman drops Duterte from Davao Death Squad probe by elizabeth

MaRcelo Philstar.com

mANILA - A special panel of investigators from the office of the ombudsman has dropped President rodrigo Duterte from among the respondents in the multiple criminal cases filed late last year by self-confessed hit man edgar matobato. the reason for Duterte’s exclusion was not immediately known. the president is immune from suit while in office, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales Philstar.com photo but he can be investigated in a

USA

DATELINE Over 800,000 DACA recipients in fear of deportation

Mayweather retiring ‘for sure’ after McGregor fight LAs VeGAs — After defeating Conor mcGregor via a technical knockout in the tenth round of their match on sunday, August 27, floyd mayweather Jr. said he’s retiring “for sure.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. displays the Now with a Money Belt, a special belt created 50-0 for most by the World Boxing Organization for wins without a his fight against Conor McGregor on loss or draw, Saturday, Aug. 26. m a y w e a t h e r Photo by Jhay Oh Otamias said his fight with the one of the biggest stars of the Ultimate fighting Championship (UfC) was his last. “this was my last fight,” the 40-year-old mayweather said during the post-match interview. “for sure. tonight was my last fight. tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with.” manny Pacquiao, who lost to mayweather PAGE A4

STAR RANK OFFICERS. President Rodrigo Duterte does his signature pose with Interior and Local Government Acting Secretary Catalino Cuy, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald dela Rosa and the promoted Star Rank Officers of the PNP in a photo opportunity following the oath-taking ceremony at the Malacañang Palace on Wednesday, August 30.

Malacañang photo by Rolando Mailo

De Venecia’s help in easing Next N. Korean missile launch to target Guam, Trump says talking is not the answer Korean tensions sought

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

IN less than a month, many young immigrants will find out where their future in the United states lies, as President Donald trump makes a decision on whether or not to continue protecting them from deportation. through an executive action signed by obama in August 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has protected over 800,000 young people who were brought to the United states illegally, from being deported. the program gives two important things — protection from deportation, and a work permit. Both expire after two years and are subject to renewal.

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criminal case.

In a chance interview on the sidelines of the 2017 ramon magsaysay Awards ceremony in Pasay City on thursday, Aug. 31, ombudsman Conchita Carpio-morales confirmed that the fact-finding stage on matobato’s complaint had been finished and the complaint is now up for formal preliminary investigation.

“I have inhibited myself in the case because one of those who were charged by matobato was PAGE A2

by Rae

ann VaRona

AJPress

North Korea said on Wednesday, August 30, that its test launch of a missile over Japan was a prelude to future military actions towards the American territory of Guam. President Donald trump said talking is not an option. on Wednesday morning, trump tweeted, “the U.s. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. talking is not the answer.” the test was an alarming move as North Korea had already threatened to fire four missiles near Guam earlier this month — on August 8, trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury” on the hermit kingdom.

A statement by North Korea’s KCNA described the missile launch on tuesday, Aug. 29, as “the first step of the military operation in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam.”

former Nepal Prime minister madhav Kumar Nepal has asked former Philippine speaker Jose de Venecia and the south Korean founder of the Universal Peace federation (UPf) Dr. hak Ja han moon to “help contribute efforts to reduce tension in the war-threatened Korean Peninsula”, acknowledging the goodwill they have earlier built in North Korea. the leader of the marxist Wing of the Nepal Communist Party, Nepal also lauded the former Chairman of the Universal Peace federation, the late Dr. sun myung moon and his widow, Dr. hak Ja han moon for earlier donating a hotel and automobile factory in Pyongyang to the North Korean government and President Donald J. Trump meets U.S. Marines during his visit to people.

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Yuma, Ariz. last Aug. 22.

Just back from a successful visit to the Democratic U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Cachola People’s republic of Korea (DPrK), Nepal and his the statement further described Guam as an colleague, senior parliamentarian ek Nath Dhakal, “advanced base of invasion” and said North Ko- who is married to a filipina, urged an Asian-American rea’s leader Kim Jong Un plans on “conducting PAGE A2 more ballistic rocket launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future.”

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More rain expected from Hurricane Harvey Fil-Ams in Texas extend help to victims, no Filipino casualties according to DFA

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

troPICAL storm harvey made a forceful hit on the texas Gulf Coast on friday, August 25, before making way across large parts of texas and Louisiana, including houston, the nation’s fourth largest city.

the category 4 hurricane came ashore friday, forcing many residents to flee to higher grounds. emergency services urged residents to climb onto rooftops and other high areas in order to be seen by rescue helicopters — close to 40 deaths have been reported.

With sustained winds of around 130 miles (215 kilometers) per hour, the storm has already made three landfalls and has amassed a large amount of damage. one of the world’s largest insurance groups, hannover re, estimated around $3 billion in insured lossJose de Venecia, Special Envoy for Inter-Cultural Dialogue PAGE A3

The Asian Journal comes full circle with new multimedia platforms

Supreme Court forms team to examine ballots in Marcos vs Robredo vice pres. election protest

by

Dee ManDigMa

TWENTY SiX years; six weekly community newspapers; 208 million copies; a travel magazine distributed across 60 countries and 101 cities worldwide to date—who would have thought that this once-weekly community newspaper in Los Angeles would grow into one of the biggest Filipino-American publishing firms in America today?

Christina oriel, editor-in-Chief for online, LA and Las Vegas, vividly recalls the Asian Bobby Teo, Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo, former City of Carson Commissioner Tancredo Guray, Jr., and Chona Galvez at a recent reception for the Teos’ Journal’s (AJ) humble beginnings. “from a small staff back in 1991, at a time visit in LA. AJPress photo by Noel Ty

when the filipino-American population in America was just a little over a million, AJ is now home to top caliber writers, artists, and creative people serving the second largest Asian-American group in the U.s.,” she proudly reminisced. “the Asian Journal founded by my father, roger Lagmay oriel, and mother, Cora macabagdal oriel, has since been true to its core value of empowering, informing filipinos living in America, and connecting them back to their local communities, regional, PAGE A4

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From the Front Page

De Venecia’s help in easing Korean tensions...

PAGE A1 group to visit Pyongyang to push efforts to diminish the dangerous crisis on both sides of the 38th Parallel.

They held meetings with the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly Kim Yong Nam and the Vice-Chairman of the Korean Workers Party Committee Ri Sur Yong and ad-

vocated quiet diplomacy among Asian and North Korea’s leaders and parliamentarians, people-topeople and businessmen’s visits to help “end the continuously threatening Korean crisis,” with its potential to lead to atomic war.

Earlier, de Venecia, Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP)

and of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), former Premier Nepal and the UPF, headed by its American President Thomas Walsh and its regional head, Nepal Parliamentarian Ek Nath Dhakal proposed the Asian-American peace mission in “Track 2 diplomacy” to Pyongyang.

De Venecia, Nepal and Dhakal are members of the Seoul and Manila-based ICAPP, with its more than 300 ruling, opposition and independent political parties in Asia which includes North Korea’s lone political organization, the Korean Workers Party (KWP). They hoped to meet with the North’s KWP. De Venecia urged direct talks once and for all among the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) President Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and possibly U.S. President Donald Trump, who earlier hinted he could attend such a meeting. Their ministers later could be joined by representatives of China, Russia and Japan, which are all members of long-suspended 5-Nation Talks on the Korean issue, he said.

De Venecia pointed out “there is no substitute for direct talks between South Korea and North Korea,” assisted by the U.S. and China, as needed.

Nepal pointed out since the Korean War ended in 1953 with the Korean Armstice that permanently severed Korea at the waist in the 38th Parallel but which was not a formal peace treaty, tensions, incidents and mobilizations for war have continued to bedevil the Korean peninsula.

In 1989, de Venecia, as Chairman of the Philippine House Foreign Relations Committee, met with North Korean founder and President Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, which led to Philippine-North Korean diplomatic relations and an assurance in writing by the North Korean leader not to support the Philippine New People’s Army (NPA), which was well-received by then President Corazon Aquino and then Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus.

A year later, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party leader Kanemaru visited Pyongyang, followed later by the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Ombudsman drops Duterte from...

PAGE A1 the president. So, naturally, I inhibited. Now, I will confirm that it came to my knowledge that (a) preliminary investigation has been set,” Morales said.

Morales had earlier stated she would inhibit from any investigation by her office against Duterte as she and the president are related by marriage: she is aunt-in-law of Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Sara’s husband, Manases Carpio, is a son of Morales’ brother Lucas Carpio Jr. and Court of Appeals Justice Agnes Reyes-Carpio.

An insider from the ombudsman, as well as Matobato’s lawyer Jude Josue Sabio, confirmed to The Star that Duterte was indeed dropped from the case.

During the interview, however, Morales did not say why Duterte was dropped from the complaints.

Sabio said three criminal cases were transmitted by the ombudsman special panel for preliminary investigation – one involves the murder and kidnapping of former

soldier Jun Bersabal in 1993, the murder of radio broadcaster Jun Pala in 2003 and the torture of Matobato by a group of policemen led by Senior Police Officer 1 Reynante Medina.

Sabio said that although Duterte was not originally included in Matobato’s torture complaint, the president was named by his client as mastermind in the killings of Bersabal and Pala, which were allegedly carried out by the socalled Davao death squad (DDS), a vigilante group allegedly put up by Duterte during his term as mayor of Davao City.

“I presume it is because of his presidential immunity, which I think does not apply because the criminal incidents happened while he was still mayor,” Sabio said.

“I intend to call out the ombudsman about the non-inclusion of Duterte, because he was directly pointed as the mastermind in the Bersabal and Pala incidents,” he added.

In a complaint he filed in December 2016, Matobato urged

the ombudsman to investigate Duterte for possible crimes of murder, kidnapping, complex crime of kidnapping with murder, torture and other crimes against humanity.

This served as the first complaint filed against Duterte since he assumed the presidency on June 30, 2016.

Also included as respondents in Matobato’s original complaint were Duterte’s son Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa and 25 former and incumbent police officers and city government officials.

Sabio said he was not yet privy to the specific individuals who now serve as respondents in the complaints up for preliminary investigation by the ombudsman.

He said he had already filed two motions before the ombudsman asking for a copy of the formal complaints filed by the Ombudsman Special Panel of Investigators for preliminary investigation.

Next N. Korean missile launch to target...

PAGE A1

The intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that flew over the island of Hokkaido in Japan and into the north Pacific Ocean, was said to be a Hwasong-12, the same missile Kim had threatened to use on Guam.

Despite U.N. sanctions, North Korea has conducted many ballistic missile tests. Tuesday’s launch was the 14th this year.

Responses to the launch In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said, ”Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among the nations of the world.

All options are on the table.”

Trump’s Wednesday morning tweet suggested that talking may not be an option, but in a meeting that same day with South Korea’s defense minister, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon that they are “never out of diplomatic solutions.”

The United Nations Security Council also condemned the firing on Tuesday and demanded Pyongyang end all missile tests, calling the launch an “outra-

Sailors assigned to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) connect Landing Craft Utility 1651, assigned to Naval Beach Unit 7, for a stern-gate marriage in the ship’s well deck. Ashland is operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to enhance partnerships and be a ready-response force for any type of contingency.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Clay

geous” threat.

Earlier this month, the Security Council unanimously imposed sanctions on North Korea after the country staged two long-range missile launches in July.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the launch over Hokkaido, “an unprecedented, serious, and grave threat to Japan.”

North Korean missiles have

flown twice over Japan since 1998, but the latest was supposedly the first with ability of carrying a nuclear weapon. Citizens were urged to “evacuate to sturdy building or basement.”

Closest in proximity is South Korea who reportedly responded to the launch by dropping eight 2,000 pound MK 84 bombs over PAGE A4

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FilAm ARTS announces 26th Annual FPAC on Oct. 14 Arts & culture festival returns to Echo Park Lake anew

LOS ANGELES – The Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) will return to Echo Park Lake anew on October 14, 2017.

FPAC is the flagship project of the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS), a Southern California-based nonprofit that aims to promote the arts and diverse cultural heritage of Filipinos through arts services, presentation, and education.

The popular festival is the largest and longest-running Filipino cultural celebration in Los Angeles. Audiences can expect to enjoy traditional and contemporary Filipino food, music, performances, arts, and crafts.

Organizers emphasized the relevance of the arts, especially given the current socio-political climate in the U.S.. According to FilAm ARTS board member Winston Emano, at a time of seemingly open divisiveness in our country, FPAC is significant now, more than ever.

“FPAC allows us both to reinforce within our own but, also to share with our non-Filipino neighbors, the richness of our arts, the abundance of our talent

and the beauty of our culture as contributions to our greater community and our shared history,” Emano said.

“The festival represents a lot of things to many. But, we harken back to one of its fundamental reasons for being – representation. Over a quarter of a century later, it remains as important as ever,” he said.

The Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) was first conceptualized in 1990 as part of the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department’s Festivals Program, an arts program designed to address the diverse and multicultural population of the city. Organized by about 100 artists and community leaders, the first FPAC took place at Los Angeles City College on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1992. Around 3,000 festival goers braved the aftermath of the L.A. riots that occurred the week before, and came together to celebrate Filipino arts and culture.

Since then, FPAC has grown bigger and stronger, moving up to various venues like Cabrillo Beach in 1994, and Pt. Fermin Park in 2001. In 2015, FPAC cel-

ebrated the contributions of FilAms to Los Angeles, and held the festival at the heart of LA – Grand Park. In 2016, FPAC “came home” and was held at Echo Park Lake in Historic Filipinotown.

This year, with the festival being held at Echo Park Lake for the second year in a row, FPAC patrons can expect a diverse lineup of talented musicians, vocalists, dancers, visual artists and more.

Headliners, artists, speakers, and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

FPAC is a free event; no admission is needed for entry. FPAC is sponsored in part by the: National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, California Council for Humanities, LA County Arts Commission, City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs, LA City Council District 13 CM Mitch O’Farrell, LA CD14 CM Jose Huizar, LA CD15 CM Joe Buscaino, Toyota, McDonald’s, the Asian Journal, Island Pacific, and Herbalaria.

For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/FPAC2017 or call (213) 380-3722. For sponsorship and vendor opportunities, please email info@filamarts.org.

Over 800,000 DACA recipients in fear...

PAGE A1 Trump was strongly vocal about rescinding Obama’s executive actions during the campaign trail, but to many people’s surprise, he also showed moments of solicitude towards DREAMers. “We’re going to work something out that’s going to make people happy and proud,” he said in a Time magazine interview where he was Person of the Year.

“They got brought here at a very young age, they’ve worked here, they’ve gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And they’re in never-never land because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” he added.

But as the old adage says, actions speak louder than words, and many are closely watching recent actions inside the White House. As DACA’s fifth year anniversary winds down, the Sept.

5 deadline given to Trump and his administration has people on edge.

Led by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, Republican state attorneys general from Louisiana, Alabama, Nebraska, Arkansas, South Carolina, Idaho, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kansas, exhorted the Trump administration to halt the DACA program. If the federal government fails to withdraw DACA by the September deadline, a legal challenge would be filed.

According to a 2014 Pew Research Center estimate, close to 1.1 million unauthorized immigrants are eligible for DACA benefits since Obama’s signing. About 800,000 (78 percent) of them have received deportation relief and work permits through DACA. Around 588,000 renewals have been issued since 2012, with more due as many recipients’ two years approach.

Anthony Ng, a policy advocate on immigrant rights at the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles (AAJC-LA), has been a DACA recipient since 2012 and said the program gave him relief

knowing he wasn’t going to be a target of deportation.

“It made me feel like I’m living a normal life,” said Ng to the Asian Journal. “I’m able to contribute in a way I want to contribute — that being in the nonprofit industry.”

Like Ng, many DACA grantees have benefited from being able to support themselves financially, obtain driver’s licenses, get access to healthcare, and further themselves in life through being able to get instate tuition and work.

“It’s been a source of relief and source of ability to build a future I want to have,” said Ng who graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a B.A. in Political Science.

Over 16,722 are Asian American immigrant youth, according to a press release by AAJC. Aside from allowing DREAMers to participate in the labor force, garner better wages, and pursue higher education, the program has also been beneficial for the economy.

The largest study to date for DACA recipients, conducted by the Center for American Progress, found that at least 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employed DACA recipients. These companies include Apple, General Motors, Amazon, and Wells Fargo — all accounting for $2.8 trillion in annual revenue.

Many advocates have taken to social media to voice their stand against the rescinding of DACA through hashtags #DefendDACA and #HereToStay. Included are personal stories of undocumented immigrants.

“If DACA is repealed, I would be out of a job immediately and I won’t be able to teach my students,” reads a story by Saba Nafees on the website of FWD.us, a non-profit advocacy group that focuses on immigration reform in the tech community.

Nafees was born in Pakistan, but grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and is currently doing her PhD at Texas Tech University where she

looks to understand genetic diseases through math.

“It taught me what it’s like to work alongside my American students and peers. I’m just as much a part of their lives as they are mine.”

Juan Escalante, a self professed “coffee drinker, NPR fan, media and tech enthusiast,” and undocumented immigrant, shared an open letter to Trump on Medium. com that got shared by many on Twitter.

“Mr. President, just as your parents wanted you to succeed, and just as you want your children to succeed, my parents took a great risk for my future,” wrote Escalante in the letter. “It’s what families do. My family and I do not have a pathway towards citizenship, not today, tomorrow, or ever. That is why DACA is so important.”

If Trump does end up cancelling DACA, bigger questions as to how he would do so become more critical. As of now, there is no clear way of knowing what will happen.

“Anything is possible. It’s very unpredictable,” said Ng on what the future holds.

Immigration lawyer J Craig Fong at Fong & Aquino LLP, has been practicing law for about 35 years, and has handled DACA cases since the program’s inception. Fong told the Asian Journal that advising what next steps recipients should take is risky right now, as there is no telling what exact actions Trump will take.

Furthermore, giving advice to a whole group isn’t the best way to go as each case is different — not everyone came to the United States the same way.

Advocates like Fong and Ng agree that staying informed is the best way to approach the situation. “Sit tight and watch for announcements,” said Fong.

“We’re just making sure that we’re preparing for anything our community needs,” said Ng. “We’re going to protect and fight for the immigrant community.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

More rain expected from Hurricane...

PAGE A1 es on Monday, August 28.

In a statement on Wednesday, August 30, risk-modeling company RMS estimated economic losses between $70 billion to $90 billion from damage, most coming from the Houston metropolitan area. Numbers are expected to rise as the storm approaches its sixth day.

Among the damages were two ExxonMobil refineries that accidentally leaked 12,000 pounds of hazardous vapors as a result of Hurricane Harvey.

Harvey is the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. since Katrina in 2005.

Houston home to many FilAms At least 80,000 Filipinos live in Houston and its surrounding areas, but the Department of Foreign Affairs reported no Filipino casualties.

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement on Sunday, August 27, “Our hearts go out to the people of Houston, including the thousand of our kababayan [fellow Filipinos], who have to go through this terrible ordeal.”

Just four years ago, Filipino communities across current affected areas were active in helping aid of Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda. The category 5 equivalent typhoon led a catastrophic cut across the Visayas region, affecting 13 percent of the country’s population.

The Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Texas sent $20,000 to its sister chamber in Manila in preparation for Haiyan. Another $30,000 was raised at the Best of Filipiniana restaurant in southwest Houston according to a 2013 report by Chron.

Despite Hurricane Harvey, Filipinos in the area continue to send out help to their community. The Filipino Young Professionals (FYP) of Houston have began collecting donations for victims.

Their donation page reads, “FYP Houston extends its heartfelt sympathy to every person affected by Hurricane Harvey. The images of our community being devastated by the storm is heartwrenching to us all.”

The Houston Pinoy Gun Club (HPGC) has been using rubber boats and tall pick up trucks to help transport patients and deliver supplies to and from a local dialysis center, as reported by Rappler.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in this disaster, “ said Cayetano. “We will continue to pray for Houston and its people.”

Marines assigned to the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve (MFR) and joint integrated agencies conduct search and rescue operations in order to evacuate civilians from their homes and life-threatening conditions in Beaumont, Texas. MFR is posturing ground, air, and logistics assets in order to support FEMA, state and local response efforts due to Hurricane Harvey.

U.S. Navy photo

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The Asian Journal comes full circle ...

PAGE A1

and national news back in the Philippines,” Oriel was quoted as saying at a recent gathering of Filipino-American community in Los Angeles, with no less than Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo in attendance.

According to her, the company has remained committed to excellence, maximizing every opportunity to improve their products and services to be responsive to the ever-evolving demands of the Fil-Am communities around the world.

But what largely shapes AJ to continue towards this path, Oriel said, is social responsibility—“to give back to the Philippines through social entrepreneurship.”

“We are motivated to do whatever we can to help ignite and drive economic development in the Philippines in terms of tourism, investment from individuals and the private sectors alike,” the editor said.

To mark AJ’s more than two decades as one of the leading voices of the Filipino-American community, Oriel disclosed they will soon be launching two international and local multimedia platforms, the Balikbayan Program and the Love of Country website.

It is envisioned to build a sustainable, long-lasting foundation to awaken, strengthen, and solidify Filipino cultural identity; empower Filipino communities

throughout the world; and connect present and future generations of Filipinos with the Philippines.

Named after AJ’s bi-monthly travel and lifestyle magazine Balikbayan, a comprehensive online and offline multimedia program, aims to ignite and fuel economic growth, tourism, investment, education, philanthropy, and retirement in the Philippines. Its target audience is Filipinos of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds worldwide.

LoveOfCountry.ph, on the other hand, would serve as the ultimate ‘where-to’ guide for international and local travelers “to seamlessly discover the gems of the Philippines.” The website will enable visitors to easily search, find, and experience a wide array of destinations, to restaurants, bars, hotels, resorts, museums, beauty salons, health clinics, stores, local Philippine-made products, to real estate, in an aim to fully showcase what the Philippines has to offer.

“What we try to accomplish is to encourage Filipinos to come home and rediscover their roots.

Through our research over these past few years, our work and everyone in this room’s work and goals have never been more important nor more urgent for the Philippines than it is today. And we like to believe that the future of our nation depends on it,” Oriel proudly noted.

Curiously, Teo also made an

impassioned call to the FilipinoAmerican community in LA to rally behind her in inviting their sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters alike, or the next generation millennials in the U.S., to trace their roots and come home to the Philippines.

Playing the country’s sales woman, she said the Philippine Department of Tourism is pulling out all the stops with balikbayan travel packages featuring special rates in airfares, accommodations, ground handling, and tours targeting Fil-Am millennials.

Along this line, Teo also disclosed plans to tap young professional, millennials, and social media influencers in the U.S. through “Bring Home a Friend”, an incentive travel program which was first launched by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor in 1994 also for the American travel market.

The AJ Media Group, Inc. hosted a dinner reception for the tourism chief, who arrived in Los Angeles from a four-day official business trip in San Francisco and San Jose in July. The executive team led by the Oriel couple, Roger and Cora, graced the event held at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. *** Dee Mandigma is the information officer for the Office of Public Affairs and Advocacy of the Philippine Department of Tourism.

Mayweather retiring ‘for sure’ after McGregor...

PAGE A1 in their match last year, has expressed interest to settle a score with the undefeated boxer. Their rematch, however, seems unlikely to happy as Mayweather reaffirmed his retirement.

“I think we gave the fans what they wanted to see,” said Mayweather, who’s usually criticized by his defensive style but went out aggressively against Mcgregor.

“I owed them for the Pacquiao fight. I had to come straight ahead and give the fans a show. That’s what I gave them,” he added.

In his social media account, Pacquiao extended his congratulations to Mayweather.

“Respect to McGregor for taking a chance but congrats to Floyd on #50!” the Filipino boxer tweeted.

Horn promoter frustrated Meanwhile, Jeff Horn’s promoter is apparently losing his

patience with Pacquiao, who still hasn’t reconfirmed his planned rematch against the Australian boxer.

“To say he (Pacquiao)’s having second thoughts is pissing me off,” Dean Lonergan of Duco Promotions told The Daily Telegraph.

“If he carries on again, it would be my advice to move on and forget about him. We’ve already booked the venue for November 12.”

Last week, Philippine Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo announced that their rematch will possibly take place at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan sometime in December.

This contradicts Top Rank Promotion’s Bob Arum’s earlier statement that rematch would be held again in Brisbane, Australia on November 12.

“When Bob Arum saw media reports out of the Philippines that representatives of Manny Pacquiao were trying to get the fight

in Manila, Arum gave Manny Pacquiao until Saturday, August 26 to confirm that he would recommit to fighting in Brisbane,” Lonergan said.

He said that Pacquiao “has yet to reconfirm and as such now has put the Horn rematch in jeopardy.”

“On that basis, Top Rank, DUCO promotions, Tourism Events Queensland and Brisbane marketing are now reassessing their options,” Horn’s promoter added.

Arum, for his part, stressed it is impossible for the rematch to happen in the Philippines as they are contractually obliged to stage it in Australia. He is reportedly set to fly to Manila this week to get a definite answer from Pacquiao.

Pacquiao lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight title to Horn through a unanimous decision last July 2.

(Dana Sioson/AJPress)

USAid mission director Susan Brems reads to children at Vito Elementary School in Cebu’s Minglanilla District.

USAid, DepEd partner to improve reading skills THE US government, through the US Embassy in the Philippines United States Agency for International Development (USAid) is helping improve the reading skills of more than 420,000 students between kindergarten and grade three in the Province of Cebu and Mandaue City. This assistance is implemented in partnership with the Department of Education in Cebu’s more than 900 elementary schools through Basa Pilipinas, USAid’s P1.9 billion flagship basic education project.

The US government continues to support the Department of Education’s commitment to advance the quality of education in the Philippines, so that every child has the best chance for success in life,” USAid mission director Susan Brems said during her visit to Vito Elementary School in Cebu’s Minglanilla District on August 9.

Through Basa Pilipinas, USAid has strengthened the reading skills of more than 1.8 million students from kindergarten through grade three, helped train more than 19,000 teachers and school heads, and provided more than 8 million copies of teacher guides,

student workbooks, and other education aids.

“We do this with the shared belief that developing children’s reading skills during their formative years of schooling will give them the foundation for lifelong learning and academic success,” Brems remarked. She later met with provincial officials to further strengthen the partnership between USAid and local basic education partners.

From August 9 to 11, Brems visited other USAid projects sites, including the Hall of Justice in Cebu City, where USAid helped install eCourt systems in 22 Regional Trial Courts and eight Municipal Trial Court branches in 2015. The eCourt system automates key functions of the court, improving efficiency and increasing the effectiveness and transparency of case management. Court staff and judges demonstrated to Brems how they can better record case information, monitor case flow, and provide public access to the status of cases.

Continuing her visit to key project sites in Cebu, Brems visited the Teen Dreamers’ Home, a USAid-supported resi-

dential care facility for sexually exploited children. In Cebu, USAid partners with Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors, Inc., Children’s Legal Bureau, and Bidlisiw Foundation, Inc. to address human trafficking.

Brems later traveled to Mandaue City, where USAid is helping the city finalize its Green Building Code. She met with city officials, led by Mayor Luigi Quisumbing, and discussed how key measures, such as incentives to stimulate investment for green building, support the city’s work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Capping her visit to the Visayan province, Brems met with partners who are advancing health priorities in their respective communities, including a visit to Glory Reborn clinic, a private birthing facility, to interact with USAid-trained health workers who are providing services to marginalized women.

She later met with leaders from the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Arnold Janssen to discuss how faith-based organizations help promote TB awareness and education. (ManilaTimes.net)

Next N. Korean missile launch to target...

PAGE A2

a simulated target at Taebaek Pilsung Firing Range, a South Korean training ground. Presidential spokesman Yoon Youngchan said at a press conference that South Korean President Moon Jae-in wanted “to showcase a strong punishment capability against the North.”

According to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, a test intercept of a medium range ballistic missile was conducted off the coast of Hawaii early Wednesday.

Guam as target As one of the closest American territories to Asia, and the closest to North Korea, Guam has long been a North Korean target in regards to U.S. conflicts — a threat made prior to the latest launch was in 2013.

The island is home to two strategically important bases: the Andersen Air Force Base in the north, and the Naval Base Guam in the south. The territory was ceded to the U.S. in 1898 by Spain, and has been under the

U.S. continuously since 1944, after being captured by the Japanese in 1941.

The population is over 160,000 with the number of U.S. troops said to be 7,000. Filipinos are the second highest ethnic group at 26.3 percent of the population — native Chamorros being the highest at 37.3 percent.

Respectively, Filipino languages are the second most spoken at 21.2 percent, following English at 43.6 percent according to the CIA World Factbook.

Town mates and Friends:

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D ateline PhiliPPines Duterte calls for unity, harmony in Eid’l Adha message

by Alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, Aug. 31, called for solidarity in his message for the Muslim celebration of Eid’l Adha as government troops continue to grapple with the threat posed by terrorists in Mindanao.

Duterte urged Filipinos to become “catalysts of unity and harmony” in their communities as they strive to achieve their collective aspirations for the country.

“With the adversities we face as a nation, let us bring forth the spirit of solidarity in our shared

hope of attaining genuine and lasting peace,” Duterte said.

“May this occasion invigorate you to remain steadfast in our task of ensuring triumph against elements that perpetuate discord and violence,” he added.

The country’s more than 10 million Muslims are celebrating Eid’l Adha as government troops are preparing their final assault against Islamic State-linked Maute terrorists who laid siege in Marawi City last May 23.

A total of 614 terrorists, 45 civilians and 133 government troopers have died since the

clashes started, according to latest official data.

Duterte said the Eid’l Adha, which commemorates Ibrahim’s readiness to obey Allah even if it meant sacrificing his son Ishmael, is an opportunity for Muslims to renew their faith and reaffirm their devotion to Islam.

“Ibrahim’s admirable act of obedience to the will of Allah is a reminder to us all of the value of sacrifice necessary in our lives,” Duterte said.

“It also exemplifies the necessity to surrender personal comfort for the greater good.”

Poll: President most caring, decisive official MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is the most loving, caring, and decisive among the country’s top five government officials, according to a recent survey conducted by by political management and lobbying firm Publicus Asia.

Publicus Asia’s pilot Pahayag survey tested the people’s perception on Duterte, Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo, Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, in terms of the “Love, Care and Solidarity” index, and the “Decisiveness Index.”

Survey respondents were asked to choose which among the five officials they think is most loving, caring, and decisive.

The annual poll was conducted among 1,500 respondents from key cities nationwide from August 7 to 9 through face to face computer-aided personal interviews.

The results were released on Monday, August 28.

Duterte got 90 percent decisiveness rating, while Robredo got five percent. On the other hand, Sereno, Pimentel and Alvarez all got one percent.

“In this day and age, I think decisiveness is the way to go in order to get things moving in this country,” said Publicus Asia founder and chief executive officer Malou Tiquia.

The president also scored the highest in terms of love, concern, and care for the country among the top government officials, earning 82 percent, 79 percent and 79 percent index ratings respec-

A

EU SCHOLARS. In the coming weeks, 37 Filipino students will pursue their academic dreams in several countries of the European Union after they won scholarships under the EU’s Erasmus + Programme. European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen announced that the Philippines has the highest number of scholars among the member states of ASEAN this year as he commended the outgoing Erasmus Mundus + students in a reception held recently at the EU Delegation to the Philippines.

Philstar.com photo

De Lima: Duterte’s tirades vs Ombudsman, SC ironic

by GAeA

Malacañang opened its doors on Tuesday, Aug. 29 to children displaced by fighting in Marawi City.

Philstar.com photo by Alexis Romero

tively.

“Maybe the results on Duterte are glaring because he is the top decision-maker. They might see his cursing as a reflection of his anger and exasperation,” Tiquia added.

Robredo only got 13 percent in terms of being loving; 17 percent in being concerned, and 16% in being caring.

She was followed by Pimentel with ratings of both one percent for being loving and caring, and two percent for being concerned.

Only one percent of respondents deemed Alvarez as caring.

The chief justice, meanwhile, got zero percent in all three categories.

“As to Sereno, either the respondents do not know her or they don’t know the nature of her job,” Publicus Asia, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Lilibet Amatong explained.

Among the five most recent Philippine presidents, Corazon “Cory” Aquino had the highest votes as loving leader (38 percent).

She was followed by former Presidents Joseph Estrada with

27 percent, Fidel Ramos with ten percent, Benigno “Noynoy Aquino III with nine percent, and Arroyo with five percent.

Aquino, meanwhile, remains the most concerned with a rating of 33 percent, followed by Estrada (30 percent), Ramos (11 percent), Aquino III, (ten percent) and Arroyo (five percent).

In terms of approval and awareness, respondents were asked to assess the performance of the officials individually.

When it comes to awareness rating, Duterte got a perfect 100 percent. Robredo scored 87 percent, Sereno 45 percent, Pimentel 69 percent, and Alvarez 49 percent.

As for approval rating, Duterte got a total of 88 percent, Robredo 60 percent, Sereno 51 percent, Pimentel 66 percent, and Alvarez 57 percent.

“This survey tests the emotional quotient of the leaders… There are leaders who are trained all their lives to be a leader but cannot connect to the masses…We want to introduce EQ as a frame,” Tiquia said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

( Mt Carmel, Mt Beatitude, Mt.Tabor, Cana, Capernum, Nazareth, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem Qumran, Masada, Jericho )

Dec 3 to 14, 2017

Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Alvin Cachola

KAtReenA Philstar.com

CAbiCo

MANILA — Sen. Leila De Lima described the president’s complaint about the alleged “selective justice” of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno ironic amid the killings under the government’s allegedly linked to the anti-narcotics campaign.

“Mr. President, who are you to cry foul about selective justice?” De Lima raised in a statement Thursday, Aug. 31.

“He complains, for instance, that two senators — who have been duly charged with involvement in the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam, who have had the best legal representations and given all the opportunity to refute the charges against them in various stages of the investigation and are, even now, defending themselves in the ongoing trials before the Sandiganbayan — are the victims of selective justice

by Ombudsman Morales,” De Lima said, referring to former senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada.

Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, also charged with plunder, is out on bail.

“Only in the president’s skewed definition of ‘justice’ are

these rich, influential and powerful men the poster boys for injustice,” she added.

The detained senator accused Duterte of wanting Morales and Sereno removed from office to weaken the Office of the Ombudsman and the Supreme Court as independent institutions.

“He wants to hasten the removal from office of two women who dare to hold on to their independence, integrity and impartiality in the face of a president who expects and demands blind loyalty and kowtowing from everyone,” she said.

De Lima also said the president twists the facts to suit his narrative because “he needs to divert attention from the major issues that he should be addressing.”

These issues include Duterte’s admission of his inability to solve the drug problem and eradicate corruption in the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Customs.

“There is, therefore, more than irony in the president’s complaint. There is an evil genius behind it. Clearly, he sees the writing on the wall: the day will come when he and his men will have to answer for their sins. When that day comes, he is making sure that the Ombudsman and the judiciary are in his pocket,” she said.

Duterte on Tuesday, Aug. 29 slammed Morales for her alleged bias in handling complaints filed at her office, saying she has mastered “the art of selective justice.”

“Everyone calls for ‘due process’ and (dispensing) of justice without fear or favor,” Duterte said.

The tension between Duterte and Morales has risen after the ombudsman denounced the president for encouraging the authorities to kill suspected drug suspects.

Duterte also accused Sereno of “sitting on” the temporary restraining order against two contraceptives regulated under the Reproductive Health Law. The High Court, however, clarified that the TRO only covers the distribution of two contraceptive implants and does not suspend the full implementation of RH Law. The TRO will be lifted as soon as the Food and Drug Administration certifies that the two contraceptive implants do not cause abortions.

On Wednesday, Aug. 30, 25 members of House of Representatives endorsed on Thursday an impeachment complaint against the chief justice.

Earlier this month, crime watchdog Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption also sought to impeach Sereno.

Havan�, Cub� May 22 to 29, 2018

May 22, 2018 (Tuesday - Day 1) Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba Depart from LAX to Havana, Cuba. Upon arrival in Havana, meet our guide and transfer to the hotel for dinner.

May 23, 2018 (Wednesday - Day 2) Havana, Cuba Our day will begin with mass at the Cathedral of Havana located in the center of Old Havana. After On board meals are served mass, proceed for a city tour of Old Havana with an experienced local tour guide. The tour will take 4 DEC-Day 2 - (Mon) - Arrive at Ben Gurion airport Tel-Aviv/Tiberias place on foot and you will visit all the squares of Old Havana. Take in the astonishing beauty of the After you have finished Immigration, collect Luggage then Meet our guide and driver. Transfer to Tiberias , Dinner /overnight Gai Beach Hotel historical buildings, sculptures, and monuments. After lunch you will have free time to bargain at the 5 DEC-Day 3 - (Tues) Cesarea /Haifa San Jose Craft Market. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 3 DEC-Day 1 - (Sun) LAX/TLV

There was a certain man in Caesarea” Drive north to the sparkling port city of Haifa, viewing Caesarea en route, the city built by Herod. In Haifa, we will ascend Mt. Carmel; home of the two prophets Elijah and Elisha, Visit the Stella Maris Church celebrate Holy Mass in the main Altar, after enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean, continue to Tiberias for dinner and overnight. Gai Beach Hotel (BB,D)

May 24, 2018 (Thursday – Day 3) Havana, Cuba This morning, we will visit the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. This religious complex is the most extensive of those surviving in Old Havana. Here you will attend mass. After mass, you will meet with the 6 DEC-Day 4 - (Wed) - Tiberias/ Cana/ Nazareth Holy Eucharist at the Church of annunciation “And Mary said, Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your nuns and assist with projects of the day. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the evening you will assist word” We head to Cana of Galilee, where Our Lord performed the first miracle – changing water into wine at the wedding feast. Here, we’ll a Cuban cultural demonstration. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) invite couples to renew their marriage vows. Continue to Nazareth, Celebrate Holy Eucharist at the Church of Annunciation, visit St Joseph workshop. We return to Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

07 Dec-Day 5 - (Thurs) Mt Tabor/Mt Beatitude/Capernum/ Sea of Galilee/Tabgha

We drive to Mount Tabor, celebrate Holy Eucharist at the church of Transfiguration, Visit Mt. of Beatitudes the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people. enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry. After visiting the Synagogue where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

May 25, 2018 (Friday – Day 4) Havana, Cuba You will have mass at the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. After mass, you will continue to assist the nuns. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. This evening in Havana, we will plan an exciting tour of the historical complex of Castillo del and La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana. If the timing and weather conditions permitted, you will witness the special nightly cannon at the fortress. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

08 DEC-Day 6 - (FRI)-Jordan valley/Jericho/Bethany/Jerusalem

May 26, 2018 (Saturday – Day 5) Havana, Cuba Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. After, you will visit the Abel Santamaria School for the blind, located on the grounds of an old military base. The school aims to integrate the children into mainstream schools as soon as the child is ready through an outreach program which continues to support children at their secondary schools. You will spend time meeting the students 09 DEC-Day 7 - (Sat) - Jerusalem (old City) - Via Dolorosa and teachers. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Cintio Vitier Community Project Center, where arts Holy Sepulcher Church “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place of a skull, which was called in Hebrew Golgotha” Enter the old city of Jerusalem, Sing a hymn in the Church of St Anne and view the pool of Bethesda. Visit the Chapel of Flagellation, Programs of all types including painting, ceramic and dance hosted. You will learn about this community project and hear from Lithostrotos, where the soldiers played the Game of Kings, and Arch of the “Ecce Homo”. Follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the the director of the program, Pedro Pulido. End your day with a panoramic drive through Modern Havana riding in old classic cars holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, visit Golgotha and the tomb of Our Lord. This afternoon drive to Mount Zion, from the 1950’s. Be sure to have your camera ready for this unique experience. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Drive the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world. View the Mount of temptation, where Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. Visit the ancient ruins of the wall. Drive through Wadi Welt to view St George’s Monastery. Continue to Bethany celebrate Holy Eucharist, and then visit the tomb of Lazarus. Arrive in Mount Scopus; enjoy the first view of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at Notre DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

to visit the upper room, revered as the site of the last supper. Then survey the Dormition Abbey’s, St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus three times. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME Vatican Hotel (BB.D)

10 DEC-Day 8 - (SUN) - Mount of Olives/Gethesemane/Bethlehem/New City

Holy Eucharist celebration at the Church of all nations Main altar Arrive at the Mount of Olives and enjoy the beautiful view of Jerusalem. Visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus Flevit Church”God wept “& walk the Palm Sunday road to the Garden of Gethesemane and the Church of all Nations. This Afternoon drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name the whole world recognizes ,visit the Church of Nativity, the manger, Church of St Catherine, The Grotto of St Jerome, and the shepherds fields. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB ,D).

May 27, 2018 (Sunday – Day 6) Havana – Las Terrazas – Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. Then you will be transferred to Las Terrazas for a tour of the community. Visit the neighborhoods, their schools, artists and community projects in the area. You will then continue to Vinales. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel for check in and rest. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

May 28, 2018 (Monday – Day 7) Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Vinales. Then you will have a sightseeing Visit the Western Wall , the only part of the Herodian temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. We drive to Dead tour. There is an opportunity to visit a Tobacco Farm and learn how to expertly roll a cigar. You will Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s also have the chance to visit an interesting site called the Prehistoric Wall and to take a Boat Ride fortress and the Jew’s last stronghold against the Roman. Return to Jerusalem Overnight Notre Dame Vatican Hotel (BB,D) through underground caves known as The Indian Caves. Then visit Finca Agroecolgica El Paraiso 12 DEC-Day10 - (TUE) Jerusalem New City where you will have lunch. After you will visit the gardens with the breath-taking views. Return to the hotel where you will have Return to the new City, Including the Temple Model to see a scale model of Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus. Here we will have a dinner. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 11 DEC-Day 9 - ( MON) - Jerusalem/Dead Sea/Qumran/Masada

better understanding between old and New Jerusalem. Next to Ein Karem, birthplace of St John the Baptist, visit the Visitation church where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat Overnight NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

13 Dec-Day 11 - (WED) Jerusalem/TLV/LAX

Breakfast rest of the morning Free time early PM dinner has to check out from the hotel, around 8:30 PM flight from TLV/ LAX in the 13 Dec flight depart TLV at 1:00 Am Dec 14,2017 ( end of Service )

May 29, 2018 (Tuesday – Day 8) Vinales – Havana – Los Angeles Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home as your trip comes to an end. (Meal: Breakfast)

A

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September 1-7, 2017 • OC/Ie ASIAN JOUrNAL

OpiniOn

Drug war 2.0

Features

“HOW will I succeed?”

This was the question President Rodrigo Duterte emphasized when he humbly admitted to his constituents that he cannot fulfill his promise of eradicating the drug problem in the country in just six months after assuming office.

The president said he was shocked by the magnitude of the drug menace and that the crackdown would have to continue until the end of his six-year term. Knowing that he has newfound enemies in generals, policemen and other government officials who are accused of being involved in the drug problem, Duterte vowed that a more unrelenting war on drugs will commence.

“Now, you die. If you are a mayor, a congressman, a governor, if you get killed, sorry. That is my order,” the president warned. “I hope that I can get rid of it before I go out of my office. I hope I will witness it. Dahan-dahanin ko lang ‘yan sila (I will do it slowly).”

Despite continuously drawing flak from human rights groups in the country and abroad, Duterte refused to listen to his critics and accused them of trivializing the problem.

Reports show that thousands have died since the government launched its war on drugs. However, figures from the police and civil society contradict each other. Government officials claim that only about 3,000 drug personalities have been killed in police operations, while human rights ad-

vocates have placed the death toll at around 9,000.

On Monday, Aug. 28, Duterte met with Saldy and Lorenza de los Santos, the parents of a 17-year-old boy who was killed in a police operation in Caloocan last Aug. 16.

Their son, Kian Loyd, was accused of peddling drugs and was allegedly killed in a shootout with police. The death of Kian sparked protests and renewed condemnation over the war on drugs from concerned citizens around the world.

The three police officers, who accused Kian of resisting arrest and resorted to killing the teenager, are now in police custody and will face various government agencies tasked to further investigate the incident.

For his part, Duterte promised the de los Santos couple that he would do everything to ensure an early resolution of their son’s case and to make sure that the policemen accused will be punished.

Despite efforts by Duterte to vociferously fight the drug crisis in the country, many still refuse to see its success. Because for them, guilty or not, the staggering numbers of people who have been killed also comes with growing level of violence

Editorial

and impunity in the country.

The gruesome photographs of blood-soaked corpses of alleged drugs suspects are constantly shown with headlines on media almost everyday.

This shows how there is a level of desensitization to the violence among a certain segment of the population.

This brutal anti-drug crackdown is painstaking, and often thankless. Perhaps what it needs photo is to re-assess the problem andManilaTimes.net propose policy recommendations for a radically different approach—one that will not inflict fear among the citizenry but ignite civic participation instead.

(AJPress)

Trump’s pardoning of Sheriff Arpaio supports the unconstitutional tactic of racial profiling against people of color worse than late-term AS the nation compardons issued under miserate with Texas The Fil-Am the last two Demofor the record rainfall cratic presidents. and flooding brought Perspective While granting parabout by hurricane Hardon was part of the vey, President Donald executive prerogative Trump announced that exercised by previous he was pardoning forpresidents, Trump mer Arizona Sheriff Joe Gel SantoS-ReloS granted the pardon Arpaio, who was convicted last month of criminal contempt before the sentencing of Arpaio. The for the way he illegally profiled, hunted former Arizona sheriff has not served down, and jailed undocumented im- one day in jail for the criminal offense migrants, particularly Hispanics, in his he was found guilty of, and as his critics pointed out, Trump effectively byjurisdiction in Arizona.

Trump’s motive in timing this an- passed the usual practice of the Justice ticipated announcement was to have Department review process before “higher ratings,” knowing that people granting presidential pardon to Arare glued to their TV sets to be updated paio.

As the New York Times (NYT) reabout the storm and how they can help ported, Trump asked Attorney General the people of Texas.

Responding to critics, Trump sug- Jeff Sessions and White House counsel gested that the Justice Department had Donald F. McGahn II months ago if political motives during the Obama ad- Arpaio’s case could be dropped. The ministration for charging Arpaio while president was told that it could not be, the former sheriff was only doing his but that it was well within his presidential authority to pardon Arpaio. job to combat illegal immigration.

The 85-year-old Arpaio has served Trump supporters believe the president did the right thing in pardon- for 24 years as sheriff of Maricopa ing Arpaio, reinforcing their hard line County, and as the NYT reported, stance against immigrants living and has built a reputation throughout the United States “for harsh conditions in working in the United States illegally.

Trump also said his action was no his county jail, and for cracking down

against undocumented immigrants.”

Arpaio blamed the Obama administration for losing in his reelection bid for a seventh term last year, because of criminal contempt charges that were filed against him on Oct. 26 for persisting with profiling Latinos.

“I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly,” Trump contended during a press conference in the White House.

“He would have won the election, but they just hammered him just before the election,” Trump argued.

Arpaio backed Trump during the 2016 presidential election.

What is racial profiling and why is it important for us Filipinos in America?

The American Civil Liberties Union defined it this way: “Racial profiling is a longstanding and deeply troubling national problem despite claims that the United States has entered a “post-racial era.”

It occurs every day, in cities and towns across the country, when law enforcement and private security target people of color for humiliating and often frightening detentions, interrogations, and searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion. Racial profiling is patently

illegal, violating the U.S. Constitution’s core promises of equal protection under the law to all and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Just as importantly, racial profiling is ineffective. It alienates communities from law enforcement, hinders community policing efforts, and causes law enforcement to lose credibility and trust among the people they are sworn to protect and serve.

We rely on the police to protect us from harm and promote fairness and justice in our communities. But racial profiling has led countless people to live in fear, casting entire communities as suspects simply because of what they look like, where they come from, or what religion they adhere to.

Racial profiling affects a wide array of communities of color. More than 240 years of slavery and 90 years of legalized racial segregation have led to systemic profiling of blacks in traffic and pedestrian stops. Since September 11, 2001, members of Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities have been profiled by airline personnel, federal law enforcement, and local police.”

The Constitution of the United States’ 14th Amendment Section 1 stipulates: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the

jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

WE FILIPINOS who have naturalized, or are living in the country with all legal papers are protected by this law.

While Arpaio, Trump and his supporters may argue this tactic of racial profiling may help solve the problem of illegal immigration, those who are in the country legally may be denied of their civil rights just because they look and sound “different” from “typical” Americans. Being persons of color, we, too, may be subject to racial profiling if the Arpaio-Trump “doctrine” is to be normalized and followed, no matter who you voted for in the last election. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

This Labor Day, AAPI workers call for more unions to fix the rigged economy Commentary luiSa Blue, Seiu executive vice PReSident RAISING our voices in proud solidarity this Labor Day, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers are joining with working people across the country to put the importance of unions front and center in our national conversation.

Emerson Padua is a proud Filipino American and dedicated healthcare worker from Beaumont, Calif. He has been a dialysis patient care technician for 21 years. When Emerson first started, there was one patient care technician for every three patients. Now the ratio can be as much as eight patients for one staff person, or only two technicians and one nurse caring for 21 patients. This understaffing forces him and his co-workers to serve as part-time janitors, social workers, dieticians and inventory administrators on top of their patient care duties.

When Emerson started work-

ing in dialysis, his co-workers were attempting to unionize but he didn’t support them. Then he saw conditions decline over the years and decided to help fix the conditions he works in, and make sure the opportunity for a union didn’t slip away again.

Now Emerson is speaking up for his patients and coworkers, and together they are fighting to form a union and reform the dialysis industry and its growing crisis in patient care. In particular, Emerson is fighting to increase staff levels in order to protect vulnerable patients from the risk of infection and infection. In California alone, kidney patients seeking treatment at dialysis clinics grew 46 percent over the past eight years. Adequate staffing is critical for Emerson’s patients who are waiting for a transplant and need dialysis to survive. The Service Employees International Union is the largest healthcare union representing the whole spectrum of healthcare professionals and workers. We have the expertise to assess shortcomings in the industry since we are on the frontlines of patient care.

Unions are important vehicles for working people to improve their safety and working condi-

tions in the workplace, and also to lift the social and economic situations of their entire communities.

The top priority of our elected officials must be to ensure good jobs on which people can raise a family. The two main ways to do that are through raising the minimum wage or by joining a union together to negotiate those raises.

We have achieved enormous success in raising the minimum wage, and now we must ensure that our demand for a union is being heard.

I have dedicated the last four decades of my life to organizing and advocating for the rights of working men and women through unions, which helps us make strides on things like voting rights and the rights of immigrants.

From Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas to San Francisco International Airport, I have seen the difference that being in a union makes in the lives of working people and their families, particularly in immigrant communities and communities of color.

People are underpaid in every racial and ethnic group, regardless of the color of their skin. While the AAPI community is the fastest growing racial group in the United States, people often stereotype it

as white-collared technology and science workers. Yet AAPI women make up nearly a third of all fulltime working women who earn less than $15 an hour in industries such as food service, home care, retail service, waitressing, dishwashing, housekeeping and child care. AAPI women are garment workers, poultry plant workers, nail salon technicians and restaurant workers.

We are a growing political force and we can make a huge difference in elections. There were more than 620,000 new AAPI voters in the last three presidential cycles, with eligible AAPI voters in various states making up more than 5% of the state’s electorate, including Nevada, Virginia, and California. There was an unprecedented number of AAPIs running for office across the country in 2016 and there are now more than 600 AAPI elected officials throughout government.

Not only is the AAPI community a growing electoral power and a growing social power, we are also increasingly joining unions. Nationwide, union membership among AAPIs increased by 96,000 people in 2014. To defeat anti-worker politicians, the demand for unions has become

central for our community and for all working people in order to take back the country from selfinterested politicians and greedy corporations that make profits on the backs of their employees.

But there is still much work to be done. Working people are fed up with the rigged economic and political system, and the politicians who rigged it. The number one job of politicians is to raise the standard of living for workers. This Labor Day, protests and actions in more than 300 cities will confront the politicians and corporations who have rigged the system against workers, particularly people of color.

We will see a renewed politics led by working people demanding a voice in the workplace. There are those who are saying that the focus should just be on “white working class voters.” But we won’t let extremists use race as a “divide and conquer” strategy to keep working people from coming together. Instead we will link racial justice to all of our justice fights—immigrant justice, healthcare justice, and environmental justice—to inspire and mobilize working families in communities across the nation to join the opposition.

Across the country, AAPI worker are joining working people of every stripe to stand up against those who rigged our economy.

They joined the resistance movement that we’ve seen blossom in the streets of small towns and big cities alike, from the historic Women’s marches to the spontaneous support at airports protesting the Muslim ban to healthcare workers standing with patients to defeat the attempts at repealing healthcare and gutting Medicaid. This Labor Day they will be out in the streets again in every region of the country, demanding the right to join a union, and taking on the politicians and corporations who are fighting to hold wages, working people and our families down. *** SEIU Executive Vice President Luisa Blue is one of the highest-ranking Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) union leaders in the nation. She was recognized in 2015 at the national Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance convention, where she was awarded the Philip Vera Cruz Organizing Award, and was recognized by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World because of her commitment to racial, immigrant and civil rights, and for her efforts in organizing workers at SEIU.

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Filipino teen stars fly to LA, try their luck in pop stardom ‘American Idol’ producer searches the world for Now United

S

tar Magic artists aC Bonifacio, Jane de Leon, Ylona Garcia and Bailey May left for Los angeles, California on august 26 after being selected as finalists to vie for a slot in an upcoming global pop group called Now United. the four official Philippine representatives were selected

by Now United creator and “american Idol” producer Simon Fuller to join the 46 other finalists from around the globe for a weeklong’s worth of dance, vocal, styling and social media workshops.

Bonifacio, de Leon, Garcia and May bested fellow artists in the aBS-CBN talent management group who also auditioned for the Now United committee.

“I didn’t expect this kasi I can sing but I’m not a singer and dumating sa point na nagkashortlist. Nagulat ulit ako kasi nakapasok ulit ako. Tapos nagsubmit na kami ng dance cover.

Ayun hindi ko inexpect na napili ako kasama ang apat,” de Leon said just before flying out to La. the pretty teener rose to fame as part of “Its Showtime’s” all-female dance group, Girltrends.

But for all of them, it is more

than a dream come true to be able to represent the country on a global platform.

Garcia, who rose to fame as a “Pinoy Big Brother 737” housemate, said, “Sabi nila you should make sure that youe life is worth being told so I want to make sure that mine is going to be a good one. It’s also my dream to make it in america, not just for myself but also to represent the Philippines and it’s also for my friends and family.”

Meanwhile, Bonifacio may be the youngest among the four, but she is confident she has something to offer the talent bootcamp. this youngster rose to fame as one-half of “Dance Kids” winning team Lucky aces.

“Siguro yung dance ang mai-bibigay ko because I’m really passionate about it. I’m going to give it my all,” she promised.

Last but not the least, May rounds up team Philippines, as the only male representative.

Despite this, the Filipino-British teen star from “Pinoy Big Brother 737” is not about to rest easy during their trainings.

“I’m very determined and I’m mentally stable. I’ve envisioned my future. I’ve envisioned

Photos from their Instagram accounts: AC Bonifacio (@andreebonifacio), Jane de Leon (@ janedeleon_official), Ylona Garcia (@ylonagarcia) and Bailey May (@baileymay)

AC Bonifacio

Bailey May

Jane de Leon

Ylona Garcia

it before and it’s already happening and this is the same,” he said. after the training, the best of the best—11 in total—will be immediately be selected as official members of Now United. rather than compete with each other, the four teeners vowed to support one another, no matter who makes the cut.

“Ang samin lang, gagawin

namin namin ang best namin to represent the Philippines and Star Magic,” de Leon averred. all participants of the weeklong will return to their respective countries after selection. those chosen to be part of the pop group will only be required to return to the U.S. in January 2018 to begin preparations for a world tour.

(ManilaTimes.net)

Anne Curtis to give away Tony Labrusca spreads wings in debut single three free dream weddings

by Deni Rose BeRnaRDo

website. three couples will be na sila. Hindi s’ya nakakatanda. It’s chosen and will be provided just that priorities have changed.” their own dream weddings by In fact, even after the IN a recent press conference, the Dream Machine on the first anne Curtis recalled her sweetest wedding, she still will not accept quarter of next year. mother roles and she plans to moments with fiancé Erwan “the Dream Machine wants continue what she is doing.

Heussaff. to put a stop to dream shaming “My personality is so active Of all the places that they and instead would like to inspire and out there… as long as have been, the actress and tV and encourage more people to you maintain your body, your host said Paris is her favorite not dream big. the platform wants appearance, you can still portray only because her restaurateur to connect with the dreamers, any role you think is bagay for boyfriend is half-French. the dream chasers. It serves as you. But I respect din naman the “I have a lot of memories in the dream-weaver, and will try to Paris with Erwan,” she began. “Just actresses. I will not change much find ways to finally turn dream walking hand in hand in park stair in the industry. It’s only my last chasers into dream catchers,” name that’s changing.” as if we’re normal people. Wala anne explained.

Indeed, anne is already lang, ang sweet!” anne said she will be happy looking forward to walking down “We just sit down in a to welcome other people who the aisle toward Erwan. café with coffee and long would want to be part of the “I’m excited for everything conversations and no one knew Dream Machine as dream-givers that will come our way, maybe, who we were… it’s really just an in as much as she would love to how we’ll live alone together.” ‘us’ time,” added the star. hear the stories of the dreamers. to share her happiness and though she does not want “at the end of the day, excitement with others who also to reveal her wedding details what Dream Machine hopes to want to have a dream wedding because she wants to keep it achieve is to be able to inspire just like hers, the actress recently special, she described herself as the dreamers, help them achieve introduced Dream Machine, “super relaxed as a bride” and their dreams and hopefully be hopefully, she would like to keep a platform that hopes to stop able to start a dream revolution dream shaming and empower her hair short for the big day where there’ll be a lot of dreamdreamers to reach for and live because she now feels weird givers to help the dreamers. the out their dreams. having her long locks back. world will be a much happier Couples are invited to share as a children’s book author, place when that happens,” their love stories with anne she loves kids, but divulged that enthused the bride-to-be. through the Dream Machine she and Erwan would probably hold back having children first after they get married.

“I love children! I really, really do. But I don’t think I’m going to have one right away. after getting married, we’d wait for maybe a year so, so we can enjoy muna each other’s company and then travel na kami lang.

I have a group of friends who have kids and it really changes eh. Parang when you want to travel, ‘di na pwede ‘yung basta basta na lang aalis. Or when you book a restaurant, iba ‘pag may baby. So, we will wait for that and just travel more to all the exotic places na gusto naming puntahan.” although she marks her 20th year in showbiz this year, she does not feel that getting married would make her feel older.

“Of course not! You’ve got so many young moms, young brides who got married at the age of 25.

So, feeling ko, hindi naman s’ya nakakatanda. In fact, I feel like I’m such a late bloomer na nga. But I think that’s because times have changed. Women have become more career-driven and now have Is this the first of Erwan Heussaff and Anne Curtis’ pre-nup photos? other priorities. During the time Photo from Anne Curtis’ Instagram account of my mom, 18 pa lang kinakasal Philstar.com

BAlikBAyAN tony Labrusca— son of actor Boom Labrusca and singer angel Jones of the popular ‘90s hip-hop group Kulay—first caught the fancy of local music fans following his stint in the aBSCBN “Pinoy Boyband Superstar PH” talent search. He may have not have made it to the show’s finals, but the very grounded 22year-old gratefully realized that winning isn’t everything in life.

Shortly after the winners of Boyband were declared, Labrusca was cast in what became a series of viral videos for a fast food chain. From there, he landed his own endorsements for a handful of labels, and, as his biggest break, was tapped by aBS-CBN to join Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo in their top-rating prime time series “La Luna Sangre” as Jake arguelles.

Uncomfortable to be tagged these days as “Boyband PH’s most successful discovery,” especially since he has forged a close friendship with the contest winners, the 22-year-old Filipinoamerican honestly told a huddle of entertainment press, “I never thought of it that way. I just try to stay in my lane and do my best. and I don’t know how else to feel rather than being ridiculously thankful to God, because who knew losing will open so many doors or me? I’m just thankful to Him for giving me another chance.” the Manila Times met Labrusca last week at the launch

Tony Labrusca Photo from his Instagram account

of his single and music video, “tanging Ikaw,” both available on various digital media platforms.

Since he considers himself a singer first and foremost, Labrusca is again grateful for the opportunity to have made his dream come-true.

Collaborating with Urie tesorio and Bryan Lotho, his self-penned song speaks of a young man’s infatuation for a girl that he’s been admiring from a distance and his yearning to express his feelings to her.

“Tanging ikaw lamang ang laging nasa isip, bawat pagtulog ay ikaw panaginip/Tanging ikaw lang ang laging nasa isip ko/Ang ngiti at ‘yong tingin, pa’no ba maaangkin,” says part of the lyrics.

“Writing this single wasn’t that easy especially since I’m still

struggling with my Filipino, but Kuya Urie and Kuya Bryan pushed me to do it, and I’m glad they did because not too many artists can say they helped create their song,” Labrusca related. the official music video directed by Callalily front man and actor Kean Ciprano shows how Labrusca musters the courage to pursue a girl (played by Ysabel Ortega) and how their relationship eventually evolves. “‘tanging Ikaw’ explores the familiar yet riveting tale of an infatuation that grows into romance—and of strangers becoming lovers,” Cipriano pointed out. “through the use of modern techniques, the lyrics and the music video let an old and Continued on Page 3

Actress Wyn Marquez ready for Miss World Philippines finals aCtrESS Winwyn Marquez will go for the win at the finals of Miss World Philippines 2017 on September 3. the daughter of actors and politicians Joey Marquez and alma Moreno and half sister of actors Mark anthony Fernandez and Vandolph Quizon has sought the help of internationally renowned Filipino fashion designer Francis Libiran to create her gown for the pageant.

Wyn was a finalist in the talent competition of Miss World Philippines 2017.

Prior to Miss World Philippines, Marquez represented Parañaque City at the Binibining Pilipinas 2015 contest, by which

she was among the 15 finalists and winner of three special awards: Best in National Costume, She’s so JaG award and Miss talent.

On Sunday, Sept. 3, Wyn will compete against 34 others for the crown that will determine the country’s representative for the 2017 Miss World beauty pageant in China.

Wyn starred in the 2017 remake of GMa’s “Encantadia” and on the network’s primetime fantasy series “Mulawin vs. ravena.”

Miss World Philippines 2017 will be held at the Mall of asia arena and will be aired on GMa (Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo/ Winwyn Marquez Philstar.com) Photo from her Instagram account

Hmart Torrance 1st anniversary customer appreciation event Free gifts and Spin the Lucky Wheel events and more A leAding international supermarket chain, Hmart Torrance is to hold 1st anniversary customer appreciation event from September 1 - 3 (only 3 days).

To celebrate its anniversary, Hmart Torrance will have free tasting event that all ethnicities and ages can enjoy. Balloons and face painting events will be held for children from 2pm to 5pm (Saturday and Sunday only).

Also, Hmart Smart Card members, with purchase of $50 or more, will be able to receive mugs as free gifts and get a chance to participate in the ‘Spin the lucky Wheel’ event from 11 am to 7 pm.

Other stores inside Hmart such as Amore cosmetics, Optical & eyewear store, and etc will present its own 1st anniversary event as well.

Hmart Torrance said, “Hmart would like to give special thanks to our valued customers for supporting and loving us.

We have prepared a variety of events and promotions, so please come and enjoy!”

For further information, please contact Hmart Torrance. (Tel. 310-974-6880, Address: 4340 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505)

Different shades of success in this world ErniE D. DElfin THiS summer, i was fortunate enough to attend two international conventions. One was the Rotary international Convention in Atlanta last June, where over 30,000 delegates from about 200 countries attended. The other one was this month’s (August) huge three-day Breakthrough Convention of the World Financial group (WFg), attended by over 34,000 people from all over the U.S. and Canada in las Vegas. Both were successful and powerful conventions but quite different in so many aspects. let me elaborate.

Both conventions showcased historic successes of what they do on different prisms and criteria.

The Atlanta Ri Convention’s opening ceremony where a country’s representative carried their national flag for all to see and witness was electrifying and emotional. Many countries are almost unknown in the parade but they were present to participate in this annual convention where all delegates were accepted with equality and dignity. Some nation’s delegations i heard were only a dozen or even less, while others like the Philippines, have over 1,000 delegates. The parade of colorful flags with different national attires was so beautiful and emotional that gave evidence to one common theme: when a member is hurting the entire planet hurts.

The Rotary Convention applauded and honored many outstanding individuals who were doing extraordinary feats, using both their money and influence to improve the quality of life.

Most invited leaders and speakers shared their experiences in their respective districts or nations and were exemplary doing genuine “Service Above Self.”

Their sense of fulfillment making this world a better place was their primary consideration.

As a Rotarian for almost 20 years now, i continue to be in awe and inspired, like thousands of people who witnessed and heard their stories to ease or eliminate the suffering of millions of people around the world. For instance, with their wealth, Bill gates from the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation has again committed to contribute another $150 million.

He previously contributed $350

million to eradicate polio and other deadly diseases. With his inspiring lead, other countries and philanthropists followed. Aside from the eradication of polio, there are other human needs that Ri is helping to solve like literacy, conflict resolution, clean water, hunger, education and poverty.

Having attended at least six conventions in the past couple of decades, i am still amazed how our organization continues to do great things to make our world a better place for next generations to come. i can’t wait to attend the next Ri Convention in Toronto, Canada in June 2018, where another milestone of Rotarians’ humanitarian work is expected to be unveiled for all the world of Rotarians to see to inspire them to keep on doing what they do.

Then in June 2019, europe will host Convention in the city of Hamburg, germany. if you are a Rotarian, now or in the near future, i challenge you to attend one and visit the international “House of Friendship” where you can talk to someone from another country and learn so many things. When you are in this “house,” you will feel that you have been to many “nations” with just one trip. Your experience and lessons learned will be worth all the time and money. *** last week’s WFg Convention, which was even bigger than the Ri Convention was quite different as it showcased success in another measure. leaders and million dollar earners were paraded and given a few minutes to share their stories before thousands of people to see them live as the “STARS” in the convention. These successful leaders came from different walks of life, educational, economic or national backgrounds. What binds them are their focus and discipline to be totally driven to do business at all costs. As a writer and a businessman who earns his income from several sources, it seems to me that many of these successful leaders are totally or even “blindly” focused to just doing WFg. And these leaders flock together as one group almost every meeting day or night! They just major in one thing: “recruit, recruit, recruit and reaping the recruits’ warm market.”

As in most network marketing, however, the vast majority, at least 80-90 percent maybe, is just infatuated to become millionaires but will never be able to leave their jobs that provide their families’ bread and butter.

Perhaps one percent of all recruits can achieve great success,

universal story of love and romance unfold in a way that millennials can easily relate to,” he added.

Cipriano further stated that there is no better way to revitalize the state of OPM than to bring it closer to the new generation.

And for him, “there’s no better talent for bringing this about than the unique sound that is Tony labrusca.”

Presented by McJim Classic leather under its dreams get Real OPM advocacy campaign and arranged by Jonathan Ong of Sonic State Audio Studio, “Tanging

CARSOn, CA — The los Angeles Philippine international Film Festival (lAPiFF) selection committee announced the ten narrative films that are in competition in the film fest to be held October 26-29 at Cinemark Carson, South Bay Pavilion.

The ten films are: “Area,” “Birdshot,” “dagsin (gravity)”, “eJK,” “imbisibol,” “laut,” “Seklusyon,” “Sakaling Hindi Makarating,” “Sinners or Saint,” “The Sun Behind You.” Pamela Reyes, producer of “Birdshot” which won the Critic’s choice award in the recently concluded Pistang Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) in Manila, said that she is glad that Filipino Americans in los Angeles will be able to see their film.

MonEttE ADEvA MAglAyA

“We are very proud of our film. it has also an environment angle giving attention to the endangered Philippine eagle,” Reyes said. “Birdshot,” which is directed by Mikhail Red, won in the Tokyo Film Festival.

“Area,” which stars AiAi delas Alas, is directed by louie ignacio and produced by Baby go.

“Seklusyon,” a horror tale directed by erik Matti and produced by dondon Monteverde won six awards in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival.

The ten short films chosen are: “Back to One,” “Chapter X,” “diliman,” “instaland,” “last Farewell,” “n.O.V.i. S.,” “ReleVe,” “Sequins,” “Sins of Wasteland,” and “Supot.”

The three documentary films selected are: “Apology,” “do You Remember the Philippines,” and “We Will never Play in Manila Again.”

Abe Pagtama, chairman and founder of lAPiFF revealed that a special screening of short films made by members of the FilAm Creative, an organization of Filipino-American filmmakers, artists, actors, writers and producers will be shown for the opening night.

Sweeney Mae, marketing director of South Bay Pavilion said that the mall is proud to sponsor the international film festival on its second year.

For more info on lAPiFF, go to www.lapiff.org or call (310) 849-3509.

The power of kindness “Oxytocin, known as the love hormone, can flow naturally with such a simple gesture as a hug.”

WHAT does it cost to be kind to others? by laughter and exercise and specially the pure ones, those that We often think that being kind measured primarily by their bank apparently, as medical studies are are done without any thought of costs us something — whether account. Unfortunately, in some showing, also by acts of kindness, it is time, money, connections or Continued on Page 5 instances, some leaders do not any of what we consider to be become better human beings our personal resources becoming despite the substantial money depleted. that they earn. But then, in all But have we ever thought businesses and professions, it’s at all about the physical and human nature. Money does not psychological benefits of acts of necessarily make a person more kindness that flow right back to us? likable but exposes what he is made of when he becomes richer. it’s one of those mysteries of the amazing human body.

That is life, after all. each person Recent medical studies indicate can only define his own definition that both the giving and receiving of success. of kindness have positive effects Attending these two on a person’s well being. it helps conventions has affirmed my produce oxytocin, a naturally long-held belief that indeed each occurring hormone in the human individual dances to a different body that boosts our immune drummer, which makes this system and causes other good world a more interesting and residual effects on blood pressure challenging planet to trek on. and the body’s general homeostatic i’ve known and met hundreds of balance. in women, it has positive Rotarians as well as WFg agents effects on childbirth and lactation. the last couple of decades and i Studies now seem to prove that it have discriminately chosen my can help in autism and the ability to “role models” and friends from handle social anxieties. each group. As in a dense forest This feel-good substance is where animals thrive, not all are worth capturing as doing so might produced in the human body lead one to a deep quicksand where one can no longer extricate himself from that deep pit of apathy and enjoy the beautiful stars in the horizon, above that forest.

To end this summer column, i want to share two definitions ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! of success. i hope some of your PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT dear readers will find one or both GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. interesting or relevant: “That man is a success who CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 has lived well, laughed often, and DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES loved much; who has gained the FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled SEPTEMBER 1-4 his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School international reunion in than he found it, whether by an Las Vegas improved poppy, a perfect poem, Come and celebrate with RMCHS alumni and guests for the third biannual international or a rescued soul; who never homecoming. Sing, dance, party, share precious memories and join the fun from Friday, lacked appreciation of earth’s September 1 to Monday, September 4 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino at 4500 W. Tropibeauty or failed to express it; who cana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103. Join the golf tournament in the morning of Saturday, Sept. looked for the best in others and 2 and then wear your best (black and white) for a dinner dance later that evening. Make gave the best he had.” — Robert this event an opportunity to reunite with your own batchmates, watch a show, visit tourist louis Stevenson spots, and stroll along the Las Vegas Strip. For more information, visit the RMCHS 2017 INTL Here is the second definition REUNION Facebook page. hanging in my office: S E P T E M B E R 1 5 -1 7 “You can use most any measure when you’re speaking of Liliwenos reunion in Las Vegas, NV success.

Calling all Liliwenos living all around the world! There will be a three-day reunion in Las You can measure it in fancy Vegas, NV starting with a picnic on Friday, Sept. 15 at Silverado Ranch Park. On Saturday, home, Sept. 16, it is a dinner/dance party at the Palace Station (2411 W. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, NV expensive car or a dress.

89102) at 5 p.m. The attire is semi-formal and costs $50 / person. Souvenir t-shirts cost $10 But the measure of you real regardless of size. Deadline of payment for both the reunion and t-shirt cost is August 31 to success be sent to Ms. Nerri Monteagudo at 9252 Bronze River, Las Vegas, Nevada 89149. On Sept. is the one that you cannot 17, participants are free to explore the Strip and other Vegas activities. For more informaspend. tion, please contact Bob and Nerri Monteagudo at (702) 339-3838; Carmen P. Manguin (702) It ‘s the way your kids describe 526-8005; Loida Borgonos at (201) 654-5482; or Fred Polistico at (818) 527-3476. you when they are talking to a O C TO B E R 1 4 friend!”

26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in Echo Park — Anonymous *** Save the date! The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) hosted by Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) is back at Echo Park Lake Email: ernie.delfin@gmail.com in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, October 14. Expect a whole day filled with art exhibits, Website: www.gkerc.org entertainment, and Fil-Am vendors. More details and special guests to be announced. For www.gk1world.com more information, please visit: http://www.filamarts.org/.

Calendar of Events across

Tony Labrusca spreads wings in...

From Page 2

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‘Birdshot,’ ‘Area,’ ‘Seklusyon’ in the 2017 LAPIFF

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

(Advertising Supplement)

The Metamorphosis

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

ikaw” was released on Spotify, iTunes, deezer, Amazon Music, and other music platforms in over 240 countries on August 25.

Produced by public relations maven and filmmaker Chris Cahilig, the video was shot by Patrick Ferrer in the Camella Provence community in Malolos, Bulacan.

As for labrusca himself, “Tanging ikaw” is his gift to his fans and supporters. “i’m really excited and i hope that they like it. i’m such a people-pleaser so i just really want them to enjoy it,” he ended.

(ManilaTimes.net)

America

18th annual Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra, CA On Saturday, Oct. 14, the 18th annual Asian Small Business Expo will be held at the Almansor Court Conference Center (700 S. Almansor St., Alhambra, CA 91801), featuring free workshops, exhibitors, networking opportunities, and more! Jonny Hwang, founder of 626 Night Market, is the featured guest speaker with special guest, Jerome Horton, chairman of the California Board of Equalization. It is FREE to attend! The Asian Small Business Expo is the only business-to-business expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream to connect and utilize your company and its services. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with small businesses, market your organization and tap into a network of entrepreneurs, service providers, financial organizations, franchises and governmental and legislative representatives. For more information, please visit http://www.apisbp.org/expo.html.

26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in Echo Park Save the date! The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) hosted by Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) is back at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, October 14. Expect a whole day filled with art exhibits, entertainment, and Fil-Am vendors. More details and special guests to be announced. For more information, please visit: http://www.filamarts.org/.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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From Page 3

The power of kindness

payback or return.

Oxytocin running in our bloodstream is good for the heart and the mind as it counteracts the effects of free radicals wreaking havoc in our bodies as we go through the ravages of the aging process. It does not mean however, that kindness and the oxytocin it produces insures us against aging.

All humans will get old and die eventually. C’est la vie.

It just means that the residual effects of habitual kindness can substantially slow down the aging process along with a good diet, and regular age -appropriate exercise.

Of course, wisely steering clear of moving vehicles, toxic relationships and such known elective, addictive poisons such as cigarette smoking, drugs and alcohol all help to arrive at a high quality of life in one’s sunset years.

In the same way joy shows in our faces, so does grief – perhaps, the latter, even more so, can become deeply etched.

During the greed of the nineteen eighties and nineties that

EMPLOYMENT

spawned such film characters as Gordon Gecko, the saying was, “He who has the most TOYS, WINS!” In contrast, during this current supposedly more informed yet not necessarily wiser age of information, the saying is likely to read. “He who has the most JOYS, WINS! Those of us who live in big cities and are subject to the stresses of the fast pace and killer demands of modern life to “perform and deliver” in our home and work environments are more than likely to suffer from diseases and infections. It’s the curse of big city living and the rat race.

Because of such demands that can exceed individual human capacities, many feel exhausted and cannot think beyond their personal needs and wants.

Remember too that this is the “Selfies Generation.” The trend these days in social media is to focus on the self. Many are becoming stars in their deluded minds and in the web firmament thinking that the number of “likes” they get is proof positive of their

popularity and social status.

The result is that many are becoming hardwired and focused on just their individual images to the exclusion of others.

This self-obsession—today’s equivalent of the biblical golden calf of idolatry—strangely leads to depression.

Those who have seen the light, however, and have decided that kindness is beneficial to others as well as themselves, practice it quite naturally, most times, without fanfare. After all, genuine kindness is often quiet and does not need to go viral.

But when acts of kindness captured on video do go viral because a disinterested third party uploaded the clip on the internet and is viewed by millions around the world, this becomes a teachable moment when kindness can become a ripple in a pond.

Kindness without an agenda can inspire others to be kind to the people in their immediate spheres of influence. It can inspire some to be kind to those that orbit around them daily at home and at work.

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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AlDub celebrates 111th weeksary in Japan PHeNOMeNAl love team AlDub, composed of actors and “eat Bulaga!” TV hosts Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, celebrates their 111th weeksary this week in the “land of the Rising Sun.” AlDub is joined by their fellow “Dabarkads” and “eat Bulaga” hosts like Joey de leon and husbandand-wife Vic Sotto and Pauleen luna-Sotto.

While in Japan, Maine did her signature #OoTDs (outfits of the day) shoots, while Alden got what he wanted: some time to rest and relax again.

According to GMA Network, the Dabarkads family touched

down in Oita, Japan on Sunday evening. In their social media accounts, they posted photos of

them strolling the streets, dining together and trying on traditional Japanese costumes. (Philstar.com)

You could say that kindness, like the flu, is truly contagious. Unlike the flu virus though, kindness is good all around.

A caveat though…… The hormone oxytocin is not a panacea for all kinds of social anxiety problems. Too much of it

when taken by prescription, like any other substance on earth taken to extremes, can cause ordinary people to become oversensitive to the emotions of others resulting in a skewed perception of reality.

Perhaps, the best ways for

this love hormone to flow in one’s bloodstream are still the natural ways through laughter, exercise and kindess. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Photo from Pauleen Luna’s Instagram account

FOR RENT

SERVICES

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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Philippine Madrigal Singers displays winning form in successful concert ‘Love of Country’, a project of PH Department of Tourism and Asian Journal Group launched with Undersecretary Kat de Castro as special guest by

ANNIE NEPOMUCENO

After a six-year absence in the Los Angeles concert scene, the award-winning Philippine Madrigal Singers, or the “Madz” for short, received thunderous applause from an enthusiastic audience at the Plaza del Sol Performance Hall at CSU-Northridge. It was a full house of adoring fans, and the hall filled with the phenomenal, refined and impressive voices by the choir, led by Mark Anthony Carpio.

The Madz gave three encores, with the crowd clamoring for more of the repertoire which included competition pieces in the first half, many of which are written by Madz in-house composers. The lighter side in the second half proved the versatility of the famed choir where John Legend’s “All of Me”, and Jimmy Borja’s “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin” instantly became crowd favorites.

The Madz often spring surprises to its audience, and very well did so with the most applauded songs: Ryan Cayabyab’s “Da Coconut Nut” and the finale, Whitney Houston’s “Queen of the Night.”

As if their honed voices were not enough to impress, explosive stage presence and unexpected dance moves by the soloists surely wowed the audience.

Songs from various regions of the Philippines are a requisite part of the program, and the Madz has been the source of choral adaptations of such all over the world. Showing the diverse cultures were “Osi-Osi” and “Mamayug Akun” from Maguindanao, “Ili-Ili Tulog Anay” and the tagalog collection of playsongs “Tuksuhan”.

A sight to behold — the women in elegant gowns in multiple colors and the men dashing in their barongs — the group filed into its iconic seated semi-circle position.

This unique arrangement is borne of the group’s origin, when in 1963, founder Prof. Andrea O. Veneracion and other illustrious names in the U.P. College of

photos by

RICK GAVINO

Music, pulled Renaissance Madrigals from the 1500s from the library. Centuries ago, singing Madrigals was the main form of entertainment, when folks gathered around a table and sang music themselves.

In attendance were officials from the Department of Tourism, Undersecretary Katherine De Castro and Tourism Director Richmond Jimenez, who encouraged the audience to travel more and experience the riches of the Philippines, which aside from picturesque destinations, includes a wealth of cultural and artistic activity, as that provided by the Madz, a resident artist of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a UNESCO Artist For Peace.

Launched at the concert was the “Love Of Country” campaign, in partnership with the Asian Journal with CEO Roger Oriel and Editor Christina Oriel in attendance.

Balikbayan Magazine Editor-inChief Raphael John Oriel, head of the project, presented the new website Loveofcountry.ph, a platform for global Filipinos to explore travel, invest, and create jobs in the Philippines.

The Madz, being a standard bearer and cultural ambassador for the Philippines, has been bringing not only pride to the country because of its unfettered winning streaks, but also international choirs and personalities in the choral music world. The Madz have brought into the Philippines the famed The King’s Singers and The Swingle Singers in sold out joint concerts in Manila, and will soon launch the Asia Grand Prix for Choral Singing Competition.

Original works from three composer/arrangers from the ranks of the Madz were presented that evening of August 19: “My Life In You” and “Tenderly” by Fr. Arnold Zamora, former assistant to Ryan Cayabyab and now ordained priest in San Francisco, “Lux Aeterna” and “Magnifikat” by Ily Matthew

Maniano, currently a male alto in this travelling batch, and “Agnus Dei” and “Kaisa-Isa Niyan” by Nilo Alcala, whose works have been performed at the prestigious Disney Hall by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Alcala is one of the numerous Madz Alumni based in Los Angeles, who also count prominent classical singers Sal Malaki of the LA Opera, Kit Navarro of the Pacific Chorale (OC), Ed Nepomuceno of the Harana Men’s Chorus, Sheen Sanchez of LAYA Children’s choir, and Annie Nepomuceno, performer/producer who managed production and touring of the Madz Southern California stop.

The concert is produced by the Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA, who has been responsible for bringing and hosting the Madz since the late 1980s. Founders Dante and Ellen Honorico have long been supporting exemplary Filipino artists deserving of the stage, and the best cultural representatives.

The staff of the Valley Performing Arts Center was equally impressed, as most US organizations have not been fully acquainted with Filipino artists. They do recognize the need to serve our increasing demographic of FilipinoAmericans, and our support for excellent artists is what Balikbayan Magazine Editor-in-Chief Raphael John Oriel introduces they need to see. Instrumental the “Love of Country” project. to this is the media support of sponsors Asian Journal and TFC The Filipino Channel.

With the Madz unprecedented third qualification for the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, and being the first in the world to win twice, the Filipino has further cemented its capacity for artistic excellence in Los Angeles.

The Madz continue on for the next five months touring the US before heading to Europe for the competition. For tour information, visit www. musicartsevents.com.

Philippine Department of Tourism Undersecretary Katherine De Castro gives welcome remarks after the intermission.

DOT-LA Director Richmond Jimenez, Ellen and Dante Honorico of Philippine Patron of the Arts-USA (PPA-USA) and Asian Journal CEO and publisher Roger Oriel

Madz receives standing ovation at the group’s concert on Saturday, August 19.

Madz with alumni, Harana Men’s Chorus, and Dante and Ellen Honorico of PPA-USA after the performance

Madz being acknowledged by host Annie Nepomuceno

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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DOT UnDersecreTary KaT De casTrO On The Up anD cOming DesTinaTiOns TO visiT in The philippines Reiterates call for Fil-Ams to be tourism ambassadors

K

atherine “Kat” De Castro, the undersecretary of advocacy and public affairs for the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), was recently in Los Angeles to attend various community events and meetings to continue promoting the Philippines as a safe and fun destination.

She exclusively sat down with the Asian Journal to speak about the DOT’s plans to reach its 7 million tourist arrivals target by the end of the year, how it will engage millennials and up and coming places to visit during your next trip.

Asian Journal: What activities have you participated in during your current trip here in Los Angeles?

Kat De Castro: I arrived last Friday and the first thing I did was represent Secretary [Wanda Tulfo Teo] at the Philippine Madrigal Singers show on Saturday [August 19]. On the following day, I was one of the judges for Binibining Pilipinas USA. I’ve had back-to-back meetings, including one with NBC executives because we are looking for possible exposure for the Philippines in the Winter Olympics in 2018 and at the same time, come up with a documentary which they can film in the Philippines and show after the games. I’ve also had talks about bringing in legitimate social media influencers — those who have more than a million followers — so it’s going to be a media familiarization tour for them. We’re also looking at sports tourism, for example, with [boxer] Brian Viloria who wants to come up with a series of episodes of him flying back to the Philippines and tracing his roots while trying to inspire boxing among the youth.

AJ: How important is it as a representative of the DOT to come to overseas countries like the U.S. where there is a large Filipino population?

KDC: The Secretary has been busy with going to different countries all over the world.

Coming to LA, we all know has largest Filipino community in this side of the world, so it’s important for us to touch base in terms of even though, you all are Filipinos, you are considered tourists when you come to the Philippines. It’s our mission to ensure that you all go to the Philippines as often as you can to help us achieve our goals.

For 2017, our main goal is basically to achieve 7 million tourist arrivals. Last year it was 6 million. Next year, 8 million.

So it increases by a million every year.

AJ: Right now, how on track is the country with that target?

KDC: Currently, the Philippines is at 30 percent. We’re on track in terms of the fact that it’s half of the year and we’re reaching 3.5 million already. If ever we do fall short, it’ll be at least 2 percent at most. We’re doing everything we can to not just reach it but maybe more than 7 million for this year.

AJ: As undersecretary, your focus has been on bringing the second generation of Filipinos to the Philippines. What are your plans to achieve this?

KDC: Basically I handle all the non-traditional aspects of the DOT. Before there was no one taking care of social media and digital media. Nobody was there establishing connections with networks in the Philippines and abroad. Those are things I do under my division. If there’s a live event, like the Miss Universe or the World’s Strongest Man, it falls on my lap. If there’s a movie that wants to be shot in the Philippines, that also falls under me too.

It’s the new stuff that I do, which is really exciting.

The Secretary herself has made an appeal to all the FilipinoAmerican communities here in the states to trace back their roots.

We are appealing to their parents to let their kids come to the Philippines and find out about it. There was this case wherein the parents brought back their 13,14-year-old son and went to Boracay. The son said something like, “Why did you leave the Philippines?” These stories are basically the ones we touch on. We are going to come up with a [familiarization] tour for millennials, which would be like the Ambassadors Tour, but something really meant for that demographic.

We are also

coming up with travel packages that they can afford.

AJ: Internationally, there has been a lot of negative news about the Philippines. Despite that, however, how is the DOT maintaining that it is indeed still ‘more fun in the Philippines’?

KDC: We ask for a lot of budget in terms of promoting the Philippines. In fact, for 2018, we were granted P1 billion for branding alone, which shows that the government realizes the importance of marketing the Philippines to the rest of the world because of the not-so-good stuff coming out of the country.

But when you compare it to other Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines still has the lowest budget when it comes to promoting the country. For us at the department, we try to come up with ways and means to have a wider reach without spending a lot. It’s pretty hard, but what do we do? We tap the hearts of members of Fil-Am communities

to become ambassadors of the Philippines.

AJ: On that note, how can Filipinos who don’t live in the Philippines be that word of mouth marketing for you?

KDC: Fil-Ams are very important for us because [non-Filipinos] probably hear a lot of things about the Philippines from the press.

President Trump tends to get compared to President Duterte.

It’s really up to the Fil-Ams to tell them, ‘You know what? Our country is not that bad at all.’ Sure, we have this thing going on in Mindanao but then, it’s thousands of miles away from the other islands in the country. I’m expecting FilAms to also tell people that we are a country of 7,107 islands. If there’s something happening on one island, there are 6,000 others to choose from.

AJ: Yes, Marawi is only a portion of the country. But in popular areas like Metro Manila, Palawan and Boracay, what is being done to ensure that they are still safe?

KDC: At the top destinations, you can always expect a lot of security. Not only just that — when it comes to emergencies, you have all the medical teams on standby,

you have the police and army.

Palawan right now is very much well-guarded, especially now since we are expecting an influx of tourists to that region because it’s the No.1 island in the world.

We have to make sure that every time the tourists come there, they feel safe and in case there are emergencies, they wouldn’t have to worry because we have those resources on standby. I can guarantee it’s safe.

AJ: In addition to the beaches, what other activities and destinations is the DOT promoting?

KDC: Since there is so much interest in Filipino cuisine, we are promoting the gastronomic delights of the Philippines. We are also promoting the country as a wedding destination, so those are the two things on the Secretary’s agenda. At the same time, cruise tourism is very important since we are an archipelago, it’s something we are hoping will take off in the next few years.

AJ: Any specific destinations, not just Palawan or Boracay, that the department is highlighting?

KDC: One is Siargao, which is even though, it’s in Mindanao, people still go there because it’s the surfing mecca of the Philippines. The waves there are very much like those on the North Shore of Hawaii. Another one would be Balesin in Luzon, which is now considered a wedding destination as well. Also Vitalis in Santiago, Ilocos Sur. Then, Siquijor, the mystical island. For quite some time, they weren’t able to market Siquijor because of the stigma. If you go there, there are stories about the aswang and mangkukulam. But now, the province is embracing that by promoting that as the mystical island. If you want to let someone fall in love with you, come to Siquijor because there’s a love potion for you. We can make gayuma for you. Now a lot of foreigners are really going for not just the mysticism, but be-

cause there are many unspoiled beaches there.

Another would be Romblon, which has a place called the Carabao Island. It’s what Boracay used to look like before they started building those hotels.

AJ: What is being done to make tourists stay in Metro Manila, not just treat it like a landing pad before going to another destination in the country?

KDC: Our template for Metro Manila is actually Singapore. For Singapore, it has tended to be a connector to other places in Southeast Asia. We’re trying to build Metro Manila in such a way that once you land, you’d like to stay for two more nights because we have the best shopping areas, best food, and of course, the historical part of the city, Intramuros, we are reviving that now.

These are steps being done for Metro Manila and hopefully, we will solve the traffic soon.

AJ: Your favorite destination in the Philippines?

KDC: My favorite destination in the Philippines — I would take out the family ties because I could say Davao or Mindoro because I’m from there. But I would say Batanes, which is on the tip of the Philippines.

There are three islands up there: Sabtang, Itbayat and Batan. On a good day, you could actually see Taiwan already. It’s one of the most relaxing places in the Philippines wherein you can commune with God. You can just sit there and look at the stars and clouds. I think it’s one of those provinces that has zero crime rate. If you leave your iPhone on the street, you will still see it there the following day. It’s just unfortunate that it’s a destination you can’t go to all year round. Every time it’s typhoon season, it shuts down completely because that’s where the typhoon exits.

But I hope there will be measures done to make it a year round destination because it’s beautiful. n

september 1-7, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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