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Volume 16 - No. 17 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages

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APRIL 21-27, 2017

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Palace: Trump ‘indicated’ Philippine visit in November

by ROSETTE

ADEL

Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang protocols chief Ambassador Marciano Paynor on Wednesday, April 19, said U.S. President Donald Trump has personally indicated over the phone that he is coming to the Philippines later this year.

The newly elected American leader is expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in November.

“As of now, President Trump, for instance, when President Duterte called him up to congratulate him had already indicated that he was coming in November, so at least verbally he said he was coming,” said Paynor,

USA

DATELINE With war games dropped, US-PH Balikatan shifts focus FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

MANILA, Philippines — The first US-Philippines Balikatan military exercises under the Duterte administration will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.

The Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement earlier announced that war games have been dropped from the annual exercises between Filipino and American troops.

“The focus of Balikatan has been shifted to, out of the guidance of the president following receipt of the memos that we got and the guid-

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California hospitals lose ground in quality of care, report card shows NEARLY half of California hospitals received a grade of C or lower for patient safety on a national report card aimed at prodding medical centers to do more to prevent injuries and deaths.

The Leapfrog Group, an employer-backed nonprofit group focused on health care quality, issued its latest scores last week. The report card is part of an effort to make consumers and employers aware of how their hospitals perform on key quality measures, so they can make better-informed health care decisions.

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who is involved in the organizing body for ASEAN events.

The main summit in November will be attended by other leaders from the fast-growing region.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Trump’s predecessor, joined Southeast Asian heads of state and government for the annual meeting during his term.

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Duterte tops TIME’s ‘most influential’ poll

by AJPRESS

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte topped TIME magazine’s annual poll for its list of world’s most influential people.

In the poll, readers were asked who should be included on this year’s TIME 100.

Duterte received 5 percent of the total “yes” votes, consistently leading the survey which started in March and closed on Sunday, April 16.

Following Duterte in the poll results were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Facebook CEO

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MIDDLE EAST DEALS. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech at the Philippines-Qatar Business Forum at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar last Saturday, April 15. A total of 21 business deals worth $925 million were signed during the president’s week-long visit to three countries in the Middle East.

Presidential photo by Toto Lozano

Duterte declines honorary degree from University of the Philippines

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, April 19 said he will not accept the University of the Philippines’ (UP) offer to confer an honorary doctorate degree on him.

During a press briefing in Bohol, Duterte said that it has been part of his personal policy to not accept recognitions.

“I simply decline,” he told reporters, adding, “With due respect to the University of the Philippines, I do not accept even

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Marcos pays P36 million for electoral protest against Robredo

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

FORMER Senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. paid P36 million as part of the first installment required for the proceedings of his election protest against

Vice President Leni Robredo.

Marcos paid the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), for the cost of retrieval of contested poll materials on Monday, April 17 — the deadline for payment of the first tranche.

“I hope this compliance we have done

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SWS: Pinoys rate drug war ‘very good’

by AUDREY

MORALLO Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Satisfaction with the government’s intensified war on drugs plunged by 11 points in March 2017, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed, as issues such as the need to capture suspects alive and concerns on extrajudicial killings continue to raise concern among Filipinos.

The March 25 to 28 survey showed an 11-point decline in satisfaction with the conduct of the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, from +77 in December 2016 to +66 in March 2017. This represents a downgrade from an ‘excellent’ rating

to a ‘very good’ score.

SWS said: “The March 2017 survey found 78 percent satisfied with the administration’s performance in its campaign against illegal drugs, consisting of 43 percent very satisfied and 35 percent somewhat satisfied. Ten percent were undecided, while 12 percent were dissatisfied, consisting of 6 percent somewhat dissatisfied and 6 percent very dissatisfied.”

The March 2017 survey showed that 78 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the government’s performance while 12 percent were either somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

Last December, 85 percent of

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From the Front Page

Palace: Trump ‘indicated’ Philippine visit…

PAGE A1 t

Paynor said organizers usually expect 100-percent attendance from member states as well as from neighboring countries such as South Korea and New Zealand.

Last December, Duterte made a phone call to congratulate Trump as the new president of the United States. Presidential assistant Bong Go said Duterte and

Trump’s phone conversation was “very engaging and animated.”

Duterte said Trump invited him to the White House.

Aaron Connelly, an analyst at Sydney-based think tank Lowy Institute, said in March that given Trump’s habits, it would be likely that he will decide to skip the summit in Manila. “[President Trump] is a crea-

ture of habit who is not fond of spending more than a couple days on the road,” Connelly wrote.

“The East Asia Summit (in Manila) will cover issues of less interest to him, such as the regional diplomatic architecture and the Chinese challenge to the rules-based order in the region,” he added. n

Marcos pays P36 million for electoral…

PAGE A1 t [with] the SC order will go a long way of getting the process started,” Marcos said.

In a chance interview, Marcos said he was able to raise the P36 million through the help of his supporters.

“Buti na lang may mga kaibigan ako na nagmagandang loob (It’s a good thing that I have friends who were generous),” Marcos told reporters.

He added, “Sila ay naniniwala na tama at makatarunguan ang aking protesta kaya naman sila ay nagkaisa at inipon nila ang kanilang maibibigay (They believe that my protest is right and just which is why they united and saved what they could give).”

In June of last year, Marcos filed an electoral protest against Robredo before the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). He accused the vice president of committing massive poll fraud after she won the seat only by a slim margin.

“Mag-iisang taon na mula nung nakaraang halalan hanggang ngayon hindi pa alam ng taong bayan kung sino ba talaga ang nanalo bilang bise president

LUCKY BABY. President Rodrigo Duterte holds a baby as he mingles with Filipinos in Qatar during his visit last week.

Manilatimes.net contributed photo

SWS: Pinoys rate drug war ‘very…

PAGE A1 t

Bongbong Marcos

noong nakaraang halalan (It has almost been a year since the last election and until now the public still does not know who won as vice president during the last elections),” he said.

The SC has ordered Marcos a cash payment of P81.46 million to proceed with his election protest against Robredo, which is payable in two tranches. Marcos has to settle another P30 million

on or before July 14.

In the same order, Robredo was asked to pay P15.44 for her counter-protest — P8 million for the first tranche and P7.43 million for the second.

Robredo, however, failed to pay the partial payment of P8 million and instead, filed a manifestation earlier in April 12.

According to Romulo Macalintal, Robredo’s lawyer, the vice president’s camp will pay the counter-protest fee only after Marcos has been able to prove that there was indeed election fraud.

“Kailangan patunayan muna ni Mr. Marcos na talagang meron po siyang ma-rerecover na mga boto. Kailangan siya muna ang magpa-deposit, siya muna ang magpa-bukas ng mga balota at makita natin kung talagang may basehan ang kanyang protesta (Marcos needs to prove first that he could recover votes. He should deposit first and open the ballots first so we could see if his protest really has basis),” Ma-

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the respondents were satisfied while 8 percent were not, for an excellent rating of +77.

Capture suspects alive Support for capturing drug suspects alive was also still strong.

The March 2017 survey showed that 92 percent of the respondents would like to see drug

suspects captured alive, slightly lower than the 94-percent support recorded in December 2016.

“People’s call to capture drug suspects alive continues to be widespread: the March 2017 survey found 66 percent saying it is very important and 26 percent saying it is somewhat important that suspects involved in illegal

Duterte tops TIME’s ‘most…

PAGE A1 t

Mark Zuckerberg. They each all got 3 percent of the total “yes” votes.

In a statement, Malacañang credited the poll results to Duterte’s “national agenda.”

“What makes President Rodrigo R. Duterte so admired by Filipinos and international leaders alike is his national agenda — he has prioritized public interest first and foremost, especially the needs and aspirations of the poor and common people,” Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Abella then made note of Duterte’s three-point agenda, citing “prosperity for all, restore trust in government; [and] build a fair and equitable society.”

“With or without the distinction, the president continues to be a hardworking government

worker and faithful servant of the Filipino people,” he further added.

In December last year, Duterte was also included in Forbes Magazine’s Most Powerful People list, ranking 70th.

Likewise, the latest Social Weather Stations survey results show that Duterte still enjoys a “very good” satisfaction rating for the first quarter of 2017 despite both local and international criticisms against some of his policies, particularly on his controversial war against illegal drugs.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Russian President Vladimir Putin led the reader poll in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

The final TIME 100 list, which would be selected by publication’s editors, is slated to be announced on Thursday, April 20. n

drugs be captured alive, for a total rating of 92 percent. It was 94 percent in both the September 2016 and December 2016 surveys,” SWS said.

On the veracity of police reports on drug suspects resisting arrest, opinions remain split, according to the SWS. Based on the survey, 24 percent said that the police were telling the truth while a slightly higher figure of 31 percent said that they were lying. A larger percentage, 44 percent, are still unsure on whether or not the police officers are reporting the truth.

In December, 28 percent said that the police were telling the truth, 29 percent said that they were not and 42 percent were unsure.

Fear of extrajudicial killings goes down A silver lining for the administration was the decline in the concern of Filipinos on the possibility of being a victim of extrajudicial killing.

In March 2017, 73 percent were either very worried or somewhat worried that they would be victims of extralegal killings, lower compared to the 78 percent who expressed the same in December.

Seventy percent of the respondents also believed that the government was serious in solving cases of extralegal killings which marred the government’s flagship program.

On the government’s seriousness to address the issue, “34 percent answered talagang seryoso (very serious), 36 percent answered medyo seryoso (somewhat serious), 22 percent answered hindi tiyak kung seryoso o hindi seryoso (undecided if serious or not serious), 5 percent answered medyo hindi seryoso (somewhat not serious), and 4 percent answered talagang hindi seryoso (not serious at all).”

These figures are comparable with the data obtained in December when 70 percent said that the government was either very serious or somewhat serious in addressing the issue while 22 percent said that they were not sure if it was serious or not. Four percent believed that the government was not serious at that time, SWS said.

The March 2017 survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

It has a sampling error of plus/ minus three percent for national percentages while plus/minus six percent for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao percentages. n

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Dateline USa

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 21-27, 2017

A

California hospitals lose ground in quality of…

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The scores are updated twice a year, in spring and fall.

After steady improvement in recent years, California hospitals lost ground in last week’s report card. Two years ago, 37 percent of California hospitals received a C, D or F grade. That increased to 46 percent of the 271 California hospitals rated in the most recent report.

Many California hospitals still struggle to reduce preventable medical errors and infections in patients, despite industrywide efforts to remedy those problems.

California accounted for 6 of the 10 hospitals nationwide that received an F grade.

California public health officials track a wide assortment of patient infections that can be acquired during a hospital stay.

IN A JAM. Vehicles crawl along the Kamuning flyover in Quezon City on Monday, April 17 as the traffic situation in Metro Manila returned A recent state report noted progto normal after the Holy Week break. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently pushed for the adoption of a ress in some areas, while other flexible work schedule in the metro to ease road congestion.

Manilatimes.net photo by Mike de Juan issues have been harder to address.

From 2014 to 2015, 56 California hospitals achieved “signifiPAGE A1 t cant improvement” in preventing summary killings. when I was mayor. As a matter of “Honors are not deserved by certain infections, including ones personal and official policy, I do a president whose regime killed in the blood and those resulting not accept awards.” thousands of citizens and lead- from surgery, according to the The UP Board of Regents ers of progressive groups under California Department of Public (BOR), the university’s highest Oplan Tokhang and Oplan Kapa- Health. But diarrheal infections policy-making body, earlier said yapaan,” the group’s statement in California hospitals have init plans to offer the president a creased 8 percent above a nastressed.

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, In 2011, then president Benig- tional benchmark since 2011. as part of its tradition.

The state has created an interno Aquino III accepted the same But reports of the award active map where the public can offer but was met with protests. sparked outrage among Duterte’s The university also offered check infection rates by hospital. critics. Many expressed their Leapfrog, which has issued honorary degrees to former frustrations through social mePresidents Joseph Estrada and hospital scores in California and dia, using the viral hashtag Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but like nationwide since 2012, analyzes #DuterteNotWorthy.

Duterte, they declined to accept information it collects as well as In a Facebook post, the UP data reported to Medicare. Erica the recognitions. n Office of the Student Regent expressed its opposition to the planned award.

“The UP Office of the Student Regent condemns the plan of the UP Administration to confer an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte,” it said. President Rodrigo Duterte “We must not turn a blind eye to particular, the UP Office of the the deeds of the current regime Student Regent argued that by giving it such recognition.”

Duterte does not deserve the Citing his controversial cam- honors and should instead be paign against illegal drugs in held accountable for the alleged

Duterte declines honorary degree from University…

Philippine, Australian and U.S. service members participate in a cooperative health engagement during exercise Balikatan in Cagayancillo, Philippines April 10, 2016. The annual Balikatan exercises between the Philippines and the United States will go ahead in May. This will be the first military exercises between the Duterte administration.

U.S. Marine Corps/Jason W. Fudge/Released

With war games dropped…

PAGE A1 t

ance of the secretary because it is always definite that we are going to experience so many disasters one after the other every year, we have focused the concept of Balikatan to address our capability together to address humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” AFP spokesperson Brig.

Gen. Restituto Padilla said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Tuesday.

The 10-day exercises, which will kick off in May, will also focus on counter-terrorism as the country battles Islamic militants in Mindanao.

Padilla noted that there have been a series of small exercises last year when Duterte took office but the Balikatan exercises this year would be the first one after his suggestion to cancel the drills.

There will be no more live-fire exercises this year as the joint military exercises will focus on humanitarian and civil assistance.

“There will be a few live-fire (exercises) focused only for small units inside camp. There won’t be live fire outside of any military

camp... All of these exercises will be held inside military installations,” Padilla said.

During his visit to Vietnam on September last year, Duterte said that he wanted to the joint military exercises with US forces and called for the withdrawal of American troops.

The president said that he wants to establish new trade and commercial alliances with China and Russia. He also said that the war games with the US were something that Beijing does not want.

Earlier this year, the president threatened to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement if the US military will not stop unloading weapons in the country. US Ambassador Sung Kim was quick to clarify that that Washington is not building any weapons depot in the Philippines.

Duterte has been hostile toward the US following criticism against his anti-drugs campaign. The president, however, has not made a move that would permanently sever US-Philippines ties despite his rude remarks. (Patricia Lourdes Viray /Philstar.com)

Marcos pays P36 million…

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calintal said.

“E bakit kami magde-deposit ng P15-million pero pagkatapos naman pala ay wala naming mangyayari? So iyan ang hinihingi naming sa Korte Suprema (Why would we deposit P15 million if after this, nothing will happen? This is what we are asking to the Supreme Court).”

Following Robredo’s failure to deposit the first installment fee in time, Marcos’ camp said it would seek the dismissal of her counter-protest.

“We complied with the ruling of the tribunal and they did not. So I think they missed their chance and we will move for the dismissal of their counter-protest,” Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesperson, told ANC. He added, “That way, the

whole process will be able to run its natural course unimpeded with unnecessary delays being filed by the protestee.”

Rodriguez also accused that the manifestation of Robredo’s camp was just part of the latter’s tactics in delaying the electoral protest.

Under Section 33 (b) of the PET rules, protestants are required to make a cash deposit amounting P500 per contested precinct, “if they require the bringing of the contested ballot boxes and election documents to the Tribunal”.

Marcos questioned 39,221 clustered precincts which are composed of total 132,446 established precincts. Robredo, on the other hand, contested 8,042 clustered precincts equivalent to 31,278 established precincts. n

Mobley, a Leapfrog spokeswoman, said the group’s methodology compares all hospitals to each other on a national scale, so a mix of factors could be responsible for the lower scores statewide.

“This could represent California hospitals’ performance slipping in comparison to their peers across the country or could also mean that they may be staying constant in their performance while other hospitals are progressing,” Mobley said.

The percentage of hospitals in the Golden State that got the top rating also decreased in Leapfrog’s latest analysis. Twenty-five percent of California hospitals, 68 facilities, earned an A grade this year, compared to 43 percent, or 104, in 2015.

California ranked 28th nationally in the percentage of A-rated hospitals. More than half of the hospitals in states such as Oregon, North Carolina and Massachusetts achieved the highest score.

In Leapfrog’s report card, some performance measures are risk-adjusted for patient severity and income so hospitals aren’t penalized for admitting sicker, poorer patients.

Some hospital industry officials have criticized Leapfrog’s letter grades as too simplistic for a complex issue and as potentially misleading for patients.

Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association, noted there are many different scorecards and said consumers shouldn’t put too much stock in any one ranking.

“While these scorecards often serve as a good starting point for patients to ask questions of their health-care provider, they should not be viewed as being a definitive source for determining the quality of care provided by any hospital,” Emerson-Shea said.

The Leapfrog data show that some of the top performers in California include Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach and Inglewood’s Centinela Hospital Medical Center.

Health giant Kaiser Permanente consistently posts some of the highest scores and shows little variation across its 35 hospitals in the state. Thirty-three Kaiser hospitals received A or B grades; two got C grades.

The University of California health system fared well across seven hospital campuses, with five A ratings and two B grades.

Some large institutions lagged further behind. Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank received a D, as did the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

Leapfrog cited San Francisco General, a public safety net hospital, for being below average at preventing surgical site infections after colon surgery and for allowing dangerous objects to be left in a patient’s body, among other factors. Providence’s Burbank hospital had a higher-thanexpected rate of patients who developed serious breathing problems and caught antibiotic-

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Senate approves bill to assist Californians who have defaulted on private student loans SB 16 lowers cap on how much lenders can garnish from borrowers

SACRAMENTO — State Senator Bob Wieckowski’s (D-Fremont) bill to lower the cap on how much lenders can garnish from Californians who have defaulted on their private student loans passed the state Senate today with bipartisan support. SB 16 helps to level the playing field between public and private loans by lowering the private loan garnishment cap to 15 percent of wages, the same amount as federal student loans.

“Too many Californians of all ages and backgrounds are burdened by the amount of debt they have accumulated just to get a college degree or help their son or daughter graduate,” said Wieckowski, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“While federal student loans offer repayment options that make them more consumer friendly, SB 16 will add more parity to the system by reducing the private loan garnishment cap from 25 percent to 15 percent. This allows borrowers to have more

flexibility to pay for other everyday living expenses, and hopefully encourages private lenders to offer more manageable payment options to their borrowers.”

Student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy and the national student loan debt is $1.3 trillion, more than auto or credit card debt. California borrowers have about $20 billion in outstanding private student loan debt.

“Despite the fact President Trump’s companies have filed bankruptcy multiple times to discharge debts, I do not see signs that student loan borrowers will receive any help from his administration,” Wieckowski said. “SB 16 provides real relief for Californians struggling with private student loan debt.”

Federal loans offer a number of options to borrowers who find themselves unable to meet their loan obligations, such as deferments, income-based repayments, and, in some cases, cancellations or discharges. Private

lenders are not required to offer these options.

“These mortgage-sized loans cause many graduates to postpone buying a home, getting married, starting a family, and saving for retirement,” said Jessica Bartholow, a policy advocate with the Western Center on Law & Poverty. “And while average student debt hit a record above $30,000 this year, income growth has not kept pace with the rise in student loans or housing costs.”

SB 16 now heads to the state FORUM SPEAKERS The Duterte administration’s economic managers attend “The Dutertenomics Forum” at Conrad Hotel. The forum Assembly. In addition to the showcased the priority projects of the administration to usher in what it called they country’s “golden age of infrastructure.”

Western Center, the bill is supInquirer photo by Marianne Bermudez ported by the California State Student Association, the California Faculty Association, the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, the Consumer Federation of California and several other organizations Most of the money would go done all this cleaning, but now

by AnA B. iBARRA across the state. toward boosting payments to we need root canals and extracCaliforina Healthline Senator Wieckowski repredentists who provide preventive tions…how do we cover this?” sents the 10th District, which inCALIFORNIA lawmakers are services to adults, such as reguCaballero’s bill would also recludes southern Alameda Coun- considering several bills to im- lar teeth cleanings. A program quire that some of the tobacco ty and northeast Santa Clara prove and expand access to Den- known as the Dental Transfor- tax money be used to increase County. n ti-Cal, the state’s troubled dental mation Initiative, funded by both payments to dentists for the 20 program for low-income people state and federal dollars, offers most common dental procedures — including ones that would extra money to dentists for chil- for children, such as X-rays and draw from the state’s new tobac- dren’s preventive services. fillings. This would supplement co tax to boost dentists’ pay.

Caballero said she believes and expand efforts by the Dental Assembly Bill 753, introduced California voters who approved Transformation Initiative.

by Assemblywoman Anna Ca- the tobacco tax last year wanted Another bill, AB 15, introadded. ballero (D-Salinas), would direct the money to be used to improve duced by Republicans late last In a meeting with the U.S. money from the state’s new to- underfunded programs like Den- year, would require that DentiChamber of Commerce, Plaza bacco tax to broaden access to ti-Cal. “We want to make sure Cal rates be doubled for the 15 said the group disclosed that Denti-Cal, which for years has that this intent is kept alive,” Ca- most common prevention and “the U.S. government will not been faulted in state and federal ballero said. treatment services. press for the U.S. IT-BPO compa- reports. The bill will be heard Caballero represents a largely Blake said most dentists ask nies operating in the Philippines in the Assembly Committee on rural district that includes the Sa- only that Denti-Cal payments to cut down on their offshore Health on Tuesday. linas Valley, San Benito County match the national median rate, operations to minimize job disA 2014 California state audi- and Watsonville. She said there and that’s not taking into account placement of Americans.” tor’s report showed that fewer are not enough dentists overall in that California tends to have “However, the U.S. is seri- than half of the children eligible the region, let alone ones who can higher living and business costs. ously considering a regulatory for Denti-Cal benefits actually saw afford to see Denti-Cal patients.

Using tobacco tax money to intervention for some countries a dentist in the previous year.

Dr. John Blake runs the Chil- improve Denti-Cal makes sense, hosting American manufacturing Critics say access to care suf- dren’s Dental Health Clinic in Blake said. That was the intent of companies where the U.S. has fers because Denti-Cal payments Long Beach, where 85 percent the proposition to better Medihuge trade deficits with,” she to dentists are so low that many of the patients are on Denti-Cal. Cal, including its dental proadded. can’t afford to participate in the Blake said Caballero’s legisla- gram.

At present, the value of prod- program. The auditor’s report also tion is a good start, although it “We’d certainly like to see that ucts imported by the U.S. from found that Denti-Cal payments for probably is not enough to draw honored,” Blake said. the Philippines is higher than its the most common procedures av- more dentists into the program, AB 15 cleared the Assembly exports in the country. eraged $21.60, about 35 percent he said.

Health Committee last month The trade deficit with the Phil- of the national average.

The initiative would help fill and next will be heard by the ippines, however, is not as large In the next fiscal year, Cabal- gaps in preventive care, he said, Assembly’s Committee on Apas those with other U.S. trading lero’s bill would earmark $300 but adults may have serious den- propriations. A hearing date has partners such as China, Canada, million of the almost $1.2 billion tal disease and dentists would not yet been set.

Mexico, Japan, and Germany. expected in new Medi-Cal fund- find themselves in a difficult poCalifornia Healthline is a serPlaza last January said Ameri- ing from the state’s tobacco tax sition if they detected it during vice of the California Health Care can BPO locators of PEZA who revenues. In future years, the bill basic cleaning and screening.

Foundation produced by Kaiser have earlier expressed interest would require at least 15 percent “The adult population is a dif- Health News, an editorially indeto expand have decided to hold of those revenues to be spent on ferent beast from a treatment pendent program of the Kaiser off investments as they await for Denti-Cal services. standpoint,” Blake said. “We’ve Family Foundation. clearer policies from Trump. n

California lawmakers mull improvements to troubled dental program

BPO sector safe, but manufacturing still in danger from US first policy

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is now expected to be safe from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America-first” policy, but the country’s manufacturing industry remains in the danger zone.

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director general Charito Plaza, who visited Colorado last month to meet with investors and stakeholders who are familiar with the policies of the US President, assured the country’s BPO industry that there is “nothing to worry about anymore” as far as Trump’s controversial policy is concerned.

“They said BPOs will not be affected because the America-first policy of the President is more on the manufacturing and not for service providers. No need for the BPOS to worry, even our Philippine embassy says that.

They were informed that service industry providers will not be

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director general Charito Plaza, who visited Colorado last month to meet with investors and stakeholders who are familiar with the policies of the U.S. President, assured the country’s BPO industry that there is “nothing to worry about anymore” as far as Trump’s controversial policy is concerned. File Photo

affected with the America-first policy,” she said.

“They are more concerned for the manufacturing,” Plaza

Filipina, 94, also a victim of United Airlines discrimination

by TeTch

ToRReS-TupAS Inquirer.net

THE family of 94-year old Paz Arquiza was heartbroken by what she had to endure after she was booted by United Airlines from her Business Class seat and moved to Economy on her flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia.

Arquiza had not had long trips for four years.

She is suffering from severe arthritis and degenerative bone structure in her neck.

But after Arquiza got a clearance from her doctor, Marianne Santos Aguilar said the family pitched in to buy their grandmother a Business Class ticket to ensure her comfortable travel.

In their discrimination complaint against United Airlines dated Feb. 8, 2017, Rose Benedicto, Arquiza’s mother said the flight from Melbourne to LA was comfortable.

“She was able to sleep and was very comfortable in Business Class,” Benedicto said adding that the flight attendants made every effort to accommodate her request to assist her mother as needed.

But their experience on United Airlines Flight 98 from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Feb. 2 was different.

Benedicto said when she assisted her mother to the restroom, one of the flight attendant named Shauna rolled her eyes at her.

When she asked Shauna if she could assist her mother with some tasks like reclining her seat and opening food containers she said the flight attendant told her that “people pay to be in Business Class,” referring to her.

Benedicto was seated at the Economy class.

A few minutes after making her request, Shauna and another flight attendant told her that they could grant her request. Instead, they told her that they could move Arquiza with her in Economy.

“With the hope that my mother could stay in Business Class, I asked Shauna if she can help my mother open her butter because aside from fruits, bread with butter is most likely the only food she will eat during this flight due to her age. Without a word, Shauna abruptly turned her back on me,” Benedicto said.

She said Shauna and the other flight attendant gave her two options: 1. have her mother sit in Economy with her or 2. get off the flight and reschedule the following day so she could purchase a Business Class ticket for herself to sit with her mother. The United Airlines employees told her she had five minutes to decide since the flight was tak-

Paz Arquiza, 94, reportedly also experienced how United Airlines treats some of its passengers.

Photo courtesy of Marianne Santos Aguilar

ing off.

Benedicto said she talked to her mother and explained that no one would assist her if she stayed in Business Class. Arquiza agreed to be moved to Economy.

Upon their arrival to Melbourne, Arquiza’s legs had swollen due to poor circulation from prolonged sitting. She also suffered a stiff neck and body aches. Her doctor had to prescribe a stronger medication and Valium to help her sleep.

Aguilar said they filed a complaint but United had not even apologized.

Two months after the incident, United emailed them only to tell them that the airline was already processing the refund of AUD$1,149.75 since Arquiza did not stay in Business Class. Her family had paid AUD$4,827.00 for that accommodation.

In that same email, United promised to get back to them after two weeks.

Aguilar said her grandmother was ok now “but we are forever tainted by this incident.”

Last April 9, United Airlines dragged a passenger off a flight that the airline had reportedly overbooked in Chicago.

Video of the incident and later photos of a bloodied passenger, David Dao, drew widespread criticism for United Airlines.

Like Arquiza, Dao is of Asian descent. Reports say Dao, who lives in Elizabethtown in Kentucky, traces his roots in Vietnam. n

California hospitals lose ground in quality of…

PAGE A3 t

resistant infections, according to Leapfrog.

A spokesman for San Francisco General didn’t comment directly on the hospital’s results, other than to say it didn’t participate in Leapfrog’s optional survey on safety procedures and training.

Providence said in a statement it takes patient safety seriously and respects efforts to help consumers make an informed choice.

However, “it is important to understand that health care data are extremely difficult to compare as each patient is unique,” the hospital said. “Often information is a few years old before it is analyzed and aggregated for the public.”

A full list of California hospitals and their scores is available here.

California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Develop-

ment also offers data on hospital quality and patient outcomes.

And Medicare posts star ratings for hospitals nationwide, which are another resource for patients and policymakers. (Chad Terhune / California Healthline) California Healthline is a service of the California Health Care Foundation produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

AseAn meeting to push through in Bohol this week

by Pia Lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA — A senior officials meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bohol will push through as scheduled this week despite concerns over the recent bloody encounter between security forces and Abu Sayyaf militants in a remote town in the province.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through acting spokesman Robespierre Bolivar, said international delegates have confirmed participation in the meeting in Bohol hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

As this developed, tourism remains vibrant in Bohol despite last week’s violence, Gov. Edgardo Chatto said Tuesday, April 18.

“We can confirm that the ASEAN meeting in Bohol will push through as scheduled, unless any new information dictates otherwise,” Bolivar said.

Bohol is hosting the 10th ASEAN and Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) Trade Negotiating Committee and Related Meetings.

The DTI-sponsored ministerial meetings are currently being held at the Henann Resort in Panglao Island until Saturday, April 22.

The “security committee of our national organizing council is continuously working to ensure the safety and security of the meeting,” Bolivar said.

Manila will play host to the 30th ASEAN Summit on April 26 to 29. The summit proper will be held on the last day at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

The Philippines chairs the ASEAN Summit 2017 and will also host the 31st ASEAN Summit on Nov. 10-14 in Clark, Pampanga. The country’s chairmanship coincides with 50th anniversary of the 10-nation bloc.

Meanwhile, Chatto said tourists were largely undisturbed by the recent clashes between

A guard patrols the premises of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Pasay City.

troops and Abu Sayyaf militants, judging from the surge of visitors to the province during Holy Week.

“It’s normal here during the Holy Week. All the hotel rooms were almost filled up. From about 80, 90 to 100 percent occupancy in resorts—nothing has changed,” said Chatto in an interview over radio dzMM. On April 11, security forces acting on intelligence information pounced on Abu Sayyaf militants on three boats led by Abu Rami in Inabanga town.

The clashes left three soldiers and a policeman killed.

The militants were believed to be plotting another kidnapping.

Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, spokesman for the Philippine National Police (PNP), said police forces in Central Mindanao have beefed up patrol and intelligence-monitoring in the region to stave off terror attacks and kidnapping.

Carlos said coordination among local government units, police and military forces has been intensified to prevent another attempt by the bandits to cross the seas to the Visayas.

“We are continuously guarding these areas. There is a regular monitoring in these areas,” he said.

As part of security measures, Carlos said several police teams visited Siquijor and Negros Oriental – particularly the coastal areas – to encourage residents

to inform authorities of the arrival or activities of suspiciouslooking men.

Residents spotted and reported the arrival in Bohol of armed men who stayed in the house of one of the local residents married to a woman from Mindanao.

Bohol, popular among local and foreign tourists, is home to the Chocolate Hills, the Danao Adventure Park, a tarsier conservation area and white sand beaches.

The province is not far from other tourist destinations like Cebu.

Chatto admitted some areas in Bohol remain on heightened alert as authorities are still on the hunt for suspected Abu Sayyaf fighters who managed to flee after the April 11 encounter.

Carlos said the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Air Force have also been tapped to help secure the coastlines of Central Visayas and Negros Island regions.

“It was also announced that air assets of the Philippine Air Force will be flying over these islands to secure the coastlines and monitor the movement of small sea craft,” said Carlos.

“There’s a joint task force in Negros Occidental with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, even local groups such as BantayDagat in Negros were tapped in this effort.” (With Cecille Suerte Felipe)

MEGA SUBWAY. This slide presented at the “Dutertenomics” forum on Tuesday, April 18, shows the proposed Mega Manila Subway system.

The first phase of the administration’s “most ambitious project” will connect at least four stations from Quezon City to Taguig City.

DOTr photo

Duterte vows hospitals for OFWs

by LLanesca

T. PanTi

Manilatimes.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to put up hospitals for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in countries where they work.

The president, fresh from a weeklong state visit in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar which host at least one million OFWs, said establishing hospitals for Filipinos working abroad is a small token in return for the huge remittances that they send home that help keep the Philippine economy afloat. Last year, OFWs remitted $7.5 billion.

“What the OFWs need is a hospital. Many of them want to go home or are in need of medical attention. They are asking me for a hospital, so I will…we will look for the money and I will ask their (host countries’) permission to establish even just a small, a general hospital to cater to all the health needs of our countrymen,” Duterte said.

“A hospital would just be a fraction of the OFWs’ huge contribution to the country. It is important that we repay them with a hospital,” he added.

The president also gave assur-

ances that distressed OFWs will be repatriated on a daily basis.

“I promise you that. We will do it everyday. We will have to spend money. I will look for the money. I will give you primary importance,” Duterte said.

The president said his threecountry swing in the Middle East was productive, having secured $925 million investments deals.

“This is the most productive trip ever. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar were more than willing really to help the Filipinos. It is the national interest of the Republic of the Philippines that we maintain more than just good relationship with these countries,” he said.

Duterte considers the Middle East as a region of great importance to the Philippines because it hosts a huge number of Filipinos and is a partner for the Philippines’ energy needs and an emerging source of broader two way-trade and investments.

“We agreed that it is in the interest of both our nations to uphold the welfare and well-being of Filipino workers.

This is an area of partnership that we are keen on making

greater strides,” Duterte said.

“Whenever I talk to heads of state, I stressed that there is very much at stake here and that we want their nation to be stable, trouble-free and a good neighbor for everybody,” he added.

The president flew back to the Philippines on Sunday, April 16, bringing with him 138 OFWs stranded in the Middle East because of unresolved issues with their employers.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said her department will provide assistance to the OFWs as part of the administration’s Sagip Sundo program.

Field offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development will assess the condition of each OFW and they will be provided assistance “depending on their circumstances.” “[W]e’re now in the process of referring them to concerned DSWD Field Offices in the different regions so they can be provided with the appropriate services and interventions,” Taguiwalo said in a statement.

“We hope to provide our newlyreturned [OFWs] with timely assistance and to help them start their new lives in the Philippines.”

A

April 21-27, 2017 • NOrCAl ASiAN JOUrNAl

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OpiniOn

‘Shoot the corrupt’

Features

IT can amuse the audience, and there are people who would love to shoot government workers who demand grease money before doing what they are paid to do. But everyone knows the average person isn’t going to shoot such crooks in government, as President Duterte advised the business community in Qatar last Saturday, April 15.

Addressing the PhilippinesQatar business forum in Doha, the president reiterated his commitment to stamp out corruption.

If any employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue or Bureau of Customs, for example, demanded even P10 in grease money, “shoot him,” the president told the businessmen.

The public would prefer to have the government do the shooting – figuratively, it must be stressed in this season of Tokhang and Double Barrel Reloaded. The country has tough laws against various forms of corruption including the most serious, plunder. Anti-money laundering laws also cover graft-related offenses. What is lacking, as is the case in many laws in this country, is proper enforcement.

Stamping out corruption, as the president has promised, also suffers from the weakness of the regulatory environment and institutional structures. Processes are designed to force the payment of grease money to oil the wheels of government.

Among the biggest hindrances to any attempt to

fight graft are corrupt members of the judiciary. As long as justice is for sale in this country, people can expect to get away with corruption. This is true especially among those who are accused of large-scale plunder. These individuals typically have amassed sufficient ill-gotten wealth to hire topnotch lawyers who know the judges and justices whose decisions are for sale to the highest bidder. A recent report prepared by the US government also specifically cited the problem of corruption in the Philippine judiciary as a major hindrance to bilateral trade.

The president has no disciplinary supervision over an independent and co-equal branch of government, but he can use his power to appoint or promote members of the judiciary to help clean up the justice sector. Within the executive branch, he must demand results from his officials in drastically cutting red tape and improving procedures in every agency. It will take more than bullets to rid this country of corruption. (Philstar.com)

Guest Editorial

Philstar.com photo

If Duterte can’t be expected to change, perhaps media should PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused Street media, specifically the Philippine Daily In- Talk quirer and ABS-CBN, of being bastos and unfair and, in the process, he sounded just as foul as GreG B. MacaBenTa the objects of his ire.

Perhaps it is too much to expect Duterte to change. But, with due respect to my media colleagues, I believe they – we – can use some frank self-examination and an overhaul.

Duterte isn’t the first head of state to complain about the way some members of the press have used “alternative facts” in their reportage, to echo Donald Trump’s Kellyanne Conway.

To drive home my point, I would like to re-run a piece that I wrote in January 2002, during the incumbency of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, entitled, “The Making of a Masturbated Story”: Vicky Garchitorena, former head of the Presidential Management Staff, in a recent meeting with the Filipino community in San Francisco, conjectured that “as much as 50 percent” of the stories put out in Manila media were distorted or even fabricated.

As a new palace insider with firsthand knowledge of what President Arroyo had said about an issue or how it had been discussed in official circles, she confessed to being often taken aback by the slant given by the media to that issue – stretched or twisted beyond recognition.

In the first of this two-part piece, I referred to that practice as “masturbating the news,” a term to which I was introduced as a cub reporter back in the mid-50’s. Perhaps today’s journalists are

already using another term but the practice remains.

The constant refrain of government officials and prominent personalities in business and civil society has been that Philippine media have a tendency to “sensationalize” the news, to dramatize or exaggerate situations and even to distort or fabricate stories.

The media have been quick to protest this “generalization,” pointing out, quite rightly, that it unfairly tarnishes those who operate by the strictest standards of the journalistic profession (and it should be assumed that they are still legion).

But it cannot be denied that there are those in media who routinely stretch facts or present stories out of context for a number of reasons, the most benign of which is to grab the attention of readers, viewers and listeners.

It also cannot be denied that there are those in government and the private sector who are just as guilty of misinformation and even outright disinformation. Or of simply not knowing what to say but saying it anyway.

On my recent visit to Manila, I decided to track the making of a masturbated story.

On Friday, January 18, the Inquirer ran the headline: “US senator says RP next Afghanistan.”

The American official referred to, Sen. Sam Brownback, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, never said that. The exact quote, which appeared within the article, read: ‘”It appears that the Philippines is going to be the second, the next target,

IN just two months and a few days, President Rodrigo Duterte would complete his first year in office. Before that, the one-year government-employment ban on those who ran and lost in the May 2016 elections will expire, and they may now join the government. It might do some good. After 10 months of muddling through, PDU30 needs to move on, to a higher moral ground and a higher level of administrative competence. Especially if Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano’s impeachment complaint against him is thrown out of the House of Representatives. There are some good things going for him, but basic problems remain, and internal dissensions have begun to surface.

The list is mixed. His brutal war on drugs has reached a deadend. No one is amused any longer by the foul and offensive language he uses on foreigners he has not even met. He has made enemies needlessly where he should have made friends.

Very few have been able to bridge the trench between his brusque rhetoric and what is supposed to be a President’s normal official discourse. His ability to perform for the crowd is undimmed, but the previously uncritical response of his audiences has begun to thin out. But TIME magazine reports that, in a recent online survey, DU30 topped the list of 100 “most influential persons in the world.”

Beating the world’s most popular TIME does not say whether “influential” means being an influence for good or bad. TIME normally picks a “Person of the Year” who has influenced

after Afghanistan on the war on terrorism,’ Brownback said during a stop in Wichita. ‘That Abu Sayyaf group is the target.’”

It doesn’t take rocket science to take that statement in proper context.

The United States and its allies, the Philippines included, have vowed to go after terrorists wherever they may be.

The Abu Sayyaf has been linked to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Ladin. President Arroyo and President George W. Bush have both agreed that the Abu Sayyaf should be eliminated. There is some urgency in this for the US because two American citizens are being held hostage.

Thus, to quote Brownback: “That Abu Sayyaf group is the target.”

The trouble is that there has been a great deal of fudging and equivocating – too much masturbating – on the part of the Arroyo government concerning the role that the Americans will play in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf. That, coupled with the hypocrisy and piranha mentality of the opposition and the ageold “Yankee go home” rhetoric of the militants, has created an opportunity for sensationalizing, for creating suspense, conflict and confusion.

This was reflected in the treatment of the Inquirer’s Friday headline which expectedly, set off fireworks which, in turn, made for a perfect follow-up story on Saturday. Its headline the next day blared: “US senator stirs furor for remark on RP.” The subhead read: “No way RP will be next Afghanistan.”

The lead rubbed it in even more: “The statement of a United States senator that the Philippines could be the next Afghanistan has triggered an uproar, with senators seeking a personal brief-

ing from President Macapagal-Arroyo on the presence of US troops and activist groups demanding their immediate pullout.”

The usual quotable notables wasted no time in jumping into the fray, even if out of context.

Sen. Blas Ople “dismissed Brownback’s statement, saying the US senator was ‘speaking from a complete ignorance of Philippine reality.’”

Even a media veteran like Max Soliven couldn’t help getting into the act. In his column in the Sunday, January 20, issue of Philippine Star, the headline snapped: “Too much puffery over an American Senator being a loudmouth, too.”

And then he wrote: “What’s Brownback supposed to have said? That the Philippines would be the next Afghanistan? We know, and this should suffice, that we are as different from war-ravaged, Taliban-humiliated, feudal-minded (except in some warlord areas) Afghanistan as apples are from oranges.”

Max is right. The Philippines is not Afghanistan. But Brownback never said it is.

Always feisty, Max (my former boss, incidentally) described Brownback as someone who sounded “like a delegate from Dogpatch high on Kickapoo joy juice.”

Ouch!

In a tabloid that picked up the same story, Roilo Golez called Brownback’s statement “grandstanding” and said that “the latter’s fear is baseless and untrue.

‘It’s only part of speculation.’”

But wasn’t he also “grandstanding” by making an incorrect attribution to Brownback? The latter never expressed any “fear” about America helping in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and, as

Time for a Cabinet revamp?

world events for better or worse.

Thus, from the time Charles Lindbergh made the first solo Opinion non-stop flight across the Atlantic on May 20 to 21, 1927 and became TIME’s first Man of the Year that year, we have seen Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden and Mao Zedong join Mother Francisco TaTad Teresa, St. John Paul II, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, the Tunisian fruit vendor who set himself on fire in a public square to set off the Tunisian Arab Spring, and others, as Persons of the Year.

One thing that can be said for The Manila Times is that it did not need an online survey to make DU30 “Man of the Year” on February 11, 2017, on his eighth month in office. But in case anyone is wondering how DU30 could have outranked Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook; Bill Gates, the richest human being in the United States; Pope Francis, who is loved even by non- and anti-Catholics; and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom individuals of all sexes and ages uniformly find “cute,” there is no need to suggest manipulation or fraud—the simple fact is that DU30 has more dedicated supporters (and trolls) in the social media than any politician or celebrity in the world.

Out of the country’s 103 million population, 54 million are on Facebook, while only 1.8 million Chi-

nese and 157 million Indians are on Facebook out of a population of 1.38 billion Chinese and 1.3 billion Indians, respectively. Out of the 54 million Filipinos on Facebook, it is anybody’s guess how many got involved in the TIME online poll. As the Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Socrates Villegas recently pointed out, these trolls are the ones who attack without compunction the character of Church leaders who criticize the extra-judicial killings in the war on drugs.

Cracks in the armor In ten months, DU30 has become the most widely travelled Filipino President on record, boasting of huge loans and financial commitments obtained from China, Japan and the Middle East, but without pointing out that all this has unnecessarily increased the size of the country’s external debt and the built-in opportunity for graft. The combined smell of money and power now appears to have created serious quarrels inside the administration, beginning with officials tasked to make the critical decisions on the importation of Mekong Delta rice. One Cabinet undersecretary who represents Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., as chairman of the National Food Council, has been fired without a hearing because of these quarrels, but she

national security adviser, he knows that the US involvement is not “baseless and untrue” or “only part of speculation.”

The ones who are speculating are the militants and the political opposition who insist that, far from just giving advice and training, US troops will actually go into combat against the Abu Sayyaf.

And here is where Malacañang has been “massaging the message.” No. Definitely not. The Americans will just train our soldiers. Although they’ll observe on the frontlines. And they’ll fire back when shot at. But no, they won’t go into combat.

The fuzz explains the comment of Sen. Joker Arroyo, also in the Inquirer, that “the presence of U.S. troops in Basilan and Zamboanga was an implied admission by the AFP that it could not defeat the Abu Sayyaf.”

Malacañang’s retort? Of course we can defeat the Abu Sayyaf ourselves without any US help. But we can use some help. But we really don’t need help.

Although we are already being helped.

For those of us who live overseas, it’s disconcerting having to constantly strain to read between the lines when going over the news from Manila.

First, we’re never sure that the source of the news, especially when it is the government, is conveying it truthfully, with no equivocation, and without any material facts being withheld. And then, we’re never sure that the version being communicated in the media is an objective, complete, unvarnished portrayal of the facts.

To put it bluntly, we’re never sure that the news is not being masturbated.

Is it any surprise that the image of our country is so screwed up? (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

could be the wrong victim, who has been fired for the wrong reason, and the administrator of the National Food Authority, who has so far been spared, could soon lose his job. Unconfirmed reports say DU30 has signed the appointment of the new NFA chief, to be released in May. More later.

Regardless of DU30’s initial “popularity,” which the usual paid propaganda polls have tried to fudge in his favor, there is little sign that the country is being governed and governed well. It seems to be running on auto-pilot, doing well in spite and without the intervention of government. Aside from the disturbing cracks in DU30’s inner circle, nothing indicates that domestic and foreign policy directions and initiatives have been clearly set, to the extent that all members of his Cabinet have the same understanding of these. Everyone takes the President’s unscripted pronouncements as policy, but none of these are backed up by any kind of prior or subsequent study, nor accompanied by implementing rules.

The educated mind suspects that DU30 is unwilling to educate the nation on his real take on government. He needs to be more forthcoming and transparent. His duty is to govern the nation, not to create sensational headlines to sell newspapers. He should be encouraged to see, without any illusions or blinders, where he has erred and where he has done right. The errors must be corrected and as much as possible eliminated, and the PAGE A7

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Dateline PhiliPPines

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 21-27, 2017

A

De Lima asks SC to stop ‘political persecution’ vs her by rosette

adel

Philstar.com

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

SC affirms GMA acquittal

by Jomar

Canlas Manilatimes.net

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, April 18, stood pat on its majority ruling acquitting former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the crime of plunder.

During their summer session in Baguio City, the magistrates junked the motion for reconsideration filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, citing the principle of double jeopardy.

With the same vote of 11 against 4, the high court ruled to affirm the granting of demurrer to evidence to Arroyo for lack of sufficient evidence to prove the crime of plunder.

Arroyo no longer presented evidence before the Sandiganbayan.

The SC said that with Arroyo’s acquittal, criminal proceedings can no longer be pursued.

Arroyo was accused of embezzling P366 million in intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from 2008 to 2010.

Besides Arroyo, also charged with plunder by the Ombudsman were PCSO General Manager and Vice Chairman Rosario Uriarte, members of the Board of Directors Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc, Raymundo Roquero, Ma. Fatima Valdes; Budget and Accounts Manager Benigno Aguas; Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Reynaldo Villar; and former COA CIF Fraud Audit Unit head Nilda Plaras.

MANILA — Detained Sen. Leila de Lima insists that her case is a result of political persecution and is asking the Supreme Court to order her immediate release.

In her Memorandum submitted to the SC on Monday, April 17, De Lima said her case is not special because it involves a senator of the Republic of the Philippines who has been deprived of her liberty but because the cases filed against her by the government for trading in illegal drugs is a case of political persecution rather than legitimate prosecution. “What makes this case special, in fact, has nothing to do with the petitioner but everything to do with the government officials who are going after her with all the might and power and state.

What makes this case special is their willingness to use the strong arm of the law to persecute Petitioner simply to fulfill one man’s promise to make her rot in jail,�

De Lima’s prefatory statement in her memorandum read. “She is not asking for any special consideration because of her public position or because she is

Time for a Cabinet revamp?

PAGE A6 t

correct things made perfect and expanded. The on-the-job training is over, the real work begins.

This may require a new beginning not only for the President but for all the parties. He may be too proud to ask for it, but this is what he needs. As a presidential critic, I am more than willing to give him that.

Catching up on the basics These are some things DU30 may want to do immediately.

First, he may want to review his own way of doing and saying things; and second, he may want to strengthen his Cabinet and make sure it works at optimum capacity as a Cabinet, and not as a choir or an echo chamber.

Both are indispensable to his success as President. The first thing does not require “reinventing� himself, if there is nothing to reinvent at all. He simply has to learn the things he ought to have learned from kindergarten, as the author Robert Fulghum says (“All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten�).

He has to realize that he is no longer the tough city mayor of at Davao who liked to impress the rural folk by talking of physically exterminating all anti-social elements, using the word kill, kill, kill. The presidency has a certain discourse and a set of manners, which are not optional; he must exert every effort to learn them, even at this late stage. The electorate did not impose DU30 on the presidency, so that he could do with it whatever he pleased; they handed him the presidency so that he would honor it, and make himself worthy of it.

An instructive and inspiring example would be the story of England’s King George VI (the subject of a recent film, “The King’s Speech�). Upon his ascent to the throne, he was confronted with a stammer which prevented him from making a casual speech. He froze before the simplest text. To cure the impediment, the Queen hired Lionel Logue, an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his defect.

It took patience, hard work, and a beautiful friendship between

the monarch and his therapist to bring to the court the pleasure of listening to the King finally speak.

DU30 does not have a stammer to cure; all he has is an apparent oversupply of unprovoked invectives, which is dangerous to our children’s, and our own manners and moral health. Instead of listening to Hitler’s speeches and trying to imitate his rage, he could study how distinguished heads of state, prime ministers, parliamentarians, and even preachers behave. In dealing with himself, he has to insist that civility is not weakness and the lack of manners or charity is never strength.

Marcos, whom he reputedly admired, never raised his voice or used an invective on anyone in public.

The Cabinet as an option He may want to take a closer look at his Cabinet. They are almost all from Mindanao and from San Beda Law College—as though that island and that law school had a monopoly of the nation’s talents, and that being from Mindanao or San Beda was

in jail. She only seeks the fundamental right of every citizen to invoke the Constitution as shield and sword against government abuse,� the statement read.

De Lima reiterated that the charges filed against her “are manifestly false and brought before a court that is manifestly without jurisdiction, simply to satisfy the lust for vengeance.�

Grounds for political persecution The detained senator had not been in good terms with Presdient Rodrigo Duterte since she investigated him while mayor of Davao City in 2009 for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings attributed to the Davao Death Squad.

De Lima also conducted hearings on extrajudicial killings at the start Duterte’s term, when she headed the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. She presented Edgar Matobato as a witness.

Matobato claimed to be a professional hitman who witnessed Duterte executing victims of the DDS. The senator also cited in her memorandum that another witness, SPO3 Arthur LascaĂąas, also surfaced and testified before the

Senate, tagging Duterte as the DDS mastermind responsible for the killing of hundreds of EJK victims in Davao City. ‘Government confused on charges’ De Lima also mentioned that the government seemed confused on what crime she is being jailed for. She said this only proved that she was arrested and detained on the basis of fake charges.

De Lima was initially charged at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court for Consummated Trading in Dangerous Drugs.

However, the Office of the Solicitor General told the SC that the crime she actually committed is mere Conspiracy to Commit Trading in Illegal Drugs.

The senator said this was a violation of her constitutional rights to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against her. “In plain terms, petitioner was charged and arrested for the wrong crime,� she stressed in her Memorandum. “She must therefore be released without delay, as every moment of confinement is unconstitutional,� she added.

De Lima repeated that the RTC of Muntinlupa has no jurisdic-

tion over her case since the Sandiganbayan, not a regular court, has jurisdiction over high public officials accused of committing crimes using their government positions.

De Lima, through her lawyers, on Monday submitted her Memorandum before the SC to question her arrest and continued detention. This is in compliance with the required submission of memorandum within the 20-day deadline after the oral arguments last March 28.

Both De Lima and Solicitor General Jose Calida were required to submit the memorandum and answer the interpellation of magistrates during the past three oral arguments last March. These oral arguments discussed the petitions filed by De Lima against Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Presiding Judge Juanita Guerrero and police officers who arrested her late February.

The deadline of submission for memoranda is on April 24.

De Lima was represented by several lawyers, including former Solicitor Genral Florin Hilbay, Jose Manuel Diokno, Teddy Esteban Rigoroso, Alexander Padilla, and former senators Wigberto TaĂąada, and Rene Saguisag.

the first requirement for an important appointment. This was a mistake, and the result has been called a lightweight Cabinet, even among DU30 supporters. DU30 must realize by now the gravity and magnitude of this mistake.

Yesterday, MalacaĂąang issued Memorandum Circular No. 16, according to Rappler, requiring the various executive departments under the control of the President to first seek his permission and consent before negotiating and signing any agreement or treaty with any foreign government. This is absurdity on stilts, worse than anything we ever saw during B. S. Aquino 3rd’s “student council government.â€? I nearly fell off my seat upon reading it.

Why should it be necessary to send out any such circular, when it is the first basic principle and fact that no treaty or agreement with any foreign party may be negotiated and signed, except upon the authority of, and the “full powers� from, the President?

Was this an offshoot of unverified reports that the National Food Authority administrator had entered into separate negotiations with Thai suppliers for a big rice

import without the knowledge and authority of the National Food Council?

On Monday, Evasco was reported to have submitted a letter of resignation, apparently as a result of the controversy, which had earlier caused the firing of Cabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez, his protege from Maribojoc, Bohol, who got caught in a bitter conflict with NFA administrator Jason Aquino on the issue of rice importation. The letter was reportedly submitted to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, but quickly “returned to sender� on DU30’s instruction, before he could read it.

It now appears that the tide has turned against Aquino, who is being implicated in an alleged effort to conclude a deal with Thai rice suppliers. Sources claim that following the courtesy call of the Thai trade exporters association on Aquino last March 31, an NFA special assistant approached the delegation to inquire if the NFA could recommend a private firm, Seabridge Transport Corporation, to handle the shipment. The delegation ignored the question.

A week later, the same assistant reportedly appeared at the Thai

embassy to follow up on his request on behalf of Seabridge and the NFA administrator. He was told the Thai government would be the one to choose the transport company, not any other.

Although DU30 has rejected Evasco’s resignation unread, the Cabinet secretary has provided a window for a Cabinet overhaul.

He cannot afford to let go of Evasco, who is his most trusted in the Cabinet. But he could redefine his powers and functions, so that he could avoid overlaps in the organization. Aside from reviewing who should be doing what, a Cabinet revamp should allow DU30 to make one very important decision with respect to mining, which has created a wedge between the government and the mining sector. Gina Lopez, the environment secretary, has earned DU30’s support for her radical position against destructive mining. But since mining per se is not and has never been the problem, the Cabinet must now decide what type of mining should be allowed within the framework of Gina Lopez’s concerns, and under what conditions would it be acceptable. (fstatad@gmail.com)

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April 21-27, 2017 • NOrCAl ASiAN JOUrNAl

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 21-27, 2017

CJ

BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal

Your Immigration Solution Brittany Milliasseau and nancy Miller

Spouses of certain H-1B visa holders at risk of losing work authorization

DURING the Obama adminis- earn an income, it has also been could be in economic jeopardy. tration, the Department of Home- challenged by certain groups Families may lose a household land Security (DHS) enacted a claiming that the rule threatens income and financial situations rule that allows the spouses of the jobs of U.S. workers. Shortly could be dramatically changed certain H-1B specialty occupa- after the H-4 EAD rule was an- resulting in economic hardship tion workers to apply for employ- nounced, an organization of for many, especially families that ment authorization documents technology workers filed a law- have become accustomed to dual (EADs). Prior to the enactment suit against the federal govern- family incomes. As of right now, of the rule, the H-4 spouse of an ment arguing that DHS lacked there have been no changes to H-1B visa holder could live in the the statutory authority to allow the H-4 EAD rule, but there is a United States, but was not au- H-4 visa holders to work in the possibility that DHS could amend thorized to work. Thus, numer- U.S. Further, the plaintiffs ar- the existing rule, publish a new ous highly-skilled and advanced gued that the new rule injured rule, or even terminate the rule.

The challenge to the H-4 EAD degree individuals, who chose its members as they would be to accompany their spouses to forced to compete with both H- rule is a stark reminder of the the U.S. were unable to pursue 1B and H-4 workers for jobs. uncertainty that is present in the employment opportunities in the The case was initially dismissed immigration system – uncertainU.S. The H-4 EAD rule which but plaintiffs appealed the rul- ty that has recently been heightwent into effect in May 2015, ing. In February 2017, DHS was ened due to the new presidential administration. changed the long-standing Many H-4 spouses and If you believe that you regulation and allowed H-4 may be eligible for work nonimmigrant spouses of their family members are now authorization under the H-1B workers to apply for concerned about the future of H-4 EAD program, it is work authorization if their H-1B spouse is in process their work authorization and their best that you speak with an experienced immigraof becoming a lawful perability to earn an income. tion attorney to discuss manent resident. Specifically, the H-1B holder must be granted an additional 60 days eligibility. Additionally, if you the beneficiary of an approved to assess the rule and “allow think that you may be eligible Form I-140, Immigration Peti- incoming leadership personnel for another type of immigration tion for Alien Worker, or have adequate time to consider the is- benefit, you should consult with been granted H-1B status pur- sues.” Earlier this week, after the a knowledgeable immigration atsuant to certain sections of the 60-day abeyance which ended torney who may review your imAmerican Competitiveness in the on April 3, DHS then asked the migration case history and deterTwenty-first Century Act of 2000, Circuit Court for additional time. mine whether you are currently as amended by the 21st Century This time, the request for was an eligible for any immigration benDepartment of Justice Appropri- additional 180 days to allow DHS efits, particularly a benefit that ations Authorization Act, often time to “reconsider the H-4 Rule may no longer be available in the and whether issuance of a notice near future. referred to as “AC21.” *** The H-4 EAD rule was initially of proposed rulemaking relating aimed at reducing “personal and to it is appropriate.” In its filing, Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, economic burdens faced by H-1B DHS also offered to “update the largest and most experienced immigration nonimmigrants and eligible H-4 court every 60 days concerning firms in the United States with offices in Los dependent spouses during the the Department’s review” and Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Manila. transition from nonimmigrant to to “inform the Court promptly For more Information please call (800) 795LPR status,” as well as “attract- should it determine new rule- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com. ing and retaining highly skilled making is or is not appropriate Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com foreign workers and minimizing before 180 days elapse.”

Many H-4 spouses and their Website: www.rreeves.com. the disruption to U.S. businesses *** resulting from H-1B nonimmi- family members are now congrants who choose not to remain cerned about the future of their The analysis and suggestions offered in in the United States and pursue work authorization and their this column do not create a lawyer-client ability to earn an income. If the relationship and are not a substitute for LPR status.”

While the H-4 EAD program current administration revokes the personalized representation that is has provided a much-needed employment authorization for essential to every case.

(Advertising Supplement) pathway for H-4 visa holders to H-4 spouses, numerous families

“

”

by Raadee

S. SauSa ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) on Tuesday, April 18, said efforts by the government to strengthen ties with Asean neighbors and China may support exports growth in the coming months.

DTI-EMB Director Senen Perlada noted that exports increased by 11 percent to $4.782 billion in February, marking its third month of positive growth.

“Enhancing trade promotion efforts to huge consumer mar-

kets is seen as a viable strategy in sustaining the performance of Philippine exports in the coming months,” Perlada said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has reported that eight out of the 10 top export goods were on the rise. Electronic products comprised 51.6 percent of total export revenue at $2.470 billion compared with $2.131 billion a year earlier.

The United States was the top export destination for Philippine products, accounting for 15.6 percent of total shipments valued at $745.22 million. Japan was second with a 15.25 per-

cent share and receipts valued at $728.35 million.

The increase in February 2017 exports lifted the cumulative value of merchandise exports by 17.36 percent in the first two months of the year.

As the Philippines chairs the Asean Summit this year, the country is pushing for the conclusion of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.

RCEP is a free trade agreement that is the focus of discussions between the Asean 10-member states and the group’s six dia-

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Philippine economy to remain fastest growing in region – IMF

by LawRence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

Shanaka Jayanath Peiris

WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the Philippines to book the fastest economic growth in the region over the next two years amid the projected stronger global economic recovery.

IMF resident representative Shanaka Jayanath Peiris said

in an email that the multilateral fund expects the Philippines to book a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.8 percent this year and 6.9 percent for 2018 on the back of a strong rebound in export earnings.

“Growth is projected to remain robust at 6.8 percent in 2017 and 6.9 percent in 2018, led by strong domestic demand and a recovery

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CJ

Community Journal

april 21-27, 2017 • NOrCal aSiaN JOUrNal

Crimes that may affect your citizenship application

The CTV Files atty. DenniS Chua, eSq. WHEN a legal permanent resident files for citizenship, one of the questions being asked of the applicant is whether the applicant has ever been convicted or charged with a crime. Depending on the nature of the crime committed, a criminal conviction may result in a permanent bar to an applicant for citizenship.

If an applicant has committed the crime of murder or an aggravated felony, the applicant will never be granted US citizenship.

An aggravated felony may include the following crimes: rape; sexual abuse of a minor; drug trafficking; firearm trafficking; child pornography; laundering of monetary instruments where the amount exceeds $10,000. Aside from having the citizenship application denied, the applicant will most likely be put in removal proceedings once the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finds out that the applicant has been convicted of one of these crimes.

There are some criminal convictions that may temporarily bar applicants from obtaining US citizenship. This means that if an applicant has been convicted of a crime, the applicant would have to wait for a certain period of time within which to apply for citizenship. In some cases, the applicant would have to wait for five years from the commission of the crime to apply for citizenship. Some of these crimes that will temporarily bar an applicant for citizenship are as follows: (1) participation in illegal vice activities such as prostitution; (2) conviction or admission of a crime involving moral turpitude; (3) spending 180 days or more in jail or prison for any crime; (4) conviction of two or more crimes, the combination of which the applicant got a total prison sentence of five years or more. These crimes would prevent an applicant from showing good moral character during the required period of time.

However, there are some crimes which would temporarily bar an applicant from obtaining US citizenship if the applicant is still undergoing probation. An

example would be a conviction for driving under the influence (DUI). An applicant with a DUI conviction will have his or her application denied if the probation is still ongoing. The probation period for a DUI conviction is usually for three years. Applicants with DUI convictions may have the option of having their probation terminated earlier thus making them eligible to apply for citizenship.

If an applicant has been convicted of a crime, it is best that the applicant seek legal advice from an attorney to determine eligibility in filing for citizenship and more importantly the consequences of the criminal conviction on the applicant’s immigration status. ***

Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV), a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; Dchua@ctvattys.com.

The CTV Attorneys will be at Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo on October 19, 2009 from 5pm to 7pm to hold a FREE legal clinic. (Advertising Supplement)

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Something to ponder: The story of Micah, the good samaritan

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette aDeva Maglaya JOSHUA hurried outside the inn to the courtyard. A stranger summoned him for help. He had a mule tethered to a post. A badly beaten, wounded man who looked half-dead was splayed helplessly face down across the girth of the pack animal.

“What happened?” Joshua asked.

The stranger replied, “I came across this man on a deserted part of the roadway to Jericho. He was stripped naked, unconscious and bloodied all over. He was still alive, but barely. I couldn’t just leave him.”

He paused and pleaded with Joshua, the innkeeper, “Can you help us?”

Joshua sprang to action, “Let’s bring him inside quickly. I can have Luke look him over.”

They carried the man inside and laid him in a bed in one of the rooms. Joshua quickly fetched the man he called Luke. He was a physician who spent much of his time writing.

They hurried to the wounded man’s room. With his deft hands, Luke diagnosed the injured man’s condition and briskly gave instructions to Joshua to prepare warm water, oil, ointment and strips of clothing to bind the man’s wounds.

The man’s breathing was shallow. He opened his swollen eyes slightly seemingly regaining consciousness. The man moaned

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asking where he was. Then he drifted out once more. Luke felt his pulse. It was weak but steady.

They ministered to him as best as they could. The man drifted in and out of consciousness but the bleeding had stopped. Seeing that there was no more they can do for the man at the moment, the three men left the room.

“I am Micah from Samaria,” the man said. “I am Joshua,” the innkeeper replied, “and this is Luke.” Luke gazing at the two men with kind knowing eyes, nodded, acknowledging them both as he went back to his writing.

Micah stayed with the injured man through the night, lying down on a cot on one side of the room for short naps in-between while Luke checked in on the man’s condition from time to time during the night. Joshua made sure there is food for Micah and enough oil for the lamp that burned faintly in one corner of the room. It looked like the man was going to make it. He said a prayer of thankfulness.

Micah was up early. He had pressing business to attend to.

He looked in on the wounded

man. He set aside two silver coins for the man’s care. Micah made a mental note to stop by the inn on his way back. He wanted to cover any other cost.

Sometime during the day, the wounded man opened his eyes and saw he was in a strange room. His body ached all over and his head was spinning. He was hungry and thirsty and was about to call out when Joshua entered the room.

“How are you feeling?” Joshua asked him. He had a tray of warm food and a flask of wine with him.

The man groaned in reply.

Joshua placed the tray of food beside the man. He had great difficulty eating and swallowing but he must have been truly famished. He cleaned up what was on the tray.

Joshua asked as he sat down on a chair, “ So tell me. What happened?”

The man answered, “A band of four robbers sprang up on me while I was traveling on a deserted road on my way to Jericho.

They beat me up so badly and left me for dead. They took all I

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The new silent killer

Health@Heart

WE ARE

“… He opened his swollen eyes slightly seemingly regaining consciousness. The man moaned asking where he was. Then he drifted out once more. …”

THE silent killer of the 1970s, high blood pressure, is now replaced by Metabolic Syndrome, a cluster of three or more risk factors like abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, abnormal lipids, and insulin resistance (pre-diabetes T2).

The expanding waistlines of Americans (and Filipinos also) the past several decades has been alarming, not only from the cosmetic/physical point of view but, more importantly, from their adverse impact on health, morbidity. and mortality. It is now obvious that “love handle” can be deadly.

The researchers from Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, in an article posted this year in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology ad Therapeutics, stated that “being overweight and obesity contribute to metabolic syndrome, which affects 1 in 3 adults and about 40 percent of adults aged 40 and older…that the risk factors are more than just the sum of their parts.”

Obesity is indeed surpassing tobacco as the pre-eminent preventable cause of early morbidity and premature deaths in the United States and globally.

The rule of thumb is that optimizing health requires and includes a waistline of less than 40 in men and less than 35 in women, and a healthy lifestyle: diet, exercise, abstinence from

tobacco, disciplined alcohol intake, and stress management.

The authors of the study explain “that the visceral fat component of abdominal obesity leads not only to insulin resistance but also to the release of non-esterified free fatty acids from adipose tissues or body fat…the lipids then accumulate in other sites such as the liver and muscles, further predisposing individuals to insulin resistance and dyslipidemia-abnormal amounts of lipids…and adipose tissue may produce various adipokines that may separately impact insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk factors.”

Persons with metabolic syndrome are generally without symptoms and severely underdiagnosed and untreated, but have a 10-year risk of a first heart attack, according to the Framingham Risk score of 16 to 18 percent, which puts them in a higher risk category similar to those who already had a previous heart attack.

Various clinical studies have shown than even with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), individuals with expanding waistline from visceral fats could still have metabolic syndrome. Those who consume soft drinks of any kind, cola or uncola, diet or regular, caffeinated or not, have a higher risk for the development of metabolic syndrome, especially children. Indeed, soft drinks are toxic to our body, to our DNA As I have highlighted in the book “Let’s Stop ‘Killing’ Our Children,” healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, in order to be fully effective, must start in

the womb, and dieting and discipline must begin in the crib to protect the children’s DNA. This pre-emptive and proactive strategy at the cellular/molecular level will exempt them from having the so-called “expected and normal diseases of aging,” like arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes T2, heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. Indeed, these are preventable.

The pandemic of obesity, which begins in childhood, is increasing the past century, and the current generation of children and adolescents (who eat more calories and unhealthy foods and who exercise less) will reach middle age with higher morbidity and mortality from metabolic, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancer, which may even be worse than their parents’ in spite of the great advances in medical science and technology.

While colon cancer rates have been going down among the elderly (55 and older) since the 1980s, they are increasing among those in their 20s and 30s. This was the recent alarming finding of a US cancer registry, which reviewed nearly half a million color-rectal cancers diagnosed between 1974 and 2013, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and in the March 1, 2017 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research shows that for colon cancers, a rate increase of 2.4 percent annually was noted for those in their 20s and 1.0 percent among those in their 30s.

For rectal cancers, the yearly increase was even higher, 3.2

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Business News ING BANK ECONOMIST

Peso weakness expected in the near term

AN economist of ING Bank Manila expects the correction of the Philippine peso in the next few weeks following its strength against the US dollar last week.

The local currency ended last week’s shortened trading week at a five-month high of P49.43 against the greenback. ING Bank senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng, in a research note, traced this to “arbitrage opportunity” given the weakness of the dollar amid concerns over how the US would handle North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, among others.

Other factors that supported the peso were portfolio inflows, expectations of higher remittances from overseas Filipinos ahead of the Holy Week observance, and projections of higher output for the domestic economy in the first quarter of 2017.

However, the peso’s strength ended Monday, April 17, when the peso closed at P49.54 to a dollar. Traders attributed this to concerns over Syria and North Korea.

On Tuesday, April 18, the peso opened trading at P49.55:$1.00, weaker than the P49.45 recorded Monday.

The economist said the local unit’s recent rally was not expected to be repeated in the next few weeks as investors close their positions on the US currency.

He noted, however, that “a

strong [first-quarter gross domestic product] and stock earnings reports may delay such reversal.”

The government will release the first-quarter GDP report in May and expectations are of sustained growth. In the last quarter of 2016, the economy grew by 6.6 percent while full-year growth stood at 6.9 percent.

Cuyegkeng expects “this recent [peso] strength [to] eventually fade unless the Philippines leadership emphasizes economic reforms.”

He pointed to expected price increases following the government’s decision to stop rice importation based on the reported bumper harvest of rice in the first

quarter.

“Higher farm gate buying prices would also exert some pressure on inflation but determining the full impact is difficult with the higher buying prices being balanced out by post-harvest inventory,” he said.

Peso weakness is also expected to result from the forecast increase in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas policy rate in the near term, which would result in narrower interest rate differentials with that of the US, the ING economist said.

“For now, a correction of the recent sharp strengthening of PHP (Philippine peso) would be healthy as a base would be built for the next move,” he

Community Journal

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Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.

If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month).

This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: Application Filing Date

FAMILY CATEGORY:

Visa Issuance Date

First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

Second Preference

(2A) Spouse and minor children (below April 8, 2016 21 years old) of green card holder

July 15, 2015

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

July 22, 2007

August 1, 2006

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

February 1, 1995

September 22, 1994

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

February 8, 1995

October 15, 1993

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

September 8, Fberuary 1, 2007 2006

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference

Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Third Preference

professional/ Skilled Workers

July 1, 2014

January 1, 2013

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

July 1, 2014

January 1, 2013

and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the

FILIPINOS in California, New York and New Jersey can now ship to the Philippines for less cost and added convenience.

LBC, the Philippines’ leading company in parcel, courier and cargo deliveries, has flexed their rates and upped the notch for their various services, much to the delight of their customers in the region. They are announcing that their Air Cargo is now ready to cater to customers whose parcels weigh a minimum of one pound.

LBC’s superb parcel prices in California are the following — For the first pound, deliveries to Manila and Luzon are now charged $8 with $5 for every additional pound; Visayas is charged $9, with an excess fee of $5.50 while Mindanao is charged $10, with an excess rate of $6.00.

For New York and New Jersey, parcel prices for the first pound to Manila and Luzon are also at $8 with $4.50 on top of every added pound.

Visayas carries a fee of $9 with an excess charge of $5.50; while Mindanao is charged $10 with a going rate of $6 for every excess.

To complement their new rates for parcels, they have also introduced more affordable rates for their courier services. From the states of California, New York, and New Jersey to Manila and Luzon, the first 1/10TH of a pound will be charged only $8. Visayas and Mindanao, on the other hand, will be charged $9 and $10 respectively. In all regions, parcels exceeding 1/10th of a pound will be charged $.70.

Add-on values for the valuable customers here in the US includes 7-to-10 day delivery, and free

Current

outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

pick-up of parcels weighing ten pounds and above. Consignees will also receive free delivery for parcels six pounds and above. No fee for parcels picked-up by consignee at the branch, and a free SMS notification is also available.

What’s better news is that LBC now accommodates parcels, regardless of the packaging they come in, with definitely zero charges!

Filipinos in Northern America can conveniently transact at any of LBC’s 27 branches in the region. Truly, LBC has continued their responsiveness to the growing needs of the Filipino public, both in the Philippines and abroad.

LBC is the Philippines’ market leader in retail and corporate courier & cargo, money remittance, and logistics services. With a growing network of over 6,400 branches, hubs & warehouses, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, LBC is committed to moving lives, businesses, and communities and delivering smiles around the world.

Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange through LBC Express Holdings, Inc., LBC aims to deliver value to all of its stakeholders, as it has for over 60 years. Founded in 1945 as a brokerage and air cargo agent, LBC pioneered time-sensitive cargo delivery and 24-hour door-to-door delivery in the Philippines. Today, it is the most trusted logistics brand of the Global Filipino. LBC can move it for you: visit www.LBCexpress.com, or call telephone +632 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 10 8585 999 (Provincial), +632 9086 522 (Solutions) and follow LBCExpress (Facebook and Twitter).

(Advertising Supplement)

Philippine economy to remain…

in Asia including the Philippines.

Peiris cited the priorities of the Philippine government including addressing the gaps in infrastructure and human development, particularly in the rural areas.

“The authorities see more inclusive growth at the center of their policy challenges. Fiscal policy is correctly focused on more inclusive growth by increasing social and infrastructure expenditure, financed with additional borrowing and higher revenue,” he added.

He also explained enactment of the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) submitted by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III covering personal income tax, value added tax (VAT), and excise tax this year would be critical to finance the additional spending and preserve the low borrowing costs.

According to the IMF representative, further enhancing competition and opening up the economy to foreign investment would raise competitiveness and help create high quality jobs.

“We also support the authorities’ initiatives to improve the conditional cash transfer program, raise investment in education and health, and increase agricultural productivity by removing quantitative restrictions on rice imports and promoting secure land titles in agriculture which could be used as collateral for bank loans,” Peiris added.

With the projected faster ecothe Philippines, the numbers are PAGE CJ1 t logue partners including China, healthy. While we ranked ninth nomic growth, Peiris said higher South Korea, Japan, Australia, for this month, on a year-to-date commodity prices would push New Zealand and India during analysis among selected trade- inflation higher to 3.6 percent in this week’s trade meetings in Bo- oriented economies, we placed 2017 and 3.3 percent in 2018 from hol province. third in terms of export growth. 1.8 percent last year, but would “RCEP is the chance to bal- This is a sign of a robust export still be within the two to four ance the country’s trade deficit, sector,” Perlada said. percent target set by the Bangko especially with China,” Perlada The Asean groups Brunei, Cam- Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). added.

He said the plan of the Duterte bodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, “We see a trend of recovery Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, administration to ramp up infraamong economies in the first the Philippines and Vietnam as a structure spending would raise two months of 2017. For us in single trade bloc. n the budget deficit to about three in exports,” Peiris said.

The projected growth for the Philippines this year is faster than China’s 6.6 percent, Vietnam’s 6.5, Indonesia’s 5.1, Malaysia’s 4.5, Thailand’s three, Singapore’s 2.2 and Taiwan’s 1.7 percent.

Economic managers of the Duterte administration penciled a GDP growth range of 6.5 to 7.5 percent for this year.

The Philippines emerged as the fastest growing economy in the region last year with a GDP growth of 6.9 percent from 5.9 percent in 2015, aided by oneoff gains from election related spending that boosted consumption as well as higher investments.

This was faster than China’s 6.7 percent, Vietnam’s 6.2 percent, Indonesia’s five percent, Malaysia’s 4.2 percent, Thailand’s 3.2 percent, Singapore’s two percent and Taiwan’s 1.4 percent.

Based on the April World Economic Outlook released by the IMF, it upgraded the global GDP growth forecast to 3.5 instead of 3.4 percent this year and retained next year’s projection of 3.6 percent from 3.1 percent in 2015 amid stronger activity and expectations of more robust global demand.

The multilateral lender retained the GDP growth forecast

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The May 2017 priority dates

LBC assures more value and convenience for air cargo customers

PAGE CJ1 t

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 21-27, 2017

at 2.3 percent and 2.5 percent for 2017 and 2018, respectively from 1.6 percent last year but upgraded the forecast for the Euro area for this year to 1.7 percent instead of 1.6 percent and 1.6 percent for 2018.

The GDP growth forecast for the United Kingdom was also upgraded to two instead of 1.5 percent for this year and to 1.5 instead of 1.4 percent for 2018, while that of Japan was raised to 1.2 instead of 0.8 percent for this year and 0.6 instead of 0.5 percent next year.

For China, IMF upgraded the growth forecast to 6.6 instead of 6.5 percent for this year, and to 6.2 instead of six percent for 2018.

“Spillovers from lower growth in China or higher global financial volatility should be manageable for the Philippines due to its strong economic fundamentals, ample policy space, and limited trade and financial linkages with China. Nonetheless, the Philippines would be affected more strongly should growth for the region slow,” Peiris said.

He pointed out both the ongoing normalization of interest rates by the US Federal Reserve as well as the protectionist policy of the Trump administration would have an overall negative impact

DTI confident PH to sustain…

AFTER 13 YEARS OF WAITING FOR THE FAMILY TO BE REUNITED, THE U.S. EMBASSY STILL DENIED THE RELEASE OF THEIR VISAS. MISERY AND REDEMPTION ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY!” Tatay Lando (2nd from right) went to the U.S. to provide a better life for his family. After 13 years, the petition became current in 2016. However, when his son, Allan (left), and his grandson, Chean (2nd from right) went to the U.S. Embassy for their interview, some doubtful details came up in Allan’s paperwork that caused the Embassy to deny their visas. Father and son left the Embassy heartbroken and traumatized over the incident. Immediately, Tatay Lando sought the help of leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel. Watch how hope was renewed, and a family was happily reunited after many, many years on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC.

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS

A p R I L 23

Afternoon of bowling and networking with Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACC-GLA) proudly presents an “afternoon of bowling fun and networking” on Sunday, April 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Matador Bowling Lanes at 9118 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325. Enjoy the Sunday afternoon with fun, laughter and meet new friends. Please RSVP to Connie Mapue, secretary of FACC-GLA at (323) 337-7714. Fee for bowlers, $25 / person (FACCGLA members); $30/person for non-members. $15 / person for non bowlers

A p R I L 29

12th annual Sikad ng Bayan bike ride in Anaheim Hills, CA The Sikad ng Bayan (Cycling for the Nation) is an annual bike ride that raises funds to build preschools for less fortunate communities at Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages in the Philippines. It is a non-competitive ride that will be held on Saturday, April 29, where cyclists traverse the Orange and Los Angeles counties. And in true Filipino fashion, this fun ride culminates in a Pinoy-style luncheon where cyclists can get together and know more about Sikad. It will be held at the Yorba Regional Park (7600 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807). For more information or to register please visit www.sikad.org or call Rey D. at (562) 964-1445 or Robbie V. at (949) 351-8344.

ApRIL 30

Filipino Cultural School to host “Sari-Sari Talent Show 2017” in Cerritos, CA Filipino Cultural School (FCS) will host its 2nd annual Sari Sari: Talent Show Fundraiser on Sunday, April 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Josephine’s Cerritos (11305 183rd St, Cerritos, CA 90703). Filipino Cultural School, based in Cerritos, CA and other neighboring cities, is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization geared to the preservation and promotion of the Philippine heritage and culture. FCS has and continues to be open to all. Filipinos and non-Filipinos who are interested in Philippine culture are invited to attend. “Sari-Sari” is a Tagalog word for “variety,” and in this talent show, FCS aims to celebrate the diverse talents of our community members in forms of singing, dancing, spoken words, etc., along with some great Filipino food from the restaurant. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for ages 13 years old and above, and $5 for ages 12 years old and under. Door prices will be $15 for ages 13 years old and above, and still $5 for ages 12 years old and under (ticket prices do not include food). The raised funds for the event will go towards helping cover for the cost of venue, insurance, and materials for the FCS Summer Program. For information on how to purchase a ticket and also sign-up to perform in the show, please visit the website http://filipinoculturalschool.org. For any inquiries, feel free to contact FCS at filipinoculturalschool@gmail.com.

M AY 4

PABA’s annual installation and awards gala in LA

The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) will hold its 31st Annual Installation and Awards Gala on Thursday, May 4, 2017 in downtown Los Angeles. PABA is the largest local organization of Filipino-American attorneys in the United States. Formed three decades ago, PABA serves the needs of Fil-Am lawyers and law students in Southern California. The Gala is a celebration of the Fil-Am legal community, as well as PABA’s largest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds are used to carry out the group’s mission: strengthening the legal community through mentoring programs, networking events, scholarships for students, and continuing education. The keynote speaker for this year’s Gala is California State Treasurer John Chiang. Jose (Joe) Lauchengco, Jr., will be recognized as the 2017 Trailblazer, and The Honorable Bernie LaForteza, Los Angeles Superior Court, will be the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Jurist Award.

The Gala will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071. Registration along with a A No-Host Cocktail Reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the Dinner & Program will commence at 7:00 p.m. Additional ticketing and sponsorship information are provided below. If you would like to purchase individual tickets, advertisements, tables or become an event sponsor, you can also pay online by clicking here: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore.jsp

M AY 4 -1 1

FilAm ARTS and Philippine Expressions Bookshop to host art exhibit in San Pedro, CA The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) and Philippine Expressions Bookshop in partnership with the Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles proudly present BUKLOD: A Gathering of Filipino and Filipino-American Art and Artists from May 4 to 11. Over 50 works of art by Filipino and Filipino-American artists are featured in this exhibition, which aims to reassert the presence of Filipino-Americans in the Western canon. Although many Filipino-American artists have been recognized in the art world, their cultural heritage is rarely highlighted nor has there been a body of work categorized as Filipino-American masterpieces in the 600 years of the history of painting. The artists of BUKLOD strive to fill that void with works that instill culture, dignity, and imagination to a cultural landscape that seldom acknowledges and habitually denies them their shared humanity. This exhibition gathers contemporary LA-based artists who anchor their work with their heritage and have an active community involvement to further their respective passion projects as artists. The BUKLOD exhibit will be open to the public beginning on May 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., coinciding with the San Pedro’s First Thursdays Artwalk. The exhibit will run until Thursday, May 11 at the Croatian Cultural Center (510 W 7th St, San Pedro, CA 90731). The opening Reception will be held on Saturday, May 6 from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. and will include live performances as well as food and artisan booths.

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 percent of GDP this year, providing stimulus to the economy.

The IMF also expects the Philippines to book a current account deficit for 2017 and 2018 due to higher capital goods imports and investments, but the country’s external position would continue to be comfortable amid ample international reserves.

For his part, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran told The STAR the impact of the series of rate hikes by the US Fed would be muted as these have been factored into the fiscal projections of the Philippines starting this year.

Beltran said the country has reduced the debt to GDP ratio to

42 percent, while interest payments as a percentage of GDP would decline to 2.1 percent by 2022 from 2.7 percent in 2016.

“GDP has been rising at a steady pace, faster than the debt stock,” he said. The debt stock of the national government stood at P6.21 trillion as of end-February this year. n

CJ

april 21-27, 2017 • NOrCal aSiaN JOUrNal

Business news

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

4 Pinoys crack Forbes list of influential young Asians Mercury Drug founder passes away at 96

by IrIs

Gonzales Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipino entrepreneurs and a Philippine-based Iranian made it to Forbes’ 2017 list of the most influential Asians under 30, the magazine announced recently.

The list includes Matthew Cua, founder of SkyEye Analytics; Carl Ocab, founder of Carl Ocab Internet Marketing Services, Maricor Bunal, chief operating officer of Growth Solutions Inc., Gian Scottie Javelona, founder of OrangeApps and Shahab Shabibi, co-founder of Machine Ventures.

The 2017 “30 Under 30 Asia” list features 300 young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who are challenging conventions and making an impact in today’s world, Forbes said..

The second annual list includes 30 honorees for each of the 10 categories that make up the list.

The 10 categories are Consumer Technology; Enterprise Technology; Entertainment & Sports; The Arts; Finance & Venture Capital; Industry, Manufacturing & Energy; Healthcare & Science; Social Entrepreneurs; Media, Marketing & Advertising; and Retail & E-commerce.

“This year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list highlights the diversity of talent in this vast region, with 300 impressive young entrepreneurs from all walks of life pushing the boundaries of innovation. It’s fascinating to see how these millennials are using technology to disrupt their industries, empower their communities and overcome cultural barriers,” said Forbes Media senior digital editor Rana Wehbe.

Furthermore, Forbes said this year’s list showcases a number of women in Asia who are advocates for social change and are defying stereotypes and prejudice to set a positive example for

what women in this part of the world can achieve.

Another highlight of the year’s list includes the region’s most influential millennials, such as swimmer Joseph Schooling, who beat American Michael Phelps to win Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal and Grammy awardwinning singer Lorde from New Zealand.

To make it to the list, the honorees must show leadership and disruption in their field; entrepreneurial mind-set and results; and the likelihood of changing their field over the next half-century.

Forbes received more than 1,200 submissions but only 300 applicants made the final cut.

Meanwhile, Forbes will hold its Second Annual “Under 30 Summit Asia” in Manila on July 25, 2017.

The second annual summit will convene honorees from the 2016 and 2017 Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” lists. n

Something to ponder: The story of…

PAGE CJ2 t

had, even my clothing.”

The man continued, “Hours had passed when I saw someone, coming up the road. He was garbed like a priest. I shouted for help and he saw me. Alas, he went on the other side of the road and hurried along. No one else came for hours. My heart was sinking. And then, in what seemed to be forever, a Levite came by and saw me but he too could not be bothered and went to the other side of the road and went on his way.”

He paused for a while and said, “I was losing hope. I asked God for mercy to send someone, anyone to help me. The sun was going down and it will soon be cold and dark when I saw someone coming up the road. He was riding in a mule. I managed yet again to shout for help. This time, the man stopped, got off his animal and quickly hurried to where I lay bleeding. I must have passed out since that was the last time I remembered anything.”

Joshua told him, “The man who brought you here saved you just in time. God heard your prayer. A physician has been treating you.”

Joshua looked at him squarely and added, “The man who saved you is named Micah, a Samaritan. He was up all night looking after you. ”

EMPLOYMENT

Samuel’s swollen eyes grew wide. Joshua noted the man seemed stunned at knowing who had saved him.

“I’m the innkeeper. I’m Joshua.

What is yours?” he asked him.

“Sam … Samuel of Jerusalem,” the man stammered.

Joshua nodded, stood up and took the tray away. “Well, rest and feel better,” he told him in a quiet voice, headed for the door and left the room.

Joshua thought to himself as he went about his day. In the many years he had been an innkeeper, he knew Jews and Samaritans took great pains to avoid one other. They were like oil and water. They just did not mix. Jews considered Samaritans as halfbreeds, inferior in every way, since they had married pagans and had included pagan rituals in their worship. In the Jewish tradition, they were outcasts, tolerated but not welcome.

Joshua guessed Samaritans probably felt just as resentful toward Jews. They probably regarded Jews as high-handed, arrogant stiffs, rigidly set and unbending in their ways and traditions. So deep was the resentment between them that Samaritans and Jews did not even talk to each other. But now somehow Joshua knew it did not have to be so.

He knew and felt better about

this bit of wisdom about who true neighbors are. He refused the two silver coins Micah was giving him. Joshua felt good doing his bit for the wounded man.

Joshua went about his day with a lighter heart. He felt sure God made him an innkeeper to meet people on the crossroads.

Since that glorious night long ago when he witnessed something rare, precious and mysterious in a childbirth at the stable at the back of the inn that only a few men had ever seen, stories have been unfolding right before his eyes.

People and their stories have been opening up his heart and enriching his soul. Joshua often regaled his wife and children with these stories at the dinner table.

He thought that maybe one day when the time is ripe, he could share these stories with as many others who cared to listen.

These stories are just too good to keep to one’s self. Maybe he can tell Luke who can then write about these stories to pass them on to many generations.

Samuel, the wounded man, was in deep thought too. He felt sure the priest and the Levite who had both passed him by were going to help him in his hour of need. They were supposedly men of God. Samuel was a man of some means and had given

EMPLOYMENT

by IrIs

Gonzales Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Mariano Que, the founder of the iconic Mercury Drug, has died, according to the advisory posted by the company on its social media page on Saturday, April 15.

He was 96.

In its advisory, Mercury Drug Corp. said those who wish to send flowers may just make a donation to their favorite charitable institution or to the Mercury Drug Foundation Inc. As of press time, no other details surrounding his death were provided.

The Que family led by daughter Vivian Que Azcona is listed in Forbes magazine’s 50 richest Filipinos in 2016 at number 24 with a net worth of $900 million.

Vivian is the president of the company and has led the drugstore chain’s expansion into retail services with the addition of convenience stores.

The drugstore giant was started by the elder Que after World

Chairman Alfonso “Al” Yuchengco

War II. Que, who was a regular employee at a drugstore located in Manila during the prewar period, gained knowledge on medical prescriptions.

In 1945, when the war ended, Mariano had enough capital to put up a store, Mercury Drug, named after the Roman god Mercury who carried the caduceus symbol.

Forbes said Que sold medicine – particularly sulfathiozone – “from a pushcart” before he opened Mercury Drug’s first store in 1945 at Bambang Street in Manila.

The new silent…

percent. In general, the study also found that there was an increase in the rate among adults in their 40s and early 50s, but not as bad.

This report revealed an alarming retrogression in our battle against colorectal cancers: “that young adults’ colorectal cancer risk is now similar to that of adults born around 1890.”

The investigators pointed out that high obesity rates the past several decades “may play a role in this generation. Obesity increases the risk for all types of cancers and cardiovascular diseases, like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.

Our lifestyle, which includes what and how much food we eat, where we exercise or not, and all our self-indulgences/abuses, contribute a lot to our state of health. Metabolic syndrome, especially obesity, and red meat

and processed meat consumption, all increase the risk for cancer. Neglecting regular medical/ dental check-up and recommended tests also increase our health risk.

The national Institutes of Health reports “approximately 2/3 of adults between 20 and older are overweight or obese with BMI greater than 25, and nearly 1/3 have BMIs greater than 30…less than 1/3 of them are at a healthy weight with BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.”

The estimated cost of obesity in the United States is around $190.2 billion a year, almost 21 percent of medical spending, not including the personal expenses of the individuals and the toll on human misery and human life.

Shedding off at least 5 pounds of our excess weight thru disciplined caloric counting and walking exercise for about 20 minutes a day will reduce our risk for

generously to the temple’s coffers. He even sat with these men in places of honor. Like them, he grew up bound by tradition and despised Samaritans.

And yet, here he is, still alive by an unexpected grace. Here he still is because of a surprising deed of kindness from a man

whose tribe people thought, including himself, were good for nothing. He closed his eyes and felt deep shame and remorse.

Samuel knew he could never repay the kindness this Samaritan man Micah had given him. Yet, Samuel now knows in his heart he can look at Samaritans and

PAGE CJ2 t

The drug store began repackaging bulk items into single pieces and selling them individually, pioneering the drug retail business in the Philippines.

In 1963, upon the invitation of Ayala Corp., Mercury Drug opened its second branch in a developing commercial center in Makati City, now known as the Ayala Center.

In 1965, Mercury Drug established its landmark branch in Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, Manila, which is notable for its large outdoor LED screen.

In 2001, then Trade and Industry secretary Manuel Roxas II said the drugstore giant accounts for 70 percent of the market and already has a “near monopoly” of the local industry.

Mercury now has over 1,000 branches with at least 11,000 employees nationwide but retail giants such as Ayala and Robinsons have also entered the drugstore business, with their respective drug store chains, somewhat breaking Mercury Drug’s monopoly of the market. n metabolic syndrome and cancer by more than 33 percent. This is a practical and wise strategy we can painlessly do, for free!

Glaringly obvious are the evidence-based roles and impact of diet, exercise, tobacco, and alcohol on our individual health and longevity. They can’t be any clearer.

To a great extent, our health and our life are in our hands and what to do with them is our choice. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States.

For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

perhaps, even other groups who worshiped the same God, with fresh eyes and treat them like his own. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

EMPLOYMENT

FOSTER HOMECARE

HOUSING

(650) 689-5160 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 21-27, 2017

CJ

Shades of San Francisco features Filipinos’ history Representative payee: Help a

SAN FRANCISCO — May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, which is now widely celebrated in the nation, to pay tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.

Not long ago, Filipinos were mentioned in a pictorial-essay book (1983) by Mr. Fred Cordova as “forgotten Asian Americans” because according to him “very little is known about them and even less is available in libraries, resource centers or institutions of higher education,” even though the Filipinos are among the largest Asian communities in California and in the nation.

The San Francisco Public Library in partnership with the SoMa Pilipinas community are making sure that Filipinos will never be forgotten.

A joint venture, entitled “Kodakan Photo Day: Shades of San Francisco, A Search for Visual Filipino History of San Francis-

co” is scheduled on Saturday, May 13, 2017, from 10 am to 4 pm in the San Francisco Public Library.

“Shades of San Francisco” is a neighborhood and ethnic community history photograph collecting project conducted by the San Francisco Public Library.

Its mission is to copy photographs from the family albums, private collections, and computers of current and former San Francisco residents. The copied photos will be added to the San Francisco History Center’s photo archives in order to create a permanent record of the daily lives of San Franciscans as well as the historical, political and cultural contributions of the many neighborhoods and ethnic communities that make up the city.

With the adoption of the San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors the SoMa Pilipinas as a Filipino Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco on April 12, 2016, it is of paramount important to generate the visual Filipino his-

tory and cultural heritage in San Francisco.

San Francisco Public Library and SoMA Pilipinas invite past and present members of San Francisco’s Filipino community to get their photos into the archives for present and future generations.

There are many stories to be told, many photos and multi-media to be gathered and properly stored and shared, and the time is now, as a community that is integral in the shades of San Francisco.

On Saturday, May 13 Photo Day, the San Francisco Public Library with their staff and volunteers will copy photos and have the contributors to meet and socialize with the SoMa Pilipinas community.

Photo albums, loose photographs and digital photos are welcome. Appointment are recommended. To make an appointment, call (415) 348-8042 or email joelene@bayanihancc.org or visit www.sfpl.org/kodakanphotoday to register online. n

loved one with Social Security

ACCORDING to the Census Bureau, there are nearly 57 million people living with disabilities in the United States. Thirty percent of American adults help provide care for a sick or disabled family member. Caregivers provide physical and emotional support for the people in their care. It’s a demanding job with its stresses and rewards, but it can also be a labor of love.

Social Security is committed to you throughout life’s journey, helping secure today and tomorrow for every American. This is especially true for people who need help managing their benefits. We work closely with caregivers through our representative or friend of the beneficiary, but bilities of being a representative payee program. A representative when friends or family are not payee, but also provide further payee is someone who receives able to serve as representative insight, broaden community and oversees the Social Security payees, Social Security looks for awareness, and provide key reor Supplemental Security Income qualified individuals or organiza- sources to deal with the growing (SSI) benefits for anyone who tions to represent the beneficiary. incidents of elder abuse, neglect, cannot manage their benefits. You can learn about becoming a and financial exploitation.

This can be a child or an adult representative payee by watchCaregivers are valuable and incapable of managing their ing our new series of videos on irreplaceable assets to our great own funds. You can learn more the duties of a representative nation. Please join us in celebratabout our representative payee payee at www.socialsecurity. ing them for all they do for those in Manila, Philippines.

Proceeds THE Pilipino Senior Resource and auction dinner entitled, “CatCenter (PSRC), a nonprofit or- Walk for Cause” on Friday, May will be given to both Precious program at www.socialsecurity. gov/payee. who cannot do for themselves. ganization that serves Filipino 5, 6 p.m. at Fort McKinley Res- Heritage Orphanage for the or- gov/payee.

It’s our hope that these videos (By Eric Phillips/Social Security A representative payee is usu- will not only educate individuals Public Affairs Specialist in Sacraphaned and street children in Seniors and families and Filipina taurant in South San Francisco. ally a trusted family member about the roles and responsi- mento, CA) the Philippines, and to PSRC’s Breast Cancer Clients/ Survivors “Catwalk for a Cause” is hopresiding in the South of Market ing to raise funds to help two Filipina Breast Cancer Support District and other areas in San underprivileged Filipino groups, Services Program.

For online tickets and donaFrancisco, along with the San the Breast Cancer patients and Francisco Bay Area Ateneans survivors of San Francisco and tion visit www.catwalkforacauThe first sign your tax preparer is a fraud usually starts with taking a piece of your tax refund (SFBAA) will hold a fashion show the orphaned and street children se.com. n

PSRC presents ‘Catwalk for a Cause’ on May 5

Top three ways scammers steal your tax refund

Dr. Godofredo P. Torres (May 26, 1932 - March 31, 2017)

DR. Godofredo P. Torres, 84, passed away on Friday, March 31, 2017 at Kaiser Hospital, Redwood City. He is predeceased by his wife Dr. Fe Torres, who passed away in 2015.

He leaves behind his son Roland Torres, daughter-in-law Victoria Bunag-Torres, grandson Nathan; his daughter Evelyn Torres and their families.

We invite friends and family to attend the viewing and rosary on April 22 and 23, starting at 5 p.m. at Cypress Lawn Funeral Home at 1370 El Camino Real, Colma 94014. Cremation will follow on April 24 and ashes will later be placed in his final resting place at Cypress Lawn

Cemetery. Further details are available on the Cypress Lawn Funeral Home website or call (650) 550-8808. n

PBRC to host immigration update on April 22 THE Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (PBRC) will be hosting an immigration update with Atty. Lourdes Tancinco on Saturday, April 22, 11 a.m. at the PBRC 2121 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City.

The update will tackle immigration issues and will answer questions in regards to new Executive Orders by the president of the United States.

For more information, contact Liza Rebortura at (650) 992-9110 or e-mail PBRC333@sbcglobal. net. n

SACRAMENTO, CA — Did you know tax preparers are not allowed to take a percentage of your tax refund as compensation? Nor can they base their fee on the amount of your tax refund. And you should never trust advertisements that “guarantee” tax refunds before reviewing your paperwork.

“How can anyone know if you’re entitled to a tax refund until they’ve looked at your paperwork? It’s simple. They can’t,” said Lester Crawfor, chair of the California Tax Education Council (CTEC), a state-mandated nonprofit organization that manages the registration of more than 40,000 unlicensed tax preparers.

“The key to staying out of trouble with the IRS and getting the so-called ‘biggest refund’ is all about how much the tax preparer knows about tax laws,”

Crawford said.

It is one of the reasons why California requires tax preparers to be licensed or registered.

Anyone who prepares tax returns for a fee must be either an attorney, certified public accountant (CPA), CTEC-registered tax preparer (CRTP) or enrolled agent (EA). Each professional must pass an initial test and follow educational requirements.

Yet despite state requirements, there are still countless “ghost” tax preparers who are stealing tax refunds from unsuspecting taxpayers.

“Ghost tax preparers the hardest to track down because they don’t sign client tax returns. They just take the money and vanish,” said Esperanza Escobedo, CRTP and CTEC board member.

Below are the top three facts taxpayers should know about tax

refunds…

• The tax refund should always be deposited or mailed directly to you. Never to the tax preparer.

• The fee should be based on the complexity of your tax return, not the amount of your tax refund.

• Never trust a tax preparer who promises “bigger” tax refunds than competitors or guarantees a tax refund before reviewing your information.

“If the tax preparer somehow wants a piece of your refund?

Walk away,” Escobedo said.

CTEC is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1997 by the California State Legislature to protect taxpayers against fraud and incompetent tax preparers. Taxpayers can report unregistered tax preparers at ctec. org or visit reporttaxpreparerfraud.org for more tips. n

CJ

april 21-27, 2017 • NOrCal aSiaN JOUrNal

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

Friday, April 21, 2017

SF2

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 21, 2017

‘GonGster’s Paradise: a KulintanG Party’

The gong-chime culture has always been a large part of Southeast Asia, but not a lot know what a kulintang is. A kulintang is a modern term for this ancient instrumental form of music, done on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs to create melody; and are accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums.

Technically, kulintang is the Maguindanao, Ternate and Timor term for the idiophone of metal gong kettles. By the 20th century, the term had come to denote an entire Maguindanao ensemble of five to six instruments.

The recent passing of the father of Filipino-American kulintang music, Danny Kalanduyan, has created a spark that commits to growing awareness of kulintang music. Kalanduyan was born in Datu Piang and studied in Mindanao State University-Marawi, From 1976 to 1984, he was an artist-in-residence in the ethnomusicology department of the University of Washington in Seattle; and at the College of ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University in 2000.

This May marks Kalanduyan’s birthday month and OPM Republic is excited to present, “Gongster’s Paradise: A Kulintang Party,”

on Saturday, May 27, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Oakland, 94607.

“Gongster’s Paradise” is a 5-hour event celebrating Kulintang culture and observing the milestones of the art from traditional to contemporary. The music celebration will be featuring traditional kulintang groups such as San Francisco Kulintang Project, Pakaraguian Kulintang ensemble (San Diego) and Kulintang Academy (Stockton). The progression of the show will be followed by contemporary kulintang fusion artists DATU (Toronto, Canada), Gingee (Los Angeles), San Francisco’s pop kulintang icon, Kulintronica and Kulintang jazz band The Autonomous Region.

Alongside non-stop music will be featured visual artists Baybayin by Kristian Kabuay, Bayani Art and Malaya Designs. Folk arts groups Parangal Dance Company and American Center of Philippine Arts will also be participating to showcase dances and movements related to kulintang music rooted from Mindanao.

“Gongster’s Paradise” is also an opportunity to showcase individual artists who have mastered the art of folk dancing and have practiced the movements of these indigenous dances including

eric Solano, Kim Requesto, Brian Batugo, Jon Mercado and Jae Tioseco.

A feast with Maguindanao touch will be served throughout the evening to be prepared and served by Chef Rob Menor, historical Stockton’s favorite Filipino Food ambassador and will be joined by collaborator and official kitchen partner, Filipino Kitchen.

The goal of the event is to present kulintang music to the community and show its capacity from traditional roots to how far artists have been able to take it in a contemporary form. Outreach for the event will be done through social media, PCN (Pilipino College Networks) and community collaborations.

Proceeds of the event will go to Mindanao Lilang Lilang nonprofit organization to help them fund their projects to grow awareness of Kulintang music and pass it on to the next generation.

For tickets, log on to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gongstersparadise-a-kulintang-party-tickets-32460253492.

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1740 637659514117/. (AJPress) *Special thanks to Lydia Neff of OPM Republic.

entertainment SF3 Mat Ranillo III: The legacy of a great actor San FranciSco

By Monet

Lu

In writing this piece, I was given the rare opportunity to talk to one of the greatest Filipino actors of all time. This person also happens to be the man who played “Jesus Christ” in the 90s film, “Kristo.” With the observation of Lent, the timing of this article couldn’t be more impeccable.

Continuing the tradition It’s almost customary for an actor who was identified (and quite known) with a role he played, to actually continue playing the same role – only in a different yet much diverse – format. Something Ranillo has been doing in the last seven years.

“I still play ‘Kristo’ but [now] in an actual play. When I moved here in the U.S. in 2010, I’ve started doing stage plays with my brother Dandin Ranillo. He directs and co-produces them,” he said.

“Kristo” is a Passion play in dance-drama pantomime. It was shown in parts of northern California from 2010 to 2013, and in 2016. Ranillo also starred in “Hesu Kristo,” another Senakulo play which casts some of the finest Filipino actors in the industry, including Vivian Foz as Virgin Mary and Joji Isla as Peter. In September 2016, Ranillo played the role of San Lorenzo Ruiz in the musical play, “Lorenzo Ruiz, The Filipino Saint.” The play was shown at the St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in Walnut, California.

The accidental actor Matias Archibald Ranillo III — popularly known as Mat — has been acting since 1977.

His first movie was with Alma Moreno in Bulaklak ng Teatro Maynila, which is an offshoot of the latter’s hit show, “Alindog.”

Since then, Ranillo established himself as a character actor in the movies “Sinong Kapiling?

Sinong Kasiping?”, “Dalawang

Pugad, Isang Ibon,” and “Masarap, Masakit ang Umibig,” which the actor also considers three of his monumental films and what catapulted him to stardom.

For someone who’s been acting for almost half a century, it is surprising that it wasn’t really his dream to become an actor.

“I became an actor by chance. I never really liked being a celebrity. I didn’t like politics and show business. My father was an actor then turned lawyer then got into politics. He died from a plane accident. My Grandfather was the governor of our province, so growing up, I experienced life as a public figure – magulo. So I never dreamed of walking that path.”

Ranillo continued.

Ranillo’s mom Gloria Sevilla was a famous actress and as talent runs in their blood, Ranillo’s sisters, Suzette and Lilibeth, also followed their parents’ path. This led the way for him to get into the industry he once detested.

“I was active in speech in elementary and high school. It became sort of an outlet for me. But I wasn’t known to play a lead role. I was usually the supporting actor or the curtain opener. Then in college, my other sister, Lilibeth, who also did acting for a short time, was doing commercials. So I was asked to do commercials too, and I became active in that.

From there, some designers contacted me to do ramp modeling. Then some talent scouts saw me and asked if I want to try acting. They asked me to do a stage play with veteran actors. I remember I was the only one who was not famous. Then from the plays, a TV director saw me and had me guest on a TV show on ABS-CBn. That started my journey from stage to TV to film.”

Perfecting the craft “I never really dreamt of becoming an actor. I never wanted to be in showbiz. They say I am a reluctant star. I am

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – April 21, 2017

Charo Santos-Concio and Lav Diaz

Lav, Charo win int’l awards by celSo de

Guzman Philstar.com

very private. I have seasons when I’m in the limelight then I’m out, then back, then out. I prefer that because I get overwhelmed with being a public figure, like your life is not your own. So I just work then I disappear for a while.”

Like a rare gem that he is, Ranillo wasn’t into teeny-bopper roles. He opted for off-beat roles -- roles that were unpredictable or ones you wouldn’t expect an actor would play regularly, by choice. And this is what Ranillo became more known for.

“My acting style is the stage-actor-way of acting.

More subdued., not explosive.

That’s not my cup of tea. I am not into big movements or heavy drama. I prefer doing character roles than to be a leading man. I think those three films (mentioned above) and some others proved that I am a guy who can act. (They) were more of playing a character and accentuating your acting and not (you) as a matinee idol or a celebrity. It’s easy to present yourself as this gorgeous leading-man material but being established as someone who can act is a different story. I didn’t want to be just a pretty face who comes and goes.”

The ‘bigger’ roles Ranillo lives with his wife Linda in California, where his children and grandchildren also live. He talked about life as an ordinary man — the “real” life behind the camera and the big role he plays in his grandchildren’s lives.

“Being a grandfather to four grandchildren — it’s a different perspective in life.

I never thought that I would be given another chance to become a parent again. Caring for my grandchildren relives my memory of being a father to my children. I told Krista she should make memories with her kids now because these memories would be embedded in their minds and hearts as they grow old. I lost my father when I was in grade school and that was during the moments that I was already bonding with him. I looked up to him as my role model. Then he died. And I lost that fatherly figure, so I vowed to myself that when I become a father I would definitely treasure it. I will make the most of my time with my children. I took that role seriously. When Krista was born, I stopped working for a year and as she was growing up, I would Continued on Page SF4

MAnILA - Lav Diaz won the Dublin Film Critics Circle Award’s Best Director for “Ang Babaeng Humayo” (“The Woman Who Left”) in the recently concluded 15th Audi Dublin International Film Festival in Ireland. The film festival is an 11-day event celebrating the best of Irish and World cinema with almost a hundred films from over 50 countries in participation.

Meanwhile, the said film’s lead actress Charo Santos-Concio was granted the Special Mention Award in the 17th Festival

Internacional de Cine Las Palmas de Gran Canaria during the closing ceremonies held at the Pérez Galdós Theater in Canary Islands.

“Ang Babaeng Humayo” is one of the 13 feature films which competed in the Official Selection Section. A hundred films worldwide participated in ten sections of the ten-day festival, March 31 to April 9.

Also written by Diaz, “Ang Babaeng Humayo” is a 226-minute black and white film about revenge and forgiveness, winning the top plum prize, Golden Lion for Best Film, in the 73rd Venice Film Festival last Sept. 2016.

#: 3&/ #!. PM PM #: #!. -., AM AM #: -., #!. PM PM #: #!. 3&/ PM PM

SF4

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 21, 2017

Ai Ai delas Alas gets engaged

celebrity world

By Ferdie Villar

Love is lovelier the second or (third) time around, they say. In Ai Ai delas Alas’ case, nothing could be more true, as just recently the comedienne announced that she is engaged (again), this time to non-showbiz boyfriend, Gerald Sibayan.

The comedienne has had her fair share of romances in the past, including with a shortlived marriage with businessman Jed Salang in Las vegas. A few months after their wedding, Ai Ai filed for divorce, saying that Jed was physically violent towards her. Their marriage was annulled a year later.

However, her relationship with Gerald proves that this time, it’s true love, though a lot of people thought it would not last. The comedienne disclosed her relationship with Gerald in 2014, who is 30 years younger.

Ai Ai announced their engagement through an Instagram post. In a photo showing the comedienne holding a cup of coffee with the words “Can you be my misis?,” she wrote this caption: “Some knots are meant to be tied forever. our journey is not perfect but its ours and ill stick with you till the end. I will pray to our great GoD that our journey will be smooth and sweet towards eternity. HAPPY 3rd year anniversary darling and thank you for the very paandar pangmayaman na flowers...sabi nga ni kambal ako lang meron niya...thank you @floravidabymarian...i love you so much...GoD IS GooD ALL THe TIMe” The comedienne also hinted that their wedding may happen in 2018, but the newly

engaged couple still have to make an official statement.

Congratulations to Ai Ai and Gerald! *** There may be a silver lining behind Kris Aquino’s dark cloud. After the unfortunate incident with the producer of her Tv special, “Trip ni Kris” (which resulted to the producer revoking rights to re-air it), the Queen of Talk has recently announced that she was blessed with a new and huge project in Hollywood.

Kris shared that she got a call from Tony and Grammy award-winning Broadway producer Jhett Tolentino, explaining that he was helping a Filipino-Chinese-America agent friend to reach to her. The agent wanted to know if the Tv host/actress wanted to audition for a big Hollywood movie.

Though there was a rush to submit her audition reel (within 72 hours), Kris felt that she had nothing to lose and went for it.

After submitting her audition reel and video bio, Kris added that she prayed that she’d get through. Her prayers were answered as the Tv host flew last easter Sunday to Los Angeles to meet with the producers and sign a contract, according to sources.”

Sources also say there were about six Filipino actresses who auditioned for the same project, but apparently only Kris had landed a role, so far.

She shared, “I passed 5 levels of intense scrutiny and was offered a role. It is surreal to be reading the script from a major Hollywood studio watermarked on every page with my

Comedienne Ai Ai delas Alas is engaged to her non-showbiz boyfriend Gerald Sibayan.

Fan-favorite actress Jodi Sta. Maria will be working on a new TV series set to air this year on ABS-CBN 2. She is also starring on the yet to be release Star Cinema movie, “Dear Other Self.”

Richard Ariz C. Lao, CPA, MSMOT celebrated his birthday last Monday, April 17 with family and friends in San Ramon, CA. He is the online publisher and webmaster for “Scenes In The City.”

Actress Bela Padilla sees nothing wrong with her former boyfriend Neil Arce, dating again. However, she refused to confirm rumors that her ex is going out with actress Angel Locsin.

Actress Angel Locsin is rumored to have been dating businessman and film producer Neil Arce, after a photo posted online showed the two together during a trip to Hong Kong.

KC Concepcion feels hot, successful at 32

by Deni

Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo

“My birthday wish is really to be the healthiest, fittest that I can be,” the actress and MANILA — No matter Concepcion feels she is “hot” Tv host shared in a recent what people say about her, KC and “successful” at 32. interview with Philstar.com following her launch as Downy Parfum ambassador.

“Being 30 is a different ball game altogether. I want to show Filipinas that you can be 30 and hot and successful and still young at heart and still really be motivated by hard work, passion, and be supported by people around you.

I really want to thank people who have been there for me through ups and downs,” the star shared.

According to her, her secret to being “hot” is eating well and moving a lot.

She also feels she has achieved a lot when her social enterprise earned its first one-million-peso sales, so she is very thankful for online shoppers that supported her.

When it comes to her showbiz career, she said, “Patuloy pa rin ‘yung inquiries sa’kin.

Pero gusto ko lang talaga piliin ng tama ‘yung gagawin kong next. But I’m continuing to host. Hosting is my first love talaga. I’m still very thankful for endorsements. It just goes to show that many Filipinas still TV host Bianca Gonzalez-Intal looking at singer-actress KC Concepcion, who just turned 32 last April 7.

Philstar.com photo by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo look up to us!”

Philstar.com

Mat Ranillo III: The legacy...

From Page SF3 often bring her to location shoots and out of town trips.

I’m glad she still remembers them up to this day.”

As a husband, Ranillo takes every chance he can to spend time with his wife despite his busy schedule.

“When I have to go out of

town, I would bring my wife instead of bringing my manager or publicist, so I would have time for her,” he shared. once again, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Mat Ranillo, one of the greatest actors of all time will be honored for his lifetime of achievement on April 29, 2017, at the Beautiful Life Celebration 2017 at the LA ho-

tel in downtown Los Angeles. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or

The Queen of Talk Kris Aquino recently revealed that she has signed a contract to make a movie in Hollywood.

Lynell Angeles (LA) Ledesma, eldest daughter of Dr. Ricky Masiddo and Reggie Panganiban, BSN, RN of Brentwood, CA, recently celebrated her debut in Davao’s Waterfront Insular Hotel. Photo shows Lynell Angela (center) with her parents and siblings FJ and GeeAna at her debut which was attended by family and friends.

name.”

Although Kris has not revealed any other details (as she signed a non-disclosure agreement), many speculate that the movie is based on the 2013 bestseller, “Crazy Rich Asians” written by

Kevin Kwan. The book is about and old-wealth Singaporean family, as well as a glimpse of the lives and secrets of the rich Asians. With who and how Kris is, the role of a (crazy) rich Asian is not too far off her real life.

Never ever say goodbye, Willy Cruz

by BAyAni

sAn Diego Inquirer.net

JR.

He once jokingly quipped that he had already run out of “stars” to write about in his songs.

Willy Cruz, after all, was the composer behind the theme songs of Sharon Cuneta’s “Tala” trilogy: “Pangarap na Bituin” (from the movie “Bukas Luluhod ang mga Tala”), “Bituing Walang Ningning” and “Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas.”

He was also behind such pop classics as “Never ever Say Goodbye” (Nonoy Zuñiga), “Kahit Na” (Zsa Zsa Padilla), “Mahawi Man ang Ulap” (Dulce), “Let the Pain Remain” (Basil valdez) and “Araw-Araw, Gabi-Gabi” (Didith Reyes).

Cruz passed away last Monday, April 17, after suffering a brain aneurysm last week. He was 70.

The country’s finest singers fondly remember the shy maestro who seemed reluctant to embrace his genius.

Sharon Cuneta: Heartbroken.

No words, only tears, gratitude and love. I have lost a part of my history and my heart, but he will continue to live on in his masterpieces. I hope I was able to do them some justice, and that he was proud of me. I love you, Willy.

I forever will. “Thank you” will never suffice.

Ogie Alcasid: Willy Cruz was a national treasure, a genius musician who has written so many beautiful love songs.

I only worked with him once, for a Carmen Soriano concert, where I was a guest in the 1990s. even back then, he left me in awe of his talent.

Dulce: He was my musical director and accompanist at the Asia-Pacific singing competition, held in Hong Kong, in 1988.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, I recorded at least four of his movie theme songs. He rarely talked, but made sure to express his appreciation if you did well in

was one of the Philippines’ most gifted musicians. His songs always captured the Filipino’s passion and romance.

I interpreted “Never ever Say Goodbye” at the Korean Song Festival in the 1980s—and we won. I also sang it for King Hassan of Morocco in a special concert and the king gave us—Willy and me—a standing ovation!

Mitch Valdes: As a singer, you knew you were in good hands when you sang a Willie Cruz song.

As a listener, your heart will surely be touched.

Raymond Lauchengco: Willy Cruz Willy’s song, “Sana’y Wala ng interpreting his songs Wakas,” will always be one of my Last time I saw him was at a most favorite oPM ballads. reunion of his Ateneo batch two He was a musical genius years ago. He kept chatting the wrapped inside a gentle, almost whole night. He said he wanted timid personality. to hold a concert again. He was I caught a very rare glimpse so happy because he seldom got of his character when I phototo see artists from our generation. graphed him in my studio for his Until now, I still sing his composi“Got to Believe in Magic” album tions in my shows. for viva Records in 2002.

Nonoy Zuñiga: He was my He took a while to warm up mentor. He discovered me at the because he didn’t like being in 4th Metropop Music Festival, front of the camera, and there where I performed as a guest, were so many people milling not as a contestant. He was a about in the small room. So, I songwriter/composer/arranger asked everyone to leave the par excellence. studio.

His songs, both in Filipino It was just him and me. We and english, were hits. He was a talked a bit until he seemed comspecial songwriter. It was easy for fortable enough. I shot a few rolls him to write lyrics and compose of film, and he was ecstatic upon the melody. Just tell him a topic, seeing the Polaroids. He said it and he’d expound on it in a short was the first time he had “opened while. himself up” for a shoot.

Cherie Gil: I have many wonI also had the unique privilege derful memories of Willy (from the of recording one of his mastermovie, “Bituing Walang Ningnpieces, “Kapag Puso’y Sinuing”). He was a gift to all of us. gatan,” also for viva, in 1985.

Celeste Legaspi: My heart I was very young then, and he is broken. I met Willy when I was knew I was having difficulty undoing the play “Showboat” in St. derstanding the level of maturity Paul College. I was 17 then. He that the song had required. But was with the Ateneo Glee Club, he remained patient and encourand they made up the chorus, aging all throughout the session. along with the St. Paul Glee Club.

That’s what struck me most Then, we met again when we about him: He wasn’t just great at joined the showband Ambivalent what he did; he was also very kind.

Crowd—memories of youth and He was such a nice man who never music. I will always be in love flaunted his genius. He actually with Willy’s beautiful songs. He seemed embarrassed by it.

Gerald Santos & the challenge of being Thuy

by RIcky lo Philstar.com

MORe than 1,000 showed up for the series of auditions early last year for Miss Saigon in Manila, with the screening committee headed no less by Claude-Michel Schonberg, composer of the long-running musical (now into its 27th year, and also “les Miserables,” both produced

by Cameron Mackintosh). The number was trimmed down to less than 100 and then to 30 and finally to only six.

One of the six is Gerald Santos, 26, who auditioned mainly, according to him, “to try my luck.”

Gerald (a B.S. Psychology undergraduate from Angelicum) got the biggest surprise of his life when he got an official letter informing him that he is “it,” tapped to play the villain Thuy which has been played by Filipino actors like Robert Seña and Jun Jun Briones. The tour will kick off on london’s West end where it will be staged July and August before it proceeds to Wales, ireland and Scotland.

Gerald is advised to leave for london on May 7 in time for the start of the rehearsal on May 15.

When you look back at the audition, what comes to your mind? “it was my first time to audition for an internationally-acclaimed musical and i told myself that whatever the result, okay lang. The experience was valuable enough. There were four stages. First, we were asked to sing for one minute, then we were given studies to act out. The most challenging stage for me was the dancing part because, i must admit, dancing is my Waterloo. But thank God, i managed.”

Did you have a specific role in mind when you auditioned?

“Oh yes, i did pero sekreto lang. i was really eyeing for the role of Thuy. i was told that my audition song, Kim’s nightmare, was unconventional; i didn’t know what they meant by that. The song is sung in the scene after Thuy dies and he appears in Kim’s dream, telling her that she won’t let her live in peace.”

Didn’t you hesitate about auditioning for the musical, considering the number of aspirants? “it was during the tour of Pedro Calungsod when i heard about the auditions. Many people, including my friend-movie writers, were encouraging me to audition. They were telling me

entertainment SF5 Dingdong, Marian ready to have Baby No. 2 The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 21, 2017

by Iza IglesIas ManilaTimes.net

PhiliPPine showbiz’ famous couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera revealed before the holy Week break that they are indeed talking about having another child soon.

Together with their daughter Maria letizia—more popularly known as Baby Zia—Dong-Yan faced the press as a family for the first time at the Johnson & Johnson’s #Dadventures Camp press launch on April 3, and Gerald Santos got the biggest surprise of his life when he got news of his confirmation as the newest cast were picture perfect in every member of Miss Saigon which is going on a UK tour in July and August. ‘I dreamed a dream,’ Gerald way. quoted a line from Les Miz, ‘and my dream did come true.’

“We plan to have our secScotland and Wales. The tour will na bagay daw yung role naThuy ond baby after my upcoming last for one year.” sa akin. So i asked them, ‘Who is teleserye. That’s our target,” In an interview with CamThuy?’ i must confess that when the ever-beautiful 32-year-old eron MacKintosh, he said that Miss Saigon is mentioned, the actress and GMA network’s if the movie version of “Les only name that comes to my Miserables” would be a hit (and “Primetime Queen” declared. mind is lea Salonga (the original Rivera furthered that Zia, it was), he might push through Kim). But i’m familiar of the who is turning two on november with a plan to also produce” songs, thanks to Miss lea.”

23, will definitely love to have a Miss Saigon’s” movie version.

Have you seen the musical? sibling. “Of course, she will be You could be tapped to play “i haven’t. When ‘Miss excited to have a little brother or Thuy in it.

Saigon’ was staged in Manila, i sister. Baby Zia likes the kids she “how i wish! Sana nga! is it was only 10 years old. i’ve seen true that the movie version would meets,” the doting mom added. the musical online but not ‘live.’

Dantes, on the other hand, be directed by Danny Boyle (of i wish that before i leave for UK, emphasized that he and his wife Slumdog Millionaire)? But of i could go to new York to watch are prepared to have another course, i have to prove my worth it on Broadway (where it opened child any time. first.” in March, with Rachelle Ann Go “We’re ready if Baby no. 2 You’re leaving for UK in reprising her role as Gigi).” happens. it doesn’t matter if it’s three weeks. How have you Is there any other Filipino been preparing for the musical? a boy or a girl. Whatever God who passed the audition?

“My voice training continues, will give us, we’ll be more than “i heard that there’s another lalo na sa classical music. i will be happy,” the 36-year-old hunk of Filipino who’s in the cast but i a dad beamed. doing eight shows a week so, don’t know who he or she is.

Meanwhile, their darling Zia wow,matindi. i was advised not Dalawa daw kaming Filipino na is noticeably comfortable in front to take a day-off until they find nakapasok. Actually, i’m curious of the camera. During the event, my understudy maybe end of who he or she is. i’m also excited the celebrity tyke showed off her August. i also have to study how to find out who is going to play wit and adorable ways as she to preserve my voice para hindi Kim.” engaged attendees by saying mapaos. i would like to undergo Like the Filipinos cast (in“po” and “opo,” demonstrating cluding Monique Wilson as Kim; an acting workshop with Sir Floy parts of the body, and waving Quintos who was one of the Jun Jun Briones and Robert judges for ‘Pinoy Pop Superstar.’” and smiling at everybody in the Seña as Thuy; Isay Alvarez, JaSome of the Filipino talents room. mie Rivera, Ima Castro, Joanna “She’s a very happy girl and in “Miss Saigon” go on to audiAmpil and Jenine Desiderio as tion (and get cast) in other West very sociable. her mother is a Kim, et al) in the musical, you good teacher. She’s also in the End musicals (like Rachelle Ann will be living alone. Are you who proceeded to play Fantine stage of exploring so you cannot ready for that? stop her playfulness. What’s in Les Miz, and Junix Inocian “i’ve been to hawaii but it’s who got into other musicals and really important is as parents, my first time to be in the UK. i’m we have to be around her all even starred in a Hollywood ready not just for the musical but the time so she won’t get hurt,” movie with Johnny Depp. to live independently. Medyo Dantes shared.

“Well, i am keeping my kinakabahan ako ng kaunti but “i want to be a good role fingers crossed…hoping and i’m sure that i will get used to it. model to my child. in everything praying! But why not? in the The tour will start on West end in that we do, i want us to be an meantime, i’m focused on Miss london for two months, July and example, both her parents—how Saigon.”

August, before it goes to ireland,

Philippine showbiz’ royal family: Marian, Zia and Dingdong Rivera-Dantes

we love each other, how we deal with others—we want her to be like that,” Rivera elaborated.

With more commercials in the pipeline for their beautiful little girl, it was but natural that the Danteses were asked whether they would allow Zia to enter showbiz when she is a little older. Without hesitation the responsible dad said they would neither discourage nor encourage her, but they will make sure to expose her to other options. “it will still depend on her choice. We’re just here to support and guide her on what she wants to do in life. But it’s important for us also to introduce all other options to her so she’s free to choose. And of course, we want her to focus first on her studies in the future,” Dantes said.

Back to acting Many fans are excited that the power couple are set to return to acting as Prinsipe Raquim and Reyna Minea in GMA’s telefantasya encantadia. They will also have separate soaps to lead and a sitcom they will both star in after their respective projects.

“We will return to encantadia but we will not work together [in scenes],” confirmed Rivera.

Asked how the projects will affect their parenting schedules, with both very hands on in raising Zia, the Primetime Queen replied, “GMA talked to us so we can balance our schedules.

We said we don’t want to shoot [our scenes] at the same time. if ever i have taping, Dong should be at home taking care of Zia. And i will do that too if Dong needs to shoot. At least one of us should be with her.”

The actress further revealed she still has separation anxiety from Baby Zia even as she returned to showbiz in the latter part of 2016. “now you have seen how my daughter is attached to me, and how i am attached to her.

For sure i’ll continue to have a separation anxiety and have a hard time leaving her,” she said.

“But then of course i am excited to go back to primetime especially for the characters i will be playing. For my next soap i will have two leading men,” Rivera ended without giving other clues about her next project.

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