San Francisco Edition -- February 12 -- 18, 2016

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

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Volume 15 - No. 7 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages

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8e[ k_\pËi\ f]]1 ?\Xk\[ G? Gi\j`[\ek`Xc iXZ\ Y\^`ej MANILA — A cliffhanger of a race to lead the country began last Tuesday, Feb. 9, with five candidates claiming to have a genuine chance of succeeding President Aquino.

Since emerging from dictatorship three decades ago, the Philippines has seen its political scene dominated by elite families, celebrities, corruption and violence, which have contributed to near-constant chaos.

Those factors are once again domiK?< I8:< @J FE% ;XmXf :`kp DXpfi If[i`^f ;lk\ik\# J\e% >iXZ\ Gf\# M`Z\ Gi\j`[\ek A\afdXi 9`eXp# C`Y\iXc GXikp jkXe[Xi[ nant themes in this year’s contest for Y\Xi\i DXel\c IfoXj @@ Xe[ J\e% D`i`Xd ;\]\ejfi JXek`X^f n`cc Y\ af`e`e^ k_\ gi\j`[\ek`Xc iXZ\ `e k_\ DXp 0 \c\Zk`fej%

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USA

DATELINE Denver Broncos defeat Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Fil-Am Jordan Norwood makes history for longest punt return MILLIONS of Americans tuned in on Sunday, Feb. 7, as the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50.

Playing at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the Broncos showed off their superior defense, gaining four turnovers — two of which resulted in touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Panthers struggled to ride on the momentum of their nearly undefeated season record.

Many analysts noted that Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton, who was named the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), had an off night, failing to adapt to the Broncos’ rush. He was sacked seven times during the game.

During the second quarter of the game, Broncos’ wide receiver Jordan Norwood — who is a quarter Filipino — set a Super Bowl record with a 61-yard punt return.

Norwood received the punt at the Broncos’ 25-yard line and ran it down the right sideline all the way to the Panthers’ 14-yard

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Grace Poe, 47, launched her political career only three years ago when she entered the Senate, but has enjoyed huge success by trading on her father’s name while portraying herself as a reliable, honest advocate of the poor.

However, opponents have petitioned the Supreme Court to disqualify Poe, arguing she cannot prove she is a natural-born Filipino because she does not know who her biological parents are.

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Over 600K driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants in CA

by AGNES

CONSTANTE AJPress

ABOUT 605,000 undocumented immigrants residing in California were granted driver’s license in 2015, the first year that the state has permitted them to do so, according to a news release from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

In October 2013, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation known as AB 60, which allows eligible undocumented immigrants in California to apply for driver’s licenses. The law further prohibits discrimination against undocumented immigrant drivers.

AB 60 allows individuals with these licenses to drive without fear of being fined or having their vehicle impounded.

License holders under the law, however, cannot

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Affordable Care Act enrollment Junjun Binay can still invoke to 12.7 million ‘condonation doctrine’ – lawyer grows 425,000 enroll in Covered California THE Office of the Ombudsman’s ruling finding probable cause against Vice President Jejomar Binay and his son, dismissed Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Junjun Binay, was an act of defiance to the Supreme Court, lawyers said Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Former Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Vicente Joyas said the Ombudsman should have considered the Supreme Court decision last year saying the abandonment of the condonation doctrine was prospective and could be applied to Junjun Binay’s case.

“If the Ombudsman insists on not applying the condonation doctrine in the Junjun Binay case, the Ombudsman is acting in total disobedience of the ruling of the SC in the Junjun case that the abandonment of the condonation doctrine must be applied prospectively,” said Joyas.

Condonation doctrine which was introduced by jurisprudence in 1959 was abandoned by the high

National labor board rules in favor of fired Fil-Am nurse

PASADENA, Calif. — The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit to allegations that two Asian American registered nurses were illegally terminated from Huntington Memorial Hospital in this city.

The nurses, Allysha Almada and Vicki Lin, were joined by city officials and community leaders to applaud the labor board’s decision at a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 4. “…The first emotion I felt hearing about the NLRB ruling was a state of shock and then it easily turned into elation,” Almada, a 28-yearold Filipino-American nurse told the Asian Journal. “It’s an, us versus them, David versus Goliath, kind of situation. Here we are, we’re going up against a large community hospital that has millions of dollars to essentially spend fighting us when that money should be going to patient care. We’ve seen them direct money and funds from patients into fighting organizing efforts. This definitely feels that yes, we were in the right.”

Almada and Lin, both of whom were work-

sands of national and local posts up for grabs in the May 9 elections.

The current presidential frontrunner is Sen. Grace Poe, an inexperienced politician who is riding a wave of popularity among the tens of millions of poor Filipinos, due in part to her adopted father, Fernando Poe Jr. FPJ became one of the nation’s most loved actors by playing characters who championed the poor, and nearly translated that popularity into political success by coming in second in the 2004 presidential elections.

by ALLYSON

THE White House announced that nearly 13 million Americans have signed up for the Affordable Care Act for 2016, before open enrollment deadline on Jan. 31.

The numbers of enrollment for federal insurance marketplaces yielded a modest gain of about 1 million customers for 2016, reported The Washington Post.

Sign-ups exceeded the Obama administration’s initial estimates of around 10 million total.

During the third open-enrollment season, 9.6 million consumers chose coverage in the 38

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AJPress

states that use the federal marketplace on HealthCare.gov. An additional 3.1 million Americans selected health plans in states that run their own insurance exchanges.

“The marketplace is growing and getting stronger and the ACA has become a crucial part of healthcare in America,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, who announced final results of the three-month enrollment window.

“The totals exceed our expectations,” she told reporters.

The numbers were in line with recent predictions that overall

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Next gov’t urged to adopt principled foreign policy

by PIA LEE-BRAGO Philstar.com

MANILA — After a five-year stewardship, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario is hoping that the next administration would embrace a principled foreign policy and total protection of national interest.

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

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The SC could also disqualify Poe for failing to meet residency rules, because she spent many years living in the US and gained US citizenship before renouncing it and returning home.

If Poe is knocked out, with a court ruling expected during the campaign, the nation would be plunged into political turmoil with three contenders who are currently each polling about 20 percent support ready to pounce.

A major contender is Vice President Jejomar Binay, who heads the main opposition party.

Binay, 73, has spent decades building a vast political machine but he has had to endure a barrage of corruption allegations that have seen him lose his front-runner status.

A Senate committee recently recommended Binay be charged

with graft for kickbacks allegedly taken during his long stint as mayor of the nation’s financial capital, Makati.

President Aquino, who has overseen growth averaging 6.2 percent since 2010 and won international applause for trying to fight corruption, wants to hand over the keys to the presidential palace to longtime ally Mar Roxas.

However Roxas, 58, a US-educated investment banker from one of the nation’s richest families, has consistently trailed Poe and Binay in surveys. Analysts blame a lack of charisma and inability to connect with the poor masses.

In contrast, controversial populist politician Rodrigo Duterte, 70, is making a spectacular charge for the presidency by vowing a ruthless crackdown on crime.

Human rights groups have accused Duterte of running vig-

ilante “death squads” that killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals during his many years as mayor of the major southern city of Davao.

Duterte has acknowledged the existence of the death squads and said in speeches and press conferences in recent months that he had overseen the killing of drug traffickers.

The fifth contender is Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who chose Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as her runningmate.

Santiago reiterated that she will be running for the highest position for the third time to stop the corruption in the government.

Despite claims she has beaten cancer and her popularity among the younger voters with her strong presence in social media, Santiago has consistently trailed in the surveys. (Philstar.com)

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Junjun Binay can still invoke…

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court in a ruling last year. But the court said it will be prospective in nature.

The doctrine states that reelected officials cannot be held administratively liable for offenses during a previous term because their re-election meant their constituents have already forgiven them for their offenses.

The Joyas earlier said the younger Binay could still use the condonation doctrine as a defense to contest his dismissal since the SC’s abandonment of the doctrine is prospective and would apply only in future cases.

“He can still invoke the doctrine if the decision of his dismissal is premised on the nonapplication of the doctrine and Junjun invoked it in that case,” said Joyas.

Former University of the East law dean Amado Valdez agreed with this opinion. “(Being prospective only) means it will only apply on cases committed after the decision. So Binay can still invoke the doctrine,” Valdez had said.

The Ombudsman last year issued preventive suspension orders against Junjun Binay over his alleged role in overpricing the construction of the Makati City

Hall Building II and the Makati City Science High School.

Insisting he could not be administratively charged, Binay invoked the condonation doctrine, which clears a public official of any administrative liability in the past if he or she is re-elected. Binay served as mayor in 2010 and was re-elected in 2013.

However, the Ombudsman ended up dismissing Binay in October last year over the Makati City Hall Building II mess.

The following month, in November, the high court abandoned the condonation doctrine but clarified its application was “prospective,” meaning it would apply only in future cases.

The SC said the Court of Appeals, which temporarily stopped Binay’s preventive suspension in March 2015, did not commit grave abuse because it merely followed settled precedents on condonation, which “at that time unwittingly remained good law,” when it granted Binay a relief.

In affirming probable cause, the Ombudsman last week denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the younger Binay and the other respondents for failure to present new evidence that would warrant a reversal.

Aside from administrative liabil-

ity, the younger Binay and several others were ordered prosecuted before the Sandiganbayan.

However, the case against the Vice President will have to wait after the end of his term as Vice President. ■

Over 600K…

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use the identification to board planes for domestic flights. Furthermore, it does not grant these individuals a pathway to apply for a US passport, a way to work, or legal residency status.

A dozen other states, along with Washington D.C., have similar laws for undocumented immigrants.

“If you can approve policies that integrate immigrants, I think it’s a win-win for all people in a big state like California,” said Luis Alejo, a member of the California Assembly and author of the bill, according to AgenceFrance Presse.

In February, March and April, more than 70,000 licenses were issued per month.

A total of 830,000 individuals applied for licenses under AB 60 between Jan. 2, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2015. ■

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Denver Broncos defeat Carolina Panthers…

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National labor board rules in favor of fired…

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ing in the intensive care unit, were terminated in August of last year, after spearheading a union organizing drive under the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) and publicly speaking about deteriorating conditions (i.e. short staffing and inadequate supplies) at the hospital.

Registered nurses at the hospital began organizing with CNA/ NNU in May 2014, but many voted against representation the following year after they were allegedly intimated to do so by hospital officials.

“When this [firing] first happened, I felt very hopeless. I was very scared and I didn’t know what to do,” Lin said.

The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB challenging the dismissal last year, which the labor board responded to on Friday, Jan. 29 by siding with the nurses.

Lin added, “what happened to me can happen to anyone and that’s why we need union representation to protect our rights along with our patients. Nurses need job protection. We need someone to advocate for us, so we can advocate for our patients.”

In a statement emailed to the Asian Journal, Huntington Hospi-

tal’s spokesman Derek Clark said the union’s flyers and statements have been filled “with patently false information.”

Responding to allegations that the nurses were fired for unionizing, the hospital asserted that it was because the pair violated employment policies.

“We stand by our decisions and course of actions – and believe they are in accordance with employment laws, our employment practices and in the best interests of maintaining patient safety and providing the highest quality of patient care,” Clark said, adding that the hospital looks “forward to a resolution in our favor from the NLRB.” Each week, the union has also gathered signatures from members of the Pasadena community in support of the nurses’ reinstatement, and has attempted to deliver them to the hospital CEO. “I am grateful and humble that so many people feel strongly about our cause and want to support us that they are willing to sign a petition or willing to come out to our delegation,” Almada said.

Since her firing, the Fil-Am has continued to advocate for nurses’ rights and quality patient care. In October, she attended

Next gov’t urged to adopt…

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“It is my hope that this principled foreign policy will be embraced by the next administration because it’s in total protection of our national interest,” Del Rosario told journalists during his annual get-together with the media at the Diamond Hotel.

Del Rosario also said he could not continue in public service or take an ambassadorial post at his age.

“I’m 76 years old, public service from your point of view should be out of the question for me,” he said.

Del Rosario said he wants to return to the private sector “if they want to have me.”

Del Rosario made his recommendation on the next foreign secretary but he declined to name the official.

“I have made my recommendation. As a matter of course the

President has the last say and my sense is that he’ll be making an announcement soon,” he added.

Sources said Del Rosario recommended Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura del Rosario as next DFA secretary.

The two are not related.

“I heard about that,” she said when asked about the secretary’s choosing her to replace him.

During the gathering, Del Rosario conveyed his thanks to the media for their friendship and support.

“I want to thank them for their inherent love of our people and our country and their uniting with us in promoting our national interest,” he said.

President Aquino accepted Del Rosario’s resignation from the post effective March 7 for health reasons. ■

Affordable Care Act enrollment…

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growth in insurance coverage through the federal marketplaces is slowing sooner than originally expected, health policy experts said.

Of those who signed up through HealthCare.gov, 4 million people—about 2 in 5—are new customers. However, it is not clear how many of those were in the HHS outreach target group: the approximately 10.5 million Americans who remained uninsured, despite being eligible to buy insurance through the ACA. In California, more than 425,000 residents have signed up for the state’s health insurance exchange, Covered California. At least 100,000 rushed to enroll in the last four days before the enrollment period ended, according to California Healthline.

Covered California estimated that it would attract between 295,000 and 450,000 new enrollees during the third season since taking effect. In addition to those new enrollees, about 1.15 million existing consumers renewed their plans this year, totaling to about 1.57 million, officials said.

“We continue to have a broad and healthy mix of those signing up for coverage…which means better rates and a more stable system, both for all of our enrollees, and for the entire individual health insurance marketplace in California,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered CA, which has served over 2 million Californians.

Lee did not provide additional information on the ethnic and demographic breakdown of new enrollees or the health plans

they chose, saying the numbers were “still being analyzed.”

The administration faced an uphill battle to reach those who remained uninsured. Many of those in great need have already obtained coverage in recent years.

Still, the latest numbers provide important signs of how the federal exchanges, a major feature of President Barack Obama’s 2010 health-care law, are functioning now that they are no longer new.

The figures show that most repeat customers were warned by HHS officials that they should return to HealthCare.gov to shop for the best available health plan if they wanted to avoid sticker shock. On the federal exchange, nearly 7 in 10 repeat customers shopped for different coverage, rather than renew automatically, and about three-fifths of those people switched plans entirely.

Last year, nearly half of consumers were auto-enrolled.

This year, more consumers picked health plans during the first two months of the sign-up period, which ended Jan. 1. In contrast to the past two years, there was less of the last-minute surge of people rushing to sign up during the final days and hours of the enrollment period.

In the last two years, enrollment has slowly slipped over the periods. At the end of the 2015 enrollment season, 11.7 million people were signed up--the number that dropped to 9.3 million by early fall. Officials have not released the year-end tally for 2015.

Overall, fewer Americans are projected to sign up for individual coverage. The Congres-

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the White House Summit on Worker Voice, where she briefly met President Barack Obama.

She also spoke at a press conference alongside Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and met with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Though Almada is currently working at another hospital in Los Angeles, she is fighting to get her job back at Huntington Hospital.

“It is definitely a point to be made in that…me coming back to the hospital could show nurses — not only at Huntington,

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line. Though Norwood’s run was unable to secure a touchdown, Denver earned a field goal that put them ahead 13-7.

The previous record was a 45-yard return by 49ers wide receiver John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.

At 39 years old, Peyton Manning of the Broncos became the oldest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. Manning, whose 18-year career includes includes two Super Bowl titles and 200 career wins, is expected to retire, though he has yet to announce that decision. He is also the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, winning Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts.

“You know, I’ll take some time to reflect,” Manning said during a post-game interview. “I have a

couple of priorities first. I want to go kiss my wife and my kids, I want to go hug my family. I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight. I promise you that. I’m going to take care of those things first, and say a little prayer to thank the man upstairs for this great opportunity. I’m just very grateful.”

For six tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles — leading to defensive and offensive touchdowns — Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was named MVP following the game.

Sunday marked the Broncos’ third Super Bowl title in franchise history. ”We had our opportunities.

There wasn’t nothing special that they did. We dropped balls.

We turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That’s it. They scored more points than we did,” Panthers quarterback

Newton said after the game.

Aside from the game itself, the most-anticipated part of the game was the halftime show, featuring Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars. Against a colorful backdrop, Coldplay delivered a medley of their hits, but guest stars Beyonce, performing her new song “Formation,” and Bruno Mars, singing and grooving to Uptown Funk,” stole the show.

Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach — who was reporting as a special correspondent for “Inside Edition” — praised Beyonce on Twitter, saying “From Queen to Queen, @Beyonce you owned the show! –Pia.” Super Bowl 50 was the thirdmost-watched television program in the United States with 111.9 million viewers, falling short to beat the viewership records from the last two years. (AJPress)

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Filipino-Salvadoran math whiz honored by LA school board

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

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Affordable Care Act enrollment grows to…

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sional Budget Office lowered its estimate to 13 million enrollees for 2016, down from earlier economic projections of 21 million, said Boston’s WCVB5.

In the federal marketplace, 2.7 million young people ages 18 to 34 signed up for coverage—28 percent of the total, the same proportion as last year. Obama administration officials said the exchanges would work well early on if slightly more than one-third of enrollees were young adults.

The ACA’s figures don’t include further detail about states

with their own private marketplaces. The final tally, however, includes everyone who opted for a health plan, whether or not they begin to pay the monthly premiums that put their coverage in effect.

“Open enrollment 3 was very successful,” said Andy Slavitt, acting administer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In each of the past two years, enrollment has slipped as the months go by. At the end of the 2015 enrollment season, 11.7 million people were signed up, a

National labor board rules in…

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but throughout the world — that when we stand together, when we organize [and] when we have a strong collective voice, we can accomplish a lot,” she said.

Tessie Costales, a Fil-Am registered nurse at Kaiser LA Medical Center and CNA leader, called on hospital leaders to abide by the NLRB’s announcement.

“I couldn’t believe what they did to these two nurses. They built a case just to instill fear in the nurses and they made [Allysha and Vicki] guinea pigs to show nurses not to vote for the union… I think Huntington leaders should respect the ruling of the NLRB. They did not find any merit on the case,” said Costales.

“Delays would only mean a waste of resources.”

She also called on the local Fil-Am community to join in on any rallies and sign petitions on behalf of the nurses.

“Although this unfortunate event happened to us, our victory is so important to show that when you have the backing of thousands of nurses — behind you, standing up for you…[and] your federally protected rights — it is powerful and impactful. Together as a community, together as nurses, we will win this fight.

We will win justice and we will make Huntington a better place and a better asset to the city of Pasadena,” Almada said. (Christina M. Oriel / AJPress)

number that dropped to 9.3 million by early fall. HHS officials have not released the year-end tally for 2015.

The new figures suggest that HHS officials were realistic in the fall when they forecast that enrollment by the end of this year would be about 10 million — about half of what congressional budget analysts had forecast.

Last week, the budget analysts lowered their own expectations, saying that, on average, 13 million people would have marketplace health plans throughout this year.

Most people who fail to sign up by the deadlines face tax penalties for themselves and their families.

“Because consumers can change plans during open enrollment, those who switched to the lowest-cost plan in their area could lower their premiums by an average of 4.5 percent this year [in California],” Lee said.

Although open enrollment ended on January 31, families still may be able to get covered through the Marketplace, Medicaid, or CHIP, as well as in life-altering circumstances.

Consumers can visit www. healthcare.gov for important information and coverage options, and enrollment deadlines. The next open enrollment period for coverage in 2017 will start in November. ■

LOS ANGELES — 17-year-old Cedrick Argueta was honored on Tuesday, Feb. 9 by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education for earning a perfect score on his Advanced Placement Calculus exam.

Argueta, the son of a Filipina nurse and a Salvadoran maintenance worker, is one of 12 students in the world — out of the total 302,531 who took the exam — to achieve the perfect mark of 108.

“I’m glad that I’m able to do this, not just for my culture, but for all cultures so anybody can realize that anything is possible,” he said.

Speaking before LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King and the Board of Education, Argueta acknowledged that it was a “team effort” to pass the exam and that he is “one small example” of the school district’s work.

Currently a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School, Argueta aspires to attend the California Institute of Technology and one day work for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an engineer.

“I want to be an engineer because I’ve always liked math and science, so going into that field makes sense for me,” he told the Asian Journal.

He credits his math teacher Anthony Yom, a Korean immigrant, for helping him excel in the subject. In preparing for the exam, Yom designated Argueta as a study leader, and would spend after school and weekends making sure other students mastered the advanced concepts.

Tuesday’s board meeting also recognized Yom and the high school’s principal Jose Torres.

In his remarks, Yom thanked students’ parents for making the commitment to drive their children to school on weekends so they could study for the exam and community members for opening up their facilities when the school wasn’t open.

“I want everyone to remember that it still takes a village to raise a child,” Yom said.

Yom — whose AP students have all passed the calculus exam in the last three years — noted that he doesn’t have any special strategies when it comes to teaching. Rather, he treats his students as “friends” and gets to

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know them on a personal level to build trust.

“If you don’t think of [teaching] as work, then you produce a better result,” he said.

Torres cited Argueta as an example of “what can happen…if we all believe that every child who comes into a classroom can learn, regardless of their background or where they come from.”

Argueta’s mother Lilian, who migrated to the United States from Batangas, Philippines in 1992, remarked on how studious her son is.

“At school, they have an after-school program to prepare for the test. When he gets home, he studies hard too. He’s always been like that,” she said.

She beamed with pride seeing her son be recognized and receive a standing ovation by the school district’s board members.

“We’re all happy and proud of him,” she said. “He can be whatever he wants to be. We’re here to support him.”

Since finding out about his test score, Argueta has received worldwide attention, and even got President Barack Obama to tweet at him: “Cedrick; way to

go on your perfect score! How about you come by the next White House Science Fair?”

Getting a tweet “from the most influential and important man in the world” was an honor, Argueta said, and he is excited to take that trip to the White House.

In addition to his incredible achievement on the AP exam, Argueta also scored perfectly on the math and English sections of the ACT college-entrance exam.

Despite being a math wiz (his nickname at school is “One of Twelve”), Argueta asserts that he’s just a normal teenager who likes sports, video games and hanging out at the mall.

His advice for high school students? Take advantage of available resources and balance academics with other hobbies.

“I know everyone tells them to try hard and work hard, but really try to get all the help that they can get. There are a lot of great resources,” Argueta told the Asian Journal. “Also, try not to make everything about academics. Balance your life out. Try to put your time in something that’s fun for you, rather than just putting it into academics.” ■

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Daang Matuwid senatorial bets lead in latest Pulse Asia survey

by JANVIC

MATEO Philstar.com

MANILA—Senatorial candidates of the “Daang Matuwid” slate of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) dominated the latest preelection survey released by Pulse Asia over the weekend.

But it was reelectionist Sen. Vicente Sotto III of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC)—a shared candidate of the Partido Galing at Puso (PGP) of Sen. Grace Poe and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay—who led the survey conducted from Jan. 24 to 28.

Sotto obtained 68.8 percent voting preference for a statistical ranking of first to second place.

He was followed by administration bets former senator and food security czar Francis Pangilinan with 65.6 percent and for statistical ranking of first to third places, former senator and

rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson with 63.3 percent for second to fifth, and re-electionist Sens.

Ralph Recto with 59.9 percent for third to fifth and Franklin Drilon with 58.8 percent for third to seventh places.

Lacson is running as an independent but was included in the administration slate, while Recto—who is running under the LP banner—is also a guest candidate of the PGP. Following them are former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri with 54.9 percent (fifth to seventh), re-electionist Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, 54.8 percent (fifth to seventh) and former senator Richard Gordon, 48.6 percent (eighth to 10th places).

Zubiri and Gordon are both shared candidates of PGP and UNA, while Osmeña—a former LP stalwart—is running as an independent.

Tied with Gordon at eighth to 10th places are administration

bet former justice secretary Leila de Lima, who garnered 48.2 percent, and UNA candidate Sarangani Rep. and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, 46.9 percent.

Ranked 11th to 13th are administration bets reelectionist Sen. Teofisto Guingona III and former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, both with 41.1 percent, and PGP exclusive candidate Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian with 37.7 percent.

Pulse Asia said the 13 candidates, out of 52 who are in the list released by the Commission on Elections as of Jan. 20, have statistical chances of being in the Magic 12.

Trailing them are administration bets former Technical Education and Skills Development chief Joel Villanueva with 31.1 percent for 14th to 15th places and former Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Mark Lapid, 27.2 percent for 14th to 18th.

Señeres, labor rights champion, dies; 68

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Birthday wishes for Aquino: A wife, a car

by JOANNE

RAE RAMIREZ Philstar.com

MANILA—As President Aquino celebrates his 56th birthday on Monday, Feb. 8—with the highest approval rating among IT WAS “victory enough,” acall presidents since 1986 (since cording to his son, that other the Social Weather Stations took presidential aspirants were surveys)—his family and closest adopting his lifelong advocacy: friends wish him the blessings of the rights of Filipino workers a “normal” life after his term, with here and abroad. the hopes and joys of a bachelor Three days after quitting the next door. presidential race, OFW Family “As always, my wish is for him Club Rep. Roy Señeres Sr., chamto find a loving wife,” says his pion of migrants and the Filipino younger sister Viel Dee, who is working class, died of cardiopulclosest in age to him. monary arrest on Monday, Feb. 8 “And if she isn’t coming soon, after a prolonged bout with diabeplease just allow him to have a tes, his son said. He was 68. peaceful retirement from June 30, Hans Christian Señeres said 2016,” adds Viel, the shyest, selfhis father, a former ambassaÊM@:KFIP <EFL>?%Ë K_\ X[fgk`fe Yp k_\ fk_\i gi\j`[\ek`Xc ZXe[`[Xk\j f] I\g% Ifp J\ \i\jË confessed “calmest” child of the dor to the United Arab Emir- X[mfZXZp `j Xci\X[p X m`Zkfip# jXpj _`j jfe% @ehl`i\i%e\k g_fkf late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino ates and former chair of the National Labor Relations Com- shock to the family. welfare of OFW (overseas Filipi- Jr. and former president Corazon mission (NLRC), had complained “He went into cardiac arrest at no worker) families, career diplo- “Cory” Aquino.

Only a loving wife for her brothof exhaustion in recent weeks, 4 in the morning. Then we lost mats, poor workers and governprompting his hospitalization him at past 8,” he told the In- ment employees, announced his er because, “the best thing about at St. Luke’s Medical Center in quirer on the phone. “It’s still just candidacy in October as the stan- PNoy is his kind heart.”

For his part, the President’s Taguig City and the subsequent sinking in,” Christian said. dard-bearer of Partido ng Mangfriend since his Ateneo de Manila withdrawal of his candidacy in The party-list lawmaker left gagawa at Magsasaka. the May 9 balloting.

His platform centered on labor school days, businessman Romy behind his wife and six children.

But his death at 8:07am on Señeres, who spent his first and migrant rights and inclusive Mercado has a material wish for his buddy: “I wish Noy finds the Monday still came as a deep term in Congress advocating the growth.

DJ YAP Inquirer.net

by

right car he will enjoy driving starting July 1, so we can drive from Ilocos Norte to Davao City!”

His househelp Yolly Yebes, who has been with him for some two decades now and had a special place in the gallery during his last State of the Nation Address, wishes “good health and less stress” for her boss.

This “less stress” wish is echoed by the President’s two older siblings, Ballsy Cruz and Pinky Abellada.

“For his birthday I wish he has a peaceful life after he steps down from the presidency and he gets to enjoy things he had to put on hold,” hopes Ballsy, who believes the best thing about her only brother is “selflessness.”

Ballsy hopes her brother can look forward to some time for himself because, “Ever since I can remember, he was always so giving – of himself and whatever little he had. And he would be the last to claim any credit for himself.”

A “more joyful” next chapter is Pinky’s wish for her brother.

“As he becomes ‘Private Citizen Noy,’ I wish him a still fulfilling but less stressful and more joyful next

chapter,” says Pinky, who wishes to thank the President especially today for being “very dependable especially during trying times.”

On a personal note, she adds, “I appreciate, too, the many times he was guardian when the children were growing up and how they can still run to him when they feel the need.”

Somebody who sees the President perhaps more often than his sisters do is Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras, whose office is just a few feet away from his at Malacañang. He greets the President every working day with a stack of briefing papers, all urgent.

“I wish the President a peaceful and restful birthday and beyond his term, I wish him a more peaceful and relaxed life, with less stress,” says Almendras, a former Ayala and Citibank top executive who has known the President since they were at the Ateneo.

Benigno Aquino III was born at the FEU hospital 56 years ago, the much awaited son of Ninoy and Cory. His father wanted to be president, and his namesake fulfilled that dream for him.

8-

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OPINION

FEATURES

Campaign season AND so it begins. Filipinos are in the throes of election fever as the campaign period for the upcoming May national elections officially began on Tuesday, Feb. 9. With 18,053 elective positions at stake, qualified voters in the Philippines and abroad have in their hands, the power and responsibility of ensuring candidates for public office are the most qualified for the respective positions.

On a national scale, Filipino voters will declare who to fill the presidential, vice presidential, 12 senatorial and 80 party-list representation seats.

The local elections involve voters to elect district representatives (Congress members), provincial governors, vice governors, provincial board members, city and municipal mayors, city and municipal vice mayors, and town council members.

The promotion of people’s interests will be on top of political junkets once again. Issues such as criminality, high prices, unemployment, housing shortage, overpopulation, and the poor justice system are still expected to headline each candidate’s platform.

Vice President Jejomar Binay launched his presidential bid at the Welfareville compound in Mandaluyong City “to be with the Filipino poor.” Leading the opposition party, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), Binay’s camp said that the vice president chose to be with those “have been left behind and continue to struggle with poverty, hunger and unemployment. Because he wanted to share with the masses his vision of a nation where rich and poor share the benefits of economic growth.”

Binay was joined by his running mate Sen. Gregorio Honasan II, and UNA’s candidates for senators including Manny Pacquiao, former Special Action Force (SAF) director Getulio Napeñas, Parañaque councilor and actress Alma Moreno, Princess Jacel Kiram, labor lawyer Allan Montaño and broadcaster Rey Langit.

Sen. Grace Poe, who promises a “gobyernong may puso (government with a heart),” led her political party to Plaza Miranda in front of the historic

Quiapo Church in Manila. Still facing disqualification over citizenship and residency issues, Poe said that just like an ordinary Filipino, her life is full of drama.

“With all my heart and strength, I will uphold and defend programs of a compassionate government, our aspirations for the Filipino family, our hopes for the country and our children. The next three months will be a grueling journey for candidates and voters,” Poe promised her supporters.

The ruling Liberal Party and its standard-bearer Mar Roxas and running mate Rep. Leni Robredo kicked off their campaign in Roxas City, Capiz. The tandem vowed to continue Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s “daang matuwid (straight path)” policy. Aquino was also present during the campaign rally and appealed to the public on why his bets are deserving to be elected.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte brought his team to Tondo, Manila. The no-nonsense presidential aspirant promised his kababayans that he will curb corruption and the proliferation of illegal drugs, and vowed to prioritize education and agriculture.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Sen. Bongbong Marcos went north, to the latter’s hometown in Batac City, Ilocos Norte. Santiago vowed to go after people who were involved in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam, while Marcos insisted on unity among Filipinos.

The next three months will be a grueling journey support their causes and grant them their previous for both candidates and voters. It will test politi- votes. On the other hand, it will be the voters’ uncal aspirants on how they can engage the public to dertaking to identify all social, political, economic

Editorial

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and environmental issues that are hounding the country and choose wisely who will best offer the solution for them. (AJPress)

New national poll: Trump leads, Clinton and Sanders in a virtual tie AFTER the Iowa Caucuses and before the New Hampshire primary, a new national poll reveals the sentiment of the American people on where they want this nation to be stirred moving forward through the presidential elections.

On the Democratic front, Frontrunner Hillary Clinton has reportedly planned on shaking her campaign to stop the momentum that has been favoring Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders steadily and increasingly in the past year. From leading Sanders by 50 percent just a year ago, Clinton’s lead has now shrunk to a virtual tie as revealed by two major national polls.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Clinton leading Sanders 48-45 percent, while a Quinnipiac University poll reveals Clinton leading 44-42 percent, both gaps within the margin of error.

After winning Iowa by just 0.3 percent, Clinton is expected to lose in New Hampshire, if polls are any indication. In the final CNN/WMUR

Republican voters nationtracking poll, CNN reports that wide, with 31 percent. He is it remains Bernie Sanders’ pri- The Fil-Am followed by Sen. Ted Cruz of mary to lose, with the Vermont Texas with 22 percent and senator holding a 26-point lead Perspective Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida over Hillary Clinton, with 61 with 19 percent. Dr. Ben Carpercent for Sanders versus 35 son has 6 percent, with 9 perpercent for Clinton. cent undecided and no other While I monitor the exit polls candidate above 3 percent. in New Hampshire as of the GEL SANTOS-RELOS Heading to New Hampshire, press time, CNN has projected Sanders as the winner of the primary election in Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican the state and Clinton has reportedly conceded. race on the eve of the vote with 31 percent, acWith potentially record-breaking turnout, en- cording to the final CNN/WMUR tracking poll.

CNN reports that trailing behind Trump, thusiastic voters are eager to make their voices Florida Sen. Marco Rubio earned 17 percent heard in this election.

Clinton won in New Hampshire when she ran support—within the margin of sampling eragainst Obama in 2008. What should Clinton do ror of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 14 percent, but significantly ahead of the fourth and fifth place to stop Sanders’ momentum?

On the Republican side, the latest Quinnipiac candidates in the poll, Ohio Gov. John Kasich University National poll reveals Donald Trump (10 percent) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush still leads the GOP presidential pack among (7 percent). Carly Fiorina stands at 5 percent,

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It isn’t Grace who’s running, but a ghost of FPJ as ‘Panday’

Commentary

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO THE backers of Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares—mainly former President Estrada, with his old shadowy Chinese-Filipino businessmen barkada, especially plastics king William Gatchalian—would of course, have rejoiced over her strong showing in the recent presidential voter-preference polls. I’d bet Estrada uncorked last night the vintage Petrus wines he hid somewhere and has a hell of a hangover now.

However, as a nation, we should be deeply concerned that out of the 29 percent who picked Llamanzares as their presidential bet, nearly half of them, or 45 percent, are deeply deluded that they are choosing not the mestiza balikbayan, but someone they believe is the daughter of that fictional movie hero “Panday” her father Fernando Poe, Jr. portrayed in his movies.

This is not my conjecture but a logical conclusion based on data.

The survey published in the Manila Standard, done by Mr.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4 percent and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 3 percent.

Exit polls revealed that Democratic voters are looking for the candidate who is honest and who cares about them, more than electability and experience.

Meanwhile, Republican voters want a candidate who is not part of the establishment, as more than half of them say feel betrayed by and are dissatisfied with how the Republican party has done its job over the years.

Will it be 2008 again for Hillary Clinton? Will Donald Trump continue to lord over the other GOP candidates moving forward?

ABANGAN! ***

Pedro Laylo, Jr. , did the nation a service by releasing information on the reasons respondents gave for their choices of President for this country.

The top four reasons (translated from the survey’s Filipino into English) mentioned by the respondents for choosing Llamanzares, which make up 75 percent of the 11 reasons given are as follows (emphasis mine): The percentages for each of the 11 reasons listed total 101, which indicates that the survey asked respondents to each give only one reason for choosing Llamanzares.

The first reason given (“I want to try her administration”) is a reasonable response, although it is an indication of Filipinos’ disgust with the present government; that they want to try someone new, even if that means somebody who hardly has the right qualifications for

the job.

What is astonishing, and so detached from reality, however, are three reasons cited by those who chose Llamanzares, which account for 45 percent of the reasons given: “She might try to continue the good work of her father,” “She is a kind person like her father who was close to poor;” and “she might fulfill the promises of her late father.”

What?

The “good work” of her father was in being a super action-star, and in the box-office success of the movies he starred in, which made him rich. “FPJ” was never known to be “close to the poor,” nor even interested in politics and civic duty. He was even an introvert, whose social life almost entirely was limited to beer-drinking sessions with close buddies in some Class-B Chinese restau-

rant he preferred. He was really somebody who just made lucrative action-movies, and minded his own business, unlike his bosom buddy Estrada, who went into politics as early as 1969.

It wasn’t FPJ who was “close to the poor,” but the movie persona of Panday, or that jeepney driver in his many movies who defied the rich, or some other similar hero roles. Civic duty, even for political purposes, just wasn’t FPJ’s cup of tea, and he didn’t even claim so.

It isn’t clear at all what promises FPJ made that Llamanzares is supposed to fulfill, as he hardly made speeches when he was a presidential candidate in 2004 and even avoided interviews with the press who wanted to find out what his platform was.

Let’s face it. It wasn’t really FPJ who got 37 percent of the votes in the 2004 elections, less

than Gloria Arroyo’s 40 percent.

They voted for Panday and the other hero-of-the-masses roles FPJ portrayed.

Grace is amazing with her front-runner ratings? Not really.

The total 101 percent of all percentages for the reasons listed indicates a rounding-off of the numbers as the survey asked respondents to each give only one reason for their choice.

This means that out of the 29 percent of those who picked Llamanzares, 45 percent chose her for unreal reasons—that she is like her father, or she will fulfill her father’s promises. But the “father” here is not FPJ, but the character Panday, or those other hero-roles her father portrayed.

This means if those who comprise the 45 percent realize when they wake up from their deep delusion that they are confusing Llamanzares with the daughter of a fictional Panday, only 16 percent (55 percent of the 29 percent) will vote for her, i.e., for real reasons such as ‘they want a new face.’ That would rank her behind Binay and Roxas, who each had 22 percent.

I would think that toward elections, these deluded Filipi-

nos would wake up from their never-never land. A single scandal that would reveal her real personality would tear asunder the illusion that she is Panday’s princess.

It isn’t really Grace Llamanzares, the mestiza balikbayan, who is topping the polls, but the ghost of FPJ as the hero Panday.

Do you think a person has integrity if she aims for the highest post of the land by exploiting the masses’ confusion of the real and the reel? At least her father was motivated by loyalty to a bosom friend, to free him from prison. What is it for Llamanzares, other than ego or money?

In 2004, it was “Panday for President.” This year, it’s “Panday’s foundling.”

Reasons for the other candidates Following are the reasons given by those who chose Binay, Roxas, or Duterte, instead of Poe. Note the huge 42 percent of respondents who picked Roxas because he promised to carry on Aquino’s conditionalcash-transfer program, and the 52 percent who favored Duterte for his strong anti-crime stance.

(ManilaTimes.net)

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AFP: No threat from MILF over BBL

by ALEXIS

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA—The military does not expect a falling out with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) because of the failure of Congress to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the mechanisms of the peace talks are working and the people have seen the benefits of the peace process.

“It seems that both sides are (bending over backward) and there is an assurance from the government side that the peace process will continue under the next administration,” Padilla said.

Padilla cited the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, which is tasked to isolate and interdict criminal groups and terrorists. The mechanism allows the government and the MILF to work together to maintain peace and order.

Padilla, however, admitted that spoilers would continue to express their opposition to the peace talks.

“People have seen the positive effects of peace. There are many projects and their lives have improved. But of course, spoilers cannot be avoided,” he said.

Some sectors have expressed concern over the bypassing of the proposed BBL, believing this could lead to conflict.

Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong previously warned of a “shooting war” involving people who are fighting for freedom, justice and their own interests.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Pangalian Balindong, Deputy Speaker for

Philstar.com

MANILA—Hundreds of distressed overseas Filipino workers are awaiting repatriation from various countries.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in 18 countries are processing the repatriation of the distressed OFWs who have sought refuge in government-operated halfway homes.

She directed all POLOs to double their efforts in repatriating those housed in their halfway homes, which shall be turned into

8.

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Mindanao, said radical secessionists could exploit the failure to pass the measure.

Such view was echoed by Vicariate of Sulu parish coordinator Fr. Romero Villanueva, who believes the non-passage of the BBL could prod radicals to seek independence.

Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said his unit has not monitored any movement by the MILF after the bypassing of the proposed BBL. “Their (MILF) leadership has given assurance that with or without the BBL, they will pursue peace and that’s a good sign that peace will be sustained,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan, however, maintained the military is prepared for any eventuality. The MILF has about 10,000 fighters based on military estimates.

The proposed BBL, which would have implemented the 2014 peace deal signed by the government and the MILF, was bypassed in Congress despite being a priority bill of the Aquino administration.

The measure aims to set up a new Bangsamoro political entity with greater political and economic powers.

President Aquino has ordered the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to coordinate with all concerned parties so that peace efforts would be sustained after he steps down from office.

MILF officials said they remain committed to peace despite the failure to enact the proposed BBL. However, they believe the non-passage of the measure showed that Filipinos are not yet ready for reconciliation.

Hundreds of OFWs to be repatriated

by MAYEN JAYMALIN

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training centers for OFWs, she added.

Last year, POLOs repatriated 480 OFWs. Meanwhile, members of Migrante marched to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration main office in Pasay City to seek the removal of the mandatory $25 per contract contribution.

OWWA must adopt a policy allowing lifetime membership for OFWs and their families, Migrante said.

Under the current policy, failure to pay and renew the $25 mandatory contribution per contract (usually every two years) disqualifies an OFW from enjoy-

ing the programs and welfare services of OWWA. Garry Martinez, Migrante official, said OWWA’s services discriminated against irregular or undocumented OFWs, which constitute a majority of those in distress.

He cited the case of Eugenia Bayer Perez, a domestic worker who was paralyzed after she fell off the rooftop of her workplace in the United Arab Emirates.

Last Sept. 10, Perez, along with at least 100 other OFWs, filed claims at the OWWA but was told that she does not qualify for full disability because she still has use of her eyes and both her arms.

SAN FRANCISCO

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• First-time homebuyers must not exceed the following household income:† 1-Person Household Income Maximum

$71,350

2-Person Household Income Maximum

$81,500

3-Person Household Income Maximum

$91,700

4-Person Household Income Maximum

$101,900

5-Person Household Income Maximum

$110,050

• Households must meet all program requirements.

• Homebuyer education is required. Register at www.homeownershipsf.org.

• Applications are due by 5pm on Monday, March 14.

For more information, call (415) 202-5464 or email sb200@kbhome.com. ©2016 KB Home (KBH). Additional program rules and conditions apply, including, but not limited to working with an approved BMR lender. Buyer responsible for all taxes, insurance and other fees. ARTIST CONCEPTION: Illustration may depict upgraded landscaping/options and may not represent lowest-priced homes. Illustration does not depict racial preference. See sales counselor for details. KB Home Sales–Northern California Inc. SF Townsend Condos, LLC. (CA Real Estate License 01293543). SB-56252 *Subject to monitoring and other restrictions. “First-time homebuyer” is defined as having not owned property in the past 3 years. Household income qualification restrictions apply. †Homebuyers’ total combined household income must qualify (as less than 100% AMI, per the table at http://www.sf-moh.org/index.aspx?page=22). Homebuyer must complete 6 hours of approved first-time homebuyer workshop plus 2 hours of individual counseling for a total of 8 hours in pre-purchase homebuyer education. This must be completed prior to submitting an application. Other requirements and restrictions apply. Please visit MOHCD website for more details.

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JOURNAL

Your Immigration Solution ATTY. ROBERT REEVES ANDA KWONG AND NANCY MILLER FOR some, the path to the American Dream does not go smoothly. One may have been fighting for status for years only to hear the immigration judge order him removed. Is it over?

Is there any hope?

Adverse decisions can be appealed to the Board of Immigrations Appeals (Board) provided that the noncitizen or her attorney reserved the right to appeal at the end of the proceedings and provided that the Notice of Appeal is timely received by the Board in Falls Church, Virginia.

Valid appeals must be based on an assertion that the judge made an incorrect interpretation of the law or misapplied the law to the facts in the case. If the Board upholds the immigration judge’s decision, that decision may be appealed to the US Circuit Court of Appeals.

If a Notice of Appeal is not timely filed, the removal order becomes final. It cannot be appealed to the Board and cannot be reviewed by the Court of Appeals. However, if new evidence becomes available, or the law changes, or new relief becomes available, one may file a motion to reopen the proceedings.

Here, too, specific time limits apply for when the motion can be filed.

One who does not attend his removal proceedings can be ordered removed in his absence (in absentia). One who is ordered removed in absentia becomes ineligible for voluntary departure, cancellation of removal, and adjustment of status for ten years after the date of the Order.

At some point, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may seek to enforce the order by taking the non-citizen into custody and physically removing them from the United States.

PH LTE speed among world’s slowest – study Hope after an order of removal

by JANVIC

MATEO Philstar.com

In absentia orders cannot be appealed. However, they can be fought by means of a motion to reopen. This is true whether the alien had notice of the hearing or not.

The Notice of Hearing is mailed to the alien’s last known address. If the immigrant did not receive the Notice to Appear that specified the court date, the question is whether the lack of notice is due to the alien’s failure to keep the court advised of the current address. Those in court proceedings are required to notify the court of any change of address within five days of moving. One who fails to do so cannot then claim lack of notice.

However, if the court mistakenly sends the notice to the wrong address, lack of notice can be claimed as a valid reason for failure to attend the proceeding.

This can result in the revocation of the in absentia order.

If one did receive notice of the hearing but failed to attend for exceptional circumstances beyond her control, she may file a motion to reopen within 180 days of the date of the removal order. An exceptional circumstance includes a serious illness to oneself or an immediate relative or the death of an immediate relative, but nothing less compelling. One who did not receive oral warnings of the consequences of failing to appear may file to reopen proceedings. If the case is reopened, the removal order is revoked and the case proceeds on its merits.

If the immigration judge denies the motion to reopen, that decision can be appealed to the Board. If that appeal is denied, a stay of the execution of the removal order or deferred action may be sought from ICE. This relief is discretionary and requires a showing of

why the alien is deserving of such consideration. So, in addition to providing proof of the need to remain here, persuasive evidence must be submitted to show that positive factors outweigh negative ones. Length of time in the United States, family ties here and in the home country, hardship to US citizen and permanent resident family members, criminal history, prior immigration violations and other factors are all taken into consideration by ICE when considering the request. If it is granted, the alien may apply for work authorization.

Judicial errors of law may also be attacked by means of a motion to reconsider. However, choosing that avenue may result in forfeiting the right to appeal the erroneous decision.

The one definite is that ignoring a removal order does not make it go away. It must be dealt with and the sooner the better. The Board and the courts are reluctant to vacate the existing order if the alien has known about the order for a long time and done nothing about it. Therefore, as soon as one receives a removal order or as soon as he learns he has one, he should consult with an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney. *** 8kkp% I\\m\j _Xj i\gi\j\ek\[ Zc`\ekj `e eld\iflj cXe[dXib `dd`^iXk`fe ZXj\j k_Xk _Xm\ j\k e\n gfc`Z`\j i\^Xi[`e^ @EJ XZk`fe Xe[ `dd`^iXekjË i`^_kj% ?`j f]ÔZ\j Xi\ cfZXk\[ `e GXjX[\eX# @im`e\# JXe =iXeZ`jZf# CXj M\^Xj Xe[ DXbXk` :`kp% K\c\g_fe\1 /'' .0,$/''0 <$dX`c1 `dd`^iXk`fe7ii\\m\j%Zfd N\Yj`k\1 nnn%ii\\m\j%Zfd% !!!

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MANILA – A study conducted among mobile networks in the world showed that those operating in the Philippines are among the worst performing in terms of 4G LTE (fourth generation long-term evolution) network.

Latest data from OpenSignal, which crowd sourced data from millions of smartphone users across the world, showed that the Philippines has the seventh slowest LTE network among 68 countries.

The report said the Philippines has an average download speed of six megabits per second (Mbps) in the last quarter of 2015. It was ahead of Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Iran.

The Philippines also ranked fourth in terms of those that have the least time coverage, with an average of 43 percent.

Only Ecuador, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka had less coverage among countries covered by the study.

“Time coverage measures the proportion of time users spend connected to a particular net-

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work, whether they’re indoors or out, on the move or standing still.

We represent time coverage as a percentage, so if an LTE network has 80 percent time coverage, that means its customers, on average, can get an LTE signal 80 percent of the time,” the report said.

The data was based on information culled from users of Globe and Smart, the two telecommunications companies that offer LTE in the country.

According to OpenSignal,

Smart had a download speed of seven Mbps and a time coverage of 38 percent.

Globe, meanwhile, had a download speed of four Mbps and a time coverage of 48 percent.

Singapore topped the list in terms of download speed with an average of 37 Mbps among three networks, while South Korea had the highest time coverage, with an average of 97 percent also among three networks offering LTE services. ■

The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank celebrates 1,000th loan guarantee to help small businesses prosper Modern-twist, Emeryville-based sustainable green products company, presented with a symbolic $450,000 check SACRAMENTO, CA — On Wednesday, Feb. 3, the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GOBiz) celebrated IBank’s 1,000th small business loan guarantee at a news conference in the Governor’s Council Room at the State Capitol.

“Small businesses with big dreams are our innovators and

visionaries, pace-setters and disrupters,” said Teveia Barnes, IBank Executive Director. “Small business entrepreneurs serve as the engine driving California’s economy, making up 99.2 percent of all employers in the State.

When small businesses prosper, California prospers.”

Flanked by GO-Biz Chief Deputy Director Will Koch, State Treasurer John Chiang, Legislators, and community partners,

Barnes presented a $450,000 symbolic check to the 1,000th loan guarantee recipient entrepreneur Kat Nouri. Nouri owns Modern-twist, an Emeryvillebased small business that makes household products out of food grade silicone – a sustainable, recyclable natural material. The mother of three wanted to create home products that are safe for people and the planet. “IBank’s

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Love and pain: Domestic violence and US immigration laws

IT’S Valentine’s Day and Malena woke up to a bouquet of bright red roses and a box of chocolates by her bedside. There was a handwritten note from her husband , George, that said “I love you.” This made Malena smile. It’s times like these that she forgets her husband’s temper when he’s tired from work or when he’s had a little too much to drink while out with the boys.

The thing is, when you look at Malena you see a happy and carefree stay-at-home mom who loves her husband and her young children. She has no bruises on her body; no scars on her face.

Yet every night when George comes home from work, he forces Malena to have sex with him.

When Malena does not cook the food right, he yells insults at her – calls her “idiot,” “stupid,” “retarded” and cusses at her calling her “whore,” “bitch,” etc. George also does not let Malena drive or leave the house by herself and

prefers to drive her around if she needs to go anywhere. George also gives Malena an allowance every month so she has some “spending money.”

Malena is an undocumented alien and she is afraid that if she tells anyone about George’s behavior, George, who is a US citizen, will call immigration and she will be deported and she will never see her children again.

Leroy is a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) who has been living with his girlfriend of 3 years, Yolanda, who is a US citizen. While chasing each other around the house one weekend, Yolanda slipped and hit her face on the door. A “concerned” neighbor heard loud noises and yelling, and thinking she was “helping,” called the police. Leroy was taken to the station for questioning. Leroy’s does not speak nor understand English very well. Leroy is charged with misdemeanor battery and is set to appear in court in a couple of

The CTV Files

weeks.

Does Leroy have to worry about being deportable?

VAWA Self Petition. The spouse or child of a US citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident, or the parent of a US citizen, who is battered or subject to extreme cruelty may file a self-petition independently of the abusive US citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident.

The spouse or child must demonstrate that he or she resided with the US citizen or Lawful permanent spouse or parent; was battered or subject to extreme cruelty during the marriage (or, in the case of a spouse self-petitioner, the child was battered or subjected to extreme cruelty); the marriage was entered into in good faith; s/he is otherwise eligible for immediate relative or preference status; and has good moral character.

In Malena’s case, she might have a strong case as a battered

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA THANKFULLY, spring is almost upon us in a few weeks and the earth beckons. The gardener at heart tunes out all dire predictions of doom and gloom, This year will be an unsettling year. There is a national election in November and there will be so much uncertainty in the air.

There exists the specter of a protracted war with radical Muslim terrorists gunning for world domination with their visions of a caliphate, looming menacingly in the horizon.

The realist in us thinks there is reason to be anxious. But the true gardener at heart remains unfazed. Cool, calm and collected, he chooses to live in that rare state of grace called equanimity.

It must come from the zen-like peace one gets when one gardens, even if it is simply tending a single potted plant on an office desk. Doing what must be done in the garden is his small way of keeping the delicate balance of nature in his own sphere of influence.

In many ways, gardening is like praying. It keeps fears and anxieties at bay and keeps one centered in the belief that all things in the cosmos work together for good.

I was and still am a reluctant gardener. I was thrust into it by circumstances since I have a thing about not wanting anything dying on my shift. I had to seek books and advice despite the frenetic schedule of a workaday world as I multitasked my way through the day. Nothing I did seemed right at the time. I tended to over water not knowing about the dangers of root rot.

My track record at growing things was dismal, yet I have often wondered what it would be like to watch something grow. I marveled at my mother’s green thumb. She can stick a seemingly lifeless stump at a clump of earth and grow a new beautiful plant nearly every time.

I wasn’t one to give up easily though. Tenaciously, doggedly I hung on to an image of me as a confident gardener. My education on the art and science of growing things had begun. I took baby steps and stumbled countless times. I still do.

I became quieter within as I began to observe and seek to understand the process of growth, the seasons and the cycle of life. I read voraciously volumes upon volumes about plants and watched public television that featured gardening. Nurseries and gardens have become my favorite haunts where I could ask

The Kite Runner PROF. ENRIQUE M. SORIANO MANY attempts have been made to profile the Asian Entrepreneur. But I found an easier way to spot them — just check their family name.

The fact is enterprises and entrepreneurship in the Asian context is usually tied up with kin or family.

In the Philippines, the term “Asian entrepreneur” has not been around for long but trading is nothing new. The Chinese and Malay traders have made their presence known throughout Philippine history even before the Spanish came.

Their trading continued even in the presence of the Spanish conquistadores. The Spanish officials’ aristocratic lifestyle was completely dependent on the Galleon Trade for hundreds of years.

This Galleon Trade brought Chinese silk and porcelains to Europe via Mexico and European luxury goods and Mexican silver via Manila.1 Getting to know the FilipinoChinese entrepreneurs The Chinese in the Philippines make up only 20 percent of the country’s total population but they are a force to be reckoned with.

Most Chinese in the Philippines are business owners and their lives center around the family business that are usually small and medium enterprises.

These family businesses play a significant role in the Philippine economy. A handful of these entrepreneurs run large companies and are respected as some of the most prominent business tycoons in the country.

Chinese Filipinos attribute their success in business to frugality and hard work, Confucian values and their traditional Chinese customs and traditions.

They are very business-minded

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Tweaking the lessons learned from the garden “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.”

—Claude Monet, speaking of his garden at Giverny

those who knew better. I boned up on my rusty, halting Spanish quizzing the gardener as best I could. Finally, I slammed on the brakes fearing I had become boringly, compulsively obsessive. But I found that unless I got down on the ground myself, nothing happened.

I have discovered gardening to be a quiet, solitary pursuit somewhat fit for hermits and loners — unglamorous, unexciting, backbreaking, time consuming, manual, icky, down in the dirt labor that was certainly not meant for immediate gratification.

So, why do it at all? I don’t really know. Must be borderline idiocy. Of course, I speak only for myself. For one thing, it teaches you the patience of Job and the virtue of humility. I have failed more than succeeded and am still working on it. But as time passed, I have been encouraged by modest results. I became synchronized with the seasons and their gentle nuances. I took baby steps and was off and running at one point I could call most plants by name these days and seem to instinctively know what to do when a problem arises. If things don’t work on my own accord, I seek help. I still am a failure with azaleas. Azaleas have been dying on my shift so I am staying away from them. I suspect it has something to do with the amount of light and too much water that has drenched the soil because of an unusually wetter, longer winter season. I said goodbye too to a beautiful sago palm that must have suffered root rot. Farewell too to a French lavender bush that gave me so much fragrance.

The garden gets a lot of shade being in a Northwest orientation so I am quite alright with the fact that I will never have roses which I would love to have but can’t. Believe me, I tried. So I just admire them in my neighbors’ gardens with a southeast orientation.

My journey to self-discovery has been made easier by understanding the process of nature, the seasons and the nature of things: of why a seed no matter how good cannot grow in a certain type of soil; or how a young tree cannot grow in the shadow of a mighty oak; or of how much light a plant needs to burst with flowers, of the impeccable timing and the cycle

of the seasons that are in God’s perfect divine order like a well rehearsed dance or a Beethoven symphony; of why you must resist moving a plant from a place where it is growing so well to another place simply to satisfy a whim or a feng shui decorating principle; when and where to prune, of knowing when to water by sticking a finger in the soil or noting the droop of the leaves; or the merits of clay pots and plastic pots; of when to re-pot or top dress; even how to propagate.

The most important lesson perhaps is learning when to leave well enough alone and letting go; of accepting death as part of life. I make it a point to take pictures when the flowers are in full bloom, knowing that no matter how pretty they are, their beauty is fleeting. I am left with images and memories.

The irony of it all is that the more I know, the more I realize how little I know. I guess that is the paradox of all lifelong learning. I now appreciate more clearly the delicate balance on which our planet depends for it to sustain life — of how vastly critical it is for everyone to do their part to ensure that life continues, specially that of human life.

But do reject the rabid, unhinged proponents of climate change whose real agenda is a political and economic windfall for its billionaire backers. It is sheer hubris and madness to pretend to usurp the laws of nature to push an agenda.

One can see life’s longing for itself in the perennial grass that grows. There is great wisdom in gardening. If you dig in the garden long enough, you will find an infinite variety of the parallel laws that govern all life with unsurpassed clarity. Gardening, if you stick with it long enough, is a metaphor for human life itself.

Gardening has taught me a zen-like passive skill of enjoying quiet solitude, of observing what works and what won’t, of doing what needs to get done with very little struggle and ultimately, of accepting and of simply letting go when all I have done is all I can do. *** EfkX 9\e\1 Dfe\kk\ 8[\mX DX^cXpX `j JMG f] 8j`Xe AflieXc GlYc`ZXk`fej# @eZ% Kf j\e[ Zfdd\ekj# \$dX`c dfe\kk\%dX^cXpX7 Xj`XeaflieXc`eZ%Zfd

Inspiring FilipinoChinese entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship is highly valued and encouraged among the young.

We can trace the roots of the Chinese in the Philippines to either the Fujianese or Cantonese dialect groups of the Han Chinese ethnicity. Most pureblooded Chinese in the Philippines come from the province of Fujian in China and are called Fujianese or Hoklo.

Mixed Chinese people who have either Malay or Spanish (or both) ancestry are called Chinese mestizos. During the Spanish times, they were legally classified as Mestizo de Sangley as printed on their community tax certificates.

A number of Chinese mestizos have surnames that reflect their heritage, mostly two or three syllables that have Chinese roots. They use the full name of a Chinese ancestor and provide a Hispanic phonetic spelling.

The Chinese mestizos are sometimes called Chinoy or Tsinoy, although this term is more accurate for pure-blooded Chinese-Filipinos. However, the Chinoy is not to be mistaken for chinito, a term used to describe physical characteristics — slanted eyes — rather than describing ethnic origin or cultural orientation.

In contrast with the mixed blooded Chinese mestizos, few Chinese Filipinos are plantation owners. This is partly due to the fact that it was only until recently that the Chinese in the Philippines became Filipino citizens.

The law prohibited them from owning land.

These days, most Chinese Filipinos are urban dwellers. At least 50% of them live within Metro Manila, while the rest reside in the major cities of the Philippines such as Cebu, Iloilo and Davao. They can be found everywhere.

The famous Filipino entrepreneurs are mostly Chinese

Eight out of the most famous Filipino entrepreneurs are businessmen whose families emigrated from Mainland China to the Philippines before World War II when the economy was strong.

Some sought out regular employment and others set up small businesses. Although each took a different approach, there is one common denominator among them before they became famous Filipino entrepreneurs — unparalleled work ethic.

While there are other factors that contribute to their achievements, such as being frugal, a good financial sense, and a strong network of fellow Chinese businessmen for support, the collective image of these famous Filipino entrepreneurs working hard and diligently has stuck in the minds of budding entrepreneurs in the Philippines. Indeed, if one wants to be a successful entrepreneur, there is much to learn from the Chinese Filipino entrepreneurs.

In my next article, I will provide an overview of the most famous Filipino entrepreneurs, mostly Chinese with a few mestizos. We have a lot to learn from these icons of the local business scene. *** Gif]% Jfi`Xef `j Xe 8J<8E =Xd`cp 9lj`e\jj 8[m`jfi# 9ffb 8lk_fi# <o\Zlk`m\ ;`i\Zkfi f] 8j\Xe$YXj\[ :fejlck`e^ ^iflg# Nfe^ " 9\iejk\`e 8[m`jfip Xe[ Gif^iXd ;`i\Zkfi ]fi I\Xc <jkXk\ Xe[ k_\ ]fid\i :_X`i f] k_\ DXib\k`e^ :cljk\i f] k_\ 8K<E<F >iX[lXk\ JZ_ffc f] 9lj`e\jj% ?\ `j jcXk\[ kf [\c`m\i X kXcb fe G_`c`gg`e\ 9lj`e\jj Xe[ =iXeZ_`j`e^ Fggfikle`k`\j% K_\ Ôijk kXcb `j `e EP fe =\Y ( Xk k_\ G_`c`gg`e\ :fejlcXk\ Xe[ 9fjkfe fe =\Y + Xk k_\ ?XimXi[ :Xdglj Xe[ `e C8% K_\ kXcb `j fi^Xe`q\[ Yp k_\ G_`c`gg`e\ :fejlcXk\ `e E\n Pfib# `e Zffi[`eXk`fe n`k_ k_\ 9X^fe^ BlckliXe^ G`efp Ybg`eZ%fi^ # k_\ ?XimXi[ G_`c`gg`e\ =fild# K=: n`k_ 8j`Xe AflieXc Xj d\[`X gXike\i% =fi k_fj\ `ek\i\jk\[ kf Xkk\e[# gcj \dX`c eql\cb\7^dX`c% Zfd% Gif] Jfi`XefËj Ylj`e\jj Xik`Zc\j ZXe Xcjf Y\ XZZ\jj\[ Xk nnn%=Xd`eYlj`e\j%Zfd%

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Trails only China in Asia: Philippines leads Japanese list Calendar of Events across America of investment destinations

by RICHMOND

S. MERCURIO

Philstar.com

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Philippines has overtaken Thailand and Vietnam as the investment destination of choice in Asia among Japanese companies diversifying beyond China, a ranking official of the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) told The Star.

In an interview during his recent visit to the country, Jetro executive vice president Tatsuhiro Shindo said the Philippines has moved up on the Japanese investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; list of their most favored destinations in Asia.

The country is now officially the â&#x20AC;&#x153;plus oneâ&#x20AC;? of Japan as it embarks on a China Plus One Strategy, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, (the Philippines) is on top of our list. It used to be Thailand and Vietnam. But most recently it has become the Philippines,â&#x20AC;?

Shindo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlook to the Philippines is very positive and very favorable because the Philippines is showing such a steady growth.

It is so attractive, especially compared with the other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-member countries recently,â&#x20AC;? he added.

With Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent economic slowdown, Shindo said Japan is applying the China Plus One Strategy to the Philippines given the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustained economic growth.

The China Plus One Strategy is aimed at spreading Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments outside the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second largest economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Japanese companies used to rush to China, but Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy was kind of sluggish as of late and Japan investors start to think about diversifying their investments to other countries. A couple of years ago, China Plus One means China plus Thailand or China plus Vietnam, but recently, we are pushing more for China Plus One means Philippines,â&#x20AC;? Shindo said.

Foreign chambers in the Philippines have already dubbed the country as the next big investment hub in Asia as investors

exit China due to rising costs, increased regulation, and an economic slowdown.

Shindo headed last week an investment mission from Japan which included small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises seeking investment opportunities in the country.

Shindo said the Japanese government and companies only have praises for the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have no concerns (in doing business in the Philippines), especially with PEZA. This is such a great institution. It gives us such a strong protection to Japanese investors and good incentives. Since PEZA offers very great incentives for Japanese companies, no need to make investment outside PEZA or anywhere else,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Accumulated investment from Japan to the Philippines to date has reached P460 billion, higher than the roughly P300 billion from the United States, Shindo said. â&#x2013;

PH to see dawning of small retail strips

by CATHERINE

TALAVERA ManilaTimes.net

ALTHOUGH the Philippines has made a mark globally for its expansive malls, smaller lifestyle retail establishments may start sprouting in the market this year, property analysts forecast.

Although not exactly like the dinosaursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; extinction, Claro Cordero Jr., head of research and consultancy of global property advisory firm Jones Lang Lasalle, said developers are now veering away from the box-type, ultra-extensive mall developments, and are starting to move into small and midsized retail establishments.

Cordero said the country would be seeing a few of the large-format developments that Filipinos have become used toâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;such as the regional or super shopping mallsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; being put up this year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be seeing more of small to mid-sized retail developments, maybe, even starting at around 60,000 square meters up to 150,000 square meters,â&#x20AC;? Cordero told The Manila Times on Tuesday, February 9.

As in other real estate trend in the metropolis, heinous traffic is one factor behind the emergence of small retail strips.

Cordero said developers are

now eyeing pocket areas in Metro Manila to bring retail developments closer to markets that are not yet as saturated as in major districts.

Being small does not mean being cheap, though. Cordero cited the Ayala Landâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UP Town Center in Quezon City and the upcoming Circuit Makati in place of a former horse race track as examples of pocket-area retail developments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re introducing that kind of concept na open air langâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not box-type,â&#x20AC;? Cordero emphasized.

Meanwhile, developers are moving into smaller community retail developments, since these are easier to sustain, compared with the big boxed malls, global property advisor KMC Mag Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s managing director, Michael McCullough. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These big-boxed malls,â&#x20AC;? McCullough told The Manila Times, â&#x20AC;&#x153;theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being built, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being leased out, but they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always have the traffic and the volume. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of competition in the mall space right now.â&#x20AC;?

McCullough said developers are now eyeing just how much a community could sustain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a 5,000-square-meter retail strip with some restaurants and some additional shopping

venues,â&#x20AC;? he cited.

He emphasized that these retail strips, which is rather popular in the US, offer consumers more convenience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not everything has to be in the mall these days,â&#x20AC;? McCullough said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Going to the mall is a not a commitment that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that you do for your whole afternoon. Sometimes, you just want to get in and get out like in drugstores or a supermarket.â&#x20AC;?

At the same time, added Cordero, this year could see the emergence of more lifestyle malls in the country.

Cordero described these lifestyle malls as retail developments that incorporate a lot of other elements aside from the shopping stores to make it more attractive to shoppers and consumers.

This, Cordero said, is an attempt to lure consumers into their stores amid the traffic and the availability of products online. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One example is the SM Mall of Asia, where they will be integrating an indoor football field,â&#x20AC;? he cited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then you see other small shopping developments with small cinemas. Unlike before, when you think of cinemas, it should be grand and all,â&#x20AC;? Cordero said. â&#x2013;

Love and pain: Domestic violenceâ&#x20AC;Ś

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spouse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even though she has not suffered any physical harm

by George. Each application will be reviewed and examined on a case-by-case basis, and given the whole picture, Malena might just be able to show that she is a battered spouse or has suffered extreme cruelty from George. If so, a VAWA Self-Petition will enable her to adjust her status without having to rely on George.

Deportability Issues. A non-citizen, even if a Lawful Permanent Resident (green card holder) for ten years, is liable to be deportable if s/he commits or is convicted of certain crimes, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;just a misdemeanor.â&#x20AC;? A conviction for domestic violence for example â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as what is happening with Leroy, can make a non-citizen deportable.

A Criminal Convictionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Negative Impact on Immigration Status. The Record of Conviction (ROC) details an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criminal history â&#x20AC;&#x201C; his/her arrest, what she/he pleads to, and the final judgment/sentence. The relief(s) available to an individual facing removal/deportation proceedings will depend largely on that individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record of conviction.

If you are a non-citizen, it is best to consult both with a criminal attorney and with an experienced criminal immigration attorney who handles deportation defense before pleading to anything in criminal court.

No two cases are exactly the same. Consult with an experienced and competent immigration attorney immediately, and more importantly prior to filing any applications with the USCIS,

or prior to pleading to anything in any court, in order to explore their options and possible legal ramifications that they might be facing. As always, be wary of online tools that offer immigration help or notarios who are not licensed to practice law. ***

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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 = < 9 I L8 IP ( )

8e @ek`dXk\ E`^_k n`k_ D`^l\c M\iX Beat the Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day rush and get your tickets to â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Intimate Night with Miguel Vera,â&#x20AC;? a special Valentine Show featuring Miguel Vera, performing the greatest OPM hits and romantic Filipino classics by Cayabyab, Canseco, and Cruz. The one-night-only concert will take place at the Knottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Berry Farm Hotel (7675 Crescent Ave, Buena Park, CA 90620) on February 12 at 8:00pm. Special guests include Annie Nepomuceno and Kit Navarro. Please call (714) 814-0412 or (818) 913-329 for tickets and information. Tickets are $40 each.

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G::?J& GLGC?J (00- >fc[\e AlY`c\\ The Philippine College of Commerce High School Laboratory Batch 1966 (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines) will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee from February 20-21 in Manila, Philippines. According to the President of the PCCHS Batch â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;66 Alumni Association, ROLAND ATIENZA, about 55 batchmates from Australia, Canada and USA have confirmed attendance to the Homecoming and 50 from Manila local chapter. Activities lined up for the Golden Jubilee Celebration are as follows: February 20, 2016 -- 6:00-12:00 pm. Formal Program/Dinner at the Banahaw Ballroom, The Legend Villas, Mandaluyong City, Philippines February 21, 2016 -- 8:00 am - 9:00 pm - Visit the ANAWIM Home for the Abandoned Elderly, Montalban, Rizal Province (Fellowship/Lunch/Donate basic needs of the elderly) - Tour of Manila (Former PCCHS in Lepanto, Intramuros Tour (old churches and Cathedral, Rizal Park, Fort Santiago) - Dinner/Cultural Show, at Barbaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Intramuros February 22, 2016 - BREAKUP GROUP (To Palawan, Laguna and respective hometown provinces of the guests) For inquiries, please contact the following members of the CORE group: Agnes T. Sule #09165567000 suleagnes@yahoo.com, Roland Atienza #09062947156 atienza8@yahoo.com, Rebecca T. Sayed 09064032624 rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com, Lourdes T. Flores lulutflores@yahoo.com, Rebecca Sayed rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com.

KXb\ k_\ Ă&#x160;Aflie\p kf JlZZ\jjĂ&#x2039; Xk :Xc JkXk\ C8 WHAT: Asian American and Pacific Islander students and families are invited to California State University, Los Angeles for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Journey to Success,â&#x20AC;? a college exposition open to high school and community college students who are interested in Cal State LA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Journey to Successâ&#x20AC;? will feature workshops on how to prepare and pay for college, information on CSU requirements for admission and application processes, and representatives from Cal State LA and other CSU campuses to answer questions. The outreach event will include free parking, breakfast, special giveaways, college resources and student panels. The college expo is sponsored by the California State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CSU) Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm WHERE: The Golden Eagle Ballrooms at Cal State LA. (5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA) For more information and details, please go to calstate.edu/journeytosuccess or call the Office of Outreach and Recruitment at Cal State LA, (323) 343-3839.

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Ă&#x2C6;8e <eZ_Xek\[ <m\e`e^Ă&#x2030; ;`ee\i$;XeZ\ ]fi >XnX[ BXc`e^X As part of the GK USA National Summit, you are cordially invited to a dinner-dance, themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Enchanged Evening,â&#x20AC;? to benefit programs of Gawad Kalinga and GK Enchanted Farm. The Dance will take place on Saturday, March 5, 7:00pm, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). The cost is $100, with formal attire. The all-night program will include dinner, induction of the GK-USA Board of Directors, remarks from the Chairman of the Board, and all-night dancing. For more details on sponsorship packages for Gawad Kalinga builders and feeding programs, as well as GKEF programs and scholarships, please visit gk-usa.org. For tickets, please visit gk-usa.org/dinnerdance.

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Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School serves students in grades 7-12, and was the first school in the LAUSD to be authorized to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (grades 7-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12), a project-based program for concept and content-based learning to promote global mindedness and service to others. The IB Open House is open to all interested students, and will include an introductory presentation in the ERHS library, followed by campus tours, classroom visits, and a short question-and-answer period. To register for the Open Houses, please visit www.erhs.la, and click on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;IB Open House Registrationâ&#x20AC;? link. Please email Mylene Keipp mylene.keipp@lausd.net for more information. We look forward to your visit!

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San Mateo County Clerk opens office to Bay Area Filipinos to celebrate those wanting a Valentine’s Day wedding four historic events on Feb. 21

REDWOOD CITY, CA — The San Mateo County Clerk’s Office is announcing special office hours for couples wishing to get married on Valentine’s Day, which this year falls on Sunday, February 14, 2016. The San Mateo County Clerk’s Office will open its doors at 9am and close at 2pm on Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day is the most popular wedding day of the year,” reports Mark Church, San Mateo County’s elected Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer. “It is a very special day and we will be extending our office hours to accommodate the increased demand for wedding ceremonies,” stated Church.

Chapel reservations are highly recommended to secure a spot on the busiest wedding day of

the year. Couples are urged to make their reservations without delay. The County’s chapel, located on the first floor of 555 County Center in Redwood City, can be reserved for a 25-minute ceremony. The cost is $65. On Valentine’s Day, a long-stemmed red rose and a free DVD of the ceremony will be provided.

For an additional $50, San Mateo County’s chapel provides a special electronic invitation to guests and an internet broadcast service so the wedding ceremony can be viewed by family and friends anywhere in the world.

Wedding ceremonies are usually performed by volunteer wedding commissioners duly authorized by the County Clerk.

Couples can make prior arrangements with the County Clerk for

the ceremony to be performed by a person of their choice -- a friend, family member, or colleague — who must be deputized by the County Clerk.

Couples are also reminded that weddings cannot be performed without a marriage license. The license application may be completed in the office or online and couples must appear in person in front of the County Clerk to provide proof of identification.

The license costs $79, plus $15 for a certified copy. For important details regarding marriage licenses, please go to http:// smcare.org/clerk/marriage/obtain_license.asp.

To contact the County Clerk, please call (650) 363-4500 option 2, or visit the website: www. smcare.org/clerk/marriage/default.asp. ■

PCCHS/PUPLHS 1996 Golden Jubilee THE Philippine College of Commerce High School Laboratory Batch 1966 (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines) will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee from February 20-21, 2016 in Manila, Philippines.

According to the President of the PCCHS Batch ‘66 Alumni Association, ROLAND ATIENZA, about fifty-five (55) batchmates from Australia, Canada and USA have confirmed attendance to the Homecoming and fifty (50) from Manila local chapter.

Activities lined up for the Golden Jubilee Celebration are as follows: February 20, 2016 — 6pm-12 midnight Formal Program/Dinner at the Banahaw Ballroom, The Legend Villas Mandaluyong City, Philippines February 21, 2016 - 8am-9pm Visit the ANAWIM Home for the Abandoned Elderly Montalban, Rizal Province (Fellowship/Lunch/Donate basic needs of the elderly) Tour of Manila (Former PCCHS in Lepanto, Intramuros Tour

(old churches and Cathedral, Rizal Park, Fort Santiago) Dinner/Cultural Show, at Barbara’s, Intramuros February 22, 2016 - Breakup Group (To Palawan, Laguna and respective hometown provinces of the guests) For inquiries, please contact the following members of the CORE group: Agnes T. Sule at +63916-5567000 or suleagnes@ yahoo.com, Roland Atienza at+63906-2947156 or atienza8@ yahoo.com, and Rebecca T. Sayed at +63906-4032624 orrebecca.sayed@yahoo.com.

Lourdes T. Flores lulutflores@ ing nation. Asian Americans will yahoo.com Rebecca Sayed rehave a taste of the emerging becca.sayed@yahoo.com ■ market of world-class, affordable Philippine-made products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo chocolates.

Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and liveliFORMER employees of Philhood to the poorest of the poor, ippine Veterans Bank will hold and learn about GK, GK USA, and their Grand Reunion on February GK Enchanted Farm programs.

21, 2016 at the Marco Polo Hotel The Summit will take place in Ortigas, Manila. from March 4-6, 2016, at the We are trying to reach out to Radisson Midtown at USC, Los all members residing all over the Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los world to disseminate information Angeles, CA 90007). To register, about the upcoming event. For please visit gk-usa.org. ■ more details about the reunion,

GK USA National Summit 2016

THERE is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new land of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, innovative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entrepreneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriv-

EMPLOYMENT

Former PVB employees 2016 Grand Reunion

EMPLOYMENT

SAN FRANCISCO — Instead of attending four separate celebrations to mark four historic events, the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) is inviting the Bay Area Filipino community to come to just one party to celebrate all four. The joint festivities will take place on Sunday, February 21, 2016, from 2pm5pm, at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (2121 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City).

30th Anniversary of People Power The main event is the 30th anniversary of the People Power uprising that toppled the Marcos Dictatorship. What will be particularly celebrated is the liberation of the Marcos Philippine Consulate on February 24, 1986 by members of the Ninoy Aquino Movement. Soon after the peaceful occupation of the consulate led by Atty. Ted Laguatan, San Francisco Consul-General Romeo Arguelles pledged his support for the new government of Pres. Cory Aquino.

Film footage of the consular occupation and a speech by Atty.

Laguatan will highlight this historic event.

Round One PH victory in arbitral tribunal The event will also celebrate the round one victory for the Philippines at the United Nations arbitral tribunal at The Hague which unanimously decided it has the right to hear Manila’s historic case against Beijing over the West Philippine Sea rejecting China’s argument that the arbitral tribunal has no right to hear the Philippines’ case. This victory sets the stage for the tribunal to hear the merits of the Philippines’ case. It will mean that China has no legal right to invade Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea and install its seven (7) mili-

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tary bases there.

Speaking on the significance of the ITLOS victory for the Philippines will be San Francisco Consul General Henry Bensurto, Jr. who previously served as the Assistant Secretary of the West Philippine Sea Center (WPSC) in the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and as the Secretary-General of the Commission on Maritime and Ocean Affairs Secretariat, a cabinet-level interagency coordinating body on the Law of the Sea and other maritime issues. He has been recognized for his groundbreaking work on Philippine maritime security and its territorial disputes within the West Philippine Sea. PH Supreme Court declares EDCA constitutional On January 12, 2016, the Philippine Supreme Court, by a 104 vote, held that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is not a new treaty requiring Senate approval but an “executive agreement” legally signed by President Benigno Aquino III on April 28, 2014.

In his concurring opinion to the court’s ruling, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that EDCA’s provisions allowing the prepositioning of U.S. war materiel and equipment in Philplease contact the following ippine military bases would “give members through their Face- teeth” to the US-Philippines Mubook accounts: tual Defense Treaty (MDT). “With Southern California – Aurora the EDCA, China will think twice Carillo before attacking Philippine miliNorthern California – Angie tary resupply ships to PhilippineVirola occupied islands in the Spratlys.

Philippines – Lourdes Barbero With the EDCA, the Philippines Ramos and Lyn Lagpitanghap will have a fighting chance to We look to forward to see you hold on to Philippine-occupied all! ■ islands in the Spratlys,” he said.

Speaking about EDCA at the Feb. 21 celebration will be Perry Diaz, a syndicated columnist and editor of Global Balita and author of the essay, “EDCA: A New Strategic Partnership.” In his article, Diaz reported that “China harshly criticized the Supreme Court’s backing of a defense pact allowing American forces, warships and planes to be based temporarily in local military camps, with an editorial in state media Wednesday, January 13, calling the move “stupid” and warning of consequences.”

Filipino youth defend PagAsa Island Also to be celebrated at the February 21 event will be the heroism of the group of 47 young Filipinos who arrived on Pagasa Island on December 28, 2015 in a symbolic defiance of China’s claim to the Kalayaan Island Group including Pag-Asa Island which is populated by 250 Filipinos.

Members of the group, Kalayaan Atin Ito (Kalayaan is ours), charged that the government had not done enough to stand up to China, which seized seven reefs in the Spratlys and built artificial islands on them to bolster its claim to 90 percent of the 3.5million-square-kilometer South China Sea, including waters close to the shores of its smaller neighbors in the region.

A Power Point Presentation of the heroic action of the Kalayaan youth will be presented at the February 21 celebration.

Food and drinks will be served at the 4-in-1 celebration. For more information, contact Rodel Rodis at (415) 334-7800 or email Rodel50@gmail.com. ■

EMPLOYMENT

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Flag-raising by WWII Filipino veterans

ON December 30, 2015, in honor of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, while challenging the inclement weather conditions the WWII Filipino veterans of Illinois volunteered to remove a tattered American Flag with a new one they donated. Americas “Old Glory” was half shredded and still entangled in tree branches, the other half that was left of her still flying in pieces over a small veteran’s memorial dedicated with names of the fallen during the Global War inscribed on a bronze “Honor Roll” plaque by those residing in a community.

These same WWII Filipino veterans renewed the task only years ago, to again bring public awareness to three church bells and cannon removed by the US Army in 1901 from the Town of Balangiga in Eastern Samar.

This has been a difficult mission for Filipino communities because of the lack of support by elected officials of the Philippine government to request a formal inquiry.

In the US, we are uncertain if orders to suppress the church bell campaign had been issued to our local office of the Philippine Consulate General of Chicago via

Ambassador Cuisia or by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Albert del Rosario.

One thing is for certain, approximately one hour every April 9 is set aside by staff representatives of the Philippine Consulate General of Chicago to pass out donated brown bag snacks for these aging WWII veterans. It was requested in advance to invite these veterans during President Aquino’s visit here on May 2015, to demonstrate the Philippines steadfast support for their ongoing, continued efforts in the community. (Rose San Diego)

Ray Satorre heads the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center for CY 2016-2018 THE Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (PBRC) recently elected the Officers and Board of Directors for CY 2016 to 2018 with Planning Commissioner Ray Satorre as the President. Also elected are: Erlinda Galeon as Vice President, Helen Casaclang as Secretary and Arsenio del Rosario as Treasurer. Board of Directors: Perla Ibarrientos, Monica Abello, Jose Antonio, Rebecca Ayson, Walter Batara, Marico Enriquez, Michael Pangilinan, Dorie Paniza, Ed Rosete and Program Coordinator, Liza Rebortura.

General projects of PBRC are as follows: Cultural Dance Group, Tai Chi, Ballroom Dance Class, Pilipino Class, Legal Immigration Clinic. The PBRC Board meeting is every First Monday of the Month.

The Induction ceremonies of the Elected Officers & Board of Directors will be held on February 19, 2016; 6pm at the PBRC Center-2121 Junipero Serra Avenue, Daly City. ■ IXp JXkkfi\

The California Infrastructure and…

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loan guarantee is a game changer for me. I can actually grow my business and go into mass distribution with my products now,” said Nouri. “Other traditional loans didn’t work for my business and this one really makes a difference.” Modern-twist is also able to hire six more employees with the help of the loan guarantee.

IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program encourages lenders to provide loans to small businesses that have difficulty accessing capital. IBank partners with Financial Development Corporations located throughout California to guarantee up to 80 percent of the loan to encourage lenders to provide funds for business growth and working capital to small businesses. IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program has resulted in more than $400 million in loans, creating or retaining nearly thirty-five thousand jobs.

“As part of GO-Biz, IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program is critically important because it provides alternative financing when traditional lenders are not able to offer such loans and helps California’s small businesses expand,” said GO-Biz director Panorea Avdis. “It is an honor to recognize IBank’s Executive Director, Teveia Barnes, the nine Financial Development Corporations located throughout the state, Modern-twist and all the companies that have benefited from this incredibly valuable loan guarantee program.”

State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds allocated to California by the U.S. Treasury supports IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program. California deploys the most SSBCI funds of any state according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

“As a member of the boards of both IBank and GO-Biz California Competes Tax Credit Program, I am an advocate for finance programs that make direct benefits to local communities,” said State Treasurer John Chiang. “Our funding programs are investing in the future success of California’s economy.”

Tuesday, Senator Bob Hertzberg introduced SB 936, an administration sponsored bill that seeks to increase the leverage ratio for IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program from 5:1 to 10:1. This change will bring California into conformance with federal standards and allow IBank and its partners to provide more loans to California small businesses.

“The Small Business Loan Guarantee Program is an outstanding program, and I am proud to author legislation that will allow it to expand and deliver more support to small businesses across the state,” said Senator Hertzberg. “This vital program helps to create jobs, and often jobs in areas that need it most, simply by encouraging private lending. It is smart public policy.”

For more Small Business Success Stories and a video featuring Modern-twist, visit IBank’s website. Please email Alice.

Scott@ibank.ca.gov for photos from today’s event.

What they are saying about IBank’s Small Business Loan Guarantee Program “As the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy, I am pleased to commemorate this important milestone in the state’s support for small businesses,” said Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia. “These funds have made it possible for the state to guarantee loans to those businesses which stand at the core of California’s job growth.”

“I want to congratulate Modern-twist, an eco-friendly business based in Emeryville, for being the 1000th small business receiving a loan from the State Small Business Credit Initiative.

The initiative has allowed for California’s small businesses to continue thriving in our communities and being the driving force of our local economies. GO-Biz has proven that preserving small businesses, the backbone of our economy, is a priority for the State of California,” said Assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

“Modern Twist showcases the best of the 9th Senate District: A hard-working and innovative woman-owned business located in the heart of Emeryville that makes products that protect children, families and the environment,” Senator Loni Hancock said. “The IBank small business loan guarantee program is helping small businesses like Modern-twist expand their operations, hire new people and grow California’s economy.”

“We are honored to work with IBank to open the L.A. Kitchen.

Unlike traditional charities, L.A. Kitchen is a social enterprise that will create jobs for hard to employ citizens and re-invest all our profit back into our community.

Without visionary partners like IBank, programs like L.A. Kitchen would stay just that...a vision.

Now, we’re about to open our

doors, and start helping people get great jobs,” said Robert Eggers, Founder, Owner LA Kitchen “The IBank support for a $2.5 million loan with Banc of California guaranteed by the Small Business FDC of Orange County, was instrumental in supporting the expansion of our child care centers and senior nutrition sites and services, supporting 25 jobs, in addition to the invaluable human services to residents of the Inland Empire”, said Dom Betro, CEO of Family Services Association.

“IBank’s loan guarantee allowed us to open a second innovative Ednovate campus to allow us to serve more Los Angeles families,” said Oliver Sicat, the CEO of Ednovate, “it will also allow both of our schools to improve more rapidly as they collaborate and compete with one another to find better ways to personalize learning for students.”

“Small businesses are the nation’s leading job creators, and the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) connects sources of capital to the small businesses that need it,” said Jeffrey Stout, Director of SSBCI at the US Treasury Department.

“California’s funds will continue to support loans and investments in California’s small businesses.”

About the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank: IBank was created in 1994 to finance public infrastructure and private development that promote a healthy climate for jobs, contribute to a strong economy and improve the quality of life in California communities. IBank is located within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development and is governed by a five-member Board of Directors.

IBank has broad authority to issue tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds, provide financing to public agencies, provide credit enhancements, acquire or lease facilities, and leverage State and Federal funds. Find more information at www.ibank.ca.gov.

About GO-Biz: GO-Biz serves as California’s single point of contact for economic development and job creation efforts.

GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more.

For more information visit: www. business.ca.gov. ■

NEW YORK CITY — The US Postal Service rang in the Lunar New Year by issuing the Year of the Monkey Forever stamp on Feb. 6.

The official first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony took place in the D’Angelo Center at St. John’s University - Queens Campus in Jamaica, N.Y. Use the hashtag #LunarNewYear to share the news on social media.

Year of the Monkey is the ninth of 12 stamps in the Celebrating Lunar New Year stamp series.

It is being issued as a souvenir sheet of 12 self-adhesive Forever stamps. As a Forever stamp, it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail oneounce price.

“For millions of people, here and around the world, the Lunar New Year is one of the most popular and exciting holidays of the year,” said USPS Vice President Northeastern Area Operations Richard P. Uluski, in dedicating the stamp. “For 123 years, our commemorative stamp program has celebrated the cultures of people from around the globe — that together reflect the rich and complex heritage of America.”

Joining Uluski in dedicating the stamp were St. John’s University Government Relations Assistant Vice President Brian Browne; US Representative Grace Meng (D-NY); St. John’s University Institute of Asian Studies Director Bernadette Li; New York Chinese Cultural Center President Geoffrey Sant; and St. John’s University First Lady Clavel Gempesaw.

Also attending were stamp artist Kam Mak; art director Ethel Kessler; Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee member Katherine Tobin; New York City Councilman Peter Koo; New York Assemblywoman Nily Rozic; and Queensborough Community College Asian Affairs Director Florence Tse. The Postal Service introduced its Celebrating Lunar New Year stamp series in 2008. The series will continue through 2019 with stamps for the Year of the Rooster, Dog and Boar.

Art director Ethel Kessler worked on the series with illustrator Kam Mak, a Hong Kong-born artist who grew up in New York City’s Chinatown. The stamp artwork focuses on some common ways the Lunar New Year holiday is celebrated. The Year of the Monkey illustration — originally created using oil paints

on panel — depicts two red-orange peonies against a purple background. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of traditional drums played during the holiday festivities.

“The peony painting was inspired by three Chinese peony trees I have in my own garden,” said Mak. “It is a popular flower that is rich in holiday symbolism.

I hope the painting will evoke a sense of renewal and the coming of spring.”

The stamp design also incorporates two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps: Clarence Lee’s intricate cut-paper design of a monkey and the Chinese character for “monkey” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun. Celebrating Lunar New Year The Year of the Monkey begins Feb. 8 and ends Jan. 27, 2017.

The monkey is one of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar.

According to legend the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle.

People born in the year of a particular animal sign are said to share characteristics with that animal. Individuals born during the Year of the Monkey are said to be clever, wise and honest.

The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays for many Asian communities around the world. Images associated with some of these widespread customs are depicted in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series.

The occasion is marked in various ways across cultures.

Parades feature enormous and vibrantly painted papier-mâché dragons. Musicians play drums, often decorated with peonies like those depicted in the stamp art, to celebrate this time of renewed

hope for the future, with drumsticks sometimes painted red for luck. Many families present red envelopes containing money to children and loved ones. People eat foods that bring good luck, such as kumquats and rice cakes, and hang festive lanterns as decoration.

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at local Post Offices, at The Postal Store at usps.com/shopor by calling 800STAMP-24 (800 782-6724). They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in larger envelopes addressed to: Year of the Monkey Stamp Jamaica MPO 8840 164th Street Jamaica, NY 11432-9998 After applying the first-dayof-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by April 5, 2016.

Ordering First-Day Covers The Postal Service offers firstday covers and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at usps. com/shop or by calling 800-7826724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-7826724 or writing to: U.S. Postal Service Catalog Request PO Box 219014 Kansas City, MO 64121-9014 ■

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Friday, February 12, 2016 VALENTINE’S DAY 2016 SPECIAL FEATURE

SF2

cover story

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 12, 2016

Press enter for love: Romance & relationships in the digital age

by MALOU LIWANAG-BLEDSOE /AJPRESS BEFORE the Internet became a household name, dating and courtship went through normal stages. That is, you meet people in person, go on a date and if it worked out, then you go on to a more committed relationship.

Today, some still manage to do it the conventional way. However, technology has found a way to bring romance and relationships to many — through their comput-

ers. Some still have reservations about the possibility of meeting “the one” through this manner. Of course, this is understandable due to the fact that you shouldn’t believe anything—or anyone—you read and meet online.

Love online anyone?

Since the explosion of the Internet in the 1990s, it was used immediately for online dating. Even before the Web itself was created, newsgroups, bulletin boards, and forums were somewhat unintentionally used to post personal ads, just like the ones in newspapers. People who were online met with others with similar interests and would go

on to meet in person. Chat rooms were offered by Internet service providers and heavily advertised these features. Although technically limited, it spurred a dating culture to many who were just starting to get acquainted with the technology.

However, the first major dating website was the combination of Kiss.com and Match. com, both registered by the same person in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Other dating sites also existed, but focused on international dating slanting towards the “mail order bride” services. By 1996, Yahoo listed 16 dating websites, including the then popular Friendfinder. com and OneandOnly.com.

The movie “You’ve Got Mail” in 1998 starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan brought Internet dating some cultural boost. Though their characters didn’t really meet on a dating site and the movie wasn’t about online dating, the

Illustration by Kendrick Tan

story showed how the Web can bring people together.

With its popularity and growing public acceptance, Match.com and OneandOnly. com were bought by Ticketmaster Online-Citysearch for an undisclosed sum. Major Internet players like—Yahoo and AOL—upped their game and started to develop their personal/dating section. Others followed suit during the dot-com boom in the late 90s and early 2000s.

The dot-com crash in 2001/2002 brought a lot of the frenzy and sites to an end. However, it also changed

the online world. For dating sites, the change came more from the launch of social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace in 2002, and Facebook in 2004. The mentality was that the idea of online social networking carried a much smaller stigma than online dating sites, as it was used by those who are not seeking a partner at all.

Still, with the social networking wave, online dating has continued to thrive. According to Online Dating Magazine, nearly 20 million people visit at least one online dating site every month, and

120,000 marriages every year take place due to that.

Finally, the public’s perception of online dating is changing and the stigma of finding a partner online has been slowly lifting due to the popularity of social networking. Although the majority of marriages still meet through more traditional means, nearly everyone on the Web has met someone or made a friend online. And in this fast-paced world, people find it a lot harder to make time to meet and date people in person. Why would they, when all one has to do is log on and click?

Connections: Couples who have found love online IN time for Valentine’s Day, the Asian Journal asked a few couples how they found their significant others online & how they’ve made the relationships last.

First impressions aren’t always important First time meeting: P: “We first met in 2007. Not much changed the first time we met but the second time was when things really exploded.”

A: “He told me he liked me right away. I thought he was a nice guy.”

Challenges in their relationship: A: “There were many challenges to this kind of set-up (long distance relationship). Physical togetherness is very different from just seeing each other on-cam. Second, there is an issue of trust. You really don’t know what your partner is doing.

He/she can say one thing and do another. It is difficult to verify a person’s claims when you are so far from each other and your means of communication is mostly online. I

Pat and Arleah Bolognese with their son, Zavi

Pat Bolognese and Arleah Baingan-Bolognese Met through:Filipinofinder.com in 2005 Courtship: Chatted on and off for a year, then regularly for another year. Dated for seven years before getting married.

Married: April 14, 2014 in Orchard Park, NY Son: Zavi was born on April 3, 2015 in Buffalo, NY First impression about each other: Malou: “It was a little weird. He just popped out of my Yahoo Messenger and said hi. He seemed nice so I chatted with him. We were online friends off and on for a year. I wasn’t looking to date anyone. But my mom thought he looked like a ‘gangster’ (laughs).”

Chris: “I don’t know how I found her online (or I forgot). She seemed nice, she just moved to the US and she was still adjusting to the culture and missed her friends. I told her to give it some time.”

First time meeting: M: “The first meeting we planned didn’t push through so we set up another one. We refused to call it a date and saw it as a friendly meeting. Just as he promised, he hugged me. He was very sweet.”

C: “She was cute and small. I thought she was really funny. I picked her up at her apartment. We went to the beach, walked around, talked about the Philippines and Spongebob Squarepants and got sandwiches at a local deli. There were no expectations of romance or putting on your best clothes— it was just a simple but really nice day.

Challenges in their relationship: C: “After the first date we knew we wanted to see each other again. I lived on the other side of the Bay that time and had crazy work hours. Also, both of us were going through some personal matters that needed to be dealt with.”

missed going out on ‘real’ dates. I get paranoid at time when he wasn’t online on our usual chat schedule.”

P: “Some of the challenges are that things can be misunderstood...

There are also times that outside things like traffic or weather, that affect timing (like if you were supposed to chat at a certain time but the MRT was late or traffic was heavy and one was late. I wouldn’t know anything about a MRT breakdown and Arleah would not know about a traffic problem here so one may think something is wrong). Also, not being able to actually go on dates is very difficult.”

Advice for those who want to try online dating: A: “Online dating is not for everyone. I might suggest it to

No Expectations

Chris and Malou Bledsoe

Chris Bledsoe and Malou Liwanag-Bledsoe Met through: Yahoo Messenger in November 2007 Courtship: No actual courtship. Friends on and off for a year.

Married: February 5, 2010 in Redwood City, CA M: “We tried to see as much as we can and just as he said, there were personal matters in our respective lives that we needed to fix. Another thing was I was avoiding the stigma of having met someone online and how other people viewed it (I have a friend who does online dating, and tries to ask money from men). Also, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in the US after my work visa expires.”

Advice for those who want to try online dating: C: “Again, don’t expect romance right away—or at

all. Start with being friends, because it’ll help you know the person on the other side better. It is not for everyone.”

M: “I’ve never really dated online, and I don’t know if I would consider ours as one. I keep calling our story as ‘no expectations,’ because that’s how it was, really. Also, be cautious and careful. Chances are, you’ll come across some sleazy person who only wants either money or naked pictures of you. Stalkerish it may seem, try to do some research on the person—that’s what Facebook and Google are for.” (AJPress)

my friends who are open-minded, those who are not afraid to take chances, because it is a very challenging set-up. If you are the clingy or jealous type, like you want your boyfriend/partner to report his/her every move, this may not be for you. There are so many people online who are just out there to have fun and take advantage of those who are gullible enough. Also, it is easier to lie when you’re online. It’s important to get to know each other, take your time and check their background. It’s a personal decision.

“Finding, keeping and staying happy with ‘the one’ is probably life’s biggest adventure. If there’s opportunity to meet and get to know new people, try it and take

advantage. Give it time. Do your research. Trust your instinct. Ask a lot of questions.”

P: “ You can only date online if you are patient and understanding and accepting that things don’t always happen as they are planned. It is difficult but not impossible. I would tell someone that wants to date online that they should talk to someone that has when they have issues. I would never tell someone not to. I would tell them to just take it slow and to be careful. There are many men that just want to have fun and many women that just want money. If you take it slow, you will be able to tell if the other person is serious.” (Malou Liwanag-Bledso/AJPress)

No Boundaries Love is when the person is your other half, no matter the distance Mark Bautista, 24, and his girlfriend of over a year, Precious Joy aka. “PJ,” 22, met on the social dating app Tinder in 2014. The location-based application, which connects to Facebook, matched Mark and PJ up as a pair while the two were both working in Manila, where Tinder culture is large and thriving. After just a few weeks on Tinder, Mark asked PJ for coffee, and the rest was history. The two made it official after just a few weeks of dating.

“My friends would always make fun of me for using the app [Tinder], but then I showed it to them and soon they were using it too,” Mark, a videographer now based in Southern California, laughed.

When he and PJ began dating, it was apparent from the start that the both of them were going to leave to the US to launch their careers individually. Back home in the Philippines, they hardly saw each other because of PJ’s frequent visits to her family in the northern province of Isabela. They communicated frequently, and when they did see each other, it was as if no time had passed.

Soon, long distance began to run its course. Mark obtained his visa and went to California to continue his career, while PJ took up a temporary position in Colorado, working for hotel management, before she went back home to Manila for work in December 2015. Mark remained in Southern California with his family. Despite nearly a day’s time difference, the two have always made it work, with the help of

Mark Bautista and Precious Joy aka. “PJ.”

Mark & PJ Met through : Tinder in 2014 communication and technology, mutual respect, and maturity.

“We’re really private about our relationship, and it’s one of the factors that’s kept us going.

No one’s going to bother you.

We’ve gotten a lot stronger as a couple, especially after this first year.”

The two were also able to see each other last year, sharing their love for travel while visiting the East Coast; Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. It was a rare moment for the two to be face to face, in a relationship rooted and sustained in online digital communication.

“We connect mostly through Facebook, Viber, and Skype--we Skype almost every single day, at the same time, while I’m going home and she is on her way to work,” Mark shared. “As a longdistance couple, communication is the thing that will really hold us together.”

The couple also sends each other surprise gifts for birthdays and holidays, despite being

oceans apart, and they have many future travel plans in mind, including a grand tour of Asia.

“You need to bond by doing things together, and learn from each other. We love to travel; she loves photography, I love video. She teaches me cooking-for example, when she was in Colorado we were on Skype, and she taught me how to cook while on camera. Those are our dates.

And we are very similar--she’s the girl version of myself.”

Mark and PJ hope to settle together in the US someday, but for now, they will continue to pursue their careers and work on growing themselves. They continue to communicate every day.

“Respect and communication. That’s key. You need to be mature enough to know what’s right and wrong, and to be understanding of one another’s situations,” Mark shared. “Now, after a whole year--I’m proud to say we are making it.” (Allyson Escobar/AJPress)

#RelationshipGoals

Features SF3

Thanks to social media, not only are fans able to live vicariously through celebrities’ lives, they also get to witness their idols as they document their sweet moments. Check out our favorite celebrity couples as they give us glimpses into their relationships. (AJPress)

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – February 12, 2016

Photo from Jessica Cabanʼs Twitter account Photo from Austin Butlerʼs Twitter account

Vanessa Hudgens & Austin Butler “Wow. Vanessa singing ‘Worst Things’ had me in tears.

Just brilliant #GreaseLive,” - Austin Butler in Jan 2016, after the emotional performance in Fox’s “Grease Live.”

“I think you just have to put that other person first. If you’re constantly looking for ways that you can make them happy, and they’re constantly looking for ways that they can make you happy, then you kind of lift each other up as much as possible and you can’t go wrong.”

- Austin Butler to ET in August 2015

Photo from Ronnie Bankʼs Instagram account

Jasmine Villegas & Ronnie Banks “You’re my better half.”

- Jasmine Villegas on Instagram, December 2015 “You’ve made me so d*mn happy and you really do mean a whole lot to me. I’d be lost without you. I know it took me awhile to finally admit my love for you, but I ain’t ever felt this way about anyone before. I’m happy to be spending the rest of my life with you and I can’t wait to meet our baby girl in February.” - Ronnie Banks on Instagram, December 2015

Bruno Mars Photo from Erwan Heussaffʼs Twitter account & Jessica Caban “Bruno is about to bring it!!

Anne Curtis Dancing more than ever. He’s & Erwan Heussaff been working so incredibly hard “Happy birthday to the for you all!! Baby you’re a STAR” most caring and hardest workJessica on Twitter before Bruno ing woman I know. Today you Mars’ performance on the Super turned 30, a number that freaks Bowl 50 halftime show. out most people, sending them into a frenzy of ‘What have I done with my life?’. In your case you’ve accomplished so much already.

You’ve kept a strong head during tough times and have arrived more fulfilled than ever. I can’t wait to conquer more countries with you, eat our way through bizarre cities, wreck ourselves at workouts, binge watch TV series’ Gabrielle Current Photo taken by Kobe Paras on his Instagram account and bounce around like idiots at different concerts. Remember Kobe Paras you’re just 18 with 12 years of & Gabrielle Current experience under your belt.” “I’m not so good with selfErwan wrote on Instagram when ies, but with her in every pic he greeted Anne on her 30th it’s flawless.” - Kobe Paras in birthday last year.

January 2016 “What’s sweeter than a cup of hot cocoa? A kiss from a beautiful girl named Gabrielle Current.”

Photo from Coleen Garciaʼs Instagram account Photo from Alyssa Quijanoʼs Twitter account

Charice Pempengco & Alyssa Quijano “The love connection between us is what’s important.

It’s not about gender.” - Alyssa to ABS-CBN in June 2014.

“We talk about that a lot.

We consider ourselves like a married couple…the way we treat each other, the way we plan our lives together…we know that’s where we’re headed.” - Charice in June 2014.

Billy Crawford & Coleen Garcia “Currently en route to #MasaiMara. I’m so blessed to be here with you, @billyjoecrawford Thank you for being the perfect travel buddy, as always. Love you! #BillyColeen” - Coleen in December 2015 “Thank you, love, for always making everything ten times more fun and memorable! I,’ always at my happiest when I’m with you @billyjoecrawford.”

- Coleen in November 2015

Dingdong, Marian and baby Maria Letizia Photo from Dingdong Dantesʼs Instagram account

Dingdong Dantes & Marian Rivera “Celebrating 10 months of marriage over a sliced banana and some ice cream.” - Dingdong in November 2015 “I couldn’t get enough of my girls.” - Dingdong in August 2015

Photo from Jericho Rosalesʼs Instagram account

Jericho Rosales & Kim Jones “Jackpot.” - Jericho Rosales wrote on his photo with wife Kim Jones when they attended the Star Magic Ball last year.

“Best wife ever.” - Jericho Rosales, in February 2015

Tips on finding love on the Internet

BY MONET

LU

I OFTEN hear (and use) the idiomatic phrase, “Wear your heart on your sleeve.” It is often thrown at someone who is bent on concealing his or her true feelings. And since we live in a world filled with mysteries and false pretenses, many can relate to the phrase. The phrases’ pervasiveness is so casual, it found its way to the lyrics of different songs by known artists: from Ringo Starr to Eminem to Carrie Underwood. But did you know the story behind this casual expression?

It’s been said that in the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be. To do this, they would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for one week so that everyone would know their supposed true feelings. This etymology made me wonder how uncomplicated it must be like to just go around declaring your search for true love and actually finding it. On second thought, isn’t this the basic principle of internet dat-

ing? So it is possible to meet your true love by clicking the right button – rather, profile?

The answer to that question was served to me by one of my clients who told me her cyber-love story. I did her hair and makeup and it has been customary for me to know a little bit about my clients.

Actually, I didn’t even insist or pry. She was very enthusiastic to tell me how she met her then cyber-prince. She told me how they met on Facebook, fell in love, met personally and got married – now they have a 4year-old kid. All of that because she happens to be one of those who applied the basic principle of the old days: “to wear your heart on your sleeves.”

“You have to be very specific with what you want. I was so specific in my description. I said I wanted to be with a Chinese guy, earning an average income and so on…”, my client advised as she recalls the fond memories she had when she decided to start her (online) search for “forever.” I was kind of skeptic, imagining how vulnerable I’d be if I were to be as open as she claimed but hey, who am I to argue with a happily married woman with an adorable child?

But just in case there are others out there who are like me – careful and cautious to Continued on Page SF4

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celebrityworld

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 12, 2016

celebrity world

By Ferdie Villar LET’S put the gossip aside about John Lloyd Cruz’s confirmed breakup with girlfriend, actress Angelica Panganiban— for now. There’s a new project coming up for the actor, and although it is a romantic movie, it does not involved rumored reel—and now real love team, Bea Alonzo.

The exciting news is that John Lloyd will be officially doing the movie with actress Jennylyn Mercado, who just won Best Actress win at the recent Metro Manila Film Festival.

According to PEP.ph the movie will be directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina under ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema. Since Jennylyn is a Kapuso talent, is this project a sign of a big move to be a Kapamilya? The actress has always denied rumors that she’s leaving her home network, and this isn’t really the first time that she has worked with Kapamilya talents.

Last year, Jennylyn was paired with Jericho Rosales for “Walang Forever” and Sam Milby for “The Prenup.” In any case, we’re sure that their still untitled film will draw in crowds. *** So is Enrique Gil “officially” courting his onscreen love interest Liza Soberano? If you’re one of their avid followers, then you have probably heard the actor say that he plans to court her when she turns 18.

The actress recently celebrated her birthday with a beachside party, so all LizQuen fans are waiting for what’s going to happen next.

Well, sorry to disappoint you all as the actor recently said that they both have other priorities.

“We’re in a place na we’re so happy,” Enrique said. “I’m happy. [A] label doesn’t really mean anything as long as you’re happy.”

The actress couldn’t agree more, saying she’s “just happy

John Lloyd Cruz and Jennylyn Mercado to star in new comedy-romance film

Daly City Vice Mayor David Canepa who is running for San Mateo Supervisor this coming June 7, had a fundraising dinner held recently at Plumber Hall in Burlingame. Shown in photo are (L-R) Daly City Councilman Atty. Ray Buenaventura, San Mateo Democratic Club President Dory Paniza, Daly City Vice Mayor Canepa, Commissioner Perla Ibarrientos, Dee Canepa and Jacqui Conclara.

Daly City religious advocate Joy de Mesa Cabrera will celebrate her birthday on Friday, Feb. 19. Mrs. Cabrera is shown in photo with her husband, SamTrans executive, Manny Cabrera.

Actress Jennylyn Mercado is shown with actor John Lloyd Cruz in this photo she posted on her Facebook account last Feb. 8, confirming their new project together. The actress wrote, “Finally!

With the one and only John Lloyd Cruz. Abangan niyo po ang movie na ito under Star Cinema!”

Political leader Rey Satorre (7th from left) is shown presenting the Holy Bible blessed by Pope Francis to the Queen of the Family Prayer Crusade at the home of beauty impresario Fergie Villar (9th from left) in South San Francisco, CA last February 5. Photo above shows members of the crusade and invited guests.

Members of the Queen of the Family Prayer Crusade and guests pose for a photo before the Holy Bible presentation at the Villar Residence in South San Francisco, CA last Feb. 5. The small get-together featured a Mass and potluck dinner. with what’s going on.”

The two are currently busy promoting their new TV series, “Dolce Amore,” where Enrique plays Tenten, an orphaned boy who takes odd jobs to help his

family. He eventually encounters Liza’s character, Serena, an Italian princess who longs for a normal life. The show also stars Matteo Guidicelli, Edgar Mortiz, Sunshine Cruz and more.

Eighteen-year-old Valentine beauty Angeline Perez is shown with a big balloon which she will give to her parents Anthony and Vangie Perez on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Courtship and romance will have to wait for Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano. The actor recently said that they have other priorities and are happy with how things are. The two are currently promoting their new show, “Dolce Amore,” set to air this Feb. 19 on ABS-CBN.

Isabelle Daza now engaged to Vic-Pauleen’s rocky path to the altar French boyfriend of 6 years

by ALLAN

POLICARPIO Inquirer.net

Isabelle Daza and fiance Adrien Semblat

ACTRESS-host Isabelle Daza is now engaged to her French boyfriend and businessman Adrien Semblat, magazine Hola! Philippines reported.

Hola said Daza confirmed the news during an exclusive shoot in Morocco for their February issue.

The 27-year-old actress shared the Hola report on her Facebook account with the caption: “I said, YES!” She also shared a photo of her and Semblat from the Hola shoot on Instagram, with ring and heart emojis.

Daza, the daughter of beauty queen-turned-actress Gloria Diaz, and Semblat, country manager for Adidas, have been together for six Photo from Isabelle Dazaʼs Instagram account years now. (Inquirer.net)

Tips on finding love on the...

From Page SF3 a fault – It wouldn’t hurt to pay attention to these advice I gathered from my client, as well as from those I know who have worn their hearts on their sleeves and succeeded in finding true love. Here are 3 tips on finding love on the Internet.

1. BE SPECIFIC Just like what my client told me, you have to know what you want and state it in 250 characters or less. Most relationships end because neither parties know what they want out of the relationship or one of them just aren’t interested in knowing.

Suffice to say that all relationships should start with a basic understanding of what you really want. It doesn’t have to be as detailed, not to mention overboard, as knowing how many children you want or the layout of your love nest. But it would be a good start to know what you want in a relationship – and know who or what type of person you want to have that relationship with.

2. BE HONEST Now this deals with what kind of person they expect to have a relationship with. Don’t be afraid to tell something interesting about you like your obsession to peanut butter or your love-hate relationship with your neighbor’s dog (on second thought, you can leave that last part out – animal lovers are adorable). You can be open about yourself without selling yourself out. Just remember, it is better to be yourself than to pretend someone you are not.

3. INCLUDE A WELLWRITTEN INTRODUCTION AND A GOOD PICTURE And when I say, “well-written,” I mean grammatically correct. It doesn’t have to be an autobiography. A twitterlike intro would be enough but make sure it is not filled with typos and wrong tenses. When in doubt: google it. The picture has to be recent. I am not one to judge those who love to use filters and photo editing apps but please make sure it’ll still look like YOU, the real ‘I-woke-

up-like-this’ You. Tinder, Hinge, Match.com., You name it, these dating apps are everywhere. And while some (like my client) have found their true love via the internet, not everybody end up in the same happy ending. As much as I wish otherwise, some people can be misleading – or worse, psycho killers. So take the necessary precaution. I agree that we should once in a while wear our “hearts” on our sleeves (or post in on the web), but it would save you a ton of heartaches if you proceed with caution. Good luck and Happy Valentine’s Day! !!!

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THEIR lips met not without a little humor. Before lifting the veil of his bride (Pauleen Luna), the groom (Vic Sotto) turned his gaze to the people inside the church, and pulled a face.

He dabbed his wife’s lips with a finger, and tasted it, sending the couple into a fit of giggles.

Then, at last, the TV host-comedian leaned forward for the kiss, with the crowd erupting into cheers.

The embrace that followed, however, was different.

It was long and touching, with Vic and Pauleen patting each other’s backs and mouthing the words, “I love you,” as the song “When I Fall in Love” came on.

Vic, who’s usually reserved, was misty-eyed after, fanning his eyes with his hand to hold back the tears.

It was, the couple related, one of the wedding’s most “emotional moments”—one that had memories flooding back. “When we hugged, the years flashed back, everything we’ve been through,” Pauleen, looking radiant in her Francis Libiran gown, told reporters, more than an hour after they tied the knot at St. James the Great Parish in Muntinlupa City, last Saturday, Dec. 30.

The path to the altar was, undoubtedly, a rocky one for

The newlywed couple in a loving gaze

Meet the new Mr. And Mrs. Vic Sotto

Vic, 61, and Pauleen, 27. For almost five years, the couple have had to parry incessant negativity from critics denouncing their relationship, mostly because of their 34-year age gap—this was emphasized by the fact that Pauleen was once a contestant in the noontime show “Eat Bulaga’s” “Little Miss Philippines” segment.

Pauleen was called, among many other things, a gold digger—a comment she found most unfair.

“It wasn’t easy, but … things ended up well,” said Pauleen, who walked down the aisle with her mother, Chat, and father, Eugenio.

Another hurdle was getting the blessing of Vic’s children, Danica and Oyo (with Dina Bonnevie), Paulina (with Angela Luz) and Vico (with Coney Reyes), some of whom had initial misgivings about their dad’s MayDecember romance.

But after several talks with his children, Vic and Pauleen eventually received their blessing.

Vic also turned

ManilaTimes.net photo

emotional during the homily when the officiating priest, Fr. Jeffrey Quintela, thanked the actor-host’s children for “giving their father a chance to prove that he could be a good husband again.”

“We’re happy for the support of Vic’s family. It was an answered prayer,” Pauleen added.

The reception was held at the nearby Filinvest Tent, which was tastefully decorated with white flowers, crystal charms and light fixtures. Dinner for about 250 guests was catered

by Bizu.

The festivities featured the couple dancing silly in a fun dance number to the ditties, “Dessert” and “Hotline Bling,” and exchanging wedding vows, among other things.

“Sanay ako sa mga dyowa lang, sa syotitay, syota, mga fling! Masarap pala sabihing, ‘asawa ko,’” Vic jested, eliciting laughter. But turning serious, Vic once again thanked his kids for understanding him, saying, “I won’t waste the respect and love you give me.”

Pauleen, on the other hand, thanked her husband for “sticking it out and fighting for me.”

“You made me see that true love knows no age, no boundaries,” she said.

Entertainment

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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 12, 2016

The Much-awaited Reel-to-real Coupling John Lloyd And Bea Spotted In Balesin?

by TESSA

Perfect timing for LizQuen’s teleserye comeback

MAURICIO-ARRIOLA ManilaTimes

FROM blog sites to soccer moms’Viber groups, the supposed sighting of “perfect on screen couple” and noted actors John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo in the exclusive island resort of Balesin has been ablaze since last week, sending fans of the 14-year-old blockbuster movie tandem into sheer excitement.

“Finally!” typed a thirtysomething mom of three in her all-girls’ Viber group, though sadly adding she felt bad for Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo, John Lloyd and Bea’s erstwhile significant others.

“But kilig ako for Popoy and Basha!” she typed just as quickly, and obviously with glee. Popoy and Basha are the pair’s iconic roles in the box-office recordbreakers “One More Chance” in 2007, and its sequel, “A Second Chance,” which was just released in November 2015.

Another mom agreed, and with her very own contribution to the uber showbiz Viber session revealed she saw Angelica in a coffee shop of a posh mall last weekend “not looking too happy” as she drank her coffee and smoked her cigarette all by her lonesome.

Given all the excitement— and bits of commiseration— could it be true that the most awaited reel-to-real life coupling in Philippine showbiz has finally happened?

Let’s take a look back at the events that led to John Lloyd and Bea’s supposed Balesin Island sighting.

On January 14, DJ Mo Twister tweeted that a TV reporter disclosed over his podcast Good Times with Mo that John Lloyd and Bea are indeed a item, and that “an overlapping” had taken place in their respective relationships with Angelica and Zanjoe.

While all four celebrities kept quiet about the rumour—with the two men very much in the news at the time as John Lloyd

Netizens report on the alleged sightings of the top celebrities dining in Tagaytay and in the exclusive Balesin resort as collated by www.adobotalk.ph went to Congress for a Metro Manila Film Festival Probe, and Zanjoe’s promos for his new teleserye, “Tubig at Langis” on ABS-CBN—it was only the latter part of the month that admission and confirmations were finally made on the alleged break-ups.

On January 20, Zanjoe admitted to host Boy Abunda on his late night ABS-CBN talk show that he and Bea had ended their five-year relationship. The actor refused to further details on why they parted ways.

Days later, Ogie Diaz in a report on ABS-CBN online said he had a reliable source that confirmed John Lloyd and Angelica’s break up, complete with an actual date on January 16.

In no time, netizens began tweeting sightings of the onscreen couple finally together in real life, first dining in a Tagaytay restaurant, and now in Balesin, as collated by www. adobotalk.ph on January 30 and February 3, respectively. Another blogsite www.allaboutjuan. info also reported similar posts from social network users.

Last Thursday, Feb. 4, DZBB radio anchor Arnold Clavio

To borrow a line from a popular song in the ʻ80s, have Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz decided to ʻmake it real?ʼ joined in the gossip fest as he told listeners he was looking a photo of John Lloyd and Bea in matching hats at the exclusive resort as sent by his source.

Clavio even related the same source as saying that while “the girl” was more discreet in giving away that she and her leading man are indeed an item, the two celebrities will in fact make an official announcement on their status very soon.

If life has indeed imitated art, then all that is left is to wish these two talented actors the best of luck in making everything real—finally.

Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil announce their latest TV venture, ʻDolce Amoreʼ he said, “happy.”

ONE of prime time TV’s “Hindi pa siguro ngayon . hit love teams, Liza Soberano . .” he added when pressed to and Enrique Gil, seems to be say whether he will court his returning to the demands of screen partner or not. “Marami a nightly drama series at the pang kailangang i-prioritize.” perfect time in their personal The pair, who launched lives—that is, if the latter’s their new show at the ABSpromise is to be kept.

CBN headquarters with the This week, the showbiz powerhouse cast, was more press corps eagerly reminded generous talking about “Dolce the young and good-lookAmore.” ing pair behind 2015’s highly This time, they portray two successful prime time series young wandering souls, each “Forevermore” on ABS-CBN in search of who they really that Enrique had said he are, while suddenly brought would start courting Liza when together by destiny. she turned 18. The beautiful “It’s a project I think almost Filipina-American came of age everyone will be able to relate on January 4, and they will be to. It’s about finding your idenspending lots of time again as tity and finding love, and the they star in the same network’s story is just so fun and upliftnewest teleserye, “Dolce ing,” said Liza.

Amore,” which begins airing Liza plays Serena, a young on February 15. girl raised in Italy by her adopReplying in a roundabout tive parents. Though she lives a way, Enrique told the press good life, she cannot shake off that he and Liza are “in a the feeling that an important happy place” at the moment part of her identity seems to and that he sees no need for be missing—the truth about labels so long as they are, like

where she came from.

Bearing the same struggles is the character of Enrique, Tenten, who grew up in an orphanage suffering from the pain of his real parents’ rejection. A hardworking “raketero,” Tenten takes on different jobs to help his adoptive family.

“It’s a ‘peasant meets a princess’ kind of feel. It’s a very light teleserye, the kind that we all love—much like ‘Forevermore,’” shared Enrique.

Liza said that fans should expect her team-up with Enrique to level up in terms in terms of emotions, since they are both more open to experimenting with their characters at this junction in their careers.

Lending support to their latest endeavor for TV are ABS-CBN heartthrob Matteo Guidicelli, Cherie Gil, Ruben Maria Soriquez, Edgar Mortiz, Rio Locsin, and Kean Cipriano, with Sunshine Cruz, Andrew E, and Frenchie Dy. (ManilaTimes.net)

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The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - February 12, 2016

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