San Francisco Edition -- July 8 -- 14, 2016

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w w w. a s i a n Volume 15 - No. 28 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages

.com T h e F i l i p i n o A m e r i cAn c o m m u n iT y n e ws pA p e r

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The DuTeRTe effecT

Thousands of drug pushers, users surrender Three of 5 PNP ‘narco generals’ now in Napolcom custody by eriC

Anthony liCAs AJPress

PresIDeNt rodrigo Duterte’s promise of a bloody war on drugs convinced thousands of self-confessed drug pushers and users to surrender to police, and has led to accusations of corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement.

During a televised speech on tuesday, July 5, Duterte accused three high-ranking police officials and two retired police generals of contributing to the “deterioration of law and order” by aiding Philippine drug cartels.

National Capital region Police

NATIONAL BLOOD DONORS MONTH. Students, health workers and donors gathered at Central Philippine University in Jaro, Iloilo City last Monday, July 4, to celebrate National Blood Donor’s Day and to welcome the new Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial.

Photo from Dept. of Health

Fil-Am nurse reaches settlement being terminated from hospital

USA

DATELINE FBI finds Clinton ‘extremely careless’ in use of private server from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

by ChristinA

m. oriel

AJPress

Does not recommend criminal charges

PAsADeNA, Calif. — the California Nurses Association (CNA) and huntington hospital have reached an agreement in the case of two Asian American nurses who were terminated by the hospital last year for allegedly trying to unionize.

Under the settlement agreement announced in early June, the hospital has agreed to rescind the terminations of Allysha Almada shin and Vicki Lin and pay them full back pay.

Almada shin received $26,701.00 in back pay, while Lin received $28,520.00. Both amounts shown in the agreement are before taxes.

At a press conference in front of the hospital’s emergency department on Wednesday, June 29, rep.

Judy Chu, nurses and community leaders applauded the settlement.

“It definitely brings justification for what...my coworker, Vicki, [and I] have been going through for the past nine or more months. It serves as a reminder that our fight is just, our fight is right. It’s a huge victory for all of us,” Almada shin, a 28-year-old filipina-American told the Asian Journal. the two nurses, who worked in the hospital’s intensive care unit, were terminated in August of last year

fBI. director, James B. Comey said tuesday, July 5 that the organization would not recommend criminal charges for hillary Clinton’s handling of classified emails.

In a statement, Comey said presumptive Democratic presidential nominee hillary Clinton was “extremely careless” for using a personal, nongovernment email address, which she routed through a server in her Chappaqua, NY home.

According to the New York Times, she sent or received about two dozen emails marked “top-secret,” the highest level of classifica-

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Transgender troops now allowed to openly serve in military

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trANsGeNDer troops can now enlist and serve openly in the military, the Pentagon recently announced. the announcement came as a surprise after top officials voiced concerns about medical, housing and uniform issues for transgender individuals. the policy change removes one of the last military restrictions based on sex or gender identity.

Carter said that the move was a way to be all inclusive of the U.s. population to recruit as many qualified troops for a stronger

office (NCrPo) Chief Joel Pagdilao, Western Visayas regional Director Chief supt. Bernardo Diaz and Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director Chief supt. edgardo tinio have all been relieved of their posts, according to Duterte. the new president also lodged accusations against Vicente Loot, former PNP general and current mayor of Daanbantayan, Cebu, and former PNP Deputy Director, Gen. marcelo Garbo Jr. “Imbestigahan ninyo ito at ‘wag ninyo akong bigyan ng zarzuela (Investigate this and don’t give me a farce),” Duterte said.

Loot, Diaz, and tinio have pub-

Robredo pays courtesy call on Duterte, assures support

by Joseph

Almer B. pedrAJAs AJPress

mANILA – Vice President Leni robredo paid a courtesy visit and had a closed-door meeting with President rodrigo Duterte on monday afternoon, July 4, at the malacañan Palace, expressing her full support to the newly elected leader amidst political differences. four days after their inauguration, the two highest-ranking Philippine leaders had their first private talk. robredo took the opportunity to set up an appointment with the president on friday, July 1, during the change-of-command ceremony of the Armed SECOND MEETING. President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo chat when forces of the Philippines (AfP) the latter paid the Chief Executive a courtesy call in Malacañang on Monday, July 4. The two officials met for the first time during the turnover of police command in Camp Crame in Camp Aguinaldo.

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last week.

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by helen

Flores Philstar.com

mANILA — the number of unemployed filipinos rose by nearly two million in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest survey conducted by the social Weather stations (sWs). the poll, conducted from march 30 to April 2, placed the joblessness rate at 23.9 percent (or an estimated 11.0 million adults),

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Marcos camp confident of winning cybercrime case

by JAime r. pilApil And JomAr CAnlAs ManilaTiames.net

the camp of former senator ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. on monday, July 4, expressed confidence it would win a cybercrime complaint it brought before the manila Prosecutor’s office against personnel of the Commission on elections (Comelec) and vote-counting machine

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

provider smartmatic, after the respondents failed to prove that they were not responsible for the “hash code” change at the height of the transmission of votes during the may 9 polls.

At the manila Prosecutor’s office, complainant Jonathan de la Cruz, a former representative of Abakada party-list, noted that lawyers of smartmatic and Comelec assailed instead his compe-

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up by 2.5 points from 21.4 percent (9.1 million adults) recorded in December last year. sWs said the new unemployment figure was the highest since December 2014’s 27 percent. the survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide and has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points. the results of the survey were published

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licly denied the president’s allegations. they say the president is misinformed, and has potentially biased future proceedings by publicly shaming them.

“Because of that statement, I will be tried by publicity,” Loot told ABs-CBN News. “I hope I will be given a chance to face my accuser ... and clear my name.”

Pagdilao, Diaz, and tinio met privately with Duterte’s newly appointed Director General of the PNP, ronald Dela rosa on Wednesday, July 6 before being turned over to the National Police Commission (Napolcom). he said the accused were given a chance

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A

JULY 8-14, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150

From the Front Page

Thousands of drug pushers, users…

PAGE A1 t

to tell him their side of the story, and have pledged to cooperate with the investigations against them. Dela Rosa described their meeting as “purely intimate and personal.”

“All other details sa aming usapan, sa’min na lang ‘yun.

Basta malungkot sila (All other details that we spoke of are ours only. They are sad [about what is going on]),” said Dela Rosa on Wednesday. He added that, “Kung meron man (evidence), they’re all classified [documents] …hindi ko puwedeng i-divulge (if there is also evidence, they’re all classified documents. I am not allowed to divulge [that information]). ” Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno told the Philippines News Agency that the recently sacked PNP officials will receive a fair trial. Napolcom undertook the investigation of all five generals suspected of working for drug dealers, but only has jurisdiction over active police of-

ficers.

During Tuesday’s speech, Duterte warned officials and citizens to not get involved with the drug trade, or else they face being killed.

“I’ve been warning everybody.

Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. Do not destroy the youth of my country because I will kill you,” he said.

Duterte’s vow to end drugs is also slated to reach the classrooms.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones revealed on Monday, July 4 that drug education will be strengthened and taught to students, as early as the age of 10.

“I think what needs to be added are [pointers] on how children would know that they are being drawn in, how they should say no, and how and where to report if they are offered illegal drugs,” Briones said, according to Inquirer.

The new president — dubbed “The Punisher” — campaigned largely on a promise to eradi-

cate crime in the Philippines within his first six months in office. Since his landslide victory in May, law enforcement agencies throughout the country have ramped up operations, especially against drug-related crimes.

Those who don’t surrender risk losing their lives. The president has called upon citizens to shoot suspected drug dealers that resist arrest, and has promised legal protection to police who kill criminals in the line of duty. Duterte has also offered bounties to cops for killing drug lords, while cautioning members of the police force that they are not beyond scrutiny.

“Oo, attainable ‘yan; kaya ‘yan.

Hindi kaya kung hindi tayo kikilos at ang komunidad hindi tutulong (Yes, it is attainable, we can do it.

It is only not attainable if we do not move and if the community will not help),” said Dela Rosa to reporters on Tuesday, May 31.

As the former director of the Davao City Police Office, Dela

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Robredo pays courtesy call on…

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“OK naman, very cordial.

Sinabi ko sa kanya if pwede ako magpa-set ng courtesy visit as soon as possible. Sabi naman nya, anytime (It was okay, very cordial. I asked him if I could schedule a courtesy visit as soon as possible. He said anytime),” Robredo said.

Although Robredo initiated the visit, she bared that Duterte also had plans of meeting her.

“He was telling me naunahan mo lang ako (He was telling me that I got to it first). I was really planning to invite you over,” added Robredo.

Members of the press were not allowed to cover the much-anticipated event, except the Presidential Broadcast Staff – RTVM. On its Facebook page, RTVM posted a two-minute clip showing the president’s assistant, Bong Go, receiving Robredo warmly.

Shortly after his proclamation, Duterte once told that he would not appoint Robredo any cabinet position.

But the Robredo told in an interview that she just set meeting with the president to show her full support.

“I told him that I was just there

to personally convey my message of support, that he has my full support,” Robredo told ANC’s “Talk Back” with Tina MonzonPalma Monday night.

It was a closed-door meeting, but Robredo gave a few tidbits, sharing that they were just mostly exchanging notes, talking about children, tackling life in Manila now, security and support.

Assuring her support Although she comes from a different political party, Robredo expressed her willingness to help and support Duterte fix the country.

“Natutuwa tayo na nagkaroon tayo ng pagkakataong makausap ang ating Pangulo (I am happy that I was given the chance to talk to our president),” she stated. “Sinabi natin sa Pangulo na buong buo ang suporta natin sa kaniya dahil ang kaniyang tagumpay ay tagumpay ng ating bansa (I told the president that I am wholly supporting him because his success is the success of the whole country).”

During Robredo’s speech at the Tapatan sa Aristocrat on Monday, she pledged to rally her support for Duterte’s administration.

“As the vice president, I believe that my No. 1 responsibility is to help rally everyone behind the new administration,” Robredo explained.

Future meetings will follow The meeting between the Philippines’ two highest leaders will not be the last, as Duterte had told Robredo to regularly meet him to talk about the country.

“Sabi niya nga, gawin kong mas regular ‘yung aking pagbisita para alam ko naman ‘yung kung anong nangyayari. Parang sinabi niya yata sa akin na mas mabuti na ‘yung nalalaman niyang information about the country’s situation, alam ko din.

Kaya nagpasalamat ako (He said, I should regularly visit him so I can know what is going on. It’s like he’s saying that it is better that I know the information about the country’s situation. That is why I thanked him for that),” the vice president said.

Robredo said that she already left her contact number with the president’s assistant.

Leni: Different Duterte Although the meeting last Monday was only the second time they talked after winning

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OPEN FOR PRAYER. The Army’s predominantly Christian 6th Infantry Division (ID) will opened Camp Siongco on Wednesday, July 6, for an Eid’l Fitr congregational prayer, something that was so peculiarly new for local Muslims. Public officials and ranking clerics in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were elated with 6th ID’s gesture, planned by its commander, Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, a military peace-activist.

Philstar.com/John Unson

Fil-Am nurse reaches settlement being…

PAGE A1 t

after spearheading a union organizing drive under the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). They also publicly spoke about deteriorating conditions, 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 in April 2015 after they were allegedly intimidated by hospital officials.

The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) challenging the dismissal of Almada Shin and Lin, which the labor board responded to last January by siding with the nurses.

According to a release from the CNA, an administrative law judge for the NLRB was scheduled to review the objections to the 2015 election as well as unfair labor practice charges on June 6, but the settlement was reached just a few days before that.

Lin, who was not present at Wednesday’s event, said her termination was “completely wrong, unjust, and illegal,” according to a statement read aloud by Almada Shin.

“What happened to me is the perfect example of why nurses [at Huntington] need to stand together and not allow this hospital’s administration to continue to devalue their nurses,” the statement said.

Though she was given her job back, Almada Shin declined to return to Huntington and chose to stay at her current position at Keck Hospital of USC, a CNA-

Allysha Alamada Shin (right) is joined by another nurse in celebration of the settlement reached between the CNA and Huntington Hospital. Almada Shin was terminated by the hospital for trying to unionize.

AJPress photo by Christina M. Oriel

represented facility.

“I actually opted to not go back to work at Huntington. The main reason is because they are not organized right now, I don’t feel safe working there,” the FilAm nurse told the Asian Journal. “The anti-union movement within the hospital [and] the anti-union harassment [are] still very strong, so I just don’t want to subject myself and put myself through that.”

The hospital has also agreed to hold a new union election for the registered nurses this October and set aside the results of the election last year. Almada Shin said she will continue helping nurses at the hospital unionize.

“When you silence the voices of nurses, patients ultimately suffer,” she said.

In a statement emailed to the Asian Journal, Huntington Hospital’s Chief Operating Officer James Noble said the election

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last year “rejecting union representation was lawful,” but the settlement is in the hospital’s “best interest.”

“We have the best nurses in the world and we continue to respect all of their rights, including their right to be represented by a union, should they so choose,” Noble said.

Since being terminated, Almada Shin has been vocal about advocating for nurses’ rights.

In October, she attended the White House Summit on Worker Voice, where she spoke to President Barack Obama about her situation. 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).

“I definitely want to encourage all of my Filipino brothers, sisters, aunties and uncles out there that you need to stand up for yourself, have a voice and be strong because this isn’t just about you — it’s about all of us together,” Almada Shin said.

“This is about your children being at the hospital, growing up and being nurses themselves and in health care.” n

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PAGE A1 t

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military.

“We don’t want barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who can best accomplish the mission,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a press conference on Thursday, June 30. “We have to have access to 100 percent of America’s population for our allvolunteer force to be able to recruit from among them the most highly qualified and to retain

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From the Front Page

(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 8-14, 2016

Thousands of drug pushers…

PAGE A2 t

TURNOVER OF FLAG AND RESPONSIBILITY. Outgoing Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Jesus P. Paje is shown in photo turning over the DENR flag to incoming Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez last Monday, July 1. Lopez is a staunch supporter of the environment and is the chairwoman of the ABS-CBN Foundation.

Photo from DENR

Unemployed Pinoys up by 2 million in Q1…

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in the newspaper BusinessWorld on Wednesday, July 6.

The jobless Filipinos were composed of 12.8 percent (or an estimated 5.9 million adults) who voluntarily left their jobs, 7.2 percent (3.3 million adults) who involuntarily lost their jobs and 3.8 percent (1.8 million adults) who were first-time job seekers.

The proportion of those who resigned or left their jobs voluntarily rose 3.1 points from 9.6 percent in December, those retrenched fell by 0.9 of a point from eight percent, while the proportion of first-time job seekers slightly went up by 0.2 from

Philstar.com file photo

Marcos camp confident…

tence to testify by saying he had no personal knowledge of the change in script in a computer server that processed election results.

“I am a complainant not just because I am an adviser of Marcos during the campaign period but also in my capacity as representative of Abakada party-list,” de la Cruz told reporters after the hearing.

He said the next hearing was set on July 15 at 1:30 pm.

“If Smartmatic and Comelec will not submit any rejoinder, the case is deemed submitted for decision,” said Anna Liza Logan, lawyer of the Marcos camp.

City Prosecutor Recto Macapagal directed the Smartmatic legal team to submit again the affidavit of one of the respondents, Mauricio Herrera, who had left the country for Panama.

The affidavit of Herrera was only sworn to before a lawyer but the fiscal said it must be sworn to before a consul for it to be valid.

Other respondents in the cybercrime case, aside from Herrera, are Marlon Garcia, Elie Moreno and Neil Banugued of Smartmatic, and Rouie Penalba, Nelson Herrera and Frances Mae Gonzales of the Comelec.

Manila prosecutors are conducting a preliminary investigation of the cybercrime complaint that is separate from the election protest filed last week by Marcos to contest the proclamation of the Liberal Party’s Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as Vice President.

If the complaint is found with merit, it will be elevated to the Regional Trial Court and the re-

spondents will be arrested.

De la Cruz submitted a consolidated reply-affidavit along with documents and news articles containing reports of how the script of the Comelec transparency server was changed, and statements issued thereafter by individuals like Garcia.

He noted that no less than Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon had admitted that Smartmatic and Comelec personnel “should have asked permission from the en banc” before changing the script.

The seven individuals are accused of cybercrime offenses as provided under Section 4(a), (3) and (4) of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

De la Cruz informed Macapagal on Monday that two related cases had also been filed before the Comelec and the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

The Marcos camp is urging the Comelec to audit the Automated Elections System to reveal if the servers were used to manipulate the election results in favor of Robredo.

Justices of the High Court are poised to give due course to the Marcos election protest, which is included in the agenda of today’s en banc meeting, sources in the tribunal told The Manila Times.

According to a number of SC justices who talked on condition of anonymity, the case filed by Marcos before the SC, sitting as PET, would not be dismissed outright, because the charge of election fraud was a serious matter. n

VICTORY IS NEAR. Jonathan de la Cruz (left) signs documents during continuation of preliminary investigation of complaint filed by his group against personnel of the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic.

Manilatimes.net photo by Rene H. Dilan

out the country since becoming the PNP’s Chief.

Almost 1,400 alleged criminals surrendered to the authorities in Quezon City, Taguig, Pasay and San Juan, two days after the president officially took office on June 30. In Leyte, Sarangani, Rizal and Pampanga, over 1,100 people turned themselves in to police. Prior to Duterte’s inauguration, more than 200 people from Agusan del Sur and Sarangani had also submitted themselves to police custody in June.

“Sumuko kami dahil sa batas ni Duterte. Natakot kami sa kapulisan baka anuhin kami. May pamilya kami kaya natakot kami (We surrendered because of Duterte’s law. We were scared of the police because they might [hurt] us. We have families that is why we were scared),”Allan Looc, a drug user, told GMA News.

Drug-related killings have been on the rise since Duterte won the election last May. At least 45 people with suspected links to drug trafficking were killed

in different operations in Bulacan. There have also been 63 drug-related deaths recorded in many parts of the country. Meanwhile, in Tondo, Manila, a man was found dead with a note saying “Drug Lord Ako (I am a Drug Lord).” Other bodies displaying similar messages have turned up throughout the country.

“It’s going to be a dirty fight.

It’s going to be a bloody fight.

I am not apologizing for it,” said Duterte during Tuesday’s speech.

The uptick in murders committed by police and incidents of apparent vigilantism has drawn the concern of human rights groups and the Catholic Church.

In spite of the violence, supporters of the crackdown have told the general public that they have nothing to fear.

“I will assure the public that kami ay mga pulis, hindi kami kriminal, susunod kami sa police operational procedure(I will assure the public that we are policemen, not criminals, [and] we will follow police operational procedure),” said Dela Rosa. (With reports from Joseph Almer B. Pedrajas)

Robredo pays courtesy call on…

PAGE A2 t

the election, Robredo remarked 3.6 percent. timism score of +23 which was at how well Duterte treated her.

Those who were retrenched classified by SWS as “high.” This “He was very respectful, maluconsisted of 5.6 percent whose was a six-point drop from De- manay magsalita.... Nahihiya contracts were not renewed, cember 2015’s “high” +29. pa nga ako kasi mina-’ma’am’ one percent who were laid off The SWS classifies net opti- niya ako (He was very respectand 0.6 percent whose employ- mism on job availability score of ful, very soft-spoken...I was also ers closed shop. at least +30 as “very high”; +20 a little embarrassed because he Meanwhile, the same survey to +29, “high”; +10 to +19, “fair”; kept calling me ‘ma’am),” she showed that net optimism on job +1 to +9, “mediocre”; -9 to zero, explained. availability in the next 12 months “low”; as well as -10 and down as “Malayo siya doon sa dati dropped but remained “high.” kong nakikita sa TV at sa pre“very low.” n The SWS poll found 39 percent of respondents saying they expected the number of available jobs in the next 12 months to increase, 31 percent saying it will not change and 15 percent saying it will decrease.

The results yielded a net op-

The number of unemployed Filipinos rose by nearly two million in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations.

PAGE A1 t

Rosa was credited with reducing the circulation of illegal drugs in the city by 60 percent, according to Philstar. However, human rights groups allege that Dela Rosa has connections to the “death squads” responsible for the vigilante murders of more than 1,400 people since 1998, Reuters reported.

“As far as I know, wala akong death squad. During my time, legitimate operations ang ginagawa ko. Napapatay namin ‘yung kalaban through legitimate operations (As far as I know, I do not have a death squad. During my time, legitimate operations were what I did. We only killed our enemies through legitimate operations),” said Dela Rosa in May. One of the strategies Dela Rosa employed in Davao, named Oplan Tukhang (Operation Plan tuktok-hangyo), sent officers to each home of a neighborhood to offer potential suspects a chance to turn themselves in. Dela Rosa has exported the tactic through-

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conceived idea ko of him. ‘Yung sound and fury, nagmumura, madaling magalit, pinagagalitan kung sinong nakaka-get his ire.

Ibang iba (He was a far cry from what I used to see on TV and my the preconceived idea of him.

The sound and fury, the swearing, hotheaded, scolding anyone who tests his temper, he was different),” Robredo said in a television interview.

After the two finished their

meeting, Duterte even walked Robredo to her car.

“I was telling him, ‘Mr. President, ‘wag mo na po ako ihatid.’

Sabi niya, ‘That will be very ungentlemanly of me if I don’t bring you down kasi babae ka (Mr. President, you don’t have to take me [to the car]. That will be very ungentlemanly of me if I don’t bring you down because you are a lady),” Robredo recounted. n

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JULY 8-14, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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12-time Olympic Medalist Natalie Coughlin does not qualify for Rio

by Cybele

zhang

AJPress

SWIMMER Natalie Coughlin, who is a quarter Filipino, will not appear at the 31st Olympiad this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The 33-year-old swimmer, who has represented the U.S. in three Olympic Games, failed to qualify in the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle last week.

She pulled out of her final event, the 50-meter freestyle qualifier, in a press conference on Friday, July 1.

“It’s a difficult decision because you train for so many hours to get to this meet and to hopefully move onto the next stage, which is the Olympics,” Coughlin said in the press conference, according to the Washington Post.

“That just didn’t work out for me this time, which is fine. I’m obviously disappointed because I’ve been working so hard.”

The 5-foot-8 swimmer decided against competing in the 50-meter freestyle because she knew she would not swim her personal

Natalie Coughlin Photo courtesy of USA Swimming National Team website

best. She had spent the majority of her training focusing on her other two events, according to USA Today.

“There are so many special [Olympic] moments I have had.

Anything beyond that is icing on the cake in terms of legacy or anything like that,” Coughlin said.

Coughlin grew up in Vallejo, California with a half-Filipino

mother. According to GMA News, her grandmother is from Cavite and Coughlin was “raised with a lot of Filipino culture.”

“Where I went to my first nine years in school, kindergarten through eighth grade, was primarily a Filipino school,” Coughlin said in an interview with GMA News. “I was very much exposed to the Filipino culture.”

Over the course of her career, Coughlin has won three gold, four silver and five bronze Olympic medals, according to her official website. She is tied with retired swimmers Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for most number of Olympic medals achieved by an American female in swimming.

This will probably be the end of Coughlin’s Olympic career, although she insists she is not retiring from swimming.

“I’m not announcing a retirement or anything like that; I’m just not going to the Olympics,” Coughlin said. “From there, I don’t know. Swimming has been a part of my life since I joined my first club team when I was six years old.” n

Report: 5,000 water systems violate federal law

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

MORE than 5,000 water systems in the United States violate federal law, affecting approximately 18 million Americans, according to a new report.

In its report released on Tuesday, June 28, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that these systems violated lead and copper laws, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the body that is responsible for regulating the water systems, knew about them but did little to nothing about it.

A CNN report indicated that in approximately nine out of 10 cases of contaminated water, the EPA took no enforcement action.

NRDC said that the water systems required to complete thorough water testing, regular reporting of contamination and meticulous water treatment, but these water systems have failed to do so; in other words, these systems have committed health, monitoring and reporting violations.

“These violations were recorded because the systems were not doing everything that they are

required to do to protect the public from lead issues, which could include failure to treat to reduce lead levels in the water (health violations), failure to monitor the water for lead as required (monitoring violations), or failure to report lead results to the public or government,” the report said.

But the 5,000 systems that have committed violations only made up the reported violations and failed to account for unreported instances.

Erik Olson, health program director at NRDC, told CNN that some water utility companies manipulate the systems’ machinery and purposefully use imprecise testing methods so that they don’t detect higher levels of lead.

In other words, there are water systems who are breaching the law but don’t get reported.

The NRDC mapped out leadrelated issues reported throughout the U.S. and found that lead contamination is rampant across the country and the contaminated systems cover an expansive geographic scope.

According to NRDC’s findings, there were 13 reported violations in Los Angeles County water

systems that served over 5,000 Angelenos. Kern County’s water systems were especially affected with 74 reported violations that affected 102,691 residents.

There are many reasons why a water system can fail, but one of the most common reasons is through repairs gone wrong.

Unsafe levels of lead were discovered in Sebring, Ohio earlier this year after workers altered the water’s chemistry to prevent pipe corrosion. It took five months before the city issued a warning of the water’s detrimental effects to children and pregnant women, according to reports from The Columbus Dispatch.

In 2001, The Washington Post reported that lead levels in Washington, D.C.’s tap water escalated to 20 times the federallyapproved level, and it took three years before residents found out.

Yet the problem may be a product of the country’s infrastructure. Thirty years ago, Congress passed a law that banned lead water pipes, yet between 3.3 million and 10 million of them remain in today’s water systems, allowing lead to infiltrate many of the country’s water systems. n

EXPLAIN P6 MILLION PAINT. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been asked to explain the procurement of 5,869 gallons of paint for 248 bunkhouses for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte. According to a report by the Commission on Audit (COA) last Friday, July 1, the DPWH spent P6 million, paid for by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). A bunkhouse has 24 rooms, each with a floor area of 8.64 square meters. The COA report also noted that 1,522 gallons were not utilized.

Philstar file photo

Californians to vote on marijuana legalization

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

IN November, Californians will vote whether to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

The measure, called the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), was drawn up by grassroots coalition Let’s Get It Right led by former Facebook President Sean Parker.

Promising hefty regulation and restrictions, the measure would allow Californians aged 21 years or older to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana or edibles at licensed dispensaries and would be allowed to grow up to six plants for personal use.

Notably, if the bill is passed, it would decriminalize possession of less than 1 oz. of marijuana, a prevalent criminal offense. In 2014, there were over 600,000 arrests made on marijuana possession; possession alone makes up for 88 percent of marijuana law violations, according to the Drug Policy Alliance.

The issue comes to ballot after activists and supporters garnered enough signatures to call for a vote, according a press release from California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

AUMA has received over a hundred endorsements from elected officials, non-profit organizations, public safety organizations and individuals and community leaders.

“Our current marijuana laws have undermined many of the things conservatives hold dear individual freedom, limited government and the right to privacy,” U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (RCalifornia, 48th District), said in a statement. “This measure is a necessary reform which will end the failed system of marijuana prohibition in our state, provide California law enforcement the resources it needs to redouble its focus on serious crimes while providing a policy blueprint for other states to follow.”

The measure is projected to raise as much as $1 billion per year and reduce costs for police, courts, jails and prisons by tens of millions, state officials say.

Per the initiative, most of the proceeds would be allocated to regulatory costs, research, environmental measures and youth drug prevention and treatment programs.

According to Let’s Get It Right, the measure would enact the “strictest” protection for children.

“Today marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays off,” Jason Kinney, a spokesman for AUMA, said in a statement.

Marijuana use would be prohibited in areas where tobacco use is off-limits, such as restaurants and bars.

Although supporters are rejoicing in the possibility of legalized marijuana, the initiative is still opposed by those who see the negative effects of the drug.

“The dangers of marijuana are pretty clear in terms of motorist safety, criminal activity and impacts on society,” Cory Salzillo, legislative director of the California State Sheriffs’ Association told CBS News LA. “We don’t be-

lieve that decriminalization will upend the black market.”

California voters rejected a similar measure in 2010, Proposition 19, by a narrow margin of 7 percentage points. But supporters of the new bill say that the measure is likelier to be passed because there are more regulations at the state level “rather than letting locals dictate what happens, and comes after the state has approved a regulatory system for medical marijuana growing, transportation and sales,” according to a Los Angeles Times report.

This time around, AUMA has more leverage because since the Proposition 19, other states in the west have legalized recreational use of marijuana.

“This is six years later,” Taylor West, director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, told the Times. “We’ve already seen legalization pass and be successful in other states. So it’s a different world in talking about this issue than it was.”

If passed, California would be the fifth state to legalize the taxing and regulation of marijuana, joining Alaska, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. California would also be the 21st state to decriminalize the drug by eliminating criminal penalties for possession of small amounts for personal use. n

FBI finds Clinton ‘extremely careless’ in…

PAGE A1 t

tion, through that address.

“There is evidence to support a conclusion [that Clinton] should have know that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation,” Comey said.

However to warrant a criminal charge, Comey said there needed to be evidence that Clinton intentionally sent or received classified information, which the FBI did not find.

“Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case,” Comey said.

On Friday, July 1, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she would accept the FBI’s recommendation, according to various media reports. Lynch has triggered controversy after meeting with former President Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport.

“We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further

action by the department is appropriate,” Clinton’s spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement on Tuesday. “As the secretary has long said, it was a mistake to use her personal email, and she would not do it again. We are glad that this matter is now resolved.”

Many Republicans viewed Comey’s statement differently.

“The system is rigged,” presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted.

“As usual, bad judgment!”

In a statement, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus added, “The [FBI] confirms what we’ve long known: Hillary Clinton has spent the last 16 months looking into cameras deliberately lying to the American people.”

The investigation had lasted for a year, in which the FBI poured over servers, emails and interviewed dozens of people,

according to the Times.

For the investigation, Clinton’s lawyers turned over 55,000 pages of email to the State Department, but withheld many that she claimed to be personal, regarding matters such as yoga classes and her daughter’s wedding.

Three days before Comey made his statement, FBI investigators interviewed Clinton -- a sign that the investigation was winding down.

The FBI investigation unearthed additional work-related emails that Clinton failed to turn over, some of which contained classified information. However, there is no evidence those were withheld intentionally.

Comey’s statement came just hours before Clinton’s first joint campaign appearance with President Barack Obama in North Carolina. (By Cybele Zhang / AJPress)

Transgender troops now allowed to openly…

PAGE A2 t

them.”

The move is considered a win for LGBT rights, but the change will not happen overnight.

According to Carter, the Pentagon will create a training handbook, establish new medical conduct and provide assistance for changing a troop’s gender in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment System (DEERS) by Oct. 1.

By that date, the military will be required to provide “medically necessary” care to transgender service members.

According to a RAND Corp study commissioned by the Pentagon, there are between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender troops in the active-duty force, and of those troops, up to 140 would need hormone treatment and up to 130 would seek gender reassignment surgery.

RAND Corp. also indicated that the move is estimated to leave a “minimal” impact on the military’s readiness and budget, and the new healthcare accommodations represent “an exceedingly small proportion” of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) overall medical expenses.

The projected costs for each troop’s healthcare would be as much as $50,000, according to an official from the DOD anonymously told USA Today (DOD officials are not authorized to speak publicly). The official also added that altering shower facilities and sleeping quarters may be expected to cost $10 million, but it is difficult to project.

The U.S. is the 19th country to allow transgender individuals to openly serve in the military.

In February, the Department of Defense removed barriers to

allow women who meet physical standards to serve in frontline combat roles. In 2011, the DOD repealed the controversial Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy that required gay and lesbian troops to conceal their sexual orientation to avoid discharge from the military.

“This is a historic day and for me satisfied a promise I made to a group of transgender soldiers I met two years ago,” former Pentagon personnel chief Brad Carson told USA Today.

Carson played a major role in the construction of the plan, and said that the move was “hardfought and overdue.”

“I’m proud to have pushed this reform and I salute the contributions transgender service members have made and will make in the future to our nation. (Klarize Medenilla / AJ Press)

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JULy 8-14, 2016

A

Alvarez belies return of ‘pork’

by DeLon

PorcaLLa Philstar.com

vived when it had already been declared illegal by the Supreme Court? Secretary Diokno will not allow it,” the Davao del Norte congressman said in Filipino.

He said reviving the discredited pork allocation would surely invite legal challenge, something the administration would never allow.

“There will be no more PDAF,” Alvarez said, referring to the then official name of pork barrel – Priority Development Assistance Fund.

Bayan Muna congressman Carlos Zarate has cautioned the incoming House leadership against giving lump sums to legislators through the proposed 2017 national budget.

“If this budget is the one still prepared by the Abad-DBM that is littered with pork allocations for the members of Congress, then the same should not be allowed at all and should be scrapped at once

from the proposed 2017 budget,” he said.

“We have yet to see and study MANILA—With Secretary Benthe 2017 budget that the new adjamin Diokno at the helm of the ministration will submit.”

Department of Budget and ManHe said pork barrel funds “are agement (DBM), there is no way better allocated to the basic needs/ the pork barrel or any similar alsocial services of our poor peolocation can be allowed in the ple.” national expenditure program, Duterte, he said, had made clear presumptive speaker Pantaleon his opposition to the pork barrel Alvarez said. fund “knowing fully well that it He was reacting to a report in was, is and will still be a source of The Star that the pork barrel fund graft and corruption.” for senators and House members “Duterte’s avowed stand of zero is back and initially is being oftolerance on corruption will be fered to neophyte lawmakers. put to nothing if pork is allowed to “It’s hard to argue with Secregrease the hands of legislators as a tary Ben Diokno, he will not allow form of patronage,” he added. it,” Alvarez told dzMM radio in House insiders said neophyte Filipino. lawmakers have been told to subHe added Diokno is “very strict” mit to the appropriations commitand branded the report as “very tee a list of their projects for a total imaginative.” of P80 million – P50 million for “Nonsense, pure nonsense. hard projects like roads and P30 How could the pork barrel be remillion for soft projects like scholarships and hospitalization.

House members are still entitled to P70 million in PDAF every year, but the funds are directly released to the agencies under their respective constituencies or local government units (LGUs), like the satellite offices of the departments of Public Works and Highways, Health, Education and the like.

But the lawmaker-source also revealed that as per instructions, the House leadership under Alvarez has made it clear this doesn’t House members are still entitled to P70 million in PDAF every year, but the funds are directly necessarily mean the pork barrel released to the agencies under their respective constituencies or local government units system is back, but that “they are (LGUs), like the satellite offices of the departments of Public Works and Highways, Health, just exercising their power of the ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan purse.” g Education and the like.

SAP EID’L FITR. Filipino Muslims gather on Wednesday, July 6 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to celebrate Eid’l-Fitr. President Rodrigo Duterte extended his greetings to Filipino Muslims as they commemorate Eid’l Fitr, the annual feast which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. In his message to the Filipino Muslims, Duterte described this year’s Eid’l Fitr as “timely and relevant” given the shift to a new leadership.

Philstar.com photo by Miguel De Guzman

Robredo turns down Liberal Party leadership role

by LLanesca

T. PanTi

ence to lead the party.

In a television interview MonVICE President Maria Leonor day, July 4, Robredo said she pre“Leni” Robredo has turned down ferred to be titular head instead, a leadership role in the deci- but would follow the party’s decimated Liberal Party (LP) as she sion. pledged support to President RoThe Liberals also need to dedrigo Duterte of the ruling PDP- cide what role it would play in the Laban.

Duterte administration, she addRobredo told reporters on Tues- ed, after party stalwart Rep. Edcel day, July 5, that she had been with Lagman of Albay warned against the Liberals for only three years a “subservient” opposition. and did not have enough experiThe LP membership in the Manilatimes.net

House of Representatives has been cut by more than half to at least 45 after the defeat of standard-bearer Manuel Roxas 2nd in the presidential elections.

Majority of the Liberals have switched to Duterte’s PDP-Laban, while a number of those remaining in the erstwhile ruling party want to be allied with the emerging new House majority coalition led by Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez. g

‘Arbitral ruling illegal product of PH’s abuse of rights’

by Pia Lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA—With the arbitral tribunal set to announce its verdict on Manila’s maritime case against China on July 12, Beijing said any ruling would be an “illegal” product of the Philippines’ abusing its right, and would be devoid of the “force of law.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the arbitral tribunal in The Hague “unilaterally” set up at the request of the Philippines has no jurisdiction over the case against China.

Paul Reichler, the Philippines’ chief counsel in the South China Sea arbitration case, said in an

interview with Reuters on June 29 that China bases its South China Sea claim on a “nine-dash line” covering hundreds of disputed islands and reefs, rich fishing grounds and oil and gas deposits.

Reichler also said that the ruling against Beijing is expected to deprive China of any legal basis for its claim.

“As a lawyer for the Philippines, Mr. Reichler is supposed to know what is on the mind of the Philippines,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei in a press conference in Beijing on Monday, July 4.

“However, it seems dubious that he also knows the ruling of

the arbitration even before the award comes out, and knows that the award will just be what he expects,” he said.

What Reichler said, according to Hong, lays bare the lie the Aquino administration has been cooking up for over three years.

“China’s sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea are not subject to illegal rulings,” he said.

In Beijing, the state-run Global Times said China should prepare itself for military confrontation in the South China Sea. Tensions have been rising ahead of the July 12 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

In joint editorials in its Chinese and English editions, the Global Times said the dispute, having already been complicated by US intervention, now faces further escalation due to the threat posed by the tribunal to China’s sovereignty.

“Washington has deployed two carrier battle groups around the South China Sea, and it wants to send a signal by flexing its muscles: as the biggest powerhouse in the region, it awaits China’s obedience,” it said.

China should speed up developing its military deterrence abilities, the paper added.

“Even though China cannot

keep up with the US militarily in the short-term, it should be able to let the US pay a cost it cannot stand if it intervenes in the South China Sea dispute by force,” it said.

“China hopes disputes can be resolved by talks, but it must be prepared for any military confrontation. This is common sense in international relations.”

The newspaper is published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, and while it is widely read in policy-making circles it does not have the same mouthpiece function as its parent and its editorials cannot be viewed as representing government policy. It is also well-known for its ex-

treme nationalist views.

China, which has been angered

by US patrols in the South China Sea, began holding military drills in the waters there starting on Wednesday, July 6.

China’s Defense Ministry said the drills are routine, the official China Daily reported.

Manila has sought to dial down tensions with its powerful neighbor ahead of the decision but resisted pressure to ignore the ruling.

“The reality is that nobody wants a conflict, nobody wants to resolve our conflict in a violent manner, nobody wants war,” Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. told ANC television.

A

july 8-14, 2016 • NORCAl ASIAN jOuRNAl

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150

Features

OpiniOn

Still in danger

“TODAY, we continue the long journey toward an America and a world where liberty and equality are not reserved for some, but extended to all. Across the globe, including right here at home, millions of men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. We remain committed to abolishing slavery in all its forms and draw strength from the courage and resolve generations past.” — Pres. Barack Obama Every year, millions of Filipinos go to great—and in some cases— drastic lengths by working abroad, to pursue better lives for themselves and their families.

There are an estimated 15,000,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) across the world. On average, 6,000 Filipinos leave the country each day to work abroad, an increase from only around 2,500 before 2010. At least a quarter of the country’s labor force has gone to work overseas.

Many of these OFWs are often compelled to work while succumbing to unfair and harsh working conditions, including long hours, low pay, and human rights abuses. We’ve heard news of Pinoys who faced death row in China and the never-ending and horrific stories of domestic helpers in the Middle East -- all for a chance to seek greener pastures.

Despite the billions of pesos they bring home -which continues to prop up the Philippine economy -- the nightmares of being an OFW still linger.

These people who resort to severe measures are employed through illegal channels. While many of them would refuse to admit it (for fear of losing their jobs), some of these modern heroes are victims of human trafficking.

The Philippines has recently been upgraded as a Tier 1 country by the 2016 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which rated 190 nations according to their efficiency in addressing human trafficking.

This is a welcome development for the Philippines

after lingering in Tier 2 status the past years.

The annual TIP report is used as a comprehensive resource by international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations on countries in tiers based on their compliance with the standard of the US’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).

Freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice are the ultimate goals of the report and of the US Government’s anti-human trafficking policy.

Tier 1 countries met minimum the standards of the American government’s “principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking,” which means a government “fully complied” with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Tier 2 nations do not fully comply but are “making significant efforts” to do so, while Tier 2 Watch List involves other negative indicators. Nations under Tier 3 neither comply nor make significant efforts.

However, the TIP report describes the Philippines as “a source country and, to a lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.”

The TIP Report also said that a significant number of Filipino migrant workers are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor—predominantly via debt bondage—in the fishing, shipping, construction, education, nursing and agricultural in-

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

dustries, as well as in domestic work, janitorial service, and other hospitality jobs, particularly across the Middle East, Asia and North America.

Despite continuous worldwide sanctions and efforts to alleviate human trafficking, business continues to thrive for this repressive industry.

Stereotypically, human trafficking stories often depict victims as innocent young girls, who are seduced from their homes and forced into the sex industry. But now, cases involve men, women and children of all ages falling prey to traffickers for a

promise of better pecuniary compensation.

No matter how strict the laws are implemented or how rigorous campaigns are against human trafficking, the problem will not cease to exist if not dealt with first at home. Filipinos or anyone for that matter, seek jobs abroad due to lack of economic opportunities and the struggle to meet the basic needs.

Before apprehending perpetrators, governments should first promote and protect the basic human rights. (AJPress)

Fil-Ams hopeful about Duterte presidency and the plight of overseas Filipinos A RECENT “ B a l i t a n g The Fil-Am America” online viewer poll Perspective revealed that a large majority of Filipinos in America are Gel SantoS-ReloS feeling very hopeful under the Duterte presidency. Eighty-seven percent of kababayans who voted in The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast opinion poll feel the Philippines will be better off with newly sworn-in President Rodrigo Duterte stirring the country toward a new direction.

Many Fil-Am community leaders share the optimism, especially after Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said topping the “marching orders” he received from Pres. Duterte is to make sure that the needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are “specially and adequately addressed.”

“We want to make sure that from the very day, the first day that the recruitment processes start, up to the time that they arrive at their point of destination, we will be ready and available to help them in their needs,” Yasay said in an

ABS-CBN News report.

“We know that as they go abroad, they’ll be the subject of a lot of difficulties, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities, and the least that we can do for our overseas workers, who—in a true sense—are our economic heroes, is to make ourselves readily available for their service,” the DFA chief explained.

The Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), a Filipino-American group based in the nation’s capital, offered their support to Duterte’s marching order in this statement: “We support the call of President Duterte to provide assistance in securing and protecting the rights of OFWs

from their country of origin until their final destination . We also call upon the Phil Government to revamp its existing policies on [the] deployment of Filipino workers overseas, which includes [the] elimination of recruitment agencies and for the government to undertake direct supervision and approval of employment contracts with receiving countries.”

MHC Executive Directors Atty.

Arnedo Valera, Grace Valera and Jesse Gatchalian further stated: “The Government among others must initiate bilateral agreements with countries employing OFWs with involved countries committing to protect and uphold

the human rights and dignity of Filipino workers around the world . We also call on President Duterte to investigate and jail illegal and legal recruiters who have caused the physical,psychological and emotional abuse of Filipino workers!”

Do you share this optimism that the concerns of OFWs will finally be addressed under the Duterte-Robredo administration? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Federalism: A mountain the Philippines doesn’t need to climb (yet) Commentary

Ben D. KRitz FILIPINOS have an infuriating habit of beginning initiatives with great energy and enthusiasm, and then giving up on them quickly when the details begin piling up. So, positive results are achieved only incrementally and with great difficulty. Business people brought up in almost any other cultural setting in the world find it difficult to manage, and most never do quite figure it out.

As maddening as it can be it is ironically often a useful defense mechanism for the Filipino people on a broader scale, and prevents them from becoming entangled in circumstances that are really beyond their grasp.

The concept of federalism, which has become popular again with the election of a provincial mayor to the highest office in the land, is just one of those circumstances.

The source of the aspiration for federalism is easy to understand; the opinion that local governments suffer in direct proportion to their physical and political distance from the center of power is widely shared. There is virtually no disagreement with the assertion that the national system of

administration as it is carried out now is inequitable and unresponsive. The former mayor of Davao City probably understands that as well as anyone, and the fact that he is now in a position to do something about it raises some tantalizing prospects, all of which have been bundled into a package representing a new and better sort of political economy, and peddled to the nation under the not entirely accurate label of “federalism.”

As with most large-scale political questions, the objective of this aspiration is actually a fairly basic economic goal—to provide a consistently fair and sustainable opportunity for every Filipino to attain a healthy, productive standard of living.

It is a perfectly worthy aspiration; even though it takes the opposite perspective from the prevailing top-down neoliberal economic philosophy that rules the world at present It is also probably a better way to build a strong economy on a macro scale—people with good lives on a household level are able and eager to be good consumers, and it is demand, after all, which drives any economy.

According to President Duterte and many advocates who support him, the way to achieve that basic economic goal is through changing the system of government to a federal system, although to be fair to the President, he seems a lot less strident and more openminded about the issue than

most of his backers.

To ultimately understand why federalism is probably not the solution the country needs, it is helpful to understand what federalism actually is. Federalism is a system in which the central, national government shares power with semi-autonomous subdivisions of the nation, with the authority and responsibilities of each level—the national, or federal level, and the level of the state or province—clearly defined.

At present, there are 25 nations in the world that can be properly described as federal systems, plus two others (Spain and the United Kingdom) that have devolved systems that are for all practical purposes federal, even though they are not defined as such. The formation of federal nations varies, but in most cases, the national government is created by the individual member state-units, and not the other way around. In other words, individual independent states, or individual colonies in a loose collective agree to cooperate to form a national government; this is how 20 of the 25 present-day federal nations were formed, including the United States, which serves as the informal model for the Philippine federalists’ goal.

In all other cases, the federal system was formed by subdividing a colony upon independence; examples of this include Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, and Nigeria, and all of those are

While he may be eyeing radical policy changes, incoming president Rodrigo Duterte is willing to retain members of the Aquino economic team who are performing well.

Photo from the Office of Davao City

noted for having comparatively strong central governments.

At no time in the world’s political history has an independent unitary nation subdivided itself into a federal system. That alone should give the Filipino people pause, because trying something that has never been done before as an alternative to making a weak effort to carry out existing methods does not, as a rule, lead to good results.

Right now in this country, political and economic observers— and more to the point, the local

and foreign investors who look to them for advice—are watching some very encouraging developments in the overall atmosphere created by the Duterte presidency in its early days, a strong drive to improve discipline and basic performance. Against that backdrop, a call for federalizing the Philippines appears to be an unnecessary, heterodox distraction, one that could create as many problems as it solves, and derail the nation and its new government from the right track it seems to be on at the moment.

Indeed, the imbalances created by the present system need to be corrected, but there is at this point absolutely nothing to suggest that what is happening now is clearly moving away from that direction. This country has a history of making up new laws and processes as corrective measures for ones that fail because they simply weren’t followed; perhaps eschewing federalism, at least for the foreseeable future, is the best way to break that particularly self-destructive pattern. (ManilaTimes.net)

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

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Journal

Your Immigration Solution Eric r. WElsh CRIMES have consequences, and for non-citizens, those consequences can sometimes be much more severe than a sentence and probation. Immigrants with criminal convictions can face deportation from the US, or substantial obstacles to entering the US or applying for benefits like a green card or citizenship.

Nonetheless, not every crime triggers an immigration consequence. United States immigration laws are federal laws, and most of the crime-related grounds of deportation or inadmissibility are defined in relation to federal crimes.

When a person is convicted of violating a state law and convicted in a state court, that conviction will only result in an immigration consequence if the offense committed falls within a federal definition.

When the state law defines a crime more broadly than the federal law, there is a mismatch, and possibly a way to avoid the immigration consequence.

For example, a person who is convicted in California of “burglary” has not necessarily committed the federal (“generic”) offense of “burglary” because the California statute penalizes any “entry” into a location with intent to commit a crime, while the generic federal definition requires “unlawful” entry. The issue, then, is whether an immigration fact-finder can look beyond the definition of the state crime to determine whether the defendant actually committed the generic offense (i.e., whether the California defendant’s entry was, in fact, “unlawful”).

In a series of recent decisions, the US Supreme Court has provided useful guidance to determine when a conviction will trigger an immigration consequence.

Most recently, in Mathis v. United States, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the principle that, except in rare instances, a state conviction for an offense that is defined

Mathis v. United States: Supreme Court decision places limits on the consequences of a state criminal conviction more broadly in state law than the “generic” federal definition cannot be the basis for an adverse federal consequence. In Mathis, the Supreme Court analyzed the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), which imposes a mandatory sentence enhancement on a defendant who has three prior convictions “for a violent felony,” including “burglary, arson, or extortion.” The defendant, Richard Mathis, had five prior convictions for burglary in Iowa. The Iowa burglary statute is broader than the federal definition, penalizing unlawful entry into “any building, structure, [or] land, water, or air vehicle,” while the generic federal definition is limited to unlawful entry into a “building or other structure.” The criminal court found that because Mr. Mathis had, in fact, burglarized buildings, it did not matter that the Iowa state statute was overly broad, and applied the mandatory sentence enhancement to Mr. Mathis’s conviction.

The Supreme Court disagreed and reversed, finding that the sentence enhancement did not apply. The Court held that because the elements of the Iowa crime of “burglary” are broader than the elements of the generic offense, the convictions for Iowa burglary could not predicate a sentence enhancement, regardless of whether the defendant had, in fact, committed acts that would satisfy the generic definition. The Court explained that where a state statute provides different, alternative means of fulfilling one or more of a crime’s elements, the judge tasked with the duty of deciding whether a sentence enhancement applies must not engage in exploring alternative factual scenarios. Because the “elements” of a crime must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt in order to sustain a conviction, it would be fundamentally unfair to impose a consequence on a defendant based on “facts” that did not need to be

proven in order to obtain the conviction in the first place.

This ruling has significant importance in the immigration context.

Many criminal grounds of inadmissibility or deportability require an immigration agency to prove that an immigrant committed a generic, federal offense. When an immigrant is actually convicted of a state crime that is similar to but actually broader than a generic, federal offense, the adjudicator may be tempted to look beyond the words in the statute and try to determine what the immigrant actually did. In Mathis, the Supreme Court cautions that this kind of inquiry is not appropriate. This would require additional fact-finding that was not necessary to convict the person in state court, and may be extremely unreliable.

Immigration consequences of criminal convictions can be severe, and because of that severity, the Supreme Court provides guidance to strictly limit those consequences, especially in the context of grounds of deportation to remove a person from the United States. All persons in the United States have rights and protections under the constitution and the laws, regardless of immigration status. Immigrants with any criminal history should consult with an experienced immigration attorney to ensure that those rights are exercised. *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Manila. For more Information please call (800) 795-8009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

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ture and other capital outlays by the end of the third quarter of 2015. For that year the Aquino THE Duterte administration is administration had allocated 24.5 allocating P171.6 billion to in- percent of the P2.61 trillion budfrastructure building next year. get for infrastructure and related It represents 5.2 percent of a expenditure. much-reduced P3.3 trillion naHowever, actual spending in tional budget. the first three-quarters of the In comparison, the latest data year (P243 billion) amounted to from the Department of Budget only 9.32 percent of the 2015 and Management showed that budget. the Aquino administration had The economic planners of the spent P243 billion on infrastruc- Duterte administration had earliby Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

er said they wanted to lessen the tax burden on the common man.

Therefore, a smaller national budget is inevitable; however a fair share of it is being allocated to infrastructure building.

“The infrastructure program will include subsidies and equity to government-owned and -controlled corporations, and transfers to local government units (LGUs) for the development projects to LGUs,” Budget and

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DOF goal: ‘Zero customer complaints’

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III

FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has asked all Department of Finance (DOF) employees to focus on meeting high public expectations rather than just meeting collection targets.

Speaking during DOF’s flagraising ceremony on Monday, July 4, he asked them to spearhead the new administration’s efforts to reinvent government in such a way as to meet the people’s expectations on making life more bearable for most of them,

bringing a robust economy for all.

To achieve this objective, he laid down their task in no uncertain terms—improve the delivery of front-line services and align their respective areas of responsibilities to the 10-point economic agenda of the administration.

Each employee, he said, must be the “epitome of integrity,” must demonstrate appropriate behavior in all official dealings, completely avoid bribes and solicitations in whatever form, and avoid fraternizing with clients

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JULY 8-14, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

The CTV Files Atty. Dennis ChuA, esq.

OFTEN, many immigrants have kept pushing back their decision to apply for US citizenship.

Many of them have also failed to keep track of the validity of their permanent resident cards such that when they are now ready to apply for naturalization, they discover that their permanent resident cards have either expired or are about to expire.

Our office has regularly received queries from immigrants whose permanent resident cards have expired or are expiring, as to whether or not they should still renew their permanent resident cards if they intend to file for their naturalization. This is because they would like to avoid paying $450 which is the current filing fee for the renewal of permanent resident cards. There are reports that immigration filing fees including citizenship application fees will increase significantly.

The US Citizenship and Immi-

Community Journal

Applying for naturalization with expired green cards gration Service (USCIS) has posted some guidance as to when immigrants should renew their permanent resident cards even if they are filing for citizenship.

The USCIS has indicated in its website that “if you apply for naturalization 6 months or more before the expiration date on your Permanent Resident Card…, you do not have to apply for a new card……If you apply for naturalization less than 6 months before the expiration date on your Permanent Resident Card, or do not apply for naturalization until your card has already expired, you must renew your card.” USCIS information officers have therefore been informing immigrants to renew their expired permanent resident cards before they apply for naturalization.

Notwithstanding this guidance provided by the USCIS, our office has successfully filed for applications for naturalization for immigrants whose permanent resident cards have expired. An immigrant does not lose his or her permanent resident status

with the expiration of his or her permanent resident card. Only his or her proof of residency expires with the expiration of the permanent resident card.

However, there may be instances when an immigrant must renew the expired green card even if he or she intends to file for citizenship. One such instance is when he or she intends to travel outside the country. An immigrant must have an unexpired permanent resident card to be allowed entry into the United States. *** Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV), a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Manila. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; Dchua@ ctvattys.com. The CTV Attorneys will be at Max’s Restaurant in Vallejo on October 19, 2009 from 5pm to 7pm to hold a FREE legal clinic.

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette ADevA MAglAyA ONE of my favorite writers is Saint Paul, aka Saul of Tarsus, who lived about two thousand years ago.

He had something to say about what does matter in life and about a special kind of love that in Greek is called Agape (ahgah-pay). Agape is unconditional love, a kind of love that has no agenda or motivations, a kind of love that is exemplified in God sending His only Son, a kind of love that if emulated by humans, sets us apart from all of God’s creatures, makes us a little closer to the angels and truly created in God’s own image and likeness.

But Paul didn’t start out as a defender of the Christian faith.

He was, in fact, an avid persecutor feared by early Christians. He had a unique status. As a Jew and a Pharisee who was also a Roman citizen, he used everything in his power and position to quash the growth of the church persecuting the members of the then budding Christian church. Paul stood by tacitly approving the stoning of St. Stephen, the first martyr.

Paul was a young, rising brilliant star of his time eager to make his mark in the Judaic tradition and he was hot and bothered by the intensity of the love and fervency of the Apostles and early believers. This startup movement was a threat to his career track and his Judaic core belief system. He was going to make it his life’s work to eliminate Christ’s early followers and eradicate what Christ himself has started. If murder and mayhem were the tools to get it done, he was going to use them.

But God had other plans for Paul. On his way to Damascus on a mission to arrest and persecute Christians, a blinding light struck him. He fell off his horse while Jesus’ voice is heard asking him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” This dramatic, miraculous conversion when he temporarily became blind was a critical juncture for the Christian church.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit who suffused his entire being when the scales of his blindness fell off his eyes, Paul’s teachings and writings have an eternal shelf life - true today, as it was then, and

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150

Staying centered in a world gone mad “In a swirling world full of illusions and artifice that only tend to distort and act as centrifugal forces pushing God away as the center of our lives, Paul’s directives make absolute sense.” will be for much of human history.

In the quiet of your soul, read the gospels, discover the exquisite beauty, range and depth of human emotions made known to God, contained in the Psalms, all 150 of them, and then read Paul. You’ll be surprised at the clarity and current relevance of many of his writings. He has a wealth of wisdom to share with anyone seeking meaning in a confusing world seemingly bent on self-immolation. In a swirling world full of illusions and artifice that only tend to distort and act as centrifugal forces pushing God away as the center of our lives, Paul’s directives make absolute sense. His words have the power to keep you centered, as they were intended to be, not on yourself, but on God. Ironically, it’s like being in the eye of the storm where there is peace while swirling forces rage about in the periphery.

This one below, if etched in many hearts and minds and lived out in our daily rounds through thoughts and more specifically in even the tiniest of actions, particularly in couples, already married or planning marriage in the foreseeable future, could remarkably bring down the alarming rate of break-ups and a whole universe of heartaches among couples and perhaps, preserve families.

These days, the very structure and integrity of the family unit are heavily assaulted from many fronts with media and the internet leading the charge at a time when the church is weakened by internal abuses and scandals.

As history will bear and as written in the song, “Canticle of the Turning,” which is based on the Blessed Mother Mary’s “Magnificat,” it is when the church is at its most vulnerable when the forces of heaven align to defend it and go on the offensive.

Marriage as a bedrock institution between man and a woman is in serious danger, as man-

made laws masquerading as civil liberties, are enacted to challenge it, all in the name of political correctness. Strong family units built on love are so essential in creating strong societies from the ground up. Each generation builds upon and learns from the ones that came before it.

The passage below is a favorite among couples and wedding planners and for good reason.

These words are more than the pretty, superficial veneer of rituals in weddings. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 13, are words to live by telling us what really matters as he did then to members of the early church who were probably just as lost, confused and disconcerted as most of us probably are.

Set your hearts on the greater gifts. I will show you the way which surpasses all the others.

If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind.

Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.

Love never fails. … And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

EVA to increase Paris flights from four weekly to daily Service boost adds more nonstop convenience, greater flexibility

TAIPEI, Taiwan — EVA Air, a new addition to the elite ranks of the world’s 5-Star airlines, is increasing nonstop flights on its popular Paris route from four times a week to daily service on October 10, 2016. The airline will continue to serve the route on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with its EVA Hello Kitty Handin-Hand Jet and use modern Boeing 777-300ERs in standard livery for the other four flights.

Travelers can learn more about EVA, its Hello Kitty Jets, routes, onward connections and services or book and buy tickets at www. evaair.com.

Long established as an important gateway for EVA passengers, Paris loads are consistently strong. With the planned daily service, EVA will bring its flights into Paris early in the morning, making it easy for passengers to connect onward, use the day to enjoy leisure activities or conduct business. At the same time, EVA is increasing frequencies on routes within Southeast Asia, offering business travelers from throughout France and Europe more convenient and flexible access to markets, financial centers and manufacturing hubs. In addition to Paris, EVA’s gateways in Europe are Amsterdam, London, Vienna and Istanbul.

Based on EVA’s current summer schedule, flight BR087 will depart Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) every day at 23:30 (11:30 pm) and arrive at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International airport at 07:35 (7:35 am) the next day. Return flight BR088 will leave Paris at 11:20 (11:20 am) and land back in Taipei at 06:30 (6:30 am) the following day. EVA has configured all of the aircraft it will fly on this route with three comfortable cabins, Economy Class, Elite premium economy and Royal Laurel business.

EVA is frequently honored, awarded and recognized by pas-

sengers, media, industry experts and organizations worldwide. In addition to recognizing EVA as one of only eight 5-Star Airlines globally, SKYTRAX ranked it as one of the “World’s Top-10 Best Airlines” and number one for “Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness” in 2015, based on its annual quality satisfaction survey of travelers worldwide.

About EVA Air EVA Air, a Star Alliance member, was established in 1989 as Taiwan’s first privately owned international airline. It is part of the respected Evergreen Group and a sister company to global container-shipping leader Evergreen

Line. It flies a fleet of close to 70 Boeing and Airbus aircraft to more than 60 international destinations throughout Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe where gateways are Amsterdam, London, Paris, Vienna and Istanbul. Amsterdam, London and Vienna service is direct via Bangkok, continuing to Taipei while Paris and Istanbul flights are nonstop. From Taipei, passengers can connect on to major cities throughout Asia, including 28 destinations in China. Travelers can learn more about EVA and book, buy and reserve seats at www.evaair.com.

(Advertising supplement)

DOF goal: ‘Zero customer…

PAGE CJ1 t

who might influence their performance of duty.

He also wants all employees to give suggestions as to how they could help achieve these goals as he looks forward to establishing with his co-workers a department

that makes things and dealings easier for the public at large.

Dominguez expects the cluster heads to be ready by the middle of this month to brief the Office of the Secretary with updated organizational tables, a clear articulation of main functions, key

result areas, and priorities for the next six months.

“My expectation with regard to outcomes,” he said, “is that we will be able to improve work quality, accelerate processing, and receive zero customer complaints.” n

Community Journal

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Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ IN most cases, in order for a person to adjust status (obtain a green card) in the U.S., the person must prove he or she was “inspected and admitted” by an immigration officer at the airport or border (port of entry). This means that the person presented himself to an immigration officer who reviewed his or her visa or other documentation and was allowed to enter the U.S. Even if a person is married to a U.S. citizen, the person must ordinarily prove that he or she was inspected (unless, for example, they were “grandfathered” under section 245(i) or have an immediate relative who served in the military). Consequently, people who entered the U.S. without inspection (EWI), or snuck across the border, may not be able to prove they were “inspected,” and may not be eligible to adjust status in the US. However, in some cases, a person may be able to prove they were “inspected” if they were the border and “waved through” by the immigration officer. For example, the person was sitting in the back seat of a car and was driven across the border from Canada (or Mexico) into the U.S. The car comes to an immigration\border checkpoint, and the immigration officer looks inside, perhaps asks the driver a few

questions, and says “passo.”

That could constitute being “inspected and admitted” for adjustment purposes, as long as the person presented themselves for questioning, and did not claim to be a citizen, even if the officer never asked them any questions.

In a case published by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), a person approached the border as a passenger in a car being driven by her U.S. citizen friend. The immigration inspector asked the friend whether he was a U.S. citizen, but did not ask the passenger anything. The officer then waved the car through the port of entry. Eventually, the person married a U.S. citizen, and the issue was whether being waved through the border constituted “inspection.” The BIA ruled that being waved through the border constituted “inspection and admission” to the U.S. Please note that if a person claims he or she was waved through the border, the USCIS will require detailed and extensive information on how you crossed the border, such as the make and model of the car you drove in, who was driving, who was in the car, how long did you wait in line at the border, the color of clothing the officers were wearing, what time of day did you enter the U.S., what was the weather like, how did you get to

Canada or Mexico, and where is your Canadian or Mexican visa?

If this situation applies to you, you may want to consult with an immigration attorney to prove your eligibility to adjust status, and possibly avoid having to go back to Manila or immigrant visa processing. Please bear in mind that you must have truly been waved across the border vs. saying you were. If you claimed to be a U.S. citizen, or you entered the U.S. with an assumed name (or altered) passport and visa, or in the trunk of a car, this rule would not apply to you. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

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

Business News

IP office vows to curb fake goods, piracy niKa M. ManilaTimes.net

Lazo

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) assured the public that it will continue its efforts to curb counterfeit products and piracy in line with the Duterte administration’s anti-crime and anti-corruption campaign.

The IPOPHL and the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR) held a ceremonial destruction of counterfeit and pirated goods at the Philippine National Police Grandstand in Camp Crame in Quezon City on Monday, July 4.

“Fighting counterfeiting and piracy is fighting corruption and criminality,” said Allan Gepty, IPOPHL deputy director general.

“If there is a proliferation of counterfeit products and pirated items, expect that many local businesses will suffer and the revenues of the government will be affected,” he added.

IPOPHL has been trying to educate the public that fake and substandard products pose a danger not just to health and safety but also affect the economy of the country.

Josephine Santiago, IPOPHL

FAIRFIELD, CA—Jehovah’s Witnesses will soon hold their annual convention at the Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses located at 2020 Walters Road, Fairfield, CA. They extend an open invitation for all to attend.

The theme of this year’s program is “Remain Loyal to Jehovah!”

The three-day program will feature 49 presentations, each exploring the theme “loyalty.”

Additionally, the Witnesses have prepared 35 video segments specifically for the program plus two short films that will be shown on Saturday and Sunday. Each day, the morning and afternoon sessions will be introduced by music videos recorded for the conven-

tion.

Angelito Roque, a convention spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the local circuit in Northern California, states: “We strongly believe that loyalty is an essential part of any healthy relationship. Our convention this year features content that will help people develop stronger bonds with friends, family members and, above all, with God. We are confident that all who attend will enjoy this program.”

Starting July 8, 2016, and continuing for the next 3 weeks, Jehovah’s Witnesses will extend personal invitations to everyone from the Bay Area welcoming them to attend the program.

2016, Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm at Cardoza Park, 1358 Kennedy Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035.

Registration starts at 10 am.

For more information, please contact: Alice @ (510) 305-6504; Pabs @ (415) 225-3545; Vingin

Calendar of Events across

There is no admission fee. Conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses are supported entirely by voluntary donations.

The three-day events to be held in Fairfield, CA will begin Friday, July 29, 2016, at 9:20 a. m. An estimated 1,900 will come to the Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses for the Bible-based programs. Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States are organizing 453 conventions—in 29 languages—in 124 cities. Worldwide, there are over 8,000,000 Witnesses in more than 115,000 congregations. For the schedule of the entire program and additional information of our convention, go to www.jw.org. n

@ (408) 505-0361; Celia @ (408) 799-4947; Chato @ (954) 2924928; Dolly @ (408) 439-7095; Carol @ (831) 456-5221. Come and reminisce, renew old acquaintances and meet again your classmates and old neighbors. n

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS J U LY 9

VaLenCia Philstar.com

FEU Sword Fraternity Alumni International Assn. also known as SANDUGO with a Facebook page of “feusfi (Abroad) is holding their 30th Anniversary of its founding. Its members are graduates of the FEU ROTC/WATC Advance course in Manila. Phil. . This group is based in Los Angeles, CA. The celebration/Reunion will be attended by other Frat Members from the Philippines, other States of the US, Canada, Australia and Tokyo. It will be held in the residence of one of the Founders at 1341 Montezuma Way, West Covina, CA, 91791 on July 9, 2016 starting at 1600H. After the 9th, Tour of Los Angeles, trip to San Diego and Las Vegas are being arranged. We are enjoining Frat members who are “Abroad” that we have no (or have changed) contact info to please get in touch to “reconnect”, or at least let us know you are still OK and/or update your data. Contact person and for more information - Frat Cmdr Romy Calderon 626 826 2745, e-mail “feusfi@gmail.com” and Brod Ted Bautista, Tel no.626 392 5024, e-mail -”samba1341@gmail.com”

J U LY 1 5 ADB provided its first loan to the Philippines in 1969 to support private enterprise development, followed by a loan to support agriculture and rural development in Mindanao. Since then, it has provided $15.9 billion in sovereign loans, 1.6 billion in non-sovereign operations such as guarantees to the private sector, and $92 million in technical assistance for various development projects.

Philstar file photo

this year and is “ready to increase assistance further based on discussion with the new administration.”

ADB provided its first loan to

the Philippines in 1969 to support private enterprise development, followed by a loan to support agriculture and rural

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Govt to spend P171.6B on infra…

Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno said during a press conference following the DBCC meeting held at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Tuesday, July 5.

Round-the-clock work Diokno also said that the government is considering pursuing round-the-clock construction for all major Metro Manila infrastructure projects as well as projects in Cebu and Davao.

“This is a recognition of the economic cost of project delays. The estimate is something like P2.3 billion everyday. So to get things done much faster, we will work 24/7 and that will also have an impact on employment,” he said.

Jehovah’s Witnesses welcome all to their 2016 ‘Remain Loyal to Jehovah’ convention

THE Santiago City (Formerly: Santiago, Isabela) Association, Counterfeit goods of well-known brands is shown in photo. THE Intellectual Property Office USA (SCAUSA)-Northern Caliof the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently assured the public that it will continue its efforts to curb fornia Chapter is cordially invitcounterfeit products and piracy. ing All Santiaguenos to come and director general, recognized the government as a whole,” San- join us on our Annual Reunion and Picnic (Potluck) on July 23, efforts of the NCIPR for their tiago said.

In 2014 Philippines was taken dedication and hard work to eradicate counterfeiting and pi- off the USTR Special 301 Watch List that reviews the state of intelracy in the country.

“The delisting of the Philip- lectual property rights (IPR) propines from the United States tection and enforcement in tradTrade Representative (USTR) ing partners of the US around the Special 301 Watch List for three world due to the improvements years now is not only IPOPHL’s in local IPR protection.

NCIPR has already seized and accomplishment, but also a product of the concerted efforts of the destroyed counterfeit goods with NCIPR members, the business an estimated value of P2.8 billion sector, brand owners, and the from January to May this year. n

by Czeriza

MANILA — Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has committed support for development projects under the Duterte administration’s 10-point economic agenda.

The multilateral lending institution congratulated President Duterte and wished him success in his administration last Friday, July 1.

“The Philippines, a founding member of ADB, has hosted ADB headquarters since its establishment in 1966. We are grateful for its warm hospitality and close partnership,” said ADB president Takehiko Nakao.

“We are happy to elevate our support to the new administration to pursue its development objectives based on the 10-point economic agenda,” he added.

Nakao said the bank is targeting to provide $1 billion in sovereign loans to the Philippines

A MOTHER’S AND HER ATTORNEY’S PERSISTENCE RESULT IN HER DAUGHTERS FINALLY BEING ISSUED CSPA VISAS BASED ON “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES”-- ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY!” Lolita left her two daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the US, with the dream that she would eventually have them join her. However, her previous attorney missed the one year “sought to acquire” filing deadline for CSPA eligibility, resulting in the Embassy refusing to issue their immigrant visas. Leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel was her beacon of hope, as he did not give up in trying to convince the Embassy that the daughters should be entitled to visas, despite missing the one-year deadline. Find out how Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to prove extraordinary circumstances, have the two “aged-out” daughters be issued visas, and reunite this family on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday, July 10 at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.

Santiago City Association, USA (Northern California Chapter) annual reunion and picnic

Commits support to Duterte Gov’t ADB eyes higher lending to PH this year

PAGE CJ1 t

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Being waved across the border could constitute ‘inspection’ for adjustment of status

Immigration Corner

by Kristyn

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 8-14, 2016

“We have brought it to the President’s attention and he’s okay with it,” he added.

Describing the plan as doable, the Department of Public Works and Highways vowed its cooperation, but noted that coordination is needed.

“It is possible. Of course, you have to coordinate with the contractors and see how they can implement it, but it is doable,” said Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.

Asked if the plan will cover Metro Manila only, Villar said the agency would try to fast track as many projects as it could.

The Duterte administration also said that it would continue the current line up of projects

under the public-private partnership (PPP) program.

“There are several that about to be bid, also a number that needs the last step which is the NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority] Board approval. I think these projects can be bid or completed for bidding within the year,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

As of the second quarter of 2016, 14 PPP projects costing P303 billion have already been awarded, while 17 projects worth nearly P580 billion are in various stages.

Pernia said priority PPP projects include link roads, railways and airports. n

Magsingal Organization of America Annual Camping Members and town mates of the Magsingal Organization of America (MOA) are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting/Picnic & Camping on July 15-17, 2016 at the Brannan Island State Recreational Park in Rio Vista, CA. Group campsite costs are shouldered by MOA and so does for supplies, water and basic foods. For further inquiries and details, visit the Facebook page or call the following: Tereso (209) 603-8440, Lanie (209) 814-8004 or Grace (209) 817-5674.

J U LY 1 6

UBSCI to celebrate 28th Anniversary The United Batanguenos of Southern California Inc. (UBSCI) will celebrate their 28th Anniversary & Coronation Night on July 16, 2016 at The Odyssey Restaurant - 15600 Odyssey Dr., Granada Hills. Music will be provided by Willie Manacsa & The Midnight Motion Band. For other related questions, please call Romy Elepano, Governor ( 323) 498-9333; Carmel Gonzales, Vice-Gov. (818) 785-2078 or Tony Lina, Vice-Gov. (323) 474-5877.

S E P T E M B E R 8 -1 7

42nd annual celebration in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia United Bicolandia Los Angeles (UBLA) invites everyone, Bicolanos, devotees and friends to come and celebrate the 42nd annual celebration in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Patroness of the Bicol Region. The festivities will start on Sept. 9, with the translacion at 5pm at the Immaculate of Mary Church (4954 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029. A nightly novena Mass follows from Sept. 9 to Sept. 16 at 6 PM except on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 PM and Sunday, Sept. 11, at 2;30 PM and culminates on Saturday, Sept.

17, with the ninth day novena at 8am, foot & fluvial procession at 9 AM, and a Concelebrated Mass at 10 am at Lincoln Park, 3501 Valley Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90031. Main celebrant will be HE Most Rev Arturo Bastes, Bishop of Sorsogon. For details, please call Lanie Berrei (818) 281-3169 or Gene Leano (818) 439-6896.

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

CJ

JULY 8-14, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

The Metamorphosis ErniE D. DElfin “GOD gives us enough years to live and the health we need to accomplish the things He wants us to accomplish on this Earth.”

— Father Emery Tang, OFM The first six months of this year has been super unusual for me due to the tragic news of untimely deaths of several people I consider close friends and/or valued clients, and fellow Rotarians who are all great human beings.

At least a dozen people — who I know well enough — from the Philippines to the US, passed away just.

Just to name a few, my friends and/or clients: JN of Carson, to LL in Palos Verdes, to ET of Anaheim, to LS in Cerritos, whom I have had many interactions in the Filipino-American community, in business world or in our Rotary planet.

Then just recently, the most

Community Journal

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150

Man’s life on earth is just a little hyphen of his short life Sayonara to Ortes Rivera on his final hegira to heaven

distressing call from our family in Batangas City came in the middle of the night, bearing the saddest news of the untimely death of my wife’s younger brother Ortes due to a fatal car accident! Intellectually, I know death is inevitable but any morbid news of death is still too shocking to accept and it haunts you for days. It becomes a painful and grim reminder of my own mortality!

Biblically, death comes as a result of the original sin, Adam and Eve’s “punishment” for disobeying God’s first commandment. Death sooner or later will happen to every person on this earth. From birth to death, the miles we will travel is measured, but only God, our Savior and the Creator of Life, knows when that final destination comes. The hegira or journey that we will traverse in our lifetime is personalized and distinctly unique from others, like our footprints or DNA. That insignificant little hyphen that appears in our tombstone one day, separating

the year of our birth and year of our death, contains the highlight or substance of our short life that hopefully make our life worth remembering by those we will leave behind. Morbid thoughts that can make us petrified or motivated to do something significant. A profound but scary reminder that all of us will have that tombstone with that will contain something of value for others, or nothing at all.

The topic of death elicits many emotions that are possibly even more charged than the news of a birth. Nine months after conception, the birth of a child is normally anticipated with joy by the parents, their families and close. It is a momentous occasion. On the other hand, death comes like a thief in the night to anyone, young or old, rich or poor, sick or healthy, powerless or full of earthly power. But no one knows when death arrives except God and those convicted felons who are put to death as the ultimate punishment for their

heinous crimes when the shadow of death visits us. Man and woman come into this world in the same fashion, yet every one leaves Earth differently.

That happened to my dear brother-in-law Ortes, when he breathed his last breath after a tragic car accident. His passing came very tragic and fast like a blink of an eye last June 21, just about two weeks from my own birthday, that is causing some inexplicable feelings and strong emotions and thoughts that I need to vent in my journal by writing them like right now.

Somehow, grief that is shared eases the pain of loss.

These random thoughts of births, birthdays and death have occupied my mind lately, like a raging river coming from the mountains after a thunderstorm, while our families mourn the passing away of our brother Ortes. It’s a great challenge to grieve alone so I am forced to just reminisce Ortes’ short life, including a recent event in April

this year, when he and his wife Belet and their entire family (son Ronald in Singapore with his wife Leeyan with two kids, and eldest son, Oliver with his wife Ana Moren and daughter Olivia from London, and only daughter Chee and her husband Robin) all gathered for a special family reunion for the first time in the beautiful Island of Boracay and had the best week of their lives.

I knew about that happy event because I was there, the only one from the US to be able to join them for several days, doing nothing but enjoy the island paradise. Since I married Ortes’ only sister four decades ago, I have had many occasions to have conversations with him especially when he also spent some weeks with us in California many moons ago. I thought I am a man that is not “supposed to cry and shed tears,” but I did, especially after witnessing my wife’s deep hurt and mourning.

I will also miss Ortes dearly but I will celebrate his life on

earth, remembering the good times and the example of how he lived his life of hard work, as an engineer in the Middle East for many years, and as an entrepreneur in the Philippines. He worked silently, without complaints, always thinking of his family to have a better life than he found it. He was generous man sharing his time and money with his loved ones. Towards that objective, he succeeded very well. I just wish that he had more time to enjoy his retirement years, playing with his growing grandchildren who were definitely spoiled by him in his own ways. But that is life; man can only plan and the Creator of Life implements.

Goodbye, for now, bayaw Ortes! You are now at peace and no more pain in the bosom of our Creator, our Lord and our God. Rest In Peace! Until we meet again in Heaven! *** Email: ernie.delfin@gmail.com Visit: www.gkerc.org

Business News PH slides in competitiveness Tourist arrivals sustain record streak in May

of ports, logistics businesses

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

MANILA — The marching order given by President Duterte to government agencies to honor contracts is seen to improve the global competitiveness of the country’s port and logistics businesses.

The country’s ranking in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the World Bank plunged 14 places to 71st this year from 57th in 2014.

The WB report ranks 160 countries based on key criteria of logistics performance, including border clearance efficiency, infrastructure quality, timeliness of shipments, ease of arranging competitively priced shipments, competence and quality of logistics services, and ability to track and trace consignments.

The biennial report titled “Connecting to Compete 2016: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy” showed the Philippines scored 2.89 this year from 3.14 when it

EMPLOYMENT

The country’s ranking in the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) of the World Bank plunged 14 places to 71st this year from 57th in 2014.

ranked 44th in 2010.

The Philippines’ score in the WB report dropped in all criteria except in timeliness of shipments, which jumped to 70th year from 90th in 2014.

The country’s ranking in customs services dropped drastically as it dropped to 78th place from

47th based on the efficiency of the clearance process that included speed, simplicity, and predictability of formalities by border control agencies including customs.

For the quality of trade- and transport-related infrastructure that is ports, railroads, roads,

u PAGE CJ5

EMPLOYMENT

by Louise

Maureen Philstar.com

siMeon

MANILA — The local tourism industry continued on its record streak as it breached for the first time the 2.5-million mark in international arrivals in a span of five months.

Foreign visitors reached 2.52 million from January to May 2016, 13 percent higher than the 2.22 million recorded in 2015.

Latest data from the Department of Tourism (DOT) showed international tourists for May alone rose eight percent to 445,449 from 413,937 in the same period last year.

Receipts from tourism activities for May increased 19 percent to P20 billion from P16.8 billion generated a year ago.

Aggregate receipts for the January to May 2016 period amounted to P106.6 billion, up 14 percent from P94 billion in the same period last year.

“Our key markets posted positive figures as a result of sustained travel trade and consumer promotions while opportunity markets where the DOT has stepped

Foreign visitors reached 2.52 million from January to May 2016, 13 percent higher than the 2.22 million recorded in 2015.

Philstar file photo

up its market development initiatives continue to significantly contribute to the production,” Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon told The Star.

East Asia contributed the biggest arrivals in May with 209,175 visitors or almost half (47 percent) of total visitor volume.

North America accounted for 20 percent of the market with 87,923 while the ASEAN region

comprised nine percent contributing 40,196 arrivals. Australia and the Pacific and Northern Europe registered six percent each.

Korea remained the top tourist contributor with 576,332 arrivals or a 23 percent share in total inbound traffic.

The US supplied the second biggest inbound arrival with 377,595 visitors while the

FOSTER HOMECARE

REAL ESTATE

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(650) 616-4150 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 8-14, 2016

Be fire safe this summer

Tips from the Redwood City Fire Department DID you know that according to fire officials, approximately 95 percent of all wildfires are sparked by the activity of people, which means that almost all wildfires are preventable? Each year, thousands for acres of land and countless homes are destroyed by wildfires.

Having a working smoke alarm in your home, more than doubles a persons chance of surviving a fire.

Check out these tips to be fire safe this summer: • Limit outdoor power equipment One of the leading causes of wildfires is outdoor power equipment. Use powered equipment before 10 am and never on hot and windy days. Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained with nothing dragging on the ground like trailer chains. One less spark means one less wildfire.

• Clear brush and grasses Are you a resident that lives in the hilly portions of Redwood City, San Carlos and Unincorporated San Mateo County? Take precautions today to avoid grass fires.

The Redwood City-San Carlos Fire Department is reminding residents to clear brush and grasses to a minimum of 30-ft to 100-ft from their homes or to the property line, whichever comes first.

Doing so creates the defensible space required under State Law, and greatly reduces the potential of wildfires destroying homes.

Specific methods for performing the clearing of dead or dry vegetation can be viewed by visiting the Fire Safe Council of San Mateo County website at http:// smcfiresafe.org and CAL FIRE at www.fire.ca.gov.

• Smoke alarms Did you know most deaths in a fire are from smoke not flames?

65% of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarm or smoke alarms that are not functioning properly.

– Test your smoke alarm monthly.

– Replace your smoke alarm battery annually if your smoke

alarms are not the newer models equipped with a 10-year battery.

– Have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area, and inside each room.

For frequently asked questions about smoke alarms, go to www. redwoodcity.org/departments/ fire-department/fire-prevention/ smoke-alarm-program.

• Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms Install CO alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home including the basement. The CO alarm can warn you if too much CO is in your home.

For tips about CO Alarms, go to www.fire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_carbonmonoxide. n

Commits support to Duterte Gov’t ADB… PAGE CJ3 t

development in Mindanao. Since then, it has provided $15.9 billion in sovereign loans, 1.6 billion in non-sovereign operations such as guarantees to the private sector, and $92 million in technical assistance for various development projects.

Immediately after the occurrence of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, the ADB provided $900 million for rehabilitation of affected areas.

ADB is currently supporting projects in the country for sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, good governance and finance, youth employment and education, gender, social protection (conditional cash transfers for poor households) and regional integration.

ADB has been supporting the government’s public-private partnership initiatives, and is

currently providing transaction advisory service to the 595-kilometer North-South railway project.

President Duterte’s economic team has presented a 10-point economic agenda that builds on the gains of the Aquino administration. The agenda was expanded and revised from an earlier announced eight-point economic plan.

The agenda includes the continuance and maintenance of current macroeconomic, fiscal, monetary and trade policies; institution of a progressive tax reform and a more effective tax collection; increasing the competitiveness of businesses and improving the ease of doing business; accelerating annual infrastructure spending; promoting rural development; ensuring security of land tenure to encourage investments; investing

in human capital development; promoting science and technology; improving social protection, as well as strengthening the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law. n

4Ds: Take the bite out of summer

MOSQUITOS have always been an annoyance, but until recently in this part of the world, that’s all they were.

Mosquitos can carry the West Nile Virus, among other diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), West Nile Virus causes mild flu-like symptoms in 1 out of every 5 people bitten and infected. One person in 100 may develop more severe illnesses, such as West Nile meningitis or encephalitis. Still, almost 80% of those infected with West Nile Virus never develop symptoms.

While those are good odds, it’s best to avoid infection in the first place. What can you do to keep mosquitos away and help your family keep from being bitten?

Follow the 4 D’s: Drain, Dress, Dusk, DEET 1. Drain Mosquitoes not only breed in standing water, they can do so in something as small as a bottle cap. Kill mosquitos before they have a chance to breed or hatch by eliminating standing water around your house. Did your toddler leave his toy truck out in the rain? Did you leave a bucket out by the flower bed? Look through your yard for popular mosquito

Chinese market also grew and ranked third with a total 285,348 visitors. Meanwhile, Japan provided 233,042 arrivals and Australia recorded 108,382 visitors.

Other top visitors include Taiwan with 89,792 arrivals, Canada with 82,340, United Kingdom with 76,275, Singapore with 75,756 and Malaysia with 60,911 arrivals.

Moreover, Korea provided P7.5 billion in receipts followed by the US with P3.6 billion. Ja-

hangouts and dump the water.

2. Dress If it’s not too hot out, wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks when outdoors. Use insect repellent on exposed skin. Mosquitos can bite through thin clothing, so spray insect repellent on your clothes for extra protection. Never use repellent underneath your clothes.

3. Dusk Mosquitos are most active between dusk and dawn, so schedule outdoor activities to avoid those peak times. If you do go outside, placing a large fan nearby might help since mosquitos are pretty weak fliers. And don’t

forget your insect repellent!

4. DEET What repellents are safe?

The CDC recommends products containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthanediol products. Make sure to follow package directions and wash all repellents off with warm soapy water once you return indoors. For info on insect repellent use and safety visit http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/ faq/repellent.html.

Take the bite out of summer!

Let the 4 D’s help keep you and your family safe from mosquitos and mosquito-borne disease. n

competence and quality of logistics services including transport operators and customs brokers.

It also fell to 73rd from 64th on the ability to track and trace consignments.

“The LPI plays an important role in raising awareness, and is often the starting point of a policy dialogue,” said Daniel Saslavsky, trade specialist and co-author of the report.

Major players in the country have complained against a series of Bureau of Customs (BoC) directives since last year for having introduced uncertainties to live contracts with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

The BoC directives encroached on the PPA’s regulatory authority in licensing port operators and which port stakeholders also considered as a midstream change in rules.

In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Philippines placed seventh while Singapore ranked fifth in

the survey. Only Cambodia at 73rd from 83rd and Myanmar at 113th from 145 managed to improved their rankings while Malaysia fell to 32nd from 25th, Thailand to 45th from 35th, Indonesia to 63rd from 53rd, Vietnam to 64th from 48th, while Brunei ranked 70th.

“Countries characterized by low logistics performance face high costs, not merely because of transportation costs but also because of unreliable supply chains, a major handicap in integrating and competing in global value chains,” the survey said.

Germany was the top performer for the second time in a row with a score of 4.23, while Syria ranked last with 1.6.

“Logistics performance both in international trade and domestically is central to the economic growth and competitiveness of countries, and the logistics sector is now recognized as one of the core pillars of economic development,” the WB added. n

PH slides in competitiveness…

PAGE CJ4 t

information technology, the country decelerated to 82nd from 75th. The country ranking in easing of arranging competitively priced shipments criteria, the rank of the Philippines also plunged to 35th from 60th.

The ranking of the Philippines slipped to 77th from 61st for

Tourist arrivals sustain…

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pan placed third with P1.1 billion while Australia and Canada contributed P854 million and P770 million, respectively.

Spending patterns for May showed average daily expenditure was estimated at P5,580.24 while average length of stay registered at 10 nights.

For 2016, DOT has set a new target of 6.5 million international arrivals as it continues to bank on key and emerging source markets. Total receipt is target ed at $6.5 billion. n

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JULY 8-14, 2016 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 616-4150

Friday, July 8, 2016

SF2

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - July 8, 2016

Geraldine Roman breaks glass ceiling in PH politics First transgender woman elected to Congress

by MoMar G. Visaya/AJPress The recent May elections in the Philippines introduced a new politician to the rest of the world. her name is Geraldine Roman and she was elected as a congresswoman to represent the First District of the province of Bataan in the house of Representatives.

The 49-year-old Roman made history when she won as she became the first transgender woman in the country’s history to be elected to Congress. her landslide victory is viewed as a breakthrough for LGBT community in a country that is considered traditionally Catholic and conservative, and where divorce, same-sex marriage and abortion are still illegal.

Roman says she will champion equal opportunities under broader a platform.

The congresswoman-elect was in New York recently to visit her brother and attend the graduation of her niece from Dartmouth College. her brother, a lawyer, suggested for her to make the most out of this trip and network. he contacted the Asia Society which was then working on their Diversity Leadership Forum.

A couple of weeks ago, Roman delivered the keynote

speech at the forum, a vital platform for companies to explore how to develop Asian Pacific American as well as Asian talent to gain a competitive edge in the U.S. and global marketplaces.

“What better place to talk about my experiences being a transgender politician in the Philippines,” Roman said. “I have one message – we are talking about diversity, it’s not just about gender but it is also about gender, religion, culture.

We should look beyond these differences and look for common ground. Let’s try to work together and be productive and bring our companies to success.”

Roman said she experienced discrimination simply because she is different, because she is a transgender woman.

“It’s 2016, we’re here in the US, which is supposedly the main proponent of human rights in the world, and there’s still discrimination here. We have to overcome that obstacle,” she told Asian Journal after she delivered her keynote.

In her speech, she talked about dignity and respect, how it is the golden rule, a basic law for harmonious relation-

ships and for us to advance as a society. her parents Antonio and herminia played a part in her decision to run for public office. her father was a congressman in the first district of Bataan. It is her mother who is occupying the post now and she is ending her last term.

“My parents are my inspiration. They have set a very good example to us siblings and they are partly the reason why I decided to join a career in public service,” Roman said. her journey to the house of Representatives began when she decided to return to the Philippines to take care of her ailing father in 2012.

“When my father fell sick in 2012, I decided to come home to the Philippines to take care of him. It usually happens with daughters, right? I don’t have any children so it is easier for me to move back to the Philippines,” Roman shared.

She took care of the family patriarch and in doing so, she noticed that he was trying to hint something to her.

“I think he wanted me to continue the legacy of public service in the family. he asked me one mind-boggling ques-

tion – ‘What is the true meaning of your life?’. I answered him, ‘What do you want me to tell you?’” she asked back.

“Your life is centered on yourself. You may be successful as long as you don’t help others, your life has no true meaning,” her father told her.

That made her decide.

“We’re breaking barriers now. The message of acceptance, tolerance and respect is universal. My winning a seat in Congress is transcendental and it could be used for the worthy cause of human rights,” she said.

The neophyte politician ran on a platform of eQUALITY, an acronym that represented the issues and advocacies she wanted to pursue - e for education, Q and U for Quality and Universal health care, A for agriculture, L for Livelihood, I for Infrastructure, T for Transparency and Y for Youth.

“My immediate goal is to pass at least one bill for this advocacy and if I get 5 out of 8 and they are passed as laws, then I shall have been successful,” Roman surmised. “I want to inspire people who may be suffering from discrimination. It is not only in terms of gender but also in terms of socioeconomic status and ethnicity.

My story can be inspiring to overcome whatever difficulty they may be experiencing right now.”

Prior to moving back to the Philippines, she was based in Spain. It was there where she studied and finished her two masters degrees - Spanish Language and Literature and Journalism. It was also in Spain where she met her special someone, her better half.

Roman attended the allboys, Jesuit-run Ateneo high School. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in european Languages. She speaks fluent Spanish, French and Italian.

During the entire campaign, she did not access her social media accounts to spare her from the bashing coming from her opponents. It was a tough campaign period, she said, since her opponents painted her as

immoral and mocked her just because she is a transgender woman.

“When I won, I thought it was a quiet victory. I had no idea until all of a sudden the media was contacting me through text and social media.

That was when I finally understood that this is a landmark case, a milestone in Philippine politics,” Roman recalled.

Making history is one thing, but if she had her way, she’d rather be known as a good public servant, period.

“If you ask me, I wouldn’t want to be known as the first transgender woman to be in Congress. I want to be known after my years of service as a good and honest public servant who touched the lives of many people. That is how I want to be remembered,” she said. “everyone has his or her own religious beliefs and they are to be respected,” she added. “We live in a civil society and there are common laws that need to be respected as well.”

Roman is appealing to the old-school politicians in the country to set aside religious beliefs and respect every human being for who they are.

“If you are holding public

AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya

office, the presumption is that you have to respect the human rights of each and every Filipino regardless of his or her own personal circumstances.

If you cannot respect those human rights, then you don’t have a place in government,” she opined. “Sana matutunan nilang ipaisangtabi muna ang kanilang religious beliefs bilang nasa loob tayo ng isang civil society. (I hope they learn to set aside their religious beliefs as we are in a civil society.)”

With her win, Roman cemented her place in Philippine history books. She will inspire young people, the next generation of Filipinos, with what she has achieved so far.

“It is a very humbling experience, to be considered as an inspiration to people. I never expected this but I realized it is a big responsibility,” Roman emphasized. “Now, I don’t just have to work hard for my constituents but I have to work for those people who have placed their trust in me and prove to the rest of the society, the rest of the world that my being a transgender is really irrelevant.

What matters is what’s in my heart and in my mind and the quality of service I can give the people.”

Xian Lim on his talents and bashers Angel Locsin feels more mature and stronger by iza iGlesias ManilaTimes.net

WhILe he has proven his acting mettle both on television and film (“My Binondo Girl,” “The Story of Us,” “Bride for Rent,” “everything About her”), and his ability to sing with two solo albums (XL2 and So It’s You), Xian Lim is well aware he still has many critics in show business.

Whenever he tries his hands in a new endeavor, Lim can almost hear what his detractors would be saying.

“Unang lumabas sa isip ko is sablay. Ang sakit ng sablay eh; sa english kasi parang [they’re saying], ‘Why him?’

‘What’s wrong with him?’ ‘Why did they pick him?’ Kaya yung tawagin kang sablay, masakit talaga,” the actor confided in an interview.

“Usong-uso na kasi yung bashing, lalong lalo na sa social media dahil lahat entitled magsalita. But then again, it can only make us better,” he added, choosing to look at the glass half full. “[I use criticisms] para hindi ka maging kampante. Ok lang yun sa totoo lang; binabasa ko pa nga yun, pero masakit pa din,” he laughed.

According to Lim, he has come to accept and play down the bashing he gets about his acting and singing.

“Tanggap ko naman na I’m not the best out there, but may nakita nga akong quote and ise-share ko nga ito sa ibang artists dahil talagang tinamaan ako: ‘You can be the sweetest peach, but there is always going to be someone who hates peaches.’

“Ang maibibigay ko lang talaga dito is to be the best that I can be,” Lim decided.

accepted it. I didn’t think twice talaga. Sabi ko ‘Ok na ‘to, ito na ‘yun. Kumbaga this is, it!’”

Lim enthused. “even before na nabigyan akong pagkakaton na magkaroon ng album, ginusto ko na talagang mag perform on stage. Meron po kasi akong videos sa YouTube na tumutugtog ako ng instruments habang nag-rerecital yung mga students ng mommy ko sa piano.

“Pero hindi ko naman inisip na ganito kalaki yung magagawa ko. Inisip ko lang [I’d perform] in a small group.”

Lim promises his fans that he will step out of his comfort zone for the show.

“Ayoko talaga na makita nila ‘yung dati nang ginagawa ko. Hindi pa kasi nila ako nakita Xian Lim na talagang mag-perform on“May mga times na sustage. Usually kapag nakikita mosobra yung bashing. Pero nila ako, isang number lang na katulad nga ng lagi kong kasama ng ibang artists. Dito sinasabi, mas gusto ko nga na yung buong show nandoon nandyan sila para alam ko what ako and involved ako sa buong to work on. Kasi kapag wala show. I want this to be personal na sila kampante nalang ako. kaya ‘A Date with Xian’ rin ang Maganda ‘yung nasasaktan ako, title ko,” he explained. it makes me stronger.”

Juggling multiple commitTrue to his word, Lim is set ments while gearing up for his to prove his detractors wrong big night, Lim is very proud to anew as he is set to hold his say that he is hands-on with this first ever-major solo concert on project especially. he personJuly 9 at the Kia Theater, titled ally selected the songs for the “A Date with Xian.” show’s repertoire, even the A music enthusiast since he outfits from start to finish. was a kid, it is not news to the “I have the whole show piccelebrity’s most loyal supporttured in my head already. I will ers that Lim can play at least try to play as many instruments 10 instruments including the as I can for the fans. This is piano, trombone, saxophone something we’re really preparand guitar. As such, it has been ing and working hard for,” Lim Lim’s longtime dream to perguaranteed. form for his fans and headline a The 26-year-old actor also major show. promised that his song list for “Dati ko pa gusto eh. Siguro the concert will be diverse with hinahanap ko din yung lakas ng classical pieces, ballads and loob at syempre ‘nung binigay pop selctions. na sa akin yung opportunity, I Continued on Page SF4

by Joyce JiMenez Philstar.com

ANGeL Locsin has new discoveries of herself and felt more mature after her breakup with Luis Manzano.

The reports about the breakup of the two came out February this year.

“Iba ang maturity na nabibigay ng single life,” said Angel in an interview, after she was introduced as the newest brand ambassadress for Smart Padala.

“Lahat naman tayo kapag dumadaan sa medyo mahirap na phase ng buhay, iba ‘yong maturity and it makes you stronger,” she added.

The Kapamilya actress is also glad to have more time with her family, and finally had time to fix her home.

Angel is still in the process of healing, after the series of spinal operations she had gone through the other year.

This was due to the disc slip she had, which also made her give up the film “Darna.” however, her fans would like

Angel Locsin felt more mature and has discovered more things about herself after her relationship with Luis Manzano.

to think that Star Cinema is still waiting for her to heal and still reprise the role.

“Gusto ko rin naman gawin, but honestly hindi ko pa siya masagot ngayon, e,” she replied, when asked for a reaction to her fans’ assumptions. “Nasa process ka ng healing, gusto mo gumaling, nagsalita ka ng anything tapos hindi matuloy baka ma-depress ako ulit, di ba?”

“Kung anong ibigay ng Diyos sa akin, naniniwala ako na kung para sa iyo ang proyekto, para sa iyo. Kung hindi man, baka may mas magandang para sa iyo,” she added.

Although doing a TV series may wait for a while, Angel said she’ll be doing a “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode that will start shooting this weekend. She’ll also do a film, although she refused to give details for now.

Enrique Gil shows another side in ‘Dukot’

ma and romantic comedy but “Dukot.”

The Kapamilya actor said he has never done an action film.

Some of the films he has went out of his comfort zone for A NeW enrique Gil will done before are “The Reunion,” this film. he’s done comedy, drabe seen in his upcoming film “She’s the One” and “Just the Way You Are.” “I want to try something new na hindi ko pa nagagawa before,” he said about accepting the project. “No’ng na-pitch sa akin ang movie, slideshow pa lang, first page sinabi ko, ‘sige, gagawin ko.’” his director Paul Soriano during an interview in “Tonight with Boy Abunda” described him as a “hungry actor,” being surprised himself of the perforEnrique Gil said he went out of his comfort zone for his upcoming film “Dukot” under director Paul Continued on Page SF3 Soriano.

by Joyce JiMenez Philstar.com

Amazing Southern California road trip destinations to try this summer

By Monet

Lu

I was writing this piece when I heard that it was officially the summer season. and boy, that couldn’t have been any more precise these past couple of days (hello, 109 degrees!). speaking of summer, I am pretty sure everybody’s got their summer trips planned -- some even saved up through the whole year for an awesome vacation. some prefer to hit the road in the summertime to enjoy the view along the way. To welcome the summer season, I rounded up a few road trip destinations you should definitely check out.

Orange County Known for its well-heeled residents and high prices, it is a favorite summer spot for couples.

If you want to take a break from the busy santa Monica pier, stroll down the string of uncrowded beaches in Orange County and get some serious R&R. The beaches (and the waves) are definitely the main draws. The Pelican Hill is a great place if you are planning a family trip but if you are thinking more of a romantic sunset by the beach between you and your love, the Montage Laguna Beach is a great choice. It offers an excellent spa, impeccable grounds, and beautiful rooms with breathtaking views.

Just a quick tip: if you take the santa ana Freeway you would likely get there faster but if you’ve got some time to spare, Cabrillo Highway is the most scenic. along the way you’ll see gorgeous beaches and rolling hills.

Encinitas summer is here, and the waves are calling! Voted as the no. 3 surf spot town in the Us by surfer Magazine, Encinitas is looking so darn good this time of the year. There’s a good spot to drop your surfers’ board called, Cardiff Reef. But it’s not all water sports. Bikers can cycle through the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation while golfers can hit Encinitas Ranch, and gamblers (or horse-lovers) can spend the

day at Del Mar racetrack -- a short 10-minute drive away.

Santa Barbara want to escape the fast life but don’t want to fly? Drive about two hours from La and be transported to “Mediterraneanesque” town with Mission-style buildings, pretty storefronts, art galleries, and quaint restaurants along the tree-lined streets. One of the most popular activities is shopping along state street and at Paseo Nuevo, which boast some of the best stores in the region.

San Diego Balboa Park, salk Institute, the old footbridges – these are just a few of the spots you can check out when you drive to san Diego this summer. I love that san Diego is not that far from La and also not as different (in a good way). It’s like a more conservative version of Los angeles.

There’s a wide range of things to do and places to go; from beaches to restaurants and bars, san Diego has all of them. You can watch the hang gliders over the La Jolla cliffs, check out some old ships, or eat Mexican food. You can also visit one of america’s most haunted houses.

Big Bear when it’s 100 degrees in La, head out – rather, drive – two

hours out of La and find yourself cooling down at Big Bear. It’s known for snow. But in the summer, outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing, or hanging out under a pine tree with a picnic basket will make your trip up worthwhile. They say the food’s good too. Try their chicken pot pie and brown sugar glazed bacon, and wash it down at Nottingham’s Tavern afterwards.

This is Life! while La has so much to offer when it comes to top-notch restaurants, museums, wonderful beaches and a lively nightlife scene, it’s nice to pack your bags and try a drive-to-town adventure sometimes. so for those who are in town visiting or just want to get away from the business – that is La – try these amazing road trip destinations that are just a short drive away. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

features SF3 The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – July 8, 2016

Kulintang Master plays in Little Manila with next generation of students sTOCKTON—“who will be the next generation of players?” says susie Ibarra, producer of Cotabato sessions (2014), a documentary about the Kalanduyan family’s effort to preserve a legacy of Kulintang music in Cotabato City, Philippines. In stockton, Calif., Master Danongan “Danny” Kalanduyan, a cultural bearer of kulintang music in the United states, has found that next generation.

In partnership with the Little Manila Foundation, Master Kalanduyan and Frank Holder piloted the Kulintang academy (Ka). Ka uses a combination of online and face-to-face instruction over a 10-week period based on the curriculum developed during Kalanduyan’s residency at various bay-area college campuses namely san Francisco state University and skyline College.

The inaugural cohort consists of ten students between the ages of 10 and 27 and is the first group to formally go through this program. “It is the hope that students who complete all six semesters of this program graduate with a certificate to instruct a Kulintang program on their own,” says Ramon Lazo, curriculum designer and administrator of Ka. To celebrate the completion of this cohort’s first semester, Master Kalanduyan and Holder will perform with their students at Little Manila’s second annual Community showcase on Friday, July 8, 2016, 7 pm, at san Joaquin Delta College’s ather-

ton auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors/students and can be purchased at san Joaquin Delta College’s box office in person or online.

Doors will open at 6 pm.

Youth and adult participants of all four of Little Manila’s enrichment programs will be featured in the showcase as they share their rich knowledge of Filipino american history, Philippine folk and indigenous dances, and music, and the Filipino martial art of Escrima.

“Little Manila is excited to showcase the work and talent of the students of our programs. To bring back Filipino american history and culture to our historic hometown of stockton is a dream come true for us. It is going to be an entertaining, enlightening, and historic event,” said Dillon Delvo, Executive Director of

Little Manila Foundation.

The Little Manila Community showcase is made possible by the alliance for California Traditional arts, stockton arts Commission, asian Pacific Islander american staff association of san Joaquin Delta College, and our community of supporters.

The Little Manila Foundation (LMF) advocates for the historic preservation of the Little Manila Historic site in stockton, California and provides education and leadership to revitalize our Filipino american community. since 2002, the LMF has deepened the historic and cultural vitality of stockton on a local, state, and national level. In 2015, LMF opened the Little Manila Center in Downtown stockton as a place to learn about Little Manila’s history and culture.

Enrique Gil shows another side...

From Page SF2 mance that Enrique has given in the film.

Reacting to this Enrique said, “Siguro po kasi it’s my first time to do something else, especially action.”

This film, he admitted, has

gave him a brand new experience especially he’s currently working on the primetime TV series “Dolce amore” with love team Liza soberano.

“You will learn a lot from different things, with other great actors,” he explained.

“Bago lahat ‘to, e, iba ang vibe ng show. so na-enjoy ko lahat. I wanted to learn.” also part of the film are shaina Magdayao, Ricky Davao, Christopher de Leon and alex Medina. It’ll be in theaters on July 13. (Philstar.com)

SF4

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - July 8, 2016

celebrity world

By Ferdie Villar

OUR congratulations in advance to actress and host Toni Gonzaga and her husband, director Paul Soriano for their upcoming baby boy!

The baby’s gender was revealed in an interview with TV talk show host Boy Abunda last Tuesday, June 30.

“It’s a boy! It’s going to be a mini-Paul,” the soon-to-be father excitedly shared. He also added that personally, the gender of their first-born didn’t really matter, but it was his wife who wished for a boy.

As most expecting couples, they still have not decided on a name.

“Hindi ko pa masabi ‘yong final kasi it still changes every day,” explained Toni.

For now, the blooming mother-to-be is still working.

As Paul has mentioned in another interview, he’s sure Toni

will be working until she gives birth.

“The doctor says she’s completely healthy. She can work as long as she gets proper rest and of course the working conditions are safe. I think she will work until the day she gives birth ganun si Toni eh.” *** Despite all the rumors going around about getting an offer from a rival network, singer and actress Jennylyn Mercado has affirmed her loyalty as a Kapamilya.

Just last Monday, July 4, almost a month and a half of negotiations, Jennylyn signed a new, “long-term contract” with GMA Network. She did explain why it took a little while before it got finalized.

“Marami lang kailangan ayusin kasi marami na rin po kaming ginagawa. And I’m

Actress Toni Gonzaga is having a baby boy!

Our congratulations to actress and host Toni Gonzaga and husband, director Paul Soriano for their upcoming baby boy.

Actor JD Charisma (2nd from left) honed his acting career through advanced and extensive classes at the SF Actors Workshop in San Francisco.

sure busy rin po sila [GMA executives], hindi po nag-meet yung schedules,” she said in an interview with PEP.ph.

The 29-year-old star also denied that she was offered a better contract by ABS-CBN.

Singer, actress and host Jennylyn Mercado recently signed a new “long-term contract” with her home network, GMA 7.

Dr. Herminigildo Valle, Chief of Staff of Seton Medical in Daly City, is the overall chairman of Far Eastern University Alumni’s 37th Annual Reunion and Scientific Convention to be held at the San Francisco Hilton.

California State Senator Mark Leno was one of the distinguished guests who attended the Philippine Independence Day Celebration held at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Shown in photo with him are some of the participants of the Rigodon de Honor which was presented during the event. They are (L-R) Olivia Parinas, Liza Rebortura, Perla Ibarrientos, Dorie Paniza, Yolly Darcy and Irene Pangilinan.

Alameda Filipina community leader Bernadette Munoz Roco is shown with Dorie Paniza, president of the Fil-Am Democratic Club of San Mateo taken during the Philippine Independence Day celebration organized by the Philippine Consulate General in San Franciso at the Herbst Theater.

At the signing of her new contract, her home network also surprised her with a new title — as ‘The Ultimate Star.’

When asked how she felt

JD Charisma is shown together with his acting teacher Giovannie Espiritu, Owner/CEO of SF Actors Workshop.

about it, she said that it was a humbling experience.

“Of course, I’m humbled and grateful. Sa totoo lang po, medyo hindi po ako kumport-

able na tinatawag ng mga title,” she said and then added, “Pero salamat po, maraming salamat po na binigyan niyo ako ng ganung title. “

Shaina Magdayao believes ‘no one is above the law’

by Joyce Jimenez Philstar.com

SHAINA Magdayao is more careful in making statements regarding her sister Vina Morales’s complaint against Cedric Lee. Last month, Vina filed a complaint to suspend the visiting rights of Cedric to their daughter Ceana, after he allegedly “detained” her for nine days.

“Medyo we want to be careful sa mga statements na ibibigay namin kasi nasa korte pa siya,” Shaina replied when asked how close the film “Dukot” is to her real life.

The Kapamilya actress is part of the film, where she portrays the role of Enrique Gil’s sister, who was almost kidnapped.

The part where her character worries about the situation of her brother who was kidnapped was somehow relatable to her now in real life.

“Kasi hindi mo alam kung

Shaina Magdayao is hopeful that her sister’s complaint against Cedric Lee will soon be over.

ano ang nangyayari, lalo na ‘yong sa amin she’s just a little girl. Baby girl, she’s seven years old,” she explained. “So nakakatakot na wala ka naman ibang magawa kundi ipagdasal talaga na everything will be okay, ibaba lahat ng ego at pride para sa welfare ng bata.”

She admitted that recently,

they’re more careful when going out with Ceana after the recent incident.

However, in the end of it all, Shaina said that her family believes that “no one is above the law.

“Nagtitiwala lang din kami sa lawyers namin, and magiging maayos din ‘to in due time,” she said.

Xian Lim on his talents...

From Page SF2 Besides these, the audience will be in for a huge treat as the artist has announced he will show off his rap and dancing skills.

Joining him in “A Date With Xian” are special guests Abra, Dawn Chang, Morissette, Richard Poon, and his love team partner Kim Chiu.

Moreover, he is practicing

for a performance with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, which will highlight Lim’s ability to play classical pieces.

The show will be directed

by Alco Guerrero, with musical direction by Chino David of Silent Sanctuary.

According to Lim, this concert will be one of the biggest highlights of his life.

“Masasabi ko talaga na ito

yung isa sa mga highlight sa buhay ko, not just in my career.

Kasi nung una ang dami kong doubts eh. Sa totoo lang I doubted myself. Pero nung natapos namin yung lineup, nung natapos namin yung bawat song na nirerehearse, ang gaan lang sa pakiramdam na finally we have a show—meron na kaming pinanghahawakan,” he ended.

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - July 8, 2016

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