Weekend Balita (Los Angeles edition) December 19, 2020

LOS ANGELES / ORANGE COUNTY

Nearly 430,000 Pinoys underwent COVID-19 swab tests in December — DOH data PAGE 19 VOL. XXIX NO. 51

December 19-25, 2020

THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FELLOW FILIPINO-AMERICANS

HeaLTHCare WorKers geT FIrsT Doses oF aNTI-CoVID 19 VaCCINe IN La

By ABnER GALino

GOVERNOR Gavin Newsom, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis came together at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles to witness the administering of the anti-COVID 19 vaccine to frontline healthcare workers on Monday (December 14).

Newsom said the event marked the beginning of a long campaign to vaccinate the people of California.

The initial batch of Pfi zer-BioNTech vaccine was packed in dry ice and shipped by a plane and then by a truck into the said hospital.

It reportedly came from a Pfizer factory in Kalamanzoo in Michigan.

California’s initial share of 327,000 doses of the vaccine will go mostly to healthcare workers, so-called acute-care hospital and skilled nursing facilities.

HEALTHCARE

TOP STORIES

Global News Pampanga’s giant lanterns bring joy, hope amid pandemic 8  Tagle assures Christmas prayers for fellow migrant workers 8  Hontiveros: Isn’t passing SOGIE bill a Christian thing to do? 9  ASEAN parliamentarians to Duterte admin: Stop red-tagging opposition solons 10  Fleet review, wing flyby shows AFP development — Gapay 12 

Sections BUSINESS. Manufacturers commit to retain prices of noche buena items at 2019 levels 13  ENTERTAINMENT. Joshua Garcia buffing up for role in ‘Keys to the Heart’ 14  HEALTH & FAMILY. PRRD discourages kids from collecting gifts from godparents 18  FEATURE. ‘Simbang Gabi’ brings hope amid a pandemic 16 

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Essential services for essential workers in L.A. County

By MARK HEDin Ethnic Media Services

I HELEN CORDOVA, an intensive care unit nurse, gets a dose of the first shipment of anti-COVID 19 vaccine at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Los Angeles. The event was witnessed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Photo courtesy of the LA Mayor’s Office

3 Filipino-Americans become new city mayors in Southern California

By ABnER GALino

THREE Filipino Americans, two of them women, will lead as mayors of different cities in Southern California beginning this month.

One of the three new mayors, Todd Gloria, was directly voted by the residents of the City of San Diego.

The other Filipino Americans, Letty Lopez-Viado and Rachelle Arizmendi, were

San Diego Mayor todd Gloria

West covina Mayor Letty Lopez-Viado

chosen or voted by their peers in the separate councils of the cities of West Covina and Sierra Madre, respectively.

Gloria was sworn in as San

Sierra Madre Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi

Diego's 37th Mayor on Thursday (December 10).

In a speech posted online, Gloria acknowledged that he is a Mexican-Filipino-Puerto Rican 3 FILIPINO-AMERICANS

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n a time of COVID-necessitated lockdowns, if you’re working, you’re essential.

In Los Angeles County, no one should allow an employer to rob them of their wages or force them to work in unsafe conditions. But immigrant workers, both documented and not, are particularly vulnerable to such exploitations.

Three county officials and a lawyer described an array of programs to protect workers at a teleconference Dec. 14 for ethnic media.

A third of Angelenos are immigrants, noted Michael Nobleza, FUSE corps executive advisor for the Office of Immigrant Affairs (https://tinyurl.com/ OIAservices), but immigrants comprise 40-60% of the essential workforce – janitors, delivery drivers, warehouse, restaurant and health care workers -“on the front lines of the pandemic, putting themselves at risk so that we can stay home safe.”

These workers are also the most likely to face challenges trying to stay healthy, due to work conditions where maintaining safe physical distancing and using personal protective equipment is difficult, and sometimes living close to similarly challenged workers, freeways and industrial plants.

For many, he said, “physical health and well-being comes second to economic health.”

Undocumented workers are ineligible for most state and federal aid ESSENTIAL 4

Cebu

Lechon • BBQ & Deli

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Fil-Am

Community Celebrate the holidays with Karaoke for St. Jude on Dec. 21

ABNER GALINO, Fil-Am News Editor

Visit www.Balita.com

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

Top Filipino artists plan to sing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help end childhood cancer MEMPHIS, TENN. – Calling all amateur singers who love caroling and wish to participate in the opportunity of a lifetime during the holiday season of giving.

Several top Filipino artists plan to lend their voices in a virtual karaoke for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® on December 21 to raise awareness and support for its lifesaving mission: Finding cures. Saving children.® Karaoke for St. Jude will include performances by Inigo Pascual, Jules Aurora, and The Filharmonic. There will be meet-and-greets with St. Jude patient families and a sing-along with randomly selected fans who register by December 13. Event host Roslynn Alba Cobarrubias represents St. Jude media partner myx, which is the No. 1 Filipino American cable, radio, digital content and events provider that spotlights stories and music that are “uniquely Filipino.”

This holiday event offers a fun way to share the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and how it is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude also freely shares the research discoveries it makes, so every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

Parents of St. Jude patient Aspen, age 4, have experienced these benefits firsthand. While living in the Philippines, Aspen was following a St. Jude treatment plan for neuroblastoma, but when her doctor recommended immunotherapy, they knew it was unavailable.

Aspen’s doctor referred her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since arriving in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2019, St. Jude doctors and researchers discovered a mutation in Aspen’s genes and they are working to develop a new protocol.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a humanitarian effort supported by millions of Americans of all faiths and backgrounds united in their desire to help end childhood cancer and other

life-threatening diseases. Thanks to generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

To learn more and register for a chance to virtually sing karaoke with artists, visit stjude.org/karaokeforstjude.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel. myx Global A subsidiary of ABS-CBN, myx is the biggest global platform that celebrates the next generation of Filipino artists, creatives and filmmakers from around the world. It is a subsidiary of the Philippines-based ABS-CBN Global media giant and currently distributed in 20 million homes worldwide. For programming and distribution information, visit myxTV and myxRADIO at http://myx.global/.

esseNTIaL... From Page 1 programs, and the federal CARES Act disqualifies entire households for assistance if just one person is undocumented, cutting out 1.125 million Angeleno citizens or green card holders, Nobleza said.

OIA has held webinars addressing voting, workers’ rights, workplace safety, eviction defense and foreclosure prevention strategies (archived at https://oia.lacounty.gov/ know-your-worker-rights-webinar-resources/, including Spanish-language presentations, and also at the OIA’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LAC4Immigrants/) and hosted an event with Univision LA this year to address “how to keep the American dream alive” for DACA recipients.

In early February of 2021, as part of its new LA Immigrant Essential Workers Initiative, OIA will host a two-day summit “focused on day laborers, domestic workers and DACA recipients entering the workforce” to propose legislation reforms and connect essential workers to “wraparound” services.

Rose Basmadzhyan, chief of the Wage Enforcement Program and Investigative Division at the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, investigates issues of minimum wage and unpaid wages, matters of overtime, split shift differentials, adequate lunch breaks and more.

“A lot of times workers are afraid to come forward,” she said. “We’re happy to take a tip anonymously or from a third party. We do understand the vulnerability, fear of retaliation or adverse action. We have tools to allow us to remedy that, from hefty fines to reinstatement.”

The office can be reached at 800 593-8222 and https://dcba.lacounty.gov/.

So far, she said, 1,500 employees have received wages they were due, and the county has collected $1.3 million in fines and back pay.

“When we get a complaint,” she said, “we investigate the entire business, because when a problem exists with one employee, the problem will exist with others.”

Statewide, the minimum wage is going up $1 per hour on Jan. 1, to $13 for companies with 25 or fewer workers and $14 for bigger ones. But in L.A. County, it’s already $14.25 for small businesses and $15 for large ones.

Monica Nguyen, director of GAIN (Greater Avenues for Independence), described her program, run under the auspices of the largest public social services agency in the coun-

try, the county Department of Public Social Services, which helps more than 3.5 million people, in 19 languages.

GAIN administers federal state and county-funded programs for people who receive cash assistance through CalWorks.

“Our goal is to help people overcome any barriers they have finding and keeping employment,” she said, through job search assistance, vocational training, case management, adult education, or dealing with domestic violence or mental health issues – “you name it,” Nguyen said.

“Every day we can see around us those affected by COVID-19,” she said, citing “severe food insecurity” and a “much larger unemployment rate than usual in L.A. County.”

Last December, she said, the unemployment rate was 4.3%.

This year, in September, it hit 15.5% and was 12.3% in October.

“There’s plenty of support we can provide,” Nguyen said. “Child care, assistance with transportation, work-related expenses such as tools and books.”

People can apply for GAIN services at (866) 292-4246 or contact DPSS at (866) 613-3777 and dpss.lacounty.gov. She also suggested applying for CalFresh (https://www.getcalfresh. org), “an excellent opportunity to get help.”

Yvonne Garcia Medrano, program attorney for Bet Tzedek’s employee rights legal services, concluded the conference by encouraging anyone experiencing any issues around things such as workplace safety, wage theft, discrimination, unemployment, or retaliation to reach out to her nonprofit for pro bono legal help.

Bet Tzedek (https://www.bettzedek.org/) is at the center of network of dozens of legal firms, ready to go to bat for anyone “seniors, the unhoused, immigrants and workers in Los Angeles County regardless of race, age, gender or status,” she said, “one of the few legal nonprofits that provide legal help to undocumented workers.”

Bet Tzedek has a weekly clinic that workers can reach any time at (323) 939-0506, extension 415. Messages will be returned for an intake interview, followed up by a phone call on a Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. from a lawyer offering actual legal help, not simply a workshop.

“Our fear is that we’re returning to a time when nobody is enforcing these laws and employers know it.”

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

Community

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Pinoy nurses help LA’s homeless people

T

he Philippine Nurses Association of Southern California (PNASC) recently kicked off a winter season charity drive called “Sock Drive” in collaboration with the Los Angeles Mission in downtown Los Angeles.

The event included the distribution of 400 pairs of socks and toiletries to the homeless in the City of Los Angeles.

The Filipino nurses said they felt inspired as they distributed the items to the homeless brothers and sisters living in the city streets. They were hoping that the socks, clothes and food that they distributed would help the homeless people survive the onslaught of the winter season.

Incidentally, October is also being celebrated as a Filipino American History Month. Many Filipino-American organizations usually engage in fund-raising activities, gift giving and other charitable endeavors during the month.

The PNASC is led by Roland Santos.

The PNASC West Los /Angeles sub-charter is composed of Catherine Rubio, president 2020-2022; Mary Reyes Gonzales, president-elect 2022-2024; Marie Navarro, vice president; Corazon Manapat, treasurer; Vicky de Leon, public relations officer; Maria Catalan, member; and Eric Trillo, auxiliary member.

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For Amanda and Baby Randall Yes. Randall there are no bullets from your mother only the fire of her love for the people. even the thunderstorms will calm the waves of terror. the peasants have no land.

Come. we will hold your tiny hand. the soul of Eman has broken the chains risen in the Lazarus of the farmworkers.

The blades of grass whisper the golden hour the lullaby of your sweet smile.

Silence is never home. but rather a clenched fist. for a child is born when the archangels shroud the snakes in the river.

For the stars are not kings rather Mother Moon seeking the stillness of the night for those who fight.

Touch the soil.

Feel the wind The darkness of evil is dead in the horizon.

There will be more, Amanda.

Lorena, Maita.

YOU ARE HOME.

FTC’s “Operation Income Illusion” Targets Get-Rich-Quick Scams n the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, criminals are brazenly floating “get-rich-quick” schemes to fleece unsuspecting people seeking financial security for themselves and their families.

Speaking at a mid-December ethnic media conference call, the Federal Trade Commission issued urgent warnings that people need to be on their guard to avoid being robbed.

Kati Daffan and Rhonda Perkins, two lawyers in the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices, spotlighted a variety of scams promoted in advertisements online or in TV, radio and newspapers and even within religious communities.

In a year’s time, Daffan said, there was a 70% increase in this kind of crime.

“In the fi rst nine months of 2020 alone,” she said, “people reported losing at least $50 million.”

And those victims are just the ones who came forward. Most people don’t, Daffan said, so “it’s a tiny fraction of what’s going on in the marketplace.”

To combat the scams, the FTC has launched “Operation Income Illusion.”

Both speakers urged everyone to contact the FTC with any suspicions. You can do so at www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or www.ReporteFraude.ftc.gov or by phone at (877) 382-4357.

The FTC receives thousands of reports every week, Perkins said, making individual responses difficult to guarantee, but the reporting is a key driv-

BALITA

By FE P. KOONS

(PNASC is a non-profit Filipino American organization of choice in Southern California since 1961 – www.mypnasc.org)

By MARK HEDIN Ethnic Media Services

Weekend

er of both domestic and international enforcement efforts.

“It’s a real public service for people to let us know what they’re seeing,” she said.

Besides alerting ethnic media directly, the FTC has posted examples of criminal schemes and tips about how to protect yourself from being victimized on its website in more than a dozen languages (www.ftc.gov/languages) including English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Amharic, Arabic, Dari, French, Russian, Haitian Creole, and Somali.

New in 2020 are COVID-related schemes. The FTC has seen phony cures, phony vaccinations, phony home test kits, and phony research schemes seeking people’s personal information.

Now, with real vaccinations starting to become available, the FTC expects new scams (https://tinyurl.com/ FTCvaccinescams) and is warning people not to pay out of pocket, put their names on lists, pay for early access, or provide a caller with Social Security or bank account numbers to get a vaccine.

Some scammers mimic traditions from specific communities. One type of ripoff Operation Income Illusion is fighting are savings clubs (https:// tinyurl.com/FTCfakeclubs), modeled after West African and Caribbean “sou sous,” in which people who know each other will pool their money and take turns getting a payout. In the Filipino community, the name is “paluwagan.”

Another is phony coaching deals (https://tinyurl.com/FTCcoachingscams), where victims pay for things like CONTNUED ON PAGE 4

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Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

A HOLIDAY message to our kababayans in Southern California (PART I)

O

n behalf of former Ambassador Willy Gaa's family, the following message of HOLIDAY greetings was written by Wendel Gaa to the Filipino community here in the Southland. As most of us know, his Dad, former Ambassador Willy Gaa served here in the LA area first as Deputy Consul General from February, 1987 through September, 1990; and then as Consul General from January, 2--6 through June, 2006, Subsequently, Ambassador Gaa served as the Philippine Ambassador in Washington, D.C. from July, 2006 through February, 2011.

"It goes without saying that 2020 has been an extremely difficult and challenging year for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic has badly disrupted our normal routine, and our way of living has seemingly transformed for an uncertain period of time. Directly or indirectly, we have all suffered because of the Coronavirus. While we will all need to practice physical social distancing for this year's Christmas holidays, let us all remain spiritually and emotionally connected with one another, with hope and prayer, for inspite of all the hardships our family has experienced this year, we remain ever grateful to God for every blessing He has given us.

Before the global pandemic began, our family experienced moments of well-deserved joy and celebration. 2020 began with my Mom Linda and Aunt Luz Concepcion, spending New Year's Eve at the home of Willy and Chingbee Fernandez on Ayala Alabang. Meanwhile, I rang in 2020 with lovely mountain sceneries and a literal bang of fireworks at the charming town of Innsbruck, Austria, where I had taken a one full day solo walking tour, after joining a tour bus which had traveled from the Bavarian city of Augsburg, Germany where I had spent the holidays visiting my Romblon-born relatives on my father's side, who had been living there for many years. It was indeed a wonderful and memorable first winter holiday experience in Europe for me. On thr other hand, my brother Warren worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technician in Las Vegas.

I then returned to Ireland where I had been a student at the National University of Ireland (NUI) in Galway, pursuing a Masters degree in International Migration and Refugee Law and Policy. For the next few months during my second and final semester there, my academic horizons were greatly expanded through classes I had taken up, which had addressed relevant global topics such as international refugee law, international humanitarian law and international children's rights, which are no doubt relevant to my profession as a working diplomat for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Apart from my classes, I had taken sufficient time to explore more of the Emerald Isle. In February, as a side trip to visiting my friends in the capital of Dublin, who are members of the local monthly Filipino Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, I was able to explore the nearby quaint and historic Wicklow Mountain region in eastern Ireland.. I had hooked up with a small tour group and our guide provided us a fascinating narrative journey through old Irish history by visiting Glendalough, where we saw a watch tower said to have been built by early Christian monks around 600 A.D.to serve

With Thor, a Northern Inuit dog actor who Wendell Gaa at the Tollymore Forest Park in Northern Ireland, another portrayed Grey Wind the direwolf on “Game of famous filming site of the “Winterfell” scenes in “Game of Thrones."

Thrones.”

With our lovely and cool “Game of Thrones” tour guide Madelyn Nowak-Roddy who was an extra actor on the show playing a Wildling and White Walker character. as a lookout for invaders. We also had the opportunity to get awesome views of the beautiful lakes in the Wicklow region, and my personal favorite was seeing the Guinness Lake, which is where the popular TV show, "Vikings" on the History Channel has been filmed.

That same month, my mother and several of our relatives in the U.S. converged in Orange County and Los Angeles, California to attend the wedding of my cousin, Michael Koch, the son of my mother's youngest sibling, Mel and her husband, James Koch. Although I was unable to attend due to my class schedule in Ireland, it gave me great pleasure to hear how my Mom and all of my aunts, uncles and cousins from Vallejo, California, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., New Orleans and Florida had gathered together, to witness my cousin seal his vows to his lovely bride, Raquel. Among the many wedding guests included my brother Warren's classmate since elementary school, Jan-Holly Nich-

Former Ambassador Willy Gaa and family at the presentation of his credentials at the White House with President George Bush on Dec. 8, 2006. olas.

Later in February, my Mom together with my Aunt Leonor C. Amano, Letty Banaag, Mel Dizon, Lulu Feliciano and Marilou Vallejos traveled to exotic India, where they finally were able to see the majestic Taj Mahal in Agra. From India, they also had the chance to tour lovely Vietnam, which my mother had visited a few times during the early 2000s, together with my father, the late Ambassador Willy Gaa, back when he had then headed the Asia Pacific Affairs of the DFA. As March came along, I decided tp grab the opportunity to finally embark on my dream tour of Northern Ireland, to visit some key filming sites of the hit fantasy show "Game of Thrones." From Belfast, we explored archaic medieval monasteries and green nature parks which served as film production sites for memorable episodes from the now-classic fantasy drama, including Inch Abbey, the Castle Ward estate, and the Tollymore Forest Park. It was an added pleasure that our beautiful guide also happened to have been an extra actress in Game of Thrones," and her stories of her filming experiences in Northern Ireland, plus meeting several of the show's celebrities made our tour all the more fun and extraordinary, along with meeting one of the friendly Northern Inuit dog actors who portrayed one of the show's "Winterfell" direwolves"... to be continued next week on PART II.

FTC’s... from Page 3 real estate seminars, or help in making money on the stock market or online selling.

Investment scams (https:// tinyurl.com/FTCinvestmentscams) have been the most costly, but the most common are the work-from-home propositions (https://tinyurl.com/ FTCsellingandpyramids), which sometimes include the victim getting a check in the mail. In these, the fraud is only revealed some time later, after the victim has sent a portion of that money back, or bought and distributed prod-

ucts or gift cards, only to find that the check to pay for them ultimately bounced.

“It’s incredibly important to watch out for any kind of money-making opportunity that involves putting money in and recruiting other people to join. Those people are likely to get hurt,” Daffan said.

Many scams are targeted to specific ethnic communities, such as Moda Latina, which advertised that you could make big money working from home selling jewelry and other luxury products.

Victims were sometimes threatened that if they didn’t have a money order ready when a delivery driver showed up with the merchandise, they could be reported and face severe consequences.

But when the boxes were opened, the contents were far from luxurious: shoddy, not fit to be re-sold, not even worth the cost of the initial purchase.

Some con artists set their sights on specific groups, such as the “Raging Bull” investment scam that targeted sen-

iors, or MOBE, a scam in 2018 that robbed students and veterans of $300 million before it was shut down.

Then there are “pyramid schemes” (https://tinyurl. com/F TCsellingandpy ramids). The FTC has identified a few by name, such as: “The Circle Game,” “Blessing Loom” and “Money Board.”

The FTC works with numerous law enforcement agencies in pursuing scam thieves, both domestically and internationally. In some cases, it can recover some of the money

victims have lost, but Rhonda Perkins advised that the better strategy is to avoid being scammed (https://tinyurl. com/FTCavoidandreport) in the first place.

If you’re concerned about the wisdom of making a deal someone is offering you, she said, do some research on the company, its reputation, a record of complaints against it.

“Do your research, check out that company’s reputation and talk to other people, people you trust in your community,” Perkins said.

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

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5

Safety Tips for Holiday Decorating An average of 770 home fires are caused each year due to holiday decorations.

By NANCY RODRIGUEZ CASANOVA

D

on’t let your holiday decorating become a disaster.

Between 2014 and 2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 770 home structure fires per year that began with holiday decorations, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

On average, 160 home fires begin with Christmas trees each year, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

Minimize the risk of a home fire involving holiday decorations with these tips.

PLANNING AHEAD:

• Be sure to test all smoke alarms monthly in your home to ensure that they are all working properly.

• Remember to inspect decorations that have been in storage and dispose

of any that have cracked or frayed wiring and broken bulbs since these can cause electrical shocks, burns or fires.

• Look around the areas you are planning to decorate and determine how many outlets are available so you can plan accordingly.

• Read instructions that come with your electrical decorations to be sure you are using them appropriately (i.e., indoor vs. outdoor use). The ESFI recommends you buy electrical equipment with a label indicating it has gone through independent testing by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

• Remember not to overload extension cords and to never connect two to extend their length.

• Before climbing your ladder to put up your holiday lights, inspect it for loose or missing screws. Thousands of people are injured each year due to

HeaLTHCare... From Page 1 Almost simultaneously, Newsom launched the “Vaccinate All 58”, California’s campaign for a safe, fair and equitable vaccine for all 58 counties in the state.

“Hope is here. As our first doses of vaccine arrive, the promise of ending the pandemic is on the horizon. By taking collective, inclusive action across all 58 counties to get people vaccinated, we can get through to a healthier future for all,” said Governor Newsom.

“This is a moment for hope, and it is also a time to remain vigilant as we face the most intense surge yet. While we have prepared for this surge with beds and equipment, staffing shortages are real and impact our medical system.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel and I am calling on all Californians to do our part to get us through this – wear a mask, reduce mixing, stay home, stop the spread and save lives. Together we will get through this.”

“This is a tremendous scientific achievement and a moment of hope for all Californians,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.

“But it is not a moment to let down our guard. COVID-19 is spreading like a wildfire throughout our state and we need to stay home and wear a mask to preserve our health care delivery system until the vaccine is widely available and adopted in our state.”

California is determining its distribution guidelines in an open and equitable fashion as initial vaccine supplies will be very limited. At first, vaccines will be provided to health care workers and those in long-term care settings in accordance with the CDPH Allocation Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccine During Phase 1A. This is expected to be followed by essential workers and others at highest risk of becoming infected or severely ill with COVID-19.

“In distributing this life-changing vaccine, safety and equity are paramount. It is critical that we provide all Californians with the tools they need to get through this health crisis, from information to the vaccine, and the ‘Vaccinate All 58’ campaign does just that. That is how we get to the other side of this pandemic, and to healthier outcomes for us all,” said Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins.

“What impresses me most about this campaign is the awareness that we must focus on communities that have sometimes been neglected, whether the reasons involve race, language, ethnicity, or something else,” said Speaker Anthony Rendon.

“We can succeed only by sharing information with these communities and making them partners in the task of getting California vaccinated. The Legislature looks forward to partnering with community leaders as we spread the word about stopping the spread.”

To accomplish the twin principles of safety and equity, California drew upon the knowledge of many leaders and subject matter experts.

To review the COVID-19 vaccine for safety and efficacy, California formed a Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

Joined by Washington, Oregon and Nevada, the Workgroup is comprised of nationally acclaimed immunization and public health experts.

The Workgroup worked concurrently and independently to review the FDA’s actions related to COVID-19 vaccinations. This past Sunday, the Workgroup confirmed the Pfizer vaccine is safe for public use. They will continue to evaluate other COVID-19 vaccines following federal review processes.

Two workgroups are working to ensure the vaccines are distributed equitably: a Drafting Guidelines Workgroup is developing California-specific guidance for the prioritization and allocation of vaccine when supplies are limited, and the Community Advisory Vaccine Committee is providing input and feedback on the planning efforts and resolving barriers to equitable vaccine implementation and decision-making.

In a related development, Los Angeles Supervisor Janice Hahn has called on health officials to also prioritize teachers and school personnel to receive the vaccine.

“If it was ever up for debate before, this pandemic has made it clear once and for all that our classroom teachers are essential,” said Supervisor Hahn.

“We need teachers back in their classrooms. They are essential to our kids, our families, and our economy. Our vaccine distribution plan should reflect that fact.”

Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution plan will include essential workers. Supervisor Hahn is asking that teachers and school personnel be considered essential workers in this Phase 1B category and that they are included in the 1st tier of this phase.

“We need to reopen our schools, and that means vaccinating our teachers as soon as possible,” continued Supervisor Hahn.

The LA County Department of Public Health distributes vaccines based on the recommendations established by the CDC and State Department of Public Health.

falls related to holiday decorations.

OUTDOOR DECORATION SAFETY TIPS:

• Decorators should always look up and look out for power lines and never install lights and cords within 10 feet of the wires or utility poles.

• Be sure that decorations meant for outdoor use are appropriately labeled for outdoor use only.

• When hanging lights outdoors, use a wooden or fiberglass ladder. Be sure your ladder is stable and secure before putting up your holiday lights.

• Outdoor electrical decorations should be plugged into ground fault circuit interrupter-protected outlets.

CHRISTMAS TREE SAFETY TIPS:

• For live trees, be sure to fill your tree stand with water and refill daily since heated rooms can quickly dry them out.

• Don’t use electrical ornaments or light strings on artificial trees that have metallic leaves or branch coverings.

• To help avoid fires, remember to place your tree at least 3 feet away from all heat sources, such as fireplaces or space heaters.

DECORATING STATISTICS TO KEEP IN MIND:

• According to ESFI, 45% of home decoration fires are sparked by candles, with December being the peak time of year for candle fires.

• The top three days for candle fires are Christmas, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. • About 5,800 people are hospitalized each year for falls associated with holiday decorations.

For more electrical safety tips, visit sce.com/staysafe.

$1500 rebate off the price of a new electric vehicle in California

By JULIA ROETHER

A

new statewide electric vehicle program, California Clean Fuel Reward, gives drivers across California up to $1,500 off a new EV. The point of purchase price reduction applies to new cars purchased or leased at participating car dealerships and retailers across California. The reward is applied at the time of purchase or lease. It is in addition to the federal EV tax credit and any applicable California clean vehicle rebates.

With the launch of the California Clean Fuel Reward program, Southern California Edison’s Clean Fuel Reward program will end Dec. 31. SCE plans to launch a new pre-owned EV rebate program early next year.

“It’s a common myth that EVs cost more than their fossil-fueled counterparts,” said Carter Prescott, principal manager of operations for SCE’s eMobility team. “When you factor in rewards like the California Clean Fuel Reward and lower fuel and maintenance costs, EVs are on a par with and can cost less than gasoline-powered cars.”

Fueling an EV is equivalent to paying less than $2 per gallon of gasoline.

Most EVs come with a Level 1 charger that can plug into a standard 120-volt residential outlet and SCE has differ-

ent rate options to help customers save money.

These plans may include special rates offering lower costs for charging offpeak or at night. The Rate Assistant Tool can help customers determine the best rate for them.

EVs also produce zero smog-forming pollutants, so each mile driven using electricity from the grid reduces harmful emissions. Transportation, driven largely by cars, produces nearly 80% of the state’s air pollution and more than 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier this year, to reduce GHG emissions, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order mandating 100% of new vehicle sales in California to be electric cars by the year 2035.

To help the state meet its clean energy and carbon-neutrality goals, SCE’s recent analysis, Pathway 2045, concludes that 75% or 26 million of the cars on California’s roads will need to be electric by 2045.

The California Clean Fuel Reward is being offered by the California Air Resources Board and California’s electric utilities.

SCE is administering the program on behalf of the participating utilities.

It is funded through California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program, which helps combat climate change by encouraging the use of clean fuels, like electricity, in vehicles.

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2021 Real Estate Market is Looking Very Good

THE coronavirus pandemic put a halt into just about everyone’s plans. Vacations were canceled, lesson plans were turned upside down and millions of people were suddenly out of a job.

When the pandemic started in March 2020 and if you were planning to buy a house, you might be questioning whether you should put that idea on pause, right?

The real market kept its pace.

With mortgage rates are at rock bottom.

Many homebuilders and developers are enticing buyers with special deals, such as discounted prices, waived closing costs, appliance upgrades, mortgage modifications and more.

If you’re fortunate enough to still be in the position to buy a home, here’s what you should know about buying during the COVID-19 crisis and how you can potentially get the best deal.

Mortgage Rates Are At All-Time Lows The Federal Reserve cut its federal funds interest rate in early March by 0.5 percentage points to a range of 1% to 1.25% in response to the pandemic’s effect on our economy. Two weeks later, it made another emergency rate cut of 1 percentage point to a range of 0% to 0.25% the lowest level since the Great Recession.

Whether you’re looking to buy or refinance, these low rates can help lower your monthly payment and save you thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage loan, please take advantage of this.

The Biggest Homebuying Opportunities Are Yet To Come Real estate values are still going higher, buyers appetite for homeownership or investment did not slow the market down.

In fact, the demand is still very high and price bidding is happening all over the place. Real Estate inventory is still con-

sidered low therefore, the demand still out weights the supply creating an imbalance market, which is good for it.

Further, the government has taken several measures to stimulate the economy and protect consumers who can’t afford their bills. But this will not go on forever.

Should You Buy A House During A Pandemic?

Rock-bottom rates make homebuying an attractive option, but there are still many unknowns and challenges when it comes to assessing how the pandemic will affect the market and consumers’ financial lives.

Buying a home when your job stability is uncertain is a risky prospect. The next year might present once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to buy, but that does not mean you should go for it if you aren’t prepared.

Very hard ever to predict the market, and I am a strong believer that the right time to buy is when you are financially ready to. I remember a saying long time ago when I went to attend a nationwide seminar this one speaker spoke for about 10 mins and the one thing he said that stuck with me was “ Best time to Buy Real Estate was 5 years ago”.

The uncertainty and indicators of a recession may slow some buyers. Don’t let history repeat itself. purchasing a tangible item such as real estate is the best route to take, as long as you are smart about your finances and do not overextend yourself.”

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Unemployed Due to The Pandemic?

How Bankruptcy Can Help BANKRUPTCY has always been a last resort for people who are struggling with debts that they can no longer pay. Most people would do what they can on their own and will only consider doing it once they know they have run out of options. Unfortunately, by the time they get to the point of making the decision to file, a lot of them have also exhausted their savings and depleted their retirement plans in their efforts to avoid bankruptcy. I see this happen all the time.

If you are one of the millions of people laid off due to the virus, bankruptcy can provide a much-needed “lifeline” if you are unable to pay your bills. While we are facing uncertain times with no way of knowing when things can go back to the way they were before the pandemic, bankruptcy can give you a sense of control over your finances and help you stay afloat until the storm has passed.

If you have lost your job due the virus, there is less or no money to pay the bills. A lot of people are receiving EDD unemployment benefits, but it is often not even enough to pay for basic living expenses. So a lot of them have stopped paying their rent or mortgage payment hoping that after the eviction moratorium is over, they will be able to work out a repayment plan with their landlord or mortgage lender in order to prevent eviction or foreclosure. As I write this article, the second stimulus bill is still pending in Congress and it is not clear whether an agreement can be reached before the end of the year. With EDD benefits ending for a lot of people, the wait is nerve-wracking because people do not know how they are going to survive as the new year starts.

While state and federal governments, as well as many creditors, have worked hard to provide safety nets in the form of payment forbearances, these are all temporary measures and short-term fixes. For that reason, it is best for you to have a plan B just in case it takes much longer than expected for you to be employed and regain your income.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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Should I create a Will and a Living Trust during this pandemic?

THE Covid-19 Pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy. Individuals over 60 years old and individual that are immune compromised are more at risk of having serious complications with this virus. Individuals are dying all over the world in exponential numbers. Although we cannot completely control how our bodies and immune system would respond to this virus, we can prepare our finances and estate in case the worst happens to make sure our loved ones are properly provided for. Legally, there are several ways you can do this.

1. Create a Living Trust If you pass away with at least $166,250 in gross assets and you do not have a living trust (even if you have a will), your beneficiaries would have to open up a probate case before title to the assets can pass to them.

When I say gross asset, I mean regardless of how much debt you owe on them. For example if you own a house valued at $350,000 at the time of your death, it does not matter that your mortgage balance is $300,000, a probate case has to be opened in order to pass title to that property. The same is true with other types of assets such as owning a business, a professional practice, bonds, equities, etc. This is a very low threshold to exceed specially in California where real estate prices, even after the economic crisis, remains in the upper end of the curve among the 50 states.

Commencing a probate case is expensive and a very slow process.

Someone qualified will have to file a Petition with the probate court to have someone appointed as executor or administrator. The Petitioner's attorney gets paid a statutory rate for attorney's fees commencing with 4% of the gross estate. The probate referee will have to be paid for appraising the assets of the estate. If it is necessary to post bond, the premium on the bond would have to be paid as well. There is also the cost of administering the estate such as selling some of the assets to satisfy the estate's obligations and to divide the estate according to the will or the intestate line of succession if there is no will. The entire process could take up years specially if certain beneficiaries and creditors file certain claims. The probate court file would be public record.

On the other hand if you have a living trust, your estate can avoid the entire court system and court supervision. In certain situations, the process may also save you estate taxes which may be substantial if your assets exceed a certain threshold. Basically, you and/or your spouse can be named as the initial trustee of the trust while you are alive. The trustee is the person who manages the trust. This means you retain control of all your assets the same way as if you never had a trust. For revocable trusts, you can later on, at any time during your lifetime, revoke the entire trust if you change your mind.

The assets held in your living trust will be managed by the trustee and distributed according to your directions without court supervision and involvement when you pass away.

MINDING YOUR FINANCES… FROM PAGE 6 On thing you should NEVER do is to ignore creditors during this time. It is best to stay in touch with them and let them know about your financial hardship. If they agree to postpone your payments temporarily, get the agreement in writing to protect yourself. Do not just stop making payments and assume that your creditors know what is going on. If you are a homeowner and have stopped paying your lender under a forbearance agreement, find out exactly how your lender will assist you in catching up on the missed payments after the forbearance period is over.

If you have the financial resources to negotiate delinquent debts with creditors, that may be a way to avoid bankruptcy. But I suspect as I watch what is currently going on with this pandemic that for a lot of people, bankruptcy may be inevitable. I know that a lot of people have resorted to borrowing money and using their credit cards to pay for necessities.

The other day, someone was just telling me how he has accumulated over $30,000 in debt since March after getting laid off due to the virus.

What I am finding these days is that a lot of people who normally would not have qualified for bankruptcy before the pandemic due to high income are now eligible due to lack of or insufficient income. So, for these people, right now is the BEST TIME to file and get rid of their debts while they can. If they wait until they go back to work and make the same amount that they were making before, they may not qualify and be stuck in debt for a long time. The problem is that if these debts are now delinquent, they are now at risk of being sued by creditors and having their wages garnished. In many cases, TIMING IS CRUCIAL when filing bankruptcy and it is best to consult with an experienced bankruptcy attorney who can assess the situation to see what is best.

NOTE: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, I am offering free consultations BY PHONE to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems.

(None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772).

This can save your heirs time and money. Since the trust would not be under the direct management of the probate court, your assets and their value and your beneficiaries' identities would not become a public record. Your heirs and beneficiaries would still have to be notified about the living trust and advised, among other things, of their right to obtain a copy of the trust.

Having a trust is also beneficial in case you become incapacitated. The person you name as successor trustee can step up and manage the assets in your trust on your behalf.

2. Power of Attorney A power of attorney designates another individual the power to manage your financial affairs on your behalf.

You can limit this power and define what the scope of the power you are giving your attorney in fact. A power of attorney is also revocable if you decide to cancel the power you have given this individual. By giving another person the power of attorney, you do not lose the power to manage your financial affairs. You can continue to make financial decisions on your own affairs.

3. Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare A Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare allows your to designate specific individual to have the power to make healthcare decisions on your behalf incase you no longer have the capacity to make decisions for yourself due to health conditions. You can define the scope of your agent’s authority. This is also revocable if you change your mind in the future. Your agent will have the authority to access and review your medical records and sign any authorization on your behalf.

This is helpful incase you are unable to make healthcare decisions for yourself.

4. Last Will and Testament A Last Will and Testament allows your to designate how your assets will be distributed after you pass away. This allows you to customize how your estate will be divided and distributed. In the absence of a Will, you would pass away intestate and the probate court would simply follow the California intestate succession laws which are in the probate code.

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com

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Pampanga’s giant lanterns bring joy, hope amid pandemic CITY OF SAN FERNANDO (Mabuhay) — Not even the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic can stop the Giant Lantern Festival which this city holds every year to bring joy and hope to Filipinos.

In its 112th year, the world-renowned “Ligligan Parul” took center stage on Wednesday night at Robinson’s Starmills here to keep the Kapampangan’s cultural tradition alive amid the pandemic.

But this time, not as a competition but a virtual exhibition of seven giant lanterns from Barangays Sto. Niño, San Juan, San Nicolas, Sta. Lucia, Bulaon, Telebastagan, and Calulut that was aired live via regional television network CLTV36 and social media site.

The GLF Foundation, Inc. and the City Government of San Fernando decided to skip the actual competition to prevent possible Covid-19 transmission and surge of cases in the city.

Despite some limitations and restrictions due to the pandemic, the annual festival was staged successfully as it enabled to deliver a strong message of hope to the people from all walks of life.

Through livestream, viewers in this province, other places in the country, and even abroad witnessed the grand display of spectacular lights, the interplay of colors and kaleidoscopic patterns of the giant lanterns to the beat of lively Kapampangan songs.

Some of those who watched the festival at the safety and comfort of their homes have expressed their amazement via social media as they saw the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the lantern makers from the seven participating barangays.

“The Giant Lantern Festival is indeed one of

the grandest events in Pampanga during this Yuletide season. Although we were not able to watch the annual tradition personally, it somehow brought the warmth and joys of Christmas amid this pandemic,” said Mylene Ilagan, a 51-year-old housewife from Gapan City, Nueva Ecija.

Joseph Dayao of Balanga City, Bataan said the excitement of watching the annual festival is still there even via live stream.

“It was really amazing. No one can dispute that this is the best festival in the region. Sa gitna ng mga challenges na ating kinakaharap, ang Giant Lantern Festival ay nagsisilbing simbolo ng pag-asa (Amid some challenges we are facing, the Giant Lantern Festival serves as a symbol of hope),” Dayao said.

“I am proud to be Kapampangan. The Giant Lantern Festival is part of our tradition that we would not let it die. Although the celebration this year is different, but we are thankful that it was push through,” said Rhea Mendoza of Barangay Dolores here.

Mayor Edwin Santiago said the San Fernando Christmas lanterns are a great source of inspiration and spark hope.

“Amid the pandemic, we are able to show the whole world our pride, the giant lanterns. We celebrate this occasion every year. Each year, we are proudly celebrate the great and talented lantern makers who continue to excel their craft through generations,” Santiago said in his message via livestream.

Although the celebration this year is a little different due to the pandemic, Santiago said “the message that these lanterns bring remain the same. That life is colorful and the hope that this pandemic shall pass stays bright”. (MNS)

Poe: No way for TRB to come out clean from RFID mess MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Toll Regulatory Board cannot wash its hands clean of the chaotic implementation of the cashless radiofrequency identification (RFID) system, Senator Grace Poe said Thursday as the Senate formally opened an inquiry into the matter.

"The Toll Regulatory Board, as the primary regulator of toll operators, cannot escape the blame. It seems to me that the TRB has been content to do two things and nothing else: raise toll rates and collect fees," Poe said in the hearing led by the Senate Committee on Public Services.

"Truth be told, TRB can’t even do its job of collecting toll fees that well," she added.

Citing data from the Commission on Audit, Poe said the TRB failed t o

collect almost a billion peso worth of toll fees—P44.24 million in 2017, and P859.94 million in 2019.

Further, the senator stressed that TRB's governing board, like that of the National Disaster Risk Reduct ion a nd Management Council and the PhilHealth, is dominated by "ex-officio Cabinet secretaries who have more important things to do."

Poe said the future of the regulatory body should also be tackled in the ongoing hearing.

On Wednesday night, President Rodrigo Duterte condemned the "incompetence" of t he TRB af ter cashless transactions caused serious gridlocks in some Luzon expressways.

“I do not want you becoming a dead wood. If you cannot perform what is expected of you, then the best you can do, for decency’s sake, resign and do not wait to be fired because

masakit ‘yan, mapapahiya ka,” Duterte said.

He also asked Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade if it was possible to fire TRB officials.

"Meron pala kayong memorandum, Art. Saan ‘yung mga tao? Can I fire them? Palitan ko na lang lahat, ‘yung may experience na,” the President said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian previously called for the replacement of TRB executive director Abraham Sales for the glitches in the RFID system.

Sales, who was among the confirmed guests in Thursday's hearing, has yet to speak about the issue.

After the Valenzuela City government suspended the business permit of the NLEX Corp. in its jurisdiction due to the required cashless payment, the TRB announced that cash lanes in expressways have been reopened to prevent heavy traffic. (MNS)

GIANT LANTERN FESTIVAL. Seven giant lanterns brighten up the dark skies as the Giant Lantern Festival 2020 takes center stage at the Robinsons Starmills in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga on Wednesday night (Dec. 16, 2020). The annual festival was staged not as a competition but as a virtual exhibition by lantern makers from the city's participating villages to bring inspiration and spark hope amid the pandemic. (MNS photo)

Technology vital in curbing human trafficking — DOJ chief MANILA (Mabuhay) — Modern technology can be used to curb human trafficking cases in the country, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Thursday. “(T)here is a realization and consensus among stakeholders that developments in technology that have spawned new ways of committing trafficking can also be harnessed and utilized to respond to trafficking," Guevarra told participants of the 6th Manila International Dialogue on the International Day against Human Trafficking.

The event seeks to consolidate a comprehensive international approach to prevent and combat human trafficking.

Guevarra said more tech companies are joining the fight, developing tools and technology solutions against human trafficking.

While stressing that the pace of human trafficking investigations, in general, has been dictated by traffickers and syndicates, he added that “the growing network of private sector engagement in this initiative is highly encouraging”.

“Fortunately for us, the

shift towards a virtual practice of discourse is also an opportunity to have a glimpse of what the future of counter-trafficking means for our country and for the world in general. As 2020 comes to a close, we are gaining a better understanding of what a global response to trafficking will look like in this decade and beyond,” he said.

Last May, during the height of the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine and with a majority of the courts and prosecution offices remaining closed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the country saw the virtual promulgation of the conviction of the notorious American pedophile, David Timothy Deakin.

The judgment was handed down by Judge Irineo Pangilinan Jr. of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 58 through online proceedings.

Another recent conviction for large scale trafficking for prostitution was promulgated via videoconferencing in Cebu.

In both instances, the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. (MNS)

Tagle assures Christmas prayers for fellow migrant workers

VATICAN-BASED LUIS ANTONIO CARDINAL TAGLE

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Vatican-based Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the Prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples, on Thursday assured his fellow migrant workers and their families of his prayers for the Christmas season.

“Please rest assured of my prayers for you, your f a m i l ie s, a nd you r i ntent ion s. Mer r y Christmas, and a Happy New Year,” the former Archbishop of Manila said in his Christmas message to his “fellow migrant Filipino families and

friends.

Tagle also urged Filipinos working abroad to ask for guide and strength from the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ, who he said, were also migrants.

“Mary and Joseph were also migrants. They had to flee to Egypt for some time, to save Jesus from King Herod’s slaughter of innocent babies, who feared that one of them might become King and replace him,” the Cardinal said. “As we go through the joys and sorrows of life as migrants, we ask for strength and guidance from the Holy Family, who like us experienced how is it to be away from home.”

Tagle also acknowledged modern technology as those who are away from their families can communicate with them virtually.

“Financial difficulties and the Covid crisis have prevented us from visiting home as much as we would have wanted. But they have also made

us experts in sending our love and affection instantly across the globe through text messages, social media posts, audio, and videos,” he said.

"Our virtual contact brings us closer to each other, preparing us for a more meaningful and fruitful personal contact, face to face when circumstances allow."

Tagle said allowing them to work abroad might also the way of God for them to be missionaries.

“Isn’t it perhaps that God guides us out of the Philippines, not only to earn a living but also to be missionaries? We can ask ourselves: who among my family or friends or co-workers can I bring close to Jesus today? How can I help them discover Jesus coming to us, not only this Christmas but each day, in our prayers, the people we meet and the ordinary events of our life?” he said.

Tagle was appointed to the Vatican post by Pope Francis in December 2019. He assumed his new task last February. (MNS)

global NEWS GLOBAL NEWS Hontiveros: Isn’t passing SOGIE bill a Christian thing to do?

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday implored her colleagues to support a bill seeking to prohibit and sanction discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).

"Hindi dapat mangamba tayong mga relihiyoso. Because this proposed legislation will govern matters of the state. Hindi nito babaguhin ang paniniwala ng simbahan o ang mga turo ng bibliya. Kagaya na rin nang sabi ni Pope Francis, 'LGBTQ people are children of God,'" Hontiveros said as she sponsored the committee report for Senate Bill No. 1934.

"Tayo pa bang mga relihiyoso ang magsasara ng ating mga puso at isipan? Hindi ba’t compassion at kindness ang mga pangunahing tinuturo ng simbahan? Isn’t passing the SOGIE Equality Bill a Christian thing to do?" she added.

A vocal ally of the LGBTQ community, Hontiveros urged her colleagues to stand up against discrimination and fight for equality, stressing that the SOGIE bill has been left to gather dust in the legislative mill since the 11th Congress.

"This Christmas season, as we celebrate the Holy Family and the birth of the little Lord Jesus, let us take time to remember all those who were told, 'There is no place at the inn.' Let us be their shepherds and their angels—as we should always be for the least, the lost and the last," she said.

Among the long list of prohibited acts under the bill are the promotion of stigma on the basis of SOGIESC in the media, educational books, and other medium; and the inclusion of sexual orientation in the criteria for hiring and promotion.

The bill also prohibits preventing a child under parental authority, custody, or guardianship from expressing one's preferred SOGIESC by inflicting or threatening to inflict harm, or causing mental and emotional suffering.

Hontiveros said parents should look at the bigger picture on the intention of the bill.

"Hindi ba’t mas nais natin makita ang ating mga anak sa isang lipunang hindi mapanghusga?

Na kung anuman ang nais nilang pasuking propesyon o trabaho ay walang magsasabing 'hindi kami tumatanggap ng bakla'...na kaya nilang makamit ang kanilang mga pangarap at anumang hangarin na walang magsasabing, 'anak, hanggang dito ka lang,'" the senator said.

She a lso reiterated t h a t the bill is not asking for special r i g ht s a s e v e r y on e h a s t hei r own sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.

"Lahat tayo ay kasamang mapoprotektahan nang batas na ito. Ang sinasabi lang natin,

straight ka mang lalake o babae, bakla, lesbyana, bisexual, transgender o queer, lahat tayo ay may ambag sa lipunan, lahat tayo pantay-pantay," she said.

Violators of the proposed law would be sanctioned with a fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P1 million at the discretion of the court.

In addition, the court may also impose community service through attendance in human rights and SOGIESC education, among others.

Last year, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said there is "no chance" that a SOGIE bill would secure the approval of the upper chamber.

The Senate can approve an anti-discrimination bill but not one that is focused on members of t he LGBTQ com mu n ity, he said.

(MNS)

SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS

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DND chief OK with Reds no ceasefire declaration MANILA (Mabuhay) — Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday said he is fine with the decision of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) not to declare a ceasefire during the Yuletide Season.

"Okay lang sa amin kasi kami hindi nagdeclare ng ceasefire, kailangan naman dalawang magkasundo para magdeclare ng ceasefire (It's okay with us [referring to the defense and military sectors] as we did not declare a ceasefire, it needs two parties to agree to declare a ceasefire)," he said during an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the fleet review and wing flyby held off Morong, Bataan on Wednesday.

Earlier, the CPP urged all New People's Army (NPA) units to conduct secret meetings to mark its 52nd founding on December 26.

The communist terrorists also said they will continue with their harassments during the holiday season since the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) did not declare a ceasefire for this year.

Lorenzana said the CPP-NPA probably opted not to declare their own ceasefire after learning that President Rodrigo R. Duterte is no longer interested in one.

The DND chief added that during ceasefires in past years, the CPP-NPA was known to use the opportunity to resupply, refurbish, regroup, and recruit new members in far-off barangays.

"So huwag na nating pag-usapan ang ceasefire kung ganun ang ginagawa nila (So let us not talk of any ceasefire if they only do that," he said.

The DND chief also dismissed CPPNPA claims that AFP units are attacking them during ceasefires, adding that it is the communist terrorists who are known to violate such truces. (MNS)

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OVER the past few years, the attorneys at CHALEFF REHWALD PETERSON (w w w.ca reg iverover t ime.com) have had the honor of informing hundreds of caregivers about the specific overtime laws that protect caregivers from being overworked and underpaid. Many of these caregivers decided to call us after reading our articles on Weekend Balita or finding our Facebook page.

These are some of our favorite calls to receive. And, as a result of these calls, we have been able to help hundreds of caregivers recover millions in unpaid overtime.

We would have been able to help many more caregivers. But the truth is that some caregivers who have suffered wage theft, and been exploited by their employers, do not want to pursue their claims. We have recognized several common fears that prevent caregivers from taking action. If you have been thinking about making an overtime claim, or calling to get more information, please do not hesitate to call us. We want to hear from you.

Here are some of the most common concerns we hear from caregivers and the reasons why these concerns should not prevent you from seeking the overtime compensation you deserve.

Are you ready to claim your overtime in 2020?

1. “I Feel Obligated To My Patient.”

By nature, caregivers are typically caring people. Many private employers take advantage of a caregiver’s compassionate nature and do not pay a fair wage. Many caregivers feel a sense of loyalty or obligation towards their employers that make them reluctant to pursue valid claims.

While these are noble sentiments, it does not change the fact that caregivers who are paid less than the legally required wages are victims of wage theft.

In fact, many people who hire in-home caregivers are financially able to pay for caregiving services as required by law, but simply choose not to because they want to save money. We often see the children of elderly patients making efforts to preserve their own inheritance by taking advantage of caregivers.

The truth is that the family members are obligated to ensure their loved ones are adequately cared for. It is not a caregiver’s obligation to provide care in exchange for a wage that is less than what the law requires.

2. “I Am Afraid Of The Court System And Having A Lawsuit.”

Many private employers refuse to pay caregivers overtime because they believe caregivers are unsophisticated and will not be able to file a legal claim. The legal process can be intimidating and confusing. But that is why the lawyers at CHALEFF REWALD PETERSON are here to help. We know the law and stand ready to help.

3. “I Signed A Document Stating I Am An Independent Contractor.”

It is unlikely that an in-home caregiver is an independent contractor

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

even if there is a signed a document that purports to identify them as a contractor. Still, it is common for private employers to try to conv ince ca reg ivers t hey a re independent contractors because it is much less costly and much more advantageous for them.

The reality is that many private employers misclassify caregivers as independent contractors to avoid paying overtime and other employee benefits.

4. “I Did Not Pay Taxes on The Wages I Did Receive.”

While we recommend that our clients pay all taxes owed for the wages received, if a caregiver has not paid taxes on wages, the caregiver still has the legal right to seek the overtime wages due.

It is the employer’s obligation to properly classify the employee and withhold state and federal income taxes. If this has not happened, the employer has also violated the law.

5. “I Do Not Have A Social Security Number.”

You do not need a social security number to recover overtime wages from your employer. If you succeed in your unpaid overtime claim, Chaleff Rehwald Peterson can help you get an ITIN that can be used to pay the taxes owed.

6. “I Am Concerned About Immigration Status.”

California law permits undocumented workers to recover unpaid overtime wages. In our experience, our undocumented clients have not suffered any serious adverse effect from presenting an overtime claim. While we cannot guarantee no problem will arise, we believe the benefit in recovering unpaid overtime far outweighs the risk. Also, we have a relationship with an immigration attorney that can review and possibly assist with your specific immigration situation.

7. “I Do Not Want A Long Court Battle, and May Leave the Country.”

Most cases settle without going to court, and many cases settle within a matter of a few months to a year. We regularly help caregivers who return to their home countries while the case is ongoing and keep in contact with us via the phone and internet. Because the laws are so strong in favor of the caregiver, most employers seek an early settlement of claims.

If you are working as a caregiver and you are not paid overtime when working more than 9 hours a day, or 45 hours a week, you should consult with CHALEFF REHWALD PETERSON to discuss your rights. We are here to help.

With the penalties, interest, and attorney’s fees allowed, claims can exceed $200,000 for 24-hour caregivers who have worked just one year. Even if you have only worked three to six months, you likely have a valuable claim.

This article is an attorney advertisement written by Daniel Chaleff, employment law attorney at Chaleff Rehwald Peterson in Woodland Hills. Our examples are of a general nature and are not a guarantee regarding the outcome of your individual matter. The law firm focuses on caregiver rights. Please call us at (818) 807-4168 for a free and confidential consultation. Or visit us at www.caregiverovertime.com/ to learn more about caregiver overtime law. We offer a 24-hour chat line on our website.

ASEAN parliamentarians to Duterte admin:

Stop red-tagging opposition solons MANILA (Mabuhay) — Southeast Asian parliamentarians advocating for human rights have called on the Duterte administration to immediately stop its "vicious and dangerous" red-tagging campaign against opposition lawmakers in the Philippines.

The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) made the call amid Duterte and other government officials' continued association of the House Makabayan Bloc with communist rebels even as the concerned lawmakers themselves have already denied links to the insurgents.

“Red-tagging has had extremely violent consequences in the Philippines, and the fact we are seeing President Duterte leading the way on such a menacing practice is utterly inexcusable,” said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) and chair of APHR. “Let’s be clear: not only do the president’s actions attempt to silence political opposition and undermine democracy, but they also directly put people’s lives at risk, particularly those who oppose his agenda," he added.

The APHR noted that in the Philippines, "red-tagging" is being used by authorities to harass those perceived as threats to the country by linking them with communists or communist sympathizers, and those that have been labeled as such have either been attacked or killed.

Only recently, Duterte himself even took a step further and "definitely" named the

Makabayan Bloc and other progressive groups like Bayan and Gabriela as fronts for the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

He also claimed that these progressive groups are part of a "grand conspiracy" led by the CPP to oust the government.

“How can lawmakers be expected to fulfil their role as a check on the executive when they themselves are being attacked?"

Santiago said.

"We urgently call on President Duterte and the Philippine government to stop labelling directly-elected representatives as terrorists, and allow opposition lawmakers to effectively fulfil their mandates and freely express their opinions,” he added.

The APHR said Duterte's latest comments are part of his administration's widespread assault on democracy and human rights in the Philippines as they took note of the war on drugs, the jailing of government critics including APHR member Senator Leila De Lima, and the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

“We call on MPs in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia to use their positions to speak up against the practice of ‘red tagging’ in the Philippines, particularly by government officials towards political opponents, and ensure that their colleagues can effectively fulfil their mandates as elected representatives of the people,” said Mu Sochua, an APHR Board Member and former Cambodian MP. (MNS)

Trillanes says he sought ICC intervention vs. Duterte’s drug war ahead of Reds MANILA (Mabuhay) — Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said he and former Magdalo congressman Gary Alejano sought the intervention of the International Criminal Court in connection with the Duterte administration's war on drugs ahead of other groups, including the Reds.

In a statement, Trillanes said the communication they filed in June 2017 adopted and supplemented the one earlier filed by lawyer Jude Sabio in April of the same year.

"Together, these two communications formed the primary basis for the ICC’s initiation of its preliminary examination in February 2018," he said.

He claimed that leftist groups and lawyer Rommel Bagares filed theirs only around mid- to late 2018.

“During the first two years of the Duterte administration, the CPP/ NPA/NDF [were] in a power sharing/coalition government with Duterte. In fact, there were at least three Cabinet secretaries from t he CPP/N PA/N DF,” FORMER SENATOR Trillanes said.

ANTONIO TRILLANES IV CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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Cops’ gimmicks bringing anxiety to the public must be stopped — Sinas MANILA (Mabuhay) — Gimmicks of police officers which could cause anxiety to the general public must be stopped, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Debold Sinas said on Thursday.

In a television interview, Sinas was asked for his reaction about the prank supposedly made by the Cebu City Police where its men pretended to arrest civilians but in reality, will just give them Christmas gifts.

According to local reports, police would issue warrants of arrest to some civilians.

Later on, they would be brought to the police vehicle only to find out that they will be given gifts. The said gimmick was dubbed as "arrestoguinaldo."

Sinas said the gimmick is not part of his directive to police officers.

"Wala naman 'yun sa regular directive namin. Baka initiative lang po ng mga lower units natin. Titingnan ko po kung ano ang nangyari, maybe kung it's good, then we could support it but if it already caused anxiety sa publiko at sa mga kababayan natin, I will direct them to stop such practices po," Sinas said.

Sinas admitted that he is not priv y with this gimmick, noting that he will still talk to the police officers involved in this matter.

"Alamin ko pa po kung ano ang sit-

PNP CHIEF POLICE GENERAL DEBOLD SINAS

wasyon na 'yan baka kung ano 'yung gimmick ng pulis natin doon. I have no actual knowledge po doon," Sinas said.

"Maybe, I'll talk to those in charge po doon, at alamin kung how it was carried out, kung ano 'yung intention, ano 'yung program. Baka sa kanila lang po 'yun and they want just to impress people," he added.

Foreign videos PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Ildebrandi Usana told GMA News Online that the prank was an imitation of what the local police see in foreign videos.

"The intention by a group of police officers is to make a 'target victim fall into their trap' and then make fun out of a post-staged act revelation," Usana said.

"To the person/s subject of that scenario, they may end up shocked or laughing as the result of such unexpected situation.

We have seen this in some local reality programs naman po. Some have worked, some have not," he explained.

According to Usana, the PNP is open if the "victims" of this prank will decide to file a formal complaint against the gimmick.

Some individuals as well as netizens in social media have criticized the said prank of the Cebu City Police.

In a press statement, Bayan Muna lawmaker Ferdinand Gaite slammed the prank, saying it is just bringing unnecessary stress to its targets. Gaite said the gimmick should be stopped.

"Instead of holiday cheers this ill-conceived gimmick brings chills and causes unwarranted stress and shame to its victims, people who might already be under a lot of stress due to the pandemic and the bad economy. Hindi nakakatuwa. Itigil na lang nila 'yan," Gaite said.

"Pwede nga maaresto ang isang sibilyan kung mag-prank call siya sa PNP Hotline, tapos ganitong gimmick pa ang naisipan nila, hindi talaga maganda. Pasko po ang parating, not April Fool's," he added.

Gaite said police could give Christmas gifts "without any distasteful humor."

He also said the PNP should be "more

circumspect about this considering all the anomalies the institution is facing, including tokhang which are again be-

ing brought to light following the recent statement of the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor." (MNS)

'Another fiasco, and you’re out', Duterte tells toll board MANILA (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte warned officials of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) that they may face sacking if another “fiasco” such as the traffic mess caused by the implementation of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) toll collection system in expressways in Luzon would happen.

In a public address late Wednesday night, Duterte called TRB officials “inutile”, and suggested to replace them with a retired military official if they could not improve their regulatory services.

“Another fiasco, alis na kayong lahat at ilagay ko nalang sa isang tao (and you’re all out and I’ll appoint someone else there). You better call them regularly [Transport Secretary] Art [Tugade] at pag hindi (because if not), just set them aside maglagay ka lang ng tao diyan, expert na mag-plano, isang tao lang naman kailangan diyan e. Magkuha ka ng military (just assign someone there, an expert, just one person is needed. Get someone from the military),” he said.

Duterte said that before he could even start firing anyone, TRB officials who acted as “deadwood” were better off stepping down from their posts.

“I have to weed out incompetence. I do not want you becoming a deadwood.

If you cannot perform what is expected of you then the best that you can do for decency’s sake, resign and do not wait to be fired because masakit ‘yan, mapahiya ka (because being embarrassed is going to hurt),” he said.

He said the traffic mess and confusion could have been avoided if the TRB had fully prepared for the rollout of the cashless toll collection system before it was implemented.

“Next time you prepare the public. Kayong mga (You) regulators, if there are changes, if there are I said innovations there, let them practice it. Ayusin niyo muna. Huwag kayo basta papasok-pasok (Fix it first. Don’t just suddenly implement it) especially if it involves public interest and public safety,” he said.

According to Duterte, their incompetence had caused additional “hardships” on the people.

“Public interest, protect the public. Do not for Christ’s sakes, do not make it hard for the people to survive. I’ve been telling you just to make Philippines a comfortable place,” he said.

Duterte urged TRB officials to meet with Tugade on Thursday to discuss measures to fix the RFID mess.

He said he could not blame toll operators because it was the TRB’s job to have studied and tested the cashless payment system on a trial run before it was carried out.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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Fleet review, wing flyby shows AFP development — Gapay

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The fleet review and wing flyby held off Morong, Bataan on Wednesday highlighted the development of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) into a respectable military force.

"The f leet review and wing f lyby showcases the AFP's development into world-class armed forces and a regional power through the modest but well-planned AFP modernization program," AFP chief-of-staff General Gilbert Gapay said.

The event is one of the highlights of the AFP's 85th founding anniversary which is on December 21. Around 63 air and naval assets took part in the said activities. Among those who participated were the newly-commissioned missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), and strategic sealift vessel BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602), which led the Philippine Navy (PN) contingent while three Mach 1.5 capable FA-50PH light-lift jet trainers and two S-70i "Black Hawk" combat utility helicopters spearheaded those of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

Other naval assets present include the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16), BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS-35), BRP Batak (LCC-299), BRP Abraham Campo (PC-296), and BRP Ang Pangulo (AT-25).

Meanwhile, 36 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft also joined the FA-50PH and the S-71is, including the two AugustaWestland AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine and three AW-109 "Power" combat utility helicopters.

Onboard BRP Batak, a Navy landing craft, is the Philippine Army's Simba armored personnel carrier and the Philippine Marine Corps' V-150.

"We are truly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief, President Rodrigo Duterte, for the unprecedented support to our modernization," Gapay said.

A short ceremony was held on-site and was headed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who was aboard BRP Tarlac (LD-601) that served as the viewing deck for defense officials and senior military officers attending the activity.

"This showcase of our reliable and modern assets is our gift to the Filipino people. This is where your taxes go. The AFP as protector of the people and the state shall continue its judicious use of its resources and protect the trust and

Top defense and military officials, led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and AFP chief-of-staff General Gilbert Gapay, watch the fleet review and wing flyby on Wednesday at Morong, Bataan. (MNS photo)

support the people have vested on us," Gapay said.

In an interview with reporters, Lorenzana said the fleet review and wing flyby shows to the Filipinos that the AFP is starting to upgrade itself albeit modestly.

"I feel proud (that) this happened during my term as the Secretary of Defense but more than anything else, we should thank the President for his concern, his push to buy more equipment," he said.

(MNS)

Tugade apologizes to motorists, LGUs for RFID mess MANILA (Mabuhay) — Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday apologized to the motorists and local government units who were affected by the massive traffic congestion and other inconveniences caused by the RFID system in some tollways.

“Again I express my apologies to the users of the tollways, to the local government for the convenience whatever it cost. be assured that the inconveniences cost is not designed, is not intended,” Tugade said in a live briefing.

“There will be a day today, consider what is happening now as what we call a birthing experience para ayusin ho namin yan,” he added.

Many motorists have found themselves stuck in slow-moving traffic in the first several days of cashless collection of toll payment in expressways.

Due to the traffic, the local government of Valenzuela also suspended the business permit of NLEX Corporation, which cleared traffic jams in the area.

“Alam ko ho na nakakabulahaw dahil sa mga nangyari. Nahihiya po ako sa Valenzuela, sa mga local govenrment, sa mga nagmamaneho,” Tugade said.

“Be assured that your Department of Transportation, together with the TRB, the LTO, and the LTFRB are trying its utmost best to achieve that interoperability,” he added.

Tugade also said that he wanted the barriers removed.

“Sabi ko alisin niyo na lang ‘yan, diretsyo na lang ‘yan. Pagnagkaroon ng glitch, kasi pagnagkaroon ng glitch pila yan, sagutin niyo na ‘yon kasi that is a problem of the sytem. If it is a problem of the system why should you make the travelres and the public suffer? You bear the cost because that is your system,” he said. (MNS)

TRILLANES… FROM PAGE 10 He was referring to Left-recommended former National Anti-Poverty Commission lead convenor Liza Maza, former Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, and former Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael "Paeng" Mariano.

"It is clear that when the CPP/NPA/ NDF were still in bed with [President Rodrigo] Duterte, they countenanced Duter te’s ex t rajud icia l k i l lings," Trillanes said.

"During those times, they never called out Duterte for the EJKs and, therefore, did not file a case with the ICC. It was only when the peace talks [were] eventually scrapped by Duterte that they started raising issues against him," he added.

But CPP founding chairman Joma

Sison previously said the Reds were never allied with Duterte despite the said appointments.

Sabio's withdrawal from ICC case Meanwhile, Trillanes said the withdrawal of Sabio from the ICC last January "merely removed himself as a stakeholder" and did not affect the case filed in any way.

Sabio, the lawyer of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, filed the first complaint against Duterte at the ICC in connection with the administration's controversial anti-illegal drugs campaign in 2017.

The ICC prosecutor started a preliminary examination of Sabio’s allegations regarding the anti-illegal drugs campaign in February 2018.

Weeks later, President Rodrigo

Duterte announced that the Philippines was withdrawing from the ICC, a move that was challenged by opposition senators before the Supreme Court.

In August 2018, activists and families of eight victims of the government's war on drugs filed another complaint.

They were represented by the National Union of People's Lawyers.

The country's exit from the ICC took effect in March 2019 but the preliminary examination continued.

Just this week, the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor said there is "reasonable basis" to believe that crimes against humanity were committed in the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

The Palace said it was "legally erroneous" and dismissed it as "political propaganda." (MNS)

‘ANOTHER… FROM PAGE 11 “Is it the fault of the system? Yes, because the system was not tested thoroughly which would translate into something like an incompetence at lahat na (and everything).

Hindi ko masisi itong may-ari nitong…sila (I don’t want to blame the owners) Ramon Ang, Ayala because meron tayong (we have a) regulator. That’s the purpose of having a regulatory board. They should not have allowed the system right now to put into use without a trail of one week at titignan nila (and they should see) and anticipate what would be the problem. That is the correct frame of mind,” he said.

Meanwhile, Duterte also defended his preference to appoint former military officials in the Cabinet, noting that

they always had a “system” prepared before battle or war.

“It’s only I said the military sa experience ko who can do that… hindi naman lahat, pero (not all but) the frame of mind that I want kasi matagal ako sa gobyerno, is the frame of mind of a military man,” he said.

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian earlier ordered the suspension of the business permit of NLEX Corp. following traffic jams in the city due to the implementation of the toll regulator’s RFID payment system.

The RFID cashless toll collection should have been a seamless and no contact payment system in the expressways as part of the government's initiative to also curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019. (MNS)

Saturday-Friday | December 19 - 25, 2020

Bishop, FEU law professors join calls to junk impeachment bid vs. Leonen MANILA (Mabuhay) — A Catholic bishop and law professors at the Far Eastern University (FEU) have joined calls for the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, national director of Caritas Philippines, urged lawmakers to devote their time to "more important concerns" instead of the impeachment, which he said "clearly has no merit."

He stressed the need for Congress to act on legislation that will help farmers, address the effects of climate change, and strengthen the country's economy.

FEU law professors led by Dean Mel Sta. Maria, for their part, said Leonen is an honorable, independent, and erudite justice who has served as a voice of reason in the highest Philippine court.

"Walang alinlangang hinahayag niya ang pagpuna at konstruktibong pagbatikos sa maling patakaran o gawain ng ibang sangay ng gobyerno, ehekutibo man o lehislatura," the educators said in a statement.

"Kung siya ay tumututol sa ilang mga desisyon ng nakararaming miyembro ng Korte Suprema, may base ito sa batas at sa ating kasaysayan. Hindi siya sunod-sunuran kanino man. Isa siyang boses ng katwiran," they added.

They said Filipinos have a duty to defend democracy and the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, as well as public servants who they said are honorably doing their work.

"Kami ay nananawagan sa mababang kapulungan ng kongreso na agarang ibasura ang impeachment complaint laban kay Associate Justice Marvic Leonen," they said.

Human rights advocates and several law professors from the University of the Philippines (UP) have also expressed their support for Leonen.

Impeachment complaint Leonen faces an impeachment complaint accusing him of delay in resolving cases and of a failure to file his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for many years when he taught at UP. The alleged non-filing of SALNs was also an allegation against then-chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who faced an impeachment complaint before her own colleagues at the SC removed her from office in 2018. Leonen voted against the Sereno ouster.

Leonen earlier expressed confidence that lawmakers will "do the right thing."

"Certainly, this may not be the time to attend to false issues raised by some for clearly personal or vindictive reasons," he said.

(MNS)

SUPREME COURT (SC) ASSOCIATE JUSTICE MARVIC LEONEN

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Manufacturers commit to retain prices of noche buena items at 2019 levels MANILA (Mabuhay) — Manufacturers of noche buena items have committed to keep product prices at 2019 levels and hold off on any increases for the meantime, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Thursday.

At a virtual briefing, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government has been in close coordination with private entities since November to ensure that there will be no steep increases in prices of basic necessities and noche buena items this holiday season, which are usually hiked by 3% to 5%.

"Itong mga manufacuturers ng noche buena products in coordination with DTI, nakisama po para sa ating mga kababayan dahil sa kahirapan, sa pandemya maraming nawalan ng trabaho, na hindi sila mag-i-increase," he said. "'Yun 'yung magandang balita, talaga hong same 2019 prices po sila as 2020, so 'yun ang at least maganda ngayong kapaskuhan na 'yung noche buena products at mame-maintain," he added.

Latest data available shows that inflation accelerated for the second straight month to 3.3% in November, the highest since the 3% recorded in April 2019.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects inflation to clock in at an average of 2.4% this year, faster than its previous forecast of 2.8%.

Moving forward, the DTI said it will continue to monitor prices of basic necessities and noche buena items to ensure that they fall within the government-mandated suggested retail price.

"Ang pinaka-challenging talagang parte ay 'yung sa mga palengke. Karamihan dito, 'yung mga agricultural products, talagang very challenging in the sense na subject talaga sila sa supply and demand," said Lopez.

"Kung mayroon mang mga pagtaas ngayon ay dahil sa kalimitan ng supply na naapektuhan, for example, nag pagbabawas let's say ng production," he added. (MNS)

PH dollar reserves rise to an all-time high in November MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said the country's gross international reserves reached an all-time high in November.

The country's GIR rose to $104.51 billion, up by $710 million from $103.80 billion in October.

The increase was due to the strong foreign exchange operations of the central bank and income from its investments abroad, it said.

This was partially offset however by withdrawals made by the national government to pay off foreign debts and losses from the BSP's gold holdings as prices went down in November.

The BSP said the November GIR "represents an adequate external liquidity buffer" which is equal to 11.2 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

This buffer "can help cushion the domestic economy against external shocks," it said.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno earlier said the central bank has been actively trading gold, as prices surge the past few months.

He previously noted that gold takes up over 10 percent of the central bank's dollar reserves. (MNS)

Cash remittances up 2.9 percent in October MANILA (Mabuhay) — Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos hit $2.747 billion in October, up 2.9 percent compared to the same month last year, the Bangko Sentral said.

This pushed the total cash remittances from January to October to $24.633 billion, representing a slight decrease of 0.9 percent from the $24.858 bi l l ion reg istered i n t he comparative period last year, the BSP said.

The central bank said the increase was due to the growth in remittances from both landbased and sea-based workers.

"By country source, cash remittances from Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom

( U K ), t h e Un i t e d A r a b Emirates (UAE), Germany, and Kuwait declined, while those from the United States (US), Singapore, Qatar, Oman, Hong Kong and Taiwan increased," the BSP said.

The US posted the highest share of the total remittances at 40.2 percent, followed by Singapore, Saudi A rabia, Japa n, t he UK, t he UA E, Canada, Hong Kong, Qatar, and Taiwan, the central bank added.

"The combined remittances f rom t hese cou nt r ies accounted for 78.7 percent of the total cash remittances."

Mea nw h i le, persona l Remittances also rose 2.5 Percent in October to $3.044

billion.

For the first ten months of 2020, personal remittances re ache d $27. 3 4 6 bi l l ion br ing ing t he cu mu lat ive contraction to 1 percent in October from 1.4 percent in September 2020.

Remittances have so far defied bleak forecasts from both government agencies and multilateral lenders.

The Philippines is one of the largest recipients of r em it t a nc e s, w h ic h power domest ic consumption a nd suppor t the economy.

(MNS)

Duque may face graft raps if found remiss on Pfizer deal — Pangilinan MANILA (Mabuhay) — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's alleged lapses in processing the deal for the supposed delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines in January may drag him to court, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Thursday.

"Kung totoo ito na nagkulang ang DOH (Department of Health), gross and inexcusable negligence sa anti-graft law ang posibleng kaso," the senator said in a message.

"Huwag naman sana na may issue ng 'kickvacc' sa dropping of the ball ng Pfizer vaccine procurement," he added.

Pangilinan said the upcoming Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the vaccination program, which he called for, is crucial in checking if there are corrupt and overpricing practices involved in the rolling out of vaccines for COVID-19.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. recently said "somebody dropped the ball" which affected the shipment of 10 million Pfizer vaccines to the country.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, citing information from Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, later on said it was Duque who failed to work on the necessary documentary requirement namely, the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement.

On Thursday morning, Lacson tweeted what he called a "direct quote" but did not name whom it was from: "In July, we passed the ball to him. Instead of aiming at the hoop, he scratched his balls so he dropped the ball even as time was running out. Then, Singapore grabbed and shot the ball."

"Now, they have the vaccines and we don’t," the senator said.

Duque, for his part, said "there is no such thing as dropping the ball" and assured critics that negotiations are ongoing.

Nevertheless, Lacson said the initiative with Pfizer has been renewed only after "they missed the bus the first time."

Both Lacson and Pangilinan repeatedly called for the resignation of Duque in past months over his alleged failure of leadership in COVID-19 response.

(MNS)

Senator Francis Pangilinan

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Lea Salonga's concert makes it to Billboard’s Classical Crossover Album chart

LEA SALONGA

MAniLA (Mabuhay) — Lea Salonga could not hide her excitement as she made it to Billboard’s Classical Crossover Album chart.

Salonga’s 2019 concert at the Sydney Opera House in Australia ranked seventh following "10" by Piano Guys, "Picture This" and "Merry Little Christmas" both by Mat & Savanna Shaw, "S&M2" by Metallica and San Francisco Symphony, "Classic Diamonds" by Neil Diamond and the London Symphone Orhestra at the 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd spots, respectively.

Topping the list is "Believe" by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m on a Billboard chart,” exclaimed Salonga on Twitter after posting a screenshot of the list.

The same concert of Salonga was shown in the United States last month as part of the "Broadway's Best" lineup of PBS. The Tony Award winner performed her signature songs from "Miss Saigon," "Les Misérables," "Aladdin," and "Mulan" in the Sydney concert.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Salonga has rescheduled her North American tour to 2021.

Nonetheless, the "Voice of the Philippines" coach has been busy with virtual gigs during the quarantine, such as her Facebook live concert that raised P1 million in just one hour for vulnerable sectors amid the COVID-19 crisis.

She also joined the likes of Meryl Streep, Neil Patrick Harris, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in an online concert and fundraiser last April.

The show honored Stephen Sondheim, considered one of the most important figures of 20th-century musical theater. His works as a composer and lyricist include "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "Into the Woods," and "West Side Story." (MNS)

Saturday-Friday December 19 - 25, 2020 Visit www.Balita.com

Joshua Garcia buffing up for role in ‘Keys to the Heart’

J

o s hua Garcia is looking forward for shooting to start on the Filipino adaptation of the South Korean drama film “Keys to the Heart” this coming year.

Garcia said he has been busy training for the movie so he may play his role effectively.

“S obr a ng e xc ite d akong gawin itong film.

Ang tagal na, hindi pa rin namin nagagawa.

Naghahanda lang kami.

Ngayon nagte-training ako kasi 'yung character ko dito, medyo ma-muscle na. Ibang level na

'yung gagawin ko next year,” he said.

In an announcement last October, ABS-CBN Films managing director Olivia Lamasan said the local version will star Garcia, Zaijan Jaranilla, and Charo Santos-Concio.

Also part of the cast is showbiz newcomer Daniela Stranner, with Dan Villegas as director.

“Siyempre challenging dahil bagong character ito. Excited akong makatrabaho si Zaijan, Ma’am Charo and si Daniella,” Garcia said.

According to Garcia, he wants to be at his best when they begin filming because he does not want to disappoint anyone, especially San-

tos-Concio.

“Hindi ko pa siya nakakatrabaho pero excited akong makatrabaho siya. Gusto ko makita 'yung kalalabasan ng mga eksena. Nai-imagine ko na. Sana hindi ako maging sakit ng ulo sa set namin kasi nakakahiya naman kay Ma’am Charo. Sobrang excited lang ako. Pati si Zaijan, grabe. Dalawa silang magaling,” he said.

Released in 2018, South Korea’s “Keys to the Heart” centers on a former boxing titlist who reconnects with his estranged brother, a piano prodigy with savant syndrome.

In ABS-CBN Films’ remake, Garcia w ill

JOSHUA GARCIA

portray the boxer, while Jaranilla will play the younger brother with autism, according to Lamasan.

A target release for “Keys to the Heart” has yet to be announced. (MNS)

Arjo Atayde hopes to work with girlfriend Maine Mendoza MAniLA (Mabuhay) — Arjo Atayde said he hopes to get the chance to work with his girlfriend, Maine Mendoza, in the future.

The Asian Academy Creative Awards Best Actor made the statement during a virtual briefing with the media on Tuesday, when asked about the male and female personalities he hopes to have a showbiz project with.

"Anything, just something different," he said when prodded about his preferred genre should ARJO & MAINE he get the chance to work with Mendoza.

"Kahit ano po, basta makatrabaho ko siya and something that we would both enjoy and present something new," he added.

Mendoza recently took to social media to congratulate Atayde for his big win at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, saying she is her boyfriend's "biggest fan."

Pressed for comment, Atayde said he dedicates his award not just to her, but also to his family and everyone who believed in him and his craft.

"I'm very happy, of course. I'm very happy and blessed, and she knows naman what I have to say. And I just dedicate this to her. She's an inspiration to me. She's my core," he said.

"Basta we celebrated na lang on our own and, of course, I'm very happy that she messaged me. With or without the post, she congratulated me na so it's more than enough," he added.

"I don't need to be posted but I really appreciate it when she does."

"I'm very happy, I appreciate her in every single way."

A side f rom Mendoz a, Atayde said he wishes to have the opportunity to work with John Lloyd Cruz.

His wish list for Hollywood personalities include Denzel Washington, Robert de Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Eddie Redmayne, Miles Teller, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Meryl Streep, and Halle Berry.

"Mostly also a lot of senior actors that we have in the Philippines, not only Hollywood. Ang dami ko pa pong pangarap na makatrabaho na senior actors natin dito sa Pilipinas," he said. (MNS)

Paolo Contis teases new film 'A Faroe Way Land' with Yen Santos

YEN & PAOLO

MAniLA (Mabuhay) — A f ter the success of " Through Night and Day," Paolo Contis has a new movie set in the far north!

On Instagram, the actor posted a photo with his co-star Yen Santos, sharing the names of their characters and the title of the film.

"Meet Mahjoy and Nico... This is their story

from #AFaroeWayLand," he said.

The film is set in the Danish territory Faroe Islands, located somewhere southeast of Iceland—the setting of "Through Night and Day." Yen also posted photos of her and Paolo looking cozy in winter clothes.

Of course, both actors couldn't resist sharing some snaps of the ma-

jestic views in the Faroe Islands.

"Ayoko na umuwi," Yen said in another IG post.

Meanwhile, Mavx Productions posted a teaser and behind-the-scenes video on YouTube showing various sights on the film location.

Mavx Productions is also the team behind "Through Night and Day." (MNS)

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‘I do understand,’ Jane de Leon tells skeptics of her ‘Darna’ casting

J

ane de Leon will be the first to acknowledge she is relatively inexperienced compared to past Darna actresses, saying she understands the skepticism over her casting as the komiks icon.

De Leon, 22, spoke at length about her part in the ABS-CBN adaptation shortly after she signed a contract with the network, and the announcement of the 2021 release of “Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series.”

“Grabe ‘yung pasasalamat ko sa mga boss. Until now, nandoon pa rin ‘yung tiwala nila sa akin na ibigay ‘yung bato,” de Leon said of ABS-CBN executives, referencing the white stone that transforms Narda into Darna in the comics.

The development of the series came after ABS-CBN indefinitely postponed its original movie production, also starring de Leon, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Akala ko, hindi na matutuloy,” de Leon recalled. “Ayoko mag-expect. Iyon ‘yung prinamis ko kay Lord, na ayoko mag-expect ng kahit na ano, kasi I know naman na may mga darating na blessings.”

The blessing, it now appears, is her long-awaited f light as Darna within months, after several roadblocks the project had encountered over the years.

ABS-CBN obtained the rights to Darna in 2013, when it signed a partnership with the Ravelo estate that included 12 more titles or characters created by the komiks master.

Development of the Darna movie started shortly, with the announcement of Angel Locsin as the lead actress in June 2014.

The film, however, was delayed numerous times with the exit of Locsin, and

then Liza Soberano, due to respective medical reasons. Original director Erik Matti also left the project because of “creative differences” with ABS-CBN Films.

De Leon was introduced as the new Darna in July 2019, after an open audition that drew 300 aspirants, including established actresses and fresh talents.

At the time, de Leon’s casting as Darna, by her own admission, raised a few eyebrows, due to her being a relative newcomer compared to Locsin and Soberano.

De Leon expects that the same skepticism, questioning her capability to lend justice to the iconic character, will resurface as cameras start rolling for the new adaptation.

“I think it’s very normal to feel down if it’s a negative comment,” she said.

“Kailangan lang talaga matuto ako kung

Isabelle Daza pregnant with second child MANILA (Mabuhay) — Actress Isabelle Daza revealed that she is pregnant with her second child with husband Andrien Semblat.

On Instagram, Daza shared the good news as she promoted her line of activewear and life-intervention-wear. "btw 21 weeks today," Daza wrote in the caption.

Following her announcement, the actress' fans and friends flooded the comment section with congratulatory messages.

"Yaaaaaaaaay!!! More babies!!!! Congratulations," Mariel Rodrigues Padilla wrote.

"Congratulations! Or are you just busog?," Ryan Agoncillo wrote.

"Can’t wait to meet baby semblat number 2!!!!!!" Raymond Gutierrez wrote.

Daza and Semblat got married in Italy in September 2016. She gave birth to their first child in 2018. (MNS)

ISABELLE DAZA

paano mag-manage noon, kasi it’s normal sa showbiz.”

“I do understand.

Kasi nga, wala pa naman,” de Leon pointed out, referring to zero footage of her in the role being released since her casting.

“Sino ba ako? Totoo naman. Baguhan ‘to.

Saan nanggaling ‘to?

Bakit siya? Iyon ‘yung mga tanong ng netizens. Even me. Huwag kayo mag-alala, kahit ako, tanong ko ‘yun sa sarili ko: Bakit ba ako ‘yung napili?”

The a nswer s to those questions came as early as July 2019, after de Leon clinched JANE DE LEON the role. Director Jerrold Tarog, who was attached to helm the film version, said at the time that de Leon was a “unanimous choice,” as she displayed talent and presence that proved she could “carry the role.”

De Leon recognizes that while there are naysayers, there are many fans, too, who are looking forward to seeing her in action as Darna. Their support, she said, has been a source of motivation in the face of pressures and challenges that come with the coveted role.

“Maraming salamat po sa pagtitiwala niyo,” she said.

“Kahit na hindi pa po natin ipinapakita, pero ‘yung suporta na pinapakita niyo sa akin, hindi po kayo nag-gi-give up.

You’re still pushing me to do it. Salamat din sa pagbibigay sa akin ng positivity.

Maraming salamat po.” (MNS)

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Kathryn Bernardo, Alden Richards bag FAMAS acting nominations

KATHRYN BERNARDO

ALDEN RICHARDS

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Kapamilya star Kathryn Bernardo is nominated for best actress for her performance as a Hong Kong OFW in Star Cinema's blockbuster movie "Hello, Love, Goodbye" while her leading man in the film, Alden Richards, is up for best actor.

Bernardo will be competing with Angela Cortez ("Jino To Marie"), Janine Gutierrez ("Babae at Baril"), Jean Garcia ("Watch Me Kill"), Nadine Lustre ("Ulan") and Bella Padilla ("Mañanita") for best actress.

Richards is up against Elijah Canlas ("Kalel 15"), Jansen Magpusao ("John Denver Trending"), Nar Cabico ("Akin Ang Korona"), Kristoffer King ("Verdict"), and Gold Azeron ("Metamorphosis") for best actor.

The films nominated for for Best Picture are "The Cleaners," "Aswang," "Babae At Baril," "John Denver Trending," "Kalel 15," and "Verdict."

Famas will also give out special awards this year. Angel Locsin will be given the Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award, while Pokwang will received the Dolphy King of Comedy Award.

Liza Soberano and Matteo Guidicelli will receive the German Moreno Youth Achievement Award, while Boy Abunda will receive the Dr. Jose Vera Perez Award.

The FAMAS Digital 2020 awards night is set on December 20, 2020.

(MNS)

Heaven Peralejo’s tip to new ‘PBB’ housemates: ‘Don’t let others define you’ MANILA (Mabuhay) — Rising leading lady COVID-19 pandemic. She has remained Heaven Peralejo was away from her fam- loyal to the network despite other offers. ily, in a lock-in taping for her ABS-CBN The actress is also completing her online series “Bagong Umaga” when she celebrat- business course at the Southville Intered her 21st birthday last November 25. national School Affiliated with Foreign She had to console herself with the Universities (SISFU). surprise gifts sent to her by her mother, Then and now, through all the ups and Luanne. downs of showbiz and attendant controTheir family bonding time came when versies, Peralejo has lived by her original they set up their Christmas tree as soon motto in the Big Brother house. as she returned home.

“Living your life under Peralejo proudly said the camera 24/7 is tough. how they upcycled their May times na you get so old decor to come up with self-aware na pinapanood red, peach, gold and beige bawat kilos mo, so minsan Christmas tree. you second-guess na your “Every year we have words or action," Peralejo a color theme but since said, articulating her meshindi tayo makalabas sage to the new batch of ngayong pandemic, we "PBB" housemates. decided to mix and match “What I learned from our collection. Maganda my stay is that you need naman ang kinalabasan," to not let others define she said. you, because you know It also symbolizes Peryourself more than analejo’s gratitude for the yone else. That’s why good breaks that came when things get hard, it’s her way despite the curvery important that you HEAVEN PERALEJO rent situation. don’t lose the reason kung Patience has also paid off for the star, bakit kayo pumasok sa bahay ni Kuya. who is one of the most memorable alumna At the end, I can say that being a 'PBB' of the "Pinoy Big Brother" in 2016. housemate is worth it. Kaya to all the new Aside from "Bagong Umaga," she also housemates, I hope you all have a wonfulfilled her dream to become a recording derful time," she said. artist under Star Music.

Peralejo reminded them to just stay Peralejo’s main objective when she true to themselves and be open to make joined PBB was to be a singer. One of her room for growth. love songs, "Ikaw Pala," in fact, is now one "Yung learnings and experience niyo of the theme songs of "Bagong Umaga." inside the house madadala niyo yan Peralejo signed a three-year contract paglabas. Good luck to everyone," she with ABS-CBN before shortly before the said. (MNS)

16

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'Simbang Gabi' brings hope amid a pandemic DUMAGUETE CITY – Owena Davis, 75, putters around the house, preparing a table with a white linen cloth for the altar, with fresh flowers, a crucifix and candles, just a day before the start of the nine-day novena masses at dawn or Misa de Gallo beginning Dec. 16, leading up to Christmas.

In another part of the city, Jackie Flores, 60, does the same, but has only a few hours before the first Simbang Gabi or evening mass for the same nine-day novena that starts at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15.

Both have something in common this year, along with many countless others: they will be attending the Filipino tradition of the Catholic masses that precede the Christmas midnight mass on Dec. 24 via live streaming on social media due to quarantine restrictions amid coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“I have always attended and completed the nine-day novena masses for as long as I can remember, except for a few times when I was abroad during Christmas where Simbang Gabi is not practiced in other countries,” said Davis, a devout Catholic.

She said she and her husband, Arthur, would wake up early and get dressed to attend the dawn masses, held usually at 4 a.m. or 4:30 a.m., depending on which church they would go to.

It’s a long-standing tradition handed over to her from her late mother, Obdulia, also a pious Catholic, and with the restrictions set for senior citizens and young people to refrain from attending large gatherings such as masses this year, Owena said she has no choice but to stay home.

Jackie, on the other hand, said she would be missing the in-church masses this time because she has hypertension and would not want to risk exposing herself unnecessarily to other people. This capital city of Negros Oriental has a high infection rate of Covid-19 and many cases are asymptomatic.

“I do understand that the Catholic churches in our diocese are taking the necessary precautionary measures, such as physical distancing with only three persons seated per pew, and requiring the wearing of face masks and observing health protocols, but still, I can’t take that chance because you can never tell,” she said.

Flores works at the city social welfare office here and has chosen over the past several years to attend the evening masses as it is more convenient for a working mom like her than getting up early in the morning.

Her office is just two blocks from the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria and after work at 5 p.m., she would either take a stroll at the boulevard or do a bit of shopping downtown before going to church around 30 to 45 minutes ahead of the mass.

“It was a regular routine, going to the Cathedral early to get a seat because the church is always packed with people for the Simbang gabi masses back,” she said.

Simbang Gabi is the Philippines’ version of the Misa de Gallo or Rooster’s Mass of the Catholic Church, which has evolved over the centuries and celebrated differently in many countries.

SIMBANG GABI. The interior of the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Dumaguete City. During the Simbang Gabi

nine-day novena masses starting on the night of Dec. 15 and the Misa de Gallo at dawn the following day, only 50-percent of the church capacity is allowed inside as part of Covid-19 quarantine restrictions. (File photo by Judy Flores Partlow) Some churches here even offer “painit” or early morning delicacies like “puto” (sticky rice cakes) and “tsokolate” (chocolate drink) after each mass, and churchgoers get to mingle with the congregation, something that Davis says she always looked forward to each year.

It was customary to hold the masses at dawn in centuries past, to allow farmers to attend the religious rite before going out to the fields, but the evening masses were later allowed here for those who worked during the day.

Catholics here believe that their prayer intentions and petitions are answered if they are able to complete the nine days of Simbang Gabi dawn or evening masses.

“I have experienced that so many times in the past. My prayers have been answered, and honestly, these prayers are not just for me or my family, but for other people as well, and I also give thanks to God for His blessings,” Davis said.

Flores also said many of her prayers and petitions were answered, but she shared that Simbang Gabi is also an opportunity to express her gratitude

to God for the year that was.

“It helps us to ponder the birth of Christ, our Savior, and makes us thankful for the blessings that we have received,” she said.

To address the concerns of convergence of large crowds for the Simbang Gabi, the Diocese of Dumaguete headed by Bishop Julito Cortes is taking steps to ensure the safety of the parishioners.

At the Cathedral parish, simultaneous masses will be held at different venues at the same time in the morning and in the evening, so attendees can spread out.

The prelate has also asked the parish priests to coordinate with their local Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) in their towns and cities for individual protocols and other guidelines to follow.

Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela, the priest of the St. Nicholas de Tolentino Parish in Dauin, said there will also be Simbang Gabi masses in the “barrios” with bigger chapels, so that people living there no longer need to come down to the town proper.

Heruela appealed to the people to

“make a little sacrifice” this year, as 2020 is a unique occurrence with the Covid-19 pandemic having disrupted the lives of so many, “and this is now the new normal, and we have to abide by the rules”.

He said in his parish, there will be a live-streaming of the masses and wide screens outside the church for those who cannot be accommodated inside.

Both Davis and Flores said their number one petition would be for the pandemic to end and that 2021 would be a better and brighter year for the world.

“There is hope. There is always hope and even in these trying times, we look to Jesus, our Savior, whose light continues to shine upon us, and so we must not lose hope,” Davis said.

“I know that God has a message for us during this pandemic. I believe that He wants us to return to Him, and in this dark and uncertain times, it is Jesus who we should focus our eyes on. After all, the message of Christmas is hope, when God gave to us His only Son, and that is hope,” Flores said. (PNA)

3 FILIPINO-AMERICANS... from Page 1 and as well as the first LGBT and person of color to become mayor in the City of San Diego.

Gloria is not a newcomer in politics though. He was formerly former California 78th State Assembly District assemblyman, was former City Councilman of San Diego and was Interim Mayor in 2013.

The new mayor also highlighted that he is also gay.

"As a kid growing up in San Diego, I didn't see people who looked like me leading practically anything, let alone a major U.S. city," Gloria said.

"Together, we will make San Diego into a place where your ZIP code doesn't determine your destiny, we embrace what makes us unique and our community provides pathways to success for all of us."

"San Diego is a big city, it's time we act like it."

Gloria said he and his staff were preparing an strategy to tackle to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic problems that it has been creating

for the people of the city.

On Tuesday night (December 15), Mayor Letty Lopez-Viado of the City of West Covina, a city with a big Filipino American population, was sworn in during a City Council by Judge Lucy Armendariz of the Superior Court of California.

Lopez-Viado was accompanied by her husband and two children during the swearing-in act.

Later on, Lopez-Viado made a short speech before closing the city council session.

The new West Covina mayor also took pride in coming from Mexican and Filipino lineages.

Lopez-Viado urged residents to be part of the solution and added that they “feel free to jump on board to help the city.”

“As we move forward to the New Year, which we will begin to focus on recovery and the rebuilding of our city, I look forward to working with my colleagues … I also look forward to working with all of our residents, businesses and city

staff,” Lopez-Viado said.

The new mayor also welcomed and congratulated the two new members of the City Council, namely Concilmembers Brian Tabatabai and Rosario Diaz Tabatabai and Diaz were also sworn into office during the same session.

In the City of Sierra Madre, Rachelle Arizmendi has been selected by her peers to serve as mayor.

In press statement, Mayor Arizmendi said she was first elected to Sierra Madre’s City Council in 2014 and served as Mayor in 2017. She was the first person of color in Sierra Madre's history to hold a City Council seat.

In 2018, she was re-elected to office to serve another 4-year term.

Of her recent appointment, Ms. Arizmendi stated, "I am grateful for the support of the City Council and for the ongoing confidence of the voters in Sierra Madre. I look forward

to continue representing the 11,000 residents of our Village of the Foothills.”

Rachelle Arizmendi is committed to carrying on her work from the last six years on the City Council. She will continue to strengthen the financial health of the City, support the progress in rebuilding the aging City infrastructure, sustain the efforts in a strong public safety program, and preserve the character of the community.

Ms. Arizmendi is Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), one of the largest Asian Pacific Islander (API) community development corporations in the nation. She is extensively involved in numerous local, state and national organizations and initiatives.

Locally, she serves as Board President of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, Board Chair for the Foothill Employment Training Consortium’s Policy Board, Second

Vice-President of the League of California Cities Women’s Caucus, and Board Member of Child 360. Rachelle was also appointed by former California Governor Brown to serve on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Nationally, she serves as the Secretary of the Board of the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development and a Board Member At Large for the National Community Development Financial Institution Coalition.

In recognition for her service to API and other ethnic minority communities, Ms. Arizmendi has received numerous awards including: Top 100 Filipinas in the World by the Filipina Women’s Network (2018), Southern California Leadership Network’s Top 30 in 30 Years Alumni (2017), CA Assembly Member Holden’s Woman of Distinction (2017), and Los Angeles County Supervisor Antonovich’s Women of the Year (2016).

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Most Holy Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of the enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen. THANK YOU - ARDY

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Most Holy Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of the enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases and of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so needy; make use, I implore you of that particular privilege accorded to you to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings particularly (here mention your petition) and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed Jude to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen. THANK YOU - ARDY

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God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary conceived without sin, PRAYER TO SAINT THERESE pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place O Glorious St. Therese, whom Almighty God has raised up to aid this cause in your hands (3 times). 3 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 3 Glory and inspire the human family, I implore your Miraculous Intercession.

BeSay this prayer for 3 consecutive days. You must publish it, and it You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from will be granted to you.- KORY

PRAYERS

the Heart of God. Holy Mother Church proclaims you ‘Prodigy of Miracles... the Greatest Saint of Modern Times.’ Now I fervently beseech you to answer PRAYERS my petition (mention here) and to carry out your promises of spending HeavenTHERESE doing good on earth...of PRAYER TO SAINT letting fall from Heavenwhom a Shower of Roses.

Little Flower, O Glorious St. Therese, Almighty God has raised up togive aid me inspire your childlike faith, to see the Face God in theIntercession. people and and the human family, I implore yourofMiraculous You are so powerful in obtaining every need of body and spirit from H[SHULHQFHV RI P\ OLIH DQG WR ORYH *RG ZLWK IXOO FRQ¿GHQFH 6W the Heart P\ of God. Holy Mother proclaims youµWR ‘Prodigy of 7KHUHVH &DUPHOLWH 6LVWHU Church , ZLOO IXO¿OO \RXU SOHD EH PDGH Miracles... the Greatest Modern to Times.’

Now I fervently known everywhere’ andSaint I willofcontinue lead others to Jesus beseech you Amen to answer my petition (mention here) and to carry through you.

THANK YOU - ABA out your promises of spending Heaven doing good on earth...of letting fall from Heaven a Shower of Roses. Little Flower, give me your childlike faith, to see the Face of God in the people and experiences of my life, and to love God with full confidence. St. Therese, my Carmelite Sister, I will fulfill your plea ‘to be made known everywhere’ and I will continue to lead others to Jesus through you. Amen THANK YOU - SHAHELA

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Ball dropped but we're still in play, Philippine envoy says of access to Pfizer vaccine MANILA (Mabuhay) — Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez doesn't want to dwell on how the Philippines missed its chance to access around 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech as early as January 2021.

But the fact, according to Romualdez, remains that the time for the Philippines to get the Pfizer vaccine early is gone because the government failed to submit the required Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) on time.

"It took time for us to respond, so I called up the office of Secretary (Salvador) Medialdea and asked him if he can help us in getting that done and it was in fact the office of Secretary (Francisco) Duque, so I guess that's where this whole 'dropping the ball' issue came about," said Romualdez in an interview on Wednesday, referring to the phrase Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. used in a tweet about the incident.

"But nonetheless Pfizer is still with us and they're still talking to us and hopefully, we can get access to their vaccines. But the time for us to be able to get it earlier like Canada, Bahrain, and Singapore and others is gone because we needed to act quickly," he added.

As early as July, according to Romualdez, Locsin and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were already talking to include the Philippines on the list of early buyers of Pfizer's COVID vaccine.

Romualdez said Pfizer informed the Philippine Embassy in Washington that it is now ready to accept orders and that the CDA is required to put the Philippines in line of interested countries.

Health Secretary Duque said he signed the CDA for Pfizer's vaccine in October. Amid criticism, he said on Wednesday that "there's no such thing as 'dropping the ball' in the process of getting the vaccine from Pfizer."

Duque also said negotiations with Pfizer are still underway.

Romualdez said he doesn't know nor wants to judge how officials in Manila assessed and checked the approval of the CDA with Pfizer, but said there was a "sense of urgency" needed at that time to sign the CDA. Unfortunately, he said, that was not met.

"Hindi nga napirmahan eh so October na eh, tawag ng tawag sa akin 'yung taga Pfizer following up na kung hindi tayo gumalaw kaagad eh 'yung pinag-usapan nila ni Secretary Locsin at Secretary Pompeo eh medyo magiging problema. So talagang may sense of urgency we needed to work on it quickly and unfortunately hindi nga natin napirmahan agad," he said.

Game not over Because the Philippines missed out on the chance to acquire the 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccine as early as January 2021, the Philippines, according to Romualdez, will settle for the possible acquisition of COVID vaccines in June 2021.

This was according to Pfizer's own estimate, according to Romualdez.

"We did what we could here and talking to them and moving it quickly and that's why what Secretary Locsin said 'somebody dropped the ball,' eh in a way parang ganun na nga 'yun kasi siyempre 'yung bola nandito sa amin, galing sa kanya, pinasa

namin, eh yung bola nawala, eh last three minutes eh. But, it's okay, we're still in play, hindi naman tapos 'yung game," Romualdez said.

Romualdez also said Pfizer did not ask for any downpayment before accepting or committing its vaccine, as he dismissed speculations that it may have caused the delay and eventual failure to acquire the Pfizer COVID vaccine by January of 2021.

No politics, pls "Politics should be out, we should throw that out the window, walang mangyayari sa atin diyan when we talk that way na maraming mga nag-iintriga diyan kung anu-ano sinasabi nila," said Romualdez.

"Buhay na ng tao, you know, parang it's just unconscionable me, we're all Christians but I can tell you they'll all burn in hell when they start doing these things because we're talking the life or the lives of people and the lifeline of the country."

He assured the public that the Philippine government is doing its best to acquire the best possible vaccine for COVID-19 in the United States.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC is expected to recommend to officials in Manila a COVID-19 testing kit developed by the company Ellume, which is said to be very effective and can give results in 15 minutes.

"You can test your own in your home, and you can get the results in 15 minutes and it is about 90 to 95 percent effective and we're going to recommend that this be used by the government," said Romualdez.

The testing kit has been aut hor i z ed for emergenc y u s e by the US Food a nd Dr ug Ad m i n istration.

(MNS)

AMBASSADOR JOSE MANUEL ROMUALDEZ

PRRD discourages kids from collecting gifts from godparents

MANILA (Mabuhay) — President Rodrigo Duterte has discouraged children from collecting "aguinaldo" or gifts from their ninongs and ninangs (godfathers and godmothers), reminding them that doing so would put them at risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a taped speech aired late Wednesday night, Duterte said this was a year to keep “calm” and skip the annual visit to godparents in exchange for their health and safety.

“There is always a time. Now is the time to be --- hindi naman (not) sedentary but iyong kalma muna. Tutal mar-

ami pa namang Pasko eh (but be calm.

Anyway, there are still many Christmases). Huwag na kayong maghingi-hingi ng mga ninong, ninang kasi kaawa 'yung mga ano. Tapos maglabas 'yung ninang mo pati ninong, mamili diyan sa kung saan-saan. Idamay mo lang (Don’t ask gifts from your ninong, ninang because they’ll be pitiful. They’d have to go out to buy gifts. You’ll put them at risk),” he said.

He urged them to be patient and pray for the sick and hungry while a vaccine for Covid-19 has yet to be available in the country.

“Maghingi ka (Ask), hopefully in God's own time, maybe next December. In the meantime, what should we do is pray for our country and prepare for those who are sick. At saka kung kakain ka, ako kung magkain ako (And when you eat, when I eat), when I say my prayer, ‘God, remember those who have the food but who cannot eat,’” he added.

Quoting Ecclesiastes 3 from the Bible, Duterte said that “there is a time for everything”.

“There's always a time for an end. So time for happiness, time for en-

joyment, birthday parties, wedding receptions, and time to be just relax lang, relax lang. Mahaba pa ang buhay (Life is long). If not for you, then for your children,” he said.

Duterte, meanwhile, reiterated his call to observe minimum health and safety standards during the holiday season.

“Christmas time is about a few days from now. Sundin lang natin ‘yung (Just follow the) culture. But remember the word ‘but’, but there are rules to be followed at this time of our national life,” he said.

According to Duterte, it won’t be long until a vaccine will reach the country’s shores.

“Sumunod ho kayo sa mga patakaran ng gobyerno. Para sa inyong lahat ito.

Kaunting tiis na lang. Nandiyan na ang bakuna (Just follow the rules enforced by the government. This is for you. Just a little longer. The vaccine is already there),” he said.

Last week, Duterte urged the public to skip Christmas festivities to avoid spreading or catching the disease.

"You had parties every Christmas.

Would you be kind enough just to skip the festivities? Iwasan na muna ninyo (Avoid them first). You avoid it because it is for your own good and for the good of the community and eventually for the good of the country,” he said. (MNS)

Saturday-Friday Saturday-Friday || December December 19 19 -- 25, 25, 2020 2020

Duque amid questions on China COVID-19 vaccine: Trust screening process MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said China’s COVID-19 vaccine would undergo a strict screening process in the country like other vaccine candidates, quelling the public’s fear regarding its efficacy and safety.

In a press briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the public should trust the screening process of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“May roon tayong na kata kdang proseso, at dapat sundin 'yan, respetuhin ang DOST, ang kanilang vaccine panel, sila po ang sumusuri ng lahat ng scientific evidence para patunayan na itong mga bakuna ay ligtas, may dekalidad at epektibo, at kaya na implement, ipatupad,” Duque said when asked about his thoughts on Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine.

(We have a process, and it should be followed. We should also respect DOST and its vaccine panel because they screen all the scientific evidence to prove that these vaccines are safe, of quality and it could be implemented.)

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. earlier said the country is eyeing to secure 25 million doses of the said vaccine for next year, as it finalizes negotiations with the firm.

But the legitimacy of Sinovac products was recently questioned after the Washington Post reported that the company's chief executive officer admitted to bribery.

Duque, meanwhile, said after DOST’s evaluation, the vaccine would need approval from the Single Joint Research Ethics Board and the Food and Drug Administration.

“Ang FDA ang magsasagawa ng regulatory and technical evaluation. 'Yan ang mangyayari.

Dadaan pa pala ito sa health technology assessment council, under the Universal Health Care Law. Mandated ang HTAC (Health Technology Assessment Council) [to make] an assessment on a set of literal parameters,” he said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire echoed Duque, saying that no Filipino will be inoculated by an unsafe coronavirus vaccine.

“It has to go through the regulatory process… And only those who would pass the regulatory process would be made available and given to the recipients of the population,” said Vergeire.

Sinovac said on Nov. 18 that mid-stage trial results showed Sinovac’s CoronaVac shot triggered a quick immune response and interim data from its late stage trial could come this year.

China's Sinovac appears to be the second most expensive COVID-19 vaccine based on initial estimates, as it is expected to be priced at P3,629.50 for 2 doses.

(MNS)

Saturday-Friday Saturday-Friday || December December 19 19 -- 25, 25, 2020 2020

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Philippine hospitals, LGUs told to prepare for surge in COVID-19 cases Vaccine firms yet to apply for emergency use in PH, says FDA

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday called on hospitals and local government units to prepare for the expected surge in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) over the holiday season.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang, Duque said data showed the need to augment COVID-19 beds and mechanical ventilators in healthcare and isolation facilities.

“Hihingin natin ang commitment ng mga ospital… na maglaan po ng sapat na bilang ng kama at mechanical ventilators,” Duque said.

“Hihingin natin ang commitment ng mga ospital, lalo na ng mga pribadong ospital, na maglaan po ng sapat na bilang ng kama at mechanical ventilators para po mapaghandaan po natin nang sapat ang posibleng surge,” he added.

Duque also called on local govern-

ment units to ensure the availability of isolation beds in temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.

He added that health authorities were coordinating with laboratories to ensure their continued operation even amid the holiday season.

Some medical workers earlier said they had started to feel the increase in infections.

In August, the medical community’s resounding call for a two-week timeout helped drive down the number of COVID-19 cases.

As the holiday season nears, however, the Department of Health said transmission has also escalated in many cities in Metro Manila.

The daily attack rate and reproduction number of COVID-19 breached 1 in 12 cities in the capital region, indicating sustained transmission.

The Philippines has tallied nearly 453,000 infections as of Wednesday afternoon. (MNS)

DFA chief departs from Palace view on doctor's aversion to Sinovac MANILA (Mabuhay) — Foreign affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. on Tuesday diverged from Malacañang's take on why a former government health adviser questioned the purchase of China's vaccine Sinovac for COVID-19.

In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Secretary Locsin -- after asking "didn't he work for Pfizer?" -- said that the doctor's comment was "a normal native reaction to anything unfamiliar."

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte snapped back at former health adviser Tony Leachon, accusing him of criticizing the administration's COVID-19 response so that he will be appointed to a government post.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte has repeatedly hurled invectives at Leachon during meetings with Cabinet secretaries because of the health advocate's remarks.

Roque made the statement when asked for comment on Leachon’s take on the government’s plan to purchase 25 million doses of Chinese firm Sinovac's COVID vaccine even if it is yet to show its safety and efficacy after human trials.

Leachon’s statement, which he posted on Twitter, read: "Isn’t it worrisome that the government is still prioritizing the vaccines for which there are not enough safety and efficacy data?"

Earlier, the government said Sinovac was still Philippines' top COVID vaccine pick, despite claims that the Beijing-based firm bribed its way for the approval of the medical product. (MNS)

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Vaccine firms have yet to apply for emergency use in the Philippines, the Food and Drug Authority said Wednesday as it urged Chinese drugmakers to register their COVID-19 vaccine in order for these to be distributed in 3 months.

The FDA published its guidelines for emergency use authorization (EAU) on Monday, said executive director Eric Domingo.

"So far we have not received any formal appl icat ion yet...It takes time to prepare.

In the Philippines, I’ll only accept the application if they already have an EUA in their home country," he said.

"I guess it’s really also the timing of the companies being able to supply that is why they're not yet applying for EUAs. Maybe they're not yet ready to supply even if we do give them that authorization, maybe production is not enough to supply here immediately."

Dom i ngo, mea ntime, said China's Si-

novac or Sinopharm should now apply for an EUA in the country if they plan to roll out their vaccines by March.

The Philippines has no information yet on Sinopharm's phase 3 clinical trials while Sinovac is expected to get their clinical trial phase 3 interim report by end of the month, Domingo added.

Chinese vaccine vs COVID-19 may be first to arrive in PH: inoculation czar C h i n a's 'v ac c i ne diplomacy': A global charm offensive "Remember, if Sinovac or Sinopharm apply, these have EUAs only in China but not in WHO (World Health Organization)-qualified regulators," he said.

"We’re going to have to take a close look at this and it will take a little longer than for example a product that’s already been approved

by US, Japan, Singapore which are known to have very stringent regulatory agencies."

Domingo said the FDA would look at 2

criteria in approving the vaccine: 1) safety and efficacy, and 2) quality and stability.

"We have to see the clinical trial results, we have to check the safety profile and see any if there were any adverse effects, and we have to see the efficacy, how it protects the person if injected," he said.

"For a vaccine to be useful, this is pegged at 60 to 70 percent efficacy minimum requirement. The higher it is, the better."

The vaccine firm or the government who will be using the vaccine may apply for an EUA, Domingo said as the Duterte administration attempt to secure supplies from various drugmakers.

"I guess we can make early negotiations but as I said di naman siya mapapasok dito hanggang di makukumpleto ang data on safety and efficacy," he said.

"Mahirap din kung biglang darating ang data tapos mamadaliin natin. We have to very careful with this because these are new products." (MNS)

Nearly 430,000 Pinoys underwent COVID-19 swab tests in December — DOH data MANILA (Mabuhay) — Nearly 430,000 Filipinos subjected themselves to swab tests for the coronav ir us disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December alone, in preparation for their trips to their respective home provinces for the holiday season, data from t he D e p a r t m e nt of Hea lt h (DOH) showed.

At least 425,799 people have been swabbed this month ahead of the holidays.

Some testing facilities have begun offering holiday promos amid the uptick in requests for testing.

Other health facilities have introduced home and drive thru testing.

The government earlier set the swab test price cap at P3,800 for public laboratories and P5,000 for private facilities.

One health facility has already been made to explain its noncompliance to the price ceiling, the DOH said.

The public was earlier warned that family reunions are discouraged amid the pandemic as they are also considered mass gatherings that may trigger the spread of COVID-19.

The Philippine Red Cross, which accounts for a huge chunk of the COVID-19 tests performed daily, earlier

suspended tests chargeable to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) over P930 million in unpaid debt.

The state insurer has since made several payments to the Red Cross, but the humanitarian organization’s chief, Senator Richard Gordon, said expenses still kept piling up.

Earlier this month, Gordon said PhilHealth had accrued P659 million in debt.

The state health insurer covers the testing fees of returning overseas Filipinos, individuals who pass through mega swabbing facilities and testing centers of local government units, and frontline workers, among others.

The 192 testing laboratories across the country have tested over 5.9 million individuals as of December 14, according to the DOH. (MNS)

20

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PLUS TAX PER MONTH LEASE/ 36 MONTHS @10k MILES PER YEAR

$2,899 Down Payment $0 Security Deposit $0 First Months Lease Payment

$2,899 Down Payment $0 Security Deposit $0 First Months Lease Payment

$2,899 Total Due Lease Signing (tax, title, license & doc fees extra)

$2,899 Total Due Lease Signing (tax, title, license & doc fees extra)

Model Code: LAL-41 – 1 @ this payment L3030907 FINANCE OFFER Offer Expires 1/8/2021 As low as 0% Limited Term Financing on ALL 2020 Legacys in Stock

Model Code: MCG-33 – M3401456 & M3404025 FINANCE OFFER Offer Expires 1/8/2021 As low as 0% Limited term financing on ALL 2021 Ascents in stock

“Para sa bagong Subaru, tawagan niyo lang po kami!”

Driving People Happy

SUBARU OF GLENDALE 1308 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204 www.SubaruofGlendale.net

855-230-1547 Andrew Marilla Christian Marilla Sales & Leasing Finance Manager

Enzo Patnongon Sale & Leasing Consultant

Subaru, Forester, Outback, Tribeca, Legacy, Impreza, WRX, STI, and SUBARU BOXER are registered trademarks. Purchase or lease any new (previously untitled) Subaru and receive a complimentary factory scheduled maintainance plan for 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first).

See Subaru Added Security Maintenance Plan for intervals, coverage and limitations. Customer must take delivery before 12-31-20 and reside within the promotional area. At participating dealers only. See dealer for program details and eligibility.