Weekend Balita- June 20, 2020

LOS ANGELES EDITION

Philippines urged to stick with ‘superior’ pneumococcal vaccine PCV13

PAGE 14 VOL. XXIX NO. 25

June 20 - 26, 2020

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

SC DUMPS TrUMP’S SCrAP DACA BID

By ABNER GALINO

CALIfOrNIA Governor Gavin Newsom described the recent Supreme Court of the United States’ decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as “an important victory” for the almost 700,000 recipients of the said immigration program — about 200,000 of them are living in California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom

“They are our neighbors, our coworkers and our friends, and in California, we will continue to have their backs,” Newsom said in a statement sent to the media.

“We need a permanent solution for undocumented Californians and acknowledge that a pathway to citizenship is not enough. This moment reminds us we are confronting the systemic injustice and

racism that exists within our nation and institutions. We will fight for everyone to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, for his part wrote on his Twitter page: "Today's Supreme Court ruling on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) delivers a powerful message: this country and this city belong to Dreamers today.

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TOP STORIES

Global News Ombudsman to issue subpoenas to DOH, DBM to trace COVID-19 funds 8  PH bats for ASEAN, Russia cooperation in addressing Covid crisis 8  Philippines climbs one spot to 45th in world competitiveness report despite pandemic 9  Almost four out of ten of Philippines’ poorest towns have no doctors — DOH 9  Sotto says Duque should ‘save’ Duterte from ‘any predicament’ 9  Palace to Trillanes: No need to appoint Robredo as IATF head 10  You want me replaced? Be my guest, PhilHealth chief tells Roque 10 

“Activism is not a crime”: Community holds car caravan and rally to protest anti-terror bill

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Sections BUSINeSS. E-commerce complaints surge during lockdown — DTI 19  eNtertAINMeNt. Piolo Pascual looks to reinvent self as 4 films stalled due to pandemic 12  HeALtH & fAMILY. COVID-19 pandemic a ‘litmus test’ for Universal Health Care Law —Hontiveros 15  feAtUre. Cagsawa Ruins to reopen after 3-month closure 16 

Philippines expresses interest in COVID-19 vaccine being developed

by Oxford University —envoy MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippines has expressed interest in the COVID-19 vaccine being developed

by Oxford University in the United Kingdom, Manila’s Ambassador to London Antonio Lagdameo said Friday.

“Nagpaabot na ng interes ang ating pamahalaan [sa] vaccine na ito… kung ito ay [mapatunayang] ligtas at mabisa,” Lagdameo said at a televised briefing.

Lagdameo’s statement comes after pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca agreed to supply Europe PHILIPPINES

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Dominico Vega of Anakbayan USA gives a speech in front of the Chinese Consulate.

n Sunday (June 14), in the shadow of “Philippine Independence Day,” more than 70 people joined in an emergency community caravan through Historic Filipinotown, the Chinese Consulate, and the Philippine Consulate.

The caravan was organized by BAYAN Southern California and the Malaya Movement Southern California to protest Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his impending Anti-Terrorism Bill.

Communit y members driv ing through Los Angeles with Anti-Terror Bill signs and banners taped to their cars.

The Anti-Terrorism Bill aims to establish an Anti-Terror Council composed of Cabinet officials known to be war criminals, and warrants the arrest of people it deems as “terrorists.”

“ACTIVISM

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‘Bubble tourism’ will be new Statement of US senators on norm in Philippines amid conviction of Philippine pandemic — stakeholders the journalist Maria Ressa

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Wan- ite. Ganoon ba ang nakikita derlust in the Philippines mo? 'Yung mga taga-Kawit amid the pandemic may be pupunta sa Tagaytay, 'yung satisfied by "bubble tour- taga-Alfonso pupunta sa ism" or limited travels be- Imus," Tolentino said. tween safe zones, according "That (bubble tourism) to the Tourism Congress of was intended to restart the Philippines tourism grad(TCP) on Friua l ly a s we day. lo ok at t he During a statistics of the Senate hearinfec t ions... ing, Senator Bubble travel, Fra nci s To for now, will lentino raised be the norm that this has as we gradubeen pracally ease back ticed by New Senator Francis Tolentino into travel and Zealand and Australia. He tourism," TCP president asked if the same can be Jose Clemente III said in expected in the country response. to resuscitate the tourism He cited Boracay which industry. recently reopened to tour"Halimbawa kami sa Cav- ists from the Western ite, kami-kami na lang ang Visayas region only as the mag-iikutan doon sa Cav- a rea wa s placed under ‘BUBBLE TOURISM’

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WASHINGTON (June 15, 2020) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Patrick Leahy (DVt.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) released the following joint statement regarding the conviction in the Philippines of journalist Maria Ressa. Ressa, founder of the news platform Rappler, and Reynaldo Santos Jr., former researcher-writer, were found guilty of “cyber libel” and may be imprisoned for up to six years.

In an apparent effort to silence her, Ressa has been arrested multiple times after publishing articles that exposed the Duterte government’s role in extrajudicial killings and other abuses during anti-narcotics operations.

The charges against Ressa and Rappler appear to be

Rappler CEO journalist Maria Ressa without merit and an effort to intimidate voices that criticize policies and practices of the government. Human Rights Watch called today’s verdict a devastating blow to media freedom in the Philippines.

STATEMENT

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ABNER GALINO, Fil-Am News Editor

Fil-Am

Community Visit www.Balita.com

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

Get your relatives out of nursing homes, experts advise

By SUNITA SOHRABJI EMS Contributing Editor

SAN FRANCISCO — The COVID 19 pandemic has laid bare the plight of U.S. seniors, who have been disproportionately infected and killed by the disease.

Eight out of 10 COVID deaths in the U.S. are seniors, aged 65 or older, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.

Up to 70 percent of COVID hospitalizations are of people aged 85 and older.

The molecular impacts of COVID infections also increase the risk of depression and vulnerability to other illnesses for elderly people.

And though only .06 percent of the U.S. population lives in nursing homes, more than 43,000 deaths and 210,000 infections have occurred in long-term care facilities, accounting for about 40 percent of all COVID-related deaths.

“If you can take your family members home right now, that would be the best thing you could do,” said Dr. Charlene Harrington, a gerontologist and professor of nursing at the University of California, San Francisco, at a June 12 briefing organized

by Ethnic Media Services.

“Nursing homes have really been the center of the pandemic,” said Dr. Tung Nguyen, a professor of internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

More than 20 percent of nursing homes reported they have less than a one week supply of personal protective equipment due to delays in delivery of supplies promised by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Nguyen, who also serves as the director of the Asian

American Research Center on Health.

Though women disproportionately make up the majority of the population at nursing homes, older men overall have the greater proportion of deaths from COVID. For example, seniors in the U.S. between the ages of 65 and 74 had a COVID death ratio of 75 deaths for every 100,000 males, and 39 deaths for every 100,000 females, according to a study by Global Health 5050.

Over the past 20 years, there has been declining quality of care at nursing homes, 70 percent of which are for-profit facilities, said Harrington.

“Before the virus hit, three-fourths of all the nursing homes in the U.S. had inadequate registered nurse staffing levels, and 63 percent had infection control violations.

So then when the virus hit, it definitely has spread like wildfire through nursing homes,” she said.

There has been inadequate testing of staff and residents at nursing homes, said Harrington, noting that almost half of those infected with COVID are asymptomatic.

Staff are largely low-wage workers who lack health insurance and sick pay, and thus are reluctant to stay home if they become ill. Many work more than one job, thus the virus can spread to many facilities.

Harrington said she disagreed with new policies by states which grant nursing homes immunity from COVID-related lawsuits.

“There’s definitely been negligence involved in many cases,” she said, citing inadequate staff and poor infection control.

Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil, director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging at

the University of California, Los Angeles Luskin School of Public Affairs, said many hospitals had intentionally discriminated against elderly people in the initial stages of the pandemic, doling out scarce resources such as ventilators to younger people who had longer life expectancies.

“Those who were older, those who have various types of disabilities were put at the back of the line, a clear example of ageism,” he said.

Torres-Gil, who serves on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging advisory committee, said the group has been working to develop new care standards to ensure there is no discrimination based on age and disability.

The committee is also working on proposals that would allocate resources to services that enable elderly people to remain in their homes, rather than living in nursing homes.

“I’m hoping that the silver lining in all this is that the nation will begin to understand that we really need a dramatic expansion of home and community based long-term care and hopefully to educate younger populations that they too will be old someday, and they too will face a variety of physical limitations and disabilities,” said Torres-Gil. Dr. Farida Sohrabji, Regents Professor and Interim Head, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M College of Medicine, discussed the molecular impacts of a COVID infection on depression and an increased vulnerability to other illnesses.

People in nursing homes have been forced to self isolate, she said, noting that several studies have linked social isolation

as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes.

Social isolation also increases the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, said Sohrabji, a neuroscientist whose area of interest is women’s health and strokes.

It also increases the level of cortisol, a stress hormone.

Cytokines, proteins meant to help resolve the virus, actually work in a “slash and burn” manner, killing off other things besides virus-affected cells, said Sohrabji.

The COVID virus enters the body via the nose, which is somewhat exposed to the brain.

“So the virus can actually end up in the brain, especially in a particular portion called the olfactory system, which is very, very strongly implicated with depression,” said Sohrabji.

Like Harrington, Sohrabji also suggested taking elderly people out of situations where they are socially isolated. If they must remain there, she recommended engaging with them over platforms such as Zoom.

Erika Hartman, chief program officer at the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles, said elderly homeless women have been hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic.

In recent months, there has been a 20 percent increase in the number of elderly homeless people, she said. The situation is especially acute for older women of color, who are experiencing poverty rates that are almost double that of white women.

A woman’s life expectancy dramatically drops once she becomes un-sheltered, Hartman noted. Women live on average to age 83; homeless women live on average to age 48, while homeless men live to 51.

STATeMeNT... froM PAge 1 “Maria Ressa and her colleagues have spoken truth to power through their vital work, and she has shown great courage as the government threatens Rappler, ABS-CBN, and other media organizations,” said Senators Markey, Durbin, and Leahy.

“Embrace your fear’ is her message to all those around the world inspired by her example. Today we must face our own fear: that one of the oldest democracies in Asia, a United States ally, is abandoning its commitment to fundamental freedoms including freedom of the press.

“This verdict is a travesty of justice, a retroactive and selective application of the law that sets dangerous precedents. It is shocking to see the Philippine government strain to extend its legal reach to target journalists while so many extrajudicial abuses cry out for investigation and prosecution.”

“We call on the government to drop all politically motivated charges against Maria Ressa, Rappler, and journalists in the Philippines. At the very least, the defendants must be afforded every opportunity to appeal this decision.”

The Senators previously introduced the bipartisan Senate Resolution 142, later adopted by the Senate, condemning the Government of the Philippines for its continued detention of outspoken government critic Senator Leila De Lima and calling on the U.S. government to back human rights defenders and investigative journalists like Maria Ressa.

Introduced in April, the resolution specifically raises the cases of the Philippine legislator Leila De Lima and journalist Maria Ressa.

Senator de Lima has been detained for more than 1,000 days on allegations of drug trafficking that observers widely agree are baseless and in response to her criticism of Duterte government policies.

Ressa, founder of online news platform Rappler, has been arrested multiple times on libel charges after publishing investigations of the Duterte government’s role in extrajudicial killings during anti-narcotics operations.

3 BALITA Community California Public Health requires Everybody Counts Californians to wear face coverings Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

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very 10 years, the U.S. Census counts every person in the United States. The 2020 Census is important for families because the data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau determines the allocation of billions of dollars in federal, state and local funding. When all people are counted, their community receives its fair share of funding for programs like Head Start, the National School Lunch Program, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and other vital programs serving children and families.

“At First 5 California, we believe it is incredibly important for everyone to be counted and make sure our communities and families receive the funding and support they deserve,” said Camille Maben, First 5 California Executive Director.

The Census Bureau estimates about 210,000 children under 5 years old in California were left uncounted in the 2010 census. For every person that is not counted, the community loses an average of $20,000 over 10 years.

You can help make sure everyone is counted. Go to: www.my2020census.gov and respond to the Census questionnaire that will take a few minutes to complete.

You can also take the Census in other languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese among others. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the deadline has been extended until October 2020. But don’t wait and fill out as soon as possible as

population data will be important as we recover from the coronavirus public health crisis.

The Census questions include how many people live in a house, apartment or mobile home; name, age and date of birth of everyone living in a household; whether you rent or own your home; and your race.

The information you provide is confidential and cannot be used to reduce benefits, or be provided to another government agency, such as the IRS, FBI or ICE. To learn more about confidentiality and data protection as well as other information, visit 2020census.gov.

The U.S. Census takes place once every ten years. Let’s all be counted so that California receives the resources we deserve.

Mayra E. Alvarez, MHA, was appointed by Governor Newsom to the serve on the First 5 California Commission and has worked for over a decade on health care policy and advocacy for children through her work in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama and currently as President of The Children’s Partnership.

First 5 California is dedicated to making sure every child in California gets the best start in life by providing resources, information and support to parents and caregivers of young children.

Wherever a family lives in California, there is a First 5 County Commission there to help. Visit www.First5California.com for helpful videos, tips, and more information.

Visit www.Balita.com

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health has released an updated guidance that requires Californians to wear face covering in high-risk settings.

A growing body of scientific research has shown that people with no or few symptoms of COVID-19 can still spread the disease and that the use of face coverings, combined with physical distancing and frequent hand washing, will reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“Science shows that face coverings and masks work,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

“They are critical to keeping those who are around you safe, keeping businesses open and restarting our economy.”

Governor Newsom also addressed why he took this action now. “Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered – putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease. California’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if people act safely and follow health recommendations.

That means wearing a face covering, washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.”

“As Californians venture into our communities more, wearing face coverings is another important way we can help protect one another,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health.

“Combined with physical distancing and frequent hand washing, wearing cloth face coverings when we are with others outside of our household will reduce the spread of COVID-19, which is still a very real threat across our state."

Today's guidance mandates the

use of cloth face coverings by the general public statewide when outside the home, with limited exceptions.

Californians must wear face coverings when they are in the situations listed below: • Inside of, or in line to enter, any indoor public space; • Obtaining services from the healthcare sector in settings including, but not limited to, a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office, veterinary clinic, or blood bank; • Waiting for or riding on public transportation or paratransit or while in a taxi, private car service, or ride-sharing vehicle; • Engaged in work, whether at the workplace or performing work off-site, when: o Interacting in-person with any member of the public; o Working in any space visited by members of the public, regardless of whether anyone from the public is present at the time; o Working in any space where food is prepared or packaged for sale or distribution to others; o Working in or walking through common areas, such as hallways, stairways, elevators, and parking facilities; o In any room or enclosed area where other people (except for members of the person’s own household or residence) are present when unable to physically distance.

• Driving or operating any public transportation or paratransit vehicle, taxi, or private car service or ride-sharing vehicle when passengers are present. When no passengers are present, face coverings are strongly recommended.

• While outdoors in public spaces when maintaining a physical dis-

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tance of six feet from persons who are not members of the same household or residence is not feasible.

The following individuals are exempt from wearing a face covering: • Children aged two and under; • Persons with a medical, mental health, or developmental disability that prevents wearing a face covering; • Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication; • Persons for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.

• Persons who are obtaining a service involving the nose or face for which temporary removal of the face covering is necessary to perform the service; • Persons who are seated at a restaurant or other establishment that offers food or beverage service, while they are eating or drinking, provided that they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet away from persons who are not members of the same household or residence; • Persons who are engaged in outdoor work or recreation such as swimming, walking, hiking, bicycling, or running, when alone or with household members, and when they are able to maintain a distance of at least six feet from others; • Persons who are incarcerated.

Prisons and jails, as part of their mitigation plans, will have specific guidance on the wearing of face coverings of masks for both inmates and staff.

Pilipino po tayo!

LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH U. REYES, P.C. ATTORNEY-AT-LAW

*Certified Family Law Specialist The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization - Certified Family Law Specialist - Certified Public Accountant (Inactive) -J.D Southwestern University Law School Los Angeles, CA - B.S Accounting California State University, San Bernardino, CA

CALL OR E-MAIL FOR AN APPOINTMENT 213-204-6366 or

kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com

CArSON LeADerS CeLeBrAte rIZAL DAY ON JUNe 18 — A simple wreath laying

ceremony was held in the City of Carson to commemorate the birthday of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

Led by the Confederation of Filipino American Associations (CONFAA), the event was attended by Carson Councilwoman Lula Davis Holmes, Councilmember Cedric Hicks and Mayor Protempore Jim Dear.

Councilwoman Holmes stressed that Dr. Rizal is a role model for the youth.

“He sacrificed his life for the freedom of the Filipinos. We need leaders like him,” Councilwoman Holmes said.

Mayor Protempore Jim Dear gave a historical background of the life of the Philippine national hero. He pointed out that the statue of Dr. Rizal is only one among the international heroes that the City of Carson intends to erect in the sculpture garden.

Among the Filipino American association leaders who attended are: Fred Docdocil of the Philippine Independence Day Foundation, Jun Aglipay of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce South Bay Los Angeles, Fe Koons of CONFAA, Myrna and Henry Ronquillo of the Dreamers and Visionaries; and Atty. Jaime Monteclaro of Rotary Club of Historic Filipino Town. Text and photo by Fe Koons

FAMILY LAW - Divorce - Community Property Division - Child Custody and Spousal Support - Domestic Violence Restraining Order - Legal Separation and Nullity - Parentage - Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

IMMIGRATION - Marriage Petitions - Relative Petitions - Removal of Condtional Green Card - Humanitarian Reinstatements - Child Status Protection Act Issues - Deportation Defense - Employment Based Petitions and PERM - H-1B Visas

ESTATES AND TRUST - Living Trust - Wills - Probate - Conservatorship CIVIL LITIGATION - Contract Disputes - Business Disputes - Corporate and Partnership Disputes

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Mayor M Garcetti’s nominee to lead LA World Airports

ayor Eric Garcetti has nominated Justin Erbacci to serve as the next Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the City department that owns and operates Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys airports.

“This moment of crisis for our world and change at our airports demands a leader with a proven track record — and Justin Erbacci is the right person to help us navigate this turbulent time,” said Mayor Garcetti.

“Even as a pandemic continues to consume our attention and energy, Justin has led LAWA forward — accelerating a more than $14 billion transformation of LAX, improving airport operations, maintaining fis-

Community cal health, and affirming our commitment to rebuilding and reimagining our infrastructure.”

As Interim CEO, Erbacci has led LAWA during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as passenger numbers have collapsed to historic lows. In April, passenger traffic at LAX was more than 95% below what it was a year earlier.

Prior to the pandemic, Los Angeles was the third busiest airport in the world and moved a record 88.1 million travelers in 2019.

Under Erbacci’s leadership, LAWA has rolled out a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force which is developing detailed plans for every aspect of the airport system’s recovery, instituted new cleaning and physical distancing protocols throughout the air-

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

port, and secured more than $323 million in CARES Act funding for LAX and Van Nuys airports.

Progress on LAWA’s ambitious $14 billion modernization program has continued unabated. Foundation work for the new Automated People Mover (APM) airport train recently commenced in the Central Terminal Area. The Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC), which will be the largest facility of its kind in the world once completed, had its first vertical concrete pour. And the new Midfield Satellite Concourse, a multi-gate extension of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, is now fully enclosed.

Erbacci was selected after an exhaustive national search and today was unanimously approved by the

Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC).

“We set out with a global search for LAWA’s next CEO and identified some excellent candidates. But I have had the opportunity to work closely with Justin over the past six months in these incredibly challenging times and that has proven to me — without a doubt — that exactly what we were looking for was right in front of us all along,” said Sean O. Burton, President, Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.

“Our Board of Airport Commissioners could not be prouder to appoint Justin Erbacci as CEO of Los Angeles World Airports. We have full confidence that he will continue to drive LAX and Van Nuys airports

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

After days of intense protests, and later on, as the LGBTQ sector staged their support demons tr ation that also highlighted calls for equality and freedom, Black Lives Matter has been painted on the street of Hollywood Boulevard, stretching from Orange Drive up to Highland Avenue.

The said portion of the world-famous street has been barricaded and closed to traffic.

Photo by Abner Galino

SC... from Page 1 This will remain your home tomorrow.”

"Those who dared to dream are #HereToStay and can rest assured that Los Angeles remains a place of possibility and opportunity," he wrote.

An undocumented Filipino American writer and community leader Jose Antonio Vargas tweeted: “To all my friends who have DACA: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Your struggles define American.”

AF3IRM-LA, a multi-racial women’s organization posted the following in their Facebook page: “We cherish this victory and blood, sweat, and tears of the organizers this issue (including our co-coordinator @soy. mi.propia.alma !!), but we also acknowledge that the work is far from over. We want safety for all our family members, not just the ones that were lucky enough to qualify for DACA.” “HUGE victory for the 700,000 undocumented youth! Congratulations to all the organizers who have been on the frontlines.

We see you and celebrate you. While the fight for liberation is not over, it’s a great day to affirm that when we fight, we win!”

In a related development, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the protections afforded to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.

The County, which filed a friend of the court brief in the case, argued that DACA offers a valuable path forward for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children

by allowing them the chance to contribute to this country without fear of deportation.

“I join my colleagues in celebrating the Supreme Court ruling to protecting Dreamers as a significant victory for the thousands of children who came to this Country at a young age and are now integral members of our community,” said Kathryn Barger, Chair of the L.A County Board of Supervisors.

“The County will continue to review and identify the necessary programs and services to support this population, working together with our partners and stakeholders. This is yet another reminder of the crucial need to for the Federal Government to develop and implement comprehensive immigration reform.”

“Today’s historic ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in support of DACA is a victory for our country and for our nearly 800,000 Dreamers. Our DACA recipients embody the values of this country through their work ethic, their optimism, and unwavering loyalty to this nation. They are military Veterans, medical students, and employees of Fortune 500 companies. As the proud daughter of immigrants, I know this country was built on the tremendous sacrifices of hardworking immigrants,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.

“Today’s landmark decision sets the stage for renewed efforts to seek permanent protection and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. I am proud of today’s ruling and am pleased that the thousands of DACA re-

cipients who live in LA County — the county with the highest number of DACA recipients in the country — can continue to call Los Angeles County their home.”

“Today’s ruling reminds us once again of the importance of the checks and balances that have guided our democracy, especially in the face of an administration that has continually attacked a community that is so vital to every facet of our country,” L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said.

“Now, more than ever, we must be resolved to keep fighting on behalf of our immigrant communities and those who have relied on DACA for their livelihood and peace of mind.”

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a win for Dreamers and a win for the nation,” said L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.

“I want to commend the perseverance of L.A. County’s DACA recipients who have had to maintain their focus and courage over the last several disruptive and disturbing years.

Now, at last, they can move forward with some confidence that they can build their lives and realize their potential here.”

“With this ruling I am breathing a sigh of relief for the Dreamers in my life, in L.A. County, and across the country,” said L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

“DACA survives. Now it is up to all of us to continue to push for a pathway to citizenship for these young people who are American in every way except on paper.”

The County remains committed to advancing the well-being of all immigrants by

providing residents with access to support services.

“The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs embodies this commitment in each of our core programs,” said Joseph M. Nicchitta, Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.

“Each day we learn more about the unique struggles our immigrant neighbors face, whether they are consumers, business owners, tenants or homeowners. We strive to advance equity by adjusting our services to meet the needs of the immigrants who contribute so much to our culture and the economy of the region. We are led in this effort by the County’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA), which is a fundamental part of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.”

OIA provides support services and information for immigrants, and leads high-profile efforts to advance County policies that support immigrant stakeholders, including the County’s Immigrant Protection and Advancement Task Force, a multi-sector effort to improve how government engages and serves immigrants.

“We applaud today’s important victory for the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers, including nearly 80,000 Angelenos who as our friends, colleagues, and members of our families play a defining role in our rich civic, cultural, educational, and economic life,” said L.A. County Office of Immigrant Affairs Executive Director Rigoberto Reyes.

“ACTIVISM... from Page 1 The bill was fast-tracked out of the Philippine Senate and House on June 3rd, so its current status requires Duterte’s signature before being officially adopted.

The drafted Anti-Terrorism Bill suppresses the civil right to free speech and protest by labeling various forms of political dissent or criticism as terrorist acts.

The bill’s broad and vague definition of “terrorism” not only endangers the lives of human rights defenders and activists, but will also threaten any citizens exercising their constitutional rights. This bill dictates that, for any individual or group deemed guilty of committing acts of “terrorism”, they can face up to lifetime imprisonment without any judicial process taking place.

The bill also implicates political dissenters abroad, including Filipino nationals here in the US: “It is the mere fact of me being here, the mere fact of me standing here and you listening to me, and you holding these signs, taping them to your cars, under the Anti-Terror Bill, it’s considered terrorism,” said Audine Tayag, Malaya

Southern California Coordinator.

“The real terrorists are the writers of this bill, the people who are trying to scare us into not being out here today, scare us into not standing up for the rights of our people back home.”

Protesters took to the streets of Historic Filipinotown to alert the local Filipino residents and community that the Anti-Terror Bill is an infringement of their civil rights both in the homeland and abroad.

The caravan also stopped at the Chinese Consulate, where protesters demanded for a Philippines free from foreign powers like China.

Despite his early campaign promises to assert Philippine independence from foreign countries, Duterte’s continuous acceptance of loans for his “Build, Build, Build” development program has plunged the Philippines into deep debt to China.

This dependence grants China access to build projects that do not serve the needs of the Filipino masses especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and that further displaces indigenous communities.

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

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5

Honoring and paying tribute to dearly beloved Dads on Father's Day

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nlike the commercialism of Mother’s Day, according to some historical accounts, the campaign to “celebrate the nation’s fathers wasn’t met with enthusiasm by florists because back then, fathers don’t have enough sentimental appeal. as compared to celebrating Mother’s Day.” But, "on July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation's first event, explicitly in honor of fathers, on a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December 's explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, and it was supposed to only become a one-time commemoration.

Additionally, the following year, in Spokane. Washington, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother's Day for male parents. She then went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea and she was indeed very successful. Thus, Washington State celebrated the first statewide Father's Day on June 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday spread and in 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. But in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father's Day. When World War II began, due to its commercialization, advertisers argued that celebrating Father's Day was a way

Dad Carl toler with six months old baby Jasmine toler bonding on happy childhood camping time memories. to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father's Day was celebrated as a national institution.

In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making

KASAYAHAN - A Virtual Event Set on June 20

Geneva Cruz, Fe De Los Reyes, and Jam Morales headline a Star-Studded Show Online

T

ogether with the support and under the leadership of Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz and the Philippine Consulate General, the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Southbay Los Angeles Area (FACCSLAA), the Philippine Independence Day Foundation (PIDF) and So Jannelle TV Program, Maxx Promos is presenting KASAYAHAN 2020 - a FREE and VIRTUAL celebration of the 122nd Anniversary of Philippine Independence Day. KASAYAHAN 2020 will be LIVE STREAMED on the FACCSLAA Facebook page and YouTube Channel on June 20,2020 Saturday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST; 8:00pm - 10:00pm EST; and on June 21 Sunday from 8:00am - 10:00am MNL Time. This virtual broadcast will allow viewers to watch the event online from the West Coast to the East Coast, as well as the Philippine Viewers.

Geneva Cruz, Fe De Los Reyes, Jam Morales headline Kasayahan that boasts of a star-studded line-up of performing artists. This include Ivy Violan, Jonathan Potenciano, Donna Cruz, Sunshine Cruz, Sheryl Cruz, Dr. Tess Mauricio, Michael Keith, Shane Selloria, Bagyo, Gingee, Joni Villamil, Bing Martin, and Juatsibs. It is such a spectacle to watch during pandemic that has restricted the holding of entertainment spectacles.

Kasayahan will be Hosted by the multi-awarded TV host Jannelle So of the top-rated weekly TV Program So Jannelle. It is a magazine show

produced & hosted by Jannelle So, a Fil-Am media pioneer & creator of the longest-running daily Pinoy talk show in the US. It airs on TV (TFC, Lifestyle, KSCITV) and on YouTube - youtube. com/sojannelle.

Highlights of Kasayahan will be featured in her weekly half-hour talkshow and everyone can watch it.

FACCSLAA President Janice Jimenez and PIDF President Fred Docdocsil will co-host Kasayahan with Jannelle So. This virtual celebration via Facebook and YouTube is heavily supported by numerous community partners led

by CPA (Clean Power Alliance, Carson Nissan, Hunt Enterprises, Regal Real Estate and Finance, Natiional Asian American Coalition (NAAC), National Diversity Coalition (NDC), Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce, Mabuhay Credit Union, Southbay Pavilion, Carson Dental Care, iDance Studio, American Geriatric, Fiesta Fastfood, and AT Productions.

The media partners of Kasayahan are Philippine Times Today, Philippine Post, Weekend Balita, Spotlight Magazine, Halo-Halo by Kat Iniba, Aze Media, Joe Cobilla and Filipino American Press Club of California (FAPCCA).

KASAYAHAN 2020 is produced and directed by Mutch Carino of Maxx Promos. It will be LIVE STREAMED on the FACCSLAA Facebook page and YouTube Channel on June 20,2020 Saturday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST; 8:00pm - 10:00pm EST; and on June 21 Sunday from 8:00am - 10:00am MNL Time.

Father's Day a federal holiday."

My father is a simple man, who lives And, as we all know today, honoring an easy and peaceful life. Most of the fathers is celebrated in the United States time, he is quiet and calm and seldom on the third Sunday of June, celebrating gets angry, which is so admirable. And Father's Day. most of all, he is my friend because I can To celebrate Father's Day, Filipino discuss everything with him, including American, Jasmine Isabelle Toler, born topics that I dare not speak in front of in Los Angeles on November 9, 1999 to others. He is the person who gives me the parents Malou Zagala Toler and Carl Tol- personal guidance I need and someone er wanted to send a special tribute to her to rely on blindly at all times, because beloved Dad. She wrote: he's always there for me. My mother and "My father is my hero I can hardly do without and the guide in my life. him, because he fixes He is the one I look to everything - includwhenever I find myself ing my broken heart at in trouble. My father has times. been my guiding force There is no doubt that for all my major decimy Dad's role is vital in sions in life. In fact, I my life. His presence is never regretted listening essential in maintaining to his advice, as it has the balance and peace always worked for me. in our family. He has He is a hard-working been around with my and passionate person. favorite childhood memHe is extremely talentories and without him, I ed, hilarious, kind and would not be the strong brilliant, ALL at the woman I am today. same time. He is my To my dearest Dad, ROLE model for many thank you for being my reasons. First and forehero; my first love and most, I admire his pasmy best friend. Because sion for work and his Last year’s 2019 quiet thanks- of you I now know the work ethics, that is why giving celebration at the toler’s kind of love I deserve he is respected by all his residence with Jasmine and her from this world. I am colleagues, because he is Dad, Carl. so blessed to be your kind, generous and aldaughter. ways willing to help and spend time with HAPPY FATHER's Day, Dad! I LOVE people looking up to him for assistance. YOU!"

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Filing Bankruptcy: Is it Good or Bad for You? PEOPLE with overwhelming debt problems during this difficult time are asking a lot of questions. Are you scared of being sued and having creditors getting judgments against you and garnishing your wages and levying your bank account? What would happen to your home or business if you fall behind on your debt obligations and are unable to catch up?

What is the worst that creditors can do to you? Are you afraid of losing what little you have and wonder how you are going to survive if you can’t even pay for life’s basic necessities like rent, mortgage, food, transportation, etc., let alone pay your bills?

Making the right decisions is critical to your financial survival when facing debt problems. No one ever wants to be in this situation, and it could be one of the most challenging situations you’ll ever face in your life. But don’t despair.

At one time or another, everyone experiences financial challenges in their lives. At this time, there are milling of people who have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut due to the virus. Some people who thought they were just temporarily laid off during the lock down are finding out that they don’t even have a job to go back to. It’s not your fault because it is not something that you have caused.

During times of financial crisis, millions of people have looked at

bankruptcy as a way of getting debt relief. And in most cases, had they not filed for bankruptcy, there would have been no other way for them to start a new life free from the burden of debt.

You have rights under federal law to file bankruptcy and get immediate relief f rom debt. A lt houg h you may have heard bad things about bankruptcy, it is really is nothing more than a legal remedy that allows you to regain control of your finances so that you can get back on your feet as quickly as possible. Of course, it is not the answer to all financial problems but when appropriate for your situation, it may be the only way for you to get out of the mess you’re currently in.

Brief ly, Chapter 7 allows you to cancel or discharge your debts but in return, you must give up whatever non-exempt assets you may have. The

good news is that most people don’t have much and whatever little they have; they are often protected by the exemption laws in bankruptcy. So, it is a misconception that “once you file bankruptcy, you will automatically lose everything.” The truth is that most people keep everything they have (homes, cars, bank accounts, retirement plans, etc.) and they lose nothing at all.

Chapter 13, on the other hand, is a debt reorganization or debt consol idat ion pla n. T he cou r t requires you to submit all your income information as well as a monthly budget to assess your ability to pay.

Your Chapter 13 plan payments will be based on the surplus income as determined by the Court. Chapter 13 allows you to keep valuable property such as your home or car (although you were behind on your mortgage

and car payments at the time of filing) and will stop foreclosure and repossession immediately on the day your case is filed. Credit card debts are included in your monthly payment under Chapter 13 and, in most cases, they can be significantly reduced or even totally eliminated.

Being in debt is not the end of the world. There are options available and the sooner you act, the sooner you will be on your way to getting the relief that you need badly. If you have not read my book, “What You Need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy”, you can download it free of charge at www.beforefilingbk.com.

For a free evaluation of your case, please call our office at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. Let us help you. ***NOTE: Due to the virus lockdown, I am currently offering consultations via phone or video. Please call the office to schedule your appointment with me. Questions? Email me at gethelp@rjb-lawoffices.com.

(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).

Still Worried if this is a Good Time to Buy?

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LET'S see what some analyst have to say about the future of our real estate economy.

A report from real estate brokerage found that despite the U.S. economy opening up and employment data becoming more encouraging, recent homeowners in America are still feeling acute anxiety over the future of their investments. It also found that an alarming number of Americans may be in need of education around savings, responsible borrowing and forbearance.

Whereas much of the most alarming COVID-19 survey data released over the past two months was collected in March and April, rendering the results out-of-date and colored by the extremity of the early COVID-19 situation, based on a May 31-June 2 survey of 1,000 people who purchased a home between January and May of 2020, provides some of the most up-to-date insight available into the minds of American homebuyers.

Despite the strength of the housing market prior to COVID-19 and its ability to so far weather the crisis without home values tanking, those minds remain clouded by fear. 2020 homebuyers are more than twice as likely to report feelings of anxiety and stress than home buyers who bought in the last 5 years, and they're less likely to report feelings of comfort, security, happiness, and pride. But the strength shown by these number might be unfairly judged due to the limited inventory that has plagues us for the past few years yet kept our home prices steadily rising.

COVID-19 would seem to be the most obvious culprit in bringing homeowners down, but data found that buyers who purchased in January and February were actually more worried about going underwater on their mortgages than those who purchased during the pandemic. 63.7 percent of pre-pandemic buyers are worried about the future value of their homes versus 53.17 percent of buyers who purchased during the pandemic.

According to some data scientist the discrepancy could be due to unfulfilled expectations – January buyers would have expected normal levels of appreciation, May buyers not so much – or to the generally uncomfortable financial situation most American home buyers find themselves in no matter when they decide to buy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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Waiver of Joint Petition to Remove Conditional Permanent Residency on a Marriage entered less than two years THE Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 (IMFA) requires an alien obtaining a green card through a marriage less than two years old to come back at the end of that two years with the petitioning spouse and show that they are still married or, if the marriage was terminated, to show that the marriage was entered in good faith before the USCIS will issue them a permanent (unconditional) green card.

Any alien who obtains a green card through a spousal petition by virtue of a marriage entered less

than twenty four months before the status is obtained will only receive a conditional green card under INA §216(d). To remove this condition, both spouses must file a form I-751 with the USCIS within 90 day period preceding the expiration of the conditional green card along with other supporting documents showing the marriage was entered in good faith.

However, sometimes a lien spouses are not able to file this Joint Petition to remove the condition on their green card because the couple got d i vorc e d or are in the process of filing a divorce a nd is hav ing difficulties getting t he cooperat ion of the US citizen spouse. When the alien spouse falls into this situation, it is still possible for them to obtain their

permanent green card by filing a waiver. The waiver must be based on one of the following reasons 1) Extreme hardship would result if such alien is removed 2) The qualifying marriage was entered in good faith by the alien spouse, but … has been terminated (divorce or annulled), and the alien was not at fault in failing to timely file the joint petition and attend the interview; or 3) The qualifying marriage was entered into in good faith by the alien spouse and during the marriage the alien spouse or child was battered by or was

the subject of extreme cruelty perpetrated by the US citizen parent or permanent resident spouse or parent and the alien was not at fault in failing to file the joint petition and attend the interview. INA §216(c)(4); 8 CFR 216.5 If you have a cond it iona l green card and your are having difficulty obtaining cooperation from your US citizen spouse in signing a joint petition to remove this conditional green card, you should consult an attorney to assist you in planning for and obtaining a waiver.

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, APC. This article is not a solicitation.

Attorney Kenneth Reyes is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration and Family Law Sections. You may contact Atty. Reyes at (213) 388-1611 or via e-mail at kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA.

MORTGAGE UPDATE… FROM PAGE 6 I do think that its because buyers might be living outside their means a little bit, adding that previous studies have shown that many buyers often don’t come to a purchase with robust savings or an ability to put down more than a modest down payment.

“There are a lot of indicators suggesting that people aren’t necessarily ready for homeownership when they buy,” Claims the data scientist. However, that goes for all buyers regardless due to future unforeseen circumstances.

One of the most shocking data was that almost 18 percent of respondents, despite having purchased within the last six months, are already behind in their mortgage payments.

“That was really surprising,” data scientist says, “considering that the majority of new mortgages are government-backed, which means they fall under the CARES Act requirements and the lender has to allow them to go into forbearance without penalty.”

Just under 80 percent of homeowners reported being either somewhat or very concerned about their ability to pay their mortgages in the coming months; 55 percent are paying lower amounts after coming to an augmented repayment agreement with their lenders.

Almost 40 percent of homeowners have taken on more than $2,000 in non-mortgage debt since purchasing a home this year.

It’s not surprising that these struggling borrowers would feel more negatively about owning their homes. 2020 purchasers ranked behind their 2015-2019 counterparts in saying home ownership makes them feel “proud”, “comfortable”, “happy” or “secure”, and were way ahead of them in saying it makes them feel “stressed” or “anxious”.

A lack of income is not the only reason these homeowners are worried. A lack of financial literacy is undoubtedly playing a part in their stress levels. For almost four months, homeowners have been wandering through a hailstorm of headlines, being pelted with negative prediction after negative prediction, and yet it seems many are not reaching out to mortgage professionals for the answers they need.

If almost 20 percent of recent homeowners are still unaware of what mortgage forbearance is, what else don’t they know? It’s up to America’s loan officers and servicers to find out. Please consult with the right people about your financial concerns.

Thanks so much for your support, be safe. Please call Ken Go of 1sti Innovative Finance for your financial needs, call Ken at 562508-7048 or write Ken at kennethgo@verizon.net. CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

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Over OVER the the past past few few years, years, the the attorneys attorneys at at CHALEFF CHALEFF REHWALD REHWALD PETERSON PETERSON (www. (www. caregiverovertime.com) caregiverovertime.com) have have had had the the honor honor of of informing informing hundreds hundreds of of caregivers caregivers about about the the specific specific overtime overtime laws laws that that protect protect caregivers caregivers from from being being overworked overworked and and underpaid. underpaid. Many Many of of these these caregivers caregivers decided decided to to call call us us after after reading reading our our articles articles on on Weekend Weekend Balita Balita or or finding finding our our Facebook Facebook page. page. These These are are some some of of our our favorite favorite calls calls to to receive. receive. And, And, as as aa result result of of these these calls, calls, we we have have been been able able to to help help hundreds hundreds of of caregivers caregivers recover recover millions millions in in unpaid unpaid overtime. overtime.

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

Here a resome some of tmost he most Here are of the common concerns we hear from caregivers and the common concerns we hearshould from reasons why these concerns caregivers and thefrom reasons why not prevent you seeking these concernscompensation should not prevent the overtime you you from seeking the overtime deserve. compensation you deserve.

1. “I Feel Obligated To My Patient.”

1. “I Obligated Patient.”

B yFeel n at u re, c aTo reMy g i ver s a re B y n at ucaring re, c apeople. re g i ver sMany a re typically typically caring people.

Many private employers take advantage private employerscompassionate take advantage of a caregiver’s of a caregiver’s nature and do notcompassionate pay a fair wage. nature doivers not pay a fair wage.

Ma ny and ca reg feel a sense Ma ny ca regivers feel atowards sense of loyalty or obligation of loyalty or obligation towards their employers that make them their employers that make them reluctant to pursue valid claims. reluctant W h i l eto tpursue h e s e valid a r e claims. noble W h i l e tithdoes e s e not a rchange e n o bthe le sentiments, sentiments, it does not change the fact that caregivers who are paid fact that the caregivers who arewages paid less than legally required less the of legally are than victims wagerequired theft. Inwages fact, are victims of wage theft.in-home In fact, many people who hire many people who hire in-home caregivers are financially able caregivers are financially able to pay for caregiving services as to pay forbycaregiving services as required law, but simply choose required by law, they but simply choose not to because want to save not to because they to save money.

We often seewant the children money. often see the children of elderlyWe patients making efforts to of elderly patients making effortsby to preserve their own inheritance preserve their own by taking advantage of inheritance caregivers. The taking advantage caregivers.

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

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

is is aa signed signed aa document document that that purports purports to to identify identify them them as as aa contractor. contractor. Still, Still, it it is is common common for for private private employers employers to to try try to to convince convince caregivers caregivers they they are are independent independent contractors contractors because because it it is is much much less less costly costly and and much much more more advantageous advantageous for for them. them.

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

4.

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

Receive.”

While While we we recommend recommend that that our our clients clients pay pay all all taxes taxes owed owed for for the the wages wages received, received, if if aa caregiver caregiver has has not not paid paid taxes taxes on on wages, wages, the the caregiver caregiver still still has has the the legal legal right right to to seek seek the the overtime overtime wages wages due. due. It It is is the the employer’s employer’s obligation obligation to to properly properly classify classify the the employee employee and and withhold withhold state state and and federal federal income income taxes. taxes. If If this this has has not not happened, happened, the the employer employer has has also also violated violated the the law. law.

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

You do not need a social security You doto not need aovertime social security number recover wages number toemployer. recover overtime wages from your If you succeed from yourunpaid employer.

If you succeed in your overtime claim, in yourRehwald unpaid Peterson overtimecan claim, Chaleff help Chaleff Rehwald Peterson help you get an ITIN that can becan used to you ITIN that can be used to pay get thean taxes owed. pay the taxes owed.

6. “I Am Concerned About Immigra6.

“I Am Concerned About Immigration Status.” tion Status.”

Ca lifor nia law per mits C a l i f o r n i a workers l a w ptoerecover rmits undocumented undocumented workers to recover unpaid overtime wages.

In our unpaid overtime wages. In our experience, our undocumented experience, undocumented clients haveour not suffered any clients not fered any ser iou shave adver se suf ef fe c t f rom ser iou s adver se ef fe c t claim. f rom presenting an overtime presenting an overtime claim.

While we cannot guarantee no While we will cannot guarantee no problem arise, we believe problem will arise, we believe the benefit in recovering unpaid the benefitfar inoutweighs recoveringthe unpaid overtime risk. overtime far outweighs the risk.

Also, we have a relationship with Also, we have a relationship an immigration attorney with that an attorneyassist that canimmigration review and possibly can and possibly assist withreview your specific immigration with your specific immigration situation. situation.

7. “I Do Not Want A Long Court Battle, 7.

“I Do Not Wantthe A Long Court Battle, and May Leave Country.” and Maycases Leavesettle the Country.”

Most without going cases without going toMost court, andsettle many cases settle to court, and many cases settle within a matter of a few months to within a matter of help a few months a year. We regularly caregivers to a year. We regularly help caregivers who return their to home while whotoreturn theircountries home countries the case iscase ongoing and keep inkeep contact with us via the and internet.

Because while the is ongoing and in contact with usphone via the phone and internet. the laws the are laws so strong favorin offavor the caregiver, most employers seek an early Because are soinstrong of the caregiver, most employers seek an settlement of claims. early settlement of claims.

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

CAREGIVERS: CAREGIVERS:

Are Are you you ready ready to to claim claim your overtime in 2020? your overtime in 2020?

2.

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

Lawsuit.”

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

3.

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

Contractor.”

It It is is unlikely unlikely that that an an in-home in-home caregiver caregiver is is an an independent independent contractor contractor even even if if there there

If If you you are are working working as as aa caregiver caregiver and and you you are are not not paid paid overtime overtime when when working working more more than than 99 hours hours aa day, day, or or 45 45 hours hours aa week, week, you you should should consult consult with with CHALEFF CHALEFF REHWALD REHWALD PETERSON PETERSON to to discuss discuss your your rights. rights. We We are are here here to to help. help.

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

This This article article is is an an attorney attorney advertisement advertisement written written by

by Daniel Daniel Chaleff, Chaleff, employment employment law law attorney attorney at at Chaleff Chaleff Rehwald Rehwald Peterson Peterson in in Woodland Woodland Hills.

Hills. Our Our examples examples are are of of a a general general nature nature and and are are not not a a guarantee guarantee regarding regarding the the outcome outcome of of your your individual individual matter. matter. The The law law firm firm focuses focuses on on caregiver caregiver rights. rights. Please Please call call us us at at (818) (818) 807-4168 807-4168 for for a a free free and and conficonfidential dential consultation. consultation. Or Or visit visit us us at at www.caregiverovertime.com/ www.caregiverovertime.com/ to to learn learn more more about about caregiver caregiver overtime overtime law. law. We We offer offer a a 24-hour 24-hour chat chat line line on on our our website. website.

Ombudsman to issue subpoenas to DOH, DBM to trace COVID-19 funds MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Office of the Ombudsman is summoning documents from the secretaries of the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Health to find out where the funds for the local COVID-19 response went.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires said that his office is sending subpoenas to DBM Secretary Wendel Avisado and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III today to aid its ongoing probe on the country's response measures amid the pandemic.

Martires said in focus are the special allotment release orders involving funds for cash benefits extended to the families of frontliners who died in the line of duty.

"We have some documents we want to get from DOH, the subpoena is addressed to the secretary of department," Martires said. The main question: "Nasaan 'yung pera ngayon?"

M a r t i r e s s a id t he f a c t-f i nd i n g investigation will also seek to establish if there are anomalies involving the procurement of COVID-19 test kits visa-vis the locally-developed kits by the University of the Philippines, as well as delays in providing personal protective equipment to health workers.

Martires sid it appears that the Health department is hiding something when it gave probers the runaround when they sought data and documents.

“It is either they are attending a meeting, o walang gustong sumagot sa aming mga itatanong, hanggang naabutan na kami ng lockdown,” Martires said, referring to two-week discreet Ombudsman probe on the Health department before the lockdown was implemented on March 15.

“We are not demanding much of their time. In fact, these [cooperation with the investigation] can be done by a clerk, not even a division chief, unless they want to sanitize the documents. May mga itinatago," he added.

Me a nw h i le, D OH of f ic i a l s a nd personnel could not help but get "affected" by the investigation being conducted by the Ombudsman regarding its COVID-19

response efforts, an official said Friday.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said DOH personnel "are doing our best," noting that they have been working overtime and many of them have even contracting the virus.

"Siyempre pag ganitong k lase ng mga imbestigasyon, la lung-la lo na na ng gaga l i ng sa Ombud sma n, ay naaapektuhan po ang aming kawani na antagal nang nagtatrabaho and andami nang naimpeksiyon sa amin ng COVID and we are really doing our best," she said.

Vergeire added that the Ombudsman's moto proprio investigation, announced

by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Wednesday, "surprised" them. " We w e r e r e a l l y s u r p r i s e d b y this investigation coming from the

Ombudsma n," she sa id, but added they are willing to cooperate with the investigation.

"Bukas ho ang aming tanggapan sa ganitong mga investigation and we will cooperate kung sakaling magtuloy-tuloy po ito," Vergeire said.

According to Martires, the probe w ill include confusing and delayed reporting of COVID-19 related deaths and confirmed cases by the DOH. Vergeire denied t hat t he DOH is submitting inaccurate and dated data to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the government's policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 problem.

"Unang-una, gusto natin klaruhin na lahat ng desisyon ng nter-Agency Task

Force ay base sa accurate at on time na data," she said.

She also said the DOH has taken steps, including partnering with private sector groups and hiring more encoders, to ensure timely and accurate data processing. (MNS)

OMBUDSMAN SAMUEL MARTIRES

PH bats for ASEAN, Russia cooperation in addressing Covid crisis MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippine government has called for cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Russia in addressing the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis in the region.

Foreign Ministers from Russia and Asean member states on June 17 convened a virtual meeting on Covid-19 and discuss ways to manage recovery and deal with long-term socioeconomic challenges posed by the disease.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of supply chains and called for cooperation to increase the resilience and adaptability of markets that must be kept open to avoid stagnation of economic activity.

He said every week without economic movement meant losing ground as diminishing purchasing power makes for a more difficult recovery.

Locsin found it imperative for Covid-19 to lead the agenda of the 15th East Asia Summit.

He emphasized the need for fresh thinking on solutions to the impact of the pandemic on the global economy as well as on security.

Locsin noted that the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific is premised on Asean being in the driver’s seat in the region’s security architecture, based on the principles of inclusiveness, openness, cooperation and respect for international law.

He expressed the hope that Russia as a Pacific power contributes to shoring up this regional architecture.

At the Special Asean-Russia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, many ministers expressed their desire to step up economic recovery plans alongside a sustained focus on health management so that the region emerges stronger from the crisis.

The ministers agreed to use Asean-led regional mechanisms to put forward people-centered policies in responding to pandemics, ensuring that people are equally provided with health care, treatment, and consular assistance while maintaining the momentum of economic integration and openness in the region with unimpeded trade and supply chain connectivity.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assured Asean of Russia’s commitment to the Asean-Russia Strategic Partnership.

He also noted that “pandemics affect global politics significantly” and affirmed Russia’s commitment to pursue a collective response to prevent, control, and contain the infectious diseases with Asean using Asean-led mechanisms.

Meanwhile, both sides emphasized that the pandemic should not weaken, but instead bolster the Asean-Russia partnership and that continuously strengthening cooperation is key to overcoming the unprecedented and multidimensional challenge of Covid-19.

“We have entered a brave new world in the writer’s original sense: a world that will need bravery to survive, the courage to dare, and above all trust among everyone to prevail,” Locsin said. (MNS)

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Philippines climbs one spot to 45th in world competitiveness report despite pandemic MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippines has climbed a notch in Swiss business school International Institute for Management and Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook this year, despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country is now ranked 45th out 63 economies surveyed by the IMD, from 46th spot in 2019.

The IMD ranking measures the capacity of a country to maintain an environment where enterprises can compete locally and internationally as it assumes wealth creation happens at the enterprise.

T he ra n k i ng wa s eva luated using countr y measures such as u nemploy ment, g ross domest ic product, public spending on health and education, and perception-based sur vey from business executives performed in the first quarter of 2020.

The Philippines is the only one among Southeast Asian countries, aside from Singapore, that improved its ranking year-on-year.

Despite the upgrade, the country still lags behind its peers in the region with Thailand placing at 29th, down from 25th last year; Indonesia at 40th down from 32nd; and Malaysia at 27th down from 22nd.

In a statement, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said “the Philippines stands on solid ground and has the momentum to overcome the current crisis.”

T he Trade ch ief a ssu red t hat despite the socioeconomic difficulties arising from the COVID-19 crisis, the Philippines demonstrates resilience, flexibility, and adaptability for both the public and private sectors as they face the challenges head-on.

He a l s o s a id t he Ph i l ippi ne government, through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), continues to take an active role in nation-building

and economic development through the Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy, which aims to grow globally competitive and innovative industries.

“The DTI remains motivated to work even harder to build a stronger, he a lt h ier, a nd more i nclu si ve nation. Through the resumption of the 'Build, Build, Build' Program, we can pump-prime the economy and by implementing programs to reskill and upskill our workforce along w ith activ ities to improve the competitiveness of cities and municipalities, aggressive investment promotion, and continuing support to MSMEs and other vulnerable sectors,

we can help mitigate the economic impact of the COVID crisis,” Lopez said.

Si ngapore toppe d t he World Competitiveness ranking. It was followed by Denmark, which rose from eighth spot last year.

Switzerland improved at third spot from fourth, while the Netherlands climbed from sixth to fourth place.

Hong Kong is at the fifth rank, down from its second spot last year.

Meanwhile the US dropped to 10th spot from third.

China slipped by six places to 20th from 14th spot, while Taiwan rose five steps to 11th from 16th in 2019. (MNS)

Philippines' COVID-19 cases exceed 28,000 with 661 new infections MANILA (Mabuhay) — The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country surpassed 28,000 on Friday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 661 more infections, of which 460 are "fresh" or newly validated and 201 are late, bringing the total to 28,459 Meanwhile, total recoveries rose to 7,378 with 288 new ones while 14 more fatalities brought the death toll to 1,130.

Among the fresh cases, 277 are from the National Capital Region, 21 are from Region VII, and 162 are from other areas across the country.

Among the late cases, 40 are from the National Capital Region, 103 are from Region VII, and 58 are from other areas across the country.

There are also 19,593 active cases undergoing treatment

or quarantine. Among these, 19,053 are mild, 460 are asymptomatic, 61 are severe, and 19 are in critical condition.

At present, the Philippines has 46 certified polymerase chain reaction facilities and 16 GeneXpert laboratories.

Meanwhile, 37 more overseas Filipinos have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the death toll nears 500, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Friday.

According to the DFA, the total number of COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad climbed to 6,128.

Of these cases, 2,796 remain under treatment while 2,849 have recovered or been discharged from the hospital.

There are so far 483 deaths reported with 11 new fatalities recorded in two countries in the Middle East. (MNS)

Sotto says Duque should 'save' Duterte from 'any predicament' M A NIL A ( Mabu hay) — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should "save the President" from any difficult or embarrassing situation, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Friday.

This, as the Health chief rejected calls to file a leave of absence while the Office of t he O mbud sm a n i s investigating alleged lapses in government's COVID-19

SOTTO III

response.

Prior to the Ombudsman's investigation, Senators filed a resolution urging Duque to resign for his "failure in leadership" during the coronavirus crisis.

"I'm t i r e d of g i v i n g comments re: Sec. Duque because it merely fa l ls into deaf ears," Sotto told reporters.

"It's his call. He should

DUQUE III

save the President from a ny predica ment or responsibility in his tenure," he said.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said he expects the DOH to commit gaffes while Duque remains in the agency's helm.

"Hindi na ako magtataka kung patuloy na palpak na patakbo ng kampaniya ng administrasyon laban sa COVID," Pangilinan said in a text message to reporters.

"La lo la ng mababaon sa kapa ha ma ka n a ng bansa at dagdag parusa sa mamamayan," he said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said Duque should file a leave of absence to ensure that he would not influence the information that the Ombudsman would request from the agency.

"To make the investigation impartial, I think the best and the most appropriate thing to do is to take a leave of absence at the very least," Gatchalian said in an online press conference. " Yo u c a n i n f l u e n c e the information that the Ombudsman will request from the agency [so] I think it is appropriate to take a leave," he said.

Duque shou ld ta ke leave of absence to ensure 'impartial' Ombudsman probe: Gatchalian On T hu rsday, Ombudsma n Sa muel Martires criticized the DOH for not cooperating with investigators.

"I just hope this official will just cooperate with us.

Shut up and just cooperate," he said. (MNS)

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Almost four out of ten of Philippines' poorest towns have no doctors — DOH MANILA (Mabuhay) — Almost four out of ten of the country's poorest towns have no doctors, an official of the Department of Health told a Senate inquiry on Friday.

Hea lt h Under se c ret a r y Roger Tong-A n added t hat 36 mu n icipa l it ies i n t he Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also have no physicians.

"As of June 2020, 38.46% of 6th class municipalities are doctorless and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has 36 doctorless municipalities," Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-An said in a Senate hearing.

He said the salary disparities between different municipality classes have discouraged many doctors to work in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

"A doctor hired by the LGU of a sixth class municipality is entitled to receive only 65% of what an equivalent doctor working for the national government receives," Tong-An said.

A sixth class municipality earns an average annual income of less than P1 million.

He revealed that 372 doctors to the barrios are currently deployed across the country and 53% of whom are staying in fourth to sixth class municipalities.

A doctor to the barrio earns P84,074 salary per month plus other benefits, according to TongAn. But he a lso ack nowledged that there is more work to do to encourage more physicians to practice their profession in farflung communities.

Qu i r i no G over nor Da k i la Ca rlo Cua, president of t he Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, said the local government units, especially in rural areas, are struggling to hire medical professionals because of budgetary constraints.

"Ang layo kasi ng mga sweldo.

Sweldo ng national government hospitals or DOH hospitals, are much higher than the salaries that are prescribed under the local government," Cua said.

"Nahahatak nila 'yung mga doktor, nahahatak nila 'yung mga nurse. Hindi naman sa sinasabing huwag kayo magtaas pero siguro kung puwede ninyo kaming matulungan din dahil hindi natin kaya, hindi kaya ng LGUs makipagsabayan sa national government," he added.

Senator Francis Tolentino, chair of the Senate panel on local government, suggested that DOH could download funds to doctorless LGUs. "That is one possible innovation po... kung mayroong puwedeng mekanismo na magkaroon ng subsidy ang DOH for the LGUs to maintain or augment the resources," Cua said in response.

Dr. Clemencia Dilag-Bondoc, n a t ion a l pr e s ide nt of t he Association of Municipal Health Officers in the Philippines, said the ideal monthly salar y for rural doctors should range from P80,000 to P90,000 but a lot are still receiving P50,000 and below.

Discussed during the said hearing was a bill filed by Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla last year which seeks to give additional benefits to rural health doctors.

(MNS)

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Palace to Trillanes: No need to appoint Robredo as IATF head MANILA (Mabuhay) — Malacañang on Friday shot down the suggestion of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV to appoint Vice President Leni Robredo as head of the government’s COVID-19 task force.

“She is helping in her own ways and if her intentions are genuine, there is no need for her to be appointed or designated in the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), as suggested by the former senator,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Trillanes earlier dared the Palace to let Robredo run the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases after Roque asked the Vice President to of fer solut ions instead of criticizing

VP LENI ROBREDO

the government’s program for locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

The former lawmaker also asked if Roque chose not to recognize Robredo’s efforts to address the needs of Filipinos affected by the pandemic.

Roque replied that the Palace recognizes the contributions of the Vice President to COVID-19 response.

Robredo’s office had delivered food and care packages to frontliners as wel l as persona l protect ive equipment for health workers. Her office had also donated test kits to hospitals certified by the government as laboratories for COVID-19 testing.

In his statement, Roque stood by his remarks that Robredo could have offered solutions to the problems regarding the transportation of LSIs. “If she could offer solutions on how to address those who earlier tested negative for COVID-19 in Metro Manila but tested positive once they reached their respective provinces, I would be more than willing to submit her proposed solutions to the IATF,” he said.

He also slammed Trillanes for “sow ing intrigue and div ision” during the pandemic.

“Let us not make an issue when there is none,” Roque said.

“We call on Mr. Trillanes not to twist my statement for the sake of political relevance and just do his share to alleviate the plight of our people amid this pandemic.

It is only through our solidarity and cooperation can we heal and recover as one.” (MNS)

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You want me replaced? Be my guest, PhilHealth chief tells Roque

ROQUE MANILA (Mabuhay) — “Be my guest.”

T h i s w a s Ph i l ippi ne Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) chief R ica rdo Mora les’ response to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who said that perhaps it is better to find someone else to enforce the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law. “Masasabi ko kay Atty.

Roque, be my guest. I will be very grateful if we can find somebody, baka siya. No problem with me. Anytime.

But he’s not President, he’s the spokesman, that’s a different thing,” Morales said.

Roque earlier said it is unlawful to delay the UHC Law’s implementation.

Morales earlier appealed to delay the rollout of the program citing PhilHealth’s dipping revenue amid the coronavirus disease 2019 coronavir (COVID-19) pandemic.

The President signed the UHC bill into law in Februar y last year. But Mora les prev iously full said the i mplement at ion of

MORALES t he la nd ma rk law may take up to three years due to funding and capability issues.

Asked if has talked to President Rodrigo Duterte about the agency’s woes, Morales replied: I don’t want to bother him. He has other more serious problem.

“We should come to him with a solution. That has not yet been obtained. Too early to bother the President on this,” added Morales.

Roque, who co-authored UHC when he was still a lawmaker, questioned Morales’ alleged inaction on the corruption within the agency.

Morales told Roque to file cases in court if he has evidence of corruption in PhilHealth.

P r ior to h is ret u r n a s Pa l ac e spoke sm a n, Roque filed in February graft complaint against PhilHealth officials for their alleged inaction on a scam involving the issuance of fake premium receipts to overseas Filipino workers .

Me a nw h i le, Mor a le s admitted he has yet to

find the supposed P154billion t he state hea lt h insurer had lost to alleged overpayments and other fraudulent schemes since 2013, say ing it remains “unsubstantiated.”

“I have looked for that P154 billion from day 1. I have not found it,” Morales said.

“I’ve asked the C om m i s sion on Aud it [C OA ], t h e I n s u r a nc e Commission, the National Bureau of Investigation [NBI], the Presidential AntiCorruption Commission [ PAC C ], i t r e m a i n s unsubstantiated,” he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the entire PhilHealth board at the time to resign after the alleged irregularities were discovered.

P r e s i d e n t i a l spokesperson Harry Roque had questioned Morales’ a lleged inaction on the cor r upt ion w it h i n t he agency.

But Morales said there are about 20 executives and employees who were charged after PhilHealth sent documents to the NBI and the PACC. “And you know, even if you conduct an investigation, even i f you f i nd t hese people, which I think we cannot because there is no evidence, it will not be enough to show the finances of P h i l He a l t h t o d a y,” Morales added. (MNS)

LOVE GOES THE DISTANCE

Just because we’re apart doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected.

Caring for our family and friends is still as important as ever.

So make time to connect, help plan out the medical care they need, and remind each other to stay safe and healthy.

Because staying connected is another way to say “I love you.”

Let AARP help. For tips and resources during COVID-19, visit aarp.org/coronavirus

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Ikumpleto ang 2020 Census online ngayon.

Ikumpleto ang census ngayon para makatulong i-inform kung saan ilalaan ang bilyones na mapupunta sa mga bagay katulad ng health care, transportation at education kada taon sa susunod na sampung taon.

Ilang minuto lamang para mabigyang hugis ang ating kinabukasan, kaya kumpletuhin and census online, sa telepono o by mail.

Ikumpleto ang census ngayon sa:

2020CENSUS.GOV/tl Paid for by U.S. Census Bureau.

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Jessy Mendiola breaks free from insecurities JESSY MENDIOLA

J

essy Mendiola has finally broken free of her self-doubts and insecurities after being held back by it all her life.

The actress made this candid confession in a lengthy Instagram post where she narrated how she could not see her self-worth for the longest time because of what others think of her.

“My whole life I’ve been in a constant battle with myself. I’ve always doubted what I could do. I was afraid of change.

I couldn’t see my worth and how important I was in this life. Every little

comment or opinion of others about me affected me like I was defined by how people thought of me,” she said.

Mendiola said she kept losing herself because she always wanted to please others.

“I was afraid to do so many things that made me happy because I was worried that others would judge me. I’ve let myself become someone else, all those years

I kept hating myself for always giving so much to other people that I kept forgetting how to love myself,” she said.

Now, she’s learned to let go of all the pain, struggles and failures.

“My entire life, I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride that would never end but finally, it has ended.

I finally feel at peace. I‘ve lost who I was and now I found myself again only to learn that God has never left my side, He showed me how worthy I am and what I am capable of doing,” she said.

Saying she’s been blinded by things she didn’t need in life, Mendiola said it pushed her to search for peace in her heart which she now has.

“Everything I need is within me.

God woke me up and made me realize my worth as a human being. He made me realize that He had been there all along in every step that I took in my life. He changed me. He changed my ways, my thinking and my perspective in life. He taught me how to value myself again and I’m just so grateful,” she said.

Saying she never felt this way before, Mendiola described her current states as something wonderful.

“I am whole again. I am not afraid anymore. I’m taking the leap. I am free,” she said. (MNS)

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Julia stars in first new teleserye of Kapamilya Channel MANILA (Mabuhay) — Already boasting a strong lineup consisting of current and classic ABSCBN programs, Kapamilya Channel is also poised to debut fresh offerings, going by a teleserye announcement.

JULIA BARRETTO RSB Scripted Format, an ABS-CBN production unit, introduced the ensemble cast of "Cara Y Cruz," a project long rumored to be in the works.

"The secret is finally out!" the unit tweeted, with a photo of a Zoom meeting among stars Julia Barretto, Tony Labrusca, Loisa Andalio, Ronnie Alonte, Marco Gumabao, Barbie Imperial, and Heaven Peralejo.

No further details were given.

"Cara Y Cruz" was first reported to be in development in February, when RGE Drama, a sub-unit of RSB Scripted Format, shared a photo of a meeting with Barretto.

Subsequent meetings of RGE Drama with Labrusca, Andalio, and Alonte indicated that they, too, were set to star in a project.

Now it has been revealed: Their projects were one and the same, with "Cara Y Cruz" marking the rare coming together of several stars from their generation.

Notably, Barretto and Labrusca, and Andalio and Alonte are tandems that have each starred in successful projects.

"Cara Y Cruz" had been slated for airing on ABS-CBN, until the government shutdown of the network's TV and radio broadcast, and subsequent launch of Kapamilya Channel. (MNS)

Yeng Constantino’s hit Juancho Trivino launches online training ‘Ikaw’ passes 100 million classes to help unemployed fitness coaches views on YouTube MANILA (Mabuhay) — Actor Juancho Trivino has launched online training classes to help unemployed fitness coaches earn a living amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COV ID -19) pandemic.

Juancho shared that he recently launched “Fit Crew PH,” a series of online training sessions that featured certified fitness trainers.

By launching the series, Juancho said that displaced fitness coaches were given the chance to work again.

“Parang nagagawa ko nang maayos may kanya-kanyang tayong mga kahinaan, kalakasan sa buhay, that’s something that needs to be consulted with a professional talaga,” the actor said.

According to Juancho, Fit Crew PH’s first clients are work-from-home employees in need of physical training sessions.

Although some establishments have already

opened amid the general community quarantine, gyms are still prohibited from resuming operations.

DERRICK MONASTERIO Meanwhile, actor Derrick Monasterio, with the help of his friends, has launched a home service company offering haircuts to help displaced barbers earn a living amid the coronavirus virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Derrick shared that with the help of his friends, he was able to launch his new company “Quaran-clean PH,” which employed displaced barbers.

According to Derrick, the business idea came to his mind after talking to his neighbor who worked as a barber and lost his job

JUANCHO TRIVINO amid the lockdown.

“Win-win situation for the both of us. Nabigyan namin siya ng work tapos natutulungan namin mga taong hindi makalabas,” the actor said.

The actor assured the public that his company always sanitized their equipment and all their barbers had undergone tests to make sure none are carriers of COVID-19. (MNS)

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Singer-composer Yeng Constantino shared her happiness as the music video of her hit song “Ik aw ” pa ssed 100 million views on YouTube.

The love song, which was re leased in 2014, was composed by Constantino for her then-fiancé Victor Asuncion. They got married in February 2015.

In an inter v iew w ith online show “HotSpot” hosted

by DJ Jhai Ho, Constantino said she’s grateful for the song’s success.

She also thanked her fans and those who supported the music video, which feat ured her and Asuncion’s love story.

“Mas songwriter talaga ako. Sinasabi ko nga mas talagang magagaling na singer sa akin, mas matataas ang boses, mas malawak ang range at mas magaganda ‘y ung style. Ako ang main na pinagkakapitan ko

YENG CONSTANTINO sa akin as an artist ay ‘yung pagiging songwriter ko. To be recognized doon sa craft na talagang mahal na mahal ko, na 'yung mga tao na ginugusto nila ang mga kantang ginagawa ko ay nakaka-touch,” Constantino said.

“So sa mga Kapamilya natin, sa lahat ng mga Yengsters na sumuporta sa awitin kong ‘Ikaw,’ ito ay 100 million views na po sa YouTube. Mara m i ng-m a r a m i ng salamat po na naging parte po ang kantang ito ng inyong mga love life at inyong playlist at karaoke piece.

Maraming-maraming salamat po,” the “Tawag ng Tanghalan” judge added. (MNS)

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Piolo Pascual looks to reinvent self as 4 films stalled due to pandemic

P

iolo Pascual, local showbiz’s “Ultimate Heartthrob” who is also a film producer, was due to start work on four projects this year — until the coronavirus pandemic signalled a screeching halt to the industry.

"I was so booked. I had so many pending work," Pascual said during a Facebook live stream of a life insurance company which he endorses.

Pascual, who co-founded the independent film production outfit Spring Films, did not specify which of the four films he was set to star in, or to produce, or both.

On top of those film projects, Pascual was scheduled to film an episode of "an ABS-CBN special" in New York. His concert tour, too, has been postponed.

"It was unprecedented. Nobody was prepared for it," Pascual said of the global health crisis.

Pascual, 43, admitted he has been "really so anxious" to return to work amid the months-

long lockdown, but stressed that everyone's safety was the paramount concern.

Since the mid-March start of the quarantine, Pascual has nonetheless found ways to keep "productive" as an actor, aside from his successive participation in virtual programs like fundraisers and online versions of ABS-CBN shows.

"Even when I was in quarantine, I was still trying to read books, learn, evaluate what I did before and how I can be better as an actor," he said.

Development of his fi lm projects have continued, Pascual said, through "close coordination" with his directors and writers.

"I'm just excited, because when

we get back to work, it's like starting again. It's like being a new actor again, and I'm looking forward to that," he said.

Pascual, who once considered retiring early from showbiz, has since marked new goals in the industry. The lockdown has afforded him time to assess his career, he said.

"I just keep on growing as a person, as an artist. Iyon 'yung reflection. Ano pa ba ang puwede kong gawin? How can I reinvent myself? How can I evolve?"

"You have to quiet down. I would spend so much time alone just meditating, praying, sometimes just thinking nothing, just looking out at the horizon. We all need that," he said. (MNS)

PIOLO PASCUAL

Sam Concepcion reveals Judy Ann talks about new program lockdown forced him to 'Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan' learn new life skill MANILA (Mabuhay) — Since the lockdown in Metro Manila was put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, Sam Concepcion had to deal with actually living alone even if he’s had his own place for three years now.

In an online interview, Concepcion shared that being alone has been an interesting experience for him because it’s given him the luxury of using his free time to do what he really wants.

“I live alone so I’ve been locked in here for quite some time. I rarely see a lot of people but it’s given me a time to just slow down and take my time and use it the way I want. It’s been good. There’s been a lot of time to go back to studying, to music and dance even,” he said.

Concepcion, however, noted that it’s also been tough for him because he was never really a homebody prior to the quarantine.

“I’ll be out with people, or I’ll be out working. I literally only come home to sleep almost always. This is the only time that I am experiencing living alone. It’s been really interesting. Marami na akong imaginary friends and different versions of me in the living room,” he said in jest.

Concepcion also said the lockdown has helped him discover new talents.

“Learning how to cook is definitely one of them because I don’t cook at all.

We all learn how to do it to survive. I enjoy making pasta, easy stuff lang.

Pero nung mga una talaga, corned beef lang ako. I’m learning a new life skill,” he said.

When asked what he misses the most about working outside, he said: “I guess everything about it.”

While there are so many aspects of the normal life that he misses doing, Concepcion said it is actually performing on stage that he longs to do.

“It’s really performing on stage, being in that kind of environment. Just the whole thing about it. Iba 'yung per-

SAM CONCEPCION forming on stage and having a real time connection with people. This works for now and maybe I’ll do more of it but I really do miss being on stage,” he said.

Would he consider doing a concert online or an album launch online?

“Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I’ve been offered a couple of times to do something like that but I wasn’t sure about doing it. Now that I’ve given it much consideration, I think this is where entertainment is right now. Everything is online. This is where we get entertainment, news and everything. That’s definitely something that I’d like to do.,” he said.

“It’s just hard to set up something na live show especially if you don’t have the right equipment. You want to make sure it looks nice. You want to make sure that it sounds nice. That’s going to take a lot of time and effort,” he added.

Nonetheless, like many performers, Concepcion said all of them just have to adapt to the situation brought about by the pandemic.

Prior to the quarantine, Concepcion was busy working on the musical “Joseph the Dreamer.” (MNS)

MANILA (Mabuhay) — “How?” This was the first question that popped in Judy Ann Santos’ mind when she was first offered the upcoming documentary-drama “Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan,” which is part of the maiden line up of the new Kapamilya Channel.

While she immediately accepted the project without any hesitations, Santos said during a virtual press conference for the show on Wednesday that she also acknowledged the challenges that they would have to overcome in shooting the program.

“When Mother B texted me, ay may show, may gagawin, may ipi-pitch. And then nandoon 'yung question na paano ito gagawin sa panahon na ito? Paano tayo gagalaw? Paano tayo kikilos? Ang isa pang tanong talaga ay paano tayo ipapalabas para tayo ay makapagpasalamat?” she said.

Nonetheless, Santos said she felt overwhelmed with the trust given to her to host an inspiring show such as this.

“Para sa akin, long overdue na ipakita natin ang kindness ng bawat isang tao na hindi lang celebrity or ng pulitiko,” she said.

When asked what are the difficulties that they encountered in filming, Santos said: “First time ito sa akin. Lahat hangga't maaari, dumaan sa proseso kung lalabas ka. It’s a tedious thing to do but ever y t h ing a nd everyone should go through a first in their lives.”

“At 42, hindi ko maiisip n a ma-

giging four-man team kami na gagawa ng spiels. There’s a lot of appreciation for people behind the camera more so now. Kung dati, iba 'yung respeto ko sa kanila, mas mataas lalo ang respeto ko ngayon. It’s not an easy job to do,” she added.

Despite this, Santos is happy to be an instrument in showing to Kapamilya viewers that kindness is in no way to be considered an expensive commodity even in trying times such as today.

“I am more than thankful that this show was offered to me. Ako ang naisip nila. Thank God for work because you’ll be able to help more people kahit paunti-unti. Iniisip ko na lang na this job, hindi ibibigay sa akin kung hindi nila nakikitaan na kaya ko ito itawid,” she said.

Kapamilya Channel will be available starting June 13 on SKY, Cablelink, G Sat, and most member-cable operators of the Philippine Cable Television Association (PCTA) nationwide.

A side from "Paano K ita Mapasasalamatan," Kapamilya Channel's public service programming also includes "Iba 'Yan" with Angel Locsin.

The cable and satellite TV channels that will carry the Kapamilya Channel are owned and operated by ot her c ompanies a nd a re not covered by the cease and de si st order issued by the NTC to ABSCBN. (MNS)

JUDY ANN SANTOS

14

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Philippines urged to stick with ‘superior’ pneumococcal vaccine PCV13 MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippines should stick to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 (PCV13) as it is superior to the PCV10, a health expert from El Salvador said.

Luis Villatoro, president of the Pediatric Association of El Salvador, noted that while both PCV 13 and PCV10 are very good vaccines, each has its own capacity to deal with certain diseases since pneumococcus is a family of bacteria.

“According to the W HO [World Health Organization], both vaccines are similar. This is where we don’t agree. Our lessons learned in this process is that if you’re doing okay, if you already have the budget and doing okay with the vaccine you’re working now, it’s better to continue working with that. To change may lead to a bigger price,” Villatoro said in a virtual forum on Thursday.

Villatoro was referring to WHO's position paper, released in February 2019, which posited that both PCV13 and PCV10 have substantial impacts against pneumonia, vaccine-type pneumococcal disease, and nasopharyngeal carriage when given to infants and children under five years old.

Villatoro said that PCV13 has proven to be

Solon pushes for sample pooling to raise testing capacity MANILA (Mabuhay) — Iloilo Rep. Janette Ga r in recommended on Thursday the pooled sampling strategy to increase testing capacity using existing equipment and expand it to the widest possible coverage.

G a r i n s a i d t h e REP. JANETTE GARIN pooled testing method, which puts swab samples of multiple individuals into a single polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, would only require 100,000 kits to cover and test one million people for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

If a positive result comes from a single batch of pooled tests, further individual assessments will be made. The test is designed to be sensitive enough to come up positive when at least one sample in the batch is positive.

On the other hand, if the swab test of multiple individuals comes back negative, then individual tests need not be performed.

Garin said a pragmatic multi-site operational study will be done by the Philippine Society of Pathologists Inc. (PSPI) to validate the accuracy of pooled testing with the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) Sars-Cov2 Testing Laboratory as the site implementor.

To ensure that the pooled testing strategy maximizes limited resources, the study with the PSPI will use different pool sizes--5, 10, 20--to determine the most appropriate number of swab samples in a single batch while maintaining the highest level of diagnostic accuracy.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said once pooled testing is validated, this strategy will be deployed to test workers in many industries like construction, factories, business process outsourcing industry and even returning overseas Filipino workers.

"We thank the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Society of Pathologists for taking the lead in this game-changing mission of making testing accurate, timely, reliable, and affordable. Our country's response to Covid-19 and the new normal relies to a great extent on the inputs of these real experts," Garin said.

"Silent heroes (are) working in our laboratories.

They provide the vision, allowing us to see this invisible enemy. Not much has been said about their heroic work but the constant and direct exposure of our Pathologists and Laboratory Specialists especially Medical Technologists, to Covid-19 is beyond description," she added.

Garin said if the outcome of the study will be favorable, this is expected to reduce PCR testing to PHP350 to PHP500. (MNS)

superior because it protects against three more pneumococcus strains, including serotype 19, which is one of the most invasive and virulent.

“Serotype 19a can spread easily from children to adults, and has shown to be resistant to antibiotics.

Authorities thought it was a good idea to switch from PCV13 to 10 to save money. But in the long run, it became more expensive and more troublesome for health personnel,” Villatoro said.

El Salvador was already using PCV13 when the WHO came out with the position paper that said nations could opt for either PCV13 or PCV10 and purportedly get the same protection at a lower cost.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said back in February that the Health department will continue to provide PCV13 for its national i m mu n i z at ion prog r a m ( N I P) pending the Health Technolog y VICURE Assessment Council (HTAC) review MACHINE. An anti-virus maon existing health programs and chine capable of benefits of the Health department killing bacteria and PhilHealth in the next two years. and airborne Under the NIP program, PCV is v ir us. J un de given to the public for free to protect Jesus, an enterprising Filipino children, pregnant women, and the inventor, says his elderly against diseases caused by invention Vicure pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.

M a c h i n e, c a n “W hi le we wa nt our Fi lipino also kill the coronavirus disease children to be protected against any 2019 (Covid-19). pneumococcal disease, we also want (Contributed to ensure them of the highest quality photo) of our vaccines,” Duque said then.

(MNS) of virus is called ‘Suob’ (covering the whole body, including the head with a blanket), get a pail of hot water mixed with one kilo of salt as this will increase ou r i m mu ne s y stem.

Through this process the virus and other bacteria are MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of neutralized,” he said.

Health (DOH) on Wednesday said it is still The machine, he said, too early to say if the decrease in the number can be used to disinfect of dengue cases this year can be attributed to hospitals, offices, homes, parents' renewed trust to vaccines following restaurants, and other areas. the 2017 Dengvaxia controversy.

“During the disinfection, “Last year, nagkaroon tayo ng studies with these areas must be cleared our development partners at iyong numero of people and wait for one talaga, may lost of confidence and trust, hour before they occupy kaya uulitin natin iyon (study) bago natin again,” he said. “Those masabi why people or why mothers do not who undergo disinfectant bring their children in for a vaccine,” DOH pr o c e d u r e mu s t w e a r Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said clothes or masks and set at a virtual forum. the machine on automatic “We can’t really make an assumption on switch and presto, the virus that matter as there are other factors [to be are neutralized within a few considered],” she added. minutes.”

Based on DOH data, the number of dengue De Jesus t ha nked t he cases in the country dropped to 50,169 from Filipino Inventors’ Society January to May this year, or 46% lower than a nd t he Va le n z ue l a the 92,808 cases recorded during the same Inventors Procedure Society, period last year Inc. for their all-out support Dr. Norielyn Evangelista, director of the to his invention.

DOH's National Dengue Prevention and De Jesus said he already Control Program, attributed the drop to sent a letter to formally the public’s familiarity on how to combat inform Va len zuela Cit y dengue and to increased health awareness Mayor Rex Gatchalian about amid the COVID-19 pandemic. his newly-developed Vicure “Isa sa mga nakikita nating rason ay Machine. (PNA) self-protection. Tumaas talaga ang health

Pinoy inventor develops anti-virus machine

MANILA — As the world is racing against time to find the best drug to treat the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a Filipino inventor, has asserted to have developed a machine that can kill airborne virus and even novel coronavirus which is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets and contact routes.

Ju n de Jesus, t he enter pr isi ng Fi l ipi no inventor, calls his invention Vicure Machine.

“It is designed to fight airborne virus and other bacter ia, pa r t icu la rly Covid-19,” he said in an exclusive interview.

De Jesus said he started developing the machine in February this year as his “humble contribution” to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Vicure invention is a combi nat ion of new tech nolog y a nd old t radit iona l Filipino medicine using soluble stea m wh ich ha s been proven to be ef fec t ive as a way to prevent the virus from entering our respiratory system,” he said.

“The local and traditional way of ridding the body

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

DOH not yet attributing drop in dengue cases to renewed trust in vaccines awareness ng mga tao dahil sa COVID-19.

Lagi nating naririnig na health is wealth, pero ngayon, talagang nariyan ang paglilinis ng ta hanan, paghuhugas ng kamay,” Evangelista said at the same forum.

The Dengvaxia controversy set off after French manufacturer Sanof i Pasteur announced in November 2017 that the antidengue vaccine may lead to more severe symptoms of dengue for those who have never been infected by the virus prior to vaccination.

Sanofi’s announcement only came after more than 800,000 people in the country had already been injected with the Dengvaxia vaccine.

This fear of government-sanctioned vaccine has resulted in increases of cases of dengue, measles and the re-emergence of polio in the country.

“Maraming factors, and we don’t just rely on the vaccine in battling dengue. There is interplay of intervention. As to the fear of getting a vaccine, minumulat pa rin natin ang ating mga kababayan na hindi tayo dapat matakot sa bakuna dahil kailangan natin ito para maiwasan ang sakit, hindi lang ang dengue kundi pati ibang sakit such as measles and polio,” Evangelista said.

(MNS)

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COVID-19 pandemic a 'litmus test' for Universal Health Care Law—Hontiveros MANILA (Mabuhay) — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday said the COVID-19 pandemic should all the more prompt the government to implement the Universal Health Care (UHC) law as she rejected the Philip-

pine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) proposal for postponement due to budget constraints.

"T he COV ID-19 pa ndem ic is first and foremost a health crisis. I am shocked by and disagree with

PhilHealth's recommendation of a ‘general delay’ in the implementation of the Universal Healthcare Law and to postpone the expansion of Primary Care Benefits," Hontiveros said in a message.

"A n g k a s a l u k u y a n g pandemic ang pangunahing dahilan at nagsisilbing ‘litmus test’ para sa pagpapalakas ng implementasyon ng UHC Law," she added.

On Tuesday, PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales recom mended a genera l delay on the implementation of the UHC as well as the postponement of the primary care benefit expansion after he pointed out a projected fund deficit until 2024.

He sa id t he COV ID-19 crisis led to lower collection of PhilHealth contributions a nd t hat a P138-bi l l ion subsidy for 2021 is needed to cover indigent members, sen ior cit i zens, persons with disabilities, and UHC ebidensiya na itong sinasabing blood expansion, among others. types na sinasabing high risk for getting Hont iveros u r ge d t he COVID ay mapapatunayan, maaring government to a llocate maisama natin ito sa ating expanded more subsidies for the protocol for testing," she said. implementation of the Current ly, hea lt h workers a nd U HC law "t h roug h vulnerable population—including the current tax collection, elderly and immunocompromised— budget allocations, and if are being prioritized for COVID-19 needed, borrowings." testing in the country. (MNS) "Prioritizing the roll out of primary health care benefit

DOH still studying link between blood types, severity of COVID-19 infection MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it is still verifying claims from studies abroad that suggest links between blood types and the severity of COVID-19 infection.

"Mula nang lumabas ito sa mga artikulo saka mga experience from other countries, atin na pong kinakalap ang mga impormasyon tungkol dito," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual interview.

"Amin pong kinakalap muna ang maraming ebidensiya bago natin masabi kung ito talaga ay totoo o hindi," she added.

A s t u d y m a d e b y E u r op e a n researchers suggest that people with blood type A have higher risks of getting severe COVID-19 than those with blood type O. Vergeire said that once backed with sufficient evidence, blood types may be considered in the prioritization for the expanded COVID-19 testing.

"Kung saka-sakali magkaroon ng

lessens the need for hospitalization and will be more efficient in the long run because it will save the government funds that would have been spent on costlier treatments," she said.

Several other senators also opposed the recommendation to defer the universal health care roll-out.

T he Pa lace li kew ise rejected PhilHealth's proposal.

The UHC law, which automatically en rol ls a l l Fi l ipi no cit i zens to t he Nat iona l Hea lt h I n s u r a n c e Prog ra m, was enacted in Febr ua r y 2019.

Its implementing rules and regulations were signed i n October of the same y e a r .

(MNS)

SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS

16

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C AGSAWA RUINS TO R EOPEN AF TER 3- MONTH CLOSUR E

DARAGA, ALBAY — Cagsawa Ruins, a famous tourist spot in Daraga, will reopen its doors on June 20 after three months of closure due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis.

Daraga Mayor Victor Perete told the Philippine News Agency in an interview on Tuesday that visitors will need to sign a health declaration, submit to temperature check and wear masks at all times when visiting Cagsawa Ruins.

“We have to follow the minimum health standard at all times.

Food and souvenir stalls inside the ruins (are) still not allowed to operate,” he said.

Perete said Cagsawa Ruins is a self-sustaining economic enterprise of the local government but like all other players of the tourism sector, it has been hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It could take up to 11 months for the tourist spot to recover its losses, he said.

“The closure of Cagsawa from March 16 to June 19, 2020, translated into a loss of PHP2.5 million,” he said.

Perete said the local government of Daraga will introduce new policies in connection with the operation of Cagsawa Ruins using the new normal approach.

The Cagsawa Ruins are the remnants of a 16th-century church.

The place, a historical landmark of Daraga, is one of the most visited tourist sites in the province.

“I am optimistic that we can recover, all we need is to strive and introduce other options to help boost our local economy and produce more livelihood,” he said.

Cagsawa Ruins will be open for visitors from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting June 20. (PNA)

Informing and educating children through ETV programs FOR the past months, children have reasons to stay comfortable at home during this time of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic because several television networks offer educational programs.

Many of these programs are replayed episodes from past years and even decades.

With the current health crisis, the Department of Educ at ion ( DepEd) eyes blended lea r n i ng as one medium of 'new norma l' learning for the students.

Through a blended educational system, students w i l l le a r n f r om on l i ne, t e le v i s ion , a nd pr i nt e d materials to avoid learners from converging in schools where the usual face-to-face learning happens between students and teachers.

A c c or d i n g t o s t ud ie s , watching informative and educat iona l telev ision prog ra ms helps i n t he acqu isit ion of genera l k nowledge a nd i n t he improvement of children’s cognitive development.

It likewise affect children’s

attitudes and increase their imaginations.

Here is a list of the popular educat iona l telev ision pr o g r a m s a i r e d b y t h e different television networks in the past months and weeks: 1. Batibot is inspired by an American children show Sesame Street. Batibot, which means small but strong and robust, is characterized by its main character Pong Pagong.

It’s medium in Filipino is loved by children because of its educational theme from topics like arts, music, science, people in the communities, and more.

2. Sinesk wela is a program about learning and discovering Science, Health, and Technology concepts. Also in Filipino, it explains science to children through everyday situations making it fun and easier for them to understand.

3. Hiraya Manawari (means reach your dreams) aims to teach morals and lessons on love, family, respect, honesty, discipline among other values.

It inspires children that as young as they are, they can

SET FOR REOPENING. Cagsawa Ruins, a historical landmark and famous tourist spot in Daraga, Albay, will reopen its doors on Saturday, June 20, 2020. The park has been closed for three months due to the Covid-19 health crisis.

(Photo by Mike dela Rama)

Some of Lola Basyang.com's episodes replayed to be watched by children over TV5 staion. (Photo from Lola Basyang.com Youtube Teaser)

do great things in life.

4. Bayani (Hero) promotes patriotism to children by retelling their lives, struggles, and challenges of the different Filipino heroes. It likewise show s t he r ich her it age through our history.

5. Math Tinik is popular a mong young g radeschoolers because it makes Math more interesting and simple. The program makes use of everyday situations to explain concepts and solve mathematical problems.

6. Wansapanataym is a Filipinization of the phrase 'Once upon a time' which entertains children through its fantasy-drama, happy and magical- adventured-themed episodes.

7. Lola Basyang.com is a modern-day storytelling of a Lola Basyang or Lola B who shares value-laden stories to her grandchildren.

The popular Lola Basyang before has been a storyteller of folklore and other Filipino cultures.

8. i-Bilib is a Filipinization of the phrase 'I Believe' which

teaches Science t h roug h many odd and interesting trivia. It explores different scientific facts and theories surrounding everyday events through actual experiments in the show.

9. Aha! Is an informative television program appealing to both children and adults because of fun facts and trivia on a wide array of topics. It also explores Science and Technology using unusual experiments.

10. Matanglawin or hawkeye is science-env ironmenta l educat iona l show w it h a wide audience but basically, ch i ld ren c a n le a r n a nd explore a lot through the program. Both entertaining and informative, the program aims to take its audience along

an adventure to unravel the countr y’s diverse culture, fascinating history and explore the natural and supernatural worlds.

Meanwhile, the National C o u n c i l f o r C h i l d r e n’s Television (NCCT) launched last year a Child-Friendly Content Standards which requires broadcast television networks to allocate 15 percent of their total daily airtime to children’s programs and/or child-friendly programs to be shown during child-viewing hours.

A c c o r d i n g t o N C C T, “e d u c a t i o n a l p r o g r a m s must promote, protect, and develop the child’s physical, emotional, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social wellbeing; value-laden or must foster and nurture the positive value formation and overall development of a child; and age-appropriate or must be suitable according to the formative and development stages of a child.”

(Joanna P. Diaz-Sabado/ PIA La Union)

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PRAYERS PRAYER TO BLESSED VIRGIN (Never known to fail). O Most Beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of 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, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times). 3 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 3 Glory BeSay this prayer for 3 consecutive days. You must publish it, and it

PRAYER

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal. You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and conďŹ rm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. ( A person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how diďŹƒcult it may be. Promise to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks) —JOSIE

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MAYor gArCeTTI... froM PAge 4

PHILIPPINeS... froM PAge 1

forward and that they will be stronger, leaner and ever more innovative.”

Prior to serving as Interim CEO, Erbacci served as Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for overseeing a realigned executive organization focused on implementation and delivery of LAWA’s multibillion-dollar modernization program.

As COO, he led the integration of the capital development, guest experience, innovation, commercial strategy, information technology, environment, sustainability, operations, and facilities management functions.

Erbacci first joined LAWA in October 2016 as Chief Innovation and Technology Officer and Deputy Executive Director.

In January 2018, Erbacci’s role was expanded to Chief Innovation and Commercial Strategy Officer where, in addition to his previous role, he also sponsored and led the Terminal Development and Improvement Program, shaped commercial and business strategies, and spearheaded efforts to create a seamless, touchless travel experience.

Erbacci brings more than 15 years of experience in global executive leadership from inside and outside of the aviation industry.

Earlier in his career, Erbacci practiced law as a civil rights defense litigator.

“I am incredibly grateful to Mayor Garcetti, President Burton and the entire Board of Airport Commissioners for placing their faith in me to lead LAX and Van Nuys airports,” said Erbacci.

“I’m especially honored and privileged to have the opportunity to lead the LAWA team at this important moment in our airports’ and City’s history. I also am very thankful for the partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the City of L.A. team, our neighboring communities and all our airport and construction partners.

I look forward to ongoing, close collaboration as we continue to reimagine and transform our airports.”

Erbacci earned an MBA from the University of South Carolina, a JD from Loyola University of Chicago’s School of Law, and a BA from Loyola University of Chicago. His appointment is subject to City Council confirmation.

with up to 400 million doses of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine, with deliveries starting by the end of the year.

The company also had similar agreements with the UK, United States, and other organizations.

Last month, the university announced the start of phase 2/3 clinical trial of the Oxford vaccine AZD1222 involving some 10,000 people in the UK. “The clinical studies are progressing very well and we are now initiating studies to evaluate how well the vaccine induces immune responses in older adults, and to test whether it can provide protection in the wider population,” professor Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, had said.

There is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19, which has killed 453,000 people, including at least 1,100 in

Saturday-Friday | June 20 - 26, 2020

the Philippines.

Lagdameo said the virus has afflicted 485 Filipinos in the UK, including 56 deaths. (MNS)

‘BUBBLe ToUrISM’... froM PAge 1 the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

"I think this is just a precautionary measure before we fully open tourism in certain destinations in the Philippines," Clemente said.

"Eventually, if our numbers become favorable, we are also looking at international [bubble tourism] depending on those markets that will accept our tourists going there, and if their numbers are also acceptable to the Philippine government," he added.

Clemente assured that all tourism establishments in areas with eased restrictions will have to go through a certification process—at zero administrative cost for the certificate—to ensure that they follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said it is conducting virtual inspections for the accreditation process.

"We have been very active in accreditation, we have been doing virtual inspections with our accommodation establishments since we cannot do inspections personally or physically," Tourism Assistant Secretary Myra Paz Abubakar said.

"So far, all the regions have really been working hard to accredit most of our accommodation establishments. Even the ones that we used as quarantine facilities were given already provisional accreditation," she added.

Tourism establishments in MGCQ areas are allowed to resume operations, according to the DOT. (MNS)

tHe city government of Dagupan places platforms with artworks that remind physical distancing between market vendors and customers. the artworks feature historical and cultural icons in the city. (MNS photo)

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E-commerce complaints surge during lockdown — DTI MANILA (Mabuhay) — Online transaction complaints surged while Filipinos are on lockdown, government data released Thursday showed, highlighting the need for consumer protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From April to May 2020, e-commerce complaints rose 78.2 percent to 8,059, from 985 in the January to March period, data from the Department of Trade and Industry showed.

T he most popu la r c om pl a i nt s a r e pr ic e related such as overpricing, fol lowe d by defe c t ive products, poor customer ser v ice, adver t ising or sales promo and deceptive practices, data showed.

Complaints involv ing Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms rose by 62.16 percent. Facebook has not returned a request for comment from ABS-

CBN News.

L a z a d a a nd Shopp e also received complaints, although lower compared to Facebook Marketplace, said Valenzuela 1st District Rep. Wes Gatchalian, who led the hearing, citing DTI data.

L a z a d a i s c u r r ent l y compi l i ng t he tota l nu mber of compla i nts for subm i ssion to t he committee as it assured lawmakers that it is "selfregulating" when it comes to sellers on its platforms, CEO Ray Alimurung said.

Lazada is "very willing to cooperate with authorities and regulators," Alimurung said.

The data was presented during a House Committee on Trade a nd Industr y Hea r ing on House Bi l l 6122 or the protection of consumers and merchants involved on e-commerce.

Gatchalian said the bill

POWER PINOYS was timely as it sought the creation of an E-Commerce Bureau under the DTI to ensure liability of sellers and platforms in case of wrongdoing.

It also has a provision to en su re s el ler s a nd online platforms where t he y op e r a t e b e c ome “joi nt ly a nd sever a l ly liable” for complaints and wrongdoing, Gatchalian said.

E-commerce regulations 'timely' as transactions

grow: solon Albay Rep. Joey Salceda also filed a bill aiming to tax Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Google and other global internet companies that do businesses in the country.

The BIR mandated all online sellers to register their business by July 31.

Filipinos are among the top Internet and social media users in the world, based on a study by creative agency We Are Social. (MNS)

Philippines’ external debt down 2.6% in Q1 to $81.4 billion — BSP MANILA (Mabuhay) — The country’s external debt or the combined foreign currency-denominated obligations of both public and private entities in the Philippines saw a 2.6% decline in the first three months of 2020, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Friday.

In a statement, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said the country’s outstanding external debt stood at $81.4 billion or roughly P4.070 trillion as of end-March, lower than the $83.6 billion level recorded as of end-December 2019.

“The decline in the debt level during the first quarter was due to net repayments of $4.0 billion largely attributed to the settlement of short-term (ST) maturing obligations by the private sector,” Diokno said.

This, however, was offset by the $1.1 billion increase in non-residents’ investments in Philippine debt papers issued offshore, demonstrating investors’ confidence in the country’s creditworthiness; prior periods’ adjustments of $580 million; and positive foreign exchange (FX) revaluation adjustments of $101 million as the US dollar weakened against the Japanese yen.

External debt refers to all types of borrowings by Philippine residents from non-residents, following the residency criterion for international statistics.

The central bank chief further stated that key external debt indicators remained at prudent levels.

Total outstanding debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) or external debt-to-GDP ratio improved to 21.4% from 22.2% year-on-year.

“The ratio indicates the country’s sustained strong position to service foreign borrowings in the medium to long-term,” Diokno said.

The country’s external debt-to-GDP ratio remains one of the lowest as compared to other ASEAN member countries, the central bank chief added.

Public sector external debt increased to $45.1 billion

from $42.8 billion in the previous quarter.

About $38.3 billion of public sector obligations were national government borrowings while the remaining $6.8 billion pertained to loans of government-owned and controlled corporations, government financial institutions and the BSP. Meanwhile, private sector debt decreased from $40.8 billion as of end-December 2019 to $36.3 billion as of end-March 2020.

Private sector debt’s share to total decreased from 48.8% to 44.6%.

“The recorded drop in private sector borrowings was due largely to net repayments of $4.9 billion (mostly by banks),” Diokno said.

The Philippines’ major creditor countries were Japan at $14.9 billion, United States of America at $3.6 billion, The Netherlands at $3.3 billion, and the United Kingdom at $3.2 billion.

Loans from official sources or multilateral and bilateral creditors —comprised of Japan at $8.2 billion, China at $807 million, and Singapore at $421 million, among others —had the largest share at 33.6% of total outstanding debt, followed by foreign holders of bonds and notes at 31.6%.

Meanwhile, obligations to foreign banks and other financial institutions partake 28.9%; and the rest or 5.9% were owed to other creditor types, mainly suppliers or exporters.

In terms of currency mix, the country’s debt stock remained largely denominated in US dollars at 55.7% and Japanese yen at 13.4%.

US dollar-denominated multi-currency loans from the World Bank and ADB represented 17.4%.

The 13.6% balance pertained to 14 other currencies, including the Philippine peso, euro and special drawing rights (SDR). (MNS)

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ADB revises 2020 Philippine economic forecast to -3.8% M A NIL A (Mabu hay) — Japan-led lender Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects the Philippine economy to post a wider contraction this year, a reversal from the 2% growth it projected in April, as the slowdown in consumption and investment was wider than initially expected.

In its Asian Development Outlook Supplement released Thursday, the ADB said it now expects the local economy to post a -3.8% growth this year.

A DB i n A p r i l s a i d t h e Philippines could still register a growth of 2.0% in 2020, which was already slower than the 6.0% recorded in 2019. " T h e f or e c a s t f or 2 0 2 0 i s r e v i s e d dow n t o 3. 8% contraction because household consumption and investment have slowed more t ha n expected," the ADB said.

"The contraction in the global economy will continue to drag external trade, tourism, and remittances," it added.

Latest data f rom t he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicates that the gross domestic product (GDP) posted a -0.2% grow th in the first quarter, the first contraction since 1998.

Mea nwh i le, econom ic managers said the GDP is likely to shrink further to 2.0% to 3.4% this year.

Despite t his, A DB sees a strong economic recovery next year, driven mainly by the resumption of stalled projects under the Build, Build, Build.

"The forecast for 2021 is maintained at 6.5%, supported b y pu bl ic i n f r a s t r uc t u r e spend i ng a nd a nt icipated recover y in consumer a nd business confidence," it said.

In the same report, ADB said it expects inflation to clock in 2.2% this year and 2.4% in 2021, both within the government's target range of 2.0-4.0%. (MNS)

Malacañang eyes stimulus package without ‘too much borrowing,’ Roque says MANILA (Mabuhay) — Malacañang wants an economic stimulus package for COVID-19 response that the government can fund without resorting to too much loans, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Wednesday.

Roque highlighted the suggestion of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III not to borrow too much for the stimulus package.

“The position of Secretary Dominguez is that it is better to have a very good credit rating so we can borrow cheaply, but that we should not borrow too much to finance the stimulus package,” he said.

“The pending bills now talk about

the extension of emergency powers and the stimulus package. Malacañang now wants something—a stimulus package that we can actually fund and will not require too much borrowing,” he added.

Citing Dominguez, Roque said the government can fund P140 billion only.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the P1.3 trillion ARISE or Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy bill.

However, the National Economic and Development Authority said the lower chamber's proposal cannot be funded.

The Senate, meanwhile, is pushing

for t he Bay a n i h a n to Recover as One Act which comes with a P140 billion appropriation.

But President Rodrigo Duterte did not certify as urgent the ex tension of the bill.

(MNS)

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON HARRY ROQUE

20

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