Norcal 8/10/23

1 August 10-16, 2023

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

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THE PREMIER FILIPINO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN THE U.S. SINCE 1961

Vol.62 No.52 August 10-16, 2023

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

CHINA-PHILIPPINES ROW OVER WARSHIP HEATS UP Upside US reassures Manila of help Is anti-Asian hate decreasing? in case of land, air or sea attack crime FilAm teen wins lone US gold

By Gilda P. Balan, Correspondent

By ALFRED GABOT and CLAIRE MORALES TRUE Editor in Chief and Managing Editor

MANILA/WASHINGTON D.C. - A dispute between China and the Philippines over a sunken war ship at Ayungin shoal, known also as Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly chain within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea, has heated up anew as expert cite it as one of the flashpoints for “war” in the Pacific. Page 9

UNITED STATES SENATOR Tammy Duckworth of Illinois calls on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacanang. Also in photo is US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson .(Rey Baniquet/NIB-PNA)

China claim of PHL vow to remove ship from Ayungin Shoal belied

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor MANILA – What promise claim that a previous adminisare you talking about? tration had promised to remove The Philippines is not saying the now controversial ship BRP China is lying, only that there is Sierra Madre from Ayungin no record to support Beijing’s Shoal. Page 8

OAKLAND -- The debate on the true number of hate crimes against Asians and Asian-Americans continues.

A recent report from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) states that hate crimes against this segment of US society has dropped dramatically since last year, but civil rights advocates insist the data presented does not accurately reflect the threats the Asian-American community faces on a day-today basis.

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders say the data presented shows a severe undercount.

California’s Justice department says hate crimes against the community dropped by 43 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.

Last year, the DOJ counted 140 hate crimes against Asian Americans compared to 247 in 2021. Overall, however, there was a 20 percent rise in hate crimes against various minorities, including African Americans and the LGBTQ community, from 1,763 in 2021 to 2,120 in 2022.

The web portal Stop AAPI Hate reports that there were more than 11,000 acts Page 8

for US in French kickboxing Conclusion

By CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO

Savate champion Logan Diño (center) is also a math whiz. MAX DIÑO photo.

BRUCE Lee’s fellow Cali- mires Lee’s “very sharp, clean fornia native and young cham- movements and forms” but also pion disciple Logan Diño’s ad- looks up to him as aPage 11

US eyes sending American students to PHL nursing schools Marcos confirms anew he’ll be at APEC summit in SanFo VIEWS & COMMENTS

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What you need to know about petitioning caregivers

Pauleen Luna, Vic Sotto expecting second daughter

NCR Palarong Pambansa champion again

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By A�y. Lozano

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 NATIONAL NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

2

PHL, US air forces to co-host multilateral military drills starting August 14 CLARK F REEPORT - The Philippine Air F orce (PAF ) and the United States Air F orce (USAF ) will lead the biennial exe rcise du ed as Pacific Airli t ally ic is set to run rom Au ust to startin at t e lar Air ase in Pam an a n a statement t e PA said artici ants ill come rom t e P ili ines t e nited tates a an ndonesia alay sia an lades runei anada al di es on olia e al in a ore ri an a and imor este Other exe rcises will be held at the olonel esus illamor Air ase in Pa say ity and ri adier eneral enito uen Air ase in a u a u ity e u accordin to t e PA as A e s re orted The exe rcises would cover airborne trainin e ercises airli t o erations lo istical lannin ta le to e ercises and

su ect matter e ert e c an es t at ill ocus on umanitarian assistance and di saster relie A o erations Partici ants ill e ercise mission lannin car o andlin and loadin multinational air land and airdro o era tions as ell as medical trans ort o era tions amon ot ers e PA ercules ill oin t e e ercise it s rom t e A a an Air el e ense orce oyal a laysian Air orce and ndonesian Air orce or t e fli t trainin ey ill ractice airli t tec ni ues t at ould el uture umanitarian as sistance and disaster relie o erations ac cordin to t e PA Also art o t e drills are A air li t o erations and lo istical lannin or aircra t de loyment sta in car o and mo ement mission lannin and multi national airli t ca a ility analysis or air

li t mission sc edule rioriti ation e ndo Asia Pacific re ion is ome to ercent o t e orld s o ulation in nations s read across ercent o t e art s sur ace and t e ma ority o t e orld s natural disasters occur in t is

area t e PA said erience as demonstrated t at to e ecti ely ro ide su ort to ci ilian di saster res onse a encies it is e tremely im ortant t at nations coo erate and im ro e oint ca a ilities it added

PHL rice supply to last even after El Niño

A A e country s rice stoc ile could last e en a ter t e l i o e nomenon ne t year President erdinand

arcos r as assured t e u lic ector Ad isory ouncil P A and t e arcos assurance came a ter e met P ili ine ice ta e olders o ement it industry layers led y t e Pri ate P at alaca an Palace in anila e rice situation is mana ea le and sta le ere is enou rice or t e P il i ines u to and a ter t e l i o ne t LAW OFFICE OF year said arcos o also ser es as ead o t e e artment o A riculture A e l i o enomenon mi t er sist until t e first uarter o t e P ili ine Atmos eric eo ysical and Astronomical er ices Administration & ASSOCIATES earlier said e President con ened t e meetin to discuss it sta e olders t e status o 3255 Wilshire Blvd. Ste# 1010 t e rice industry and measures to ensure Los Angeles, CA 90010 su cient rice su ly in t e country Tel: (213) 388-9925 e A and P resented to ar Fax: (213) 388-6080 cos t e rice su ly outloo or t e coun try until t e end o ocampolawofc@yahoo.com ased on a statement t e A also rie ed arcos a out t e country s cur rent su ly situation actors t at t reaten

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t e country s rice roduction and e ort and t e im ort trends and needs A ndersecretary erceditas om illo said t e ro ected endin stoc or is million metric tons enou to last or days om illo added t at t e P ili ine tatistics Aut ority s endin stoc ro jection presents an even better scenario as it is e ected to e ic ould last or days Palay ar est season is rom e tem er to o em er n an inter ie a ter t e meetin P lead con enor o ena del o sario-Sadicon said the public need not orry ecause t e country as enou rice su ly until t e end o t e year e don t need to anic or anyt in else alma lan o tayo et s e calm t s ery im ortant t at e are one in our o ecti e to e ositi e on t is ay roon o tayon sa at na i as e a e enou rice adicon said

Daily average of new Covid-19 cases down by 25%

A A e country s daily a era e o ne corona irus disease o id cases declined y ercent rom uly to Au accordin to t e e artment o ealt n its latest case ulletin t e re corded daily in ections a decline o cases rom t e recorded et een uly to rom uly to Au a total o ne cases ere recorded e tally o se ere and critical in ec tions also decreased to rom t e rom uly to A out deat s ere erified ut

o t e recorded deat s occurred on uly to Au nly ercent or out o t e intensi e care unit eds are in use ile ercent or o non eds are utili ed At least or er cent o t e country s tar et o ula tion a e een accinated a ainst o id includin er cent o senior citi ens as o arc A total o a e recei ed ooster s ots out o t e ully accinated o ulation

3 August 10-16, 2023

 NATIONAL NEWS

US senator eyes sending students HOME SELLING? G et F R E E * H ome S tag i ng HOME BUYING? G et $ 3 0 0 0 cl osi ng cost cr edi t* to PHL nursing schools MANILA – The United States is looking at sending American students to nursing schools in the Philippines to address its shortage of nurses, nursing programs and residency slots.

This was disclosed by visiting US Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Chicago, Illinois during a call on President F erdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacanang, citing the number of F ilipino nurses in the US and the qua lity of service they provide as she recogniz ed the competency of F ilipino nurses.

Duckworth is an Iraq war veteran, Purpe Heart recipient, former assistant secretary of the US Department of V eterans Affairs and was among the first Army omen to fly combat missions during “Operation Iraqi F reedom,” launched on March 19, 2003, to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction and replace Saddam Hussein’s regime with a democracy supported by the citiz ens.

She won a seat at the US Senate after representing Illinois’s Eight Congressional District in the US House of Representatives for two terms. She just won reelection last

year.

Duckworth is a member of the US Senate committees on armed services, environment and public works, commerce, science, transportation and small business and entrepreneurship.

F ilipinos all over the US are recogniz ed for being well-educated and for t eir fluency in t e n lis language, among other factors, Duckworth said during the meeting attended also by US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson.

Given the qua lity of service and the number of F ilipino nurses in the US, Duckworth told Marcos about her discussion with the US Embassy in the Philippines about the possibility of sending American students to nursing schools in the country.

The plan is seen as a solution to address the United States’ shortage of nursing programs and residency slots.

During the meeting, arcos rea rmed is commitment to forge more partnerships with the US government.

They discussed the impact of climate change and the pandemic on the world economy.

Marcos and Duckworth talked about the Philippines and the US governments’ shift to renewable energy to transform the economy in the post-pandemic era.

Duckworth told Marcos that the Philippines and the US may collaborate for the production of electronic vehicle batteries to meet the huge demand of the American market.

“I can’t think of a better place to create a new manufacturing ecosystem for the American market than here in the Philippines where we can work together to supply that market so that we can continue to make our switch to renewables as well.

And there are many other places where we can work together,” Duckworth said.

“And again, I would rather have America’s manufacturing supply chain rest here in a nation that has been a long-time friend and ally, than in a nation that is our adversary or our competitor. And so, I think there are lots of opportunities and we had a really productive meeting,” she added.

Marcos said the Philippines has great potential for battery manufacturing, considering the presence of mineral deposits that are necessary elements for battery production.

“We have nickel, we have bauxi te, we have cobalt. And so, the idea of manufacturing….ha s shown more and more potential, the more we study it,” he told Duckworth.

“And, so this is what we are hoping to develop here. Not just -- we will have a demand locally for these batteries but not just for the local demand but also for sale to other countries and for other markets. That is certainly something that we have been pushing very hard for in terms of developing the capabilities.”

Duckworth had already discussed with Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Y ulo-Loyz aga and Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla about the US’ transition to renewable energy sources and the current challenges it is facing.

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 METRO NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

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PNP chief warns vloggers on crime pranks CAMP CRAME, Quez on City – The Philippine National Police (PNP) reminded vloggers and content creators to refrain from making crime pranks and ex ercise prudence in creating videos uploaded on social media.

PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the police force has taken into custody t ree indi iduals identified as ar an a ael ar ester an a ael and lea ar te en uentes on Au a ter t ey ere

ordered arrested by the Las Piñas Metroolitan rial ourt ranc on c ar es of alarm and scandal.

“The PNP remains steadfast in upholdin t e la and ensurin t at indi iduals are held accountable for their deeds. Pranks that induce panic and disrupt public order cannot be taken lightly. We commend our ersonnel or t eir s i t action in t is in stance,” Acorda said in a statement.

Acorda said the PNP’s decisive action in

this case uneq uivocally underscores its una erin commitment to reser in u lic safety and order in the digital age.

The case stemmed from a kidnapping prank on April 6 staged by the suspects beind t e a e u omi lo ic tri ered ides read u lic outra e The video depicted a sophisticated fake kidnapping episode that transpired along a in treet P ase r y AA P ase in Las Piñas City.

A olice o cer identified as ta t onnie onmin o itnessed t e incident and dre is and un on t e lo ers t in in it as a real idna in incident onmin o t en filed a com laint or alarm and scandal before the suspects beore t e ce o t e ity Prosecutor on A ril o e er t e accused ere released on Au a ter ostin ail

NLEX-SLEX connector road from Caloocan to Manila start charging toll fees A A e ort u on ress ay or oration has been authoriz ed to charge toll fees or section o t e out u on ress ay connector road project beginning last Aug. 8 . n a statement t e e artment o rans ortation r said as been authoriz ed by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to collect toll fees at the section o t e connector road s annin fi e ilometers rom Road/ 5 th Avenue in Caloocan to España in Manila. ection aloocan to s a a as

need not stop at the toll plaz a, resulting in faster and more convenient travel,” it said. e r said t e ne toll ees ere approved by the TRB after a “thorough re ie and com liance it t e u lica tion and posting of a surety bond req uirement in accordance it its concession a reement it t e or oration The road project itself is about eight kilometers in length and is divided into t o sections ection o t e road ro ect is a out ilometers in len t and ill s an rom s a a to t e y ay ta e

A su stantial ortion o ection from España to Ramon Magsaysay Boule ard is tar eted to e com leted it in t e t uarter o t is year it said e connector road ro ect is a ne ele ated toll road ro ect t at as een rocessed re ie ed and approved by the National Economic e elo ment Aut ority A as an unsolicited proposal under the Builderate rans er la it t e e art ment o Pu lic or s and i ays P as t e contractin arty and implementing agency.

u October, making voting easier and more t is accessible especially to the vulnerable sector. to o y ara sa m a na atatanda sa mga may kapansanan, sa ating mga kaa ayan na ea ily re nant omen at sa lahat ng mga gusto po na mag-avail ng pagboto sa mall... Kumbinyente, maayos, at the same time masisigurado nating protektado at secured ang kanilang pagboto,” Comelec Chairperson George r in arcia said Garcia said the memorandum of a reement si ned y omelec it u ermalls at ity anila co ers otin in malls in etro anila and one mall each in Legaz pi City and Cebu City.

“Mga involved na botante diyan, kung hindi tayo nagkakamali, mga din sa la at la at e in ol ed oters i e re not mista en ill e around in total e said Besides accessibility and convenience, Comelec ex pects mall voting can also help reduce vote-buying incidents ic ty ically a en outside recincts or school vicinities.

“Ngayon po dito sa pagboto sa malls,

hopefully, masusubukan natin, paano sila makakabili kung nandito sa loob ng malls, kung dire-diretsong boboto ang m a a a ayan natin o t rou t e mall otin o e ully e can test o they can [ vote buy] if they’re inside the malls and our ello citi ens are otin smoothly),” Garcia added. oreo er mall o ners are e ected to allocate funds to ensure the security o t e otin rocess as ell as or t e needed eq uipment and voting spaces. e are t an ul to t e mall o ners and o erators ecause t ey ole eart edly granted this service to the Commission on Elections. This is included in their corporate social responsibility, the Comelec did not spend a single centavo for this,” Garcia said. e omelec o e er clarified t at mall voting is only applicable for barangays that ex pressed their intention to participate in the conduct of voting on near y select malls ollo in t e oll body’s local consultations.

The Comelec said that once the s mall otin ecomes success ul it ill tar et to utili e all malls na tion ide or t e elections

opened to the motoring public on March it out toll ee collection urrently around motorists are usin t is ne toll road daily en oyin a faster travel time of only around 5 minutes rom t e usual minutes or more usin t e old routes t e r said otorists o ass t rou t e ne toll road ill e c ar ed P or class e icles P or class e icles and P or class e icles is ne toll road ill e t e first to im lement a arrier ree elec tronic toll collection system. Motorists ust need to slo do n or sa ety ut

Comelec launches mall voting for barangay, SK polls

A A e ommission on otin Elections (Comelec) launched its mall nian

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Cop killed, 2 hurt in Taguig police station shooting A A olice o cer as shot dead by his colleague inside a police station in Taguig City on Monday.

City chief of police Col. Robert Baesa said t e incident a ened around am inside t e ommunity A airs ection o t e a ui ity Police tation nitial in esti ation s o ed t at ie aster t Alra ui A uel en a ed ecu ti e aster t eri erto a ui ed in a dis cussion that resulted in a heated argument.

A uel later s ot a ui ed ic resulted

in his death. l Alison indac o tried to aci y t e situation as also critically in ured due to t e incident ile A uel as also urt ey ere rus ed to t e a ui edical Center for treatment.

“Nagkaroon ng hindi pagkakaintindian ta os na amo yun isan ulis si t Aguel nag-amok. Nakikita namin sa imbestigasyon hindi naman personal nagkaroon lan a tatalo ere as a misunderstand in and t en t A uel run amo

5 August 10-16, 2023

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Proclamation of Romeo Jalosjos Jr. as Zamboanga del Norte solon annulled DAPITAN CITY / MANILA – The Supreme Court has annulled the proclamation of reelectionist Romeo Jalosjos Jr. and directed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proclaim Roberto “Pinpin” y r as re resentati e o t e first district of Z amboanga del Norte in Congress.

The High Court’s decision resolved the election protest over the congressional position in Z amboanga del Norte’s F irst District Representative, ruling for the proclamation of Roberto “Pinpin” T. Uy Jr. as the 2022 winner as it set aside the Comelec En Banc’s order dated May 2022 and resolution dated June 2022 for being issued with grave abuse of discretion.

The decision, made during the SC en

banc deliberations on Tuesday and written

by Justice Mario V . Lopez , resolved the consolidated etitions filed y y rederi co P. Jalosjos, and the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the High Tribunal said.

It also annulled the Comelec proclamation of another candidate, Romeo “Kuya Jonjon” M. Jalosjos, Jr., the statement said.

Uy, Romeo Jalosjos, F rederico “Kuya Jan” Jalosjos, and Richard Amaz on were the candidates for the post.

The statement noted that on the election day, Uy received 69 ,5 9 1 votes; R. Jalosjos, 69 ,109 votes; F . Jalosjos, 5 ,424 votes; and Amaz on, 28 8 votes. omeo alos os o filed a suit e ore Comelec to req uest that the other Jalosjos

m oo wa an control project planned in Pampanga, Bulacan SAN F ERNANDO, Pampanga – Is t ere o e to end t e massi e floodin in Pampanga and Bulacan every time the rain pours?

It seems so if the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is to believed.

Just last week, the DPWH and the North Luz on Ex pressway operator led by anny Pan ilinan came under fire or t e floods at t e an imon Pam an a or tion of the ex pressway and surrounding areas creatin a monstrous tra c or ours and days in the major highway connecting

Metro Manila, Central Luz on and Northern Philippines.

At a Senate hearing last week, the P resented to senators a ma or flood control ro ect t at could si nificantly i e relief to residents of Pampanga, Bulacan, and ue a ci a rom constant floods DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan told the Senate Committee on Public Works led

by Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. that the project is the Central Luz on - Pampanga F loodway and San Antonio Swamp Ring Dike Project, which will be funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Plan to return to old name of Manila airport revived

e declared as a nuisance candidate filed a separate motion to suspend the proclamation of Uy as the winner, claiming that he won the elections since the votes for F .

Jalosjos must be credited to him.

In ruling for the Uy case, the Court said the poll body ”motu proprio (by itself) ordered the suspension of his (Uy’s) proclamation even though the PBOC (Provincial Board of Canvassers) had clear basis to proclaim Uy as the winning candidate, having garnered the highest number of votes.”

“The Court also noted there were several irregularities in the Comelec En Banc’s suspension order, with the copy sent by electronic mail to the PBOC in advance, undated, and lacking the complete signatures o t e omelec mem ers as ell as a certifi cation and a notice signed by the Comelec’s Clerk of Court,” the ruling stated.

“The Court also found irregular that the Comelec chairperson intervened in the proclamation by calling directly the PBOC Chairperson,” it added.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

6

Marcos confirms anew he’ll be at APEC summit in SanFo in o ember

By Claire Morales True A A ect Presi dent F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. to be in San F rancisco this November. is as arcos confirmed ane that he will participate in the Asia-Pacific conomic oo eration AP Economic Leaders’ Summit set at the Moscone Convention Center in San F rancisco, California on November 14 to 16.

United States President Joseph Biden Jr. will host President Marcos and leaders o ot er Asia Pacific countries at t e AP meetin AP s mem er economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada ile ina on on ndonesia a an out orea alaysia e ico e ealand Pa ua e uinea Peru t e P ili ines ussia in a ore ai wan, Thailand, the US and V ietnam.

Reports from Manila indicated Marcos reconfirmed is attendance durin is meetin it mem ers o t e nit ed States (US)-Association of South-

east Asian Nations (ASEAN) Business ouncil in alaca an It will be the third visit of Marcos to t e nited tates t e first ein is ar ticipation in the United Nations General Assem ly meetin ere e met Presi dent us on t e sideline o t e meetin loo or ard to oinin ello APEC Leaders in California later this year. This will be my third trip to the US since assumed o ce arcos told t e US-ASEAN Business Council. arcos first artici ated in t e t AP ummit in an o ailand in November last year. e AP is a re ional economic o rum esta lis ed in to le era e t e ro in interde endence o t e Asia Pacific This year, the US will chair the forum. ocusin on reatin conomic ortunity t e AP ummit ill feature a lineup of dynamic and diverse s ea ers o ill i li t t e otential of collaboration to build a future that is centered on sustainability, inclusion, re-

silience and innovation. arcos is amon t e economic lead ers o are e ected to s ea at t e summit accordin to AP s o cial website.

Marcos said he would advance the country s ener y security interest en e oins is ello AP leaders durin t e economic loc s at erin it ener y security i in t e economic a enda e are articularly interested in sustainable land, water, and ocean solutions t at ali n it our climate oals and su ort our lans to transform the Philippines into an upper Middle-Income Country by the year e said All e orts to increase t e num er of power sources lean towards clean ener y at ein t e case am interested in t e otential o nuclear ener y es e cially in li t o ne tec nolo ies and innovations that allow the use of smaller scale, modular, nuclear reactors, and ot er ad anced reactors tec nolo ies t at e see as ein sa er and more e ficient t an t e more traditional desi ns

o nuclear o er roduction arcos added. arcos noted t at t ere are on o in discussions it t e on t e A reement ic ill ro ide t e le al rame or or ci il and nuclear related investments, particularly nuclear power, in the Philippines.

He ex pressed optimism that partnerships with the US and other countries, especially the private sector, would lead to the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for the planned transition to clean and rene a le ener y e reco ni e t e rule t at e a e set for ourselves that is the slow transition and it is slo e all a e reat hopes that the transition to renewables will be easy or simple. It turns out that is not oin to e t e case and e a e to e realistic in t is re ard e said e AP ummit rin s to et er 21 economies from around the Asia-Pacific to colla orate on t e s ared oal o creatin a more o en resilient sustain able and peaceful future for the people o t e orld s most dynamic re ion

Marcos sus en s all but one Manila a reclamation ro ects MANILA – President F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the suspension of all but one reclamation projects in Manila Bay in answer to environmental, floodin security and ot er concerns raised by the United States and other rou s Marcos decision was immediately ailed y rou s and leaders li e enate President uan i uel u iri and en Risa Hontiveros as she reiterates her call to reject all China-funded reclamation projects in the country.

President Marcos announced in Bulacan that he ordered the suspension of all reclamation projects in Manila Bay e ce t or one endin re ie The President’s order came after massi e floods it se eral ulacan to ns in t e ast ee s Marcos did not specify which projects are suspended, but said that the sea alon o as oule ard could disa ear due to the reclamation projects.

“I welcome PBBM’s suspension of reclamation projects in Manila Bay. There are q uestionable entities involved in those projects, particularly the China state-owned China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC), which has historically destroyed our marine ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea. a at indi na tayo na i i a sa alaran sa m a um anya tulad n e s ould not e ta in ris s it com a nies li e onti eros said in a

statement. ast year onti eros filed Pro osed Senate Resolution 300 to conduct an inuiry into t e re orted lar e scale land reclamation ro ects ein underta en on a nationwide scale in the Philippines, includin t e ro ects in anila ay n callin or t e re ection o i nese-funded reclamation projects in the country, the senator said two of the six initially approved reclamation projects in Manila Bay are ex ecuted by China ar our n ineerin om any td a subsidiary of China state-owned CCCC. In the resolution, Hontiveros cited scientist r io anni a an o said the reclamation of more than 38 ,000 hectares, of which 26,232 hectares are alon t e coast o anila ay co ered by the National Reclamation Plan will translate to a loss of the same area of sea rass t e s a nin round and a i tat o a uatic li e leadin to an annual loss of 4-7 billion invertebrates and 3-78 trillion fis “These China-funded reclamation ro ects may cause irre ersi le dama e to our c eris ed natural resources An li as yaman na n a lan n Pili inas an na an a a a an yaman n m a Pili ino aya da at matindi an ina a a natin a dede ensa dito ur natu ral resources is our only wealth and we must rotect t is at all costs onti e ros said.

She also called on the ban of CCCC

as a response to the repeated provocations of China in the West Philippine ea includin t e recent firin o a a ter cannon by the Chinese Coast Guard at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) last aturday loc in t e resu ly mission to Ayun in oal A ter t e indi nation e ressed y t e e artment o orei n A airs t e PCG, and the Armed F orces of the Phili ines a ainst t e use o ater cannons ina instead o issuin an a olo y as

serted its baseless claims and demanded that the Philippines remove BRP Sierra adre rom Ayun in oal “BRP Sierra Madre is a Philippine asset t at e a e all t e ri t to maintain in Ayun in oal e ill ne er allo anyone to orci ly ta e t at essel out o our own waters. We must draw up other diplomatic and political ways to stand our round includin sto in ina unded ro ects on our s ores onti e ros said.

7 August 10-16, 2023

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Marcos open to planned PHL-US deal on nurses MANILA – President F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. is seeking a review of the possible partnership between the Philippines and the United States to strengthen the nursing industry of both countries, Malacañang said Wednesday.

In a statement, Marcos is open to the idea of forging an agreement with the US to elevate the nursing profession and address the problems besetting the sector.

“Let’s look into it... I’m sure if we fi ure out t e details t at ro a ly sounds like a good idea,” Marcos said.

This developed after US Senator Tammy Duckworth, who paid Marcos a courtesy visit at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Tuesday, raised the possibility of sending American students to nursing schools in the Philippines.

Marcos said he wants to study the proposal before making any decision.

“We do have a problem with our nurses leaving and going abroad and findin ood o s a road And e cer tainly encourage that. We’re not about to

hold them back,” Marcos said during his meeting with Duckworth. ut e need to find t ese ne schemes so that the brain drain is not q uite severe as it is now. We have a shortage, I think, at every level in our health care system and much of the reason behind that is the talent leaving the P ili ines to find etter ositions ut certainly, we should ex amine that.”

While there is no formal agreement yet, Marcos and Duckworth agreed that t e ro osal ould enefit t e t o coun tries.

Duckworth noted that F ilipino nurses could pass the licensure ex aminations for nursing in the US. She also acknowledged that the US has a lack of nursing programs, adding that the country has more nursing students than nursing educators.

“Y ou know, it would be really interesting to see if we could send American students to nursing schools in the Philippines because, obviously, you’re teach-

ARMY CHANGE OF COMMAND. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the Philippine Army Change of Command ceremony at Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig City.

Lt. Gen. Roy Galido takes the helm as the 66th Commanding General of the Philippine Army, succeeding Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. who is now the Armed Forces of the Philippines ie o ta . oey azon B A

ing to a standard that they can meet li- States,” Duckworth said. censure in the US. But we don’t have “We don’t have enough nursing eduenough nursing programs in the United cators in the United States because

Tondo parish warns vs. bogus solicitations MANILA – The Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Santo Niño in Tondo, Manila has warned the public against solicitations in envelopes and electronic transactions using the name of the parish.

In a post, the parish shared the circular signed by Msgr. Geronimo Reyes, rector of the parish, informing the public that such solicitation did not come from the shrine.

“This is to inform you that the Arch-

diocesan Shrine and Parish of Sto. Niño has not circulated solicitation envelops and other means of monetary contributions (electronic, bank/ mobile transfer or physical monetary contribution) without the permission of the Rector and Parish Priest,” he said.

“Organiz ations and ministries are prohibited to solicit monetary contributions without the approval from the undersigned,” the parish priest added.

At the same time, Reyes urged the people to immediately report any solicitation acti ities usin t e s rine s o ce “Should you come to know of anyone using the name of the Shrine-Parish, the clergy and its councils, kindly report it it no delay to t e Paris ce e said.

“Let us all be careful of the incidents and scam victimiz ing the churchgoers and parish servants, us-

2024 budget for Marcos’ trips nearly doubled from 2023 MANILA – The proposed 2024 national budget for President F erdinand Marcos Jr’s overseas trips has been nearly doubled, while underspending agencies will deal with some cuts, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, in a CNN Philippines report, said the traveling budget for Marcos and his men, which counts both state visits and road s o s is illion or ne t year t is more t an t is year s million t e million allotted or arcos orei n tri s t is year million as een s ent as o end June.

Pangandaman said the allocation for the overseas trips for 2024 is not comparative to previous years, or should not be viewed apples to apples, because there’s that variable of the pandemic when travel had been restricted. ay si nificant increase rom re ious years e cause o t e andemic sarado an orld economy Since bago ang president, maraming invitation mula sa ibang bansa,” she said.The DBM secretary added that there will be no reenacted budget under Marcos’ watch.

Deliberations on the 2024 national budget at the ouse o e resentati es are e ected to ic o within the month, on course for a yearend passage. The

lo er c am er recei ed t e ro osed trillion budget for 2024 last week.

Some agencies, however, will see their ex penditure program for 2024 trimmed because of underspending, or in fiscal arlance t ey a e a lo ud et utili a tion rate (BUR). is amon t em it a cut o P illion a ter s endin ust o its allocation or as o end June. The DBM chief said DICT is one of the prominent agencies known to have a low utiliz ation rate. nly as o ud et call yun na a astos nila Binawasan natin at hinihingan natin sila ng catch up plan,” she added. ranslation ey only utili ed as o ud et call... We have reduced it and we are asking them for a catch-up plan.]

“They promised to have a catch-up plan and increase their utiliz ation rate before the start of the deliberation because who knows Congress might increase their budget for nex t year,” Pangandaman said.

Similarly, budget allocation for the Department of A rarian e orm A as also cut y less t an P billion.

But the DBM said the 2024 budget for state subsidies and other welfare spending did not see a change o er le els

ing our clergy and the church to swindle money and other favors surreptitiously,” the Catholic priest added.

On the other hand, Reyes noted that those who wish to share their blessings may o to t e o ce o t e aris “F or your donations, you may proceed to t e Paris ce and as or t e o cial recei t e said

Confusion...(From page 1)

 NATIONAL NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

8

Sandiganbayan upholds dismissal of Marcos forfeiture case involving hotels, resorts

e andi an ayan nd i ision u eld its decision to dismiss i il ase o in ol in ormer resident erdinand arcos r ormer first lady melda arcos and t eir alle ed cronies and ro erties suc as o tels resorts and ot er cor orations n t e resolution o t e court romul ated uesday t e motion or reconsid eration filed y lainti e u lic o t e P ili ines t rou t e ce o t e olicitor eneral as denied or lac o merit

eedless to state t e alle ations con tained in the motion are mere rehash of t e issues already ruled assed u on and udiciously resol ed y t is court t e court said in t e resolution enned y As sociate ustice Art ur ala a uio it t e concurrence o i ision air erson scar errera r and Associate ustice d ardo aldona i il ase o as one o t e or eiture cases filed in in ol in assets and ro erties o ned y t e or mer resident and first lady

m leaded cor orations included P il i ine illa e otel Puerto A ul eac and ountry lu ernate e elo ment or oration antasia ili ina esorts nc cean illas ondominium or o ration ila is nternational otel n t e Presidential ommission on ood o ernment estimated t e su ect ro erties in i il ase o at P million it t e deat o t e ormer resident e as su stituted in t e case y eirs includin President erdinand arcos

r en mee arcos and rene arcos Araneta e court stressed in its dismissal o t e a eal t at t e testimony o P records custodian aria ourdes a no ell it in t e cate ory o earsay e i dence it t e ore oin considerations it ollo s t at t e est e idence rule a lies in t is case and t ere ore lainti s sole itness a no is not com etent to testi y as to t e contents and e istence o t e said documentary e idence t e court said

PA ice President ara uterte said t e e artment o duca tion e d needs confidential unds as t e sector is intert ined it national security uterte o also eads t e e d is see in million in confidential unds

a a a ala a na t s ery im or tant t at e mold c ildren o are a triotic c ildren o ill lo e our coun try and o ill de end our country s e said uterte did not disclose t e rea do n o t e ud et ut stressed t ere is a uideline on o t e o ernment s ould

use it

lion o ic is ro osed to e earmar ed or President erdinand arcos r s o fice P ili ines re orted ome solons o e er ere not leased it t e ro osed ud et stressin t e multi illion eso alloca tions must e ro ided to social ser ices instead

e also said t at t ere is no record or any minutes o a meetin or any or mal re ort or any le al document le ally en orcea le document or ot er ise or a er al a reement no n to t e t as t e inese inistry o orei n A airs t at orsened an already ad situ ation en it stated t at anila ad com mitted to remo e t e essel ut ad yet to act on it t t en accused t e P ili ines o antin to ermanently occu y Ayun in oal e inese ministry o e er a e no details o t e su osed romise at romise as alle edly made as ar ac as t e strada administration ut ormer senator and de ense secretary rly ercado said no suc commitment as e er made e unrecorded romise is t e reason ein i en y ina to usti y t e ac tion o t e ina oast uard in usin a ater cannon to dri e a ay a P ili ine

oast uard s i alon it at least t o ot er smaller oats t at ere rin in su lies to t e soldiers stationed at t e ierra adre a orld ar ll era na al essel t at ser es as t e P ili ines er manent station in t e s oal ic is art o t e est P ili ine ea ell it in t e country s e clusi e economic one

P uterte e en s ro ose P

China..

(From page 1)

Is anti...

(From page 1)

ate er t e case may e President erdinand arcos r said ednesday Au ust t at t e P ierra adre ill stay ere it is n a ideo rom alacanan Palace sent to local media t e resident said m not a are o any a reement t at t e P ili ines s ould remo e rom its o n territory its o n s i And to ma e sure is stand as fi nal arcos added et me o urt er i t ere does e ist suc an a reement rescind t at a reement no arlier ational ecurity ouncil Assistant irector eneral ona t an alaya flatly denied t at t e P ili ines ad e er committed to ina t at t e s i ould e remo ed e P ili ines as not and ill ne er enter into any a reement a andonin its so erei n ri ts and urisdiction o er Ayun in oal

M confi ential un s or e E

a alata doon un aano siya i li uidate and y its nature it s confiden tial und so e cannot discuss un aano siya ina amit sa o erations s e said e arcos administration is tar et in to a e illion in confidential and intelli ence unds ne t year il

s oal nly one o t e t o su ly oats made it to t e ierra adre ecause o t is t e P said t ey ould return to t e s oal soon t is time it i er s i s P s o es erson or t e est P il i ine ea ommodore ay arriela told local media t at t ey a e t e o tion o sendin not only a i er s i ut os at assault dre lo al indi nation si ly t o or e en t ree and sto ed ears o a ossi le con ronta e P s i er s i s include t e tion et een ina and t e ic meter P elc ora A uino and P as a utual e ense reaty it t e eresa a anua as ell as t e meter P ili ines a riela ilan e said t ey ere only de end eP s i t at aced o it t e in t eir territory and ere loc in as t e meter P ala ri o t e resu ly mission ic as rin later ollo ed y t e P a ra in construction materials to t e ierra arriela said t ey ere not a raid to adre carry out anot er resu ly mission is as li e ise denied y t e P As or t e romise to remo e t e ier ic said t ey ere merely escortin ra adre rom Ayun in oal t e urden t o c artered oats rin in ood ater o ro in t at it as e er made is no and essentials to t e rounded s i on t e ina s res onsi ility

cific slanders ili inos and ilAms in ment s unnin or assault A ood num cluded since arc e crimes er o t e acts o discrimination may e of hate against Asian Americans and Pa- include discrimination ullyin arass ci il ri ts iolations t at o unre orted ust t e same A later re ort says more t an al o AAP s a e e erienced some orm o discrimination to AAP ate co ounder an u ul arni told t nic edia er ices t at s e as not noted any decrease in t e num er o ate incidents re orted to t e ortal since e said e num ers re orted to us a e stayed retty steady N otary P ub lic & R eal E state B roker ul arni says t e community still li es in ear e a e si nificant con cerns a out t e election in t e cur rent olitical landsca e and elie e ate crimes and incidents ill continue to e * C om m issioned N otary P ub lic and licensed R eal E state B roker ( B R E # 0 0 6 3 5 9 7 6 ) in C alifornia an issue s e said since 1 9 8 1 . A uthor, C olum nist, and Mem b er, N ational N otary A ssociation ( N N A ) o et er t e num er o ate crimes is oin do n or u or stayin steady one t in e erts a ree on is t at direct inter ention ro rams at t e community le el are an e ecti e means o addressin t e issue

n A o ernor a in e som introduced t e million AP uity ud et ic allocates undin to community ased or ani ations and me dia e ud et aims to stem anti Asian ate crimes and incidents at t e same time c an in t e stereoty ed narrati es a out t e community is year e som added million to t e und s ud et ul arni said direct inter ention ro rams are no in ull s in and e are e innin to see t e im act o t e rant urt ermore a sur ey t at to AAP ate undertoo in tandem it t e a tional inion esearc enter at t e ni ersity o ica o ound t at t e AAP community trusts community ased or ani ations most us undin is critical or inter en tion and re ention said ul arni it t e ro lem o Asian ate still remainin any and e ery attem t to end t e scour e can only e considered a ood t in Pu lic sector undin may e one o t e est ays yet

9 August 10-16, 2023 China...

(From page 1)

This as a Chinese Coast Guard ship sprayed water to a Philippine Coast Guard vessel with a water cannon in what Beijing described as a ‘ warning’ to Manila but declared by the Armed F orces of the Philippines as short of declaring war.”

The Philippine vessel had been carrying supplies to a grounded warship BRP Sierra Madre in a disputed area of the South China Sea when the Chinese Coast Guard, later swarmed by Chinese warships and militia boats, tried to stop it from carrying its mission to soldiers station in the decrepit warship which is used by the Philippines as a military outpost.

China asked the Philippines to remove the BRP Sierra Madre in what it claimed as its territory, but President F erdinand Marcos Jr. and the AF P stood pat saying the old ship will remain as the AF P’s outpost in Ayungin Shoal.

The incident prompted the defense chiefs of the Philippines and the United tatesto con er and rea rmed t eir iron clad” relations, with US Defense Secretary loyd Austin condemnin ina s fir ing of water cannons at F ilipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea. In a statement from Washington D.C. released by the Pentagon, Austin and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. reiterated both nations’ commitment to bolstering cooperation, including strengthenin ilateral trainin intero era ility and support for the moderniz ation of the Philippine Armed F orces.” urin t eir call t e o cials also touched on the latest aggression of China

in the disputed waters, where the latter blocked the Philippine Coast Guard vessels’ resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal.

Austin III reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the US and the Philippines applies to Philippine public and government vessels and aircraft.

On the water canon by the Chinese oast uard A P ie o ta omeo ra ner r said it ould a e een a to tally di erent story i ina used ater cannons on Philippine Navy ships. at ould mean you are already do ing aggressive actions against a military ship, and that could be interpreted as an act of war already,” Brawner said. ey no t at e reason y e believe they used their Chinese Coast Guard ships...They wanted to act short of war– short of declaring war. So all of these are considered actions in the grey-z one, meaning they are not really overt acts of war but lower than that,” he added.

The AF P chief ex plained that conditions in Ayungin Shoal only allows smaller boats be used to reach the BRP Sierra Madre. e use our a y oats e still a e to anchor far from Ayungin Shoal and use smaller boats to bring our supplies to BRP ierra adre ra ner said at e do from the very start, we use already smaller boats to carry our supplies.”

Brawner added that Philippine Navy ships were escorting the Philippine Coast Guard boats when the water cannon incident occurred.

He said resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre are an obligation to support and sustain military troops there. ecretary Austin rea rmed t at t e Mutual Defense Treaty ex tends to Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces – to include those of its Coast Guard in t e Pacific includin in t e out i na Sea,” the US Department of Defense (DOD) said in a statement Tuesday night (US time).

Austin made the statement after a phone call with Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. where they discussed recent events in the South China Sea, including China’s e orts to o struct t e P ili ine resu ly mission at the Second Thomas Shoal (also known as Ayungin Shoal) on Aug. 5 . ecretary Austin condemned t e i na Coast Guard’s use of water cannons and other dangerous maneuvers, which put the safety of Philippine vessels and crew at risk. He joined numerous countries in ex pressing concern about these unsafe operational activities, which undermine the status q uo and directly threaten regional peace and stability,” the US DOD statement added.

Austin, in a May phone call with then o cer in c ar e enior ndersecre tary Carlito Galvez Jr., reiterated that any armed attack on Philippine ships and aircraft in the South China Sea would result in the invocation of the MDT. Austin reiterated t at t e commit ment to the alliance remains ironclad and that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, aircraft, and public vessels, in-

cluding the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the MDT,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in an earlier statement.

Ex perts said the Philippines is just one in an emerging ring of hot spots in Asia and t e Pacific t at could em roil t e and ina in conflict eit er deli erately or through miscalculations. And this threat is only intensifying as China and Russia have begun conducting joint-military training ex ercises in strategic waterways in the region in recent months. · The Australian National University identified our flas oints ai an the Korean Peninsula, South China Sea and East China Sea – that will determine whether Asia descends into war.

President Marcos insisted that the BRP Sierra Madre will stay right where it is in Ayungin Shoal. m not a are o any a reement t at the Philippines should remove from its own territory its own ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, from Ayungin Shoal,” Marcos said in a video shared by the Presidential Communication ce Marcos’ statement came a day after National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya also denied the country had committed to remove the ship.

And let me o urt er i t ere does e ist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now,” the president added. eP as not and ill ne er enter into any agreement abandoning its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal,” he said in a statement.

11 August 10-16, 2023

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What does China want?

I

t is safe to say that anything the China Coast Guard does in the West Philippine Sea is with the tacit approval of their President X i Jinping. This is especially true of the aggressive actions they take, such as the assault with a water canon of Philippine ships led by the Philippine Coast Guard over the weekend.

With that action, X i may be testing how far the US will go considering the Mutual Defense Treaty it has with the Philippines. It may even be as simple a game to see o lin s first nder t at treaty t e is duty ound to come to t e de ense o t e P ili ines should a foreign power take any kind of military action against its key ally. It works both ways, of course. The Philippines is also obliged to defend the US and its interests should a foreign state wage ware against it.

That attack with a water canon comes close to being interpreted as a declaration of hostilities by the People’s Republic of China against the Republic of the Philippines.

As for the Philippine government, meanwhile, it is left with very few options, mostly a repeat of what it does each and every time the China Coast Guard takes such actions as osin or aimin military rade lasers at ili ino sailors and fis ermen As can e e ected a di lomatic rotest is t e first ste ta en ollo ed y t e summoning of Beijing’s ambassador to Manila, then a note verbale to the Chinese e ui alent o t e P ili ine e artment or orei n A airs or t e tate e art ment.

China will, of course, brush the Philippine actions aside. They will at the same time claim t at t ey ere ell it in t eir ri ts in de endin t eir territory and e eryone should give thanks to X i for not ordering the destruction and death of F ilipinos plying their own waters. ere is a ro in sense t at t e inese are sendin a si nal to President er dinand Marcos Jr that allowing US forces access to four more Philippine military ases on to o t e fi e t ey ere re iously allo ed to occu y as somet in t at displeased their dictator X i and his generals.

As for the majority of the F ilipino people, a recent survey stated that they would much prefer to have close ties with the US than with China. They know that China’s current leadership is not to be trusted.

At the same time, the Philippines has received substantial support from much of the free world, from Japan to the European Union to Canada to Australia to so many others.

X i must be aware of this ext ensive ext ernal support for the Philippines, too. And in such instances, China goes back to its illegal claim that it owns almost all of the West Philippine Sea as well as the waters of other states like Taiwan, V ietnam, and Malaysia, among others. t is un ortunate t at ina under i remains a ully state t at c ooses to disre gard the claims of its neighbors. And the Philippines under the weak leadership of Marcos Jr. is the easiest nation to intimidate.

What China wants is simple. It wants to keep the Philippines under its heel, just like the time of the Duterte presidency. They know that Marcos and Duterte before him plain and simply have no backbone.

FilAm wins...

(From page 1)

Upside

 OPINION

“great philosopher” whose maxi m “Be water, my friend” she says “resonates the most” with her. e anta larita ali ornia fi ter learned t e e hortation at her gym, Ekata Martial Arts, and expl ains it t us o e li e ater is to ada t to your circumstanc CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO es ater flo s around o stacles may it e a roc in a river or a boat in the ocean. Water also changes shape when put into an object such as a cup or a bowl. When a tough situation arises, we can simply move around it or change so we can conque r the problem.” e et ic is somet in s e s ares it er at er and is reflected in t eir lo enia expe rience. Knowing how well she had trained, he was happy and proud just to see her exhi bit her skills and courage, he says, but neither pressured her nor took for granted that she would win.

F AMILY F EAT Logan’s feat is her family’s too. Dad Max Dino and his wife, Susan (Lee) are both athletic. ile in colle e a too u eet une o and uay ai or un and fitness not or com etition and definitely not to urt eo le e stresses e touts usan a ro ram mana er it a tec com any as a orld record older o er li ter As ne arents t ey ad concurred t at t eir first orn s ould learn to de end herself (son Rayden was born three years later). At the age of 4, Logan began martial arts trainin At first s e almost uit ad s ared somet in common amon tots t at rodded t em to i e o an a rea ut t ere as no turnin ac en s e re turned to the ring later. At 8 she embraced savate and at 11 when she took to Braz ilian Jiu Jitsu. She had barely marked her 14th birthday when she earned her junior black belt in X uan Tong Gung F u, says her father, who considers training in said various martial arts “a good balance.”

Diverse, describes the interests of Logan, who will be in 10th grade at Canyon i c ool in t e all a ate s e told er dad ran s some ere in t e middle et een er riorities readin art and ideo ames ollo ed y u les and e o and ukulele. e definitely enefits rom t e ersonali ed one on one trainin e do to et er,” Max says of the ext ra training with him as having contributed to her success. “I just reinforce what she learns in class and try to improve her physical conditioning. I try to help her in whatever way I can. Sometimes I’m just her punching bag! ” a may e o an s su lemental coac ut e is no sta e dad e ould su port Logan and Rayden in whatever they aspire to do or become down the road. In act e says e ouldn t ant o an to o into ro essional fi tin ecause o t e potential for injury “particularly brain trauma.”

Logan seems to share the sentiment. While she values her creative and athletic activities, she told Inqui rer.net that she is proudest of her academic achievements, particularly her NASA award for Exc ellence in Math.

F urther into the future, she envisions college at UCLA as a path to the medical ro ession at ould definitely call or a fiesta led y er ola mma and olo Ricardo Diño, a retired diplomat from Bicol, who planted their roots in this country in the 1980s when Max was an infant. These days they’re content to be the de facto e s uad c eerin t e many and arious accom lis ments o t e American enera tion o t eir amily Ada ted rom t e ori inal re rinted it ermission rom INQUIRER.NET * C he ri e M . Q ue rol M oreno i s E x ec ut i v e E di t or of P hi l i ppi ne N ew s T oday .

On casting the first stone Whenever I hear people speak ill of others, or when they resume ot ers to e uilty o an o ense remem er Christ’s words to the Pharisees who were condemning a woman accused of adultery to death by stoning. rist said et im o is it out sin cast t e first stone.” e li e in a orld o fla ed uman ein s eirs o Adam and Eve, who committed original sin.

As such, it is not for us to judge our fellowman , unless we are “without sin.”

It saddens me to listen to people who speak ill of others, without any basis , save for their suspicion of foul play.

WE are all admittedly , at one time or another, guilty of transgression. WE may have succumbed to temptation and committed any one or more of the capital sins of anger, avarice, envy, lust, pride or sloth.

So, how can anyone of us , in conscience, believe we are better , purer, than the next person? et us al ays remem er rist s ords et im o is it out sin cast t e first stone! ”

 OPINION

August 10-16, 2023

TRUE OR FALSE

S

Updated ‘Real Estate & You’ now available at Amazon

AN DIEGO - There is no heat wave at this time in San Diego unlike many areas in the United States which are sweltering under ex treme heat.

In fact, the city and county on t e Pacific coast and southern tip of California bordering Mex ico and considered the birthplace of California, known for its A LF RED G . G A B OT beautiful beaches, and parks like the Balboa Park, is sunny and yet cool and breez y although much milder than that of an rancisco ere fle rom Since coming in here, the sun rises every morning and it’s like daytime even at 7 p.m.. With the sun up high above, San ie o ets arm allo in t e ees and color ul utterflies in our nei our ood at least to rolic rom one flo erin plant to another while the humming birds sip the dew or nectar o t eir a orite flo ers n t e trees one can see irds perched on branches for shade or food or soaring high dotting the skyline. The sun is a blessing to homes of many F ilipinos as their their typical backyards are dotted with malunggay, kangkong, sweet camote, eggplant, ampalaya, calamansi, sigarilyas, siling labuyo and silig pang-sigang, avocado, sometimes coconut and sampaguita, supplementing the American rose, orange, grapes, apple, plum, persimmon, cherry, pomegranate and sugar apple.

At daybreak, many residents jog or simply walk, some times with their dogs while others troop to the bay front, parks, golf courses or nature trails covered with trees, shrubs and flo ers sometimes it roo s and la es reser ed within the city to enjoy. e sun t en oes do n on t e side o t e Pacific cean evoking memories of the scenic Rox as boulevard, formerly Dewey boulevard in honor of US Commodore George Dewey, commander of the US Naval F orce which defeated the Spanish armada of Contraadmirante Patricio Montojo (related to the wealthy Ayalas) on May 1, 18 9 8 that paved the way to America’s 48 -year coloniz ation of the Philippines.

Then in almost the same direction where the sun rises every morning, the moon gaz es as lights glitter in almost every ouse and ot er edifices and t e cool ree e sets in The warmth of the people of San Diego on F ilipinos and F ilipino Americans is easily noticeable not only as you go about the malls, but in many strata of society, especially in the US Navy, as San Diego is the home port of the US Naval orce Pacific leet ere many ili inos are recruited some rising to as high as Assistant Secretary to the Navy.

Of the 1.6 million F ilipinos in California, over 200,000 are thriving in San Diego (Los Angeles has almost 5 00,000 while San F rancisco has over 300,000 ) and they are second to the Latinos of the city’s 1.5 million residents. The acceptance of F ilipinos and the biggest mirror of their success here is at City Hall where the city’s current chief ex ecutive, the mayor since 2020, Todd Gloria, 45 , a Democrat, is proud of (C ont i nue on page 27) his F ilipino roots, although he

(C ont i nue

on page 27)

A

s book author and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE #00635976) in California since 1981, I’m delighted to announce that the updated copies of the book “Real Estate & Y ou” are now available at Amaz on.

Copies of the updated Edition of “Real Estate & Y ou” A RT G A B OT MA D LA ING (363 pages, in Hardcover, Paperback and E-book) dated May 5, 2023 commemorated my 49t h Wedding Anniversary with my beloved wife V irginia Jimenez Madlaing. F oreword was written by Atty. Cesar F umar, licensed and practicing lawyer both in California and in the Philippines.

The back cover includes our group picture with boxi ng legend and former Senator Manny Pacqui ao inside his mansion in General Santos City, Sarangani, Philippines last F ebruary 19, 2026 during a courtesy call and prayer session with the WE CARE Ministries Team The updated edition of “Real Estate & Y ou” includes some interesting and timely articles and columns namely: “How to Sell RP Properties Without Going Home to the Philippines,” “Creative Way for Notariz ation and Apostille of Documents,” “How to Donate RP Properties Without Going Home,” “Necessity of Last Will and Testament,” “The Need for Apostille of Documents,” “Notary Thumbprints and Privacy Issues,” “Notariz ation and Proof of Life,” “F iling Complaint Without Going Home to RP,” “Convenience and Savings in Selling RP Properties,” “Notariz ation and Apostille of Documents Needed in the Philippines and Other Countries,” “ ID Requi rements for Notariz ation of Documents,” “HOW TO PREPARE Y OUR HOME F OR SALE.” Here are some comments and reviews on the updated Edition of “Real Estate & Y ou: ” This book is a must reading for anyone deciding and planning to invest in real estate anywhere in the world,” said HENRY T. BRAV O, Evangelist & Elder, SURREY CHURCH OF CHRIST, V ancouver, B.C. Canada. r adlain is i ly ualified to rite on is c osen subject. We recommend his work to anyone interested in real estate,” echoed OSCAR L. JORNACION, MBA, CPA, Los Angeles, California USA. “Art Madlaing’s book on real estate is very informative. I a e to commend im or is ioneerin e orts in ritin t is book,” wrote HON. RONALD E. QUIDACHAY , Superior Court Judge, San F rancisco, California USA. “I commend and salute Art Madlaing for writing this book.

Every Christian couple and family must order copies, read and ollo t e uidelines or financial sta ility e lained F ELIX L. OLIDAN, JR., Evangelist & Minister, WANCHAI CHURCH OF CHRIST, Wanchai, Hong Kong “V ery readable and easy to understand which should be about right for my ability,” said BERNCE BOWEN, Avon Lady, San F rancisco, California USA. “Y es, this book is understandable for folks who haven’t spent years studying real estate laws and practices It can save you money,” wrote PATRICK ANDERSEN, Editor, Asian Week, San F rancisco, California USA. “I personally recommend this book to young professionals, entrepreneurs and millennials like me,” echoed F ERDINAND LEWIS, Entrepreneur who graduated Summa Cum Laude at F isk University in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. “The concepts shared by Art Madlaing in his book, particularly his updated real estate columns, are very helpful for first time uyers sellers and ros ecti e land in estors e plained CRIS P. V ILLANUEV A, former V ice Mayor, V allejo, California USA. “He is the most knowledgeable Real Estate Broker I know with proven honesty and integrity,” wrote RUDY Q, V ERGARA, Real Estate Broker, Daly City, California USA. “ I highly recommend this very informative book on real estate or necessary uidance first time uyers sellers and prospective land investors must order copies, read them and follow the guidelines presented in the book,” echoed ATTY .

RIZ ALDY M. F ERRER licensed Real Estate Broker, Appraiser, Lawyer & Minister, TANZ A CHURCH OF CHRIST, Tanz a, Cavite, Philippines.

If you have not done yet, you can order now directly from Amaz on your copies of the updated Edition of “Real Estate & Y ou” in Hardcover ($25.95 per (C ont i nue on page 27)

Health & Wealth

I

’ved met V ice Mayor Evelyn Q. Chua of the City of Milpitas only once but her warmth and smiles as the Philippine News Today team hobnobbed with her at City Hall already make that encounter meaningful and memorable.

CLA IRE MORA LES T RUE I am not surprised if those characteristics of her were her secret weapons that ensured her victory in the last City Council election and eventually her ascend as t e num er t o o cial o t e city What surprised me later is that I found out that she was a reluctant politician. She admits during our brief talk that she had no plans to join the political fray, but only to do her share as a citiz en to help people and the community in whatever capacity she could.

In many interviews with her by various media, V M Evelyn says that as a resident of Milpitas for more than 30 years, she has been active in the community in various capacities, including service on the Community Advisory Commission and Emergency Pre aredness ommission As a su orter o a ord able housing, she created a workshop on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). And she’s also active in the arts, lending her support to the Milpitas Children’s Theatre Alliance.

Her service to the community was q uickly noticed prompting groups to endorse her to the City Council.

She gave way to the clamor and ran in 2016 but she was unsuccessful. This did not deter her from serving the community. After the 2016 run, V M Evelyn was appointed to the Planning Commission and served in t at ca acity e ore finally securin a council seat in t us ecomin t e first oman o ili ino descent elected to serve on the Milpitas City Council.

V M Evelyn has impeccable credentials being a holder of Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from the Golden Gate University and a Bachelor’s degree in medical technology from the F ar Eastern University. She graduated from Manila High School in historic Intramuros where Philippine News Today editor in chief was her classmate. She is an ex perienced applications programmer, systems analyst, project manager, and had worked as a real estate agent. She retired as a Senior Operations Manager in 2017 from the Silicon V alley Bank.

Throughout our stay at City Hall, V M Evelyn Chua was visibly proud and happy that she was given the rare opportunity to serve the city that she dearly loves up to the City Council level and involved in policy making for a rapidly growing and evolving city.

What drove her to devote her time to serve the community?

She recalls in a published report that her brother Ted who was in the US Navy (he perished at 29 during the V ietnam War) who petitioned her and their mother to the United States. She says her brother told her then that “I have to give back to this country. Because e re so ortunate to e ere e as ulfilled her brother’s wish. do my at to elyn arry on ice ayor (T h e w ri t er i s man agi n g ed i t or of P h i l i ppi n e N ew s T od ay . S h e c an b e reac h ed at c mt pr19 6 2 @ y ah oo. c om. ph . )

FilAms honored with freeway in San Diego: mayor has Pinoy blood In My Heart

In the service of Milpitas, e n h a fis her brother Ted’s wish

12

13 August 10-16, 2023

 OPINION

B

Diliman Way

Offline

“ I f y ou c an mak e on e h eap of al l y ou r w i n n i n gs on’t look now, but A n d ri s k i t i n on e t u rn of pi t c h - an d - t os s the Philippines may A n d l os e, an d s t art agai n at y ou r b egi n n i n gs be seeing a repeat of A n d n ev er b reat h e a w ord ab ou t y ou r l os s ; ” the worst part of F erdinand From I F b y R u d y ard K i pl i n g Edralin Marcos’s martial law regime. Not just the human BM won the presidenrights violations, which were cy – and that is a lot of plentiful. Not the exc esses of winning. He has stayed the then F irst Lady as well or a year it out si nificant as his cronies. Not even the opposition – and that’s a lot of sheer wastefulness and exwinning. He has gone to many travagance of the entire adB ET ING D OLOR countries with approval and ministration. applauses from both F ilipino What is happening now and foreign audiences – and is the Philippines again being neck deep in debt, to the point that every man, woman, and that, too, is a lot of winning. child alive today owes the equi valent of more than P100,000. Combined all these together F or a majority of the people, personally owing the coun- – and that’s all his winnings, HOMOB ONO A . A D A Z A try s lenders suc a u e sum is a di cult conce t to acce t “thus far.

But these are not enough The erroneous belief is that it is the government, not the peo– to be a great President and ple, who have to pay for the debts.

Ask the typical government or private sector employee if to survive his term. Why? The measuring stick is not his prehe or she is fully aware that the country’s debts will not go decessor or his predecessors from Cory Aq uino to Rodrigo. uterte t is di cult to measure u to it as t e standards away. They have to be paid, even if it means deferring the are high and all-encompassing – and that is President Edralin payments over several decades. Sooner or later, the lender Marcos, popularly known as F M. will tell the borrower to pay up, or else.

F M and his standards: F M has adopted a set of standards During the dictator’s time, the lenders were said to be either the evil World Bank or the demonic International Mon- which are identical to those of several Presidents of the United tates o America omas e erson it is American etary F und.

Today, it’s worse. Today it is China which has ext ended Declaration of Independence; Abraham Lincoln with his numerous loans to the government, be it directly or indirectly. government of the people, for the people and by the people; There are countries in Africa which willingly and readily Woodrow Wilson with his New F reedom; F ranklin Delano borrowed from China some years back, and they are now pay- Roosevelt with his New Deal; and John F itz gerald Kennedy ing the price. As they are unable to pay even in small amorti- with his New F rontier.

These are visionary Presidents of the USA. But presiz ations, and they dare not tell mighty China that they simply refuse to pay because those loans were onerous in nature, they dential vision is not an ex clusive concept of American Presidents. Some Philippine Presidents are visionaries, too, like are forced to part with their patrimony.

Let’s see, you silly and stupid borrower. Y ou have miner- – Manuel Luis Quez on with his government run like Hell by als or metals that China needs? Well how about you give us F ilipinos rather than a government run like Heaven by Americans; Elpidio Quirino with his Austerity Program; Ramon the title to those mines, good for, say, a century or two.

While we’re at it, hows about we also get your entire dol- Magsaysay with those who have less in life should have more in law; Carlos Polistico Garcia with his F ilipino F ilipino F irst lar reserves and all your gold bars stashed in Swiss banks?

And finally e can only allo you to a e as your resi Policy; F erdinand Edralin Marcos with his New Society; Rodrigo Duterte with his Pagbabago and now F erdinand “Bong dent or prime minister our preferred candidate.

By the way, we are not giving you a choice. Y ou do it our Bong” Marcos, Jr. with his Bagong Bansa.

Analysis: Let us ex amine the content of the vision of each way or you cease to exi st as a nation. of the F ilipino President who is perceived to have a vision.

Comprende?

Now this is a scenario that hasn’t qui te happened yet, but ML Quez on’s vision has been very prophetic and accurate. there are nations – not just in Africa – where China has the F rom Cory Aq uino to BB Marcos we have been having a government run like Hell by F ilipinos. Quirino’s austerity entire government by the balls.

The Philippines was headed in this direction during the vision is also correct as F ilipinos have been living in austime of Rodrigo Duterte. And now the country has Bongbong terity not by choice but the inability to solve the enervating Marcos, who is only nominally better than the killer named problem of poverty. Ramon Magaysay’s inspiring vision of Digong. At least Marcos Junior is steering the Philippines a government that gives more to those who have less in life back to the loving arms of the US, while wanting to stay in but should have more in law, remains like the line of a song - an elusive dream. Carlos P. Garcia’s F ilipin F irst Policy is, bed with China.

Like Digong, Bongbong also has no qua lms about bor- again in a line of a song – a dream is a wish your heart makes rowing more money than the Philippines can ever pay. This he when you’re fast asleep. F M.s New Society is the best in does by submitting an annual budget in the trillions of pesos, concept and in action Rodrigo Duterte’s Pagbabago is one of a large chunk of which is certain to end up in the foreign bank the worst in implementation like – more murderous killings of the young among the poor, lawyers, media persons, and accounts of the new cronies.

The annual budget is approved by Congress, and our law- activists; rampant graft and corruption, immorality in public makers are of the same mindset as the president. Just set aside and private life. Bong Bong Marcos’ Bagong Bansa is notha few billions here and a few billions there, and make sure ing new but reminiscent of Joseph Goebbel’s slogan in the Third Reich that a lie said once remains a lie but a lie repeated everybody’s happy.

Thus every administration with one or two exc eptions several times becomes the truth.

Nothing much can really be said of the visions of F ilipino spends more money than the revenues they collect. They leave it up to the next administration to take care of the loans Presidents by way of anything good or valuable on the level of action during their time ex cept Quirino’s Austerity Prothey left behind.

The Marcos regime, Part 2 is following the same script. gram, Magsaysay’s those who have less in life should more When a country’s debt runs in the hundreds of billions, it has in law, F M’s New Society, and Garcia’s F ilipino F irst Policy What now: At this stage, what should BB M do to recover nowhere to go but up. The country is currently neck deep in lost ground? F irst, he should get rid of Cabinet secretaries debt, to the tune of trillions of pesos.

At least there was one lawmaker who said last week that who did not perform and tell the new ones what to do in a defined time rame econd set rice contols ird nation enough is enough.

F or this, we have to thank Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto, aliz e – power companies, water companies, oil and gasoline who revealed in words most people can understand just how companies. F ourth, eliminate the role of middlemen in the much of a mess the present administration has gotten the marketing of products. F ifth, adopt draconian measures to eliminate graft and corruption in government. Six th, totally country into.

The lawmaker from Batangas said over the weekend that eliminate illegal drugs in the country in six months. Seventh, the proposed national budget of PHP5.767 trillion for 2024 o er t e and o riends i to insur ent rou s to return to the fold of the law in six months with a program that will translates to average daily spending of PHP15.8 bi llion. respond to their needs and if they Here’s the thing. The gov(C ont i nue on page 27) (C ont i nue on page 27)

D

Freedom of speech not absolute, the cult mentality in politics

Unsolicited advice for PBB Marcos

F

ormer US President Donald Trump was indicted for the 3rd time or criminal o enses relat ing to the January 6 incident discrediting the result of the election claiming President Joe Biden won illegally.

Just like any person c ar ed it criminal o ens es, Trump arrived at a federal court in Washington on ELP ID IO R. ES T IOK O Thursday for his arraignment on charges that he conspired to remain in o ce des ite is election loss e as fin er rinted and arrai ned on charges brought against him on Tuesday by the special counsel, Jack Smith. It was the third time in four months he stood before a judge on criminal charges, but it was the most momentous or is multi le e orts to undermine one o t e core tenets of democracy – the election.

Mr. Trump currently faces three criminal cases. F irst, the federal case brought in Washington this week by the special counsel, Jack Smith. Second, a separate federal case brought

by Mr. Smith in F lorida accusing Mr. Trump of mishandling national security secrets; and third, a case in New Y ork State Court accusing him of falsifying election documents.

His court appearance in Washington was presided over by Magistrate Judge Mox ila A. Upadhyaya, and any trial over r rum s e orts to stay in o er des ite is electoral loss will be overseen by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.

In court, Mr. Trump listened to the charges against him, ic centered on is e ort to o erturn t e election results. Before Mox ila A. Upadhyaya, the federal magistrate judge overseeing the arraignment, Mr. Trump pleaded “not guilty”. ud e ad yaya anded o t e case to trial ud e anya S. Chutkan who asked prosecutors to present any conditions for Mr. Trump’s release. The proceedings went as planned and Mr. Trump returned to his private jet which took him back to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Responding to the indictment, Trump said the indictment was a means to persecute him: “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.”

On the other hand, former V ice President Mike Pence said: “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States. I will have more to say about the government’s case after reviewing the indictment.

The former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence but with this indictment, his candidacy means more talk about January 6th and more distractions. Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career.”

As to the Trump campaign, this is what they say: “This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime F amily and their weaponiz ed Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner, and leading by substantial margins.”

“No one is above the law — including Donald Trump,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic eader a eem e ries rote in a oint statement re leased Tuesday. “This indictment must now play out through the legal process, without any outside political or ideological interference. We encourage Mr. Trump’s supporters and critics alike to let this case proceed peacefully in court.”

With all these multiple comments, Trump claims he is innocent and has the right to freedom of speech under the US constitution. He might be right, but the freedom of speech is not absolute. It was never meant to be by the framers of the constitution otherwise there will be chaos and no order. In fact, nobody is above the law. The law must prevail that’s why all rights and freedoms under the Bill of Rights are not absolute, although anyone have the right to free ex pression.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the right to free speech is not absolute and government sometimes may be allowed to limit speech. Historically, a fundamental distinction arose between the content of speech and the means whereby that speech is ex pressed.

While the F irst Amendment states, in relevant part, that: “Congress shall make no law...abridging freedom of speech,” freedom of speech does not include (C ont i nue on page 27)

As I See It

We are seeing a repeat of the worst part of Marcos Sr’s regime

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS What you need to know about petitioning caregivers

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etitioning caregivers is a long and complex process that you should be aware of. Y ou need to know this to save time and money. This is a very challenging time for those Care Home F acility owners because of the shortage of Caregivers. Many caregivers can be petitioned by the facility owners whether they are coming from the Philippines or already in the United States. Our Law F irm can handle the rocess rom start to finis As o t is ritin t e riority or caregivers is May 1, 2020. However, if you are inside the US you can file an ad ustment o status ased on a ro ed petition if your priority date is June 1, 2020.

What are the req uirements for EB-3 Green Card for Skilled Workers, Professionals, or Other Workers?

Ans er e reen card co ers a ide ran e o applicants and has less stringent req uirements compared to the two categories above. To q ualify as a skilled worker, you must demonstrate that you have at least t o years o o e erience or trainin in t e o you are a lyin t rou To q ualify as a professional, you must have at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign de ree e ui alent in t e field you are or in in Other workers are usually unskilled workers who are able to demonstrate the ability to perform unskilled labor that is not seasonal or temporary in nature. Caregivers usually need only three months ex perience as a caregiver.

What is needed to start a caregiver petition?

Ans er An a licant must a e a o o er rom a em loyer and ulfill t e P a or ertification re uirements ic ill li ely mean a lon er a lication timeline than other categories where the PERM can be waived. ote t at since some cases re uire additional a er or to e filed it s est to contact a ualified em loyment immi ration attorney What is the processing time for employment based green card?

Ans er e em loyment ased reen card timeline aries de endin on t e cate ory you q ualify for. Generally, however, here are the steps you need to take if you are working toard ettin an em loyment ased reen card 1. Have a U.S. Employer om lete P a or ertification Process A era e o i to ine ont s nce you a e a uali yin o o er and an em loyer o is ready to s onsor your reen card, the nex t step is to complete the Program for Electronic Review Management (PERM) a or certification is is a rocess t at re uires your em loyer to demonstrate t at t e orei n or er you is not ta in a o osition a ay rom ualified or ers What should an employer do to process PERM? Ans er our em loyer it t e su ort o an immi ration attorney ill conduct a recruitment rocess to ensure t at you are not dis lacin any ualified or ers The PERM can take between six months and a year and a half to obtain depending on whether or not your em loyer is su ected to an audit ere is t e rea do n o t e timeline or P a or rocessin times Pre ailin a e e uest t o ee s ecruitment Process ei t to nine ee s A A lication ee s A ter ettin a ro ed on t e P a or ertification at is t e ne t ste Ans er our em loyer ill need to file a Pettion or Alien or er orm nce your orm is a ro ed and your riority date ecomes current you can file or an Ad ust ment o tatus y su mittin an orm e is t e last sta e alon t e em loyment based green card timeline, but in most cases, it has the longest waiting period. However, you will e issued a or aut ori ation document a ter su mittin orm in a out fi e mont s ote is is not a le al ad ice and resented or educational ur oses only ur o ce success ully o tained reen card or care i ers P A A P A A Our Law F irm entered into agreement with nursing facilities in the U.S. to process applicants or urses and are i ers in t e ou may uali y i you a e or license are i ers ill need a year o care i in ex perience.

A licants nside or outside t e nited tates may uali y Bankruptcy Basics We also process Bankruptcy cases.

1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured de ts are disc ar ed Alt ou t e an ru tcy ill e in your records or years not filin bankruptcy will make your credit even worse until most your debts are paid. you are ein sued y your creditors most money ud ment can e eliminated in bankruptcy.

3. Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement. a ter ill eliminate all unsecured de ts you are near retirement a e you must eliminate most of your debts.

A A ur a irm success ully settled a car accident or A A e also andle uncontested and A P e can el you i you need an ndi idual a ayer num er e also re are income ta returns and i you are under audit and need a re resentation it need to reduce your ta lia ility or need to o er a ayment lan to e can el you it t at you a e immi ration ro lems t e a ces o ris in o ano can el you find a solution before your problem gets worse, which could lead to deportation and family separation.

C h ri s C ad ay L oz an o, E s q . i s an ac t i v e memb er of t h e S t at e B ar of C al i f orn i a, t h e A meri c an I mmi grat i on L aw y ers A s s oc i at i on an d S an Fran c i s c o T ri al L aw y ers . H e h as prac t i c ed i mmi grat i on l aw , b an k ru pt c y , pers on al i n j u ry an d i n c ome t ax repres en t at i on s i n c e J u n e 19 9 9 . H i s c on t ac t ph on e i s 1- 8 7 7 - 4 5 6 - 9 2 6 6 , emai l : i n f o@ C C L l aw . n et W eb s i t e: w w w . c ri s pi n l oz an ol aw . com/ with offices in Hayward and Cerritos, CA.

August 10-16, 2023

14

US-ASEAN Business Council commits more investments in PHL A A e nited tates Association o out east Asian ations A A usiness ouncil t e lar est American usiness contin ent led ed to pursue more investments in the Philippines.

The commitment was made when the mem ers o t e A A usiness Council paid a courtesy call to President F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the President’s Hall of Malacañang Palace. urin t e meetin A A Business Council president and chief executi e o cer ed sius said t e mem ers o t e non rofit or ani ation are looking forward to deepening their engagements with the Marcos administration and creating more partnerships with the Philippine businesses.

“We’re very much focused and you highlight these themes on sustainable development, transformative digitaliz ation, innovative healthcare solutions, supply chain resilience, and ease of doing business,” Osius told Marcos.

“We are determined that we come here not ust to tal ut also to rin a lot o action to create real partnerships and to show our commitment in the form of investments,” he added.

Osius, a retired US ambassador, was oined y re resentati es o com a nies, the largest delegation to visit the P ili ines in t e year istory o A A usiness ouncil He said the number of the delegation isitin t e P ili ines si nifies t e organiz ation members’ interest in the

country’s strong growth and stable macroeconomic fundamentals; the young and competent F ilipino workforce; and the Marcos administration’s receptiveness to foreign investments and sustainable approach to sustain economic development.

Citing Marcos’ commitment to put a premium on industries such as infrastructure, agriculture, clean energy, green metals and semiconductors, Osius said American com anies a e e ressed readiness to back the Philippine development e orts Marcos acknowledged the council’s crucial role in the Philippine development and hoped that alliances, partnerships, and arrangements with its members would be sustained.

He said the meeting with the USA A usiness ouncil is si nificant in discussing concrete steps in upholding socioeconomic cooperation, including the sectors of agriculture, clean energy, infrastructure, climate change, digital connectivity and post pandemic recovery. reco ni e t e critical role t at t e nited tates and American usinesses have played in advancing a robust and inclusive economic growth in the Philippines, not only in this period but for a very long time now,” Marcos said.

Marcos also assured the council of concrete steps that he and US President oe iden a e identified to ma e t e t o countries’ alliance and partnership “relevant and responsive to the current emerging challenges in the defense, security and economic spheres.”

3 new ecozones outside NCR approved, 6 more eyed PA A e P ili ine co nomic one Aut ority P A re orted that three new economic z ones outside Metro Manila were proclaimed by President F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. in July, which are expe cted to create more opportunities in the countryside. n a statement t e P A said t ese were declared as additional ecoz ones last uly These new ecoz ones are the Naga ity ndustrial Par in arolina a a ity ou e s andala an enter in Mandalagan, Bacolod City; and Marina o n uma uete in Pia i uma uete City.

“We remain committed in our overarching goal of spurring countryside development through the creation of more ecoz ones seen to facilitate growth and development of our regions and attract new and strategic investments in the country,” P A irector eneral ereso Pan a said.

He said the investment promotion agency remains on track with its goal of establishing at least 30 ecoz ones every year to spur economic development in the countryside. e P A said t ere are also si more P A eco ones endin or roc lamation by the Chief Exe cutive, which include in ormation tec nolo y cen

ters in Parañaque City and Pasig City; manufacturing ecoz ones in Tanz a, Cavite and locos ur and an a ro industrial ecoz one in Sarangani province.

Also last mont t e P A a ro ed P illion ort o in estments rom ne and e ansion ro ects ese ro ects are e ected to add million in e ort re enues and create o s in t e country With the new approvals in July, inestment led es in P A or t e ast seven months surged by 332 percent to P P illion rom P illion in the same period in 2022.

“We are more than encouraged to promote the Philippines to global investors, taking the cue from President F erdinand R. Marcos Jr. that the best time to invest in the country is now and that we are the best investment destination in the region,” Panga said.

Amon t e ri t ros ects or t e Philippines and the ecoz ones include our to ercent P ross domestic product) growth target, our ascension to RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partners i and ot er As ree trade a reements t e to ercent an nual growth target by the industries, Marcos administration s e orts to increase our credit rating, and our aggressive investment promotions,” he added.

15 August 10-16, 2023

 ENTERTAINMENT

Matea Mahal Smith is Miss Filipina International 2023, 1st winner of Filipino and Black descent

QUEEN. Matea Mahal Smith grinning from the stage. Gian Barbarona

LOS ANGELES, California – Matea Mahal Smith, who was born in Coral Springs, F lorida with family roots in Pililla, Riz al, won the Miss F ilipina International 2023 title in a glamorous,

top-tier show in the prestigious International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California last Saturday, August 5 . mit ecame t e first inner of F ilipino and Black descent in the 10year history of the pageant. A student of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience at University of F lorida, Smith hopes to become a trauma surgeon and positively impact people’s lives.

Also the winner of the best in swimsuit competition, Smith said that she admires her F ilipina mother who taught her that no matter what life throws her way, obstacles are a temporary challenge, not an end, in her journey. She loves traveling, cooking, ex ercising, dancing, spending time with her loved ones, and listening to music.

As the top winner of MF I, now o ned y eo rey imene o also ex ecutive-produced the glittering production to be aired by GMA Network, Smith will receive a BMW 2 Series car and a i t certificate rom i in Beverly Hills.

Last year’s winner, Blessa Ericha F igueroa, put the stunning brand new MF I crown, made of Swiss blue toa a anese earls and ot er ems custom-designed by royalty designer

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Narcisa Pheres, on the head of Smith. e cro n as resented y imene while Michelle Dee, the reigning Miss Universe Philippines, put the sash on Smith.

Amanda Russo, born in Christiana, Delaware with family roots in Angeles City, Pampanga, bagged the Miss F ilipina International Tourism title. The 18 -year-old F inance and International Business student at Penn State University also considers her mom as her biggest inspiration. She wants to give ac to t e ili ino community and find ways to better the lives of elders The other winners were Lauren eoc first runner u Patricia ian ca a ia second runner u and ylen F aith Steinbuch, third runner-up. Russo and these winners will receive cash ri es and i in i t certificates n artners i it onas a ud s Empire Philippines, three MF I winners will be eligible to compete nex t year in Miss Universe Philippines while two MF I winners will vie in The Miss Philippines pageant. rom a field o lo ely as irants representing various states across America and several countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and t e P ili ines semi finalists ere

chosen: Denisse Nicole Samaniego, Dakota Swart, Hannah Angelica Marte, Mary Ann Monda, Rylen F aith Steinbuch, Kelly McIlroy, Beatriz Mclelland, atea a al mit a ena anessa Kanhai, Lauren Skeoch, Patricia Bianca a ia essica emane Amanda us so, Heather Casignia, and Issha Rose Mata.

The winners in other categories and of sponsor awards were: best in evening gown, Manila International F ilm F estival Award and Enagic Water Ambassador eatri clelland oto enic iSkin award and Philippine Airlines a ard ylen ait tein uc talent essica emane est national cos tume o e or us iss lo uent eat er asi nia est in lam ary Ann onda o o ra ais al in allen e Amanda usso and e as i a Am assador Alyanna oelle an tos. n t e a eant co osted y eannie ai en ins e eal o osted iss ni erse in anuary and Cheryl Burke, a second-generation F ilipina American TV personality, best known for the hit ABC reality show, Dancing with the Stars, the V isionary Award was presented by Mario Lopez , ia ideo to eo rey imene

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 ENTERTAINMENT

August 10-16, 2023

18

FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTS EXPOSITION PRESENTS A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L C E L E B R AT I O N O F F I L I P I N O C O M M U N I T Y , C U LT U R E A N D C U I S I N E

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19 August 10-16, 2023

 SPORTS

NCR overall Palarong Pambansa champion for 16th straight time MARIKINA CITY – National Capital Region (NCR) was crowned overall champion anew of this year’s Palarong Pambansa, winning a total of 8 5 gold, 74 silver and 5 5 bronz e medals.

The NCR victoryis its 16th straight overall title, the last in 2019 in Davao with an 8 6-71-5 6 tally.

NCR also regained the elementary (3022-16) title, which it yielded to Southern Tagalog in 2019 , and topped the secondary division (5 5 -5 2-39 ) again.

The multi-event competition was then suspended for the nex t three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

V ice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte graced the closing ceremony attended y at letes coac es and o cials from 17 regions at Marikina Sports Center on Saturday.

She congratulated Marikina for successully ostin t e e ent or t e first time and t e coac es sc ool o cials arents and

communities for supporting the athletes.

“Y ou are all winners in your own right, and we laud your dedication to your chosen passion,” Duterte said during the closing ceremony. estern isayas e ion finis ed second with 60 golds, 45 silvers and 44 bronz es to improve on its third-place performances from 2017 to 2019 .

Southern Tagalog (Region 4A) ranked third with 5 2 golds, 5 2 silvers and 5 7 bronz es while Central Luz on (Region 3) was fourth with 28 golds, 33 silvers and 46 bronz es. entral isayas e ion laced fi t with 26-18 -35 ; Davao (Region 9 ) six th, 21-18 -27; followed by Northern Mindanao (19 -20-33), Soccsksargen (17-19 -34), Cordillera (17-17-14), Bicol (13-15 -22), Ilocos (9 -11-23), Cagayan V alley (8 -13-17), Mimaropa (6-8 -13), Eastern V isayas (5 -1715 ), Caraga (4-11-20), Z amboanga Peninsula (3-5 -13) and Bangsamoro (2-0-4).

The Palarong Pambansa will return to Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama received Cebu City after 30 years as the “Queen City t e ost s fla rom ari ina ity ayor of the South” defeated Bacolod City in Ne- Marcy Teodoro. gros Oriental and Antiq ue province in the Ilocos Norte was awarded the 2025 bidding for the 2024 hosting. hosting. (Jean Malanum/ PNA)

Senate commends Filipinas for historic World Cup stint PASAY CITY – Recogniz ing their historic achieve- t e first e er orld u in in t e P ili ines first will forever be grateful to them and the entire coaching ment at the F IF A Women’s World Cup, the Senate ad- ever appearance in the tournament. sta and eo le e ind t e team or rin in t is un or opted a resolution commending and congratulating the “Their names are already etched in history and we gettable glory to the country,” V illanueva added.

Philippine Women’s National F ootball Team (PWNF T) or the “F ilipinas” for their victory against the formidable New Z ealand team.

Senate Resolution No. 80 (SRN 80) , sponsored by Sen. jJuliana Pilar Pia Cayetano, was adopted during the plenary session on Monday, taking into consideration SRNs 715, 720 a nd 722.

“The Philippine Senate takes great pride in acknowledging and celebrating the exc eptional achievements of F ilipino athletes who have brought honor and glory to our nation,” the resolution stated.

Cayetano said the F ilipinas stunned the world during the 2023 Women’s World Cup following their historic first oal and first in a ainst e ealand it a ull time score of 1-0 at the Wellington Regional Stadium on July 25, 2023.

She said Sarina Bolden scored the historic goal t rou a eader in t e t minute o t e first al set up by a cross from Sara Eggesvik.

“I want to thank our dear colleague for the support not only by cheering but also through funding,” Cayetano, who headed the delegation in New Z ealand, said.

The chamber, in the resolution, also acknowledged the solid defense mounted by the team, particularly the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel, who was later declared as the V isa Player of the Match.

SRN 80 also recogniz ed the unwavering support, dedication, exc eptional expe rtise and guidance of the coac in sta led y oac Alen ta cic and team man a er e erson en o a e een instrumental in preparing and leading the team to the historic win.

“This triumphant achievement resonates deeply with the F ilipino people, as it not only showcases the team’s prowess on the global stage but also symboliz es the resilience and indomitable spirit of the Philippines,” the resolution added.

In his co-sponsorship speech, Senate Majority Leader Joel V illanueva commended the F ilipinas for showing their talent, heart, passion and dedication in clinching

 REAL ESTATE

August 10-16, 2023

LA County property values near $2 trillion Assessed values continue to grow, despite volatile real estate market

Rising delinquencies change the housing landscape

W

ith a very anemic housing inventory, are we to say that foreclosures looming around us? The recent homebuyers that have taken this low down pay risky loans will lead the pack of property defaults. These are the same high-risk loans that created t e i u le in t e mid to late s don t see t e scale to e as large but for buyers who are looking for deals, they will come but you will have lots of buying competition for these properties.

Underwater homeowners — owing more on their mortgage than t eir ome s current air mar et alue are more li ely to e delinque nt on their mortgages than those in a positive equi ty position.

Nationally, 5% of mortgages originated in 2022 are underwater as of Q3 2022, and an additional 19% of mortgages originated in 2022 have less than 10% equi ty. Most of these no- and low-equi ty mortgages are F HA-insured and V A-guaranteed loans, which have little to no down payment requi rements.

A seller typically needs at least 10% equi ty to be able to sell and cover the 5% -6% broker fees as well as pay for any necessary repairs, improvements or other seller concessions demanded in a buyer’s market.

Without at least 10% equi ty in a property, a traditional sale is not possible, and foreclosure follows when mortgage payments are not paid. As this dynamic snowball in 2023-2025, a rise in real estate o ned ro erty ill occur as t e num er o an o ned ro erties alloons enerally en oin into oreclosure season mort a e lenders are it out sta to ro erly man age pricing at trustee’s sale or work out payment moratoriums for recently unemployed homeowners.

Thus, the lender starts foreclosure and bids on the property for the debt rather than accept a market price at the auction a 3rd party bidder is willing to pay. The result is the lender becomes the owner, and the ro erty ecomes classified as in entory Real estate agents are preparing to work with REO properties and maybe short selling might be comin ac Pre arin to in est as a real estate syndicator o urc ases ro erty at a stee discount for a long-term rental property investment; becoming a property manager of REO property to ensure regular income when traditional listings are sparse; and acting as a listing agent of REO property by making contacts with mortgage servicing companies which will soon see their REO inventory rise to an unmanageable number.

January 2023 U.S. F oreclosure Market Report, which shows there were a total of 31,557 U.S. properties it oreclosure filin s de ault notices sc eduled auctions or an re ossessions u ercent from a year ago, and up 2 percent from the prior month. e u tic in o erall oreclosure filin s nation ide oints to ard a trend t at may su est more increased activity is on the horiz on as we enter the new year,” said ATTOM CEO Rob Barber.” While both completed foreclosures and foreclosures starts have stalled slightly over the past month, the annual increase in overall activity seen over the past 21 months may indicate a more substantial trend that could continue into 2023.”

Lenders repossessed 3,896 U.S. properties through completed oreclosures s in anuary u ercent rom last mont ut do n ercent rom last year t e first annual decrease in com pleted foreclosures since June 2021.

States that had at least 100 or more REOs and that saw the greatest annual decreases in January 2023 included: F lorida (down 53 ercent aryland do n ercent ic i an do n ercent e ersey do n ercent and e as do n ercent N ew F uneral hom e w ith R eception C enter F low er Shop Counter to the national trend, only 3 states with 100 or more REOs in January 2023 saw an annual increase, including: New Y ork B eautiful G arden Mem orial P ark C rem ation Serv ices u ercent Pennsyl ania u ercent and ali ornia u W e transfer y our lov ed ones to and from the P hilippines ercent ose ma or metro olitan statistical areas As it a o u lation greater than 200,000 that saw the greatest number of REOs included etroit s ica o s e or s P iladel ia PA s and i erside A s i est oreclosure rates in ela are llinois and ic i an Nationwide one in every 4,425 housing units had a foreclosure filin in anuary tates it t e i est oreclosure rates ere ela are one in e ery ousin units it a oreclosure filin llinois one in e ery ousin units ic i an one in e ery ousin units e ersey one in e ery ousin units and aryland one in e ery ousin units Among the 223 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000, those with the highest foreclosure rates in January 2023 were F ayetteville, NC (one in every 1,322 housing units with a oreclosure filin a ersfield A one in e ery ousin units le eland one in e ery ousin units etroit one in e ery ousin units and aredo one in e ery ousin units Other than Cleveland and Detroit, among the metropolitan areas with a population greater than 1 million, those with the worst foreclosure rates in anuary included ica o one in e ery ousin units i erside A one in e ery ousin units and as e as one in e ery ousin units H R C C L F oreclosure starts increase monthly in 31 states including the District of Colombia Lenders started the foreclosure process on 20,752 U.S. properties in January 2023, down 1 percent from last month but up 75 percent from a year ago.

Those states that saw the greatest number of foreclosures starts in anuary included ali ornia oreclosure starts e as oreclosure starts lorida oreclosure starts e or oreclosure starts and llinois oreclosure starts Amon t ose ma or metro olitan statistical areas it a o ula tion of at least 200,000, those with the greatest number of foreclosure starts in January 2023, included: New Y ork, NY (1,370 foreclosure starts ica o oreclosure starts os An eles A oreclosure starts ouston oreclosure starts and P ila del ia PA oreclosure starts an s or your in uiries call en o o st nno ati e inance Group for your home mortgage needs, call 562- 508- 7048 or write to kennethgo@ veriz on.net CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

LOS ANGELES, CA – F ollowing what has been an unpredictable and volatile year for the local real estate market, Los Angeles ounty Assessor e Pran as announced that the 2023 Assessment Roll has increased by 5 .91 % over last year, marking 13 years of continuous growth.

The 2023 Assessment Roll’s growth translates to a record $1.997 trillion in total net value that will put about $20 billion property tax dollars towards funding vital public serices suc as u lic education first res ond ers and healthcare workers, as well as other County services.

The Assessor establishes the assessed value of all taxa ble property in Los Angeles County each year as requi red by the State Constitution. Those values are placed on a list called t e Assessment oll and reflect t e lien date values on January 1, 2023.

The Roll, as such, provides insight into the state of the real estate market as well as the local economy and works as a valuable tool for local governments as they prepare their annual budgets in anticipation of property tax r evenues.

“To say this has been a challenging couple of years is an understatement,” Assessor Pran said ur analysis does indicate ro erty value growth at this time and that’s certainly good news for property owners and for local governments, which depend on property taxe s to fund public services. However,

the real estate market began more robustly in 2022 than it ended, and we will not be surprised if the sluggish market continues into the coming year.”

Although the housing market has cooled considerably compared to 2021, home median sales rices P remained stron reaching a record high exc eeding $900,000 while falling to about $865,000 in June. The continued strength of the single-family residential mar et t rou t e first t ree uarters of 2022 produced a marked increase in property transfer assessments, which added $67.4 billion to the Assessment Roll. e inflation ad ustment mandated under Pro osition is t e second most si nificant factor contributing to the Roll. This year the ali ornia onsumer Price nde trended ell beyond the full 2% allowable. This resulted in a $36.7 billion increase to the 2023 Assessment Roll.

New construction added a moderate $5.6 billion to the 2023 assessment roll, while decline-in-value reductions and miscellaneous roll changes decreased the Roll by $2.5 billion.

Personal ro erty and fi tures came in stronger than ex pected and added a record $10.4 billion to the 2023 Roll. Business sectors such as aerospace, motion picture, and retail, which were adversely impacted in recent years, saw robust growth this past year as consumers returned to the market.

T H E N U M B ER O N E CH O I CE F O R F I L I P I N O F A M I L I ES

T h e O N L Y P lac e for A ll Y ou r A rrang em ents in O ne Conv enient L oc ation

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21 August 10-16, 2023

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Financial woes continue to worry small businesses despite its vital role in the economy

Senator Mark Warner, D-Virginia

Shernaz Daver

Charles Phillips

it a anel o s ea ers led y en ar arner black community and has been growing at the last 5 V irginia, co-chair of the Community Development F i- years about 34% on average, the fastest growing sector nance Caucus of the economy for new business formation. arner as oined y erna a er osla “But they need more capital and training and acV entures, co-founder of the Black Economic Alliance, cess to these relationships,” added Phillips. “One of the served on President Barack Obama’s Economic Recov- fastest-growing segments of entrepreneurship are busiery Advisory Board. a community leader Charles Phil- nesses owned by Black women.” lips, and Sierra Georgia, a young entrepreneur to lay A 35- year veteran of the tech industry, Daver emphaout the challenges and solutions for starting and grow- si ed t at se ism still re ails and t at t e layin field ing small businesses in a post-Covid 19 e nvironment. is not level for women who want to start up and grow n t e riefin arner itc ed t at ommunity e businesses. velopment F inance Institutions (CDF Is) were one of the Daver continued that some of the ex periences her keys to recovery. ac uaintances s ared it er as t ey ere tryin to “In a strange bedfellows kind of moment, I part- raise funding but were not taken seriously because nered stron ly it t en ecretary te e nuc in o “I was a sole woman founder until I found a male co the Trump administration during the COV ID-19 pan- -founder.’ demic to try to get a lot of capital into our minority de“That probably resonates with a few of you,” Daver ository institutions ar er admitted raised as s e s ared t e e eriences o er ac uaintanc o et er it nuc in arner as a le to dis es. “I went to get venture funding and I was asked when tri ute illion in undin t rou s inority I was going to have kids. No guy was ever asked that. e ository nstitutions s and ier ca ital as told as too a ressi e in my financial ro ec through a Treasury Department initiative known as the tions, yet when my male partner presented it, he was Emergency Capital Investment Program. seen as confident “Access to capital is a hugely important issue,” la“I have been in the industry for over 35 years and I mented arner addin t at many minority entre re heard the same thing 35 years ago. So it’s kind of bad. neurs do not have relationships with banks to allow And if you’re black or Hispanic, it gets worse,” rued t em to success ully a ly or loans at s more Daver, noting that only 2 % of venture capital dollars many cor orations led ed to fi t systemic racism go into women-led founders adding that this needs to in the aftermath of the murder of George F loyd. That change as access to capital is key. hasn’t really happened.”

On another important input, Daver noted that a lot o some o el alle iate t e li t o many ar of women-led startups are coming out of the biotech inner spoke about his introduction of the legislation of the dustry.

Act t at see s to el first time first eneration “If you have the ability or the inclination to get into home buyers — predominantly Americans of color — or into iolo y do it a e to elie e t e orld uild ealt muc more ra idly y o erin a year is changing and we will continue to change it if we all mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a do it as a community. And I think if we do that, we can traditional year loan have our own woman Steve Jobs or our own woman is e ecti ely dou les t e amount o e uity t at ac a trusts a er you accumulate in t e first years said arner notin t at or most Americans their biggest asset is their home.

In the forum, woman of color entrepreneur Sierra Georgia recounted how she tried to e and elat ased in as in ton A commemoration of DC but sadly encountered her own funding misery as she did not own a house she could mortgage to raise capital.

Georgia got funding through a CDF I, but only received half of what she needed to expand her business and was forced to raise money t rou a small usiness bonds marketplace connecting small businesses to local investors.

F or his part, Black Economic Alliance co-founder Charles Phillips recalled that then President Calvin Coolidge saying ‘ the business of America is business,’” and this is what generates a lot of wealth in our country and ma es us di erent rom ot er Monday, August 21, 2023 countries.

5:30 pm e a e a lot o entre reneurs o build businesses and build wealth and supOur Lady of Mercy port their families. And they support their 1 Elmwood Drive families that way and pass that down to their Daly City, CA 94015 families. And so we laud entrepreneurs in this country as we should because it’s one o our i di erentiators underscored Phillips. “But not everybody has access to actually uildin a usiness citin a sur ey y t e mana ement consultin firm Celebration c insey ic ound most lac amilies of the Holy Mass didn’t know anyone who could lend them

by Fr. Rey Culaba i t ey anted to start a usiness Reflections by Nevertheless, Phillips mentioned that Ken Kashiwahara entrepreneurship is alive and well in the

Friends Meeting Friends

Ninoy Aquino’s 40th Year Death Anniversary

Sierra Georgia

Although there are over 32.2 small businesses in the US, making up 9.9 % of all businesses thus employing almost half of the US workforce and adds 44% to its gross domestic product (GDP), funding challenges continue to hound these oftenunsung heroes of the market.

Add to this sad predicament were that during the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 1/ 3 of US businesses closed down - many permanently - while others struggled to survive although the pandemic itself unexpe ctedly proved a boon for others, as lockdowns allowed small entre reneurs to turn t eir assions into ull fled ed companies. It should also be noted that immigrants have started up more than 18% of small businesses in the US. n a national media riefin ro in ain treet America ne mall usiness at a ime y t nic e dia Services, the challenges of accessing funding to start up and expa nd a small business, especially acute for women and marginaliz ed communities, were expl ored

 COMMUNITY NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

22

A post-pandemic OMASC marches on

er ie ara ot, nd ro le , anding dona�on to ed ro Ad ini trator da de Leon, ar rig t.

The Association of Oriental Mindoro, dba OMASC, is back in full force and looking ahead to an even more vibrant and roducti e e istence t an e ore Alt ou it didn t sto its annual c ar itable donation of hygiene kits and school

a

supplies to school children in public Elementary Schools in the province during the pandemic, the members felt they could have done more during the series o floodin landslides and ty oons t at destroyed lives and properties in the last

t ree years Pandemic made it arder or t e rou to ulfill its mission Nevertheless, when Typhoon Quinta sent the province under a state of calamity in October 2020, OMASC came to the aid of the victims by sending food supplies and ot er necessities n t e to ns of Baco and Naujan were hit with earthua e and floodin A a ealed to o cers and mem ers and uic ly raised t ousands o dollars to aid t e ictims When an oil tanker carrying 800,000 liters o industrial oil ca si ed o t e coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on F ebruary 28, 2023, the members qui ckly launc ed an a ressi e e ort to raise unds and send aids to t e most a ected areas In November 2022, during a visit to Mindoro, founder and Board of Director member Hermie Maramot met with the P ili ine ed ross indoro a ter Administrator, Guada de Leon, for possi le olunteer o ortunities iss de Leon informed him of bloodletting and feeding programs that welcome volunteers to el in any ay t ey can e also mentioned the Blood Samaritan proj-

ect the Chapter launched to raise funds to provide free blood to poor patients who could not a ord t e P cost o one a and as ed i A could el Upon his return to the US, the matter was brought to the attention of OMASC President An elito oyette arti ne o in turn told t e o cers and mem ers As a result a c ec or P P t e e ui alent o donation collected as anded to t e ed ross

by Hermie Maramot when he visited on une urin t e ollo in t o weeks, OMASC members who were with Hermie also joined the team of volunteers who served in the bloodletting and feedin acti ities A s erse erance in t e ace of adversity and its continuing commitment to its mission makes it deserving o t e c status t e ranted All donations to OMASC are tax- deducti le n e tem er A ill old its t Anni ersary all or tickets to the event, please call Jasmin ara illa at o ecome a member, please call Mila Maramot at

California taskforce operations net $68-M cannabis, firearms SISKIY OU COUNTY – Governor a in e som s nified anna is Enforcement Taskforce is taking aggressive action to combat organiz ed criminal canna is o erations Last month in Siskiyou County, the tas orce eradicated million ort of illegal cannabis and seiz ed a doz en firearms in its lar est o eration to date targeting growers that harm the environment and the public through the use of unlawful pesticides and toxi c chemicals, accordin to t e tas orce The operations targeted illegal cannabis cultivation sites that threaten the environment, workers, and other mem-

ers o t e u lic The sites in que stion were associated with suspected environmental violations, including the use of unlawful pesticides and ot er to ic c emicals These dangerous chemicals not only de rade ali ornia s natural resources but also endanger workers and others e osed to t em e o eration included searc arrants ser ed et een uly t rou on unlicensed commercial cannabis cultivation sites in the Whitney Creek, Harry Cash, and Shasta V istas areas in is iyou ounty e o erations eradicated

ille al canna is lants sei ed pounds of illegal processed cannabis, ort an estimated million and sei ed a do en firearms The UCETF actively coordinates with federal, state, local and tribal agencies to disrupt the illegal cannabis mar et o c aired y and

and coordinated by the Homeland Security Division of the California Governor s ce o mer ency er ices al t e tas orce is rin in to et er more than two doz en state, local, tribal, and federal partners to protect communities consumers and t e en ironment

Social Security Update SOCIAL SECURITY ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS ocia

ec rity

By G. Samson ic A airs ecia ist in the ay Area

Our online learning resources for educators are great for teaching others about Social Security! Chances are that a student will know someone who receives retirement or disa ility enefits ur educational resources help communicate information about our programs to a new audience and show them how our prorams can el eo le ot er t an retirees Understanding how Social Security helps wounded warriors, children, and adults with disabilities can inspire greater emat y and encoura e t em to learn more e o er an educator s tool it to en gage students and teach them about our ro rams se t e tool it to create your own lesson plan! Y ou can also use our toolkit to teach your child or grandchild a out ocial ecurity s im ortant ro rams The toolkit includes: • Lesson plans with o ecti es • Infographics and andouts or eac lesson lan

• rity e

a es

Links to Social Secu-

al in oints • Quiz que stions and ans ers F or more information, we encourage you to access t e tool it at ssa o t ird arty educators tml and s are it it your a orite educators today

 COMMUNITY NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

24

Come to Graton Resort & Casino in August, Every Play is a Guaranteed Win! Do nload

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Graton Resort & Casino Come to Graton Resort & Casino in this hot August to enjoy your luck!

Every Saturday, 12PM – 8P M, the UP TO $1 MILLION GRATON LOTTO GIV EAWAY will be held. Every play is a guaranteed win! Match the winning ball combination, for your chance to win $1 m illion cash, a 2023 tesla, free slot play, and more! All rewards members get

o ile A

one free entry each Saturday.

And, from now to August 31, every Thursday, 1PM-6PM, the ALL ABOARD SUMMER SLOT TOURNAMENTS will be held. Top priz es include $5,000 cash, 7-day cruise, and entry into the $250,000 s lot championship tournament! 50 w inners are guaranteed at each tournament. All reward members get one free entry into each tournament.

Graton Resort & Casino recently

or a le ree lot lay introduced a mobile app, which allows guests instant access to personaliz ed o ers and re ards and trac s unds or slot play. The app’s Resort Wallet™ is t e first o its ind in ort ern ali or nia, providing guests a truly cashless solution for visiting the casino/ resort.

Guests can download the free app on Google Play or the App Store. All guests must be at least 21 years of age to qua lify for a Rewards Card or the Graton App. Complete Graton Rewards information is available here.

Get ready for an exc iting lineup of upcoming events that will surely light up your entertainment calendar! Tickets for each of these can be purchased online at www.gratonresortcasino.com.

• 8/ 1 – F ull Tilt cocktail competition • 8/ 5 – C hubby Checker • 8/ 26 – Jay Sean / The Party at Graton Pool • 9/ 1 – Rock The Dock • 9/ 9 – D J Pauly D / The Party at Graton Pool • 9/ 15 – Arnel Pineda & Lani Misalucha • 9/ 23 – Jay Leno

• 9/ 29 & 9/ 30 – Thunder F rom Down Under • 10/ 6 – Night Ranger About Graton Resort & Casino Located in Sonoma County, Graton Resort & Casino has a commanding presence among the rolling hills of Northern California’s wine country.

Owned and operated by the F ederated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Graton Resort & Casino features table games, the latest slot machines, upscale and casual dining, plus entertainment options for visitors and locals alike. F or more information, please visit www.gratonresortcasino.com or call 707-587100.

CONSUL GENERAL FERRER MEETS TOP OFFICERS OF THE PH NURSING ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Consul General Neil Ferrer met with the top brass of the Philippine Nursing Assoia�on o ort ern ali ornia A at t e ili ine enter in an ran i o o lo all on A g t . oining t e ee�ng ere De ty on l eneral a el olano and i e on l Adrian Ba ay.

D ring t e ee�ng it rrent re ident gor o orro, in o ing re ident Lo rde oldre and a t re ident ari e e illa E ily Dan o, on l en eral errer and A o er di ed o i le area o olla ora�on t at ill ad an e t e el are o ili ino n r e and ili ino A eri an o ni�e in t e tate nder t e ri di �on o t e ili ine on late eneral in an ran i o. an ran i o oto

25 August 10-16, 2023

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Taglish Webinar on Wildfire: a collaboration with PG&E and PAPC-USA “Sa pag-iwas sa mabilis kumalat na sunog, hindi ka nag-iisa” At A g t

irt al E ent, ili it E to An er

San F rancisco, CA. — O n its third year o artners i it Pacific as and lectric om any P t e PAPC USA invites customers to a virtual town hall to share the latest updates on ildfire re vention work, safety resources and connect customers with the P team

ine A eri an re l A A e �on and are e o r e to el

to t e ie eratin cer s V inz on is a graduate of Cambridge University School of Law. She is also an alumna of the University of

On Thursday, August 24, 2023, from 1: 30 to 2: 30 p.m., P sa ety e erts will provide a brief presentation, during which attendees will have the opportunity to ask que stions.

the Philippines. She was born and raised in the Philippines and lived in Sydney, Australia for 15 ye ars before to California in December The event can be accessed through moving 2019 .

S he will be joined by F iona the link below, by phone, or through Chan, Senior Director, Project ManP s e site e com e inars a ement ce at P and team During the webinar event, customJoseph Peralta, president of the ers can earn a out ildfire sa ety Philippine American Press Club, improvements; Hear about resources Joseph Peralta, and vice president available to support them, and Conand general manager for the Northern nect it P e erts California bureau of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. its Chair, Esther Moderator for this Taglish webiMisa Chavez , lead the way to this nar is e ina en on ie o ta

A�y. ri aday Lozano e lly re re ented or t e a raliza�on a li a�on o r Leonardo ia

ro al o nat

A i artnering on e to er re are

partnership.

More information and resources to help you and your family prepare for and stay safe in the event of an

emergency can be found at safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

About Philippine American Press Club Established in 19 8, P APC was founded by former members of the National Press Club of the Philippines who had immigrated to the San F rancisco Bay Area and saw the need

ore

for US based F ilipino- American media rou All fierce ad ocates or trut airness and e cellence in our nalism, they realiz ed the vital role of

media education and advocacy for the fast-growing F ilipino population. ey re resented a small ut influen tial set of local F ilipino publications and broadcasters such as ABS-CBN, Asian Journal, Philippines News oday A n uirer net P il Am Post, and Positively F ilipino, Radiant V iew, and Easterworks Media.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

26

CA Schools Get $117M to Turn Pavement Into Green Space By elen zt r A new $ 117 million CalF IRE program aims to shade kids from record heat by replacing school pavement with drought-tolerant green space.

As ex treme heat scorches California, schools preparing to reopen across the Bay Area are also re arin to use t e first million of a new $ 117 million CalF IRE program to shade kids by replacing school pavement with drought-tolerant green space.

15 projects for 100 schools statewide ere selected on uly to recei e t is first round of Green Schoolyard Grants, including those in the Oakland and San F rancisco nified c ool istricts and t e anta lara ounty ce o ducation At least o the $ 117 million will green schools in lowincome and disadvantaged communities, which are shown in studies to be as much as 7 degrees F ahrenheit hotter in summer than wealthier areas nearby.

The program is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s historic $ 8 00 million Ex treme Heat Action Plan. As part of the plan, Newsom also launched Heat Ready CA this month.

This is a 2-year, $ 20 million public outreach campaign, with resources available on HeatReadyCA.com, which will guide the state’s response to heat waves by focusing upon vulnerable populations including older adults, frontline workers, those with chronic illness and those who are pregnant.

Children among most vulnerable to ex treme heat Before and after the 2020 renovation of the Cé sar E. Chá vez Campus, shared by two elementary schools — International Community School and Think College — in the

F ruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. Nearly o t e re ious sc oolyard s sur ace as asphalt.

Among the most vulnerable are children, om researc ers arn are si nificantly more susceptible to heat waves than adults.

Ex treme heat, the deadliest weather event in the country, is consistently linked to more children’s hospital visits nationwide.

In California, 5 .9 million K-12 children attend public schools on about 130,000 acres of land. Alejandra Chiesa, California state director o as alt con ersion at t e non rofit Green Schoolyards America, said in a statement the fact that “much of this land is paved and unshaded leaves vulnerable students across the state ex posed to ex treme heat.”

In school districts across the Bay Area, max imum summer temperatures are ex pected to rise as muc as de rees a ren eit y midcentury, according to state climate projections.

In 9 0-degree weather, schoolyard surfaces like asphalt — which absorbs up to 9 0 percent of solar radiation — can be hot enough to cause third-degree burns, while plant-shaded sur aces may e to de rees cooler More trees, cooler temps Kira Maritano, senior program manager of the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which won a grant to green 15 schools in the Oakland nified c ool istrict said any cam uses in a land are e ecti ely large swaths of asphalt with very limited tree canopy, often in neighborhoods which are themselves park-poor. By increasing the environmental health of schools, we increase it throughout Oakland.”

This Green Schoolyard project, for ex amle enefits t e ay and eases t e im act

on our utility system by absorbing stormwater, it creates habitats for native animals and pollinators, and it helps connect children to nature by giving them direct access.

Play spaces with native plants allow more diverse activities than just competitive sports.

Schoolyards become community areas for families to gather, and give teachers opportunities for outside, handson learning,” she ex plained.

TPL’s schoolyard work over the past six years, par- A o e li ate or Leader i n �t te t dent ro at on ille etland at lan�ng a tree on ticularly the renovation of the Paj aro Valley High School campus. WWW was among s esar a e organiza�on to re ei e t e illion r t ro nd campus in 2020, has been t e oolyard rant rogra to ade id praised as a model of cli- o al E reen mate resiliency by state by replacing school pavement with drought-tolerant green leaders like F irst Partner space.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom trict to reen a our acre recreational field at and Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. Cesar E. Chavez , Royal Oak Middle School — said, “When in the F ruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, districts face hard choices about how to spend serves 628 students across two elementary limited budgets, of course they’ll prioritiz e schools — International Community School the education itself. However, this doesn’t and Think College Now. In 2020, TPL and leave as much for updating and maintaining trans ormed t e sc ool s as alt the facilities where students are taught, and yard into a green oasis including a vegetable that can negatively impact the q uality of this arden rass field an outdoor classroom and education.”

New climate focused career paths tree-lined basketball courts.

These impacts spread well beyond “We believe that Oakland’s early adoption of schoolyard greening helped inspire the schools, and the mitigation lasts well after state to invest in it, and we see this investment planting. The grounds at Royal Oak are heavas just the beginning,” Maritano said. “TPL ily used by the entire community, Lee said. is currently working to secure an additional “Every day and after dark you see youth soc$ 1 billion for greening schools statewide cer or softball, but also adults playing basthrough a proposed school bond. Schools are ketball, jogging, walking their dogs, and the in almost every community across Califor- eat a ects t em all irt can retain eat li e nia, and they’re an underutiliz ed way to bring asphalt, and we have such large ex panses of both because what’s often overlooked is what heat relief to these communities.”

This transformation of the Cé sar E. comes after planting, the labor and money to Chá vez Campus is part of an ongoing Living irrigate grass and maintain trees.”

Jonathan Pilch, ex ecutive director of WatSchoolyard program between the Trust for Pu lic and and t e a land nified c ool sonville Wetlands Watch (WWW), which reistrict ic state leaders a e raised as ceived a grant to green four school campuses a model of ex treme heat resilience through in t e Pa aro alley nified c ool istrict tree canopy cooling. A $ 117 million Green incorporates student help in maintaining trees Schoolyard Grant program recently begun on campuses.

“Tree maintenance is a long term chalthrough CalF IRE is supporting this resilience lenge. We meet it by involving students in for schools statewide. urban forestry not only as a way to build ex Schools bake under rising heat Jennifer Mutch, science coordinator for treme heat resilience in schools, but as a lifet e anta lara ounty ce o ducation long career path. So far we’ve graduated 36 (SCCOE), said that as record-melting tem- high school students thru our Climate Corps peratures climb statewide and schools pre- Leadership Institute, which has a yearlong pare to reopen, it’s often forgotten that chil- urban forestry program.”

Watsonville, located in Santa Cruz Coundren are even more vulnerable to heat-related ty as e ce tionally lo tree co er cur illness than adults. en started its ur an Mutch, who won a Green Schoolyard rently and Grant for SCCOE’s Sunol Community forestry work in 2018 . Throughout the city, School and Opportunity Y outh Academy Pilch said, “School campuses both have the o ten less t an campuses, added “trees and shrubs to be lo est cano y co er planted at these sites will not only cool tem- — “and gain the most from tree eq uity, for peratures but improve air q uality and even both environmental and student health.”

WWW will develop its plans by holding mental health,” given that students facing ex treme heat are not only “unable to get outside in-class and ex tracurricular workshops with or recess or lunc ut er orm si nificantly students, parents, teachers, engineers and worse at ex ams, which impacts high school landscape architects across all four schools over the nex t year. F orestation will target the graduation rates. es ite t ese im acts s e said sc ools hottest and least-covered parts of each site, often have some of the hottest sites in their such as tree-lined borders and walkways that communities, “especially in the event of improve campus air q uality. e most e ecti e ay to el an en power and air conditioning outages.” e ull e ect o t ese actors u on stu vironment is to help those living in it at the dents is unknown, because California does same time,” said Pilch. “This grant is crucial not req uire schools to have heat interventions not only because it lets us plant schoolyards; like air conditioning, shaded schoolyards or that’s the beginning. Trees are deep-rooted indoor temperature req uirements, nor does it and slow-growing. It also lets us think about these spaces as living schoolyards, and about track which schools implement them. rian ee ommunity e elo ment i how maintaining them can transform every rector of Covina, California — which won a aspect of a learning environment in the long rant it arter a nified c ool is run.”

27 August 10-16, 2023

Offline

(From P age 13)

ernment will be spending close to PHP16 billion a day but only PHP11.7 will be supported by revenues.

So where does the rest come from?

F rom borrowings, folks. F rom borrowings.

Recto said the gap in income vs expe nditures has to be translated in fi ures t at uan dela ru understands Unless someone knocks some sense into the chief exe cuti e s some at t ic ead and orces im to rationali e o ern ment spending, the Republic of the Philippines will have to borrow PHP4,000,000,000 “every 24 hours.” With no means of paying it.

And because the Marcos regime, Part 2 is little more than a repeat of Part 1, the public debt will continue to rise next year to the point that payment for interest alone will be PHP1.8 bi llion a day. oo ac at ere t e P ili ines as e ore t e first dsa re volt. There may have been a political crisis, but it was the economic crisis that spurred the people to take action.

Many of the rich had been forced down to middle class status, the bulk of the middle class were feeling themselves poor, while the poor were so desperate that turning to a life of crime had become acceptable to them, if only to feed their families.

The que stion now is not, “Will Bongbong ever learn?” The real uestion is an on on e er learn I submit that the answer is no. He has no comprehension of the most basic economic principle, which is to spend only what you earn. That’s how all households should be run, and it’s how the Philippine government must be run.

Incidentally, by spending only what you earn, the government can end up with what’s called a surplus, or simple savings for ordinary families. And guess what? It did happen in the recent past.

By the time he stepped down as chief exe cutive of Philippines, Inc. Mr. Benigno Aq uino III left behind a surplus of around PHP1 trillion. e asn t e actly rilliant eit er ust onest He did not fool the people into believing the line used by the likes of Bongbong Marcos, Digong Duterte, and other presidents.

Someday, they said, the country’s income will exc eed expe nditures A olden a e is comin some ere do n t e road ust trust me and my administration e and my a inet e no at we’re doing.

Other BS lines are that the huge expe nditures are geared towards ro t ur de t to P ratio is ust fine Po erty ill e elimi nated by the end of my term. e est roo t at arcos r is leadin t e P ili ines on t e road to ruin was his campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to PHP20 per kilo.

Anyone and everyone who understands agriculture economics knew that he was promising an impossibility.

Last I checked, the price of rice is more than double PHP20 a kilo and still rising.

The only thing I want to ask Ralph Recto is this: WTF are you still allied with Bongbong Marcos??

As I See It

(From P age 12)

coming in far second among 30 GOP candidates.

Others say this is Trumpism but I would say this is political cultism. The cult mentality is prevailing in Mr. Trump’s allies because despite all these allegations and indictments, they are still standing beside im su ortin im to t e ilt sacrificin t eir iloso y and t e party’s philosophy.

When does a political movement become a cult? According to att e o ca in is article e tal ed to e erts a out artisans i and fanaticism and why some politicians inspire cult-like devotion.

At the time of this writing, Trump has spent years focusing his cult of personality on promoting what has become known as the Big Lie — i.e., his claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him despite conclusive evidence to the contrary. Unlike a normal political issue which springs from authentic mass opinions (abortion rights, gun control, economic policy, etc.), the Big Lie ex ists because of the personality q uirks of a man in charge of a political cult. It survives because, instead of being discredited by Trump’s years-long history of refusing to accept election results unless he wins and the fact that Trump’s arguments having been debunked, Trump supporters are trained to disregard any voice that dissents from their leader’s word.

“People who are believing in the Big Lie have been indoctrinated for the most part into believing only this and into disbelieving any media that is critical of it,” ex plained Dr. Steven Hassan, one of the world’s foremost ex perts on mind control and cults, a former senior member o t e nification urc ounder director o t e reedom o ind esource enter nc and aut or o t e estsellin oo s reedom o ind om atin ult ind ontrol and e ult o rum Okay, so with the cult mentality ingrained in politics nowadays centering on Trump, most likely Trump will be the standard bearer of the GOP come 2024. But… will it carry its weight nationwide? Will the American voters propel him to the White House again, for the second time around?

F ellow Americans, the decision is yours!

(E l pi d i o R . E s t i ok o w as a v et eran j ou rn al i s t i n t h e P h i l i ppi n es an d an aw ard - w i n n i n g j ou rn al i s t h ere i n t h e U S . H e j u s t pu b l i s h ed h i s b ook U n l oc k i n g t h e C h ai n of P ov ert y : I n P u rs u i t of t h e A meri c an D ream w h i c h i s n ow av ai l ab l e at A maz on , B arn es & N ob l e an d X l i b ri s P u b l i s h i n g. For f eed b ac k s , c ommen t s … emai l au t h or at es t i ok oel pi d i o@ gmai l . c om).

Health & Wealth

(From P age 12)

copy), Paperback-$ ` 19 .9 5 per copy plus shipping and handling) oo To commemorate my 76TH Birthday on August 18 , 2023, I am o erin P ou can or der auto ra ed a er ac co y o t e u dated eal state ou or only it s i in and andlin and you ll also recei e auto ra ed co y o P su titled ecrets ou an isco er and o or ood ealt and on e ity and auto ra ed co y o t e ori inal su titled acts and idences or A nostics At eists and e lievers” These three books are ex cellent addition to your Personal Lirary or amily i rary is ecial er is ood only in t e nited States until August 31, 2023.

F or your autographed copies of the three books, just send $ 19 .9 5 (in check or money order) to: ART G. MADLAING, 730 Madrid treet an rancisco A el or 709 5 or email: artmadlaing@ hotmail.com (A R T G A B O T M A D L A I N G i s ac c red i t ed an d c ommi s s i on ed N ot ary P u b l i c an d l i c en s ed R eal E s t at e B rok er (D R E # 0 0 6 3 5 9 7 6 ) i n C al i f orn i a s i n c e 19 8 1. H e i s t h e f ou n d er of M O B I L E S I G N I N G S E R V I C E S , FI T N E S S FO R H U M A N I T Y (ak a FI T N E S S FO R C H R I S T ) an d A C A P I N O Y . A rt i s ac t i v e E v an gel i s t w i t h t h e G O L D E N G A T E C H U R C H O F C H R I S T i n S an Fran c i s c o, C al i f orn i a U S A ) or

the right to incite imminent lawless action. Brandenburg v. Ohio, 39 5 U.S. 444 (19 69 ).

There Are No ‘ Absolute’ Rights because nearly every idea in the Bill of Rights comes with restrictions and limitations. To think that the econd Amendment s ould e any di erent is a surd rites ic ael omas y i il and uman i ts onstitutional Accounta ility en ter) What’s surprising is that a far larger 71 percent of Republicans say the former president has not committed serious crimes, the same percentage who say Republicans need to stand behind Mr. Trump through his legal trials.

(From P age 12 ) Another disturbing development is that Trump’s fund-raising sur ed a ter eac o is first t o indictments ormer President on is also of Dutch, Puerto Rican, and Native American descent. ald rum s le al c allen es a e ro en to e lucrati e und raisin loria as a mem er o t e ali ornia tate Assem ly en e o ortunities and e is ca itali in on t is to olster is c ances o re election is first t o indictments and court a earances a e een ol made a es in t e mayoralty election ecomin t e first ili ino and erson o color and first o en ay mayor o t e city lowed by steep increases in online donations to his committees. F undA summa cum laude graduate of the University of San Diego, raisin totals include money raised or onald rum or President and rum a e America ia in ed ource ederal Gloria also served as interim mayor of San Diego in August 2013 to March 2014, following the resignation of Mayor Bob F ilner who had lection ommission y Andre isc er A q uarter of Mr. Trump’s online fund-raising this year occurred in supported F ilipinos in the city. He was a member of the San Diego ity ouncil re resentin istrict or ei t years t e ee s around is first indictment ontri utions around t e second In recognition of his ex perience and achievements Mayor Gloria indictment were not nearly as substantial, and it remains to be seen as recently selected y mayors o ali ornia s lar est cities t at whether donors stick with Mr. Trump as his legal troubles have mulincludes Los Angeles, San F rancisco and Sacramento as their bipartiplied.

Others say his 3rd indictment will even bolster more funds pour- tisan coalition leader.

20) war 21- April ARIES S agot s a N ak araan According to San Diego’s website, “Mayor Gloria’s lifelong caing in to(Mar. Trump’s political was designated thatice job ser someone is with you.

Luckalthough reer toindoua lic as ins iredspecifiy a lesson is arents a otel chest, weDon’t foundallow out that unreasonable make any Don’tcoming cally maid andpromises. a ardener tau t im at a youn a e i you care a out not all for theyou. money in for TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21) then you should leave it better than you found it. That his political campaign is not be- something, groups. in creative Get involved is likely.

Uncertainty regarding your direction lesson continues to motivate Mayor Gloria to improve San Diego ing spent for the campaign, but a financial deal that is not you into talk Don’t let individuals with wild schemes every single day.” are largely being used for his likely to be successful.

Mayor Gloria is committed to making San Diego a city of oppersonal his le22-June 21) (May especially GEMINIgain, portunity that invests in every neighborhood and every San Diegan. gal battles… now that hecareer has 3moves are openatto thea opportunities if excellent can make You ud inyou rom e seen so arthat an ie o s trans ormation indictments another two are You and others to thrive and plans. your future discuss and sit down if youmakes heightened can be exist. Love and it a very attractive city for F ilipinos coming. unique creative talents. should teach children some of yoursucceed.

Despite multiple criminal CANCER (June 22-July 22) n ational ity mean ile ic osts an ie o ounty s indictments, however, be extremely investments Real estate not at them. to them, former Remember; talk biggest concentration of F will ilipinos, F ilipino-American Ditas Y amane, President is still theSpend front-some trips Pleasure love. you one the with time run. in the long profitableTrump runner the Republican nomi- a ter se eral unsuccess ul city ide cam ai ns as elected ity satisfying. will befor ouncil mem er or istrict in t e last election to et er it u nation.

Y es, he is so22)far leading LEO (July 23-Aug olina or istrict ey ecame t e first ili ino mem ers o t e F lorida Gov. Ron some De time Santis this exciting waste pampering to spend You need ity yourself. ouncil a Don’t ter more t an years odayattem ts y ili inos to oin by sitting at home. Don’t let someone talk you into parting with your cash unless you can truly see the benefits of doing so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) You may not be happy if members of your family are not pulling their weight. Your

In My Heart

L IB A N G A N

Z o dya k s

t e ity ouncil i e in aly ity and an rancisco a ili ino ill eel at ome in San Diego seeing F ilipinos as you stroll in the streets or parks or s o at t e malls ne can find also many ili ino stores ere li e t e alerios ose ot andesal is ell li ed anila ea ood sland Pacific ed i on amon ot ers eateries es eciali in in F ilipino food, some of them earned the monicker “point point” or turo turo emittance centers li e uc y oney and P and parcel delivery stores for homeward-bound “balikbayan” to F ilipinos’ family and loved ones in the Philippines have also sprouted and are now part and parcel of the F ilipino community with their brisk business. What I miss from these stores are the F ilipino newspapers one can pick up from the racks every time you do business with the stores.

And in recognition of the contribution of F ilipinos to San Diego, there is now a freeway or portion of a freeway in the city named “F ilipino American F reeway.” Although the sign in the freeway is small compared to other freeway signages, every F ilipino here nonetheless is surely proud of it.

I have been to San Diego many times and my trips have been memorable. One of my longest stay was at the home of a brother in la eset a o o as a tall and andsome a y sailor and is mot er ilomena a alla aufit on toc man street in ational ity remem er t at rom t e ouse ould al to near y Penny and other stores. Aside from the malls, this trip took me to the famous San Diego Z oo and Balboa Park.

Another memorable trip was upon the invitation of a good friend, award-winning photo journalist Nick Sagmit, who originally stayed in his parents’ house in a promontory near the Greyhound station (I took the Greyhound from Los Angeles) in the old downtown from which you can appreciate the seafront of the city. Returning to t e lace last ee as ama ed at its trans ormation to a modern district it many s yscra ers tall condos i rise fi e star otels a classy convention center with access to the well-manicured San Diego Seaport and Marina with yachts ready to ferry tourists for cruise and si tseein an o en auditorium restos and co ee s o s among others. e an ie o on ention enter is accessi le also y train and other public transport. There is a sky bridge connecting the convention center and hotels to the train station from which one can walk to t e an ie o tadium ome o t e an ie o Padres alue o properties in the area must have skyrocketed with these developments which surely would surprise my friend Nick Sagmit whose family disposed of their house and lot there years ago.

Another important visit to San Diego was as a working journalist co erin a state isit o t en President idel amos Part o t e President’s trip was to the University of San Diego where he made an important speech. I remember then that part of the big crowd of o cials aculty and students at t e as a sister o r amos who was a Philippine consul based in San Diego.

While reports indicate that downtown San F rancisco is dying, San Diego’s downtown and bayfront in contrast has metamorphosed into a re itali ed nucleus o t e city and usiness is oomin a feather to the cap of San Diego’s young mayor of F ilipino descent and the people of the city, many of whom are hardworking F ilipinos and F ilipino Americans. .

(E d i t or’ s N ot e: T h e w ri t er i s a b ook au t h or, prof es s or an d j ou rn al i s t i n t h e P h i l i ppi n es an d U n i t ed S t at es . H e s erv ed as pres i d en t of t h e N at i on al P res s C l u b d u ri n g w h i c h h e l i n k ed u p w i t h t h e N at i on al P res s C l u b i n W as h i n gt on D . C . an d l au n c h ed N P C c h apt ers i n U S .

For 2 s i x - y ear t erms , h e s erv ed as a memb er of t h e B oard of R egen t s of t h e P aman t as an n g L u n gs od n g M ay n i l a, C ommi s s i on er of t h e N at i on al C ommi s s i on f or C u l t u re an d t h e A rt s an d C h ai rman of t h e B oard of D i rec t ors of t h e P h i l i ppi n e P os t al C orporat i on , amon g ot h ers . H e w as i n v ol v ed i n Fi l i pi n o med i a i n U S s i n c e 19 8 8 an d i s t h e c u rren t ed i t or i n c h i ef of P h i l i ppi n e N ew s T od ay . )

Flipside

(From P age 16 )

e last minutes o t e concert sa alenciano s audience standing, singing and grooving to the music. They all rocked with him. r Pure ner y fittin ly closed it o id ou no the hit ballad he reimagined as the theme of the Aga Muhlachristine ermosa s romance drama All y i e e crowd was singing with him. it on austino on t e first ey oards and also t e con cert s musical director ary ac at t e useum a e an ex perience that was undoubtedly unforgettable.

Gary is looking forward to reaching 100 nights at the Music Museum with a few more shows in the repeat come October, after e returned rom is anada eener i ed concert tour Asked about his future projects, the music icon said: “When you talk about something new, something fresh, and all, oh yeah, a e some res stu re in u ere in my ead may e not even for me to ex ecute but maybe to contribute to the careers of others.”

Diliman way

(From P age 12)

don’t, adopt a total war policy without mercy which will wipe them out in six months. Seventh, a foreign policy that holds enemies at bay such as in the West Philippine Sea and telling our friends to make ood t eir romises i t re ise t e onstitution to c an e olitical and economic systems such as a shift to a welfare state within a federal and parliamentary system. Ninth, install a lean and clean government it a Parliament o ust t irty nine mem ers and a u reme ourt o i e ustices it urisdiction limited only on issues o constitution ality, validity of treaties and death penalty.

 HEALTH NEWS

August 10-16, 2023

28

WHO, UNICEF mark World Breastfeeding Week NEW Y ORK - In the last 10 years, many countries a e made si nificant ro ress to increase e clusi e breastfeeding rates. Y et even greater progress is possible when breastfeeding is protected and supported, particularly in the workplace.

Thus said UNICEF Ex ecutive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as they lead in marking World Breastfeeding Week.

They said this World Breastfeeding Week, under its theme, “Let’s make breastfeeding at work, work” – UNICEF and WHO are emphasiz ing the need for greater breastfeeding support across all workplaces to sustain and improve progress on breastfeeding rates globally.

In the last decade, the prevalence of ex clusive breastfeeding has increased by a remarkable 10 percentage points, to 48 per cent globally. Countries as diverse as Cote d’Ivoire, Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Somalia and V iet Nam have achieved large increases in breastfeeding rates, showing that progress is possible when breastfeeding is protected, promoted, and supported.

However, to reach the global 2030 target of 70 percent, the barriers women and families face to achieve their breastfeeding goals must be addressed.

Supportive workplaces are key. Evidence shows t at ile reast eedin rates dro si nificantly or women when they return to work, that negative impact can be reversed when workplaces facilitate mothers to continue to breastfeed their babies.

F amily-friendly workplace policies - such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and a room where mothers can breastfeed or ex press milk - create an en ironment t at enefits not only or in omen and their families but also employers. These polices generate economic returns by reducing maternityrelated absenteeism, increasing the retention of female workers, and reducing the costs of hiring and training ne sta F rom the earliest moments of a child’s life, breastfeeding is the ultimate child survival and development intervention. Breastfeeding protects babies from common infectious diseases and boosts children’s immune systems, providing the key nutrients children need to grow and develop to their full potential. Babies who

are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die beore t ey reac t eir first irt day t an a ies o are ex clusively breastfed.

Supporting breastfeeding in the workplace is good for mothers, babies, and businesses, and that is why UNICEF and WHO are calling on governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector to step up e orts to ensure a su orti e reast eedin en iron ment for all working mothers - including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts - by having access to regular breastfeeding breaks and facilities that enable mothers to continue breastfeeding their children once they return to work; ro ide su cient aid lea e to all or in ar ents and caregivers to meet the needs of their young children. This includes paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, preferably for a period of six months or more after birth; and Increase investments in breastfeeding support policies and programmes in all settings, including a national policy and programme that regulates and promotes public and private sector support to breastfeeding women in the workplace.

Run for your life!

Heart of Hope

A 10-year study showed that more than 57,000 pe destrians were hit by vehicles in Metro Manila, including those who lost their lives simply crossing the streets. Notwithstanding the designated crossing “z ebra” lanes (large bold white lines on black asphalt) which are PHILIP S. CHUA supposed to be the haven for crossing pedestrians, drivers and car owners do not seem to care to slow do n and sto ro erly ey all rea t e tra c la s with impunity, putting the lives of people in jeopardy.

Reason: Our lack of discipline as a people, which is also why our laws are not enforced. Discipline must start from the top exe cutive of the city.

I put the blame sq uarely on the city Mayors for defaulting on their sworn obligation as heads of their respective cities to uphold and enforce all laws to protect the public. Their negligence has led to the current rampant life-threatening behavior of drivers in our cities.

While the drivers may be the actual law-breakers, who should be penaliz ed, their employers, who should know better, are unapologetic consenting co-conspirators, who ought to be penaliz ed several times more. If there is no exi sting “command responsibility law” applicable to this particular situation, its about time our legislators enacted one to prevent more deaths and injuries.

Why should crossing the street on the designated lanes be risky at all? Weren’t they so designed to protect the pedestrians? Why should the citiz ens be in constant fear and have to run for their life every time t ey cross t e streets And sadly some olice o cers on site simply don’t care!

In more disciplined countries, where laws are strictly enforced and respected, like Singapore, Japan, the United States, Dubai, and others, vehicles start to slo do n it no Police cer around en t ey are about 50 f eet from the crossing lane and then fully stop about 10 feet from the lane when drivers see a person wanting (not even starting yet) to cross, and do not try to outrun the pedestrians as they do in Metro

Manila. As long as there is even a single pedestrian on that safety lane, no car would be passing in front or at the back of that person. The pedestrian has the right to change his/ her mind and suddenly turn around and go back without being hit by a car behind her. Only when the entire crossing lane was totally empty would any car move. Pedestrians in those countries are respected and protected and not terroriz ed like pedestrians in Metro Manila and other cities in the Philippines.

These same drivers, who blatantly violated the laws in the city with braz en decorum, somehow became transformed into model law-abiding drivers when they entered the formerly American-owned Clark F ield Subic Airbase. Why? Because they knew that tra c rules t ere ere strictly en orced and iolators severely penaliz ed. But the moment they got out of the compound, they resumed their usual recklessness with impunity…be cause they knew they would get away with it.

It is therefore clear that the behavior of drivers in etro anila could e modified and only our City Mayors, Chiefs of Police, MMDA, and other related agencies are themselves disciplined enough to enforce the laws.

Just one well-publiciz ed story (highlighted in all news and social media around the country) about a drastic penalty levied against a violator driver and heavier yet against the employee/ owner of the car (under a new law) for not stopping properly at crossing lanes would surely be noticed nationwide and serve as a good warning and deterrent to future violators. e a ioral modification t rou le al en orcement and a lication o ea y enalties on t e o enders a e een ro en to e e ecti e iously t e initiati e must start from the top, with the Mayors, where the bucks stop!

Part of Article 3 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to personal security. The Presidential decree of 1959 ( 1984) , an amendment o t e and rans ortation ra c ode o 1964, obl iges motorists to give way to pedestrians in pedestrians lanes or “Z ebra Lanes.”

If law enforcement is not exe cuted properly, it is the mayor’s fault (doctrine of command responsibility).

And the culpability is self-evident. The thousands of

dangerous ongoing breaches of the laws and ordinances are glaring evidence in themselves which the Mayors cannot refute.

I challenge the people of Metro Manila to be proactive and preemptive and not wait for another 57,000 individuals to be killed by reckless drivers (and their more guilty employers) before confronting our city mayors and demandin t at t e la s tra c and ot erwise) of Metro Manila and the country are strictly enforced, putting the onus not only on the driver but the employer-owner of the car, who, as earlier suggested, deserves a harsher punishment.

Every citiz en, especially the youth, should organiz e themselves as a vigilant net citiz en electronic socio-civic watchdog, like e-Guardian Angels, and take videos on their cellphones as proofs of this dangerous governmental neglect, any uncorrected infra-structure haz ards, and ot er misdeeds or a uses y o ernment o cials And this netiz en watchdog movement could be duplicated in all cities in the country to serve and protect our national dignity and our people’s rights.

It is our obligation to ourselves, to our family, and fellow citiz ens to help protect and look out for each other. The politicians won’t. nless e e Peo le fi t or our ri ts e de serve every rotten situation we get, and we can blame no one else but ourselves.

Now, shall we still wait for a member of our own amily to e illed first e ore e act in solidarity P hi l i p S. C hua, M D , F A C S, F P C S, a C ardi ac Sur geon E meri t us bas ed i n N ort hw es t I ndi ana and L as V egas , N ev ada, i s an i nt ernat i onal medi c al l ec t ur er/ aut hor , H eal t h A dv oc at e, ne w s paper c ol um ni s t , and C hai rman of t he Fi l i pi no U ni t ed N et w ork - U SA , a 501( c )3 hum ani t ari an f oundat i on i n t he U ni t ed St at es .

H e w as a de c orat ed r ec i pi ent of t he I ndi ana Sagamore of t he W abas h A w ard i n 1995, pr es ent ed by t he n I ndi ana G ov ernor , l at er Se nat or, and t he n pr es i de nt i al c andi dat e, E v an B ay h. O t he r Sagam ore pas t aw arde es i nc l ude P res i de nt H arry T rum an, P res i de nt G eorge H W B us h, M uham mad A l i , A s t ronaut G us G ri s s om (W i k i pedi a). W ebs i t es : FU N 8.c om, T oday .SP SA t oday .c om, and phi l i pSc hua.c om E mai l : s c al pel pen@ gmai l .c om

29 August 10-16, 2023

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

By TIM PEDROSA

O

UR OPINION IS REF LECTION OF OUR CHARACTER. Many of us do not realiz e that the opinion we ex press is a declaration of who we are and what we try to accomplish. No matter how good a person we try to be, there will always be someone criticiz ing us. It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others rather than their weaknesses.

We don’t gain anything by criticiz ing the imperfections of others.

I have learned that we can make constructive criticism; that is correcting without criticiz ing. However, let’s not allow any unwholesome talk come out of our mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs (Ephesians 4: 29 ). I have also learned that we should keep our words true, soft and tender, because someday we may have to eat them.

Let us walk away from those with a negative spirit who criticiz e, put others down, belittle or try to make others feel small. Let us just be grateful that we don’t have to hurt others in order to feel better ourselves. There will always be people who throw stones in our path.

What we make of them is up to us. Whether we try to be wall or bridge, we are in charge of our life. Y ou are never responsible for the actions of others, you are only responsible for you. When you truly understand this and refuse to take things personally, you can hardly be hurt by the careless comments or actions of others – Don Miguel Ruiz .

Let others judge us, let them misunderstand us; let them gossip about us. Their opinions are not our problems. We must stay kind, committed to love and free in our authenticity. No matter what other do or say, let us not doubt our worth of the beauty of our truth. Let us just keep shining like we do. People have the right to their opinion and we have the right to ignore it. Let us not take anything personally, nothing others do is because of us. What 1. Our Lady of Angels Church - 1721 Hillside Drive, Burlingame, CA 9 4010 others say and do is 2. St. Isidore Catholic Church - 222 Clark Avenue, a projection of their Y uba City, CA 9 5 9 9 1 own reality, their own 3. St. Andrew’s Catholic Church - 15 71 Southgate Avenue, dream. When we are Daly City, CA 9 4015 4. St. Jarlath Church - 2620 Pleasant St., Oakland, CA 9 4602 immune to the opin5 . St. Isabella Church - One Trinity Way, San Rafael, CA 9 49 03 ions and actions of 6. St. Catherine Church - 345 0 Tennessee Church, others, we will not be V allejo, CA 9 45 9 1 the victim of needless 7. Holy Child and St. Martin Church - 777 Southgate Avenue, su erin you uel Daly City, CA 9 4015 8 . Parish of the Holy Infant Jesus - 3705 1 Cabrillo Terrace, your journey on the F remont, CA 9 45 36 opinions of others, 9 . Good Shepherd Church - 3200 Harbor St, Pittsburg, CA 9 45 65 you are going to run out of gas.

F or more information, please contact: JR: (65 0) 9 5 2-8 238

W

e go for vacation during summer. We work the rest of the year to earn and save some amount for our summer vacation. We think and plan for what our summer vacations will be. Some of us would even have some detailed plans about their summer vacation. Unfortunately, most often, things and ways that matter to our faith, that matter to God, are REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD absent in those plans. No wonder, when we are in vacation, it is very easy to neglect going to Church or live and behave during vacation as if we are not believers and followers of Jesus Christ. How do you plan out and live through your vacation or summer time, dear reader? If our faith is important, would we not make our summer vacations ways to radiate the presence of God in our lives? Many times, summer vacations are taken as if moments left to our devices; which means, we can do anything we want and be anywhere we want even if it would be inconsistent with the teachings of our faith.

I would like to suggest two principles to consider when planning and when making our summer vacations: F irst, God is always to be loved and served. Our resting and recreation times are willed by God; as our Lord said once: “come away to a deserted place and rest a while (Mk. 6: 31).” During times of rest and recreation, we are to be mindful that we are not making or having them purely for our own ends and interests; we have them as our way to humanly recharged ourselves from our stressful jobs and careers, and from our life’s struggles. We need moments of rest and recreation to be sane in mind, body and soul. The soul is included, though, it may seems that rest and recreation are only for the body, but must be that these times are also moments to tune in more to the Lord. During summer vacation, we are to intentionally incor orate odly or ait filled acti ities i e oin to mass especially when a Sunday is included in those days of vacation. Or if there would not be any possibility humanly speaking; then, still find time to s end or rayer in your otel room or some ere where you can be by yourself or with your family, like surrounded by nature and pray together. The point is in as much as we are to love and serve the Lord God during our usual days and months of the year; then also, we are to be consistent of that during days of vacation, rest and recreation. When we bring God and live our faith all the time, we will not only live our life in the godly way; we will also be blessed by od or t e reason t at od surely ill see our e ort in see in im always. There is no vacation with God, rather we are blessed when we let our vacations by godly centered and godly oriented.

Secondly, summer vacation is time to be with God, The Creator. During vacation time, wherever we are, we are to pay attention to the nature around us. Mostly, when we spend our vacation, we are in the midst of beautiful places; like beaches, forests, mountains, and the open seas. We are visiting and touring historical places. We could be in cruise ship, and seeing sea creatures. In other words, we are having more time to enjoy creation; hence, we cannot forget that all that we see or seeing are all created by God for love of us. We are to spend time in silence, we have to q uiet our mind and intentionally commune with God. His creation around us can be our way to build our sensitivity of God’s presence. By being aware of God as Creator who made all these wonderful things around us, we can form ever strong awareness of God’s love and care for us; that, just as He makes all these minor creatures wonderful, He can also make our lives, we who are the center of creation, wonderful and blessed. By looking at creation, e can uild in oursel es t e firm trust in i ine Pro idence As e see the creation around us, we can nurture a deep sense of gratitude to God our Creator. Moreover, creation can teach us to be humble and continually be of service to The Creator; like all the rest of creation always in humble service of Him. Let us never forget that even during summer vacation, God is The Lord and Creator, we have more ways to be reminded of God rather than to think we have lesser ways or none at all to make us think of Him. Only a fool could say; that there is no God during vacation. Y et truly a person of faith has many reasons and can see concrete ways to love and serve the Lord God during rest and recreation whenever summer vacation comes along. Amen.

Aflame The Heart

REFLECTION OF WHO WE ARE

Summer Time and Faith

31 August 10-16, 2023  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Seafood Lugaw I ngr e d i e nt s: c mala it c i as alaan steamed s elled medium si e s rim s elled s uid all oiled s uid cleaned cut into rin s ead arlic c o ed medium si e onion c o ed t um si e in er cut into stri s ead arlic c o ed dee ried small undle s rin onion c o ed c atis t s dila coo in oil alamansi salt and e er

United Airlines to fly direct Manila-San Francisco starting October

C ook i ng p r oc e d u r e : as mala it and i as ut in lar e casserole add enou ater rin to a oil and simmer or to minutes or until rice start to dis MANILA – United Airlines will start ean ile nited ill also oost its inte rate and orm a t ic rice sou n a se arate sauce an saut ar to o er daily non sto fli ts et een o erations to ot er Asian destinations and San F rancisco in California e innin cto er nited ill lic onion add s rim alaan and s uid alls stir coo or minutes Manila e innin cto er t e only direct ser launc daily fli ts et een os An eles Add atis and stir coo or minutes Add s uid and coo or anot er ice to t e P ili ine ca ital rom t e and on on urrently t e carrier o ers t ice daily fli ts et een t e s e minute Add saut ed in redients to t e rice soa and coo or anot er y an American carrier lore t e eauty and culture o t e cial administrati e re ion and an ran minutes eason it salt and e er er e immediately arnis P ili ines it daily fli ts rom an cisco it s rin onion ried arlic and dri le it alamansi uice rancisco a ost on nited s e site n t e same day nited ill resume states daily ser ices et een os An eles and Accordin to re orts t e airline ill arita in a an use its lar est aircra t t e oein e airline currently o ers daily ser or t is ne route ices et een os An eles and aneda nly fla carrier P ili ine Airlines a an PA o ers direct fli ts to an ran e carrier ill increase fli t re cisco t e anila nternational Air ort uencies to t ice daily et een an Aut ority confirmed rancisco and ai ei startin cto er

Oriental Mindoro beaches rise up after oil spill; other tourist spots cited, beckon

P A A riental ind oro Amid concerns a out ater uality in certain areas o Puerto alera ourism ecretary ristina arcia rasco dis closed t at aside rom s immin and a ter s orts riental indoro osts a ealt o attractions t at o er arious acti ities or tourists to en oy Ad enture see in tourists or e am le can i e u t alasim o en oy t e scenic amara ater alls ic is ust one out o t e many reat ta in ater alls in riental indoro e lore t e Puerto alera an ro e onser ation and cotourism Area and isit t e raya an yan illa e to immerse in t e ric and color ul culture o t e raya an yan tri e t e tourism c ie said Additionally t ere are ot er cities and munici alities in riental indoro t at also a e a ide ran e o tourism o er in s t at a ait isitors ourists needin a rea rom t e ustle and ustle o t e etro can o t to

rela y t e ri er and o on a icnic at t e nfinity arm in aco ic ust ta es an our o land tra el rom Puerto alera o on a ood cra l in ala an ity or isit sites suc as t e ilonay an ro e on ser ation co ar and riental indoro erita e useum o al in i in or o in around au an a e tre to alon alls or see t e amed erita e ouses in Pola and o on a culinary tour in Pina malayan e e artment o ourism notes t at ile t e oint statement o t e e artment o ealt and t e e artment o n ironment and atural esources ad ised a ainst con sum tion o ater in a ected areas o Puerto alera and ic t e also relayed to t e u lic t e in a su se uent announcement ad ised a ainst arta in in recreational ater acti ities in t e said a ected areas t ou it out attri utin t e contamination directly to t e recent oil s ill