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(From page 1) ablo Villavicencio fi nally had his grievances heard recently at a meeting with hilippine Consulate General in San Francisco CGSF Deputy Consul General Ra uel Solano who is also in charge of assistance to Filipino nationals at CGSF at the Consulate.
Villavicencio shared that more than a year after a violent incident at an East Bay Bart station he is still feeling the trauma that remained with him and longed for the day when he would feel normal and safe again.
“I still have to constantly look around before he can feel seated comfortably inside a bus or train. The mere sight of black people, regardless whether they are male or female, young or old gives him the chills,” Villavicencio related. “I long for the day when he would feel normal and safe again.”
Villavicencio was looking forward to spending a happy Memorial Day weekend with his friends and relatives in Los Angeles as he took the BART train when at the West Oakland Station, a young twenty-fi ve year old African American girl suddenly dashed in front of him carrying a piece of x wood and took a swing that targeted Villavicencio s head.
It was good that he had uick re exes, was able to duck a bit to his right protecting his head and the impact of the wood hit the backpack he had on his left shoulder instead. He didn t feel hurt then and was about to run after the girl who sprinted upstairs to the train platform.
It was good that the station agent advised him not to go after the girl as it was not safe for him to do so. Instead, Villavicencio was led into the station booth which then was safer place to be in.
The station agent then called up BART police to seek assistance and policemen, together with a medical team, arrived minutes later. They went up to take custody of the girl who Villavicencio and the station agent were able to identify.
“I still cannot recover from my trauma. Whenever it is talked about, the psychological wounds and sad thoughts it left are still fresh in min mind,” Villavicencio remembered. “When I posted it on social media and was subse uently reported on Filipino media outlets, I received a lot of sympathetic messages that asked among others how I am doing, am I still able to go out on my own, they are still asking if the hilippine government has helped me or at least gotten in touch with me. I said no.as time went on I still carry the emotional and psychological hurt in me. It is very hard to be a victim of a hate crime especially when you live alone with all your loved ones are back in the hilippines. Ang hirap maging biktima lalo na kung ikaw ay nag-iisa.”
Villavicencio admitted that he felt very bad that even got to the point that he blamed the hilippine government for not even learning what happened to me although it was in the printed news and even online.
“Where are you when I needed you most A victim like me needs medical, legal, fi nancial, shelter assistance, among others. Emotionally, he would need a psychiatrist or psychologist,” Villavicencio believes. ”He would also need spiritual guidance as I felt so alone I was also thinking of taking my own life because of mental torture and fear.”
These were part of what Villavicencio told Solano at their meeting where he also suggests that the Consulate has someone in charge because there many being victimi ed but many of the victims may not know where to turn to, go or call.
Villavicencio added that victims may not have enough courage to come out and report these things being at a loss on how he will get medical and legal assistance that can be taken care of by someone from the Consulate that supposedly his home away from home.
“We should always be monitored as we also have a lot of things we need to do. Life does not stop when we get victimi ed,” Villavicencio stressed. “I want to reach out to you so I can tell you what are needed by victims like me. Now that I have told you and nothing has been done, only then can I blame you for doing nothing. You really need to look for Filipinos who have been victimi ed so you may know what else are needed by them.”
Solano, for her part, admitted that not every news on victims reaches the Consulate and was happy that she and the victim are having this conversation so the Consulate may know Villavicencio s thoughts and complaints.
“I am speaking out in the hope that this does not happen to anyone else, for anyone to fall victim and get hurt. I am thankful to God that nothing worse than this happened. To all who may have su ered like me, do not be silent. Don t su er in silence. Say something so this may no longer happen to anyone else,” Villavicencio advised.
Villavicencio s appeal was echoed by Solano who asked Filipino victims to report to them incidents such as what happened to him.
Victims of hate crimes and incidents are advised to fi rst call law enforcement authorities for immediate response, inform the Consulate of what happened so appropriate assistance may be extended subject to evaluation by the Department of Foreign A airs. Victims can call 1 - or 1 - 8 888 to reach the CGSF .
Solano added that they are not being given information by the police that easily mainly due to privacy laws in California. Victims usually have to go through to public records route and had to undergo legal proceedings and that victims have to give consent before Consulate offi cials have access to records.
“When it comes to the need of Filipinos we have a section here in the Consulate that attends to assistance to nationals that provides assistance based on a set of guidelines. We determine fi rst if he is a Filipino national not American citi en , does he need fi nancial or legal assistance and if he has the capacity pay considering the limited hilippine government resources so we can help those who really needed help . We have a process we follow. We evaluate what assistance are needed, is he ualifi ed that the government help that may be extended. Only when the resources available within the community are exhausted will we endorse the re uest to avail of the assistance to national funds from the DFA that will determine and fi nally decide on the re uest,” Solano explained.
Solano promised to refer and endorse Villavicencio s re uest for the services available if asked and he will be informed of any development.
“In his case, the assistance that we may give him is legal assistance when there is suffi cient basis to fi le a case. Then fi nancial assistance if he does not have the capacity to support himself. On psycho social support, we can refer him to an entity for this,” Solano remarked.
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Nat’l Press Club: Journos’ club Ilocanos with big dreams built GGCC hosts Soul Winners workshop in San Francisco Decongesting our prisons
After two years of living in extended hibernation triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, my wife and I decided to leave our cocoon in Hercules, California and ew to Manila for reunions with relatives, friends and colleagues and, to get recharged and refreshed. During this much need- TEDDY P. MOLINA ed vacation, I had the opportunity to attend the 70th anniversary celebration of the National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC) at its historic and iconic building fi rst earth uake-proof building in Manila) beside the Pasig river and Jones bridge and a stone’s throw from the centuries-old Walls of Intramuros.
Our Philippine News Today editor in chief Alfred G. Gabot, an honoree during the celebration being a former president and lifetime member, invited me to the NPC event knowing how a ‘bakasyonista’ would usually regard spending long hours at a formal event as boring and time-consuming. The ‘bakasyonita’ would rather use his limited time engaging with relatives, former classmates and teachers, and friends.
But not for this columnist. I certainly wanted to revisit the NPC, my old haunt, after decades of absence. During our time, Fridays were spectacular as NPC was always jampacked with journalists drawn by booze, exchanging stories and the Celebrity Night extravaganza.
Another Philippine News Today columnist, Atty. Emmanuel Tipon of Honolulu, Hawaii, who happened to be in Manila after a family reunion in Baguio City, was also with us and got in at the press club upon invitation of Fred, our editor in chief.
Apart from being an NPC president, Fred is a respected journalist having been a senior editor of the Manila Bulletin and the Daily Express for years, a book author and professor and had once served as Chairman of the Board of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhlPost), Commissioner of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Regent of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, one of the country’s top universities, among others.
During Prof. Gabot’s tenure as president of NPC, the press club had unprecedented achievements never replicated in the history of the NPC up to today. One such achievement was putting the NPC Philippines on the level of the National Press Club of the United States in Washington D.C., the most powerful and in uential press club in the world, through a sister-club agreement on February 16, 1999 in the presence of Ambassador Raul Rabe and offi cers of the two clubs.
AS NPC President, Gabot also launched the NPC Philippines chapters in San Francisco led by George Nervez, Los Angeles led by Val Abelgas and Chicago headed by Bart Tubalinal. I learned that in the late 1980s he was also one of the founding members of the media club in San Francisco along with former NPC Philippines members like Lilia Andolong, wife of NPC president Nereo Andolong; and Willie Jurado, which later became known as the Philippine American Press Club.
I can write tons and tons of stories about our editor in chief Alfred Gabot considering his exploits and achievements in journalism, government and education. But let me focus on his inspirational speech about the history of the NPC that he delivered prior to his receiving an Award of Recognition from the N C offi cers led by fi rst woman president Lydia Bueno and fi rst woman vice president Kristina Maralit, as a former NPC president and lifetime NPC member.
Just like those in the full-packed Plaridel Hall where the event was held, I was startled in my seat to learn during the Gabot address that the NPC was literally founded (Continue on page 27)
Breaking Through
Do you have friends and family members that you want to help to go to heaven? If so, YOU are cordially invited to the upcoming SOUL WINNERS WORKHOP on Saturday, November 19, 2022 9:00am to 3:00pm at the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF ART GABOT MADLAING Health & Wealth CHRIST (GGCC) Auditorium located at 701-8th Avenue (near Golden Gate Park), San Francisco, California 94118.
The workshop will be conducted by Evangelist Jon Rowe, Minister of the SOUTHWEST CHURCH OF CHRIST in Phoenix, Arizona, who is married to Razzle Rowe, Filipina registered nurse originally from Tayug, Pangasinan
The complete schedule of the workshop are as follows: PRINCIPLES OF PREPARATION. 9:00–9:50am; PERSONAL EVANGELISM IN JESUS’LIFE, 10:00-10:50am; GENERATING A GOSPEL DISCUSSION, 11:00am –11:50 am; LUNCH BREAK, 12-1:00pm; THE GOSPEL PRESENTATION PART 1, 1-1;50pm; THE GOSPEL PRESENTATION PART II, 2-3:00pm.
The WE CARE Approach in Gospel Presentation is the most friendly, non-threatening , very e ective and practical way of sharing the gospel in its purity and simplicity to our FRANCS(Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, CoWorkers, Strangers) to encourage and help them go to heaven with us.
Since using the WE CARE Approach, Evangelist Jon Rowe has personally converted more than 1,500 precious souls. His home congregation at the SOUTHWEST CHURCH OF CHRIST in Phoenix, Arizona has on the average converted annually 60-70 precious souls who obeyed the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:3738)
GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST (GGCC)has a historic and long-term relationship with many congregations and brethren in the Philippines. The late brother Herman Trinidad, Jr. discovered providentially the old Records and Minutes of the GGCC Elders and Deacons Meetings in the late 40s and early 50s, few years before his death.
GGCC partially supported the late missionary Ralph Brashears and his wife when they started their mission work in the Philippines. They actually began their mission work in Tayug, Pangasinan where TAYUG CHURCH OF CHRIST(one of the earliest congregations) was established Due to the hot weather in the lowland, Ralph Brashears and his wife moved to Baguio City where they started the Philippine Bible College (PBC) and eventually established BAGUIO CHURCH OF CHRIST in Rimando Road, Baguio City, Philippines.
Together with sister congregations from Southern California, Texas, Oklahoma and other bible belt states the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST partially supported Ralph Brashears in raising funds for the Philippine Bible College (PBC)building and dormitories.
Though the years, hundreds and thousands of young men and women from all over the Philippines and nearby Asian countries like Thailand and Singapore fi nished Associate in Theology and Bachelor of Theology from the Philippine Bible College like my beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and the late brother Herman Trinidad, Jr.
Many of these graduates are now serving as preachers, ministers, Bible and Christian colleges and universities professors, directors, presidents and elders of many congregations in the Philippines, United States, Canada, Hongkong, Singapore and other countries.
As book author, columnist active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST, I’ll be giving autographed copies of my latest books HISTORICITY OF JESUS subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists, Believers and Christians” and “LIFESTYLE FOR LONGEVITY subtitled “How to be Healthy Emotionally, Financially, Physically, Sexually and SpirituallyJ” to attendees of the upcoming SOUL WINNERS WORKSHOP. RSVP: (650) 4383531 or (415) 584-7095 or email: artmadlaing@gmail.com (ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE#00635976) in California (Continue on page 27) Last month, the Bureau of Corrections freed 371 persons deprived of lib- SPEAKING OUT erty (PDL) to coincide with the 65th birthday celebration of President BBM. The release, according to DOJ, would be followed by similar releases every month thereafter all the way to December. The e ect would be a deconge stion, albeit slight, of our overcrowded prisons .
Our prisons are one of the most ove rcrowded in this part of the region. The Bilibid Prison in Munt inlupa has approximately 30,000 PDLs, way above the ideal capacity of only 6,500 or a conge stion rate of 344 percent. A slightly lower conge stion rate of 303 percent is reported in BUCOR’s six operating prisons and penal farms. One can only imagine the deplorable conditions su ered by DLs being packed in an ill-ventilated, smelly jail space designe d for one .
Thus, the propos ed regular and timely release of PDLs is a welcome move. DLs should not be made to su er in prison one day longer than necessary. I propos e digitizing prison records to speed up the process. Digitizing 30,000 prison records would be no sweat for a competent service provider. A PDL’s record (“carpeta”) would be progr ammed like a bank time deposit with a fi xed maturity, computed minus the expected good conduc t time allowance. On maturity date, the PDL is automatically released.
Anot her means to deconge st the prisons has already been sugge sted by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. Add more regional prisons and penal farms to the current six. The proposal hits two birds with one stone . PDLs need not be uproot ed away from their families. In Muntinlupa, cases abound of PDLs who have not been visited by love d one s dur ing their entire confi nement because of the distance and the cost invol ved. If I may add my two cents, well-to-do provinces should also be reque sted to upgr ade their existing facilities or establish new one s. *****
A front page photo recently of President BBM planting a bamboo tree in a former landfi ll in San Mateo, Ri al was enough to make reader Rody Pelayo ecstatic. “Kakampi na natin si President Bongbong sa ating bamboo advoc acy.” A retired agricultural engineer, Pelayo heads a group called Bamboo Connect Philippines , which advoc ates the replanting of fi ve million hectares of denuded areas with bamboo.
Why bamboo? “Bamboo is pro-environment as it absorbs more carbon dioxide than ordinary trees. It is sustainable because it multiplies expone ntially even when harvested,” Pelayo said. “It can provide a bamboo farmer a steady income of approximately 1 , per hectare, starting the fi fth year. Bamboo can be productive for at least 50 years.” And if I may kibitz, the bamboo i s also impervious to typhoons .
A website “Guadua Bamboo” , enumerates the adva ntages of bamboo ove r other trees, as follows:
Rapid Growth – Fastest growing plant on earth. Some species can grow more than 1 meter per day. No other plant grows faster.
Renewable Resour ce – provides an endless supply of timber.
Clean Air – Bamboo pr oduc es more oxyge n than trees.
Carbon S eque stration - Mentione d above
Water Cons ervation – Bamboo acts as a reservoir by collecting and storing large amounts of water in its rhizomes and stems dur ing rainy reason, and returning water to the soil, rivers and s treams dur ing dr oughts.
Soil Cons ervation – A great tool for soil protection due to its rapid growth, permanent canopy and huge network of roots and r hizomes.
Biodiversity Cons ervation – Bamboo is an important part of a biodiverse ecosystem. Many animals rely on bamboo for food a nd s helter.
Bioenergy – Bamboo is a sustainable energy sour ce that produc es 1 KWH of electricity from 1.2 kg of bamboo. This is similar to the biomass requirements for wood produc ts but out performs other types of biomass sour ces.
Versatility – Bamboo can replace wood in almost any application, ranging from paper and pulp products, ooring, musical instruments, furniture and c ons truction materials.
According to published reports, the DENR is targeting 11,631 hectares of enhanced
IGNACIO TOTING BUNYE
He still doesn’t get it, and he never will Has Trump lost his mojo?
Cons ider this an open letter to Senate President Migz Zubiri. If anyt hing should every happen to President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte – God forbid – Zubi ri would be next in line to assume the presidency, correct? Offline
How he ever made it to the Senate presidency, I’ll BETING DOLOR never know. But I can hazard a guess that he know s whose backs to slap, who to be ultracour teous to, and w ho to treat like a long- lost best friend.
With the current composition of the upper chamber of the count ry’s bicameral Congr ess, he doe s not have to be close to a whole lot. A simple majority would do. Himself exclude d, Zubiri would need the suppor t of 12 of the 23 other senators to hold the high and mighty title of Senate president.
Since the last Senate president of the last Congr ess was a longt ime comedian-cum-musician, Zubi ri did not have to try too hard to win the support of the other lawmakers. All he had to do was crack some jokes, smile a lot, and call the other male senators ‘pare.’
To be fair, it appears that he did attend the senate sessions religious ly and put in some work to at least make him worthy of the pay and pe rks of his lofty position.
Having said that, I have to say that he still doe s not seem to unde rstand the reason for being of us boys and girls of Philippine media.
This week, he asked us media practitioners to help boos t the image of the Philippines by showing the true, the good, and t he beautiful about the republic.
And yes, I bor rowed that line from none other than Imelda Marcos.
Inde ed, while she’s already what? In her 90s ? Madame Marcos still cuts an impressive fi gure. Not unlike Ann-Margret who’s now in her early 80s and s till attractive.
But I digress. The topic is not Imelda Marcos, but Migz Zubiri and his reque st for us media practitione rs to show the world how grand and de-love ly the Philippines truly is. (I know there’s no such word, but there was a movie by that title, right? De-love ly. Which is another digression on my part. My apologies).
But Mr. Zubiri should know that there are people kno wn as PR practitione r, that’s short for public relations . It is their job to do what he wants journalists to do. Which is to show one side of the coin, while pretending the other side doe s not exist.
There may be journalists who do lifestyle stories, and that’s all well and good. They write about “nice” things , attend endless cocktails and dinne rs and even get invited to local and foreign trips by companies, organizations , and even indi vidua ls who hope that their media gue sts write only fab things about them.
They re fi ne. But not fi ne are the envelopmental journalists cove ring the showbiz beat.
I suspect that Mr. Zubiri has met a lot of either the PR practitioners, or the newsmen and women who don’t mind being feted and partied and even given expensive gifts from time to time.
He has clearly not met the newsmen who put their lives on t he line by w riting the objective truth, day in and da y out .
And truth be told, Mr. Zubiri, the Republic of the Philippines is a troubled state at this point.
I consider myself as a middle, middle class man, a working sti who tries to do a good job in order to earn a good wage. For the record, I am presently working at CNN hilippines as an editor (although m y fancy title is cons ultant).
Working eight hours a day, fi ve days a week, I get to see almost all the top stories of the day. I’ve always had an inclination f or bus iness reporting a nd w hat I see disturbs me no e nd.
In the span of a few months, the peso has lost more than 10 percent of its value. Just like that. I would look at the daily news and w onder why not enough pe ople are panicking.
For now, the dow nward slide of the peso has stopped, but I fear only temporarily. I still expect the local currency to hit the 60 to 1 exchange rate vis-à-vis the dollar in the next few weeks.
The worst thing is that the slide can be expected to continue next year. This is not put dow n of the current dispensation. The negative direction (Continue on page 27) These last two US election cycles have come with counter-cycle political trends. Typically, in the midterm elections of the fi rst term of a US resident, the opposite party gains seats, lots of legislative seats. The Republicans weren’t being creative with that prediction. There must be a political almanac somewhere that says that. Couple that with a visibly senile President, an energy policy that is at least partly responsible for the rise in oil and gasoline prices, a fi scal policy that has exacerbated the in ationary spiral we are now enduring and it just makes sense the Republicans would have taken both houses of Congress and a few more governorships.
Yet, they did not.
I’ve heard explanations and, certainly, this will be the puzzle to ponder among kindred souls over the next few weeks. Some have said that the Republicans have moved to R states so they just had less of an impact on the states where their results were anemic. Reasonable. One person said that the candidates were just so bad on the Republican side. That does not hold up. The Democrats have put up candidates that are so bad that one of them (running for congress in Pennsylvania) was already dead and still won. A special election has to be held to put someone living. Another Democrat from Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, the winning candidate for United States Senator, su ered a stroke during his campaign and was heavily impaired during his public appearances. It makes me wonder what kind of robot is the Pennsylvanian voter to overlook the vitality of their candidates (or lack thereof).
Maybe the woke media is right after all and voters have overlooked the ailing economy to prioritize a woman’s right to choose (I support this!) or vote in accordance with existential worries related to climate change (which should have ended the world ten years ago). But I can’t entirely trust what they say because all the talking heads seem to be saying the same thing using the same words in the same order.
I have a hope tied to all of this. My hope is that Donald . Trump s heavy hand in the fi eld of Republican candidates has been judged by the public. The former president has tried and he has been found wanting by the general election voter. If that is the case, then all is right with the world. Trump tried. Trump was tested. The Trump e ect fell at, emitting a soft hissing sound reminiscent of a de ating balloon. I have to admit, it was hard to be a Republican with him at the helm…so hard I had to stop. Could it be possible that politics could move on from Trump?
I have only one hope. That the House of Representative ips to Republican control so that the trillion-dollar spending boondoggles stop. In the meantime, the Republican party has a chance to rejuvenate itself, hopefully under new leadership, someone like Governor Ron DeSantis who has a little bit of experiencing running a large place with lots of problems, someone we can believe in.
Happy golden anniversary to the members of SPSA (Society of Philippine Surgeons in America)! They held heir celebration just recently on October 21, 2022 at the Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
That was 50 years ago and I can just imagine my brother Dr. Manuel R. Estioko, MD, surgeon, cardiologist, and an active member of the associa- ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO tion, rendering 50 years of service to the excellent continuing medical evaluation (CME) programs for their constituents. Also, while he never went to the Philippine missions, he was actively involved in giving lectures during the CMEs. Dr. Estioko was once the Editor of The Philippine Surgeon, the offi cial publication of S SA.
Pointing out the vital services to the community, SPSA President Honorio M, Cruz said: “Welcome to an event that many thought would never come, yet here we are celebrating something we ought to be proud of, our golden anniversary. Fifty years of existence, a half century of providing quality surgical care across the American spectrum, from the citadels of the Healthcare Institutions to the more distant rural nooks of he country, we were there!”
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Las Vegas City Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman welcomed the surgeons during their convention.
“As Governor of the State of Nevada,” Sisolak said, “It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 50th Anniversary Golden Gala Night of the society of hilippine Surgeons in America (SPSA). I would like to thank the board and everyone from this great organization for choosing the fabulous city of Las Vegas and the great Silver State to host this special event.”
Mayor Goodman, on the other hand, said: “As Mayor, I am very pleased to welcome you to America’s most dynamic, entertaining and intriguing city! I am convinced that once you get a taste of what the city has to o er, you will never want to leave. Las Vegas continues to capture the world’s imagination as the city where anything is possible. With world-class hotels, award-winning restaurants, professional sports, luxurious spas, fantastic shopping, the fi nest golf courses, and spectacular entertainment, Las Vegas remains one of the most electrifying destinations in the world.”
Meanwhile, Herman M. Reyes, MD, FACS, Co-Founder and Founding resident of S SA said “Re ecting on the event surrounding our society from its lowly beginning fi fty years ago to its current status as the pre-eminent surgical organization of immigrant Filipino American surgeons practicing in this country and Canada, the achievement of its members in creating a legacy of medical service of the highest order, their contribution to medical education and serving in hospital committees, medical societies and civic organizations, oftentimes in leadership roles, is unprecedented.”
Indeed, for busy people like the surgeons who spent time to help less fortunate countrymen, are highly commendable.
SPSA recognizes the fact that in the Philippines, most of the people specially those who are in far provinces, lack access to health services because they are either very far from the nearest hospital or health center, or there are not enough or ualifi ed medical personnel to attend to them. erhaps, this was the rationale behind SPSA’s conducting medical missions in the Philippines. They need to reach out to these people!
World Health Organization (WHO) noted that in some Asian and acifi c countries, up to half of the people lack access to health services. This might be because health services are too far from their homes, or they lack ualifi ed health workers, equipment or medications. This is unacceptable. Everyone, everywhere needs access to essential health services, the WHO noted.
WHO further noted that access to services isn’t the only issue. The poorest Filipinos spend around 60 percent of their family’s income on food. With over half of health care costs paid out-of-pocket, they simply cannot a ord to fall ill money that is meant for food will be diverted to health. This, too, is unacceptable!
“There are glaring gaps in access to health care,” WHO continued, “Whether people can t a ord to pay, live too far away from health facilities, lack knowledge, or su er from stigma or discrimination, we must (Continue on page 27)
As I See It
How to appeal Marriage fraud charge
Is your marriage case denied for inconsistencies during the interview, no suffi cient documents submitted or some other reasons? Do not lose hope. There are many ways you can convince the government that you deserve an approval. If the reason for denial is inconsistencies during the interview, you can submit proof that the responses are consistent with respect to your case. This is called reconciliation of responses. If your case is denied because of lack of suffi cient evidence, you can submit affi davits proving that your marriage is in good faith. If your case is denied because the government has been very unfair during the interview such as using threats of imprisonment or some coercive tactics during the interview, you need to seek a help from an immigration attorney to represent you on this matter because a simple mistake in analysis could be fatal. In legal language, you need to appeal on due process ground. Due process requires voluntariness in giving information of the part of the alien and the government adhering to the fair and just process in seeking responses. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants aliens the right to due process.
Generally, “Immigration proceedings, although not subject to the full range of constitutional protections, must conform to the Fifth Amendment s re uirement of due process.” Salgado-Dia v. Gon ales, F. d 11 8, 11 th Cir. as amended “A full and fair hearing is one of the due process rights a orded to aliens in deportation proceedings. A court will grant a petition on due process grounds only if the proceeding was so fundamentally unfair that the alien was prevented from reasonably presenting his case.” Gutierre v. Holder, F. d 1 8 , 1 1 th Cir. 11 .
The court reviews de novo claims of due process violations. Grigoryan, F. d at 1 Liu v. Holder, F. d 18, th Cir. 11 as amended Ibarra-Flores v. Gon ales, F. d 1 , th Cir. . “The BIA s decision will be reversed on due process grounds if 1 the proceeding was so fundamentally unfair that the alien was prevented from reasonably presenting his case, and the alien demonstrates prejudice, which means that the outcome of the proceeding may have been a ected by the alleged violation.” Ibarra-Flores, F. d at – 1.
For those of you who received a denial because your rights are violated on due process ground you need to speak to an immigration attorney to discuss your individual situation.
Note: This is not a legal advice and presented for information purposes only. If you have immigration problems the Law Offi ces of Crispin C. Lo ano can help you fi nd a solution before your problem gets worse which could lead to deportation and family separation.
BREAKING NEWS
Stampless entry at SFO. S C and OAK ports
E ective October 1, , the CB will adopt the stampless entry on all incoming travelers. If you want a stamp on your passport you should re uest the CB offi cer.
New Regulation will make it easier to immigrate
The Biden Administration will release a regulation by December , making it easier to immigrate for people who have taken public benefi ts. The public charge under Trump era will be revised signifi cantly.
N- Application for Naturali ation
The USCIS is now giving priorities to application for naturali ation . The reason is obviously to allow ualifi ed immigrants to vote in the coming midterm and presidential election. There are cases when the waiting time is only six months compared to prior years. res. Biden is encouraging all ualifi ed to fi le for naturali ation. This is a rare opportunity that all ualifi ed should take advantage of.
DACA reinstated res. Biden reiterated to renew the DACA processing as of August 1,
Arrest and removal of undocumented is now up to the discretion of ICE offi cer
US Supreme Court did not allow res. Biden to overturn the immigration policy of Trump with regards to priority in arrest and removal. With increasing migrants at the border White House is now re uiring ICE to deport more migrants under political pressure. It is now a decision to be made by the ICE offi cer which could include arrest of anyone who is undocumented. It is time to work on your green card now.
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For the month of October , we received approval from USCIS three naturali ation applications, one Fianc e visa petition, two removals of condition on residence and three adjustment of status applications.
Note If you have immigration problems write us a letter and we will reply to you with no initial obligation. The Law Offi ces of Crispin C. Lo ano can help you fi nd a solution before your problem gets worse which could lead to deportation and family separation. You may re uest a free consultation at one of our offi ces in Hayward or Cerritos, CA, or by phone at 1-8 - - . www.crispinlo anolaw.com, email at info ccllaw.net
PHL gov’t debt rises to P13.52 trillion; experts propose new
MANILA - The hilippine national government s outstanding debt rose by .8 percent to record high of 1 . trillion as of the end of September, newly released data from the Bureau of Treasury showed.
The treasury bureau blamed the increase to the peso depreciation against the US dollar and pandemic-related fi nancing.
The report prompted an economist to state that new fi scal reform measures are needed to help address the rise in government liabilities.
Ri al Commercial Banking Corporation RCBC chief economist Michael Ricafort attributed the jump in government debt partly to the issuance of around 118 billion worth of United States dollar-denominated bonds and the impact of weakening of the local currency against the greenback.
Ricafort said with the rise in government debt since due mainly to the pande mic, the current gove rnment “may still need to further intensify tax revenue collections based on existing tax laws, come up with new taxes tax reform measures, increase tax rates, among others, to further boost structural sources of government revenues.” He said new taxes such as those for digital transactions “are based on principles of fairness.” “New taxes and higher tax rates need to be fair, e uitable, and progressive, especially targeted to those that can a ord them or those from the higher income brackets or at least prevent adding burden to the poor, most vulnerable sectors, and or those hit hard by the pandemic,” he adde d. Aside from new measures that are targeted to increase gove rnment revenue s, Ricafort said the administration also needs to “adopt more disciplined spending through fi scal reform measures such as right-si ing the government, anti-corruption anti-leakage anti-wastage measures” to help lessen the government s budget gap and address its liabilities.
He said the intensifi ed tax collections from existing tax laws may not be enough and would inevitably re uire new tax fi scal reform measures to curb additional borrowings by the government. “Thus, tax reform and other fi scal reform measures, alongside faster econom ic growth, for the coming months/ years would help ease the national government s debt-to-GD gross domestic product ratio to below the international threshold of percent in the coming years and would help maintain/support the country s relatively favorable credit ratings of 1- notched above the minimum investment grade rating,” he said.
Total outstanding debt as if September was . billion higher compared to August s 1 . trillion, the treasury bureau said in a statement.
“NG s total debt increased by . billion or .8 primarily due to peso depreciation against the US dollar and the net issuance of government securities to support the budget,” the bureau said.
Out of the total debt stock, 1. percent or . trillion were sourced externally while 8. percent or . trillion were domestic borrowings, government data showed.
cto er n at on c s faster to . to r se furt er -- B
QUE ON CITY – The country s in ation rate further increased to . percent in October, almost a 1 percent jump from . recorded in September, the hilippine Statistics Authority SA reported last week.
The SA said itt was the highest in ation rate since December 8.
The SA, however, said the rate of price increase of goods and services remained within the Bangko Sentral ng ilipinas BS projection of .1 to . percent for the previous month.
The Bangko Sentral, meanwhile, said the elevated in ation rate is seen to persist towards the end of the year due to upside risks but will likely decelerate in .
“In ation is projected to remain elevated for the rest of but will likely decelerate in due to easing global oil and non-oil prices, negative base e ects from transport fare adjustments in , and as the impact of BS s cumulative policy rate adjustments take hold on the economy,” BS said in a press statement.
The central bank said that although the projected outlook is that risks remain on the upside until next year, they “are seen to be broadly balanced for .”
“The continued uptrend of the October in ation was primarily due to the higher annual growth rate in the index for food and non-alcoholic beverages at . percent, from . percent in September ,” SA said.
The average in ation from anuary to October this year settled at . percent.
The National Economic and Development Authority NEDA attributed the uptrend in in ation to external pressures, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the lockdowns in China that disrupted the global supply chain, and the lingering effects of recent typhoons including Karding that hit the country late September.
“Our immediate priority is to continue supporting the most vulnerable sectors of the economy, hence, the cash transfers and fuel discounts will continue. This will alleviate the e ects of the sustained increase in commodity prices as a result of global headwinds as well as the recent typhoons which damaged our domestic production and disrupted food supply,” Socioeconomic lanning Secretary and NEDA Director General Arsenio Balisacan said in a statement.
Balisacan added that part of the government s medium-term strategy is to invest in climate-smart agriculture technologies that will make the country s agriculture sector resilient to calamities, such as extreme weather conditions.
Khalil Ramos and Gabbi Garcia have the most cinematic photos from their US trip
Life through Khalil Ramos lens just hits di erent.
The Kapuso actor shared some sweet moments from the recent US trip with his girlfriend, Gabbi Garcia and reported by their mother studio GMA Network.
And like the true fi lm bu that he is, Khalil s color grading gives o cinematic vibes and his captions are inspired by the screenplay format, GMA News’ Nika Roque reported. “E T - Golden Gate ark – Day,” Khalil wrote alongs ide a photo of them eating hotdogs on a bench.
Showing a sweet moment on a Ferris wheel, Khalil said, “INT - Ferris Wheel – Day.” Gabbi said in the comments section, “miss thissss!!!! Ily!!”
In another photo in Napa Valley, Khalil said, “INT - Wine Train – Day” ecently, the couple went on a trip to the US, their fi rst long vacation together.
They spent three weeks there, around California, visiting their dream destinations .
In an interview on “Updated with Nelson Canlas,” Khalil said their relationship “leveled up” and that they realized they were truly compatible for each other.
FilAm TikTok star Bella Poarch confirms filing for divorce
Filipino-American TikTok sensation Bella oarch has confi rmed that she fi led for divorce, which shocked her fans as she did not say that she was married in the fi rst place.
Last week, US online tabloid TMZ reported that the -year-old internet star, who was a former resident of San Francisco and Texas, fi led divorce papers in the Los Angeles County to end her nearly four-year marriage to Tyler oarch. It also reported that she cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the divorce. oarch broke her silence online days after the story blew up, CNN hilippines reported.
“I m sorry if everyone thinks I ve been keeping a secret. I will address my divorce when I am ready to speak about it. In the meantime, please respect mine and Tyler s privacy,” she wrote. A US Navy veteran who served in Hawaii and apan, oarch, whose real name is Denarie Taylor, also said she is taking a break from social media. Born to Filipino parents in San Fabian, angasinan, she is one of TikTok’s most popular personalities with 98 million followers after publishing her fi rst viral video in August . Regine, Ogie celebrate son Nate’s 11th birthday in US
Celebrity couple Regine Velasque z and Ogie Alcasid celebrated the 11th birthday of their son Nate while they were in the United States.
This, after they brought their son with them when they ew to California and eventually to Las Vegas for their performances in “ASA Natin To.”
As seen in the couple s social media updates and reported by their mother studio ABS-CBN, Regine and Ogie organized an elabor ate dinne r for Nate along with some of their friends and family in Beverly Hills, California.
The couple also enjoye d their vacation with Nate in the popular Disneyland Amusement ark in California, goi ng a round a nd visiting va rious features of the park.
Nate was also gue st of Regine in the Nove mber 8 episode of “Magandang Buhay” on ABS-CBN which she co-hosts, During the show, Regine shared how she feels about Nate turning 11.
“Ako sigur o more of parang I feel grateful kay Lord for giving me such a wonde rful son. He’s such a good boy, he’s very smart and he love s everyone . Hindi siya namimili ng taong kakausapin niya kahit anong age, kahit anong estado ng buhay mo, basta makikipag-usap siya. At siyempre mahal na mahal niya ang aming dalawang lola. ...So I m very proud of you sweetheart,” she said.
Ogie also gave his birthday message for his son through a pre-recorded video. He said “You have become really, really strong in mind and in heart and we are very proud of you. Your mom and I are very proud of you. You know, before you were born, mom and I prayed, God give us a son. He gave us you. That s why we called you Nathaniel -- a special gift from God. And you are gift, Nate.”
“I hope you continue to be the good person that you are, the humble person that you are, the loving person that you are. I know that you will go places. I know that you will do everything so that you will please God and for that I’m very proud of you. I love you very much and I take pride in saying that you are my son,” Ogie added.
Nate is the only child of composer-singer Ogie Alcasid and singer-actress Regine Velas ue . Aside from his son, Alcasid has two other daughters, Leila and Sara, from his previous marriage.
On Ogie s Instagram account, the popular singersongw riter also shared funny moments between him and hi s son w hile shopping a t a mall in the US.
Through the comments section, Nate also received well wishes from some of his parent’s good friends in the indus try like Gary Valenciano, Erik Santos, Jolina Magdangal, ed Madela, Melai Francisco, Lani Misalucha, Christian Bautista, Gab Valenciano, Gian Magdangal, and Troy L aureta.
Alcasid and Velasque z tied the knot in Batanga s in December 1 . The Asia s Songbird gave birth to their son N ate a year after their wedding.
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Sky River Casino strive to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional service to guests. With commitment to being part of the growing community, Sky River o ers diverse team of casino hosts to ensure that every guest feels welcome and have a positive experience. The host members will assist
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Robyn Hood, Director of Player Development
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Khin Lay, Player Development Manager
Khin Lay currently serves as Player Development Manager for Sky River Casino, is a trilingual speaker of Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Khin is an immigrant from China and came to the United States in 1980 when he was 5 years old. He grew up in Sacramento where he attended elementary and high school. He’s an UC Davis alum with a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation, he worked several years at a high-tech company in Silicon Valley. In 2004, he returned to Sacramento where his passion for martial arts led him to open a Chinese Kungfu studio. Khin fi rst joined the gaming industry in 2013 as Executive Casino Host at Thunder Valley Casino Resort. With almost a decade of experience in the industry, Khin looks to expand his horizon and joins Sky River Casino management team in providing outstanding service. Leading the Asian Host team, and providing the VIP Advantages and special o ers for the Asian players, he is looking to bring Sky River Casino to another level.
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About Sky River Casino
Sky River Casino was built by the Wilton Rancheria in partnership with Boyd Gaming Corporation, which is building and managing the property for the tribe. The casino opened in August 2022 and includes 100,000 sq ft of gaming, 2,000 slot machines, 80+ table games, and 17 bars and restaurants. To learn more, visit www.SkyRiver.com.
Khin Lay, Player Development Manager Robyn Hood, Director of Player Development
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