Philippine News Today

1 August 4-10, 2022

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

www.pnewstoday.com

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

Vol. 61 No. 52 August 4-10, 2022

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

CHINA-TAIWAN TENSION RISES AS PELOSI VISITS US Navy stays near PHL;UN chief warns on nukes

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor-in-Chief

MANILA - Tension soared to a new high between the United States and China and the Asia Pacific region that includes the Philippines as US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, met its President Tsai Ing-wen and addressed its Congress. Page 9

U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi waves as she visits Taiwan

Monkeypox fears spreading in PHL

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

MANILA – The latest global pandemic may not have reached the Philippines yet, except for one 31-year-old Filipino who caught the dreaded virus while

traveling abroad, but fears of monkeypox spreading has caused concern nationwide.

Coincidentally, a report from Singapore said that yet Page 8

PHL still at ‘low risk’ for COVID-19; first monkeypox case detected; New York declares emergency MANILA/NEW YORK The Philippines has remained under “low risk” classification for COVID-19 despite noticeable increases in the number of new cases, according to the De-

partment of Health (DOH).

This as the DOH detected its first case of monkeypox in a 31-year-old Filipino who arrived from abroad.

The DOH also re- Page 8

Ex-President Ramos dies, state funeral set

MAKATI CITY — Former President Fidel V. Ramos died on Sunday, July 31, at the Makati Medical Center after lingering illness. He was 94 years old.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a 10-day mourning to honor Ramos who is Page 8

Mayor: Partnership in Upside community key to counter Abuse rooted Asian hate crimes in Daly City in colonial past

By Jun Nucum

DALY CITY - As incidents and cases continue to happen across the United States, renewed and strengthened partnership among stakeholders in the city with one of the largest Filipino population is ardently urged to help lessen if not totally stop hate occurrences.

This is the strong convincing recommendation of Daly City Mayor Rod Magbual that emphasized partnerships between authorities and communities such as community based organizations that represent different ethnic, gender/sexuality, or other sectors.

“Part of the insecurity is the cultural mistrust of law enforcement, but it is also the lack of knowledge and understanding how to navigate thePage 10

By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

Conclusion

ENLIGHTENMENT came from Elsa Agasid’s pastor and the facilitator of a support group for abuse survivors, Paulita Lasola Malay, a longtime member of ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment. But first she had to open up to them, the first step toward overcoming the hurt.

“Healing is a continuing process,” Agasid, who identifies as a “wounded healer,” recently told Prof. Rod Daus – Magbual’s Filipinx Studies Class exploring the colonial roots of generational trauma.

Empathy is key to helping survivors, reiterated ALLICE founding president Bettina Santos Yap, who was among the presenters. She listedPage 11

Newsom proclaims state of emergency over monkeypox

P24

Antonio Vargas named to CSU Board of Regents VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHOWBIZ

Is your wage under garnishment?

Charo Santos leads winners in FAMAS Awards

By A�y. Lozano

Page 14

Page 18

SPORTS

EJ Obiena rises to world’s number 3 in polevault Page 21

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 METRO NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

QC collects P23B taxes in 2021, gets Hall of Fame recognition UE ON CITY – The uezon City government has been named anew as the country’s top-performing city in terms of local revenue generation by the Department of Finance-Bureau of Local Government Finance (DOF-BLGF) after it collected a total of P .9 billion in taxes last year.

The city government also received hall of fame recognition under the special category “Local Revenue Generation Hall of Fame” for consistently ranking first in tax collection among cities nationwide from 01 to 0 0. “ e are honored to share this milestone with every Citizen. Because of y ou r cont inu ed t ru st and su pport of

our administration, we have been able to increase our annual local revenue by more than PHP10 billion since we assumed o ce,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement.

City Treasurer Ed Villanueva said the city government’s commitment to good governance remains the most important driver in its success in collecting taxes.

He said the city’s tax income came from real property tax, business tax, and other taxes, such as amusement, transfer, and contractors, among others.

The city government’s streamlining efforts that include digitization while establishing satellite o ces for tax pay-

ment have contributed to the easing of processes, and encouraged business owners to settle their dues.

Staggered payment schemes for under-declared and undeclared business taxes instead of imposing huge penalties encouraged businesses to pay their dues.

“Our Citizens have seen significant improv ement s in t he way t hey transact with the city. In various ways, they have expressed their satisfaction with the uality of programs and services that were made available to them.

They t ru st t hat t heir hard-earned money would translate into e cient public services for all,” Villanueva said.

MAKATI CITY — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has a new head.

He is Carlo Dimayuga who was appoint ed by President F erdinand Marcos Jr. as acting MMDA chairman.

Marcos appointed more o cials on ednesday, including the head of the Food and Drug Administration.

Dimayuga replaced former MMDA

chairman Romando Art es, who was an appointee of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Dr. Samuel acate, personal physician of Mr. Marcos, is head of the Food and Drug Administration. acate’s accomplishments are highlighted by years of practice in medicine, especially as a diplomate of the Philippine Society for Venereology and as fellow of

the International College of Surgeons.

Also appointed were Roman “Popong” Felix, a retired general of the Philippine National Police, as secretary of the O ce of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs and retired general Ariel Caculitan, undersecretary of the O ce of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs (OPAMA).

Isagani Nerez will also serve in OPAMA — as undersecretary for Police Affairs.

Dimayuga is acting MMDA chairman

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4

5 DOJ undersecretaries named MANILA – The D epart ment of J u st ice ( D OJ ) annou nced t hat it has received the appointment papers of its five senior o cials from Malaca ang.

Lawyer Mico Clavano of the O ce of t he S ecret ary said t he appoint ment s of u ndersecret aries D eo Marco, J ose Cadiz Jr., Jesse Andres, Nicholas Ty, and G eronimo S y were t ransmit t ed b y t he Palace.

Marco was also an undersecretary during the term of then secretary and now Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra. He supervised a number of attached agencies, including the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) which has been named b y J u st ice S ecret ary J esu s Crispin Remulla as one of the agency’s problematic o ces.

Sy, meanwhile, was a senior prosecutor at the DOJ before being named as undersecretary while Ty was promoted after serving as an assistant secretary during the past administration.

Andres previously served as chief of staff of former Vice President Noli de Castro.

Andres, Sy, and Cadiz replaced former undersecretaries Adrian Sugay, Emmeline Aglipay-Villar and Jon Salvahan, respectively.

Labor leader tapped as DSWD undersecretary MANILA – President F erdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed labor leader and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) spokesperson Alan Tan usay as Social elfare Undersecretary for Inclusive and Sustainable Peace.

Tan usay confirmed his appointment in a press statement.

As unde rsecret ary of t he D epart ment of Social elfare and Development (DS D), Tan usay is tasked to oversee the Marcos administration’s renewed commitment to continue the government’s welfare services and deradicalization programs to former rebels and their families.

Tan usay said the DS D O ce of Undersecretary for Inclusive and Sustainable Peace (OUSISP) is providing an “extensive range of welfare services and deradicalization programs to rebel returnees and their families, including women and children in far- ung, hard-to-reach communities.” “ I am honored t o ove rsee and t o fur t her implement government caring services and targeted programs uni uely prepared by our driven DS D o cers and staff for these vulnerable sectors,” he said.

Tan usay vowed to cooperate with

DS D Secretary Erwin Tulfo.

The other o cials appointed to serve in the DS D include Undersecretary Sally Navarro and Assistant Secretaries Irene Dumlao and Rodolfo Santos for Social elfare and Development.

Tulfo has sworn into o ce Undersecret ary J erico J avi er and Assist ant S ecretaries Elaine Fallarcuna and Jun Loyola for Operations Undersecretary Adonis Sulit and Assistant Secretary Ivy Rivera for General Administration and Support Undersecretary Antonio Crisanto Jr. and Assist ant S ecret ary J anus S idaya o for Finance Undersecretary Charles Co and Assistant Secretary Janet Armas for Policy and Plans Undersecretary Denise Bernos-Bragas and Assistant Secretary Diana Rose Ca ipe for Standards and Capacity Building Undersecretary Marco Bautista and Assistant Secretary Gary Pulitico for Disaster Response Management Undersecretary Vilma Cabrera and Assistant Secretary Maris Maristela (Luzon), Assistant Secretary Evelyn Macapobre (Visayas), and Assistant Secretary Arnel Garcia (Mindanao) for Special Concerns Undersecretary Eduardo Punay and Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez for Special Pro ects and Undersecretary Ni a Taduran for Legislative

5 August 4-10, 2022

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Slain ex-Lamitan City mayor laid to rest Z AMB OANG A CITY – F ormer Mayo r Rose F uriga y of Lamit an Cit y , B asilan, was laid t o rest Augus t 3 a s hundr eds of Lamit eños gr ieve d.

F ur iga y’ s int ernment came a day aft er her long- t ime aide, V ict or Capist rano, was laid t o rest , also in Lamit an Cit y , B asilan.

F ur iga y , Capist rano and J eneve n B andiala, a secur it y gua rd, were ki lled du ring t he At eneo de Manila U nive rsit y s hoot ing i n Q ue z on Cit y on J ul y 24.

F ur iga y’ s daught er H annah, who was t o at t end t he At eneo College of Law gr adua t ion t hat day was wounded and hospit aliz ed.

Police arrest ed t he sus pect ed ki ller, D r. Chao Tiao Yum ol, following a b rief chase minut es aft er t he incident. Murder charges have been filed against Yumol who is det ained in a B ur eau of J ail det ent ion cent er in

Q ue z on Cit y . in t he inve st ig at ion, more so t hat t he fat her of Yum ol The Lamitan gymnasium was filled with grieving was also ki lled in Lamit an Cit y . family membe rs, friends, and suppor t ers dur ing t he public vi ewing from 6 a.m . t o 8 a.m ., followed by necrologi cal servi ces.

The caske t was t hen t ransferred t o t he S t . Pet er t he Apostle Parish Church where a funeral mass was o ciat ed by L amit an B ishop Leo D almao.

F ur iga y was laid t o rest in a family- owned propert y in B aranga y L imo-ok.

Lamit an Mayor Roderick F ur iga y t hanke d eve ryone who condoled wit h his family which include d B asilan o cials, local government personnel, supporters, and resident s.

Mayor F ur iga y called for j us t ice for his wife as he ur ge d gove rnment aut horit ies t o leave no st one unt ur ned

Volcanic tremors detected in Taal TAG AYTAY CITY -- Taal vol cano is act ing up aga in as four vol canic t remors t hat last ed 2 t o 7 minut es were det ect ed dur ing t he past 24 hour s, according t o t he Philippine Inst it ut e of V olcanology and S eismology ( Phivol cs) .

Meanwhile, eart hqu ake s shook D ava o de Oro and S ul t an Kuda rat t he past t wo days . “ The t remors are vol canic eart hqua ke s signi fyi ng uid or gas movement,” said Phivolcs Director Renato S olidum J r.

H e added t hat t hese t remors have no relat ion t o t he magni t ude 7 eart hqua ke t hat j olt ed nort hern Luz on last week.

Alert Leve l 1 ( low-leve l unr est ) st ays , S olidum said.

Plan to return to old name of Manila airport revived

U nder Alert Leve l 1, sudde n st eam-drive n or phreat ic expl osions, vol canic eart hqua ke s, minor ashfall and expul sions of v olcanic ga s coul d t hreat en areas wit hin Taal’ s permanent dange r z one.

Ent ry int o t he permanent dange r z one, especially t he vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissur e, remains prohibi t ed. Occupa ncy and boa t ing on t he Taal Lake are like wise prohibi t ed.

Pilots are also urged to avoid ying close to the volcano as airbor ne ash and ba llist ic fragm ent s from expl osions and wind-remobi liz ed ash may pose haz ards t o t he aircraft .

F or t he past 24 hour s, a vol um inous plu me emission reaching 1,20 m et ers high w as also obs erve d.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

6

FVR’s legacy will not fade away: Democracy’s guardian, peace maker and economic stabilizer

Ms. Loida Nicolas-Lewis, a co- ounder o the Na�onal Federa�on o Filipino American Associa�ons, applauds as Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, the eynote spea er during the th NaFFAA Empowerment Con erence gala dinner in Honolulu in 2006. File photo y Eric Lachica

WAS H ING TON D . C. - The memb ers of t he U S F ilipinos for G ood G ov ernance, an adv ocacy org aniz at ion b ased in V irg inia, j oined t he F ilipino People in mou rning t he deat h of former Philippine President F idel V aldez Ramos on S u nday . “ We in U S F G G ex t end ou r deepest sy mpat hies t o t he Ramos family and g riev e wit h t he F ilipino People. We will fondly recall his achiev ement s of effective public service and inspiring leadership in sav ing Philippine democracy , u nify ing t he nat ion and rev iv ing t he economy , ” said Loida Nicolas-

Lewis, U S F G G nat ional chair who resides in New York Cit y , in a st at ement . “ We F ilipino Americans are profou ndly g rat efu l t o G en. F idel Ramos for helping Cory Aq u ino rest ore democracy du ring t he F eb ru ary 1 9 8 6 People Power Rev olu t ion ag ainst t he Marcos dict at orship and winning t he ov erwhelming applau se of t he world au dience.

Moreov er, he calmly defended t he Cory Administ rat ion ag ainst sev en cou p at t empt s, st ab iliz ed t he Philippine milit ary and made peace wit h MILF Moslem secessionist s and t he New People’ s Army , ”

she said. “ We are also indeb t ed for his Administ rat ion law: The Mig rant Work ers and Ov erseas F ilipinos Act which set hig her st andards for t heir prot ect ion and promot ed t heir welfare g lob ally , ” she added.

As a former soldier who fou g ht in t he Korean and V iet nam wars, President Ramos championed t he Eq u it y b ills for elderly F ilipino World War II v et erans in t he U . S . Cong ress and wit h American president s ov er t he past t wo decades. F V R’ s leg acy will nev er fade away , ” Lewis said.

Birth, death, marriage certificates now permanently valid PAS AY CITY - - G ood news t o F ilipinos. Birth, death and marriage certificates issue d by t he Philippine S t at ist ics Aut hority and then-National Statistics O ce are now permanent ly va lid.

This, aft er t he remedial legi slat ion seeki ng t he permanent va lidit y of t he birth, death, and marriage certificates lapsed int o law last J ul y 28, according t o S enat or Ramon B ong Revi lla J r.

Revi lla shared a copy of a let t er from Malacaña ng signe d by Exe cut ive S ecret ary V ict or Rodrigue z , informing t he S enat e president of t he enact ment of t he bi ll.

In a st at ement , Revi lla, sponsor of t he law in t he S enat e, expl ained t hat t he certificates issued, signed, certified, or aut hent icat ed by t he Philippine S t at ist ics Aut horit y ( PS A) , it s predecessor t he National Statistics O ce (NSO), and the lo-

cal civi l regi st ries shall have permanent va lidit y rega rdless of t he dat e of issua nce.

These docum ent s shall be recogni z ed and accept ed in all gove rnment and priva t e t ransact ions or servi ces requi ring t he subm ission of t he same as proof of ident it y a nd lega l st at us of a person.

According t o Revi lla, t he law was legislat ed t o address t he gr owing concern t hat some gove rnment age ncies and pri-

MANILA/CAMP CRAME – President F erdinand Marcos J r. has appoint ed Lt . G en. Rodolfo Az u rin J r. as t he new chief of t he Philippine Nat ional Police.

Press S ecret ary Trix ie Cru z -Ang eles said Az u rin, b orn in Tarlac and raised in La Trinidad, B eng u et , and a g radu at e of Philippine Milit ary Academy ( ‘ Mak at ao’ Class of 19 9), will replace PNP o cer in charg e V icent e D anao.

U nt il his new appoint ment , Az u rin was t he commander of t he Nort hern Lu z on Police Area composed of t he reg ions of Ilocos ( Reg ion 1 ) , Cag ay an V alley ( Reg ion 2 ) , Cent ral Lu z on ( Reg ion 3 ) and t he Cordillera Administ rat iv e Reg ion.

Az u rin was also t he former commander of t he S ou t hern Lu z on Police Area which inclu de t he reg ions of Cala-

b arz on ( Cav it e, Lag u na, B at ang as, Riz al, Q u ez on) - Reg ion 4 -A; Mimaropa ( Mindoro, Marindu q u e, Romb lon, Palawan) – Reg ion 4 -B and B icol ( Reg ion 5 ) .

Az u rin is a well-rou nded police officer, having served the PNP in various capacit ies, b ot h in police operat ions and administ rat iv e work .

H e has held st ar-rank posit ions in Camp Crame as direct or of t he D irect orat e for Compt rollership ( D C) as well as t he D irect orat e for Informat ion and Commu nicat ion Technolog y Manag ement ( D ICTM) .

As a newly -promot ed police g eneral, Az u rin also serv ed as direct or of t he Marit ime G rou p and lat er as as t he regional director of Police Regional O ce 1 in Ilocos.

As middle-grade police o cer,

Az u rin serv ed as t he prov incial direct or of B eng u et Prov ince. H e also serv ed as t he Chief Task F orce Limb as of t he H ig hway Pat rol G rou p ( H PG ) and was also the Deputy Operations O cer of President ial Ant i-Org aniz ed Crime Task F orce ( PAOCTF ) .

As a unior o cer, Azurin was assigned to various field units and o ces t hat inclu de t he following : 1 st S pecial Act ion Company in Parang , Mag u indanao; 2 3 1 st Philippine Const ab u lary ( PC) Company in Q u ez on Prov ince; Police Av iat ion S ecu rit y Command -- cu rrent ly t he Av iat ion S ecu rit y G rou p ( AV S EG ) ; Criminal Inv est ig at ion S erv ice Command -- cu rrent ly t he Criminal Inv est ig at ion and D et ect ion G rou p ( CID G ) ; O ce of Internal Security (OIS) Depart ment of Int erior and Local G ov ern-

ment ( D ILG ) ; H ealt h S erv ice; Police Commu nit y Relat ions G rou p -- cu rrently the Police Community Affairs and D ev elopment G rou p ( PCAD G ) ; as well as t he D irect orat e for Personnel and Records Manag ement ( D PRM) .

Q U EZ ON CITY - Part y- list Represent at ive Rodant e Marcolet a and eight ot her lawmake rs have be en elect ed as membe rs of t he powerful Commission on Appoint ment s ( CA) , t he panel which has t he aut horit y t o approve or rej ect t he appoint ees of t he president .

Marcolet a, who wit hdrew from t he 20 S enat e race ahead of May 9 elec-

t ions and ret ur ned as 1- S AG IP part ylist nominee, was elect ed t o t he CA on Wednesday’ s plenary session wit h Represent at ive s Ramon G ui co of Panga sinan, J ur din J esus Romua ldo of Camigui n, Albe rt G arcia of B at aan, Lui s Raym ond V illafue rt e of Camarines S ur , Manue l S aga rba rria of Negr os Orient al, G reg G asat aya of B acolod Cit y , J ohnny Ty Piment el of

S ru iga o del S ur and J ose Padiernos of G P part y- list .

Elect ed as membe rs of t he H ous e of Represent at ive s Elect oral Tribuna l ( H RET) were Represent at ive s V incent G arcia of D ava o Cit y , Pabl o J ohn G arcia of Cebu Cit y , Ma. Theresa Collant es of B at anga s, Nelson D aya nghi rang of D ava o Orient al, Linabe lle V illarica of

B lu acan, Rob ert Raym ond Est rella of Abono pa rt y- list .

U nder t he Const it ut ion, t he H RET is t he sole j udge of all cont est s relat ing t o the election, returns, and ualifications of t he membe rs of t he H ous e of Represent at ive s or t hose who were already proclaimed winners in t he polls by t he Commission on Elect ions.

Azurin named new chief of PNP

va t e inst it ut ions requi ring t he subm ission of t he docum ent s accept only t hose obt ained in t he past six mont hs, creat ing an impression of a six- mont h va lidit y .

Even though the PSA has clarified that these certificates do not have an expirat ion, Revi lla said t he const ant changi ng of t he color of t he secur it y paper leads t o t he rej ect ion of t he accept ance of long- issue d docum ent s

PNP chie , Lt. Gen. Rodol o Azurin Jr.

Marcoleta, others elected to CA, HRET

7 August 4-10, 2022

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Prize winning Filipino journalist Jose Antonio Vargas appointed by Gov. Newsom to CSU Board of Trustees

By Jo Erlinda Mau t S ACRAMENTO – G ov ernor G av in Newsom has appoint ed D r. Elaine E. B at chlor, Carmen Chu , Ana Mat osant os and Mark Rob inson t o t he U niv ersit y of California B oard of Reg ent s.

Newsom also appoint ed lawy er and au t hor Leslie G ilb ert -Lu rie and F ilipinoAmerican Pu lit z er Priz e-winning j ou rnalist and immig rat ion adv ocat e J ose Ant onio V arg as t o t he California S t at e U niv ersit y B oard of Tru st ees. “ These leaders from div erse b ack g rou nds, walk s of life and California reg ions b ring a b road swat h of ex pert ise and ex perience t o ou r world-class colleg es and u niv ersit ies at a piv ot al t ime for ou r st at e, ” said G ov ernor Newsom. “ I look forward t o cont inu ing ou r work in part nership wit h t he st at e’ s hig her edu cat ion leaders t o ex pand access t o more st u dent s, creat e deb t -free pat hway s, eliminat e eq u it y g aps and increase opport u nit ies for t he nex t g enerat ion of leaders t o achiev e t heir dreams and b u ild a b rig ht er fu t u re for ou r st at e, ” Newsom said.

V arg as, 4 1 , of B erk eley in t he B ay Area, was appoint ed t o t he California S t at e U niv ersit y B oard of Tru st ees, a v ital position but basically honorific with a compensat ion of $ 1 0 0 . H e will hav e t o be confirmed by the State Senate like the

ot her appoint ees.

V arg as was b orn in Ant ipolo, Philippines and raised in Mou nt ain V iew, California since he was 1 2 y ears old. H e learned he was u ndocu ment ed when he was 1 6 and was t ry ing t o secu re a driv er’ s license.

V arg as, who pu b lished his memoir “ D ear America: Not es of an U ndocu ment ed Cit iz en, ” was part of The Washing t on Post t eam t hat won t he Pu lit z er Priz e for B reak ing News Report ing in 2 0 0 8 for cov erag e of t he V irg inia Tech shoot ing online and in print . H e was report er of t he newspaper from 2 0 0 4 t o 2 0 0 9 .

V arg as, who has b een awarded t hree honorary doct orat e deg rees, also work ed as cit y desk report er for t he S an F rancisco Chronicle from 2 0 0 0 t o 2 0 0 4 , t he Philadelphia D aily News and senior cont rib uting editor of The Hu ngton Post from 2 0 0 9 t o 2 0 1 0 . H e wrot e, produ ced, and directed the autobiographical 013 film D ocu ment ed, which CNN F ilms b roadcast in J u ne 2 0 1 4 .

V arg as has since fou nded and b ecame the Key Strategic Consultant of Define American, an immig rant edu cat ion and adv ocacy g rou p where he has work ed since 2 0 1 1 .

V arg as serv es on TheD ream. U S Adv isory B oard. This posit ion req u ires S enate confirmation and the compensation is

nrile s e chie in o o ficer is dep ty legal co nsel

OATH-TAKING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administers the oath o o ce to the new deputy and assistant presiden�al legal counsels in a ceremony at the Recep�on Hall in M al ac añ an Pal ac e.

MANILA – Lawy er J oseph S ag andoy has t ak en his oat h as depu t y president ial leg al cou nsel of President F erdinand Marcos J r.

Marcos administ ered S ag andoy ’ s oat h as shown in a v ideo of t he ceremony post ed in t he official Radio Telev ision Malacañ ang ( RTV M) F aceb ook pag e. “ President F erdinand R. Marcos J r. , t og et her wit h Chief President ial Leg al Cou nsel S ecret ary J u an Ponce Enrile, administ ers t he oat h of office t o At t y . J oseph S ag andoy as D epu t y President ial Leg al Cou nsel in a ceremony at t he Recept ion H all in Malacañ an Palace on Au g u st 2 , 2 0 2 2 , ” t he

RTV M said.

S ag andoy receiv ed his B achelor of Laws deg ree from t he U niv ersit y of t he Philippines in 1 9 9 7 and his B achelor of S cience deg ree in B u siness Manag ement from t he same u niv ersit y in 1 9 9 2 .

H e was admit t ed t o t he Philippine B ar in 1 9 9 7 .

H e is also Enrile’ s lawy er and former chief informat ion officer and secret ary of U niwide H olding s, Inc. Lawy ers Marfort h F u a, Rog el G at chalian, H u b ert D ominic G u ev ara, J ames J ay son J orv ina, and Edwardson Ong also t ook t heir oat h as assist ant president ial leg al cou nsels.

$ 1 0 0 per diem. V arg as is not reg ist ered t o v ot e. “ As a prou d g radu at e of S an F rancisco S t at e U niv ersit y — Class of 2 0 0 4 , b efore t here was D ACA, when t he D ream Act was 3 y ears old, when t here was lit t le v ocab u lary and su pport for u ndocu ment ed st u dent s — I am honored, hu mb led, and ex cit ed, ” V arg as said in response t o t he appoint ment .

The S F S U is part of t he California U niv ersit y S y st em g ov erned b y t he CS U B oard of Tru st ees of which V arg as is now a memb er.

The CS U B oard of Tru st ees t o which V arg as was appoint ed is a 2 5 -memb er g rou p t hat ov ersees “ reg u lat ions and policies g ov erning t he ent ire CS U sy st em, ” t he larg est fou r-y ear u niv ersit y sy st em in t he U nit ed S t at es.

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 NATIONAL NEWS Monkeypox...

(From page 1)

anot her 31- ye ar-old F ilipino male had be en found t o be posit ive for monke yp ox, and is also recove ring while in isolat ion.

Department of Health o cer-in-charge Dr. Maria Rosario S ingh- V erge ire sought t o allay t he gr owing fears by sayi ng in v arious int ervi ews t hat monke ypox is rarely fat al. On t he nega t iv e side, howeve r, t he vi rus is eve n easier t o spread t han COV ID -19, alt houg h she t ook gr eat pains t o assur e t he publ ic t hat monke yp ox “ is not hing l ike COV ID .”

S he also said t hat monke ypox us ua lly st rike s men rat her t han women, and t hose who are sexua lly act ive with different partners are at maximum risk. And while t he maj orit y of cases invol ve d men havi ng sexua l relat ions wit h ot her men, t he D OH said monke ypox cannot be considered as a sexua lly t ransmit t ed disease.

Man-on-t he-st reet int ervi ews by va rious news orga niz at ions indicat ed t hat F ilipinos are worried, especially aft er t he ongoi ng resur ge nce of COV ID -19 coupl ed wit h t he widespread cases of dengue t hat has caus ed seve ral hundr ed fat alit ies t his ye ar.

A mot her int ervi ewed by a local TV st at ion st at ed what many F ilipinos are feeling. “ When will t hese out br eaks end? ” she said.

PHL...

(From page 1)

port ed t hat 89 0 more Omicron B A.5 cases have be en det ect ed in all regi ons in t he count ry , exc ept t he B angs amoro Aut onomous Regi on in Mus lim Mindanao ( B ARMM) and S occsks arge n.

This deve loped as New York G ove rnor Kat hy H ochul declared an emerge ncy in t he st at e lat e on F riday amid t he monke ypox out br eak.

As of J u ly 29, New York report ed 1,38 monke ypox cases, t he New York s t at e healt h depart ment said. “ I am declaring a S t at e D isast er Emerge ncy t o strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront the monkeypox out br eak,” Kat hy H ochul said on Twit t er.

The g ov ernor said t he move will enabl e aut horit ies t o respond more swift ly , and it pave s t he way for medical staff to take further steps that will help get more New Yorke rs va ccinat ed.

More t han one in four monke ypox cases in t he U S are in New York, cur rent ly havi ng a disproport ionat e

August 4-10, 2022

8

Eve n t he president chimed in t o allay t he pu bl ic’ s fears, repeat ing t he message of t he D epart ment of H ealt h OIC t hat monke ypox is rarely fat al and cannot compare t o t he coronavi rus pandemic.

President F erdinand Marcos J r. said t hat while it was “ unf ort una t e” t hat t he new vi rus had reached t he Philippines, “ it is not somet hing t o be afraid of,” he said in t he ve rnacul ar.

S t ill, fears of monke ypox persist be caus e of what is now happening in t he U S as well as ot her part s of t he world.

In California, for exa mple, G ove rnor G avi n Newsom declared a st at e of emerge ncy t his week as t he monke ypox out br eak be ga n t o t ake it s t oll.

In a st at ement , Newsom said: “ California is working ur ge nt ly across all leve ls of gove rnment t o slow t he spread of monke ypox, leve ragi ng our robus t t est ing, cont act t racing and communi t y part nerships st rengt hened dur ing t he pandemic t o ensur e t hat t hose most at risk are our focus for va ccines, t reat ment and out reach.”

Newsom’ s announc ement came as cases cont inue d t o climb wit hin t he G olden S t at e, wit h at least 786 cases report ed t hroughout California.

The out br eak has also spread in t he East Coast , wit h New York ha vi ng a gr owing num be r of cases.

The fears of some are t hat monke ypox will be gi n wit h a singl e case and spread qui ckl y , a s what happened

in Manila in 20 when a Chinese vi sit or from Wuhan provi nce br ought in t he coronavi ru s, which spread t hroughout t he archipelago i n a mat t er of weeks .

The deat h t oll of COV ID in t he Philippines is more t han 60, and cont inue s t o gr ow, albe it at a muc h slower pace since t he int roduc t ion of va ccines in 201.

Monke ypox, howeve r, while not as deadly as coronavi rus has scared t he wit s out of people as pict ur es shown in newspapers, t elevi sion, and online show infect ed people with ugly, pus-filled lesions.

Once a person has be en infect ed, t hat person can qui ckl y spread t he vi rus t hrough simple phys ical cont act or eve n inhaling t he cou gh droplet s of an infect ed pat ient .

Most F ilipinos have lit t le unde rst anding of t he lat est gl oba l healt h scare, which origi nat ed ou t of Africa and has qui ckl y spread t o ot her part s of t he world in t he last few weeks .

It is, howeve r, not a new vi rus as monke ypox was first discovered in 19 .

Incident ally , t he disease may not be connect ed t o monke ys at all, since t he sour ce of t he disease remains unknow n.

D r. V ergi ere also had good and ba d news t o spare.

S he said t hat t he va ccine us ed aga inst smallpox is like ly to be effective against monkeypox. Unfortunately, the Philippines is in short suppl y of t he smallpox va ccine.

impact on at -risk gr oups , a ccording t o H ochul . “ We are worki ng around t he clock t o secur e more va ccines, expa nd t est ing capacit y , and educ at e New Yorke rs on how t o st ay s afe,” she said.

Meanwhile, a F ilipino was report ed t o have be en infect ed wit h monke y pox i n S inga pore.

The country’s first case of monkeypox is currently isolat ed at home t o recove r as t he pat ient has shown no more symptoms, according to DOH o cer-in-charge Maria Rosario V erge ire.

The D OH recorded an ave rage daily at t ack rat e ( AD AR) of 2.5 pe r 10, popul at ion as of J ul y 28.

The OCTA Research, meanwhile, obs erve d “ ve ry high” Covi d-19 posit ivi t y rat es of 20 percent and above in 14 pr ovi nces in Luz on as of J ul y 29.

Isabe la recorded a posit ivi t y rat e of 36. percent , followed by Tarlac wit h 31.6 percent , and Laguna wit h 30.9 pe rcent .

Ot her provi nces wit h posit ivi t y rat es above 20 percent were Alba y , Caga ya n, Camarines S ur , Cavi t e, La

U nion, Nue va Ecij a, Pampanga , Panga sinan, Q ue z on, Riz al, a nd Z amba les.

The posit ivi t y rat e in t he Nat ional Capit al Regi on slight ly increased from 14.2 percent on J ul y 23 t o 15 percent on J ul y 29. “ Eve n wit h t he obs erve d increase in cases, it is more import ant t hat our be d and ICU ( int ensiv e care uni t ) ut iliz at ion rat es st ay low -- meaning our hospit als st ay open and not ove rwhelmed,” t he D OH said in a st at ement . “ Nat ionwide -- as of J ul y 28, 20 -- we are st ill at low risk case classification with an average daily attack rat e of 2.5 cases per 10K popul at ion and a be d and ICU ut iliz at ion rat e of less t han 29% and 24% respect ive ly ,” it added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed t hat a F ilipino nat ional t est ed posit ive for monke ypox in S inga pore. “ There is one report ed case of a F ilipino male in S inga pore who has be en infect ed wit h monke ypox. ( The Philippine Emba ssy in) S inga pore is monit oring t he case,” said Ma. Teresit a D az a, D F A spoke sperson.

Ex-President...

3 1 8 West lak e Cent er, S u it e 2 3 2 D aly Cit y , CA 9 4 0 1 5 Office: ( 6 5 0 ) 7 5 5 -1 8 1 6

(From page 1)

ex pect ed t o b e int erred at t he Lib ing an ng mg a B ay ani.

A st at e fu neral for t he former leader has also b een set on Au g u st 9 . “ It is wit h g reat sorrow t hat we learn of t he passing of former President F idel V . Ramos, ” said Press S ecret ary Trix ie Cru z -Ang eles in a st at ement . “ H e leav es b ehind a colorfu l leg acy and a secu re place in hist ory for his part icipat ion in t he g reat chang es of our country, both as military o cer and chief execut iv e, ” Ang eles said.

Ramos, a g radu at e of t he U nit ed S t at es Milit ary Academy at West Point and a civ il eng ineering g radu at e in U niv ersit y of Illinois, and a decorat ed milit ary and police o cer, served as the country’s 1 th chief executive from 1 9 9 2 t o 1 9 9 8 , su cceeding Coraz on Aq u ino as t he cou nt ry ’ s second president aft er t he People Power Rev olu t ion.

Government o cials in the Philippines and overseas ex pressed g rief ov er t he loss of Ramos.

S enat e ident J u an Mig u el Z u b iri said t he cou nt ry has lost a “ t ru ly b rilliant man. ” “ President Ramos was prob ab ly one of ou r b rig ht est leaders, who alway s seemed a st ep ahead of ev ery one.

May b e it was his milit ary b ack g rou nd, b u t as a polit ician he was alway s ab le t o q u ick ly assess t he landscape and formu lat e t he b est way forward t hrou g h consu lt at ion and consensu s, ” Z u b iri said in a st at ement . “ That was his leg acy as President — he left b ehind a b rand of democrat ic leadership t hat allowed for u s t o g row int o t he new Asian t ig er of t he ninet ies, ” he added.

9 August 4-10, 2022 China...

(From page 1)

D ue t o t he height ened t ension, t he Philippines put on alert it s armed forces as well as diplomat s. “ The Philippines is closely monit oring deve lopment s in this regard,” Foreign Affairs Spokesperson and Amba ssador Tess D az a said in a st at ement .

The Philippine government also urged the two superpowers t o avoi d any m iscalcul at ion due t o t he vi sit .

“It is important for the US and China to ensure cont inui ng commu nicat ion t o avoi d any miscalcul at ion and further escalation of tensions. e trust that China and the United States will be responsible actors in the region,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

China, which considers Taiwan as its territory, had warned Pelosi against the visit but the US leader defied the warning and, during his meeting with Taiwan leaders, de clared suppor t t o “ democrat ic” Taiwan. “ Today t he world faces a choice be t ween democracy and aut ocracy ,” Ms. Pelosi said dur ing a meet ing wit h the Taiwan president. “America’s determination to preserve democracy here in Taiwan and around t he world remains ironclad.”

Before and during Pelosi’s visit, China conducted milit ary exe rcises near and around Taiwan, prompt ing the US to send its nuclear-powered warships in Philippine wat ers near Taiwan.

Pelosi’s Taiwan visit was reported to be an affront to China President i Jinping, who had made unifying Taiwan and China a goal in his administration.

Amid the heightened tension, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ew to Manila to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other o cials on various matt ers in t he age nda, includi ng t he mut ua l defense t reat y between the US and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, as the Ukraine-Russia war continues amid the rising tension in Asia Pacific, United Nations secret ary ge neral Ant onio G ut erres warned t hat t he world faced “ a nuc lear dange r not seen since t he height of the Cold ar” and was ust “one miscalculation away

from nuc lear annihilat ion.” “ e have been extraordinarily lucky so far. But luck is not a strategy. Nor is it a shield from geopolitical tensions boiling over into nuclear con ict,” Guterres said at the start of a conference in New York of countries belonging to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

G ut erres said t he conference was “ a chance t o strengthen” the treaty and “make it fit for the worrying world around us,” citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and t ensions on t he Korean peninsul a and in t he Middle East .

Earlier, Stephen Lovegrove, Britain’s national securit y advi ser, warned t he West needs t o est abl ish be t t er communication with China and Russia or risk miscalculat ing i t s way i nt o a nuc lear war.

Blinken will visit Manila on August and to further strengthen ashington’s long-time alliance with the Philippines.

Blinken, in his first trip to the country as US Secretary of State, will meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Philippine counterpart Enri ue Manalo on Aug. , Saturday.

“They are expected to discuss bilateral efforts to strengthen the US-Philippines alliance, through increased cooperat ion on energy , t rade, and inve st ment , advancing shared democratic values, and pandemic recovery,” the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

Marcos has a standing invitation from US President Joe Biden to visit ashington. hile in Manila, Secretary Blinken will meet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enri ue Manalo to discuss a wide range of issue s, focus ing on sus t aining t he posit ive tra ectory of relations between the Philippines and the United States, strengthening the alliance, and broadening cooperat ion in t he economic sphere, in t he cont ext of both countries’ efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, t he climat e crisis, and ot her regi onal and gl oba l challenge s.

The visit follows that of Deputy Secretary of State endy Sherman, the State Department’s second-highest o cial, in June 0 .

This is the first visit of a US Secretary of State to the

Philippines in three years after Mike Pompeo in February 019.

Blinken’s trip takes place a month after China’s top diplomat ang Yi’s meeting with Marcos and other senior Philippine o cials in Manila. hen the Philippines marked the th anniversary of its arbitration victory against China on July 1 , Blinken rea rmed America’s commitment to defend the Philippines against any armed attack in the South China Sea and re ected anew China’s massive claim on the resource-rich waters.

The Philippines and the US have a 0-year-old defense accord, called t he Mut ua l D efense Treat y , t hat binds ashington to defend its Asian ally from aggression.

Although not a party to the disputes, the US maintained that keeping the South China Sea – a ma or trade route - open and accessible is within its national interest.

China, which considers the sea disputes a purely Asian issue, is opposed to any foreign intervention, particularly from the US. Before his Philippine visit, Blinken would first participate on August 3- in the US-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

 NATIONAL NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

10

Marcos appoints Bacarro as AFP chief of staff, de Lemos as NBI chief B y J ean n e M i c h ael Pen ar an d a MANILA – President F erdinand Marcos J r. has chosen Lt . G en. B art olome V icent e B acarro, commander of t he Armed F orces t he Philippines – S ou t hern Lu z on Command, as new AF P chief of staff.

Marcos J r. also appoint ed long -t ime Assist ant D irect or Medardo de Lemos as t he new direct or of t he Nat ional B u reau of Inv est ig at ion ( NB I) . “ D irect or D e Lemos rose from t he rank s and his appoint ment as NB I D irect or is a st rong indicat ion of President

Mayor...

Marcos’ commit ment in st reng t hening t he sy st em of ‘ merit ocracy ’ in t he promot ion, placement and hiring of g ov ernment personnel, ” said Press S ecret ary Trix ie Cru z -Ang eles.

D e Lemos, a lawy er and career officer who had been with the NBI for 3 7 y ears, was earlier desig nat ed NB I o cer-in-charge (OIC) by Justice Secret ary J esu s Crispin Remu lla.

He replaced Eric Distor, who was appoint ed b y President Rodrig o D u t ert e last March.

An at t ached ag ency of t he D OJ , t he NB I is mandat ed t o inv est ig at e or assist

in t he inv est ig at ion of maj or crimes in t he cou nt ry .

B acarro will assu me his post du ring t he chang e of command for t he new AFP chief of staff on August to give him t ime t o wind down at t he S OLCOM and prov ide him wit h t he t ransit ion t o his new posit ion in Camp Ag u inaldo.

A g radu at e of t he Philippine Milit ary Academy , B acarro was b orn on S ept .

1 , 19 in San Fernando, La Union.

H e g radu at ed in t he u pper q u art ile of L t. G en . B ar to l o me V i c en te B ac ar r o PMA “Maringal” Class of 19 . in PMA, is slated for a new post befitAng eles said ou t g oing CS -AF P G en. ting a former chief of staff.

Andres Cent ino, a classmat e of B acarro

(From page 1) be done on eve n cul t ur al releva nt and re- D aly Cit y Police D epart ment .

be arers, relat ionships wit h law enforcement , fear, all play a role in t he hesit at ion,” Magbua l said. “ S ome of t he hesit at ion for report ing st ems from cul t ur al st igm a and mist rus t of law enforcement .

There are fears t hat j us t ice will not preva il be caus e of t he bur eauc rat ic process. ” Magbual said that the process of filing a complaint , possibi lit y of obt aining represent at ion, t he t ime and money t o prov e t hat suc h cases can b e charge d as a hat e crime are challengi ng and t hat langua ge can be ba rrier as well. “ We have a cur rent campaign suc h as our D aly Cit y aga inst H at e. We’ ve part nered wit h local bus inesses, communi t y orga niz at ions, and st ude nt s t o be proact ive , bu t I t hink t here’ s more t hat needs t o

sponsive servi ces t o serve vi ct ims of hat e crimes,” Magbua l st at ed. “ As a preve nt at ive measu re, we need t o st art educ at ing our yout h about race, racism, sexi sm, homophobi a at a younge r age .”

The Mayor added that Jefferson Elementary and Jefferson Union High S chool D ist rict hav e t ak en measu res to integrate Ethnic Studies to their curricu lu m as a req u irement , adding t his is import ant t o u nderst and t he root cau ses of oppression so ou r st u dent s can learn how v iolence and racism has b een embedded in the establishment of the United S t at es and how cu rrent hat e crimes are produ ct s of t his lineag e.

H e also adv ised v ict ims of hat e crimes t o g o t o t he v ict im assist ance sect ion of t he D aly Cit y B rochu re b y

Mag b u al said he b eliev es v ict ims of hat e crimes are t arg et ed and t hat it is a shame for people, especially elders, shou ld not b e afraid of g oing ou t side. “ They came t o t his cou nt ry for freedom and t he au t onomy t o g o t o work and raise t heir children. F or elders, I’ d st rong ly adv ise t hem t o b e cau t iou s of t heir su rrou nding s, carry pepper spray , a whist le t o draw at t ent ion if t here are t hreat s, ” said Mag b u al. “ F or y ou ng people, t o u nderst and and edu cat e ou rselv es ab ou t racism and v iolence. To u nderst and t hat racism are produ ced and reprodu ced in ou r ev ery day conv ersat ions wit h family , friends, co-work ers.

S t ereot y pes dehu maniz es people t hat allows b ehav ior and v iolence t o occu r. ” Magbual admitted that his o ce has

not reached ou t y et and collab orat ed wit h org aniz at ions lik e S TOP AAPI HATE to talk about the issue on cases of hat e crimes ag ainst Asians b u t recalled hav ing D r. Ru ssell J eu ng , who leads S t op AAPI H at e, as his professor in Asian American S t u dies at S an F rancisco State University. “ Alt hou g h cu rrent ly t here are no ag reement s wit h any org aniz at ions, I am open t o creat ing part nerships.

Ag reement s wit h t hem may inclu de sharing of informat ion on hat e incident s, hav ing common cont act persons and/or nu mb ers t hat v ict ims of hat e incidents can run to/call on, united effort in helping v ict ims in any way inclu ding recov ering from t rau ma, report ing incidents and pursuing filing of cases etc.,” Mag b u al said.

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11 August 4-10, 2022

 OPINION Abuse rooted...

(From page 1)

Upside

some way s t o help inclu ding “ act iv e list ening and not int erru pt ing . ” “ Respect t heir au t onomy b y ask ing t hem what t hey need and how y ou can help t hem, ” she said, holding u p a directory of services published by the organization.

Called “ A-List , ” t he b ook let list s family serv ice prov iders v et t ed for cu lt u ral and ling u ist ic compet ence. The 2 0 2 2 edit ion is sponsored b y t he Town of Colma. “ AU TH ENTIC” LES S ONS The students’ comments reflected awareness of the issue. One raised his family’s skepticism about going to the police for int erv ent ion, a common mindset among t hose CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO who had fled t y ranny in t heir b irt h land. Anot her lau ded IPV t raining now req u ired in t he police academy . One commended post ing of small st ick ers wit h t he IPV hot line in pu b lic rest rooms, a st ealt h t act ic t o b ridg e su rv iv ors wit h prov iders.

Their professor appreciat ed t hat his st u dent s “ learned ab ou t t he u nev en power dy namics in intimate relationships that cause indebtedness (utang na loob) and the danger” of replicat ing ab u se. The fat her of t wo commended t he v ideo showing fear, v iolence and harm are learned in infancy and not lat er in life, a common assu mpt ion.

“Marginalization of news reports that do not mention domestic violence in the Filipino commu nit y ” disheart ened D au s-Mag b u al. H earing t he v ariou s forms of ab u se in actual Filipino cases and Agasid’s personal testimony struck him as “authentic and real”(lessons) he hopes his students would “apply to their lives,” said the community adv ocat e, who is a first -t ime May or of D aly Cit y .

His dual leadership role gives him a platform to work toward the decolonization he hopes t o achiev e for his class and b ey ond. H is elect ed post , he said, is ideal for his b rand of edu cat ion. “ I t each t he whole rang e of st u dent s from Lolos and Lolas, t o peers who want t o chang e careers, sing le parent s, work ing class people, t o first y ear colleg e st u dent s t hat g iv es me t he insig ht on what issu es affect t hem. ” H e ask s: “ What are t he hardships t hey g o t hrou g h? What do t hey wish t o see in t he commu nit ies t hey liv e, especially since a larg e maj orit y are from D aly Cit y . ” H is is a u niq u e posit ion in g ov ernance.

U NIQ U E LENS ES “ B eing an Et hnic S t u dies edu cat or g iv es me t he int erdisciplinary lens t o look at hist ory , polit ics, sociolog y , ant hropolog y , and psy cholog y t o help inform my decision as a policy mak er, ” he ex plained. “ I hav e a holist ic v iew of t he past , t he g rit t o work t og et her in t he present , and an imag inat iv e v iew of t he fu t u re. ” As he t eaches, D au s-Mag b u al liv es and learns. H e and his wife Arlene are b ot h long t ime social act iv ist s, U C Riv erside alu ms, co-au t hors of Crit ical Pin@ y Parent ing and collab orat ors b ehind Pin@ y Edu cat ional Part nerships. A ment oring prog ram fou nded b y S F S U Asian American S t u dies Prof. D r. Ally son Tint iang co-Cu b ales, t hey hav e g u ided almost 3 5 0 t eachers prepare for all lev els of edu cat ion. “ I learned t hat u nderst anding ou r hist ory has power t o k now who y ou are, t he st ory of y ou r family , y ou r commu nit y , y ou r people and it b ecomes t he fu el t o t ransform and serv e ou r commu nit y t o fig ht for eq u it y and u lt imat ely for freedom, ” he assert ed.

H imself a first -g enerat ion F ilipino/Canadian American, he can relat e t o his st u dent s inclu ding mix ed-race F ilipinos wit h a passion driv en b y his personal mot t o, “ No hist ory , no self. ” – Adapt ed from orig inal reprint ed wit h permission from INQ U IRER. NET. (C ont i nue d on page 25)

EDITORIAL

Fidel V. Ramos was the statesman the Philippines needed

T

he passing of former President F idel V . Ramos t his week came as a shock t o many , inclu ding his closest associat es du ring his t ime as chief ex ecu t iv e of t he Repu b lic of t he Philippines.

He did live to the ripe old age of 94, but being a lifetime health buff (and av id g olfer, we mu st add) , he was in ex cellent shape u nt il t he t ime he disappeared from t he pu b lic scene a few mont hs ag o.

H is cau se of deat h was list ed as complicat ions du e t o COV ID -1 9 and when t he sad news spread, countless government o cials, business leaders, retired and active military o cers, mediamen who covered him, and ordinary citizens were lavish in their tributes for the man affectionately known as Tabako.’

H e did lov e his cig ars, alt hou g h he rarely lit t hem.

In deat h, F V R was rememb ered for his nu merou s accomplishment s, and he earned the tag of Steady Eddie, for his huge role in stabilizing both the political and financial st at e of t he Philippines when he assu med t he presidency .

World leaders recalled t he t ime t hat he lift ed t he Philippines t o t ig er cu b economy st at u s, and he mig ht hav e b rou g ht t he cou nt ry t o fu ll dev eloped world st at u s had he b een allowed t o serv e long er.

B u t ev en in ret irement he cont inu ed t o sell t he Philippines t o t he ou t side world.

H e was one of t he b est salesmen t he cou nt ry cou ld hav e as he cont inu ou sly t old any foreig n inv est or who wou ld list en t hat t he land he once ru led as president for six prog ressiv e y ears was an ex cellent place t o park t heir fu nds.

Tak ing ov er from t he lat e President Cory Aq u ino, F V R had t he t ou g h t ask of facing t he my riad of prob lems t he Philippines had t o face, not t he least of which was t he seriou s power crisis, an u nst ab le polit ical sy st em b at t ered b y a series of cou p at t empt s ag ainst Madame Aq u ino, and an economy t hat was g oing nowhere fast .

As an eng ineer b y t raining and a milit ary man b y profession, F V R t ook t he st eps t hat few Philippine leaders had t he capacit y t o do.

Along t he way , he commit t ed some errors, not t he least of which was allowing t he ret u rn of t he Marcoses who nev er willing ly ret u rned t heir st olen wealt h.

B u t what ev er mist ak es he may hav e commit t ed cert ainly paled in comparison t o t he massiv e chang es – for t he b et t er, we mu st add – he was ab le t o pu sh t hrou g h, inclu ding set t ing t he st ag e for peace t alk s wit h t he Moro Nat ional Lib erat ion F ront , b reak ing down t he long -st anding b u siness monopolies, and set t ing t he ex ample as one of t he hardest work ing president s of all.

S adly , his preferred candidat e t o su cceed him failed t o win, and he mu st hav e b een extremely disappointed when his successor proved to be a lazy leader of uestionable moral v alu es.

Perhaps his b ig g est t rag edy was a personal one, t he passing of one of his dau g ht ers at a fairly y ou ng ag e a lit t le more t han a decade ag o.

That u nb earab le pain he k ept from t he pu b lic, and soon enou g h he was b ack accept ing inv it at ions from all ov er t he g lob e, alway s speak ing well of his b elov ed Philippines. H e cont inu ed t o play g olf and crack corny j ok es, and he was as b elov ed as ev er b y his people.

We cou ld g o on and on ex t olling t he g reat ness of t he man whose leg acy is already assured. So we will ust say, ob well done, sir. You’ve earned your place in history.

Rest in peace, President F idel V . Ramos, a F ilipino st at esman for t he ag es.

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 OPINION

August 4-10, 2022

“Fidel Valdez Ramos: Summa MSS Client Praises, Endorses “Real Estate & You” as Lasting Gift Cum Laude.” “

Rest easy now, FVR

W

e F ilipinos hav e alway s fou nd it easier t o die for ou r cou nt ry t han liv e for it . In t imes of peace and civ il order, we seem t o frit t er away in b ick ering .

We split so easily int o fract ions, each int ent on it s pet t y ag enda. We play at int rig u e: each pu rsu ing his or her self int erest , alt hou g h doing so may b e self defeat ing . ” MELA ND REW T . V ELA S CO Thu s wrot e former President F idel V aldez Ramos as part of his foreword in t he landmark b ook “ Twilig ht G lory : A Trib u t e t o F ilipino H eroes and V et erans” pu b lished in Au g u st 0 0 by Philippine Veterans Affairs O ce (PVAO), Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc (MTVI( and the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation (RPDEV).

Prophetic it may seem were the former Chief Executive’s words of wisdom, Twilig ht G lory wou ld g o down as my last b ook collab orat ion wit h F V R who j oined ou r Creat or last S u nday , J u ly 3 1 , at t he ripe ag e of 9 4 .

For over 0 years since my first book on the Ramos family pu b lished in Nov emb er 2 0 0 0 in t ime for t he b irt h cent ennial of FVR’s father, Ambassador Narciso R. Ramos, I have authored and co-published 1 landmark books on FVR’s family memb ers and his fou ndat ion.

Not all are priv ileg ed t o work wit h a former Philippine president .

I’ve had the blessing of serving alongside FVR whose lov e for ou r cou nt ry and heart for g ood g ov ernance alway s ring a b ell u nt il he b reat he his last .

FVR or Steady Eddie, as he was fondly called by his peers and const it u ent s, was b et t er k nown not j u st for his t hu mb s-u p sig n, “ Kay a Nat in It o” slog an, his ears or his t ob acco b u t also for his pu sh-u ps and cru nches and his prog rams of his administ rat ion especially wit h Philippines 2 0 0 0 .

B efore Cov id 1 9 came int o b eing in early 2 0 2 0 , F V R, even at a ripe age of 9 still reported to his RPDEV o ce in Makati almost daily but stopped playing golf I. 0 1 upon doctor’s advice.

Even in his nonagenarian years, he never failed to carry on what he had st art ed. Alway s a g ood soldier, F V R alway s lik ed t o say t hat he wou ld rat her die serv ing his cou nt ry wit h his b oot s on t han sit idly t o enj oy his ret irement . Thu s, I rememb er him cont inu ing t o inspire and t o st imu lat e, st ir and enthuse, define and redefine, challenge and defy the odds.

In hindsight, even 4 years after he finished his term as President, FVR or Eddie, the private citizen, refused to be “ t ired ev en while ret ired. ” H e cont inu ed t o b e “ a reformer despite being a former President,” and delighted by an “ex” but never considered him to be an excess and not yet expired.

Other former chiefs of state write their memoirs and then fade into the sunset. FVR was an exception. In fact, he had writ t en more t han 3 0 b ook s while in ret irement and t hrou g h k ey not e speeches, rou ndt ab le discu ssions, u niv ersit y conv ocat ions, et c. , k ept reminding his su ccessors and ot her leaders of the urgent things what’s needed to be done for our country and people t o achiev e a b et t er fu t u re.

My relationship with FVR can be described as a wonderfu l j ou rney t hat t ranscended b ey ond t he b ook s we hav e done t og et her.

As st at ed earlier, since 2 0 0 0 , F V R had commissioned me to write on the biographies of his loved ones “Enduring Legacy,” on his father Foreign Affairs Secretary Narciso Ramos “ In A Class of Her Own,” on his mother Angela Valdez Ramos “Mommy The Pillar of Social ork” on his motherin-law Josefa Jara Martinez “Simply Ming,” on First Lady Amelita “Ming” M. Ramos “Uncle Sim” on Simeon Marcos V aldez ; and, “ Colors of Lig ht ” on his art ist , poet ess and ambassador’s spouse auntie Lucia Mangapit Valdez.

Among t he b est b ook proj ect s we work ed and produ ced t og et her are: S ilv er Lining s, a st ory on t he 2 5 Years of t he 19 Revolution, RPDEV 1 Our Continuing Voyage for Enduring Peace and Sustainable Development and the first volume, Teamwork for Enduring Peace and Sustainable Dev elopment chronicling t en y ears of t he Ramos Peace and D evelopment Foundation (RPDEV), a non-profit, non-political, non-part isan non-g ov ernment org aniz at ion where he serv ed as chair.

Our last book together as co-publishers was co-authored with PVAO Administrator Gen. (C ont i nue on page 27)

THE OUTSIDER

In My Heart

MSS Client Praises, Endorses “Real Estate You” as Last ing G ift As accredit ed and commissioned Not ary Pu b lic and founder of Mobile Signing Services (MSS), I was fortunate to not ariz e last J u ly 4 , 2 0 2 2 t he Special of Attorney (SPA) for D aisy and her t wo b rot hers on t he sale of t wo propert ies located in Metro Manila, PhilipA RT G A B OT MA D LA ING pines. I, t hen, followed u p t he apost ille of t he not ariz ed S PA wit h t he S ecret ary of S t at e, Not ary Pu b lic S ect ion in S acrament o, California.

On July 1 , 0 the apostilled SPA by the California Secretary of State was delivered to me through the prepaid Priority Mail by our local mailman in San Francisco, California. On the same day, Daisy, a new MSS client, picked up in our home in San Francisco t he pack ag e cont aining t he apost illed S PA t og et her wit h an au t ographed paperback copy of global best seller “REAL ESTATE YOU) ( pages with paperback Amazon price of 1 .9 per copy) subtitled “”Your Basic Guide Information for Successful Investing in Home, Land and Income Property,” dated May , 0 t o commemorat e ou r 4 8 t h Wedding Anniv ersary .

On July 1 , 00 Sunday afternoon, I got an unexpected call from Daisy who shared her excitement about the book “REAL ESTATE YOU” which I gave as a lasting gift to her. ith so much enthusiasm, she wanted another copy of REAL YOU” for her older brother. She also re uested a copy of the original Edition of “REAL ESTATE YOU.” Daisy told me that the book “REAL ESTATE YOU” given to her was the answer to her prayers. She, then, confided her mistake in adding t he name of her son in t he t it le of one of her propert ies locat ed in an u pscale neig hb orhood in t he Peninsu la. I adv ised D aisy to read more on the sub ect of TITLE VESTING in the book.

“Your book “REAL ESTATE YOU” is uni ue and one of a k ind, ” D aisy t old me. “ I went t o st u dy real est at e in a u niv ersit y in S an F rancisco. I hav e ev en inv est ed in sev eral propert ies b u t t here are so many point ers, adv ises and warning s in y ou r b ook which are new t o me, ” D aisy cont inu ed. “ Any b ody who is planning or ev en t hink ing of b u y ing or selling real estate MUST order and read first your latest Edition of “REAL ESTATE YOU”, This way, they can avoid costly and unexpected mistakes like what I experienced,” she echoed.

“I am giving a copy of “REAL ESTATE YOU” to my brother as a g ift . This is t he b est and last ing g ift I can g iv e him. Can I come and pick up some copies now I’ll be in your home in 30 minutes,” D aisy said.

While D aisy was driv ing from t he Peninsu la t o ou r home in S an F rancisco, I prepared t he au t og raphed copy of t he Third Print ing of “REAL ESTATE YOU” (hardcover with Amazon price of 19.9 per copy)and the autographed copy of the original Edition of “REAL ESTATE YOU” printed and dated March, 19 .

D aisy arriv ed in ou r home ab ou t 5 : 3 0 pm S u nday and I t old her t o park her car in ou r driv eway . Aft er some preliminaries, I present ed to Daisy the autographed copies of Third Printing (hardcover) and the original Edition of “REAL ESTATE YOU.” “ ow, this is awesome ” Daisy exclaimed upon receiving the autographed books on real estate. “I’ll keep these books for my personal library at home. Then, I’ll give the paperback copy of REAL ESTATE YOU” I got from you earlier as my lasting gift to my brother who is residing in Fairfield, California,” she echoed.

“Yes, I’ve met your brother when my beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and I visited him for the notarization and apostille follow up of SPA needed in the Philippines. But, I didn’t mention anything about the “REAL ESTATE YOU” book,” I told D aisy .

“I’ve enthusiastically told my brother about your “REAL ESTATE YOU” book. He is so excited to receive a copy of your book on real estate. My brother will be visiting me next week so I can give him the paperback copy of REAL ESTATE YOU,” Daisy explained.

Aft er t wo day s, D aisy ent hu siast ically called me ag ain. S he said that she liked the original Edition of “REAL ESTATE YOU.” She said t hat she was inspired b y what I wrot e in t he Int rodu ct ion of t he original Edition. I would like to share to our readers and the general public some excerpts of the Introduction as follows “More than 100 years ago, a penniless immigrant landed on the shores of America. Throu g h sheer hard work and det erminat ion, he b ecame one of t he richest men in t he world. H is name is Andrew Carneg ie.

Carnegie spent the first half of his life ac uiring wealth. He spent the second half disposing the wealth he ac uired for the benefit of mank ind. H e once said: “ Ninet y percent of all millionaires b ecame so through owning real estate.” He further said,” More money has b een made in real est at e t han all indu st rial inv est ment s comb ined. ” This b ook is writ t en for t he millions of immig rant s who hav e st art ed t o inv est or may soon st art t o inv est in real est at e.

Read t he part icu lar sect ion of t he b ook which cou ld help y ou (C ont i nue on pag e 27) in y ou r present real est at e needs.

Health & Wealth

T

his is t he t it le of t he t rib u t e which I, as president of t he National Press Club (NPC) and “ neig hb ou r” of President Ramos in Pang asinan, spearheaded on J u ly 9 , 1 9 9 8 at t he G rand B allroom of the Manila Hotel.

F ew people k now t hat t he proj ect was conceiv ed wit h fellow Pang asinan j ou rnalist and v ery g ood A LF RED G . G A B OT friend Melandrew T. Velasco (who eventually became PFVR and family biographer) out of desperation after the “ shock ing discov ery ” t hat I and my NPC b oard inherit ed millions of pesos of deb t s from t he past NPC leadership!

Among t hose sending incessant ly t heir collect ion b ills t o the NPC were the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the Metropolitan aterworks and Sewerage System (M SS) and Philippine Long Distance Co. (PLDT).

On top of that, the NPC was maintaining an scandalously and u nreasonab ly hig h mont hly pay roll of P3 0 0 , 0 0 0 , more or less, when it was earning only P6 0 , 0 0 0 t o P1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ev ery mont h from rent als and rest au rant operat ions! This means a deficit of P 00,000 every month, and this does not even inclu de t he t hou sands of pesos in elect ricit y , wat er and ot her u t ilit ies each mont h!

And so, ou t of desperat ion as credit ors were aft er ou r heads, we sent out the o cial invitation to PFVR for the pro ect we have to mount in only two ( ) months after my election as NPC president in May 199 .

Initially, Mel and I and some directors were unsure about PFVR’s response because, for one, he had ust “graduated” from t he presidency and I hav e j u st assu med as president of t he NPC. We hid ou r fears of b eing t u rned down and remained confident that he would accept our invitation to also help the NPC, an organization in which his father, a Manila Bulletin and Manila Times correspondent and a publisher-editor of a Pang asinan newspaper b efore he b ecame a lawy er and Pang asinan cong ressman, was one of t he pioneer memb ers.

Our confidence was borne out of our experience with PF V R in t he past . And for one, ou r clan “ helped” in his president ial campaig n u pon t he prodding of my u ncle, t he lat e Col. Amorsolo G u ico G ab ot , who was wit h him b ot h in S ou t h Korea under the overall command of Gen. Douglas McArthur and the Vietnam ar. I also “uno cially” assisted in the media du ring t he campaig n u nder t he wing s of some of his loy al men, some of whom hav e g one t o t he G reat B ey ond.

Moreover, then General Ramos readily assisted me before. As president of the Laguna, Metro Manila, Rizal Press and Radio TV Association (LAMPARA), a very active subu rb an press clu b t hen, I inv it ed him t o b e ou r g u est of honor and speak er du ring ou r indu ct ion ceremonies at t he G rand Ballroom of the iconic Hotel Inter-Continental in Makati Cit y . H e accept ed t he inv it at ion and t he ev ent was j ampack ed with o cials and media personalities and his pronouncement t here hu g g ed t he headlines of t he local and foreig n media t he day s aft er.

G en. Ramos also showed u p u pon my inv it at ion as t he “Lambingan sa Laguna Bay” breakfast forum of the LAMPARA g u est at t he Cu cina It alia at t he Alab ang Town Cent er.

And when he b ecame ou r President , I followed PF V R in some local ev ent s, not ab ly , t he lau nching of t he “ Ling ay en G u lf War” as one of t he incorporat ors of t he S av e Ling ay en Gulf Movement Inc. I also oined him run in the “Taray ti Asing an. ” Lat er, I followed President F idel V . Ramos as he crisscrossed the United States in a back-breaking schedule starting off from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicag o, Washing t on and New York and lat er t he snow-cov ered Ottawa in Canada.

In some of t hose v isit s, part icu larly in California in 1 9 9 3 , PF V R paid t rib u t e t o my g randfat her Carlos S . B u losan, t he famous Filipino writer (America is in the Heart, I ant the ide American Earth, Freedom from ant), workers rights fighter and minority rights advocate in the United States, for his cont rib u t ion t owards t he accept ance of F ilipinos in America in well applau ded speeches at t ended also b y t he F ilipino commu nit y in Los Ang eles, S an F rancisco and Chicag o, t he first Philippine President to so hon- (C ont i nue on page 27)

12

 OPINION DACA students kept on DREAMing, until now!

howing t his week are t wo F ilipino movi es, one of which t ells a t all tale of the final days of the Marcoses before they were kicked out of the country and the other a fictionalized account of the dangers that activists faced in the same era know n as mart ial law.

The first, Maid in Malacanang, is pure propaganda B ET ING D OLOR and shows the faux heroism of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who left the country rather than allow the coming violence that would surely claim countless lives had he allowed his followers to face off with the one million Filipinos who had gathered at Edsa.

It’s all fantasy, and is directed by a young man who admitted in an interview that he had had a relationship with a minor some years ago, when he was already in his mid- 0s. So yes, the director is a self-confessed pedophile.

Those who had seen its early screenings say that it’s a fantasy film through and through, showing the heroism of the Marcos patriarch from the eyes of their maids.

No mention was made of the billions of pesos in cash and ewelry that the real maids must have helped pack, and which was discovered in dozens of crates when the Marcoses landed in Honolulu, but not before having US Customs inspect their ba ga ge .

The film also shows a mob carrying torches ready to storm Malacanang, which is pure BS. Those unlucky enough to catch an initial screening must have warned the producers that they would face not only a huge financial loss, but very likely empty movie houses.

It’s that bad, they say.

Thus, to avoid an embarrassment, Senator Imee Marcos reportedly bought tens of thousands of tickets to be given away free to anyone and everyone interested in seeing their version of what happened in 19 .

She also supposedly forced some big companies and civic organizations to purchase tens of thousands more for distribut ion t o t heir people.

And if that wasn’t pathetic enough, some schools are said to be forcing their students to watch the unfunny oke of a movie and there would then be an exam about the historical travesty.

A screening for media was scheduled, and ust to make sure the reporters and editors would show up, they would be offered free popcorn plus a loot bag to boot. I would not be surprised if envelopes stuffed with cash was inside those bags.

Still, with the gawdawful reviews, Maid in Malacanang is doomed to fail.

And what of the other film It has a funny title of Katips The Movie, which I admittedly do not know the meaning of. But this movie ust won big at the annual Famas awards, with no less than seven trophies including Best Director and Best Actor.

The Famas is the Philippine e uivalent of the Oscars, so it is a pretty big deal that Katips is such winner, while Maid in Malacanang may well be the local e uivalent of such duds as Isht ar or worse, H eave n’ s G at e.

Imee Marcos was present at the Famas ceremony as she was told that she had won some little known special award.

She showed up and it must have been a spectacle to see a film that tells the truth about the martial law years in the form of a musical earning high praise and accolades, while the silliness that is Maid in Malacanang that Ms. Marcos fully backed is now fated to draw ies when it shows in theaters this week.

As Chinese-Filipino civic leader Tessie Ang Sy said after she was sent a box of tickets to distribute to her fellow Chinoys, “promoting a film that has been udged a distortion of history by distributing free passes to students is truly appalling. It is tantamount to asking these educational institutions to promote outright lies, falsehoods, and historical distortion.”

She also said that while the Chinoy community supports the O ce of the President and wishes the administration well, “creating more polarization by forcing untruths on the public ust makes us citizens lose any remnant of respect that we may have had for the current leadership of the country.”

Also speaking up was the president of avier School, favored by the middle class and the well-to-do Chinoy community. ithout mincing any (C ont i nue on page 27)

RESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s first SONA before the oint session of Congress lasted for an hour and 14 minutes. It highlighted a 19-point legislative agenda. However, it excluded human rights, ustice, and peace -- issues that have hounded the previous Duterte regime. hat was the message or P ERRY D IA Z what was he trying to avoid or both hy the sudden silence on the three most important issues that would determine the paths to be taken by his presidency Or could it be that he isn’t prepared to elevate the priorities that he as chief steward of the ship of state to a level of highest importance At this point we can only speculate ust like when he refused to participate in the debates during the campaign. He probably surmised that by evading discussion of these important issues, the Filipino people would give him a pass ust like b efore.

But skipping the debates is one thing and evading the issues is another. After he skipped the debates, it left his future direction uncharted. He didn’t have to make promises on how to address the pressing issues like the Covid-19 pandemic, economic downturn, drug problem, in ation, unemployment, health care, rising prices of gas and rice, and recession.

Unlike his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who said that he’d solve the peace and order situation and how he’d get rid of the drug and criminality problem in six months, Marcos did not mention them at all. He did not talk about the issue of ustice and rule of law, which Duterte pursued with vigor, eliminating ,000 people as a result in the campaign against drugs, which was Duterte’s pet pro ect. He did not talk about how he is going to fight corruption in government.

Needless to say, by not addressing them, he did not take responsibility and own accountability.

“Simplicity, economy, and e ciency” He issued Executive Order No.1, which abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) in the guise of achieving “simplicity, economy, and e ciency.” But instead it created another layer of bureaucracy, the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs (DESLA), which has its hands already full of cases investigating internal and external legal matters.

He did not mention appointments to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) that is tasked to recover the ill-gotten wealth of his family and their cronies. The PCGG was formed in 19 in the aftermath of the People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship and ushered in the government of Cory A uino. It was tasked solely to recover the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family and their cronies.

Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of human rights group Karapatan, also noted that there was no mention of “press freedom, disinformation, death penalty, and failed domestic accountability mechanisms.”

Justice and rule of law Former Senate minority oor leader Franklin Drilon said the Marcos government should not “sweep under the rug” issues concerning ustice and rule of law, saying that a strong ustice system could also boost investors’ confidence.

But Marcos raised some concerns among business circles when he vetoed HB creating the Bulacan Airport Special Economic one and Freeport ad acent to the proposed airport city in Bulacan province. It is expected that his veto would drive foreign investors away. Not good for his edgling presidency.

Marcos, surprisingly, included in his legislative agenda the revival of the Reserve O cers’ Training Corps. (ROTC).

Surmise it to say, the ROTC could be called upon in cases of national emergency. But short of invasion by a foreign power, the ROTC need not be activated and armed. Unless of course a civil war erupts between the communist New People’s Army (NPA) and the Muslim separatists in Mindanao, in which case the ROTC could be armed and sent to the troubled region. But between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police who have a combined strength of 0,000 armed personnel, I don’t think the ROTC needs to be deployed in the war zone.

or 1 years, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students, otherwise known as Dreamers, have been dreaming to ualify for conditional permanent resident status since the DREAM Act of 001.

Under the DREAM Act, also known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, students who came to the U.S. at age 1 or younger at least five years before the date of the bill’s enactment and who have ELP ID IO R. ES T IOK O maintained good moral character since entering the U.S. would ualify for conditional permanent resident status upon acceptance to college, graduation from a U.S. high school. Up to present, however, this didn’t happen because the Act was never passed by the Senate, although it already passed Congress. It has to pass both chambers before it will be forwarded to the President for signature to become a law.

As a result, millions of undocumented immigrant Dreamers (a large number of them are Filipino Americans) live in the United States without legal status. The problem lies on the issue of a pathway to lawful status and eventually becoming citizens as provided for in the DREAM Act. But it never became a law up to present. Its most recent version was approved by the House of Representatives on March 1 , 0 1 and sent to the Senate for approval.

According to the National Immigration Law Center, on May 0 1, the Dream Act is a bipartisan legislation that addresses the tragedy of young people who grew up in the United States and have graduated from our high schools, but whose future are derailed by current immigration laws. They derive their immigration status solely from their parents, and if their parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, they don’t have mechanism to obtain legal residency, even if they have lived most of their lives in the U.S. The DREAM Act would provide such a mechanism for those who are able to meet certain conditions.

The latest version of the DREAM Act, was introduced on May 11, 011, in the Senate (S. 9 ) by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 3 fellow senators, and in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1 4 ) by Reps.

Howard Berman (D-CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and Lucille Roybal-Allard.

If passed, the DREAM Act would enact two ma or changes in current law It will permit certain immigrant students who have grown up in the U.S. to apply for temporary legal status. Eventually, they will obtain permanent legal status and become eligible for U.S. citizenship if they go to college or serve in the U.S. military and the DREAM Act would eliminate a federal provision that penalizes states that provide in-state tuition without regard to immigration status.

So, the Dream Act have a path to legal residency for Dreamers.

They would ualify for conditional permanent resident status upon acceptance to college, graduation from a U.S. high school, or being awarded a GED in the U.S. However, if they had committed crimes, were a security risk, or were inadmissible or removable on certain other grounds, they won’t ualify. Under the Senate bill ualifying students must be under age 3 , whereas under the House bill they must be under age 3 .

Students with conditional permanent resident status would be able to work, drive, go to school, and otherwise participate normally in day-to-day activities on the same terms as other Americans. The only exception is that generally they would not be able to travel abroad for lengthy periods (they have limited durations) and they would not be eligible for Pell Grants or certain other federal financial aid grants.

They would, however, be eligible for federal work study and student loans, and states would not be restricted from providing their own financial aid to these students.

The Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who were born abroad but brought to the United States as children. hen a child is born in the United States, they become an American citizen from the second they are born this is called “U.S. birthright citizenship.” But if that child is born anywhere else in the world, ust like the Dreamers, they do not get U.S. birthright citizenship. So, if parents come to the United States without lawful entry and bring their child along, the child then grows up in the United States without legal status. That’s where the Dreamer story began.

There are millions of young people whose parents brought them to America as children, who don’t share the same legal protection as their friends and neighbors who were born here.

As a stop-gap-measure, in 01 , the Obama Administration created the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program, called “DACA” for short. DACA allowed Dreamers to obtain renewable two-year work permits and to ualify for federal student loans. To apply for DACA, Dreamers need to satisfy certain eligibility re uirements with proof including things like a high school diploma, evidence of military service where applicable, among others. The DACA program has allowed over 00,000 young undocumented immigrants to live and work lawfully in the United States without fear of deportation daily.

In 01 however, the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to end the DACA program. Fortunately, in June 0 0, the Supreme Court ruled (C ont i nue on page 27)

P

F

As I See It

Bongbong’s SONA short on objectives PerryScope

A tale of two Filipino movies

Offline

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13 August 5 -11, 2022

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS Is your wage under garnishment?

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t is possib le t hat a credit or cou ld ob t ain a cou rt order t o g arnish y ou r wag es. In ot her words, t hey can t ak e money rig ht ou t of y ou r pay check t o pay y ou r deb t s. In some cases, wag e g arnishment s may t ak e more t han half of y ou r pay check .

Wag e g arnishment is a drast ic st ep, oft en u sed b y credit ors t hat hav e no claim t o any of y ou r propert y . Wit hou t any propert y or collat eral t o b ack u p y ou r credit card pu rchases or medical bills, a creditor may file a lawsuit against you and ask t he cou rt t o g rant t heir mot ion for y ou r wag es t o b e g arnished.

D epending on y ou r deb t , t he cou rt will assig n a percent ag e of y ou r pay check t o b e au t omat ically dedu ct ed and sent t o t he credit or. Oft ent imes u p t o 2 5 percent of y ou r disposab le income cou ld b e t ak en away from y ou . In cases of t ax deb t , mu ch more cou ld b e t ak en ou t .

W a g e G a r n is h m e n t L a w s It ’ s possib le t hat y ou r spou se’ s wag es b e g arnished b ecau se of y ou r deb t s. In California, married cou ple’ s deb t s and asset s are considered commu nit y propert y . In t his case, y ou r spou se’ s wag es mig ht b e at st ak e ev en if t he credit card and t he deb t s are u nder y ou r name.

As req u ired b y law, y ou r employ er mu st comply wit h t he cou rt order, and will b e u nab le t o st op wag e g arnishment . H owev er, y ou are also prot ect ed b y t he same law, which say s t hat an employer may not fire you because your wages are being garnished.

W a g e s a r e o fte n g a r n is h e d fo r th e fo llo w in g r e a s o n s : 1 .

Credit card lawsu it - Once a credit card accou nt g oes int o defau lt , and t he credit or decides it cannot collect , it may sell t he deb t t o a deb t collect ion company . If t he credit card or debt collection company is unsuccessful in recovering the debt, then a lawsuit may be filed ag ainst t he consu mer in an at t empt t o recov er it s losses. If t he ru ling in t he lawsu it g oes ag ainst t he consu mer, a j u dg ment may b e issu ed t o g arnish propert y , b ank accou nt s or wag es.

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Tax liens: u npaid st at e and federal t ax es - The IRS and S t at e Tax ing Au t horit ies hav e t he power t o collect b ack t ax es b y lev y ing on t ax pay ers’ propert y as a resu lt of a t ax lien. When a person owes b ack t ax es, t he IRS /S t at e can collect a lien on a part icu lar t ax pay er’ s asset s aft er meet ing cert ain st at u t ory req u irement s, which at t aches t o all rig ht s, t it le and int erest of t he t ax pay er.

Once t he IRS /S t at e has a lien on all of a t ax pay er’ s asset s, t hey may enforce it b y administ rat iv ely lev y ing his/her asset s. As a collect ion t act ic, t he IRS /S t at e oft en imposes a wag e g arnishment , which means t hat t hey lit erally t ak e money ou t of ev ery pay check – oft en enou g h seriou sly j eopardiz ing an indiv idu al’ s lifest y le and mak ing it impossib le t o maint ain t he same st andard of liv ing .

3 .

D elinq u ent child su pport – Pu rsu ant t o child su pport enforcement laws in t he U nit ed S t at es, st at u t es permit t he u se of a v ariet y of t y pes of g arnishment s t o collect past du e child su pport , according t o F ind Law. 4 .

D elinq u ent spou se su pport ( alimony ) – There is nu merou s way s t o enforce an order for spou sal su pport or alimony , inclu ding ent ry of a money j u dg ment and wag e g arnishment .

H owev er, t he av ailab ilit y t hese enforcement t ools and how t hey are u sed are cont rolled b y st at e laws and/or t he ru les of t he cou rt s in y ou r area.

Wag e g arnishment will only st op if: 1 .

You r deb t s are set t led 2 .

Au t omat ic st ay in b ank ru pt cy st ops t he act ion If you are already facing financial disaster, garnishment can make it harder for you to support yourself and your family. By filing either Chapter or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you have the power to stop the action. Both Chapter and Chapter 13 bankruptcy may stop wage garnishment . In t he case of a Chapt er 1 3 b ank ru pt cy , t he g arnishment will st op for sev eral y ears as y ou work through your repayment plan. In a Chapter , each state’s exemptions provide protections ag ainst wag e g arnishment .

Not e: This is not a leg al adv ice and y ou need t o speak t o an at t orney . The Law Offices of Crispin C. Lozano has years of experience in bankruptcy cases.

B a n k r u p tc y B a s ic s 1 .

B ank ru pt cy will act u ally improv e y ou r credit wit hin one y ear b ecau se y ou r u nsecu red debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing b ank ru pt cy will mak e y ou r credit ev en worse u nt il most y ou r deb t s are paid.

2 .

If y ou are b eing su ed b y y ou r credit ors, most money j u dg ment can b e eliminat ed in b ank ru pt cy .

3 .

Collect ion act ions cont inu e and y ou can b e su ed if y ou are in deb t set t lement .

4. Chapter will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminat e most of y ou r deb t s.

S u ccess S t ories F or t he mont h of J u ly 2 0 2 2 , we receiv ed approv als from U S CIS six nat u raliz at ion applications, three Fianc e visa petition, five removals of condition on residence and four ad ustment of st at u s applicat ions.

If you have immigration problems the Law O ces of Crispin C. Lozano can help you find a solu t ion b efore y ou r prob lem g et s worse which cou ld lead t o deport at ion and family separat ion.

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 prac t i c es 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 . c om/ w i t h officers in Hayward and Cerritos, CA.

August 4-10, 2022

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US securities regulator charges individuals over pyramid scheme PAS AY CITY – The U S S ecur it ies and Exc hange Commission ( S EC) has charge d t he founde rs and promot ers of t he fraudul ent pyr amid scheme operat ed by F orsage , following an inve st iga t ion conduc t ed wit h t he assist ance of t he S EC Philippines.

In a st at ement issue d Aug. 1, t he U S S EC said it charge d 1 1 indivi dua ls for t heir roles in creat ing and promot ing F orsage , which allege dly raised ove r $30 million from millions of ret ail inve st ors worldwide, i ncludi ng t he Philippines.

The U S S EC charge d t he four founde rs of F orsage and t hree U S -ba sed promot ers found t o be endorsing t he inve st ment scam on it s webs it e and social media plat forms, as well as membe rs of F orsage ’ s promot ional gr oup called Crypt o-Crus ad-

ers -- t he large st promot ional gr oup for t he scheme t hat operat ed in t he U nit ed States from at least five different states. “ We at t he S EC Philippines commend t he U S S EC for br ingi ng down an inve st ment scam of t his scale and proport ion, st opping it from fur t her vi ct imiz ing helpless individuals across the globe,” S EC chairperson Emilio Aqui no said in a st at ement Wednesday . “ The S EC Philippines is always ready t o collabor at e wit h it s count erpart s in ot her j ur isdict ions, as well as ot her regulat ors, t o st amp out inve st ment scams in ot her part s of t he world. We remain commit t ed t o promot ing t he right s and welfare of inve st ors, as we work t oward t he common goa l of prot ect ing t he inve st ing public,” he said.

JUPITER CABLE. Local and provincial government o cials rom Daet, Camarines Norte pose with e ecu�ves o PLDT-Smart during the inaugura�on o the Jupiter Ca le System landing sta�on in the town.

New submarine cable linking PHL, US, Japan now online MAKATI CITY – The newest int ernat ional cab le sy st em in t he Philippines went o cially online after PLDT launched the sy st em last week .

In a st at ement , PLD T said t he J u pit er Cable system has been “fired up” and is seen to “immensely boost” the country’s internat ional dat a capacit y and adv ance dig it al infrast ru ct u re. “ The 1 4 , 0 0 0 -k m. J u pit er Cab le sy st em is t he newest int ernat ional g at eway connect ing t he Philippines direct ly from PLD T’ s cab le landing st at ion in D aet , Camarines Nort e t o Japan and the US est Coast,” it said.

The cab le sy st em, it said, wou ld t riple PLD T’ s int ernat ional capacit y t o 6 0 Terab it s per second and is seen t o b e especially u sefu l since a b u lk of Int ernet cont ent and serv ices accessed b y F ilipinos are from serv ers in t he U S and J apan.

“The capacity offered by Jupiter is expect ed t o help promot e t he Philippines t o g lob al hy per scalers and posit ion t he cou nt ry as the new digital hub in the Asia-Pacific,” t he st at ement added.

“Hyper scalers” are usually cloud service

prov iders t hat u se hy per-scale compu t ing , an ag ile met hod of processing dat a t hat can q u ick ly g o u p and down depending on dat a tra c.

This compu t ing met hod can b e u sed in dat a cent ers and t he clou d t o accommodat e uctuating demand.

B y increasing t he cou nt ry ’ s int ernat ional dat a capacit y , it said t he J u pit er cab le wou ld enhance t he cou nt ry ’ s imag e as an inv est ment dest inat ion.

The cab le sy st em was lau nched in a celeb rat ion at t he Marriot t H ot el in Pasay Cit y , led b y PLD T chairman Manu el Pang ilinan.

Among t he g u est s were Informat ion and Commu nicat ions Technolog y S ecret ary Iv an J ohn U y , Trade and Indu st ry S ecret ary Alfredo Pascu al, J apan Amb assador Koshik awa Kaz u hik o, and U S Amb assador Mary Kay Loss Carlson.

To dat e, PLD T has access t o 1 5 int ernat ional su b marine cab le net work s and want s t o ex pand fu rt her wit h t wo more – t he Asia D irect Cab le and t he APRICOT cab le sy st em, b ot h ex pect ed t o b e complet ed in t he nex t t wo y ears.

 ENTERTAINMENT

August 4-10, 2022

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Star Magic artists perform for the global audience in long-awaited US tour

NY, SF, LA show �c ets availa le on myTFC.com StarMagic 0

D O J S E L L E R O R T R A V E L

# 2 0 2 5 2 3 0 -4 0

S AN F RANCIS CO, J u ly 2 8 , 2 0 2 2 – TF C Liv e ev ent s ret u rns in a maj or way t his Au g u st wit h b ack -t o-b ack -t o-b ack shows celeb rat ing S t ar Mag ic’ s 3 0 t h anniv ersary . “ B ey ond t he S t ars” has t he Philippines’ b rig ht est celeb rit ies b ring ing t op-t ier ent ert ainment t o au diences in New York in t he East Coast , and t o S an F rancisco and Los Ang eles in t he West . “ B ey ond t he S t ars” is a t wo-hou r concert ex t rav ag anz a, showcasing t he b est st ag ed ent ert ainment t hat only t he b rig ht est F ilipino st ars of t his g enerat ion can deliv er. This is S t ar Mag ic’ s way of b ring ing t he mag ic t o life for au diences t o enj oy .

At t he Nort h America media conference t hat lau nched “ B ey ond t he S t ars, ” S t ar Mag ic H ead Lau ren D y og i shares t hat “ aft er t wo y ears of g lob al u ncert aint y and we hav e endu red, now it ’ s t ime t o celeb rat e. H e also adds t hat t he S t ar Mag ic U . S . Tou r is t heir way of reconnect ing wit h t he F ilipino commu nit y in Nort h America and t hank ing t hem for t heir u nwav ering su pport . “ B ey ond t he S t ars” is a t est ament t o t he t enacit y and creat iv it y display ed b y t he art ist s t o remain relev ant and t o cont inu e t o hone t heir craft , ev en du ring lock down.

The shows also prov ide au diences t he chance t o g et u p close and wit ness t he t alent of t he y ou ng er and newer AB S -CB N art ist s in person since t o dat e, t hey hav e only seen t heir performances on t he screen and dig it ally . S t ar Mag ic’ s newest st ars will hav e t he chance t o share t he st ag e wit h long t ime idols in front of U . S . au diences.

H eadliners inclu de fresh sing er-song writ ers Ang ela Ken, J anine B erdin, Lian Ky la, S ab , and G ig i D e Lana; t he hot t est lov e t eams of B elle Mariano and D onny Pang ilinan – also k nown as D onB elle, and Alex a Ilacad and KD Est rada - oft en referred t o wit h t he port mant eau KD Lex ; all-arou nd performers AC B onifacio, Andrea B rillant es, Charlie D iz on, Ky le Echarri, Maris Racal, May may Ent rat a, Edward B arb er; comedian Eric Nicolas; and fan fav orit es Z anj oe Maru do, Carlo Aq u ino, and Kim Chiu .

Wit h an incredib le line-u p of 2 0 art ist s, t here will b e somet hing for ev ery one at each of t he “ B ey ond t he S t ars” shows.

S easoned performer, Kim Chiu , who has b een wit h S t ar Mag ic since 00 , a rms the oy of the group “Hindi naman nalulu ma y u ng feeling namin t o perform in front of ou r k ab ab ay ans k ase it alway s feels lik e home pag nag peperform k ami diy an. ( It doesn’ t g et old performing for ou r fellowmen b ecau se it alway s feels lik e home. ) “ S o, we look forward t o seeing t he happy faces of ou r k ab ab ay ans ( fellowmen) sa Amerik a. ” Catch “Beyond the Stars” on the following dates Au g u st 6 – King s Theat re in B rook ly n, New York August 1 – The arfield in San Francisco Au g u st 1 4 – S ab an Theat re in B ev erly H ills, Los Ang eles Tick et s are on sale and TF C and iWant TF C su b scrib ers may en oy a 1 discount off regular-priced tickets. Subscribers can check t heir email for t heir ex clu siv e discou nt code. D iscou nt s are also av ailab le for b u lk pu rchases. G o t o my TF C. com/S t arMag ic3 0 t o g et t ick et s and for more informat ion.

The shows are made possib le t hrou g h t he collab orat ion of S t ar Mag ic wit h iWant TF C and TF C. “ B ey ond t he S t ars” is copresent ed wit h World Remit , wit h Tancinco Law as a maj or sponsor.

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 ENTERTAINMENT

August 4-10, 2022

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Charo Santos is FAMAS best actress, martial law film ‘Katips’ is best picture Best Original Song “Sa Gitna ng Dulo” for Cifra and Vince Ta ada, who also won as the Best Director and Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor for Johnrey Rivas.

The film recounts the trials and tribulations of student activists during the Martial Law years. It is set to premiere in cinemas on Aug. 3.

Kapamily a act ress and ex ecu t iv e Charo S ant os and martial law musical film “Katips” took home the top awards in t he 7 0 t h F AMAS Awards at t he hist oric and newly renov at ed Met ropolit an Theat re in Manila ov er the weekend. . Santos claimed the Best Actress trophy for the Visayan movie “Kun Maupay Man It Panahon”, edging Sharon Cuneta (Revirginized), Janine Gutierrez (Dito At Doon), and Ma a Salvador (Arisaka).

The Martial Law film “Katips” was one of the big winners, earning seven awards Best Picture and Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score for Pipo Cifra,

Best Supporting Actress - Janice de Belen (Big Night) Best Supporting Actor - Johnrey Rivas (Katips) Best Director - Vince Ta ada (Katips) Best Screenplay - Jun Lana (Big Night) Best Cinematography - Katips Best Editing - A Hard Day Best Original Song - Sa Gitna Ng Gulo (Katips) Best Musical Score - Katips The musical film highlights the struggle of Filipi- Best Sound - A Hard Day nos from the rift between two political clans, according Best Visual Effects - My Amanda to its director and lead actor Atty. Vince Ta ada.

F AMAS S pecial Awards Politicians and top stars led by National Artist Nora Aunor attended the awards night. They include special FAMAS Natatanging Alagad ng Sining - Nora Aunor awardees Senator Imee Marcos (Exemplary Awardee FAMAS Natatanging Alagad ng Sining - Ricky Lee for Public Service), Senator Jose Estrada (FPJ Memo- German Moreno Youth Achievement Award - Ranz rial Award), Pangasinan Representative Christopher de Kyle Niana Guerrero Venecia (Outstanding Public Service Award), at Con- Lifetime Achievement Awardee - Tessie Agana gressman PM Vargas (FAMAS Presidential Award).

FPJ Memorial Awardee - Jinggoy Estrada Ta ada was also hailed as the Best Actor and Best Susan Roces Celebrity Awardee - Nora Aunor Director of this year’s FAMAS. He edged out Daniel Don Jose R. Perez Memorial Awardee - Moira Lang Padilla (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon) and Dingdong Exemplary Awardee in Public Service - Sen. Imee Dantes (A Hard Day) for the top male individual award. Marcos Janice de Belen was named as the Best Support- Hall of Fame for Best Actor - Allen Dizon ing Actress for “Big Night” while Johnrey Rivas of Hall of Fame for Best Editing - Jess Navarro “Katips” is the Best Supporting Actor.

1st Outstanding Public Sevice Award - Cong. ChristoThe list of the winners in the 0th FAMAS Awards pher de Venecia follow nd Outstanding Public Sevice Award - Dr. Edinell Best Picture - Katips Calv ario Best Actress - Charo Santos (Kun Maupay Man It Pa- FAMAS Presidential Award - Cong. PM Vargas nahon) Angelo “Eloy” Padua Memorial Award for Journalism Best Actor - Vince Ta ada (Katips) - Renz Spangler

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 ENTERTAINMENT

Vhong Navarro to face rape charge, Court of Appeals rules nect ion wit h t he complaint of model D eniece Cornej o In a 2 6 -pag e decision promu lg at ed on J u ly 2 1 and writ t en b y Associat e J u st ice F lorencio Mamau ag J r. , t he CA 1 4 t h D iv ision, g rant ed D eniece Milinet t e Cornej o’ s pet it ion for cert iorari and ru led ag ainst t he D epart ment of J u st ice’ s ( D OJ ) resolu t ions t o deny t he rev iew of her cases ag ainst t he prominent TV host on April 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 and J u ly 1 4 , 2 0 2 0 .

Associat e J u st ices V ict oria Isab el Paredes and Mary Charlene H ernandez -Az u ra concu rred wit h t he decision.

In it s ru ling , t he cou rt st at ed t hat it was erroneou s on t he part of t he D OJ t o deny t he pet it ion for rev iew It s Show�me host and actor Vhong Navarro le of Cornej o on g rou nds t hat her st at ement s in t he comand his alleged rape vic�m Deniece Corne o. plaint-a davits were “inconsistent and incredible.” “ It was erroneou s for t he D OJ t o deny Cornej o’ s Act or and “ It ’ s S howt ime” co-host F ernando V hong pet it ion for rev iew on t he g rou nd t hat her st at ement s Nav arro is worried ag ain.

This as t he Cou rt of Appeals has decided on t he in the complaint-a davits are inconsistent and incredTaguig City Prosecutor’s O ce in filing charges of ib le, ” t he CA said. “ In t his reg ard, it b ears t o st ress t hat t he det erminarape and act s of lasciv iou sness ag ainst Nav arro in con-

t ion of prob ab le cau se does not depend on t he v alidit y or merit s of a part y ’ s accu sat ion or defense or on t he admissib ilit y or v eracit y of t est imonies present ed, ” t he cou rt added.

The j u st ices st ressed t he “ on-t he-g rou nd” realit y that an a davit is almost always incomplete, resulting in inconsistencies on the a davit and the testimonies of t he person on t he wit ness st and. “ What is merely req u ired is prob ab ilit y of g u ilt , t he det erminat ion of which does not call for t he applicat ion of ru les or st andards of proof t hat a j u dg ment of conv ict ion req u ires aft er t rial on t he merit s, ” t he CA said. “ It is enou g h t hat it is b eliev ed t hat t he act or omission complained of constitutes the offense charged.

Precisely , t here is a t rial for t he recept ion of ev idence of t he prosecu t ion in su pport of t he charg e, ” t he CA point ed ou t .

Corne o had filed three separate complaints against Navarro before the Taguig Prosecutor’s O ce.

Ronnie Ricketts cleared of graft over released pirated DVDs, VCDs t he decision penned b y S C associat e j u st ice Ricardo Rosario said. “ The Cou rt disag rees. D espit e Rick et t s’ failu re t o t est ify du ring t he t rial, t he presu mpt ion of innocence shou ld remain in his fav or and t he prosecu t ion cont inu ed t o hav e t he b u rden of prov ing his g u ilt b ey ond reasonab le dou b t .

U nfort u nat ely , t he prosecu t ion failed t o discharg e it s b u rden, ” it added.

The cou rt said t he g u ard had no personal k nowledg e as t o who act u ally ordered Perez t o pu ll ou t t he seiz ed it ems and t hat it ’ s possib le Perez only ment ioned Rick et t ’ s name as an ex cu se.

Act or and former Opt ical Media B oard Ronnie Rick et s is so t hank fu l t hese day s.

This as t he S u preme Cou rt has cleared him of g raft in connect ion wit h t he u nau t horiz ed release of pirat ed D V D s and V CD s in a 2 0 1 0 operat ion.

Rick et t s, who headed t he OMB from 2 0 0 9 t o 2 0 1 6 , was accu sed in 2 0 1 0 of au t horiz ing t he release of 1 2 1 b ox es of confiscated optical discs.

Record of t he case, according t o AB S -CB N report , st at ed t hat OMB compu t er operat or G lenn Perez ment ioned Rick et t s’ name when t he g u ard-on-du t y spot t ed him reloading t he b ox es ont o a seiz ed v an at 1 0 p. m. inside t he OMB compou nd on May 2 7 , 2 0 1 0 .

The b ox es and t he v an were among t he it ems seiz ed in an operat ion in Q u iapo, Manila earlier t hat day , t he report added.

It was learned Perez su b seq u ent ly ret u rned t he b ox es t o Sky High Marketing and no charges were filed.

The S andig anb ay an, in 2 0 1 9 , conv ict ed b ot h Rick et t s and Perez and sent enced t hem t o u p t o 8 y ears in prison and perpetually dis ualified them from holding public o ce.

Three other OMB o cials were ac uitted.

B u t t he S C S econd D iv ision, on March 1 6 t his y ear, modified the Sandiganbayan’s ruling by ac uitting Ricket t s.

Despite one OMB o cial testifying that Ricketts allegedly t old t hem t he missing it ems had b een t ransferred t o a safe place, t he hig h cou rt as AB S -CB N report ed said t here was no ev idence of a conspiracy b et ween Rick et t s and Perez since t he ev idence ag ainst Rick et t s were all hearsay . “ The prosecu t ion hing es it s t heory of conspiracy solely on G az z ing an’ s report t hat when he cau g ht Perez b ring ing ou t t he seiz ed it ems wit hou t t he proper writ t en au t horiz at ion form or g at e pass, Perez t old him t hat it was Chairman Rick et t s who had ordered him t o do so. To t he S andig anb ay an, t his report , cou pled wit h Rick et t s’ failu re t o mak e a specific denial during trial, was su cient to make accusedappellant s liab le as co-principals b y reason of consp1 racy , ”

B ot h Rick et t s and Perez did not t est ify du ring t he t rial at t he S andig anb ay an.

The S C S econd D iv ision also lift ed t he hold depart u re order against Ricketts, even as it a rmed Perez’s convict ion.

Perez , according t o t he cou rt , int erfered wit h t he leg al process t o t he damag e and prej u dice of t he g ov ernment , when he ret u rned t he discs t o S k y H ig h Mark et ing and gave the company unwarranted benefit.

Then-S enior Associat e J u st ice Est ela Perlas-B ernab e and associat e j u st ices Ramnon Pau l H ernando, Rodil Z alameda and J ose Midas Marq u ez concu rred in t he decision.

 REAL ESTATE

August 4-10, 2022

Demand for retail space returning to pre-Covid level MANILA – D emand for commercial space is suppor t ing t he gr owt h of t he count ry’ s propert y marke t wit h t he easing of t rave l rest rict ions and recove ry f rom t he pandemic.

Real est at e servi ces company S ant os Knight F rank report ed t hat va cancy rat e in t he commercial sect or for t he second qua rt er of 20 was at 4.6 percent , w hich was close t o pre-pandemic leve l.

B efore t he Covi d-19 pandemic, va cancy rat e for commercial space was at 3.6 percent in t he four t h qua rt er of 2019. “ The easing of t rave l rest rict ions, pent -up demand for consum pt ion, high va ccinat ion rat es, and the return to o ce (RTO) are all being cited for the recovery in brick-and-mortar retail, a sector that saw many businesses closing shop during t he height of pandemic lockdow ns,” S ant os Knight F rank s aid in a st at ement .

F or t he upc oming st ores in Met ro Manila alone, 32.7 percent of commercial space t ake rs are for t he food and beverage sector and 3 .1 percent are for clot hing a pparel st ores. “(T)he Philippines’ property sector is likely to see significant recovery in the next two to three

years into the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr., as demand returns on both commercial and resident ial propert y ,” it added. ith the government’s directive to register business process outsourcing (BPO) firms to the RTO last April, S ant os Knight F rank has also seen an increase in activity in the o ce market.

“Second uarter was the first uarter for many employees to return to the o ce. ith that, we also saw an increase in leasing activity for the first time in a while,” S ant os Knight F rank senior direct or for occupi er st rat egy and solut ions Morga n McG ilvr ay said in a press conference.

H oweve r, va cancy rat e in April t o J une 2 02 period has remained high at 23 percent as 28,50 s uare meters of o ce spaces were added in Metro Manila in t he second qua rt er of t he ye ar.

“Lastly, the Philippines, as with India, South Korea, S inga pore, and most of Asia, is like ly t o see a greater rate of RTO for employees than the rate in developed estern economies. RTO in the Philippines is a result of both the o ce culture and the needs of its BPO occupiers,” the consultancy firm said.

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Mortgage Forbearance important information Mortgage Forbearance import ant informat ion. ith so many ob losses due to the COVID-19, many homeowners are in search of mort ga ge relief. Two st rat egies that many borrowers are anxious to invoke right now are mort ga ge deferment and mortgage forbearance.

Estimated about 3.4 million U S homeowners have had reque st ed for delaye d mort ga ge paym ent , leavi ng $754 billion in principal unpaid balances and that figure is steadily climbing day by day.

Both tactics allow a borrower to skip monthly payments for a set period. Depending on the lender, there can be subtle differences between the two terms. hat happens at the end of the forbearance period is the amount of payments that you missed during that forbearance will be due in a lump sum, sometimes the lender will work with borrowers to structure a payment plan, instead of demanding a lum p sum .

D eferment —e specially special progr ams t hat lenders have int roduc ed dur ing t he pandemic—of t en allow cus t omers t o repay t he money ove r t ime or t o add it t o t he end of t he loan period.

Clearing up confusion about mortgage forbearance If a lender does differentiate between the terms deferment and forbearance, the difference will be at the end of the loan period, whet her t he missing paym ent s are all due or rest ruc t ur ed.

Some borrowers will be able to add extra payments to the end of t he loan or make ot her arrange ment s t o spread out repaym ent , while ot hers will not . S omet imes, paym ent t erms involve a new loan or a rewriting the existing loan.

Technically, a mortgage forbearance agreement is when you’ve possibly been late, and the lender agrees not to foreclose during that forbearance period. In this scenario, a borrower already has a history of nonpayment before entering into a forbearance agreement.

B ut wit h t he pandemic only reve aling it s enormous scope within the past 30 days, many borrowers haven’t been late— ye t .

However, because of sudden ob loss or because of the uarantine, borrowers have besieged the phone lines of their lenders, to get out in front of the financial iceberg.

Cont act your lender for mort ga ge relief No matter what you call it, if borrowers ask for help during t his crisis, many lenders are allowing t hem t o miss payment s and not charge t hem lat e fees or penalt ies.

More importantly the definition really doesn’t matter. The moral of t he st ory right now is t o call your lender. D on’ t j us t assum e you can ski p a paym ent . Call t hem, let t hem know , and make arrange ment s.

Due to the current financial situation, the mortgage world is shifting. Options that weren’t on the table for borrowers a few months ago might be available now.

The length of time that the forbearance could be extended and the options at the end of the term might be different. Borrowers in good standing prior to the current crisis may able to do a modification wherein any monthly payments missed now are simply t acke d on t o t he end of t he loan.

Pressing pause on your mortgage What eve r t erminology your lender us es, it ’ s import ant for you t o unde rst and what is really happening wit h your loan.

Nothing is free. You can’t expect to stop paying your mortga ge foreve r.

There is no suc h t hing as a free mort ga ge paym ent , it ’ s not free money. Forbearance is temporarily hitting the pause button on your mortgage, and not having to make the payment .

It does not necessarily paus e t he int erest t hat is accrui ng, and it does mean t hat you’ re goi ng t o have t o make t hat principal and int erest paym ent at a lat er dat e.

Key uestions to ask before seeking mortgage forbearance When calling your lender, C arlson recommends aski ng: hat relief options are available ill interest continue being calculated during the length of time I am not paying ill there be any fees How will it be reported to the credit bureaus • D o I st ill need t o pay (C ont i nue on page 27)

21 August 4-10, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

EJ Obiena climbs to 3rd in world ranking, vows help to Lydia de Vega

MANILA – Ernest J ohn “ EJ ” Ob iena soared t o his hig hest world rank ing y et aft er delivering the Philippines its first medal in the ust concluded orld Athletic Championships in Eu g ene, Oreg on. ith the bronze finish after historic hurdling .94 meters in the meet, Obiena is now ranked third in the world in men’s pole v au lt .

As of last Tuesday, the -year-old Obiena accumulated 1,40 points in the world ranking to catapult him to third place.

American Chris Nilsen, who barely beat Ob iena for t he silv er t hrou g h t he cou nt b ack .94 meters tiebreaker, is No. , but he is not that far above Obiena with 1,43 points.

Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis remains world No. 1 polevaulter with 1, 1 point s.

Earlier, President Ferdinand “ B ong b ong ” Marcos J r. has cong rat u lat ed Ob iena, the first Filipino to climb the orld Athletic Championship podium, and Vanessa Sarno for triumphs in their respect iv e sport ing ev ent s.

Meanwhile, a lawmaker filed a resolution commending pole v au lt er Ob iena for his historic bronze medal finish in the 0 orld Athletics Championships and for climbing to No. 3 in the world rankings.

In the resolution, Manila District Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Obiena brought honor and g lory t o t he cou nt ry b y winning a medal in the “most prestigious and competitive” global competition held in the United S t at es on J u ly 2 4 .

Valeriano said Obiena has risen to No. 3 in the latest world rankings for men’s pole v au lt du e t o t his “ ou t st anding feat ” . “ EJ once said t hat he hoped t o inspire his fellow y ou t hs of Tondo, where he is from. He wants them all to dream, and go after this dream, for anything is possible

t hrou g h hard work and g rit , ” he said.

Valeriano also highlighted Obiena’s “unparalleled compassionate character”, when he pledg ed t o donat e t he incent iv e he would be receiving from the Philippine Sports Commission to an ailing Lydia De Vega-Mercado, who was once labeled as Asia’s fastest woman.

“The truth is that EJ is a real inspiration, not ust to us from Tondo, but to all of u s F ilipinos This ou t st anding at hlet e, who is not j u st a world class pole v au lt er, b u t a person of unparalleled compassionate character,” Valeriano said.

“The success in the recent orld Championships is not all mine. I owe a debt of gratitude to many, including my parents, my coach and support team, and amazing supporters in our government such as POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) President Bambol Tolentino, new PATAFA (Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association) President Terry Capist rano, and S enat or Pia Cay et ano, ” Ob iena said as he ex pressed his gratitude especially to the o cials.

He also thanked the people who compet ed for t he Philippines in at hlet ics b efore him “who paved a way for me.”

“I owe them a debt of gratitude,” Obiena added.

EJ, meantime, vowed support to the

bedridden Philippine athletics legend, Lydia De Vega-Mercado, who is currently in a critical condition amid her battle with Stage 4 b reast cancer.

“I am deeply saddened by the news of Mam Lydia’s health issues, and the pleas of her family for financial assistance for the mounting medical bills. I have met Mam Lydia in Singapore on many occasions, and she has alway s b een k ind, su pport iv e and loving individual,” Obiena said of Mercado, the first Philippine representative to the orld Athletics Championships right during its inaugural staging in 19 3.

He announced that the P 0,000 incentive that he will get from the Philippine Sports Commission for breaking his own Asian record in pole vault with a .94-met er leap will b e donat ed in fu ll t o Mercado.

“On the ight back to Italy, it occurred to me that despite my own training needs, Mam Lydia needs this money more than I do, ” Ob iena ex plained t he decision.

He said his adviser, James Lafferty, and his wife, nu t rit ionist Carol, also pledg ed P 0,000 to Lydia for her recovery.

“In total, Team Obiena pledges P 00,000 to Mam Lydia and her family. e hope this makes a difference and gives Mam Lydia added strength to battle this horrib le disease, ” Ob iena said.

PCSO gives P500,000 medical aid to Lydia de Vega MANDALUYONG CITY – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes O ce (PCSO) has given financial assistance to the family of track and field champion Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who was once labeled as Asia’s fastest woman.

PCS O Chairperson J u nie Cu a and general manager Mel uiades Rob les personally g av e t he check wort h P 00,000 to the athlete’s daughter S t ephanie Mercado de Koenig swart er in a ceremony at the agency’s main office in Mandaluyong City.

De Vega-Mercado is currently confined at the Makati Medical Center and is in crit ical condit ion du e t o S t ag e 4

b reast cancer.

The athlete’s daughter thanked the PCSO for its support to their family, as t hey face what she called t heir “ b ig g est race” so far.

S he also appealed for pray ers and continued support for her mother.

For his part, Robles also called on the public to also help the family of the at hlet e. “ e are giving but definitely it’s a far cry from what they need. e’re also appealing t o ot hers t o j oin u s in helping the family. It is a fact, siya yung kayamanan ng ating bayan (she is a treasure of our nation). It may not be enough,

Courtesy call rom San Pedro city Mayor Art Mercado congratulates the Figh�ng Pride o San Ped r o c i ty C h amp J h er i tz “ th e go o d b o y ” C h av ez o ur Ph i l i p p i n e S up er L i gh tw ei gh t C h amp i o n , h e w o n th e mai n ev en t a k n o c k ed o ut o n 8th r o un d . W i th si x ( 6 ) un d er c ar d s f o r th e preliminary outs in Elorde Interna�onal Produc�ons Night o Champion VI Saturday, July 2 at Elorde Sports Comple , Parana ue City, also in the picture 2nd rom the le Thomas Madelo Jr. Philippines News Today s crea�ve director.

bigay namin ay maliit rin lang kumbaga sa kailang an nila pero b ak a sak ali pag nagsama-sama, tulong tulong mas matulung an nat in sila ( we were able to give only a small amount as compared to what t hey need b u t if these contributions from others are pooled, maybe we can help them better), ” he appealed.

Earlier, pole v au lt er Ernest John “EJ” Obiena pledg ed t o donat e t he PHP 0,000 incentive he would be receiving from t he Philippine S port s Commission (PSC) to de Vega-Mercado.

This came after he won a medal and broke his own Asian record in pole v au lt wit h a .94-meter leap at the orld Athletics Championships held in the US st at e of Oreg on on J u ly 2 4 .

De Vega-Mercado was a two-time Olympian, hav ing represent ed t he Philippines in t he 19 4 and 19 Summer Olympics

AID TO LYDIA DE VEGA. A acsimile chec or P500,000 is aw ar d ed b y PC S O C h ai r man J un i e C ua an d G en er al M an ager Mel uiades Ro les to a daughter o Lydia de Vega.

GOLDEN DOUBLE. Ariel Joseph Alegar es splashes his way to victory in the men s 50-meter u�er y S14 event in the swimming compe��on o the 11th Asean Para Games at the J atad i r i S p o r ts C o mp l ex p o o l i n S emar an g, I n d o n esi a

August 4-10, 2022

22

My house sale was about to close when escrow told me that there was a lien on the property Q : My hou se sale was ab ou t t o close when escrow t old me t hat t here was a lien on t he property from my Homeowner’s Association for a missed fee. How can I fix it A It can be fixed by paying it through escrow. This is how it works. hen a buyer agrees to buy a home, an escrow process is opened. The escrow company is a middle ground between the seller and the buyer so that no one walks away without all the resolutions on the purchase is satisfied. This escrow company may be paid by either the seller or the buyer or they can agree to split the cost in half. No matter who is paying for the escrow, t hey hav e t o st ay neu t ral b et ween b ot h sides.

In the case of the uestion, for some reason this client missed a payment for the Homeowners Association fee and they put a lien on her title. In most cases, the Homeowner’s Association will try to collect the fees from the homeowner prior to putting a lien on the home but it was rather odd that the seller did not know that she missed a payment.

I told her to ust pay the lien through escrow especially if she is making a profit on the sale of the home. This means that escrow will deduct the amount of the lien from her proceeds before escrow closes and give that payment to the Homeowner’s Association.

I did tell the client though that it would be a good idea to always balance her checkbook every month so that she knows what checks cleared and what has not. This is a good way to avoid having accounts go into collection because payments were lost in the mail. Lost mail is never an accepted excuse for non payment of debt but mostly it is given a one time courtesy to waive late fees, if you catch it. Just call the company and ask why the check has not cleared yet and when they tell you they never received it, then it was most likely lost.

There is usually a simple solution to most things but when you do not put in that little bit of a few minutes to do it, it usually takes more time and more money to undo it.

This is the same way with debts. If you hold off on taking care of unpaid debts, it mostly escalates into something worse like excessive fees and worst a lawsuit. Dealing with it sooner than later is good practice so you save yourself some money.

Ating lesson, Laging maging listo, para ang utang ay di makagulo.

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23 August 4-10, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Renovated Iglesia Ni Cristo Chapel in Winnipeg opens; Church marks 50th year in Canada, 108th year in PHL

CANAD A — F rom cit y landmark s illuminating its ag’s colors to humanitarian events, the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), or Church Of Christ, has an outstanding lineup of activities commemorating its 0th year in Canada.

The first was the Anniversary Thanksgiving orship Service with the re-dedication of their newly renovated chapel in innipeg, Manitoba.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo was registered with the Philippine government on July , 1914. One hundred and eight years later, it has congregations in 1 countries and territories worldwide.

Canada was reached by the INC’s mission 0 years ago, starting with a congregation in innipeg.

“Over the years, we have witnessed firsthand the many contributions that Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) has made to communities across innipeg and beyond,” said MP Kevin Lamoureux and MLA Cin-

dy Lamoureux in their oint message to the INC. The renovation pro ect began in August 0 0 and was completed on July 1 , 0 , for which the Church spent CA 1, 01, 91. .

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the INC saw the completion of the pro ect, with everyone involved adhering to all health and safety regulations from start to finish.

Renovation works included the repainting of the chapel’s interior and exterior and the remodeling of its podium.

The chandeliers and lights were all replaced, the main sanctuary ooring given a new carpet, all the pews were replaced with new upholstery, and the choir loft was installed with a Johannus organ.

The fac de of the worship building was refurbished and adorned with three spires, and the baptismal pool was remodeled.

“Iglesia Ni Cristo has been bringing people in Canada together for 0 years. And as a Church, it has been administering the word of God consistently throughout those years,” Kevin and Cindy also stated.

On Friday, July , 0 , as part of the celebration, INC members witnessed, through live streaming, the re-dedication to the Lord God of their beautiful house of worship.

The INC Executive Minister, Brother

Dominic Ng to Chair APEC Business Advisory Council ASHINGTON D.C. - The United States announced that Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East est Bank, who was appointed as a U.S. member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on April , will serve as the Chair during the United States’ APEC host year in 0 3.

In this role, Mr. Ng will work closely with other ABAC members to provide recommendations to APEC Leaders reecting the perspectives of key APEC stakeholders. For the remainder of Thailand’s APEC host year in 0 , Mr. Ng also will serve as ABAC Co-Chair alongside the Chair from Thailand.

Mr. Ng and his ABAC counterparts will advise APEC Leaders on issues affecting the continued economic growth of the APEC region. As ABAC CoChair in 0 and Chair in 0 3, Mr. Ng will represent ABAC in meetings with government and business dignitaries on the margins of ABAC meetings.

As outgoing Chair in 0 4, Mr. Ng will reprise his role as Co-Chair when Peru hosts APEC. For more than 30 years, APEC has served as the premier economic platform for the United States to engage our regional partners on structural issues to

advance a fair, open, sustainable and inclusive economic and trade architecture.

Created in 199 , ABAC consists of up to three business representatives from each APEC economy and is a key component of APEC’s multi-stakeholder approach to trade and economic policies. ABAC meets throughout the year to discuss policy recommendations, undertakes activities to promote trade and investment as well as sustainable and inclusive growth, and reports annually to APEC Leaders.

Mr. Ng leads East est Bank, the largest publicly-listed independent bank head uartered in Southern California. In his 30 years as CEO, Mr. Ng has transformed East est Bank from a small savings and loan association with 00 million in assets into a global fullservice commercial bank with over billion in assets.

Bank Director ranked East est as the No. top performing large U.S. bank in 0 . Mr. Ng serves on the governing boards of Mattel, Inc., the University of Southern California, and the Academy of Motion Pictures. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch.

Hawaii Senator Lynn DeCoite holds the cer� cate presented to the INC on July , 2022.

She is an ed y INC ministers.

Eduardo V. Manalo, o ciated the worship serv ice.

Just days later, significant landmarks all over Canada were illuminated with the Church’s colors of green, white, and red in time for the Church’s anniversaries.

These included the CN Tower in Toronto, ON City Hall of New estminster, BC High Level Bridge of Edmonton, AB TELUS Spark Building in Calgary, AB the Old Port Ferris heel in Montreal, C the By ard Market Ottawa sign in Ottawa, ON and of course Canada’s iconic Niagara F alls.

Hon. Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta,

also wrote to the INC, saying, “On behalf of the Government of Alberta, it is my pleasure to send greetings to members of Iglesia Ni Cristo as you celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the church and the 0th anniversary of the church in Canada.”

As for the property at 4 Ingersoll Street in innipeg, the INC purchased it from the Bethany Baptist Church in 19 1 for CA 0,990.00.

The property is a 0,4 0-s uare-foot lot with a 300-seater chapel.

Since 009, the number of houses of worship that the INC has built and renovated is 3, 1 —with 9 during the pandemic.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

24

Helping Communities Prepare for and Respond to Wildfires and Other Disasters: PG&E Supports Local Nonprofits, American Red Cross PG E and The PG E Corpora�on Founda�on Commit 1 Million to Local Nonpro t Disaster Relie and Recovery in 2022 and Oakland, Calif. — As fire crews cont inue t o ba t t le t he Elect ra F ire in Amador and Calav eras coun t ies, and t he Washburn Fire in Mariposa County, Pacific G as and Elect ric Company ( PG & E) and The PG & E Corporat ion F oun dat ion ( The F ounda t ion) are provi ding charit abl e fundi ng t o local age ncies and t he American Red Cross ( Red Cross) t o help residents impacted by the fires.

More broadly this fire season, PG E and The F ounda t ion are commit t ing $1 million in charit abl e fundi ng t o bol st er wildfire preparedness, relief, and recovery efforts in PG E’s service area. Funding will support local nonprofits and community-based organizations, and prioritize immediate response needs, food insecur it y and suppor t for yout h, focus ed on underserved communities. This commit ment suppor t s PG & E’ s and The F oundat ion’ s goa ls of preparing communi t ies for nat ur al disast ers and responding t o hometowns in need.

As part of t he Elect ra F ire response, The F ounda t ion will cont ribu t e a t ot al of $25,0 t o t he Amador Int erfait h F ood

B ank, Calave ras Count y Resour ce Connect ion, and t he Amador Count y Animal Response Team, a vol unt eer gr oup t hat move s and shelt ers animals dur ing emergencies. “ We are ve ry t hankf ul for t he suppor t The PG & E Corporat ion F ounda t ion has provi ded t o The Resour ce Connect ion Food Bank after the Electra Fire. Power outages resulting from the fire impacted t hous ands of hous eholds for mul t iple days in our communi t y resul t ing in food spoilage. This can be devastating to families t hat already st rugl e wit h food insecurity. This generous donation will help us provi de replacement food t o t hose families,” said Tina Mat her, F ood B ank D irect or, The Resou rce Connect ion F ood Bank. “ PG & E and The PG & E Corporat ion F oun dat ion are gr at eful t o be abl e to support nonprofits and communitybased organizations, and their tireless and compassionat e vol unt eers, who help care for and ease t he unc ert aint y of t hose impacted by wildfires. PG E is using all the t ools at our disposal t o help preve nt wild-

fires, and we appreciate those who step up to lend a helping hand when fires occur,” said Carla Pet erman, PG & E Corporat ion Exe cut ive V ice President , Corporat e Affairs and Chief Sustainability O cer.

Ongoi ng Part nership wit h t he American Red Cross In addit ion t o t he $1 million commit ment , PG & E and The F ounda t ion are cont inui ng t heir ongoi ng part nership wit h the Red Cross. PG E is contributing $30, t o t he Red Cross for local disaster and emergency response efforts in PG & E’ s servi ce area, includi ng provi ding emergency shelter. This funding will help wit h t he Red Cross’ work in response t o disast ers large and small, includi ng t he Electra and ashburn fires. Separately, The F ounda t ion is provi ding $450, t o t he Red Cross for safet y educ at ion and outreach. PG E and The Foundation have provi ded charit abl e suppor t for t he Red Cross for more t han 10 ye ars for disaster relief, education, and outreach. “ F or many ye ars, PG & E and The PG & E Corporat ion F ounda t ion have part nered wit h t he Red Cross t o delive r

50,000 to Red Cross

crit ical servi ces t o families and communi t ies across California,” said H anna Malak, Regi onal CEO of t he Red Cross Northern California Region. “Thanks t o PG & E’ s suppor t , Red Cross t eams can provi de comfort and care when and where it is needed most.”

Addit ional D isast er Relief S uppor t PG & E and The F ounda t ion also commit t ed $250, t o wint er st orm relief, much of which was dedicated to efforts in t he S ierra F oot hills earlier t his ye ar following a destructive winter storm.

All of t hese charit abl e donat ions come from PG & E shareholders and ot her sources, not PG E customers.

A b ou t P G & E Pacific Gas and Electric Company , a subs idiary of PG & E Corporat ion ( NYS E: PCG ) , is a combi ned nat ur al ga s and elect ric ut ilit y servi ng more t han 16 million people across 70, squa re miles in Nort hern and Cent ral California. For more information, visit www. pge.com/ and http //www.pge.com/about/ newsroom/.

Governor Newsom proclaims state of emergency over Monkeypox S ACRAMENTO – As part of t he st at e’ s S t at e of Emerge ncy t o bol st er t he st at e’ s va c- derway by t he California D epart ment of Pubongoi ng response t o t he monke ypox out - cination efforts. lic H ealt h and ot hers in t he administ rat ion t o br eak, G ove rnor G avi n Newsom declared a The proclamat ion suppor t s t he work un- coordinat e a whole-of-gove rnment response t o monke ypox, seek addit ional va ccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment. “ California is worki ng ur ge nt ly across all leve ls of gove rnment t o slow t he spread of monke ypox, leve ragi ng our robus t t est ing, cont act t racing and communi t y part nerships st rengt hened dur ing t he pandemic t o ensur e t hat t hose most at risk are our focus for va ccines, t reat ment and out reach,” said G ove rnor Newsom. “ We’ ll cont inue t o work wit h t he federal gove rnment t o secur e more va ccines, raise awareness about reduc ing risk, and st and wit h the LGBT community fighting stigmatization,” he said.

To expand vaccination efforts, the proclamat ion enabl es Emerge ncy Medical S ervi ces ( EMS ) personnel t o administ er monke ypox va ccines t hat are approv ed by t he F D A, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines.

The st at e’ s response t o monke ypox bui lds on t he infrast ruc t ur e deve loped dur ing t he COV ID -19 pandemic t o deploy va ccine clinics and ensur e inclus ive and t arg et ed out reach in part nership wit h local and communi t ybased organizations.

A copy of t he emerge ncy proclamat ion can be found here.

Last mont h, California publ ic healt h leaders ur ge d federal part ners t o make more va ccine doses ava ilabl e t o t he st at e as qui ckl y as possibl e so t hat t he st at e can expa nd eligi bi lity to both confirmed and probable exposures, as well as t o indivi dua ls who are at high- risk of contracting the virus.

To dat e, t he st at e has dist ribut ed more t han 25,0 va ccine doses and will make addit ional allocat ions in t he coming days and weeks.

Los Ange les Count y has receive d a separate allocation of vaccine. In all, the state has received more than 1,000 doses.

The st at e is also suppor t ing ove rall va c-

FOR MORE INFO, CALL:

cination efforts in collaboration with locals, including helping provide sta ng and mobile clinics. The state allocates doses to local healt h depart ment s ba sed on a num be r of fact ors, includi ng t he num be r of report ed monke ypox cases in an area and est imat e of at -risk populations.

As of J ul y 28, t he st at e had expa nded it s t est ing capacit y t o process more t han 1,0 tests a week, he said. The state’s public health labor at ory leaders have be en worki ng wit h local publ ic healt h, academic, and commercial labor at ories t o ensur e t est ing capacit y is increasingl y ava ilabl e and coordinat ed wit h t he public health response.

The CD PH is also expa nding t reat ment options. Access to the antiviral prescription drug t ecovi rimat ( TPOX X ) us ed t o t reat monke ypox is limit ed, but t he t reat ment can now be administ ered at more t han 30 facilit ies and providers across the state.

The gove rnor said t he st at e cont inue s out reach and education efforts to inform Californians about monke ypox and ways t o limit it s spread. The state has hosted multiple webinars for local healt h depart ment s, communi ty-based organizations, and other health care provi ders and has at t ended va rious t own halls and communi t y meet ings t o speak wit h and hear from the public and local leaders.

The CD PH is also schedul ing list ening sessions with the LGBT community. CDPH is cur rent ly runni ng paid ad campaigns on va rious digi t al media plat forms t o promot e awareness and enga g e communi t ies at highe r risk of contracting monkeypox.

Los Ange les Count y S upe rvi sor Kat hryn B arge r issue d a st at ement following G ove rnor Newsom’ s declarat ion of a st at e of emerge ncy ove r monke ypox: “ Now t hat t he G ove rnor has declared a st at ewide emerge ncy , our Count y needs t o draw down all t he suppor t ava ilabl e t o accelerat e t he dist ribut ion of va ccines and resources to those at risk and suffering from this terrible disease. I will work to ensure we’re doing so uickly and e ciently. e don’t have any time to waste,” Barger said.

25 August 4-10, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Campaign for Filipino language in SF elementary school gains

The campaig n for F ilipino World Lang u ag es in t he Element ary S chool ( F ilipino WLES ) prog ram at Long fellow Element ary in S an F rancisco in t he past mont h, t eachers, families, and commu nit y part ners was all wort h it aft er st u dent s who want t o enlist for t he prog ram at t he school t his school y ear hav e b een g iv en t he g reen lig ht t o enroll.

In a let t er t o t he commu nit y , t he main proponent s announced that Educational Placement Center (EPC) finally ag reed t o meet wit h Long fellow Element ary S chool officials and the meeting resulted to an agreement that av oided t he Kinderg art en/1 st G rade split WLES class and lift ed t he 1 1 -st u dent enrollment capacit y in t he 1 st G rade F ilipino WLES class for t he 2 0 2 2 -2 0 2 3 school y ear.

And for t his v ict ory , t hey at t rib u t ed t he comb ined effort s and hard work of t he Long fellow commu nit y t hat work ed t og et her on t he st eps, st rat eg ies, and mob iliz at ion in t he campaig n for F ilipino WLES . They also are happy that their message and persistence definitely got the attention of San Francisco Unified School District.

Among the concrete efforts that were instrumental for t heir su ccess inclu ded t wo well-at t ended mob iliz at ions for pu b lic comment at t he B oard of Edu cat ion meet ing s on J u ne 1 4 and J u ne 2 8 where scores of part icipant s at t ended in person and v oiced ou t t heir comment s in-person, remot e, email/v ideo, and st u dent comment s aside from an email b arrag e on t he week of J u ne 2 0 .

The Longfellow Community led by Principal Dr. Jennifer F reeman and Assist ant Principal H ect or Lee also wrot e on J u ne 2 , 2 0 2 2 S an F rancisco B oard of Edu ca-

Upside...

tion Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews, Incoming Superintendent Dr. Matt ayne and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Board Members on behalf of t he commu nit y . “ The F ilipino WLES prog rams at B essie Carmichael and Long fellow are t he only t wo prog rams in t he U nit ed S t at es t hat focu s on F ilipino Lang u ag e and Cu lt u re. U nfort u nat ely , ou r prog ram is b eing u ndermined b y t he b u dget crisis in SFUSD and the capacities that were set by EPC for ou r incoming Kinderg art en and 1 st g rade classrooms for 2 0 2 2 -2 0 2 3 , ” t he let t er read.

In t he same let t er, t he commu nit y req u est ed wit h all u rg ency t hat EPC increase t he capacit y t o 2 2 st u dent s in Kinderg art en and 2 2 st u dent s in 1 st g rade of ou r F ilipino WLES prog ram.

In her strong support for Filipino LES, Associate Direct or, F ilipino Commu nit y Cent er ( also a WLES parent to incoming 4th grader) Elaine Villasper pointed out that District 11 where Longfellow is located, now has the highest concent rat ion of t he 3 2 , 7 0 0 F ilipinos in S an F rancisco.

“It is contiguous with the Filipino community in Daly Cit y which has one of t he hig hest concent rat ions of F ilipinos globally outside of the Philippines,” Villasper added. “ The F ilipino WLES prog ram prov ides cu lt u rally compet ent and mu lt iling u al edu cat ion t o it s st u dent s, prov ides a rich learning ex perience, and helps st u dent s dev elop a sense of self and pu rpose root ed in commu nit y . ” The ot her memb ers of t he Long fellow commu nit y t hat inclu ded parent s, t eachers, and st u dent s hav e t his t o say : Nik k i S ant iag o - parent t o ou t g oing st u dent who complet ed t he WLES prog ram and an incoming Kinder st u dent who was at risk of not b eing placed int o WLES prog ram “ When we fou nd ou t t hat t he F ilipino WLES Prog ram at Long fellow was g et t ing capped, we didn’ t hesit at e t o act . We are prou d t o hav e cont rib u t ed t o t his small v ict ory , b u t we also k now t hat t here is more work t o b e done in order t o secu re t he su st ainab ilit y of t he F ilipino WLES Prog ram at Long fellow. ” J hu lsany F u t ol, Long fellow F ilipino WLES Teacher, 1 st g rade “ H onest ly , it was a fru st rat ing ex perience hav ing t o conv ince school dist rict au t horit ies why it ’ s necessary t o prot ect ou r commu nit y ’ s rig ht t o learn F ilipino lang u ag e in elementary schools. Despite this, I admired our commu nit y ’ s relent less driv e t o mak e ou r collect iv e fru st rat ions b e heard and felt . We ev ent u ally accomplished ou r goal but the fight to preserve our future students’ right to

(From P age 11)

Mostly FilAm students hear how in�mate partner a use correlates with Pro . Rod and Dr. Arlene Daus-Mag ual are li e partners and co-colla orators or social us�ce. their ancestral country s colonial history

learn F ilipino will cont inu e. ” Daisy Lopez, Longfellow Filipino LES Teacher, 3rd g rade “ The way we t each F ilipino WLES at Long fellow g oes b ey ond what it ’ s int ended for. We mak e su re t hat t he st u dent s not only learn lang u ag e b u t also learn ab ou t t heir hist ory , cu lt u re, and t hemselv es. This is what t he st u dent s g ain t he most from in ou r prog ram. ” J amel Ponciano, parent t o incoming 2 nd g rade WLES st u dent , incoming PTA President “ Preserv ing WLES at Long fellow is import ant t o my family b ecau se it helps preserv e t he t eaching s of F ilipino g eog raphy , cu lt u re, lang u ag e, and F ilipino hist ory in America which isn’ t t au g ht oft en in pu b lic schools. We want ou r children and ot her children t o hav e t he opport u nit y t o learn ab ou t t heir own herit ag e in school. ” Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, parent to incoming nd g rade WLES st u dent and incoming k inder WLES st u dent “ As a mot her of element ary st u dent s, my whole family part icipat ed in t he campaig n wit h hopes t hat t he S an Francisco Unified School District would recognize the impact s of Long fellow’ s long st anding F ilipino lang u ag e program. e were excited and happy to find out that the dist rict did t he rig ht t hing and t hat F ilipino American children will b e ab le t o enroll at Long fellow! ” Au driana Ponciano - 2 nd g rade WLES st u dent “ I lik e WLES b ecau se it t eaches me anot her lang u ag e” While t hey are happy wit h t he posit iv e dev elopment in t heir campaig n for cu lt u rally relev ant and lang u ag e compet ent edu cat ion for ou r st u dent s, t he proponent s F ilipino WLES admit t hat t here is mu ch more work t o do for the future of SFUSD’s Filipino LES Programs and t hat t hey will cont inu e t o work wit h t he commu nit y and SFUSD to advocate for more investment into the LES prog rams, so t hat more families can access t hese import ant resou rces.

Capt ions: Pict u res b y J u st in Kat ig b ak B earing placards, prot est ers g at her t o hav e t heir v oices heard in a rally at San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) o ce.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

26

facilities features unveiled SanYouth Joaquin’s Diversityand Presents Challenges for Covid-19 Vaccination Distribution B y S U N I T A S O H R AB J I / E M S Asso c i ate E d i to r

at Presidio Tunnel Tops

S an J oaq u in Cou nt y , a larg ely ag rarian reg ion in California’ s Cent ral V alley , has a g loriou s div ersit y of cu lt u res. More t han 4 0 percent of t he cou nt y ’ s popu lat ion is H ispanic. The reg ion is also home t o immig rant s from sev eral S ou t heast Asian cou nt ries.

B u t t he cou nt y ’ s div ersit y has led t o challeng es in t he dist rib u t ion of t he Cov id-1 9 v accine and b oost ers, said D r. Mag g ie Park , S an Joa uin County Public Health O cer, at a July news briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services. The briefing also featured speakers from community-based organizations who serv e H ispanic, Camb odian, Laot ian, H mong , F ilipino, and u n-hou sed resident s. “ I liv e, work , and play in t his cou nt y and I lov e it for it s div ersit y , ” said Park , not ing howev er t hat t here are nu merou s cu lt u ral, ling u ist ic, and g eog raphic challeng es inv olv ed in g et t ing credib le informat ion ab ou t Cov id-1 9 t o resident s, and also g et t ing t hem v accinat ed, b oost ed, and t est ed.

S an J oaq u in Cou nt y has recorded 1 8 7 , 9 3 4 Cov id infect ions t o dat e. B u t Park b eliev es t his is a “ seriou s u ndercou nt ” as it represent s only t hose who went t o clinics and pharmacies t o g et t est ed. People who t ook t est s at home, ev en t hose who t est ed posit iv e, are not recorded in t his dat a.

S adly , t he cou nt y has also cou nt ed 2 , 2 7 0 deat hs from Cov id. It has also recorded more t han 2 5 , 0 0 0 cases of long Cov id, sy mpt oms t hat last more t han one mont h aft er infect ion.

B u t fewer t han t wo-t hirds of S an J oaq u in

Cou nt y resident s are fu lly v accinat ed, and b oost er rat es are also low, not ed Park . “ We hav e t ried t o driv e t hose nu mb ers u p, ” she said, not ing t hat t he cou nt y has creat ed pop-u p v accinat ion clinics where people liv e and work , inclu ding farm-work er hou sing u nit s, low-income hou sing dev elopment s, v et erans serv ice cent ers, and homeless encampment s. “ We hav e t ried t o reach t he people most at risk , ” said Park , not ing t hat t he cou nt y has also secu red fu nds t o prov ide Ly ft and U b er rides t o g et people t o v accinat ion clinics.

V accinat ion rat es are low in t he B lack , H ispanic, and Whit e commu nit ies: fewer t han half are fu lly v accinat ed. Asian Americans in t he cou nt y hav e t he hig hest v accinat ion rat es at 7 0 percent . “ When t he Cov id-1 9 pandemic b eg an, we k new it was g oing t o disproport ionat ely affect t he Lat ino commu nit y . We are essent ial work ers who did not st ay at home du ring lock down,” said Jose Rodriguez, president of El Concilio. “ We are a work ing -class commu nit y wit h limit ed access t o healt h care. ” El Concilio partnered with the NAACP, Lit t le Manila Rising , and Apsara t o reach hardt o-reach commu nit ies in S an J oaq u in Cou nt y .

The coalition of organizations was able to deliv er v accines and informat ion at sit es lik e t he Sunday ea market. El Concilio also advocated for childcare serv ices and ot her necessit ies at v accinat ion pop-u p sit es. “ Ou r concern now is t hat t he moment u m is diminishing,” said Rodriguez, noting that once mask mandat es were ended, people t ook t he crisis less seriou sly . “ G oing int o fall, we k now t here will b e anot her su rg e, ” he said.

Kev in S u ng a, healt h direct or for Lit t le Manila Rising , not ed t hat S an J oaq u in Cou nt y was once home t o t he larg est popu lat ion of F ilipinos outside the Philippines. The organization serv es t he needs of more t han 8 2 , 0 0 0 people.

V accine informat ion is larg ely not av ailable in Tagalog, he said. Elderly people can’t g o online t o mak e appoint ment s and lack smart phones or do not k now how t o u se t hem t o mak e an appoint ment , said S u ng a. H e himself has helped mu lt iple older adu lt s mak e appoint ment s u sing his own phone. “ They feel fru strated with the di culty of the process.”

Lit t le Manila Rising has facilit at ed ov er 1, 00 vaccinations. The organization has also canv assed door t o door t o cu rb t he spread of misinformat ion. S u ng a said he hopes pu b lic healt h ag encies in t he reg ion will nex t focu s on u nderly ing condit ions t hat mak e people more vulnerable to hospitalizations and deaths from Cov id, inclu ding ast hma and diab et es. H e also hopes t here will b e an ex pansion of ment al healt h serv ices.

S ot hea U ng , prog ram direct or for Apsara, which serv es t he Camb odian commu nit y , not ed t hat ment al healt h serv ices are crit ical. Most of his clients have ed war-torn regions where t hey faced at rocit ies. They cont inu e t o st ru g g le wit h t he t rau ma of t heir past .

U ng , lik e S u ng a, not ed t he lack of v accine informat ion av ailab le in lang u ag es his commu nit y speak s. Compou nding t he issu e is t hat many of his client s cannot read or writ e ev en in t heir nat iv e lang u ag e, he said. They t hu s b ecome part icu larly v u lnerab le t o disinformat ion.

V accine clinics are av ailab le, b u t if t hey are far from home, people won’ t g o, said U ng , not ing t hat t he predominance of g u n v iolence on t he st reet s mak es people st ay at home aft er dark . “ The healt h care sy st em is lack ing in so many way s. It is not eq u ipped for div ersit y , ”

said Ung. “Community-based organizations can b u ild t hat b ridg e. We need t o b u ild long term infrastructure and de-centralize funding.

CB OS mu st b e inv it ed t o t he t ab le. ” onnie Thompson, a community organizer wit h F ait h in The V alley , work s wit h S an J oaq u in Cou nt y ’ s homeless popu lat ion. Pre-Cov id, 9 2 5 people were u n-hou sed in t he cou nt y .

That nu mb er j u mped t o b et ween 3 , 0 0 0 and 5 , 0 0 0 amid t he pandemic.

H omeless encampment s b ecame Cov id hot spot s, said Thompson, not ing t hat people who liv ed in encampment s were relu ct ant t o g o t o clinics b ecau se t hey had no healt h insu rance.

Moreov er, Cov id is j u st one of many issu es un-housed people face. Extreme weather, ment al healt h issu es, access t o food and clean wat er are larg er, daily challeng es, he said.

Clean wat er is an especially t rou b ling concern. Those who liv e u nder freeway s face t he const ant t hreat of dirt and g rime from passing cars falling int o t heir wat er su pplies. “ It is really a st ru g g le t o present y ou rself in an accept ab le way t o g o for a j ob , ” said Thompson.

Nik orrell, who was un-housed during mu ch of t he pandemic, b u t now has a home, said he has had Covid five times, at least three t imes when he was homeless. “ There are a lot of folks living on the outskirts. No one comes b y t o v accinat e u s, ” said Worrell.

Cu rrent ly , Worrell is u nab le t o g et b oost ed because he cannot find his vaccination card t o prov e he t ook t he init ial rou nds. Park ment ioned t hat t he cou nt y cou ld look him u p b y name and possib ly prov ide a du plicat e card b u t ack nowledg ed it wou ld b e an ardu ou s process.

All speak ers not ed t he slu mp in b oost er rat es. Park said people were wait ing for a b et t er b oost er, which may address some of t he su b v ariant s. U ng said his commu nit y was seeing b oost ed people who were nev ert heless g et t ing sick and dy ing . “ They are say ing : ‘ we hav e had enou g h. ’ ”

Work underway on new mural celebrating 50th anniversary of Pride Parade in Los Angeles

H OLLYWOOD — Los Ange les Cit y Counc ilmembe r Mit ch O’ F arrell, t he openly ga y represent at ive of t he 13t h D ist rict , celebr at ed t he st art of work on a new mur al commemorat ing t he 50t h Annive rsary of t he Pride Parade in Los Ange les, as well as it s hist oric root s in H ollyw ood.

Locat ed at H ollyw ood B oul eva rd and McCadden Place, where the world’s first permit t ed Pride Parade was held in 1970, and Commissioned by Counc ilmembe r O’ F arrell and t he Cit y of Los Ange les Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), t he mur al depict s hist oric leaders from Los Ange les’ LG B TQ + move ment . The mur al is designe d by D avi d Puc k and is be ing pa int ed by I an Robe rt son. “ Art plays a pivot al role in t elling our hist ory and educ at ing fut ur e ge nerat ions,” said Los Ange les Cit y Counc ilmembe r Mit ch O’ F arrell. “ F ollowing Pride’ s hist oric ret ur n t o H ollyw ood t his past J une , I’ m proud t o part ner wit h Los Ange les’ LG B TQ + communi t y , t he D epart ment of Cultural Affairs, artist David Puck and calls paint er Ian Robe rt son t o br ing t his mur al Ange les’ LG B TQ + move ment but at t ent ion t o t he indiv i du a ls who pav e d t he t o life, which not only celeb rat es H ollyway t oward a more j s u t and eq i u t ab l e Los wood’ s founda t ional cont ribut ion t o Los Ange les.”

27 August 4-10, 2022

Offline

(From P age 13)

words, he said t hat “ we receive d t he t icke t s, t hen ret ur ned t hem.”

A Cat holic school t hat also accept s regul ar Pinoy st ude nt s, t he president of X avi er added t hat t hey were commit t ed “ t o hist orical fact s and cannot part icipat e in a campaign t o dist ort hist ory .”

D efenders of Maid in Malacanang are us ing reve rse psyc hology by sayi ng t hat people shoul d wat ch it , and decide from t hemselve s if it is fact or fiction. They add that those who re ect the movie outright are “ afraid of t he t rut h.” Isn’ t t hat a line from A F ew G ood Men? To be honest, I have not seen either film, but have every intention of watching direk Vince Tanada’s Katips this weekend.

And I have more bad news for Senator Imee. One of the country’s top directors Joel Lamangan – Tanada will reach his stature eventually – has promised to make his own film about the evils of t he mart ial law regi me.

I can’t wait. I am ust sad that the likes of Lino Broca, Ishmael Bernal, Malou Diaz-Abaya, and Eddie Romero are no longer around to do the same. But Mike de Leon is still very much around, and maybe he can be ent iced t o come out of ret irement and gi ve us his vi sion.

If not , isn’ t Peque G allaga st ill around? H e’ s made some really neat horror films and that’s what the martial law era was really like.

It was a horror st ory which appears t o be havi ng a comeb ack of sort s, w hat wit h t he son of t he dict at or now act ing a s president .

H e’ s not a ve ry good a ct or, I might add.

Health & Wealth

(From P age 12)

S hare t he b ook wit h y ou r friends and relat iv es ( lik e what D aisy did, AGM). Keep it for future guideline and reference.

I hope and pray that you will take the first giant step toward becoming a millionaire or financially independent.”

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In My Heart

(From P age 12 )

or t he F ilipino writ er who was acclaimed in America.

President Ramos’ words in California still reverberates in my mind today for which I am very thankful. He said “Carlos Bulosan, my neighbor in Pangasinan, arrived in Seattle, ashington poor and unlettered then worked in canneries, picked fruits and vegetables and did other menial obs.

But he taught himself to be a better person.” “ If life is so mu ch b et t er here for minorit y g rou ps t oday , t hey owe a great part of that change to this man – Carlos Bulosan,” the President stressed. “ e may not remember Carlos Bulosan, but his ideals – and his st ru g g les – hav e su rv iv ed him. ” As a ournalist, I also followed FVR overseas when he attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit in Seattle, ashington in November 1993. In the event, he met US President Bill Clint on. I was ab le t o snap a phot o of t he t wo President s as t hey shook hands inside a dimly lit hall using available light with an old ip Nokia cellular phone which, t o my su rprise lat er, was ex cellent .

I also oined PFVR in his many travels in Mexico and South America Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, London and others in Europe.

Among his last trips to Asia were in Hong Kong, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, d I was also t here.

Of course, I also had personal encounters with PFVR in Malacanang t og et her wit h media and ot her g rou ps.

In all those foreign visits and interactions, I saw a very hard-working g eneral and president who, b ecau se he lov ed his cou nt ry deeply and cared for t he fu t u re of F ilipinos, fou g ht for t he cou nt ry and accomplished so mu ch for t he Philippines.

Going back to NPC, we were very fortunate that President FVR readily accept ed ou r inv it at ion! And so we immediat ely mou nt ed a campaig n t o promot e t he ev ent , g et sponsors and “ dist rib u t e” dinner t ick et s, as t he t rib u t e was also a fund drive for the debt-ridden NPC. Just like my three other unprecedented NPC pro ects that followed – “An Evening with President Joseph Estrada” cum testimonial to past NPC Presidents (September 199 . Grand Ballroom, Manila Hotel ), the first ever National Press Club foundation anniversary celebration in recent years with then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other o cials (Bulwagang Plaridel, October 199 ), and the “Huwag Mo Akong Subukan Gridiron Night” (Manila Hotel Centennial Hall, April 1999), I tapped some staffers of Congressman Gualberto Lumauig in the Lakas Media Bureau for help in the promotion and invitation, In hindsight, the Lakas staff support helped ensu re t he su ccess of t he campaig n.

And despite the short notice, history was made as the “Fidel Valdez Ramos Summa Cum Laude” event at the Grand Ballroom of the Manila was filled to the brim with virtually the “ ho’s ho” in government, politics,

b u siness, edu cat ion and t he media. e are profusely and forever thankful, Mr. President, for your all-out su pport !

The Outsider

(From P age 12)

Nesty Carolina and Gen. Pol Bataoil, former Congressional Chairman for Veterans Affairs and now Lingayen mayor. Twilight Glory was supposed to be presented on his 9 nd birthday celebration on March nd 0 0 at F airmont H ot el b u t had t o b e cancelled du e t o COV iD 1 9 and lock down in Met ro Manila.

Look ing b ack , it is not only a sing u lar honor and priv ileg e writ ing and pu b lishing b ook s. All t hese y ears, I alway s consider it is a g ift and a b lessing from the Almighty and from FVR himself who always served as a constant guide, inspiration, editor and prime mover of said book pro ects.

The past 1 years and the several book teams formed have been a great ourney of rediscovering FVR and RPDEV. ith his passing to the great beyond, we have a bunch of team that now form part of a select g rou p called F idelist as, ardent st u dent s and admirers of Fidel V. Ramos. orking with him has allowed the various book teams, notably the millennials, to experience some of FVR’s core values and best practices such as CS (Completed Staff ork), CSD (Caring, Sahring and Daring), and UST (Unity, Solidarity and Teamwork) – all advocated by FVR. There’s no denying that FVR also became my loving mentor and my second fat her hav ing earlier lost my own when he su ccu mb ed t o cancer in 1 9 9 4 .

Just like a disciplinarian father, there were times when FVR scolded me when especially when coming in late for our appointed meetings reprimanded me when I was not up to his high and excellent standards and, he pat t ed my b ack in t imes of appreciat ion and sat isfact ion on g ood work s done.

During regular visits to his o ce, he personally saw to it that my team was served with his “coffee royale” laced with virgin coconut oil because according to him, it works well for the health and vitality. e all have to agree. After coffee, he treated us either with a glass of red wine or his special “FVR cocktail drink” invariably laced with soda, rum, cognac, whiskey or brandy while watching some documentaries or FVR taped interviews showcasing his milestone presidency and continuing work as senior statesman.

As for his many sorties overseas wherein I was privileged to oin, I witnessed how he cont inu ed t o b e admired, respect ed and adu lat ed as former President and head of st at e.

But there’s one unforgettable experience I had with him that showed the stuff he was really made of.

I remember one incident in June 013 when we staged the Pilipinas Roadshow with my co-book authors former DILG Secretary Rafael M. Alunan III and Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco featuring our book “Silver Linings Years of the 19 People Power Revolution,” and “Tagaligtas A Documentary on the Spercial Action Force” (long before the Mamasapano massacre happened) in eight key cities in the United States to promote Filipino values and instill patriotism to the Fil-Ams in time for the Independence D ay celeb rat ion.

Inspite of the debilitating pain on his back and leg when he in ured himself in S an D ieg o, California while doing his u su al cru nch wit h some Fil-Ams, FVR, who was very well beyond his years, withstood the pain and committed to continue the -city tour to Atlanta, Georgia, ashington D.C., Virginia, New Jersey and New York without any complaints or grievance.

Beyond the pain, the show must go on. Such a kindred and brave soul in FVR and he taught the Pilipinas Roadshow Team a lesson or two on pain manag ement , mind ov er mat t er, professionalism and honoring one’ s commit ment .

Through the years that I’ve known him, the many young and not so old writers that have been involved with the book pro ects have also seen the other human side of FVR – comical, witty and a tad bit serious when needed.

I st ill recall t he u su al drill when he shook t he hands of one lady writ er and FVR feigned sickness to the lady writer’s great concern. Obviously, he was ust oking.

S u ch fu nny incident s and lig ht er moment s wou ld mak e most of t hem wonder how at his ag e, he st ill cont inu ed t o work and cont rib u t e t o nat ion b u ilding wit h his wealt h of ideas, wisdom and ex perience.

Unfortunately, for the many national leaders who came after him both in the executive and legislative, they didn’t seem to take the golden opport u nit y of t apping his v ast reserv oir of wisdom and ex perience, part icu larly in t he areas of g ood g ov ernance and g lob al diplomacy . ith his passing, I believe that FVR is one of the greatest Philippine Presidents this country ever had, being a historian and eyewitness to Philippine history over the last 0 years.

Having served as 1 th President of the Philippines from 199 to 199 , FVR is best remembered for promoting the principles of people empowerment , a cu lt u re of ex cellence, and g lob al compet it iv eness, focu sing on prog rams t o allev iat e pov ert y and improv e t he liv es of ordinary F ilipinos.

This is evident in the 9 structural/reform laws enacted by the 9th and 10th Cong ress du ring his t erm, achiev ed principally b y b u ilding u nit y , solidarit y and t eamwork among g ov ernment and civ il societ y leaders.

As a soldier who served for 4 years, including stints in Korea, Vietnam and in the counter-insurgency campaign, FVR retired as a 4-star General and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. He served as Defense Secretary from 19 to 1991.

As President and t hereaft er, he is b et t er k nown as a peace b u ilder wit h the forging of the peace agreements with the rebel-soldiers in 199 and with the Moro National Liberation Front in 199 .

The former President who has been in public service since beg inning his career as a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy in 194 , continues to practice his dist inct b rand of pu b lic serv ice through the non-government RPDEV Foundation which he and k ey memb ers of his former Presidential family organized only months after they left o ce.

H is leg acy of pu b lic serv ice b efore, du ring and aft er his six y ear presidency are u nmat ched: est Point honor graduate, Korea and Vitenam ar veteran, AFP Vice Chief of Staff, PC-INP Chief, EDSA 1 hero, AFP Chief,

Defense Secretary, Philippine President, RPDEV and Boao Forum Chairman, EDSA hero and Senior Statesman.

Not that he is gone, I can only recall the best times I have with him.

Incidentally, Pilipinas Kong Mahal is his all time favourite patriotic song.

Truly, Fidel V. Ramos has left an endearing legacy to our nation and with the books that we have done over the last 0 years, I now comfort myself for b eing t he t orchb earer in b ring ing his indelib le imprint s on pat riot ism t hat celeb rat e a milest one of life, lov e, learning for his people and serv ice t o ou r b elov ed Philippines.

Rest easy now FVR. Thank you Mr. President for your service to our cou nt ry and ou r people.

To honor your legacy, we will always carry on your favorite battle cry KAYA NATIN ITO

Ken Go

(From P age 12)

for my e scrow t o cove r t axe s, i nsur ance, a nd mort ga ge insur ance?

Some lenders have decided to allow certain loan modifications. In some cases, t hey will allow t he mont hly paym ent t o be change d lat er in t he life of t he loan, t o include t he amount missed dur ing t he forbe arance.

H oweve r, t he main confus ion for consum ers right now is t he fact t hat most lenders will not necessarily re uire a lump sum payment after the forbe arance period ends.

I t hink some people are panicke d t hat if t hey ge t a forbe arance, t hey have t o pay i t all ba ck i mmediat ely .

That’s one option, or they can enter into a payment plan if they can’t make t he lum p sum , and if t hey can’ t make a repaym ent plan work, t here are ot her opt ions ava ilabl e t o t hem.

If you work out a forbe arance or deferment plan wit h your lender and don’t ust skip payments, it can protect your credit.

S o far, It doesn’ t show a posit ive or a nega t ive , but it doesn’ t show like a missed paym ent .

So if you were to ignore it and ust not pay anything and pretend it will go away, that’s absolutely going to affect your credit report in the long run.

But the forbearance or deferment is a neutral. It’s not positive or negative on t he credit report , but it ’ s a lot be t t er t han havi ng missed paym ent s on your mort ga ge .

One cave at t o ke ep in mind is t hat if you can pay your mort ga ge , pay it , and don’ t ask f or relief.

Be Safe and Lets Pray for everyone to be safe and this Covid crisis to go away. Thanks for your in uiries, please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group - 0 - 04 . CABRE 010 1 3 NMLS 3 3 .

As I See It

(From P age 13)

that the Trump Administration used improper procedure in ending t he D ACA prog ram, prov iding some relief for D reamers. ith a slight difference, the DACA program and the DREAM Act have similar goals of protecting Dreamers. The goal of the DREAM Act is to give Dreamers permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship. On the other hand, DACA only offers “deferred act ion” t hat recipient s hav e t o renew ev ery t wo y ears, a g ov ernment decision not to start removal proceedings (commonly called “deport at ion” ) ag ainst someone on hu manit arian g rou nds.

Under the DREAM Act, Dreamers are eligible for lawful permanent resident st at u s ( g reen card) , which t hey ’ ll nev er need t o renew.

H av ing a g reen card wou ld also allow D reamers t o apply for lawfu l immigration status for their family members who are undocumented or have temporary non-immigrant visas (like student visas). The DREAM Act would also offer Dreamers a pathway to citizenship, prot ect ing t hem from deport at ion forev er.

In 001, Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Orrin Hatch of Utah introduced the bill called the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act. Congress abbreviated it as the “DREAM Act,” which is where the term “Dreamers” comes from. The DurbinH at ch b ill wou ld hav e g iv en lawfu l st at u s t o D reamers who came t o America before turning 1 , could pass criminal background checks, and either graduated high school or earned a GED. It wou ld hav e made t hese D reamers elig ib le for a “ condit ional residency” status that would let them live and work in the U.S. for six y ears. Aft er six y ears, t hey cou ld g et lawfu l permanent resident st at u s, b et t er k nown as a “ g reen card” b u t t hat b ill nev er b ecame law because it couldn’t get enough support in the Senate. This is one of the successive Legislative failures since 001 when the Dream Act was int rodu ced in Cong ress.

So, what is the future of the DREAM Act e can’t be certain what the future holds for Dreamers. The most recent version of the DREAM Act was introduced in Congress in March 0 1 called the “American Dream and Promise Act of 0 1,” passed the House of Representatives but has not gone up for a Senate vote yet. hen President Obama created the DACA program in 01 , Joe Biden was Vice President. During his presidential campaign, Biden promised many t imes t o prot ect D ACA and D reamers.

President Biden. on his inauguration day, signed an Executive Order to reinstate DACA fully. He also expressed his support for legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and temporary protected status (TPS) for other undocumented immigrants. President Biden has promised to sign the DREAM Act int o law once Cong ress approv es it .

It’s up to Congress now whether or not the DREAM Act becomes a law. In t he meant ime, D reamers can apply for D ACA t o ob t ain a renewable two-year work permit. If you can’t afford attorney’s fees and don’t want to handle your DACA case alone, the nonprofit Immig rat ionH elp. org may b e ab le t o help. If y ou are elig ib le, y ou can u se Immig rat ionH elp. org t o prepare y ou r D ACA forms for free. Click “ G et S t art ed” t o see if Immig rat ionH elp. org can help y ou .

Dreamers kept on dreaming They will never stop dreaming until they will be granted the green card contained in the DREAM Act !

E L P I D I O R . E S T I O K 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 a mu l t i - aw ard ed j ou rn al i s t h ere i n t h e U S . For f eed b ac k s , c ommen t s … pl eas e emai l t h e au t h or at es t i ok oel pi d i o@ gmai l . c om. )

 HEALTH NEWS

August 4-10, 2022

28

New global alliance launched to end AIDS in children by 2030 MONTREAL/G ENEV A/NEW YORK – G loba lly , only half ( 52% ) of children livi ng wit h H IV are on lifesavi ng t reat ment , far be hind adul t s where t hree qua rt ers ( 76% ) are receivi ng ant iret rovi rals, according t o t he dat a t hat has j us t be en released in t he U NAID S G loba l AID S U pdat e 20.

Concerned by t he st alling of progr ess for children, and t he widening ga p be t ween children and adul t s, U NAID S , U NICEF , WH O and part ners have br ought t oge t her a gl oba l alliance t o ensur e t hat no child livi ng wit h H IV is denied t reat ment by t he end of t he decade and t o preve nt new infant H IV infect ions.

The new G lob al Alliance for Ending AID S in Children by 030 was announced by leading figures at the Int ernat ional AID S Conference t aki ng place in Mont real, C anada.

In addit ion t o t he U nit ed Nat ions age ncies, t he alliance include s civi l societ y move ment s, includi ng t he G loba l Net work of People livi ng wit h H IV , nat ional governments in the most affected countries, and internat ional part ners, includi ng PEPF AR and t he G loba l F und. Twelve count ries have j oined t he alliance in t he first phase Angola, Cameroon, C te d’Ivoire, The Dem-

ocrat ic Republ ic of t he Congo ( D RC) , Kenya , Moz ambi que , Nige ria, S out h Africa, Tanz ania, U ga nda, Z ambi a, a nd Z imba bw e.

Consultations by the alliance have identified four pillars for collect ive act ion: 1) Closing t he t reat ment ga p for pregna nt and br east feeding adolescent gi rls and women livi ng wit h H IV and opt imiz ing c ont inui t y of t reat ment ; 2) Preve nt ing and det ect ing new H IV infect ions among pregna nt and br east feeding adolescent gi rls and women; 3) Accessibl e t est ing, opt imiz ed t reat ment , and comprehensive care for infant s, children, and adolescent s expos ed t o and livi ng w it h H IV ; 4) Addressing right s, ge nder equa lit y , and t he social and st ruc t ur al ba rriers t hat hinder access t o servi ces.

Addressing t he Int ernat ional AID S Conference, Limpho Nt eko from Lesot ho shared how she had discovered she was H IV posit ive at age 21 while pregna nt wit h her first child. This led her on a ourney where she now works for t he pioneering women-led mot hers2m ot hers progr amme. Enabl ing commu nit y leadership, she highlighted, is key to an effective response.

“ We mus t all sprint t oge t her t o end AID S in children by 203,” said Ms. Nt eko. “ To suc ceed, we need a healt hy , informed ge nerat ion of young people who feel free t o t alk about H IV , and t o ge t t he servi ces and support t hey need t o prot ect t hemselve s and t heir children from H IV . mot hers2m ot hers has achieve d vi rt ua l eliminat ion of mot her-t o-child t ransmission of H IV for our enrolled client s for eight consecut ive ye ars—s howing what is possibl e when we let women and communi t ies creat e solut ions t ailored t o t heir realit ies.”

The alliance will run for t he next eight ye ars unt il 030, aiming to fix one of the most glaring disparities in t he AID S response. Alliance membe rs are uni t ed in t he assessment t hat t he challenge is sur mount abl e t hrough part nership. “ The wide ga p in t reat ment cove rage be t ween children and adul t s is an out rage , ” said U NAID S Exe cut ive D irect or Winnie B ya nyi ma. “ Through t his alliance, we will channel t hat out rage int o act ion. B y br ingi ng t oge t her new improve d medicines, new polit ical commit ment , and t he det ermined act ivi sm of communi t ies, we can be t he ge nerat ion who end AID S in children. We can win t his – but we can only w in t oge t her.”

Monkeypox Heart of Hope

The World H ealt h Orga niz at ion on J ul y 23, 20 declared Monke ypox a gl oba l emerge ncy . Worldwide, t here are more t han 16,0 cases of Monke ypox, invol vi ng 75 count ries so far, wit h at least 5 deat hs.

In t he U nit ed S t at es 4,60 cases hav e be en report ed in 30 S t at es, t he gr eat est PHILIP S. CHUA num be r of cases compared t o any count ry in t he world. In t he Philippines, one case was report ed on J ul y 19t h.

Today’ s art icle on Monke ypox is aut hored by our gue st infect iou s disease consul t ant , D r. J oel C. Ang, MD . F AAF P, AAH IV M, President /Lab D irect or, Q S t reet Medical Associat es in Washingt on, D C. Wh at i s m on k e yp ox?

Monke ypox is an illness caus ed by a vi rus closely relat ed t o t he smallpox vi rus . Think of monke ypox and smallpox as t heir own uni que t ype of vi rus . H ist orically , monke ypox has most ly infect ed animals in Africa, wit h an occasional spread t o a hum an. The vi rus has escaped from it s us ua l animal host and is now spreading from person t o person. It has ent ered t he sexua l net works of men who have sex wit h men, and is increasing among t hat gr oup . There are also a smaller num be r of cases occur ring i n ot her people.

Wh at ar e t h e s ym p t om s of m on k e yp ox ?

The vi rus caus es bl ist ers or pus t ul es ( “ poxe s” ) , which can be ve ry painful . These can appear anyw here on t he body . In t he cur rent epidemic, t hey also are commonly found in t he “ unde rpant s z one,” namely t he ge nit al and anal areas. They can also caus e swelling and pain inside t he anus . People infect ed wit h monke ypox may also have feve r, mus cle aches, headache, cough, swollen lym ph nodes, loss of appet it e, and ot her sym pt oms.

People wit h monke yp ox are ge nerally ill for 3–4 weeks and mus t qua rant ine t o preve nt fur t her t ransmission.

H ow i s m on k e yp oxs p r e ad ?

Most commonly t his vi rus is spread by ski n-t o-ski n cont act , suc h as dur ing sex, especially vi a cont act wit h the uid from one of the pox lesions. Monkeypox may also be t ransmit t ed by respirat ory secret ions and by body uids such as semen. Close intimate contact seems t o be t he most common way it is t ransmit t ed, as opposed t o simply be ing in t he same room as someone. B ecaus e

of t he risk of t ransmission, a person wit h monke ypox is aske d t o isolat e from ot her people unt il t hey have ful ly recove red.

I s m on k e yp oxan S T I? According t o aut horit ies, monke ypox is not a sexua lly- t ransmit t ed infect ion, be caus e it does not always requi re sex for t ransmission, j us t ski n cont act wit h t he vi rus . H oweve r, t he same cou ld be said of herpes, which is oft en t hought of as an S TI, but is easily t ransmit t ed by non-sexua l ski n cont act . There are many ot her S TIs t hat can be t ransmit t ed non-sexua lly: by t ransfus ion, needlesharing, perinat ally , et c. J us t “ be ing ga y” does not necessarily put a person at risk of monke ypox; rat her, it ’ s who he is int imat e cont act wit h. This is import ant as G ay males, who are not sexua lly act ive at all, have t he same risk as anybod y else. It is what one does int imat ely and wit h whom t hat expos es a person t o t his vi rus .

H ow d oe s on e ge t t e s t e d ?

A health care provider swabs the uid from a pox lesion and sends t he swab t o a lab for t est ing. This t est is now ava ilabl e vi a large commercial labs in t he U .S .

There is no self-t est ing ye t , and t here is no bl ood t est .

A person mus t have at least one pox lesion in order t o be t est ed. In t hat case, t hey shoul d go t o a healt h care provi der.

H ow c an m on k e yp oxb e p r e ve n t e d ?

The most surefire way would be for a man to not have sexua l cont act wit h new male part ners for t he t ime be ing, since t he vi rus is circul at ing primarily among men who have sex wit h men, and by int imat e ( oft en sexua l) cont act . It ’ s helpful t o know who you are int imat e wit h, whet her t hey have a rash or ot her sym pt oms, or have be en ill recent ly . S ex clubs , sex part ies, and ot her similar set t ings pose a high risk of infect ion if a part icipant has t his vi rus .

There is a vaccine, JYNNEOS, that is effective at preve nt ing monke ypox ( and smallpox) . The va ccine is gi ve n as a shot unde r t he ski n, us ua lly in t he uppe r arm, wit h a second dose a mont h lat er. People t end t o have minimal aftereffects from the vaccine. Protection begins a few weeks after the first dose. Although it is a live (but “ crippled” ) va ccine, J YNNEOS appears safe for people livi ng w it h H IV , a t least if t heir CD 4 c ount is ove r 20.

If a person has had close/int imat e cont act wit h someone who prove s t o have monke ypox, t he person can ge t a dose of va ccine. If gi ve n soon enough it may preve nt t he infect ion complet ely , or ( especially if gi ve n more t han a few days aft er expos ur e) it st ill may mak e t he

infect ion less seve re.

The suppl y of J YNNEOS is limit ed, alt hough muc h more will be ava ilabl e ove r t he next few mont hs. It is be ing dist ribut ed by t he CD C and local healt h depart ment s, and from t here t o clinics where it is gi ve n t o pat ient s.

Cur rent ly in t he U nit ed S t at es t he suppl y is allocat ed t o cit ies and count ies ba sed on t he num be r of cases t here.

A que st ion from a reader: “ I am ‘ older’ and I had t he smallpox va ccine when I was a child, which younge r folks t oday have not had, will t his va ccine prot ect me from monke ypox? ” - We know t hat t he immuni t y from smallpox va ccine fades wit h age . The smallpox va ccine t hat some older folks had decades ago is unl ike ly t o preve nt monke ypox now. H oweve r, it may help reduc e t he seve rit y of t he disease if t he person cat ches monke ypox.

H ow i s m on k e yp oxt r e at e d ?

Most people wit h monke ypox do not need ant ivi ral t reat ment ; t heir sys t em clears t he vi rus on it s own. The most common t reat ment s a person might need are for cont rol of sym pt oms suc h as pain and feve r. There is an expe riment al ant ivi ral ( t ecovi rimat , or TPOX X ) t hat can be obt ained for people wit h seve re sym pt oms. This is not ava ilabl e at regul ar pharmacies and woul d have t o be accessed t hrough t he local healt h depart ment , infect ious disease clinic, or ot her clinic t hat has be en aut horiz ed.

H IV ant ivi rals do not t reat monke ypox, nor do ant ivi rals designed for other infections such as herpes, u, COV ID -19, e t c.

C O V I D -19u p d at e s As of t his writ ing, t here are 5,83460 cases of COV ID -19 infect ions, wit h 6,4259 deat hs worldwide. In t he U nit ed S t at es: 93,251 10 cases, wit h 1,0576 deat hs; The Philippines: 3,782 cases, wit h 60,749 deat hs. The 7- day D AILY ave rage case was 12,43; wit h 46 deat hs, and 43,65 hospit aliz at ions per day . The Omicron B A.5 is st ill t he dominant subva riant , milder but nonet heless a ki ller. The pandemic is st ill wit h us . The new sub- st rain B A.2.75 is upon us – t hanks t o t he unva ccinat ed. We will see what t his new sub- st rain does.

P hi l i p S. C hua, M D , FA C S, FP 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 . 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 4-10, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS Annihilation of Evil

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

By TIM PEDROSA

A

re y ou one of t hose look ing for way s t o g et t hrou g h t he hard t imes t hrown at y ou b y t he world? D o y ou feel lik e g iv ing u p? No mat t er what we do, who we are, and where we liv e, life and t he world will alway s b e throwing curveballs at us be it a di cult task, a financial problem, a problematic relationship, a b rok en heart , t he t rag edy of t he deat h of a dear one, or somet hing else. Whet her we are feeling ov erwhelmed b y the unknown, facing di cult circumstances, navigating life through one impossib le challeng e aft er anot her, let u s alway s rememb er t hat if inter comes, Spring is not far behind. Positivity, confidence and persist ence are k ey s in life, so nev er g iv e u p on y ou rself – Khalid. One t hing I hav e learned in life is t hat , t he g rass is not alway s g reener on t he ot her side. Many of u s want t o mov e away and st art a new life in search for happiness. B u t if we remain wit h a b rok en heart or wit h a mind t hat is b u rdened, we will b e t ak ing t hose prob lems wit h u s t o ou r new dest inat ion. H appiness is not a new cit y , a new home nor a new b ack y ard, wit h hopes of g reener g rass. H appiness is something we must find right in our very own backyard in ou r own heart . There is no su b st it u t e for hard work . Nev er g iv e up. Never stop believing. Never stop fighting – Hope Hicks. Out of t rag edy comes somet hing g ood! . We cou ld g et energ iz ed, inspired, u plift ed, and b ack on t rack . We need t o come t o t erms wit h ou r healing b efore we can t ru ly b e av ailab le t o int eract and relat e wit h ot hers and b e happy ag ain. That does not mean t hat we cannot b e in a lov ing relat ionship while we heal, we j u st need t o b e aware of who we really are. We hav e t o b e healed b efore we can appreciat e and enj oy life and lov e ag ain.

Nev er g iv e u p, 1 . Ou r Lady of Ang els Chu rch - 1 7 2 1 H illside D riv e, be confident in B u rling ame, CA 9 4 0 1 0 what y ou do.

2 . S t . Isidore Cat holic Chu rch - 2 2 2 Clark Av enu e, There may b e Yu b a Cit y , CA 9 5 9 9 1 3 . S t . Andrew’ s Cat holic Chu rch - 1 5 7 1 S ou t hg at e Av enu e, t ou g h t imes D aly Cit y , CA 9 4 0 1 5 but the di 4 . S t . J arlat h Chu rch - 2 6 2 0 Pleasant S t . , Oak land, CA 9 4 6 0 2 5 . S t . Isab ella Chu rch - One Trinit y Way , S an Rafael, CA 9 4 9 0 3 cu lt ies which 6 . S t . Cat herine Chu rch - 3 4 5 0 Tennessee Chu rch, y ou face will V allej o, CA 9 4 5 9 1 mak e y ou more 7 . H oly Child and S t . Mart in Chu rch - 7 7 7 S ou t hg at e Av enu e, D aly Cit y , CA 9 4 0 1 5 det ermined t o 8 . Parish of t he H oly Infant J esu s - 3 7 0 5 1 Cab rillo Terrace, achiev e y ou r F remont , CA 9 4 5 3 6 ob j ect iv es and 9 . G ood S hepherd Chu rch - 3 2 0 0 H arb or S t , Pit t sb u rg , CA 9 4 5 6 5 t o win ag ainst F or more informat ion, please cont act : all odds – MarJ R: ( 6 5 0 ) 9 5 2 -8 2 3 8 t a Tou g h.

R

elig ion and fait h are nev er compat ib le wit h v iolence. Ou r Lord J esu s, t he S on of G od, nev er did H e act ed and t au g ht t o do v iolence, H e ev en died “ lik e a t ru st ing lamb led t o slau g ht er (Jer. 11 19).” Faith is always non-violent rat her promot es peace and lov e. The Chu rch is a div ine inst it u t ion as it is also a hu man inst it u t ion. As hu man inst it u REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD tion, it has sinful members and leaders thus, capable of making wrong decisions lik e t he complicat ed hist ory of t he t ime of t he Cru sades. It achiev ed some good, but it also caused some bad effects. And there are other examples of v iolence and scandals along t he hist ory of t he Chu rch. Now, specifically, how can we read and reconcile in our mind and heart the v iolence we read in t he B ib le wit h t he t eaching s of peace and non-v iolence? In fact , t here was an error t hat t au g ht t hat t he B ib le t eaches t wo gods the god in the Old Testament was the violent god, and the god of t he New Test ament is t he g ood, peacefu l and lov ing g od. As an error, t his posit ion shou ld not b e followed, rat her mu st b e correct ed. It is t ru e t hat we can read from t he OT some v iolence: G od t hrou g h Moses commanding J oshu a t o b at t le t he Amelek it es and pu t t hem t o t he sword, see Exodus 1 – 1 . Israel waging war with Amalek with Joshua leading t he charg e, and Moses on t op of t he mou nt ain. As long as Moses’ hands were lift ed u p, Israel was winning , when t hey fall, t he Amalek it es has t he adv ant ag e. U lt imat ely , as Moses hands were su pport ed u p, J oshu a won t he b at t le and pu t Amalek ’ s men t o t he sword. Now, t o ou r sensib ilit ies, we wou ld u nderst andab ly say , t his is b ru t al and v iolent st ory .

S o, let u s t ak e not e how t his passag e ended, it say s: “ t he Lord has war wit h Amalek t hrou g h t he ag es. ” H int ing t o u s t hat t his is not ab ou t v iolence, but so much about God teaching His people to fight against evil.

G od does not writ e wit h words, H e writ es t hrou g h ev ent s, and b y t hem we hav e t o u nderst and what is H is will.

Anot her passag e come t o mind, in 1 S amu el 1 5 , t he whole chapt er. Prophet S amu el t old b y t he Lord t o command S au l t o b at t le t he Amalek it es and pu t ev ery t hing u nder t he b an – meaning all mu st b e pu t t o deat h animals and peoples. King S au l won b u t did not carry ou t t ot ally what he was t old. In t he end, G od was displeased of S au l and remov e him as k ing of Israel for his disob edience. And so, S amu el hack t o pieces Ag ag , k ing of t he Amelek it es. S amu el t old S au l t o answer his ustification of his action “Does the Lord delight in burtn offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lord’s command Obedience is better than sacrifice, to listen, better than the fat of rams.” Again, we see here t he idea t hat it is not so mu ch ab ou t v iolence, b u t v ery mu ch about our human duty towards God thus, whatever is ungodly in our lives we must not play around with it we rather must hack it to pieces, pu t what is ev il t o t he end t hrou g h and t hrou g h.

The k ey t o u nderst and t hese cont rov ersial passag es in t he B ib le is t o follow t he t eaching s of t he fat hers of t he Chu rch, lik e Orig en, who t au g ht t hat su ch passag es mu st b e read wit h spirit u al and moral lenses. They do not teach violence, but rather the commitment to fight and pu t an end t o ev il, t o dest roy t he b ad and sinfu l in ou r liv es. The Chapt er 5 of t he b ook of Rev elat ion can g iv e lig ht on t his mat t er. Reading t his chapt er, y ou will see t hat it was t he Lamb , who was slain, who is wort hy t o open t he scroll and b reak it s sev en seals. In ot her words, t here are t hing s in t he scroll, B ib le, t hat are sealed for u s t o u npack and u nderst and, u nless we refer t o J esu s Christ , t he Risen S lain Lamb .

Our Lord having died as sacrificial offering to defeat evil through non-v iolence and wit h g reat lov e is t he way t o open and u nderst and su ch passag es in t he B ib le. In short , it is ab ou t moral comb at . It is in the spiritual context and significance that we treat such passages, not as teachings of violence. God is never compatible with evil thus, in His people “He fights Amalek through the ages ” the Amelekites was a sy mb ol of what is u ng odly and ev il, and we mu st also wag e war wit h our personal Amaleks our pride, selfishness, and many other sins. e have to fight evil to the end without sparing something of it. Evil must be cast out, eradicated, exterminated, all the way to the end. hat are you waging war with right now Know, you are fighting on God’s side. amen.

Aflame The Heart

GETTING THROUGH HARD TIMES

31 August 4-10, 2022  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Kinilaw na Bangus H ere is t he recipe of my ve rsion of Kinilaw na B angus .

I n gr e d i e n t s : 1 m edium siz ed ba ngus ,de scaled, de bone d 4 m edium siz ed onions, pe eled, s liced t hinly 3- 4 t hum b s iz ed gi nge r, s ki nned, s liced t hinly 3- 4 r ed hot chili, s liced t hinly 3- 4 l ong gr een sili, c ut in half lengt hwise, de seeded, s liced t hinly 10- 12 ka lamansi, j ui ce ext ract ed 2 c ups , w hit e vi nega r 1/ 2 t easpoon coarsely gr ound pe ppercorns salt To marinat e t he B angus S ki n 1/ 2 he ad ga rlic, c rus hed, pe eled, c our sly c hopped 1/ 2 c up w hit e vi nega r 1/ 2 t easpoon coarsely gr ound pe ppercorns 1/ 2 t easpoon salt To fry t he B angus S ki n cooki ng oi l M e t h od : Using a spoon carefully scoop out the meat from the butter ied boneless bangus.

Place the fish skin including the tail and head in in a marinating bowl. Rub the inside on the fish skin with the chopped garlic, ground peppercorns and salt. Add in the cup v inega r and let marinat e for at least 15 minut es, ke ep aside unt il ready t o fry . Cut t he ba ngus meat int o cube s, place in a bow l, add in about 1 cup of t he whit e vi nega r.

Let it soak for at least 15 minut es, t hen drain t he liqui d us ing a sieve , light ly press t he meat aga inst t he sieve t o drain all t he exc ess liqui d. U sing t he same bow l t oss t oge t her t he ba ng us meat , gi nge r, onion, red chili, gr een long sili, gr ound peppercorns, ka lamansi j ui ce and remining vi nega r. S eason wit h salt t o t ast e. Keep aside. Now cut off the tail and head from the marinated bangus skin. Cut the skin into wide strips.

Keep aside. H eat ge nerous amount of cooki ng oil unt il it st art t o smoke . F irst fry t he ba ngus ski n in ba t ches unt il crisp. Next fry t he ba ngus head and t ail. Keep aside unt il ready t o serve .

To serv e arrange t he ba ngus t ail and head on a plat t er. Place t he ki nilaw/ba ngus meat in be t ween t he t ail and t he head. Top t he ki lawin wit h t he crispy fried ba ngus ski n and serve .

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Pangasinan’s Dasol Beach villas for intimate, peaceful retreat LU CB AN, Q ue z on – The t own of Luc ba n, t he land of pancit habha b and colorful ki ping -decorat ed hous es, has revi ve d t he iconic Pahiya s F est iva l t his 20, t wo ye ars since t he pandemic forced most fest iva ls in t he Philippines t o go vi rt ua l.

Eve ry May 15, t he agr icul t ur al t owns of Q ue z on prov ince celebr at e t he feast of S an Isidro Labr ador, t he pat ron saint for good harve st , in va rious ways -t he Aga wan F est iv al in S ariaya , t he Maya hon of Taya ba s, and t he Pahiyas or o cially the San D aso l B eac h V i l l as h as b een d ub b ed b y th e l o c al muIsidro Pahiya s F est iva l. as the town s rst and rising world-class rePahiya s is du be d nicipality sort. as one of t he count ry’ s most colorful fest iva ls and begins with an offerS ome 10, t our ist s j oined Paing t o t he farmer saint , a pract ice de- hiya s t his ye ar but st ill be low t he rive d from t he early resident s’ rit ua l 20, vi sit ors recorded in 2019, of set t ing aside a port ion of t heir har- ba sed on D OT dat a. ve st s t o t he anit o” or ancest or spirit s.

S ide t rip B efore t he feast , locals in t he If you’ re already in Luc ba n, t hen designa t ed st reet s where t he proces- a side t rip t o emergi ng and exi st ing sion of S an Isidro will pass t hrough dest inat ions are a mus t . On t op of it decorat e t heir hous es wit h rice st alks , is t he Kamay ni H esus , a pilgr image a wat erfall of frui t s and ve ge t abl es, sit e know n for it s healing masses and and most notably, giant owers and t he 50- feet image of t he Ascending chandelier-like “ arangya made from Christ . mul t i-colored ki ping ( rice wafers) .

A four -minut e drive from Kamay Nat ive s be lieve t he hous es on t his ni H esus , you will reach t he B uki d rout e will receive a bl essing from t he Amara where you can find a meadowsaint . like landscape, feat ur ing gor ge ous This ye ar, ove r 6 0 hous es part ici- rows of sun owers and different kinds pat ed in t he Pahiya s, according t o a of bl ooms.

PNA report .

The ower garden is set against the The st reet s pul sat e wit h more life ba ckdr op of t he maj est ic Mt . B anain t he aft ernoon when t he gr and pa- haw, which woul d like ly make t hose rade st art s movi ng wit h t he marching who gr ew up in t he provi nce remiba nd, higa nt es, t he Pariki t an winners nisce about childhood memories on a and t own’ s be lles dressed in whit e farm. and locally- craft ed long gow ns.

Bukid Amara also offers a Filipino B ut apart from t he hous es t hat out - “ ka maya n-st yl e” dining inside a ba do each ot her, also not t o be missed hay kubo sit ua t ed j us t be side a lake are food st alls lining t he procession and its ower field. The dishes use rout e, selling va riou s Luc ba nin dishes locally- sour ced ingr edient s, includi ng from habha b, Luc b an longga nisa on edible owers the owners grew themst ick, pilipit ka laba sa” t o roast ed ki p- selve s. ings .

Also, a recommended dining and While t he pandemic halve d t he coffee spot in town is Linang ni LK, num be r of vi sit ors, t he fest iva l st ill a be d and br eakf ast owned by Chef at t ract ed a relat ive ly huge crowd.

F rancis Christ ian Ocoma also know n D epart ment of Tour ism-Calaba r- as Lakw at serong K us inero. zon o cer-in-charge Marites Castro They serve pako (fiddlehead fern) said in a PNA report all accredit ed ho- salad, Luc ba n hardinera ( F ilipinot els and resort s in Luc ba n were ful ly st yl e st eamed pork loaf) , t he creamy booke d leading t o t he eve nt t hat ot her fus ion of ube halaya and palit aw, and t our ist s were already bi llet ed as far as t he ka re-ka reng ba gne t , among ot hLuc ena, which is ab out 28 ki lomet ers ers. away f rom t he t own proper.