The Filipino Press: April 29 - May 5, 2022

PRRD says iconic bridge answer to Cebu traffic, boost to economy

CEBU CITY, -- President Rodrigo Duterte said the new Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway connecting Cordova town and this capital city that was inaugurated on Wednesday will solve Metro Cebu’s traffic problem and boost regional economic development.

The President congratulated the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp., and local governments of Cebu City and Cordova municipality for completing the iconic landmark despite the challenges brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in December last year.

Duterte also invited the officials who attended the event to have a minute of silence in honor of the late Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary and former Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy who worked hard to realize the third bridge project connecting Cordova and Mactan islands to this city.

“Your support for this administration’s goal to boost regional development, providing a comfortable life for every Filipino and realizing our vision of a strongly connected nation is truly commendable. While your hard work and dedication to ensure the completion of this monumental task are equally noteworthy,” he said in his speech after unveiling the marker

of the iconic bridge along with MPTC chair Manny Pangilinan, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Cordova Mayor Mary Therese

Sitoy Cho, and other officials. The President said the “state of the art infrastructure will provide solutions to the perennial traffic issues of Metro Cebu”.

“I am hopeful this shall likewise result in an increase in economic productivity in the province and the rest of the Visayas through safer, faster, and more convenient means

of transporting goods as well as people,” he added. Duterte also underscored the relevance of launching the iconic expressway coinciding with the

By Jose A. AlvA rez

SAN DIEGO, CA -- To align itself with the state, the County Health and Human Services Agency is now using the California Immunization Registry (CAIR2) to record the number of San Diegans who have received COVID-19 and other recommended vaccines.

The switch occurred April 25 and was required by the California Department of Public Health so that most health care systems across the state are using the same software to record COVID-19 vaccinations and all other vaccines administered locally. CAIR2 is also secure and confidential. The system ensures that immunization data is accurate and complete and allows for immunizations records to be portable and follow patients as they change providers or move from one county or city to another.

The transition to CAIR2 resulted in minor changes in vaccination data in several categories, including age, gender and ethnic breakdowns, as well as the number of people vaccinated in different cities and ZIP codes. “Because the two systems have slight differences, minor changes in

our local reporting were anticipated,” said Wilma J. Wooten, County public health officer. “County staff have been working closely with the state as we made this transition, as well as manually verifying data and records in both systems so that they remain aligned.” County to Report COVID-19 Data Mondays and Thursdays

Also, in alignment with the state, starting in May, the County will move to twice weekly reporting of COVID-19 data, with updates occurring on Mondays and Thursdays, except during holidays

Updates to COVID-19 data dashboards will be updated Thursdays with data through the previous Saturday.

Also, the County Communications Office will publish and distribute its weekly COVID-19 update on Thursdays.

Vaccination Progress:

* Received at least one shot: More than 2.94 million or 93.4% of San Diegans age 5 and older are at least partially vaccinated.

* Fully vaccinated: Over 2.6 million or 82.8%.

* Boosters administered: 1,301,056 or 58% of 2,242,187 eligible San Diegans.

* More vaccination information can be found at coronavirus-sd.com/ vaccine.

Deaths:

* Four new deaths were reported since the last report on April 20. The region’s total is 5,237

* Two women and two men died between April 15, 2022 and April 24, 2022.

* Two were in their 70s, one was in their 60s and one was in their 50s.

* One of the people who died was fully vaccinated and three were not fully vaccinated.

* All had underlying medical conditions.

Cases, Case Rates, Hospitalizations and Testing:

* 409 COVID-19 cases were reported to the County on April 26. The region’s total is now 758,715.

* 2,911 cases were reported in the past week (April 20 through April 26) compared to 2,057 infections identified the previous week (April 13 through April 19).

* San Diego County’s case rate per 100,000 residents 12 years of age and older is 8.44 for people fully vaccinated and boosted, 5.17 for fully vaccinated people and 13.03 for not fully vaccinated San Diegans.

* 7,180 tests were reported to the County on April 24, and the percentage of new positive cases was 4.2% (Data through April 24).

* The 14-day rolling percentage of positive cases, among tests reported through April 24, is 3.0%.

More Information:

Data updates to the County’s coronavirus-sd.com website will be published Mondays and Thursdays around 5 p.m., with the exception of holidays.

Public health experts are pushing for California’s senior adults to stay up to date on their vaccine boosters against COVID-19, in order to join their communities again.

The pandemic has had a devastating impact on older adults, many of whom may have depended on congregate centers for socialization and care, and spent much of the pandemic in isolation to avoid sickness or death.

Now, centers like Choice in Aging in Pleasant Hill, about 30 miles east of San Francisco, are encouraging seniors who get vaccinated to return to spend time with their peers. In a briefing facilitated by Ethnic Media Services, clients from the center joined state health experts to share the connections they experienced after getting vaccinated.

There are about 272 community adult day health care centers in California, according to Susan DeMarois, director of the California Department of Aging. When they shut down, hundreds of thousands of older adults across the state were isolated.

Things are shifting, DeMarois said. “We know today, many Californians have been vaccinated and boosted, including those 50 and older who have received their second shot.”

She added that this year, anyone eligible for MediCal needs to be ready to renew their insurance and information.

“We don’t want anyone’s benefits or eligibility to be disrupted in any way.”

Dr. Sara K. Levin, a Martinez internist affiliated with Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, said in the face of “a serious emergency and disaster that threatened lives” the county is working to focus

501st anniversary of the Victory of Mactan where he also spoke during the celebration at the Mactan Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City.

He said that in his administration, he gave his full dedication “to bringing a more comfortable life for all through sustainable, safe, and reliable infrastructure for better mobility (and) transport, especially that we are really crowding every space now”.

He assured that no Filipino will be left behind as the government steadfastly and collectively works toward a stronger and progressive nation. "Let us celebrate another victory that would alleviate the plight of our fellow Filipinos,” Duterte said.

Pangilinan, for his part, said Cebu has started to reap the benefits of the project, which was built at the cost of at least PHP33 billion.

“We are happy to have been involved in building this piece of magnificent infrastructure for our countrymen in Cebu,” Pangilinan said. “It will bring in more investments, stimulate trade and commerce, revitalize tourism, and give a collective sense of pride among its people.”

The President and Pangilinan were joined at the event by Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, Executive Secretary Salvador

on the most marginalized and vulnerable communities. She said seniors in congregate settings and multigenerational families were at high risk of infection.

Now, they are encouraged to use neighborhood vaccination resources to stay boosted and end isolation.

Debbie Toth, president and Chief Executive Officer of Choice in Aging, said when the lockdown began, “We were asking older adults what we told them all along never to do, which is to isolate. “We always tell older adults, do not isolate, it will impact your health,” Toth said. “And now we are dealing with trying to reconcile with what happened.”

The center delivered meals to people’s porches, delivered Easter items, and stayed in contact with

people.

Now, it has fully reopened to vaccinate clients, which Toth said is vital to older people’s health.

“We need to be able to have a community to come together, to share our language, a culture, a friendship,” she said. “Vaccines and boosters are the only things that have made this possible for our aging population.”

Client Bonnie Ronk said, “I was devastated when I knew we couldn’t come here.”

She explained how she has relied on the center for many services, adding, “I would tell people that if you have a disability … you can come here and get a lot of support and rehabilitation and everything.” Parvindokh Salamat also described

Debbie Toth, left, Sara Levin and Susan DeMarois discuss the importance of

Top photo shows the newly constructed Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) . President Rodrigo was in attendance during the inauguration ceremony at the CCLEX Toll Plaza in Cordova, Cebu on April 27, 2022. (MNS photo)

Healthy, Happy Choices For You

By Francine Maigue

Promises to yourself (whatever you may call them, whenever you choose to commit) symbolize areas where we’d like to feel more satisfied, fulfilled…happy. They often look like journeys toward long-term goals—paths paved with multiple smaller goals along the way. Change can be hard, which can make keeping such promises feel so daunting.

Successfully accomplishing those smaller goals, cumulating in big ones, is key. Mapping out those pathways to change, viewing such changes as healthy habits, then incorporating them into your dayto-day progressively (so you don’t overhaul your life in one fell swoop) is helpful. Here are some helpful habits in two of the major categories that resolutions (or whatever you’d like to call them) tend to fall in… These minor changes can be helpful when working towards larger, longterm goals. #kayantinto

Time & Quality of Life Management – I’ve carried a lot on my plate…pretty much my whole life. But things don’t really feel overwhelming when purposes are clear and align with my goals. All this to say…sometimes, you gotta

say no, be willing to innovate…or at least delegate. You will do well when responsibilities match your interests, skills, talents. And there are folks in your circle who seek opportunities to contribute. Don’t just do something because you can…or because of past precedent. Say no when your heart’s not in it (the quality of your efforts will suffer if you stick with what you care less about anyway). Revisit systems, organizations and protocols that don’t serve you and others well anymore. (You know when something, even if well-intentioned, is ineffective and/or inefficient.)

The world around us is constantly changing…We can, too!

Raise Your Level of Health –

When was the last time you saw your doctor(s) or dentist? Do you floss regularly? How often are you eating fruits and vegetables?

How much water do you drink each day? Do you consciously eat and drink items? Have you tried limiting salt and sugar intake? In an emergency, do you have a list of medicines you take regularly that someone can refer to? Any news from family members regarding conditions you may be predisposed to? Take some time to answer these questions and make (even small)

adjustments as necessary. Make and stick to appointments for peace of mind. Keep floss right next to your toothbrush to remind you take this key step…Oral hygiene impacts your body well beyond your mouth.

Make sure your meals include at least one fruit or veggie, and plate it in a beautiful (perhaps even in a social media photo-worthy way). Fill a bottle of water and see how many times you can finish (maybe even refill it) during the day. Try recipes with less salt and sugar.

See if you can even go without!

Maybe try adding different spices for a change. Keep a list of any meds you take regularly in your wallet, just in case you find yourself in an emergency…existing conditions and allergies are important to note, too! Be willing to have clear, open chats with loved ones about health, so conditions don’t go undiagnosed and precautionary measures can be taken—There’s no shame in sharing what y’all are going/have gone through!

Whatever your goals for the happiest, healthiest 2022 look like, my friends, know that you have someone in your corner, cheering you on the whole way! I believe in you. You inspire me! Love, Francine

Bills regulating vintage, electric vehicles lapse into law

MANILA -- The bills regulating the use of vintage and electric vehicles in the country have lapsed into law.

President Rodrigo Duterte allowed the two measures to lapse on April 15 sans his signature.

Under Republic Act (RA) 11697, a Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI) will serve as a national development plan for the electric vehicles (EV) industry to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of EVs in the country.

The comprehensive roadmap includes four components – EVs and charging stations; manufacturing; research and development; and human resource development.

“The CREVI shall be incorporated in the Philippine Energy Plan and the National Transport Policy,” RA 11697 read.

The law designates the Department of Energy (DOE) as the primary agency tasked with the promotion of the adoption of EVs and the development of charging stations and related equipment.

The DOE, according to RA 11697, must promulgate “uniform and streamlines” rules and regulations on the use and maintenance of charging stations and related equipment.

It is also directed to convene within two months from the effectivity of the law and develop and update the CREVI, including the EV and charging stations component.

The DOE is also in charge of accrediting charging station providers, requiring the submission of charging infrastructure development plans, enforcing compliance with the installation of charging stations, and ensuring compliance with the Philippine Electrical Code and other relevant laws and orders such as Republic Act 7920 or the New Electrical Engineering Law.

The agency must also ensure compliance with the unbundling of charging fees by commercial use charging stations.

Under RA 11697, the Energy Regulatory Commission is directed to regulate the rates charged by distribution utilities on all charging stations.

The Department of Transportation is tapped as the primary agency tasked with the development of EV demand generation and the regulation and registration of EVs, while the Department of Trade and Industry will serve as the primary agency tasked with the promotion and development of the local manufacturing of the EV industry.

Local government units are directed to include green routes in their respective Local Public Transport Route Plans, issue certificates of inspection to charging stations, provide segregated lanes for light EVs on all major local and national roads, and submit a list of all commercial use charging stations in their respective localities to the DOE not later than January 30 of every year.

Vintage vehicles

Meanwhile, RA 11698 regulates the use and other activities related to vintage automobiles and other historical, classic, or collector motor vehicles.

RA 11698 or the Vintage Vehicle

Regulation Act applies to all aspects of the regulation of the importation and exportation, registration, and use of vintage vehicles.

Under the law, registered vintage vehicles will not be required to meet clean-air, anti-pollution, safety, road-use, and other standards that were not in force at the time of their manufacture, either as a condition for their registration and use on public roads or otherwise.

The exemption is in recognition of the vintage vehicles’ small number, expected limited use and the historical fact that the technology available at the time of their manufacture will not permit them to meet modern standards.

“However, vintage vehicles manufactured after December 31, 1967 must be fitted with safety belts as mandated by Republic Act 8750 or the ‘Seat Belts Use Act of 1999,’” the law read.

Vintage vehicles, whether concours, RESTOMOD and/or for repair or restoration, authentic components, original or replica body shells, engines and transmissions, spare parts and accessories may be imported into the Philippines by any person or entity.

A vintage vehicle may be exported sans restriction, according to RA 11698.

However, vintage vehicles of Presidents of the Philippines, as certified by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in accordance with rules and guidelines, can only be exported for the purpose of repair or restoration.

The NHCP approval is needed for the exportation of the vintage vehicles of Philippine presidents.

The Bureau of Customs, for purposes of valuation for tariffs, import duties and other taxes of imported vintage vehicles, is tasked to differentiate concours, RESTOMOD and for restoring vintage vehicles.

Restoration shops and companies

importing and exporting vintage vehicles will be eligible to avail of the fiscal and tax incentives provided in RA 11594.

“The prohibition on the importation, registration and use of right-hand drive vehicles shall not apply to vintage vehicles manufactured on or before December 31, 1970 or to vintage vehicles intended principally for racing or other motorsports,” the law read.

Ras 11697 and 11698 take effect after 15 days following the completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

LTOs’ extension office

Two other measures converting the extension office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) also lapsed into law on April 11.

RA 11692 converts the LTO extension office in Polomolok, South Cotabato into a “Class B” district office.

RA 11693, on the other hand, converts the LTO office in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro into a district office.

Ras 11692 and 11693 require the Transportation secretary to include in the department’s program the operationalization of the converted LTO offices by including the funding in the annual General

Appropriations Act.

Both laws take effect after 15 days following the completion of their publication in the Official Gazette or two newspapers of general circulation.

Malacañang released a copy of the laws on Tuesday.

SC denies with finality all challenges vs. Anti-Terrorism Act BAGUIO CITY -- The Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday slammed all doors on petitions challenging Republic Act 11479 or The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 as it denied with finality the motions for reconsideration of its Dec. 7, 2021 decision.

In a statement during its summer sessions here, the SC said it “resolved to deny the motions for reconsideration due to lack of substantial issues and arguments" raised by petitioners of more than three dozen suits.

The members of the SC maintained their votes in December, written by now retired Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor Rosmari Carandang.

The final copy of the decision has yet to be released as of posting time

In December, the SC upheld the validity of the law except for two provisions.

Aside from portions of Sections 4 and 25, all the other challenged provisions of RA 11479 were deemed constitutional.

Section 4 deals with excluding mass actions and similar exercise of civil and political rights from the definition of terrorism while Section 25 is about requests by foreign agencies or bodies to designate persons as terrorists and terrorist organizations.

The SC voted 12-3 to declare unconstitutional the qualifier portion of Section 4 that states “which are not intended to cause death or serious physical harm to a person, to endanger a person's life, or to create a serious risk to public safety".

This qualifier to the proviso in Section 4 "is declared as unconstitutional for being overbroad and violative of freedom of expression," the court said.

Likewise stricken down by a vote of 9-6 was a portion of Section 25, paragraph 2 which allows "request for designations by other jurisdictions or supranational jurisdictions may be adopted by the ATC (Anti-Terrorism Council) after determination that the proposed designee meets the criteria for designation of UNSCR No. 1373".

Among other provisions, the United Nations Security Council resolution urges members to “find ways of intensifying and accelerating the exchange of operational information, especially regarding actions or movements of terrorist persons or networks; forged or falsified travel documents; traffic in arms, explosives or sensitive materials; use of communications technologies by terrorist groups; and the threat posed by the possession of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist groups”.

This year's SC summer sessions are the first since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in March 2020 and the first under Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who was appointed on April 5, 2021. (MNS)

By City Attorney M A r A W. elliott

Among the many unsung heroes of Covid, I’ve been especially impressed by the bus and trolley drivers who keep San Diego moving.

Doing their jobs, they help thousands of others get to theirs. They get students to class, shoppers to market, and elders to their doctors. They also get a lot of abuse. The widespread erosion in public civility has also impacted decorum on our buses and trolleys. But unlike airline pilots, who have screeners and flight crews and air marshals to keep order, bus and trolley drivers are often on their own.

Consider their situation:

Every week, 500,000 to 600,000 passengers ride the trolleys and buses of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. MTS drivers come into close contact with nearly every passenger, none of whom are screened by security before boarding.

Like air travel, the vast majority of public transit trips in San Diego are pleasant and uneventful. But there are exceptions.

Drivers have been yelled at, slapped, punched, kicked, and spat upon. In the past two months, passengers have boarded trolleys and buses carrying hunting knives, guns (real and replicas), a hammer, an axe, and lighter fluid. One rider threatened a bus driver with a knife because the bus was late. Another assaulted a driver with a tree branch.

MTS drivers and employees must also break up fights, look out for

Ria

arsonists setting fires in transit station trash cans, and put up with people who break windows by throwing rocks at buses and trolley cars.

The public employees responsible for getting us safely from one place to another shouldn’t have to tolerate such abuse. And as society looks to public transit to address problems with traffic, parking, and climate change, we all have a growing stake in its success – whether or not we are riders.

These crimes are underreported by MTS drivers and staff who perhaps have accepted this conduct as just part of the job. I recently reached out to the MTS drivers’ union to encourage their employees to step up and report incidents of abuse and assault. You can help: If you observe an incident, please report it and, if you can do so safely, record it on your phone. Our Office takes these cases seriously, and we will prosecute offenders.

MTS has recently taken steps to increase safety for riders and employees. It established security teams that travel the entire trolley system during service hours and added security staff at the busiest transit stations. Last year, MTS launched a new Bus Enforcement Special Team to provide extra security assistance to bus operators and passengers.

MTS has also made some changes to its security policies and practices, including increased training for staff, and updating its use-of-force policy. There are now security cameras installed on all MTS vehicles, and at all trolley stations.

Respect

As hiring becomes more difficult in all lines of work, we cannot afford to be without qualified, trained MTS employees. Their service to the public goes far beyond providing safe and reliable transportation. These public servants often help passengers who are overdosing on drugs, summoning paramedics and saving lives. MTS workers also try to help unsheltered passengers, bringing in outreach workers to connect them with the assistance they need. In addition, drivers and staff try to humanely deal with passengers who are intoxicated or mentally ill.

Let’s work together to give our public transit workers the respect they deserve. They do a great job meeting our transportation needs, day and night, and they are immensely appreciated.

Atayde reassured of deep friendship with Joshua amid rumors linking them Transit Employees Deserve Our

MANILA -- Ria Atayde and Joshua Garcia are being romantically linked for a while now, but the actress forthrightly debunked these rumors saying they are just really good friends.

In an interview during the recently concluded press conference for “Misis Piggy,” Atayde said she and Garcia are just laughing off the rumors at this point.

“It’s Josh. He’s such a dear friend to me and I feel like it’s nice to know that we are as comfortable as we are with one another,” she said.

Amid all the rumors saying they are together, Atayde said: “Mas narereassure ako sa lalim ng friendship namin. For us to be able to withstand all the rumors and whatever people throw at us, parang kampante ako that we could be friends forever.”

When asked if there was never

CALIFORNIA

Continued from page 1

her experience during the pandemic, saying, “I was so isolated. I was sad and upset.”

Then she got her vaccinations, and now “I see all my friends, they are coming here, and I was happy, because I was not alone.”

Toth said a group of women including Salamat are in the center’s Farsi program, one of the main dialects spoken in Afghanistan. The program is segregated by gender, allowing women to “take off their scarves and dance,” she explained, adding some carry trauma from life under Taliban rule.

Now that they can again attend the center in person, they have knitted and crocheted items to send to an orphanage in Afghanistan. Toth said

Continued from page 1

Medialdea, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Roger Mercado, and various officials from different government agencies and executives from the private sector.

All 17 regions posted positive economic growth in 2021 — PSA MANILA -- All of the 17 regions’ economies saw a recovery in 2021, a reversal from the pandemicinduced recession during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, data released Thursday by the Philippine Statistics showed.

Among the regions, Region IV-A or CALABARZON recorded the fastest economic growth at 7.6% last year, from -10.5% in 2020.

any physical attraction between them, Atayde did not deny that she finds Garcia as an attractive guy.

“Joshua is an attractive guy. He’s just really younger, and I think for me, that’s such a --- alam niyo iyon, I am 30 and Josh is turning 25 pa lang.”

Nonetheless, Atayde said she

the activity helped these women cope with overriding feelings that they are “a burden” to their families and communities.

“They felt they were doing something to give back and that their life had meaning,” she said.

Choice in Aging client Tsilya Tankove said through a translator that she was thankful to come back, calling it “a place full of life. I feel I need people, and people need me.”

“It’s been good to come back here and talk and learn new things,” Gilbert King added. “I’m thankful to be here. I like to play with my chihuahua dog and let her run.”

Rebecca Rodriguez said she missed talking to people in person, especially after she lost her mother during the pandemic.

“My husband didn’t want me to be by myself,” she said. So when

Region (CAR) which both grew 7.5%, from -1.9% and -7.7%, respectively.

Other regions which grew above the national le vel of 5.7% in 2021 were Central Luzon at 7.4% from -9.9%, Caraga at 7.2% from -7.2%, Northern Mindanao at 6.3% from -5.2%, Eastern Visaya at 6% from -7.6%, Western Visayas at 5.9% from -9.7%, Davao Region at 5.9% from -7.6%, and Zamboanga Peninsula at 5.7% from -5.2%.

In terms of share of regions in the services sector in 2021, the National Capital Region has the biggest share at 42.4%, followed by CALABARZON at 10.7% and Central Luzon at 8.3%.

On the share of each region to the Industry sector, CALABARZON has the lion’s share at 25.1%, followed by NCR at 19.6% and Central Luzon at 15.4%.

understands why there are people who would want to be in her position.

“I get it. Josh is an amazing guy. Tama din naman pero some people are better off as friends because that way, mas secure ka na hindi mo siya mawawala in your life. We are better off as friends and at least I know it’s something I can keep forever.”

Rumors linking Atayde and Garcia surfaced after their "barkada" photos were uploaded online. The two were assumed to be together because in their previous group travels together, they were with couples Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo and Sofia Andres and Daniel Miranda.

Atayde already previously explained that she became close with Garcia because he worked with her mother Sylvia Sanchez in the 2016 series "The Greatest Love." (MNS)

her family became fully vaccinated, Rodriguez was glad to return to the center to play bingo and board games, and color.

“It means the world to me. I have all kinds of friends here.”

Kim McCoy Wade, Senior Advisor on Aging, Disability and Alzheimer’s for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom, implored listeners to consider the benefits of safely returning to their communities.

“Many older adults have lost mobility through the pandemic and getting moving again is so important through the pandemic,” she said.

“Keep vaxxed, keep boosted, keep current. Make a plan to keep current, not just to save lives, but so we can reconnect.”

Levin agreed that “not living in fear and isolation is what all of us, as human beings, need to keep thriving.”

It was followed by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Cordillera Administrative

Meanwhile, household spending in 2021 increased for all regions with Caraga posting the highest growth rate at 10.6%.

This was followed by Eastern Visayas, Cagayan Valley and CAR at 10.2%, 9%, and 8% respectively.

In terms of government spending, all regions posted positive growths in 2021 with the BARMM topping among the regions at 12.6%, followed by Cagayan Valley at 11.6%, Central Luzon at 8.9%, and NCR at 7.7%.

Real per capita GDP - a measure of total economic output over the number of people - stood at 4.3% in 2021, with CAR topping the regional economies with 6.6% per capita growth rate.

For Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Central Luzon has the largest share at 13.5%, followed by Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas at 10.5% and 9.6%, respectively.

This was followed by Caraga at 6.1%, Central Luzon and CALABARZON with 5.7% each. (MNS) PRRD

Attorney Mara W. Elliott

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: WHY

I BELIEVE ASIAN AMERICANS ARE LEAVING

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY; IT’S NOT JUST HISPANICS ANYMORE!

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Greetings!

“There’s nothing Democrats can do to stop Latinos from abandoning Biden in droves. When he and his party chose socialism and wokeism over the American Dream they lost us,” writes Gloria Romero, former Democratic leader of the California State Senate.

Hallelujah!

Just in time for the upcoming celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, Latinos are sending unmistakably mutterings of ‘Que@#$%&! es eso?’ – A spicy Spanish version of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ – to the Biden administration and the Democratic Party.

The most recent tolling of the political bells was revealed in the latest Quinnipiac poll, showing only 26 percent of Latinos approve of the way President Joe Biden is handling his job.

Yes…Latino discontent with this current administration is obvious in even the bluest of states.

The roots of Latinos’ disillusionment run deep – the modern progressive Democratic Party is increasingly leaning towards socialism, bewildering definitions of the genders, greater state-control of their children, infanticide defined as reproductive rights, and of course, hostility to the idea of border and law enforcement.

As per Romero, what these Democrats don’t fully grasp is that Latinos are not the stereotypical ‘little brown ones’ of the past. “Latinos largely embrace the American Dream. We know how to hustle, to work hard, to believe that ‘si se puede.’”

Moving on, Romero wrote: “Latinos are also not about to abandon our mothers to now label them as birthing people…We even have two celebratory Mother’s Days.” “Call our language sexist, but we don’t care. Spanish is a gendered language that has existed for centuries, and we are not about to redefine ourselves with an ‘x’ to appease some out-of-touch college kids, who thought ‘Latinx’ would be less offensive to them.”

(FYI: The word “Latinx” which only about 2 percent of Hispanics actually like and use has rapidly taken hold in mainstream media – just a powerful example of how campus culture has quickly come to dominate elite institutions, contrary to the wishes of actual minorities.)

“Latinos are very familyoriented, and while we have increasingly embraced change and confronted machismo in our culture, we are not interested in shoving explicitly sexual education in the faces of our ‘ninos’ and ‘ninas’ in their earliest school years,” she commented.

“Democratic Party-led efforts to defund the police fell flat in Latino

neighborhoods, too,” she expounded - "The surge in homicide since the beginning of the pandemic heavily impacted Latinos who account for 49 percent of the city’s population but 50 percent of homicide victims during that period.”

And what’s the golden nugget? Romero affirmed that “Latinos understand that education is the key to the American Dream. But year after year, decade after decade, we see the chronic underperformance of public schools serving Latino students and the unwillingness of Democrats to support school choice. Democrats continuously bowed to the power of the biggest special interest in the Golden State: the California Teachers Union that buttered its bread off the poor, little black and brown bodies enrolled in a public education that failed to serve them. The choice is clear: kids vs. campaign contributions.”

Lastly, Romero concluded that “what the Democratic Party is choosing to ignore is that Latinos are more likely to support patriotism, citizenship, and legal processes for immigration.” In fact, it has long been acknowledged as the ‘ganas’ –the will – to courageously stand-up to the power of a Goliath with fear. “Undoubtedly, Latinos are waking up to wokeism and understand that the political coyotes in the form of Democratic Party elites have abandoned what the Democratic Party once proudly stood for.”

The Democrats’ problems with Hispanic voters are, at this point, now well-known and welldocumented. But - what of AsianAmerican voters, the other fastgrowing part of the nonwhite population? A closer look at

political trends suggests that here too an issue could be emerging.

The Asian vote in 2020 was a relative bright spot for Democrats in that, unlike other components of the nonwhite vote, Democrats’ Presidential margins compared to 2016 suffered only a tiny decline (less than a point) compared to a 7 point decline among black voters and a 16 point decline among Hispanic voters (Catalist National Database). In addition, Asian turnout went up more than other racial groups including whites according to both the Census Bureau and Catalist.

Add in the fact that Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the country and Democrats might have thought that, at least here, the nonwhite vote was an uncomplicated and burgeoning asset for them.

However, even in 2020 there were troubling signs of attrition in Asian support for in areas that are even more homogenous: precincts where at least 75% of residents are Asian had a pro-Trump swing of 16 points, with over a third of voters now backing the Republican nominee.

According to Pew, Biden has lost support twice as fast among Asian voters as among whites since July. In the November mayoral election in New York, once again Asian voters performed poorly for the Democrat. That same month in the Virginia gubernatorial election, results indicated that the state’s heavily Asian “other race” category, which gave Biden a strong 19 point advantage in 2020, slippedand Republican Glenn Youngkin carried 46 percent of these voters in his upset victory.

Since 2020, the danger signs

WHAT WILL BE, WILL BE

It’s been a while since I wrote Street Talk. I had a nasty infection in my left cornea, making me virtually half blind.

The eye has begun to heal - not completely, but well enough to enable me to write again. A writer has to write or he suffocates. Of course it has been a struggle, but one good eye is better than none.

It was in the late 50’s - around 1958 or 1959 - when I began writing documentary scripts for Lamberto V. Avellana’s production company, Documentary, Inc. Bert had not yet been conferred the title of National Artist for Films but had already become legendary, having directed Sakay, the year I was born, having won the Best Director award in the 1956 Asian Festival and having directed Badjao which won the Best Film trophy in 1957. Bert had just finished filming a commercial for a mutual fund company, based on the Doris Day hit song at the time, “Que Sera, Sera, What Will Be, Will Be.” These days, over 63 years later, the world faces an uncertain future. The possibility of World War IIIand God forbid, a nuclear war. Who know what measures Vladimir Putin will resort to in the face of his failure to make the feisty Ukranians bow to him? The KGB killer in Putin could cause him to give up

his one lousy life for the lives of billions.

Indeed, we face the possibility of the end of the world, as we know it, and the advent of space settlements - the moon to start with. Reminds of an ad I created to commemorate the decades-long relationship of Nestle and Advertising & Marketing Associates (AMA), the ad agency of which I was president and CEO. The headline read: “One day, we could be selling coffee out there on the moon.”

Will nuclear war destroy the earth, just like the fictional planet Krypton? Bahala na si Superman.

Que sera, sera.

Next month, the Philippines will hold a presidential election. Who will win? In the voting. And in the counting? Winning in the botohan is no guarantee of winning in the bilangan. It depends on many things. Mainly gold. Goons. And guns. Plus another ”G” in the case of former President Gloria Arroyo: Garci.

I have not been involved in this Philippine presidential election, as in the past. However, the other week, I got a call from Alex Aison of Modesto, California. It appears that his friends in Manila who are supporters of VP Leni Robredo asked him to contact

me “as one of the composers” of the Filipinas Life song, the other person being Rusty Velilla who was already dead. I had to clarify that I was the composer and lyricist of the Filipinas Life song, which Rusty had helped produce for Filipinas Life Assurance Company.

According to Alex they wanted to use the song for the Robredo campaign. That was the good news. The bad news was that Alex had confirmed that my long-lost friend and compadre was dead.

I had long been trying to track down Rusty since my family and I relocated to the US. For an AMA reunion a few months ago, Nanette Ramirez, another veteran production person volunteered to find Rusty. But no luck.

How did Rusty get creative credit for the song? The last time we spoke - over 35 years ago - Rusty informed me that there was a plan to have the Mabuhay Singers do a new recording of the song. My family and I were about to leave for the US.

The current version is Rusty's work. In effect, he became the foster father of my song. He certainly did a great job.

And how did a non-musician like me come up with such a composition?

This is one of the funny anecdotes in my book, “How to

have indeed genuinely increased significantly

So what’s going on? Why are these voters slipping away from the Democrats?

I say Asian-Americans, like Hispanics, are a constituency that does not harbor particularly radical views on the nature of American society and how it must be remade to cleanse it of intrinsic racism and white supremacy, a viewpoint increasingly identified with Democrats. No doubt about it, they are far more interested in how they and their families can get ahead in actually-existing American society. Which brings us to the key issue for many Asian voters: education; It is difficult to overestimate how important education is to Asian voters, who see it as the key implement for upward mobility – a tool that even the poorest Asian parents can take advantage of. But Democrats are becoming increasingly associated with an approach to a schooling that seems anti-meritocratic, oriented away from standardized tests, gifted and talented programs and test-in elite institutions – all areas where Asian children have excelled.

Last January, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take on two college affirmative action cases, and will consider whether the undergraduate admission processes at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina discriminated against Asian American students. Many Asian Americans, including myself, have high hopes that the Court will finally eliminate racial preference in the college admission process and ensure equal opportunity for all students.

Make a Benta - Anecdotes, Articles and Lectures from the Advertising Wars.” In the chapter, “JingleMaking for Non-Musicians,” I related how the ad agency of Filipinas Life, Special Advertising Services (SPADS), asked me if I was a jingle-maker and if I could handle a rush assignment. I said “Yes” to both questions, thinking that I could pass on the project to my real musician friends Raul Silos or Gandy Monsod. Only then did I learn how much was at stake.

Rival ad agency ideas Inc. had presented a speculative jingle to the president of Filipinas Life. And he liked the presentation so much that he wanted to award the account to Ideas. Told that SPADS was the agency of record, client agreed to give SPADS a chance to present a better jingle or lose the account.

Problem: we had to record the jingle next day. Bigger problem: neither Raul nor Gandy was available on such short notice. Biggest problem: I have never been a composer except in desperate situations and I can’t even play any musical instrument. On the day of the recording, while the singers, Rudy Angus and his quartet, and the producer, Rusty Velilla, knew exactly what to do, I had no jingle or any kind of melody in mind or any clue to get my sparse musical skill started.

Desperation began to wreak havoc on my bladder. It is said that

As I have earlier stated above, no issue takes a higher priority in the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community than education. Besides the cultural tradition of valuing education, most Asian-American parents believe that educational attainment is necessary to ensure their children have a successful life in the United States. Working-class Asian immigrant families especially regard education as a lifeline to lift their children from poverty and achieve their American dreams.

But on this critical issue, Democrats have chosen to embrace critical race theory (CRT), a neoMarxist ideology that attributes all disparities in any group outcome to systemic racism. Adherents of CRT claim that they must dismantle the “racist” meritocracy-based education system to achieve equity in schooling outcomes. In the last two years, Democrats have pushed for teaching “reforms” such as the elimination of the merit-based admissions to elite high schools, phasing out gifted and talented programs, dumbing down math education and dropping SAT and ACT scores from the college admission process. Most recently, the Biden administration called on the Supreme Court to deny challenge to Harvard’s anti-Asian race-based admissions policy.

Democrats have targeted the institutions where Asian students have mostly thrived. Democrats argue that Asian students are “over-represented” in elite schools and should be excluded to make room for “oppressed people of color.” San Francisco school board commissioner Alison Collins even accused Asian-Americans of using “white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead.’” Proponents of critical race theory have even insisted that it is “disingenuous” to call AsianAmericans “POC.”

Including me, many AAPI parents found these education “reforms” and the Democrats’ justifications quite upsetting! Asian-Americans have endured a long history of bigotry and racial discrimination in the United States, and have been part of the civil rights movement to help the United States become more just and fair for Americans of all races. The

AAPI community’s overall high level of educational attainment and economic success is a testament to our nation’s progress in racial equity.

We recognize that the U.S. still has a lot of work to do to improve outcomes across different racial groups. The Democrats have not helped matters by openly endorsing a racial hierarchy system that values some races more than others, including our children from receiving a good education and punishing them for their hard work and success. I say that is not progress but the very dreaded definition of bigotry itself.

Therefore, it does not seem mysterious that Asian-American voters might react negatively to this approach. In fact, I would say it would be strange if they didn’t. James Hohmann of the Washington Post captured the drawbacks of the current Democratic approach well in a recent column: “Efforts to lower academic standards and scale back educational opportunities in the name of racial equity are backfiring on liberals from coast to coast, including in the bluest big cities in America…Eliminating gifted and talented programs has become fashionable on the left, based on well-intentioned desires to close the achievement gap for AfricanAmerican and Latino students, but it’s alienating many parents – as well as graduates – who prospered under higher standards. Throwing lessprepared students into classes with motivated children forces teachers to reduce the rigor of lesson plans so that everyone can keep up… The Virginia governor’s race shows the issue’s potency. While much has been made of Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s emphasis on critical race theory, the Republican also promised to fight against weakening standards for magnet schools. He said he would push for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a top-flight school in Fairfax County to revert to a solely merit-based admission process. Last year, the school board eliminated an entrance exam for the school and told reviewers to instead consider “experience factors,” such as a child’s socioeconomic background.

Greg B. Macabenta Street Talk

anxiety can activate the bladder which in turn can activate the brain which could yield some creative inspiration.

Believe it or not, the process worked. It’s detailed in my book. A melody began to ring in my brain, along with the lyrics:

“Kapalaran di mawari Huwag magbabakasakali

Ipanatag ang buhay...”

As I stood before the urinal, the lyrics flowed as freely from my brain as the contents of my bladder: “Filipinas, Filipinas Life,Filipinas life Assurance Company…”

We piled into my car as I cleaned up the incipient musical piss…uh, I mean musical piece. By the time we arrived at the recording studio, the song was complete.

With professionals like Rudy Angus and his singing group and a production pro like Rusty, the song was easily put in the can. Getting

agency and client approval was just as easy. The Filipinas Life song became a company anthem and for years, folks all over the Philippines would wake up to the song which introduced the Filipinas Life Newscast.

According to my colleagues in advertising, it is considered a classic. That’s music to the ears of a non-musician like me. But to go back to Rusty, I hope his widow Monina is well. I also recall their first child, PJ. He must be in his late 30s or early 40s now. I would like Monina and PJ to know that I loved Rusty like a brother. We were so close, I asked him to be the godfather of my first child, Ringo. I hope it helps. I also hope she wins. Que sera, sera!

OPINION: “Will Asian Americans bolt from the Democratic Party?”

Help Wanted / For Rent / For Sale

Absolutely, AAPI voters have been solid supporters of Democrats and their policies for decades. But these days, the AAPI community feels abandoned (and “lost”) by the Democrats. And we are not only disappointed about Democrats’ education policies, but concerned about how soft-on-crime policies have affected our very own community’s safety.

There is no doubt that another problem that Asians are worried about is public safety. They are particularly leery of a Democratic party that has become associated with “defund the police” and a soft approach to containing crime.

For many months now, AsianAmericans have been on edge about security due to the rising number of violent crimes against Asians in some of America’s most progressive cities, such as Oakland and New York City. After a white gunman shot and killed eight victims, including six Asian women, in March 2021 in Atlanta, Asian-Americans had hoped that the trending hashtag #StopAAPIHate and the outpouring of national outrage would compel Democratic leaders to tackle violent crimes against Asian-Americans. Instead, the safety situation for Asian Americans in major cities has gotten worse. New York City alone has seen anti-Asian crimes increase more than 350 percent from 2020 to 2021.

In Democrat-led cities, we continue to see Asian elderlies/ seniors shoved to the ground and beaten and numerous Asian people and businesses robbed. And fairly recently, a young Asian woman’s

was

oncoming subway train at Times Square Station in New York City. In truth, just last month – the Philippine Consulate General in New York called on American authorities “to do more to protect the vulnerable” as it expressed outrage over a violent anti-Asian attack that left a 67-year-old “kababayan” of ours seriously injured. The very latest incident took place on a Friday evening and came a few days after the Consulate reminded members of the Filipino Community to be vigilant and to take the necessary precautions following two other shoving incidents in Queens that left two elderly Filipino woman injured.

(FYI: On 10 March 2022, a Filipina in her late 50s, who walks with a cane and suffers from poor eyesight, was injured after she was shoved down the stairs by an unidentified man at the 179th Street Station of the F Train in the neighborhood of Jamaica in Queens. On the same day, a Filipina in her mid-60s was pushed by an unidentified man at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train platform, also in Jamaica, causing her to land on her face and breaking her eyeglasses in the process. She sustained multiple injuries. According to the Consulate the latest Filipina victim of antiAsian hate crime was entering her apartment building in Yonkers, New York, when she was attacked from behind by the suspect who punched and stomped her more than 125 times; the victim, suffered fractures and lacerations to the head and face as well as bleeding in the brain.)

“We are outraged by this unspeakable act committed against another elderly member of the Filipino Community,” Consul General Elmer G. Cato announced on social media. “This is the third incident in less than a week where

elderly “kababayans” have become victims of random violence.”

“We call on authorities to do more to protect the vulnerable. We remind our ”kababayans” once more to be extra vigilant and to take the necessary precautions, especially in public,” Consul General Cato reiterated.

He said the suspect, who had 14 previous arrests and multiple convictions, was immediately arrested and charged with attempted murder as a hate crime as he was shouting anti-Asian slurs while he was beating up the victim.

In a statement, the Consulate expressed concern over the latest incidents that followed similar assaults against other members of the Asian-American Community since the start of the year. It said that the recent spate of attacks against Filipinos and other AsianAmericans – whether triggered by racial bias or mental illness – is a serious affair that must be immediately addressed.

The Yonkers occurrence brings to three the number of attacks involving members of the Filipino Community in New York that have been passed on to the Consulate this year. There were 23 incidents reported to the Consulate last year. Not all felonies were hatedriven, and some were part of the general trend of surging crimes and the deterioration of public safety in cities. Indeed, there is a growing sense of despair within the AAPI community that our security situation wouldn’t get better under Democratic leadership.

As evidence of that feeling being abandoned by the Democratic Party, some Asian-Americans have taken their votes and loyalty elsewhere.

Last November, in New York City’s race, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa beat the 110th mayor of New

York City, former law enforcement officer Eric Adams in 10 assembly districts where working-class Asian-Americans are the majority. In Virginia’s gubernatorial race, many Asian-Americans switched sides and helped elect Republican Glenn Youngkin to the governor’s office and Winsome Sears as the state’s first black female lieutenant governor.

Unquestionably, it’s this coming November’s election that the Democratic Party should worry about most. This may be the year when it finally loses the support of the majority of AAPI voters. However, the Republican Party should not assume it will automatically benefit from Asian-Americans’ political shift. Believe it or not, I say the Republican Party has done little, too – to reach out to Asian-American voters over the years. Although they currently represent less than 6 percent of voters, Asian-Americans are projected to become the largest immigrant group in the U.S., surpassing Hispanics in 2055. This population trend means AAPI voters will play a critical role in shaping America’s future. No party should either overlook Asian-American taxpayers or take their votes and loyalty for granted.

The bottom line is - that’s not having our backs or improving our fortunes. They’re pretty much just using us to bolster their very own.

Enough is enough!

One might wonder how the Democrats did not see all of this coming.

Now they’re starting to reap what they sowed. The results as I have summarized above, barring a sudden Democratic change of course, are likely just the beginning.

What say you? Mabuhay!

Spiritual Life

The significance of the month of May in my life

The month of May celebrates two significant events which profoundly touches my life: National Nurses Week and Mother’s Day.

National Nurses Week is significant for me because it reminds me of my mother’s devotion to her calling as a nurse and sacrifices as a pioneer in public health nursing. In extolling her virtues as a nurse, I am also appreciating her skills in caring for mothers and children.

I remember a trip I made to Indonesia as a U.S. AID fellow. I reported to the US Embassy and was greeted by a charming woman, whom I mistook as an Indonesian but who turned out to be a Filipino working in the US Embassy. She was very friendly. She told me that she already know my background since she has read my bio data before my arrival. I thanked her for taking time to know me and to arrange my schedule of visit. I asked her, “From where are you in the Philippines?” She answered with a smile, “I am from Dagupan City, Pangasinan. “ Oh, so we are province mates? We started talking in Pangasinan later she invited me for lunch in her well appointed home. She shared with me her life story, that of being so poor, worked as a maid of a rich relative in Manila, then went to pursue accounting education in a local university in the evening. She met her husband in college, got married and then came to Indonesia where her husband landed a job as accountant of a lumber company. I was deeply touched by her story, then she surprised me by saying, “I told a lie when I said that I am from Dagupan City. Actually, I am from a barrio in San Carlos and it was your mother, Bai Anding, who took care of our family. She was our family nurse, even attending to my mother when she gave birth to my siblings. Without her, my brothers and sisters could not have survived. I heard similar stories about my mother, going beyond the parameters of nursing care and helping families survived the challenges of poverty. After my graduation from the University of the Philippines, I had a heart-to-heart talk with my mother. I asked her, “Mama, why are you so obsessed in sending your children to college? You’ve worked so hard for the five of us, referring to my four brothers who took up law and medicine. It was

the first time she opened up to me. She came from a very poor family and she vowed that her children will never experience what she went through when she was growing up. I came to realize that she dedicated herself to helping others in order to help herself and her family. Nursing became her passion and helping the poor and marginalized families marked her life, until she passed away at the age of 95.

There was a time when I also asked her, “Mama, why do you not bring us to church? You religiously send us to church but you don’t bring us.” Her response was a biblical verse which gave me the reason why she attends to mothers and children in our community even on a Sunday. She said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV)

Summer is the perfect time to look upward

The Lord gives strength to those who are weary. Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. (Isaiah 40:31)

Summer has arrived. BBQ smoke is waffling from yard to yard and open windows are letting in the sound of birds singing and neighbors chatting. This is usually the time of year for some much needed R&R. But due to circumstances, this may not fit into your schedule. As co-workers stand around the water cooler and talk about their getaways, you may be burdened with financial obligations and a work schedule that make it impossible to pack your suitcase.

Isaiah understood how weariness drains our soul and physical being. The Israelites were weary and worn out. Ten of the tribes had been captured by the Assyrian Empire. It was not vacation time. Isaiah helped them to re-focus and take pause. I can imagine standing beside Isaiah encouraging me to tilt

Danny Hernaez From Whom All Blessings Flow

my head and look upward, "Do you see that eagle? Who gave it wings? Who's wind is it riding? You need not strive. Rest in the grace and power of your Creator."

Summer is the perfect time to look upward. When we get weary and tired, a getaway may not be feasible, but we can look up to refresh our spirit. As we gaze trustingly at God, He will renew our strength like the eagles.

Spending time in God's word, admiring His amazing creation, and taking moments to listen to His voice always brings me back to a place of renewed strength. Whatever your summer holds, take time to look upward and ask God to renew your soul.

Jesus didn't come as a king, but as a helpless infant (Luke

2). Although he was perfectly God and perfectly human at the same time (John 1:14), he lived his life as a humble laborer. After he began his ministry, he demonstrated humble service to others in the miracles he performed, as well as in his instruction to his disciples. When the time came for him to die, he submitted to his Father's divine will (Mark 14:36). And now, seated in power at the right hand of God, he intercedes on our behalf (Acts 5:29-32). As the perfect model for godly leadership, Jesus set the perfect example of humility. Ask God to help you follow Jesus' example as you seek to demonstrate the kind of humility that will cause others to see Jesus in you. <(((><

KAILANGAN NG MGA MANGGAGAWA SA BOTOHAN PARA SA IKA-7 NG HUNYO NA GUBERNATORYAL NA PRIMARYA

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Ang

Tagapagrehistro ng mga Botante ay naghahanap ng mga manggagawa sa botohan para sa Ika-7 ng Hunyo na Gubernatoryal na Primaryang Eleksyon. Ang mga manggagawa sa botohan ay may mahalagang papel sa mga eleksyon at maaaring maglingkod sa kanilang komunidad habang kumikita ng $15 kada oras. Sa pagpapakilala ng Voter’s Choice Act, pinapalitan ng mga voter center ang mga tradisyonal na lugar ng botohan. Ang mga vote center ay bukas sa buong county para sa isang pinahabang panahon bago ang Araw ng Eleksyon. Sa halip na isang araw ng serbisyo, ang mga manggagawa sa botohan ay kailangan na ngayon upang tauhan ang mga vote center hanggang 11 araw sa loob ng dalawang linggo bago ang Araw ng Eleksyon. Ang mga nagsasalita ng English na bilingguwal sa Chinese, Filipino, Spanish o Vietnamese ay kinakailangan din.

Kasama sa mga responsibilidad:

• Pagsusumite ng hiring/payroll na mga papeles

• Pagdadalo sa dalawang-araw, bayad na pagsasanay ng mga manggagawa sa botohan

• Pagbubukas/pagsasara ng isang vote center

• Pagpo-proseso ng mga botante

On this third Sunday of Easter I wish to continue my reflections on the experiences of the Apostles after the death and resurrection of their Master, Jesus Christ – Our Lord.

Last Sunday we read from the gospel of St. John how Jesus appeared to the Apostles who, for fear of the Jews, were hiding in a room. In that appearance Jesus greeted them with peace, breathed on them the Holy Spirit of forgiveness as the source of Peace for their fearful hearts and sent them on a mission to spread this message of peace. Furthermore, we heard how Thomas was made to believe in Jesus when he returned to the same group of Apostles who were still gathered in the same room, already believing but not yet courageous to go out and proclaim the message of Peace that Jesus sent them to spread.

Today’s gospel reading shows us a number of the apostles to whom Jesus once more appeared. In this we see the apostles no longer gathered in a closed room but already out in the open and back to their former way of living as fishermen. There are many theories concerning this narrative. Some say that the apostles simply wanted to forget their experiences with Jesus who was crucified, died and reportedly have risen from the dead. Others believe that this was another way by which John the Evangelist wanted to portray how the gospel message should be proclaimed by the apostles after the resurrection of Jesus. Personally, I do believe that the apostles did not want to forget about Jesus at all, but I do think that they went fishing in order to start their mission in the original way of life that they had when Jesus called them to follow

him. They were fishermen and they should have wanted to begin their mission of spreading the good news among the people whose trade they commonly shared.

After a frustratingly disappointing night of fishing and catching nothing, the apostles still obeyed the command of a person whom they, at first, did not recognize as Jesus. Jesus asked them to throw the net into the deep and they did obey him without hesitation and caught a definite number of big fishes, to their amazement that led them to recognize that the person who commanded them was no other than their own Master and Lord. He was there watching them go fishing and catching nothing. And they were not aware of His presence because they were all concerned with their activity and they caught nothing. When they went ashore they saw He prepared for them something to eat for breakfast. This time they did not ask any question anymore because they were convinced that indeed Jesus was their in their midst. There are so many lessons that we can learn from this appearance of Jesus. I don’t even want to mention his dialogue with Peter whom he asked to feed his sheep after three

very significant personal questions. That is a matter that could be a subject for another homily sometime. What concerns me now are two things: first, the fact that apostles decided to go back to fishing, original livelihood and second, how they promptly obeyed Jesus whom they did not even recognize at first. Why should they obey somebody they did not recognize and after such a very disappointing night when they could not catch anything if they were not expecting the Lord to come into their lives anytime?

These two issues could be our lessons from today’s gospel. The first is to simply go back into the ordinary ways of life that we normally do. Every Christian should go back to his work, always conscious that the Lord is just there watching and looking at how we do our work no matter how we may apparently fail.

Yet every Christian, just the apostles in the Gospel must be ready to obey when the Lord comes into our lives and do whatever he wants because, just like the apostles, we too will be able to produce a lot out of our work without expecting such results. If the apostles obeyed the command of the Lord whom they did not recognize at first, I believe, it was because they were open to His instant coming into their lives. This is a product of a deep faith that they have been gifted because of their faith in the Risen Lord who would come into their lives anytime He would want to. In this same manner while we continue in our journey in this vale of tears.

Constancy in prayer and fidelity to the Lord would keep us open to his coming into our lives especially at moments we do not expect Him to appear.

Ang opisina ng Tagapagrehistro ay nakikipagtulungan sa Public Health Services upang masiguro ang kalusugan at kaligtasan ng mga manggagawa at botante sa eleksyon. Ibibigay sa mga manggagawa ang mga inirerekumendang personal protective equipment at sanitation supplies para maisagawa nila ang proseso ng eleksyon nang ligtas.

Ang mga aplikasyon ay available online. Para sa karagdagang impormasyon, tawagan ang (858) 5655800 o mag-email sa pollworker@ sdcounty.ca.gov.

• Pagsasagot sa mga tanong ng botane Upang maging isang manggagawa sa botohan, ang mga aplikante ay dapat nasa 18 taong gulang, isang U.S. citizen at nakarehistro upang bumoto sa California, o legal na tinanggap para sa permanenteng paninirahan sa Estados Unidos. Ang mga aplikante ay dapat ding magtakda ng kanilang sariling transportasyon sa kanilang nakatalagang vote center. Ang Tagapagrehistro ay naghahanap ng mga team player, nagpapakita ng malakas na pamumuno at mga kasanayan sa serbisyo sa customer, at nagpapakita ng flexibility, pasensya at pinakamataas na antas ng integridad sa lahat ng oras. Ang mga manggagawa sa botohan ay dapat magrepresenta sa Tagapagrehistro ng mga Botante sa isang propesyonal, hindi partidistang paraan.

TEMECULA, CA -- Ang

beteranong komedyante at mangaaliw sa entablado, si Vice Ganda ay darating sa isa na namang serye ng aktuwal na pagtatanghal para sa mga panauhin at bisita, ngayong Hulyo 2 at 3 (Sabado at Linggo) alas-6 p.m. sa premyadong hotel, resort at casino sa Southern California— ang Pechanga Resort Casino. Ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay kilala sa pag-iimbita ng pinakamahusay at matatalinong Pilipinong mang-aaliw at tagapagpalabas sa naising makapagbigay ng kakaibang karanasan sa mga espesyal na Filipino-Americans na mga patron. Sa kasalukuyan, si Vice Ganda ay nagsasagawa ng paglilibot sa Estados Unidos upang mapagbigyan ang kahilingan ng mga tagasunod at tagahanga nito upang pagsaluhan ang katatawanan, komedya, kagalakan at kaaliwan na hindi nararanasan kamakailan lamang. Patungo sa isang pampamilyang libangang mapupuntahan, si Vice ay aktibo sa Manila habang nagtatanghal sa araw-araw na pagho-hosting sa TV, pagsipot

bilang panauhin, komedya sa pelikula, aktuwal na pagbisita sa mga imbitasyon habang pinapapanatili nito ang milyong mga tagasunod sa Youtube at iba pang plataforma ng social media. Huwag ninyong kaligtaan ito! Ipakikita ni Vice Ganda ang kabuuan ng kanyang “Fully Vicecinated” na komedya para sa inyo sa Pechanga Summit. Mabibili ang mga tikets mula $48 sa Pechanga Box Office. Maaari din kayoing bumili ng tikets sa pagtawag sa 888-8108817 o bumisita sa www.pechanga. com Ilan sa mga pinagmamalaki ng Pechanga Summit ang 40,000-square feet na lugar para sa mga mang-aaliw, konsiyerto, live na kaganapan sa sports, pagttaanghal ng kalakalan, kasalan, o anu pa mang malalaking grupo na magsasagawa. Sa kabuuan, ang Pechanga ngayon ay nag aalok ng 274,500 square feet na panloob/ panlabas na kontemporaryong pagpupulong at espasyo sa mga kagaanapan, na tanging nagpaibayo sa mga amenidad, espasmo at katanyagan ng mga inihahandog na kaganapan ng Pechanga.

Patungkol sa Pechanga Resort

Casino

Ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay nag-aalay ng pinaka malaki at napakalawak na resort/casino na eksperiyensta saan man sa Estados Unidos. Ibinotong numero unong casino sa bansa ng USA Today at may rata na Four Diamond property ng AAA mula 2002, ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay naghahatid ng walang kapantay na libangan, maging anumang araw o kahabaan ng pananatili rito. Ang Pechanga ay naghahatid ng mahigit 5,000 ng pinakamainit na slots, table games, world-class na paraan ng aliwan, 1,100 na mga kwarto sa hotel, kainan, spa at golf sa Journey sa Pechanga. Ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay nag-aalok ng mga destinasyon na tutugon at hihigit pa sa mga pangangailangan ng mga panauhin at komunidad. Ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay pag-aari at nasa ilalim ng pamamalakad ng Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. Sa karagdagang impormasyon, tumawag toll free sa (877) 7112946 o bumisita sa www.Pechanga. com. Sundan ang Pechanga Resort Casino sa Facebook, Instagram at sa Twitter @PechangaCasino.

USD FUSO's 10th Annual Ugnayan Conference

SAN DIEGO, CA -- “The Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization (FUSO) has grown and evolved since its inception 28 years ago. In order to progress our social justice narrative, we must understand the history of our people and the challenges we have faced. We are continuously shaped by

our experiences in the world around us and the decisions we make based on the circumstances set before us, as well as the decisions and experiences of our predecessors. It is important to know your history because it gives you more guidance as to how to live a life of progress. We invite you to question

what you know to find the answers to our future. Know your history, know yourself.”

Come join us on Saturday, May 7th, from 9:30am to 4pm in the University Center, and you will be able to find parking in the UC West Lot and the USD Main Structure.

Anji Salvacion looks forward to connect with fans in solo concert

Anji Salvacion said she looks forward to connect with her fans in her upcoming solo concert.

"I just can’t wait to share with them and can’t wait to share a bond din between a performer and an audience. ‘Yun din ‘yung isa sa pinaka-excited ako to look forward in the concert," Salvacion said in a press conference.

The SVIP tickets, a package with a meet-and-greet with Salvacion, for her first major solo concert dubbed "Feels: The Concert" on April 30 via KTX.ph are already sold out.

There are still available VIP tickets with a Zoom after-party at P399 and general admission tickets at P199 available via KTX.ph.

The singer assured her fans that they could relate to the lineup she has prepared for them.

"There is a lot of feels na mararamdaman natin din mga kaSunshines at for sure makaka-relate kayo. But to be specific with the feeling maybe I can’t tell it now," Salvacion said.

"There’s a lot of vibe there. Maybe the thing that I could share is may concert na concert vibes," she added. Salvacion added that she has been disciplined to ensure a smooth performance.

"Ready na ready na ako. Sa sobrang ready na ako pati rito sa bahay nagpa-practice na talaga ako. Feeling ko nasa stage na ako ... I just keep on singing and I just make sure rin na my health is good, I’m healthy kasi it would be a long, long, long day for me," the singer said.

"I need to reserve my energy, so what I do is proper rest, practice and ayun prayers din," she added.

Salvacion was part of the "Pinoy Big Brother: Kumunity Season 10" celebrity edition. She emerged as part of the Top 2 along with volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

She started her singing career after joining "Idol Philippines" in 2019 and recently released her single "Dalampasigan." (MNS)

MANILA -- Kapamilya singer