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JANUARY 24 - 30, 2025 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages
T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c a n C o m m u n i t y N e w s pa p e r
Also published in LOS ANGELES • ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE • NORTHERN CALIFORNIA • NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY • LAS VEGAS
DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Undocumented Filipinos in US advised about their rights as mass deportation threat looms LOS ANGELES – On President Donald Trump’s first day in office on Monday, January 20, the Philippine Embassy issued an advisory reminding undocumented immigrants about their rights. “All Filipinos in the United States have rights, regardless of their immigration status,” according to the advisory, titled “Kabayan, May Karapatan Ka!” “The Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the United States are here to ensure that Filipinos are informed, safe and supported. Kabayan, you deserve to know your rights.” The advisory was released as Trump prepares to issue 10 executive orders related to immigration, including declaring a national emergency at the border, raising fears of mass deportation. The executive orders will follow Trump’s promises on the campaign trail to implement mass deportation immediately after taking office. In his inaugural address, Trump said he would declare a national emergency at the southern border. “Illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of
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President Donald Trump holds swearing-in inside Capitol Rotunda by Rogelio Constantino Medina
Earlier, President-elect Trump and former President Joe Biden entered the Capitol side by side, the incoming president and the outgoing THE swearing-in of Mr. Donald Trump, the 47th president together. They were flanked by a military President of the United States of America, on January honor guard contingent in the halls and followed 20, 2025 was held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to by their wives and the outgoing and incoming vice presidents. extreme weather condition in Washington, D.C. AJPress
by Luisa Cabato Inquirer.net
Trump’s first trip as president will be to view aftermath of LA fires, says report ‘America needs us,’ says PH Ambassador
VOTE COUNTING MACHINE. Gay Enumerables (right), Assistant Director of the Commission on Elections-Davao Region, demonstrates the proper use of the automated counting machine during the Kapehan sa Dabaw forum at SM City Davao on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The demonstration educated the public on the operation of the machine to be used for the May 12 elections. PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
LOS ANGELES – President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday, January 18 that he will “probably” travel to California next week to view the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County. “I will be, probably, at the end of the week,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Saturday. “I was going to go, actually yesterday (Jan. 17),” the president-elect added, “but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.” Meanwhile, sources told NewsNation that Trump’s first official trip of his second administration will be to visit areas ravaged by the LA fires after his inauguration late next week. He was invited to visit the wildfire area last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, amid a war of words between Trump and Newsom. Trump criticized Newsom in the early hours of the wildfire crisis for policies that he said hampered the firefighting effort. “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually
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Marcos hails Trump inauguration, eyes collaboration
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Trump was invited to visit the wildfire area amid his war of words with CA Gov. Gavin Newsom
“Good morning,” Trump said as he entered the Capitol with Biden. Asked how they felt, Biden responded: “Well.” Emancipation Hall’s overflow viewers jumped to their feet in applause as the president-elect walked into the Capitol Rotunda and onto their screens.
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, January 21 congratulated newly swornin U.S. President Donald Trump and expressed eagerness to work with his administration. Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the U.S. on January 20 (U.S. time). “Congratulations to POTUS @realdonaldtrump and to the American people on another peaceful transfer of power in their Nation’s nearly 250-year history. I look forward to working closely with you and your Administration,” Marcos said in a statement. “The strong and lasting PH-U.S. alliance will continue to uphold our shared vision of prosperity and security in the region,” he added. Last November 19, Marcos had a “friendly” and “productive” call with Trump, where he expressed the Philippines’ desire to further deepen its ties with the U.S. “It was a very good call, it was a very friendly
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to US amid Trump presidency by Charie Abarca Inquirer.net
MANILA — “America needs us.” These were the words used by Philippine Ambassador to the United States (U.S.) Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez when he was asked on Wednesday, January 22 if the Philippines and its interests are at risk now that Donald Trump is back in power as the 47th president of the U.S. Romualdez proceeded to emphasize that the two nations have existing treaties and
agreements that make their partnership strong. “We are not at risk. Number one, because we do have a mutual defense treaty, and then, it is very important for the U.S. that we are there because we are at the forefront now — because of the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea. So, America needs us,” Romualdez said in a mix of Filipino and English over Radyo 630. According to Romualdez, he recently had a lunch meeting with American officials,
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Malacañang file photo
Marcos slams Duterte ‘lies’ Fil-Am attorney general leads fight against on items in budget law u PAGE 2
Trump’s birthright citizenship order
LOS ANGELES – California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the state’s fight against President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Bonta announced Tuesday, January 21 the state is filing a lawsuit seeking to block the executive order. The lawsuit – joined by 21 other states and San Francisco – argues that the order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. “The President’s executive order attempting to rescind birthright citizenship is blatantly unconstitutional and quite frankly, un-American,” The u PAGE 4 Filipino American attorney general said in
by Germelina Lacorte, Melvin Gascon Inquirer.net
a statement. “We are asking a court to immediately block this order from taking effect and ensure that the rights of American-born children impacted by this order remain in effect while litigation proceeds.” Bonta said Trump “has overstepped his authority by a mile with this order, and we will hold him accountable.” Under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, all children born on U.S. soil are automatically granted U.S. citizenship and the rights and privileges that come with it. In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this right in a case brought by Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco-born,
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MANILA — Malacañang on Monday, January 20 branded as “lies” the alleged presence of blank items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), or whose amounts were supposedly meant to be filled out at the behest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his close associates. In an interview in Taguig City, the president denied allegations by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies that the 2025 GAA was riddled with blanks. “He’s lying. He’s a [former] president, he knows that you cannot pass a GAA with a blank,” he told reporters after the launch of the Tesla Center Philippines. Marcos was reacting to allegations made by Duterte about alleged irregularities in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 GAA, which aired in an online podcast on Saturday, January 18. Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab found the blanks in the approved report of Congress’ bicameral committee and said that it was the first time for him to see such a thing in his 15 years in the House of Representatives. A former chair of the House appropriations panel, Ungab claimed
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