NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M M U N I T Y N E WS PA P E R
Volume 18 - No. 6 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
F E BR U A RY 8 - 1 4 , 2 0 1 9
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USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Study: Filipinos spend 10 hours a day online, the most in the world Philippines also tops most time spent on social media
A NEW report revealed that people in the Philippines continued to spend more time on the internet than any other country in the world in 2018. The annual Digital 2019 report, created by social media platforms and agencies We Are Social and Hootsuite, found that those in the Philippines spent an average of 10 hours and two minutes online, an increase from the nine hours and 29 minutes spent per day in the year prior. The average amount of time spent worldwide clocked in at six hours and 42 minutes per day, with Japan spending the least amount of time online with just three hours and 45
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Only 36% of Pinoys in Harvard Humanitarian Initiative poll ‘fully prepared’ for disasters MAJORITYof Filipinos believe they are not “fully prepared” for disaster, according to a recent study by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative. According to the poll conducted in 2017 and released on Tuesday, February 5, only 36 percent of Filipino respondents perceive themselves as “fully ready” for disasters. This, despite the campaigns of the government, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and media.
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Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
DFA chief Teddy Locsin: ‘No need for anti-Chinese hysteria’ by PIA LEE
BRAGO Philstar.com
CHINESE workers are not grabbing jobs from Filipinos, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Tuesday, February 5. “Take it easy. Chinese workers are granted visas upon arrival under the program implemented by the immigration bureau and do not take jobs from Filipinos,” Locsin posted on Twitter. He made the statement after former president Benigno Aquino III called for a review of the influx of Chinese workers in the country.
“They are working in online gaming that requires Mandarin,” Locsin said. “They are poor people like ours abroad.” The Senate committee on labor chaired by Sen. Joel Villanueva is looking into the arrival of illegal foreign workers in the country. In 2018 alone, the Department of Foreign Affairs recorded some 1.6 million Chinese tourist arrivals and issued only 18 employment visas. Malacañang shrugged off Aquino’s concern about the number of Chinese workers in the Philippines, saying there is nothing alarming about it as long as they enter the country legally.
Meanwhile, a militant labor group sought an alliance with Chinese workers to demand better employment conditions. “We can have an alliance to forward calls for immediate relief amid rising prices of basic commodities and services and to push for long-term economic reforms,” Kilusang Mayor Uno vice chair Elizar Diayon said. He said Filipino workers should strengthen relations with owners of Filipino-Chinese small and medium businesses operating in the country. “What we want is a positive environment that is beneficial to workers of Fil-Chinese enterprises in the country,” Diayon said. (With Mayen Jaymalin) ■
Palace: ‘Let legal process take its course’ on Dengvaxia mess House panel recommends filing of raps vs Aquino, Abad, Garin, others by DARRYL JOHN
ESGUERRA
Inquirer.net
THE recommendation of the House committees on good government and public accountability, and health stemmed from the controversy over the use of anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the P3.5-billion national immunization program that started in 2016. “Let the legal process take its course and those found responsible be held administratively, criminally, and civilly liable,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement. Panelo assured the Department of Justice (DOJ) will perform its task and rule on
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WELCOMING THE YEAR OF THE PIG. Filipino Chinese watch a dragon dance during Chinese New Year festivities in Binondo, Manila on Tuesday, February 5. The dragon dance is one of the highlights of the Lunar New Year festivities as it is believed to bring good luck. ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan
Duterte impersonator turns US report cites AFP’s ‘limited ability’ to track terrorists heads at Hong Kong church by FRANCIS
MANGOSING Inquirer.net
A Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte impersonator sparked frenzy and confusion during a mass in a Hong Kong church. He was accompanied by Howard X, the Hong Kong-based impersonator of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/Inquirer.net by
RAE ANN VARONA AJPress
HEADS were turned on Sunday, February 2 when a Rodrigo Duterte impersonator walked into a Hong Kong church frequented by many of the city’s Filipino community members during a mass service. By his side was an uncanny doppelganger of North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. Impersonating Duterte was
57-year-old Filipino Cresencio Estremos Jr., who also goes by his impersonator name of Cresencio Extreme. Taking on the look of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was Hong Kong-based impersonator Howard X, who also acts as Estremos’ agent. With Estremos wearing a traditional barong tagalog shirt and black trousers, and Howard wearing a black Mao Suit, the two looked almost exactly like the two real leaders and gave
the spectators great photo opportunities. Agence France-Presse reported all eyes were on the duo as they sat in on the hour-long mass. While many found the performance amusing and took the opportunity to take photos with the toy gun-holding impersonators outside when the mass service ended, some were not so impressed.
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THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has “limited ability” to gather and process intelligence information on its own to effectively fight terrorism, a recently released 2018 assessment report of the United States said. According to the 5th Lead Inspector General quarterly report on Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines (OPE-P), “the AFP had limited ability to collect information on a target and provide that intelligence to a unit on the ground to act on it.” The counterterrorism mission OPE-P was quietly launched in 2017 when the Philippines was battling ISIS-linked militants in Marawi City. One of its primary objectives was to help improve the AFP’s Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities against the local ISIS. The U.S. assistance continued even after five months of fighting in Marawi City, the worst security crisis of the Philippine government in recent years. Government forces’ battle against groups that have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and other vio-
lent extremist organizations in Mindanao continue. To fill in the gap, the U.S. had been providing ISR assets and training to AFP personnel in counterterrorism operations. The report said the Philippine military’s limited ISR capabilities were due to lack of assets, as well as institutional and infrastructure shortcomings. “Because of these challenges, the AFP relies heavily on the DOD and its contractors’ ISR capabilities to identify the locations of suspected enemy activity and provide intelligence products for their use,” it said. “…The desired end state is for the AFP to meet its own needs
for ISR support to counterterrorism operations, including the capacity to target and conduct lethal operations against multiple violent extremist threats, without DOD (Department of Defense) assistance,” it added. An assessment of the AFP’s progress was not included in the report, however, as the training has not yet concluded while the report was being made. At a forum on Monday, February 4, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also mentioned the Philippine-U.S. cooperation to combat terrorism. This had been going on for some time, he said, even be-
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FEBRUARY 8-14, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
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From the Front Page
Study: Filipinos spend 10 hours...
PAGE A1 minutes spent per day. Taking a closer look at usage, the Philippines topped other countries when it came to time spent using the internet in front of a desktop or laptop computer. Compared to the global average of three hours and 28 minutes, the Philippines clocked in at five hours and four minutes per day. The Philippines also — perhaps unsurprisingly — surpassed other countries when it came to social media use, with 99 percent of internet users in the country on at least one type of social media
platform. This, compared to the global average of 58 percent. Also having 99 percent social media penetration were Malaysia, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. Holding the highest numbers in social media use, spending an average of four hours and 12 minutes on social media—approximately double the global average of two hours and 16 minutes. The time was slightly higher than the previous year which recorded an average of three hours and 57 minutes among Philippine social media users.
According to the report, the number of social media users in the Philippines grew from 67 million to 76 million. Facebook was also unsurprisingly the social media platform of choice with 75 million Philippine users on Facebook. But on the Facebook-owned photo and video-sharing social media platform Instagram, users in the Philippines fared lower than the global average with only 14-percent of people aged 13 years old and older using the platform. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress) n
Only 36% of Pinoys in Harvard... SHOPPING FOR ‘LUCK’. Customers check out different ‘feng shui’ cures and charms in a store along Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila during the celebration of Chinese New Year on Tuesday, February 5. According to the lunar calendar, 2019 is the “Year of the Earth Pig”. PNA photo by Gil Calinga
Duterte impersonator turns heads... PAGE A1 One lady described the stunt to AFP as being “impolite.” “Coming in here to make a scene—our Duterte is not like that,” she said. But the church wasn’t the only location visited by the leader impersonators as the two also posed for some photos while eating fried chicken at a local Jollibee. In an attempt to follow close to Duterte-style rhetoric, Estremos said after the meal: “When I arrived at Hong Kong airport, I didn’t see any beautiful ladies, but now I realize that Jollibee is where they are all hidden.” He added, “If any drug lords are listening, I might look like him, but I’m not the president.
So I will kill you, but don’t kill me.” It wasn’t the first time Estremos made a public appearance as Duterte. Many may recognize him from the Philippine reality show, “Pilipinas Got Talent,” where he first gained widespread attention in 2018. On the show, Estremos went on stage with four bodyguards and wowed judges with not only his strong resemblance to the country’s president, but with his impressively Duterte-like voice. Estremos, who hails from Manticao, Misamis Oriental, said he found fame when a photo of him went viral and as a result got many appearance invitations. He told the South China Morning Post that he used to be afraid
PAGE A1 the existence of a probable cause against the respondents. “We reiterate the policy of the Administration that whoever transgresses the law will have to account for it regardless of the social status and the political affiliation of the transgressor,” the Palace official stressed. According to the approved joint committee report, Aquino, former Budget Sec. Florencio Abad and former Health Sec. Janette Garin and others have violated Section
3(e) of RA No. 3019 or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. The report said they should be charged for allegedly “conspiring and confederating with one another for the purpose of giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.” In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped
of the fact that he looked like Duterte until a TV manager encouraged him to enjoy it. “I never could have anticipated people’s reactions,” he told SCMP. “One of the Duterte’s goals is to kill all the drug lords and get rid of corruption, so when people discovered I looked like him, I was scared that the drug lords would think I was the president and kill me.” During his appearance on “Pilipinas Got Talent” last year, Estremos did say that he hoped to meet the real Duterte someday. “Mr. President, it is my dream na mag kita tayo. Palagi ako nag susuporta sa programa mo (It is my dream we meet. I have always supported your program),” said Estremos. n
Palace: ‘Let legal process take its course’...
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the distribution of Dengvaxia after French drug-maker Sanofi Pasteur admitted that immunization could be dangerous to those who have not been infected with the dengue virus prior to vaccination. A legislative inquiry has summoned former government officials for possibly being liable for negligence for purchasing the vaccine. Some 800,000 school children were reportedly inoculated under the program. n
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Nearly 47 percent of respondents claimed that they have made no preparations for a natural hazard in the last five years. In the same survey, 82 percent said they do not have an emergency kit or “go bag”, while 62 percent said they have no first aid kit. Philstar.com file photo by KJ Rosales
PAGE A1 Nearly 47 percent of respondents claimed that they have made no preparations for a natural hazard in the last five years. In the same survey, which is part of HHI’s DisasterNet Philippines project, 82 percent said they do not have an emergency kit or “go bag”, while 62 percent said they have no first aid kit. Around 83 percent of Filipinos surveyed said they only discussed emergency plans with family members when prompted. Areas hit by typhoon ‘most ready’ The study also showed that respondents residing in areas frequently hit by typhoons are the ones who think that they are more prepared. These respondents also believe they are “selfreliant” in disaster preparedness due to their previous experiences. At least 52 percent of respondents living in Eastern Visayas felt very prepared. In Bicol, 49 percent of respondents said they are prepared while 44 percent in the Western Visayas said they were. Among respondents in the National Capital Region, 32 percent said they are prepared for disasters. More respondents in Bicol, and in Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas said they discuss disasters in advance. Only 31 percent of respondents in Northern Mindanao said they felt prepared for disasters, the lowest among those surveyed. 42 percent have lost propery, homes to disaster The study revealed that around 42 percent of respondents experienced significant damage to property, assets and had been displaced from their homes due
to a disaster. The Eastern Visayas, which was hit by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, had 97 percent of respondents saying they had homes damaged destroyed by a disaster. Only 16 percent of the respondents had been displaced for at least a week and seven percent were displaced for over three months in the national level. Aside from the dominant damage to property, the study also showed that majority of Filipinos think their capability to cope and recover is limited. Only 22 percent said they were confident that they would recover from a future disaster while 38 percent of the respondents said they would have a hard time coping in future calamities. According to the study, residents of the Visayas take the longest to recover from disasters. ‘Money main barrier for disaster preparedness’ The survey also found out that most Filipinos think money is the main hindrance for them to prepare for disasters with 47.5 percent of respondents saying they lack funds. It added that 92 percent of respondents from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said they had insufficient funds. Around 74 percent said they were not able to invest in disaster preparedness and 20 percent said they do not have time to get ready for disasters. In line with this, majority of Filipinos were also determined to have no insurance for hazards. Only 19 percent said they have life insurance, 56 percent had health or medical insurance, three percent had home insurance, and only two and a half percent had asset insurance.
When it comes to assistance, 52 percent of Filipino respondents said they received aid from local government units, in line with the national disaster management’s policies. About 57 percent of respondents said they were provided with food and water assistance, emergency shelter (five percent), medicine (eight percent), temporary employment or cash (four percent), or livelihood assistance (four percent). Only nine percent claimed the government provided them housing and location assistance in Central Luzon, six percent in Northern Mindanao, and five percent in Eastern Visayas. Only few Filipinos also said they received temporary employment and cash-for-work with 20 percent of them are from Eastern Visayas and 17 percent are from Western Visayas. ‘First nationwide study on disaster response’ The Harvard report seek to determine “the Filipinos’ views on climate change and its anticipated impacts and offers unique reflections on Filipinos’ expectations of who is responsible for disaster response.” HHI Resilient Communities Program Director Vincenzo Bollettino said it is the first nationwide survey of its kind. “As an archipelago located in the Pacific Rim of Fire, the Philippines is exposed to an array of natural hazards. How Filipinos understand their own exposure to these hazards and the steps they take to cope with them is crucial to formulating relevant national policy and planning,” Bollettino said in a release. HHI surveyed 4,368 Filipino households nationwide. (Rosette Adel/Philstar.com) n
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National Diversity Coalition and T-Mobile sign MOU on diversity, community investment and low-income wireless services Memo comes ahead of T-Mobile’s planned merger with Sprint
THE National Diversity Coalition (NDC) CEO Faith Bautista on Thursday, January 31 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with T-Mobile US CEO John Legere on behalf of the New T-Mobile, the combined company that will be created pending the merger of TMobile and Sprint. The MOU outlines the mutual goals and commitments that NDC and the New T-Mobile share around diversity, community investment, and delivering wireless services—including 5G—to low-income consumers. Legere will continue to serve as CEO of the combined company. The MOU is the result of active talks between NDC and T-Mobile while the merger is being reviewed by federal and state agencies. Specifically, the two entities discussed ways to collaborate, along with other community groups, on a number of initiatives focused on serving low-income communities and expanding the company’s planned diversity initiatives. In the MOU, T-Mobile agreed that, following the merger, the New T-Mobile would establish an External Diversity and Inclusion Council that will be comprised of non-employees from the African American, Asian, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQ communities, as well as persons with disabilities and women. The Council will advise the New T-Mobile leadership on developing and implementing its Diversity Strategic Plan.
Furthermore, T-Mobile affirmed a commitment to diversity among its board and workforce recruitment of the newly created company. With direction from NDC and the External Diversity and Inclusion Council, the New T-Mobile will increase its goal for annual diverse spending in California to at minimum meet the California Public Utilities Commission’s target of 21.5 percent total spend with diverse businesses (40 percent when excluding spend on the handset and network manufacturers). As part of the agreement, TMobile also doubled down on its track record of seeking out and serving low-income and underserved consumers by agreeing that the New T-Mobile would develop a Community Investment Plan that will outline its philanthropy and community development initiatives for the new company. Part of this investment is the Community Wireless Initiative, which will expand and improve wireless capabilities in community centers, churches, and other areas throughout California to benefit low-income communities and underserved populations. This includes making wireless devices available at low or no cost to school children or districts eligible for free or reduced lunches, as well as to community organizations serving areas with limited wireless access. Bautista said the MOU “demonstrates T-Mobile’s commit-
Civil rights, advocacy groups make case against proposed 2020 Census citizenship question by Klarize
Medenilla AJPress
AMID the ongoing legal battle over whether or not the 2020 Census should ask about citizenship, civil rights and immigrant advocates this week discussed the question’s social and legal ramifications. The Leadership Conference Education Fund and Ethnic Media Service held a teleconference on Wednesday, Jan. 30, which was joined by representatives from national organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). The Trump administration last year approved plans to include a controversial citizenship question on the upcoming census, despite recommendations from the United States Census Bureau which advised against including the question, as reported in the Asian Journal. The question — “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” — approved by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has sparked a discussion over the legality of inquiring about citizenship on a survey designed to count residents of the U.S. Ross argued that it was “necessary” to include the question to enforce a part of the Voting Rights Act in which citizenship data is needed to combat voter fraud, which the administration contends as one of its key issues. In response, opponents of the question’s inclusion accused the Trump administration of deterring undocumented residents from being a part of the decennial count. Census experts and three legal and social justice organizations discussed the ramifications of the citizenship question as well as the pending legal battles associated with it. “The census is one of the most urgent civil rights issues in this country today,” Beth Lync, census counts campaign director at the Leadership Conference Education Fund, said on the call on Wednesday. “We are calling on Congress to remove the citizenship question to ensure a fair and accurate count so that no one is left behind.”
Anti-immigrant rhetoric has permeated the country in the Trumpian era, and this question exacerbates that widespread hysteria and paranoia, the experts expressed on the call. Fear of deportation or persecution is the reason why undocumented immigrants may hesitate to submit census surveys, which could drastically affect the overall count, John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said. As a result, this could sully critical demographic data needed to sustain the country’s power structures and institutions, including public assistance programs, schools, hospitals “The 2020 Census is our only chance in a decade for a fair and accurate count of our communities,” Yang said. “Census data are used in countless ways to ensure that our families and communities have the resources and services the Census, and a citizenship question endangers an accurate count. We must protect the voices of all our immigrant communities because this is an America where everyone counts.” Last month, a U.S. district court judge presiding over two lawsuits from Oct. 2018 against the Trump administration issued a ruling blocking the addition of the citizenship question to the next census count. Shortly after, the Trump administration announced that it was planning to challenge that lower court ruling by asking for a review from the Supreme Court. Most recently, the Spanish-language media company Univision joined another lawsuit in Northern California against the Dept. of Commerce’s inclusion of the citizenship question. “Every person residing in the United States deserves to and must be counted in the census. Dating back to this country’s founding, there has been no higher purpose to this endeavor than to simply count the number of people living in our nation, regardless of status,” said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, executive vice president for government and corporate affairs at Univision, which was previously attached to one of the New York lawsuits last year. n
US report cites AFP’s... PAGE A1 fore the twin explosions in Sulu last week, which killed 23 people and wounded about a hundred. The Abu Sayyaf, a group that has pledged allegiance to the ISIS, were the main suspects behind the blasts. The defense chief said the U.S. has been deploying its drones and other air assets, as well as sharing intelligence information to track down terrorists. Under the OPE-P, the U.S. report said 86 U.S. special operations forces and 185 U.S. troops has so far been deployed in the
Philippines, supported by 8 U.S. contractors who provide transportation, security, and other services. Another 458 local national subcontractors provided services, such as food preparation and general labor. One DOD (Department of Defense) civilian based here is in charge of the Philippine Operations Support Contract. A total of 12 U.S. aircraft, including 8 unmanned ISR platforms, 3 medium-lift helicopters, and 1 medium-lift airplane are in the Philippines for the counterterrorism mission, the report said. n
ment to best practices in corporate social responsibility and earns them the opportunity to prove that their proposed merger with Sprint would bring value and benefit to consumers throughout California.” She continued that the partnership will “set a new standard in collaboration between community-based organizations and corporate America.” “We are thrilled to join forces with NDC and collaborate with them as we build on New T- Mobile’s commitments to diversity and inclusion, providing wireless accessibility and investing in communities,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile and New T-Mobile CEO. “The New T-Mobile is all about bringing value and accessibility to everyone - particularly underserved consumers and their communities. We look forward to delivering on that promise as we build a new 5G network that will offer coverage, speed and capacity across the entire country.” NDC is a nonprofit public benefit organization comprised of community, faith-based, and corporate leaders spanning the nation’s African American, Latino, and Asian American communities pushing for greater opportunity, empowerment, and financial equality for underserved and minority communities. n
‘NEW DESTINATION’. A cleaner and obviously “more beautiful” baywalk along Roxas Boulevard is starting to attract the attention of promenaders who can’t help but stop and enjoy the new scenery at the shoreline of Manila Bay last Sunday, February 3. A series of clean-up activities in Manila and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Bataan and Batangas kicked off the Manila Bay rehab last Sunday, January 27. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
More than 10K Filipino nurses took test for US license in 2018, ACTS-OFW says MORE than 10,000 Filipino nurses took the U.S. licensure examination for the first time in 2018, making up the bulk of test takers. According to a release by ACTS-OFW party-list, 10,302 Filipinos took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), up from 7,791 first-time test takers in 2017. In contrast, 1,232 Indians, 1,017 Puerto Ricans, 783 South Koreans and 601 Nigerians took
the NCLEX for the first time in 2018, Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III said. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. The U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. administers the NCLEX to license registered nurses and practical nurses. Taking the test in the Philippines through the Perasin VUE center in Makati costs $200 (P10,500), ACTS-OFW said. The party-list said the number of Filipino nurses taking the test
for the first time “is considered a good indicator as to how many of them are trying to enter the profession in America.” Bertiz said: “There’s no question many Filipino nurses looking for greener pasture overseas prefer to work and live in America, mainly due to the superior hourly pay, plus our attachment to the Western culture.” Bertiz, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as the president PAGE A4
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Manila priest on list of Texas clergy accused of child sex abuse
St. Thomas the Apostle in Huntsville where accused priest Fr. Moises Cabrera served.
TURNING BASECO INTO A MODEL SITE. In line with her advocacy to make Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila, a model site for community rehabilitation, Sen. Cynthia Villar leads the distribution of fishing boats, tri-bikes and kitchen utensils to its residents and tree planting in the area. The senator, chair of the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Food and Environment and Natural Resources, was joined by representatives from the DENR, DepEd, DPWH, MMDA, Kabalikat sa Kaunlaran ng Baseco, MBC-DZRH and Gasangan barangay officials. The senator, seeking re-election in May, has been known for providing livelihood opportunities on top of espousing a clean and green environment. Senate photo
A DISCLOSURE by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston of the names of clergy accused of sexual abuse of children includes a Filipino priest who served at a parish church in Huntsville, Texas. Fr. Moises Cabrera, who between 1985 and 1988 served as a priest at St. Thomas the Apostle in Huntsville was among 42 individuals named in the report. The Huntsville church was one of six parishes in which Cabrera served over this three-year span. He was removed from ministry in 1988 but began serving in Manila
in 1994, according to a report by The Huntsville Item. Among Cabrera’s assignments had been at Prince of Peace, Houston, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Michael, St. Rose of Lima – all in Houston, Texas — St. Thomas the Apostle, Huntsville. The Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston was one of 14 in Texas to identify a total of 286 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children. Its website says “the list contains the names of priests about whom the Archdiocese has received credible allegations of sexual abuse of a mi-
Website photo
nor.� The allegations encompass nearly a 70-year span, from 1950 through the end of 2018. “The Bishops of Texas have decided to release the names of these priests at this time because it is right and just and to offer healing and hope to those who have suffered,� Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, said in a statement. “On behalf of all who have failed in this regard, I offer my sincerest apology. Our church has been lacerated by this wound and we must take action to heal it.� (Inquirer.net) n
Task force outlines strategy to address California’s shortfall of health workers
GOV. Gavin Newsom has proposed bold steps to ensure more Californians have health coverage, but a new report underscores that his success may depend in part on large-scale investments to expand the state’s health care workforce. A coalition of health, labor and education leaders, in a report released Monday, February 4 cited a dearth of health care workers in many regions of the state and recommended spending up to $3 billion over 10 years to address the shortfall. It’s not clear where
that money would come from, though the report cited several possible sources. The proposals of the group, the California Future Health Workforce Commission, include: creating more primary care and psychiatric residency slots; increasing the use of nurse practitioners; boosting scholarships for low-income students who agree to work in underserved areas; and expanding the supply — and training — of home care workers. The commission also recom-
mended building a more culturally and linguistically diverse pool of health care professionals to better match California’s demographics. To meet the needs of an aging population, the commission recommended training home care workers and putting them on a more defined career path. In addition, the report focuses on shortages in mental health care, with proposals to create a new training program for psychiatric nurse practitioners and expand PAGE A7
More than 10K Filipino nurses took test for US... PAGE A3 and CEO of recruitment agency Global Asia Alliance Consultant Inc. and the spokesperson of the OFW Advocates Coalition, said nurses are not covered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) yearlong ban on temporary work visas for Filipinos.
“Filipino nurses entering America through the sponsorship of their prospective U.S. employers apply for and are issued a separate entry permit – the H-1B visa,� Bertiz said. The party-list said it expects the demand for Filipino nurses in America to steadily increase in the years ahead.
“America’s nursing workforce is growing old, and they are not producing new nurses fast enough, mainly because they lack teaching staff. In fact, U.S. schools are turning away many would-be nursing students due to the shortage of qualified instructors,� Bertiz said. (Philstar. com) n
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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 8-14, 2019
DATELINE PHILIPPINES
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5 suspects in Jolo blasts surrender Comelec to monitor for first time
‘social media’ expenses of bets by WILLIAM
DEPASUPIL Manilatimes.net
ary 5 that it would not be easy but it has to be started to make candidates toe the line. FOR the first time in elecJimenez said the Comelec’s tion history, the Commission on Education and Information DeElections (Comelec) will require partment will monitor social mecandidates to report their “social dia campaigns. media” expenses in their state“People have been reporting ment of campaign expenditures on their SOCE for quite a while (SOCE). now but they have never reComelec spokesperson James ported on their social media exJimenez said on Tuesday, Febru- penses, and this is the first time
that they would be doing that,” he said. Jimenez said that the regulations maybe imperfect but it was not a signal to candidates to take them lightly. Jimenez said that coordination has been made with Facebook and would be meeting with the representatives from the social media giant again to discuss the rules. ■
Duterte wishes Chinese-Filipinos more achievements by EDITH
REGALADO Philstar.com
Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde points at a diagram at a news conference on Monday, February 4, where he announced that five suspected Abu Sayyaf members wanted for the Jolo Cathedral blast have surrendered. by AL JACINTO Manilatimes.net
ZAMBOANGA CITY—The police filed multiple counts of murder and frustrated murder charges against five suspected Abu Sayyaf militants linked to the twin suicide bombings of the Jolo Cathedral in Sulu province, following their surrender on Monday to security forces. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde said among those who surrendered was Kammah Pae, said to be among those who coordinated
the January 27 bombings of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town that killed and wounded dozens of people. He identified the four other suspects as Salit Alih, Albaji Kisae Gadjali, Rajan Bakil Gadjali and Kaisar Bakil Gadjali. “The five surrendered due to the massive hot pursuit operations by troops from the Patikul Municipal Police Station, 52nd Special Action Company, Sulu Provincial Mobile Force Company, 14th Regional Mobile Force Battalion, CIDG9, RIU9, and 35th Infantry Battalion of the Philip-
pine Army,” he said in a news conference. The PNP chief said security forces also destroyed an improvised explosive and other bomb components recovered from Pae’s house in Patikul town. Kammah admitted to authorities that he was part of the AjangAjang group, a faction of the Abu Sayyaf, but denied that he participated in planning and executing the Jolo blasts. But Albayalde said the remaining suspects pointed to Kammah as part of their group, which parPAGE A7
yapaan, iwaksi ang karahasan.” Police officers led by National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar joined the activity. Eleazar lauded the leaders of Muslim communities for showing their stand against any form of violence. He said the solidarity walk is an act of goodwill to send a message that Christians and Muslims are united against lawless groups out to sow terror. Former Sulu congresswom-
an Nur-Ana Sahidula, who was present during the activity, condemned the perpetrators of the Jolo bombing that left 22 persons dead. The event ended with the signing of a peace covenant by the participants. They threw doves in the air as a gesture of unity. The NCRPO will remain on full alert to prevent violence in Mindanao from spilling over to Metro Manila, Eleazar said. He urged the public to remain vigilant. ■
DAVAO CITY, — President Duterte hopes the Chinese New Year being celebrated on Tuesday, February 5, will “bring hope, inspiration and more achievements” for the Chinese-Filipino community and the entire nation – but there will be no firecrackers and fireworks to be set off here for the occasion. Firecrackers and fireworks are believed to scare away evil spirits or bad luck as people ring in another year, but these have been banned in this city for more than 17 years now. Duterte, 73, who was born in the Year of the Rooster, prohibited the use of firecrackers and fireworks when he was still mayor of the city. But there will be the usual lion dance featured in the local Chinatown and other establishments, especially restaurants, offering Chinese food. To make noise during the cel-
ebrations, Dabawenyos make do with clanging of cooking pots and pans or cans or blowing of horns, among others. Meanwhile, the president is taking an extended stay here in his hometown since he was reported to have skipped an event in Leyte last Friday, February 1 because he was a bit sick and needed to rest. But Duterte has also been holding private meetings. The president earlier mocked those who reported that he died through videos posted by his partner, Honeylet Avanceña on social media on Sunday, February 3. Improved ties Duterte also cited Tuesday, February 5 the improved ties between the Philippines and China in his message for the Chinese New Year and expressed hope that the two countries would continue to work towards peace and understanding. Duterte said the friendship and cooperation forged between Manila and Beijing have led to
“greater prosperity and economic growth” for both nations and “gave rise to a unique culture that is nurtured by harmony amidst diversity.” “Together, let us cultivate the values and ideals that fuel our strong resolve to usher in a period of greater peace and understanding as we rise higher above the challenges ahead,” he added. The Philippines and China are embroiled in a longstanding dispute over parts of the West Philippine (South China) Sea, a busy sealane where about $5 trillion in trade passes through every year. Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the potentially oil-andgas rich area. Duterte has expressed readiness to set aside the maritime row to improve the Philippines’ ties with China but vowed to bring up the issue before Chinese leaders within his term. Critics have accused Duterte of abandoning Philippine maritime PAGE A7
Christians, Muslims join ‘walk for peace’ NBI arrests trader tagged in 2017 shabu shipment by EMMANUEL TUPAS Philstar.com
MANILA — Around 2,500 Christians and Muslims participated on Sunday, February 3, in a so-called solidarity walk in Quezon City against terrorism following the bombings in Jolo, Sulu and Zamboanga City. Two groups marched separately from East Avenue and Philcoa at around 7 a.m. before merging at the Quezon Memorial Circle for the event dubbed “Lakad sa kapa-
by REY
GALUPO Philstar.com
MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Monday, February 3 confirmed the arrest of Chinese-Filipino-businessman Kenneth Dong, one of the alleged suspects in the P6.4billion drug shipment from China that was seized in a Valenzuela City warehouse in 2017. NBI Deputy Director Vicente De Guzman Jr. said operatives from the bureau’s Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Divi-
sion (NBI-AOTCD) collared Dong in an undisclosed place in Metro Manila based on the warrant issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa last year. De Guzman did not give details of the arrest, but that a press conference was forthcoming. Estacio-Montesa also ordered the arrest of Customs broker Mark Taguba, who was initially detained at the NBI but later ordered to be transferred to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Camp
Bicutan, Taguig; Li Guang Feng alias Manny Li, Eirene Mae Tatad, Teejan Marcellana, Chen IMin, Jhu Ming Jhyun and Chen Rong Juan. Taguba identified Dong as the middleman of the company that transported the shipment to a warehouse in Valenzuela City. They and several others were charged with violation of the anti-illegal drugs act. In April last year, Estacio-Montesa issued a hold departure order (HDO) against Dong and six PAGE A7
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EBRUARY 8-14, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
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OPINION
Top-secret assets
FEATURES
WHILE President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order promoting freedom of information in the executive branch, the House of Representatives is going in the opposite direction when it comes to transparency and public accountability. On Wednesday, January 30, the House of Representatives adopted Resolution 2467, which imposes stringent rules — and hefty fees — for access to HOR members’ statements of assets, liabilities and net worth. All government officials are required by law to submit the SALN every year. Mass media used to be able to access the annual submissions, which are supposed to be a matter of public record. Now access to the SALNs must be coursed through a formal request that must have final approval from the House plenary after vetting by a newly formed special committee. For every SALN, the requesting party must pay P300. This means access to the SALNs of all 291 members of the HOR will cost P87,300. Among the reasons cited in the House resolution is that information in the SALN “may be used to render them and members of their family vulnerable to threats to life and security, influence the action of the House or its Committees and, consequently, undermine the independence of the legislative branch.” Considering that each lawmaker is secured by at
least one police bodyguard, lesser mortals who must settle for one police officer per about 500 people must be wondering about this vulnerability. One need not peek into any lawmaker’s SALN to threaten his or her security. The House, however, is only behaving true to form. There are House members who would want taxpayers to consider congressmen’s assets as a matter of national security, exempted from public scrutiny and rules on accountability. Lawmakers have posed the toughest roadblocks to the fight against money laundering. Corruption and tax evasion were among the last offenses to be included among the predicate crimes covered by the AntiMoney Laundering Act. Lawmakers also continue to resist proposals to ease bank secrecy rules and regulate campaign finance. It’s noteworthy that House Resolution 2467 was approved even as Congress is squabbling with the executive branch over a national budget that has been reenacted for the first time since 2009. The reenacted budget – which opens doors for corruption and misuse of peo-
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS AS OF PRESS TIME, President Donald Trump addressed the American people on Tuesday night, February 5 through the State of the Union (SOTU) address, which was originally scheduled for January 31, but had to be rescheduled because of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This tradition has a basis in the U.S. Constitution. Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 mandates that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” While the SOTU has undergone several name changes through the years, the focus of the president’s official message delivered
MORE than TIME magazine’s increasingly discredited Person of the Year citation, I follow avidly the yearly competition among lexicographers and language mavens to pick the Word of the Year. From the Poynter Institute and the writer Daniel Funke, I got significant details of the citation. Funke wrote in November 2018: “In 2016, the Word of the Year was ‘post-truth.’ In 2017, it was ‘fake news.’ In 2018, the word of choice was significantly ‘misinformation.’” In a press release sent to Poynter (the Poynter Institute), Dictionary.com said it chose the word “misinformation” — which it defines as “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead” — amid the growing role of technology platforms in spreading fakery online. “Recognizing ‘misinformation’ as the 2018 word of the year reveals once again the perspective that we can gain by thinking about the words of our time,” said Liz McMillan, CEO of Dictionary.com, in the release. “The emergence of a lexicon to describe misinformation alone is a telling sign.” The runners-up for Dictionary. com’s 2018 word of the year were “representation,” “self-made” and “backlash.” “The recent explosion of misinformation and the growing vo-
ple’s money – is now in its second month. The move that is a step backward in efforts to proapproval of HR 2467 is hardly surprising, but mote transparency, accountability and good this does not lessen the disappointment over a governance. (Philstar.com)
President Trump’s State of the Union address: A historical primer in-person has been changing as the Union faces different challenges, crises and opportunities since President Woodrow Wilson’s 1913 address. According to the records of the House of Representatives, “earlier Annual Messages of the President included agency budget requests and general reports on the health of the economy. During the 20th century, Congress required more-specialized reports on these two aspects, separate from the Annual Message: Budget Message, required by the National Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 (42 Stat. 20) to be delivered to Congress no more than two weeks after Congress convenes in January. Economic Report, required by the Employment Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 23), with a flexible delivery date. Over time, as the message content changed, the focus of the State of the Union also changed: In the 19th century, the annual
Commentary
YEN MAKABENTA
Philstar.com photo
message was both a lengthy administrative report on the various departments of the executive branch and a budget and economic message. After 1913, when Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of presenting the message to Congress in person, it became a platform for the President to rally support for his agenda. Technological changes—radio, television, and the Internet—further developed the State of the Union into a forum for the President to speak directly to the American people. After the president delivers the SOTU, it has been a tradition to hear the State of the Union from the opposition party. According to the House, this began in 1966 when the television networks provided the Republican party with a half-hour slot. Senator Everett Dirksen (Republican, Illinois) and Representative Gerald R. Ford (Republican, Michigan) delivered the first opposition re-
sponse. By 1976 the television networks were providing a slot for the opposition party almost immediately after the State of the Union address. DAYS BEFORE Trump’s SOTU, almost seven in 10 said the federal government was doing a bad job of governing, with four out of 10 saying the government under Trump’s presidency is “the worst governing of their lifetimes”, according to the latest CNN poll. President Donald Trump’s overall approval rating stands at 40 percent approve to 55 percent disapprove, according to the same new poll. As we digest Trump’s SOTU, let us check out what the polls say regarding important issues that serve as the backdrop to Trump’s message. Quoting CNN: Trump’s approval rating for handling immigration — the issue at the heart of the shutdown — stands at 41 percent. Although that is also not a significant improvement compared with his
ratings before the shutdown, it is his best read on the matter in CNN polling since April 2017. But most still disapprove of the President’s work on the issue (54 percent disapprove) and the public is largely opposed to Trump’s proposed paths forward on the wall he pledged to build along the southern border between the United States and Mexico. Two-thirds say he should not declare a national emergency in order to build the wall (66 percent should not vs. 31 percent should), and 57 percent say they would oppose another partial government shutdown over wall funding. The President’s base, however, is playing a different tune. Among conservative Republicans, there is massive support for another government shutdown (78 percent would favor that if no agreement is reached including wall funding) or for the declaration of a national emergency in order to build the wall (72 per-
cent favor that). With the American people fearing another government shutdown because of Trump refusing to support any spending bill that will not fund for his wall with the warning this could happen again if he does not get the funding by February 15, the poll suggests most want to avoid shutdowns in the future: 53 percent would back legislation preventing any future shutdowns, 40 percent would oppose that. WILL TRUMP SUCCEED in his goal to get the American people on board and support his agenda and priorities. Will he be able to “unify” the American people through his State of the Union Address moving forward? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
‘Misinformation’ named 2018 Word of the Year
cabulary we use to understand it have come up again and again in the work of our lexicographers,” said Jane Solomon, linguist-inresidence at Dictionary.com, in the release. “Over the last couple of years, Dictionary.com has been defining words and updating terms related to the evolving understanding of misinformation.” The site’s choice of “misinformation” instead of the widely used “disinformation” was purposeful. While the latter implies intent to mislead, the former does not. When people share misinformation, they often believe the content to be true — even if the original sharer had malintent, according to Dictionary.com. The company cited several events over the past year that contributed to its decision to choose “misinformation” as word of the year. Among them include the continued role of Facebook in spreading hoaxes, the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory, WhatsApp rumors that led to mob violence in India and widespread misinformation during the Brazilian election. Dictionary.com is just the latest dictionary to choose a misinformation-related term as its word of the year. In 2016, Oxford Dictionaries chose “post-truth” (“relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”). In 2017, Collins Dictionary opted for “fake news” (“false, often sensational, information
disseminated under the guise of news reporting”). Suzanne Fields on missing gatekeepers It was Suzanne Fields, columnist of the Washington Times, who alerted me to the selection of “misinformation” as the word of the year. In a column published on Dec. 14, 2018, she made this pregnant comment on communications in contemporary times. She wrote: “This has been a rough year for news junkies. Changing stations for network and cable-TV news reveals not coherence but alternative realities. It’s easy to be confounded when caught in the middle of a muddle of polarizing differences, as social media spreads interpretations of the theology of what Flip Wilson, a popular comic of an earlier time, called the Church of What’s Happening Now. Today, the abundance of sources enables the news to fit personal prejudices and predispositions. It’s the famous slogan of The New York Times, ‘All the news that’s fit to print,’ distorted to ‘All the news that fits our bias, we print.’ “Television is the most obvious distorter of the news, but newspapers have their biases, too. Gone are most of the rigorous, careful editors of bygone generations. Abe Rosenthal, the celebrated executive editor of The New York Times, is long dead. Horace Greeley, founder of the dominant New York Tribune, is even longer dead. So, too, is Walter Cronkite, the authoritative anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News’ whose sten-
torian voice soothed his audience during the Vietnam War with his signature sign-off, ‘And that’s the way it is’ — not always accurate but reassuring. “The voices from respected institutions of newspapers and television networks once provided confidence in what was printed and said. We trusted them as gatekeepers. Investigative reporting was not driven by partisan opinion. “Loud barkers and boxcar headlines have always been around to mislead and misinform, eager to manipulate emotions. But most readers and viewers in simpler times were sure they knew how to separate the wheat of facts from the chaff of manipulation. “That’s harder to do now. The language mavens at Dictionary. com have named ‘misinformation’ the Word of the Year. They stress that ‘disinformation,’ which is deliberately spread for malignant effect, is not the same as misinformation, though sometimes there’s a thin line of difference. When a person reads or sees this disinformation, believes it and passes it on, it becomes ‘misinformation.’ “Much that is passed on as grist for social media never goes through a competent fact-checker, and misinformation is spread, sometimes innocently, as news. And in a culture as divided and polarized as the one we live in, the question is moot. Even when it imitates the old structures for sorting out “the facts,” many journalists are crippled, either in
self-delusion or self-defense, by bias that leads to self-censoring the news. “In an era of post-truth and ‘fake news,’ factoids are often accepted as the real thing and spread like gossip that quickly becomes gospel among the partisans of both right and left, feeding voracious appetites for support of prejudices. “The information balance of power has changed, writes Martin Gurri in a new book, The Revolt of the Public, which dissects with originality and depth the impact of the internet on the political culture. ‘A generation ago, the public could exist only as a passive audience,’ he writes of the great age when the daily newspaper was the king of the mountain and television news was dispensed on a reassuring hierarchical model, from the top down. “The digital platforms today have created a new and different kind of public, one empowered by the online news, which it creates, collects and dispenses from preferred sites with ideology and emotion outrunning balance and thoughtfulness” In November 2017, I wrote a column on “misinformation” and “disinformation” to underscore the confusion ignited by “fake news.” I wrote then: “Instead of the Babel of definitions that are being used to define ‘fake news,’ I propose to readers and colleagues — and the Senate committee on information — that they adopt with two terms that are more precise
and clearer: ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation.’ “The writer Franklin Veaux has provided an arresting distinction between the two. “He said ‘misinformation’ is information that is false, but the person who is disseminating it believes that it is true. “On the other hand, ‘disinformation’ is information that is false, and the person who is disseminating it knows it is false. It is a deliberate, intentional lie. “Both are false information. All fake news is false information. “At the time, former Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Cayetano issued a barefaced lie in the media: ‘All drug war casualties in the Philippines are drug dealers.’ “This plainly is false information. “Cayetano made the claim in an interview with Al Jazeera. He declared that all 3,800 people killed so far in police operations in the drug war are drug dealers. “Malacañang was more modest than Cayetano in talking about the drug war. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella declared only that the government did not sanction killings under the drug war. “Abella said in a statement: ‘We wish to emphasize that one death is one too many. These deaths are being addressed to ensure the accountability of perpetrators, even as it calls upon witnesses and individuals who can provide valuable evidence that will lead to [the] speedy resolution of cases.’” (ManilaTimes. net)
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5 suspects in Jolo blasts surrender PAGE A5 ticipated in the terror attack. “He’s (Kammah) just denying that he has no involvement [in the bombing incident], but…based on the accounts of the other suspects, they are pointing to him so he cannot clear his name here,” Albayalde said. Patikul is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State or IS. Security forces were pursuing Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, believed to be the chief architect in the cathedral bombings, and over a dozen other militants. Timeline Albayalde elaborated on the timeline and sequence of events leading to the bombings, which were carried out by a couple from Indonesia. “Beginning on Jan. 8, 2019, a certain Muksin and Usman attempted to assemble an IED (improvised explosive device) in Barangay Latih in Patikul, but later abandoned the effort. And four days later, Sawadjaan met with Usman and Barak in Sitio Bastiong in Patikul and gave them funds for the bombing mission. On Jan. 21, 2019, an unidentified Asian couple, believed to be holed in Lampinigan Island (in Basilan province) for a few days, sailed to Jolo on January 24 by pump boat. Upon arrival in Jolo, the couple boarded a tricycle to Caltex Tiam at 7:10 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.; the couple were met by suspects Papong, Awag and Radjan at Caltex Tiam and all of them
boarded Awag’s jeepney along with five minor boys, who later disembarked along the way.” “Upon reaching Usaw in Barangay Langhub in Patikul near the house of Usman, the group was joined by Kammah, Barak, Makrim and Usman and later proceeded Sitio Bastiong in Barangay Langub. The couple alighted at Bastiong and walked towards the forested area escorted by Kamah and Barak where they met Sawadjaan to further plan the bombing. Also present during the planning were Barak, Kammah, Awag, Usman, Makrim, Isal, Radjan and Papong. At 5 p.m. on January 26, the couple, each toting black trolley bags, were escorted to Barangay Latih in Patikul by Usman, Barak and nine other unidentified armed men where the couple boarded Awag’s jeepney to Jolo. Upon reaching Jolo at 5:10 p.m., the couple disembarked in front of Suleco (Sulu Electric Cooperative) Building to an undisclosed location within Jolo. At 8:28 a.m. the following morning, it is believed that the Indonesian woman detonated the [first] IED inside the Jolo cathedral while the man detonated the [second] IED at the church entrance seconds later,” Albayalde explained. Signature bomb From bomb fragments and components recovered at the church, forensic technicians reconstructed the two IEDs made from common GI (galvanized iron) pipes that served as casing, and possibly contained an ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO)
PAGE A5 t other Chinese and Taiwanese citizens in connection with the case. The court granted the motion of state prosecutors to bar Dong, Richard Chen, Manny Li, and Chen Rong Huan; and Taiwanese citizens Chen I-Min and Jhu Ming Jyun from leaving the country. Estacio-Montesa agreed with the prosecutors’ argument that the probability of flight of the accused was present and valid. “Being Chinese and Taiwanese citizens, the probability of flight of the above-named accused is strong to escape prosecution, as well as to avoid facing their criminal liability and thus frustrate the ends of justice,” part of the prose-
cution’s motion reads. The HDO effectively ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to keep a close eye on the accused and bar them from leaving the country. On Aug. 15, Dong was arrested after attending a Senate hearing on the shabu shipment case on the strength of a warrant for a charge of rape filed by a 33-yearold woman at a Parañaque City regional trial court. The woman claimed that she was drunk and possibly drugged when Dong raped her on April 10, 2016. Dong has denied the allegations and the case was dismissed by the court. n
NBI arrests trader tagged...
Task force outlines strategy... PAGE A4 t the use of mental health peer counselors. “As we strive to get everyone covered … we need to have the providers there to actually provide the care,” said California Assemblyman Jim Wood, a commission member and chairman of the state Assembly Health Committee. “We need to realize that this is a growing state and our workforce is not growing proportionally.” Health care providers simply aren’t working in the areas of greatest need, resulting in a twotier system for the haves and havenots, he said. An estimated 7 million Californians live in shortage areas, and the problem is expected to worsen as older physicians retire, baby boomers age and more people live with chronic diseases. About 45 percent of psychiatrists and 37 percent of psychologists in the state are over 60 years old, according to research from the University of California-San Francisco. Among the areas experiencing shortages are the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire, as well as the state’s rural northern and Sierra regions, according to the commission. The report comes less than a month after Newsom unveiled his ambitious health care agenda. On his first day in office, the Democratic governor proposed extending Medicaid coverage to undocumented young adult immigrants, requiring all Californians to have health insurance, and supplementing federal health insurance subsidies with state money to help them pay for it. He also asked President Donald Trump and congressional leaders to amend federal law to allow California to move toward a single-payer health care system. Wood said such policies would not be effective without enough providers in the places where they are needed. “Coverage isn’t care, and we can’t just say ‘Everybody’s got coverage’ and walk away,” he said. “If you don’t have access to physicians or dentists or mental health providers in your area, that is an empty promise.” The commission was established in August 2017 by several health philanthropies hoping to forge a strategy to build the workforce needed by 2030. It consisted of two dozen representatives from hospitals, schools, businesses and labor, and was chaired by University of California President Janet Napolitano and Dignity Health president and CEO Lloyd Dean. Some of the commission’s proposals would face challenges — especially financial ones. Creating more residencies for primary care
physicians and psychiatrists, for example, would cost an estimated $1.56 billion over a decade. And the state’s physicians are likely to oppose giving nurse practitioners more authority. C. Dean Germano, CEO of Shasta Community Health Center in Redding, Calif., said his community has significant mental health needs and that health centers are often the first place many people go for treatment of depression or anxiety. “We are sort of handicapped by not having the workforce on the primary care side or on the mental health side,” he said, adding that training students to work in underserved communities is the “golden ticket.” In Los Angeles County, L.A. Care Health Plan is already working to expand the primary care workforce by offering full scholarships to certain medical school students and loan repayment for physicians recruited to practice in underserved areas. Investing in more health care professionals — especially primary care providers — can help reduce the overall cost of health care, said Dr. David Carlisle, president and CEO of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles who served on the commission. The state is expected to need an estimated 4,100 more primary care clinicians in 2030. “We shouldn’t be intimidated by the $3 billion price tag because, in many ways, we are paying for this already,” Carlisle said. “This is part of the reason why our health care system is so expensive — because patients have to delay care until they are really sick.” Wood said the estimated cost of the commission’s proposals is a small fraction of the state’s $201 billion annual budget. The report cited other possible funding sources, including philanthropic grants, education dollars, health plan contributions and federal dollars. Gov. Newsom has “established a vision for how to pursue a prohealth agenda” in California, Carlisle said. “This report provides him with a road map.” (Five organizations funded the project of the California Future Health Workforce Commission: the California Endowment, California Health Care Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Kaiser Health News, which produces California Healthline, has received support from each of these organizations.) *This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. n
compound as the primary explosive charge, possibly boosted by secondary high explosives. “This particular type of IED, by design, is identified with the Abu Sayyaf Group as nine similar IEDs have been involved in at least five recent incidents in Basilan and Sulu in 2016 and 2017,” Albayalde said, citing an attack in Jolo town on March 12, 2017. He said two similar IEDs were detonated by the Abu Sayyaf in Lamitan City in Basilan on March 19 and 20, 2017, while four more were defused by the military in Al-barca town, also in Basilan, on May 20, 2016. Security forces were still pursuing over 100 militants who broke into smaller groups in Sulu’s hinterlands. Over two dozen soldiers have been killed and wounded in fighting the Abu Sayyaf since the deadly cathedral bombings. Five soldiers have been confirmed dead and nearly two dozen more were injured in clashes in Patikul town. The fighting triggered an exodus of civilians in villages there. There were no reports of civilian casualties, but the Joint Task Force Sulu said they had received intelligence reports that a foreign militant, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Black, was killed in the fighting. His nationality remains unknown. Another Abu Sayyaf commander, Idang Susukan, was also wounded in the clashes and lost his finger, the report added. The death toll in the Jolo blasts has increased to 23, based on the latest update by the PNP. n
END ENDO BILL. Workers from the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NLC) on Monday, February 4, trooped to the Senate and made a final push for the “End ENDO” or end of contract bill before the congressional break. NLC is a coalition of eight labor groups, namely: Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Sentro Partido Manggagawa (SPM), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea), Agila, UFSW and PSLink. NLC chairman Sonny Matula said that with only a few session days to go, the Senate was running out of time to deliver on a presidential promise to end ENDO. ManilaTimes.net file photo
Duterte wishes Chinese-Filipinos more...
PAGE A5 t interests in the South China Sea in exchange for Chinese aid but officials denied this. No work, no pay Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced Tuesday, February 5 that workers are not getting any pay if they opt not to report for work and just enjoy the holiday. DOLE said the “no work and no pay” policy applies for the
Chinese New Year, which has been declared a non-working holiday. “If the employee does not report for work, the ‘no work, no pay’ principle shall apply unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day,” DOLE said. Under the rules issued by DOLE, work done on special holi-
day shall be paid an additional 30 percent for the first eight hours of work. Work done in excess of eight hours shall be an additional 30 percent or hourly rate. But for work done that also falls on employee’s rest day, he/ she shall be paid an additional 50 percent of basic wage on the first eight hours and additional 30 percent shall be given for overtime. n
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FEBRUARY 8-14, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
A path of H.E.R. own
The Grammy-nominated R&B sensation H.E.R. discusses Filipina heritage, inherent passion for music and why she remains largely anonymous by
Klarize Medenilla / AJPress
WHEN R&B singer and songwriter H.E.R. stepped onto the B.E.T. Awards stage last summer the whole room gave her its undivided attention. Propped in front of violinists and a harpist playing the dreamy intro to the single “Focus,” H.E.R. sways in a haze of cyan and magenta fog as she strikes the audience with the first line of the song, “Me? Can you focus on me?” It’s less of a call for us to merely look at and acknowledge her as a strictly visual spectacle, but more of a petition to pay attention to the soulful expression emanating through the mic. Like water, her voice is soft yet unyielding. Her flawless harmonies permeate the room with the power of unconstrained feeling and soul so rare to find in a rising star. Before she transitions into “Best Part” with fellow R&B up-and-comer Daniel Caesar, she offers a robust electric guitar solo with skill and authority rarely seen in young musicians these days. As music begins to rely more on computer programs and other digitized methods of producing and modifying, experiencing a truly live performance with instruments is becoming a rare bird. It’s even rarer that artists sound just as good — or in H.E.R.’s case, better than the studio versions. Amid working on her debut album, H.E.R. (which stands for Having Everything Revealed) has racked up a fortuitous and busy 2019. The 21-year-old R&B sensation is nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album of the Year (for the compilation album, “H.E.R.”), Best New Artist, Best
R&B Performance (for “Best Part” with Caesar), Best R&B Song (for “Focus”) and Best R&B Album (for “H.E.R.”). And that’s just the beginning. She’s also performing at the 61st Grammy Awards — airing this Sunday, Feb. 10 on CBS — and will be performing as one of the bigger acts at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. She’s currently working on her debut album, which she briefly took a break from to speak with the Asian Journal on Wednesday, Jan. 30. “I always say I could be taking a midterm right now, but I
For most performances, H.E.R. wears dark sunglasses.
the Filipino and Black American cultures in her home. Her maternal grandparents were first-generation Filipino immigrants who made sure that Filipino traditions were not lost in their familial diaspora. They
“I wanted the music to be No. 1, I wanted it to get the attention, the forefront, the No. 1 focus, and I wanted people to just listen and love the music because sometimes we get caught up in the gimmicks, the looks, and the glitz: these things that don’t really matter to me,” she shares. feel more blessed and grateful than anything that I get to do what I love every single day,” H.E.R. says in an interview, as her enthusiasm beams through the phone. But, who is she? Or, if you will, who is H.E.R.? A performer through and through Born in 1997 to FilipinaAmerican Agnes Wilson and African-American Kenny Wilson in Vallejo, California, H.E.R. — whose real name is Gabriella “Gabi” Wilson — said she was raised with a “good balance” of
H.E.R. shared a photo on Instagram of her on a Spotify billboard in Brooklyn.
H.E.R. racked up five Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.
spoke Tagalog, and although she “doesn’t speak [it] as much as she used to,” she understands the language. “I’m really grateful for my mom who encouraged me to be a hard worker, you know, that’s one thing about Filipinos, they’re really hard-working people,” H.E.R. warmly remarks. And, of course, H.E.R. says that her household was no stranger to the ubiquitous karaoke machine(s) that exist in so many Filipino homes. “She wanted me to sing Alicia Keys songs, Mariah Carey and all those love ballads, and I also sang some Tagalog songs, like I learned Sharon Cuneta songs, too. She’d bring her friends over to the house and ask me to sing for them,” H.E.R. remembers with a laugh. But it wasn’t just karaoke that gave her exposure to the performance life. Kenny Wilson used to perform in a blues cover band which used to rehearse in their living room. “It was a lot of James Brown and a lot of soul music and a lot
H.E.R. receives a plaque in December 2018 celebrating the self-titled compilation album going Gold.
of R&B,” H.E.R. shares. “And that influenced my own music heavily. I’ve always been drawn to that soulful and emotional music with real lyrics and those lyrics that make you feel something.” Growing up biracial opens the door to a myriad of identity crises, but for H.E.R., it was a source of empowerment and an opportunity to connect with a diverse array of people. “[Being biracial] helped me more than it did hinder me because I always tried to conquer any doubt I had in myself,” she remarks. “What I learned to do was assimilate, but not in a way where I had to conform or be something else that I wasn’t.” She adds that she embraced a diverse upbringing and that music provided an interpersonal gateway for her to connect with people of different backgrounds in the cultural hub that is the Bay Area. From teen prodigy to R&B sensation When it became evident that she was a born performer, Agnes and Kenny Wilson fully supported their daughter’s aspirations in music. When she was 12 years, H.E.R. was brought on the Today Show to cover Alicia Keys songs on the piano, and soon after, competed on Radio Disney’s “The Next BIG Thing.” In 2014, she was signed to Sony’s RCA Records and released a single called “Something To Prove” under Gabriella Wilson. “For me, it wasn’t really a decision so much as it was a fact that this was what I was meant to do. There wasn’t really an alternative career path for me,” H.E.R. explains. And then in 2016, she emerged with her new persona as H.E.R. to release her debut extended play “H.E.R. Vol. 1” which garnered acclaim from industry juggernauts like Usher, Pusha T and Wyclef Jean, as well as labelmate and childhood inspiration, Alicia Keys. That EP would end up on many publications’ end of the year list, including NPR’s “5 Essential R&B Albums You Slept On.” In 2017, she released a follow-up EP, “H.E.R. Vol. 2,” which further hoisted her up. Both albums represent a contemporary vulnerability with its beautifully crestfallen lyrics most people would turn to in the midst of heartbreak. We find solace in the resilient conviction she
H.E.R. grew up in the Bay Area of California with a “good balance” of the Filipino and Black American cultures. Photos courtesy of Facebook/OfficialHERMusic
portrays, like in the song “As I Am” on the EP “I Used to Know Her: The Prelude” released in 2018. In addition to collaborating with Daniel Caesar on “Best Part,” she has also worked with fellow rising R&B star Ella Mai, Khalid and Bryson Tiller. Changing the game Clout. Flex. Influencer. Influencers flex to gain clout and more clout heightens your own influencer brand. This is all Internet speak for a new, millennial brand of prestige and celebrity shaped by the idea of one’s personal brand. Amplified by the continued merging of pop culture and social media, this trifecta forms the millennial mission statement for social upward mobility. In this world where celebrity transparency and intimacy are everything, and mysticism in pop culture has become obsolete, it’s become rare for an artist to take the backseat and allow their art to be the selling point. She only goes by H.E.R. and has curated an enigmatic persona, so much that for this interview, the Asian Journal was instructed to address her as H.E.R. For most performances, she wears dark sunglasses. In her album cover art, her eyes are blacked out and you rarely get a look at her face. And unlike so many stars, she’s never one to overshare and maintains a lowkey profile. “I wanted the music to be No. 1, I wanted it to get the attention, the forefront, the No. 1 focus, and I wanted people to just listen and love the music because sometimes we get
caught up in the gimmicks, the looks, and the glitz: these things that don’t really matter to me,” she shares. Social media has become a crucial application in celebrity promotion that is conducive to guerilla marketing that relies on gimmicks and stunts to spark conversation. The idea that all publicity is good publicity doesn’t jive with H.E.R., who has chosen to stay away from those means of influence. Though she’s maintained anonymity, there is still a warmth in what she shares with the world. She’s vulnerable and honest in her presence and in her records, but at the end of the day, you still don’t really know her. Despite straying away from the trend of increasing intimacy between celebrity and fan, she is rising in the ranks to become the next big superstar in, not only R&B, but in the music industry at large. But achieving celebrity status is hardly the objective. “I definitely don’t try to do what everyone else is doing at the moment,” she says. “I try to trust my gut and trust what’s got me this far, which were honest songs that I was afraid to do. Sometimes the most daring thing — the thing that you’re most afraid to do — is the thing that’s gonna get you from point A to point B. You have to dare to take risks and dare to be you. When you try to be successful trying to be someone else, the success eventually runs out.” The 61st annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. PST. H.E.R. will be performing at Coachella this spring on Sunday,
Filipino trio TNT Boys earn praise from judges on ‘The World’s Best’ by ritchel Mendiola AJPress
THE TNT Boys brought pride to the Philippines once again when the group returned to the American stage and earned praise on the CBS show, “The World’s Best.” The trio, composed of Francis Concepcion, Mackie Empuerto, and Kiefer Sanchez, performed Beyonce’s “Listen” and impressed everyone in the studio when they hit all the high notes effortlessly. American judges Drew Barrymore, RuPaul, and Faith Hill gave the boys an average score of 49, while the international judges that make up the Wall of the World gave them more than enough points to reach a total of 99. Barrymore, after the performance, admitted, “You know, I have a soft spot for kids. I was a kid performer, but I have kids now. This is a whole
Filipina singer Pops Fernandez, who sits as one of the 50 talented experts making up the Wall of the World, also praised the group and even unfurled a Philippine flag to show her support for them. “I am so proud right now to represent the Philippines. On behalf of the Filipinos, guess what? I know for a fact that you can be ‘The World’s Best,’” she said. The TNT Boys, who won the second season of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and performed in a concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last November, was tagged as the The TNT Boys return to the international stage on ‘The World’s Best.’ Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN “vocal dynamo trio” in the pilot episode that aired after You were like, bam!” other thing. You possess a the Super Bowl on Sunday, Dennis Jauch, a judge gift, you’re just that good.” February 3. from Germany who worked RuPaul and Hill were “The World’s Best,” hosted with Beyonce in the past as impressed, as well, with the by James Corden, is a gloher choreographer, told the latter saying: “First of all, you bal talent competition that trio: “I actually wouldn’t be have some serious attitude. features acts from every genre surprised if she called you up You’re so precious and so after this and be like, ‘Join me imaginable, from every corner sweet but when you were of the world. singing, you were in that song. in the next tour.’”
The new Miss Universe will have her grand homecoming in Manila this month. She said she is excited to go home to meet her fans and loved ones. AJPress Photos by Troi Santos
Homesick Miss Universe looks forward to her grand homecoming this month by MoMar G. Visaya AJPress
BEFORE going to the Philippines for her big homecoming, Miss Universe Catriona Gray spent an unusually warm winter afternoon with fellow Filipinos for a meet and greet at the Philippine Center hosted by the
Philippine Consulate General New York. Gray on a Monday afternoon said that just being in the consulate is already like taking a trip back to the Philippines and reminisced when she was at the Philippine Center for the first time in 2016 a few days proContinued on Page SF5
Uncertainty continues due to proposed changes to the H-1B visa lottery Your Immigration Solution Brittany M. Milliasseau IT has been nearly two months since the Department of Homeland (DHS) issued proposed regulations regarding the H-1B visa program and the filing of H-1B Cap-subject petitions, but uncertainty continues to loom as H-1B Cap season quickly approaches. The H-1B visa program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign nationals in a “specialty occupation.” A “specialty occupation” generally refers to an occupation that can only be performed by a person that possesses a bachelor’s degree and highly specialized knowledge about a specific occupation. Many positions may qualify as specialty occupations, including engineers, teachers, physicians, lawyers, and architects. However, even if a foreign national finds a prospective employer willing to employ him or her in a specialty occupation, it is not a guarantee that the applicant will be able to secure an H-1B visa. The yearly number of H-1B visas allocated by Congress is 65,000, with an additional 20,000 allocated for individuals who have earned a Master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university. Typically, there are far many more H-1B petitions submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which creates the need for a computer-generated random selection process, or “H-1B lottery” system. The proposed rule published by DHS includes two very important changes to the H-1B visa selection process. Under the current process, H1B employers are required to submit H-1B petitions during the first week of April. This re-
sults in USCIS receiving thousands of H-1B petitions. If the cap is reached, only those petitions selected in the H-1B lottery are adjudicated and unselected petitions are returned. Under the proposed rule, H-1B employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions would be required to first electronically register with USCIS during a designated period. This period would be at least 14 calendar days before the H-1B filing window opens on April 1 and would remain open for at least 14 calendar days. The electronic registration process would require H-1B employers to provide basic information such as name, address, company identification number as well as the applicant’s name, country of birth, and type of degree. USCIS would then conduct the H-1B lottery from the pool of timely-filed electronic registrants. Subsequently, selected H-1B petitioners would be notified that they are eligible to file an H-1B petition within a designated filing period, which is expected to be at least 60 days. Another major change proposed by DHS is to reverse the order by which H-1B petitions are selected. Under the current process, if the “regular” H-1B Cap and advanced degree exemption is reached within the first five days, advanced degree exemption applicants are selected prior to the regular H-1B Cap beneficiaries. Under the proposed regulation, USCIS would reverse the selection order and count all petitions towards the number projected as needed to reach the regular H-1B Cap first. Once a sufficient number of petitions have been selected for the regular H-1B Cap, USCIS would then select petitions towards the advanced degree exemption. USCIS states that this would result in an increase of up to 16% of the number of beneficiaries with advanced degrees and ultimately H-1B
visas would be “awarded to the most-skilled and highestpaid beneficiaries.” The April 1 filing window is just around the corner and DHS has not yet published the final rule. Submission of public comments to the proposed rule ended on January 2 and comments are currently being reviewed. Before the final rule can be published, USCIS must complete review of the comments and the rule would need to be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. Given the tight timing, it is uncertain whether the provisions outlined in the proposed regulation will be finalized and implemented in time for the upcoming H-1B Cap filing season. If the rule is finalized and there is insufficient time to implement the changes, USCIS may postpone the electronic registration system and continue with the current system. Due to the uncertainty, it is important to ensure that you are represented by knowledgeable and highly competent immigration counsel who can keep you aware of the various changes and adapt as necessary throughout the entire H-1B application process. As April 1 nears, it is also important to meet with an experienced immigration attorney as soon as possible to explore whether an H-1B visa is the most suitable option for you or your company. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. For more Information please call (800) 795- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)
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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
Homesick Miss Universe looks forward...
From Page SF2 ceeding to the Miss World finals in Washington, DC. “I just want to say thank you to everyone for being here today. I feel like I’ve taken a step back home in the Philippines seeing you all,” Gray said as she thanked the roomful of Filipino community leaders from the various states in the northeast who attended the event. “I am a little homesick but I am going back for my homecoming mid February and I’m very, very excited.” Consul General Claro Cristobal and Consul Arman Talbo joined Gray at the presscon prior to her meeting the community. “It has been a wonderful two months so far and I am really excited to go home and see everyone for the homecoming,” Gray added. According to press
announcements, Gray will have a grand homecoming on February 21 and 23 in Manila. “As I said earlier in the room next door, it makes me feel like I’ve taken a little bit of a trip home to the Philippines. Seeing all of your faces so many kababayans dito— Thank you so much po for being here,” she said, addressing the capacity crowd. Dr. Aida Navidad Rivera and a group came all the way from Philadelphia to attend the meet and greet with the Filipina Miss Universe. “Miss Catriona Gray is politely beautiful. She is beauty and brains, well spoken and engaging,” Dr. Aida Navidad Rivera said. “The Miss Universe title rightfully belongs to her.” “The event was of mutual expression of appreciation of who we are as Filipinos in the
Miss Universe Catriona Gray is all smiles as she stepped out of the Philippine Center in New York. She will be busy in the next few days attending New York Fashion Week.
diaspora,” Rivera added. For another community leader, it was a pleasant opportunity to see Gray again, after meeting Continued on Page SF6
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celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
celebrity world
Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres shares cancer diagnosis
By Ferdie Villar FORMER Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres revealed on Tuesday, February 5, that she has been diagnosed with skin cancer and is currently waiting for treatment. Dayanara rose to fame in the Philippines after she handed her crown to 1994 Miss Universe Sushmita Sen in Manila. She became an actress in the country who was paired with actor Aga Muhlach in several movies. She was also a host of ABS-CBN’s Sunday variety show “ASAP.” Through an Instagram post, the Puerto Rican beauty queen and actress began her statement saying, “As mothers we are always taking care of everyone around us... our kids, family, friends & often we forget to take care of ourselves.” “Today I have some sad news... I have been diagnosed with skin cancer ‘melanoma’ from a big spot/mole I never paid attention to, even though it was new, it had been growing for years and had an uneven surface,” she said. The former beauty queen said that it was her fiancé Louis D’Esposito, who convinced her to have it checked. They learned that it was cancer after the test results came out. “Now we are waiting to see which treatment I will be receiving but they have already removed a big area from the back of my knee & also they have removed 2 lymph nodes at the top of my leg where it had already spread. Hoping it has not spread to any more areas or organs,” she said. Dayanara also shared that she’s a warrior and she has faith in God. “I have put everything in
EMPLOYMENT
Comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas said that she is planning to take a long break from showbiz last year in the hopes of increasing her chances of getting pregnant.
Handsome actor Wendell Ramos once again showed his brilliant acting skills in the latest episode of Manny Pacquiao’s teleserye, “Stories for the Soul,” where he played the lead role.
Former Miss Universe 1993 and actress Dayanara Torres recently revealed that she has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
God’s hands and I know he has all control... My sons although a bit scared know about my faith and know they have a warrior of a mommy,” she said. *** Although 54 years old now, comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas is still intent on getting pregnant with her husband, Gerald Sibayan. This is why she is planning to take a long break from showbiz next year. “We’re going to actively try for one next year. That’s why, right now, hinahataw ko na. Because I will be taking a year off to rest—a vacation, really. We will do everything we can to have a child,” she said during the press conference for her upcoming Valentine’s concert with Hajji Alejandro, Rey Valera, and Marco Sison entitled, “Hitmakers and Ai”. Of course she does know that she’s not getting any younger, but she still believes
that even at her age, she can still get pregnant the natural way. However, if the natural way fails, Ai-Ai is willing to seek out other options like in vitro fertilization. “If we can’t do it the normal way, then we will turn to science for help,” said the actress, who has had her eggs collected and frozen some time in the past—just in case. She also said that she’s willing to join the fertility dance in Obando, Bulacan if all else fails. “We’re praying hard,” she shared. “I believe prayers can move mountains.” Many have asked the comedienne why she is so persistent to have a child at her age and she explained that she doesn’t want to make her 25-year-old husband feel like she didn’t try. “After all, which husband doesn’t want to be a father,” she added.
EMPLOYMENT
Talented actress Eula Valdez has returned to TV drama via the new teleserye, “The General’s Daughter.”
Actress Heart Evangelista will be celebrating her birthday on Saturday, February 9.
Ideal Filipino couple from Hayward, United Airlines maintenance executive Edward Cabrera and wife Myrna Diaz Cabrera will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in Sydney, Australia. They are scheduled to leave on Saturday, February 9.
The Queen of All Media Kris Aquino will be celebrating her birthday on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
PSYCHIC
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community SF The value of being legal and legal services
The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ
• Legal status could possibly allow your family to join you in the U.S. If a person can SOME people who are legalize their status, it may in the U.S. with immigration also include their spouse and problems/issues, such as being children, who may qualify for out of status, in deportation/ immigrant visas to join the removal, or they are outside person in the U.S. the U.S. hoping to immigrate • Legal status provides a one day, are reluctant to do DREAMS OF A FAIRYTALE WEDDING ENDED UP IN A NIGHTMARE OF BATTERY AND ABUSE. Anne entered the U.S. on a fiancé (K-1) visa, hoping to build a beautibetter life and opportunities anything about it because they ful, love-filled life with her U.S. citizen petitioner. But the marriage turned into a nightmare, when the husband became verbally and physically abusive. for your family, especially your Battered and abused, Anne reached out to leading immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel. Watch as Anne was able to escape the chains of abuse, through don’t want to spend money children. Most people came the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition that the Law Offices of Michael J. Gurfinkel filed and was able to get a green card for Anne….on an and/or they think it may be “too to the U.S. primarily to make encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement) expensive” to fix their problem. a better life for their children. They are putting a monetary But if they are all out of status, value on their immigration what future is there for their status. children? While some may But there are so many bentemporarily get by on DACA, or efits to lawful immigration stathe parents hope the child will tus, which these people need to marry a U.S. citizen, it could still consider. Therefore, they should be possible for the parent to to be healthy all this time. Yun consider other factors and real- do something about their own by Nathalie tomada ize the true value of being legal, legal status which would also pala may block na pala na 95 Philstar.com which far outweigh the cost: percent puso niya. Then there benefit their children. • Legal status brings peace GARY Valenciano believes was already cancer brewing na • Legal status enables of mind. If a person is out of it was nothing short of a miradi ko alam. a person to work at a well status, they are anxious and cle how he survived his health “So, it got to the point, – paying job equal to their nervous. Some lay awake at challenges last year. that I humanly cannot do anyeducation or experience. If night, fearful of getting caught To recall, the 54-year-old thing anymore. Even if I took a person is out of status, they and deported/removed. How singer-songwriter/performer medicine, what is that going may have to accept any kind of many people are afraid of beunderwent two major opto do against cancer? Even if I low-paying job just to survive ing pulled over while driving, a erations. First, he had an went through the operations, and pay their bills. If they legalknock on the door late at night, ize their status, they could posopen-heart surgery and then is there certainty that it won’t and afraid they may be reportanother procedure to remove come back? Is there certainty sibly work anywhere and/or at a ed and turned over to ICE? a malignant tumor in his kidney that my heart will be OK? So well – paying job equal to their • Legal status allows a per- education or experience. area, which fortunately was all the more it strengthened son to safely travel to the Phil“confined and extractable,” me to realize that really I can There are so many other ippines to visit family. Many reports say. only rely on God for Him to benefits to being legal, that a people who are out of status “Yeah (I consider it a mirado things that humans cannot person has to really put a value are alone in the U.S., while their on those benefits. What is the cle). The doctor came to my do and that medicines cannot family misses them in the Philip- value of having peace of mind? room two days after the opera- Gary Valenciano do.” Photo from Instagram/@garyvalenciano tion and he was like, are you Asked how he is now, Gary pines. They may communicate Isn’t it worth the expense, if it is with their spouse and children sure you are diabetic because “I’ve gone through things that said, “I’m doing really good. possible to legalize your status? via Facetime, Facebook, Viber, you’re healing really well. And nobody expected me to go I just had my first check-up Think of all the other things etc., but nothing compares with that people spend money on, then he looks at his team, ‘This through.” because I’m supposed to go guy is a Type 1 diabetic for every six months. So, it’s been hugging your child or aging par- whether it is the latest ApGary shared, “I’ve come ents, being there for important 39 years and look at how he’s seven months actually since to realize one thing: You can ple product, large-screen TV, healing,’” Gary related to The June. Blood is fine. Everything events like birthdays, anniversa- vacations, etc. Was that money only exercise faith when fear Star. “So, it was really miracubegins to knock on your door. is fine. They found nothing that ries, etc. well – spent compared to the lous. Not to say, there won’t is alarming.” You cannot say you have faith be any challenges later on. ABS-CBN’s “World of Dance”. resuming my dream of visiting The doctor’s only instruckung wala yung mga things But right now, I’m living proof 35 universities for my 35th anAnd he’s back to playing like fear, because when things tion is to modify his work so that I called on God and He niversary (in the entertainment with his grandchild, biking that he can continue to work are great, it’s easy to say you responded.” industry).” again and going to the gym, out and stay in shape. Foodhave faith. Gary has always been Last week, Gary was at and doing things he has “When I was going through wise, he keeps away from vocal about his faith, but he the Unibersidad de Manila. “I anything sweet and salty. Pres- always dreamt of doing with this whole health challenge, admitted that his faith took take note, it was from a person ently, Gary is one of the judges the encouragement of his fam- was able to share my journey on a deeper meaning because who seemingly was supposed and try to hopefully impart ily. “As a matter of fact, I’m on the newest reality contest,
Gary V thankful for surviving health challenges, gets back to work
value of spending money to get legal? I am not stating that everyone is qualified or eligible to clear up their immigration problems and/or legalize their status. But given the value of legal status, a person should at least explore their options and chances, rather than doing nothing because of the monetary cost. You should consult with an immigration attorney who can evaluate your situation and determine if there is hope and if you have chances, because legal status is priceless! *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and reenactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)
a message na kayo din may journey kayo, di pwede may shortcuts sa buhay. If you wanna get somewhere, go on a journey through life. All the upside-downs will teach you to become who you are supposed to be.”
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people & events The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
Calendar of Events across
America
Keeping up with immigration news The CTV Files
ATTY. LILLI BERBANO BACULI, ESQ
ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS F E B R UA RY 9
St. Finbar Church in Burbank, CA celebrates its 9th Annual Valentine Dinner Dance Come and celebrate Hollywood glamour on February 9, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For information contact Marian at (818) 562-6819 or send an email to minobleza@yahoo. com.
5th Filipino American Community General Assembly in New York The Philippine Consulate General New York is inviting all Filipino American community organizations in the U.S. Northeast (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont) to the annual General Assembly (Connecting and Collaborating for Change) on Saturday, February 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Philippine Center in New York. Please register your organization at newyorkpcg.events@dfa.gov.ph with the subject 5th Filipino American Community General Assembly.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
Homesick Miss Universe looks forward...
From Page SF3 her back in 2016. “And she has blossomed so beautifully and oozing with confidence at that. She carries and embraces the Miss Universe crown so professionally,” said Joji Jalandoni. “It is a perfect vehicle to benefit her cause which is promoting education and increasing awareness of HIV in the Philippines.” Yet another group from Tom’s River, New Jersey is thankful to the consulate for the chance to meet the Miss Universe and have their photo taken with them. “Catriona is a very special lady in her own way, she is very beautiful inside and out, always smiling and (she) looks happy,” said Joji Ortega Babuschak. “I admired her more when she talked about her advocacy, I
wish I can raise some money to support her mission to help our less fortunate children back home and folks who have HIV.” Promoting Filipino fabrics Gray was known to wear Filipino designed gowns using local textiles and fabrics during her time as a candidate for Binibining Pilipinas and again at the Miss Universe competition in Bangkok. At the consulate event, she wore a full hand-embroidered modern Filipiniana and Victorian inspired barong designed by Orias Studios. “I’ve fallen in love with our Filipino textiles and fabrics. As a Miss Philippines, yes I wore the sash but if I were to remove the sash, I wanted to look like a Miss Philippines,” she said, explaining why she collaborated with Filipino designers for her gowns
and accessories. “We have amazing Filipino designers and our textiles are unique to us, they’re nowhere else in the world. If I could just share that in a way, I know it doesn’t encapsulate the whole of our culture, but it is a small aspect that I feel like, specially my age group would really sit up and pay attention,” Gray added. Responding to a question about how she sees herself in five years, Gray rattled off a couple of items in her list, including a possible career in music and business. “I would love to have my own business, but with a livelihood program. I have this love developed for our fabrics and textiles and I would love to have a business reflect that,” she said.
CHANGES in the selection process of H-1B petitions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this January 2019 “a final rule amending regulations governing H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those that may be eligible for advanced degree exemption.” According to the final rule, “effective April 1, USCIS will first select H-1B petitions (or registrations, once the registration requirement is implemented) submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries, including those that may be eligible for the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will then select from the remaining eligible petitions, a number projected to reach the advanced degree exemption. Changing the order in which USCIS counts these allocations will likely increase the number of petitions for beneficiaries with a master’s or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education to be selected under the H-1B numerical allocations.” USCIS will begin accepting H-1B cap petitions for FY 2020 on April 1, 2019. The
reverse selection order will apply to petitions filed for the FY 2020 H-1B cap season. Deferred Action (DACA) renewals. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) reports that as of January 22, 2019, “the U.S. Supreme court had not taken action on the Trump Administration’s request to expedite a ruling on the court decisions that keep DACA program in place.” The new term for the Supreme Court starts this October 2019. For now, “DACA protections will likely remain in place” under current court rulings. Individuals who were previously granted DACA may request renewal of their deferred action and their employment authorization with the appropriate fee or approved fee exemption request at the USCIS designated filing location, and in accordance with instructions in the Form I-821D and form I-765 applications. USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never been granted deferred action under DACA. Moreover, USCIS will not accept or approve applications for Advance Parole request from DACA recipients. Credit card payments now accepted for filing fees. USCIS announced last year that it will accept credit cards as a form of payment for
certain applications, such as Adjustment Applications. Previously, USCIS had begun to accept credit cards as a form of payment for Naturalization applications. Consult with a licensed and experience attorney before filing. While it is very good news that (1) individuals are still able to file for renewal DACA requests; and that (2) more applications are now payable via credit card, individuals must nevertheless proceed with caution when filing for any application with USCIS. Just because it is easier now to file for an application does not mean that you should. We urge individuals to pause and take the time to consult with a licensed and experienced immigration attorney before submitting any application with USCIS. *** Atty. Lilli Berbano Baculi is an associate attorney with Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 495-8088; (916) 449-3923; lbaculi@ctvattys.com; www.chuatinsayvega.com. (Advertising Supplement)
In loving memory of Eduardo Ludan Gacerez, 1942-2019 NVGCHS/Mapua Institute of Technology
Viewing: February 5,6,7 4 - 8 p.m. Fremont Memorial Chapel 3723 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, CA, 94536 Service/interment: February 8, 2019 - 11 a.m. Chapel of the Chimes 32992 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA 94544 Survived by wife Lilia Gacerez, children Allan and Albert, brothers Rogel and Joseph, sisters Georgette and Marose, sisters-in-law: Sonia and Loida, and brother-in-law Manolo.
‘Journey for Justice,’ first book about Larry Itliong, kicks off national book tour
“This is a work of art for Dawn because it is her quilt AJPress — putting together Larry’s story that no one’s ever done bet“BORN in a small village ter,” Romasanta says. to poor farmers, Larry, a boy In 2017, Bridge + Delta without money or power, but launched an Indiegogo camwith big dreams, helped to paign for $35,000 to help change the world by fighting for cover the production costs for justice. He spent his life helping publishing the book. One of poor people and workers, led the tiers was $250 to donate 32 the Great Delano Grape Strike, copies of the book to a class. and became a leader in the The campaign ended up raising farmworkers movement, one of $40,892. the greatest social movements The book ends with sugin American history. Like his gestions on how people can name implies, Modesto Dulay Illustrator Andrew Sibayan and authors Gayle Romasanta and Dawn Mabalon of “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong.” Photo by Jesse Gonzales carry on Itliong’s work, such as “Larry” Itliong was a modest America.” students writing reports about state curriculum to include the permission,” she tells the Asian man, but he was a force who beMabalon — a descendant of him and encouraging people to contributions of Fil-Ams to the Journal. lieved deep in his heart that all farmworkers and teachers who vote and be civically engaged. The book was recently people should have justice, and farm labor movement, and the was born and raised in Stockton “I would love it if our sturenaming of Itliong-Vera Cruz launched in Los Angeles at the he was so passionate that he — was a history professor at dents and community would Middle School in Union City. Park’s Finest, one of Mabalon’s dedicated every day of his life San Francisco State University know Larry’s name as much as To further push for awarefavorite restaurants and where to this dream.” —Journey for and co-founder of Little Manila we know Cesar Chavez’s name. ness of Itliong’s contribushe wanted to do a book signJustice: The Life of Larry Itliong Rising in Stockton. She and This is the first book about Larry tions, a three-day excursion is ing. (page 40). Romasanta came together to Itliong but it should not be the planned this weekend, Feb. “My grandfather and his When you think of the write a children’s book about last,” Romasanta says, adding 8-10, in Delano to kick off the brother and six cousins came to Delano Grape Strike, who are Itliong, beginning from his that Itliong’s story is a greater national book tour of “Journey the United States in the 1930s the key figures who immediately migration from the Philippines lesson on the history of union for Justice: The Life of Larry and they all eventually bought come to mind? to the United States and how organizing in the United States. Itliong,” by Dawn Mabalon, a farm together,” Romasanta Largely missing from hishe contributed to one of the The book is slated to PhD, with Gayle Romasanta and shares. “I was raised there... tory and school textbooks is largest social movements in be taught in Fil-Am studies illustrated by Andrew Sibayan. then my family moved to Little the name of the Larry Itliong, a U.S. history. classes at UCLA, University of Released in October 2018, it is Manila in Stockton. Growing up, Filipino-American farm worker The information is based Michigan, San Francisco State the first-ever book about Itliong we would have to cross three and labor organizer, who led on years of research Mabalon University, Bakersfield Coland the first Filipino-American bridges to get to the farm in the strike along with a group of accumulated for the planned lege — Delano campus, and non-fi ction children’s book. Brentwood from Stockton and fellow Fil-Am workers like Philip biography on the labor leader’s eventually UC Davis. Other This weekend also marks it was right next to the Delta. Vera Cruz, Pete Velasco and life. school districts, like Delano the death anniversary of Itliong, So Bridge + Delta.” Benjamin Gines. “Dawn very much wanted it Union School District and San A few years ago, Romasanta Itliong, who was hired to or- who passed away on Feb. 8, to be aligned with her research. Francisco Unified School District — who has has been a writer ganize workers for the American 1977 from ALS, and the sixthrough Pin@y Educational month death anniversary of and editor for over two decades When you think about a chilFederation of Labor-Congress dren’s book and a history book, Partnerships, will be adding it to Mabalon, who passed away in and authored the English/Tagaof Industrial Organizations’ you think that someone’s just their curriculum as well. August 2018. log children’s book “Beautiful (AFL-CIO) Agricultural Workers read it and it’s basically regurgiPin@y Educational PartnerThe events featured include Eyes” (2012) — reached out to Organizing Committee (AWOC), tated information,” Romasanta ships has developed a free long-time friend Mabalon after later asked Cesar Chavez of the a book talk with Romasansays. “Once you read the book, teacher’s guide to accompany noticing the lack of children’s National Farm Workers Associa- ta, historical tour of Delano, she had tons of information in the book, SFSU professor Alscreening of Marissa Aroy’s books about Filipino-American tion (NFWA) to join the strike. there…from public documents, lyson Tintiangco-Cubales “Delano Manongs,” panel with historical figures. The unions banded together to letters, and meeting notes she revealed. living manongs, and memorial “I called [Dawn] up because form the United Farm Workers pieced together, and from “We’ve got to teach this service for Mabalon. I have kids who would have (UFW), with Chavez as director recordings and interviews that history of the unions, of people It is the “homecoming” that assignments to pick a famous and Itliong as assistant director. Larry Itliong did.” demanding for their dignity, Mabalon anticipated for the person to do a report on and Decades later, there have “Journey for Justice” is the safety in the workplace for farmbook, Romasanta says. there were no Filipino Ameribeen posthumous recognitions “Journey for Justice” was can...children’s books about our result after two years and nearly workers, and also for wherever of Itliong’s legacy, like Assembly 30 drafts because of Mabalon the reader is at the moment, published under Romasanta’s heroes,” Romasanta recounts. Bill 7 authored by California being “meticulous.” Sibayan fighting for their communities Bridge + Delta Publishing “There were books that talked Assemblymember Rob Bonta took about six months to ilneeds,” Romasanta says. “That house, which she started to about the culture in a textbook to recognize October 25 as means eating, drinking, and tell immigrant stories “without style but no one really went into lustrate the drawings on each “Larry Itliong Day,” Assembly page. working in a safe environment the heart and soul of Filipino Bill 123 in 2013 that requires the ever needing someone else’s
by CHRISTINA M. ORIEL
that gives access and respect to its workers and a living wage.” “Journey for Justice” is just the beginning for Bridge + Delta, Romasanta says, as she pushed for a series of eight children’s books on FilipinoAmerican history. “I wanted to do eight books but Dawn wanted to do four. The first four are going to be Dawn’s series,” she says. The subsequent books will be about “America Is in the Heart” author Carlos Bulosan and Olympic gold medalist Vicki Manalo Draves. As for the fourth book? “We didn’t who the other woman that we were going to write about and now it’s just very clear that it’s going to be Dawn Mabalon,” Romasanta reveals. Mabalon’s story will be written by Tintiangco-Cubales and illustrated by Ricky Nierva, who worked on a handful of Pixar movies like “Up,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Inside Out.” “For a lot of immigrants, they’re almost home here in the United States. But there’s something missing and I hope Bridge + Delta can be that missing connection where they see themselves,” Romasanta says, adding that she intends to share stories that are relevant to Filipino Americans and other immigrant groups as well. “You can see yourselves in these stories because someone has given a voice to your stories and your history here and has acknowledged the deep struggle that it took to get here as an immigrant and demand for your dignity.” After Delano, book talk events are planned in Seattle, WA; Wapato, WA; New York; Washington DC; Virginia Beach, VA; Honolulu, HI; Anchorage, AK; Southfield, MI; Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA; Houston, TX; Stockton, CA; and the Bay Area. Other cities will be announced on https://www. bridgedelta.com.
The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019
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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - February 8, 2019