021922 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

FEBRUARY 19-22, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 14 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

California becomes first in nation to shift to ‘endemic’ virus policy by AJPRESS NEARLY two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California is the first state in the nation to announce a shift to an “endemic” approach to coronavirus. Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Feb. 17 unveiled the SMARTER Plan, which outlines the state’s management of COVID-19 while prioritizing recovery.

DATELINE

"We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus," Newsom said on Thursday, speaking from Fontana, California. "In that light, we have put together a plan that we coin as the 'SMARTER' plan because we are smarter two years later. We are more adaptable. We are more capable to understand the nature of this disease," Newsom added. The plan covers “shots,”

“masks,” “awareness,” “readiness,” “testing,” “education” and “Rx.” Under shots, California will maintain capacity to administer at least 200,000 vaccines per day on top of existing pharmacy and provider infrastructure. Though the statewide mandate for indoor public masking has been lifted as of Feb. 15, the state said it will maintain a stockpile of 75 million high quality masks and

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PH has ‘overcome’ worst COVID-19 surge

USA

by

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Consulate General encourages Filipinos, Fil-Ams to vote in 2022 PH elections SAN FRANCISCO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco informs Filipinos and Filipino Americans under its consular jurisdiction that the overseas voting period for the 2022 Philippine national elections will run from April 10, 2022 to May 9, 2022 (4:00 AM, Pacific Time). “I wish to encourage everyone who is eligible to vote in the upcoming Philippine national elections to exercise your right and duty to vote,” said Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer. The Consulate General’s mode of voting is postal voting, which involves the Consulate sending to registered overseas voters election packets that contain the official ballots. The Consulate will facilitate the sending of the election packets upon receipt of the same

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COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates for children spike alarmingly

COMELEC CHECKPOINT. Members of the Manila Police District (MPD) look at the documents of motorcycle riders at a Comelec checkpoint along Blumentritt Road in Manila City on Friday, February 18. A total of 1,050 persons have been arrested for violating the election gun ban as of February 13. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

RED MENDOZA AND KRISTINA MARALIT ManilaTimes.net

A Department of Health staff guides the aviation cargo operator while handling the shipment of the newly delivered Pfizer vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Wednesday, February 16. PNA photo by Robert Oswald Alfiler

THE Philippines has "overcome" its worst coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge, which was driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Friday, Feb. 18 daily COVID-19 cases have been slashed by half in just two weeks.

fastest surge among the variants, but it also was the fastest to subside, she said. The daily caseload spurted to a high of 39,004 cases on January 15, from just 235 the month before at the start of the Omicron wave. Vergeire noted that despite the increase in cases, there was no corresponding rise in hospitalizations, and the death rate remained steady. This suggests that Omicron is less lethal than the Delta variant, especially in areas

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Manny Pacquiao ranks 9th in Ring Presidential poll: Magazine’s top 100 boxers of all time Marcos keeps lead, Robredo narrows gap by BONG LOZADA Inquirer.net

MANNY Pacquiao has long been considered as one of the greatest boxers of all time after he captured 14 world titles in eight weight classes including three Ring Magazine championships. The Filipino boxing legend was ranked ninth place in Ring Magazine’s top 100 box-

ers of all time list. Pacquiao held the Ring’s featherweight title from 2003 to 2005, the junior lightweight championship in 2008, and finally by JANVIC MATEO the welterweight belt from 2009 to 2010. Philstar.com Ring Magazine’s highest-rated southpaw, Pacquiao jumped to the stratosphere in the MANILA — Vice President Leni mid-2000s in his many fights against the Robredo slightly improved in the Mexican trio of Erik Morales, Marco Antonio latest commissioned survey con PAGE A3 ducted by Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS), with former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. still the most preferred among presidential candidates. The Jan. 28 to 31 survey, commissioned by Stratbase ADR Institute, showed that Marcos obtained 50 percent of support

among the respondents, down by a point from a similar survey conducted in December 2021. Robredo, meanwhile, placed second, improving from 14 percent to 19 percent in the latest poll. Tied at third spot with 11 percent were Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (up from six percent) and Sen. Manny Pacquiao (down from 12 percent), followed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson with six percent (up from five percent).

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BBC calls out ‘Son of God’ network

MORE than 12.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 and represent 1.5 percent of all hospitalizations from the virus in some states, and an increasing number of deaths, according to data released Feb. 10 by the American Association of Pediatrics. The Centers for Disease Control Feb. 15 released new findings which showed that — amid the surge of the Omicron variant — children were hospitalized at a rate four times higher than with the Delta variant. Children under 5, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, were especially vulnerable to hospitalization and death. The Food and Drug Administration announced Feb. 11 that they would postpone its decision to temporarily authorize the

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From 6,034 cases on February 4 to 10, it slipped to 2,876 cases on February 11 to 17, Vergeire said. On Friday, the DOH reported 2,232 new COVID-19 cases, a significant drop. "Atin na po nalampasan ang hamon ng Omicron at kasalukuyan na pong nasa low risk case classification ngayon (We have beaten Omicron's challenge, which is why the entire country is now under low risk)," Vergeire said. Omicron had the biggest and

by BONG LOZADA Inquirer.net

Manny Pacquiao is among the top boxers in the world as he holds 14 world titles in eight weight divisions. Photo from Instagram/@mannypacquiao

MANILA — Is the network of the self-proclaimed “appointed son of God” airing BBC News footage without permission? BBC News in Manila on Wednesday, February 16 called out Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), the network owned by televangelist and suspected sex offender Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, for using its footage without permission and attribution. In a Twitter post, BBC Phil-

ippine correspondent Howard Johnson posted a video of SMNI’s trailer containing the British broadcasting firm’s news footage on Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The footage was not attributed to BBC. The trailer was shown during the debate among four presidential candidates held at Okada Manila hotel in Parañaque City on Tuesday night and aired live by SMNI. As of Wednesday, Feb. 16, SMNI had yet to respond to the Inquirer’s request for comment.  PAGE A5

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

PH has ‘overcome’ worst COVID-19...

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with high vaccination coverage, she said. COVID-19 cases across the country are continuing to drop, with all the regions reporting lower than 1,000 cases per day. All regions are now under low risk, except for the Cordillera and Davao regions, which are under moderate risk. Vergeire said health protocols such as masking and physical distancing will still be enforced. These measures will be effective even if a study proves that the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is indeed more lethal than its original strain or BA.1 subvariant. Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana, DoH Technical Advisory Group member, said it is safe to say the Omicron wave has been contained because of the high vaccination level and health standards. Vergeire also said there could be a fourth national vaccination blitz after the last one missed its target of 5 million jabs. The third blitz administered nearly 3.06 million jabs, of which

Denmark, Ecuador, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Azerbaijan, Macau SAR and Syria will now be accepted. The IATF has already approved vaccination certificates issued by the governments of Brazil, Israel, South Korea, Timor Leste, Bahrain, Qatar, Slovenia, Switzerland and Hong Kong SAR. Previously, only travelers with documents which bear the World Health Organization international certificates of vaccination and prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, or the national digital certificate of their government that also accepts VaxCertPH, were exempted from the mandatory quarantine as long they present a negative RT-PCR test within 48 hours from the date of departure from their country of FAMILY DAY. A man plays with his kids inside the playground at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on Friday, February 18. Families have flocked to parks and other outdoor public places to have a change in environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. PNA photo by Rico H. Borja origin. Foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens or former citizens with balikbayan privileges will no longer be required to carry return tickets to their country of origin or outbound tickets to their PAGE A1 gions and enhance respiratory For Rx, the governor’s office next destination not later than 30 the capability to distribute them surveillance in the health care said the state will maximize days from arrival.  system while continuing to se- orders for the most clinically as needed. The governor added, "We quence at least 10% of posi- effective therapeutic available move out of the pandemic phase tive COVID-19 test specimens. through federal partnerships, and we move into a phase which The state will also maintain ensuring allocations of effective should allow you confidence that the ability to add 3,000 clinical therapeutics are ordered within we are not walking away, that staff within 2-3 weeks of need 48-hours. “California is prepared to we're taking the lessons learned and across various health care lean in on the principles that and we’re leaning into the fu- facility types.” Testing options for COVID-19 have made us successful in our ture.” As communities of color have will remain in place with state- COVID-19 response. Under the been disproportionately affected wide capacity to administer at SMARTER Plan, we will use the by the pandemic, the awareness least 500,000 PCR and antigen significant knowledge we have gained and the tools and repillar of the plan calls for the state tests a day. For education, the state said sources we have developed over to continue to promote vaccination, masking and other mitiga- it “will continue to work to keep the last two years to adapt and tion measures in all 58 counties schools open and children safely respond to whatever is next,” and support engagement with at in classrooms for in-person in- said California Health and Huleast 150 community-based or- struction. The state will expand man Services Agency Secretary Presidential candidates Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Ernesto ganizations. by 25% school-based vaccina- Dr. Mark Ghaly. “Californians Abella speak at the SMNI Presidential Debates 2022 held on Tuesday, February 15. Under readiness, the state tion sites supported by the state should rest assured we are ready Photo screengrabbed from Facebook/SMNINews “The state will maintain waste- to increase vaccination rates as and prepared to meet any public Hindi magtataksil sa bayan at hinhealth challenges that may lie According to the Code of Ethics water surveillance in all re- eligibility expands.” di tayo ipagpapalit sa kahit na ano of the Philippine Press Institute, man. Hindi magnanakaw.”) the National Union of Journalists “Neither the BBC News team of the Philippines and the Nationin Manila nor London was ap- al Press Club, journalists must proached for permission to use “resort only to fair and honest On the vice presidential race, za with two percent and Manny the footage,” Johnson said in a methods in [their] effort to obtain PAGE A1 Less than one percent of the Davao City Mayor Sara Duter- Lopez with one percent. statement sent to the media. news, photographs and/or docuObtaining less than one perCode of ethics ments, and shall properly identify respondents said they would vote te-Carpio is still at the top with He added: “As far as I can see, [themselves] as a representative for Leody de Guzman (0.3 per- 44 percent, followed by Senate cent of support were Rizalito the footage of Scarborough Shoal, of the press when obtaining any cent), Jose Montemayor Jr. (0.1 President Vicente Sotto III with David (0.4 percent), Walden Bello (0.3 percent) and Carlos Serapio aired in July 2021 on BBC World personal interview intended for percent), Ernesto Abella (0.04) 33 percent. Trailing them are Sen. Francis (0.2 percent). and Faisal Mangondato (0.04 News, is not available on the Getty publication.” Pangilinan with 10 percent, Dr. Three percent also said they website, a third-party site where Journalists are also obliged to percent). Some three percent of the vot- Willie Ong with seven percent, were still undecided on who to news organizations can purchase “not commit any act of plagiaBuhay party-list Rep. Lito Atien- vote for vice president.  ers were still undecided. BBC footage.” rism.”  664,462 were first doses, 1.23 million second doses and 187,575 single-shot doses. There were also 968,158 individuals that received booster doses. Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center chief Myrna Cabotaje said the take-up during the third blitz was slow because people were still reluctant to take a booster shot. The country is aiming to jab 70 percent of the population by the end of March and 90 percent before the end of the Duterte administration. Also on Friday, Malacañang announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) has approved the recommendation to recognize the vaccination certificates of travelers from 15 more countries. Cabinet Secretary and acting spokesman Karlo Alexei Nograles said vaccination certificates of travelers from Argentina, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile,

California becomes first in nation...

BBC calls out ‘Son of God’... PAGE A1

Among the issues discussed by candidates Ernesto Abella, Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were China’s incursions in Philippine waters. Taken in 2021 Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, is located 220 kilometers west of Zambales province, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. It has been under China’s control since 2012. In 2021, Johnson sailed to Scarborough together with BBC producer Virma Simonette Rivera and fishermen from Pangasinan province to document the exclusion of Filipinos from the resource-rich waters, their traditional fishing grounds. The footage was taken at that time. In his post, Johnson translated the trailer’s text thus: “[SMNI] has a strong stand on what’s right. We will not betray the people. And we will not be exchanged for anything. Honest and not a thief.” (The original text reads: “May malakas na paninindigan sa tama.

Presidential poll: Marcos keeps...

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Manny Pacquiao ranks 9th in Ring...

PAGE A1 Barrera, and Juan Manuel Marquez and amassed a record of 6-21 against the three. Pacquiao (62-8-2) started his career as a scrawny light flyweight but rose up the divisions eventually collecting the WBC super welterweight title in a catchweight bout against Antonio Margarito in 2010. His time at super welterweight, however, was short-lived as he went back to welterweight in 2011

staying at that weight class until he lost in his final fight to Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight Super title in 2021. A pound-for-pound great, Pacquiao’s first Ring ranking was the no.1 spot in the flyweight division in April 1999 and his final one was the no.5 spot in December 2021. He retired in September 2021 to pursue the Philippine presidency. Pacquiao’s rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ahead of him in

the magazine’s rankings with the undefeated American placing sixth after collecting Ring titles in lightweight (2002 to 2004), welterweight (2006 to 2008, 2013 to 2015), and super welterweight (2013 to 2015). “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali was only third in the list with equally legendary heavyweight taking second and Sugar Ray Robinson, considered the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time, taking the top spot. 

COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates... PAGE A1 Pfizer vaccine for children under 5. At a round-table discussion Feb. 16 — jointly organized by the California Department of Public Health, the Vaccinate All 58 initiative, and Ethnic Media Services — Dr. Priya Soni, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center explained the surge of pediatric infections and hospitalizations over the past three months. “Until pretty recently, it seemed like one of the only silver linings of this pandemic was that the children were not really being as affected as much by COVID. They were kind of escaping the worst of this. And we know now very clearly that this changed completely.” “Omicron is highly transmissible, much more transmissible than the Delta variant was, with a higher replication rate. And so that meant that if someone in the household was sick, they were more likely to pass it on to not just one, but maybe both children and vice versa,” said Soni, noting that Omicron peaked in the winter and holiday months when people were spending more time indoors and at gatherings. Other speakers joining the discussion included: Dr. Manisha Newaskar, pediatric pulmonologist at Stanford Children’s Health; Dr. Jose Luis Perez, chief medical officer at South Central Family Health Center; and David Roman, director of development and communications at the South Central Family Health Center. Some excerpts from the discussion: EMS: What symptoms should parents be on the lookout for if a child does have COVID-19? What signs or symptoms should parents look for as indicators to seek additional medical help? DR. NEWASKAR: Some of the common symptoms we see our fever and chills, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, muscle or body aches a mild cough, even headache take and fatigue, and some people will experience loss of taste and or smell as well. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are some of the symptoms symptoms that warrant immediate medical help include dizziness, chest pain or pressure that just does not go away. Also shortness of breath or any difficulty breathing, severe abdominal pain, confusion and trouble staying awake. And if the parents are seeing bluish discoloration of face and lips in the child, then they should be seeking medical attention immediately.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LACMTA will receive Proposals for PS84667 - I-105 Construction Manager/General Contractor at the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012. All Proposals must be submitted to LACMTA, and be filed at the reception desk, 9th floor, V/CM Department, on or before Pacific Time on April 26, 2022, 11:00 a.m., . Proposals received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened. Each proposal must be sealed and marked Proposal No. PS84667. For a copy of the Proposal/ Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https://business.metro.net or for further information email Victor Zepeda at zepedav@ metro.net. 2/19/22 CNS-3557059# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

EMS: Currently just 18 percent of children who are eligible are actually vaccinated. What would you say to those parents struggling with whether whether or not to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19? PEREZ: Paramount to parents is: ‘Is safe to give this vaccine to my child?’ With the poor information out there, especially on social media, things like the COVID vaccine causing infertility, you can see why a parent will be so hesitant. The greatest weapon that we have is education: letting parents know that scientists and doctors and all levels of the health care system in the United States are taking the utmost precaution in making sure that this vaccine is effective, and it is safe for your child. SONI: This virus and the vaccine have been studied more than any other infection or pathogen in the history of time. We have such a successful rollout in the five through 11 year old group. Over 8 million doses in this age group have been given with no major safety signals. I think that should be really reassuring to parents. EMS: David, you and your wife send your 13 month old son Idris to daycare. Can you share a little bit about your experience being a new parent, navigating this pandemic? DAVID ROMAN: Our son is almost precious thing for us in the whole world. So bringing him to daycare every day is an act of faith. We’re hopeful that other parents have done the responsible thing to for them to get vaccinated, that all the staff has been vaccinated. And what we all uniformly share as parents is that our kids are under 5 years old and can’t be vaccinated right now. So you feel the pressure of it more as a parent, because you can’t get your kids vaccinated even if you wanted to. EMS: What variables will play a role in keeping schools open in California? And how do we keep class room transmission to a minimum? SONI: One of these safety measures is ventilation, which I feel doesn’t get talked about quite as much as masking and hand hygiene. We, of course, know the importance and significance of that, but that paired with the ability to vaccinate our five through 11 year olds has played a really big role in keeping the the numbers low in schools here in Los Angeles County. EMS: Many counties are opening up their restrictions and allowing mask to come off, except for K through 12 schools, but that decision is going to be re-

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY RFP No. SP578-23 FUEL HEDGE ADVISORY SERVICES LACMTA will receive Bids/ The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Authority) is seeking proposals from consulting firms to provide a comprehensive Fuel Hedge Advisory Services. The estimated value of this project is $450,000 for the period of 3 years with one 2-year option. Requests for Proposal (RFP) may be obtained via download at the Authority’s website as follows: http://www.metrolinktrains.com/doing_business. Electronic proposals must be submitted online at http://www. planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=13821# at or before 2:00 p.m. on April 7, 2022. For further information contact: Melissa Cousart, Contract and Compliance Administrator at 213.452.0207 or email cousartm@scrra.net. 2/19/22 CNS-3556708# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

viewed at the end of this month. How do we safely get our kids back to school without masks? NEWASKAR: I think we need to continue the mask wearing masks in school until most kids in our country are vaccinated. We have to continue these the mitigation measures, and I would be strongly recommending that for my patients. PEREZ: So reality is really important. We are not trying to attain zero infectivity: that’s impossible. So as long as we understand that, the benefit of removing masks from children is important because of the social aspect. And the psychological aspect of being in school has to be balanced with the fact that we are going to have more infections. But with vaccines and with the current treatments that we have, we minimize the hospitalizations and the morbidity and mortality from this virus. (Sunita Sohrabji/ Ethnic Media Services)

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-22, 2022 A3

Fil-Am professor gets $60K Nat’l Endowment for Humanities grant A Filipina American a professor at University of California Riverside faculty will receive a sought-after grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Sarita Echavez See, professor of media and cultural studies, received an award of $60,000 for her project titled “Make Do: Filipino American Visual Culture and the Everyday Arts of Survival.” The NEH gave $24.7 million in grants for humanities projects across the country. It is an independent federal agency and one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. Echavez See is professor of Media and Cultural Studies at UC Riverside. Her research and teaching interests range across the interdisciplines of empire and postcolonial studies, critical race studies, theories of gender and sexuality, narrative and minoritized art, media and performance. She is the author of the monographs The Decolonized Eye: Filipino American Art and Performance (University of Minnesota Press, 2009) and The Filipino Primitive: Accumulation and Resistance in the American Museum (New York University Press, 2017; Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2018). Sarita Echavez See, professor of media and cultural She co-edited the anthology Critical Ethnic Studies: A Reader studies. Photo courtesy of UCR (Duke University Press, 2016). (Inquirer.net)

Consulate General encourages Filipinos... PAGE A1

from COMELEC in Manila. The accomplished ballot must be mailed back to the Consulate as soon as possible. Mailed ballots that are received after the close of the overseas voting period (9 May 2022, 4:00 AM, Pacific Time) will not be counted. The Consulate has consular jurisdiction over Alaska, Northern California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and Utah. The public is advised to check their names in the Certified List

of Overseas Voters for the 2022 National Elections at https:// pcgsanfrancisco.org/certified-listof-overseas-voters-clov-2022/. The Consulate also reminds media practitioners, whether foreign or national media, who wish to report on the Philippine elections in May 2022, to apply for accreditation with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC)’s Education and Information Department online through the following link: http://bit.ly/2022NLEForeignMedia on or before the deadline for filing of applications on 11 March 2022.

Those who wish to observe and monitor the conduct of the May 2022 elections must also apply for accreditation with the COMELEC’s Education and Information Department online on or before the deadline for filing of applications on 11 March 2022 through the following links: • For foreign observers: https:// bit.ly/2022NLEForeignObserver • For domestic observers: http://bit.ly/DomesticMonitorObserver For further inquiries, please contact the Consulate by email at ovs@pcgsanfrancisco.org. 

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DATELINE PHILIPPINES

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by ROBERTZON

RAMIREZ

Philstar.com

ANTI-POLIO DRIVE. Barangay health workers put a baby on a weighing scale during the oral anti-polio vaccination in Barangay Hall, Brgy. Salitran 3, Dasmarinas City, Cavite on Wednesday, February 16. The campaign aims to boost immunization coverage against polio by giving three doses of the oral polio vaccine to all children five years old and below, regardless of their immunization status. PNA photo by Gil Calinga

MANILA — At least 37 foreign tourists were barred entry by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in the first week of the country’s reopening of its borders to foreign travelers. Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said on Friday, February 18 that while fully vaccinated foreigners from visa-free countries have been welcome since Feb. 10, arriving passengers who violated Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) guidelines were not allowed entry. “Thirty-seven all in all for non-compliance with IATF guidelines,” Sandoval said in a Viber message when asked about the number of foreigners who have since been denied entry into the country. Immigration Commissioner

Jaime Morente reminded airline companies to ensure that only eligible foreigners are permitted to board their flights bound for the Philippines. Morente said that it is the responsibility of airline companies to ensure that foreigners boarding their flights to the Philippines are following IATF guidelines particularly on the vaccination requirement. Sandoval said that in the first week of the reopening, the influx of foreign travelers was manageable and within the BI’s expected 8,000 arriving foreign passengers weekly, more than double the number prior to Feb. 10. “We are expecting this number to gradually increase, perhaps as high as 10,000 to 12,000 per day after a few months,” she said. 2 Koreans to be deported In another development, Morente said wanted South Koreans Kim Youngsoo, 38, and

Choi Youngsoo, 38, who were arrested by BI agents in Barangay Baudago, Angeles City on Valentine’s Day, are set for deportation. Morente said that a deportation order against Kim and Choi was already issued by the BI Board of Commissioners in 2015 after the South Korean authorities informed the bureau of their crimes. Kim and Choi have allegedly conspired with three other suspects in running a voice phishing operation from Bangkok, Thailand from March to June 2015, which preyed on many of their compatriots in Manila. BI records showed that Kim and Choi have been overstaying in the Philippines since they arrived in Manila on Dec. 13, 2015 as temporary visitors. Their passports have been cancelled by the South Korean government, making them undocumented aliens. 

The share of the national government’s outstanding debt to the economy jumped from a record-low 39.6 percent in 2019 to 60.5 percent in 2021 as it heavily relied on borrowings mostly sourced locally to finance COVID-19 response when revenues weakened due to the pandemic-induced recession at the height of the most stringent lockdowns two years ago. But credit rating agencies, like Fitch, look more closely at the general government debt — combined obligations of the national government, local governments and social security institutions, less their bond holdings. “The Philippines’ debt trajectory will depend on the balance of fiscal consolidation and ongoing government spending to support the economic recovery,” said Fitch. “We project general government debt-to-GDP to reach 54.5 percent in 2022, then decline to 53.1 percent in 2023, from an estimated 54 percent in 2021 (and 48.1 percent in 2020),” it said.

“This is still below our ‘BBB’ median forecast of 55.3 percent in 2022 and 56.6 percent in 2023. However, we expect the debt-to-revenue ratio of 278.7 percent in 2022 to exceed the ‘BBB’ median of 257 percent,” Fitch added. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III was quoted by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) statement on Friday, Feb. 18 as saying that “considering the years of fiscal prudence, the rise in debt because of the pandemic did not prevent the country from having a favorable debt structure and ample access to low-cost funding.” The BSP cited Fitch’s estimates showing that general government interest payments as a share of general government revenues stood at 9 percent last year. “The government has accommodated the huge cost of COVID-19 crisis response to help vulnerable sectors survive and recover from the crisis, largely because of President Duterte’s com-

Former UN officers from PH Fitch keeps PH’s investment-grade back Robredo’s presidential bid credit rating despite debt escalation by GABRIEL

PABICO Inquirer.net

LALU

OVER 200 Filipino former officers and workers at the United Nations (UN) and its attached agencies are backing Vice President Leni Robredo’s presidential bid, saying that the candidate is capable of leading the country towards transformative changes. In a joint statement released to local media, the former UN officers and workers — including those who have worked for attached agencies like the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World Health Organization — said that Robredo’s platform includes priority issues that the country must address immediately. “We believe in her program of government that will take us Filipinos to the right path of transformative change. It encompasses the priority issues and concerns of our country: health care, food security, education and digital technology, poverty and social protection, justice and human rights, gender

equality, environment protection, job creation, economic recovery, and not least, national sovereignty,” the 207 former UN workers said. The group likewise said that they share Robredo’s commitment to use the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling in 2016, which stated that the Philippines enjoys exclusive rights to the West Philippine Sea, and that China’s nine-dash line claim has no historical and legal basis. “Having worked with the UN, we subscribe to the application of international law and thus fully endorse her efforts to move forward with the decision of the [PCA] on the settlement of disputes under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” they explained. “With support of the multilateral, bilateral and ASEAN partners, the productive use of the West Philippine Sea can be ensured and our country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty will be upheld,” they added. The group also noted of Robredo’s track record — and her

response to the COVID-19 pandemic which was to tap the private sector and provide aid while working with a limited budget. “Her courage to stand up for the truth, for what is right for the country and our people inspires all of us. Her unblemished record of accountability and simple lifestyle speaks of her trustworthiness and humility,” they said. “Her genuine concern for people’s well-being and empowerment will be the beacon for her governance as president,” the group added. The endorsement is the latest that Robredo received, after getting support from over 130 economists, who said that the Vice President’s sound economic platform is needed to help the country recover from its economic problems brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, retired chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. said that Robredo and her running mate, Senator Francis Pangilinan, compose the best tandem he has seen since the former magistrate started voting in 1957. 

by BEN

O. DEVERA Inquirer.net

MANILA — Despite a pandemic-induced, 16-year-high public debt ratio, the Philippines’ investment-grade credit rating has been retained by major debt watcher Fitch Ratings while the economy recovers. The ‘BBB’ rating — one notch above minimum investment grade — was kept on Feb. 17, alongside a “negative” outlook, which meant that the current rating may be downgraded. In its report, Fitch said the Philippines’ unchanged credit rating “balances strong external buffers and growth against lagging structural indicators, including per capita income and governance.” “It also reflects weak government revenue mobilization compared with peers and government debt-to-GDP [gross domestic product ratio] that rose sharply from pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels but is forecast to stay close to the ‘BBB’ median over the next few years,” Fitch said.

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O PINION Declining economic freedom

FEATURES

SINCE 2017, the Philippines has been slipping in the global Index of Economic Freedom. The slide continued in the latest index, with the country falling to 80th place out of 177 economies, from 73rd out of 178 in the previous year. This brings the country to the bottom ranks of the “moderately free” economies. The index ranks economies based on the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets. U.S.-based think tank The Heritage Foundation, which draws up the annual index, noted weaknesses in the Philippines’ “judicial effectiveness and government integrity,” with lower scores for fiscal health, monetary freedom and property rights. While the country generally welcomes foreign investment, Heritage noted continued investment restrictions in several sectors. The financial sector is “relatively stable” but capital markets are “underdeveloped,” it noted. Weak infrastructure, high power costs, poor broadband and “inconsistent regulations” posed challenges to businesses, it added. “Courts are inefficient, biased, corrupt, slow, and hampered by low pay, intimidation, and complex procedures,” Heritage said. “Corruption

and cronyism are pervasive. There is little accountability for powerful politicians, big companies, or wealthy families.” The index covered July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 – the pandemic period during which Heritage noted economic freedom slipping worldwide, affected by responses to the global health crisis. It ranked Singapore as the world’s freest economy and North Korea as the least free. Following Singapore are Switzerland, Ireland, New Zealand and Luxembourg. In the Philippines, scores on government spending and fiscal health dropped, but Heritage cited trade freedom as a “bright spot” and noted that the tax burden is not heavy. The weaknesses cited in the index show the challenges that the next administration will face. Recovery from the pandemic, both in terms of This makes voters’ choices in the upcoming public health and the economy, can be daunting. elections critical. The country must disprove many

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

analysts’ projections that it will be the regional laggard in pandemic recovery. (Philstar.com)

Will the heroes of Comelec please rise up?

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS THERE was a dark chapter in the history of the Philippines just a generation ago when the very institutions of government entrusted with the Constitutional mandate of protecting the integrity of our elections betrayed public trust. Already on its 21st year, the claws of the Marcos regime continued its grip on power, condoned and enabled by co-conspirators in the three branches of government, and by Marcos cronies who benefitted from his corrupt government practices. What started as the promising golden years of the Philippines in the mid-60s turned into a dictatorship that brainwashed people with lies about Martial law and the economy, destroyed institutions and businesses critical to Marcos, violated the human rights of those who dissented. Lurking behind the facade of new infrastructure, buildings and edifices that give the perception of “progress” in the minds of the people was the shadow of the ballooning debt and deficit of the Philippines that started with the declaration of Martial Law. The well-connected became rich; the rich became millionaires and billionaires; and the wallets of those in the complex labyrinth of systemic corruption became fatter as they profit from projects after projects. With the decline in the Philippines’ credit rating came a tighter budget for the Philippine government. The first aspects to suffer were basic social services for the people as the

rich and the powerful got to hide their ill-gotten wealth offshore like in the Swiss banks. The gap between the rich and the poor became wider. Karmic boomerang finally caught up with Marcos when public awareness and dissatisfaction reached a tipping point with the assassination of Marcos’ most vocal and fierce critic, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., in 1983. Public pressure for Marcos to resign compelled the dictator to hold a snap election on February 7, 1986 — ahead of the 1987 schedule. Aquino’s widow, Corazon Aquino, served the purpose of uniting the opposition and became the candidate on the mission to defeat and unseat Marcos. With Marcos’ hold in virtually all branches of government, he thought he had everything in the bag, and that the Snap Election was just a ploy to “legitimize” Marcos’ continued presidency. BUT…on February 9, 1986, 35 computer programmers and technicians of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) walked out of the Batasang Pambansa during the canvassing of votes for the snap elections. They protested against massive poll fraud and rampant cheating they said was happening, supposedly at the behest of the dictator. This was corroborated by my long-time friend Arlene Martin, who used to be married to the son of Col. Remigio Octavio, the man who engineered and executed the cheating following orders from Malacañang. Arlene said “Papang” (Octavio) was loyal to Marcos until the very end. “In our Iloilo ancestral house, he had a signed blow-

up picture with him {Marcos}. I witnessed a lot of Papang’s corruption na parang normal way of life, she added. Had it not been for the 35 brave truth-tellers from Comelec, Marcos’ dirty tactics to stay in power could have succeeded. But this act of radical love for the country and our democracy was among the confluence that empowered people to fight in EDSA and many parts of the Philippines through the bloodless People Power Revolution. Ordinary people from all walks of life soldiered on, armed with only their rosaries, flowers, prayers, smiles and love they shared with the soldiers manning the tank that could have killed the people demonstrating against Marcos. Radical love for the country and our democracy. Where are the heroes of Comelec in this generation, as our nation again faces crossroads? The intervening reality this time is the use of fake news and malicious disinformation to erase the history of the Marcos family’s transgressions against the Philippines, and the strategic rebranding of the Marcos brand by hiring Cambridge Analytica. This is part of the strategy to reclaim power, protect their family’s ill-gotten wealth, and save themselves from paying the price of their abuses, while at the same time, looking like they are the heroes and those who courageously fought to protect our democracy the villains. The red flags are again up in the air, trying to reveal the truth to the Filipino people as the May 9, 2022 election draws near. The Marcos family claims to

“unite” the country by bringing together past and present leaders who have been convicted of crimes against the country, hiding the truth with their cloak of lies and deception. The son of the dictator who is now running to be president has been deceiving the country and robbing the people of the truth that is important for the electorate to make an informed conscientious decision with his lies — shamelessly claiming again to have graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and Wharton for postgraduate studies, declaring ownership of the Windmill project from conception to execution, bragging that he paid his taxes dutifully even when he had a conviction from the Regional Trial Court for tax evasion and should, in fact, have been imprisoned and banned from ever running for public office again — a law that his own father enacted. Bongbong Marcos’ disqualification case had been brought up to the Comelec for a decision, and the outgoing Commissioner Rowena Guanzon had to make public her dissenting opinion to protect the integrity of our elections. True to what Guanzon warned the people about, the Comelec leadership was just waiting for her to retire on February 2 before releasing the majority decision to allow Marcos to run, disregarding her dissenting opinion. The lesson from the Comelec decision? There is no moral turpitude when Bongbong failed to pay his taxes for years even when he was a sitting governor of Ilocos Norte. I Bongbong Marcos above the law? So can we not pay taxes

anymore, Filipino people? Is it ok to misrepresent one’s qualifications and history to deceive people? Is it ok for Bongbong Marcos to skip debates which should be an important tool for people to compare and contrast candidates and fact check them for lies and disinformation right there and then? What is Bongbong hiding? Is it ok for Comelec to deny people of their right of expression in supporting Leni Robredo by demolishing and destroying their posters, billboards and tarps in their own private properties? Is it ok for Comelec to favor one candidate over the others? Is that in the best interest of the Filipino people according to the spirit of the law in the Constitution? Unfortunately, there are people in Comelec, as there had been a generation ago, who were tactically appointed to positions of leadership by the very people who wanted to continue to hold on to power, especially with the Duterte-Marcos unholy alliances, sealed by the running of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte as Marcos’ running mate. The Philippines’ democracy is at stake. What will happen to the integrity of our elections in May? Where are the heroes of Comelec? The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. The sacred exercise of this right is how the citizens of the country claim their Constitutional power to decide the direction the country should be heading and to choose the Captain who will steer the country in the right direction. It is therefore important

that the government ensures the integrity of the elections so that they will truly reflect the will of the people. All the branches of government — the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary — should faithfully fulfill their Constitutional obligation of checks and balances to make sure that no individual or institution will abuse its power and betray the people’s trust to manipulate the electoral process and disregard the will of the people for their own personal evil agenda. The Fourth Estate — the free, independent press — should serve its purpose to be the watchdog of the government without fear and intimidation from or connivance with government institutions, candidates, political parties or special interests that maliciously wants to rob the people of their power. Finally, and most importantly, the citizens of the country should proactively and diligently guard, not only their sacred individual votes, but the whole election process itself. Regardless of their political affiliation or stance, they should demand transparency and accountability from government, especially from the Commission on Elections. ***

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

Getting boosted offers multiple benefits for businesses & workers Commentary PAT FONG KUSHIDA PRESIDENT & CEO CALASIAN PACIFIC CHAMBER

OF COMMERCE

WITH many California small businesses still recovering amid the ongoing pandemic, many owners worry about keeping their businesses open, especially if employees are required to quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19. We believe the solution is clear: to stay safe and stay open, small business owners must encourage employees to get vaccinated and get their COVID-19 booster as soon

as they are eligible. First and foremost, boosters save lives. Our employees and customers are our family, and as small business owners, we should do everything we can to encourage healthy and safe behavior. Vaccines and boosters are proven to keep your immunity strong and protect you and your loved ones from being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19, including the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Boosters are authorized and recommended for all persons 12 and older. Individuals 12+ who received the Pfizer vaccine and individuals 18+ who received the Moderna vaccine are eligible for a booster five months after their initial full series was completed.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients are encouraged to get boosted two months after their first vaccination. Visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255 to find a booster near you. The benefits to businesses and workers are significant. In the event of close contact with a COVID-positive person, asymptomatic people who are vaccinated and boosted, or recently vaccinated, can skip quarantine, according to the California Department of Public Health. They should still test on day five after their contact with the COVID-positive individual, and mask for 10 days. Unvaccinated people who come into close contact with

someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are required to quarantine, also in accordance with the California Department of Public Health. Even if they test negative, they must quarantine for five days and follow state guidance. We already know that getting vaccinated and boosted prevents serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Now, we can add to the list of benefits: getting boosted also prevents asymptomatic people from having to quarantine, potentially missing work and income, as well as missing out on other important events. Small business owners can rest assured that employees who are vaccinated and boosted or

recently vaccinated are allowed to stay on the job, provided they have no symptoms of COVID-19. We know that when employees are vaccinated and boosted, small businesses can stay open safely. This is all the more reason to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and boosted. Together, we can protect the health and safety of loved ones and ensure California’s businesses can thrive. To schedule an appointment for a vaccination or a booster, visit MyTurn.ca.gov, or call 1-833422-4255. Support is available in more than 250 languages. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial

board and staff.

*** Pat Fong Kushida is the President & CEO of CalAsian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and also serves as President/CEO of the Sacramento Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce (SACC) since 1998, and President/CEO of the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce (CAPCC) formed in 2010. Pat is a known as a visionary, entrepreneurial leader dedicated to strengthening California’s ethnically diverse business community and create economic development opportunities for Asian Pacific Islander business organizations to prosper. The CalAsian Chamber was founded in 2010 to give a voice to the over 600,000 AAPI- owned businesses in California. Today, the CalAsian Chamber is the largest statewide ethnic chamber in California, with the mission to grow and empower the AAPI business community throughout California. Visit calasiancc.org to learn more.

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6 Filipinos return from Ukraine amid crisis by CHRISTINA

MARIE Philstar.com

RAMOS

MANILA — Six Filipinos from Ukraine have returned to the Philippines, the first batch of repatriates since the situation in the Eastern European country triggered fears of an imminent Russian invasion there. The six Filipinos, who sought for repatriation, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday, February 18, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement. “The Philippine government, through the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, provided funding assistance to the six Filipinos who voluntarily requested to be repatriated to the country,” it added. Four of the six Filipino repatriates boarded international flights from Kyiv while two took their flights from Lviv. The DFA said it continues to monitor the situation in Ukraine’s borders while the Philippine Embassy in Poland remains in touch with the Filipino community in Ukraine. “The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, which is in active coordination with its Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv, is also cooperating closely with the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul to facilitate this repatriation,” the DFA said. “This is to ensure that govern-

Filipino repatriates from Ukraine arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Friday, Feb. 18. DFA photo by Hya Bernardo

ment assistance is available to the group at all transit points,” it added. Philippine Ambassador Leah Ruiz urged Filipinos in Ukraine

to contact the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw and the Philippine Honorary Consulate General in Kyiv so they can be assisted if they wish to be repatriated. 

Fitch keeps PH’s investment-grade... PAGE A5 

prehensive tax reform program and his policy of prudent fiscal management and discipline,” Dominguez was quoted as saying. “But we are also mindful not to pass on to future generations unsustainable debt,” he said. “Estimated to have reached around 54 percent of GDP in 2021, the general government’s debt remains manageable, and we expect this to remain at around the same level this year and the next,” Dominguez added. Fitch also attributed the negative outlook to “uncertainty about medium-term growth prospects as well as possible challenges in unwinding the policy response to the health crisis and bringing government debt on a firm downward path.” Fitch said it expects the Philippine economy to grow 6.9 percent this year and 7 percent next year, to be supported by “pick-

up in vaccination rates, falling COVID-19 infection numbers, [and] normalized economic activity — particularly in services — after tight containment measures in 2020 and part of 2021.” “The fiscal and monetary policy response, strong infrastructure spending and resilient remittances and exports is also boosting the recovery,” Fitch added. However, Fitch pointed to lingering downside risks to economic recovery like the prolonged pandemic and possible infection waves due to new COVID variants, and pandemic-related scarring effects on medium-term growth prospects. “Presidential elections scheduled for May 2022 also create uncertainty around the post-election fiscal and economic strategy, although we assume broad policy continuity will be maintained given the Philippines’ record of a generally sound policy frame-

work,” Fitch said. For Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno, “the Philippine economy is on a strong recovery path, as Fitch affirmed our ‘BBB’ investment-grade credit rating amid a wave of downgrades in many other countries.” “The BSP expects the steady acceleration in credit activities and favorable inflation outlook to support growth prospects moving forward,” Diokno said in a tweet. “The Philippine banking system has kept the impact of the crisis manageable,” Diokno said. “Philippine banks continue to serve the rising demand for credit. We also expect inflation to stay well within the target range of 2-4 percent this year up to 2024, which will provide an enabling environment for consumption and investments,” he added. 

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Filipinos want strong, honest leaders - poll by KAITHREEN

CRUZ ManilaTimes.net

A PRE-ELECTION survey conducted by the group Boses, Opinyon, Siyasat at Siyensya para sa Pilipinas (Boses Pilipinas) revealed that Filipinos desire leaders that are strong, honest and intelligent. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents said they prefer candidates who could provide strong leadership, 55 percent said it is important for candidates to be honest while 42 percent said intelligence is crucial to a candidate. Meanwhile, 37 percent of the respondents said they prefer candidates who get things done, 33 percent said they want morally upright candidates while 19 percent said they want compassionate candidates. Boses Pilipinas convenor Dr. Imelda Deinla said the results could help Filipinos evaluate their

candidates. "With all the noise in media and social media platforms — as well as the highly curated portrayal of the candidates in their campaigns, it is really important to ask the Filipino voters the qualities they are looking for in the candidates. Thus, we ask in the survey what are the character traits they would like to see in a candidate, rather than ask them first why they prefer this one candidate over the others," Deinla said. Moreover, the same survey also showed that 60 percent of Filipinos see graft and corruption as the most urgent national concern, followed by the creation of more jobs (50 percent), controlling the spread of the coronavirus disease-19 (48 percent), social services to reduce poverty (45 percent), and the increase of pay for workers (44 percent). "This survey challenges Fili-

pinos to reflect, to evaluate their candidates with the kind of leader they want to address the most important issues the country is facing, and to seek credible information in assessing their candidates and not just based on popularity. Most of all, imagine your candidates as being capable — or not, in leading the Philippines out of the COVID-19 and economic crises," Deinla said. Boses Pilipinas conducted the survey among 1,500 respondents from November 29 to December 14, 2021, in cooperation with Rakuten Insight, an independent research firm based in Singapore. Boses Pilipinas is the first university-based opinion research and survey unit in the country TRIBUTE. With a colorful mural art as a backdrop, a motorcycle rider cruises along Magsaysay Avenue in Cubao, Quezon City on Thursday, February that aspires to bridge societal 17. The mural, depicting staffers of the Bureau of Fire Protection, pays tribute to essential workers who continue to serve the country amid the PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler divides through studies and polls pandemic. that increase the Filipinos' understanding of opinions, perceptions, attitudes and behavior. 

occur in the country throughout the year. The Philippines, according to a study published on the Tropical Cyclone Research and Review journal by the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TC) and the Shanghai Typhoon Institute of the China Meteorology Administration (STI/CMA), is in fact “one of the world’s natural hazard hot spots” and faces “more natural hazards” than other countries. Every year, an average of 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine area of responsibility. Natural disasters have affected millions of individuals in the country during the past years. Among them are the children— some of whom lose parents or family members when disasters strike. “Such drastic storms destroy homes, villages, and families. Often the survivors are the children, minus their parents,” the foundation said. “Natural disasters routinely give birth to orphans,” it added Executive Order No. 141 signed last year by President Rodrigo Duterte cited figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which showed that there were 183,967 live births in 2018 and 180,916 in 2019 among teenagers. The figures translate to an average of 504 live births per day for minors aged 10 to 19 years old in 2018 and 495 live births

per day for the same category in 2019. During the pandemic, PopCom warned that more teenagers might get pregnant as lockdowns forced them to stay at home and spend more time with their partners. When the data came out, authorities were more alarmed: PopCom said that pregnancy among girls aged below 15 increased by 7 percent in 2019. “These young girls are almost completely unprepared for motherhood and often have no place to turn except to give up the baby they just nurtured for nine months,” said the foundation. “This is a situation worth crying over,” it added. The foundation likewise pointed out poverty as one of the reasons for the continuing increase in the number of Filipino orphans. “[T]here is a never-ending cycle of poverty that leads to parents having to give up their children in hopes they will have a better life somewhere else,” the foundation noted. “There is little doubt that poverty creates a culture for the creation of orphans,” it added Some parents who are not able to care for their children and are unable to adequately provide for their children were left with no other choice but to “resort to placing their children in orphanages in the hopes that they will have better lives.” 

Podiums to be left empty for bets Orphan crisis: ‘A situation worth crying over’ who skip CNN Philippines debates by CRISTINA

ELOISA Inquirer.net

BACLIG

MANILA — The Philippine population was expected to reach 109,991,095 at the end of 2021. Among these were children, who were abandoned and still looking for their forever families. According to data from the Philippines Orphanage Foundation, out of the over 109 million population in the country, there were at least 2 million orphaned children. Moreover, there was an average of only 139 Filipino orphan children adopted per year from 2014 to 2018. “That is only 0.0000695% of the orphan population that finds a forever-home each year,” the foundation said. Data from the U.S. State Department showed that between 2009-2015, there were 1,350 Filipino children adopted by American Families. Why are there many orphans in PH? To understand what the Philippines Orphanage Foundation called the “orphan crisis in the Philippines,” it listed some factors that might be continuing to contribute to the still increasing number of orphans in the Philippines. One of the four factors cited by the foundation was natural disasters—such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, droughts, and landslides—which

MANILA — Empty podiums will be left onstage for presidential canndidate former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who are skipping the CNN Philippines debates happening next weekend at the University of Santo Tomas. Empty podiums will be onstage just in case Marcos and Duterte-Carpio change their minds, CNN Philippines president Benjamin Ramos told UST’s official student publication The Varsitarian. "We have already set up podiums for the 10 presidential candidates, so we will just leave it blank and just wait for them just in case [they change their] mind. Hindi natin masabi baka magba-

go [ang] isip [nila] (We can't say, they might change their minds)," Ramos was quoted as saying. CNN Philippines has said that presidential candidate former Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. declined to join the presidential debate on February 27 due to a conflict in schedule, while his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, did not provide a reason why she cannot make it to the February 26 vice-presidential debate. Vice presidential candidate Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay party-list) also begged off at the last minute as he has to undergo knee replacement surgery, CNN Philippines said. Podiums were also left empty for Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, Sens. Ping Lacson

and Manny Pacquiao, and Vice President Leni Robredo when they skipped the presidential debate organized by Sonshine Media Network International, the media network owned by controversial pastor Apollo Quiboloy who has endorsed Marcos and Duterte-Carpio. It will be the third forum moderated by an independent media organization skipped by survey frontrunner Marcos after GMA's Jessica Soho Interviews and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas’ presidential forum. Marcos spokesperson Vic Rodriguez said they are not too keen to attend forums where candidates would be pitted against each other. (Xave Gregorio with a report from Kristine Joy Patag/ Philstar.com)

THE United States promised to extend more assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to boost its capacity to fight terrorism. Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of the Joint Special Operations Command, vowed to sustain the strong cooperation between the U.S. and Philippine military. In his courtesy call on Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) Commander Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. on Tuesday,

Feb. 15, Fenton said that U.S. troops are committed to assisting the Philippines until peace reigns in Mindanao. "Our partnership is grounded on our iron-clad commitment to shared security. We will continue to work hand-in-hand to eradicate the extremists and terrorists. We admire your strategic and operational approaches in fighting against the terror groups that threaten international security. We are here to solidify further our alliance for

the common good," the U.S. official said. He lauded the efforts of the WestMinCom in combatting terror groups that victimized foreigners and locals in the past. Rosario thanked Fenton for the U.S. military's support. "Rest assured that we will continue to strengthen our good relationship as we work together to fight against terror," the WestMinCom commander said. (Francis Earl Cueto/ManilaTimes. net)

US to provide more aid to AFP

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The immigration journey that took 24 years on an all-new Citizen Pinoy this Sunday LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel presents another brand-new success story, after he provides the latest immigration developments, as featured on his YouTube channel: US Immigration TV. After the important U.S. immigration highlights, Citizen Pinoy shares an inspiring success story on how a family persevered, despite the many bumps along their immigration journey. Allain was petitioned by his mother in 1997. Due to certain circumstances, Allain and his family entered the U.S. in 2002, but overstayed. Meanwhile, Allain’s mother, his petitioner, passed away in 2006. Uncertain about the future

of his petition, Allain and his family lived in fear because of their undocumented status. Still, they took on several odd jobs to make a living. They persevered and kept the faith that someday they will achieve their American dream. Finally, after 24 years, Atty. Gurfinkel was able to help Allain and his family adjust their status and acquire their green cards. Watch this success story on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, February 20 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers). Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the app for free. (Advertising Supplement)

Xian makes a stand on network loyalty By MJ

Marfori Philstar.com

IF there’s any celebrity whom you can call a jack-of-all-trades, Xian Lim can definitely be on top of that list. He acts, directs, hosts, plays basketball, has investments and is very into whatever project that tickles his fancy at the moment. I came across Xian on a few occasions while he was still with ABS-CBN but it was during the pandemic when he signed up with Viva that I really got to know him via our lengthy Zoom chats. A few days ago was the latest chikahan that transpired and no, I did not ask about Kim Chiu since what you see is what you get on their social media pages. Currently, Xian is doing a Xian Lim PAGE B2

HUMANITARIAN REVALIDATION OR SURVIVOR LAW: THIS SUNDAY ON CITIZEN PINOY. Allain (left) was petitioned by his mother in 1997. He came to the U.S. as a tourist with his wife, Lorraine (center), in 2002 and overstayed. His mother passed away in 2006, which, at that point, Allain thought his mother’s petition for him was gone. What would now happen to Allain and his petition? Leading U.S. Immigration Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) is the attorney-of-last-hope, who guided them through the process and presented them the option to be able to acquire their green card, despite the death of the petitioner. Watch this success story on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, February 20 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers). Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the app for free. (Advertising Supplement)

Claudia wants to make it on her own in music

By CharMie Joy

Pagulong Philstar.com

Philstar.com photo

ANOTHER daughter of Marjorie Barretto and Dennis Padilla is carving a name for herself in the entertainment industry, specifically in the music scene. The Barrettos as well as the Padillas are more known as actors, but this time around, Claudia, the younger sister of

Julia, is pursuing a different career path as a music artist. “Honestly, it was also something that I used to wonder to myself as well. How come, you know, yung acting, that wasn’t what I feel naturally inclined to do since it was already the environment that I was in,” began Claudia in a virtual call with select press. The 22-year-old singersongwriter explained that she

would look up to musicians and singers growing up. As such, she just wanted to “naturally write songs” and “felt happy” doing that. With music, Claudia said she can have “some sort of personal life which is a bit more separate from your art.” “As a music artist, you can kind of build that brand for yourself so that you can kind of PAGE B6

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EntErtainmEnt

Maxene explains how codependencies harm By Alex

BrosAs Inquirer.net

ACTRESS and yoga instructor Maxene Magalona believes that self-sufficiency should be observed to live a truly healthy life, especially as an adult. “I cannot stress this enough. As adults, we all need to learn how to be self-sufficient human beings. To be self-sufficient, we must learn to develop the skills we need in order to be emotionally [and] intellectually independent,” she said via her Instagram page on Thursday, Feb. 17, sharing two photos of her meditation rituals. While she thinks there’s nothing wrong in “being babied and treated with so much (sometimes too much) protection” when we were young, Magalona feels that this may explain why some of us become unable to cope with the negatives later in life. “[In] exchange for this kind of treatment from our primary caregivers, we didn’t get the chance to learn how to deal with negative emotions such as fear, pain and anxiety. Our families [and] relationships become codependent [and] unhealthy as we want to keep relying on others for our own safety and protection,” she stressed. And while she appreciates how she was raised, she believes that what parents want is just the best for their children. But as an adult, Magalona learned that life is not a walk in the park.

Youngster Jake Merilo tops APO Golf For A Cause tourney By

Maxene Magalona

“I realized that I get fearful and anxious [because] I never really learned how to go through negative emotions. As a society, we have been conditioned to cling on to only the positive and bright side of life while denying its shadows and darkness,” she said. “This is nobody’s fault,” she added. “This is just how the world naturally evolved into. Now, I am simply sharing what I’ve learned so far in my personal journey so that I can hopefully help and encourage those of you who want to learn how to handle

Photo from Instagram/@maxenemagalona

the ‘dark’ side of life.” One lesson is meditation which she said “is one of the tools that you can practice everyday so that you can learn how to process things like uncomfortable feelings, unhealthy thinking patterns and toxic traits and habits.” “This is how we can all reprogram and rewire ourselves so that no matter what we learned and experienced in the past as kids, we can consciously choose to become the best adults that we can be in the present…” Magalona said. n

Kris leaves for US with sons for medical treatment By DAnA

Cruz Inquirer.net

KRIS Aquino was reportedly set to fly out of the country to the United States on Thusday, Feb. 17, and is planning to stay abroad for at least three months. The actress’ departure to the U.S. was revealed by columnist Cristy Fermin on her radio program “Cristy Ferminute,” on One PH’s YouTube channel last Tuesday, Feb. 15. Fermin cited Kris Aquino Photo from Instagram/@krisaquino an anonymous source who sent

the information to her via text message. “Ang pag-alis po ni Kris Aquino at ng kanyang mga anak na sina Joshua at Bimby ay sa Feb. 17 na po. Ibig sabihin sa Huwebes ito at ang kanilang destinasyon ay Amerika,” she said. (The departure of Kris Aquino and her children, Joshua and Bimby, will be on Feb. 17. That means it’s on Thursday and their destination is America.) Fermin then noted that in PAGE B6

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CORONA – Jake Taruc Merilo, the 22-year-old son of APO member Robert Merilo (APO San Diego), topped the 1st Golf For A Cause hosted by APO Global Foundation at the tricky and challenging Dos Lagos Golf Course by the foothills of the scenic, windswept Cleveland National Forest. The young and lanky Merilo at 5’10” carded a 72 low gross in the par-70, 6,544-yard, 18-hole rolling hillside course. He was probably inspired by his lovely girlfriend, Filipina-German Allison Kiehl, who also brought her pet dog, a Pug named Willow. “Our dog is my caddie,” Jake jested. He added, “Of course, Allison was my inspiration.” Merilo, a great grandson of the late Hukbalahap Supremo Luis Taruc, turned in two birdies on the par-5 14th and another on the par-5 12th. He described the golf course which he played for the first time as narrow, with lots of hazards and slopes and “doglegs,” in golf parlance a golf hole having an angled fairway to the left or to the right. This future Fil-Am golf great who was trained by his dad at age 5 will graduate in May at Cal State of San Diego with a B.S. Degree in Real Estate Finance and has already a job offer awaiting for him in San Francisco. The APO Golf For A Cause is the 5th golf championship won by Jake organized by APO alumni chapters in the region. Golfers numbering a hundred started to trickle in at 6 a.m., a chilly morning, to register. The tourney started promptly at 8 in shotgun fashion. Some players, however, begged off at the last minute due to health protocols. Among other notable winners were Marco Antonio of Yucaipa, Class A Champion, with Nards Castillo of APO Golfers Club as runner-up; Doc Wille Del Mundo of 19th TEE, Class B champion, with fellow 19th TEE member Erwin Lopez runner-up; APO San Diego-based Francis Franco and APO Golfers, Class C champion, with APO-South Bay/APO Golfers Audie Grey runner-up. Golfers were excited and full of anticipation in the “Hole-InOne” competition, covering three holes: Hole No. 5 with a free airline ticket as prize anywhere in the U.S., Hole No. 11 for a new car or $30,000 in cash and Hole No. 17 from a ridge overlooking the green with $10,000 in cash. Unfortunately, no one won but

APO Golf For A Cause Overall Low Gross Champion Jake Merilo (2nd from left) flanked by golf tournament chairman Mar Garchitorena, Jake’s girlfriend Allison Kiehl with her pet dog Willow, dad Robert Merilo and APO Global Foundation treasurer, Irma H. Almazan.

APO Global Foundation Board members and volunteers are pictured after the awarding luncheon and fellowship at Dos Lagos Golf Clubhouse: (from left) Dan E. Nino, Mar Garchitorena, Irma H. Almazan, Pressy Marte, Rene Yambot, Betta David, MaryAnne Peneza, Alex Almazan and Christian David.

Paul Leary, Jr. came closest to the pin. Golf For A Cause chairman Mar Garchitorena said, “His ball was already moving towards the hole when it stopped about a foot short. The hole was even placed at 135 yards. Although we love for someone to bring home the huge prizes, no one won.” Closest to the pin winners were Renel Silverio in Hole No. 8, Rocky Marte in Hole No. 11 and Arthur Salonga in Hole No. 15, Paul Leary in Hole No. 17 and Ruel Umandal, AJ Beckly and Mervyn Gucilatar won the most accurate drive on Hole No. 4. This Golf For A Cause was also dubbed as a golf tournament within a tournament. Rival golf clubs competed against each other like a rematch between Pars & Better and 19th TEE, as well as APO Golf USA and 19th TEE as a monthly tournament. The beneficiaries of the “APO Golf For A Cause,” according to board chairman Dan E. Nino and golf tournament chair Mar Garchitorena of APO Global Foundation, a 501 C-3 public benefit, are earmarked for the disadvantaged and the marginalized Dumagat and Igorot minorities who are settlers of Sierra Madre Mountain in Nueva Ecija.

There are now three household recipients who have been allotted with the Egg Laying Livelihood Program. Their poultries of 72 chickens per module are being monitored on the ground by APO Agricultural & Livestock Association of the Philippines. APO Global would like to thank the sponsors, volunteers and golfers for their participation despite the challenges of the pandemic. Among the Diamond and Platimum sponsors who made this golf for a cause a reality include Dr. Mac Lichauco, HGreg Auto Group c/o Vi & Manny Martinez, Speedpro Plus Signs c/o Rudy Emperado, Asian Journal Publications, Monte Maria Wine Cellars, Bayanihan Pay, Dr. Joselito & Lucy Babaran, Dr. Tim Almazan, VCA Engineers c/o Virgil Aoanan, LA Financial c/o Loida Atienza, Hand n Hand c/o Flor Mendoza, Dr. Librado I. Ureta Foundation & APO Trekkers c/o Marc Barcelona, and in cooperation with APO Golf Club USA and 19th Tee Golf Club. For future donations for charitable purposes as espoused by APO Global Foundation, interested parties may call Irma Almazan at 562-298-6454 or Mar Garchitorena at 661-317-1713. (denino1951@gmail.com) n

Beyond daring drama roles, Kit wants to explore more

ALTHOUGH he’s comfortable with drama, actor Kit Thompson wants to explore other genres where he can also flex his acting muscles. “I guess ang dami ko nang nagawang drama (I have done so many dramas). I guess I am comfortable with drama. I’m used to it. I still wanna try a lot of things,” Thompson said during the Feb. 8 online press conference for the FebIbig episodes of “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” “Para sa akin, marami pa rin akong hindi natatry o hindi nae-explore,” he added. (For me, there are still so many things which I have not yet tried or explored.) Thompson plays Jon, the boyfriend of Jane Oineza’s Angel character in the “Angel Of Mine” episode aired last Saturday, Feb. 12. Does he feel typecast in character roles? He doesn’t think so. He also thinks that perhaps PAGE B5

Kit Thompson

Photo from Instagram/@kitthompson

Xian makes a stand on network...

PAGE B1 project with GMA 7 that is yet to be aired this year. Prior to that, he has done 1000 Heartbeats with TV5 and a couple of films wherein he starred in and directed for Viva. It could be said that he is one of the few lead stars who successfully did cross over to major networks without getting much issues or the ire from network loyalists. With that said, after leaving ABS-CBN in 2018 after almost a decade with them, Xian made a stand about loyalty to a particular station and the importance of separating the artist from his current network. “For a time, nagkakaroon tayo ng issue on loyalty with the network or an artist is exclusive to a company parang ganoon,” said he. “I think, hindi siya dapat ganoon. For me, that’s my take on it, this is just my personal opinion. As an artist, you’re an empty shell, you’re just a vessel and you’re there to give life to a character given to you.” He further stressed that fans expecting artists to be loyal to a network or identify with solely one network could be detrimental to their performance in projects. “I don’t think it’s even about exclusivity,” said he, “it’s taking on different projects to feed your artistry. Hindi siya dapat. An artist is supposed to be everywhere na gusto ng puso niya yung project. Kung gusto niya yung project, hindi siya dapat malimitahan ng isang major network.” Besides GMA and TV5, the Villar-owned AMBS Channel 2, which took over ABS-CBN’s frequency, is set to make an entrance in the broadcasting scene in a big way, and if other stars are hesitant to be joining, it is not the case for Xian. “I am willing to work anywhere katulad nga ng sinabi ko, it’s more of feeding your passion,” shared he. “It’s all about the passion, hindi yung dapat andito lang tayo. It’s not about that and I think the

networks and all the artists should understand as well na you’re feeding your passion.” For Xian, there are other people who are supposed to think of the network issue and they should let the actors focus on the acting. “I think the business aspect when you’re an artist, hindi mo na iniisip iyan, eh,” said he. “There are people who are there, para isipin na iyan para sa iyo. If you’re an artist, tapos iniisip mo pa iyang aspect na iyan, I think mag-implode ka.” Xian is enjoying the diverse projects that are coming his way as he just wrapped his film, with Julia Barretto and Marco Gumabao, titled Bahay Na Pula, directed by none other than 2019 Cannes Best Director Brillante Mendoza. Brillante rarely does horror, so it is an honor for Xian to accept the project as its lead and even without script as what Brillante is famously known for. “At first, mahirap kasi yung nakasanayan is, yung iba hindi pwede galawin, dialogue and very sensitive yung mga writers, gusto nila verbatim yun, wala talaga galawan. It felt different at first but towards the end, ma-appreciate mo rin siya. One, it’s a different take, and two, you have creative license. So, masaya siya.” Even if they were both in ABS-CBN before, this will also be Xian’s first time to work with Julia and he said it won’t be the last. “Working with her was such a blast really,” added he. “I didn’t expect that we, Julia and I, along with Marco, would get along to the point na okay, ang saya katrabaho, mabilis lang kasi iyong shoot namin for this one, a couple of days lang and hindi namin i-nexpect na we would get along with each other right away. I expect na maiilang kami sa isa’t-isa, given na yung age gap din namin and yung characters namin sa story. We start off as a married couple already. So, upon seeing that sa script, I was like, ‘Paano?’ Hahaha.” n

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Our faith in God and humanity Pastor’s Notes reverend rodel G. BAlAGtAS AT times, the thoughts of past scholars are striking because of how they relate to our present lives. Take, for example, this insight of William Barclay (biblical scholar and theologian) on hope as opposed to pessimism in The Daily Study Bible Series on the Gospel of Mark: Too often experience fills us with pessimism, teaches us what we cannot do, teaches us to view life with a kind of resigned hopelessness. But there are other experiences. Sorrow came—and we came through it still erect. Temptation came—and somehow we did not fall. Illness took us— and somehow we recovered. A problem seemed insoluble—and somehow it was solved. We were at our wits’ end—and somehow we went on. We reached the breaking point—and somehow, we did not break. We, too, are blind. If we would only read the lessons of experience aright, it would teach us not the pessimism of the things that cannot be, but the hope which stands amazed that God has brought us thus far in safety and in certainty and the confidence that God can bring us through anything may happen. Isn’t this true for us today? Somehow we’ve learned to navigate through the hardships, pains, and restrictions of the pandemic. And many of us

survived, thanks to God and the guidance of science, the government, and the medical community. We have also remained strong in hope, faith, and love. When some people may have lost their faith in God, science, and yes, even in humanity, many of us hang on to our belief in the goodness of God and the greatness of humanity to defy any obstacle in life. We cannot afford to be cynical and hopeless. We’ll keep raising our spirits high in any disaster or illness. It’s also true in achieving Christian virtues. We can rise above our weaknesses and sinfulness, and to say that we’re mere human beings is a lame excuse for greatness. As Christians, we can resist any temptation to hurt, resent, or not forgive someone. After all, as we have heard others say, God did not just call us to be good; he called us to be great! The example of David in this Sunday’s (February 20) First Reading (1 Samuel 26:2-23) inspires us to transcend any weakness such as hatred, pride, and jealousy. David had the opportunity to finish off Saul – his enemy and predator – whom God put in a deep sleep within a barricade along with his men. At that moment, David could have nailed him to the ground and told his comrade, Abishai, to kill him with one thrust of a spear in the heart. But, instead, David turned away from revenge and violence and said, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed.” David did one thing that he thought he could not do: to

forgive his enemy. Fear of the Lord reigned in his heart rather than hatred. But, by God’s grace, he could do it. It’s how we should look at the Gospel this Sunday when Jesus told his disciples: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Jesus’ mandates of radical forgiveness and generosity are not easy to do. Still, with belief and hope in our human capacity through the grace of God, we can fulfill them. After all, as the Second Reading (1 Cor 15:4549) reminds us, “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” In other words, as human beings created in the image of God, we can show to the world the radical love, goodness, and mercy of God. So, let us not submit ourselves to pessimism but to hope in God and humanity! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Beyond daring drama roles... PAGE B2 some people simply have that impression of him being typecast, because he has done daring roles consecutively. But as he explained, there has just been some delay in the release of some of his projects. He explains that he makes sure he mixes up the types of projects he does, such that he would make a daring one, then follow it up with something that’s not. To avoid repetitions, Thompson also makes sure that he attacks each role differently. “For me, it is what the story needs, character needs, and

that’s what I’m gonna give,” he stressed. In the story, a couple (Jon and Angel) find themselves in a great dilemma when the girlfriend was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I read the script. Inaral ko siya (I studied it). I just really connected with the piece. And really, naka-relate ako sa character na ‘yun (I related with the character), wanting to find love, wanting to really love. I guess that’s how I processed it for myself,” he said. When asked about his love language, he said it’s having

quality time with his loved ones, because time is precious to him. Unfortunately, because of work, he was not able to go on a date this Valentine’s. “Sobrang special ng Valentine’s ko this year dahil nasa trabaho ako. Sabi ko naman, puwede naman tayong mag-Valentine’s araw-araw basta may panggastos ako,” he quipped. (My Valentine’s was really special this year because I was at work. I said, we can have Valentine’s everyday as long as I got money to spend.) (By Alex Brosas/Inquirer.net) n

Protecting consumers’ right to privacy online Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. IN 2010, Facebook instituted an update to its site called “Open Graph,” which introduced Facebook users to a “Like” button that they could click to show to their networks their interests and activities anywhere in the internet. When users updated to Open Graph, this allowed Facebook to gather data about their online activities, including what sites they visited and items they viewed or bought. Facebook tracked all these information even if the user actually did not click the “Like” button or even knew it was there. At that time, Facebook said it would not collect a user’s private data or activities on partner websites while they were logged out of Facebook. However, it was uncovered that it continued to collect users’ private data and internet activities even after logging out. When this issue became news in 2011, Facebook, at first, defended its practice and denied any wrongdoing. Later, it issued a “fix” and explained its policies. In 2012, twenty-one (21) separate class action lawsuits for breach of contract and related claims were filed against Facebook in several states. All these cases were later consolidated in California federal court, which dismissed the entire action in November 2017. However, after a successful appeal from the class of users, the Court of Appeal revived parts of the class claims in April 2020. The Court of Appeal ruled that Facebook users had asserted concrete privacy harms. The Supreme Court declined to hear Facebook’s appeals. The whole legal battle dragged on for 10 years. Then, on February 15, 2022, parties announced a settlement. Facebook agreed to pay $90 million to US Facebook users who had an account between April 22, 2010 and September

26, 2011, and who visited non-Facebook websites that displayed the “Like” button. It also agreed to “sequester and delete” any “wrongfully collected” user data it gathered through this practice. [The case is In re: Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation, Case No. 5:12-md-02314, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.] The information landscape is vastly different in today’s world of “cookies” (you cannot eat!) and “algorithms.” In the face of these changes, legislation was enacted to address privacy protection. For instance, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) gives consumers specific rights regarding their personal information that are collected by businesses. This law essentially codifies new privacy rights for California consumers, specifically the following: • The right to know about the personal information a business collects about them and their children, how the information is used, and to whom else the information will be shared; • The right to delete or limit the use of personal or sensitive information collected from them; • The right to opt-out of the sale of their personal information; and • The right not to be penalized or discriminated for exercising their CCPA rights. • Businesses cannot make consumers waive these rights, and any contract provision that says these rights are waived cannot be enforced. Individual consumers are allowed to sue businesses for specific CCPA 2018 violations if there is a data breach. Businesses can be held liable if non-encrypted and nonredacted personal information was stolen in a data breach as a result of failure to maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protect it. If this happens, consumers can recover monetary damages actually suffered from the breach or “statutory damages” of up to $750 per incident. For all other violations of the CCPA,

only the Attorney General can file an action against businesses on behalf of the collective legal interests of the people of California. CCPA 2018 applies only to for-profit businesses that do business in California and meet any of the following: have a gross annual revenue of over $25 million; buy, receive, or sell the personal information of 50,000 or more California residents, households, or devices; or derive 50% or more of their annual revenue from selling California residents’ personal information. In 2020, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) also known as Proposition 24, was approved by a majority of California voters to expand protections provided by California’s consumer privacy laws and CCPA of 2018. The CPRA takes effect in 2023 and cannot be repealed by the state legislature. CPRA 2020 requires businesses to obtain permission from a parent or guardian before collecting data from consumers younger than 13. It gives consumers the right to access their personal information and the ability to correct, delete, and transfer their personal information. It also provides privacy protections to employees and independent contractors. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at nocost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw. com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.] (Advertising Supplement)

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Claudia wants to make... Is bankruptcy the right choice for you? PAGE B1 be separated from your work. Like, this is my work and this is what I wanna share with the world. “Aside from that, this is the personal life that I want to live for my life. I feel like I have more space to kind of do that in the music industry. And because music is really my passion naman, it was not really a conscious effort but more like it was what cards were laid out for me,” she continued. She acknowledged that there is also pressure in the field that she is taking. But the pressure is stemming mostly from within herself. According to her, it’s “more of encouragement and guiding principles to successfully make it through this industry without… as much as I can, unscathed” and not from the family. Coming from a showbiz clan, Claudia admitted that it was easier for her to break through in the business as compared to the other aspiring artists who would join reality shows and competitions. “A lot of people asked me this and I think what I would say all the time (is that) when I’ve been asked the question, the problem with the music industry is there’s definitely a lack of visibility. Not everyone really gets the rightful attention that they deserve. There are so many talented artists and admittedly, so many talented artists are much more talented than I am. So I do recognize that because I am a second generation (artist from the Barretto family), I had it easier than others,” she declared. With this “privilege,” Claudia felt that she just had to “deserve the attention that I’m getting” and “use it as best as I possibly can.” She elaborated, “I love what I do. I love making music. It’s an honest job and career that I really want to pursue and care about. And I hope that eventually in the music scene, we’re all gonna have that space to be a part of it, have the space to have a voice, and to have the privilege of having our music out there.” “So I’m gonna try my hardest, work hard, educate myself, do better and hopefully in the future, we’ll all have the platform that we all deserve,” she furthered.

Claudia Barretto

The newbie artist also wants her listeners to feel that they can “make my songs their own.” “When I write my songs, admittedly, I think a lot about how it feels for me. It’s so personal to me which is why I think in the beginning when I started (creating) songs, not really a lot of people understood it, like a broader audience. They didn’t really understand my music the way I wanted it to translate,” she told The STAR. Now that she is learning more about the industry and has received guidance from her collaborators, she wishes that her songs will “still carry the same kind of substance” and that more listeners can relate to it. Besides music, Claudia advocates for mental health awareness and she launched an online campaign about it in 2019. She will be graduating this year with an AB Psychology degree and plans to pursue music therapy and working with children. She will also be releasing a new single soon before dropping an EP within this year. Meanwhile, Claudia’s Everything, “a vibe-y modern pop track which has a healthy heaping of R&B” with rap elements, courtesy of Because, is her latest single since she became a Viva Records artist. “It was good working with Claudia,” said Because. “Very,

Photo from Instagram/@claudia

very chill. I don’t think there’s any pressure around when we’re working. (There’s) just that instant connection when we work. I feel that’s what makes Everything, everything.” Claudia described the Pinoy rap artist as “super cool, swagger personified and very humble.” “When we were writing the song, it’s nice to be with someone talented but humble because you don’t feel intimidated to explore also with your own idea. So working with him was very easy. I didn’t feel conscious or afraid to pitch my ideas. It was very collaborative and easy,” she said of him. Because is going to release a mixtape this August and has produced a 12-track album for his rap group Flow Minister also under Viva Records. He is currently working on his album due next year. As an artist, he wants to give an “intimate experience” to his audience rather than be known as an “arena music artist where you want people to sing along.” “Nandun yung intimate connection na, ‘Oh, I’m alone with myself, I’m in the zone and naririnig ko lang si Because and kaming dalawa yung magkausap,’” he told The STAR of how he wants his music to be perceived. His friends call him BJ Cas, short for BJ Castillano, his real name. Over time, he contracted it into one word, hence, Because. g

OVER the last 35 years, many clients have always asked me “Attorney, should I file for bankruptcy?” This question is asked after they have told me what their problem is. The problem is always financial: having a hard time paying credit cards; behind on mortgage payments and there is a threat of foreclosure from the bank; owing a big amount of money to the landlord for my business; lots of medical bills; my income is only enough to pay for the rent or mortgage and monthly necessities, have no extra income to pay for other debt mostly credit cards; creditors keep calling me to pay but I can’t pay. So, if you distill the problems to their essence, income is short, and creditors are not getting paid. That’s basically what the problem is. Let’s look at famous people or businesses that have filed for bankruptcy. We presume all of them had income that was short, and creditors were not getting paid, so they decided to get bankruptcy relief. There’s Walt Disney who filed for Chapter 7 twice before his Disney theme parks took off. Of course, now Disney is a successful global business worth billions. There’s also Milton Hershey who filed for Chapter 7 before Hershey chocolates became the biggest chocolate business now worth also billions doing business worldwide. Orange County filed for bankruptcy reorganization about 15 years ago. Hertz, the car leasing company just got out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy recently. The country of Argentina decided to do a DIY bankruptcy about 20 years ago when it declared to all its creditors worldwide that Argentina was not going to pay any of its debts because it was bankrupt. Creditors who owned Argentine promissory notes lost billions of dollars overnight. The Catholic Church here in the USA, several of its dioceses declared bankruptcy to handle a large number of child molestation lawsuits against it. This is very sad for me to say because I am Catholic. I don’t

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence mean the bankruptcy they filed to protect themselves, but the huge volume of child molestation cases is just incredible. This is an assault by the devil on the church. There’s no question about that. K mart, which used to be everywhere before, filed for bankruptcy about 15 years ago. Sears Department stores filed for bankruptcy about 10 years ago. So if you have ever been to Disneyland, ate Reese’s pieces or Hershey chocolate bar, leased a Hertz car, visited Argentina, visited a Catholic church, bought something at K Mart or Sears, and gone to Orange County, you are dealing with entities that have decided that bankruptcy was the right choice for them. And of course, the Trump companies have filed at least four bankruptcies during the nineties and have avoided billions of dollars of debt. Let’s just leave it at that. What’s the secret in these bankruptcies? They continue to survive but without debt or with much-reduced debt, thus assuring their survival in the future. In other words, their incomes are the same, but they don’t have to pay debt anymore which guaranties that they can survive. It’s pretty simple and beautiful concept really. Let’s say your net household income is $7,000 a month. You have 2 kids in high school. You have a mortgage on the house. You have two car payments. Everything is cool until you have to allocate part of that $7,000 net income to pay your $50,000 of credit card debt. $50,000 of credit card debt needs $1,500 of your $7,000 net income. That means your net income is actually only $5,500, not $7,000. Now ask yourself, how long can you continue paying $1,500 a month from your net income? Let’s say you can

pay for it for five years. That’s $100,000 in a little over five years. After paying $100,000 to keep $50,000 of credit cards current for five years, how much of it do you still owe? Sad to say, you still owe the very same $50,000 of credit cards! Can you really afford to live like this until you die or at least until you retire? Let’s say you will retire in 10 years. This means you would have paid $200,000 of minimum card payments, yet you still owe after $200,000 of payments, the very same $50,000. When you retire in 10 years, your net income will drop by half. At that time, your net income of $3,500 a month is only enough to pay the mortgage and food. There’s nothing left to pay the $50,000 of credit cards. Now if you had decided that bankruptcy is the right choice for you today, then in 10 years from now, you will have saved $200,000 which you can invest at the rate of 7% a year. That will double every six or seven years. In 10 years maybe you will have $400,000 in your investment portfolio that will generate $2,800 a month for you in retirement. So, in retirement, you will have your $3,500 of retirement income, plus $2,800, or $6,300 of retirement income monthly, which is just $700 short of your income when you were still working. So is bankruptcy the right choice for you? You decide. But whatever you decide, it will affect your retirement income in the future, and it will affect how you survive your retirement. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice for anyone. There is absolutely no attorney client relationship established by reading this article. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)

When is my prenuptial agreement not enforceable? Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce. What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to withstand attack in court by your future spouse’s lawyer. Family Code Section 1615 provides that a prenuptial agreement is not enforceable if the party against whom enforcement is sought proves either of the following (1) that party did not execute the agreement voluntarily or (2) The agreement was unconscionable when it was executed and, before execution of the agreement, all of the following applied to that party:(A) That party was not provided a fair, reasonable, and full disclosure of the property or financial obligations of the other party. (B) That party did not voluntarily and expressly waive, in writing, any right to disclosure of the property or financial obligations of the other party beyond the disclosure provided. (C) That party did not have, or reasonably could not have had, an adequate knowledge of the property or financial obligations of the other party. The issue of unconscionability shall be decided by the court as a matter of law. A prenuptial agreement shall be deemed not executed voluntarily unless the court finds

in writing or on the record all of the following: (1) The party against whom enforcement is sought was represented by independent legal counsel at the time of signing the agreement or, after being advised to seek independent legal counsel, expressly waived, in a separate writing, representation by independent legal counsel. The advisement to seek independent legal counsel shall be made at least seven calendar days before the final agreement is signed. (2) One of the following:(A) For an agreement executed between January 1, 2002, and January 1, 2020, the party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the final agreement and advised to seek independent legal counsel and the time the agreement was signed. (B) For an agreement executed on or after January 1, 2020, the party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the final agreement and the time the agreement was signed, regardless of whether the party is represented by legal counsel. (3) The party against whom enforcement is sought, if unrepresented by legal counsel, was fully informed of the terms and basic effect of the agreement as well as the rights and obligations the party was giving up by signing the agreement, and was proficient in the language in which the explanation of the party’s rights was conducted and in which the agreement was written. The explanation of the rights and obligations relinquished shall be memorialized in writing and delivered to the party prior to signing the agreement. The unrepresented party shall, on or before the signing of the

premarital agreement, execute a document declaring that the party received the information required by this paragraph and indicating who provided that information. (4) The prenuptial agreement was not executed under duress, fraud, or undue influence, and the parties did not lack capacity to enter into the agreement. Having both you and your fiance represented by separate counsel during the drafting and execution of your prenuptial agreement can help avoid any of the problems noted above which will can result to your prenuptial agreement being found to be invalid by the court during your divorce proceeding and your assets divided according to California community property law. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)

Kris leaves for US with sons for medical... PAGE B2 with Josh and Bimby to get treatments for her autoimmune disease. According to Fermin, Aquino will be doing the same once she arrives in the U.S. “Gano’n din po ngayon. Kasama niya ang magkapatid sa Amerika naman at baka daw tumagal siya do’n nang tatlo hanggang apat na buwan,” she added. (It will be the same this time. She will be with the siblings in America and she might stay there for three to four months.) Fermin then wished Aquino good health

and prayed the actress would return to the Philippines with more weight, given that Aquino has lost several pounds over the years. Aquino celebrated her birthday last Monday, Feb. 14. She asked for prayers for herself and a certain someone whom she and her brother, the late President Benigno S. Aquino III, “love so dearly.” She recently denied rumors that she is in critical condition, stressing that she will “fight to extend [her] time” because her sons still need her. g

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Angelica takes own love advice By Charmie Joy

Pagulong Philstar.com

ANGELICA Panganiban has taken on another hugot role that lets her explore the why’s of heartbreak in the iWantTFC’s original series, The Goodbye Girl, based on the book of the same title by best-selling author Noreen Capili. According to the media release, the show is narrated by Yanna (Angelica), a financial advisor-turned-author whose world crumbles when she comes home to her husband, Y (RK Bagatsing), who announces he will leave her for his one great love. Yanna immediately gets drunk and hops on social media to livestream her miserable situation. Her relatable story goes viral overnight, and she becomes known as “The Goodbye Girl.” Yanna finds her new purpose in life, which is to give online advice to people, who have gone through the same thing. One day, she gets a book deal from a charming publisher named Jeff (JC de Vera) to write about the stories her followers have shared with her and the pieces of advice she has given them. Comparing her role in That Thing Called Tadhana to the one in The Goodbye Girl, Angelica said in a virtual call that her character has become more mature now. “When I did Tadhana, I was younger. At nung ginawa ko ‘to ngayon (The Goodbye Girl), ilang years after na rin siya, nasa mga 10 years na rin naman siguro. So within that 10 years, ilang ‘bagahe’ na rin yung napagdaanan ko. At nabitbit ko at nalagpasan ko para maging mas mature siguro, mas calm and collected siya kapag nasasaktan na siya this time,” said she. Tagged as the Hugot Queen, the Kapamilya actress shared she was hurt at first being labeled as such but, “That’s how people see you. Mahirap na ikaw yung magdikta sa kanila kung ano yung gusto mong itawag sayo. Hindi ko alam kung anong itawag sa akin pero siyempre may iba din namang dating, may ibang impact din na may mga taong nilalapitan ka dahil hindi na nila alam kung sino ang dapat lapitan.” She further recalled how her talk show Ask Angelica helped and inspired the “brokenhearted” to move on. She herself has personally gained insights about love and relationships as well. She said, “I also learned sa pains and struggles nila (fans and followers) in life. You want to help them, pati ikaw na-i-inspire (din) and hindi mo na-i-imagine, natutulungan mo rin pala yung sarili mo para maka-recover ka.” “Because of what you said to them, parang mapapaisip ka. It’s like, ‘OK yung sinabi ko ah, ba’t di ko i-apply sa sarili ko?’ It’s not only giving advice to other people but in a way,

Piolo willing to work in Manny Villar’s AMBS

By Jan

milo Severo Philstar.com

Angelica Panganiban

you also help yourself. Hindi siya nakakapagod gawin at all, kaya natutuwa ako. Natutuwa ako na kahit papano may nag-re-reach out sa akin and feeling ko nakakatulong ako and nagtutulungan lang kaming lahat,” added the 35-year-old star. There was also one instance when someone approached her in person and asked for love advice out of nowhere. “It happened over dinner. Common friend ni ganyan. Tapos feeling close, uupo sa tabi ko, tapos, (the person said) ‘Grabe ito yung nangyari sa akin recently lang.’ Tapos kukuwento niya sa akin yung love life niya. Hindi ko siya kilala, pero sige, game,” she shared. Angelica, who is currently in a relationship with businessman boyfriend Gregg Homan, was asked if she had something to advise to “The Goodbye Girl” at present. She said, “Wala akong gustong sabihin kay ‘Goodbye Girl’ kasi magkaiba sila ng kinalalagyan ngayon.” However, if there was one thing that she could consult her character in the series, it would be about, “pwede kong kamustahin yung dating ako. O kung pwede akong magbigay sa dating ako, dun sa dating tangang Angge, ang message ko lang ay, ‘Keep going, girl. Darating ka din sa finish line. Matatauhan ka.’” Meanwhile, since it’s the love month, The Goodbye Girl actors have these love messages for everybody. “Ang pag-ibig naman hindi lang yan para sa may boyfriend, sa may asawa. It’s love, it’s universal,” declared RK. “Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Hayaan mo yung sarili mo na maramdaman

Photo from Instagram/@iamangelicap

yun,” asserted JC. “Ipag-patuloy ang pag-ibig dahil kapag tinigil mo ang pagibig, dun ka titigil mabuhay. So kahit mahirap, masakit at nakaka-stress ang pag-ibig, kailangan nating lumaban, kahit man lang para sa sarili natin,” commented Angelica. g

KAPAMILYA actor Piolo Pascual is willing to work in Manny Villar’s Advanced Media Broadcasting System (AMBS) if his schedule permits. Villar’s AMBS recently acquired some of the frequencies of ABS-CBN. At the virtual press conference of his upcoming sitcom “My Papa Pi” last Saturday, Piolo said he’s willing to have a show in the new channel if there’s no conflict with ABS-CBN. “As long as there’s no conflict. Kung hindi siya conflict sa shows mo with ABS, I don’t think it’s gonna matter. And as long as the concept is good,” he said. Piolo, however, said that he is focused at the moment with his mother network. “Pero for now I’m just gonna (be) for whatever right now with ABS. I have shows working on so I think I don’t have the time for that (other networks) in the near future,” he said. The “Ultimate Heartthrob” will be joined by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and hit comedian and versatile actor Pepe Herrera in this series from Star Creatives, which will be helmed by award-winning director Cathy Garcia-Molina. Set in the fictional Mapag-Asa street, “My Papa Pi” revolves around the lives of Pipoy

Piolo Pascual

(Piolo), a single dad who wants a better future for his daughter, his twin brother Popoy (Pepe), a popular tumbong maker and owner of “One More Tumbong,” and Tere (Pia), a woman with a golden heart who happens to be Popoy’s one great love but has feelings for Pipoy. Adding zest to their story are other characters in Brgy. Gintong Tupa to be played by the star-studded ensemble of Joross Gamboa, Alora Sasam, Hyubs Azarcon, Katya Santos, Daisy Lopez a/k.a. “Madam Inutz,” and breakout stars Anthony Jennings and Daniela Stranner from the movie “Love

Photo from Instagram/@piolo_pascual

at First Stream.” “My Papa Pi” is one of ABSCBN’s much-awaited 2022 offerings as this is Piolo’s first ABS-CBN series since 2020. Dubbed as a “sweetcom,” the show will bring smiles and romance to viewers who are looking for something fresh and new this 2022. “It’s a nice breather. I even surprise myself dito sa show. Ang sarap having a solid cast and a director na fun. ‘Pag nakakapagpatawa ka o nakakapagbigay ng ligaya sa paligid mo, it’s a nice feeling pabalik sa ‘yo,” said Piolo about his new show. g

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