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FEBRUARY 21-27, 2019
T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R
Volume 30 - No. 8 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
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Palace: UN report on PH rights defenders ‘based on false info’ by DAPHNE
GALVEZ Inquirer.net
MANILA — The United Nations report on allegedly “targeted” female rights defenders in the Philippines is “highly misplaced” as it “based on false information,” according to Malacañang Palace. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement on Tuesday in reference to a report by UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst on Sen. Leila de Lima, former Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa, saying that they “tend to be targeted for their vis-
Sen. Leila de Lima, former Supreme Court Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa Inquirer.net photos
ibility — not only to silence them but also to discourage broader dissent.” According to Panelo, the detention of De Lima, the ouster of
Sereno, and charges filed against Ressa were the “product of their own doing.” “Attributing the detention of
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RARE ENCOUNTER. President Rodrigo Duterte greets European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines Ambassador Franz Jessen on the sidelines of the 9th anniversary of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the 25th anniversary of the Brunei DarussalamIndonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on Tuesday, February 19. During the event, Duterte called on its neighboring countries to unite to overcome economic slowdown and security challenges in the region. Malacañang photo by Albert Alcain
Supreme Court dismisses Dengvaxia permanently banned in PH petitions against DATELINE USA martial law extension California sues Trump by AJPRESS
DENGVAXIA’S certificates of product registration (CPRs) have been “permanently revoked,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Tuesday, February 19. This is due to the continued failure of the anti-dengue vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur Inc., to submit post-approval commitment documents. According to FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno, Sanofi Pasteur has “shown complete The certificate of product registration of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia has been suspended since disregard of FDA rules and regu- December 2017 after pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur admitted that that it could cause severe
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
administration over national emergency declaration
THE news of President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration has now reached a legal challenge in the form of a lawsuit on Monday, Feb. 18 led by the attorneys general of 16 states including California. The states claim that the president’s efforts in redirecting federal dollars for the $5.7 billion-wall at the United States-Mexico border by way of national emergency are “unlawful and unconstitutional” according to the lawsuit. The State of California — led by CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra — filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of California in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday and plans to take the administration to court to stop the president from utilizing the powers provided by a national emergency declaration.
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Former Fil-Am MTV VJ and son experience racist rants during coffee run in LA WHEN former FilipinaAmerican MTV personality and model Belinda Panelo went out for a regular coffee run with her son, she didn’t expect them to be the target of a racist tirade. Belinda Panelo A video of the incident quickly caught attention after Panelo, 44, shared the experience on social media on Tuesday, February 12.
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by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, February 19, junked four petitions challenging the constitutionality of the martial law extension in Mindanao. The legality of the extension was upheld by the justices in session with a voting of 9-4. The petitions against the third extension were from opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the Makabayan bloc of party-list groups in the House of Representatives, lawyers led by former Election Commissioner Christian Monsod, and and a group of “luu PAGE A2 mad” (indigenous) teachers and students represented by the Free Legal Assistance Group. All four groups alleged in their petitions that there was no factual basis to justify the martial law extension in Mindanao. In their arguments, they said the attacks by terror groups and violent incidents that took place in Mindanao last year, including four bombings cited in the report of the Armed Forces, were acts of terrorism. They were not acts of rebellion as required by law in declaration of martial law. The petitioners also insisted that public safety in Mindanao is not imperiled, despite the recent twin bombings at the Jolo Cathedral in Sulu that killed at least 21 people. Solicitor General Jose Calida, however, stressed that the several attacks attributed to the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao were acts of rebellion. He cited the Jolo Cathedral bombing, saying it was proof of the ongoing threat to public safety in Mindanao Presidential daughter and Hugpong ng posed by local terrorist groups. Pagbabago (HNP) chairwoman Sara Duterte-
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Carpio
dengue if given to those who have not had dengue.
Philstar.com photo by KJ Rosales
Senators eye first daughter Sara Duterte for presidential bid by NATHALIE
ROBLES
AJPress
AS the presidential daughter and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) chairwoman Sara DuterteCarpio increased her public presence for her political party, the public buzzed anew with talks of her possibly succeeding her father President Rodrigo Duterte. Four senators already expressed their support for the Philstar.com photo first daughter despite Duterte-
Carpio’s statement that she will announce her decision to seek a national post by January 2021. Re-electionist Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said that the younger Duterte is seen to have all the qualifications of a good leader with training from none other than the Chief Executive himself. “I think she’s one of the potential future leaders of the country because she has the qualifications — a lawyer, has (the) heart
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DOT relaunches PH tourism campaign by AJPRESS
‘IT’S STILL MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES’. Department of Tourism Secretary (DOT) Bernadette Romulo Puyat and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año lead the launching of the refreshed “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign to promote sustainable tourism in the country. The event also unveils the new logo of the campaign and a tour of the newly-renovated National Museum of Natural History on Monday, February 18 at the National Museum, Manila. PNA photo by Rico H. Borja
THE country’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” tourism campaign was relaunched on Monday, February 18, by the Department of Tourism (DOT). The repurposed campaign, which would now use crowdsourcing in a bid for “sustainable tourism”, meant to attract more tourists. It was propelled by Boracay’s six-month closure, in an effort to rehabilitate the world-famous tourist spot after it was destroyed by pollution and violations on environmental laws.
“We can have fun at the same time we protect the environment. This is not mere continuity, this is sustainability. This (campaign) aims to repurpose fun into sustainability,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a speech during the relaunch at the National Museum of Natural History, DOT’s previous home. According to Puyat, the crowd-sourced tourism materials through social media were the key aspects of the revamped campaign as the DOT saw at least 4.3 million locals and foreigners using the tagline in their photos
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From The FronT Page
Palace: UN reports on PH rights...
PAGE A1 Senator Leila de Lima, the unseating of Atty. Ma. Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice and the filing of charges against Ms. Maria Ressa as part of the President’s policies and alleging that their unfortunate situations were designed by the government to silence them and discourage broader dissent are the same false narratives peddled by the usual cynics of the Administration,� Panelo said in a statement. “The events that led to the present circumstances of these personalities are products of their own doing which all took place prior to the assumption of PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] to the presidential seat,� he added. He noted the following points:
De Lima was the secretary of the Department of Justice when the drugs in the New Bilibid Prison proliferated, allegedly with her participation. Sereno did not provide copies of her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) when she applied as Chief Justice during the administration of President Benigno Aquino III and Ressa did not pay the correct taxes and published libelous articles against a private citizen before Duterte’s presidency. Panelo said the Duterte administration should not be blamed for enforcing the law “more rigorously� and if its critics “have issues following the law.� “The fact that Senator de Lima, Atty. Sereno and Ms. Ressa are critics of the Administration is of
no moment and absolutely unrelated to the criminal charges they are facing,� he said. According to him, Filipinos are no longer fooled by “political dramas “concocted� by the administration’s critics who then resort to international groups who are “clueless� of the real situation in the country and “gullibly� lend their names to “such unworthy cases.� Panelo directed a message to Forst, saying: “The UN Special Rapporteur should — and must — consciously, efficiently and thoroughly verify the facts and circumstances surrounding the aforementioned personalities before reports on their situation are published so as not to stain the integrity and credibility of his office.� n
Dengvaxia permanently banned...
PAGE A1 lations� which was the reason for the cancellation of Dengvaxia’s CPRs. “Its brazen defiance of FDA’s directives and its continued failure to comply leaves us no other recourse but to impose the maximum penalty of revocation of the CPRs covering the Dengvaxia products,� she said. Puno added that with the revocation of the Dengvaxia’s CPRs, “it is unlawful to import, sell or distribute the products� in the country.
Dengvaxia’s CPRs were first suspended in December 2017. The FDA imposed a year-long suspension after its failure to submit “post-marketing authorization requirements.� A year later, Sanofi still had not complied with the requirements, leading to an order released by the FDA on Dec. 21, 2018 for the company to “immediately surrender the Original CPRs of Dengue Tetravalent (Live Attenuated) (Dengvaxia MD) and Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine (Live Attenuated) (Dengvaxia) upon receipt of
the Order.� Dengvaxia’s permanent ban was welcomed by the Department of Health (DOH), saying it really did not expect Dengvaxia to make a comeback. DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo, in an interview, maintained that they have “always agreed that will be the direction to go� because they have always felt that “the product that was sold to us was without complete information.� He also said that the period for Sanofi to file an appeal has already lapsed. n
DOT relaunches PH tourism... PAGE A1 and videos. She also said that the campaign’s popularity has brought millions to the Philippines and prompted the dissemination of photos, videos, and comments online showing why “It’s more fun in the Philippines.� “This [is] a campaign by the tourists. It will focus mainly on real people and real experiences as more travelers become conscious about their ecological footprints and cultures they are consuming and wanting to know how they can give back,� Puyat said. The tourism campaign was first launched in 2012. It was met
new one, said, “I actually believe in continuity. In other countries, they never change their campaign. In Malaysia, it’s been ‘Malaysia Truly Asia.’ In India, it’s been ‘Incredible India.’ I am the third Tourism secretary to use the hashtag. I believe it’s because it works. The Philippines has embraced the hashtag. We’ve made it our own. Why not continue what’s good?â€? Giving back For every post on the internet, the government will be donating $10 dollars to the international World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a bid to preserve beaches mountains and wildlife in the country, according to Puyat. “It’s but fitting that whatever we pay, it goes back to the environment as we promote sustainability,â€? she said. Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo AĂąo, for his part, said the government would strike a balance between visitor demand and protecting the environment to avoid a repeat of what happened to Boracay. “We have to strike a balance between business opportunities and responsibilities to our environment. If we don’t take care of the environment there will be no tourist destinations,â€? said AĂąo The composite photo shows the old and new “It’s More Fun in the Philippinesâ€? logos of the during the launch press conferDepartment of Tourism. Photos courtesy of DOT ence. n with mixed response from netizens, with some pointing out that the tagline was ripped off from a 1951 Swiss tourism slogan. The improved ad gave up the Harabara font for the new Barabara font, based on the jeepney signage typography. The font will be open sourced and available for download by anyone to create their Philippine tourism content. The new ad also brandishes a new logo — a weave of local textiles in different colors that represent “uniquely Filipino products.â€? Puyat, when asked why she has decided to continue the campaign instead of embarking on a
FOOD, WOOD, INCOME PROJECT. Social Welfare and Development Secretary Joselito Rolando Bautista (left), and Tarlac Heritage Foundation cofounder, Dr. Isa Suntay (right), lead the ribbon cutting ceremony during the launching of Hardin ng Lunas: Food, Wood, and Income project, which features the pre-planted site in the rolling hills of the 3MECH infantry Battalion area in San Jose, Tarlac on Tuesday, February 19. The activity is part of their commitment to provide nutritional and organic produce for the health and welfare of military personnel, their dependents and the communities that they serve. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Supreme Court dismisses petitions against...
PAGE A1 He also argued that the Congress had the power to determine the sufficiency of the factual basis for the extension of martial law. Moreover, the president’s declaration of of martial law, concurred in by Congress, is beyond judicial review. According to new SC spokesman Brian Keith Hosaka, the nine magistrates who voted for the dismissal of the petitions were Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Mariano del Castillo, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Andres Reyes Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando and Rosmari Carandang. The four dissenters, meanwhile, were Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. A “rubber stampâ€? for MalacaĂąang The announcement of SC’s decision was immediately met with flak from different party-list groups. Neri Colmenares, chair of Bayan Muna, said, “The Supreme Court has once again stretched the boundaries of judicial interpretation by upholding Congress’ approval of President Rodrigo Duterte’s extension of martial law in Mindanao. It paves the way for imposing martial law nationwide even if there is no threat to public safety.â€? Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas called the SC an AFP appendage, saying, “Where will Filipino women and the people turn to for justice and accountability during these dark times of impunity if the Supreme Court itself is already an appendage of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its commander-in-chief?â€?
LEGAL NOTICE CITY OF HENDERSON 2019 MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Henderson Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, April 2, IRU WKH IROORZLQJ RIÂżFHV City Council Ward I Eddie “Fighterâ€? Hamilton Michelle Romero Danny A. Vella Nathan Conrad Rocky Ortega City Council Ward II Dan K Shaw Ernest R. Caalim City Council Ward IV Dan H. Stewart Curt “Bigâ€? Easley Municipal Court Judge, Department I Mark Stevens Regina “Ginaâ€? McConnell FURTHER, ELECTION DAY VOTE CENTERS are being utilized countywide for the 2019 Henderson Municipal Election. If you are registered to vote within the city boundaries of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, or North Las Vegas, you may vote at any Election Day Vote Center of your choice. You no longer have to go to a Vote Center within your own city. Instead, you may choose the most convenient Vote Center IRU \RX 7R ÂżQG QHDUE\ VLWHV RQ (OHFWLRQ 'D\ JR WR ZZZ 9RWH+HQGHUVRQ19 FRP ON ELECTION DAY – APRIL 2 – VOTE CENTERS WILL BE OPEN FROM 7AM-7PM. VOTE CENTERS LOCATED IN HENDERSON INCLUDE: Black Mountain Recreation Center 599 Greenway Road Henderson, NV 89015 Galleria at Sunset Lower Level, Kohl’s Court 1300 West Sunset Road Henderson, NV 89014 Green Valley Library 2797 North Green Valley Parkway Henderson, NV 89014 Henderson City Hall 2IÂżFH RI WKH &LW\ &OHUN VW )ORRU 240 South Water Street Henderson, NV 89015 Henderson Multigenerational Center 250 South Green Valley Parkway Henderson, NV 89012 Heritage Park Senior Facility 300 South Racetrack Road Henderson, NV 89015 Robert and Sandy Ellis Elementary School 3200 Artella Avenue Henderson, NV 89044 Sun City Anthem Center 2450 Hampton Road Henderson, NV 89052 Sun City MacDonald Ranch 2020 West Horizon Ridge Parkway Henderson, NV 89012 MAIL PRECINCTS Mail precincts have been eliminated for the 2019 Municipal Election. All Henderson registered voters have the opportunity to vote at any Vote Center, Early Voting site or by requesting a mail ballot. Dated this 20th day of February, 2019 _______________________________________________ SABRINA MERCADANTE, MMC, CITY CLERK sabrina.mercadante@cityofhenderson.com 702-267-1414
Kabataan said the SC had reduced itself into a “rubber stampâ€? for MalacaĂąang with its decision. “Once again, the [Supreme Court] as the rubber stamp of Duterte’s antipeople tyranny has declared the constitutionality of a third martial law extension in Mindanao, no matter how more and more absurd it is getting,â€? the group stated. Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano took a jab at the Supreme Court by saying it “bowed down to the whims of the Executive branch.â€? “Where is our independent Supreme Court? Instead of being a vanguard of justice and rationality, the Supreme Court has shown otherwise,â€? he added. Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) maintained that there was no basis to declare the third extension as constitutional. “The only terrorism still lurking in [Mindanao] is state terrorism, brought by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, paramilitary forces and the Philippine National Police who drive lumad children out of their schools, illegally detain people without warrants of arrest, charge them with trumped-up cases and tag them as terrorists,â€? ACT Rep. Antonio Tinio said. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) also spoke against SC’s decision, saying that upholding the legality of the third extension of martial law in Mindanao would lead to more abuses by government forces. “By upholding the third extension of martial law, the Supreme Court has further emboldened the military and police personnel who are daily committing abuses of power,â€? said CCP in a statement. “With this decision, the Su-
preme Court has once again demonstrated its servility to the tyrannical Duterte regime,â€? it added. Palace “pleasedâ€? MalacaĂąang, on the other hand, said it was “pleasedâ€? with the ruling. “We are also pleased to note that the executive, legislative and the judiciary are on the same page in quelling the rebellion as well as combatting and dissipating terroristic acts destructive to lives and properties unleashed by ruthless and barbaric local and foreign armed lawless elements,â€? presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. “As we fast track the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi and promote security and peace and order in Mindanao, we ask the Filipino nation not to waver in their support for our Republic’s defenders,â€? he added. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, thanked the Supreme Court for agreeing with the government. “[Martial law] has and will continue to greatly help our counterterrorism [operations] and fight against rebellious forces in Mindanao,â€? Lorenzana said. Martial law in Mindanao was first declared by Duterte on May 23, 2017 after the ISIS-inspired Maute group laid siege to Marawi City. Despite the liberation of Marawi five months later, Duterte still extended military rule in Mindanao up to the end of 2017 and then up to the end of 2018 to enable the military to finish the remnants of the terror groups that seized Marawi. Both extensions were approved by the Congress. In December, Congress approved Duterte’s request for a third extension of martial law. n
NOTICE OF MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION CITY OF BOULDER CITY, STATE OF NEVADA ON TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, April DW ZKLFK HOHFWLRQ WKHUH ZLOO EH VXEPLWWHG WR WKH GXO\ TXDOLÂżHG HOHFWRUV SURSHUO\ UHJLVWHUHG RI %RXOGHU &LW\ WKH IROORZLQJ FDQGLGDWHV IRU WKH RIÂżFH RI 0D\RU Warren C. Harhay Kiernan McManus Rod Woodbury &RXQFLO PHPEHU James Howard Adams Claudia Bridges Judy Dechaine Brent Foutz Peggy Leavitt Trenton Motley Rich Shuman Tom Tyler FURTHER, the Municipal Primary Election on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, will be conducted in the manner as provided by the election laws of the State of Nevada and the City of Boulder City. Vote at any of the 33 Vote Center locations on (OHFWLRQ 'D\ 7R ÂżQG 9RWH &HQWHU VLWHV JR WR www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote for a link to an interactive, mobile device enabled Vote Center map. Polls will be open IURP D P WR S P DW DOO VLWHV 9RWH &HQWHUV LQ %RXOGHU &LW\ DUH DW WKH IROORZLQJ ORFDWLRQV Boulder City Recreation Center 900 Arizona Street Boulder City, Nevada Martha P. King Elementary 888 S. Adams Boulevard Boulder City, Nevada Aides for handicapped persons and persons 65 years of age or older will be available at each vote center. For visually impaired voters, audio voting is available during the early voting period at City Hall and on Election Day at any vote center. $EVHQW EDOORW UHTXHVW FDUGV DUH DYDLODEOH DW WKH %RXOGHU &LW\ &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH IRU said Primary Election, and all written requests for absent ballots must be received DW WKH &ODUN &RXQW\ (OHFWLRQ 'HSDUWPHQW QR ODWHU WKDQ 0DUFK DW S P Municipal Primary Election early voting is March 16 (Saturday) to March 29 (Friday). <RX PD\ YRWH EHIRUH (OHFWLRQ 'D\ DW DQ\ HDUO\ YRWLQJ VLWH RI \RXU FKRLFH 7R ÂżQG sites during early voting, go to www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote. Early voting will be conducted in the Boulder City Council Chambers, 401 CaliforQLD $YHQXH DV IROORZV Wednesday & Thursday Friday & Saturday
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DATELINE USA
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 21-27, 2019
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California sues Trump administration over... PAGE A1 By declaring a national emergency, Trump has special powers that could divert taxpayer funds from other federal budgets to pay for the construction of the wall. “Today, on Presidents’ Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of presidential power,” Becerra said in a statement, adding that Trump is “willing to manipulate the Office of the Presidency to engage in unconstitutional theater performed to convince his audience that he is committed to his ‘beautiful border wall.’” “President Trump treats the rule of law with utter contempt,” Becerra said. “He knows there is no border crisis. He knows his emergency declaration is unwarranted, and he admits that he will likely lose this case in court.” The plaintiffs allege that Trump’s justification for the na-
tional emergency is rooted in the paranoia of a “hyped crisis,” according to Becerra. Previously, Trump and his administration have maintained that the number of prospective immigrants arriving at the southern border from Central America are a threat to national security. “Unlawful southern border entries are at their lowest point in 20 years, immigrants are less likely than native-born citizens to commit crimes and illegal drugs are more likely to come through official ports of entry,” Becerra explained. On Friday, Feb. 15 when Trump officially announced the national emergency at the White House, Trump indicated that he’s not backing down and is ready and willing to take the issue up to the Supreme Court if need be. “They will sue us in the 9th Circuit,” the president told re-
porters at the White House Rose Garden. “We will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court.” In addition to California, the 15 other states suing the administration include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Virginia. As previously reported by the Asian Journal, Trump’s declaration of a national emergency came at the heels of an agreement between the White House and Congress to stop a second government shutdown. Friday’s government spending bill included $1.375 billion for the wall and border security, but that fell short of the $5.7 billion he requested. (Klarize MedenilGARLIC PEELING IN BASECO. Tears and sweat mix painfully while peeling garlic but it’s one of the liveliest livelihood in BASECO, particularly in la/AJPress)
Senators eye first daughter Sara Duterte... PAGE A1
for the masses and, of course, she has a mentor – who better to mentor her than President Duterte?” Angara said as reported by The Philippine Star. Angara said that the Davao City mayor’s attendance to HNP rallies would serve as her training ground in order to become the leader that is familiar with the issues and struggles of the Filipino people. “Mayor Sara has the training, experience, savvy and going around the country with HNP will only give her a better perspective on the country’s problems,” the re-electionist senator said as reported by Manila Standard. The senatorial candidate also foreshadowed the possibility that Duterte-Carpio would skip right to the presidency from a mayoral position since she has the “makings of a good president.” “I think nothing’s impossible now. Because President Duterte broke the barrier. He was the first mayor to go straight to (the) president. Usually, you pass through the Senate first. So it’s not unheard of for a local official to become president,” he said. Another senatorial candidate Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito described the presidential daughter as “principled, intelligent and firm.” He said, “These
are good qualities of a great leader. Not to mention she has the charm.” Both Angara and Ejercito were among the 13 senatorial candidates endorsed by the first daughter’s regional political party, the HNP. The rest includes Koko Pimentel, Cynthia Villar, Pia Cayetano, Bong Revilla, Francis Tolentino, Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa, Zajid Mangudadatu, Jiggy Manicad, Imee Marcos and Jinggoy Estrada. Aside from the mentioned senatorial candidates, other senators also expressed their approval of another Duterte taking the presidential seat. Senator Panfilo Lacson picked Duterte-Carpio as his “top choice” among the “young emerging leaders” to become the country’s next chief executive. The senator also boasted of the presidential daughter’s “good leadership qualities.” “Just like what I’ve said during a news forum—among the young emerging leaders, Mayor Sara Duterte is somebody we may be looking at,” Lacson said as he described Sara Duterte as “strong-willed, stern, vibrant, and progressive-minded.” However, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that it is too soon to talk about the presidential elections during the campaign period for the senatorial and local bid. He said that the
Davao City mayor’s reluctance is understandable. “Many things can still happen. The political landscape sees major changes after the midterm elections. So, it’s better if the issue will be ventilated after 2019 (senatorial and local elections),” Sotto said. Sara Duterte focuses on HNP campaign Despite talks of her possible presidential bid, the young Duterte seemed to focus more on campaigning for her Senate slate. Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday, February 19, went to Isabela province for a campaign caravan in Santiago City. “Ang kailangan kasi namin ngayon ay madaming madaming madaming kaibigan para tumulong sa mga senators, so ayan ‘yung hinahanap namin sa buong bansa ngayon, mga kaibigan ng Hugpong ng Pagbabago (What we really need now are lots and lots and lots of friends to help our senatorial line-up. So that’s what we’re looking for across the country, friends of Hugpong ng Pagbabago),” Duterte-Carpio said as reported by Rappler. She also went on a “spiritual journey” as she stopped by seven churches from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Santiago, Isabela with her Yamaha XSR900 motorcycle dubbed as “Ella” to “pray for the success of all HNP candidates.” ■
Brgy. Gasangan, Tondo, as shown in this photo taken on Monday, February 18. Garlic peeling has no other rival but fishing. Most housewives grin and bear the daily grind of garlic peeling to supplement the meager income of their fisherman-husbands. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
‘US-Philippines alliance key to regional security’ by JAIME LAUDE Philstar.com
IN the wake of the developing security landscape in the South and East China Seas, a visiting U.S. Marine commander emphasized the importance of U.S.-Philippine relations to the Indo-Pacific region. Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) commander, pointed this out during his series of meetings with key military and security officials. The U.S. embassy said Craparotta had a meeting with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal and Philippine Marine commander Maj. Gen. Alvin Parreno. They discussed the partnership of the U.S. Marine Corps and the AFP. “This week we are here to focus on training, readiness and interoperability, not just for today and 2020, but really for the future… This is a long and lasting critical partnership for the region,” Craparotta said. He said discussions also centered on future launching of joint Marine exercises in the country. Parreno, for his part, assured Craparotta the Philippine Marines
have always been ready and responsive to address the defense and security challenges of the Pacific region. “Discussed topics also strengthened the trust and confidence that we have and promote mutual security interests as well as contributing to global and security, peace security and stability,” Parreno said. Craparotta’s visit to the Philippines, his first since taking command of the MARFORPAC in August last year, is also to frame future engagements of US and Philippine Marines in the country. ■
US police remain blank on alleged killer of Fil-Am in Chicago by FAYE
ORELLANA Inquirer.net
THE Chicago police remain blank concerning the identity of the perpetrator behind the death of Filipino-American Anthony del Barrio nearly a month after the incident transpired, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday, February 16. The DFA said that according to the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, the case of 30-
year-old Del Barrio is still under investigation. Del Barrio was found dead between two houses in the Village of Morton Grove on January 20. He succumbed to a single bullet wound. The police are ruling that the cause of death was homicide and they are still establishing leads to crack the case, the DFA said. Based on inquiries done by the Philippine Consulate before the Filipino community in Chicago, Del Barrio was a third
generation Filipino-American born and raised in the United States. No passport or dual citizenship record of Del Barrio or any member of his family was also found by the authorities. The DFA extended its condolences to the family of Del Barrio following his death. The department also asked the public to coordinate with the authorities in Chicago for any possible information related to Del Barrio’s death. ■
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Marawi not a ‘ghost city’, Washington Post article ‘not true’ – task force head by Daphne
Galvez Inquirer.net
THE Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) on Tuesday, February 19, disputed a news article, claiming war-torn Marawi City remains a “ghost town” more than a year after the military dislodged Islamic State-inspired Maute group in the area. TFBM chairman Eduardo del Rosario asserted Marawi City is currently “alive and booming” and “full of economic activity” contrary to a Washington Post article published February 1, which stated “Marawi looks almost as it did when the bombs and bullets stopped flying in October 2017.” The news article noted that no new structure has been built and debris has not been cleared in Marawi City since the war ended. Marawi City served as battleground for five months between the armed forces and Maute group, which attempted to establish a caliphate there. “Wala pong katotohanan itong lumabas sa Washington Post,”
Del Rosario said in a press briefing. “We would just like to say the reality on the ground na ito ay walang katugmang nangyayari on the ground na ghost city siya but instead it’s full of economic activity, (We would just like to say the reality on the ground here is not similar to what is happening on the ground as a ghost city but instead it’s full of economic activity),” he added. Del Rosario further said: “Ang Marawi city ngayon (Marawi today), if you will go there, mahihirapan kang makarating hanggang sa (you will find it hard to get to until to the) center of the city dahil napakagrabe ng traffic (because of the terrible traffic).” “Business activities, economic activities, and movement of people. So many vehicles ang nagpupunta na sa Marawi city and this triggers economic activity,” he also said. Maute group led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute and assisted by a faction of the Abu Sayyaf group under Isnilon Hapilon started their siege of Marawi
City on May 23, 2017. This triggered an armed conflict that lasted for five months. President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi City “liberated from terrorist influence” on October 17, 2017. According to Del Rosario, the Washington Post article “overly dramatized negatively” the current situation in Marawi City. He underscored that the mostdevastated area in the city was only 250 hectares as opposed to the city’s total area of 8,000 hectares. “If the writer of the article was referring to the most-affected area, that is only 250 hectares and that was devastated during the siege for five months,” Del Rosario said. “And 250 hectares is just .03 percent of the total area of 8,000 hectares. Mukhang masyadong na-dramatize negatively (ang situation) (It seems like they dramatized negatively [the situation]),” he added. Del Rosario said efforts to rehabilitate and reconstruct Marawi are still ongoing. n
Hermogenes Esperon: ‘Increase of US navigation patrols no problem’ by Jaime lauDe Philstar.com
THE Philippines has no problem with the plan of the United States to increase its Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) in the South China Sea with partners and treaty allies, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said. “If the U.S., United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, France and New Zealand and even India would want to patrol the South China Sea, then that is alright with us if the only intent is to show freedom of navigation,” Esperon said Monday, February 18. However, if the intention is to go near contested areas, Esperon said then the operations could only spark more tension. Early this week, two U.S. guided-missile destroyers – USS Spruance and USS Preble – sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese occupied Panganiban (Mischief) Reef. Now a heavily fortified Chinese
military base in the disputed region, Panganiban Reef is located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing denounced the latest U.S. Navy’s action, calling it a violation of China’s maritime and territorial rights in the region. A senior U.S. Navy official earlier said more FONOPs would be launched in the near future with treaty allies. Britain had earlier announced plans to deploy its new aircraft carrier to the South China Sea. While any nation may send ships to the South China Sea, Esperon said it would be best if military deployments are reduced. “Since nobody is prohibiting anyway any ships from sailing in the South China Sea, then I believe that it would be better if we reduce the number of military deployments. Admittedly, it becomes very unbalanced because China itself has deployed
not only the Navy but its coast guard and civilian water craft,” he said. He also said his office is now studying the viability of internationalizing all the features in disputed waters to allow all countries access to these areas. Esperon made his position known following Beijing’s announcement of its setting up of a maritime rescue center on Kagitingan Reef. He said he hopes an “internationalization” of contested areas would also pave the way for demilitarization. For instance, Esperon said he is not against having visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia and other neighboring countries, including China, to the Philippineoccupied Pag-asa Island. Told that such development would weaken the Philippine territorial and maritime position over the Kalayaan Island Group, he reiterated that the administration is not surrendering an inch of the country’s territory. n
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File photo shows Jessica Caloza (center), director of scheduling for LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, leading a panel of local Fil-Am elected officials during the NaFFAA Civic Leadership Forum in Dec. 2018. On Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, Garcetti nominated Caloza to the city’s Board of Public Works. AJPress photo by Noel Ty
Los Angeles Mayor nominates Fil-Am Jessica Caloza to LA Board of Public Works by AJPress LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Friday, February 15 that he is nominating a high-ranking Filipina American in City Hall to fill the vacant Board of Public Works seat. Jessica Caloza, who has been the mayor’s director of scheduling since 2017, has been selected to be the next Public Works commissioner. If confirmed by City Council, she would be the first Pinay in this position. The seat was previously held by Fil-Am community leader Joel Jacinto, who resigned in January. “Jessica is an experienced public policy expert with a proven record of standing up for people in our community— from advocating for students to fighting for immigrants’ rights,” Garcetti said in a release on Friday. “She will serve Angelenos with
dedication, drive, and integrity on the Board of Public Works.” The Board of Public Works is comprised of a five-member full-time executive team that oversees projects and programs across the city that “enhance the quality of life, economic growth, public health, and the environment to all Angelenos.” Currently, Caloza oversees the mayor’s entire scheduling operation — including strategic planning, day-to-day logistics, and coordination. She served previously as deputy director of scheduling, and came to the Mayor’s Executive Office from the Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she managed policy proposals, grant programs, and civic engagement initiatives focused on expanding access to resources for immigrant communities. Prior to joining the Garcetti administration, Caloza served in the Obama administration as a policy analyst in the Depart-
ment of Education — where she worked on Congressional and legislative affairs, student data and privacy, and gender equity issues. She has also been a campaign aide for several members of Congress, including former Rep. Xavier Becerra, California’s current Attorney General. Outside of government, Caloza currently serves on the Leadership Council for the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE). In 2014, she was also selected as one of 10 delegates for the Filipino Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro), an immersive leadership program led by the Ambassador of the Philippines. Caloza previously served on the boards of KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress, the FYLPro Executive Committee, and the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition. A first-generation immigrant, Caloza is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. n
American priest arrested anew for abusing 50 more victims, mostly altar boys by Cathrine
Gonzales Inquirer.net
A ROMAN Catholic priest, initially detained for sexual abuse, was arrested again Tuesday, February 19, for allegedly molesting over 50 other victims – including altar boys as young as seven years old. Authorities arrested Father Kenneth Pius Hendricks more than two months after he was first detained at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) detention cell in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for sexual abuse. Hendricks was initially arrested on December 5, 2018 in Biliran province by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by a United
States District Court for Ohio on November 11, 2018 for “engaging in illicit sex with a minor in a foreign country.” Police, however, served Tuesday another five warrants of arrest against the priest for allegedly molesting more victims, who are mostly altar boys. Police said the victims, who were previously afraid to report to authorities due to apparent grave threats from Hendricks, only had the courage to come out after learning that the priest has already been arrested by immigration authorities. The five warrants of arrest were issued by Biliran Regional Trial Court Branch 16 for acts of lasciviousness and child abuse
charges against Hendricks. Hendricks’ second arrest was a joint effort of the Regional Special Operations Unit (RSOU) of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), BI’s Fugitive Search Unit, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He would be transferred from the BI detention facility to RSOU jail. According to police, Hendricks came to the Philippines from Cincinnati in Ohio, U.S. in 1968. Upon arrival to the country, he was ordained as priest in the Franciscan Order and practiced his vocation at the St. Isidore the Worker Chapel at Talustosan Village in Biliran province. n
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Authorities arrested Father Kenneth Pius Hendricks more than two months after he was first detained at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) detention cell in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for sexual abuse. NCRPO photo
Former Fil-Am MTV VJ and son experience... PAGE A1 Panelo, well-known for being among the funniest video jockeys on MTV in the early 2000s, was getting coffee with her son in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Playa Vista, California when a woman approached them and began making racist remarks. “What are you? He doesn’t even look human,” shouted the woman in the video. “Get off our street. You do not belong in Playa Vista.” Panelo, who remained calm throughout the incident, asked the woman if she was okay. The woman replied, “No, I’m not. We don’t want you here. This is our street. Leave us alone.” She continued, “We pay $10,000 a month keep you out.” What was caught on video apparently didn’t catch all that was said. Panelo told the Asian Journal that off camera, the woman reportedly kept asking them what mix they were, and kept calling them ugly, poor, and subhuman. “Frankly, my son and I were in shock,” Panelo said in an in-
terview. She said that she and her son frequently go to the coffee shop and have never had anything like this happen before. “We have never encountered anything quite like it and we were quite unprepared and put off guard,” said Panelo. Following the incident, Panelo and her son naturally talked about what had just happened. “The conversation with my son at first started out with how unbelievable it was and we discussed all the smart, witty things we could have said,” she said, adding that they tried to lighten up the situation with some joking around. “But then the conversation turned serious and we discussed how potentially volatile it could have been and the risk of escalation involving law enforcement was a reality,” said Panelo. “That scared us.” In the video, the lady walks up close to Panelo’s car, which had its windows opened. But Panelo didn’t let the encounter dampen their day and
instead saw it as a teachable moment to reflect on. Panelo said her son turned to her and told her how eye-opening the experience was for him. “We discussed how there are people in the world that experience racism and harassment regularly and how that must crush their spirit. We talked a bit about the complicated history of race in American and explored why and how it persists,” said Panelo. Talking to kids about the issues of racism is something Panelo encourages all parents to do. “I would say to parents to not wait for an incident, a tweet, or a comment on social media to finally be the reason you discuss this as a family. Find out what they are teaching your kids in school. What are they leaving out of history?” Panelo suggested. She added, “Be involved in the community, vote, and purposefully surround yourself with those who aren’t like you. An inclusive world view comes from living outside a bubble.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARy 21-27, 2019
(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com
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Dateline PDOH:hiliPPines Measles outbreak could affect tourism, OFWs by AJPress
CATRIONA DOLLS. Alvin Ocampo, 25, shows off his doll images of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, wearing the famous ‘lava’ gown and national costume that she donned during the Miss Universe pageant. Gray will have her homecoming parade later this week. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
Duterte signs 20 new laws, including lifetime cellphone number by Nathalie
Robles
AJPress
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Tuesday, February 19, that he has signed a total of 20 laws including the Mobile Number Portability Act that would permit “qualified subscribers” to keep their mobile number should they decide to change their network provider. The newly signed law, otherwise known as the Republic Act 11202 or the Lifetime Cellphone Number Act, mandates public telecommunication entities (PTEs) to have the mobile number portability (MNP) feature accessible among all users. PTEs are also ordered to transfer their subscribers to their chosen PTE free of charge. The fine for violating such law ranges from P10,000 to one million in fines and revocation of telecommunication franchise. Human Settlements Department Duterte also signed the law establishing the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), an agency that would address concerns
regarding housing, human settlement and urban development. The said department merged two other agencies—Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). Under the law, the DHSUD has administrative supervision over National Housing Authority (NHA), National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC). Other national laws Four other national laws were signed by the president, including the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act, the National Integrated Cancer Control Act, the Philippine Sports Training Center Act and the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act. Republic Act 11188 is said to mandate the prevention of the “recruitment, re-recruitment, use, displacement of, or grave child rights violations against children involved in armed conflict, taking into considerations their gender, cultural, ethnic and religious
background.” “(The Act serves as a protection for) children in situations of armed conflict from all forms of abuse, violence, neglect, cruelty, discrimination and other conditions prejudicial to their development,” the law stated as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer. National Integrated Cancer Control Program, on one hand, seeks to provide “affordable and accessible” medical treatment by strengthening cancer control policies, programs, systems, interventions and services at all levels of the existing health care delivery system.” The Philippine Sports Training Center Act, on the other, provides a P3.5 billion funding for the 18month construction of a center “suitable and conducive to highlevel training of athletes, coaches and referees.” While the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act mandate a national counseling program to be administered by the Department of Education. Holiday declarations and franchise grants Two holiday declarations were PAGE A7
THE Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, February 19, said that the measles outbreak in the country could negatively affect the tourism and overseas labor sectors if not contained as soon as possible. Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo revealed that foreign countries are necessarily bound to issue travel advisories once another country poses danger among their residents. “If we fail to control the outbreak, you can’t stop other countries from giving travel advisories for their nationals not to go to the Philippines because of the measles epidemic,” Domingo said as reported by The Philippine Star. The health undersecretary noted that such an issue would be problematic for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) since they need to secure medical clearance before they are permitted to work abroad. “Other possible consequences are Filipinos, including overseas workers, may be restricted to travel to other countries or will be asked to provide additional requirements such as vaccination
ANG PAUNAWA NA ITO AY IBINIBIGAY na ang Lungsod ng North Las Vegas Pangunahing Halalan ay gaganapin sa Martes, Ika-2ng Abril, 2019 para sa mga sumusunod na tanggapan: MIYEMBRO KOSEHO NG LUNGSOD PUROK 2 4-NA TAONG TERMINO Pamela Goynes-Brown Christopher Burns MIYEMBRO KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD PUROK 4 4-NA TAONG TERMINO Richard Cherchio Dawn Rierson Lamont Riley Zachary Robbins Pete Shields George H. Warner
by Ritchel
MeNdiola AJPress
PRESIDENTIAL Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on Monday, February 18, said key officials from the Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) are in Europe for the Press Freedom Caravan. He said those officials will use their time there to clarify issues confronting the government such as involuntary disappearances and anti-communist terrorist groups, as well as tell the European media groups that Rappler CEO Maria Ressa’s arrest over cyber libel charges is not an attack on Philippine press freedom. “Eh dinadala natin iyong Press Freedom Caravan para maintindihan nila, para maliwanagan sila sa kaso ni Maria Ressa. (We are bringing this Press Freedom Caravan there so they will understand, so they will be enlightened
LUNGSOD NG NORTH LAS VEGAS MGA LUGAR NANG MAAGANG BOTOHAN BUKAS SA BUONG 2 LINGGO
LUNGSOD NG LAS VEGAS MUNISIPAL PANGUNAHING HALALAN
ORAS
LUGAR
9:00 NU – 6:00 NG
(Treyler sa Paradahan) Craig/Losee
Miyerkules at Huwebes Ika-20ng Marso – Ika-21ng Marso
11:00 NU – 7:00 NG
Alexander Library
Biyernes at Sabado Ika-22ng Marso – Ika-23ng Marso
KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD PUROK 1
KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD PUROK 3
KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD-PUROK 5
9:00 NU – 5:00 NG
Alexander Library
Linggo at Lunes Ika-24ng Marso – Ika-25ng Marso
9:00 NU – 6:00 NG
Deer Springs Town Center
9:00 NU – 6:00 NG
Silver Mesa Recreation Ctr.
Huwebes at Biyernes Ika-28ng Marso – Ika-29ng Marso
Aaron Bautista Melissa Clary Mingo Collaso Olivia Diaz Ruben Kihuen David A. Lopez Shawn Mooneyham
Cedric R. Crear Henry “Hen-Hen” Thorns Derek Washington
Martes at Miyerkules Ika-26ng Marso – Ika-27ng Marso
9:00 NU – 6:00 NG
SkyView Recreation Ctr. YMCA
Robert Blakely Drew P. Dondero Amy Emanuel Jesse “Jake” Holder Brian Knudsen Dean Lauer Dave Marlon Robin Munier Sherman Ray Margarita Velazquez Rebollal
Lowe’s
1755 W. Alexander Rd
1755 W. Alexander Rd
(Treyler sa Paradahan) N. 5th St./Deer Springs Way
4025 Allen Ln
3050 E. Centennial Pkwy
MANLILIBAN NA BALOTA MGA KAHILINGAN NA TARHETA ay maaaring makuha sa North Las Vegas Tanggapan ng Lungsod ng Kawani para sa nasabing Pangunahing Halalan, sa 2250 Las Vegas Blvd North, Suite 800, North Las Vegas, Nevada, 89030, o tumawag sa (702) 633-1030. Lahat nang mga nakasulat na kahilingan para sa manliliban na balota ay dapat maisagawa sa 5:00 n.h. sa Martes, Ika-26ng Marso, 2019. ANG PANGUNAHING HALALAN ay naka takda sa Martes, Ika-2ng Abril, 2019 ay gaganapin sa pamamaraan alinsunod sa batas ng Estado ng Nevada at North Las Vegas. Ang mga botante ay hindi na kinakailangang bumoto sa isang nakatakadang lugar ng botohan sa loob ng kanilang distrito. Sa halip, ang mga botante ay maaaring bumoto sa kahit na saang lugar ng botohan sa North Las Vegas o Lalalawigan ng Clark sentro nang botohan na lokasyon kasama na rin ang mga nasa Boulder City, Henderson o Las Vegas; tignan ang halimbawang balota para sa mga petsa, oras at iba pang lokasyon. Ang mga Lugar nang Botohan ay magbubukas sa 7:00 n.u hanggang 7:00 n.g. sa mga sumusunod na lugar:
Sentro nang Botohan
Kinaroroonan
Elizabeth Wilhelm Elementary School
609 W. Alexander Rd, North Las Vegas, NV 89032
H. P. Fitzgerald Elementary School
2651 Revere St, North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Don E. Hayden Elementary School
150 W. Rome Blvd, North Las Vegas, NV 89084
Lowe’s (Treyler sa Paradahan)
2570 East Craig Rd, North Las Vegas, NV 89030
PETSA
ORAS
LUGAR
9:00 NU – 5:00 NH
Linggo hanggang Martes Ika-17ng Marso – Ika-19ng Marso
SARADO
Sun City Aliante Community Center (Treyler sa Paradahan)
7390 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, NV 89084
Miyerkules at Huwebes Ika-20ng Marso – Ika-21ng Marso
11:00 NU – 7:00 NG
Theron L. Swainston Middle School
3500 W. Gilmore Ave, North Las Vegas, NV 89032
Aliante Library
9:00 NU – 5:00 NH
Linggo hanggang Martes Ika-24ng Marso – Ika-26ng Marso
SARADO
Miyerkules at Huwebes Ika-27ng Marso – Ika-28ng Marso
11:00 NU – 7:00 NG
Biyernes Ika-29ng Marso
9:00 NU – 5:00 NH
2400 W. Deer Springs Way (@ North Aliante Parkway)
prompted several people to question its real intention. Senator Francis Pangilinan on Monday spoke up about the trip. “Why is the government suddenly interested in clearing its name before the international community on the arrest of Maria Ressa when before, it has ignored criticisms on extrajudicial killings as a result of the drug war?” he said. “Could it be that Secretary Andanar and the PCOO people just want a whiff of winter, thus, the sudden urge to go into this information caravan? How much is the PCOO spending for this trip in taxpayers’ money?” he added. Senator Grace Poe vocalized her concerns, as well. “Is it really necessary to spend people’s money on this? It is not enough that various officials have spoken about this issue? It’s also with the courts already so let’s just PAGE A7
PETSA
Sabado Ika-16ng Marso
Biyernes at Sabado Ika-22ng Marso – Ika-23ng Marso
about the case of Maria Ressa),” said Andanar on February 16 on Radyo Pilipinas. Ressa was arrested after office hours on Wednesday, February 13 at the Rappler office. The cyber libel case was brought about by a story published in May 2012 — four months before the law she allegedly violated was enacted. Andanar also explained that the caravan is a “side event” to official meetings with “officials from the EU Parliament, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, European Commission, and leaders of the Filipino community.” Officials included in the caravan traveling to Brussels, Bosnia, and Switzerland for the campaign are PCOO Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, and Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan. The Europe trip, however, has
Sabado hanggang Martes Ika-16ng Marso – Ika-19ng Marso
LUNGSOD NG NORTH LAS VEGAS 2019 SENTRO NANG BOTOHAN MGA LOKASYON*
Maagang Botohan ay magsisimula sa 9:00 nu sa Sabado, Ika-16ng Marso, 2019 at magsasara sa Biyernes, Ika-29ng Marso, 2019 sa 5:00 nh (maliban kung may iba na naka sulat) sa mga sumusunod na lugar:
added. Death toll reaches 146 As of February 18, there are a total of 146 deaths and over 9,200 cases - mostly affecting children. Cases were concentrated in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) with 2,310 cases; National Capital Region (NCR) with 1,937 cases and Central Luzon with 1,387. In an article from CNN Philippines, World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines medical officer Achyut Shrestha said that the outbreak also affects adolescent and adult populations. “Upon analyzing 2018 measles cases, 10 percent of the cases are in the age bracket of five years to 15 years and further 20 percent are from 15 years up to 40 plus years,” Shrestha said. “Whenever the unvaccinated under five years population reach a certain threshold due to continued vulnerability of higher age groups, Philippines experiences large measles outbreaks,” she added. Eliminate the outbreak by May Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the department plan to eliminate the epidemic by May 2019. He said PAGE A7
Lawmakers question PCOO Europe caravan intentions
LUNGSOD NG NORTH LAS VEGAS MGA KAPITBAHAYANG LUGAR NANG MAAGANG BOTOHAN
LEGAL NA PAUNAWA LUNGSOD NG NORTH LAS VEGAS 2019 MUNISIPAL NA PANGUNAHING HALALAN
records,” he added as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Domingo said that countries have been inquiring about the measles situation in the Philippines. Hong Kong, for instance, is particularly concerned due to the heavy tourist traffic in both areas and the 200,000 OFWs deployed there. “Hong Kong has been declared measles-free. They expressed their concern about the measles outbreak here. We have many Filipinos traveling to Hong Kong,” the undersecretary said. The health department Epidemiology Bureau together with the Bureau of Quarantine established health desks at major airports so that travelers and tourists could “voluntarily” walk in and sought for consultation should they feel sick. “The people should be responsible to have themselves voluntarily checked before leaving the country. Because if other countries have this bad experience from us, there could be repercussions,” Domingo said. “Sa mga tourist na papunta satin (To the incoming tourists), we want to assure them that everything is being done to contain the outbreaks and control it the soonest time possible,” he
Para sa karagdagang kaalaman, makipag ugnayan sa Lungsod ng North Las Vegas Tanggapan ng Kawani ng Lungsod (702) 633-1030, o sa Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa (702) 455-7871. *Ang mga lugar nang botahan ay batay na maaaring mapalitan. Dated: February 13, 2019 Catherine A. Raynor, MMC, City Clerk, City of North Las Vegas Inilathala Asian Journal: Ika-14 ng Pebrero at Ika-21 ng Pebrero, 2019
ANG ABISO NA ITO AY NAGBIBIGAY NANG KAALAMAN NA Ang lungsod ng Las Vegas Munisipal na Pangunahing Halalan ay gaganapin sa Martes,Ika-2 ng Abril, 2019 sa mga sumusunod na tanggapan:
ALKALDE Tina Rané Alexander Phil Collins Carolyn G. Goodman Zachary Krueger Amy Luciano Mack Miller Vance “Stretch” Sanders
KOREO/MANLILIBAN NA BALOTANG KAHILINGAN NA MGA TARHETA ay maaaring makuha sa Lalawigan ng Clark /Kagawaran ng Halalan, online sa sumusunod na website www.lasvegasnevada.gov/elections. Lahat ng mga kahilingan para sa koreo/manliliban na balota para sa Pangunahing Halalan ay dapat matanggap sa Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan, 965 Trade Drive, Ste. A, N. Las Vegas, Nevada 89303, sa 5:00 n.h. sa Martes, Ika-26 ng Marso, 2019. SA KARAGDAGAN, ANG PANGUNAHING HALALAN na naka takda sa Martes, Ika- 2 ng Abril , 2019 ay gaganapin sa pamamaraan na ibinigay sa pamamagitan ng batas sa halalan ng Estado ng Nevada at ang Lungsod ng Las Vegas. Mga Sentro nang Botohan ay magbubukas sa 7 n.u. hanggang 7 n.g. sa mga sumusunod na lugar: Albertsons – 1650 North Buffalo Drive Albertsons – 4850 West Craig Road Centennial Hills YMCA – 6601 North Buffalo Drive Las Vegas City Hall – 495 South Main Street Doolittle Community Center – 1950 J Street East Las Vegas Community Center – 250 North Eastern Avenue Kitty Ward Elementary – 5555 Horse Drive Meadows Mall – 4300 Meadows Lane Mountain Crest Community Center – 4701 North Durango Drive Mountain Shadows Community Center – 9107 Del Webb Boulevard Rainbow Library – 3150 North Buffalo Drive Sahara West Library – 9600 West Sahara Avenue Skye Center at Skye Canyon – 10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Drive Veterans Memorial – 101 North Pavilion Center Drive Bonanza High School – 6665 Del Rey Avenue William K. Moore Elementary – 491 North Lamb Boulevard Kung ikaw ay nakarehistro upang bumoto sa loob ng hagganan ng lungsod ng Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, o North Las Vegas, ikaw ay maaaring bumoto bago sa Araw ng Halalan sa kahit na saa’ng lugar ng maagang botohan na iyong napili. Hindi ka na kinakailanga’ng magpunta sa lugar na sinasakupan ng iyong lungsod. Sa halip, maaari ka nang pumili ng lugar na pinaka malapit sa iyo. Upang hanapin ang pinaka malapit na lugar para sa iyo sa araw ng maagang pagboto, maaaring pumunta sa www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/ vote/TAG para sa isang interaktibong pakikipagugnayan, na gumagana sa pamamagitan ng pag gamit ng mobile na kasangkapan upang makita ang mga mapa ng mga Sentro nang Botohan.
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FEBRUARY 21-27, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
OPINION
Snakes and crocodiles
FEATURES
IT may be a snake pit, but not all denizens of the House of Representatives are snakes. This is according to Fredenil Castro, who recently replaced Rolando Andaya Jr. as House majority leader amid an ugly squabble with the Department of Budget and Management. Castro was lamenting what he described as the sweeping prejudgment of congressmen as venal, with some likening the lawmakers to vociferous crocodiles. But he conceded that there are rotten eggs in the House basket, even as he defended the actions of the chamber. Among those acts is the recent approval of rules that make it harder for mass media and the public to obtain copies of congressmen’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth or SALN. Some lawmakers insist that the new rules in fact remove the arbitrariness in the approval or denial of requests for SALNs. But requiring approval of such requests by a review committee, by the owner of the SALN and then by the House plenary certainly looks like congressmen are making it harder to allow access to documents that are supposed to be a matter of public record. In addition, those requesting access must pay P300 for every SALN copy. That means forking out over P80,000 for anyone seeking to scrutinize the SALNs of all the House members including party-list representatives. The normal
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS
cost of photocopying documents on regular bond paper averages P5 per page. The chamber, packed with multimillionaires and even billionaires, must be in dire need of
funds. Lawmakers are invoking their personal security and privacy in the tighter rules. Will any self-respecting terrorist, assassin or kidnapper, however, bother to consult a public official’s SALN in picking a target and planning an operation? Congressmen also claim that they are simply making the rules at par with those of other bodies such as the Supreme Court. But why should the legislature follow the example of the SC? Two chief justices were ousted over issues related to their SALNs. Lawmakers can lead the way in promoting transparency in government. Instead Congress has decided to move in the opposite direction, sparking reminders that those who have nothing to hide should have nothing to fear. If the public has the impression that snakes and crocodiles populate the House of Representatives, its members have only themselves to blame. (Philstar.com)
Philstar.com photo
Removing President Donald Trump from office through the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution people of color — in violation of the Constitution. How did we get here and how do we get out of this quagmire? We have heard about impeachment, the 2020 elections, we have also heard about invoking the 25th Amendment — removing the president from office when it can be proven he is unfit to fulfill the duties, responsibilities and obligation of being president. Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute explained that the 25th Amendment was an effort to resolve some of the continuing issues revolving around the Office of the President — “What happens upon death, removal, removal, or resignation of the President and what is the course to follow if for some reason the President becomes disabled to such a degree that he cannot fulfill his responsibilities.” I did some reading about this and let me share with you what I learned about it. Amendment XXV, “Presidential Disability and Succession” was passed by Congress on July 6, 1965. It was ratified on February 10, 1967, intended to change a portion of Article
II, Section 1of the US Constitution. According to the National Constitution Center, the US Constitution is one of the most difficult constitutions in the world to amend. It explained that to do this requires to surmount the hard job of getting two-thirds of the House, twothirds of the Senate, and threequarters of the states’ legislatures to agree on something. However, it pointed out that “the really hard part of passing an amendment is getting Congress to deal with it in the first place.” Writer Brian C. Kalt explained: “Being a good idea is not enough to make something happen in Congress. Congress has limited space on its agenda, and typically it takes action only when doing so serves the interests of politically powerful constituencies. There must be something in it for them.” The author then looked back to three important factors that made the 25th Amendment part of the Constitution. The first factor was on presidential disability, “the impetus for change came from the White House. In Congress, hundreds
of representatives and senators each consider hundreds of issues and balance the interests of hundreds of clamoring interest groups. By contrast, when President Eisenhower suffered his serious health issues, he was just one man presented with one very stark reality: if he ever got really sick, the Constitution would not handle it well. This was particularly problematic in the middle of the Cold War. It was time for a change, and Eisenhower’s subsequent efforts at reform got the ball rolling.” The second factor was “the shocking assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963 created a brief window of opportunity, during which the nation was more inclined than usual to look at issues outside of the usual interest-group politics. It was a rare opportunity to focus the country’s attention on issues of presidential and vice-presidential vacancies, and presidential disability.” “Third, and probably most important, was the extraordinary leadership of Senator Birch Bayh. Shortly before the Kennedy assassination, Bayh— then in his first year in the Sen-
TWO YEARS into President Donald Trump’s presidency and a lot of Americans ask, “How did we get here?” After a scandal-free Obama presidency, America now is being “led” by a business mogul who runs the country in the same way as his reality show — full of drama, cliff hangers, no respect for the truth, no sense of accountability. Two years into the Trump presidency and we have a “leader” facing numerous investigations and lawsuits along with his family, business empire, charitable foundation, campaign and transition team. Two years into the Trump presidency and we have a “leader” who has been deemed to be sleeping with the enemy of the United States (Russia), while being obsessed and infatuated with other dictators of the world, while waging war and animosity with the long-time allies of the United States and breaking ties with nations and organizations the United States had treaties with to honor — much to the delight of his beloved Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Two years into the Trump presidency and we have a “leader” who has been undermining the democratic institutions of the United States: the U.S. intelligence community, the judiciary, the legislature, the free news media. Two years into the Trump presidency and we have a “leader” who dares fabricate a fake “national emergency” when there is no national emergency at the border just so he could build the wall he promised his blind followers during the campaign, aiming to funnel money appropriated for disaster relief and military projects to fund his wall. When in fact, if this was a true national emergency, he would have made it a priority when he had control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, and not wait for the House to be reclaimed by Democrats two years after. Two years into the Trump presidency and we have a “leader” who divides America instead of unifying us, demonizing immigrants - both documented and undocumented,” giving preferential treatment to white people at the expense of
PeaceMaker
Rebuilding new roads to peace, security and human development
FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. Part 2 of 3
(Remarks of former Philippine speaker Jose de Venecia - founding chairman, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); co-chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); chairman emeritus, Universal Peace Federation (UPF); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and for Intercultural Dialogue at the UPF World Summit 2019 “Peace, Security and Human Development” Seoul, Republic of Korea; February 7-11, 2019) Ideological differences shouldn’t get in the way Excellencies, friends: In Northeast Asia today, we need to develop pragmatic and creative methods that will try to rebuild North-South relations in
the Korean Peninsula—without hopefully allowing too many of the ideological differences to get in the way. It is our hope to contribute even small efforts to peace and unification in the Korean peninsula, which now have the beginnings and potential to lead to a breakthrough long awaited by Asia and the global community. Proposals for peace in the Korean peninsula We believe that over and above the giving up of its nuclear weapons, it would be realpolitik to expect that North Korea would hope for an iron-clad Omnibus Agreement leading to a Permanent Peace Treaty, with the South and the U.S. that could likely include the following, as we already pointed out in our earlier conferences: • North Korea (The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea, ROK), as separate independent Repub-
lics, but perhaps connected together by a loose Confederation, until at some point in the near or distant future, they can consider uniting like the two Vietnams or the two Germanys; • Withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea; • Withdrawal of large North Korean and South Korean troops from the areas of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the 38th Parallel to make the DMZ really demilitarized; • Development of a concrete formula for South-North Confederation where the two Koreas will be separate and independent but develop common inter-dependent synergies until they can set-up a Union or what the Greeks call “Enosis” in 15 to 25 years or earlier; • Develop inter-Korea commercial flights, highways, and a common railway system for the two Koreas from Pusan at the end of the Korean South facing Japan to North Korea’s
Yalu border with China, which, it is hoped, will interlinkwith the Trans-Siberian Railway to Russia and to Europe; • Develop close political and economic relations between North and South and with China, Japan, the U.S., Russia, and ASEAN and work with the U.N. system and the global community; • Develop and industrialize the North Korean economy and agriculture, put an end to the recurring causes of famine, expand the education system, and immediately open the region toactive tourism; • North Korea or DPRK to immediately join ASEAN Plus 3 (Japan, China, South Korea) to become ASEAN Plus 4; • Immediately organize an adequate Development Fund for compensating North Korea for terminating its nuclear weapons and delivery system, which Fund shall be used for the North’s economic and social development and augmen-
tation of its national budget; • Consider a state of Neutrality for the two independent Koreas which shall actively interact with the regional and global economy so that the North, with its hydrocarbons potential, mining, and hydro-electric resources, etc. can join the South, which has already developed much earlier into a credible major economic power. Transfer of ICAPP Secretariat from Manila to Seoul Excellencies, friends: May I mention that in 2006, as my small, humble contribution in helping encourage direct talks between Seoul and Pyongyang, I transferred from Manila to Seoul the Secretariat of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which I founded and established in Manila in September, 2000 and of which I am Chairman of its Standing Committee up to now. The ICAPP Secretariat is now most active in Seoul and headed by Secretary General Park
ate—became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s sleepy Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. The subcommittee had already been considering these issues, but Bayh committed energy and political capital to making the project a high congressional priority. Unusually, he did this despite the lack of an obvious, immediate political payoff.” The question then here is that after two years of the Republican-led Congress’ subservience to President Donald J. Trump, relinquishing and abandoning the checks and balance responsibility of their co-equal branch of government, what will happen now that the Democrats have reclaimed leadership of the House of Representatives? Would the people we elected to represent us in government have that fortitude to make this case against the 45th president of the United States? ***
Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https:// www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Rob-yug, an experienced South Korean diplomat, and by my Co-Chairman, now South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong. I am proud to inform you that since we formed ICAPP in Manila in 2000, ICAPP now counts some 350 ruling, opposition, and independent parties from 52 countries in Asia, and the Korean Workers Party of North Korea is a respected member of ICAPP. Reverend Moon and Mother Moon’s goodwill in Pyongyang May we also point out that the late Reverend Moon and Madame Moon over the years have built genuine goodwill in Pyongyang and among the Koreans in the North and donated their much-appreciated hotel and erstwhile automobile factory that they established there to the North Korean government and people, among many other philanthropies in various parts of the world. (To be continued next week)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARy 21-27, 2019
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Sandiganbayan commences plunder case trial for Enrile Philippine governors support Imee Marcos by Nathalie
Robles
AJPress
THE Sandiganbayan Third Division began the trial of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Tuesday, February 19, for the plunder and graft case against him due to his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam. The case was filed more than four years ago but Enrile failed to appear at most of the recent hearings because he has been campaigning for yet another Senate seat. “It is my right to attend the hearing or not attend the hearing. I leave it to my lawyers to handle it,� Enrile said in a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The senatorial candidate continuously asserted his innocence in the whole pork barrel fiasco. In an interview with CNN Philippines chief correspondent Pia Hontiveros, Enrile confidently eyed a not-guilty verdict for the said charges. “The burden of proof is on the government because of the fact that I am presumed innocent. Precisely that’s my theory, that if I’m perceived innocent by the Constitution, why detain me? Deprive me of freedom? I would like to see the end of it,� Enrile said. The 95-year-old senator faces a plunder charge and 15 counts of graft when he was accused of diverting his pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) in exchange for kick-
Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile
backs. “I do not want to discuss my case, but all I can say is the government will be lucky if they present any credible evidence,� Enrile said at the forum in Annabel’s Restaurant, Quezon City on Saturday, February 16. Enrile’s first case was filed June 2014 together with the two “pork-tagged senators� Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada. However, it was delayed on the grounds that the charges and allegations were deemed as vague. The said charge was about the P172.83-million plunder case filed against him due to his alleged involvement with the pork barrel scam. He was accused of earning about P172.83 million in “commissions� from 2003 to 2010. He was said to have collaborated and conspired with pork
Inquirer.net photo
barrel mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, along with his former chief of staff — Jessica Lucila “Gigi� Reyes, and her driver-bodyguard John Raymund de Asis. The former Senate president requested a bill of particulars or a more detailed charge sheet from the Ombudsman. However, the motion was only granted with finality by the Supreme Court in 2016. Enrile then used the bill of particulars to file a motion seeking to dismiss his case, which the Sandiganbayan later dismissed. He was released on bail after the SC reversed a Sandiganbayan ruling that denied him of temporary liberty in 2015. The senatorial candidate said that he would leave the legal concerns of his case among his lawyers should it impede his Senate bid for the May 2019 polls. n
Duterte signs 20 new laws, including lifetime... PAGE A5
signed namely the special working national holiday for the surrender of General Tomoyuki Yamashita in Baguio City on September 3 and the special nonworking holiday in Olongapo for James Leonard Tagle Gordon on January 17. The president also signed bills granting franchises to four institutions Malindang Broadcasting Network, More Electric and Power Corporation, Ermita Electronics Incorporated and religious group Iglesia ni Cristo. Local bills Three local bills that were signed include the integration of Cebu City Mountain Extension Campus as a satellite campus of the Cebu Technological University; conversion of the Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology in Tangub to the University
of Northwestern Mindanao; conversion of Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College to the Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University. The president also signed the act that establishes the Cordillera State Institute of Technical Education and integrating it with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training centers and TESDA-supervised state-run technical-vocational institutions in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The bill to change Lupon School of Fisheries in Lupon, Davao Oriental into the Davao Oriental Polytechnic Institute and the recognition of the British School of Manila as an international educational institution were also signed by the Chief Executive. Duterte also signed the bill that increases bed capacity to
two hospitals specifically in St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital in Cebu from 25 to 200 and in Rizal Medical Center in Pasig from 300 to 500. Palace applauds multiple laws signed Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo called the move to sign the multiple laws a “decisive and compassionate leadership� as he dubbed the said mandates as “landmark measures.� “Indeed, all these landmark measures, not to mention the laws on special protection of children in situations of armed conflict, secondary school career guidance and counseling and the establishment of a sports training center, underscore that we have a decisive and compassionate leadership that will be the mark of the administration until the remainder of the president’s term,� Panelo said. n
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THE League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) squarely backs the senatorial bid of Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, citing her “no nonsense performance in public service and governance as champion for the improvement of the lives of Filipinos, especially those in the countryside.� The governor is advocating for the unconditional and automatic release of the 40 percent share of all national taxes of local government units. In a resolution released recently, the LPP describes Marcos as “an efficient and effective local public official� who can immensely contribute in realizing the vision of President Rodrigo Duterte to build a stronger and more progressive republic. The LPP, which gathers all governors from the 81 provinces across the country, expressed confidence that Marcos will “bring to the Senate the concerns of local governments and local government officials to reinforce local autonomy and ensure local development.� Marcos is batting for the immediate release of the 40% mandated “just share� of LGUS of Internal Revenue Allotments– computed on the basis of all national taxes collected and not just from national internal revenue taxes. Marcos lamented that LGUs have only been receiving 16 percent of their national taxes share instead of 40 percent. “That is really insufficient. As a candidate coming from the ranks of local government officials, I know what local executives feel
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas
– the issues that are closest to their hearts. Our budget is sorely lacking when in fact we are at the frontline when it comes to delivering services to our constituents,� she added. “There is already a Supreme Court ruling on the 40 percent IRA share of LGUs. But in reality, Customs duties, excise tax, documentary tax and stamp tax – all these are removed from the computation of the IRA,� she said. Marcos stressed the IRA share of LGUs must be released automatically without need of yearly appropriations. “When our kababayans have problems, who do they run to? They go to us local government officials. So we must help our LGUs by ensuring they receive their ‘just share,’� Marcos said.
“More than 50% of the poor are also in the countryside and the LGUs are our frontliners in the fight against poverty. They need all the resources they can muster to address the problem of poverty in the rural areas,� she added. In July last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the “just share� of LGUs must be based on all national taxes. The decision stemmed from a petition filed by former Batangas Rep. and now provincial Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, who claimed that from 1992 to 2012, unreleased IRA had reached P500 billion. The high court, however, ruled the implementation of higher IRA is prospective and not retroactive. The SC decision included six more tax sources for LGUs, namely, tariff and customs duties collected by the Bureau of Customs; 50 percent of value-added taxes; 30 percent of all national taxes collected in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; 60 percent of national taxes collected from mining; excise taxes collected from tobacco products; national taxes collected under Section 283 of National Internal Revenue Code; and franchise taxes under Horse Racing laws. Marcos is running on a platform of offering concrete solutions to the problems besetting the country, including soaring prices of basic goods and the unabated smuggling and over-importation of agricultural products that has been killing the livelihood of ordinary farmers. (People’s Journal)
DOH: Measles outbreak could affect...
PAGE A5
2.4 million infants aged six to 59 months; seven to eight million grade schoolers and pre-schoolers and 2.6 million adults. “Buong Kamaynilan ang kanila pong mga kinatawan ay sumangayon na habaan ang oras. Ang mga bakunahan tuwing Sabado
that they “are intensifying vaccination in all regions because we don’t want measles to spread further.� They increased the immunization program by vaccinating 12 to 14 million children, including
at nakikiusap ako pwede pong pati Linggo (Representatives in the whole of Metro Manila agreed to extend their working time. Conduct vaccination on Saturdays, and if need be, even on Sundays),� Duque said as reported by UNTV. n
Lawmakers question PCOO Europe...
PAGE A5 let the process unfold,� she said. “It’s more appropriate for PCOO to use these funds to spread information to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated or else to help in the information dissemination for an orderly and peaceful elections,� she added. For rights group Karapatan, however, the trip is nothing but
a PR stunt and the government officials are on a “mission for damage control.� “Instead of resolving these cases and adopting a human rights based approach in its policies, the Duterte government is instead wasting taxpayers’ money on these junkets to deodorize the stench of this government’s human rights records. These efforts
are superficial,� said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, on Tuesday. “Victims are instead branded as terrorists and mechanism to safeguard people’s rights pushed forward mainly by the efforts of civil society are being co-opted and twisted in this government’s desperate PR stunt,� she added. n
Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/votetag NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF CLOSE OF REGISTRATION FOR THE MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 IN BOULDER CITY, HENDERSON, LAS VEGAS, NORTH LAS VEGAS, CLOSE OF REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGINS TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the close of voter registration period for the Municipal Primary Elections to be held on April 2, 2019, will begin on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 and end March 12, 2019. The deadline for online registration is Thursday, March 14, 2019. $Q\ TXDOLÂżHG HOHFWRU ZKRVH QDPH GRHV QRW DSSHDU RQ WKH RIÂżFLDO UHJLVWU\ OLVW PD\ DSSO\ WR UHJLVWHU E\ DSSHDULQJ DW WKH Clark County Election Department, 500 South Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas; Clark County Election Center, 965 7UDGH 'ULYH 6XLWH $ 1RUWK /DV 9HJDV WKH DSSURSULDWH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH DQ\ EUDQFK RI WKH 'HSDUWPHQW RI 0RWRU 9HKLcles; or by appearing before a Field Registrar in the manner provided by law. The Clark County Election Department is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Voter registration applications will be accepted by mail or in person up until 28 days before the election. Thereafter until 21 GD\V EHIRUH WKH HOHFWLRQ YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV PXVW EH ÂżOHG LQ SHUVRQ DW WKH DSSURSULDWH &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH RQO\ Online Registration $Q\ HOLJLEOH &ODUN &RXQW\ UHVLGHQW ZKR KDV D 1HYDGD GULYHUÂśV OLFHQVH RU DQ LGHQWLÂżFDWLRQ FDUG LVVXHG E\ WKH 1HYDGD Department of Motor Vehicles can now register or update his/her registration information online exclusively at only one website www.RegistertoVoteNV.gov, which is accessible through www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote in the “Online Registration Servicesâ€? box and click on the “Click Hereâ€? button. This service is available 24 hours a day. To be eligible to vote in the April 2nd Primary Election, online registration must be completed on or before March 14, 2019 by 11:59 p.m. 0DLO LQ YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV DUH DYDLODEOH DW YDULRXV SRVW RIÂżFHV OLEUDULHV DQG XWLOLW\ FRPSDQLHV WKURXJKRXW &ODUN County. 7KH VFKHGXOH IRU WKH ÂżQDO VHYHQ GD\V RI LQ SHUVRQ UHJLVWUDWLRQ DW HDFK &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH LV DV IROORZV %RXOGHU &LW\ &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 401 California Avenue Boulder City, Nevada Tuesday, March 5 Wednesday, March 6 – Thursday, March 7 Friday, March 8 – Sunday, March 10 Monday, March 11 – Tuesday, March 12
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Fil-Am film editor Michelle Tesoro’s steady journey to editing the empowering story of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Rae
ann VaRona AJPress
THE famous American filmmaker Orson Welles once said, “The notion of directing a film is the invention of critic—the whole eloquence of cinema is achieved in the editing room.” As the quote suggests, editing has the power of moving and pushing a narrative a certain way. How a film is edited can make all the difference in how an audience interprets a story. “Of all the visual arts, what separates film and television from the rest is editing,” explained Michelle Tesoro, the FilipinaAmerican lead editor behind the recently released Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic “On the Basis of Sex.” “Editing gives a film meaning. It is how it tells its story,” added Tesoro. Inspired by the true story of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg, “On the Basis of Sex” follows Ginsburg’s early journey from law
student to legal champion by way of the courtroom, as the young Ginsburg (played by Academy Award nominee Felicity Jones) teams up with her husband Marty Ginsburg (played by Armie Hammer) in toppling down years of gender discrimination precedents before the U.S. Court of Appeals. Directed by acclaimed director Mimi Leder and written by Ginsburg’s nephew Dan Stiepleman, the film was received as being timely in the age of the current #MeToo movement in addressing the still present issues of gender equality, women empowerment, and overall social justice. But how Tesoro eventually got the responsibility of editing the justice’s story traces back to her upbringing in Chicago where her goal of working in the film industry started young. A steady career goal “I grew up in Chicago and my mother was a very hardworking nurse,” said Tesoro, 40, who now Michelle Tesoro resides in Los Angeles.
Tesoro worked as the lead editor of Focus Features’ “On the Basis of Sex,” which follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.
Describing her upbringing as being typical of any other American kid, Tesoro remembered spending a lot of time in front of the television and going to the movies. “I guess because I grew up here, I wasn’t intimidated about a career in film or television, even though my mother might have been,” said Tesoro. While her mom and sister were artistic and had hobbies of painting and calligraphy, Tesoro said they stuck to careers that were considered more practical. When Tesoro secretly applied to the New York University Tisch School of the Arts—one of the nation’s top and most selective film schools—she recalled her mom being very upset. But that didn’t stop the young Tesoro from again applying to the school while finishing up her general education requirements at the University of Illinois in
Dr. Noel Sunico-Rodriguez Fajardo
Are Filipinos genetically predisposed to colon cancer? Classic colon cancer forms from polyps. But with Filipino patients, colon cancer appears out of nowhere, says Fil-Am specialist by anne
a. JamboRa Inquirer.net
Urbana-Champaign. “I got in, and when I told her, her response was, ‘Well, you just do whatever you want to do anyways, I don’t know why you even bother to tell me,’” Tesoro recalled her mom telling her. “And that’s true,” she continued. “I’m pretty stubborn. I think the pressure to have a successful life pushed me to making sure this ‘dream’ I had worked out and could be monetized. So that made me more focused at [on] getting a job after Tisch.” But even before university, Tesoro honed her personal drive while attending Chicago’s Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, which has graduated notable alumni like the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. On Tesoro’s website, she cites the school as being responsible for her “open mindedness and unPAGE B3
FILIPINOS could have a genetic risk for developing colon cancer, said Dr. Noel SunicoRodriguez Fajardo, a FilipinoAmerican physician whose advocacy is to help the fight against colon cancer. Fajardo, a Las Vegas-based gastroenterologist, had his internal medicine specialization at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He had a subspecialty training in gastroenterology and hepatology and GI motility at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. A decade ago he founded Las Vegas Gastroenterology, a clinic that serves the needs of the Fil-Am community in Las Vegas. “Our clinic is unique in that we have access to a huge Filipino-American population. There are phenotype characteristics of people with cancer compared to other races. There is a different phenotype among
Filipinos,” Fajardo said. Younger patients A genotype is the set of genes in the DNA responsible for a particular trait. The phenotype is the physical expression or characteristics, of that trait. Fajardo said that Filipinos also get colon cancer younger, in their 20s and 30s. The classic colon cancer formation starts with polyps. But with Filipino patients, colon cancer appears out of nowhere, he pointed out. Polyps are abnormal tissue growths often found in the colon. What doctors look for during a colonoscopy are precancerous polyps so they can remove them before they turn into cancer. Polyps formation is where colon cancer starts—one out of three are precancerous, he said—so that patients going straight to developing colon cancer are very unusual indeed. Filipinos tend to be that type of patient. PAGE B3
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Darren Criss marries longtime GF DARREN Criss married girlfriend Mia Swier over the weekend in Louisiana, United States. The couple wed at a ceremony in a New Orleans hotel, People reported on Saturday, February 16. In attendance were Criss’ “Gleeâ€? co-stars Lea Michele, Harry Shum Jr., Chord Overstreet and John Stamos. Photos published by E! News show the Fil-Am actor in an allwhite tux while his bride wore a white gown with a heart-shaped corset and tulle bottom. Swier also chose comfort with her shoes, optRebel Wilson (middle) stars as Natalie, alongside Adam Devine (left) as her earnest best friend, Josh, and Priyanka Chopra (right) as yoga ing for white high-cut sneakers. The newlyweds rode a red ambassador Isabella.  Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Rolls-Royce convertible after their wedding. The wedding comes more than a year since Criss announced their engagement on Instagram in January 2018, where he mentioned that they had been together delivers coffee and has a hardBy Christina M. Oriel for seven and a half years. time attracting the attention of the AJPress Criss has been low-key about opposite sex‌or so she thinks, as their relationship, but did mention LOOKING for a movie to watch she subconsciously keeps “work in a 2013 “The Roz and Mocha with your significant other, group husbandâ€? and not-so-secret adShowâ€? guesting that they had of friends, or even alone this mirer Josh (Devine) in the friend been in a relationship even before Darren Criss with wife Mia Swier  zone. Of his character, Devine said Valentine’s weekend? Photo from Twitter/@darrencriss he was in television. Romantic comedy “Isn’t It he got into playing a thoughtful, Swier also works in the enter- and performs at an all-girl Guns N’ they have a piano bar called Romantic,â€? which hit theaters on ‘sweetheart,’ which contrasts his Tramp Stamp Granny’s in Los tainment industry, with creden- Roses tribute band. Valentine’s Day, is sure to conjure usual R-rated, edgier projects. Criss and Swier also know what Angeles which opened last year. tials in Fox and Showtime. She However, like any rom-com some (or a lot of) laughs as it has her own production company it is like to be business partners: (NiĂąa V. Guno/Inquirer.net) satirizes all the tropes found in arch, this world quickly changes, all because of a subway mugging rom-com favorites. Film stars Priyanka Chopra that leaves Natalie unconscious in (who plays Isabella) and Adam the hospital. Upon waking up, she Devine (who plays Josh) spoke is greeted by a handsome doctor with the Asian Journal ahead and walks out clad in a chic outfit of the release about why this into a tidy, flower-scented New rom-con is heartwarming and York City. by Krissy aguilar She becomes the leading lady a breath of fresh air amidst the Inquirer.net of her own rom-com where men negativity. “It’s one of those feel-good smile and approach her on the FILIPINO-AMERICAN singer Angelica movies and I think the world street, her shoebox apartment Hale failed to advance to the Top 5 round of needs that right now. There’s is now a glamorous bachelorette “America’s Got Talent: The Championsâ€? on so much that we see and a lot pad with a gorgeous view of Romantic comedy “Isn’t It Romanticâ€? starring Monday, February 18, but remained optimistic that happens in this world that the Hudson River and a walk-in Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine and upbeat. does bring you down,â€? Chopra closet, her unbrushed dog be- and Priyanka Chopra was released on “Well guys, I didn’t make it this time, but told the Asian Journal. “This is comes prim and groomed, and February 14. that’s ok! This was an amazingly fun run & I’m an uplifting movie and you don’t formerly anti-social neighbor so happy to have made it this far!â€? the 11-yearhave to overthink it — it’s just Donny (Brandon Scott Jones) is side Natalie’s office window). old singer wrote in a tweet. “There’s no such thing as a her gay sidekick whose life resuper fun.â€? “So thankful for all the fans I picked up along yoga ambassador — yoga cannot The movie centers around Nat- volves around hers. the way! U guys are the best & I consider myself When Natalie gets to her office, have an ambassador and doesn’t alie (Rebel Wilson of the “Pitch the luckiest girl in the world,â€? Hale added. Perfectâ€? films), a career-driven Whitney is no longer her assistant need one,â€? explains Chopra with a Canadian-American magician Shin Lim New York architect who grew up but her work nemesis. Wealthy laugh during our interview. “She emerged as the grand winner, edging out watching romantic comedies but client Blake (Liam Hemsworth) is the daughter of rich parents, ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer. is now cynical about love — even is a romantic interest — never spoiled, sort of living life in her Other finalists of “AGT The Championsâ€? were mocking her assistant Whitney mind that he completely ignored terms and has never been said Kseniya Simonova of “Ukraine’s Got Talent,â€? (Betty Gilipin) for watching rom- her in a meeting the day before ‘no’ to. She gets insecure and singer Cristina Ramos of “Spain’s Got Talentâ€? coms at her desk and listing out pre-concussion. Josh has his eyes falls in love, but is still really a and finalist of “AGTâ€? Season 12 comedian all the ways those films get real- set on someone else, a charming nice girl.â€? Preacher Lawson. As Natalie navigates this fuzzy life wrong (i.e. the lead is quirky model and yoga ambassador Hale made history as the first contestant of and clumsy and all women are named Isabella (Chopra) whom rom-com world that feeds into “AGTâ€? to earn two Golden Buzzer wins. he saves from a choking attack in the stereotypes of everything enemies in the work place). She first joined “America’s Got Talentâ€? During presentations Natalie Central Park. (We first encounter that women supposedly want, Angelica Hale with ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge Simon Cowell in 2017 where she received her first Golden Photo from Instagram/@angelicahale Buzzer and finished second. is mistaken as an assistant who Chopra on a giant billboard outPAGE B6 Â
‘Isn’t It Romantic’ stars Priyanka Chopra, Adam Devine talk about new rom-com satire
Fil-Am Angelica Hale bows out of ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions’
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Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano confirm... #ALL \ 4EXT %MAIL GINALANDERO YAHOO COM 7EBSITE LANDEROLEARNINGCENTER COM
PAGE B1 LOVE team Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano have officially confirmed that they are already in a relationship. During the Lie Detector Test segment of “Gandang Gabi Vice,� host Vice Ganda asked Enrique if he and Liza are already a couple.
Enrique answered “Yes,� which drew cheers from the audience. Liza later admitted that she and Enrique have been in a relationship for more than two years and that they celebrate their anniversary in October. Last March 2018, during the press conference of their show
“Bagani,� Liza slipped that she and Enrique are in a relationship. Press conference host MJ Felipe asked the cast if all the “Bagani� main characters are already taken, which Liza replied with “O.� She later then tried to pull back her answer “Oo� with “Oh
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Kelsey Merritt stuns in Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot by Krissy
AguilAr Inquirer.net
Kelsey Merritt
AFTER her Victoria’s Secret stint, Filipina-American model Kelsey Merritt is now a rookie model for American sports magazine Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2019. Merritt happily announced the news via her Instagram account on Sunday, February 17. “I’ve been keeping this a secret for a while, and now I’m so excited I get to finally share with you all that I’m the newest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2019 Rookie!!!” Merritt wrote in the caption. In a separate post on Monday, February 18, the 22year-old model shared a sneak peek of her photoshoot with the sports magazine. “Can’t wait for the issue to come out in May!!” Merritt said. Sports Illustrated posted more photos of Merritt during her photo shoot in the Bahamas via their official Instagram account on Monday. In a previous interview with the magazine, Merritt shared what modeling for the magazine would mean to her. “I really want to be a Sports Illustrated model because I love how confident the models are and I want to show everyone who is looking at these pictures and reading the magazine that they can also be confident in their own skin,” she said. Merritt made headlines last November 2018 after being the first Filipino model to walk the Victoria’s Photo from Instagram/@kelseymerritt Secret runway.
Are Filipinos genetically predisposed to...
PAGE B1 “So the doctors in my clinic do not know if it’s a genetic disorder or there is a gene present in our gene pool na nagkakaroon tayo ng cancer bigla sa colon, like a genetic risk that hasn’t been discovered yet,” Fajardo said. Not diet It could not be in the diet, Fajardo said, since Fil-Ams follow the American diet. “We’re talking about healthy, mostly young Filipino men getting cancer. They experience some bleeding or weight loss but you don’t think it’s cancer right away. You might assume it’s hemorrhoids, but when you look inside, you see cancer,” he said. Fajardo said that for a decade, his clinic has seen thousands of Fil-Am patients. His colleagues called his attention: “There’s something different in your patient population that needs to be looked at.” A formal study will be published. “We haven’t looked into all the data,, so everything is still anecdotal,” he said. People, he said, need to learn the ABCs of colon cancer: Abdominal pain or bloating you can’t explain; Bleeding (majority is hemorrhoids, though); and Change in bowel movements.
“The colon is a tube—a wastebasket, storage for stool. If you have a problem moving bowels, get yourself checked,” he said. A colonoscopy is a diagnostic tool similar to an X-ray or a CTscan. To this day, it is still the gold standard in colon cancer screening. The process involves inserting a five-foot-long scope into the anus (the colon is eight feet long), so that doctors can have a look through the entire colon to check for polyps. Screening methods Its invasive nature has discouraged people from getting screened. There are now other methods, such as stool tests and blood tests, Fajardo said. Doctors look for blood in stool or genetic markers that may indicate an increased risk of developing polyps. In the United States, screening is recommended for those who are 50 and above, although data suggest to bring it down to 45, he said. Those with family history of colon cancer need to get screened 10 years earlier. Fajardo said if your immediate family, like your father, for example, was diagnosed at 45, you need to have a colonoscopy at 35. But if you have a relative diagnosed at 60, you
need to get screened at 40. The World Health Organization has looked at the risk of redmeat consumption as possible cause for colon cancer. Still, it does not answer why people living in countries with vegetarian diets, such as India, get colon cancer. “Every second, 24/7, the body is healing itself. Our body will find a way to heal itself. If you have a wound, there’s a gene that encodes the protein and it will replace that open wound with a scar or a keloid. The problem with cancer is, it is uncontrolled growth,” Fajardo said. There is a connection between cancer detection and technology. If the technology is good, there are better chances to find cancerous or precancerous cells. In the U.S., doctors tailor the treatment to the genetic profile of the patient. So, before prescribing a cocktail of drugs, doctors check first if the tumor will respond to that cocktail of drugs. The future of cancer treatment is gene therapy, Fajardo said. A virus will be used to repair a gene and stop cancer growth. Like most cancers, however, early detection is the key. Your chances of survival will depend on it.
Tesoro edited four episodes of the first season of “House of Cards,” which premiered on Netflix in 2013.
Fil-Am film editor Michelle Tesoro’s steady... PAGE B1 ending drive to push the boundaries, both of her projects and of her own potential.” “Most of the students there very goal-oriented and driven,” said Tesoro, adding that it was also one of the most diverse schools in the country. “No matter what race, gender, or socio-economic status you were, academic expectations were the same. Very high,” added Tesoro. While at Whitney M. Young, Tesoro was active in theatre and already had an interest in photography and movies. In the summer of 1995, Tesoro got a flyer in the mail from Columbia College Chicago film school for a summer 16mm filmmaking class for high school students, and decided to sign up. “I loved it, and I loved shooting and editing,” said Tesoro. Being the youngest in the class of mostly high school seniors, it was ultimately her peers that got her thinking about seriously pursuing a career in film in university. “One kid was going to NYU in the fall, and that is how I happened upon the idea,” recalled Tesoro. Though Tesoro said she wouldn’t recommend going to film school now due to the fact that an education in filmmaking has become absurdly expensive, her time at Tisch proved to be time well spent. From school, Tesoro got a job at a record company in New York City editing promos. But in 2005, she moved out to Los Angeles and began working her way up, eventually cutting high-profile films, television, and streaming series including the Netflix series “House of Cards” and “Godless,”
and HBO series “The Newsroom,” and “Luck.” In 2011, Tesoro won Best Editing at SXSW for the film “Natural Selection,” which overall took home both the Audience and Grand Jury Awards. “My journey has been a lot of hard work—60 to 70 hour weeks, time away from friends and family. I’ve missed a lot of weddings,” said Tesoro. She added, “Ultimately I believe those sacrifices in time and human capital are what led to where I am today.” Telling the RBG story Ginsburg—an octogenarian and the eldest Supreme Court justice—is undoubtedly an icon of today. Also called “The Notorious RBG” (a name play on the 1990’s rapper The Notorious B.I.G.), Ginsburg continues to be praised by members across different generations expressing the need to “protect her at all costs.” This, nearly three decades after her 96-3 Senate confirmation vote in 1993. “I really wanted to be a part of telling the Justice’s story,” said Tesoro, who got the job after being approached by Leder who she worked with before. Among the first things viewers see in the film is the young Ginsburg marching alongside a parade of dark suited men against the tune of the Harvard fight song, “Ten Thousand Men of Harvard.” By the end of the film, Ginsburg is seen walking up the steps of the high Supreme Court, signifying a long but successful journey. But between those scenes, important milestones had to be strategically condensed to fit within the narrative. Among the toughest scenes Tesoro had to work with was a 16-page courtroom sequence,
which required her to not only work with the large amount of legal dialogue, but with footage shot at various angles. While Tesoro said she doesn’t have a personal favorite scene, there were scenes she resonated with in regards to often being a minority in her work. One scene, in particular, took place in a classroom where Ginsburg, despite knowing the answer to her professor’s question, gets interrupted and struggles to be heard as her professor refrains from calling on her and continues to call upon her male classmates who didn’t know the answer. “She stands up for herself and shuts them down,” said Tesoro. “Well, I identify with her in that scene,” she added. “You’ve got to pull yourself up to be heard and seen.” That sense of empowerment was something the film’s creators wanted to convey, and they knew that their goal was accomplished when the two preview screenings proved successful. Variety reported that even Ginsburg, who watched the completed film for the first time at a National Archives screening in Washington, D.C., stood up and clapped to the cast and crew following the screening. “She loved the movie and said, ‘Oh, I hear you are doing a good job,’” Tesoro recalled of her meeting Justice Ginsburg. On why she thought Filipinos and others in general should watch the film, Tesoro highlighted Justice Ginsburg’s role as a defender of justice and emphasized that Justice Ginsburg was not a politician. “Filipinos should watch it to learn about how one person can make a difference,” said Tesoro. “It’s inspiring.”
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Arjo Atayde and Maine Anne Curtis fulfills dream for children’s welfare Mendoza: Love under scrutiny by Christina
alpad ManilaTimes.net
By Monet
Lu
LOVE in a time of social media bashing is one of the most challenging obstacles that celebritylovers face. It’s one thing to be caught in a ‘bad romance’ and get disapproval by netizens but another to have a whole community of fans fighting over whether or not their love should go on just because they are in favor of another person. But alas, such is the story of actors Arjo Atayde and Maine Mendoza aka “Yaya Dub.” Last January, after months of speculations, Juan Carlos Ocampo Atayde (better known as Arjo Atayde) confirmed that he was in a relationship with Maine Mendoza. He is the son of actress Sylvia Sanchez and businessman Art Atayde. He is most recently known for portraying the antagonist Joaquin Tuazon, on the ABS-CBN primetime series, “Ang Probinsyano.” He is a very good actor, in my opinion, and I admire his bravery and honesty in admitting his relationship to Maine Mendoza who is half of the love team, “ALDub.” But more on that later. As I’ve said, it is quite a predicament for this young actor to be under the scrutiny of people who don’t have better things to do but bash him on social media. He actually responded to it in an interview saying, “To insult me is fine and I can take it. I’m a very passive person… I don’t know how to get mad, I don’t know how to disrespect people. I despise disrespectful people. So if they disrespect me, it’s fine. But for my family to get affected, for Maine to be disrespected, like anything, that’s not okay with me.” Some people think that Arjo is only using Maine for popularity’s sake. While others are not happy with him getting between Maine and her onscreen partner, Alden Richards (who, by the way, has actually expressed his support to his onscreen partner’s new flame). Fortunately, there are those who are just as happy that their idol has found her prince charming and that all is fair game. I have to say that I am part of the latter community who wants to give this couple a chance. I think everybody is entitled to her own path to happiness and love story.
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Maine Mendoza and Arjo Atayde
And if Arjo and Maine really love each other, who are we to stand between them, right? I know it is not easy for the fans to accept that onscreen love teams are (more often than not) not real lovers in real life. While some have actually turned from “reel to real,” that is not always the case. Maine has made her choice and we have to honor that. I hope people can move on and be happy that AlDub (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza) are both happy with their respective places in show business and should be free to love whoever makes them happy. The name “AlDub” was conceived as a portmanteau of the tandem’s name, Alden and Yaya Dub. Maine Mendoza — who had initially gained popularity for posting Dubsmash videos on various social media platforms — auditioned for the “Yaya” role where her character exclusively interacted with Alden’s character through the show’s split screen frame and main communication through lip-synching audio clips from popular songs, films and TV series, hence the term, “dub.” Both joined the cast of “Eat Bulaga” in 2015, with Alden Richards appearing as a host of various segments, such as “That’s My Bae” portion, while Mendoza originally appeared as Yaya Dub on the show’s portion “Problem Solving.” After they personally met in September 2015, Yaya Dub was later allowed to speak and the couple’s interaction was no longer limited to split screen and lip-synching. AlDub’s popularity took the nation by storm. Not too long
Photos courtesy of ABS-CBN
after, they starred in their first fulllength movie entitled “My Bebe Love,” which was entered into the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2016, three days before the anniversary of AlDub, “Imagine You and Me” was shown in cinemas worldwide as an anniversary gift to the fans of AlDub. In the film, Richards and Mendoza played as star-crossed lovers with the opposite views of love. On October 21, 2017, the love team starred in Eat Bulaga!’s “film made for television” titled “Love is...” directed by Adolf Alix, Jr. AlDubs’ rise to stardom is truly epic. For me, it’s the modern-day Guy and Pip love team. Come to think of it; in real life, Guy (Nora Aunor), despite the world’s disapproval, later made a choice to marry her co-star Christopher de Leon – this broke the hearts of thousands of fans. I think Maine deserves to choose her “Christopher de Leon.” As the millennials say, “YOLO” (you only live once). And this love between Arjo and Maine – if it’s real and pure – would stand scrutiny and prevail. I think we owe it to these lovebirds to try and give it a shot. Just saying. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
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THERE’S no doubt that children have a special place in Anne Curtis’ heart. Using her celebrity status, not to mention her widely-followed social media platforms, the actress has long been vocal about the welfare and issues involving children. She has been a major donor to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) since 2009 until her closer involvement with the agency that led her to being appointed a celebrity advocate in 2014. As a celebrity advocate, the 34year-old has led special projects with the foundation including the Heroes for Children runs to support children’s First 1,000 Days, fundraising through international marathons, and a children’s book that encourages reading and instilling confidence in one’s self. She was also among the celebrities who devoted time to visit survivors of devastating typhoons in the country: Leyte province after Typhoon Haiyan in 2015 and Samar province after Typhoon Urduja in 2017. Outside the foundation, Curtis — who has shown that she is not only an inspiration in fashion and beauty — has founded her own platform, Dream Machine, to help children and other Filipinos realize their dreams. “I’ve always been a dreamer. In my 20 years in showbiz, I have worked hard to reach for my dreams. Now that I’ve been blessed to have achieved most of my dreams, it is my turn to be a blessing to others through the
Dream Machine platform,” Curtis told The Manila Times in 2017 at the launch of her project. Advocating children’s rights Helping out children through charitable endeavors was not the only means for Curtis to show her advocacy. In fact, she stunned many when she became vocal about the hot issue of lowering the age of criminal liability. Before January ended, the House of Representative Committee on Justice approved the bill that would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine years old. In the existing Republic Act (RA) 10630, the minimum age of criminal liability is at 15 but children as young as 12 can be detained in youth care facilities or Bahay Pag-asa for serious crimes such as rape, murder, and homicide, among others. “Nakakalungkot isipan na ibababa nila ang criminal responsibility to the age of nine. At that age, they are still very much children. They still have a chance to change their ways if they happen to cause or get into any trouble instead of being sent to jail and sentenced as an adult,” she tweeted via @annecurtissmith the day after House approved the bill. The tweet has since gone viral and garnered more than 6,000 retweets, 23,000 likes and more importantly, opened a discussion among her followers, most of whom are millennials and Gen Z-ers, about the House Bill. Upon reaching the Senate, however, pending bills by Senators of lowering criminal liability to 12
have resurfaced, making it appear more pro-children. But Curtis, stood firm on her ground. During her launch as a Unicef National Goodwill Ambassadors, Curtis reiterated that children below 15 should not be held lawfully liable. When The Manila Times asked the age Curtis thinks children should be held lawfully liable, she answered, “I agree with what the current law is before the amendment because based from what I learned from Unicef, the age of discernment is from 15 to 16 years old. It’s the time when they are actually aware of what they are doing and their brain is developed enough [to process judgment]. “When I think of myself at 12, my way of thinking is far from how I was at 15 so that’s how I personally feel about it. I know that not everyone would agree with me and I know some do but that’s my stand on the issue and that’s why I’m raising my voice to give awareness about it. “Reading the current law, it just needs to be fully implemented.” Finally Curtis vowed that her strong stand on advocating for children’s rights will not end in the issue. “I’ll use every chance I can get and use these platforms to raise awareness. I’m not saying it hasn’t gotten me into trouble before. Sometimes people just have different opinions from yourself but if you know that you stand up for something that you believe in, and it’s looking out, in my opinion, for children’s rights then I will use those platforms,” she ended.
Anne Curtis: ‘Now that I’ve been blessed to have achieved most of my dreams, it is my turn to be a blessing to others’ Photo courtesy of Unicef Philippines
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COMMUNITY JOURNAL
Important issues regarding student visas Your Immigration Solution ATTY. SARA CROSS AN average of 800,000 foreign nationals obtain student visas to the United States each year. These student visas, known as F1, J-1, and M-1 visas, allow them to lawfully reside and study in America. When seeking to attend school in the U.S., it is common for foreign nationals to obtain assistance from companies or individuals who purport to help facilitate the student visa process. Unfortunately, the wrong help can have dire consequences for the student and any future plans he or she may have for travel or residence in the U.S. Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced that it had charged eight people from Michigan, Florida, and Virginia with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit. These indictments were a result of ICE’s undercover operation in which they created a false private university called the University of Farmington. The criminal charges allege that the defendants conspired with each other and others to help foreign nationals illegally remain in the U.S. under the guise of being students attending an accredited university who were maintaining valid immigration status in the U.S. as students. The defendants would allegedly assist the foreign national “student” in obtaining fraudulent immigration documents from the school and creating false student records that would be used to demonstrate to immigration officials that they were abiding by the terms of their student visa, thus allowing them to continue to living and working in the U.S. ICE states that the
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA
defendants made over $250,000 from the more than 600 people they assisted. Students enrolled at the university had to pay tuition and the school was on the Department of Homeland Security’s list of certified schools for international students. The school had its own website, as well as its own Facebook and Twitter accounts. But ICE alleges that all the students knew that this university scheme was fraudulent, as the school had no instructors or any actual classes. Dozens of students have also been arrested on immigration violations in conjunction with this operation and face potential deportation. A spokesman for ICE stated that all the students that were arrested originally entered the U.S. on valid F-1 visas after being accepted to legitimate schools, then later transferred to the University of Farmington. For F, J, and M nonimmigrants, maintenance of valid student status means strictly adhering to the requirements for each visa in terms of school enrollment, prohibitions against unauthorized employment and other such activities, as well as completion of the program within a certain time frame. Importantly, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) issued a new Memorandum in 2018 concerning a policy change in how they will determine visa violations for F, J, and M nonimmigrants and when a person will begin to accrue unlawful presence in the U.S. as a result. This new policy is a significant change from USCIS’ prior policy. Now, a person’s unlawful presence in the U.S. will begin to accrue the day after the date a status violation occurs. This is immensely important, as accrual of unlawful presence in U.S. can result in bars to reentry into the U.S. For a person who is unlawfully present in the U.S. for more than 180 consecutive days but less than one year, who then
departs the country, they will be barred from reentry for three years. For a person who is unlawfully present in the U.S. for one year or more consecutively, who then departs, they will be barred from admission to the country for ten years. The effect of this new policy approach expands the very definition of overstay of a student visa. It allows adjudicators to search for any visa status violation and calculate unlawful presence retroactively without notice. Therefore, even though a person may enter the U.S. on a valid student visa, which most often designates their authorized period of stay as “D/S” (Duration of Status), if at any point after entry this person violates the provisions of their student visa, even if they are not aware of the violation, they may begin to accrue unlawful presence. This accrual of unlawful presence may lead them to being barred from reentering the U.S. in the future. Maintenance of valid student visa status can be complex, especially with constantly changing laws and policies. It is important for those present in the U.S. on a student visa to consult a knowledgeable immigration attorney who can evaluate their specific circumstances and provide them with expert advice. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)
The bucket list The art of “staycation”
“When you clear your mechanism and tune out the noise that invades your being, you may come to a rare state of grace — that state when you are thoroughly convinced that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world.”
(Eighth of a series) Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, it means before your life’s energy goes into ‘ low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into. The default setting for modern life is to plan a vacation elsewhere, the farther away, the better. Vacations are fine. They are meant to recharge our energy levels so we can come back swinging and getting into the groove of normal life. The problem with an elaborate, all too often expensive vacation, is we come home tired, jetlagged, light in the wallet, a few pounds heavier and needing a vacation from the vacation. Are we idiots or what? So how about learning the art of “staycation?” This is when we decide that our home is the best place to stay put and spend our time away from work, away from stresses and just away from it all: ringing phones; deadlines and production quotas, intrigues, to-
do lists and every aggravation known to man. Sure, the mountain of laundry is there, the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms need cleaning, the garden needs weeding. But for a “staycation” to recharge your spirit, you may need to turn a blind eye to the screaming demands of your immediate environment. Just say NO. This time is for you alone. So okay, you are obsessive about a clean home. Just reserve a day or two of your vacation time to sprucing up just the essentials. Don’t go to Home Depot and decide painting the house as your “staycation” project. It doesn’t work that way. The art of doing a proper “staycation” is deciding you just want to give yourself time to JUST BE. You rip and shred your to-do list and find joy in the mo-
Health@Heart
A taxi driver on corruption
PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS WHENEVER I take a cab in Manila, I find it most interesting to talk to the driver. Some of them are so eloquent, with a remarkable grasp of our national issues and smart solutions to some of our political dilemma as a nation, they could be great radio talk show hosts and positive consensus builders. While stuck in a traffic jam last month on my way to our medical mission in Asilo de San Vicente de Paul Orphanage in Paco, I asked the cab driver named Mario, who was in his 70s, “Ano ang pinaka malaki nating problema sa Pilipinas (What is our greatest problem in the Philippines)?” I was expecting him to say the high prices of commodities or gasoline, or poverty, but he blurted out, “Kurapsyon po (Corruption, sir)!” and, as if I touched a raw nerve, he continued his long serious diatribe citing the pervasive culture of corruption in our government from the top to the bottom and how disappointed he has been for half a century of his life that none of the obviously guilty elected officials rotted in jail. “Kahit na si kurap Erap, na jail, pero parang 5-star hotel ang kanyang preso, at madaling nakalabas…Dapat sa plunder, habang
buhay sa kulungan (Even the corrupt Erap – referring to Philippine ex-president Joseph Estrada – was jailed in a prison cell like a 5-star hotel, and was released too soon…For plunder, it should be a lifetime of jail). “At kahit na napatunayang kriminal na siya at nakulong, nakatakbo pa siya at nanalong alkalde ng Manila (And in spite of his being a convicted criminal and having been jailed, he was still able to run and won as mayor of Manila). “Walang pinagaralan at istupido ang mga bumoto sa kanya at ibang kurap na officiales sa gobyierno (Those people who voted for him and other corrupt officials in the government are uneducated and stupid),” he said. The pervasive and massive culture of graft and corruption in our government at every level is indeed a tragedy, a national cancer destroying the integrity and dignity of our nation and devastating the Filipino people, an international disgrace. Although I have heard the same ugly things from other drivers, I truly believe that there are some officials in all branches of government, especially in the Supreme Court and in the Military who are honest and patriotic. Easy to prove It is indeed not difficult to show who are guilty of corruption, plunder, amassing unexplained wealth, if only the president and our legislators honestly and ear-
ment, forgetting the demands of your life, for the time being. So go ahead. Wear your pajamas all day. Turn off or mute the phones. Turn off the TV and mute the music. Vegetate. Order pizza. Let the world turn without your input. If you have a stressful job, you will appreciate a true “staycation” done right. Swing in a hammock and look at the sky and dwell on the wonderful parts of your life as you remember lessons learned over the years mixed with countless moments of overwhelming joy. Edit out the ugly and blot out its existence, for the time being. Or better yet, think of nothing and take a nap just because you’re sleepy. There will be time enough for all the demands of your life in the next few days. But for PAGE B6
nestly want to find out. But if what Mario alleged, that the corruption is “from the top to bottom,” then its is easy to understand why there is no serious move to expose the guilty amongst them for fear of finger pointing and opening the Pandora’s box of snakes and rats. Mario claimed billions of pesos per district on the so-called bidding (actually bogus) for public constructions are lost to kickbacks to legislators/local leaders year after year after year…and that there are countless other ways corrupt government officials amass illegal wealth from. None of them, he said, are masochistic enough to hurt themselves and their fellow criminals who are protecting each other… shameless bastards! If all these were true, the money and paper trail could be traced. Even an unschooled person can easily prove unexplained wealth, plunder, and other forms of corruption. The only questions to ask the suspects are: Did you inherit the hundreds of millions (or billions) in your assets today or did you win your net worth from lottery 1000 multiple times? If yes, where are the documentation and proofs? If not, how much income did you make in grade school, in high school, in college, and all the way to your present job in the government? Any net worth in excess or beyond what the expert computation would show is unexplained wealth, and most obviously amassed ill-gotten wealth. PAGE B6
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 21-27, 2019
Calendar of Events across
B5
America
ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS F E B R UA RY 23
Free oil filter exchange in Lynwood, CA Free oil filter & motor oil recycling event! Everyone is invited to bring in their motor oil and used oil filters on Saturday, February 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All those who recycle their used oil filter will receive one FREE new oil filter. Recycling motor oil and filters helps save our environment and keeps our water clean. It will be held at O’Reilly Auto Parts at 10727 Long Beach Blvd. Lynwood, CA 90262.
Fil-Am book authors give talk in San Pedro, CA Philippine Expressions Bookshop is hosting three Filipino American authors who will talk about their new books on Saturday, February 23, 2019 from 3 - 6:00 p.m. The bookshop is located at 479 W Sixth Street, Suite 105 at the Historic Arts District of San Pedro, CA 90731. The event is free and open to the public. Seats are limited and RSVP is requested. Call 310-548-8148 or 310-514-9139 or email: info@philippinebookshop.com. Marvin Gapultos will speak about his newest book, “Pulutan: Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats.” He is the creator of the celebrated food blog Burnt Lumpia, founder of Los Angeles’ first Filipino food truck known as The Manila Machine, and author of “The Adobo Road Cookbook” which was published a few years ago. Jocelyn (Joy) Francisco is the author of “Oh My Kulay! Colors, Fruits & Veggies,” which is an introductory book for young children. It is fully illustrated and written in both English and Filipino. Dalena Haskins Benavente is one of the authors featured in the book, “The New Filipino Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Around the Globe.” Born in Union City, Tennessee, her mother is a Filipina. Danela worked as recipe developer and product taster for Kraft, and she filmed with Paula Deen. All three authors will autograph their books after the Book Talks. If you will be unable to attend, you can order an autographed copy of any of the books by sending an email to: linda_nietes@sbcglobal.net. This is the first event of the bookshop for 2019, and it is part of their ongoing community outreach program to increase the visibility of Filipinos in the City of San Pedro. Established in 1984, the bookshop is now on its 35th year serving Filipinos in the diaspora.
F E B R UA RY 24
12th Annual SCPASA Summit in Irvine, CA The Southern California Pilipinx-American Student Alliance (SCPASA) is proud to present its 12th Annual Summit Conference: “Kapwa” on Sunday, February 24. Check-in begins at 8 to 9:45 a.m., while the summit is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The summit is a one-day conference that features a wide variety of speakers, activities, and entertainment. It is held at the university campus of an active SCPASA member organization and this year it will be hosted by University of California, Irvine’s Alyansa ng mga Kababayan. Numerous workshops are held throughout the day to give attendees various opportunities to learn about topics around a common theme chosen for that year. This year’s SCPASA summit theme is Kapwa which is one of the core Pilipinx values that emphasizes the concept of “togetherness.” Tickets until Feb. 20 are $20/person, while at the door registration is $30/person. For more questions or for more information, please email scpasa.contact@gmail.com.
MARCH 9
LolaLand: The Grandmother of All Shows in Los Angeles Rejoicers Events brings to Los Angeles, “LolaLand: The Grandmother of All Shows,” the show that sold out in Manila, and soon restaged in New York and the Bay Area. It will be held on Saturday, March 9 at the Aratani Theatre (244 San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012) at 7 p.m. Headlined by comedienne Fe delos Reyes, award-winning songwriters Cecile Azarcon and Odette Quesada are joined by singers Jam Morales and Chiqui Pineda, who popularized numerous OPM Songs. Part of the proceeds of this much-anticipated concert benefit Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA, a non-profit organization that helps bring Filipino Artists to U.S. stages.
MARCH 30
Philippine Medical Society of Northern California installation of officers in Foster City, CA The Philippine Medical Society of Northern California will hold its 47th anniversary and installation of officers for 2019-2021 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City, CA on Saturday, March 30. For sponsorship information, please contact Dr. Clementina Manio at drtina0427@gmail. com or visit https://www.pmsnc.org/.
United Bicolandia Los Angeles induction in Montebello, CA United Bicolandia Los Angeles will hold its 45th Anniversary and Induction Ceremony at Quiet Cannon in Montebello, CA on Saturday, March 30. For tickets and sponsorship information, please contact Lanie Berrei at lanieberrei@hotmail.com or (818) 281-3169.
APRIL 7
Ryan, Ryan! The Maestro and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers in Glendale, CA Recently proclaimed National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab’s works will be showcased on Sunday, April 7 at the John Wayne Performing Arts Center (1440 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205) at 6 p.m. by his multi-talented singing group, the Ryan Cayabyab Singers joined by some local artists like Mon David, Annie Nepomuceno, Louie Reyes and many more. Come and hear how his work that spans five decades has made an indelible impact on Filipino culture. Copresented by Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA, a 501 (c) 3 organization that brings exemplary Filipino Artists to U.S. stages. For ticket information ($35-$125) visit www.philpatrons.org and to learn about other tour stops in Las Vegas (April 7), San Diego (April 12) and Seattle (April 14).
APRIL 13
2nd annual Filipino mental health well-being summit in LA The 2nd annual Filipino mental health well-being summit will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at The Center of Cathedral Plaza (555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012). In partnership with the LA County of Department of Mental Health, registration begins on March 11. This is a FREE event for all. Breakfast and lunch included with registration. Please email FilipinoWellBeing@Gmail.com or visit https://www.facebook.com/FilipinoWellBeing for more updates.
A P R I L 25 -28
Philippine Nurses Association of America - North Central Regional Conference in Columbus, Ohio The Philippine Nurses Association - Central Ohio will hold a regional conference from April 25 to 28 at the Embassy Suites (2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio). For more information, please visit http://www.mypnaa.org/.
JUNE 1
7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival in LA The 7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival Committee (7KPFC) announced that it will holding the 7th Kalayaan Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 1, 2019 in commemoration of the 121st PH Independence Day on June 12, 1898. This will be the 7th Kalayaan Parade and Festival in Historic Filipinotown, as the first was held in 2013 in cooperation with the PH Consulate General in Los Angeles. This is the only Independence Day parade and Festival in Los Angeles and is held every year in Historic Filipinotown. For more information, please call Freddie at (818) 220-2075 or email at jfavusa8@gmail.com.
Kalayaan Incorporated’s annual Philippine Independence Day gala in LA Kalayaan Incorporated invites the community to its celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel (5855 W. Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Kalayaan is extremely proud to have Honorable Risa Hontiveros, an incumbent senator who assumed office on June 30, 2016, as the grand gala’s guest of honor and speaker. For tickets to the Gala Night, please contact Annie Cuevas-Lim, Kalayaan President at (213) 447-7078. For more information, contact KI PROs Violet Mislang at vmislang@gmail.com or Lady Hope Robillos at lhopepr@yahoo.com.
J U LY 2 0
The Ibaan Association USA-Canada gala dinner in LA The Ibaan Association USA-Canada will hold its 32nd Annual Gala Dinner & Dance July 20, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City - Ballroom A at 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, California 91608. For reservations call Monica Benitez at (323) 697-3731 / email: monica_benitez03@yahoo.com or Irene May Villafranca at (323) 423-2299 / email: imay02@ yahoo.com. Tickets are $85 for Adults and $40 for Children (3 to 10 years old). Please make checks payable to: Ibaan Association USA-Canada and mail to: Merly Pagunsan at 5025 Heintz St. Baldwin Park, CA 91706. For sponsorship information on our 2019 Souvenir Program please contact President Noli Reyes at homesbynoli@gmail.com or call (818) 458-7888. Please RSVP by April 12, 2019.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
B February 21-27, 2019 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
PeoPle and events
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Lucy Torres shares first meal with husband The continuous ‘re-inventing’ of Korina Sanchez Richard Gomez in throwback photo by ricky lo Philstar.com
by Jan
Milo Severo
Philstar.com
MOdEL-POLITICIAN Lucy Torres-Gomez recalled how she and husband Richard Gomez shared their first meal together in a throwback post on social media. In her Instagram account, Lucy posted photos of her and Richard during the lunch break of their first TV commercial shoot in 1993. “I did not particularly like vegetables back then and you noticed I had eaten everything else on my plate but the carrots. ‘You don’t like carrots? Try them, they’re good for the body.’ I ate every last bit, not really tasting them, just getting them down,” she wrote. Lucy, who was 18 years old at that time, added that she was compelled to do as he asked because she couldn’t believe that her love of many years was finally beside her. “I needed to do that anyway because, frankly, I couldn’t breathe. I’ve loved you since I was 12, after all, and finally you were beside me. Real. Asking me to eat my vegetables,” she said.
Five years after the commercial shoot, Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres got married and had a daughter. Photo from Instagram/@lucytgomez
The congresswoman also shared how she caught Richard looking at her back then, saying, “under the light of the sun, your eyes were so beautiful, piercing. And I’d sometimes catch you staring at me, a little too long, a little too hard.” “Happy Valentine’s day, my
love. And cheers to many more meals we shall share together,” she ended her post. Five years after the commercial shoot, Lucy and Richard got married and had a daughter, now 18-year-old Juliana. The couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last year.
‘Isn’t It Romantic’ stars Priyanka Chopra...
PAGE B2
things, of course, start to get complicated. She realizes that Blake, despite his wealth and attractiveness, is not the one for her and must stop Josh’s impending and rushed marriage to Isabella because she’s the one who he should be with. “I thought about how to make [Isabella] an asset in the plot and leaning into that instead of it being a cat fight with Natalie,” Chopra said. “It’s about the emotional feeling when two girls have feelings for the same guy.” Like all rom-com classics, there is the moment of clarity and realization that the person you should be loving is yourself. “When you’re single, you don’t want to go out, meet anyone, and feel depressed... our validation depends on someone else when the most important relationship you need to have is with yourself,” Chopra added. “I know that’s easier said than done. But as soon as you recognize that you’re not opening yourself up to the world,
love doesn’t happen — you just have to open your heart to the world and the rest comes, at least that’s in my experience.” Without giving away too many spoilers, along the way, a fun karaoke scene set to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna dance with Somebody” shows off the cast’s singing chops as well. “Rebel and I really clicked right back into our ‘Pitch Perfect’ days. Priyanka has done like 50 Bollywood movies and that’s what they do in Bollywood movies, breaking out into song and dance. She was such a pro at that so it was really a fun day... or actually two days on set,” devine said. There’s another musical treat to end the movie that you’ll just have to see for yourself. “doing a big dance number in the middle of New York City with the cast and back-up dancers was very reminiscent of what I do in my Indian movies and it was just so much fun. I was completely at home,” shared Chopra, who still maintains her career in India
and is set to release another Bollywood film later this year. devine added that “people are going to leave singing and dancing out of the theater.” *** “Isn’t It Romantic,” presented by New Line Cinema in association with Bron Creative, a Broken Road/Little Engine Production, is rated PG-13 and runs for 1 hour 28 minutes. Todd Strauss-Schulson (“A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” “The Final Girls”) directs from a screenplay by Erin Cardillo and Dana Fox & Katie Silberman. Todd Garner (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Tag”), Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo (“13 Going on 30,” “What Women Want”) are producing, with Marty Ewing (“IT,” “The Accountant”) and Rebel Wilson executive producing. Released in the U.S. on Feb. 14, it is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and streamed on Netflix on Feb. 28 in all territories outside of the U.S. and Canada.
WHEN billboards showing Korina Sanchez in an arm-wrestling pose with Macho man derek Ramsay cropped up all over the Metropolis, many people (this one included) wondered what the wife of Senatoriable Mar Roxas was up to. After all, Korina doesn’t stop springing surprises not just on her ABS-CBN Sunday show “Rated K” but outside of it. (Stay tuned for a big “surprise” to be revealed anytime this year!) Out of curiosity, The Star asked Korina what the “fuss” was all about. It turned out that she was into her newest treatment at The Belo Medical Clinic as part of her continuous “re-inventing.” Whose idea was it to include Derek on your billboard? “The main idea was to not just pose with my arms, but to have an interesting concept that catches the eye. When I was told I would be doing a billboard for arms lipo, I thought of the arm-wrestling concept with me smiling and a hunk sweating it out with these words: The Best Arms Win. And then names were thrown around during the meeting but I won’t mention who, hahaha! “derek was an easy decision because he is family to Belo. He is such a game and nice guy — and secure enough to look like he’s losing to a female in a brawn match! That was my concern. But it was no issue with derek. ‘Yan ang tunay na lalaki. Hats off to him. And then, of course, he is so good-looking.” What kind of treatment did you undergo at Belo this time? “I’ve been with Belo since way, way back…hmmm, 20 years ago? My arm liposuction was quite a while ago but, yes, I did it, twice in fact. I wanted it sculpted a bit more after a few years from the first time. You see, I’m naturally rounded. It’s my body type. And even when I was very skinny my arms were round. I remember as a teenager how I was too shy to wear sleeveless tops. “In photos and on TV, yikes! My arms always looked even bigger than they actually were. So I thought even as early as then that the only way was to sculpt it. And the only way to permanently get rid of stubborn fat is to suck it out, safely. Was so, so happy after. And especially when I diet, all the cuts of my arms immediately show. Galing! Now I wear my arms showing all the time, hahahaha!” How do you maintain the effect of the arms lipo treatment and those of your previous treatments? “Liposuction is a great jumpstart. But from experience, if you let yourself go in the kitchen, the fat fights back to stay and grow elsewhere. With any treatment, you have to do your part in maintaining. I do regular exercise and I avoid carbohydrates and sugar. So it isn’t zero carbs or sugar. I just avoid as much as I can. “Mar and I climb mountains and camp occasionally. I swim and
Did the unsinkable wife of Senatoriable Mar Roxas, Korina Sanchez, beat Derek Ramsay in an arm-wrestling match? Photos courtesy of The Belo Medical Clinic
do laps which is great for overall body toning. My friends laugh and know I have a 5/10-pound dumbbells in my car all the time. Para ’pag traffic, I do repetitions for toning my arms and shoulders. In any case, I’m in a Belo clinic at least once a week. It is my kind of guilty pleasure. We owe the world to look our best. #LifeIsTooShortToFeelPanget. Hahahaha!” What are, if any, the diet do’s and don’t’s? “Well, don’t do extreme diets without consulting a nutritionist or doctor. delikado! I know I’m healthy because I have check-ups yearly and I listen to my body. When I did the Keto diet, I was monitoring my numbers. When my cholesterol level increased, I decreased my fat intake. You have to be proactive with yourself. Not all diets are for everyone. It isn’t one size fits all.
“Since I lost the weight, I try to be balanced now but still avoid carbs and sugar. Mar taught me to make and take this delicious green juice which is super healthy: Greens, yogurt, avocado, berries and nuts in a glass. Yummy! “When I do walwal eating one day, I make sure to do penance for the next three days to make up for it.” Are all these in preparation for the May mid-term elections campaign? “Hahahaha, no! I just try to be healthy and strong. As you get older you have to be much more conscious of wear and tear regardless of circumstance. But being in a campaign really does take a lot out of you. I guess the trick is to try to enjoy and be happy in anything you do. That’s one secret to health and long life I’ve read about a lot.” What about Mar, did he have to undergo any “enhancement” (the better to entice voters)? “Bwahahahaha! OMG. He is the least vain person I know. He doesn’t even want to dye his hair because he says that is his authentic self. When I look at him with his salt-and-pepper hair, na-i-in love pa rin naman ako sa kanya so I guess it’s fine! Hahaha…uuuuyyy!” How much will you cover for Mar’s campaign? “Oh, since it is a senatorial with 12 names, I’m much more relaxed now. I’m less required now so I’m less exhausted. In every election, I see a different, more evolved Mar. Ganyan pala kapag married, you see your partner grow. And I like how Mar has taken in his life lessons and how he continues to become more and more the person he believes himself to be: a man of purpose, a man for his family and a man for others. Marami pa s’yang mabibigay. Bata pa siya. Ampogi pa nya, lalo if he dyes his hair. Ayaw eh, hahaha!” Are you temporarily quitting your show during the campaign? “Oh, no! Rated K is strong and stable without the politics. It stays that way. Peace on earth.”
The bucket list PAGE B5 the moment, all you want is to do absolutely nothing and JUST BE. There is an upside to a quiet “staycation.” When you clear your mechanism and tune out the noise that invades your being, you may come to a rare
state of grace — that state when you are thoroughly convinced that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world. Unplug and be receptive. It is in the stillness that we find who we truly are. It is when we are quiet that we can listen to our thoughts and perhaps, listen to
that still small voice that speaks to us. Next week: Another idea to consider for The Bucket List … *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com
A taxi driver on corruption
PAGE B5 And if the excess is P50 million or more, it is plunder…and punishable by life imprisonment. A more formal way of proving unexplained wealth and plunder is to employ a prestigious international assurance and financial audit service, an actuarial service company, an independent SOXcompliant body from another country, who would interview the subject and inspect all of his/her financial records, bank accounts in the Philippines and abroad, investments, real estate and business ownership, etc. to get a global picture of the assets and liabilities of the official in question. The evaluation should start from the top, the nation’s president and his cabinet, all the legislators in both houses. This is the only way to find out the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But who shall cast the first stone? And then there are the legal technicalities to hurdle: the privacy and immunity laws, taking the “fifth,” self-incrimination law, and other maneuvers to evade the law and protect the rich and powerful criminals walking in the halls of Congress, laughing inside on their way to their multiple banks, relishing the fact that We, the People, are all gullible and stupid. Nobility and honor The most noble and honorable way is for the head of state to volunteer himself to be the first one to be fully audited, and through
an executive order, mandate that all government officials, elected and appointed, follow and submit to comprehensive auditing and evaluation by this hired actuarial company auditors. That act alone will show that the president is himself beyond reproach and not involved in any graft or corruption, much less plunder. Reclusion perpetua Before Arroyo’s term, the ultimate penalty for plunder was death. Since the country eliminated the death penalty, reclusion perpetua (permanent incarceration or life imprisonment) is now the maximum. Actually, the same new law also permanently forbids a convicted plunderer from running for office. But many of our laws are not enforced by the authorities and therefore flagrantly violated by the powerful filthy-rich politicians. Guilty of treason In China and other countries, convicted corrupt officials face the firing squad expeditiously. Obviously, in the Philippines, they are rewarded handsomely. Sadly, we, the poeople, are not doing anything proactively and enough about it, so the politicians continue to bastardize the people. Technically speaking, this makes us guilty of treason because one of the definitions of treason is “the crime of helping your country’s enemies,” and plunderers and corrupt government officials are definitely NOT friends but enemies of the Philippines and the
Filipino people. Looking the other way is tantamount to helping them continue to rape our nation Mario elaborated to say, “Hindi lamang si Erap, lahat sila kurakot at mandarambong (It is not only Erap, all of them are corrupt and grafters). Kung hindi mag-aalsa ang mga Pilipino sa korapsyon at abusong ito, wala na talagang pagasa bayan natin, pati na kalusugan ng ating pagiisip bilang isang bayan (If the Filipinos will not revolt against all these corruption and abuses, we will certainly be a hopeless nation, adversely impacting our mental health as a nation).” I was so impressed with Mario I gave him a hefty tip. With more Filipinos like this erudite and wise taxi driver, the Philippines would, perhaps, one day, become a nation of justice, integrity, dignity, and pride, and escape the shameful and demeaning international condemnation as being a most corrupt country.
*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com
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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 21-27, 2019
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B8 FEBRUARY 21-27, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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