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Palace on US intelligence report: Fil-Am Cook County Duterte ‘adheres to the rule of law’ Circuit Court DATELINE
USA
from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
judge convicted of mortgage fraud
Guilty verdict likely to end Circuit Court Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien’s career in law, hearing set for July 6 not long after she broke barriers as the first filipina-American judge in the Cook County Circuit Court, Jessica Arong o’Brien has been convicted in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme. o’Brien, 50, sat stoically in the courtroom on thursday, february 15, as the jury found her guilty of bank fraud and mail fraud which resulted in her pocketing $325,000 after she lied to lenders. she reportedly lied about her income when applying for loans, one time failing to disclose $260,000 mortgage from her primary residence. After selling the properties to a co-worker named maria Bartko by way of a straw buyer, o’Brien reportedly made two undisclosed payments to Bartko — the other defendant in this case — that totaled $73,000,
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Quiboloy aide charged with cash smuggling An aide of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy was charged before a United states District Court in hawaii for allegedly trying to smuggle to the Philippines more than $300,000 in cash. A U.s. District Court accused felina salinas, a U.s. citizen, of attempted bulk cash smuggling after inspectors found $335,000 in her carry-on bag during a flight en route to the Philippines on february 13. According to the complaint, salinas only declared carrying $40,000 and P1,000. But when inspectors opened her carry-on bag, they reportedly found $335,000 and AUD $9,000 in cash hidden in socks inside a black bag. “none of that money was reported by ms. salinas to the CBPo (Customs and Border Protection office),” the complaint read. U.s. law requires individuals to declare the cash they’re taking out of the country if it’s over $10,000. salinas was released on a $25,000 bond. the preliminary hearing on her case is set on february 27.
by Dana
SioSon AJPress
PhiliPPine President rodrigo Duterte “has no autocratic tendencies” and “adheres to the rule of law,” malacañang affirmed as it slammed a United states intelligence report tagging the filipino leader as a threat to democracy and human rights in south-
east Asia. in a statement on Wednesday, february 21, Palace spokesperson harry roque dismissed the U.s. intelligence community’s 2018 Worldwide threat Assessment as “myopic and speculative at best.” “for one, President rodrigo roa Duterte is no autocrat nor has autocratic tendencies. he adheres
to the rule of law and remains loyal to the Constitution. An autocracy is not prevalent, as they would like everyone to believe,” roque said. the U.s. intelligence community recently released a report listing Duterte as among the southeast Asian leaders who pose a threat to democracy and human
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Duterte: ‘PH Rise is ours, period’ by Dana
SioSon AJPress
PresiDent rodrigo Duterte has strongly asserted the country’s sovereignty over the Philippine rise, formerly called Benham rise. speaking in front of the filipino-Chinese community and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jinhua on monday, february 19, Duterte stressed that the resource-rich waters belong to the Philippines. “the Philippine rise is ours. Period. the continental shelf below it is Philippine jurisdiction. that is ours,” Duterte said during his speech at the 10th Biennial Convention and 20th founding Anniversary celebration of the Chinese filipino Business Club, inc. (CfBCi) in manila hotel. he also downplayed China’s move to name five undersea features of the Philippine rise following a maritime survey, which were reportedly recognized by the international hydrographic organization (iho) last year. the Philippine government has maintained it would not recognize the Chinese names given to the undersea features within the country’s exclusive economic zone at Philippine rise.
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MEETS US-PH SOCIETY OFFICIALS. President Rodrigo Duterte discusses matters with Ambassador John Negroponte and other U.S.-Philippines Society officials who paid a courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, February 20. Joining the president are Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, Department of Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante
OFW deployment ban may expand coverage by Dana
SioSon AJPress
PhiliPPine President rodrigo Duterte has raised the possibility of expanding the deployment ban on filipino workers to other countries, saying he would not allow the abuse and maltreatment of them. the president made the statement on monday, february 19, as he maintained that the Philippine government will not lift the deployment ban on filipino workers Senator Joel Villanueva (3rd from left), chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, in Kuwait. “the ban will continue and it Employment and Human Resources Development, expresses his frustration over the deaths of 185 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait during a will extend to other countries. u PAGE A3 Senate inquiry on Wednesday, February 21. Senate photo by Albert Calvelo mahirapan sila, well, humihingi
na ako ng tawad sa inyo... Wala akong kaplano na ipadala kayo doon tapos babuyin kayo. hindi ko style ‘yan (They will have a hard time. i am asking for your forgiveness. i will not allow… i have no plan to send you there where you will be maltreated. That’s not my style),” Duterte said. the president, however, did not name any country where he is planning to impose the deployment ban. earlier this month, the Philippine government has enforced a complete ban on the deployment of filipino workers to Kuwait over
reported abuses. the order came following the death of filipina Joanna Demafelis was found inside a freezer while working in the country. in his speech, Duterte stressed that “the filipino is a slave of nobody.” “the filipino seeks to work abroad to earn a living so that he can help his family because the economy here, local, cannot absorb the entire workforce who would want to,” he added. the president appealed to other nations to treat filipino workers with dignity and respect.
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After Boracay, Panglao may also face shutdown House panel approves divorce bill in PH by Dana
SioSon AJPress
After Boracay, another tourist island in the Visayas is likely to face shutdown over environmental issues. According to socioeconomic Planning secretary ernesto Pernia, President rodrigo Duterte is mulling to close erring establishments in Panglao island if the reported problems on waste management in the area were not properly addressed. Pernia told inquirer that Panglao island, located in the Bohol province, was suffering from environmental problems due to the unregulated development and lax enforcement Like Boracay, Panglao Island, Bohol’s tourism jewel, is suffering from environmental problems because of of laws amid the continued surge in unregulated development, lax enforcement of laws, and a continued surge in tourist arrivals. tourist arrivals. Inquirer.net photo by Leo Udtohan
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by AJPress the house Committee on Population and family relations has approved a measure legalizing divorce and the dissolution of marriage in the Philippines. the house panel, chaired by laguna representative sol Aragones, approved the substitute bill for four divorce bills — house Bills 116, 1062, 2380, and 6027 — on Wednesday, february 21, with no contention. the four bills were authored by lawmakers across party-lines, including speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del norte, rep. edcel lagman of Albay, rep. Ace Barbers of surigao del norte, and rep. emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, among others. the new bill was entitled “An act
instituting absolute divorce in the Philippines,” which followed the title of lagman’s house Bill 116. the substitute bill aims to give “the opportunity to spouses in irremediably failed marriages to secure an absolute divorce decree under limited grounds and well-defined judicial procedures to terminate a continuing dysfunction of a long broken marriage.” During a press briefing, lagman described the approved measure as a “pro-woman legislation.” “Because in most cases it is the wife who is entitled to an absolute divorce in order to be liberated from an abusive situation and also for her to redeem her dignity and self-respect,” he added. lagman also noted that the measure aims to make divorce more affordable
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February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
From The FronT Page
Palace on US intelligence... PAGE A1 rights, along with ruling Thai officials and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen. “In the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption, and crime. Duterte has suggested he could suspend the Constitution, declare a ‘revolutionary government,’ and impose nationwide martial law,” the report read. It also cited a Freedom House report that tagged the Philippines as among countries “whose governments used social media to spread government views, to drive agendas, and to counter criticism of the government online.” But Roque maintained that autocracy does not exist under the Duterte administration, saying that the “media are still able to broadcast and print what they want – ’fake news’ included.” “Our judiciary and the courts are functioning as usual. Our legislature remains independent
Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque
and basic services are still being delivered,” he added. The Palace official also insisted that “there is no revolutionary government or nationwide martial law, which U.S. intelligence officials are saying that the president might declare or impose.” Defending the administration’s use of social media, Roque pointed out that it is “foolhardy not to tap social media as a tool when the technology exists for free.” “While it is true that the administration uses and maximizes so-
Philstar.com photo
cial media to promote government messages and accomplishments, members of the political opposition and other cause-oriented groups use the same media platform to advance their agenda,” Roque said. He continued, “I don’t know of any government in the free world which does not use the internet and social media to promote its agenda. This is very true especially in the case of the U.S. This latest intelligence assessment is a classic case in point.” n
House panel approves divorce...
AWARD FOR CUISIA. United States Ambassador Sung Kim (center) presents an award to former Philippines Ambassador to the U.S. Jose L. Cuisia Jr. assisted by American Association of the Philippines Chairman Rick Sobrevinas during the American Association of the Philippines 70th anniversary celebration of George Washington Charity Ball held at the Alphaland Makati on Saturday, February 17. PNA photo by Avito C.
OFW deployment ban may expand coverage PAGE A1
“The only thing… that we ask PAGE A1 be given the opportunity to file ferences and the right of the is that you give us the dignity of for Filipinos. their petitions without paying spouses to file a joint petition a human being, you treat us hu“We are proposing an inex- the penalties and cause of litiga- for divorce, cited in Alvarez’ bill, manely, be tolerant of our culturpensive and affordable divorce tions,” he said. was adopted. al differences and do not abuse process which would also ob“Chronic unhappiness,” on the our women because it will inflict As for the grounds of divorce, serve a decent process in which Lagman said that the provision other hand, was dropped because a long and lasting wound. Maybe case, litigants or petitioners will regarding irreconcilable dif- it was “hard to determine, it’s so this generation cannot and will subjective and it approximates not forget it,” Duterte said. an esoteric ground,” according He continued, “That is why, to Lagman. “The grounds for absolute divorce are the existing grounds for legal separation, annulment of marriage and nullification of PAGE A1 marriage, more particularly the “Eh alangan nilang gawing psychological incapacity. But German, ang alam nila Chinese there are additional grounds like eh (I doubt they would use Gerthe de facto separation for five man, they only knew Chinese). years and the marriage is beyond Those are just directions na tarepair,” Lagman said. pos na sila dyan (they are done The five-year de facto separa- with that). Of course, they will do tion provision was taken from the it in Chinese, it’s their dialect,” divorce bills authored by Bar- Duterte said. bers, and De Jesus and Brosas. Apart from the Philippine Rise, “Another ground is if one the president also strongly asof the spouses had undergone serted the country’s sovereignty change in sex or what is known over the West Philippine Sea, sexual reassignment,” Lagman which is part of the highly disadded. puted South China Sea. The Philippines is among the “I am ready, to put my presionly two nations in the world dency, my career as president, that does not have divorce law. my life and honor [on the line]. The other one is the Vatican Atin ‘yan (That is ours). It has City, an ecclesiastical sovereign been the claim of the Republic of city-state. n the Philippines na atin ‘yan (that that is ours)… which we called before the [South] China Sea, now the West Philippine Sea,” he stressed. The president, however, noted that the Philippines could only make “diplomatic” moves in dealing with territorial disputes
I’m addressing myself, not only to Kuwait but to the entire nations in the world to say that Filipinos are everywhere seeking livelihood, can I please plead to you? Please do not degrade them like animals, do not treat them as a slave.” Acknowledging that the ban would hurt OFWs, Duterte said he was prepared to accept the consequences, including backlash.
“Will it involve hardships? Yes. Will it involve sacrifice? Yes. Would it mean anger? Yes. To me, yes. Tanggapin ko lahat,” he said. “I’m ready to admit everything but the ban stands. Umuwi lang kayo dito maski na papaano matulungan ko kayo maski sa pagkain (You should go home. At least I can help you even with food).” n
Duterte: ‘PH Rise is ours...
DUTERTE MEETS CHINESE ENVOY AT CFBCI ANNIVERSARY. President Rodrigo Duterte greets Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua on the sidelines of the 10th Biennial National Convention and 20th Founding Anniversary Celebration of the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) at the Manila Hotel on Monday, February 19. Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez
concerning the South China Sea. Duterte maintained that the Philippines will continue to assert its maritime claims but could not go into war with China—which nearly claimed the entire South China Sea—and with other rival claimants. “Well, we can only be diplo-
matic. We can only be talking on friendly and civilized terms,” Duterte said. He added, “We cannot go there, ride in our whatever, Navy, the gray ships, the Coast Guard and start waving our rifles. We cannot do that today. It is unrealistic. It cannot be true.” n
After Boracay, Panglao may also... PAGE A1 “It could be next if violators would not correct their mistakes by complying with environmental laws and regulations,” Pernia said, as quoted by Inquirer in a report dated Tuesday, February 20.
“It’s a warning to save the country’s prime tourist destinations from further environmental destruction,” he added. There are reportedly only 33 out of around 200 commercial establishments operating in Pan-
glao that have permits from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). According to Panglao Councilor Rogelyn Clemeña-Degoma, most establishments in the island had no wastewater treatment facility. “By this time, we will strictly implement the requirement for the discharge permit of businesses and the implementation of building structures within the 20-meter salvage [or easement] zone,” Degoma said, as she remarked that the issue in Boracay serves as an eye-opener for all officials in Bohol. Duterte earlier gave the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) six months to fix the waste management issues in the island of Boracay, which he likened to a “cesspool.” The president threatened to close the world-famous tourist destination if the island’s sewage and garbage problems were not addressed. In a briefing on Monday, February 19, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said the agency has already deployed a “mission team” in Boracay composing of about 50 DENR personnel to rehabilitate the area. “We will be using all our government and the DENR assets and personnel to do this job. Those who will be deployed will be on a rotation basis,” Cimatu said. Another group, composed of more than 100 DENR personnel, will also go to the island on Thursday, February 22, to “conduct a thorough sweep of establishments in Boracay.” “There will be about 12 teams totalling over 100 people which will be going there to uncover the violators. We expect the number of cases that will be brought before the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) to increase. The PAB will decide the closure and imposition of penalties on these errant establishments,” Cimatu added. According to the DENR, there are 2,600 establishments in Boracay, of which at least 51 were issued notices after being found of violating the water, waste management and land use regulations. n
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Dateline USa
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Fil-Am Cook County Circuit Court judge... PAGE A1
according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Madden. Her conviction effectively removes her from the bench, according to state law. She also may see serious prison time. A sentencing hearing has been set for July 6. As previously reported by the Asian Journal, during her time as a lawyer for the Illinois Department of Revenue, o’Brien lied about loan and refinancing applications for two investment properties that were purchased in 2004 and 2007, before she was elected to the Circuit Court. Her attorney Ricardo Meza disregarded the claims, labeling them as “mistakes,” telling jurors, “Whatever Jessica did, it was always done in good faith.” Before the jurors began their deliberations last week, Meza suggested the allegations were a conspiracy lodged by the government, adding that the claims were a “cockamamie concoction.” After the conviction, he, however, declined to comment. After a federal grand jury indicted o’Brien in April 2017, o’Brien was removed from hearing cases and had been “reassigned to administrative duties” to another presiding
judge’s office, which “is the strongest action” the court’s executive committee can take, according to Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. Further action would be handled by the Judicial Inquiry Board and the Illinois Courts Commission. In a previous Asian Journal profile, o’Brien was born in Cebu, philippines in 1968 and moved to the United States as a teenager. She began studying law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, graduating with a J.D./L.M.M. degree in 1998. After she passed the bar exam, she served as a special assistant attorney general at the Illinois Department of Revenue, litigating cases involving corporate, partnership and individual income and sales taxation. It was then that the alleged fraud occurred. After an unsuccessful campaign in 2010 to take over a vacancy in the Cook County Circuit Court, o’Brien again ran in 2012 and won, becoming the first Filipina-American judge to sit on the bench. She is married to Cook County Judge Brendan o’Brien. She was also the first Asian woman elected president of the Women’s Bar Association of Il-
Quiboloy aide charged with... PAGE A1 According to media reports, Quiboloy, who was on board the private plane with Salinas, was detained briefly at the Honolulu airport over the incident but later took a commercial flight to the philippines. The private plane was sequestered in Honolulu. But Quiboloy’s spokesman, lawyer Israelito Torreon, clarified that the religious leader was not “detained” in Hawaii. “I have to clarify everything. Detention implies that he committed a crime and that he violated US law. He was not detained, he did not violate any U.S. law and as a matter of fact, he is back in the philippines,” Torreon said. Torreon also said that Quiboloy arrived in Manila at 6:30 p.m on February 15. This was confirmed by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). BI spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said Quiboloy arrived on board a philippine Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino
linois and co-founded a foundation that rewards diversity scholarships to law students. o’Brien’s American Dream success story has earned her celebrity status within the legal and Filipino-American communities. As a Filipina immigrant, she has made efforts to give back to the Filipino-American community and uplift the best and the brightest from diverse backgrounds. “I am a big advocate for diversity. I think it’s important, but at the same time, I also believe that it has been based on qualifications. I don’t believe in that,” o’Brien shared with the Asian Journal in 2016. “We as RESPONSIBLE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar leads the a group need to prepare the information officers from the 17 regions of the country in their pledge of commitment to responsibly disseminate developmental information next generation. If it’s true that down to the grassroots during the last day of the National Information Convention held at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on Asian Americans are going to Wednesday, February 21. PNA photo by Oliver Marquez bypass all other ethnic groups [by 2040], then what are we doing as a group to hold the power, to be influential? And we’ve got to be cohesive, and we’re just not.” In addition to the racial and gender barriers she’s surpassed as a Filipina-American, o’Brien by Dino Maragay plans to stage pacquiao-Alvarado er he’s ready,” said Arum. has garnered countless accoPhilstar.com Arum wants to keep everything in the same card as the fight lades including a “Call to SerTop Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum in-house, instead preferring to between Terence Crawford and vice” award from former president Barack obama for more recently took to social discussion pit pacquiao against longtime recent pacquiao conqueror Jeff than 4,000 hours of volunteer website Reddit to interact with contender Mike Alvarado, also Horn. a Top Rank-promoted fighter. Matthysse, meanwhile, has service over 10 years. (Klarize some boxing fans. The veteran promoter was Matthysse, in contrast, fights repeatedly called out pacquiao Medenilla/AJPress) asked why Manny pacquiao under Golden Boy promotions, since defeating Kiram. Arum, for his part, said pacwon’t be fighting WBA welter- Top Rank’s chief rival. This comes even as pacquiao quiao and Matthysse could still weight champion Lucas Matthysse in his planned ring return has voiced out his preference to cross paths sometime later. fight Matthysse, who knocked out “Would he [pacquiao] fight this April. The reason, Arum said, was Tewa Kiram last January to annex Matthysse down the road? Why not?” added the promoter. simply the lack of communication the vacant title. “I think some writer asked if “But we were up against a between him and the Argentine he’d [pacquiao] want to fight deadline in April, so at that point fighter’s camp. “Well, because nobody’s ever [Matthysse], and he said yes,” not having talked to the oppotalked to Matthysse, about wheth- continued Arum, who instead nent, it was a non-starter.” n
Arum explains why Pacquiao vs Matthysse fight won’t happen soon
Former US vice president Gore to speak at PH environment summit
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy
International Airport. She, however, denied that BI personnel “escorted” him out of the airport. “Quiboloy underwent immigration arrival formalities. In light of the expected deluge of media
Philstar.com photo
upon his arrival, BI deemed it best to process his arrival in our office to avoid any commotion in the immigration area and affect other arriving passengers,” Mangrobang said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)
FoRMER Vice president Al Gore leads the speakers invited to the 2nd philippine Environment Summit which opened in Cebu City on Tuesday, February 20. Aside from Gore, also invited were CMS Executive Secretary Bradnee Chambers, Senator Grace poe, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Deputy ombudsman Gerard Mosquera, Consul Gordon Alan Joseph; and Federico Lopez, Energy Development Corporation chairman and CEo.
The February 20-22 event at the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug is expected to showcase programs and projects that will contribute to the social and economic advancement of the environment, as well as its protection. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), a co-convenor of the Summit, provided financial support while the Green Convergence Board of Trustees handled the manpower and management for the summit.
Gore is a known advocate for the environment. He is one of the most prominent voices on climate change and environmental activism, which earned for him a Nobel peace prize in 2007, according to reports posted online. He was vice president to then president Bill Clinton from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Gore ran for U.S. president but lost to George W. Bush in 2000. (Eireene Jairee gomez/ ManilaTimes.net)
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UNICEF: Babies born in poorest US carrier resumes SCS operations countries still face ‘alarming’ risks by
BABIES born in the world’s poorest countries, most of them in Africa, still face “alarming” risks of death that can be 50 times as high as those in the richest countries, according to a UNICEF report released on Tuesday, February 20. While the last quarter-century has seen broad improvements in older children’s health, “we have not made similar progress in ending deaths among children less than one month old,” said UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore. “Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable, clearly we are failing the world’s poorest babies,” she added. The differences are stark, according to the report, which noted that a baby born in Pakistan – the country with the worst newborn mortality rate – faced a one in 22 chance of death, while a newborn in Japan had only a one in 1,111 risk of dying. Of the 10 highest-risk countries, eight are in sub-Saharan Africa – countries where “pregnant women are much less likely to receive assistance” due to poverty, conflict or weak institutions, the report said. Those eight countries are the Central African Republic (a one in 24 chance of death); Somalia, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan (all with a one in 26 chance); Cote d’Ivoire (one in 27); and Mali and Chad (both with a one in 28 chance). Each year, some 2.6 million babies do not survive through their first month. Preventable deaths The report was released in conjunction with the launch of a global campaign called “Every Child Alive” aimed at ensuring “affordable, quality health care solutions for every mother and newborn.” More than 80 percent of newborn deaths can be prevented, the report said, “with access to well-trained midwives, along with proven solutions like clean water, disinfectants, breastfeeding within the first hour, skinto-skin contact and good nutrition.” But shortages of properly trained health workers and midwives are a major problem in poorer nations, it pointed out. The report said that while a rich country like Norway has 18 doctors, nurses and midwives
Jaime Laude Philstar.com
A U.S. Navy carrier strike group led by USS Carl Vinson left Manila Bay on Monday, February 19, to resume freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. From Manila Bay, the Nimitzclass aircraft carrier would make a port call at former U.S. base Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. A former U.S. foe, Vietnam is openly contesting China’s rapid militarization of the region. Beijing’s military buildup in the South China Sea has prompted other maritime states in the region to expand their presence in areas they claim as their own. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which many of the claimant countries are members, has not been united enough to stop Beijing’s expanAccording to UNICEF, babies born in the world’s poorest countries face alarming risk of death sionism. that can be 50 times as high as those in the richest countries. Inquirer.net photo More than four decades after for every 10,000 people, impoverished Somalia has only one. The UNICEF said that every year, one million babies die the day they are born. “We know we can save the vast majority of these babies with affordable, quality health care solutions,” Fore said. Rwandan success story In general, babies born in richer countries fare far better, but there are differences within countries. Babies born to the poorest families are 40 percent more likely to die than those born to the least poor. Sadly typical was the story of Mary James, an 18-year-old from rural Malawi. When her labor started, she and her sister made the long trek to a health center on foot. When her baby was delivered, he was small and terribly weak. She said that an overstretched staff did its best, but by night the child was gone. “I felt like my heart was breaking,” James told UNICEF staff. “I had a name for the child but he never opened his eyes.” Since improvements to health care can be expensive, “it is crucial to invest the money in a smart way,” UNICEF’s global maternity and newborn program chief Willibald Zeck told AFP. That can mean something as simple as ensuring that a pregnant woman who has walked three days to a health care facility is received with “dignity,” so she remains long enough to
receive proper postnatal care. But the dearth of expensive equipment matters. Zeck, who worked as an obstetrician/gynecologist in Tanzania, said women were often unsure how pregnant they were, and he would have to use his hands to estimate whether a fetus was premature or seriously underweight. Still, among countries that have made dramatic improvements is low-income Rwanda, which more than halved its rate from 1990 to 2016, illustrating that “political will to invest in strong health systems… is critical,” the report said. Education matters, too. Babies born to mothers with no education face nearly twice the risk of early death as babies whose mothers have at least a secondary education. The United States – generally affluent, but with considerable income inequality and wide variations in access to health care – was only the 41st safest country for newborns. The countries with the lowest newborn mortality rates after Japan are mostly well-off countries with strong education and health care systems: Iceland (a one in 1,000 chance of death), Singapore (one in 909), Finland (one in 833), Estonia and Slovenia (both one in 769), Cyprus (one in 714) and Belarus, Luxembourg, and Norway and South Korea (all with risks of one in 667). (Inquirer.net with reports from AFP)
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the Vietnam War, USS Carl Vinson is slated to drop anchor at Hanoi’s southern seaport of Cam Ranh either late this month or early next month, according to Reuters. More than 5,500 sailors from Carl Vinson and guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy arrived on Friday to visit local attractions and participate in community service projects. Crewmembers assisted residents of Quezon City by helping clear debris at a site for low-income housing. “Community service projects like these help build relationships,” said Cmdr. Jamie Stall-Ryan, Carl Vinson’s lead chaplain. “It shows that sailors are not just in town to have fun. We’re here to partner with the Philippine people and support them,” he said. Sailors also helped pack 3,300 boxes of relief supplies that will help feed 16,000 residents from
Albay province displaced by the recent eruption of Mount Mayon. “I feel like I’m involved in making the world a better place,” said Seaman Shemroy Kellman from Carl Vinson’s Deck department. The strike group will continue operating in the Indo-Pacific region as part of a regularly scheduled deployment focused on working with partners and allies, promoting freedom of the seas and enhancing regional security, the US embassy said. The strike group also includes Carrier Air Wing 2, USS Wayne E. Meyer and guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain. The Carl Vinson is operating in the Indo-Pacific region conducting maritime operations, promoting freedom of navigation and working with partners and allies to enhance regional security and stability. It is based in San Diego, California. n
Peace-loving WWII veteran gets his Congressional Gold Medal by Jun
nucum Inquirer.net
SAN FRANCISCO — To be an 11-year-old a runner/spotter/ messenger for the guerillas during the World War II was something very unusual. But to veteran Jorge Villamarin, now 87, the call of duty was so important that it was just natural to obey orders against a hated enemy, even for someone as young as he was. It was also fateful that young Jorge also lived in a house that became the intelligence base of the Hunters ROTC, a Filipino guerilla group, in Angono Rizal. It did not matter that he had no experience or needed to be taught for the assigned jobs, he was just too willing to do his share in the war against the Japanese. “Our house was the secret intelligence base of Hunters ROTC so we, in the family [father Simplicio who became Angono officer-in-charge, brothers Felix and Teofilo, and sister Salome V. Calderon] became part of the movement. Col. Frisco San Juan, Teddy Adevoso and other military officials met in our house. Intelligence officer Major Antonio Liban and my brother Felix Villamarin who was in charge of Angono guerrillas liked the place for its strategic location facing the river where the enemy would be sighted from far away even before the couls cross the river to attack the intelligence base,” Jorge recounted. “They gathered here to get information. I had to get supplies for them so they could eat during their stay in our Angono house.” As a messenger/runner, Jorge primarily had to make sure that the coast is clear before guerrillas moved from one place to another in Angono. “I didn’t feel any fear when our house was the intelligence base because I was too young to realize the real danger. I was simply obeying what I was asked to do,” intimated Jorge. “Now at 87 years old, every time I see or watch kids in the news or any video material involved running around the streets in war-torn countries like in Afghanistan and Iraq, I identify with and feel sorry for them.” The scariest moment for Jorge was when he got lost crossing Laguna Lake, which was filled with water lilies, from Taytay to Angono after guiding a doctor to check on a downed Navy pilot who could not be moved because of the head injuries he sustained. “Since the area was restricted, I wasn’t sent home by myself, but I lost my way since it was getting dark. So in the middle of Laguna Lake filled with water lilies I was crying because I could not find my way. With persistent pushing away the lilies, shouting for help and with tears in my eyes, I finally found my way back to the shore. From there I was able to make it home,” Jorge recounted. His saddest experience was when he spotted two Japanese officers who were playing softball in an Angono schoolyard and were unarmed at the time. “I went back to the forest mountain to report what I saw and led the guerillas to the schoolyard.
Jorge Villamarin (left) returns the salute given by Gen. Antonio Taguba (right), a show of respect from one military officer and a gentleman to another. In the middle is Jorge wife, Inquirer.net photos by Jun Nucum Nenita.
Upon seeing the Japanese, the guerillas fired at the officers who also saw them. One was killed on the spot and the other was killed at Laguna Lake. What was sad was that I am pretty sure that Japanese were not armed at all. I saw them as officers and gentlemen far from being just ordinary Japanese soldiers. The Hunters should have just captured them and not have them killed because once you killed a Japanese, ten civilians would be killed in exchange,” explained Jorge. Jorge was told that the parents of the Japanese killed in Angono turned out to be owners of a big camera lenses company back in Japan. To him it was such a waste of officers’ lives that usually happens during a war. It was also during that time that Jorge witnessed Japanese getting their ears cut off and being hanged upside down. The Japanese, for their part, usually gathered and killed Filipino civilians inside a church, not showing any respect for the sacredness of the place. This making him sadly realize that there was cruelty on both sides. Jorge was a Hunter only until the age of 14 and was discharged after that. In 1955, he became the first member of the U.S. Navy from Angono Rizal when he then joined the Navy in Subic. He was in service until 1974, retiring as a chief petty officer. After retirement he continued serving the public by working with NGOs California Technical Care and Angono Community Technical Center, providing refurbished computers to public schools and establishing computer learning centers in the Philippines and other third world countries from August 2000 to December 2010. On November 2016, the United States Congress passed the bill that President Obama later signed into law, conferring the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) to Filipino World War II veterans like Jorge Villamarin, probably the youngest to be given one. “I feel very vindicated with this Congressional Gold Medal. I used to disregard the honors being accorded to us veterans but now I realize that challenges, sufferings, efforts and the pain that I have been through. So finally, a they recognized what I have been hiding all these years, since I don’t talk about my experiences in World War II because those were truly sad days and years. It is not easy reliving what happened then. But with this
recognition, I come to fully realize the importance of what I did. I am still so sad, though, that the war with all the wasted lives and cruelties that came with it happened,” Jorge lamented. All the time while Jorge was recounting his war exploits, granddaughter Jackie Villamarin was amazed at what she heard. “Initially I was like, “Wow. What? That’s crazy. Grandpa you were that young? I thought you were already a teenager when you did the tasks asked of you to do. I did not even know that he would be given a Congressional Gold Medal in coming here thinking that we came here from Sacramento just to visit him and Grandma,” Jackie said. Jorge’s son and Jackie’s father, Dean, also shared that Jorge had told them the stories and experiences that he went through. “My first reaction was, I can’t believe that was my dad who did that. It was because I only knew about WWII through watching movies, reading about it in books, in school. But to think that my dad was involved, the war suddenly had a face with my dad. Looking back about it, I feel proud and honored of what he did,” Dean beamed. Dean was also happy that U.S. Army Major General (ret.) Antonio Taguba himself would be awarding him the medal. “Thank you to General Taguba and his staff for making this happen and for recognizing the efforts and the sacrifices of people like my dad did during WWII.” In accordance with Public Law 114265, Taguba came from Virginia to the Bay Area for the awarding of CGMs to veterans in San Francisco, particularly to Jorge in Hayward. Taguba reiterated though that the CGM has nothing to do with war veterans benefits. “I want to thank your father, uncle because what he is getting is 75 years old almost as young as he is,” Taguba, whose own father was a veteran, said. “There were about 260,000 of them who were supposed to be U.S. citizens. But Congress, because they could not pay them, took away their U.S. citizenship and denied them their benefits. That is why they were always fighting for their benefits. They had to fight for this country, they had to fight to come here to the U.S. and that they had to fight to prove that they fought in WWII. So, this is the bill passed by Congress that says that they did,” Taguba remarked as he awarded the medal to Jorge. n
The family of Gold Medal awardee Jorge Villamarin (in wheelchair) gathers for a souvenir photo after U.S. Army Major General (ret.) Antonio Taguba (extreme right) gave him the medal. In picture are Jorge’s son, Dean (fourth from right), granddaughter Jackie (to Dean’s left) and Jorge’s wife, Nenita Bautista-Villamarin, (to Jackie’s left).
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 22-28, 2018
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Dateline PGohiliPPines hits Rappler, Inquirer for ‘irresponsible reporting’ by Dana
SioSon AJPress
SPECIAL Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bongâ€? Go has blamed media outlets Rappler and the Philippine Daily Inquirer for causing the controversy surrounding a multimillion-dollar warship deal. Speaking at a Senate hearing on the P15.7-billion Philippine Navy frigate project on Monday, February 19, Go accused the two media entities of publishing “fake newsâ€? after reporting that he allegedly interfered in the deal. “Ang pinag uusapan ngayon According to DOH Undersecretary Enrique Domingo, the experts are expected to arrive mid-March from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, United ay naging isyu lamang nang States and United Kingdom. Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas maglabas ang Rappler at Inquirer ng fake news at sinabing ako daw ay nakialam (this became an issue only after RapIn Department Memoran- pler and Inquirer come out with how their local counterparts have by Sheila CriSoStomo been evaluating adverse events dum No. 2018-0060 dated Feb. a fake news and claimed that I Philstar.com 19, Duque said everyone must intervene),â€? Go told the Senate and then do capacity building. MANILA — The World Health The DOH currently has two comply with “Guidelines on the national defense and security Organization (WHO) is bringing teams monitoring and evaluat- Disclosure and Management of committee. He added, “Lahat ng ito ay in five to seven foreign experts ing the impact of Dengvaxia on Conflicts of Interest in relation to nagsimula sa isang irresponwho will help the Department vaccinated children. the use of pharmaceutical prodsible reporting (All this started of Health (DOH) address the These are the DOH Task Force ucts and medical devices.â€? problems brought about by the that is looking at adverse events Duque said the move is in line with irresponsible reporting).â€? Go also asked the Senate to Dengvaxia vaccines meant to following Dengvaxia immuniza- with “the national government’s continue its hearing on fake curb the deadly dengue fever. tion, and the expert panel of the thrust to promote transparency According to DOH Undersec- University of the Philippines- and good governance and‌ to news and had the two media retary Enrique Domingo, the ex- Philippine General Hospital, prevent corrupt practices by outlets questioned. The controversy erupted perts are expected to arrive mid- which is investigating deaths re- public and private officials and amid reports about a handwritMarch from Singapore, Thailand, lated to the vaccine. officers.â€? Malaysia, United States and The memorandum stated that ten marginal note by Defense Domingo added among the United Kingdom. things the foreign and local “it is the duty of the DOH to Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, They are composed of epide- experts are expected to do is uphold the integrity of its vital which cited Go’s preference for miologists, dengue experts, in- to formulate guidelines on ad- process, particularly with regard fectious disease experts, pathol- verse events that are tailor fit for to crafting technical recommenogists and other specialists. dations and decisions concernDengvaxia vaccination. Domingo noted the WHO is Aside from the 14 vaccinated ing the purchase, procurement, paying for the mission that will children whose deaths were in- deployment and use of pharmaassist the DOH in “building the vestigated by the UP-PGH panel, ceutical products and medical capacityâ€? of local health experts there are 17 other deaths docu- devices to ensure that they work by roSette aDel looking into the mess created by mented by the DOH. in the best interest of Filipino paPhilstar.com Dengvaxia. Under the plan, the investiga- tients.â€? The DOH had decided to seek tion into the 17 deaths and others Duque has also reminded MANILA — Philippine National guidance from the WHO as more that might follow will be done by DOH officials and employees of Police chief Director General cases of dengue among the vac- local teams based on enhanced the DOH Code of Ethics, which Ronald dela Rosa on Wednesday, cinated children are expected to guidelines. strictly implements the “no giftFebruary 21, expressed mixed feelsurface in the coming years. In a related development, giving policy.â€? ings regarding his term extension He added the foreign experts Health Secretary Francisco He added the code “prohibits as the head of the police force. could not stay for an extended Duque III has ordered all offi- any remuneration whether diDela Rosa said he is thankful period so they will just help boost cials, employees, hired experts rectly or indirectly, in cash or in for President Rodrigo Duterte’s the country’s capacity to assess and consultants of the depart- kind, in return for deals, transactrust and confidence yet he menadverse events related to the ment to disclose and manage tions or purchase of services or tioned he had previously looked dengue vaccination program. conflict of interest amid the health products covered by the forward to his retirement plans The foreign team will look into Dengvaxia fiasco. DOH.â€? n with family. Despite having previous plans for his retirement supposedly scheduled April 24 this year, Dela stupid. Enough of your cursing),â€? and when he is just making a Rosa said his public service would by alexiS romero light-hearted comment. he added. continue as it is his priority. Philstar.com In a speech delivered on Feb. 8, Duterte’s mother Soledad was “Nasira yung mga plano ko sa MANILA — Is it for real this a devout Catholic. In his previous 2017, Duterte admitted that only aking retirement dahil mayroon na time? speeches, Duterte said his mother two in every five of his statements akong mga plano sa aming pamilya President Rodrigo Duterte has would ask him to kneel before an are true, while the rest are mere – kung anong gagawin namin. But again vowed to refrain from curs- altar for being naughty. wisecracks. then again, maiintindihan ng mga ing, a promise that he has made “And so I’m just fond of doing anak ko iyan, ng asawa ko ‘yan,â€? It was not the first time the and broken many times before. tough-talking President prom- it. Gusto ko lang tumawa (I just Dela Rosa said in a recorded am“Good boy na ako. Wala na kay- ised not to say vulgar words in want to laugh). Well, at the ex- bush interview. ong marinig na mura (I am now public. pense also of myself sometimes,â€? “Unahin muna natin yung sera good boy. You won’t hear any After his trip to Japan in Octo- he added. bisyo bago ang pamilya. Ganu’n curses anymore),â€? the president ber 2016, Duterte claimed that Duterte has courted contro- naman palagi sa serbisyo namin, said during the 20th anniversary God had told him to stop cursing versy for his frank and outlandish palaging second priority yung of the Chinese-Filipino Business or his plane would crash. statements and his officials claim pamilya, first priority is yung amClub in Manila. He then claimed that he was he should be taken seriously but ing serbisyo,â€? he added. “I had a dream two months ago just joking and even advised not literally. During the oath-taking of the and my mother appeared before foreign and Manila-based media Duterte has argued that he Federation of Indian Chambers of me and said, ‘Hoy, g***. Tama to talk to Davao reporters so they never aspired to be a statesman Commerce the Philippines Inc. at na ‘yang pagmumura mo (Hey, would learn when he is serious or sought the presidency. n MalacaĂąang on Tuesday, February
WHO foreign experts to help in Dengvaxia mess
South Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) as supplier of the critical Combat Management System (CMS) of the frigates. Go confirmed that the paper came endorsing a supplier came from his office in MalacaĂąang but maintained that he did not intervene with the deal. During the hearing, Go reiterated his innocence, saying the document he sent to Lorenzana was a “mere routinary endorsement, which is one of the thousands of complaints we endorsed.â€? “Frankly speaking, it’s very difficult to answer allegations that I am not privy to. I did not intervene in the acquisition of the two frigates by DND (Department of National Defense) nor [did I] interfere in the selection of its Combat Management System,â€? Go said. He added that such reports against him are part of efforts to bring down the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. “Inosente at dinamay lang ako sa issue na ito upang siraan ang administrasyon ni Pangulong Duterte (I am innocent and I was only dragged into this issue to destroy the reputation of the Duterte administration),â€? Go claimed. In separate statements, Rappler and Inquirer refuted Go’s
allegations of “irresponsible reporting.â€? “Go and his office were named in at least 3 documents exchanged between MalacaĂąang, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Philippine Navy while the selection of the Combat Management System (CMS) was being debated,â€? Rappler said. Rappler noted that both Lorenzana and Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who worked in Go’s office, “attested to the authenticity of the documents even as they both now say Go had nothing to do with their actions.â€? “We sought out Go and Lorenzana and highlighted their denials in the report being questioned. We published these as part of our adherence to fairness and balance in our reporting,â€? it added. Inquirer, for its part, also said that it “relied on the documents it secured from reliable sources which were authenticated by military officers who are knowledgeable with the transaction.â€? Inquirer likewise said it “sought the sides of Go and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and published their statements.â€? “The Inquirer adheres to the principles of fairness and accuracy in its news reports,â€? it stressed. n
PNP chief dela Rosa on term extension: Public service first before family
Duterte vows to stop cursing — again
Karagdagang impormasyon sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Clark County Election Department sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote.
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NOTICE TO ELECTORS OF CLOSE OF REGISTRATION FOR 2018 SPECIAL WARD 5 ELECTION TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 IN THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS
CITY OF LAS VEGAS SPECIAL ELECTION – WARD 5 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, the City of Las Vegas Special Ward 5 Election ZLOO EH KHOG RQ 7XHVGD\ 0DUFK IRU WKH IROORZLQJ RI¿FHV CITY COUNCILMAN-WARD 5
REGISTRATION CLOSES SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2018
Curtis Coleman
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that voter registration for the 2018 Special Ward 5 Election to be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, will close on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Timothy V. Hicks
$Q\ TXDOLÂżHG HOHFWRU ZKRVH QDPH GRHV QRW DSSHDU RQ WKH RIÂżFLDO UHJLVWU\ list may apply to register by appearing during normal business hours, at: the Clark County Election Department, 500 South Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas; the Clark County Election Center, 965 Trade Drive, 6XLWH $ 1RUWK /DV 9HJDV RU WKH /DV 9HJDV &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 6RXWK Main Street, Las Vegas. The Clark County Election Department is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The Las Vegas City &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH LV RSHQ 0RQGD\ WKURXJK 7KXUVGD\ D P XQWLO p.m. ([WHQGHG +RXUV DW /DV 9HJDV &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH On March 9th and March 10th YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV PD\ EH ÂżOHG LQ SHUVRQ DW WKH /DV 9HJDV &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 6RXWK 0DLQ 6WUHHW Las Vegas, NV 89101, during its extended hours as follows: Friday, March 9, 2018 Saturday, March 10, 2018
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Online voter registration for the 2018 Special Ward 5 Election will be closed after 11:59 p.m., March 10, 2018. To register online, go to the Clark County Election Department website at http://www.clarkcountynv. gov/vote , and go to the Online Registration Services “Click Hereâ€? button. 7KLV VHUYLFH LV DYDLODEOH KRXUV D GD\ 0DLO LQ YRWHU UHJLVWUDWLRQ DSSOLFDWLRQV DUH DYDLODEOH DW YDULRXV SRVW RIÂżFHV libraries, and utility companies throughout Clark County. )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ SOHDVH FRQWDFW WKH /DV 9HJDV &LW\ &OHUNÂśV 2IÂżFH 6RXWK 0DLQ 6WUHHW QG )ORRU /DV 9HJDV 19 RU E\ FDOOLQJ RU RQ WKH &LW\ÂśV ZHEVLWH DW ZZZ ODVYHJDVQHYDGD JRY
Sheila Collins Cedric Crear Shannon Hopkins Walter Jones III Patricia S. Messinger Joseph “Joe� Mitchell Harvey J. Munford Shondra Summers-Armstrong Randy Voyard MAIL/ABSENT BALLOT REQUEST CARDS are available at the Clark County Election Department or online at the following website at www. lasvegasnevada.gov/elections. All requests for mail/absent ballots for the Special Ward 5 Election must be received by the Clark County Election 'HSDUWPHQW 7UDGH 'ULYH 6WH $ 1 /DV 9HJDV 1HYDGD E\ p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. IN ADDITION, ELECTION DAY scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, 2018 will be conducted in the manner provided for by the election laws of the State of Nevada and the City of Las Vegas. 9RWH &HQWHUV ZLOO EH RSHQ IURP D P WR S P DW WKH IROORZLQJ ORFDWLRQV Las Vegas City Hall, 495 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89101 Culley Elementary School, 1200 N. Mallard Street, Las Vegas, NV 89108 Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N J St, Las Vegas, NV 89106 Tobler Elementary School, 6510 Buckskin Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89108 Registered voters in the City of Las Vegas can now cast their vote at any Vote Center on Election Day regardless of their residential address. For more information visit the city online at https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/elections or tune in to KCLV TV, Cable Channel 2.
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Pub. February 22, March 1, and March 8, 2018 Las Vegas Asian Journal
Pub. February 22 and March 1, 2018 Las Vegas Asian Journal
PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa
Philstar.com photo
20, Duterte said he would extend the term of Dela Rosa “for a bit longer.� He said the PNP chief enjoys his trust and confidence. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea reportedly said the PNP chief’s tour of duty may be extended by another three months. For his part, Dela Rosa took the extended term as a challenge, saying he would double his efforts as the police chief. He said he would intensify the efforts on the government’s drug war. “Well that’s the essence of it, kaya nga inextend ‘yan para magtrabaho ka so you should not fail the president,� Dela Rosa said. “Mahirap na you just enjoy the
trust and confidence tapos ayaw mo magdeliver. Pangit naman yun so ngayon mas lalong paigtingin natin ‘yung war on drugs,� he added. Sen. Antonio “Sonny� Trillanes IV earlier opposed Dela Rosa’s term extension saying there is a mute “diabolical plot� behind it. Karapatan Secretary General also said Duterte’s decision to prolong Dela Rosa’s term “speaks of his (the president’s) propensity to reward officials who follow his fascist orders such as his ‘kill, kill, kill’ orders in the drug war.� Dela Rosa reached his mandatory retirement last January 21. n
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February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
OpiniOn
New destinations
Features
BORACAY, according to officials, is starting to feel the impact of President Duterte’s condemnation as the island prepares for the peak travel season this summer. With the President of the Republic himself describing the island as a “cesspool,” however, Boracay officials, residents and investors have no choice but to show that there is an earnest effort to clean up the top tourist destination. Overdevelopment in Boracay may no longer be reversed. While the island cleanup is being undertaken, the nation should start developing alternatives to Boracay, whose beaches with unique powdery white sand drew about two million tourists last year. This new effort can start near Boracay, according to an urban planner, who cited the tourism potentials of northern Aklan and Carabao Island. There are undoubtedly more islands with potential for world-class tourism in this archipelago of over 7,100 islands. Camiguin is attracting international attention. So is Guimaras, home of arguably the world’s sweetest carabao mango. Under competent supervision, the travel industry is one sector that can generate meaningful employment and livelihood opportunities – the type that can blunt the desire of local residents to seek greener pastures either overseas or in crowded mega cities like Metro Manila. Tourism has powered economic growth in many countries. Aside from creating jobs on site, the current trend in the industry promotes environmental protection. President Duterte, who initially showed
antagonism toward the mining industry because of its impact on the environment, should want to boost tourism development. If the country is to catch up with its neighbors, however, the tourism effort needs a competent coordinator who commands respect in a highly competitive industry. The Philippines received a record high 6.6 million visitors in 2017, but the figure pales in comparison with arrivals in the four other original founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Last year, Thailand received an enviable 35 million visitors, followed by Malaysia with 32 million. Citystate Singapore had 17.4 million while Indonesia drew a record high 14.04 million visitors. Among the newer ASEAN members, Vietnam saw 13 million arrivals, and Cambodia is closing in on the Philippines. This country has so much to offer travelers especially in terms of natural attractions. Boracay is providing lessons in poorly regulated tourism development. Those mistakes can be avoided in developing new destinations. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS AMERICA celebrated Presidents’ Day last Monday, February 19, but there was something, someone missing — a real president with moral leadership in the White House. The events leading up to Presidents’ Day just exposed more of the character, or the lack thereof, of the 45th president of the United States. Fourteen young high school students and three school staff members of Parkland, Florida died when a 19-year-old former student fired shots using an AR15 war weapon in classrooms and hallways on February 14. As the nation grieved with the families of the victims and the students who survived the horrific tragedy lead demonstrations, protests and challenges to President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress to finally do
PeaceMaker FoRmeR SpeakeR JoSe C. de VeneCia, JR. (PArT 2 Of 3) *Remarks of Hon. Jose de Venecia - Former Speaker, Philippine House of Representatives; Founding Chairman and Chairman of Standing Committee, International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP); Co-Founder, Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA); Chairman, International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP); Special Envoy of the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and for Intercultural Dialogue at the ICAPP Special Conference on the Silk Road last February 1-4, 2018; Tehran, Iran. Institutionalizing the Interfaith Dialogue Excellencies, friends: We in ICAPP campaigned in 2004 in the U.N. General Assembly, in the U.N. Security Council, in other halls of the U.N. in Europe for an inter-faith, inter-cultural, and inter-civilizational dialogue with our proposal to create an Interfaith Council in the U.N. or at least a focal point in the Office of the U.N. Secretary General, at a time when discussion of religion was somewhat taboo within the U.N. system. If creating a new council is overly difficult—as some legalists
Philstar.com photo
Political experts: Donald Trump is the worst president in US history something about gun violence, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team announced on February 15 the indictment of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies and individuals for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The indictment stated that “some defendants, posing as U.S. persons without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign.” Trump took to Twitter to twist the indictment and spread the lies that this proves there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia (a claim not stated in the indictment, as investigation is still ongoing and more charges, guilty plea are expected to be announced). Trump then started blaming the FBI for missing a lead about the gunman because he said the agency was too preoccupied with the Russia probe, which he called a “hoax.” (The FBI has different departments and the Rus-
sia probe does not use the same team that takes care of domestic issues like that of Florida). The president also pointed fingers at former President Barack Obama, the Democrats, the school, and even the victims themselves. “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” Trump tweeted. The surviving students lashed out at the president for his response, criticizing him for his obsession about exonerating himself from the Russia probe instead of hearing them out and responding to their call for the government to act on the gun violence in America that has already claimed the lives of many students and civilians because of mass shootings using war weapons. Trump even had the audacity to claim that he was “stronger”
with Russia compared to Obama, whom he blamed for doing nothing about the Russian interference. Fact checkers immediately called out Trump’s lies, reminding him that Obama confronted Putin about Russia’s interference and even imposed sanctions against the country for trying to meddle in the U.S. democratic processes. Trump, on the other hand, never once called out Putin and Russia for assaulting our democracy, not when the U.S. intelligence community said so, and not when Mueller’s team had unveiled the indictment of Russians for their interference in the election. Trump even sang high praises for Putin for being a “strong leader” and when he “confronted” Putin about Russia meddling in US elections who denied the interference, Trump believed him more than the U.S. intelligence reports. The U.S. intelligence reports also revealed that Russia is still interfering with the American democratic institutions with its
Different nations, a shared destiny have warned—then, perhaps, we could write an interfaith mandate in the mission order of the Trusteeship Council of the U.N. which had anyway ran out of trust territories to supervise. We had partially succeeded: today there is an Interfaith unit operating in the office of the U.N. Secretary General. In the United Nations, Iran and the Philippines were the closest allies in promoting the concept and practice of Interfaith Dialogue. In partnership, the Philippines and Iran successfully sponsored a Resolution in the General Assembly in November 2004, binding the U.N. to promote interfaith dialogue as a way of resolving politico-religious conflicts, strengthening the religious moderates, and isolating those who advocate terrorism in the name of religion. As Speaker of the House at the time, we had the privilege to present these initiatives of Iran and the Philippines to the U.N. General Assembly and to the Security Council. Since then, not only the United Nations and individual governments, but also civil society groupings, have been holding these important dialogues at local, national, regional, and international levels. Excellencies, friends: From these Interfaith Dialogues, we should expect no miracles—ex-
cept those epiphanies that result from open hearts, the willingness to see the other side’s viewpoint, and a multitude of patience. The vision of a “common destiny” It does not escape our minds what Chinese President Xi Jinping announced as early as October 2013 in Indonesia, the largest emerging economy of Southeast Asia. In a speech before the Indonesian Parliament, President Xi unveiled the beginnings of this initiative. China, he said, “wishes to work” with countries in the ASEAN to ensure that they become “good neighbors, good friends, and good partners” and as such they would “share prosperity and security and stick together through thick and thin.” He spoke of a larger view and welcomed the idea of a “common destiny,” which a closelyknit China and ASEAN community could build together. This “community of shared destiny” is closely linked with the East Asia community, he said, and the “two sides need to bring out their respective strengths to realize diversity, harmony, inclusiveness and common progress.” The value of China’s rebuilding of the Silk Road all the way to Iran, to Europe, and across the Red Sea, to Africa, in both its historic overland and 21stCentury
maritime linkages—is obvious. Consider how already modern infrastructure is bringing together Kunming in Yunnan with Phnom Penh and Singapore in the beginnings of a Southeast Asian “Growth Triangle.” The long-distance trains are moving great cargoes between Asia and Europe, back and forth. And consider how the Central Asian states are awakening to the possibilities of modernization—as Silk Road arteries begin to link them, westward, all the way to London and eastward to Beijing, encompassing Budapest, Hamburg, Moscow and Warsaw, yes, freight to 28 European cities, moving them by sea, and by air. Global potential of expanded route Excellencies, friends: In order to expand, deepen and strengthen the economic, trade, political, cultural and people-to-people linkages of the historic Silk Road, might we in the Philippines propose consideration of the development of a “third route,” to complement and extend China’s great “Belt and Road” Initiative. For from Hainan island off Guangdong province in southern China, the route could also pass through the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and the small island nation of Timor Leste onwards.
cyber information warfare, and will meddle in the 2018 midterm elections. What has Trump done about it? His job is to protect America and our democratic institutions and processes, but why has he not implemented the stronger sanctions against Russia signed in a resolution by both Democrats and Republicans? Why has he not ordered anything to stop Russia from influencing the 2018 elections? In Filipino parlance, “Bakit bahag ang buntot ni Trump pag dating kay Putin?” Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be asking the same questions and has been gathering all the information that may or (may not) prove that the Trump campaign is in fact in cahoots with Russia. Worst president Nearly 200 of the top political scientists in America have voted Donald Trump the worst president in U.S. history. This is according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics
Presidential Greatness Survey, conducted every four years. It surveys social science researchers from the American Political Science Association’s section on presidents and executive politics. The study asks the experts to rank each president’s greatness on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being great, 50 being average, and 0 being a total failure. Mr. Trump averaged a score of 12.34, which the Independent reported as bumping James Buchanan – the president who saw the U.S. descend into the Civil War – out of the bottom spot. This survey result just reflects the polls that came just months after Trump finished his first year in office as the most unpopular president in modern history.. ***
Already in Northwestern Philippines, as part of an extended Belt and Maritime Road plan, on the banks of the South China Sea, an agri-tourism belt and large petro-chemical and industrial complex, being planned by China’s Xianglu Dragon Group in Xiamen, Fujian Province, indeed much needed in the region, is being planned for implementation by pioneering Chinese and Philippine groups. And from Timor Leste to Australia’s Gold Coast to Sydney, and New Zealand, the extended route could move across the south Pacific, and enter Latin America: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and the tourism-rich Caribbean islands, then Mexico, all the way to the U.S. as in the old days of the Galleon Trade from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico, which sailed for 250 years. It is not far-fetched: for there are already multiple large overseas Chinese investments in South America. And at some point, we invite the Latinos should also bring their investments and trade to the south Pacific and into Asia. Yes, our proposed 21st Century “third route,” hopefully an enlargement of the Silk Route would make the celebrated ‘Belt and Road initiative’ almost globally inclusive, after Europe and Africa, and create a linkage with two more continents—Australia and Latin America—in a new circumnavigation, in a revival of the Age of Exploration, and new
spirit in the Age of Globalization. The tough task of peacemaking With this dramatic role, China’s noble vision is being put to the test with the tough tasks it faces in peacemaking and promoting regional stability. Asia’s most dangerous flashpoints happen to be in its neighborhood. On its northern flank is the rising danger of explosion in the Korean Peninsula, and on its southern flank the disturbing conflict over sovereignty in the disputed islands in the South China Sea. We believe that the venture to find common ground has no enemy, and involves not just China alone but us, her neighbors, nurtured by the Chinese saying that, “the interests to be considered should be the interests of all.” This is a framework that begets a new attitude towards old questions—and the approach that appears likelier now than ever before is “win-win cooperation.” Most practical solution in China Sea crises The disagreement in the South China Sea with conflicting sovereignty claims, may be settled, we believe, by temporarily shelving the issue of sovereignty, much earlier advised by the great leader, Deng Hsiao Peng, architect of China’s economic modernization, undertake joint exploration and joint development, which we
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.ThefilAmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.relos
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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 22-28, 2018
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Palace says ICC can’t demand drug war data from PH gov’t by AJPress
AERIAL DISPLAY. A fireworks show from the Philippine Platinum Team illuminates Manila Bay during the start of the International Pyromusical Competition 2018 at the SM Mall of Asia on Saturday, February 17. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
Ethics complaints against De Lima, Lacson, Trillanes junked
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has no authority to compel the Philippine government to provide documents on its campaign against illegal drugs, according to Malacañang on Sunday, February 18. In a radio interview, Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque noted that there is no formal case against President Rodrigo Duterte as the ICC is only conducting a preliminary examination on his administration’s controversial drug war. “First, the (ICC) prosecutor has no power yet to ask us to provide any document because there is no investigation yet. It is just a preliminary examination. There is no case yet,” Roque told dzMM. He added, “It only means that the prosecutor is studying whether to conduct a preliminary investigation. And based on the experience of other countries,
by Dana
SioSon AJPress
THE Senate panel on Tuesday, February 20, has dismissed the ethics complaints filed against Senators Leila De Lima, Panfilo Lacson, and Antonio Trillanes IV due to lack of jurisdiction. The Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Senator Tito Sotto, dismissed all complaints without prejudice, which means that the cases could still be refiled. It was Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon who moved for the dismissal of the ethics complaints. No other senator objected to the motion. The complaint against Lacson and Trillanes was filed by former Customs chief and now Office of Civil Defense Deputy Administrator III Nicanor Faeldon last year. Faeldon filed the complaint after the two senators accused him of receiving millions of grease money from the Bureau of Customs. On the other hand, the three complaints against De Lima stemmed from her supposed involvement in the illegal drugs trade and for allegedly advising her former aide and partner Ronnie Dyan to skip hearings despite summons of the House of Representatives. “She did not violate the Senate rules and it is not related to De Lima’s official function. We
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Sen. Leila de Lima
moved for the dismissal of the case without prejudice to reviving the case in the future,” Drilon said. Senator Panfilo Lacson back Drilon’s motion. “She has not violated any Senate rule nor it is related to an official act as a senator so on that note, if there’s a motion I will support to outrightly dismiss the case against de Lima as filed by the counterparts in the House,” Lacson said. The two complaint against De Lima were separately filed by House leaders and lawyer Abelardo de Jesus in 2016. Former Kabayan Representative and now presidential spokesperson Harry Roque filed the third ethics complaint against her in 2017.
Philstar.com photo
For De Lima, the Senate panel’s move showed her colleague’s “high sense of fairness and objectivity.” “I thank my colleagues for standing up for reason and the clear provision of the rules. It is now evident, as I’ve always maintained, that the cases filed against me were frivolous and were merely filed to harass me,” De Lima remarked. She went on to say, “I hope that somehow I have proven my doubters and detractors wrong. From the very start, I have always kept my innocence and in due time, hopefully soon, I will be vindicated from the fabricated charges, especially the drug cases, filed against me.” n
Colombia, it took 13 years before the preliminary examination is completed.” Earlier this month, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) announced that it will look into the alleged thousands of human rights abuses and killings under Duterte’s anti-drug drive to determine if there is a basis to conduct a formal investigation against the president. But an unfazed Duterte expressed his administration’s readiness to face the ICC as he refuted the allegations of extrajudicial killings in the country. He also said he’s ready to face execution should the international court find him guilty of committing crimes against humanity. Despite the ICC’s move, Duterte maintained that the drug war will continue until the end of his term in 2022. “Drugs — I like to address myself to the International Court of Justice and to the prosecutors
coming here to investigate. The war or the drive against drugs will not stop,” he said last week. “And it will last until the day I step out.” According to the Philippine Drug Agency (PDEA), 4,021 drug personalities have died during anti-drug operations conducted by the agency and other law enforcement groups from July 1, 2016 — when Duterte assumed the presidency — to February 8 of this year. In a recent statement, the PDEA said it is willing to cooperate with the ICC on its preliminary examination and provide relevant documents. “This is precisely why we came up with Real Numbers so we can be transparent in the conduct of the anti-drug campaign. Now if the data will be summoned in relation to such hearing, PDEA will support in terms of the data,” PDEA Spokesperson Derrick Arnold Carreon said last week. n
Different nations, a shared destiny
had the privilege to propose in 2004-2005, and revive the resulting 3-nation Seismic Agreement officially signed and undertaken by Manila, Beijing, and Hanoi in 2005-2006, and hopefully, eventually convert the zone of conflict into a Zone of Peace, Friendship, Cooperation and Development. Its aim was to assess the potential in the disputed areas for hydrocarbons exploration and development. Scientists of the three nations pronounced the prospects “promising”, and it is obvious as members of the ASEAN family that today, with China, we must find ways and means to jointly develop the area’s hydrocarbons potential to help lessen our common dependence on distant petroleum sources in the Middle East. Imagine the potential for peace in the heartland of the South China Sea if we undertake a joint development of its resources. On May 15, 2017, in Beijing’s historic “High-level Dialogue on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,” we said that from an area of conflict, it could be transformed into a landscape and seascape of small seaports, airports and oil pipe-
lines. Fishing villages and small tourism townships could rapidly rise in the areas contested principally by the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, once converted into a Zone of Friendship, Commerce, Navigation and Development, and become the passage way, untrammeled, for global shipping, carrying more than 50 percent of the sea freight of the world. This is perhaps the most realistic, most common-sensical solution to the problem of the Spratlys and Paracels, and which could be subsequently joined by Malaysia, and Brunei and Taiwan, and could also be the solution to the dangerous problem between China and Japan in the tiny isles in Senkaku Straits or Diaoyu in the East China Sea. Resource-sharing by other countries; Solution is actually possible Excellencies, friends: As a result of intelligent and pragmatic diplomacy, in the Norwegian Ekofisk oil field in the North sea, which we visited when we were President of the Petroleum Association of the Philippines in the 1970s, the discovered oil in the sea goes all the way to Norway and Teeside, England and the natural gas is piped to Germany.
The oil in the Caspian Sea countries is shared by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan because among them there is demarcation and practical mutual understanding and goodwill. Giant Australia and tiny East Timor share the hydrocarbons in the South Pacific in the waters just below Darwin and on the southeast side of Asia’s newest republic. The 1989 Agreement between Malaysia and Thailand enable them to jointly develop their disputed waters. We just came from Senegal two weeks ago during the launching in West Africa, of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), ICAPP’s fraternal ally, and we reminded them that the Guinea-Bissau and Senegal Agreement of 1993 helped their countries develop their disputed areas. Indeed the idea of “win-win cooperation”—of pragmatic and intelligent, unselfish sharing of areas and resources—instead of engaging in conflict and war, could help build a model for lessening tensions and solving conflicts, and avoiding the possibility of war in Asia’s manifold and dangerous flashpoints. (To be continued next week)
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February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
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Journal Ana Julaton: Fighting standards in the ring and cage By Rae
ann VaRona AJPress
For many, combat sports may be described as being drenched machismo — blood, sweat, hardhitting punches, and low-pitch announcer voices, are all part of the image. But that description probably won’t fly for Fil-Am professional fighter Ana Bonifacio Julaton who is holding it down in the male-dominated sports. Among other world titles, Julaton was the first to win the Women’s World Boxing organization (WBo) Super Bantamweight where she insisted she gets the same winning red belt instead of the pink one meant for female boxers. “The original belt for women was very gender profiled meaning the belt was much smaller and it was pink,” Julaton told the Asian Journal. She called the pioneering win surreal, but quickly highlighted
Screenshots of trending photos of Ellen Adarna and John Lloyd Cruz alleged to be wearing similar “wedding” rings.
John Lloyd Cruz, Ellen Adarna photographed wearing ‘wedding’ rings
Photos courtesy of Ana Julaton’s coach, Angelo Reyes
the fact that women’s boxing has been around for a very long time boxing has. yet continues to fail in getting “It’s been around for a very the same acknowledgment men’s long time, but you’re telling me it’s not only until now that these organizations are starting to recognize women?” said Julaton. In the United States, the first women to have had the first “official” female boxing match were Nell Saunders and rose Harland at the New York Hills Theater in 1876 at which Saunders fought out Harland not for a trophy or belt, but for a silver butter dish. Having hit the mainstream, both men’s and women’s boxing were introduced to the olympics in 1904, but only men’s boxing got accepted leaving female boxers behind struggling to get the same recognition. It wasn’t until over a century later in 2009 did the International olympic Committee vote to lift the ban on women’s boxing, having the women’s event debut in 2012 for the first time since the games began. For the three world titleholder who was an advocate for lifting the olympic ban, boxing wasn’t something she initially saw herself getting into. Having been a martial arts teacher, it was NBA Champion Ronny Turiaf was also present as one of her MMA coaches.
something she learned in order to teach. “It’s been a journey. It’s something we didn’t anticipate but it’s something that kind of organically happened,” said the 37-year-old fighter. At her first ever bout at the San Francisco Golden Gloves, where she competed after just a couple weeks of training, she took home the silver which encouraged her to see how far she would go. She went far, training under under big names like Freddie roach, Nonito Donaire Sr., roger Mayweather, and now Angelo reyes — all especially familiar to the Filipino boxing community. But Julaton doesn’t only throw punches. She also elbows, knees, kicks, wrestles, grapples, and pins her opponents down as one of the few boxers to also take on mixed martial arts where she sees big opportunities for female fighters. Double boxing and MMA pursuit It was a family thing, said Julaton, who has black belts in a number of martial art sports. one of her very first memories was PAGE B3
Milo SeVeRo Philstar.com
by Jan
CoNTroverSIAl celebrity couple John lloyd Cruz and ellen Adarna have been photographed wearing identical rings on their hands, making many netizens speculate that the co-actors have indeed already married in secret. The first photo, uploaded on Instagram by a private netizen who appears to be a friend of the couple, shows Cruz and Adarna having dinner in a restaurant. Netizens commented that they noticed that the actor now wears a “wedding” ring that seemed to be not there before as seen in his previous Instagram posts. The photo was posted November last year. rumors that the couple already got hitched in Quezon City was further fanned by new photographs of the couple that surfaced in news reports on Tuesday. The photos showed the pair queuing in immigration at an airport in osaka, Japan. Those who took the photos did not notice if ellen indeed has a baby bump, although they noticed that the actress seemed to have gained weight. In one of the photos, it can be seen
that ellen’s hand also bore a ring similar to that of John lloyd’s. The picture’s photographer reportedly heard the actor call ellen “love.” Apart from the supposed secret wedding, netizens also allege that ellen was pertaining to John lloyd’s ex girlfriend, Angelica Panganiban, when ellen posted on her Instagram story a cryptic post about moving on. The post showed a video clip of the movie “Meet Joe Black,” where actor Anthony Hopkins asks Brad Pitt, “It’s hard to let go isn’t it?,” to which Brad replies: “Yes. It is, Bill.” A day after this post, ellen deactivated her Instagram account and set up a new private one. Her new Instagram account is believed to be “@emg.a” because it replied in a comment on John lloyd’s Instagram account, @ ekomsi, and to Beauty Gonzalez’s post on Instagram. Angelica, recently, has also been a tabloid fodder for revealing that a former boyfriend has been stolen from her and there are no closures for her and her ex, who netizens suspect to be John lloyd. Angelica also guested in Moira’s concert last weekend and was reported by ABS-CBN to have asked “Bakit lagi ako iniiwan?” in a spoken word performance.
B February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
EntErtainmEnt
Liza Soberano hits back at netizens saying she’s not Pinoy enough by Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
Liza Soberano Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano
Kapamilya actress liza Soberano responded to netizens who were alleging that the chosen cast of the upcoming aBS-CBN teleserye “Bagani” is not Filipino enough. in a recent tweet by liza, she defended her co-stars in the teleserye. “and who says we’re not Pinoy? my father is full Filipino. i was raised by two Filipinos since the age of 4. i loooove sinigang i think that’s as pinoy as pinoy can get,” “Bagani’s” Ganda wrote in a post on her Twitter account. The post has been deleted as of press time. Since aBS-CBN released the
trailer of “Bagani,” netizens have mixed reactions on the teleserye. Some were excited because the trailer was action-packed and with a good story line dating back to the country’s pre-colonial period. Some, however, were not satisfied because the main characters allegedly do not look like pre-colonial Pinoys. liza’s mother is american while Enrique Gil, her lizQuen love team partner and love interest in the teleserye, hails from German and Spanish ancestry. matteo Guidicelli is also in the show and his father is italian. The teleserye drew flak coincidentally at around the same time as the trending of marvel’s “Black panther,” which pays homage to african culture.
Orange & Lemons sheds light on band’s bad breakup ElEvEN years after their highlypublicized breakup, the remaining members of pop rock band Orange & lemons and their former vocalist mcoy Fundales are still not in good terms. in an exclusive interview with philstar.com at the University of the philippines’s recent Roots Festival, Clem Castro, the band’s guitarist and also now their vocalist, said they are still not communicating with each other because of what happened back then.
Orange & Lemons
“Kung okay ‘yun magkakasama pa rin kaming apat eh. Iba ‘yung direction niya eh. ‘Yung breakup namin medyo malalim talaga. personal and professional reasons. So, ever since di kami nagka-ayos,” Castro said. Orange & lemons rose into fame for their hit track “pinoy ako,” theme song of hit aBSCBN reality Tv show “pinoy Big Brother.” according to news reports, the group disbanded in 2007 due to differences between the members
Philstar.com photo
and their managers. in 2017, 10 years after their hiatus, the band re-grouped as a trio but without mcoy. “We were re-recording the 2003 album, as in lahat, may kasamang bonus track. Just to preserve and ma-monetize namin. ‘Di kasi kami may-ari ng master recording. The only way to put it up in Spotify is to re-record it,” Castro said. Clem, however, assured that mcoy will still get royalties from them as he helped write some of the songs. “May song writing rights siya with some of the songs. We will still give it to him. mayron pa rin siyang future royalties from us for some of the songs. most of the songs naman ako na ‘yung gumawa eh.” Orange & lemons serenaded the crowd at the Up Roots Festival last weekend. The concertgoers sang their heart out to the songs of the band, including “Just like a Splendid love Song,” “Heaven Knows,” “Hanggang Kailan” and their new song, “lovers Go, lovers Come.” Raymund marasigan of Sandwich supplied the needed energy in the concert as he and his band Sandwich rocked the stage with their hits such as “Betamax,” “procastination,” and “Sugod.” Bands such as Ben&Ben, iv of Spades, imago, Urbandub, Franco, and aegis to name a few, made the visitors’ night a memorable one. (Philstar.com)
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Unexpected names win big at 34th Star Awards for Movies by arlo
CuStodio ManilaTimes.net
UNliKE previous years when the winners’ roster always glittered with the brightest stars in show business, less popular actors were declared champions at the philippine movie press Club’s (pmpC) Star awards for movies Held at the Newport performing arts Theater of Resorts World manila on Sunday, February 18, iza Calzado went home with the Best actress trophy for the thriller “Bliss” winning over Sharon Cuneta (“Unexpectedly yours”), Jodi Sta. maria (“Dear Other Self”), maja Salvador (“i’m Drunk, i love you”), Bela padilla (“100 Tula para Kay Stella”), agot isidro (“Changing partners”), alessandra De Rossi (“Kita Kita”), Kim Chiu (“The Ghost Bride”), Jennylyn mercado (“all Of you”), and Joanna ampil (“ang larawan”). it can be recalled that Calzado earlier won the yakushi pearl award for the same role at the Osaka asian Film Festival in Japan in march 2017. The new Best actress said it’s an honor to win an award abroad but it means more when winning in one’s own country. “Ako po ay nanalo sa ibang bansa [Japan] para sa pelikulang ‘Bliss’ pero iba po ang manalo sa sarili mong bayan at pahalagahan ka ng kapwa mo Pilipino. i hope i can continue to use this talent and platform to bring light to the world,” she said in her acceptance speech. For his part, renowned stage actor-entrepreneur Raymond “RS” Francisco said he could not believe he won Best actor for his role in “Bhoy intsik” over such established actors as Robin padilla (“Unexpectedly yours”), piolo pascual (“last Night”), aga muhlach (“Seven Sundays”), Dingdong Dantes (“Seven Sundays”), Derek Ramsay (“all Of you”), Jericho Rosales (“Siargao”), Joshua Garcia (“love you To The Stars and Back”), Jojit lorenzo (“Changing partners”), and vic Sotto (“meant To Beh”). Odette Khan won Best Supporting actress for the movie “Bar Boys,” marking her first award in four decades. She won over aiko melendez (“pwera Usog”), Therese malvar (“ilawod”), Celeste legaspi (“ang larawan”), Chai Fonacier (“Respeto”), alice Dixson (“The Ghost Bride”), Jasmine Curtis-Smith (“Siargao”), Julia
Barretto (“Unexpectedly yours”), pilar pilapil (“Unexpectedly yours”) and Dimples Romana (“Deadma Walking”). arnold Reyes who is part of the cast of the philippine entry to the Oscar’s Best Foreign Film, “Birdshot,” walked away with the Best Supporting actor trophy. He beat Xian lim (“Dear Other Self”), Edgar allan Guzman (“Deadma Walking”), Enrique Gil (“Seven Sundays”), Nonie Buencamino (“ang larawan”), Ku aquino (“Birdshot”), miggs Cuaderno (“ang Guro Kong Di marunong magbasa”), matteo Guidicelli (“Can’t Help Falling in love”), Joseph marco (“Dear Other Self”) and Ronwaldo martin (“Bhoy intsik”) in the derby. in his Facebook page on monday, Reyes further thanked everyone involved in the production including his fellow cast members. “Hindi ko man nabanggit kagabi nais kong ialay ang award na ito sa isa sa mahal kong director na nagbigay tiwala sa akin, [the late] direk Gil portes kung nasaan ka man maraming salamat sa pagmamahal at tiwalang ipinagkaloob mo sa akin, at sa lahat ng hindi ko nabanggit mula sa aking puso, maraming salamat,” he said. movie of the year went to the phenomenal sleeper hit, “Kita Kita” (produced by Spring Films and viva Films) with its director Sigrid andrea Bernardo winning Best Director. it won over “ang larawan” (Culturtain musicat productions), “Deadma Walking” (T-Rex Entertainment productions and Octoarts Films), “100 Tula para Kay Stella” (viva Films), “love you To The Stars and Back” (Star Cinema), “Seven Sundays” (Star Cinema), “Siargao” (TEN17p) and “Unexpectedly yours” (Star Cinema). The rest of the winners are as follows: New actor of the year (Tie): mcCoy de leon (“instalado”) and matteo San Juan (“magkadugo”) New actress of the year (Tie): pia Wurtzbach (“Revenger Squad”) and Joanna ampil (“ang larawan”) Child performer of the year: marco masa (“Tatlong Bibe”) and Julio Cesar Sabenario (“Guerrero”) Screenwriter of the year: Sigrid andrea Bernardo (“Kita Kita”) Cinematographer of the year: Odyssey Flores (“Siargao”) Editor of the year: marya ignacio (“Kita Kita”) Sound Engineer of the year:
Iza Calzado
ManilaTimes.net photo
albert michael idioma (“The Ghost Bride”) musical Scorer of the year: Ryan Cayabyab (“ang larawan”) Original Theme Song of the year: “Natapos Tayo” by Nar Cabico from the movie all Of you movie production of the year: Benjamin padero and Carlo Tabije (“Siargao”) indie movie of the year: Changing partners indie movie Director of the year: Dan villegas (“Changing partners”) indie movie Screenwriter of the year: lilit Reyes and vincent de Jesus (“Changing partners”) indie movie Cinematographer of the year: mycko David (“Birdshot”) indie movie Editor of the year: marya ignacio (“Changing partners”) indie movie musical Scorer of the year: vincent de Jesus (“Changing partners”) indie movie Sound Engineer of the year: mikko Quizon (“Bliss”) indie movie Original Theme Song of the year: “Respeto” by abra and loonie from the movie Respeto movie love Team of the year: Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto Nora aunor Ulirang artista award: Gina alajar Ulirang alagad ng pelikula sa likod ng Kamera: Tikoy aguiluz Darling of the press: Harlene Bautista male Star of the Night: Xian lim Female Star of the Night (Tie): Kim Chiu and Joyce pilarsky Faces of the Night: Joshua Garcia and Celeste legaspi
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Be fair to your hair By Monet
IN my previous articles, I have featured entertainment, personality, fashion, style, love story and other happenings in showbiz and community events. This week I want to answer some queries from our readers, who emailed me about their hair concerns. With my experience in the hair and beauty industry, I was able to gather information and answers about this topic. Some of these concerns are common. I’ve encountered most of them personally in my salon. I am frequently asked if hair color causes major damage to hair. Hair coloring products today are not enough to weaken hair. In fact, some contain extra ingredients that may leave hair shinier than before. It can’t hurt to consult a professional stylist the first time you do anything permanent to your hair or scalp, for the right tone and shades. Scientifically hair grows a halfinch per month. Whether you cut it or not, it will grow slightly faster during summer, but that has nothing to do with cutting it often. Doctors say that it is because of hormones, which affects hair growth. The only thing a trim will do is to take out and eliminate split ends, to make hair look better. Comb your wet hair from roots to ends. A comb is easier on fragile wet hair than a brush is. Stretching it from scalp to tips can cause damage. First, smooth out knots with a leave-in detangler. Then start to comb at the ends, working up in sections. Hair looks its best when the natural oils from the scalp are allowed to reach tends. That’s why I suggest it for a person with dry hair or scalp to shampoo every other day and let the natural oil add shine to your hair. If you feel you need a freshener, simply spritz roots with water and restyle with a blow dryer. Some say that it’s healthier to switch shampoo from time to time, but hair can’t tell the difference between brands or build up the tolerance to any product. Your favorite shampoo will work the same every time you lather up, week after week, month after month. If you have very oily hair or favor a particularly sticky styling product that contains wax, it does pay to use a clarifying shampoo once a week to wash away residue and product build-up. I was also asked if stress can make your hair fall out. Although your hair is falling out all the
My client Saleen shows off her new hairdo.
time, approximately 50 to 120 strands per day. It’s possible that you may lose a few more strands when you’re “catastrophically” stressed, meaning you have experienced a major life change such as a divorce, lost job, or surgery, says Gerome Litt, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. “Other culprits are pregnancy or antibiotics. After a few weeks, it will almost certainly grow back.” I totally agree with him. The road to healthy hair is paved with products, potions, protein, and deep conditioners. If your hair is fried or suffering from split ends, sun damage, tangles, and broken brittle pieces, it’s time to take charge of your hair’s health. It’s easy to forget that our hair can be very fragile. Exposure to the sun, hair dryers, flat irons, and even daily brushing can take its toll and really mess up your mane. It’s important to remember that repairing damaged hair won’t happen overnight, but over time. Developing these habits will aim you down the road to recovery Entrust the care and welfare of your hair to a trusted hairstylist. Turn to them when you feel your hair is under the weather, for a review of how you should properly take care of your hair. Brittle damage and breakage due to too much chemical process, after the summer or do-ityourself-color went bad, needs a professional salon visit. We can trim away damaged hair and fix the bad color. Avoid split ends and enjoy shiny healthy hair by trimming every eight to 12
weeks. Do not overuse heat-styling products. They damage hair from root to sorry split-ends. FortuDRUM TAO has started spreading its overseas performances after their success at the nately, hair now has a lot of new Festival Fringe. innovations, with new solutions With this worldwide achieve- in Las Vegas, regular tickets start at like keratin treatment, hair spa ment and over 200 shows/year $26 while children’s pricing starts and products designed to repair in Japan, TAO received “The 6th at $15 (16 years old and under). For the damage. Japan Tourism Agency Commis- more information, visit the DRUM For extremely dry hair use an sioner’s Awards” from the Japan TAO official website (www.drumextra moisturizing shampoo and Tourism Agency and “Outstanding tao.com/main/english) or The conditioner. Cultural Contribution” from Oita Smith Center’s official page (www. When choosing your heat stylprefecture. TAO has been rewriting theSmithCenter.com) or call The ing tool, look for the new hair care the whole story of the traditional Center at 702.749.2000. The Smith words and descriptions: tourmaJapanese Drum, considering itself Center for the Performing Arts is line, ionic, and ceramic. They are the greatest of all Japanese Drum located at 361 Symphony Park Avbetter than your everyday tools. Performers in Japan. enue, Las Vegas, NV 89106. Unlike traditional dryers and flat For the upcoming performance (Advertising Supplement) irons that stripped hair of moisture as they dry, the new generation of tools helps hair stay hydrated and conditioned, as moisture, natural oils, and even your styling product enter the hair shaft which gives you shine a healthier hair. For overprocessed dry damaged hair, the hair reborn spa treatment is definitely a must! I hope that these beauty tips will help you. I hope I was able to share you my knowledge on how to take care of your hair, your one and only crowning glory. If you need more info please call us at (213) 216-4923 or www.monetsalon.com. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning 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 Experience Japan’s musical culture as TAO, the internationally acclaimed company of percussion artists, brings its latest show, “Tao: Drum sold-out fashion and awards shows Heart,” to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
Ana Julaton: Fighting standards in... PAGE B1 learning basic martial arts moves from her dad. More formal training came as soon as her younger brother was potty trained. “It kind of just took off from there. It was something that I loved right away,” she said as she recalled looking up to the few Asians in media like Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto who worked with Lee and was also Filipino. “Just being able to see figures like that growing up as a child — it helped shape and hone me to what I am today,” said Julaton. While MMA as its known today is relatively new, women’s participation in MMA is even newer and Julaton sees the cage as untapped territory for female fighters and boxers such as herself. Julaton made her successful MMA debut for the ONE Championship organization in 2014 where she beat out Aya-Saeid Saber via technical knockout in the third round. That same year, she defeated Egypt’s Walaa Abbas at the Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines. Now, she fights under American MMA organization Bellator which many see as being a rival to other American MMA organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). While other organizations require fighters to stay exclusive with them, Bellator allows Julaton to box while still pursuing MMA. “As a fighter, it’s nice to actually have direction and have control of my career versus getting locked up and kind of feeling like I’m getting lost in the shuffle with other organizations. There’s a lot more opportunity with this,” she said. The crossover between boxing and MMA is something that has been sprouting among mostly male fighters. Just last year, the big ticket fight between boxer Floyd Mayweather and MMA fighter Conor McGregor caused a frenzy as fans from both sports made bets on who would take the win. Mayweather just recently pulled out of negotiations for a rematch in the MMA cage. To spectators, the event might
have looked like a simple crossover of two athletes, but as actual boxer-turned-MMA fighters like Julaton would say, it doesn’t quite work that way. “It’s almost like trying to play football and basketball at the same time,” Julaton said. “They’re two completely different sports.” In boxing, you have the boxing shoes while in MMA, you fight barefoot. Getting accustomed to different glove weights is just another small difference fighters would have to master. Then there are the rules and tactics. But even those challenges aren’t at the top for Julaton. On added challenges On the most challenging experiences Julaton faced during her journey she said, “I would definitely say facing social issues” — referring to her experiences being not only a woman in the male-dominated sports, but a Filipina. “You have to be fierce,” said Julaton. “A lot of people are always sizing you up, they look at you like you’re new meat. It’s like wolves upon wolves. You have to have that dynamic within you in order for you to survive in training.” Like in many areas, women and women of color have experienced having to push extra hard to get their deserved recognition. This has true for Julaton who has often found her accomplishments overlooked. “I mean right now, what I think is very interesting is that they’ll highlight my opponent a lot more than they’ll talk about me,” said Julaton. Despite her world titles and having worked with some of the best names in the industry, Julaton has many times found herself cut short from being dubbed the “next big thing” while opponents with fewer accomplishments have. Her nickname — “The Hurricane” — for example, didn’t stem up from her quickness as others would say, although it would make sense. Instead it was created to help announcers and reporters remember how to pronounce her last name correctly after a well-known
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Internationally acclaimed percussion group TAO to perform in Las Vegas EXPERIENCE Japan’s musical culture as TAO, the internationally acclaimed company of percussion artists, brings its latest show, “Tao: Drum Heart,” to the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. TAO is an edgy and contemporary production highlighting athletic dancers and fiery performers on drums and other traditional Japanese instruments. The show takes pride in showcasing Japan’s most talented male and female performers who put a fresh spin on ancient art forms, coupled with their captivating and powerful choreography using a vast range of Japanese drums and astonishing costumes. When DRUM TAO attended the 2004 Edinburgh Festival Fringe — the world’s largest festival of the arts — it was the no.1 box-office hit of the festival despite the group being a first-time participant. DRUM TAO has started spreading its overseas performances after their success at the Festival Fringe. After being invited to perform at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, every single show was sold-out on their initial North American tour where they visited 44 cities, totaling to 50 shows throughout the United States. Today, DRUM TAO has been expanding worldwide and has played to over 24 countries, 500 cities and has been seen by 7 million spectators.
Lu
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 22-28, 2018
announcer butchered it despite having been in the industry for a long time. “I’ve been fighting for over 10 years and there’s a lot of these big media writers, especially in North America, and they’re being paid to be a reporter and they can’t get my name right?” said Julaton. “That’s the only reason why,” she added. “Because people don’t want to spend that little effort, it becomes too much work so to speak, for them to try and say someone’s name when you want to try to give them respect.” But fighting is what Julaton does, and she gives partial credit to her Filipino blood. “I’ll tell you what — I think fighting is all in our blood,” she said laughing. “It doesn’t necessarily have to come with lacing up some gloves — it’s through adversity. Time and time again, with all the stories, with all the struggles we have all experienced as people all throughout the world. You know, we work hard and we always fight through adversity.” Julaton’s latest fight on Friday, February 16 MMA against American fighter Heather Hardy — who followed Julaton’s footsteps into the MMA cage from boxing — was nothing short of unsparing competitiveness. The months leading up to the fight were hyped as the two threw threats and expletives at each other, as fighters typically do. NBA Champion Ronny Turiaf was also present as one of her MMA coaches — he was also present at her debut fight in 2014. Hardy ended up taking a win, not through knockouts, but via unanimous decision in a fight that left many MMA fans unsatisfied. The two will next face each other in the boxing ring as part of the two-sport deal. But as Julaton said prior to the fight, as challenging as fighting is, it’s also the most fun. It’s everything else that is complicated. “This is something I want to explore, that I committed myself to — this is my career,” said Julaton.
B February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
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7th Annual CNY in the Desert: Ushering in the Year of the Dog
ONCE again, Las Vegas has become the place to ring in the Lunar New Year. On Friday, February 16, guests were treated for dinner, a show and a one-of-a-kind shopping experience at Fashion Show Mall. The event featured a variety show performed by artists from tianjin, China, and a fashion show by Saks Fifth Avenue. AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal
Scene from ‘Black Panther’ showing members of Dora Milaje wearing red and gold costumes inspired by Filipino tribal elements. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios
Marvel illustrator confirms Filipino elements in ‘Black Panther’ costumes by Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
ONE of Marvel’s illustrators, who grew up in the Philippines, confirmed in an interview with Buzzfeed that some costumes in Marvel Studio’s latest hit maker, “Black Panther,” have been inspired by Filipino artifacts. Anthony Francisco, who is among Marvel’s senior visual development illustrators, said in the interview that as he was growing up in the Philippines, their house was replete with many Filipino tribal decorations, which later on inspired the costumes he codesigned for the Dora Milaje, a group of female special forces in “Black Panther.” The red and gold costumes were also inspired by African regalia, ninja shoes, samurai armor, and even friendship bracelets. In his Instagram account, Francisco describes himself as “best-known for designing one of Marvels cutest characters, Baby Groot! and Loki for Thor3, and the Dora Milaje for Black Panther film.” A petition on Change.org demanded Marvel Studios and its parent company Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to contribute 25 percent of the “Black Panther” movie’s profits worldwide to black communities to fund their programs. Petitioned by a certain Chaz Gormley, the appeal now has lots of support on social media, as seen through the hashtag #BreakBreadMarvel. The “Black
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Panther” movie marks a milestone in black culture in Hollywood as almost 90 percent of the cast is composed of black people. “As black communities across the United States continue to grapple with issues such as gentrification, police brutality, and substandard living conditions, we cannot continue to recklessly support these conglomerates, allowing them to profit off of us without demanding something more than just their products in return,” Gormley wrote in the petition. “We have the ability to change the conditions our communities and us as a people face, by leveraging the strongest resources we have: our strength in numbers, and our combined ‘spending power.’ Income inequality is real, and the continued decline of black wealth is something that need not only be addressed, but solved. Underprivileged communities that are only seen as contributors to profit margins must wield their collective power, and become more than just consumers of products; whether that be in the realm of material goods or the arts,” Gormley added. Starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis, the movie is showing nationwide.
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Community Journal
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEbRUARy 22-28, 2018
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Visitors report increasing Calendar of Events across America challenges at US ports of entry Your Immigration Solution
Atty. BrittAny MilliASSeAu, lorellA t. heSS & nAnCy Miller EarliEr this week, President Trump issued a memorandum establishing a “National Vetting Center” aimed at enhancing border security and identifying individuals who pose a threat to national security and public safety. The National Vetting Center, which will be led by the Department of Homeland Security, is another step towards President Trump’s pledge to “step up our already Extreme Vetting Program.” While the memorandum was issued just a few days ago, heightened screening and vetting of applications for visas and other immigration benefits has been underway for the past several months. One area where noncitizens have recently reported challenges is during their screening for admission into the United States as visitors for business and tourism. For years, individuals from all over the world have utilized the B visa to enter the United States. in order to be eligible for a B-1/B-2 visa, a noncitizen must demonstrate that he or she has a foreign residence that he or she has no intention of abandoning and will be visiting the United States temporarily for business or pleasure. Visitors seeking to enter the U.S. for business are admitted in B-1 status and visitors seeking to enter for pleasure or tourism are admitted in B-2 status. While many noncitizens are able to successfully secure B-1/B-2 visas at consular posts, it
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA HaVE you ever gone through seasons of darkness? i have. i bet there are those who will admit quietly to having been through the trenches themselves. No matter the season, the soul may go through a “winter of discontent” — a restless time when we wonder quietly if we could trade our life for someone else’s. if you are wondering why you feel as though you missed out on winning the cosmic lottery jackpot of a charmed life, don’t flog yourself silly. You don’t even have to admit it to anyone else but yourself. it’s nothing more than a normal rite of passage that allows us to imagine what it would be like if we had someone else’s luck, genetic make-up, breaks, talent, connections, relations, education, intelligence, looks, skin color, pedigree and other x factors that are supposed to tip the scale in our favor and make us happy and fulfilled. in short, they refer to those things that we think will allow us to live
Health@Heart PhiliP S. ChuA, Md, FACS, FPCS iN the book on disease prevention at the cellular (DNa) level, entitled, let’s Stop “Killing” our Children, i have highlighted tobacco and alcohol as the two major causes of most maladies known to man, including cancer. Besides those two risk factors, i pointed out that other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and habits immensely contribute to the development of many illnesses. The main ones among those are diet (too much food intake) and (too little or no) exercise. a report in New York published a new study of cancer in the United States, which showed that “nearly half (50 percent) of cancer deaths were caused by smoking, poor diet and other unhealthy behaviors.” That’s even less than what has been reported more than three decades ago. Smoking had slowed down in the U.S. while obesity has dramatically gone up. “Forty five percent of cancer deaths and 42 percent of diagnosed cancer cases could be attributed to modifiable risks factors,” according to this study. This means the risk factors were not inherited or genetic, basically the result of unhealthy behavior and habits, like sedentary life, lack of exercise, eating a lot of red meat, not eating enough vegetables and fruits, eating processed meats, alcohol abuse, sun exposure, and worst,
should be noted that possession of a valid visa does not guarantee admission into the United States. admission is to the discretion of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer who makes a determination as to whether a B-1/B-2 visa holder may enter the United States and for how long he or she is authorized to stay. applicants for B visas should be aware that, in all cases, they have the burden to show they do not have “immigrant intent”—that is, their visit to the United States will be only temporary. in the event a CBP officer deems a noncitizen to be inadmissible, the individual may be placed in removal proceedings or expeditiously removed – that is, removed from the United States immediately, in the absence of an immigration Judge and without a hearing or review. While it is extremely tolling for one to be sent back to his or her country of origin after being detained for hours and questioned, it is often most difficult for one to be faced with the harsh reality of not knowing when or if he or she may be permitted to return to the United States. For those who receive an expedited removal order, the consequences are heavy. Noncitizens who have been expeditiously removed are barred from re-entering the U.S. for a five, ten, twenty-year period, or even indefinitely depending on several factors. in certain circumstances, an arriving alien may be permitted to withdraw his or her application for admission and depart the U.S. immediately, in lieu of expedited removal or a removal proceeding, however this is no guarantee. as such, B-1/B-2 visitors planning to travel to the United States are strongly encouraged to consult with a knowledgeable immigration attorney before presenting themselves for admission.
Visitors who have past criminal issues, have previously been denied admission, expeditiously removed, or who may have otherwise violated the terms of their visas, should consult with an experienced immigration attorney who can evaluate their eligibility. Similarly, visitors who travel frequently to the United States, have close relatives in the United States, or whose past visits lasted for longer than a few weeks, should also consult with an experienced immigration attorney. as vetting procedures increase, individuals that are interested in traveling to the United States with B-1/B-2 visas or under the visa waiver program, should seek competent immigration counsel to discuss their specific case history. Even if you or someone you know has traveled to the United States many times before as a visitor and has never faced any issues, it is important to keep in mind that admission is not guaranteed, especially with the increase in “extreme vetting.” Speak with a knowledgeable immigration attorney for information on how to best prepare for travel as a visitor and how to respond in the event that you face challenges at the port of entry. *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza 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)
Of charmed lives “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York.” — “Richard III” by William Shakespeare “a charmed life” and drive our fellow men mad with envy. The discontent hits you when you’re feeling most vulnerable: when there’s not enough cash to tide you over until the next pay period; your job stinks; you’re going through an extended rough patch with your wife or husband or lover; your car needs an overhaul; your kid hit a schoolmate and you need to see the principal; your sister in the home country, needs you to remit moolah fast, and lots of it, because your younger brother got into trouble and needs bail money. Everything sucks. Well, you get the picture of a gothic novel nobody wants to read. You want to scuttle everything and trade up to a charmed life. But would you, if you knew the real score behind those deceptively airbrushed images of the charmed lives we see on TV
and the rags we read? We are sitting ducks open to negative suggestions we receive non-stop. We end up unhappy and dissatisfied with who we are, what we have and our place in the universe. We’re too fat, too short, too poor, too old. We don’t make enough. We drive clunkers. Our clothes are passé. Our nose bridge needs a lift; the chest is too flat; hair is too thin; skin is too sallow; our eyes need to be lasered; our teeth need whitening; our ears stick out; our behinds, too saggy. Picture the word rEJECT stamped on our pathetic, little foreheads if we were in a conveyor belt in an assembly line, as we head directly to the recycling bin unless we undergo a drastic make-over that will cost us plenty. We look and read about the air-
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Immigration forum in Anaheim, CA There will be an immigration forum on Thursday, February 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Brookhurst Community Center (2271 Crescent Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801). RSVP is a MUST to attend. No registration fee required. Please contact (714) 657-7460 or admin@globallawcenters.com. The immigration forum is about employment-based immigration information regarding FAST TRACK Work Visas ( H-1B1, TN, E-3), green card by marriage, family-based immigration employment sponsorship for green card and work visas after graduation. Candidates with H-1B, TN, F-1, OPT & other visas issues are encouraged to attend for a FREE immigration consultation & immigration assistance. As you have already seen there are many changes happening in the field of immigration with regards to the new executive administration and their agenda. Global Law Centers strives to inform the immigrant community of its rights and make sure it is knowledgeable about what immigration processes might be available. The forum will also update everyone about new and recent changes which may affect immigrants and their families.
Fil-Am artist Lynda A. N. Reyes presents at the Women’s Caucus for Art exhibit in Santa Monica, CA Los Angeles-based artist Lynda A. N. Reyes will be showing her transparent watercolor painting “My Companion” at the Women’s Caucus for Art 2018 national conference exhibition at Arena One Gallery in Santa Monica, California from Feb. 21 to March 10. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 22 during the start of the 2018 national conference in Los Angeles with a closing reception on March 10 in observance of International Women’s Day. The Arena One Gallery, Santa Monica Art Studio is located at 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405. For more information, please call (310) 397-7449 or visit www.arena1gallery.com/exhibitions. To see more of Reyes’ work, please visit www.lyndaanreyes.com or contact her at lyndaanreyes@gmail.com.
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Filipino well-being training summit in Los Angeles Kataas-taasang pagsasanay para sa kalusugan ng mga Pilipino” — Understanding Obstacles; Charting New Paths. This training summit aims to honor and recognize indigenous understanding of wellness and healing; reduce stigma associated with emotional and mental illness; and promote community dialogue and connectivity. It is organized by the Filipino Well Being Training Summit Committee led by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. It’ll be held on Saturday, February 24 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 at 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/filipino-well-being-training-summit-registration-41880032304. NOTE: This event is free of charge to all attendees. Breakfast and lunch will be served on a limited capacity and may not be available to all attendees. Space is limited - please cancel on Eventbrite if you are unable to attend so others on the waiting list can be notified and accommodated.
City of Carson Gala Ball The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 / person and $400 / table (seats 8). For more information, please call the Community Center at (310) 835-0212 or visit ci.carson.ca.us.
Free workout with Assemblymember Philip Chen in Walnut, CA The City of Carson, California is marking its 50th anniversary of incorporation on Saturday, February 24 with a gala ball. It will be held at Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA 90745) at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 / person and $400 / table (seats 8). For more information, please call the Community Center at (310) 835-0212 or visit ci.carson.ca.us.
MARCH 11
Fil-Am Association of SCV’s fundraising event and inaugural ball in Valencia, CA The Fil-Am Association of Santa Clarita Valley (SCV), Inc. invites the community to a fundraising event and inaugural ball of the board of officers and trustees on Sunday, March 11 at 5 p.m. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Valencia — 24500 Town Center Dr., Valencia, CA 91355. The Fil-Am Association of SCV, Inc. is a non-profit that engages in cultural, social, outreach and community service to approximately 8,000 Fil-Ams living in Santa Clarita Valley. This 2018 marks the associations 35th year in serving the community through its outreach and Fil-Am academic and cultural enhancement programs which include scholarship achievement awards, programs for the seniors, youth and single programs, as well as cultural events. For tickets, please contact Josie Maglalang at (661) 607-5665, Zeny Justiniano at (661) 645-0948, Emie Carrillo at (661) 877-2699, and Zony Gordon (661) 312-3422.
PAGE B6
Self-induced cancer smoking. regrettably, most of these deaths were preventable! in 1981, a British research revealed that more than 2/3 (or more than 66 percent) of cancer deaths were due to those factors. Smoking was the number 1 risk, causing 29 percent of deaths, followed by excess weight at 6.5 percent as a cause of death, and alcohol use at 4 percent. “Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds was associated with 96 percent of skin cancers in men and 94 percent in women,” according to the new study. Scary data on smoking There are 4,000 chemicals (600 of them poisons, 69 cancer-causing) in every stick of cigarette, toxic chemicals like those found in paint stripper, toilet cleaner, rocket fuel, lighter fuel, chemicals in moth balls, the poison used in the gas chamber, and other toxins. Smoking causes almost 1/3 of all cancer deaths in the world. Smokeless tobacco — 50 times worse than regular cigarettes. Passive smoking is responsible for about 6,000 lung cancers among non-smokers and 35,000 deaths from secondhand smokerelated diseases per year. More than half a million are killed each year in the U.S. alone by smoking-related illnesses; 10 times more than car accidents; 12 times more than aiDS. and a lot more than all the military casualties in all wars in this century put together. One person in the U.S. dies of a heart attack every minute (mostly
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smokers). One dies of other smoking-related illness every 3 minutes! Smoking has orphaned billions of children around the globe, greater than all the wars combined has caused. Smokers die 13-14 years earlier than non-smokers. The risk of dying from lung cancer among smokers compared to non-smokers: 22 times greater in men and 12 times greater among women. Since 1950, lung cancer deaths among women have increased 600 percent. Smokers have three times risk of dying from heart attack. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths. Smoking kills 250 daily. at least 250 Filipinos die each day — yes, each day — or about 90,000 a year, from smokingrelated illnesses, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic diseases, and cancers, especially lung cancers. in Malaysia about 10,000, and Vietnam at least 40,000, die annually from tobacco-related conditions. indonesia’s death toll is the worst: 400,000 a year. The sad fact is that official global tobacco youth survey has revealed that the “smoking prevalence among Filipino youth had jumped and extrapolated to go even higher.” Obviously, for political correctness and expediency, majority of our legislators in Congress prefer to protect the tobacco industry and allow tobacco to continue to kill PAGE B6
MARCH 14
Philippine American Bar Association’s 32nd installation & awards gala in Los Angeles on March 14 The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) invites you to its 32nd Installation and Awards Gala on Wednesday, March 14. This year’s Gala will feature keynote speaker California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, a menu of Filipino flavors, and special performances. During the gala, PABA also will formally unveil its new logo and website, both of which were developed by a Fil-Am-owned start-up and involve colors and designs deeply rooted in the cultural history of the Philippines. To purchase tickets or a sponsorship, please visit: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore.jsp.
MARCH 19
Glenn Miller Orchestra to perform in Stevenson Ranch, CA The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra will swing into the Santa Clarita Valley for a special one-night only event to be held at West Ranch High School (26255 Valencia Blvd. Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381) on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The most sought-after big band in the world will take the stage with bandleader Nick Hilscher at the helm, performing beloved hits from their extensive library, which includes “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000.” Hosted by West Ranch High School’s music program, the concert will be an event for all ages and offers the chance to experience history, enjoy the magical melodies and walk away knowing you’re supporting a new generation of talented musicians in the processes. Tickets are $25 for seniors/students, $30 for general, and $35 for VIP. Prices increase by $5 at the door the day of the event. Tickets are available online at westranchmusic.com, by phone at (661) 222-1220 ext. 645, or at one of the locations: Nick Rail Music - 25868 McBean Pkwy., Valencia, CA, (661) 288-2345; Nationwide Insurance, 23236 Lyons Ave. #205, Newhall, CA, (661) 254-1714; Innovations Salon - 25830 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, CA. (661) 255-5580; or Bella Cucina - 27911 Seco Canyon Rd. in Saugus, (661) 263-1414.
ApRIL
East West Players’ 52nd Visionary Awards & Silent Auction in Los Angeles East West Players celebrates its 52nd Anniversary at the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs. It will be held at the Hilton Universal City (555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) on Monday, April 30. At 5:30 p.m., VIP Reception*, silent auction, and registration begin. Dinner and awards show begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/news/east-west-players-52nd-anniversary-visionary-awards-dinner-and-silent-auction/.
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B February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
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PAL bags 4-star Skytrax rating
Lombard by The Bay: Your best option for property investment
FIRST BUYER. Vince Samson, vice president of marketing; Geralou Sagun, chief admin officer; Rene Cinco, Premier Asia president and CEO; Victor Sy, CPA; Roger Oriel, Asian Journal Publications CEO in the Asian Journal headquarters for the contract signing of Lombard by The Bay on Wednesday, February 21.
P
REMIER Asia Pacific’s newest residential and commercial development, lombard by The Bay, is garnering an influx of interested buyers looking to own one of the semi-modern condominium units. Victor Sy, a balikbayan and lombard by The Bay’s official first buyer, admitted that he initially didn’t have plans in buying a property when he was invited to go to Montemaria. “But I was so moved by the scenery, the beauty, the bay, and the statue of Mama Mary,” he explained. “I was even more amazed by the size of it, dwarfing the famous Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and the Statue of liberty in the United States in height.” lombard by The Bay’s amenities and facilities make it an excellent choice as the future home for hundreds of locals and overseas Filipinos. One can utilize the condominium’s gym, take a refreshing dip in the pool, and hang out in the clubhouse. The manicured gardens resembling the famous lombard street in San Francisco, the 180 degree view of the Batangas bay, and the proximity to the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, make lombard by The Bay
perfect for a religious tourism destination for pilgrims, devotees, and tourists alike. “I would recommend lombard by The Bay [to others] for the same reason I bought [a property] for myself,” Sy said, reiterating the condominium’s various amenities that enticed him to buy a penthouse unit and a one-bedroom unit in the first place. “It will definitely make me travel and visit the Philippines more often.” The 2.1 hectares development is a joint venture between Premier Asia Pacific Real Estate and Development, Inc. and Omnicor Industrial Estate & Realty Center, Inc Premier Asia Pacific Real Estate and Development is a real estate company that believes in the economic development of the Philippines and catering to the needs of developers and buyers looking to expand their property and investment portfolio. Premier Asia Pacific’s mission is to reconnect overseas Filipinos back to their Philippine roots by offering a complete package of real estate investment services in the Motherland. (Advertising Supplement)
ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com. And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event. To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice. The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.
by Doris
Dumlao-abaDilla Inquirer.net
FlAG carrier Philippine Airlines (PAl) has graduated to fourstar from three-star airline quality, according to global aviation industry rating firm Skytrax, citing improvements in the airline’s inflight services and ground operations in the last two years. This four-star airline rating was described by Skytrax as a mark of “quality distinction that recognizes excellent standards of product and staff service across different assessment categories for both the onboard and airport environment.” In a statement posted on the aviation rating firm’s website, Skytrax chief executive officer Edward Plaisted said: “This recognizes the great improvements that the airline has introduced over the last two years, both in terms of product change and development and enhancement of the front-line staff service. New and retrofitted aircraft have played an important part in the quality improvement process, and this looks set to develop further when Philippine Airlines introduce the A350 into their fleet. We look for consistency of quality in the 4-star rating, and we now entrust Philippine Airlines to ensure this is duly delivered to customers.” “This is a big win for the Philippines,” said PAl chair and chief executive officer lucio Tan. “We are elated by this recognition which is a victory for the more than seven thousand members of the Philippine Airlines family. Our achievement is the country’s achievement and we share this with all Filipinos around the globe.” “Our get-that-star journey began in 2016. Our efforts over the last two years have borne fruit,” said PAl president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista. “Since 2016, we have embarked on a journey of rolling out inflight and on-ground innovations, opened new routes, increased connectivity across PAl’s route network, added new aircraft to our fleet and importantly, invested in the Buong Pusong Alaga (wholehearted) training of all our cabin crew, ground crew and service providers domestically and internationally in order to enhance the
PAL president Jaime Bautista receives the 4-star rating award from Skytrax. Inquirer.net photo
passenger travel experience and earn a higher Skytrax rating,” Bautista added. With the four-star rating now certified, PAl aims to intensify efforts to unveil new products and expand routes, including the launch of non-stop services to New York and Brisbane as well as flights to India and additional routes to Japan and China within 2018. As early as 2020, PAl aims to attain the five-star Skytrax rating, putting it at par with the likes of Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Asiana Airlines, Hainan Airlines, lufthansa, ANA All Nippon Airways, Garuda Indonesia, EVA Air and Etihad Airways. “By offering the public a globally competitive airline service, we are empowered to attract more tourists to visit the Philippines, experience our country’s beauty and our people’s warmth, and to generate more economic activity for the Philippines,” said Bautista. Skytrax completed the quality audit evaluation of Philippine Airlines in December 2017, examining in detail all product and service delivery areas across the customer trip experience. Since 2016, PAl finalized fleet orders of Airbus A350s, A321s, Boeing 777s and Bombardier Q400 next generation planes bringing the fleet count to 88 aircraft, the largest fleet in the Philippines. It also: developed new domestic hubs (Clark, Cebu,
Davao); introduced new international routes, launched direct nonstop services between Manila and Auckland and Manila and Toronto in addition to existing direct flights to london, San Francisco, and, los Angeles; improved on-time performance while maximizing fleet productivity; and, strengthened its passenger care. Eight of the airline’s 15 Airbus A330s have undergone a total cabin transformation from a single economy to a tri-class cabin to make it more comfortable on all classes. The latest Boeing 777s and the incoming Airbus A350s are expected to further upgrade the PAl fleet for the airline’s longhaul international routes. On in-flight entertainment, PAl rolled out its myPAl eSuite personal TV service that gives passengers access to a wide selection of movies, music and TV shows via touch screen monitors in all classes of many PAl aircraft, while myPAl Player provides in-flight entertainment using passengers’ owned device. myPAl Wi-fi access allows passengers to surf, browse and stay connected. To improve on-ground service at airports, PAl renovated the inter-terminal transit lounge at the NAIA Terminal 2, improved its business class check-in product, introduced a more efficient boarding procedure and put up airport terminal signage for passenger convenience. By the second quarter of 2018, it will open a new, bigger and more sophisticated Mabuhay lounge.
Of charmed lives
PAGE B5 brushed lives of celebrities on the red carpet. We see them parading and preening in their Pradas, Jimmy Choos, or Blahnik shoes, sheathed in thousand dollar Versace and Vera Wang gowns with décolletage showcasing ample natural or shored up cleavages, their gravity-defying faces tight with botox or nipped and tucked by a surgeon’s scalpel and dripping in Harry Winston gems, escorted by equally gorgeous hunks dressed to the nines in their Armanis, as media people buzz around them like flies around honey. And we’re hoodwinked to the vision of charmed lives. Thankfully these days, our eyes are being opened. TRUTH, like sunlight, is proving to be the greatest disinfectant. It turns out that many in Hollywood and other high profile figures are simply blown-up images of their own press releases as stories reveal them, even with their padded bank accounts and mega-sized homes, to be no better than the average Joe. In some instances, some are the scum of the earth. Some of the big names have been living seriously perverted lives while victimizing many in their industry for decades. Imagine that God sees how unhappy you are, takes pity on you and he gives you access to His Celestial PowerBook, with a database cataloging the lives of the past, present and future of the
seven billion or so people that inhabit the world. He permits you to type in the name of the person you would like to exchange your life with. But lo and behold. You discover surprising twists and turns of character and fate. You discover dirt that has been airbrushed or little dark secrets edited out or given a new spin. You discover untold pain and suffering, the great equalizers, etched in every life. That gorgeous, woman hiding behind a ready smile has a young daughter with cystic fibrosis and is going through a bitter divorce with a philandering husband. The good-looking guy you thought was to die for is a closet pedophile cum sado-masochist. The distinguished couple you met who lacks for nothing, has a son languishing in jail. That tall, reed-thin Victoria’s Secret lingerie model suffers from bulimia. That hottie celebrity is a wife beater and is in rehab for serious addictions. You go through the entire universal data base frustrated and somewhat relieved to find out that your own life with all its warts, is just as bad or just as good as those of others and there’s no one you’d like to trade your life with, thank you very much. In most cases, the life we have is the life we would choose all over again. We just need to realize that there’s always more to a story and an image than meets the eye. Packaging can be mere
illusion. What you see is not necessarily what you get, ergo, the need to dig deep. We are all programmed to go through great lengths to put up a deceptive front to hide the truth — either goaded by ego or the instinct for self-preservation. A self-respecting gardener winterizes the grass and preps it for the cold, dark days of winter to give it a fighting chance to survive and thrive in the spring and summer. We ought do the same thing and winterize the garden of our soul to keep it young and hopeful. I wish I could say it’s easy. But like anything that is worthwhile, it takes time, patience, work, persistence and gumption. But we could start with something basic. Upon waking up each day, we can psyche ourselves up with an unfailing weapon of choice — PRAYER. Personalized and heartfelt, it is our instant connection with the God of our being. These can merely be secular, positive affirmations of our own worth and place in this life or it can be the simple act of prayerful acceptance and thanksgiving for all that was, is and yet to come. Chances are, you’re already living one heck of a charmed life and you don’t even know it. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
Self-induced cancer
PAGE B5 our people. What money from the tobacco lobby can do! Smoking kills. It is that plain and simple. There is no more doubt today that tobacco (cigarette smoking) is the predominant cause of lung cancer, besides other malignancies and cardiovascular diseases that maim, kill men and women and hurt our society, especially our children. In the United States alone, almost half a million die each year from smoking-related illnesses. These are preventable deaths! Demographic studies have shown that smokers are about 10 times more prone to die premature deaths than non-smokers. This unnecessary loss of lives is at an immense direct cost for non-smokers in terms of increased health risks from passive smoking, in higher health insurance premiums and taxes, not to mention personal and family tragedies in all shapes and forms. As we have alluded to in a previous column, secondhand smoke is even more dangerous. Innocent bystanders are forced
to inhale cigarette smoke at their workplaces or in public places, thus increasing their health risk. The Environmental Protection Agency engineers have shown that even the best available ventilation and air-moving equipment were unable to reduce carcinogenic (cancer-causing) air contamination to a safe level for a non-smoker sharing work space with a habitual smoker. Why governments around the world allow and protect an industry that victimizes and hooks their young, poisons and kills their people, is incomprehensible, however you look at it. If you think about it, our government and those of other nations are peddling drugs (albeit addictive tobacco is a milder killer substance) in the name of profit, wantonly sacrificing their citizens’ health and future, shortening people’s lives, causing trillions of dollars or more of expenditures for research as to how to fight the habit, how to cure the tobacco-induced illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and can-
cer, etc. This is plain stupidity. The solution is obvious: Eliminate the cause, the poison! Then, we don’t have to do expensive researches looking for the “antidote” or finding the cure, etc. Eliminating the cause would even reward us these added bonuses: a smokeless society, a healthier citizenry, a nobler nation, and a less polluted environment, ecologically friendlier to Mother Earth! Unfortunately, the senseless global smoke-filled “killing field,” protected by governments, like in the Philippines, will continue. We, The People, should be fuming mad! *** 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 22-28, 2018
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B February 22-28, 2018 • LaS VeGaS aSIaN JOurNaL
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