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FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2022 Volume 33 - No. 8 • 12 Pages
T HE F ILIPINO A MERICAN C OMMUNITY N EWSPAPER
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DATELINE California becomes first in nation to shift to ‘endemic’ virus policy FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
NEARLY two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California is the first state in the nation to announce a shift to an “endemic” approach to coronavirus. Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Feb. 17 unveiled the SMARTER Plan, which outlines the state’s management of COVID-19 while prioritizing recovery. “We are moving past the crisis phase into a phase where we will work to live with this virus,” Newsom said on Thursday, speaking from Fontana, California. “In that light, we have put together a plan that we coin as the ‘SMARTER’ plan because we are smarter two years later. We are more adaptable. We are more capable to understand the nature of this disease,” Newsom added. The plan covers “shots,” “masks,” “awareness,” “readiness,” “testing,” “education” and “Rx.” Under shots, California will maintain capacity to administer at least 200,000
PH Embassy in Warsaw on ‘high alert’ for Filipinos from Ukraine by BERNADETTE
E. TAMAYO
ManilaTimes.net
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippine Embassy (PE) in Warsaw was “on high alert” as it anticipates the influx of Filipinos to cross Poland from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
Locsin said Poland has agreed to the Philippine government’s appeal to allow Filipinos fleeing from Ukraine to cross its border even without a EU (European) visa. There are about 380 Filipinos working or living in Ukraine as of January 2022 but six of them
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PH gov’t ready for mass repatriation of Filipinos in Ukraine by DAPHNE
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Filipino Veterans Education Program now accessible online WITH the completion of a full online interactive educational program, educators are now able to access, free of charge, resources that bring to life the story of U.S. colonization and war from the perspective of Filipinos who fought under the American flag and who continued to fight for nearly 70 years after they were denied recognition and stripped of the benefits promised them by America. Called “Duty to Country,” FilVetREP’s education program, www.dutytocountry. org, was first launched in November 2021. It features an online exhibition, “Under One Flag,” which explores the untold story of the United States and the Philippines, along with first-hand accounts of living veterans and their families, historians, and community advocates. Hundreds of archival photographs, artifacts, films, and historical documents are showcased in this exhibit. Last month, FilVetREP rolled out the
have returned home with four more scheduled for repatriation. “Warsaw PE’s been on high alert; repatriated a few; Poland finally agreed to let ours in sans EU visas; not heard anything from Russia on our request re:
REMEMBERING EDSA REVOLUTION. A worker cleans the statues at the People Power Monument in Dasmariñas, Cavite on Thursday, Feb. 24, in preparation for the commemoration of the 36th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike Alquinto
GALVEZ
MANILA — The Philippine government is ready to conduct mass repatriation of Filipinos in Ukraine if tensions with Russia along its border escalate to an invasion, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) assured on Thursday, February 24. OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac said the Philippine embassy in Ukraine, along with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) have arranged crisis management mechanisms and exit strategies for the 380 Filipinos there in case tensions intensify. He said pick-up and exit points have been identified, as well as safe-havens. He also said Filipinos there are “well-informed of the crisis plans and crisis strategies in the event that war breaks out” and “pretty much in touch” with the Philippine embassy. The government is also ready to provide transportation via land and air for Filipinos, he added.
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Manny Pacquiao ranks 9th in Ring Magazine’s top 100 boxers of all time by BONG LOZADA Inquirer.net
MANNY Pacquiao has long been considered as one of the greatest boxers of all time after he captured 14 world titles in eight weight classes including three Ring Magazine championships. The Filipino boxing legend was ranked ninth place in Ring Magazine’s top 100 boxers of all time list. Pacquiao held the Ring’s featherweight title from 2003 to 2005, the junior lightweight championship in 2008, and finally the
welterweight belt from 2009 to 2010. Ring Magazine’s highest-rated southpaw, Pacquiao jumped to the stratosphere in the mid-2000s in his many fights against the Mexican trio of Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Juan Manuel Marquez and amassed a record of 6-2-1 against the three. Pacquiao (62-8-2) started his career as a scrawny light flyweight but rose up the divisions eventually collecting the WBC super welterweight title in a catchweight Megastar Sharon Cuneta joins Vice presidential candidate, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan bout against Antonio Margarito in 2010. in his vice-presidential campaign trail in Tarlac. Photo courtesy of Team Kiko Pangilinan
Sharon Cuneta backs De Lima PH tourist arrivals hit 25,000 since reopening reelection bid, calls for her release PAGE 3
by HELEN
FLORES Philstar.com
MANILA — Almost 25,000 foreign and Filipino tourists have arrived in the country since it opened its borders to international leisure travelers early this month, Malacañang has reported. Acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said 24,826 inbound arrivals from various countries registered through One Health Pass as of Feb. 20. Up to 13,492 foreign tourists and 11,334 balikbayans arrived. Most of them were from the U.S. and Canada. This February 2021 photo shows tourists in Boracay. “Please take note that this is Photo courtesy of Malay Municipal Tourism Office just the beginning of our efforts
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to encourage tourists to visit the country,” Nograles told a media briefing on Tuesday, February 22. “Our borders are open, but just a reminder that vaccination is very important for the country’s tourism to survive.” “If we want a surge of tourists instead of a surge of COVID cases, we enjoin everyone to get vaccinated and get their booster shots. Let us help our fellow Filipinos who work in tourismrelated industries,” he added. Nograles said the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the vaccination certificates of 64 countries,
by DIVINA
NOVA JOY DELA ManilaTimes.net
CRUZ
MEGASTAR Sharon Cuneta expressed her support for opposition Sen. Leila Norma M. De Lima, who is marking her 5th year in prison on Thursday, February 24. Cuneta asked for De Lima’s release during a campaign rally in Tarlac City organized by her husband, vice presidential aspirant and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, as well as in a separate video message broadcast on Thursday as part of “Leilaya: Araw ni Leila.” “We really miss you out here. We need you more out here. You PAGE 2 can do so much more here. And
we keep praying that you will be allowed out soon or that you will be out, somehow by God’s grace and never-ending mercy, “Cuneta said. De Lima, who is seeking reelection, was represented by her Chief of Staff, lawyer Fhillip Sawali, during the Tarlac campaign. Jillian Robredo and Laya Diokno represented Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and senate candidate lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, respectively. “I keep praying for you, Senator Leila and I hope to give you a big hug when I see you finally. Hopefully, sooner than we all expect. Frankie and I love you. God bless you po!” Cuneta said.
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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
From The FronT Page
PH Embassy in Warsaw on... PAGE 1 its closest border,” he tweeted on Thursday, February 24. He continued, “Most Filipinos in Ukraine are grateful guests and want to stick it out with their warm welcoming neighbors.” “We have no ambassador in Moscow but I have faith and trust in the staff left there. It is too late to send post haste the one I got confirmed; hostilities have started,” Locsin said. “Lacking one, it might be my part to be there or Warsaw if there are flights,” the Foreign Affairs secretary said. In a previoous tweet, Locsin
said, “The Philippines will recommend trying the Manila Declaration on the peaceful resolution of disputes as a way out of, by any reckoning, a pointless, or least profitless war.” “Mutual extinction all around -- and I mean all around sparing no one -- deserves a better excuse than this,” he said. Locsin was reacting to the statement on Wednesday of United Nations (UN) SecretaryGeneral António Guterres, who said, “We cannot and will not relent in the search for a peaceful solution.” “But whatever its pedigree,
Ukrainians are entitled to a country of their own. Can’t reverse history; if strong enough you might avenge it. But it was a Russian government that let the Empire be dismantled. No foreign invasion did that. Just weakness until [Russian President Vladimir] Putin came along,” Locsin said. On Nov. 15, 1982 the UN General Assembly adopted the Manila Declaration by consensus. It was adopted on the basis of the work of the Special Committee on the Charter of the UN and on the strengthening of the role of the organization. g
PH gov’t ready for mass repatriation... PAGE 1 “The embassy stands ready and, of course, the DOLE through the OWWA and POLO stands ready as well in the event of mass repatriation, which we hope won’t happen,” Cacdac said in an
interview over ABS CBN News Channel. Aside from this, the embassy has been facilitating in-country relocation of the overseas Filipino workers in Ukraine away from Kyiv, the political
capital in Ukraine, according to Cacdac. So far, six Filipinos from Ukraine have returned to the Philippines while two more are expected to go home, Cacdac said. g
PH tourist arrivals hit 25,000 since... PAGE 1
territories and jurisdictions. The Philippines started accepting foreign tourists on Feb. 10, following a drop in infections. Nograles had earlier said
foreigners traveling for business and tourism may enter the country without visas as long as they are fully vaccinated and present the required proof of inoculation and testing documents.
Meanwhile, foreigners who are parents or children of Filipinos may now enter the Philippines even without an entry exemption document from the Department of Foreign Affairs following new guidelines issued by the IATF. g
Manny Pacquiao ranks... PAGE 1
His time at super welterweight, however, was shortlived as he went back to welterweight in 2011 staying at that weight class until he lost in his final fight to Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight Super title in 2021. A pound-for-pound great, Pacquiao’s first Ring ranking was the no.1 spot in the flyweight division in April 1999 and his final one was the no.5 spot in December 2021. He retired in September 2021 to pursue the Philippine presidency. Pacquiao’s rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ahead of him in the magazine’s rankings with the undefeated American placing sixth after collecting Ring titles in lightweight (2002 to 2004), welterweight (2006 to 2008, 2013 to 2015), and super welterweight (2013 to 2015). “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali was only third in the list with equally legendary heavyweight taking second and Sugar Ray Robinson, considered the Manny Pacquiao is among the top boxers in the world as he greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time, taking holds 14 world titles in eight weight divisions. the top spot. g Photo from Instagram/@mannypacquiao
CARPE DIEM! ATTENTION IMMIGRATION LAWYERS!!! LEGAL IMMIGRATION is a BIG ISSUE these days. MANY in our community NEED your services. There are thousands who may want to expedite their residency or pursue full citizenship but don’t know how to begin and where to go.
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PROKLAMASYON SAPAGKA’T, ang Artikulo 5 ng Kasulatan ng Lungsod ng Hilaga’ng Las Vegas, Nevada, ay nagtatatag ng mga petsa para sa Pangunahi’ng Munisipal at Pangkalahata’ng Halalan na gaganapin sa mga pantay ang bilang na taon sa ikalawa’ng Martes ng Hunyo at sa una’ng Martes matapos ng una’ng Lunes ng Nobyembre, ayon sa pagkakabanggit; at SAPAGKA’T, ang Artikulo 5 ng Kasulatan ay nagtatakda ng mga katungkulan na pupunan sa nasabi’ng halalan at nagtatatag ng pamamaraan para sa nominasyon at halalan ng mga kandidato; at NGAYON, KAYA NGA, ang KONSEHO NG LUNGSOD para sa LUNGSOD NG HILAGA’NG LAS VEGAS, ay ipinahayag sa kanilang regular na pagpupulong na ginanap, Pebrero 2, 2022, at alinsunod sa Artikulo 5 ng Kasulatan ng Lungsod ng Hilaga’ng Las Vegas, na ang isang PANGUNAHI’NG ELEKSYON MUNISIPAL ay gaganapin ng Lungsod ng Hilaga’ng Las Vegas, Nevada, sa MARTES, Hunyo 14, 2022, para sa nominasyon at paghahalal ng mga rehistrado’ng botante ng kanikanilang Purok para sa: Alkalde Miyembro ng Konseho Purok 1 Miyembro ng Konseho Purok 3 Hukom ng Munisipyo, Departamento 2 Hukom ng Munisipyo, Departamento 1*
Apat na Taon ang Termino Apat na Taon ang Termino Apat na Taon ang Termino Anim na Taon ang Termino Dalawa’ng Taon ang Termino
*Ang termino ng upuan ng hukom ng munisipyo Departamento 1 ay hindi pa pinal sa ngayon, nguni’t isasaalang-alang ng Konseho sa pamamagitan ng Ordinansa Blg. 3111 na Sususugan ang Ordinansa 3060. Ang Ordinansa ay nakatakda’ng iharap sa miting ng Konseho sa Pebrero 16, 2022 at diringgin sa ika-lawa’ng pagkakataon upang mapagtibay sa Marso 2, 2022. [Ang pangungusap na ito ay idinagdag sa Proklamasyon matapos ang miting ng Konseho noong Pebrero 2, 2022.] NGAYON, KAYA NGA, DAGDAG NA IPINAHAYAG na ang anumang katungkulan kung saan ang isang kandidato ay hindi idineklara na nahalal bilang resulta ng isang karera kung saan mayroon lamang isang kandidato, o kung saan ay nananatiling hindi pa napagpapasyahan matapos ang Hunyo 14, 2022 Pangunahi’ng Eleksyon, ay pagpapasyahan ng kani-kanilang mga botante sa isang PANGKALAHATA’NG ELEKSYON MUNISIPAL na gaganapin sa Lungsod ng Hilaga’ng Las Vegas sa Nobyembre 8, 2022, alinsunod sa Artikulo 5 ng Kasulatan ng Lungsod ng Hilaga’ng Las Vegas; at IPINAHAYAG DIN, sa bisa ng awtoridad ng Konseho ng Lungsod, na ang mga lokasyon sa loob ng nasabi’ng Lungsod kung saan ang mga balota ay maaaring iboto ng mga rehistrado’ng botante ay dapat kunin ng Departamento ng Eleksyon ng Lalawigan ng Clark. Ipinasa, Inaprubahan, at Naging-utos ngayo’ng ika-2 araw ng Pebrero, 2022.
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Dateline USa
Filipino Veterans Education Program now... PAGE 1 second phase of its interactive education project. Designed for teachers in the classroom, the curriculum includes five lesson plans on key historical moments: the colonial period, World War II, the establishment of an independent Philippines and the passage of the Rescission Act, and the civil rights movement to restore veterans’ benefits and path to U.S. citizenship. It also features ten explainers built around primary sources, maps and infographics that help students make sense of this long history. There is also a resource guide, “Teaching with Duty to Country,” that highlights a dynamic mix of interviews, primary sources, animations and illustrations, videos, and profile cards. Award-winning web design “Duty to Country” is developed by Night Kitchen Interactive, an award-winning web-based development company in Philadelphia. It has won several awards in the last two years. Working with Night Kitchen Interactive is a professional team of educators and academic experts. They include Prof. Chris Capozzola, author and Professor of History at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Seth Watkins, a prominent lawyer and professor at Duke University; Dr. Colleen Woods, Associate Professor of History at the University of
Maryland, College Park; and Leah Nahmias, curriculum developer currently serving as Community Leadership Officer at Central Indiana Community Foundation. The education project is fully funded by FilVetREP, with support from corporate sponsors, community organizations and individual donors. Bringing history to life “Students and teachers need to hear the voices and see the faces of American and Filipino soldiers who fought under the American flag and make their stories come to life in America’s classrooms,” said FilVetREP National Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret). “That’s our main goal in this education project: to ensure that the historic legacy of Filipino and American World War ll veterans will be preserved for posterity.” Having accomplished its first mission in October 2017 of securing recognition for the more than 260,000 Filipino soldiers who served, FilVetREP undertook its second mission soon after Congress honored them with the Congressional Gold Medal. “It’s not enough that we secured their recognition after they waited for more than 70 years,” Taguba noted. “The Congressional Gold Medal honoring their service and sacrifice was a great start. But we wanted more for them. By creating an educational
venue, we will enshrine their story in American history, and continue telling their story for generations to come.” Educational platform With an educational program now accessible for free, teachers and educators will have various resources to engage students in the story of Filipino and American veterans. Although it is designed primarily for students from K to twelve, the curriculum is also adaptable for university classrooms. In the lesson plans and explainers, the story of Filipino veterans intersects with major themes in U.S. history including immigration, civil rights and social movements, politics, and U.S. foreign policy. “From the beginning, we knew we wanted a wide range of teachers and students to be able to engage with this history in a multifaceted way — through animated videos, oral histories, photographs, and documents,” said Woods. “This diversity of sources will provide historical context and prompts for reflection. Our educational materials cover over 100 years of history, but we’ve designed our site so that teachers do not have to teach the entire 100 years. Instead, they can choose different entry points — allowing them to adopt lesson plans to fit different parts of the curriculum. For example, our lesson plan, titled You Decide: Filipino Veterans Long Fight for Justice, could be PAGE 4
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Dateline USa
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California becomes first in nation to shift... PAGE 1
vaccines per day on top of existing pharmacy and provider infrastructure. Though the statewide mandate for indoor public masking has been lifted as of Feb. 15, the state said it will maintain a stockpile of 75 million high quality masks and the capability to distribute them as needed. The governor added, “We move out of the pandemic phase and we move into a phase which should allow you confidence that we are not walking away, that we’re taking the lessons learned and we’re leaning into the future.” KIDS’ VAX. A medical worker administers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to a boy accompanied by his father at the Department of Health 4-A As communities of color (DOH-Calabarzon) office inside the Quirino Memorial Medical Center Compound in Quezon City on Thursday, February 24. Pfizer and Moderna have been disproportionately COVID-19 doses are available at the site which also offers second dose and booster shot inoculation. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon affected by the pandemic, the awareness pillar of the plan calls for the state to continue to promote vaccination, masking and other mitigation measures in all 58 counties
California state lawmakers introduce two bills to combat anti-Asian hate crime Sunita Sohrabji Ethnic Media Services
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CALIFORNIA lawmakers introduced two bills in the state Legislature Feb. 17 aimed at combating the surge of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The web portal Stop AAPI Hate, which allows victims of hate crime to self report incidents in one of several Asian languages, has logged over 9,000 reports since March 2020. More than 12 percent of the incidents involved physical violence. Forty percent of the reports came from California, which is home to the largest AAPI population in the U.S. Community advocates have blamed former President Donald Trump who targeted China for allegedly infecting the world with COVID-19. Trump repeatedly called coronavirus the “Chinese flu,” “Kung Flu,” and other racial epithets. Women were the targets in more than two-thirds of reported incidents. In the past four weeks, two fatal attacks have occurred in New York city: Christina Yuna Lee, who was stabbed to death by a stranger who followed her into her Chinatown apartment; and Michelle Alyssa Go, who was pushed in front of a Times Square subway train. Manjusha Kulkarni, cofounder of Stop AAPI Hate, said 73 of Asian Americans who
responded to a survey expressed more fear of being the target of a hate crime than being infected by Covid. At a news conference Feb. 8 — organized by Stop AAPI Hate and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative — Sen. Dave Min, who represents portions of Orange County in the California state Senate, said: “Violent acts against AAPIs have been skyrocketing since the pandemic. These attacks suggest we are not Americans, even if we have lived here all our lives.” “We have to take a hard look at why these crimes are happening,” he said, lauding the portal Stop AAPI Hate for documenting such crimes, so that the issue could substantively be addressed with data. Min has introduced SB 1161, which seeks to protect women riding public transit from facing harassment or violence on 10 of the state’s largest transit agencies, including the Los Angeles Metro, BART, Orange County Transportation Authority, and San Francisco MUNI. SB 1161 would require transit agencies to collect and study data about harassment commuters face while riding public transport and to develop policies which mitigate such harassment. Cynthia Choi, Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate said at the Feb. 8 news briefing: “Harassment on
public transportation has been normalized. As women walk to and from transit stops, they are often the targets of street harassment which includes whistling, derogatory language, and verbal harassment.” “This limits our freedom of movement, and limits job opportunities to daylight hours,” she said, adding: “My own experience was that taking public transportation came with risks.” Annie Lee, director of policy for CAA noted that many transit agencies in California do have policies in place to address harassment, but fewer than 10 percent of such cases are reported. “Women are often embarrassed to report,” she said. “From the first mile to the last, no Californian should feel unsafe traveling to work, to school, or anywhere,” Min said in a statement. “This bill will help restore confidence in the safety of public transportation so that everyone — especially women and minorities — can ride from one place to the next without fear.” Assemblywomen Mia Bonta and Akilah Weber discussed their bill, AB 2549, which aims to prevent harassment on the street. Bonta, who represents portions of Northern California’s East Bay Area, said the bill was the first of its kind in the nation. “Street harassment disproporPAGE 7
and support engagement with at least 150 community-based organizations. Under readiness, the state “The state will maintain wastewater surveillance in all regions and enhance respiratory surveillance in the health care system while continuing to sequence at least 10% of positive COVID-19 test specimens. The state will also maintain the ability to add 3,000 clinical staff within 2-3 weeks of need and across various health care facility types.” Testing options for COVID-19 will remain in place with statewide capacity to administer at least 500,000 PCR and antigen tests a day. For education, the state said it “will continue to work to keep schools open and children safely in classrooms for in-person instruction. The state will expand by 25% school-based vaccination sites supported by
the state to increase vaccination rates as eligibility expands.” For Rx, the governor’s office said the state will maximize orders for the most clinically effective therapeutic available through federal partnerships, ensuring allocations of effective therapeutics are ordered within 48-hours. “California is prepared to lean in on the principles that have made us successful in our COVID-19 response. Under the SMARTER Plan, we will use the significant knowledge we have gained and the tools and resources we have developed over the last two years to adapt and respond to whatever is next,” said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “Californians should rest assured we are ready and prepared to meet any public health challenges that may lie ahead.” (AJPress)
Filipino Veterans Education Program now... PAGE 3 taught alongside other social movements of the long civil rights era.” Capozzola adds that the rich content of the curriculum tackles some of the biggest questions in world and U.S. history — war, empire, colonization, military service, racism, immigration, civil rights, and fight for racial justice. “The graphic narratives give history a human face,” he points out. “And they are designed for students at all grade levels, different languages, backgrounds, reading abilities, and learning styles. Everyone can find a path into this history in a really productive way, allowing you to think and reflect and holding us accountable as teachers and as learners about the history we learn.” Capozzola recently published “Bound for War,” a book which tells the epic story of America’s long and fateful military relationship with the Philippines amid a century of Pacific warfare. Rich inheritance “For all students of all ages, you have been bequeathed with a rich inheritance,” says Capozzola. “This culturally responsive curriculum complements what’s already being taught on the civil
rights movement and connects students to topics often overlooked in social studies, which are written from an American perspective.” To that end, he encourages educators, students, parents, and community members “to reach out to school boards in their districts. Everybody can chime in. No need to be an educational ‘expert’ to have a voice!” Nahmias also identified other points of entry for the program: social studies specialists in charge of curriculum, state level teachers’ associations, and superintendents or principals in smaller communities. She notes that states are passing new Asian American Studies requirements. “There are not many materials out there, so folks are really hungry for resources to teach Asian American history,” she says. “This is high quality curriculum developed by historians and scholars. Professional associations, state history museums and historical societies are all eager to discover these kinds of resources.” In their own voice At the January 27, 2022 launching of Part Two of FilVetREP’s education project, Taguba explained the critical
importance of various resources so that educators and learners can engage students in the dynamic story of Filipino and American veterans. “Because their story was largely written by American military historians, they conveniently left out the contributions of these brave men and women,” Taguba said. “This is tantamount to being non-existent because when the story of Filipino World War II veterans is not told in their own voices, their service will never be known. Moreover, the American people will never understand why the U.S. not only broke its promise to these soldiers but also refused to recognize them for more than 70 years, robbing them of their honor and dignity. It’s a story that can never be told unless we enshrine it in American history.” Next steps for FilVetREP are to actively promote the program by reaching out to several national organizations, school districts, Asian American Studies groups and advocates. “This is still a work in progress and we hope to further improve the program,” Taguba said. “For now, our main objective is to make it accessible and utilized and bring this story to life in classrooms across the country. g
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SFIO appoints experts across F&B, real PhilSA partners with PH-US group estate and technology onto advisory board for space science scholarships MANILA – The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on Thursday said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) or Fulbright Philippines to provide scholarships and training programs for space science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The partnership also aims to promote related fields such as space law and policy, business, economics, international relations and diplomacy, and communications. The MOU, which was signed last February 17 at the PAEF office in Mandaluyong City, shall explore PhilSA and PAEF’s partnership through workshops and educational exchanges to further promote and pursue space education towards future participants. According to PhilSA, implementing training and scholarships as an act of cooperation would contribute to the mutual understanding between the two parties, strengthening cordial relations, and maximizing the continuing cooperation between the Philippines and the United States. At the MOU signing, PhilSA Director Joel Marciano Jr. said the
PARTNERSHIPS. US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Heather Variava, acting honorary chairperson of the Philippine-American Educational Foundation Board of Directors, and Philippine Space Agency Director General Joel Joseph Marciano, sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the PAEF office in Mandaluyong City on Feb. 17, 2022. The MOU seeks to establish scholarship and training programs for space science. PNA photo
partnership will inspire Filipinos and elevate the status of space science and technology in the country. Both parties agreed that the Philippines and the US would identify space technology as a target area for cooperation under the U.S.-Philippine Science and Technology Agreement signed in 2019. “We look forward to deepening cooperation with PhilSA to explore
the scientific, commercial, and national security benefits of space,” U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Heather Variava said during the MOU signing. Programs under the MOU will cater to Filipinos interested in learning the field of space science and technology applications. The programs to be introduced would also bring in experts from the U.S. to conduct professional lecturing and research. (PNA)
BI reminds foreigners: Comply with 2022 annual report or face sanctions by Zacarian
Sarao
Inquirer.net
MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday, February 24 reminded all registered foreigners in the country to file their 2022 annual reports (AR) by March 1 or they will face sanctions. According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente in an advisory, the AR deadline will not be extended as BI-registered aliens should report in person to the bureau within the first 60 days of every calendar year under the alien registration act. Foreign nationals who fail to file their AR may be met with
sanctions, including fines or deportation, said Morente. Under the said rules, all foreign nationals registered under the BI who are holders of immigrant and non-immigrant visas are obliged to comply with the annual reportorial requirement. Filers must present their original alien certificate of registration identity card (ACR ICard) and their valid passport. Exempted from personally appearing at the BI office, however, are registered foreigners who are 14 years old and below, those who are aged 65 years and above, pregnant women, persons with
disabilities, and those who are mentally and physically incapacitated. They may instead file their annual report through their authorized representative together with an authorization letter or any BI-accredited liaison officer. Aside from the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila, they may also file their AR with the different field, district, satellite and extension offices of the bureau nationwide. Foreigners who have not yet filed their AR are urged to secure their slots through the BI’s online appointment system. g
STARFLEET Innotech, Inc. (OTCPink: SFIO), a leading asset management company and innovation group, is pleased to share details about the advisory board it has assembled to lead its global expansion plans across its core divisions. Starfleet Innotech, Inc. has formalized its change to the new company name. Various media have already begun updating their databases to reflect this change, so expect see more of Starfleet across your feeds as they mobilize the communication efforts around the roadmap for 2022. SFIO chairman Jeths Lacson shared a comprehensive look at the strategy towards uplisting to the Nasdaq within the next three years. This strategy revolves around SFIO’s three core divisions: Food and Beverage, Real Estate, and Technology. As SFIO expands the global footprint and scale across these three sectors, the company must be able to effectively anticipate and stay ahead of the nuanced forces shaping each facet of the growing conglomerate. To do this, SFIO has gathered a truly remarkable advisory board, bringing decades of expertise and perspective to SFIO’s leadership team. With perhaps the widest breadth of experience on the team, Roger Oriel serves as an advisor on board, commanding decades of experience as a businessman, investor, and enterprise leader. Roger is chairman of the board of wine distributor Napa Valley Distribution and Premier Asia Pacific Real Estate and Development, the developer of one of the major real estate projects in the Philippines, Lombard by the Bay. Most recently, Roger joined the board of directors of BayaniPay, a California-based fintech firm bridging millions of Filipinos based in the U.S. with their families in the Philippines. Roger will also be providing strategic guidance on their communications efforts, pulling from his experience as the CEO and publisher of Asian Journal Publications, a U.S.-based multimedia publishing company focused on the Filipino diaspora, and as the chairman of the board of Trending Entertainment, an entertaining company focused on immersive streaming platforms. Also supporting the communications efforts on the advisory board is Vince Caruso, the founder and CEO of enterprise marketing firm FMW Media Works Corp. Through FMW Media Works, Vince oversees the production of New to the Street, a monthly business news show that profiles public and private companies for an audience of 83.1 million U.S. households. He is a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, having led projects spanning fitness, ecommerce and the metaverse. As SFIO continues to broaden their efforts in technology development, Vince will be an invaluable asset to SFIO, ensuring the stakeholders are kept abreast of the progress. On the point of technology, SFIO is thrilled to have Stanley Yang advising the pioneering work
in
technology development. Stanley is the CEO of NeuroSky, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based biosensor solutions company innovating on the frontlines of body and mind analytics. NeuroSky’s wearable devices range from smartwatches to brainwave monitoring headsets. It’s this work in mass market brain-computer interface technologies that has made him a global leader in the field, closely collaborating with Fortune 500 industry leaders and innovative independent developers alike. For the real estate developments, SFIO is hard at work building data-driven wellness systems for healthier and more resilient communities. To support SFIO’s efforts building the data gathering tools necessary for those systems, there are few business leaders with the same depth of expertise that Stanley brings to the table. Finally, Jose Gerardo Noble, or Jinggoy, rounds off SFIO’s advisors, bringing over 25 years of experience across banking, stock brokering, and real estate. He’s a licensed real estate broker, currently serving as the Deputy Sales Head of SM Development Corporation (SMDC), managing roughly 500 of the company’s organic sellers. Under his leadership, his team at SMDC has generated over $600 million in sales over the past two years. While it was his deep well of experience leading real estate projects that first drew SFIO to Jinggoy, it’s his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for F&B that sealed the deal. Beginning with his first Metro Manila-based restaurant franchise in 2012, he now manages over a dozen branches of multiple F&B brands, a restaurant service management company, and a cloud kitchen concept. Let’s trace SFIO’s roots back to the first Epiphany Cafe founded in New Zealand. SFIO is blazing a trail forward through F&B, fueled by the real estate efforts, and enabled by the SFIO technology initiatives. SFIO has set out to accomplish a bold mission and developed a comprehensive, crossdivisional strategy to achieve it. As such, the brilliant team has assembled a similarly bold and multi-disciplinary board of advisors to guide its execution. As SFIO progresses towards the goal of uplisting to the Nasdaq, SFIO will continue to grow the advisory board, as well as the voting board, through similar strategic appointments. Via their individual networks, their experience in their respective fields, and the diversity of perspectives they command as a group, SFIO’s board members will play an integral role in SFIO’s journey these next few years. “I would like to thank you all for your continued support and generous guidance as we shape our shared future as a corporate community. On behalf of Starfleet Innotech, Inc., our division leaders, and our new advisors, I am thrilled to have you onboard in this journey with us,” says Jeths Lacson, CEO and Chairman of SFIO. (Advertising Supplement)
6
OpiniOn & Features
FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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Vanguard against corruption
ANY genuine campaign to stamp out corruption calls for a strong, independent auditing agency. The Commission on Audit is one of the vanguards against graft. The COA rank and file should never lose sight of their constitutional mandate as the agency gets a new chairperson. Rizalina Justol is taking over the top COA post from Michael Aguinaldo, whose seven-year term ended on Feb. 2. Justol served as COA auditor when President Duterte was mayor of Davao City. Prior to her new posting, she was the deputy executive secretary for finance and administration in the Office of the President. As the President himself has acknowledged, corruption has become deeply entrenched in government, and there are certain agencies that are “rotten to the core.” Even during the COVID pandemic, graft cases have been filed against public officials including barangay captains for the misuse of emergency assistance funds. Probes by the two chambers of Congress uncovered alleged corruption even in the purchase of COVID protective equipment from Pharmally Pharmaceuticals by the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.
The President had constantly railed against the probes particularly by the Senate, and had demanded that the COA audit the Philippine Red Cross, whose chairman Richard Gordon is leading the Senate’s Pharmally probe. Even before the pandemic, however, the President had been a critic of the COA, saying at one point – in what Malacañang later stressed was a joke – that its auditors should be kidnapped and tortured for hampering the implementation of government projects. The complaint might be valid, but the extent of corruption in government makes it even more important to strengthen the COA rather than denigrate the work of state auditors. Justol should know this well enough, along with the importance of the commission’s independence, even from the appointing power. She and the COA must remain true to their constitutional mandate. (Philstar. com)
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS THERE was a dark chapter in the history of the Philippines just a generation ago when the very institutions of government entrusted with the Constitutional mandate of protecting the integrity of our elections betrayed public trust. Already on its 21st year, the claws of the Marcos regime continued its grip on power, condoned and enabled by coconspirators in the three branches of government, and by Marcos cronies who benefitted from his corrupt government practices. What started as the promising golden years of the Philippines in the mid-60s turned into a dictatorship that brainwashed people with lies about Martial law and the economy, destroyed institutions and businesses critical to Marcos, violated the human rights of those who dissented. Lurking behind the facade of new infrastructure, buildings and edifices that give the perception of “progress” in the minds of the people was the shadow of the ballooning debt and deficit of the Philippines that started with the declaration of Martial Law. The well-connected became rich; the rich became millionaires and billionaires; and the wallets of those in the complex labyrinth of systemic corruption became fatter as they profit from projects after projects. With the decline in the Philippines’ credit rating came a tighter budget for the Philippine government. The first aspects to suffer were basic social services
The Corner Oracle andRew J. MaSiGan PRESIDENTIAL surveys from reputable pollsters tell more than just the poll leaders. If one examines the full report, you will find a wealth of data, not the least of which are the reasons why certain candidates trend upwards or downwards. The most recent national poll was conducted last Jan. 28 to 31 by the Social Weather Stations (SWS). SWS, under the baton of Dr. Mahar Mangahas, is arguably the most credible pollster in the country. Its methodologies conform to internationally accepted standards, eliminating any shadow of bias. Its reputation is impeccable, here and abroad, as its polls carry a margin of error of only three percent. Comparing the SWS surveys concluded on Dec. 16 and Jan. 31, you will find that Marcos and Pacquiao trended downwards, each losing voter traction over the period. Pacquiao ended January with an 11 percent voter share while Marcos ended with
Philstar.com photo
Will the heroes of Comelec please rise up? for the people as the rich and the powerful got to hide their illgotten wealth offshore like in the Swiss banks. The gap between the rich and the poor became wider. Karmic boomerang finally caught up with Marcos when public awareness and dissatisfaction reached a tipping point with the assassination of Marcos’ most vocal and fierce critic, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., in 1983. Public pressure for Marcos to resign compelled the dictator to hold a snap election on February 7, 1986 — ahead of the 1987 schedule. Aquino’s widow, Corazon Aquino, served the purpose of uniting the opposition and became the candidate on the mission to defeat and unseat Marcos. With Marcos’ hold in virtually all branches of government, he thought he had everything in the bag, and that the Snap Election was just a ploy to “legitimize” Marcos’ continued presidency. BUT…on February 9, 1986, 35 computer programmers and technicians of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) walked out of the Batasang Pambansa during the canvassing of votes for the snap elections. They protested against massive poll fraud and rampant cheating they said was happening, supposedly at the behest of the dictator. This was corroborated by my long-time friend Arlene Martin, who used to be married to the son of Col. Remigio Octavio, the man who engineered and executed the cheating following orders from Malacañang. Arlene said “Papang” (Octavio) was loyal to Marcos until the very end.
“In our Iloilo ancestral house, he had a signed blow-up picture with him {Marcos}. I witnessed a lot of Papang’s corruption na parang normal way of life, she added. Had it not been for the 35 brave truth-tellers from Comelec, Marcos’ dirty tactics to stay in power could have succeeded. But this act of radical love for the country and our democracy was among the confluence that empowered people to fight in EDSA and many parts of the Philippines through the bloodless People Power Revolution. Ordinary people from all walks of life soldiered on, armed with only their rosaries, flowers, prayers, smiles and love they shared with the soldiers manning the tank that could have killed the people demonstrating against Marcos. Radical love for the country and our democracy. Where are the heroes of Comelec in this generation, as our nation again faces crossroads? The intervening reality this time is the use of fake news and malicious disinformation to erase the history of the Marcos family’s transgressions against the Philippines, and the strategic rebranding of the Marcos brand by hiring Cambridge Analytica. This is part of the strategy to reclaim power, protect their family’s ill-gotten wealth, and save themselves from paying the price of their abuses, while at the same time, looking like they are the heroes and those who courageously fought to protect our democracy the villains. The red flags are again up in the air, trying to reveal the truth to the Filipino people as the May 9, 2022 election draws near. The Marcos family claims to
“unite” the country by bringing together past and present leaders who have been convicted of crimes against the country, hiding the truth with their cloak of lies and deception. The son of the dictator who is now running to be president has been deceiving the country and robbing the people of the truth that is important for the electorate to make an informed conscientious decision with his lies — shamelessly claiming again to have graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and Wharton for postgraduate studies, declaring ownership of the Windmill project from conception to execution, bragging that he paid his taxes dutifully even when he had a conviction from the Regional Trial Court for tax evasion and should, in fact, have been imprisoned and banned from ever running for public office again — a law that his own father enacted. Bongbong Marcos’ disqualification case had been brought up to the Comelec for a decision, and the outgoing Commissioner Rowena Guanzon had to make public her dissenting opinion to protect the integrity of our elections. True to what Guanzon warned the people about, the Comelec leadership was just waiting for her to retire on February 2 before releasing the majority decision to allow Marcos to run, disregarding her dissenting opinion. The lesson from the Comelec decision? There is no moral turpitude when Bongbong failed to pay his taxes for years even when he was a sitting governor of Ilocos Norte. I Bongbong Marcos above the law? So can we not pay taxes anymore, Filipino people?
Is it ok to misrepresent one’s qualifications and history to deceive people? Is it ok for Bongbong Marcos to skip debates which should be an important tool for people to compare and contrast candidates and fact check them for lies and disinformation right there and then? What is Bongbong hiding? Is it ok for Comelec to deny people of their right of expression in supporting Leni Robredo by demolishing and destroying their posters, billboards and tarps in their own private properties? Is it ok for Comelec to favor one candidate over the others? Is that in the best interest of the Filipino people according to the spirit of the law in the Constitution? Unfortunately, there are people in Comelec, as there had been a generation ago, who were tactically appointed to positions of leadership by the very people who wanted to continue to hold on to power, especially with the Duterte-Marcos unholy alliances, sealed by the running of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte as Marcos’ running mate. The Philippines’ democracy is at stake. What will happen to the integrity of our elections in May? Where are the heroes of Comelec? The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy. The sacred exercise of this right is how the citizens of the country claim their Constitutional power to decide the direction the country should be heading and to choose the Captain who will steer the country in the right direction. It is therefore important that the government ensures the integrity of the elections so that they will truly reflect the will of the people.
All the branches of government — the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary — should faithfully fulfill their Constitutional obligation of checks and balances to make sure that no individual or institution will abuse its power and betray the people’s trust to manipulate the electoral process and disregard the will of the people for their own personal evil agenda. The Fourth Estate — the free, independent press — should serve its purpose to be the watchdog of the government without fear and intimidation from or connivance with government institutions, candidates, political parties or special interests that maliciously wants to rob the people of their power. Finally, and most importantly, the citizens of the country should proactively and diligently guard, not only their sacred individual votes, but the whole election process itself. Regardless of their political affiliation or stance, they should demand transparency and accountability from government, especially from the Commission on Elections. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos
Understanding the SWS survey and the early Marcos lead 50 percent, a drop from his alltime high. The gainers were Robredo who surged five points to end at 19 percent and Domagoso who also gained 5 points to end at 11 percent. Lacson gained one point to secure a 6 percent voter share. Marcos enjoys a wide lead in the polls despite the baggage he carries and the controversies that face him. To what can we attribute his popularity? First, we must understand that Bongbong Marcos is not the superstar here. Another reputable survey (not SWS) shows that Bongbong’s authentic base of voters is at 20 percent, plus or minus. Thirty percent of his votes are attributed to President Duterte. The President still enjoys a 75 percent approval rating. Data show that 55.83 percent of the voting public view Bongbong as “Duterte Lite” or the continuity of the regime. Whether this is true or not is another story. Marcos has become the sole beneficiary of Sara Duterte’s decision to slide down to vice and Bong Go’s decision to bow out of the race.
Let us now look at the profile of the voting public. Forty nine percent are between 18 to 44 years old. Those in their 40s today were born in the late 70s, too young to be aware of the atrocities and economic devastation caused by Ferdinand and Imelda. The younger voters were not even born yet. Seventy-five percent of the voting public belong to the economic class whose household income is between P10,481 to P20,962 a month while 14 percent live below the poverty line. Put together, 89 percent of voters live from hand to mouth and represent the sector betrayed by the system. In terms of educational attainment, 21 percent of the voting public have had either no formal education or finished only elementary level. The bulk, or 57 percent, finished high school or some vocational course. As for internet access, 92.1 million Filipinos are now active on social media. Internet connectivity was at 67 million back in 2018 but the pandemic accelerated digital adoption. Filipinos spend an average of
10.27 hours on social media daily, the second longest in the world. Facebook dominates all platforms, followed by YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok. Other than free TV, social media is the primary source of information for the greater majority. So here we have the perfect conditions for disinformation – a voting public too young to know the truth about the Marcos era; a population whose vast majority is educationally-challenged, thus easily swayed by parallel truths and disinformation; a population fraught with discontent due to the hardships of life and who blame the oligarchs for it; and a population armed with a mobile phone that enables them to be force-fed disinformation. Social media is where narratives are formed and where votes are won or lost. Thus, candidates with the strongest social media engagements have the greatest advantage. We were informed by insider intelligence that the Marcoses engaged a Swiss campaign consultant to scientifically conduct surveys, provide analysis and formulate strategies. This
is why the Marcos campaign is executed with seeming precision. At the heart of the Marcos campaign are four messages: That Marcos Junior is the most qualified candidate; that the Martial Law years were the country’s golden era; that the UniTeam is unstoppable (for bandwagon effect); and that mainstream media is biased and not to be believed. Marcos had an early start in his social media campaign. The retelling of alternative history started even before the 2016 campaign. The campaign has since gone on overdrive following Bongbong’s filing of candidacy last October. The Marcos camp registered a 60 percent engagement share last November, which explains why he was lording it over the surveys. In the last week of January, however, his share of engagements dropped to 50.9 percent while that of VP Leni Robredo surged to 39.9 percent from nil three months ago. This partly explains Robredo’s five point surge. There is still 75 days left before we cast our vote and anything can
happen. It will be recalled that in 2016, Mr. Duterte was still in fourth position as of end January with a voter share equivalent of Robredo’s share today. Adding to unpredictability is that 28 percent of the voting public are likely to change their presidential choice, according to the SWS survey. It will be interesting to see how all these pan out. Two things are for sure. First, as we face the height of the campaign, the candidate who gets the highest engagements on social media will likely win. Second, the candidate who effectively and genuinely addresses the pain points of the voting public – poverty, unemployment, rising prices and corruption – will resonate the most. May the best man, or woman, win. (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
*** Email: andrew_rs6@yahoo.com. Follow him on Facebook @Andrew J. Masigan and Twitter @aj_masigan
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Dateline PhiliPPines
Robredo: True unity is endorsement from various groups, sectors by Gabriel
Pabico Inquirer.net
lalu
TALISAY CITY, Cebu — Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday, February 24 said true unity is found in having people from different beliefs and walks of life rallying together — just like various sectors and former cabinet officials — for a common advocacy. Robredo issued the statement during an event at the St. Scholastica Academy in Talisay, after being asked about the endorsements made by various sectors in recent weeks. Robredo’s presidential bid was endorsed by Cabinet officials of former presidents Fidel Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, along with some economists and former United Nations officers. “Ako, sobrang humbled, sobrang thankful, sobrang grateful lalo na kasi unsolicited. Gustong sabihin, ang mensahe kasi noon sa akin mas marami na ngayong mga tao saka mga groups ang nararamdaman how important this election is going to be. Meaning to say, hindi lang siya simple na labanan ng mga personalities pero pinaglalaban na ano ‘yung mangyayari sa atin in the next six years,” Robredo said. “So, iba-iba ‘yung pinanggalingan pero iisa ‘yung hangarin. So if at all, ito talaga ‘yung tunay na unity eh. ‘Yung unity sa aspirations for the country, hindi siya unity sa mga political na considerations pero ito iba-iba na itong grupo,” she added. Robredo noted that despite the officials coming from different backgrounds, they have seen how crucial the upcoming elections
Throngs of people join the People’s Rally of Vice President and presidential candidate Leni Robredo in Cebu City. Inquirer.net photo by Nestle Semilla
are — and how it would affect the country for the next six years. “Iba-ibang pinanggalingan, iba-iba– halimbawa, ‘yung pinakaunang lumabas ‘yung cabinet ni President Ramos, tapos cabinet ni President Aquino, tapos cabinet ni President Arroyo,” she said. “Tapos ‘yung, halimbawa, ‘yung mga retired UN officials, ‘yung mga retired DSWD officials, so ibaiba. Iba-iba ‘yung pinanggalingan pero one aspiration for the country and how to achieve that aspiration would depend on the results of the elections,” she added. In terms of how her campaign should address the gap between her and the frontrunner, former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Robredo said the primary concern is fighting disinformation. Still, the Vice President remains hopeful that Cebu City would deliver votes again for her, just
like in 2016 when she got 807,000 votes in the said province — over 151,000 votes more than othe next candidate, former senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Robredo won against Marcos in 2016 by around 260,000 votes. “Ako, I am very hopeful. Kasi noong 2016, pumunta ako dito, nangangako ako pero wala pa akong resibo. Meaning to say, lahat na sinabi ko sa mga Cebuano ay pangako. At nagpapasalamat tayo na grabe ang tiwalang binigay sa akin, pero ngayon na pagbalik ko, iba na eh,” she explained. “Nangangako ulit ako, pero meron na akong resibo na nagfafollow through ako sa aking mga pangako, na hindi ko pinabayaan ‘yung Cebu in the last almost six years that I was Vice President,” she added. According to a recent Pulse Asia survey, Robredo will face an uphill battle in the 2022 national elections: against Marcos Jr. g
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022
7
DOH: Omicron crisis over
by Kristina
Maralit ManilaTimes.net
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, February 22 said the Philippines is already “over the challenge of Omicron,” but it does not mean there are indications that the coronavirus pandemic will be over soon nor should the dreaded illness be considered endemic. DOH Undersecretary and spokesman Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire reiterated that although the country’s daily COVID-19 tally continues to decline, there must not be room for complacency as the probability of a new variant emerging is still “very high” and “will always cross borders,” as the virus can still mutate and there is no telling whether new mutations, if ever, will be less or severely more transmissible or deadly. “We are not in an endemic state yet. We are in transition toward getting into that endemic state. But for now, because we are seeing that cases are declining, we are seeing that the cases are milder in characteristics compared to the Delta variant but it does not mean that we are in that endemic state already. It does not mean that there will be no variants any more that
will come in the future,” Vergeire said at The Manila Times online forum. “Even though we are now transitioning our strategies from prevention toward having this new normal, we still have these safeguards in place and we still have this alert level system, which will signal to us if and when there would be an increase in cases again, we would be prepared to manage that. And we will all at once be able to impose our restrictions again,” she added. And in preparation for the transition to the “new normal,” Vergeire said, the DOH, as lead agency in the government’s pandemic task force, is in the thick of crafting the National Action Plan (NAP) No. 5 along with its technical working group of medical experts and other stakeholders. A roadmap, the NAP will include the government’s ten-point policy that aims to “build the confidence of individuals by reporting pandemic-related metrics; protect individuals through vaccination and expanding the health system capacity; reduce risk due to policy uncertainty through predictable policies on mobility, resuming
in-person classes and risk-based travel restrictions; facilitate the shift to the new normal through digital transformation; and build resilience through the pandemic flexibility bill that will hasten government response, and a medium-term preparation for pandemic resilience,” as earlier presented by the National Economic and Development Authority. It will retain focus on the government’s national vaccination program, a key initiative that Vergeire said is the country’s “way out” from the health crisis as severe and critical COVID-19 cases are about two times more likely to occur among unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated individuals. “The goal of our vaccination Is for the protection of everyone... This is our way out together with our minimum health standards. Please also get your booster doses,” the Health official urged. “The vaccines are safe and effective. These went through a very tedious process of evaluation not just from the Food and Drug Administration, but from our vaccine experts... the efficacy against severe disease and against dying has been proven,” Vergeire said. g
California state lawmakers introduce... PAGE 4 tionately affects women of color; AAPI women have been frequent targets of attack,” she said, adding: “This bill aims to help women feel more autonomous.” Weber, who represents San Diego, said: “I am especially excited that we are looking at this very real and prevalent issue as a public health issue. Everyone deserves to feel safe.” AB 2549 would require the California Department of Public Health to conduct research and a 5-year, statewide, public
campaign to raise awareness and understanding of street harassment as a public health problem in the state with the purpose of preventing its occurrence. The bill would define “street harassment” as intimidating or threatening words, gestures, or actions directed at a specific person in a public place, without the consent of that person. CDPH would be required to present a report and new policy by Jan. 1, 2024. Lisa Fu, executive director
of the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, said: “Street harassment is deeply rooted in systems of patriarchy. It can quickly escalate to more violent forms of harassment.” Fu personally experienced street harassment daily while walking to middle school and high school. “I was told to brush if off, but it has stayed with me to this day,” she said. “We need broad-based systemic changes.” “We don’t want to criminalize people; we want to educate them,” said Fu. g
CAREFREE. Children play on monkey bars at the Amang Rodriguez Subdivision gym in Marikina City on Thursday, February 24. Health authorities have been encouraging parents to take their children to open spaces and have them vaccinated against COVID-19 as the country transitions into the new normal, amid the continued decline in infections. PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.
Department of Business License
VINCENT V. QUEANO DIRECTOR 500 SOUTH GRAND CENTRAL PKY, 3RD FLOOR BOX 551810 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89155-1810 (702) 455-4252 (800) 328-4813 FAX (702) 386-2168 http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/business_license February 14, 2022 NOTIFICATION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CLARK COUNTY CODE TITLE 9, CHAPTER 9.04 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Dear Licensee and Community Partners: Please be notified pursuant to NRS 237.080, of proposed amendments to Clark County Code, Title 9, Chapter 9.04, for Solid Waste Management. The amendments are available for your review online at www.clarkcountynv.gov/businesslicense. Specifically, the proposed amendments will amend certain sections of Chapter 9.04 for Solid Waste Management. The proposed amendments address the following key areas: • Section 9.04.010 revises and adds certain definitions. • Subsection 9.04.010.320 defines overflow of solid waste by non-residential customers and residential customers with a residential small container when the solid waste container cannot be closed by less than 12 inches. • Subsection 9.04.117(a) allows residential small containers (1, 2 or 3 cubic yards) in certain circumstances. • Subsection 9.04.117(c) allows a residential customer to request a second weekly collection day for a residential small container for an additional charge. • Subsection 9.04.117(e) provides for an additional charge if residential small container consistently overflows. • Section 9.04.119 allows the franchisee to replace recycling containers for solid waste containers in certain circumstances when contamination of recyclable materials exceeds a certain level. • Section 9.04.145 provides for on call bulky item pickup at multifamily complexes. • Section 9.04.165 establishes minimum container and service level requirements for certain customers. • Section 9.04.170 requires the property owner of a single-family residence to be responsible for all charges for the collection of solid waste and recyclables and be the named party on the solid waste account. • Several sections update the rates for collection services, late fees, lien fees and other charges to the current rates as of July 1, 2021. • Table 9.04.170B establishes a solid waste collection fee for short term residential rentals once they become licensed with the County. • Section 9.04.190 provides for an overflow charge for residential customers with a home occupation in certain circumstances. • Section 9.04.225 allows the franchisee to set rates/prices on certain goods, services and other functions not covered by franchise agreement. • Section 9.04.240 provides that it shall be mandatory for any person owning, occupying or managing any premises to subscribe to solid waste collection services in order to discourage the illegal handling and disposal of solid waste. • Section 9.04.245 allows the franchisee to directly pass through to its customers certain fees and taxes imposed by governmental entities, excluding franchise fees. • Section 9.04.255 allows the franchisee to charge certain fees for collection costs. • Section 9.04.260 changes the annual rate increases based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the general CPI to an index that is based on water and sewer and trash collection services, which is more applicable to the services provided. • Section 9.04.270 clarifies and enhances certain customer service and repair standards. • Section 9.04.280 clarifies and enhances certain telephone answering standards. • Section 9.04.370 allows for the franchisee to withhold solid waste collection services for nonpayment of charges by commercial or industrial customers under certain circumstances. In accordance with NRS 237.080, business owners and interested parties may submit data and arguments to the Clark County Board of Commissioners, in care of the Department of Business License as to whether the proposed amendment will: 1. Impose a direct and significant economic burden upon a business; or 2. Directly restrict the formation, operation or expansion of a business. Please direct your comments, data and arguments in writing to Jordan Sandecki at PublicCommentCCBL@ClarkCountyNV.gov by 5:00 p.m. on March 21, 2022. Sincerely, Michael Harwell Michael Harwell Franchise Manager BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS JAMES B. GIBSON, Chair • JUSTIN JONES, Vice Chair MARILYN KIRKPATRICK • WILLIAM McCURDY II • ROSS MILLER • MICHAEL NAFT • TICK SEGERBLOM YOLANDA KING, County Manager
FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL 8LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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February 24, 2022
VEGAS&STYLE JOURNAL
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FILIPINO INFLUENCE BUT THOROUGHLY SCANDINAVIAN:
How a young Filipino chef in Sweden won the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition by
THE biggest global talent search to find the best young chef in the world found its winner in Jerome Ianmark Calayag, a Stockholm-based Filipino chef originally from the Philippines. The young chef bested nine other chefs to win S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition 2019-2021, a grand, threeday gastronomic event held in Milan last October. The worldwide competition was designed to find and nurture the future of gastronomy. Calayag’s impressive “Humble Vegetables” Signature Dish wowed the Grand Jury with his choice of ingredients, his skills, genius, the beauty of the dish, and the message behind the plate, beating entries from the other talented chefs from around the world. The look of the dish he presented was inspired by the bar-
MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress
becued isaw or chicken intestines, something he remembers eating when he was growing up in the Philippines. “This is a reflection of my journey, who I am now and who I was,” he told the jury. “I was inspired by the carrot and this street food I used to buy in the Philippines, but this is a Nordic dish and it is very common in Sweden since we grow more carrots than potatoes.” Calayag moved to Sweden when he was 16 years old. His memory of the street food that he used to eat as a kid is still vivid in his memory and that is what he says he tries to recreate when he cooks using Scandinavian ingredients and techniques. “This was a great experience. I can easily say that joining the competition is one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was awesome to meet all the chefs,”
Jerome Ianmark Calayag and Mentor David Ljungqvist
he told the Asian Journal, describing his journey in the global competition. Calayag’s family is originally from Paombong, Bulacan. His mother moved to Sweden and he followed when he was 16 years old. He is now fluent in Swedish. Life in Stockholm has been good, according to him. “I can’t complain, there are lots of opportunities,” he said. Calayag said that he misses eating Filipino dishes including his favorites sinigang and sisig, so when cravings start, he goes to the kitchen and cooks because there are no Filipino restaurants nearby. “Unfortunately I don’t think there is a proper Filippinerna restaurant here in Sweden,” he said. “When I cook, I usually make the Filipino dishes plant-based, which is challenging.” And that is his current dream: to help push the gastronomy world to be more sustainable. Rising to the Top “I wanted to be a chef when I was 14,” Calayag shared. This is the reason why he went to Rönnowska skolan in Helsingborg to learn about the culinary industry. His efforts have paid off. Winning the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition is already a major bonus since he admits he enjoys doing what he does every single day. The 25-year-old Calayag is the fourth winner of the search which began in 2015 and now stands as a beacon of opportunity as he embarks on a stimulating journey to help shape the gastronomy of tomorrow. Calayag’s journey to the top was not an easy one. This edition of the competition saw applicants from all over the world, with 135 young chefs passing the preliminary selections and taking part in live cook-offs in front of international jury panels from the participating countries of the 12 regions. Calayag represented young chefs currently working in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The Regional Winners arrived at the Grand Finale after a mentorship path during which, thanks to the support of a Senior Chef, they were able to refine their signature dishes. “Jerome truly shone in front of our esteemed Grand Jury, and our warmest congratulations go to him, with the wish he will bring his own passion and thinking to the table to help shape the gastronomy of tomorrow,” said Stefano Bolognese, Sanpellegrino International Business Unit Director. Recently, he got another feather
S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy 2019-21 winner Jerome Ianmark Calayag
to add to his cap as he became a member of the Swedish Culinary Team (2021-2024). The Swedish Culinary Team represents Sweden in international culinary competitions like the Culinary World Cup and the Culinary Olympics. ‘High on Flavors’ Calayag captivated the competition’s Grand Jury, an esteemed panel of internationally renowned chefs who are giants of global gastronomy – Enrico Bartolini, Manu Buffara, Andreas Caminada, Mauro Colagreco, Gavin Kaysen, and Clare Smyth, securing his victory as the best young chef in the world. David Ljungqvist, Calayag’s mentor and boss at Portal Restaurant in Stockholm, helped him improve his signature dish. He described his ward’s cooking as “brave, high on flavors” and that eating the dishes he prepares is “like getting a slap on the face, in a good way”. “The dish has intense flavors, it has high acid and salt in a way that makes you crave more. I love the creativity of taking the carrot and presenting it this way,” said Kaysen. “I really like what you achieved with these carrots, the flavor of meat from the smoking,” added Colagreco. One of the judges admitted to having goosebumps when he tasted Calayag’s dish. “It is so tasty and amazing. The carrot represents his roots. My hair on the back stand up…If you get a chance to try it, it is really bold, with deep and intense flavor. My mouth is happy, I am happy,” Caminada said. “I think it expresses the connection with the vegetables we all had to have, and the storytelling of the dish is also done very well,” Buffara said. Finally, Bartolini added: “I’m glad to have met you, as a magician you used an excellent technique to treat vegetables.”
“It’s great that you understand how much flavor you can extract from a vegetable. There’s not many people who look at vegetables that way, you’ve really extracted so much flavor here, it’s absolutely delicious,” Smyth said. Asked why he chose to build the dish around the everyday carrot, he said he was ‘inspired’ by the root vegetable. “Carrots are so delicious and packed with umami and sweetness. In Sweden we have so many carrots,” he said. Calayag added that he chose to showcase a vegetarian dish because that’s what he loves to cook and eat. “I believe that everyone should be cooking and eating more vegetables,” said the young chef. “We can take it slow and steady so we can push gastronomy to a more sustainable way. You can cook very good food with such humble ingredients.” While other chefs have pivoted to plant-based menus post-pandemic, Calayag first created his signature dish back in 2018. “The pandemic hasn’t changed the way that I think about food, it amplified my belief in what I am doing and what I can affect and how many good things I can do
in this world,” he said. The overwhelmed young chef collected his award in front of an assembled audience of fellow chefs and food enthusiasts, who got to their feet to applaud him at the prestigious ceremony held at Palazzo del Senato in Milan. “I just wanted to express how it has been and what I have been learning through the years,” said the beaming young chef after hugging his mentor Ljungqvist on stage. “The taste of the food I enjoy eating was on that plate.” Looking forward, Calayag said he has big ambitions for the future. Whether it’s opening a restaurant, in Sweden or elsewhere, he is sure that he will do it sustainably. “I think it’s going to be vegetarian. It depends, maybe there will be sustainable ways of producing food that is sustainable and it’s not vegetables.” Addressing any young chef thinking about entering the competition in the future, Calayag has this advice: “Do it before you think you are ready, you shouldn’t wait until you are ready as you might never do it and that’s not good. You miss every shot that you don’t take.”
Coleen: Motherhood is absolutely life-changing by CharMie Joy
PaGulonG Philstar.com
AFTER giving birth to her first child, Amari, in Sept. 2020, Coleen Garcia has returned to acting via Jon Red’s Adarna Gang on Vivamax, a film about revenge and power based on the epic folklore Ibong Adarna. Coleen plays Adriana, the unica hija of Jose (Soliman Cruz) and Maria (Mickey Ferriols). Adriana is aware that her father is involved in a syndicate although they don’t talk about it. She’s looking forward to a provincial life that her father has promised, but this dream is shattered when Jose gets killed. The cast members also include Ronnie Lazaro, Sharmaine Buencamino, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Diego Loyzaga and JC Santos. The 29-year-old actress admitted feeling “intimidated” and had “challenging” times drawing emotions for the scenes because she hadn’t done acting in a while. “I had a very long break. Ang alam ko na lang ngayon ang magluto at mag-change ng diapers,”
confessed the first time mom in a virtual call. “There are times na parang nakalimutan ko kung paano ba ‘to, paano ba gawin ‘to especially if the scenes are emotional. Talagang nakalimutan ko paano maging malungkot at paano magalit.” These things were a fresh experience to her again and she had to dig deep into herself to reach those emotions. “I think that was very challenging for me because parang wala akong warm-up. I really had to go into this, to just prepare from home and then when I get there to just give everything that I can. Being an actor kasi siyempre magkakaibang techniques, magkakaibang ways of getting the emotions out and for me I had to figure that out all over again.” Aside from the adjustments, Coleen also felt pressured because she got to work with experienced actors. “I was surrounded by really good actors and not only that, lahat talaga sila active. Lahat sila may recent projects. So talagang na-intimidate ako nung una but it’s a good thing na hindi sila intimidating people. Very ap-
proachable pa rin at the end of the day. Very nice. We were just all laughing, the entire time we were filming. That was a huge help.” She likewise cited direk Jon for the guidance and assurance on set. “Sobrang tagal ko din na hindi gumawa ng pelikula, not just because of having the baby, but also because of the pandemic. Siyempre ang hirap din ng taping ngayon di ba,” said Coleen and added how excited she was to come back and be part of good movie stories. Now that she is at it again, she is more willing to experiment and give what is needed for any role she will be taking on. “Yes, pipili pa rin ako (ng projects) because I don’t what to be a part of something na hindi ako all in. Siyempre dapat kung pipili ka ng project dapat todo bigay ka talaga and I have to give everything. Definitely you have to pick the projects that I believe in para mabigay ko talaga lahat,” she asserted. Coleen could have done new projects sooner but due to COVID-19 restrictions, it took quite a bit of time for her to start
filming again. But in Adarna Gang, she was able to bring Amari while taping the upcoming movie. “Ito kasi nag-taping kami sa isang place na zero talaga yung cases tapos ito pa yung time na pwedeng lumabas ang mga bata so I was able to bring Amari. Never siyang nakaapak sa set pero kasama ko siya sa hotel. He stayed with us sa hotel. Nandun lang siya. He never left. I felt safe kasi hanggang ngayon breastfeeding pa rin kasi ako, so on demand. Everytime he needs me, I’m really there for him,” she shared. The “efficient and organized” conditions during the taping were a big help to Coleen to still fulfill her mother duties to Amari while working. “Hindi kami nagpa-pack up ng sobrang late so I was able to come back to him and everything. It was just so perfect. If ganito naman talaga ang working conditions, I don’t mind working all the time. Of course, Amari is always going to be a priority for me. Siguro the reason why hindi ganun kabilis ang takbo ng paggawa ko ng films ngayon is really because of that. Talaga inuuna ko yung mga needs niya,” she said.
Coleen Garcia with son Amari
As a mom, Coleen thinks of herself so much less now compared to when she was single. “Whenever I pack for a trip, dati siguro isang maleta, akin, yung mga dadalhin ko for myself. Ngayon, one-fourth of that maleta akin na lang, talagang inuuna ko yung needs ng baby. I cook for him every day tapos ako nag-o-order na lang ako ng pagkain. It’s really different. The sleep has never been buo. Talagang every night I don’t have more than two hours straight (of sleep).” “Kasi si Billy (Crawford) he’s always at work also. So I’m with him
Photo from Instagram/@coleen
(Amari) very often. Maka-mommy talaga siya. Very clingy,” she added. Motherhood taught her a lot of things, she confessed. “Andami mong na-realized na dati it was such a big deal for me pero ngayon, ang liit na na bagay because Amari is such a… I wouldn’t say a handful but he is the bigger picture now. Parang everything I do, everything I plan, it’s all for him. And he is taken into consideration every single time. If I could say it in the shortest possible way, it’s (motherhood) life-changing, absolute life-changing.”
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Features
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022
9
Pahrump real estate is a great investment “LAND will always be a great investment because there will never be any more made, which is why it is ‘precious’,” thus says Precious Properties owner and Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman. With a career spanning more nearly five decades, QuitevisBateman knows what she is talking about. From her start in 1974, the Pangasinan-born businesswoman has helped hundreds of clients invest wisely in real estate, and since 1992 has been actively selling real estate in Pahrump, Nevada (NV) which sits at an elevation of 2,695 feet above sea level. The Harvard Business School graduate sees the potential for growth and continued development in Pahrump. It has come a long way from the time it was inhabited by the Southern Paiute, a Native American tribe, and later when other settlers came to the area in the late 19th century. Its name is derived from the Southern Paiute name for “Water Rock” which is Pahrimpi. Even though the area does not see a lot of rainfall, Pahrump sits on the third largest aquifer in the United States, which means there is plenty of water underground. According to the latest data available, real estate in Pahrump has appreciated about 155% over the last ten
years alone, which puts the unincorporated town in the top 10% nationally for areas whose real estate values have appreciated exponentially. Due to this, many observers see Pahrump as being one of the best long-term investments that people can make in the United States over the past decade and into the future. Despite a downturn in the housing market, Pahrump’s real estate portfolio has continued to appreciate. According to QuitevisBateman, Pahrump, which is located in Nye County, the largest county in Nevada and the third largest in the U.S., has continued to attract many investors in many fronts – real estate, business, entertainment, dining – and that about hundreds of millions worth of projects are in the pipeline, some of which have begun construction. America West will be building thousands of new homes, Quitevis-Bateman added. The Precious Properties owner also shared additional advantages for the companies and residents of Pahrump, and Nevada for that matter: a competitive business state tax, a county sales tax of 6.75% (not on food items), and no taxes associated with estate/ inheritance, franchise, gift, inventory/interstate commerce, corporate income and personal
Fely Quitevis-Bateman with Nye County Chief Planner Brett Waggoner.
Fely Quitevis-Bateman with Dan Harris, whose family donated the land where Desert View Hospital is located.
income. Pahrump is only located about 63 miles northwest of Las Vegas and eight miles from the California border. Located in the southwest corner of Nye County, it is approximately 364 square miles in size. The latest census data available places the population at 48,000; the area has
Anything grows in Pahrump due to the abundance of water. The unincorporated town sits on the third largest aquifer in the U.S.
experienced an annual growth rate of about 15-17% in the past few years, pre-pandemic. Currently, Pahrump has 11 zip codes, and the main area code for the town is 775. While it is accessible by road, Pahrump also has an airport, Calvada Meadows, which is open 24 hours. Pahrump’s most notable residents have included the late Art Bell (who was married to a Filipina, Airyn Bell), Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne, filmmaker J. Niel Schulman and members of the Escape the Fate band. The late Michael Jackson was said to have purchased a home in Pahrump in 2008, where he had a music studio. Quitevis-Bateman, who has been a Nye County commissioner and who has helped countless of her kababayans invest in Pahrump real estate, find meaningful opportunities in Nevada, or connect people to each other, can help those who are looking to invest in real estate find a good opportunity to do so in Pahrump. Having seen the growth of the community since 1992 has provided Quitevis-Bateman a wealth of knowledge and insight into what areas in Pahrump are the best places to plunk down your hard-earned money in. Whether your desire is to invest in real estate, buy a place in preparation for retirement, or
Quitevis-Bateman (extreme right) with Nye County Commissioners at a meeting in Mountain Falls Countyn Club during a glove factory presentation.
Photo above shows two of Fely’s clients – A Japanese and a Chinese investor.
just to own property or a second home, Quitevis-Bateman can find that special niche for you. Schedule a call with Fely Quitevis-Bateman of Precious Properties today at (702) 538-
4948, (775) 513-8447 or (805) 559-2476 and find out why buying real estate in Pahrump is a solid investment and a great plan for your future. (Advertising Supplement)
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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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Manny Jacinto hops from comedy to serious, and now rom-com by
THERE is no shortage of Manny Jacinto these days. After his breakthrough performance in NBC’s Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated comedy series The Good Place, the Filipino-Canadian actor has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most exciting, versatile, and in-demand talents, in a burgeoning career marked by a series of charismatic breakthrough performances. He recently starred in the miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers, as part of a star-studded cast, including Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, and Luke Evans. In it, he plays
momaR G. Visaya / AJPress
Yao, a bright-eyed hipster who, after a life-and-death encounter with the resort’s director, Masha (Kidman), finds himself as her devoted right-hand man. The series, based on the popular novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty, premiered domestically on Hulu on August 18, 2020, and internationally on Amazon two days later. He also appears in the Netflix horror-thriller series Brand New Cherry Flavor, alongside Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, and Eric Lang from creator Nick Antosca. Over the weekend in time for Valentine’s Day, he appeared in the romantic comedy I Want You
Back via Prime Video. The film is centered around a premise that director Jason Orley says is both relatable and timeless: “The idea of getting broken up with and wanting your ex back is something people have been dealing with forever—this is not unique to our generation.” The movie opens as Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) are both blindsided by their respective significant others, who, without warning, dump them. Most people would be forced to accept the situation and reluctantly move on. But fueled by their mutual heartbreak and desperation, Peter and Emma devise an outrageous quid pro
Jacinto plays the role of Logan Santos in the new Prime Video rom-com I Want You Back.
Health @Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS THE recorded average daily COVID-19 deaths in the United States, as of last Monday, February 21, 2022, was 2,308 the past week (almost 330 per day), and the daily average COVID-19 infections are 108,056. Yes, still that many in one day. The total confirmed cases are so far 78,688,566, and the total confirmed deaths are 939,320 (almost a million), the highest of any nation. While the cases are 64 percent down and the deaths 13.4 percent lower compared to two weeks ago, which are hopeful signs towards flattening the curve, these data are still too high for us the let our guards down at this time. The latest clinical data show that those fully vaccinated (with two shots plus a booster) are greatly protected from Omicron and its Stealth subvariant, from severe symptoms, hospitalization, and deaths, but this does not guarantee even 70 percent immunity. Fully vaccinated individuals could still get a breakthrough infection but when they get it, they do not turn serious. This virus rapidly replicates and mutates, especially in the body of those unvaccinated and even in children, and is spread around. As I have repeatedly stated in the past, so long as there are unprotected (unvaccinated) persons, who are the most vulnerable and are the main targets of the virus, we will not be able to totally eradicate SARS-CoV2. The unvaccinated, compared to those who had the three shots, have a much higher risk of getting a severe infection, a higher hospitalization rate requiring a ventilator, and a much greater chance of dying. COVID-19 predictably could become endemic in the United States which we have to live with, and for which we will be required to have an annual (semi-annual because it wanes?) COVID-19 vaccination, like the flu. Science, not politics People are confused because they are left on their own to decide what to do, unfortunately, because we do not have unified national mandates on mitigation and vaccination to guide us wisely. The government left the decision to “We, The People,” who are not epidemiologists or trained experts and are actually ignorant in managing infectious diseases. For political correctness, those spineless medically uninformed/ misinformed politicians, in order not to alienate future voters, continue to defend their “medical” position by proclaiming they only want to empower the parents, the people, and allow them to
Deaths still high exercise their civil liberties, their freedom of expression, and choice about vaccination, masking, and social distancing. All this sounds good, but they are medically wrong. Should we allow untrained people to do electrical works in our home, or let parents decide whether to have their child with ruptured appendicitis have surgery or not, or for a non-physician to do surgery on us or our loved ones? So why allow medically untrained people to make medical decisions as to whether to accept the vaccines or not, to wear a mask or not, earlier during the pandemic or at this juncture of this calamity? The wrong medical positions championed by most politicians, including physician-legislators in Congress and Governors of various states are against science and against the proven, effective, evidence-based epidemiologic protocol we already have for decades, accepted by scientists around the world in managing infectious diseases, especially for a killer virus that has so far infected 426,238,625 and killed 5,908,923 (almost 6 million) around the globe. Political correctness, fake news, misinformation and disinformation, rampant in social media, have contributed to the increase in infections and the number of deaths of countless people among those reported victims. Yes, politics and erroneous information could be deadlier than the killer virus. Masking issues Questions have been raised about whether we still have to wear a mask and do social distancing in public places at this phase of the pandemic. The short realistic answer is this: medically, yes, especially when you are in an area with high COVID-19 infections, and when in enclosed rooms, restaurants, stores, schools, theaters, sports/entertainment arenas, or public transportation including buses, trains, ships, airplanes. Distancing, avoiding the crowd is most prudent. The rationale: the numbers of new cases and deaths are still too high to be safe without a mask; social distancing, except outdoors where the wind is a factor, helps a lot in dissipating the virus. Improper masks (made of cloth material, and using them improperly with the nose sticking out) provide no protection. The recommended mask is the NIOSH-approved N95 mask, which must be worn tightly-fitted around the face. The SARS-CoV2 virus is about 0.1-0.5 micron (600 times smaller than a grain of salt) and NIOSH-approved N95 masks have super-tiny pores, small enough to filter out 99.8 percent of the virus. For a better fit, double masking, the use of a gaiter or plastic brace over the mask will do the trick. Masking, even among children, does
not hurt the wearer. Surgeons and nurses have been wearing them for hours on end and their oxygen saturation remains within normal levels. More than 12,341,801 children have been infected with COVID-19 since the pandemic started; 12,300 have died as of last month, 58 percent among ages 10-19, and 42 percent among ages 0-9. Yes, children could die from COVID-19 and they do transmit the virus to others. Evushield The combination of two longacting Monoclonal Antibodies (tixagevimab and cilgavimab, brand name Evushield from AstraZeneca) to prevent COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA for high-risk individuals, including children 12 years and older (at least 88 pounds) for the prevention of COVID-19 among (1) those who are severely immunocompromised, or (2) did not respond to the vaccines, and (3) those who are severely allergic to the COVID-19 vaccines. The authorization does not include persons not infected or those not exposed to COVID-19. The clinical trials show the injection reduced getting the infection by 70 percent. The supplies are scarce and those who simply opt not to get the vaccines but do not satisfy those three criteria above may not be eligible to get Evushield. Natural immunity About 10.5 billion doses of the vaccines have been administered worldwide, more than 212 million (64.24 percent) of the population of the United States have received the shots, proving how safe and effective vaccines are. Waiting to get infected to get natural immunity could be potentially deadly, even with Omicron, and not a guarantee the infection would confer good quality and lasting immunity. Vaccination is still the best option to prevent COVID-19. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday. com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.
quo to win back their respective partners, Anne (Gina Rodriguez) and Noah (Scott Eastwood). The problem is that their exes have happily moved on to new romances: Anne with Logan (Manny Jacinto) and Noah with Ginny (Clark Backo). The new man in Anne’s life, Logan Santos, shares her interest in the arts and theatre and, in fact, is directing a revival of the musical Little Shop of Horrors… at the local middle school where they both teach. Cast as Logan, Jacinto said, “Anne and Logan met at the school and I think we bonded very quickly because we’re both very passionate about the craft. He ends up in an interesting and very unexpected love triangle between Anne and Emma, and it becomes kind of a roller coaster between those three.” “Manny is the perfect embodiment of what we were looking for in Logan,” said John Rickard, one of the producers. “He obviously has a great body of work in comedy, but he grounded this role in a way that I didn’t see coming.” “Logan was one of my favorite characters from the get-go because he is so earnest and sincere that he really doesn’t realize how unbelievably funny he is being. That he is a middle school drama teacher and speaks as if he is a professor at Juilliard is absolutely fantastic,” said Peter Safran, one of the film’s producers as well. Steady rise Bigger things are in store for Jacinto this year. Among them is the hugely anticipated Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, and Jon Hamm and directed by
After his breakout performance in The Good Place, Jacinto joined the ensemble cast of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. He is also a part of the much-awaited Top Gun: Maverick, where he plays the role of a fighter pilot. Photos courtesy of Amazon Studios
Joseph Kosinski, where he plays the role of a fighter pilot. Not bad for an actor whose take on a bumbling not-so-smart Asian (an anti-thesis to the nerd Asian trope) opened a lot of doors. For his inspired work as Jason Mendoza, in The Good Place, Jacinto earned critical acclaim and landed him on “best of” lists from Variety, ET, Buzzfeed, Vulture, Indiewire, and Uproxx to name a few. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted him as one of the top Supporting Actors in its 2019 Emmys Class Photo. He was also named to People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” list in 2020 and was honored at the 2018 Unforgettable Gala, alongside Sandra Oh and John Cho, for his work on the series. Jacinto got his start as a dramatic actor and was nominated for a Leo Award for his role in the drama The Romeo Section from creator Chris Haddock. His early film and television credits also include Bad Times at the
El Royale; ABC’s popular fantasy series Once Upon A Time; and memorable guest appearances on AMC’s Bates Motel and ABC’s hit medical drama The Good Doctor. A Filipino-Canadian native of Vancouver, Jacinto is also a trained dancer and studied Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. In an interview with Collider, Jacinto shared that if time and money were no object, he’d love to see a good Filipino story, whether it’s TV, film, or limited series. “I’d love to share something like that with the world, show that aspect of different cultures and communities,” Jacinto said. “Something that revolves around a good Filipino story.” With his star and influence rising by the day, fans and followers are hopeful that this wish could turn into a reality someday. “I Want You Back” is now available to stream on Prime Video.
Jericho and Kim make home in New York by Ressel Joy
Campilla ManilaTimes.net
KAPAMILYA actor Jericho Rosales gave his fans a sneak peek of his new home with wife, model Kim Jones, as they became the newest residents of New York City. In a series of Instagram posts, Rosales shared photos of them in an unfurnished apartment and were congratulated by fellow celebrity friends such as Kiana Valenciano, Bea Alonzo, Iza Calzado, Jasmine Curtis and Iya Villania. The 42-year-old heartthrob said that they were adjusting well but are already missing their life back in the Philippines. “Sa Bagong Haybol Sa Big Apol. Kim on google maps: saan ang palengke...? Me sa bintana: ano’ng oras dadaan ang taho?,” he jokingly captioned in one of his post. (In our new home in the Big Apple. Kim on google maps: Where is the market? Me in the window: What time will the taho vendor [soy vendor] pass by?) Rosales also recalled the time when he was studying at the New York Film Academy around 2011 for acting and directing. “Have a nice chicken rice,” he said as he showed a video of him buying in a food truck. “Ritwal ko nung estudyante pa acting school. Napadpad sa isang kanto ng New York, hindi Cubao. Pero masarap din turo-turo dun. #sietenasakaratulaotsosiningil #wheninnyc,” he added.
Jericho Rosales and Kim Jones
(It was my ritual as a student in acting school. I found myself at the corner of New York, not Cubao. But the food there is also great.) Back in January, Rosales trended on social media wherein he shared clips of him doing household chores as a husband. He then made a new version of it, posting a video of him washing the dishes saying, “Akala mo porque nasa New York ka wala ka nang kawala ha? Wala kang ligtas, bessy!” (You think just because I’m in New York, I have escaped from it?
Photo from Instagram/@jerichorosalesofficial
There’s no escaping this.) Jones, on the other hand, posted a few photos and videos in her Instagram stories exploring the city and even getting a new haircut “for the first time in two years.” Although the couple, married for eight years, did not clarify until when they will stay in the Big Apple, Rosales in his previous interviews shared that he plans to pursue his dream in doing an acting career in the United States. By doing this, he shared that he hopes to move either in Los Angeles or New York.
Lauren Dyogi would rather focus his energy on Star Magic artists who chose to stay by alex
bRosas Inquirer.net
WHILE respecting the decision of artists who sought greener pastures in other networks, Star Magic head Lauren Dyogi prefers to concentrate on the artists who decided to stay with the management arm of ABS-CBN. “Unang-una, I would like to respect the decision of every individual kasi hindi ko naman hawak ang buhay ng bawat isa sa kanila. I mean, they made decisions based on their life’s circumstances. Hindi na natin maaano ‘yun. Hindi ko makukuwestiyon iyon,” Dyogi said during the online press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 23, for Star Magic’s 30th anniversary. (First of all, I would like to respect the decision of every individual because I do not hold the lives of each one of them… We cannot do anything about that. I cannot question that.) Dyogi recognizes that these stars may have plans or needs in life which they might think could not be fulfilled while they are with ABS-CBN or Star Magic. For now, what Dyogi is preoccupied with is the welfare of those who chose to stay with Star Magic. “But I’d also like to say na sa akin ay mas importante ‘yung mga kasama ko ngayon dito (for me,
Lauren Dyogiw
ABS-CBN photo
what’s more important are those who I am with),” he explained. “I mean, I don’t like to even spend my energy and my time thinking about the people who left because they’ve decided to move on and do something else.” “The network’s loss of the franchise gave us a lot of insight about what is important in our lives and who are the people who are also important and who value that relationship. So, ‘yun na muna ang tinitingnan ko,” he said. (So that’s what I am looking at for now.) Dyogi also does not want to say
with finality that he will not work with former Star Magic talents. “In the future, I can’t say, ‘di ba? Sino ba tayo (Right? Who do we think we are)? We don’t know what the future (holds), what’s there,” he said. “Maliit lang naman ang industriya ng entertainment. Hindi ako nagsasalita ng tapos na it’s for good na, never uli na magkakasama.” (The entertainment industry is small. I’m not saying with finality that I won’t be with them ever again.) “But for now, we would like ABS [to] focus, Star Magic will focus on the artists who decided to stay and be with us and journey with us and commit to be part of this very interesting and very challenging (time),” the director stated. “Pero alam natin na pagkatapos nito… I think we’ve gone through the worst already. Paahon na kami. Exciting times are just ahead.” (But we know that after this… I think we’ve gone through the worst already. We are already recovering. Exciting times are just ahead.) Among those who recently renewed their contracts with Star Magic are Jolina Magdangal, Sam Milby, Ronnie Alonte, Loisa Andalio, Jake Cuenca, Shaina Magdayao, Zanjoe Marudo, Erich Gonzales and Gerald Anderson.
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James leaves PH to pursue career in US by Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
ACTOR James Reid has left the Philippines to pursue his career in the U.S. James’ sister Chantal Calicdan shared photos and videos of James at the airport on Instagram. “Go rockstar! @james,” Chantal captioned the post. James’ mother Emma MacDonald and his sister were seen hugging in the photo. The uploaded video showed James waving goodbye at his family. Recently, his friends in the Careless Music organized a “despedida” for him. James is an artist managed by U.S.-based Transparent Arts, an agency that aims to promote Asian-American talents. Among their artists are Dumbfounded, Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany Young, Kim Han-bin, and Far East Movement.
James Reid
Anne teases return to limelight on her birthday: ‘She’s back’ by Dana
Cruz Inquirer.net
ANNE Curtis may be making her comeback soon as she dropped a teaser for what appears to be her return to the limelight after becoming a mom. The actress can be seen dancing and striking sexy poses as a spotlight follows her in the blackand-white teaser she released on her Instagram page for her birthday last Thursday, Feb. 17. She donned a full black body suit and her hair was up in a braid in the video. Curtis can be seen holding a red microphone as the words “she’s back” and “soon” were bannered onscreen. She used a similar microphone in performances in the past, particularly when she staged “The Forbidden Concert Round 2: Annekapal” in 2014. “This is for everyone I LUV (love),” Curtis said. She did not provide further details related to the teaser. Fans expressed happiness over the possibility of Curtis making a comeback in the coming days, with one @mskristineeeee asking whether she would be seen on “It’s Showtime” soon. “Back on [‘It’s Showtime’ ABSCBN] on stage? Huhu finally!” she said. “Oh gosh I’m crying! The iconic red mic is back. I love you so much my concert queen,” another netizen, @gladyzann, told the actress. Aside from her mysterious teaser, Curtis also dressed up as British actress Audrey Hepburn
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022
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Jolina explains why she stays with ABS-CBN despite shutdown by Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
KAPAMILYA actress and TV host Jolina Magdangal explained the reason why she stayed with ABS-CBN despite the non-renewal of its franchise. During the Kapamilya Strong 2022 media conference last night, Jolina shared with the press that she never hesitated to stay. “Sa’kin kasi nu’ng nangyari ’yun, wala talaga akong dalawang isip. Ang sabi ko nga dati kung nagsasama-sama tayo ‘pag Christmas special, kung nagsasama-sama tayo ‘pag mayroong ball at mayroong mga big event na masaya bakit ‘di tayo magsama-sama kapag nangangailangan laluna ang isa’t isa?” Jolina said. “Hindi naging issue ‘yun na, ‘OK, matatakot ba ‘ko dahil yes nanay ako?’ Ang nanaig sa’kin ito ‘yung time para mas dapat kumapit kami sa isa’t isa. ‘Yung mga gustong bumitaw, try nating hilain pero kung ayaw na OK lang basta try mo pa ring akapin ‘yung iba. ’Yun ‘yung pinakananaig sa’kin,”
Jolina Magdangal
she added. She also thanked the network for giving her projects despite what happened. “I’m very happy. Hindi ko maintindihan parang nagfa-flashback sa’kin nu‘ng bata pa ako na tatakbo-takbo ako rito sa ABS and after ilang years, 3
Photo from Instagram/@mariajolina_ig
dekada and more ito kasama ko pa rin ang ating mga boss at talagang andito pa rin ako. Hindi man tumatakbo pero nandito pa rin. Maraming-maraming salamat po sa pagtitiwala sa akin mula noon hanggang ngayon, thank you so much po,” she added.
Alex defends Toni from bashers by Marane
a. Plaza
Philstar.com
ACTRESS Alex Gonzaga gave her reaction and insight on the recent bashing her sister, Toni Gonzaga, received online relating to political leanings. Alex was featured in the February 19 episode of newswoman Karen Davila’s YouTube Channel, as the two toured the newly rehabilitated Manila Zoo. The actress spoke up about the bond she has with Toni, noting that her sister has always been “stronger and more independent,” and “equipped” to handle bashing. “Sa family, iba-iba ng political stand but my daddy would always say na you know, ‘Your political stand is your right but mas importante is family than anything, any Anne Curtis Photo from Instagram/@annecurtissmith issue’,” she said. “So we support each other, we know our stand.” for her birthday, as seen on her show biz for two years after giving “Knowing my sister, I know birth to her daughter Dahlia. She she’s a strong person and I know Instagram page. “Waking up happy and very, started her break by leaving “It’s na hindi siya dadalhin ni Lord very grateful. Today is going to be Showtime” in 2019 when she was doon nang hindi siya ready. My still pregnant. a beautiful day!” she said. sister was bashed even before She then gave birth in March nu’ng bata pa. She was bullied “Tickled pink to wear a piece once owned and worn by a woman 2020 in Australia and has since preschool pa lang hanggang sa I adore. #AudreyHepburn,” Curtis returned to the Philippines with pag-aartista niya,” she stated. Dahlia and her husband Erwan “During that time, I think she added in another post. Curtis has been on a hiatus from Heussaff in February last year. was so equipped and so ready
Alex and Toni Gonzaga
for that.” “Matapang ang ate ko, she’s born for this,” she added. She also noted that whenever she asks her sister through text messages if she’s okay, Toni redirects the topic to her son Seve Soriano. “Ang bond namin (strong) kasi my dad would always tell us, ‘Kayo magkakampi, ang kasiraan
Photo from Instagram/@cathygonzaga
ng kapatid mo, kasiraan mo rin’,” she added. “I don’t consider my sister as my best friend but I think she considers me as her best friend, pero ako hindi, kasi minsan siya nagiging ate siya e. Minsan may secrets ako, sasabihin ko kapag tapos na,” she said. “She’s a mentor and a mother to me.”
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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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