030824 - Northern California Edition

First digital resource hub targets anti-Asian hate

WITH anti-Asian hate skyrocketing in recent years, helping AAPI communities respond to discrimination is more crucial than ever.

In response, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) have created the Asian Resource Hub — a searchable national directory of AAPI community data, incidents of anti-Asian hate and AAPI-serving organizations offering social services, legal aid, mental health support, civic engagement and policy advocacy.

How the hub started

“In the height of the pandemic, we did a community survey of anti-Asian hate here in the San Gabriel Valley area of LA, and we discovered that the majority of AAPI community members did not feel there was support for those experiencing racial discrimination and harassment,” said AJSOCAL Chief Executive Officer Connie Chung Joe at a Thursday, February 29 Ethnic Media Services briefing where panelists explained how the hub works.

Even where counseling and other aid did exist, many community members weren’t

America worries about health costs — and voters want to hear from Biden and Republicans

PRESIDENT Joe Biden is counting on outrage over abortion restrictions to help drive turnout for his reelection. Former President Donald Trump is promising to take another swing at repealing Obamacare.

But around America’s kitchen tables, those are hardly the only health topics voters want to hear about in the 2024 campaigns. A new KFF tracking poll shows that health care tops the list of basic expenses Americans worry about — more than gas, food, and rent. Nearly 3 in 4 adults — and majorities of both parties — say they’re concerned about paying for unexpected medical bills and other health costs.

“Absolutely health care is something on my mind,” Rob Werner, 64, of Concord, New Hampshire, said in an interview at a local coffee shop in January. He’s a Biden supporter and said he wants to make sure the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is retained and that there’s more of an effort to control health care costs.

Chinese coast guard and other vessels undertook “dangerous maneuvers and blocking,” leading to a collision that resulted in “minor structural damage to the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) vessel,” PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

Tarriela said the “reckless and illegal actions” led to a collision between BRP Sindangan, one of two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships that escorted the mission, and the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) 21555 that resulted in minor structural damage to the PCG vessel.

US-Philippines war games to test Israeli-made air defense system

MANILA — In another first, the annual

war games between the United States and the Philippines will test the Israeli-made air defense system during their drills in Central Luzon.

Col. Michael Logico, executive agent of the Balikatan 2024, confirmed on Tuesday, March 5 that Spyder (Surface-to-air Python and Derby) air defense missile system will be used in that military exercise.

“We will also be doing integrated air missile

Monday, March 4 said that

defense exercises in Central Luzon,” Logico added during the regular Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) press conference. But he did not disclose more details.

“We will be utilizing our own newly acquired weapon systems from the AFP modernization and we are going to test the interoperability between our weapon systems and that of the United States,” he likewise replied after being asked to expound on Spyder.

The Department of National Defense signed a deal with Israel’s Ministry of  PAGE 3

President Marcos among most in uential leaders in Southeast Asia – think tank

MANILA — The Lowy Institute of Australia named President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as “one of the most interesting, influential and closely-watched leaders” in Southeast Asia.

Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr. Michael Fullilove on Monday, March 4 said that the president’s address delivered before the Australian Parliament last week emphasized his crucial

role as a regional leader in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“In the period since his election in 2022, President Marcos has emerged as one of the most interesting, influential, closely watched leaders in Southeast Asia,” he said at the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

“If there’s anyone who thinks individuals don’t matter in politics, I’d invite them to look at the changes in the Philippines in the

DOJ orders multiple raps to be led vs Quiboloy

MANILA —

The

sexual abuse of a minor in violation of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Law. Aside from Quiboloy, five other individuals would also be charged with other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation under RA 7610.

On the other hand, the charges of qualified human trafficking under Section 4(a) of RA 9208,  PAGE 2

Marcos: SCS collision not reason...

damaged the cargo ship and caused some injury to some of our seamen and I think that we cannot view this in any way but in the most serious way,” the

president added. “Once again, we will make our objections known and hope that we can continue to communicate to find a way so that such actions are no longer seen in the West

Philippine Sea,” he went on. Marcos just attended a special summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia to mark 50 years of dialogue partnership. g

Philippine ship on resupply mission to troops...

The mission is still ongoing as of posting time.

It was another cat-and-mouse game in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal as Philippine vessels carrying supplies to Filipino troops stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre tried to evade the blockading force of more than a dozen Chinese maritime militia vessels.

Col. Ray Powell said at least 15 Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels that were visible on automatic identification systems (AIS) have established blockade positions and “appears ready to contest” the arrival of

the Philippine ships. Powell said there were likely other CMM ships, including China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, in the vicinity of Ayungin but were running “AISdark.”

“As noted on Monday, at least one to two large CCG ships were spotted in the area but are running dark and are likely involved in the blockade,” he said.

As the RoRe mission got near Ayungin, around 13 to 16 nautical miles (nm), shortly after 6 a.m., the BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan that were escorting two civilian contracted ships – the Unaiza May 1 and 4 – were each

shadowed by four Qiong Sansha Yu militia ships, said Powell. At one point, BRP Sindangan appeared to be closely engaged with CMM ship Qiong Sansha Yu 00116.

The two PCG ships were later monitored to be “swarmed” by 10 CMM ships while another group was clustered together around 8.5 nm from the shoal, “likely indicating one or both resupply boats are surrounded there,” Powell said.

“Multiple unofficial reports confirm [the] mission [was] very aggressively contested by China,” he added. (With reports from Agence France-Presse)

DOJ orders multiple raps to be filed...

or the Anti-Trafficking Persons Act of 2003, would be filed in the Pasig Regional Trial Court.

“We have studied this and investigation showed that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his companions really need to be held accountable to a complainant who was 17 years old when the crime happened,” Remulla said.

“I know Pastor Quiboloy. I consider him a friend but I have to do my job. I have a duty to the Filipino people; I have to do my job,” he added.

According to the justice secretary, they will ask the Supreme Court for permission to move the trial for the cases to courts in the National Capital Region once these are filed.

“Because of problems in Davao …, there were threats being made, we will be asking the Supreme Court to transfer the cases to Manila and appoint a special panel of prosecutors to handle them,” Remulla said.

Lookout bulletin signed He added that he had already signed an immigration lookout bulletin against Quiboloy and with the filing of the charges, prosecutors would secure a hold departure order to prevent him from leaving the country.

In 2020, the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaints of rape and child abuse under RA 7610,

trafficking in persons through forced labor, and trafficking in persons through sexual abuse filed against Quiboloy and five other individuals.

This prompted the complainant, a former KOJC member who alleged that she was raped by the televangelist in 2014, to file a petition for review with the DOJ.

Another case under review by Remulla’s office is a cyberlibel case in which Quiboloy is the complainant.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have issued subpoenas for the televangelist after he skipped separate investigations.

The Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, which is looking into allegations that he sexually abused female members of the sect, earlier summoned Quiboloy to appear at the hearing on Tuesday, March 5. ‘Huge victory’ Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the committee chair, said the DOJ move was a “huge victory for every woman abused and taken advantage of by Quiboloy.”

“This positive development is a gift to every woman this Women’s Month,” she added as she thanked Remulla “for finally acting decisively on this matter.”

“This is a welcome first step toward the victim-survivors’ cry for justice, peace and healing,”

said Hontiveros, adding that the Senate would continue with its mandate to investigate, in aid of legislation, into abuses allegedly perpetrated by Quiboloy.

“We will ensure that these inquiries will result in strengthened laws for our women, our children and the most vulnerable among us,” she added.

The House of Representatives is also requiring Quiboloy’s presence on March 12 before the committee on legislative franchises, which is investigating the KOJC-owned Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) for alleged violations of the terms for its franchise.

Quiboloy, a close friend and spiritual adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, did not say whether he would honor or ignore the subpoenas. But he denounced the proceedings, which he said were meant to “demonize me and destroy my reputation.”

Remulla said the victim in the case was among those presented before the Senate inquiry. He said the DOJ had asked the victim’s lawyer first if they intend to pursue the case against Quiboloy.

“When I learned that they wanted to pursue the case, we pushed for the filing of the charges,” he said, adding that they would also offer protection to the victim. g

Fil-Am Gen Zer is Daly City’s youngest commissioner

Laguna-born Fernando Montanes rises from organizer to public official

DALY CITY – Generation Z, the latest global population to enter the workforce, has arrived in the public service ecosystem of this city.

Student and already a seasoned community advocate Fernando Montanes is set to swear in March 13 as a Daly City Recreation Commissioner. He will join four residents appointed by the City Council to advise them and the Recreation Services Department on safe and appropriate activities that bring enjoyment to residents of all ages.

Familiarly called “Rec,” the department “works closely with youth and students, providing them services and programs that promote community welfare, extracurricular activities, sports and other fun and active things,” says the Westmoor High School alum. “So as someone who works with youth and students, I considered the recreation commission the perfect entryway to public service.”

Then-Mayor Ray Buenaventura announced the appointment in his last City Council meeting in January. Council members unanimously approved.

Montanes envisions himself pressing for funding to preserve and expand cultural celebrations that bring together the city’s various populations, while also addressing mental health and loneliness among issues besetting the many generations that call Daly City home.

At 23, he will be the youngest of all city commissioners, being among an estimated 60 million in this country born after 1995 and before 2015, depending on the defining institute.

Sharing the reins of the city leadership was a matter of time for the demographic cohort born in the first half of the twentyteens.

Generation what?

Dubbed Gen Z for short, the successors of millennials are independent, competitive and open-minded, according to LinkedIn, which also describes them as “risk-averse,” having grown up during the Great Recession of 2008 that “fundamentally impacted their world view.”

Those characteristics fit Montanes, though more significant

personal factors molded his character.

He was 6 years old when his widow mother Lilibeth Fortuna Montanes brought him and his older sister Carla to this country to join their grandmother Adela Pontiga Fortuna in Daly City. Their elders had uprooted from their hometown Nagcarlan, Laguna, in the late 1960s “during the Marcos regime,” he notes, for a brighter future.

In the absence of his father Carlos Montanes, a car salesman who had died before he was born, Fernando’s mother, sister and grandmother showered him with support and encouragement.

“I was raised by strong women and I credit that for how I am as a man today,” Montanes told Inquirer.net USA.

They imprinted principles he holds dear, particularly “caring for our elders.”

“My family and community recognize the wisdom and wealth of knowledge that elders have to offer,” he explained. He defined his valued community as the “church, school, or simply our distant relatives who live next door (because) collective life is a foundation of how my family and I continue to live in Daly City.”

Montanes considers himself as a “Filipino who lives in America” rather than “Filipino American” despite having been in the United States over two decades.

“I never really adapted to the full American identity as some-

one raised in a Filipino household,” Fernando qualified.

Transformative period

The pandemic upended the world as we know it and yet the past four years were transformative for Montanes.

He was 18 when he got his first job as sales associate at World Market in Serramonte Center in one of two life pauses he took that led to an epiphany.

The first was a year after his high school graduation, when his grandmother passed away. For the first time, Fernando “went home” to his native land with his mother for the interment.

“Emotions were high,” he recalled, as they pondered their loss, prodded him to put college on hold, weigh his priorities and search his soul. Instead of attending class, he learned how to organize his peers and began volunteering.

“Taking a break from school was a hard but necessary decision” to “get a job, save money and explore the role of being a youth organizer and build community with people I had a chance to build relations with when I was in high school.” Looking back he calls the step “the best decision” he ever made.

Employment, in turn, helped hone his interpersonal skills, taught him to handle “difficult customers” and built his stamina for enduring hectic holiday pressure.

In 2020, he worked as a student assistant with the Skyline College Promise Scholar program. Two years later he became an ambassador for the Kapwa Kultural Youth Advisory and last year he joined the board of directors of the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.

He remains at his retail job part-time and is now “team lead” while on his second sem break to take stock, focus on himself for a change and eventually prepare for his pursuit of a political science degree at San Francisco State University.

Valuable mentorship

Montanes was 15, a sophomore and a self-described “wallflower” when, less out of passion than curiosity, he joined the Filipino Barkada club on the advice of his teacher and “very first mentor” Joal Truong-Vargas, a

US-Philippines war games to test Israeli-made...

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Defense and manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for three batteries of the Spyder in 2019. The agreement worth P6.8 billion is part of the AFP modernization program’s

Horizon 2. The first two missile batteries arrived in September 2023 while the third would be delivered this year. The Spyder air defense missile system is designed to protect

critical installations, land-based fixed assets, mobile platforms, and friendly forces from aerial threats such as combat aircraft, attack helicopters, drones, incoming missiles, guided munition, and rockets. 

America worries about health costs...

PAGE 1

The presidential election is likely to turn on the simple question of whether Americans want Trump back in the White House. (Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, remained in the race for the Republican nomination ahead of Super Tuesday, though she had lost the first four primary contests.) And neither major party is basing their campaigns on health care promises.

But in the KFF poll, 80% of adults said they think it’s “very important” to hear presidential candidates talk about what they’d do to address health care costs — a subject congressional and statelevel candidates can also expect to address.

“People are most concerned about out-of-pocket expenses for health care, and rightly so,” said Andrea Ducas, vice president of health policy at the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based progressive think tank.

Here’s a look at the major health care issues that could help determine who wins in

November.

Abortion

Less than two years after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, it is shaping up to be the biggest health issue in this election.

That was also the case in the 2022 midterm elections, when many voters rallied behind candidates who supported abortion rights and bolstered Democrats to an unexpectedly strong showing. Since the Supreme Court’s decision, voters in six states — including Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio, where Republicans control the legislatures — have approved state constitutional amendments protecting abortion access.

Polls show that abortion is a key issue to some voters, said Robert Blendon, a public opinion researcher and professor emeritus at the Harvard T.H.

Chan School of Public Health. He said up to 30% across the board see it as a “personal” issue, rather than policy — and most of those support abortion rights.

“That’s a lot of voters, if they show up and vote,” Blendon said.

Proposals to further protect

— or restrict — abortion access could drive voter turnout. Advocates are working to put abortion-related measures on the ballot in such states as Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and South Dakota this November. A push in Washington toward a nationwide abortion policy could also draw more voters to the polls, Blendon said.

A surprise ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court in February that frozen embryos are children could also shake up the election.

It’s an issue that divides even the anti-abortion community, with some who believe that a fertilized egg is a unique new person deserving of full legal rights and protections, and others believing that discarding unused embryos as part of the in vitro fertilization process is a morally acceptable way for couples to have children.

Pricey prescriptions

Drug costs regularly rank high among voters’ concerns.

In the latest tracking poll, more than half — 55% — said they were very worried about being able to afford prescription drugs.

Biden has tried to address the  PAGE 5

America worries about health costs...

the same limb.

price

Drugmakers are fighting the Medicare price negotiation provision in court. Republicans have promised to repeal the IRA, arguing that forcing drugmakers to negotiate lower prices on drugs for Medicare beneficiaries would amount to price controls and

“The more he talks about it, the more other candidates have to start answering for it,” said Jarrett Lewis, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a GOP polling firm. “Will a conversation about repeal-and-replace resonate with suburban women in Maricopa County?” he said, referring to the populous county in Arizona known for being a political bellwether. “I would steer clear of that if I was a candidate.”

Biden and his campaign have pounced on Trump’s talk of repeal. The president has said he wants to make permanent the enhanced premium subsidies he signed into law during the pandemic that are credited with helping to increase enrollment.

Republican advisers generally recommend that their candidates promote “a market-based system that has the consumer much more engaged,” said Lewis, citing short-term insurance plans as an example. “In the minds of Republicans, there is a pool of people that this would benefit. It may not be beneficial for everyone, but attractive to some.”

Biden and his allies have criticized short-term insurance plans — which Trump made more widely available — as “junk insurance” that doesn’t cover care for serious conditions or illnesses.

Entitlements are off-limits

Meanwhile, the ACA is popular. The

found that more adults want to see the program expanded than scaled back. And a record 21.3 million people signed up for coverage in 2024, about 5 million of them new customers.

Enrollment in Republicandominated states has grown fastest, with year-over-year increases of 80% in West Virginia, nearly 76% in Louisiana, and 62% in Ohio, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Public support for Obamacare and record enrollment in its coverage have made it politically perilous for Republicans to pursue the law’s repeal, especially without a robust alternative. That hasn’t stopped Trump from raising that prospect on the campaign trail, though it’s hard to find any other Republican candidate willing to step out on

Both Medicaid and Medicare, the government health insurance programs that cover tens of millions of low-income, disabled, and older people, remain broadly popular with voters, said the Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. That makes it unlikely either party would pursue a platform that includes outright cuts to entitlements. But accusing an opponent of wanting to slash Medicare is a common, and often effective, campaign move.

Although Trump has said he wouldn’t cut Medicare spending, Democrats will likely seek to associate him with other Republicans who support constraining the program’s costs. Polls show that most voters oppose reducing any Medicare benefits, including by raising Medicare’s eligibility age from 65. However, raising taxes on people making more than $400,000 a year to shore up Medicare’s finances is one idea that won strong backing in a recent poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Blase, a former Trump

health adviser and the president of Paragon Health Institute, said Republicans, if they win more control of the federal government, should seek to lower spending on Medicare Advantage — through which commercial insurers provide benefits — to build on the program’s efficiencies and ensure it costs taxpayers less than the traditional program.

So far, though, Republicans, including Trump, have expressed little interest in such a plan. Some of them are clear-eyed about the perils of running on changing Medicare, which cost $829 billion in 2021 and is projected to consume nearly 18% of the federal budget by 2032.

“It’s difficult to have a frank conversation with voters about the future of the Medicare program,” said Lewis, the GOP pollster. “More often than not, it backfires. That conversation will have to happen right after a major election.”

Addiction crisis

Many Americans have been touched by the growing opioid epidemic, which killed more than 112,000 people in the United States in 2023 — more than gun deaths and road fatalities combined. Rural residents and white adults are among the hardest hit.

Federal health officials have cited drug overdose deaths as a primary cause of the recent drop in U.S. life expectancy.

Republicans cast addiction as largely a criminal matter, associating it closely with the migration crisis at the U.S. southern border that they blame on Biden. Democrats have sought more funding for treatment and prevention of substance use disorders.

“This affects the family, the neighborhood,” said Blendon, the public opinion researcher.

Billions of dollars have begun to flow to states and local governments from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and retailers, raising questions about how to best spend that money. But it isn’t clear that the crisis, outside the context of immigration, will emerge as a campaign issue.

(Julie Appleby and Phil Galewitz/ KFF Health News) KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

President Marcos among most influential...

past 18 months, in particular the way that Manila has become so much more determined to defend its sovereignty,” he added.

Marcos was applauded when he spoke at the Lowy Institute for standing his ground on the West Philippine Sea dispute.

“We shall never surrender even a square inch of our territory and our maritime jurisdiction,” the chief executive said. He said his government

continues to upgrade the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “Our forces must be able to guarantee, to the fullest extent possible, Filipino nationals, Philippine corporations, and those authorized by the Philippine Government, unimpeded and peaceful exploration and exploitation of all natural resources in areas where we have jurisdiction,” Marcos said.

“We are on the frontline of international efforts to preserve, defend, and uphold the rulesbased international order -- the same platform from which the postwar Asian economic miracles took off, and upon which the continued prosperity of countries like Australia relies,” he said. “We, in the Indo-Pacific, cannot ignore the existential impact of great power rivalries upon the survival of our peoples and our communities.” g

First digital resource hub targets...

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aware of how to find or use them due to language barriers. While the Asian Resource Hub is the first of its kind as a free national digital resource, as of this month it’s also available in Korean, Vietnamese and simplified and traditional Chinese.

Throughout 2024, Asian Resource Hub staff hope to expand its current language offerings to include translations in languages including Hindi, Teymur and Tagalog.

“Over the past few years, as our community has suffered the collective trauma of the Atlanta spa shootings, the Indianapolis shooting, the back-to-back Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings and so much more violence, we knew we could not wait for the next tragedy to occur without addressing this gap” through the hub, Joe explained.

Between 2020 and 2021 alone, reported anti-Asian violence in the U.S. increased by 339%, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Furthermore, most hate crimes and incidents are never reported. AJSOCAL and AAJC came together with leaders from Microsoft to create the hub not only as a culturally and linguistically accessible place for AAPI community members to turn to “amid surging hatred,” but as “an exploration of anti-Asian hatred that uniquely combines data from FBI-reported and locally-reported hate crimes, as well as public and nonprofit sources, to bring the impact of hate on Asian populations to life through visualizations, graphics, charts, photographs, maps and pop-up text stories,” said Joe.

Visualizing the impact of antiAsian hate

“To talk about the hub is to remember what we all witnessed in 2020 and beyond, as the

surge in COVID led to a surge in anti-Asian violence. It felt like a constant barrage of stories of Asian people being attacked verbally, physically or mentally,” said Merisa Heu-Weller, General Manager of Innovation and Society at Microsoft.

“Personally as a thirdgeneration Japanese American, the hub epitomizes my vision of using data and technology to protect fundamental human rights,” she added.

“Too often these stories of the impact of Asian hate went untold or were not told with our communities’ perspectives in mind,” said AAJC President and Executive Director John C. Yang.

“In the face of dramatically increased anti Asian hate incidents since 2020, when we are seeing our elders attacked, we’re seeing our peers hurt. We’re seeing our community members afraid to walk outside. We wanted to allow people to understand our community in a different way through this directory,” he continued.

This directory took the form of “storytelling medium to better illustrate the facts about the AAPI population and the hate they face,” said AJSOCAL Senior Research Analyst Steven Zhang.

Timelines in the directory, for instance, examine key policies, events and personal narratives related to anti-Asian discrimination — from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to inflammatory rhetoric by policymakers throughout history, to more recent instances of and responses to anti-Asian hate such as pandemic-era violence, the Hate Crimes Act and Stop Asian Hate community protests in cities nationwide.

Community resources

“We always make a distinction between hate crimes and hate incidents,” explained Zhang. “Because a crime is defined as

a crime in the criminal statutes as an Assault or Battery, or in the worst cases, murder, many incidents we see in the Asian American community might not rise to the level of a crime in the legislative definition. However, that doesn’t minimize the impact on our community.”

Alongside narrative data highlighting the historical impact of hate on AAPI communities across the U.S. is a national directory of “community-based organizations that offer either free or low-cost direct services to support those experiencing anti-Asian discrimination,” he said.

“Right now, about 100 organizations are listed,” continued Zhang. “Each one has been personally vetted by us or by one of our close partners, to make sure that it’s legitimate and active. We don’t want to send people down a closed door. But it’s an evergreen site intended to be continually built up, so if you know of an AAPI resource or organization that’s missing, please nominate it.”

“What stuck out most to me as I was working on this hub was how innovative and resilient our communities have been in the face of unspeakable hate and violence,” he added. “Most hate crimes and incidents go unreported, and the hub will provide much-needed help to fill that gap during an incredibly difficult time.”

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate. (Selen Ozturk/Ethnic Media Services)

EVEN before airport authorities can eradicate an infestation of bed bugs, another video has gone viral, this time showing a large rat scurrying on the ceiling of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The rat video, reportedly taken early Friday, March 1, worsened the eww factor of other video footages showing close-ups of bed bugs moving in the holes of metal seats at the NAIA, and of the skin rashes suffered by passengers who were bitten by the creepy-crawlies.

The bed bugs looked unusually large and might have been brought into the country, according to the pest control provider, which spritzed NAIA seats with stronger insecticide. Some officials recalled a serious infestation of bed bugs that hit Paris beginning in October last year. The French capital is still grappling with the problem, with the infestation reported even in private homes and public accommodations. Paris, one of the world’s most visited cities, is preparing to host the Summer Olympics from late July to August this year.

Editorial

Bed bugs, however, are also common in the Philippines, and typically infest rattan, the material used in several pieces of furniture used at the NAIA to give the airport a tropical look. All rattan seats have been pulled out of the NAIA-2. As video footage showed, however, even the metal seats

“THE long-standing friendship between our two great nations transcends the 78 years of our formal diplomatic relations,” declared Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his spirited address before the Australian Parliament last week.

“These bonds trace their roots as far back as the 1860s when Filipino pearl divers, known to you then as the Manilamen, found their way to your shores as early purveyors of globalization,” he continued, tracing the depth of bilateral relations to the dawn of modernity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Crucially, not only Mr. Marcos rightly emphasized the Filipino migrants’ contribution to the “Australian economy” and “Australian life,” but also the Philippines’ role in preserving a rules-based international order.

“We must protect the peace that we fought for during the war and have jealously guarded in the decades since,” he argued, underscoring the need for expanded bilateral cooperation.

that are fastened to the floor have bed bugs.

The scurrying rat also could not have stowed away on an international flight; surely it must have been born and bred in the Philippines. The existence of vermin all over the country is the reason why there are pest control services. And pest control is of paramount importance particularly in an international airport. That rat caught on video looked like it was enjoying the attention and preening for the cameras, like the star of movie animation hit “Ratatouille.”

Unfortunately for travelers and Filipinos’ national pride, it looks like the pest control service at the NAIA, like its electrical system last year, has suffered a breakdown. As the rat video went viral, officials of the Manila International Airport Authority said they were reviewing the contract of the NAIA pest control service providers, which

could be canceled if lapses are established. The bed bug infestation is happening as the Holy Week travel rush approaches.

Will the NAIA ever stop being a national

embarrassment? NAIA maintenance is being privatized, but this is still six months away. Airport officials must deal decisively with this problem long before that. (Philstar.com)

“We must oppose actions that clearly denigrate the rule of law,” he added, referring to China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. The 17-minute speech, at once passionate and parsimonious, rightly reflected the depth of our bilateral ties to Australia. My own grandmother—who saved her father from getting buried alive by Japanese imperial forces by spontaneously reciting the occupying forces’ national anthem, just to be forced into exile in mountains shortly after—once told me about how Australian soldiers saved her community in the Ilocos region toward the end of World War II. Lest we forget, Australian forces suffered their single deadliest day in World War II during their joint operations with Filipino patriots against Imperial Japan. But it was during the past decade that bilateral ties entered a new phase. First came the Comprehensive Partnership deal signed during Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s visit to Manila in 2015. This paved the way for decisive assistance by

Canberra during the Marawi crisis as well as expanded bilateral maritime security cooperation with an eye on the South China Sea disputes. Then came last year’s Strategic Partnership pact during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Manila, which aims to bring about a new “golden era” in bilateral ties.

Six years ago, I had the privilege of attending a track II event on the sidelines of the inaugural Australia-Asean Summit in Sydney, where I ended up explaining why our then pro-Beijing President Rodrigo Duterte was the only no-show leader from Asean. Last week, however, we saw a Philippine president setting the tone for the latest iteration of the Australia-Asean Summit by delivering a spirited speech before the Australian Parliament.

This represents nothing short of a “sea change” in PhilippineAustralia ties, especially with both countries vowing to step up their joint naval drills and military cooperation in light of Beijing’s bullying behavior in adjacent waters. But this time

around, my fear is that the Philippines may end up as an outlier for completely opposite reasons.

During his state visit to Down Under, Mr. Marcos not only highlighted China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, but also sought to rally traditional partners such as Australia to jointly hold the line for a rules-based international order. The problem, however, is that I doubt other Asean leaders will follow suit.

Malaysia’s current leadership seems more interested in bashing the West’s doublestandards in the Middle East than pointing out China’s atrocious treatment of its own Muslim minority groups. Ironically, it’s the “old guards” in Putrajaya who are now taking up the cudgels for Malaysia’s claims in the South China Sea. Both Singapore and Vietnam, meanwhile, have adopted an increasingly Beijing-friendly diplomatic language in recent years in order to reap economic rewards.

As for Indonesia, we are yet to see how the incoming Prabowo administration will exercise regional leadership, if at all.

As for majority of continental Southeast Asian nations, they seem more invested in their bilateral relations with China than standing up for so-called “Asean centrality.” Nevertheless, the only way forward is for a constructive form of “Asean minilateralism,” whereby key Southeast Asian states steadily yet subtly coordinate a more robust position against China’s hegemonic excesses in tandem with middle powers such as Australia.

Otherwise, either Asean fades into geopolitical irrelevance and/or the Philippines continues its quiet drift away from fellow Southeast Asian nations in favor of traditional Western partners. (Inquirer.net)

* * * 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.

* * * rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph

IN American jurisprudence, a fugitive from justice forcibly or violently abducted in a foreign territory cannot invoke such irregularity to escape criminal prosecution in a United States court. The Ker-Frisbie doctrine upholds the jurisdiction of federal courts over criminal defendants kidnapped in countries that have extradition treaties with the U.S.

In the 1886 Ker v. Illinois case, the Supreme Court ruled that the forcible abduction of a convicted U.S. citizen in Peru presented no valid objection to his trial. The Court applied the landmark doctrine in the Frisbie v. Collins case (1952). It upheld the conviction of a defendant who was kidnapped by Michigan authorities in Chicago and tried in Michigan.

In the United States v. Alvarez-Machain (1992), the High Court overturned the Court of Appeals’ decision that dismissed the indictment of the Mexican national. Against his will, the defendant was seized in Mexico and flown to Texas. He was arrested for the murder and kidnapping of a Drug

Enforcement Administration agent and the latter’s pilot.

Citing the landmark Ker judgment, the Court said the forcible abduction did not prohibit his trial for violating American criminal laws. It also held that the extradition agreement between the U.S. and Mexico “says nothing about either country refraining from forcibly abducting people from the other’s territory or the consequences if an abduction occurs.”

In short, the American legal system is more concerned about putting a defendant to trial. How he came under court jurisdiction is of secondary importance. The above-mentioned cases bring to mind Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who faces a federal warrant in America. The charismatic evangelist founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KJOC) in 1985. The megachurch has grown to six million members worldwide.

It is common knowledge that the embattled pastor is a close friend and spiritual adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte. I have also personal and professional ties with the politically influential leader. FPRRD and I host separate public affairs programs in Sonshine Media Network International

(SMNI), which Quiboloy used to head. The SMNI rose to national prominence for its highly incisive presidential and senatorial debates. It was the only broadcast network that openly supported the candidacy of President Bongbong Marcos in 2022. A dedicated news team even covered the BBM-Sara UniTeam campaign trail across the Philippines.

In the 2016 and 2022 general elections, almost all presidentiables, vicepresidentiables and senatoriables made a beeline to the Tamayong Prayer Mountain to get Quiboloy’s endorsement. I am not ashamed to admit that I was among the candidates. Local politicians in Davao Region and the rest of Mindanao also sought his support.

State-sanctioned abduction

In November 2021, a Sta. Ana, California district court indicted Quiboloy for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, sex trafficking of children, fraud and coercion, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has included him in its wanted list.

Recently, the president urged Quiboloy to air his side in the ongoing congressional investigations. The Lower House is looking into SMNI’s supposed

franchise violations. Meanwhile, the Senate is probing allegations that he sexually abused former KOJC members. For the record, a witness in the Senate hearing was among those who filed rape, child abuse and human trafficking charges against Quiboloy in 2019. The Davao City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges in 2020 on the ground of false statement and accusation. The alleged victim has appealed the case before the Department of Justice. I believe that her presence in the Senate hearing is nothing but a trial by publicity to further demonize Quiboloy and his church.

In a Feb. 21 statement, Quiboloy said his life and liberty are under serious threat. He has accused the Marcos administration of surrendering him to the U.S. government in blatant contravention of his constitutional and human rights. With 11 of his local compounds reportedly under surveillance by U.S. authorities, he does not want a repeat of a 2020 incident in America. He disclosed that law enforcers forcibly entered and destroyed his house in the U.S. The evangelist said the government has colluded with the U.S. State Department, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and FBI to order his

extraordinary rendition or statesponsored kidnapping (similar to the Alvarez-Machain case).

Even worse is the possibility that they might murder or assassinate him during the rendition process. PBBM has dismissed the accusation. Based on Quiboloy’s intel, the FBI has reportedly put a $2-million bounty on his head. The U.S. bureau has also denied this.

Extradition request

Strangely, it has been three years since the district court issued an arrest warrant for Quiboloy. However, the U.S. government has yet to file an extradition request.

Based on our treaty with America, we agree to extradite persons charged with or convicted of an extraditable offense – punishable by more than a year of deprivation of liberty or higher penalty – to the U.S. And vice versa. Moreover, the Contracting Parties cannot deny any extradition request on the ground that the person sought is a citizen of the Requested State. I recall that in the case of the late Manila congressman Mark Jimenez, our government immediately surrendered him to America for charges of tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic Party. A U.S. district court sentenced him to

27 months in prison in 2003. Like the pastor, I have not seen any evidence that the prosecution and the police presented to the Grand Jury. Since it is a sealed indictment, Quiboloy must surrender first before he and his legal team can gain full access to the evidence leveled against him by accusers and witnesses. His battery of lawyers has been gearing up for the legal battle but the trial has been postponed several times. I can only surmise that the evidence presented by the prosecution team might not be compelling enough to secure a conviction. Hence, the case is in danger of being dismissed before trial. Otherwise, America would have requested our government for the pastor’s extradition right away. Despite Quiboloy’s misgivings about the Marcos administration, I hope PBBM would continue to reassure the pastor that his life and fundamental rights would remain protected and respected. I pray that Pastor Quiboloy remains safe and well while he exhausts all legal avenues to defend himself. (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.

Marcos witnesses signing of P86-B deals

PRESIDENT Ferdinand

The signing took place on the sidelines of the Asean-Australia Special Summit that Marcos

Philippines. Among the MoUs are the development, design, construction, commissioning and

funding of a Tier-3 Data Center with a capacity of 30 MW-40 MW in the Poro Point Freeport Zone with a land area of approximately 16 hectares and the Expansion of Next-Generation Battery Manufacturing in the Philippines. An MoU was also signed for the deployment of decarbonization solutions comprising orchestration of renewable energy, storage, and e-mobility to New Clark City Stadium and other BCDA sites to reduce energy costs, reliance on grid power, improve sustainability and achieve progress on the decarbonization journey. g

United Nations issues global alert over teacher shortage

MANILA — The United Nations has issued a global alert over a shortage of teachers, with the lack greatest in secondary education.

The UN alert was issued last week at a meeting of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Seven out of 10 teachers at the secondary level will need to be replaced by 2030, along with over half of all teachers who will have left the profession by the decade’s end, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said.

The agency said the effect of a worldwide teacher shortage is profound, creating larger class sizes, overburdened educators, educational disparities and financial strain on school systems, impacting educational quality and access.

According to a UNESCO report, the world needs 44 million teachers by 2030 in order to make the Sustainable Development Goal of quality and equitable education a reality.

The high-level panel’s recommendations are focused on core aspects: dignity, humanity, diversity, equity and inclusion, quality, sustainability, innovation and leadership.

Responses to the challenge include recommendations to cultivate an environment where teachers can drive educational change, foster critical thinking and promote modern learning skills.

The UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession advocates for teachers

to be collaborative partners rather than mere purveyors of knowledge.

Adequate funding for education systems and technology integration are key, with a focus on supporting the use of digital learning and other technology.

Attrition rates among primary teachers almost doubled from 4.62 percent globally in 2015 to 9.06 in 2022, with teachers often leaving the profession within the first five years, the report revealed.

According to recent estimates, financing additional teachers will cost $12.8 billion for universal primary education and $106.8 billion for universal secondary education.

The annual additional financing needed to cover salaries at primary and secondary levels by 2030 is estimated at $120 billion.

‘Drop K-12 curriculum’

With only 20 percent of the country’s senior high school graduates landing employment, the Marcos administration should treat this as an indicator to abandon the K-12 curriculum instead of integrating skills training into the curriculum, according to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT).

In a statement, the group said President Marcos’ order to increase SHS graduates’ employability through the integration of skills training would only replicate the program’s failures as it “only aims to produce cheap and docile labor force for foreign employers that is bound to be underpaid, contractual or unemployed.”

“There is no point in continuing

a program that not a single study has found to be effective. K-12 only aims to make the Philippines competitive against underdeveloped countries in producing a steady stream of semi-skilled labor force for foreign capital. These jobs are largely contractual in nature and the lowest paying in different industries,” ACT chair Vladimer Quetua said over the weekend.

During an education sector meeting led by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte at Malacañang last month, Marcos ordered concerned state agencies to work closely with industries to align skills and education with companies’ demands.

Marcos had also ordered the creation of a technical working group to study the proposed embedding of technical vocational education and training or TVET into the K-12 curriculum.

The proposal would strengthen the K-12 program by adding a practicum component, according to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Citing a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, TESDA said the measure would address the low employability rate of SHS graduates.

Quetua said the majority of K-12 graduates “only add up to the huge number of unemployed.”

“TESDA itself admitted the starkly low employment rate of our K-12 graduates and attrition rate of those employed is high,” he added. (Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, Neil Jayson Servallos/ Philstar.com)

Jinggoy Estrada will be new Senate leader? ‘There’s no truth to it,’ he says

MANILA — Senator Jinggoy Estrada belied speculations that he would replace Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, saying he is not ready to take over.

“To quell all speculations, there’s no truth to it,” said Estrada when he was asked by reporters in an ambush interview. He was asked whether or not there’s truth to rumors that he would replace Zubiri as the Senate chief.

The senator simply said, “No.”

“So what if I am a senior senator? I have high respect [for] Senate President Zubiri,” he emphasized.

He also denied rumors that he is instigating an ouster plot against the Senate leader.

“Me? Talaga? Instigador na ako ngayon!” a baffled Estrada told reporters.

(Me? Really? I am an instigator now!)

Asked if there’s truth to these rumors, he shook his head from left to right as a sign of disagreement.

But Estrada admitted that his chairmanship of the Senate committee on national defense and security,

Senator Jinggoy Estrada Inquirer.net file photo

peace, unification and reconciliation is in danger. Reporters asked Estrada whether or not it is true that he would be removed as the chair of the panel. He responded, “Daw. (That’s what they say.) In case they remove [me], I’ll ask the leadership what the reason [is].”

In a separate ambush interview on Monday, March 4, Senator Bong Revilla said Estrada is not interested in heading the chamber. “He’s not interested. Wala namang kakumpitensya eh,” said Revilla. g

Fil-Am Gen Zer is Daly City’s youngest...

Fil-Am. Never involved in extra-curricular activities prior, he had expected to keep to the shadows and “be ignored” at the first meeting. He was surprised to be welcomed – “included” is his term of choice – and “automatically made friends” with members who saw him as a potential leader of the club, that he did not see coming. Ultimately he became vice president and then president.

Montanes blossomed with Barkada as he learned how to “build a village” with the guidance of Truong-Vargas. Along the way he crossed paths with individuals whose own journeys inspired his transformation.

Vice Mayor and Skyline Ethnic Studies Professor Rod Daus-Magbual’s grasp of Philippine history and humility as a teacher and public official amazes him.

He admires Mayor Juslyn Manalo, whom he counts as his personal advocate, for unifying and “mobilizing the city” in the face of Asian hate, and her “personal affection for the neighborhood that raised her,” mirroring his own.

The two officials’ political success has awakened their juniors like himself, he said, to follow in their public service footsteps.

He is grateful to PBRC co-founder “Tita” Perla Ibarrientos for inviting him to be the nonprofit‘s youngest ever board member.

All four mentors “understand that they need to pay it (their success) forward, to nurture the next generation, and to raise the village that raised them,” he said.

He also recognizes the Filipino Mental Health Initiative, a component of San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, and Kapwa Kultural Center founders Stephanie Balon, Christi Morales Kumasawa and youth advisory coordinator Alaina Moguel as “mentors and advocates for my mental health.”

Making his mark

Had George Bernard Shaw met Montanes perhaps the great Irish author would not have been inclined to state his infamous view that “youth is wasted on the young.”

“If we are to promote volunteerism and community service to the youth, we have to give them ownership of the communi-

ty and make them feel that they belong,” the future educator/politico expressed what might be his retort. “To help the next generation recognize themselves as heirs to leadership and community service, they need to be seen as the leaders that they are now.” Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai come to mind.

About a year ago, Montanes took point in calling concerned citizens to gather at a vigil for Daly City resident Frances Kendra Lucero, who was shot dead allegedly by her ex-partner in front of their two children. The community responded vigorously to his impassioned appeal, packing the City Hall of Daly City and PBRC offices to support the Lucero family. Montanes is definitely making a mark as he forges toward his vision to see himself and his contemporaries as “legitimate stakeholders in the boardrooms, the dais and in all positions of power who will provide fresh and new perspectives and cultivate an intergenerational relationship which will only strengthen our community as a whole.” g

LOVI Poe has hit the halfyear mark of wedded bliss.

actress Jaclyn Jose (Mary Jane Guck in real life). Jaclyn became the first Southeast Asian talent to win at the prestigious filmfest for her portrayal of a resilient matriarch in Brillante Mendoza’s “Ma’ Rosa.” She went to Cannes to personally receive her award, accompanied by her daughter Andi Eigenmann.

At the time of her death, Jaclyn was playing prison warden Dolores Espinas in the Coco Martin-led “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”

Her passing was first confirmed in an official statement from Perry Lansigan’s PPL Entertainment, Jaclyn’s talent management company, in the early hours of Monday morning, March 4.

“The Guck and Eigenmann families are requesting for everyone to please pray for the eternal repose of Miss Jaclyn Jose and for them to be allowed the respect and privacy to mourn her passing and navigate these difficult times.”

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, an emotional Andi delivered the family’s official statement, laying to rest speculations surrounding her mother’s shocking demise.

“It’s with great sadness that we announce the untimely passing of my Nanay at the age of 60 on the morning of March 2nd, 2024 due to a myocardial infarction or a heart attack.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has since extended their prayers and condolences to us. As our family is trying to come to terms with this unfortunate incident, please provide us the respect and privacy to grieve and we hope this would put all speculations to rest.

“Just like to say that her undeniable legacy will definitely forever live on through her work, through her children, grandchildren and the many lives she has touched. She herself, her life itself was her greatest obra maestra,” Andi said.

On Sunday, March 3, Jaclyn was reportedly found lifeless by her actress-sister, Veronica Jones, in the former’s home in Quezon City. It was her sister who checked on her when the latter was not responding to calls and text messages for quite some time.

Jaclyn’s two children — Andi and Gwen Garimond Guck — were not with her at the time of her death due to heart attack. Andi was in Siargao, where she is based with her family, while Gwen was in the U.S., where he is studying. Social media was flooded with fond recollection and remembrances of Jaclyn whom they all worked with at one time or another.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines said it mourned the passing of Jaclyn, noting her contributions to Philippine cinema and television for four decades.

Alden Richards, who worked with Jaclyn in such GMA dramas as “Mundo Mo’y Akin,” “Carmela,” “The World Between Us,” wrote: “My heart aches like a son who lost his mom… You will be with me always, I love you my Tita Jane.”

Coco, who was Jaclyn’s costar in several Brillante Mendoza films, including the 2022 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry “Apag,” posted a picture with the late actress on the set of their last film together.

“Isa pang mahalaga sa buhay ko, nawala ka pa,” Coco wrote.

Jaclyn made her big-screen debut in 1984 in William Pascual’s “Chicas,” after which she was cast in director Chito Roño’s “Private Show,” although she earlier shot Lino Brocka’s “White Slavery” but that was shown the following year (1985). When direk Chito was looking for a lead to audition for “Private Show,” written by National Artist for Broadcast and Film Ricky Lee, Jaclyn was highly recommended.

“We scheduled an audition then at New Frontier, which is now Kia Theater,” Ricky told The Philippine STAR. “There was one artist who was scheduled to be there, but didn’t make it. We mentioned to Chito that Jaclyn was highly recommended by Lino after ‘White Slavery.’

“Jaclyn was requested to come for the audition. I remember, pupungas-pungas pa siya when she arrived. Ginising yata siya to go to the audition. She was really young at that time. But she was really good and she got her first lead role in ‘Private Show.’”

After that, Jaclyn and Sir Ricky worked in many other films. She was in Lino Brocka’s “Macho Dancer” (1988), Joel Lamangan’s “The Flor Contemplacion Story” (1995) and “Aishite Imasu Mahal Kita 1941” (2004).

Jaclyn also starred in Ricky’s first theater play, “Pitik-Bulag sa Buwan ng Pebrero” (2009), directed by Joel Lamangan. It was also Jaclyn’s first theater venture.

“She was really nervous at that time, but she turned out to be very good and natural,” Ricky recalled.

Jaclyn also did director Laurice Guillen’s teleplay, “Desaparecidos” (2014), also

written by the National Artist.

“I did many films with Jaclyn,” Ricky proudly said. “She became my friend through the years with our projects together. She was very simple. Hindi siya artista. Taong-tao. Madali mong makasundo.”

When Jaclyn watched her last film with Ricky, Mac Alejandre’s “Call Me Alma,” shown at the Cinemalaya Film Festival last year, she was in tears while watching.

Taong-tao siya,” Ricky said. “She was watching her film at umiiyak pa rin siya at nagre-react siya.”

When Ricky became the president of FAMAS, she got Jaclyn as juror. That was after she won for “Ma’ Rosa” at the Cannes Film Festival.

“She had a keen eye for detail,” he noted. “She remembered the details about what she saw in the movie that we discussed. She had a very sharp eye.”

In 2022, Jaclyn essayed the role of a killer mom for the first time, a real challenge for her, in director Bobby Bonifacio Jr.’s dark, psychological and sexy thriller, “Tahan,” written by Quinn Carillo. The latter coined the title from a mother’s plea to her child.

“It was really difficult,” Jaclyn said then about her role. “I got to take out innards of the guys I kill. Then I throw them away. But my director helped me a lot in every detail of this project.”

Being a killer mom was totally shocking and unbelievable for Jaclyn. “I never thought a mother could do everything I did in this film,” she asserted. The multi-awarded actress found it hard to say “no” when Tahan” was offered to her. As the domineering mother, Nora, Jaclyn didn’t initially have qualms about tragically throwing her daughter into prostitution. Nora went on a killing spree to save her daughter from the latter’s abusive clients.

“You can’t say no to a good project,” Jaclyn insisted. “I believe in the project. Very mysterious. When I talk to new stars, I always tell them, I was once there. I will never terrorize the newcomers.

“The young stars are the next generation who can continue in this industry. We need to make their job easy so they can do well in showbiz. We should be nice to them. They are the future of this industry. They will continue the work. So, let’s not intimidate them.”

Jaclyn agreed that “Tahan” was a mother’s longing for her children. “If you are a mother, you will not stop crying,” she explained. “You can’t stop a mother when she cries.

“When a mother misses her children, you just have to control and keep on loving. A mother cannot stop. She is consistently on the look out. Even when she’s sleeping, you cannot stop a mom when she cries.”

Jaclyn is survived by her son Gwen, daughter Andi, and grandchildren Ellie, Lilo, and Koa.

After tying the knot with film producer and scientist Monty Blencowe in August 2023 at the 350-year-old Cliveden House in England, Lovi updated the press about how married life is so far for her: “It’s great. It’s nice to have someone to rely on. All my life I’ve been so independent. I’ve always had this, as what they call it, a masculine energy, where I basically do everything on my own.

Iba pala yung feeling you have someone you can rely on. I’m still not used to it, but it feels great pala Ang sarap pala ng pakiramdam, uy, may maasahan pala ako na iba , not just myself, who takes care of everything. Oh my God, baka ma -spoil pa ako . He spoils me so much. Baka masyado ako masanay ,” she further told The STAR during an intimate press gathering sometime this week.

After being in a “longdistance relationship” for most of their time as a couple, Lovi has been in the States these past few months now for work and to spend more time with her husband.

“It’s hard for me kasi naninibago ako . Ever since I was 15, I’ve been working. And every day, until this day, work talaga . I know nothing outside of work parang hindi ako sanay na babangon ako na wala akong gagawin, ‘di ako pupunta sa shoot or shooting, yung sunodsunod siya, and thank you God, I’m so grateful,” she said.

“I’m very happy and very lucky that I gotta do what I love, what I’m most passionate about and I call it my job and it doesn’t actually feel that way. So now, me, waking up in the morning, and doing things you’re meant to do and be a wife, is different for me. So naninibago ako to be honest, na gigising ako na, ‘Ano gagawin ko today?’ Oh, I’m gonna cook, I’m gonna do the laundry, oh, my husband is going home every day, it’s brand-new, it’s a great experience and this is life anyway. It’s nice, it’s a great feeling.”

On being a wife, she said, “I’m doing my best and I hope I’m doing a great job. It’s the first few months that we’re actually spending time together. Because after I got married, I flew back here and I started shooting, then when I went to America, nag -film din ako kaagad

“So, basically one full month palang talaga ako na wife, na talagang present and I wanna make sure I’m present you know, that’s why I try to make time and balance talaga .”

On Monty as a husband, Lovi gushed, “He’s great. He’s really amazing, I can’t thank him enough. Because really, with my line of work and how passionate I am with my job, it’s hard to find someone as

understanding as he is, and as supportive as he is. Like, I have my goals and he wants to see me achieve those goals so I’m really, really grateful for that. Sobrang maalaga niya na ‘di ko na kailangan sabihin, andyan na, yung may kusa .”

Lovi found time to meet some press while she was in town for only a week to fulfill some endorsement commitments (SCD Skin Products, Ready Set Glow Cosmetics, Imono) and some personal matters.

Asked where she is going to be based more in the coming months, she said, “To be honest, it’s hard for me to say kasi nga very in between talaga. Parang next month, I’m needed there. The other month, I’m needed here. So parang pabalik-balik talaga , and talagang mindset nalang is everything. Walang jetlag-jetlag for me, and I just make sure that I stay healthy and strong.

“So, in between really. Wherever I’m needed in terms of work and also my husband, which is what I’m trying to do, is to balance everything. I’ll make sure to do my best and excel in every aspect.”

As for her next projects, the long-time talent of Leo Dominguez of LVD Artist Management said that she’s currently focused on doing movies. She just finished filming a Hollywood project, the action-comedy “Bad Man” with Seann William Scott, Johnny Simmons, Rob Riggle, among others.

“I really have to choose what’s going to be worth my time because I’m married now. If there are projects I wanna do, whether international or here, I have to make sure it’s worth my time and energy, and

it makes me happy.”

Due to her schedule, Lovi admitted that they still have to go on a honeymoon.

“We have no plans yet. Ang joke nga niya , when someone asks him, he’s like, when is Lovi going to have time for a honeymoon? Even him, he’s busy as well. But every day for us is like a honeymoon, we celebrate it in such a way that we’re together, we spend time together. It’s all about the little things, it’s not about going on a big trip together, it’s how you spend your life on a day-to-day basis that matters.”

Her ideal honeymoon is relaxing on a beach. Her ideal destination is Maldives or Palawan because Monty has never been there, according to Lovi. “He’s only been to Samal Island and Boracay.”

Lovi was also asked about the best marriage advice she has received so far that has proved beneficial for her nowadays.

She shared, “ Tita Susan Africa, I asked her kasi and she was like, never lose that humor, of that fun, I’ll never forget that. Parang you always have to keep laughing together and that’s something we always have. Of course, we’re husband and wife, but I would also like to say, really, genuinely say that we’re best friends and we really laugh together.”

She added, “For me, I also realized that it’s the most important thing… One of the reasons why I fell in love with Monty was because he made me laugh. Yun pa naman yung No. 1 ko , humor. And laughing. He can make me laugh, oh my gosh! And his brains, everything, he’s great. I am very lucky and blessed to have a husband like him.”

LIZA Soberano just keeps on serving red carpet looks with her latest yellow number at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards held in Japan.

Liza was the presenter during the Best Anime Song, which was won by pop duo Yaosobi for their track "Idol" from the anime "Oshi No Ko."

The actress posted her photo from the event, where she wore a David Koma dress and paired it with Jimmy Choo pumps.

"Congratulations to all of the winners of the @animeawards. official 2024 and thank you so much to @crunchyroll for having me! Can’t wait to be back in Japan," she wrote on Instagram.

Liza graced the red carpet at last month's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. Her SAG outfit was by American designer Pamella Roland from her pre-fall 2024 collection, a black embroidered bodice and a blush Mikado gown with pockets.

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LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel and the Citizen Pinoy team were at Gerry’s Grill in Houston, Texas to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the branch. Gerry’s has become a gathering place for the Filipino American community in Houston, and many organizations meet there to enjoy authentic Filipino cuisine and each other’s company.

Atty. Gurfinkel was one of the special guests of Gerry’s Grill USA General Manager and Operations Director Michael Avancena. It was a chance for some of the diners to ask Citizen Pinoy’s Atty. Gurfinkel their immigration questions.

Ana is a physical therapist and a concert producer, and the proceeds of her concerts are usually donated to worthwhile causes such as Gawad Kalinga.

Sentro Rizal offers masterclass with renowned dance troupe Bayanihan Atty.

Minding Your Finances

THE Philippine Consulate General and Sentro Rizal

San Francisco are pleased to inform Filipino community organizations under its jurisdiction that the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is offering the “Sentro Rizal Virtual Masterclass” on Philippine Folk Dance with the world renowned Bayanihan, the National Dance Company of the Philippines.

The Sentro Rizal Virtual Masterclass is a program that connects internationallyacclaimed Filipino artists with their fellow artists in the diaspora.

The target audience of the Sentro Rizal Virtual Masterclass are folk dance teachers and students, and folk dance enthusiasts with experience in dancing.

Registered participants may learn one of the following Filipino folk dances:

• Pandanggo (male and female partner dance)

• Kini-kini (female-only dance)

• Kappamalong-malong (male and female partner dance)

• Paseo de Iloilo (male and female partner dance)

• Bagobo (male or female dance). This Sentro Rizal Virtual Masterclass will be held on April 11, 18 & 25, 2024 and April 16, 23 & 30, 2024, Philippine (PH) Time, with the following schedule: (see table).

Due to the time difference

between the Philippines and the U.S., the exact timings of each session will be determined once all applications are in. Interested groups are requested to apply with the Consulate by sending an email at cultural@pcgsanfrancisco. org, with their preferred cluster. The deadline for submission of applications is on March 19, 2024 (U.S. Pacific Time). (PCGSF Release)

IRS problems have a way of ruining all aspects of your life. They can take a toll on you financially, emotionally, and physically.

When you owe the IRS, you’re always wondering if today might be the day when the IRS shows up at work, your home or your business; or if today might be the day the IRS decides to levy your bank account or garnish your paycheck.

Recently, the IRS announced that it will resume all collection activities that they paused during the pandemic. What does this mean for you if you owe the IRS? That means you should be getting a collection letter soon. It’s business as usual again at the IRS, and if your account has been in collection for some time, a big portion of your current balance includes penalties and interest.

But how can the IRS expect you to pay all of that when you couldn’t even pay the original amount to begin with? Frankly, the IRS does not care. They want their money and they want it now. And they’ll do everything within their power to get if from you as soon as possible.

This is a heavy load to bear every day! So, what should you do if you are in this situation? Should you continue to live in fear and uncertainty, or do you do something about it now to prevent your tax problems from getting worse? Sooner or later, you will need to face the IRS but by then you could owe a lot more for waiting too long with the added penalties and interest I mentioned above. I don’t think this is what you want, is it?

Worried about IRS tax problems?

The only way to solve your IRS problems is to face them head-on and to have a plan of action. And that’s exactly what people lack –a plan. Unfortunately, instead of acting, people bury their heads in the sand, pretending that their IRS problems don’t exist. This is the wrong approach, and your tax problems will only continue to get worse! Your IRS problems will not resolve themselves. And your tax problems are here to stay for the long haul and will only continue to make your life miserable.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous companies out there who are more interested in taking your hard-earned dollars instead of offering you the solution that you need. Without knowing anything about your situation, they tell you that you can settle your IRS debt “for pennies on the dollar”. While the IRS has such a program that allows forgiveness of tax debt, it is not for everyone. Don’t fall for that scam. The IRS uses a specific formula to determine the least amount it will accept based on your income and assets. It’s called “reasonable collection potential” which involves taking into account the amount you owe, how much you make, the value of your assets, and how much time the IRS has remaining under the collection statute.

Remember that the IRS leaves no stone unturned in trying to collect everything that you owe. I always tell my clients that the IRS is one of the worst creditors that you can have because the government has a lot of weapons in its arsenal to make sure that they get paid.

Some people tend to think that if they just ignore the IRS long enough, at some point the IRS will just somehow forget. Trust me, the IRS never forgets. And

they will keep adding penalties and interest to what you owe until they find you, your money, or your money source. Then it’s payday for the IRS! Believe it or not, even when you retire, the IRS can attack your pension, retirement, and social security check! In other words, you can run but you can’t hide as far as the IRS is concerned.

The good news is that there is a better way to live your life other than hiding from the IRS if you owe them money. You don’t need to be always looking over your shoulder for the IRS, wondering what the government will do to you next. You don’t need to get up every morning with this incredibly large problem on your shoulders.

The laws have changed over the years and there are laws to protect taxpayers. If you have not filed tax returns in years, remember that the IRS will not even talk to you unless you file those returns first to show good faith. So, if that’s your case, this is a good first step in resolving your IRS tax liabilities.

If you need help with your IRS problems, I can help. I will review your case and will help you come up with a realistic plan to get the IRS out of your life once and for all. If you owe the IRS more than $10,000, the consultation is free.. * * *

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. * * *

None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation.  Atty. Ray J. Bulaon has successfully helped over 6,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE  1-866-471-8272.

(Advertising Supplement)

Jericho Rosales wants to work with Kristine Hermosa in ‘Pangako Sa ‘Yo’ movie

JERICHO Rosales revealed that he wants to work again with ex-love team partner Kristine Hermosa for the movie version of the hit ABS-CBN teleserye "Pangako Sa 'Yo."

In his interview with Cosmopolitan Philippines, Jericho said that the show was the game-changer in television during that time.

"I was so proud to be a part of that. It reached so many countries and penetrated different cultures," Jericho said.

"I think a lot of people still love it. There was really magic in the story. I think it marks a special time in the industry, in our culture, in Philippine television," he said.

The actor has talked to his manager about the movie version of the hit series with Kristine.

'I've always said it: I want to work with Kristine because I feel like [it's] some sort of unfinished business when it comes to our run," he said.

"It was the 25th anniversary [of Pangako Sa 'Yo] just recently and I told my manager — because Kristine and I had the same manager before — I was like, 'Hey, how is she? Do you think she's going to be open to working with me?'" Jericho said he wanted the film to take off from the last episode of the series.

"I don't want us to be parents — it's just like, rock and roll lang kasi, you know, last na," he laughed.

Pangako Sa 'Yo" was a hit

teleserye that was also shown in other countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Tanzania and Kenya. It was also adapted into a Cambodian drama titled "The Promise," which ran from 2013 to 2014. ABS-CBN also remade its own drama with the 2015 version starring former love team partners, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.