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Pfizer seeking authorization... PAGE 1 authorization basis, as previously reported in the Asian Journal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 66% of Americans aged 65 or older who are eligible for the booster have received it. Pfizer and BioNTech didn’t indicate whether they’re seeking authorization of a second booster shot for other
age groups. Pfizer spokesperson Jerica Pitts told the Washington Post that the company was “continuing to collect and assess all available data and we’re in continuous, open dialogue with regulators and health authorities to help inform a Covid-19 vaccine strategy as the virus evolves.” According to the Biden
administration, the U.S. only has enough doses of the COVID-19 booster for immunocompromised people to receive the fourth dose. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told the Washington Post last week that the company’s data presently shows that receiving a fourth dose “dramatically” improves protection compared to a third dose.
Fil-Am educator is one of USA TODAY’s ‘Women...
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University of Chicago and an AB in history from Harvard University. Before teaching at the University of Michigan, Borja was Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York. Borja researches and teaches about religion, migration, race, ethnicity, and politics in the United States and the Pacific World, with special attention to how Asian American religious beliefs and practices have developed in the context of pluralism and the modern American state. Politically active in both Ann Arbor and Indianapolis, she is
involved with the local National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) chapter and Faith in Indiana. Her book, Follow the New Way: Hmong Refugee Resettlement Policy and Hmong Religious Change is forthcoming from Harvard University Press, is about how religious communities are involved in refugee resettlement. Borja’s parents left the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship, and became politically active in the United States. Her father served on Michigan’s Asian American Advisory Commission. “They just love voting. They love being involved in making the community better,” she said. Dr. Melissa Borja Photo courtesy of the University of Michigan (Inquirer.net)
An Asian American woman was punched more than 100 times and stomped and spit on during an attack in her Yonkers apartment building on March 11, 2022. The assault was captured on surveillance video and the suspect was charged with a hate crime. Courtesy of Yonkers Police Department
67-year-old Filipina in New York savagely...
PAGE 1 take the necessary precautions following two shoving incidents in Queens that left two elderly Filipino women injured. “We are outraged by this unspeakable act committed against another elderly member of the Filipino community,” Consul General Elmer G. Cato said on social media. “This is the third incident in less than a week where elderly kababayan have become victims of random violence.” “We call on authorities to do more to protect the vulnerable. We remind kababayan to be extra vigilant and to take the necessary precautions, especially in public,” Consul General Cato added. Yonkers officials led by Mayor Mike Spano have condemned the attack. "Hate crimes are beyond intolerable in our city. I applaud our Yonkers Police for swiftly apprehending this violent criminal and removing him from our streets," Mayor Spano said in a statement. "I expect the suspect to be charged to the fullest extent of the law for his heinous actions. I continue to keep the victim and her family in our thoughts and prayers." PFIZER VAX TRANSFER. A forklift loads the pallets of 868,140 doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine into the truck at the NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Yonkers Police Commissioner Monday, March 14. The shipment will be immediately taken to the cold storage facility before distribution. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon John Mueller agreed and called
the hate crime despicable and one of the most appalling attacks he has ever seen. "This defendant must be held to the maximum punishment allowed by law to send a clear message that hateful, violent behavior will not be tolerated in our communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family, that she may make a full recovery." In a tweet, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “Everyone deserves to feel safe in our streets — discrimination, hate, & violence will never be tolerated in New York State. I’m praying that the victim makes a full recovery and have offered assistance from New York State Police to investigate this horrific act.” The suspect, who was identified as Tammel Esco had 14 previous arrests and multiple convictions, was immediately arrested and charged with attempted murder as a hate crime as he was shouting antiAsian slurs while he was beating up the victim. Consul General Cato said the Consulate is in touch with authorities in Yonkers and is also trying to reach the family of the victim. In a statement issued over the weekend, the Consulate
expressed concern over the latest incidents that followed similar assaults against other members of the Asian-American Community since the start of the year. It said that the recent spate of attacks against Filipinos and other Asian Americans— whether triggered by racial bias or mental illness—is a serious concern that must be immediately addressed. On Thursday, March 10, a Filipina in her late 50s, who walks with a cane and suffers from poor eyesight, was injured after she was shoved down the stairs by an unidentified man at the 179th Street Station of the F Train in the neighborhood of Jamaica in Queens. On the same day, a Filipina in her mid-60s was pushed by an unidentified man at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train platform, also in Jamaica, causing her to land on her face and breaking her eyeglasses in the process. She sustained multiple injuries. The Yonkers incident brings to three the number of attacks involving members of the Filipino Community in New York that have been reported to the Consulate this year. There were 23 incidents reported to the Consulate last year.
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In this March 7 handout photo, Deputy Chief of Mission/Consul General Mardomel Celo D. Melicor (in orange shirt) oversees the check in of the group at the Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport. DFA photo
DFA: 370 Filipinos repatriated, evacuated... PAGE 1 • MV Star Laura • MV Bolten Ithaki • MV Marika • MV Bonita • MV Ithaca Prospect • MV Joseph Schulte • MV Puma Meanwhile, 41 land-based workers and 43 seafarers have been evacuated out of Ukraine so far. The Department of Labor and Employment’s International Labor Affairs Bureau and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said during Tuesday’s hearing that they have accounted for 472 Filipino seafarers who have been affected
by the war between Ukraine and Russia. From DOLE-ILAB’s count, it is expecting 30 crew members to arrive in the Philippines tonight, while another 19 are expected to come home by tomorrow. Both have accounted for 27 vessels based in 11 ports. It said 146 Filipino seafarers remain onboard, while 277 have been repatriated and 49 have been evacuated and are awaiting repatriation. "Narinig ko po kanina (I heard) that the DFA has already reported that they already have 286 repatriated and 84 waiting to be repatriated. I guess the discrepancy lies with the receipt
of the report through the local landing agencies through the POEA OFW Welfare Monitoring System, but we are coordinating with them, requesting for regular updating and reports," POEA’s Charity Jacob said. DOLE-ILAB said it has provided assistance for repatriation to Filipino seafarers, transportation, help with food and quarantine facilities, cash assistance of P10,000, educational assistance starting at P20,000, and livelihood assistance worth P20,000. It has also provided stress debriefing services and psychosocial counseling. (Kaycee Valmonte/Philstar.com)
Marcos steers clear of Comelec presidential... PAGE 1 Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquio sent their written confirmation while Faisal Mangondato, Jose Montemayor Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo expressed their commitments verbally. Marcos has been debateaverse since the start of his campaign and has opted out of forums organized by GMA News and another arranged by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas that was aired over 300 member networks and stations. Marcos, son and namesake of
the ousted dictator, also skipped a debate organized by CNN Philippines. He has a forum organized by SMNI — owned by pastor Appolo Quiboloy, who has already endorsed him and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio — but has generally preferred more controlled venues like a media briefing hosted by Trixie CruzAngeles and a panel interview arranged by radio DZRH. In a radio interview on Sunday, Sen. Imee Marcos urged her younger brother to attend
debates and media appearances, so he could have the opportunity to answer criticisms against him. She pointed out that he was already starting to get flak for his media no-shows. "We shall continue with our preferred mode of direct communication with the people and engage them in a more personal face-to-face interaction that discusses real issues that affect them today, tomorrow and in the days to come as this election is all about our collective future," Rodriguez also said in his statement Monday. g
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Marcos, Sara top Pulse Asia... PAGE 1
He was followed by Pacquiao (13 percent), Robredo (12 percent), Lacson (11 percent), Marcos (9 percent), de Guzman and Magondato at 1 percent each, Abella (0.4 percent), and Montemayor and Gonzales at 0.2 percent each. In the vice presidential survey, Duterte-Carpio posted a 29 percent lead over Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd, who had 24 percent. Trailing them were Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan (11 percent), Dr. Willie Ong (6 percent), Buhay party-list Rep. Jose "Lito" Atienza (1 percent), Manny Lopez and former Akbayan party-list representative Walden Bello at 0.1 percent each, and lawyer Carlos Serapio at 0.01 percent. Rizalito David essentially did not receive substantial support from the respondents. The Davao City mayor also took the lead across all subnational areas, with 82 percent in Mindanao, 51 percent in the Visayas, 48 percent in NCR and 41 percent in the rest of Luzon. She was also the top pick of respondents in socioeconomic
class C at 55 percent, class D at 54 percent and class E at 51 percent. Sotto was the top second choice vice presidential preference of 31 percent of the respondents if their preferred first choice for the post quits the race. He was followed by Pangilinan (15 percent), Ong and Duterte-Carpio at 11 percent each, Atienza (5 percent), Lopez (1 percent), Bello and Serapio at 0.1 percent each, and David at 0.05 percent. Pulse Asia conducted faceto-face interviews with 2,400 registered voters who are likely to vote in the May elections. The survey was conducted from February 18 to 23, after the campaign period officially kicked off last February 8. Robredo's spokesman, Barry Gutierrez, said the Pulse Asia survey did not capture the recent "surge" in the support for the vice president. "Recent weeks have seen a snowballing in support for VP Leni, with massive, record[-] breaking rallies from Butuan to Bacolod, Cavite to Isabela, Sampaloc to Malolos. The latest Pulse Asia survey was done
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prior to these game[-]changing developments, and does not yet capture the more recent surge in VP Leni's support," Gutierrez said in a statement on Monday. "With this clear momentum from the people's campaign — reflected both in the massive rallies as well as in online metrics — we are confident that the next 56 days will culminate in an election day victory for Leni Robredo," he said. Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) President and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said on Monday the results of the Pulse Asia survey showed that the UniTeam tandem is headed for a landslide victory. LakasCMD is chaired by DuterteCaprio. "Our candidates have maintained their high marks, less than two months before the May elections. Despite such survey showing, they will keep on campaigning and spreading their message of hope, patriotism and unity," Romualdez said. Raffy Tulfo leads in Pulse Asia's survey for senatorial candidates, broadcaster Tulfo u PAGE 8
California EDD adds 15 languages, expands... PAGE 1
Critically, people may also ask to have an interpreter in any other language, and, according to the terms of the settlement, if an interpreter is not available immediately, one must be provided within five business days. The EDD is also required to form a multilingual access advisory board and to collect data on which languages people are requesting during a two-year compliance period. The complaint was filed by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles on July 20, 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when 1.7 million Californians — 9.2 percent of the state’s workforce — were unemployed. 1.2 million Californians filed unemployment claims that year. That number dropped dramatically in 2021 when just 402,000 Californians filed unemployment claims, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the US Department of Labor. LAFLA filed the claim with California’s Department of Fair
Employment and Housing. Several other civil rights organizations joined the complaint, including: Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, California Rural Legal Assistance, Center for Workers’ Rights, and Legal Aid at Work. The settlement of the complaint was announced Feb. 28. “The Employment Development Department partners with communities across California to provide multilingual information and support,” said EDD Director Nancy Farias in a press statement. “One in five Californians communicate in languages other than English, making it critical that EDD communicates with customers in many languages.” Almost 7 million people in California primarily use one of more than 200 non-English languages. While Spanish is the most common, constituting approximately 64%, roughly 2.4 million residents use languages other than Spanish. Joann Lee, Special Counsel on Language Justice at LAFLA
told EMS in a Feb. 28 interview that the Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the disparities in language access at the EDD. “Although EDD has historically provided some language services, our community members have always encountered some barriers in accessing the benefits and services that they provide. And the main point of entry for many of our linguistically marginalized communities has been through the phones.” “During the height of the pandemic, EDD’s phone lines were extremely busy,” said Lee, noting that the agency was encouraging people to use its web portal where materials were available only in Spanish and English. Many people who did not speak English or Spanish used third party brokers who often turned out to be scammers. The fraudulent representatives set up email accounts in the claimant’s name but would not give them the password to access email from the EDD. u PAGE 8
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OPINION
FEATURES
Double Barrel Finale
WITH the easing of most of the country to COVID Alert Level 1, law enforcement operations have also intensified. The Philippine National Police said the war on drugs is now in its endgame. What this means exactly is raising concern among those who have decried the human rights abuses in the campaign against illegal drugs. Only time will tell if the concerns are valid. The PNP has said operation Tokhang has been dropped and the “finale” version of Double Barrel will instead be pursued in earnest with the lifting of most COVID restrictions. Tokhang is the knocking on doors ostensibly to encourage any drug personality within the premises to register and, if desired, to avail oneself of rehabilitation programs. Suspected pushers are also informed that they are under surveillance and must mend their ways, or risk arrest. Double Barrel Finale is more focused on a holistic approach to the problem, according to the PNP, which also calls it ADORE – for AntiIllegal Drugs Operation through Reinforcement and Education. PNP officials have said the strategy is “reinforcement, rehabilitation, recovery and wellness and reintegration” of the more than 1.2 million drug personalities who surrendered under Tokhang.
According to the police, ADORE is a multisectoral approach to the drug menace that employs the so-called 8E’s: engineering the structure, extraction of information, enforcement, enactment of laws, environment, economics and evaluation. The problem has always been in the enforcement. No country has completely eradicated the drug menace. There’s simply too much money to be made in drug trafficking. Upon assuming power in 2016, President Duterte promised to eradicate the drug scourge in six months. Six years later, with over 6,000 drug personalities killed by police in the drug war, he himself has acknowledged that the scourge is still around – and very much so, as that one-ton shabu haul this week indicates. With enforcement come opportunities for abuse. The PNP must show that there is no cause for concern as it pursues the finale of the war on drugs. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Leni Robredo’s momentum goes full speed and the trapos are in panic mode to stop her The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS PHILIPPINE Vice President Leni Robredo’s momentum strikes like a flashing lightning with roaring thunder, gaining even more strength and velocity as she and her chosen candidate for Vice President Sen. Kiko Pangilinan weave through towns and cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with their caravans and the people’s rallies. Indeed, this is a campaign riding on the wave of our kababayans’ yearning for the truth, for clean, honest government that works for them and they found their hope in Leni and Kiko. True to what Filipinos have been saying on social media, this is more than a campaign — it is a movement propelled by the sense of volunteerism and service inspired by the example of Robredo and Pangilinan. The Leni-Kiko followers took it upon themselves to give everything they have to support the fight of Robredo and Pangilinan for #GobyernongTapat, volunteering their time, their talents, their own hard-earned money in the truest sense of the Filipino Bayanihan spirit to wake up and mobilize the silent majority wherever they go. Every stop of the caravan offered the experience of sharing their
Commentary
MARLEN RONQUILLO THE Russian invasion of Ukraine, a horrific war with no end in sight, has led much of the world to a so-called Great Rethink. For example Europe — which is heavily dependent on heating gas from Russia — is now taking steps to wean the continent from too much dependence on Russia gas. The plan is to reduce in the near future gas imports from Russia by 80 percent. And with winter almost over, they have several months to prepare for the drastic reduction of Russian gas imports. The plan also involves sourcing gas from less toxic sources from within the continent if possible. Or using other energy resources, like coal, on a short-term basis but with big shifts to clean energy after that. Russia's aggression has turned off one of its major gas markets, and Europe wants to end its dependence on Russian gas for good. The transition to an economy less dependent on fossil fuel is
collective goal for the Philippines and the Filipino people with a “Fiesta” vibe in it, with songs and dances of artists who have come to share their talents to the people in this movement for free, with chants and cheering, with the tender and funny moments of Leni reading the placards created by the people themselves expressing their support for Leni and Kiko, funny jokes and “hugot” emotional shout-out, including the call for hugs they long to get from a mother. Lights and fireworks, banderitas, waving pink hearts all frame Leni and Kiko and their candidates for Senator on stage, as they deliver their vision, campaign promises, and platform to make these vision become their new reality. There has been a feeling of “Olympics style” friendly competition among different towns and cities on how they would create their own “peoples’ Rally, but the truth is — each new town/city stands on the shoulders of past towns/cities to make the movement stronger. Other people describe it like the relay and the batton is passed from one to another until we reach the Finish Line. The Leni-Kiko crowds sweep beyond capacity, attended by 40,000 to more than 70,000 people, breaking barriers in areas already marked as Marcos/ Duterte territories, including those where other Presidential candidates come from — Bongbong’s “Solid North,” Isko
Moreno’s Manila, Ping Lacson’s Cavite, and Pacquiao’s Gensan. While the one-month delayed surveys still show a Bongbong Marcos lead, the people’s investing themselves in the Leni-Kiko movement reveal what numbers in survey would not show: voter enthusiasm for their candidates, rooted in trust in their leadership by example. These are breathing, thinking, feeling people whose spirits are roaring like Tigers, ready, willing and able to fight head on roadblocks along their way to victory. THIS is what is scaring the Trapos who want to keep the status quo the most. Since the support for the Leni-Kiko campaign has reached a tipping point, these network of public officials have banded even more together and have launched even more attacks against Leni and Kiko, picking up from Dictators’ playbook. These questions beg some real answers for people to think about: On cue, why did they bring out the concerted “communist” scare card, with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself red tagging, irresponsibly using the Office of the President for his claims. In an interview with his Pastor Apollo Quiboloy — Duterte’s “spiritual adviser”/ Kingdom of Jesus Christ pastor who calls himself the anointed son of God/ SMNI news media network chief acting as Duterte/Marcos propaganda tool and one of
When will we ever learn?
baked into the climate change and energy development programs of the Biden administration. As such, drilling for new oil fields has been stalled by such planned transitioning to energy sources other than oil. Now, the Biden administration may have to pause its squeeze on new drilling and allow the drilling permits already approved to do their thing. The oil imports of the US from Russia are insignificant. But still, there are preparations to offset that insignificant import volume. Republican Party leaders, who are mostly for more oil drilling and exploration, are pushing the Biden administration into intensified domestic oil production. Shell, the global oil giant, recently issued an apology for buying the deeply discounted Russian oil shunned by the global market. It is now souring from less toxic sources. The nations in North Africa and the Middle East heavily dependent on Ukrainian wheat are also looking at Plan B, as the critical seaports needed for the shipment of Ukraine's wheat to those areas are now in peril.
Nations that are dependent on Russian-Ukraine corn for their animal feed production, are likewise crafting their Plan B. The two, before February 24, supplied 25 percent of the world's yellow corn requirement. Agricultural producing nations are easing their heavy dependence on Russian fertilizer. Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the pandemic-induced gridlocked supply chains and the inflationary effects of delayed goods and jammed seaports, had already led to a serious questioning of the traditional manner of moving goods and critical commodities into nations that need them and on schedule. Which was — and still is — to source these goods and commodities from the efficient suppliers that can deliver and sell them cheap and on time. This is the efficiency doctrine. The jammed ports and delayed deliveries and shipments — plus the inflationary effect of such — have led progressive economists to question the tenability of the efficiency doctrine. The free market zealots say the warts on the efficiency doctrine are merely
the FBI’s most wanted fugitive, Duterte said on SMNI that there might not be a clean and orderly election in May because he claimed to have received intelligence reports that the Leni campaign and the “Dilawan” have been working with the NPA/ NDF to disrupt the elections. This accusation was denied by the Leni campaign and the NPA/ NDF. Where are the details, Mr. President? What are your proofs? Why are you using your bully pulpit to fabricate these lies for fear mongering? You know many deranged people have used this kind of accusations to put the law in their hands and kill people! Some members of the PNP, presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson, and the supporters of Marcos and Duterte also used the red tagging card and their followers even produced malicious videos full of falsehoods and disinformation to connect Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan to the NPAs. Why are political dynasties and Trapos like the Remullas of Cavite doubling down on malicious projection of their own dirty political tactics to the Robredo Campaign, downplaying the size of the crowd, and accusing their own constituents of corruption, alleging that they are in the rallies because they got paid by the Robredo campaign? We have seen videos on social of these violations of the Omnibus Election Code on vote buying and hakot, in different places and they were all coming
from the Marcos campaign, not from the Robredo movement! Why did these Trapos even connive with their friends and cronies to cancel bus service to people attending the Leni rallies, even orchestrating to have road and bridge work at the time of the rally that caused traffic congestion? To deter people from attending the event? Lo and behold, they learned that these supporters were on fire, and nothing could stop them. People walked to the venue while Leni rode and “angkas” ” a motorcycle to get to the rally on time. “Kung gusto, may paraan. Kung yaw, marrying dahilan” - like Bongbong and Sara declaring they would not join any Comelec-sponsored debates! Why did Comelec print out 66M ballots or 98% of all ballots as people have been talking about on social media. These were printed in violation of Sec. 15 of RA 9369 and Sec. 187 of the Omnibus Election Code. These laws require presence of observers for transparency and accountability. Commissioner Marlon Casquejo disallowed the presence of observers citing Covid ( alert 2) as reason, but this is no excuse to follow the law! With complaints from different sectors on this, the Senate under Imee Marcos who is Chair of the Committee on Electoral Peoples participation, held a hearing but no action was made to nullify the illegally printed ballots. Why did Comelec sign the
P353-M contract to transport ballots and election materials with F2 Logistics, owned by President Duterte’s Davao based favorite crony Dennis Uy? Why did President Duterte appoint election lawyer George Garcia to be Comelec Commissioner when he was Bongbong Marcos’ lawyer during his electoral protest in his failed Vice Presidential bid in 2016? Why are all these allowed to happen during the time when the people need to have faith and trust in the election system for a peaceful and orderly transfer of power to the next administration? How could they even perform their solemn duty to protect the integrity of the elections and honor the will of the Filipino people? What is driving them to desperately stop the Leni momentum? ***
temporary. The progressive economists want the world to move to a new paradigm — resilience. This means stepped-up domestic production and the building of buffer stocks and reserves, in case a war of aggression (which indeed happened) or an epic calamity (which indeed happened via COVID-19) tightens or disrupts the seamless supply and movement of critical goods. Those arguing for resilience instead of efficiency have found the compelling backdrop (the disrupted supply chains and Russia's war on Ukraine) to prop up their proposition. OK, which part of the globe is unmoved, unfazed and unbothered by such Great Rethink and the raging debate between the proponents of efficiency and the proponents of resilience? As if no disruptive and epic events are currently roiling the broader world? Your guess is right. Our sad sack of a country. As they often say, Only in the Philippines. The business news that came out of a recent meeting of the country's economic managers — the meeting was on how to cushion the impact of rising commodity prices — was along the lines of the broken record sung by the Duterte economic
managers for the past several years. The headline of the business news report said it all: "Amid rising global prices, govt urged to cut tariffs, import more." Expletives cannot see print, but that was the only logical reaction to the policy response of our sad sack of a country to critical shortages. But many cannot help asking this question. Is doubling down on cutting tariffs and allowing more importation, which even one who flunked his Economics 101 can prescribe in a minute and without much thinking, the only way out of current supply gaps and price surges? It was supposed to be an ad hoc policy prescription when it started with reckless rice imports via the rice Tariff Law and the end of the QR on rice. But no. The ad hoc policy became the feckless way out of shortages and price surges. The same import-pa-more via tariff cuts policy prescription was applied on pork after the African swine fever ravaged much of the thriving hog farms in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. Then, it was applied on fish. Then sugar. On top of the extra-liberal import rules, has been the smuggling of fruits and vegetables
and other critical food items. The classic toxic pile-up of reckless importation and commodity smuggling. The global disruptions on trade have clearly pushed our economic minds deeper into the rabbit hole of ruinous orthodoxy, unmindful that there are intense debates and new economic paradigms being carved out of the disruptions done by COVID-19 and Russia's war on Ukraine. The epic events that have been roiling and disrupting the old paradigms and pushing the world to think creatively and freshly on how to deal with these disruptions. While much of the world is adjusting to these supply shocks with forward-looking responses, we still stuck to cutting tariffs and recklessly importing for national survival. And tragically, anchoring our national food security policy on tariff cuts and importations. Even wars and pandemics seem to have no impact on the way we make policy. When will we ever learn? (ManilaTimes.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.
*** 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
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As PH reopens borders, Immigration ‘Plot’ to disrupt polls alarms Duterte renews warning vs online love scams by KRISTINA
AND
MANILA — As the country reopens its borders to foreign nationals, the Bureau of Immigration warned the public not to fall victim to online “love scams.” Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente reiterated the bureau’s warning against a syndicate that targets Filipinos seeking biracial relationships. “With the re-opening of our borders to foreign tourists comes the return of the love scam,” he added. The BI chief said the syndicate usually meets victims online and they will promise them international travels and small gifts, and then would say they are coming to the Philippines for marriage. But upon arrival to the country, the scammer would claim he
is being held by immigration authorities or other government agencies. Morente added: “The scammer then will dupe his victim in depositing large sums of money in exchange for his freedom.” The government on February 10 allowed foreigners from visafree countries to enter the country for business and leisure purposes, after nearly two years of borders closure due to the pandemic. Modus The bureau said one victim requested about his partner who was allegedly being held at the Davao International airport. The victim showed screenshots of messages supposedly from Morente who was demanding payment in exchange for the release of the person. The scammer also told the
victim he was held at immigration counters for holding large sums of money in his hand-carry bag. But Morente said that no foreign national has arrived in Davao He also explained: “It is not within our jurisdiction to check bags of arriving passengers. We are concerned with the person and their documents, and not his luggage.” The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. also reminded the public “to be cautious and verify identities of people while engaging them through online platforms.” “[K]ababayans must be war when giving financial and personal information, especially when they are not in a position to vet the identity of the other party,” the embassy added. (Kristine Joy Patag/Philstar.com)
‘Nothing is impossible’ says Hidilyn Diaz after third PSA Athlete of Year plum by MARK
GIONGCO Inquirer.net
MANILA — Dreams do come true. Hidilyn Diaz could attest to it. Diaz had only dreamed of being at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night before. On Monday, March 14, Diaz recalled that moment after receiving her third Athlete of the Year award at the PSA Awards Night at Diamond Hotel. “Naaala ko noon pangarap ko lang na makapunta dito sa PSA Awards. Nakikita ko sina Ate Marestella Torres (long jumper and former PSA Athlete of the Year Awardee). Little did I know, pangatlo ko na ngayon. Wala talagang impossible ‘no?” Diaz said during her speech. (It was only a dream of mine to be at the PSA Awards. I remember seeing Marestella Torres. Little did It know, I will win my third Athlete of the Year award. Nothing is really impossible.) Diaz was named Athlete of the Year for delivering the Philippines’ breakthrough Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games last year. The 31-year-old Diaz’s humble beginnings as an aspiring
Hidilyn Diaz, the country’s first Olympic gold medalist, receives her Athlete of the Year award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association. Inquirer.net photo by Andy Santos
weightlifter led to a realization that anything is possible. “Ibig sabihin lang ito na walang imposible at kaya nating mga Pilipino na manalo ulit ng ginto sa Olympics. Kung nagawa ko, kaya ng iba pang Filipino athletes,” stressed Diaz, who finally won the gold in her fourth Olympic stint. (This just means that nothing is impossible and Filipinos are capable of winning the gold medal in the Olympics again. If I can do it, so can other Filipino athletes.) “Sabi nila dati napakataas kong
mangarap. Bakit hindi?. Isa kaya na magandang bagay na libreng gawin ang mangarap. Kaya kung ikaw at tayong lahat patuloy lang mangarap.” (They said before that I have such high ambitions. Why not? One of the best things to do that are free is to dream.) The pride of Zamboanga City also won Athlete of the Year in 2017 for her silver medal feat in the Rio Olympics and again in 2019 for delivering the gold in the Asian Games. “Hindi pwedeng walang pagsubok kasi yon ang nagpapatibay sa atin. Okay lang ilang beses magkamali, ilang beses na matalo. Ang mahalaga ay natututo tayo at makabangon. Kayang-kaya natin ito na mas marami pang Pilipino na mananalo sa Olympics at makakuha ng ginto,” she said. (There will always be challenges because these are what make us tougher. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make and how many times you lose. What’s important is we learn to rise again. We can do it that more Filipinos will win in the Olympics and get the gold.)
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is concerned over what he claims is a plot by communist sympathizers and a political group to disrupt the May elections. The President said he received intelligence reports that the insurgents and the group, which he identified only as "dilawan" or the "yellows," are closely following developments leading to the elections. "They are watching for that kind of situation. They might be... Iyon ang sinabi ko na puwedeng manggulo kasi (that's what I said that they may start chaos because) they have these working relations now with the dilawan and the election is the objective really," Duterte said in a televised one-onone with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy over the weekend. The President has said he has "reservations" about endorsing presidential candidates, particularly someone "influenced" by communist ideology. Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo, who is running for president, is being backed by the Makabayan bloc, tagged by military officials as a front for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Robredo has been the target of text blasts implicating her association with CPP founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison. The texts insinuate that Robredo has agreed to form a coalition government with the CPP, its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF) should she win. Robredo's rival, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, has also warned about the possible "communist infiltration" of her campaign. The vice president has denied the allegations. This is not the first time Robredo and her camp have been accused of forging ties with the Left. In 2018, National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. revealed what he said was a communist-led conspiracy to overthrow the Duterte administration. Esperon said the Liberal Party, chaired by Robredo, may have "wittingly or unwittingly" placed
itself in the middle because of its affiliation with Tindig Pilipinas, a cause-oriented group that has repeatedly called for an end to human rights abuses by the Duterte administration. Philippine National Police chief Gen. Dionardo Bernardo Carlos said he will comply with the President's directive to look into reports that communists have infiltrated the Robredo campaign. Last week, Lacson said personalities from communist fronts were present during the rally of Robredo and her running mate, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, in General Trias, Cavite, which organizers said drew a crowd of 47,000. On Sunday, Robredo denounced fake-news peddlers who were behind the text blasts. Her spokesman, Barry Gutierrez, said in a statement the "blatant and persistent" redtagging of Robredo is a sign that her rivals are resorting to fearmongering to dampen the energy of her campaign. Lacson said in a statement the information he got from intelligence sources dovetailed with the claims of Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz, who admitted to be a former NPA cadre. Celiz, who has been disowned by the NPA, confirmed that members of the CPP and its fronts were at the General Trias rally. In a press conference in Parañaque City, Lacson said he is not sure if Robredo is aware that her camp has been infiltrated by communist groups. Robredo said in her Facebook she will never support armed conflict to solve the country's problems. The text blasts quoted Robredo as saying that Sison deserved to be called a hero and that he will be able to come home from his exile abroad if she becomes president. Another text alleged that the CPP and the NPA support Robredo's presidential bid. In a recent tweet, however, Sison hailed labor leader Leodegario "Ka Leody" de Guzman as a "principled and courageous political leader" and the "best" among the presidential candidates. On Monday, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesman Lorraine Marie Badoy echoed the claim that Robredo's camp has struck a deal
with communist groups. Robredo "should stop insulting the intelligence of the Filipino people by pretending they have not made a pact with the devil, the communist terrorist CPPNPA-NDF," Badoy said in a statement. She said Sison's official endorsement of the vice president on Twitter "is proof positive that this marriage made in the bowels of hell has been consummated." Badoy further said Robredo "shares the stage with CPP-NPANDF operative Neri Colmenares" and that CPP officials were at the General Trias rally. She mentioned "former Kabataan representative Raymond "Mong" Palatino, now head of the Regional Party Committee of the CPP Metro Manila Regional Party Committee; Obet de Castro, National United Front Committee of the CPP and urban infiltrator of the Movement Against Tyranny; Axel Pinpin of the Regional Urban Party Committee using the mask of KMP/Anakpawis Coordinator" as among those who helped mobilized the crowds for the rally.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY IFB NO. SP577-22 DESIGNATED OPERATOR INSPECTION OF FUELING FACILITIES The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) is seeking Bids for a Designated Operator Inspection of Fueling Facilities. Bid documents may be downloaded at SCRRA’s website at http:// metrolinktrains.com/contracts/ Select Vendor Portal. Electronic Bids are due at 2:00 P.M. (PT) on April 7, 2022. For further information contact: Carlos Delgado, Contract Administrator, at delgadoc@ scrra.net 3/16/22 CNS-3562430# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)
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California EDD adds 15 languages, expands... PAGE 5
Many fraudsters demanded payment every time they had to confirm something or certify benefits, said Lee, noting that scammers also demanded a portion of each payment once it came through. Benefits were issued via Bank of America debit cards, which brought with them additional possibilities for fraud, she said. The EDD must also update its “antiquated” systems for data collection, said Lee, noting that part of the delays during the pandemic were old systems incapable of processing the increased flow of data. Winifred Kao, Senior Counsel for Impact Litigation at the Asian Law Caucus told EMS that during the pandemic, ALC and other organizations were fielding an unprecedented volume of inquiries and requests for assistance with EDD. Kids were helping their parents navigate the complex system online.
“It really just exposed what a tremendous barrier these issues were. What struck me during the pandemic was a lot of coverage about the problems at EDD,” said Kao, referring to huge backlogs and delay in receiving payments and a lack of communication from the agency. “But for our clients, all those issues were 10 times worse because of language access, which just overlaid every single problem you were hearing about with EDD,” said Kao, who also leads the ALC’s workers’ rights program. “We were encouraged that new leadership at EDD recognized the dire situation for so many of our client communities, and the urgent need to address these problems.” Kao shared the story of two women who are Arabic speakers, who were not able to communicate with EDD and not able to read the agency’s
materials on how to apply for benefits. So they ended up turning to a broker who promised to help them apply and secure benefits and then kept the benefits for himself. The women are now worried about over-payments and the tax consequences of fraud. “That problem certainly wouldn’t have been the same if the clients could have communicated with EDD directly or applied just on their own, as English speakers do,” said Kao. “The benefits were talking about here are critical safety net benefits that community members are entitled to, and that they need to be able to support their families during crisis,” said Lee. She added that language barriers prevented thousands of people who were eligible for unemployment benefits from applying, because they did not know they were entitled to receive them. (Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services)
Marcos, Sara top Pulse Asia... PAGE 5
kept his lead at 67 percent. Trailing him were Antique Rep. Lorna Regina "Loren" Legarda (59 percent), former Public Works and Highways secretary Mark Villar (56 percent), Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (55 percent), Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (51 percent) and Sorsogon Gov. Francis "Chiz" Escudero (50 percent). Rounding up the list were actor Robin Padilla (47 percent), former vice president Jejomar "Jojo" Binay (46 percent), Sen. Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian (45 percent), Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva (42 percent), former senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estada (39 percent), former Quezon City mayor Herbert "Bistek" Bautista (33 percent), Sen. Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros (32 percent) and former senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito (32 percent). At the 15th to 24th positions were Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon (27 percent), former Information and Communications Technology secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan 2nd (27 percent), former Interior and Local Government secretary Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro (20 percent), former Palace spokesman
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Herminio "Harry" Roque Jr. (20 percent), former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th (17 percent), former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar (16 percent), Human Rights Advocate lawyer Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno (12 percent), former Commission on Filipinos Overseas executive director Astravel Pimentel (12 percent), Sen. Leila de Lima (11 percent) and lawyer Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon (11 percent). Pulse Asia said there were nine party-list groups that surpassed the 2-percent voter preference threshold needed to secure at least one seat in Congress. These were ACT-CIS with 8 percent; Ako Bicol with 6 percent; Senior Citizens partylist with 6 percent; Malasakit@ Bayanihan at 5 percent; 4Ps at 5 percent; An Waray at 3 percent; Uswag Ilonggo at 3 percent; Gabriela at 2 percent; and AGAP at 2 percent. Only 83 percent of survey respondents expressed support for a party-list group among 177 participating groups for the 2022 polls. Kilusang Bagong LipunanParañaque chairman Florencio "Jun" Bernabe Jr. vowed to fully support the UniTeam slate.
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"We are the longest ally of the Marcoses here in Parañaque. Loyal kami sa mga Marcos, hanggang may Marcos na tumatakbo nand'yan kami (We are loyal to the Marcoses, as long as there is a Marcos running, we'll be there)," Bernabe said during a gathering of members of KBL, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Muslim Alliance for BBM-Sara in Parañaque City recently. In Cauayan, Isabela, where he is campaigning, Lacson claimed that the camp of Robredo has sent feelers for him to back out of the presidential race. Lacson is Partido Reporma's standard-bearer, while Robredo is running as an independent. "Pino-project nila na dalawa lang sila magkalaban (They were trying to project that only the two of them were the competitors [to the presidency]," Lacson said in a press conference. Asked if Robredo herself asked him to withdraw, Lacson said it was an emissary which he refused to name. Sotto, Lacson's running mate, described as plain "rumors" reports that he and Lacson would drop out of the race. g
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Getting to know Robert Alonzo, stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director of ‘The Batman’ Fil-Am stunt coordinator Alonzo trained Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz for the film
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by MOMAR
G. VISAYA / AJPress
ITH nearly 30 years of stunt design experience, Filipino American Robert Alonzo is adding this week’s box-office hit The Batman into his extensive international resume.
started talking about the project and what he would want to see from this project. Alonzo pitched in his ideas as well. Looking back, he says that the meeting had “an instant like chemistry in regards to creative collaboration.” He told Reeves that he gravitates towards “designing action sequences that are so raw and gritty and real and based on the actual physics that we as humans can understand.” And that’s exactly what he Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz lead the cast of The Batman. Both stars underwent weeks- did when he trained the cast led by Robert Pattinson and Zoe long training with Fil-Am Robert Alonzo, the film’s supervising stunt coordinator. Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Kravitz. “My process pretty much incorporates Filipino Martial Arts stays the same from movie to action filmmaking. movie, project to project. But in his thought process when he In our recent conversation, designs Hollywood blockbusters’ you know, what I do is delve the 51-year-old martial artist deep into the study of the actual action-packed fight scenes. talked about his Filipino character, just like what Rob and The Batman background and how he Zoe have done,” Alonzo told Alonzo’s journey to the Asian Journal. “What I love becoming the Supervising Stunt to do is do grounded, raw, real Coordinator and Second Unit emotional-based action.” Director for The Batman began Reactive Training with a call from Dylan Clark, who Alonzo said he did a he had worked with previously on Oblivion starring Tom Cruise, lot of reactive training with the characters “so that they where he also had the dual don’t get used to doing roles handling stunts and as unit choreography.” director. “I kind of focused more Clark called him without telling him what the project was. on reactive training - with Rob Alonzo told the Asian Journal that he prefers giving the actors reactive training rather Then they got on the phone with Pattinson I did some Filipino Martial Arts like Eskrima Kali, and director Matt Reeves and he than actual choreography to make the action sequences more real and organic. He has accumulated over 200 credits in television, commercials, music videos, and film and his broad work in front of and behind the camera includes training the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Tom Cruise, Mark Walberg, Jeremy Renner, and Jake Gyllenhaal just to name a few. With The Batman, we are adding Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz to this growing list. Alonzo is a multi-hyphenate talent in Hollywood. He is a fight choreographer, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, occasional actor, and 2nd unit director in films such as Oblivion, Tomorrowland, Deadpool, Bright, Braven, Lethal Weapon, and Ad Astra. He also worked closely with Disney’s Pixar film Incredibles 2, to formulate and capture the physics of live-
Robert Alonzo
AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya
Arnis, Penjak Silat drills, some Muay Thai, also some boxing and kickboxing and with Zoe, I focused a lot on Taekwondo and Hapkido,” he said. This means that for Bruce Wayne’s character as The Batman, they trained Pattinson and used more hammer fists, elbows, and knees, while also drilling with sticks that would later enable him not only to improve his reaction time in closer pockets of engagement but also to pick up anything and use it as a weapon.
He explained that he likes to train this way and he doesn’t show them any choreography until two or three weeks before they shoot primarily because he doesn’t want them to get used to doing the same thing over and over and over the same way. “You don’t want to say dialogue because then it’s anticipatory, and you’re not really feeling the moment so I hone in on reactive training,” he shared. Through reactive training, Continued on Page 10
entertainment Getting to know Robert...
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From Page 9 they’re able to learn how to fight in a particular style, so that they’re always looking at center mass or knowing how to stand and how to close or open their center line when they need to, and knowing how to change ranges. “It’s not necessarily about learning the choreography but so that they understand their own spatial awareness. And also so when they’re doing an offensive or defensive position, or neutral position, they can understand what the options are in the positive and negative effects of each position so that they’re actually using their mind to see what options there are,” Alonzo added. Alonzo sounded like a proud mentor when he shared that he was Zoe’s taekwondo teacher when she was only seven years old. “Yeah, it was such a great experience working with her on this. I mean, I’ve known her for so long and I always have an affinity… to have my students succeed in whatever shape or form and whatever age they are,” he said. “She was really good and was so driven and focused, even at such a young age, when I noticed a lot of kids were so easily distracted.” Alonzo’s Journey Alonzo was born in Manila and moved to the States with his family when he was 10 days old. “The first five years of my life, I think we lived in San
Francisco close to Daly City, where I believe there’s a big Filipino community,” he recalled. “The family moved down to LA five years after that.” His mom Julieta was from Tarlac while his Dad Dionisio was from Cagayan. “Unfortunately though, my brother and I were never taught to speak in Tagalog or Ilocano. One thing I wished I would have learned growing up,” he lamented. He started training in martial when he was around eight or nine. He got into Filipino Martial Arts when he was 16 years old, adding to his growing arsenal of skills. He made it a point to be trained in different styles including Capoeira, Jujitsu, Judo, and Wing Chun because all he wanted to do when he was younger (before he got into showbusiness) was to have his own school as a martial arts instructor. “I love it. I train all the time in various styles because I think the more styles you have as a martial artist, it’s like a painter. If you only have three colors, obviously you can have the colors you should have all the primaries. But if you have more colors on your palette, you can create much more definitive paintings and, you know, visual pieces,” he said. Another thing he wishes he could have done more was visit his parents’ homeland, responding to our question
on the last time he was in the Philippines. “Oh, man when I was 14, it’s been a long time,” he exclaimed. “So I’m hoping that I would be able to go back at some point.” He shared a story where he had an opportunity to potentially work there, for The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner. “He asked me, he’s like ‘Man, I would love for you to come work on this with me,’” Alonzo recalled. “My schedule didn’t allow me to accept the offer because I was already locked in to do a film called Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise. Alonzo said that he and Renner have become good buddies after they trained together for Mission Impossible. He said he gave the same approach and Renner loved the training he got that they trained when they were traveling and whenever there was an opportunity. “You know, I don’t deal with choreography. I like to teach or train actors how to fight in their particular style because I kind of draw from different styles according to who their character is, and that’s how their character is shaped physically,” he said. The reactive training has paid off and using Renner as an example, he said other actors should continue this kind of training even after their films. “I mean, now he’s so wellversed and can do a lot of his own action,” he said. “He constantly wanted to train and it shows because looking now, in any of his fight sequences, that’s him doing it.” Nowadays, Alonzo lives where he works and says he’s all over the place. “So I still live in LA but I also live and work in London. I’m currently in Italy right now. So I’m kind of wherever the work is. That’s where I lay my head. But you know, I will always be an Angeleno. I’m a huge Laker fan, huge Dodgers, and huge Rams fan,” he said. “I will always have Alonzo boasts of an impressive resume when it comes to Hollywood films and working my roots there. But you know, I with superstars like Tom Cruise. For Robert Pattinson, Alonzo designed a training that love traveling, and I love London as well, too.” included Filipino Martial Arts like eskrima, kali, and arnis.
Lynda Johnson (center) is surrounded by her ardent supporters during her “Meet & Greet” campaign at Shadow Park Cerritos. Seated with her on her left are Lakewood Councilmember Fil-Am Ariel Pe, Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Chuong Vo and ABC School Board Member Soo Yoo on her right. Standing wearing Lynda Johnson T-shirt is Rene Trevino. Contributed photo
Lynda Johnson gains key supporters as candidate for Cerritos City Council
Cerritos, CA — With her vast and glowing experiences as paralegal and field deputy of Los Angeles County’s two branches of services, Lynda Johnson may yet be the first Filipina American woman to break the glass ceiling as councilwoman of the City of Cerritos. Election day is April 12, 2022. Tangible signs are pointing to that direction as Democrats, Republicans and Independents and from the cross section of the community, showed their support during her official kick off campaign and subsequent meet and greet and subsequent rallies. Over 80 people were in attendance to support Lynda during kickoff event including speakers L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Chuong Vo, Cerritos Councilmember Naresh Solanki, Cerritos Councilmember Bruce Barrows and former Artesia Mayor Rene Trevino. All spoke in earnest in support of Lynda for the Cerritos City Council who has the widest experiences in constituent engagement. During her Meet and Greet at Shadow Park in Cerritos, Fil-Am Councilman Ariel Pe of nearby Lakewood, Cerritos Mayor Pro Tem Chuong Vo and ABC Unified School District President Soo Yoo led the batteries of speakers extolling Lynda Johnson’s readiness to be the next councilwoman of Cerritos. Lynda has lived in Cerritos since 1971. Her father, Samuel Johnson, was born in Manila, Philippines and her mother Delia Provido Johnson is from
Jaro, Iloilo. Samuel Johnson served in the United States Navy and retired as Chief Petty Officer, Lynda’s youngest child is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, commissioned as a Marine officer and achieved the rank of captain in the United States Marine Corps. The first woman Fil-Am candidate for the Cerritos City Council was a parent volunteer at her children’s elementary schools. Lynda coached basketball and T-Ball through the City Council Parks and Recreation sports programs. She also served as a threeterm Cerritos High School PTSA President and six years as an ABC Unified School Board member where she ensured that the district had a balanced budget and were fiscally prudent. Professionally, Lynda has served Los Angeles County for 35 years which includes 20 years as a Paralegal with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office where she testified as an expert witness for special allegations and sentencing enhancements on felony trials. In the last five years, she served as the Field Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn serving six cities including the City of Cerritos. In this capacity, she worked closely with the management at both the Los Cerritos Shopping Center and the Cerritos Auto Square, to ensure that they remained open during the pandemic to protect the city’s revenue stream. As L.A. County Field Deputy, Ms. Johnson has assisted many constituents of her former boss L.A. County
Supervisor Janice Hahn and “got things done without much fanfare and braggadocio,” chorused by those she had helped. Currently, Lynda Johnson is the Field Deputy to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, overseeing the 10 million residents of L.A. County. She maintains a satellite office out of the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station. “Public safety is my top priority for Cerritos City and I’m in a position to ensure our concerns are heard. I share the same passion with the County Sheriff,” she enthused in an interview. Lynda is the only candidate endorsed by Sheriff Alex Villanueva and three current Cerritos Councilmembers, who all spoke at her kickoff campaign. She also has endorsement of four former Cerritos Mayors: Carol Chen, George Ray, Barry Rabbitt and Dan Wong, former Assemblywoman Sally Havice, ABC School Board members Brad Beach and Michael Eugenio, Lakewood Council Members Steve Croft, Todd Rogers, and Fil-Am Ariel Pe, Lomita Council Member Mark Waronek and Paramount Council Member Vilma CuellarStalings. Lynda has also gained support from surrounding cities in the Gateway Region: Bellflower Fil-Am Mayor Pro Tem Sonny Santa Ines as well as Council Members Ray Hamada and Victor Sanchez, Artesia Council Member and former Mayor Tony Lima. Information on Lynda Johnson can be found at www. vote4lynda.com. She can be reached at vote4lynda@gmail. com or at 310-650-6159.
Proximity of Las Vegas, a boon to Pahrump real estate buyers WHETHER you are buying real estate in Pahrump as an investment or as a place to live in or have a vacation home, its proximity to Las Vegas is a distinct advantage. Located about 62 miles west of Las Vegas, it is only about a 45- to 55- minute drive for those who want to take advantage of the living in an area that does not present the big headaches of big city living, which includes traffic, crime, and higher rents/ mortgages. Besides, you can enjoy all the things that Las Vegas has to offer, which has become an entertainment capital, aside, of course, from its traditional gambling reputation. Let’s take a closer, quick look at Las Vegas. According to Wikipedia, stablished in 1905, Las Vegas initially attracted farmers, mostly from the Utah area, and was a designated water stop for wagon trains – and later railroads – between Los Angeles and other areas. Las Vegas is the Spanish name for meadows or what can be termed as “fertile plains.” Clark County, which is the county where Las Vegas was incorporated in around 1911, was established in 1909. The city has undergone its ups and downs, and has experienced several booms and transformations from its humble beginnings. The first boom took place with the construction and completion of Hoover Dam in the 1930s, which was responsible for increasing its population five-fold. Along with Hoover Dam began the rise of the gambling industry, which initially mostly catered to the dam workers. Fremont Street, which is currently home to an oftvisited tourist attraction, was the site of licensed casinos such as Las Vegas Club and Hotel Apache then. After World War II, another boom took place when banks began lending money to casino businesses, which led to the building of casinos like Sahara, the Sands,
From left: Edna Gonzales (extreme left) of Edna’s School in Dagupan City, Philippines, with Russ Bateman and Fely Quitevis-Bateman.
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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - March 16, 2022
Mr. & Mrs. Hung Yeh of Las Vegas invested on a commercial lot on Highway 160. They are in photo above with Fely Quitevis-Bateman (extreme right).
Gene Easton and his family from LA (behind Realtor Quitevis-Bateman in above photo) bought a 5-acre parcel two years ago, and is looking to invest more.
the Riviera and the Tropicana, with their glittering facades and promises of fun and excitement. With these casinos also came the entertainment – big-time performers like Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Carol Channing and Bing Crosby started to sing/perform at intimate settings for their fans. It is said that Howard Hughes was responsible for starting the move of Las Vegas to a more cosmopolitan image from its initial Wild West roots. The aviation entrepreneur moved to the city in 1966 and quickly extended his empire, spending about $300 million to take over many of the well-known hotels/venues. From 1989 to this day, Las Vegas has become the venue for the mega-resort. Not only armed with gambling and entertainment/shows, these huge venues are the go-to places for people for dining, shopping, photo opportunities, weddings/ birthdays, conventions, expos and fairs, and just about any event you can think of. Starting with the Mirage in 1989, megaresorts built in the Strip include: Rio and Excalibur (1990); MGM Grand, Treasure Island and Luxor (1993); Stratosphere and Monte Carlo (1996); New York-New York (1997); Bellagio (1998); Mandalay Bay, Venetian and Paris (1999); Planet Hollywood (2000); Palms (2001); Wynn (2005); Palazzo (2007); Encore (2008); The Cosmopolitan (2010); and The Linq (2014). The latest to join the bunch are Circa Las Vegas (2020) and Resorts World (2021). Currently, top performers like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, BTS and The Weeknd have concerts scheduled in Las Vegas, while singers/groups like Katy Perry, Donny Osmond, Jabawockeez, Journey USA, The Australian Bee Gees and tribute shows to Prince, Whitney Houston and Elton John/
Billy Joel have residencies in the area’s hotel-casinos and performance venues. Mariah Carey, Tina Turner and Celine Dion have been some of the major stars who have held residencies in the past. Dining has become a great experience in Las Vegas as well. Each of the megaresorts have their specialty restaurants, and well-known buffets. Celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis, Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, Jose Andres, Alain Ducasse, Todd English, Thomas Keller, Michael Mina, Nobu Matsuhisa, Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy have restaurants in the city’s well-known resort-casinos where people can taste their take on different cuisines. You can find Filipino fare in restaurants in Las Vegas, including at Resorts World. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 count, Las Vegas’ estimated population is at 641,903, with Clark County having a total population of more than 2.2 million. If you are looking to buy real estate, investing in property in Pahrump – and even Las Vegas, for that matter – are great options for those with the ability to do so. Nevada has no personal income tax, and the effective property tax for both places are still significantly lower than the national average. Year-to-year, home prices have risen about 5.3 percent in Las Vegas; in Pahrump, home prices are up about 23% in 2022, as compared to last year. Precious Properties is a full-service company serving its clientele since 1992 and can be reached at 775-513-8447, 805-559-2476 and 702-538-4948. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.
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The $1-B plus 17,500 seat Sphere Stadium at Venetian under construction will create hundreds of jobs when it opens in 2023.
The Abrishamis (seated) from Beverly Hills bought several commercial parcels along Highway 160, which is ideal for assisted living facilities. With them is Realtor Fely QuitevisBateman (center).
Dr. Irene Taburnal (left), one of Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman’s closest friends, bought several parcels of land that she can flip now should she desire so.
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Reimbursement for community contribution towards a spouse’s education and student loan during marriage
community
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - March 16, 2022
failed to contribute to Wife’s education/loan repayments and family expenses. “[B]ut nothing in [§ 2641] contemplates denying reimbursement to the community where the student spouse pays for her Atty. Kenneth own education or where UrsUA reyes the nonstudent spouse did not somehow earn an ONE of the biggest entitlement to an equal share problem of millenials and of the community. Indeed, the Gen Z are educational cost statute refers to community and student loan debt. This contributions to education, eats up a large part of a and makes no reference to households budget even the source of the community among married couples. contribution.” Marriage of However, what happens to Mullonkal & Kodiyamplakkil, all the money paid towards supra, 51 CA5th at 615one spouse’s education and 616, 265 CR3d at 294. At student loans if the marriage a minimum, reimbursable fails and leads to divorce. community expenditures Well, California Family Code include amounts paid for Section 2641(b)(1) provides the student spouse’s tuition, that upon divorce or legal fees, books, supplies and separation, the community transportation. Fam.C. § 2641, “shall be reimbursed” for its Law Rev. Comm’n Comment, “contributions” to a spouse’s 23 Cal. L.Rev. Comm’n Reports education or training that 1 (1993) Beyond this, however, “substantially enhances” the community expenditures are spouse’s earning capacity. a reimbursable “contribution” Under Family Code Section only if directly related to 2641(a), reimbursable the educational experience. community “contributions” Ordinary living expenses that means payments made with would have been incurred community or quasi-community regardless of whether one property for a spouse’s spouse was attending school education or training or for the such as rent, food and clothing, repayment of a loan incurred health care and entertainment, therefor, no matter where are not reimbursable under § the parties resided when the 2641. Marriage of Watt (1989) payments were made. 214 CA3d 340, 354, 262 CR Family Code § 783, 791-792. 2641 reimbursement is not *** limited to education or training Please note that this article is not received during marriage. legal advice and is not intended as Rather, by its terms, application legal advice. The article is intended of the statute is governed to provide only general, non-specific solely by whether community legal information. This article is not funds were used to pay for intended to cover all the issues related the education or training. to the topic discussed. The specific Thus, educational costs and facts that apply to your matter may loans paid with community make the outcome different than funds are within the ambit of § would be anticipated by you. This 2641 reimbursement even if article does create any attorney client the education occurred before relationship between you and the Law marriage. Marriage of Weiner, Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC This supra, 105 CA4th at 239-240, article is not a solicitation. 129 CR2d at 291; *** In Marriage of Mullonkal Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is & Kodiyamplakkil (2020) 51 a Certified Family Law Specialist. CA5th 604, 607-608, 265 He was President of the Philippine CR3d 285, 288, the court American Bar Association. He is a held that the community is member of both the Family law section entitled to reimbursement and Immigration law section of the where spouse paid off student Los Angeles County Bar Association. loans for education she He is a graduate of Southwestern attained before marriage University Law School in Los Angeles with funds from her salary and California State University, earned during marriage. San Bernardino School of Business In Mullonkal & Kodiyamplakkil, Administration. He has extensive CPA the trial court erroneously experience prior to law practice. LAW held § 2641 did not apply OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is because, among other things, located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite the student spouse (Wife) 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. repaid her premarital education (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ with her own earnings kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website during the marriage, and the at Kenreyeslaw.com. nonstudent spouse (Husband) (Advertising Supplement)
Barrister’s Corner
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY GOLF TOURNAMENT. (From L-R) Renier Gerona, Rodel Lumanog, Jomar Salas and Aldrin Macaraig at Montebello Country Club on February 26, 2022.
ATHLETE IN MOTION (FIL-AM) GIRLS. (From L-R) Melo Gilbuena, Mye Canet, Adel Babiano Bonilla and Ellen Costales.
Closest to the pin hole #14 Ron Ramores.
FINAL MEETING OF ATHLETE IN MOTION (FIL-AM). (Standing from L-R) Naning Valenciano, Titus Bay Canet, Jeff and his brother Ben Obrique, Patrick Costales of FEU, Banjo Gilbuena, Joel Gomez of Mapua Cardinal, Cado Rivera of San Sebastian, co chairman Nick Vismonte, still undefeated Olympic star Jun Achocoso, best guard of ICO Painters (Tanduay) Mr. Rene Canent, the chairman Charlie Bonilla, basketball star Kobe Bryant of the Philippines from high school to professional Bernard Fabiosa (Crispa) Redmanizer and lastly, star player Mr. Afro Eric Leano at the Montebello Country Club G.C. on March 5, 2022.
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - March 16, 2022
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