032323 - Las Vegas Edition

EVER get an email about an extended car warranty or a free gift from Home Depot?

What about online service to flush out malware from your computer? It’s hard to avoid these unsolicited offers. Fraudsters send texts, they call you on your phone, and sometimes use AI to mimic a relative’s voice who says they have an emergency and please send money.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says what you don’t know can be expensive. They received 2.4 million complaints last year compared to 2.9 million in 2021 but the total amount lost in 2022 was $2.6 billion more than in 2021.

“The dollar loss reported was staggering. Consumers reported that they lost more than $8.8 billion to fraudsters, the most ever reported,” say Maria Mayo, Associate Director for the Division of Consumer Response and Operations in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC maintains a database of consumer fraud reports. Report a scam here.

“We know that fraud affects every com-

Asian teens say dating violence a taboo topic at home

CULTURE and language are among the barriers that prevent many Asian American teens from openly discussing dating violence with their parents.

When Angela Kim first fell in love at 16, teen dating violence was the last thing on her mind. Her boyfriend showered her with love, and she was infatuated with their whirlwind romance.

But then, she recalls, things suddenly started to change: Insults, manipulation tactics, and eventually physical violence escalated into a three-year-long abusive relationship.

“All these compliments started to turn into insults. And all of the great times we had together were now being overshadowed by his violent bursts of anger,” she recalls. “The signs of abuse, the signs of my relationship being unhealthy, were pretty quick in the relationship.”

MANILA — A new report by the U.S. State Department found that while the Philippines has laws to punish corruption by public officials, its government failed to effectively implement these.

“The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by public officials, but the government did not implement these laws effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,” read a portion of the report on the Philippines’ human rights practices.

The report said “prolonged delays” in the prosecution of corruption cases “reinforced the perception of impunity” for security forces and national and local government officials accused of corruption and human rights abuses.

It cited as an example the time it took to secure a conviction for graft and corruption against former Rep. Clavel Martinez (Cebu) and five other local officials in connection with a scam from 2002 to 2003.

 PAGE 2

"There are some in the north, there are some around Palawan, there are some further south so these sites are in various, different locations," Marcos Jr. said in mixed English and Filipino. The chief executive said the new sites were chosen 

Philippines, US defense chiefs condemn China’s ‘gray-zone activities’

MANILA — The Philippines and the United States once again stand together to condemn China’s illegal activities in the South China Sea that go against a 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, flexing the two countries' defense pact.

According to a readout from the U.S. Department of Defense released late Monday evening, March 20, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Department of National Defense Carlito Galvez Jr. discussed programs to strengthen the alliance in a call.

“The two leaders condemned the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) gray-zone activities, which interfere with the livelihoods of local Philippine communities and the rights of other claimant states that seek to operate lawfully in the South China Sea consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling,” it said.

Austin put emphasis on the U.S.’ commitment to the Philippines, pointing again to the Mutual Defense Treaty that states it will come to the Philippines’ defense in case of armed attacks, including anywhere

MANILA — PDP-Laban, chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte, has kept its partnership with United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin, even in the face of its widely-condemned invasion of Ukraine.

PDP-Laban secretary-general Melvin Matibag admitted to Philstar.com on Thursday that its agreement with United Russia inked on Oct. 17, 2017 still stands.

“It’s not yet cancelled. It’s still existing,” Matibag said partly in Filipino in a chance interview on the sidelines of a PDP-Laban press event in Parañaque City.

The cooperation agreement between PDP-Laban and United Russia provides that it “shall remain in effect five years” after it is signed and “shall be renewed by tacit agreement from one fiveyear period to the next.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, who signed the agreement on behalf of PDP-Laban and heads a breakaway faction of the party that claims legitimacy over the Duterte-chaired group, called the agreement “dormant” but was unsure if it has indeed expired.

“Neither side has proposed any joint activity whatsoever from the time it was signed up to today,” Pimentel told Philstar.com in a

text message. “There is still this signed document. But no action. No contact. No development.”

Matibag said they have lost contact with United Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine, adding that they cannot terminate the agreement with Putin’s party unilaterally.

“We have to talk to them,” Matibag said, adding that their engagements with the ruling parties of China and Vietnam continue.

‘I don’t kill children, elderly’

state of affairs” of the Philippines and Russia.

They also agreed to contribute to developing relations between the Philippines and Russian legislatures.

When the deal was struck, Pimentel called it “historic” as it “brings Russia and the Philippines closer together.”

It was during the final months of Duterte's presidency when Putin ordered an attack on Ukraine, which was condemned by the Philippine government at UN assemblies.

MANILA — Former First Lady Imelda Marcos remains “strong and kicking.”

Imelda’s niece, Eliza Romualdez-Valtos, took to social media on Thursday, March 23 to end murmurs about the death of the 93-year-old.

Imelda’s daughter, Senator Imee Marcos, also denied the rumors.

“Last week pa iyan. Ang bad ng nagkalat [That’s been going around since last week. Whoever started the rumor is bad],” she told reporters in a text message.

"Imelda Marcos” clinched the seventh spot in the Philippines’ trending roundup on Twitter as talks erupted about her supposed passing.

In one of his weekly televised meetings with Cabinet officials, Duterte rebuked Putin — whom

Under the 2017 agreement, PDP-Laban and United Russia agreed to “conduct bilateral consultations and to exchange information regarding the current  PAGE 4

“Still strong and kicking,” Romualdez-Valtos said in a Facebook post, coupled with a hashtag calling out fake news.

She also shared an old photo of the matriarch with hearts plastered all over.

Imelda, the widow of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and mother of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is convicted

New EDCA sites identified...

"to defend our eastern coast" as well as the country’s continental shelf. He also said that they issues with local government units who opposed the creation of the site have already been sorted out. Among those who protested against establishing an EDCA site in their province is Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba, who opposed plans even without a formal announcement of a specific site.

"We explained to them why is it important that we have that and why it will actually be good for their province and it seemed like they eventually understood why it is needed," Marcos Jr. said. Marcos Jr. approved the additional sites in February with the announcement made during the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Manila. EDCA allows American and Philippine troops to train together as well as respond to humanitarian crises. With the additional four,

total EDCA sites now stand at nine. Agence France-Presse previously noted that negotiations were ongoing for a fifth additional site. The five existing sites are located in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, and Pampanga. Since the agreement was inked in 2014, the US has since allocated $82 million to implement projects at the five EDCA locations. (Kaycee Valmonte/Philstar.com)

Philippines ineffective at implementing...

“The convictions came 20 years after the crime and 10 years after charges were first filed,” the report noted.

It also flagged the budget allocations to the Office of the Ombudsman, the Sandiganbayan and the Commission on Audit, saying these were “consistently … below what they requested.”

“But they actively collaborated with the public and civil society and appeared to operate

independently and use their limited resources effectively,” it said. The report noted that the Ombudsman successfully prosecuted more than 100 corruption cases, “but officials continued to engage in corrupt practices with relative impunity.”

The Philippines rose by one spot to 116 from 117 out of 180 countries ranked in the latest Corruption Perception Index

of Berlin-based Transparency International, but remained among "significant decliners" in Asia-Pacific as its score dropped five points from 38 – the country’s highest – in 2014, when it ranked 85th out of 175.

Filipinos' satisfaction with the Marcos administration's efforts to fight corruption was at a "moderate" +12, according to a survey by private pollster Social Weather Stations. (Xave Gregorio/ Philstar.com)

Philippines, US defense chiefs condemn...

in the South China Sea.

In recent months, multiple high-level Washington officials, including Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Vice President Kamala Harris have visited Manila as the U.S. began seeking warmer ties with its oldest treaty ally in Southeast Asia after “rocky times".

”U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson recently penned a commentary where she noted that the U.S.’ relationship with the Philippines is “a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

China's gray-zone activities

The two defense chiefs also discussed “with particular concern” the swarming of over Chinese vessels that included a People’s Liberation Army navy ship around Thitu Island, within 12 nautical miles of the Philippines’ territory, earlier this month.

“The swarming of vessels

falls on the heels of a dangerous incident last month, in which the PRC Coast Guard directed a military-grade laser against a Philippine vessel operating lawfully around Second Thomas Shoal, temporarily blinding some of the crew,” the readout said.

The Philippine Coast Guard flew journalists over the Spratly islands in March 10, where a radio operator aboard a Chinese Coast Guard vessel warned them to “leave immediately.”

The PCG was warned while they were flying over the Chinese reef, which according to the Chinese Coast Guard, "constituted a security threat."

The Philippine pilot responded that they were flying within his country's territory.

Galvez and Austin also talked about the plans to conduct combined maritime activities and other avenues of cooperation in the South China Sea. The two defense chiefs said they will review possibilities during

Scammers took consumers for $8.8 billion...

the upcoming 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

More engagements

The call comes after Philippine and U.S. officials broke ground for the rehabilitation of Basa Airbase Runway in Pampanga.

The project is among the approved 15 under Manila and Washington’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which gives U.S. forces access to nine bases in the Philippines to store defense equipment and supplies for any humanitarian relief efforts.

Galvez and Austin also welcomed the coming engagements between the two countries’ armed forces. This includes the “largest iteration” of the Balikatan Exercise next month, where over 17,600 troops will participate.

Majority or 12,000 of whom are American troops, 111 Australians, and 5,000 Philippines soldiers will partake in the exercise. (With reports from AFP)

munity and that scammers are running their scam in the languages that people speak at home. And that’s why the FTC now has information in a dozen languages to help people spot and avoid these scams,” says Cristina Miranda, Consumer Education Specialist with the FTC’s Education Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Scammers targeting ethnic communities

During an March 10 Ethnic Media Services briefing Miranda briefed reporters about how to protect against fraudsters. She said that recent refugees and immigrants are frequent marks for scammers who use their native language to steal their money.

“We have a downloadable publication called Spotting, Avoiding and Reporting Scams: a Fraud Handbook. It helps people learn to spot some of the scams related to looking for a job, going through the immigration process, or just trying to figure out how things work in this country,” she said.

“Scammers are targeting ethnic communities and they speak your language. They target ethnic communities in unique ways,” says Rosario Mendez,

an attorney with FTC’s Division of Consumer and Business Education Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The Latino community filed a higher percentage of reports relating to problems with banks and lenders, related to debt collection, auto issues, and also business opportunities.

“And we’ve had several cases related to bogus business opportunities, bogus work at home, specifically targeting Latinos. We know from our data analysis and from also our casework that business opportunity, moneymaking schemes, are also something that is impacting the Latino community.

In terms of the black community, the largest number of reports were about payday loan applications, and also student debt relief programs,” Mendez said.

An October 2021 FTC report, Serving Communities of Color, detailed the extent of fraud affecting ethnic communities and the FTC’s efforts to combat it.

Scams vary widely Mayo said a lot of people fell prey to get-rich-quick schemes last year and the average median loss per consumer was $5,000.

“Consumers reported losing

money to investment scams more than any other type of scam, and the amount lost in 2022 more than doubled what was lost in 2021. Consumers reported losing $3.8 billion in investment scams, most of which were lost to crypto currency scams. These scams often started on social media where consumers were enticed to invest in crypto currency in an attempt to make money. Consumers invested, and the scammers were so savvy that they often presented websites that actually showed how the consumer’s money had grown. But it was all fake,” Mayo said.

Con artists have not given up on romance scams, a staple in the field of fraud. These scams are aimed at older Americans who lost $139 million in 2020 up from $84 million in 2019. For the most part, scammers operate with impunity and many of them are based overseas. That makes it hard for them to be prosecuted. But sometimes they get caught.

One case involved an 87-yearold Holocaust survivor who was swindled out of his life savings by a Florida woman, Peaches Stergo. She was arrested JanuPAGE 4

Asian teens say dating violence a taboo...

Kim is not alone, nor are her experiences unique. According to Youth.gov, 69.5% of women, and 54% of men, reported experiencing intimate partner violence before the age of 24. As many as 76% of teens reported experiencing emotional and psychological abuse in relationships.

Today, Kim is turning her “pain into passion,” devoting her professional life to domestic violence prevention work at the LA County Department of Public Health and other community organizations. Many people she talks to, she says, do not understand the nature of abuse, and how abusers are able to keep victims under their control.

“I’ve heard questions like: ‘How do you stay with someone who hurts you like that?’” she says. “And my response has always been, an abuser is so incredibly good at changing your logic to the point where your reality is not your own anymore.”

Per activists, extensive social media usage amongst teens creates unrealistic pictures of what a ‘perfect’ romance is, and enables some manipulation tactics—such as forcing the victim to unfollow all other people of the same gender. Pop culture frequently romanticizes violence in films like 365 Days. Depictions of domestic violence are limited—often to White adult women suffering physical abuse—preventing teens from recognizing signs of abuse in their own lives. And most schools have minimal courses teaching students red and green flags in relationships, signs of abuse, and consent.

AsAmNews spoke to advocates and experts, including those on an Ethnic Media Services panel featuring youth activists, to understand teen dating violence in the Asian American community, its signs, and how to ultimately prevent it. These signs of abusive relationships are often not discussed in families or taught to youth, preventing victims from even recognizing that their relationship is abusive. And many other factors impact the prevalence of dating violence in teens specifically. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened these existing issues. Armaan Sharma, a student activist from Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments (SAVE),

observed that quarantine and isolation caused major increases in mental health issues and social media usage in teens, which changed the ways dating violence manifests.

“Just as COVID has been evolving with all its new variants, teen dating violence has as well,” he says. “We scrambled for a vaccine, so we should be scrambling for more prevention.”

An open and respectful dialogue on dating and relationships between parents and teens is key to keeping kids safe in their relationships, says Armaan Sharma.

Kim’s abuser, she said, used common abusive manipulation tactics to keep her entrapped in the relationship. These included “love bombing,” or showering the victim with overwhelming amounts of affection; controlling the victim through violence, anger, and jealousy; monopolizing the victim’s time, preventing them from maintaining (non-romantic) relationships with others; or insulting them. The result is a total breakdown of the victim’s self-worth, selfesteem, and confidence.

“What people fail to understand is that manipulation tactics work. There’s a reason why coercion, intimidation, degradation all work in tandem… in an abusive relationship,” she says.

These tactics culminate in a “cycle of domestic violence” that frequently keeps victims trapped in abusive relationships, she says. The cycle begins with a tension-building phrase, where the victim feels like they are walking on eggshells to prevent the abuser from becoming angry. But a violent incident inevitably happens. Afterward, however, the abuser will apologize and reconcile with the victim. This honeymoon phrase reminds the victim why they fell in love with the abuser; the abuser will also show remorse and accountability, such as giving gifts or promising to go to therapy. Instead, however, the cycle repeats.

As a result, the victim will continue to stay with the abuser, convinced that the violent incident was a one-off event. And even if the victim decided to leave, Kim says, they would face danger, as the abuser will try to keep them in the relationship.

Asian American teenagers

face additional barriers to open discussions around dating, consent, and intimacy.

Many Asian American teenagers who are children of immigrants may find it especially difficult to report dating violence. They may feel especially pressured to succeed and show the positive parts of their life. The issues their parents faced coming to America seem to “outweigh” their own relationship issues.

Immigrant parents may also be unfamiliar with where to even report teen dating violence when it happens. And language differences can make it difficult for teens to even explain what’s going on.

“How do you translate terms like domestic violence or love bombing or gaslighting into this language? It’s hard,” Kim says. “It’s already such a sensitive topic, and you don’t know how your parents are going to react.”

This lack of discussion is also prevalent among cultures with dating taboos, such as the South Asian community, says Sharma. He observes that though Indian parents in America are generally more open to dating, there is still a “lack of dialogue” about relationships and teen dating violence.

“Parents, especially South Asian parents, need to understand that dating is something that could potentially be inevitable,” says Sharma. “That’s where education about relationships and team dating violence comes in, because I’m sure parents would rather have…children in safe relationships rather than unsafe relationships.”

The broader environment of anti-Asian racism also plays a significant factor. East and Southeast Asian woman, for instance, are often hyper fetishized and viewed as submissive to violence and abuse.

However, the foundations for teen dating violence and abuse are also laid within the home. Many Asian elders don’t show intimacy or discuss romantic relationships at all. But Kim points out that domestic violence—especially against woman—is normalized and under-discussed. And when abusive tactics are viewed as a natural part of romantic relationships, they can be especially difficult to unlearn.

Being ‘socially frail’ comes with health risks for older adults

CONSIDER three hypothetical women in their mid-70s, all living alone in identical economic circumstances with the same array of ailments: diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure.

Ms. Green stays home most of the time and sometimes goes a week without seeing people. But she’s in frequent touch by phone with friends and relatives, and she takes a virtual class with a discussion group from a nearby college.

Ms. Smith also stays home, but rarely talks to anyone. She has lost contact with friends, stopped going to church, and spends most of her time watching TV.

Ms. Johnson has a wide circle of friends and a busy schedule. She walks with neighbors regularly, volunteers at a school twice a week, goes to church, and is in close touch with her children, who don’t live nearby. Three sets of social circumstances, three levels of risk should the women experience a fall, bout of pneumonia, or serious deterioration in health.

Of the women, Ms. Johnson would be most likely to get a ride to the doctor or a visit in the hospital, experts suggest. Several people may check on Ms. Green and arrange assistance while she recovers.

But Ms. Smith would be unlikely to get much help and more likely than the others to fare poorly if her health became challenged. She’s what some experts would call “socially vulnerable” or “socially frail.”

Social frailty is a corollary to physical frailty, a set of vulnerabilities (including weakness, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, slowness, and low physical activity) shown to increase the risk of falls, disability, hospitalization, poor surgical outcomes, admission to a nursing home, and earlier death in older adults.

Essentially, people who are physically frail have less physiological strength and a reduced biological ability to bounce back from illness or injury.

Those who are socially frail similarly have fewer resources to draw upon, but for different reasons — they don’t have close relationships, can’t rely

on others for help, aren’t active in community groups or religious organizations, or live in neighborhoods that feel unsafe, among other circumstances. Also, social frailty can entail feeling a lack of control over one’s life or being devalued by others.

Many of these factors have been linked to poor health outcomes in later life, along with so-called social determinants of health — low socioeconomic status, poor nutrition, insecure housing, and inaccessible transportation.

Social frailty assumes that each factor contributes to an older person’s vulnerability and that they interact with and build upon each other. “It’s a more complete picture of older adults’ circumstances than any one factor alone,” said Dr. Melissa Andrew, a professor of geriatric medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who published one of the first social vulnerability indices for older adults in 2008.

This way of thinking about older adults’ social lives, and how they influence health outcomes, is getting new attention from experts in the U.S. and elsewhere.

In February, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of California-San Francisco published a 10-item “social frailty index” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

Using data from 8,250 adults 65 and older who participated in the national Health and Retirement Study from 2010 to 2016, the researchers found that the index helped predict an increased risk of death during the period studied in a significant number of older adults, complementing medical tools used for this purpose.

“Our goal is to help clinicians identify older patients who are socially frail and to prompt problem-solving designed to help them cope with various challenges,” said Dr. Sachin Shah, a co-author of the paper and a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“It adds dimensions of what a clinician should know about their patients beyond current screening instruments, which are focused on physical health,” said Dr. Linda Fried, an interna-

tionally known frailty researcher and dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Beyond the corridors of medicine, she said, “we need society to build solutions” to issues raised in the index — the ability of seniors to work, volunteer, and engage with other people; the safety and accessibility of neighborhoods in which they live; ageism and discrimination against older adults; and more.

Meanwhile, a team of Chinese researchers recently published a comprehensive review of social frailty in adults age 60 and older, based on results from dozens of studies with about 83,900 participants in Japan, China, Korea, and Europe. They determined that 24% of these older adults, assessed both in hospitals and in the community, were socially frail — a higher portion than those deemed physically frail (12%) or cognitively frail (9%) in separate studies. Most vulnerable were people 75 and older.

What are the implications for health care? “If someone is socially vulnerable, perhaps they’ll need more help at home while they’re recovering from surgery. Or maybe they’ll need someone outside their family circle to be an advocate for them in the hospital,” said Dr. Kenneth Covinsky, a geriatrician at UCSF and co-author of the recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article.

“I can see a social frailty index being useful in identifying older adults who need extra assistance and directing them to community resources,” said Jennifer Ailshire, an associate professor of gerontology and sociology at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

Unlike other physicians, geriatricians regularly screen older adults for extra needs, albeit without using a well-vetted or consistent set of measures. “I’ll ask, who do you depend on most and how do you depend on them? Do they bring you food? Drive you places? Come by and check on you? Give you their time and attention?” said Dr. William Dale, the Arthur M. Coppola Family Chair in Supportive

PREPS. A worker uses a pool vacuum cleaner to suck up dirt and debris from the swimming pool of Bernardo Park in Quezon City on Thursday, March 23. Bernardo Park, Quezon City‘s first public park that opened in 1948, is preparing for the summer months when temperatures rise

Imelda Marcos ‘still strong and kicking...

for seven counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division.

This was for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, when she transferred some $200 million to seven Swiss

foundations as a member of the defunct Batasang Pambansa, as Metro Manila governor, and as then Minister of Human Settlements. She was sentenced to imprisonment for six years and one month up to 11 years for

each count but has never spent a day in jail. Then national police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde explained that authorities considered the age and health of Imelda in implementing the arrest order. g

PDP-Laban keeps partnership with Putin’s...

he once called his “idol” and “friend” — over the killings of civilians in Ukraine.

“Many say that Putin and I are both killers. I’ve long told you

Filipinos that I really kill. But I kill criminals, I don’t kill children and the elderly,” said the former Philippine president who oversaw a bloody “drug war” that critics said targeted poor communities.

Despite Duterte's criticism of his Russian counterpart, Matibag admitted that they have not discussed their party’s official position on the invasion of Ukraine. g

Asian teens say dating violence a taboo...

“A lot of women growing up seeing their own mothers get abused—they think it’s normal because they never leave,” says Kim.

“And so when you’re experiencing something (like an abusive relationship) yourself, you’re like, ‘this must be normal. This was what love is. This is what marriage is, what a relationship is.’ And a lot the onus of undoing harm… is put on women.”

All of those factors make it difficult to start essential dialogues around intimate partner violence. Kim says that the Asian American community is one of the most difficult for her to have conversations with. A central reason why was judgment: When she shared her story, for instance, it was often used as gossip or as an example of why children should avoid relationships or sex before marriage entirely.

“Instead of treating my story with compassion and care, you know, my story was this example of why not to engage in various behaviors,” she recalls.

Megan Tanahashi, Communications Director at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, says teens understand the experiences of their peers better than adults, making them excellent advocates for violence prevention.

Advocates say that the key to combatting teen dating violence is prevention.

Parents play a critical role in intimate partner violence prevention efforts. Kim

recommends that parents begin teaching children about healthy boundaries and consent as early as they can. Middle school is the ideal age to initiate conversations about relationships and intimacy. Doing so ensures that teens feel comfortable opening up to their parents about any harm they experience.

However, Kim stresses, parents are not the only trusted adults who can intervene in teen dating violence. “It’s not just parents but it’s also other adults, educators, teachers, relatives, soccer coaches— all these people have a huge role to play because teen dating violence takes a village. It’s not the burden of the teenager to carry.”

Educators and schools are key to teaching youth about healthy— and abusive—relationships. But current curriculums rarely cover these skills. Sharma recalls that only one class in his high school covered relationships at all; Sex education classes usually focus on sexually transmitted diseases and related topics instead. As a result, youth may not be able to recognize signs of abusive relationships in themselves or their peers.

“Relationships are relevant to every single person. I couldn’t say the same about calculus,” Sharma says. “So while teaching about relationships may not fall into the conventional norms of schooling in America or let alone anywhere, those norms need to change.”

In the meantime, workshops like the “Building Healthy Relationships” training that Kim teaches in schools bridge that gap. “Building Healthy Relationships” covers red and green flags in relationships and teaches teens to recognize healthy and unhealthy behaviors. This allows them to not only recognize those flags in their own lives, but help their friends and peers as well.

A key part of the training, Kim says, is learning about consent and boundaries. Many teens don’t know that consent still exists even if they are in a relationship. As a result, they may feel pressured into doing things they are not comfortable with. But because consent isn’t taught in schools, Kim says, many teens she worked with did not learn these important facts until they attended the training.

“There’s this ideology where a lot of teenagers believe that if

you’re in a relationship, you’re entitled to the other person’s body. And what they fail to realize is that even in a relationship, you have ownership over your own body,” she says. “Consent doesn’t just come freely.”

Education is not only important to prevent teens from entering violent relationships—but to prevent abusers from learning violent behavior in the first place. Teen dating violence is often framed as a “cycle of violence” where hurt people hurt people in turn. But Kim says that rhetoric detracts from the responsibility of abusers—and the true causes of violent behavior.

According to her, a more accurate phrase is: “Violence is learned.”

“They see their parents being abusive, they see peers bullying each other, they see media representations of violence or domestic violence… and they learn that,” she adds. “And there might not be a lot of repercussions they see…so they take those behaviors and replicate that violence, that cycle on other people in their lives.”

The causes of teen dating violence are multifaceted—and so are the ways to prevent it. Aside from education, Sharma stresses the importance of investing in mental health care, and funding targeted programs—especially in underprioritized communities. However, he also points out that it’s critical for everyone—not only youth, or women, or people identifying as LGBT who are disproportionately affected by dating violence—to be involved in prevention efforts.

“We can’t just sit idly by and watch our youth get hurt by these platforms and say, ‘Oh, well, there’s nothing we can do about it now.’” he says. “No— there literally is. It’s called prevention.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be contacted by calling 1-800-799-7233, or texting “START” to 88788. The Hotline also offers education and support for youth aged 13 through 26. They can be contacted via livechat at www.loveisrespect.org , via phone at 1-866-331-9474, or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.

This story was originally published by AsAm News. Image via Wikipedia Creative Commons. (By Julia Tong/Ethnic Media Services)

Scammers took consumers...

PAGE 2

ary 25, 2023.

The FTC stopped a large-scale fraud of students enrolled at the University of Phoenix (UOP) and made them pay. The FTC is sending nearly $50 million in payments to more than 147,000 UOP students who may have been lured by allegedly deceptive advertisements.

The 2019 settlement also required UOP and its parent company, Apollo Education Group,

to cancel $141 in student debt.

The FTC alleged UOP falsely touted its relationships and job opportunities with companies such as AT&T, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Twitter, and the American Red Cross. The FTC also alleged that UOP’s advertising gave the false impression that the online school worked with those companies to create job opportunities for its students and tailor its curriculum for such jobs. (Peter White/Ethnic Media Services)

Being ‘socially frail’ comes with health risks for...

Care Medicine at City of Hope, a comprehensive cancer center in Duarte, California.

Depending on the patients’ answers, Dale will refer them to a social worker or help modify their plan of care. But, he cautioned, primary care physicians and specialists don’t routinely take the time to do this.

Oak Street Health, a Chicago-based chain of 169 primary care centers for older adults in 21 states and recently purchased by CVS Health, is trying to change that in its clinics, said Dr. Ali Khan, the company’s chief medical officer of value-based care strategy. At least three times a year, medical assistants, social workers, or clinicians ask patients about loneliness and social isolation, barriers to transportation, food insecurity, financial strain, housing quality and safety, access to broadband services, and utility services.

The organization combines these findings with patient-specific medical information in a “global risk assessment” that separates seniors into four tiers of risk, from very high to very low. In turn, this informs the kinds of services provided to patients, the frequency of service delivery, and individual wellness plans, which include social as well as medical priorities.

The central issue, Khan said, is “what is this patient’s ability to continue down a path of resilience in the face of a very complicated health care system?”

and what Oak Street Health can do to enhance that.

What’s left out of an approach like this, however, is something crucial to older adults: whether their relationships with other people are positive or negative. That isn’t typically measured, but it’s essential in considering whether their social needs are being met, said Linda Waite, the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and director of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. For seniors who want to think about their own social vulnerability, consider this five-item index, developed by researchers in Japan.

(1) Do you go out less frequently now than last year?

(2) Do you sometimes visit your friends?

(3) Do you feel you are helpful to friends or family?

(4) Do you live alone?

(5) Do you talk to someone every day?

Think about your answers. If you find your responses unsatisfactory, it might be time to reconsider your social circumstances and make a change.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Accountability in disaster

SCIENTISTS say the Verde Island Passage in Batangas is home to 36 marine protected areas with an estimated 1,700 fish species and 300 coral species. About two million people depend on the passage for their livelihoods, mostly fishermen and workers in the tourism industry.

Tragically, the industrial oil spilling from the sunken motor tanker Princess Empress has reached several coastal barangays on Verde Island. This was reported on Monday, March 20 by the Philippine Coast Guard, which is part of the teams tracking the movement of the oil spill and struggling to contain it. Later in the afternoon, the PCG said an aerial inspection showed that the oil sheen spotted in the waters near the island had dissipated.

While teams from different agencies assisted by civilian groups as well as Japan and now the U.S. scramble to contain the oil spill, probers must speed up the determination of accountability in one of the country’s worst environmental disasters. Reports last week said the vessel was originally an LPG tanker named Dorothy that was about 50 years old but was refurbished and made to appear new.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla described the vessel as “a rebuilt scrap… it was not built to be a tanker from the very beginning.”

He also said the ship ignored a gale warning when it set sail on Feb. 28. The ship owners have declined to comment.

The oil spill has so far affected over 151,000

At Ground Level

SATUR C. OCAMPO

LIVE-fire training, using naval artillery gunfire and aviation rockets and bombs to sink a vessel in the West Philippine Sea, where China continues its aggressive maneuvers. And the first live-firing here of a U.S. Patriot missile as part of a drill in coastal defense.

That’s what the upscaled “ Balikatan ” joint U.S.Philippines war exercises from April 11 to 28 will highlight. This latest annual event, which started in 2002 on the heels of the U.S. “war on terror,” will deploy 17,000 troops: 12,000 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos.

According to the Philippine military’s announcement last Tuesday, March 21, the target vessel will be located 22 kilometers from Zambales or 185 kilometers from Panatag Shoal, the traditionally open fishing ground which China seized from the Philippines and controlled since 2012.

“We will be sinking a target vessel using a combination of artillery naval gunfire and

On The Contrary

DURING the May 2022 presidential elections, thencandidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not entirely the favorite of many in the scientific community, and in academia. Straw votes and informal polling conducted in many universities, including their faculty, revealed that Marcos was even at the bottom among the candidates.

A mere suspicion that an academic was favoring Marcos, more so if the person concerned was actually for Marcos, would position him or her for outright cancellation by peers in academe.

I do not have to go very far and cite the experience of others, like that of former national security adviser and retired professor Clarita Carlos, to attest to the heavy burden borne by people who were “Marcos-tagged,” rightly or wrongly. I experienced it firsthand. Even if I did not vote for Marcos, since I voted for Norberto Gonzales, and just because I was trying to be fair in my commentaries about

people in 131 barangays in Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is providing various forms of immediate relief to the residents.

Scientists have warned that the oil spill could cause long-term damage to the marine ecosystem in the affected areas. This could mean prolonged disruption of fisheries in several provinces.

The pollution is also destroying beaches this summer, the peak travel season when the affected communities had hoped to bounce back from three years of pandemic disruptions.

Japan has provided a remotely operated underwater vehicle to pinpoint the exact location of the sunken tanker and determine if its cargo of 800,000 liters of bunker oil is leaking along with its fuel. Initial probes indicate that the tanker has settled at a depth of about 400 meters.

Why the ship was cleared to sail remains unclear.

An official of the Maritime Industry Authority said a document bearing his signature and presented by ship owner RDC Reield Marine Service is fake. Congress is still investigating the role of the MARINA and Coast Guard in the disaster.

Remulla has said criminal and civil cases are

US-PH troops prepare for possible war with China

aviation weapons… We will be firing HIMARS [High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System], a combination of Philippine Air Force and U.S. Air Force rockets and bombs…,” Balikatan spokesperson Col. Michael Logico was quoted as saying. A symbolic attack on a foreign military vessel (Chinese?).

Not symbolic, however, will be the U.S. Army’s live-firing of a Patriot missile in the country. Last year, the U.S. already deployed the Patriot system in a Balikatan mobilization exercise, but didn’t fire any missile. In the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine, the U.S. has provided this weapon system to the Ukrainians, who have used it to counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

Former Philippine Navy vice commander Rommel Jude Ong explained these new aspects of Balikatan 2023:

• This year’s Balikatan “seems to be designed to test operational concepts to enhance [the AFP’S] strategic deterrence posture” in the West Philippine Sea.

• The deployment of 12,000 American troops, the expert said, is a logistics exercise “to assess how it can rapidly deploy a large number of troops and equipment in the [war] theater.”

• The vessel-sinking exercise aims to test the Philippine Navy sea-denial strategy. “It is premised on the idea that a land-based anti-ship missile can defend the country’s waters from any adversary’s naval shipping, even from a distance.”

• Deploying the Patriot missile would allow the AFP to understand “the need for an anti-air defense system which can protect our land and critical infrastructure from conventional ballistic threats.” (Is there a push for the AFP to buy the Patriot missile system? Cost: $1.1 billion.)

Wouldn’t China be riled by these war games? reporters asked. Col. Logico replied, “We have the absolute, inalienable right to defend our territory. We are here to show that we are combat ready.”

Preceding the Balikatan, three weeks of U.S.-PH armyto-army exercises, dubbed “Salaknib (shield)”, began on March 13 at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. That’s the country’s largest military camp, one of the initial five bases where the U.S. forces are setting up facilities exclusively for their use, as allowed under the controversial 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation

Agreement (EDCA).

In the U.S., a newly-formed U.S. Marine Corps unit, the Third Marine Littoral Regiment (TMLR), has just concluded a 10day mock battle across southern California, using a series of mock-up military bases to represent an unnamed “Pacific island chain.”

The TMLR was formed to fight on islands and along coastal shorelines (“littoral regions”). It has been given special equipment and freedom to innovate, and develop new tactics for one “highest” priority project: “How to fight a war against Chinese forces in their own backyard, and win,” according to a New York Times report.

The TMLR consists of three component forces: an infantry battalion of roughly 800 Marines, an anti-aircraft battalion that is testing new weapons and tactics and a logistics battalion. Over the next two years, it will hold “4-5 times more” war exercises than most infantry regiments. “Its next big test,” the NYT pointed out, “will be in the Philippines in April,” referring to the Balikatan exercises.

Gen. David Berger, the USMC top general, justified preparations for a potential

future armed conflict in the Pacific by citing China’s military moves.

“Each year they are expanding their deployment,” Berger said. “Not only in terms of the complexity of them, but also the distances they cover.” He took note that China’s navy is taking after the U.S. Navy: operating in strike groups, with destroyers and other warships escorting an aircraft carrier.

One role the TMLR could take up would be to serve as spotters who would pass along the enemy forces’ positions to US warplanes, warships or submarines for them to attack. Or the TMLR could do the attack themselves.

Berger also talked of new battlefield conditions anticipated in a prospective war: Enemy and civilian spy satellites fly overhead, and anyone turning on a small cellphone can become the target of a longrange rocket or missile. “If you are emitting radio energy, you can be detected by the enemy. If detected, you can be located and seen. If seen, you can be killed.”

“We have to unlearn the way we were trained… You have to have an incredible amount of trust when you haven’t heard

from your Marines for several days,” Berger stressed.

The Americans assume, noted the NYT, that any battle with China may take place in what the Pentagon refers to as the “first island chain.” That includes Okinawa and Taiwan down to Malaysia, the Spratlys and the Paracels – disputed islands in the South China Sea. The “second island chain” includes the Philippines, going from Japan to Guam to south of Palau.

Most likely, if sent to fight in the Western Pacific, the TMLR would use their most capable drones: the MQ-9 Reaper, which could drop bombs and fire missiles, while beaming back intelligence information. Significantly, the drones could take off from runways only 915 meters long. Could the USMC command be eyeing the EDCA sites in the country to build therein runways for the MQ-9 Reaper?

War freaks are surely getting excited. (Philstar.com)

* * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * *

Email: satur.ocampo@gmail.com

Dealing with Marcoses’ charm o ensive

the former, not to mention my critical stance toward his fiercest rival, I became the object of a vilification campaign. Until now, those who cannot move on from their resounding electoral defeat, and continue to dwell in their mistaken fantasies about my politics, remain convinced that I am a Marcos loyalist.

To put it simply, the academe, and the scientific community is not friendly territory for President Marcos. And yet, he braved the odds and spoke at the 2023 Annual Scientific Conference and the 90th General Membership Assembly of the National Research Council of the Philippines held last Saturday, March 11, at the Philippine International Convention Center. And in his speech he declared his support for the scientific endeavor, and his recognition of the value of scientists and their research to national development.

And this is not all political talk.

For several years, researchers kept on pushing for digital agriculture. It was President Marcos who eventually made a commitment to institutionalize the Department of Science and Technology’s digital platform

Sarai, which is a technology developed with the leadership of researchers from the School of Environmental Science and Management of UP Los Baños, that would provide agricultural stakeholders with site-specific crop advisories based on data gathered from the Diwata microsatellite. He expressed support for the establishment of the Virology Institute of the Philippines and the Centers for Disease Control. And even during his campaign, he already articulated his commitment to a robust scientific agenda. He commits to improving the internet backbone of the country, and for increasing more scholarships in science-oriented degrees.

And five days after on Thursday, March 16, President Marcos once again ventured into what could be considered as hostile territory. He graced the groundbreaking ceremonies of a housing project in Naga City under the Pambansang Pabahay ng Pamilyang Pilipino of his administration. He also earlier attended the opening of a Kadiwa center in neighboring Pili, Camarines Sur. This is a province that awarded him

with only 9.51 percent of the total votes, or 102,921 out of the 1,307,553 total votes cast. This lopsided defeat is simply because Camarines Sur and Naga City are the bailiwicks of his fiercest rival, former vice president Maria Leonor Robredo. Less than a year after, President Marcos, despite being preferred only by less than one out of 10 voters in Camarines Sur, has now become its adopted son by virtue of Resolution 133, Series of 2023, passed unanimously by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province. This is typical of the Marcos style of doing politics. And it is a clear answer to those who are demanding evidence of how he will forge unity in a divided political landscape, and continue to doubt his seriousness in reaching out to his critics.

The president’s sister, Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa Marcos, also conducted her own unity walk to match the talk that became the signature of her brother’s campaign. She invited the warring factions of her brother’s support base, particularly the bloggers and vloggers who are now at each other’s throats, to dinner. It was a symbolic

gesture, and is symptomatic of the Marcos brand of a charm offensive. Recognizing that the root cause of discontent of some Marcos supporters is their view that supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte have increasingly become more critical of the president, Senator Marcos made an effort to project unity between the Marcoses and the Dutertes by earlier posing with the former president in the Davao screening of the movie she produced, “Martyr or Murderer.”

It is too early to tell if such moves will appease the disgruntled supporters, considering that some of the discontent also stems from what they perceive as a palpable preferential treatment given to some vloggers, particularly by some powerful members of the Marcos family.

For the Marcoses, politics is always addition, even if it means bringing into their very large tent pretenders and sycophants, and those who would only obviously become allies simply because it is the most politically convenient and promising. But the acceptance of the Marcoses of these political opportunists

and butterflies is but the other side of the courage the President has shown to venture into the most hostile territory inhabited by anti-Marcos academics and scientists, and of that part of the archipelago that gave him his worst defeat in the last elections. It is a risk that the Marcoses will always take, not only to honestly forge unity, but perhaps to play the game of politics where you keep your enemies closer. Disgruntled supporters who feel taken for granted can only hope that their reliability and loyalty should not lead them to be ignored.

This should serve as a lesson to those who support the President and the Marcoses. In their game of politics where they reach out even to critics, it doesn’t hurt to play a bit hard to get. Blind loyalty may not be the best option. It is easy to take for granted those who are always there through thick and thin. That is true in personal relationships as it is in politics. (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.a

Las Vegas, San Diego. Philippines

being studied against the ship owners and anyone else who may be found culpable for the disaster.

Enrile wants lifting of nuclear weapons ban in Constitution

MANILA – Chief Presidential Legal Adviser Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday, March 22 proposed the lifting of the ban on nuclear weapons in the 1987 Constitution, describing it as the “most unwanted provision.”

The 99-year old former Senate President attended the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments Revisions of Laws and Codes, upon the invitation of Committee chairperson Senator Robinhood Padilla at the Senate.

of Representatives approved constitutional convention (concon).

"Now I know that Congress has passed a proposed constitutional convention to do the job that you're doing. I would also caution them, caution you, because to do a con-con instead of a con-ass will be a disservice to the people of this country,” he said. (PNA) Chief Presidential Legal Adviser Juan

Enrile

Pagpapalathala: ika-23 ng Marso at ika-30 ng Marso, 2023

TAG: Paunawa sa Maaga’ng Pagboto, Espesyal na Halalan,Tagalog

MR. CLEAN. A utility worker of the City Government of Davao maintains the cleanliness of the City Hall surroundings on Thursday, March 23. Right before the employees start their work at 8 a.m., this cleaner makes sure that every nook and cranny of the City Hall compound is spick and span, and plants are sufficiently watered.

Church worker reports to UN: 223 drug-related killings under Marcos

MANILA — Drug-related killings in the Philippines continue under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). NCCP Program Secretary for Faith, Witness, and Service Mervin Sol Toquero said there were 223 drug-related killings since July 2022, the month Marcos took office. He added that there continues to be “minimal accountability” from perpetrators.

The report comes as the Philippine UPR (Universal Periodic Review) Watch is in Switzerland to partake in the 52nd Regular Session of the UNHRC’s adoption of recommendations made in the 4th UPR held in November last

year. The NCCP is a co-convenor of the Philippine UPR Watch.

Manila is expected to adopt 215 out of the 289 recommendations made by other UN-member states. The NCCP noted that the Philippines may reject proposals like repealing “weaponized” laws.

Rejoining ICC

Some of the recommendations include rejoining the International Criminal Court, but chances of it being an accepted as a recommendation remains slim.

The Duterte administration withdrew its membership from the International Criminal Court in 2018, which formally took effect in 2019, after the tribunal launched a preliminary examination into the alleged crimes of humanity committed to pursue the

administration’s “war on drugs.” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the government hired international lawyer Sarah Bafadhel to aid the Philippines’ case to stop the ICC probe.

“We ask this council to continue urging the Philippine government to cooperate with the ICC as this would provide viable accountability mechanisms and combat impunity,” Toquero said.

Aside from the casualties from a continued “drug war,” Toquero also raised concerns regarding the targeting of human rights defenders and development and humanitarian workers. The UNHRC is urged to also call on the Philippine government to enact the Human Rights Defenders Bill before congress. (Kaycee Valmonte/Philstar.com)

DOH detects 711 new cases of Omicron subvariants

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) has detected 711 new cases of the highly transmissible Omicron subvariants.

In its latest coronavirus disease

2019 (Covid-19) biosurveillance report, the department noted that 798 samples were sequenced by the San Lazaro Hospital, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the University of the PhilippinesPhilippine Genome Center Main, Visayas, and Mindanao from March 6 to 10.

Out of the total samples, about 264 or 33.08 percent were classified as BA.5 (including three BQ.1 cases and one BF.7 case); 259 or 32.46 percent as BA.2.3.20; 72 or 9.02 percent as XBB (including 10 XBB.1.5 cases); 28 or 3.51 percent as XBC; four or 0.50 percent as BA.2.75 (including

two BN.1 cases and one CH.1.1 case); three or 0.38 percent as BA.4; and 81 or 10.15 percent as other Omicron sub lineages.

“All additional BA.5 cases were local cases from all regions except Northern Mindanao and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao while additional BA.2.3.20 cases were from all regions except Eastern Visayas.

Among recently detected XBB cases, one was classified as a Returning Overseas Filipino (ROF) while the rest were local cases from regions – Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region

(NCR),” the DOH said.

The XBC cases were all local cases from the Ilocos Region, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.

All BA.2.75 cases were local cases from the Davao Region, CAR, and NCR while the additional BA.4 cases were local cases from Regions Calabarzon, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.

As of March 15, the World Health Organization has labeled BA.2.75, BQ.1, XBB, CH.1.1, and XBF as variants under monitoring.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has labeled BA.2.75, BQ.1, XBB, and XBB.1.5 as a variant of interest; and CH.1., XBF, and XBCr as variants under monitoring as of March 9. (PNA)

OSG: Let PH respond to alleged victims’ complaints before ICC

MANILA -- The Philippines should be allowed to respond to comments made by a group of ‘victims’ in the case against the previous administration’s campaign against illegal drugs before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Thursday. The so-called victims’ comments are being raised for the first time on appeal before the ICC’s Appeals Chamber without giving the Philippines an opportunity to respond or to look into the complaints, Guevarra pointed out.

“For as long as the state will be given a fair opportunity to respond to the victims' submissions during the appeals stage, the OSG will not make any further comment on their involvement. We want to make it of record that at no time during the initial stages

of this case was the state ever confronted with the complaints of the alleged victims, much less given an opportunity to address the same,” the SolGen said.

“We do not know who the 90 anonymous victim applicants are and where they are coming from,” Guevarra noted.

In a decision dated March 21, the ICC Appeals chamber directed its Victims Participation and Reparations Section to collect and transmit any representations from any interested victims and victim groups and prepare a report by May 22.

The body has rejected the Philippines’ initial request to be notified of all filings concerning victims citing the Rome Statute’s provision empowering the ICC “to take appropriate measures to protect the safety, physical and psychological well-being,

"We must now remove the restriction imposed by the Cory (Aquino) administration on this country and her people not to have any nuclear weapons in the country. I think in my personal opinion that is the most serious and unwanted provision in the Constitution," Enrile said.

Padilla, in a media briefing, said the issue on the nuclear provisions will be tackled as soon as they are now done with the hearing on the economic provision, saying he favored the proposal, adding that when the Constitution was made, only a few countries were using nuclear as a source of energy.

Padilla added he invited Enrile who is considered a "legal luminary" whose expertise and experiences in the Constitution is unquestionable .

Article II Section 8 of the 1987 Constitution forbids the presence of nuclear weapons in the Philippines, stating that "the Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory."

Enrile explained that in the modern world today, a small country can protect itself against the superpowers if they have nuclear weapons “If we can afford it we should also have nuclear weapons so our people will not be trampled upon let alone made a 'tuta' (lackey) or 'alipin' (slave) of other countries," Enrile added.

In the same hearing, Enrile said he is supporting Padilla’s proposal on economic provisions, saying he had read some of the latter’s proposals and drafts and he was convinced to support it 101 percent.

As for the mode of charter change, Enrile said he also favors the senator’s constitutional assembly instead of the House

PAUNAWA SA MAAGA’NG PAGBOTO PARA SA

LUNGSOD NG HENDERSON

2023 ESPESYAL NA HALALAN – PUROK 1

ANG PAUNAWA’NG ITO AY NAGBIBIGAY NANG KAALAMAN na ang maaga’ng pagboto para sa Purok 1 Espesyal na Halalan ay gaganapin sa Lungsod ng Henderson Purok 1.

KINAKAILANGAN SA PANINIRAHAN

Ang mga botante lamang na nakarehistro na bumoto sa lungsod ng Henderson Purok 1 ang karapat-dapat na bumoto sa halalan na ito. Hindi ka maaari’ng bumoto sa Espesyal na Halalan sa Purok 1 kung nakarehistro ka upang bumoto sa alinmang Purok maliban sa Purok 1.

PAGBOTO SA PAMAMAGITAN NG KOREO

Ang sinumang rehistrado’ng botante na karapat-dapat na bumoto sa halalan na ito ay maaari’ng pumili na bumoto sa pamamagitan ng koreo. Kung nakatanggap ka ng balota sa pamamagitan ng koreo, maaari mong ibalik ang balota’ng iyon sa lugar ng Maaga’ng Pagboto at bumoto nag personal.

MADALI ANG PAGBOTO! Ang mga botante ng Henderson Purok 1 ay maaari’ng bumoto sa Munisipyo ng Henderson, 240 Water Street Henderson, NV, sa panahon ng maaga’ng pagboto at sa Araw ng Halalan. Kung nakatanggap ka ng balota sa pamamagitan ng koreo, maaari mong ibalik ang balotang iyon sa lugar ng Maaga’ng Pagboto o Araw ng Halalan at bumoto.

LUNGSOD NG HENDERSON 2023 PUROK 1 ESPESYAL NA HALALAN

LUGAR NG MAAGA’NG PAGBOTO PARA SA LAHAT NG BOTANTE SA HENDERSON PUROK 1 Bukas Lamang sa MGA TIYAK NA PETSA at ORAS na Nakatala sa Ibaba

PETSA/LUGAR DIREKSIYON ORAS

SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY

Procurement Dept. 340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

RFP INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

SNRHA CONTACT PERSON(S) ONLY:

Note: Contact with any other SNRHA staff other than the named within this document is prohibited and will result in your Proposal being rejected. This also includes contact with SNRHA’s Residents and Board of Commissioners.

dignity and privacy of victims and witnesses.”

Earlier, Guevarra said the decision to hire a foreign lawyer to handle the government’s case before the ICC is needed to make sure the country’s interest is represented in the tribunal.

British barrister Sara Bafadel, who practices before the ICC at the Hague, was engaged by the Philippine government to represent its case before the tribunal.

Following the decision of the ICC to issue a warrant of arrest on Russian president Vladimir Putin in connection with the Ukraine-Russia War, Guevarra also said that while issuing a warrant in the case against the Philippines is within the powers of the ICC, “whether the same could be enforced is another thing altogether.” (PNA)

PH Coast Guard reports sightings of Chinese vessels at Kalayaan Islands

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has deployed one of its patrol vessels to Sandy Cay and Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea early this week in response to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to strengthen its presence in waters covered by the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to the PCG, during the said mission, BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) sighted multiple vessels of interest (VOI) of China in different vicinity waters of Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

PCG personnel also monitored eight foreign fishing vessels through Radio Detection and Ranging and Automatic Identification System (RADAR/ AIS) with visual confirmation at the vicinity waters of Menzies Reef conducting fishing activities using superlight. They also reported the presence of two more foreign fishing vessels at the vicinity waters of Lawak Island.

Also during its maritime patrol, Melchora Aquino also conducted a ferry mission for the residents of Kalayaan, Palawan, who joined the Great Kalayaan Expedition 2023 March from 16 to 22.This was to promote local

tourism in the islands of Lawak, Likas, and Pag-asa.

The PCG vessel also accommodated the Repair and Maintenance team of the Coast Guard District Palawan-District Support Group for Command Observation Post (COP) Lawak and the eight-incoming duty of Philippine National Police Special Operation UnitMaritime Group at Pag-asa Island.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Legal Service, Coast Guard Medical Team, Regional Coordinating Center Palawan, and Coast Guard Special Operating Unit Palawan provided force augmentation. g

HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ON THE APPLICABLE INTERNET SITES:

Johnny B. Shaw, Jr., MBA

Telephone: (702) 477-3146

TDD: (702) 387-1898

Email: jshaw@SNRHA.org or not available, contact

Wanda Beckett

Telephone: (702) 477-3145

Email: wbeckett@SNRHA.org

1.

DOWNLOAD AND RESPOND TO THIS SOLICITATION: NGEM website: https://nevada.ionwave.net/Login.aspx

Registered Users: Log in and insert Solicitation No. RFP P23034

Non-Registered Users: You must register your company before downloading and responding to this RFP, which is free of charge. Click on “New Vendor” to register. Problems accessing or registering your company, call 866-526-9266, 9AM Eastern – 4PM Pacific, M-F

2.

DOWNLOADS ONLY: SNRHA website: www.SNRHA.org click on Procurement and “Current Bid Invitations” and proceed to the appropriate solicitation number. Problems downloading the Solicitation, notify our IT Department at (702) 477-3160, M-F, 8AM-5PM PST

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

VIRTUAL PRE- PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

https://tinyurl.com/2p94ryww

MS TEAMS: +1 323-406-1159

- Phone Conference Meeting ID: 298 590 468 192 : Password: oTrzWw #

Q&A DEADLINE IN LIEU OF PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

SOLICITATION SUBMITTAL RETURN & DEADLINE:

Monday, March 27, 2023 at 9:00AM PDST

April 6, 2022 10AM (PDT)

All questions and answers shall be submitted in writing via https://nevada.ionwave.net/Login.aspx

Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Procurement & Contracts 340 N. 11th Street, Suite 180 Las Vegas, NV 89101

April 20, 2023 10AM (PDT)

Your proposed costs must be entered at the applicable website, https://nevada.ionwave.net/Login.aspx by the deadline date and time. Additionally, your three (3), sealed, hard-copy, proposals must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the SNRHA Procurement & Contracts Office no later than 10:00 AM (PDT) on the abovestated deadline date.

VEGAS&STYLE

ABS-CBN TFC news entertainment reporter Yong Chavez wins International Media Award in Hollywood

Recognition for years of blood, sweat and tears, and gratitude for a family who believed in her audacious dreams

LOS ANGELES – ABS-CBN’s

TFC News Hollywood correspondent Yong Chavez won the International Media Award at the 60th Annual ICG Publicists Awards. The winners were an-

nounced on March 10 at the awards luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Asians represent Chavez has been covering Hollywood for over 15 years

now, and receiving the award on the same weekend as the 95th Oscar Awards where the triumph of “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” was a breakthrough for Asian talent,

was “wonderfully surreal.”

Chavez recounts that “For years I looked for any Asian talent at all the red carpets I covered. I put a spotlight on them and fought for their representation. So, to see them celebrated now in such a huge way and for my own humble award to coincidentally be given on the same weekend and same award season is mind-blowing to me.”

Recipe for success

Being on the red carpet and interviewing celebrities might appear glamorous to an outsider, but there is much hard work, perseverance, and a lot of rejection along the way.

Chavez shares that her recipe for success is to “always be the hardest worker in the room. But hard work isn’t enough sometimes. You have to work smart, so you don’t burn out.” She also adds a very important point: “be kind. The universe has a way of rewarding you back for anything you selflessly do for others. And remember always what matters most: your personal relationships and your respect for yourself.”

On the pursuit of dreams

Always an avid fan of movies and TV, Chavez read in a movie magazine once: “Nothing is ever too hard to achieve if you have the faith to believe in it and the courage to fight for it.”

She has always fought for her dreams. Unknown to most, Chavez’s full time job for more than 15 years until 2021 was as a TV/film English and Tagalog subtitle editor for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The flexibility in the schedule allowed her to cover Hollywood news for Balitang America (now TFC News), TV Patrol, and ANC. Chavez explains that “Flex time made it possible but note that I didn’t say ‘easy’. It was difficult, but I did it happily because reporting was my pas-

sion while the salary I received from the regular job went to my mom and my sister in the Philippines, especially when my mom got sick.”

When Chavez’s mother and sister passed in quick succession, she continued working the grueling schedule until the pandemic when “the great resignation/life reevaluation happened to so many people, including me. I quit the regular job, but then started joining organizations like the HFPA and the HCA which also kept me busy and helped me improve myself and my career in other ways.”

She muses, “It was a hard climb, but it was well worth it. I worked for my dreams. It was years of blood, sweat, and tears. But I didn’t do it alone. I have my family. I have my friends. And I have my ABSCBN and TFC family who believed in me and my audacious dreams.”

The other entertainment journalists in Chavez’s category are Dan Jolin of Empire (UK), Garry Maddox of the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), Zachary Ntim of Deadline (UK), Helen O’Hara of Empire (Northern Ireland), and Adam Tanswell of Total Film (UK).

Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel to visit Philippines in May Why Kylie doesn’t do dating apps

REIGNING Miss Universe

R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States will be visiting the Philippines in May due to a “huge event” of the Miss Universe Organization.

Gabriel, who is half-Filipino courtesy of her father who was born and raised in Manila, announced her Philippine visit on the Texas-based lifestyle show Houston Life, hosted by her friend Derrick Shore.

During the TV program, the Louisiana-based beauty queen again proudly stated that she has Filipino blood and that as a child she would go on vacation in the Philippines with her father.

“I cannot believe it, it warms my heart. I grew up going to the Philippines as a child and just going on a vacation there, and to actually be somewhat of an inspiration to the people in the Philippines now is amazing. Actually, I will be visiting the Philippines soon, in May. We’re gonna have a huge event there, as Miss Universe, so I’m really excited,” she said.

“So for all the Filipinos tuning in, I cannot wait to meet you,” she added.

Since becoming Miss Universe in January, Gabriel has been staying in New York. But because of her homecoming in Houston in Texas, she said that one of the top five things she would be doing, especially now that her birthday weekend is coming along is, to have some friends over and eat her favorite Filipino treats such as ensaymada pastries and sinigang soup in a Filipino restaurant.

In a previous interviews, Gabriel mentioned that while she grew up in the U.S., her heart has always been Filipino,

a trait instilled in her by her doctor father, Remigio Bonzon “R’Bon” Gabriel, whose name she inherited as well.

A fashion designer by profession, Gabriel is the first Filipino-American to be crowned Miss Universe and Miss USA. The U.S. still holds the record with 22 uninterrupted placements from 1977 to 1998.

KYLIE Verzosa tried a dating site for the first time as part of her preparation for her role in JP Laxamana’s new romantic comedy film Baby Boy, Baby Girl. The latest offering of Viva Films is now showing in cinemas nationwide.

“It’s a different role. Several people haven’t seen me in this type of role but in a romcom setting,” the former Miss International recently told The STAR in an exclusive chat.

“What I liked about the film is that these are stuff that people don’t talk about — sugar baby, sugar daddy, sugar mommy, sugar dating — which is really happening in real life. This film by JP Laxamana, he presented in a very fun and rom-com way.”

As mentioned, Kylie had to sign up for a dating site for research purposes. “Actually, it was based off this dating site. So direk JP asked me to visit the dating site,” the actress recalled.

“I even actually signed up and I saw all nicknames, nakakatawa because I’ve never been on any dating sites (apps), you know, Tinder or Bumble, I’ve never tried them. So, it was so new that oh my god, it opened up my world, that this is happening but, you know, we should really have to be open (to this reality).”

very different. But not judging anything. It’s their life, it’s their hustle.”

“And I guess it’s the story of Baby Boy, Baby Girl, it’s about two hustlers (who are also exes) and they found the easiest way to get out of a hard life. They tried it out and they learned that it’s probably not the best for them. They learned some things along the way from them. For me, it’s a very interesting story,” she further said.

Sugar dating is widely defined as a relationship where a younger and struggling person gets support from an older, wealthier person through money, vacations, lavish gifts, etc.

Given her conservative family background, The STAR asked Kylie if she harbored strong opinions on sugar dating prior to doing the film and she said, “I mean I’ve heard about it, ‘di ba parang sikat yung mag-punta ka sa Dubai because you’re gonna marry rich …”

On TikTok, she also saw content offering “tips pa nga on how to get a guy to give you money and nakaka… parang wow, girls really do this.”

She has also heard stories about pageants becoming an avenue for rich “pageant sponsors” to get girls.

“I’m very against it. Pageants shouldn’t even be an avenue for this,” Kylie said.

with another girl.

“So yeah, yung security ko dun na kaming dalawa lang, it’s not there. I’m still very old school, very traditional, when it comes to dating,” she said. Kylie is currently single but she’s open to falling in love again this year.

The Philippines’ Celeste Cortesi, meanwhile, did not place in the Top 16 of the pageant, breaking the country’s 12-year streak of securing a spot in the Miss Universe semifinals. This streak started in 2010 courtesy of Venus Raj who finished fifth in the competition held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the U.S. that year.

Kylie did not say the dating site’s name. But when she did sign up, she saw “guys you can choose from because there’s a line in the film, you can choose what you’re looking for, is it companionship, is it money, is it gifts, is it time, so siempre, I chose like the safer ones.”

She further related that the “options” were more from abroad.

“Sa Philippines meron din naman but like different nationalities and like older men. So nakakatuwa na nakita ko siya (because) it’s so different and I come from a very conservative family, so everything is new to me… it’s just

“It’s not supposed to be a place for, you know, ‘sponsors to get girls.’ Pageant has to be a safe place. It’s supposed to be a safe space for women,” she stressed.

But back to her earlier pronouncement that she never tried online dating. She explained that she still prefers “traditional” face-to-face dating and courtship.

“It’s just that dating sites are not my thing. Maybe, I’m very old school in a way na parang gusto ko ma-meet ang guy in person. There’s this sort of mystery…

I feel like if I’ve met someone through a dating site, then he’s probably going to do the same

“Right now, at this stage of my life, I’m looking for someone stable, someone I can really get along with. I’m not so much about the looks because, you know, it fades.

“But it’s the connection also for me right now. And someone who can support me and my career. It’s not an easy career to support. So I want someone who can push me and help me achieve my dreams and my goals.

“And you know, give me a bit of freedom but also be sweet at the same time. It’s a mix of everything. And it’s just a matter of trying to balance both your lives together. So, let’s see.”

Kris matures with pregnancy

VERSATILE actress Kris Bernal delighted showbiz fans when she announced her pregnancy last March 3 in a series of funny social media posts. Confusing netizens for a minute, the uploads showed wacky movie posters where she and her businessman husband, Perry Choi, supposedly star in a documentary. The title was the giveaway: "When Two Become Three," and it went viral.

Sitting with media to share the story behind the hit idea, Bernal said, "The movie poster pregnancy reveal was my concept. I'm the type of person who always thinks beyond the box. I didn't want it to be a stereotypical photoshoot, plus I wanted to show Perry's sense of humor."

The GMA Network artist added that the posts double up as notice that their pregnancy journey will be a featured series on her YouTube channel. Asked how she discovered she was pregnant, Bernal excitedly gave a list: "It's the usual things — I missed my period; I always felt dizzy. There were times when I didn't have energy at work."

She also developed food aversions and could not believe she no longer enjoyed her favorite coffee, burger and even samgyupsal, which everyone knows is their business.

"I wondered why I suddenly had these drastic changes. Why I was always tired and couldn't work out like I used to. That's when I tried a pregnancy test, and after two tests, it turned out positive," Bernal continued.

The 33-year-old admitted the pregnancy was unplanned but that her husband really wanted a baby already.

"We weren't trying because I wanted to do one more soap and

do more things with GMA. Then it just happened. I wasn't too emotional when I found out. I was just shocked, like, 'Wow. What ν should I do next?'" confessed. Her husband's reaction, however, was the exact opposite, and she was able to record how he cried with joy, as her followers would have seen on YouTube.

"It was December 21, 2022, when I found out I was pregnant-a perfect Christmas gift for Perry. He was at the office when I took the test, and I pretended it was negative until he got home, and I showed him the real test result."

Currently managed by ALV Talent Circuit, Bernal, a fitness fanatic, said she has given up the heavy workouts and is fully embracing her pregnancy. Her top priority is to ensure she will give birth to a healthy baby.

"I really wanted to work out and do things pregnant women aren't allowed to do. But it all changed when I first saw the baby via ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. I told myself, 'Shocks, this is really it,' and it finally sunk in that I'm really at a different stage in my life now."

No longer scared that her stomach might not return to being flat, Bernal now admits that starting a family brings incomparable happiness in a couple's life.

"At first, I was conscious and worried about my body shape and how it would change. But now, I don't think about needing to slim down and get sexy again giving birth," Bernal proudly stated.

As for her showbiz career, the actress knows she will need time off but promised, "I will still be active in showbiz because it's my passion. But I will always prioritize my family and strike a balance between my career and my family's needs. I don't want

Rainbow Company Youth Theatre presents ‘Once On This Island’ musical

RAINBOW Company Youth Theatre, a city of Las Vegas program, and Broadway in the Hood will present “Once on This Island” weekends April 28-May 7, with show times at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Performances will be held at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. A sensory-friendly performance with an American Sign Language interpreter is offered at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. Individual reserved-seat show tickets, priced at $8 including fees, are available now online at https://ci.ovationtix. com/35056/. Tickets also may be purchased at Charleston Heights Arts Center.

With calypso-flavored music by Tony Award-winning songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the Olivier Award-winning show is based upon the novel “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy. The music will have you singing and dancing in the aisles. The

show, directed by Torrey Russell, is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, which supplied all authorized performance materials.

This Caribbean adaptation of the popular fairy tale, “The Little Mermaid,” garnered eight Tony nominations for its Broadway run, including Best Musical, Book and Score. Ti Moune, a peasant girl, rescues Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. She falls in love with him. Unbeknownst to Ti Moune, the pompous gods who preside over the island make a bet with one another over which is stronger, love or death. They lead Ti Moune on a quest that tests the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice, hatred and even death. When she pursues Daniel, who has returned to his people, Ti Moune is shunned because of her lowly status.

The Rainbow Company Youth

Theatre is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning youth theatre group. For more than 45 years, the company has provided professional training for young people and theatre art classes for all ages. The core of the Rainbow Company is its ensemble of 40 dedicated students, ages 10 to 18, selected yearly by open audition. The ensemble members work in all aspects of each production from costumes, make-up, sets, lights, sound and backstage crew under the tutelage of professional directors and designers. Classes are offered year-round for young people ages 4-18 at Charleston Heights Arts Center. See the available 2023 Rainbow Company Youth Theatre classes online. For more information on these and more cultural events and classes, call 702-229-ARTS (2787), email ArtsLasVegas@ lasvegasnevada.gov or go online to ArtsLasVegas.org.

Titus celebrates the establishment of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

to miss out on my child growing up because you can never get that time back. But I know I can be a working mom because I have a supportive husband.

Now in her 18th week of pregnancy, Bernal and Choi are eagerly thinking of baby names as well as godparents for their soon-to-arrive bundle of joy.

"We haven't decided on a name yet, but for ninongs and ninangs, I'd like to ask Ms. Eugene Domingo, Carla Abellana, Rita Daniela, Rayver Cruz and Rocco Nacino."

Vanessa to visit PH for documentary

FILIPINA American actress Vanessa Hudgens — famously known for her role as Gabriella in the hit series "High School Musical" — is visiting the Philippines to film a travel documentary directed and produced by Paul Soriano. Hudgens' mother is Filipina. It will be her first-ever visit to the Philippines. She will be joined by her sister Stella and her mother Gina.

The documentary shows her relationships and her family history.

"I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world," Hudgens said. "The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up."

The untitled documentary will shoot in Palawan and Manila in March. g

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Dina Titus, author of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Establishment Act, commended President Biden for honoring his pledge to establish Nevada’s Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument and celebrated the protection of this critical sacred land. Spirit Mountain, known by its Mojave name Avi Kwa Ame, is considered by ten Yuman-speaking tribes and the Hopi and Chemehuevi Paiute to be the sacred center of creation itself. Congresswoman Titus led the legislative effort to permanently safeguard its over 506,000 acres of biologically diverse and culturally significant lands by designating it as a national monument.

“One cannot overstate the importance of the sacred land of Avi Kwa Ame to Southern Nevada’s native tribes,” said Rep. Titus. “And for the Yuman speakers and the Hopi and Chemehuevi Paiute who place it at the center of all creation, along with every Nevadan who knows the value of our cherished public lands, designating Spirit Mountain as a national monument will protect this treasured space for future generations.

“Having led the charge to protect Gold Butte, Basin and Range, and Tule Springs Fossil Beds, I’ve been

proud to work with indigenous leaders, environmental champions, and grassroots organizations across Nevada to keep our public lands safe. Without their unflinching dedication over many years this would not have happened.

I’m hugely grateful that President Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland have heeded our call to permanently protect Avi Kwa Ame.”

As the New York Times recently wrote, Rep. Titus has “previously shepherded three national monuments (Gold Butte, Basin and Range, and Tule Springs Fossil Beds) through Congress,” and has worked tirelessly to advocate for Avi Kwa Ame’s designation as a national monument.

Congresswoman Titus has been a long-time champion of preserving public lands. From leading the charge to protect Gold Butte and Basin & Range to conserving Tule Springs, she believes that everyone has a responsibility to be good stewards of our nation’s unique landscapes. In February 2022, Congresswoman Titus introduced the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Establishment Act, legislation to protect nearly 450,000 acres of biologically diverse and culturally significant lands within the Mojave Desert.

The monument features dra-

matic scenic peaks and canyons, sloping bajadas, some of the oldest and largest Joshua trees in the world, bighorn migration routes, unique grasslands, and a rich history of petroglyphs and other ancient cultural sites sacred to ten Yuman-speaking Tribes in the Mountain West. Avi Kwa Ame’s designation as a national monument will also boost tourism in Southern Nevada. The state’s outdoor recreation economy lost around 14 million visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some tour companies relying on out-of-state visitors cut staff by up to 70%. The new national monument will create excitement about another outdoor recreation opportunity and will support local tourism, hospitality, and sporting goods industries. That’s why this monument is supported by local governments and the Southern Nevada business community, including both the Boulder City and Laughlin Chambers of Commerce. Tribal leaders and conservationists have been working for over 20 years to permanently protect Avi Kwa Ame and have coordinated with elected officials, government agencies, outdoor recreation businesses, and environmental organizations to establish the monument’s boundary lines.

HABITS

The healthiest habits: eating a healthy diet, avoiding/ minimizing intake of sugar and sweets, drinking at least 8 glasses of filtered water, exercising daily, and sleeping 8 hours (when possible) daily; taking mini vacation/staycation to de-stress, doing charity work, and having regular medical/ dental checkups.

Fruits

The healthiest fruits are lemons, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, limes, grapefruits, blackberries, avocados, apples, pomegranates, pineapples and bananas.

Vegetables

The healthiest vegetables are asparagus, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, garlic and kale.

Drinks

Besides pure filtered water, milk, coffee, tea, kombucha, and vegetable smoothies are the healthiest drinks. The worst beverages are soft drinks –they are poison to our body, especially to children, increasing the drinkers’ risk for metabolic syndrome. Thirst quencher sport drinks, like Gatorade and others, contribute to childhood obesity. Drinking hot water upon rising in the morning is healthiest, instead of cold drinks.

Recreational

Non-drug involved activities are the healthiest: Gardening, swimming, volleyball, skiing/ snowboarding, horseback riding, hiking, yoga and paddling. Find a practical choice for yourself and your circumstance.

Exercise These are the healthiest: Swimming, tai-chi, tai-bo, normal or brisk walking (jogging eventually damages joints). I find tai-bo works as a personal preference – I tailor the duration and intensity to what my senior body can take and endure, with safety.

Diet

The healthiest: Mediterranean

Diet, which is a plant-based diet consisting of a lot of variety of vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, herbs, and spices. Fish, other seafood, lean beef, lean poultry, and sweets [can be consumed] sparingly. Besides quality of food items, quantity is vital to good health. Maintain a normal weight and live longer.

Attitude

The healthiest attitude includes waking up cheerful, being positive and always hopeful, being loving and compassionate, being forgiving, showing courage under fire,

The healthiest habits

with malice towards none, and bringing your own sunshine to people everywhere you go.

Brain exercise

The healthiest: Solving memory games, jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles; reading stimulating books, writing letters/stories, playing chess or joining sports competitions for seniors, and social interactions with people.

Exercise for joints

The healthiest exercise that minimizes damage to the spine, hip, knee and ankle joints are walking, bicycling, swimming, and water aerobics. Jogging is becoming less popular because it has been linked to damages of the hip, knee, and ankle joints over time.

Sleep apnea

The healthiest way to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or prolonged frequent breathholding while asleep resulting in hypoxemia (low blood oxygen level), is with the use of a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. Using items advertised as treatment (nose clips, mouth guard, medications, etc.) are unhealthy and dangerous. CPAP addresses the pathology of OSA and effectively keeps the collapsing airway passage in the throat wide open with air pressure for normal air exchange.

Shoes for walking

The healthiest (to minimize trauma to joints, prevent foot blisters, and provide foot comfort) for women is the Ryka Devotion Plus 3; and for men, the Brooks Glycerin GTS 19. Both are available at Amazon.

Cities in the world

The top eight healthiest (and happiest) cities: Copenhagen, Denmark; Frankfurt, Germany; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Helsinki, Finland; Berlin, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Fukuoka, Japan; and Geneva, Switzerland. The people of the United States were the unhappiest in 50 years, according to the mid-2020 study by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Cities in the United States

The ten healthiest cities in the U.S. according to the Mindbody + Class Pass Annual Wellness Index, in this order: San Francisco, not the safest but ranked the healthiest; Miami, Florida; San Diego, CA; Atlanta, GA; Chicago (the murder capital?), Illinois; Albuquerque, NM; Los Angeles, CA, (despite air pollution?); New York, NY; Oakland, CA; and Tampa, FL.

And finally, I challenge all of you and your loved ones to enjoy life and be the healthiest and happiest possible!

Erythritol danger?

A new study revealed erythritol, a sugar alcohol used in artificial sweeteners, can increase the risk for blood clot formation, heart attack, and stroke, and result in

Las Vegas Fil-Am medical leader Candari has died

digestive disorders. A few of the sugar substitutes that contain erythritol are Stevia, Truvia, Splenda Monk Fruit in packets, jar or pouch, Splenda Stevia packets, Splenda Magic Baker, Splenda Coffee Creamer, Trim Healthy Mama Sweet Blend, and Zsweet and Swerve (France).

Pure 100 percent Monk Fruit does not contain erythritol.

Erythritol is a type of carbohydrate also known as polyol, with zero calorie. This was approved by the WHO in 1999 as a sugar substitute. It has only 6 percent calories of sugar but 70 percent (200-400 times) of the sweetness. When ingested, erythritol goes to the blood stream; only 10 percent goes to the colon (where it could cause inflammation and digestive problems), and about 90 percent is excreted in the urine. The tested safety of erythritol was the reason it was recommended for diabetics since it also does not affect blood sugar or insulin.

However, this new small-scale and limited study recently put the spotlight on erythritol and its safety, per CNN. A Small amount (adding it to coffee, etc.) like a couple of packets a day is deemed safe from the reported risks listed above. The benefits from erythritol are the following: has antioxidant properties that protect against blood vessel damage and heart attack caused by high blood sugar level among diabetics; Erythritol also suppresses the growth of bacteria in the mouth, like Xylitol (in toothpaste/mouth wash) does, reducing plaque and cavities.

The study is too small to be valid. Large multi-nation clinical research is needed to provide convincing scientific evidencebased data before the verdict becomes a valid part of the standard of care.

* * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * *

The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.

* * *

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

Solenn introduces second child to the public

ACTRESS Solenn Heussaff finally introduced her second daughter Maëlys Lionel to the public.

On Monday morning, March 20, the 37-year-old posted a short Instagram Reel that showed the face of her three-monthold.

“Always Making us smile Maelys,” Heussaff said. In just a matter of hours, the video garnered 1 million views, 164,000 likes and more than a thousand comments, most of which expressed their excitement in virtually meeting the baby.

Maelys, born in December 2022, is Heussaff’s second daughter with husband Nico Bolzico. Their first child, Thylane or Tili, who has turned into a social media darling, was born in January 2020.

As with their first child, the couple decided to hold off the public introduction of Maelys. She only previously shared that they named their daughter after the Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi, much to the delight of her Argentine husband Bolzico who is also a huge football fan.

DR. Cesar D. Candari, MD, a well-known Las Vegas Filipino-American Diplomate in pathology, medical leader, humanitarian, author, newspaper columnist of Philippine Times, passed away on March 14, 2023 from pancreatic cancer. He was 89 years old.

Dr. Candari was a member of prestigious FEU Class ’61, which broke the record with an amazing feat of excellence when its members garnered 8 of the 10 top places in the 1961 Philippine Medical Board Examination, including the first place, UST getting the 4th and 8th places. This historic and unique accomplishment has yet to be equaled in the annals of medical board examination anywhere in the world.

Dr. Candari, who was born in Pandan, Antique, Philippines, had been active in his medical alumni foundation and other medical associations. He was the founder of the Pandan Antique Foundation, a humanitarian organization providing services and care to his native town. He had been bestowed multiple awards and commendation from his peers.

The Candari Analect, his 4th book, which includes historic events and his experience facing and looking at death in the eyes the past several months, was released about a month before his demise, now available at amazon.com

“Dr. Cesar D. Candari left behind him a distinguished and lasting legacy. While he is physically no longer with us, his wonderful achievements and memories will be with us, to inspire us and future generations, to cherish

forever,” stated Class ’61 president and cardiac surgeon Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS. Dr. Candari is survived by his wife, Asela (Cely) Asprec-Candari, BS Pharmacy, their four children, Roy, Marjorie, candace, and Arleen, and their six grandchildren.

UPAAA all set to give Oblation Awards

THE 2023 Grand Reunion and Convention (GRC) of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America (UPAAA) is fast approaching.

This year marks the 22nd biennial gathering of UP Alumni from across the country. Highlighting this event is giving Oblation Awards to outstanding UP alumni living or working in the United States for their exceptional personal and professional achievements. Receiving the awards are UP alumni who contribute to their local, national, and international communities and personify the spirit symbolized by the Oblation: strength, resilience and freedom of thought and selfless action for the public interest.

One UPAAA Outstanding Alumni Group Award will be given to an outstanding UP Alumni group for their meritorious and exceptional activities, projects and other accomplishments which benefit not only their members and communities in the U.S., but also the University and the Philippines. Awardees will receive a commemorative UP Oblation

statuette created by ThisSideUp

Casting owned by Rod Deang.

The Award ceremonies will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, during Gala Night. The GRC will be held on October 19 to 22, 2023 at the

Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey. More information about Oblation Awards and other highlights of GRC can be found in http://upaaagrc2023. eventbrite.com.

Paolo Montalban, Brandy reprise ‘90s ‘Cinderella’ roles for Disney

THE iconic '90s live action

Cinderella and Prince Charming are set to come back to the screen as Filipino actor Paolo Montalban and Brandy are seen wearing their royal garments for the upcoming fourth movie in Disney's "Descendants" franchise.

Paolo and Brandy looked happy as they caught up with each other on the 25-second video uploaded by Disney+ on Twitter.

Now called King Charming, the Filipino-American actor still looked as dashing as his Prince Charming self back in the 1997 "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella."

Brandy, meanwhile, wears a ball gown befitting a queen and wears her blue, fishtail braid with a crown. The couple poses for a shot with a mansion on the background.

They starred alongside Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters and Whoopi Goldberg in the original movie.

Paolo and Brandy join the cast of "Descendants: The Rise of Red," the fourth movie in the trilogy about the offsprings of some of Disney's most popular

villains.

"Descendants: The Rise of Red" follows Red (Kylie Cantrall), the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), and Chloe (Malia Baker), the daughter of King Charming and Cinderella, as they travel back in time to stop Red's mother

PSYCHIC

from becoming the villain in the present time. It is a spin-off to the earlier "Descendants" movies that featured Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart and Cameron Boyce. The release date of "Descendants: The Rise of Red" is yet to be announced by Disney+.