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DATELINE US gov’t: Corruption in PH continues to hamper trade FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM AcRoSS AMERIcA

THE issue of corruption in the Philippines continues to obstruct the trade and investment relations between Manila and Washington, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In its 2018 National Trade Estimate Report of Foreign Trade Barriers, the USTR pointed out that corruption is a “pervasive” and “longstanding” problem in the Philippines. “National and local government agencies, particularly Bureau of Customs (BOC), are beset with various corruption issues,” the USTR said. Just like in its 2017 report, the USTR also mentioned anew that both foreign and domestic investors have expressed concern about the “propensity of Philippine courts and regulators to stray beyond matters of legal interpretation into policymaking, as well as the lack of transparency in judicial and

April 5-11, 2018

Marcos on poll recount: Some ballots pre-shaded for Robredo by Dana

SioSon AJPress

THE camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo scoffed at the reported discovery of “pre-shaded” ballots amid an ongoing poll recount, calling it “ridiculous” and a possible attempt to “confuse” the public. Revisors of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) have reportedly found several unused or excess ballots with pre-shaded votes for Robredo during the third day of the recount of votes in the 2016 vice presidential race. The manual recount and revision of ballots started last Monday, April 2. This was in connection with the poll protest filed by former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Robredo. He lost to her

by only 263,473 votes. According to Marcos’ camp, the preshaded ballots were from the municipality of Baao in Camarines Sur—which is among the three pilot provinces Marcos tagged in his poll protest. The other two were Iloilo and Negros Oriental. “Pre-shaded ito at ibinilang kay Mrs. Robredo (It was pre-shaded and counted as vote for Robredo),” Marcos’ lawyer, Vic Rodriguez, claimed. The number of shaded unused and excess ballots, however, remains unclear. Robredo’s camp, meanwhile, tagged the reported discovery as “ridiculous,” “We find the report ridiculous, since at that time, only one ballot box was opened and this report surfaced immediately,” said

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Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice Pres. Leni Robredo

‘DACA is dead,’ says Trump ahead of policy change announcement

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by Rae

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy

Inquirer.net photo

FBI investigating Apollo Quiboloy’s Hawaii church for ‘aggressive fundraising’, human trafficking Quiboloy’s lawyer denies the allegations of human trafficking

The FBI is conducting an investigation into the Hawaii chapter of Filipino televangelist Apollo Quiboloy’s church on accusations of “aggressive fundraising” and possible human trafficking. As first reported by Hawaii News Now, the investigation is centered around Felina Salinas, the business manager of the Waipahu chapter of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) of which Quiboloy is head. On February 13, Salinas was arrested by federal authorities after U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement found $350,000 in cash

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TRIBAL GIFT. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the unveiling of the project marker of the Lisap Bridge during its inauguration in Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro on Tuesday, April 3. Joining the President are Socorro Mayor Maria Fe Brondial, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Oriental Mindoro Second District Representative Reynaldo Umali and Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali Jr. Malacañang photo by Albert Alcain

Duterte orders 6-month closure of Boracay

SioSon AJPress

THE Philippines can become an upper middle-income country by 2019, according to the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Citing the country’s sustained robust growth, NEDA said the Philippines is poised to reach the upper middle-income status earlier than the initial target of 2022. “The strong economic growth performance of the country in 2017 enabled us to achieve gross national income (GNI) per

ann VaRona AJPress

THE program that protects the roughly 700,000 young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children was declared “dead” by President Donald Trump on Monday, April 2. His comment was among a series of tweets that raised new questions on what would become of the said undocumented young immigrants known as “Dreamers.” “DACA is dead because the Democrats did not care or act, and now everyone wants to get onto the DACA bandwagon,” tweeted Trump on Monday, blaming Democrats for the situation. “No longer works. Must build Wall and secure our borders with proper Border legislation. Democrats want No Border, hence drugs and crime!” the president added. At the annual White House Easter Egg Roll later that Monday, the president continued to point his finger saying “they had this great opportunity, and Democrats have really let them down.” “It’s a shame,” he added. “Now people are taking advantage of DACA. It should have never hap-

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by AJPress

The six-month closure of the island was jointly recommended by the Department of Environment PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has or- and Natural Resources (DOJ), Department of Tourdered the closure of Boracay island for six months, ism (DOT), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). starting April 26. Also confirming the closure, Senior Deputy According to Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., the president gave his approval on the recommenda- Executive Secretary Menardo said: “DENR/DOT/ tion to close the top tourist destination during his meet- DILG proposal approved after an exhaustive dising with his Cabinet officials on Wednesday, April 4. cussion.” Guevarra said calamity funds would be used to “Boracay [is] closed for six months effective 26 April,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. assist residents in Boracay whose livelihood will be said in message to reporters. u PAGE A3 Pres. Donald Trump

PH seen to prosper as ‘upper middle-income’ country by 2019 by Dana

Philstar.com photo

capita growth rate of 4.8 percent, higher than the target of 4.5 percent,” NEDA said in its Socioeconomic Report 2017 launched Tuesday, April 3. In 2017, the Philippine economy grew by 6.7 percent—among the fastest in Asia. “This would make it possible for us to reach the upper middle-income country standard definition of just below $4,000 income per capita by end-2019,” NEDA added. World Bank classifies countries with a GNI per capita between $4,036 and NEDA Undersecretary of Policy and Planning

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Rosemarie Edillon

Photo from Twitter/@WhiteHouse

Pacquiao, Matthysse set for July showdown in Malaysia by Dana

SioSon AJPress

MANNY Pacquiao’s much-awaited fight against World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is officially set. In a Twitter post, promoter Oscar De La Hoya confirmed that the Filipino boxer will challenge Matthysse on July 14, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “Proud to officially announce that WBA Inquirer.net photo welterweight world champion @Matthys-

seLucas will put his title on the line against @mannypacquiao in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday night July 14,” wrote De La Hoya on Tuesday, April 3. Pacquiao, also in a social media post, said he “can’t wait” for another title shot. “It’s on! Can’t wait to challenge Lucas Matthysse for another world title on July 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - July 14 U.S. time,” Pacquiao said. The upcoming match against Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) comes a year after Pacquiao

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april 5-11, 2018 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

From The FronT Page

Palace reiterates: Duterte not... PAGE A1 Maria Bernadette Sardillo, Robredo’s lawyer. “How can this be reported that quick if no telephones or any mode of outside communication is allowed inside the revision area?” she added. Sardillo also suggested that the supposed pre-shaded ballots could have been “rejected ballots” that were wrongly stored. “These could be rejected ballots that were mistakenly placed inside the envelope for unused ballots. Based on experience, due to the conditions inside the

precincts where our BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors) are awake as early as 4 a.m., mistakes happen,” she remarked. She went to say: “This should be another attempt of the camp of losing candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to throw shade in the recount process and further confuse the public.” Revisors quit A day after the start of VP poll recount, four head revisors resigned. The news was confirmed by both Rodriguez and Sardillo on Tuesday, April 3. A head revisor is in charge of recounting the contested ballots

and recording objections, claims, and other notes by either Marcos or Robredo’s representatives. In a statement, Marcos expressed hope that the resignation of four head revisors “will not result in another round of delays especially now that we have started to uncover clear signs of fraud.” “They are no ordinary revisors, having undergone rigid psychological test and meticulous screening by the PET. They must have a compelling reason for backing out and I am one with the Filipino people in asking why,” he added. n

‘DACA is dead,’ says Trump ahead of policy... PAGE A1 pened.” Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) responded on Twitter and said that it was Trump who was at fault. The Trump administration ended the Obama-era Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last September, giving Congress a now passed March 5 deadline to find a solution for the Dreamers. Court rulings have allowed the program to temporarily remain, but no new applications have been or can be accepted. Durbin said, “The President is blaming everyone under the sun,

SEIZED FIREARMS. President Rodrigo R. Duterte leads the inspection of the firearms seized from the New People’s Army on the sidelines of his attendance to the ceremonial distribution of the Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to agrarian reform beneficiaries at the Sultan Kudarat Sports and Cultural Center in the municipality of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on Monday, April 2. Joining the President are 6th Infantry Division Commander Major General Arnel dela Vega, Sultan Kudarat First District Representative Suharto Mangudadatu, and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go. Malacañang photo by Simeon Celi Jr.

a deal!” The Trump administration said last month that it would extend DACA for two-and-a-half-years in exchange for $25 billion bor- PAGE A1 der wall funding which Demo- and military-grade rifles on a crats did not agree to. private plane at the Honolulu Democrats gave a counter- airport that was to leave for the offer of funding for the wall in Philippines. exchange for giving the apAccording to a complaint filed proximately 1.8 million Dream- by a special agent of the United ers a path to citizenship, which States Dept. of Homeland SeTrump’s administration refused. curity, Salinas lacked to declare Policy plans to address back- that they were transporting thoulogs, quotas sands of “neatly bundled” $100 White House officials added bills in black socks. to the anti-immigration theme Quiboloy, along with six other and said Monday that the Trump people including Salinas, was administration has begun a new temporarily detained while Salilegislative push on immigration. nas was charged with attempted “DHS is working on another smuggling. According to legal legislative package, obviously experts, the allegations have we’ve been talking about this opened up discussion on whether for many months now, includ- human trafficking was involved. ing when we sent the immigraAccording to an official report, tion priorities over to Congress complainant Kristina Angeles back in October that would basi- said she came to Hawaii from cally close these loopholes so we the Philippines on a religious can have a lawful immigration visa when Salinas made her raise system and save a lot of lives on funds and sell “manapua and both sides of the border,” said Krispy Kreme” donuts for hours one official. “rain or shine.” The proposals include chang“We’ve been slapped or yelled ing laws to make applying or at,” Angeles wrote in a police being granted asylum more dif- statement. “The last time, I reficult, allowing longer detain- ceived punches over my arms ment of families waiting for their and legs.” immigration decisions through Salinas was previously ara change in “catch and release” policies, and removing protections for unaccompanied minors arriving illegally in the U.S. so they can be deported or be PAGE A1 turned back at the border more regulatory processes.” quickly. Investors, likewise, have PAGE A3 raised concerns about “courts being influenced by bribery and improperly issuing temporary restraining orders to impede legitimate commerce.” Data from the USTR showed that U.S. goods exports to the Philippines in 2017 were $8.5 billion, making Manila Washington’s 31st largest goods export market in 2017; while imports from the Philippines were $11.6 billion. C<>8C @DD@>I8K@FE `j X 9@> @JJL< k_\j\ [Xpj% D8EP `e fli Zfddle`kp E<<; On the other hand, U.S. expfli j\im`Z\j% K_\i\ Xi\ k_fljXe[j n_f dXp nXek kf \og\[`k\ k_\`i i\j`[\eZp fi ports of services to the Philippines were an estimated $2.6 glijl\ ]lcc Z`k`q\ej_`g Ylk [feËk befn _fn kf Y\^`e Xe[ n_\i\ kf ^f% billion in 2016, while imports were $6.1 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade with the Philippines tobut he only has to look in the mirror to find the person who turned down six different bipartisan DACA deals from Congress - a few that included funding for his useless wall.” Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) echoed Durbin and wrote on Twitter, “He walked away - not Democrats.” On Twitter last month on the March 5 deadline, Trump called Democrats out saying, “the Democrats are nowhere to be found on DACA. Gave them 6 months, they just don’t care.” The tweet continued, “Where are they? We are ready to make

FBI investigating Apollo Quiboloy’s Hawaii... rested in 2015 for an alleged assault on a fellow church member who said she was forced to raise funds for the church, Hawaii News Now said. Hawaii attorney Clare Hanusz told Hawaii News Now that that church member’s allegations indicated “some of the classic signs of human trafficking and people who come under religious worker visas before have sometimes been connected with human trafficking.” Angeles also wrote that while at a church compound in the Philippines, the church forced her to shave her head and wear an “orange t-shirt.” Children’s Joy, the church’s foundation, was also accused of “aggressive fundraising” as well as misrepresentation. Many of the church’s younger members were often forced to sell baked goods at a local Costco to raise funds for the church. On Tuesday, Quiboloy’s lawyer Israelito Torreon denied that the church was involved in human trafficking and that the pastor’s legal team had not received notification of the FBI investigation. He also proposed that an outside

party pushed that claim to take down the church. “That is shocking,” Torreon told ABS-CBN on Tuesday, April 3. “Somebody must be orchestrating all of these. I hope that person will be enlightened by the Lord Almighty to stop this because that’s really not true. The congregation of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy is a religious congregation. It is not engaged in human trafficking.” Quiboloy — who has called himself the Appointed Son of God and has said his self-proclaimed immaculately conceived birth resembled that of Jesus Christ — began his religious leadership in Davao City in 1985. In the last 33 years, he has garnered a cult-like following and now claims that he has 6 million “followers” around the world. Quiboloy has remained a close friend of President Rodrigo Duterte since the latter was the mayor of Davao. Duterte said that Quiboloy has gifted Duterte expensive gifts throughout their friendship, including three properties in and around Davao City. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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taled an estimated $27.0 billion in 2016. Other barriers Concerning technical barriers to trade, the U.S. continues to press the Philippines to remove “unjustified requirements” that treat frozen meat differently from fresh meat The report further said that U.S. continues to ensure that the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA)’s requirements for importers “to obtain a sanitary and phytosanitary permit prior to shipment of any agricultural product and to transmit the permit to the exporter” will not hamper trade. In terms of intellectual property rights protection, the report stated that U.S. rights holders have expressed concerns about the “continued availability of pi-

rated and counterfeit goods in the Philippines, slow investigation of IPR related cases by the Department of Justice, and judicial inexperience in handling IPR enforcement cases, both civil and criminal.” The USTR also discussed barriers to digital trade, particularly internet services. “The Philippines requires government agencies to procure cloud computing services from the Government Cloud (GovCloud), a cloud infrastructure set up by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT),” the report read. Such restrictions, according to USTR, “could prevent Philippine government agencies from accessing best-in-class cloud services.” (AJPress)

PH seen to... PAGE A1 $12,475 as upper middle-income economies. Lower middle-income economies, meanwhile, are those with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $4,035. The Philippines is currently classified as a lower middle-income country. As of 2016, the country’s income per capita stood at about $3,500. In a press conference, NEDA Undersecretary of Policy and Planning Rosemarie Edillon noted that the government’s massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program “will really propel our economic growth rate even faster and we’ll reach that upper middle-income status.” Under “Build, Build, Build” program, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is rolling out P8 trillion-worth of road networks and other infrastructures to enhance the mobility in different parts of the country. Through massive public investments in infrastructure and social services over the medium term, the government hopes to transform the country into an upper middle-income economy by the end of Duterte’s term in 2022. “Actually, the target for the PDP (Philippine Development Plan) is that we will be an upper middle-income country by 2022. But we think we will get to that status much, much earlier,” Edillon said. She continued: “We also looked at the performance of the economy last year, where our gross national income increased by 6.5 percent—that’s really a very high growth path. And if I’m not mistaken, the threshold for the upper middle-income country is $4,100. So I think we will breach that as early as next year.” n

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Dateline USa

Democracy alive in PH, Medialdea tells UN by DJ

Yap Inquirer.net

DEMOCRACy continued to be alive and well in the Philippines, according to a top Malacañang official in a statement issued apparently in reaction to remarks made by a Filipino United Nations (UN) rapporteur, who had been branded as a terrorist by the Duterte administration for alleged links with the Left. “Democracy in the Philippines is vibrant and strong,” Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said in a statement. “All the branches of the government are functioning and the rule of law thrives,” the statement added. He said comments made by UN Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz during the Human Rights Festival in Milan, Italy on March 25 “show how detached she is with the realities happening in the Philippines.” Tauli-Corpuz, a leader of the Kankanaey Igorot people, is the UN rapporteur on the rights of

affected by the closure. The move to shut down the world-famous island comes amid efforts to fix the area’s environmental issues. Duterte, in

a previous speech, even likened Boracay to a “cesspool” due to the island’s dysfunctional sewerage system. According to the DOT, the island of Boracay generates

around P50 billion in annual receipts. Malay Municipal Tourism office records also showed that more than two million tourists visited the island last year. n

‘DACA is dead,’ says Trump ahead of policy... PAGE A2

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea

indigenous peoples. She was one of 600 people named by the Department of Justice as communist guerrillas in a court petition seeking their declaration as terrorists. The UN official had denied the

Inquirer.net photo

government’s allegations and sought the support of the international community. Speaking at the Milan event, Tauli-Corpuz said the Philippine government had “become very authoritarian.” n

Pacquiao, Matthysse set for July... (59-7-2, 38 KOs) lost his WBO title to Jeff Horn last July in Brisbane, Australia. As for who will handle the Filipino boxer’s training, Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told ESPN that it would not be Freddie Roach. According to Koncz, Pacquiao has replaced Roach, who’s been

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Duterte orders 6-month closure of...

PAGE A1

Manny Pacquiao’s much-awaited fight against World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse is officially set on July 14 in Malaysia. Philstar.com photos

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 5-11, 2018

his trainer since 2001, with Buboy Fernandez, his lifelong friend and the career-long assistant trainer. “That’s Manny’s decision. Manny has told me Buboy will be handling the training on this fight,” Koncz told ESPN. “What’s important to Manny is that he has one voice to listen to in the corner that he trusts, and I guess that’s Buboy for this fight,” he added.

Asked why Pacquiao made such decision, Koncz replied: “There was some concerns Manny had in the last fight and some statements Freddie made to the media that Manny wasn’t very pleased about.” In a separate statement, Koncz told the Los Angeles Times that Pacquiao’s MP Promotions will be the Malaysia bout’s lead promoter. n

“If you oppose those fixes, as Democrats do, you’re basically saying you want endless numbers of new waves of illegal immigrants,” said the official. Hours after the White House statement, Trump tweeted Monday, “As ridiculous as it sounds, the laws of our country do not easily allow us to send those crossing our Southern Border back where they come from. The tweet continued, “A whole big wasted procedure must take place. Mexico & Canada have tough immigration laws, whereas ours are an Obama joke. ACT CONGRESS” According to the New York Times, a senior administration official said the asylum changes were meant in part to address a backlog of hundreds of thousands of immigration court cases, which often result in undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. while waiting for their case to process. More than 617,500 cases were backlogged in 2017 which is almost double the amount from 2009. Average wait times often range from one to five years depending on the state, with immigrants many times having to represent themselves. The Justice Department told immigration judges Monday that it would impose new quotas on how quickly cases are closed starting October 1. Judges will have to complete 700 cases per year — the average being only 678 in the last five years. While immigration judges are part of the Executive branch, they are supposed to have full independence. Those critical of the proposed quota system say that creating numerical targets would create an even messier system. Dana Leigh Marks, an immigration judge and union spokesman of the National Immigration Judges Association described the metric standards as “completely, utterly contrary to judicial independence.” “We believe assessing quality is fine, not quantity,” said

Marks. Many times, undocumented immigrants come to the U.S. in seek of asylum or refugee status, and risk facing violence or murder upon returning to their home countries. She once said in a PBS Newshour coverage of immigration courts that they were in essence, “processing death penalty cases in a traffic court setting.” Judge A. Ashley Tabaddor, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges said that it would make an “appealable” issue and legal challenges a possibility, reported The Washington Post. She said,” “It could call into question the integrity and impartiality of the court if a judge’s decision is influenced by factors outside the facts of the case, or if motions are denied out of a judge’s concern about keeping his or her job.” “We don’t know of any other court whose judges are subject to individual quotas and deadlines as part of performance reviews and evaluations,” she added. Easter Sunday immigration tweets The Monday remarks came after Trump took to Twitter early Easter Sunday expressing his stance on immigration and DACA. “Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. ‘Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!,” read one tweet that raised awareness on his latest stance on DACA.. “Caravans” refer to a group of around 1,500 people — primarily from Honduras — reportedly heading towards the border together as a way to ensure better protection from the often dangerous route. The caravan is organized by the U.S.-based immigration advocacy group called Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People Without

Borders in English. How many actually plan to reach the U.S. or seek asylum is unclear. Trump suggested on Twitter that the caravan travelers would attempt to benefit from DACA. He said, “These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!” But aside from the fact that DACA is not taking applications, the program required applicants prove they had been living in the U.S. since 2007. Expressing frustration with what he called “ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws”, Trump put blame on a “catch and release” policy which refers to the approach of allowing migrants remain free until an immigration judge hears their asylum requests. In another Tweet that criticized Mexico for not blocking people coming in through their southern border, Trump also mentioned the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which he called a “cash cow” for Mexico. “Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!” NAFTA is the world’s largest free trade agreement and is a treaty between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Trump has before called NAFTA the “worst trade deal in history”, and has blamed it for the Rust Belt’s loss of jobs in manufacturing. Luis Videgaray Caso, foreign secretary of Mexico, responded to Trump’s tweets and said: “Every day Mexico and the U.S. work together on migration throughout the region. Facts clearly reflect this. An inaccurate news reports should not serve to question this strong cooperation. Upholding human dignity and rights is not at odds with the rule of law. Happy Easter.” n

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april 5-11, 2018 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

5 Filipinos recognized on 2018 Forbes’ ‘30 under 30 Asia’ list by AJPress

year-old sy, founder of thinking machines, which aims to make artificial intelligence systems work for humans. she is currently working with the Philippine government in solving traffic congestion using data from Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app. sacayanan, on the other hand, was featured in the media, marketing, and Advertising category. more popularly known as Bretman Rock, the 19-year-old social media sensation was also featured in Time Magazine’s 30 most influential teens in 2017. “the beauty vlogger is known not only for makeup tutorials, but also his often humorous views on life,” Forbes said. meanwhile, delantar is listed under the social Entrepreneur category. the 26-year-old is the

country director of the non-profit group Waves for Water, which helps provide clean water to communities. “After helping the NGO with relief efforts in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, Carlo delantar saw potential for the W4W model to benefit water-insecure communities in his native Philippines in the long term, becoming W4W’s Country director there,” Forbes said. Forbes also recognized Philippine-based entrepreneur Patrick Lynch, an irish native and cofounder of financial tech startup, First Circle. First Circle is a financial technology company providing finance to small to medium enterprises who find it difficult to secure capital and has loaned millions of dollars to businesses in the Philippines. n

tHis year, five Filipinos were featured in Forbes’ “30 under 30 Asia,” which recognizes young entrepreneurs, innovators, and disruptors of industries across the region. One Philippine-based entrepreneur was also recognized in the list. With a theme of “disruption and innovation,” the list featured 300 young men and women across ten categories who are “re-inventing their industries and driving change across this diverse region.” Filipino nationals named in this year’s list were pastry chef miko Aspiras, artist Archie Oclos, thinking machines Founder stephanie sy, Youtube Vlogger Bretman “Bretman Rock” sacayanan, and Waves for Water (W4W) Country director Carlo delantar. the Arts category featured 29year-old Aspiras, and Oclos, 28. Aspiras, who used to be a commis chef at the shangri-La manila, has founded his own food group called tasteless. He also co-owns seven restaurant concepts in the country. Oclos, meanwhile, is an artist who has painted murals criticizing the Philippine government’s drug war. describing him as a “firm believer that art can inspire social change,” Forbes said Oclos “keeps his technique simple, often opting for industrial paint and heavy brushstrokes, so viewers could focus on the subjects and Filipino nationals named in this year’s Forbes’ “30 under 30 Asia” list are Youtube Vlogger message. Under the Finance and Venture Bretman “Bretman Rock” Sacayanan, Waves for Water (W4W) Country Director Carlo Delantar, category, Forbes featured 29- Thinking Machines Founder Stephanie Sy, chef Miko Aspiras and artist Archie Oclos.

Philstar.com photos

PUV MODERNIZATION. (From left to right) Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary Thomas Orbos, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Atty. Martin Delgra III, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim and LTFRB Board Member Atty. Aileen Lizada flash the signature pose of President Rodrigo Duterte during the launching of the Public Transport Modernization Expo held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Tuesday, April 3. President Duterte is pushing for the public utility vehicle modernization program. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Facebook makes privacy changes amidst Cambridge Analytica criticism a number of privacy changes it was making to ease concerns over how it handled its users’ Amidst criticism sparked by personal information. the Cambridge Analytica scandal these changes will be the that was revealed roughly two first since Facebook founder weeks ago, Facebook announced and chief executive officer mark Zuckerberg last week publicly pledged to do better with its users’ data. On Wednesday, march 28, Facebook announced that it would be rolling out in the coming weeks, a redesign of its privacy and security control tools to make finding and editing personal information on their platform easier. “Last week showed how much more work we need to do to enforce our policies and help people understand how Facebook works and the choices they have over their data,” said Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan and deputy general counsel Ashlie Beringer in a statement. “We’ve heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important tools are too hard to find and that we must do more to keep people informed,” they added. While privacy control features were before located across 20 separate areas on the social media platform, the new changes will bring the already existing features all to one single place. the changes will include a new Privacy shortcuts menu that would provide a “clearer, more visual, and easy-to-find” experience, and an “Access Your information” tool where users will be more easily able to delete anything from their profiles or timelines they no longer want on the platform. “it’s also our responsibility to tell you how we collect and use your data in language that’s detailed, but also easy to understand,” the statement added. the company said that in the next coming weeks, it would also be proposing updates to their terms of service that will include the company’s commitments to its users, and their data policy. “these updates are about transparency — not about gaining new rights to collect, use, or share data,” it said. the security redesign began last year, but was accelerated after the Cambridge Analytica scandal became known. the firm was found to have improperly harvested information of around 50 million Facebook users without permission, using the data for political ad targeting. Facebook also said it would be shutting down their Partner Categories product, which enabled third-party data providers to ofby Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

fer their targeting directly on the platform. “While this is common industry practice, we believe this step, winding down over the next six months, will help improve people’s privacy on Facebook,” the company said on Wednesday. Facebook also announced that it would be temporarily preventing new apps from joining its platform. this, after it said last week that developers would be given limited access to user data. the menlo Park based social networking company has already seen a number of negative effects, including a loss of nearly $80 billion in its market value since the data scandal broke out on march 17. many users began abandoning the platform in a #deleteFacebook movement. Companies like sonos, Pep Boys, and spaceX and tesla — whose owner Elon musk said the network gave him “the willies” — also called it quits. in an interview last week with the New York times, Zuckerberg acknowledged his company’s responsibility in protecting data and said, “Whenever there’s an issue where someone’s data gets passed to someone who the rules of the system shouldn’t have allowed it to, that’s rightfully a big issue and deserves to be a big uproar.” Facebook has been under a lot of pressure both in the U.s. and in Europe where a new privacy law slated to take effect in may poses even more challenges for the company. Zuckerberg has reportedly agreed to testify before at least one of three congressional committees probing the Cambridge Analytica controversy in the U.s., that being the House Energy and Commerce Committee next month. Facebook’s chief product officer Chris Cox is expected to appear before U.K. lawmakers next month in regards to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. When speaking with CNN last week, Zuckerberg who initially seemed to be wary of speaking to congress, said he’d be happy to do so “if it’s the right thing to do.” “What we try to do is send the person at Facebook who will have the most knowledge,” said Zuckerberg. “if that’s me, then i am happy to go.” He also apologized for what happened and called the event a “major breach of trust.” “We have a basic responsibility to protect people’s data,” he added. n

Inquirer.net photo

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Dateline PDuterte hiliPPines wants Bangsamoro

A

Basic Law passed within 2018 by Edith

REgalado Philstar.com

SIGN FOR PEACE. Army chief Lt. General Rolando Bautista (5th from left) and Tarlac Heritage Foundation Inc. co-founder Dr. Isa Suntay (3rd from left at the back) pose at the Hardin ng Lunas with Singapore Ambassador Kok Li Peng, Sri Lanka Ambassador Aruni Ranaraja, India Ambassador Jaideep Mazumdar, Vietnam Ambassador Ly Quoc Tuan, Pakistan Ambassador Aman Rashid, Thailand Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya and Laos Ambassador Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune during their visit to Bahay Pag-Asa Phase 2 in Barangay Mipaga, Marawi City. The project is their donation for the displaced people of Marawi. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Supreme Court orders PNP: Submit report on drug war by Edu

Punay Philstar.com

MAniLA — the supreme Court (sC) on tuesday, April 3, affirmed a decision it issued in december ordering the Philippine national Police (PnP) to submit data on the almost 4,000 documented killings related to the administration’s war on drugs. in session in Baguio City, the sC magistrates denied an appeal filed by the Office of the solicitor General (OsG) in January. the high tribunal directed the PnP to comply with the order by submitting the required report within 15 days from receipt of notice. After hearing the petitions of rights groups Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and Center for international Law (CenterLaw) during oral arguments in november and december, the sC ordered the PnP to submit the data on drug-related killings. the OsG, which represents the PnP in the case, filed an appeal last week, saying the order was irrelevant to the question on the constitutionality of the PnP’s Memorandum Circular 16-2016 or the “Oplan double Barrel” and its implementing rules as provided under the MC 2017-112 or the “Masa Masid” project of the department of the interior and Local Government (diLG). the high court did not agree with the OsG. solicitor General Jose Calida sought the dismissal of the petitions filed in October last year, calling it a “disingenuous move

The high tribunal directed the PNP to comply with the order by submitting the required report within 15 days from receipt of notice. Philstar.com photo

to destabilize the duterte administration and sow anarchy.” Calida said that if granted, the petitions seeking to stop the implementation of the PnP and diLG circulars could be detrimental to the government and pose grave threats to the country. the sC has yet to resolve the consolidated petitions. the FLAG, a known rights group during the martial law era of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is representing two victims of extrajudicial killings – ryan dave Almora and rex Appari – and a survivor named Jefferson soriano. in its petition, the group led by de La salle University law dean Jose Manuel diokno sought a writ of amparo and temporary protection order, prohibiting police officers from

getting near the residences or workplaces of the families of the petitioners. Meanwhile, CenterLaw represents the families of 35 alleged drug suspects killed in police anti-narcotics operations over the past year and other residents of san Andres Bukid district in Manila. Monitoring panel revival sought the Commission on Human rights (CHr) has urged the government to revive a multisectoral body tasked to monitor the status of the Philippines’ human rights obligations to the international community. in a communication submitted to the United nations Human rights Council (UnHrC) last month, the CHr said it has called on the duterte adPAGE A7

‘17 deaths among Dengvaxia kids in Central Luzon’ by ding

CERvantEs Philstar.com

sAn FernAndO, Pampanga — At least 17 of 8,435 children who fell ill after being inoculated with dengvaxia in Central Luzon have died, according to the department of Health (dOH). the dOH said there is no scientific basis to link the deaths and illnesses to dengvaxia. in a report titled “Adverse events among dengvaxia vaccinees surveillance update,” the dOH regional office said nueva

ecija and Pampanga each have four fatalities; Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan and Zambales, two each, and tarlac, one. the report did not say if the deaths were due to dengue. At least 4,644 of those who received dengvaxia shots experienced fever; 3,932 suffered headaches; 1,998, cough and cold; 1,753, dizziness, and 1,432, abdominal pain. the report said 388 were confirmed dengue cases, 3,926 had “other diagnosis” and 4,121 others were “not specified.”

Of the 388 dengue cases, 231 manifested dengue fever, 151 were dengue with warning signs and six were “severe.” Bulacan has the highest number of dengvaxia-inoculated children who fell ill at 1,682, followed by Pampanga with 1,653, and Zambales, 1,620. the dOH report said 940 of those who sought medical intervention were hospitalized. Around 200,000 school children in Central Luzon were given dengvaxia shots last year. n

Boracay task force told to justify 6-month closure by RalPh

villanuEva ManilaTimes.net

MALACAñAnG wants a detailed memorandum from the interagency task force that recommended a six-month closure of Boracay island beginning April 26, with a Palace official saying the March 22 letter addressed to President rodrigo duterte was too short. “the Office of the President, through the executive secretary’s office, [has]requested the three agencies to submit a more detailed memo on the justification or [if]there is any qualification at all to their recommendation and i think today we’ll be receiving those memoranda, expanding, explaining and justifying their recommendation,” senior deputy executive secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a news briefing. “From the looks of it, based on that… i think a two-paragraph letter of recommendation, it would appear to be a total ban as recommended. that’s why we are asking

for some qualifications if there are any,” Guevarra said. the Boracay task Force is composed of the departments of environment and natural resources, tourism and interior and Local Government. Guevarra said duterte wanted to know the economic impact of the closure on Boracay business, residents and workers, aside from the condition of the island’s environment. the department of trade and industry (dti) also submitted a separate recommendation, calling for a closure to be done in phases, which the Palace will also consider, the official said. State of Calamity declaration eyed Guevarra also said the declaration of a state of calamity was also being considered by duterte since it would let the affected residents and workers avail themselves of calamity loans and other benefits to “tide themselves over.” Guevarra also addressed criticism that the proposed $500-mil-

lion casino by Macau’s Galaxy entertainment and the Philippines’ Leisure and resorts World Corp. was “inconsistent” with duterte’s plan to rehabilitate Boracay. He added that the construction of a casino in Boracay was permissible as long as the requirements were met. “First of all, it’s Pagcor matter, whether to grant or to grant a license to operate. And what i can say is for as long as any establishment for that matter, including this casino complies with all the regulatory requirements like environmental rules and regulations, there should be no problem with that. that also provides employment for residents there,” Guevarra said. Pagcor is the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the state-owned casino operator and regulator. in a news briefing two weeks ago, Palace spokesman Harry roque Jr. said there was “no link” between the casino and the planned temporary closure of Boracay. n

be only one army or police for the entire country,” the presiPresident rodrigo duterte dent said. the senate, on the other hand, is racing against time to get the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) vowed to take up the proposed passed this year, which he had promised to the Moro islamic Liberation Front (MiLF). “the MiLF is in a hurry. i am working hard to meet the deadline for lasting peace. the burden of the deadline has been placed on us. it has to be this year because yon ang usapan (that’s our agreement),” the president said during the distribution of certificates of land ownership to farmer-beneficiaries in isulan, sultan Kudarat. the President said this week he would meet with senate President Aquilino Pimentel iii, speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and other officials to ensure that the proposed BBL will be passed before the end of the year. “i will tell Koko (Pimentel) and Bebot (Alvarez) that it is a commitment to the MiLF. We have to honor such commitment,” the president said. He said he would also visit and talk to Moro national Liberation Front chair nur Misuari on the matter. “Let us talk. Let us not fight,” he said. MiLF vice chair for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar earlier told The Star the President assured them of the yearend deadline during a meeting at the Manila enclaves residences guesthouse. “We discussed the BBL and the President assured us of the passage of the BBL in its proper time and that is before the end of the year,” Jaafar said. the president said he does not think that a joint venture with the MiLF and the MnLF such as the BBL could go wrong. duterte stressed that there is only one thing that he would want implemented to make sure that there would be no discord, especially on the issue of no establishment of separate army or police units for the proposed Bangsamoro area. “i told the MiLF that there will

BBL when it resumes session on May 15. the proposed BBL is reportedly a priority in the senate. (With Alexis Romero)

A

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april 5-11, 2018 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

OpiniOn

Beyond a shadow of a doubt

Features

“Wet ballots” and “audit logs” are becoming household phrases as the manual recount of votes in the vice presidential race in 2016 gets underway. the camp of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., which sought the recount, is claiming fraud in the race that saw him losing by a narrow margin of 219,127 votes to Leni Robredo. The fraud allegations are expected from any candidate seeking a vote recount. Robredo, who ran under the Liberal Party, has denied winning the nation’s highest post through cheating. On the first day of the recount, Marcos questioned the wet ballots and missing audit logs from 38 out of 40 ballot boxes from Bato town in Robredo’s home province of Camarines Sur, as discovered by revisers involved in the recount. On Monday, April; 2, four revisers of the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, quit for still unspecified reasons. The camps of both Robredo and Marcos expressed concern over the resignations, particularly in the possible delay that might result. With Marcos contesting the results in only three pilot provinces, the recount is expected to be completed quickly. Obviously, the most important requirement in the recount is credibility. This is the

first manual review of votes since the restoration of democracy in 1986, and its outcome will have a major impact on political stability. While Marcos was the running mate of the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, he and his family are known to be close to President Duterte. In several public engagements, the President has cited Marcos’ eldest sister Imee as one of a handful of individuals who supported his bid for the nation’s top post in 2016. Robredo, on the other hand, belongs to the ruling party in the previous administration, toward which the president has shown undisguised disdain. The vice president was eased out of the Cabinet and there are no indications that she would be recruited again. This is a politically charged recount, especially because the only son and namesake of the late dictator is directly involved. The outcome of the recount must not be tainted by any shadow of a doubt. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

PeaceMaker Former Speaker JoSe C. de VeneCia, Jr. A fAST-MOvIng initiative for peace and hopefully, the beginnings of rapprochement, is underway in the Korean Peninsula between the two separated Koreas, north and South. We hope it is to be followed by a larger three-way Summit with the U.S., most likely in April or May between the two Korean leaders, potential nobel Peace Prize winners, President Moon Jae-In of the South and Kim Jong-Un of the north, with President Donald Trump. The objective is to establish the main agenda and hopefully achieve the difficult but long-desired result — the beginnings of peace on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone, along the 38th Parallel which partitions Korea at the waist — for the peoples of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) of the north, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the South. Over the years, since we first travelled to Pyongyang, the north Korean capital in 1990, as a younger congressman, as then Acting Chairman of the

Philstar.com photo

Our hope for the two Koreas in a confederation foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, our visit and talks with north Korea’s founding President Kim Il-Sung immediately resulted in a return visit to Manila by then north Korean vice Premier Kim Dahl Hyun, and the rapid establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and north Korea (DPRK), with the active support of the late President Corazon Aquino and the late foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus. In the last two years, as Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), now with some 350 ruling, opposition and independent parties as members, we had since moved from Manila to Seoul the headquarters of ICAPP, which we founded in Manila in 2000, in the hope that we could help bridge the gap between the two Koreas by helping promote the feasibility of establishing the Korean Confederation for the Two Koreas, ideally working with the north’s sole political organization, the Korean Workers Party. We envisioned that South and north would keep their independent countries separate but in peace and join in a loose Confederation, normally trading

Opinion

and doing business, engage in cross-trade and tourism, developing their agriculture, industries, fisheries, highways, airways and railways system, and connect from Pusan in the deep south, (gateway to Japan), all the way to the north, in a TransSiberia Railway leading to Russia and to Europe. This is of course possible and probable if there is common will, with the support of the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, with ASEAn, the European Union, and U.n. providing guidance and active support. It is not fair to ask north Korea now to give up its nuclear weapons because it will not, but the relations between the Two Koreas can and should develop normally, if they start preparing for it now. In previous speeches in the region and in previous news columns we had pointed out: “We believe that the lingering conflict and potentially dangerous flashpoint in the Korean Peninsula with north Korea, now nuclear-armed and continuously testing improved nuclear weaponry, and perhaps even the potential of missiles launched from submarines, could be resolved peacefully through diplomacy, cooperation

and bilateral and/or multilateral dialogue. no matter how most difficult, it must be constantly tried and pursued, and we claim its eventual success, for the sake of the two Koreas, Asia, and the world. “We urge the revival of the long-postponed Six-Party talks among the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, and north Korea, and even better, the sustained direct talks between north and South that would directly contribute to enhancing political stability and security not only in the Korean Peninsula but in the Asia Pacific region, but most importantly lead to unite the two Koreas, forswear war, and together build a strong, united prosperous, eventually first-world nation for the Korean peoples in the second or third decade of the 21st Century. “Perhaps, the successful dynamics of north Korea’s nuclear development could be channelled to economic mobilization.” “And the Six-nation Talks (long-suspended) could have a business-focused auxiliary to develop economic joint-ventures for deployment in the Korean north. We also noted that in a speech at the former East german city

of Dresden in 2014, the former South Korean President Park geun-hye, now unfortunately in prison, said: “Just as the german people secured freedom, prosperity and peace by tearing down the Berlin Wall, we too must tear down barriers in our march towards a new future on the Korean Peninsula.” At the time we also said: “We agree that for our peoples, the age of ideological conflict is over. All our countries now need to move beyond containment and confrontation toward cooperation and collective prosperity. Indeed, there is no other option.” We had much earlier pointed these out to our two close friends in Seoul: our ICAPP CoChairman and former Secretarygeneral Chung Eui-yong and current ICAPP Secretary-general Park Robyug, former South Korean Ambassador to Russia. Of course our capable Co-Chairman Chung is now on leave from ICAPP, has been appointed South Korea’s national Security Adviser, who a few weeks ago flew to Pyongyang, successfully conferred with north Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and went on non-stop to brief President Trump in Washington, Chinese President XI Jinping in Beijing,

and Japanese national Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi. now to secure the deal with north Korea (DPRK): the key is to forge initially a respectable Confederation between north and South, no harm to the South, which is far bigger, already industrialized and wealthy, and for the north, to begin to build its economy, industries, agriculture and trade, and a common north-South railway extending all the way to Pusan in the south, to Russia and onwards to Europe. In earlier days, atomic powers like Kazakhstan, which is almost as large as Western Europe, also voluntarily demilitarized and gave up its nuclear weapons and today leads in Eurasia. Indeed north Korea could leverage and give-up its nuclear weapons in exchange for largescale cash and economic assistance and rapidly build up its economy and be equal in status as sovereigns with South Korea. In a Confederation, north and South would be co-equal sovereign nations, with some centralizing connectivity, and in the fullness of time, could decide to unite as one nation-state like the two germanies and the two vietnams. n

We build casinos, not tech and innovation hubs

CIvIL society, if such a thing really exists in the country, should try to measure the floor space allotted to serious research and marlen ronquillo development (R&D) work in the government agencies and public research universities. Then measure the space allotted for casinos and other forms of organized and officially sanctioned gambling in the urban areas and the tourist zones. The result would make the citizen who loves the country weep. for he/she will come face to face with the grim reality. There is more space for casinos and officially sanctioned gambling than for serious research and development work. If we add the space occupied by cockpits, online gambling joints, the minor casinos and other gambling sites, the total space occupied by gambling would reduce the floor area devoted to R&D to a minor blip in the Philippine universe. The lover of the country will realize that the dream of attaining first World status is just an official scam, parroted through generations via official public statements and national aspirations, but never actually pursued and funded. Why is the goal of attaining first World status an official scam? What are the numbers? Singapore, the first in the ASEAn region to attain true first World status, allocates 2.1 percent of its gDP to research and development. Per one million residents, the number of scientists and researchers is more than 7,200. It is no wonder that when we speak of cuttingedge developments in a knowledge society, the ASEAn’s pride is Singapore. What about us, what is our place in this very critical area? I will use a Tagalog word – kulelat. The Philippines is the ASEAn laggard in research and development. Over the years, the national allocation to R&D has never breached the embarrassing 0.14 percent of gDP. To us, a 1 percent R&D budget has been a dream on the scale of Mt. Everest, a goal never scaled. On the number of serious researchers per one million residents, Silicon valley venture capitalist Dado Banatao, the chair of Phildev, admitted in an interview that the Philippines is not a country for serious STEM people.

We have more lawyers than high-quality scientists and engineers involved in world-class research and development work. We don’t even have the expertise to survey the riches of our own Benham Rise. The global Competitiveness Report for 2017-2018 tells the same story. We are eighth in ASEAn, behind vietnam and Brunei Darussalam. It is the only country that slid in the regional ranking, eighth from its previous rank of sixth. Where are we in the ranking of “smart cities“ – the cities most prepared for today and the future? The answer? nowhere. We are in the usual place down, along with the usual suspects, cities with traffic gridlocks, pollution and political chaos. The IESE, the graduate school of business of the University of navarra, regularly ranks “smart cities” across the globe and Metro Manila has always been on the low-rank category. A country that pays little attention to R&D work usually drags down the reputation of its university system and the Philippines is not an exception. The latest QS global World Ranking placed the UP System at number 367, which is a major demotion from its place in the global university ranking two decades ago. In the old days, UP was always in the Top 25 Asian universities. Ateneo, La Salle and UST were ranked, but they were so deep down in the global rankings that they were barely noticed. Ateneo was in the 551-600 bracket. La Salle was in the 701-750 bracket while UST was on the 801-1000 list. The other prestigious survey, the World University Rankings, placed UP only in the 601-800 bracket, a harsher verdict. It was the only Philippine university ranked by the WUR. So, what is the solution offered to reverse this laggard status? Is it allotting 2 percent of Philippine gDP to research and development? Is it the frenzied and ambitious development of technology and innovation hubs? Is it the massive funding of our public research universities? Is it a springtime — funding-wise — for the DOST. The answer? More casinos. The Macau galaxy Entertainment, a giant operator of casinos in that haven for casinos, has teamed up with a local group, the Leisure and Resorts World Corp., to build a giant casino in, of all places, Boracay. After Mr. Duterte condemned Boracay as a “cesspool,“ and after the local authorities and the DEnR have teamed up to sup-

Inquirer.net photo

posedly rid the place of illegal hotels and other structures, beaming executives of galaxy Entertainment signed a deal with PAgCOR to build a giant casino at Boracay. After the supposed cleaning and cleansing process, a casino. Wow. After the giant casino project in Boracay was green-lighted, we can only wonder about what the priorities of government are. filipino-owned establishments are torn down to give way to a casino owned by a foreign gambling entity. What kind of priorities enter into the decision-making process? A marine research center would have been ideal there. On second thought, however, a research center would have been an anomaly in a country hooked on gambling, not on the promotion of the knowledge economy. (ManilaTimes.net)

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 5-11, 2018

2 respondents in Espinosa, Lim case already dead by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — Two of the respondents in the high-profile drug case filed against confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa are already dead, documents showed. The Department of Justice has issued subpoena or summons to the respondents in the drug case filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for preliminary investigation on April 12. T h e s u m m o n s , h o w e v e r, showed that respondents Max Miro and Nelson “Jun” Pepito are already dead. Pepito was gunned down on Dec. 1, 2017 by two unidentified men riding a motorcycle. The police report, attached to the sub-

poena, states that Pepito was shot at 6:50 a.m. in Albuera, Leyte. The authorities have yet to identify the perpetrators in the killing of Pepito. Respondent Miro was killed by police in Barangay Bantigue, Ormoc City on March 10. Others named as respondents in the case are high-profile inmate Peter Co, Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim, Lovely Impal, Ruel Malindangan and 11 others only known through their aliases. The probe will now be handled by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera, Assistant State Prosecutor Anna Noreen Devanadera and Prosecution Attorney Herbert Calvin Abugan. The three-member panel was

created by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II after criticisms were thrown against the Department of Justice for dropping the case. Assistant State Prosecutor Michael John Humarang and Regional Trial Court Judge Aristotle Reyes, former Assistant State Prosecutor, cited the “weak complaint” filed by the police. The PNP-CIDG has admitted that they did not attach Espinosa’s confession at the Senate to their complaint, but said that they are confident that their appeal can result in the indictment of the respondents. Humarang and Reyes are currently being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation for their possible offenses when they junked the complaint. n

Supreme Court orders PNP: Submit...

PAGE A5 ministration to reconvene the Universal Periodic Review Tripartite Monitoring Body (UPR TMB), which tracks the status of recommendations accepted by the Philippines during the review of its human rights situation. Formed in 2013 with the assistance of the UN Development Program, the UPR TMB is convened by the Presidential Human Rights Committee together with the CHR and other civil society partners. Its primary purpose is to track the progress and assess the implementation of all UPR recommendations accepted by the Philippine government. It is also tasked to identify the baseline action points, indicators and best practices within the scope of each UPR. The revival of the monitoring body, which last convened during the Aquino administration, was among the recommendations made by the CHR to the Philippine government after its third UPR last week. De Lima hits Pimentel Sen. Leila de Lima criticized Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III for treating members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) like “ignoramuses” when it asked the Senate to act in solidarity with her. De Lima expressed disappointment at how Pimentel and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo responded to the resolution issued by the

IPU. The IPU urged the Senate to take a firm stand in favor of De Lima’s participation in its sessions. Pimentel said it was unfortunate the IPU lacked understanding of the Philippine Constitution and that the organization, which is composed of legislators from all over the world, should respect the sovereignty of the Philippines. De Lima said the IPU has its own process in investigating the oppression and persecution of legislators by their own governments. She said Pimentel should know this very well, noting he has directly dealt with IPU officials and representatives with regard to her case. De Lima noted how Pimentel even attended the IPU assembly in St. Petersburg where the international organization adopted its human rights committee report and recommendations on her case. “SP Pimentel cannot see IPU’s point on this because he no longer cares about the workings of democracy and the importance of a genuine opposition in governments the world over,” she said. ‘No harassment’ Malacañang denied that human rights advocates in the country are being harassed days after the administration raised the possibility of the groups being used by drug rings to derail the war on illegal drugs.

London-based Amnesty International (AI) has urged the Philippine government to stop what it described as harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and to take back its claim that the rights groups have links with illegal drug syndicates. The group said the allegation was the latest dangerous attempt by the government to target human rights defenders and delegitimize their work. AI said such statements place the safety of those that criticize the government in peril. Refuting AI’s claims, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said rights groups in the Philippines are not experiencing intimidation and harassment. “There’s no such harassment nor intimidation of human rights defenders. We don’t know what they’re talking about,” Guevarra said in a text message to The Star. At least 4,000 people have died since President Duterte launched his brutal war on illegal drugs in 2016. Duterte has been hurling tirades at critics of the anti-drug campaign, accusing them of defending drug offenders while ignoring the plight of people whose lives were destroyed by narcotics. He has also threatened to have the rights advocates shot. Palace officials said the President’s remarks should be taken seriously but not literally. n

FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Petra, Aqaba, Jordan

(Tiberias, Ceasarea, Haifa, Meggido,Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mt Carmel, Capernaum, Mt. Beatitude, Jericho, Bethany, Mt.Tabor, Mount Zion, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qumran, Masada Dead Sea, Allen by Bridge, Madaba, Mt Nebo Petra, Aqaba Jordan)

OCTOBER 18 to NOVEMBER 1, 2018 SPIRITUAL CHAPLAIN: REV. ANTONIO FLORES Oct. 18, 2018( Thursday) Day 1 – MNL HKG, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL Oct. 25, 2018 (Thursday) Day 8 - Jerusalem Trans-Atlantic flight from LAX to Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church of St Peter in Gallicantu “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” (John 1:14) Israel. (Meals served in-flight) We will walk to view the Dome of the Rock from the outside, and visit the Oct. 18, 2018 (Friday) Day 1 – Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv/ Western Wall, ( Wailing Wall ) the only part of the Herodian Temple still Tiberias standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. Then, we will Arrival from Manila still Oct. 18,2018 late in the evening. After we clear drive to Mt. Zion, to visit the Upper Room, revered as the site of the Last Immigration and Customs, will be met by our driver for transfer to tiberias . Supper, then survey the Dormition Abbey, and the Church of St. Peter in enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean. We will spend our first night Gallicantu, the site where Peter denied Jesus three times. After the day’s in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight (D). Gai Beach Hotel (Oct. 19, 2018) Holy tour, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Jerusalem (B, D) Eucharist Notre Dame Vatican Hotel Oct. 20, 2018 (Saturday) Day 3 - Tiberias/ Meggido/ Nazareth/ Cana / Oct. 26, 2018 (Friday) Day 9 - Mount of Olives/Gethsemane/Bethlehem/ Mt Tabor Jerusalem (New City)/Ein Karem We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of Armageddon, known in Mass at the Church of Nativity Hebrew as Meggido, a giant fortress and City built by King Solomon. In the New “O mountain of God, receive me, a mother, with my child.” (Protoevangelium Testament book of Revelation, it is referred as the sites of the “final battle”. of James 22:3) From there, we will continue our drive into Nazareth, where we will have Mass We will arrive at the Mount of Olives, to enjoy another view of Jerusalem, in the Church of the Annunciation, the Cave of the Annunciation and visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus visit Joseph’s Workshop and Then we will move on to Cana of Galilee, where Flevit (“God wept”) sanctuary. Next, we’ll walk the Palm Sunday Road to the Our Lord performed His first miracle: changing water into wine at the wedding Garden of Gethsemane, and visit the Rock of Agony and the Church of feast. We will invite couples to Bless their marriage vows, Continue to Mount all Nations. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name is Tabor, site of Jesus Transfiguration Afterward, we will head to Tiberias. Dinner recognized around the world. After celebrating Mass at the Church of Nativity, and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D).Gai Beach Hotel. we will see the Manger; visit the Church of St. Catherine, the Grotto of St. Oct. 21, 2018 (Sunday) Day 4 - Tiberias/Mount Beatitude/ Multiplication / Primacy/ Capernum/Boat Ride “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Early AM departures to Mt. Beatitude Drive up to Mount Beatitudes, visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people. Eucharistic Celebration. Enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry. After visiting the Synagogue where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Then to the Church Primacy of St Peters. Overnight Magdala ( BB, D)

Jerome and the Shepherds’ Fields. Then we will return to Jerusalem (New City), to view the Temple Model to see how it looked during the time of Jesus. Here, we will gain a better understanding between the old and new cities of Jerusalem. Up next is a trip to Ein Karem, birthplace of St. John the Baptist, to see the Visitation Church, where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat”. We will end our day by returning to our Hotel. (B/D).

Oct. 23, 2018 (Tuesday) DAY 6 - Jordan Valley/Jericho/Bethany/ Jerusalem Mass at the Church of St. Lazarus MAGDALA, Israel – 2009 Discoveries from a new archaeological dig are creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the home of Mary Magdalene.”She lived here and she met Jesus here and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue dating back to the time of Jesus. According to archaeologists, it’s the first one discovered in the Galilee.

famous mosaic map of the Holy Land. Then we will drive down to Aqaba. Overnight in Aqaba (B/D). Movenpick Resort & Residence.

Oct. 27, 2018 (Saturday) Day 10 - Jerusalem/ Dead Sea/ Qumran/ Masada Mass at the Church of all Nations After breakfast, we will celebrate mass at the Church of all Nations and then we will drive to Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the Oct. 22, 2018 (Monday) Day 5 - Magdala Full day retreat , Focus will Include programs based on the historical caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s fortress and the Jew’s last stronghold against the Roman. Return to and Religious value of the Magdala sites Jerusalem for dinner and Overnight (B, D) More info coming up as we get closer to the dates MAGDALA, Israel – 2009 Discoveries from a new archaeological dig are Oct. 28, 2018 (Sunday) Day11 - Jerusalem/Allenby Bridge/Madaba/ creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is Jordan/Mt. Nebo/ Aqaba called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the home of Mary Magdalene.”She Mass at Mount Nebo lived here and she met Jesus here and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s On this day, we head to Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan. We will go to that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue the Baptismal Site at Bethany, which Pope John Paul II visited in 2000. dating back to the time of Jesus. According to archaeologists, it’s the first one Then, it’s on to Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Our discovered in the Galilee. next stop will be the Church of St. George in Madaba, which hosts the

Oct. 24, 2018 ( Wednesday) Day 7 - Jerusalem (Old City)/Via Dolorosa/ Mount Zion Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.” (John 19:17) We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and will follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and say the Station of the Cross to the holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, visit Golgotha and the Tomb of Our Lord. After mass, we return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we will enter the Old City, sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne and view the Pool of Bethesda. Then we will visit the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostratos (where the soldiers played the Game of Kings) and the Arch of the “Ecce Homo”. Dinner/Overnight Notre Dame Vatican hotel

Oct 29, 2018 (Monday) Day 12 - Aqaba/Petra Mass at Stella Maris Church – Aqaba After breakfast, we will journey through the Siq, until we get our first glimpse of the Khazneh (Treasury). Then will we walk down to visit the Temple and view the many caves all around the Theater. At the end of the tour, we will drive back to Aqaba for overnight and dinner (B/D). Movenpick Resort & Residence Oct. 30, 2018 (Tuesday) Day 13 - Aqaba/ Jerusalem We Cross the Jordanian Border to return to Jerusalem. Dinner/Overnight Oct. 31, 2018 (Wednesday) Day 14 - Jerusalem /Yad Vashem Museum/ TLV/ LAX After breakfast, we will visit the Yad Vashem Museum,is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead; honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future. After the Western Wall, Yad Vashem is the second-most-visited Israeli tourist site. Return to the hotel for lunch and relaxation in preparation for our return flight back to the USA after early dinner will be transferred to the airport for flight Oct 31, 2018 8:45 PM departure from TLV End of Our Memorable Pilgrimage to Jesus Home Land!!!

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AMBASSADORS VISIT MARAWI. Tarlac Heritage Foundation co-founder Dr. Isa Suntay (right) briefs Singapore Ambassador Kok Li Peng, Sri Lanka Ambassador Aruni Ranaraja, India Ambassador Jaideep Mazumdar, Vietnam Ambassador Ly Quoc Tuan, Pakistan Ambassador Aman Rashid, Thailand Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya, Laos Ambassador Phoxay Khaykhamphithoune and Russian Ambassador Igor-Khovaev, who personally visited the immediate shelters of the internally displaced people at the Bahay Pag-Asa Phase 2 in Barangay Mipaga, Marawi City. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Sandigan won’t recall Jinggoy travel pass by elizabeth

Marcelo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Fifth Division of the Sandiganbayan yesterday said the one-month travel authority it recently granted to former senator Jinggoy Estrada stands, amid a statement from the Filipino-American group US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG) disputing the veracity of one of the reasons he cited in his motion to travel. At the continuation of the trial of Estrada’s plunder case yesterday morning, Fifth Division chairman Associate Justice Rafael Lagos said its ruling allowing the former senator to go to the US from April 30 to May 30 remains, unless state prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman file another objection or manifestation based on recent events. “We’ll wait if they want to file anything. If the prosecution doesn’t file anything, we cannot act on mere newspaper accounts,” Lagos said. Lagos was apparently referring to newspaper reports on USPGG’s denial of Estrada’s claim that the group’s Michigan chapter invited him to be a guest speaker for its event on May 20. Estrada is facing a plunder case before the Fifth Division in connection with his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam. In a hearing last Monday, the Fifth Division granted Estrada’s

travel request despite the objection of the prosecution. The court, however, has yet to release a formal resolution detailing the basis for granting Estrada’s motion and the preconditions for his travel. In a phone interview with The STAR yesterday, Estrada stood by the authenticity of the invitation letter he supposedly received from USPGG-Michigan chapter head William Dechavez. “I did not fool the court. I did not misrepresent anybody. The invitation letter was not forged. It is authentic as can be attested by Dechavez himself,” Estrada said. Estrada recounted that the invitation letter, signed by Dechavez and bearing the official logo of USPGG, was personally handed to him by USPGG public relations officer Tony Antonio about two months ago. Estrada attached the letter in his motion to travel filed at the Fifth Division last March 16. But aside from attending the USPGG event, Estrada, in his motion, said he also intends to go on a vacation with his family and undergo a medical check-up in connection with his “recurring” shoulder pains. “USPGG’s Willie Dechavez did not invite Jinggoy Estrada to speak in Michigan under USPGG nor is any program being planned by USPGG Michigan since Willie Dechavez is on vacation in the Philippines,” the group said in a statement posted on its website

last week. The statement was attributed to USPGG chair Loida Nicolas-Lewis and president Rodel Rodis. The USPGG, however, admitted in its statement that Antonio asked Dechavez to invite Estrada to the group’s event, but it was not clear whether Dechavez acceded to the request. “Tony Antonio asked him to invite Jinggoy and Willie said it could only be done in his personal capacity, not as chair of USPGG Michigan, because he needs consultation with his group in Michigan,” the group explained. Estrada said he had already talked to Dechavez over the phone to clarify the matter and the latter supposedly promised that “he would stand by his invitation.” “In fact, (Dechavez) told me that it is only now that Lewis is interfering with the affairs of their chapter. Had I known that Lewis is the national chairperson of USPGG I wouldn’t have accepted the invitation,” Estrada said. “She made the statement just because she knows that I am supportive of President (Duterte). If it were officials of the opposition, will she raise a howl? I don’t think so,” he added. Lewis is a vocal critic of Duterte and even joined calls for his resignation. Duterte had earlier accused Lewis of being behind the supposed destabilization plots against him but she has denied this. n

Marian Pilgrimage France, Spain & Portugal September 8 to September 21, 2018 Spiritual Director: rev. John Duy nguyen Still one of the great pilgrimages shrines in the world, visited by thousands of pilgrim’s. Arrive in Lourdes in the late afternoon, orientation to the shrines and spends some time in the sanctuary. Dinner & overnight. Sept. 9, 2018 - (Sunday) Day 2 - Paris (CDG) Arrived Paris CDG, Then after we clear immigration and collect our (BB, D) Luggage,. you will proceed to your hotel and have mass and dinner. Sept. 15, 2018 - (Saturday) Day 8 - Lourdes Overnight in Paris. (D) You will have early morning bath at the healing water of Lourdes. Then return to the hotel for breakfast. There after attend Holy Mass Sept. 10, 2018 - (Monday) Day 3 - Paris Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, also at the Grotto. continue the day with a walking tour of the shrines and known as the City of Light. Full day touring with local guide, including places associated with the life of St. Bernadette. Spend some time visit of the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Basilica of Sacre meditating on the passion of our Lord through more than life size Coeur, The chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Rue de Bac is the site exotic way of the sacrament and prayers. Afternoon will be free time of Marian Apparitions and contain the reliquaries of St. Catherine for private devotion. Dinner/overnight (BB, D) Laboure and St. Louise De Marillac. The shrine of St. Vincent the Paul is within walking distance, a few blocks from Rue De Bac, visit Sept. 16, 2018 - (Sunday) Day 9 - Lourdes / Zaragoza the chapel which houses the relic of St. Vincent the Paul. Overnight After Breakfast, you’ll continue your drive towards Zaragoza, Spain. Visit the shrines of Our Lady of Pillar, the 2nd most popular in Paris (BB/D) pilgrimages sites in Spain. See the Magnificent altar in the Basilica, built on site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the apostles Sept. 11, 2018 - (Tuesday) Day 4 - Paris/Lisieux After breakfast, Full day in Lisieux, home of St Therese, who at age St. James, before her assumption into heaven. Dinner/overnight 15, entered the convent and became Carmelite nun, she took the Zaragoza (BB, D) religious name of St Therese of the child Jesus and the Holy face. The spirituality of her little ways was not about extraordinary things, but Sept. 17, 2018 - (Monday) Day 10 - Zaragoza / Salamanca rather about doing simple things of life well and with extraordinary After breakfast you will embark on a trip to Salamanca. You will have love. She believed and taught that “Everything is Grace”, God’s face a short stop and panoramic tour of Avila. Upon arrival in Salamanca, and presence could be experienced in every person and situation of you will visit the Old Cathedral and tour the city. Dinner /overnight our lives, if we just attend with love and expectancy. She died at the Salamanca (BB, D) age of 24 believing that her life was really the beginning for God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on earth, her promised” Sept. 18, 2019 - (Tuesday) Day 11 - Salamanca / Fatima shower of Roses” began and have become a torrent in the church After Breakfast, you will spend the first half of the day touring ever since. Return to Paris, Dinner in a restaurant near the hotel. Salamanca. You will visit the new cathedral with a short stop at Plaza Mayor for lunch. After lunch you will continue to Fatima, the Overnight in Lisieux (BB, D) famous Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Upon arrival you will have a Sept. 12, 2018 - (Wednesday) Day 5 - Lisieux / Nevers / Paray- short orientation tour of the Sanctuary. Attend the nightly Candlelight procession at the Shrine. Dinner and Overnight Fatima (BB, D) Le-Monial After Breakfast, Continue your drive to the picturesque Loire valley to Nevers, visit the convent of St. Gillard, where St. Bernadette’s Sept. 19, 2018 - (Wednesday) Day 12 - Fatima incorrupt body miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. Breakfast, then Visit the Museum dedicated to the Blessed Virgin At the conclusion of the eighteen apparitions of the Virgin Mary Mary followed by Mass at the Apparitions chapel, Full day Guided in Lourdes, St. Bernadette lived for 12 years as a member of the tours includes the Shrines ground, visit of the tombs of Francisco congregation of the sisters of charity of Nevers. St Gildard convent and Jacinta in the Basilica, In Aljustrel and Valinhos, you see the is her final resting place. After she was blessed with the apparitions two homes of the shepherds, site of Our Lady’s fourth apparitions. of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, St. Bernadette retired in Nevers. She Stop at the Parish church where the seers were baptized, and the received her religious habit in 1866. Continue to Paray-Le-Monial for cemetery where Francisco and Jacinta were once buried. You will do the station of the Cross. We encourage everyone to spend some time Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) in the Blessed Sacrament, which is open every day. Dinner/overnight Fátima. (BB, D) Sept. 13, 2018 - (Thursday) Day 6 - Paray-Le-Monial After Breakfast, you will tour Paray-Le-Monial. Your first stop is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and here you will celebrate Holy Sept. 20, 2018 - (Thursday) Day 13 - Fatima / Lisbon Eucharist. Then you will tour and admire the Romanesque basilica After breakfast ,you will proceed to Lisbon with stops at Santarem and see the Chapel of Apparitions. After the Basilica, you will proceed to visit the church of the Holy Miracle containing the Glorious to the Monastere e la Visitation. Visit the reliquary of Saint Margaret 13th century Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem .Then you will do a Mary of Alocoque at the Chapel of Visitation. Still to see and visit after panoramic city tour of Lisbon, with a visit to the Basilica of St Anthony lunch is the Park of the Chaplain and the Chapel of St. Colombiere. de Padua, St Jeronimo’s Monastery and the famous Belem Tower. Dinner/Overnight Lisbon (BB, D) Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) Sept. 8, 2018 - (Saturday) Day 1 USA/PARIS Transatlantic flight from USA to Paris (CDG )Meals serve on board.

Sept. 14, 2018 - (Friday) Day 7 - Paray-Le-Monial / Lourdes Sept. 21, 2018 - (Friday) - Early AM transfer to Lisbon After breakfast you will continue your pilgrimage to Lourdes. Lourdes, Airport for flight home to USA celebrating 160 Years of apparitions of Blessed Virgin to Bernadette. Full of wonderful memories of Our Pilgrimage

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G Töngi, celebs #SpeakUp vs sexual violence Cesar Montano set to lure Hollywood celebs to work in PH

Sad incident She explained that that sad incident was “one of the reasons why I When the Inquirer ran a series left show biz.” Away from the glitzy world of articles on sexual misconduct in Philippine show business last week, of show, however, she met her U.S.-based producer-host G Töngi husband with whom she had two was among the first celebrities to children. To top it off, she graduated post and comment on the stories with honors from the University of California in Los Angeles, with a on Facebook. It was not just the usual random degree in Communications and a post, though; it turned out to be a double minor in Film and Theater, heartfelt and revelatory confession, in 2011. G, who is now the communicaas well. She thanked the stories’ main tions director for Tanduay Rum in interviewees, Kat Alano and hans the United States, asserted that she Inquirer.net photos Montenegro, for sharing their ex- had no regrets about leaving her old G Töngi Be free life behind. “I had to have faith that periences with the public. Activist-actress Mae Paner, one “It is courageous,” G wrote, there is something beyond show “and much-needed at a time in our business. Sometimes, the bubble of the advocates, told the Inquirer: society when we should support of the biz is not real life. You are so “While I understand the difficulty people brave enough to speak out isolated from real issues that affect to speak up, may the comfort of knowing that people care for you real people.” and condemn these predators.” G feels strongly about “speaking (and what you’re going through) She has “nothing but mad love and respect” for hans and Kat. up” about this advocacy, about the empower you. Your narrative is G admitted: “I wish I too had the importance of keeping this “un- ours, as well. Allow us to hold your courage to tell my #MeToo story. comfortable but extremely relevant hand through this challenge, and together, let us be free.” By sharing your story [with readers, conversation” going. Another advocate, actress Say In the same vein, the Inquirer it] makes me feel that one day too, I can come to terms with my internal Foundation, Tony Moly and Gabri- Alonzo, agreed: “We should supela have joined forces to launch the port each other…We should let struggles.” survivors know that no matter what Inquirer entertainment later #SpeakUp campaign. Connie Kalagayan, executive they share with us, we will not reached out to G, who then recountdirector of the Inquirer Foundation, judge them.” ed some details of her abuse. Advocate and broadcast jour“I was molested by a Filipino pointed out that the campaign seeks director in a workshop environ- to “initiate a dialogue in the hopes nalist Ces Drilon noted: “I unment when I was in my teens,” she of reducing the stigma and preju- derstand why it takes long for recalled. “I have never revealed this dice surrounding” cases of abuse, some women to come out. It’s not before, yet I feel it’s important to harassment and violence against easy…I encourage them to speak up…when they’re ready.” come forward. In due time, I may women, men and children. Actress-activist and advocate The campaign has gathered 36 have the courage to reveal who that person is…but it has been a source advocates, including several celeb- Monique Wilson remarked: “Acof a lot of conflict and struggles. So rities, to help raise awareness for a cording to the United nations, one in every three women would noteworthy cause. perhaps, in due time.” be raped and beaten in a lifetime. We have to stand in solidarity with each other…we have to understand our rights and be unafraid to speak up. Remember that violence is sustained because it lives in the dark… it lives in an invisible state.” Actress-advocate Iza Calzado related: “We are one. We are connected. Your pain is also our pain. We are one with you in this fight.” Iza acknowledged that her being a celebrity affords her the opportunity to “have a louder voice.” “I hope I can use this platform to help Monique Wilson, Iza Calzado and Ces Drilon women heal.” by Bayani

San Diego Inquirer.net

Jr.

by MJ

Marfori ManilaTimes.net

TheRe is a huge possibility that hollywood and local showbiz will be more connected in the coming years. That is, if actor and Tourism Promotions Board chief executive office Cesar Montano becomes successful in his mission to bring in an A-list hollywood Cesar Montano with Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo (sixth from left) and the honorees of Cine Turismo Awards. DOT photo

Cesar Montano

superstar to join him in a period movie, which of course promotes the country as a gem of a destination. he already surprised the press with a snippet of Sultan Kudarat: “The Unconquered hero” at the launch of Cine Turismo Awards, his comeback in the directorial chair and which has started shooting as well. Cesar naturally made sure to showcase breathtaking sights of the Philippine islands. “We just started filming and we still have a very long way to go, but what I showed was the direction of the movie and hopefully suportahan talaga ito so that we’ll have enough budget to finish it. The goal is to produce these kinds ManilaTimes.net photo of movie every year and with a

foreign actor,” said the Tourism official and movie director. “If we want to showcase the Philippines, we want to show the how world how the islands look like in this manner.” Of course, casting a foreign actor means requiring a foreign budget as well, and Cesar says he is hard at work on it. he also said that if schedule permits, he has asked Bea Alonzo to star in the movie. “Maganda si Bea at Pilipinang Pilipina.” Moreover, since he is finally in good terms with Diego Loyzaga—his son by actress Teresa Loyzaga—he may just invite him be part of the movie too so they can squeeze in some father and son bonding.

Katy Perry spends Easter with Filipinos in Hong Kong BeFORe flying to Manila on Sunday, April 1, American pop star Katy Perry received communion and attended mass with the Filipino and international community of St. John’s Cathedral in hong Kong. “Proudly received my first Catholic communion this morning on easter,” Perry wrote in an Instagram story post, with a video showing a part of the mass and a group of young parishioners that seem to belong to the church’s Filipino community. Thousands of Filipinos work in hong Kong, and many are active parishioners of St. John’s Cathedral, which is why the church offers a Filipino fellow-

ship service from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Sunday. Perry also shared photos of the cathedral and a snapshot of her tattoo, “Jesus,” written on her wrist. “My brokenness + God’s Divinity = my wholeness,” she wrote in the photo’s caption. early this March, a nun involved in a lawsuit with Perry over the sale of a convent in Los Angeles died after collapsing during a court appearance. Archbishop Jose Gomez said Sister Catherine Rose holzman died on March 9. She was 89. hours before her death, holzman spoke to KTTV, speaking out against a judge’s ruling that

Katy Perry

cleared the way for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to sell a convent in the Los Feliz neighborhood to Perry. On Monday, April 2, a few PAGE B2

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Pablo Kaestli: Curly French boy takes ‘Ready Player One’ offers a wild thrill ride on the Los Angeles fashion scene charged by abounding 1980s nostalgia By Monet

and winning characters of color

Lu

by Klarize

TheRe’S no looking back for this 6’2” model with gorgeous curly locks as he embarks on his journey to the fashion world of ‘La La Land.’ Lucky for me, I got an exclusive before he conquers this side of the town. I met Pablo Kaestli through a common friend and renowned photographer, Filbert Kung. Needless to say, the Montreal-born-andraised kid has potential to make it big. he has the looks (bone structure, posture and very noticeable curly hair) plus the attitude it takes to be a supermodel. So what’s a columnist and fashion enthusiast got to do but share the pleasure of knowing the ‘next big thing.’ First off, tell us how you were “discovered” and how your modeling career all started? I was scouted a couple of times in Montreal and one day, while getting home from work doing a 16-hour shift, somebody looked at me and asked me if I ever considered modeling. Then two years later, I’ve decided to cut bridges with Montreal and try my shot in Los Angeles. I’ve recently signed with Next Models LA and couldn’t be happier! Was modeling something you always wanted to do, or did it just kind of happened? I wanted to see the world and be able to pay for it at first, so modeling seems like a real opportunity to achieve that. Now I see it the full potential of this career and I really want to see where it will lead me. What has been your favorite shoot / campaign / work to date? I have to say that I love working as a model in general, but my best shoots are for editorial usually, where I can use my creativity to conceptualize a creative project. The photoshoot I did in Malibu/ Bel Air is one of my favorite so far and got published by Podium Magazine Latin America. How would you describe your personal style, where do you pull your inspiration from? I like very simple. Playing with black and white suits me well; this look is ageless and always fashionable. Thought to be completely honest, I spend most of my day in athletic clothes because I am

Medenilla AJPress

always ready to go to the gym. Do you get to travel a lot for your work? If so what’s your favorite city that you have visited? I travel sometimes but I really prefer living somewhere for a while to really understand the city you live in. That’s why I am getting familiar with Los Angeles since I am based here. For the best cities I ever seen, I have to say Paris since France has a particular place in my heart because I was born there and spend most of my childhood over there. Sometimes the modeling industry gets a bad rap with the jealousy and egos encountered between other models and agencies. Was this true for you? Have you managed to tough it out and make good friends? There is a lot of drama. In Montreal, I had such a bad experience with the modeling world in general, but I really don’t pay attention to negativity anymore. I wish everyone the best and I am so focused on building myself that all that noise really doesn’t bother me anymore. Is modeling an easy job or more strenuous than people realize? (how so) At the start, you feel a lot of pressure when there is nothing to be afraid. If somebody want to shoot with you, they just want you as true to yourself as possible. All you have to do is adapt to directions and be confident. Do you have any hidden talents? I box pretty well and I am a good swimmer. I am trying to develop myself on a lot of secret abilities so I can answer those

question better :) Lol! Favorite movie? Tough question. I have to say “The Untouchables,” “The Artist” and “Schindler’s list.” Five things you can’t live without? The gym, my kitchen, coffee, Netflix and Books Give us five facts about you people may not know. I am super competitive, I read a lot, I am still working to be an athlete someday, I work a lot on my acting and I never eat sweats. If you weren’t modeling what would you see yourself doing? I would probably still study Business in Montreal. Cats or dogs? Do you have any pets? Dogs! I have a dog that still lives in Montreal with my family. It’s in my projects to bring her here because I am missing Loulou so much! Good luck Pablo! I have no doubt that you’re going to make a name for yourself. Stay driven and fun as you are now and you’ll go places, and of course, keep your feet on the ground and enjoy the ride! *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

The latest blockbuster to hit theaters this weekend is “Ready Player One,” Steven Spielberg’s ambitious rendering of ernest Cline’s 2011 science fiction dystopian novel of the same name. The film takes place in 2045 in the virtual reality universe called the Oasis, a virtual reality universe that has the physical vastness of Skyrim and the simulated verisimilitude of the Sims. Created by enigmatic, Willy Wonka-esque tech genius James halliday (Mark Rylance), the Oasis is a fantasy world where the world is your oyster, users don virtual avatars that they can create to their desire: You can be anyone or anything you want to be in this world “full of things that people love.” But the real world setting is in Columbus, Ohio, which, like the rest of the world, has turned into a dirty, chaotic, dystopian world with a hackneyed “rich get richer and everyone else suffers” reality. Before he dies, halliday leaves a hidden digital relic — or in game-speak, an easter egg — in the Oasis that will inherit halliday’s fortune and take control of the Oasis. Soon after he dies, the scramble to find the easter egg turns into an intense pursuit in which users must sift through different riddles and obstacles that involve factoids about halliday’s personal life as well as popular culture references from the 1980s, which we find out was halliday’s salad days. The film centers on Columbus-native Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), a teenage outcast who spends all of his time in the as the avatar he calls Parzival — named after the hero of Arthurian england who went on an epic mission for the holy Grail. he enlists the help of manic pixie dream girl Samantha (Olivia Cooke), a.k.a. Art3mis in the Oasis, who provides the obvious love interest for Wade, an arc that feels forced. But these two can’t make it on their own and three other gamers are enlisted: helen, a.k.a. the gentle giant Aech (Lena Waithe), samurai Daito (Win Morisaki) and ninja Shoto (Philip Zhao). Together, our ragtag band of heroes sifts through 1980s reference after 1980s reference to try to be the first ones to the easter egg, including a particularly harrowing obstacle in the Overlook hotel from the 1980 horror classic “The Shining.” Their main objective is to get to the prize before the film’s central antago-

Wade (Tye Sheridan) enters the Oasis through virtual reality goggles. Photo credit Jaap Buitendijk provided by Warner Brothers

(L-R) Olivia Cooke, Win Morisaki, Lena Waithe and Philip Zhao in “Ready Player One,” which opens in theaters everywhere this week. Photo credit Jaap Buitendijk provided by Warner Brothers

nist Serrento (Ben Mendelsohn), a cliched depiction of evil corporate tyranny, turns the Oasis from a liberating Garden of eden into a hadean netherworld devoid of sovereignty and choice. But the 1980s references aren’t just peppered into the story as with the nostalgic symphony provided in Guardians of the Galaxy, wherein the hero’s mission statement is to honor the memory of his beloved mother and his childhood. In “Ready Player One,” the 1980s nostalgia — which employs homages to Star Wars, Back to the Future, the Atari gaming system, acts as a prominent plot device that is, at its best, charming and sentimental and, at its worst, contrived and tedious. The juxtaposition between futuristic technology and supernatural themes 1980s nostalgia is very much a la mode as evidence with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and edgar Wright’s 2017 film “Baby Driver.”

(L-R) Sho (Philip Zhao), Aech (Lena Waithe), Parzival (Tye Sheridan), the Curator, Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and Daito (Win Morisaki) as characters in the Oasis. Photo credit Warner Bros. Pictures

Spielberg, who is a maestro at family-friendly action flicks, attempts to cater to an audience hungry for the 1980s, but the efforts were banal and lacked ingenuity and nuance. Where the film shines is with its casting of Waithe, Morisaki and Zhao who deserved far more screen time and background and were far more compelling than the two white leads, who were the appearance of a sweet but forced love story arc, but lacked the depth to drive the film on their own. Lena Waithe, whose star-ometer has skyrocketed over the past year as independent media’s sweetheart, made her blockbuster debut in “Ready Player One” and completes the task with energy and charm that, at many times, steals the spotlight. Ready Player One also brought forth 27-year-old Burmese-Japanese film and music star Win Morisaki and 14-year-old Chinese-American actor Philip Zhao, who were shortchanged with the amount of screen time and character depth they got but who were among the few outstanding delights of the film. In conclusion, Ready Player One isn’t a perfect narrative and, at times, feels overly saccharine. But there’s plenty of flashy action sequences and action role models for younger viewers to revel in and more than enough cultural emblems from Reagan era to give parents a trip down memory lane. “Ready Player One” is rated PG-13 and is currently out in theaters everywhere.

Hayden Kho shares his ‘redemption’ story by deni

rose Bernardo Philstar.com

AS Christians worldwide celebrate easter, the resurrection and redemptive story of Jesus Christ, celebrity cosmetic doctor Dr. hayden Kho Jr. shares how he turned his life around after a sex scandal with celebrities that eventually led to the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009. In the following video shot during a Watsons Philippines event, Kho shared how he found redemption and how others could do the same for their lives. According to Kho, whenever he was asked how he changed, he had been very careful on what to say. “It was a scary question, because we’re ashamed of it,” he admitted. he explained that his search for identity led him to imagine he was a Casanova. “The reason I was who I was before and was doing what I did before is because I didn’t know who I am.” After the scandal, he rebuilt himself by going on an “eat, Pray, Love” kind of soul searching, such as spending a month with

Hayden Kho with wife Dr. Vicki Belo, and their daughter Scarlet Snow. Photo from Instagram/@dochayden

the monks. While on a sabbatical, he discovered that to be able to change for the better, he should not change his feeling, but his being. “Now that there is so many fake news, why do we try to look for truth for a better life elsewhere, when Jesus has already said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life?’,” Kho pointed out. Apart from finding his identity as a Christian, Kho has been able to sustain his transformation into a loving husband to Dr. Vicki

Belo-Kho and as a father to Scarlet Snow by remembering the following: • Be humble and remember that everything you have is not yours, but God’s. • You can’t keep on living for self-fulfillment. • Look in between the way of God and the way of the world, and look at the world through the way of God. A successful transformation story, according to him, is about a person who practices spirituality, faith, worship, and humility.

Katy Perry spends Easter with Filipinos... PAGE B1 hours before her Manila concert, Katy answered questions about “American Idol” from her hotel room in Manila. In the Instagram live video, she admitted that last year was

tough for her. “Like a palm tree, I break, I bend, and I rose,” she said. But she was able to get it through because of her faith. “I got my smile back. God gave me my smile back. Now

I’m honored,” she enthused before signing off to do yoga and meditate. “I have to check in with my higher power,” she said. “Tonight is show number 62 in Manila. I’m so grateful to be in this job!” (Philstar.com)

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Your Immigration Solution Atty. BrittAny MilliAsseAu & nAncy Miller RepoRts have surfaced that U.s. Citizenship and Immigration services (UsCIs), the federal agency that processes immigration applications, is creating a new internal division which seeks to “more rigorously police its own caseworkers.” sources state that the creation of this new division is potentially aimed at monitoring UsCIs employees who are too lenient or forgiving in their adjudication of applications for those seeking permanent residency or citizenship. Because employees will have to justify approving cases, applications will need to show even more clearly that the applicant is eligible for the relief sought. While specifics for the new oversight division have yet to be extensively disclosed to UsCIs employees, there are reports that reassignment of personnel within the agency has already begun to appropriately staff this new division, which will be called the organization of professional Responsibility. According to news reports, the goal of this new department will be to enhance oversight of the way UsCIs employees handle the approximately 26,000 requests for immigration benefits the agency

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA We live in the land of mindboggling choices. We exercise the freedom to choose in nearly every aspect of our lives: from the mundane and trivial to the profound and significant. We choose which detergent to use or what color of hair dye your salon colorist will apply to your tresses this week. those are the easy ones. It is the profound, life-changing choices that stump us often, such as choosing a career, choosing a mate, which lifestyle to adapt or where to live. If we are to live fully, it is imperative to learn this one critical skill of knowing how to make the right choices. Without this skill, life will just be a pathetic series of what-might-have beens. It is, at best, an intuitive skill. How does one acquire it? there are no simple, cut and dried steps. It helps to have a few essentials tucked in your belt such as: a broad knowledge base, a sound noggin, a good upbringing, a good heart, time and propensity for deep reflection and study to think things through, guidance from both the mortal and the spiritual realms and the ability to extract the lessons from one’s own experiences or better yet, from the collective pool of

Health@Heart PhiliP s. chuA, Md, FAcs, FPcs tHIs is a story of a gynecologist as he related in Medscape: “When I began experiencing chest pain that was different from my usual heartburn symptoms, I denied I could possibly be having a heart attack, but chewed four baby aspirins just in case. of the more than 350,000 individuals who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2016, only 12 percent survived. Bystander recognition of cardiac arrest and prompt intervention with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CpR) and rapid defibrillation is essential for out-of-hospital survival. “While exiting the expressway on my way to perform scheduled surgeries that morning, I came to a complete stop in the left-hand lane of the exit ramp with three cars ahead of me. the indigestion I had been experiencing overnight was different from the heartburn symptoms I’d had in the past. I declined my wife’s suggestion to go to the emergency department, but compromised by taking four baby aspirins, and planned to followup with a previously scheduled appointment that afternoon with my internist. At the age of 53, on August 29, 2016 at approximately 7:40 a.m., I died waiting for the traffic light to change.” Luckily, a school bus driver who witnessed the accident called 911. this physician was successfully resuscitated. this is not an isolated story and it illustrates some fundamental principles we could learn from. Medical facts and lessons 1. After age 40, chest discomfort should be suspected to be an impending heart attack, till proven otherwise, and must be attended to AsAp. Denial could be fatal. It could well be indigestion or

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 5-11, 2018

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How will USCIS’ new Internal Oversight Division impact adjudication of your immigration petitions?

adjudicates daily. the organization of professional Responsibility is slated to have three divisions, including an Investigations Division aimed at overseeing the agency’s program that investigates cases involving fraud, abuse, or misconduct by UsCIs employees. When speaking about the new department, one UsCIs official has said that the new internal division has been viewed within the agency as a “crackdown on employees who may be too forgiving toward applicants for permanent legal residence or citizenship and who may have demerits in their case files, including misdemeanor criminal charges or having received public assistance such as welfare payments.” the announcement of this new division comes just about a month after UsCIs faced backlash for revising its agency mission statement by removing language that referred to the United states as a “nation of immigrants.” Around this same time, the UsCIs Director also faced criticism after instructing UsCIs staff to stop referring to applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits as “customers” as that term leads to the “erroneous belief that applicants and petitioners, rather than the American people, are whom we

ultimately serve.” Creation of this new division has similarly led to backlash from immigration advocates and proponents. While this new department has yet to be formalized, some members of Congress have already expressed their concern stating that they are worried that the new division will seek out and eliminate those UsCIs employees who do not agree with the trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration. At this time, there are still many unknowns about the creation of this new department within UsCIs and whether it will actually be formally implemented. the absence of guidance has led to many questions and concerns such as what it will mean for a UsCIs employee to be “too lenient” or “forgiving” when assessing immigration benefit applications, how employees will be evaluated, reprimanded and what recourse they will have, as well as what policy changes will be implemented as a result of this new department. While the new division has yet to be formally announced and the proposed scope of the new division is unclear, it is important to be aware of its potential implications. If the organization of professional Responsibility is established, there

Choices: Sowing and reaping “Wise men learn from other people’s mistakes; fools, from their own.” — Plautus other people’s experiences. It is a tall order. No one can say for certain how the ability to choose wisely ever comes about in anyone’s life. More often than not, this gets developed late in life when all the lessons from a lifetime of experiences reach a critical mass and congeal. things finally click and everything seems clearer. It could be a combination of nature and nurture where heredity may play a tiny part. even the wisest of men can have fools for children just as there are children seemingly born with old souls, far advanced in their wisdom, who can have fools for parents. It is enough to know that you learn this skill yourself acquiring it layer upon layer with every season of your life from birth to death. At the highest levels, the intuition to make the right judgment calls at every turn, works like a sixth sense. this skill belongs to the most highly evolved human beings. Why is this skill so important? It is because for as long as the world turns, our choices determine our results. the law of cause and effect like the force of gravity that holds the universe together, rules human life. to understand intimately how the

intricate workings of this law apply to our own lives, imagine it as borrowing heavily from the principles of accounting. Visualize an invisible, unerring and indisputable ledger of one’s life being recorded—its highs and lows, its pluses and minuses, the volume of both good and bad, both beauty and horror which one has generated through the course of his life, the amount and range of happiness and the depths of pain, misery and tears one has caused in others. And yet unlike human accounting, that same invisible ledger takes into account such intangible, unquantifiable factors, both human and divine, such as love, kindness, forgiveness, redemption, generosity of spirit and tender mercies. At the end of it all, one is presented with the bottom line—either in red—what one owes life, a deficiency or a debt that must be paid—if not in this lifetime—then in successive ones or if one has lived life well and has reached the highest rungs of nirvana—in the black, on the plus side with profits to show, with a wealth of positive contributions to the self, to others PAGE B6

The day I died stomach acid reflux, but erring on the safer side is the wiser choice. Heart attack is treacherous. It could happen among persons with pain in the jaw area and arm, with no actual chest pains. Hence, routine annual medical check-up is essential. 2. A history of chest pain should be investigated, even among younger individuals. I have done heart bypass on a 25-yearold woman, who was a diabetic and hypertensive, with high cholesterol level, who smoked heavily. Heart attack victims are getting younger and younger. 3. A visit to a family physician, if not a cardiologist, even before any medical problem arises for those beyond 40 will establish a baseline, upon which one could measure his/her own health status and progress. Any deviation from the parameters shown by all the tests done could alert the person accordingly. 4. the tests, depending on the complaints, signs, and symptoms, could include a complete blood count, blood chemistries (comprehensive metabolic panel, electrolytes, lipid profile, liver and renal panels, and thyroid functions), urinalysis, chest x-ray, eKG; and other more specific tests the physician might determine necessary after the interview and physical examination. 5. For those with chest or upper abdominal discomfort where the physician suspects gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GeRD), upper GI endoscopy (telescopic visualization of the throat, food pipe and the stomach) might be recommended. If the findings point to a non-cardiac condition, it is managed accordingly. 6. If the family physician thinks the chest discomfort or other symptoms could be due to coronary heart artery disease, the patient would be referred to a cardiologist, who might perform any of the following: thallium

stress eKG, an eCHo, or Cardiac Catheterization to view the heart function and the integrity of the heart valves, and Coronary Angiogram to see if any heart arteries are blocked by cholesterol deposits, which is the main cause of heart attacks. 7. When Coronary Angiogram shows significant blockages (more than 50 percent obstruction) in any major coronary arteries, an angioplasty with stent may be done. If more than two blockages are found, coronary bypass surgery would be recommended. the usual 1 to 2 percent risk for this procedure worldwide is clearly outweighed by the 50 percent risk of heart attacks and potential death of those refused surgery. 8. obviously, prevention is the key. the vital factors include lifestyle and behavior: a low carbohydrate diet of fish, vegetables, nuts, some fruits, occasional or no red meat, with as little or no rice, bread, sweets, as possible, more of protein; abstinence from smoking and substance abuse, severe moderation in alcohol intake, doing daily physical exercises, and stress management with weekly R&R, mini or full vacation with family and/or friends. 9. since dental problems cause inflammation which adversely affects our immune system and contributes to heart diseases, a visit to the dentist every six months would be very beneficial to overall health. 10. When one feels irregularity or rapid heart beat or thumping in the chest and dizziness anywhere, or while driving, taking a very deep breath and coughing as hard and as often as you can every two seconds or so could being your heart beat back to normal. Without delay, drive to the nearest emergency room. A false alarm might be embarrassing, but at least, you are alive. 11. When alone at home and PAGE B7

is a likelihood that UsCIs adjudication will become even more scrutinized. since adjudicating officers will have more top-level oversight, they may be wary about being too lenient in their evaluation and as such, applications or petitions that seem relatively straight-forward or have not normally been scrutinized in the past may face more intense scrutiny. In plain english, this means that they may fear that giving an applicant the benefit of the doubt or a second chance, as the law allows, may cost them their job. It is now more important than ever to ensure that you are represented by knowledgeable and highly competent immigration counsel. If you have filed or are

considering filing an application for an immigration benefit, it is imperative to make sure you have an attorney who is on top of recent changes, can spot potential issues, and prepare strong petitions to minimize delays, requests for additional evidence, and denials. even if you or someone you know think you have an “easy” immigration case, it is important to keep in mind that immigration policy is constantly changing and could impact the standard of adjudication for your case. Further, it is important to note that UsCIs policy and changes in adjudication may happen relatively quickly and without much advance notice. As such, speak with an experienced immigration attorney today to dis-

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cuss how changes in immigration law and policy may impact your particular case. *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

America

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Advancing Justice Conference in Washington, DC The Advancing Justice Conference is the signature event in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community focusing on civil rights and social justice happening on April 11-13, This three-day, bi-annual convening is hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice. It provides a unique forum to learn from issue area experts and community leaders, discuss common challenges and opportunities, share best practices, and find more effective ways to work collaboratively. This year, community leaders from across the U.S. will come together in Washington, D.C. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. To register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018advancing-justice-conference-april-11-13-registration-39652865789.

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SALIDA: Simbolo at Kultura in Queens, NY AFTA presents its latest fundraising event - “SALIDA: Simbolo at Kultura” – a cultural dinner show featuring the internationally recognized dance troupe from the Philippines, the Leyte Dance Theater, which will kick off their USA TOUR 2018 in NYC. The event is on April 14, 2018, 3:00 pm at the Rock Church in Woodside, Queens. “Salida” aims to raise funds and awareness to support the flagship projects of the Association of Fil-am Teachers of America, Inc. (AFTA) with their partners: The Rock Churches Worldwide and the Leyte Biliran & Samar Federation. Proceeds of this fundraiser will finance AFTA’s projects in the Philippines like Adopt a School (Marawi City, Biliran and Albay, Adopt a Scholar, and Balikturo). For Sponsorship opportunities, contact Roxanne at 347-932-6631 or Nitz at 862-368-1706 or any AFTA officer/board member.

Philippine Medical Association of Southern CA to hold inaugural ball in Anaheim, CA The Philippine Medical Association of Southern California (PMASC) and its auxiliary will be holding its biennial inaugural ball on Saturday, April 14 at the Anaheim Marriott (700 W Convention Way, Anaheim, CA). This grand occasion will be attended by several Filipino physicians and its guests to raise funds for humanitarian purposes, specifically its outreach programs including medical missions to the Philippines and Southern California. The association has been conducting such purposes for 46 years since its founding in 1971. For more information and tickets, please contact Dr. Emma Arella at (661) 794-3322, Dr. Ellen Abejuela at (909) 859-4865 or PMASC Executive Office at (562) 572-2481.

ApRIL 30

East West Players’ 52nd Visionary Awards & Silent Auction in Los Angeles East West Players celebrates its 52nd Anniversary at the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs. It will be held at the Hilton Universal City (555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) on Monday, April 30. At 5:30 p.m., VIP Reception*, silent auction, and registration begin. Dinner and awards show begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/news/east-west-players-52nd-anniversary-visionary-awards-dinner-and-silent-auction/.

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34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be presented May 3 - May 12, 2018 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. A key highlight of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month activities, the Festival is produced by Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, and enjoys broad support from cinema artists and audiences alike. Since 1983, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has presented over 4,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian international and Asian Pacific American artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards. The Film Festival continues to be the largest festival of its kind in Southern California and is the premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific American and international cinema. To learn about Visual Communications, visit www.vconline. org.

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The Asian American Group to celebrate first annual Asian Culture Day in Las Vegas On Friday, May 18, the Asian American Group (AAG) will celebrate the first annual Asian Culture Day. The event will be held at the Conference Center of Las Vegas (6590 Bermuda Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119), and will start at 6 p.m. There will be a variety of Asian dishes and cultural performances at the celebration. The primary goal of the Asian Culture Day celebration is to invite and unite the Asian nations of the world, and to educate and share their respective cultures in order to achieve greater understanding and fellowship between nations. The annual Asian Culture Day was established by Senate Bill 175, which proclaims every 18th of May as Asian Culture Day in the state of Nevada. The bill was introduced and authored by State Senator Scott Hammond, and was signed into law by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval last year. The bill gives recognition to the Asians and Asian-Americans who were instrumental in the settlement and early development of the State of Nevada; the culture and traditions shared by Asians and AsianAmericans; and the Asian and Asian-American communities that continue to make important contributions to the cultural, religious, political, and business environment. To purchase tickets visit https://www.asianamericangroup.org/saac-2/.

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FACCGLA’s bowling tournament The Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACCGLA) will host a bowling tournament on Saturday, May 26 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Winnetka Bowling Lanes (20122 Vanowen St, Winnetka, CA 91306). Open to both members and non-members, in teams of four or we can assign you a team. Slots are limited. To register your team, please call FACC-GLA Secretary Ms. Connie Mapue (323) 337-7714 or FACC-GLA boardmember Ms. Doreen Remo (310) 428-7200. For more information and online payment, please visit www. faccgla.org.

JUNE 9

Kalayaan Incorporated presents Philippine Independence gala in Los Angeles Kalayaan Incorporated, Southern California’s foremost celebrant of Philippine Independence will host the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 9, at the Universal Hilton Hotel, Universal City, California. For more information, contact Erlinda Granada-Sabah at (562) 682-9576; or Malou Perez at mperez0813@ aol.com.

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2018 VOTE CENTERS You may now vote on Election Day at any of the 172 “Vote Centers” that will be open throughout Clark County. You no longer have to go to one specific “assigned” Election Day polling place. Instead, you may choose the most convenient Vote Center for you.

ELECTION DAY VOTE CENTERS FOR THE 2018 PRIMARY ELECTION ON JUNE 12, 2018 Karagdagang impormasyon sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Clark County Election Department sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote. STATE OF NEVADA - COUNTY OF CLARK I, JOSEPH P. GLORIA, the duly appointed Registrar of Voters for the County of Clark, State of Nevada, do hereby certify that the Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on said date. Pending candidate challenges may result in a candidate not appearing on the election ballot. A list of Election Day polling places is also included in this notice. WITNESS MY HAND and SEAL this 3rd day of April, 2018. JOSEPH P. GLORIA Registrar of Voters

LIST OF CANDIDATES TO BE VOTED UPON AT THE JUNE 12, 2018 PRIMARY ELECTION CANDIDATES FOR PARTISAN OFFICES UNITED STATES SENATE SIX YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Burleigh, Danny Knight, David Drew Mahendra, Sujeet “Bobby” Rheinhart, Allen Rosen, Jacky Sbaih, Jesse REPUBLICAN Brooks, Sherry Gazala, Sarah Harrell, Vic Heck, Tom Heller, Dean REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS TWO YEAR TERM DISTRICT 1 DEMOCRATIC D’Silva, Reuben Titus, Dina REPUBLICAN Bentley, Joyce Horne, Fred DISTRICT 3 DEMOCRATIC Hart, Richard “Rick” Lee, Susie Love, John “Jack” Pinjuv, Guy Schiffman, Steven Mitchell “The Mench” Stoltz, Eric Weiss, Michael REPUBLICAN Carter, Patrick Hamilton, Eddie “MisterMago” Hammond, Scott Jones, Stephanie “BdyBySteph” La Croix, Thomas Mark McKeon, David Mortensen, Michelle Tarkanian, Danny Teijeiro, Annette DISTRICT 4 DEMOCRATIC Anzalone, John Horsford, Steven A. Spearman, Patricia “Pat” Stephens, Allison Vilela, Amy Zeller, Sid REPUBLICAN Gibbs, David Glenn Hardy, Cresent Miller, Jeff Monroe, Mike Townsend, Bill Wegner, Kenneth A. GOVERNOR FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Bonaventura, John Dewan, Asheesh Giunchigliani, Christina “Chris G” Jones, David E. Sisolak, Steve Thorns, Henry REPUBLICAN Boyd, William “Bill” Carlisle, Stephanie Conquest, Frederick L. Dundas, Edward F. Fisher, Jared L. Laxalt, Adam Paul Lusak, Stan Schwartz, Dan LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Hansen, Laurie L. Marshall, Kate REPUBLICAN Hoover, Eugene Jones, Brent A. LaFata, Scott Anthony Meyers, Gary Anthony Roberson, Michael SECRETARY OF STATE FOUR YEAR TERM REPUBLICAN Aldridge, Ernest C. Cegavske, Barbara K. STATE TREASURER FOUR YEAR TERM REPUBLICAN Beers, Bob Uehara, Derek ATTORNEY GENERAL FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Ford, Aaron MacKie, Stuart J. REPUBLICAN

Duncan, Wes Mueller, Craig STATE SENATE FOUR YEAR TERM DISTRICT 8 DEMOCRATIC Alvarado, Stephanie Loop, Marilyn Dondero REPUBLICAN Helgelien, Elizabeth Rodimer, Dan Weber, Valerie DISTRICT 9 DEMOCRATIC McCullough, Larry Rebollo, Justin Allen Scheible, Melanie West, Brandon DISTRICT 10 DEMOCRATIC Cancela, Yvanna Henderson, Bryce DISTRICT 20 DEMOCRATIC Aizley, Paul Pazina, Julie REPUBLICAN Brooks, Byron Pickard, Keith DISTRICT 21 DEMOCRATIC Craddock, Jay Glazer, Christine Ohrenschall, James STATE ASSEMBLY TWO YEAR TERM DISTRICT 2 DEMOCRATIC Orentlicher, David Sherwood, Jennie REPUBLICAN Hambrick, John C. Small, Jim DISTRICT 4 DEMOCRATIC Munk, Connie Smith, Tony T. REPUBLICAN McArthur, Richard Rezendes, Kenneth Vega, Luis DISTRICT 5 REPUBLICAN Burke, Jason Miller, Mack DISTRICT 8 DEMOCRATIC Frierson, Jason Watson, Tiffany Ann DISTRICT 9 REPUBLICAN Cannon, Linda Keller, Barry DISTRICT 12 DEMOCRATIC Casutt, Brandon D’Ayr, Gabrielle Levy, Anat “Annette” Martinez, Susan Moore, Cinthia Seip, ll, Walter L. York, Gregory DISTRICT 13 REPUBLICAN Kemp, James “JP” Roberts, Tom Sanson, Steve DISTRICT 15 DEMOCRATIC Chavez, Juan Manuel Gandy, Michael Spivak, Andrew Toomin, Louis A. “Lou” Watts, III, Howard DISTRICT 18 REPUBLICAN Hawkins, Richard E. Sadler, Matt DISTRICT 21 REPUBLICAN Arrington, Cherlyn Atamian, Garo DISTRICT 22 DEMOCRATIC Aguirre-Insua, Luis Watson, Kristee REPUBLICAN Bunce, Richard Hardy, Melissa DISTRICT 23 REPUBLICAN Leavitt, Glen McCarthy, Matt DISTRICT 29 DEMOCRATIC Cohen, Lesley Elizabeth Watson, Terry L. DISTRICT 34 REPUBLICAN Laurie, Anthony A. Wesen, Janice E.

DISTRICT 35 DEMOCRATIC Gorelow, Michelle Nimsuwan, Paul REPUBLICAN Jones, Aimee Schoen, David DISTRICT 36 REPUBLICAN Bradley, Joseph J. Hof, Dennis Oscarson, James DISTRICT 37 DEMOCRATIC Backus, Shea Cornstuble, Rick Pearce, Robbie Lucille DISTRICT 42 DEMOCRATIC Assefa, Alexander Henry, LaDon Lauckner, Kathleen COUNTY COMMISSION FOUR YEAR TERM DISTRICT E DEMOCRATIC Hernandez, Marco Segerblom, “Tick” REPUBLICAN Marsh, Trish Rose, Randy DISTRICT F DEMOCRATIC Hunt, Jason Jones, Justin REPUBLICAN Black, Tisha Tracy, Mitchell T. DISTRICT G REPUBLICAN Lake, Cindy Van Dover, Fred DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Langford, Robert L. Wolfson, Steve COUNTY ASSESSOR FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Casino, Angelo Johnson, Briana COUNTY RECORDER FOUR YEAR TERM REPUBLICAN MacFarlane, Jill Moore, John Paretts, Jayson COUNTY TREASURER FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Fitzpatrick, Laura O’Sullivan, Ken “Sully” REPUBLICAN Collins, Phil Quilang, Ron Q. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR FOUR YEAR TERM REPUBLICAN Fougere, Thomas L. Manfredi, Aaron CONSTABLE, MESQUITE TOWNSHIP FOUR YEAR TERM REPUBLICAN Hughes, Shawn L. Thurston, Duane L. CONSTABLE, NORTH LAS VEGAS TOWNSHIP FOUR YEAR TERM DEMOCRATIC Eliason, Robert L. James, Sr., Isaac C. Martin, Jon REPUBLICAN Roundy, Travis Vega, Jimmy CANDIDATES FOR NON PARTISAN OFFICES JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT SEAT C SIX YEAR TERM Aberasturi, Leon Cadish, Elissa Lefebvre, Alan J. Rutledge, John Tao, Jerry REGENT, STATE UNIVERSITY SIX YEAR TERM DISTRICT 1 Cato, Jo Mallory, Jack Olson, David M. Perkins, Laura E. Ramirez, Eddie DISTRICT 4 McMichael, Sr., Donald Sylvantee

DISTRICT 12 Carvalho, Amy Coates, Andrew Coca, T. Rao Gutschick, Bob TRUSTEE, CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL FOUR YEAR TERM DISTRICT D Cepeda, Irene Child, Kevin L. Martinez, Jr., Leobardo Thompson, Eli DISTRICT F Ballinger, Mary E. Eady, Eileen Ford, Danielle Gardner, David Miller, Kali Fox Musemici, Tammi N. Thomas, Mike Trumbull, Jacquelyn Wilson, Johnny SHERIFF FOUR YEAR TERM Bedwell, Tim Caldwell, Matt Heiny, Gregory S. Lombardo, Joe Martines, Gordon CITY OF MESQUITE COUNCILMEMBER FOUR YEAR TERM SEAT 1 Mercer, L. Kay Ramaker, Sandra Withelder, Geno SEAT 4 Black, Ann “Annie” Fielding, Karen Kruder, Chuck JUSTICE OF THE PEACE GOODSPRINGS TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Carter, Amber Cortese, Gregory Kostas, Socrates Lee, Charles Shupe, Larry JUSTICE OF THE PEACE HENDERSON TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM DEPARTMENT 1 Bateman, Sam JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAS VEGAS TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM DEPARTMENT 1 Ginn, Vincent “Vinny” Graham, Elana Lee Leavitt, James Dean DEPARTMENT 2 Sciscento, Joseph S. DEPARTMENT 5 Dustin-Cruz, Cynthia DEPARTMENT 8 Zimmerman, Ann E. DEPARTMENT 10 Andress-Tobiasson, Melanie DEPARTMENT 15 De La Garza, Melisa Friedberg, Craig B. Kurth, Robert Rogan, Jeff JUSTICE OF THE PEACE LAUGHLIN TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Atkins, Tim JUSTICE OF THE PEACE MESQUITE TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Toone, Ryan W. JUSTICE OF THE PEACE MOAPA TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Kolhoss, Ruth JUSTICE OF THE PEACE MOAPA VALLEY TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Mills, Gregor S. Solomon, Drue R. Waite, Kyle JUSTICE OF THE PEACE NORTH LAS VEGAS TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM DEPARTMENT 1 Hoo, Kalani DEPARTMENT 2 Tyrrell, Natalie JUSTICE OF THE PEACE SEARCHLIGHT TOWNSHIP SIX YEAR TERM Hill, Richard

EVENT TENTS: Look for the VOTER CENTER EVENT TENT in the parking lot of sites with an asterisk (*). ABBREVIATIONS: HEN = Henderson ELEM. = Elementary School CTR. = Center

LV = Las Vegas J.H.S. = Junior High School

NLV = North Las Vegas MID. SCH. = Middle School

NAME

ADDRESS

ALLEN, DEAN ELEM.

8680 W. Hammer Ln., LV 89149

ANDRE AGASSI BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

800 N. Martin L. King Bl., LV 89106

ARROYO MARKET SQUARE*

6930 Arroyo Crossing Pkwy., LV 89113

BAILEY, SISTER ROBERT JOSEPH ELEM.

4525 Jimmy Durante Bl., LV 89122

BAILEY, WILLIAM H. MID. SCH.

2500 N. Hollywood Bl., LV 89156

BASS, JOHN ELEM.

10377 Rancho Destino Rd., LV 89183

BEATTY, JOHN ELEM.

8685 Hidden Palms Pkwy., LV 89123

BELL, REX ELEM.

2900 Wilmington Wy., LV 89102

BLUE DIAMOND CROSSING SHOPPING CTR.*

4100 Blue Diamond Rd., LV 89139

BOB PRICE RECREATION CTR.

2050 Bonnie Ln., LV 89156

BOULDER CITY RECREATION CTR.

900 Arizona St., Boulder City 89005

BOULEVARD MALL, REAR MALL ENTRANCE

3528 S. Maryland Pkwy., LV 89169

BOZARTH, HENRY & EVELYN ELEM.

7431 Egan Crest Dr., LV 89166

BRIDGER, JIM MID. SCH.

2505 N. Bruce St., NLV 89030

BROOKMAN, EILEEN ELEM.

6225 E. Washington Ave., LV 89110

BROWN, B. MAHLON J.H.S.

307 Cannes St., HEN 89015

BUNKERVILLE COMMUNITY CTR.

200 W. Virgin St., Bunkerville, 89007

BURKHOLDER, LYAL MID. SCH.

355 W. Van Wagenen St., HEN 89015

CADWALLADER, RALPH L. MID. SCH.

7775 Elkhorn Rd., LV 89131

CAMBRIDGE RECREATION CTR.

3930 Cambridge St., LV 89119

CANARELLI, LAWR. AND HEIDI MID. SCH.

7808 S. Torrey Pines Dr., LV 89139

CASHMAN, JAMES MID. SCH.

4622 W. Desert Inn Rd., LV 89102

CENTENNIAL CENTER, NEAR HOME DEPOT*

7881 W. Tropical Pkwy., LV 89149

CLARK COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT

4701 W. Russell Rd., LV 89118

CLARK COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS-FINE ARTS

1301 Whipple Ave., Logandale 89021

CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL

1001 Coronado Center Dr., HEN 89052

COX, DAVID ELEM.

280 Clark Dr., HEN 89074

CRAM, BRIAN AND TERI MID. SCH.

1900 W. Deer Springs Wy., NLV 89084

CULLEY, PAUL ELEM.

1200 N. Mallard St., LV 89108

CUNNINGHAM, CYNTHIA ELEM.

4145 Jimmy Durante Bl., LV 89122

DAILEY, JACK ELEM.

2001 E. Reno Ave., LV 89119

DERFELT, HERBERT ELEM.

1900 S. Lisa Ln., LV 89117

DESERT BREEZE COMMUNITY CTR.

8275 Spring Mountain Rd., LV 89117

DESERT OASIS HIGH SCHOOL

6600 W. Erie Ave., LV 89141

DESERT VISTA COMMUNITY CTR.

10360 Sun City Bl., LV 89134

DESIGNER'S CHURCH

1305 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., HEN 89012

DETWILER, OLLIE ELEM.

1960 Ferrel St., LV 89106

DICKENS, D. L. (DUSTY) ELEM.

5550 Milan Peak St., NLV 89081

DOOLEY, JOHN ELEM.

1940 Chickasaw Dr., HEN 89015

DOOLITTLE COMMUNITY CTR.

1950 J St., LV 89106

DOWNTOWN SUMMERLIN SHOPPING CTR.*

Sahara Ave. @ CC-215, LV 89135

EAST CAREER TECH ACADEMY

6705 Vegas Valley Dr., LV 89142

ELIZONDO, RAUL ELEM.

4865 Goldfield St., NLV 89031

ENTERPRISE LIBRARY

25 E. Shelbourne Ave., LV 89123

ESCOBEDO, EDMUNDO SR. MID. SCH.

9501 Echelon Point Dr., LV 89149

FAISS, WILBUR AND THERESA MID. SCH.

9525 W. Maule Ave., LV 89148

FERTITTA, FRANK AND VICTORIA MID. SCH.

9905 W. Mesa Vista Ave., LV 89148

FINE, MARK L. ELEM.

6635 Cougar Ave., LV 89139

FORBUSS, ROBERT L. ELEM.

8601 S. Grand Canyon Dr., LV 89148

FRENCH, DORIS ELEM.

3235 E. Hacienda Ave., LV 89120

GALLERIA AT SUNSET, KOHL’S COURT, 1ST FL.

1300 W. Sunset Rd., HEN 89014

GALLOWAY, FAY ELEM.

701 Skyline Rd., HEN 89015

GIVENS, LINDA RANKIN ELEM.

655 Park Vista Dr., LV 89138

GOOD SAMARITAN LUTHERAN CHURCH

8425 W. Windmill Ln., LV 89113

GOOLSBY, JUDY AND JOHN ELEM.

11175 W. Desert Inn Rd., LV 89135

GRACE IN THE DESERT EPISCOPAL CHURCH

2004 Spring Gate Ln., LV 89134

GRACE VALLEY REFORM CHURCH

1370 E. Robindale Rd., LV 89123

GRAY, R. GUILD ELEM.

2825 S. Torrey Pines Dr., LV 89146

GREEN VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

270 N. Valle Verde Dr., HEN 89074

GREEN VALLEY LIBRARY

2797 N. Green Valley Pkwy., HEN 89014

GREEN VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

1798 Wigwam Pkwy., HEN 89074

GUINN, KENNY C. MID. SCH.

4150 S. Torrey Pines Dr., LV 89103

HARMON, HARLEY ELEM.

5351 Hillsboro Ln., LV 89120

HARRIS, GEORGE ELEM.

3620 S. Sandhill Rd., LV 89121

HAYDEN, DON E. ELEM.

150 W. Rome Bl., NLV 89084

HAYES, KEITH AND KAREN ELEM.

9620 W. Twain Ave., LV 89147

HECKETHORN, HOWARD ELEM.

5150 Whispering Sands Dr., LV 89131

HENDERSON EXECUTIVE AIRPORT

3500 Executive Terminal Dr., HEN 89052

HERITAGE PARK SENIOR FACILITY

300 Racetrack Rd., HEN 89015

HISTORIC FIFTH ST. SCHOOL

401 S. 4th St., LV 89101

HOLLYWOOD RECREATION CTR.

1650 S. Hollywood Bl., LV 89142

INDIAN SPRINGS COMMUNITY CTR.

715 W. Gretta Ln., Indian Springs 89018

INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF LAS VEGAS

3425 Cliff Shadows Pkwy., LV 89129

JOHNSON, WALTER MID. SCH.

7701 Ducharme Ave., LV 89145

JONES, BLACKHURST ELEM.

11141 S. Pioneer Wy., LV 89179

KATZ, EDYTHE AND LLOYD ELEM.

1800 Rock Springs Dr., LV 89128

KELLER, DUANE MID. SCH.

301 N. Fogg St., LV 89110

KESTERSON, LORNA ELEM.

231 Bailey Island Dr., HEN 89074

KING, MARTHA ELEM.

888 Adams Bl., Boulder City 89005

KNUDSON, K. O. MID. SCH.

2400 Atlantic St., LV 89104

LAKE, ROBERT ELEM.

2904 Meteoro St., LV 89109

LAKES LUTHERAN CHURCH

8200 W. Sahara Ave., LV 89117

LAS VEGAS STRIP SITE

3550 W. Harmon Ave., LV 89103

LAUGHLIN LIBRARY

2840 S. Needles Hwy., Laughlin 89028

LAWRENCE, CLIFFORD J.H.S.

4410 S. Juliano Rd., LV 89147

Community Journal

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NAME

ADDRESS

LEAVITT, JUSTICE MYRON MID. SCH.

4701 Quadrel St., LV 89129

LIED MID. SCH.

5350 W. Tropical Pkwy., LV 89130

MACK, JEROME D. MID. SCH.

4250 Karen Ave., LV 89121

MACK, NATE ELEM.

3170 Laurel Ave., HEN 89014

MANCH, J. E. ELEM.

4351 N. Lamont St., LV 89115

MANNION, JACK AND TERRY MID. SCH.

155 E. Paradise Hills Dr., HEN 89002

MARTIN, ROY MID. SCH.

2800 Stewart Ave., LV 89101

MAY, ERNEST ELEM.

6350 W. Washburn Rd., LV 89130

MCDONIEL, ELEM.

1831 Fox Ridge Dr., HEN 89014

MEADOWS MALL, SEARS COURT, 1ST FLOOR

4300 Meadows Ln., LV 89107

MENDOZA, JOHN ELEM.

2000 S. Sloan Ln., LV 89142

MESQUITE DEUCE 2 BUILDING

150 N. Yucca St., Mesquite 89027

MILLER, BOB MID. SCH.

2400 Cozy Hill Cir., HEN 89052

MIRABELLI COMMUNITY CTR.

6200 Hargrove Ave., LV 89107

MOAPA COMMUNITY CTR.

1340 E. State Hwy., 168 Moapa 89025

MOAPA TRIBAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

1 Lincoln St., Moapa 89025

MOAPA VALLEY SENIOR CTR.

325 N. Cooper St., Overton 89040

MOLASKY, IRWIN AND SUSAN MID. SCH.

7801 W. Gilmore Ave., LV 89129

MONACO, MARIO C. & JOANN MID. SCH.

1870 N. Lamont St., LV 89115

MOORE, WILLIAM ELEM.

491 N. Lamb Bl., LV 89110

MOUNTAIN CREST COMMUNITY CTR.

4701 N. Durango Dr., LV 89129

MOUNTAIN SHADOWS COMMUNITY CTR

9107 Del Webb Bl., LV 89134

MOUNTAIN VIEW LUTHERAN CHURCH

9550 W. Cheyenne Ave., LV 89129

NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT

2730 Airport Dr., NLV 89032

O’CALLAGHAN, MIKE MID. SCH.

1450 Radwick Dr., LV 89110

O’ROARKE, THOMAS J. ELEM.

8455 O'Hare Rd., LV 89143

OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE-ENGLESTAD

6050 S. Buffalo Dr., LV 89113

OPPORTUNITY VILLAGE-WILSON COMPLEX

6300 W. Oakey Bl., LV 89146

PARADISE PARK COMMUNITY CTR.

4775 McLeod Dr., LV 89121

PARK-EDISON, JOHN ELEM.

931 Franklin Ave., LV 89104

PARKDALE RECREATION CTR.

3200 Ferndale St., LV 89121

PARSON, CLAUDE AND STELLA ELEM.

4100 Thom Bl., LV 89130

PEARSON, DR. WILL. U. COMMUNITY CTR.

1625 W. Carey Ave., NLV 89032

RAINBOW LIBRARY

3150 N. Buffalo Dr., LV 89128

RANCHO HIGH SCHOOL

1900 Searles Ave., LV 89101

REED, DORIS ELEM.

2501 Winwood St., LV 89108

REFLECTION BAY GOLF CLUB

75 Montelago Bl., HEN 89011

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

600 S. Grand Central Pkwy., LV 89106

ROGERS, LUCILLE ELEM.

5535 S. Riley St., LV 89148

RONNOW-EDISON, C. C. ELEM.

1100 Lena St., LV 89101

RUNDLE, RICHARD ELEM.

425 N. Christy Ln., LV 89110

SAHARA WEST LIBRARY

9600 W. Sahara Ave., LV 89117

SANDY VALLEY SCHOOL

1420 Pearl Ave., Sandy Valley 89019

SAVILLE, ANTHONY MID. SCH.

8101 N. Torrey Pines Dr., LV 89131

SAWYER, GRANT MID. SCH.

5450 Redwood St., LV 89118

SCHOFIELD, JACK J.H.S.

8625 Spencer St., LV 89123

SCHORR, STEVE ELEM.

11420 Placid St., LV 89183

SEARCHLIGHT COMMUNITY CTR.

200 M. Wendell Wy., Searchlight 89046

SEDWAY, MARVIN MID. SCH.

3465 Englestad St., NLV 89032

SHADOW HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH

7811 Vegas Dr., LV 89128

SHADOW RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

5050 Brent Ln., LV 89131

SILVESTRI, CHARLES MID. SCH.

1055 E. Silverado Ranch Bl., LV 89123

SIMMONS, EVA G. ELEM.

2328 Silver Clouds Dr., NLV 89031

SKYE CTR. AT SKYE CANYON

10111 W. Skye Canyon Park Dr., LV 89166

SKYVIEW YMCA

3050 E. Centennial Pkwy., LV 89081

SOLERA ANTHEM COMMUNITY CTR.

2401 Somersworth Dr., HEN 89044

STEELE, JUDITH D. ELEM.

6995 W. Eldorado Ln., LV 89113

STEVENS, JOSH ELEM.

550 Dave Wood Circle, HEN 89011

STUCKEY, EVELYN ELEM.

4905 Chartan Ave., LV 89141

STUPAK COMMUNITY CTR.

251 W. Boston Ave., LV 89102

SUN CITY ALIANTE

7390 Aliante Pkwy., NLV 89084

SUN CITY ANTHEM COMMUNITY CTR.

2450 Hampton Rd., HEN 89052

SUN CITY MACDONALD RANCH

2020 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy., HEN 89012

SUN CITY MESQUITE RECREATION CTR.

1350 Flat Top Mesa Dr., Mesquite 89034

SWAINSTON, THERON MID. SCH.

3500 W. Gilmore Ave., NLV 89032

TARKANIAN, LOIS AND JERRY MID. SCH.

5800 W. Pyle Ave., LV 89141

TARR, SHEILA ELEM.

9400 W. Gilmore Ave., LV 89129

TAYLOR, ROBERT L. ELEM.

144 Westminster Wy., HEN 89015

THOMPSON, SANDRA ELEM.

7351 N. Campbell Rd., LV 89149

TOBLER, R. E. ELEM.

6510 Buckskin Ave., LV 89108

VANDERBURG, JOHN ELEM.

2040 Desert Shadow Trl., HEN 89012

VASSILIADIS, BILLY & ROSEMARY ELEM.

215 Antelope Ridge Dr., LV 89138

VEGAS VERDES ELEM.

4000 El Parque Ave., LV 89102

VETERANS MEMORIAL LEISURE CTR.

101 N. Pavilion Center Dr., LV 89144

WALKER, J. MARLAN ELEM.

850 Scholar St., HEN 89002

WALNUT COMMUNITY CTR.

3075 N. Walnut Rd., LV 89115

WASDEN, HOWARD ELEM.

2831 Palomino Ln., LV 89107

WEBB, DEL MID. SCH.

2200 Reunion Dr., HEN 89052

WEST CAREER TECH. ACADEMY

11945 W. Charleston Bl., LV 89135

WHITNEY COMMUNITY CTR.

5712 Missouri Ave., LV 89122

WIENER, LOUIS JR. ELEM.

450 E. Eldorado Ln., LV 89123

WILLOWS COMMUNITY CTR.

2775 Desert Marigold Ln., LV 89135

WINCHESTER CULTURAL CTR.

3130 McLeod Dr., LV 89121

WOLFE, EVA ELEM.

4027 W. Washburn Rd., NLV 89031

WOODBURY, C. W. MID. SCH.

3875 E. Harmon Ave., LV 89121

WOOLLEY, GWENDOLYN ELEM.

3955 Timberlake Dr., LV 89115

WRIGHT, WILLIAM V. ELEM.

8425 Bob Fisk Ave., LV 89178

DATED APRIL 3, 2018

JOSEPH P. GLORIA Registrar of Voters PUB: April 5, and 12, 2018 Las Vegas Asian Journal

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 5-11, 2018

B

Artwork on search engine Google depicts scenes from Francisco Baltazar’s epic poem ‘Florante at Laura.’

Google honors Balagtas with ‘doodle’ of epic poem by Catherine

Modesto ManilaTimes.net

INTERNET giant Google on Monday, April 2, celebrated the 230th birthday of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar with a doodle of his literary masterpiece “Florante at Laura.” An epic poem that symbolizes Baltazar’s own life journey, “Florante at Laura” was written in dodecasyllabic quatrains, which means it has 12 syllables per line, four lines per stanza, according to Google. The choice of language for “Florante at Laura” was “a bold and unusual choice, since at the time most writings were in Spanish,” it said. In honor of Baltazar, Google altered its logo to show his famous epic poem, which he wrote while in prison for supposedly

ordering a servant girl’s head to be shaved. Aside from “Florante at Laura,” Baltazar also wrote three-to-fourpart comedies such as “Orosmán at Zafira,” “Don Nuño at Selinda,” “Clara Belmorem,” and a one-part short play entitled “La India Elegante y el Negrito Amante.” Baltazar learned to write poetry from José de la Cruz (Huseng Sisiw), one of the famous poets of Tondo. In 1835, Baltazar met María Asunción Rivera, who eventually became the muse or inspiration of his future works. Twelve years later, Baltazar married Juana Tiambeng, with whom he had 11 children. Only four of them survived to adulthood. Baltazar was the son of a blacksmith. He studied Canon Law, Phi-

losophy, Latin and the classics at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Colegio de San Jose. Baltazar was born on April 2, 1788 in barrio Panginay, in the town of Bigaa, (now Balagtas in his honor) Bulacan. He died on February 20, 1862 at the age of 74. Baltazar’s gift of gab and poetry gave birth to “Balagtasan,” a form of debate in extemporaneous verse. President Rodrigo Duterte declared April 2 as a special nonworking day in the province of Bulacan. Baltazar’s birthday serves as the opening of the month of April as Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino or Philippine Literature Month, under the auspices of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino or the Filipino Language Commission.

A precious bridal shower for Coleen Garcia SHOWBIZ sweetheart Coleen Garcia enjoyed a festive bridal shower from the house of F&C Jewelry for whom has long served as brand ambassador. The pretty mestiza will walk down the aisle this summer to marry her longtime beau, TV host and singer Billy Crawford. F&C Jewelry hosted a romantic, Italian-inspired bridal shower party for the bride-to-be with her closest friends and family in attendance, among them her maid of honor Ria Atayde, man of honor Gino Santos, Cesca Litton, Denise Laurel, and mom Maripaz Ortega. Fittingly dubbed “Amore,” the precious bridal shower was held at Buca di Beppo in BGC, which

was transformed into a beautiful vineyard with rustic, wooden tables, decorated with overflowing blooms and fruits. Guests were invited to come dressed in colorful prints and patterns to fully imbibe the spirit of fun and romance. After joining the games and savoring the delicious Italian spread, F&C further delighted their Coleen and her guests with beautiful tokens to remember the night the special night. They were thrilled when asked to pick from a chic range of charms and necklaces from the brand’s latest collection. “We wish Coleen, our beautiful bride, a happy life and a strong and lasting marriage. May she always be radiant and look back

Coleen Garcia Photo courtesy of F&C Jewelry

on this day full of love,” expressed Marissa Florete-Gorriceta of F&C Jewelry as everyone partied the night away. (ManilaTimes.net)

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com. And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event. To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice. The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

Features

B april 5-11, 2018 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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City of Las Vegas’ cultural art events in May Rainbow Company Youth Theatre FOR more information on the Cultural Arts & Community Events programs, visit www.artslasvegas.org. Rainbow Company Youth Theatre Spring Classes Registration (ages 4-17) Registration available through May 9 for classes that begin the week of May 9, 2018. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. Seven-week classes available in Story Drama (ages 4-6), Performance Fundamentals (ages 7-9), Acting Skills for Youth (ages 10-12) and Acting Skills for Teens (ages 13-17) on Saturdays or Wednesday evenings. For details and registration, visitwww. artslasvegas.org online or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). West Las Vegas Arts Center Summer 2018 Class Registration (all ages) Registration available April 25-May 30 for eight-week session of classes held May 30–July 21. West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Cultural arts classes offered include Kemetic Yoga, African Dance for Children, African Dance for Teens/Adults, African Drum, Ballet for Children, Ballet – Beginner/Intermediate, Ballet – Intermediate/Advanced, Hip Hop/Funk – Beginner, Hip Hop/ Funk – Intermediate/Advanced, Introduction to Chess – Empowering the Student, Recording & Engineering - The Relationship of Mind Over Matter. To register online, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). ‘A Little Princess’ Tickets: $6. Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m., May 4-5; and Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m., May 5-6. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. This Rainbow Company Youth Theatre production shares the adventures of Sara Crewe as she begins her journey in “Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies.” Laugh with her as she brings happiness to others, weep with her as her fortune changes from rich girl to poor orphan, and rejoice with her when strange events bring still another reversal of her destiny. For tickets and information, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). Mother’s Day Dance Saturday, May 12, 7 p.m. Tickets $15 plus tax. Charleston Heights Arts Cen-

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presents ‘A Little Princess’

The classic story will be brought to life in an engaging adaptation on April 27-29 and May 4-6

ter, 800 S. Brush St. Make this Mother’s Day extra special with the gift of big band music and dance! Trombonist Walt Boenig and his big band return to the Charleston Heights Arts Center to take you back to the era when live music dances were the norm. Dance the night away to the iconic sounds and rhythms of music made famous by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman. Refreshments, wine and beer will be available for purchase. For tickets and information, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). The Poets’ Corner (ages 17+) Hosted by LaBlaque. Friday, May 18, 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Founded at the West Las Vegas Arts Center in 1997, The Poets’ Corner premiered as the first established poetry program in Las Vegas. This monthly forum event, hosted by Lablaque Williams, is for established poets and openmic participants and features the best local talent. Due to potential subject matter, we strongly advise participants be age 17 or older. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artslasvegas.org. HaleAmanO & The Delirians Saturday, May 19, 7 p.m. Tickets $10 plus tax. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. An evening of island reggae, R&B and roots-style music with local band HaleAmanO and The Delirians, a Latino/Hispanic millennial ska and reggae music group. For tickets and information, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). Sankofa: Book & Literature

Series (ages 10 and older) Saturday, May 26, 2 p.m. Free and open to the public. West Las Vegas Arts Center Community Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. The West Las Vegas Arts Center will host the fourth installment of the Sankofa series presentations. Sankofa symbolizes the people’s quest for knowledge, believing that the past must never be forgotten. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS(2787) or visit www.artslasvegas.org. StorySlam: ‘My Best/Worst Summer Job’ Saturday, May 26, 7:30 p.m. Admission: Pay what you wish Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. Ahh, summer. A time for sun, vacation, and… work. For some, summer jobs are a way to gain experience and earn some extra cash, but there are not always fun jobs -- or good ones. Clark County Poet Laureate Vouge Robinson moderates an entertaining evening of stories as members of the Las Vegas community share their own personal and genuine stories of their best or worst summer jobs. Have a story to tell? Email Cory Goble at cgoble@ lasvegasnevada.gov with a proposed story idea for this event by April 28, 2018. For information, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call 702-229-ARTS (2787). Exhibitions Hearts4Vegas Touring Exhibition • March 27-May 27, hours Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sundays and holidays. Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave. • May 29-Aug. 31, hours Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Durango Hills Community PAGE B7

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FOR RENT

THIS spring, Rainbow Company Youth Theatre, a city of Las Vegas program, will bring the timeless story of Sara Crewe to life with “A Little Princess.” The whole family can enjoy the adventures of the young heroine at Miss Minchin’s seminary. Show times are 7 p.m. April 27, 28, May 4 and 5 and 2 p.m. April 29, May 5 and 6 at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. Tickets are $6. Audience members are invited to laugh, weep and rejoice during this engaging adaptation of the classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett that follows a young heiress as her luck continuously changes. With the news of the loss of her father and fortune, Sara is forced to next door, strange events bring become a servant. However, when another reversal of her destiny. For tickets and more informaa mysterious gentleman moves in

tion for these and more events, visit www.artslasvegas.org or call702-229-ARTS (2787).

Choices: Sowing and reaping

PAGE B3 and the world at large — a life well lived, a life well spent. It is a thought-provoking parallel that should give everyone cause to take a long hard look at one’s own precious life. On the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is the story of the last judgment. Michelangelo, more than half a millennium ago, painted man’s spiritual history, beginning with creation to the fall from grace to redemption by Jesus Christ on the ceiling of the chapel. Twenty years after he completed the ceiling, he undertook the painting of the last day on the altar wall. It is a jaw-dropping, massive work with about 400 human figures swirling about with Jesus and Mother Mary at the center. It shows in terrifying graphic detail how everyone shall be judged accordingly on the last day. It shows an angel with the Book of Good Deeds and an angel with the Book of Evil Deeds. The good book is less than half the size of the other one. The good of the earth are given their reward as they seem to float heavenward in God’s presence and the evil ones, twisting in torturous agony and pain are ferried by Charon on the river, Styx into the depths of hell to

wallow in grief and misery for all eternity. The idea of reward and punishment is much easier to comprehend when viewed instead as the natural, predictable consequences of every conscious choice that we make. Choices determine how results come into being. It is the choices made by an individual of sound body and mind that determine his life. On a national level, history has shown that it is the collective choices over a long span of time made by the leaders of men and by the millions of individuals of a nation through their representatives on vital issues, that shape the way a country’s history plays out over time. Ultimately, our choices determine how our own karmic story plays out. Karma is that ancient principle common to Hinduism and Buddhism that upholds the natural law of moral cause and effect. It is grounded on the belief that a man’s collective thoughts and actions of the present determine his future. Everything that is happening at the present moment is a result of the choices that were made in the past. Many people, at different stages of their lives, believe and subscribe to the laws of

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karma and are guided by them accordingly. Except for those well publicized yet highly unusual and extremely rare twists of fate and flukes of nature that occur in some charmed lives — the purpose of which will forever remain mysterious and incomprehensible to the human mind — the law of moral cause and effect simply means that what we sow is what we reap. For those of us who pray fervently for specific outcomes in our lives, there will be times when we may end up bitterly disappointed when what we ultimately get from our petitions to the Almighty is not exactly what we are asking for. Rest assured that God always answers our prayers. The answer, like a good parent to a child who is asking for something, may be yes or no and even, maybe. But if we keep the faith and refrain from acting like spoilt brats who throw tantrums when rebuffed, one might see clearly in hindsight the wisdom of God’s choices for our lives and the exactness of his timing. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

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City of Las Vegasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural art events in... PAGE B6

Center/YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Hills Drive. Free and open to the public. A traveling healing exhibition of items collected from friends, family and loved ones memorializing the losses from the tragic Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting event. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artslasvegas.org. Southern Graphics Council International Dual Exhibit March 29â&#x20AC;&#x201C;April 14; exhibit hours by appointment only and during reception. Reception: Friday, April 6, 4-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Historic Fifth Street School Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gallery, 401 S. Fourth St. A special dual gallery exhibition of two artists that are being recognized by the Southern Graphics Council International 2018 Conference â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Emeritus Printmaker Award winner Dennis Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill and SGCI Lifetime Award winner Jaune Quick-ToSee-Smith. As part of the awards, their artworks are both shown in the Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gallery during the SGCI conference. For more information on the Southern Graphics Council International 2018 Conference or either of these award winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibitions, visit www.eiseverywhere.com/ ehome/sgci2018/484242/. Dennis Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil and the Hand Print Workshop Exhibit Process and Innovation: 20 Years of Partnerships in Print Much of what defines artisteducator Dennis Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has been his decades-old quest to push screen printingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity for personal expression. Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil is founder of the nonprofit collaborative screen print studio, Hand Print Workshop International, and emeritus professor of art at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, George Washington University. He is a leading force in redefining the nature and use of contemporary screen-printing. This adaptable medium continually transforms itself and its relationship to all other forms of image making. Many of the strategies in use at the studio were developed in Russia in a time of limited resources by improvisation and experimentation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; influences that continue to drive the studio. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Trickster in Print In Jaune Quick-to-See Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prints, she combines appropriated imagery from commercial slogans and signage, art history and personal narratives; she forges an intimate visual language to convey her insistent socio-political commentary with astounding clout. Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work carries tremendous weight and yet feels light and conversational â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in large part due to this forged, personal lexicon of developed imagery. Jim McCormick: Reflections on Nevada Southern Graphics Council International Printmaking Exhibit Site Specific Award: Nevada Printmaking Founder April 2â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 2, hours MondayFriday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed weekends and holidays. Reception: Friday, April 6, 4-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. City Hall Chamber Gallery, 495 S. Main St. Jim McCormick was a printmaking professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, whose artwork ranges from images about civil and social issues of the 1960s to political and environmental issues of the Nevadan landscape. This collection of prints and collages, curated by

Candace Garlock, gallery curator at Truckee Meadows Community College, highlights McCormickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reflections of Nevada. Winner of the Site Specific Award: Nevada Printmaking Founder, McCormick is being honored posthumously. For more information on the Southern Graphics Council International 2018 Conference or these award winnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibitions, visit www.eiseverywhere. com/ehome/sgci2018/484242/. Vessels Redux Sculptural Boxes Exhibition Artist Michael McCollum April 12-June 8, hours Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed weekends and holidays. Reception: Thursday, May 17, 4-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. City Hall Grand Gallery, 495 S. Main St. The work in this exhibition is about vessels, that is, boxes that contain. Artist Michael McCollum has long been enamored of containers with lids. It started many years ago when he was a potter. The idea of making a container to house something of meaning, whatever that might be, was very intriguing to him. They can be ships, as in his current work, or vessels that can also hold rice or carry water. The nautical elements of these works spring from a fascination heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had with ships since he was a child. Dreaming about boarding a vessel and being transported to another world was mind-blowing to him. (Disclaimer: He cannot swim and has a great fear of water.) Are the containers the main element of the work or is it what a person choses to place in them? That ambiguity is central in this current series. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS (2787) or visitwww.artslasvegas.org. 6th Annual Desert Companion Photo Showcase Exhibition April 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;June 15, hours by appointment and during reception May 31. Reception: Thursday, May 31, 6-8:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Historic Fifth Street School Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gallery, 401 S. Fourth St. Final exhibition of Desert Companionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual photo contest showcasing the photography of the winners and finalists selected for Desert Companionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Focus on Nevadaâ&#x20AC;? feature. Winning photography was published in the June 2017 issue and toured throughout Southern Nevada, with the exhibitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final show at the Historic Fifth Street School. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artslasvegas.org Celebrating Life! 2018 Reception and Awards Ceremony Friday, May 25, 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. A reception and awards ceremony for the Celebrating Life! 2018 annual juried art exhibit for artists age 50 and better. The public is welcome to enjoy the exhibits, meet the artists and witness the awards ceremony. For more information, call 702229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.

artslasvegas.org. Celebrating Life! 2018 Exhibit May 25-July 14; hours Wednesday-Friday, 12:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Charleston Heights Arts Center Ballroom, 800 S. Brush St. Exhibition of artwork that was awarded and selected for the 2018 exhibition by juror Marcus Vincent. For more information, call702-229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artslasvegas.org. Salon des RefusĂŠs May 25-June 23, hours Wednesday-Friday, 12:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Charleston Heights Arts Center Gallery, 800 S. Brush St. An exhibit of artwork by artists age 50 and better that was submitted for the Celebrating Life! 2018 exhibit but was not selected for the final exhibit. For more information, call 702-229-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artslasvegas. org.

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ ApRIL 5-11, 2018

A decade and a half of Sarah Geronimo Pop star to stage 15th anniversary concert on April 14

POP star Sarah Geronimo is set to celebrate her 15th anniversary in show business with a concert titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;This Is 15 Me,â&#x20AC;? on April 14 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Touted as one of the major entertainment events of the year, producer Viva Liveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the concert and events subsidiary of Viva Communicationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;describes it to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;a rare show that will showcase [Geronimoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] myriad talents and her accomplishments as a singer, actress and the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost concert draw these past 15 years.â&#x20AC;? This Is 15 Me is the singing superstarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first arena show in five years. The last one was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perfect 10,â&#x20AC;? held half a decade ago. It was the first in showbiz history to be staged both at the Big Dome and the Mall of Asia Arena for two consecutive nights. This Is 15 Me, meanwhile, will be a onenight-only outing, but promises to be even bigger. The show is directed by Paul Basinillo with Teacher Georcelle as dance director and Louie Ocampo as musical director. Geronimo was only 14 years old and a veteran of singing contests since age three when she won the Grand Prize at Viva TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star for a Nightâ&#x20AC;? talent show in 2003. She was launched to stardom armed with a hit cover of Celine Dionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;To Love You Moreâ&#x20AC;? and a blockbuster single by Vehnee Saturno titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Foreverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Not Enough.â&#x20AC;? She would soon have a success studded career in music, motion pictures and television,

Sarah Geronimo

Photo courtesy of Viva Entertainment

as a host, product endorser and web star. To date, Geronimo has recorded 22 albums. Among these are â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sweet Sixteen,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taking Flight,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perfectly Imperfectâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Unknown.â&#x20AC;? She appeared in box-office hits like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe This Timeâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Very Special Loveâ&#x20AC;? among many others on the big screen. She is further a regular on the Sunday noontime variety show ASAP and was one of the coaches in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Voice Philippinesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Voice Kids Philippines,â&#x20AC;? currently in between seasons.

Besides preparing for her April 14 concert, the multi-talented artist is busy filming the musical comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Granny,â&#x20AC;? which is her follow-up to 2017â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blockbuster hit, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Finally Found Someone.â&#x20AC;? Directed by Joyce Bernal, Miss Granny also stars James Reid and Xian Lim. Finally, the 27-year-old superstar is also finishing work on her new album, her first after The Great Unknown of three years ago, with her latest single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sandataâ&#x20AC;? now available on-line. (ManilaTimes.net)

Located in Montemaria, home to the ninth largest monument in the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the shrine to Mother Mary,Tower of Peace.

A world-class township development located in Montemaria, Batangas City, the Philippines.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;For your retirement, family vacation, pilgrimage, and investment...for generations.â&#x20AC;?

The day I died

PAGE B6 chest pains develop, dial 911 for emergency help and notify a family member or neighbor, and take four baby aspirins (81 mg each) if previously recommended by your physician for such an event. As a home remedy for headache and pains, the usual dose is two tablets of regular aspirin (325 mg each, or a total of 650 mg) every 4 to 6 hours, so taking 4 baby aspirin tablets is like taking only one regular tablet. Aspirin is a mild blood thinner. This will prevent a severely blocked coronary artery from being totally obstructed by a blood clot and cause cardiac arrest. Those with a history of stomach ulcer/bleeding should not take aspirin, unless instructed by their physician. 12. In addition to the above, do not eat anything. Unlock your front door to allow paramedics to get in, and sit up by the front door (do not lie down as this would flood your heart and lungs with more blood, while your heart is having a hard time beating from the insult of the heart attack). Scary statistics In the United States alone, a person suffers a heart attack every 20 seconds and one dies

from heart disease every 34 seconds, one every 5 minutes (close to 300 every 24 hours) in the Philippines. Each day, more than 2,700 Americans die from heart disease. About quarter of a million Americans die of a heart attack annually before they reach the hospital. Those who are under-educated have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack. Countries with the highest death rates from heart diseases include Russia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Czechoslovakia, and the lowest are Japan, France, Canada, Spain and Switzerland. Notwithstanding our genes, our health and longevity, to a greater extent, are intricately linked to our lifestyle and behavior.

*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network â&#x20AC;&#x201C; USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

THE TOTAL LAND AREA OF THE MONTEMARIA DEVELOPMENT IS APPROXIMATELY 130 HECTARES WHICH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING TOWNSHIP* PROJECTS: 01 Condominiums, hotels, and resorts 02 Commercial developments such as a shopping center which includes restaurants and cafes 03 Golf Course and Water Park 04 Spa and Wellness Centers 05 Marina and Fishermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wharf 06 Housing, residential subdivision, and retirement village 6XEMHFW WR Ć&#x201C;QDO GHYHORSPHQW SODQ TOTAL LAND AREA 2.1 Hectares

INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS

B

01 Development site is adjacent to the Statue of Virgin Mary. 02 5HVRUW VHWWLQJ ZLWK PDJQLĆ&#x201C;FHQW YLHZ RI WKH ED\ 03 High-quality asset with world-class exterior and interior design. 04 Designed by award winning and internationally renowned Architecture and Design Firm, ARCH HAUS ASIA. 05 Montemaria is located on top of the Batangas Bay Peninsula facing the Verde Island Passage, reputed to be the U.N. recognized â&#x20AC;&#x153;Center of the Center of Marine Bio-Diversity of the World.â&#x20AC;?

DATE OF COMPLETION Second Quarter of 2020 TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS PHASE 1 866 Units BUILDING 1 164 units

BUILDING 2 Clubhouse

Lombard By The Bay is a joint venture development project between 3UHPLHU $VLD 3DFLĆ&#x201C;F 5HDO (VWDWH DQG Development Corp.and Omnicor ,QGXVWULDO (VWDWH 5HDOW\ &HQWHU ,QF

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN K. GROSS-NIEDERMEYER AT (480) 227-7782 SUSAN@SUSANGROSSREALTOR.COM I SUSAN.GROSS@PREMIERASIAPACIFIC.COM I LOMBARDBYTHEBAY.COM

B april 5-11, 2018 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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