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aPril 13-19, 2018
No sides in trade tiff, but Duterte DATELINE USA says China should ‘protect the east’ from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
Concerns for 2020 census grow as citizenship question is added
the U.s. Commerce department recently announced that it will “restore a question about citizenship” to the upcoming 2020 census questionnaire. the move adds to already existing concerns of risking a fair and accurate count of the U.s. population. Advocates pushing for an accurate count have long been addressing issues that would affect proper processes of enumeration like insufficient funds, lack of preparations, and the inability to properly test the new online survey taking method. they’ve also been addressing the increasing climate of fear incited by political rhetoric on immigration enforcement as a major factor. Advocates argue that the added citizenship question will further discourage people from participating in the census, thus making it possible for certain communities to be misrepresented. in an eight-page memo, Commerce secretary
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Gender & wage inequality burdens women of color
A new study released on Equal Pay Day demonstrates the wage gap along intersectional gender lines
fiLiPinA-American tessy rivera is a single mother of two daughters. she is currently a case manager at a behavioral health facility in torrance, California. she’s just like a lot of other single mothers, she says. she gets up very early in the morning, prepares breakfast for her two girls, drops them off at school, works for “sometimes 10 hours a day,: picks up her daughters from their lola, prepares dinner and puts them to sleep. “it’s a cycle. it’s a difficult cycle, but it’s one i’m happy to ride,” rivera, 39, shared with the Asian Journal in a recent interview in her home in echo Park. A case manager for 10 years, she has worked at several other clinics before. she says that one of the reasons why she left her last post was because of her salary. After an intimate conversation with some of her coworkers about their salaries, she found out that a young male co-worker, who holds the same position but has less experience, made nearly 10 percent more than she does.
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by Alexis
RomeRo Philstar.com
Presidential spokesman harry roque said duterte made the comments during his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last tuesday, April 10, in Boao. “We do not take sides in the ongoing or possible trade war between China and the United states. the
President rodrigo duterte is not taking sides in trade tensions between the United states and China but believes it is high time for Beijing to “protect the east,” malacañang said Wednesday, April 11.
president, nonetheless, had positive words to say to that effect that it’s high time for China to protect the east and the cause of trade liberalism at this time and age,” roque said in a press briefing here. Asked to clarify duterte’s remark, roque said: “everyone basically in
the meeting was talking about globalization, trade liberalization and, of course, Asia was benefiting greatly from globalization and liberalization.” “so, basically, it was an endorsement of the Chinese position that the
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PH experiencing ‘golden age of economic growth’ by Ben
o. de VeRA Inquirer.net
the Philippines is currently experiencing a “golden age of economic growth” amid sustained expansion in over five decades, an executive of the Asian development Bank said on Wednesday, April 11, with the duterte administration’s ambitious infrastructure program seen not only boosting the gross domestic product but also reducing poverty incidence. in its Asian development outlook 2018 report released also on Wednesday, the manila-based multilateral lender kept its 6.8-percent GdP growth forecast for the Philippines for 2018, a faster pace than the 6.7-percent actual expansion in 2017. for 2019, the AdB projected the Philippine economy to further grow by 6.9 percent, although the forecasts in the next two years were below the government’s target range of 7-8 percent starting this year until 2022.
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RENDEZVOUS AT JOLLIBEE. President Rodrigo Duterte makes an unannounced visit to a Jolibee outlet in Hong Kong before proceeding to Kai Tak Cruise Terminal where he was scheduled to attend the gathering with the Filipino community on Thursday, April 12. the president invited Alma O. Pardillo, an OFW based in Hong Kong, to break bread with them while hearing the latter’s concerns. The president then vowed to provide Pardillo assistance so she could get proper medical attention for her 9-year old child, who is suffering from a lung ailment. The president also committed to shoulder the roundtrip airfare of Pardillo so she can go home to attend the college graduation of her child and to be with her children whom she hasn’t seen for a long time. Malacañang photo by Toto Lozano
PET orders Robredo, Marcos to explain recount comments by AJPress
Former Senator Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Leni Robredo
Philstar.com photos
the supreme Court (sC), sitting as Presidential electoral tribunal (Pet), has ordered Vice President maria Leonor “Leni” robredo and former senator ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. to explain why they should not be cited in contempt for disclosing information on the vote recount. the Pet, in a resolution made public on thursday, April 12, issued a show cause order against robredo and marcos for publicly discussing information involving the election protest for the 2016 vice presidential race.
by AJPress
of one of the world’s top beaches, as the government prepares to clean the island that President Rodrigo Duterte had called a “cesspool.” ManilaTimes.net photo
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Draft Dengvaxia report: Aquino, Abad, Garin ‘criminally liable’
DOT plans to host another Miss Universe pageant after Boracay rehabilitation the Philippine department of tourism (dot) is considering the idea of hosting the miss Universe pageant in 2019 after the rehabilitation of Boracay island. According to tourism secretary Wanda teo, it was President rodrigo duterte himself who suggested the hosting of another miss Universe pageant in the country to help in reintroducing Boracay to the world. While clarifying that the presiGOODBYE TO ALL THAT. Tourists relax along a beach in Boracay island two weeks before dent made the suggestion in jest, its shutdown. The tourism sector is bracing for the fallout from the six-month closure teo said the idea is possible.
the tribunal gave both parties 10 days to submit their explanations. in a resolution dated february 13, the Pet ordered the two parties to strictly observe the sub judice rule—a prohibition on discussing a case that is pending in court. this was reiterated in another resolution dated march 20. “despite these stern directives of the tribunal, several news reports have shown that the parties, their counsels and/or representatives, have nonetheless continued to disclose sensitive information regarding the revision process to the public, in clear violation of the aforementioned resolutions,” the Pet said in its
by AJPress
Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, presents a copy of the draft committee report on the government’s controversial dengue vaccination program to the Senate media during the Kapihan sa Senado on Wednesday, April 11. Senate photo by Cesar Tomambo
former Philippine President Benigno “noynoy” Aquino iii and his Cabinet officials should be held criminally liable for the dengvaxia mess, according to a draft report by the senate Blue ribbon Committee. the committee is recommending the prosecution of Aquino and his officials “for all the tragedy, damage and possible deaths” resulting from his administration’s scrapped P3.5 billion dengue vaccination program. senate Blue ribbon Committee chair richard Gordon presented the draft report on Wednesday, April 11. “former President Aquino is responsible because
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From the Front Page
Draft Dengvaxia report: Aquino, Abad... PAGE A1
he caused the purchase of Dengvaxia and in the process caused irreversible damage, possibly death, to children, [and] anxiety, sleepless nights, unnecessary expense on the part of the parents and guardians,” he said. “The greatest sin and transgression of Aquino was to put
the lives of Filipino children in grave peril. He simply did not care. Manhid siya at walang malasakit (He’s insensitive and lacks compassion),” the senator added. The committee is recommending Aquino to be charged with violation of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as Repub-
lic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Also tagged as “primary conspirators” in the procurement of the controversial vaccine were former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and former Health Secretary Janette Garin. “Aquino, Garin, Abad and other officials are primary conspirators and must be held criminally liable… and must be prosecuted for all the tragedy, damage and possible deaths” resulting from the Dengvaxia mass vaccination program,” Gordon said. Some 830,000 Filipino children were administered Dengvaxia under the dengue immunization program implemented by the Aquino administration in April 2016. The program was immediately suspended late last year, following an advisory that the vaccine poses health risk when administered on a person who has not been previously infected with the virus. Some parents claimed that their children died because of the vaccine. The committee, in its draft report, said that the government’s purchase of the vaccine was done with “undue haste” and “without adequate research on the background and track record of the supplier, SanofiPasteur.” “He (Aquino) ordered to buy it even if it was not in the 2015 budget,” Gordon said. Reacting on the draft Senate committee report, Aquino remarked: “What should we expect from the Dick Gordon show?” The former president noted that the fund for Dengvaxia was obligated in 2016. “Kelan nag-warn yung Sanofi? Ano yung sinabi nila ng umpisa? Wala yan downside na yan, walang danger. (When did Sano issued the warning? What did they say earlier? That is has no downside, no danger),” Aquino was quoted saying in an Inquirer report. He also denied that the approval of the Dengvaxia funds was done in “undue haste,” pointing out that his administration was “waiting for this vaccine as early as 2010 or for that matter we’re waiting for any other tool that can be used against dengue.”n
OLD-SCHOOL PLAY. A boy plays in an old-school fashion as he flies a kite with a bird design at the Rizal Park in Manila on Thursday, April 12. The park, which is also known as Luneta, is open from 5 a.m.-9 p.m. every day. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
No sides on trade tiff, but... PAGE A1 world trading system governed by rules-based WTO (World Trade Organization) system and that there should be no obstacles to further globalization and liberalization,” he added. Roque noted that participants of the recently concluded Boao Forum for Asia, which was attended by Duterte, had emphasized the need to further strengthen globalization and the need to further speed up trade liberalization rather than return to isolationist trade policies. U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods as he accused the Asian country of intellectual property theft. China, the top trade partner of the Philippines, responded by imposing $50 billion worth of tariffs on American goods.
The move prompted Trump to instruct his trade representative to study the imposition of additional $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano admitted that a trade war would affect the Philippines. “If the U.S. is sneezing and China is coughing, the Philippines will be somehow susceptible to the flu. There are flu shots available. The economic team is trying to do everything to bulletproof our economy, but there’s no such things as bulletproofing the economy,” Cayetano said. “We’re hoping this will be short-lived and we’re hoping it won’t affect us too much,” he added. Philippine trade gap widens According to government data released Wednesday, the
country’s trade deficit swelled to $3.06 billion in February 2018, higher than the $1.77 billion gap registered in the same month last year. Meanwhile, total exports sagged by 1.8 percent year-onyear to $4.66 billion from $4.74 billion. According to Reuters, this is the first time that exports slumped since the 4.5-percent contraction recorded in November 2016. Government data shows China was the country’s biggest source of imports with a 19.9-percent share in February. Import payments to China stood at $1.54 billion. Meanwhile, the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, was the top destination of Philippine exports for the month, with shipments valued at $705.20 million. n
PET orders Robredo, Marcos to explain... PAGE A1 latest directive. “To be sure, the statements of the parties with respect to matters or concerns already referred to or pending resolution of the Tribunal, as well as statements or remarks pertaining to the integrity of the revision process are within the clear ambit of the sub judice rule,” it added. The revision of ballots begun on last week, on April 2. On the first day of the recount, Marcos’ camp revealed to the media that wet ballots were discovered among the clustered ballots from the municipality of Bato, Camarines Sur.
Marcos’ spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, further claimed that there were missing audits and ballots pre-shaded for Robredo. Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, representing Robredo, maintained that wet ballots and missing audit logs are not evidence of irregularity in an election. Robredo’s camp also hit Marcos for supposedly trying to taint the integrity of the 2016 elections with their claims. “In this regard to preserve the sanctity of the proceedings, both parties are hereby directed to show cause and explain why they should not be cited in contempt
by the Tribunal,” the PET said in its latest directive. In his poll protest, Marcos accused Robredo of committing massive electoral fraud during the May 2016 polls. Robredo won the vice presidential race with only 263,473 more than Marcos. Camarines Sur is among the three pilot provinces Marcos tagged in his poll protest. The other two were Iloilo and Negros Oriental. The result of the revision on the three pilot provinces will determine whether the recount should proceed to cover the remaining 31,047 contested clustered precincts. n
PH experiencing ‘golden age of economic... PAGE A1
“Rising domestic demand, remittances, and employment, in addition to infrastructure spending, will drive growth” in the Philippines in the near term, the ADB said in a statement. “Along with domestic demand, the government’s infrastructure investments will fuel the country’s growth in the next few years, supported by a sound economic policy setting. We expect this growth to further lift wage employment numbers, add to household incomes, and benefit more poor families across the archipelago,” Kelly Bird, the ADB’s new country director for the Philippines, was quoted in the statement. Bird told reporters that he believes the Philippines is now on its “golden age” as economic growth has been achieved for over 50 years. For Bird, economic expansion will be sustained in 2018 and 2019 as “reforms are in place to support the government’s infrastructure plan,” referring to the massive “Build, Build, Build” program. Under “Build, Build, Build,” the government plans to roll out 75 “game-changing” projects, with about half targeted to be finished within President Duterte’s term, alongside spending a total of over P8 trillion on hard and modern infrastructure until 2022 in a bid to usher in the “golden age of infrastructure.” Bird added that “the government has very sound economic policies in place that will help mitigate external risks.” “Moving forward, the ADB projects services will continue to drive GDP growth, along with manufacturing and construction industries,” the lender said. “The approval of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion [TRAIN] Law in December 2017 will augment tax revenues
In its Asian Development Outlook 2018 report released also on Wednesday, the Asian Development Bank kept its 6.8-percent GDP growth forecast for the Philippines for 2018, a faster pace than the 6.7-percent actual expansion in 2017. Inquirer.net photo
and provide additional fiscal space for more progressive public spending. The policy reforms are expected to yield additional P90-144 billion in tax revenue collection in 2018 and 2019, respectively,” it added. According to the ADB, “there are external risks to the Philippines’ growth outlook from heightened volatility in international financial markets and uncertainty about global trade openness, although the country’s strong external payments position would cushion these effects.” Bird said that the Philippines’ economic golden age “occurred in a sound macroeconomic policy environment.” “This one has occurred with relatively moderate inflation. The fiscal position is very strong—it had a [budget] deficit of 2.2 percent of GDP last year. You’ve seen national government debt as a share of GDP decline, it’s around 42 percent now—it’s the lowest level in terms of its share of GDP for 20 years. You’ve got the credit ratings that show the Philippines is at
investment grade rating. We’re also seeing a labor market that has grown robustly,” Bird said. “When you look at all those factors together, it’s quite a virtuous cycle. That’s why I would call it’s a golden age for the Philippines because it’s growing in a very sound macroeconomic policy framework,” Bird added. Bird also attributed the high economic growth in recent years to the central bank and fiscal institutions, which for him were “very strong institutions that had put in place measures to mitigate against risks to the economy.” “I think the infrastructure plan will help sustain that over the next two to three years. I think it’s important to do that to chip away at the poverty rate, which is still relatively high for a middle-income country,” according to Bird. The poverty incidence rate stood at 21.6 percent in 2015, and the Duterte administration aims to slash it to 14 percent by 2022 through its 10-point socioeconomic agenda. n
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Fil-Am group asks Ombudsman to revoke Jinggoy’s trip to US by AJPress A FILIPINO-AMERICAN group has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to file a motion seeking the revocation of the approval of former senator Jinggoy Estrada’s trip to United States. In a letter dated April 9, the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG) clarified that they did not invite Estrada to speak before its members in Michigan next month. “There was no invitation from the US Pinoys for Good Governance,” the USPGG stressed in the letter. “We therefore urge Ombudsman prosecutors to file a motion to revoke the Sandiganbayan’s approval of Sen. Estrada’s motion to travel to the United States,” the group added. Last month, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division approved Estrada’s motion to travel to the United States from April 30 to May 30 for a speaking engage-
ment despite a pending plunder case against him. In his motion, Estrada said he was invited by USPGG to speak before the Filipino-American advocates in a event to be held in Sterling Heights, Michigan on May 20, 2018. Attached in his motion is an invitation letter signed by USPGG Michigan chair William Dechavez. “Our members would like to know the latest development in the Philippines, particularly those pertaining to the issues over extrajudicial killings, Dengvaxia mess and federalism plan,” the invitation read. “We know that you are in the thick of all these developments, and we are certain you can discuss the said issues thoroughly and accurately,” it added. While in U.S., the senator will also have a medical consultation for his “recurring orthopedic shoulder problem.” But the organization clarified that the invitation to Estrada was
a certain Tony Antonio, who is also supposed close friend of the senator. They explained that Antonio had asked if he could use USPGG to invite Estrada but Dechavez told him that “he could only use his name as an individual but NOT the organization, as he would need to clear it with his members, and he was in Sorsogon.” “But apparently, that did not deter Mr. Antonio from preparing an invitation to Sen. Estrada on official USPGG stationary with the forged signature of Mr. Dechavez. This unauthorized letter was used as the primary exhibit attached to the motion of Sen. Estrada for leave to visit the United States,” the organization said. Estrada is facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during his term as a senator. n
was still closed for rehabilitation. “I did not say I will allow casino there somewhere. Far from it actually. I never said anything about building anything or even a nipa hut there,” the president said. He continued: “Walang plano diyang casino-casino. Tama na iyan kasi sobra na. May casino dito, casino doon (There is no plan to build a casino there. Stop already because it’s too much. There’s a casino here, a casino there).” It was earlier reported that Macau casino giant Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. and its Filipino partner, Leisure and Resorts World Corp. is planning construction in Boracay after securing a provisional license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of the administration, earlier claimed that the closure order was meant to facilitate the construction of a casino in the island. Maintaining his stance, the senator recently bared his plan to seek a Senate investigation into Duterte’s order to close Boracay. “I maintain my position that the reason why Boracay was or-
Concerns for 2020 census grow... PAGE A1
Wilbur Ross said that the Justice Department has requested that the census include a question on citizenship to help administer the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Those against the question addition are saying that there is no good reason for it to be incorporated now. A question about citizenship hasn’t been included in the decennial census in the past 70 years, nor has it been used since the VRA was signed into law in 1965. “We know that adding that question on citizenship status will cause participation in the upcoming census to plummet, and that vulnerable communities that are already hard to count will be most significantly impacted,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference Education Fund in a recent press call. Gupta told reporters that the question was added to the census against the advice of census experts and former census directors from both Democratic and Republican administrations, and other bipartisan leaders. Official lawsuits have already been filed. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the state will sue the Trump administration. “Having an accurate census count should be the utmost importance for every
Californian. The census numbers provide the backbone for planning how our communities can grow and thrive in the coming decade. California simply has too much to lose for us to allow the Trump Administration to botch this important decennial obligation,” said Becerra in a statement. “What the Trump Administration is requesting is not just alarming, it is an unconstitutional attempt to discourage an accurate census count.” Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed with Secretary Ross.” She added, “I will not look to introduce legislation to stop this question from being included on the census.” Risk of community misrepresentation The decennial count looks for population changes and other information about who makes up the United States — citizens and non-citizens alike. It also, more importantly, uses the derived data to address the nation’s needs like determining how seats in Congress are set, and how funding allocations for certain programs are made. Arturo Vargas, executive director at National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, called the addition of the PAGE A4
ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo (2nd from right) shakes hands with Erlinda Legaspi of Marylindbert International (2nd from left) during the launching of the campaign “Buhay Carinderia Redefined” at the Rizal Park Hotel in Manila on Wednesday, April 11. The project, which will be supported by the department for the first time, aims to redefine the eateries in the country. Also in the photo are Alberto Rosal (right) and actor Rommel Montano. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
US carrier sails in South China Sea by Dana
SioSon
AJPress
AMID escalating tensions, a United States aircraft carrier en route to Manila sailed through the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, April 10. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was reportedly carrying 65 supersonic F18 jets, spy planes and helicopters, the nuclear-powered carrier. Also aboard the nuclearpowered vessel were a small group of Philippine generals, officials and dered closed is for the planned journalists. The U.S. Navy’s recent freedom construction where they need the ports to bring in construction of navigation operations in South materials and heavy equipment,” China Sea come as a demonstraTrillanes said in a briefing on tion of might, challenging China’s massive claims in the area. Tuesday, April 10. “It’s a showcase of the capability “They can’t do this with tourists around, so for me, to shed of the U.S. armed forces not only light on this issue, I’ll be filing a by sea but also by air,” Philippine resolution calling for a Senate in- army Lt. Gen. Rolando Bautista said. vestigation,” he added. n
DOT plans to host another Miss Universe... PAGE A1 “I know it’s pabiro, sabi niya ‘eh baka pwede natin gawin ang Miss Universe sa Boracay.’ So I was thinking baka pwede (I know it’s in jest, he said ‘maybe we can do the Miss Universe in Boracay.’ So I was thinking it may be possible),” Teo said in a government podcast. The Philippines has hosted the pageant three times. The most recent was during the 65th Miss Universe in January 2017. Teo also added that the DOT would be “very proud and happy” to promote Boracay once the rehabilitation of the island is completed. Boracay is set to be closed from tourists for six months, starting April 26, as part of the government’s efforts to address environmental issues hounding the island, particularly its sewage and garbage problems. During the rehabilitation period, the government also hopes to resolve the issues on the encroachment on easements, forestland, and wetlands; and the degradation of certain areas like Puka Beach and caves. ‘No casinos’ In a press briefing on Monday, April 9, Duterte said no casinos will be build in the island while it
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) anchors off the coast of Manila for a scheduled port visit on Wednesday, April 11. Theodore Roosevelt is deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alex Perlman
Acknowledging that the U.S. military’s presence helps the Philippines in securing waters, Bautista added, “The Americans are our friends. In one way or another, they can help us to deter any threat. The USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Manila on Wednesday, April 11, for a port visit. According to the U.S. embassy, the U.S. Navy will “participate in cultural exchanges, community relations events, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR)-sponsored tours to enhance cultural understanding and cooperation between the two countries” during the port visit. “Many Theodore Roosevelt Sailors and Marines have strong ties to the Philippines,” said Capt. Carlos Sardiello, Theodore Roosevelt’s commanding officer. “There are several Rough Riders who are from the Philippines or
who have family in the country. We are excited for them to be able to share their culture with fellow shipmates and spend time with loved ones there,” Sardiello added. In its website, the embassy also said that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) will continue on their regularly scheduled Western Pacific deployment after departing Manila. The TRCSG, according to embassy, will conduct a “variety of operations, including addressing shared maritime security concerns, building relationships with partner navies and enhancing interoperability and communication with partners and allies throughout the area of operations through exercises and visits.” Apart from the U.S. carrier, Australian and Japanese warships are also set to dock in the Philippines on Thursday, April 12, and Friday, April 13, respectively. n
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What you need to know about the Facebook data scandal DATA from more than 1.1 million Filipino Facebook users may have been “improperly shared” with a data mining firm accused of using illegally-obtained information from the social media network to try to influence elections, the Philippine Privacy Commission said. This makes the Philippines the second most affected in terms of data subjects after the United States, where more than 70 million users were affected. Data, including highly-personal information, from these Facebook users were vacuumed and used for targeted political messaging designed to influence behavior and opinion. Users can check this link to find out if their data may have been compromised. Facebook will also be sending notices to affected users. This revelation becomes more staggering after it was discovered that parent company of the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, Strategic Communications Laboratories, may have helped Rodrigo
Duterte win the presidency in 2016, according to reports. Duterte’s spokesman has disputed this and said that his campaign did not pay anything to or transact with the company. Cambridge Analytica Trump-affiliated Cambridge Analytica is a data marketing firm that harvests online information to create targeted content. It also says that it uses data to “change behavior.” Christopher Wylie, who worked with CEO Alexander Nix SCL, blew the whistle on the company’s practices. Wylie said that Nix wooed support from Steve Bannon, a former campaign manager of Donald Trump, and Robert Mercer, a Trump donor and billionaire who infused more than $15 million into the company. This led to the creation of Cambridge Analytica in 2014. This is Your Digital Life’ quiz Aleksander Kogan, an academic researcher who developed a Facebook personality quiz called “This is Your Digital Life” in 2014, approached Cambridge Analytica after its formation. “What Kogan offered us was
WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 60 groups filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), demanding transparency and accountability for the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement, specifically targeting Southeast Asian Americans for detention and deportation. The filing follows the deportation of 43 Cambodians on April 4, the biggest group to be removed in just one day since the repatriation of Cambodian nationals began over a decade ago. The FOIA request was submitted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), VietLead, and more than 60 other organizations. The FOIA request demands ICE release all records related to the arrests, detention, and deportation of Southeast Asian Americans in the past 20 years. Advocates will use this information to assist affected communities and
target their access to legal services. John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, said, “What has often gone unseen is that Southeast Asian American refugees are one of the most likely groups to be deported for old criminal convictions. Many who are threatened with deportation are providers for their families here in the U.S. It is vital that we receive these records from ICE to allow us to help affected communities and advocate for real policy change.” Hundreds of Southeast Asian American refugees are in danger of being deported this year, and more than 16,000 community members have received final orders of deportation despite most refugees being lawful permanent residents. Quyen Dinh, executive director of SEARAC, said, “The mass detention of Southeast Asian community members this year has had a devastating impact on
by Audrey
MorAllo Philstar.com
WINNERS. World Archery Philippines officials, national athletes and organizing committee members of the 2018 Asia Cup-Stage 2 Archery Competition pose for a photo opportunity after the awarding ceremony at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila on Wednesday, April 11. The Philippines won three gold medals during the competition after Paul Marton de la Cruz dominated the individual qualification and Olympic rounds, and won in the mixed team compound event with Amaya Amparo Cojuangco. PNA photo by Jess Escaros Jr.
Bob Arum: It happens all the time by AbAc
cordero Philstar.com
BOB Arum wasn’t surprised to hear that Manny Pacquiao is cutting ties with longtime trainer Freddie Roach – either temporarily or for good. Pacquiao and Roach rank very high on the list of great boxertrainer relationships, one that spanned nearly 17 years, leading to world titles in multiple divi-
sions. Other great ones are those of Muhammad Ali and Angelo Dundee, Oscar dela Hoya and Emmanuel Steward, Juan Manuel Marquez and Nacho Beristain, and the Mayweathers’. “It’s up to him,” Arum told The Star after ESPN broke news that Pacquiao has officially decided to do it without Roach for his July 15 bout with Lucas Matthysse.
Pacquiao’s training for his first fight since July last year will be supervised by Buboy Fernandez, his lifelong friend. There’ve been other huge breakups in boxer-trainer relationships, that of Mike Tyson and Kevin Rooney. Even the Mayweathers broke up once and then reunited. Dela Hoya fired Steward as well, also following a long onand-off relationship. n
Concerns for 2020 census grow... PAGE A3
citizen question the “worse policy-making decision that could have been done.” Vargas and Gupta were among those who advised Ross last month to leave the question out. Vargas said data scientists at a recent meeting unanimously denounced the decision to add the question. In the last 2010 census, approximately one million young children were unaccounted for,” said Vargas. About 400,000 of them were Latino. The last 2010 census also found that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) were the fasting growing ethnic group, growing at a 46 percent rate compared to the 2000 census. John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice pointed out that about 90 percent of the AAPI community are
immigrants or children of immigrants. “For this reason, the citizenship question potentially will depress response rates within our community,” said Yang. He said Secretary Ross had acknowledged the evidence regarding the climate of fear felt by immigrants, but concluded it was not enough. Marc Morial, president and CEO of National Urban League, said that the black population has been undercounted since the first census was made in 1790, when slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person. He added that in 2010, African Americans were undercounted by over two percent — African American children were undercounted by 6.5 percent. According to the Census Bureau’s own statistics, Morial said that Whites were overcounted by 1.1 percent in 2000, and nearly
one percent in 2010. “Underrepresentation and a black undercount is an insidious form of racial discrimination because it denies an entire swap of the American population access to privileges, protections and rights,” said Morial. “The same is true for all people who may be undercounted in the census,” he added. “Without reliable data, it is difficult to track whether people of any race or ethnicity receive equitable opportunities in housing, voting, employment, or education.” Despite the citizenship question, Vargas joined other advocates in encouraging people to still participate in the census, adding that boycotting would make the risk of an undercount worse. “The best way to fight back and get policy discourse is to participate,” said Vargas. (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)
way cheaper, way faster, and of a quality that nothing matched,” Wilie said in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, which together with The New York Times, exposed the firm’s practices. Wilie said that Kogan had apps that would provide Cambridge Analytical not just data from users of the app but also from their friend network including status updates and in some case private messages. Kogan paid 270,000 people to take “This is Your Digital Life,” and this collected information not just on the quiz takers but also on their friends, including details not meant to be shared publicly, thanks to Facebook’s loose privacy rules. Cambridge Analytica used these Facebook data to target voter groups with messaging designed to influence opinion Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before hearings at the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives where he is expected to apologize, again, for the latest data breach and to stave off possible federal regulation that some lawmakers have mentioned. n
Groups press ICE for records on deportation of SE Asian immigrants so many families. The trauma of deportation in the Southeast Asian refugee community is compounded by historical trauma of war, genocide, and mass displacement. For years we have been trying to advocate for our community without adequate data on detention and arrest statistics specific to the Lao, Hmong, Cambodian, and Vietnamese community. We hope that this FOIA request will release the information we need to shed light on the disproportionate impact of mandatory detention and deportation on our families.” Nancy Nguyen, executive director of VietLead, said, “This is an important step in our community holding ICE accountable. We have to remove the smoke and mirrors from their operation.” The groups said they are committed to holding ICE accountable and making sure affected communities receive the services they need to prevent more families from being torn apart. (Inquirer.net)
Gender & wage inequality burdens women... PAGE A1
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.
“I can’t say I was shocked. Mad, yes. Shocked, no,” she lamented. “It’s disturbing and I know it’s, like, one of the first things that people bring up when they talk about equal rights. It’s a discussion that has a lot of mileage to it, but that has promoted not a lot of action that I’ve seen. I hated to leave that job because that’s difficult when you have children, but I knew my work could be fairly valued somewhere else.” Though it seems like the world is moving closer to some semblance of equality, women like Rivera still live with the same salary grievances first discussed decades ago at the advent of women’s liberation: on average, men earn more than women. A new study from the National Partnership for Women & Families reaffirmed that decades-long discussion that the gender wage gap puts women at a great disadvantage: overall, women in the United States are paid 80 cents for every dollar men earn. That makes the annual gender wage gap at $10,086. The report found that the average full-time employed woman in California is paid 88 cents for every dollar that a man makes, which adds up to a $5,928 difference in pay annually. But in 2018, the wage gap discussion is no longer binary and when broken down among the races, the gap tells a larger story. In California, Asian women are paid $19,613 less than men annually. For Black women and Latinas, the annual wage gap is $27,437 and $41,251, respectively. A deeper look into the races shows that even within the group of Asian women, certain ethnicities are paid even lower for every male dollar earned. Burmese, Samoan, and Hmong women, for example, only earn 51 cents, 56 cents and 59 cents for every dollar paid to a white man, respectively. “The wage gap among Asian and Pacific Islander groups show that Asian women are not model minorities and different ethnicities continue to suffer from large gaps in wages,” the study said. Moreover, Chinese and Indian women are generally paid more than white men, but Filipina, Vietnamese and Korean women are paid less. “I may have understood it if we were living in the 50s or 60s where the traditional family with a husband and wife still existed, but that’s not how a lot of us live.
There are a lot of single mothers out there who still have to suffer through [wage inequality] to provide for the entire family,” Rivera shared. And the study affirms that reality for all groups of women. An intersectional look at the wage gap shows that mothers, in particular, receive a substantial blow. Mothers — and single mothers like Rivera — are the sole breadwinners in half of the families with children under 18. This includes 53 percent of Latina mothers, 81 percent of Black mothers and 44 AAPI mothers. Mothers who work full-time, year-round jobs are paid just 71 cents for every dollar that a father earns. If the gender pay gap were eliminated, the average working woman in the U.S. could have enough money for 14 more months of child care, 74 more weeks of food for her family and more than one additional year of university fees and 10 additional months of rent, according to the study. So why is it that in a time where seismic feminist shifts are occurring in the current culture that women and people of color are still slighted in wage? Analysis from the National Partnership survey shows that while certain criteria exist in many occupations (education, experience, region, unionization, etc.), there is still 38 percent of the gap that has been unaccounted for, which leads researchers to deduce that race and gender-based discrimination continue to affect wages for women and women of color. “It’s clear that discrimination contributes to it --- and equally clear that it’s causing grave harm to women, families and the country,” National Partnership President Debra L. Ness said in a statement. “Lawmakers have not done nearly enough to end wage discrimination based on gender and race. If our country is to thrive, we must root out bias in wages, reject outdated stereotypes and stop penalizing women for having children and caring for their families.” Ness suggests that lawmakers should double down on efforts to end gender and race discrimination in the workplace, end sexual harassment “which impedes women’s job advancement,” implement a federal paid family and medical leave measure and increase access to high-quality and affordable reproductive health care. The wage gap discussion began
decades ago when the landmark Equal Pay Act of 1963 which made it illegal for employers to grant unequal wages to men and women who performed equal work. In 2009, Congress passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 which loosened timeliness requirements for filing workplace discrimination suits, which signaled another spark in the wage disparity discourse. Despite these efforts, the wage gap has persisted through loopholes and patterns of discrimination that bypass existing legislation. But lawmakers in Washington haven’t stopped authoring laws that would move the country toward equal pay along race and gender lines. The Paycheck Fairness Act was introduced by U.S. Sen. Patty Murphy (D-Wash.) and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in 2017 and seeks to close those loopholes by providing more rights for employees, incentives and assistance for employers to impose equal pay practices and direct the Dept. of Labor to hold employers accused of illegal wage discrimination accountable. And most Americans do support policies that would address and close the pay gap. In a 2016 survey from research group American Women, 89 percent of registered voters said they would favor (57 percent said they would “strongly favor”) legislation that would hold employers accountable, protect workers from discriminatory wage practices and provide salary negotiation training for women. For the last several decades, advocates have been fighting tooth and nail to close the wage gap. Significant social and legislative reforms have materialized, but the disparities persist. The National Partnership predicted that “at the current rate, the wage gap will not close until 2059” which means that “wage inequities will persist and compound year after year for women and their families, affecting their incomes now and their retirement income and savings in the future.” The complex issue of wage inequality will likely require more than a one-size-fits-all fix, and when asked what she thinks should happen first in order to close the wage gap, Rivera swiftly replied, “Elect more women in public office. Elect more women of color in office. They know us and they get it. That should be the first step.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 13-19, 2018
D ateline PhiliPPines Duterte retains ‘very good’
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satisfaction ratings in SWS survey by Audrey
MorAllo Philstar.com
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte’s net satisfaction from December 2017 to March 2018 dipped by two points, according to a survey by a polling firm, as approval with his performance dove significantly in Balance Luzon. According to the First Quarter 2018 survey of the Social Weather Stations, 70 percent of Filipinos were satisfied, 14 percent dissatisfied and 17 percent undecided with Duterte’s performance during the polling period. This gives Duterte a ‘very good’ net satisfaction rating of 56 percent, according to SWS. The rating is lower by just two points compared to the score he got in December 2017. “Compared to December 2017, gross satisfaction with President Duterte fell by 1 point from 71 percent, gross undecided rose by 2 points from 15 percent, and gross dissatisfaction rose by 1 point from 13 percent,” the polling company said. SWS classifies ratings of 70 or above as excellent, 50 to 69 as very good, 30 to 49 as good, 10 to 29 as moderate, 9 to -9 neutral, -10 to -29 as poor, -30 to -49 as bad, -50 to -69 and -70 or below as execrable. ‘Good’ in Balance Luzon, ‘excellent’ in Mindanao The pollster said that Duterte suffered an 11-point decline in Balance Luzon, from a ‘very good’ 50 percent to a ‘good’ 39
percent. Balance Luzon refers to areas of Luzon outside of Metro Manila. Duterte’s satisfaction score in Metro Manila also decreased by a point, from 55 percent in December last year to 54 percent in March. Both ratings are classified as ‘very good’. The decline Duterte took in Balance Luzon and Metro Manila was offset by increases in the Visayas and in Mindanao, based on SWS data. In the Visayas, he enjoyed a 12point increase, from 53 percent in December to 65 percent in March, according to SWS. Duterte’s rating also stayed ‘excellent’ in his home region of Mindanao, from 80 percent in December to 82 percent this March, said SWS. The chief executive also took a 17-point plunge in his ratings among the poor, from 65 percent in December to 48 percent in March. His ratings among classes ABC however stayed at “very good” levels, according to the polling firm. The Philippine leader also remains popular in both urban and rural areas, according to SWS. Rural net satisfaction for him was at a ‘very good’ 56 percent from 54 percent in December while urban net satisfaction was at a ‘very good’ 56 percent. However, Duterte’s urban net satisfaction rating was down by seven points from 63 percent in December 2017. The chief executive’s ratings
also remained ‘very good’ across different educational levels, from college graduates to nonelementary school graduates, said SWS. His satisfaction ratings among both men and women respondents remained ‘very good’, said the survey agency. The president however suffered an 11-point decline among Filipinos aged 35 to 44, but his 52 percent rating was still deemed as very good. He also remains popular among young Filipinos, with his March satisfaction rating measured at 69 percent, up by five points from 63 percent in December. “It also stayed very good among those 55 years old and older, at +54 (67 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied) in March 2018, down by 4 points from +58 (70 percent satisfied, 12 percent dissatisfied) in December 2017. It stayed good among 18-24 year olds, at +48 (68 percent satisfied, 20 percent dissatisfied) in March 2018, up by 2 points from +46 (67 percent satisfied, 22 percent dissatisfied, correctly rounded) in December 2017,” SWS said. The March 2018 survey was conducted from March 23 to 27, 2018 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, with 300 each from Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. It has a sampling error of +/3 percent for national ratings and +/- 6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. n
New face of opposition: Bam Aquino hints at multisectoral senatorial bets by Audrey
MorAllo Philstar.com
MANILA — Liberal Party Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino on Thursday, April 12, hinted that the senatorial candidates of the opposition in next year’s midterm elections would come from a variety of sectors as he recognized the difficulties of putting up an independent slate in the current political climate. Aquino, who is widely known in the Philippines as “Bam,” however declined to divulge specific names who could be included in the opposition slate, stressing that talks were still continuing. “You’ll be surprised because those involved are not traditional names. There are names from different sectors, from NGOs, the church and many more,” Aquino said in Filipino in an interview with reporters. He stressed that individuals who would run under the opposition banner should register their clear resistance to the policies of President Rodrigo Duterte and should fight for and represent the interests of the Filipino people. “We need people who will stand up and will bravely fight for their issues. I think that can be included in the next opposition slate in 2019,” he said. Aquino also recognized the difficulties in efforts to put up an opposition lineup for next year’s elections, saying that some are afraid to speak up and public show their disagreement with administration policies.
Sen. Bam Aquino
He said that these should not deter opposition politicians from fighting for the welfare of the Filipino people. The mercurial Duterte, who has publicly blasted critics opposing many of his programs and initiatives such as the brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, remains highly popular. Some of Duterte’s critics are also facing charges and ouster moves, although Duterte has denied being behind these. Based on the latest survey of the polling firm Social Weather Stations, Duterte received a “very good” net satisfaction rating from December 2017 to March 2018. It said that 70 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with his performance, while only 14 percent were unsatisfied, for a net rating of 56 percent, down by two points from the score he got in December. Duterte’s top lieutenants at the
Philstar.com photo
PDP-Laban, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, have floated names who could be included in the administration’s senatorial line-up although both stressed that nothing had been finalized yet. Aquino said that figures who were publicly disagreeing before could also be part of their opposition slate. “The new face of the opposition is the Filipino people not just the politicians,” Aquino said. Aquino belongs to the erstwhile ruling Liberal Party, the de facto opposition party although some of its members in the House of Representatives are part of its majority caucus. It has seen its membership substantially dwindle as politicians previous allied with it transferred to PDP-Laban, Duterte’s party, as political affiliation in the Philippines is based on convenience rather than on principles. n
Sandigan denies Napoles’ transfer to witness protection custody by dAnA
SioSon AJPress
THE Sandiganbayan has denied the plea of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim- Napoles to be transferred from Camp Bagong Diwa to the custody of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Witness Protection Program (WPP). In a resolution dated April 5, the anti-graft court’s First Division denied Napoles’ motion due to lack of merit, as she is “presently under detention for a lawful cause.” Napoles had been placed by then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II under provisional protection as a state witness in the multi-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)— also referred to as pork barrel— scam. She, however, needed the approval from the Sandiganbayan for her transfer of custody since the court handles the plunder and graft cases against her. The Sandiganbayan stressed that Napoles’ protective custody under the witness protection program would be “contrary to the clear and express import” of Article XI, Section 1 of the 2012
Janet Lim-Napoles
implementing rules and regulations of the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act. “The program shall not take into its protective custody a witness who is under detention for any lawful cause. However, it shall direct the custodian of the witness to take necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of the witness,” the ruling stated. It further read: “Notably, the said provision does not admit of any exception. Verily, the denial of the instant motion is warranted under the premises.” The resolution, which was released to media on Tuesday,
Philstar.com
April 10, was penned by Associate Justice Efren N. de la Cruz and concurred in by Associate Justices Geraldine Faith A. Econg and Edgardo M. Caldona. It only affects the issue concerning her custody but not her provisional admission into the WPP. In requesting for a transfer of custody, Napoles claimed that she is under threat, intimidation, and harassment, further pointing out that her detention cell at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City is known to the public. Her camp also claimed that her cell was ransacked in October last year. n
BEATING THE HEAT. To beat the summer heat, a girl uses an improvised raft made from scrap at the Pasay side of the Manila Bay on Tuesday, April 10. The Manila Police District (MPD) tightened security along Manila Bay after a 37-year-old man drowned. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
National ID rollout seen early May by lAwrence
AgcAoili Philstar.com
MANILA — The government is hoping to roll out the national ID system using biometrics of all citizens and resident aliens in the Philippines as early as next month. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the launch of the national ID system supports the central bank’s aspiration for a more digital economy. “Our great expectation is that we will have finally a proper national ID law as early as next month,” he said. Espenilla pointed out the BSP has been a major partner in promoting the adoption of “what we call a foundational biometric ID system.” The Senate approved on third and final reading the bill, “An Act establishing the Philippine Identification System” last month. The House of Representatives approved the same measure in September last year. “There’s a meeting of the minds between the two houses. And we expect the bicameral conference committee to happen next month. The bill has also been certified as urgent,” he added. To significantly catalyze a digital ecosystem, the BSP believes there must be a reliable national digital identification system to address persistent customer onboarding issues due to lack of acceptable IDs and the highly in-
Artwork by Philstar.com
efficient paper-based KYC (know your customer) processes. The envisioned national ID system is designed to ensure universal coverage, data integrity and security, and optimum utility and would serve as an enabling platform for the efficient delivery of a whole range of government and private sector services for all Filipinos. The single national ID dubbed PhlSys would contain the full name, date of birth, address and some fingerprint information of an individual. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allocated P2 billion for the national ID system under the 2018 national budget. “We have great expectations in the BSP and we can assure you that we are ready to move forward quickly with this foundational biometric ID system. I hope it doesn’t get any political
derails. We really need it,” Espenilla said. He said the Philippines is the only member country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that does not have a national ID system. The BSP chief said the BSP is ready to recognize the national ID once it is put in place to replace all other IDs currently required from bank customers. There are various ID cards issued to state workers including the Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) issued to members of the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund). “It will solve or it will address many issues such as money laundering compliance. It will also facilitate the acquisition of customers from a distance,” he said. n
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april 13-19, 2018 • OC/iE aSiaN JOUrNal
OpiniOn
Features
Courageous deeds
There are many opportunities for showing courage during wartime. Today the nation once again honors the brave men who made a last stand in Bataan against foreign invaders 76 years ago. The Philippines became the last nation in Southeast Asia to surrender to the Japanese. An estimated 75,000 Filipino and American troops defended Corregidor, with many dying or becoming permanently maimed by the Death March from Bataan to internment camps in Capas, Tarlac. Along the way, people risked the wrath of the occupation forces and tried to give the defenders food and drink. A common enemy unites a nation and allows people to rise above personal interests. Today, after more than seven decades of peace, Filipinos have been admonished about a weak sense of patriotism and civic duty, with the greater good taking a backseat to personal interests. This need not be the case. There are many ways
of showing courageous patriotism in modern life. It takes guts to say no to corruption and fight abuse of power. It takes courage to blow the whistle on anomalies in government and to testify against the powerful and wealthy. Patriotism also involves acts of civic responsibility, such as proper garbage disposal and driving with courtesy. Following the law instead of trying to go around it can make the nation a better place. Those who die for their country deserve the highest honors. Living an exemplary life for one’s country, however, can be equally challenging. Those who show courage in their everyday life also deserve accolades. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Debunking Trump’s false statements on the FBI raid of his attorney’s office “It’s a disgrace. It’s, frankly, a real dis- The Fil-Am grace. It’s an attack on our country, in a true Perspective sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for,” President Donald Trump lamented on Monday, April 9, Gel SantoS-ReloS in response to the news about the FBI raiding the office of Trump’s long-time personal attorney, Michael Cohen. As the New York times reported, “the search warrant carried out by the public corruption unit of the Manhattan federal attorney’s office seeks information about Karen McDougal, an ex-Playboy model who claims she carried on a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his son in 2006. Ms. McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company, whose chief executive is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.” Furthermore, “agents were also searching Michael D. Cohen’s office for information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, who says she also had sex with Mr. Trump while he was married. Mr. Cohen has acknowledged that he paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to secure her silence just days before the 2016 presidential election.” A few days ago, Trump flatly denied having knowledge about this as he spoke
to the press aboard Air Force One. He also denied all allegations made by women who came forward to accuse him of sexual assault or inappropriate sexual behavior. “they found no collusion whatsoever with Russia. the reason they found it is there was no collusion at all. No collusion….so they find no collusion, and then they go from there and they say, ‘Well, let’s keep going.’ And they raid an office of a personal attorney early in the morning. And I think it’s a disgrace.” NO, MR. PRESIDENT.The Special Counsel team of Robert Mueller has NOT concluded that “there was no collusion”. The probe is still ongoing, and in fact, indictments, charges, and guilty pleas from some members of your campaign and sentencing have been issued along the way, effectively debunking all the denials coming from you and your team regarding communications and business deals with Russia. This is why this investigation continues because the American people deserve to know the TRUTH, no matter how hard you try to call this a “witch hunt.” Special Counsel Mueller was given the mandate to probe based on evidence if the Trump team conspired, colluded, coordinated, worked with
Russia to meddle in our elections. However, he was also given the mandate to consult with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein if his investigators find new evidence of any crime that may fall outside his original purview. It would then be up to Rosenstein to determine whether to give the green light to Mueller to proceed with the investigation on this new lead, or to assign the case to another U.S. attorney or another part of the Justice Department. This was exactly what Mueller did in this case. These honorable men followed the rule of law, Mr. President, pursuant to the provisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Manual. As the Washington Post reported: to obtain that search warrant, the U.S. attorney would have had to meet six conditions. Even with those checks in place, the U.S. attorney wasn’t guaranteed a warrant. Search warrants granted to U.S. attorneys are approved by magistrate judges serving in U.S. District Court. “The Cohen search warrant almost certainly included decision-making or approval on the part of the second-highest-ranking person at the Justice Department (Rosenstein), a federal judge and the U.S. attorney or an assistant attorney general. Before it was executed, the team would have needed to check a number of boxes meant to reduce the likelihood of improperly seizing privileged material and to make the case to a judge that evidence of criminal behav-
ior would probably be found,” the Post reported. “this is the most biased group of people. these people have the biggest conflicts of interest I’ve ever seen…. Democrats all — or just about all either Democrats or a couple of Republicans that worked for President Obama, they’re not looking at the other side…” NO, MR. PRESIDENT. The public servants who are just doing their job in this probe are people who belong to the Republican Party, including those you appointed to the position of public trust they now hold. Rosenstein is a Republican who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller, also a Republican. All of the top law enforcement officials involved in the raid are Republicans. Christopher A. Wray, the FBI director you appointed after you fired James Comey (whom you also appointed to stay in the position), is Republican. Geoffrey Berman, the interim United States attorney in New York, is Republican. “the attorney general made a terrible mistake when he did this, and when he recused himself. Or he should have certainly let us know if he was going to recuse himself, and we would have used a — put a different attorney general in. so he made what I consider to be a very terrible mistake for the country.” NO, MR. PRESIDENT. You seem to have not learned up to now that the Attorney General is NOT your attorney
who is supposed to be working for your personal interest. The Attorney General, who leads the Department of Justice (DOJ), is mandated by the Constitution to be the attorney of the United States of America, and should work in the best interests of the nation. While the DOJ is an Executive Branch department, it is supposed to be an independent body that will make sure the rule of law is equally applied to ALL, and that includes you, Mr. President. You are NOT above the law. NO, MR. PRESIDENT. This was NOT an attack on the country. An attack on the country that you have been painfully finding hard to call out was Russia’s interference in our 2016 election to help you win, and even up to now — to sow discord in our democratic institutions and processes, and even mess up our power grid. NO, MR. PRESIDENT. This was NOT an attack on what we stand for. You and the people who work for you are NOT the country. WE, the people, are the United States of America, and you are just an elected public official who is duty-bound by the Constitution to adhere to the rule of law and protect our democracy. That is what we stand for. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Government of National Unity Why 2018 will be Duterte’s make-or-break year start and complete the AFTER most of our full-scale rebuilding of God-centered thoughts Peacethe devastated Marawi during the last Holy City, and finish off the Week, we felt there is Maker diminished Abu Sayaf need today for new initiain Sulu and Basilan or tives for peace, renewal, to allow the least guilty and development in our FoRmeR SpeakeR to return to the fold of country, and what immeJoSe c. de Venecia, JR. the law; diately comes to mind is Advance to the fito revive our old proposal nal stage the surrender of firearms and for a “Government of National Unity.” The other choice of other more extreme full demobilization by the New People’s advisers is for President Duterte to declare Army and integrate some of their units into the Armed Forces and appointment a “Revolutionary Government.” A revolutionary government has its stra- of one or two of their leaders in the Cabitegic uses but after a time, after goals are net; Complete the Constitutional process for achieved at great cost, it is usually difficult for the Revolutionary Leader to disengage the adoption of the Federal system of govfrom authoritarian rule and return the na- ernment nationwide; Negotiate and finalize an agreement tion to normalcy. Perhaps without seriously aiming to, in with China and Vietnam for joint-explorameandering thoughts, when he spoke on tion and development in the South China the eve of Holy Week, of re-establishing in Sea to be followed by similar arangements effect diplomatic ties with the Liberal Party with Malaysia, and Brunei; Full-scale infrastructure building, massof Vice-President Leni Robredo, Mar Roxas, Frank Drilon, and Francis Pangilinan, housing and agriculture development; former Vice-President Jojo Binay and his and, Full-scale rehabilitation of the nation’s group, and other friends, the Villars, and other foes in the Nacionalista Party, etc., drug addicts. Obviously all these cannot be completed he was perhaps really thinking, why not be friends with everyone, with Charity for during President Duterte’s term. But full-scale development and industriall and malice towards none in the whole nation, which the Filipino people can only alization with strategic economic dispersal in a decentralized system can begin applaud and support. Anyway, the President has declared and continued in earnest, accompanied publicly he will stay only for one complete by Constitutional reform as hopefully the various insurgencies come to an end and six-year Constitutional term. Under a largely conflict-free govern- join the fold. We believe Items 1 to 6 are definitely ment of national unity, the President can achievable, not impossible and a Govthen and should address the following: Finalize and implement a peace agree- ernment of National Unity with everyone ment in Mindanao with the MILF, while pitching in, is the key and we should all keeping the existing pact with the MNLF, support it. n
are ongoing, while WHEN the story the Quezon Cityof President Rodrigo Commentary Bonifacio subway Duterte’s administraand the Manila tion is written, 2018 gateway airport may stand out as the development crucial period when should launch sweeping change fiwithin a year. Plus: nally gets going—or trains from Manila grinds to a halt. Con- RicaRdo Saludo to Clark and Bicol. sider the milestones Mindanao will get more infraunfolding since January and set to structure than ever before, redresscontinue through the year. First, the Tax Reform for Accel- ing decades of neglect: P124 billion, eration Acceleration and Inclusion mostly in four mega-projects. The Act, raising tax exemptions for low- P5.4-billion Malitubog-Maridagao er-income earners, as well as excise Irrigation Project Phase 2 in North levies on non-essentials, like soft- Cotabato and Maguindanao will drinks and cars. TRAIN would not water almost 10,000 hectares in 56 only shift the tax burden to wealth- conflict areas. Costing P98 billion, the Mindanao ier Filipinos; it will also raise tens of billions of pesos for the ambitious Logistics Infrastructure Network Project will upgrade and expand public works program. The challenge will be to persuade 2,500 km of farm-to-market roads the citizenry and Congress that the across Northern Mindanao, Davao, current inflation, the fastest in years Soccsksargen and Caraga regions. and widely blamed on TRAIN, is Zamboanga will see the P21-billion worth enduring for higher revenues Improving Growth Corridors in Minto fund unprecedented infrastruc- danao project to build and improve ture and social services. That sup- a 276-km network. And the Mindport is crucial to pass four more anao Railway Project is to start with tax bills from the Department of the 105-km Tagum-Davao-Digos segment. Finance. The challenge, of course, is actuBuild, Build, Build! Which brings us to the second ally building the projects, especially rollout in 2018: The Build, Build, for the Department of TransportaBuild! projects are finally getting tion. Unlike the Department of Puboff the drawing boards and into the lic Works and Highways, which has pipeline. Most of the building in been building roads, bridges, and 2017 were roads and bridges. Now, flood control systems every year, railways and airports are due to join DOTr has never rolled out the curthe public works boom. Metro Rail rent number and size of projects Transit 7 from North EDSA to Bula- now on its plate. Hence, it would be can and the Clark airport expansion wise to let the private sector handle
a good chunk of the work, like the airports, and concentrate on rail. Cleaning up the system The third big change to level up development: fighting corruption. Early on, President Duterte showed his anti-graft determination by his order for freedom of information in the Executive branch. He also took swift action against appointees, even close associates, unlike his crony-coddling predecessor, who even paid the bail of partymates facing Sandiganbayan cases. To keep the pressure on officialdom, Duterte also created the Presidential AntiCorruption Commission, chaired by Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption founder Dante Jimenez. One clear beneficiary of Duterte’s crusade against sleazy appointees is the Bureau of Customs, placed last September under former anti-drug czar Isidro Lapeña. He has boosted BoC collections to record levels, and run after grafters, including those behind the recent wrongful release of 105 cargo containers from the Port of Manila. This will reverse the tripling of smuggling in the regime to over $25 billion a year. Last week the president appointed new Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde precisely because Davao police didn’t want the erstwhile PNP National Capital Region head for being too strict. Now, another straight arrow, Department of Interior and Local Government OIC Eduardo Año, who supervises the PNP, told Albayalde to remove “bad eggs” from the police. PAGE A7
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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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 13-19, 2018
Palace: Government ‘has taken steps’ to address Facebook data breach
A
by aLexiS
RomeRo Philstar.com
good friend told other good friends about your secrets, you know you have a problem with HONG KONG — The Duterte your good friend,” Cayetano administration said it would ensaid. force a law to protect privacy in “So definitely there’s problem the wake of a data breach conon this data breach but we are troversy involving social media also concerned about our friend giant Facebook. which is Facebook. So we’re eaPresidential spokesman Harry gerly monitoring and watching... Roque said the government has So on one hand, it such a blessundertaken measures to ensure ing and it’s created so much opthat the personal information of portunity. On the other hand, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Filipinos are secured. of course, we’re also concern Philstar.com photo “We have our domestic law, about privacy,” he added. [Data] Privacy Act, and we will consulting firm Cambridge AnaEarlier, photos showing two enforce that act. Now the data lytica. of Duterte’s campaign advisers breach, as far as we know, did Earlier reports said more than dining with Cambridge Analytica not occur in the Philippines. But one million people in the Philip- official Alexander Nix surfaced, we have taken steps,”Roque said pines have been affected by the raising suspicions that the conin a press briefing on Wednes- data breach. There are about 67 sultancy firm influenced the outday, April 11. million Facebook accounts in come of the 2016 elections. Roque cited the case of for- the Philippines, which has been Pompee La Viña, one of the mer Commission on Elections dubbed as the social media cap- campaign advisers in the photo, Chairman Andres Bautista, who ital of the world. has denied tapping the services is now facing charges for his ‘Our friend, Facebook’ of Cambridge Analytica and insupposed failure to safeguard Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan sisted that Nix just sat down with the data of Filipino voters. Cayetano said the Philippines is his group during a 2015 event in “We take privacy very seri- watching the data breach issue Manila for a photograph. ously in the Philippines,” the closely. Malacañang has denied that presidential spokesman said. “Whether you are an influ- the Duterte campaign team had Facebook is in hot water after encer, whether you are an event transacted with the consultancy it was found that the personal organizer, Facebook has been a firm and has insisted that the information of about 70 million good friend to the Filipino and president won the election “fair of its users were shared with there are challenges. So if your and square.” n
Why 2018 will be Duterte’s... PAGE A6
Meanwhile, the naming of Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra as justice secretary may accelerate graft cases against the past regime—or not. As a top Aquino administration official, Guevarra knows its inner workings. This should come in handy in the pork barrel, Disbursement Acceleration Program, and Dengvaxia cases. Some quarters fret that he was an Ateneo schoolmate of former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who engineered the funding in those anomalies. Already, Secretary Guevarra has said he will review his predecessor’s grant of witness protection to alleged pork barrel operator Janet Lim Napoles, presumably to get her help in cases against the Aquino camp. If they stall under Guevarra, his boss won’t like it. The other big corruption challenge is outside President Duterte’s power: the courts. But
now, he has urged Congress to fast-track the impeachment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. If she goes, he can appoint a successor to clean up the judiciary. One more graft-busting change coming: Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, who has shown favor toward Aquino and his close cohorts, retires in July, giving the Palace another sleaze-sweeping broom to put in place. So, President Duterte can very well clean up the justice system, whose gross failings is the main reason why due process can’t stop crime and narcotics syndicates. If he succeeds in straightening out the police, the prosecutors, and the judges, it would be an unprecedented achievement indeed. Winning war and peace If President Duterte establishes a strong tax base, rolls out massive infrastructure, and institutes the rule of law, then investors would just want one
more thing before they surge into the country: peace and security. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has been expending troops, arms and logistics to crush Islamic State-linked terrorists and communist insurgents, and slowly but surely, it is eroding these entrenched threats. The 2014 peace agreement is holding with the main Muslim rebel force, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which still trusts that President Duterte would deliver the promised Bangsamoro region with greater autonomy. As for the communists, talks may resume in two months, or the AFP’s winning offensive will continue. Either way, the red insurgency will likely be ended in a year. What about federalism? If President Duterte delivers on taxes, infrastructure, anti-corruption and peace, Filipinos will almost surely approve his new charter. Then, as promised, he can go. (ManilaTimes.net)
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!!!
UP AGAIN. Linemen check electric meters along MIA Road in Parañaque City as the Manila Electric Company is poised to implement another rate hike this month. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
Lorenzana: Let us continue to honor war heroes by Dana
SioSon AJPress
AS the Philippines commemorated the Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) on Monday, April 9, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana asked Filipinos to always remember the World War II veterans, who fought for the country’s freedom. “Let us continue to celebrate and commemorate the valor and gallantry of our WW2 Veterans. Let us perpetuate the memory of their deeds to be emulated by future generations of Filipinos,” Lorenzana said in a statement. He added, “Let us honor those who are still with us for pretty soon, they will all be gone.” April 9 marks the commemoration of the Fall of Bataan in 1942. The holiday recognizes the heroism of Filipinos and American sol-
diers against the invading Japanese forces during the second world war. More than 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced by the Japanese forces to walk for 140 kilometers in six days — from Bataan to prison camps in Tarlac. Thousands perished during this infamous trek, now known as the Bataan Death March. In a message, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said the Fall of Bataan marked “the determination of Filipinos to stand against overwhelming odds.” AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin said the military will “remember the sacrifices of our veterans, their bravery and their selfless dedication to the country’s defense.” “The deeds of heroism and ideals of our world war veterans
will always be inculcated in the minds of our current soldiers who exhibit in their own actions the same fervor and willingness to defend our country and our people,” Datuin added. The Philippine National Police (PNP) also expressed solidarity in remembering the valor and sacrifice of Filipino veterans during World War II. In a statement, PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said the police force also “join[s] our nation in giving honors to the Filipino soldiers who gave their lives and treasure so that we may all live in peace and freedom.” “We pay respect to the heroes whose lives were sacrificed and whose blood was poured during the war in an unbroken tradition of a true Filipino valor thirsting for freedom,” Bulalacao added. n
Arroyo calls for wider Asian engagement by LLaneSca
Panti
ManilaTimes
FORMER president Gloria Arroyo called for wider engagement among Asian countries on less controversial issues on her election as one of the members of the board of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Hainan, China. Arroyo, now a representative of Pampanga, noted that the Boao platform will be bigger in the coming years, given the growing role of Asia, particularly China, in the global economy. “I’ve been a participant in Boao for a long time and I’m very honored to be a member of the Board. I’m happy to be here
at this time because with a very good relations between the Philippines and China now and under the leadership of [Chinese] President Xi Jinping and President Rodrigo Duterte, I would like to add what I can to contribute to that very good relationship,” Arroyo said in a statement. “The Boao Forum is an important forum in order for leaders in government, society and business from all over the world who want to engage in Asia to focus on the longer term issues. Asia should move forward with issues that are less prickly given the closer and friendlier relationships of the member-countries,” she added.
Arroyo, who had a Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) agreement inked with China and Vietnam during her presidency, supports Duterte’s friendly stance with China. “The Boao global forum is going to be a very important forum, even much more important that it has been in the last 18 years because of the importance of China now in the world economy and the whole world stage. If we look at what China was when the Boao forum started in 2001, China was emerging. It was a new member of WTO (World Trade Organization). Today, it is poised to become the largest economy in the world,” she pointed out. 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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Talking about stress by
StreSS is a feeling we’re all familiar with. It’s how we feel while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic to and from work, why we often dread Mondays, our responses when people ask how we’re doing, and what may keep many of us void of a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, we even use it as an indicator of how busy and productive we’ve been. regardless of what stresses us out or where we feel the most stressed, it’s safe to say that we’ve all spent a good amount of time and effort trying to get rid of the feeling. In a bid to tackle stress, we’ve inadvertently turned the counteract of mindfulness into a movement. According to market research firm IBISWorld, the meditation and mindfulness industry in the U.S. was estimated in 2016 to be approximately $1.1 billion. the proliferation of apps available on our phones meant to help us tackle stress further reveals our wants to relieve it. Headspace, a guided meditation app, for example, has gotten so popular, it’s garnered an estimated valuation of $250 million according to Forbes. then, there are the new “meditation busses” popping up around the U.S., such as the Pause Now bus founded by Fil-Am Jackie Corwin, which is complete with private spaces, comfy seats, cushions, noise-canceling headphones, and a tablet computer. Small amounts of stress are natural and are a healthy part of life. It’s what prepares us for “fight or flight” mode by releasing hormones and chemicals like adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine. Yet, while some day-to-day stress is normal, some forms of stress — especially long term and chronic stress — make way for a number of issues that can lead to more serious health problems if left unchecked. “Good stress turns bad when it causes severe anxiety or other health problems,” Fil-Am health and wellness coach, Anna Marie Cruz, told the Asian Journal. “In today’s modern living, we are more exposed than ever to chronic stress, the kind that persists for a long time and leads to health problems, mood changes, and
Rae ann VaRona / AJPress
Health and wellness coach, Anna Marie Cruz
negative behavior including stress eating,” she added. According to WebMD, 43 percent of all adults suffer health effects from stress. Seventy-five to 90 percent of all doctor visits were found to be for stress-related complaints and illnesses. Stress related health effects can include anxiety, headaches, heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin conditions like acne or psoriasis, asthma, depression, arthritis, and insomnia among a string of others. Letting stress linger can also in turn affect our behaviors which explains why many turn to “stress eating” or unhealthier habits like binge drinking. In fact, 63 percent of U.S. workers that participated in a Statista survey
of over 17,000 adults said they regularly engaged in unhealthy behaviors like drinking to counter work-related stress. there are ways to respond to stress and because April is Stress Awareness Month, Cruz shared a few basic strategies to approach stressful times in a healthy way. Acknowledge the stress Many times, we find ourselves either not wanting to admit we’re stressed or are unaware that we’re actually experiencing stress. Cruz said that being aware of our stress is a key step in relieving ourselves and preventing it from getting worse. “Some of us ignore stress, which can lead to burnouts and breakdowns,” she said, adding that one of her friends had to admit herself into the er because of work-related stress that she had been ignoring for months. Focus on the now When we start to feel stress building up, Cruz recommends that we find activities that help us focus on the present, instead of the future or past. “Without the luxury of time, this might mean taking a five minute walk or doing deep breathing exercises,” said Cruz. taking deep breaths is a common quick and simple tip given to people feeling stressed out. “I often talk my clients through a simple breathing technique at the beginning of each coaching session, counting one to five for each inhale and exhale, and repeating this three to five times,” Cruz shared. Get occupied Whether it’s doing some yoga, taking a nature walk, playing basketball, or just hanging out with friends, getting ourselves occupied is a good way to step back and stop stress from taking over. “the point is to find something that allows you to let go of that stress, even momentarily,” said Cruz. talking from experience, she reminded that some forms of stress are unavoidable, such as the loss of a loved one. “When my mom passed away, I remember Continued on Page 3
Take control: 4 self-care tips when dealing with stress are ways you can take care of yourself and to cope with the stress. Accepting that you will NoBoDY is immune to stress. be stressed out from time to If you’re a human being with time (or even all the time) is the even a mildly engaged life, you first step. Sometimes avoiding have felt that gnawing feeling stress altogether is impossible, that comes with the pressures so what’s important in those of everyday life. Whether you’re situations is how you take care flooded with assignments at work of yourself when life becomes or you’re having relationship particularly taxing. problems with your significant • Start small and focus on other, friends or family, there things you can control: Setting
some kind of routine for yourself can help you feel like you’ve got some structure, even if it feels like your life is in disarray. Some examples include establishing a morning routine, an exercise regimen and developing a skincare/beauty routine. For a lot of people, stress can feel even worse when it gets out of hand and you feel like you don’t have any more control in your life. Setting up a self-care routine can help you feel like that you’ve got a handle on at least a few things in your life, and that can transcend into other factions of your life. • Avoid situations that may trigger your stress: one of the most important things that you can do is to protect yourself from situations you know will amplify anxiety. It’s oK to cancel on a dinner party. It’s oK to turn down invites to the movies. You don’t have to force yourself to attend parties or other engagements Avoiding stress altogether is impossible, what’s important in those situations is how you take that you know may trouble care of yourself when life becomes particularly taxing. Inquirer.net photo you even more. Similarly, if it’s
by KlaRize Medenilla AJPress
another person (or persons) that are causing you stress, it’s oK to put some space and establish boundaries between you. It is neither selfish nor egocentric to put yourself first in this case. • Take a break: In the famed Hamilton: An American Musical, there’s a scene where founding father Alexander Hamilton’s wife eliza tries to convince her overworked husband to take a break from his job. He chooses not to, and his mental state worsens which leads him to make not the wisest choices as a husband and as treasury Secretary that eventually ruin his reputation. Your situation may not be as dramatic as that, but if you feel yourself becoming overburdened at work, school or in your personal life, it is essential to take a sabbatical and take your mind off the sources of your stress. It can be as little as taking an hour to meditate or read a book or as grand as taking a week-long vacation. think of Continued on Page 3
AJPress
reDUCe your stress levels and calm your anxiety with meditation. taking a few minutes out of your day to pause and meditate will bring awareness, mindfulness, and a state of deep peace when practiced regularly. though it may seem like living in the hustle and bustle of a city isn’t the most practical place to build a meditation habit, it’s much easier than you think and it’s where you need it most. Here are nine tips to incorporate a meditation practice into your daily routine. Disconnect Say “BrB” to Facebook, Instagram, and everything else in between for just a while and switch your phone to airplane mode and disable the WiFi. Meditating when your phone is sounding off to every message sent to your group chat is more than enough to distract you. Seek a quiet space Any place where you can be alone with minimal noise is ideal. Weather you’re inside your cozy bedroom or out in nature in your
Avocado
Yogurt
Cashew nuts
Oatmeal
Oranges
Dark chocolate
Six foods to fight stress by Ritchel Mendiola AJPress
FeeLING stressed is not foreign to us anymore. Whatever the trigger is — work issues, family problems, or a financial setback — stress usually incapacitates us and makes us feel irritated and helpless. to deal with it, some people blow off steam by doing physical activities, while others reach for their stash of comfort food. It’s important, however, to know what food can actually offer relief. It’s time to be smart about stress-eating. Forget your chips and ice cream, here are the best foods to snack on when you’re in need of comfort. • Avocados the millennials’ favorite fruit provides close to 20 healthboosting nutrients — lutein, betacarotene, vitamin e, B vitamins, and folate, among others. A serving of avocado can help regulate your blood sugar levels, not to mention, keep your mood steady, even in times of stress. • Cashew nuts According to Prevention.com, anxiety, stress, and depression can be linked to having low levels of zinc. Since our bodies have no way of storing zinc, we must get them every day. Cashew nuts are packed with zinc and B vitamins — a tasty snack to fulfill your cravings while also lowering blood pressure and
reducing the strain stress puts in your heart. •Low-fat plain yogurt Not only is yogurt healthy, it is also great as a comfort food. A 2013 UCLA study among 36 women revealed that consuming yogurt reduces stress hormone level elevation, and a study published in the journal Biomedical research found that yogurt has arginine and lysine — two amino acids that work together to decrease feelings of anxiety. • Oranges this citrus fruit is packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant proven to be helpful in combating stress. Having a dose of vitamin C lowers blood pressure and levels of cortisol — one of the hormones produced during stress. • Oatmeal A serving of oatmeal causes your brain to produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical that not only has antioxidant properties, but also creates a soothing feeling that reduces stress. • Dark chocolate Keyword being dark, this type of chocolate is known to lower blood pressure and levels of stress hormones. research has also shown that dark chocolate contains unique natural substances that induce a sense of euphoria, similar to the feeling of being in love. Just make sure to grab a bar that has 70 percent of cacao!
If you want to feel mentally sharp and full of energy all day long, making important changes in your bedtime habits is vital. Inquirer.net photo
How to sleep better: Steps to develop good sleep habits by Ritchel Mendiola AJPress
GettING a good night’s sleep is just as important as having a balanced diet and regular exercise — but oftentimes, it’s easier said than done. With today’s fast-paced lifestyle and its increasing demands, we neighborhood park, less noise will tend to sacrifice some hours of benefit your meditation. sleep just to get things done. Invest in ear plugs According to the National Sleep Let’s face it, not all of us Foundation, the appropriate sleep are going to have access to a duration for adults is between completely silent place all the seven and nine hours every night, time. Whether it’s the outside but most of us only get three to five noises from the busy city or the hours — sometimes, even none. sounds coming from inside of Lack of sleep affects the your own home, a pair of handy physical, mental, and emotional earplugs can help tune them out. health. If you want to feel mentally Stay awake sharp and full of energy all day long, When it comes to meditation making important changes in your for beginners, falling asleep is bedtime habits is vital. Better sleep quite common. So, if you ever can be achieved by following these find yourself doing just that, don’t steps: stress out about it. the quiet and • Maintain a regular sleep relaxing energies could easily Taking a few minutes out of your day to pause and meditate will bring awareness, mindfulness, schedule Photo from Pexels.com make time for a nap. You can avoid and a state of deep peace when practiced regularly. try to go to bed and get up at falling asleep by letting a little bit the Internet that are available for uncomfortable and is in need the same time every day. Doing this of light enter your eyes. free download and streaming, so of a little bit of support, you can consistently, even on weekends, will Sit in a comfortable position always sit against a wall, bed, or feel free to use this as a hack for help your body fix its internal clock try either sitting on a chair concentration. cabinet. and establish a regular sleep-wake and sitting on the floor or on a Try guided meditation Let go pattern to help you sleep and wake cushion and decide what’s best Be guided every step of Make no effort to control up more easily. for you. When sitting on a chair, the way in your meditation by your breath. Instead, focus on the • Don’t go to bed unless keep your feet on the floor and listening to a podcast made for sensation. Feel your breath as it you’re sleepy your hands on your lap. When exactly for just that. experiment enters the nose, pass your throat, Struggling and forcing yourself sitting cross-legged on the floor, with podcasts or recordings fills you chest, and exits through to sleep will only lead to frustration, your knees must be lower than online — there are many free the nose as well. so if you’re still awake after 20 your hips. resources on the internet — until minutes of getting into bed, get up Play mood music Find support you can find or create your own there are countless and do something until you’re tired If your back feels routine. meditation songs and playlists on enough to fall asleep.
9 ways to add meditation to your daily routine by bianca cRuz
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• Turn your bedroom into a sleep-inducing environment Minimize noise and lights in your room to optimize your bedroom environment. A quiet, dark, and comfortable bedroom promotes better sleep. • Don’t watch the clock Watching the clock when you’re trying to sleep will only trigger stress and anxiety. try turning your clock around and keep your phone on your bedside table to keep yourself from checking the time. • Make use of daylight Natural light keeps your internal clock on a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Let in light first thing in the morning and spend more time outside during the day to help keep you alert and awake. • Be smart about your food consumption Your eating habits actually impact your sleeping habits. Avoid having a heavy dinner within two hours of bedtime. Cut back on sugar and caffeine as it can trigger wakefulness at night, and only drink enough fluids to keep you from being thirsty but not enough to make frequent bathroom trips. • Nap wisely A nap never hurts — but make sure to limit your afternoon snooze to 30 minutes or less so it won’t decrease your sleep drive at night. • Exercise regularly Any amount of exercise during the day is good for you. exercising regularly helps you sleep better at night and makes you less tired during the day.
Journey at Pechanga hosts the 12th Kore Pro-Am on April 2 & 3 Pechanga Resort casino hosts the 12 annual Kore Proam golf Tournament at Journey at Pechanga on april 2 and 3, 2018. This marks the 6th year for Pechanga to host the tournament as the proud official sponsor. Journey at Pechanga is Pechanga Resort casino’s premiere championship golf course, already well known among many asian golfers. This year, 29 talented LPga golfers are invited to participate in this highly anticipated tournament with the Kore Pro-am’s tee sponsors. Kore Pro-am continues to serve as a community event my inviting the great Oak high School (gOhS) girls golf team for the second year, providing the students an opportunity to meet and greet top pro players and experience the tournament. This year the great Oak high School girls golf team will provide over 30 volunteers to help with various area of the event. The Kore Pro-am will donate $3,000 to gOhS team for their support. great Oak high School girls golf team became the league champion last year and made it to the postseason of the california Interscholastic Federation (cIF). Kore 2018 Pro-am features many outstanding LPga professional golfers including chella choi, Megan Khan, Jenny Shin, Sarah Jane Smith, and angel Yin. chella choi, Rolex ranking 49, posted a season-best third place result at the KMPg Women’s Pga championship, which was her best finish career in major. Megan Khan who started playing at the age of 5 and just turned 21 debuted in 2016 and recorded a career-best T3
Bill Anderson
Chau Ly
Lee Torres
at The Blue Bay LPga. Jenny Shin became Rolex First-Time winner with her victory at the Volunteers of america Texas Shootout in 2016 after 5 years since her debut and crossed $3M mark in career earnings last year. Shin is also famous for her stylish fashion on the green. Sarah Jane Smith, a veteran golfer from australia, recorded a season-best T3 and ISPS handa Women’s australian Open. The super rookie angel Yin entered LPga only last year and ranked second in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings. She was also selected by Team USa captain as a captain’s pick for the Solheim cup and posted a 1-1-1 record.
The following popular LPga superstars will also be joining the game: Tiffany chan, Brianna Do, Jennifer ha, Muni he, Vicky hurst, Tiffany Joh, Lauren Kim, erynne Lee, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Lee Lopez, Sydnee Michaels, annie Park, hee Yong Park, Robynn Ree, Melissa Reid, Demi Runas, hanule Sky Seo, Kelly Shon, Kelly Tan, Kassidy Teare, gabrielle Theo, andrea Wong, Jing Yang, Julie Yang. This elite group of 29 pro golfers will challenge each other on the stimulating and demanding course, along with their fans and golf partners. The night before the tournament, sponsors will find out which LPga Pro golfers they will be playing with at the Pairing Party in the Pechanga Summit Ballroom. The pairings party features gourmet buffet-style foods premium open bar and live entertainment, creating a relaxing atmosphere for all players to get to know their LPga partners and strategize for the next day’s tournament. The tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday following the breakfast and press conference. Players will be competing in an 18-hole scramble tournament and
Nora Aunor goes back to TV by Lhar Santiago ManilaTimes.net
From Page 2
TWO years since last appearing the gMa network soap, “My Little nanay,” and an aBS-cBn episode of “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” Philippine showbiz’ reigning Superstar nora aunor is all set to perform for the cameras anew. ate guy is starring in the new gMa series “extraordinary Love,” which has completed its, and most likely in the early days of taping as of this writing. excited to be cast with the GMA photo Superstar are young Kapuso stars
Mikee Quintos and Klea Pineda, as well as gardo Versoza, adrian alandy, Wendell Ramos, Rochelle Pangilinan, Vanessa del Moral, enrico cuenca and cherie gil. a special lady by the name Jo Berry, who describes herself as “differently challenged,” will be introduced in the series as a mother who has two daughters who are fully capable mentally and physically. The show explores how these daughters will accept their mother when they grow up. “extraordinary Love” is directed by gina alajar.
Talking about stress
feeling grief and extreme anxiety from her loss. The one thing that allowed me to feel some relief after days of uncontrollable sobbing was a hike with a group of friends,” shared cruz. She added, “To this day, I still remember that as a giant exhale — that feeling of letting go I desperately needed. I still had to deal with the reality, but that respite reminded me of how lucky I was to be surrounded by such great friends.” Focus on mindful eating When stressed, we often find ourselves reaching for those “feel good” comfort foods that are often high in fat, carbohydrates, and sugar. You know — foods like ice cream, pizza, fries, or burgers. aside from choosing better foods that regulate our stress
hormones and protect our immune system, paying attention to how we eat can also be helpful. “Mindful eating, in which we are engaging the senses, to nourish ourselves is one way to avoid stress eating,” said cruz. “This means we are observing, smelling, tasting, feeling the texture of every bite we take.” and as tempting it is to bring our plate to the TV room to binge on our favorite shows, cruz suggests getting in an environment free of distractions where we can relax. Doing so also helps with digestion, she added. Plan a getaway (like to the Philippines) “There’s always a trip to the mother country,” said cruz, adding that the Philippines
was recently named the third happiest country in the world according to U.S. based firm gallup International. While the country isn’t free of stressful conditions like poverty and extreme climate events, cruz said that its ranking as the third happiest country shows that the people may know a thing or two about managing their stress. “Perhaps you have heard of the phrase ‘Bahala na’ which loosely translates to surrender,” added cruz. “This is an attitude of faith, that no matter what happens, there it will be.” cruz suggested that one way to think about stress is to acknowledge that we can only control what we can. “So, why not give the worry away?” said cruz.
Take control: 4 self-care tips when... From Page 2 yourself as a cellphone. You can go so long feeling OK whilst being exposed to certain stressors. But eventually your battery will run out and you want to recharge before things get worse. • Seek therapy: If it’s within your budget, seeking therapy is an excellent way to handle stress with a third party. While talking about your stressors with family and friends can be comforting, having a mental health professional to help you cope with stress can be essential and can help you better manage your emotional and mental health amid rocky situations. https://www. psychologytoday.com/us/psychiatrists is a great resource for finding a mental health professional near you.
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Demi Runas
LGPA Pro Golfers
Nora Aunor
April 13-19, 2018 www.asianjournal.com
the team with the lowest score will win the coveted Kore Pro-am cup. Through the tournament, tee sponsors will not only be able to get up close and personal with there golf elites, but also swing their clubs alongside these talented athletes. Participants will also be provided with a great networking opportunity with celebrities, corporate leaders and pro golfers at the award ceremony and Dinner that will immediately follow the tournament. Journey at Pechanga Journey at Pechanga championship golf course, one of the many high-end amenities at Pechanga Resort & casino, is consistently rated among the top public courses in california. When golfers partner their rounds with a luxury stay at the adjacent resort, the value of the experience rises. hotel guests receive complimentary access to the course’s award-winning practice facility, even if they do not have a tee time. The course’s clubhouse is home to a spacious men’s and women’s locker rooms, extensive pro shop and the Journey’s end restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and evening appetizers and cocktails. nestled in the foothills of the scenic Southern california wine country Temecula Valley on the Pechanga Indian Reservation, adjacent to Pechanga Resort &
casino winds along a boulderstrewn mountain. Journey at Pechanga’s 72, 18-hole golf course, course winds across 7,129. a challenging and rewarding course, it represents a range of topography- canyons, ravines, open fairways, and even the tees shot with a 175-foot drop. Just across a small walkway sits the states largest Resort/casino with all the luxuries a traveler would expect from a high-end casino property. Rated a aaa Four Diamond property for 15 years running, the resort recently underwent a major makeover with $300 investment and now offers a total of 1,090 hotel rooms and suites, an all-new 25,000 sq-ft full-service spa and beauty salon, a 4.5 acre pool complex, world class entertainment, meeting and event space encompasses 200,000 sq-ft and 11 restaurants. Pechanga also offers its guests a casino floor larger than in Las Vegas, one that features more than 4,500 state-of-the slots and video poker, 154 table games, a high Limit Salon, a spacious and stylish Poker Room with an Off-Track Betting facility and a Bingo Parlor of an unparalleled comfort. For your information or to make reservations at Pechanga Resort casino, please visit www. Pechanga.com or call (877) 7112946. Pechanga Resort casino is located in Temecula, california just
two minutes off Interstate 15, less than one hour from San Diego and Ontario International airports, and less than one and one-half hours from Los angeles and Orange county. With an average of 276 sunny days per year, Temecula and Journey at Pechanga offer an ideal golfer’s retreat year-round. Pechanga Resort Casino Pechanga Resort casino offers one of the largest and most expensive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted number One casino in america by readers of USa TODaY and rated a Four Diamond property by aaa since 2002. Pechanga resort casino provides an unparalleled getaway. Offering more than 4,500 hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 1,090 hotel rooms, dining, spa, and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga. Pechanga Resort casino features destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-800-Pechanga or visit www. Pechanga.com. Follow Pechanga Resort casino on Facebook and on Twitter @Pechangacasino. Pechanga Resort casino is open 24-hours. guests must be 21 and older to enter the casino. (Advertising Supplement)
April 13-19, 2018 www.asianjournal.com
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April 13-19, 2018 www.asianjournal.com
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EVA Wins 2018 TripAdvisor Choice Awards for Airlines The good book on money Travelers’ Top-10 World’s Best Airlines, Top-10 Major Airlines in April 13-19, 2018
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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA WHEN something goes wrong regarding personal finance, our mental default setting is that we need someone else to help fix the problem. But if we stop and think about it, there is really nothing new under the sun, as Ecclesiastes says. Our guidelines for how we should live, then as now, come from the Good Book and those the Holy Spirit has chosen and guided to explain and interpret its doctrine in the context of modern life. These days, we click on Google and make it our personal adviser, our own impersonal Yoda. For anything we need to know, we’re just a click away online for mountains of information to inundate us. But BEWARE! Google and ALL tech giants have an agenda that more often than not, is at cross purposes with your well-being. They provide you images and information at your fingertips and make you part of a social orbit BUT at the same time, these tech giants are harvesting information about you that they can then package to sell to other entities who would like to influence you or sell you something. Think about it. They do not have a product to sell. Their product is YOU. They will monetize on the ton of information you foolishly and naively entrust to them. Don’t think FB or any of these tech giants loves you. Somehow I get the feeling these purveyors of information think you are so dumb as to give them personal, private information. As human beings, they know our vanity is our weakness. All those postings make us feel important with the world as our stage. There is so much information out there in cyberspace. It can all be disconcerting and confusing. It’s like tackling the Library of Congress in one go. Don’t despair. There’s hope yet. We can simplify and refer to that old why and
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“Life is a journey and the heavier the luggage, the shorter the distance covered.” how-to manual for all times and seasons. Take the case of the sub prime mortgage mess in 2008. It was a sorry and foolhardy attempt by liberals in the government power structure to democratize what was never meant to be a level playing field. This made it possible for millions who could not afford and should not qualify for a mortgage to be approved for loans they could not carry. A little known phrase in the Book of Proverbs for those who put up “security for debts” serves as stern warning, “… your very bed will be snatched from under you.” If only we took heed of the wisdom of the ages written in the Bible, we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief and gnashing of teeth. Strive to live relatively debtfree. Sharply define what is a need and what is a want. For most things, frugal gurus tell us to buy only when we have the cash for it. Don’t mortgage your future for a mere whim, particularly that which strokes your ego. Debt can have you in a stranglehold. Many have found this out a tad too late when the recession hit. Steer clear of scams particularly from high places. Bernard Madoff, the biggest Ponzi convicted scammer doing time in jail, had a Wall Street address. He had a steady gaze and an air and demeanor of respectability and trustworthiness about him belying a heart of darkness. But greed went both ways. Madoff’s victims did not question why they were getting consistently great returns on their investments for as long as their phony statements were rosy year after year for decades. Then the financial bomb exploded when the US and the global economy ground nearly to a halt in recent times. There were no new investors who can be suckered in by the monumental Ponzi scheme Madoff and his cohorts hatched. It was a matter
of time. Built on a big fat lie, it collapsed like a house of cards. What a monstrous mess it was and still is. The tedious efforts at clawing back some of the money spent on a shamelessly luxurious lifestyle was as grueling as pulling teeth from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of Madoff’s sons, unable to bear the shame and ignominy sadly hung himself with a dog’s leash in his Manhattan apartment leaving behind a wife and children who would like to escape the stigma of the Madoff name. The other son died of an illness. His wife now bears the brunt of his crime. Madoff’s sentence is 150 years behind the slammer. Considering the distress and sorrow he has brought others, a thousand years would probably still be inadequate. Was there something from the Good Book to caution us about this? The one that comes to mind intended for scammers like Madoff and his ilk, is of course, “Thou shalt not steal.” Scams are no more than sophisticated thefts generated these days from the comfort of one’s computer in the guise of legitimate sounding paper and lately, quite easily, electronic communication like the Nigerian scam or identity theft. This is the modern version of a hooded, masked robber using a gun in a dark alley. New laws on tracking and enforcement procedures are decades away from dealing with this worrisome social phenomenon that seems able to breach all kinds of barriers. The antidote against electronic scammers: continuous education, a smidgen of cynicism and a ton of common sense. What’s the mantra worth remembering and repeating to one’s self particularly during days of tight money when scammers are getting more creative and brazen? Of course, it’s still that one that Continued on Page 7
Asia, Best Business and Premium Economy Classes in Asia TAIPEI, TAIWAN – TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, has revealed EVA Air as a winner in four categories of its second annual Travelers’ Choice Awards for Airlines. After earning top spots in two categories last year based on quantity and quality of travelers’ reviews, EVA has now won four, including the 5th place in Top-10 World’s Best Airline Award, Top-10 Major Airlines in Asia, and Best Business and Premium Economy Classes in Asia. Travelers can learn more about TripAdvisor’s awards and reviews at https://www. tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoiceAirlines and check out EVA’s routes and services at www.evaair.com. After analyzing more than 900,000 airline reviews posted in the 12- month period between February 2017 and February 2018, TripAdvisor has recognized 550 airlines from five regions, Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East/Africa and Asia-Pacific. EVA earned its global and regional rankings by consistently focusing on quality service and safety. “EVA never compromises safety and service and makes every effort to give passengers the best possible flying experience. All of us at EVA deeply appreciate our passengers for expressing satisfaction with our services in their ratings and reviews,” said EVA President Clay Sun. “We will further elevate the passenger experience during the second half of this year when we start introducing brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and will initiate more enhancements as we begin to add Boeing 787-10s next year. We
Health@Heart PhiliP S. ChuA, Md, FACS, FPCS IN this week’s issue, we shall devote our column to exalting “medicinal values or therapeutic effects” of regular, ordinary, food that people all over the world eat as part of their diet. The reported health benefits of some of the foods we have listed are anecdotal — passed down from generations — and many have not been thoroughly and scientifically proven. But since they are regular food items we consume daily, trying them for some of the ailments or situations they are allegedly effective for is simply natural and safe. As long as one is not allergic to them, ingesting these food items does not result in adverse “side effects” as could be encountered in, say, noni juice, or some other dangerous “curative food supplements” in the market today. Besides their essential nutritional value, many of the foods we ingest regularly have “medicinal effects” that we are not conscious about but which help alleviate or correct some diseases or conditions. It is common knowledge that scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), is cured by eating a lot of citrus fruits, or that hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) among diabetics will be alleviated by eating candies, sugar or other sweets. Or, that banana and apples are good for diarrhea; while papaya, prunes and other fruits, and vegetables are good for constipation. But did you know that onion, hot pepper and tomato are good for common cold? Or that cherries are good for cramps? Or that apple, grapefruit, calamansi are good for halitosis (bad breath)? Here is a list of medical conditions and the corresponding food items claimed to either prevent, alleviate, and/or cure them, which we suggest you first confirm with your physician, and save for future reference: • Arthritis - Apple, pineapple, malunggay, cantaloupe, grape, grapefruit, orange, mustard green, strawberry, tangerine, cucumber, lettuce, cherries, celery, cauliflower
continually seek to introduce new services and amenities and make every effort to ensure 5-star service quality for all our passengers.” TripAdvisor is home to a global community of more than 400 million average monthly unique visitors with over 600 million reviews and opinions covering the world’s largest selection of accommodations, attractions, restaurants and airlines. “We’re thrilled to recognize the global TripAdvisor community’s favorite airlines and shine a spotlight on the carriers around the world that provide the very best flying experiences, including EVA Air,” said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights. “As the airline industry introduces new fare products and a widening array of inflight offerings, consumers continue to seek out the carriers that deliver value and a quality experience. The Travelers’ Choice awards for airlines recognize the carriers that exceed passenger expectations and receive top marks from travelers.” SKYTRAX has ranked EVA as a 5-Star Airline two years in a row and recognized it for Best Business Class Comfort Amenities and World’s Cleanest Aircraft Cabins. Based on evaluations by the Jet
Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC), EVA has been consistently recognized among the world’s safest airlines and as one of the World’s Top 20 Safest Airlines by AirlineRatings.com. EVA holds safety as its top priority. All the 2018 Travelers’ Choice award-winning airlines are listed at www.tripadvisor.com/ TravelersChoice-Airlines. About EVA Air EVA Air, a Star Alliance member and one of 10 SKYTRAX-rated 5-Star Airlines worldwide, was established in 1989 as Taiwan’s first privately owned international airline. It is part of the respected Evergreen Group and a sister company to global containershipping leader Evergreen Line. It flies a fleet of more than 70 Boeing and Airbus aircraft to more than 60 international destinations throughout Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America where gateways are Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. With just one easy stop in Taipei, travelers can connect onward to every major city in Asia, including 17 destinations in China. Travelers can learn more about EVA and book, buy and reserve seats at www.evaair.com. (Advertising Supplement)
Food medicine • Insomnia - Onion, cabbage, celery, avocado, onion, apple, banana • Hemorrhoids - Prunes, date, beans, eggplant, plum, sweet potato. • Nausea - Pineapple, papaya • High cholesterol - Garlic, soybean (tofu), red wine, grapefruit, tomato, apple, eggplant, corn, cabbage, peas, beans, green leafy vegetables, high fiber cereals, malunggay • Indigestion - Plum, papaya, pineapple, banana, apple, grapefruit, cucumber, peach • Sinusitis - Onion, hot pepper, tomato • Gastric ulcer - Pumpkin, rice, avocado, banana, date, okra, peach • Hypertension - Bamboo shoots, guava, pear, tangerine, squash, cherries, jackfruit, peach, celery, orange, malunggay • Impotence - Pumpkin seeds, avocado, seaweeds, date, oyster, hot pepper • To lose weight - All variety of fruits and juices, like grapefruit, orange, apple, pineapple, radish, tomato, lettuce, especially when eaten as a substitute for red meat and carbohydrates. • Cancer - For prevention, high fiber, low cholesterol diet (fish), plus frequent intake of processed tomato (ketchup, tomato paste), asparagus, broccoli, apricot, strawberry, cherries, mustard green, okra, apple, carrots, papaya, prunes, spinach, peach, pumpkin, watermelon, green leafy vegetables, all berries. • Heart attack - Just like for cancer prevention, high fiber and low cholesterol diet, plus a lot of fruits, berries, and vegetables like malunggay. • Stroke - The same antioxidants as above for prevention • Cuts and burns - Sesame seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil • Dry scalp, skin - Coconut oil, papaya, avocado, sesame seed oil • Constipation - Papaya, prunes, green leafy vegetables, peanuts • Diarrhea - Bananas, apples • Dizziness - Onion; ginger for motion sickness • Gallstones - Soybean, radish, tomato, apricot • Headache - Beets, cabbage, apple, asparagus, malunggay • Cuts, stings - Papaya local application
• Depression - Banana, chocolates • Diabetes - Ampalaya vegetable helps lower blood sugar a little only, not effective as treatment. These are only a few sample conditions where foods have been taken not only for their fundamental nutritive and caloric value but for their alleged medicinal effects. We want to emphasize that these food items are not substitutes for prescription medications. As a general rule, one should never stop taking prescription drugs without consulting with a physician. Unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol, and lack of exercise are the four most important, if not the most notorious, killers of man and the reason why in today’s world we have catastrophic numbers of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, depression, infertility, male erectile dysfunction, and degenerative diseases like arthritis, gout, osteoporosis, etc. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to the epidemic of these ailments, but food, even more than heredity, plays a very significant role in the causation of diseases. What we eat, how much we eat, what we do not eat, how we take care of ourselves, or how we abuse our body, determine, to a great extent, how healthy or unhealthy we are, our quality of life, and our longevity. In the book, “Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children,” I highlighted the significance of a proactive and preemptive approach to healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, starting early at the cellular (DNATelomere) level to effectively ward off major diseases we currently consider normal and expected as we age. Our children and the future generation do not have to have these “ailments of aging” afflicting most of us today, if we protect the integrity of their DNA starting from the womb and begin healthy dieting in the crib. (www. philipSchua.com) The United States Congress and the Food and Drug Administration are now putting the screws on the so-called “food supplements, alternative medications, herbal and Continued on Page 7
April 13-19, 2018 www.asianjournal.com
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Providence Little Company of Mary unveiled tower signs named for Donald & Priscilla Hunt in honor of record $20 million gift Enhancements to the Del Vicario Cardiovascular Center of Excellence will improve South Bay cardiac care
TORRANCE, CA – Mayor Pro-Tempore Geoff Rizzo, hospital administration and foundation members gathered for the Donald and Priscilla Hunt Family to unveil signage announcing the Donald & Priscilla Hunt Tower at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance. The Hunts’ record-setting gift enables the completion of advanced cardiovascular facilities and programs which benefit patients through the south bay community. Three signs, one at the main entrance to the hospital’s former Heritage Tower, were placed to honor the Family’s $20 million gift to the Del Vicario Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. Torrance Mayor Pro-Tempore Geoff Rizzo, offered thanks and praise for the Hunt Family’s philanthropic generosity. “I am very pleased to join with so many other community leaders
in Torrance to honor and thank Priscilla Hunt and her family for their extraordinary contribution to community health care,” said Mayor Pro-Tempore Rizzo. “Our community is a beacon of opportunity and achievement precisely because we have dedicated community members working with partners like Providence Little Company of Mary to ensure the well-being of our residents and businesses.” The Hunt Family’s gift is the largest single gift that Providence Little Company of Mary has received in its 58-year history. “This is a transformational gift for this ministry that allows us to advance and broaden our cardiovascular program in ways that will benefit the South Bay for another generation,” said Mary Kingston, chief executive, South Bay Community. “I extend heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the Hunt Family’s
generosity, and their compassion for our community.” Current and planned enhancements at the hospital include a Electrophysiology Lab, three new Catheterization Rooms, a Hybrid Operating Suite, an expansion of the Angiography Recovery Unit and $10 million of new equipment and technology throughout the Del Vicario Cardiovascular Center of Excellence. “I’m very proud of being involved with the cardiovascular center of excellence with Providence Little Company of Mary, said Priscilla Hunt. “My family and I are grateful to have the chance to honor my husband’s legacy with such an important contribution to our community’s well-being.” Trustees of the Providence Little Company of Mary Foundation approved the campaign in 2014 with the hope
that all members of the south bay community, especially the poor and the vulnerable, would benefit from continued access to worldclass cardiovascular care. “Providence Little Company of Mary is a community hospital that relies on the generosity and support of its friends and neighbors. We partner to invest in our facilities, programs and caregivers so we remain on the forefront of advancements in health care,” added Mark Paullin, chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees. “Extraordinary gifts such as this one from the Hunt Family deserve our highest level of gratitude, and serve as an inspiration to so many others who share a love for the South Bay.” Before the formal unveiling at dusk, guests joined Priscilla’s son, Ralph Moore, in singing happy birthday to her. The occasion of her birthday included a striking
birthday cake in the form of a three-dimensional replica of the new Hunt Tower. About Providence Health & Services: Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic not-for-profit, mission-driven healthcare system. Providence Southern California operates six award-winning hospitals and a comprehensive, fully-integrated network of primary care clinics, urgent care centers, home care, TrinityCare and TrinityKids Care hospice as well as Providence High School. Providence is anchored locally by Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in
Burbank, Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Providence Tarzana Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. With more than 3,400 physicians, Providence provides coordinated primary and specialty care through an array of physician groups and individual providers including Providence Medical Institute and physician groups in the South Bay, the West Valley and Santa Clarita. Providence affiliate, Facey Medical Group, provides primary and specialized care in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys. For more information, visit California. Providence.org. (Advertising Supplement)
Alden Richards earns NY fest nod Amusing revelations about Maymay for playing a martial law activist by Boy
aBunda Philstar.com
by Tessa Mauricio-arriola ManilaTimes.net
GMA Network proudly shared with The Manila Times that Alden Richards’“Alaala: A Martial Law Special” documentary drama had just won a silver award at the 2018 New York Festivals held on Tuesday, April 10. The awards night, mounted this year in Las Vegas Nevada, saw the network’s prized star receiving the trophy for the Docu-drama category where he portrayed the role of Martial Law activist and awardwinning screenwriter Bonifacio Ilagan, who was a human rights victim during the dark period in Philippine modern history. The trueto-life drama, whose production closely involved Ilagan himself, was aired in September 2017 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of President Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law. On his official Instagram account @aldenrichards02 the actor said, “Thank you to the New York Festivals for this great recognition. Congratulations to Team Alala for the win! To God be the glory! #humbled” Richards has been traveling around the U.S. and Canada since early April as part of the “Sikat Ka, Kapuso” ensemble of stars with Dingdong Dantes, Dennis Trillo, Jennylyn Mercado, Lovi Poe and Betong Sumaya, to perform for Filipino communities in New Jersey and Toronto.
Moreover, in an emailed statement, the network further said, “GMA Network has another record in Philippine broadcast history, this time bringing home eight medals and four finalist certificates at the 2018 New York Festivals World’s Best TV and Films Competition.” “Reel Time” won top honors and will bring home a gold medal in the Health/Medical Information category for “Hawla (The Untold Story of the Village Monster)”. Hawla featured the story of Nene who had been kept in a cage all her life because of a psychological condition. Another documentary under Reel Time further won a silver medal, namely the episode “Gutom (Starved)” about a two-year-old boy named Roel, who, because of extreme malnourishment, could not walk, much less crawl at his age. Gutom garnered a prize in the Human Concerns category, with Mark Anthony Norella directing the pieces, as well as Hawla. Marking another first for Philippine broadcasting at the festival is GMA News pillar Jessica Soho who won the bronze medal in the Best News Anchor category. Soho is the first and only Filipino broadcast journalist to date, who made it to the list. The rest of GMA Network’s haul of awards was: a bronze medal for the “Front Row” episode “Batang Bomba” in the Best Public Affairs
GMA gives the Philippines its biggest medal haul to date at the New York Festivals, represented by Mark Norella, executive producer for Reel Time: ‘Hawla’ and ‘Gutom’; Neil Gumban, SAVP for Public Affairs; Regie Bautista, FVP for GMA Program Support Department and Corporate Strategic Planning; Ian Simbulan, executive producer for ‘Reporter’s Notebook’; Maki Pulido, host, ‘Reporter’s Notebook’; Jessica Soho, anchor, ‘State of the Nation with Jessica Soho’ and host, ‘Brigada’; Alden Richards, lead actor, ‘Alaala’; Joy Madrigal, program manager, ‘Alaala’ and ‘Brigada;’ Raffy Tima, reporter, ‘Brigada;’ and Justin Baluyot, researcher for Reel ‘Time: Gutom’
The good book on... From Page 6 says: “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Well this one isn’t in the Bible but it might very well be. A similar quotation from the Book of Proverbs bears reiterating: “The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps.” In a word, “THINK.” The fictional character Gordon Gecko in the film “Wall Street”
asserted that to be rich, “Greed is good.” Not so, said the Bible… Jesus was clear on the subject. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Life is a journey and the heavier the luggage, the shorter the distance covered. Though that’s the physical explanation of energy required to carry the
Alden Richards is a winner for portraying Martial Law activist Bonifacio Ilagan in the international TV and film competition. Photos courtesy of Steven Lam
Program category; a bronze for the “Reporter’s Notebook” episode Yapak sa Pusod ng Dagat” by Maki Pulido in the Community Portraits category; a bronze in Current Affairs for the “Brigada” report “Combat Camera Team,” detailing the operation of Philippine Army’s Scout Ranger Battalion in Marawi City using combat cameras; a bronze for “EDSA 31st Anniversary Spot” in the Graphic Design: Promotion/Open and IDs category; and finalists certificates for “I-Witness” (one in the Human Concerns category for Kara David’s “Sundalong Aso” and another in the International Affairs category for Atom Araullo’s “Silang Kinalimutan”), for Best Newscast through “State of the Nation’s” coverage titled “Marawi Liberation: War is Over,” and “Kulayan Natinang Summer” in the Art Direction: Promotion/Open and IDs category. According to the New York Festivals website, ABS-CBN also won a gold medal and finalist certificate for the documentary “‘Di Ka Pasisiil” (Coverage of Continuing News Story category and Current Affairs, respectively), a silver medal for “Local Legends: Bandurria” (Cinematography), and a bronze medal for “To Love And To Serve” (Station/ Image Promotion category). Rounding up the Philippines’ wins at the 2018 New York Festivals is a bronze medal for BG Production’s AiAi de las Alas-starrer “Area” for Direction.
It was in 2017 when Maymay Entrata was named the big winner of the ABS-CBN reality show “Pinoy Big Brother (PBB): Lucky 7” and just a year after, she already had a movie, a TV series, a solo concert and an album. In case you are not familiar, her first-ever major solo concert exceeded public expectation that led her to be called as the new Concert Princess. Maymay profusely thanked the people who helped her become what she is today. Her family, particularly her Kuya Vincent, topped her list. “To my brother, I love you very much and thank you so much for supporting me because during those times when life was so hard for me and you knew about the possible forfeiture of my scholarship, you chose to work abroad for my schooling. Now, I would like to give back all the help you have given me,” said Maymay. The 20-yearold Kapamilya talent has been wishing for her brother to come home and continue with his studies. “Gusto ko s’ya paaralin kasi gusto ni kuya na makapagtapos ng pag-aaral.” When asked if she still wanted to go back to school, Maymay replied: “Me, I will study again probably when he graduates, siya naman magpaaral sa akin, hahaha.” On being dubbed as the new Concert Princess, there’s nothing she could utter but words of appreciation and gratitude. “For me, I can’t do this on my own. I’ve reached this far through the people who supported me. I am not a professional, but because of them the concert turned out the best so I want to thank the Hotlegs, the make-up artists, the stylists and to all the people who helped to make my concert a success,” said Maymay. Along with her rosy career is the blooming romance between her and onscreen partner Edward Barber, although Maymay hasn’t confirmed or denied anything
From Page 6
Maymay Entrata
regarding the buzz that their “love affair” goes beyond the cameras. But those who avidly follow Maymay’s career are certain that the MayWard loveteam is for real. The glow in Maymay’s aura tells how Edward adds color and joy to her life in spite of heavy workload. “We’ve become closer,” she revealed. “Nag-I love youhan na kami? I love you as a friend, hahaha. I love you all.” Another source of Maymay’s happiness is her friendship with Kisses Delavin. The two became close inside the PBB house and up to now, they are bestfriends. Maymay said that their bond is stronger than before after surpassing every challenge that could tear them apart. “Our friendship has turned out beautiful despite the challenges, boring kung walang pagsubok at ito ‘yung nawalan kami ng oras, naging busy kami pareho.” Kisses also had her solo concert at the Kia Theatre last February. In the Legit or Lie? portion of “Tonight With Boy Abunda,” Maymay revealed that she falls asleep while her makeup artist works on her face and
ABS-CBN photo
added, “May panaginip pa nga ako.” Here are other amusing revelations from Maymay in Legit or Lie?: Legit or Lie? Maymay is talking to herself in front of the mirror. “Legit.” (And what she usually tells herself?) “Baliw, baliw, baliw.” Legit or Lie? Maymay hurts people when she’s angry. “Lie. I am a crybaby. I just let out my anger through crying and then I feel okay after.” It was Maymay’s mother who first dreamed to be an actress. Legit or Lie? “Legit. My Mama and my aunt had once been talents here in Manila. But they chose to work abroad kasi nandun yung opportunity talaga.” Tinatanggal ni Edward ang balakubak ni Maymay? Legit or Lie? “Legit. I have no more dandruff thanks to Edward’s help.” Nagsasabihan na sina Edward at Maymay ng “I love you.” Legit or Lie? “I love you as a friend, hahaha. Legit.”
Food medicine
homeopathic therapies,” all of which make up for a flourishing 30 Billion US Dollar industry annually. luggage weighed down by gravity The medical and lay community as we travel, it has some bearings in the United States are now about a spiritual journey towards (finally!) realizing that majority of eternal life. Getting far too the so called “food supplements” attached to material wealth and with purported therapeutic all its trappings makes one lose his values are nothing more than focus of the journey’s goal. a money making scheme that *** victimizes hundred of millions of Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is unsuspecting people around the SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To world. send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ I sincerely hope that President asianjournalinc.com
Rodrigo R. Duterte and our legislators in the Philippines will follow suit to safeguard our people and our country from the unscrupulous domestic or foreign manufacturers, moneyhungry distributors and dealers of falsehood, who, by malicious design, have been preying on the ignorant and trusting public long enough. Our government and lawmakers should promulgate new legislations, if needed, and enforce all pertinent laws without delay, to protect the Filipinos by
putting an end to these malignant merchants of deception and fraud. *** 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 – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com
April 13-19, 2018 www.asianjournal.com
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