042719 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition by Asian Journal Community Newspapers

A April 27-30, 2019 • lA WEEKEND ASiAN JOUrNAl

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

Death toll from Luzon quake rises...

PAGE A1 t families or 3,381 persons were now inside evacuation centers, and 951 families or 4,756 persons were outside the temporary shelters. The NDRRMC said 1,230 houses in Bataan and Pampanga provinces were damaged by the tremblor, of which 156 were totally damaged and 1,074 were

partly damaged. It added that in Central Luzon and Metro Manila (National Capital Region), 138 structures were damaged. Also on Friday, the “moderate” magnitude 5 and two “light” magnitude 4 earthquakes that rocked Surigao del Norte, Ilocos Norte and Leyte were unrelated to the back-to-back magnitude

6.1 and 6.5 temblors in Castillejos, Zambales and San Julian, Eastern Samar on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. A tectonic magnitude 5.3 quake was recorded 71 kilometers southeast of General Luna, Surigao del Norte, in southern Mindanao, with a depth of 9 kilometers at 1:26 p.m. Magnitude 2 was felt in Surigao City. Magnitude 5, the highest, was recorded at 2:04 p.m. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake was recorded 7 kilometers southwest of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte at 3 a.m. It was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 10 kilometers. Magnitudes 4 and 3 were felt in San Nicolas and Sarrat town, respectively. Another tectonic earthquake of magnitude 4.0 was recorded also 7 kilometers northeast of Albuera, Leyte at 10:44 a.m. It had a depth of 2 kilometers. Magnitude 3 was felt in Ormoc City. “Earthquakes occur every day. That is a trend even though we felt strong earthquakes recently. There are fault lines across the Philippines so earthquakes usually occur,” Phivolcs project assistant Jun Tanganan said, adding that there was a usual avu PAGE A3

VISIT TO QUAKE-STRICKEN PAMPANGA. President Rodrigo R. Duterte conducts an inspection of earthquake-affected areas in Porac, Pampanga on Tuesday, April 23. Accompanying the President are House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.

Duterte, Xi reaffirm...

PAGE A1 t a “genuine friend” and “trusted partner.” Hard sales push Xi was leading China’s hard sales push at the summit to corral more countries into the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure project at the core of his country’s ambitions and win over those who see a strategic

threat. The Belt and Road Initiative envisages massive investments in maritime, road and rail projects across 65 countries from Asia to Europe and Africa that collectively account for 30 percent of global gross domestic product. If fully realized, it could shape the world economic and geopolitical landscape for decades to come. Duterte, on his fourth visit to China, said he wanted “high quality” and “good impact” projects for the Philippines under the initiative. That should be no problem because the Philippines, according to Xi, is an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which he noted is similar to Duterte’s own infrastructure program. Maritime dispute The two leaders’ fourth meeting came as tensions between their countries rose, with the Philippines protesting China’s deployment of maritime militias around Philippine-occupied Pagasa (Thitu) Island in the Spratly archipelago and the harvesting by Chinese fishermen of protected giant clams in the West Philippine Sea, waters within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

But neither Duterte nor Xi mentioned the dispute in their opening statements. Their discussions were closed to the press. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters later that Mr. Duterte raised the dispute with Xi during their meeting and that the two leaders agreed on joint management of the maritime row by the two countries, discussing issues through negotiations without affecting their alliance and cooperation. In his speech, Duterte said the Philippines and China “must continue to work together to explore new areas of cooperation and partnership.” China anniversary He said Xi’s visit to Manila in November last year marked a “watershed moment” in the two countries’ relations. “The decision to elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperation affirms the Philippines and China’s strong desire to further deepen and broaden this engagement,” he said. Duterte also greeted China on its 70th founding anniversary, congratulating the emerging superpower for its economic achievements. (With reports from AFP)

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

DATELINE USA

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

Philippines out of US piracy list for 6th year by LOUELLA

DESIDERIO Philstar.com

COMELEC CHECKPOINT. Quezon City Police District personnel, in coordination with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), conduct a checkpoint along Kalayaan Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday, April 25. Comelec checkpoints are set up to implement the poll body’s gun ban and enforce stricter security during the midterm election period. PNA photo by Joey Razon

Philippines among most stressed... PAGE A1 t (52%). Most emotional country The Philippines, along with three other countries, also topped the list of most emotional nations last year, according to the same report. This, after six in 10 Filipinos said they had experienced positive or negative emotions a day before the poll was conducted. The Philippines, along with Niger, Ecuador and Liberia, had 60% average “yes” responses to all questions. They were followed by Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Peru (59%), and Nicaragua, Honduras, Sri Lanka, Guatemala (58%). Last year, the Philippines was the most emotional country in Asia and the fourth in the world with 58% average “yes” responses to all questions. The report also found that more than one in three people said they experienced a lot of worry (39%) and at least one in five experienced sadness (24%)

This photo shows a ﬁsh vendor.

or anger (22%). Chad was the most negative country in the world with a score of 54, followed by regional neighbors Niger and Sierra Leone. Latin American countries such as Paraguay and Panama (85), Guatemala and Mexico (84) and El Salvador (83) dominated the list of countries with positive experiences.

Philstar.com photo

Survey results were based on telephone and face-toface interviews with approximately 1,000 adults conducted throughout 2018 in 143 countries for the Positive Experience Index and 142 countries for the Negative Experience Index. The margin of sampling error ranged from ±2.1 to ±5.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. ■

erage of 20 earthquakes per day of low magnitudes. Eight “light” earthquakes of magnitudes 4 and above were recorded by Phivolcs in the last few days.

As of 8 a.m. also on Friday, Phivolcs recorded 741 aftershocks from the Zambales and Eastern Samar earthquakes, 102 plotted or confirmed by more instruments and 10 felt by people.

Maria Ressa at Time 100 Gala...

PAGE A1 believe that the only way to build is with hope, it’s with inspiration, it is — it’s with love. We will hold the line powered with the best of human nature. Please, let’s toast to freedom,” Ressa ended in her speech. In the magazine entry of Ressa’s influence, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrote, “When I presented her with the National Democratic Institute’s highest honor in 2017, she spoke of the hard work and courage of her colleagues at Rappler: ‘We are journalists, and we will not be intimidated. We will shine the light. We will hold the Strengths were observed to be line.’ That is precisely what she has done.” from magnitude 1.4 to 4.5. The magazine also named Ressa among the group of global journalEastern Samar continued to ists, who are fighting to spread truth, for “Person of the Year in 2018.” register fewer aftershocks. The gala on Tuesday was attended by some of the world’s game Tanganan said the aftershocks changers across various industries, such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Gayle are fading out but they might still King, Taylor Swift, Dwayne Johnson, Sandra Oh, Hasan Minhaj, and last up to several weeks. ■ Emilia Clarke. ■

Death toll from Luzon quake rises... PAGE A2 t

FOR the sixth year, the Philippines has been kept out of the U.S. government’s list of countries with problems on intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement. While the Philippines remained off the list, the U.S. government said the country would need to address the issue of government use of unlicensed software. Speaking at the IP Convergence 2019 Forum on Friday, April 26, IP Office of the Philippines director general Josephine Santiago said the country remained out of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) 2019 Special 301 Report. Released annually, the Special 301 Report identifies countries where IP protection and enforcement is weak and where U.S. individuals relying on IP protection encounter difficulty in fair and equitable market access. The Philippines has consistently remained out of the report since 2014. “It is but fitting that we’ve gotten this news as we’re capping off April as the National IPR month. This recognition signifies our IP system is headed in the right direction. While this is very welcome news, much work still needs to be done on strengthening the IP system as a whole, not just in enforcement. We won’t be resting on our laurels, it is a continuing challenge to develop a culture of respect for intellectual property,” Santiago said. For the 2019 Special 301 Report, the Philippine government through the IPOPHL submitted comments to the USTR last February. In its comments, the IPOPHL reported gains in IPR protection, promotion and enforcement such as the renewed memorandum of

understanding with the United Kingdom IP Office to strengthen IP enforcement; continued workshops and projects with the European IP Office on IP enforcement capacity building; and legislative amendments being pushed to the IP Code which include higher penalties and longer imprisonment period for IP infringement, and the authority of the IPOPHL director general to block access to websites or take down infringing materials and articles posted online. Even as the Philippines was kept out of the Special 301 Report’s watch list, the U.S. government said further work is needed in terms of addressing government use of unlicensed software. Apart from the Philippines, other countries which need to address the use by government agencies of unlicensed software are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam. “The U.S. urges trading partners to adopt and implement effective and transparent procedures to ensure legitimate governmental use of software,” the USTR said. In response, Santiago said the IPOPHL would meet with the relevant government agencies to discuss how to address the issue. “Definitely, it is also our position that the government should be an example to all sectors of the society. That is, of course, with the hope of necessary budget for procurement of necessary licensed software we need within the year. So, hopefully by next year, if there are still issues on their IT (information technology) system within the office, they could be able to address this and solve what is really the appropri-

ate way for us, but to use licensed software,” she said. She said using unlicensed software poses risks to the different agencies’ data. “It’s really dangerous for the information, the data that they have especially when it is the government having all those information that you have. Security is at the lowest. IPOPHL would really like to promote the use of licensed software by all sectors of society,” she said. A study conducted by International Data Corp. and commissioned by the Software Alliance or BSA showed the Philippines’ unlicensed software usage rate was at 64 percent in 2017, higher than Asia Pacific’s average of 57 percent. ■

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY IFB NO. PO783-19 PROVISION OF WOOD TIES The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) is seeking Bids for the provision of wood ties. The maximum dollar value for the contract will be for a total not-to-exceed amount of $10,000,000.00.

Bid documents may be obtained via download by visiting SCRRA’s website at http://www. metrolinktrains.com/agency/ page/title/doing business. Vendors must register for no fee on the website in order to download the documents. There will be no pre-bid conference for these bids. Only electronic bids will be accepted. The contracts to be awarded will be funded in part by grants under the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration and is subject to a DBE Participation Goal of 3%. For further information contact: Carlos Garcia, Contract and Compliance Administrator at 213.452.0479 or email GarciaC@scrra.net. 4/27/19 CNS-3246431# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

A April 27-30, 2019 • lA WEEKEND ASiAN JOUrNAl

GDP seen doubling by 2026 as... PAGE A1 t

“The Philippines is forecast to become one of Asia’s trilliondollar economies by 2032, with per capita GDP reaching around $8,200. Over the next decade, sustained rapid economic development will result in a significant reduction in poverty levels and accelerate progress towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” the report said. The domestic economy is now powered by several growth

engines such as the sustained strength of remittance inflows from Filipino workers abroad which is helping boost consumption spending. Rapid growth of service exports, notably from the IT-BPO sector, is now contributing to export earnings and employment growth. Despite external headwinds, the electronics industry remains the largest merchandise export sector. The government’s ambitious

Dateline USa

infrastructure development program is also supporting the economic growth momentum. With per capita growth having shown rapid growth since 2010, the number of middle class households have expanded, driving consumption spending. IHS Markit said by 2022, per capita GDP in the country is expected to exceed $4,000, pushing it into the ranks of upper middle-income developing countries, according to World Bank standards. When this happens, this will give the economy an enormous spending power that will support major industries in the country. “The Philippines is also one of the most populous countries in Southeast Asia, and as per capita GDP levels rise above the upper middle-income threshold, this will create an increasingly substantial consumer market that will support the growth of the nation’s manufacturing, services and construction industries,” the report said. At this point, IHS Markit urged the country to immediately address hindrances to growth such as weak infrastructure and its uncompetitive business climate. “Significant challenges remain to the nation’s economic development, including weak infrastructure and a relatively uncompetitive business climate compared to other East Asian peers,” the report said. “A key priority will be to make the Philippines more competitive as an investment hub for multinationals, in order to boost exports of goods and services and narrow the trade deficit,” it added. On the socioeconomic level, high levels of poverty in the country particularly in the rural regions is making a large number of the population vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks. “Despite the significant progress in achieving higher living standards during the past decade, one of the key economic development challenges facing the Philippines is the high level of poverty, particularly in rural regions,” IHS Markit said. “The vulnerability of the population to natural disasters is also high, due to the frequent incidence of destructive typhoons that devastate agricultural crops, as well as the nation’s vulnerability to earthquakes. Manila is located in an area near two major seismic fault lines,” it added. n

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

DRY LAND. A woman walks on a parched rice field in Cavite. The state weather bureau said 41 provinces had been hit by drought this month even if the El Niño had weakened. In its latest report, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the 41 provinces representing 49 percent of the country had experienced drought based on data gathered until April 21. ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina

Filipina in San Bruno, Calif. nabbed for human trafficking

SAN BRUNO, California – A Filipina was arrested Wednesday, April 24 on suspicion of human trafficking. Her husband is also a suspect but is still at large, San Bruno police said. Maria Delosreyes, 45, and her husband, Ricardo Delosreyes, 55, allegedly promised a job and a better life to a young woman in the Philippines if she moved to their home in San Bruno. The couple allegedly threatened the 20-year-old victim with deportation and forced her to work 14 to 17 hours a day, seven days a week for almost no pay, police said. She was allegedly made to sleep on the floor and was not allowed to eat with the family. The victim took care of the couple’s mentally disabled child and also did janitorial work for a dental business owned by one of their friends, according to a Daily Journal report.

San Bruno Police arrested Maria Delosreyes on suspicion of human trafficking.

The Delosreyeses were reported to police in 2016, but they left the U.S. Police recently found out that Maria Delosreyes had returned to San Bruno and arrested her, according to KRON4. Her husband is believed to be in the Philippines and remains at large.

Ricardo Delosreyes, Maria’s husband, is still at large and could be in the Philippines. Photos courtesy of. San Bruno Police

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the San Bruno Police Department at (650) 616-7100 or by email at sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov. Information can be left anonymously. (Inquirer. net)

Newsom: California leads on prescription drugs by Samantha

Young Kaiser Health News

CAlIFORNIA regularly portrays itself as a national trendsetter on political issues, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is claiming that title on prescription drugs. Newsom has a plan to take on the drug industry, and at an April 17 news conference in Southern California, he declared that two other governors already want to join his effort. “California is leading the nation in holding drug companies accountable and fighting prescription drug prices,” Newsom said via a press release that day, marking his 100th full day in office. There’s no question the Democratic governor is aggressively taking on the pharmaceutical industry — vowing to leverage his state’s purchasing power to extract lower prices, and bluntly telling drugmakers that taxpayers are tired of being “screwed.” But Newsom’s claim that California leads the nation on this issue prompted us to ask: Is that really the case? What is Newsom doing about prescription drugs? Newsom marked his first day in office, Jan. 7, with a direct message to the pharmaceutical industry: The nation’s most populous state is fed up with the meteoric rise in prescription drug prices. He signed an executive order directing the state to negotiate drug prices for the roughly 13 million enrollees of Medi-Cal, the country’s largest Medicaid

program that serves low-income residents, by 2021. And he ordered his administration to study how state agencies could band together and buy prescription drugs in bulk. With the state buying drugs for all Medi-Cal enrollees and state entities, Newsom argues that California will leverage its purchasing power as the thirdlargest buyer in the country to demand lower prices from drugmakers. Eventually, Newsom envisions private purchasers — including small businesses, health plans and self-insured Californians — taking part. Newsom has said several times he hopes this collaboration can be a model for the rest of the country. Newsom traveled to Downey, Calif., last week to announce that los Angeles County would join California’s bulk purchasing pool, a move intended to show that others are eager to join his initiative. How do California’s efforts on prescription drugs compare with those of other states? We interviewed five health care experts who commended Newsom for his focus on prescription drugs, but each noted that he is not the only lawmaker tackling the issue. “Is California a leader? Yes. Is it the leader?” asked Edwin Park, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families. “That’s not doing an assessment of what all the other states are doing.” A number of states in recent

years have enacted laws to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, the so-called middlemen who negotiate with drugmakers; impose drug price transparency rules; outlaw “gag clauses” that prevent pharmacists from telling consumers about cheaper drug alternatives; and authorize the importation of drugs from Canada. At least 28 states and the District of Columbia already participate in multistate purchasing pools — joining forces to get bigger discounts for their Medicaid programs or state employees. The Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium, formed by Oregon and Washington in 2006, invites state and local government agencies, businesses, labor unions and uninsured consumers to voluntarily pool their purchasing power. Roughly 1.1 million people are represented by the consortium, either as individuals or through public and private entities such as the Washington State Department of Corrections, Washington’s Medicaid program and SAIF Corp. “Other states are actively looking at us as a partner,” said Trevor Douglass, director of the Oregon Prescription Drug Program. Earlier this month, Maryland lawmakers passed legislation that would create the nation’s first prescription drug affordability board, which, if signed by Republican Gov. larry Hogan, would let the state cap certain drug prices. PAGE A5

A April 27-30, 2019 • lA WEEKEND ASiAN JOUrNAl

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

D ateline PhiliPPines Filipino gets bronze in Swiss competition for ‘potable’ water invention by Bernadette

tamayo ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday, April 26, said a Filipino inventor won in an international competition in Geneva, Switzerland for a device that could instantly make water “potable” whether sourced from rivers and deep wells. The DFA also said that a tech startup that matched Filipino women jobseekers with global entrepreneurs also received international recognition in Geneva. Rodrigo Duque was awarded the Bronze prize on April 12 by the organizers of the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions, held in Geneva from April 10 to 14. He created a portable water treatment device that could be used to provide safe drinking v

water to communities, especially when access to potable water would become difficult such as in disaster situations. Permanent Representative to the Untied Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Evan Garcia, hailed the awards, stressing that Filipino ingenuity continues to provide solutions to both global and local challenges. “Mr. Duque’s invention, which is able to remove contaminants and sterilize water in large amounts through an easily-transportable device protected by a fiber-reinforced case, received acclaim for its practical application during calamities when potable water supply becomes limited or compromised,” he said. The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has been helping Duque to further develop his product, which is

now ready for market production. Meanwhile, Connected Women was recognized as a Champion for e-Employment by the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) Forum in Geneva from April 8 to 12. The social impact start-up developed a platform that used algorithms to make a precise match between Filipino women interested in engaging in remote work and global entrepreneurs in need of virtual assistance. “The Philippine government continues to encourage, support, and partner with creative minds and socially aware risk-takers to help ensure that today’s fastchanging technology is able to present concrete and accessible solutions to old and new challenges, solutions that positively affect the everyday lives of Filipinos,” Garcia said. n

LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN SERVING MY FELLOW KABABAYANS FOR OVER 17 YEARS

CIVIL AND PERSONAL INJURY LITIGATION • Breach of Contract and Fraud • Auto and Other Injury accidents

IMMIGRATION

• Family and employment based green cards • Business and Investor Visas • Deportation defense • Motions to Reopen • Appeals • Humanitarian Reinstatement of revoked petition • Naturalization • H-1B and student visas

FAMILY LAW • Divorce/Separation/Nullity • Property Division • Spousal Support • Child Custody and Support • Restraining Orders

CALL TODAY FOR A CONSULTATION 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, California 90010

323-639-0277

Email: info@dtanlaw.com • Website: www.dtanlaw.com

Darrick V. Tan, Esq. Licensed in California for over 17 years Licensed in Nevada for over 12 years* UCLA, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science with Cum Laude honors Southwestern University Law School, Juris Doctor Admitted to U.S. District Court, Central District of California Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association Member, Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles Former Member, Board of Governors, Philippine American Bar Association *Inactive

CHOPPER DOWN. A private helicopter owned by businessman Liberato Laus, 65, crashed in a fish pond in Malolos, Bulacan on Thursday, April 25, killing him and pilot Edil Colonel. ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez

DFA monitoring probe on murder of 3 Filipinas in Cyprus THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Athens, is monitoring the investigation on the murder of three Filipinas in Cyprus. The DFA also extended its condolences to the families of the victims, whose identities it could not divulge as of posting time out of respect for their families. The three Filipinas—one of whom was with her daughter– were reported missing between 2017 and 2018, and authori-

ties initially thought that they disappeared for other reasons and had not been victims of a violent crime. The victims’ bodies were found in an abandoned mine in Mitsero earlier this April. The self-confessed suspect, a Cypriot and member of the National Guard, met the Filipinas through a dating website. DFA Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Fernandez, in a statement, said, “The child’s remains have not yet been found. It is

hoped that the investigation would bring the perpetrator to justice.” Chargé d’Affaires Judy Barbara Robianes said the embassy has reported the cases of the missing Filipinas to Cypriot authorities and have continuously followed up with them on those cases. Embassy representatives are now in Cyprus to meet with authorities and provide further assistance. (Bernadette Tamayo/ ManilaTimes.net)

DOT: PH tourist destinations coming forward to express interest in rehabilitation by Christia

marie Inquirer.net

ramos

MANILA — Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said on Friday, April 26, many famous tourist destinations in the country are coming forward to express interest in rehabilitation. “There are also a lot of other tourist destination na gusto nilang, i-rehabilitate sila, sila na mismo (they want rehabilitation),” Romulo-Puyat said in an interview with DZMM. The tourism chief cited Siargao andCoron, Palawan as among those who are very particular with the environment and wants rehabilitation. “Sa Sagada, there was a time yung maraming campers, di ka na makaikot ng Sagada. Yung mayor mismo dun, nag-text sa amin, yung text niya: Sagad na ang Sagada (In Sagada, there was a time there were a lot of campers; you can’t go around. The mayor sent us a text message saying Sagada has problems).”

This comes a year after the government closed Boracay Island to tourists for rehabilitation when President Rodrigo Duterte said the famous tourist destination was like a “cesspool” amid various environmental problems hounding the island. The government said that after rehabilitating Boracay, it will be looking into other tourist destinations as well. The tourism chief said last November she visited Panglao in Bohol and El Nido in Palawan with Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. “We gave them (local government) six months,” RomuloPuyat said. “But sa tingin ko naman, nakita naman na na-close yung Boracay, sana naman, nakita naman nila yung nangyari sa Boracay, matauhan (But I think they saw what happened to Boracay. It should serve as a warning),” she added. Drainage system in Boracay

Romulo-Puyat noted that the drainage system for the whole island is expected to be completed by December this year. “Yung aming goal na matapos yung drainage system ng buong Boracay is December of this year…we needed one year and six months and hindi ko pinamadali, so far we are on track (That is our goal, to finish the drainage system in Boracay by December this year. We needed one year and six months and we didn’t rush it. So far, we are on track),” she said. First anniversary of Boracay closure The tourism secretary said she is pleased with the compliance of establishments in Boracay with the 25+5-meter beachfront easement imposed by the government. However, she noted that three establishments that failed to comply with the easement had started to demolish their structures. n

Drought to hit Metro Manila, 16 provinces in May by rhodina

VillanueVa Philstar.com

MANILA — More provinces as well as Metro Manila are expected to experience drought next month due to a weak but prolonged El Niño, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) announced. PAGASA said those to be affected by drought are Bataan, Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon and Metro Manila. In Visayas, the provinces of Aklan, Biliran, Eastern, Northern and Western Samar and Leyte will be affected by drought. The state weather bureau said Bohol, Cebu and Southern Leyte would experience dry spell. PAGASA said 41 provinces are currently experiencing drought. Drought, which is a severe dry condition, is defined as three consecutive months of way below normal (60 percent reduction from average) or five consecutive months of below normal (21 to 60 percent reduction from average) rainfall condition. A dry spell is described by PAGASA as three consecutive months of below normal (21 to 60 percent reduction from average) rainfall condition or two consecutive months of way below normal (more than 60 percent reduction from average) rainfall condition. Agri damage hits P8-B Damage to the local agriculture sector due to El Niño has reached the P8-billion mark, but the government said this has no significant effect on total national production. Latest data released by the Department of Agriculture showed damage and losses from the weak El Niño have increased to P7.96 billion. This is equivalent to an estimated volume of 268,656 metric

A dry spell is described by PAGASA as three consecutive months of below normal (21 to 60 percent reduction from average) rainfall condition or two consecutive months of way below normal (more than 60 percent reduction from average) rainfall condition. Philstar.com photo

tons and damaged agricultural areas at 277,890 hectares affecting 247,610 farmers and fisherfolk. Affected regions are Cordilleras, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. For rice alone, damage has reached P4.04 billion affecting 144,202 hectares and production volume of 191,761 metric tons. For corn, damage has increased to P3.89 billion affecting 133,007 hectares of lands with volume loss at 254,766 MT. Poe not spared by water shortage Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe was not spared by the water service interruption as she complained she could not take a bath on Thursday morning due to wa-

ter shortage. “Speaking from experience, dito sa lugar ko, alas kwatro ng umaga ay maliligo sana ako pero walang tubig,” she said in a radio interview. Poe, who led a Senate probe on the water shortage as chair of the public services committee, welcomed the sanctions imposed on Manila Water Co. Inc. But she said the P1.13-billion fines on the water concessionaire should not be passed on to consumers. Poe said Manila Water should clarify when it could resolve the problem of water interruption being experienced by its customers. She said it is Manila Water’s responsibility to ensure enough water supply. The senator said the company has assured the public that the Cardona water treatment plant would be 100 percent operational by the end-April to provide additional supply. n

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline PhiliPPines

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 27-30, 2019

Comelec assures funding for overseas voting ballots by Darryl John

esguerra

Inquirer.net

MANILA – The Commission on elections (Comelec) will release funds for the postage fees of official ballots pending delivery to Filipinos abroad for the overseas absentee voting, a Comelec official said on Friday, April 26. In a statement, the poll body’s Director of the Office for Overseas Voting elaiza Sabile-David said the Comelec is the agency responsible in the release of funds as mandated under its memorandum of agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Sabile-David issued the statement after some Filipinos abroad have reportedly yet to receive PNP INNOLAB. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde (5th from left), and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry their official ballots from the dip(PCCI) President, Ma. Alegria Limjoco (6th from left), pose with other PNP and PCCI officials during the inauguration of the PNP ICT InnoLab held at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Tuesday, April 23. The inauguration is in line with the 10th anniversary of the PNP’s Directorate for Information and Communications Technology Management with the theme: “S.M.A.R.T. Policing: Empowering the Police and the Community through Digital Transformation.” PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

‘Ph stand vs Canada trash non-negotiable’ by Catherine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

welcome and unnecessary,” Panelo said. “That it even considered performing such outlandish disposal MALACAñANG on Thursday, of its garbage to an ally is danApril 25, maintained that the gerously disruptive of our bilatPhilippine government’s stand eral relations,” he added. for Canada to take back the trash Duterte, in a situation briefing illegally shipped to the country in Pampanga after the magniwas “non-negotiable.” tude 6.1-quake that hit parts of Palace spokesman Salvador Luzon on Tuesday, threatened to Panelo made the statement as he declare war on Canada if it would warned Canada that it would risk not take its trash back. its decades-old diplomatic ties “I want a boat prepared. I’ll give with the Philippines if it failed a warning to Canada maybe next to recover its garbage from the week that they better pull that country. thing out or I will set sail doon sa “Our stand against its mak- Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo ManilaTimes.net photo Canada, ibuhos ko ‘yang basura ing our country a garbage bin of their waste is non-negotiable. It a view to a timely resolution,” nila doon (in Canada to bring back cannot dilly dally on its getting the Canadian embassy said in a their trash),” Duterte said. “I cannot understand why they them back,” Panelo said in a statement. statement. Panelo said the Palace recog- are making us a dumpsite, and “The 70 years of diplomatic nized Canada’s “quick but vague that is not the only case on point. relations between the two coun- statement” on the issue but not- They keep on dumping their tries will be put to naught if Can- ed that it has not “taken any de- trash on us. Well, not this time. ada will not act with dispatch and cisive action on this arrant hos- I’ll declare a war. We’ll wage a finality the resolution of this un- tile demeanor, it has not likewise war against Canada. We’ll declare war against them, we can diplomatic episode to which we expressed regrets thereto.” take outrage,” he added. “We take note that its response defeat them,” he added. In 2013, the Philippines found On Wednesday, April 24, Can- is not appropriate to the strong ada affirmed its commitment to statement we made against its that Chronic Inc., a private firm work with the Philippine govern- throwing its garbage to our in Ontario, shipped 103 container vans of garbage mislabeled as ment over the garbage problem land,” he said. after President Rodrigo Duterte But the Palace official said “recyclable plastic materials” to threatened to declare war over Canada’s inaction of not taking Manila. The shipment was conthe issue. the trash back six years after it signed to Philippine company “A joint technical working was sent to the Philippine was Chronic Plastics. The Basel Convention prohibgroup, consisting of officials from “offensive.” both countries, is examining the “Its offensive act cannot be its the trade of toxic and hazardfull spectrum of issues related countenanced and any further ous wastes, unless a country conto the removal of the waste with discussion on the matter is un- sents to it. n

Southern California regional rail authority ifb no. Po779-19 ProviSion of ballaSt The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) is seeking Bids for the provision of ballast. The maximum dollar value for the contract will be for a total not-to-exceed amount of $3,000,000.00. Bid documents may be obtained via download by visiting SCRRA’s website at http://www.metrolinktrains.com/agency/page/title/doing business. Vendors must register for no fee on the website in order to download the documents. There will be no pre-bid conference for these bids. Only electronic bids will be accepted. The contracts to be awarded will be funded in part by grants under the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration and is subject to a DBe Participation Goal of 3%. For further information contact: Carlos Garcia, Contract and Compliance Administrator at 213.452.0479 or email GarciaC@ scrra.net. 4/27/19 CNS-3246489# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

lomatic posts in their respective countries due to lack of funds for the postage fees. Postage fee is the amount charged by a governmental postal service to transport letters, packages, and others. In a tweet on Friday, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the commission approved more funds for overseas ballots last Wednesday, April 24. “Comelec en Banc approved additional funds for postage for overseas ballots pursuant to

our MOA with DFA. No worries about (the) delay. We have 17 days until May 13. Ballots are in the posts now,” she said in a separate tweet. In case of insufficiency of funds, Sabile-David said additional funds for postage fees shall be released to Posts subject to compliance of the following documentary requirements under the MOA: - Actual program of expenditures, as certified by the Finance

u PAGE A10

A8 APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

OPINION

Investing in timely response

FEATURES

HUNDREDS of aftershocks and a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that shook Eastern Visayas forced the suspension of rescue operations at the Chuzon Supermarket in Porac, Pampanga. The four-story structure collapsed when a magnitude 6.1 quake shook Central Luzon, Metro Manila and neighboring areas last Monday, April 22. With several more persons still missing, most of them supermarket employees, the search has since resumed, but the teams are now focusing on the retrieval of fatalities. Even retrieval, however, must proceed slowly, not just to prevent bodies from being mangled, but also with the hope, however dim, of finding more survivors. Digging through the rubble of collapsed structures is always complicated. The work becomes more difficult without the necessary equipment. The country saw this in the collapse of the sixstory building of the Christian College of the Philippines in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Luzon in July 1990. Several of the victims died not from being crushed by debris but from dehydration because they could not be pulled out of the collapsed school building on time. There were similar stories at the Hyatt Terraces Hotel in Baguio City, where around 80 employees and guests were buried in the rubble. Despite those tragedies, the lack of equipment

for such emergencies persisted, and became evident once again when Super Typhoon Yolanda flattened Tacloban City and large tracts of Eastern Visayas in November 2013. Emergency rescue operations had to wait a few days for the arrival of Ospreys and other special aircraft deployed by the United States. Many fatalities were never recovered from the rubble of collapsed structures. With seismologists warning of more earthquakes and possibly the Big One measuring more than magnitude 8 in Metro Manila and neighboring areas, the government must invest in more equipment for rescuing people from collapsed concrete structures. A study has warned that about 34,000 people could be crushed or trapped to death in collapsed buildings alone in case the Big One strikes. While the country can count on the international community for help if disaster strikes, timely response is crucial for saving lives. For this, rescue equipment must be on hand for immediate deployment. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

President Trump continues his brazen attempts to obstruct justice even after the Mueller report has been made public

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE is defined by U.S. law as an act that “corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice.” Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not and could not exonerate President Donald Trump of obstruction of justice, and instead laid out [for Congress] at least 10 different ways by which the president tried to obstruct justice. This was based on all the hard evidence and testimonies given, not by Trump’s po-

litical enemies but by his staff and appointees, under oath, in the probe on whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia in its attack against our democracy by interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign. In fact, Mueller said in his report that these attempts failed because his staff did not obey his orders, saving the president from more legal peril. However, the mere attempt to obstruct justice is already against the law as a way of abuse of power, as well as the moral and ethical principles and standards we expect from the President of the United

States -- who is duty bound by the Constitution to respect and follow the rule of law and the fair and administration of justice for all Americans, instead of impeding it. Trump — after exonerating himself from collusion and obstruction of justice based on the Mueller report — now plays the victim role again, criticizing the Mueller report, downplaying the assault of Russia in our democracy and turned the blame to his political opponents. Worse yet, he goes against the U.S. Constitution, by continuing his brazen attempts to obstruct justice in Congress’ probe in its investigation on the alleged abuse of power of the

president, following the oversight mandate accorded to it by the Constitution to make sure no one person or institution in government abuses power. Trump is now desperately trying to stop former White House Counsel Don McGahn from testifying before Congress, calling McGahn a liar in his testimony given to Mueller that Trump ordered him to fire Mueller, among other acts of abuse as president. It is important to note that McGahn is a Counsel of the White House, the Office of the President, and NOT of Donald Trump, and is duty bound to obey the law. McGahn testified under oath

before Mueller for 30 hours and submitted hard evidence, including a contemporaneous memo which detailed his interactions with Trump on the day interactions happened — a practice followed by law enforcement officials for evidentiary purposes. Trump, on the other hand, has been lying to the American people from the beginning and never sat down with Mueller for an interview under oath, choosing instead to submit incomplete and insufficient answers to questions. The president has not only targeted McGahn, now a private citizen, in his attempt to obstruct justice. He ordered his

staff to ignore any subpoenas coming from Congress to testify under oath. Trump is using his power to again obstruct justice using taxpayer-funded resources to prevent these witnesses from revealing the truth to Congress and the American people. What is Trump hiding? Are you after the TRUTH? Who would you believe: Donald Trump or Don McGahn? *** 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

Nicole David Yalong’s thousand blooms, conscious parenting of twins

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. “Purposeful giving is not as apt to deplete one’s resources. It belongs to that natural order of giving that seems to renew itself even in the act of depletion. The more one gives, the more one has to give – like milk in the breast. Even in our purposeful giving must have some source that refills it. The milk in the breast must be replenished by food taken into the body. If it is woman’s function to give, she must be replenished too. But how?” - Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea, 1975. “Stand Tall and Proud. Sink Your Roots into the Earth. Be Content with Natural Beauty. Drink Plenty of Water. Enjoy the View.” - Ilan Shamir. NICOLE David Yalong (Nicole) is a Gen Y mom, petite, pretty, a yoga-enthusiast, singer, lyricist, and a baker, who is married to Jake Yalong, an engineer by profession. When she asked me to be her ninang, I could not attend her destination wedding in Pampanga, Philippines. Yet ceremony or not, and even with her busy mothering of twins, we have grown to be supportive friends via text and Instagram, anchored by occasional personal visits after museum, and before or after my interviews. Somehow, her being a millennial has not created a gap with me, but high respect and awe for her courageous voice imparting

appropriate wisdom she discerns from life. I first saw a glimpse of her onstage at the Ford Amphitheater when she sang next to her international jazz, award-winning artist/composer/singer father, Mon David and her brother, Carlo David, a composer/singer/ guitarist/saxophonist. Nicole sang the beginning verses with pitch-perfect tunes, not laboring at all, but confident to reach a note and an ability to expand her vocal cords through a wide range. It is with exceptional ease, but depth of feelings, perhaps honed by her skill of writing lyrics to the tunes composed by her brother, Carlo and listening to her dad, Mon, sing, compose and arrange music as he plays the guitar. One evening, she joined her dad at one of his jazz concerts to sing just one, she said, as it took posting the lyrics at every visible place in her home, given her role as a very busy mother of twin toddlers, Leo and Nico, who were stomping on the water puddle they created, as they watered the garden, with their rain boots on. The serendipity of four backyard trees and thousand bloom parenting I noticed the serendipity created by God for this family with four orange bearing fruit trees in their backyard and a towering pine tree in the front. The oranges from these trees are harvested in time to quench the thirst of very busy twins: shoveling dirt into their dump trucks, sorting and measuring soil, moving

their trucks on the cement. The twins are nurtured to develop competence and you can watch them on Instagram squeezing the juice of the oranges into their glasses. After a nutritious lunch, chocolate ice cream cone treats await them at times, from their dad, Jake, who occasionally squeezes in a few minutes to drop by from his engineering fieldwork projects. I regard the four trees much like the four corners of the world, the inclusivity of north, south, east and west. Even illustrative of the four gospels of St. Matthew the Apostle, St. Mark the Evangelist, St. Luke the Evangelist, and St. John the Apostle. Nicole and Jake’s new home is filled with light, open to the four orange trees in the backyard with a newly installed white fence, using the collective bayanihan labor of siblings and Nicole’s parents they share the home with. I watched the twins come back from a day in the park with their grandfather, Mon David, and their mom, Nicole. As we walked into the threshold of their new house, I could feel the serenity, welcomed by a sea aqua-blue color of their front door. As the twins were catching their breath, Mon started singing “Java Jive” by Manhattan Transfer asNicole joins in on pitch “I love coffee, I love tea, I love the java live and it loves me. Coffee and tea and the java and me. A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup.”

u PAGE A9

Nicole David Yalong and husband Jake with their twin sons Leo and Nico

Photo courtesy of Nicole David Yalong

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.

ADVERTISING AND ADVERTORIAL POLICIES

Main Ofﬁce: 1210 S. Brand Boulevard Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 Fax: (818) 502-0858 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

Manila Ofﬁce: 2nd Floor Units D&E, Fort Palm Springs 30th St., Cor 1st Ave, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (632) 856-4921 • Fax: (632) 856-1661 New York: 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 Tel.: (212) 655-5426 • Fax (818) 502-0858

Northern California: New Jersey ofﬁce: 1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136 2500 Plaza 5, Harborside Financial Center, Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel.: (650) 689-5160 • Fax: (650) 239-9253 Jersey City, NJ 07311 Tel: (212)655-5426 • Fax: (818)502-0858 Las Vegas Sales Ofﬁce: 2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 200 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel.: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President

CHRISTINA M. ORIEL Editor-in-Chief

MOMAR G. VISAYA Executive Editor

IVY MANALANG Vice President - Marketing Los Angeles Asian Journal

MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA Senior Vice President Los Angeles Asian Journal

DING CARREON Videographer

ANDY TECSON Photographer

Asian Journal Publications, Inc. (“AJPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publication by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AJPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AJPI to publish a Client’s Material. AJPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases. Client represents and warrants that a Client’s Material does not and will not contain any language or material which is libelous, slanderous or defamatory or invades any rights of privacy or publicity; does not and will not violate or infringe upon, or give rise to any adverse claim with respect to any common law or other right whatsoever (including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, service mark or contract right) of any person or entity, or violate any other applicable law; and is not the subject of any litigation or claim that might give rise to any litigation. Publication of a Client’s Material does not constitute an agreement to continue publication. Client agrees and covenants to indemnify AJPI and its ofﬁcers against any and all loss, liability, damage, expenses, cost, charges, claims, actions, causes of action, recoveries, judgments, penalties, including outside attorneys’ fees (individually and collectively “Claims”) which AJPI may suffer by reason of (1) Client’s breach of any of the representations, warranties and agreements herein or (2) any Claims by any third party relating in any way to Client’s Material. AJPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publication of a Client’s Material, AJPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being cancellation of the cost of the ﬁrst incorrect advertisement or republication of the correct advertisement. Under no circumstances shall Asian Publications, Inc. be liable for consequential damages of any kind.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; the Orange County and Inland Empire Asian Journal, Northern California Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern California, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively. Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reﬂect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions. Contributions and advertising deadlines are every Mondays and Thursdays. For advertising rates and other informations, please call the L.A. ofﬁce at (213) 250-9797 or send us an email at info@asianjournalinc.com

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

OpiniOn & Features

Nicole David Yalong’s thousand blooms...

PAGE A8 t

The twins settled down quickly. I was not born into this Kapampangan family, yet I feel part of them, as I partake lunch of guinataang langka and bulalo cooked by Ann David, a medical technologist by profession. Nicole sat in front of the twins, spooning portions of bulalo into their bowls, after eating a chocolate banana loaf that I baked for them. Nicole explained that is how she eats, desserts first. I smiled noticing how confident a mother she is, trustful of how she was raised and how she belongs on this earth with her knowledge, skills and abilities. One of my favored advocacies, if one can call it that, is giving three books to pregnant friends, as gifts. I found these invaluable: Magda Gerber’s “Caring for Infants with Respect and Your Self-Confident Baby: How to Encourage Your Child’s Natural Abilities From the Very Start” and Dr. Shefali Tsabary’s “The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children.” For every child grown using Gerber’s foundational philosophy, I have watched them become self-reliant, kind, compassionate adults who are productive citizens, a wish I have for every grown adult on earth towards sustained peace and harmony, including myself. Aside from these three books, Nicole added what she learned given her interests in working with children. She shared Waldorf homeschooling methods of using art and nature in providing a holistic exposure to experiment and discovery. She also reads her daily source of spiritual wisdom, living a purposeful life daily and she gains insights on how to fill up the interior heart vessels of her twins, guided by Gary Chapman’s “Five Languages of Love.” She is conscious and clearly delineates the needs of her twins, one needs to be caressed and held until he is ready to be on his own, while the other is independent and seeks what he needs, focused attention on reading and art and by performing for family. At a baby shower, Leo held the microphone and sang “Do Re Mi.” and almost had all the lyrics. Nicole and Jake believe in foundational Montessori, which is parenting that is child-centered, based on scientific obser-

Nicole and the twins with her parents, Ann and Mon Photo courtesy of Nicole David Yalong

vations of the children’s developments. “Grace, not perfection,” Nicole asserts, after reading all the books given to her on parenting. She distilled the principles that she learned including the philosophy of providing safe environments to her twins and trusting them, “it takes more control to let go, than to control them,“ she said. She emphasized how she relies on Jake at night, and through discussions, they both process how the day has been with the twins and what to improve upon. Jake shared: “I am very blessed to have Nicole as my wife and the mother of my children. She’s dedicating her whole life in taking care of our twins and I really admire her for that. We are aware that we are opposites when it comes to our habits and interests, but we are happy together. That is probably because we share the same dream — how we want to raise our family and that for us, outweigh our [individual] differences.” Can you believe these twins can stay in the backyard for three hours, alongside their mom, who is gardening, while they are shoveling dirt into their firetrucks and dump wagons, as well as find bark and leaves to play with, as they wish? Try doing this, as they do, and after, a treat of freshly squeezed orange juice from their backyard trees? Would it be heavenly? Nicole’s instincts are so right

on. She arranged the four corners of the twins’ playroom with age-appropriate toys, activities and books. In the north corner, she has a book display, of books that support the twins chosen activities in nature or in the park. In the opposite corner is a table with white paper and markers. The twins were trained to only draw on paper provided on the table, and not the walls. On the east corner are plastic organizers that the twins can access for trucks, cars and legos. Nicole replenishes them daily to nurture their fine motor skills or assembling and balancing towers as the lessons for the day. Opposite that are some stuffed toys that invite the twins to linger, explore and discover what they want to do for the day. Mom has 10 books on display, chosen for them to read, and Jake and Nicole read four to five with unhurried time until the twins are too weary to stay awake and fall asleep on their own at night. The rewards of this generous indulgent reading of 10 books are a quiet dinner shared by the couple, but also, bright, eager and ready-to-read twins. I sometimes post on Instagram, “Genius in the making,” as the twins are reading the letters of EXIT, when they shop with their parents. They form letters using elbow macaroni and even match big and small letters using the puzzles. Their dad, Jake carefully chooses the puzzles, and assembles legos and wood

u PAGE A11

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 27-30, 2019

A10 april 27-30, 2019 • la WEEKEND aSiaN JOUrNal

Dateline PhiliPPines

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Marcos wealth informant’s bid to collect reward junked by elizabeth

MarCelo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has denied the bid of self-proclaimed “confidential informant” Danilo Lihaylihay to collect P29.58 billion from the government as his reward for his role in the recovery of ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family. In a resolution dated April 15 and obtained by reporters, the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division denied Lihaylihay’s petition for the court to issue a mandamus order, which would have compelled Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Caesar Dulay to pay him P29.58 billion. In his petition, Lihaylihay claimed that he is entitled to “informer’s reward” for the supposed confidential information that he relayed to authorities, which supposedly resulted in the garnishment and recovery of the “properties, assets and monies” of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, former first lady Imelda Marcos, and their cronies. Lihaylihay specifically cited the discovery of the Marcoses’

alleged ill-gotten money deposited in their accounts with Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine National Bank-Trust Banking Group as well as the those recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) from their Swiss bank accounts. In its ruling, however, the anti-graft court Seventh Division said that under Presidential Decree 1606 or the Sandiganbayan charter, the anti-graft court’s jurisdiction when it comes to petition for mandamus is appellate in nature and only extends over the regional trial courts. “Considering that PD 1606 as amended does not give the Sandiganbayan any appellate jurisdiction over the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the exercise of the latter’s executive/ administrative function regarding requests for payment of informer’s reward, the instant petition is hereby dismissed for lack of jurisdiction on the part of this Court,” the Seventh Division’s ruling read. In September last year, the Supreme Court (SC) had also denied Lihaylihay’s petition for mandamus in his bid to get

P12 trillion in reward from the government, still in connection with the recovery of the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. In support of his petition, Lihaylihay presented before the high tribunal two letters he sent to then Bureau of Internal Revenue-Presidential Commission on Good Government head Eliseo Pitargue in March 1987 supposedly revealing the locations of the Marcos wealth. In its ruling, however, the SC said Lihaylihay’s letters only stressed the need to recover the ill-gotten wealth with broad claims of the wealth’s whereabouts. The SC said Lihaylihay also failed to prove that his supposed confidential information became the government’s primary basis for the prosecution of the Marcoses and the recovery of their ill-gotten wealth. “From his 1987 letters to the present petition, his bases for rewards swelled from the Swiss bank deposits, gold bars and diamonds mentioned in his original letters to Atty. Pitargue to virtually all forms of the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth,” the SC’s decision read. n

DOLE to open hospital with free services for OFWs by neil

arwin MerCado Inquirer.net

MANILA — A hospital will be built in San Fernando, Pampanga which will offer free services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Department of Labor said on Thursday, April 25. Labor Undersecretary Ana Dione said the hospital, which will be exclusively for OFWs and their dependents, will provide free laboratory exams and required medical certificates to OFWs. “The plan is to provide them with free services when securing their medical certificates, covering laboratory exams and

other basic requirements for their overseas deployment. We hope that this will also be honored by the host countries so we expect a quite extensive negotiation on this,” Dione said in a statement. Dione said the hospital, scheduled for groundbreaking on May 1, will be built to recognize the contribution of OFWs to the country’s economy. “This is the concept of our Secretary [Silvestre] Bello. The launch and groundbreaking of this hospital is on May 1. This will provide our OFWs and their dependents free hospital and other medical services,”

Dione said. The construction of the hospital is expected to be completed in one and a half to two years once the needed documents have been secured. The budget for the operations of the hospital will come from donations and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), with support from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The land where the hospital will be built, meanwhile, came from the provincial government of Pampanga. n

Comelec assures funding for overseas...

PAGE A7

Officer of the Post - Actual list of registered voters, as certified by the Finance Officer of the Post - Certification on insufficiency of funds, as certified by the Finance Officer of the Post - Report of the Office for Over-

seas Voting on insufficiency of funds, as signed by its Director. Registered voters abroad may proceed to the Philippine embassy or consulate to cast their vote. Overseas Filipinos can also opt to have their ballots mailed to their addresses and mail them

back to their diplomatic posts. Overseas absentee voting started on April 13, and will end on May 13. Based on Comelec records, there are some 1.8 million registered overseas Filipino voters, majority of them in the Middle East and African regions. n

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) reported that an estimated 2.9 million children in the country are unvaccinated and thus vulnerable to potentially deadly infections like measles, rubella and polio. Philstar.com photo by KJ Rosales

2.9-M Filipino kids not immunized by Mayen JayMalin Philstar.com

MANILA — Close to three million Filipino children are prone to measles and other life threatening diseases due to failure to get immunization. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) reported that an estimated 2.9 million children in the country are unvaccinated and thus vulnerable to potentially deadly infections like measles, rubella and polio. According to UNICEF, measles immunization coverage in the country has declined from 88 percent in 2013 to 73 percent in 2017. Last year, UNICEF said measles immunization coverage was recorded at less than 70 percent or way below the 95 percent required for population immunity. Since January, close to 30,000 measles cases, including 389 deaths, were recorded nationwide. Health experts said deaths due to measles could have been prevented had there been easy access to vaccination. “Public hesitancy, vaccine stock-outs, the lack of aptly trained health workers and accessibility of hard-to-reach areas put many children susceptible to diseases. This leads to more outbreaks and put more children at-risk of getting sick from lifethreatening diseases,” UNICEF pointed out. UNICEF stressed that vaccines are the safest and most effective way of saving lives of children. Julia Rees, UNICEF deputy representative, said Philippine laws support immunization through the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act that makes basic immunization mandatory and free at any government hospital or health center for infants and children up to five years of age. While parents and caregivers are mainly responsible for having their children immunized, she said everyone in the community has a role in ensuring that all children, especially the most

vulnerable and marginalized, are immunized on schedule. “Local leaders, religious groups, academe, friends and family of parents with children and influencers have a role in making sure every child is reached with the right information and that parents are empowered to make the right decisions,” she added. UNICEF is working with the Department of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to protect and promote immunization. In the past 70 years, UNICEF has assisted the government in procuring vaccines and other immunization supplies and strengthen the immunization supply chain. It has helped the Philippine government eradicate polio and maternal and neonatal tetanus, proving that vaccines work and are safe and effective. 20 million kids at risk The UNICEF also reported that more than 20 million children a year missed out on measles vaccines across the world in the past eight years, laying a path of exposure to a virus now causing disease outbreaks globally. “The measles virus will always find unvaccinated children,” said Henrietta Fore, executive director of the United Nations children’s fund UNICEF, adding: “The ground for the global measles outbreaks we are witnessing today was laid years ago.” The UNICEF report said an estimated 169 million children missed out on the first dose of the measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017 – equating to 21.1 million children a year on average. As a result of greater vulnerability to the disease, measles infections worldwide nearly quadrupled in the first quarter of 2019 against the same period in 2018 to 112,163 cases, according to WHO data. In 2017, some 110,000 people, most of them children, died from measles – up 22 percent from the year before, UNICEF

‘Bikoy’

said. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can kill and can cause blindness, deafness or brain damage. It is currently spreading in outbreaks in many parts of the world, including in the United States, Europe, the Philippines, Tunisia and Thailand. Two doses of the measles vaccine are essential to protect children and the WHO says 95 percent vaccine coverage is needed for “herd immunity” against measles. But due to lack of access, poor health systems, complacency and in some cases fear or skepticism about vaccines, UNICEF said, the global coverage of the first dose of the measles vaccine was reported at 85 percent in 2017 – a level that has remained similar for the past decade. Global coverage for the second dose is even lower, at 67 percent. Among high-income countries, the United States — which currently is fighting its biggest measles outbreak in almost 20 years — topped UNICEF’s list of places with the most children missing the first dose of the vaccine between 2010 and 2017, at more than 2.5 million. Next came France and Britain, with more than 600,000 and 500,000 unvaccinated children, respectively, during the same period. In poorer countries, however, the situation is “critical,” UNICEF’s report found. Nigeria in 2017, for example, had the highest number of children under one-year-old who missed out on the first dose, at nearly four million. It was followed by India with 2.9 million, Pakistan and Indonesia with 1.2 million each and Ethiopia with 1.1 million. Fore said measles was “far too contagious” a disease to be ignored, and urged health officials to do more to fight it. “If we are serious about averting the spread of this dangerous but preventable disease, we need to vaccinate every child, in rich and poor countries alike,” she said. n

Philstar.com photo

‘Bikoy exposé part of propaganda war’ by Catherine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

THE exposé of “Bikoy,” who accused President Rodrigo Duterte’s family of involvement in narcotics trade, and the release of a matrix linking journalists and lawyers to an alleged plot to remove the Chief Executive were part of a “propaganda war” between the government and opposition, a political analyst said on Wednesday, April 24. “I would consider both the Bikoy exposé and the so-called matrix as part of the ongoing propaganda war between the administration and opposition. They also play into the election campaign,” Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, told The Manila Times in an interview. “If real, there should have been action on the matter. As it is, there’s nothing there,” he added. The “Oust Duterte” matrix links journalists and a rights group to Bikoy, an alleged former drug

syndicate member. Media entities tagged in the supposed plot have denied the allegations. In a separate interview, analyst Antonio “Butch” Valdes said the matrix “merely indicate surrogate organizations used to build up public dissatisfaction and destroy popular support.” “Regime change processes, more often than not, are planned, funded and executed with the involvement of foreign intelligence organizations. To ignore this reality is to be naive bordering on stupidity,” Valdes, head of the Save the Nation Movement, said. “Individuals membership of the opposition, militant leftist elements, sare recruited for this purpose in exchange for money and power,” he added. Valdes said it would now be up to Duterte to decide what steps to take “in order to preserve his administration.” “The AFP/PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippines/Philippine National Police) leadership seem to

be loyal, but his Cabinet is suspect,” he said. Meanwhile, analyst Perlita Frago-Marasigan said filing of charges against the “plotters” “is an option but is not necessary in a democratic environment.” “I think that releasing this matrix of information or disinformation, if fake, is an attempt to inoculate the, public. More than anything else, inoculation is a strategy that aims to insulate the public from negative propaganda against the Chief Executive and his administration,” Frago-Marasigan, political science professor at University of the Philippines, told The Manila Times. “The idea is to discredit the content of negative journalistic reports and to undermine the influence of critics because now these are interpreted as attempts to destabilize government rather than to inform the public,” she added. Malacañang earlier said the government would only press charges against the plotters if they committed “overt acts.” n

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

A11

Nicole David Yalong’s thousand blooms...

PAGE A9 t

blocks as towers with them on weekends, which enhances their perceptive abilities. Equally remarkable is how quiet the twins are at the dinner table or any restaurant, focused on spooning every bite of food into their mouths until their stomachs are full and they get down from their boosters, raring to go to their playroom. Can you say that about meals with your toddlers? Coming from Santorini, my jubilant niece Regine — newly married to Nikko — stayed with us for a week. She asked, “Tita, do they not choose only to do for themselves what they want?” I smiled as it was an invitation for a profound exchange of reflections. Leo is busy drawing and coloring and matching his alphabets, while Nico is working with his trucks and cars and assembles towers. But also, Nicole trains them to help with laundry. How? Leo takes out v the clothes from the washer into the dryer. Then, when Nicole is baking cookies, Leo is excited to have “baking time with Mama,” and messily measures flour and sugar. But, the mess is okay, says Nicole, “I only put up with it for a few months until they gain mastery of holding the measuring cup.” She knows as she developed the twins to be self-reliant, messes for a while when they were little, but grown now to hold spoons to their mouths. In a sense, they do what they want to do; after all, their lives are designed for them to live. Leo is independent and plays by himself, while Nico is demanding during the day, only Mama can hold him, Nicole confides in me. “Can I write this for the public to read?” I ask, to which she nods her head. Nico had been crying for no reason at all for days and she experimented with indulgent care first. Nothing could stop him. Then, she tried ignoring him. At the end of her patience scale, one day, she lightly spanked him, a first and her last. Empowered to speak and to express himself, Nico said, “Mama, don’t hit me.” Nicole is raising her twins with agency, with an ability to say what they need. She realized she needed to give him more patience, “I hugged him even more and told him that I have to take care of your brother. Use your words, tell me what

you want – ‘Mama, I am tired.’ ‘Mama, I want carry.’” Nicole realized that Nico really requires a lot of caressing and hugging until he is ready to play by himself. “I also no longer rush to give them breakfast in the morning [and] that it is okay for them to feel hunger. It used to be I was rushing to give them breakfast, but now, I give them milk, water, then make lunch for my husband, Jake. I prepare their breakfast as the day goes. I also found out if I go through with them the schedule of the day, that Noah is coming, (an older nephew) who likes to ride in the wagon, it becomes a relaxing day for them.” She continued, “One time we saw a lizard and they chased that lizard for a good 15 minutes. Another time they saw bees eating the flower and so when we came inside the playroom, I had a book from the library about bees and flowers. I take them to the library once a week to socialize them with other kids. I am even more careful what books to expose them to. When we were kids, we were fortunate if we saw bees growing up. But, I take my ‘me’ time so I can be kind to Jake. It is just me lying down, meditating, staring at the ceiling or doing my exercise. I find that without that “me time”, it is a struggle to be mabait (kind and gentle). Before napping, I read them four to five books until they grow weary to take a nap. If their nap is incomplete, Nico needs extra hugs and cuddling.” What happens if Nicole is not ready to go outside and the twins are? She sets the parameters, and says, “Wait for an hour and we can go outside.” Nico negotiates, “I can go outside, please.” The tone is a sweet one and emphasis on the ‘please.’ Nicole is firm, “But we will wait until 9:30 a.m.” She realized that it is the gentle manner, the kind medium of communications, and her sweet tone that give boundaries to the twins. Nicole is grateful for her younger sister Mika who takes the trails with her and her twins, each one being carried as their kettlebells, except in their Gerry baby carriers. Much like a bookmark that illustrated advice from a tree by Ilan Shamir: “Stand Tall and Proud. Sink Your Roots into the Earth. Be Content with Natural Beauty. Drink Plenty of

Water. Enjoy the View,” I am certain these twins will grow to become the tallest and most abundant trees, full of positive energies to explore, trusted to have baking times with their Mama, even at tender young ages of two, including squeezing orange juice from four backyard trees to drink daily and putting ice cubes gingerly without spilling, creating the tallest legos of fire stations for their wooden trains and occasional lunch treats of chocolate ice cream cones from their dad, Jake when he can stop by, on field visit days. Who would want to be a child in this home full of foundational love for Nature, but also the simple elegance of surroundings to be explored for each child for their milestones? Do you fill the richness of presence, understanding, patience, creativity, love and grace? Purposeful giving is not apt to deplete one’s resources — it extends it, but it also enriches oneself, much like this mother who enjoys “growing and nurturing” her twins. Could it be that Nicole learned it from her dad, Mon and her mom, Ann? “I just realized and I continue to witness (24/7) that the angel in our family can be a young supermom too! An epitome of love, patience, compassion, empathy, positive outlook and embracing nature - these beautiful qualities she constantly teaches and shares with Leo and Nico,” Mon, Nicole’s dad reflects. May I add, she makes the best green matcha tea cookies and pecan tarts at Christmas. Part II will be published in June as a continuation on Mon David as a Lolo. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 10 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certiﬁcate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

Boracay Island

ManilaTimes.net photo

Aklan mayor dismissed over Boracay by EMMANUEL

TUPAS

Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) served a dismissal order against Malay, Aklan Mayor Cicero Cawaling for grave misconduct and other offenses that led to the environmental degradation of Boracay Island. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the order was implemented in connection with a decision from the Office of the Ombudsman which found Cawaling guilty of gross neglect of duty, conduct unbecoming of a public official and conduct prejudicial to

the best interest of the service. Also meted with the same penalty was the town’s licensing officer, Jen Salsona. Aside from forfeiture of retirement benefits, Cawaling and Solsona are perpetually disqualified from holding other posts in government. Año said the ombudsman found substantial evidence against the two officials for allowing some establishments in Boracay to operate without the necessary fire safety inspection certificate and other permits, including a municipal ordinance requiring a 30-meter easement

from the shoreline. Their offenses violate Republic Act 7160 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. “By not implementing this ordinance, Cawaling violated Section 444 (b) (2) of Republic Act 7160, which commands him to enforce all laws and ordinances relative to the governance of the Municipality of Malay,” Año said in a statement, quoting a portion of the ombudsman’s decision. The cases against other officials, including Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores, were dismissed for lack of substantial evidence. ■

Duterte to let rich businessmen spend for full Marawi rehab by NESTOR

CORRALES Inquirer.net

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, April 23, said he would let rich businessmen to spend for the full restoration of war-torn Marawi City. The president issued this remark as he admitted that he would not be able to restore the Islamic City to its state before the Marawi siege that devastated the area. “I don’t think that I should be spending for their buildings,” he said in a situation briefing at the provincial capitol here following the strong quake that hit parts of Luzon late Monday, April 22.

“The people there have a lot of money,” the President said in Filipino, referring to businessmen. “Every Maranao, there is a businessman. Those who are into shabu are included. They have money. The debate there is whether I would be also building the same kind that they lost. I don’t think I am ready for that.” Despite these remarks, the president commended the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) for the housing units in Marawi City. “The thing I admired most was the speed that you built the houses in Marawi,’ he said. “But the informal settlers, the squatters so to speak, what Del

Rosario did for them was really good. It’s sturdy, it can stand another whatever.” He was referring to Eduardo del Rosario, HUDCC chair. The President said the Marawi siege was a “manmade” calamity. “It was bound to happen because of what they were doing there,” he said. The government has allocated P67.99 billion for the rehabilitation of Marawi., which started in October 2018 after months of delay. Homegrown Maute terrorists laid siege to Marawi on May 23, 2017, prompting a battle between Islamic State-inspired combatants and government troops for five months. ■

Reliable. Safe. Secure.

New Balikbayan Box Shipping Service to the Philippines and Europe. Shipping to Europe for 60 years Shipping balikbayan boxes to 45 European countries Shipping vehicles and resettlement items *i > Ã ] ÕÀ >vw >Ìi Ì i * «« iÃ] has been in business for 21 years

(413) 310-6829 InternationalPackageShipping.com

A12 april 27-30, 2019 • la WEEKEND aSiaN JOUrNal

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

SHOWBIZ&STYLE

Journal How Lea Salonga returned to the big screen with “Yellow Rose”

Salonga stars alongside Eva Noblezada in Diane Paragas’ coming-of-age film to premiere at the 2019 LA Asian Pacific Islander Film Festival by

Klarize Medenilla AJPress

Lea Salonga stars in the film alongside Eva Noblezada, Princess Punzalan, and Dale Watson. AJPress photo by Andy Tecson

LEA Salonga is musical theater royalty. The award-winning singer and actress, known for originating the role of Kim in “Miss Saigon” (for which she won the Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), has had an illustrious career as a stage performer as well as voicing

Vanessa Hudgens opens up about ‘midlife’ crisis: ‘I had no idea who I was’ by

Cody Cepeda Inquirer.net

FILIPINA American actress and theater performer Vanessa Hudgens just turned 30 last December 2018, but she recently revealed she experienced a midlife crisis at the age of 27. Hudgens, who rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in “High School Musical,” remembered waking up at 27 and realizing she was no longer a kid, as per PEOPLE on April 25. “That was the first moment where I was like, ‘oh. I am not a kid. I’m not a teenager. I’m an adult and I have responsibilities,’” she was quoted as saying. “I felt like I had no idea who I was or what I wanted or what I was going after.” The revelation was scary for Hudgens, although it is one she is grateful for after it compelled Vanessa Hudgens PAGE B2

Photo from Instagram/@vanessahudgens

the singing roles of two beloved ‘90s Disney princesses: Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan from Mulan. Most recently, Salonga costars in a new film from Filipina filmmaker Diane Paragas called “Yellow Rose,” a coming-of-age tale about a young undocumented Filipina named Rose (Eva Noblezada, who recently starred as Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway and the West End) living in Texas

with dreams of becoming a country singer. Salonga stars as Rose’s aunt, Gail, whom Rose goes to after her immigrant mother (played by Princess Punzalan) gets detained by ICE. The film has already attracted buzz among the industry and will be headlining the 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on Thursday, May 2 at the Aratani Theater in Downtown LA. Salonga is currently embarking

on an international tour and took time to speak with the Asian Journal over the phone about “Yellow Rose,” going from stage to screen and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) representation in entertainment. (This interview has been condensed and edited.) Asian Journal: How’s your tour going and what have you been performing? Lea Salonga: I’m really happy PAGE B2

EntErtainmEnt

B APRIL 27-30, 2019 â€˘ LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com â€˘ (818) 502-0651 â€˘ (213) 250-9797

How Lea Salonga returned... St. Catherineâ€™s in Reseda celebrates an illustrious 70th anniversary with truck raffle Filipino Bishop-elect Alex Aclan to lead service on Sunday, April 28

Klarize Medenilla AJPress

THE beloved parish of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Reseda is celebrating 70 years of service to the community by doing what it does best: giving back. This weekend, the church is hosting several fun activities for its diverse group of regular churchgoers, a majority of whom are Filipino, Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadorean, Peruvian, Vietnamese and Irish. The church is currently selling raffle tickets for a 2019 Toyota Tacoma to raise funds for the church with a winner being selected on Monday, April 29 after 6:30 p.m. mass. Tickets are $20, but if you buy five tickets you get one free. There will also be a second prize and third prize winners who will be chosen who will win $5,000 and $2,000 respectively. Consolation prizes will also be given. To purchase raffle tickets, contact the St. Catherine Church Rectory at 818-343-2110 or email them at receptionist@ catherineofsiena.org. A weekend of worship Today, Saturday, April 27, St. Catherineâ€™s is hosting a 70th Anniversary Multinational Celebration Mass led by Bishop Joseph Brennan at 2 p.m. which will include the procession of different ministries as well as a presentation of traditional national attires. Afterward at 4 p.m., there

St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Reseda

will be a food bazaar complete with international cuisines and dances which precedes an English language vigil mass at 5 p.m. On Sunday, April 28, there will be a host of special mass services including English mass at 8 a.m. and a special 70th Anniversary Bilingual Mass Celebration starting at 9:30 a.m. led by Filipino Bishop-elect Alex Aclan. St. Catherineâ€™s was established in 1949 by Monsignor John Hackett and was originally included the surrounding parishes of St. Bridget of Sweden Church in Van Nuys, Our Lady of Lourdes in Northridge and a wide expanse of St. Joseph the

Worker in Winnetka. The population boom in the San Fernando Valley in the 1950s caused the parish to divide and was eventually moved into the grand modern building itâ€™s in today. The church was greatly damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake and underwent a year of repairs before it was deemed safe to enter. In its 70 years, the church has endured multiple changes but the mission is still the same today: to be a community-centered service to its incredibly diverse parishonership. St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church is located at 18115 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335.

Vanessa Hudgens opens...

PAGE B2 her to reassess who she was as a person. Itâ€™s also known Hudgensâ€™ father, Greg, passed away in January 2016, just over a month after her 27th birthday. â€œIt forced me to reassess who I am and what I believe in, therefore giving me just a better understanding of myself,â€? she

said. â€œNow that Iâ€™ve reached 30, itâ€™s so nice feeling free to just speak your mind.â€? There are some drawbacks to growing older, however, such as dealing with issues she thought she would eventually grow out of. For one, she figured she would be done with skin breakouts at 30, but they continue to

persist, thus teaching her the value of self-care. â€œThe first step was just actually taking care of myself,â€? she said, according to the report. â€œMy health, my skin, my body â€” I feel like by doing so, youâ€™re showing yourself love, so itâ€™s creating that foundation of love for yourself.â€?

PAGE B1 about how the tour is going so far! So in addition to the greatest hits, Iâ€™ve been singing a lot of â€œMiss Saigon,â€? â€œLes Miserablesâ€? and, you know, a lot of pop songs. I think thereâ€™s more pop songs this time around. AJ: And Iâ€™m sure there are many, many Filipinos who are really excited to see you perform. LS: Yeah, theyâ€™ve been coming in droves and Iâ€™m always so happy that they are, and whatâ€™s great about that is that I can go from one language to another and it can go seamlessly. Like, if I speak Tagalog, it doesnâ€™t matter because theyâ€™ll understand me, but also itâ€™s not like Iâ€™m alienating non-Tagalog speakers because, you know, Iâ€™m not that person. But itâ€™s nice to be able to [go from Tagalog to English] because you get to poke fun and thereâ€™s a very Filipino way of poking fun that kind of gets lost in translation. AJ: So I want to talk about this new film youâ€™re in, â€œYellow Rose.â€? So what drew you to this film, and why did you want to take it on? LS: I mean itâ€™s been 20 years since I even acted in a film [â€œSana Maulit Muliâ€?] with Aga Muhlach, and that was the last time I did liveaction film work. The next thing after that was a small role in â€œCrazy Ex-Girlfriendâ€? but that was television and it was only a couple days of work so itâ€™s been a while since a feature film. And this role [in â€œYellow Roseâ€?] isnâ€™t the principal role â€” I think that distinction goes to Eva Noblezada â€” so I thought this could be a good way to ease back into movies again. There seems to be some interest from home to do something like that, so this felt like, â€œYou know, let me get my toes wet and let me get the process back in my body so I can understand what thatâ€™s like again.â€? AJ: That makes sense since youâ€™ve really been a fixture on stage and voice-acting and I wanted to ask how different it is to do something for the screen versus acting on stage or voice work. LS: Thereâ€™s a very particular way to calibrate the performances and you kind of need to know what all that calibration means. In film, itâ€™s knowing where the shots are, blocking and what a close-up is and what you can afford to give, whereas on stage, itâ€™s one angle and thatâ€™s it, which is kind of comfortable for an actor because that angle doesnâ€™t change...but

Eva Noblezada plays Rose Garcia, a 17-year-old Filipina American in Texas who undertakes a musical journey while facing deportation back to the Philippines.

you only get one shot so you have to get it right. But for film, itâ€™s like, how much do I need to give in order to do this effectively and to be able to give something authentic and where the audience doesnâ€™t feel pushed away. AJ: Is there one medium you prefer over the other, especially in terms with how you play any given character? LS: Thereâ€™s not one I prefer over the other, but I really like being able to thread a performance on stage because youâ€™re more in control of the story-telling, and on stage, youâ€™re obviously going through the narrative chronologically and thereâ€™s a sequence of character development youâ€™re actively following along with the audience. Sometimes when you do film, that chronology and that cohesion are thrown out of whack because things almost are never filmed in order, so itâ€™s like, you have to think about the emotional state of the character for that specific scene. A lot of actors say that theatre is an actorâ€™s medium because thereâ€™s a comfort level in knowing what the next beat is going to be because it makes absolute narrative sense. In film, itâ€™s all in the editing and you donâ€™t really know how everything

plays out until you see the finished product. AJ: So tell me about your character in â€œYellow Rose.â€? LS: I play Evaâ€™s aunt, Gail, her motherâ€™s younger sister. And she is the person that is Rose runs to when her mother is arrested by ICE, and so the instruction from her mother is, â€œGo to your Tita Gail and sheâ€™ll know what to do.â€? But the funny thing is that itâ€™s not the most comfortable of reunions because they donâ€™t really know each other. At one point in the film, Rose drops a truth bomb in Gailâ€™s face, but Gail also finds herself in between a rock and a hard place since she has a husband and a child of her own and all these things that she needs to take care of, and then this complication comes into the picture. AJ: The movie is centered around immigration and what it means to be American, which is placed against the backdrop of the uniquely American genre of country music, and it feels really novel to see this young Filipina character whoâ€™s interested in country music. LS: Oh, absolutely, and I wasnâ€™t really familiar with country music PAGE B3

2ZQ ODQG EDFN KRPH LQ WKH 3KLOLSSLQHV" :KHWKHU \RXÇ˘UH ORRNLQJ WR VHOO \RXU SURSHUW\ RU LQWHUHVWHG LQ H[SORULQJ D MRLQW YHQWXUH GHYHORSPHQW SURMHFW SDUWQHU ZLWK XV DQG GLVFRYHU ZD\V \RX FDQ EXLOG \RXU LQYHVWPHQW SRUWIROLR

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

Claudine proud of closer bond with sis Gretchen after reconciliation by

Katrina haLLare Inquirer.net

CLAUDINE Barretto was proud to let everyone know that she and sister Gretchen have a closer bond since their reconciliation. “Mas close kami ngayon, sobra,” the Optimum star said in a “Tonight with Boy Abunda” interview aired on Wednesday, April 24. “’Yung feeling ko when I’m with my sister now, parang I’m in love, alam mo ‘yung ganon?” Claudine added. “I wake up, I’m happy. ‘Cause she’s always positive, she’s happy lang, ganyan. And ang kulit namin kasi walang nakikisali sa amin, so we can just be ourselves.” Since ending their feud, Claudine said she and her sister would talk about everything. She also said Gretchen’s partner, Tonyboy Cojuangco, would even notice she is always laughing. “You’re always laughing,”

she and Gretchen made a pact that if they hear any rumor from someone about the other, they would talk to each other first to settle it. She shared one instance when she had a small misunderstanding with Gretchen during the latter’s birthday. Claudine said someone she did not like greeted her sister, which made her jealous. When asked about Gretchen’s relationship with her kids, Claudine beamed: “Oh my god, she’s so in love with my kids!” and added that her sister and her partner are helping her raise them. “It’s nice to say na may tatay na mga anak ko, ‘di ba? And may Mama Nen (Gretchen) sila,” Claudine and Gretchen Barretto Claudine said. Photo from Instagram/@claubarretto Claudine and Gretchen are Claudine shared what Cojuangco known to have icy relations since told her. “You’re not like that, 2013. The siblings, however, you’re not like that with other reconciled in February and the two have been inseparable since, people.” Learning from their differ- spotted together on several occaences in the past, Claudine said sions.

THE UPS AND DOWNS, THE BITTERSWEET ENDING OF A SPECIAL CASE ABOUT A SPECIAL SON WHO HAD AUTISM ON THIS SUNDAY’S “CITIZEN PINOY!” When Norma immigrated to the U.S., she had to leave behind their autistic son, Michael because he aged out. The separation broke her heart. Norma and husband Joy (left) went to three other attorneys who were unable to deliver results, until they decided to retain leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, who was finally able to bring Michael to the U.S., to be reunited with his parents. Watch the heartfelt journey of Michael and his family that led to a pleasant reunion, but with a painful ending, on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Derek Ramsay’s most unforgettable Fil-Am singer advances to kissing scene was with Kiray next round of ‘The Voice’ by

aLLan PoLicarPio

by Jan

MiLo Severo Philstar.com

Inquirer.net

AT his welcome press conference at GMA 7, Derek Ramsay said that one of the most unforgettable kissing scenes he has ever done was with Kiray Celis in the big-screen rom-com “Love is Blind” three years ago. What was the young comedienne’s reaction upon hearing Derek’s “revelation”? “I saw him say that he would like to work with the likes of Carla (Abellana), Solenn (Heussaff) and Lovi (Poe)… tapos ako. Parang… ang layo!” Kiray said, laughing, in a recent interview with reporters. “I want to work with him again—my Kuya D. That would be nice.” Like Derek, the 24-year-old actress has just transferred to GMA 7. While she will always be thankful to ABS-CBN for the eight years she had spent with them, Kiray felt she needed “to grow” as a performer. “May utang na loob ako sa ABS. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the people there. I

Derek Ramsay and Kiray Celis

wouldn’t have been able to show what I could do,” she said. “I have learned the importance of humility; of not being complacent even if you feel secure about your capabilities because there will always be someone better.” “But I felt like I needed to grow—I’m not getting any younger,” she added. “And GMA 7 is giving me an opportunity to explore. Not everyone gets that kind of chance, so I grabbed it.” And frankly, Kiray pointed

FILIPINO Jej Vinson has advanced to the next round of “The Voice US” after beating LB Crew in the show’s Cross Battle round. “TOP 24!! Thank you so much America. I’m so excited to move on with #teamkelly!!! To everyone who voted for me and believed in me since my blind audition, thank you thank you thank you!!! Words can’t even express how grateful I am rn,” Inquirer.net photo Jej tweeted after making it to out, signing up with the Kapuso Top 24. The Davao native sang Bruno network was a practical move for Mars’ “Versace On The Floor” on her. “Of course, I need to work hard to earn a living—we all do. the Cross Battle Round, promptSo I have to go where there’s ing the American audience to work; where I can show what else vote for him to advance to the Top 24 of the reality singing I can do,” she said. One of her dream projects competition. Jej moved to South Dakota is to be part of the long-running gag show, “Bubble Gang.” with his family at the age of “Michael V is one of the artists I 15. At 18 years old, he went would really love to work with. to Los Angeles in search for a He’s so good … a genius,” Kiray said.

Jej Vinson

career and to study to become a nurse. Jej then switched from nursing to music at University of Southern California, where he joined the award-winning acapella group SoCal VoCals as musical director. For him, performing for former President Barack Obama

Photo from Instagram/@jejvinson

and then First Lady Michelle Obama in the White House was one of the highlights of his young career. Apart from Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce and Brian McKnight, Jej’s vocal inspirations include local talents such as Daryl Ong, Morissette Amon and Regine Velasquez.

One La Salle’s 2019 soiree Derrick Monasterio named goes back to the 80s ‘Kapuso Millennial Hunk’ by Lhar

Santiago ManilaTimes.net

IT seems only yesterday when Derrick Monasterio was a tall, thin, 15-year-old teener who set foot in show business and emerged a star from the highly successful youth-oriented series “Tween Hearts.” Seven years later, it’s without a doubt that he’s come a long way in his career. Good looking as ever, he turns heads all the more nowadays, however, what with a well built physique that has officially earned him the title “Kapuso Millennial Hunk” at GMA Network. His transformation, according to Derrick, didn’t happen overnight and took a lot of hard work and discipline. To backtrack, it was on his fifth year in showbiz that he thought of reinventing himself. “It’s the love for my career that took me on this physical journey that really tested my patience and endurance,” Derrick declared. “When I turned 19, I knew that I would have to show something new. I couldn’t be a tween star forever so I had to reinvent myself. “And what’s the best thing to do but to show the public that I was ready for another level in my career.” Planning his every move, Derrick wasted no time in consulting a gym coach and dietician, both of whom still work with him now. “Hindi siya madaling gawin,” Derrick related of what he had to go through. “Lalo na sa food because it’s not easy to stop consuming what you’ve been so used to eat since childhood. “My diet changed drastically — no rice, no bread, no pasta and pizza. Siyempre kanin at ulam talaga ako three times a day

Derrick Monasterio Photo from Instagram/@derrickmonasterio

tapos biglang tinanggal yun. Ang lungkot ng buhay, I thought then,” he added laughing. But the young actor was so determined to prove he could achieve a dramatic metamorphosis and surged on. “I wanted to surprise everyone so I wouldn’t even post anything about my workout routine. I made sure I was clothed in all the pictorials I needed to do [while still on my program] even if I was open about going to the gym regularly. “When I hit my target body form that was the only time I decided to show my transformation. And so far, wala namang negative reactions,” he laughed again. There‘s been no turning back for Derrick since then with a strict exercise schedule and healthy diet staples in his new lifestyle. He has also started posting his workouts and from the feedback said, “Parang nakalimutan na ng mga tao ‘yung Derrick na tween star. I feel it their comments that they seem to like the new me. And that’s been my inspiration to keep on taking care of my body.” Naturally, offers to do more mature roles have been pouring in for Derrick. At his home studio

too, he’s been elevated to the rank of major GMA leading men. His new look coupled with his six-foot height — and of course his acting chops — have effectively made him the total leading man package. After his sizzling movie with Sanya Lopez, Derrick is now busy with “Kiko En Lala” with Super Tekla and Kim Domingo, where — yes — he takes his shirt off in many scenes. Once done with the comedy flick, he moves on to the set of a beach movie titled “G!LU”— the millennial acronym for “Go! La Union.” Cast with the likes of Ruru Madrid, David Licauco and Enzo Pineda, need we say more how sexy the movie will be? “Siyempre we have to look our best. ‘Yung mga kasama ko, batak na batak kaya hindi pwedeng maiwan. That’s why I have to keep working out talaga, especially since our leading ladies are all beauty queens!” What’s good about the new Derrick is that he still has the same attitude he started with in showbiz as a lanky teenager. He knows that his abs and form will amount to nothing with lousy performance. “Kaya it’s not only the workouts I’m busy with but also acting workshops. I actually finished a course under Alex Bova and I didn’t miss a single session because I want to be prepared sa mga eksena sa ‘G!LU’,” he explains. Eventually, he also wants to audition for a role in musical theatre to further expand his acting skills. And with the kind of determination and passion that he has for his career, Derrick might just be destined for greater things to come.

How Lea Salonga returned... PAGE B2 before except for Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, John Denver and all those big names that made it international. Like, we got those artists in the Philippines. This movie is very unique because with Filipinos, you expect pop music or even R&B with people like Bruno Mars and the Black Eyed Peas. So country music is kind of out left field, but in the most wonderful way.

AJ: There seems to be a powerful influx of API stories that are being told APIs in Hollywood right now. How do you feel about that, and how do you hope Yellow Rose plays into that trajectory? LS: It makes me so happy! [Laughs] I’ve been doing stuff here in the United States since 1991, and it’s now 2019, so it’s like, “Damn, that took a long time!” But I’m very glad it’s happening and that I’m here to witness it. It

feels great that there are more of our stories being told, and more being told in personal and nuanced ways, and that they’re being seen as financially viable features of entertainment. It’s also a reflection of the reality that there are so many immigrants in this country, and it’s time for these stories to be told. Hopefully [“Yellow Rose”] will help illuminate other realities that haven’t been represented in the mainstream before.

BACK by popular demand! We heard you and we listened! One La Salle of Southern California’s 80s dance party is back this year. The event, now dubbed as “Back To The 80s,” still promises to put you in your dancing mood and party the night away! The sensational Quantum Wave band will provide the exhilarating live music, while disc

jockey extraordinaire, DJ Ernie, will showcase his smooth and energizing mixes. The event will be held on July 27, 2019 from 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. at St. Casimir’s Parish Hall, 3855 Evans St., Los Angeles. The entrance is at St. George Street. There will be food and drinks. Age restriction applies; only 21 and over are admitted.

Tickets are $25 (prepaid) each; $30 at the door. Ticket includes one free drink. For details, call 909-680-2905 All Access or visit Eventbrite.com and search for “Back to the 80’s soiree.” (minimum fee will be applied). This is the summer event you don’t want to miss. Back To The 80s will bring back fond memories. It will be a night to remember!

B4 APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS THE current resurgence of measles in the United States is alarming. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that as of April 11, 2019, there were 555 new cases in 20 states, 359 of which were in New York. This is the second highest (667 cases in 2014) since it was “eradicated” in 2000. Globally, there has been a 300 percent increase in 2019 (112,163 cases) compared to 2018 (28,124 cases) in 170 countries. When was measles first discovered? Zakariya Razi, a Persian physician-philosopher was the one who described measles in the 9th century. In 1954 researchers Dr. Thomas C. Peebles and Dr. John F. Enders isolated the virus during the outbreak among Massachusetts students, which subsequently enabled the development of the measles vaccine in 1963. Past data show that “in 1920, the United States had 469,924 recorded cases of measles and 7,575 deaths associated with measles. From 1958 to 1962, the U.S. averaged 503,282 cases and 432 death associated with measles each year.” What is the clinical picture of measles? The highly contagious airborne virus, morbillivirus, causes measles, which easily spreads by through sneezing, coughing, and contact with oro-nasal secretions. The patient comes in with very high fever, runny nose, cough, watery eyes, malaise, which develop between 7-21 days after exposure. Two to three days later, Koplik spots are seen in the mouth. A few days after the first sign shows up, the skin rash spreads to the face and throughout the entire body. Ninety percent of those exposed to it, even momentarily, could get infected unless previously vaccinated. How long does the virus survive? The virus remains alive and contagious in the air and on surfaces for 2 hours, and in an examining room, it could still cause infection 2 hours after an infected patient has left the room. The patient is contagious 4 days before and 4 days after rash

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Measles can kill

appears, so it is possible to get mealses from an infected person even before he/she develops the typical symptoms or rash. The transmission does not need close contact to happen. How serious is measles? Measles carries severe potential complications like pneumonia, encephalitis (brains welling), and death. Children under five, adults older than 20, very old seniors, and those with compromised immune system, are more prone to develop complications. One of my professors in Pediatrics, only in his 50s, died in the USA from complications of measles. The CDC reports that “one in 1,000 to 2,000 patients with measles will have swelling of the brain (encephalitis) and approximately 6 percent of all measles cases will get pneumonia.” What was the impact of MMR? Between 2000 to 2016, there was an 84 percent reduction in deaths from measles— about 20.4 million deaths have been prevented — thanks to the measles vaccine. According to CDC, “in the decade prior to the introduction of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) combination vaccine in the United States, it’s estimated that more than three million people were infected with the measles each year. Since MMR reached widespread use, measles cases in the country have been reduced by more than 99 percent.” Still, around 400 people die of measles each single day around the world today. As of March 14, 2019, 315 patients died out of 21,396 measles cases in the Philippines. Why the resurgence? Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. But today’s ease of travel makes it easy for the measles virus to spread around the globe. According to the CDC, “about 50 percent of imported measles cases in the United States are from residents coming back from other countries.” More than 30 million children in the U.S. are not vaccinated, some because of parental refusal (fear of autism as a complication, which is baseless), others for lack of access, etc. In the U.S., 91.1 percent of children have received MMR vaccine. This is a major part of the problem globally, including for the Philippines, where only about 3.9 million children (out of more than 30 million) have been vaccinated.

Why are some parents suing? Five anti-vaccine parents filed a suit against New York for its mandatory vaccination ordinance, which a Brooklyn Judge recently dismissed to protect the general public. Washington State a week ago passed a bill that removes the personal belief exemption from MMR vaccinations. These misguided parents are partly responsible for the resurgence of measles. Those parents against Gardasil (the 98-percent effective anti-cervical cancer vaccine), who unwittingly put young girls at risk for this dreaded cancer. A grave mistake. Rejection might be justified ONLY WHEN the illness was not contagious and would not harm others. When was the vaccine introduced? The measles vaccine was developed in 1963. In 1967, vaccines were available for mumps, and in 1969, for rubella (German measles). The 3 were then combined in 1971, popularly known today as MMR vaccine. The first national measles campaign of 1966 brought down the incidence of measles. Four years later, the rate came down to 47,351 cases and 89 deaths, a fraction of previous statistics before the vaccine was introduced. The worst in recent memory is in 2014, where there were 667 cases of measles in the USA. How effective is the vaccine? The MMR vaccine is 99 percent effective in preventing measles, mumps, and rubella. Unfortunately, as I have said earlier, there are many who refuse to avail of the protection vaccines could provide. The CDC recommends that all children get two doses of MMR vaccine….the first dose at 12 to 15 months and the second dose at 4 to 6 years. The CDC urges adults … to get vaccinated.” When vaccination rate is high, fewer unvaccinated individuals could also be exposed, therefore, less infection rate, the phenomenon called herd immunity. Vaccinations save not only the immunized person but also the unvaccinated ones. Measles vaccine protects for at least 20 years and life-long immunity for about 96 percent of people. What is SSPE? Those who develop chronic progressive brain inflammation called Subacute Sclerosing PanPAGE B5

Voices of spring as heard by artists

MOONLIGHTING by MYLAH DE

LEON

ARTISTS are those whose gifts set them apart as their talent, wisdom and integrity are superior. They make beauty, unlock mysteries, serve the truth, create life out of the matter of their visions – between pokes of arrogance and humility, between failure and triumph. They walk alone, listened to voices unheard by others. They have command over other their chosen medium, whether a brush, a pen, a musical instrument or a voice. They are timeless as the universe itself, yet why do certain expressions of art live for all their time, while others die with the moment. When does an artist say that a piece is timeless? How does he say it? How much is the fad, how much is merely reflection? Why is baroque right for one age, while too effulgent for another? Why is Homer hard to read now and George Sand not? Can a standard of craftsmanship apply to art of all ages? Or does it have its own different definition? What was Van Gogh thinking, when he slashed a brood of black and greys across a white canvas and let the edge dribble down? Was that a statement of violence or self-portrait? Why does some modern painting shock us? And what of the little tight paintings of different brilliant flowers in a vase? Does it have any life, any meaning beyond its sentiment? Is there any pleasure in its forms or textures? Life dissolves and blooms but the Filipino Cultural Center (FCC) will always give people a sense of place and good sense in each season. Last Saturday, April 20, artists Vics Magsaysay, Bienvenido Boi Sibug, Luiz Balbin-Spanks, Magoo Valencia, Rey Zabagan, Julius Kim and Bernadette Manahan Sta, Maria opened a floral exhibit entitled, “A new beginning: Art of the Spring” at the FCC. The center vibrated like a tuning fork. All over the walls spring has sprung — sweet and floral, as if they were showers on the breeze of an April day. Suddenly, the most gorgeous sparkling flowers have blossomed. All around were flowers

Paintings of the artists

Orchids in a frame

Bernadette Manahan Sta. Maria

Vics Magsaysay

that healed and sizzled, in calculated seductions blossoms of pink and white roses, lilacs, daffodils, the aristocrat orchids, the outrageous birds of paradise, as seen by Santa Maria. The flowers of Magsaysay — that scent of hope, love and lust — captured hues of perpetual light and sudden grace. Their collective floral showcase surrounded us to surrender to its radiance,

like the breath of angels. Yet, we should not get too carried away, spring comes and goes, as it surrenders when nature matures: and like love, the flowers and greens marvelous and magical at its full blossoming, but when it wanes, it is nothing but a heap of rotting leaves. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol. com

Kate Hancock and her window to paradise BY MONET

IN my recent trip to the Philippines a couple of weeks ago, I decided to have a much needed R&R at a resort in Camiguin, which fortunately, happened to be owned by a good friend of mine, Kate Hancock. Kate was one of our “Distinguished Entrepreneur Awardees” at the 2018 The Beautiful Life Celebration Awards. She is a successful Serial Entrepreneur and a Tech and Real Estate Investor who was named as “100 Most Influential Filipina in the World,” “The young Entrepreneur to watch in 2017,” “Women of the Year Nominee” from Orange County Business Journal and a Business of Excellence awardee. According to her online bio, she “has a unique ability to figure out how to create a business from zero knowledge or training. As she puts it she ‘just figures it out.’” This brilliant woman started her first business with $20 and grew it into a multiple-sevenfigure-online store. Then she ventured into the spa business in order to help others who suffered from skin conditions like herself. Now, she has two locations, and it all began from starting in just one treatment room. She owns the top-rated OC Facial Center in Orange County, Boutique Hotel and Snob Lounge. Her newest venture is the resort in Camiguin Island, Philippines, where she grew up. Hence, the story of “Bintana sa Paraiso” (translation: window to paradise). Kate has always dreamt of providing jobs to her fellow Filipinos and promoting Camiguin. She wanted people from around the world to experience the beauty of the island. She has 2 resort properties in Camiguin: The first one is “Bintana Sa Paraiso” in Nasaag which sits perched on a lovely hill at the foot of magnificent Mt. Hibok-Hibok and close to the secluded hot spring that flows gently into the pristine waters of the Bohol Sea. The resort has 6 rooms; each has its own gorgeous pool and a balcony. The Tiki Hut

in Binunsaran or BSP House (Beach-front Balinese Style) is their second location. It has 10 rooms that are made of bamboo. You can see the white island view from the second floor. There is a common swimming pool, and you can order room service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kate’s work ethic and personality are also visible in the way her staff provide service. I remember feeling pampered and well-attended to when I stayed at the resort. Her staff were all warm and friendly. They really make the resort feel like your home away from home. Plus! They have a 24-hr butler ready to satisfy your food cravings. It is truly a slice of heaven on earth! It doesn’t take much for anyone to fall in love with the island of Camiguin, just like what Kate envisions. Not to mention the town boasts of its zero-crime-rate reputation. I also had the best time at Mantigue Island where there is a marine sanctuary reserve where you can free dive and snorkel, a picnic area, mini forest with a bat sanctuary, and did I mention, crystal clear waters? The place definitely gives you the hashtag #livingthelife feels! I can totally see why Kate loves the place and her visions of putting Camiguin as a prime tourist destination, with ‘Bintana sa Paraiso’ as a “home base.” She has put in a lot of effort to make sure her resort provides a simple and untouched escape, just like

the perfect retreat to enjoy nature and spend quality time with your loved ones - in an electronic free ecosystem. In spite of Kate’s successful life in the U.S., she sees to it that she comes back – and gives back to her hometown. In fact, to pay homage to her beloved town, she and her husband Dan Robbins spent their wedding at the breathtaking White Island sand bar just off the coast of Camiguin. It is reportedly by far, the most pristine white sand beach in the Philippines. Everything in Camiguin is why people “choose Philippines!” There is no doubt in my mind that Kate’s vision for her birth town and her resort would come into fruition even sooner than she expects. The resort serves as an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. It has all the potential of being a tourist’s safe haven at a place where love and friendship abound. I remember speaking to Kate last year when I gave her her much-deserved award. She is such a sweet, humble and a real Visionary. I hope that there will be plenty like her in the Filipino American community. Kate has recently given two inspirational talks in the Philippines and has been featured in Voyage LA, Forbes, INC, Huffington post, Buzzfeed and Modern Luxury Magazine. To Kate, thank you for such an PAGE B5

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

Miles out of her comfort zone Jason Mraz collaborates with Pinoy artist Reneé Dominique by Jerry

Donato Philstar.com

MILES Ocampo goes out of her comfort zone in “Maledicto,” the first venture of Fox Networks Group Philippines in producing local content. Her character named Agnes may have traces of sweetness from Miles’ previous small- and big-screen roles, but she is something else. Well, you know, looks can be deceiving. “This is my most challenging (role) so far, given the years I have spent in the industry (as well as the works I have done),” said the Kapamilya homegrown talent in an interview with The Star. “This is the movie where I gave my all (for) I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone, away from (the usual) sweet, teeny-bopper roles people are used to see me doing.” Playing Agnes is that first step that will hopefully see Miles essay more challenging roles, showcasing her versatility and reliability as a young actress. “She’s a typical perfect Catholic girl, who is loved by everybody,” said Miles of her latest character. “Then she gets possessed by a bad spirit, the evil spirit ay mapupunta sa kanya. From there, her personality changes and that affects the way she deals with those who surround her.” One can say that Miles had to parallel that transformation of Agnes from someone who is being “bubbly, then she becomes emo(tional)” to one “who has created her own world.” Asked about the cause of Agnes becoming the object of that entity, Miles politely begged off from giving any hints. She would like the moviegoers to find for themselves the answer. Aside from Agnes, Mara (played by Inah de Belen) has experienced the ordeal the former goes through. Father Xavi (Tom Rodriguez), a psychologist-turned-exorcist, and Sister Barbie (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), a religious person with the gift of charism, will help understand the mystery. “It (the case of Mara) somehow mirrors Agnes’,” said Miles. “Iba yung reason namin at ang posisyon namin. Because of (Mara), Father Xavi will have an idea on how to assess (the situation) of my character.” Given the plight of Agnes, becoming her, said Miles, was draining physically and mentally. “Alam mo na totoong sobrang hirap talaga. After shooting, I was completely drained (and exhausted), ubos na ubos ka talaga,” said Miles, whose director, Mark Meily, made it easier for her to build the character and execute the crucial

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

Miles Ocampo

scenes. “There are levels (or signs) when one gets possessed,” shared Miles. The possession manifests in the odd behavior being experienced by the victim like rolling of the eyes, giving a blank look or stare (tulala) and speaking in a different voice. Miles was challenged to show that Agnes did experience possession and not some mental condition. Taking on this project was a brave, bold act on the part of Miles for she is “matatakutin (I get easily scared).” “I think it may be true or may be not,” said Miles of the presence of these entities that might live among us. “I don’t want to feed my mind with that idea (or entertain it) but at the same time, pwede talaga (itong) mangyari. Maaring hindi lang sa atin, sa mga lugar natin, (pero) sa mga probinsya, talagang nangyayari yung mga ganun.” Has portraying Agnes strengthened her faith? “I’m a (Roman) Catholic but at the same time, I attend Christian Bible studies... Yung faith mo ay dapat na kay God lang. My faith in Him is very important.” Miles thinks that faith serves as one’s protection from bad entities. Off-cam, Miles is a University of the Philippines student, who wishes to wear the sablay, the university’s official academic costume in 2021. “I started taking up Theater Arts and I did (shows) for Dulaang UP. I think I did more than five because I shifted to another course.” Her experience working in a university theater has improved her personality more, and helped her appreciate the work creative

Kate Hancock and her...

PAGE B4 unforgettable experience. Most of all, thank you for letting me in on your dream project and allowing me to experience your vision. You have indeed opened a “window to paradise” for me. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of

Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

INTERNATIONAL artist Jason Mraz is set to release a single in collaboration with Filipina singer Reneé Dominique. In a report by entertainment website Push, Jason said Renee will join him in his Manila concert next month and his Manila audience will have the first opportunity to hear the song live. “She’ll be joining me at the concert in Manila so we can perform our song together which is very exciting,” Jason told Push. Renee rose to fame due to her own rendition of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know,” which has now almost six million views on YouTube. She also has her own covers such as “Leaving Photo from Instagram/@milesocampo On A Jetplane,” Can’t Take My Eyes of You,” and a mash-up, people do and the importance of “What A Wonderful World and discipline. Miles was assigned to Can’t Help Falling In Love,” to do costumes, production, market- name a few. ing and publicity. Jason described Renee’s voice After almost two years of study- as “angelic” and “heavenly.” ing theater arts, Miles is all eyes “She’s an artist on the rise,” now to secure her degree in Malikhaing Pagsulat (Creative Writing). The “Home Sweetie Home” star can juggle work and school. “I applied for Ricky Lee’s scriptPAGE B4 writing workshop and tried my Encephalitis (SSPE) as a complihand at writing,” said Miles and cation of measles could have the that’s how her interest in writing following, even 6 to 8 years after started. She does brainstorming the infection: behavioral changwork for iWant and wishes to es, uncontrollable movements, write her first full-length script memory loss, blindness, inability for film. to walk, seizures, coma, leading to

Reneé Dominique Photo from Instagram/@heyimrenee

Jason Mraz Photo from Instagram/@jason_mraz

Jason said, adding: “It didn’t sound connected to any particular region on the planet.” Their collaboration will be re-

leased this summer in USA. Jason will be performing at the Mall of Asia Arena on May 8 as part of his ongoing world tour.

Measles can kill...

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, a persistent vegetative state. Nevada, is an international medical Measles is a most contagious lecturer/author, and Chairman of the disease, a potential killer. It is Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 nothing to sneeze about. The humanitarian and anti-graft foundation vaccine is 99 percent effective, in the United States. Websites: FUN8888. safe, and a life-saver. The choice com, philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@ is a no-brainer. gmail.com *** (Advertising Supplement)

B APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

COMMUNITY Journal

Permanent resident status based on employment

Your Immigration Solution Atty. MAridex e. AbrAhAM IF you are a professional, skilled or unskilled worker, you may be admitted to the United States under the employmentbased, third preference visa category (EB-3). Under the EB3 preference category, a person with a full-time job offer from a U.S. employer is eligible for permanent resident status (green card) if certain criteria are met. The EB-3 visa is available to three categories of workers: professionals, skilled workers, and unskilled workers. A professional is a person whose job requires at least a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college institution or a foreign equivalent. Professionals include doctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses, physical therapists and teachers. A skilled worker is someone who might not have a college degree but has at least two (2) years of job experience or training. A skilled worker typically has knowledge in a specific skill or trade, such as auto mechanics, graphic designers, electricians, law enforcement officers, and computer technicians. Finally, an unskilled worker performs labor that requires less than two years of training or job experience. The “other workers” EB-3 job category is available for individuals performing unskilled labor that is not of a temporary or seasonal nature. Unskilled workers include housekeepers, farm workers, custodians, line operators and construction workers. To be eligible for a green card in the EB-3 preference category, you must have a job offer for full-time employment from a U.S. company. You do not need to show that you are currently working at the company, only that the company plans to hire you after you receive your green card. You must also show that

you intend to work for the petitioning employer after you receive your green card. One of the first steps in being petitioned by an employer is for the sponsoring employer to file a labor certification application with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to test the local labor market for qualified and available U.S. workers. If there are no qualified and available U.S. workers for the job, the position is certified, which means your employer is permitted to file a

with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Your employer needs to demonstrate the ability to pay you the average wage of a similar worker in your position in the areas of intended employment (prevailing wage). After USCIS approves the petition, you may be ready to apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad, or maybe even apply for your green card though adjustment of status if you are already living in the United States. However, you cannot apply to become a permanent resident until a visa number is available to you. This is commonly referred to as your priority date being current. The U.S. government limits the number of green cards that are issued each year. These limits are based on the type of family relationship, the employment-based preference category, etc. You can check whether your priority date is current by checking the visa bulletin, which is updated and published each month. Whether you are hired for a professional, skilled or unskilled job, your employment offer may lead you to a pathway to permanent residency. Contact an experienced immigration lawyer to learn more about the EB-3 preference category. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. For more Information please call (800) 795- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

“ A skilled worker is someone who might not have a college degree but has at least two (2) years of job experience or training. A skilled worker typically has knowledge in a specific skill or trade, such as auto mechanics, graphic designers, electricians, law enforcement officers, and computer technicians.” petition on your behalf. Labor certification is a highly detailed process that may take several months. There are limited circumstances when a labor certification is not required. One exception to the labor certification requirement is if your occupation is listed under DOL’s “Schedule A.” The U.S. DOL classified certain jobs under Schedule A after having determined there to be a shortage of sufficient U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available for the positions. Currently, Schedule A occupations include physical therapists, nurses, and individuals of exceptional ability in the sciences and arts. Eventually, the employer will be required to file a “Form I140, Petition for Alien Worker”

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

DON'T FILE BANKRUPTCY )LPUN PU KLI[ JHU IL Z[YLZZM\S HUK TVZ[ WLVWSL KVU [ RUV^ ^OLYL [V [\YU MVY OLSW 0 VMMLY H MYLL OV\Y JVUZ\S[H[PVU [V JHYLM\SS` YL]PL^ `V\Y ZP[\H[PVU HUK OLSW `V\ THRL [OL YPNO[ KLJPZPVU MVY `V\YZLSM HUK `V\Y MHTPS` r *9,+0; *(9+ +,);: r :;<+,5; 36(5: r 469;.(., 796)3,4: r 3(>:<0;: 1<+.4,5;: r 09: ;(? 796)3,4: >(., .(950:/4,5;: r )(529<7;*@ */(7;,9 -69 469, 05-6 =0:0;! >>> )<3(653(> *64

MORE THAN 5,000 CASES -Ê- Ê"

/ iÊ « Ê Õ ÌÞ½Ã "°Ê£Ê /Ê, Ê 8* ,/t

>L HYL H KLI[ YLSPLM HNLUJ` \UKLY MLKLYHS SH^ 0M ULJLZZHY` ^L OLSW JSPLU[Z VI[HPU KLI[ YLSPLM \UKLY [OL )HURY\W[J` *VKL

C APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Too much debt, not enough income? ARE you debts growing faster than your income every month? Trying to pay what you can but feel like you’re running on a treadmill and not getting anywhere? Do you have that sick feeling in your stomach after realizing that you have gotten yourself in more debt than you can actually pay back? If it’s any consolation, according to a recent survey, about onethird of households in this country are either just barely making it or are having trouble paying their debts each month. As of February, 2019, the Federal Reserve Board reports that the American consumer debt is now at a record $4 trillion! For the first time in history, average Americans owe more than they make. In the last decade, credit card debt has increased 81 percent while the average family’s income grew only by 9%! So how can people’s income keep up? If you are in the situation I just described above, how can you avoid debt from creeping up on you? The banks and the credit card companies know that when income is short, most people will resort to loans and credit cards to make up for the shortage. This is how the banks and the credit card companies are continuing to get rich, of course, at your expense. Is this what you’ve been doingusing credit cards just to survive every month? The problem with this, obviously, is that if your income is always short and you’ve become dependent on borrowing just to make ends meet each month, what you’re doing is putting a small “band-aid” on a giant wound.

Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon At some point, your credit cards will be maxed out and you will be bankrupt unless your income has also increased to be able to pay off all the debt that you’ve been accumulating. Before this happens, you need to find a way to reduce your debts

“ As of February, 2019, the Federal Reserve Board reports that the American consumer debt is now at a record $4 trillion!” and monthly expenses so you are not “negative” every month. Now if your only plan of dealing with that situation at this point is, “I will just deal with it when that happens”, then what you have in your hands is a disaster just waiting to happen Financial planners tell us that we should try to keep our debt-toincome ratio below 36% (about 28% for housing and 8% for other recurring debt payments). To calculate your own ratio, divide your total monthly debt payments by your total monthly gross income. In your monthly debt payments, include your mortgage, car, loan

and credit card payments. What do you get? What I usually find is that some people are way above this amount, sometimes as much as 70-80%!!!! And then they wonder why they never have enough money for food, utilities and other basic living expenses. This is the reason why a lot of people in debt are unable to qualify to buy a home even though they have always paid their bills on time- They simply have too much debt and the banks are not willing to give them any more. (I had a client in my office the other day who decided to file bankruptcy because his broker told him that he was better off filing for bankruptcy first to get rid of his debts before buying a house. Most people are able to buy a home if their bankruptcy is at least 2-3 years old.) If your debts are out of control and you need help in figuring out what your options are, we can help you explore all your nonbankruptcy and bankruptcy alternatives. Bankruptcy, of course, should be your last option, not the first. To schedule a free attorney consultation, please call us at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)

New limits to casualty and theft losses GENE3RALLY, you may deduct casualty and theft losses relating to your home, household items, and vehicles on your federal income tax return. What used to be deductible under old law has been suspended (meaning not deductible for the current year) with the exception of federally declared disasters. Old law: Under old rules, you were able to claim as itemized deductions certain personal casualty losses that were not compensated by insurance, including losses arising from fire, storm, or other casualty, or theft. New law: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) suspends personal casualty and theft loss deduction, ex-

Tax Tips VictoR Sy, cPA, mBA

cept for casualty losses incurred in a federally declared disaster. “Eliminates” is a more appropriate term since this deduction is scheduled to return later – much later in 2026. Disaster area losses: A federally declared disaster is still deductible under the old rules. Such a disaster must be declared by the President to be eligible for federal assistance un-

der the Robert Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com. (Advertising Supplement)

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. RheA SAmSon NOONG huli kong artikulo, aking tinalakay ang Form I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status na ginagamit para palawigin o baguhin ang status ng aplikanteng nandito sa US sa ilalim ng nonimmigrant visa category na B1/B2 (bisita), F1 (estudyante); J1 (exchange visitor) or kaya H4, E2 o L2 (mga dependent ng H1 [temporary worker], E1 [investor] or L1 [intra-company transferee]). Marami ang nagtatanong kung paano maaaring magpalit ng status ang isang B2 visitor para maging F1 student status habang nananatili dito sa US. Ito ang aking tatalakayin ngayon. Ang isang dayuhang naka-B2 visitor status ay maaaring magapply na palitan ang kanyang nonimmigrant status para maging F1 student kung ang mga susunod na pamantayan ay kanyang maipapakita sa USCIS:

Changing status from B2 visitor to F1 student • Ang B2 visitor status ng aplikante ay mabisa pa rin – di pa siya nananatili sa US na lampas sa petsang nakalagay sa kanyang Form I-94 Arrival-Departure Record. • Ang aplikante ay walang paglabag sa kanyang B2 visitor status – siya ay nagbabakasyon lamang at bumibisita sa mga pamilya at kaibigan. • Ang aplikante ay walang nagawang krimen o mga aksyon na magdudulot sa kanyang pagiging ineligible para sa change of status. • Ang aplikante ay nag-apply at natanggap na sa isang Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school at nabigyan na ng Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” • Ang aplikante ay nagbayad na ng $200 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee. Kung ang mga pamantayang nakasaad ay kanyang natugunan, ang aplikante ay maaaring mag-

file ng Form I-539 Application to Change Status mula B2 visitor para maging F1 student. Hanggat makatanggap ang aplikante ng approval mula sa USCIS, hindi niya maaaring ipalagay na siya ay aprubado na at maaari nang mag-aral. Kailangang mapanaliti pa rin ng aplikante ang kanyang B2 visitor status sa patuloy na pagbakasyon sa US hanggang sa maaprubahan na ng USCIS ang kanyang F1 Application. Ang USCIS ay maaari lamang mag-apruba ng I-539 Change of Status Application kung ang aplikante ay napapanatili ang kanyang B2 status hanggang 30 araw bago ang initial start date ng kanyang F1 academic program. Ang pangalawang Form I-539 para sa extension ng B2 status as kailangang i-file sa USCIS sa mga sumusunod na sitwasyon: • Kung ang B2 visitor status ay mawawalan na ng bisa ng higit pa sa 30 araw bago ang initial F1 program start date. Ang hindi pag-file ng pangalawang I-539

u PAGE C3

Will a domestic violence finding affect my claim for sole or joint custody of our children?

AN action under the DVPA (Domestic Violence Protection Act) seeking a restraining order often is necessary to protect parties from abuse or domestic violence perpetrated by the other spouse or significant other. At times, it is effective in preventing harm to one of the parties. At the same time, this process is sometimes abused by family law litigants as a strategy for obtaining an advantage in a child custody case. The basis for this is the presumption against sole or joint custody under California family code section 3044. California Family Code Section 3044 (a) provides “Upon a finding by the court that a party seeking custody of a child has perpetrated domestic violence against the other party seeking custody of the child or against the child or the child’s siblings within the previous five years, there is a rebuttable presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child, pursuant to Section 3011. This presumption may only be rebut-

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth uRSuA ReyeS ted by a preponderance of the evidence. In determining whether the presumption in family code 3044(a) has been overcome, the court shall consider all of the following factors:(1) Whether the perpetrator of domestic violence has demonstrated that giving sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to the perpetrator is in the best interest of the child. In determining the best interest of the child, the preference for frequent and continuing contact with both parents, as set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 3020, or with the noncustodial parent, as set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 3040, may not be used torebut the presumption, in whole or in part.(2) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a batterer’s

treatment program that meets the criteria outlined in subdivision (c) of Section 1203.097 of the Penal Code. (3) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a program of alcohol or drug abuse counseling if the court determines that counseling is appropriate. (4) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a parenting class if the court determines the class to be appropriate. (5) Whether the perpetrator is on probation or parole, and whether he or she has complied with the terms and conditions of probation or parole. (6) Whether the perpetrator is restrained by a protective order or restraining order, and whether he or she has complied with its terms and conditions. (7) Whether the perpetrator of domestic violence has committed any further acts of domestic violence. A person has “perpetrated domestic violence” when he or she is found by the court to have intentionally or recklessly caused or attempted to cause bodily injury, or sexual assault, or to have placed a person in reasonable apprehension of imminent seri-

u PAGE C3

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

Can employers withhold wages of employees? DONOVAN Sebastian worked in sales for Sprint/United Management Co. Sprint provided him and other employees with vehicles for them to travel between stores. Sebastian, on behalf of himself and other employees, sued Sprint for withholding wages purportedly because the employees drove the company vehicles for personal use. The employees also claimed that they were improperly classified as exempt from overtime. In addition, the employees claimed Sprint did not provide meal or rest breaks, pay wages due upon termination, or provide accurate itemized wage statements. There are several noteworthy issues in the employees’ claims, many previously discussed in this column. Let’s revisit one issue – the question of deductions or withholdings. Can the employer simply withhold from the employees’ wages for whatever reason it deems fit? Under California law, deductions are generally permissible if they are 1) authorized by law; 2) expressly authorized by the employee in writing; 3) expressly authorized by collective bargaining or wage agreement; and 4) deductions authorized in writing by an employee for a valid obligation such the repayment of a loan or payment of a purchase. However, there are several express limitations on permissible deductions. The following may provide some helpful guidelines: 1) No right of offset for employee’s debts to employer – An employer is prohibited from

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng THE first client is 48 and got married in the last four years. Her husband was a foreigner who professed his love for her in so many ways. Unfortunately, his love for her was actually for her U.S. citizenship. The client, who had never been married before, fell head over heels for her newfound Romeo whom she met in a party in her hometown. He looked handsome and dashing in his own peculiar way. Never mind that he was height challenged at 4 feet 4 inches tall and had webbed fingers and toes. He was an athlete and was the fastest swimmer in their town. His nickname was ‘Aqua-Man.’ All of these traits did not bother the client; in fact, it was these traits that endeared him to her. She called him “my BB” for baby “beluga.” She reasoned that he would have no problem getting a job in California. SeaWorld in San Diego would certainly offer him a job to swim with the dolphins and whales. Well, you know how the K-1 fiancée visa works. You have to prove to the USCIS that you met your loved one at least two years before the petition date with evidence consisting of pictures with dates on them, cards, letters, emails, the works. It’s just too bad that there is no camera that can take a picture of the real intent of the human heart. The client petitioned her husband for his green card as soon as they were married. It wasn’t a $15-M wedding like Kanye and Kim’s in 2014. The client’s reception was held in a popular restaurant

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. deducting payment of a debt that an employee owed to the employer. The employer has the same recourse as all other creditors – which is to get an order from the court to have the debt paid. However, an employee may authorize an employer to withhold some amounts owed by the employee to pay a debt to an employer. The employee must acknowledge the debt in writing. This is allowed particularly when the employee had been making periodic payments on an agreedupon basis. But if the employee is terminated before the entire debt is paid, the employer may not “accelerate” the balance or obtain a balloon payment. Rather, the employer may withhold from the employee’s final paycheck only the authorized amount then due for that pay period. 2) No taking back of wages earned and paid – It is unlawful for an employer to collect from an employee any part of the wages that had already been earned and paid to the employee. However, the employer may take back overpayment of wages that had not been earned. Additionally, the employer and employee may agree that an employee’s final wage will be dependent on the occurrence of an event after the employee has done the work or

where the employee has already received an advance payment. In such cases, the employer may set off, against future wage payments, any excess amounts previously paid. Such a system does not violate the prohibition on the employer’s recapture of wages already earned or paid. 3) No deduction for business losses caused by employee negligence – Unless the employee was dishonest or willfully or grossly negligent, an employer may not deduct for ordinary losses caused by an employee. Losses due to an employee’s simple negligence, such as cash shortages and breakage or loss of equipment, “are inevitable in almost any business operation” and must be borne “as expenses of management.” In the case of the employees against Sprint, the parties agreed to settle the case, with Sprint agreeing to pay $3.25 million to the aggrieved employees. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 2910088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.] (Advertising Supplement)

para sa extension ng B2 status ay maaaring maging dahilan ng denial ng USCIS ng F1 Application. • Kung ang F1 program start date ay deferred sa susunod na academic term o semester sapagkat ang USCIS ay wala pang desisyon sa F1 Application bago ang initial F1 program start date. Ang pangalawang I-539 Application ay kailangan bilang “bridging the gap in time” mula sa petsa na nagexpire and B2 status at 30 araw bago magsimula ang panibagong F1 program start date. In my last article, I discussed Form I-539, which is used to apply for a change or extension of status for applicants who are in the US under different categories such as B-1/B2 (visitor), F-1 (student), J1 (exchange visitor), or H4, E2 or L2 (dependents of H1 [temporary worker], E1 [investor] and L1 [intra-company transferee]). We received a lot of inquiries on changing status from B2 visitor to F1 student while continuing to stay in the US, and this is what I will discuss today. An alien under a valid B2 status may apply to change nonimmigrant status to F1 academic student upon showing the following: • Applicant’s B2 status is still valid – applicant has not overstayed or stayed beyond the period authorized as indicated in Form

Permanent residence based on same-sex marriage IN United States vs. Windsor, 570 U.S. 744 (2013), the Supreme Court held that Federal restrictions of the terms “marriage,” and “spouse” to marriages between a man and a woman were unconstitutional. The Court invalidated Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which did not allow Federal Government recognition of same-sex marriages under Federal laws, or for Federal programs. After the Court’s decision in the Windsor case, the USCIS has considered same-sex, marriage-based immigrant petitions in the same way as those involving marriage with the opposite sex. As a result, a US citizen or permanent resident can petition his/her spouse or fiancé(e) to get a green card. As with marriages between persons of the opposite sex, a valid marriage between a same-sex couple is required. The law of the place in which the marriage took place determines whether the marriage is valid for immigration purposes. The samesex couple does not need to be residents of the state or foreign country in which the marriage took place. A civil union or domestic partnership cannot be the basis for a same-sex, marriage-based immigrant petition; a relationship legally considered to be a marriage where it took place establishes eligibility. If the marriage occurred in a state or foreign country in which same-sex marriages are

Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn recognized, then the US citizen or permanent resident spouse can file an I-130 petition and adjustment of status application (if the non-US citizen/permanent resident spouse is in the US) or immigrant visa application (if the non-US citizen/permanent resident spouse is outside the US). As with marriages between the opposite sex, the same-sex couple will need to demonstrate that the marriage is a real marriage and not merely for immigration purposes. But what if the marriage has yet to occur, and the non-US citizen/permanent resident person in the relationship resides in a foreign country that does not recognize same-sex marriages, and cannot travel to the US? In such a case, a US citizen can file an I-129f petition for alien fiancé(e), which would allow his/her foreign national fiancé(e) to travel to the US under a K-1 visa to get married. The couple would have to get married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages within 90 days of the foreign national’s arrival. After marriage, an I-485 adjustment of status application (changing status from K-1 to permanent

resident) would need to be filed. Filing an I-129f fiancé(e) petition is only available to a US Citizen and not a permanent resident. For cases involving a permanent resident petitioner, the couple would need to find a foreign nation to which they can both travel and that recognizes same-sex marriages, and get married there. Thereafter, the permanent resident petitioner can file an I-130 petition on behalf of his/her spouse, who would undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa in the country of residency when available. Certain other requirements exist to obtain permanent residence. It is also worth noting that eligibility for other immigration benefits are now available to a same-sex spouse. It is therefore recommended that you seek the advice of an experienced attorney. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)

Will a domestic violence finding affect my claim... Abandoned wife needs Chapter 7 for $50K credit cards PAGE C2 t

a block from Trump Towers. All of the client’s family, her brothers and sisters attended her wedding, but tried to convince her not to marry the guy. “Why him?” “You’re better off being single than marrying that human milkfish!” said her older brother. Her guest of honor, FBI director Comey said, “It just makes me nauseous to see you marry this guy, he looks fishy to me!” But despite all of the well-intentioned objections of family, friends and the FBI, client tied the knot. She charged their honeymoon, a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean, to MasterCard. That was followed by a romantic river cruise at St. Petersburg in Russia and a three-week Asian tour of China, Japan, Korea and all the Southeast Asian countries. The honeymoon set her back $50,000 but thanks to MasterCard and Visa, she was given the opportunity to make minimum payments of $1,500 a month for the $50,000 of credit cards. It was money she thought was well spent. It was her dream come true, to see the world with her prince charming. She was a certified nursing assistant who grossed $3,000 a month. Her take-home pay is $2,400 — so 62.5%of her take-home pay or $1,500 is for monthly minimum payments on her $50,000 credit cards. So she has $900 left before rent. They rent a room for $600 so she has $300 left for food. What about her husband? Well, he did not want to work because he said that as the head of family, she should be the one working. He decided he would just stay in the room and watch Disney movies the whole

day. So, the client decided to get a second job to pay for monthly necessities and the immigration lawyer fees for husband’s green card. Since the petition was filed before the Trump era, husband beneficiary was not fully vetted. He obtained FBI clearance despite Mr. Comey’s objections, and soon enough he became a legal permanent resident of our country, which at that time was not “great again.” Our country, at that time, was just “so-so.” As it turned out, the beloved husband was actually secretly married in his country of origin. So again, the FBI did not uncover this anomaly so the USCIS allowed a criminal bigamist to become a legal permanent resident. “Bigly Bad!” “That’s a nono!” As soon as he got legalized, he disappeared. The client hired the best private investigator that money or credit cards could buy. It was finally determined that he had gone to another state. He filed for divorce from the client since he already got legalized and the client had maxed out her credit cards. No more honeymoons for free around the world. Thus, being now of sound mind and body, the client decided to forget her fake husband and start fresh without accumulated debt. She decided to discharge the $50,000 of credit cards with a Chapter 7 petition. Finally, she’s making the right decision for herself. Uber driver seeks to discharge $20K credit cards The second client is 45. He owes $20,000 of credit cards. He pays $750 a month for minimum card payments. He is self-em-

u PAGE C4

Changing status from B2 visitor... PAGE C2 t

I-94 Arrival-Departure Record. • Applicant has not violated B2 status – applicant continues to have a vacation in the US and visit family and friends. • Applicant has not committed any crime or engaged in any action that would make applicant ineligible for change of status. • Applicant has applied and has been accepted by a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school; and has been given a Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” • Applicant has paid $200 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee. If the above criteria have been met, the applicant may file Form I-539 Application to Change Status from B2 to F1 with the USCIS. Until the applicant receives approval from the USCIS, applicant must continue to maintain B2 visitor status. USCIS may only approve I-539 Application to Change Status Application if applicant is maintaining B2 status up to 30 days before the F1 program initial start date. This means that the applicant has to file a second I-539 to Extend B2 status if: • Applicant’s current status will expire more than 30 days before the initial F1 program start date. Failure to file the second I-539 Ap-

plication timely may result in the denial of F1 Application. • Applicant’s F1 program start date is deferred to the following academic term or semester because USCIS has not made a decision on the I-539 Application before the original F1 program start date, and B2 status expires more than 30 days before that program start date. A second I-539 Application has to be filed to bridge the gap in time between the date the applicant’s current B2 status expires and the 30-day period before the new F-1 program start date. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their goals and dreams. As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others. Please visit our office: LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Call or text us: (213) 381.5710 Email us: attorneys@lindainsamsonlaw. com

ous bodily injury to that person or to another, or to have engaged in any behavior involving, but not limited to, threatening, striking, harassing, destroying personal property or disturbing the peace of another, for which a court may issue an ex parte order pursuant to Section 6320 to protect the other party seeking custody of the child or to protect the child and the child’s siblings. The requirement of a finding by the court shall be satisfied by, among other things, and not limited to, evidence that a party seeking custody has been convicted within the previous five years, after a trial or a plea of

guilty or no contest, of any crime against the other party that comes within the definition of domestic violence contained in Section 6211 and of abuse contained in Section 6203, including, but not limited to, a crime described in subdivision (e) of Section 243 of, or Section 261,262, 273.5, 422, or 646.9 of, the Penal Code.The requirement of a finding by the court shall also be satisfied if any court, whether that court hears or has heard the child custody proceedings or not, has made a finding pursuant to subdivision (a) based on conduct occurring within the previous five years. In Christina L v. Chauncey B, 229 Cal. App 4th 731 (2014),the

Court of appeal held that because a Domestic Violence restraining order must be based on a finding that the party being restrained committed one or more acts of domestic abuse, a finding of domestic abuse sufficient to support a DVPA restraining order necessarily triggers the rebuttable statutory presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child. The presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic

u PAGE C4

C4 APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

merica

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS A P R I L 25 -28

Philippine Nurses Association of America - North Central Regional Conference in Columbus, Ohio The Philippine Nurses Association - Central Ohio will hold a regional conference from April 25 to 28 at the Embassy Suites (2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio). For more information, please visit http://www.mypnaa.org/.

M AY 4

Kulintang festival in Oakland, CA As part of the as part of the celebrations of Asian American Heritage Month, Gongster’s Paradise — a kulintang party — will be held on Saturday, May 4 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center where the father of Filipino-American Kulintang music, Danongan ‘Danny’ Kalanduyan was once an artists in residence. This year’s line up will feature a new generation of Maguindanaon Master Artists from Cotabato City, Traditional groups from all over the United States and Contemporary groups from all over the world including Toronto, Philippines, Seattle, Virginia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Alongside non-stop kulintangan, Gongster’s Paradise will feature visual artists, vendors, and dancers to showcase movements related to kulintang music rooted from all over Mindanao. A feast will be served throughout the evening to be prepared and served by Chef Eric Pascual, rising star and owner of Eats By E and will be joined by collaborator and sponsor, Ramar Foods. It will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (388 9th St., Oakland, CA 94607).

M AY 1 7-1 9

Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii The Santa Maria Ilocos Sur Global Association (SMISGA) and the Santa Marians of Hawaii are sponsoring the Santa Maria Ilocos Sur 12th Global Reunion in Honolulu, Hawaii from May 17-19, 2019. The festivities will start with a meet and greet on May 17 at 5 p.m. at the Ala Moana Hotel Hibiscus Ballroom to be followed by a gala night on May 18 at 5 p.m. at the Dole Cannery Pomaikai Ballroom. A picnic is also scheduled at Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island on Sunday, May 19 starting at 10 a.m. The ticket to attend all the events is $130.00 per person. Due to limited space, reservations must be made not later than March 31, 2019. Hats and tshirts will also be on sale for $20. For further information, call Nena Empleo at (808) 384-0394, Carlito Soria at (808) 487-3370, Alex Pena at (702) 373-9522 or Orlino Baldonado at (865) 7898324. Leave a message if there’s no answer. Additional information is also on SMISGA.com and Facebook @ SMISGA19FB. Proceeds from the events will be for various projects in Santa Maria Ilocos Sur and in Hawaii. Donations are tax deductible since SMISGA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

M AY 25

Marist School Marikina to celebrate 55th anniversary in Buena Park, CA Marist Alumni Abroad, coordinated by Arthur ‘Jojo’ P. Armada ‘77, invites alumni, family and friends, and the public who are interested, to the 55th anniversary grand reunion of the Marist School Marikina, to be held on Saturday, May 25, at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel (7675 Crescent Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620). The event’s theme is “Celebrating Our Marist Life...The Legacy Continues,” hosted by Marist Alumni Abroad. Dinner and dance: 6 pm to 11 pm; donation: $55/pax (per person). Contact person is overall chair Jojo P. Armada at (626) 216-3529 or email: armadaarthur@yahoo.com.

M AY 25 -26

Bulacan high schools reunite in Rosemead, CA The 2019 Global Gathering of Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School (MHPHS) of Malolos, Bulacan will be held on May 25-26, 2019 at the Double Tree Hotel in Rosemead, CA. For further information, please contact any of the following: Lourdes Ople-Smith at lourdesosmith@gmail. com / (310) 662-1948; Charito Aldaba-Gabriel at chato_gabriel1019@yahoo.com / (818) 6536047; Leni Flor Cruz-Florentino at lenflorcruz529@yahoo.com / (818) 282-0928; Tristan Zafra at tristan@trisoftco.com / (714) 686-3345; Gerry Torres, Jr. at gerrytorres50@gmail.com / (213) 249-1633; and Perfecto T. Martin at perfecto.martin@gmail.com.

JUNE 1

7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival in LA The 2019 Global Gathering of Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School (MHPHS) of Malolos, BulacThe 7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival Committee (7KPFC) announced that it will holding the 7th Kalayaan Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 1, 2019 in commemoration of the 121st PH Independence Day on June 12, 1898. This will be the 7th Kalayaan Parade and Festival in Historic Filipinotown, as the first was held in 2013 in cooperation with the PH Consulate General in Los Angeles. This is the only Independence Day parade and Festival in Los Angeles and is held every year in Historic Filipinotown. For more information, please call Freddie at (818) 220-2075 or email at jfavusa8@gmail.com.

Kalayaan Incorporated’s annual Philippine Independence Day gala in LA Kalayaan Incorporated invites the community to its celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel (5855 W. Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Kalayaan is extremely proud to have Honorable Risa Hontiveros, an incumbent senator who assumed office on June 30, 2016, as the grand gala’s guest of honor and speaker. For tickets to the Gala Night, please contact Annie Cuevas-Lim, Kalayaan President at (213) 447-7078. For more information, contact KI PROs Violet Mislang at vmislang@gmail.com or Lady Hope Robillos at lhopepr@yahoo.com.

J U LY 2 0

The Ibaan Association USA-Canada gala dinner in LA The Ibaan Association USA-Canada will hold its 32nd Annual Gala Dinner & Dance July 20, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City - Ballroom A at 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, California 91608. For reservations call Monica Benitez at (323) 697-3731 / email: monica_benitez03@yahoo.com or Irene May Villafranca at (323) 4232299 / email: imay02@yahoo.com. Tickets are $85 for Adults and $40 for Children (3 to 10 years old). Please make checks payable to: Ibaan Association USA-Canada and mail to: Merly Pagunsan at 5025 Heintz St. Baldwin Park, CA 91706. For sponsorship information on our 2019 Souvenir Program please contact President Noli Reyes at homesbynoli@gmail.com or call (818) 458-7888. Please RSVP by April 12, 2019.

J U LY 24 -28

40th annual Philippine Nurses Association of America National Convention in Atlanta, GA The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) will have its 40th annual national convention from July 24 to 28 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, hosted by the PNA-GA chapter. More information and details TBA. To learn about the PNA-GA, please visit: https://pnaga.wildapricot.org/.

AU G U ST 1 - 9

University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International Convention & Alaskan Cruise The University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc. (UPNAAI) will have its 40th convention on a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The theme will be “In the New Millennium - UPNAAI at 40: Evolving and Emerging Nursing Roles.” On Aug. 1. it will be UPNAAI Volunteers Service Day in Seattle, then 2-9 will be a cruise from Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes, Victoria, and back to Seattle. Convention Fee $100 for Alumni in addition to cruise pricing. No convention charge for friends and family members. Contact Hours will be provided for the educational conference. For more information/to register and view cruise rates, please visit https://www.upnaai.com/.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Will a domestic violence finding affect my claim... PAGE C3 t violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child changes the burden of persuasion, but may be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence showing that it is in the child’s best interest to grant joint or sole custody to the offending parent. In that case, the father had a history of perpetrating domestic violence against the mother. Domestic Violence restraining orders has been issued multiple times over the years including within the last 5 years. The trial court ignored both the existing restraining order, the legal effect of such a judicial finding, and failed to apply the family code 3044 pre-

sumption and instead awarded joint custody to father. The Court of appeal reversed and remanded the case back to the trial court. (copyright 7/7/15) *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-speciﬁc legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Ofﬁces of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. ***

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certiﬁed Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail HYPERLINK “mailto: kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com” kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com Advertising Supplement)

Abandoned wife needs Chapter 7 for $50K...

PAGE C3 t

ployed because he makes his living by driving full time for Uber. By full time, I mean five days a week. He has a late model SUV, which he pays $400 a month. His gas expense is $125 a week or $500 a month. So, if you are wondering how much you can make driving Uber five days a week, you will gross $3,500, less $500 for gas. You can net about $3,000 without considering car insurance and car payments. In the client’s case, he has family abroad and needs to send them money every month. So he

decides to discharge his $20,000 of credit cards with Chapter 7, so he can send $750 back to his family monthly. I have another client who drives Uber part-time. He has a full-time job. He makes about $800 a month gross from Uber. If you are saddled with debt, now is the time to get them discharged. Better now than later when you are about to retire. But if you have not yet gotten rid of your debts yet and you are now a senior, believe me, you need to get rid of your debts now that your income is less than half

of what it was when you were younger. If you need bankruptcy relief, please call my office for an appointment and I will analyze your case personally. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than ﬁve thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)

People and Events

AAPA Mentoring Program Learning Hub #2 on May 9 THERE’S a “Perfect Storm” happening in leadership today, and it’s being fueled by a new generation of leaders. By challenging the status quo, millennials, without even knowing it, are pushing to “shift” the way we lead in ways we never envisioned or wished for - leading that’s in sync with the 21st century.The so-called “soft” stuff that provides generations of leaders ridiculed as useless, today is key. We’re shifting to a “new normal” in leadership. Neuroscience is proving that intellect, which is one-third of our innate intelligence, is no longer enough in a world where robots are replacing people. The other two-thirds, the intelligence of our hearts and our bodies have wisdom that the

mind does not. Knowing how to develop that intelligence within ourselves and our people are critical to engage our people, compete with robots and thrive in this century. Today if leaders are not willing to make the “shift,” they will not succeed. Have a burning workplace/career question? Not sure what step you should take next? At the Asian American Professional Association (AAPA) Learning Hubs, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions among mentors, mentees, community leaders and guests and enhance your learning among peers. Learning Hubs are smaller informal events that can be discussion/topic-focused, based on your needs. Learning Hubs are held

three times per year as part of the AAPA Mentorship Program. The AAPA mentorship program learning hub #2 will be held on Thursday, May 9 at the Bank of America Center (333 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles, 14th Floor Conference Room) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Registration and networking will be from 5:30 to 6:30, with the program from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Additional networking will be held until 8:30. Appetizers will be provided. Susan Inouye, executive coach and bestselling author of leadership’s “Perfect Storm: What Millennials are Teaching Us about Possibilities, Passion and Purpose,” will be the keynote

u PAGE C5

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

Exhibit by women artists extended to April 30 35th LA Asian Pacific Film Festival arrives May 2-10 THE 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be presented May 2 - May 10 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. A key highlight of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month activities, the Festival is produced by Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, and enjoys broad support from cinema artists and audiences alike. Opening Night will be the world premiere of “Yellow Rose,” directed and written by Diane Paragas. For the first time in the history of the Festival, LAAPFF will open and close with feature films written and directed by Asian Pacific American female filmmakers and as world premieres. In addition, this year’s selections marks a milestone with 24 female directors – both documentary and narrative feature films. The Festival’s Closing Night film features the World Premiere of “Empty By Design,” written and directed by Andrea A. Walter. This year’s Festival will showcase over 200 films, including both features and short films, with eight feature film world premieres.

Since 1983, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has presented over 4,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian international and Asian Pacific American artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards. The Film Festival continues to be the largest festival of its kind in Southern California and is the premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific

American and international cinema. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is a proud Academy Award®-qualifying film festival for Short Film Awards. Recipient(s) of the Film Festival’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative/Animated Short Film will be eligible to submit in the Animated Short Film/ Live-Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®. The festival line-up is available now at festival.vcmedia.org. n

AAPA Mentoring Program Learning... PAGE C4 t speaker. Susan, a leading expert on the changing landscape of leadership and millennials, has worked with over 600 companies in 40 industries for the past 20 years. She has helped leaders to increase their company’s productivity and profitability by CELEBRATING the Power of Women, which opened at Pinta*Dos Gallery in March to celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8th and National Women’s History Month, has been extended to close on April 30, 2019. The artworks of two Filipina and four Fil-Am women artists have received a good response from the San Pedro community and the two multi-awarded Filipina artists included in the show are Norma Belleza and Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi. Through the most vibrant colors and strong brush strokes, a Belleza masterpiece is recognized even from afar. Printmaker and painter Gelvezon-Tequi has garnered awards in the Philippines and in France where she is based. She was one of the first Filipina printmakers to employ etching as her main technique and is known for her witty interpretations of the colorful culture of Filipinos. The four Fil-Am artists in the show are Chona Bernardo, Maryrose C. Mendoza, Lyn Pacificar and Gloria Sanchez, all from Southern CA. Bernardo and Pacificar are healers in their own rights and have employed art for self-expression and for healing. The work of Sanchez is

rooted on her relationship with her mother and the culture that has inspired her. The art installations of Mendoza has been exhibited in many art galleries in the US and abroad. She is an Associate Professor and Drawing Coordinator for Visual Arts and Media Studies at Pasadena City College and was recently awarded a Fine Arts Guggenheim Fellowship. She had previously received fellowships from the Department of Cultural Affairs (COLA) and New York’s Art Matters, among others. She earned her MFA from Claremont Graduate University after completing programs at Otis/Parsons and CSU-LA. To honor International Women as well as recognize the artistic talents of women from the City of San Pedro where the gallery is located, Eve Pericich who is of Croatian descent is also included in the exhibit. She captures in canvas women from different cultures and her works emphasize not the differences in culture but rather the similarities among women of all cultures. The Gallery is located at 479 Sixth Street, Suite 108 at the Historic Arts District of San Pedro, CA. For more information, please call (310) 548-8148 or email info@ philippinegallery.com. n

Covered California’s special enrollment period underway LIFE can change in an instant, whether it’s your health or your personal situation. Elvira of Los Angeles lost her health insurance when the auto dealership she worked for closed its doors suddenly at the end of January. “I did not want to be without a job and without health insurance. You never know when you might need to go to the doctor or the hospital,” she said. “Who knows? Life is very unpredictable.” Elvira got a quote from COBRA that would let her keep the health plan she had had through work, but with her employer no longer picking up part of the cost, she would have had to pay nearly $600 a month. “A friend reminded me that Covered California could be cheaper,” Elvira said. “I remembered hearing on the radio there is financial help, so someone referred me to a certified agent.” Elvira found out that she qualified for financial assistance through Covered California, and she enrolled in a plan from a name-brand company at a fraction of the cost she would have paid through COBRA. The plan provides free preventive care — along with lab tests, X-rays and imaging — and allows Elvira to see her primary care physician or specialist without first needing to meet a deductible. The recently unemployed have many things to worry about, but having health insurance for themselves and their families shouldn’t be one of those concerns. Even though Covered California’s annual open-enrollment period is over, if you have lost your coverage because you lost or changed your job, you may be eligible for special enrollment. You may qualify for financial assistance to help you afford coverage. Those who are eligible can sign

up for coverage through Covered California’s special-enrollment period, as long as they do so within 60 days of a qualifying life event. The following circumstances are among the more common reasons individuals become eligible for special enrollment: • They lose their health coverage because they have lost or changed jobs. • They get married or enter a domestic partnership. • They have a baby, adopt a child or place a child for adoption or in foster care. • They move and gain access to new health plans through Covered California that were not available where they previously lived. • They become a citizen, a U.S. national or a lawfully present individual. Get more information on special-enrollment rules on the Covered California website. Those who qualify for Medi-Cal may enroll through Covered California year round. For more information, visit CoveredCA.com, where you can enroll online or get information about obtaining free, confidential in-person assistance in a variety of languages. You can find a certified enroller at a storefront in your area or have a certified enroller contact you through the “Help on Demand” feature. You can also enroll over the phone by calling Covered California at (800) 300-1506. n

making the “LeaderShifts” necessary to succeed. Her proven leadership style called “Sawubona Leadership” (Zulu for “I see you.”) has been introduced in over 30 countries, and it’s at the heart of her commitment and life’s purpose to give back as exemplified by the Congressio-

nal Award she received for her outstanding contributions to the community. The event is open to all. Free for mentors & mentees of AAPA. It is $25 for guests. To buy tickets, please go to https://www. eventbrite.com/e/aapa-learninghub-2-tickets-60319389919. n

C APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019

MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

May 2019 priority dates ADB hikes Philippines lending program to $7.11B

Immigration Corner

Water supply improvement among top priorities

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

April 15, 2008

May 15, 2007

January 8, 2018

May 15, 2017

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

May 15, 2008

October 1, 2007

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

October 1, 1997 October 8, 1996

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

February 15, 1998

March 1, 1997

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

FAMILY CATEGORY:

ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ

First Preference

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again. Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month). This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card.

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

October 1, 2018

June 1, 2018

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

October 1, 2018

June 1 , 2018

*** Michael J. Gurﬁnkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice

regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Business Quote of the Week “People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.” — Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder of Instagram

by CZARINA

VALENCIA Philstar.com

IMPROVING water supply in the country is among the priorities of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as it ramps up lending to the Philippines under its current country operations business plan (COBP), its top officials said. For this year alone, ADB’s lending pipeline for the Philippines is expected to reach $3 billion with a focus on climate-resilient infrastructure. “There are many important projects. One is the Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project. We had the loan in 2016 and we will continue it this year. So we will support water (supply development) for Metro Manila,” ADB president Takehiko Nakao said Thursday, April 25, at a roundtable with foreign correspondents and local media. Under its 2019-2021 COBP, the Manila-based multilateral

Philstar.com ﬁle photo

bank has set a sovereign lending program of $7.11 billion that will support mostly connective infrastructure projects under the government’s Build Build Build program. The Angat project entails the construction of a fourth tunnel to

augment the present three connecting Ipo Dam (to which water from the Angat reservoir flows into) to the Bigte transmission route. The other phase of the project is the rehabilitation of the existPAGE D2

Fitch Ratings cuts PH growth forecast by MAYVELIN

U. CARABALLO Manilatimes.net

FITCH Ratings has slashed its 2019 Philippine growth forecast, tagging the delayed approval of the national budget and outside circumstances as reasons for the adjustment. “Fitch has revised down its GDP (gross domestic product) growth forecast for 2019 to 6.2 percent from 6.6 percent previously, as it expects the recent budget delay and external factors to weigh on growth,” the debt watcher said in a report released on Wednesday, April 24. The projection matches last year’s actual growth and falls near the lower end of the government’s downwardly-revised 6.07.0 percent target. Fitch said the budget delay was expected to “undermine public capex (capital expenditures) spending, which has been a key growth driver under the current

government.” The 2019 national government budget was only signed last week by President Rodrigo Duterte following months of delay — caused by a dispute between the Senate and the House of Representatives over alleged insertions that were ultimately vetoed by Duterte. The controversy forced the government to operate on last year’s budget since the start of the year, which meant that it could only spend for items detailed in the 2018 outlay and not on programs and projects supposed to be implemented in 2019. The government’s decision to lower this year’s GDP growth goal to 6.0-7.0 percent, from 7.0-8.0 percent previously, was primarily based on expectations that the budget delay would extend to April. Economic managers had also pointed to an ongoing El Niño and the U.S.-China trade war, which Fitch cited as another fac-

tor likely to weigh on Philippine growth. “[W]e expect exports to be affected by the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the slowdown in China,” the ratings firm said. Philippine exports contracted by 0.9 percent to $5.18 billion in February based on latest official data, resulting in a two-month tally of $10.46 billion — down 3.9 percent from a year earlier. Fitch also said that “weaker growth in remittances, which slowed to 3.1 percent in 2018 from 4.3 percent a year earlier, will also exert some downward pressure on growth.” Personal remittances totaled $5.302 billion in January-February, 2.3 percent higher than the $5.182 billion posted a year earlier. “Slowing growth and interest rate hikes totaling 175bp (basis points) by the central bank in PAGE D2

D APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Draft estate tax amnesty rules released

Australia businesses seek clarity on tax perks under TRABAHO bill by LoueLLa

DesiDerio Philstar.com

rate amnesty on delinquencies that kicks off on Wednesday, April 24, will not be eligible. Also excluded from the estate DRAFT rules for an estate tax amnesty have been released by tax amnesty are properties inthe Bureau of Internal Revenue volved in pending cases under (BIR), which expects to collect the jurisdiction of the Presidensome P6.28 billion once the pro- tial Commission of Good Government, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt gram is implemented. Detailed during a public con- Practices Act and Plunder Law, sultation on Wednesday, the pro- Anti-Money Laundering Act, posed implementing rules and National Internal Revenue Code regulations (IRR) states that the and the Revised Penal Code. “An estate tax amnesty rate amnesty “shall cover the estate of the decedent/s who died on or of six percent shall be imposed before December 31, 2017, with on each decedent’s total net taxor without assessments duly is- able estate at the time of death sued therefore, whose estate without penalties at every stage tax/es have remained unpaid or of transfer of property in cognihave accrued as of December zance with the rules of succession under the Civil Code of the Phil31, 2017.” Liabilities covered by a sepa- ippines on the transmission of by MayveLin

u. CarabaLLo Manilatimes.net

AUSTRALIAN businesses seek clarity in the planned changes in the tax and incentives regime under the proposed second package of the government’s tax reform that would help attract more firms to locate in the country. Speaking at the Makati Business Club’s general membership meeting Thursday, April 25, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven Robinson said while many Australian businesses have indicated strong interest to set up shop here, the country could even become more attractive to investments if there is clarity on the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) 2 or Tax Reform Attracting Better and Higher Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill. “As you all have been aware, TRAIN 2 is still making its way through and what I heard briefly is, Australian businesses are looking forward to the conclusion of Philstar.com file photo that passage through the House, properties, interests, rights and obligations of the decedent, provided that the minimum amnesty tax for the transfer of the estate PAGE D1 t of each decedent shall be Five ing aqueducts and the improveThousand Pesos (P5,000.00),” ment of water transmission. “We will have a new project the draft IRR states. In general, the estate’s value with additional financing which will be based on the fair market will help with the transmission,” rate at the time of the decedent’s said ADB country director Kelly Bird. death. Once completed, the project The zonal value as determined by the BIR and the fair market is expected to contribute to the value as shown in the provin- greater stability of water supply cial and city schedule of values, in Metro Manila. During the recent water crisis whichever is higher, will determine the final rate, the rules that gripped Metro Manila, local and foreign industry groups add. Delinquent taxpayers who made a collective call to the wish to avail of the amnesty will government to ramp up efforts be given two years to file their to improve water security in the sprawling metropolis as busiapplications. n nesses and industries are becoming increasingly affected. They specifically called for heightened efforts to find alternafrom 16.5 percent in line with the tive water sources and firm imlower growth forecast. provements in the management “However, the agency expects of the country’s water resources. the government’s deficit to stabi“Sufficient supply of power lize at around 3.2 percent of GDP, and water is an essential part of as we think the budget delay is life and also for industries and for also likely to lead to lower govern- agriculture,” Nakao said. ment spending in 2019,” it said. He noted that while the bank The government has set a defi- has no direct support for agricit-to-GDP ceiling of 3.2 percent culture, it is looking into ways to this year. It posted a 3.2 percent boost farm productivity through deficit-to-GDP ratio last year, irrigation. higher than the programmed 3.0 “We are looking at rural develpercent. n opment and food security so there

Fitch Ratings cuts PH growth... PAGE D1 t 2018 have caused overheating pressures to subside,” Fitch, nevertheless, pointed out. The current account is still expected remain in deficit at about 2.4 percent of GDP in 2019 and 2020 “as slower growth in imports is likely to be countered by weaker export performance.” “We expect import growth to slow in 2019 based on our view that oil prices are likely to decline and infrastructure spending to

slow,” it added. Imports grew by 2.6 percent to $7.97 billion in February, boosting the year-to-date tally to $17.17 billion — 3.1 percent higher year on year. The current account hit an alltime deficit of $7.9-billion last year — equivalent to 2.4 percent of GDP — as imports far outpaced exports. Lastly, Fitch also trimmed its 2019 government revenue-toGDP estimate to 16.2 percent

through Congress. Once they know what that legislation is going to look like, business will be able to make up its mind how it deals with that,” he said. Approved on third and final reading at the House of Representatives, TRAIN 2 or TRABAHO bill would gradually bring down the corporate income tax rate to 20 percent from 30 percent, and rationalize fiscal incentives enjoyed by investors. Among the changes to the incentives under the bill is the removal of the five percent gross income earned paid in lieu of all taxes by firms registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) after they use up their income tax holidays. “We just want to see legislation progress, whatever the result is… We just want to see it progress so that companies know what the situation is and they can make their decisions,” Robinson said. Irrespective of what happens to the bill, he said many Australian companies would still want to es-

tablish their presence in the Philippines as they see opportunities amid the growing economy. A survey of Australia-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chamber of Commerce released earlier this year showed the Philippines has become the most prominent destination for future investments in the region for Australian firms over the next five years. This, as the Philippines has remained among the fastest growing economies in the region, expanding by an average of around six to seven percent in recent years. In addition, the Philippines is undertaking reforms and programs intended to improve its competitiveness and ease of doing business to attract more foreign direct investments. Given favorable prospects, Robinson said he would encourage more Australian firms to locate in the Philippines. “I think it is admirable where the Philippine economy is headed and we’d like to be a part of it,” he said. n

ADB hikes Philippines lending program... is no starvation and there is good nutrition. In the Philippines we do not have a direct agriculture support but we have rural development support,” Nakao said. Bird said under the COBP, irrigation and flood protection protection projects have been pipelined for Mindanao. “When we were in the process of crafting the country business plan, we discussed with the government how we can support agricultural development, so what we are looking at an irrigation project for 2021. We will be focusing on Mindano where there is agribusiness and poverty rate is quite high. So we are looking at two projects, irrigation and flood protection through river basin management,” he said. Through a liveable cities investment project also in the COBP, ADB is also engaging local governments in identifying projects in solid waste management and wastewater management and sanitation. “We are also working on our liveable cities projects which look into solid waste management and sewage,” Bird said. Nakao said the bank is encouraged by the country’s solid growth trajectory despite headwinds in ramping up its lending

programs. “The Philippine economy is growing at a solid pace. Inflation is coming down and there is more space for monetary policy. Revenue to GDP ratio is now picking up to support (projects). Poverty reduction is ongoing; it is still high but there is progress,” he said. The bank, he said, is open to closer collaboration with the World Bank, which is also one of the top aid providers to the Philippines. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has urged closer collaboration between the two multilateral banks to improve the effectiveness of aid provision. He said the duplication of the work of the ADB and World Bank in the region has led small countries with limited resources to “incur unnecessarily high operational costs and borrowing rates in obtaining loans.” “I think it’s a very good idea and we are in constant communication with Secretary Dominguez on how to use our resources for the Philippines,” said Nakao. “He said we should cooperate more. So this means that in forming country strategies, we can align our ideas more,” he added. n

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019 D

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

World Bank retains 6.4 percent Businesses reminded to allow healthy competition, not collusion Philippine growth forecast for 2019 by adOr

Vincent Inquirer.net

MayO

KEEP the competition going. The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) on Thursday, April 25, reminded all businessmen not to collude with each other and allow healthy competition among themselves for the good of the economy and the consumers. Lawyer Amabelle Asuncion, commissioner of the PCC, said the Philippine Competition Act, which was passed in 2015, aims to level the playing field for all businesses and ensures that business would engage only in fair business practices. “The Philippine economy is dominated by very few businesses. What we want is to open up the economy to make sure there are more players because that is always good for consumers. If there is competition, and if there are more entities, there are more choices for the consumers for better prices and quality,” she told the Inquirer. Asuncion said many business-

Lawyer Amabelle Asuncion, commissioner of the PCC. Photo courtesy by phcc.gov.ph

men were resistant to the new law because they think it was against them. “But this is meant to help them and the consumers. Competition is good for business. If there’s competition, you improve your product and sell it at affordable

prices. It redounds to consumers. Whereas if you’re the only one who sells a product, you can dictate the price,” she explained. On Thursday, the PCC gathered law school deans and professors in Cebu at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino to expound on the new law’s provisions. The Legal Education Board, she said, last December issued a circular to all law schools that Competition Law would now be taught. “There were existing laws which prohibit monopolies and fair practices but these were not effectively imposed. This new act consolidates all,” she said. The law added that the state shall regulate or prohibit monopolies when the public interest so requires and that no combinations in restraint of trade or unfair competition shall be allowed. “The State also recognizes that the provision of equal opportunities to all promotes the entrepreneurial spirit, encourages private Philstar.com file photo by Miguel Antonio de Guzman investments, facilitates technolo- This Dec. 18, 2018 photo shows traffic at Welcome Rotonda in Manila. gy development and transfer and 2019 as the public infrastructure 6.5 percent, respectively. by ian nicOlas cigaral enhances resource productivity,” Philstar.com investments regain momentum,” “Growth is expected to be the law read. n driven by higher private con- it added. “Exports will remain sluggish THE World Bank on Wednes- sumption growth on the back of day, April 24, retained its growth subsiding inflation and strong given a weak external environforecasts for the Philippines, say- election activities,” World Bank ment, while imports remain robust driven by capital requireing that “downside risks” remain said. “Capital formation growth ments of businesses and for the as both domestic and external policy uncertainty stay elevated. may moderate in the first half of infrastructure projects.” Citing softer public spending In the April edition of its “East 2019 due to the budget approval Asia and Pacific Economic Up- delay and the implementation and concerns about the El Niño date” report released Wednes- of the pre-election spending dry spell, the World Bank last day, the Washington-based mul- ban on new public construction April 1 slashed its growth outtilateral lender pegs 2019 and projects, but is expected to ac- look on the Philippine economy, 2020 growth at 6.4 percent and celerate in the second half of PAGE D5

Oxford Economics: PH to be hardest hit if global oil prices hit $100 per barrel by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

THE Philippines would be hardest hit among emerging markets in 2020 if global oil prices reach $100 per barrel by yearend, UK-based Oxford Economics has said. “We see a risk that oil price rises have further to run, as the impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran bites. In the short-run, it is likely the supply impact will be offset by higher production elsewhere, but the market is tightening and all it would take is one more shock to supply (such as Nigeria) and oil could reach $100 per barrel,” Oxford Economist John Payne and head of global macro research Gabriel Sterne said in an April 24 report titled “Global impact of Brent at $100 per barrel.” “The oil price response to geopolitical tensions can be viewed in the context of historical episodes of increased Middle Eastern tensions. Our modelling work suggests a change in nominal oil prices of $2.5 when the month is

Filipino seamen wired home $1B in Jan-Feb Economist John Payne Photo courtesy by Twitter

Head of Global Macro Research Gabriel Photo courtesy by CNBC Sterne

in a period of tension. Over the longer-term, however, we recognize that higher short-term prices could encourage market over-supply and result in lower prices,” it explained. Based on Oxford Economics’ simulations, oil prices hitting $100 a barrel by the fourth quarter of 2019 would cut global gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.6 percent below baseline by end-2020. Oxford Economics said it had a baseline for Brent “to bottom out at $63 per barrel this quarter, before slowly rising back to an average of $64 per barrel in 2019

and $66 per barrel in 2020.” Also, skyrocketing oil costs would push global inflation rate upward by an average of 0.7 percentage point during the same period, it said. At the worst case scenario, Oxford Economics said “global GDP growth would decline, dropping to 2.5 percent in 2020,” while “inflation would average 4 percent year-on-year in 2020, the sharpest spike in prices since 2011.” “It would be particularly damaging for already-fragile, oilimporting emerging markets, PAGE D5

FILIPINO sailors on foreign ocean-going vessels wired home a total of $1.05 billion in cash via the banking system from January to February this year, up 10.5 percent from $956.15 million in the same two-month period in 2018, ACTS-OFW party-list group said recently. “We are cautiously optimistic about the future growth in the cash remittances from Filipino sailors, in light of assurances regarding their continued employability,” said ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III. The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has clarified that, contrary to a published report, the Philippines remains on the “White List” of nations deemed

fully compliant with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). Marina also pledged to keep the country on the “White List” of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Continued inclusion in the list means that all IMO member-countries should accept as valid the certificates possessed by Filipino sailors and issued by Philippine authorities. “Filipino sailors should have no difficulty landing jobs on foreign vessels and obtaining endorsements from other countries, provided that we stay in the list,” Bertiz said.

“Our sense is, as long as we are compliant with minimum global training and certification standards for sailors, the job prospects of Philippine-educated ship officers should remain bright,” Bertiz said. ACTS-OFW is counting on Marina’s declaration that it is taking all the necessary steps to consistently improve the country’s maritime education, training, examination and assessment system, according to Bertiz. “We also welcome Marina’s initiative to bring in a group of international maritime experts this month to help independently audit the country’s conformity with worldwide schooling and PAGE D5

D APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

EMPLOYMENT

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

EMPLOYMENT

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

American investors urged to pour more money into PH by Ben

O. de Vera

Inquirer.net

FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III has urged American investors to pour more money into what he described as “Asia’s next economic powerhouse.” “Our prospects for faster economic growth in the coming years should be an avenue for stronger collaboration with the U.S., especially with the private sector. We would like to encourage U.S. businesses to be more engaged in the Philippine market not only in the infrastructure program but also in investments that would come as a result of our infrastructure development,” Dominguez was quoted by the Department of Finance (DOF) as telling leaders of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

(USSC) last April 12 in Washington, DC. In a statement Monday, April 22, the DOF said Dominguez had told USSC members that now was “the best time” to invest in the Philippines’ education, energy, health, infrastructure, and information and communications technology sectors. As for his claim that the Philippines will be the next economic powerhouse in the region, Dominguez attributed this to “rapid economic expansion sustained through the government’s implementation of tough reforms and record investments in infrastructure and human capital development.” Dominguez said investors’ concerns such as corruption and inefficiency in government, the gap in

infrastructure development, and the high cost of doing business in the country were already being addressed by the Duterte administration. “The signing into law of the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Act and the administration’s push for the swift congressional approval of the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and Higher Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) bill—it aims to lower the corporate income tax rate and rationalize fiscal incentives to make them performance-based, time-bound, targeted and fully transparent— are among the measures being undertaken by the Duterte administration to further enhance the Philippines’ status as a premier investment destination in the region,” he said. n

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 27-30, 2019 D

DOF urges Japanese firms to invest in Philippines

Oxford Economics: PH to be hardest... PAGE D3 t such as the Philippines (minus 1.2 percent below 2020 GDP), Argentina (minus 0.9 percent), Turkey (minus 0.9 percent) and Indonesia (minus 0.8 percent),” Oxford Economics said. In 2018, the rate of increase in prices of basic commodities in the Philippines averaged a 10year high of 5.2 percent, partly as global oil prices jumped during the third quarter of 2018. Amid high inflation, GDP growth slowed to a three-year low of 6.2 percent last year.

Last month, the government cut its 2020 GDP growth target to 6.5-7.5 percent from 7-8 percent previously, citing external risks. Oxford Economics’ simulations showed that China and India’s GDP would also be reduced by 1.1 percent and 1 percent, respectively, next year if Brent prices climbed to $100 per barrel. According to Oxford Economics’ projections, the other “losers” to higher global oil prices included Spain, Hong Kong, France, the United Kingdom,

South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Japan, the United States, Italy and Canada. On the other hand, advanced economies “tend to use oil less intensively and so are less negatively affected,” Oxford Economics noted, such that huge oil exporters such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would stand to benefit from During a recent meeting with a delegation from the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez called on higher global prices. Japanese companies to take advantage of the Philippines’ bright economic prospects. Philstar.com file photo Also seen as “winners” if oil to the Philippines, which remain he said. by Mary Grace Padin prices rise were Norway, South The finance chief also assured among the lowest recipients of Manilatimes.net Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, and the Kankeiren delegation that the foreign direct investments (FDI)s Australia. n THE Department of Finance proposed second package of the in the region. The DOF secretary added that (DOF) is inviting more Japanese government’s Comprehensive firms to invest in the Philippines Tax Reform Program (CTRP) investors are more concerned amid the country’s robust eco- – which aims to cut corporate about the country’s poor infraincome tax rates and rationalize structure as this drives up logisthe public infrastructure invest- nomic growth. During a recent meeting with investment incentives – is seen tics cost. He said this is among ment projects, partly caused by delayed 2019 budget approval, a delegation from the Kansai as a “game changer” that would the reasons why the Duterte adand policy uncertainty over tax re- Economic Federation (Kankeir- expand, rather than curtail, op- ministration has been investing form programs that could prolong en), Finance Secretary Carlos portunities for investors to do heavily in its Build Build Build program. weakened investor confidence,” it Dominguez called on Japanese business in the Philippines. Dominguez said the second companies to take advantage of Dominguez said fiscal incenadded. “In the medium term, the gov- the Philippines’ bright economic tives under the tax reform pro- tax reform package would also gram would not be removed, but help attract investors because ernment’s expansionary fiscal prospects. “We would like to point out would instead be rationalized or of the reduction in the corporate strategy could lead to fiscal sustainability challenges if not ac- that actually, our economy is improved to ensure that these income tax rate, making it at par companied by revenue increases. growing very quickly. If you are performance-based, target- with other countries in SouthStill, strong macroeconomic fun- want to participate in the local ed, time-bound and transparent. east Asia. He also assured Kankeiren that “Rather than look at the effect damentals are in place to buffer economy, you have to better invest here,” Dominguez said. of tax reform on some compa- the one-stop shop that Japanese against shocks.” n Dominguez said Japanese in- nies, look at the effects of tax investors are currently enjoying vestors stand to benefit from the reform on the entire economy through the Philippine Economreforms being implemented by because it is making it better. ic Zone Authority (PEZA) would the Philippine government. Instead of looking at the place not only be retained, but would ers, general cargo ships, pure car “We’d like to make you feel where you might lose, look at also be the norm for all business carriers, cruise ships and tug- welcome, but what will make you opportunities in the larger econ- applications in the future, followboats around the world. ing President Duterte’s signing feel welcome is the improving omy,” he said. They wired home a total of disposable income of our peoHe said the current system of of the Ease of Doing Business $6.14 billion through bank chan- ple, improving infrastructure, fiscal incentives, despite being Act last year. nels in the whole of 2018, up improving peace and order, and the longest and most generous “Everything that makes busi4.5 percent from $5.87 billion in I’m sure many Japanese compa- among the ASEAN economies, ness easier, we will keep and we 2017. (Manilatimes.net) n nies can certainly benefit here,” has not attracted more investors will improve,” Dominguez said. n

World Bank retains 6.4 percent... PAGE D3 t although the latest estimate for 2019 is still faster than last year’s actual 6.2 percent pace. Also on Wednesday, global debt watcher Fitch Ratings revised down its GDP growth estimate for the Philippines to 6.2 percent in 2019 from 6.6 percent previously, saying recent budget delay and external factors are expected to weigh on growth. The inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee recently trimmed its 2019 gross

domestic product growth forecast to 6-7 percent from 7-8 percent originally after the government operated on a reenacted budget for four months. “Downside risks to growth remain elevated. Key external risks come from heightened uncertainty generated by the U.S.-China trade dispute, the ongoing policy normalization in advanced economies, and tighter global financing conditions,” the World Bank said. “Key domestic risks come from the delayed implementation of

Filipino seamen wired home $1B... PAGE D3 t accreditation standards,” Bertiz said. Graduates of Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering, once licensed and certified, may qualify as ship

EMPLOYMENT

officers — masters, chief mates, officers-in-charge of a navigational watch, chief engineers, second engineers and officers in charge of engineering watch. Filipino sailors serve on bulk carriers, container ships, oil, gas, chemical and other product tank-

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

D APRIL 27-30, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797