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M AY 10-16 , 2019 Volume 12 - No. 29 • 16 Pages 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 • 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

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‘Matrix’ reloaded by Palace, reviled by Duterte critics by DJ

YAP, LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND MARLON RAMOS Inquirer.net

MANILA — Opposition leaders and critics of President Rodrigo Duterte denounced on Wednesday, May 8, new allegations by Malacañang that they were involved in a wider conspiracy to discredit the administration to push the candidacies of the opposition senatorial slate. Presidential spokesperson

Salvador Panelo said the alleged conspirators, who supposedly included Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano and allies of the Liberal Party (LP), were linked to the release of videos on the supposed involvement of mem-

USA

DATELINE PH, US plan bigger joint army exercises in 2020 FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

bers of the Duterte family and their associates in the illegal drug trade. “This is the nth time that the administration, when confronted with controversy, falsely accuses the LP of being involved in ouster plots,” said Sen. Francis Pangilinan, LP BIGGER NETWORK. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo (right) and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar hold up one of president.

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several diagrams showing a bigger web of people allegedly involved in a conspiracy to discredit the Duterte administration. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

Senate cancels hearing on Bikoy’s allegations by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

THE scheduled Senate investigation on Friday, May 10, regarding the allegations presented by Bikoy, the hooded figure in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos will no longer push through. In a Twitter post on WednesPeter Joemel Advincula, the man who surfaced and claimed to day, May 8, Senate Commitbe “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narco-list” videos that linked several relatives of President Duterte to the illegal drug trade in tee on Public Order Senator the country. Philstar.com photo Panfilo Lacson announced the

THE armies of the Philippines and United States are planning to stage bigger joint exercises next year with the presence of more American troops. The military drills will involve the brigade combat teams or mobile maneuver force of the Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC). A brigade is usually composed of around 1,500 soldiers. “There is a proposed concept to expand the Salaknib through the participation of more troops from the USARPAC. Under the proposed expansion, they shall send a whole brigade composed of about 1,700 troops for Salaknib 2020,” Army public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said Wednesday, May 8. “As part of the Mutual Defense Treaty, this is a way to prepare for large-scale conflict should it happen,” he added. Salaknib is an annual, bilateral exercise between the Philippine Army and USARPAC aimed at enhancing the interoperability in conventional warfare and counterterrorism operations. Held since 2015 in the Philippines, the Sal-

MANILA — The Philippine economy lost steam in the first quarter of 2019 and grew to its slowest pace in four years after weak state spending due to delays in the passage of the national budget failed to power growth, the government reported on Thursday, May 9. Gross domestic product — or the value of all finished goods and services produced in the country — expanded 5.6% in the first three months of 2019, slower than 6.3% in the previous quarter and 6.5% recorded in the

MANILA — Several of the country’s top legal minds have thrown their support behind senatorial candidate Chel Diokno, who has been advocating to uphold human rights during the whole campaign. In a press conference on Thursday, May 9, former Supreme Court Justices Roberto Abad and Antonio Eduardo Nachura, former Ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-Morales, for-

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cancellation of the said Senate hearing noting “enough of this nonsense.” Bikoy, who was recently identified as Peter Joemel Advincula, claimed in his videos that drug money was funneled into the bank accounts of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s son and former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte. “We are now recalling the letter of invitation sent to Ad-

vincula. Notices will be sent out for the cancellation of the committee hearing on Friday. The problem with asking Bikoy who are the people behind him is if we will believe him,” Lacson said. In the videos that circulated online, Advincula claimed that the president’s son-in-law Atty. Manases Carpio and former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) and senato-

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Reenacted budget saps Country’s top legal minds endorse Chel Diokno’s candidacy economic growth in Q1 by GABRIEL

PABICO Inquirer.net

by IAN

NICOLAS CIGARAL Philstar.com

LALU

The country’s legal luminaries support Otso Diretso candidate and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno for senator. Photo from Diokno’s campaign team

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From the Front Page

‘Matrix’ reloaded by Palace... PAGE 1 “They are just making this up to divert the issues against the administration and its allies. What they should explain is why no drug lord has been arrested and no customs official has been charged despite the repeated smuggling of illegal drugs in the (Bureau of Customs),” Pangilinan said in a statement. Panelo told reporters in Malacañang that the President directed him to make public a new web-like diagram that was much wider than what he had shown and called an “oust-Duterte matrix” last month that linked a lawyers’ group and journalists to what has been called the “Bikoy” videos, which was named after the hooded man who made the charges against the Dutertes. National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), the online news outfit Rappler, factchecker Vera Files and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), which were named in the first matrix, have vehemently

denied any involvement in the alleged plot and the videos. Expanded web The new diagram Malacañang released on Wednesday added several personalities known in public and on social media as critical of the Duterte administration and its policies. It named Ellen Tordesillas of Vera Files and others mentioned in the first “matrix;” Peter Joenel Advincula, who came out publicly on Monday and identified himself as “Bikoy” in the “real narcolist” videos; and Rodel Jayme, who put up the website metrobalita.net which released the first of the five videos. “The Office of the President, the President himself, has received information, intelligence information that has been validated and appears to show that there is a deliberate attempt to discredit this administration, as well as to boost the candidacies of the opposition’s senatorial candidates and it appears that there are certain groups who are working together to achieve

this goal,” Panelo said. As proof of the conspiracy, he cited the use by several persons mentioned in the new drawing of a common office address in a condominium unit, which was too small to host several operations; statements or articles commending the Bikoy videos; a tweet praising Alejano; and membership in Facebook groups identified with the LP. Video ‘narrator’ named Panelo identified the narrator in the videos as Bong Banal, whom he alleged was either an administrator or a member of anti-Duterte and “LP-leaning” Facebook groups and had initiated protests against the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice. In a Facebook post, Banal accused Malacanang of spreading fake news and chided it for falling for a bum steer despite its massive intelligence budget. “For the record, I am not the narrator of the Bikoy video,” he said. “Atty. Panelo,

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ALL SET FOR THE MAY 13 POLLS. Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) during the send-off ceremony and interfaith prayer held at the Lapu-Lapu Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday, May 7. The PNP-SAF will be deployed to several areas for the 2019 mid-term elections. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

PH, US plan bigger joint army exercises... PAGE 1 aknib is a preparation for the annual large-scale exercise Balikatan. The USARPAC sent less than 1,000 troops for the exercises carried out early this year, while the Philippines sent around 1,500 soldiers. The Philippine Army is looking at its rapid deployment force, the 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT), to participate in next year’s Salaknib. “It’s a complete force. It has infantry, artillery, armor, signal, aviation. It’s complete

and across the board… We hope to learn from the Americans how they structure their brigade command team and we can learn from their best practices. We want to adopt that because for long, we’ve been infantry-based only,” Zagala said. The 1st Brigade Combat Team was activated in late 2018 and is based at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. Another brigade combat team will be activated this year. The proposed larger exercise was one of the topics dis-

Senate cancels hearing on... PAGE 1 rial candidate Christopher Go were also involved in illegal drug activities. Sotto: Bikoy is not credible Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III revealed before the media that Advincula reached out in his office back in 2016 to link former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to a purported drug syndicate. “Doon sa sinumpaang salaysay niya (Advincula) nung 2016, meron siyang tinatawag na mga patron. Ito yung mga bigshot. Ito yung nasa ibabaw ng drug syndicate according to his description in his affidavit (In Advincula’s sworn statement in 2016, he said that there were patrons. These are the bigshot individuals. These are the people at the top of the drug syndicates according to his description in his affidavit),” Sotto said as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer. “Dun sa mga patron na si-

nasabi, sa listahan, may mga code-code pa siya (Those patrons, in the list, they have codes) former President Benigno Aquino, former DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) Secretary Mar Roxas, former DOJ (Department of Justice) Secretary Leila de Lima,” he added. Sotto said that Advincula consulted his staff member Hutch Altavaz who documented the entire thing with a sworn affidavit. Altavaz and Sotto said that there are similarities in the 2016 sworn affidavit and the one submitted before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP). “We pieced this together already. [May] affidavit na ginawa ni Peter Joemel Advincula. Dito sa sinumpaang salaysay niya. Makikita ninyo yung pagkahawig doon sa Bikoy series at saka doon sa statement niya dun sa IBP (We pieced this together already. There is an affidavit made by Peter Joemel Advincula. Here in the sworn statement, you can see the resemblance with the Bikoy

cussed by Army chief Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto and USARPAC deputy chief Maj. Gen. John Johnson’s meeting last Monday, May 6, at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. “This is all about making us more ready, and whatever challenges the future might hold. We are committed to this region, the design of [Salaknib 2020] exercise is purposeful in demonstrating that commitment,” Johnson was quoted as saying. (Inquirer.net)

series and the sworn statement he submitted to the IBP),” the Senate president said. The IBP, on one hand, rejected the request for free legal assistance of Advincula. DOJ: Advincula may be charged with sedition The Department of Justice may include Peter Joemel Advincula in the inciting to sedition complaint against Rodel Jayme, the supposed website administrator of metrobalita, whom the National Bureau of Investigation took into custody last week. “The NBI is waiting for Advincula/Bikoy to show up and submit his complaint with supporting evidence against the persons he implicated in the illegal drug trade,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters. “Should he fail to do so, the DOJ will consider his possible inclusion in Rodel Jayme’s inciting to sedition case or indictment for other criminal charges after proper investigation,” he added as reported by The Philippine Star. n

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Dateline USa

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Reenacted budget saps economic... Canadian lawmakers welcome return of garbage from Philippines by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

A FEW members of Canada’s House of Commons assured their colleagues that they are working to make sure that the 69 containers of garbage sent to the Philippines between 2013 and 2014 would return to their country. Earlier this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported to President Rodrigo Duterte that the Canadian government would shoulder the cost of shipping back the remaining 69 containres of trash to Canada. This development came after the president threatened to sail to Canada and dump the waste on the North American country. During the session of the House of Commons May 7, Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette pointed out that the garbage was sent to the Philippines under the “Harper Conservatives” in 2013. “I am proud to say, working with the member of Parliament for Winnipeg North, that we are going to make sure that garbage comes back, that we do not send garbage to poor countries and developing nations, that we actually spend time ensuring that we look after our environment here and that we look after the garbage we

produce here,” Oulette said. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was Canada’s head of state at the time the garbage were sent to the Philippines years ago. When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the 2015 APEC Summit in Manila, he committed to find a solution to the garbage issue. Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux also noted that the approach of the Harper administration was “to see if it could be resolved.” Lamoureux narrated that it undertook a court process, which he described as “fairly exhausting.” For the Liberal parliament member, Duterte’s warning against Canada over the waste issue was “fitting given the importance of our environment.” “He (Duterte) made the very powerful statement that this garbage from Canada needed to go back to Canada. When the president became engaged, it raised the profile of the issue,” Lamoureux said. “As a government, we have responded to that call for action. We believe those 69 containers of garbage should be here in Canada and we will work to facilitate that,” he added. While the liberal parliament members of Canada welcomed the return of the garbage from the Philippines as good news,

National Democratic Party MP Brian Masse questioned why this is considered a positive development when Duterte had to threaten to go to war for Canada to address the issue. Masse also pointed out that there is a complication on the 69 containers of human waste and other trash left in the Philippines as some of them have been infested with termites. “How is it a good news story that it took the Philippines threatening to go to war with Canada because of another Liberal broken promise? It is embarrassing. It is not a moment of pride,” Masse said. In response to Masse, Lamoureux pointed out that it was a private company that sent the trash to the Philippines. “There is a thing called a court process. There were a number of things that were at play. I believe that President Duterte did a big favour, no doubt, in raising the profile of the issue,” Lamoureux said. In a statement released April 24, the Canadian Embassy in the Philippines mentioned that its country amended its regulations on waste shipments to other nations in 2016. “We are committed to working collaboratively with the Government of the Philippines to ensure the material is processed in an environmentally responsible way,” the Canadian Embassy said. n

Country’s top legal minds endorse Chel... PAGE 1 mer Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, Far Eastern University Insitute of Law Dean Melencio Sta. Maria, and Lyceum of the Philippine College of Law Dean Soledad Mawis showed their support for Diokno. “Una, sa Ingles, his passion for justice. Naipaliwanag niya ngayon ang kaniyang plataporma base sa katarungan, sa hustisya. Pangalawa, his passion for quality legal education, which we both share,” Nachura told reporters in San Juan. Mawis on the other hand cited Diokno’s record as a human-rights lawyer who worked pro bono, or without any pay, for poor clients. “Siya po ay abogadong may puso. May puso ho siya para sa mahirap, may puso ho siya sa naapi. At nakita ko po yan, kasi minsan nagkaroon po kami ng isang collaboration sa isang kaso ko,” she said. According to Abad and Marcelo, Diokno’s qualities as a lawyer may be attributed to

being raised by his father, human-rights champion and former Senator Jose W. Diokno. “He is a brilliant man. And I appreciate that Chel got those qualities because I know, he worked with me at the Supreme Court, invited him to help us with the revision of the rules of Civil Procedure. And he did a fine work in his assignment,” Abad said. “Kung gano po katapang, gano ka-prinsipyo, yung integridad ng kanyang ama, ganoon din po si Chel. Mayroon siyang integrity, may prinsipyong tao, at matapang na pinaglalaban po niya, he’s really a champion of human rights,” Marcelo added. Diokno, who is part of the Otso Diretso slate, has previously said that he left the profession because the fight against injustice needs to take on another stage. In September 2018, he announced his candidacy based on the premise that the courts and the country’s laws have been

compromised. Sta. Maria said that Diokno’s possible election to the Senate will help in maintaining its independence. Diokno thanked the people who backed his Senate bid, adding that it might be time for justice-related issues to be highlighted in an election. “Palagay ko panahon na ngayon na talagang maging bahagi ng ating agenda nasyonal itong isyu ng hustisya. Kasi matagal nang napapabayaan ito eh. We need to have a justice system that works. Kasi kung wala naman tayong sistema ng hustisya na gumagana, baliwala ang mga magagandang batas natin. Baliwala ang ating mga karapatan,” he said. “With the support of the legal community, I really do believe that we will be able to make real changes that will help the people. Matagal na pong hinahanap ng ating taumbayan ang hustisya,” he added. n

PAGE 1 comparable period last year. The latest reading was the slowest since 5.1% registered in the first quarter of 2015 and settled below the state’s 6%7% target for 2019. The gloomy GDP figure also failed to meet market expectations. After the release of downbeat GDP report, the bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 2%. Reenacted budget weakens growth At a press conference, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia blamed Congress’ failure to pass the 2019 national budget on time for the economy’s disappointing performance in the first quarter. A spat among lawmakers delayed the approval of the new outlay, leaving fresh projects unfunded and crimping state spending, which accounts for a fifth of the country’s GDP. The budget bill was signed into law in mid-April. Public spending grew 7.4% in the first quarter, lower than

13.6% in the same period in 2018, government data showed. According to Pernia, the Philippine economy would have clocked a forecast-topping growth of 6.6% had the government operated under the 2019 budget. To reach the state’s fullyear target, the economy would have to expand by an average of 6.1% over the next three quarters, Pernia also said, adding that the government is pinning its hope on election-related spending to charge growth. Meanwhile, household consumption, which grew 6.3% amid benign inflation, is expected to remain robust, Pernia said. ‘Don’t expect a sustained rebound’ Commenting on the slower GDP growth in the first quarter, London-based Capital Economics said “a sustained rebound” is unlikely amid headwinds. “Hopes for a sustained rebound are likely to be disappointed. A tough external

environment and the lagged effects of monetary tightening mean growth is likely to struggle to beat 6% this year,” Capital Economics said. “What’s more, weak export growth should continue to drag on growth. We expect global growth to weaken further over the coming quarters, which will weigh on external demand. The likely intensification of the US-China trade war would be an additional headwind,” it added. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Monetary Board will meet Thursday afternoon to review policy settings. The central bank tightened monetary policy by a cumulative 175 basis points to 4.75 percent last year after inflation hit a near-decade high. BSP Governor Bejamin Diokno — who is widely seen by the market as a progrowth central bank chief — recently said there is room to cut rates, but stressed that the timing and magnitude of any actions would be “data dependent.” n

‘Matrix’ reloaded by Palace... PAGE 2 with your massive intel budget, how did you fall for such blatantly wrong info?” Tordesillas also denied Panelo’s claim, saying he should “present evidence, not just silly diagrams.” Panelo had cited the journalist’s article on the ABS-CBN website where she said the Bikoy video looked professionally done. The presidential spokesperson said the bigger diagram showed that the LP, Magdalo and other groups were “working hand-in-hand.” Unvalidated information Alejano rejected Panelo’s claim, saying the opposition did not have to do anything to discredit or destabilize the administration. “They are the ones who are destroying themselves,” he said. “I categorically state that I am not involved on the Bikoy videos and (have) not conspired with anybody to produce such videos. I do not know Bikoy and have not met him ever,” he said. Alejano, a senatorial candidate of the opposition Otso Diretso slate, noted Malacañang’s “long history of of releasing unvalidated information to the public.” “This is an abuse of power without being held liable for the consequences of their irresponsible actions and in-

competence,” he said. The NUPL has said it would file legal actions against administration officials, saying their accusations amounted to the suppression of the freedom of speech and of expression and could trigger physical attacks against its members. No laughing matter “This is not a laughing matter because there are serious implications to the security, liberty and even the life of those named in the matrix,” NUPL secretary general Ephraim Cortez said at a forum on Tuesday, referring to last month’s diagram. The groups and individuals named in the diagram are protected by the constitutional provisions of the freedom of the press and free expression “in accordance with democratic principles and norms, and cannot be curtailed without violating constitutional and legal principles,” he said. He noted that the National Bureau of Investigation was quick to investigate the Bikoy videos but not the allegations against the President’s family and associates. Cortez said the Duterte administration’s moves were similar to what was found in 2008 by Philip Alston, former UN special rapporteur on

extrajudicial killings—that public vilification of state “enemies” placed them in the police and the military “order of battle.” This kind of vilification, Cortez said, could be a “prelude to an attack” to make an impression in the public mind that certain groups critical of the government would commit illegal acts designed to oust Duterte administration. Yellow Ribbon Movement Acierto claimed he had submitted a report to Malacanang linking two Chinese nationals close to the President to the drug trade, but nothing came of it. The new matrix links Maghinay to the Yellow Ribbon Movement said to be chaired by Sen. Bam Aquino with Trillanes and senatorial candidate Mar Roxas as among its members. Trillanes, one of the President’s staunchest critics, dimissed Malacanang’s attempt to link him and the Magdalo group to the supposed plot. “It’s Duterte himself who ordered the killings of thousands of Filipinos, kept billions of pesos in ill-gotten wealth, has been destroying democratic institutions, cursed God and invented accusations against his critics, yet we are the ones discrediting him?” Trillanes said. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

West Philippine Sea faces new problem — garbage Marine scientists how our activities is the biggest threat on ecosystems by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE sight of plastic waste and other floating garbage greeted a team of young marine scientists when they sailed the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to study its biodiversity. Led by the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute (UP MSI), the 74member “Protect WPS” expedition, or Predicting Responses between Ocean Transport and Ecological Connectivity of Threatened ecosystems in WPS, left Manila on April 22 with the aim of looking at the “connectivity” of the ecosystems in the WPS and its impact on Luzon and Palawan province. Plastic bottles, cigarette packs, discarded fishing equipment, rubber slippers and even fluorescent lamps were among the pollutants that the researchers saw floating in the waters. The labels from the bottles revealed that they had come from the Philippines, Vietnam and China. “Those are things that you wouldn’t expect to be there,” Deo Florence Onda, the team’s chief scientist, said.

During a recent marine science expedition, researchers from the University of the Philippines found plastic bottles, sachets, cigarette packs and fluorescent lamps, among other garbage, on sandbars in the Kalayaan Island Group, areas in the South China Sea claimed by Manila. Photos courtesy of UP Marine Science Institute

“We have such a rich biodiversity in the area, but you also have this problem, this threat that accumulates over time,” he added. Aside from the open sea, the man-made wastes were also found on several sandbars in nearby reefs. They had amassed into a mound of garbage in the middle of a sandbar on Kota (Loaita) Island. “For a place [as far away] as that, we wouldn’t expect anything like this,” said Kevin

Labrador, a graduate student who volunteered to join the expedition. Based on the researchers’ calculations, it would take over a day for a boat from the nearest city to reach the islet. The information about the distance and travel time gave them an idea how much and how far the man-made wastes are covering parts of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). PAGE 10

New law waives fees for first-time jobseekers

issued with no charge. Medical certificate from a public hospital was also inPHILIPPINE President Ro- cluded in the law. However, drigo Duterte released on fees and charges for laboratory Tuesday, May 7, a copy of Re- tests and other medical procepublic Act 11261 or the First dures will not be waived. Time Jobseekers Assistance Exceptions to the said law Act signed into law last April include the fees to file an ap10. plication to take a professional The recently signed law licensure examination from the would waive the government Professional Regulation Comfees for documents that the mission (PRC) and application employers would normally re- for a Career Service Examiquire from first-time job seek- nation from the Civil Service ers. Commission (CSC). Documents include Police Aside from that, application clearance certificate, National for the Philippine passport Bureau of Investigation (NBI) authentication and red ribbon clearance, Barangay clear- documents from the Departance, birth certificate, mar- ment of Foreign Affairs (DFA) riage certificate, Tax Identifica- will not be waived, along with tion Number (TIN) and Unified the application for a driver’s liMulti-Purpose ID (UMID). cense from the Land TransporTranscript of academic re- tation Office (LTO). cords issued by state colleges In order for a first-time and universities and other doc- job seeker to avail of the said umentary requirements issued privileges, they must present by the government that may be a barangay certificate stating required by employers from that the individual is indeed a job applicants were among the first-time applicant. Governother documents that will be ment agencies would regulate

by AJPress

the said benefits to ensure that the applicants could only avail the benefits once. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is to keep a database of all these individuals. Under the RA 11261, government agencies whether national or local entities — must not collect fees or charges from a first-time jobseeker if they seek such documents in order to be employed locally or abroad. Senate Labor Committee Chair Senator Joel Villanueva lauded the signing of the said law noting that such a move is a timely graduation gift for fresh graduates who would be set to seek for employment in the coming months. “We warmly welcome the signing of our bill into law as this will financially aid our youth in finding employment. The law would benefit around 1.3 million first time job seekers annually,” Villanueva said as reported by The Philippine Star. n

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MAY 10-16, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

A writ for the marine environment THE Supreme Court has had a mixed record in its orders related to protecting the environment. In April 2012, it issued a writ of kalikasan, stopping a multibillionpeso project to reclaim Manila Bay. The area covered by the special order has since been declared as a protected wetland — the last of its kind in Metro Manila. It is now a thriving marine ecopark and bird sanctuary along the Las Piñas-Parañaque coastline. On the other hand, it took a decade before the government enforced a Supreme Court order for several agencies to clean up Manila Bay. This could be because the SC order was seen as an encroachment upon the powers and functions of the executive agencies led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Following the cleanup of Boracay, however, President Duterte turned his attention to Manila Bay and ordered the agencies to finally implement the SC order, in line with his policy of eliminating marine pollution. The cleanup is a work in progress. Now the SC has issued another writ, directing the government to protect the marine environ-

ment in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Panganiban (Mischief) Reef off Palawan and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off Zambales in the West Philippine Sea. Will the national government comply with the SC order this time? The three areas happen to be covered by the petition filed by the Philippine government before the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which sought a definition of the country’s maritime entitlements in the South China Sea. China had ignored the deliberations of the arbitral court. In 2016, the court awarded the Philippines sovereign rights over Panganiban, Ayungin and Recto (Reed) Bank. The ruling declared Panatag a common fishing area over which no country has controlling rights. It also invalidated Beijing’s nine-dash-line claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. The latest SC order was issued in response to a petition filed by fisherfolk from Palawan and Zambales, amid reports that groups of Chinese believed to be maritime militias were harvesting endangered giant clams in Panatag. The SC order gives the national government a legal basis

FEATURES

Editorial

to send teams to protect the marine environment in the three areas. With the goodwill generated by President Duterte in his policy toward Beijing, compliance with the SC order should not prove to be daunting even in Panganiban Reef, where the Chinese

have built an artificial island housing a multistory structure that looks like a military garrison. Implementing the SC writ is an opportunity to test whether the Philippine government’s rapprochement with China is bearing fruit. (Philstar.com)

Defending Trump over the Constitution: Attorney General William Culture, conflict, diplomacy and the West Philippine Sea Barr and all of Trump’s enablers have to resign or be voted out! Commentary balance on each other to make sure that not one person, nor institution will abuse its power and put democracy at risk. It is the same spirit of the law that has kept the norms and practices that since WaGEL SANTOS-RELOS tergate have emerged within THE U.S. CONSTITUTION the Executive branch with mandates that there are three Richard Nixon abusing the co-equal branches of govern- power and public trust vested ment — the executive, legis- in his position as president. The Department of Justice lature and the judiciary — all tasked to provide checks and (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau

The Fil-Am Perspective

of Investigation (FBI), which operates under the DOJ, is supposed to be the top law enforcement agency of the government tasked to uphold the law and enforce justice for ALL Americans, and not just to a privileged powerful few, including the President of the United States of America. This spirit of the law is especially true if the person being investigated for alleged abuse of power, corrupt intent in dePAGE 7

context of soft power, where a government uses culture to entice nationals from other countries to have a positive view of its people, culture and policies. This is why cultural diplomacy is predominantly focused on image-building, and on social ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS marketing. It actively sells images and representations about FOR many, culture is a pe- a country’s people and scenes, ripheral issue in conflict and and the overall ambience of a diplomacy. When one speaks place that is worthy of being of cultural diplomacy, the im- trusted. Broadly speaking, sellage that quickly comes to mind ing sights, sounds and tastes to is tourism and international a foreign audience becomes a relations. In fact, cultural diplo- venue for confidence-building. macy is broadly defined in the However, culture is not like

instant noodles that you simply douse with boiling water for it to be cooked. It is a complex array of symbols, images, representations and meaning systems that are built over long periods of time. And the way citizens of a country would image other countries is largely a function of history and of how that other country has presented itself in their worldviews and imaginations. It is in this context that one needs to understand the way ordinary people look at the issue of the West Philippine Sea PAGE 10

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

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OpiniOn and Features

Defending Trump over the Constitution... PAGE 6 fiance of the rule of law is the president of the United States, who has sworn to protect and defend the Constitution and the laws of the nation. This is the same spirit of the law that guides the Senate in requiring judicial independence from appointees of the president for Supreme Court Justice and other justices in the judiciary. It is also the same spirit of the law that requires from presidential appointees — especially the attorney general who heads the DOJ and the FBI director — independence from the president and from other political and personal interests in making decisions to uphold and execute the laws of the United States. President Donald Trump’s appointee to head the DOJ — Attorney General (AG) William Barr — has just proven through his words, decisions and actions, that he is serving and protecting the man who appointed him to power and not the American people. This negates what he said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate last January that serving in his post as AG “was not the same” as representing and protecting President Trump, and even pledged to make law enforcement decisions based only on facts and the law. Why did Trump appoint Barr to be AG? Because this is what he expects from his nominees — loyalty to him more than anything else. This was why the president was so mad at former AG Jess Sessions when he recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation out of delicadeza. Trump even asked Sessions to reverse his recusal. Trump also said had he known that Sessions would recuse himself, he should have not appointed him as AG. This turn of events lead to Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein overseeing the Russia probe, who then appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to head the probe in the alleged conspiracy between the Trump Campaign and Russia when Trump fired FBI James Comey with Russia in his mind, and because Comey would not give him the loyalty he was demanding from him. Trump then appointed Matt Whitaker to be acting AG, bypassing seniority ranks within the DOJ, all because of Whittaker’s public statements that a sitting president should not be indicted. Whittaker became a ‘good soldier’ for Trump and reported to him all he knew

about the Russia probe. Then came Bill Barr, whom Trump appointed because of his public statements that the President could and should not be indicted for Obstruction of Justice. Trump was very happy about Barr and even said publicly that if he appointed Barr from the beginning, he would have not had to deal with the Russia “witch hunt.” Now Barr is really living up to Trump’s expectations and has been parroting Trump’s narrative in defending the man who appointed him instead of the rule of law and the Constitution, especially when he “exonerated” Trump in his summary of the much anticipated Mueller report. Barr conveniently edited out in his summary the reason why Mueller could not charge Mueller of obstruction of justice was because of a longstanding DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting president. Mueller, instead, discussed in detail 10 ways by which Trump may have obstructed justice for Congress to investigate further on within their mandate, and memorializing his findings so that Trump may be indicted when he leaves the highest office. Don’t take my word for it. Ask the people who did the investigation and made the report. Ask the people knowledgable of prosecution. Ask the people who take Barr’s advice as AG. DIDN’T Special Counsel Robert Mueller write a letter to Barr in late March complaining that a four-page memo to Congress describing the principal conclusions of the investigation into President Trump “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the Mueller investigation and his 448page very detailed report with accompanying evidence? As the Washington Post reported, “at the time Mueller’s letter was sent to Barr on March 27, Barr had days prior announced that Mueller did not find a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russian officials seeking to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. In his memo to Congress, Barr also said that Mueller had not reached a conclusion about whether Trump had tried to obstruct justice, but that Barr reviewed the evidence [which turned during his testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that Barr did NOT even review the evidence] and found it insufficient to

support such a charge.” “The summary letter the Department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24 did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance of this office’s work and conclusions,” Mueller wrote in his letter. “There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation. This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.” DIDN’T more than 450 former federal prosecutors who worked in Republican and Democratic administrations have signed on to a statement asserting special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s findings would have produced obstruction charges against President Trump — if not for the office he held as President of the United States? According to the Post, the statement — signed by myriad former career government employees as well as highprofile political appointees — offers a rebuttal to Attorney General William P. Barr’s determination that the evidence Mueller uncovered was “not sufficient” to establish that Trump committed a crime. DIDN’T Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tell House Democrats he will not turn over Trump’s tax returns despite their legal request, because AG Barr told him not to? What about Trump’s objection to Mueller testifying before Congress? Or Trump’s objection to former White Counsel Dan McGahn who testified before Mueller that Trump asked him to fire Mueller and to lie testifying before? Or Trump’s brazen move to order his staff and officials to ignore Congress’ subpoenas? Barr sure knows this is against the principle of checks and balances mandated by the Constitution. WILLIAM BARR NEEDS TO RESIGN. And the American people need to vote out of office Trump’s enablers in Congress. And must I add, the president himself has to go? *** 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

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • mAY 10-16, 2019

Comelec ready for May 13 elections by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, May 7, began its final testing and sealing (FTS) of the 85,000 vote counting machines (VCMs). This will determine if the VCMs can count the votes accurately as well as if the results will be transmitted to the canvassing centers from the polling precincts. “We are ready,” said James Jimenez, spokesman for the Comelec. “The delivery of election materials is almost 100 percent complete.” Members of the media were toured by the Comelec around the PICC-The Forum facility, where the national canvassing of ballots will be held. The Comelec expects to announce the winners in the local elections within 24 to 36 hours after voting closes at the polling precincts. For the proclamation of the Magic 12 in the senatorial race, meanwhile, the target is within two weeks after the elections. Both the Comelec and Philippine National Police (PNP) are hopeful that the midterm polls will have peace and or-

Workers arrange ballot boxes before they are distributed to designated polling precincts for the elections on Monday, May 13. Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

der. According to Jimenez, fewer areas are considered poll hotspots. Less than 550 areas fall under Category Red, which is the highest stage among the hotspots, due to the presence of armed groups and history of election-related violence. “I think this is important because at the start of the year or even before the election period, many people have been killed. But in recent days, election-related violence decreased,” he noted. PNP spokesman Col. Bernard Banac said they are expecting they expect the peace

and order situation in the run up to the polls would continue until Election Day. During a forum at the Comelec, he said: “The PNP along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines is on full alert. So we are not taking any chances.” “We assure the public that the PNP will remain apolitical and impartial as we are mandated to protect the will of the electorate toward honest, orderly and peaceful elections,” he added. As stated by the PHILStar, some 149,830 policemen and PAGE 10

may 10-16, 2019 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL

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may 10-16, 2019 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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DOLE to inspect Chinese-owned firms Culture, conflict, diplomacy and the West... by Helen

Flores,

Mayen JayMalin Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will check if Chinese firms in the country are complying with labor laws. Labor Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez made the commitment in response to reports that some Chineseowned firms and establishments in the country cater exclusively to Chinese nationals and are openly barring Filipinos. “We will look into the employment side,” Benavidez said, noting that ensuring consumer protection is beyond DOLE’s authority. Labor groups were demanding the hiring of more Filipino workers for China-funded construction projects. “Jobs in the construction industry should increase given the massive amount of investment we are pouring into it. But how many workers actually benefited from these jobs? How many of them are Filipinos workers and how many are Chinese? And more impor-

tantly, how decent are these jobs generated?” Nagkaisa labor coalition Sonny Matula said. He said possibly only a few Filipino workers are benefitting from jobs generated by Chinese-funded infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said it would not let Chinese workers take jobs away from Filipinos. In a statement, PAGCOR said that “together with its partner agencies,” it would come out with a circular that “will ensure that the Chinese workers in the Philippines will not take away the employment opportunities of Filipinos in their own country.” The state gaming regulator issued the statement in response to Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent pronouncement that the government should not allow Chinese nationals to work in the Philippines in offshore gambling firms that are banned in their country. The agency also clarified that unlike in China, online gambling is allowed in the

Philippines but only for offshore-based players from countries where online gaming is allowed. “Considering that a considerable number of offshore gaming players are Chinesespeaking but based in countries other than China, many offshore gaming firms operating in the Philippines hire Chinese-speaking customer service providers to cater to the unique needs of their clientele,” PAGCOR said. “PAGCOR upholds strict adherence by licensed operators and accredited service providers to whatever laws which may be applicable to them.” In a recent interview in Palawan, Robredo said allowing Chinese workers to do in the Philippines what is illegal in their country is a “big insult” to Filipinos. “There were residents of Palawan who informed me that these Chinese started with online gaming activities in the province. My question is, did they come here because this (online gaming) is prohibited in their country? Then why are we allowing them?” she said. n

Comelec ready for May...

PAGE 7 98,000 soldiers will be working together to keep all polling places and other areas of concern safe before, during and even after election day on May 13. PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde, for his part, assured the whole PNP is on full alert status. “We are already on full alert and as of this time, we have partial deployment in the different hubs,” he said after the send-off ceremony held in Camp Aguinaldo. The ceremonial deployment was spearheaded by the Comelec, represented by Commissioners Luie Tito Guia and Al Parreño. It was participated by 809 personnel and 28 military vehicles, 778 personnel and 23 police vehicles, and representatives from other stakeholders like DepEd and Department of Health (DOH). “The send-off ceremony is a fitting testimony of our firm aspiration for a peaceful and successful conduct of the national and local elections next week. This also signifies that we are all prepared and ready to be deployed in the different areas where our services and assistance are very much needed,” said AFP chief Gen. Benjamin General Madrigal. According to Albayalde,

more than 36,000 polling centers nationwide will be guarded with at least two uniformed police officers especially in hotspots or critical areas in Mindanao where quick reaction teams will be on standby. “For polling centers we’ll be probably deploying around 100,000 of our personnel, that includes the police assistance desks,” Albayalde said. “As of this time, we see no threat whatsoever but of course we don’t want to put our guard down, and especially so in Mindanao,” he added. Albayalde allowed policemen to use their cellphones for work-related matters such as sending updates on the status of the conduct of elections in their respective areas while they are on duty during election day. Other measures launched PNP also launched its National Election Monitoring Action Center (NEMAC) on Tuesday. This will allow realtime monitoring of polling centers nationwide. Albayalde said about 60 police personnel will run the center, which will remain active a few days after the elections. “This will give us real-time situation on what is happen-

ing on the ground, as well as the delivery of VCMs to different polling centers,” he said. “If we want to know what’s the situation in polling centers, we will just click the specific polling center and then we will know who the person deployed in that center is,” he added. The NEMAC will also inform police officers whether voting had started or ended at polling centers and if ballot boxes have been delivered to proper offices. The Comelec, meanwhile, announced there are procedures in place should an earthquake happen, as well as whether a failure of elections should be declared in the affected area. “The policy is being studied now on whether or not to declare a failure of elections. Of course, what is a strong earthquake? We have a lot of common sense (to know this),” Jimenez said during a press briefing. “The safest bet here is to either suspend or declare failure of elections. That decision is still being made,” he added. Jimenez also said the Comelec is prepared to secure the VCMs and other election paraphernalia during an earthquake. n

PAGE 6 in the context of how the ordinary Filipino looks at China and the United States. Conversely, it is important to understand how the Philippines is likewise perceived by the ordinary citizens of these countries In an SWS survey released in March, the United States was the most trusted country by Filipinos with a net trust rating of +60. Other countries that received positive net trust ratings were Japan with a +34 and Australia with a +31. On the other hand, China obtained a net trust rating of 7 percent, which is actually an improvement from its -16 percent rating in September of last year. It should be pointed out that China obtained a positive net trust rating only in 9 out of the 45 times similar surveys were taken since 1994. The worst rating was a -46 percent obtained in September of 2015. It is easy to understand how the ordinary Filipino would have a positive attitude towards the United States. This would be deeply rooted on the colonial mental constructs which ordinary Pinoys would hold towards anything American, from its popular culture to its government policies. What is interesting, however, is the fact that despite the absence of any adverse colonial encounter with China as an occupying force, and while Chinese influences are as solidly embedded in the habitus and cultural landscapes of Filipinos, from food to popular culture, China as a country remains not worthy of trust by ordinary Filipinos, even perhaps by those that bear Chinese surnames or have Chinese ancestry. In the absence of a systematic scien-

tific study of this phenomenon, one can only offer several educated guesses to explain this cognitive dissonance. It is certainly perplexing that tens of thousands of Filipinos died at the hands of American and Japanese occupying forces in separate periods in our history, and none did so in a Chinese invasion, and yet decades after, Filipinos trust the U.S. and Japan more than China. Historically, one can possibly attribute this mistrust to how China has been associated with communism, and that the red scare became so deeply embedded in the collective psyche of the Filipino people. It is ironic that the anti-communist attitude that became the foundation of an anti-China sentiment festers among ordinary people, many of whom are also pro-Duterte supporters. Meanwhile, the left-leaning opposition groups, most of whom adhere to Maoist doctrines, have also lately expressed an anti-China stance, thereby diminishing the potency for sustaining the use of ideology as a basis for explaining the culture of mistrust prevailing among ordinary Filipinos. If at all, China is no longer imaged, at least by the intellectual elites and activists, as a communist country, but simply as an authoritarian, capitalist superpower. However, the stereotype that it is still governed by the kind of communism that scared Filipinos during the Cold War remains strong among ordinary Filipinos. Foreign development assistance has become the means by which former occupying forces like the U.S. and Japan have repaid their historical debts to the country, through

massive inflows of loans and grants. China has embarked on this too, with its own Belt and Road Initiative. However, what is interesting is that in an age where the image of a colonial power invading other countries has become a thing of the past, China is now painted by its critics — and with good reason citing the case of Sri Lanka — as one that is showing an aggressive stance in using debt trap diplomacy to acquire territory from other countries. It has been propagated in popular Chinese media that the Philippines is the one seen as stealing land from China. For many ordinary Chinese nationals, it would not be farfetched to assume that they regard the Philippines is a mere province of China. On the other hand, the popular cultural representation of China among ordinary Filipinos is seen no longer in pancit or siopao, or Chow King, or in Ongpin, or in the rich Taipans, but as an invading force now actually swarming the seas around Pag-Asa, or as illegal Chinese workers now crowding out not only work opportunities but also the real estate space available for Filipinos. Filipinos trust the U.S. and Japan, even if they invaded us, simply because they are no longer invading us now. In fact, we are the ones physically migrating into their territories. If there is any future in building confidence between the Philippines and China, then it must seriously consider affecting cultural transformations in the manner each country is imaged in the ordinary and everyday lives of people in the other country. (ManilaTimes. net)

West Philippine Sea faces new... PAGE 5 “We were really taken aback,” Labrador added. The team collected at least five crates of trash from the area for research and concluded that the garbage had been on the water for a long time based on the dried biofilms that surrounded them. Onda added that the garbage is not only a danger to marine mammals like whales and dolphins, but to ecosystems as well since it could carry pathogenic invasive species that could affect the local biodiversity of where they might settle. “It really indicates that the problem is transboundary,” he said. “Even if it’s already far away,

our activities still impact these ecosystems,” Onda added. Wilfred John Santiañez, an assistant professor of UP MSI who was also with the team during its two-week expedition, also noted that the reefs in the Kalayaan Island Group had suffered from other threats as well. According to the team’s observations, the craters at certain reefs indicated cyanide fishing. There were also some pounded corals. Bleached corals near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, meanwhile, were the result of the warming ocean waters, worsened by climate change. Onda said continuous human activity, like China’s island-building, could have an

impact on the fragile reefs and the ecosystem in the WPS. “You cannot exclude these activities, but we still do not know at this point its direct influence and its extent,” he said. The chief scientist expects the results of their study would have significant contribution to effective management of marine environment especially since the government is eyeing the Kalayaan Island Group as the next marine protected area. “It would be difficult to protect and craft policy and management plans if we don’t know what is in there and what we are protecting and managing,” Onda said.n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 10-16, 2019

COMMUNITY Journal

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Fees to NVC are application fees, not visa issuance fees Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I’m a U.S. citizen and petitioned my married son many years ago when my grandchildren were still very young. When the priority date became current, the National Visa Center (NVC) sent us various forms and had us pay various fees, which included all my grandchildren. When the family went for their interview at the U.S. Embassy, the consul said my son, his spouse, and my youngest grandchild were eligible for visas. My other grandchildren were not eligible because they had “aged out� or turned 21 years of age. How come we paid all those fees for my other

grandchildren, only to be later told they don’t qualify? If we paid the visa fees, shouldn’t they be entitled to their visas? Very truly yours, RB Dear RB: When an applicant pays certain fees, those are application fees, not visa issuance fees. In other words, the person is paying fees merely to APPLY for a visa. It is only when they are at the window for their interview that the consul determines whether they are eligible. However, in order to get up to the window for the consul to make that determination, you first have to apply and therefore, pay the application fee. If the person is found eligible, they then pay a “delivery fee,� which would be for the embassy’s messengers to deliver their passport with the visa. However, just because you apply for a visa does not mean you’re entitled to it. The consul

has to make that determination. For example, many people apply for a visitor’s visa. They pay the application fee and are scheduled for an interview. Just because they paid the application fee does not mean they will be issued the tourist visa. They could still be refused the visa. When a person files a petition with the USCIS, they also have to pay the filing fee. Just because they’ve paid the filing fee does not mean that the petition will automatically be approved. The petition could still be denied. Or even if USCIS approves the petition, and they “apply� for their visa at the embassy, the consul could still refuse to issue the visa, even though the petition has been approved and the person paid the fee to apply for the visa. In your case, when the NVC charged you various fees, it was for your famPAGE 12

FRAUD WAIVER DENIAL TURNED AROUND TO APPROVAL WITH NO FRAUD WAIVER REQUIRED, ON THIS SUNDAY’S “CITIZEN PINOY!� Wilma entered the U.S. on a C-1 “transit� visa, on her way to work in Guantanamo, Cuba. She remained in the U.S., married a U.S. citizen, and filed for adjustment of status. A “consultant� gave her hope and said he would take care of Wilma’s papers. Unfortunately, the consultant altered Wilma’s documents and put down false information (that she entered on a visitor’s visa), to cover up that she actually entered on a C-1 transit visa. Her case ended up being denied because of fraud! Wilma then consulted with the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case, and filed an appeal with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) in Washington, DC. Atty Gurfinkel convinced them that Wilma committed no fraud, and was eligible for a green card, despite her entry on a transit visa. Watch how Atty. Gurfinkel’s determination won the day for Wilma, when her name was cleared, and she got her green card with no fraud waiver required, on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy� – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Fil-Am Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint wins ‘Best Chef’ at James Beard Awards By MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

THE third time’s a charm for Filipino American chef Tom Cunanan of Washington, DC’s Bad Saint who finally won as Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic at the James Beard Awards held Monday night at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. He was also previously nominated in 2017 and 2018. The awards, presented to recognize culinary professionals in the United States, are sometimes called the “Oscars� of the food world. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be up here,� Cunanan said during his acceptance speech, according to the Washingtonian. Cunanan co-owns the restaurant with Genevieve Villamora and Nick Pimentel and collectively, they came up with the menu that has

Tom Cunanan

Photo from Instagram/ @beardfoundation

captivated both diners and food critics alike. Bad Saint is named after St. Malo, Louisiana, where the first Filipinos settled in the United States. He was one of four Filipino Americans in the running for James Beard Foundation’s 2019 Restaurant and Chef Awards, along with RÊpublique’s Margarita Manzke

who made a return appearance in the Outstanding Pastry Chef category, Top Chef alum Sheldon Simeon’s new restaurant in Hawai’i called Lineage, which was up for Best New Restaurant and Maharlika & Jeepney owner Nicole Ponseca who was nominated for I Am Filipino, the book she wrote with Chef Miguel Trinidad. In an Instagram post, the official account of Bad Saint congratulated their beloved Cunanan and said, “His creativity, vision, and superlative food are the beating heart of this restaurant.� Bad Saint announced last March that they will be open for dinner seven days a week in April. This announcement came after the news that it is now accepting limited reservations, which means that diners do not have to wait outside for hours, although PAGE 12

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MAY 10-16, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PhiliP S. ChuA, Md, FACS, FPCS THE old cliché that health is wealth is timeless, always pertinent and relevant and a scientific truth many of us have taken for granted…until we later discover (sometimes too late) that, indeed, health is truly wealth. Steve Wynn, 77, with a net worth of $3 billion, owns six 5-star casinos in Las Vegas and one in Macau. He is “going blind” from his incurable retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease of the eyes. He would surely be happy to give away one or two of his casinos (Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island, Wynn, Encore, Wynn Macau) to any one who could cure his illness and bring back his health. There are other countless rich and famous who would have gladly paid millions to get a cure for their cancers or other deadly diseases, which had prematurely ended their life and stopped them from earning more. Yes, indeed, health is wealth, a personal commodity we cannot afford to lose, a treasure we must protect and nurture with care. Below are some queries from our readers I have collected and grouped together by topics with my reply: Do we really have bacteria in our hands? Unwashed hands have about 3,200 bacteria from 150 different species. Yes, that’s no typo: 3,200. Surprised! Among them are Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Staphylococcus wameri, Klebsiella pneumoniae,

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Is health really wealth? Staph aureus, and Enterobacter cloacae, S. hominis, coryneform bacteria, and the fungus Pityrosporum Malassezia, etc. How dirty is money? Money is definitely dirty and I am not figuratively talking about plundered money by amoral politicians or drug blood money. Coins and paper money have tons of germs, like those found in human hands, plus E.coli (from toilet users who do not wash their hands). Money goes around millions of times from person to person in the same city, other cities or States, or even countries. And not all persons are hygienic. There are over 100 strains of bacteria on dollar bills circulating around. Two of them are Propronibacterium acnes (acne-causing bacterium) and Streptococcus oralis found in the mouth. In some paper bills traces of cocaine are found on about 80 percent of them in some major cities, and also traces of amphetamines, heroin, morphine, and peoples’ DNA. How often should we wash our hands? The rule of thumb is at least 8 times a day: Before and after each meal (6), after using the bathroom (at least twice). Added to this are hand washing following activities such as cooking, gardening, house cleaning (indoor and outdoor). Touching handrails, door knobs, other surfaces in public areas also contaminate our hands. If you are washing your hands less than 8 times a day, then you are allowing those 3,200 germs to thrive and contaminate food you eat with your bare hands. Surgeons scrub their hand for no less than

10 minutes by the clock, using germicidal soap solution, followed by alcohol wash, to prevent infection in their patients. Are hand sanitizers better than soap and water? No. Hand washing with regular soap and water even for 10 seconds is much better. The idea is to reduce the “dose” (number of bacteria) in the hands to allow our own immune system to fight the remaining few bugs. This is the same principle in surgical scrubs. After 10 minute scrub, surgeons hands could still have a few remaining bacteria. Hence, the added alcohol wash and use of sterile gloves. If hand washing in public places is not possible, hand sanitizers are acceptable temporary substitutes. Remember, these solutions are harsh drying agents. Use of skin lotion helps. Can measles be transmitted by hands? The main mode of transmission of the measles virus is by droplet (particles of virus floating in the air from patient’s breath inhaled by others) but this virus could also thrive on surfaces (tables, chair, spoons, etc) and records show that the examining room could still be infectious two hours after the measles patient has left. If you touch any surface with infected droplets, and touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you could get infected yourself if you are not vaccinated, and spread the virus to other people by contact also. By the way, the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella, or German Measles) vaccines are protective for at least 20 years, but others get lifetime immunity from them. If in PAGE 15

Fees to NVC are application...

PAGE 11 ily members to “apply” for their immigrant visas. If the consul later found them eligible, the visas could be issued. But if the consul determined they were not eligible for whatever reason (such as aging out, fraud, crimes, no petitionable relationship, etc.), the visa could still be refused even though the application fees were paid. If you are about to apply for a visa, but you have questions or concerns about whether you or any family member are eligible for the visa, you may want to con-

sider consulting with an attorney, who could determine eligibility before you pay all those application fees. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars 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 and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a gen-

eral nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient 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: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA TRAVEL is a pure metaphor for our life’s journey. There are two choices in the way we can travel. We can travel light or we can load up on stuff and literally become a beast of burden. The reality for most of us is that we heft and carry far too much physical and emotional baggage over time. I am focusing on the physical baggage aspect only. The emotional baggage aspect is yet for another day. Our journey becomes tedious and cumbersome. All we want when we are too heavily laden with stuff while on the road, at sea or in flight, is to get to our destination fast so we can rest our weary bones and aching muscles and put our feet up. The fun is gone because tedium and fatigue have taken over. It shouldn’t be so because there is truth in what they say about any journey. Half the fun should be getting there. Very few of us are born wise old souls who already know what is important and what is frivolous at the getgo from a very young age. For most of us ordinary beings who have to learn from scratch, our learning curves can be steep. It takes a long while for us to know the difference between a NEED and a WANT. We all know the drill. Needs are the things required for basic human existence: food, shelter and clothing. Wants are those that our ego or an infomercial tells us we should acquire to feel better, look better and improve our status in society such as the latest car model, the new smartphone, large screen TV sets or luxury items or anything else that advertisers tell us we ought to have to make our lives better or feel important.

The Bucket List Travel Light 16th of a series

“He who must travel happily must travel light.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery The distinction should be easy enough if our mental faculties are grounded in common sense and just basic understanding of what is important and what isn’t. Those of us who have wise parents may try to tell us so until they are blue in the face but for the most part, unless and until we go through life experiences that shape our understanding and appreciation of what truly matters in life, it is guaranteed that we will bungle our way through just learning to distinguish between a basic need and a frivolous want. A need is probably owning one quality watch to help us manage our time. A want is having 12 different watches to match what we wear. We will acquire mountains of stuff through our lifetimes. It’s not our fault we live in a consumer society where acquiring stuff is the default behavior. Consider the success of companies that rent out public storage spaces. If you are one of those who rent such spaces in addition to your home’s bulging garage and storage spaces for long periods of time, it may be time to assess the quality of your life’s journey and begin divesting promptly, either gradually or drastically and choosing to travel light. The stuff we acquire is just that. Stuff and nothing more …… When we own something, that something owns us. We are responsible for its care and maintenance to keep it functioning and useful. When that something has outgrown its usefulness or has become

passé, we are responsible for its disposition. When we acquire something new, we probably need to dispose of 3 other items, just to keep us in balance. One day, if we let ourselves listen and learn from that small, quiet and wise voice within us, we will discover that important things are not stuff. They are largely intangible things — like health of mind, body and spirit, faith, hope and love, joy, sacrifice, a sense of wonder and humor to cushion us from the rough shocks of life. So next time we find ourselves meandering about armed to the teeth with credit cards in those huge shopping malls, outlets or flea markets, try to go on browsing mode only. Hold off on splurging next month’s paycheck. This is likewise true for those who go online shopping, indulging themselves in retail therapy in the comfort of their own homes in their pajamas. Look at the merchandise and appreciate the craftsmanship and give yourself time to decide if owning it will answer a need or just satisfy an impulsive want. Window shop, if you must. It would be like going to a museum where you can look, appreciate beauty and quality while having a great time and leaving as light and unencumbered as you came in, without a shopping cart full of stuff. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc. com.

Fil-Am Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint...

PAGE 11 there will be seats available for walk-in customers. Cunanan was also named Star Chefs D.C.-Chesapeake Rising Star in 2018 and Eater named Bad Saint as one of America’s 38 essential restaurants. The Eater blurb mentioned the challenge to this 24seater dining destination: its no reservations policy. That

aside, eating at Bad Saint is a must and as Bill Addison, the new Los Angeles Times food critic wrote last year, “The payoff: Tom Cunanan’s peerless Filipino cuisine. Inspirations like piniritong alimasag (fried soft-shell crab in spicy crab-fat sauce) also brilliantly signal the Chesapeake region in which he cooks.” On May 18, Cunanan will participate in the Los Angeles

Food Bowl’s “Filipino Garage Party,” hosted by Angela Dimayuga, the creative director of food and culture at Standard International, along with other Fil-Am chefs, including LA-based Russell Victorioso (Café Birdie) and Manila-based JP Anglo (Sarsa). On May 20, he and Sarsa will be part of “Tres Pares” at Ma’am Sir with its chef/owner Charles Olalia.

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people events arts culture entertainment

Paulo Tirol’s On This Side of the World : From a school project to a full musical experience

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BY

MOMAR G. VISAYA/ AJPRESS

aulo Tirol started writing On This Side of the World in 2013, in his first year of his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. It was for a class that started with the simple instruction: choose a community of people that you are interested in, that can inspire a song cycle — i.e., a collection of songs — which you will build over two years. “For my community, I chose the Filipino immigrant community in the US. It was a community I was a part of and familiar with, being a Filipino immigrant myself, and had many Filipino immigrants for friends,” Tirol shared. “And also because it was something unique to me—something only I could write.” Between then and now, the project has evolved but the idea has remained the same: songs inspired by the Filipino immigrant experience in the U.S. That idea has taken on so much more depth and breadth than when he started because in the beginning stages of the project, Tirol’s Filipino immigrant community comprised of fellow grad students, medical professionals, and artists in Boston, where he had spent a year before moving to New York for grad school. Over the y e a r s s i n c e 2013, his community has

expanded dramatically. “I lead music every Sunday for a predominantly Filipino parish in Jersey City, which includes Filipinos of all backgrounds, professions, and ages, and who speak different Filipino dialects and come from all parts of the Philippines,” Tirol said. Jersey City, where he lives, has a huge Filipino community, served by a Jollibee, Max’s Fried Chicken, Red Ribbon Bakeshop, and local businesses like Philippine Bread House, Fil-Stop grocery, and Fiesta Grill. “My husband, a high school science teacher, has Filipino colleagues and lots of first-generation Filipino students. And most recently, I’ve met and worked and become friends with a number Filipino-American actors, including some who have

performed on Broadway, national tours, and at major regional theatres,” Tirol said. As his community of Filipino immigrants has expanded, so has the array of stories and characters that have gripped, intrigued and inspired him. “But my perspective and inspiration has not only shifted in terms of breadth, but in terms of depth as well. I now have a sense of mission, both for the theatre community and for the Filipino community at large,” he said. Since the reading of On This Side of the World at Access Theatre last February, the theatre community has welcomed this piece with an excitement that Tirol said he honestly didn’t expect. From Filipino-American actors who are excited to share their own culture and heritage, to tell their communities’ own stories, to play

The cast of On This Side of the World: Michael Protacio, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Kevin Schuering, Joanne Javien, and Albert Guerzon. Photo © Lia Chang.

characters from their own lives to Asian-American actors who are excited for new roles, new stories, and opportunities to perform outside of Miss Saigon, The King and I, and Flower Drum Song. The broader theatre community is excited for work that is about and created by an underrepresented minority. “I am thrilled that for the production of On This Side of the World this month, we have a cast, production team, and design team from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and it is wonderful to be able to tell these stories all together,” Tirol said proudly. And for the Filipino community at large, his mission is to share the community’s stories with pride, honesty and love. For a long time, he was reluctant to really put this piece out there—which is why it took so long to finish—thinking that these were stories no one was really interested in hearing. That was his thinking, until his collaborator, director Noam Shapiro—who isn’t Filipino—believed in it so much and pushed him to finish it and helped him present it. The reaction he has been getting are all positive, convincing him that this is a piece worth sharing. “The Filipino immigrant story is one of courage, sacrifice, searching for identity, struggling to belong, and ultimately, redefining home— and come to think of it, isn’t

From left: Albert Guerzon, Jaygee Macapugay, and Joanne Javien, actors; Paulo K Tiról, composer and lyricist; Diane Phelan, Kevin Schuering, and Michael Protacio, actors; and Noam Shapiro, director. Photo © Lia Chang.

Some members of the diverse creative team behind On This Side of the World: Matt Bovee, choreographer; Ian Miller, music director; Paulo K Tiról, composer and lyricist; Noam Shapiro, director; and Megumi Lee, producer. Photo © Lia Chang.

that every person’s story?— and I am happy to be telling it,” he said. Next Step It is Tirol’s dream for On This Side of the World to be seen by more people. The production at Access Theater in May is a next step—a big next step—but not an endpoint. “I would love for the show to have a future life in New York City’s theatre scene— and I feel it fits with many notfor-profit theatres’ mission of diversity and representation—and also for it to get produced in theaters around the country, particularly in places with large Filipino communities, like California

(both San Francisco and Los Angeles), Las Vegas, Texas, and Hawaii. I would also love for the show to eventually be produced in the Philippines,” he shared. At a recent reading, Tirol received feedback from a diverse group of audience who went to see it. Asked about how he feels when someone tells him that he made them laugh or cry with his songs, Tirol said he feels relieved that his joke landed, and his tearjerker lines worked! “Seriously, that is the greatest reward I can have as a writer—not to know that the audience laughed or PAGE 15

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Is Pia Wurtzbach going to play Darna or Valentina? by Deni

rose BernArDo Philstar.com

FOLLOWING reports that Pia Wurtzbach is willing to audition and give everything to bag the highly sought after Darna role, the actressbeauty queen admitted that she was unable to audition for it when auditions were opened to the public last weekend in ABS-CBN. “No, I didn’t audition because I was traveling when I found out that they were doing the auditions, but we’ll see what happens,” Miss Universe 2015 told the press. Although unable to audition last weekend, Pia professed she still wants to audition for the role. “I feel that this is everybody’s dream role and I feel that everybody would jump at the opportunity to try for Darna so, why not?”

Pia Wurtzbach

When Philstar.com asked Pia to give a sample to shout “Darna,” the beauty queen laughingly declined. “No! Next time na lang!” she avowed. But besides Darna, is Pia willing to trade her Cream Silk-conditioned locks for

Photo from Instagram/@piawurtzbach

Valentina’s snakes? “Whatever that they decide to give me, you know, and whatever they see me fit, I’ll take it!” For now, the beauty queen is busy shooting a dark comedy film with Vhong Navarro.

Is health really wealth...

PAGE 12 doubt, get tested for antibody, to find out if you are still immune. If not, re-vaccination is recommended, because measles could have deadly complications. How much bacteria are in our mouth? Yes, all orifices and our entire body have germs. As long as our protective skin and mucosa (shiny lining membrane of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc) and skin are intact, no bacteria can get in and cause infection. Those who do oral hygiene have about 1,000 to 100,000 bacteria on EACH tooth, and those who do not, have between 100 million to one billion on EACH tooth. More than 700 varying strains of germs have been detected in human mouth. At any given moment, there are between 34 to 200 species of germs in our mouth. Most are harmless and are beneficial bacteria which act as probiotics to help in the digestion.

Others cause tooth and gum diseases. What causes bad breath? Bad breath or halitosis comes from sulfur gas, which is produced when bacteria in the mouth act on protein that is in saliva and in the decaying foods (especially meats). The Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSCs) are resistant to many mouth washes, except to Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide which comes in various brand names here and abroad, and which are effective, in together with brushing and flossing at least 3 times a day. Some mouth rinse solutions only mask the odor but Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide actually neutralizes VSCs and garlic breath, etc. Brushing alone is not enough; food stuck between the teeth, especially meat, rot over time. The halitosis, if neglected, could be so severe as to smell like decaying dead animals. Gross, indeed. How many times should we brush our teeth?

Brushing (meticulously) and dental flossing after each meal including snacks, followed by a mouth rinse that contains Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide, plus regular dental check-up at least every 6 months, provide good orodental health. Dental and gum diseases increase the risk for cardiovascular illnesses, which include heart attack and stroke. Any inflammation in the body is bad for overall health. These two habits (handwashing and comprehensive oral hygiene) are wise investments that yield great dividends. Health is a priceless wealth. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Paulo Tirol’s On This Side of the...

Jej Vinson

Photo from Instagram/@jejvinson

Jej Vinson misses ‘The Voice’ top 8 by Krissy

AguilAr Inquirer.net

FILIPINO American singer Jej Vinson capped off his “The Voice” journey after failing to get a spot in the top 8. Part of Kelly Clarkson’s team, Vinson’s last performance in the show was his rendition of Nick Jonas and Tove Lo’s song “Close.” In a tweet on Wednesday, May 8, Vinson expressed his gratitude to Clarkson and his fans for their support. “I’m feeling so grateful rn. @kelly_clarkson you are the best coach that I’ve ever

had, and I will take what I’ve learned from you with me forever. Thank you for believing in me,” Vinson wrote. “To all my fans, family, and friends, I love you guys so much. Thank you for supporting me tirelessly,” he added. Despite falling short in the show’s Top 8, Vinson remained positive for being able to sing in front of many people. “I don’t want anyone to be sad because to be honest I’m just happy that I’m able to sing in front of millions. I’m an artist. I have music coming. I will keep working

my butt off. I hope you guys keep supporting me,” Vinson said. Those who made the cut were Maelyn Jarmon and Shawn Sounds from John Legend’s team, Dexter Roberts, Gyth Rigdon, Carter Lloyd Horne, Andrew Sevener and Kim Cherry from Blake Shelton’s team and Rod Stokes from Clarkson’s team. No one from Adam Levine’s team made it to the Top 8. Vinson received a fourchair turn when he performed Drake’s song “Passionfruit” during his blind audition in the show last March.

PAGE 14 cried, per se, but to know that your writing connected with and touched a listener in a very real, very deep way. My most fulfilling moments have not been being applauded or praised, but being told that my writing was uplifting, cathartic, inspiring, the answer to a prayer,” he said. He remembers a professor who once told him that the problem with his writing was that it was too earnest. For a while, he decided to veer away from such earnestness, thinking that it was what it meant to be a dramatist in New York City—but it just wasn’t fulfilling. “With On This Side of the World, I’ve decided to embrace this earnestness—but still keeping an eye on craft—and I like the artist I’ve become, and I’m grateful to have found artists to work with who view theatre the same way,” he admitted. As a writer, Tirol loves being able to help people laugh at themselves and their circumstances, and in a way, help people feel less alone in their sadness, help people give words and sound to their thoughts and feelings, and help people feel seen and validated—which is why he is so grateful that he is able to do that through his writing. Tirol’s Journey Tirol was a corporate pro-

fessional, liturgical musician, and super-fan of western musical theatre until he moved to Boston in 2012 to study at Berklee College of Music. A year later, he moved to NYU Tisch School of the Arts, when he was offered a full tuition scholarship to attend the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program as a composer, which he completed in 2015. Tirol finished his two years at NYU as a composer, and met his husband-to-be Jeremy while he was there. He moved to Jersey City, where Jeremy lived, and in May 2015, his parents flew in from Manila to see him graduate from NYU and to be at their wedding. Tirol says he is so grateful to be working with his director Noam Shapiro. Though he isn’t Filipino, he’s the son of an immigrant, which Tirol believes, gives him some insight into the immigrant experience; but more than that, he has a genuine interest in and respect for the stories, and such a care for and understanding of the human experience at large, that enable them to make these stories meaningful and accessible to all people regardless of their immigrant and cultural backgrounds. “Further, through Noam’s help, we’ve assembled a multicultural cast, production team, and design team, and I

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just feel so honored that we’re coming together to tell these stories through such a multinational lens, bringing them to the broadest audience we can,” he shared. To cap the interview, we asked Tirol if there was anything else he wanted to share? “Just that I’m really grateful. A lot of people ask if I’m proud of myself, or nervous, or excited,” he said. “I am all of those, but more than any of those, I’m grateful to have arrived at this point, for the gift of being able to write and share On This Side of the World, and for all the people I know who have been part of this journey and who will continue to be on this journey.” (Catch On This Side of the World from May 2 to 12 at Access Theater in Tribeca. This production’s cast includes Albert Guerzon* (Escape to Margaritaville, Honeymoon in Vegas, Mamma Mia!, Ghost the Musical), Jaygee Macapugay* (Wild Goose Dreams, School of Rock, Here Lies Love), Diane Phelan* (School of Rock, The King and I, Here Lies Love, Bernarda Alba at LCT), Joanne Javien* (Thoroughly Modern Millie, First National Tour), Kevin Schuering* (The King and I, Lincoln Center National Tour), and Michael Protacio (Joanna Gleason’s “Out of the Eclipse” at 54 Below).)

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