MAY 21-24, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 40 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages
Palace maintains ‘no voting irregularities’ in 2022 polls by CHRISTIA
MARIE Inquirer.net
RAMOS
MANILA — Malacañang on Friday, May 20 maintained that there are “no voting irregularities” in the recently concluded national and local elections. This, after an interim report by the International Observer Mission (IOM) said that the May 2022 elections did not meet “free and fair” poll standards, citing a “higher level of failure of the electronic voting system than ever before.” “We reiterate what President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said during The Senate has received a total of 150 Certificates of Canvass (COCs) for President and Vice his May 11, 2022 Talk to the President as of 7:28 a.m. Wednesday, May 18.
DATELINE
Senate photo
US Navy ship to be named for Filipino sailor Telesforo Trinidad
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Long COVID-19 symptoms often overlooked in seniors
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12 SENATORS PROCLAIMED. The National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) proclaims the “Magic 12” senators at the PICC Forum Tent in Pasay City on Wednesday, May 18. The 12 senators who won in this year’s elections are actor Robin Padilla, former Antique Representative Loren Legarda, broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, former Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Miguel Zubiri, Senator Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Jinggoy Estrada. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
by MOMAR
G. VISAYA
AJPress
UNITED States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced Thursday, May 19 that a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named USS Telesforo Trinidad (DDG 139), honoring the bravery and heroism of Fireman 2nd Class Telesforo De La Cruz Trinidad, the only The guided missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) steams through the Mediterranean Filipino in the U.S. Navy to be awarded the Sea. Photo by Journalist 2nd Class Patrick Reilly / Wikimedia Commons Medal of Honor.
NEARLY 18 months after getting COVID-19 and spending weeks in the hospital, Terry Bell struggles with hanging up his shirts and pants after doing the laundry. Lifting his clothes, raising his arms, arranging items in his closet leave Bell short of breath and often trigger severe fatigue. He walks with a cane, only short distances. He’s 50 pounds lighter than when the virus struck. Bell, 70, is among millions of older adults who have grappled with long covid — a population by AJPRESS that has received little attention even though research suggests seniors are more likely to THE Los Angeles County deadline to develop the poorly understood condition than register to vote in the June primary election younger or middle-aged adults. Long covid refers to ongoing or new health is approaching on Monday, May 23. Los Angeles City Clerk Holly L. Wolcott is PAGE A5 reminding residents to register to vote in the June 7, 2022 Primary Nominating Election. To be eligible to vote, a person must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not in prison for a felony. Registered voters who have moved or changed their names since the last election, or would like to change their political party affiliation must also re-register to vote. Eligible residents can register to vote
“Since being sworn in as secretary, I have wanted to honor his heroic actions by naming a ship after him,” said Del Toro. “This ship and her future crew will be a critical piece in strengthening our maritime superiority while also emphasizing the rich culture and history of our naval heritage.” The Navy secretary shared that the first time he learned about Petty Officer Trinidad’s story was as a midshipman at the
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Deadline to register to vote Supermajority, family ties shape new PH Senate in LA County on May 23
California will pay college students for community work
IN a brand-new program, the first of its kind in the United States, California is offering college students $10,000 in pay and scholarship funding in exchange for 450 hours of community service work. Students can apply at cacollegecorps. com or with help from counselors at the 48 colleges and universities across the state that are enrolled in the #CaliforniansforAll College Corps program, a list that includes the entire UC and CSU systems, community colleges and some private schools as well. A total of 6,500 students will be accepted to start in the fall, with preference given to those from low-income circumstances. “Dreamers” – AB540-eligible students who arrived in the U.S. as children – are eligible to apply. The program offers a total of $7,000 in regular paychecks — more than $15 per hour for the work requirement – and, upon completion, a $3,000 grant for tuition or other education-related costs. PAGE A5
and check registration status online at registertovote.ca.gov and voterstatus.sos. ca.gov. Voters can vote in-person or drop-off their voted ballot at any Vote Center in L.A. County. In-person voting will be available beginning Saturday, May 28, 2022. To find a Vote Center, visit https://locator.lavote. gov/ Conditional voter registration Eligible Los Angeles County residents who miss the registration deadline can still vote at any Vote Center in L.A. County. Under California Election Law, Conditional Voter Registration (CVR) allows a prospective PAGE A2
Bongbong Marcos camp to seek dismissal of disqualification petitions in SC by NEIL
ARWIN MERCADO Inquirer.net
MANILA — The camp of presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will seek the dismissal of the petitions filed before the Supreme Court seeking his disqualification. Marcos Jr. ‘s lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, said Friday, May 20 their camp will seek the dismissal of the petitions once they file their comment before the Supreme Court. “A comment is required to be filed on the petition and therefore in the comment, you may expect that we will be asking for the dismissal of the petition,” Mendoza said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.
“You must remember, this issue of disqualification was ruled upon by the Comelec Division and later on, it was ruled upon by the Comelec en banc so you already have two rulings affirming the qualification of BBM (Bongbong Marcos),” he added. Currently, two petitions seeking to reverse Comelec’s dismissal of cases against Marcos Jr. are pending in the Supreme Court. Both petitions are likewise asking the Supreme Court to stop the Senate and House of Representatives from canvassing the votes cast for Marcos Jr. The Supreme Court has ordered Comelec, the two chambers of Congress, and the PAGE A2
by DONA
Z. PAZZIBUGAN, MELVIN GASCON, TINA G. SANTOS Inquirer.net
MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday, May 18 proclaimed the 12 winners in the senatorial race, including four reelectionists, three first-timers, and five former senators. With only one reelectionist senator and another still keeping his seat in the chamber, who both are not backed by either outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte or the incoming presumptive President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Senate will have a formidable bloc that the country’s new leaders can rely upon for their legislative program. Also, for the first time in Philippine Senate history, there will be three sets of family members serving together as senators — two siblings, two half-brothers, and a mother and her son. The new senators ranked according to the number of votes they received are former action star Robin Padilla, Antique Rep. and former Sen. Loren Legarda, broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, reelected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Sorsogon Gov. and former Sen. Francis Escudero, former Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Taguig Rep. and former Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, reelected Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, reelected Sen. Joel Villanueva, former Sen. JV Ejercito, reelected Sen. Risa Hontiveros and
former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Of the winners, Padilla, Tulfo, Cayetano, and Ejercito got the support of the President while Marcos supported Estrada and Escudero, who was also a guest candidate of the opposition led by Vice President Leni Robredo. The candidates who were supported by both Mr. Duterte and Marcos were Legarda, Gatchalian, Villar, Zubiri, and Villanueva. All of them can expect solidarity from most of the 12 pro-Duterte senators who were elected in the 2019 midterm elections, including Marcos’ elder sister, Sen. Imee Marcos. Malacañang said Filipinos elected “old and new faces” in the Senate and that there was now a “sense of hope and optimism with the new set of lawmakers.” “It is now time to move forward after a divisive election campaign and begin the daunting task of speeding up our economic recovery affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us work closely together and pray for our nation’s success,” acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said in a statement. For the first time, the two estranged sons of former President Joseph Estrada — JV and his half PAGE A5
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FROM THE FRONT PAGE
OLD-FASHIONED ROLLING STORE. A white bull pulls a carriage loaded with various household items including brooms along Aurora Boulevard near Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday, May 19. This old-fashioned rolling store is very common in the past moving around residential areas selling native household products. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
Palace maintains ‘no voting... PAGE A1
the winning candidates to fulfill their campaign platform,” he added. Andanar, meanwhile, said Malacañang will leave it to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to dispel doubts regarding the 2022 polls.
For its part, the Comelec disputed the observations from the IOM, saying that only vote buying remains unresolved and that the poll body and its law enforcement partners are working aggressively to eliminate this practice.
voter to register and cast a ballot. For more information please visit: https://lavote.gov/home/votingelections/voter-registration/ conditional-voter-registration. Vote-by-mail All voters in California, registered by the May 23, 2022 deadline, will automatically be sent a Vote-By-Mail Ballot. This allows all voters the chance to vote safely at home without needing to be in a public space.
There are three ways voters may return their Vote-By-Mail Ballot: • Mail their ballot by Election Day, June 7, 2022 (if postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days, it will be accepted). • Use an Official Vote-ByMail Drop Box location. Find locations at https://locator. lavote.gov/locations/vbm. • Drop off their ballot at any Vote Center in Los Angeles
County. The City’s Primary Nominating Election will be held June 7, 2022, and the General Municipal Election will be held November 8, 2022. While the City conducted the candidate filing portion of the elections, the County of Los Angeles Registrar Recorder (County) will administer the elections, for more information please call (800) 815-2666 or visit: https:// lavote.gov/.
PAGE A1 Marcos Jr. camp to comment on the first petition. In his manifestation, Marcos Jr. cited Article VII, Section 4 of the Constitution in saying that the Congress’ canvassing should push through. It states that upon receipt of
the certificates of canvass, the President of the Senate shall, “not later than thirty days after the day of the election open all certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session and the Congress, upon determination of the authenticity
and due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass the votes.” “All of the above provisions, in language and intent, are mandatory and the Supreme Court is without jurisdiction to prevent their implementation,” the manifestation said.
People Address that there are no voting irregularities,” acting presidential spokesperson Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement on Thursday, May 19. “Let us respect the outcome of the election and give chance to
Deadline to register to vote in LA County... PAGE A1
Bongbong Marcos camp to seek dismissal...
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DATELINE USA
Supermajority, family ties shape new... PAGE A1 brother Jinggoy — will be serving together as senators. Cayetano will again be working alongside his sister, Pia. The two Villars will be the second mother-son team in the Senate after Jinggoy served with his mother, Loi Ejercito-Estrada from 2004 to 2007. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the new set of pro-administration senators must give their minority colleagues the freedom to choose their own leaders after word spread that the majority held a caucus and considered Cayetano as head of the minority bloc. ‘Real minority’ “They shouldn’t do that,” Pimentel said in a forum, adding that the Senate should not become a “rubber stamp” of the president. “Structurally, we must have a real minority in the Senate to check on the majority, to make sure there will be no tyranny of numbers,” he said. “We must be careful not to have a government that allows only for a monolithic thinking.” As a rule, senators who did not vote for the winning Senate president will comprise the minority, who in turn, will choose among themselves their minority leader, Pimentel said. Pimentel was a former Senate president and he headed the Partido Demokratikong PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), whose faction lost recognition from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to its Duterte-backed rival led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. At this point, only he and Hontiveros can be considered the real opposition in the Senate. Pimentel said the minority’s role will be mainly to see to it that all laws passed by the senators conform with Senate rules and the 1987 Constitution. According to Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, the goal of pro-administration senators is to establish a “supermajority,” and a Senate president with an assured backing of at least 16 of the 24 senators. He said Zubiri and the elder Villar were supposedly interested in becoming Senate president and that the presumptive president’s sister and Legarda were rumored to be among those seeking the position of Senate president pro tempore. “Our hope is that the supermajority bloc will not break up and the groups will eventually agree because we need to have a Senate that will work well together,”
he said. No one has signified interest in heading the powerful Senate committee on good government and accountability, or the Senate blue ribbon committee, which is generally handled by a lawyer. The committee led the Senate investigation of the Pharmally scandal. Six lawyers The new Senate will have six lawyers — Pimentel, Angara, the Cayetano siblings, Sen. Francis Tolentino, and Escudero. Hontiveros said she was willing to cooperate with other senators “to fight for a society with dignity, justice, and equality.” “I look forward to working with everyone,” said Hontiveros, who won with 15,420,807 votes. Hontiveros, who was the only opposition senatorial candidate who won in this year’s elections, was emotional. “I can’t help but think that it’s almost a miracle that I’m standing before you today,” she said, thanking her family and supporters and “all of us Filipinos dreaming of a better life.” “We always said during the campaign we were just heading to the ‘exciting part.’ I think nobody knew that it would be this exciting. Now it’s not only the exciting part but also the next six years. Now we’re off to more exciting parts,” Hontiveros said. “It’s an honor to be given this new mandate … let’s look after each other, no one should be left behind. The fight continues,” she added. Open to be minority Villanueva, who took the ninth spot with 18,486,034 votes, said he was open to be part of the minority. He handled the Senate’s labor and technical and vocational education committees in the 18th Congress. He was accompanied by his wife, Gladys, and his father, evangelist Eddie Villanueva. He said that although he experienced a drop in the preelection surveys, he said it did not deter him from seeking reelection as “my solid track record will speak for itself.” Padilla, who has embraced Islam, said his victory was a symbol of unity between Muslims and Christians. He called on newly elected officials and senators to give reforms in the Constitution a chance. He had attributed his victory to his push for federalism and Charter change.
“The people’s gripes about salary, unemployment, education… all of these will be addressed if we tackle reforms in the Constitution,” he said in Filipino. Cheers, shrieks Cheers greeted Escudero, who came with his wife, actress Heart Evangelista, although louder cheers and shrieks welcomed Padilla when he entered the PICC Tent. Escudero appealed for unity. “I hope that healing will start today,” he said. “Whatever colors we bannered during the elections, I hope we all change them to red, blue, white, and a little yellow. I hope we carry only the colors symbolizing our flag, because in the end, we’re all Filipinos and we’re all in one boat called Philippines.” Zubiri called for a stop to “all the bickering.” “Let us all work together, united as one family, as one country. We need to end poverty and now is the time to do it. We must unite as a people,” he said. The elder Villar and her husband, former Sen. Manny Villar, were there for their son, Mark, while Pia accompanied her brother, Alan Peter, to the proclamation program. ‘Martial law babies’ The majority of the new senatorselect are so-called “martial law babies” who were born around the time Marcos Jr.’s father, the late ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, began his nearly 21-year rule before a popular revolt ended it in 1986. Five of them were born in 1969 when Marcos Sr. won a second four-year term. Padilla, Escudero, Zubiri, Estrada and Ejercito are either 53 years old or turning 53 this year. Cayetano is one year younger as he was born in 1970 when antiMarcos protests were spreading across the country. Gatchalian, 48, Villanueva, 45, and Villar, the youngest who will turn 44 this year, were all born after the 1972 declaration of martial law by Marcos Sr. Hontiveros is 56 years old. Legarda and Tulfo are both 62 and born in 1960 before Marcos Sr. was first elected president in 1965. Legarda said the problems of the country in 1998 when she was first elected to the Senate “are still here.” The country should address the “twin crises” of the pandemic and climate change, she said.
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California will pay college students for... PAGE A1
For those 6,500 students, rather than having to drive for a ride-share company or work in a local mall, “this groundbreaking program allows them to pursue programs dedicated to climate change, K-12 education or COVID recovery while serving in their own communities,” said Regina Wilson, executive director of California Black Media at a news conference announcing the program. “They earn money and academic credit at the same time.” The news briefing was cohosted by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media. A ‘win,win,win’ for students “We really see this program as being a win-win-win,” said Josh Fryday, California Chief Service Officer, who oversees California Volunteers, the governor’s office responsible for creating service, volunteer and civic engagement opportunities in California. Students get meaningful, paid work in their communities, tailored to align with their
educational goals. Service providers get help in doing their valuable work, and communities get the benefit of those increased efforts, Fryday explained. “Our students are going to be focused on three main areas serving in their community,” he said. “One is around climate action. We’re going to see students doing everything from planting trees to helping compost and with fire mitigation across the state.” “We’re also going to be seeing our students focus on food insecurity, which we know drastically increased during COVID,” he said, pointing out that “one of the biggest needs that food banks have is for volunteers.” Thirdly, he said, “our young people, especially in our lowincome schools, are facing increased education disparities, with learning loss as a result of COVID. So, many of these (College Corps) students are going to be tutors and mentors in our low-income schools.”
The program is open to 6,500 students – a number equal to the entire U.S. Peace Corps program — Fryday said, but “our intention is to ultimately scale this program to more students, more universities, and hopefully be something that becomes a model for the entire country.” “Several of our universities are targeting freshmen,” he added, “because we know that first year is really the critical year where either students are able to stay in school and stay on track, or, because of financial burdens or other reasons, end up delaying their education.” Lindsay Fox, president and CEO of United Way in Fresno and Madera counties, spoke of how the program is intended to help “close the racial wealth gap.” “We’ve identified furthering education, higher education and skills training as one of the key, core ways we are going to get generational wealth and
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Long COVID-19 symptoms often overlooked... PAGE A1
problems that occur at least four weeks after a covid infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much about the condition is baffling: There is no diagnostic test to confirm it, no standard definition of the ailment, and no way to predict who will be affected. Common symptoms, which can last months or years, include fatigue, shortness of breath, an elevated heart rate, muscle and joint pain, sleep disruptions, and problems with attention, concentration, language, and memory — a set of difficulties known as brain fog. Ongoing inflammation or a dysfunctional immune response may be responsible, along with reservoirs of the virus that remain in the body, small blood clots, or residual damage to the heart, lungs, vascular system, brain, kidneys, or other organs. Only now is the impact on older adults beginning to be documented. In the largest study of its kind, published recently in the journal BMJ, researchers estimated that 32% of older adults in the U.S. who survived covid infections had symptoms of long covid up to four months after infection — more than double the 14% rate an earlier study found in adults ages 18 to 64.
(Other studies suggest symptoms can last much longer, for a year or more.) The BMJ study examined more than 87,000 adults 65 and older who had covid infections in 2020, drawing on claims data from UnitedHealth Group’s Medicare Advantage plans. It included symptoms that lasted 21 days or more after an infection, a shorter period than the CDC uses in its long covid definition. The data encompasses both older adults who were hospitalized because of covid (27%) and those who were not (73%). The higher rate of post-covid symptoms in older adults is likely due to a higher incidence of chronic disease and physical vulnerability in this population — traits that have led to a greater burden of serious illness, hospitalization, and death among seniors throughout the pandemic. “On average, older adults are less resilient. They don’t have the same ability to bounce back from serious illness,” said Dr. Ken Cohen, a co-author of the study and executive director of translational research for Optum Care. Optum Care is a network of physician practices owned by UnitedHealth Group. Applying the study’s findings
to the latest data from the CDC suggests that up to 2.5 million older adults may have been affected by long covid. For those individuals, the consequences can be devastating: the onset of disability, the inability to work, reduced ability to carry out activities of daily life, and a lower quality of life. But in many seniors, long covid is difficult to recognize. “The challenge is that nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, pain, confusion, and increased frailty are things we often see in seriously ill older adults. Or people may think, ‘That’s just part of aging,’” said Dr. Charles Thomas Alexander Semelka, a postdoctoral fellow in geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University. Ann Morse, 72, of Nashville, Tennessee, was diagnosed with covid in November 2020 and recovered at home after a trip to the emergency room and follow-up home visits from nurses every few days. She soon began having trouble with her memory, attention, and speech, as well as sleep problems and severe fatigue. Though she’s improved somewhat, several cognitive issues and fatigue persist to this day. “What was frustrating was I
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OPINION & FEATURES
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Rethinking the war on drugs As expected, Malacañang disputed on Wednesday, May 18 the latest report of the Commission on Human Rights on the conduct of the war on drugs. The CHR report said the Duterte administration “failed in its obligation to respect and protect the human rights of every citizen” and has “encouraged a culture of impunity that shields perpetrators from being held to account.” On the other hand, Malacañang stressed that President Duterte would be leaving behind “a legacy of a safe and secure Philippines.” While acknowledging his failure to fulfill his campaign promise to eliminate the drug scourge in six months, the president has expressed no regret and sees no need to apologize over the brutal conduct of the drug war. Recently, he said he wanted three or five more major drug traffickers to be killed before he steps down on June 30 – a plan that the Philippine National Police promptly dismissed as mere hyperbole that would not be implemented. Malacañang described the CHR report as a “rehash of old issues,” although the Department of Justice itself has found cause to pursue criminal cases related to the abuse of police powers in the anti-narcotics campaign, in several drug killings that it reviewed. Human rights advocates have
lamented that too few of the over 6,000 drug killings carried out by the police have been reviewed by the DOJ. Despite those 6,000 deaths, the drug menace persists, as the president himself has admitted, with shabu being smuggled into the country by the ton. He has said he is preparing to face efforts by human rights groups to have the International Criminal Court conduct a full-blown investigation of his bloody campaign against illegal drugs. The next administration will inherit the drug scourge and will have to review whether it should sustain the brutal approach, or carry out a multipronged program that addresses both supply and demand, plus the corruption that allows the sustained drug trafficking even under authoritarian criminal activity to thrive. No country has fully regimes. eliminated the drug menace. The enormous profits Apart from giving justice to those who were from the illegal trade plus continuing demand have executed in the anti-drug campaign, the incoming
Editorial
administration must develop a new approach in fighting the drug menace. The past six years have shown that even a brutal bloodbath is not enough to deter drug traffickers. (Philstar.com)
Election not yet over: Fight to declare Bongbong Marcos’ candidacy void from the beginning now elevated to the Supreme Court Philstar.com photo
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS THE May 9, 2022 Philippine election isn’t over. The son of the dictator who wants to be president — allegedly using lies, deceit, troll farms, disinformation, hakot, vote buying, and cheating on election returns — cannot be coronated just yet, despite his supposed 31.1 million votes versus VP Leni Robredo’s supposed 14.8 million The four disqualification cases against him may have been trashed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), comprising of Duterte appointees. But the story does not end there. The fight is now elevated to the Supreme Court (SC) by two groups of petitioners. A group of martial law survivors would not allow the family of their abusers to win just like that without exhausting all means to prove that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is NOT qualified to be accorded all the power and public trust that goes with the Office of the President. They contend that the president should be Vice President Leni Robredo. “Considering that the votes cast in favor of a disqualified candidate are invalid, the winner therefore, is the candidate who received the greatest number of valid votes,” stated the 50page petition filed by victims of torture like Bonifacio Ilagan and Saturnino Ocampo on May 18, Wednesday, Rappler reported. They were represented by Atty. Howard Calleja. And so, no matter how much the Presumptive Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, wants to be proclaimed
From my Point of View DAN E. NINO COMPARED to other Filipino American elected officials in California, Ariel Pe, Lakewood’s newly-installed vice mayor is relatively unheralded in the local media. Is it by design or by the circumstances beyond his control when he was first elected to the Lakewood City Council in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging on planet earth? After two years, Pe was elected vice mayor on April 12. His term runs through March 2024. Yes, Virginia, Ariel Pe, who is of Filipino-Chinese heritage, is the vice mayor of Lakewood. It’s a quantum leap for a compatriot to win in a predominantly white community. He and a two-term incumbent won the two open seats out of seven candidates two years ago.
two weeks ahead, in violation of the Constitutional provision that the newly elected President and Vice President should be proclaimed at high noon of June 30, she would not be the 17th President of the Philippines. The petition stated that it would have to be VP Leni Robredo. This move aligns with the intention of the group of former Supreme Court spokesperson Ted Te, backed by other human rights lawyers, when they elevated their petition to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy (COC) to the SC on Monday, May 16. The Rappler report explained the difference between the petitions. “Canceling a COC and disqualification are different processes – the main difference is that the former voids the entire candidacy while a disqualified candidate can be substituted. But that is, if the case was resolved prior to the elections.” What was stated in Ted Te’s group’s 70-page petition to the High Court? As the Philippine Star reported: “The petitioners ask the SC to annual and set aside the May 10 Resolution of the Comelec en Banc that junked their appeal to cancel Marcos’ COC, and the Jan. 17, 2022 resolution of the Second Division that dismissed their plea.” “This Petition prays for the invalidation and reversal of the Questioned Comelec Resolutions for having been rendered in grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction,” the report stated, quoting their Petition for Certiorari. “Respondent Comelec, by refusing to Cancel or Deny Due
Course the [COC] of respondent Marcos, Jr. despite his having deliberately made false material representations on two material items, acted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction,” they added. Like other legal challenges filed against Marcos’ candidacy, the Buenafe petition is also anchored on the presumptive presidentelect’s conviction for non-failure of Income Tax Return for four years. For their case, the petitioners accused Marcos of “misrepresentations pertaining to his eligibility due to his prior convictions under the 1977 [National Internal Revenue Code.” But the petitioners also brought to SC the Marcoses’ family estate tax liability, estimated to have reached P203 billion due to surcharges and interest, as testament to Marcos Jr.’s “propensity to flour Philippine laws.” They noted that there is no showing that the Marcos heirs paid the tax due, and their team has also evaded questions by the media on the issue.” Duterte supporters argue that the “line of succession” should be followed, contending that Sara Duterte should then be president if Marcos is disqualified. As Rappler explained, this argument would cite the 2010 case Panlaqui vs. Velasco, the Supreme Court declared as mayor the elected vice mayor, after the candidate who won in the mayoralty race was disqualified. However, this new petition now elevated to the SC presents a more recent case to prove that Leni, and not Sara, should be president. The basis of the
petition is the 2013 Supreme Court decision on the Maquiling vs. Comelec case, where the highest court ruled that the disqualification of the candidate reaches back to the filing of the certificate of candidacy” and that the disqualified candidate is “declared to be not a candidate at all.” “Being a non-candidate, the votes cast in his favor should not have been counted. This leaves [Maquiling] as the qualified candidate who obtained the highest number of votes. Therefore, the rule on succession under the Local Government Code will not apply,” Rappler reported, quoting the 2013 decision. What if Marcos and Duterte are proclaimed prior to the Supreme Court meeting en banc on June 14? The report stated that the Supreme Court could still rule beyond proclamation. “Even if Marcos has already sworn and assumed office, the Supreme Court would still have residual jurisdiction to rule on whether or not he committed material misrepresentation in his Certificate of Candidacy and order its cancellation, if it finds basis,” Rappler quoted election lawyer Emil Marañón, who represented VP Leni Robredo in the now junked vice presidential electoral protest filed against her by Marcos, said time is not an issue for the Supreme Court. So what is the basis of the petition this time when Comelec ruled to the same petitioner before that there is no moral turpitude on the part of Marcos to disqualify him, despite Marcos being convicted by the Regional Trial Court for nonpayment
of income tax while he was a sitting government official. He should have been sent to prison pursuant to tax laws, had it not been for the Court of Appeals changing the sentence and the ruling that he could not run for any public office? They presented the same arguments as Ted Te’s group. However, there is an important technicality we need to understand about this when it comes to the time when the violation of the law occurred. Let me quote the report by Rappler: “One of the new arguments of the recent petition is framing failure to file income tax returns as a continuing crime. This is relevant because the Comelec said that the 1977 tax code, which covered Marcos’ nonfiling of returns from 1982 to 1984, did not impose mandatory prison time nor automatic perpetual disqualification as penalty. Those were included in the amended tax code that became effective only in 1986. The catch is, Marcos’ conviction also covered his tax return for 1985, which was filed only in March 1986. Which tax code applies – 1977 or the 1986 version? The petitioners said the 1986 version, trying to convince justices that Marcos was already perpetually disqualified from holding public office. “Marcos Jr. continued to violate Sec. 45 of the 1977 [tax code]; he did not even try to belatedly file his income tax return. He just did not. Therefore, when the amendments introduced by [1986 tax code] took effect, Respondent convicted candidate Marcos Jr. remained to be committing an offense in continued violation of the law, and
such continued commission of an offense thus subjected him to the additional accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification,” said the petition. “To clarify, this is not a case of making a penal law retroactive in application. Merely applying the law in effect in 1986, for violations he was continually committing in 1986, therefore does not fall within the ambit of an ex post facto law,” the petition justified.” Arguing against the Comelec’s decision that failing to file income tax returns is not a crime of moral turpitude, the Martial Law victims and survivors stated in their petition: “Marcos Jr. failed to file his ITRs on four (4) consecutive years that he was Vice Governor and Governor of Ilocos Norte from 1982 to 1985. Four (4) consecutive years cannot be regarded as a simple omission. It shows an utter disregard of the laws which, as chief executive of the province of Ilocos Norte, Respondent convicted candidate Marcos Jr. took an oath to uphold.” *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos
Ariel Pe, the unheralded Lakewood, CA Fil-Am vice mayor Meeting Councilmember Pe was providential. I was surprised when he was introduced as the councilmember of Lakewood, California during the second Meet & Greet campaign of thencandidate and now Cerritos Councilmember Lynda Johnson at the gated Shadow Park enclave. I exclaimed excitedly, "How come you only surfaced now?" Before he could respond, I told him we’ll meet again and catch up so I can write about him. Little is known about this role model leader, the first Filipino American elected official: first as councilman and then vice mayor of Lakewood. Lakewood is 9.5 square miles located in southern Los Angeles County and about 23 miles southeast of Los Angeles with a population of 79,919 as of January 2020. Lakewood is not known for being an Asian or Pacific Islander city or well-populated by Filipino Americans unlike its neighbor Cerritos, Carson or the
densely-populated Long Beach. Vice Mayor Ariel Pe started his political journey when he was asked by then-Mayor Lakewood Mayor Steve Croft who pulled him aside after a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lakewood to consider running for City Council — knowing his various involvement in the Lakewood community and numerous Fil-Am organizations. He was surprised at the suggestion. Initially, he demurred at the prospect of running but then he decided to give it a try and won in his first foray into politics. He attributed his victory to the support of his immediate family, friends and various nonprofit organizations he was involved in. He said, “By being heavily engaged in voluntarism at all events in the organizations that I belong to, It allowed me to connect to our diverse community on a service level which in turn bridged my reach to our own Fil-Am community.” Pe’s campaign team was composed of his wife Karmina,
(a school teacher at Paramount Unified School District), his only child and young daughter Natalia, mom Rosario, dad Sid, campaign managers Edgar Arranda, and Jose Solache of Lynwood, Lakewood Councilmember and new Mayor Steve Croft, business owner Joe Ung, Diane Dubois and retired Lakewood Mayor Joe Esquivel. “And all my friends,” he added. Pe, 51, was born in Culver City to parents Isidro Pe, an engineer and a native of Coron, Palawan, and mother Rosario, a nurse originally from Cubao, Quezon City who immigrated to California in 1968. The family moved to Lakewood in 1970. He is a proud product of the Lakewood community and local schools including St. Pancratius Elementary School, Lakewood, St. John Bosco HS Bellflower, Cypress College and Cerritos College and Cal State University Long Beach and graduated with B.S. Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing. He is a small business
owner of a screen printing shop, Labwerkz Print Shop, in Lakewood after a successful marketing career for global apparel and product companies, an educator and advisor for the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center Network. Prior to joining the City Council, Ariel also known as Ari, was involved with numerous community groups. He serves or has served on the board of directors of the Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Lakewood, Lakewood Family YMCA, Long Beach City College Foundation, St. Joseph High School Board of Governors, Knights of Columbus Council 15736, Bellflower Unified School District's Career Technical Education Board, Lakewood Meals On Wheels and Pathways Volunteer Hospice. Pe represents Lakewood on the Gateway Cities Council of Government Board and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
general assembly and several committees. The deputy mayor is also Lakewood’s representative to the League of California Cities (LA County Division), and alternate representative to the California Contract Cities Association, a member of the League’s Asian Pacific Islander caucus, and currently serves as a member of the Community Services Policy Committee. When asked if he was confident in winning a Lakewood council seat for the first time considering the challenges he went through, Pe responded with a flat NO. “I was not confident at all. I was campaigning for an at-large election for two open seats with seven candidates. The following are a few questions I posed to Vice Mayor Ariel Pe: DEN: What were your challenges in running for the City Council of Lakewood? AP: Asking for money for funding the campaign,
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Ariel Pe, the unheralded Lakewood... PAGE A6
understanding how political campaigns work and all the nuances that go along with it. Also not having a political machinery to work with. DEN: Did you have issues with name recognition as a candidate being a Filipino American? AP: Yes, because my last name is Pe (Chinese) and the Lakewood majority who vote are not from the minority community. DEN: What’s your advocacy or platform as a Lakewood councilman? AP: It’s public safety, making sure that the Lakewoodians go home to a safe neighborhood. Seniors, making sure we have wrap-around services and activities so they can enjoy the community they have built; Youth, making sure they have access to schools, sports and a city that supports them to be successful. They will be the future leaders of this community. DEN: What are the immediate needs of Lakewood and its residents that need to be addressed? AP: Public safety, with the issues going on with criminal activities. We have to make sure
Ariel Pe, vice mayor of Lakewood, CA
our residents are protected. DEN: What’s your longterm goal as a public servant? AP: To protect the community and city and make sure that the youth of Lakewood have the opportunity. As a parting shot, the historymaking Fil-Am public official said, “My passion is to give back to the community using what I’ve learned and use my network to build and grow. One
Community, One Family.” He also invoked the motto of Rotary International of which he is an active member: “Serve others, above self.” *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
*** denino1951@gmail.com
California will pay college students for... PAGE A5
advance prosperity. We believe that higher education is a pathway to that,” she said. But, she said, “we are seeing college enrollment rates, particularly in community colleges, go down significantly. In Fresno, we are seeing really significant dips in enrollment for people of color, particularly black men.” “So a program like College Corps removes the financial barriers that might be in place.” “We really have to come back to the humanity of who we are, and why we were put on this earth, quite frankly. It is not to be in service of ourselves, it’s to be in service of others, where we find the greatest version of ourselves.” And, she added, “we get the additional benefit of just creating better community service.” The benefits of community service extend beyond its clients. A ‘new sense of community’ Ia Moua, who arrived as a refugee from Vietnam when she was 9, now oversees the
California AmeriCorps program, the nation’s largest, in her work for California Volunteers. She described how her work for the Summer Bridge program, tutoring children while she was in college, changed her sense of personal identity, from a Hmong-speaking outsider living in a foreign land to a full-fledged “proud American.” “I gained a new sense of community,” she said. “My family escaped persecution from the Vietnam War and resettled in the United States as refugees. Our early days of survival depended on the support of public assistance and my very own personal and professional growth was shaped by the selfless act of teachers and mentors who guided me as I adapted and learned to navigate life in a new country.” “This incredible privilege gave us a second chance at life,” she said. Upon arriving from Kansas to study at San Jose State University, Fernando Martinez, 22, participated in a pilot program for College Corps, the
Civic Action Fellows Program. “I was looking for ways to be involved within my campus and my new community,” he said. “This provided me with both.” The financial assistance helped provide time and energy to focus on his classes, he said, and provide computer programming enrichment for underserved children. “It’s through this program that I learned firsthand how much local school communities are lacking in areas like technology, and access to those STEM-related careers,” he said, and the opportunity to help other kids growing up in similar situations to myself.” “For me, the most meaningful part of the fellowship is the genuine connections I’ve made with the children I mentor, to inspire to pursue STEM, and get excited for college. You can see their creativity spark up in different ways that they didn’t know they could.” “I cannot imagine not reapplying for the College Corps.” (Mark Hedin/Ethnic Media Services)
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US Navy ship to be named for Filipino sailor... Long COVID-19 symptoms often overlooked... PAGE A1 Naval Academy. Trinidad was born Nov. 25, 1890 in Aklan. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the United States took possession of the archipelago in the wake of the Spanish-American War. Community Initiative An initiative led by the USS Telesforo Trinidad Campaign (USTTC) has been working to make this dream of memorializing Trinidad’s selfless dedication to the Navy and the country a reality. The group is composed of serving and retired U.S. Armed Forces, community and civic leaders, academics, corporate executives, and veterans’ families. The USTTC was founded in 2020 by Col. Nonie C. Cabana, USAF-Ret, who serves as its Executive Director, and chaired by Captain Ronald Ravelo, USN (Ret), the first Filipino American to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. USTTC garnered massive support across the country led by veterans’ and civic organizations, local, state, and national legislators, and grassroots support from many individuals. “Filipinos and Filipino Americans have waited over 107 years to see this watershed moment happen. We realize that building grassroots and ground swelling support is the key to sustain momentum in convincing Honorable Secretary Del Toro to make this seminal decision as part of our Nation’s history,” Cabana said. Ravelo echoed Cabana’s sentiments and added, “Naming a ship after Trinidad sends a strong message that America embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. The old and new generations of Americans of Filipino descent who served and continue to serve our military would keep their heads raised high knowing their contributions are embodied through the USS Telesforo Trinidad.” Multiple organizations such as the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and the Philippine Nurses Association of America sent letters to President Joe Biden requesting support for the campaign. Some community leaders and family members including Telesforo’s grandchildren have expressed their elation about this news. “Our family is extremely grateful to everyone that worked
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced May 19, 2022, the naming of a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer as USS Telesforo Trinidad (DDG 139). Telesforo de la Cruz Trinidad, the ship’s namesake, is the only Filipino in the U.S. Navy to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in 1915 aboard USS San Diego (ACR 6), where he risked his own life to save two of his shipmates during a boiler explosion. U.S. Navy graphic by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class T. Logan Keown
so hard to make this happen! My dad couldn’t believe the news and was so extremely excited that what he wanted for so long is finally coming to light,” shared Michelle Trinidad Villarroel on social media. “The naming of the USS Telesforo Trinidad validates 121 years of loyal and faithful service by generations of Filipino American families in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Armed Forces and the seminal role that Filipino Americans hold in U.S. history,” Cecilia Gaerlan, executive director of Bataan Legacy Historical Society told the Asian Journal. “This announcement will inspire current and future generations to emulate the heroic deeds of Fireman Second Class Telesforo Trinidad not only during times of war but every day that they serve.” Bravery & Heroism On Jan. 21, 1915, Trinidad was serving aboard USS San Diego when the captain decided to conduct a four-hour full-speed and endurance trial to determine if the ship could still maintain its officially rated flank speed. Following the trial, an obstructed tube in one of the ship’s boilers gave way, creating a chain reaction. Trinidad reentered the closed space to the No. 2 boiler to save Fireman 2nd Class R. W. Daly. As he was carrying Daly through the No. 4 fireroom, an explosion of the No. 3 boiler hit Trinidad, which burned him in the face. After seeing Daly to safety and despite his injuries, Trinidad then assisted in rescuing another injured shipmate from the No. 3 fireroom. For his bravery, the U.S. Navy
PAGE A5 would tell people my symptoms and they’d say, ‘Oh, we’re like that too,’ as if this was about getting older,” she told me. “And I’m like, but this happened to me suddenly, almost overnight.” Bell, a singer-songwriter in Nashville, had a hard time getting adequate follow-up attention after spending two weeks in intensive care and an additional five weeks in a nursing home receiving rehabilitation therapy. “I wasn’t getting answers from my regular doctors about my breathing and other issues. They said take some over-the-counter medications for your sinus and things like that,” he said. Bell said his real recovery began after he was recommended to specialists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. James Jackson, director of longterm outcomes at Vanderbilt’s Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship Center, runs several long covid support groups that Morse and Bell attend and has worked with hundreds of similar patients. He estimates that about a third of those who are older have some degree of cognitive impairment. “We know there are significant differences between younger and older brains. Younger brains are more plastic and effective at reconstituting, and our younger patients seem able to regain their cognitive functioning more quickly,” he said. In extreme cases, covid infections can lead to dementia. That may be because older adults who are severely ill with covid are at high risk of developing delirium — an
acute and sudden change in mental status — which is associated with the subsequent development of dementia, said Dr. Liron Sinvani, a geriatrician and an assistant professor at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York. Older patients’ brains also may have been injured from oxygen deprivation or inflammation. Or disease processes that underlie dementia may already have been underway, and a covid infection may serve as a tipping point, hastening the emergence of symptoms. Research conducted by Sinvani and colleagues, published in March, found that 13% of covid patients who were 65 and older and hospitalized at Northwell Health in March 2020 or April 2020 had evidence of dementia a year later. Dr. Thomas Gut, associate chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, which opened one of the first long covid clinics in the U.S., observed that becoming ill with covid can push older adults with preexisting conditions such as heart failure or lung disease “over the edge” to a more severe impairment. In older adults especially, he said, “it’s hard to attribute what’s directly related to covid and what’s a progression of conditions they already have.” That wasn’t true for Richard Gard, 67, who lives just outside New Haven, Connecticut, a selfdescribed “very healthy and fit” sailor, scuba diver, and music teacher at Yale University who contracted covid in March 2020. He was the first covid patient treated at Yale New Haven Hospital, where
he was critically ill for 2½ weeks, including five days in intensive care and three days on a ventilator. In the two years since, Gard has spent more than two months in the hospital, usually for symptoms that resemble a heart attack. “If I tried to walk up the stairs or 10 feet, I would almost pass out with exhaustion, and the symptoms would start — extreme chest pain radiating up my arm into my neck, trouble breathing, sweating,” he said. Dr. Erica Spatz, director of the preventive cardiovascular health program at Yale, is one of Gard’s physicians. “The more severe the covid infection and the older you are, the more likely it is you’ll have a cardiovascular complication after,” she said. Complications include weakening of the heart muscle, blood clots, abnormal heart rhythms, vascular system damage, and high blood pressure. Gard’s life has changed in ways he never imagined. Unable to work, he takes 22 medications and can still walk only 10 minutes on level ground. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a frequent, unwanted companion. “A lot of times it’s been difficult to go on, but I tell myself I just have to get up and try one more time,” he told me. “Every day that I get a little bit better, I tell myself I’m adding another day or week to my life.” We’re eager to hear from readers about questions you’d like answered, problems you’ve been having with your care and advice you need in dealing with the health care system. Visit khn. org/columnists to submit your requests or tips. (Judith Graham/ Kaiser Health News)
awarded him the Medal of Honor and a $100 gratuity. Trinidad died in 1968 at the age of 77 in Imus, Cavite. He was among the more than 250,000 Filipino soldiers who served in World War II, including thousands who died during the brutal 1942 Bataan Death March in the Philippines. “I am pleased to honor Trinidad’s life and legacy today — especially during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month,” said Del Toro. “Having a ship named after such a significant figure highlights our diverse culture and that our people will always be our strategic advantage against any adversary. I hope the naming of this ship is a beacon for not only Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders but for all our Sailors, Marines, and civilians who serve across the Department of the Navy. The service and sacrifice of these men and women have made our military and our nation stronger and better.” According to the Navy announcement, Arleigh Burkeclass destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet providing protection to America around the globe. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface domains. These elements of sea power enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad. Tens of thousands of Filipinos ROAD WATCH. A Quezon City Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management personnel monitors the traffic situation at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Elliptical Road on Thursday, May 19. The traffic enforcer said he monitors the flow of traffic, road crashes, and and Americans of Filipino descent other road incidents in the area. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler have served in the U.S. Navy
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LIFESTYLE CONSUMER GUIDE COMMUNITY MARKETPLACE
Husband and wife are finally reunited in america after 32 years, on this success story on Citizen Pinoy BETH was petitioned as “single” by her U.S. citizen father in 1988. At her Embassy interview, visas were already available for “married” children. The consul advised her to marry Benjamin, her live-in partner, so she could add him to her petition and bring him and their children along with her. She followed the consul’s advice and married Benjamin. Unfortunately, the Embassy made a mistake and issued her visa as “single” (F-1), instead of married (F-3), preventing her husband from immigrating, and her naturalization application being denied. Beth retained leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel who was able to finally bring Benjamin to the U.S.
Atty. Gurfinkel even met with the consuls at the Embassy, who agreed they issued Beth’s visa in the wrong category but could no longer withdraw it since the visa was already issued. They did agree, however, to issue a visa to her child. Benjamin was eventually able to get a green card through their U.S. citizen child’s petition. Watch this success story of a family reunion that was 32 years in the making on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, May 22 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET) through select Cable/ Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)
Veteran actress Susan Roces passes away, tributes flood social media By Christina
alpad ManilaTimes.net
Susan Roces
ABS-CBN photo
THE Queen of Philippine Movies Susan Roces has passed away, her family confirmed. She was 80 years old. “With great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Jesusa Sonora Poe, whom many of you know as Susan Roces. She passed away peacefully on a Friday evening, May 20, 2022, surrounded by love and warmth, with her daughter Grace, her nephews Joseph and Jeffrey and many of her family and close friends. She lived life fully and gracefully,” a statement from the office of Roces’ daughter, Senator Grace PoeLlamanzares, read. “Remember her in her beauty, warmth and kindness. She is now with the Lord and her PAGE B3
FAMILY REUNION THAT WAS 32 YEARS IN THE MAKING, ON A BRAND-NEW SUCCESS STORY OF CITIZEN PINOY THIS SUNDAY! Beth (center) was petitioned as single by her U.S. citizen father in 1988. When she came in for her interview at the Embassy, the consul advised her to marry Benjamin (left), her live-in partner, so she could bring him and their children along, as visas were already available for married children. However, the Embassy erroneously issued her visa as “single,” preventing her husband from immigrating, and her naturalization application being denied. Beth hired leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right), who requested that Benjamin and their 10-year-old child be processed as following-to-join. The Embassy advised that Benjamin could not be issued a visa because Beth’s visa was issued as F1 (single), but they were able to process her child’s visa as a derivative. Atty. Gurfinkel worked tirelessly to bring Benjamin to the U.S. to reunite this family. Watch this success story on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, May 22 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.
KC finishes filming Hollywood movie ‘Asian Persuasion’ By Jan
Milo severo
Philstar.com
ACTRESS KC Concepcion announced that she’s done shooting her Hollywood film “Asian Persuasion.” In her Instagram account, KC posted a photo of her in New York inviting her fans to watch her comeback movie after a long showbiz hiatus. “After 2 months of living and working in NYC, we
finally wrapped our film @ asianpersuasionfilm!!!” KC wrote as a caption. “Excited for you guys to see it! Visited @hillsongnyc for the first time to thank God for everythinggg,” she added. KC will join other Asian celebrities in the cast, such as Filipino-American Hollywood actor Dante Basco. Other cast members include Kevin Kreider, Paolo Montalban, Scarlett Sher, Actress KC Concepcion PAGE B2 Photo from Instagram/@kristinaconcepcion
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Company or personal liability? Five benefits of establishing WHEN a person wants to get into business, he or she can do business as an individual, or set up a different legal entity separate from him or herself to do the business. The separate legal entity does and operates the business, borrows money, executes contracts and does whatever is required of the business without involving the individual person who decided to set up the separate legal entity. The separate legal entity is treated as the owner of the business and files its own tax returns. Yes, we are talking about corporations. There are different kinds of corporations that can be set up. There are “C” corporations, “S” corporations and limited liability companies aka “LLC.” All corporations assume their own liabilities, which are separate from the individual person. This is the general rule unless the corporate veil can be pierced to reach the individual. How does this play out in real life? Let’s discuss an actual client example. The client wanted to get into the restaurant business. To do so, he incorporated an “S” corporation, which only has one stockholder, himself. The corporation was established in 2019, a year before the start of the pandemic, that has already killed a million Americans. Hopefully, most of the deceased have found their way to paradise, to spend eternity with our God. We rely on the infinite mercy that pours out of the sacred heart of Jesus Christ, to lead the souls of those who have departed to heaven, for the sake of His sorrowful passion.
Debt Relief
Atty. lAwRence yAng Thank you, Jesus, for your most sorrowful passion that has opened the gates of heaven to us sinners who seek your forgiveness! Let’s call the corporation of the client hypothetically, Z restaurant. The client, as president of Z restaurant, signed a five-year commercial lease at $10,000 a month. This translates to $600,000 for five years of rent. For the entire year of 2019, Z restaurant was able to pay the landlord $120,000 of rent pursuant to the lease agreement. However, in 2020, Z restaurant was able to pay only two months or $20,000. Then, Z restaurant obtained a PPP loan of $100,000 so it could continue operating at a loss, hoping against hope, that the pandemic would just go away after a couple of months. Z restaurant stopped operating in January 2021. The restaurant owes four years of unpaid rent, which is roughly $500,000. It also owes $100,000 of the PPP loan. So Z restaurant owes a total of $600,000. Who is liable for this $600,000 of debt? Is it Z restaurant by itself, or is the client also personally liable for the $600,000 since he is the only stockholder of Z restaurant? To make matters worse, on the day before the restaurant closed for good, a customer slipped and fell in the
restaurant from a spilled drink on the floor. The customer incurred $200,000 of medical expenses and is now suing the client for $500,000, including pain and suffering and loss of income. The customer was a surgeon making $1 million a year and was unable to work for half a year. Z Corporation had no liability insurance. Is the client, as an individual, liable to the surgeon for $1 million? Fortunately for the client, a corporation is treated as a separate legal entity from the individual stockholder. Hence, as a general rule, only Z corporation is liable for the $500,000 unpaid lease, for the $100,000 PPP loan, and the $1 million damages that the surgeon is asking for. The client, as an individual, has no personal liability for any of these liabilities incurred by Z Corporation. Then, Z Corporation should just file for Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy where the $1.6 million of claims against Z Corporation will be filed. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advise for anyone. There is absolutely no attorney client relationship established by reading this article. *** 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 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)
Is filing bankruptcy your best solution? Here’s how to know AS a bankruptcy attorney, I am often asked: “How will filing bankruptcy change my life?” I think people ask this question because of the negative things that they may have heard about bankruptcy from their friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. They think that a bankruptcy means that they will be forever looked upon as outcasts in our economy. So instead of focusing on the benefits and advantages of getting out of debt, they tend to focus more on the possible downside. Of course, the decision to file bankruptcy is never to be taken lightly, but if appropriate for your situation, it may be the very solution that you need to put the past behind you and move on to bigger and better things in your life. Again, while bankruptcy is not for everyone, millions of people who have no way of ever getting out of debt have found it to be the BEST thing that they ever did to start over. It has proven to be lifeline for people who have found themselves in a financial situation from which they could no longer extricate themselves. Yes, debt can be a huge trap for many, and when you don’t have sufficient resources to pay your debts every month while maintaining a fair standard of living, you often have no choice but to continue borrowing just to survive. This can become a
Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon vicious cycle where you find yourself getting buried deeper in a financial hole that keeps getting bigger and bigger. Bankruptcy could be the tool that you need to prevent yourself from being buried in a mountain of debt. If you can pay your bills, YOU SHOULD. But if you have done your absolute best but have reached that point where nothing short of filing bankruptcy can help, bankruptcy could be a big turning point in your life. Bankruptcy gives you the opportunity to erase the past, learn from whatever mistakes you have made, and start over. Where would most of us be today without being given a second chance? That’s exactly what bankruptcy provides- another chance to rebuild your finances, your credit, and your life. There are a lot of positive changes that can come out of filing bankruptcy. First is peace of mind. How about a good night’s sleep for a change? If you have creditors who are constantly harassing and calling
a revocable living trust
Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth uRsuA Reyes THERE is never the perfect time to think about who you would like to inherit from your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan. One of the best vehicle in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are: 1. Your estate can avoid the time, cost, and hassle of going through the probate court process. If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your estate. Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate succession. Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $166,250 and go through the probate process. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distribution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, probate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc. If people contest the case, your estate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litigation. The entire process can take anywhere from 9 months to years depending on the contentiousness of the probate case. With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without having to open a probate court
case. If the trust is funded with all your assets, it is possible to administer and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate. 2. Your estate is not public record When you file a probate case, the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those assets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny. Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away. 3. You can dictate who will inherit from your estate. If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California probate code. Certain relatives will be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving. By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to inherit from your estate. You can designate what and how much each one will received from your estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each beneficiaries does not have to be equal. The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust does not even have to be close family members. You can designate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate. 4. You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes If your estate is valued above the estate tax exemption, establishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate. It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving which carries tax advantage and asset protection. 5. You can choose who will
administer your estate after your death When you establish a revocable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trustee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administering (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity in operating the trust and the efficient and cost effective distribution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family members as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a professional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions, wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee. This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperienced family members. *** 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, APLC. 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, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.
you, the instant relief that bankruptcy brings allows you to breathe, think, and feel like a human being again. If creditors are threatening to take what little you have, bankruptcy can also protect everything that you’ve worked so hard for, and you can sleep better at night knowing that creditors are not going to be able to carry out their threats. Once you’re relieved from the burden of debt, your future can be exciting again. Regaining (Advertising Supplement) control of your finances is only a first step. Once you are debt-free, perhaps now you can plan for your retirement, your children’s education, or start saving again. You can stop living your life aimlessly without a financial plan. Life after bankruptcy depends on what you do after the law has given you that second chance you badly needed to recover and rebuild your life. *** NOTE: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, I am offering free consultations BY PHONE to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, Filipino Women’s Health Campaign at Eagle Rock Plaza spearheaded by Pedro Ramirez, Director of Outreach and Community Engagement, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE CCHC (right) and his team Samantha Chavez and Juana Gasca, Community Health Workers, CCHC together with Reener Balingit, Community Outreach Coordinator, Cedars-Sinai Cancer (2nd from right) 1-866-477-7772.
Mabuhay ang mga Why Jonathan Manalo considers Pilipina: 2022 Women’s ‘Pinoy Ako’ his biggest hit Health /AAPI Heritage Month By Alex
BrosAs Inquirer.net
SONGWRITER Jonathan Manalo considers his “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB) theme song “Pinoy Ako” as his biggest hit, since the song has become some sort of an anthem for many, he admits. “Kahit hindi sa PBB, nagagamit na siya sa [Southeast Asian] Games, every time na may Pinoy pride. Saka kinakanta ng lahat ng ages, kahit ng foreigners, aware sila sa song,” Manalo said during his solo live face-to-face press conference last Monday, May 16, for his concert in October, to mark his 20th anniversary in the songwriting business. (Even outside PBB, it’s being used in the SEA Games, every time Pinoy pride [is on a high]. Also, it is being sung by people of all ages, even foreigners, they are aware of the song.) Manalo recalled that the reality TV show was not yet being launched when director Lauren Dyogi talked to him about writing a theme song for the show. “May theme na kasi ang Big Brother na international franchise, kaya lang hindi siya masyadong akma para sa atin. Sabi ni direk Lauren, mag-localize tayo. Kailangang makuha natin ‘yung flavor ng Pinoy,” he said. (There’s already a theme for Big Brother, the international franchise, but it’s not fit for us. Direk Lauren said, let’s localize. We need to capture the Filipino flavor.) Manalo believes that “Pinoy Big Brother” is different from the international version. “Mas naka-focus sa values ng mga Filipino, mas family-oriented, mas nationalistic, mas may pagmamahal sa bayan, sa pamilya. Doon na nabuo ang lyrics, kung paano tayo magkakaiba pero nagkakaisa,” he explained. (We are more focused on Filipino values., more family-oriented, more nationalistic, there is more love for country, for the family. That is from where the lyrics were formed, how we can all be different
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LOS ANGELES – California Health Collaborative Every Woman Counts Los Angeles has joined forces with Comprehensive Community Health Centers (CCHC) and Cedars Sinai Cancer to celebrate Women’s Health and Asian-American/ Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. We have developed a month-long campaign called “Mabuhay Ang Mga Pilipina 2022” that aims to increase cancer screening rates among the Filipino community. The coronavirus pandemic has caused disruptions in already low cancer screening rates nationwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program saw sharp declines of up to 87% in breast and 84% in cervical cancer screenings during April 2020. As screening rates decrease, several cancer incidence trends are on the rise in the Los Angeles Filipino community. The Jonathan Manalo Photo from Instagram/@jonathanmanalo rate of Filipinas receiving a mammogram within the past 2 years is well below the national goal in the but united.) U.S. Additionally, Filipino women often experience When asked what song best represents him, breast cancers that grow more quickly and spread Manalo’s answer was quick: “Tara Tena.” He more aggressively. Research also indicates Filipino sees the song as something that encapsulates his women have the highest incidence rate of cervical passion for his craft and his concerns for various cancer compared to Whites and other Asian things, such as the country. “Mahal ko ang bayan natin (I love our country). ‘Yung ‘Tara Tena’ is speaking about that, kung paano magiging involved ang kabataan sa pagbabagong kailangan natin (how the youth PAGE B1 can be involved in the changes that we need to accomplish),” he explained. Celia Au, Geneva Carr and Jax Bacani. “Hangang ngayon, hindi nagbabago ang heart In “Asian Persuasion,” Concepcion plays the ko. Kung ano ang sinasabi ng kantang iyon, iyon lead female character of Avery, who’s the ex-wife pa rin ako,” he said. (Until now, my heart has not of Mickey, a chef played by Filipino-American changed. What the song says, that is still who I am.) actor Dante Basco. Known as Mr. Music, Manalo will come out The story centers how Mickey tries to re-pursue with an all-star 20th anniversary double album, his ex-wife, just to evade alimony payments by a musical called “Lyric & Beat,” and a special scheming with his best friend Caspian, who’s collaboration project with missionary visual artist played by Kevin Kreider. Kristine Lim, a first-of-its-kind music and arts KC’s role was originally intended for Toni fusion project. g Gonzaga, who was unable to take on the project
American subgroups. Breast and cervical cancer screening rates are as low as 33% and 26% in the community, respectively. The goal of Mabuhay Ang Mga Pilipina 2022 is to educate the Filipino community in Los Angeles on the importance of early detection and encourage them to get screened. The community is encouraged to support this campaign by participating in any of the following activities: 1) share our social media messaging throughout the month (@ewclosangeles), 2) schedule a tailored health workshop for your community group, and 3) attend our virtual campaign closing workshop, open to the public entitled Women’s Health Workshop on Wednesday, May 25th at 6:00 p.m. Zoom Meeting ID: 898 0129 7433 Passcode: 108240 Every Woman Counts provides FREE breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to eligible individuals in California. To qualify, individuals must not have health insurance (or have limited coverage), and have a household income at or below 200% of the FPL. For more information, contact (310) 775-1276 or email jmetz@healthcollaborative.org g
KC finishes filming Hollywood... due to schedule conflicts. Other Filipino personalities included in the film are Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap, Yam Concepcion, Rachel Alejandro, Rex Navarrete, and Tony Labrusca. The project is the directorial debut of Tony Award-winning producer Jhett Tolentino, with screenplay written by Mike Ang. Meanwhile, the screenplay is written by New York-based Mike Ang, who owns Brooklyn-based agency Planet X, which is also the executive production partner on the film. g
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Rachel Alejandro Headlines City of Carson’s 124th Annual Philippine Independence Day Celebration AN all-day festival in Carson featuring non-stop cultural and patriotic performances and various entertainments for the entire family will mark the 124th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day. The event will take place on Saturday, June 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Veterans Park, located at 22400 Moneta Avenue in Carson. The celebration is open to the public and admission is free. Non-stop entertainment will begin at 10 a.m. featuring big names in Filipino pop music, homegrown talents and various cultural performers. Food and display booths are also lined up for the day’s activities. Topping the list of this year’s guests is multi-award singer and actress, Rachel Alejandro. Rachel had several hit songs that include Mr. Kupido, Paalam Na, Bulag Sa Katotohanan, and Nakapagtataka to name a few. Rachel has also enjoyed success as an actress, appearing in films and theater productions. In 2018, she starred in the Philippine-Australian jukebox musical “All Out of Love: The Musical,” which is based on the songs of Air Supply. Rachel subsequently portrayed Aurora Quezon in the 2019 film “Quezon’s Game” which garnered her several best actress awards. She currently stars in her first teleserye called “The
Rachel Alejandro
Broken Marriage Vow.” A parade of reigning beauty queens representing various regions from the Philippines will cap the celebration. In the City of Carson, which is home to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, the celebration of Philippine Independence Day is a yearly festival that draws thousands of Filipinos and nonFilipinos of all ages from all over Southern California. It is a commemoration of the birth of the Philippine republic after over 400 years of Spanish rule. This is the premiere Filipino event in the United States. “Philippine Independence Day has been celebrated in the City
of Carson since 1986, making it the largest and longest running Filipino event in a city that has about 20% of our roughly 100,000 population being of Filipino descent. We’re excited that after 2 years of having to celebrate virtually due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, we’re once again able to have some sense of normalcy and celebrate together as a CommUNITY,” said President of the Philippine Independence Day Foundation, Fred Docdocil. “On behalf of the citizens of the great City of Carson, I extend my sincerest appreciation to the Philippine Independence Day Foundation for their exceptional dedication in ensuring a successful event each year to celebrate this important historical occasion. It is truly a delight to see the diversity of Carson celebrated through cultural events such as this. Thank you for giving the community the opportunity to see and experience the richness of Philippine history and culture, and for making a wonderful contribution to the ethnic diversity that makes Carson great,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. The annual celebration is a joint undertaking of the City of Carson and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation. For more information about the event, please contact Veterans Park at (310) 830-9991. g
Veteran actress Susan Roces passes...
PAGE B1 beloved Ronnie — FPJ. We will miss her sorely but we celebrate a life well lived. Susan Roces — daughter, mother, grandmother, a true Filipina and a national treasure.” Jesusa Purificacion Levy Sonora-Poe in real life, Roces made her acting debut in the 1952 film “Mga Bituin ng Kinabukasan.” She was married to the “King of Philippine movies,” Fernando Poe Jr. from 1968 until his death in 2004. Roces was last seen portraying Lola Flora in the long-running TV series, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.” Condolences and tributes from personalities in show business and politics flooded Twitter. “Susan Roces,” “Rest in Peace,” and “Lola Flora” — the character Roces last portrayed in the long-running TV series, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” — quickly reached the top trending topic list of
the social media app. “My sincerest condolences to Sen Grace and the family and loved ones of Ma’am Susan Roces... Rest in peace po Ninang Susan... you will be missed...” Senator-elect Francis “Chiz” Escudero shared via his Twitter account, @SayChiz. “Rest In Peace Ninang Susan Roces,” Senatorelect Jose Victor Ejercito also tweeted. “Nakakalungkot naman. Isang napakabuting tao ang nagpaalam. Hinding hindi ko makakalimutan ang kabaitan mo sa amin mga nakatrabaho mo. RIP Susan Roces,” actress Alex Gonzaga tweeted via @Mscathygonzaga. “Sincerest condolences to the Poe family Rest in peace, Ms. Susan Roces,” shared TV host Bianca Gonzales via @iamsuperbianca. Host, comedian and talent manager Ogie Diaz, who was among the first to share the sad news, simply wrote, “Rest in peace, Tita Susan Roces.”g
Starfleet Innotech leadership mobilizes across North America with strategic meetings in US, Canada STARFLEET Innotech, Inc. (OTC Pink: SFIO) (“SFIO” or “The Company”) capped off the first leg of its United States roadshow with a successful showing at the Planet MicroCap conference in Las Vegas, Nevada and strategic meetings with Silicon Valley partners in Palo Alto, California. Towards the end of the month, executives from the global conglomerate will be congregating in New York to cement the agreements necessary to establish a more concrete presence in the U.S. “While we already have a presence in the United States through our office, key personnel, and strategic partners, our showcase in Las Vegas formally kicks off the next phase of our growth as a conglomerate,” said Santiago Arnaiz, General Manager of Communications at SFIO. “We recognize the crucial role that North America plays as fertile grounds to stage our global expansion. There are incredibly exciting projects being launched across the SFIO ecosystem – in the Philippines, Dubai, Malaysia, and beyond – all vital parts of our growth journey. Our job here in the U.S. is to find partners interested in joining us on that journey. The reception so far has been promising.” As a global investment holding company, SFIO is focused on innovation through disruptive collaborations across its three key industries: Food and Beverage (F&B), Real Estate, and Technology. This translates to making strategic investments in high-growth businesses and building synergies across its diverse portfolio in order to provide maximum shareholder value. SFIO currently maintains offices across New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, and the United States. Over the next few months, the SFIO team will be mobilizing across North America, building on its momentum in Las Vegas and San Francisco towards establishing a more concrete presence in the region. Recently, both Arnaiz and Chief Investor Officer Richard De Lima presented SFIO at the Planet MicroCap showcase to an audience of investors, fund managers, and family offices. In Toronto, CEO Jeths Lacson mobilized a signed partnership with the company’s Canadian distributor for Gorgeous Coffee and Epiphany Manuka Honey products. Under this agreement, the company’s F&B products will be made available for purchase online through Amazon, and eventually through major retail outlets across North America.
Meanwhile, Chief Technology Officer Richard Prodigalidad met with technology partners in San Francisco and Palo Alto, including biotech wearable developer NeuroSky. Wearables developed by NeuroSky are set to be integrated into SFIO’s real estate projects under the Moraya brand of wellness-oriented, tech-enabled townships. Deployed through Project Fort, a community health dashboard service and subsidiary of SFIO, these wearables will gather the data necessary to pioneer entirely new approaches to proactive community care. In addition to ecosystem partners, Prodigalidad secured commitments to connect the increasing demand for tech talent across Silicon Valley with highly-skilled developers and designers based in the Philippines – positioning SFIO as the central hub in a global innovation ecosystem. More details on this new initiative will be shared in the months to come. “The work continues in connecting with investors and other growth enablers to take SFIO to the next level. We have a full lineup of meetings over the next few weeks, ranging from exploratory chats, follow-up sessions stemming from our recent participation at Planet MicroCap, and deep-dives into partnership agreements,” said Arnaiz. “It was exciting to get to sit down with our partners in Silicon Valley to kick off our co-creation efforts in technology. I’m looking forward to doing the same in New York, representing our businesses like Epiphany Cafe with potential F&B partners.” Among these potential partners are major distributors, retail stores, manufacturers, and cafe franchises – with whom SFIO hopes to bring its F&B businesses like Epiphany Cafe and Gorgeous Coffee into the country. To support these growth efforts, the company will be engaging with a U.S.-focused IR firm to bolster its traction in this crucial market. “Our goal at SFIO is to bridge promising businesses from emerging economies with crucial growth enablers, many of which are based in the United States,” said Arnaiz. “Over the last year or so, we’ve been hard at work championing those promising businesses. Now we’re shifting our focus to the U.S., to build the other side of that global infrastructure. While here, we’ll be looking to accomplish three things: strike strategic partnerships with institutional players, increase visibility on our global businesses, and gather the resources we need to get Starfleet soaring.” (Advertising Supplement)
B4 MAY 21-24, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
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Arjo to continue Iñigo Pascual recalls audition for showbiz career after musical drama with Susan Sarandon winning elections By Dana
Cruz Inquirer.net
By Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
KAPAMILYA actor Arjo Atayde has no plans of leaving showbiz after winning the elections as the Quezon Cuty 1st district congressman. In a report by Push, Arjo said he just finished shooting “Cattleya Killer” after the campaign period. “Actually, kakatapos ko lang rin po mag shoot for ‘Cattleya Killer’ right before the campaign, but I won’t be stopping showbiz,” Arjo said. Arjo said he will prioritize his political career but will not go away from the limelight of showbiz. “Iyan ang aking hanapbuhay. So, I can’t stop that. Of course, I have to prioritize specially this one (public service) but of course hindi na mawawala sa akin ang pagaartista,” he said. “Kasi that’s one thing [that] I love to do the most and at the
EMPLOYMENT
Arjo Atayde Philstar.com photo
same time, make a living. Andon ang hanapbuhay ko,” he added. When asked why he slimmed down, Arjo said he needed it for the role in “Cattleya Killer.” “To be honest sa campaign sa sobrang daming schedule, parang intermittent fasting. [Unconsciously] nagkakaroon kami ng late lunch, late dinner. Kailangan rin ako magpa-payat for ‘Cattleya’ so sakto sinadya ko na rin talaga siya for the role para mag-iba ang itsura ko. Kasi for me it’s required for the role also,” he said. g
IÑIGO Pascual looked back at his audition for the Hollywood musical drama “Monarch,” in which he now stars with the Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon. The actor-singer, who plays the 18-year-old Ace Grayson in the series, admitted he initially did not want to audition for “Monarch.” He said this in his conversation with celebrity doctor Vicki Belo, for the latter’s YouTube vlog on Thursday, May 19. “It came out of nowhere. I Inigo Pascual and Susan Sarandon wasn’t planning on auditioning at then I was in the top four after all. I was like, ‘I’m not gonna do it the audition. Then we did the because I’m not gonna get it,’” he callbacks. After two days, sabi narrated. nila (they said) ‘In a month’s time, Pascual was eventually you’re gonna have to move to convinced by his team to try for Atlanta,’” he recounted. the role. They assured him that Pascual also expressed if he did not get the role, he excitement for his first “American would still have his career in the project,” especially since his Philippines. character is a Filipino. “I did it (audition), I was two “In a way, I’m kind of weeks late for the audition and representing the Philippines. I’m
playing a Filipino character. It just feels good to be able to do that, to be able to represent the Philippines and to be able to share my music through this project as well,” he said. When Belo pointed out that Pascual stars in the series with Sarandon and described her as “wonderful,” the actor agreed with a laugh. “She’s amazing,” he told Belo.
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT
Photo from Instagram/@inigopascual
SERVICES
“Monarch” follows the story of a “country music dynasty” in Texas, the Romans, headed by Dottie (Sarandon) and her husband Albie (Trace Adkins). Pascual’s character Ace is the adopted son of Nicky (Anna Friel) and grandson of Dottie and Albie. The series is produced by Fox Entertainment. It will premiere in late 2022, as per a release by the network. g
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On finding peace in this troubled world Pastor’s Notes reverend rodel G. BAlAGtAS YOU’VE often heard me say that we’re living in the most challenging time in this generation. I say it because we keep facing a world of conflicts, division, war, corruption, extremism, and disinformation. Our minds and hearts are troubled as we learn more about mass shootings, racial hatred radicalized on the internet, misinformation and lies in politics and government, evil revisions of historical facts, and moral wars on life and gender issues. We’re afraid about the economy, the future and safety of our children, the harmful effects and influence of social media on our minds and society, and another COVID-19 virus variant.
All these concerns have affected our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. How do we stay healthy, how do we keep the peace, and how can we be brave? Who and what should we believe? How can we raise and educate our children wisely? We long for peace, guidance, wisdom, and truth. Anne Osdieck’s prayers in Center for Liturgy express these deep desires: “Come, O Holy Spirit, lead us to your home, the one within us. Discern for each of us, as you did for each of the apostles, untold truths. Be the fire that never dies, the wind that lifts us—raising us high, on wings that set us free. O Holy Spirit, teacher of all good, remind us of what Jesus said and did, and who he is. Let our hearts be untroubled and fearless as we take your compassion everywhere it’s needed in our world today. O Christ, you are the temple. God’s glory lights your altar. Make us merely candles, please; let us glow in this world, right here, right now in the dimness
of our day.” Often, it is when we enter deeply into this kind of prayer when we ask God to grant us his Spirit that we can find peace, wisdom, hope, and wisdom. As Jesus told us in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 14:23-29), “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” The world will not give us all the solutions to our troubles. But a mind and heart tuned to God’s Spirit and the Way of Christ would grant us peace, guidance, and courage. Let us not despair but live in hope and love of the Father and the Son and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
Bela fangirls over Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly at ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ London premiere BELA Padilla could not help but have a fangirl moment over “Top Gun: Maverick” stars Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connelly as she got to attend the film’s premiere in London. The Filipino actress-director, who has been staying in London since last year, expressed excitement over coming to the premiere via her Instagram page on Friday, May 20. She showed herself posing at the red carpet while Connelly walks behind her. “It’s not everyday you’re photobombed [by] the beautiful [Jennifer Connelly] on the red carpet so I’m gonna leave this here… we had a moment shortly after and I got lost in her blue eyes as she said hi to me,” she said. Padilla also caught a glimpse—albeit through a screen—of Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, as seen on her Instagram Stories. “Prince William, [Duchess] Kate, Tom Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer. All here for the [‘Top Gun: Maverick’] London premiere,” she told fans. Padilla revealed in November last year that she had moved to London, though she stressed that she is not quitting show business and has upcoming projects in the Philippines. (By Dana Cruz/Inquirer. Bela Padilla net)
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Baby-bonding time: CA family leave rights for both parents Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. Q: MY spouse and I are expecting a baby and we are trying to figure out how much family leave we are entitled to so we can each spend quality time with our new baby. My spouse works at a small office and I work at a medium sized company in Los Angeles. What are our rights? A: Under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employers with five or more workers are required to offer 12 weeks of unpaid protected leave during any 12-month period to bond with their new child, or to care for themselves, their child, parent, spouse, or domestic partner, and their grandparent, grandchild, and sibling. No matter how small the company is, if it employs at least 5 persons, an employer may not refuse to grant the request for leave. To qualify for leave, employees must have had at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the previous 12-month period. (Under the federal Family Medical Leave Act [FMLA], an employer may refuse to grant leave to a salaried employee who is among the highest paid 10% of the employer’s employees; or, if they were granted leave, the employer may refuse to reinstate them to their previous position.) The employer may require (or the employee can decide) to use paid leave, such as vacation or Paid Time Off, if the employee is not receiving other
forms of leave payments. Paid sick leave must be used only for the employee’s serious health condition, or where the employer and employee agree to its use. For pregnant employees, an employer is required to allow those disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition to take a leave of absence for a reasonable time of up to 4 months before returning to work. The employer is required to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes such a leave.
Under protected leave, the employer must return the employee to their previous position once they come back from leave. If an employee is denied the leave, fired, or otherwise treated worse because they requested or took protected leave, they should consult with an experienced employment attorney to protect their rights. Denying lawful leave to an employee may be considered discrimination or retaliation, which may entitle the employee to recover the following remedies: back pay, hiring, promotion, reinstatement, front pay, compensatory damages, including emotional pain and suffering, and in more serious violations, punitive damages. Aggrieved employees may also recover attorneys’ fees, expert witness fees, and court costs. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at nocost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw. com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully re cove re d w a g e s a n d o t h e r 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 a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.] (Advertising Supplement)
Under protected leave, the employer must return the employee to their previous position once they come back from leave. If an employee is denied the leave, fired, or otherwise treated worse because they requested or took protected leave, they should consult with an experienced employment attorney to protect their rights. CFRA requires that an employer who employs both parents of a child must grant unpaid protected leave to each employee. This means that if both parents work for the same employer, the employer must provide 12 weeks of leave to each of the parents. The employer may, but is not required to, grant simultaneous leave to both of these employees.
B6 MAY 21-24, 2022 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
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Formula One racing to come to Las Vegas in 2023 By realTor
FelY QuiTeviS-BaTeMan
MANY Americans and people around the world love car racing. Whether it’s in a racetrack or out in the elements, the thrill of cars and their drivers jockeying for position to outsmart each other and win the race is an attraction that many find enjoyable. Las Vegas even has its own event in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the South Point 400, which takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October (a new weekend for this race) in 2022. Now comes news that another type of race will come to Sin City. An announcement recently covered
by major news outlets revealed that Formula One, or F1, is coming back to Las Vegas in 2023. The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be one of three F1 events hosted in the United States, the other two being in the cities of Miami (Florida) and Austin (Texas). There has not been an F1 race in the gambling and entertainment capital of the world since the days of the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in the early 1980s. According to the F1 site, the race will take place at night on a Saturday sometime in November 2023, and “for the first time F1 cars will race on the iconic Las Vegas Strip, with the circuit sweeping past famous hotels and casinos.”
It also said that “the 14-turn track will run for 3.8 miles with top speeds expected to hit around 212mph” (miles per hour). Of course, this is a perfect marriage – F1 and Las Vegas. To have worldclass drivers race at night on what is expected to become an iconic racetrack in Formula One racing is a vision that many racing spectators would like to see. With the neon lights and landmarks provided by the major hotelcasinos as backdrop, the designed racetrack features “three straights, a high-speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section, with the Grand Prix to be run over 50 laps.” Already, many F1 drivers are excited at the prospect of racing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, calling the event amazing, unbelievable, exciting and lots of fun. In a video at the F1 site, even-time champion Lewis Hamilton said, “That’s going to be a pretty hardcore event,” while AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly remarked, “That’s going to be insane.” Many of the drivers said that they probably will see each other inside the casinos as well. F1 coming back to Las Vegas is certainly another feather in the cap of Las Vegas. The hard work of organizers, officials and organizations connected to the event means that this event will be done correctly, both for drivers and their teams, and the fans. It will certainly attract racing fans from all over the world to Sin City, and bolster its reputation as an entertainment mecca. With countless shows, excellent dining, and, of course, a myriad of gambling choices, many of those who are coming to witness F1 racing at its best will not be wanting for activities. As Las Vegas begins to attract many more events and opportunities to its fold, this bodes well for the city as it will raise employment and economic opportunities in the area. Las Vegas already is one of the largest cities in the west, even in the U.S., in terms of
Attending meetings at the Las Vegas Realtors Board has enabled Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman to be well-informed about real estate trends in Clark County and in the State of Nevada.
population, and the need for housing has seen real estate developers look to areas outside of Las Vegas to build master-planned communities that will address the expected need for housing. With Clark County expected to add about 1 million people by 2060, companies are looking at ways to add to the current crop of housing opportunities for current residents and for those looking to make their start in the area. It won’t be long before other established entities make their way to Las Vegas, like the National Basketball Association (NBA), which reports and podcasts have alluded to in the past. A group recently announced that they secured 25 acres of land near the Strip to build what they see as a new sports and entertainment district that will feature an NBA-ready 20,000-seat arena. And with activity in Las Vegas, comes many opportunities for neighboring areas. The potential added development in areas like Pahrump, Mesquite, Henderson, Indian Springs and North Las Vegas that will come as an offshoot of rapid development in Sin
Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (left) gets market updates from Phil Klevorick (right), Economic Development Liaison of Clark County.
City is one good fortune that should not be overlooked. This is a great time to look for real estate opportunities in Las Vegas and neighboring communities, while the prices are affordable and the market is rife with choices. My decades of experience living and working in these communities – and selling real estate – can help you, my kababayans, secure the right type of land/property investment, whether it’s as a new home, a rental (maybe for Airbnb), a second home, or purely an investment opportunity. My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has been serving its clientele since 1992. You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for Photo above shows the projected race route for the Las Vegas Grand Prix that is scheduled to take cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including loans for small place on a Saturday in November 2023, which sweeps past famous hotels and casinos in the area. days. (Advertising Supplement) businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948 or send email to fely@precious-properties. Internet photo/www.formula1.com
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