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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Volume 19 - No. 20 • 14 Pages
T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M M U N I T Y N E WS PA P E R
Volume 18 - No. 17 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
MAY 2 2 - 2 8 , 2 0 2 0
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Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
Newsom eases public health criteria allowing DATELINE USA Undocumented counties to reopen within ‘weeks, not months’ immigrants in CA can FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
now apply for relief
UNDOCUMENTED immigrants in California this week can start applying for up to $1,000 per household in disaster relief under the state’s coronavirus emergency assistance plan. Governor Gavin Newsom last month announced the Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants, a $125-million coronavirus disaster relief fund that would provide a onetime disbursement for undocumented adults who are unable to obtain other forms of government assistance, such as those afforded under the CARES Act or state unemployment benefits. u PAGE 2
The dramatic change in the governor’s COVID-19 approach signals wider reopens by the first week of June by KLARIZE
MEDENILLA AJPress
AS cities and counties in California grow more anxious to reopen local economies, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a drastic relaxation of public health criteria to reopen the state in a move that could allow most counties to reopen in a matter of weeks.
In a daily briefing on Monday, May 18, the governor stressed the graduality of the state’s reopening but significantly departed from his ironclad approach to “flattening the curve” and only reopening a county if there are no new deaths and no more than 10 cases per 100,000 residents within a two-week period. Under Newsom’s new guidelines, counties are now required to have at most 25 cases per 100,000
Over 2,450 Filipinos globally test positive for COVID-19
FTC warns of COVID-19 scams, provides tips to avoid fraudsters
AS the country continues to be rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is making sure that vulnerable Americans avoid the numerous COVID-19-related scams that are making their way through various communities. It’s not that there is an uptick in scams but that many of the most prevalent scams that are preying on a public fearful of the COVID-19 virus, said Monica Vaca, associate director for the FTC’s division of consumer response and operations. “What we’re seeing at the FTC is what’s true, u PAGE 3
residents, or they must possess a virus positivity rate of no higher than 8%. But the governor stressed that the state must continue its overall downward trend of COVID-19 cases and deaths for counties to receive approval for moving forward in the state’s reopening plan, which Newsom previously said is based on physical distancing and scientific data. u PAGE 2
by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
MECQ TRAFFIC. Traffic builds up along Marcos Highway at the boundary of Pasig-Cainta during the rush hour on Tuesday, May 19. Stricter checkpoints were also set up during the second day implementation of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
TWENTY-FOUR more overseas Filipinos have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 2,455 worldwide. The latest report from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, May 20 also announced four new deaths: two in Europe and two in the Middle East/Africa coverage area. This raised the death toll to 284. Nine Filipinos abroad recovered from the disease, raising the total number of recoveries to 858. “Despite the decrease in the daily rate of recoveries reported by the DFA through its Foreign Service Posts today, the total number of overseas Filipinos who recovered from COVID-19 at 858 cases is now 3 times more than the total fatalities at 284 and comprises al-
u PAGE 2
Economists forecast sharp drop in remittances House committee to tackle by LAWRENCE
AGCAOILI Philstar.com
MANILA — Economists expect a bigger drop in remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) this year due to job losses resulting from lockdowns in host countries amid the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID19 pandemic. Euben Paracuelles, economist at Japanese investment house Nomura, said the amount of money sent home by OFWs to their loved ones in the Philippines may decline by seven percent this year.
“We think the outlook for remittances is grim and the contraction could deepen ahead. We forecast 2020 remittances growth dropping to seven percent versus the central bank’s forecast of two percent,” Paracuelles said Paracuelles said that deployment in key host countries would continue to slow down just like the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. Furthermore, the sharply lower oil prices would hurt the largest source of OFW remittances – the Middle East.
Paracuelles said sea-based remittances that corner 22 percent of the total would take a big hit particularly from the battered cruise ship sector. According to Nomura, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Philippines would contract by 4.8 percent this year after growing by six percent last year. Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said OFW remittances could slow down further especially starting March and April amid the lockdowns in many u PAGE 3
MENDIOLA
AJPress
TWO Philippine senators recently suggested that economic managers should direct American businesses leaving China to consider the country for their relocation plans. According to Senator Imee Marcos, recent news that the United States businesses was transferring a number of its China-based factories to Indonesia confirms a growing economic trend favoring Southeast Asian countries as alternative sites for Senators Imee Marcos and Ping lacson manufacturing. The relocations are “the silver which the Philippines should not lining to the dark cloud of CO- blink,” Marcos said. As chairperson of the Senate VID-19 (novel coronavirus) from
by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
THE Philippines House Committee on Legislative Franchises has set a hearing on ABS-CBN’s franchise bills for next week. The announcement for the Tuesday, May 26 deliberations comes after House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said that the House of Representatives would forego the provisional franchise for the network giant to prioritize the bills for a 25-year franchise. The hearing will be chaired by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez through videoconferencing at 9:30 a.m. Cayetano said that the deliberations by the House franchises committee will continue even during the congressional recess in June. “They will not stop until they are finished so that no one can say we’re stopping the process or dragging our feet,” he said. He added that the committee would most likely hold two to three hearings a week to tackle “no more than 10 issues” related to the franchise, including: ABSCBN’s alleged violations of tax and labor laws, breaches of the terms and conditions of its previous Inquirer.net file photos broadcast privilege, and foreign equity issues. Committee on Economic Affairs, Some witnesses and resource she urged the government’s persons would also be required u PAGE 3 to physically appear before the
Senators Marcos, Lacson urge PH to lure US businesses by RITCHEL
ABS-CBN franchise on May 26
House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano
committee, provided that social distancing and other health protocols are observed, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “I foresee that the hearings would not go beyond July, and by August, after President Duterte’s
Philstar.com photo
SONA (State of the Nation Address), we should be ready to decide,” Cayetano said. He also reiterated that the hearing should be impartial and comprehensive. u PAGE 3
MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
From the Front Page
Newsom eases public health...
PAGE 1 t “Bottom line is people can go at their own pace, and we are empowering our local health directors and county officials that understand their local communities and conditions. We’re going to start seeing a lot more activity, [so] let’s just make sure we do it thoughtfully and very, very strategically,” Newsom said at Monday’s press conference from Mustards Grill in Napa. Newsom attributed the slackening of the rules to a decrease in state hospitalizations in the last two weeks, the increase of personal protective equipment distribution for medical workers and the wider availability of testing. According to state health numbers, there have been a 7.5% decline in hospitalizations and an 8.7% decline in the number of ICU patients in the last two weeks. Newsom also said that instore retail patronage as well as church-going and getting hair cuts may resume, and he suggested that professional sports could also return without the fan presence by early June. Back in March, Newsom was the first governor to announce a statewide emergency declaration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which put forth strict shelter-in-place measures that have upended daily life for Californians as well as the financial health for nearly every industry. The governor’s latest remarks show a dramatic acceleration of the state’s 4-stage reopening plan. Currently, the state is transitioning from Stage 1 (wherein all residents except for essential workers must stay at home) to Stage 2 (slow reopening of businesses with lower risks of spreading the virus). Newsom said that 53 of California’s 58 counties (“give or take a few counties”) are eligible to move into the second stage of reopening. Moreover, his remarks suggested that counties could soon be shifting to Stage 3, saying that Californians may start going to hair salons and gyms in “weeks, not months.” As previously reported in the Asian Journal, California is currently in the early second phase
of reopening: certain retail businesses are now allowed to open for curbside and delivery. The slow reopening of the state came after certain counties, namely Orange and San Diego counties, insisted on lifting the state’s shelter-in-place measures. As of Wednesday, May 20, California has 84,057 cases and 3,436 deaths related to COVID19. Los Angeles County makes up for nearly half of that count at 40,857 cases and 1,970 deaths. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement released Tuesday, May 19 that she hopes that the county will reopen by July 4, citing the financial consequences of lockdown measures. Officials across the state have been looking to avert an economic downturn amid the pandemic, which has caused unemployment to soar and businesses losing money despite government aid efforts. “The economic and sociological impacts created by the COVID-19 shutdown have hurt our vulnerable populations the most,” Barger said. LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer welcomed the governor’s changes to the rules, but she noted that because of LA County’s drastic numbers, it may be among the last of the counties to fully reopen. “It would be great if we could all reopen at the same time, but literally half the cases and half the deaths [across California] are here in LA County right now,” she said. Even with the framework changes to the health criteria, California still has one of the strictest shelter-in-place orders in the country. States like Texas and Georgia have dramatically eased their standards, allowing places like hair salons and churches to open. These public spaces were opened despite warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that large gatherings, including those in faith-based centers, pose a significant risk for COVID-19 transmission. Churches and other places
of worship in California are still closed, and many religious leaders are hosting virtual mass and sermons to accommodate church-goers during the lockdowns. The closure of churches in California has already motivated legal action from faith leaders, but so far, federal judges have turned down requests for faith services to reopen. On Monday, Newsom acknowledged the faith community’s desire to return in-person gatherings at churches, and noted that churches may reopen as long as infection, testing and hospitalization numbers dwindle. “I want to just express my deep admiration to the faith community and the need and desire to know when their congregants can once again start coming back to the pews [and] coming back together,” the governor said. But the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday warned Newsom that California must reinstate in-person religious gatherings, citing the First Amendment’s clause on equal protection of houses of worship even during an international health crisis. “Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights. This facially discriminates against religious exercise,” Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband wrote in a three-page letter, suggesting that centers of faith are being unfairly treated among other public places and industries. “We believe...that the Constitution calls for California to do more to accommodate religious worship, including Stage 2 of the reopening plan,” the letter said. But churches in states that have already reopened are shuttering their doors for a second time, like Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle in Ringgold, Georgia where services were swiftly reclosed after members and leaders tested positive for the virus. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on Tuesday also confirmed that a 79-year-old priest died after the church he worked at, Holy Ghost Catholic Church, reopened. n
DEVOTION. A devotee genuflects as he prays outside the Quiapo Church in Manila which remains closed on Sunday, May 17. Religious gatherings are still restricted to a maximum of five persons under the modified enhanced community quarantine in effect over Metro Manila and some areas. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Over 2,450 Filipinos globally test positive... PAGE 1 most 35% of the total confirmed cases,” the agency noted. Europe, which is 16 countries with PH Foreign Service coverage, has recorded 748 Filipino cases, including 434 undergoing treatment, 227 recoveries and 87 deaths. The Middle East and Africa, covering 12 countries, has re-
ported 712 cases; of which, 566 are undergoing treatment, 46 deaths and 100 recoveries. The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 12 countries, has 451 cases, with 125 under treatment, 324 recoveries, and two deaths. The Americas — covering six countries — remain as the region with the highest number of COV-
ID-19 fatalities at 149. The region has also reported 544 cases, with 188 undergoing treatment and 207 recoveries. The total number of Filipinos currently undergoing treatment is at 1,313. Meanwhile, the Philippines now has 13,221 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 842 fatalities and 2,932 recoveries. n
Undocumented immigrants in CA can now... PAGE 1 The assistance would grant $500 per qualifying adult, meaning those over the age of 18. A maximum of two adults per household can qualify for this assistance for a total of $1,000. The California Department of Social Services has selected 12 immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations to help individuals apply for and receive this disaster relief assistance in their region. These organizations include Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles and Orange County, Catholic Charities of California in the Bay Area, and the California Human Development Corporation in Northern Califor-
nia. Asian Americans Advancing Justice has opened up hotlines — (213) 241-8880 for English and (213) 241-8874 for Tagalog — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday to Friday. Applicants are able to contact one of the organizations to inquire about assistance eligibility, including whether one is not eligible for other COVID-19 related assistance and whether one is experiencing hardship as a result of the pandemic. If an individual’s application is approved, the nonprofit organization that helped them apply will provide additional information on how they will receive their
payment card either through inperson pick-up or through the mail. California is the first state to spearhead an effort for the undocumented population, many of whom are essentials workers working in health care, food, retail, agriculture, manufacturing and construction. “I’m not here to suggest that $125 million is enough. But I am here to suggest it’s a good start, and I’m very proud it’s starting here in the state of California,” Newsom said. Applications will be accepted until June 30 or until funds run out, according to the state’s website. (AJPress)
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Dateline USa
NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
White supremacists hack Fil-Am community House committee to tackle ABS-CBN... virtual town hall meeting, use Nazi salute by Rae
PAGE 1 “As I’ve said time and again, the hearings must be fair, impartial, comprehensive, and thorough. All voices must be heard and all issues for and against will be dis-
ann VaRona AJPress
On Monday, May 11, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) in Los Angeles was conducting its fourth virtual town hall meeting on the video-conferencing software Zoom — something they’ve been doing since safer-at-home measures were put in place in LA County. The meeting covered COVID19 resources and community updates with community members and staffers in their 20s to their 60s listening in. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) even joined the call to give federal updates to the community. But as the group began its question and answer session, they were interrupted by blatant racial remarks. One young white man wearing sunglasses spoke into a microphone using profanity and said things like, “All immigrants should be deported. That’s why you have a home. That’s why you have a computer. Because the white man built it, you [expletive].” Another individual, without showing his face began saying, “I am a racist. I am a misogynist. I [expletive] hate immigrants. I only support the whites.” Off the camera and microphone, the “Zoom bombers” taunted the virtual town hall attendees by typing the Nazi salute, “Seig Heil” in the Zoom chatbox. Pro-Trump messages were also made with one of the Zoom bombers asking the others to “click hand to support Trump.” The racial attack went on for about three minutes, but felt longer to those who witnessed it. “It made it a not very safe space, and that’s why it was also very alarming,” PWC Executive Director Aquilina Soriano-Versoza told the Asian Journal. She added that she’s heard of other communities of color experiencing similar attacks, including the Chinese Progressive Association in the Bay Area. Hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been on the rise across the United States with the STOP AAPI Hate Center, a project by Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department, receiving over 1,700 of COVID-19 related hate reports since mid-March. In LA, where over 1.5 million AAPIs live, concerns over antiAsian hate crimes and discrimination have also been on the rise with county officials saying they know of over 100 incidents between February and April. Those are just of reported incidents. Alex De Ocampo of the Filipino Voter Empowerment Project, an organization that works closely with PWC to promote civic engagement in the Filipino American community, said he’s seen discrimination hit those close to him. “In my family, a lot of them are nurses and they’ve mentioned that even after their shifts, that people have said some very harsh rhetoric
The Pilipino Workers Center in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown is a non-profit organization addressing the needs of workers and their families. AJPress file photo
to them that have been borderline racist,” De Ocampo told the Asian Journal. He added that it hasn’t been uncommon for people to see borderline or outright racist comments or posts on social media platforms like Facebook. “It’s not the algorithm that is bringing up these instances onto your feed,” said De Ocampo. “Asian Americans — Filipino, Indonesian, Chinese, among others — have seen or heard some type of remark from backhanded comments to extreme violence, and it’s an epidemic that is spreading like a virus.” While attacks on Asian Americans aren’t new with incidents tracing back to the 19th century, many have found the lack of federal concern on the issue alarming given the increase in attacks during the current pandemic. As one NBC article reported, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Justice have before worked together to prevent bias incidents and hate crimes during the SARS outbreak and 9/11 terrorist attacks. However, no such efforts have been made during the current pandemic despite the growing reports. In March, the FBI even warned about a possible increase in hate crimes against AAPI during coronavirus and predicted that a “portion of the U.S. public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations.” “This is a virus and for anyone to tie it to any Asian American or any specific group and start pushing conspiracy theories is definitely wrong,” said De Ocampo. “This is not some political game we’re playing. These are people’s lives and livelihoods.” President Donald Trump received criticism for referring to the virus as the “China virus,” despite it being named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, which put rules in place in 2015 to avoid using names of people, places, and animals when naming diseases to
sector will recover sooner than predicted. If we gear up for outsourcing, we may finally derive investments in manufacturing and other essential sectors,” Marcos said. Sen. Panfilo Lacson Sr. also noted that many European and American businesses were leaving China, saying it is expected that an Asian country will be their next location. “Ang nakaagap agad doon ang Indonesia eh (Indonesia was the first one who benefitted [from the relocation]),” he said. The senator estimated that 27 U.S. factories based in China would transfer to Indonesia. “Ito ang opportunity na dapat gina-grab natin kasi ang laki ng kumpanyang ito. Sayang (This should be the opportunity that we must be grabbing because this is a big company. What a missed opportunity),” Lacson lamented. n
Economists forecast sharp drop... PAGE 1 host countries around the world that could have caused some OFWs to stay home. Ricaforts said some OFWs in hard-hit industries especially tourism-related industries, including cruise ship industries, were displaced and repatriated back to the Philippines. “Thus, OFW remittances could potentially post close to zero year-on-year growth, or could even contract by at least low single-digit levels for full year 2020 and any contraction could start by March or April,” Ricafort said. The US, the major source of OFW remittances, has the most
an outright approval or denial, I ask that you suspend your extreme views until all the facts have been presented, and all the testimonies have been heard,” Cayetano added. n
FTC warns of COVID-19 scams, provides tips...
Senators Marcos, Lacson urge PH...
PAGE 1 economic managers to apply a “full-court press to score more points toward greater foreign investment and economic recovery.” The senator is currently pushing for a deeper and swifter cut on corporate income tax from the present 30% rate for the Philippines to be more competitive with the 20% rate in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia by next year. “If the government decides on a slower rate of reducing corporate income tax, incentives to foreign investors can include tax deferrals and exemptions,” Marcos said. Western countries affected by the pandemic are now compelled to outsource as much of their production as they can to cheaper suppliers, she added. “As a result, I think our BPO (business process outsourcing)
cussed…this will require a lot of time - time we do not have. And so, there will be sacrifices on our part if we hope to finish this without delay,” he said. “For those who are calling for
cases of COVID-19, while the sharp decline in oil prices has affected countries in the Middle East that host large numbers of OFWs. Ricafort said some OFWs could still send money to the Philippines by tapping their savings for the meantime to tide them over during the lockdowns until the restart of the economies in various host countries. “Another offsetting factor is that some OFWs in many host countries worldwide belong to essential industries, especially medical professionals, who could still continue to work and send remittances during the lockdown periods,” Ricafort said. n
avoid problematic stigmas. “It really matters who is in leadership and what framework has been coming from the top and from the president’s own words,” said Soriano-Versoza. The DOJ’s lack of concern, she added, is reflective of the current administration. The attack was reported to authorities as well as to Zoom, but PWC is asking people to help fight
u PAGE 6
PAGE 1 always: scammers follow headlines, and what’s in the headline right now is COVID-19 all the time and scammers are following that,” Vaca said during a Zoom press conference with ethnic media outlets on Friday, May 15. In relation to the $1,200 stimulus check that most American taxpayers should have either received or will be receiving, Vaca warns of fraudsters masquerading as government officials who may try to reach out to recipients and ask for personal information. They may reach out via email and texts which may include links to malware sites, often with domains that include “coronavirus” as a way to disguise itself as a credible source. Reported emails and texts have also featured doctored letters using logos from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Dept. of Health and Human Services or other public health agencies, but Vaca stressed that “the federal government will not reach out to you by email or phone or social media to give you your economic relief payments.” “If you come across someone who tells you to pay for a service — whatever it is with a gift card, money transfer, cash or Bitcoin — and tell you that they’re going to help you with some coronavirus-
related problem, that’s a scam,” Vaca said. Additionally, clicking on any links provided in these fraudulent emails or texts may install malware onto your device. “Do not click on links from sources that you don’t know [because] it could download a virus onto your computer or onto your devices so please be careful with that,” Vaca shared, adding that “[s]cammers are going to go to pretty much any length to make their message look real, but there are little signals you can look out for” like misspellings in the text or poorly imposed graphics. The scams also involve snake oil salesmen marketing supposed miracle cures, vaccines and home test kits that are targeting those most vulnerable to the pathogen as well as those on Medicare, Vaca shared. Currently, there is no known cure or vaccine for the COVID-19 virus and tests are only administered at mandated testing sites, so the FTC is warning consumers about any wellness or nutrition brand that is marketing any socalled cures, which the FTC said have “no solid scientific backing.” The FTC has been combatting these scammers through law enforcement and filing complaints to companies, like the dietary supplement company Whole Leaf Organ-
ics, which made fake claims that their Vitamin C and herbal extract products were “scientifically proven” to treat the COVID-19 virus. “We are warning companies that are pitching cures and treatments with no scientific backing,” Vaca said. “Right now there is nothing on the market that’s proven to cure COVID-19 so that’s an important thing to know.” She added that the FTC is also reaching out to multi-level marketing companies that have purported unproven cures and misleading claims “about the earnings that you might get by joining that company.” The FTC also recently sued a company for claiming to be affiliated with the Small Business Administration that lured businesses into applying for the paycheck protection program, but “in fact, there was no tie to the Small Business Administration.” Vaca emphasized that these scammers were able to be found and dealt with because of public reporting of these scammers and encouraged the public to question the credibility of outlandish claims like miracle cures or unexpected messages claiming to reward relief checks. To report potential scams and for more information, please visit the FTC website. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress )
Dateline USa
MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG NG LUNGSOD NG ALAMEDA TUNGKOL SA IMINUMUNGKAHING SUSOG sa PLANONG AKSIYON NG CDBG SA MGA TAON NG PANANALAPI 2019-20 Ang Lungsod ng Alameda (Lungsod) ay lumalahok sa Programang Blokeng Gawad sa Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad (Community Development Block Grant, CDBG) ng Kagawaran ng Pabahay at Pagpapaunlad ng Kalunsuran (Housing and Urban Development, HUD) ng U.S. Alinsunod sa 24 CFR 91.05(c)(2) at subpart B ng mga pederal na regulasyon na may kaugnayan sa paglahok ng mamamayan para sa mga Programang Pagpaplano at Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad at mga angkop na pagtalikdan na inihanda sa mga iniaatas na iyon sa pamamagitan ng Batas sa Tulong, Ayuda, at Seguridad na Pangkabuhayan (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, CARES Act), ang Lungsod ng Alameda ay gumagawa ng susog sa Planong Aksiyon ng CDBG para sa Taon ng Pananalapi 2019-20 na makukuha ng publiko sa pamamagitan ng paunawang ito. Sa Hunyo 2, 2020, isasaalang-alang ng Konseho ng Lungsod ang isang iminumungkahing susog sa Planong Aksiyon ng CDBG sa Taon ng Pananalapi 2019-20 upang bigyan ng kakayahan ang Lungsod ng Alameda na matanggap at pangasiwaan ang $683,116 na pagpopondo sa Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response (CDBG-CV) mula sa HUD na inihanda sa pamamagitan ng CARES Act. Ang publiko ay iniimbitahang lumahok at magbigay ng komento. Nasa ibaba ang mga inirerekomendang programa at halaga ng pagpopondo para sa iminungkahing susog:
Kategorya
Di-Pabahay na Programang mga Pampublikong Serbisyo
Rekomendasyon na Pagpopondo
Mga Pampublikong Serbisyo
Pang-emerhensiyang Pamamahagi ng Pagkain
$ 50,000.00
Mga Pampublikong Serbisyo
Pang-emerhensiyang Tulong sa Renta
$ 583,116.00
Mga Pampublikong Serbisyo
Pang-emerhensiyang Tirahan
$ 583,116.00
A. Kabuuan ng Di-Pabahay na mga Pampublikong Serbisyo:
$ 683,116.00
Pangkalahatang Kabuuan ng Muling Pagprograma ng Planong Aksiyon
$ 683,116.00
MAKUKUHA PARA SA PAGSUSURI NG PUBLIKO Simula sa Mayo 22, 2020, ang iminumungkahing Susog sa Planong Aksiyon ay maaaring maakses sa website ng Awtoridad sa Pabahay ng Lungsod ng Alameda sa www. alamedahsg.org PAGKAKATAON NA MARINIG Ang publiko ay hinihimok na lumahok sa proseso ng CDBG-CV at upang magkomento sa Susog sa Planong Aksiyon, nang pabigkas o nakasulat, alinsunod sa iskedyul na nasa ibaba: 6/2/20
Pulong ng Konseho ng Lungsod, 7:00 p.m. Pampublikong Pagdinig na nauukol sa iminumungkahing mga Susog sa Planong Aksiyon para sa Taon ng Pananalapi 2019-20. Upang tingnan ang pampulikong pagdinig, bisitahin ang website ng Lungsod ng Alameda sa: https://www.alamedaca.gov/GOVERNMENT/Agendas-Minutes-Announcements.
Ang mga komento tungkol sa iminumungkahing Susog sa Planong Aksiyon ay maaaring LVXPLWH ND\ /LVD )LWWV VD 7<< 756 R OÂż WWV#DODPHGDKVJ RUJ (email). Mangyaring ibigay ang komento bago lumampas ang 4:00 p.m. sa Hunyo 1, 2020. Papakinggan ng Konseho ng Lungsod ang mga komento at isasaalang-alang ang pagpapatupad ng Mga Susog sa Planong Aksiyon sa regular na pulong nito sa 7:00 p.m. sa Hunyo 2, 2020, sa Tanggapan ng Lungsod, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue. Ang publiko ay hinihimok na dumalo at lumahok. MGA TADHANA PARA SA MGA TAONG MAY KAPANSANAN Kung ang sinumang taong may interes sa paglahok sa programang Blokeng Gawad sa Pagpapaunlad ng Komunidad (CDBG) / HOME ay isang taong may kapansanan gaya ng nilinaw ng Seksiyon 504 ng Batas ng 1974 sa Rehabilitasyon na nag-aatas ng isang kaluwagan upang lumahok o magkainteres, ang isang kahilingan para sa kaluwagan ay maaaring gawin kay Lisa Fitts sa (510) 747-4349 (Boses), 711 (TYY/TRS) o magpadala QJ HPDLO VD UD#DODPHGDKVJ RUJ $QJ QDWXUDQJ NDKLOLQJDQ D\ GDSDW NDELODQJ DQJ LVDQJ paglalarawan ng kaluwagang hinahangad, kasama ang isang pahayag ng kapansanan na nangangailangan ng kaluwagan. Anumang kahilingan para sa kaluwagan ay dapat suriin at ang isang sagot ay ipagkaloob sa loob ng limang araw ng trabaho pagkatapos matanggap ang naturang kahilingan. Ang paunawa ng anumang kaluwagan na iginawad ay agad ipagkakaloob sa humiling. Ang tagapag-ugnay ng Seksiyon 504 ng CDBG/HOME ay si Tonya Schuler-Cummins. Ang isang kopya ng pamamaraan ng karaingan ng 504 ay matatagpuan online sa www.alamedahsg.org. MGA TADHANA PARA SA MGA RESIDENTENG HINDI NAGSASALITA NG INGLES Ang Lungsod ng Alameda ay may ugnayan ng mga empleyadong nagsasalita ng 45 wika na maaaring kumilos bilang mga tagasalin para sa mga residente na naghahangad ng impormasyon na nauukol sa mga programa ng CDBG/HOME. Kung binigyan ng paunawa nang maaga ng limang araw ng trabaho, makikipag-ayos ang Lungsod upang makakuha ng isang interpreter. Mangyaring makipag-ugnayan sa Lungsod sa (510) 747-4349 %RVHV 7<< 756 R PDJSDGDOD QJ HPDLO VD OÂż WWV#DODPHGDKVJ RUJ PATAKARANG WALANG-DISKRIMINASYON Ang Lungsod ng Alameda ay hindi nagdidiskrimina laban sa sinumang mga tao dahil sa lahi, kulay, relihiyon, bansang pinagmulan, angkan, seks, kasarian, kinikilalang kasarian, pagpapahayag ng kasarian, oryentasyong sekswal, katayuang marital, katayuang pampamilya, pinagkukunan ng kita, henetikong impormasyon, kondisyong medikal, kapansanang pisikal o kapansanan ng isipan, o anumang ibang kategoryang protektado ng batas.
BIG BATH. Mali, the 46-year-old elephant resident of Manila Zoo, gets a bath from Noel Co, a worker, on Tuesday, May 19,. While Avilon and Malabon have appealed for help to feed their animals amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Manila Zoo Director Alipio S. Morabe Jr. said there were enough funds for the upkeep of the animals, thanks to Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, who continues to allocate P25 million even after the place was closed to the public on January 2019 due to environmental issues. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike Alquinto
Virus-stricken Fil-Am wakes up from 6-week coma HONOLULU — A Filipino American bartender from Ewa Beach celebrated his 38th birthday after waking up from a medically induced coma for coronavirus. Coby Torda had COVID-19 symptoms on March 9 and was hospitalized March 21 at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center. Torda later developed secondary pneumonia from his breathing tube. After waking up from a medically induced coma for six weeks, he has been able to breathe without the ventilator for as long as 11 hours, his family said. Torda’s mother, Peggy TordaSaballa, who also contracted the virus but has recovered at home, told KHON2 that “He was nearfatal when we got him to the hospital. It was really touch-and-
Coby Torda and his mother, Peggy Peggy Torda-Saballa
go the first 2-3 weeks.� Torda, now testing negative for the virus, has lost about 85 pounds and cannot talk normally because he’s still on a ventila-
tor. But he has been responsive to instructions and is even texting. His mother said he has also been taking selfies. (Inquirer.net)
New COVID-19 testing sites in underserved areas announced in SF SAN FrANCISCO – Mayor London N. Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax on Monday, May 18 announced the creation of three new COVID19 testing opportunities in San Francisco, including the City’s first mobile testing site and testing for families in Hunters View. Increasing access to testing is an important part of the City’s efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in San Francisco. The expanded testing opportunities is another step toward the City’s goal of universal access to testing for all San Franciscans. Equity has been a central focus of the City’s COVID-19 emergency response, and ensuring access to testing is an important part of that ongoing effort. The new testing sites are part of the City’s efforts to reach communities that are affected by disparities in the spread of the coronavirus and provide additional testing resources in areas of the city that do not currently have as many testing options. Combined, the new sites will add capacity to conduct over 500 additional COVID-19 tests per day. “These new testing sites help make testing more convenient and accessible for San Franciscans, especially people who are most at-risk and communities that have been hardest hit by the virus,� said Mayor Breed. “As we continue toward universal testing, it’s critical that we focus on reaching communities that have historically been underserved and that don’t have as many testing resources available to them.� Any worker that serves San Francisco and who leaves their home to work can get tested for COVID-19, regardless of symptoms or exposure. Any person living in San Francisco with at least one symptom of COVID19 or who has been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 can get tested. For more information about COVID19 testing, contact your primary health care provider, call 311, or visit SF.gov/GetTestedSF. “Today, we are taking another step towards ensuring equitable access to testing for San Franciscans,� said Dr. Colfax. “By strengthening our efforts in neighborhoods that we know are most vulnerable to severe impacts of the virus, we continue to help people get the care they need and slow the spread of the virus. Not only does testing expansion help identify cases more rapidly and inform outbreak detection, it also continues to be an essential part of our overall strategy towards recovery.� “Testing is critical and we need to make it as convenient for our residents and workers as possible,� said Supervisor Norman Yee. “That’s why we advocated for more testing sites to serve westside neighborhoods. We are grateful for this unique partnership with City College
and with the State to expand our capacity.â€? “A new testing site in our community is a major win in the fight against COVID-19,â€? said Supervisor Ahsha SafaĂ. “As the zip code with the second highest rate of COVID infections in the City, I am glad the state has identified 94112 as a priority and is offering free testing to all California residents. I hope this resource helps to stop the growth of COVID in our City.â€? “COVID-19 has hit our most vulnerable communities,â€? said Supervisor Shamann Walton. “More testing helps us identify those who need critical medical services while protecting all of us from this deadly virus. We have to get to 100% asymptomatic testing, but this is a major step forward.â€? “A testing site in the Tenderloin will help ensure that testing is easily accessible and available to those who need it most,â€? said Supervisor Matt Haney. “We need to be able to identify, isolate, and track people exposed to the virus in order to provide the protection and treatment necessary to keep people safe and start opening the city back up. Tenderloin residents are especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 with many unhoused residents as well as people living in SrOs with shared facilities and shelters. The neighborhood has many essential workers, people with underlying medical conditions, and seniors. I am collaborating closely with City departments and community partners, and I am grateful for everyone coming together to make this happen.â€? Mobile Testing Site The City is collaborating with Verily to operate a mobile COVID-19 testing site, which is the first mobile testing site in San Francisco. The site began offering walk-through COVID19 testing in the Tenderloin on Wednesday, May 20. It will initially operate at the Tenderloin recreational Center, after which it will move to another high-need neighborhood. The mobile testing site has the capacity to conduct several hundred tests per day. Online appointments are strongly encouraged; however, staff from GLIDE and Code Tenderloin will be onsite to register individuals who have barriers to registering online. GLIDE and Code Tenderloin will help create a familiar and welcoming presence at the testing site. Verily’s Baseline COVID-19 Program provides a connected solution to support individuals from screening through testing and receipt of their test results. Verily developed The Baseline COVID-19 Program working closely with state and local government health authorities and other private health organizations to expand access to COVID-
19 screening and testing in areas with a high volume of known cases. To date, the platform has supported the testing of over 100,000 people nationally. For each deployment of the mobile testing site, the City and Verily will collaborate with trusted community organizations, to help raise awareness about the site and connect people to other services. While the mobile site is located in the Tenderloin, the City will be working with GLIDE and Code Tenderloin to conduct community outreach about the site and ensure the site remains safe and accessible for everyone in the neighborhood. “COVID-19 is bringing new dimensions to the crisis of homelessness in San Francisco and solutions are more complex than ever before,� said Karen Hanrahan, president and CEO of GLIDE. “Comprehensive testing is a foundational piece of our efforts to understand how this pandemic is impacting the most vulnerable, and to protect everyone in the city from what could be a catastrophic spread of the virus. As we have from day one of this crisis, GLIDE will continue to step up to meet rising demand across the city, remain on the front lines serving those most in need, and provide solutions that offer protection, dignity and safety to all San Franciscans.� “Code Tenderloin is extremely grateful the community voices were heard in District 6,� said Del Seymour and Donna Hilliard from Code Tenderloin. “We believe that with everyone working together we will have a better chance at defeating Covid-19. Thank you Director Sheryl Davis and everyone else involved in the Human rights Commission Community roundtable. A coordinated effort with all our organizations can rebuild our community, and this testing is just the beginning. We look forward to giving all of our efforts to fighting this pandemic.� Testing Site at City College A second COVID-19 testing site opened on May 18 at the City College Student Health Center. This site is open to any California resident and is part of the State’s efforts to increase testing access in areas with the highest need. The State identified zip codes throughout California that have a lack of COVID-19 testing access, including the 94112 zip code in San Francisco, which encompasses the Excelsior and OMI neighborhoods. The City’s Emergency Operations Center has worked with the State to operationalize this additional testing resource in the city. The site offers COVID-19 testing by appointment and is operated by OptumServe, which is funded through a contract with the State of California. It has the capacity to conduct around 130 tests per day. u PAGE 6
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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
Dateline USa
MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
Mayor Breed announces launch of ‘great plates’ meal delivery program for at-risk seniors in need of food assistance
ID, PLEASE. A police officer inspects IDs and other documents presented by motorcycle riders entering Antipolo City, Rizal on Tuesday, May 19. Checkpoints remain despite easing of some restrictions under the general community quarantine which took effect in the province on Saturday, May 16. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
New COVID-19 testing sites in... PAGE 4 “This is one of the many creative ways our campus can continue serving the people of San Francisco, even as we teach our students remotely,” said Dianna Gonzales, Interim Chancellor of City College of San Francisco. “We are happy to be partnering with the State of California and the City of San Francisco to help secure the health and safety of our community.” Testing in Bayview-Hunters Point The City continues to focus on areas that have been disproportionately impacted, which includes the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. In addition to having one of the highest rates of cases in the City, there are unique risk factors inherent to many families in this community, including higher rates of multigenerational households, chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, transient housing, and essential workers. In order to support vulnerable communities served by the Bayview Child Health Center, the City and partner organizations will be bringing testing directly to families in their neighborhood from Wednesday, May 20, through Friday, May 22, and continuing every Friday thereafter for the foreseeable future. Testing will occur in conjunction with preexisting social services programming in the Hunters View community. Residents will have the option of pre-registering for testing and receiving a
telehealth visit or signing up same day and having a live visit with a clinician prior testing. Anyone testing positive will have access to a hotel room to quarantine in order to prevent the spread of the virus within their household. Additionally, mask and hand sanitizer will be distributed as part of hygiene kits provided along with food distribution and educational resources for children. This initiative builds upon HOPE SF and the Human Rights Commission’s work to lead with community and uplift a culturally competent and inclusive approach to the City’s disaster response. COVID-19 Testing in San Francisco As important as testing is, it is just one piece of an overall approach to fight the coronavirus. It is just as crucial to prevent getting sick in the first place. That includes staying at home, physical distancing, covering your face when you are around other people, and frequent hand washing. It is equally important to develop strong systems to respond to the pandemic, including a well-prepared hospital system to handle a surge of cases, an effective contact tracing system to reduce spread and limit exposure, and sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment for health care workers and patients. San Francisco began local COVID-19 testing in the Public Health Lab on March 2, 2020 and has been continually expanding testing capacity. Below are a few
examples of the City’s additional testing expansions to date: • The City opened two CityTestSF sites for symptomatic frontline workers and essential workers as well as San Franciscans who are uninsured or have barriers to health care access. CityTestSF will test frontline workers and essential workers without symptoms, close contacts to confirmed COVID-19 cases without symptoms, and anyone living in the city with one symptom consistent with COVID-19. • DPH has opened test sites in the community at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Castro-Mission Health Center, Southeast Health Center and Maxine Hall Health Center. In addition, DPH Jail Health Services tests all people coming into the jail who will be housed in jail. • DPH announced on May 1st that all residents and staff working at the 21 skilled nursing facilities in San Francisco will be tested for the COVID-19 virus. • San Francisco now has at least 28 public and private testing sites across the city at UCSF, NEMS, One Medical, Kaiser, Sutter, Chinese Hospital, and Dignity Health. • The City is working with partners, such as UCSF and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, on COVID-19 testing. There is research underway that uses testing to help us learn more about the prevalence of the virus in the community. (From SF Mayor’s Press Office)
SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor London N. Breed on Monday, May 18 announced the launch of Great Plates Delivered SF, an emergency food assistance program for seniors sheltering in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will deliver three free restaurant meals a day to seniors, who are at high-risk from COVID19. The program is also an economic catalyst for local restaurants and food vendors, who will partner with the City to prepare and deliver meals. “Staying home is especially important for seniors, who continue to be at greater risk for COVID-19. But that means many older adults also need additional support in accessing meals and groceries while staying at home,” said Mayor Breed. “Great Plates Delivered SF will provide freshly prepared, nutritious meals for our seniors while helping to bring muchneeded business back to some of our local restaurants.” In late April, Governor Newsom announced the availability of state funding for locally administered Great Plates Delivered programs in an effort to support at-risk seniors throughout the state while reigniting economic activity. Given that seniors are at heightened risk of COVID-19, this program is for older adults who live alone or with another senior and are unable to prepare or obtain meals while sheltering in place. Since the Governor announced the temporary program last month, over 350 eligible clients have contacted the City’s disability and aging helpline to sign up for the program. The City’s Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) estimates that Great Plates Delivered SF could end up serving over 6,000 seniors daily. “Access to food is critical during this COVID-19 emergency and we know there is still considerable need. Great Plates Deliv-
ered SF is an innovative City and community partnership that will address food insecurity, particularly for those older adults who live alone or do not have additional support in place,” said Shireen McSpadden, Executive Director of DAS. “Through this new program, many seniors will be able to access the food they need to stay healthy and safe during this crisis.” Great Plates Delivered SF will serve eligible seniors over 65, as well as those age 60 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions. Eligible seniors must live alone or with another eligible senior and earn less than $74,940 for a single-person household or $101,460 for a two-person household. Participants will receive up to three free meals a day provided by local food vendors that have entered into a partnership with the City. All deliveries will be contactless for safety, and all individuals delivering meals are subject to background check. In April, the City conducted a public procurement process for the Great Plates Delivered SF program and selected SF New Deal, a San Francisco based non-profit and rapid response organization, as the primary vendor. SF New Deal is currently providing 20,000 meals per week to vulnerable San Franciscans and has partnerships with over 65 local restaurants across San Francisco. “We are excited to partner with the City to bring Great Plates Delivered SF to the community. This will provide seniors with access to delicious meals made by local small businesses. Neighbors are helping to keep neighbors nourished, healthy, and safe,” said Lenore Estrada, Executive Director of SF New Deal, a volunteer-led, nonprofit rapid response effort. “With over 65 local restaurants already on our roster, collaborating with Great Plates Delivered SF will allow us to provide to more
members of our community and to bring onboard additional local businesses and the workers they employ. We are so grateful for the support of Mayor London Breed and all of the City employees for continuing to support the essential needs of everyone in our community.” Older adults interested in the program can call (415) 355-6700 for assistance. This helpline is operated by DAS and is available seven days a week, from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Support is provided in multiple languages. Seniors who currently receive state or federal food assistance such as CalFresh or home-delivered meals should contact the DAS helpline to understand their eligibility for this program or other assistance: (415) 355-6700. San Francisco residents seeking additional information about Great Plates Delivered SF can visit: http://www.sfhsa.org/GreatPlates. Addressing food insecurity and expanding food access has also been a critical objective of the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Recently, Mayor Breed announced a major contribution of $15 million to the Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, with $5 million going to food security efforts. To date, the EOC’s Feeding Unit has: • Delivered over 20,000 meals in partnership with Off the Grid, who prepared meals for medically isolated San Franciscans who are COVID-19 positive or living with a COVID-19 positive individual. • Delivered close to 20,000 meals to vulnerable clients of organizations such as City Suppers, Project Open Hand, and Self Help for the Elderly. • Deployed a daily average of 70 City employees to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to help package and distribute roughly 2,800 grocery bags per day. (From SF Mayor’s Press Office)
PAGE 3 hate crimes by signing a petition addressed to the Attorney General Bill Barr to hold perpetrators of hate crimes against the AAPI community accountable. The petition can be found onwww. change.org/no-API-hate. They’re also asking that people share the YouTube video that shows portions of the attack along
with the hashtag #RacismIsAVirus to help raise awareness of what’s happening and to join in solidarity. The video can be found on PWC’s Facebook page atwww. facebook.com/PWCSC. “People are being exposed right now — front line workers, caregivers, [and] delivery people. And there are many other vulnerable people in our community like
those with underlying chronic illnesses and seniors,” said Soriano-Versoza. “We don’t want [the attackers] to win by scaring us, so it’s important we get together and be able to address all these different tissues and make sure that no one in our community is falling through the cracks and suffering needlessly.”(Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)
White supremacists hack Fil-Am community...
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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
Dateline PhiliPPines
Duterte: Sinas stays as NCRPO chief by catheRine
s. Valente Manilatimes.net
pREsiDEnT Rodrigo Duterte has retained national Capital Region police office (nCRpo) Chief Debold sinas even after he violated government measures against the CoViD-19 pandemic during the enhanced community quarantine period. in his taped public address aired over state-run pTV4 late Tuesday night, May 19, Duterte said sinas would not be removed from his post as he believed in the general’s integrity. This July 2018 file photo shows a tarpaulin with â€? Welcome to the Philippines, Province of Chinaâ€? that appeared in some of the footbridges sinas came under fire afin Quezon City. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc ter images of his alleged surprise birthday party last May 8 showed him and his guests, most of them police officers, ignoring physical distancing. sinas said it was a simple “maĂąanitaâ€? or early morning serenade. veros also condemned the geo- back where he came from at his Duterte said partly in Filipino by Ritchel Mendiola tag and insisted that it should be own expense,â€? he tweeted. AJPress that he did not want sinas to be MalacaĂąang, for its part, urged transferred. taken seriously even if some usFilipinos are urged to mass ers treated it as a joke. Vera Files and Rappler to flag report a geotag that identifies “Kahit biro pa itong ‘philip- the geotag. the philippines as “province of pines province of China’ na “Tinatawagan ko ng pansin po Chinaâ€? and “north philippines, geotag, wag nating hayaang ma- ng Vera Files at Rappler, sila po province of Chinaâ€? on social normalize ito (Even if this Philip- yung mga fact verifiers ng Facemedia platforms Facebook and pines Province of China geotag book. Bakit naman po nakalusot instagram. is just a joke, let’s not allow this ito (I am calling the attention The geotag, which appeared to be normalized). let’s mass re- of Vera Files and Rappler beover the weekend, has since port,â€? she said in a tweet. cause they are the fact verifiers drawn flak from Filipino netizens Foreign Affairs secretary Te- of Facebook. How did this slip and public officials alike. odoro locsin Jr. said he does not past them)?â€? said presidential “our heroes did not sacrifice think Chinese nationals would spokesperson Harry Roque. their lives only for our country take the geotag seriously but He also dismissed the geotag to be called ‘province of China.’ warned that there will be con- as “fake news.â€? This is an insult. A blatant disre- sequences against them if they “sana po yung fake news ay gard for our sovereignty. if you do. talagang i-flag nila dahil ito po are still not enraged by this, you “You’re giving it importance. clearly fake news. Hindi na po have no right to call yourself a Chinese are too smart to believe dapat komentan (I hope they flag Filipino,â€? a Facebook user post- that crap; any of them tries com- this fake news because it’s cleared. ing over without a visa from me ly fake news. I shouldn’t comphilippine senator Risa Honti- and he’ll be detained and sent ment on it),â€? Roque said. n
Filipinos urged to report ‘Philippines, province of China’ geotag on Facebook
He described sinas as a “good� and “honest� officer and said it was “not his fault that there were people who serenaded him on his birthday�. Duterte said he needed sinas in his present job and said that based on “seniority, it is his time to be there�. Duterte said he did not believe in “just firing� sinas. Duterte acknowledged that while “the law is the law�, the incident with sinas was his “responsibility�. “He stays there until further orders,� he added. in the photos initially uploaded on the Facebook page of nCRpo’s public information office, police officers were seen giving sinas roses and cakes, while Metro Manila’s top policeman mingled with guests seated at various tables. sinas has since apologized for the incident, but claimed he found “nothing wrong� with
NCRPO Chief Debold Sinas
the gathering, saying proper social distancing and health measures were followed by the guests. He and other police officials are facing a criminal case over the controversial gathering. n
DA tries to lure OFWs to agriculture sector by louise
MauReen Philstar.com
siMeon
MAnilA — The government is bent on attracting more people, especially overseas Filipino workers, to return to the countryside as it allots p2.5 billion in loanable funds for agriculture and fishery ventures. The Department of Agriculture (DA) is offering zero-interest loans, free training and technical and marketing assistance for oFWs and those who want to go into farming and agri-business. An initial p2.5 billion has been allocated for three loan programs. “We are opening our doors to oFWs to join the ranks of our new breed of agri-preneurs who will help us revive and reboot the countryside, and at the same time support the Balik probinsya program,� Agriculture secretary William Dar said. “As we adopt the whole-of-nation approach in creating more livelihood and employment opportunities in the countryside, we will also ensure that more small farmers and fishers, and Balik probinsya program beneficiaries will benefit from agri ventures spawned by our returning oFWs,� he said.
Dar recently had a meeting with the United Filipino Global international and other government officials and leaders of oFW organizations in the Us, Middle East and Australia, among others. Through the DA-Agricultural Credit policy Council, oFWs can have access to loans, including free technical training from the Agricultural Training institute (ATi). The loan programs include the Expanded survival and Recovery project (sURE), Kapital Access for Young Agriprenuers (KAYA) and Agri-negosyo (AnYo) which all aim to help micro and small enterprises, marginal small farmers and fishers, and young agripreneurs to venture into enterprises. “now is the time to tap the oFW sector as they start to reintegrate themselves back to their respective homes, communities and provinces,� Dar said. Under sURE, MsEs may avail of up to p10 million as working capital at zero interest and payable in five years. They may be engaged in agri-fishery food production, delivery of produce or commodities, and other activities in the supply chain whose operations were affected by the en-
hanced community quarantine. individual farmers and fishers, affected by the lockdown, may also borrow a non-collateralized loan of p25,000 at zero interest, payable in 10 years, to finance their emergency and production capital requirements. The KAYA, on the other hand, targets to attract millennials aged 18 to 30 years old who can borrow up to p500,000, zero interest, payable in five years. They may engage in start-up or existing agri-based projects. The AnYo program finances agri ventures, working capital or fixed asset acquisition by individuals, sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations, and cooperatives, whose members are marginal small farmers and fisherfolk. They can avail of p300,000 up to p15 million, zero interest, payable up to five years. All of the ACpC loans are channeled through government and non-government financial institutions. Further, ATi will provide oFWs capacity-building and skills training on social preparation and values formation, production technologies, farm business school, and establishment of agri learning sites, among others. n
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Tourist arrivals, receipts fall by 50% as of April MAnilA — Foreign tourist arrivals fell by more than half in the first four months of the year as the coronavirus outbreak and stateinitiated lockdowns continue to crimp travel and tourism at home and abroad. At the Wednesday, May 20 senate hearing tackling the government’s response to the pandemic, Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-puyat said international visitor arrivals from January to April stood at 1.3 million, plummeting 54% year-on-year. That brought revenues from foreign tourist arrivals to p79.8 billion as of April, down 55.79% from p182.52 billion booked in the same period last year.
The massive declines demonstrate the full impact of CoViD19 on the tourism sector, which felt the bite of the pandemic from flight and hotel booking cancellations to dismal tourist spending as early as January. The devastation became more pronounced in March and April, when the government completely sealed off the island of luzon from travel. “With both international and domestic travel restrictions in effect for the entirety of April, there have been no visiting tourists and therefore no revenue for the industry for this month,� puyat told senators. Under the Duterte administration, tourism became a consider-
able dollar earner for the philippines. last year’s record-high of 8.2 million visitors translated to revenues of p482.15 billion from tourist activities, also a recordhigh. Travel agencies, airlines and hotels suffering from cancelled trips have separately asked the government to rescue them, but the finance department has so far been lukewarm to throw a financial lifeline to them. But even as tourism receipts fall while confidence in international travel remains tepid, puyat last month said the government’s record-high targets will remain for now. (Ian Nicolas Cigaral/Philstar. com)
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SAFE SOCIAL DISTANCING? Customers seem to disregard safe social distancing rules while waiting outside a branch of a bank along Gen. Luna St. in San Mateo, Rizal on Monday, May 18. The government has been consistently reminding the public to observe safe social distancing and health standards amid the implementation of modified enhanced community quarantine and the general community quarantine. PNA photo by Joey Razon
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MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
FEATURES
O PINION Democratic space FOR sure, Filipinos have gotten the message: Big Brother is watching, and he can trace the authors of anti-administration statements posted in cyberspace. Now that the message has been sent, with mixed results, the government should focus on the difficult task of containing a pandemic, and let people cooped up in their homes enjoy democratic space. Police have arrested three persons so far for posting messages offering rewards for the assassination of President Duterte. Just looking at the bounties offered should indicate whether the statements were made with serious intent: P50 million, P75 million, P100 million. Surely even tycoons with that kind of money to spare amid the economic apocalypse unleashed by the coronavirus disease pandemic have better uses for their money. Yet police and the National Bureau of Investigation have earnestly pursued the suspected authors of the statements, and promptly indicted them for violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Arrested so far are construction worker Ronald Qui-
boyen of Boracay; college graduate Maria Catherine Ceron of Cordova, Cebu, and Zambales public school teacher Ronnel Mas, who tearfully admitted after his warrantless arrest, in a video taken by the NBI, that he offered the original P50-million bounty so his social media account would attract attention. Clearly, none of those arrested could even imagine earning that kind of money on their current means of livelihood. Already suffering from the pandemic, they now have the additional burden of litigation. The cases come on the heels of an attempt by Philippine labor attaché in Taiwan Fidel Macauyag to have Filipina caregiver Elanel Egot Ordidor deported for “nasty” comments she posted against the Duterte administration. Fortunately for Ordidor and the cause of free expression, Taipei thumbed Philstar.com photo down the call. Authorities claimed they were simply applying the cybercrime law in pursuing charges against zeal will be applied in going after those who also Mas, Quiboyen and Ceron. Let’s hope the same use cyberspace to threaten administration critics
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS WHAT should America do when Donald Trump, the president of the United States, undermines and violates the guidelines of the very health agencies and regulators of the American government especially during a time of medical emergency? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory last month saying that hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria/antilupus drug, has NOT yet been approved for the treatment of COVID-19 and that this drug would have to undergo scientific clinical trials to be proven to be safe and effective. The FDA warned against the use of the medication outside hospitals, where the agency has granted temporary authorization for its use in some cases. The agency cited reports that the drug can cause serious heart rhythm problems in COVID-19 patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there are no approved drugs or therapeutics to prevent or treat COVID19, “which is confirmed to have infected more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. and killed more than 90,000 patients.” And yet, Trump admitted that he is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19, despite warnings against its safety, as reported by independent U.S. mainstream
Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA MY wife and I have been attending Holy Mass on our laptop for more than two months now because of the coronavirus pandemic. Both of us being in our 80s, our children have advised us to avoid unnecessarily going out of the house. The fantastic advantage is that we have had the rare opportunity to hear Mass celebrated by Pope Francis himself at the Vatican, as well as by bishops in cathedrals around the U.S. Of course, we have not had the privilege of receiving Holy Communion, and we miss the dynamic homilies of our young pastor at St. Joseph Church in Pinole, Fr. Geoffrey Baraan. We also miss fellow parishioners who have become close friends. The social distancing and other pandemic-related mandates given by the U.S. government have not really been as strict as they are in the Philippines. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are allowed to go out, provided we wear face masks and avoid crowds. In fact, we do more than that. We also wear gloves, in addition to the face masks. These are all discarded as soon as we get back into the safety of our homes.
with death, kidnapping and rape. The law is supposed to apply to all. (Philstar.com)
Donald Trump may be the most dangerous president ever of our time. Don’t follow his lead for your safety. media, the BBC, the Guardian and other international outlets. “I’m taking it for about a week and a half now and I’m still here, I’m still here,” touted Trump in his surprise announcement before the reporters at the White House. He added, “You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the frontline workers before you catch it, the frontline workers, many, many are taking it. I happen to be taking it.” As the BBC reported, when Trump was asked what was his evidence of hydroxychloroquine’s positive benefits, the president’s response: “Here’s my evidence: I get a lot of positive calls about it.” This was his same response when he first touted the drug after being fact-checked by the country’s top epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci over the need for clinical trials that follow scientific protocols and regimen over anecdotal reports in March. The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The CDC is responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases, and provides consultation and assistance to other nations and international agencies to assist in
improving their disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion activities. “Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of the Pan American Health Organization — part of the World Health Organization (WHO) — has also since stressed that no clinical trials have recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus,” the BBC reported. This echoes the same advisories and regulations of the United States’ health regulators, the FDA and the CDC. When asked whether the White House physician had recommended he start taking the disputed remedy, Trump said he had requested it himself, according to the BBC report. Quoting Dr. Sean Conley, physician to the president, who issued a statement through the White House later on Monday after the surprise revelation, Conley said Trump was in “very good health” and “symptom-free.” The U.S. Navy officer added: “After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks,” the BBC reported. Many countries around the world are doing their share of finding the cure and vaccine to combat and defeat COVID-19. Who would not want that as the
whole world is suffering right now? The BBC reported that even the “UK government has been stockpiling some medicines that might be useful against coronavirus. That includes 16m hydroxychloroquine tablets. Clinical trials are under way in the UK and the US to assess the drug’s worth. The human guinea pigs taking part include frontline healthcare workers at high risk of exposure to the virus, as well as patients.” However, the report stressed that health “experts are concerned about advocating more general use of these experimental treatments before the proof is in.” “People that follow the president’s example might not only endanger themselves but could also deprive patients with chronic autoimmune conditions of their much-needed medication,” Dr. Stephen Griffin, associate professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds told BBC health editor Michelle Roberts, in reaction to Trump’s touting of his use of the drug. The BBC report showed a graph of data from U.S. insurance claims, hospital prescriptions excluded, which showed that the number of prescriptions for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine soared between March and April, after Trump promoted it and lied about it being approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in his daily coronavirus briefing.
Flashback to a report by the New York Times: Trump’s family stands to benefit from the widespread use of the drug. Per that report as quoted by MSN News: “If hydroxychloroquine becomes an accepted treatment, several pharmaceutical companies stand to profit, including shareholders and senior executives with connections to the president. Mr. Trump himself has a small personal financial interest in Sanofi, the French drugmaker that makes Plaquenil, the brandname version of hydroxychloroquine. According to Trump’s 2019 Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, the 45th president’s three family trusts each have two line item entries describing investments between $1,001 and $15,000 apiece in the Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund. The Times notes that Sanofi, the drug manufacturer, is the mutual fund’s largest individual holding. According to MarketWatch, the exact size of the fund’s stake in Sanofi “at last check was 3.3%.” Marketwatch also notes — and shrugs off — additional Sanofi stakes: “It turns out he does look to have more than [a] modest sum invested in Sanofi, because, unmentioned in the Times report, his trusts also hold broader Euro-
pean stock-market index funds.” Many of Trump’s critics question whether he is indeed taking the drug knowing his bad relationship with the truth. Some accuse him of saying these lies to tout and push the drug further, while others say this is yet another of his diversionary tactics to shift conversation away from his failure to lead the country effectively and faithfully during this crisis. Most worry about how this blind will lead the other blind of our country without causing more harm to peoples’ safety and survival. Trump’s defiance of science and facts, coupled with his personal, financial and political objectives, makes him the most dangerous president of the United States in our time, when we are being attacked by our common invisible enemy, COVID-19. My fellow Americans, what are we going to do about this betrayal to his oath of the public official accorded with the most powerful position in the nation and the public trust that goes with it? *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
Imagine a pandemic lockdown with no TV, smartphone or Facebook
We have shopped for groceries a couple of times (against the advice of our children) and have noted the strict rules imposed by the supermarkets. All the shopping carts are regularly disinfected and shoppers have to fall in line outside the store, while staffers allow batches to enter, as soon as an equivalent number clears the checkout counters. The rule is: no mask, no entry. Shoppers have to keep six feet apart at the meat and fish counters and move away and around others as they make the rounds of the store. That reminded me of my early trips to the U.S. where we discreetly crossed the street to avoid walking past tough-looking groups on one side of the road. We were particularly wary in downtown Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. If you think Tondo is scary, try these cities. In truth, for those who have the means, the COVID-19 lockdown isn’t all that inconvenient - that is, compared to the restrictions during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. It was much, much worse then. Imagine a pandemic with no TV, no smartphone, no Facebook, no Facetime, no Zoom, and no Netflix. Well, that was how it was during the period, January 1918 to December 1920, from the earliest occurrence of the deadly flu to the time the pandemic subsided. Almost three years!
TV was only introduced in the U.S. in 1928. And while the telephone was already in common use in the early 1900s, it was not until 1992 that the closest thing to a smartphone — IBM’s Simon Personal Communicator —was introduced. And it wouldn’t be until 2007 that Apple would launch the i-phone. Thus, no smartphone for emails, texting, Viber messaging or for social media interaction. While personal one-on-one teaching by parents is probably unmatched (assuming parents are educated and knowledgeable), today’s Zoom application has made home-learning for kids possible while schools are closed, and Facetime has allowed families to bond at any time. We all know what Facebook has enabled people to do, whether or not there is a pandemic — except that now, we are seeing more dishes and old photographs being displayed on social media, along with commentaries on Presidents Trump and Duterte and every subject under the sun. Some folks will probably point out that not having to listen to Trump or Duterte was one of the advantages of being home-bound at the height of the Spanish flu, but then today’s COVID-19 refugees can always shut down the TV and cherry-pick things to view or read online. Indeed, one had few options at the time of the Spanish flu, nor
was there a running report on infections and mortality. In fact, because World War I was being fought at the time, censorship had been imposed in Europe, except in Spain which had declared neutrality. Because Spanish media freely reported on the pandemic, the world press began to refer to it as the Spanish flu, even though it had first been detected in a military camp in Kansas in the U.S. It was not until 1940 that a vaccine was developed and marketed. Meanwhile, the same non-pharmaceutical interventions mandated in the COVID-19 crisis were decreed by authorities to limit the spread of the Spanish flu. One U.S. newspaper reported: “Schools, theaters, churches and dance halls in cities across the country were closed. Kansas City banned weddings and funerals if more than 20 people were to be in attendance. New York mandated staggered shifts at factories to reduce rush-hour commuter traffic. Seattle’s mayor ordered his constituents to wear face masks…” Some of my friends in Manila have become stir-crazy from being cooped up in their homes. They complain that the travel restrictions are a “Duterte-style martial law.” Others describe their “confinement” at home as “martial law” — with their wives as prison wardens. Serves them right. The life-
style in Manila is not conducive to domestication. Husbands use every little excuse — client meetings, brainstorming sessions, etc. — to justify going to their favorite watering holes after office hours. Not surprisingly, some wives and children decide that they also deserve to have their own “good time.” No wonder, drug abuse and marital problems are common in Manila. Years ago, the problem with drug use among the young became so bad that parents of exclusive schools set up a group called, Parents Organization of the Philippines. Because the chairman of our ad agency, Tony de Joya, was designated to head the group, he asked me to create an anti-drug abuse ad campaign for the organization. My first ad created quite a stir among the parents. It showed a teenager with a drug pusher giving him a stick of grass. The headline read: “Is a pusher paying more attention to your child than you are?” Today’s COVID-19 lockdown appears to have resulted in an unintended benefit: parents being kept at home and, inevitably, paying more attention to their children. While the number of infections and the mortality rate worldwide have been alarming — at 4.7 million and 310,000, respectively (so far) — these numbers are really
modest compared to the death toll of the Spanish flu. That pandemic is said to have claimed some 50 million lives (due to lack of sophisticated monitoring and reporting systems at the time, the estimates have ranged widely from 20 million to 100 million deaths). Note that the world population was 1.6 billion in 1900 and 2 billion in 1920. We could, thus, assume around 1.8 billion in 1918. Even if we use the low mortality estimate of 20 million, that is still a much higher percentage of the population compared to the current COVID-19 worldwide death rate of 298,000 (out of a 7.8 billion world population). And here’s something that I hope Donald Trump does not brag about: the COVID-19 death rate in the U.S., estimated at 86,000 as of this writing, is relatively small, based on the U.S. population of 328 million. The U.S. death toll claimed by the 1918 pandemic was 675,000 out of a U.S. population at the time of 103 million. I also hope that Duterte does not brag that the current Philippine mortality rate of less than 100 is a very small percentage of a population of more than 100 million. Of course, for people of compassion, one man’s death is one death too many — especially if the victim is a loved one or a friend. (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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Community Journal
NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
The June 2020 priority dates
Immigration Corner
The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: Application Filing Date
Visa Issuance Date
September 01, 2011
February 01, 2011
May 01, 2020
Current
(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holders
May 01, 2011
September 01, 2010
Third Preference
Married sons and daughters of US Citizens
November 15, 2001
April 15, 2001
Fourth Preference
Brothers and sisters of US Citizens
September 01, February 01, 2001 2001
FAMILY CATEGORY: First Preference
Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ EACh month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment-based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would PETITION APPROVED ALMOST 15 YEARS AFTER DENIAL: SEE THIS STORY UNFOLD ON CITIZEN PINOY THIS SUNDAY. Marvin was petitioned by his have to wait until it becomes father as a single adult child of an immigrant in 2001. However, his father moved and did not notify the USCIS of the new address. When the USCIS current again. served a request for evidence, the family never got the notice, and did not reply. The petition was therefore denied due to abandonment in 2005, Beginning in October 2015, and the family almost gave up. Finally, Marvin’s family consulted with the Law Offices of Michael J. Gurfinkel who, in 2015, fought for the family, arguing the case should not have been denied. But victory did not come easy. Each time a motion to reopen/reconsider was filed, it was denied the format of the Visa Bulas untimely and that the denial was proper. But the Law Office did not give up and finally, after the 4th motion, the case was approved in 2019! letin changed, in that a new Watch how the team of Atty. Gurfinkel was able to get Marvin to enter the U.S. as an immigrant after 18 grueling years, on an encore episode of column was added, called the CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement) “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its webText COVID19 to 211211 to 211 is a free, confidential callSAN FRANCISCO – Pacific Gas site it will use the Application and Electric Company (PG&E) ing and texting service that helps receive information and updates, Filing Date for that month). announced on May 18 that it is people across California find or, call 211. This could allow people to obIn response to the COVID-19 continuing its sponsorship of the the local health and social sertain work authorization much Interface Children & Family Ser- vice resources they need. Sup- pandemic, trained 211 specialists sooner than before, where vices 211 program (211) to help port is available 24 hours a day, are answering questions about they had to wait for the priorsupport communities in times of seven days a week, in English, available community services, ity date to be current (in the disaster. This sponsorship will Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, providing information on disease Visa Issuance or Final Action help extend 211 coverage to all 58 and nearly 200 other languages prevention, connecting those in Date column) in order to both need to local community clinics, California counties, 18 of which via interpreter service. file for adjustment and be eliPG&E’s sponsorship enables and more. were previously unserved by 211, gible for a green card. Since March, over 180,000 Calconnecting more Californians to the expansion of 211’s 24/7 di*** health information, social servic- saster support coverage to all 58 ifornians found answers to COMichael J. Gurfinkel has been an atVID-19 pandemic questions from es and referrals through a com- counties within California. torney for over 35 years and is licensed, “We know how important it is 211; 40,000 people have used the prehensive resource database via and an active member of the State Bars call specialists and texting. The to have accurate and timely infor- 211211 texting service. The most of California and New York. All immigraenhanced commitment brings mation in times of crisis. We’re frequent inquiries relate to findtion services are provided by, or under the total sponsorship to $550,000 proud to be able to support 211 ing reliable sources of informathe supervision of, an active member of over the two-year period from so that our communities can get tion on unemployment benefits, the State Bar of California. Each case is the information they need most income loss, assistance with food, 2019 through 2020. different and results may depend on the The 211 service plays a criti- when they need it. As an added location and availability of testing, facts of the particular case. The informacal role in providing information benefit, calls to 211 help reduce and assistance with rent. tion and opinions contained herein (inTo respond to the increased and support related to the cur- non-emergency calls to 911, alcluding testimonials, “Success Stories”, rent COVID-19 pandemic, as well lowing our first responders to volume related to the COVID-19 endorsements and re-enactments) are of as in times of disasters including sharpen their focus on the front pandemic, 211 has more than a general nature, and are not intended to wildfires and during Public Safety lines,” said Andy Vesey, PG&E doubled its staff while moving to apply to any particular case, and do not an entirely remote work posture. Power Shutoff events, helping to Utility CEO and President. constitute a prediction, warranty, guaranGet COVID-19 information To get the information and suprelieve non-emergency calls to tee or legal advice regarding the outcome from 211 911. PAGE 12
PG&E sponsors 211 service to support communities during COVID-19, other disasters
Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)
(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holders
LABOR CERTIFICATION:
Application Filing Date
Visa Issuance Date
Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)
Current
Current
Third Preference
Professional/ Skilled Workers
April 01, 2019
November 08, 2017
Other Workers
Non-Skilled Workers
April 01, 2019
November 08, 2017
of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and YouTube: US Immigration TV
Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK (Advertising Supplement)
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MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
Friday, May 22, 2020
OMETHING
ILIPINO
Fil-Am books to read during summer 2020 by
AJPress
NOW entering two months into stay-at-home orders, individuals across the country have found ways to fill their “free time,” whether through baking, sewing masks or completing puzzles. Another method has been diving into a good book as a means to escape the outside world. Book purchases grew 777% in the first half of April, compared to the same period in March, according to Rakuten data. At the beginning of this year, the Asian Journal published a list of titles by Filipino and Filipino American authors to watch out for in 2020. Already, the following books we mentioned have been released: “The Vanished Birds” by Simon Jimenez (January 14); “Wicked as You Wish” by Rin Chupeco (March 3) ; “How to Make Friends with the Sea” by Tanya Guerrero (March 31); and “Any Day with You” by Mae Respicio (May 5). Additionally, we’ve seen the releases of “Once Upon a Sunset” (March 3) by Army nurse turned romance novelist, Tif Marcelo; “The Easy Filipino Cookbook: 100 Classics Made Simple” (March 24) by chef Roline Casper; “Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World” (April 28) by Filipina-Pakistani author and diversity and inclusion specialist Farzana Nayani; and “We Dream of Space” by Newbery Award-winning children’s author Erin Entrada Kelly. As there’s no end in sight (yet) for when quarantine measures
will be lifted, here are several books — from fiction to memoirs — by Fil-Am authors set to hit shelves and e-readers this summer. “Fairest” by Meredith Talusan (May 26) This coming-of-age memoir by award-winning author and journalist Meredith Talusan chronicles the journey of a precocious boy with albinism in the Philippines who would migrate to the United States, study at Harvard and transition to become a woman. Navigating through race, class, colorism and belonging within the gay community, “Talusan shares poignant and powerful episodes of desirability and love,” according to publisher Viking. “Her evocative reflections will shift our own perceptions of love, identity, gender, and the fairness of life.” “Where Dreams Descend” by Janella Angeles (June 2) In “Where Dreams Descend” — the first book in Fil-Am writer Janella Angeles’ Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology — readers will be transported to a city covered in ice and ruin where a group of magicians embarks on a series of games in search of the next headliner of the Conquering Circus. There’s romance, secrecy and unseen danger along the way as we meet Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost; Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club and more than one lie told; and Demarco, the brooding judge with a past he can no longer hide. “The Groom Will Keep His
Fairest by Meredith Talusan
Name” by Matt Ortile (June 2) The debut collection of essays covering topics, such as dating, identity and sexuality, comes from Matt Ortile, managing editor of Catapult magazine. Releasing this June by Bold Type Books, an imprint of Hachette, “The Groom Will Keep His Name” charts Ortile’s journey moving from Manila to Las Vegas and the experience of being bullied for his skin tone, Filipino accent and femininity. The essays explore the idea of social media personas and ultimately, lead to a realization of “radical self-love.” “You Can’t Do It Alone: A Widow’s Journey Through Loss, Grief, and Life After” by Maria Quiban Whitesell (June 9) When faced with her husband Sean Whitesell’s terminal brain cancer diagnosis, FOXLA’s morning meteorologist Maria Quiban Whitesell found herself having to explain the loss to their young
celebrity world By Ferdie Villar
Francisco Martin finishes in top 5 in season 18 of American Idol
SAN Francisco Bay Area native and singer/songwriter Francisco Martin finished in the top five of the recently concluded American Idol singing competition, bring pride to his family and friends in the Northern California area and the wider Filipino American community in the United States. Martin, the 19-year-old son of Filipino immigrants from the Ilocos region in the Philippines, was one of seven finalists at the start of the season finale. With the elimination of Julia Gargano of New York and Louis Knight of Philadelphia, he secured a top 5 berth and was among the finalists who performed two songs each for the show’s judges, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Along with Martin, the others in the top five were Dillon James from Bakersfield, CA; Jonny West from Murietta, CA; Arthur Gunn from Wichita, KS; and Just Sam from Brooklyn, NY. For the season finale, Martin, who is “Nonong” to his family and closew friends, sang “Adore You,” a song performed by former One Direction’s Harry Styles, in Round 1, and sang “Alaska” by his favorite, Maggie Rogers, in Round 2. The judges were full of praises for Francisco during his performances. “Francisco, I’m so proud you made Top 5,” Bryan said of his Round 1 performance. “I just enjoyed watching your confidence, man. Thank you for working so hard these past few months.” Richie told the young Fil-Am singer, “You know, Francisco, you’re actually in the finals of American Idol. And you earned it and now your stage presence is even better than then. Just… congratulations. I’m so proud of you.” Perry for her part, said, “Francisco, you do deserve to be here. I saw you smiling on the screen.
Francisco Martin is thankful to his family and friends for a very wonderful journey in this season’s American Idol. Facebook photo
Zeny Lutao Sarmiento, a former Mrs. Philippnes World winner, celebrates her birthday on Tuesday, May 26 at the Sarmiento residence in Concord, CA.
Former Binibining Pilipinas winner and Miss Universe Philippines national director Shamcey Supsup said that service and leadership to the country should come first before glory. Instagram photo (@supsupshamcey)
Lovi Poe, a beautiful and talented actress of GMA Pinoy TV, is the lead star of the teleserye “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real.” Dingdong Dantes is her leading man in the TV series.
If you can do that on an iPhone, imagine what you will do to a large crowd!” For Martin’s Round 2 performance, the judges were even more impressed. “Oh my gosh, Francisco! The people outside the balcony – that really touched my heart. That was so sweet! That performance was an elevated version of what you gave to us in the beginning. I mean, you’re so smooth when
you delivered that. It sounded like it was professionally recorded at a studio somewhere. That’s how good it was, Francisco,” commented Katy Perry. “I’m so proud to see you here. I’m so heartbroken that this is the last time that we will get to hear you perform like this on American Idol and I just know the sky is the limit to your career. Thank you so much, Francisco,” Bryan PAGE 12
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
The Groom will Keep His Name by Matt Ortile
You Can’t Do it Alone by Maria Quiban Whitesel
Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream by Alvin Cailan with Alexandra Cuerdo
Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim
Vampires of Portlandia by Jason Tanamor
son, figure out how to respond Through Loss, Grief, and Life to inappropriate questions, and After,” Quiban Whitesell teams learn how to deal with the day- up with licensed clinical social to-day throughout her husband’s worker Lauren Schneider to proharrowing treatments, death, vide readers with the roadmap and life after. In “You Can’t Do for dealing with illness, death, It Alone: A Widow’s Journey and grief she wished she’d had.
“Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop” by Roselle Lim (August 4) Inspired by her Filipina-Chinese culture and cooking alongside her father, novelist Roselle PAGE 11
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital named as official charity partner for CAAMFest Online MEMPHIS – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) as the official charity partner for CAAMFest Online from May 13-22. The theme of this year’s first-ever virtual event was “Heritage at Home.” There were online screenings, interactive panels and live performances to showcase new Asian and Asian American films. Joining the festivities as a St. Jude champion was Anh Sundstrom of 9to5chic whose passion for children’s health and the arts converge for this effort. “CAAMFest Online presents an opportunity to celebrate the creative and brilliant individuals who are changing our world for the better in healthcare and entertainment,” said Sundstrom. “The patient families at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fighting childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases remind us that we should never stop looking for ways to be inspired and find joy in life – no matter the difficult circumstances we face.” Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – so they can focus on helping their child live. St. Jude also freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, so every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Parents of St. Jude patient Aspen, age 4, have experienced these benefits firsthand. While living in the Philippines, Aspen was following a St. Jude protocol for treating neuroblastoma, but when her doctor recommended immunotherapy, they knew it was unavailable. Aspen’s doctor referred her to St. Jude. Since arriving in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 2019, St. Jude has discovered a mutation in Aspen’s genes and its doctors and researchers are working to develop a new protocol. Today, St. Jude Children’s
St. Jude patient, Aspen, age 4
Research Hospital is a humanitarian effort supported by millions of Americans of all faiths and backgrounds united in their desire to help St. Jude continue its mission: Finding cures. Saving children.® Because together, nothing is impossible. Donor support for the patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital brings hope and comfort to their lives. Share a sweet message today by sending a patient art-inspired card to fill their day with happiness. To learn more about CAAMFest 2020 and register for their online screenings, live sessions, and other programs, visit CAAMFest.com. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Insti-
tute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel. (Advertising Supplement)
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PeoPle & events
Credit reports are now free, every week by Cathlin tully Attorney, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection/FTC
IF you’re feeling anxious about your financial health during these uncertain times, you’re not alone. That’s why the three national credit reporting agencies are giving people weekly access to monitor their credit report – for free. This is some helpful news, because staying on top of your credit report is one important tool to help manage your financial data. Your credit report has information about your credit history and payment history – information that lenders, creditors, and other businesses use when giving you loans or credit. Now it’s easier than ever to check your credit more often. That’s because everyone is eligible to get free weekly credit reports from the three national credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. To get your free reports, go to AnnualCreditReport.com. The credit reporting agencies are making these reports free for the next year. If you’re one of the many Americans struggling to pay your bills right now because of the Coronavirus crisis, here’s what you can do: • Contact the companies you owe money to. Ask if they can
postpone your payment, put you on a payment plan, or give you a temporary forbearance. • Check your credit report regularly to make sure it’s correct – especially any new payment arrangements or temporary forbearance. The recently passed CARES Act generally requires your creditors to report these accounts as current. • Fix any errors or mistakes that you spot on your credit report. Notify the credit
reporting agencies directly. You can find out more by reading the FTC’s page on Disputing Errors on Credit Reports (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/ articles/0151-disputing-errorscredit-reports). Find more advice and tips on handling the financial impact of the Coronavirus, and subscribe to the Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. (From Federal Trade Commission)
NASA picks Filipina’s song as new space campaign theme By Ratziel
San Juan
Philstar.com
FILIPINO singer-songwriter Reese Lansangan wrote her “open letter to the universe” and NASA could read. The 29-year-old musician’s “A Song About Space” — released back in 2013 when she was only 22 — has been featured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to draw hype for its new space campaign. “When a song you wrote about space & exploration 7 years ago makes it to NASA... I am OVER the moon (pun intended) and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it,” she posted, sharing the #LaunchAmerica promotional video where her song ran for nearly a minute. Reese said that she “almost choked” on her water upon finding the 57 million follower-strong NASA in her direct messages. “They said they loved my super old and embarrassing ‘A Song About Space’ video from my channel and asked if they could possibly use it for a promo vid. Nothing was set in stone so after I got over the immediate shock of the NASA DM, I just silently hoped for the best. Then I got an email back with the video link, and in my pride I took all the screencaps!” The singer then revealed that her cosmic moment almost nev-
er happened, narrowly avoiding several close calls where she contemplated deleting the video. “I always get teased for that old Space video of mine because 1) I still had braces & 2) I lisped (lithped) - but each time I thought about taking it down, I couldn’t bring myself to. I figured it’s part of my history & it’s fun to make fun of yourself every now and then! Little did I know, it would be the video that NASA would notice and end up watching... it just blows my mind!” she celebrated. “I guess there’s a lesson in there somewhere - to honor yourself always - your lovable, bewildering, sometimes even embarrassing self! So from the bottom of NENE REESE’s heart - a sincere thank you to the universe for this tiny, tiny victory.” The NASA project will see the first astronauts launched to the International Space Station from the United States since 2011. “This new era of human spaceflight will kick off when NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:32 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission,” NASA said on its website. The four and a half minutelong track is included in Reese’s
Scary MIS-C in kids
Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS
A recent FTC report says consumers can get access to their credit report from the three credit reporting agencies weekly for free. Image capture from FTC website
NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
IN our column last week, we briefly mentioned a new hyperinflammatory toxic shock syndrome discovered among children after getting COVID-19 infection, first reported in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2020. The clinical presentation could be confused with Kawasaki Disease. This new distinct entity, which luckily is rare, has been termed MIS-C Syndrome. It seems only children exposed to COVID-19 are at risk for this novel syndrome. In general, children are believed to be at a lower risk to get infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, especially the seniors. Latest COVID-19 statistics: Global total – 4,967,800 cases, deaths – 329,002 (23 countries, no COVID-19 in Antarctica); United States – 1,563,408 cases, deaths – 94,000; Philippines – 12,988 cases, deaths – 848; Russia – 300,000 cases, deaths – 2,888; Spain – 278,908 cases, deaths – 27,789; China – 82,969 cases, deaths – 4,638. What is MIS-C? MIS-C refers to the newly-observed rare and unique Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (median age: 9 to 11, but could be up to 20) associated with nCorona virus pandemic, seen 4-6 weeks after COVID-19 infection, affecting various organs. This was contained in the CDC Advisory on May 14, 2020. All of the children had fever (100.4 or higher), 90 percent had stomachache, 75 percent had pink eyes (conjunctivitis) and cracked lips (blisters), and 50 percent had skin rash. Some had nausea and vomiting. There were no respiratory symptoms. The medical community is still learning more about this distinct disease linked to COVID-19. There are about 220 cases of MIS-C found in the USA, 145 of them in New York; three children (ages 5, 7 and 18) have died from it. Other nations have also reported MIS-C cases. Luckily, this syndrome is
rare, and deaths are even rarer but, nonetheless, parents have to be on guard and continue to follow established guidelines to avoid getting CVOID-19 infection in the first place. Rare as it is, MIS-C could be very severe and fatal in some instances. It is still a question if this multisystem inflammatory syndrome is specific to children or if it also occurs among adults with COVID-19. What is Kawasaki Disease? This is an acute febrile episode (also known as Kawasaki Syndrome) that primarily affects children under age 5. Its cause is unknown. It is not related or associated with COVID-19. First described by Tomisaku Kawasaki in Japan in 1967, the initial case outside Japan was in Hawaii in 1976. Signs include fever, skin rash, redness of the white of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, swollen hands and feet, inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat, with “strawberry” tongue. Highest incidence (9 to 19 per 100,000) is in Japan but it is found worldwide. Since 1982, there were several outbreaks in the U.S. Kawasaki is the leading cause of acquired heart disease (coronary dilatation and aneurysms from vasculitis) in children. The standard use of IV immunoglobulin and aspirin significantly lowers coronary artery pathology. Mortality rate is about 1.25% and 2.35% among those with cardiac complications. Could both affect kids? Yes, but very rarely. The first such case reported was a baby girl in the San Francisco Bay Area, who developed both the MIS-C, post COVID-19, and also Kawasaki Disease late in March 2020, and has fully recovered. In general, children with COVID-19 have milder symptoms or none at all compared to adults. Death rate in COVID-19 for those 80+ years old is between 14.8 % to 21.9%, and among children 10-19 years of age is 0.2%. There are no deaths reported among 9 years old and younger. The signs and symptoms of Strep throat could also be similar to those of MIS-C and Kawasaki, with subtle medical differences
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which physicians, especially pediatricians, could discern and differentiate after complete examination and laboratory tests. Obviously, accurate and early diagnosis is vital for proper treatment. Parents with concerns should call their physician promptly. What causes COVID-19 deaths in children? Children are known to be at a lower risk to acquire COVID-19 and when infected, they have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic, with faster recovery and lower death rate. With the discovery of this new Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, deaths among them are now deemed to be due to MIS-C, unless proven otherwise or unless they were immune-compromised to begin with, or with other co-morbidities. Is there a resurgence of COVID-19? There are countries and cities with a second wave of COVID-19 breakout after re-opening following a lockdown. Among them are South Korea, Singapore, Wuhan, Lebanon, Iran, Italy. More countries, including the U.S. might (hopefully not) experience a resurgence after re-opening if the guidelines are abandoned and people become careless. This, obviously from a breakdown in continuing the COVID-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV2 virus, which we advocated with an acronym, Fight COVID-19 with C-O-V-I-D: Cover face to scratch, sneeze, or cough; Omit non-essential travels; Voluntary quarantine; Intensive hand washing; Distancing is social. Like other past viral infections, a second or more waves might follow, and graver, depending on people’s behavior and discipline (or lack of it). Does UVC light destroy SARS-CoV2? UVC radiation from the sun was discovered in 1801 and in 1892 it was shown that it was primarily the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum that had bactericidal power. UtraViolet-C (UVC) light (wavelength 254 nm) has been PAGE 12
Filipino singer-songwriter Reese Lansangan Photo from Instagram/@reeseypeasy
2016 debut album “Arigato, Internet!” “’A Song About Space’ is my open letter to the universe,” the artist said in a video from her 12part YouTube mini-series “Dissecting the Song,” where she explained the songwriting process behind her album. “I feel like a lot of us have that innate fascination for space and what’s beyond us, what’s beyond Earth, and I just wanted to translate my curiosity into a simple but catchy song.”
Angel relaunches artista ‘ukay-ukay’ to support mass testing JUST a month after her “Unitent We Stand PH” initiative — which raised P11.35 million, set up 246 tents (225 isolation and 21 sanitation) and benefited 135 hospitals — real-life “Darna” Angel Locsin is launching another offensive against the local novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. This time, the Kapamilya star is reviving the “Shop and Share” fundraiser, her brainchild back in 2009 that raised at least $15,000 to help Filipinos recover in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy. “We had actors, singers and even basketball players donate personal items from designer bags, clothes, jerseys, jewelry, etc., and we auctioned them off on eBay, with all the proceeds going to the Philippine Red Cross,” Angel explained the idea on social media. She appealed to her friends and fellow artists to participate
purchase test kits and allow testing opportunities for the poorer sectors in the hopes of helping out in the efforts to provide mass testing in the country,” the 35year-old wrote. “Yes, in support of mass testing. Because in this way we can make a higher impact, by pushing the TEST-TRACE-ISOLATE/ TREAT formula that is the only proven way to defeat the virus.” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque yesterday said that the government is leaving mass testing in the hands of the private Angel Locsin Photo from Instagram_@therealangellocsin sector. Meanwhile, Angel’s partner in Shop and Share “in the hopes in the original Shop and Share of helping out in the efforts to auction, actress Anne Curtis, reprovide mass testing in the coun- posted the graphic and likewise try.” encouraged her celebrity col“We would like to revisit the leagues to contribute. idea of artists coming together Angel’s good friend Dimples and helping those who need it Romana also promoted the huthe most. This time, with the manitarian initiative. (Philstar. funds we raise, we would like to com)
PAGE 10 Lim’s forthcoming title “Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop” is a dreamy and magical trip centered on heritage and food. The story centers on protagonist Vanessa Yu, who has an ability to predict scenarios, though she thinks it’s a curse. Unhappily single and after delivering the worst misfortune to someone she loves, Vanessa finally decides she’s had enough—it’s time to get this “gift” under control. She enlists the help of the family fortune telling expert, her aunt Evelyn. The only catch? Aunt Evelyn is moving to Paris to open a teashop. Vanessa has no choice but to journey to the city of love to change her destiny. “Amboy: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream” by Alvin Cailan and Alexandra Cuerdo (August 25)
Famed Fil-Am chef Alvin Cailan — founder of popular breakfast sandwich purveyor Eggslut and host of online series “The Burger Show” — has teamed up with “Ulam” documentary director Alexandra Cuerdo for a cookbook illustrating the dual identity as an “amboy,” a Filipino growing up in America. Set to be released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in late summer, this cookbook narrates Cailan overcoming “cultural traditions and family expectations to find his own path to success.” Expect Filipino comfort classics from the lens of a Fil-Am upbringing and anecdotes about Cailan’s rise as a chef. “Vampires of Portlandia” by Jason Tanamor (September 29) Based on Filipino folklore (aswang), “Vampires of Portlandia” by Jason Tanamor is a fantasti-
Amanda Mrad, Valedictorian at Terra Nova High School
High school seniors will not be robbed of graduation ceremonies, says Supervisor Canepa Supervisor funds virtual graduations, buys caps and gowns for approximately a thousand students at high schools in Daly City and Pacifica
DALY CITY – San Mateo County Supervisor David J. Canepa was set to introduce a resolution on Tuesday, May 19 asking the board to fund virtual graduations for more than 1,000 seniors in the Jefferson Union High School District. The $103,000 grant will cover graduation costs at five high schools including Jefferson, Westmoor, Thornton, Oceana and Terra Nova. “We will not let COVID-19 rob our seniors of this once in a lifetime milestone,” Supervisor Canepa said. “A virtual graduation is the safest way to celebrate these students’ accomplishments. Graduation is exciting for not just the students but for the families and friends who supported them along this incredible cal tale of different monsters journey. It’s both an ending and coexisting in the weirdest city in a beginning with fantastic memAmerica. When Marcella Leones ories of student life and awesome relocates her family of aswang dreams for the future.” vampires from the Philippines to Portland, Oregon, she raises her grandchildren under strict rules so humans will not expose them. Her only wish is to give them a PAGE 9 peaceful life, far away from the port you need regarding the COhunters and the Filipino govern- VID-19 pandemic, dial 211 from ment that attempted to exter- your phone or text the keyword minate them. Before she dies, “COVID19” to 211211. she passes on the power to her “Our ability to adapt our workeldest grandchild, Percival. He force to meet the pressing needs vows to uphold the rules set forth of the COVID-19 pandemic by Leones, allowing his family to wouldn’t have been possible to roam freely without notice. How- sustain without the support of ever, when the aswang covenant PG&E,” said Erik Sternad, Execuis broken, the murder rate in tive Director of Interface Children Portland rises drastically. Who & Family Services, which overis behind the murders? And who sees the 211 response across 41 is behind the broken covenant? California counties. “While it is Along with sensie Penelope Jane, difficult for Californians to know Percival must find the truth. how to prepare for a crisis of this
Fil-Am books to read during summer...
JUHSD Board of Education president Kalimah Salahuddin
Supervisor Canepa serves District 5 which includes the cities of Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, portions of South San Francisco and San Bruno and the unincorporated Broadmoor Village. Amanda Mrad, Terra Nova Valedictorian and president of both the District Student Advisory Council and the Terra Nova Associated Student Body said: “The class of 2020 has lost many memorable parts of our senior year, all of it out of our control. We are extremely grateful for the efforts of our county and district to give us an important piece back by providing us with caps and gowns to keep. Although a virtual graduation is not the ideal situation, we are thankful the county is giving us this opportunity and we know it is the safest option. We will all look forward to the day when we can celebrate this milestone in person.”
Kalimah Salahuddin, president of the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Education, said: “Thanks to the generous support of San Mateo County, the JUHSD is able to celebrate our seniors with a virtual graduation, followed by an in-person graduation event once California and San Mateo health officers lift all restrictions.” The list below shows the district’s virtual graduation dates and times: • June 29 10:30 - 12:30 Westmoor 1:00 - 3:00 Jefferson 3:30 - 5:30 Transition special education • June 30 10:30 - 12:30 Terra Nova 1:00 - 3:00 Thornton 3:30 - 5:30 Oceana. (Article/Photos provided by Supervisor Canepa’s office)
PG&E sponsors 211 service to support... magnitude, they are much better informed about critical resources now and into the future as a result,” Sternad added. To learn more about 211’s disaster support, please visit www.211.org. Interface Children & Family Services’ 211 program is part of a statewide network of comprehensive health and social service information and referral professionals. Their 211 program serves 41 of 58 counties in California and has a rich history of providing information and referral services to meet the needs
of local communities during an emergency or public health crisis. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com and www. pge.com/news.
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Features
MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
Real Estate Knowledge Martin Santiago, Broker-aSSociate THE chairman of the Federal Reserve on Sunday said the central bank has not exhausted its power to help the economy get through the coronavirus pandemic. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said, “There’s a lot more we can do. We’re not out of ammunition by a long shot. There’s really no limit to what we can do with these lending programs that we have.” On Monday, May 18, at the start of another week under California’s stay-at-home order, Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out slightly loosened criteria for counties that hope to allow businesses to reopen more quickly than the state overall. Twenty-four California counties have moved into Expanded Stage 2, according to Newsom. The later phase of Stage 2 allows dine-in restaurants, shopping centers, community centers and schools to reopen with modifications. On the same day, a candidate vaccine for Covid-19 developed by the drug maker Moderna appears to generate an immune response similar to the response seen in people who have been LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, of Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, a columnist of Asian infected by the virus and recovJournal and past president and Chairman Emeritus of the FEUDNR School of Medicine Alumni Foundation (at the podium) was bestowed the 2019 ered. All these caused the market Lifetime Achievement Award by his medical peers at the Caesar’s Resort and Casino in Las Vegas last year. With Dr. Chua in photo are (from to spike and reached its highest left) Daisy Ramos, MD, (Michigan) and Manuel Malicay, MD (Illinois), Awards Committee Co-Chair. The Annual Medical Convention and Grand Ball level since April. It was up by was attended by more than 300 physicians and their spouses from various states across the U.S., from Canada, and from the Philippines. 900 points. Investors were posiPhoto by Reggie Tobias tive about the development in our
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Scary MIS-C in kids
known to be germicidal and virucidal, and lately found to deactivate and eradicate SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19. However, the rays are harmful to the eyes and skin when exposed to the UVC light. This light has been used to sterilize empty ICU rooms, operating rooms, ERs, surgical and dental equipment, etc. and very useful at home, especially for those who use CPAP equipment for sleep apnea, and for sterilizing toothbrush, toys, cellphones, tablets, jewelries, and any other items, including food. A small room, like the laundry room, or big box with cover, could be used for sterilizing. UVC lamps can also sterilize an entire room (empty) for less than 30 minutes. The food industry uses
FOR RENT
UVC light to sterilize food products (meat, fruits, vegetables) before shipping them out. UVC light has been used for decades to sterilize water, as a part of the reversed osmosis multi-stage water filtration system in city water plants and under-the-sink system at home around the world. Columbia University’s David Brenner, professor of biophysics, is coming out with a lowcost Far-UVC light, a new version with very short wavelength (205-230 nm) which will destroy viruses like SARS-CoV2, and is also safe to humans, pets, and plants in the room. The Far-UVC lamp will be a unit like the electric mosquito/fly zapper available today. The Far-UVC lamp will be up on the ceiling or walls, with automatic on and off timers, to
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Market Bounce Back? fight against this pandemic. On Tuesday, May 19, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced that borrowers may now refinance or buy a home with a new mortgage if they have begun to make payments on their current mortgage again. They can do this if they’re in the forebearance program, or also if they have gotten out of it already. But they have to have made at least three months’ worth of payments. The previous guidelines had said borrowers must be current on their mortgage for at least a year. The director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that borrowers may now refinance or buy a home with a new mortgage if they have started making payments on their current mortgage again. FHFA is also extending Fannie and Freddie’s ability to purchase single-family mortgages that are in forbearance. They can now buy forborne loans, with note dates on or before June 30, as long as they are delivered to the two by August 31st, and have only one missed mortgage payment. The previous policy was set to expire on May 31. These welcome moves ensure that homeowners who continue to make on-time payments – and those who have successfully exited forbearance – can benefit from near record-low mortgage rates. Borrowers may apply for mortgage forbearance with no proof
of hardship, only declaring that they are unable to make their monthly payments. While the number of borrowers continues to increase, now with just over 8% of all borrowers in forbearance, the weekly volume of new applicants is shrinking. As people venture into the real estate market, it’s critical they have precise information and guidelines on how to stay safe during every part of their move. Home showings are now allowed in owner-occupied homes as long as they comply with guidelines. Houses are getting listed again as the economy reopens and more people are going back to work. Some industries in the Bay Area are changing like Uber who laid off almost 30% of their workforce but are now acquiring GrubHub, a food delivery service. Businesses are changing. Commercial real estate will have a tough time bouncing back but residential real estate is holding up. With a steady job demand in the Bay Area, home prices are holding up. *** Martin Santiago is a broker associate at Compass Burlingame, a full-service residential brokerage firm. He is also a licensed mortgage loan originator & an International Associate at the American Institute of Architects. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be a formal legal advice nor the formation of a broker-client relationship. Call or email Martin at (415)8507704; teammsquare@gmail.com; www. teammsquare.com. (Advertising Supplement)
Francisco Martin finishes in top 5...
constantly destroy viruses and PAGE 10 kill bacteria in the air and on sur- said. As for Richie, he said, “You faces, including clothing and our body in any room, like in build- know, Francisco, my mother was ings, offices, theaters, restaurant, an elementary school teacher and public places, and our homes. It principal. And she always said to will condition the air to be free me, ‘What makes a great teacher of bacteria and viruses, before is that you have great students.’ they get on us and into our body. You have been a model student, Google Far-UVC light for more my friend. You have taken all of our notes and every time I see details. you, I smile when you’re per*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a forming because you have deCardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in livered the goods on graduation Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, day. God bless you, man!” After the two rounds, the top Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public five were whittled down to two Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino finalists – Arthur Gunn and Just United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 Sam. In the end, it was Just Sam humanitarian foundation in the United who was announced by Ryan States. Websites: philipSchua.com and Seacrest as the winner of Season FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ 18 of American Idol. You represented yourself and gmail.com.
your community very well, Francisco Martin, congratulations! *** Here’s one for pageant enthusiasts. The Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) pageant will be moved from May to later this year, due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. According to an article in the Philippine Star, the pageant’s search for its next representative to the Miss Universe pageant will be held in October. According to MUP creative director Jonas Gaffud, viewers can expect a one-of-a-kind show and will show a more dynamic side for young women leaders in the Philippines. Shamcey Supsup, national director of the MUP and herself a
SERVICES
SERVICES
Binibining Pilipinas winner in 2011, says that the next Miss Philippines Universe should be a role model. “A Miss Universe Philippines always comes with the glory of being able to represent the best of the Philippines in the universe stage. But we believe that service and leadership to the nation should come first before that glory,” she was quoted as saying. Supsup also said that although the Miss Universe Organization has been affected by the current pandemic, especially as it is based in New York, she believes that it will remain resilient and relevant around the world. “We are in touch with them and are regularly updated when there are changes in their strategic direction,” she added.
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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 22-28, 2020
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MAY 22-28, 2020 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
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