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Volume 11 – Issue 32 • 16 Pages
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PH Senate, House panels OK national ID system by DJ
yap Inquirer.net
As early as this year, filipinos will be carrying national identification cards with their personal data that can serve as proof of identity in transacting with the government and the private sector. having a national ID card won’t be compulsory, but it will be “very inconvenient” for citizens to manage without one, according to sen. Panfilo Lacson, chair of the senate public order Critics have raised fears that the proposed ID system will jeopardize the security of Filipinos
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and leave them vulnerable to violations of their privacy and other rights. Inquirer.net photo
ALEGRIA OIL FIELD. President Rodrigo Duterte discusses matters with Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on the sidelines of the Alegria Oil Field oil and gas production ceremonial commencement in Alegria, Cebu. Also in the photo are Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and Sec. Bong Go of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President. Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo
Palace: No reason yet to lift martial law in Mindanao
USA
DATELINE Palace: PH renews ties with US in Hawaii meeting from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
the Philippines is not abandoning its traditional alliance with the united states, malacañang said on monday, may 21. Leading the filipino delegation was executive secretary salvador medialdea, who met u.s. Admiral harry harris Jr., chief of the u.s. Pacific Command (Pacom), in honolulu, hawaii on friday, may 18. malacañang said the meeting between Philippine officials and the united states Pacific Command (PACom) chief was meant to reassure that the Philippines has not abandoned its ties with the u.s. Apart from medialdea, foreign secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge eduardo Año, Philippine Ambassador to the united states Jose manuel romualdez and Philippine Permanent representative to the united Nations teodoro Loc-
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Supreme Court says employers can now force arbitration
A 5-4 u.s. supreme Court decision reached monday, may 21 made it so that businesses can now forbid their workers from banding together in class action lawsuits, and instead require individual arbitration. this comes despite roughly 25 million American workers not having union protections. Justice Neil Gorsuch, in writing for the conservative majority, said that the decision was determined by the 1925 federal Arbitration Act which the his supporting justices agreed trumped the National Labor relations Act (NLrA) — another federal law that opponents stood by. the NLrA makes it illegal for employers to enforce contracts that deny employees their right to collective action. Gorsuch argued that if workers were able to band together, “the virtues Congress originally saw in arbitration, its speed and simplicity and inexpensiveness, would be short away and arbitration would wind up
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by Jhoanna
Ballaran Inquirer.net
there is no need yet to lift martial law in mindanao, malacañang said Wednesday, may 23, a year after Islamic state-inspired fighters stormed marawi City. Presidential spokesperson harry roque said as long as martial law is needed in the region, the declaration will not be lifted. “Wala pong gusto na magkaroon ng (Nobody File photo shows an aerial shot of a mosque amidst flattened houses in Marawi City, in southern island wants) martial law beyond the necessity of of Mindanao, after five months of house-to-house fighting between troops and jihadists loyal to the Islamic State group that killed nearly 1,200. ManilaTimes.net photo by Merlyn Manos having martial law. so the Palace would like
to assure the public the moment the need for martial law ceases, it will be lifted,” roque said in a video statement. “But certainly one year after the siege, the time to lift martial law is not yet here. so it will be lifted as long as there is no need for martial law,” he added. roque, however, did not give a timeline or conditions that would prompt the lifting of the declaration. the spokesperson issued the statement in
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Sotto on plagiarism allegations: Filipina students graduate Summa Translating isn’t copying Cum Laude from Wharton, NYU by Gaea
Katreena Philstar.com
CaBiCo
mANILA — senate President Vicente “tito” sotto III on tuesday, may 22, continued to deny allegations of plagiarism, almost six years after he was accused of copying from the late u.s. sen. robert Kennedy for a speech. In an interview with rappler, sotto once again blamed reproductive health advocates for criticism he received back then. “the issue on plagiarism was a strategy of those, particularly people connected with International Planned Parenthood [federation]. If you look at the journal of the senate, from that time up to
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by MoMar
SOTTO ASSUMES SENATE PRESIDENCY. Newly-elected Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III (left) shakes the hand of former Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III Monday, May 21. Pimentel, who nominated Sotto as his successor, said Sotto was dedicated to his work and the institution. Senate photo by Alex Nueva España
Palace: Duterte pleased with new DOT chief’s moves vs corruption by rosette
aDel
Philstar.com
Philippine Tourism Secretary Bernadette RomuloPuyat AJPress photo
G. Visaya
AJPress
PresIDeNtIAL spokesperson harry roque on monday, may 21, said President rodrigo Duterte is very pleased with tourism secretary Bernadette romulo-Puyat’s recent pronouncement against corruption. “she was appointed with the express mandate to do good and to fight corruption and she’s doing just that,” roque said. “the president is very pleased,” he added. roque praised Puyat after she revealed that she discovered grave cor-
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A CouPLe of students from the Philippines graduated summa Cum Laude from their respective universities this week. twenty one year-old Lara Andrea montales graduated with a degree in Bachelor of science in economics major in finance and Business Analytics from Wharton school at the university of Pennsylvania, listed as forbes’ 2017 Best Business school in the u.s. montales was the valedictorian in elementary at the Colegio san Agustin-makati and she graduated with honors at the Philippine science high school before enrolling at Wharton school. Lara Andrea Montales Janelle micaela s. Panganiban also graduated summa cum laude last week from the New York university with three majors: Global Public health, Public Policy, sociology (honors). Panganiban received the prestigious Alexander L. shluger Award for excellence in sociology. this is awarded to a senior student who has majored in sociology and who has excelled in his or her study of this subject. she was likewise a consistent Dean’s Lister and a founders Day Awardee of her graduating class. she is a member of the Gaddang indigenous group from Isabela. With her achievements, Panganiban said that, “As a filipino, I feel like I have the obligation to bring all of these back to the Philippines and at Janelle (center) is joined by her proud parents Rep. Jose the same time, as a descendant of the T. Panganiban, Jr. (left) and Mayor Lourdes S. Panganiban
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(right)
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May 25-31, 2018 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL
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From the Front Page
PH Senate, House panels OK... PAGE A1 committee. He said the Senate and the House of Representatives reconciled their differences and agreed on a common version of the bill in a meeting of the bicameral conference committee on Tuesday night, putting it on the verge of passage into law. Under the version adopted by the bicameral committee, only the individual’s full name, sex, birthdate, birthplace, address and nationality, as well as biometric information, will be stored in the ID system, Lacson said on Wednesday, May 23. The two panels agreed to adopt the Senate version with minimal amendments, doing away with the proposal in the House to require sensitive information, such as the cardholder’s parents’ names, permanent address, height and weight. “They agreed to adopt the Senate version with minor amendments,” Lacson said of the House contingent. “They had some suggestions, but substantially, it’s the Senate version.” Both the House and Senate versions provide for the creation of a Philippine Identification
System to help citizens establish their identity “as a means of simplifying public and private transactions.” Besides serving as official proof of identity, the ID card may be presented in requesting social welfare, services and benefits from government agencies, applying for passports and driver’s licenses, opening bank accounts, registering as a voter, and getting admitted to schools and hospitals. Jose Celorico Jr., an employee of the Makati Public Safety Department, said a single ID card would be more convenient for him. “I don’t have to bring all my IDs (at least six), which may be easily lost,” he said. Critics’ fears Critics have raised fears about the proposed ID system jeopardizing the security of Filipinos and leaving them vulnerable to violations of their privacy and other rights. Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago cautioned against the national ID system. “For a regime that holds a record of criminalizing dissent and silencing vocal critics, this could be an additional arsenal for further espionage and repression,” she said.
Beyond the provision of an ID card, the government should deal with people’s demand for better access to quality social services, Elago said. “What good is an ID, if there are not enough public hospitals, schools and facilities for our people who need these services the most?” she asked. Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, said that on its face, the proposal would simplify transactions and identification. “However, there is reasonable ground to be wary that it will be abused to intrude into one’s privacy and liberty,” Olalia added. Loretta “Etta” Rosales, former human rights commission chair, said Filipinos should oppose the proposed national ID system. “Under more humane conditions where people are free to walk the streets and enjoy the comfort of police protection, I would say ‘yes’ because this facilitates government services to the public. But conditions are not healthy and safe,” she said. Safeguards, penalties On the contrary, a national ID system can facilitate control of people’s profiles by forces in
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Sotto on plagiarism allegations... PAGE A1 the present, there’s nothing that would fall in the category of plagiarism,” he said. He claimed that when delivering his speeches, he always says that he is “not a scientist, not a doctor.” “They refuse to listen to that and just claim that I got it from a book, from this or probably an inspirational message that was used by Senator [Robert F.] Kennedy. They say I plagiarized that. Of course not,” Sotto said. In September 2012, Sotto was accused of lifting portions of a Kennedy speech in 1966 when he delivered the final part of his opposition to the RH bill in Filipino. The late senator’s daughter, Kerry, demanded a public apology from Sotto. Sotto once again defended himself by insisting that translating is not copying. “It was an inspirational message coming from a pastor that
was used by Americans and if we use it and translate it to Tagalog, there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not plagiarism,” he said. The Senate president went on: “Because if you think that’s plagiarism, then you must think that ‘Bayang Magiliw’ is plagiarized because it was originally in Spanish. And somebody changed it into English and somebody translated it into Tagalog unofficially. So, is that plagiarism?” Versions of the Philippine national anthem exist in Spanish (1899), in English (1938), and Filipino (1958). Guidelines on how and when it should be sung are in Republic Act No. 8491, which was enacted in 1998. Not the first plagiarism charge It was not the first time that he was accused of plagiarism. In August of the same year, netizens pointed out that the explanations presented during the first part of his turno en contra
speech were copied almost exactly from an article of a blogger Sarah Pope. He also allegedly plagiarized in his anti-RH bill speeches the online works of bloggers Janice Formichella and Peter Engelman. A complaint against Sotto was filed before the Senate ethics committee. In an advisory opinion in 2012, the Department of Justice said that plagiarism is punishable under the Cybercrime Prevention Act only if it corresponds to a copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Code. ‘Bayang Magiliw’ gaffe Aside from Sotto’s renewed defense of his plagiarism scandal, Sotto’s referring of the country’s national anthem as “Bayang Magiliw” instead of its actual title “Lupang Hinirang” also incensed social media users. “Bayang Magiliw” is the first line of the national anthem. n
COLLAPSED. A portion of a flyover under construction collapses at the corner of Aguinaldo Highway and Daang Hari in Imus, Cavite late Saturday. The structure fell on a motorcycle and a truck. No one was hurt, but traffic flow was snarled for hours. The road was finally cleared late afternoon on Sunday, May 20, according to city mayor Emmanuel Maliksi. ManilaTimes.net photo by Boy Josue
Supreme Court says employers can now... PAGE A1 looking like the litigation it was mean to displace. “The policy may be debatable, but the law is clear: Congress has instructed that arbitration agreements like those before us must be enforced as written,” wrote Gorsuch. “While Congress is of course always free to amend this judgement, we see nothing suggesting it did so in the NLRA — much less that it manifested a clear intention to displace the Arbitration Act. Because we can easily read Congress’s statutes to work in harmony, that is where our duty lies,” he added. The decision consolidated three cases involving tens of thousands of nonunion employees who claimed they were being underpaid by their employers — Ernst & Young, LLP, Murphy Oil USA Inc., and Epic Systems Corporation. The employers said the arbitration contracts their employees signed prohibited the workers from going forth with any collective proceedings. Joining Gorsuch in the ruling was Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito Jr. Writing for the four dissenters was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the oldest among her justice
colleagues. Joining her were Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer. The 85-year-old described the majority opinion as being “egregiously wrong” and said it was a step back in U.S. labor rights where “yellow dog” contracts were often used to prevent workers from joining labor unions. “The end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th was a tumultuous era in the history of our Nation’s labor relations,” wrote Ginsburg. “Under economic conditions then prevailing, workers often had to accept employment on whatever terms employers dictated.” “The court today holds enforceable these arm-twisted, take-it-or-leave-it contracts — including the provisions requiring employees to litigate wage and hours claims only one-by-one,” Ginsburg continued. “Federal labor law does not countenance such isolation of employees.” The justices behind the majority vote argued that using arbitration was less expensive and less time-consuming, but opponents say the decision would be a blow to workers as tens of millions of private nonunion workers will not be able to sue collectively. Speaking to the Washington Post, president and chief executive of the National Women’s
Law Center, Fatima Goss Graves, said that employees may now be forced into an “individual, costly — and often secret — arbitration process.” “This will stack the deck in favor of the employer,” she said. To the New York Times, Gregory F. Jacob, a lawyer at O’Melveny & Meyers in Washington D.C., pointed out that arbitration clauses are already being used by employers. Jacob argued, “It does protect employers’ settled expectations and avoids placing our nation’s job providers under the threat of additional burdensome litigation drain.” According to Economic Policy Institute, nearly one in four private-sector non-union employees have been made to sign arbitration agreements that include class-action waivers. Opponents of the Monday ruling further think that the decision will most likely have a detrimental effect on the civil rights class actions regarding discrimination that have been picking up steam like the #MeToo movement, and others regarding race, religion, or gender. The decision is being considered as the most important business case of the term which began in October and will commence at the end of June. (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)
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Dateline USa
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • mAY 25-31, 2018
Asian American advocates want stronger voter turnouts in their communities by Rae
BEATING THE HEAT. To beat the heat of the summer season, kids along with their parents dip in the cool waters of a swimming pool at the Bakasyunan Resort and Conference Center in Tanay, Rizal. The Pilillia Wind Farm could also be seen in the background. PNA photo by Joey Razon
Filipina students graduate Summa Cum... PAGE A1 Gaddangs, i find myself impassioned for indigenous resurgence as a step to combat the long and embedded history of colonization.” CAMP What do they both have in common? Both got to the universities of their choice with help from CAMP (College Admissions Mentors for Peers) Philippines, an organization that provides and expands international education opportunities for young Filipinos. three former Filipino scholars at the international School Manila - Michi Ferreol (harvard College ‘15), Kimi Rodriguez (NYU Abu Dhabi ‘15) and Kaye Kagaoan (hamilton College ‘15) – started CAMP in May 2012 to bridge the international education resource gap between international school students and local school students. Panganiban and Montales both began their overseas journey when they left Manila in 2014 to be part of their respective colleges’ Class of 2018. Little did they know, both of them would be graduating with the highest honors a week apart four years later. “i didn’t feel like i did anything extraordinary. i was just studying what i loved studying. it was less for me and more for my family who was more excited than i was,” Panganiban told the Asian Journal in an interview a few days after her graduation. “i was passionate about getting out of the bubble and i realized all the new ideas that were out there. i learned to love learning,” she added. Panganiban finished secondary school at iCA (immaculate Conception Academy) in Greenhills. While still there, she saw a number of iCA graduates who went outside the country to pursue their college education. it was also there that she met some members of CAMP. “that’s where it started. they were teaching high school students how to study abroad and they gave tips about applying. i heard their experiences and i wanted to experience that as
well,” Panganiban shared. Wharton Wharton awards the summa cum laude honor to a student whose grade point average (GPA) is between 3.80 and 4.00. Montales entered Wharton School in 2014 where she was a consistent Dean’s Lister. She received the Freshman Leadership Award in 2015 for taking initiative and engaging with the Filipino community in Pennsylvania. Montales was an elementary valedictorian at Colegio San Agustin-Makati and graduated with high honors at the Philippine Science high School-Main. On her social media account, Montales posted “My very first profile picture at Penn was with the LOVE statue, so it’s only fitting that my last one be with the LOVE statue as well. So thankful for the love that i have given and received at this school, for the friends i have met and the families i have found, and for the home i have made. Until next time, Penn.” her testimonial about how CAMP helped her in getting to Penn is also posted on CAMP’s website. “thank you very much for standing by me throughout the whole process, for guiding me in the completion of my application, and for advising me on the best action to take. i don’t think my admission would have been possible without CAMP’s help,” Montales wrote. NYU Panganiban said she chose NYU specifically because she has family members in Long island, New York and also in New Jersey. “it was easier to settle and i knew that NYU is a global university and there was something in me that was itching and wanting to really explore the world and look what’s out there,” she shared. “And also, it’s not a closed campus so it made New York the campus.” And after four years at NYU, she gained experience enough for her to be able to give advice to Filipino students who might
Summa Cum Laude. Janelle Panganiban waves the Philippine flag during her graduation from New York University on May 18.
PH Senate, House panels OK... PAGE A2 government that do not believe in the rule of law, Rosales said. human rights group Karapatan also opposed the measure. “the measures in Congress on the national iD are designed to infringe on the citizens’ right to privacy, the right against surveillance and other forms of civil rights violations,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general. the iD system, to be maintained by the Philippine Statistics Authority, put in safeguards against unwarranted disclosure of private information. in the Senate version of the bill, entities that fail to accept the iD card shall be fined P500,000. Anyone who commits fraud using the card will be fined up to P500,000 or imprisoned for up to two years, or both. Severe violations carry tougher penalties. Willful use or disclosure of a cardholder’s personal data carries a penalty of six to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to P5 million. P2-B funding
the same offense, if committed by state officials or agents with custody of the iD system, is punishable by up to 15 years in jail and up to P10 million in fines. “implementation [can happen] this year” when the bill is signed into law, Lacson said. Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, chair of the house appropriations committee, ensured a P2-billion funding for the iD system for 2018. Full implementation of the program will require P25 billion in five years. Nograles said the approved consolidated bill “will help prevent another Marawi from happening.” the house passed the bill in September last year, while the Senate approved its version in March. the final version will be returned to both chambers for ratification and then sent to Malacañang for President Duterte’s signature. Presidential spokesperson harry Roque said the proposed national iD system was a priority administration bill. n
be thinking of studying abroad as well. “Remain curious, step out of your comfort zone, and engage in conversation. in our world that’s growing more and more divided, i still have hope that we can find ways to transcend our differences,” she said. Panganiban is the daughter Representative Jose t. Panganiban, Jr. of ANAC-iP Party list and Mayor Lourdes S. Panganiban of Angadangan, isabela. Panganiban will be one of the awardees in the 6th Annual Philippine Graduation (PGRAD) at the Philippine Center. PGRAD, which is slated to happen on June 9, is a flagship project of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, in cooperation with UniPro. n
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ann VaRona AJPress
With a population of over 21 million, Asian Americans are growing faster than any other ethnic racial group in the United States. in California alone, the Asian American Pacific islander (AAPi) population size is over 6.5 million — increasing at a 52 percent growth rate. Yet, when it comes to voter turnout, experts think much more of them should be getting involved to reflect such growth. Asian Americans are expected to constitute nearly 10 percent of eligible voters by 2036. For Californians, this year is especially important as they will be able to vote for who they want as U.S. Senator, California State Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State. these, in addition to a number of other State offices and five ballot measures. those living in Los Angeles will also have the opportunity to vote for Superior Court, Assessor, and Sheriff seats. With the final day for voter registration and the California primary election day itself fast approaching, many Asian American Pacific islander (AAPi) community and advocacy groups are pushing for Asian Americans to not only register to vote, but actually head out to the polls. “Due to lower voter turnout in primaries, AAPi communities’ votes will have a greater impact,” Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of Asian Ameri-
cans Advancing Justice - LA, said at a press conference on the matter held on thursday, May 17 at the organization’s LA headquarters. “By getting out the vote, we will show policymakers and elected officials that our voice matters and that our communities demand to be heard,” said Kwoh. in California, the number of Asian Americans who registered to vote in the state increased 11 percent between 2012 and 2016. Furthermore, Asian Americans made up over nine percent of the state’s voters during the 2016 General Election. But advocates like former California State Assemblyman Warren Furutani say that while the numbers show an improvement, they are not enough. “i think people don’t realize that the AAPi community has reached the capacity where it is no longer a minority’s minority,” said Furutani who also has served on the school board, community college board, and the state legislature. he added that the AAPi community makes up 15 percent of the state’s population, and should be using that large percentage to be a stronger part of the political process. As many Asian Americans work to become familiar faces in media and entertainment — take the nation’s food scene, for example — many have also been working to diversify the political landscape. Such is the case for California. “if you look at businesses, or if
you look at the Food Channel on television and on cable, everyone talks about Asian Food,” said Furutani. “But when it comes to politics, that’s really an area of growth for the Asian Pacific islander community.” Among the candidates running for California governor this cycle is John Chiang, a son of taiwanese immigrants. Running for California’s 39th Congressional District is Dr. Mai Khanh tran who at 9 years old, immigrated from Vietnam on her own. in San Francisco, Korean American Jane Kim is running to be San Francisco’s first female Asian American mayor. these are just some of the many Asian American individuals running for offices. “So no one can complain that we don’t have candidates running for office, and these are excellent candidates,” said Furutani. Outreach efforts to encourage voter turnout, a coalition of AAPi community advocacy groups including Advancing Justice-LA have engaged in a comprehensive get out the vote and phone banking campaign to reach the roughly 25,000 Asian voters living throughout Los Angeles County. With the help of the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, they’ve also been distributing “Easy Voter Guides” which describe offices and the propositions in plain language with translations. the coalition also includes Korean immigrant Workers Al-
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May 25-31, 2018 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL
Dateline USa
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‘Legal drug war’ in the Philippines elates US exec by ritchel
MendiolA AJPress
THE United States is reportedly elated to hear reports about drug operations in the Philippines being conducted within the rule of law, a visiting State Department official said Wednesday, May 16. “That’s very good for us to hear. We’re encouraged to hear about those efforts,” Patrick Murphy, acting principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific of the U.S. State Department, told reporters at a press briefing. According to Murphy, he was “glad” to hear about “Philippine
GETTING READY. Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao trains at a gym in Manila on Sunday, May 20, as he prepares for his bout with Lucas Matthysse. The two will face off in Malaysia on July 15, 2018. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
Matthysse must do a Jeff Horn to beat Pacquiao by
AbAc cordero Philstar.com
MANNY Pacquiao’s strength coach put himself in the shoes of Lucas Matthysse, and tried to figure out what the Argentine champion must do to stand a better chance inside the ring on July 15. He saw a dirty fight. “I think Matthysse will try to do what Jeff Horn did – rough him up, headbutts, elbows,” said Justin Fortune as Pacquiao wrapped up what looked like an easy day at the Elorde Gym last Saturday, May 19. Matthysse, 35, four years younger, is puncher, and the best way for him to be effective is for him to stand close to Pacquiao – and fight like Horn. The WBA welterweight cham-
pion may pick up from where Horn left in that cold day in July in Brisbane, where Pacquiao was bullied and stripped of his crown. “If I was fighting Manny I’d try to do exactly the same thing Jeff Horn did. Rough him up and put Manny on the ropes. But we’re planning for that,” said Fortune, who flew in three days ago. “Matthysse is an aggressive fighter and he’s a puncher. And he needs to be this close to Manny,” he told The STAR. With his hands, Fortune motioned that Matthysse must be 12 inches close to Pacquiao to land his punches. “That close,” he said. Pacquiao would welcome Matthysse as close to him as
possible. Other lessons were learned in the fight against the former schoolteacher from Brisbane, and one that’s as important as the others is that Pacquiao must not overtrain for this one. “To some extent, we overtrained (for Horn). Three weeks before the fight we did a ridiculous amount of rounds. And he burned himself out,” he said. Otherwise, it would have been an easy fight as the Pacquiao camp had expected. “That fight should have been done in four to five rounds. But even if we were overtrained, I think we still won the fight, and so does the rest of the world,” said the former heavyweight contender from Australia. n
Palace: Duterte pleased with new DOT... PAGE A1 ruption and overspending in the DOT. In a television report of ABSCBN, Puyat was seen getting emotional after finding out about DOT spending. “I was shocked because every day, I discover something. So I was kind of sad because we are talking about huge money, not just P1 million, P2 million, [but] hundreds of millions. I am from the Department of Agriculture and I saw that our farmers no longer have money,” she said in Filipino in the television report. Puyat last week suspended
the Tourism Promotions Board’s P320-million Buhay Carinderia project over lack of bidding. She also reportedly discovered overseas fashion shows awarded to designers close to former DOT chief Wanda Tulfo-Teo, golf tournaments, and questionable trips abroad. In February, Teo was accused of bringing her personal makeup artist and office clerks on her official travels.’ Documents obtained by The Star showed that Department of Tourism employees joined Teo in her 2016 and 2017 trips to Dubai, Italy, U.K., Russia, Japan,
U.S. and Canada “to attend international travel fairs and conduct inventory of DOT foreign offices.” This was denied by the resigned official. However, the issue was again raised to Puyat. “You didn’t enter the government to travel around the world. You don’t need to bring a battalion, you have attaché,” Puyat said. Puyat asked the COA to augment the auditors that would look into all the transactions of DOT. She said if the COA finds irregularity in the deals, she would stop them. n
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government officials discussing the anti-drug campaign conducted in accordance with the rule of law.” He also said that the U.S. understands the challenges brought by the anti-drug campaign to the Philippines at the national, international and the community level. “We want to be good partners. Of course as allies and friends we speak frankly. We speak honestly. Occasionally each country has concerns with each other and in the effort to counter narcotics here,” Murphy said. “We very much hope and we message this hope that the Phil-
ippines will continue to conduct this campaign in accordance with the rule of law and respect for human rights,” he added. Murphy said the war on illicit narcotics is “an endeavor shared by both the Philippines and the U.S.” “The Philippines has a very significant challenge. The U.S. does have as well. We’re experiencing an opioid crisis,” he added. The U.S. has shown concern over the drug-related killings in the Philippines in the past and has offered assistance in the country’s efforts toward rehabilitation as well as stopping international trafficking groups. n
4 non-communicable diseases killing Filipinos by SheilA
criSoStoMo Philstar.com
ONE in three Filipinos die prematurely from four leading noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) before the age of 70. This was the warning of specialists from the United Nations Interagency Task Force on Prevention and Control of NCDs and the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat who came for a week-long mission in the Philippines. The experts said that one in three Filipinos is likely to die from cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or heart attack, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases such as emphysema. But experts said there are many progressive initiatives to lower the burden of NCDs in the Philippines. These include the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages and effective tobacco control measures such as placement of graphic health warnings
and the Sin Tax Law. The mission members also recognized the updated multisectoral plan to tackle NCDs in the Philippines. However, the experts pointed out that there are difficulties in raising awareness among policymakers and the public about the threats of NCDs. “To beat NCDs, we need urgent action taken at various levels of the government and engagement of all relevant stakeholders,” said Gundo Weiler, WHO representative in the Philippines. “The participation of different sectors during this joint mission clearly demonstrates that progress in NCDs prevention and control requires coordinated action by many sectors, such as finance, trade and industry, budget and management, parliamentarians, justice, education, labour and employment, agriculture, local government and others,” he added. The experts have observed that the current investments on NCDs are still focused on treat-
ment. They underscored that preventing premature deaths from NCDs will require greater investment in health promotion and protection measures. International experience shows that investments in the prevention of NCDs are amongst the most effective public health investments, providing return of $5 to $94 for each dollar allocated to measures to reduce tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and increase physical inactivity. “Non-communicable diseases not only threatens an individual’s health, they also jeopardize the social fabric and economic development of the Philippines,” UN Philippines resident coordinator Ola Almgren said. “We commend the Philippine government on their commitment to address NCDs in the country. The UN stands ready to continue its support in the translation of this commitment into effective action for the Filipino people,” Almgren added. n
Asian American advocates want stronger... PAGE A3 liance (KIWA), Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), Filipino Migrant Center, Asian Pacific Labor Alliance, Restaurant Opportunities Center of Los Angeles, Asian Youth Center, and Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, executive director at PWC, emphasized the importance of voting has not only having an impact on those who become elected, but on what issues get addressed. “We need the legislators to hear about the stories of our community — of how we are affected by this housing crisis, access to healthcare, immigration issues, education issues — all of these issues that impact our families and our daily lives,” Versoza told the Asian Journal. The electoral process can sometimes be confusing, and this can be especially true for minority communities like that of Asian American groups. Challenges of getting more ideal voter turnouts for the most part revolve around education and mobilization. The PWC and the Filipino Voter
Empowerment Project have been working on tools and community oriented outreach events to help encourage a larger voter turnout among the Filipino-American community which is the largest AAPI group in California with a population of 1.6 million. Their next event that will take place at the PWC on June 2 is called “Voter Empowerment powered by Halo Halo” and will feature opportunities to learn about voting basics and this cycle’s ballot initiatives while enjoying the Filipino dessert halo-halo. At KIWA, a number of immigrants are also hoping to do their part despite not yet being able to vote. “These phone bankers are not yet eligible to vote themselves — they’re immigrants and they’re aspiring to be able to vote,” said Alexandria Suh, executive director of KIWA. “But that doesn’t mean that they cannot be involved in the civic process.” Speaking on the importance of outreach towards minority communities, Suh recalled a story of how one elderly Korean woman
she had registered to vote shared that no one had ever approached her to register until then despite having been a citizen for decades. “She said to me that she wanted to vote once before she dies,” said Suh. “I really hope she votes many times before she dies, but she might not know how often those elections come around — especially the special elections.” The deadline to register to vote in this upcoming California Primary Election is Monday, May 21. Those wanting to vote via mail have until Tuesday, May 29 to request a “vote by mail” ballot. Polling places will be open on election day, Tuesday, June 5, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. “This is what this project is all about — bringing to bear our communities to create political power and have an impact on who gets elected, how policy gets made, and how it affects us and all of our communities,” said Furutani. He added, “It’s your responsibility. In my opinion, it’s an obligation.” n
Palace: No reason yet to lift martial... PAGE A1 response to Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago’s call for President Rodrigo Duterte to end martial law in Mindanao following reports of humanrights violations in the region. On May 23 last year, a firefight started to erupt between government forces and Isis-inspired Maute fighters, who tried to take over Marawi City, prompting Duterte to declare martial law in the region. The attack, later on, led to a fivemonth-long battle, reducing the city into shambles. The Liberal Party (LP) of the Philippines on Tuesday, May 22, urged the Duterte administration to lift the martial law decree imposed on Mindanao. “While the war is long over, the people of Marawi cannot start healing the wounds of the past with the continued implementation of martial law which allows warrantless arrest not only in Marawi but in the entire Mindanao,” the LP said in a statement.
The party pointed out that there was “no rebellion in Mindanao that warranted the extension of the military rule.” The LP maintained that the threats of rebellion did not qualify as grounds for military rule. “Worse, rights group Amnesty International reported in November 2017 that human rights abuses were committed both by the Maute Group and some members of the military even under the implementation of martial law which government claims would restore law and order,” the party said. The LP also said the government should “put their money where their mouth is,” urging them to focus more on providing 26,000 permanent shelters for Marawi citizens. Only 1,000 temporary shelters have been built for the affected communities so far, the party claimed. Malacañang, however, expressed satisfaction with the rehabilitation
efforts toward Marawi City, saying majority of the residents were back in the war-torn city. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said that “the government was ahead in the provision of temporary and permanent shelters for Marawi residents displaced by fighting between the military and local terrorists.” “The good news is, as far as the residents are concerned, 70 percent of the residents have gone back to their homes…That is under a year’s time. We are even ahead of schedule in terms of rebuilding of the communities,” he said. The government is aiming to build 6,400 temporary shelters and 2,500 permanent shelters to be given to the poorest and most conflict-affected Marawi residents. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander for Joint Task Force Ranao, said that “70 percent of the whole city had ‘returned to normal.’” (With reports from Ritchel Mendiola AJPress)
Palace: PH renews ties with US in... PAGE A1
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sin Jr. joined the meeting. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the two allied countries renewed their commitment to strengthen ties. “The Philippines and the United States have reaffirmed their resolve to bolster their enduring alliance anchored on common values and interest, historic ties, and the Mutual Defense Treaty, in high-level discussions in Honolulu,” the DFA said in a statement. “The Philippine delegation had a very substantive exchange with Admiral Harris on regional challenges and both sides agreed that the alliance remains consequential to the preservation of regional stability and development,” it added. The meeting came on the same day China deployed long-range bombers in the disputed South China Sea (West Philippine Sea),
but Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the meeting was not intended to discuss the situation in the disputed region. “Well I can only surmise that the visit is intended to reassure the United States that, while we are pursuing an independent foreign policy, we have not actually – we have not abandoned our traditional ally, the United States,” Roque said in a Palace briefing. “That is probably to reassure that we value the continued friendship, and the security cooperation that we have had with the United States through the years,” he added. Since assuming the presidency, President Rodrigo Duterte has been seeking closer ties to China and Russia while unleashing several tirades against the U.S. He once threatened to sever ties with the superpower and end joint mil-
itary training for its criticisms of his war on drugs. Relations between Manila and Washington only eased when Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency in November 2016. When Duterte was asked if the Philippines could employ its alliance with the U.S. to address the situation in the West Philippine Sea, he answered, “In the absence of an actual attack, the Mutual Defense Treaty [between Washington and Manila] is inapplicable.” “It’s because what we need there is an actual armed attack on the Philippine territory or any of the islands. The military build-up by China cannot be the basis,” he said. Duterte has maintained a soft stance on the Philippines’ maritime dispute with China since assuming office in 2016. n
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Dateline PhiliPPines
Career official Arnold Gonzales takes over as TPB head by Kristine Joy
Philstar.com
DONNING OF RANKS OF MARAWI HEROES. Department of National Defense (DND) Undersecretary Cardozo Luna (2nd from left) led the Donning of Ranks of the Newly Promoted General Officers and Enlisted Personnel (heroes of Marawi liberation) at the Philippine Army Grandstand in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on Tuesday, May 22. Also in photo Philippine Army Commanding General, Lt. General Rolando Joselito Bautista. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
Duterte says some jobs are inappropriate for women by audrey
Morallo Philstar.com
MANILA — Amid criticisms of sexism and misogyny, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, May 24, said that some jobs are inappropriate for women. The remark was made days after activists and women’s rights advocates who accuse the president demeaning women launched the #BabaeAko movement. Speaking at the inauguration of a bridge project in Davao City, the Philippine leader stressed that he is a believer in the abilities of women but stressed that some jobs are not for them. He explained that, unlike men who are used to brawls and fights since childhood, women easily melt with just one look from their mothers. Both are generalizations that may not be accurate in 2018. “These women they are prim and proper. Just one look from their mothers they will melt,” Duterte, who regularly makes controversial statements, said. With the expected retirement of Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales, Duterte said last week that the next head of the antigraft office should have integrity but should not be a woman. “[S]omeone whose integrity is admired by people. Of course, it could not be [a] politician, especially not a woman” he told reporters. This remark prompted critics to slam the controversial chief executive, with a woman’s group calling his comments reeking of misogyny. Every Woman, a women’s advocacy group, said that Duterte’s statements and the way he interacts with women on his Cabinet show Philippine machismo’s most disgusting aspects. Palace denies discrimination, misogyny Malacañang defended the president, citing as evidence
A soldier holds a child rescued from the battle zone in Marawi City in June 2017. Philstar.com photo
Duterte’s appointment of women on his Cabinet. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, a former human rights lawyer, explained away Duterte’s remarks by saying that these were just a reflection of his frustration over the relentless criticisms of his administration. In a briefing on Thursday, Roque said that Duterte loves women. “The problem is, he loves them too much,” Roque is quoted by Rappler as saying. In stressing his point, the president asked what a woman member of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would do if a drug dealer sends her a photo of her child to intimidate her.” “I believe in women, the competence and capability. But not all in life. It should be the case. It’s not appropriate when you cannot stand threats and intimidation,” the president said in Filipino and English, implying that only men can withstand threats and intimidation in the performance of their duties. Ombudsman Morales, a woman, was subjected to threats from Duterte and his allies last year over the office’s investigation into allegations that the president had undeclared wealth. “You’ll be investigated also. One of these days, I am sure you will be pursued because of your partiality. If you don’t start
investigating yourself, I will set up a commission to investigate you,” Duterte, who later created the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, said in September 2017. Morales had inhibited herself from the investigation because of family ties with Duterte but also said: “Sorry, Mr. President, but this office shall not be intimidated.” Duterte also had spicy words for the United Nations and human rights groups, whom he accused of being headed by individuals who were not democratically elected. “There are members there who are not even elected. These are those who own fiefdom, kings, prince. What do you know about human rights when you run a kingdom? You have citizens there who can vote? Can they remove you? Can they put you to prison when you start to f*** up with the people,” he said. Just recently, the president said that he was advised by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon to tone down his criticisms of the head of the UN human rights office. According to Esperon, Jordan’s king, who is a cousin of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, is donating two Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters to the Philippines. n
PH gov’t concerned over Chinese bomber planes in South China Sea by rae
ann Varona
THE Department of Tourism on Thursday announced that career executive Arnold Gonzales has been named officer-in-charge of the Tourism Promotions Board. Gonzales takes the place vacated by Cesar Montano, who resigned on May 21 amid the controversy hounding the “Buhay Carinderia” program that he headed. “The 56-year-old career executive has been with the TPB/DOT for 30 years, assigned at various posts here and abroad,” the DOT said in a statement. Prior to this appointment, Gonzales was OIC of the Domestic Promotions Department of the TPB. Gonzales was not among the three highest-ranking TPB officials Montano suggested could take his place. According to its website, the TPB is an attached agency of the Tourism department created to “market and promote the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism and [Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions] destination.” Montano, a known supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, was appointed as head of the TPB on December 2016. During his tenure, employees of the TPB filed complaints against Montano. They listed 24 irregularities, including his incompetence, which he allegedly committed. Despite this, Montano was allowed to stay on at the board. Days before his resignation, TPB’s project “Buhay Carinderia” project, launched in lieu of the annual Madrid Fusion Manila, was also put in question because of a report from The Star claiming that Montano issued three checks amounting to P80 million in favor of the organizer and proponent of the event. The P80 million was reportedly an advance payment for the project, which has yet to start, and has a total budget of P320 million. Tourism chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who reviewed the department’s projects for her new role as department head,
could not stop herself from crying when she found out how the “hundreds of millions” from the department budget were spent by its former officials. Puyat has asked the Commission on Audit to look into all DOT projects, including those under Arnold Gonzales the TPB. n
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THE Philippines has “serious concern” over the Chinese bomber planes that landed on an island along the disputed South China Sea, said the country’s presidential spokesman. He added that the Philippines’ foreign ministry had taken “appropriate diplomatic action” but did not give specifics. The statements come after the Chinese air force landed longrange bombers on a South China Sea island for the first time last week as part of what its officials said was a training exercise. Harry Roque, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman, said that the Philippines did not have independent verification on whether or not Chinese bombers were present in the South China Sea. “But we take note of the reports that appeared and we express our serious concerns anew on its impact to efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region,” Roque added during a media briefing at Malacañang Palace, Monday, May 21. “We view it with very serious concern,” he added. The Philippine’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it was watching the situation closely. “We are taking the appropriate diplomatic action necessary to protect our claims and will continue to do so in the future,” the department said in a statement on the matter. The Pentagon criticized China’s move, describing it as “continued militarization” of island positions in the disputed area. “The United States remains
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A Chinese H-6K long range bomber flies over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone after the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration trashed China’s 9-Dash Line claim. Screengrabbed from China’s State Council Information Office Twitter Page/Weibo.com
committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Christopher Logan told Reuters. “We have seen these same reports and China’s continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabilize the region,” he added. China maintained that it was part of a military routine, and told other countries not to overinterpret its moves. “We hope that relevant parties do not read too much into this,” said Lu Kang, foreign ministry spokesman of China. “The relevant exercise is just a regular exercise of the Chinese military. There is no need to over interpret it,” he said. Vietnam — also having claims to the area — added to the criticism. The recent flights “increase tensions, cause regional instabilities and are not good for main-
taining a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment in the East Sea,” said Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang, in a statement. The China H-6K bomber was reported to have landed on what was identified as Woody Island late last week — a location that the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said would put all of South East Asia within the bomber’s range. Both the Philippines and China have for decades claimed ownership of almost all of the South China Sea. Roughly $3 trillion worth of goods is believed to pass through each year. Other countries also having claims to the area are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. China has already situated seven artificial islands in the region’s Spratly Islands to act as military outposts. In claiming ownership, China PAGE A7
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May 25-31, 2018 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL
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OpiniOn
Features
The fighting 14
In the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice, the House of Representatives has all but relinquished to the executive and judicial branches its constitutional power of impeachment. At least there’s hope in the other chamber of the 17th Congress, where 14 senators have signed a resolution urging the Supreme Court to review Sereno’s ouster through a mere quo warranto petition filed by the solicitor general. The ouster was approved with uncharacteristic speed by eight of the 15 SC justices, whose common denominator was their personal dislike for Sereno. While the landmark SC decision states that it will no longer have any further action on the issue, court rules give Sereno the right to file an appeal within 15 working days. Depriving her of an appeal will be as unjust as what critics of the SC ruling describe as a virtual revision of the Constitution by eight individuals, with the change requiring no approval by the people in a nationwide referendum. While Sereno is preparing her appeal, and even when the Supreme Court was deliberating on the unprecedented petition, the House – if it wanted to assert its constitutional power of impeachment, and if its members believed there is a strong case against Sereno – should
have proceeded with the impeachment proceedings. Instead the House is sitting on the impeachment and letting the SC carry out Sereno’s beheading. There’s a microscopic minority in the House that’s making noises about impeaching the eight SC justices for culpable violation of the Constitution. But this initiative is certain to be laughed out of the House by the super majority. The mood in the Senate raises hopes that the system of checks and balances among the three branches of government might yet survive. Perhaps the SC might heed the sentiments of 14 senators: Aquilino Pimentel III, soon to lose the leader’s post in the chamber, together with President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Juan Edgardo Angara, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Francis Escudero, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Leila de Lima, Francis Pangilinan, Grace Poe and Antonio Trillanes IV. Theirs might prove to be a voice in the wilderness, but they deserve to be remembered for their stand. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Global Browning
Street Talk GreG B. MacaBenta THE wedding of Prince Harry and bi-racial TV star, Meghan Markle, is a milestone in race relations as significant as the assumption of the US presidency by half Black Barack Obama. The White supremacists who continue to cling to the fantasy nurtured by Adolf Hitler, fanned by American neo-Nazis and abetted by President Donald Trump are witnessing a phenomenon as inexorable as global warming. Global browning. And some pundits are saying that when that happens, the global population will look like kayumanging kaligatang Pinoy. Indeed, it is a very interesting thesis: the perfect blending of the colors of the world population - Caucasian white, African black, Asian yellow and native American red - is Malayan Filipino brown. There was a time when only two countries could be considered a rainbow of races, namely, the United States and the Philippines. The US, because it is a country of immigrants that
started with a Caucasian base and, subsequently, with African Blacks added to the mixture, and then “colored folks” from all other world. The Philippines because of centuries of trading and colonization that made the country a salad bowl of ethnicities, ranging from the Hispanic Zobels to the Chinese Sys to the African-Pinoy rock star Apl.de.Ap to everything else in-between, from the swarthy Binays to the mestizo Gordons and Sottos to white-skinned Gloria Romero and the pretty boys and girls who populate Philippine showbusiness. Now, it’s no longer just the US and the Philippines. The racial mixtures in many countries in Europe have become diverse with the influx of immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. While it is illegal in France to collect data on ethnicity and race, available figures put the number of people of White or European origin at 85%, with an estimated 10% from North Africa, 3.5% Black and 1.5% Asian. About Germany, an online entry states, “Most Hollywood films about Germany take place during World War II. It’s no wonder, then, that most people’s impressions of the country can be summed up in a few words: Na-
the royal family. Because Prince Harry is 6th in the line of succession to the British throne, an offspring from this marriage will yield the first mixed-race child in the House of Windsor – a BritishAfrican-American. In stark contrast to the antimiscegenation and apartheid policies of yesteryears that made mixed marriages a crime and, therefore, had to be solemnized in the shadows, this mixed-race union was conducted with neither embarrassment nor apologies. Wrote the British daily, The Guardian: “It wasn’t just the black preacher, though Bishop Michael Curry’s fiery address evoking Martin Luther King and the misery of slavery certainly packed a punch. There was also the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the spiritual – This Little Light of Mine – sung by a black gospel choir. There was symbolism stitched in to so many elements of the wedding service chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that spoke to her mixed-race heritage.” The only wrinkle, albeit insignificant, was Tom Markle, Jr., Meghan’s half-brother, wanting desperately to get Prince Harry to change his mind about marrying his sibling for whatever demented reason. Perhaps Markle Jr. was thinking of British poet Rudyard Kipling’s opening lines in his epic poem, “Oh, East is East,
zis, lederhosen, beer, bratwurst and more Nazis. But to be deterred by the Hollywood version of Germany is to miss out on a modern country that is home to more black people than many people realize.” Out of a population of nearly 83 million, 2.3 million people in Germany have family links to the Middle East and around 740,000 have African origins. According to the German Mikrozensus 2011, there were about 1.8 million people with an Asian immigrant background, of which about 600,000 were Southeast Asians, primarily from Vietnam and Thailand. Based on the 2011 census, of the 56 million who lived in England and Wales, 86% were White, 8% were Asian and 3% were Black. Also based on the 2011 census, London only had a 44.9% White British population with 37% born outside the United Kingdom and 24.5% born outside of Europe. On the other hand, British royalty has been consistently White, going back 37 generations or 1,209 years and counting from King Alfred the Great who reigned in 871. But now comes Meghan Markle, born to a Black mother and a White father, marrying into
and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…” which would seem to suggest an unbridgeable gap between lovers of different ethnicities. But the poem is, in fact, an ode to mutual respect between people of contrasting backgrounds and stature as the subsequent lines show: “But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth.” The union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is another unorthodox chapter in the colorful romantic history of the British royal family. In 1936, King Edward VIII created a constitutional crisis when he decided to give up his crown in order to marry once-divorced and about-to-bedivorced-again American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward’s brother George VI assumed the throne. When he died in 1952, he was succeeded by his daughter, the present Queen Elizabeth II. Her eldest son, Charles, would have been the heir apparent but for his entanglement with his mistress, Camilla Bowles, for whom he divorced his wife, Princess Diana, mother of Prince Harry and the current heir-apparent, Prince William. As the lyrics of one of my favorite Harry Belafonte songs put it, “It was love, love alone,
caused King Edward to leave his throne.” And it was also love, love alone that caused Prince Charles to lose his place in line for the crown. We understand that for love, love alone, Prince Harry would have turned his back on the royal household had his family not approved of Meghan Markle. Indeed, for many dreamy-eyed young girls fantasizing about snaring a Prince Charming, this was the stuff of fairytales. Wrote Time Magazine: “The fact that a woman of Meghan’s background can become a royal duchess makes the House of Windsor a lottery rather than a cabal. Every little girl now can legitimately dream of marrying Prince George, whatever their color, nationality or sexual history.” Hopefully, the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will last longer than that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. But if it hits the rocks prematurely, let us all hope it will not be for reasons of race. And for the thousands – nay, millions – of Pinays who desperately want to whiten their complexions to make themselves more “racially desirable,” we hope that Meghan Markle’s story will make them realize that brown is beautiful. (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)
‘Five breeds of Duterte haters and why they are all equally ridiculous’ DEVOTE my entire column today to a very enlightening piece (with the above title) by American Adam Garrie in the website Eurasia/Future. In the Asia Times website where he also contributes, Garrie is described as “a geopolitical expert with an emphasis on Eurasia, Director of Eurasia Future and frequent guest on Digital Divides, RT’s CrossTalk and Press TV’s The Debate.” I couldn’t have written better his description of “Duterte haters,” especially that breed he describes as “those without a sense of humor.” One breed he missed though are the Clerics, who are aghast that Duterte doesn’t represent the elites they have always served, and in turn served by, since the birth of the nation. I’ll devote a future column to that breed of hypocrites. GARRIE PIECE STARTS HERE: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is subject to many varieties of slander from all sides of international media and from various political/ ideological groups. What all of these otherwise disparate groups have in common is that they universally ignore the fact that Duterte won a fair and democratic election in 2016 and remains not only incredibly popular but far more popular than most elected leaders, including the Presidents of the United States and France, as well as the German and British heads of government. In this sense, one is witnessing a perverse experiment in the colonial mentality wherein most Filipinos both in the Philippines and the millions of Filipinos who live abroad support Duterte while his mostly non-Filipino detractors have
crowned themselves neo-colonial masters who will “save” Commentary the country from a President that most Filipinos either approve or support or love. The sanctimonious left One of the biggest myths proffered both by liberals and riGoBerto tiGlao the sanctimoniously alt-media far left is that Duterte is a “fascist.” Not only is this outright slander of the Filipino people and of Duterte himself, but it is slander of the real victims of real fascism, including those in the Donbass republics who are being slaughtered by those who have openly pledged loyalty to fascist leaders. In actual fact, Duterte is a man whose primary goal is to reduce his own power and those around him. Duterte’s proposals for a federal republic would reduce the power of the central government/imperial Manila and give more democratic control to local people over their own political future. Duterte has further stated that if anything he’d like to retire early, so long as his major reforms get implemented. Duterte views on issues ranging from taxation and labor regulations to health and safety, the environment and infrastructural investment are neither left nor right. They are rational problem-solving policies based on the logical needs of a developing country with immense potential that has been held back through decades of ineffective rulers.
There is simply nothing remotely extreme, let alone fascistic about this. If one is in any doubt about this, one need only examine the communist government of China which unlike the corrupt, blood-soaked and malicious Communist Party of The Philippines, is more like Duterte when it comes to finding successful solutions to real-life problems. Those without a sense of humor The other thing that binds Duterte detractors together is a total lack of any sense of humor. Duterte is not only a prolific President but an expert at trolling his opponents. He often repeats the insults he has to deal with and jokingly turns these insults into positive attributes as a rhetorical device to expose the absurdity of the original accusations. Those who do not understand this are guilty either of having no sense of humor, being objectively stupid or people from the West who can only understand an English speaker if their accent resembles that of Orson Welles or the Queen of England. Snobs are the other big group of people who are professional non-Filipino Duterte haters. To such people who have never had a family member raped, tortured, murdered and then mutilated by a monster in human form who has taken the drug commonly known as shabu, Duterte is somehow evil because they associate him with a threat to their own perverse drug-fixated life-
styles. Because even in the West where drug dealing and consuming is largely normalized, few people who want to be taken seriously will stand up and support drug dealing, they instead attack Duterte using long-winded criticisms that are unrelated to anything in the real world. Instead of saying what they mean, such snobs engage in a feat of pseudo-intellectual acrobatics in order to say that somehow it would be better for Filipinos to live in a country where druggies kill normal people than in a country where police officers arrest and if necessary shoot resisting offenders in order to protect normal people from criminals. To these people, the abstract concept of drugs being normal while law enforcement against drugs is somehow wrong, is at odds with the reality of those whose lives consist of something other than trips to liberal art museums and long nights of drug purchasing from the safety of their rich father’s home in New York, Berlin, Paris, London or San Francisco. The neo-colonial right Then there are the sanctimonious right-wingers who cannot accept the fact that the Philippines is no longer a country that is willing to serve America’s interests in Southeast Asia. Under Duterte, the country has engaged a radical new foreign policy designed to put the interests of the Philippines first, while maintaining an official stance of neutrality in any global conflicts that could only harm the country if the PhilipPAGE A7
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • mAY 25-31, 2018
Joma Sison, wife get P2.4-M in martial law compensation
A
by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
TOP communist leader Jose Maria Sison and wife, Julie De Lima, have become instant millionaires after receiving compensation from a Philippine government claims board as victims of the Marcos Martial Law regime. Sison said he and his wife each received P1.2 million, for a total of P2.4 million, for their detention and torture under the rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. “The remittance has been made to the bank account of Julie. We are instant peso millionaires. She got P1.2 [million] and I got P1.2 [million],� Sison said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Christian Esguerra. “Whatever is the amount, the important thing is that the Philippine government accepted that violations of human rights occurred,� he added. Reparation is guaranteed under a landmark law which recognized “the heroism and sacrifices� of human rights victims under Ferdinand Marcos. However, only 14 percent of the total 75,749 claimants will receive reparation due to the rest’s failure to prove that they were victims of gross human rights viola-
Jose Maria Sison
Philstar.com photo
tions, Lina Sarmiento, head of the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB), earlier said. The monetary reparation for martial law victims came from the P10 billion Swiss bank deposits recovered from the Marcoses. P170 billion or about $3.4 billion in ill-gotten wealth as well as jewelry, art, and other assets from the Marcos family were recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). A bill seeking to abolish PCGG and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, transferring these agencies’ functions and powers to the Office of the Solicitor General was approved last week by the House of Representatives.
“I think that’s a bad decision... If the function of PCGG is transferred to a pro-Marcos loyalist like [Solicitor General Jose] Calida, you have a problem there,� said Sison. Sison, who has been in exile in the Netherlands since 1987, said in a separate interview with The Manila Timesthat it was “highly probable� for him to return to the Philippines within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. “It is highly probable within the last week of June,� Sison said. “There is a basis to be optimistic in that the resumption of formal talks will occur next month and that there shall be an interim peace agreement,� he added. n
MANILA BAY CLEAN UP. Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, presides over a hearing to look into the measures taken by 13 government agencies ordered by the Supreme Court to lead the clean up, rehabilitation and preservation of Manila Bay. Villar expressed concern that a decade after the writ of continuing mandamus was issued, there is still no significant improvement in the waters of Manila Bay. Photo alslo shows Donna Mayor-Gordove, Executive Director of the Manila Bay Coordinating Office and Maria Paz Luna, Undersecretary for Manila Bay Concerns and Related Water Concerns. Senate photo
PH gov’t concerned over Chinese bomber...
PAGE A5 has said its outposts — like the recent bombers — are strictly for defense purposes. ‘Cannot go into battle’ Duterte on Tuesday, May 22, gave his comments on the situation and said that while he wants to defend the country’s claims to the South China Sea, he is wary of worsening the situation. “I cannot afford at this time to go to war,� said Duterte at the Coconut Palace in Pasay City during the Philippine Navy’s 120th anniversary. “I cannot go into a battle which I cannot win and would only result in destruction for our armed forces. I really want to do something to assert [our rights].� Election protest is critical He added, “In my own estimaDe Lima stressed that the retion, it would be a great loss to moval of Sereno from her seat in “diabolically illegal and uncon- the nation and probably we will stitutional means� implying that end up losing a war. All these “anything is possible� at the high things, I want to be made known tribunal. The detained senator noted that the tribunal has adopted a 50-percent shading threshold in the ongoing recount of ballots. PAGE A6 Robredo’s camp has appealed pines were to choose a side. this action by the PET, as they This is called rational multinoted that the vice president had polar thinking in the pursuit of lost votes due to the threshold. win-win geopolitical outcomes. “[T]he fact remains that there It is the wave of the future, but is no reason for the SC to adopt for many who are stuck in the this threshold, given the Come- past, it amounts to a kind of lec’s categorical clarification that treason. the 2016 voting machines were Duterte’s domestic oppoprimed to read 25% shading as nents who speak freely about the minimum threshold for a val- why he’s ‘killing free speech’ id vote,� De Lima stressed. Finally, there are a minorThe tribunal has yet to issue a ity of Filipinos, usually those in resolution on Robredo’s motion elite circles or extremist politifor reconsideration, but it has cal circles who dislike Duterte. ordered the camp of Marcos and They are in some ways Duterte’s the Comelec to comment on the best friends as their very presappeal. n ence nullifies their only argu-
De Lima: Robredo may be next on Duterte’s ouster list by KRistine Joy
Philstar.com
Patag
MANILA — Detained Sen. Leila De Lima warned that Vice President Leni Robredo’s seat as the second highest official in the land might be targeted next by President Rodrigo Duterte. “In Duterte’s list of independent and strong women that he wants removed from office, only one remains,� De Lima said in a statement. The senator noted that former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno—who was openly called by Duterte as his enemy—was already ousted by her own peers at the Supreme Court. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, meanwhile, will retire from being the country’s chief graft buster in July. De Lima said that the vice president remains to be a “thorn on the President’s side� as Robredo is the last of the high-ranking officials who have been vocal about her criticisms of Duterte.
“Robredo’s removal will give Duterte relief from a counterpoint personality who is capable of commanding international recognition as a true leader of the Filipino people,� the senator said. Barely six months since the Duterte administration has started, Robredo stepped down as the housing czar after she received a text message from Special Assistant to the President Bong Go that she should “desist from attending all Cabinet meetings.� The vice president, on May 9, said it is always “possible� that she could be the next target of ouster moves. Robredo’s electoral win in the 2016 national elections is already facing a challenge at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal after defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong� Marcos Jr., son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whom Duterte said he admires, has accused her of committing fraud.
FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS Madaba,Mt Nebo,Petra,Aqaba,Jordan
(Tiberias, Ceasarea, Haifa, Meggido,Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mt Carmel, Capernaum, Mt Beatitude, Jericho, Bethany, Mt.Tabor, Mount Zion, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qumran, Masada Dead Sea,Allenby Bridge, Madaba, Mt Nebo Petra, Aqaba Jordan)
Oct 19, 2018 (Fri) Day 2 – Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv/ Tiberias Ćž "/ 4" )" / **&$/ 1&,+ +! 201,*0Çž 4" 4&)) *""1 ,2/ ), ) $2&!"Çž 4%, 4&)) " 4&1% 20 !2/&+$ ,2/ 01 6 &+ ,)6 +!Ç˝ "+',6 1%" - +,/ *& 3&"4 ,# 1%" "!&1"// +" +Ç˝ " 4&)) 0-"+! ,2/ Ćœ /01 +&$%1 in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight (D). Beach Holy Eucharist Oct 20, 2018 (Sat) Day 3 – Tiberias/ Meggido/ Nazareth/ Cana/ Mt Tabor We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of Armageddon, known in Hebrew as Meggido, a giant fortress and City built by King Solomon.
+ 1%" "4 "01 *"+1 ,,( ,# "3") 1&,+Çž &1 &0 /"#"//"! 0 1%" 0&1"0 ,# 1%" ČŠĆœ + ) 11)"Č‹Ç˝ /,* 1%"/"Çž 4" 4&)) ,+1&+2" ,2/ !/&3" &+1, Nazareth, where we will have Mass in the Church of the Annunciation ,the Cave of the Annunciation and and visit Joseph’s Work0%,- +! %"+ 4" 4&)) *,3" ,+ 1, + ,# )&)""Çž 4%"/" 2/ ,/! -"/#,/*"! &0 Ćœ /01 *&/ )"Çż % +$&+$ 4 1"/ &+1, 4&+" 1 1%" 4"!Č’ ding feast. We will invite couples to Bless their marriage vows,Con1&+2" 1, ,2+1 ,/ Çž0&1" ,# "020 / +0Ćœ $2/ 1&,+Ç˝ Ćž "/4 /!Çž 4" will head to Tiberias. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D). Oct 21, 2018 (Sun) Day 4 – Tiberias/Mount Beatitude/ Multiplication / Primacy/ Capernum/Boat Ride “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heavenâ€? Early AM departures to Mt. Beatitude Drive up to Mount Beatitudes, visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people., Eucharistic Celebration . "+',6 0 "+& , 1 /&!" /,00 1%" " ,# )&)"" 1, -"/+ 2*Çž %,*" ,# 2/ ,/! !2/&+$ %&0 *&+&01/6Ç˝ Ćž "/ 3&0&1&+$ 1%" 6+ $,$2" where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the ), 3"0 +! Ćœ 0%"0Ç˝ %"+ 1, 1%" %2/ % /&* 6 ,# 1 "1"/0Ç˝ Č› Çž Čœ Oct 22, 2018 (Mon) Day 5 – Magdala 2)) ! 6 /"1/" 1Çž , 20 4&)) + )2!" -/,$/ *0 0"! ,+ 1%" %&01,/&Č’ ) +! ")&$&,20 3 )2" ,# 1%" $! ) 0&1"0 More info coming up as we get closer to the dates Çž 0/ ") Č” Ç—Ç•Ç•Çž &0 ,3"/&"0 #/,* +"4 / % ",),$& ) !&$ are creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the %,*" ,# /6 $! )"+"ǽȋ %" )&3"! %"/" +! 0%" *"1 "020 %"/" and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue dating back to the 1&*" ,# "020Ç˝ ,/!&+$ 1, / % ",),$&010Çž &1ȉ0 1%" Ćœ /01 ,+" !&0 ,3Č’ "/"! &+ 1%" )&)""Ç˝ Oct 23, 2018 (Tues) Day 6 – Jordan Valley/ Jericho/ Bethany/ Jerusalem Mass at the Church in Bethany Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" %" ! 1, "/& %,Çž 1%" ,)!"01 &+% &1"! &16 &+ 1%" 4,/)!Ç˝ &"4 1%" ,2+1 ,# "*-1 1&,+Çž 4%"/" "020 0-"+1 ǙǕ days fasting in the desert. We will visit the ancient ruins of the wall. We will continue to Bethany and will have mass to celebrate Holy 2 % /&01 1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ 7 /20Ç˝ %"+ 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" -Č’ 1&0* ) 0&1" &+ &3"/ ,/! +Ç˝ -,+ //&3 ) &+ ,2+1 ,-20 *" +&+$ Mount of the Watchmen/Sentinels, is a mountain in northeast Je/20 )"*Ç˝ +',6 1%" Ćœ /01 3&"4 ,# "/20 )"*Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" ! 6ȉ0 1,2/Çž 4" will check in at our hotel in Jerusalem (B/D) Oct 24, 2018 (Wed) Day 7 – Jerusalem (Old City)/ Via Dolorosa/ Mount Zion Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place ,# 0(2))Çž 4%& % &0 ))"! &+ 1%" " /"4 ,)$,1% ǽȋ Č› ,%+ Ç–ÇžÇżÇ–ÇœČœ We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and will follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and say the Station of the Cross to the holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 3&0&1 ,)$,1% +! 1%" ,* ,# 2/ ,/!Ç˝ Ćž "/ * 00Çž 4" /"12/+ 1, the hotel for breakfast. Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) "+1"/ 1%" )! &16Çž 0&+$ %6*+ &+ 1%" Church of St. Anne and view the Pool of Bethesda. Then we will 3&0&1 1%" % -") ,# ) $")) 1&,+Çž &1%,01/ 1,0 Č›4%"/" 1%" 0,)!&"/0 -) 6"! 1%" *" ,# &+$0Čœ +! 1%" / % ,# 1%" ČŠ " ,*,Č‹Ç˝ Dinner/Overnight
Oct 25, 2018 (Thurs) Day 8 – Jerusalem Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church of St Peter in Gallicantu ČŠ %" ,/! " *" Ć? "0% +! !4")1 *,+$ 20ǽǽǽȋ Č› ,%+ Ç–ÇżÇ–Ç™Čœ " 4&)) 4 )( 1, 3&"4 1%" ,*" ,# 1%" , ( #/,* 1%" ,210&!"Çž +! visit the Western Wall,( Wailing Wall ) the only part of the Herodian Temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for "40Ç˝ %"+Çž 4" 4&)) !/&3" 1, 1Ç˝ &,+Çž 1, 3&0&1 1%" --"/ ,,*Çž /"Č’ 3"/"! 0 1%" 0&1" ,# 1%" 01 2--"/Çž 1%"+ 02/3"6 1%" ,/*&1&,+ "6Çž +! 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ "1"/ &+ ))& +12Çž %" 0&1" 4%"/" "1"/ !"+&"! "020 1%/"" 1&*"0Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" ! 6ȉ0 1,2/Çž we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Jerusalem (B, D) Oct 26, 2018 (Fri) Day 9 – Mount of Olives/ Gethsemane/ Bethlehem/ Jerusalem (New City)/ Ein Karem Mass at the Church of Nativity ČŠ *,2+1 &+ ,# ,!Çž /" "&3" *"Çž *,1%"/Çž 4&1% *6 %&)!ǽȋ Č› /,1,Č’ "3 +$")&2* ,# *"0 Ç—Ç—ÇżÇ˜Čœ " 4&)) //&3" 1 1%" ,2+1 ,# )&3"0Çž 1, "+',6 +,1%"/ 3&"4 ,# "/2Č’ salem, visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the ,*&+20 )"3&1 țȊ ,! 4"-1Č‹Čœ 0 + 12 /6Ç˝ "51Çž 4"ȉ)) 4 )( 1%" )* 2+! 6 , ! 1, 1%" /!"+ ,# "1%0"* +"Çž +! 3&0&1 1%" , ( ,# $,+6 +! 1%" %2/ % ,# )) 1&,+0Ç˝ + 1%" Ćž "/+,,+Çž 4"ȉ)) !/&3" to Bethlehem, a city whose name is recognized around the world. Ćž "/ ")" / 1&+$ 00 1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1&3&16Çž 4" 4&)) 0"" 1%" +$"/Č€ 3&0&1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ 1%"/&+"Çž 1%" /,11, ,# 1Ç˝ "/,*" +! 1%" %"-%"/!0ȉ &")!0Ç˝ Then we will return to Jerusalem (New City), to view the Temple Model to see how it looked during the time of Jesus. Here, we will gain a better understanding between the old and new cities of "/20 )"*Ç˝ - +"51 &0 1/&- 1, &+ /"*Çž &/1%-) " ,# 1Ç˝ ,%+ the Baptist, to see the Visitation Church, where Mary proclaimed %"/ # *,20 ČŠ $+&Ćœ 1Č‹Ç˝ " 4&)) "+! ,2/ ! 6 6 /"12/+&+$ 1, ,2/ Hotel. (B/D) Oct 27, 2018 (Sat) Day 10 – Jerusalem/ Dead Sea/ Qumran/ Masada Mass at the Church of all Nations Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) ")" / 1" * 00 1 1%" %2/ % ,# )) 1&,+0 and then we will drive to Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s fortress and the Jew’s last 01/,+$%,)! $ &+01 1%" ,* +Ç˝ "12/+ 1, "/20 )"* #,/ !&++"/ and Overnight (B, D) Oct 28, 2018,(Sun) Day 11 – Jerusalem/ Allenby Bridge/ Madaba /Jordan/ Mt. Nebo/ Aqaba Mass at Mount Nebo On this day, we head to Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan. We 4&)) $, 1, 1%" -1&0* ) &1" 1 "1% +6Çž 4%& % ,-" ,%+ 2)
3&0&1"! &+ Ç—Ç•Ç•Ç•Ç˝ %"+Çž &1ȉ0 ,+ 1, ,2+1 " ,Çž 4%"/" ,0"0 3&"4"! 1%" /,*&0"! +!Ç˝ 2/ +"51 01,- 4&)) " 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ ",/$" &+ ! Çž 4%& % %,010 1%" # *,20 *,0 & * - ,# 1%" ,)6 +!Ç˝ Then we will drive down to Aqaba. Overnight in Aqaba (B/D). Mov"+-& ( "0,/1 Ç” "0&!"+ "Ç˝ Oct 29, 2018 (Mon) Day 12 – Aqaba/Petra Mass at Stella Maris Church – Aqaba Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) ',2/+"6 1%/,2$% 1%" &.Çž 2+1&) 4" $"1 ,2/ Ćœ /01 $)&*-0" ,# 1%" % 7+"% Č› /" 02/6ČœÇ˝ %"+ 4&)) 4" 4 )( !,4+ 1, visit the Temple and view the many caves all around the Theater. At the end of the tour, we will drive back to Aqaba for overnight and !&++"/ Č› ČĄ ČœÇ˝ ,3"+-& ( "0,/1 Ç” "0&!"+ " Oct 30, 2018 (Tues) Day 13 – Aqaba/ Jerusalem We Cross the Jordanian Border to return to Jerusalem. Dinner/ Overnight Oct 31, 2018 (Wed) Day 14 – Jerusalem /Yad Vashem Museum/ TLV/ LAX Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" ! 0%"* 20"2*Çž&0 0/ ")ȉ0 ,Ć› & & ) *"*,/& ) 1, 1%" 3& 1&*0 ,# 1%" ,), 201Ç˝ 1 &0 !"!& 1"! to preserving the memory of the dead; honoring Jews who fought $ &+01 1%"&/ 7& ,--/"00,/0 +! "+1&)"0 4%, 0")Ć? "00)6 &!"! Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding 02 % "3"+10 &+ 1%" #212/"Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" "01"/+ ))Çž ! 0%"* &0 1%" 0" ,+!Č’*,01Č’3&0&1"! 0/ ")& 1,2/&01 0&1"Ç˝ "12/+ 1, 1%" %,1") #,/ )2+ % +! /") 5 1&,+ &+ -/"- / 1&,+ #,/ ,2/ /"12/+ Ć? &$%1 ( 1, 1%" Ćž "/ !&++"/ 4&)) " 1/ +0#"//"! 1, 1%" &/-,/1 #,/ ǖǿǕǕ * )&$%1 ,3 ǖǞǗǕǖÇ? Č› %2/0! 6Čœ
awarded by the arbitral tribunal. Encouraging Filipinos to help Duterte and the government, Rosario said, “Our government needs to listen to its people. Our northern neighbor needs to listen to the Filipino people. And finally, all our traditional partners and friends — who are waiting for a united voice — need to hear from us.� “Let us, therefore, respectfully convey to our President that we eagerly await his inspirational leadership by doing what is right,� he added. China’s militarization moves are said to be included in the upcoming Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM), a biannual meeting between China and Philippine officials on the maritime dispute concerns. The first BCM was held a year ago in May 2017, and the second last February. The next is slated for June. n
‘Five breeds of Duterte haters and why... ment. They claim Duterte is shutting down free speech and yet Duterte’s opponents in the Philippines are among the loudest people you will ever come across. Thus, if you are freely speaking out against a man you accuse of ending free speech, your very actions have defeated your argument. In summary, right wingers see Duterte as a kind of Asian Che Guevara out to ‘harm America’ and left wingers see him as a king of far-right dictator simply because he is turning a lawless system into one based on normal laws, many of which long predate Duterte but have simply
never been enforced by his corrupt predecessors. Then there are the snobs for whom Duterte reminds them of the fact that one needn’t be upper class in order to have morality while hammering home the message that many so-called upper- class Westerns live like pigs or even criminals who think they are above the law. Finally, there are there screaming Yellows and communists who claim they have no rights‌.all the while exercising their rights. Thus far, it has been impossible to identify any rational voices among Duterte’s detractors. (ManilaTimes.net)
Pilgrimage to Some of ITALY’s Highlights and Miracles of the Eucharist Nov 12, 2018 to Nov 22,2018 Spiritual Director REV.JOEL BUGAS
OCTOBER 18 to Nov 1, 2018 SPIRITUAL CHAPLAIN: REV. ANTONIO FLORES Oct 18, 2018 (Thur) Day 1 – Lax to Tel Aviv, Israel / +0Č’ 1) +1& Ć? &$%1 #/,* 1, "+ 2/&,+ +1"/+ 1&,+ ) &/-,/1Çž ") 3&3Çž 0/ ")Ç˝ Č› " )0 0"/3"! &+Č’Ć? &$%1Čœ
to you. Whether you accept it or not, that’s the reality on the ground.� Duterte has received much criticism for his inconsistent strategy in dealing with the dispute, starting back when he pulled out of a 2016 arbitration ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that went in favor of the Philippines’ rights to the area. Former Philippine foreign minister Albert del Rosario, has since been urging the president and his administration to reconsider the country’s foreign policies. Speaking on the China bombers, Rosario continued his urges, adding a reminder that the Philippine Constitution “mandates our president to defend what is lawfully ours.� He further added that in 2016, a Pulse Asia survey indicated that more than 8 in 10 Filipinos agreed on asserting the rights
Day 1 – 12 Nov 2018 – (Mon) Day 2 – 13Nov 2018 – (Tues)
- USA - ROME - Rome -,+ ,2/ //&3 ) &+ ,*"Çž our Tour Escort will wel,*" 20 1, 1 )6Ç˝ ,*" &0 the heart, home and the spiritual capital of over one billion Catholics all ,3"/ 1%" 4,/)!Ç˝ Ćž "/ short panoramic orienta1&,+ ,# 1%&0 1"/+ ) &16 1, 20 ,* + 1%,)& 0Çž 4" 4&)) have our dinner and overnight rest at this great ancient City.
Č› Çž Čœ Day 3 – 14 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Rome / Papal Audience/ Rome
This morning before we continue with our tour, we will % 3" - ) 2!&"+ "Ç˝ %"+ Ćž "/Çž 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" # Č’ *,20 ,)&0"2* +! 0"" 1%" ,/2*Çž 1%" /"3& ,2+1 &+ and the Pantheon, one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world. Celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Peter Basilica St Joseph Chapel .Short stop in Trevi ,2+1 &+Çž "#,/" %" !&+$ 1, ,2/ ,1")
Č› Çž Čœ Day 4 – 15 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / Basilicas We will visit the Vatican Museum this morning and the Sistine Chapel to admire the awesome masterpieces of Michaelangelo, +! "3"+ + &"+1 /""( +! ,Č’ man artists. the largest church &+ ,* + 1%,)& &0*Çž 1Ç˝ "1"/ȉ0 Basilica. Holy Eucharist at ST Mary ',/Çž ,)),4"! 6 3&0&1 ,# 1%" Č’ silica. We continue to visit the rest ,# 1%" * ',/ 0&)& 0 4&1%&+ 1%" 4 ))0 ,# ,*"Çž +! 1Ç˝ ,%+ 1"/Č’ an, St Paul Outside the Wall. We will also pray at the Scala Santa or the Holy Stairs. St. Helena transported the steps from Jerusalem; the same 01"-0 1% 1 %/&01 0 "+!"! 1, /" "&3" &) 1"ȉ0 2+'201 ,+Č’ demnation.
Č› Çž Čœ Day 5 – 16 Nov 2018 (Fri)–Rome /San Giovanni Rotondo Ç—Ç•Ç–Ç? &0 1%" Ç–Ç•Ç•1% ++&3"/0 /6 ,# 1%" 01&$Č’ matization of St Pio. Church Will have Monthly Pastoral Program of Activities for the whole year . + &,3 ++& ,1,+!,Çž 1%" %,*" ,# 1 Č’ !/" &, ,# &"1/") &+ #/,* Ç—Ç? 2)6Çž ǖǞǖǛ 2+Č’ 1&) %&0 !" 1% ,+ Ǘǘ "-1"* "/Çž ǖǞǛÇ?Ç˝ +',6 1%" !/&3" $,&+$ 1, + &,3 ++&Çž Ćž "/ 4" check in our Hotel. We visit the Shrines of St Padre Pio of Pietralcina as well as the places associated 4&1% %&* Çž 02 % 0 1%" %/&+" ,# 2/ !6 ,# / " 1% 1 contains his tomb. Here, we spend some time meditat&+$Çž 0"" %&0 /,,*Çž %&0 ,+#"00&,+ ) ,5 +! 1%" /2 &Ćœ 5 that gave him his supernatural Crucifying stigmata, Cel" / 1" ,)6 2 % /&01 Č› ,1") / + / !&0, Čœ
+ &,3 ++& ,1,+!, (BB,D) Day 6 – 17 Nov 2018 (Sat) – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO This Morning we visit the new and Modern Basilica of St Padre Pio, See his uncorrupt body .Celebrate Holy Eucharist Spend some time meditating in this awesomeBasilica.
Č› ,1") / + / !&0,Čœ Day 7–18 Nov2018 – (Sun) – San Giovanni Rotondo / Lanciano /Loreto Ç˝ " //&3" 1 + & +,Çž # *,20 #,/ 1%" &/ )" ,# the Eucharist. Near the Piazza Plebiscito, the Miracle is inside the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle. The mira)" 1,,( -) " !2/&+$ 1%" Ç?1% "+12/6 when a Basiline monk doubted the " ) /"0"+ " ,# ,2/ ,/! &+ 1%" 2 % /&01Ç˝ " #,2+! %&*Č’ 0")# %,)!&+$ 1%" %,01 1% 1 % ! % +$"! &+1, " ) )"0% +! 1%" &+" ,+ 1%" )1 / % ! % +$"! &+1, " ) ),,!Ç˝ We continue our pilgrimage to the great Marian shrine ,# ,/"1, 1, 0"" 1%" # *,20 0 /"! %,*" ,# 1%" *,01 ,)6 *&)6Çž "020Çž /6Çž +! ,0"-%Ç˝ &+ " ǖǗǞǙ 1%" %,)6 %,*" % 0 ""+ ), 1"! &+0&!" 1%" 0&)& ,# ,/"1,Ç˝ ")" / 1" ,)6 2 % /&01 &+ + & +, DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN Assisi Day 8 –19 Nov 2018 – ( Mon) Loreto/ Assisi ,! 6 4" "5-),/" 1%" %&))1,- &/1%-) " ,# 1 / + &0 ,# 00&0&Ç˝ + 1%" /6-1 ,# 1 / + &0 0&)& )&"0 1%" 1,* ,# one of the most humble and beloved Saints of all times, 1Ç˝ / + &0 ,# 00&0&Çž ,)6 2 % /&01 1 1%" /6-1 ,# / + &0 "" 1%" 0&)& ,# 1 ) /"Çž 4&1% %"/ &+ ,//2-1 body, and the little Church of St. Damiano and its Cru&Ćœ 5 #/,* 4%& % "020 0-,(" 1, / + &0 ,21 %&0 *&0Č’ 0&,+ &+ ǖǗǕǛǿ ČŠ ,Çž / + &0Çž +! /" 2&)! *6 %,20"Çž 4%& % 0 6,2 0"" &0 # ))&+$ &+1, /2&+ǽȋ " 3&0&1 1%" 0&)& ,# 1Ç˝ Mary of the Angels, located in the lower plains of Assisi, and the place where the miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi 1,,( -) " &+ ǖǗǙǕǽ %" 0* )) %2/ % ,# 1%" ,/7&2+ ,Č’ ) &0 &+0&!" 1%" 0&)& &10")#Ç˝ ,-" ,+,/&20
$/ +1"!
a plenary indulgence for those entering this humble %2/ % ,+ 2$201 Ç–01 +! Ç—+! "3"/6 6" /Çž 4&1% ,+#"0Č’ sion, reception of the Eucharist and no attachment to venial sins. (BB,D) Day 9 – 20 Nov 2018 – (Tues) – Assisi / Siena / Florence We will spend half day in Siena. Begin in the old town center with a visit to the Basilica of San Domenico. Built &+ 1%" ǖǘ1% "+12/6Çž &1 &0 1/" 02/" %"01 ,# 1%" "+ &0Č’ sance art and dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. You will learn about the city’s history while admiring it’s cathedrals, Museum, and libraries .Also you will admire the famous piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s great *"!&"3 ) 0.2 /"0Ç˝ ,+1&+2" 1, ),/"+ "Ç˝ Č› Çž Čœ " 01 /1 4&1% $2&!"! 4 )(&+$ 1,2/ ,# ),/"+ "Çž 1%&0 # 0Č’ cinating city with its Piazza, the Cathedral of Santa Maria !") &,/"Çž &,11,ȉ0 ")) ,4"/Çž 1%" -1&01"/6 ,# 1Ç˝ ,%+ the Baptist. "01 ,# 1%" ! 6 #/"" Č› Çž Čœ Day 10 – 21 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Florence / Rome " 3" ),/"+ " /,2+! Ç— //&3"! ,*" )*,01 !&++"/ time (BB.D) Day 11 – 22 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / USA End of our wonderful Pilgrimage .
Please call QTS Tour and Travel NOW at 1 (714) 288-0800 or (714) 761-6280 1095 N Main St. Suite O, Orange, CA 92867
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May 25-31, 2018 • NEW yORK aND NEW JERSEy aSIaN JOURNaL
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MAY 25-31, 2018
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AJPRESS PHOTOS BY MOMAR G. VISAYA
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY M AY 25, 20 1 8
FRONT AND CENTER
Celebrating the riCh flavors of the PhiliPPines at filiPino restaurant Week 2018 by MoMar
FILIPINo Restaurant Week (#FRW2018), that annual, muchawaited foodie event among fans of Filipino cuisine, has grown so much after its inception back in 2015 when 13 Filipino restaurants across the boroughs of New York as well as Jersey City offered fixed priced lunches and dinners. This was in reaction to the then emerging popularity of Filipino cuisine, particularly in New York City. This time, 24 restaurants and pop-ups in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia are participating and will be providing special prix fixe menus of delectable Filipino cuisine from 14 to 26 May. Lunches are at $25 and dinners are priced at $35. other a la carte menu items are also available in these restaurants
G. Visaya/AJPress
during the promotional period. The eclectic mix of participating restaurants and cafes offers a wide spectrum of Filipino food to make sure that there is something for every diner out there. There are traditional restaurants that offer homecooked goodness and there are coffee shops like Mountain Province and Kabisera Kape that offer light fare and truly Filipino coffee and tea. This year, we have a number of first-time participants, including Perla in Philadelphia, Flip Sigi, Swell Dive, Ibis Eats, Tama and Mighty Bowl. Chef Jordan Andino of Flip Sigi shared his excitement about being a part of this group and seeing the same restaurants he visited in the past few years made him a little nostalgic. “I feel honored to be a part of this and it is cool to see the same restaurants that I’ve visited in the past 8, 9 years that I’ve based my life on doing so well and to be a part of that is a real honor,” he shared. “We are a Filipino taqueria, meaning we serve Filipino food using Mexican vessels like sandwiches, tacos and burritos with a little bit of Filipino love sprinkled on top. It is by no means traditional and I don’t try to pretend and I tell our guests this is my take on Filipino cuisine.” His restaurant Flip Sigi opened its second location last year in the Upper East Side in addition to its Greenwich Village home. He is also the current featured chef at the Chefs Club Counter in Soho. Another first-timer is Bjorn dela Cruz of Manila Social Club. He now runs Ibis Eats in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. “I am excited for Filipino Restaurant Week to be able to open up Filipino food in the Crown Heights area. What should we be doing to mainstream the food – we have to be very honest with ourselves, no shortcuts, no half-measures,” dela Cruz said. “Filipino food is absolutely amazing. It is so vibrant and delicious. It is a very dynamic cuisine and we can’t get stuck on just one thing or one dish.” Dela Cruz is famous for his creation, the ubiquitous $100 golden ube donut that was the toast of the social media world a couple of years ago. The donut was made out of ube, covered with 24-karat gold leaf and piped with Cristal gelee and ube mousse and its icing laced with more Cristal champagne. “I love ube and I made it my mission in 2016 to make ube a thing. It’s that one ingredient that opens up to other Filipino cooking styles and dishes,” Dela Cruz said. one of the pioneers of the Filipino Restaurant Week project is Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney and
For Filipino Restaurant Week 2018, Tama will be offering their entire menu, including the Sisig Burger made out of homemade use bun, sisig patty, spicy aioli, chili sauce, greens and a fried egg. Photo ftom Instagram/@tamanyc
Maharlika, along with Purple Yam and Kuma Inn. “It is exciting to see how it has evolved,” Ponseca told us, excitedly adding that she is working on opening a third restaurant – this time in Williamsburg. “We’re calling it Tita Baby’s and it is going to be a panciteria,” she teased. “It is an homage to all the women in our lives that took care of us, cooked for us and fed us.” If plans don’t miscarry, the place will open next month. She is also coming out with a cookbook under Artisan Press, which is coming out this November. Anton Dayrit, executive chef of Mighty Bowl restaurants, talked about their restaurant which now has three locations in the city – MacDougal in the Greenwich Village, Midtown East and a third one in the Upper East Side (on 77th and Lexington). “It’s spicy and really good hang-over food,” he said, describing their offerings. Among their more popular bowls is the Manila Bowl and for FRW, they are offering Sisig Bowl as well. Miguel de Leon, one of the owners of Tama, a small neighborhood restaurant in Brooklyn talked about their place being mostly a take-home spot. “We want to invite our flavors, our history into your homes,” he said. “We look back at our history in order for us to progress and that’s how we at Tama flavor our food with, we look back and respect the Spanish flavors, Mexican flavors from the Galleon Trade to the American occupation and bring them to you in a package that’s delicious, affordable and exciting.” Tama opened in the BedfordStuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn a year ago. Just recently, they became viral on social media with their “sisig burger” creation, using homemade ube bun, slathered in chili-garlic hot sauce and chili aioli, then topped with a fried egg, local greens and a patty made of sisig. This year, the Philippine Consulate General in New York partnered with the Philippine
AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya
Department of Tourism New York, Philippine Airlines, and Tanduay Asian Rum for FRW 2018. Speaking at the launch, Deputy Consul General Kerwin Tate emphasized that Filipinos’ love for food extends to their humanity – the desire to share, and the wisdom to always make sure to leave something for those who will need it.
Tourism Attache Susan Del Mundo shared with the audience the various gastronomic tours available in the Philippines. The Department of Tourism is working on exciting new farm to table programs in partnership with organic farms and agricultural organizations. In order to entice more participants to join, the Department of Tourism is
sponsoring a social media campaign allowing diners to win terrific prizes. Lucky diners have a chance to win a round trip ticket to Manila courtesy of Philippine Airlines, three nights’ hotel accommodations, a bespoke culinary tour, Barclay Centre concert tickets courtesy of Tanduay Asian Rum and other travel items during the promotional period.
The participating restaurants of Filipino Restaurant Week 2018 are: NEW YORK: FlipSigi (1752 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10128, 833-FLIPSIGI) Grill 21 (346 E 21st St., New York, NY 10010, 212-473-5950) Ibis Eats (663 Franklin Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238, 718-676-4150) Jappy Afzelius Pop-Up at Ugly Kitchen (103 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003, 212-777-6677) Jeepney (201 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003, 212-533-4221) Kabisera Kape (151 Allen St., New York, NY 10002; 929-9208250) Kuma Inn (113 Ludlow St., New York, NY 10002, 212-353-8866) Maharlika (111 1st Ave., New York 10003, 646-392-7880) Mighty Bowl (817 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10017, 646-6495603) Mountain Province (9 Meserole St., Brooklyn, NY 11206, 718387-7030) Sisig City Food Truck (www.sisigcity.com; www.facebook. com/SisigCity) Philam Kusina (556 Tompkins Ave., Staten Island, NY 10305, 718-727-3663) Purple Yam (1314 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn, NY 11226, 718940-8188) Swell Dive (1013 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205, 917-6524779) Tama (147 Lewis Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11221, 347-533-4750) Talde (369 Seventh Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11215, 718-205-7299) Tito Rad’s Grill & Restaurant (49-10 Queens Blvd., Woodside, NY, 11377, 718-205-7299) Ugly Kitchen (103 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003, 212-777-6677) NEW JERSEY La Parilla de Manilla (1159 St. Georges Ave., Colonia, NJ 07067, 732-510-7033) Max’s (687 Newark Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306, 201-798-2700) Noodle Fan (2814 JFK Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07306, 201-6264443) Pinoy Filipino Restaurant (18 Division St., Somerville, NJ 08876, 908-450-9878) Talde (8 Erie St., Jersey City, NJ 07302, 201-630-0077) PENNSYLVANIA Perla (1525 S 11th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147, 267-273-0008)
‘Fresh Off The Boat’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and beyond: the state of Asian American representation in film and TV by Klarize Medenilla AJPress
WHEN the first trailer for the upcoming summer flick “Crazy Rich Asians” dropped on April 23, 2018, Twitter’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community went bananas. Based off the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan, “Crazy Rich Asians” (out Aug. 17, 2018) stars Constance Wu (“Fresh off The Boat”) and Malaysian-British Henry Golding (in his feature film debut) as the two leads in a romantic comedy about Singaporean social class, the confluence of marriage and love and the generational gap between Asians and Asian Americans. AAPI Twitter users praised the film for leading the charge for cinematic diversity and potentially proving that majority-Asian films can be box office hits. on the same day that the trailer was released, a select few were invited to a special screening of the film and many tweeted the reactions afterward. Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter nicely summed up the reaction and the
film’s significance in one tweet: “Lots of weeping in the theater and smeared eyeliner afterward,” she wrote. “Crazy Rich Asians is a love letter to Westernized Asians who live in a world that has heretofore largely ignored them.” Sun’s tweet perfectly summarizes the state of AAPI film and television representation and the opportunities this film could potentially open up for Asian artists in the entertainment industry at large: it’s the first nonmartial arts film backed by a major studio (Warner Bros.) to feature an all-Asian cast telling a cultural story that Asian Americans will likely resonate with. AAPIs in Hollywood have come a long way from blatant whitewashing, fetishism and various egregious stereotypes to the refreshingly vibrant “Crazy Rich Asians” (which also stars Fil-Am actor Nico Santos of NBC’s “Superstore” and Filipina entertainer Kris Aquino). However, the current state of Asian and Asian American representation in the stories we see on film and television are far from where
The cast of “Crazy Rich Asians” poses with Filipino-American actor Dante Basco.
they ought to be, according to filmmakers, actors and other industry leaders. In an age where diversity in entertainment is the hot issue of the moment, Asians continue to be slighted in the conversation to include non-white individuals on and off screen. A 2016 diversity study from USC Annenberg provided an even more stark contrast and found that, in a survey of more than 800
films from 2007 to 2015, Asian actors only had 3.9 percent of speaking roles in films compared to the 73.7 percent white actors received. In 2014 alone, only 1.4 percent of lead characters in studio films were Asian. The television landscape (which features programs set in heavily diverse cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City), perhaps, shows the most egregious neglect of actors
The movie poster for “Crazy Rich Asians,” which will be released on August 17, 2018. Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
of color. A multi-university study released found that white actors continue to dominate series regular roles; nearly 70 percent of series regulars are white while 4.3 percent are AAPI. In 53 percent of shows set in LA and 70 percent
set in New York City, there are no AAPI series regulars. The barometer for AAPIs in television jumped in 2014 when Taiwanese-American restaurateur Eddie Huang’s memoir “Fresh off Continued on Page 5
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently issued a press release that they had a student removed/deported, when they found out that he was not attending class, as is required with a student visa. That student was enrolled in college as a nonimmigrant F-1 international student in an academic and cultural program. As an F-1 student, he was “required to attend classes, which he did not.” He was then placed in deportation/removal proceedings. Eventually, in March 2018, the immigration judge ordered this student deported/removed because “he did not comply with the terms of his nonimmigrant status.” As a result, he would not be allowed to return to the U.S. for at least 10 years. But even after 10 years, it will be unlikely he will be able to gain another nonimmigrant visa. I don’t think a consul would issue him another student visa, or even a visitor visa, especially since he violated his student visa and was deported because of it. Although he was deported
ICE deports student for not attending classes on the grounds he had violated his student visa status by not attending classes, it seems there were other underlying issues in this particular case. The ICE press release indicated he was arrested “for being a security concern on campus.” It was also noted that people around him “noticed a distressing change in this young man,” and alerted campus police. He also purchased high-powered firearms. Therefore, although he was deported/removed for not attending classes, it could be that U.S. government officials were concerned he had mental issues and may have eventually become a school shooter. But the point remains that under the Trump administration, the government is being very strict about people’s compliance with their existing visa and visa status. If they have a student visa, they should attend school. If they have a visitor visa, they should visit and not work. If they have an H-1B working visa, they should be working at the job and for the employer who filed the petition, and not moonlight. Noncompliance could always come up when a person applies for an extension or change of
Inquirer.net
SOlENN Heussaff was quick to defend herself when a netizen told her that being a Filipino is not about race, but a concept and identity. The exchange happened on Twitter two days ago, May 22, when a certain Jose Alas shared a quote of an interview of Heussaff recently, saying she is still Filipino despite only being half Filipino. Heussaff is born to a Filipino mother and a French national father who is of British descent. Heussaff grew up here in the Philippines, although she studied and lived in Paris, France for a few years. “This is wrong @solennheussaff. I won’t make similarities with other nationalities or races because our Continued on Page 5
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY M AY 25, 20 1 8
non- immigrant visa status. When an extension or change of status is filed, the Department of Homeland Security may question them, and ask them to document and prove they complied with their previous immigration status, either by attending school, working for the employer who petition them, etc. If they did not, they may face the same consequences as this student -- removal. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES
Conquering the fear of uncertainty and six I.C.E. agents knocking at their door on this Sunday’s CITIZEN PINOY! After they were offered jobs as caregivers, Danilo (left) and Millet (center) took a big gamble when they decided to stay in the U.S. to pursue their American dream. It was not easy, especially after their hard-earned money was lost to a lawyer who hardly did anything to move their case forward. They eventually went out of status, and even had I.C.E. agents come knocking on their door. The couple then consulted with Atty. Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case, and helped them acquire their green cards. Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael Gurfinkel (right) was also able to help their two daughters avail of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and getting approval on their green cards the same day President Trump cancelled DACA. Watch this encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.
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Solenn Heussaff defends herself from criticism that she’s not Filipino by Cody Cepeda
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An Asian Journal Magazine
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA
(Continued from last week …) AN angel is an invisible presence that must be acknowledged to become ever stronger. God sends angels to keep watch over human beings and help them in every human challenge. There is, however, the element of free will in humans. You can acknowledge the presence of angels or deny it. It is your choice ultimately. The more angels are acknowledged and become a conduit to heaven, they become a hovering, guiding reality in one’s life growing ever stronger in their influence to shape every thought, word and deed in one’s life. On the other hand, if the dark Photo from Instagram/@solenn side prevails repeatedly in one’s
Angels among us (Last of 4 parts)
“All God’s angels come to us disguised.” –James Russell Lowell
soul that is made progressively weak by severe addictions of any kind, whether chemical, sexual or the human inclination towards pride, disobedience and evil, then the angel’s influence becomes weak. The human protectee is like a a cell phone that is not receiving signals and becomes dead on a skip zone. Only a direct divine intervention wrought by the most powerful force of intercessory, unceasing prayers by one or more prayer warriors can avert the cosmic disaster of a soul lost forever to darkness, death and nothingness. There is a study of angels called angelology. In it, it is
claimed that there is a hierarchy of celestial beings grouped into three spheres. According to Wikipedia, there is a First Sphere, the highest ranking of all because they are closest to God. This includes Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. The Second Sphere includes Dominions, Virtues and Powers. In the Third Sphere can be found Principalities, Archangels and Angels. Our personal guardian angels fall in the last group. Each human being is believed to be assigned a personal guardian angel, Christian or not. The angels that keep watch over human beings belong to the lowest order of celestial beings Continued on Page 6
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY m AY 25, 20 1 8
On the PEP Front
People, Events, Places
KIDS Philippines, Inc. provides educational opportunities for disadvantaged children
BoBBy T. yalong “This is the most opportune time where we are needed to fill up the huge barrenness that affects the lives of millions of less privileged children. Our assistance is judiciously on call. Let us not allow poverty to be wide-reaching while appallingly impacting our children’s lifelong struggles. Pulling them out of their abysmal situation through educational support will free them from the bondage of illiteracy…and help them escape the cycle of poverty. These poor kids could be promising leaders of the nation… let’s not abandon their potential development.” That was a significant snippet from Vince G. Gesmundo’s heartfelt acceptance speech when he was inducted to the presidency of KiDs Philippines, inc.-New York last Friday, May 18, 2018 at the lobby of the Philippine Consulate along Fifth Avenue. “We often say: ‘Poverty should not be a hindrance to success…’ but what if there’s really no way for a poor child to achieve the education he’s deprived of? What if his family or relatives survive way beyond the poverty level and have no means to support his education at all? What if the possibility of going to school is irrationally impossible? shall the helpless child just endure the ignorance and illiteracy he was born with sans appropriate support from people with munificent heart while others enjoy luxurious life
Brandon Vera
Newly inducted KPI-NY President Vicente G. Gesmundo gives his acceptance speech
Hon. Con. Arman R. Talbo gave an inspiring message and officiates the induction of KPINY officers
The indefatigable KIDS Philippines, Inc. Founder Cherry M. Smyth welcomes guests
Philstar.com photo
Brandon Vera: In the footsteps of The Rock by Ricky Lo Philstar.com
KIDS Philippines, Inc. inter-state officers and volunteers
Newly inducted KIDS Philippines, Inc.-NY Officers
all donations tax deductible), was founded by Cherry Marmes smyth with the main objective to encourage each child to become self-sufficient through proper education and become an asset to his country. Cherry, together with her husband, thought of a selfdecreed mission to increase access to education, health care, and other critical resources to children, not only in her hometown but also throughout the Philippines where aid is needed. “No child should be deprived of education!” was Cherry’s challenging slogan. The idea of establishing KiDs Philippines, inc. (KPi) instantaneously came about following Cherry and husband Pete’s humanitarian mission in Mindanao as part of her (Cherry’s) duties after being crowned 2013 Mrs. Philippines-America. Pete, an irish employed as Financial Analyst, was easily touched when he personally encountered the poor
EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT
style and opulence? Let us share a little of what we have! Let’s open our eyes to the disheartening reality of life and respond to the echoes of our conscience,” Gesmundo said, his rallying call that seemingly affected the preponderance in the audience. KiDs Philippines, inc., a 503 (c) (3) public charity with Federal Tax iD # 81-4193634 (that makes
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LiKE Dwayne (ex-The Rock) Johnson, Fil-Am mixed martial arts champion Brandon Vera is crossing over from the ring to showbiz. “i am following the path that he has laid down,” Brandon confessed. “i love what he’s doing. he’s a good role model. he has successfully crossed over from fighting to acting. he showed sportsmen that it could be done. A lot of pro-wrestlers have started doing what he has done. initially, living conditions of school children. people doubted if he could act. he having been deeply affected by the has proven them wrong. he has harsh reality of the depressing rural become such a good actor that he can make you cry.” way of life, the generous couple directly constructed a scheme on Funfare talked to Brandon, the track of initially funding the school reigning One Championship World expenses of at least 20 public Champion, before the signing of school children in her place of the agreement between producers origin in Tubod, Lanao Del Norte in Dondon Monteverde’s Reality Mindanao. Entertainment and the sunson To help augment their Group Limited of hong Kong for financial capital to support the the production of a movie (with newly organized foundation KiDs the working title “The Wind Breezes Philippines, inc. was officially On”) which will pit Brandon with launched via a successful 4-in-1 variety fundraising campaign hong Kong action star Dennis on October 1, 2016. The fundTo (“ip Man”, “Bodyguards and generating event was made Assassins”, “ip Man 2” and “The possible through the auspices of Legend is Born”). Cherry M. smyth Productions, LLC To be directed by Chinese/ and with the selfless benevolence British national sean Yim, the and unmeasured munificence of Filipino folksinger Florante De Leon, movie will start shooting in singer-songwriter-record producer November, 70 percent in the Philippines and 30 percent in Eric G, singer-performer Kirby Asunto, Bob Lewis, the CMs Fashion hong Kong. it’s the story of two Collection, the No Name Band, fathers whose worlds collide when Continued on Page 6 Ko (Dennis), a former bodyguard
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from hong Kong, and Brandon, an undercover cop from Manila, team up “in a hunt for vengeance and salvation.” it will be released early next year in both countries. “The Wind Breezes On” is actually Brandon’s third movie, following Buy Bust (with Anne Curtis, directed by Erik Matti), showing in August, and hawa (director and leading lady not yet revealed) which starts shooting next month. in Buy Bust, Brandon plays a PDEA agent and in hawa, a survivor of the apocalypse trying to protect his family after the spread of a deadly virus. “My role in Buy Bust as an agent is not good and not bad,” explained Brandon whose body, like that of The Rock, is decorated with tattoos. “it’s a movie that is anti-drugs, anti-corruption, anti-everything. it’s an amazing, intriguing movie that you have to watch twice. hawa is some kind of a zombie apocalypse, with the script written two years ago.” Asked how different acting was from fighting, Brandon broke into a wide smile. “You know,” he said, “i trained for my movie like i trained for a fight. i got hurt on the set more than i was in the ring. A lot of action was happening on the set and you don’t have any control of it. i felt different from the start Continued on Page 5
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY m AY 25, 20 1 8
‘Fresh Off The Boat’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’...
From Page 2 The Boat” was picked up by ABC. While the show has been criticized for creative reasons (Huang has openly criticized the comedic direction the showrunners went), “Fresh Off The Boat” was recently renewed for a 5th season, proof that a series with a majority Asian cast can last in the age of network television decline. The year after “Fresh Off The Boat” expanded the ways in which network sitcoms can be financially solvent, Indian-American comedian Aziz Ansari and Taiwanese-American writer and of determination, hard work and producer Alan Yang created the patience. To be in America, someEmmy and Golden Globe-winning one needs to be a hard worker. comedy series “Master of None”, a Takes courage and patience. I dramatic comedy series about a worked two jobs for 7 years to struggling actor dev (Ansari) and his heterogenous group of friends. make it. I also made sure that I go “Master of None” was met with back to school to make sure to be praise from critics for bringing able to compete and level with in cinematic flair to the television the playing field. I believe in kindfront, but more profoundly, it was ness, credibility is important, being praised for bringing much needed a hard worker and always being ethnic, sexual and body diversity humble and keeping your feet to and bringing visibility to the the ground. Always remember unique second-generation Asian where you come from and the American experience. Ansari and people who helped you along Yang have stated that the need for three-dimensional portrayals the way. I treat people the way I wanted to be treated. do not burn of Asian Americans was a driving force in their creative direction for bridges,” she shared. No doubt, Luis fell in love with the show. An episode that discussed Rosemarie. She’s such a strong and the relationship between AAPI determined woman. I asked her millennials and their immigrant what could be one of the challeng- parents earned Ansari and Yang es they encountered as a couple an Emmy win for Outstanding and she answered: “Marrying Writing in a Comedy Series in someone with young children and 2016. In his Emmy speech, Yang an ex-wife is not easy on my part. made a call to action to uplift the Thankfully, I always have been independent. That helped a lot for creative Asian community: “There me as I have my own life when my [are] 17 million Asian Americans in this country and there are 17 husband was busy being a dad million Italian Americans in this to his young children. It helps to country. They [Italian Americans] be kind and learn to share. In the have “The Godfather”, “Goodfellas”, early years, I have to share Luis for “Rocky” and “The Sopranos”. We his time. Through God’s help and got Long duk dong. So we got a blessings, together, we were able long way to go. But I believe we can get there. I believe in us. It’s to overcome our difficulties. “ going to take a lot of hard work. Luis has two children from his Asian parents out there, if you can previous marriage; Jose (30), who do me a favor just a couple of you: works with them in their family get your kids cameras instead of business, and Alejandra (28), who violins and we’ll be all good.” is pursuing Nursing. Their biologChanging Hollywood’s ical daughter (and the youngest) culture is Marylou will be 21 years old in While there isn’t necessarily June. Marylou is studying to be a a quick fix to address the issue of registered Nurse Practioner. cinematic AAPI representation, Through the years and in spite a two-pronged solution that places responsibility on studios of all the challenges they face, and Asian filmmakers themselves there is nothing that they cannot overcome together. For Rosemarie, to help change the culture, according to veteran Chineseit’s kindness, respect and romance American actress Kelly Hu. Continued on Page 6 “I think a lot of it has to do with the people who work behind the scenes, the producers, directors and writers creating these roles,” the Chinese-American Passive smoking by children actress shared with the Asian (secondhand smoke exposure) is Journal in a recent interview. “And associated with 150,000 to 300,000 also for us to get out there as the cases of bronchitis and pneumonia Asian community, to go out there each year in infants and young and support [other Asian artists]. children less than 18 months old. When there are Asian shows being We should not be doing this to our done to actually watch and go children. support to show that we can make How about secondhand a huge difference.” smoke at the workplace? Changing culture doesn’t The U.S. Surgeon General’s happen overnight. Arguing the Report of 1996 established that financial solvency of Asian stories the simple separation of smokers with studios, improving the ways and non-smokers within the same in which AAPIs are represented air space may reduce but NOT and getting them on the screen in eliminate the risk of exposure to the first place feels like a tall order. environmental tobacco smoke. In And it is. But the avenues available view of this, an increasing number of state and local laws now restrict smoking at the workplace. The idea behind this law is that the preferences and rights of both From Page 3 the nonsmokers and the smokers case is unique, but being Filipino should be considered whenever is not about blood or nationality,” possible. However, when these choices conflict, the health and the wrote the netizen last Tuesday. preferences of nonsmokers should “Being Filipino is beyond that… prevail and come first. More and Filipino is not a race. It’s a concept, an more private companies, on their identity.” own, are also adopting policies The netizen further wrote that that restrict smoking and protect anyone can say one is a Filipino by nonsmokers. nationality, or say one is a Filipino What are the other adverse by just a drop of blood. “But to effects of smoking? be an authentic Filipino? One has Besides the health hazards to immerse himself in its identity among smokers, and to those to find out. One has to learn and people around him who are understand its history.” forced to inhale secondhand smoke, tobacco smoking leads to Heussaff, on her end, did not let environmental pollution. Burning the netizen’s words go unanswered tobacco causes bad odors, which as she replied to him in defense. “I cling to people’s clothes, hair, am Filipino. I grew up here. I am by skin and even curtains, etc. In an blood. I am by heart and I do know air-conditioned room, the cooling Filipino culture. does everything unit demands can jump as much have to be a battle in this time and as 600 percent in order to control
Luis and Rosemarie Mendez: My ultimate hashtag #couplegoals living services to adult population with developmental disabilities. By Monet Lu His husband Luis oversees Luis E. Mendez & Associates, Inc., which I USEd to ask myself, “Is there is a service providing money really somebody out there for management and payee services everyone?” Then I got to know one to individuals with intellectual disof the most inspiring couples, Luis abilities. He is responsible for manand Rosemarie Mendez. aging finances, making sure bills I met Luis and Rosemarie in are paid on a timely fashion and the early 90s while I was doing that funds last to cover the costs of Reflections in Hyatt Regency their daily living expenses. Hotel. Rosemarie was still single Rosemarie describes her husat the time. One time, she inband as kind and generous. “He is troduced me to her boyfriend a hard worker and is ambitious. He (now husband) and I just knew is also caring, God-fearing and that aside from the guy’s “model is a very supportive husband to looks,” he could be “the one” for me. He is always encouraging Her. True enough, they tied the and is supportive of my goals and knot soon after and fast forward aspirations. He is a wonderful to 2 weeks ago; she asked me to son to his mother, kind brother be her stylist for their 25th annito his siblings and family. He is a versary! great son-in-law to my mother The couple renewed their and a great father,” Rosemarie vows at the Little Brown Church in added. Luis, on the other hand, the Valley in Studio City. Their close loves Rosemarie’s sense of humor friends, family and relatives went to and considers her to be very celebrate with them. hardworking, intelligent, and with So I did what any good friend a great personality to boot. – and a fan/follower of their love Luis and Rosemarie were story – would. I asked if I could both immigrants. Luis hails from write about their journey to “hapEl Salvador in Central America pily every after,” to which she and migrated to The United gladly obliged. States in the early 80’s. While “We met while both employed Rosemarie, migrated to the at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Los U.S. shortly after working as a Angeles. My husband and I started Secretary to the late Senator as co-workers then friends. We Ernesto Maceda and his younger were both involved with other brother Boyie Maceda. She was a people when we met. As time goes scholar at the University of the East by, our friendship and closeness in Manila in High School and turned romantic. We end-up going majored in Political Science at out and became a couple. We got Trinity College of Quezon City married and we have just celebrat- in the Philippines. As with most ed our 25th wedding anniversary.” immigrants, she considered the Rosemarie narrated when I asked first few years to be the most chalher to tell me again how they met. lenging. Rosemarie works as an Exec“You are learning to navigate utive director at Explore Freedom a new country as well as trying to Services, Inc. (EFS), a social service find yourself in a new culture and program providing supportive environment. It took a great deal
Health@Heart
Passive smoking: More deadly
her urges when he/she smokes. Does passive smoking cause cancer? Yes, most definitely. Smokers PhiliP S. Chua, developing lung and other MD, FaCS, FPCS cancers from smoking tobacco is a scientifically proven fact. In the United States, cancer victims WHAT is passive smoking? Secondhand smoke is the fume of smoking and family members that one involuntarily inhales after of smokers who died from cigarette-related illness, have someone who smokes exhales sued cigarette manufacturers, it (called mainstream smoke), and have won millions in awards. or the fume that goes directly While they vehemently denied to the atmosphere from the before, cigarette companies burning tobacco (cigarette, pipe or cigar) called side stream smoke. today have admitted in public that tobacco causes cancers and When non-smokers breathe in other lung illnesses. The courts these smokes or fumes from have likewise ruled in a similar other people’s cigarettes, cigars fashion in favor of victims of and pipes, this is involuntarily inhalation, called passive smoking, passive smoking (as in the airline stewardess’ case). In 1986, the a more deadly source of lung Surgeon General of the United diseases and cancers. Tobacco States reported that involuntary smoke contains about 4000 (yes, (passive) smoking can cause lung four thousand) chemicals, 200 of cancer in healthy non-smokers. them known poisons. Some of them are benzenes, formaldehyde In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now and carbon monoxide, which are classified secondhand smoke as a released into the air by smokers. known carcinogen (cancer-causing Not only is the smoker inhaling agent). these poisons, but so is everyone Does passive smoking hurt around them. children and infants? Is secondhand smoke really More so, young children more toxic? and infants are more vulnerable Yes, it has been scientifically to tobacco smokes and fumes. proven that secondhand smokes are more dangerous to health than Pregnant mothers who smoke, firsthand smoke. The smoker, who pass these dangerous substances to the fetus, causing higher inhales the (mainstream) smoke incidents of smaller babies, some “filters” it so some degree before with diminished mental acuity, or exhaling it, but the non-smoker around him/her inhales the “pure” even wit retardation, most with babies that are prone to frequent and more dangerous side stream smoke. Besides the tar and nicotine respirator infections and asthmatic attacks. Studies have shown that in in secondhand smoke, there are several cancer-causing substances their first two years of life, babies whose parent(s) smoke(s) at home in secondhand smoke, and in much higher concentration than in have higher incidence of lung mainstream smoke. So, the person diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia than babies of nonwho smokes in public, around smokers. Smokes also aggravate people, is giving himself/herself a asthma in children and may lower dose of poisons, and giving even precipitate attacks. Parents, his victims (family members, especially pregnant mothers, and friends and strangers) around all of us for that matter, should him/her a higher and a more deadly dose of poison. Technically, not smoke, but if we have too, we should do it outside our home, it is criminal to “spray” harmful and away from people. chemicals to the atmosphere for Studies have shown that, even others to breathe in, exposing among children without asthma, them to cancer-causing agents. acute respiratory illnesses occur Obviously, the smokers do not two times more often to young intentionally do this to hurt his family or other people. The smoker children whose parents smoke is simply “hooked” on this addictive around them as compared to those with on-smoking parents. habit and is simply satisfying his/
ABC’s family sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” loosely inspired by the life of chef and food personality Eddie Huang. Since its release in 2015, it became the first American TV sitcom starring an Asian American family to air on primetime since 1994. Poster courtesy of ABC
to create and produce your own projects are more vast than ever. Korean-American actress and writer Vivian Bang’s career began as many budding actresses’ do: small roles in television roles and largely unseen projects. The 34-year-old actress from Seoul, for the span of her nearly 20-year career, grappled with many of the woes experienced by many AAPI actors: scarcity of Asian faces on screen is real, but more insidious are the ways in which Asian faces are portrayed. In an interview in March, she told the Asian Journal that she believes there’s an “unconscious bias” in the film world and American culture at large wherein there isn’t an active pursuit to shirk AAPIs in entertainment, but there is a noticeable “absence” that has largely gone unnoticed in the system. Asian actors, she said, are too often slighted and are given roles that to represent the scope of their talents. “We have so many stories to tell, and these aren’t ‘niche’ stories,” Bang said, referring to instances where studio heads are hesitant to finance Asian-specific projects for fear of being too esoteric and, potentially, financially insolvent. “These are human stories because, if you haven’t heard, we’re humans! Like, why can’t there just be a show about Asian people just living their lives in LA? We can do so much more than just playing the quirky best friend or the token Asian.” And that’s exactly what she did. She wrote, produced and stars in the upcoming film “White Rabbit”, a dramatic comedy about an LA-based Korean-American performance artist struggling to be heard as a multi-dimensional artist. She wrote “White Rabbit” out of what she calls a necessity for a story that, not only features an Asian female lead but to address the issue of invisibility of the AAPI community in the creative world. “There’s just this really deep reservoir of artists and talent coming from [the AAPI] community which hasn’t been given its rightful exposure. It’s not that we’re not there, it’s that we haven’t been given the chance to really shine, but now we live in this time where we can do that ourselves,” Bang asserted. Addressing diversity Like all issues of culture, many people question the urgency of the diversity problem. does it really matter who we see in our movies and shows? In general, the AAPI population is growing at a rapid rate. The U.S.
Chinese-American actress and event hostess Kelly Hu at the first annual Lunar New Year Soiree hosted by Lexus on Thursday, March 1. AJPress file photos by Noel Ty
Census Bureau found that the AAPI community is the fast-growing demographic in the United States and naturalization trends see that continuing for the next several decades. It would benefit the studios looking to turn a large profit and AAPI artists who haven’t been given their due to transform the industry to more accurately represent this new reality and to cater to a growingly ethnically assorted population, as expressed by sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen in her book “Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism.” “‘diversity’ and ‘brilliance’ are not mutually exclusive. Hollywood can reconceptualize racial diversity and inclusion not as a compromise, but as a goal,” she writes “Hollywood simply cannot afford to ignore an increasingly diverse domestic audience base and growing international market. As an industry, Hollywood also risks stagnation because racially and gender diverse groups are more likely to innovate and create than groups with less diverse members.” diversity for diversity’s sake isn’t the issue. The call for fair representation isn’t to haphazardly include more Asian bodies in a film to fulfill a quota that film’s past could not, but it is to, rather, challenge the centurylong homogeneity in Hollywood that fails to capture the reality of a growingly assorted American population. Culture is, in part, shaped by film and television which have a profound reach, and to accurately represent the AAPI community in thoughtful, constructive ways means accurately representing the world as we know it.
Solenn Heussaff defends herself...
the bad odor of tobacco, which also lingers on. The bad odor is due to the burned chemical that penetrates our skin and the fabric of our clothes. The habit, which used to be so glamorous and very “in” is now “out” and considered “dirty.” It is also expensive and very offensive to nonsmokers. The prediction is that some day, smoking, in view of all these health hazards, will be tabooed, and smokers will be outcast. What can be done about secondhand smoke? Both the smokers and nonsmokers have their rights. Smokers have the right to smoke, Continued on Page 5
age?” The netizen replied saying he was not contesting Heussaff’s claims of being a “Filipino,” just correcting her notion of race and blood. “Being a Filiipino/Filipina is beyond that. Filipino is not a race. It is a concept.” “I’m a Filipino,” Heussaff wrote again, posting a screenshot of Wikipedia definition of Filipino. “Just focus on living and helping our country and spreading positive vibes. Tc (take care).” “Nice, Wikipedia,” the netizen wrote back in sarcasm. “I hope you understand that me correcting your erroneous notion of what a Filipino is doesn’t mean that I no longer love nor want to help my country, nor am I spreading negative vibes. Correcting you is not tantamount to bashing you, my dear.”
It seems though that Heussaff realized the futility of trying to exchange in a conversation that only goes in circles, as she no longer replied to the netizen anymore. Not many may know, but apart from modeling, hosting and acting, Heussaff is also involved in various causes, such as a collective called # WeCreateHope that tours around schools to educate students about the creative power of cooperation across ages, races and cultures. As for her artwork, her paintings on her Instagram show that Heussaff often takes inspiration from ordinary people. Her paintings often depict the mundane more than the glamorous, such as workers, vagrants, markets and provincial life.
Brandon Vera: In the footsteps...
From Page 4
of the shoot to the end. I was nervous and uptight but soon, I got the hang of it. Toward the end, I was having a good time; I felt as if I was just hanging out with my cousins. I totally enjoyed it.” A permanent Philippine resident since two years ago, Brandon came to the presscon with his also Fil-Am wife, Jessica Renee Craven Vera, who was born and raised in San diego, California.
They got married a month ago in Guam where, according to Jessica, they started dating. “Since I was a kid,” added Brandon, “I always wanted to live in the Philippines. I’m happy that we are finally here to start our own family. It’s a grinding year for me. I’m shooting two movies and preparing to defend my title in late this year.” Now that he is in showbiz, is he giving up fighting for good? “No way am I turning my
back on fighting,” stressed Brandon. “I don’t know if I can or if I will ever give up fighting. Everybody says, ‘You will know when you are ready to retire.’ We’ll see. I’m still enjoying everything that I’m doing. I enjoy the training including the hardship of it all.” Of course, his mind is set on his big dream. “Someday, I want to work with The Rock. That’s my ultimate goal.”
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An Asian Journal Magazine
Filipino designs shine at Miss Earth Philippines 2018
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY M AY 25, 20 1 8
by C.
Mendez Legaspi Philstar.com
Miss Earth 2017 Karen ibasco from the philippines was at her most beautiful when she turned over her crown. She was glowing in a white bustier ballgown by Val taguba. For the finals night, fashion designers were asked to create hautecouture gowns following the theme “Sea and Sky.” paolo Blanco created the gown for the statuesque Silvia Celeste Cortesi, Miss Earth philippines 2018 winner. “it’s an illusion sheer top encrusted with silver blue crystals with beaded fringe ombré tiffany blue to silver serpentina skirt,” Blanco said on his work. Jearson Demavivas designed for the pretty half-palestinian Miss philippines air Zahra Bianca Saldua. “With the need to preserve conBOOK LAUNCH. Author and Asian Journal columnist Prosy Abarquez-Dela Cruz had her New York book launch at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue on Wednesday, May 23. Her book, Even the Rainbow Has a Body celebrates Filipino artists in the diaspora. Photo shows Ms. servatism without compromising Dela Cruz with Consul Arman Talbo, Cultural Officer Olive Magpile, Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz Popov and Purple Yam’s Romy Dorotan, among modern style, this royal blue gown some other guests who attended the launch and discussion.
was created to achieve a stunning juxtaposition of daring and traditionalist values since the wearer is a practicing Muslim,” he explained. “the details include a unique overlay of crystal tulle cloth that diagonally falls off the skirt from one side and a crystal-detailed base of the entire gown - a combination that emblems not only elegance but impressive contemporary style.” Benj leguiab iV said of his creation for Miss philippines Fire Jean de Jesus: “Everyone’s saying you looked so dashing, regal and classy in the galaxy blue gown i made. i designed this gown not just only for details, what’s trendy, or trying to look different but i focused to make (you stand out so you could be the best version of yourself.)” Gerry Fernandez made a light ash-blue gown of French lace for Miss philippines Eco-tourism Halimatu tanador Yushawu: “it’s a body-
hugging silhouette with flowy skirt at the back. Crystals and pearls are all over the gown, highlighted with metallic bamboo beads fringes for a dramatic impact.” Bea Bianca Mackey designed the “Best in long Gown” worn by Miss philippines Water Berjayneth Goc-Ong Chee during preliminaries: “Keeping the Earth’s color, the flowy, high-slit, nude-base gown is made of beaded, checkered cloth appliqued in lace, giving the impression of an empowered Filipina who calls for the love of humanity. it has Swarovski crystals and ostrich feathers.” For Chee’s final gown, Mackey created a haltered, royal-blue sequined gown with flowy, detachable tulle train. “it’s for the environment warrior who will protect the world’s oceans by advocating for cleanliness on the shorelines,” Mackey enthused.
Daniel Padilla, Jasmine Curtis help Marawi rehab efforts WHEn war fell on Marawi, the city was not the only thing left ravaged. Close to 400,000 Filipinos were displaced from their homes by the fivemonth siege that lasted from May to October 2017. Fleeing to safety, they abandoned their property, their sources of livelihood. Marawi suffered more than p17 billion in damaged infrastructure, private properties and economic activities during the course of the war. Many were on the brink of hopelessness, not knowing how to rebuild from the ashes. Evacuees struggled in temporary shelters and refugee sites with no electricity. the darkness around the city did not just make the situation difficult and unsafe, but also gave perpetuated fear among evacuees who were unsure of what the next days would bring. in September 2017, pepsiCo and pepsi-Cola products philippines inc. in partnership with MyShelter Foundation’s liter of light went to
From left: Jasmine Curtis and Daniel Padilla help build lights for Marawi. Philstar.com photos
work to provide the community with sustainable sources of light. to get more hands into the project, the team also engaged their brand ambassadors Daniel padilla, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, national university volleyball player Jaja Santiago, and Magic 89.9 radio jocks tin Gamboa (DJ Suzy), anthony James Bueno (tony toni), and Eric Virata (Slick Rick) to help build Solar gasera lights in October 2017
for delivery to Marawi. Each “gasera” light is made of lED bulbs wired to miniature solar panels using a copper board. it houses rechargeable Newly crowned Earth Philippines 2018 Silvia Celeste Cortesi in a Paolo Blanco creation (center) and Miss Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco (right) wearing a Val Taguba ball gown. Philstar.com photo by Erwin Cagades batteries similar to those found in computers. to date, the team with the help of Marawi community leaders have From Page 4 distributed 1,000 solar gasera lamps and installed 200 street lights in the city and the temporary shelters. (Philstar.com)
KIDS Philippines, Inc. provides educational...
Aiza changes name to ‘Ice Seguerra’
Aiza now comes by the name Ice Photo courtesy of Universal Records
Multi-platinuM recording artist ice Seguerra (formerly known as aiza Seguerra) is back with “anghel Sa lupa,” ice’s first single after the release of Gold certified album “araw Gabi: Mga awit ni Maestro Ryan” in 2015. ice rose to prominence as a former child star, appearing in over 30 films since the debut in Vic Sotto’s “Okey Ka Fairy Ko.” From there, ice has become one of the country’s most respected singer-songwriters, with hits such as “pagdating ng panahon” and “pakisabi na lang,” among many others. Known more for “hugot” and melodramatic songs, ice changes pace with this new single, a fresh acoustic tune that tries to encapsulate the inexplicable feeling of being in love with someone. though it gives more of a lighthearted feel than his previous songs, ice still manages to deliver signature vocals prominent in ice’s body of work. the feel-good song will be a pleasant surprise for those yearning to hear more from the certified hitmaker, and will once again capture the hearts of many, including a younger audience. “anghel Sa lupa” is now available on itunes, apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and amazon. ice will return with more singles, and a full-length album to be released sometime in 2018 under universal Records. (Philstar.com)
Angels among us
From Page 3 and they are the ones concerned with the affairs of human beings. they are holy celestial beings who are agents of God intended as a help to mere mortals. they are powerful but we ourselves need to connect to that power to take effect. if you acknowledge that you as a child of God was given a personal guardian angel from the time God conceived you in His thoughts,
there should be no fear in our hearts to face even the unknown. an angelic relationship can be nurtured daily and can grow wonderfully through time until the end of human life. Who knows? in the end, we might be able to see this yet unseen godly presence, link up face to face, do a high-five, even dance a jig and thank our personal guardian angel, whether you gave him a name or not, whether
Luis and Rosemarie Mendez... From Page 5 that keep them strong and united. “Kindness is very important. Saying thank you and please. Respect, being caring, compromise is a wonderful thing. learning to be able to forgive each other. Humor is important. You need to be able to laugh at each other’s joke. understanding and patience are some that i can think of. always keep the romance alive. We still go out on dates, usually on Saturdays. We go on vacations once or twice a year and bond as a family. We
make sure that we are involve in our children’s lives. “My prayers are that God will continue to bless our family. i pray for my husband and for his great health and a long life so we can enjoy each other and our family through our old age.” i am certain that God will continue to bless them. i strongly believe that couples like them who love and respect one another and inspire people like me, are the ones who are most blessed. to my favorite and hashtag
passive smoking... From Page 5 even if smoking is bad for their health. people have the right to commit suicide. in the same token, nonsmokers have their rights also. they have the right to protect themselves and their children from unwanted cancer-causing smokes. Someone’s enjoyment should not be tolerated to be somebody else’s endangerment. Steps that could be taken: 1. let family, friends and co-workers know that you mind if they smoke around you; 2. put “no Smoking”
signs in your home, car or office to make people aware; 3. Support legislation to restrict smoking in public places, like workplace or restaurant, movies, busses and other public places; 4. propose non-smoking resolutions in your social/civic organization meetings; 5. Encourage management, unions and companies where you work to establish policies to protect nonsmokers on the job; and, help promote the concept of smokefree families in your community. after all, we have the right to say
he revealed his name to you or not, when we transition out to a celestial realm ourselves — finally free of all heavy worldly concerns and all constraints of time, space and gravity. Just perhaps, that light at the end of a long dark tunnel might give us a glimpse of the face of God himself. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com #couplegoals: Keep the love alive and the passion burning. Happy 25th anniversary. i wish you more years of blessed togetherness. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
no to poisons and cancers. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com (Advertising Supplement)
Recording artist Angel Ram shared her vocal KPI-NY Vice-Prexy-elect Annalyn Constantinoprowess and entertained KPI-NY crowd Beck delivers the closing remarks
and other local talents. the newly formed Kpi officers and volunteers were duly sworn in by Consul arman talbo. in a short period of time and with due coordination with the Department of Education, Kpi has granted scholarships to a little more than 450 young scholars from different towns and barangays: aplaya Elementary School (Barangay tagburos, puerto princesa, palawan), Bless tribal School (Barangay Mapurog, Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental), Sergio Mata Elentary School (Barangay tubaran, tubod, lanao Del norte), and Rufo dela Cruz integrated School (Barangay poblacion, tubod, lanao del norte), Several similar events ensued to continuously finance the increasing number of Kpi beneficiaries. On January 28, 2017 the first Fundraising Formal Gala and presentation of Kpi projects in the philippines was held at Great neck Country Club in Waterford, Connecticut followed by the maiden Kpi Charity Golf tournament on august 26, 2017 at pequot Golf Club at Stonington, Connecticut, and on november 18, 2017 the first Kpi anniversary Gala was held at the Mystic Marriott Hotel in Connecticut that indubitably proved of the organization’s dynamic advocacy with numerous supportive backing. as Kpi took its smooth-sailing flight several chapters came to existence. Kpi-Rhode island Chapter was officially recognized on May, 2017 with Hector “Bong” Garcia on the totem pole; on May 5, 2018 Kpi-Massachusetts Chapter officers were sworn to office under the stewardship of Vina Jourdan, and just recently, Kpi-nY with Vicente Gesmundo on the helm. this year sixteen schools throughout the philippines will enjoy benefiting from Kpi missions: 1 in puerto princesa, palawan (aplaya Elementary School); 3 in the Bicol Region (Buraguis Elementary School in legaspi City, pag-asa national High School, and Barangay Rawis in legaspi City); 1 in the municipality of Baroy (paragon Christian School); 2 in Misamis Occidental (Bless tribal School in Mapurog, Missamis Occidental and Sicot Elementary Schhool in tangub City); 1 in Mountain province with 39 students; 1 in Donsol, Sorsogon with 100 students; and 7 municipalities in lanao Del norte. “ KiDS philippines, inc. will continue to grow every year and eventually expand into every far-
Upcoming singer Jerome Robielos delivers the invocation
Hon. Con. Arman R. Talbo inducts KPI-NY officers
flung region in the philippines with the help of our growing supporters and generous donors and benefactors. this is all about kids. it is all about these indigent and less privileged young but promising souls. We’ve only just started… yet we resolutely hope to last to be able to reach out to the most in need,” Cherry stated with stanch pronouncement. Meet Kpi’s founder and president a beauty queen with a magnanimously generous heart, a dynamic community leader and organizer, an open-handed philanthropist, and an enterprising businesswoman (sole proprietor of Cherry M. Smyth productions, llC and CMC Collections, an in-house fashion boutique, and CMS travel), Cherry Marmes Smyth is incredibly a renaissance woman. independent with keen business acumen and an exquisite beauty that won’t be left unnoticed Cherry was crowned 2013 pHOSSO’s (philippine Hearts and Hopes Society, inc.) Mrs. philippines-america. the lanao del norte-born lady with charismatic appeal (now Griswold, Connecticut-based) never ceases to build lofty dreams not for herself but for others where help is considered necessary. Her altruistic and philanthropic ways easily create for her a gigantic image that made her stand much taller than what she actually is. Seeking to promote the welfare of others through generous donations and fundraising events, the indefatigable Kpi founder finds joy and fulfillment having had accomplished her personal mission to her countrymen… together with the able support of her equally benevolent husband. almost in her full term (merely awaiting for the stork’s delivery on the second week of June…as of press time) Cherry could still amazingly move swiftly and concerning… attending to the very detail of the nYC event
while simultaneously (personally) attending and greeting every guest that arrived. Her worthpraising deportment at her state of pregnancy could only earn for her not only affirmative impressions but inspiring headship among new members, as well. Kpi-nY Officers the simple but intimate induction of KiDS philippines, inc.-nY was spiritedly uplifted with a solemn invocation delivered by fast-rising singer Jerome Orillaza Robielos and the melodious vocal rendition of the most-in-demand chanteuse-recording artist angel Ram. after delivering his inspirational talk the Honorable Consul arman R. talbo, ably assisted by Kpi Founder Cherry M. Smyth, ably swore to office the new set of officers of the new York Chapter composed of: Vicente G. Gesmundo,-- president; annalyn Constantino Beck --Vice-president; Dolores Verdillo agda – Secretary; Cecile Duyongco – asst. Secretary; Cecile lai --treasurer; Marites lopez Songco – auditor; and Raymar Maranan – public Relations Officer. a Filipino event, no matter how plain and simple, won’t come to wrapping up without offering something to fill up the gut and quench one’s thirst… and Sweet Habana (of coloratura soprano Kay Havana) catered a bountiful table of assorted one-bite finger foods and drinks courtesy of the newly inducted president. KiDS philippines, inc. is fast becoming one of the most reliable among the many youth-oriented organizations providing quality education to children in need… helping and guiding them reach full potential that they may be instruments to diminish, if not totally eradicate, poverty in the next generation. For comments and suggestions, please email to: gemini0646@yahoo.com.
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