060122 - Southern California Midweek Edition

JUNE 1-3, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 43 • 16 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Nationwide survey seeks to gauge Fil-Am attitudes on COVID-19 vaccines A NEW nationwide survey is seeking to gauge how the Filipino American community feels about COVID-19 vaccinations. The project is being launched by the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), through its Tayo project, the group announced in a recent release. The MAGPABAKUNA na Tayo (“Measuring and Gathering data on Pilipino/a/x American Behaviors, Attitudes, and Knowledge Understanding the Novel CoronAvirus vaccines”) study is a 20-minute survey that will be conducted online and via telephone by Tayo and community partners the Council of Young Filipinx Americans in Medicine (CYFAM). The survey is open to all Filipino Americans over the age of 18 and will be conducted in English and Filipino. Participants can answer whether or not they have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Led by Tayo medical advisor Dr. Melissa

Duterte counting days to retirement by KRISTINA

MARALIT ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is counting the days until he can step out of the public eye and revert to being a private citizen. "He looks forward to his retirement in Davao City," acting presidential spokesman and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said on Tuesday, May 31. Andanar shared how the Chief Executive was "upbeat" during the last Cabinet meeting last Monday night, May 30 and how he mentioned that he could

not wait to "spend time with his family and grandchildren." Meanwhile, acting Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said the President expressed satisfaction with the performance of his chosen officials throughout the six years of being under his watch. "During the Cabinet meeting, I repeatedly heard him saying, "Hindi ako nagkamali sa mga pinili ko na miyembro ng Gabinete na ginawa talaga 'yung trabaho (I wasn't wrong in choosing the members of the Cabinet who really performed their duties)," Matibag said.

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by MA.

Got long COVID? Medical expertise is vital, seniors should prepare to go slow Palace to endorse bills to new admin

FINAL CABINET MEETING. President Rodrigo Duterte presides over the 54th Cabinet meeting at the Malacañang Palace on Monday, May 30. Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said the Cabinet clusters presented their accomplishments in the past six years during the meeting in Malacañang, which he likened to a gathering of a family that celebrated the “victory” of the administration. Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez

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by ALEXIS

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration will endorse to the incoming government of president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. its priority bills that will be bypassed by Congress. Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag said the endorsement of priority measures would form part of the transition to the next administration. “We will make endorsements, but of course, we will respect the prerogatives of the incoming administration on their choice of priority legislations (that) need to be passed,” Matibag told The STAR in a text message on Tuesdaym May 31. He said the passage of laws involves a joint effort of the executive and legislative

REINA LEANNE TOLENTINO ManilaTimes.net

VICE President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo is ready to meet with Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio for a smooth transition of power. Robredo indicated her readiness in a letter responding to Duterte-Carpio's request for an initial meeting between their teams. "Warmest congratulations on your proclamation as the 15th vice president of the Republic of the Philippines," Robredo said in the letter dated May 30 to Duterte-Carpio. "Please be advised that we are ready to meet to answer any questions you may have regarding the Office of the Vice President and to take all necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition," Robredo said. The vice president said her chief of staff will contact Duterte-Carpio's team for the meeting. The incoming vice president had requested the meeting in a letter to Robredo dated May 27.

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branches of government. “We have to be mindful that the effort to pass a law does not only come from Malacañang,” he said. Matibag was responding to a question on why the proposed National Land Use Act, one of the bills that President Duterte mentioned in his previous State of the Nation Addresses, was not passed. Data from the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office showed that more than 30 priority bills of the President are not yet enacted into law. Aside from the proposed National Land Use Act, other legislative priorities of the President that are pending in Congress include the bill creating the department of disaster resilience, the passive income Mayor Christina Frasco of Liloan, Cebu, and Erwin Tulfo tax and financial intermediary tax reform,

Inquirer.net photos

Marcos names 5 more Fact check: Robredo’s recent US members of his Cabinet trip was not sponsored by Fil-Ams plotting against gov’t  PAGE 5

by JEANNETTE

I. ANDRADE

Inquirer.net

by KAYCEE

VALMONTE Philstar.com

Outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo

PNA photo

Robredo congratulates Sara Duterte, prepares smooth transition

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OLDER adults who have survived COVID-19 are more likely than younger patients to have persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, muscle aches, heart palpitations, headaches, joint pain, and difficulty with memory and concentration — problems linked to long COVID. But it can be hard to distinguish lingering aftereffects of COVID from conditions common in older adults such as lung disease, heart disease, and mild cognitive impairment. There are no diagnostic tests or recommended treatments for long COVID, and the biological mechanisms that underlie its effects remain poorly understood. “Identifying long COVID in older adults with other medical conditions is tricky,” said Dr. Nathan Erdmann, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the University of

President Rodrigo Duterte

Philstar.com photo

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo had just arrived back in Manila over the weekend following a trip to the United States where she spent the past few weeks on vacation and to attend her youngest daughter’s college graduation. CLAIM: A YouTube video claimed that Robredo’s U.S. trip was sponsored by Filipino-

Americans to plot against the Philippine government. RATING: This is false. FACTS: Along with her three daughters, Robredo went to the United States on her own account to attend her youngest Jillian’s college graduation and to spend time with family. They did not entertain requests for meet-ups. What the posts say YouTube channel “Showbiz Fanaticz” published the video

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MANILA — After naming key members of his economic team last week, President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. identified on Monday five more officials joining his Cabinet, including the spokesperson of Vice Presidentelect Sara Duterte. At a press briefing at Marcos’ national campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City, the incoming administration’s Press Secretary nominee Trixie Cruz Angeles announced the nominations of the following: • Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina

Frasco as tourism secretary • Amenah Pangandaman as head of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) • Erwin Tulfo as social welfare secretary • lawyer Ivan John Uy as head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology • former Manila Rep. Ma. Zenaida Angping as chief of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Angeles said the nominees were chosen “generally for their experience in public service and proven service records.” Frasco was the recipient of

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From the Front Page

Duterte counting days to... PAGE 1 "Many of the Cabinet secretaries will graduate with honors and were able to accomplish a lot," he added. Matibag said Duterte also thanked the spouses of Cabinet members who were not selfish with their time. Not much instruction was given during

the meeting but the president's commitment to work until his last day in office remains, he added. "Even if, let's say, it's the last Cabinet meeting, it doesn’t mean that we will stop working from today until noontime ng June 30," Matibag said. "But as to the instructions, the general instructions have been to

love and serve the Philippines. Nothing has changed." After the meeting, Duterte treated his Cabinet members and their spouses to a dinner that was filled with music from the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Matibag said some former Cabinet members were also present during the event. g

Fact check: Robredo’s recent US trip was not... PAGE 1

entitled, “ILANG FIL-AM, ROBREDO AT GUANZON MAY KINALAMAN SA PINAPLANONG MASAMA LABAN SA ADMINISTRASYON NI PRES. BBM” (Some Fil-Ams, Robredo, and Guanzon are conspiring against the administration of Pres. BBM), referring to former Commission on Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. In the video, the vlogger identified as one Bryan Calagui said that Robredo, her camp, and Guanzon were planning to “ruin the government.” “‘Yung mga Fil-Am na nakatira sa Amerika ay sponsoran itong si ‘Len-Len’ na pumunta sa Amerika,” Calagui was shown saying in the first few seconds of the YouTube video. Robredo has been referred to by her crictics on social media as "Len-Len."

(These Fil-Ams who live in America are sponsoring this “LenLen” to go to America.) The vlogger added "LenLen," a derisive nickname proadministration supporters use to refer to the Vice President, is supposedly plotting something, and urged supporters of president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice presidentelect Sara Duterte to prepare. Without providing pieces of evidence or links, he claimed that a “Philippines page” allegedly leaked information that Robredo met with a so-called “NAFA” in the US. Calagui claimed her visit there, along with accommodation expenses, were again sponsored by unnamed Filipino-Americans. “Ibig sabihin mga ka-BBMSara, hindi lang ‘yung pag-attend ni Len Len sa graduation ng kanyang anak, meron pang ibang

binabalak,” he said. "For sure, may binabalak tong mga to, may niluluto ‘tong mga ‘to. At subukan niyong hanapin yung Philippines na page at makikita niyo dun na yung mga Fil-Am na nakatira sa Amerika ay i-sponsor-an itong si Len-Len na pumunta sa Amerika." (Fellow BBM-Sara supporters, she did not just attend her daughter’s graduation, there were other plans made. For sure, these people are planning, trying to get something out. I urge you to look for the Philippines page and you will see that the Fil-Ams in America are sponsoring Leni to go there.) Calagui also spent quite some time mocking former Comelec Commissioner Guanzon’s “fighting spirit,” making fun of her doing one of her live Facebook streams. g

Robredo congratulates Sara Duterte... PAGE 1 "To ensure a smooth transition between the outgoing and incoming officials and personnel of the Office of the Vice President, may we request for an initial meeting between the members of our respective teams at the soonest possible time to discuss protocols, policies, precedents and other matters concerning the Office of the Vice President. We further request that this initial meeting be held via Zoom," DuterteCarpio said. Last May 25, Congress proclaimed Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as president-elect and DuterteCarpio as vice president-elect. Duterte-Carpio, Marcos' running mate, ruled the

Outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte ManilaTimes.net file photos

vice presidential derby with 32,208,417 votes. Her closest rival, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Robredo's running mate, garnered 9,329,207 votes. In a post on Facebook on Sunday, May 29, Robredo, who

had traveled with her daughters to the United States for the graduation of her youngest daughter, Jillian, from New York University, said that, "[W]e're back. Ready to work again. Energized by the longest vacation I've had in 10 years." g

INDEPENDENCE DAY PREPS. General Services Department personnel install Philippine flags on light posts along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Caloocan City on Monday, May 30. The flags will be on display as the country prepares to celebrate its 124th Independence Day on June 12. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Marcos names 5 more members of...

PAGE 1 the Presidential Lingkod Bayan regional award from the Civil Service Commission in its 2021 search for outstanding government workers, according to Angeles. She said Frasco was also named the top performing mayor in the Central Visayas region. Frasco won her third term as mayor of Liloan in the recent May elections. A lawyer, professor, and businesswoman, she served as the spokesperson for Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, during the election campaign. She was also the vice president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines’ Visayas cluster for the term 2019 to 2022. Frasco is the daughter of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and the wife of Cebu Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco. Pangandaman, currently assistant governor and chief of staff at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), started her career as a researcher in the Senate. She later became head of the policy research group, political and constituency, and later chief of staff in the office of then-Senate President Edgardo Angara. Pangandaman also worked as chief of staff of Senator-elect Loren Legarda, who said the incoming

budget chief “brings to the table a deep-seated knowledge of the budget and legislative process (and is) a dedicated government worker with an exceptional work ethic.” In 2016, Pangandaman served as assistant secretary in the DBM and was appointed undersecretary and concurrent director of the budget technical bureau in 2018. She later joined the BSP as a technical adviser and subsequently became managing director. In 2021, Pangandaman was named assistant governor of the BSP. According to Angeles, “(Pangandaman) has over two decades of policy development in finance expertise.” Angeles described Uy as “an expert in technology law (and) well-experienced in information technology project management.” She noted that Uy “oversaw the formulation of the Philippine digital strategy for 2011 to 2016,” and added that the lawyer was an international commercial arbitrator on areas involving ITrelated disputes. Uy was chair of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology during the late President Benigno Aquino III’s term. He also served as chief information officer and

director of the management information systems office of the Supreme Court. A member of the Philippine bar, he is well-known in the Philippine legal and IT circles. He is a cyberlaw expert and also lectures on computer forensics, cybercrime, electronic evidence, e-commerce and digital ethics. Public service As for Tulfo, Angeles said the media personality “is known for his involvement in covering and helping Filipinos here and abroad through his social programs and partnerships with other organizations,” Angeles said. Tulfo, she said, has been in public service, “doing social work [for] three decades.” Tulfo is the brother of Senatorelect Raffy Tulfo and former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. He works as a broadcaster in the government media channel, People’s Television Network, and previously as a news anchor for media network TV5. He also hosted shows produced by his brother, Ben, who owned Bitag Media Unlimited Inc., which is known for hard-hitting public service programs. Tulfo also backed the AntiCrime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support Inc. (ACT-CIS), the front-runner party PAGE 5

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Dateline USa

Burned out by COVID and 80-hour workweeks, resident physicians unionize by Sarah

Kwon Kaiser Health News

IN the early weeks of the pandemic, Dr. Lorenzo González, then a second-year resident of family medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, ran on fumes, working as many as 80 hours a week in the ICU. He was constantly petrified that he would catch the covid-19 virus and guilt-ridden for not having enough time to help his ailing father. In April 2020, his father, a retired landscaper, died of heart and lung failure. González mourned alone. His job as a doctor-in-training put him at high risk of catching the virus, and he didn’t want to inadvertently spread it to his family. Financial stress also set in as he confronted steep burial costs. Now, González is calling for better pay and benefits for residents who work grueling schedules at Los Angeles County’s public hospitals for what he said amounts to less than $18 an hour — while caring for the county’s most vulnerable patients. “They’re preying on our altruism,” González said of the hospitals. He is now chief resident of family medicine at Harbor-UCLA and president of the Committee of Interns and Residents, a national union that represents physician trainees and that is part of the Service Employees International Union. “We need acknowledgment of the sacrifices we’ve made,” he said. Residents are newly minted physicians who have finished medical school and must spend three to seven years training at established teaching hospitals before they can practice independently. Under the supervision of a teaching physician, residents examine, diagnose, and treat patients. Some seek additional training in medical specialties as “fellows.” These trainees are banding together in California and other states to demand higher wages and better benefits and working conditions amid intensifying burnout during the pandemic. They join nurses, nursing assistants, and other health care workers who are unionizing

and threatening to strike as staffing shortages, the rising cost of living, and inconsistent supplies of personal protective equipment and covid vaccines have pushed them to the brink. More than 1,300 unionized residents and other trainees at three L.A. County public hospitals, including HarborUCLA, will vote May 30 on whether to strike for a bump in their salaries and housing stipends, after a monthslong negotiation deadlock with the county. Since March, residents at Stanford Health Care, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and the University of Vermont Medical Center have unionized. “Residents were always working crazy hours, then the stress of the pandemic hit them really hard,” said John August, a director at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. The Association of American Medical Colleges, a group that represents teaching hospitals and medical schools, did not address the unionization trend among residents directly, but the organization’s chief health care officer, Dr. Janis Orlowski, said through a spokesperson that a residency is a working apprenticeship and that a resident’s primary role is to be trained. Residents are paid as trainees while they are studying, training, and working, Orlowski said, and the association works to ensure that they receive effective training and support. David Simon, a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association, declined to comment. But he forwarded a study published in JAMA Network Open in September showing that surgery residents in unionized programs did not report lower rates of burnout than those in nonunionized programs. So far, none of the new chapters have negotiated their first contracts, the national union said. But some of the longer-standing ones have won improvements in pay, benefits, and working conditions. Last year, a resident union at the University of California-Davis secured housing subsidies and

paid parental leave through its first contract. With more than 20,000 members, CIR represents about 1 in 7 physician trainees in the U.S. Executive Director Susan Naranjo said that before the pandemic one new chapter organized each year and that eight have joined in the past year and a half. Residents’ working conditions had come under scrutiny long before the pandemic. The average resident salary in the U.S. in 2021 was $64,000, according to Medscape, a physician news site, and residents can work up to 24 hours in a shift but no more than 80 hours per week. Although one survey whose results were released last year found that 43% of residents felt they were adequately compensated, those who are unionizing say wages are too low, especially given residents’ workload, their student loan debt, and the rising cost of living. The pay rate disproportionately affects residents from low-income communities and communities of color, González said, because they have less financial assistance from family to subsidize their medical education and to pay for other costs. But with little control over where they train — medical school graduates are matched to their residency by an algorithm — individual residents have limited negotiating power with hospitals. For unionizing residents seeking a seat at the table, wage increases and benefits like housing stipends are often at the top of their lists, Naranjo said. Patients deserve doctors who aren’t exhausted and preoccupied by financial stress, said Dr. Shreya Amin, an endocrinology fellow at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She was surprised when the institution declined to recognize the residents’ union, she said, considering the personal sacrifices they had made to provide care during the pandemic. If a hospital does not voluntarily recognize a union, PAGE 5

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Nationwide survey seeks to gauge Fil-Am... Palace to endorse bills to new... PAGE 1

Palma, a board certified preventive medicine and public health physician in Chicago, IL, the survey team includes CYFAM members Abigail Ahyong, Giana Apoderado, Neille John Apostol, Siegried Chen, Diana Del Rosario, Sheena Garcia, Samantha Sumait, Matthew Roces, Mericien Venzon, and Megan Yee, with additional support provided by FYLPRO board members and Tayo core leaders Mark Calaguas, Jobel Vecino and Leezel Tanglao. Tayo hopes the survey will not only improve data collection on Filipino Americans specifically, but also assist in the disaggregation of data on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities at large. “The longstanding practice

of aggregating socioeconomic, public health, and other data under one broad AAPI category oftentimes obscures pernicious inequalities at the individual ethnic community level,” the group said in the release. The survey comes as Fil-Ams continue to be underrepresented in medical research, despite being the second largest Asian ethnic group in the United States. “Despite making up over 6% of the U.S. population, less than 0.2% of the National Institutes of Health budget is dedicated to studying the health of Asian American populations,” stated Dr. Palma. “Oftentimes academic researchers label immigrant groups like Filipinos as ‘hard to reach,’ but in my experience it’s often that they aren’t sending

the right people to ask and engage with us,” she continued. Tanglao, FYLPRO president and Tayo project direct said, said the survey results will help create a deeper understanding of the pandemic’s effect on the Fil-Am community. “The lack of disaggregated data has made it difficult to fully understand the impact of COVID-19 on the Filipino community. This is the first step in better telling our story,” she said. The survey, which is supported by a grant from the CDC Foundation, can be accessed at redcap.link/ FYLPROTayoSurvey. Analysis of results is expected in late fall 2022. For more information about the survey, visit https:// bit.ly/TayoVaccineSurveyInfo. (AJPress)

PAGE 1 Alabama-Birmingham’s school of medicine. Failing to do so means older COVID survivors might not receive appropriate care. What should older adults do if they don’t feel well weeks after becoming ill with the virus? I asked a dozen experts for advice. Here’s what they suggested. Seek medical attention. “If an older person or their caregiver is noticing that it’s been a month or two since COVID and something isn’t right — they’ve lost a lot of weight or they’re extremely weak or forgetful — it’s worth going in for an evaluation,” said Dr. Liron Sinvani, director of the geriatric hospitalist service at Northwell Health, a large health system in New York. But be forewarned: Many primary care physicians are at a loss as to how to identify and manage long COVID. If you’re not getting much help from your doctor, consider getting a referral to a specialist who sees long COVID patients or a long COVID clinic. Also, be prepared to be patient: Waits for appointments are lengthy. At least 66 hospitals or health systems have created interdisciplinary clinics, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, an industry publication. For people who don’t live near one of those, virtual consultations are often available. For specialist referrals, ask whether the physician has experience with long COVID

patients. Also, more than 80 medical centers in more than 30 states are enrolling patients in a fouryear, $1.15 billion study of long COVID that is being funded by the National Institutes of Health and is known as RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery). Older adults who choose to participate will receive ongoing medical attention. Pursue comprehensive care. At the University of Southern California’s COVID recovery clinic, physicians start by making sure that any underlying medical conditions that older patients have — for instance, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — are well controlled. Also, they check for new conditions that may have surfaced after a COVID infection. If preexisting and new conditions are properly managed and further tests come back negative, “there is probably an element of long COVID,” said Dr. Caitlin McAuley, one of two physicians at the Keck School of Medicine clinic. At that point, the focus becomes helping older adults regain the ability to manage daily tasks such as showering, dressing, moving around the house, and shopping. Typically, several months of physical therapy, occupational therapy, or cognitive rehabilitation are prescribed. Dr. Erica Spatz, an associate professor of cardiology at the

Yale School of Medicine, looks for evidence of organ damage, such as changes in the heart muscle, in older patients. If that’s detected, there are well-established treatments that can be tried. “The older a person is, the more likely we are to find organ injury,” Spatz said. At the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, a rehabilitation hospital, experts have discovered that a significant number of patients with breathing problems have atrophy in the diaphragm, a muscle that’s essential to breathing, said Dr. Colin Franz, a physician-scientist. Once inflammation is under control, breathing exercises help patients build back the muscle, he said. For older adults concerned about their cognition after COVID, McAuley recommends a neuropsychological exam. “Plenty of older patients who’ve had COVID feel like they now have dementia. But when they do the testing, all their higherlevel cognitive functioning is intact, and it’s things like attention or cognitive fluency that are impaired,” she said. “It’s important to understand where deficits are so we can target therapy appropriately.” Become active gradually. Older patients tend to lose strength and fitness after severe illness — a phenomenon known as “deconditioning” — and their blood volume and heart muscles  PAGE 7

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a measure creating a unified pension system for the military and uniformed personnel, the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines, department of water resources bill, the government rightsizing bill, a measure reimposing death penalty by lethal injection, the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps bill and the measure providing free legal assistance to uniformed personnel. Digital workforce The Senate on Monday, May 30 approved on third and final reading a bill that aims to improve the country’s digital workforce competitiveness. With a vote of 18-0-0, senators approved Senate Bill 1834 or the proposed Digital Workforce

Competitiveness Act. The measure aims to enhance the digital competence of workers and equip them with skills to make them globally competitive. Sen. Joel Villanueva, principal author of the bill, said the measure underscores the need for the Filipino workforce to be globally competitive with the development of digital careers. Senators also approved on Monday House Bill 10306, which proposes to expand the franchise granted to MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) and allow it to serve more consumers in Iloilo. The bill seeks to authorize the firm to operate in the city of Passi as well as in the municipalities of Alimodian, Leganes, Leon, New Lucena,

Pavia, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Zarraga, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dingle, Duenas, Dumangas and San Enrique. The chamber also passed House Bill 10554 to expand the franchise area of Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. (DLPC), another distribution utility which operates in Davao City, Panabo City and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte. If signed into law, the bill will expand DLPC’s services to Tagum City, the Island Garden City of Samal, Asuncion, Kapalong, New Corella, San Isidro and Talaingod in Davao del Norte. (with reports from Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla)

Got long COVID? Medical expertise is vital... Burned out by COVID and 80-hour...

Adventure in the Park

Sunday, June 5, 2022 11am - 3pm Elysian Park – Section 4 Stadium Way & Academy Road Los Angeles, CA 90026

Bring a picnic blanket and stay awhile! There's free food, music, raffles, prizes, carnival games and a magician!

Join OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates for a kids adventure in the park, a family-friendly event for the entire community!

COVID-19 vaccinations available on-site.

PAGE 3

CIR can request that the National Labor Relations Board administer an election. The national union did so in April, and with a certified majority vote, the Vermont chapter can now begin collective bargaining, Naranjo said. Annie Mackin, a spokesperson for the medical center, said in an email that it is proud of its residents for delivering exceptional care throughout the pandemic and respects their decision to join a union. Mackin declined to address residents’ workplace concerns. Dr. Candice Chen, an associate professor of health policy at George Washington University, believes that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also bears some responsibility for residents’ working conditions. Because the agency pays teaching hospitals to train residents, it should hold the facilities accountable for how they treat them, she said. And the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which sets work and educational standards for residency programs, is moving in the right direction with new requirements like paid family leave, she added, but needs to do more. How far these unions will go to achieve their goals is an open question. Strikes are rare among

doctors. The last CIR strike was in 1975, by residents at 11 hospitals in New York. Naranjo said a strike would be the last resort for its L.A. County members but blamed the county for continuously delaying and canceling bargaining sessions. Among its demands, the union is calling for the county to match the wage increase granted to members of SEIU 721, a union that represents other county employees, and for a $10,000 housing allowance. The union’s member surveys have found that most L.A. County residents report working 80 hours a week, Naranjo said. A spokesperson for L.A. County’s Department of Health Services, Coral Itzcalli, thanked its “heroic” front-line workforce for providing “best-in-class care” and acknowledged the significant toll that the pandemic has taken on their personal and professional lives. She said limits on hours are set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and that most trainees report working “significantly less” than 80 hours a week. Jesus Ruiz, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Chief Executive Office, which manages labor negotiations for the county, said via email that the county hopes to reach a “fair and fiscally responsible contract” with the union.

Results of the strike vote are expected to be announced May 31, the union said. This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. 

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Got long COVID? Medical expertise is vital...

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will start shrinking in a few weeks if they lie in bed or get little activity, Spatz said. That can cause dizziness or a racing heart upon standing up. In line with recent recommendations from the American College of Cardiology, Spatz advises patients who have developed these symptoms after COVID to drink more fluids, consume more salt, and wear compression socks and abdominal binders. “I often hear that going for a walk feels awful,” Spatz said. When returning to exercise, “start with five to 10 minutes on a recumbent bicycle or a rower, and add a couple of minutes every week,” she suggested. After a month, move to a semi-recumbent position on a standard bike. Then, after another month, try walking, a short distance at first and then longer distances over time. This “go slow” advice also applies to older adults with cognitive concerns after COVID. Franz said he often recommends restricting time spent on cognitively demanding tasks, along with exercises, for brain health and memory. At least early on, “people need less activity and more cognitive rest,” he noted. Reset expectations. Older adults typically have a harder time bouncing back from serious illness, including COVID. But even seniors who had mild or moderate reactions to the virus can find themselves struggling weeks or months later. The most important message older patients need to hear is “give

yourself time to recover,” said Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn, director of the Mayo Clinic’s COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program in Rochester, Minnesota. Generally, older adults appear to be taking longer to recover from long COVID than younger or middleaged adults, he noted. Learning how to set priorities and not do too much too quickly is essential. “In this patient population, we’ve found that having patients grit their teeth and push themselves will actually make them worse” — a phenomenon known as “post-exertional malaise,” Vanichkachorn said. Instead, people need to learn how to pace themselves. “Any significant health event forces people to reexamine their expectations and their priorities, and long COVID has really accelerated that,” said Jamie Wilcox, an associate professor of clinical occupational therapy at the Keck School of Medicine. “Everyone I see feels that it’s accelerated their aging process.” Consider vulnerabilities. Older adults who have had COVID and who are poor, frail, physically or cognitively disabled, and socially isolated are of considerable concern. This group has been more likely to experience severe effects from COVID, and those who survived may not readily access health care services. “We all share concern about marginalized seniors with limited health care access and poorer overall health status,” said Erdmann, of UAB. “Sprinkle a dangerous new pathology that’s not well understood on top of that,

and you have a recipe for greater disparities in care.” “A lot of older [long COVID] patients we deal with aren’t accustomed to asking for help, and they think, perhaps, it’s a little shameful to be needy,” said James Jackson, director of longterm outcomes at the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The implications are significant, not only for the patients but also for health care providers, friends, and family. “You really have to check in with people who are older and vulnerable and who have had COVID and not just make assumptions that they’re fine just because they tell you they are,” Jackson said. “We need to be more proactive in engaging them and finding out, really, how they are.” We’re eager to hear from readers about questions you’d like answered, problems you’ve been having with your care and advice you need in dealing with the health care system. Visit khn. org/columnists to submit your requests or tips. (Judith Graham/ California Healthline) This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. 

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

Senators Zubiri, Romualdez tackle legislative agenda, SONA with BBM SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday led the contingent of lawmakers from both Houses of Congress, in discussing legislative agenda with incoming President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos during a meeting in his headquarters in Mandaluyong City. During the courtesy call, Zubiri who is rumored to be vying for the top Senate post led the senators in discussing legislative plans for the next six years of the Marcos administration while Romualdez who is poised to become the next Speaker presented programs on the part of the House. The visit came after Zubiri was quoted in a report as saying that Marcos has already expressed his desire for congressional leaders to immediately “shape up” the legislative agenda for the next Congress. “In my discussion with our incoming president, Presidentelect Bongbong Marcos, he wants to shape up the legislative agenda immediately,” Zubiri said in an interview at the Senate on Monday, May 30. “He instructed me and incoming Speaker Romualdez to sit down and discussed possible legislative agenda for the Sona [state of the nation address],

discussions for the Sona,” he said. In return, Zubiri said he committed to Marcos that he would help him whether or not he becomes the next Senate president. “So, we have a series of meeting and we’ve been discussing how we can assist the President-elect on his legislative agenda for the 19th Congress,” he explained. The lawmakers’ visit came a day after Marcos received ambassadors from Singapore, United Kingdom, France, and European Union during separate courtesy calls at BBM headquarters in Mandaluyong City last Monday. This developed as Senate insiders also disclosed that there were strong indications that Migz is a cinch to bag the Senate presidency as he has the number to muster the majority against his closest rival Sen. Cynthia Villar. Earlier, reports also indicated that Villar who was apparently aware that Migz could have her number had reportedly offered a term-sharing agreement with him. Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa disclosed Tuesday that Villar has discussed with him of her willingness for a term sharing with Migz. “Open naman si Senator Cynthia ng term sharing. In fact, nag-offer siya noon pa, nag-offer

siya ng ganoon. I’m not sure with Migz kung okay sa kanya pero kay Ma’am Cynthia is okay naman siya mag-term sharing,” Dela Rosa, who is backing Villar’s Senate presidency bid, said in an interview with reporters. Zubiri , however, did not discuss the possibility of termsharing during his visit to BBM. He was accompanied by Senators Nancy Binay, Ronald Dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Ralp Recto, Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, and Raffy Tulfo during the visit. Romualdez was joined on the other hand by Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin and Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano. Zubiri who was re-elected as a senator in the recent election is inching closer to becoming the next Senate president after securing the support of the majority of the senators. Romualdez, on the other hand, is also the sure and runaway winner as the next House Speaker for the next congress. Observers also believed that the government will have a healthy relationship between the executive and legislative branches as the three major parts of the Philippines—Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao—are well represented. 

Marcos names 5 more members of... PAGE 2

list in the May 2022 national elections. As for the PMS secretary nominee, Angeles said that Angping “comes with the professional experience in the fields of public service and administration and international relations and diplomacy.” “(Angping) is a three-term congresswoman who advocated legislative measures that promoted diplomatic relations, tourism development, public health and education, women and children’s welfare,” she added. Angping served as a congresswoman in Manila’s third congressional district for nine years. She is also a member of the

Marcos Jr. transition team. She is the wife of former Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping. Economic team Just last week, Marcos announced key appointments to his economic team, emphasizing his incoming administration’s focus on steering the economy out of a slump. A day after he and Duterte were proclaimed winners by Congress in the May 9 polls, Marcos said he was nominating BSP Gov. Benjamin Diokno as his finance secretary and former National Economic and Development Authority chief Felipe Medalla as BSP governor. Marcos also named former

UP President Alfredo Pascual as trade secretary and Manuel Bonoan, chief executive of San Miguel Tollways Corp., as head of the Department of Public Works and Highways. Angeles also said that there was no formal invitation yet for President Duterte to join his successor’s executive family. Angeles clarified reports that Marcos was eyeing President Duterte to be the drug czar under his incoming administration. “That was during the first interview, postproclamation interview. (Marcos’) words were that it wasn’t a formal invitation. But if [Duterte] should want to, he certainly would be considered,” Angeles said. 

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ISRAEL-BOUND PINOYS. Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Abdullah “Dabs” Mama-o (4th from left) poses with Israel Ambassador Ilan Fluss (6th from right) for a souvenir photo with the first batch of 61 Filipino hotel workers bound for Israel during the send-off ceremony at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration building in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday, May 31. Around 500 Filipino hotel workers will be hired for the initial phase. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

8 JUNE 1-3, 2022 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

FEATURES

A continuing battle

IT was his most remarkable campaign vow, and by his own admission, President Duterte overpromised: the drug scourge in the country was not eliminated within six months of his assumption to power, or even after six years. Now in the final weeks of his presidency, he is urging his successor to continue the battle against the drug menace. This goes without saying, since drug offenses are among the crimes that the state is tasked to fight. Still, the Philippine National Police has found it necessary to remind its personnel that the campaign will continue into the new administration. What might need clarity is whether the campaign against illegal drugs will be carried out using the same brutal methods that have characterized the war waged by the Duterte administration. The President has lamented that the involvement of politicians and law enforcement officials themselves in the illegal drug trade hampered his campaign, and he has admitted underestimating the extent of the problem nationwide. What the President did fulfill in his campaign promise is to kill: the PNP has reported that over 6,000 drug suspects have been slain in police operations since the start of the current administration in

2016. The enormous profits from the illegal drug trade, however, continue to draw players, even at the risk of being shot dead while resisting police arrest. The bigger dealers simply use drug money to buy protection. This has allowed them to run drug trafficking rings even while behind bars, or slip tons of prohibited drugs through Customs. The drug killings were also not accompanied by the same level of zeal in addressing the continuing demand, which is a social and public health problem. Addressing the demand calls for a holistic approach, with parents, educators, health professionals, religious groups and the community working on preventive measures and helping drug abusers kick the habit even as law enforcers go after the suppliers. It is a complex problem that even advanced economies have not completely eradicated, and the campaign now awaits a new direction from the incoming administration. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Looking towards a Marcos Jr. presidency

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ THIRTY-TWO days from now, Filipinos and the whole world will witness the swearing in of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as the 17th president of the Republic of the Philippines, proclaiming to the world our flourishing democracy. During my interview last Thursday at CNN’s The Source with Pinky Webb, I said that the overwhelming mandate the president-elect received will be the biggest motivation for him to do well, and give back to the people his best service ever in earning their trust. It made me recall what he told me when he first joined government at the young age of 23 as vice governor of Ilocos Norte: “It’s time to give back to the people who put us here” – which undoubtedly is his mantra as he begins his presidency. Those who are accusing Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of being

a “revisionist,” or that he wants to “rewrite” history – they got it all wrong. History is judged by those who write it – Bongbong Marcos is about to write history. No doubt there will always be what I would call the hardliners who will never change their minds or their attitude towards BBM – perhaps as a matter of conviction or principle, but worse, out of vindictiveness or bitterness – even if he does well. One can continue to argue about the things that happened in the past but whichever way one looks at it, the overwhelming majority of people – all 31 million of them who cast their votes for Bongbong Marcos – have made their judgment loud and clear: they are willing to give him the chance to prove his worth with hope and prayers for his success. I have known the presidentelect for a long time and I know that when he puts his mind into it – he can do it. How he worked very hard during the campaign is a preview of how hard he will work twice over as president. As BBM himself said, “Judge

me not by my ancestors, but by my actions.” He promised to be a president for all Filipinos – which is in keeping with his core message of unity that has resonated very well with millions of Filipinos during the campaign. I know he was not merely paying lip service because as we are beginning to see, he is already looking for people from different political persuasions, who are prepared to work with him – certainly a good way to start as he charts the course of our country under his leadership. One of the issues the president-elect tackled during his press briefing following his proclamation in Congress was foreign policy, particularly our country’s relationship with the United States and China. It is obviously clear that we will continue to pursue a truly independent foreign policy that would truly benefit the Philippines. There is no question that a country should always look out for its own national interest while continuing to forge bilateral relationships

with all nations. “We have to find an independent foreign policy where we are friends with everyone; that’s the only way. We have to be good neighbors and ask them to be good neighbors to us as well. It is of mutual benefit to us,” he affirmed. People certainly welcomed BBM’s statement that we will not compromise our sovereignty in any way. “We are a sovereign nation with a functioning government. We do not need to be told by anyone how to run our country. There is no room for negotiation there. It is sacred, inviolable,” he said. On the issue of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, Bongbong Marcos assured that it will be used to continue to assert our country’s territorial rights. “It’s not a claim, it’s a territorial right. That’s what the arbitral ruling can do to help us,” he said, promising that we “will not allow a single square millimeter” of our maritime rights to be trampled upon.

That being said, I believe that our relationship with other countries that have conflicting maritime claims, among them China, will continue along the path started by President Duterte who reached out not only to resolve issues but to have strong economic ties with them. While we value our friendship with old allies like the United States, we certainly want to reach out to other nations – and this is not a motherhood statement but a fact that we need to accept. During our meeting with U.S. embassy chargé d’affaires Heather Variava who paid a courtesy visit to the presidentelect at his campaign headquarters, BBM reiterated his continuing belief that the United States, a longtime ally and friend of the Philippines, must continue to work together not only in regional security but more on economic cooperation for the recovery of the global economy. “No one country can do it alone,” he said. Needless to say, the White

House was very pleased with the telephone conversation between President Joe Biden and president-elect Marcos. During my private meeting with him last week after I arrived from Washington, he requested me to stay on in Washington as his ambassador. Of course, I am more than honored to be his ambassador, but more than that – to do whatever I can in helping him succeed. By noon of June 30, we will witness another historic occasion that should make us proud that our democratic system – while not perfect – is very much functioning. Once again allow me to reiterate: For those who have strong doubts about the incoming president, judge him not by the past but by what he intends to do for our beloved country. (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

Buckle up: It’ll be a bumpy ride in the next six years of ‘democracy’ under Marcos if…

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS PENDING the decision of an enlightened Philippine Supreme Court (SC) on petitions to disqualify/cancel the candidacy of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, then we Filipinos should fasten our seatbelts. If the weeks prior to June 30 oath taking of Marcos will be an indicator, then we are in for a bumpy ride — far worse than what we’ve experienced in the past six years under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. While even more questions arise on the legitimacy of his candidacy built on his selfdeclared primary motivation to save the Marcos family name, and they have been doing everything to win at all cost. To win at all cost would entail using lies, deception and misrepresentation, allegedly peddled by an army of paid trolls and “influencers” to “refresh” the Marcos brands, and to rewrite history by twisting the facts and fabricating narratives in order to sow so much hate against the Aquinos and Leni Robredo. This toxic disinformation has been employed to program the mind of susceptible Filipino people that they — the opposition, including the mainstream media -- are the enemies of the people, while Bongbong and his family are the "true heroes" who can

make the Philippines great again by continuing the “golden years” of the presidency of the deposed dictator, Ferdinand E. Marcos. To win at all costs would also allegedly include forming the “UniTeam” — the unified forces of traditional politicians and political dynasties, including those already convicted of plunder, graft and abuse of power — all motivated to keep the status quo, hold on to power, and enrich themselves using their public post in betrayal of public trust. To win at all costs would also allegedly include employing vote buying, using “hakot” and cheating using computer programming to ensure the Marcos and Duterte victory. And so as we wait for the SC to decide on the two petitions, and as we wait for the Commission of Elections (Comelec) to even act on the alleged violations against the Omnibus Election Code, we look at any signs that might give us a glimmer hope that indeed, the sin of the father would not be the sin of the son. Unfortunately, what we have been hearing and seeing now so far would make it feel like the Philippines has retrogressed back to the Marcos Sr. years. Up to this point, Bongbong Marcos has not yet presented to the Filipino people the details of his vision, platform and programs — something that a candidate

would have to start with before running for office. But because his primary motivation is to clear the Marcos family name, he has failed to work on this number one requirement that would have been the basis of the Filipino people to make an informed decision when compared with those of other candidates running for President. “Unity” was his answer to everything, and he did not even join any debates (except the one produced by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s SMNI) to face the Filipino people, the independent truth warrior journalists tasked with asking hard questions, fact checking, and scrutinizing whatever vision, platforms, and programs he was offering the nation. “Unity” does not qualify as a valid platform. After being "presidentelect", Marcos had a “press conference,” but he did not invite members of the free independent press other than SMNI, Net25 and GMA 7 — all deemed to be “friendly” to Marcos. No hard probing questions were asked on behalf of the Filipino people who need clarity about how he would run the country in the next six years. Bongbong could not even articulate his plans to solve the pressing problems plaguing the nation, his foreign policy and principles on international relations, which would cover

our dispute with China on our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. It also took him a long time to announce his appointees for cabinet positions. Some were encouraged about his choices to lead his economic/financial team, but more are alarmed that his appointees for the other cabinet posts were chosen not because of their merit, qualification, knowledge and expertise about the departments and institution they will be heading but based on their “loyalty” to Marcos and Duterte, how they have helped him/them in this campaign. To discuss some of them: Vice President-elect Sara Duterte was picked as Department of Education Secretary, and people are concerned about further revisionism of history in favor of the Duterte and Marcos legacies at the expense of the truth and the facts of what truly happened in our nation’s recent history. Trixie Cruz-Angeles was appointed Press Secretary, thanks to her vlog defending Marcos by spreading disinformation. Cruz was slapped with a threeyear suspension by the SC for violating provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility. Bongbong Marcos, however, did not designate a presidential spokesperson because he said he would be the one who would

personally face the media, and his non transparency during the campaign period is a red flag. Broadcaster Erwin Tulfo was appointed Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development, bypassing career officials in the department. The Tulfo brothers were staunch Marcos and Duterte supporters. Worse, Tourism Secretary Bernas Romulo-Puyat confirmed that the P60 million in ad placement fees paid to Ben Tulfo’s Bitag Media has not yet been returned to the department. As ABS-CBN News reported, state auditors flagged the payment for “possible conflict of interest” because the former tourism chief, Wanda Teo, is Tulfo’s sister. The Tulfos have not returned the money despite their declaration to do so. Duterte Transparency and accountability are two important principles that are required in democracy as they keep the public servants in check, knowing that they are NOT above the law, and should therefore be embodied by public officials even during the campaign period. If they could not be honest and transparent during the campaign , what more could we expect from them when they are accorded public trust and the power of the office they are voted and/or appointed to? What would be our basis of knowing that they are not abusing

their power, especially when it comes to handling taxpayers money? How can they be held accountable if the people who surround them are their family members and political allies? How can Bongbong Marcos lead a country toward the eradication of graft and corruption when his own family has not been made accountable for their transgressions against the country? How can we end impunity in the Philippines when Marcos himself would say we need to forget the past despite the abuse of power of public officials, who continue to be accorded so much power by being in government, including the Marcos and Duterte families and their minions? How could there ever be justice under the Marcos presidency? *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos

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Dateline PhiliPPines

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 1-3, 2022 9

DOTr disputes NAIA ranking as worst business class airport by richmond

mercurio Philstar.com

MONDAY TRAFFIC. Motorists experience bumper-to-bumper morning traffic along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, May 30. The volume of vehicular traffic has dramatically increased as Metro Manila and 62 other places in the country have been placed under the most lenient Alert Level 1 classification until June 15. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Group questions suggestions for next admin to continue ‘bloody’ drug war by Gabriel

Pabico Inquirer.net

lalu

MANILA — Suggestions for the next administration to continue the war on drugs despite a “damning” report from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) heaped criticisms from a rights group, saying that the anti-drug campaign has been bloody and deadly. In a statement on Tuesday, Karapatan called out outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for suggesting to President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. the continuation of the drug war, which was supposedly made in some of the meetings between the two leaders. Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay claimed that the drug war only pushes for more killings and even more impunity. “Despite the CHR’s damning report indicting the Duterte administration for failing to protect human rights in the sham and bloody drug war, Duterte wants the incoming Marcos-Duterte administration to continue this murderous campaign,” Palabay said. “Without doubt, this only means more killings and even more impunity,” she added. Palabay was referring to the CHR report released mid-May, where the Commission said that the administration’s drug war only encouraged impunity and

failed to protect the people’s rights. CHR remained firm on its assertions that there were many instances when law enforcers used excessive force and showed an intent to kill drug war suspects, citing that police have been using the “nanlaban” tag too much, or claims that suspects fought it out with the police. As of April 30, the so-called Real Numbers on the drug war released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency showed that 6,248 suspects have died in legitimate drug operations since Duterte took office on July 1, 2016. Palabay said the drug war should not continue as CHR’s report also highlighted that justice has not been provided to most of the drug war victims’ families. “The CHR’s report clearly states, verbatim, that ‘justice remains elusive’ for the victims of the sham drug war and their families, precisely because of the failure of domestic accountability mechanisms due to the Duterte administration’s blatant efforts to stonewall independent inquiries and investigations,” Palabay noted. “The ICC should therefore resume its investigations as soon as possible to prosecute Duterte,” she added. The war against illegal drugs

has been a landmark campaign of President Duterte, who ran in 2016 on a promise to rid the streets of illegal drugs in three to six months. Duterte and his allies have earned criticism for the drug war, not only because of failing to remove drugs from the country, but also due to the campaign being bloody and violent. However, there are some sectors that claim that the number is larger, leading to complaints against past and present PNP officials and President Duterte himself before the International Criminal Court (ICC), for allegedly committing the crime against humanity of murder. Last September 2021, the ICC pre-trial chamber authorized the start of the investigation of the drug war, acting upon the request of former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. But in November 2021, ICC granted the Philippine government’s request to stop the investigation of the drug war killings, with the latter claiming that the justice system in the country is fully functional. As of now, there has been only one case where police officers involved in the drug war were convicted — that of teenager Kian delos Santos, who was summarily executed despite surrendering and pleading innocent, according to court findings. g

MANILA — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has called a study ranking the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as the world’s worst business class airport “unsubstantiated,” saying that the gateway has come a long way under the Duterte administration. The DOTr and NAIA-operator Manila International Airport Authority in a joint statement highlighted the improvements they have undertaken in the past six years for the country’s main gateway. “While the study shows unfavorable rating and unsubstantiated claims about NAIA, it cannot be denied that significant improvements have been carried out in the country’s main gateway in the past six years under the Duterte administration,” the statement said. The DOTr said under Secretary Arthur Tugade, the agency has stamped out longstanding issues that have tarnished the reputation of the NAIA for years, such as the infamous “laglag-bala” extortion scheme and “bukas-bagahe” or baggage pilferage scheme. “We should also not turn a blind eye to the remarkable developments reached that aim to improve the services at the airport, such as the rehabilitation and upgrade of the airport facilities, including its terminals and runways,” it said.

The DOTr said more projects are still in the pipeline to improve the airport’s facilities and its services to ensure a safe, reliable, convenient and comfortable travel experience to the air riding public. “Despite challenges, setbacks and criticisms, it is undeniable that the country’s main gateway – the Ninoy Aquino International Airport – has come a long way from where it was before,” the agency said. NAIA has been named the worst airport in the world for business class travelers by global luggage storage app Bounce, recording a score of 0.88 out of 10. Bounce said the study looked at the biggest airports in the world by passenger volume, analyzing them on various factors such as the number of lounges, number of destinations that the airport serves, annual on-time flights and the airport’s Skytrax rating. It said the NAIA got the worst score in three categories: its number of destinations, on-time performance and rating from Skytrax. The DOTr, for its part, said Bounce is a luggage storage business that operates in several airports in the US and Asia, but has no operation whatsoever in the Philippines. In response to the claims in the study, the DOTr said NAIA is a destination airport and not a hub airport, which is why there are not many business class lounges and onward destinations. “The number of destinations

is dictated by and determined through bilateral and air services negotiations,” the agency said. “Passengers using business class lounges are those passing thru for brief business trips or for stop over to take their onward/ connecting flight to their final destinations. Airlines primarily determine their need to put up business class lounges for their customers. Business class lounges abound in hub airports, which NAIA is not,” it said. The DOTr also noted that it is highly implausible that the ontime performance contributed to the NAIA’s supposedly worst rating. “To recall, during the last quarter of 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic hit), the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines reported that the airlines’ running on-time performance average was 83 percent – a far cry from the previous OTP of 40 percent in 2016,” it said. “Lastly, the Skytrax website showed that NAIA had a 3-star rating. The 3-star rating is applied where staff service standards or the production facilities are fair or average,” the agency said. The DOTr said NAIA has made it to the top 10 of the world’s most improved airports based on the 2018 World Airport Awards, also conducted by Skytrax. “Since then, we have already undertaken more improvements in our facilities, all geared to improve the entire passenger experience of a traveler,” it said. g

the peace and threatened the lives of residents in the community.” “The complainants also alleged that he has been engaging in gainful business activities without the appropriate permit and visa in blatant violation of our immigration laws,” Morente added in the statement. Immigration prosecutors then slapped Miller with deportation prior to the issuance of an order for his deportation by the BI board of commissioners. Meanwhile, BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said in the same statement that BI records prove that Miller’s stay in the country had already lapsed, making him an overstaying

alien who may be subjected to summary deportation. He bared that complainants accused Miller of harassment and intimidation, and that he allegedly occupied a land in the coastal area of the village, depriving fisherfolk from using the property to fish. Manahal also reported that barangay officials in Punta had already passed a resolution declaring him persona non grata for acts that are contrary to morals, good customs and public policy. The American is currently detained at the BI’s holding facility in Cebu undergoing deportation proceedings. (Inquirer.net)

BI nabs overstaying American in Cebu MANILA — An American national was arrested in Cebu after repeated complaints from neighbors and barangay officials led to the discovery that he has been overstaying in the country. Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente said Tuesday that 67-year-old Sunny Miller was arrested in Barangay Punta, San Remigio municipality by operatives of the BI Intelligence Division over the weekend. According to Morente, he issued the mission order for Miller’s arrest after receiving complaints from barangay officials who accused him of “causing trouble, and committing acts that disturbed

Reimbursement for community Know your options to get out of debt contribution towards a spouse’s education Minding Your Finances and student loan during marriage Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes ONE of the biggest problem of millenials and Gen Z are educational cost and student loan debt. This eats up a large part of a households budget even among married couples. However, what happens to all the money paid towards one spouse’s education and student loans if the marriage fails and leads to divorce. Well, California Family Code Section 2641(b)(1) provides that upon divorce or legal separation, the community “shall be reimbursed” for its “contributions” to a spouse’s education or training that “substantially enhances” the spouse’s earning capacity. Under Family Code Section 2641(a), reimbursable community “contributions” means payments made with community or quasi-community property for a spouse’s education or training or for the repayment of a loan incurred therefor, no matter where the parties resided when the payments were made. Family Code § 2641 reimbursement is not limited to education or training received during marriage. Rather, by its terms, application of the statute is governed solely by whether community funds were used to pay for the education or training. Thus, educational costs and loans paid with community funds are within the ambit of § 2641 reimbursement even if the education occurred before marriage. Marriage of Weiner,

supra, 105 CA4th at 239-240, 129 CR2d at 291; In Marriage of Mullonkal & Kodiyamplakkil (2020) 51 CA5th 604, 607-608, 265 CR3d 285, 288, the court held that the community is entitled to reimbursement where spouse paid off student loans for education she attained before marriage with funds from her salary earned during marriage. In Mullonkal & Kodiyamplakkil, the trial court erroneously held § 2641 did not apply because, among other things, the student spouse (Wife) repaid her premarital education with her own earnings during the marriage,

minimum, reimbursable community expenditures include amounts paid for the student spouse’s tuition, fees, books, supplies and transportation. Fam.C. § 2641, Law Rev. Comm’n Comment, 23 Cal. L.Rev. Comm’n Reports 1 (1993) Beyond this, however, community expenditures are a reimbursable “contribution” only if directly related to the educational experience. Ordinary living expenses that would have been incurred regardless of whether one spouse was attending school such as rent, food and clothing, health care and entertainment, are not reimbursable under § 2641. Marriage of Watt (1989) 214 CA3d 340, 354, 262 CR 783, 791-792. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website

California Family Code Section 2641(b)(1) provides that upon divorce or legal separation, the community “shall be reimbursed” for its “contributions” to a spouse’s education or training that “substantially enhances” the spouse’s earning capacity.

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and the nonstudent spouse (Husband) failed to contribute to Wife’s education/loan repayments and family expenses. “[B]ut nothing in [§ 2641] contemplates denying reimbursement to the community where the student spouse pays for her own education or where the nonstudent spouse did not somehow earn an entitlement to an equal share of the community. Indeed, the statute refers to community contributions to education, and makes no reference to the source of the community contribution.” Marriage of Mullonkal & Kodiyamplakkil, supra, 51 CA5th at 615-616, 265 CR3d at 294. At a

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Atty. rAymond BUlAon ARE you seriously in debt and don’t know what to do about your situation? Are you afraid that unless you do something about it, thing will just continue to get worse every day? When people are going through financial difficulty and are unable to pay their bills, their first reaction is often to ignore their debts and avoid contact with creditors. They think that by doing this, somehow the creditors will simply give up and go away. Then one day the problem blows up in their face. They either get served a wage garnishment at work or they find out that their bank account has been frozen by a judgment creditor that they have ignored. I see this happen all the time. That’s when they rush to see a bankruptcy attorney to find out what can be done to protect themselves. This is when they realize that they should have done something about their debt problems sooner in order to avoid the unpleasant consequences of their inaction. Most states have a statute of limitations- this is the period of time in which a creditor must file a lawsuit in order to collect on an unpaid debt. In California, that is generally 4 years from the time you stopped paying. A debt can go

unpaid for years and you may not hear anything about the debt at all. Well, don’t hold your breath. When the collection accounts get close to the 4-year mark for the creditor to file suit, that’s when you often get served a lawsuit before the statute runs out. If a creditor does sue you and obtains a judgment, the judgment is good for 10 years in California and can be renewed thereafter. That’s a pretty long time for a creditor to be chasing you and your assets, if you have any. If you own a home and a judgment lien is filed against it, the debt becomes a secured debt and it must be paid in full plus accrued interest when you sell your property someday. Filing a bankruptcy doesn’t automatically remove a judgment lien but under certain circumstances, there is a procedure by which it can be removed. This will depend on the value of your home, outstanding loans on the property and your homestead exemption amount. Your homestead exemption is the amount of the equity in the property deemed protected by law if the house is your primary residence. An attorney can explain to you how this works. OK, so before any of the above happens, what are the ways to get out of debt before things take a turn for the worse? The key to your success is to be pro-active instead of being reactive. In other words, take action now instead of waiting until something bad happens. There basically only 4 ways to get out of debt if you’re on the verge of insolvency: (1)

increase income so you can start paying larger amounts on your debts to hopefully avoid filing bankruptcy, (2) reduce expenses so that you can increase your disposable income and have more money available for debt repayment, (3) Convert assets you don’t need into cash and use the money to negotiate with creditors, and (4) File bankruptcy to wipe out debts or consolidate your bills (This requires filing either a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13). If you’re feeling paralyzed by debt and can’t think clearly at the moment, you need a good attorney who can properly evaluate your situation and recommend possible solutions. The first thing you need to do when you don’t know what to do is to realize that sometimes, you cannot do it on your own. There is nothing wrong with getting legal help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you would be able to protect your home, your job, your car, your bank account and other assets. For a free evaluation of your case, please call our office at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. ***

NOTE: Due to the virus lockdown, I am currently offering consultations via phone or video. Please call the office to schedule your appointment with me. Questions? Email me at gethelp@rjb-lawoffices.com. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)

The power of kindness Immigrant Living: 101 and Bemonette AdevA mAglAyA WHAT does it cost to be kind to others? We often think that being kind costs us something — whether it is time, money,

“Kind people are the best kind of people.” connections or any of what we consider to be our personal resources becoming depleted. Being kind does not diminish us. On the contrary, it adds a certain glow to our persona. We become conduits or pipelines of that continuous downpour of silent, mostly invisible graces

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from above. Have we ever thought at all about the physical and psychological benefits of acts of kindness that flow right back to us? It’s one of those mysteries of the amazing human body and of life itself. Continued on Page 14

The Asian Journal

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Wednesday JUNE 1, 2022

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022

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www.asianjournal.com Los Angeles | Las Vegas | Orange County/Inland Empire | Northern California | New York/New Jersey

Rachel Alejandro headlines city of Carson’s 124th Annual Philippine Independence Day celebration A

by AJPress

N all-day festival in Carson featuring non-stop cultural and patriotic performances and various entertainments for the entire family will mark the 124th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day. ages from all over Southern California. It is a The event will take place on Saturday, June commemoration of the birth of the Philippine 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Veterans Park, republic after over 400 years of Spanish rule. located at 22400 Moneta Avenue in Carson. This is the premiere Filipino event in the The celebration is open to the public and United States. admission is free. “Philippine Independence Day Non-stop entertainment will begin has been celebrated in the City of at 10 a.m. featuring big names in Carson since 1986, making it the Filipino pop music, homegrown largest and longest running Filipino talents and various cultural event in a city that has about 20% performers. Food and display of our roughly 100,000 population booths are also lined up for the being of Filipino descent. We’re day’s activities. excited that after 2 years of having Topping the list of this year’s to celebrate virtually due to the guests is multi-award singer and global COVID-19 pandemic, we’re actress, Rachel Alejandro. Rachel once again able to have some sense had several hit songs that include of normalcy and celebrate together Mr. Kupido, Paalam Na, Bulag Sa as a CommUNITY,” said President Katotohanan, and Nakapagtataka to of the Philippine Independence Day name a few. Rachel has also enjoyed Foundation, Fred Docdocil. success as an actress, appearing in films “On behalf of the citizens of the and theater productions. In 2018, she great City of Carson, I extend my sincerest starred in the Philippine-Australian jukebox appreciation to the Philippine Independence musical “All Out of Love: The Musical,” Day Foundation for their exceptional dedication in which is based on the songs of Air Supply. ensuring a successful event each year to celebrate this Rachel subsequently portrayed Aurora Quezon in Rachel Alejandro important historical occasion. It is truly a delight to see the the 2019 film “Quezon’s Game” which garnered her diversity of Carson celebrated through cultural events such several best actress awards. She currently stars in her as this. Thank you for giving the community the opportunity to first teleserye called “The Broken Marriage Vow.” A parade of see and experience the richness of Philippine history and culture, reigning beauty queens representing various regions from the and for making a wonderful contribution to the ethnic diversity Philippines will cap the celebration. that makes Carson great,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. In the City of Carson, which is home to the largest The annual celebration is a joint undertaking of the City of concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, the Carson and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation. For celebration of Philippine Independence Day is a yearly festival more information about the event, please contact Veterans Park that draws thousands of Filipinos and non-Filipinos of all

Jaclyn Jose

GMA photo

Cannes-winning actress Jaclyn still feels ‘first-day jitters’ on set like any other actor By AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

WHILE many actors— newbies, particularly—get intimidated by the thought of working with Jaclyn Jose, the internationally acclaimed actress said that, on the set, she’s just like any other actor trying to get the job done. “I don’t know [why they feel intimidated]. Perhaps they think about the recognition I have received. But let’s always remember that this is something we don’t allow to get into our heads. We set that aside,” she said in a virtual conference for the GMA 7 series “Bolera.” “Once you have gotten an award, that’s it. Tapos na

‘yun,” added Jaclyn, who was hailed best actress in the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in the Brillante Mendoza film “Ma’ Rosa.” And despite her almost 40 years of experience, Jaclyn, who also has five Gawad Urian acting awards to her name, admitted that she still gets first-day jitters on the set. Sensitive “If they get rattled, I do, too. There’s always first-day jitters, to be honest. When I work on whatever project, I get nervous just like them. That’s something we all share,” she said, adding that she always tries her best to guide her younger costars who are still feeling their way in the Continued on Page 12

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Lea performs ‘The Prayer’ at US Memorial Day

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022

Creating safe working environments: Rajeev Agarwal shares how Sales Rain thrived amid the COVID-19 By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

THE COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way businesses work. With the virus limiting social interaction, corporations across the globe were forced to close their offices and send their workers home. In turn, the demand for office spaces gradually decreased as employees adapted to remote work. In the Philippines, a 13.9% office vacancy was recorded at the end of the third quarter last year, according to professional services and investment management firm Colliers. It also recorded the least office transaction volume, at around 69,000 square meters amid the Delta variant surge of COVID-19. Still, some seat leasing services managed to avoid being severely impacted by the subdued office leasing activity in the country. One of them was Sales Rain, a premier office space provider with multiple sites in Manila. Rajeev Agarwal, Sales Rain CEO, shared with the Asian Journal how his company thrived and expanded despite the global health crisis. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward According to Agarwal, the pandemic was a “one step back, two steps forward” process for Sales Rain. While they lost some clients to the crisis, the company’s quick response and strategic decisions successfully created new growth opportunities. “As everyone knows, office real estate was one of the hardest hit sectors during COVID,” Agarwal noted. “It was one step back, two steps forward for us… We did lose a few clients, but that make up was a very small portion of our business.” “On the brighter side, we gained some new clients,” he added. For this to happen, Agarwal

Rajeev Agarwal

said the company readily provided the “highest level of support” to its clients and helped them “with whatever we can during the tough times.” These include creating safe office spaces and assisting with the vaccinations. “We provided discounts, more flexible terms, social distancing, sanitized facilities, work from home and hybrid setups, on site and off site support, and help with the vaccination program,” he enumerated. Agarwal also attributed Sales Rain’s high retention rate to the sacrifices its own employees made amid the pandemic. “The kind of sacrifice our employees made being physically present in the offices, overcoming little to no transportation, and many other hardships were some of the key differentiators that helped us retain clients and win some new clients,” he stressed. Keeping in mind the constant threat of infection while working at an office, Agarwal said Sales Rain compensated by paying all of its employees, getting them vaccinated, and extending concern to their families. And unlike other companies that decided to let go some of its

workforce, Sales Rain retained all of its own. Ushering Growth and Expansion Despite COVID-19 and its variants, Sales Rain remained a leader in providing premier seat leasing services, coworking spaces and private offices. Its client retention rate was more than 90%, and new offices and further expansions were welcomed before 2021 ended. Agarwal pointed out that these are due in part to their existing clients growing during the pandemic. “One of our existing clients added the entire new floor in BGC,” he said. “Another client signed up for the entire new floor in Ortigas and additional floor again in Eastwood.” In June last year, Sales Rain announced its expansion in BGC to house multinational organizations and startup businesses across various industries. The new floor accommodated over 250 workstations and various workspaces, like conference halls, interview rooms, and training facilities. Likewise, Sales Rain expanded in Ortigas with the intent to provide outsourcing businesses with flexible and cost-effective workspace solutions. The new floor it acquired in One Corporate Center catered mostly to BPO and call center companies, having amenities such as common areas, meeting rooms, training rooms and sleeping quarters. Additionally, Agarwal announced that Sales Rain is opening its first office in Palawan soon, and that it’s already fully occupied, indicating the company’s relentless pursuit of creating sustainable working environments to serve and accommodate clients better. “So overall our retention rate was more than 90% and very satisfactory given the situation,” Agarwal said.

By

KRistofeR PuRnell Philstar.com

SINGER Lea Salonga was among the performers of the United States’ 2022 National Memorial Day Concert held in Washington D.C. where she gave a soulful rendition of “The Prayer.” The United States commemorates Memorial Day every last Monday of May in honor of all American military personnel who died in service. The 2022 edition of the concert was held on May 29, Sunday. The 2022 concert, hosted by actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, was the first one held live since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; for 2020 and 2021, the concert was solely broadcast on PBS and streamed online. Often sung as a duet as popularized by Canadian singer Celine Dion and

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Salonga held her own as she managed the song’s strong beats accompanied by the live orchestra. During her performance, the PBS broadcast would occasionally cut to veterans in attendance at the Capitol Building’s west lawn and to video clips of fallen soldiers being grieved by their loved ones. Salonga performed “The Prayer” with Josh Groban when he visited for his February 2019 “Bridges” concert in Manila, 12 years since his last Philippine apperance. The Tony winner was then in a wheelchair due to a skiing accident, but she and Groban managed to wow the crowd after he sang her “Happy Birthday.” The two also performed “All I Ask Of You” from “The Phantom of the Opera.”

In a video posted on the official Twitter account of the PBS National Memorial Day Concert, Salonga said her performance of “The Prayer” isn’t meant for entertainment. “For me personlly when I pray... it kind of sets my mind in a good place, as well as my spirit,” the Broadway star explained. “So singing something like this, it feels the same. She added that she hopes everyone will get to remember everyone who sacrificed their lives and pray that none of them did it in vain. In a separate video, Salonga said she remembers all “those that have fought to protect the lands that they love.” Backstage, Salonga was able to reunite with her “Les Miserables” co-stars Norm Lewis and Alfie Boe, who were also guests at the concert.

Cannes-winning actress Jaclyn still...

From Page 11 industry. “They think I’m scary, but once they get to actually work with me, they will discover that I’m very sensitive toward others. I try to help them and give what I can when I’m working with them,” she said. The 57-year-old actress is also not one to get easily impatient when her coactor makes mistakes. “Walang problema kung nagkakamali sila dahil nagkakamali din ako. I try to make Office Market Recovery With the Philippines showing marked improvement in terms of handling the pandemic, property market experts have predicted the office space demand to grow in the next few months of 2022. Furthermore, the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector will remain as the country’s biggest demand driver in the local property market — something Agarwal himself has acknowledged. “The Philippines is a growing economy with a thriving BPO industry. It’s also home for top-quality and hardworking people that are naturally hospitable and can speak good English,” he noted. According to him, the country is an ideal destination for business professionals who can work from anywhere. Of course, this is a prospect that

them comfortable. We’re all human; we make mistakes,” she stressed. “Minsan may pasok talaga tayo na sablay.” And more importantly, she sees herself as a team player. “I don’t consider myself a pillar of a show. There are the directors, writers and other veteran stars. It should always be a collaboration. No one tries to upstage anyone. We all work according to what our directors and writers require us to do,” she said. “It’s all about teamwork.”

Agarwal admitted to being excited over. “For those who are not required to be in the office full time, [the] work from home [setup] will evolve into work from anywhere. Now that travel restrictions are being lifted, digital nomads and some business professionals would want to explore the world and work from anywhere,” he explained. “The Philippines is a perfect destination for those. We currently have many domestic and international clients from over 20 different countries. We are very excited about our future prospects,” he added. For Sales Rain’s prospective customers, Agarwal assured that the company will continue to provide safe working environments that are both flexible and economical. “They can continue to

expect the same dedication, service, pricing, and wholesome inclusions,” he said. Sales Rain is a renowned provider of world-class offices in prime business districts of the Philippines. It provides access to adaptable workspaces, competitive rates, and prime locations that guarantee immense growth for numerous business process outsourcing companies and startup businesses. Sources: Sales Rain. “Call Center Seat Leasing & BPO Serviced Offices.” Colliers. “Colliers Quarterly | Property Market Report – Office | Q3 2021 | Philippines.” PNA. “PH office market to continue recovery in 2022.” Business World. “Office space demand to grow in next 6 months.” (Advertising Supplement)

Pahrump Balloon Festival is back! By RealtoR Fely Quitevis-Bateman THE 9th Annual Pahrump Balloon Festival is back on the table and will take place this fall, from November 11 to November 13. According to an article in the Pahrump Valley Times, the event, which has generated keen interest from the town’s residents, is scheduled over the Veterans Day weekend at Petrack Park, and will feature a lot of activities for people of all ages. Of course, the main feature of the Pahrump Balloon Festival will be the hot air balloons that will launch throughout the weekend. Organizers said that they are expecting more brand-new balloons

to launch and fly over Pahrump that will capture the attention of event-goers. Also at the event, there will also be the ever-popular carnival and three bounce houses for youngsters, as well as food vendors on site and merchandise vendors for attendees to buy all sorts of gifts and souvenirs. Aside from these, a car show will take place on the north soccer fields after the balloon launches, corn hole and horseshoe tournaments, and music for entertainment. As the Pahrump Balloon Festival happens over the Veterans Day weekend, organizers are arranging something special in honor of those who have served the country. There will be a sunrise Veterans Day ceremony

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including loans for small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948 or send email to fely@precious-properties.

to be held on the first day of the event (Nov. 11, Veterans Day) that will feature more flair than usual. The planned ceremony “will see a hot air balloon rise over the field during the ceremony, from which a parachuter will jump and unfurl the red, white and blue glory of the American flag.” Per the article, the local VFW Riders group will be taking part in the ceremony and will provide the color guard that will present the colors. As an added attraction to the event, a “turkey drop” (not a live turkey, mind you) will be done at the final day of the event, with balloon pilots scattering certificates for free turkeys over the park on Sunday morning. How exciting is that? Attend the event, and you may even get your Thanksgiving bird for free! Many residents and supporters are glad that the Pahrump Balloon Festival is back on the calendar. Earlier this year, the event had been canceled until Doug Dubin and Doug Campbell went before the Nye County Commission to request a festival permit. After addressing concerns from the commissioners, including parking and location of the carnival, the organizers received unanimous approval for the permit. Of course, this is just one of the many activities taking place year-round in Pahrump. The town has plenty to offer in terms of recreational activities for residents and visitors – the town is no longer the sleepy town it once was. Golf, a popular sport across America and an activity that many Americans (and kababayans) take pleasure in, can be had at the Mountain Falls Golf Club designed by famed acrchitecture firms Nicklaus Design Group and Cal Olson Design. The 18hole golf course and country club with breathtaking views is also capable of hosting events of all types – weddings, holiday parties, corporate events. Tennis, bowling, martial arts, horseback riding and cycling are just some of the recreational and sports activities that can be done in Pahrump. There are leagues and groups that cater to aficionados of these activities, and these groups are always welcoming more members to their fold. Walking and hiking, whether by yourself or with friends/groups members, or even with the furry members of the family, are also big in Pahrump. There are many parks and areas that offer trails for the casual or the adventurous. These areas also offer an opportunity for bird-watching or just plain nature-tripping. If you have the itch for the track (the racetrack, that is), go no further than the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, which hosts various driving schools, track rentals and is

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022

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Photo above shows a 3,000-plus square-foot building on Acoma Ave. that will be on the market soon.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (extreme left) with (from left) Dr. Phil (the best dentist in Clark County), Atty. Bing Longakit and Mary Jane, who are all my investors in Pahrump at Turnberry Place Tower 1 in Las Vegas. We all had a celebration dinner at Benihana’s at Westgate

home to a private motorsports country club. It has North America’s longest racetrack at 6.1 miles, and that may soon expand to over 9 miles when expansion is completed. Right next to the racetrack is Spring Mountain Estates, which features luxury trackside homesites and is minutes away from Lake Spring Mountain where more activities await the adventurer – paddle boarding, kayaking, flying on a jetpack, among others. Homesite owners are welcome to all the amenities that the country club has to offer and that includes the lounge, workout facility and other services like massage therapist. Whether you are visiting Pahrump or moving to the town as resident, there are many things to keep you occupied. And with Las Vegas just 62 miles away, the opportunities are endless for more activities on your to-

My son Primo and his cousin John are scouting for a commercial property for a project he wants to build in Pahrump.

do list. Take a look at what Pahrump has to offer. Real estate in the area is currently affordable, and presents a great opportunity for the savvy buyer/ investor. In fact, many of my clients are now reaping the benefits of their investments. Whether you are looking for a new home, a second home, an investment property (maybe for an Airbnb), or just the chance to own real etsate, I can help you look for the best opportunities in the area. My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has successfully helped its clientele find the best deals since 1992. You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

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community The power of kindness...

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022

From Page 10 Recent medical studies indicate that both the giving and receiving of kindness have positive effects on a person’s well being. It helps produce oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone in the human body that boosts our immune system and causes other good residual effects on blood pressure and the body’s general homeostatic balance. In women, it has positive effects on childbirth and lactation. Studies now seem to prove that it can help in autism and the ability to handle social anxieties. Another feel-good substance called endorphins is produced in the human body by laughter and exercise. Acts of kindness, specially the pure ones, those that are done without an agenda, any thought of payback or return, can produce the substance as well. Endorphins running in our bloodstream is good for the heart and the mind as it counteracts the effects of free radicals wreaking havoc in our bodies as we go through the ravages of the aging process. It does not mean however, that kindness and endorphins insure us against aging. It just means that we can be happy and perhaps, even content over the long haul. It just means that the residual effects of habitual kindness can substantially slow down the aging process along with a good diet, and regular age -appropriate exercise. Of course, wisely steering clear of moving vehicles, toxic relationships and such known elective, addictive poisons such as cigarettes, drugs and alcohol can

enhance the quality of one’s life. One should steer clear of vanity-based, habitual body enhancements like plastic surgery, botox and specially tattoos. These indicate destructive self-obsession that disables a person from showing kindness to others. In the same way joy shows in our faces specially in our eyes, so does GRIEF. Sorrow and pain can become deeply etched and alas, no amount of plastic surgery can erase it. Those of us who live in big cities and are subject to the stresses of the fast pace and killer demands of modern life to

hardwired and laser focused on just their individual images to the exclusion of others. This self-obsession—today’s equivalent of the biblical golden calf of idolatry—strangely leads to depression. Those who have seen the light, however, and have decided that kindness is beneficial to others and inadvertently, to themselves, practice it quite naturally, most times, without fanfare. After all, genuine kindness is often quiet. But when acts of kindness captured on video do go viral because a disinterested third party uploaded the clip on the internet and is viewed by millions around the world, this becomes a teachable moment when kindness gets amplified with the ripple effect. Kindness without an agenda can inspire others to be kind to the people in their immediate spheres of influence. Kindness, like the coronavirus, can be truly contagious. Unlike this deadly strain though, kindness like God’s sunlight is good all around. Go natural whenever possible. LAUGHTER, EXERCISE and KINDNESS, often at little or no cost, can go a long way in achieving that wonderful state of “happily ever after.” ***

Kindness without an agenda can inspire others to be kind to the people in their immediate spheres of influence. “perform and deliver” in our home and work environments are more than likely to suffer from diseases and infections. It’s the curse of big city living and the rat race. Because of such demands that can exceed individual human capacities, many feel exhausted and cannot think beyond their personal needs and wants. Remember too that this technological age has spawned the “Selfies Generation.” The trend these days in social media is to focus on the self. Many are becoming stars in their deluded minds and in the web firmament thinking that the number of “likes” they get is proof positive of their popularity and social status. The result is that many are becoming

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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Nota Bene: To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Never too late: Genette Mujar, who became a fashion designer at age 50, is living proof that, no matter our age, hard work can lead to success. Photos courtesy of Genette Mujar

Former Filipina caregiver, now a fast-rising fashion designer in Canada

GENETTE Mujar, a Vancouver-based fashion designer of Filipino descent, is a former caregiver turned fastrising designer in Canada. Genette, who hails from Albay in the Philippines, is the owner and chief operating officer of Gnetz Design, a fastrising fashion house based in Vancouver, Canadian. Genette, who completed her studies at Bicol University, has had a passion for fashion design since she was young. Even during those formative years, whenever her classmates would ask her about her unique and stylish outfits, her ready reply has always been: “It’s from Gnetz.” That’s how the Gnetz brand started. While in the Philippines, Genette had to face numerous challenges—such as growing up with limited resources. Her life did not change much when she had her own children. She’s also had to give up her ambition to be a fashion designer. As such, Genette had to take the same path as millions of Filipinos: she had to become an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in order to provide a better life for her children, and it wasn’t easy. Initially, her OFW journey took her to Taiwan. She moved to Hong Kong after a few years, where one of her most traumatic experiences was being ejected by her employer. Genette then moved to Canada in 2007 to work as a caregiver. Her pay at the time, was insufficient to fully support her family in the Philippines. But despite her financial difficulties, she maintained her enthusiasm for fashion. She would frequent thrift stores in Canada, looking for old clothes which she could restyle or upcycle. Genette chose to pursue her passion of being a fashion designer after a few years in Vancouver, at the age of 50. She enrolled in a fashion school and got an award despite being the oldest in her class when she graduated. She was then hired as a

MODERN FILIPINIANA: a modern interpretation of the Philippine Terno by Genette Mujar.

From caregiver to fashion designer: Genette Mujar, a Vancouver-based fashion designer of Filipino descent, is a former caregiver turned fast-rising designer in Canada.

fashion designer for a local Vancouver apparel firm. She eventually mustered the guts to open her own fashion house, Gnetz Design. Today, among her favorite design is Filipiniana, a unique Philippine look that conjures grace, elegance and beauty. It is never too late to realize one’s dreams. Genette’s remarkable success story is another illustration of how, no matter our age, hard work can lead to success. Genette is hoping that her story becomes an inspiration to many. Asia Pacific Fashion Week: a global platform Genette is slated to showcase her latest Filipiniana designs Asia Pacific Fashion Week (APFW), the newest global platform which showcases the diversity of Filipino-inspired fashions, in two iconic American cities. The first show is on August 6 (Saturday), at 4:00 p.m., at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, a historic landmark on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the heart of Los Angeles. The second show is on August 13 (Saturday), at 4:00 pm, at the Decades Event Center, located in Vegas Pointe Plaza, Unit 168, 9175 S Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. The Los Angeles leg of APFW enjoys the support of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. Trending Beverages Inc., Napa Valley Distribution Inc., Montemaria Cellars, House of Pacquiao Wine, Individual Health Care, Lombard by the Bay, MTS Law Firm, Premier Asia Pacific Real Estate & Development, and Tina Modeling. The Las Vegas edition is co-produced by InterEdx, a dba of Dynasty Exchange Ltd. LLC., headed by Dr. Lee Dedicatoria, in cooperation with Asia on Earth, Dynasty Ventures, Club Paradisia, World Edoption, Royal Blue Staffing, Lend with Love and Decades Event Center. (Advertising Supplement)

Unconventional fashion: At a fashion show for Vancouver International Film Festival, Genette is surrounded by models wearing her modern Filipiniana creations.

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 1, 2022