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JU LY 5-11 , 2019 Volume 12 - No. 37 • 16 Pages 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 • 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858
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Philippines to look into reported DATELINE USA Supreme Court rejects China missile test in South China Sea citizenship question FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
in the South China Sea, the Philippines has yet to verify this recent development. Defense Secretary Delfin LorenzaMANILA — While the United States raised alarm over a re- na said the Philippine government ported Chinese missile launch does not have first hand knowledge by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com
on 2020 Census
THE Supreme Court on Thursday, June 27 rejected the Trump administration’s citizenship question from being included in the 2020 Census questionnaire. In his majority opinion released after the 5-4 ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. wrote that the administration’s justification and intentions for the citizenship questions “seem to have been contrived.” The decennial count of all persons living in the United States (slated for April, 1, 2020) determines the appropriation of representatives each state gets in the House as well as the allocation of federal funds to each state — the larger the population, the more representatives and funding each state gets. (These funds are typically diverted to public uses such as Medicaid, housing assistance and public education among other programs.) It also determines how electoral districts are drawn. The last time the census asked about residents’ citizenship was in the 1950 census survey which asked, “If foreign born — Is he naturalized?” (In 1960, there was a question
VIRAY
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
on the incident. “We will conduct our own inquiry and will decide later what to do if proven correct,” Lorenzana said in a statement. The U.S. Department of Defense,
also called the Pentagon, said the missile launch of China, where it had installed military outposts, was “disturbing.” According to a report from Re-
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ManilaTimes.net photo
Palace: Duterte critics will not be arrested by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s critics will not be arrested for filing an impeachment complaint against the Chief Executive, Malacañang assured on Tuesday, July 2, after Philippine
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MIND THE FLAG. President Rodrigo Duterte attaches the streamer on the banner of one of the award-winning Philippine Air Force (PAF) units during the 72nd PAF Anniversary at the Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday, July 2. Assisting the President is PAF Commander Lieutenant General Rozzano Briguez. Malacañang photo by Valerie Escaler
Think tank: Philippines to lose the most in possible US outsourcing ban We are winning the war AJP against illegal drugs – PNP by
File photo shows Filipino call center personnel attending to a U.S. client at a new business process outsourcing office in Manila. Inquirer.net photo
RESS
THE Philippines would be the ‘biggest loser’ in Asia if United States President Donald Trump follows through with his threat to punish American firms that outsource jobs, an independent economic research company has claimed. In Capital Economics’ recent research brief entitled “Winner and losers from the trade war,” it was revealed that the trade war between the U.S. and China poses a
major threat to economies in emerging Asia, which would tip several countries’ economies into a recession. “The trade war between the U.S. and China so far appears to have had a small negative impact on most of the region, although some countries, most notably Vietnam, look to be benefiting as U.S. demand has shifted away from China towards alternative suppliers,” the brief said. It added that in the event of a global trade war, “a num-
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by AJPRESS PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde said the Philippines is winning the war against illegal drugs as President Rodrigo Duterte marked his third year in office. According to Albayalde, the improvement in the peace and order situation across the country is a manifestation of the drug war’s PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde
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Inquirer.net photo
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From the Front Page
Philippines to look into reported... PAGE 1
uters, a U.S. official who requested anonymity said Beijing tested multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles over the weekend. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn confirmed that Washington was aware of the missile launch from its artificial islands in the South China Sea. “I’m not going to speak in behalf of all the sovereign nations in the region but I’m sure they
agree that (China’s) behavior is contrary to its claim to want to bring peace to the region and obviously actions like this are coercive acts meant to intimidate other (South China Sea) claimants,” Eastburn said. Beijing’s reported launching of missiles from its man-made islands in the South China Sea came a year after it deployed missile systems on its “big three” islands — Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefs in the
Spratly Islands. In May 2018, CNBC reported that China quietly deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on the islands. In that same year, China also installed military jamming equipment on Fiery Cross and Mischief Reefs. These equipment are capable of jamming communications and radar systems over the contested waterway. n
Think tank: Philippines to lose the most in...
PAGE 1 ber of the region’s economies would be tipped into recession, while no part of Emerging Asia would escape unscathed.” Capital Economics noted that the Philippines is not as dependent on the goods trade to power its economy as its neighbors are, but it does have a robust services sector in which American firms are major players. “The Philippines would be the biggest loser if Trump fol-
lowed through on his threat to punish American companies that outsource jobs abroad,” Capital Economics said, adding, “The Philippines has a thriving business process and IT outsourcing sector, which last year brought in revenues equivalent to around 10 percent of GDP.” The firm said that while the effect of a prolonged trade war between the world’s two largest economies would be more damaging to economies that primarily engage in
goods trade, the consequences for economies with strong service sector like the Philippines may result into greater stagnation due to maintaining barriers. “The long-run consequences would be even bigger if the world also maintained barriers to trade in services and information, to foreign direct investment, and to migration. In this case, there may be a much bigger global downturn, or indeed a long period of stagnation,” it said. n
ANTI-GAMBLING CAMPAIGN. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (right) and Manila Police District director, Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. (left), lead the destruction of confiscated illegal video karera (online gambling game) machines at the Manila city hall quadrangle on Wednesday, July 3. The new mayor has promised to “move heaven and earth” to clean up the Philippines’ capital city. PNA Photo by Avito C. Dalan
Palace: Duterte critics will not...
PAGE 1 National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said the PNP was ready to arrest those who file an impeachment complaint against Duterte if they commit any violation of the law. According to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s threat to jail his critics was just an “expression of displeasure, disappointment.” “It is a righteous indignation. He could not understand why critics and detractors cannot appreciate what he’s doing.
He’s doing this because he is following the directive of the Constitution to serve and protect the people. We want to avoid any armed [struggles] between two countries because that will endanger the security of the nation,” Panelo said. Last week, Duterte challenged his critics pushing for his impeachment and threatened to jail them should they file an impeachment complaint against him. The president has been drawing criticism for taking a softer stance over the sinking
of a Filipino boat at the Recto (Reed) Bank on June 9 as well as for saying that he would not ban China from fishing in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Albayalde, meanwhile, clarified his statement and said that it would be an immediate arrest. “There should be an investigation. You cannot just point to anybody and then get them. There will always be an investigation before you can make an arrest,” the PNP chief said. n
We are winning the war against illegal...
PAGE 1 success. “This is a clear manifestation that we are winning the war against illegal drugs, dahil isa ito sa resulta sa kampanya natin sa illegal na droga, yung pag-improve natin sa ating peace and order situation dito, hindi lang sa Metro Manila pero buong bansa yan (Because this is one of the results of our campaign against illegal drugs, the improvement of our peace and order situation, not only in Metro Manila but also in the whole country),” he said during a press briefing. Duterte’s war against drugs has continuously drawn criticisms both from local and international groups after at least 6,000 people ended up dead during official police operations. Albayalde, for his part, countered the criticisms and pointed out that the 50 po-
licemen have been killed in action while 144 suffered injuries. “Fifty police officers killed is perhaps the painful proof that our detractors need for them to accept the fact that slain drug suspects indeed put up violent resistance to evade the law. Or do they want more dead lawmen to convince them some more?” he said. From July 2016 to the present, a total of 240,565 drug suspects have been arrested in over 150,000 antidrug operations. PNP not falling short Albayalde also clarified that the police are not falling short of arrest targets following the release of Commission on Audit (COA)’s report that the PNP missed its 2018 goals. He said the COA was not referring to the arrest of all wanted persons which include ordinary suspects —
just the top 10 most wanted persons arrested in 2018. “I think kailangan sabihin sa COA ‘yan para maintindihan nila. Kase ang lumalabas, we are falling short on the arrest of wanted persons (I think we should explain to COA because it appears that we are falling short of targets for the arrest of wanted persons). We did not fall short on the arrest of wanted persons),” Albayalde said. Based on COA’s report, the PNP only managed to arrest 19.37 percent of the most wanted persons, despite its target of 51.57 percent. Albayalde pointed out that the PNP did not hit its target number of arrests on most wanted persons, it hit triple of its target on arrest of ordinary wanted persons. The number of arrests of persons with a bounty on their heads increased from 35 in 2017 to 48 last year, according to the PNP chief. n
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july 5-11, 2019 • NEW yORK AND NEW jERSEy ASIAN jOuRNAl
Trump’s decision to end DACA to be reviewed by Supreme Court by Rae
ann VaRona AJPress
The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday, June 28 that it would be reviewing an appeal in the next term on whether the Trump administration’s ongoing plan to end protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is lawful. With legal arguments set to take place near the end of 2019, the highest court’s decision may likely be made by mid-2020 — peak campaigning time for presidential candidates including President Donald Trump who is eyeing re-election. Since Trump’s election in 2016, DACA has found itself at the center of political negotiations revolving around immigration and funding for a wall along the southern U.S.Mexico border. Trump announced in 2017 that his administration would be winding down DACA, claiming its adoption to have been unlawful and that courts did not have the power to review its decision. Then acting Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited to a 2015 federal appeals court ruling in New Orleans that blocked a related Obama-era program called DAPA, or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans. The Trump administration also said it acted to end DACA as a result of lawsuit threats coming from states including
Texas. Protests and lawsuits from immigrant advocates and civil rights groups quickly ensued, with several lower courts arguing that the Trump administration had no clear reason for ending the program, or any clear argument that DACA was illegal. In California, a federal judge issued the first of three nationwide injunctions in 2018 that required the Trump administration to continue accepting renewal applications from DACA recipients whose statuses were about to expire. According to federal data, renewals were made for more than 373,000 DACA recipients. Federal courts in New York, Virginia, and Washington D.C., similarly made moves to block the administration from immediately ending the program. The 2012 Obama-era program has protected nearly 700,000 people brought into this country as young children — commonly referred to as “DReAMers” — through providing them with work permits and protection from deportation. According to data from the U.S. Department of homeland Security, nearly 5,000 applications approved since 2012 were from undocumented Filipinos. One of the cases up for Supreme Court review was
brought forth by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, together with attorneys general from Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota. “So far, both lower courts in our legal fight to protect DACA have agreed with us that the Trump Administration’s attempt to end it was unlawful,” Becerra said in a statement on Friday. he added, “In California and across our nation, [DReAMers] enrich our communities as scholars, entrepreneurs, first responders, and much more.” The Supreme Court’s announcement comes after it just earlier this month, refused to expedite hearings of the cases coming from four federal appeals courts. The Justice Department on Friday praised the decision. “We are pleased the Supreme Court agreed that this issue needs resolution. We look forward to presenting our case before the Court,” said Alexei Woltornist, spokesperson for the Justice Department. In the meantime, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, an affiliation of five civil rights organizations, encourages DACA beneficiaries to continue renewing their applications. The federal government is currently under court order to accept and process renewal applications, but it is not accepting new applications. n
BOC seizes P1.4-M weed sent by mail from US by Faye
oRellana Inquirer.net
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized an estimated P1.4 million worth of Kush marijuana concealed in snack packs in Pasay City. The BOC on Tuesday, July
2, said that the marijuana was seized from a San Juan City resident who claimed the contraband at the Central Mail exchange Center late Monday, July 1. The marijuana was found hidden inside a bag of tortilla chips package sent from Illi-
nois, U.S. BOC said the marijuana weighed a total of 847.20 grams. The arrested individual will be charged for violation of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. n
Bureau of Customs personnel inspect the estimated P1.4 million worth of Kush marijuana concealed in a parcel from the U.S. Photo courtesy of Bureau of Customs
Dateline USa
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POLL RALLY. Groups composed of residents of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur hold a rally in front of the Commission on Elections office in Intramuros, Manila to ask the commission to declare a failure of election in their areas on the ground of massive electoral fraud. ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan
Supreme Court rejects citizenship question... PAGE 1 about birthplace, but didn’t ask about naturalization.) Then in March 2018, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sent out a memo with plans to reinstate the citizenship question on the 2020 count. According to Ross, the request came from the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) which “sought out improved data” about the voting-age population who were citizens with the purpose of better enforcing the Voting Rights Act (VRA). In short, Ross reasoned that the DOJ required more accurate citizenship data and that existing resources — the regularly distributed American Community Survey (ACS) and the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — were inadequate. But Roberts wrote in his majority opinion that the documented presented in the case showed that the Commerce Department — despite claiming it was acting on a “routine data request” from the DOJ — went out of its way to “elicit” a request from the DOJ “or any other willing agency.” “We are presented, in other words, with an explanation for agency action that is incongruent with what the record reveals about the agency’s priorities and decision-making process,” Roberts wrote. “Several points, considered together, reveal a significant mismatch between the decision [Ross] made and the ra-
tionale he provided.” Per the majority ruling, Census Bureau officials have “resisted occasional proposals” to continue asking about citizenship on the questionnaire in fear that including a citizenship question will alter the true count of states with high concentrations of undocumented residents who may fear that divulging their citizenship status could open up the door for deportation. Since Ross’ memo in 2018, lawmakers and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) advocacy organizations have decried the proposed reinstatement of the citizenship question on grounds that it serves to alter the true count of regions that have higher concentrations of undocumented immigrants like Los Angeles. Asian American Action Fund Board Member Caroline Fan said in a statement, “The inclusion of the census citizenship question is a deliberate effort to erase AAPI communities and communities of color, and to disenfranchise us. The highest and only goal of the Census is a complete and accurate count. This question instills fear and decreases participation by our families, particularly considering that many families are of mixed immigration status, and that 1 in 7 AAPIs is undocumented.” LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas praised the court’s decision in ensuring that the 2020 census moves toward a more accu-
rate count. “In Los Angeles County, we face a special challenge. We’re home to one of the most diverse populations in the world. The world is Los Angeles County and Los Angeles County is the world,” Ridley-Thomas wrote in a statement. “This means we have our work cut out for us to reach historically hardto-count population groups, such as people of color, low-income residents, immigrants, and people without higher education. Young children and young families are particularly at risk.” But the Supreme Court’s decision doesn’t kill the citizenship question altogether. Following the ruling, President Donald Trump announced that he is seeking legal advice to delay the census count to give the administration more time to better organize its reasoning for why it thinks the citizenship question is necessary. “Seems totally ridiculous that our government, and indeed Country, cannot ask a basic question of Citizenship in a very expensive, detailed and important Census, in this case for 2020,” Trump tweeted on Thursday. “I have asked the lawyers if they can delay the Census, no matter how long, until the United States Supreme Court is given additional information from which it can make a final and decisive decision on this very critical matter.”(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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OPINION
FEATURES
‘A lesser evil’ COMPARED to the drug scourge, illegal gambling is the lesser evil, according to President Duterte. Still, jueteng, masiao and certain other numbers games remain illegal, and there are laws against them that must be enforced. So it’s good to hear Philippine National Police officials saying that they intend to enforce those laws, especially if the violation is brazen. Previous PNP officials have issued similar statements even as they acknowledged that some jueteng lords have contributed to limited police resources in the past. Instead of looking the other way in the face of blatant violation of the law, President Duterte can prod his congressional allies to consider proposals to legalize and regulate jueteng. The illegal status of the game engenders corruption, which the president says he wants eradicated along with the drug menace. Like drug trafficking, jueteng has also corrupted the political system and undermined elections. True, illegal gambling has generated employment especially in the countryside. But so does drug trafficking, and it’s still no excuse
5
to tolerate the illegal activity. Providing jobs and livelihood opportunities to local communities allowed the drug cartels to thrive in Colombia and Mexico. Kidnapping for ransom is a major cottage industry in Sulu and parts of Basilan, no doubt providing lucrative profits and livelihoods to those involved in it. Yet this is no excuse to tolerate the criminal act. In a country where the government operates casinos, lotteries and its own version of jueteng, the national policy on all forms of gambling needs clarity. The proposal to legalize jueteng has been tossed around by policy makers for a long time. Until jueteng is placed under state regulation, however, it will remain an illegal activity, no matter what the president of the republic may say. Illegal gambling may be a lesser evil, but it will still be evil — a corrupting influence that gives its operators a prohibited edge when they launder their dirty money through politics. And the PNP has a mandate to enforce the law, regardless of the degree of evil. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
RIGOBERTO TIGLAO
Impossible for Carpio and del 3 more challenging years — for Duterte and PH Rosario not to know that they Commentary are deceiving the country
THE claim that President Duterte should be impeached for not restricting our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) from foreigners is so absurd that it is astonishing that media has given it mileage at all, with even otherwise sober commentators believing that rubbish. What is disgusting is that the two men mainly responsible for spreading this nonsense—Supreme Court
Justice Antonio Carpio and Aquino 3rd’s foreign secretary Albert del Rosario— cannot not know that they are misleading the public, as I will show in the course of this piece. Why are they doing so? Because of an ideological hatred for China, and an added factor for del Rosario, to cover up for his role in our losing Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Panatag
Commentary
or Scarborough Shoal) in 2012 to China. The Yellows are cheering them and repeating their yarn of course because they think they can pull down Duterte’s popularity by stoking the embers of anti-Chinese racism among Filipinos. At the outset, we have to emphasize first that Duterte was referring not to our EEZ in its entirety but only PAGE 10
initiate drastic yet effective solutions to achieve “real change.” While the president’s unorthodox style of leadership and management of state affairs created an environment DINDO MANHIT of political uncertainty and THE phenomenal rise of the unpredictability, the political Davao strongman as the most will to undertake bold reforms powerful leader in the Philip- given his high popularity ratpines has disrupted the Phil- ings offered a good opportuniippine political and economic ty to institute radical changes landscape in the past three in national policies. We have become familiar years. A majority of Filipinos did express optimism in the with his brutal approach tolast presidential election that ward human rights and the President Duterte would be a rule of law, his populist brand disruptive leader who would of politics, the “militarization”
of government, preoccupation with federalism, expansionist fiscal management (“Dutertenomics”), and what many think is a defeatist approach in handling the West Philippine Sea issue. Three years on, the lack of wide-ranging institutional reforms shows that the promise of radical change was far-fetched, especially on the issue of corruption in the bureaucracy. Further, the president’s inability to end the perennial drug problem in three to six months, as he had promised, is a serious stain on PAGE 10
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 5-11, 2019
Dateline PhiliPPines FIRST DAY. Newly-elected Senator Imee Marcos, during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, July 1, joins Senate officials and employees to work with her in crafting laws. With their experience, Marcos said employees could guide new senators carry out their new tasks. “I believe we can end extreme poverty and hunger in the next 10 years. Together we can sit through and come up with creative and innovative solutions to end poverty once and for all. To end age-old problems of illness, of ignorance and make the Senate great again,” Marcos said. Senate photo by Cesar Tomambo
Sen. Manny Pacquiao pushes for Department of Homeland Security by Neil
ArwiN MercAdo Inquirer.net
MANILA — Senator Manny Pacquiao has filed a measure which seeks to establish the Department of Homeland Security to protect the country’s borders against terrorists and other transnational crimes such as trafficking of illegal drugs. According to the copy of the bill released to the media on Wednesday, July 3, the government agency is envisioned to “prevent terrorist attacks within, and the occurrence of
transnational crimes across the borders of, the Republic of the Philippines, especially the cross-border trafficking of illegal drugs.” In the bill’s explanatory note, Pacquiao underscored the effects of terrorism and other transnational crimes to the country’s infrastructure, as well as how such crimes result in loss of lives that destroy families. Pacquiao also stressed that transnational crimes undermine the government’s efforts to develop the economy and maintain peace and order in
the country. “International terrorists and the perpetrators of transnational crimes and especially of the cross-border trafficking of prohibited drugs, reportedly look for countries where border authorities are not well-supported or strengthened by their governments to stop them,” Pacquiao said. Under the Department of Homeland Security, there will be an Office for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection and the Office of Border Security. n
PH slips in ‘most powerful passports’ list
MANILA — The Philippine passport is as powerful as one from Ghana and Zimbabwe, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which counts how many countries and territories a passport holder can go without a visa. The Philippines ranked at the 80th spot, down from 70th-72nd in a 2018 Henley release, with visa-free access to 64 destinations out of a possible 226. The Philippine passport had visa-free access to 66 destinations last year. “This puts it behind other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Thailand, and even African nations like Tanzania and Uganda. In fact, based on our historical data, the Philippines has only improved by two score points in the last five years – in 2014, Filipinos had visa-free/visa on arrival access to 62 countries,” Henley & Partners, which compiles the index, said in a release. “In contrast, the Indonesian passport has improved by 13 score points in the last five years to give Indonesians visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 69 countries, from just 56 countries in 2014,” it also said. Afghanistan has the weakest passport in the world, according to the latest Henley index, with visa-free access to 25 destinations. ‘Many Filipinos seeking
The Philippine passport is as powerful as one from Ghana and Zimbabwe, according to the Henley Passport Index. Philstar.com photo
second citizenship’ In the region, the Philippine passport ranked seventh in a list of ten countries, behind Indonesia and ahead of Cambodia. Singapore, whose citizens have passports with a global rank of 1, leads the region, followed by Malaysia, which has a global rank of 13. Myanmar has the least powerful passport in the region, with visa-free access to just 46 countries. Laos and Vietnam share the ninth spot with visafree access to 49 countries. It added that Filipinos represented “nearly a fifth” of the residency and citizenship planning firm’s business in Southeast Asia in 2018. “We have been seeing demand from Filipinos for sec-
ond citizenship from countries such as Cyprus, Malta and Grenada. And according to a Wealth-X report, Philippines’ high net worth (HNW) population is expected to grow by 9.4% growth by 2023. So we can expect more and more wealthy Filipinos looking to alternative citizenship as a way to improve their travel mobility and freedom,” it also said. Henley & Partners said their ranking is based on “exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association, which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and enhanced by ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.” (Philstar.com)
situation of children, nor does it attempt to solve the socioeconomic conditions at the root of the problem.” Sotto’s pushing for the bill demonstrates a privileged position that refuses to consider the plight of poor children who have been disadvantaged because of their conditions, the Karapatan official explained. The rights group said the government should instead focus on stopping the operations of big-time crime syndicates and their patrons, and on addressing the socio-economic problems that Filipinos face. “Militarist policies such as the reinstatement of death penalty and the proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility have been repeatedly proven to be ineffective in curbing criminality,” Callueng said. According to a study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least 45% of the
offenses attributed to children are petty theft, robbery, and other offenses against property, while 65% of minor offenders come from poor families. The proposal to lower the MACR from 15 prompted heated debates earlier this year, with even the policymaking Council for the Welfare of Children calling it a shortsighted solution. “Children are not little adults. Particularly, children in conflict with the law are victims and not criminals. As victims of circumstances, they should be supported and accorded with appropriate intervention and rehabilitation not only by the government but also with the family and the community as well,” CWC said then. It added: “Most importantly, they have the right to grow up in a caring and protective environment and be given a chance to redeem themselves.” (Artemio Dumlao/Philstar.com)
Military assures Duterte: We will remain ‘professional, loyal to flag, Filipinos, Constitution Renewed bid to lower age of criminal responsibility panned
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will remain “professional and matured,” its spokesman said on Wednesday, July 3, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte asked his soldiers not to stage an uprising under his term. “[The AFP] led by its chief, General Benjamin Madrigal Jr., is comprised of professional and matured servicemen and women who are patriots and loyal to the Constitution and the duly-constituted authorities,” Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement. “We have learned our lessons from the past and we shall live with it,” said Arevalo. He was referring to the coup attempts in 1989, 2003 and 2007 against the late president Corazon Aquino and former president Gloria MacapagalArroyo. Two of the coup leaders went on to become senators – Gregorio “Gringo” Hona-
san, one of the leaders of the Reformed the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), and Antonio Trillanes IV of the Magdalo Group. Arevalo said the military had been given “more than what we can ask for” under Duterte, whom he described as having shown “genuine care and concern” for the AFP organization. He cited the increase in soldiers’ pay and allowances and other benefits like housing. Arevalo said the President’s remarks concerning a possible uprising during the Philippine Air Force (PAF) anniversary at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Tuesday were made “randomly.” Arevalo said the President made a similar appeal during a joint command conference of the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2016 when he asked the soldiers to “forget about mounting a
military takeover that would lead to violence, death and destruction.” “We have, time and again assured him, as we assure him today, that we in the AFP shall constantly and will remain loyal to the flag, to the Constitution and to the Filipino people whom we swore to protect with our lives,” Arevalo said. Duterte’s appeal stemmed from his recent controversial statements concerning the incident on Recto Bank where a Chinese vessel rammed a Filipino fishing boat that threw 22 of its crew overboard. Duterte downplayed the incident as “just another maritime accident” and even said he would allow China to fish in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – a direct violation of the Constitution that provides the exclusive use of the EEZ for Filipinos. (Dempsey Reyes/ManilaTimes.net)
BAGUIO CITY — A renewed push to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to “above nine years old” has been met with criticism that the policy would be ineffective and discriminatory. This, as Senate President Vicente Sotto III refiled a measure seeking to lower the age of criminal responsibility on Monday, July 1. Human rights group Karapatan said lowering MACR “to above nine years old” exacerbates the already dangerous situation of Filipino children. “The refiling of the bill means that this government is hell-bent on allowing Filipino children to serve as a collateral damage in the government’s sham and anti-people policies,” said Jose Mari Callueng, a member of Karapatan’s national council. Lowering the age of criminal responsibility, Callueng added, “does not address the dire
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‘Digong 8888 Hotline’ on TV in July – Palace Impossible for Carpio and del Rosario not to...
THE government’s 8888 emergency hotline will now be on TV and it will be aired on the state-owned People’s Television this July, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday, July 3. Panelo said “Digong 8888 Hotline” sought to “bridge the gap between government agencies and the people through segments that will directly address the ordinary Filipino’s concerns on various government services.” H e s a i d t h e p ro g ra m would feature a government agency per week and would enlighten viewers
on their daily work. President Rodrigo Duterte signed on October 14, 2016 Executive Order 6, which institutionalized the 8888 Citizens’ Hotline and Complaint Center. The hotline would serve as “a mechanism where citizens may report their complaints and grievances” on red tape, corruption of any national government agency, government-owned or –controlled corporation, government financial institution, and related offices. Failure to respond immediately by the people in charge
of the hotline and command center would be sanctioned administratively. Duterte had voiced displeasure over the 8888 trunkline because it was always busy and even threatened to close down PLDT Inc. if it would not set up more trunk lines for citizen’s complaints. “If you see corruption, tell me. Call 8888. Bong, add another trunk line. The present setup can’t accommodate all the calls. It’s always busy. Tell PLDT. If not, I’ll shut down their business,” Duterte said in February. (Ralph Villanueva/ManilaTimes.net)
Aranas quits GSIS; Duterte appoints Robles to UN GOVERNMENT Service Insurance System (GSIS) president and general manager Jesus Clint Aranas tendered his resignation effective on Tuesday, July 2. GSIS vice president for corporate communications Marge Jorillo confirmed the resignation in a text message, citing “personal reasons” for Aranas’ departure. In a letter addressed to President Duterte, Aranas did not elaborate on his reasons for resigning, stating only that he is quitting with his integrity intact.
Last week, Aranas said the GSIS remains keen on selling its 672,645-square-meter property in Port Area, Manila, which is currently occupied by the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) under an agreement with the Philippine Ports Authority, which does not have permission from the GSIS. He disputed the claim of ICTSI president and chairman Enrique Razon, who said that GSIS only has a “naked title” of the property, which means it has no right to use the land. However, Aranas said this “does not preclude GSIS from
disposing of the property.” Meanwhile, President Duterte has appointed one of the members of the consultative committee drafting the proposed federal constitution as the Philippines’ permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, Malacañang said. Duterte signed Rodolfo Robles’ designation on July 1, replacing Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. who held the post since 2016 before his appointment to the DFA last October. (Christina Mendez/Philstar.com)
3 more challenging years — for Duterte... PAGE 5 his record. To date, the drug scourge seems to have only worsened, as the president and the police have admitted several times. The calls by international human rights advocates for an independent investigation into the killings spawned by the “war on drugs” have been summarily rejected by the government. Still, despite the many controversies it has had to battle in the past three years, the Duterte administration’s net satisfaction ratings in the last survey ranged from “good” to “excellent.” Its latest satisfactory rating of 81 percent, however, should not lull Malacañang into thinking that good perception is enough; ultimately, the president’s leadership and legacy will be primarily gauged through the actual impact of his governance on the lives of majority of Filipinos. Under Duterte’s watch, the following landmark bills have been signed into law: free college tuition, free irrigation, free internet access in public places, tougher sanctions for hospitals demanding depos-
its, universal health care, expanded maternity leave, more accessible and affordable mental health services, and the institutionalization of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program. In line with the president’s populist stance, the Senate and House of Representatives worked to pass laws that aimed to alleviate the conditions of the poor and widen access to basic education, health and social services. Despite these landmark laws, there are still unfulfilled promises that need to be reevaluated. The coconut farmers, for instance, anchored their hopes on Duterte’s campaign promise to return the more than P75-billion coconut levy fund to them. Initially, the President said he would do that within his first 100 days. Unfortunately, it took the Senate and the House of Representatives almost three years to pass the measure—and then the President vetoed the measure this year. Meanwhile, the increase in the compensation of teachers and nonteaching personnel still hangs in the balance due
to budgetary constraints and the possible distortion of the salary standardization policy of government. The major pivot of the Philippines to China and the government’s “soft stance” on the West Philippine Sea issue have been widely criticized. Instead of fighting for the Philippines’ sovereign rights, which the Hague ruling had upheld, the President decided to set aside this landmark decision. The passive and “defeatist” policy on the West Philippine Sea was crafted to get more loans and grants from China—a trade-off that, three years on, still has to show worthwhile results. In the next three years, the biggest challenge for the Duterte administration is reducing poverty especially in the rural areas, alongside raising agricultural productivity, the anemic progress of which has been a drag on economic performance. It also needs to control inflation, undertake more institutional reforms, dismantle existing monopolies and increase labor productivity. A full plate right into its closing days. (Inquirer.net)
PAGE 5 to Recto Bank (Reed Bank) within which he said we cannot ban Chinese fishermen. His comment was in the wake of protests over the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat by a Chinese vessel – whether it was a deliberate case of ramming or an accidental collision hasn’t been established. Recto Bank is indeed within our 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and whose natural resources therefore we have the sovereign rights to exploit. (Let’s leave out of this discussion the other fact that Recto Bank is also within the area we claim as territory, the Kalayaan Island Group, but which China, Taiwan, and Vietnam also claim.) Fire-eating What the Yellow demagogues, and the two fireeating anti-China haters do not mention because it would immediately shatter their propaganda tack, and what many commentators astonishingly are so ignorant about, is the following. Our EEZ that includes Recto Bank is partly in an area which three other countries (and Taiwan) have declared as their sovereign territories, decades before 2009 when we drew precise geological coordinates for the zone through the socalled Baselines Law. We call this area the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which Marcos named as such when he declared it part of Philippine territory in 1978. For China it is their Nánsh Qúndo, part of Hainan province; and for Vietnam, Qun o Trng Sa, part of its Khánh Hòa province. Our EEZ also overlaps a similar zone and the territorial sea of three other countries — Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia — and Taiwan. China occupies two features that is within both our EEZ and KIG, including the most well-known Mischief Reef. It has five more outside our EEZ but within the KIG. Vietnam occupies five within both our EEZ and KIG, and an additional 9 within our KIG but outside our EEZ. Malaysia occupies four, three of which are in the KIG. (See accompanying map.) Mind-spinning these may be, the point is this: We cannot and have in fact not been able to ban from this area in our EEZ—the KIG— citizens from countries which also claim it as their sovereign
territory. How difficult is it to understand that? Say, you have title to a property adjacent to your residence, and you shoo away people who are planting kamote there to make use of it. But then somebody else comes and claims it as his property, shows you his title, and says those people are his relatives he gave permission to plant. Do you quarrel with him, even hire goons to throw out those people? Metaphor’s limits This metaphor has its limits though since in the case of the Spratlys, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan claim it is their sovereign territory. And unlike property disputes among individuals within one country and therefore bound by that nation’s laws, there is no super-state, i.e., no court to determine which “title” is genuine or fake. It is impossible for Carpio to not know all this. He had declared in 2011: “Under traditional international law typology, States acquire territory through occupation, accretion, cession and prescription, not by executing multilateral treaties (such as UNCLOS that issues guidelines for defining an EEZ.” He wrote that ponencia in an August 2011 decision upholding the constitutionality of the 2009 baselines law that in effect defined our EEZ. Or was it just his staff who wrote it, that he didn’t bother to read? In fact, what Duterte is saying is exactly what Carpio proposed right after the arbitral panel’s ruling in 2018: “The ruling says that Scarborough Shoal (which is within our EEZ) is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino and Chinese fishermen. So, both can fish there,” he said. “The Philippine government should talk to China and establish protocols so we can fish in peace,” he said. Why is he saying now that Duterte is violating the Constitution for allowing Chinese fishermen to fish in an area in our EEZ which China claims is their territory? Constitution Yes, the Constitution mandates the President to protect our EEZ. But it is absurd, or downright stupid, to claim that a Philippine president is violating the Constitution when he cannot stop foreigners’ activities in, or kick foreigners out of our zone, when they
also claim it as also theirs. Carpio exhorts us not to call the Spratlys a “disputed area.” But the entire world calls it that. Even the world’s superpower, the U.S., has not recognized our claim to the Spratlys, with its Navy manual on territories in the world saying: The U.S. does not take a position on territorial disputes in the Spratly Islands. In 2011, Aquino authorized an energy firm of the Indonesian-owned First Pacific Co. (the source of wealth of his foreign secretary del Rosario) to explore for oil and gas in an area in Recto Bank. In March, two Chinese maritime surveillance vessels forced out of the area the survey ship MV Veritas Voyager that the company had contracted to find out where to drill appraisal wells. The vessels claimed the area was Chinese territory and the Voyager did not have permission from its government for its activities there. Did anyone claim that Aquino violated the Constitution for not sending our Navy to escort the ship so it can undertake its surveys? Then the next year, because of del Rosario’s gullibility in believing what a US assistant state secretary—several ranks below his stature—told him, we lost Bajo de Masinloc, which is of course within our EEZ. Why didn’t they or anyone claim that Aquino should be impeached for not kicking out the Chinese from a shoal within our EEZ? Other than the fact of course that the Yellow Cult was in complete control of media then, there was no way for Aquino to grab back Bajo de Masinloc except by force, which the UN Declaration categorically bans. In these two cases, del Rosario himself was witness to how a president could not restrict China from a part of our EEZ it claims it owns. Why is he now alleging that Duterte is violating the Constitution by allowing Chinese to fish in Recto Bank? Or does he want Duterte to do what Aquino stupidly did in 2012, which was to send a warship to arrest Chinese fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc? Well we all know how that ended up. We our lost territory that at least we could say we controlled since Spanish times. (ManilaTimes.net)
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COMMUNITY Journal
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How come the consul said my child ‘aged out?’ Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: My sister petitioned me back in 1997, when my child was still a baby. Recently, the priority date became current. We paid all the fees and submitted all the forms on behalf of my family, including my child, who is now over 21. At the interview, the consul approved my husband’s and my visas but said my child cannot be included because he “aged out.� If he was only a baby when the petition was filed, how could he have aged out? Is there hope under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)? Very truly yours, CD Dear CD: Except for petitions by U.S. citizens of their minor children (called “immediate relatives�), a child’s age and eligibility for benefits under CSPA are calculated and determined based on the date the priority date finally becomes current, and not their age on the date the petition was filed. This includes all other family-based petitions and em-
ployment-based petitions. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) can sometimes provide relief for children who aged out. But it is very complex and can be confusing in terms of determining eligibility. For immediate relatives, eligibility is determined as of the date the petition was filed. If the petition was filed before the child’s 21st birthday, the child could benefit from the CSPA, provided they don’t get married. For other petitions, the child’s CSPA eligibility is determined based on when the priority date becomes current (or visa becomes available), even if they were under 21 when the petition was filed. In your case, your sister petitioned you. It was not a case of a U.S. citizen parent petitioning his or her child as an immediate relative. Therefore, the child’s age on the date the petition was filed is not determinative for CSPA eligibility. Instead, how old was the child when the priority date finally became current, and then you must perform a mathematical computation, to determine if their CSPA age is still under 21. If a person has questions or issues about their child’s CSPA eligibility, or if they have been turned down by the Embassy because the child aged out, they may
want to consult with an attorney, who can evaluate their case and determine if the child is truly CSPA eligible. In that case, the attorney could either assist in processing the child’s case or seek reconsideration from the Embassy of the visa refusal. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories�, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/ GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @ GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES
STILL MORE IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED THIS SUNDAY IN PART 4 OF “CITIZEN PINOY� IN CHICAGO! How can doctors, nurses, or caregivers in the Philippines immigrate to the U.S.? Can a previous petition be reopened\revived if the applicant did not appear for the interview? Can a person be refused a visa because they are depressed? Get the answers to these and more on a brand-new episode of — “Citizen Pinoy,� this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers). (Advertising Supplement)
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Can a person be refused a visa because of depression? Get the answer this Sunday on “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot�
MORE immigration questions will be answered from the fourth batch of Kapamilya who attended the Citizen PInoy live show in Skokie, Illinois. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel provides timely replies and
relevant information to questions like --- What can doctors, nurses, or caregivers in the Philippines do to legally come to the U.S.? Can a previous petition be reopened if the applicant did not appear for their interview? These questions and more
will be answered on an allnew episode of the information-packed, public service program — “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot — Sunday, at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers). (Advertising Supplement)
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JULY 5-11, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA EMMA looked down at the busy huddle in the operating room. She was floating, hovering above the doctors and nurses in their blood spattered scrub suits while working on someone. They were desperately trying to bring a patient back to life. Emma took a closer look. “Why that’s me,” she thought. The doctors were trying to bring her back from the brink. Her vital signs were weakening. If the monitor flat lined, Emma knew she would be gone for good. There seems to be a thin silver thread that still anchors her to her body but the physical life force is ebbing away fast. She remembered being in a car accident. Emma was only 42. “Go back,” she seemed to hear someone tell her but there was no sound. Emma felt so light, so free. She hadn’t felt this wonderful in a long time. A feeling of wellbeing was engulfing her. She was in a tunnel and a white speck of light glowed at the end. There was a being of light in the distance. She began moving towards it. Suddenly, she felt the grief of her husband and her two young children weighing down on her. She caught a glimpse of them in the hospital waiting room. Matt, the younger one, has his face pressed against the windowpane staring out through the glass at the pouring rain. Her heart was filled with love for them. They still need her. “Go back. It’s not yet time,” she seemed to hear the gentle voice once more although there was no one and there was no sound. And Emma did. She heard one of the doctors say to her, “Welcome back.” Emma knew her life, what remained of it, was never going to be the same again. Emma is only one of several millions the world over who have come back from the edge of death, having gone through what is called NDE or Near Death Experience. Are you afraid of death? I am. I suppose so do most of humankind through most of history. In Greek mythology, the Fates represented by 3 women named, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos determined a
Back from the Brink
NDE: Near Death Experience “ Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die, It remains but a single grain with no life.” — From a hymn composed by Bernadette Farrell person’s destiny upon birth. Clotho is the spinner who spins the thread of life and Lachesis is the measurer who chooses a man’s lot in life and how long it is to be. Atropos is the most dreaded one. It is she who decided how and when a man is to die, using her large, sharp, unrelenting scissors to cut off the thread of life. No one, not even the Gods at Olympus trifled with her. Should we fear death? Stories abound that tell of those who have gone through NDE that strongly indicate that there is grace in dying. There is strong evidence of life beyond death and that the act of dying is transitioning into that life. In almost all cases of NDE, people relate of feeling weightless, floating and hovering above looking down at their own bodies and even seeing how doctors, nurses and technicians struggle to bring them back from the brink. They are literally hanging on by a thread. It is an out of body experience and that there exists a thin silver iridescent cord that still connects them to their own bodies. If that cord is cut, it means that they are now truly physically dead and that they will continue on to the afterlife with no more chance of coming back to their previous physical life. Many of those who have gone though NDE report that there is that feeling of being drawn into a tunnel. There is the presence of a strong, white, comforting light at the end of it. The light appears small and as they progress through the tunnel, it becomes a strong being of light filled with love and compassion. Many report of meeting deceased relatives. Many go through a flashback of powerful memories like a review of their life, both good and bad. Above all, there seems to be an overwhelming feel-
ing of release from all the constraints of their physical lives. For some, the decision to return is theirs to make. For others, the decision has already been made that their time to die hasn’t come yet and that they must go back. An unfinished business or a strong emotional attachment can make some go back and resume living. The impact of NDE is life changing. Documentation for those who have been declared clinically dead and have come back to resume living shows that those who have seen a glimpse of life beyond death undergo profound changes. Many have changed their view of life for the better. Some have a better appreciation of life becoming more kind, compassionate and considerate of others. For others, there is a renewed sense of purpose and a reordering of life’s priorities. Some have even gone on to develop a sense of spirituality convinced that their new lease on life tells them that they were made for something more. But not all stories of NDE are the same. It seems that for some on the dark side, the experience is totally different. Some report of the presence of a dark void and all the chillingly cold, negative, consuming energies of such emotions as seething anger, loathing and arrogance swirling about in a thick, dark, putrid cloud, the complete antithesis of the typical NDE experience of light. This story is more like horror. Just as there are good people and bad people, the nature of the near death experience seems to be a direct and proportionate result of the collective, aggregate choices each one makes through life. Remember the movie Ghost? The merciless murderer Willie, was on his way PAGE 13
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Dave on joining ‘Fast and Furious’ spin-off: ‘I’d rather do good films’ By Niña V. GuNo Inquirer.net
DAVE Bautista is snubbing a possibility of starring in a “Fast and the Furious” spin-off. Pro wrestlers have found their footing in Hollywood action films, with Dave Bautista among them. He is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer, starring in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Avengers” films. Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. The Rock has been in the “Fast” franchise since “Fast Five.” He has a spin-off slated for August with Jason Statham called “Hobbs and Shaw.” Last June, Cena was confirmed to star in “Fast and the Furious 9.” A fan on Twitter (@The_ Only_Hybrid) suggested on June 28 that Bautista play a villain in a “Fast and the Furious” spin-off starring Johnson and Cena. The “Guardians” star did not take the proposal well, responding with vomiting emoji. “Thank you for your consideration #idratherdogoodfilms,” he said. Twitter users have hit back at the actor’s patron-
Dave Bautista
izing post by replying to his tweet with his poorly rated action films including the “Escape Plan” movies, “Wrong Side of Town” and “Hotel Artemis.” The “Fast” franchise has enjoyed positive reviews in its offerings from “Fast Five” in 2011 up to its eighth installment “The Fate of the Furious” in 2017, as per Rotten Tomatoes. Bautista has responded to the criticism in a June 30 tweet. “Genius! Big Dave didn’t
Photo from Instagram/@davebautista
state that he’s never done a bad film. But I did them for particular reasons that helped build an ‘acting’ career. And I got to work with Sly (Sylvester Stallone) so in your face with that! You’re dismissed!” Back in February, Bautista threw shade at Johnson and Cena in a Tampa Bay Times interview. He said he “hated” being compared to them: “Those guys are wrestlers who became movie stars. I’m… something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I’m an actor.”
Filipino filmmakers invited to be members of the Academy By Ritchel
MeNdiola AJPress
THREE Filipino filmmakers were invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the governing body behind the Oscars wherein members vote for the winners of the prestigious awards show. Ditsi Carolino, PJ Raval and Baby Ruth Villarama were among the 842 new members invited by The Academy. In the complete list released Tuesday, July 2, prominent personalities such as Tom Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, “The Crown’s” Claire Foy, Lady Gaga, “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon Chu, and Gemma Chan were invited, as well. The Filipino filmmakers
took to social media to express their joy about being welcomed by The Academy. Raval, known for his works like “Call Her Ganda” and “Before You Know It,” said on Instagram: “WHAT A DAY!!! Not only is @callherganda having its @pbs broadcast premiere on @ povdocs tonight at 10pm (check local listings!!!), but just got invited into the @ theacademy!!! And I’m in such great company too! Congrats to all!!! Best. Day. Ever!!! #WeAreTheAcademy.” Meanwhile, Villarama, whose notable works include “Sunday Beauty Queen” and “Jazz in Love,” posted on Facebook about how it is an honor to raise the Philippines’ flag in The Academy. She also thanked Filipi-
na documentarist Ramona Diaz, who was also previously inducted into the AMPAS, for being a champion. “I guess life can really take this young dreamer from Baliuag by surprise. To changing the narrative how the world sees us and how we see ourselves within, it is my honour to raise our three stars and sun; our white, yellow, blue and red to be with the world’s finest in ushering the best documentary films from Asia and the world,” Villarama said. Carolino, on the other hand, is best known for her documentaries “Mula pabrika hanggang Fukuoka” and “Bunso: The Youngest.” The Academy announced that half of the new members it invited were female and 29 percent are people of color.
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Anna Maria a princess bride in Oliver Tolentino By Ricky Lo Philstar.com
HOLLYWOOD actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle exchanged “I do’s” with Scott Kline Jr. before a starstudded crowd last Saturday, June 29, at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California, the same church where Lea Salonga and Rob Chien were wed in 2004. Anna Maria, who grew up on the Disney Channel, looked like a princess in a custom Oliver Tolentino wedding gown that featured an 8.5-meter train. A Fil-Am like her husband, Anna Maria grew up acting alongside the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato in Hannah Montana and the Camp Rock movies. More recently, she co-starred in Godspell on Broadway and appeared as guest in Charmed. Her father is actor Artie Perez de Tagle and her grandmother is the legendary Sylvia La Torre. “After they were set up by a cousin,” recalled Oliver in
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The Beverly Hills-based Oliver Tolentino designed for Anna Maria Perez de Tagle a wedding gown that featured an 8.5-meter train. Also in photo is Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba. Contributed photo
an earlier Funfare exclusive, “Anna Maria and Scott (an aerospace engineer whose mother is Filipina and father is German-Irish American) had their first date, fittingly, at Disneyland. The courtship over a shared love of music, food, travel, and the same core values, lasted two years when Scott proposed at 11 a.m. on 11/11. Anna Maria quickly accepted and Scott
sealed it with a heart-shaped ring surrounded by double halo pink diamonds.” In the wedding service, Artie and wife Evelyn waited for their daughter at the halfway mark of the aisle. When Anna Maria appeared, the crowd gasped. Beverly Hills-based Oliver, who was among the principal sponsors, collaborated with Anna Maria on her
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Back from the Brink...
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PAGE 12 to commit another contract murder, when he is confronted by the invisible energy of the spooky, rampaging spirit of Sam whom he murdered earlier for money. He suddenly flees and in his haste, is run over by a car and dies on the spot. The murderer’s spirit rises from his body as he realizes he is dead. His soul, however, is instantly shackled and suctioned off screaming into the void by howling, hooded, dark, macabre, misshapen creatures rising like toxic fumes and disappearing just as suddenly from the sewers of New York City. That is, perhaps, a glimpse of what it must be like to truly die and go to
hell. When the other kind of NDE happens, some report that there is no concept of space or time at all. There is neither beginning nor end. Communication with beings of light or deceased relatives who may accompany the dying is telepathic. There is no sound and no need for words. Many of those who have nearly died and allowed to come back to live out the rest of their lives express a reluctance to return to their previous physical lives. But there was a strong pull, a tug from their earthly life that made them do a U-turn, at least for the time being. What is stunning is this.
Nearly all those who have had an encounter with death and did come back to resume their lives claim they no longer fear death. The fear of death is no more. Death for them has become a door one must pass to enter a more beautiful, enticing reality full of love and mercy. What most have learned from their brush with death is startlingly simple. LOVE, they profess, is the most important thing in this earthly life — giving it, accepting it and learning from it. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc. com.
dream gown: An off-white long-sleeved silk organza ball gown with a 28-foot train (8.53 meters). The entire gown featured fully handbeaded lace with thousands of Swarovski crystals. A 33foot veil (10 meters) completed the fairy-tale look. When Anna Maria walked towards her parents, all the crystals sparkled in the light and her train and veil
filled the entire width of the church’s cathedral. She carried a bridal bouquet full of cascading white roses, peonies and calla lilies. Her parents escorted Anna Maria the rest of the way. “Mom and Dad fought emotions as Artie put his daughter’s hands in Scott’s and they took their seats on the front row,” related Oliver. “Overall, the wedding motif
was purple, Anna Maria’s lifelong favorite, so naturally the entourage reflected her love of the color.” Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba served as Maid of Honor. Aduba, who won two Emmy Awards for her work on the soon-to-end Orange Is The New Black, co-starred with Anna Maria in Godspell. They became best friends. PAGE 15
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Summer Fancy Food Show shines light on specialty food from the Philippines
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MOMAR G. VISAYA / AJPRESS
OOD companies from the Philippines began joining the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in 2014 under the branding initiative Food Philippines. That year, Filipino favorites including bananas, mangoes, coconut, coffee, single-origin chocolate, organic rice, pili nut, muscovado sugar, herbal tea and the roselle plant were showcased. Through the years, the Philippine Pavilion has highlighted these Filipino ingredients and introduced them to the mainstream market, promoting the Philippines as a source of quality food products in the global market This year, some of these products and companies made their way east for the recently concluded Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Convention Center, the largest specialty food and beverage event in the country. Nicanor Bautista, Special Trade Representative & Con-
sul of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) explained why it took this long to bring them to New York. “For the longest time, the focus of the DTI’s food exports promotion efforts in the US leaned towards the Fil-Am market. With over 4 million Filipinos in the US, and with nearly half of that figure residing in the West Coast, it was logical to start and consolidate efforts targeting this captive market,” he said. Bautista cited the growth of our ASEAN neighbors as one of the reasons why the govern-
Among the products from the Philippines that were showcased were dried fruits, coconut water and various coconut by-products and artisan chocolates, among others.
ment’s marketing efforts has shifted. “Our food exports to the US have not grown at par with our ASEAN competitors, mainly Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. With their own immigrant communities nowhere near the size of the Fil-Am population in the US, these ASEAN competitors have managed to grow their food exports to the US to nearly four times that of the Philippines, in large part because of their decision, early on, to focus on the mainstream market,” Bautista explained. “Clearly, we have to re-direct our marketing efforts towards the bigger market, i.e., the 300 million plus mainstream food consumers in the US. The first DTI-subsidized participation in the Summer Fancy Food Show of 2019, the biggest and oldest food exhibition in the US, is one of the steps that we are taking in that direction,” he added. Bautista’s PTIC office, in recommending the participation of the Philippines in the Summer Fancy Food Show, provided the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, with the key food sub-sectors to focus on in recruiting exhibitors to the show. “We took into account, the food products’ supply projections, state of production, export competitiveness and potential, market reception and USFDA clearances,” he said. For the US mainstream market, Food Philippines will be
For the first time, a delegation of ten companies from the Philippines participated in the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Right photo shows Mansi CEO Charles Medenilla who has made it his advocacy to promote premium calamansi juice to the mainstream market. AJPress Photos by Momar G. Visaya
concentrating on the following food sectors: processed fruit, coconut products (coco water, coco cream, coco sugar, coconut oil), high-value seafood products, beverage, ice cream and organic, health-centric natural food products. In line with this focus are a couple of companies, which have been participating in the annual food festival for years now: Sun Tropics and Mansi. With the initial success of their banana chips line using the saba bananas from the Philippines, Sharon Lao of Sun Tropics brought in three new flavors: salted caramel, maple and sweet chili.
Mansi on the other hand continues to push its premium calamansi juice in a bottle and how it can be enjoyed cold and refreshing, as a hot, soothing drink or maybe as an aperitif mixed with various cocktails. This year, the company also introduced a new variant, their calamansi iced tea drink. Business is doing well, said Mansi CEO Charles Medenilla, thanks to the backing of Washington Post which declared the calamansi as “IN” in 2019. He excitedly shared that Mansi is now available in some Whole Foods stores. According to the 2015 data of the Philippine Coconut Authority and the Department of Agriculture, the Philippines is the
world’s second-largest producer of coconut and banana. The country is also a top global producer of pineapple (3rd), canned tuna (4th), and mango (10th), based on a 2013 data of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The ten companies from the Philippines which showcased their products under the FOODPhilippines pavilion at the fancy food show were: Amley Food Corporation, Brandexports Philippines, CJ Uniworld Corp., M. Lhuillier Food Products, Monde M.Y. San, Profood, S.L. Agritech Corporation, See’s International Food Mfg. Corp., Seabest Food & Beverage Corporation and Theo & Philo Chocolate Factory.
Banana Chips made out of saba bananas from the Philippines are among the products at the 2019 A Brooklyn-based company marketed its calamansi ade products at the Summer Fancy Food Show. Fancy Food Show.
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Anita Linda: PH cinema’s oldest working actress feted at ‘Sandaan’ event By MariNel r. Cruz Inquirer.net
IT is interesting to note that, at 94, she is only a few years younger than Philippine cinema itself,” observed filmmaker Adolfo Alix Jr. of Anita Linda, who is currently the oldest living actress working in show biz. Alix was among those present at the “Sandaan: Dunong ng Isang Ina” event organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on June 16 to honor the veteran actress’ contributions to the local movie industry. Held at the Cinematheque Center in Manila, the event was part of the commemoration of “Sandaan: One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema.” It was attended by Linda’s family, friends and people she has worked with. “Tita Alice (Lake in real life) was born during the first years of Philippine cinema. She is a living storyteller of how our cinema has evolved. She has worked with almost all the notable directors and actors of each era,” Alix pointed out. “It’s good that she was given a tribute now
Anita Linda
that she is still able to personally accept her trophy and appreciate it.” Alix added: “At her age, it is important to her that she’s being recognized for what she has done for the industry. I hope there will be more events to pay tribute to veteran artists.” The filmmaker was referring to veteran actress Mona Lisa, who is now 97, but has already retired from making movies.
Inquirer.net photo
The event started at 3 p.m. with the screening of Alix’s “Adela,” with Linda as lead star, and ended at 6:30 p.m. For Alix, the highlights were the screening of a video featuring Linda’s most notable films, as well as the presentation of her photos, movie posters and trophies for “The Life of Anita Linda: An Exhibit,” which showcased the various stages of her life as an actress.
Kris to reclaim ‘Horror Queen’ title in new film By roNNie CarrasCo iii ManilaTimes.net
KRIS Aquino, who successfully made the crossover to the digital realm from television, is still being lured by the movies. In fact, even with the spate of scary movies in Philippine cinema recently, she’s not about to relinquish her title as “Horror Queen,” following her previous terror-filled blockbusters “Feng Shui” (2004) and “Sukob” (2006), both helmed seasoned director Chito Roño. Kris is slated to shoot a still-untitled hair-raising flick, whose producers are apparently willing to wait until she feels well enough to take on a demanding movie actress schedule. And if we are to base the news of her movie comeback from her Instagram revelation this past week, it seems
Kris Aquino
her return to the set is providential. “In SG [Singapore where she gets medical treatment for her ‘form of lupus’ and chronic spontaneous urticaria], I asked myself what do I want to go back to that will encourage and inspire me to regularly do the water physiotherapy my doctors were all recommending? And [a
Photo from Instagram/@krisaquino
horror] script was emailed to me. I won’t give specific details, mabait ang producers because I had asked to start in September when I feel my immunity can take on the physicality required. But for now, I need to strengthen myself. Thank you for your patience with me. I’m learning to exercise that with myself, too.”
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Jackie laments ‘racism’ against family in US By Niña V. GuNo Inquirer.net
JACKIE Forster recounted her experience with racism during a family vacation in the United States. Forster, her husband, Michael Franken, and kids Jared, Caleigh and Yohan have been in the States for the past weeks, touring California and, most recently, Las Vegas. The family is traveling with Forster’s sister Farrah Forster, whose kids also tagged along. While the kids have been enjoying summer in America, Forster opened up about the dark side of their trip. “White Supremacy is so rampant these days. I haven’t experienced this much racism in a very long time,” she said in an Instagram post on Monday, June 17. She recalled that her son Jared and other children were “bullied” at a water park, a waitress “refused to take our orders” at a Las Vegas restaurant and that a couple yelled at them while they were getting off a minivan at a parking lot. “When you’ve experienced
Jackie Forster
racism growing up and have traveled the world enough you will know with more certainty when people size you up for certain reasons. Their whole demeanor is a tell tale,” she wrote. “Funny how they don’t see how obvious and ignorant they look and how sad THEY really are. It’s even more sad to know so many people face racism practically every day
Photo from Instagram@jackie_forster
their whole lives. I wish people would be kinder.” Instances of racism toward Filipinos and other people of color across the US have been documented on social media. According to an April 2019 Pew Research Center report, 76% of Asians said they have experienced racism. Asians also said they experience more slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity.
Anna Maria a princess... PAGE 13 Aduba flew from working in New York. Oliver created a custom purple silk chiffon gown for Aduba, a handdraped silk chiffon with fully hand-beaded embroidered bodice for Evelyn, and a darker shade of purple offshoulder gown with a handdraped beaded bodice skirt for Scott’s mom Maria. For Lola Sylvia, Oliver designed a champagne silk chiffon gown that featured a hand-beaded lace bodice with 3-D flowers and bell sleeves, and for Scott, Oliver added special touches to an Armani tuxedo that had sentimental value to the groom. The remaining bridesmaid dresses were by Filipina designer Pia Gladys Perey, originally from Australia. The dresses were in different purple shades and silhouettes. At the ceremony, Lola Sylvia regaled the crowd of 200plus guests with a slow rendition of Ave Maria during the offering to Virgin Mary. Her voice moved many to tears since she was singing for the
last of eight grandchildren to marry. Godspell castmate Eric Krop also sang My Heart Belongs To You, but Anna Maria surprised Scott when halfway through she pulled out a microphone and started singing the song directly to him. The groom was visibly moved. At the reception in the ballroom of the nearby Hilton Hotel, dear friends and Hollywood actors Maria Canals Barrera (Wizards of Waverly Place and Camp Rock) and David Barrera (Generation Kill) watched Anna and Scott as they had their first dance to N*Sync’s This I Promise You. After that, the bride and groom surprised the crowd with a duet of Forever More by Side A. Scott had never sung publicly before. They followed that with a first dance to Kenny Roger’s Through The Years, joined by their parents. During the reception, Anna Maria changed into an entirely new Oliver Tolentino gown that had guests gasping anew. The dress was more manage-
able than the voluminous gown so the couple could do a second dance to Bruno Mars’ Finesse. The reception dress was off-white silk tulle with long see-through sleeves. The ball gown had a bodice hand-beaded in a Baroque style, running down the sleeves, with layers of tulle for the skirt. The reception ballroom was bathed in a purple glow created from special gobo projections that changed color shades. The tables were covered in purple confetti. Alexa Flowers created centerpieces incorporating colors of summer (L.A.’s current season) like white and purple hydrangeas, mokara orchids, and purple lisianthus. The couple cut a five-tier heart-shaped wedding cake by Pastry By Jazmyne. There was also a dessert table, all in the purple theme with ube flavored sweets, created by Café 86 Right after the reception, the newly-weds jetted off to Spain for their honeymoon. They will make L.A. their home.
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