092320 - Southern California Midweek Edition

A September 23-25, 2020 • SoCal ASIAN JOUrNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

Duterte praises Manila Bay makeover...

PAGE A1 determined action of a Cabinet member to do good,” he added. Duterte also thanked his other Cabinet members for helping him run the country. “Without you, I would have a very hard time running the country. But because you are there — I’m not saying I have succeeded, that is for the people to assess or give when I’m no longer the president — but what I’m trying to impress also upon the people is that we are doing our job,” he said. Duterte acknowledged the critics of the Manila Bay’s white sand project, noting that they will always have something to say. “We really cannot do anything. You do it, they have something to say. You don’t do it, (Vice President Leni Robredo) has something to say, too,” he said in Filipino. A crowd of people flocked to Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard over the weeked to wit-

ness its brief opening to showcase the artificial “white sand beach” implemented under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) P389-million Manila Bay rehabilitation program. The Manila Bay opened to the public from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, and again on Sunday after the completion of its makeover project that involved pouring piles of crushed dolomite on the stretch of Manila Bay’s shore. Despite the facelift, the government has banned the public from swimming in the area. The Manila Bay will also be closed starting Monday to continue the DENR’s rehabilitation efforts such as beach nourishment, dredging, and desilting activities. “Napakahalaga na mabago ang kultura at pag-uugali ng mga tao upang tuluyang maisakatuparan ang rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay (It is very important to change the culture and

behavior of the people to finally carry out the rehabilitation of Manila Bay),” Cimatu said. “Gusto kong baguhin ang paniniwala ng tao sa pamamagitan ng paggawa ng (white sand) beach dito sa Manila Bay. (I want to change the people’s beliefs by creating a white sand beach here in Manila Bay),” he added. Cimatu also maintained that the DENR will continue its work on Manila Bay despite the criticism that the artificial white sand beach project drew earlier this month. “Sadly there are those who are telling or accusing us of not contributing solutions. Finding fault just wanting to stop this beach nourishment activities here at Baywalk for reasons that are critical rather than environmental. We will not allow them to deter or distract us,” he said. “We have nothing to fear as long as we know that we are doing something good,” he added. n

Fil-Ams in California urged to... PAGE A1

the household, even if temporarily. In addition to English and Spanish, completing the census online or by phone can be one in 11 other languages, including Tagalog (844-478-2020). Heading into the final week of September, 68.6% of households in California have self-responded to the census questionnaire. Meanwhile, 63.9% of households in Los Angeles County have completed theirs, according to the 2020 Census response map. By the end of August, 69.6% of Tagalog-speaking households Members of the Pilipino Workers Center in Historic Filipinotown and the Filipino Complete Count in the county have filled out their Committee of Los Angeles County make a final pitch for Fil-Ams to fill out the 2020 Census on surveys, above the total county’s Monday, September 21. Photo courtesy of the Pilipino Workers Center average, as previously reported by the Asian Journal. Among the last-ditch efforts has been the week-long California Gold Coast Census Caravan, beginning in San Diego and ending in Sacramento at the end of the week. Along the way, organizers are stopping in cities and neighborhoods with sizable Fil-Am populations, such as Carson, Artesia, Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles and Delano, and are talking to individuals about what resources the census results bring The California Gold Coast Census Caravan, led by JoAnn Fields of San Diego (left), made a stop in Cerritos and Artesia. Also in the photo are Michelle Co, Cerritos Councilmember Frank to their communities. A common misconception that Aurelio Yokoyama, former Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido, and Artesia Councilmember Melissa Ramoso Photo courtesy of JoAnn Fields has prevented some individuals from answering is that the sur- but definitely with recovery ef- stop on Monday, September vey only applies to homeowners, forts, such as what is going on 21. but one of the questions asks with COVID-19 and the wildFollowing the deadline, the whether the home is owned, fires,” Daulo said. “When we U.S. Census Bureau in Decemrented, or occupied without pay- know how to service the com- ber will deliver the apportionment or rent. munity, they are able to tailor ment counts to the president “There’s a misunderstanding their efforts to the people, the and Congress as required by of people thinking that if they’re homes, and also the businesses law. Each state will receive the not the homeowner or the head in each of those affected ar- results by March 31, 2021 as of the household, then they eas.” they determine how many repdon’t have to do the census. But States lose approximately resentatives states get in Conno, it’s absolutely for anyone to $1,000 per person each year for gress and are used to redraw fill out,” Ivy Daulo, partnership the 10 next years for those who legislative districts based on specialist for the Census Bureau are missed in the count. population changes. in the LA region, told the Asian Officials and organizations re“We should be getting our Journal. fair share of resources and that mind community members that The results guide how over doesn’t happen when we are the census does not ask for citi$675 billion in federal fund- hidden and we are not count- zenship status, financial income ing will be allocated to states ed…We need to make sure our or social security number. The annually. This year alone, the voices are heard on issues that information collected will also spread of COVID-19 and raging matter to us, and get the educa- not be shared with other govwildfires across California have tion that we need for our youth ernment agencies. underscored the need for com- and the supportive services like “Another big barrier is just munities to get these critical re- after-school activities,” said people not knowing that it is sources. Aquilina Soriano Versoza, ex- completely confidential. All in“The data that’s gathered by ecutive director of the Pilipino formation that is provided to the Census Bureau is not only Workers Center in Historic Fili- the Census Bureau is protected helpful with future emergencies, pinotown, which was a caravan u PAGE A4

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Dateline USa

‘It feels like the end of the world’: SoCal... PAGE A1 way, between Angeles Forest Highway and Highway 39. • The unincorporated areas of Juniper Hills, Devils Punch Bowl and Paradise Springs. Unincorporated areas of Crystal Lake, East Fork of the San Gabriel River and Camp Williams. • Areas south of Highway 138, north of Big Rock Creek, east of 87th Street East and west of Largo Vista Road. • Areas south of 138th Street East, north of Big Pine Highway and Highway 2, east of Largo Vista Road and west of 263rd Street East; and south of Highway 138, north of East Avenue W-14, east of 155th Street East and West of 165th Street East The Bobcat Fire first erupted on Sept. 6 near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area just northeast of Mount Wilson and within the massive Angeles National Forest. The cause remains under investigation. The fire has been 17% contained with at least 29 structures destroyed or damaged, according to the LA County Fire Department on Tuesday. Additionally, 1,513 personnel have so far been deployed to fight the growing blaze that local fire authorities expect will be fully contained until Oct. 30. Local officials are urging the public to follow orders from fire officials and to be ready to evacuate if their community is threatened. U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, who represents the state’s 27th congressional district, said in a statement that “the number one priority remains protecting lives. We can avoid preventable deaths by following orders from the fire management team and local governments.” The Angeles National Forest was ordered to close while a smoke advisory was issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The pervasive smoke that has plagued the air quality throughout the county is expected to directly impact the expanse between Burbank and Glendora. Meanwhile, the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino is expected to impact portions of the Inland Empire, moving west towards the Bobcat Fire. Although California wildfires are a regular occurrence that have coincided with the yearly rise in overall climate and temperature, the arrival of the Bobcat Fire was still an unwelcome

“The defensive firing operation is going well at Mt. Wilson. They’re using aerial ignitions to increase the buffer between HWY 2 near Barley Flat to Big Tujunga Rd,” the official twitter account for the Angeles National Forest wrote on Tuesday.

visitor that is complicating an already turbulent period in public safety and health. Gabe Patrick, a Filipino American single father of two daughters living in Monrovia, told the Asian Journal that he and his family had evacuated on Sunday ahead of the official orders to leave the area. “We couldn’t chance it, you know,” Patrick told the Asian Journal over the phone on Monday. “Thankfully, our home is south of the 210 [freeway] so it feels safe for now, but I wanted us to get out of the area because of the air quality and in case it did get worse.” Patrick’s 7-year-old daughter has asthma and has been struggling with the toxic pollution brought on by the fires. The family is currently staying with an aunt in Diamond Bar. Like so many families who shared their pandemic woes with the Asian Journal throughout quarantine, Patrick was already finding it difficult to adjust to living during a pandemic and assisting his school-aged daughters in distance learning. “It feels like the end of the world,” Patrick lamented, referencing the 4.5 magnitude earthquake that shook the entire Southland on Friday night. “I think for us, the earthquake really sent us packing because [Rosemead, the earthquake’s epicenter] was so close. I know that it was felt pretty much everywhere but between that, the fires so close to home and the [rising] pandemic numbers

here [it felt like] enough was enough.” Like other parents, Patrick is doing his best to boost morale in an all-around “disastrous” time. “There’s only so much you can control, so I think the best thing we can do is just focus on what we can realistically do,” he added. For me, that’s making sure my kids are doing their homework, getting their basic necessities in and then have enough time to have fun, watch movies, pick up some cool hobbies.” “I think that’s what we need to really put some focus on right now: looking for some kind of enjoyment,” Patrick said. Filipina American caregiver Myka Reyes left her Azusa home on Saturday, Sept. 19 before the mandatory evacuation orders were issued and has been staying with her sister in Long Beach. Reyes lives in Azusa with roommates, but last week, they all decided it would be wise to evacuate before the fires grew nearer. She described the last few weeks as “a slow doomsdayesque period” when she was bombarded with depressing COVID-19 updates and the worsening fires that continue to threaten neighborhoods and landmarks like Mount Wilson. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to stay here [with my sister], but it doesn’t seem like [the fire] will be going away any time soon,” Reyes, 23, told the Asian Journal over the phone. “I packed all my necessities, inPAGE A4

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SeptembeR 23-25, 2020

A

Duterte addresses global issues before UN...

PAGE A1 “I am honored to address you today on behalf of the Filipino people on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The invisible enemy that is COVID-19 has brought about an unfamiliar global landscape and unleashed a crisis without precedent. It is the biggest test the world and the United Nations faced since World War II,” Duterte said. The president said that how the world will address COVID19 will define our future. “For the Philippines, this means putting up all of the peoples of our united nations at the core of this response,” he said. Duterte encouraged each nation to put up a united front against the pandemic, saying the world needs are coordinated international plans and efforts to pursue a common purpose. “COVID-19 knows no border. It knows no nationality. It knows no race. It knows no gender. It knows no age. It knows no creed,” Duterte stressed. The president urged that when the world finds the vaccine, access to it must be available to al rich and poor nations alike. In need of stability Duterte encouraged all countries to ease geopolitical tensions that continue to rise, saying that it heightens fears and tends to tear peoples apart. “Given the size and military might of the contenders, we can only imagine and be aghast at the terrible toll on human life and property that shall be inflicted if the ‘word war’ deteriorates into a real war of nuclear weapons and missiles,” the president explained as he called on stakeholders in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East and Africa. Unexpected turn As Duterte continued to push for unity among nations in addressing the pandemic, he affirmed the Philippines’ commitment in the South China Sea in accordance with the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award. “The Award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon,” Duterte maintained. Duterte said he rejects any attempt to undermine it. He also thanked countries and states

who have acknowledged the award and what if stands for. China has consistently invalidated the 2016 ruling and continued with its reclamation activities and militarization in the heavily contested area. Filipinos coming home The president shared that many migrant Filipino workers have been devastated by the pandemic. “Many have lost not only their livelihood, but also their health and lives as well. Yet they go on in the frontlines, healing, caring for others in different parts of the world,” Duterte said. The Philippine government has embarked on an unprecedented repatriation program with more than 345,000 overseas Filipino workers who need to come home. “We have brought back half and are bringing back the rest,” Duterte said. Climate change Filipinos and citizens of other developing countries suffer the most as climate change worsens the ravages brought upon by the pandemic. “The Philippines joined the Paris Agreement to fight climate change. We call on all parties, especially those who have not made good their commitment to fight climate change, to honor the same,” Duterte said. He urged his international counterparts to strengthen communities and peoples for preparedness and resilience. Advocate of human rights Duterte promised that his government will continue to protect the human rights of its people, especially from the scourge of illegal drugs, criminality, and terrorism. “They attempt to discredit the functioning institutions and mechanisms of a democratic country and a popularly elected government which in its last two years still enjoys the same widespread approval and support,” he said. He called for an open dialogue and constructive engagement with the United Nations. “But these must be done in full respect of the principles of objectivity, noninterference, non-selectivity and genuine dialogue. These are the fundamental bases for productive international cooperation on human rights,” Duterte said. The president also said that

the Philippines remain committed to rebuild stricken communities and address the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism in the country. Nuclear non-proliferation Duterte called on all member states to fully implement the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Chemical and the Biological Weapons Conventions. “I have asked the Philippine Senate to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Importantly, we were among those to sign it first,” the president said. He then shared the country’s long history of the humanitarian tradition of opening its doors to refugees. “From the White Russians following the 1917 Revolution, the European Jews in the Second World War, the Vietnamese in the late 1960s, and the Iranians displaced by the 1979 revolution, among others,” Duterte shared. Duterte said the country continues to practice such tradition in accordance with its obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol. “But lest we forget: helping the most vulnerable – those displaced by conflict, persecution, and political instability – is a shared responsibility of all countries,” Duterte stressed. Recognizing the UN To defeat the pandemic and other challenges, Duterte said member states, win or lose, must work together with seamless unity and conviction. “We cannot bring back the dead but we can spare the living; and we can build back better, healthier, and more prosperous and just societies,” he said. Duterte acknowledged the United Nations as an essential organization to humanity. “We need to act on longstanding recommendations to improve the Security Council’s composition and working methods; to strengthen the role of the General Assembly; and to streamline the processes and the operations of the UN,” he said. The president said the UN is as effective as its members make it. “Let us empower [the] UN — reform it — to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” he said. n

Dateline PhiliPPines

A September 23-25, 2020 • SoCal ASIAN JOUrNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Educator of Filipina heritage elected as California Charter Schools Association board chair CRISTINA de Jesus, an educator of nearly three decades, has been elected the board chair of the California Charter Schools Association, the organization announced this week. The association advocates for non-profit charter schools that can help California students prepare for college and life afterward. “I am honored and humbled for the vote of confidence by my fellow board members and for the opportunity to lead the board and guide our strategy to strengthen high-quality charter public schools across California,” de Jesus said in a statement. De Jesus, who identifies as multiracial, is the president and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools NBTC photo California, a non-profit network of charter public schools. She

oversees 19 middle and high schools in the LA area. “Our education system is at a crossroads, responding to unprecedented challenges created by a public health crisis, economic uncertainty, and a greater recognition that our schools must lead in fostering greater equity among students. In this critical moment during a national pandemic, charters are demonstrating extreme agility, flexibility and creativity in mitigating learning loss and supporting the families, students and communities we serve,” de Jesus added. Prior to Green Dot, de Jesus was an English and history teacher in the Santa Monica-Malibu School District. She earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Califor-

PAGE A1 counts.” The Nevada Asian American Nix and Princepal Singh, has been practicing in its home mar- and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Demket of Walnut Creek in California. ocratic Caucus, Kaya DC and FiliIgnite, the G League’s first pino Americans for Biden-Harris professional pathway team, is also participated in Saturday’s coached by former NBA veteran kick-off. Rep. TJ Cox, the first Fil-Am Brian Shaw, a three-time NBA champion as a player and twice elected to Congress from Calias an assistant both as a member fornia who is seeking reelection this November, shared how he of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 18-year-old Sotto, who and his colleagues passed a resstands at 7-foot-2, is aiming to olution condemning anti-Asian become the first full-blooded sentiment amid the coronavirus pandemic. Filipino to make the NBA. n “We know that this is a large, diverse land that welcomes people of every creed, color, ethnicity, background. Now, that’s what makes America truly great. But “We commemorate martial we’ve got a lot of work to do and law today and urge the people there [are] no shortcuts about to rise up, continue to defy state what we have to do — we have tyranny and repression. We are to make so many calls, we have challenged to live by the lessons to shoot so many tags, we have of the Filipino people’s resistance to knock on so many doors…” he against dictatorship,”the groups said. said in a joint statement. Cox, whose race is one of the On September 21, 1972, Mar- most contentious congressional cos signed Proclamation No. races in the country. knows how 1081 which placed the country every vote counts as he won by under martial law. only 862 votes in 2018. In a report by human rights “It’s so critical to come back group Amnesty International, to stand up for the people, but over 100,000 people were re- also to continue to represent Filicorded to have been victims of pino Americans in Congress,” he martial law, of which 70,000 were said. arrested; 34,000 were tortured; Assemblymember Rob Bonta and 3,240 were killed. called November 3 “the most Marcos was ousted from power on February 25, 1986 by the People Power Revolution. n

consequential election of our lifetimes” and is an opportunity for the Fil-Am population in California to flex its voting power. “We’ve often talked about how we are the sleeping giant, where we haven’t risen to our full height yet. We don’t have all of our people who are eligible to vote in our community registered, and of those who are registered, we don’t come out as often and as forcefully as we should,” Bonta said, adding that the electorate can also make a difference in states like Nevada and Arizona. He added, “On the day after the election, we don’t want to wish that we reached out to more people, that we called more people, that we texted more people, that we fought harder. We want to know we did that before the election… It’s an election season, not an election day.” Daly City Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo, who is California codirector for Fil-Ams for BidenHarris, said that in addition to participating in phone and text banks, it starts with reaching out to family and friends. “Who is elected will form what type of issues will be at the forefront locally, statewide and national. Let’s reach out to our inner circles, our families and remind them how important our vote is because our vote is our power,” Manalo said. “Vote like

Kai Sotto and Jalen Green, two of the early recruits in the NBA G League.

Christina de Jesus

nia Los Angeles, a master’s degree in education administration from California State University Northridge, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of California Los Angeles. (AJPress)

Kai Sotto could make NBA Fil-Am Democrats kick off grassroots organizing... G League debut in November by Mark

GionGco Inquirer.net

IGNITE, a team made up of elite high school prospects including Filipino American guard Jalen Green and Filipino center Kai Sotto, could make its anticipated NBA G League debut later this year. The G League is keen on staging a bubble tournament in November or December, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed

in a tweet citing sources. “The NBA G League is seriously discussing tournament featuring the elite Ignite team — led by Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga — and other teams (undrafted players, etc.) in a bubble environment in November/December. Decisions are still fluid,” Carania wrote on Tuesday, September 22. The team, which also features promising players in Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd, Daishen

Filipinos told: Reject ‘martial law... PAGE A1 stealing our truths from us, stealing our stories. Because without these truths and stories, we will be further divided, at mas madaling magtatagumpay ang mga pagtatangkang abusuhin muli tayo (It will be easier for them to succeed in their attempt to abuse us again),” she said. According to Robredo, the atrocities committed during the martial law era should be retold to the next generations so it would never happen again. “Our task is to push back against these lies at every instant. To tell the stories of Martial Law and dictatorship over and over so that this generation, and the ones that come after, may be bound tighter through remem-

bering. To hold firm to the truth of this painful chapter of our history, and through this, forge the determination to never again let our people fall into such despair,” Robredo stressed. “We must do this because, ultimately, our national aspirations can only be as strong as our national memory. Ngayong araw, manindigan muli tayong hindi tayo makakalimot (Today, let’s stand firm that we won’t forget),” she added. Likewise, the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance, Women Resist Tyranny, and Movement Against Tyranny-Metro Baguio rejected the historical revisionism as they commemorated the martial law’s 48th anniversary by holding a protest in Baguio City.

your life depends on it because it does.” In addition to Fil-Am leaders, community allies such as Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and state Assemblymember Christy Smith, who is running for California’s 25th Congressional District, addressed attendees. The 25th district, which covers Santa Clarita and Palmdale and the northern part of the San Fernando Valley, has an 8% AAPI population. Of that, about 12,000 are Filipinos. “But we all know the future of this country is more diverse than it is in this moment. So why would we want to leave to our own children a broken system where communities of color and richness and diversity can’t all be at the same table to make good decisions together about what the future of this country looks like?” Smith said. Caloza said in the next seven weeks, PALAD will be leading get-out-the-vote efforts through mobilizing neighborhood teams, weekly phone banks, and other digital programs tapping into Fil-Am influencers to amplify certain messages and deadlines. “Today’s focus is to get the community energized, motivated and to really understand what’s at stake. We definitely don’t want to wake up November 4 wishing we had done more,” Caloza said. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

Nail salons allowed to reopen in California... PAGE A1

the department said. The announcement comes two months after Governor Gavin Newsom gave nail and hair salons and barbershops the green light to move their operations outdoors after being ordered to close in early July. Hair salons and barbershops were allowed to move back indoors with certain precautions last month. In August, Newsom unveiled a four-tier system in which counties must show consistency in slowing transmission before allowing certain businesses to reopen. The purple tier, meaning the county risk level is widespread and with a positivity rate of more than 8%, says many non-essential indoor business operations must remain closed. Los Angeles County remains in this tier and has not announced whether

it would allow nail salons to reopen, as of this writing. The red tier (substantial) measures 4-7 daily new cases per 100,000 and a 5-8% positivity rate, and mandates certain nonessential indoor businesses to stay closed. Meanwhile, the orange tier (moderate) allows for some indoor businesses to reopen with modifications if they post 1-3.9 daily new cases per 100,000 and have a positivity rate between 2 to 4.9%. The yellow tier (minimal) allows for most indoor businesses to open again if they have less than 1 daily new cases per 100,000 and less than 2% positive tests. Counties have to meet the next tier’s requirements for two consecutive weeks before their status is moved. On the flip side, if cases rise for that same period, the county will descend

to a more restrictive tier. The counties that have moved to the red tier as of Tuesday are Alameda, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo and Solano. Meanwhile, moving to the orange are El Dorado, Lassen and Nevada counties, and in yellow, Mariposa County. With flu season around the corner, the state Health Department and officials are urging residents to get vaccinated. “We could potentially experience what some refer to as a ‘twindemic,’ flu and COVID overwhelming ICUs and hospitals. We want to avoid that,” Newsom said on Monday. “You can help aid and advance that by getting a flu shot.” As of Tuesday, California reported 2,630 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 784,324. There were 53 new

Fil-Ams in California urged to... PAGE A2

under Title 13. All of our census staffers out in the field, whether they’re knocking on doors or on-site in front of supermarkets, take an oath to protect that information,” said Daulo. According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) in 2018, 4,037,564 Filipinos are estimated to be living in the country, compared to the 2010 Census, which counted

3.4 million Filipinos. The five states with the largest Filipino populations include: California (1,651,933), Hawaii (367,364), Texas (194,427), Washington (178,300), and Nevada (169,462), according to the 2018 data. Even if Fil-Ams have responded, Daulo said they can do their part in the last week by reaching out to friends and family to ask if they’ve completed their

forms. Census enumerators are continuing to survey non-responsive households door-todoor each day of the week, and carry an official census bag and ID badge. “Time is running out and let your friends and family know that if census workers come to their door, make sure they cooperate and know that the takers are there to help them respond,” Daulo said. n

‘It feels like the end of the world’: SoCal... PAGE A3 cluding my cat, and got the heck out of there.” “It’s a lot, isn’t it? I think if we all survive this we deserve a lot of rest,” said Reyes, who is studying psychology at Mount San Antonio College.” We’ve got these fires up and down our state, the pandemic, the election and all these really intense and stressful and frustrating things. I’m trying to keep my mind occupied but it does feel apocalypse-like.” But even though life in Southern California feels like a “trifecta of dread” with the fires, the pandemic and social and civil unrest, according to Reyes, it’s important to maintain order as a way to keep sane. And, one of the most crucial parts of that is staying connected with family. “Our parents are not with us

anymore so it’s a bit of a blessing to be with my sister for the time being. I guess that’s a silver lining,” Reyes said, adding that both sisters tested negative before Reyes relocated. Fire officials on Tuesday issued additional evacuation warnings to surrounding areas: - Pasadena - Unincorporated communities of Altadena and Wrightwood - South of Pearblossom Highway, north of Angeles Forest Highway, north and west of Mount Emma Road, east and south of Highway 122, and west of Cheseboro Road - South of Highway 2, north of Blue Ridge Truck Trail, east of Highway 39, and west of the Los Angeles County border - South of Avenue U-8, north of East Avenue W-14, east of 121st East, and west of 155th

Street East - South of Pearblossom Highway, south and east of Pearblossom Highway, north and west of Mt. Emma Road, north and east of Angeles Forest Highway, and west of Cheseboro Road - South of Mount Emma Road, north of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, and west of Pacifico Mountain - Littlerock: east of Cheseboro Road, south of Pearblossom Highway, north of Weber Ranch Road, west of 87th St E. Anybody who needs assistance with locating shelters is urged to call the Disaster Distress Hotline at 800-675-5799. The LA County Dept. of Animal Care and Control are also offering pet shelters for families affected by the Bobcat Fire at their Baldwin Park, Palmdale and Lancaster centers. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte keeps 1-meter social distancing in public transportation by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

Malacañang announced that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte decided to keep the onemeter physical distancing policy in public transport following the recommendation of the Interagency Task Force (IaTF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. “Matapos pong pag-aralan ni presidente ang desisyon ng parehong panig, nag-desisyon na po ang presidente kahapon. ang desisyon po ng Presidente, mananatili po ang one-meter social distancing sa pampublikong transportation (After studying both sides, the President decided yesterday that the onemeter social distancing rule in public transportation will stay),” Pesidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said. “Sasamahan din ng pagsusuot ng mask, face shield, bawal po ang salita at bawal po ang pag-

kain, at pagsa-sanitize po sa mga pampublikong transportasyon (This will come with the wearing of face masks and face shields. Talking and eating will be prohibited. The public utility vehicles shall also be sanitized),” he added. On September 16, the IaTFEID reassessed the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) reduced social distancing rule after its implementation on Monday drew criticism from netizens and a number of sectors. The new rule decreased the physical distancing inside public utility vehicles to 0.75 meters from the original one meter recommendation. The 0.75 meters will then be further reduced to 0.5 meter on Sept. 28 and 0.3 meters on October 12. Roque said Duterte will review the reduced physical distancing policy, adding that the chief Executive was waiting for the task force’s report on the matter.

The DOTr, for its part, vowed that it will comply with Duterte’s decision to maintain the original physical distancing policy. “The president has spoken. We shall aggressively comply and strictly enforce the onemeter physical distancing in all public transport as envisioned and mandated,” the agency said in a statement. The Department of Health (DOH) likewise supported Duterte’s decision. “There’s a study where they said that when you wear a mask, you can have about 67 percent protection from being infected,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said. “When you wear a face shield [over the face mask], the percentage of you being protected increases, but when you add physical distancing to these two minimum health standards, your protection against this virus increases to at least 99%,” she added. n

Citing ‘dead ends’ for accountability in PH, groups urge probe by UN rights body by Gaea

KatReena Philstar.com

cabico

ManIla — Human rights organizations are worried that if the United nations Human Rights council fails to take concrete steps to address the situation in the Philippines, more people will die and a climate of impunity will continue to persist. The groups said they are hitting “dead ends” in seeking justice through official government channels. In a forum Tuesday, the Philippine alliance of Human Rights advocates, Karapatan, amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reiterated the call for the Un Human Rights council to launch a probe into alleged extrajudicial killings and rights violations in the country. The Human Rights council—an inter-governmental body within the Un system responsible for addressing human rights viola-

tions and making recommendations on them—began its 45th session last week. It will last until October 6. The situation of the Philippines is expected to be on the council’s agenda. “We are hitting dead ends, so to speak, domestically in terms of redress mechanisms, even as we continue to access them all—from the courts, to the cHR, to congress, to the police, to the Justice department. and this illustrates the levels of impunity and the constricted civic and democratic spaces reached at this point,” cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, said. “Which is why international human rights bodies, such as the HRc, play an important role, whether to aid in delivering justice and accountability and deter further violations, or to give an imprimatur to the current situation and to sign off to a death sentence for us Filipino defend-

ers whose lives are at daily risk,” she added. While action from the council will not bring back victims, it “will and can prevent more deaths and spare others from the pain and trauma that thousands of families are experiencing,” Rachel choaHoward, amnesty International researcher, said. PaHRa chairperson nymia Simbulan, for her part, was worried that if a “softer” resolution is adopted by the council, it will be used by the Philippine government to justify its “violent and repressive statements and policies.” ‘Out of touch’ draft text laila Matar, HRW deputy director for Un, said the draft resolution of the situation in the Philippines being prepared by Iceland was “off-note” and “fundamentally not credible.” “[It] focuses on technical assistance and capacity building. u PAGE A7

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SeptembeR 23-25, 2020

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A6 SEPTEMBER 23-25, 2020 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

OPINION

Abuse of power

FEATURES

FORTY eight years is a long time to remember. In a country where lessons are not easily learned and mistakes of the past keep being repeated, however, people need continuing reminders about the consequences of greed and the abuse of power. Especially because those who benefited from the abuse are actively trying to rewrite history. in the dead of night, armed with Arrest, Search and Seizure Orders to take whoever or whatever they wanted from the premises. Many of those who were picked up on the strength of ASSOs were severely beaten, electrocuted, burned with cigarettes, deprived of sleep and subjected to the water cure. Women were raped and subjected to the same forms of physical and psychological torture. Many of those arrested were never seen or heard from again; to this day, the country still has a long list of the martial law desaparecidos. The abuse of power was extended to the economy as the conjugal dictatorship treated public coffers as their own. A word had to be coined for the world-class corruption of the regime: kleptocracy. Crony capitalism pushed the economy to the brink of ruin. The country’s failure to put the plunderers of the dictatorship behind bars has to be one of the biggest reasons for the continuing prevalence of

Barred from seeking a third term as president, Ferdinand Marcos found another way of perpetuating himself in power. Claiming to quell a communist rebellion, the Marcos regime faked an ambush on his defense secretary and used it as a pretext to place the country under martial law. This was not the martial law imposed in Mindanao by the current administration to deal with the possible spillover of the Maute terrorist threat from Marawi City, but the real deal. Among the first moves of the Marcos dictatorship was to silence its critics, shutting down all independent media organizations and tossing key journalists into jail together with opposition leaders. Nothing was too small for the regime to exert its authoritarian rule: rock music was banned from the airwaves; long hair and the short shorts called hot pants were prohibited; hemlines were pulled down even in private schools. State forces arrived in private homes, literally

Editorial

corruption in Philippine society, and for the historical revisionism under a Marcos-friendly administration, which allowed the dictator’s burial in the heroes’ cemetery. George Santayana fa-

mously warned about the consequences of forgetting the past. It would be a national tragedy if the Philippines forgot the horrors and abuses of martial law. (Philstar.com)

‘Vote out Trump’ is not just a partisan fight as more Republicans rebuke Trump, endorse Biden to save the democracy and soul of America

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS “FOR the first time since I became a citizen in 1983, I will not vote for the Republican candidate for President. But as proud as I am to label myself as a Republican, there is one label that I hold above all else — AMERICAN. So I want to take a moment today to remind my fellow Republicans that it is not only acceptable to choose your country over party — it is your DUTY.” - Former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2016). And just lately, this statement: “President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic showed a ‘flat-out disregard for human life’ because his main concern was the economy and his reelection.” This strong rebuke of President Donald Trump isn’t from a Democrat, pundit, or news analyst. This statement came from a long-time Republican who, like many other Republican officials like former Gov. Swchwarzenegger and others listed below, have already rejected Trump, debunking his narrative that those who oppose him are just Democrats and the “Fake News Media.” Many of them have already endorsed Joe Biden for president. The latest Republican in the White House inner circle who came out to voice her opposition to Trump’s re-election is Olivia Troye, who had been in all of the Coronavirus Task Force meetings and was a homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus

adviser to Vice President Pence for two years. The White House responded by calling Troye “a disgruntled former employee, minimized her role on the task force and disputed her characterization that the pandemic response has not gone well,” the Washington Post reported. But former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor, another “disgruntled employee,” recounted to CNN’s Chris Cuomo that he had personally witnessed Vice President Mike Pence praise his former homeland security adviser Olivia Troye, who left his staff in August. Taylor also left the White House because of Trump. Taylor was a lifetime Republican who worked at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019, including as chief of staff. He was the first White House senior official to endorse Biden. “After serving for more than two years in the Department of Homeland Security’s leadership during the Trump administration, I can attest that the country is less secure as a direct result of the president’s actions,” Taylor wrote in an OP-ED for the Washington Post. “Like many Americans, I had hoped that Donald Trump, once in office, would soberly accept the burdens of the presidency — foremost among them the duty to keep America safe. But he did not rise to the challenge. Instead, the president has governed by whim, political calculation and self-interest,” he added. Taylor also accused Trump of

withholding disaster aid from blue states and claiming “magical authorities” above the law. Like Taylor, Olivia Troye also indicated that she will vote for Joe Biden. “The president’s rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus have made this ongoing response a failure,” she said in an interview. Troye might have played a behind-the-scenes role during her time in the White House, but the Post reported that “she was a major participant in the task force’s work. “I attended and helped to organize ‘every single meeting’ it held from February until July,” Troye was quoted by the Post. “She worked closely with Pence on the administration’s response, including establishing an agenda for each meeting, preparing the vice president and arranging briefings for him, writing and editing his comments, and dealing with the vice president’s political aides.” Troye revealed, “Towards the middle of February, we knew it wasn’t a matter of if Covid would become a big pandemic here, it was a matter of when.” “But the President didn’t want to hear that, because his biggest concern was that we were in an election year, and how was this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success?” “Maybe this Covid thing is a good thing, “Troye claimed Trump suggested at one corona-

virus task force meeting. “I don’t like shaking hands with people. I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.” These “disgusting people” were the ones who have been blindly risking their lives amid the pandemic because they thought Trump cared for them. Olivia Troye and Miles Taylor have now joined many other highranking Republicans who rebuked Trump and would not support his reelection bid. Many of them have endorsed Joe Biden. Forbes reported on prominent former GOP officials, and even some of his ex-staffers, have come out to rebuke Trump, many of them in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden, and more could have come out since Forbes published this list on September 4, 2020: George W. Bush - The last living former Republican president has said he won’t back Trump. Jeb Bush - the former governor of Florida who was mercilessly ridiculed by Trump when they fought for the GOP nomination in 2016. Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain - and mother of The View host Meghan McCain (who also endorsed Biden) narrated a video for the Democratic convention detailing her late husband’s “unlikely friendship” with Biden. Jim Mattis - Trump’s former Defense Secretary, called Trump “the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try.”

John Kelly - Trump’s former Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Secretary said he wished “we had some additional choices.” John Bolton - Trump’s former national security adviser and selfdescribed “lifelong conservative” said Trump is “stunningly uninformed,” a “danger for the republic” and easily manipulated by foreign leaders—including Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he claims Trump asked for reelection help—Bolton warned of grave danger if Trump wins reelection, stating clearly: “I’m not going to vote for him.” Rex Tillerson - Trump’s former state secretary said what was challenging for him was: “to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, ‘This is what I believe.’ ” Thomas P. Bossert - Trump’s first homeland security adviser, said he told the president there was no basis to the theory that Ukraine, not Russia, intervened in the 2016 election and did so on behalf of the Democrats. Bossert said he was “deeply disturbed” that Mr. Trump nonetheless tried to get Ukraine’s president to produce damaging information about Democrats. Sitting Republican Senators - weighing voting against Trump, according to Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has said he will not vote for Trump and may write-in his wife, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski

(R-Alaska) said she is “struggling” with the decision. Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) has also said he will not vote for Trump and is considering a vote for Biden. Former Gov. John Kasich - challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016, has been one of Biden’s most vocal Republican backers, lauding his “experience and his wisdom and his decency” at the Democratic convention Former Republican cabinet secretaries who endorse Biden Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Tuesday that he’s supporting Biden for president, arguing that the former VP is the “right person” for “this time in our country,” though he remains a Republican. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Trump is not his “kind of politician” and called out the president for “the way he disparages people.” Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell said Trump has “drifted away” from the Constitution, and will instead vote for the former vice president, the Democratic nominee. Christine Todd Whitman, New Jersey governor from 1994 to 2001 before serving as George W. Bush’s EPA director, appeared at the DNC alongside Kasich. Former Republican Senators have come out for Biden: David Durenberger of Minnesota and Gordon J. Humphrey of New Hampshire (both independents now), John Warner of Virginia and Jeff Flake of Arizona, who called a Trump second term “a

RBG’s lasting impact on communities like ours

Commentary

ENRIQUE

Philstar.com photo

DE LA CRUZ

A PALPABLE sense of loss overcame me upon hearing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s (RBG) passing last Friday, September 18. Like many others, I turned to the internet to get confirmation, and was struck by the outpouring of posts about her. This made my sense of loss even more palpable. It’s like what one feels, upon entering a church for a memorial service. Only this time, it is not confined in a church; it is community-wide, even nationwide. RBG was a beacon of hope to the many that she fought for or liberated from inequitable laws and policies. She was a guardian, vigilant against efforts by the government to “abridge” civil liberties. Many say that RBG’s death is a devastating loss for feminists. She

did champion women’s rights, but it would be more accurate to say that she was against all forms of discrimination based on gender, sexual preferences, or race. It is largely through RBG’s meticulous, conscientious, and persistent efforts, especially during her time with ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project (which she co-founded) that the Supreme Court came to seriously see the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection as an assurance of even-handedness in the application of laws, and that genderbased distinctions in laws and policies should be subject to “intermediate scrutiny.” This rule requiring intermediate scrutiny for policies and laws turning on gender distinctions is just a cut below “strict scrutiny” which is reserved for laws that infringe upon our most basic fundamental rights involving a suspect class of people (race, national origin, religion or alienage). This radically changed the Court’s attitude when review-

ing policies and laws involving gender distinctions. It opened the space where women could stand, co-equal with men in professions hitherto dominated by men. RBG felt that the way to achieve real gender equity (as told in the biopic “On the Basis of Sex”) is to target specific discriminatory laws in order to demonstrate that gender discrimination, sometimes benignly adopted to favor or protect women, was harmful to both men and women. In many cases, RBG’s plaintiffs were men. She challenged the military regulation that denied husbands of women in the military some benefits to which wives of male soldiers were entitled, on the assumption that a man was not likely to be the dependent spouse (Frontiero v. Richardson, 411 U.S. 677, 1973). She challenged a Social Security provision that assumed wives were secondary breadwinners whose incomes were unimportant to the family and

therefore deprived widowers of survivor benefits (Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld, 420 U.S. 636, 1975). Stephen Wiesenfeld’s wife, Paula, had died in childbirth, and he sought the benefits so he could stay home and raise their child, Jason. In her quest for equity and inclusion for women and minorities, RBG worked tirelessly for the strictest interpretation of the constitution’s equal protection clause (14th Amendment), challenging presumptions of difference that may ultimately be a hindrance to an individual’s rising to their potential. For me, her most enduring legacy, lies in the changed perspective and the stricter interpretation of the prohibitions enshrined in the 14th Amendment, commonly referred to as the “Equal Protection Clause,” which explicitly forbids government “to make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States…nor deny to any person within its ju-

risdiction the equal protection of the laws (emphasis added)” For RBG, disparate treatment, however benign it may appear to be, could ultimately hinder an individual’s development to their full potential. This is clearly illustrated in the ruling which RBG wrote for The Court’s 7 to 1 majority decision in United States v. Virginia, 518 U.S. 515, (1996), involving the Virginia Military Institute, a state-funded military college. The Supreme Court found the all-male admissions policy of a state-supported military college unconstitutional. To avoid a charge of disparate treatment, the state of Virginia had set up an alternative military college for women. In the majority opinion that she wrote, RBG notes that the state had failed to provide “the exceedingly persuasive justification” that the Constitution requires for treating men and women differently. “Women seeking and fit for a V.M.I.-quality education cannot be offered anything less under

u PAGE A7

the state’s obligation to afford them genuinely equal protection.” Any disparate treatment she argued, must not “create or perpetuate the legal, social, and economic inferiority of women.” While RBG admits that there are “inherent differences” between men and women, the laws based on gender under the guise of “protection” are not a legitimate cause “for denigration of the members of either sex or for artificial constraints on an individual’s opportunity.” RBG is the mother that watches over us —women, men, people of color, minority communities — vigilant against arbitrary distinctions or outdated social mores and wishing that we are able to rise to our full potential. Now she has now joined the ages. I need a hug. RBG, thank you. May her memory be a blessing. ••• Enrique de la Cruz is Professor Emeritus of Asian American Studies at Cal State University, Northridge.

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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Dateline PhiliPPines

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SeptembeR 23-25, 2020

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Duterte hopes Cayetano, Velasco will honor term-sharing deal — Palace PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is hoping that Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco will honor the term-sharing deal he himself brokered, his spokesman said on Tuesday, September 22. Secretary Harry Roque issued the statement in his press briefing on Tuesday amid talk on al-

leged plans to unseat Cayetano, a month before he steps down based on the 15-21 term sharing deal with Velasco. “He’s hoping na tutupad sa usapan ang partido pero kung wala pong numbers si Congressman Lord Allan eh wala po siyang (Duterte) magagawa,” he said when asked if it would be

alright with the President if the lawmakers won’t honor deal. “The President is hoping that the Speaker and Congressman Velasco will honor their agreement but ultimately the decision will be the decision of the individual congressmen,” Roque said. (Keith Calayag/ManilaTimes.net)

‘Vote out Trump’ is not just a partisan fight...

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LONG PASSENGERS’ LINE. The queue of passengers reaches the Edsa-Quezon Avenue footbridge from the service road along Quezon Avenue, Quezon City on Monday, September 21. The surge of commuters of public transportation has been observed after the government relaxed some quarantine protocols in some areas of the country. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Outgoing US envoy Kim bids farewell to Locsin by Christia

Marie Inquirer.net

raMos

OUTGOING U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim paid a farewell call on Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, September 22. Almost four years since Kim started his tour of duty in Manila, the U.S. ambassador is set to leave the country to serve as Washington’s top diplomat in Indonesia. During their meeting on Monday, Locsin thanked Kim for the

latter’s commitment to strengthening the long-standing alliance between the Philippines and the United States. The foreign affairs chief brought up the return of the Balangiga bells to the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar, which happened during Kim’s stint in Manila. Locsin also underscored the support given by the United States to the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Manila’s top diplomat and the US envoy agreed to continue with planned future engagements that

aim to “strengthen the already robust” ties between the two countries “through close cooperation in the areas of defense and security, economics and trade, and peopleto-people links,” according to the DFA. Last September 8, President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu to Kim. The Order of Sikatuna is an order of diplomatic merit conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines. n

Health workers with papers allowed to leave PH

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has allowed more than 1,000 health personnel to work abroad, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said. In a televised news briefing on Monday, September 21, Roque announced that health care workers with complete documents as of Aug. 31, 2020 were allowed to leave the country. “Nakinig naman po ang Presidente sa hinaing ng mga nurses, so ‘yung meron na pong mga papeles at kumpletong documentation as of Aug. 31,2020, pinayagan na po ni Presidente na makaalis para sa kanilang trabaho abroad (The President listened to the appeal of nurses, so those who had completed their documentation can leave),” he said.

Roque noted that around 1,500 nurses and other health professionals would benefit from the President’s decision. The government earlier suspended the deployment of health workers abroad amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go thanked the president for his decision. “I am thankful that the President heeded their appeal and approved the proposal to move the cut-off date of exemption of their perfected contracts from March 8, 2020 to Aug. 31, 2020. This is in consideration of the need for these medical professionals to comply with their perfected contracts abroad and in recognizing that the ongoing

pandemic caused by COVID19 is a global health crisis,” he said. “World-class po ang ating medical professionals. Ang pakikipag-bayanihan natin upang malampasan ang krisis na ito ay hindi limitado sa bansa natin lamang (Our health professionals are world class. Our struggle to stop this pandemic is not limited inside the country). This will also be our contribution to and in solidarity with other countries battling the same disease outbreak,” he continued. The senator also thanked health workers “who continue to fight COVID-19 to save the lives of fellow Filipinos.” (Keith Calayag/ManilaTimes.net)

real danger.” Former Republican Representatives Susan Molinari of New York spoke at the Democratic convention, joining former Reps. Charles Djou of Hawaii and Joe Walsh of Illinois, a former tea partier who challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in 2020 and voted for Biden in Illinois’ open Democratic primary in March, calling Trump a “horrible human being” who “must be defeated.” Former Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania endorsed Biden ahead of the third night of the Democratic convention, declaring, “It’s a sad state of affairs when a president endorses a 9/11 truther,” in reference to Trump’s embrace of Georgia Congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene. A group of 73 former U.S. national security officials in the Republican administrations, including former heads of the CIA and FBI and Trump administration officials, endorsed Biden, asserting that Trump’s “corrupt behavior renders him unfit to serve as president.” Former Trump Assistant Director of Homeland Security Elizabeth Neumann accused Trump of ignoring the threat of domestic terrorism and early pandemic warnings, claiming he “gave permission” to white supremacists. 27 former GOP lawmakers, including Jeff Flake, who served in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 and as a U.S. Senator from Arizona from 2013 to 2019; Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina, Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Rep. Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa and Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma, Former Sens. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, John Warner of Virginia, Ray LaHood of Illinois and Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire. These former members of Congress cited Trump’s corruption,

destruction of democracy, blatant disregard for moral decency and urgent need to get the country back on course as a reason why they support Biden Former Republican Senator and Clinton Defense Secretary Bill Cohen of Maine endorsed Biden, blasting Trump’s “failed leadership” on coronavirus and calling Biden “a leader with optimism and competence who gives us hope.” 100 McCain 2008, 30 Romney 2012, two dozen George W. Bush campaign and administration staffers endorsed Biden. A group of 100 prominent Republicans and independents, including Todd Whitman, former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, launched a group to campaign, run ads and pen opinion pieces on Biden’s behalf. A group of 107 former state attorneys general who endorsed Biden for his “commitment to eliminate abuses of power” and belief in “common sense law enforcement” includes six Republicans; Greg Zoeller of Indiana, Mark Shurtleff of Utah, Jim Jones of Idaho, Doug Baily of Alaska, Jeff Amestoy of Vermont and Jeff Pine of Rhode Island. Numerous Republican media figures, campaign strategists and government officials have even organized PACs dedicated to supporting Biden, such as Republican Voters Against Trump and, most recently, 43 Alumni for Biden. The most notable among them is the Lincoln Project, whose scathing attack ads on Trump have captured the hearts of antiTrump resistance-minded Democrats. Fil-Am George Conway, the husband of former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, was among those who spearheaded this project to rebuke Trump. Anthony Scaramucci served as Trump’s White House communications director for just two

weeks, endorsed Biden and called Trump “crazy.” Other ex-Trump officials have spoken out against him as well, including communications staffer Omarosa Manigault, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. Carly Fiorina - a former Hewlett Packard CEO and GOP presidential candidate who was briefly the running mate of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), said she cannot support Trump and that “elections are binary choices,” Meg Whitman - another Hewlett Packard CEO, said that Trump “has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy.” What do these endorsements mean? Country first before party. Nobody is above the law. Like the above-mentioned Republicans, it is okay to change your mind about supporting Trump because he has proven to be unworthy and beneath the Office of the President of the United States. That is the patriotic and honorable thing to do under these circumstances. Trump’s transgressions against the Constitution and his character, personality and selfishness in putting his political agenda ahead of his oath to protect and serve ALL of the American people just prove he is the wrong man for the job. Joe Biden is the better leader we need in this chapter of our history as we all move and work together to heal this nation and move forward together toward a more perfect union. *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

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Pinay co-founded wellness center offers free virtual classes for communities of color experiencing mental toll of COVID-19

C

by

Christina M. Oriel / AJPress

oronavirus lockdowns, ongoing protests and navigating working from home and online school, on top of everyday responsibilities, can all take a toll on one’s mental health and well-being.

To offer some relief, a San Francisco-based health and wellness center is offering free virtual classes for the Filipino American community and other communities of color in the city and even elsewhere. Community Well, founded by a group of Filipina and Latina women in 2015, has operated out of its physical space in the Excelsior District, hosting classes and services like yoga, counseling and maternal health workshops. It has become a “healing space� where holistic and spiritual support, which nowadays seems inaccessible, is brought back to communities that have practiced these traditions. In January, the center launched the “H3: Happy, Healing & Healthy Program,� a series of accessible dropin healthy food, fitness, and emotional transformational classes, made possible through a grant from the SF Sugary Drinks Distributor Tax Community Funds. But because of the shelter-in-place order in the city, it shifted its offerings online. “Our philosophy around it

Jennifer Navarro-Marroquin, co-founder and events coordinator & program director of Community Well

Community Well is a health and wellness center in the Excelsior District of San Francisco that offers services and workshops from movement classes to maternal health. Since the city’s shelter-in-place, the center has moved its classes online.

is that health is a whole human experience,� co-founder Jennifer Navarro-Marroquin, a licensed financial professional and holistic practitioner, told the Asian Journal. “Access to high quality information is very important and it’s also important for us to understand the barriers emotionally that keep us from making these healthy choices.� Facilitators and practi-

tioners in the program are diverse and reflect the participants they serve, and are trained in various rituals and traditions, like Filipino healing. In the past, Community Well has had hilot self-care sessions and Agasan workshops that took traditional Filipino sound and movement practices and integrating them into a modern context. The current weekly classes

offered on Zoom, regardless of race or income level, include “Food as Medicine� (nutrition basics and health cooking and eating demonstrations); “Move More!� (community yoga, healing hikes and dance); a homeopathic clinic for San Francisco residents with limited incomes; and “I Feel Good� (a six-week chronic illness prevention program).

Community Well and the Filipino Mental Health Initiative-San Francisco will host “Kwentuhan: A time to heal from the stories of our skin� every first Saturday of the month through December.

The prevention program, which will begin again in early October, is vital in the time of COVID-19 when communities of color and those with

underlying chronic conditions are at higher risk. “We also have the transformational circle that talks Continued on Page 2

Pinay singers join others from 5 countries to unite for charity to boost sagging spirits

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T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - Sept ember 2 3 , 2 0 2 0

By allan

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

Apl.de.ap and KC Concepcion

Phistar.com photo

Apl.de.ap surprises KC with greeting from Shakira By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

INTERNATIONAL rapper Apl.de.ap surprised KC Concepcion with a video greeting from international pop star Shakira. KC posted the video greeting on her Instagram account. In the video, the “Whenever, Wherever” singer congratulated KC on her new cooking show. “Hey, KC! A little birdie told me that you like my

music. Thank you so much. I wanted to say hi and congratulations on your new show, your new cooking show. I hope it goes really well and I wish you the best of luck,” Shakira told KC. The daughter of “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta thanked Shakira for the support. “Thank you for supporting my newfound quarantine passion, my fitspiration, immortal powerhouse woman, @ shakira! Omg her Super Bowl performance was (love),” KC captioned the post.

KC also thanked Apl for the surprise and said she is excited for the new single by Black Eyed Peas and Shakira. “And can’t wait for her new single Girl Like Me to drop alongside my @bep bros. S/O to my good friend @ apldeap for this surprise,” KC said. The rap group and the Colombian singer have a new single titled “Girl Like Me” that is included in the Black Eyed Peas’ new album “Translation.”

IN this time of social distancing—where physical interaction with other people has been reduced to a wave, a nod or a smile behind a mask—the new inspirational single “Heal” aims to be a “virtual hug” to soothe frayed nerves and weary souls. “When you’re going through something, one of the things you always want from people around you is a hug that will comfort you. But that’s something we can’t really have right now,” said KZ Tandingan, one of the 17 female Southeast Asian music acts who lent their voice to the project. Written and produced by ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo, together with Moophs and Xela, “Heal” is an empowering midtempo anthem that “conveys love” and calls for “unity.” “This song simply means being there for someone. It’s meant to uplift the spirits of those who need some comfort, because this pandemic affects different aspects of our lives,” KZ said in a virtual conference. “Some people have the money, but no family to spend the quarantine with. Some are with their families, but no longer have their jobs.”

Jayda Avanzado Photo from Instagram/@jayda

Jonalyn Viray

Photo from Instagram/@jona

KZ Tandingan Photo from Instagram/@kztandingan

Moira dela Torre Photo from Instagram/@moirarachelle

“I’m so happy to be part of a project that encourages people to be hopeful; that tomorrow is going to be better,” the soul-R&B singer added. Also in the track are fellow Filipinos, Moira dela Torre, Kyla, Jona, Lesha, Xela and Jayda Avanzado; Indonesian singers Yura Yunita and Rinni Wulandari; Malaysian artists Shalma Eliana and quartet Dolla; Thai singer-songwriter Valentina Ploy; as well as Singapore’s Haneri and Haven. This collaboration is also part of the #StreamToDonate project, which will have the participating artists donating their fees and royalties to ABSCBN’s “Pantawid ng Pag-Ibig” fundraising campaign, which helps Filipinos who have lost their sources of livelihood to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jona, on the other hand, hopes that the song could inspire people to turn to God “amid the difficulties and problems we’re facing.” “His love is the most powerful gift we can freely receive for ourselves—and then give to others—to overcome these adversities. I hope the song brings a sense of unity and comfort to our troubled hearts, and inspire people to go on with their lives, even if it’s hard,” said the pop singer, who reined in her vocal power and veered away from her usual belting style in favor of softer tones. “I just let the feeling of positivity and hope flow through my singing,” she said. The song resonated with Moira on a personal level because one of her most important realizations the past couple of months is that it’s impossible to pour from an empty cup. “I can better serve others when I take care of myself… When I’m healthy myself, I’m able to maximize the territory with which I can inspire from,” the folk-pop singer-songwriter said, adding that “Heal” can take on different meanings

for different people—it can be about personal healing, or the country’s and the world’s healing.”“There are a lot of things that are so hard to think about. There are so many things we can’t wrap our heads around. But I love the fact that this song allows us to create more ways to spread that hope,” Moira added. The fact that the song features fellow female artists from Southeast Asia makes the project all the more meaningful and special, Jayda added. “Girl power” was the first thought that came to her mind when the project was presented to her. And before long, she was searching and listening to the music of her sisters from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. “The song is this melting pot of artists with different things to offer. I looked them up and listened to their music, and each one has her own sense of individuality, which I respect and appreciate. Seeing these powerful and talented women thriving in this industry is just amazing,” the young singer said. “I feel so honored and I’m really happy to be part of it,” she added. “The project helping charity is the icing on top.” While the women have yet to meet each other personally and worked on the track remotely, they believe that the result suggests otherwise. “It sounds like we have known each other for a long time. The connection is something you can feel,” KZ said. Female musicians from different Southeast Asian countries banding together to help spread light makes “Heal” one of Moira’s most favorite and important collaborations yet. “We would like to remind you that you’re stronger and braver than you think, and more capable of being in this platform than you know,” she stressed. “Shine your light wherever you’re put in and become a vessel of hope.”

Pinay co-founded... From Page 1 about emotions and how to healthily process our emotions and talk about barriers around income that people feeling stressed about, stress management. Also, we talk about our migration story because a lot of people don’t understand that really plays a factor,” Navarro-Marroquin said. Virtual classes at centers like Community Well come at a time when weekly surveys from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the U.S. Census Bureau show the toll COVID-19 is taking on collective mental health, and disproportionately on Black individuals and other people of color. (At the end of August, over 40% of respondents in California indicated feeling symptoms of anxiety or depression.) The center has seen that over 70% of people accessing the services are from communities of color. The facilitators recognize the responsibility and trust placed on the center as individuals typically struggle with asking for help. “At the very basic, let’s just ask for help and trust in the people that surround us. With families and healthy living, do the best you can with everything that is available to you and let go of the guilt or having an idea of what it

needs to look like,” NavarroMarroquin said, suggesting carving out some alone time each day to focus on one’s self. Starting this October, Community Well and the Filipino Mental Health Initiative-San Francisco will host “Kwentuhan: A time to heal from the stories of our skin” every first Saturday of the month through December. There is no cost to participate, and 30 spots are available. The series will bring together Fil-Am wellness practitioners, mental health professionals, educators, and community organizers — among them are rapper Bambu, ethnic studies professor Melissa-Ann Nievera-Lozano, holistic practitioner Anî La’arni Ayuma, and clinical psychologist Jeannie Estella Celestial — to unpack intergenerational issues like racism, anti-Blackness and colonial mentality, and come away with more solidarity with the Black community and tools to build a more inclusive society. “It’s not just about direct services. It’s about getting into policy and bringing more voices to the decision making tables,” Navarro-Marroquin said. “If you’re going to step up as a leader in any capacity, that real systemic change, you have to also be committed to that too.”

Bong marks birthday by giving away tablets By ricky lo Philstar.com

IT’S December in September. On Friday, the 25th of this month (exactly three months to Christmas Day), Sen. Bong Revilla celebrates his 53rd birthday by bringing glad tidings of great joy to hundreds of lucky winners in a raffle for tablets kicked off last Sunday (Sept. 20, deadline for submission of names) and ending tomorrow (Sept. 23). More than 1,500 students receive the gadgets, coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (including National Capital Region/NCR). “It’s a refreshing new way of celebrating a milestone in your life,” Bong told 18 journalists in a Zoom presscon last Friday. “Ibang klaseng satisfaction ang nararamdaman mo,” added Bong who spent several birthdays during his “staycation” at Camp Crame and last year for the first time with his family after his release. “A randomizer will pick out the winning names.” The idea, part of Bong’s program Kaalaman Ating Palawakin (KAP, as a nod to his former GMA show, Kap’s Amazing Stories), started with only 300 tablets until friends like Puregold, Rebisco and Regal Matriarch Mother Lily (donated 100 pieces) started chipping in. “The winners will find the tablets very useful, especially during the alternative (online) way of learning,” said Bong. “Filipinos abroad, including OFWs, were qualified to join and they may give the tablets to their children here. The tablets will be delivered doorto-door by ToGo. Those who didn’t make it to the Sept. 20 deadline should not worry. They will get ‘surprise’ consolation prizes.” Bong has a lot to be thankful for. He has just survived COVID-19, one of the senators (others were Migs Zubiri, Koko Pimentel and Sonny Angara) who contracted the virus. Bong had to stay at the ICU after he showed symptoms of pneumonia and had to be quarantined

magsasalita about my stand as celebrity,” he added. Piolo assured his fans that KAPAMILYA actor Piolo he will use his voice in politics Pascual revealed that politics in the right time. has nothing to do with his “Siguro, iibahin ko ‘yun, showbiz life. hindi ko gagamitin ang platIn a recent online forum form ko sa showbiz para gamiorganized by Filipino actors’ tin sa pulitika. Kasi iba naman league Aktor and Dakila titled ‘yung pagiging artista mo, e. “Ganito kamo noon, ganito pa Gagamitin ko ang boses ko sa rin ba ngayon? Pelikula, Paninitamang panahon at tamang il. Pagpalag,” Piolo was asked pagkakataon.” by host Lourd de Veyra how Piolo was joined by Glaiza his political stance changed by de Castro, Joel Lamangan, doing anti-Martial Law films. Ricky Lee, Lualhati Bautista “Sa social media recently and Vilma Santos in the online maraming kumukuwestyon forum. sa iyong political affiliation: Meanwhile, in a Facebook ‘Paano mo magagawa ‘yun? post, director Jay AltareE, ikaw ang gumanap na jos questioned the participaJules Bartolome na aktibista Piolo Pascual ABS-CBN photo tion of Piolo and Vilma in the sa ‘Dekada 70’! Ang hirap ng forum discussing martial law. balancing act sa paninindigan boses tayo na kailangang “Paano papalag sa paniniil du’n,” Lourd asked Piolo. gamitin at obligasyon natin na ang isang VILMA SANTOS Piolo said his sincerity is gamitin ‘yun,” Piolo said. na bumoto sa TERROR LAW. important and all people have “So, ang sa akin, ang Paano papalag ang isang the right to voice out their stance ko sa politics... Politics PIOLO PASCUAL na isang opinions. has got nothing to do with my certified DDS? Pagdating “I guess it’s important showbiz life. Given this platsa Martial Law at tahasang ‘yung pagiging tao mo, ‘yung form in this showbiz field, I’m pagpatay ni Duterte sa mga sincerity mo, ‘yung pagiging using it to be positive. Kung inosentent tao, walang middle totoo mo. Lahat tayo, may anuman ang stand ko sa poliground! Ito ay mali. Dapat tayo boses tayo kahit anuman ang tics... hindi kasi ako politikong ay nasa panig ng taumbayan,” estado natin sa lipunan. May tao, e. Hindi ako ‘yung tipong he wrote.

Julia shuts down pregnancy rumors with toned abdomen photo ACTRESS Julia Barretto has shut down rumors of her being pregnant, supposedly with actor Gerald Anderson, by showing a photo of her toned abdomen in her Instagram page. Barretto, seen wearing white pants and a grey bralette that exposes her mid riff, captioned the post with the words “fake news,” apparently to dismiss speculations of her being pregnant. Former broadcaster and administration supporter Jay Sonza earlier posted something about Barretto’s alleged pregnancy, claiming that the actress and Anderson “proved that they were not barren.” Barretto’s relatives including sisters Dani and Claudia, as well as friends and other celebrities like Liza Soberano, Miles Ocampo, and Alex Gonzaga shunned the issue,

Angelica reveals other networks’ offers

KAPAMILYA actress Angelica Panganiban revealed that she is receiving offers from other networks, but assured ABS-CBN that she will not leave her home network. In a virtual press conference with Philstar.com and other press for her new show “Ask Angelica,” Angelica said it never came to her mind to abandon the Kapamilya network. “Of course may mga Sen. Bong Revilla during a Zoom presscon last Friday, September 18, showing one of the 1,500 tablets tumawag, may mga nag-offer. he’s raffling off as part of his Kaalaman Ating Palawakin (KAP) program. Philstar.com photo Hindi siya kasi sumagi sa isip ko. Hindi pa siguro ngayon. Remembrance for Road Crash for 14 days. Hindi ko puwedeng pangunaVictims, Survivors and their “That was the hardest han ‘yung mga mangyayari. families; Postponement of the part,” admitted Bong, “bePero ngayon, hindi ko lang SK and Barangay Elections (RA kaya na iwanan ang ABSing away from the family. 11462); and Anti-Terrorism, The important reminder to CBN,” she said. Sports Academy and Values everybody is that if you have “Happy ako kung nasaan Education. On third reading: been near somebody who is ako ngayon. Hindi ko nakikita Night Shift Differential Pay; Fix- ‘yung need kung bakit ako positive, even if you don’t have ing the Validity Period of the Li- aalis,” she added. symptoms (asymptomatic), cense to Own, Permit to Carry don’t be in denial, huwag Angelica clarified that she and Registration of Firearms, mahiya magsabi para hindi ka has nothing against other Amending Acts 183 and 184 of Kapamilya celebrities who are makahawa. The virus spreads RA 3815 (Revised Penal Code); transferring to other networks a domino effect. It travels to National Transportation Safety because she believed that people around you.” Board Act; Organic Agriculture they did that to survive. Although fully recovered, Act; Alternative Learning SysBong said that he has become “I have nothing against tem Act; Doktor Para sa Bayan naman sa mga kaibigan ko more careful, taking more vitamins (and supplements) and Act; National Cooperative din na gustong magtrabaho Month; and PNP, BJMP and exercising. sa ibang network. Iba iba eh, BUCOR Height Equality Act. “I used to work out two may mga pangangailangan But what worries Bong is hours every day, but now one tayo eh. May mga kaibigan the fate of the movie industry. hour is good enough. Ayokong tayo sa industriya na talagang Told that some theaters in the puwersahin ang katawan ko; kailangang-kailangan, so doon little by little muna. And I make US and Canada have recently sila, ‘di ba?” she said. reopened to limited audiences, sure that I get enough sunlight With her shows “Ask Anhe doubted if that would work gelica” and teleserye “Walang (for Vitamin D) to strengthen in the Philippines due to the my immune system.” Hanggang Paalam,” set to social-distancing protocol, Working from home (WFH), premier this month, Angelica never mind if people were Bong has gotten used to doing said she’s very thankful to the made to sit four or five seats Zoom (he has a daily “live” ABS-CBN for still giving her apart. streaming) while attending sesprojects despite the franchise “Siempre, people are sions. He happily reported that non-renewal. since he returned to the Senate afraid of getting infected by “Ako naman I’m very the virus,” explained Bong, in in July last year, he has filed thankful na hanggang ngayon the next breath citing the risks may trabahong ibinibigay sa 323 bills and resolutions (19 on of the so-called “new normal” second reading, 36 adapted akin ‘yung ABS-CBN. Dito way of shooting or taping. “If a na muna ako. Siguro kapag resolutions and eight passed member of the cast or the crew walang-wala na talaga, wala into law). gets infected, tigil ang siyuting. na kaming makain pamilya, at Among them: Salary Maraming risks. NakakalungStandardization Law of 2019 saka ako lilipat. Pero hangga’t kot ang nangyayari ngayon sa (RA 11463); Bayanihan to Heal meron, okay pa naman ako,” lahat, kasama na ang movie As one Act Malasakit Center she said. industry.” (RA 11463); National Day of Last June, Angelica bade farewell to ABS-CBN gag show “Banana Sundae,” which ran for almost 12 years. In her Instagram account,

Milo Severo Philstar.com

lalu

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 23, 2020

Milo Severo Philstar.com

By Jan

Pabico Inquirer.net

By Jan

Director questions Piolo, Vilma’s anti-martial law stance

By Gabriel

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saying that it is how baseless allegations should be answered. “Shut it down sis! Love you!” Dani said in her comment. As of now, the phrase “Leave Julia Barretto Alone” is trending on Twitter with Jay Sonza’s name, as over 3,200 tweets have been made about the topic. Netizens have condemned Sonza for his post, with several of Barretto’s supporters and other women rights advocates urging her to file a case against the former mediaman. Others on the other hand ridiculed Sonza for insinuating that a woman with a flat tummy is pregnant. Anderson and Barretto drew controversy in 2019 after Anderson and his former girlfriend actress Bea Alonzo broke up, with people pointing at Barretto as the culprit. However, both Anderson and Barretto denied the accusations.

Julia Barretto Photo from Instagram/@juliabarretto

Angelica Panganiban

Angelica posted a photo of the men and women behind the comedy show. “Halos labing dalawang taon tayo nagpapatawa at nagpapasaya ng mga tao. Sa pinaka unang pagkakataon, kanina, umiiyak tayong lahat. Masyadong masakit na makitang durog na durog tayong lahat. Sa ganitong panahon, ito ang pinaka huli nating pwedeng maramdaman. Ang mawalan tayo ng tahanan. Masakit,” Angelica wrote in the caption. “Kasi, intensyon lang natin magpasaya, makatulong. Masakit, kasi, marami sa atin ang hindi na alam kung paano itutuloy ang buhay. Masakit kasi, magwawatakwatak na tayo. Sa mga salita na ibinabato niyo sa amin para tuluyan kaming tapak tapakan, walang sinabi yun sa sakit na nararamdaman naming lahat ngayon,” she added. Angelica admitted that the show’s crew were sad and were hoping that they will all join together to do the show

Photo from Instagram/@iamangelicap

again. “Pare parehas naming hindi alam ngayon kung paano pa kami lalaban.. kung saan pa kami kukuha ng lakas. Gusto naming isipin na pansamantala lang ‘to. Magkikita kita ulit tayo. Gusto naming lumaban para sa mga kasamahan namin sa trabaho. Gusto namin ipaglaban ang pamilya namin. Gusto na namin ng katahimikan sa mga tanong namin,” she said. At the end of her post, she thanked all the crew and their fans for supporting the show. “Pero kahit ganito, lalaban kami. Magtutulungan kami. Kapag nakabalik kami, sigurado akong mas malakas kami. Palagi namin tinatanong sa simula ng show ang ‘okay ba kayo jaaaan’... Ngayon naman,, kami ang hindi ‘okay’..” she said. “Kaya naman... Hanggang sa muli na lang muna tayo mga kabanana. Salamat sa halos labing dalawang taon. Mahal na mahal ko kayo,” she added.

community Mom shares Enzo’s COVID-19 journey

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 23, 2020

By Jan

Milo Severo

Philstar.com

KAPAMILYA actor Enzo Pineda revealed he won his fight against the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In his Instagram account, Enzo posted a photo of him de-

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claring that he is now “Officially a COVID-19 Survivor.” He thanked his family, friends and the health workers of Cardinal Santos Medical Center for taking care of him and his dad, 1-Pacman Rep. Enrico Pineda. “I want to thank my loving

family & friends who kept me and my Dad in good spirits. Thank you to all the hardworking doctors,nurses, & crew of Cardinal Santos Medical Center who took good care of me and my Dad,” he said. “Mga bayani kayo and salamat sa lahat ng sakripisyo na ginagawa niyo para sa ating bayan. Most importantly I want to thank God for giving me strength. Definitely this pandemic made me more closer to Him,” he added. Enzo also said that he promised God to come out stronger after he survived the disease. “I promised God that I will come out stronger mentally, physically, & spiritually after this experience. God is good,” he said. Congressman Pineda on September 5 admitted that he tested positive for COVID-19. “Weeks ago, Enzo was not feeling well with slight fever accompanied by mild cough and colds. His Dad also had itchy throat and slight fever.So our whole family took the PCR/ Swab test to make sure. Enzo and his Dad tested positive,” publicist and entrepreneur Macy Pineda, the actor’s mother, exclusively told Philstar.com via Facebook messenger. “The rest of my family we’re ok & tested negative. We, including household staff way before always wore masks in and out of our house with social distancing.They must have caught it from outside, not sure where. After testing positive, full check up in hospital was done: blood, Xray & CT scan. Enzo had clear lungs & no serious medical issues. My husband had mild pnuemonia and was ordered by his doctors to be confined in the hospital.” Although the actor was advised to stay at home, he decided to accompany and take care of his dad in the hospital. “Enzo who was cleared for home quarantine decided to stay with his Dad in the hospital to look after him. Both stayed in 1 room for 6 days. One week home quarantine for both followed. Now they’re both well and been issued medical clearance to resume normal activities. Thank God!” Macy shared.

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

How to build a house of bricks in any season (Part 2 of 3)

Monette AdevA MAglAyA (THE first 5 tips came out in last week’s issue. Here’s the second installment of 5 more.) 6. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. Know the difference between needs and wants. Use the Pareto principle in pinpointing the vital few (20%) and the trivial many (80%). When you let your wants overrule your life, you will end up trading your time and therefore, your life away to get those material things you thought will make you happy. For those of us with big egos who cannot resist the urge to impress others with the latest gizmos, this can be a serious problem. Stuff is just stuff. If we don’t watch it, we can clutter up our lives with junk. Browsing leads to buying. There is a back end to each item we acquire as personal property. After its use, we MUST CHOOSE ANY OF THESE OPTIONS: THROW, DONATE, SELL, DESTROY or KEEP them. Keeping a great chunk of stuff we acquire over a lifetime can make pack rats out of us and deprive us of breathing space. Empty space can be beautiful because it presents possibilities. The truth is, life’s journey is easier when we travel light. This was the bucket list elucidated on in a previous article. 7. Refuse to live in the shadows. If you’re illegal, exhaust every available avenue open to you to GO LEGIT. The gates have cracked open for the time being. Life is tough enough without you having to look over your shoulders and feeling edgy all the time fearing you’ll be put on the next plane back to the home country. Surely you didn’t go through all that trouble just to live a short, harried, hapless life. After 9/11 and the dangers of soulless terrorism, whether we accept it or not, after years of abuse, a new system, is now firmly in place and “the times, they are a-changin.” The political axis has shift-

“I build my house of sticks. I build my house of twigs. With a hey-diddle-diddle, I play on the fiddle. And dance all kinds of jigs.” — Fiddler Pig ed, perhaps for the better, and the times call for nations to build walls and constrain the movement of people in the face of real threats to their national sovereignty. A one-world, unelected government, with wealth and absolute power as their global goals, has zero interest in upholding the average person’s human rights. Economic migrants will be hit the hardest. Terrorism has reared its ugly head and fluidity and movement of people is now constrained. Get legal and go the whole nine yards towards American citizenship. Shop, ask around and get the best legal representation you can get if you have to. Not all immigration lawyers are cut from the same cloth. Choose wisely. Inspect track records. 8. Get physical. Make diet and exercise a regular part of your life. We maintain our cars and use high-grade fuel to get great performance from a machine to get us from Point A to Point B. Our magnificent bodies, the crowning glory of God’s Creation, deserve no less. If we expect to run the full course set before us and barring unforeseen twists of fate, like being run over by a truck, struck by lightning or hit by a meteorite, we can look forward to a long stretch of happy, productive, relatively healthy years ahead. 9. Admit you’re no superhero. Don’t take on more than you can handle. American life is demanding. We are all required to multitask at work and at home — to do too many things all at once

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—it’s enough to drive us to the edge of insanity. One technique to help us maintain our mental health and take off the pressure when we feel overwhelmed is to say NO. Know your strengths and respect your limits and know when you’re spreading yourself too thinly. 10. A fool and his money are soon parted. Have this truism tattooed on the hand that keeps wielding the plastic, aka credit/debit cards, until it hits home — just until you learn fiscal responsibility and mind your financial health. The great financial industry that runs and oils America has your number and gauges the kind of risk you are based on your track record of fiscal responsibility reflected in that all too important number called the FICO score. This is the metric reflective of how you deal with money and your financial obligations. The gold standard is 850 and above. Cash remains king but a good credit history is queen. Mess with this metric and you will pay a painful price that hits your pocketbook even more when you have to buy big-ticket items, like a car or a house. Take care that in the first few years and for the rest of your life, you guard your credit history with the tenacity of a pit bull. (Next week: The third and final part of 15 Tips: How to Build a House of Bricks in Any Season.) *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Will a domestic violence finding affect my claim for sole or joint custody of our children?

in subdivision (c) of Section 1203.097 of the Penal Code. (3) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a program of alcohol or drug abuse counseling if the court determines that counseling is appropriate. Atty. Kenneth (4) Whether the perpetrator has uRsuA Reyes successfully completed a parenting class if the court determines the class to be appropriate. (5) AN action under the DVPA Whether the perpetrator is on (Domestic Violence Protection probation or parole, and whether Act) seeking a restraining order often is necessary to protect par- he or she has complied with the terms and conditions of probaties from abuse or domestic viotion or parole. (6) Whether the lence perpetrated by the other perpetrator is restrained by a spouse or significant other. At protective order or restraining times, it is effective in preventorder,and whether he or she ing harm to one of the parties. has complied with its terms At the same time, this process and conditions. (7) Whether the is sometimes abused by famperpetrator of domestic violence ily law litigants as a strategy for obtaining an advantage in a child has committed any further acts of domestic violence. custody case. The basis for this A person has “perpetrated is the presumption against sole domestic violence” when he or joint custody under California or she is found by the court to family code section 3044. have intentionally or recklessly California Family Code Seccaused or attempted to cause tion 3044 (a) provides “Upon a bodily injury, or sexual assault, finding by the court that a party or to have placed a person in seeking custody of a child has reasonable apprehension of perpetrated domestic violence imminent serious bodily injury to against the other party seeking that person or to another, or to custody of the child or against have engaged in any behavior the child or the child’s siblings involving, but not limited to, within the previous five years, threatening, striking, harassing, there is a rebuttable presumpdestroying personal property or tion that an award of sole or disturbing the peace of another, joint physical or legal custody for which a court may issue an ex of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is parte order pursuant to Section 6320 to protect the other party detrimental to the best interest seeking custody of the child of the child, pursuant to Section 3011. This presumption may only or to protect the child and the be rebutted by a preponderance child’s siblings.The requirement of a finding by the court shall be of the evidence. satisfied by, among other things, In determining whether the and not limited to, evidence that presumption in family code a party seeking custody has been 3044(a) has been overcome, the convicted within the previous court shall consider all of the following factors: (1) Whether the five years, after a trial or a plea perpetrator of domestic violence of guilty or no contest, of any crime against the other party has demonstrated that giving sole or joint physical or legal cus- that comes within the definition tody of a child to the perpetrator of domestic violence contained is in the best interest of the child. inSection 6211 and of abuse contained in Section 6203, In determining the best interest including, but not limited to, a of the child, the preference for crime described in subdivision frequent and continuing contact with both parents, as set forth in (e) of Section 243 of, or Section 261,262, 273.5, 422, or646.9 subdivision (b) of Section 3020, of, the Penal Code.The requireor with the noncustodial parent, ment of a finding by the court as set forth in paragraph(1) of shall also be satisfied if any court, subdivision (a) of Section 3040, whether that court hears or has may not be used to rebut the heard the child custody proceedpresumption, in whole or in ings or not, has made a finding part. (2) Whether the perpetrapursuant to subdivision (a) based tor has successfully completed on conduct occurring within the a batterer’s treatment program previous five years. that meets the criteria outlined

Barrister’s Corner

In Christina L v. Chauncey B, 229 Cal. App 4 th 731 (2014),the Court of appeal held that because a Domestic Violence restraining order must be based on a finding that the party being restrained committed one or more acts of domestic abuse, a finding of domestic abuse sufficient to support a DVPA restraining order necessarily triggers the rebuttable statutory presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child. Cal. Fam. Code §§ 3044. The presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child changes the burden of persuasion, but may be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence showing that it is in the child’s best interest to grant joint or sole custody to the offending parent. Cal. Fam. Code § 3044. In that case, the father had a history of perpetrating domestic violence against the mother. Domestic Violence restraining orders has been issued multiple times over the years including within the last 5 years. The trial court ignored both the existing restraining order, the legal effect of such a judicial finding, and failed to apply the family code 3044 presumption and instead awarded joint custody to father. The Court of appeal reversed and remanded the case back to the trial court. A domestic violence finding will trigger a presumption against awarding joint or sole physical and legal custody to the perpetrator parent. However, this presumption is not absolute but is rebuttable in court.

community The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 23, 2020

Experts say bankruptcy filings will increase soon. How to prepare yourself, just in case

who have lost their income will often resort to credit cards and loans to keep themselves afloat hoping that they can replace the income soon. While this may work in the short term, it is rarely a good idea unless there is also Atty. RAymond a plan B. What happens is that BulAon without a plan, you can get easily buried in debt in a very short THE COVID-19 pandemic has period of time if you are continuchanged everyone’s life in only ing to borrow every month. It’s a matter of months. As the virus even worse when you already continues to batter the economy, have a lot of debt to begin with, a lot of people are finding bank- and you just continue to dig a ruptcy as their only way out. This bigger financial hole for yourself. is a sad reality but if you look on Experts say that there is no the bright side under the grim doubt that given the effect of circumstances in which you find the pandemic, business and yourself if you are one of the personal bankruptcies are likely millions affected, bankruptcy still to surge very soon. It’s simply offers a ray of hope so you can a matter of time. I hate to be a start over. gloom and doom preacher, but The last recession in 2008 this is a reality that we all face caused a wave of bankruptcy and in my opinion, it is betcases from consumers seeking ter to be prepared for what’s a new start after getting terribly coming instead of being caught behind on their mortgage and unprepared when the money debt payments. Back then, runs out. In other words, hope foreclosures were at an all-time for the best but be prepared for high after the millions of adjustthe worst. That’s more practical, able subprime loans obtained in my opinion. Hope alone is not just a few years earlier adjusted a good plan. to double the initial mortgage I have a lot of people asking payment amounts making them me if it’s wise to dip into their unaffordable to homeowners. retirement plans or sell assets The Obama administration did in order to avoid bankruptcy. what it could to stem the tide of Yes, in some cases this may be a foreclosures. You may be familiar good option, but it all depends with the HAMP program. A lot of on your situation- your income, my clients were able to save their expenses, future financial goals, homes through that program; etc. If bankruptcy becomes inevialthough for some, even the table, it is often not a good idea modified payments still became to deplete your savings and your unaffordable after they lost their assets to pay debts that you can jobs as the recession continued. discharge in the bankruptcy. People don’t normally just Consumer bankruptcies typirush immediately to the bankcally come in 2 types. There’s *** Please note that this article is not legal advice ruptcy court in a time of financial a Chapter 7 bankruptcy which allows you to protect all or and is not intended as legal advice. The article crisis as we are facing now. They most of your assets while you is intended to provide only general, non-specific see it as a last resort, and it legal information. This article is not intended should be. But I also see how the discharge debts that you can no to cover all the issues related to the topic lack of preparation can cause big longer afford to pay. And then there’s Chapter 13 which allows discussed. The specific facts that apply to your problems that could have been you to significantly reduce your matter may make the outcome different than avoided if people just took the debt amounts and your monthly would be anticipated by you. This article does time to at least consult with a payments to something you can create any attorney client relationship between bankruptcy attorney at the first afford. This helps you live within you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, signs of financial trouble. For example, a lot of people your means while you protect 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

Minding Your Finances

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

yourself and all your assets from creditors. In Chapter 13, you can include all kinds of debts including taxes, student loans, back mortgage payments. So, if you are facing foreclosure, Chapter 13 can help you save your home. A lot of homeowners have taken advantage of the temporary forbearance offered by their lenders for 3-6 months. Be aware that even though your lender has allowed you to skip these payments, they are not forgiven, and you will need to catch up on these payments when the forbearance period is over. I am getting calls from people who are shocked to hear that their lender is requiring to pay it all back immediately! I’m asking: What was the point of the forbearance then? If people couldn’t pay their regular mortgage payment to begin with, what makes the lender think that the homeowner has the cash to pay the 3-6 months of late mortgage payments all at once? This is insane. Not all lenders are doing this. But I’m starting to hear this from some of the people who are calling me for help. If you have not read my book, “What You Need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy”, you can download it free of charge at www.beforefilingbk.com.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 COVID-19 concerns, I am offering free consultations BY PHONE OR VIDEO to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-4777772. (Advertising Supplement) 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com. Visit our website at Kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)