September 25-27, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 75 • 2 Sections - 16 Pages
USA
DATELINE US Sen. Marco Rubio calls for De Lima’s release FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
U N I T E D STATES Senator Marco Rubio (RFlorida) over the weekend called on the Philippine government to release Senator Leila De Lima who has been imprisoned for the past two years on drug-related charges. In a tweet, RuU.S. Senator Marco Rubio bio claimed the Philippine senator has been in prison on “bogus charges.” “Philippine Senator Leila de Lima, a critic of extrajudicial killings under [President Rodrigo] Duterte’s so-called ‘war on drugs,’ has spent the last two years in prison on bogus charges. I call on the Philippine government to unconditionally release her #FreeLeilaNow #ExpressionNOTOp-
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Ambassador Romualdez visits LA hospital spearheading Fil-Am community health research
Suspension of foreign loans, grants won’t impact PH economy - Palace by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s order to suspend aid agreements with countries in favor of the Iceland-led United Nations resolution seeking
a probe into his anti-drug campaign will not harm the Philippine economy, Malacañang assured on Monday, September 23. During a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo
The United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Photo from un.org
clarified, “At the outset, we assure the nation and its citizenry that this directive will not have a negative and significant impact on the country.” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez added that the suspension would
not affect loans or grants that are already being implemented. The Philippines has existing grants from Australia ($228.89 million), Germany ($151.31 million), France
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UN: PH among 48 anti-civil society, activist countries by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
AS the Philippines continues to distance itself from other countries that criticize its controversial war on drugs, it has been named among 48 countries that DURING a recent trip to Los Angeles, Phil- have a rising rate of reprisals against human rights NINONG DUTERTE. President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday attended the baptism of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco and wife ippine Ambassador to the United States Jose groups and advocates that cooperate with the United Rowena Kristina Velasco’s daughter, Sara on Sunday, September 22. The president was at the christening as a “mentor” to Velasco’s daughter. Manuel Romualdez visited Cedars-Sinai Medical Malacañang photo by Albert Alcain u PAGE A2 Center, which is leading a research program into the health needs of Filipino Americans in Southern California and across the country. While it’s common to see Filipinos among the majority of health and care providers worldwide, this local hospital — which employs over 3,000 Filipino Americans — seeks to present one of the most comprehensive profiles of the state of FilHouse member would suppos- of appropriations under the Deby CHRISTIA MARIE RAMOS Am collective health. edly get P700 million. partment of Public Works and Inquirer.net The hospital has done similar inquiries into by RITCHEL MENDIOLA ”With respect do’n sa (to the) Highways amounting to P95.3 other underserved populations, such as the KoAJPress MANILA — President Rodri- allegation of pork, it’s always the billion “for falling outside the rean American and Hispanic communities by go Duterte will veto the alleged President who will decide. The government’s programmed priFILIPINOS remain satisfi ed with President Rodrigo conducting outreach and screenings at churches Duterte’s three-year war on illegal drugs, a recent Social “pork” in the proposed national President is a lawyer. If from his orities.” and other local events. budget for 2020 should he deem legal point of view [it] is uncon“Whether or not this is pork The convening on Monday, September 16 was Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed. it unconstitutional, Presidential stitutional relative to this alleged barrel, that will depend on the The poll, conducted from June 22 to 26, found 82% of attended by Philippine Consul General Adelio Spokesperson Salvador Panelo pork, then he will veto that as he evaluation of the President conCruz, Consulate delegates, and key leaders from adult Filipinos satisfied with the government’s anti-narsaid. did prior to this budget,” Panelo sistent with what the Constitucotics campaign. Those dissatisfi ed accounted for 12% Cedars-Sinai who recommended partnership Panelo said this after Senator said in a Palace briefing on Tues- tion dictates and what the Suand 6% were undecided — resulting in a net satisfacideas between the medical center and the PhilipPanfilo Lacson alleged that 22 day. preme Court has decided on the pine government, as well as how it can engage tion score of “excellent” +70. House deputy speakers would It can be recalled that when matter,” Panelo went on. According to SWS, the net satisfaction of the anti-illeFil-Ams who are reluctant to seek medical care. be given an additional allocation the President signed the national For the 2019 budget, members Cedars-Sinai’s Research Center for Health gal drugs campaign has always been either “very good” of P1.5 billion each, while each budget for 2019, he vetoed items u PAGE A4 u PAGE A2
Survey: Majority of Duterte may veto alleged ‘pork’ in 2020 Filipinos still satisfied budget if found unconstitutional – Palace with anti-drug campaign
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DOH: New polio poses low risks for adults by SHEILA
CRISOSTOMO Philstar.com
Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque administers anti-polio vaccine to a child during the launch of a campaign to end the resurgence of polio Friday, September 20. Photo courtesy of DOH
MANILA — Adults have a very low chance of contracting polio, according to the Department of Health (DOH), after the country recorded its first cases of the disease in two decades – an occurrence blamed on the country’s poor immunization coverage and environmental sanitation. DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo said polio remains a child’s disease as adults have stronger immune systems. He said to prevent it from spreading, they will again have synchronized door-to-door immunization activities starting next month in Lanao del Sur and Laguna, where the first two cases were recorded. Metro Manila and Davao were in-
cluded in the list after Type 1 polio and Type 2 were found in their sewage system. Domingo gave assurance the priority for vaccination are children below five years old as they are the ones most at risk. The DOH, stressing that the country remains polio-free, lamented how poor monitoring of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) also led to the re-emergence of the crippling disease after two decades. “Our AFP surveillance is quite poor over the past few years. Every time a child is manifesting AFP, he should be reported so that stool samples can be collected from him to determine if it is polio or not,” he noted. AFP is defined by the World Health Organization as the sudden onset of paralysis or weakness in any part of the body of a child less than 15 years
old. Polio is one of the many causes of AFP. “We are still polio-free because we don’t have wild poliovirus. The two cases that we have are vaccinederived polio (VDP). We just have to stop its transmission so that we can go back on track,” he maintained. VDP virus is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in the oral polio vaccines being given to children to immunize them against the debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Vice President Leni Robredo said she expects government agencies, particularly the DOH, to be more aggressive in implementing mass vaccination to prevent the spread of the disease. “We need to catch up for all we
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A September 25-27, 2019 • SoCal ASIAN JOUrNAL
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UN: PH among 48 anti-civil society... PAGE A1 Nations. According to the UN Human Rights Office, it has been receiving more information on incidences of intimidation and reprisals against victims, members of civil society and activists, reflecting a rise in cases globally. The cases range from activists suffering detention and prison
sentences, to acts of intimidation such as filming participants in meetings without their consent. “We also have some severe cases of authorities threatening and harassing family members of activists,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour on Thursday, September 19. He added, “Some governments
From the Front Page
seem prepared to go to almost any lengths to punish people who cooperate with us. This may actually underscore the justice of the victims’ causes.” The report, presented Thursday to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, detailed the cases in the Philippines as well as other countries. Philippine Senator Leila De Lima’s detention was cited as one of the cases. “Regarding the former Chair of the Commission, Ms. Leila M. de Lima, on 24 August 2018 the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted an opinion which highlights, among other things, that the detention is deemed arbitrary and recommends that Ms. De Lima be released immediately, afforded compensation and that her detention be investigated. Ms. de Lima has been in prison since February 2018 on allegations of drug-related charges, deemed ‘politically motivated’ by several special procedures mandate holders,” the report read. Another one was the complaint filed by Karapatan, a national human rights organization, before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) with regard to the red-tagging and terrorist-labelling of rights groups. “In April 2019, Karapatan members reportedly were subjected to continued threats, harassment and intimidation against them and their partners. They noted in particular the ‘red-tagging,’ which attempted to discredit the reports Karapatan sends to the UN as a basis for smear and vilification campaigns, and the terrorist-labelling of organizations in line with the Government’s counterinsurgency program,” the report said. Other countries included in the report are Algeria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, State of Palestine, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen. n
WALK FOR A CAUSE. Thousands of participants, both from government and private sectors, join the Alay Lakad 2019 with theme: “Para sa Pag-asa ng Kabataan” at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park before proceeding to Roxas Boulevard on Sunday, September 22. The walk for a cause has benefited more than 97,000 scholars in its 47-year run. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Suspension of foreign loans...
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($6.72 million), Italy ($4.71 million) and Spain ($570,000). France and Germany, who also sponsored the UN resolution, were not among the 18 countries that voted in favor of it. “All proposed engagements with said countries except for one small project loan in the amount of 21 million euros are technical assistance grants and hence will not significantly affect the infrastructure program of the government,” Dominguez said. In July, Iceland filed a resolution calling on rights chief Michelle Bachelet to investigate the human rights situation and prepare a comprehensive report to be presented before the United Nations Human Rights Council. The 18 countries who voted favorably for the resolution calling for a “comprehensive report” on the human rights situation in the Philippines were Argentina, Australia, Austria Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uruguay. The 14 countries who opposed were Angola, Bahrain, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Hungary, India, Iraq, Qatar, the Philippines, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, while the 15 others that abstained from voting were Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia. The Philippine National Police in June released data that claimed a total of 6,600 drug suspects have been killed in the anti-drug operations since Duterte took office on July 2016. However, human rights groups argue that the number has reached over 20,000 killed in extrajudicial circumstances. ‘A big loss’ Senator Francis Pangilinan on
Monday raised concerns on the suspension of all loan and grant talks from countries that backed the UN resolution to investigate the Philippines’ war on drugs, saying that it isolates the country more. In an interview with the CNN Philippines, Pangilinan said that that the countries that voted favorably for the Iceland-led UN resolution are “not small.” “These aren’t small countries — Australia, UK, Italy and Spain — and then they said this is around P20 billion-plus so that is a big loss,” he said. Pangilinan also pointed out that the order will affect direct investments from these countries. “We’re actually isolating ourselves more,” he said. On the other hand, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. was in favor of the directive, saying the memo was “a good idea.” “We don’t need the money; we’ve more than enough without turning to anyone outside except Japan of course whose generosity is unconditional, quick; and whose motivation is honestly to help the Philippines,” Locsin said in a tweet on Friday, September 20. He also said that the Department of Finance had stopped receiving grants from European countries even before Iceland filed the resolution before the UNHRC. “That’s old stuff actually; long before the failed Iceland resolution. DOF didn’t like them; not worth the candle considering the amounts and the terms and the money goes mostly to consultants,” Locsin tweeted Saturday, September 21. Malacañang issued last August 27 the memorandum directing agencies to suspend negotiations for and signing of all loan grant agreements with the governments of countries that co-
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo Philstar.com.photo
sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution. The memo was issued “in light of the administrations’ strong rejection of the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council.” Lapse in memory Panelo on Friday denied that Duterte signed a memorandum about the suspension of all aid talks and offers from the countries that were in favor of the Iceland-led resolution. “The president has not issued any memorandum suspending loans and negotiations involving 18 countries that voted in favour of the Iceland resolution,” he said over the weekend. However, Panelo recanted his statement on Monday, claiming that Duterte had forgotten about the order when he spoke to him. “It was not I who is denying. When I asked him, he said, ‘no, I did not.’ Apparently, as I said, he might have forgotten momentarily. So, when I asked him again he said, ‘yes I remember calling the (executive) secretary about it,’” he said. “That is more [of] the lapse in memory...because when I asked him again, he said, ‘Yes I did.’ But what is important is that memo exists and it is maintained,” Panelo added. n
Survey: Majority of Filipinos still satisfied with...
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or “excellent” in the past 11 survey rounds with the highest rating recorded in December 2016 at “excellent” +77. The pollster also noted that the main reason why 82% of Filipinos across the country are satisfied with the war on drugs is because of the reduction of drug suspects in their local communities. The undecided respondents, meanwhile, claimed that the drug trade and drug suspects are still prevalent. Those who are dissatisfied, SWS noted, were the same group who recently gave Duterte
lower net satisfaction rating. The June 2019 survey also revealed that net satisfaction with the performance of Duterte was excellent +76. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the poll showed that the international community has a warped understanding of what was happening in the country. “If it’s true that there are human rights violations, then the people of this country will rise against this administration,” Panelo said Monday, Sept. 23. “It’s not true that policemen
just kill at will, they cannot do that,” he added. The survey was conducted by SWS using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao). Since Duterte took office in July 2016, government data has claimed that at least 6,600 people have been killed in the anti-illegal drug operations. n
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Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez (center) visited Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, September 16 and met with key figures and several Filipino American staff. He was joined by (L, first row) Executive Director Janet Villarmia Consul General Adelio Cruz, Cancer Institute Director Dr. Dan Theodorescu, Dr. Edwin Posadas, Dr. Robert Haile, HR Senior Vice President Andy Ortiz and Dr. Heitham Hassoun, vice president and medical director for international health. AJPress photos by Noely Ty
Ambassador Romualdez visits LA hospital spearheading... PAGE A1 Equity conducted an initial survey this past summer and received about 500 respondents from the Fil-Am community. The full results of the survey are slated to be unveiled during a Filipino Cultural Day event in October at the hospital, Peachy hain, executive director of medical and surgical services, said. Hain, a Filipina American who has been at Cedars-Sinai for 40 years, organized Monday’s event after previously meeting with Consul General Cruz about the survey. She asserted that the medical center has more to offer in terms of its outreach efforts within the Fil-Am population, which is considered the second-largest Asian American group in Southern California. Some of the health findings of the survey include Fil-Am women having high rates of breast cancer and Fil-Ams showing the highest incidences of thyroid cancer and obesity among any Asian group, Dr. Robert Haile, director of the Research Center for Health Equity, said during his presentation. “They’re not getting screened for cancers at the rate they should be. Health insurance is a concern…but they don’t see a need for going to the doctor unless they’re sick,” Haile told the group. Romualdez suggested aligning with Filipino businesspeople like Manuel V. Pangilinan, who has invested in several cancer treatment centers and a children’s hospital in Metro Manila. “What I would like to see down the road is hospitals to be able to share the information with the Philippines…” the ambassador said.
Dr. Edwin Posadas, medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai
Peachy Hain, Cedars-Sinai executive director of medical and surgical services
“Perhaps that is what we’d like to ask in exchange for the service many Filipino doctors and nurses who work at [Cedars-Sinai].” Dr. Dan Theodorescu, director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute; Dr. Heitham Hassoun, vice president and medical director for international health; Janet Villarmia, executive director; and Josie De Jesus, hospital administrator were also among the Cedars-Sinai officials present on Monday. Scholarly exchanges between the hospital and medical schools and nursing programs back in the Philippines were also suggested. As the nation faces a shortage of registered nurses, California would be among the states hardest hit, with an estimated need of 193,000 new nurses by 2030, a report published in the American Journal of Medical Quality said. With the Philippines continuing to be the leading exporter of nurses to the U.S., partnerships between the government and U.S.-based hospitals are one of the ways to address the void, of-
ficials said. While Monday’s meeting was an exchange of ideas and verbal assurances, Cedars-Sinai officials said they will follow up with the local Consulate office to “The fact that the leadership of Cedars-Sinai and the ambassadorial leadership came together is ground shaking,” Dr. Edwin Posadas, the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai, told the Asian Journal. “This will allow us to make some long-lasting and an important impact on our understanding of Filipinos and their health issues, opportunities and barriers that will lead to changes in health care learning here in Los Angeles, across the U.S. and across the globe since Filipino immigrants are everywhere.” The hospital also plans to do another round of the survey this fall. Prior to visiting the hospital, the ambassador’s weekend schedule included a meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti, a town hall session with Fil-Am community members, and a tour of local businesses. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)
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Family searching for Fil-Am trans woman who went missing at Dallas airport by KlARize
MedenillA AJPress
A FILIPINO American family is searching for their loved one who reportedly went missing on Saturday, September 14 during a layover at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Pauline “Paula” Del Mundo, a 59-year-old transgender woman, was last heard that Saturday while transferring airlines en reroute to Cozumel, Mexico from Tampa, Florida. She never took her connecting flight on American Airlines, and reportedly expressed hesitance to taking the flight. Now the family is asking the public for help in locating their loved one. “It was such a nightmare for our entire family because she [is] the kind of person who is bubbly and loves her trips documented,” Yolanda Del Mundo, Paula’s older sister, said in an email sent to the Asian Journal. “Unfortunately we never heard from her since then.” The older sister noted that Del Mundo “was half-hearted to leave” according to her last text messages. The family is also
Filipinos join the Climate Strike march on Friday in New York City to call international attention to Philippine issues arising from the exploitation of natural resources, like the plight of indigenous peoples losing their ancestral land and the threats faced by environmental activists. Inquirer.net photo by Rey Anthony Ostria
Filipinos in NY raise PH concerns in Climate Strike by Rey
Pauline “Paula” Del Mundo
concerned for Del Mundo’s mental health since “she was on the verge of desperation and we are so worried.” Yolanda Del Mundo then flew to Dallas from New York City on Friday, September 20 to look for Del Mundo with the help of local law enforcement. According to Yolanda Del Mundo, DFW police under the Department of Public Safety is currently investigating the case and working with law enforcement in Tampa, Florida where Del Mundo lives.
Del Mundo is a naturalized Filipina American federal employee with a medium build and height of 5’6”. She has long brown hair and brown eyes, and may also be using the name Paulino. She speaks English. Anyone who may have information about her whereabouts are urged to contact the DFW’s Department of Public Safety at (972) 973-3434, Dallas police at (214) 671-4268 or the Philippine Consulate in Houston at (346) 256-4522. n
Woman gets life for DUI crash that killed Filipino child, grandma TULARE — A drunk driver who ignored a stop sign and crashed into vehicle, killing a Filipina grandmother and her 10-yearold granddaughter more than three years ago, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Judge Juliet Boccone sentenced Cheyenne Wyllie, 28, of Springville, to life in prison for a 2016 DUI collision that killed Angelita Espinosa, 69 and her granddaughter, Jamie Espinosa, and left Jamie father, George Espinosa, seriously injured. Wyllie previously had pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree murder as well as felony driving under the influence causing injury with the special allegation of causing great bodily injury to George. Wyllie had spent the evening of March 26, 2016, drinking at a downtown Visalia restaurant and at a friend’s house. California Highway Patrol officers said Wyllie later ran through a stop sign near Spacer Drive and Avenue 200 in Tulare. Wyl-
Anthony ostRiA Inquirer.net
NEW YORK CITY — Filipinos in this city called for an end to the exploitation of natural resources by big business and to violence against Earth activists, as they marched on Friday, September 20, from Foley Square to Battery Park as part of a concerted global protest action against abuse of the environment and climate change. The march, dubbed Climate Strike, was inspired by 16-yearold Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who started the climate strike movement Fridays for Future protesting government inaction across the globe on the climate crisis. Organizers said some four million people filled city streets around the world, in what was billed as the biggest ever protest against the threat posed to the planet by rising temperatures. The march was held three days before the United Nation’s Climate Action Summit, which will gather world leaders, civil society leaders and businessmen in this city. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will host the emergency summit on Monday in which he will urge world leaders to raise their commitments in the 2015 Paris climate accord. A landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn that global warming and pollution are ravaging Earth’s oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale. There were other urgent advocacies related to the environment, as Filipino protesters in New York underscored.
Ruthie Arroyo, a member of Kabataan Alliance in the United States, told the Inquirer, “one of the things the ‘lumad’ (indigenous peoples) are fighting for is the selling away of their ancestral land, the ‘yutang kabilin’ (land of heritage). So, of course, they are the ones defending the environment from corporate plunder.” She said the lumad’s ancestral lands were rich in mineral resources like gold. Michael Garrovillas, also from Kabataan Alliance, said the protesters were also marching for Brandon Lee, a Chinese-American environmental activist and journalist who was shot in front of his home in Lagawe, Ifugao, on Aug. 5. Lee, a volunteer at Ifugao Peasant Movement, was shot four times and remains in paralysis. “We are hoping to get him back to the United States to get that sustainable medical treatment back here, because the current Philippine government [and] the U.S. government are not … helping him [return] home,” Garrovillas said, adding that a $200,000 fund-raising drive for Lee has so far raised $30,000. Friday’s rallies were the start of 5,800 protests across 163 countries over the next week, said strike organizer 350.org. Events began in the delugethreatened Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, the Solomons and Kiribati, where children chanted: “We are not sinking, we are fighting.” “We are the future and we deserve better,” 12-year-old Lilly Satidtanasarn, known as “Thailand’s Greta” for her campaign against plastic bags in malls, said
in Bangkok. Schoolchildren rallied in India while thousands protested in the Philippines, which experts say faces threats from rising sea levels and increasingly violent storms. Organizers said more than 300,000 children, parents and supporters rallied in Australia alone, which has been struck in recent years by droughts, more intense bushfires, devastating floods and the blanching of the Great Barrier Reef. In New York, Thunberg claimed there were 250,000 protesters. Tens of thousands of supporters in Battery Park chanted her name as she called on leaders to act now to curb gas emissions. “Why should we study for a future that is being taken away from us?” Thunberg asked. “We demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask?” “People in poster and their beautiful words are the same. The number of politicians and celebrities who want to take selfies with us are the same. The empty promises are the same. The lies are the same. And the inaction is the same,” she said further. Strikers on their way to Battery Park chanted: “What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now! If we don’t get it, strike it down!” The strike “makes me feel that there really is hope in organizing and mobilizing people. There really is power in unity,” said Terrenze Rienton, community defense organizer of Damayan Migrant Workers Association, who took part in the New York rally. n
Drunk driver Cheyenne Wiley was sentenced to life imprisonment. Photo courtesy of Tulare City Sheriff’s Office
Angelita Espinosa and her granddaughter Jamie were killed by a drunk driver who received a life sentence. Photo from Facebook
lie had a blood-alcohol content of .21%, according to CHP officers. Wyllie collided with a van carrying the Espinosa family, who were visiting Tulare County from Las Vegas. Angelita and Jamie were killed in the collision. Jamie’s father, George, suffered major injuries and required several “extensive surgeries,” ac-
cording to prosecutors. Under California law, Wyllie must serve 19 years in prison before she is eligible for a parole hearing. To honor the victims, the office of the district attorney announced that it would PAGE A1 appear at any potential parole pression,” Rubio tweeted Saturhearing and argue against the day, Sept. 21. possibility of early release. (InDe Lima, a staunch critic of Presquirer.net) ident Rodrigo Duterte, initiated a probe into his administration’s crusade against illegal drugs. She was arrested and detained in 2017 for allegedly asking money from drug convicts to fund her senatorial campaign and for supposedly allowing the drug trade to continue in the national penitentiary while she was the justice secretary. She, however, denied committing the alleged crimes and claimed that the cases against her were politically motivated. In response to Rubio’s message, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo brushed it off as “bogus.” “‘Yung statement ni Sen. Rubio, ‘yun ang bogus, walang batayan (The statement of Senator Rubio is bogus and baseless),” Panelo said
during a Palace briefing on Monday, asserting that De Lima’s cases were reportedly investigated and received due process. “Paano naman magiging bogus? Dalawang process ang dinaanan. Nagdemanda, nagkaroon ng PI — preliminary investigation, nagsubmit ng ebidensiya, nagsubmit rin yung kalaban, tapos dinitermine ng prosecutor na may probable cause (How would it be a bogus case if it goes through two processes? Thre’s a complaint, preliminary investigation, submission of evidence from both sides, and then the prosecutor determined that there is probable cause),” he added. In April, Rubio and four other American senators — Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Christopher Coons of Delaware — passed a resolution condemning
the imprisonment of de Lima and called on dropping the charges against news website Rappler and its chief Maria Ressa. Their resolution read that De Lima is “a prisoner of conscience” who was “detained solely on account of her political views and the legitimate exercise of her freedom of expression.” Malacañang, in response, told the senators to “mind their own business,” reminding them that the Philippines is “not under the dominion of the United States of America or any of its high-ranking officials.” A group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives also filed a resolution calling for the Filipina senator’s release and condemned the Philippine government for “its role in state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings by police and other armed individuals” under the war on drugs. (AJPress)
PAGE A1 of the congressional bicameral conference committee approved last February the expenditure plan for the said year following a
budget deadlock. This despite earlier objections, also raised by Lacson, over alleged pork barrel insertions in the budget.
The President had already certified as urgent the proposed P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget to avoid delays in its passage. n
US Sen. Marco Rubio calls for De Lima’s...
Duterte may veto alleged ‘pork’ in 2020...
DOH: New polio poses low risks...
PAGE A1 missed out due to the controversy,” she said. Joining Robredo in calling on parents to vaccinate their children, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday said parents should take proactive steps to ensure that their children would not be affected by the contagious disease. “It is very sad that there is a re-emergence of polio after having eliminated it for many years. This tells us that we should not let down our guard in fighting diseases,” said Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. But some parents are still apprehensive of availing themselves of the government’s various vaccination programs as a result of the Dengvaxia scare, where hundreds of children allegedly died after receiving the anti-dengue vaccine. Pabillo said, “The fear of the parents will have to be addressed by educating everyone about the vaccination against polio – that it is safe and necessary.” “The resurgence of polio is a measurement of the effectiveness of fake news being spread by fearmongers against vaccines and a testament to the new challenges the public health sector is facing,” Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said. She said parents have been avoiding vaccines “since non-experts have started talking, claiming they knew everything about the dengue vaccine” and that un-
founded claims on vaccines “resulted in Filipinos fearing going to their doctors and to the barangay health centers to vaccinate their children; thus, a massive coverage reduction, leaving all of us at high risk.” Low budget takes toll Amid the ongoing outbreaks of measles and polio, the DOH is confident that the P10-billion budget cut in 2020 for health services will not affect its immunization activities. Domingo said the budget slice covers primarily “capital outlay” for the construction of hospitals. “The program for national immunization will remain the same, the supply of vaccines will not be affected,” he noted. However, he said the DOH is looking forward to the assurance of the Department of Budget and Management that budgetary requirements for health personnel will be funded through the “miscellaneous personnel benefit fund (MPBF).” The health official added that while polio is among the illnesses that are reportable to the DOH regional offices, many hospitals do not comply with this. But he admitted that DOH also has its shortcomings, particularly in the monitoring of compliance as there has been no “focal person” for the disease in the past years. Based on a report prepared by the DOH-Epidemiology office, there were 264 AFP cases docu-
mented from Jan. 1 to Sept. 7, including the two polio cases recorded in Lanao del Sur and Laguna recently. Central Luzon had the highest at 45 cases; followed by National Capital Region (44); Western Visayas (28); Calabarzon (25); Central Visayas (18); Davao region(14); Bicol (13); Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga peninsula (both 11); Northern Mindanao and Soccskargen (9); Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Caraga (8); Ilocos and Cordillera Administrative Region (6) and Mimaropa (1). The DOH regional official in Zamboanga also disclosed that at least seven suspected polio cases were registered in Zamboanga peninsula. The cases have been forwarded to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for confirmatory testing, according to Dennis Dacayanan, cluster head of DOH9 regional epidemiology surveillance unit. Emilia Monicimpo, DOH-9 regional director, however said Zamboanga peninsula still has zero positive case of polio since it was eradicated 19 years ago. Monicimpo said DOH-9 has provided polio vaccine to 72,365 infants below a year old out of 101,514 target for 2018. Meanwhile, at least 200 children, aged five and below, were given anti-polio vaccines yesterday in Marikina, the local government said. n
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A
Duterte, lawmakers excluded from pay hike DND wants exemption from foreign aid deals by Jess
Diaz Philstar.com
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte, senators and the 300 members of the House of Representatives are not included in the new round of salary increase for government personnel, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said on Tuesday, September 24. “The Constitution prohibits us from being beneficiaries of what we do,” he told reporters. He said the pay hike would cover the rest of the more than 1.8 million officials and employees in the government. He said public school teachers would be receiving a bigger increase than other state workers. “We will fulfill the promise of President Duterte to them after he doubled the compensation of soldiers and policemen,” Cayetano said. When informed that government nurses are demanding a similar adjustment as teachers, the Speaker said he would look into it. “But there’s a law that nurses in government hospitals should be getting a higher salary than what they are now receiving,” he said.
Teachers and nurses hold the same pay rate, which is Salary Grade (SG) 11. Their entry-level pay is P20,754. There are proposals in the House to upgrade them to SG 15, which pays about P30,000, or nearly P10,000 more. The law Cayetano referred to is the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, under which government nurses should be entitled to SG 15 salary. But Congress subsequently passed a joint resolution authorizing the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reclassify positions and compensation. The DBM downgraded the pay for nurses to SG 11. Party-list group Ang Nars has challenged the DBM decision in a case filed with the Supreme Court, which is still pending resolution. The DBM, through the solicitor general’s office, has opposed the petition. Unfortunately for nurses, Ang Nars lost in the May elections, though other party-list groups, including those belonging to the Makabayan bloc, have taken up the cudgels for them. Under Executive Order No. 201, President Duterte’s salary
this year increases to P399,739 from P298,083 last year. The adjusted basic pay of the Vice President, Senate president, House speaker and chief justice is P353,470, while that for senators and congressmen is P295,191. Duterte is not included in the planned three-year compensation adjustment program that will start next year, as he will sign any bill approved by Congress. Vice President Leni Robredo will benefit from the increase. EO 201 was signed by then president Benigno Aquino III in February 2016, four months before he finished his term, due to the failure of Congress to approve the proposed Salary Standardization Law 4. Aquino’s issuance served as the legal basis for the fouryear fourth round of pay hike in the bureaucracy, under which government personnel, from the President down to the lowest-paid employee, are getting their last annual increase this year. Duterte and members of the 17th and the current 18th Congress are benefitting from EO 201 because they were not involved in its issuance. n
2 top PMA officials resign over ‘maltreatment’ of cadets by Dempsey
Reyes ManilaTimes.net
stitution together with the Commandant of cadets to relinquish our respective posiLT. Gen. Ronnie Evangelis- tions,” Evangelista said. ta, the superintendent of the He said he was not leaving Philippine Military Academy his post “in the midst of cri(PMA), resigned on Tuesday, sis” but that the Filipino peoSeptember 24, over allegations ple would have to be shown of “maltreatment” on some “what command responsibility cadets, including the death of should be.” one from hazing. Evangelista and Bacarro’s In a press conference, Evan- resignations came a day after gelista announced that he ten- two more cadets were admitted dered his resignation to Gen. to the hospital after they were Benjamin Madrigal, outgo- subjected to hazing rites. ing chief of staff of the Armed Before this, Cadet 4th Class Forces of the Philippines. Darwin Dormitorio became the Evangelista said Brig. Gen. latest hazing fatality, reuslting Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, in he dismissal of two academy commandant of the military’s officials who were identified as cadet corps, also resigned from having the ranks of major and his post. captain. “It is now the proper time Evangelista said, however, for me as the head of the in- that Dormitorio’s case was up
to proper authorities. “All that is right, legal and moral must be learned, experienced and inculcated in every lesson, activity, interaction and relation in every cadet’s four-year journey at the PMA,” Evangelista said. Bacarro clarified that the resignations did not mean an admission of lapses on their parts. “We did everything we can and even with that, [for] the principle of command responsibility, we volunteered [to resign],” he told reporters in a phone interview. Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, confirmed that Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. has accepted the resignations of Evangelista and Bacarro. n
by alexis
RomeRo Philstar.com
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte will evaluate the appeal of the defense department to exempt military deals from his order banning foreign aid from countries that backed an Iceland-led resolution seeking a review of the Philippines’ war on illegal drugs, his spokesperson said on Tuesday, September 24. “The President is a very reasonable man. If it involves national security, he might. I do not know yet, we have to wait for his thoughts on the matter,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a press briefing. “We will wait for the... evaluation of the secretary of national defense... I’m certain the President will evaluate it,” he added. At a forum in Mandaluyong City, defense chief Delfin Lorenzana said “we are going to follow what the directive is” but
maintained “we are going to request for an exemption because we really need to transact business with other countries.” Lorenzana explained the President’s directive was only for grants and loans and doesn’t cover buying of key defense equipment from any particular state. “We are now in the process of talking with the Australians about the building of our six offshore patrol vessels. We’re going to buy that. I will talk again with the higher ups on how we can go around the directive of the President. But we will follow the directive,” the defense secretary said. Eighteen countries voted for the adoption of an Iceland-led resolution calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to look into the human rights situation in the Philippines, including the deaths tied to the campaign against narcotics. Fourteen countries voted against the resolution while 15
abstained from the voting. Those that backed the resolution were Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay. Those opposed were the Philippines, Angola, Bahrain, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Hungary, India, Iraq, Qatar, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, while abstaining were Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia. To show its “strong rejection” to the resolution, Malacañang issued a memorandum ordering agencies to suspend negotiations for and signing of all loan and grant agreements with the governments of countries that co-sponsored and voted in favor of the resolution. n
A6 SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2019 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL
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OPINION
Coastal cleanup
FEATURES
AS the country marked the 47th anniversary of the declaration of martial law last Saturday, September 21, about 20,000 people gathered around Manila Bay for a different type of observance: International Coastal Cleanup or ICC Day. The special day is now seen as the world’s most extensive volunteer effort to promote ocean health, with over 100 countries participating. The Philippines has been among the most active participants in the event, which was started in 1986 by the U.S.-based environmental group Ocean Conservancy. This is due in part to the fact that the country, with its extensive coastline, is also among the most threatened by rising ocean temperatures and sea levels. Beyond the annual observance, the Philippine government continues its cleanup of Boracay. In Metro Manila, about 10,000 people participated in the launch on Jan. 27 this year of the government’s ambitious program to clean up Manila Bay, including the rivers and other waterways that drain into the bay. During every ICC observance, tons of garbage are collected from Manila Bay. This indicates that the clean-up effort isn’t trickling down to communities around the bay and the waterways that flow into it. Encouraging such communities to clean up should be the job of local government units, starting with barangay offices.
In Metro Manila and other urban areas facing the sea, this task often goes hand-in-hand with governance in informal settlements. The so-called Battle for a Trash-Free Manila Bay must include a program to deal with the slum communities that use the bay and waterways as their septic tank and garbage receptacle. Garbage piles up even in waterways that run through communities where there are no squatters. Local governments must intensify efforts to enforce ordinances on proper garbage disposal. Garbage collection must also be enhanced, with recycling and segregation encouraged. Ordinances against littering must be enforced, with violators apprehended and appropriate penalties imposed. Alongside this, garbage receptacles must be installed at strategic spots and the trash collected regularly. People litter because they can’t find a place to put their trash. Outside the cities, there are areas that are facing the risk of becoming another Boracay before the cleanup. With a clear plan and political will to carry it out, it’s possible to clean up coastal areas. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
The youth takes charge of the adults’ denial, apathy and inaction on the climate crisis threatening life on earth
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS HISTORY has again and again documented how the youth has been the driving force of change in society through many generations in different parts of the world. The youth and young adults ignited the spirit of the French Revolution that overthrew the abusive monarchy and established a republic in France. The youth and young adults were the force behind the civil rights movement that challenged racism, pushed forward voter rights and civil rights legislation in America. The youth and young adults were a strong force in the bloodless People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines. These are but some of the many other chapters in world history where the youth’s idealism, boldness, and uncorrupted spirit pushed for the change that the complacent, self-serving, powerdriven and money talking adults refuse to respond to the call and the urgency of the times so as not to rock the status quo.
Just recently, we have seen how the students from Parkland, Florida who faced a tragic shooting at their high school in February 2018 spearheaded a movement that demands gun control legislation and came up with the “Peace Plan” to put an end to gun violence and mass shooting in America, all because the adults of the country — especially the current occupant of the White House and the Republican leadership have nothing to offer but “thoughts and prayers” as they remain beholden to the rich and powerful National Rifle Association lobby group for political expediency. This is the same dilemma faced by activists in a more urgent problem that affects not just a state, or a country, or a region of the world. It affects the whole planet earth. It affects all of us living thing. Last Friday, September 20, millions of the youth and young adults in different countries all over the world walked out of their classrooms and work to join a global protest to demand URGENT action on climate change.
This was lead by climate activist Greta Thunberg, a 16-year old student from Sweden who started this global movement. She happens to be in New York City to speak before the UN General Assembly, after delivering her forceful message to Congress. Greta Thunberg and 15 other young people on Monday, September 23 filed a potentially and hopefully world-changing climate complaint, announcing that “they’re suing five of the world’s major carbon polluters on the grounds that the countries are violating their rights as children’. The lawsuit, according to Gizmodo report, was filed on behalf of the youth by the international law firm Hausfeld. It contended “that world governments are violating children’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention drafted in 1989 is the most-signed human rights treaty ever crafted and lays out the inalienable rights of children. They include among others, the right to life, health, and peace, all with special stipulations for indigenous groups. They’re also all things climate change is up-
ending. There’s ample evidence climate change is already making kids and adults sick, killing them, and uprooting their lives.” With the success of this fight, the UN would then classify the climate crisis as a children’s rights crisis. “And more importantly, it would compel Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Turkey— the five countries named in the suit—to work with other nations to forge binding emissions’ reduction targets,” as reported by earthergizmodo.com. Greta was only 15 when she took time off school to demonstrate outside the Swedish parliament, holding up a sign calling for stronger climate action. The power of one exploded to a global movement driven by young people who are afraid about what is happening in our planet and how this will affect their future. “This is all wrong, I shouldn’t be up here,” Thunberg said, addressing the General Assembly and shaking with rage. “I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. You have stolen my dreams, my childhood with your empty words. We will not
let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line.” The message isn’t just for the world’s major carbon polluters, but are also directed toward the adults — who, despite the facts and data from scientific research, had not acted urgently enough to solve the climate crisis that has now endangered life on earth as we know it. “We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” were the strong impassioned messages of Greta on behalf of her generation and the future generations. She continued, “For more than 30 years the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here and say that you’re doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight. You say you hear us and understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am I do not want to believe that because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act,
then you would be evil, and that I refuse to believe.” “There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable and you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is,” Thunberg added. “You are failing us. Young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. If you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you. We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. Change is coming whether you like it or not.” I AM WITH GRETA. I am fighting for my children and grandchildren and the generations more to come. ARE YOU WITH US? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFilAmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Basic governance
Demand and Supply BOO CHANCO MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno said in so many words to hold the praises because he has really done nothing yet ot her than basic governance. The problem with us, the mayor said, is that we have gotten used to corruption and inefficiency as normal. “So, when I start doing what is expected of a mayor, it is abnormal.” I met the mayor for the first time last week when he spoke before the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF). I have covered all sorts of politicians and officials in my journalism career, but I have yet to figure out who Mayor Isko Moreno really is. Those who know him tell me “what you see is what you get.” Few politicians are like that. He served as Manila councilor for nine years and then as vice mayor. But he had the initiative to attend governance courses at the Kennedy School in Harvard and then in Oxford. That only shows he sees more in public office than making it a family business. He started poor… knew hunger in his youth… lived in a garbage… then got a break in
showbiz. If lots of money is all he wanted, he could have remained in showbiz. He seems strongly motivated to show the world that poor boys can aspire for anything in life and achieve it. The young Manila mayor caught the people’s attention the day after he was sworn into office. Over the next two months and a half, he has done more than his predecessor who had two terms at city hall. Indeed, the mayor provided a bright spot of hope at a time when many Filipinos have given up on their public officials. People wonder if he is for real, or if he can keep this up. The mayor seems amused at all the attention. “I just do what I am supposed to do under the law,” he said, “I am just doing basic governance.” He cited the example of rampant rumbles involving young people in the depressed areas of the city. He used a long existing city ordinance that penalized parents of children caught in the streets. He imposed a curfew for children from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Overnight, there was peace and order. As for clearing the streets of Divisoria, he said he simply talked to the organizers in the language of one who grew up in Tondo and they understood. The streets were clean the day after
his deadline. The mayor joked that the eminent business people in the audience are in the wrong careers. If they want oodles of money, they should just be mayor of Manila… he was offered P5 million a day to look the other way in Divisoria. He rejected it and insisted that they give the streets back to the people. The mayor manages by wandering around. He wanders around at odd hours of the day and night. No city official or even police officer is safe if he finds something wrong in their areas. The mayor said his idol in governance is the late Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. He has been reading a lot about LKY and tries to apply lessons learned. He also subscribes to the broken window theory used by Mayor Rudy Guilliani in New York City. This is why he is focused on cleaning up the city and asking the private sector to help him revive the historical buildings in Escolta and Binondo. He claims to have a PhD in garbage management because he spent a good part of his youth earning a living in the garbage dumps. He knows what to do about garbage collection, which he said, starts with changing the mindsets of citizens.
Hunger is a special concern of the new mayor. So he sought the help of another Tondo boy, Ramon Ang of San Miguel. Last week, the mayor and Mr Ang inaugurated SMC Better World Community food bank and education center in Tondo. The San Miguel feeding program would help students do better in school. “I know what it feels like to come to school starving,” said Moreno. “Hindi lang ako, pati ‘yung mga kaklase ko, medyo slow at hirap ‘pag walang chicha,” he said. San Miguel Foundation’s “Better World Community” will provide daily meals to impoverished kids in Tondo for the next 10 years. They are also planning to build nine other food banks in other depressed areas of Manila. They are working with another volunteer group to help gather food donations from restaurants and hotels. Ease of doing business is now a reality in the City of Manila, he said, and business permits can be had in a day or two at the latest. He said there is no valid reason to delay. There are those who say the mayor reminds them of Duterte and is his best successor in 2022. But Mayor Isko dismisses the thought. He is focused on proving good governance can change the city for good.
Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno
But I noticed how he differentiates himself, perhaps subliminally, to Duterte. He says he believes in the rule of law and he intends to stay within the law at all times. No EJKs, no shortcuts. Highly placed sources tell me that Duterte is a fan of the mayor. Duterte likes the spunk and humility of the man. Duterte liked it that when Moreno reportedly asked to be made DSWD Secretary, but it was already promised to someone else, Moreno ac-
Philstar.com photo
cepted being undersecretary. “Take a second look again at Manila. Give me a couple of years. Tingnan natin kung sino ang magwawagi - yung nakagisnan o yung luma - yung luma na tama. Kasi what happened to us - yung abnormal naging normal…” Will a basurero be the next tenant of Malacañang? Probably, but he has to prove he can collect Manila’s garbage first and deliver a City of Manila we can be proud of. (Philstar.com)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 25-27, 2019
BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal
Top businessmen respond to Isko Moreno’s call to invest in Manila by iris
gonzaLes Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s top tycoons have responded to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno‘s call to invest in Manila and bring back the city’s lost glory, Moreno said in an interview last week. “A lot of them have committed to help – Ricky Razon, Tessie Sy, Lance Gokongwei, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, all of them have agreed to help the city,” Moreno said last week on the sidelines of the opening of San Miguel Corp.’s learning center and food facility in Tondo. For the tycoons, Manila was one way or another part of their lives, the mayor said. He said that while the tycoons all agreed to help, Moreno is also urging them to invest in the city in bigger ways. “Their investment is now being studied. We are now working on our counter-proposal so let’s say, if they want to come here, we will give them these options. We will protect their businesses from corruption and we can show them the possibilities on how they can invest,” he said. Areas for possible investments are in tourism, energy-saving, environment and in the different industries, he said. In tourism for instance, he said one of the famous bridges in Manila will be renovated to become how it was during the Spanish time. “We will bring you back in time,” he said. In all, Moreno said he is knocking on the doors of tycoons to pay it forward. After all, he said, they have benefited from doing business in Manila. The goal is to lift Manila’s poorest of the poor out of poverty. “We will try to reach that kind
agcaoiLi Philstar.com
of goal with everyone’s help,” he said. SMC, led by its president and COO Ramon Ang, is among the first to respond to Moreno’s call to help the city. The diversified conglomerate opened last week the first of its kind learning facility and food bank in the heart of Tondo with a target to serve the poorest barangays in the city. Moreno and SMC president and COO Ramon Ang formally opened the Tondo facility. Better World Tondo center aims to provide the poorest barangays of Manila access to food, but also the tools to allow them to improve their lives. They will be provided with canned goods, fresh produce such as vegetables and cooked food as well. “Better World Tondo was a concept we’ve had for some time. We want to be able to collaborate with businesses and companies to collect excess food, store them in a food bank, to be served
Philippines boosts global ranking in trade facilitation by LoueLLa
DesiDerio Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines saw its trade facilitation score go up in this year’s United Nations (UN) Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation amid improvements in four out of five categories tracked by the report. This year’s report showed the Philippines got a trade facilitation score of 80.65 percent, up from 69.89 percent in 2017. Covering 128 economies, the UN report looks at trade facilitation measures being implemented in relation to the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, digital trade, small and medium enterprises, agriculture and women, and trade finance. The measures are grouped into five categories which are crossborder paperless trade, paperless trade, institutional arrangement and cooperation, formalities, and transparency. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines had a better trade facilitation score than neighbors Indonesia (80 percent), Brunei Darussalam (77 percent), Cambodia (71 percent), Vietnam (61 percent), Myanmar (60 percent) and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (59 percent). The Philippines, however, was behind Malaysia and Thailand which both got 83 percent, and Singapore which had a score of 94 percent. Results of the survey showed the Philippines had higher scores in all the categories except in in-
Philstar.com file photo
stitutional arrangement and cooperation, where its rating was unchanged at 55.56 percent. In the cross-border paperless trade category, the Philippines got a score of 55.56 percent this year from just 33.33 percent in 2017. The Philippines’ score also rose to 77.78 percent this year from 70.37 percent in 2017 in the paperless trade category. In terms of the formalities category, the Philippines had a rating of 100 percent this year from 87.50 percent last year. The Philippines also had a 100 percent score in the transparency category this year, up from 93.33 percent in 2017. In conducting the survey, the UN aims to help countries benchmark and reduce the time and cost of trading across borders. It likewise seeks to provide information for policy makers to take advantage of trade in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which aims to put an end to poverty. n
PH seeks other oil sources after attack on Saudi sites by DarryL John
esguerra
Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines — The recent drone-and-missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s major oil sites has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to order his Cabinet to look into other sources of oil. “Well, the President said that he had already tasked the concerned government agencies to look for other possible sources of oil to keep our supply sufficient,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, speaking partly in Filipino, said in a Palace briefing. Saudi Arabia was the top supplier of crude oil to the Philippines last year. The country imported 33.7% of its crude from the Middle East kingdom as of 2018, according
Filipino households with savings hit all-time high on 3rd quarter by Lawrence
“A lot of them have committed to help – Ricky Razon, Tessie Sy, Lance Gokongwei, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, all of them have agreed to help the city,” Moreno said last week on the sidelines of the opening of San Miguel Corp.’s learning center and food facility in Tondo. Philstar.com file photo
to the Department of Energy (DOE). Surging crude prices would lead to higher prices of goods and services — and a large import bill — which could weaken the peso against the dollar. The DOE earlier said it would ask the President to create a task force that would tackle possible oil supply problems following the attack in Saudi Arabia, which took place on Saturday, Sept. 14. “We will wait for the request. and the Palace, the Office of the President. will study it,” Panelo said of the DOE proposal. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi earlier said that the Philippines would not have any supply disruptions, but he noted that the effect of the attack would likely be felt through fuel prices. n
to those in need by community volunteers. It’s food rescue to address hunger, which is still a major problem for many sectors of our society,” Ang said. Ang said more than a food bank, the center is a learning facility that aims to help improve the lives of the children of Tondo. n
A
MANILA, Philippines — The percentage of Filipino households with savings at present reached an all-time high in the third quarter as consumers expect inflation, interest and unemployment rates to increase and the peso to weaken against the dollar, according to the results of a quarterly survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Redentor Paolo Alegre, director of the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics (DES), said the latest Quarter Consumer Expectation Survey showed the percentage of households with savings reached a new record high of 37.5 percent in the third quarter from 35.2 percent in the second quarter. “The higher number of savers was observed across income groups,” he said. Alegre said the respondents said they are saving money for emergencies, health and hospitalization and education. Other reasons, he said, include for retirement, business capital and investment or for the pur-
set aside money for savings also increased to 45.3 percent in the third quarter from 42.3 percent in the second quarter. “The proportion of those that would set aside less than 10 percent of their monthly gross family income rose, while those with 10 percent or more allocation for savings declined to Redentor Paolo Alegre, director of the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics (DES), said the latest Quarter 31.2 percent from 36.8 perConsumer Expectation Survey showed the percentage cent,” he said. According to Alegre, conof households with savings reached a new record high of 37.5 percent in the third quarter from 35.2 percent in the sumers still expect inflation second quarter. Philstar.com file photo to increase at 4.3 percent chase of real estate. over the next 12 months, The survey conducted from July exceeding the BSP’s two to four 1 to 13 covering 5,488 households percent target. nationwide showed majority of Likewise, the survey showed the savers at 66.9 percent kept the percentage of households their money in a bank, slightly using remittances from overseas lower than the 67.1 percent in the Filipino workers to save increased previous quarter. to 37.3 percent in the third quarter On the other hand, about 43.6 from 33.9 percent. percent kept their savings at home Alegre said the percentage of and 32.9 percent placed their households using remittances to money in cooperatives, paluwa- invest also increased to 7.9 pergan or other credit or loan asso- cent from 7.6 percent. ciations and as investments such “OFW households that utilize as insurance. their remittances for savings and Alegre added the percentage investment increased for the curof respondents that committed to rent quarter,” he said. n
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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - september 25, 2019
MASTER OF HER OWN FATE Hadestown’s Kay Trinidad is living her best life trinidad had to send her video dancing. she said they were kind Hadestown is undoubted- incredibly humbled and grateful enough to send a video of their ly the hottest show on Broadway to be a part of this very special choreographer, david neumann, this season. It led the pack and show, this beautiful, inspiring dancing to “Papers” music. she received an astounding 14 tony and epic masterpiece.” trinidad studied the tape and learned award nominations, winning in said. that choreography with her older eight categories including Best It was an arduous casting sister taping it for submission. Musical. process, something that trinidad trinidad was then called It is special for Filipino relished in remembering. in one more time, once back americans too, because one of she first went in and sang her in town, to sing with another the principal cast members is eva own song for the casting direcperformer up for the role of one noblezada, who received her tor, then got a callback and was of the Fates. a day or two later, second tony nomination for lead given a packet of material, which she received the call that I had included both Persephone and actress. booked the role of Fate #2! Fate music. she was was asked eagle eyed audience mem“I was in my apartment to stay and dance, and later that when I received the call! I was so bers will notice though that it’s not just eva who is Filipino in the day, she performed Fate choelated my heart could burst and I reography to “when the Chips cast but one of the three scene wanted to be one of the Fates so stealing trio called the Fates is a are down.” badly,” she said. “I thought that was the final certified Pinay as well. trinidad had just finished a Her name is Kay trinidad and part of the audition and left the presentation of a new musical city for the holidays. I was given in an interview with the asian called “Lempicka” when the a call while out of town to come Journal, she expressed how opportunity to join Hadestown back and dance more for them thankful she is for being part of presented itself. as they were figuring out castan amazing cast and an even Her husband and his coming,” she recalled. more amazing show. pany, Marathon digital, had since she was not in the city, already been running the social “It feels like a dream! I am so media for the show and she had the opportunity to see the production both in edmonton, Canada, and at the national theatre in London. “since the first time I saw it, I fell in love with the stirring music of anaïs Mitchell. then when I saw the show once again in London, with all of the great adjustments and tightening (aka director Rachel Chavkin is a genius), that’s when I realized... I wanna be one of them (the Fates),” she said. Hadestown has no shortage in great songs and numbers, so we had to ask her what her favorite scenes and songs are in the show. “this is always a tough question because I have such a blast throughout every part of the show depending on who I’m playing with onstage,” she started. then she mentioned a couple: “when the Chips are down” (“It’s so fun to perform) and “epic III” (when Hades and Persephone are sharing their moment of pure love and all the Underworld is swept up in it as well, it’s so incredibly beautiful and symbolic of how goodness can overcome the world and feel so damn uplifting - to see how the world could be). “I love performing the powerhouse songs that are “wait for Me” and the “wait for Me Reprise” and getting to be the ominous presence in both songs,” she added. Herstory “the best part of my job is sharing a piece of theater that is life-changing not only for me, but for anyone who sees it. I also find it so utterly gratifying to be able to represent my fellow asians,” she said. I didn’t grow up with many asian role models or anyone who really looked like me on the stage. Lea salonga was always someone I looked up to, but it wasn’t common to see diversity on stage as it is today, although we still have a long way to go regarding diversity in the arts. this is just the beginning.” Kay feels like she has always been singing and putting on productions as far as she can remember. “I would create and perform Photos from Instagram/@kaytrinidad
by MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress
my own shows, concerts, and sock-skating performances for my family when I was a child. I would make tickets, make them buy them, have them purchase snacks during intermission, and would always force my little sister to be my co-star,” she recalled. Growing up, she was always involved with choir and began taking voice lessons around 4th or 5th grade. It wasn’t until she went to high school and auditioned for show choir that she realized that singing and dancing at the same time was so hard. that was her cue. she began taking all different kinds of dance lessons. she has always been very active in sports growing up, and by her junior year in high school, she had to choose between sports and drama and musical theater. “Performing had my heart. It was then that I decided that I wanted to pursue a career on Broadway - my later high school years,” she quipped. and how exactly did her parents react? “My parents knew I was meant to be a performer before I did,” trinidad revealed. “they have always been incredibly supportive in every way possible. I’m so thankful that at a young age, they enrolled me in piano lessons. this made learning music a breeze.” they have also attended every single performance and concert she was a part of, and supported her decision to pursue her career and attend college far away from home at new York University’s tisch school of the arts. trinidad was a sophomore in college when she received an offer to join the cast of Bare: a Pop opera as diane Lee. as a young college student, she couldn’t believe it was happening. the offer also meant getting her equity card and joining the professional actor’s union. Her father called her high school musical theater teacher, Peg waldschmidt, and asked if she should leave nYU for this show. “she said, “Yes!” and I’ve never looked back. I don’t know how much more supportive my parents could have been, especially when faced with the unknown regarding my education and future. I love them so incredibly much, and they have always been my number one fans,” trinidad added. Creating memories doing the show has been an incredible experience for her because she gets to work with an amazing group of fellow cast members every single day, including fellow Filipino americans eva noblezada and adam Hyndman whom she describes as “nothing less than incredible, inspiring human beings”. together, they’ve been through a lot of memorable and unforgettable experiences, including this year’s tony awards, which she was also very happy to share with her husband Mike Karns, social Media director/ Co-Producer/Fates Fan Club President. doing the tony awards
Photo from kaytrinidad.com
Photo by Jenny Anderson/Broadwaybox.com
takes a lot of time and preparation and after the actual awards show, she felt exhausted and elated, all at once. “It was a big recovery day for me and I’m sure for the rest of the cast as well. the tony awards day is a very crazy day,” she explained. the cast starts the day with only 2-4 hours of sleep since they had a two-show day the day before and had a call time of 5:00 a.m. at the theater to get into hair, makeup and costumes. then they had to head over to Radio City Music Hall and run the entire tony’s show for rehearsal, then head back to their theater for a matinee, and then head back to Radio City Music Hall for the actual tony awards. “By the time the awards were over, we had our company party, and then the after parties...and just like that it was 5:00 am! Bedtime!,” she said. opening night was also memorable, and for her, a dream as her husband’s parents and her own parents shared in the celebration. “we are so blessed to have the most loving and supportive parents anyone could ask for. and to have them all at the show for opening night was such a blessing,” she said. “It is so fulfilling to be performing in a show that is life-changing. this is why we do it! this is why I do theater,” she exclaimed. “I’m so blessed to be paid for doing what I love and call it a job. and to do art that moves the heart and makes people think.” Learnings Based on the time she has spent doing the show, trinidad has learned quite a few lessons, something that she’d bring
wherever fate brings her next. Balance work and life. Continue to learn and grow personally and professionally. discover new things onstage every day. although show life seems glamorous, it’s also a fulfilling ass-kicking. In the end, it’s not all about the glamour and fame, and the Hollywood personalities who go backstage after the show. the audiences see two and half hours of great songs and performances, something that the cast does eight times a week. that requires a lot of discipline and practice. In order to do that, trinidad does a lot of stretching, yoga and strengthening exercises. she also runs, hydrates as much as she can, gets plenty of rest when possible, and keeps her body as healthy as possible. asked about her message to young Filams who want to become performers/artists, trinidad quipped, “shoot for the stars! Believe in everything you want to do and be, and work hard for it.” then she followed it up with some tips: never stop learning and growing. always be kind to others. If there is anything else you can see yourself doing other than performing, do that - because you really need to go all in and put all of your heart into your career. Have faith. embrace everything you are and all of your differences. that’s what sets you apart and makes you the special person you are. In the end, she is simply thankful, and full of gratitude. For her family and closest friends, and God, “for without him I wouldn’t be doing what I was meant to be doing or have my gifts to share”.
James sees his music label Aside from physical strength, as ‘the bridge between OPM Jane reveals other equally and international music’ important demands of Darna role by allan
PolicarPio Inquirer.net
It has been three months since Jane de Leon learned that was chosen to play darna. But to this day, she has yet to fully grasp the magnitude of the said project and the impact it could make not only on her career, but also on her life. “I still can’t believe it. I’m not really sure what they saw in me—I just did my best during my auditions,” she told the Inquirer in a brief chat, moments before she took the red carpet at the 2019 aBs-CBn Ball. “Just the same, I’m thankful that our bosses saw potential in me; that they believe I have the qualities and what it takes to take on the role,” added Jane, who bested over 200 hopefuls for star Cinema’s 2020 film adaptation, featuring the iconic Filipino superhero.
the training is reportedly rigorous and physically demanding, so much so that the two previous actresses tapped for the movie were both forced to withdraw due to health issues. angel Locsin injured her back. Liza soberano, meanwhile, felt she wouldn’t be able to perform stunts properly because her broken finger kept hampering her. Preparations are already underway, and she’s starting to feel the pinch. But she’s up for the challenge. she works out every day and maintains a healthy diet to make sure she has the strength and endurance during training. “at first, it was difficult, but as we go on, I feel like I’m starting to get used to it … I’m quite athletic; I do wushu,” the 20-year-old star Magic talent related. “I also have to be mentally Jane de Leon Continued on Page 3 Photo from Instagram/@imjanedeleon
by Tcel
MaraMaG Inquirer.net
tHeRe is something about James Reid’s cool, calm and collected personality that gives off this mysterious vibe—a character with so many layers to him that one’s curious self cannot help but try to discover. what’s even more fascinating is that despite the buzz that surrounded him as the very first Filipino endorser of armitron watches during its official Philippine launch, James reveals a playful demeanor toward his “baby,” which he coparents with girlfriend nadine Lustre—an 8-month-old Pembroke welsh Corgi, named Calcifer dante Pendragon (or simply Cal)—who accompanied him to the event. It was refreshing to have the “usually elusive” James candidly answering Inquirer’s questions Continued on Page 4 James Reid
Photo from Instagram/@james
entertainment
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25, 2019
Moving on with Sue by Boy
ABundA Philstar.com
IT was a couple of weeks ago when Sue Ramirez first confirmed in an interview with members of the entertainment press about the buzz swirling around that she and Joao Constancia had called it quits. Hence, one question sent via #ItanongMoSaTWBA on Twitter was pertaining to moving on. The question read, “Paano nga ba mag move on ang isang Sue Ramirez?” On the hot seat of Tonight with Boy Abunda (TWBA), Sue turned emotional while declaring on national TV that she and Joao had already parted ways. It was a struggle for her to move on from their relationship which lasted for two years. “It’s hard because you get used to having the person around pero andaming differences kasi marami kaming bagay na hindi napagkakasunduan,” she began. “We really wanted it to work pero ‘pag hindi talaga, hindi talaga.” Sue made it clear that their line of communication remains open, telling fans not to put any meaning if and when they see her talking with him or if their social media posts earned “likes” from each other. “Maayos po ang naging usapan namin. Yes, we still talk like I do check on him just to know if he’s okay and that’s how he is to
Meanwhile, Sue also shared her excitement with her new movie Cuddle Weather, an entry to this year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP). It was a real challenge for her to portray Adela to the point of having truly felt worried on the first day of the shoot. “I didn’t know how I was able to fulfill the thing that I am scared of doing. I just felt I truly got into the character and then I realized we shared many things in common and at the same time our differences helped me understand things. Adela gave me new insights. But we are both like a hard shell but soft on the inside. Isa naman na pagkakaiba namin ay si Adela ay sanay mag-isa while I cannot live alone; I always want to be surrounded by people I’m comfortable with.” Her leading man in Cuddle Weather is RK Bagatsing who plays sex worker Ram just like Sue’s Adela. Asked to rate RK’s Sue Ramirez sexiness from 1 to 10, Sue gave Photo from Instagram/@sueannadoodles a perfect 10. The actress also reminded me as well.” everyone that the movie is not However, the possibility of about pornography contrary to getting back together again remains to be seen with Sue tell- what others are thinking. One social media user asked if it’s ing that her focus is on herself. really a bold movie or paasa “But I don’t want to close my lang which Sue responded doors. I have a tendency that with “Manuod ka na lang ng when I’m in a relationship, I’m porn kung yun lang naman ang really, really dedicated to it na gusto mong mapulot sa kwento binibigay ko buong-buo ‘yung sarili ko. This time, it feels good namin. It’s not the concept of our movie.” to put myself first.”
Aside from physical strength...
From Page 2 strong.” But more than the role’s physical requirements, she stressed that it’s just as crucial that she embodies Darna’s values. “She and I are both tough … And we’re both willing to sacrifice everything for our families and loved ones,” Jane pointed out. In earlier social media posts, “Darna” director, Jerrold Tarog—who replaced Erik Matti—said Jane was the “unanimous choice for the role.” “The execs wanted a new face for Darna and I was all
for it,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thus, open auditions—newbies, celebs, chinita, mestiza, morena, etc. The short list was a good mix, but ultimately, it was about who could carry the role.” On the ABS-CBN Ball red carpet, she wore a drapey, bluish-grey gown by Vania Romoff. But it wasn’t the outfit itself that had people talking. It was her pendant: a golden South Sea pearl which, observers believed, was a nifty allusion to the stone Narda swallows to transform into Darna. For her ensemble, Jane was named “Belo Beauty on the
Rise,” one of the special awards handed out at the ball. And as Darna would have probably done herself, the actress donated her winnings to the night’s beneficiary, the Bantay Edukasyon program of the charity organization Bantay Bata 163. Jane used to be a member of the dance group Girltrends, and had played mostly minor roles in such TV series as “Halik” and “La Luna Sangre.” “Darna” could potentially catapult her to stardom. “I’m committed, 100 percent, and I will give it my all,” she said.
entertainment The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25,
Senator Bong Revilla
to be worried about. Alam mo naman, habang tayo ay tinatapakan, lalo lang tayong pumopogi n’yan (laughs). 2019 What’s the best and toughest part of being a Revilla? Being a Revilla is like being on two sides of the same coin. I carry with me the legacy of my father, Ramon Revilla Sr. I need to live up to whatever expectations people have of me. If you are loved by so many, there will always be haters and doubters. Worse part these days, they bash you on social media. What’s the craziest thing that you and Lani have done? When we were young and madly in love, we did a lot of crazy things. But I would rather keep those as our “naughty little secrets” Philstar.com photo (laughs). How do you and Lani handle your differences? In the face of trials and challenges, we always go back to the very surprise for my fans. I have a reason why we fell in love with number of projects lined up. I each other. That is enough will make sure my next movies reason for us to continue to will be “sulit sa ibabayad ng course through life together. tao.” What do you want to What makes your marchange in yourself or imriage work? I honor my wife prove on? I always … [ask] Lani (Mercado) for always God for wisdom to discern as trusting and believing in me. to whom to trust. The past five years was the Milestone for wedding toughest season of our life. band I would not have surpassed Premier wedding band 3rd all these without her by my Avenue celebrates its 15th side. There’s only one thing year in the biz via the concert, that can make any marriage “3rd Avenue 3XV,” at the Muwork—make Christ the center sic Museum, 8 p.m., on Sept. of your union and family. 26. Its special guests include How do you handle Morissette Amon and Jake detractors? I just pray for Zyrus. Let the band’s songs them. If you are at peace with lead you to your “happy ever the truth, there’s nothing after.”
How Bong handles detractors by Dolly
Anne CArvAjAl Inqurier.net
BONG Revilla Jr. is turning a year handsomer on Sept. 25. He has aged well. There must be some truth to the urban legend about the Revillas’ “agimat.” Let Bong’s chinky eyes say the rest. I have always been apolitical, so I’m featuring Bong as an actor, not as a public servant—no politics involved, just pure show biz. Après tout, it’s Bong’s action movies that catapulted him to fame. Here’s my chat with Bong: What are some of your realizations as you turn a year older? We’re not get-
ting any younger. Kidding aside, I realized that even with everything I’ve been through, I still have so much to learn. With age comes wisdom. We become better, wiser and prudent with our words, thoughts and deeds. Mayroon tayong pinagkatandaan. I have seen my faith stretched, strengthened and tested in fire. Sabi nga, ang pinakamatibay na bakal, nagdadaan muna sa pinakamainit na apoy upang ma-panday. I have come out stronger and more courageous than ever before. Tell us a bit about the next movie you plan to make. I am cooking up a
Photo from Instagram/@james
James sees his... From Page 2 ranging from his current endorsements, to his maturing relationship with Nadine, and his foremost passion—music, as the CEO of his own music label, Careless Music Manila. News recently broke out that he severed ties with Viva Artists Agency, his longtime management company, due to “sensitive reasons.” His career is now being managed by his father, Robert Malcom Reid. On being on his own and comanaging his career, he said: “There are benefits and drawbacks. But the rewards would have to be having the freedom in this business, although there’s lack of management assistance, which is also difficult.” He added, “It’s great, but it’s also scary. It’s just me. I’m focusing a lot on my music right now. I want to give it a chance and see how far I can take my music. I have big plans for it.” When asked to clarify rumors that he will be transferring to the Kapuso network, James was quick to reply, “No.” After withdrawing from a remake of “Pedro Penduko” due to a spinal injury, James shared: “I’m still planning to stay in the movies. I am just waiting for the right project.” On Nadine’s recent acting successes, including best actress awards from Famas and Urian for their hit movie, “Never Not Love You,” James said: “I am definitely proud of her. She deserved all of those awards. She is humble, hardworking and very strong.” James, who last appeared in the 2018 film “Miss Granny” alongside Sarah Geronimo and Xian Lim, added that he did not feel any pressure to step up his acting game and expand his filmography. “It isn’t a competition. It was never about winning awards, ever. I always did it because I enjoyed it.” Now that he has more control of his career, James also said he was open to starring in indie movies. “I’d love to try. As an artist, I’d also would love to grow.” Excerpts from our interview: What is it about Armitron’s campaign of “One Watch, Many Faces” that resonates with you? As one with a lot of roles to fulfill, I really vibe with the brand. I actually found out just today that they named a watch I was “feeling” on the day of the shoot and called it “The James.” This is the very first watch that is named after me.
It’s flattering. What is it about producing your own music that you find fulfilling? How do you choose your artists? There is something about creating that gives me purpose. Just creating something out of nothing, I get a lot of fulfillment out of that. When it comes to choosing my artists, every single one of them has a story about how we’ve met. Looking 10 years forward, where do you see your record label going? I see it as the bridge between OPM and international music. I don’t see it specifically associated with R&B or hip-hop. It’s really whatever is current because music changes, and it changes fast, especially nowadays. What is your current challenge in producing your own music? My challenge is my need for more producers. How do you manage your time? I have a lot of people supporting me—I have my team, my family, my friends, my girlfriend. What do you like to do on your “me time”? What I really love to do is to travel. That’s what I love to do, like hiking or going to the beach. I am a huge video game nerd. I like “Tekken,” and “God of War,” but I haven’t played the new one yet. How do you spend quality time with your girlfriend Nadine? Well, for us, when we get the chance, we get away from the city [or] out of the country, where people do not know us, in a place where we can be “truly private.” Is there an upcoming project that your fans and followers can expect from you? I am working on a personal album (after “Palm Dreams”). The Careless Mixtape was a vehicle to promote all of the other artists (Nadine, Bret Jackson, Curtismith, Massiah, Astro Kidd, Midnasty) under my label, and to see what people could create if we collaborate like that. My album is going to take a while, but there are new singles being released online from Careless Music Manila every week now, which is very exciting. So far, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career? It is important to take [your] time. There is a time for everything, and sometimes there is a time to sit back and relax, and there’s a time to go 100 percent.
Minding Your Finances Atty. RAyMond BulAon ARE you always worried about not having enough money for yourself and your family no matter how hard you work? Do you live paycheck to paycheck with no savings? Is the problem why your income is never enough is the fact that you have gotten yourself in a situation where you are simply drowning in debt with no way out? If so, you are not alone. Did you know that there are thousands and thousands of people just like yourself who have more debts than they can handle? Why is this situation so common these days? What has gotten you in the current financial mess you are in? Everyday, we are faced with situations where our choices seem endless. The path you take, whether right or wrong will take you to a certain destination. Have you ever gotten lost while driving to go somewhere and realized that you were heading in the wrong direction? Without doing a complete turnaround, you wouldn’t have reached your intended destination. The same is true in life. Which way should you go? What kind
Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth uRsuA Reyes IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides“…. all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.” Family Code 760. This becomes a problem if you are the spouse that has the substantially higher income or the one who accumulates the majority of the assets during the marriage. You are called in family law lingo “the in spouse.” The other spouse (or in our lingo also called the “out spouse” gets a half interest on everything accumulated during
Drowning in debt? Your choices determine your destiny of future do you want to have for yourself or your family 5, 10 or 20 years from now? Will you be living in the same apartment or house? If you have children, what school will they be attending? Will you still be working the same job 5 years from now? Will you be driving the same car? Or will your life be the same 5 or 10 years from now? Will it be a life of comfort and security? Or will it be a life of lack and scarcity? The choices you make will determine your outcome. If you know your outcome, you will be careful with the choices that you make today. As a Bankruptcy Attorney, I see a lot of people who feel stuck with their present financial circumstances because of unwise choices that they have made in the past. The choice to get into debt seems like an easy one to make especially when it only takes 5 minutes to fill out a credit application and get a credit card. It seems so easy to charge everything on that plastic card you carry in your wallet every day. The decision to be wealthy or to be poor is a personal decision. Don’t ever be misled into thinking that some people are destined to be rich while others are destined to be poor. I think this is a big lie. If everything in
life has been pre-arranged, life here on earth would be pointless. I think that the greatest gift that we have all been given is our freedom of choice. What we do with this free will determines the quality of life we get to experience. Our choices can either make or break us. The refusal to decide is also a decision in itself. By refusing to decide what kind of life you want to have, you have made the decision to leave everything to chance and be a victim of circumstances. Don’t let this happen to you. There is power in decision-making. If you are burdened with financial problems, find out what options you have available and decide once and for all to get out of debt as soon as possible. For a free consultation, call Toll-Free 1-866-4777772. I have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)
Do I need a premarital agreement before getting married? the marriage even if the asset is under your name alone or it was accumulated solely due to your sweat and hard work. The out spouse, who stayed at home most of the marriage, gets a one half interest on all the accumulations during the marriage under California community property law. For example, if you opened a savings account during the marriage under your name alone for which you religiously and diligently stash away 25% of your earnings during the marriage while your spouse blows away his/her salary during the marriage, your spouse still gets a half interest in the money you saved in your savings account. Another example would be if you purchase
a piece of real property during the marriage under “your name alone” and have your spouse sign a “quit claim” deed, your spouse may still have a claim for a half interest in your real property. Another example would be if you owned a business prior to marriage, but due to your hard work, long hours of labor, and efforts, the business grew exponentially during the marriage, your spouse may still have a claim for an interest in the business. Signing a premarital agreement may serve as added protection to the future “in spouse” and a hurdle for the future “out spouse” by avoiding or altering the applicability of California Continued on Page 6
community 5 Mindfulness as virtue
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25, 2019
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA
“Be present. It is the only thing that matters.” — Ways of the Peaceful Warrior
THESE are the best of times. These are the worst of times. Charles Dickens could have said these words just as fittingly to apply to this tech crazy world we live in today. There are far too many distractions emanating from tech wizardry that derail us from being mindful — that glorious state of mind which allows us to fully live joyfully while recognizing and appreciating the present moment. Mindfulness is a skill borne of discipline. It is the mental and deeply spiritual process of laser focusing one’s energy and full attention to the sensations and experiences happening right now. This skill effectively places all other concerns in the back burner while fully engaged in the moment. Mindfulness has become a highly valued skill in today’s extremely distracting world seemingly spinning at warp speed. It is essentially a mental skill that can be honed and developed by consciously tuning out all distractions through the discipline of regular prayer and meditation. It is the finely honed craft of just being yourself in the moment, without the baggage of the past or the anxieties of the future. It is considering the present moment as a gift to be relished and enjoyed fully. Do you feel incomplete, naked, inept and insecure when you are not tethered electronically to your cellphone or your computer? Do you feel less of a person? Take heart. You are not alone. There are billions of us in this increasingly wired world. The advances in communication technology have created a world where we can send and receive information at breakneck speed. The thoughts, the images of anyone, from kings to paupers, from the most profound to the most profane, from the wisest to the most foolish, from the most beautiful to the most horrific, once formed, can be transmitted to billions of people around the electronically wired community. Just like the common cold,
thoughts and images “go viral…” The power of a message is now measured by the number of tweets, retweets, hits and views it gets. Many are choosing to live in virtual reality rather than in the real world believing they can safely hide behind a cloak of anonymity. Disabuse yourself of the idea. No one remains anonymous for long. Just like sin, nothing and no one remains hidden in secret. These thoughts and images go around fast just like the weather patterns that change and swirl around the globe. And just like the weather, our cultural world is being shaped by our collective thoughts within the structure and framework of the technologically wired environment we live in today. Do we then damn technology because of the potent power it helps wield over us? Certainly not. It would be a big mistake to blame technology for our present woes. Just like fire and electricity and practically all of man’s tools and inventions through the ages, technology is a double-edged sword. It can enhance human life or it can destroy just as well. The fault, dear tech user, is not in our stars but in ourselves. It is how we define our relationship with technology and use it in our daily lives. We can be the boss of it. Or if we lose control, we can let ourselves be obsessed by it. It can wreak havoc on our souls, our persona and ultimately our lives. How do we know if technology has us wrapped around its little keypads? It is easy enough to selfdiagnose this condition. When we are no longer mindful of our present conditions and depend on technology overly much to do the thinking for us, then we are truly in deep doodoo. People have become so preoccupied and distracted by the mind boggling possibilities presented by multitasking that is engendered by a tech-enhanced way of life, that they tend to forget what is important and what
truly matters. How badly can it get? There are horror stories of mindless idiocy. Countless car accidents borne of texting while driving, are a testament to the tragic loss of mindfulness and by extension, common sense, among us earthlings. Witness the number of news items about overly busy, distracted working parents who forget that they have babies strapped in car seats in the back of their cars leaving them to die in the heat of the sun. It is a sad commentary that while we have all the technological aids at our disposal to make our lives better, we fail to use them appropriately. How do we detox? Try going tech free at designated times or for long stretches of time without having to check your phone or your computer for messages that you feel compelled to respond to ASAP. As I have said in another article championing the cause of living mindfully in the moment, “Log off and enjoy your hot chocolate.” Unless your work involves saving lives, taking a vacation from technology may prove to offer a higher quality of life by getting back to a state of mindfulness. Eventually, as we learn to synch and balance our lives with our tech tools, they will be obedient dogs serving us as their master. Think of the perks. We get to appreciate the present moment and appreciate and deeply love the people we are with right then and there. We get to “Carpe Diem” and experience joy in real time. We get to open our eyes and our hearts to the beauty and infinite majesty of just breathing and knowing LIFE IS GOOD– so good you can feel it in your bones. Best of all, we get to reserve the eminent right to remain essentially human — ever mindful that we are created in God’s own image and likeness. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com
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Do I need a premarital agreement...
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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25, 2019
Debt Relief
Atty. LAwrence yAng The clients are 63 and 64. They are young seniors. Up to 65, you are a young senior in my book. You can get senior discounts at Golden Corral for a satisfying buffet. Last time I went there, half of the patrons looked like they were over 65. A lot of them looked like they were pushing 75. I know the manager there, Terry. I’ve known him for 30 years. He was the manager at Home Buffet before it closed. That guy is probably the best restaurant manager in LA because his idea of service comes from the heart. In addition, I get free dinners if you bring this article with you! Younger or older, bring the whole family with you to the Golden Corral at the City of Industry. You won’t regret it. Price is cheap and they have a great selection of all kinds of meat. Let’s get back to our young seniors. They own a house that’s currently worth $500,000. All their children have grown up and they are now empty nesters like a lot of us baby boomers. They owe a first mortgage with a balance of $165,000. They also owe a HELOC second mortgage with a balance of $200,000. Yes, the second is bigger than the first. They’ve been reading about getting rid of the second mortgage since five years ago. Unfortunately, it’s now too late to get rid of the second mortgage in Chapter 13 because there is equity supporting the second. Sorry, you can’t avoid the second lien. Maybe five years ago, it was still possible, but now with house values reaching the sky, it’s not possible to strip the junior lien. I did a lien strip last month for a client who lived in Rialto. His house was appraised at $258,000 whereas the balance of his first was $264,000. He had a second of $77,000. We were able to strip the second mortgage of $77,000 in Riverside bankruptcy court, just barely. Citibank called me three days before the hearing date and informed me
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Seniors need relief from big HELOC & $40K credit cards that they would stipulate to a judgment granting the motion. So that’s done but this client practically won the lottery on this issue. But for most cases now, there is some equity supporting the second mortgage, so it cannot be stripped just like the case of my young senior clients. The husband had a major stroke two years ago but recovered almost completely with no slurred speech, and he walks normally except for a slight limp. He can still drive but can’t work anymore. So the household income has gone down so it’s now hard for them to pay the second which is still on interest only, once it becomes interest and principal at the start of the new year. A lot of people who got an interest-only mortgage are destabilized when the payment converts to interest and principal. In this case, for interest only, they only pay $550. But with interest and principal, they have to pay $1,600. When it rains, it pours just like Irma in Florida. Everything gets destroyed. The husband also owes $40,000 of credit cards. That’s another problem. Step one is trying to refinance the second with a fixed 30-year loan, maybe interest and principal will just be about $1,000 a month; still a lot less than $1,600. If no one will give them a 30 year fixed to refinance the second, then take step two: Sell the house and get their net cash of $160K. At least, they will have some cash, which they can invest. If they invest $160,000 with Bernie Madoff, he can print them returns of 20 percent or $32,000 a year; too bad, Bernie’s already in jail. They can probably get a decent return of 6 percent or $9,600 a year. That’s not bad. $800 a month of income will certainly help pay for the senior housing they can move into. Senior housing, I understand, is about $1,000 a month for rent and you get to play the whole day with all the other seniors living there. They have children who have invited them to live with them, but they don’t want to burden their children with caring for
them. Husband jokingly says that if they can’t sell the house, he will just hang himself. I said that he doesn’t have to do that, just go sell the house first, and then let’s dissolve the $40,000 of credit cards after the sale of the house. He says he needs to go to the bathroom. Senior loses job, needs Chapter 7 debt relief The second client is 68, married, and he has just lost his job. He says Trump eliminated his job. I thought the president was a job creator? He says he can’t pay for the new car that he just bought and about $15,000 of credit cards. I said just return the car and the voluntary return deficiency of about $10,000 and the $15,000 of credit cards will be wiped out with Chapter 7. He is much relieved so he says he has to take a month vacation first abroad with his wife. I said sure go ahead, and let’s file your case when you get back to LA. He said just the minimum payments on the $15,000 of credit cards is about $500 a month. He said he’s paid it for the last 20 years, just the minimum. So, he has paid $120,000 to keep $15,000 of credit cards current for the last 20 years. Was that a smart thing to do? I don’t think so. I think when you are 68 you would rather have $120,000 of cash invested in a portfolio giving you $1,000 a month of extra income in addition to social security rather than owing the same $15,000 of credit cards that should have disappeared a long time ago when you were a lot younger. If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South-Lower Level Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)
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From Page 5 community property law to assets 1) already owned by each and 2) to property and income to be acquired or earned during their marriage. Premarital agreements may validly provide that the earnings and accumulations of each party during marriage will remain that party’s separate property, free of any claims, community property or otherwise, of the other party. Premarital agreements may also serve to preserve a person’s estate for his or her heirs, free of the other party’s inheritance claims. Pursuant to Family Code 1612(c ),“ Parties to a premarital agreement may contract with respect to all of the following:(1) The rights and obligations of each of the parties in any of the property of either or both of them whenever and wherever acquired or located. (2) The right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, lease, consume, expend, assign, create a security interest in, mortgage, encumber, dispose of, or otherwise manage and control property.(3) The disposition of property upon separation, marital dissolution, death, or the occurrence or nonoccurrence of any other event.(4) The making of a will, trust, or other arrangement to carry out the provisions of the agreement.(5) The ownership rights in and disposition of the death benefit from a life insurance policy.(6) The choice of law governing the construction of the agreement.(7) Any other matter, including their personal rights and obligations, not in violation of public policy or a statute imposing a criminal penalty. However, the right of a child to support may not be adversely affected. Family Code 1612(b) Premarital agreements that are entered into voluntarily by parties who are each represented by independent counsel and aware of the effect of the agreement, a post 1985 premarital waiver of post dissolution support does not offend contemporary public policy and is not per se unenforceable. Under both the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act and prior law, the spouse claiming the agreement is invalid or not enforceable bears the burden of proof on that allegation.
Family Code. 1615(a); Marriage of Bonds, supra, 24 C4th at 27, 99 CR2d at 269; Marriage of Iverson (1992) 11 CA4th 1495, 1502, 15 CR2d 70, 74–75; However, the UPAA (as amended effective 1/1/02) deems that a premarital agreement was not executed voluntarily unless the court makes five prescribed findings provided for under Family Code. 1615(c) (1) The party against whom enforcement is sought was represented by independent legal counsel at the time of signing the agreement or after being advised to seek independent legal counsel, expressly waived, in a separate
(3) were not executed under duress, fraud, or undue influence, and the parties did not lack capacity to enter into the agreement.(5) Any other factors the court deems relevant. In addition, the parties are required to provide each other with full disclosure of all material financial information. A premarital agreement may be unenforceable if found to be unconscionable when it was executed and the requisite disclosures were lacking and not waived Additionally, a spousal support provision in a premarital agreement executed under the UPAA, whether before or after January 1, 2002, is not enforceable if found to be unconscionable at the time of enforcement. Family Code 1612(c). If you are the higher earning spouse and have assets to protect, it is important to seek the representation of experienced counsel in drafting a premarital agreement to make sure that all statutory requirement are met which increases the likelihood that your premarital agreement will be deemed enforceable when attacked in court in case of a divorce. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.
“ Premarital agreements may validly provide that the earnings and accumulations of each party during marriage will remain that party’s separate property, free of any claims, community property or otherwise, of the other party.” writing, representation by independent legal counsel. (2) The party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the agreement and advised to seek independent legal counsel and the time the agreement was signed. (3) The party against whom enforcement is sought, if unrepresented by legal counsel, was fully informed of the terms and basic effect of the agreement as well as the rights and obligations he or she was giving up by signing the agreement, and was proficient in the language in which the explanation of the party’s rights was conducted and in which the agreement was written. The explanation of the rights and obligations relinquished shall be memorialized in writing and delivered to the party prior to signing the agreement. The unrepresented party shall, on or before the signing of the premarital agreement, execute a document declaring that he or she received the information required by this paragraph and indicating who provided that information.(4) The agreement and the writings executed pursuant to paragraphs(1) and
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*** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail “mailto: kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com” kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25, 2019
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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 25, 2019