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LAS VEGAS
October 10-16, 2024 Volume 35 - No. 41 • 16 Pages
T h e F i l i p i n o A m e r i ca n C o m mu n i t y N e ws pa p e r
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Marcos signs law boosting local defense industry DATELINE USA from the AJPress NEWS TEAM across America
Even political rivals agree that medical debt is an urgent issue
In red and blue states, state lawmakers from both parties are expanding protections for patients burdened by medical debt
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law on Tuesday, October 8 a bill that aims to enhance the country’s defense capabilities through local resources and innovation, reducing reliance on foreign sources, and creating military equipment tailored to its security challenges. “For decades, our defense capabilities have relied upon what we could acquire from abroad. Every purchase, every negotiation, and every partnership — although necessary — reminded us that our strength depended on the supply chains and the interests of other parties,” he lamented. Republic Act (RA) No. 12024, or the Self-Reliant
Defense Posture (SRDP) Revitalization Act, will offer fiscal incentives ranging from tax breaks and government-backed financing to promote and encourage investments in the country’s defense technology and production, Marcos said. Under the new law, locally owned companies will be given preference when it comes to the development, maintenance and operation of critical military equipment. The tax incentives are aimed at attracting foreign manufacturers to set up or move production to the Philippines. “It’s a logical move forward for a country that
PH, Vietnam eye ‘new areas of cooperation’ amid South China Sea tensions
WHILE hot-button health care issues such as abortion and the Affordable Care Act roil the presidential race, Democrats and Republicans in statehouses around the country have been quietly working together to tackle the nation’s medical debt crisis. New laws to curb aggressive hospital billing, to expand charity care for lowerincome patients, and to rein in debt collectors have been enacted in more than 20 states since 2021. Democrats championed most measures. But the legislative efforts often passed with Republican support. In a few states, GOP lawmakers led the push to expand patient
by Christina Chi Philstar.com
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Who’s at risk under Project 2025? PROJECT 2025 poses an “existential threat” to immigrant, reproductive, LGBTQ+, climate and health protections nationwide, policy leaders warn. The over 900-page policy blueprint, released by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation in 2022 under the title “Mandate for Leadership,” promotes right-wing policies intended to reshape the government in the event that Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election. Many political analysts hold that the initiative is designed to push the U.S. toward autocracy by eroding the rule of law, weakening the separation of powers, blurring the lines between church and state, and threatening civil liberties. Climate and health “Project 2025 is an effort to privatize public things, like health care protections and utility services, which are already price-gouging Americans,” said Sulma Arias, executive director of People’s Action Institute, at a Friday, October 4 Ethnic Media Services briefing about Project 2025. “We don’t have to wait until these measures are implemented to see how they impact our community. It’s already happening.” The document’s climate-related proposals u PAGE 2
finds itself at the fulcrum of geopolitical shifts and volatilities. At its core, this act is about cultivating a robust and sustainable national defense industry,” the president said after signing the bill in Malacañang. Multiple benefits In Congress, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri highlighted the economic benefits of the SRDP Act, noting that the growth of the defense manufacturing industry will bring in investments, create jobs, and generate revenues for the country. Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, chair of the committee on national defense and u PAGE 2
BAMBOO LANTERNS. Budoy Iya (right) sells Christmas lanterns made from bamboo for PHP200 to PHP800 pesos each, depending on the size and design, at his stall along Quimpo Boulevard in Davao City on Wednesday, October 9. He said his lanterns adorn the City Hall grounds every holiday season, as the city government has been one of his biggest clients for many years. PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
MANILA — The Philippines and Vietnam vowed to bolster their strategic partnership and explore “new areas of cooperation” on Tuesday, October 8, marking a future step up in diplomatic ties amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. During their talks at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh “reaffirmed their commitment” to boost the strategic partnership between both nations, whose diplomatic ties have been at an all-time high. Talks between the Philippines and Vietnam two years ago are now “bearing fruit,” the Presidential Communication Office said. This year, the Philippines and Vietnam have pursued closer maritime cooperation through two new deals and are set to boost their defense ties with a landmark pact expected by the end of the year. In early August, both nations held their first joint coast u PAGE 3
Quiboloy seeks Senate seat; Guo not running by Cecille Suerte Felipe & Mayen Jaymalin Philstar.com
MANILA — Detained without bail and facing possible extradition, Apollo Quiboloy is unbowed. The pastor of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is gunning for the Senate, with his legal representative Mark Tolentino submitting the KOJC founder’s certificate of candidacy at the Manila Hotel Tent on the last day of the COC filing period on Tuesday, October 8. In a speech delivered for him by Tolentino, Quiboloy promised a “God-centered, Philippine-centered and Filipino-centered” governance if he gets elected. On the other hand, dismissed mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac said on Tuesday she
had decided to abandon her bid for a second term. Guo bared her decision not to run for reelection at Tuesday’s public hearing of the Senate committee on women, children and family relations chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) gave Guo her latest legal woe, ordering the filing of criminal charges against her for misrepresenting herself as a Filipino citizen. “The Law Department (of the Comelec) finds probable cause and recommends the The Marcos family during former First lady Imelda Marcos’ 95th birthday. M alacañang file photo filing of information before the court against u PAGE 3
Sandiganbayan drops P276-M civil DILG chief wants to shake up PNP case vs Marcos estate due to delay by Kristine Maralit, Catherine Valente & Reina Tolentino ManilaTimes.net
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administers the oath to Jonvic Remulla as the new secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Malacañang photo
FORMER Cavite governor Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday, October 8 said making the Philippine National Police (PNP) a more effective and cohesive police force, restructuring the National Police Commission (Napolcom), and ensuring the safety of all candidates for next year’s elections are his top three priorities as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). These concerns were raised during his long meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after he was chosen to replace Benhur Abalos, who resigned
to run for senator in the 2025 midterm elections. “Well, I actually start work tomorrow (Wednesday, October 9) morning to meet with the undersecretaries. And I will spend the first week meeting with all the heads of department and go over the courses of action that I have to take,” Remulla said in an interview at the Villamor Air Base following the departure of the president for Vientiane, Laos, for the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summits. “I will review their records, and u PAGE 4
by Gabriel Pabico Lalu Inquirer.net
MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has dismissed a P276-million civil case against the estate of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., in which the former first couple was accused of using their associate Roman Cruz in purchasing parcels of land supposedly through illgotten wealth. In a resolution dated October 4, the Sandiganbayan’s Second Division granted the motion made by the Marcos estate — particularly former First Lady Imelda Marcos and incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — to dismiss Civil Case No. 006 due to inordinate delay. According to the Marcoses, allegations against the estate of former President Marcos can no longer be substantiated because the case was dismissed by Sandiganbayan in October 2012, while the Supreme Court eventually added that the Marcos estate is excluded from the Bill of Particulars previously filed. “The allegations that merited the filing of the Bill of Particulars are paragraphs 9 and 12 (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of the Expanded u PAGE 2