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Volume 16 - No. 45 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages
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Trudeau urged to tackle Philippine human rights concerns at ASEAN meet by GAEA
KATREENA Philstar.com
CABICO
GROUPS based in Canada called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speak out on attacks against human rights defenders in the Philippines during his visit to the country for the 31st ASEAN Summit. “We, the undersigned, call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to use his upcoming visit to the Philippines to demonstrate that Canada cares about human rights and is committed to work with other governments in promoting and defending human rights,� they said. The groups want Trudeau to urge President Rodrigo Duterte’s government to end the attacks
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DATELINE
N O V E MBE R 1 0 - 1 6 , 2 0 1 7
USA
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Inquirer.net photo
Duterte ready to tell Trump to ‘lay off ’ human rights by RAE
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
White House, Republicans delay decision on DACA
Lawmakers postpone finding a solution for the program until after the holidays
SINCE the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in September, Congress has engaged in talks on how to protect the nearly 800,000 undocumented youth currently enrolled in the program.
DUTERTE IN VIETNAM. President Rodrigo Duterte is accompanied by Vietnam Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan as the Philippine president is accorded with welcome honors upon his arrival at the Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam on Wednesday, November 8, for his participation in the 25th Asia-PaciďŹ c Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM). MalacaĂąang photo by Robinson NiĂąal
ANN VARONA AJPress
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday, November 8, he would tell U.S. President Donald Trump to “lay off� if the latter were to bring up the issue of human rights during their upcoming meeting. Upon speaking to reporters before leaving for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam where he arrived Wednesday night, Duterte was ready to answer questions of how he would respond to human rights discussions.
“You want to ask a question, I’ll give you an answer. Lay off,� said Duterte. “That is not your business. That is my business. I take care of my country and I will nurture my country to health.� Since taking office in June of last year, Duterte has been condemned by international leaders and human rights groups for his war on drugs that has left thousands dead. Bloomberg previously reported that a White House official said Trump would send a clear message on human rights principles during his meeting with Duterte, but the U.S. president
by GAEA
House Republicans release long-awaited tax reform plan Bill delivers major tax cuts to corporations and benefits top earners
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able job on the drug problem� in a leaked telephone conversation between the two. “Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that,� he added. Duterte’s war on drugs has left over 7,000 people dead with most coming from the urban poor community, according to Human Rights Watch. Despite Duterte’s warning to avoid the subject of human rights, the relationship between the two leaders have been rather cordial.
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Groups to hold protests against Trump Aquino charged with graft,
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AFTER months of outlining and delay, Republicans in the United States House of Representatives have finally released their first draft of their highly anticipated tax reform bill on Thursday, November 2. Introduced by the House Ways and Means
hasn’t raised the subject before. In a Thursday, November 2, media briefing, U.S. National Security Adviser H .R. McMaster defended Trump’s reluctance to speak out about human rights abuses. “How much does it help to yell about these problems,� said McMaster. “What the president is doing is being effective,� he added. McMaster suggested that Trump may be speaking on the issues more privately and said, “I don’t think you should assume anything.� In May, Trump was revealed congratulating Duterte on his “unbeliev-
TRUMP EFFIGY. Leftist protesters parade an efďŹ gy of President Donald Trump near the U.S. Embassy on Friday, Sept. 15 to protest alleged American military interference in Mindanao. The efďŹ gy was later burned. Anti-riot police blocked members of militant groups Save Our Schools (SOS) and Kilusan ng Moro at Katutubong Mamamayan Para Sa Sariling Pagpapasya (Sandugo) on Kalaw Avenue and prevented them from crossing Roxas Boulevard. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
KATREENA Philstar.com
CABICO
MANILA — Protests will greet United States President Donald Trump the moment he arrives in the Philippines for the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings. During the launch of the #BanTrump campaign Tuesday, Nov. 7 militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan announced they would hold a three-day protest action against the controversial leader, saying Trump’s visit to the country would not be beneficial. “Trump represents the worst aspects of U.S. imperialism. His
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More Chinese island-building in South China Sea? Duterte relies on ‘good faith’ by ALEXIS
The image shows the Chinese miltiary structures installed on Feiry Cross Reef or Kagitingan Reef. Photo courtesy of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
ROMERO AND JAIME LAUDE Philstar.com
MANILA — President Duterte is relying on China’s “good faith� that it would not embark on new reclamation activities in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea in the face of renewed concerns sparked by Beijing’s launching of a large dredging vessel. In remarks before military officials and veterans of the Marawi battle, Duterte said he hoped China could be trusted to keep its word that it would not build new islands in disputed waters or in areas within the Philippines’ exclusive
economic zone (EEZ). China recently launched what it described as a “magic island-maker� vessel, triggering speculations that it would be used to reclaim Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. The shoal is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile EEZ, but was declared a “common fishing ground� by an arbitral court based in The Hague. It is only 124 nautical miles off Zambales. Duterte said Chinese President Xi Jinping himself had promised not to reclaim Pagasa “and the nearby islands that we have occupied already.�
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usurpation of authority over Mamasapano incident by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
THE Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft and usurpation of authority charges against former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy� Aquino III in connection with the botched 2015 Mamasapano operation that killed 44 police commandos. The anti-graft body filed the raps on Wednesday, November 8, at the Sandiganbayan and has recommended a P30,000 bail for graft and a P10,000 bail for usurpation charges. In the information sheet of the usurpation of authority charge, Ombudsman Assistant Special Prosecutor Reza Casila-Derayunan claimed that Aquino “will-
fully, unlawfully and feloniously� allowed then-dismissed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima to participate at the
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http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
From the Front Page
Trudeau urged to tackle... PAGE A1 t against and uphold the rights of human rights defenders. “The Prime Minister’s visit takes place at a time when Philippine human rights defenders are facing grave danger. Canada’s guidelines on supporting human rights defenders state that in cases where human rights defenders are in acute risk, firm diplomatic mea-
sures may be required,” they said. According to rights group Karapatan, 58 out of the 98 victims of political killings during the first 13 months Duterte’s administration were human rights defenders. A total of 435 political prisoners remain imprisoned. They also called on Trudeau to consider putting a moratorium on the support of Canadian mining in the country, suspending all coop-
eration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police and preventing all sales of military and defense equipment to the government. The groups include the International Coalition on Human Rights in the Philippines-Canada, ICHRPToronto, Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights, Centre for Philippine Concerns, Ontario Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Migrante (Canada, Ontario, British Columbia), Anakbayan-Canada, Gabriela-Ontario and Women of Diverse Origins. n
Duterte ready to tell Trump...
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Preceding Trump’s 12-day Asian tour, a White House senior administration official signaled that the two leaders have a good relationship and said, “I think there’s a warm rapport there, and he’s very much looking forward to his first in-person meeting with President Duterte.” This followed a media briefing in which Duterte also expressed camaraderie with Trump and said he “would deal with President
Trump in the most righteous way, welcome him as an important leader.” On his upcoming meeting with Trump, Duterte said on Wednesday that discussion priorities would be on trade, extremism and terrorism, and maybe Philippines’ position in relation to China, adding “we all hunger for peace”. “The Philippines is a sovereign state. I will not allow anybody to impose anything on my country. I will listen to you, but if it is not to
the best interest of my country, I will ignore you,” said Duterte. “I have to hear them first before I make my response because it will be based on the outcomes of their talks,” he added. “I will not go there as a subservient lackey of anyone.” The two leaders will have opportunity to meet for the first time at the APEC Summit events. Trump is also slated to arrive in the Philippines on Sunday, November 12 to attend the East Asia Summit. n
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From the Front Page
NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • NOvembeR 10-16, 2017
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House Republicans release long-awaited...
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AIRMEN HEROES’ WELCOM. 200 out of the 1,007 Philippine Air Force personnel deployed in war-torn Marawi get a heroes’ welcome at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Monday, Nov. 6. The pilots, maintenance crew and support personnel played a significant role in providing strategic and tactical air support to troops and civilians on the ground. Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez
White House, Republicans... PAGE A1 t While minimal progress has been yielded from these talks, the White House and congressional Republicans on Thursday, November 2 have decided not to include a solution for DACA in the end-of-the-year spending bill, and instead will table the issue until after the holidays. “There was also a consensus that anyone on the other side of the aisle who thinks that they’re just going to codify DACA in the year-end appropriations bill, it may not be very well received,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Back in January, the president assured DREAMers that he’ll continue to protect them. “[DREAMers] shouldn’t be very worried,” said Trump in an interview with ABC News shortly after his inauguration. “I do have a big heart. We’re going to take care of everybody.” In July, when probed about his plans for DREAMers, he softened his stance and said that a decision on DACA is “very, very hard to make” but that he understood the situation “very well.” Trump then broke his promise in a surprising decision to phase out DACA, which was established in 2012 by former President Barack Obama to provide work authorization, protection from deportation and a host of other benefits to undocumented youth. In a statement, he said that his decision was driven by a concern for all Americans, saying that “millions of Americans [have been] victimized by this unfair system.” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the program has said that DACA, through its work authorization measure, “denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans.” Since 2012, more than 800,000 undocumented youth — called DREAMers — have received benefits. More than 22,000 young Filipinos are eligible for the program, and between 6,000 to 10,000 are currently enrolled, according to several reports from the United States Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS) and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The White House announce-
ment to end DACA sent a shock signal to DREAMers and their families who worry about their educational and career goals set forth because of the program. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement condemning the decision by the president and congressional Republicans to not include DACA in the end-of-theyear spending bill. Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) said that the “cruel decision” to end DACA left the lives of many Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth in limbo. “It is reprehensible that the president is now attempting to use these young people as bargaining chips to advance his antiimmigrant agenda,” Chu, who represents Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley area in Congress, said in the statement. “The White House should not play politics with the lives of our nation’s Dreamers. If the bipartisan, bicameral DREAM Act were brought to the floor today, it would have the votes to pass,” Chu asserted. “I urge my Republican colleagues to do the right thing and allow us to vote on a clean DREAM Act before Congress adjourns in December.” DACA advocates in Congress also aren’t going down without a fight. The progressive liberal wing of the Senate has decided to take a stand against Trump and the Republicans and warn they will oppose a government funding bill in December if a deal is not made on DACA. Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) was one of the first senators to speak out against the delay in a decision for DREAMers, whose lives she said should not be used as political pawns. “I will not vote for an end-ofyear spending bill until we are clear about what we are going to do to protect and take care of our DACA young people in this country,” Harris, a long-time advocate for immigrants’ rights, said at a press conference two weeks ago. “Each day in the life of these young people is a very long time, and we’ve got to stop playing politics with their lives.” Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are among the senators to hold the
Groups to hold protests... PAGE A1 t visit to the Philippines will bring more harm than good,” Bayan said in a statement. The left-leaning group noted that Trump only wants to drag the country into the conflict with North Korea, increase U.S. military presence in the Philippines and engage in direct combat in Mindanao. “Trump seeks to maintain the grossly unequal relations between the U.S. and the Philippines. He is no friend of the Filipino people. He is right now the biggest threat to regional peace with his provocations against North Korea,” it said. Filipinos should not expect Trump to speak out on human rights violation in the country as “his regime cares little about the issue,” Bayan also noted. The members of Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives also expressed their support to the #BanTrumpPH protests. “Hindi natin kailangan ng mga bagong kasunduan na nagpapatatag at nagpapalakas ng (We don’t need new agreements that will strengthen the) master and slave relationship between the Philippines and the government of the U.S. represented by Donald Trump,” Anakpawis party-list Ariel Casilao said. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate noted that Filipinos should condemn, not celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN. “Limang dekada na ‘yang
ASEAN pero ‘yung sinasabi nila na ‘yung ASEAN countries maga-assert ng kanilang sariling kakayahan ay di pa rin nangyayari bagkus ang mga bansa sa ASEAN ay nagiging sunud-sunuran sa policies na tinatakda sa pangunguna ng Estados Unidos (ASEAN has been in place for five decades but ASEAN countries have yet to assert their capabilities because they are lackeys of the United States),” the solon said. Trump will be in Manila on November 12 to attend the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the ASEAN-U.S. Summit the following day. He will extend his stay in the country to attend the East Asia Summit on November 14. The U.S. president is also expected to have a bilateral meeting with Duterte on November 13. Prior to the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Duterte and Trump are also expected to meet in Danang, Vietnam on November 10 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. According to Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez, one of the major issues Duterte hopes to discuss with Trump is narco-terrorism. Protesters will burn a Trump effigy depicting “the U.S. leader as the fascist, racist CEO of U.S. imperialism” on November 13. The groups will hold rallies outside the U.S. Embassy, vicinity of the Philippine Internation Convention Center in Pasay City and in Clark Field in Pampanga. n
president accountable for his promise to protect DREAMers he made early in his presidency. “Trump must make good on his promise to sign a bill protecting DREAMers. I won’t vote for any spending bill without a permanent DACA fix,” Sanders tweeted on Friday. Booker cited the “chaos and uncertainty” DREAMers are currently facing as they await government action on their futures, saying, “I want solutions to protect these kids, and won’t vote for a spending bill that doesn’t include one. It’s an issue of basic decency and morality.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
Committee, the heavily detailed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a sweeping reform that seeks to simplify the current U.S. tax code. The $1.5-trillion plan promises the kind of tax system favored by businesses, as it delivers a significant tax cut for corporations and more conservative savings for the middle-class. According to calculations by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the bill would garner about $1 trillion in net cuts. At its core, the bill is a win for corporations, which will see its corporate tax rate cut from 35 percent to 20 percent, a shift that is measured to decrease federal revenues by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. In general, the legislation promises major tax cuts for wealthy Americans who tend to benefit from corporate tax cuts than most Americans. Americans that earn between $400,000 to $1 million a year would face drastically lower top income tax rates. Americans who tend to earn a profound share of their income from capital (i.e. stock sales, dividends, etc.) also benefit from the corporate tax cut. In a statement delivered on Thursday, Trump applauded the House for sticking to tax reform priorities long desired by conservatives. “My tax reform priorities have been the same since day one: bringing tax cuts for hardworking, middle-income Americans; eliminating unfair loopholes and deductions; and slashing business taxes so employers can create jobs, raise wages, and dominate their competition around the world,” Trump
said in a statement. Although the bill does cut taxes, it doesn’t do much for middle-income Americans whose incomes don’t qualify them to receive the significant tax cuts. The bill simplifies the sevenbracket tax system to just three tax brackets: 12, 25 and 35 percent, which means that Americans are now subjected to different income tax rates. The threshold for the top 39.6 percent of individual income raises to $1 million for couples, an increase from $470,700. In other words, this bill shifts the definition of “wealthy American” because of its change in the consolidation of its tax brackets. For example, Americans who make $600,000 to $700,000 will get a sizeable cut in their income taxes because they are subjected to the 12 percent tax rate; before they would have been taxed at 15 or 25 percent. Due to the elimination of the state and local income/sales tax deduction, people residing in blue states would also pay higher taxes. Wealthier residents who benefit from these deductions would also see increases in income tax, but it could be counteracted by other tax cuts detailed in the bill. California, which has the highest state income tax rate, would see disproportionate damage. “[The bill is] really so punitive to certain states and, to California, it is devastating,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at a press conference on Thursday. “It removes over $100 billion of possible tax deductions against – over $100 billion for our state. Did they ever check with our economic
or our finance department in our state to see what the impact would be on that state? No.” Additionally, the change in mortgage interest deductions in the housing sector would reduce the incentive to buy and build homes, which would deliver a significant blow to homeowners. The deduction would apply to home purchases and mortgages made after Nov. 2, which experts say would put homeowners and the housing industry at risk. “Contrary to their assertions, the Republicans are picking winners and losers,” Chief Executive of the National Association of Homebuilders Jerry Howard told the New York Times. “They are picking rich Americans and corporations over small businesses and the middle class.” Another significant measure listed in the bill that would affect families details the elimination of tax-free savings accounts for child and dependent care. An unlikely passage As is the case with many major bills, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is likely not to stay in its current form and would need changes to satisfy lawmakers in high-tax states. The increase in budget deficient promised from its corporate tax slash would certainly raise the deficit over the next decade, an outcome which would guarantee strong challenge in the Senate. Per Senate rules, some legislation can pass with only 51 votes, so long as the bill doesn’t result in long-run deficit increases. Since this current draft violates that stipulation, it would need 60 votes, meaning unlikely profound sup-
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House Republicans release long-awaited...
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port from the Democrats. But the bill was also met by reservations from Senate Republicans, who are looking to push for changes to the bill, specifically reducing the overall cost that the bill entails. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) hasn’t been shy about his criticisms of Trump and the Republican Party and on Thursday blasted the current version of the bill for increasing the overall deficit — a goal shared by all Republicans. “As I have made clear from the beginning of this debate, it is my hope that the final legislation — while allowing for current policy assumptions and reasonable dynamic scoring — will not add to the deficit, sets rates that are permanent in nature and closes a minimum of $4 trillion in loopholes and special interest deductions,” Corker said. Amid the controversy and backlash surrounding the GOP House tax bill, Republicans have emphasized that the initial draft would be far from the final product. A day after the bill was introduced, Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady (R-Texas) offered an amendment that would
delay the repeal of tax-free savings accounts for child care. He also plans to amend the tax on private university endowments, which would affect schools that receive endowments that measure to $250,000 per student, rather than $100,000 per student. However, the amendments proposed don’t do much to the estimated increase in the federal budget deficit. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) — the nonpartisan wing of Congress that estimates the financial outcomes of proposed legislation — it found that the bill would raise the federal budget deficits by $1.7 trillion in the next decade. Additionally, U.S. debt would increase to 97.1 percent of GDP in 2027, up from 91.2 percent under current CBO estimates. The election on Tuesday, Nov. 7, also presented as potential roadblocks as the GOP attempts to establish their landmark tax reform. Democrats handily won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia; particularly, Democrats also have the power to take control of the Virginia House of Delegates, which could provide a sizable challenge to the GOP.
Dateline USa
“I mean, it could, because the elections went against the Republicans,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said of how the recent elections could shape the bill going forward. When probed about whether pressure to shape the tax plan’s benefits in favor of the middle class, Hatch assured, “I think we’ve been moving that way anyway.” House Speaker Paul Ryan, however, remained hopeful that the elections won’t affect the bill’s success and intends to go forth with the House plan, which would raise the deficit and deliver radical cuts to corporations and the affluent. “It doesn’t change my reading of the current moment,” Ryan said on Wednesday, Nov. 8. “It just emphasizes my reading of the current moment, which is we have a promise to keep and we have to get on with keeping our promise.” Maintaining the bill benefits all Americans, Ryan added: “I fundamentally believe, when we deliver on comprehensive tax reform and tax relief...I think that’s going to bear fruit politically, but most importantly, it’s going to help people.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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Calif. governor, congressional delegation request $7.4-billion in federal disaster relief funds to aid wildfire recovery
SACRAMENTO – On Friday, November 3, Governor Edmund “Jerry” G. Brown Jr. joined California’s two U.S. Senators and 39 members of the California congressional delegation to request $7.4 billion in federal funding for wildfire relief and recovery efforts in the state. Brown also expedited more than $40 million in state aid for immediate recovery efforts. The letter from the governor and members of the state’s congressional delegation, sent to the White House, urges the president and Congress to work quickly to adopt a third supplemental disaster-related appropriations bill to support the state as it recovers from October’s devastating wildfires that killed 43 people and destroyed approximately 8,900 residential and commercial structures. This $7.4 billion in federal funding would flow to a variety of federal cleanup, recovery and assistance programs and support housing, transportation, agriculture, environmental protection, local health services, long-term recovery planning, reconstruction and small businesses. Separately today, Brown directed the California Department of Finance to expedite the allocation of $41.5 million in funding to help support immediate needs in impacted areas, including cleanup, hazardous waste removal and assistance for Californians impacted
Gov. Jerry Brown
by the fires who are not eligible for federal aid. Under the state appropriation, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will dedicate $35 million to debris removal and cleanup efforts, while the California Department of Toxic Substances Control will direct $1.5 million to support hazardous waste cleanup operations. This funding will support debris removal and household hazardous waste cleanup at lots impacted by the fires. Household hazardous waste has already been removed from more than 3,000 lots and debris removal is starting across the impacted counties. The appropriation also includes $5 million – managed by the
Aquino charged with graft... PAGE A1 t planning of the operation, dubbed “Oplan Exodus.” In the separate information sheet for the graft charge, the prosecutor said Aquino “allowed himself to be persuaded, induced, or influence” to violate the PNP chain of command, and preventive suspension order against Purisima. The prosecutor further claimed that Aquino knew “fully well” that it was officer-in-charge PNP chief Leonardo Espina who had the authority “to oversee the preparation and conduct of Oplan Exodus, to the damage and prejudice of the State.” The former president was charged with violation of Section 3(a) of Republic Act 3109 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and of usurpation of authority under Article 177 of the Revised Penal Code. Similar cases have also been filed against Purisima and former PNP-Special Action Force (SAF)
head Getulio Napeñas. Section 3(a) of RA 3019 states that it is unlawful for any public officer to persuade, induce or influence another public officer to perform an act constituting a violation of rules and regulations duly promulgated by competent authority. Usurpation of authority, on the other hand, is committed when a person falsely represents himself as a government official or performs any act pertaining to any person in authority without being lawfully entitled to do so. Last September, the Ombudsman denied Aquino’s appeal to drop the charges. The complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide against Aquino, which were filed by SAF 44 families’ lawyers from the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), were also junked due to “lack of probable cause.” Duterte to Trillanes: ‘Good point’
More Chinese island-building... PAGE A1 t The same assurance, Duterte said, was given to Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. “He will not build something on the Scarborough Shoal,” the President said, referring to Xi. “I just hope that he would honor it because it will change the entire geography of the world. And war starts. I don’t know what will be the next geographical division of Asia,” he added. While vowing to assert the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea, Duterte stressed it is not yet the time to do it. The Chief Executive reiterated he would not go to war over the West Philippine Sea as it would result in a “massacre” of Filipino troops. “If I were to insist on our arbitral claim as demanded by some of the justices, I would run afoul with everything else because China is not the only power that is claiming a part of the (South) China Sea. Taiwan has a claim and it overlaps
the northern part of the country, our economic zones. And Vietnam has another idea of what this is. And Malaysia. And they were starting really to pile up,” the President said. “Instead of just facing one, I’d be facing many. If there are concessions given or conceded, the other countries who are also claimants on the same area will start to assert. That’s my problem. It’s really the changing geopolitics,” he pointed out. He also vowed to be “frank” in discussing the maritime row with China on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet in Vietnam. Duterte left for Da Nang on Wednesday, Nov. 8 for the summit, where he is expected to interact with fellow leaders including Xi. There was no official announcement if Duterte and Xi would have a meeting in Vietnam but the Philippine leader hinted that he might have a word with Chinese officials.
California Department of Social Services – to aid wildfire victims who are not eligible to receive federal disaster assistance because of their immigration status. The funds will help these individuals and families affected by the fires with food, housing, utility and other expenses. During the wildfire disaster last month, Brown declared a state of emergency for the counties of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Orange and secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support the state and local response to the fires, within 24 hours of making the request. Federal direct aid was also secured for residents of Napa, Sonoma, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Yuba, Orange and Nevada counties who suffered losses due to the fires as well as Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits for workers in these counties who lost jobs or had work hours substantially reduced as a result of the fires. Governor Brown also issued an executive order to help cut red tape and streamline recovery efforts in impacted communities and last Saturday declared a “Day of Remembrance of the Northern California Fires” in recognition of victims and first responders. Additional information on California’s wildfire emergency response and recovery efforts is available at: http://wildfirerecovery.org. n
In a rare instance, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte supported his staunch critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for saying that charging Aquino over the botched police operation would set a bad precedent. “You cannot usurp what is inherently your duty,” he said in a press briefing before leaving for Vietnam to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Trillanes earlier said that holding Aquino liable over a failed mission means that all failed military and police operations may now be blamed on the country’s chief executive. “It will set a bad precedent kasi otherwise lahat ng palpak na mission sa AFP and PNP ay puwede mong file-an ng kaso yung commander-in-chief (because all failed AFP and PNP mission may now be used to file a case against the commander-in-chief). Hindi puwede yun (It’s not okay),” Trillanes said. Agreeing with the senator, Duterte said Trillanes “has a good point there.” n A China Daily report said dredging ship Tiankun is 140 meters long and can dredge as much as 6,000 cubic meters of sand or clay per hour from 35 meters below the water’s surface. Similar ships were said to have been used to build artificial islands in the South China Sea. Earlier at Malacañang, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte “recognizes the principle of good faith in international relations” when asked to comment on the launching of the dredging ship. “China has told the President, they do not intend to reclaim Scarborough and we leave it at that. We need to rely on good faith because otherwise there would be no predictability in international relations,” Roque told a press briefing. Asked whether the president would question the launching of the vessel, Roque replied: “As I said, he has relied completely on the principle of good faith. Which is, in fact, a fundamental and cardinal principle of international law.” n
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4 years later, ‘Yolanda’ victims still cry for shelter by CATHERIN
S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net
AS the country commemorates the fourth anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), Malacañang has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to rebuild communities affected by the disaster amid continued cries for shelter among victims. In a news conference on Tuesday, Nov. 7, Palace spokesman Harry Roque assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte would not turn his back on Yolanda victims. He said the Duterte administration had learned from past mistakes when it came to dealing with Yolanda’s devastation. “We join the victims of Yolanda in the crying the very slow rebuilding of Yolanda. And to address this, the President has asked General del Rosario and Wendel Avisado to act as point persons in the rebuilding of the Yolanda-ravaged communities,” Roque said, referring to housing czar Eduardo del Rosario and Presidential Assistant Wendel Avisado, in-charge of Yolanda rehabilitation. “We remain committed in this regard and we have learned from the lessons of Yolanda as far as the rebuilding of Marawi is concerned,” he added. Duterte visited Yolanda victims in Tacloban City last year and openly expressed his frustration over the slow-paced housing projects for the supertyphoon survivors. The Chief Executive returned to Tacloban in January but still lamented that not all his expectations were met. This year, however, Duterte will not be in the country during the Yolanda anniversary on November 8, as he is scheduled to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Vietnam. The President will also be preoccupied in the days ahead due to Manila’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. In November 2013, Yolanda swept across the Philippines and left a path of destruction on several islands and locations such as Leyte Island, Samar Island, Biliran, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Masbate, Palawan and Dinagat Islands.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Inquirer.net photo
Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons to ever make landfall, pounded Tacloban City, destroying homes and structures and killing thousands of local residents. The rehabilitation of the affected communities has been slow and the past administration was widely criticized for its perceived inefficiency. The House committee on housing and urban development reported on the lack of progress in housing in Yolanda-affected areas in September. Citing data from the National Housing Authority (NHA), lawmakers said 205,128 houses were supposed to have been constructed for typhoon survivors. But of the figure, only 11.4 percent were occupied, according to the NHA itself. Only 33 percent have been completed, although lawmakers believe the real figures are much lower. Roque said the President backs moves to hold those who caused delays in housing projects accountable for their apparent negligence. “On Yolanda, there are very good lessons learned. The delay in the reconstruction of Yolanda devastated areas is simply unacceptable as far as the President is concerned,” he said. Thousands of families affected by “Yolanda” will hold protests in Tacloban City and Catarman, Northern Samar on Wednesday. Peo ple Surge, a non-governmental organization based in Tacloban City, led a silent protest on Nov. 2 along the national highway in Tanuan, Leyte. Five body bags were laid on the ground, representing the five “false” promises made by the Duterte administration: the investigation of the “gang
of five” referring to former President Benigno Aquino 3rd, former Interior secretary Mar Roxas 3rd, former Social Welfare secretary Dinky Soliman, former Energy secretary Carlos Petilla and former rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson who were accused of neglecting the typhoon victims, housing, aid to farmers, livelihood and the distribution of the Emergency Shelter Assistance. “When Duterte paid a visit to Tacloban City in November 2016, he ordered the National Housing Authority to fast track the construction of permanent housing units and committed to return in December to check whether or not the NHA had met with quotas set by the administration. True enough, the NHA was able to fast track the construction of over 59,679 additional units on top of the 19,330 built by the previous administration in over two years. However, in Tacloban City alone, the Local Government Unit admits that approximately 6,000 people have yet to be relocated into permanent housing units as of August. The Department of Public Works and Highways have reported meanwhile that it has met its target of 181 water tank installations yet several relocation sites suffer from lack of clean water,’ the group said. “There is a grave sense of urgency behind the protests we are launching. If it’s easy for elected officials to brush off the legitimate demands of marginalized sectors or disaster victims here in Eastern Visayas, what’s stopping this administration from doing the exact same thing in other parts of the country? We remember the dead but we don’t let them grow in number,” People Surge’s secretary general Marissa Cabaljao said. Sargie Macallan, provincial chairman of Katungod-Northern Samar chapter, a human rights group based in Catarman, told The Manila Times that their protest will focus on the issues hounding Yolanda victims like lack of livelihood, decent housing and aid to farmers. The Northern Samar Small Farmers Association decried the lack of government support in the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector. “Seedlings and other government aid did not reach the true farmers,” Macallan said.
HOT CAR. Customs chief Isidro Lapeña points to one of the 18 luxury cars seized by the Bureau of Customs for being undervalued and lacking documentary requirements. ManilaTimes.net photo by Boy Josue
DOJ starts ‘pork’ probe of Drilon, Trillanes by EDU
PUNAY Philstar.com
MANILA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has started its reinvestigation into the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is building up cases from evidence submitted to his office by former Manila councilor and anti-pork barrel advocate Greco Belgica and other sources as well as initial statements by accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. “There are many documents submitted to us, but the ones from Greco Belgica would already suffice. The NBI is now building up the cases,” Aguirre said in an interview. He issued the statement in response to the recent call made by former Makati vice mayor and Campaign for Public Accountability (CPA) convenor Bobby Brillante for the reinvestigation into the pork barrel scam, particularly the supposed involvement of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. Brillante also called on the Senate to conduct another investigation on the PDAF scam, saying the probe in the previous
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is building up cases from evidence submitted to his office by former Manila councilor and anti-pork barrel advocate Greco Belgica and other sources as well as initial statements by accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. Philstar.com photo
administration was selective as it only targeted three opposition senators then: Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla. Drilon is a member of the political opposition, while Trillanes is a critic of President Duterte. Earlier, Trillanes challenged Duterte and his family to sign waivers on their bank accounts allegedly containing unexplained wealth worth millions of pesos. Aguirre said Drilon and Trillanes have been implicated by
Napoles in the PDAF scam. “Napoles mentioned prominent personalities from the previous administration, including Senators Drilon and Trillanes,” he said. But Aguirre refused to give further details so as not to preempt the NBI’s fact-finding probe. Trillanes IV was unfazed by the reinvestigation of the DOJ into the PDAF scam. He described the new probe as “just another propaganda move of DOJ.” “Kung meron talaga akong ginawang kalokohan dyan sa PDAF na yan, last year pa dapat nila nafile yan (If I really did something illegal in that PDAF, they would have filed charges against me last year),” Trillanes said in a text message. The senator earlier denied any involvement in any irregularity regarding PDAF, the Disbursement Acceleration Program funds or any government fund. He stressed he was never mentioned in any of the so-called Napoles lists provided during the height of the investigations in 2013. Drilon could not be reached for comment as he is still out of the country. Earlier this year, Aguirre said Napoles cooperated with the PAGE A7
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OPINION
Safety first
FEATURES
“GENERALLY, it is safe to work, study, do business, and travel in the Philippines.” This was what newly appointed Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque assured foreign embassies following the fresh travel advisory issued by the Australian government against the Philippines. In its advisory, the Australian government cautioned its citizens on the Philippines’ safety or security risks. “We verified with Australian officials and that the advisory is not a response to any specific threat. Their general threat assessment has remained the same as it was the height of the Marawi rebellion, which we all know has already been resolved by our government forces,” Roque said in his official statement. The United Kingdom (UK) likewise said its existing travel advisory regarding terror threats in the Philippines remains in effect. The alert on its official website, updated Nov. 3, was identified as “still current” on November 4. “Militant groups in rural areas throughout the Philippines. Armed clashes between security forces and militant groups can occur at any time without warning. Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the Philippines, including in Manila,” the advisory stated. For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has coordinated with other embassies and confirmed that there are no changes on the travel advisories to the Philippines issued by other countries. “The Philippine government has no information about any increased terror threat in the county and we assure our foreign friends that local authorities have been enforcing tight security measures, especially in populated areas while we urge everyone to continue being aware of one’s surroundings,” Roque added. Fighting in Marawi City was declared over after military forces killed Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon
Hapilon and Omar Maute, one of the founders of the Maute Group, last October 23. Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 8, the entire force of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be on full alert to address any security concerns for the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit 2017 which is scheduled next week. Under this status, PNP units are available 100 percent for immediate deployment should they be required immediately. Military personnel are also tasked to remain vigilant and secure the safety of leaders and delegations attending next week’s summit. National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said no security threat has been detected so far. An estimated 60,000 personnel from 21 agencies and their equipment will be deployed to various ASEAN meeting venues in Metro Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga to secure the week-long event. “We cannot be very complacent. We should be aware, we should be on guard. We need to be strict in implementing tight security measures to prevent any untoward incident,” Lorenzana said. National security is of paramount importance to any country and to everyone. Confronting any looming threat goes beyond the power of governments. Travel advisory or not, every citizen is advised to remain vigilant and to take extra precautions wherever they go. The war against terrorism requires a resolute individual to take a stand and confront it. This also means understanding terrorism: why it exists and why it has had adverse consequences on humanity. (AJPress)
Editorial
The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS “BALITANG AMERICA” (BA), the daily newscast of ABS-CBN International’s The Filipino Channel, is celebrating its 15th year and has become the leading source for Filipinos in North America. BA is a 30-minute newscast aired daily from Mondays to Fridays that presents news stories about Filipinos in North America, as well as news reports about currents events in America, Canada, the Philip-
Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ LESS than six months after joining the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, former senator and now Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano literally hit the ground running. And I can comfortably say – after watching him up close – that he is the perfect man for the job. I traveled with Secretary Alan to Davao last Friday for the briefing of the president on the upcoming ASEAN Summit. With 21 heads of state plus the UN Secretary-General set to attend, the preparations for this historic event are simply overwhelming. This column may sound “sipsip” to some people but I can bluntly say I’ve been around long enough to know who’s who in government and what’s what. Observing Secretary Alan in the past couple of weeks, I can see he can aptly articulate what is in President Duterte’s mind. “The Philippines integrates the human rights agenda in its
Philstar.com photo
The Filipino Channel’s ‘Balitang America’ turns 15 Documentary airs on November 12
pines and around the world that affect our lives here in North America and the lives of our families in this global community — all told from our unique Filipino-American perspective. BA was created as a result of ABS-CBN’s mission to expand news bureaus in different parts of the world where The Filipino Channel (TFC) was shown. The mission was the driving force — to serve the overseas Filipino community. With meager resources and limited manpower, BA premiered on September 28, 2002
as a weekly newscast, with headlines and stories focused on the aftermath of the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001, specifically on the heightened security and growing anti-immigrant sentiments. I was already anchoring the daily newscast in the Philippines for 12 years when my family immigrated to the United States in 2001 for my husband’s advanced training as a surgeon. It was in 2003 when I started to re-connect with my ABS-CBN family when BA tried to cover as many U.S. states as
possible. I was based in Minnesota at that time doing real estate on the side when I was invited by BA to contribute stories about Filipinos in this part of the Midwest. In 2005, my family moved to California. This paved the way for me to be in front of the cameras for ABS-CBN again, initially as a co-host of Atty. Michael Gurfinkel for “Citizen Pinoy,” and as a pinch-hitter for Cara Subijano for BA. In 2007, BA became a daily newscast, and it paved the way for me to go back to anchoring the news on a daily basis.
BUT there is a bigger story on how BA came to be the most far-reaching source of news and information for Filipinos in America. WATCH the BA documentary and find out how the newscast began, the grit and tenacity of the BA team, and the inside stories of our coverage. “For every breaking news, for every compelling story, BA has been with you for 15 years. With our team of reporters across the United States and Canada, BA has become a voice for the most underrepresented in the community, a
unifying force for important undertakings, and a rallying point during times of crisis and tragedy.” Watch “Beyond News: 15 years of Balitang America,” airing November 12 at 7:45 p.m. across time zones - ONLY ON TFC! *** 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.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos. Relos
Philippine foreign affairs in good hands development initiatives for the purpose of protecting everyone, especially the most vulnerable, from lawlessness, violence and anarchy… That is why we have a massive campaign to restore the rule of law by fighting corruption, crime and illegal drugs,” he said in his eloquent speech at the UN general assembly in New York, emphasizing that “security and human rights are not incompatible.” However, he also stated that Filipinos expect the sovereignty of this nation to be respected, and that “its democratically elected government’s assessment of threats and how to go about addressing them shall be accorded pre-eminence among nations.” He also had very good meetings in Washington, D.C. with US State Secretary Rex Tillerson as well as Senators John McCain III and Cory Gardner. McCain is a strong advocate of the continuing engagement of the U.S. in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. McCain’s grandfather served in the Philippines during the Second World War while his father, U.S. Navy
Admiral John S. McCain Jr., was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor. Senator McCain himself spent time in Subic and it was in Clark where he was processed after his release from Vietnam as a prisoner of war. Senator Gardner — who chairs the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia — visited the Philippines last June to have a “face-to-face” discussion with President Duterte about threats to US national security and the importance of adhering to the rule of law. Gardner is also one of those who urged US President Donald Trump to attend the ASEAN Summit, noting the importance of showing US leadership “not just in rhetoric but in action, in visible ways.” In the meeting with Tillerson, both officials reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the partnership and alliance between the U.S. and the Philippines which, in the words of Secretary Tillerson, is “on an upward vector.” During that meeting, Secretary Alan also said the Philippines is ready to work with
independent observers and experts on the serious problem of illegal drugs – but he also made it clear in no uncertain terms that these experts or investigators must be fair and impartial, and make sure investigations are not politicized so that outcomes are credible. People who know Secretary Cayetano well say his sharp wit, unflappable character and eloquence are among the reasons why he is perfect as our top diplomat – able to articulate what the president really wants to communicate. Many Filipino-Americans who met Alan Peter during his month-long trip to the U.S. were clearly impressed, saying he “exemplifies a young diplomat with charisma and sense of humor…” positive characteristics that could be utilized to “balance and calm down political tensions that the Duterte administration is facing with other countries.” During a speaking engagement dubbed as “A Conversation with Alan Peter Cayetano” organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, former U.S.
Ambassador to the Philippines Frank Wisner introduced him as “a man who has worked [his] way up from the grassroots of Philippine politics through the House of Representatives, to [his] election to the Senate…” – representing “the very best in Philippine politics,” and adding “particular tone and luster” to the Cabinet of President Duterte. The said speaking engagement highlighted the eloquence and intelligence of Secretary Cayetano – framing the president’s new independent foreign policy through the balanced use of metaphors and “plainspeak” as he discussed the challenges that global change poses on bilateral relations. President Duterte pursues “a truly independent foreign policy for Filipinos by Filipinos, where we pursue bridges to places where once there was none… a bridge to the other side of the river,” Secretary Alan said. When the president announced our “separation” from the U.S. during his state visit to China, what he meant was this: When Philippine interests in-
tersect with the interest of the U.S. or any other country, we go together. When the interests do not meet, then we make our own path. “Sometimes we sacrifice, because that is what foreign relations is all about… It’s about we. It’s about us,” Alan Peter told his audience, elaborating that the Philippines also wants to stand on its own two feet. “What good is the Philippines as an ally to the U.S. if we are always dependent upon you? But as a strong ally, standing on our own, we are more use to you and the American people,” he said. This is actually aligned with President Donald Trump’s speech to the UN: “Our success depends on a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity, and peace, for themselves and for the world,” Trump said. With Secretary Alan as Foreign Secretary, I completely subscribe to what he described as our foreign policy: “The Filipino people’s interest comes before all others.” (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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De Venecia pushes peace mission to North Korea by JEFFERSON
ANTIPORDA Manilatimes.net
AERO WORKOUT. Thousands of fitness fans clad in blue join the Aero Taebo workout along San Francisco Street, Barangay Plainview in Mandaluyong City on Sunday, November 5. The Aero Taebo workout in a single location is a sample entry to the Guinness World of Records. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
Duterte’s war on drugs to face SC for first time by KRISTINE JOY
Philstar.com
PATAG
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, for the first time, will defend its bloody war on drugs before the Supreme Court through oral arguments on November 21. SC Spokesperson Theodore Te, in a press briefing on Tuesday, Nov. 7, said that the SC sitting en banc has ordered the petitioners and respondent Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and other government officials to present their arguments before the full court on November 21, 2:00 p.m. Solicitor General Jose Calida will represent the government for its defense. This is the first time the government will defend its anti-narcotics
campaign before the 15-member court, led by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. Duterte won the presidency with the promise to ruthlessly rid the country of drugs and criminality. Police records over 6,000 deaths under investigation, while human rights group put the death toll under the administration’s drug war at 13,000. Two weeks from now, the SC will hear the petitions filed by two groups of kin of Oplan Tokhang victims and the defenses of the government. The two parties are also ordered to file their respective comment on the petition “within a non-extendible period of ten (10) days upon receipt of order.” On October 11, Aileen Almora and Rowena Appari were assisted
by the members of the of Free Legal Assistance Group, led by De La Salle University Dean Chel Diokno, when they filed a petition seeking a writ of amparo (or protection), injunction and prohibition, temporary protection order, and TRO before the Suprem Court. The plea intends to stop extrajudicial killings caused by the nationwide war on drugs. Another petition was filed by Sr. Ma. Juanito R. Daño and 38 other petitioners whose families were killed in police anti-drug operations seeking for a writ of amparo. Daño was assisted by the Center of International Law in filing its petition of October 19. The two petitions were filed asking the SC to issue a halt order on the government’s bloody war on drugs. ■
DOJ starts ‘pork’ probe of Drilon...
PAGE A5 DOJ’s plan to revisit the PDAF scam and was set to submit a tellall affidavit. Aguirre said Napoles also implicated former budget secretary Butch Abad and detained Senator Leila de Lima, but has yet to detail their alleged criminal liabilities. During the previous administration, Napoles submitted to the DOJ a list of all lawmakers she had allegedly transacted with. She tagged about a dozen senators and over 100 congressmen who benefitted from the PDAF scam that involved bogus non-government organizations, but only Enrile, Estrada
and Revilla and several congressmen were indicted by the Sandiganbayan. This supposed “selective justice” in the PDAF scam was among the issues raised by Duterte during his presidential campaign last year. Recently, Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero have called for reopening of the probe into the pork barrel scam. They stressed that the cases involving Napoles comprised less than half of the total amount that went to the pockets of unscrupulous public officials and their cohorts. Escudero said he favors a re-
opening of the Senate investigation, especially if the DOJ could present new evidence that would pin down other involved personalities. He said only P6 billion worth of PDAF was investigated in relation to the case of Napoles, while the Commission on Audit reported that P13 billion to P14 billion of public funds were unaccounted for. For her part, Poe underscored the need to resolve the matter once and for all, adding that a number of personalities who have been previously named in past investigations have yet to come forward. ■
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FORMER House Speaker Jose de Venecia believes that two major international summits can be good opportunities for world leaders to come up with a new approach to address the Korean peninsula crisis. De Venecia, a special envoy for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and InterCultural Dialogue, said leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 21-member APEC could explore the possibility of forming a small team to lead negotiations with North Korea. He noted that the APEC meeting in Vietnam to be held on November 8 to 11 and the Asean summit in the Philippines on November 10 to 14 are opportunities for the leaders to explore the idea of sending a joint peace mission to Pyongyang. President Rodrigo Duterte in a recent speech said someone should talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to convince
him nobody is out to remove him or destroy his country. De Venecia said a joint peace mission could help ease tensions in the Korean peninsula and pave the way for an enduring peace in the area. He said the inter-Korean talks could be at senior or mid-levels, representing not more than seven parties including key APEC members like the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, a representative of Asean, and North Korea. “Progress could be publicized or unpublicized with a recess on the eve of the Christmas holidays, and the talks could target preliminary understanding by early next year,” de Venecia said in a statement. The former speaker noted that a meeting of the two Koreas, with the participation of APEC and Asean representatives, could even lead to the inclusion of North Korea in the Asean Plus 3 nations. “This would add North Korea to the current ASEAN Plus 3, which includes the 10 Asean nations plus China, Japan, and South Korea. In the
future, perhaps the two Koreas could consider a “unification” or “confederation,” he added. De Venecia, the founding chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), counts Pyongyang’s Korean Workers Party as one of ICAPP’s more than 300 ruling, opposition and independent parties as members. Also, as co-chairman of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), he plans to invite the North Korean Parliament to nominate delegates to the IAPP. The unification of Korea, de Venecia said, is not impossible, citing the cases of Germany and Vietnam. “Unforeseen, unnegotiated geo-political circumstances eventually proved everyone wrong, resulting finally in a strong, prosperous united Germany and a flourishing united Vietnam,” he pointed out. De Venecia is on a visit to Iran to promote Inter-Cultural Dialogue and to pursue a project for a petrochemicals complex in Pangasinan and Northern Luzon. ■
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november 10-16, 2017 • norCAL ASIAn JoUrnAL
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BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY OURNAL Mandatory interviews begin for certain green card applicants
ON October 2, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began implementation of its new mandatory in-person interview requirement for certain applicants seeking permanent residency. Under this new directive, USCIS will require in-person interviews for all individuals applying for permanent residency (a green card) based on employment (i.e. where the underlying petition is under the EB-1, EB-2, or EB-3 category). Refugee/Asylee relative petitions for beneficiaries who are in the United States and are petitioning to join a principal asylee/refugee applicant will also be subject to the in-person interview requirement. All employment-based Adjustment of Status (AOS) applicants who filed on or after March 6, 2017 will be called into a local USCIS office for an in-person interview. Generally speaking, the interview requirement will apply to both principal and derivative beneficiary applicants, but USCIS may consider waiving the interview for applicants under 14 years old. Under prior procedures, USCIS typically allowed employment-based AOS applications to be adjudicated and approved absent an in-person interview and only about five to ten percent of employmentbased AOS applicants were actually called in for interviews. Employment-based AOS applicants are expected to be asked questions regarding their admissibility and eligibility for permanent residency and will likely need to articulate specifics about their anticipated position and discuss their educational background, experience, and qualifications. Applicants will also likely be expected to confirm whether the employer still plans to employ them in the position and that they still intend to take up the employment as described in the petition. It is possible that a representative from the employing-firm will be required to
Your Immigration Solution BRITTANY MILLIASSEAU AND NANCY MILLER attend the interview. One particular concern that has resulted in response to the new requirement is the depth of the interview and how review of the underlying (already approved) petition will be handled. Will adjudicating officers re-examine and re-evaluate the petition or will they simply defer to the approved decision? While it is not certain how every interview will be conducted, officers have been instructed and trained not to re-adjudicate the petition. Officers will however, still assess the validity of the documents submitted in support of the petition and will assess whether the evidence was credible, accurate, consistent, and bona fide. And, since fraud and misrepresentation is always a ground of inadmissibility, the officer can assert that he or she can question the applicant about their knowledge of the job duties and their qualifications for the job. In exploring grounds of inadmissibility, the applicant may be asked whether s/he has ever made a false claim to U.S. citizenship, including on an I-9. Further, derivative family members will also be interviewed and should expect questions regarding their bona fide relationship to the principal applicant. The interview requirement comes in response to President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States” which was signed in March. USCIS states that during interviews, officers will verify the information provided in applications, discover new information that may be relevant to the adjudication process, and determine
the credibility of the individual seeking permanent residency, with the ultimate goal being to detect fraud and protect national security and public safety. As with any application for an immigration benefit or appearance in front of an adjudicating officer, it is important to make sure you are represented by competent immigration counsel. Due to the sheer number of green card applicants that will now be called in for interviews, massive backlog and processing delays are anticipated. There have also been reports that USCIS will expand beyond these categories and will begin an incremental expansion of the interview requirement to other applications. If you or a family member has an employment-based or refugee/asylee relative green card application that is currently pending or are seeking to file one, it is essential that you consult knowledgeable and experienced immigration counsel to discuss exactly how the new requirement will impact your case. Hiring an experienced immigration attorney to prepare and submit the application is just the beginning but it is essential. The attorney should also prepare the applicant for and accompany the applicant to the interview. Therefore, make sure that an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney is by your side during every phase of the application process. *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com website: www.rreeves.com
Political woes seen pulling down peso by BEN
O. DE VERA Inquirer.net
THE peso is seen further weakening to 55:$1 next year amid political uncertainty, London-based economic research firm Capital Economics said. “We expect most Asian currencies to hold up well against the US dollar in 2018, supported by healthy external positions and strong export demand. The main exceptions are those with significant external vulnerabilities (Sri Lanka and Pakistan) and where the domestic political situation may deteriorate (the Philippines and Thailand),” Capital Economics said in its Oct. 31 Emerging
Asia Markets Monitor report titled “Asian equities bounce back.” Capital Economics projected the peso to close this year at the 52:$1 level, before sliding to 55:$1 in 2018 and 2019. Data showed that as of endSeptember, the peso weakened the most compared with other currencies that depreciated against the dollar, including those of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. In contrast, the currencies of South Korea, India, Taiwan, China andThailandstrengthenedagainst the greenback year-to-date. The peso slid to fresh 11-year low levels in October, hitting
51.77:$1 on Oct. 25, the weakest since July 25, 2006’s 51.87:$1. In an earlier report, Capital Economics said “the outlook for private investment is less promising” in the near term due to politics. “If companies are to invest, they need a stable and predictable business environment. While Rodrigo Duterte has not been the disaster for the economy that some feared, there are signs the new president’s war on drugs, his erratic policymaking style and the worsening security situation in the south of the country is starting to weigh on investment prospects,” according to Capital Economics. ■
PH e-commerce boom bad for malls, retail stores by RICHMOND
MERCURIO Philstar.com
THE Philippines is expected to become the top e-commerce market in Southeast Asia as early as 2020 – a not so welcome development for Filipino malls and retail stores as this could spell doom for their operations. The Philippine e-commerce industry, valued at over $1 billion, is expected to grow exponentially *** in the next three to five years, according to Inanc The analysis and suggestions offered in Balci, chief executive officer of Lazada Philipthis column do not create a lawyer-client pines. relationship and are not a substitute for “We are definitely not at the top of e-commerce the personalized representation that is (across Southeast Asia), but we are on our way to essential to every case. being on top. I believe the Philippines will be the (Advertising Supplement) top e-commerce country in Southeast Asia in the
next three to five years. In the medium term, after 2020, we have the chance to be at the top worldwide,” Balci told The STAR. “I don’t see any reason why it should grow
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NOVEMBER 10-16, 2017 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
The CTV Files ATTY. DENNIS CHUA, ESQ. A STEPPARENT may file an immigrant petition for a stepchild even without the stepparent having to legally adopt the stepchild. However, before a stepparent may be able to file an immigrant petition for a stepchild, the stepparent–stepchild relationship should have been created before a stepchild turns 18 years old. This means that the stepparent and the biological parent of the stepchild must get married before the child turns 18 years old. If the petitioner can no longer file an immigrant petition for the stepchild because the child has turned 18 years old, the child can still be petitioned by the biological parent after she obtains his or her permanent residency status. The significance of having a U.S. citizen stepparent file for a stepchild is so that they could avoid the visa backlogs for visa petitions filed by legal permanent residents for their minor children (2d preference category). But considering the current visa priority dates being processed under the 2d preference category, the stepchild may be able to immigrate sooner than later even if petitioned by a legal permanent
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Continued from last week...) FOR years, there has been an onslaught of terrifying events from just about everywhere, facilitated by the startling phenomenon of social media and the ease of anything going viral and trending through the internet. Social media, like any other invention during modern times, has become a double-edged tool. It can be used for good or ill, depending on the user and his motivation. Against this gloomy global backdrop, what is good and true appear to be defenseless against unseen forces that doom personal struggles: relationship problems, self-esteem issues, financial problems, addictions, physical and mental illnesses and other ills too many to mention. The result — there seems to be far too many lonely, alienated people these days. The suicidal stage is the most dreaded period of such a state of mind, when intense loneliness descends to a deep vortex of hopelessness and darkness. Suicide signals the end of a futile human struggle. There is available help — a sliver of hope. Psychotherapy and the safe and judicious use of antidepressants can help keep deep depression at bay. But that is all it does — keep it at bay. One cannot help but think that there has to be a better way when an alarming percentage of those who take antidepressants still throw in the towel and end it all. In simpler times, if you can call and label adversity by name, you can figure out simple ways of defeating it. Yet now because of the complexity of the world we live in, we don’t call people lonely. We call them depressed. They are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a whole dizzying lexicon of mental diseases. Two thousand years ago, our ancestors called the whole gamut of mental diseases and bizarre behavior, possession by the dev-
COMMUNITY JOURNAL
Petitioning children of your spouse from a previous marriage
“ Instead of marrying the biological parent, the U.S. citizen petitioner can just file a fiancé petition for the biological parent.” resident biological parent. If the biological parent is about to get married to the U.S. citizen petitioner and the biological parent has a child who is already over 18 years of age, it might be wise to consider postponing the marriage to give the child an opportunity to enter the United States faster. Instead of marrying the biological parent, the U.S. citizen petitioner can just file a fiancé petition for the biological parent. Once the fiancé petition is approved, both the biological parent and child can be issued the corresponding K visas for them to enter the United States. Upon marriage of the U.S. citizen to the biological parent, both parent and child can file their respective applications for adjustment of status to have their status changed from K to permanent resident status. The decision whether to file a
fiancé petition or an immigrant petition is crucial especially if the child is aging out or turning 21 years of age. The decision to just get married instead of filing a fiancé petition could mean a long wait of at least eight years before the child can be able to immigrate to the United States and join the biological parent. *** Atty. Dennis E. Chua is a partner in The Law Firm of Chua Tinsay and Vega (CTV) a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Manila. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorneyclient relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (415) 495-8088; (619) 955-6277; (916)4493923 Dchua@ctvattys.com (Advertising Supplement)
Whatever happened to ‘happily ever after’ “Suicide, contrary to the lyrics of a popular song, is never painless.”
(Part 2 of 3) il. One is no longer in charge of cultural canvass that engenders one’s soul but has been overpow- hopelessness and darkness in ered by a sinister, evil force. The the souls of many individuals today. There are far too many news soul is its habitat. Pope Francis, fully aware and of suicide these days and its hordeeply concerned about what is rible spawn, murder-suicide. Consider the case of that degoing on in the spiritual realm in today’s world, has ordained ex- ranged, suicidal Germanwings orcism official Catholic practice. pilot who planned and deliberThere are only a few of these ately slammed a planeload of exorcists among the dwindling passengers against an Alpine number of clergy. Pray unceas- mountain, causing the death of ingly that God sends to every- 149 people. Who can forget about that dewhere around the world more of this class of holy spiritual soldiers spondent Malaysian Airlines pilot in the tradition of Michael the who may have caused the death Archangel who defeated Satan. of others by murder-suicide? AfThe greatest lie perpetrated ter 17 months of fruitless searchby the devil during modern es, debris of the ill-fated MH 370 times is to make people believe have been recovered on Reunion that evil does not exist. It does. Island in the Indian Ocean close People lulled by a false sense to Mauritius and Madagascar, of security in believing they are perhaps dragged by ocean curnot in the sights of that sinister, rents from where it crashed unseen force, have become like on March 08, 2014 killing 239 the dodo—fat sitting ducks for people onboard. To this day, this evil—unwary and often caught tragic incident continues to be shrouded in mystery. off guard when tested. And then there are the twisted The dodo is gone because it did not recognize the predators beliefs of suicide bombers seekthat wanted to kill it. In the spiri- ing martyrdom. They think they tual realm, it has always been the will go to paradise and be rebattle for the human soul — good warded with seventy-two virgins versus evil. The battle is raging. for their atrocity. There are reliSadly, many are none the wiser. gious leaders intolerant of other Remember though that hope beliefs, who incite their followers springs eternal and the tide al- to eradicate Christians and Chrisways turns in God’s perfect tim- tian nations. Who can explain evil incarnate? ing. There is news of suicide that The beheadings, stonings and widespread Christian persecu- hits you harder because you tion in the Middle East and Af- personally know the person who rica by radical elements of Islam took his own life. By all accounts, in recent years, and in the home he has led a good life but unfront of western civilization, the known to all, was going through pervasive liberalism that mocks overwhelming personal strugChristian morality and values by gles, quietly wallowing in darktouting political correctness, the ness and despair never wanting world is yanked back to 1 AD to cause a ripple and simply gave all over again. This is history re- up. (Conclusion in next week’s ispeating itself — a throwback to two thousand years ago when sue …) *** the blood of martyrs flowed, Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP and Nero fiddled while Rome of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send burned. comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ This is the present social and asianjournalinc.com
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Medical Journal updates
Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS TODAY, about 1.25 billion people smoke cigarettes, and one billion deaths from tobaccorelated illness are expected, ten times more compared to the toll in the 20th century. The deadly habit accounts for one in five (or 1.4 million) cancer deaths all over the world annually. Each year around the world, 10.9 million tobacco-related cancer of the lungs are diagnosed. This does not even include other pulmonary, gynecological and cardiovascular disabilities and death tolls as a consequence of smoking. “We know with cancer, if we take action now, we can save 2 million lives a year by 2020 and 6.5 million by 2040,” said Dr. Judith Mackay, a World Health Organization (WHO) senior policy adviser. * * * New studies have shown that even light activities in and around the house, like mundane endeavors of daily living (climbing stairs, cleaning the house, cooking, running after the kids, garden work, etc.) help prolong life. Especially the ones that make you perspire. Of course, daily regimented exercises will do a lot more. But simple household chores have a positive health effect on longevity as well. “Elderly couch potatoes were much more likely to die within about six years than those whose lives included regular activity no more strenuous than washing dishes, vacuuming, gardening and climbing stairs,” according to the study of adults aged 72 to 80 published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. * * * Macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in old age can be prevented by eating a diet rich in fish, according to two new studies in the U.S. Archives of Ophthalmology. Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) abundant in fish are already proven to protect the heart and the brain, to reduce the risk of developing heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer’s. “A study of 681 elderly American men showed that those who ate fish twice a week had a 36 percent lower risk of macular degeneration…In the other study, which followed 2,335 Australian men and women over five years, people who ate fish just once a week reduced their risk by 40 percent,” according to the report. The American study also revealed that smokers double their risk of developing macular degeneration and blindness. Those who do not like fish may take good quality fish oil cap-
sules. Check with your physician if this is right for you. * * * The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that, “probiotic yogurt —Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium containing yogurt (AB-yogurt) — enhances the effectiveness of quadruple therapy for eradicating residual Helicobacter pylori (stomach) infection.” This bug is the cause of gastric ulcers, which used to be treated with surgery, but since the discovery that it is caused by Helicobacter pylori, it is now a disease, treated with pills. A big boon to better quality evidencebased patient care. * * * Exercise-induced muscle damage, which happens to most athletes, can be minimized to a great extent by drinking tart cherry juice, reports the British Journal of Sports Medicine. For those who exercise at home, drinking tart cherry juice will certainly not hurt. This is, indeed, a welcome new to those who exercise. * * * Soft drinks, which I call liquid candies, are toxic to the body, especially to children. All of them — cola or uncola, regular or diet, caffeinated of decaffeinated — increase the risk for metabolic diseases. The harm to our body does not manifest immediately— it takes years to develop. By then, the damages would have been done. Prevention is obviously the key. * * * To prevent cardiovascular illnesses, metabolic diseases and cancer, diet alone is not enough. Daily exercise, abstinence from tobacco and moderation in alcohol intake are a must. The American Heart Association has revised its former decades-old recommendation that stressed mainly healthy diet as the regimen to prevent these illnesses. “The previous recommendations mainly stressed the importance of a healthy diet; the new (revised) ones broaden that concept to include the importance of a healthy lifestyle pattern,” lead author and chair of the AHA’s Nutrition Committee Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, from Tufts University in Boston, said in a news release. “The two go together — they should be inseparable.” A simple walk around the block (or brisk-walking if tolerated) for about 30 minutes does wonders to our cardiovascular, pulmonary, and immune systems, warding off not only metabolic diseases but also deadly cancers. Warning: Processed foods increase the risk for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Sample of these are hot dogs, sausages and other deli meats, and other food items that have gone though processing. Fresh is better and healthier than processed food
items. The AHA 2006 detailed recommendations are as follows: • Consume an overall healthy diet. • To maintain a healthy body weight, balance calories consumed with calories burned. • Increase awareness of calorie content of foods for portions typically consumed and of daily caloric requirements. • Set a goal of at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily. • Consume a diet rich in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables (not fruit juices), especially those that are deeply colored (spinach, carrots, peaches, and berries). • Prepare fruits and vegetables, minimizing saturated fats from red meats and transfats. • Choose nuts and high-fiber foods. • Consume 2 servings of fish, especially those relatively high in omega-3 fatty-acids (salmon, trout, and herring) at least twice weekly. • Children and pregnant women should follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for avoiding mercury-contaminated fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish). • Limit intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol by choosing lean meats, vegetable alternatives, and fat-free (skim) and low-fat (1 percent fat) dairy products and minimize intake of partially hydrogenated fats. • Minimize intake of beverages and foods with added sugars. • To consume NO more than 2300 mg of sodium daily, choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Middle-aged and older adults, African Americans, and those with hypertension should consume no more than 1500 mg of sodium daily. • Limit alcohol intake to not more than 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men (1 drink = 12 oz of beer, 4 oz of wine, 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits, or 1 oz of 100-proof spirits). • When eating out, be aware of portion size; select vegetables and fruits; and avoid foods prepared with added saturated or trans fat, salt, and sugar. Eating fruits first before the meal is better than eating them after the meal for physiologic reason. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua. com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com
Business News
Gov’t urged to address high power rates
The Philippines has one of the highest industrial power rates in the region at $9.91 per kilowatt-hour, compared to Indonesia’s $4.82 per kwh and Thailand’s $5.33. Philstar file photo by DANESSA RIVERA Philstar.com
THE Philippines will continue to lag behind Asian neighbors in socio-economic development unless government takes proactive reforms to address the country’s high power cost – considered the most expensive in the world, according to Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) senior vice president for commercial and planning Chrysogonus Herrera. “We are at the bottom in terms of gross domestic product growth in Asia and it is clear that we need to catch up with other countries such as Malaysia and China, which have achieved higher GDP even though they are producing higher carbon dioxide (CO2) emission,” Herrera said. The Philippines has one of the highest industrial power rates in the region at $9.91 per kilowatthour, compared to Indonesia’s $4.82 per kwh and Thailand’s $5.33. Herrera said the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) should transform the power industry from a sellers’ market and a government monopoly in generation to a buyers’ market to help reduce
power costs. “Distribution utilities (DUs) and contestable customers must be empowered with competition and choice, including the decision regarding from whom and what to buy,” he said. The power sector must also let the market under the EPIRA sort itself out in pursuing least cost generation alternatives, according to Herrera. “We have seen it working with about P15 billion in investments to generate about 7,500 megawatts of new capacity addition until 2021,” he said. The country should also replace ageing plants by building new plants. About 60 percent of the country’s operating power plants are older than 15 years, or more than half its life span of 25 to 30 years. As power plants get older, they are no longer capable of handling lifting operations, Herrera said. “The future presents an opportunity to replace them if they are no longer competitive in the WESM, are not environmentally compliant, or they can no longer comply with the resiliency standards imposed by the Department of Energy,” he said. ■
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COMMUNITY JOURNAL
You don’t need a Philippine annulment to get married in the U.S. DEAR Attorney Gurfinkel: I have been out of status in the U.S. since 2010. I’ve been separated from my husband since 2003, and he already has another family in the Philippines. I have a boyfriend here in the U.S., and we have been living together for about two years. We’re planning to get married, but I know that since I was married in the Philippines, I need to annul my marriage in the Philippines before I can marry my boyfriend. Is there any hope for me? Very truly yours, JN Dear JN: First, divorce is recognized in the U.S. for immigration purposes. You do not need to annul your marriage in the Philippines in order to get married in the U.S. Instead, you can divorce your spouse in the U.S., which would constitute a valid termination of your first marriage, enabling you to enter into a second marriage. (Uncontested divorces, where the other party will sign the papers, and not contest the divorce, typically takes about 6 months. That’s a lot shorter than the time for an annulment. Further, in most states, you don’t need a reason for divorcing; just “irreconcilable differences,” or “we just don’t love each other anymore”. In the Philippines, there usually has to be a reason, like abandonment, psychological incapacity etc.). Second, court proceedings
Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ usually require the plaintiff or petitioner to personally appear in court. If you are in the U.S. and are out of status, how would you be able to personally appear in a Philippine court? If you depart the U.S., you could be subject to the 10-year bar, preventing you from returning for 10 years, unless you applied for and were granted a waiver. Third, U.S. immigration law is clear that if a divorce is valid and recognized where it was obtained, it will be recognized for immigration purposes. Therefore, if you obtain a valid U.S. divorce, it will be recognized by USCIS, and with that divorce, you could marry your boyfriend. Finally, some types of divorces would not be recognized, such as divorces obtained in the Dominican Republic without either party showing up in court. (I know that some people obtained these “no-appearance” divorces, but those type of divorces may not be recognized or be valid). I know that there are a lot of myths, misconceptions, rumors, etc. about various laws and requirements, including
the validity of divorces in lieu of annulments. People also have misunderstandings about eligibility for various immigration benefits, the requirements, documents required, proof necessary, etc. That’s why it’s important that when seeking immigration benefits, you should consult with an attorney, who can clarify with you the requirements and how you can meet those requirements, if you are eligible. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES
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A reunion that was almost 10 years in the making, on ‘Citizen Pinoy’
RAFFY’S mother, Asela, came to the United States as a registered nurse when he was only 16 years old. Asela was able to adjust status in July 2007, and then tried to bring Raffy and her husband to the U.S. to join her. Their case suffered several setbacks: their priority date retrogressed (moved backwards), her previous two law-
yers were unable to see the case through, Raffy had already aged out and the Embassy refused to issue his visa, and tragically, Raffy’s father was stricken with cancer and died in the Philippines. Through all these trials, Asela was losing hope, until she decided to retain “Attorney-of-LastHope” Michael Gurfinkel, who convinced the U.S. Embassy to
reconsider their visa refusal, by demonstrating Raffy’s eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act. See how this bittersweet family reunion finally happened almost 10 years later, on this brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/ Satellite providers). (Advertising supplement)
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Diva 2 Diva concert in Pasadena, CA The Philippines’ Pop Diva, Kuh Ledesma, and the Divine Diva, Zsa Zsa Padilla, are back in Southern California with DIVA 2 DIVA on Saturday, November 11! They will be joined with comediennes Nanette Inventor and Mitch Valdez. The show will begin at 7 p.m. at the “PazNaz” First Church of the Nazarene (3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, California). For tickets, you may purchase them online at diva2diva2.eventbrite.com or you may call Henry at (818) 612 4500 for more details. com.
Veterans Day Celebration in San Pedro, CA On Saturday, November 11 (Veterans Day), Philippine Expressions Bookshop is hosting “An Evening of Remembrance” to honor both fallen and surviving U.S. and Filipino war veterans. The event — which is 5 to 7:30 p.m. — is free and open to the public. Seats are limited so RSVP is necessary by emailing to linda@philbooks.us or calling (310) 548-8148. At 5 p.m. there will be a book talk and signing, launching of a two-volume comix on World War II written by military historian Jay Wertz and illustrated by Ed Jimenez. At 6 p.m., there will be a documentary screening of “Manila 1945: The Forgotten Atrocities.” Philippine Expressions Bookshop is located at 479 W. 6th St., San Pedro, CA 90731.
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Search to Involve Pilipino Americans’ 45th anniversary awards & benefit dinner in Los Angeles Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) will have its 45th annual anniversary awards and benefit dinner entitled “Embrace. Empower. Evolve.” The dinner will take place on Friday, November 17 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel at 6 p.m. All proceeds will go towards the organization’s health & human services, community economic development and education programs. Tickets may be purchased online at sipa.ticketsocket.com.
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13th annual mayor’s luncheon in Woodland Hills, CA The United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley presents the 13th annual mayor’s luncheon with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, November 29 at the Warner Center Marriott - Grand Ballroom (21850 Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367). Registration opens at 11 a.m. and the program is from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There will be complimentary self-parking, while valet is $16. For questions or sponsorship opportunities, please call (818) 981-4491 or email marian@unitedchambers.org.
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Immigration forum in Anaheim, CA Global Law Centers in association with Civicminds Recruitment presents an immigration forum on Thursday, November 30 at the Brookhurst Community Center (2271 Crescent Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801). Candidates and employers with H-1B, TN, F-1, OPT & other visa issues are encouraged to attend this FREE Q&A session from 6 to 8 p.m. Civicminds Recruitment will offer tips on how to find employers for green card and work visas after graduation, job placement assistance for qualified applicants and free resume evaluation. To register, please email admin@globallawcenters.com or call (714) 657-7460. For more information, please visit www.globallawcenters.com. A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE THAT INCLUDE RETROGRESSION OF PRIORITY DATES, AGING OUT AND THE FATHER SUCCUMBING TO CANCER JUST BEFORE VISA ISSUANCE ON THIS SUNDAY’S “CITIZEN PINOY.” In July 2007, Raffy’s mother adjusted status in the U.S., hoping to immediately bring her husband and son, Raffy (left) to the U.S. from the Philippines. However, her priority date retrogressed (moved backwards) and the wait stretched for years. Several setbacks occurred, including further retrogression of the priority dates, Raffy aging out, and Raffy’s father being diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately he passed away in the Philippines without seeing his American dream come true. Raffy’s mother then retained the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case from two previous attorneys, who were not taking active steps to move the case forward. Watch how leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to convince the Embassy to reconsider Raffy’s denial, showing he qualified under the Child Status Protection Act, on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising supplement)
PH e-commerce boom bad...
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slower. Because when you look at the market dynamics, like smartphone growth in the Philippines, it is one of the highest in the world. The Facebook penetration in the Philippines is one of the highest in the world, Filipinos are internet savvy, they now enjoy a high disposable income and they do a lot of retail spending. So we believe these are the best conditions any e-commerce company can hope for,” he said. Having the distinction of being the top e-commerce market may not be a welcome development for the country’s mall and retail store owners. In the U.S., malls and prominent retail store brands are closing down as more consumers embrace online shopping. The SM Group, owner of the biggest chain of retail stores and the largest shopping mall developer in the country, recognizes that such a trend is happening in the US and is preparing for its occurrence in the local shores. “There is a digital change.
We just have to see how to improve ourselves to have business alongside them (e-commerce platforms),” SM Investments Corp. vice chair Teresita Sy-Coson said. Asked on the possibility of SM, which has 63 shopping centers across the country to date, closing down branches, Sy-Coson said: ”We’ll try not to. We are part of the Filipino lifestyle so we’ll try to continue that.” SM, seeing the need for an online platform, earlier this year entered into an agreement with Lazada to sell merchandise online, starting with light-to-carry non-food items. Lazada, an online marketplace part of the Alibaba Group of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, has been instrumental in the growth of the Philippine e-commerce industry in the past few years. The online marketplace also operates across the region in countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. For Balci, however, the rise of
e-commerce should not be regarded as a threat to traditional brick and mortar stores. Balci said sales from offline stores continue to constitute the bulk of the total retail sales in the country. “In the mid-term I don’t believe that e-commerce will be higher than offline retail in the Philippines, but you never know for the long term,” Balci said. “You never compete with offline retailers,” he said, noting that an online marketplace is an additional platform for offline retailer to reach out to more consumers. “When you go to shopping malls in the Philippines, most of the stores there are selling on Lazada. They use Lazada because they cannot open stores in all 7,000 islands in the Philippines and not everyone can go to their store. When you go to Lazada, millions of people can get access to your products. We don’t compete but we complement with offline retailers in the Philippines,” Balci said. ■
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Historic Filipinotown parol parade and festival in Los Angeles The Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council (HFNC) announced that the annual parade and festival will be on Friday, December 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event will start with the assembly of parols and vehicles at 250 N. Union St. at the Our Lady of Lorreto Catholic Church courtyard. The parade will start at 5 p.m. and will go westward from Union to Beverly, and will eventually end up at the FCC/FACLA compound at 1740 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90026. The HFNC is calling for volunteers who will serve as security, ushers, for registration and monitors for the parade. To volunteer, please call Art at (213)318-9065. For more information, please contact Cecile at (213) 503-8176.
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Pasko Na Naman in Glendale, CA The Federation of Filipino Rosary Groups will sponsor a fundraiser entitled “Pasko Na Naman 2” on Saturday, December 2 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium (1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208) starting at 4 p.m. The presentation’s theme is Salo-salo at Pagdiriwang” which means “getting together joyfully.” The show will provide a glimpse on how Filipinos celebrate Christmas in the Philippines, which will be depicted through choral singing and folk dancing. The performers are Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Choir, Monique Magpayo and Kurt Winterhalter. Benefactors of proceeds include but are not limited to: Channel of Charity, Filipino Priests Association of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, feeding programs and FFRG faith formation events. Come one! Come All! Feel the scents and sights of Filipino Christmas. The audience will also enjoy “merienda cena” during the intermission. Ticket donation is $45.00 per person. For souvenir ad and ticket information, please contact Tess Domingo at (909) 855-2208 or Carol Evangelista at (909) 969-3316.
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Arnel Pineda in Los Angeles Arnel Pineda, the lead singer of the internationally acclaimed rock band JOURNEY, will be in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 3 at the famed Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The show begins at 6 p.m. VIP ticket ($200) includes CD, concert tour shirt, meet & greet. Other ticket prices are $150, $100, $75 or $50. For sponsorship and tickets, please call or text: Trini Foliente at (626) 818-7147; Cora Soriano at (213) 999-1993 or Andy Tecson at (323) 467-5096.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
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NOVEMBER 10-16, 2017 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
People & Events
Make a lasting, positive impact this holiday season Give family and friends gifts from the Arbor Day Foundation
NEBRASKA City, Neb. – Celebrate this year’s holiday season with friends and loved ones while supporting conservation and tree planting with the help of the Arbor Day Foundation: • Returning for the eighth season in a row, Give-A-Tree cards from the Arbor Day Foundation offer a unique holiday giving opportunity with conservation benefits that will endure for generations. And again this year, Give-A-Tree cards can be purchased individually and with customized text. Cards can be purchased for $5.95. • Purchasing the Arbor Day Foundation’s coffee helps preserve rain forests in Central and South America. The Foundation’s coffee, a part of the Rain Forest Rescue program, is shade-grown under the canopy of Latin American rain forests. Unlike sun-grown coffee plantations, this traditional shade-grown method gives the coffee a rich and delicious flavor. Each bag helps preserve 2 feet of rain forest. Cost per bag
is $13.49, including shipping. • The Foundation’s Trees in Celebration program allows the giver to honor loved ones while supporting crucial conservation efforts. For each dollar donated, one tree is planted in a highneed forest, and recipients are given a certificate showing them where the trees were planted.
• Give the gift of membership with the Arbor Day Foundation and recipients will be sent 10 free trees, which will be shipped at the right time of year for planting. Membership levels vary and begin with a $10 contribution. “The holidays are a time for thinking about others, and as you do, take a moment to think
GGCC hosts ACAPINOY and Fil-Am Lectureship
about what you can do to protect the beauty and splendor of the earth,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We encourage everyone to give gifts that will have a lasting impact for generations to come.” To purchase holiday gifts that give back to the planet, visit arborday.org. ■
THE Golden Gate Church of Christ (GGCC) will host a special ACAPINOY and Fil-Am Lectureship on the Philippine Mission Project on Sunday, November 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the GGCC Auditorium and Fellowship Hall, 701-8th Avenue (near Golden Gate Park) in San Francisco. ACAPINOY is the acapella singing of favorite gospel songs and heavenly hymns in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Ilocano, Pangasinan and Cebuano. Song leaders from about 30 congregations in Northern California were invited to lead songs and hymns. Started in August 2009, ACAPINOY was the brainchild of Art Gabot Madlaing, Evangelism Minister, as a natural outreach to the fast-growing Hispanic, Filipino and Asian population. Erasto Fuentes, Jr., a native of Naga City, Philippines who had lived in the U.S since 1992 and retired in the U.S. Navy in 2013 after 21 years of service, will be the Fil-Am Lectureship speaker. He will be preaching during the Sunday morning worship services at 11 a.m. A potluck lunch fellowship will follow at 12:30 p.m. Then, Erasto Fuentes, Jr. will lecture on the Philippine Mission Project by 1:30 p.m.,followed by ACAPINOY. The Fil-Am Lectureship speaker worked for Lockheed Martin Corporation with the F-35 Program Supply Chain Management for three years. In June 2016, he resigned from his position to pursue a Bachelor in Biblical Studies (Class 2018) at Sunset International Bible Institute (SIBI) in Lubbock, Texas, in preparation for ministry work. Jun received his Associate in Theology from Philippine Bible College in Baguio City; Bachelor of Science in Business and Management from University of Maryland and University College; and not effective against the flu. Residents are encouraged to contact their a Master of Business Management from Webster University in St. health care provider to get their flu shot. The Louis, Missouri, USA. The general public, especially Filipino-Americans in Northern vaccine is also available at pharmacies, retail stores, and is offered by some employers. California, are cordially invited to the special ACAPINOY and Fil-Am The San Mateo County Health System is also Lectureship. For direction and more information, call (650) 438-3531 hosting free walk-in clinics, with no appoint- or (415)272-6301 or (650)580-7223 or (415)584-7095 or email: agment necessary. For locations and dates, see madlaing@hotmail.com Visit our website: GGCoC.org and like us on Facebook: Golden Gate church of Christ. ■ smchealth.org/flu.
Bay Area health officials encourage public to get vaccinated early in the season SAN MATEO, Calif. – Public Health Departments around the Bay Area are announcing that influenza season is beginning. Because the flu is unpredictable and the vaccine takes two weeks to become fully effective, San Mateo County health officials urge everyone six months and older to get vaccinated early in the season. It’s important to get vaccinated prior to the circulation of influenza in your community. Ensuring timely flu shots can prevent a disease that hospitalizes 200,000 Americans every year. “The flu vaccine is safe and effective and is the most important tool against the spread of influenza in San Mateo County,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County Health System Health Officer. “It is not only important to get your flu vaccination but also to make sure your friends and loved ones get it too. Protecting those you love is key to success.” The vaccine keeps you protected for many months, but not forever. Also the strains of influenza change over time, so it’s important to get vaccinated every year. While everyone six months and older should get vaccinated, it is especially important for pregnant women, children younger than five, adults 65 and
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older, and those with chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes. In addition to getting the vaccine, health officials advise individuals to take the following steps to protect themselves and loved ones from influenza. · Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue. · If you do not have a tissue, cough into your elbow. · Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. · Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and warm water or an alcoholbased hand sanitizer. · Stay home when you are sick. · Stay home until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours. Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. People at higher risk of severe disease who show flu symptoms should contact their medical provider. Medical providers may prescribe antiviral medications that reduce the severity and duration of illness. Antibiotics are
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Community Journal
Meeting with Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi: Journey to the Himalayas; Next Visit: Iran
by Jose
C. de VeneCia, Jr.
e were travelling most W of last month to Myanmar (which we, the older ones, still remember as Burma), to the Kingdom of Bhutan, high on the Himalayas; Dubai, the small bustling air travel and trading center of the United Arab emirates, home to hundreds of thousands of Filipino overseas workers; and on to Iran, which everyone knows as the seat of the old Persian empire, and which today is one of the leading petroleum powers, with Saudi Arabia, Russia and the U.S. From Yangon, the old capital, my wife, Gina and I travelled to the geographic center of the nation, Naypyidaw, the newly proclaimed capital. We were fortunate that inspite of the raging Rohingya crisis, where today some 500,000 Muslims, who had been living in Myanmar for decades, were fleeing the endangered region to their ancestral Bangladesh, to escape persecution from the Myanmar military, Aung San Suu Kyi found time to receive us. We conferred with Myanmar’s constitutional senior government leader, an intelligent no nonsense lady, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and much admired all over the world. In the last national elections, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, National League for Democracy (NLD), won overwhelming majority of the seats in parliament, inspite of many years under house arrest, but she could not be president under the terms of a military-influenced technicality in the Constitution because her late husband was British. Today the senior leader in the Cabinet and largely running the country, she nominated the incumbent President and most cabinet posts, but the powerful ministries, defense and security are still held by the generals. Accompanied by our old friends, Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar eduardo Kapunan, Jr. and wife elsa, we asked Aung San Suu Kyi, (who received us three years ago at her residence in Yangon, in the course of an Asian parties conference), to nominate her party’s senior representatives to join the Boards of our International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), based in Seoul, now composed of more than 340 ruling, opposition and independent political parties in Asia, and the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), based in New York, to which she enthusiastically agreed. This week we are sending her ICAPP’s and IAPP’s written invitations so she and her party would pres-
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi receives and holds talk with Hon. Jose de Venecia, Former Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives and Special Envoy to President Rodrigo Duterte to the APEC and Intercultural Dialogue, accompanied by wife, Former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia and Philippine Ambassador to Myanmar Ed Kapunan.
ent their nominees. With Ambassador Kapunan, we also raised the possibility of the Philippines acquiring perhaps 25,000 to 50,000 hectares of potential rice fields in Myanmar for a possible government-to-government joint venture or an agreement among the Philippine private sector in partnership with Myanmar, hopefully with the bulk of rice production, following anticipated successful rice growing and shipment to the Philippines. The Philippines has been importing rice from Thailand and Vietnam in large volumes, as far we could remember, even when we were first assigned to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) as Minister – economic Counselor there in 1966-1969 when we were 30, at the height of the Vietnam War. Today Vietnam is one of the world’s major rice exporters, is industrializing and doing well. Our friend Aung San Suu Kyi expressed much interest in the potential of Myanmar – Philippine economic collaboration and she asked our Ambassador to immediately confer with her Minister of Agriculture. Upon return to Manila, we suggested to San Miguel Corporation Chairman eduardo Cojuangco, a confirmed, successful, largescale agriculturist, and San Miguel’s dynamic President Ramon Ang and other leading agricultural-industrial groups to perhaps co-lead a Philippine private sector effort in a consortium that could present a helpful solution to the Philippines’ perpetual rice crisis, with the current massive rice imports every year, largely from Vietnam and Thailand. The Philippines is fragmented with 7,100 islands while Myanmar’s land is massive, contiguous, perhaps larger
than France and Ireland combined, and connected to Asia’s two largest countries, China and India, the latter via Bangladesh. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma used to be ruled by the english Viceroy in British India. President Rodrigo Duterte might consider asking our capable Agriculture Secretary Piñol to look into this potential initiative in Myanmar. We also asked the popular Ambassador and former Armed Forces reformist to raise the possibility of joint Philippine-Myanmar exploration in Myanmar’s rich oil-producing petroleum exploration concessions and explore establishment of an ASeAN-supported or Filipino-led export Processing Zone with a petrochemical complex, as part of a combined Agricultural – Industrial initiative. We should be awaiting some feedback. On the Rohingya crisis, we suggested the U.N. and ASeAN might propose an appreciable International Red Cross deployment in the Rakhine region, which will help, not inflame the refugees, and not alarm the Myanmar military. From Myanmar, we flew back to Bangkok as there is no direct flight in the journey to the Kingdom of Bhutan, high on the mountain ranges, next door to Nepal. In the Himalayas, the Nepalese King sometime back was forced to abdicate the throne and gave way to an elected democratic civilian government, while the other Himalayan state Sikkim chose to give up its sovereignty and joined the State of India. We have been to the Himalayas a few times. In Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, the ruling Hindu Party and the Marxist Communist Party have their representatives on our Board
in ICAPP. In Bhutan’s Himalayan mountains we were hoping to check into the Chinese-Indian military stand-off but by the time we reached the capital, the crisis had calmed down, the forces in the highest hills had disengaged. The well-loved Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Prime Minister were out of town but we had a delicious luncheon and good conversation with Bhutan’s Chief Justice, Dasho Tshering Wangchuck, Foreign Minister Damcho Dorji, Acting Speaker of Parliament Zigme Zangpo, and others, hosted by Bhutan’s former Ambassador to Thailand and Bangladesh, Tsherung Dorji and his lady, who were introduced to us by former Thai Minister Nalinee Taveesin, Gina’s friend, and our current ICAPP representative at the first Asia-europe Political Forum, which met recently in Seoul, and which will now meet yearly among Asian and european political party leaders. (We collectively set the trend a few years earlier with our bringing together Latin America’s and the Caribbean’s political parties under their regional organization, COPPPAL, with our ICAPP, followed by our successful encouragement of the founding of the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), based in Khartoum, which is now a reality). The Bhutanese leaders indicated their people are not living in paradise but are happy with God and with the world; their land has never been conquered; they live in a happy Kingdom, and national success is not measured in Gross National Product (GNP) but in Gross National Happiness (GNH). Our tourists should consider a visit there.
Victories, Colossal Defeats, and Victories in the Middle East by Jose
C. de VeneCia, Jr.
FROM MYANMAR, Thailand and the Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas, we returned to Manila, rested for a few days, and then we journeyed on to Dubai, commercial and aviation center of the United Arab emirates (UAe), whose capital is the oil-rich and largest emirate, Abu Dhabi. With much nostalgia, our son, Jose de Venecia III, today Honorary Consul of Azerbaijan, was with us together with our parliamentary assistant of many years, Aldwin Requejo. Joey III had his first exposure to the Arab world in the mid 1970s at age 16 as an apprentice in our company in Kuwait and Iraq. Shortly before our next flight to Tehran, seat of the ancient Persian empire, we briefly motored to Ajman, the smallest emirate in the UAe. The other emirates are of course oilrich Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujerah on the coast of the Persian Gulf (Arab Gulf to the Arabs), between Oman and Saudi Arabia. The desert sands had long enveloped the exploratory oil well we drilled in the mid1970s in Ajman, on the coast, whose population today is listed at 372, 923, living in some 250 square kilometres of largely flat land. Our two Philippine oil exploration companies then, Basic Petroleum and Landoil, were the first pioneering Filipino companies to venture in the Arab world. At that time, we won in tough international bidding as prime contractor in operating the Port of Jeddah, with our joint-venture, Philippine-Singapore Ports Corporation (Philsinports) at the helm
with multi-national executives and 3,500 Filipino port workers on the Red Sea, and opened and operated as well the Port of Jubail, also on the Gulf facing Iran not too far from Ras Tanura, seat of Saudi Arabia’s richest oil fields in Arabia’s eastern region, peopled largely by Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims. We operated Jubail with another set of executives and some 800 port workers, closer to Kuwait and the Shatt Al Arab en route to the Iraqi frontier, where as in Jeddah, we built our executive offices and mass housing. We were perhaps the largest pioneering Southeast Asian companies in the Middle east at the time, as prime contractors, with our own equipment, management team and work force, not labor recruiters. On the Ajman project, we brought from Manila by sea-freight a heavy U.S.-built oil-drilling rig, and our capable drilling superintendent was the respected white-haired Mario Nieto, who was then Vice-President and General Manager of PODCO. Our brother Oscar de Venecia, president of Basic Petroleum, literally borrowed Mario from old man Andres Soriano’s oil company PODCO on “lendlease.” We also engaged the American Dr. Francis Gibson, who was a celebrated geologist of the then U.S.-owned Iraqi Oil Company, which was responsible at the time for some of the big oilfield discoveries in Iraq. Thus us Filipinos, we were ready, drilled and co-financed with Arab entrepreneurs the first-ever Filipino and Asian-Arab oil wells in Ajman as prime contractor and risk-taker (not sub-contractor), in this poorest emirate of the UAe. Our other key executives
in the field were the late Luis Catubig, the late Mario Uson, Ambrosio “Boy” Collado and Gus Macam of Pangasinan and of Basic/Landoil, and Jess Galang, of Pampanga, who later moved to Dubai and is today a successful entrepreneur there. After a few weeks, at perhaps 3,000 to 4,000 feet depth, our memory does not remember the exact depth, we hit good guzzling crude, and soon the entire Filipino-Arab-American drilling crew were screaming with joy and drenched in oil as in the old Texas movie, the “Giant”. But as fate would have it, when we hit black gold, the price of crude worldwide was at $38 per barrel, the highest at the time, and we were jumping with joy and imbibing prohibited Champagne. Soon after a few weeks, however, the price began to slide to $30 per barrel, and before we knew it, plunged to $20, then $15, and then settled at the bottom, at $8 per barrel. All of us were sobbing as if our desert had become one large funeral parlor. We closed down the rig and we shipped it home together with our much disappointed drilling crew. everywhere in the Arab world, in Iran, North Africa, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Russia, Central Asia, Australia, the Philippines, even with its tiny petroleum production, which our companies, Basic and Landoil, and partners Oriental, Philodrill, and the U.S. Cities Service, co-produced, the price of petroleum had crashed. There was a time, it had soared to some $120 per barrel and the Arabs were kings but slowly, inexorably
the price declined to below $50 per barrel and today it is in that neighbourhood. We are almost 81 now, and have not been following, like a dedicated stock broker, the rise and fall of crude. Our tragedy in Ajman was only the beginning. In a couple of weeks, our declining 3,500 Filipino workforce, under our Group companies, building houses, roads and hundreds of kilometers of electricity grid in Iraq and adjoining Kuwait were hit hard. The worst was those in Iraq, on the frontlines of Basrah on the Saudi-Iraqi border, which by then was being hit by Iranian artillery, with the unexpected outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war. We thought the war would end a few months, but actually lasted almost 10 years up to the late 1980’s. Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein was telling all foreign companies and ourselves that Iraq was already running out of foreign exchange. Most foreign and Arab companies in Iraq and nearby Arab states, with the severe oil price crisis and the Middle east wars, were then being driven close to bankruptcy and began evacuating hundreds/thousands of their workforces to their respective countries. Our great triumphs in the Gulf region had turned to great defeats and we began “folding up our tents,” packing up and sent thousands of our people home and many of us entrepreneurs were in tears and driven to near bankruptcy. In our case, the price of oil had not only fallen in the entire Arab world and our construction and operation and maintenance (O&M) contracts have been greatly slashed or came to a halt. Worse, we
NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 10-16, 2017
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On Eve of APEC/ ASEAN Talks, A Proposal for a Joint Mission to North Korea TEHRAN, Nov. 4 - - Former Philippine Speaker Jose de Venecia, the Philippines’ Special envoy for APeC and Inter-Cultural Dialogue, proposed today a “small composite team of APeC and ASeAN” to journey to Pyongyang to begin to negotiate “a peace that will hopefully endure in the Korean Peninsula.” He said the 21-member Asia Pacific economic Cooperation (APeC) and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASeAN) are meeting one after the other, back-to-back, in Vietnam (November 8-11) and in the Philippines (November 10-14) for their annual Leaders Meetings. He added their leaders could quietly explore in the next two weeks the idea of sending a joint peace mission to the North Korean capital. He pointed out Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hopes a new tack could ease the continuous exchange of accusations in the Peninsula and lead to opportunities for the difficult peace. De Venecia said he envisioned inter-Korean talks could be at senior or mid-levels, representing perhaps not more than seven parties including key APeC members, U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, a representative of ASeAN, and North Korea; progress could be “publicized or unpublicized” with a recess on the eve of the Christmas holidays, and the talks could target preliminary understanding by early next year. He pointed out there should be a timetable otherwise the talks could be endless as in the old Panmunjom talks. However, while the 1950-1953 South-North Korean conflict ended, “a technical state of war persists until now, with both sides not signing a formal peace treaty,” he said. Today there is continuous, recurrent threat of hostilities, even nuclear war, since North Korea has already developed nuclear weapons with a missile delivery system. De Venecia said he hoped a meeting of the two Koreas, with nominees from APeC and ASeAN in attendance, could lead to an “eventual peaceful ASeAN Plus 4 configuration.” This would add North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to the current ASeAN Plus 3, which includes the 10 ASeAN nations plus China, Japan, and South Korea until at some point, in the future, perhaps the two Koreas could consider a “unification” or “confederation.” De Venecia pointed out as a first stage ‘Confederation” is easier to promote, ahead of eventual unification. De Venecia, who is founding Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), counts North Korea’s Korean Workers Party as one of ICAPP’s more than 300 ruling, opposition and independent parties as members. Also, as Co-Chairman of the International Association of Parliamentarians
for Peace (IAPP), he also plans to invite the North Korean Parliament to nominate delegates to the IAPP. Looking back at recent history, de Venecia said for decades since the 1950s observers said the two Germanies and the two Vietnams could never unite but unforeseen, unnegotiated geo-political circumstances eventually proved everyone wrong, resulting finally today in a strong, prosperous united Germany and a flourishing united Vietnam. As then head of the Philippine Congress’ foreign relations committee, he journeyed to Pyongyang in 1990 and with North Korea’s founder then President Kim Il-Sung, grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-Un, finalized North Korean-Philippine diplomatic relations and dispelled as well North Korea’s rumored assistance to the Philippine New People’s Army. At the time, in Kim Il Sung’s mountain retreat, de Venecia pointedly asked the North Korean leader if there was truth to speculations that he planned to attack South Korea, he replied: “If we attack the South, the South will be destroyed. But we in the North will also be destroyed.” After a few weeks, on de Venecia’s invitation, North Korean Deputy Premier Kim Dahl-Hyun flew to Manila to finalize agreement on formal diplomatic relations with then Philippine President Corazon Aquino’s Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus. After about a year, Japan’s LDP leader Kanemaru journeyed to Pyongyang, followed later by then former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. De Venecia said he hopes ICAPP and IAPP could contribute even modest efforts to a North-South inter-Korean peace process.He disclosed one of the founders of IAPP and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), Madame Hak Ja Han Moon and her late husband Dr. Sun Myung Moon, donated a much-appreciated hotel and automobile factory in Pyongyang to the North Korean government. He added a small team of IAPP headed by former Nepal Premier Madhav Nepal and former Minister of Peace and Reconstruction ek Nath Dakhal recently visited Pyongyang and had constructive talks with the North Korean Workers Party. De Venecia has asked UPF President Thomas Walsh, IAPP Co-Chairman Dan Burton, Washington Times Publisher Thomas McDevitt, and Ambassador Joseph de Trani, former U.S. envoy to the Six-Nation Party Talks on North Korea, to organize a peace mission to Pyongyang, which he earlier discovered with UPF President Walsh. NOTE: (Tehran, Nov. 4 - Former Speaker Jose de Venecia is on a visit to Iran to promote InterCultural Dialogue and to pursue a project for a Petrochemicals Complex in his home province of Pangasinan and Northern Luzon.)
were also caught and trapped by the Iraq-Iran war, and we then phased out our offices in Basrah, Baghdad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Ajman, Riyadh and Jeddah, and head office in London, and also closed our smaller construction, agriculture and health-based operations in Libya, also hit hard by the oil crisis. Our triumphs in the Arab world were now turning to tragedy. Our then Vice-President for Finance Rudy de Lara, a graduate of the SGV executive group, reports that up till today, we have not been paid by Iraq since 1981, 37 years ago, since Iraq, formerly known as Babylon or Mesopotamia, had faced war, after war, after war up to today. Saddam Hussein tried invade Iran and was driven back by the Iranians, also invaded Kuwait, and was ousted by the Americans in the second Gulf War. Our most expensive war-risk $50-million insurance policy which we acquired from Lloyds of London and the U.S. insurance companies, turned out to be only “contracts that enabled us to sue and which did not insure immediate payment.” Thank God, after almost two years, with legal battles in London and New York, and with the help of the great U.S. law firm White and Case, which took our case on a rare “contingency basis,” (which illustrated the high merits of our case, and with the help of european investment bank, Lazard Frere) we won our case, and we thus were able to pay back all of the thousands of our employees back home. In London, New York, and Manila after the legal judgments, we were shouting like Arabs “Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar!”, indeed “God is great, God is great!” with bottles of champagne. Yes, we were the pioneers in the Middle east and our own companies employed some 51,000 Filipino executives, technicians and healthcare specialists over the yeas at the time as prime contractors or consortium partners and we were proud to say that we set the stage for the later millions of Filipinos who followed and streamed into the Gulf region, and then later many sailed into the Suez Canal and into Greece, Spain, Italy and thence to england and Northern europe. Today the OCWs, reminiscent of the first Filipino workers in Hawaii and Alaska in the 1900s, and Filipino expatriate community total more than 10 million, almost 10% of the Philippine population. When we began in the Middle east and earlier in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, the total Philippine dollar reserves were somewhere at $200-million to $300-million. When we later designed and started the historic Philippine dollar remittance program, which totally wiped out the Philippine black-market and became a model for many “Third World” nations, and which netted us many government decorations, the national reserves went up pile after pile, through the dark years of martial law, through the various coup attempts, and through various administrations, the reserves today stand at some $80-billion, propped up by more than $25-billion every year from our foreign offshore, largely labor remittances to the Central Bank.
CJ
NOVEMBER 10-16, 2017 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
Friday, November 10, 2017
‘Imelda’
‘Sunday Beauty Queen’
SF2
cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - November 10, 2017
CINEMATOGRAFO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
An Avenue for filipino filmmAkers rises in The BAy AreA by Joseph
L. peraLta/AJPress
‘Saving Sally’
BAY AREA film enthusiasts and theatergoers are in for a treat from November 9 to 12 as the Cinematografo International Film Festival (CIFF) takes place at the AMC Dine-In Kabuki 8 Theatres in Japantown in San Francisco. The CIFF is a project of ABS-CBN International. The festival is named after “Cinematografo,” which was the first movie theater in the Philippines that opened in 1897. Cinematografo International Film Festival, whose Executive Director is John-D Lazatin and Festival Director is Miguel Sevilla, will feature full-length films, shorts and documentaries, aside from industry panels that Lazatin and Sevilla hope will bring exciting interaction among artists, filmmakers and the audiences. In creating the CIFF, Lazatin said that his main objective was to give Filipino filmmakers and artists the opportunity to have their works showcased in the international stage. While claiming to not be the first to do this, Lazatin said that, “it feels good to be among the few” who are able to give this chance to Filipino and Filipino American filmmakers. According to Lazatin, who is ABS-CBN Global Head of Film Distribution Theatricals and North America Production, “the CIFF is your first date with the Filipino storyteller. And where best to have this first date but in the city that breathes diversity – right here in San Francisco where the sights, sounds, smell, textures and tastes form an energizing cultural, multidimensional kaleidoscope. To reflect that living diversity, the film selection and content creators were combined to yield a flavorful, tasty cinematic mix with enough harm, intrigue and mystery so moviegoers end up with a unique experience.” “In short, Cinematografo is pretty much like eating balut which would be a one-time exotic adventure or a favorite snack. Whichever it is, it’s guaranteed to be unforgettable,” the CIFF 2017 Executive Director said. Sevilla stated that many of the films featured in the CIFF 2017 reflect the social issues,
‘Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey’
‘Curiosity, Adventure & Love’
struggles and current state both in the Philippines and the United States as shown through the eyes of the filmmakers. “As Duterte’s grasp on the Philippines tightens, the Trump era casts a shadow on U.S. Filipino Americans as one of the minority groups who are directly affected by Trump’s policies and general attitude towards immigration,” Sevilla said. “…Two countries, an ocean apart and long-time allies, have now reached a turning point in their respective histories. It is almost irresponsible, nay impossible, to celebrate Philippine cinema, the Filipino and the Filipino American and not recognize how these issues have permeated our art and storytelling. More and more, in this era of fake news and alternative facts, we are now looking to movies as a source of truth.” According to Sevilla, it is through the festival that “we are giving a platform and support to Filipino-American filmmakers to tell their stories through the eyes of an individual belonging to two nations.” Olivia De Jesus, Managing Director for North America of ABS-CBN International, said that the company’s main purpose of establishing the CIFF is to increase the amount of cinematic material available to customers, thus broadening the market and helping make inroads on audiences for Filipino and Fil-Am films. “In the end, our goal is to help create a productive dialogue between Hollywood and the diasporic film festivals so that we help migrate truly high quality cinematic content from brilliant Filipino and FilipinoAmerican filmmakers from the peripheral communities right into the heart of mainstream cultural life,” De Jesus added. For his part, ABS-CBN Chief Operating Officer Rafael Lopez said that the CIFF “is a platform for Filipino and Filipino-American filmmakers to visually express transnational encounters and intercultural perspectives.” “I’ve always believed that films are powerful conveyors of culture – the norms, values, icons, symbols and expectations are captured and articulated in
a compelling form of entertainment,” Lopez stated. “When moviegoers leave the theaters, we provide them with a little more understanding of who we are or we trigger a curiosity or hunger for them to know and learn more about our culture and all its complexities and nuances. And if all these translate into more conversations about Filipinos and into a more positive attitude towards them, then the mission of ASB-CBN burns brightly in Cinematografo.” CIFF 2017 brings to the Bay Area 23 films, shorts and documentaries, including “Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left),” “Ang Larawan (The Portrait),” “Apocalypse Child,” “Birdshot,” “Curiosity, Adventure & Love,” “Distance,” “Flip The Record,” “Give Up Tomorrow,” “Life Is What You Make It,” “Mga Gabing Kasinghaba Ng Hair Ko (Those Long-Haired Nights),” “Motherland,” “Out Run,” “Paglipay (Crossing),” “Patay Na Si Hesus (Jesus Is Dead),” “The Pleasure of Being Served,” “The Ride,” “Sana Maulit Muli (Hopefully Once More),” “Saving Sally,” “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “What Home Feels Like” and “Yellow Rose.” CIFF 2017 also brings Cinematografo Originals, an incubator program for Fil-Am filmmakers started by ABS-CBN International to help discover emerging talent and share coproduction resources, creative and technical support for the art, and financing and international distribution of storytelling through film. Lazatin shared that a call for submissions by ABS-CBN to Filipino and Fil-Am filmmakers in 2016 yielded many entries, three of which were greenlighted for production. HP Mendoza, Loy Arcenas and Francis dela Torre will grace the festival and feature in panels where they will preview their new films and coproductions with Cinematografo Originals. Other industry panels at the CIFF 2017 include other filmmakers and industry guests, including festival director/film publicist David Magdael, San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi, film/music producer Santhosh Daniel, PBS series producer Carmen Vicencio,
producer/programmer Ernesto Foronda, filmmakers Marty Syjuco and Michael Collins, and New Zealand’s Alex Lee and Dan Shanan. Director Olive Lamasan and Gerado Calagui, musical composer Ryan Cayabyab, actress Rachel Alejandro, and Star Creatives COO Malou Santos are also expected to attend the festival. Aside from industry panels, CIFF 2017 features a tribute to documentary filmmaker Ramona Diaz, whose latest awardwinning film “Motherland” will be screened. “Motherland” is Diaz’s film on one of the world’s largest maternity wards located in Manila, Philippines. The film’s screening will be followed by an intimate conversation about her work and prolific career as one of the most renowned Asian women documentary makers in the field today. Diaz’s other films, “Imelda” and “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” will also be shown at the festival. Cinematografo International Film Festival is a four-day event that opens with “Ang Larawan (The Portrait)” on November 9. Here is a complete schedule for the films and panels for CIFF 2017: Thursday, November 9 • “Ang Larawan (The Portrait),” 6 p.m., Kabuki 1 Friday, November 10 • “Imelda,” 11 a.m., Kabuki 6 [Q&A with Ramona Diaz after screening] • “Birdshot,” 1:30 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “Out Run,” 1:45 p.m., Kabuki 6 [Q&A with S. Leo Chiang & Johnny Symons after screening] • Panel: State of the Nation, 4 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “What Home Feels Like,” 4:15 p.m., Kabuki 6 • “Give Up Tomorrow,” 5:45 p.m., Kabuki 5 [Q&A with Marty Syjuco & Michael Collins after screening] • “Mga Gabing Kasinghaba ng Hair Ko (Those Long-Haired Nights),” 6:30pm, Kabuki 6 [Q&A with Gerado Calagui after screening] • An Evening with HP Mendoza, 8:15 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” 8:30 p.m., Kabuki 6
‘Give Up Tomorrow’
‘Outrun’
‘Those Long-Haired Nights’
‘What Home Feels Like’
Saturday, November 11 • “Saving Sally,” 11 a.m., Kabuki 6 • “Patay Na Si Jesus (Jesus Is Dead),” 11:30 a.m., Kabuki 5 [Q&A with writer after screening] • “Paglipay (Crossing),” 1 p.m., Kabuki 6 • Panel: The Minority As The New Majority, 1:30 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “Apocalypse Child,” 3:05 p.m., Kabuki 6 • “Mga Gabing Kasinghaba ng Hair Ko (Those Long-Haired Nights),” 3:15 p.m., Kabuki 5 [Q&A with Gerado Calagui after screening] • An Evening with Loy Arcenas, 5:10 p.m., Kabuki 6 • “Curiosity, Love & Adventure,” 5:15 p.m., Kabuki 5 [Q&A with Sunshine de Leon and producer after screening] • “Motherland,” 7:30 p.m., Kabuki 5 [Panel: A Tribute to Ramona Diaz follows the screening] • “Sana Maulit Muli (Hope-
fully Once More),” 8 p.m., Kabuki 6 Sunday, November 12 • Panel: Up-and-Coming Projects and Collaborations, 11 a.m., Kabuki 5 • “Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left,” 11:30 a.m., Kabuki 6 • Featured Short Films: Bianca Catbagan’s “Supermodel” and Melanie Lim’s “Anito; Selected Short Films: “Distance,” “Flip The Record,” “Life is What You Make It,” “Pleasure of Being Served,” “The Ride” and “Yellow Rose”, 1:15 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “Sunday Beauty Queen,” 3:45 p.m., Kabuki 6 • A Conversation with Francis dela Torres, 4:15 p.m., Kabuki 5 • “The Ghost Bride,” 6 p.m., Kabuki 5 For more information on the 2017 Cinematografo International Film Festival, including the films being screened and ticket prices, visit www.cinematografofilmfestival.com
‘The Ghost Bride.’
‘Paglipay (Crossing)’
‘Sana Maulit Muli.’ ‘Patay na si Hesus (Jesus is Dead)’
‘Ang Larawan (The Portrait)’
‘Apocalypse Child’
‘Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left)’ starring Charo Santos-Concio
entertainment SF3 Coco Martin goes digital The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – November 10, 2017
by Maridol
ranoa-BisMark ManilaTimes.net
Mobility is power. More and more people are turning to the mobile phone for anything and everything under the sun. Coco Martin knows that. So he decided to tap the power of mobile phones to push someby Jan Milo severo thing close to his heart. in-bePhilstar.com tween tapings, guest appeariN the upcoming Disneyances and others, he created a Pixar movie “Coco,” there game app with Ang Panday, the might be no Filipino touches character Coco is playing in a like the “bahay kubo” inside movie he is producing, directing Nemo’s aquarium, but Filipina and starring in for the upcomPixar supervising animator Gini ing Metro Manila Film Festival Cruz Santos assured Filipinos (MMFF). will love the movie about the “this time, let’s reverse the celebration for people’s dearly process,” Coco explains in Filideparted. pino. “Almost all young people “the Mexican culture, they play games on their cellphones kind of share our dynamic a when bored. So i created a little bit as family. For me, i was game that can cross over to the excited because i felt like all our movie.” research in the dynamic of our He created a story and came Filipina Pixar supervising animator Gini Cruz Santos (left) is among those behind Disney-Pixar’s upcoming acting and just kind of a how film, “Coco.” Photos courtesy of Disney-Pixar up with Panday’s costumes and the Mexican family relates to weapons (e.g. swords) to beat For the creation of the land Selene luna (“My bloody Valeneach other feels Filipino,” Sanvarious enemies at different tine”) voices tía Rosita, Alfonso of the Dead, Santos explained, tos told a group of journalists stages of his mission to help Arau (director/producer for “the beauty of things that no during a roundtable interview. others. Coco also used his “like Water for Chocolate”) one has ever seen is that you “Coco” introduces Miguel, own voice as Flavio, whom the is the voice of Miguel’s late can kind of make it up but an aspiring singer who dreams app will show going to various great-grandfather Papá Julio, you need to be responsible of following in the footsteps of locations as he completes his and Herbert Siguenza (“ben his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, the for things about it so that it mission. 10: Alien Swarm”) lends his becomes believable.” most famous musician in the Joining Coco in this project voice to both tío oscar and tío For now, Santos does not history of Mexico. Nonetheless, are Synergy 88’s Jackeline Chua Felipe, Miguel’s late identical see herself directing a fullhis family forbids music until and Miker Rivera who polished twin uncles. length animation movie. he discovers why and until he “Some of us strive to be unlocked the secret in the land a director, some of us don’t. i of the dead during the Dia de don’t know if that is something Muertos (Day of the Dead). Santos, who counts Disney’s i ever thought i wanted to do. i can do a short (film) possibly “brave” and Dory in “Finding but i love animation. if i think Nemo” as among her notable of an idea and i want it to be a works, admitted that the bigshort, i guess, that’s kind of a gest challenge for her in makdifferent path.” ing the film is to animate the Directed by lee Unkrich skeletons because kids might (“toy Story 3”) and co-directed get intimidated. by Adrian Molina (story artist “Kids might be afraid to see them (skeletons) at first but for “Monsters University”), “Coco” is a family-oriented we’re hoping that they would movie and opens in cinemas relate to see Miguel, being on November 22. another kid, interacting with From the land of the Dead, skeletons and hopefully be like Gael García bernal (Amazon’s ‘Hey it’s okay with Miguel, it “Mozart in the Jungle”) helps should be okay (for us),’” the bring to life charming trickster Pasay City native and the University of Santo tomas graduate Hector, while benjamin bratt (“Doctor Strange”) is the voice said. of Miguel’s idol Ernesto de in the film, the Mexican la Cruz, and Edward James holiday, just like Undas in the olmos (“blade Runner”) lends Philippines, was richly shown. his voice to Chicharrón. Alanna “We did a lot of research Ubach (bravo’s “Girlfriends’ before the film started to get Guide to Divorce”) provides the inspired. Anything you see in voice of Miguel’s great-greatthe film is inspired by our trips grandmother Mamá imelda, down there,” said Santos.
Meet the Filipina animator behind Disney-Pixar’s new Mexican hit
Jo Koy his mom Josie, a favorite subject of his wisecracks
Photo from Instagram/@jokoy
Jo Koy brings his jokes to PH by nathalie
toMada Philstar.com
it will be a total of five shows for Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy when he returns to the Philippines to bring his brand of humor. the 46-year-old funnyman whose real name is Joseph Glenn Herbert is known for selling out shows in the U.S., sending audiences into stitches with loads of stories about his Filipino upbringing and family, particularly his mom Josie. in interviews, Jo has made it no secret that he first turned to comedy to cope with his parents’ painful divorce as a kid. He started doing standup in a neighborhood cafe in Vegas when he was barely 21. His career choice initially didn’t sit well with his mother, who singlehandedly raised him and three other siblings. “Do you see any clowns in our family, Josep?” the now l.A.-based comic quoted his mom, mimicking her Pinoy accent and all in his hit Netflix special “Jo Koy: live from Seattle”.
Jo pokes fun at his mom and more — such as being a father to a teen son — in his special as well as live shows. one anecdote about his mom (also from the Netflix special), which is making the social media rounds, goes: “My mom raised us like we were still in the Philippines. She tried to cure everything at home like a real Filipino woman. you had to die to go to the hospital.” “My mom cured everything with Vicks VapoRub!... i should have died nine times when i was a kid. there was one time i had pneumonia. So, i go, ‘Mom, i think i have pneumonia.’ She goes, ‘i’ll put extra Vicks on your body, Josep,’” he recalled. “‘Just rub it everywhere, Josep. Rub it on the bottom of the foot and then put a sock on the foot. And then the pneumonia will go out of the foot, Josep.’” in his youtube page, Jo also said, while guesting on his mom’s radio show for the Filipino community in las Vegas: “My favorite thing that my mom Continued on Page SF4
Coco’s ideas based on their experience in the mobile game business. Coco’s passion and talent for telling a story and designing a mobile game impressed Jackeline. So she and Miker offered to make Coco a business partner for this project which she says aims at “global domination.” Global domination is aiming for the sky. but if Coco and company make it, they’ll be putting an original Filipino creation on the map of mobile gaming. “Panday is one of the first superheroes we Pinoys created,”Coco says. “i want children to know Panday, because some of them just know thor. We also have superheroes we can be proud of, like Captain barbell and Darna. Why don’t we start (promoting) them using social media?” Filipino animators who made some of the popular characters in Hollywood movies also inspire him. they, and young people who turn to their mobile phones to play games each time they’re bored, gave birth to “Ang Panday” the adventure game app (one can also play offline). “young people get bored easily. Gusto nila may nabubuo sila lagi. Kailangan natin silang sabayan,” observes Coco.
Coco Martin on Ang Panday game app: Panday is one of the first superheroes we Pinoys created. I want children to know him. Philstar.com photo
the app, available on Google Play store, lets Coco hit two birds with one stone. besides getting people hooked on the new mobile app, the actor is promoting “Ang Panday” way ahead of its targeted Dec. 25 playdate. yes, Coco knows how to up his game. in today’s go-gogo world, and the competitive showbiz circle he moves around in, that could mean winning half the battle for himself, and the Filipino superhero he wants the world to know.
SF4
celebrityworld
The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - November 10, 2017
celebrity world By Ferdie Villar
Two Filipina beauties once again brought pride to the country after their victory in separate international pageants last week. First off was Teresita Ssen “winwyn” Marquez, who is the newly crowned Reina Hispanoamericana. The first Filipina to compete in the pageant, she bested 27 other candidates and was crowned by last year’s winner from Colombia, Maria Camila Solibe. Second to bring pride to the Philippines is Karen Ibasco, who was crowned Miss Earth 2017, the fourth Filipina to do so. Marquez, 25, is the daughter of actress Alma Moreno and actor/former basketball player Joey Marquez. Before heading off to Bolivia for the pageant, she shared about feeling the pressure of being the first Filipina and only
Asian in the contest. Another concern for her was not being to be able to speak Spanish. In an interview with CNN Philippines, she shared, “I don’t know how to speak Spanish. I’m not fluent, but I’m learning now, even basic lang na words. And they’re all Latinas. You know how they perform they’re very beautiful. So I have to live it up, I really have to train for it.” Her demeanor made her the crowd favorite early on the competition, winning special awards including Miss Personality, Best in Traditional Costume (in a pintados-inspired outfit made especially for her by famed designer Edwin Uy), Best Smile and Miss Silhouette. But what took her to the next level was her answer in the Q&A. The question given
Mylene Dizon is the lead actress in The Filipino Channel’s latest teleserye, “The Good Son.”
Filipina beauties bring home two crowns for the country
Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez, the 25-year-old daughter of actress Alma Moreno and actor Joey Marquez, was recently crowned Reina Hispanoamericana. She is the first Filipina and Asian to win the title.
Karen Ibasco, 26, is the new Miss Earth 2017, the fourth Filipina to win the title. She is medical physicist who finished her degree at the University of Santo Tomas.
Photo from Reina Hispanoamericana
to her was, “How would you promote Hispanic-American culture with the great difficul-
Actress and “Magandang Buhay” co-host Jolina Magdangal recently confirmed that she and husband Mark Escueta are pregnant with their second child. The couple has a son, Pele Inigo, who will turn four years old in February. Photo from Instagram @mariajolina_ig
ty or barrier of language?” Marquez confidently answered, “Language can be learned, but the will and determination to contribute something to the organization cannot. It has to come from the heart and it has to be natural. I believe that kindness is a universal language. That if you treat people with tolerance, patience, and love you will understand each other. “Hispanic culture is not about language only. It is about love for God, love for country, love for history, and culture, and love for family. As a Filipina with a unique heritage, I am ready to promote the Hispanic culture, not just in Asia but in the whole world. It is time to celebrate the Hispanic culture. It is meant to be celebrated.” with Ibasco, she pointed out the problem of ignorance and apathy as well as promoting changing ways, recalibrating minds, and redirecting steps during the final Q&A for the pageant. She was asked: “who or what do you think is the biggest enemy of Mother Earth and why?” Ibasco answered, “I believe that the real problem is not climate change. The real problem is us, because of our ignorance and apathy. what we
Handsome actor John Estrada is back on TV via the newest teleserye on ABS-CBN/The Filipino Channel, “The Good Son.”
Julia Gonowon of Camarines Sur became the first Miss Millennial Philippines 2017 of the longest noontime variety show, “Eat! Bulaga.” Photo from Instagram @missmillennialcamarinessur
Singer and actor Christian Bautista got engaged to his non-showbiz girlfriend, Kat Ramnani while on vacation Photo from Instagram @xtianbautista in Italy.
have to do is to start changing our ways, to start recalibrating our minds and redirecting our steps. Because together as a global community our micro efforts will have a macro effect
to help save our home, our planet.” A 26-year-old medical physicist, Ibasco finished her degree at the University of Santo Tomas.
Jo Koy brings his jokes... knew I had a great special in my head. I knew deep in my used to say to me... She used to heart that Netflix was going to go, ‘Josep, I want you to know buy it from me. The pressure one thing.’ ‘what?’ ‘I gave birth of delivering a good special to you and nothing you do is and coming out with it, with more amazing than that.’” the finances, was a big thing. Expect more Pinoy-themed But boy, once Netflix bought wisecracks in his forthcoming it from me, talk about instant shows in the Philippines. And relief overnight. I was 100 perJo assures that his mom loves cent in control of the special, being the “inspiration” of his all the way to the editing bay. jokes. Making it, producing it, that The Star had an exclusive was me 100 percent. chat with Jo last weekend. Here “I had another special Don’t are excerpts: Make Him Angry years ago on On returning to the Philip- Comedy Central. one thing I pines: noticed was it only had a cer“I can’t wait, you know, tain amount of reach, I think it the last time I was there was was just national. when Netflix with (fellow American comecame out and put my special dian) Russell Peters. we were in there, I noticed the internaco-headliners. I just remember tional reach — South Africa, walking out into the city reflect- Australia, New Zealand — and I ing back on when I was kid, all started seeing all these people the childhood memories went interacting with me because through my body. Now I get to of that special. when Comedy know the country as a headCentral put it (Lights out) back liner, as a solo act. So, it will be on their platform, I realized that overwhelming but I can’t wait Netflix has a bigger reach and I to do it.” knew it was the place I needed On his favorite memory to go. when he was still a struggling “I knew, I had an amazing comedian: special, anyone who would “I think my biggest have done what I did would memory would be when I did feel the same way. I knew I the “Tonight Show with Jay wrote a good routine. I knew Leno” in 2005. That was the it would do well. But to get crowning moment for me. I was to this level? It’s kinda crazy already about 14 or 15 years because I wasn’t expecting it into it at that time. It was such to blow up like this. It’s pretty a great moment, it changed my amazing and I’m thankful that life. I was able to just focus on it’s happening.” my live stand-up after that perOn his PodcastOne formance. My life changed.” show, Koy Pond: On doing the Netflix “what I love about it is special and becoming popular it’s a time for me to relax and internationally: talk to my friends. It’s a great “Financially, it was a lot of network by Adam Carolla. He money (laughs). I had to put pushes me really hard and he a lot of money into that but loves working with me. It’s just it was worth every penny. I a fun interaction, a different mean, you have to invest in style of comedy for me, more yourself or forget about it. I conversational and topical. I From Page SF3
have different kinds of fans that listen to it so I love it!” On what he loves about being Pinoy: “what I enjoy the most about being Filipino is our culture. You know my mom and dad divorced when I was really, really young so I never got to know my dad’s side. It’s not that extended for me, I don’t really know that many people on that side. one thing I know from my mom’s side, our culture is deep, and family is great. I got a big Filipino family. That’s what I love about being Pinoy, we all gotta surround ourselves with family, we all gotta laugh and do things together. I love it! It’s family first. “And of course, the food. My favorite food is oh my god, it would have to be sinigang, kalderata, chicken afritada, monggo, shrimp, pancit bihon, my god, I could go on! I’m gonna get the best Filipino food when I’m out there.” On how his mom feels about being the subject of his jokes: “oh she loves it, she loves it 100 percent! Talking about my mom and upbringing, making it funny and relatable, I think that’s why a lot of people like my stand-up. A lot of people can relate to my childhood. She loves it!” On comedians being one of the most emotional creatures when off stage and not in front of the cameras: “oh very emotional. That’s very true. on or off the camera, hands-down. (That’s how I release my emotions, through comedy). Everything I put on stage is real, that’s what my life is. My emotions, I wear them on my sleeve. I’m definitely putting my heart out there, when I’m on stage.”
entertainment
The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - November 10, 2017
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Bailey May, Ylona Garcia share Anne Curtis celebrates ‘Breakfast experience in Hollywood boot camp at Tiffany’s’-themed bridal shower STAR Magic teen stars Bailey May, Ylona Garcia with AC Bonifacio and GirlTrend’s member Jane de leon recently flew to los Angeles, California as the official representatives of the Philippines for the boot camp created by well-known producer and talent manager Simon Fuller. Fuller gained prominence as the creator of “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” as well as the manager of Spice Girls, David and Victoria Beckham, Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Steven Tyler. The four were shortlisted and competed against representatives from other countries for a chance to make it to “Now United.” Based on the teaser released online, Now United is described as a new interactive pop group for a new generation where incredible young performers from all over the world come together to sing and dance. As a preparation, representatives undergo dance and vocal workshops before competing for a spot in the group. Talking to members of the Bailey May and Ylona Garcia press, May and Garcia—who For Garcia on the other are former “Pinoy Big Brother 737” housemates—shared their hand, she considers performing with creator Fuller himself experiences in the said boot as well as popular artists in camp. Hollywood just like Miley Cyrus “I went out of my comfort as one of the great things that zone that and met new friends happened in the boot camp. from different countries,” May “The boot camp actually said during the launching of honed my talent because we Jollibee’s Top-Your-Own Jolly got the chance to be trained by Hotdog. renowned choreographers and “We sang and danced singing coaches in Hollywood,” there. The best part was when Garcia said. I was coached right because Now United has yet to there was a time that I wasn’t unveil the talents around world able to do a part of a dance who passed the boot camp and correctly but I continued on qualified to join the group. and practiced for the whole Meanwhile, when asked if it day. So after that when it was our time to perform, I got every will be okay for them to leave their two-year-old love team step right. The experience was dubbed as “Bailona” to focus fun,” the 15-year-old teen star on their own careers or even continued.
All eyes are on the couple on their wedding day but before walking down the aisle, nothing makes any bride-to-be feel special than a bridal shower with her closest friends. It is the ultimate way to bring everyone together ahead of the bride’s big day. Actress Anne Curtis’ recent Cocktails at Tiffany’s celebration was certainly no exception. Hosted by Tiffany & Co and Rustan’s, the recent party was a reflection of the darling bride’s personality—elegant, sparkly, and fun. It was decorated with lovely details inspired by Anne’s favorite Audrey Hepburn movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The bride-to-be’s sister and maid of honor Jasmine Curtis-Smith shared that her sister has an impressive Audrey Hepburn collection
Anne Curtis’ sister and maid of honor Jasmine Curtis-Smith led the Tiffany’s-themed celebration. Photos courtesy of Rustans
- from dolls, to pillows, and of course, jewelry. Guests like Karylle Yuzon, Nicole Andersson, Antoinette Taus, and some of the bride’s childhood friends also had a fantastic time with games and activities especially prepared
for them. First, there is the flower bar and some classic bridal shower games like the “He said, She Said,” and charades. The ladies also took the time to look through and try on some of the jewelry on display. (Philstar.com)
Luigi Muhlach: The fully-loaded chef lUIGI Muhlach is forthright about his cooking: Taste is his priority, so forget about dieting for a moment to savor his preparation. Each dish from his kitchen is fully loaded with calories, flavors, and all the things that make for a sumptuous dining experience. “I’ll let you in on a secret – fat ABS-CBN photo pair with other artists, May and is flavor,” Muhlach said with a Garcia seemed to have no problem with it. “As long as we’re both fine with it and as long as we’re friends, I guess it’s okay,” Garcia said. “If it’s going to help our careers we have to take that. But with Ylona kasi, she really taught me how to gain confidence. When we were in acting workshop, I saw how good she was and that inspired me to do good as well,” May said. Finally, the two hinted that aside from endorsements, fans would continue to see them together since they have projects that will be known in the coming days. (Iza Iglesias/Mani- Chef Luigi Muhlach has risen from a fruit peeler to a laTimes.net) featured luxury hotel chef.
wink. “This is why most diet food isn’t enjoyable to eat. Sometimes you need to enjoy food as a purely pleasurable thing.” Food is the lifelong love of this celebrity scion. As a child, his mother had to hide the canned goods in the house because he would get them and eat them at anytime of the day and night. Finding only frozen meats and fresh vegetables, he learned to cook for himself to satisfy his cravings. He admitted that he wasn’t academically inclined and struggled in college so he had to find a place for himself. “So I went with my love for food and decided to try culinary arts,” he said. That decision set off a culinary career that would span some of the country’s finest hotels and restaurants. It also let him make a name for himself independently of his famous parents, Aga Muhlach and Janice de Belen. “I started in a hotel restaurant in Alabang as a fruit peeler and worked my way up until I gained the respect of my peers
and mentors,” he said. “I then ventured out on my own, but had to start small. Things just started to take off after I won a cooking competition.” His newest project is his own restaurant, luMu, which is set to open at Newport Mall in Resorts World Manila (RWM). As he spoke with people from RWM, the love Dish project came up and he was invited to participate, which he eagerly accepted. love Dish 2017 is an event where diners can enjoy special recipes developed by celebrities who are into culinary arts. Their dishes will be included in the menus of RWM signature restaurants and proceeds from the sales of each dish will be donated to COR Foundation, Right Start Foundation, and Pasay Social Welfare and Development. “love Dish is a great way to help others through food. Of course, as a chef, you look for ways to share your talent with as many people as possible, and if by doing that you are also able to do a good thing, everybody wins,” he said. (ManilaTimes.net)
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