111320 - San Diego Edition

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NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 16 Pages

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c a n C o m m u n i t y N e w s pa p e r

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‘THIS IS A NEW BEGINNING’

Fil-Am voters celebrate Biden-Harris victory, seek COVID-19 recovery  by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

LEADING the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting essential workers. Addressing racial inequalities. Tackling the climate crisis. Creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents.

These are some of the priorities Filipino American supporters are pushing under President-elect Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office. The former vice president’s win comes as the United States hit over 10.1 million positive COVID-19 infections and the grim toll of 238,863 deaths and counting.

For Lillie Madali of Atlanta, Georgia who helped mobilize Fil-Am voters in her region, Saturday’s (November 7) results “meant hope for the future.”  “For the many nurses in my family, risking their lives, working on the front lines against the coronavirus pandemic,

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VICTORY. U.S. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered victory speeches on Saturday night, November 7 at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. They were joined by their spouses, Dr. Jill Biden (right) and Douglas Emhoff (far left), who will be the country’s first second gentleman. Photo courtesy of the Biden-Harris campaign

Palace hopes Biden admin will relax US immigration policies

USA

DATELINE FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

‘The second wave is here’: New Jersey Gov. Murphy sets new restrictions as COVID-19 cases surge JERSEY CITY - Gov. Phil Murphy announced new restrictions early this week as COVID-19 cases have spiked across the state, recording 5,000 new cases over the weekend, and hitting the daily 3,000 case level for the first time since April. “The numbers are proving that the second wave is here, this is our reality,” Murphy said in his press briefing. “We must redouble our efforts and recommit to the practices that have gotten us this far – social distancing, washing our hands, and wearing our masks.” Effective November 12th, all restaurants, bars, clubs and lounges must close indoor dining by 10:00 p.m. Restaurants, casinos bars will be prohibited from serving food and

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by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

FLOODED. Several bikers walk their bicycles along the flooded area of Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City, Rizal on Thursday, November 12.  Rizal province and Metro Manila experienced non-stop rain as Typhoon Ulysses made landfall somewhere in Quezon province Wednesday night, November 11. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

WHILE Malacañang expects no major changes in the United States’ foreign policy under President-elect Joe Biden, it hopes for a shift in the U.S. immigration policy that will treat Filipino immigrants better. “Sa tingin ko ang Amerika din naman ay consistent sa foreign policy, so walang rin major changes yan (I think America is consistent with its foreign policy so there will be no major changes there),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday, November 9. “Pero... pagdating sa larangan ng immigration, inaasahan natin na sana na magkaroon ng policy shift under a Democratic administration dahil napakadami ng Pilipino na naninirahan sa Estados Unidos (But... in the area of immigration, we expect there will be a

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Filipino Trump supporters sound off on the president’s legal challenge of election results The Trump administration lodges several lawsuits alleging voter fraud, insufficient ballot count operations in key states by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

Miss USA 2020 first runner-up Kim Layne Photo from Instagram_@kimlayne

ALTHOUGH mainstream media across the world reported President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, Nov. 7, the Trump campaign has lodged several legal suits alleging voter irregularities, suggesting a premature call of the results. It’s important to note that although media outlets have announced Biden as the winner, the results are still not official as of press time — and this is a standard for any election. It usually takes days and sometimes weeks before any election is officially complete and the votes are certified by individual states’ secretaries of state (the position that acts

Filipina-Irish named runner-up to Miss USA 2020 US tops 10 million COVID-19 cases About 350 individuals, including Fil-Am supporters for President Donald Trump, gathered in front of the Clark County Election Department in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday afternoon, November 8 to protest the state’s results in the presidential race. Photo courtesy of Asian Industry B2B

by Ritchel

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Mendiola

AJPress

by Ritchel

FILIPINA-IRISH Kim Layne of Idaho on Tuesday, November 10 won 1st runner-up in the Miss USA 2020 beauty pageant. Layne, 26, placed second to Asya Branch of Mississippi who was crowned Miss USA and will represent the United States in the upcoming Miss Universe 2020 beauty pageant. Layne was born and raised in the state of

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Mendiola AJPress

JUST 10 days after hitting 9 million cases of the novel coronavirus, the United States surpassed 10 million confirmed infections this week. The milestone happened on Monday, November 9, after Johns Hopkins University recorded more than 100,000 new cases. Its death toll, meanwhile, passed 237,000. The U.S., with about 4% of the world’s

population, accounts for about one-fifth of the 50.4 million cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide. The same day, drugmaker Pfizer announced that interim results in human trials showed their COVID-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective. “Today is a great day for science and humanity. The first set of results from our Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial provides the initial evidence of our vaccine’s ability

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Todd Gloria, 42, becomes San Diego’s first openly gay and first person of color mayor.  Photo courtesy of Todd Gloria

In historic ‘firsts,’ Todd Gloria set to be San Diego’s next mayor by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

IN an election cycle with many historic firsts across the country, San Diego has its own barrier-breaking moment with the first openly gay and first person of color to lead the city.  Todd Gloria, who is Filipino, Latino and Native American, will serve as the mayor of California’s second-largest city and the U.S.’ eighth largest city after opponent Barbara Bry conceded in the race on Monday, November 9.

Gloria, the current assemblymember for the state’s 78th Assembly district, captured 56.13% of the vote (340,632) versus Bry’s 43.87% (266,231), according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ update on Monday.  Gloria thanked Bry in a Twitter post and said it was time to “come together as San Diegans to resolve the many challenges we face.”  “Voters have embraced my vision of creating a City that works #ForAllofUs,” he wrote. “It’s

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NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USA

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Philippine Senate approves bill Fil-Am voters celebrate Biden-Harris... declaring child marriage a crime by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

A BILL declaring child marriage illegal in the Philippines has been passed on its third and final reading. Senate Bill No. 1371, also known as the “Girls Not Brides Act,” was unanimously approved by Senators on Monday, November 9.  The measure was principally authored and sponsored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality. “The issue of child early and forced marriages is one that is largely invisible to us here in Metro Manila, but it is a tragic reality for scores of young girls who are forced by economic circumstances and cultural expectations to shelve their own dreams, begin families they are not ready for, and raise children even if their own childhoods have not yet ended,” she said

after the Senate approved the measure. Based on data from the United Nations Population Fund, 1 in every 6 girls in the Philippines marry before the legal age of 18. The Philippines was also listed as  the 12th country with the highest number of children married under 18 years old with 726,000, according to Hontiveros. “Today, we give our girls a chance to dream, a chance to define their futures according to their own terms. We defend their right to declare when they are ready to begin their families,” Hontiveros said. “We tell them their health matters to us. Their education matters to us. We give them a fighting chance,” she added. Under the bill, any person who causes, fixes, facilitates or arranges a child marriage will be fined P40,000 or suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period, which is eight years and a day to 10 years.

Should the perpetrator of the child marriage be an ascendant, step parent or guardian of the minor, the punishment will be prision mayor in its maximum period of 10 years and a day to 12 years, a P50,000 fine, and the loss of parental authority over the minor. Any person who performs or officiates the formal rites of child marriage will suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its medium period, a fine of at least P40,000, and disqualification from office in the case of public officials. The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development has been enlisted to take the lead in the measure’s implementation. The bill was co-authored by Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Leila de Lima, Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, Maria Josefa Imelda Marcos, Juan Edgardo Angara and Francis Pangilinan.

PAGE 1 the victory meant that we would soon have competent leadership and that help is on the way,” Madali told the Asian Journal. “In the first 100 days, the Biden administration will face a stalled economy, a raging pandemic, and a climate crisis to name a few. The top issue I would like the administration to address is correcting our response to the pandemic to prevent more unnecessary deaths.”  Melissa Ramoso, a Southern California community leader who was a co-chair of the national Fil-Ams for Biden-Harris affinity group, said these focus areas provide an opportunity for Filipino Americans to weigh in and help influence policies. “Filipino Americans are always ready to be called upon to be part of a future that works for all communities, not just well-connected individuals,” she told the Asian Journal.  Biden, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, has hit the ground running this week by launching a transition website with four priorities: COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.  They have assembled their own coronavirus task force — led by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and David Kessler, a former head of the Food and Drug Administration — which virtually met on Monday, November 9.  “It doesn’t matter who you voted for, where you stood before Election Day,” Biden said during the meeting. “It doesn’t matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months.” Outpouring of joy  Following five days of waiting and refreshing for new updates, Americans — and those watching worldwide — on Saturday morning, November 7 were greeted with the news that Biden and Harris captured the necessary 270 electoral votes to ascend to the White House.  For the Fil-Ams across the country who spent the past nine months raising money, phone and text banking targeting fellow Fil-Am voters, and getting the message out amid a pandemic, the results, especially in battleground states, made them feel that their vote truly count-

Thousands of supporters descended at Times Square in New York to celebrate the Biden-Harris win on Saturday, November 7. AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

Individuals took to the streets throughout Los Angeles, including in West Hollywood, bearing signs reacting to the country’s new leadership. AJPress photo by Christina M. Oriel

ed and that they did their part in the fight to restore “the soul of America.” “Our unprecedented engagement was the majority of the victory in battleground states. Hope is alive. This is a new beginning and we are part of it,” said Gloria Caoile, a community leader and senior advisor for Fil-Ams for Biden Harris in Las Vegas, told the Asian Journal.  Capturing over 74 million votes, Biden surpassed President Barack Obama’s record and received more votes than any presidential candidate in U.S. history. As of this writing, Biden has 290 electoral votes in his favor, versus President Donald Trump’s 214. Meanwhile,

34 votes are still at play, according to the Associated Press. “Philadelphia and Pennsylvania brought home the win as part of the Blue Wall. As a community, we championed a leader who will make sure we get out of this pandemic, bring back our economy and we are again respected in the world,” Brad Baldia, eastern region cochair for Fil-Ams for Biden-Harris, told the Asian Journal.  With the victory, Harris became the first woman and first Black and South Asian person elected vice president of the country.  “As a woman of color and a Californian, I could not be more

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020

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NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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From The Front Page

Fil-Am voters celebrate Biden-Harris... PAGE 2 proud to have Kamala Harris as the first Asian and African American female vice president. Filipino Americans will see for the very first time when President-Elect Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union speech as the president who received the most votes ever in America history, behind him will be two Californian women: Vice President Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,” Ramoso said.  While President Donald Trump has not conceded — and as electoral challenges are underway and his supporters continue to protest nationwide — the collective joy and hope for an incoming leadership change poured onto the streets.  The spontaneous celebrations erupted across the country, among them: in Washington, D.C., thousands marched along Black Lives Matter Plaza and near the White House bearing homemade signs; masses gathered in New York’s Time Square bursting out into song; and in West Hollywood, California, individuals waved Biden-Harris and pride flags and banged pots as car horns blared. That night, Biden and Harris addressed the nation with victory speeches at the Chase Center

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Lillie Madali, eastern region co-chair for Fil-Ams for Biden-Harris, DJ’ed at the rally featuring President Barack Obama in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, November 2, a day before Election Day.  Photo courtesy of Lillie Madali

in Wilmington, Delaware, with the former pledging to be a commander-in-chief “who seeks not to divide but not unify.”  “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” Biden said, referencing those who may not have voted for him.  Though the presidential race may be over, Fil-Ams are placing their energy onto the Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia that will determine which party will have control over the U.S. Senate.  “As for individuals them-

selves, newcomers to campaigns asked our seasoned campaign warriors the same question of “What’s next?” We answered, we go on to the next fight and bring our kababayans with us. We are looking to make an impact in Georgia’s US Senate races in the immediate future,” Ramoso said.  Madali added, “It is my hope that on the issues of healthcare, immigration, and education, that they will find that the candidates that best serve their interests are Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.”

Filipino Trump supporters sound off... PAGE 1 t as chief election officer in each state). Even outside of the pandemic, the voting system as we know it is slow, riddled with bureaucratic holes and, in some cases, comprise active voter suppression efforts that make it almost impossible to have a smooth and streamlined election process.  Los Angeles County, for example, still has more than 600,000 ballots to count, according to the county registrar. In Arizona, where the race is still at razor-thin margins, 150,000 votes that haven’t been counted yet. (Biden was leading by a slim 29,861 votes as of Friday, Nov. 6.) As long as ballots were postmarked on or before Nov. 3, they can still be counted. Some ballots are still arriving by mail, and the ballot delivery deadline was extended to 17 days. This election took all those presuppositions and reared the arcane American electoral process on its ugly head. Months before Election Day, officials prepared for a delayed call of the election by encouraging people to vote early and make a robust plan to get ballots in with little to no hiccups.  And after a days-long limbo period between Election Day and Saturday, Biden was announced as the winner despite the fact that it was a projection and not an official call. This hasn’t stopped Biden supporters — including Republicans who distanced themselves from the Trump campaign — from celebrating when news reports came out that Biden won Pennsylvania, a key battleground state. As such, however, this sparked outrage among Trump supporters across the nation who, along with the president’s re-election campaign, are calling for legal intervention into the election results, arguing that the call on Saturday was too early and there’s still good reason to hold off on announcing a winner. Marc Ang, an LA-based financial planner who co-organized the Filipino Americans for Trump caravan rally in October, told the Asian Journal on Monday, Nov. 9 that he was “honestly not surprised” about the media reports calling Biden’s win. Ang referenced the voting irregularities as well as more illegitimate and nefarious practices that have been reported in at least five states against which the Trump campaign has lodged lawsuits. As of Monday, the Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona. All states currently have Biden in the lead by slim margins, and Georgia has committed to recounting its votes, according to Republican Doug Collins who represents the state in the House and was appointed by the Trump campaign to oversee the recount. Similarly, Lisa Noeth, a Filipina American conservative commentator and co-director of the Nevada Young Republicans, told the Asian Journal that she was not allowed to oversee the counting in Clark County, Nevada and “was told it was a waste of time by a staff member.” “This tarnishes the U.S. Constitution’s rule of the land that the electors determine the winner after all the legal votes are counted,” Noeth said about the reported hastiness of the election call

before all the votes were certified and found legal. Noeth, who attended the Stop the Steal rally in Las Vegas on Nov. 4, said that she has “firsthand account” with voters who said that they had “issues with their ballots being invalidated.”  “We have to question the narrative [of] what there is to hide in places where the vote is being counted and observers were barred in battleground states, including Nevada, Pennsylvania and Michigan,” Noeth added. Ang also helped with the rally in Beverly Hills, California over the weekend and worked with other groups across the country to encourage Trump supporters to continue fighting against the “premature” declaration of Biden’s victory. The legal challenges posed by the Trump campaign, however, are all over the place and comprise different things, making it difficult to see how they all come together in the general claim of “voter fraud.” In Nevada, the Trump campaign claims that at least 10,000 people voted in the state after moving to another state. The Trump campaign also alleged that in Wayne County, Michigan (home to Detroit) poll workers were seen swaying voters to vote a certain way and that GOP election observers were blocked from observing the vote count. (The only proof of the Michigan claims come in the form of affidavits from individuals.) Misleading videos have also percolated through social media, including a video of ballot counters in Delaware County, Pennsylvania transcribing damaged ballots that couldn’t be read by machines. (The Delaware County Bureau of Elections confirmed this, noting that “some residents have altered the video are making false accusations.”) Nevertheless, claims against these states by the Trump campaign have fueled nationwide protests among Trump supporters echoing the alleged claims of voter fraud. “Preliminary results get put out there and [the] news media is very quick to jump on something exciting to report. They’re seeing the same numbers I’m seeing, but I’m not as quick to jump on a call especially when it goes against fundamentals,” Ang added, referencing the reports of “software glitches and fraudulent ballots.” Ang’s claim of software glitches comes from a popular notion that technological problems with the software that undermined the actual vote counts in states like Michigan and Georgia.  But according to the Michigan Department of State, county clerks and election security experts, the reported issues in the unofficial vote counts in Michigan’s Antrim and Oakland counties were not software glitches, but human error, adding these were “isolated cases.” In Georgia, the software problems only related to how poll workers checked in voters from two counties and submission of results in another county.  The Trump campaign has also said that it has evidence of ballot mishandling and discarded votes in Maricopa County, Arizona, alleging that Trump voters may have had their ballots rejected due to manual override by poll workers. Despite all the mounting suits and allegations of voter fraud

being lodged by the Trump campaign, none of these claims have been verified. Like the Delaware County officials, election bureaus across the country continue fighting unverified claims proffered by the Trump campaign and viral attempts to locate fraud among Trump supporters. Experts on constitutional law don’t see the lawsuits going much further since much of the tangible proof of the alleged “voting irregularities” came in the form of affidavits, personal anecdotes among Trump supporters and debunked altered videos on social media.  “That requires some kind of evidence,” Morgan Marietta, professor of constitutional politics at the University of Massachusetts Lowell told NBC. “There’s an incentive to do the recounts and the audits to establish there wasn’t fraud, but right now, there’s no evidence we’ve seen of widespread fraud. Certainly not enough to change the outcome.” That being said, however, Trump supporters are mobilized and believe that legal action could provide a path to victory for the president in a way that could flip the media projections. “This is far from impossible,” Ang asserted. In response to Trump’s refusal to concede the election, both Ang and Noeth agreed that the president shouldn’t concede until the claims of alleged fraud are found to be baseless.  “This is a unique opportunity to audit and reform our elections for the better. Florida, under the scrutiny of 2000, has become a leader now in honest elections. I hope this for the other states in question. Let the process play out and if the fraud doesn’t change the outcome, he should concede,” Ang said. Noeth mirrored Ang’s position, saying, “I believe we should stand by President Trump in not conceding until all the legal votes are counted and our court system investigates the evidence of voter fraud. We need to protect the legitimacy of our electoral process through the legal system in place according to the U.S. Constitution. Filipinos are the second-largest Asian American group to support Trump, just behind Vietnamese Americans, according to the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey released two months before the general election. With this, both Ang and Noeth believe that the president and the Republican Party have the greater Filipino American community’s interests in mind.  And, even if the courts decide that the election was legitimate and Biden was legally elected as the 46th President of the United States, folks like Ang and Noeth are optimistic that this isn’t the end of the Trump legacy. “If [Trump] loses the presidency, the movement will get even more energized and will bring us to major victories in 2022 and 2024, where Trump may run and win again,” Ang said, referencing recent reports that Trump is considering another White House run in 2024. “Let’s let the court system decide the winner of the 2020 elections,” Noeth said, adding that regardless of the outcome, “For the next four years, Republicans, such as myself, should continue to engage the Asian American community and represent FilAms as future candidates in elected office.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

Palace hopes Biden admin will relax US...

PAGE 1 t policy shift under a Democratic administration because there are many Filipinos living in the United States),” he added. Malacañang also hopes the new leadership will help undocumented Filipino workers in the U.S. get a chance to become legal residents. There were approximately 313,000 undocumented Filipinos from 2012 to 2016, according to Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates, making up about 3% of the country’s total undocumented population.  “Bagamat mayroon iilan sa kanila ay ‘yung mga tinatawag natin TNT o mga iligal, ay napakalaking papel ang ginagampanan nila sa Estados Unidos at mabigyan sana sila ng pagkakataon na maging legal sa Estados Unidos (Although some of them are are TNT or illegal, they play a huge role in the United States and we hope they will be given a chance to become legal in the United States),” he said. Roque said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will reportedly keep an open mind about Biden and avoid making judgments until he finally gets to work with the new U.S. president.

“Other than congratulating him, I think the president is keeping an open mind as he should. It will be a new start but we have no prejudgments as far as president-elect Biden is concerned, other than the position that we’re able and willing to work with all leaders of the world,” the spokesman said. According to Roque, they have trust that the ties between the country and the U.S. will remain stable. “Tiwala naman tayo na dahil napakalapit ng relasyon ng Pilipinas at ng Estados Unidos, patuloy na magiging mas mabuti pa ang ating samahan sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni President Duterte at ni President-elect Biden (We trust that with close ties between the Philippines and the U.S., we will continue and even see better relations under President Duterte and President-elect Biden),” he said. Duterte was among the world leaders who congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris after their projected win in the 2020 presidential election.  “On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wishes to extend his

warm congratulations to former Vice President Joseph ‘Joe’ Biden on his election as the new President of the United States of America,” Roque said in a statement on Sunday, November 8. Roque also assured that the Philippines will continue its commitment to enhancing its relations with the U.S. “The Philippines and the United States have long-standing bilateral relations and we are committed to further enhancing the relations with the United States under the Biden administration,” he said. “We look forward to working closely with the new administration of President-elect Biden anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and shared commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law,” he added. “Congratulations and we wish him all the best.” Biden on Saturday, Nov. 7 emerged victorious after securing the necessary 270 electoral votes to win. California Sen. Harris, Biden’s running mate, meanwhile made history as the nation’s first woman and Black and South Asian to be elected as vice president.

US tops 10 million COVID-19 cases...

PAGE 1 t to prevent COVID-19,” Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen. With today’s news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis,” he added. Pfizer is also planning to seek emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after they obtain two months of safety follow-up data on half of the participants in their trial, along with data on their manufacturing process. Bourla noted that the vaccine has shown no safety problems so far, but said they need to wait until “the results are there.” Envoy: COVID-19 vaccine might be ready early next year

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said the country may receive an initial supply of the COVID-19 vaccine by early 2021 once talks are finalized and a contract has been signed. “Sa tingin ko by early next year, first quarter, magkakaroon na tayo ng (supply) by tranches ‘yan (I think by early next year, 1st quarter, we’ll be able to get the supply in tranches),” he said in a pre-recorded interview with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. “The demand is very high at least for the first tranches of this supply but they’re very confident na masu-supply nila ang lahat ng kailangan ng mga mag-o-order na ngayon (that they’ll be able to supply the needs of those who would order now),” he added. According to Romualdez, Pfizer was the first company to approach the Philippines amid talks with various U.S. pharmaceutical firms developing an effective COVID-19 vaccine. “Right now sila ang pinaka-nangunguna dito sa Amerika na

ma-approve dahil 90% ang efficacy ng Pfizer (Right now, Pfizer is leading to get the first approval because its candidate vaccine is 90% effective)... It will be sold to many of their (U.S.) allies, specifically in the Philippines na ‘di naman gaano kamahal (and it won’t be too expensive), it would be around USD5 per shot siguro,” he said. On the other hand, the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said the emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine is unlikely in the country. “We need to verify the accuracy of (Pfizer’s) claim that the vaccine is 90 percent effective. If (Pfizer) will apply to conduct a clinical trial here, the Vaccine Expert Panel will check the data, and would verify the claim,” DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said Tuesday, Nov. 10. He also said that the Philippine authorities could not rely on Pfizer’s announcement as it was the firm’s announcement. “We do not know the data that supports (the claim),” De la Peña said.

Gloria (center) was joined by his partner Adam Smith (left) and parents Phil and Linda Gloria on Tuesday, November 3 when they cast their ballots in person.  Photos courtesy of Todd Gloria

In historic ‘firsts,’ Todd Gloria set to... PAGE 1 t now time to turn that vision into reality. I am honored to be the next Mayor of San Diego.”  The 42-year-old Democrat was first elected as a member of the San Diego City Council in 2008, and was interim mayor from August 2013 to March 2014 when outgoing Mayor Kevin Falconer took office. When he was elected to the state Assembly in 2016, he was the second person of Filipino heritage ever elected to the California Legislature after Assemblymember Rob Bonta of Alameda. Gloria has served as assistant majority whip and, a year later, the majority whip, a position he recently held until this election. San Diego, with a population

of 1.4 million is home to one of the largest concentrations of Filipinos in the United States, with more than 200,000 residing in America’s Finest City. Councilmember Chris Cate, a second-generation Filipino American, represents San Diego’s Sixth Council District, where one in every three residents is of Asian American descent. “I have known Todd a long, long time. He’s someone I can trust. I do not agree with him on a lot of things, which is okay,” Councilmember Cate previously told the Asian Journal. “I look forward to working with his new administration on bringing forth policy to help the residents of District 6 and all San Diegans.”

At a recent online town hall meeting organized by Gloria’s friends in the Filipino American community to further drum up support for his mayoral bid, Gloria talked about his life and the way he was brought up by his parents. He shared how his grandparents moved to San Diego and how his parents Phil and Linda taught him traditional family values. He said that he is the first in his working-class family to graduate from university. “I will be a mayor for everyone,” he said. “I am mindful that there are little Filipino boys and girls who might see me in government as someone that looks like them, and maybe inspire them.”

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020

Dateline Philippines

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PH extends suspension of Visiting Forces Agreement termination   by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

PHILIPPINE Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday, November 11, announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the suspension of the Visiting The construction of this sports stadium and the P50-million cauldron at New Clark City in Tarlac province used during the 2019 Southeast Forces Agreement (VFA) terAsian Games could be among the targets of investigation that opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros is pushing her colleagues to undertake because mination. “My President, Rodrigo Roa of alleged irregularities. Inquirer.net photo Duterte, has instructed me to convey with the appropriate formality his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement by yet another six months, to enable us to find a more enhanced, mutually funds amounting to P9.54 billion tribution to the project, except for by Melvin Gascon beneficial, mutually agreeto pay MTD from its 2019 budget the actual construction work. Inquirer.net able, and more effective and A Commission on Audit (COA) allocation. MANILA — Philippine Sen- report said the sports facilities in“This project is riddled with lasting arrangement on how ator Risa Hontiveros on Tues- cluded an aquatic center, an ath- badges of a fake joint venture. to move forward in our mutual day, November 10 called for a letics stadium and an “athlete’s So again I ask: What has MTD defense,” he said in a tweet. “The past four years have “full-blown” investigation of the village” capable of housing 1,000 Berhad contributed to this?” she allegedly irregular deals in con- people. said. nection with the country’s hostHontiveros pointed out that It said the agreed project cost ing of the 2019 Southeast Asian to build them was P8.510 billion, even the Office of the Govern(SEA) Games, especially the P9.5 “which will be contributed by ment Corporate Counsel (OGCC) billion in taxpayer money used to the winning PSP (private sector and the COA had disputed claims construct the main sports venue partner) in the form of unencum- that the deal involved a joint veninside New Clark City (NCC) in bered advances to the JV (joint ture. Tarlac province. “And while all of these were venture).” In a privilege speech, HontiHontiveros said the P8.5-billion ongoing, the chief of the OGCC veros raised doubts about the funding that MTD Berhad had was replaced, and his successor legality of the 2018 joint venture purportedly poured into the proj- overturned the previous opinion agreement between the Bases ect came from a P9.5-billion loan and maintained that the transacConversion Development Au- that was granted by Development tion is aboveboard,” she said. thority (BCDA) and a Malaysian Bank of the Philippines (DBP). Joint venture scheme developer, MTD Capital Berhad, Hontiveros raised suspicions Aside from being contractually for the construction of the sports obligated to facilitate the loan, the that the joint venture scheme was venue at the 9,450-hectare NCC BCDA was obliged to reimburse used to skirt the legal requirecomplex in Capas and Bamban MTD for the capital it had suppos- ment of a public bidding and matowns. nipulate the grant of the project edly “advanced” using the loan. She said a “fake” joint venture to a favored contractor. Loan proposal agreement was used to secure a She said she was appalled that “MTD Berhad did not have any “behest loan” from a government cash-in investment, yet they still MTD acquired the P9.5 billion in bank in order to sidestep procure- put on an additional P1 billion just three weeks from the time it ment laws. into their loan proposal,” she was applied for. ‘White elephant’?’ “Would it have been possible said. “Now, the country may have Citing documents, Hontiveros that DBP quickly released the been left with a gigantic white said that under the loan agree- loan proceeds because it was faelephant in Central Luzon,” Hon- ment, the BCDA was obligated to cilitated by the BCDA? What was tiveros said. pay a total of P11 billion for the the loan collateral used? Was The opposition senator said loan. there sufficient scrutiny on the that following President Duter“And where will the BCDA get capitalization of MTD Berhad te’s recently ordered crackdown the funds to pay off MTD Berhad? and the cash flow of the project?” on graft and corruption, she was Is it from the income derived Hontiveros asked. calling attention to the facilities by the venue? Not even, as this The senator suspected that the that the government had built for project has not had any clear in- project was financed by a behest the SEA Games. loan, which shifts the burden of come,” she said. She questioned why MTD did According to the senator, the paying it to Filipino taxpayers, not seem to have made any con- BCDA must have sourced the mainly the DBP depositors.

Hontiveros seeks Senate probe of SEA Games venue contract

changed the South China Sea from one of uncertainty about great powers’ intentions to one of predictability and resulting stability with regard to what can and cannot be done, what will and will not be acceptable with regard to the conduct of any protagonist in the South China Sea. Clarity and strength have never posed a risk. It is confusion and indecision that aggravate risk,” he added. Locsin attributed the renewal of stability and security in the region to the efforts by the governments of the Philippines and the United States. “A great deal of credit for the renewal of stability and security goes to deft diplomacy, unequivocal expressions of policy, sturdy postures of strength combined with unfailing tact, and pragmatic na-

tional security advice exhibited by both our governments in the same period,” he said. Locsin also hailed the two countries’ friendship and alliance. “Long Live Philippine US friendship and alliance. I hereby send the Diplomatic Note in that respect,” he said. The abrogation of the VFA was suspended on June 2 “in light of political and other developments in the region.” “The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement has been suspended upon the President’s instruction,” Locsin had said in a tweet. In the diplomatic note attached to Locsin’s tweet, it said: “In light of the political and other developments in the region, the termination of the Agreement between

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WITH the two complaints filed against him gathering cobwebs in the prosecutor’s office of Taguig, Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas has reached the pinnacle of his career. Charged with violating Republic Act 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, and a city ordinance in Taguig on COVID quarantine rules that the police commander for Metro Manila is mandated to enforce, Sinas has been promoted as chief of the Philippine National Police. Sinas is expected to lead the PNP until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 on May 8 next year, during which he can be serenaded with another birthday mañanita and then enjoy a hefty retirement pension. Such a gathering during his 55th birthday at the height of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila led to the filing of the complaints against him. The case gained additional notoriety after 58-year-old fish vendor Joseph Jimeda was arrested by police on the eve of Sinas’ birthday for crossing over to the Navotas Fish Port from his home in Caloocan to buy fish that he could sell in a mini market or talipapa, as he had usually done – except this time he lacked a quarantine pass. Jimeda, who didn’t have money for bail, had to spend 12 days in jail, unable to inform his

family of his whereabouts because he didn’t have a cell phone. Now he has a misdemeanor record after pleading guilty to simple disobedience. About three weeks before Jimeda’s arrest, unarmed retired Army corporal Winston Ragos, who was reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was shot dead by police manning a quarantine checkpoint in Quezon City. These incidents will have no legal bearing on the cases filed against Sinas, which Malacañang Philstar.com photo said on Tuesday, November 10 would continue to be pursued despite his promotion. But the fates of Ragos and Jimeda will inevitably be contrasted with that of Sinas, and will be brought up It will highlight the double standard in upholding a credibility problem especially in this crippling as the country continues to grapple with COVID the rule of law in this country – from rules and pandemic that the PNP will need to overcome restrictions that are supposed to cover everyone. regulations to penal laws such as corruption. It’s under its new chief. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Trump, the Republican leadership block President-elect Joe Biden’s efforts for the peaceful transition of power under the rule of law The Fil-Am Perspective Gel Santos-Relos ON NOVEMBER 7, 2020, Democratic nominee Joe Biden became President-elect after surpassing the 270-victory mark for electoral votes, and winning the greatest number of popular votes in the history of the United States.  The historic turnout, among Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and even from those with no party affiliation, is a testament to the urgency of the moment, amid the escalating threat of the coronavirus pandemic that has been infecting more than 130,000 Americans per day, with 10.2+ million confirmed cases, and an increasing death toll of 239,000 Americans. This pandemic has disrupted lives, livelihoods and businesses across the country, and has divided the already polarized nation even more with mixed messages coming from the White House, defying advisories from health officials, state leaders and scientists that are working hard with doctors, nurses and other frontliners to save lives. President-elect Joe Biden has already started efforts toward the peaceful transition of power pursuant to the rule of law, an effort shared by both the outgoing president and president-elect of past election cycles.  On Monday, November 9,

Biden posted on social media and I quote: “Today, I have named a COVID-19 Transition Advisory Board, comprised of distinguished public health experts, to help our transition team translate the Biden-Harris COVID-19 plan into a blueprint we can put into places soon as @KamalaHarris and I are sworn into office.” Biden has announced on Tuesday, November 10, the teams of people who will work to prepare the incoming administration to take control of the federal government. As CNN reported, these transition teams included names of about 500 people who will work in various agencies of the government — “from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Postal Service” and many more. This election cycle, however, has been very much unlike how it was done in past administrations where the members of the transition teams work with career officials inside the government to prepare the incoming administration to take over.  The reason for this is the sad fact that President Donald Trump refuses to concede defeat, and he is enabled by the Republican leadership headed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and right-leaning outlets like Fox News who enable his conspiracy theory that votes were stolen from him.  The Trump administration is not accepting Biden as president-elect, even as leaders of other countries, including Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, have

already called and messaged Biden to congratulate him. U.S. allies said “Welcome back America” following the Biden-Harris victory. The Trump White House on Monday instructed senior government leaders to block cooperation with Biden’s transition team. And so, despite the efforts of Biden in organizing his transition team, the National Public Radio (NPR) reported that “one thing Biden cannot do at this point is move into any government office space or receive government funding for the transition.” Despite the will of the people electing Biden to be the next president, “A key, if little-known Trump administration official has yet to determine formally that Biden won the election, holding up some crucial resources traditionally available to the president-elect.” Under the 1963 Presidential Transition Act, it’s up to the General Services Administration, or GSA, to determine or ‘ascertain’ the winner of the presidential election, at least as far as starting the process of turning over the keys to the new administration goes,” according to NPR. Robert MacKichan, who was general counsel to the GSA during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, told NPR the law is kind of vague about what this actually means. “There’s no legal standard contained within this act as to what constitutes the ascertainment,” he said in the report. Instead of supporting the Biden transition teams as oth-

Biden: 5 ways to beat populism Commentary

Richard Heydarian POPULISTS are powerful precisely because, in the words of novelist Hugo von Hofmannsthal, “politics is magic, he who can summon the forces from the deep, him will they follow.” Make no mistake: Populism is here to stay, thanks to its uncanny ability to tap into our most basic instincts. But as in pandemics and pathogens, even the most viral and vicious forms of politics can be contained, though never fully defeated. From Latin America to Europe, recent decades have seen numerous populists driven back to the margins of power

when the “moderate” majority and competent “centrists” decided to team up and hold the line together. If anything, last week’s elections in the world’s oldest democracy has exposed the vulnerability of populism and the need for “radical liberalism.” It’s true that President-elect Joseph Biden failed to secure the early, decisive victory that some polls had suggested. And it’s also true that the “blue wave” hopes down the ballot likewise failed to materialize. Yet, Biden is projected to win by a landslide electoral college tally on top of 4 million more votes than his rival. The logistics and regulations around mail-in ballots also largely explain why the race initially seemed “tight” and managed to drag on for days. Even more remarkable, the Democratic candidate man-

aged to not only restore the “blue wall” in the rustbelts, but also flipped the “red” Republican strongholds of Georgia and Arizona into legitimate swing states, if not “blue” ones. And lest we forget, Donald Trump is the first incumbent to lose a reelection bid since 1992, and only the third since the end of World War II. In short, Biden’s victory was far from given, even if many have rightly questioned Trump’s fitness for office from the very first day. There are five key lessons to draw from Biden’s protracted yet decisive victory. First of all, have faith in democracy and the people. As the incoming American president put it, “keep the faith.” But even more importantly, “spread the faith.” We can’t be conditional democrats. We can’t just accept elections when the “good” candidates win, then retreat into

er outgoing Presidents of the United States have done, Trump and his minions have asked for investigations, using taxpayers’ money, into alleged widespread election fraud. They have also filed lawsuits in court, but judges handling these lawsuits have ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to support these claims. Trump then wanted to bring this fight all the way to the Supreme Court despite the lack of proof and merit in court. Trump has been asking his die-hard fans to again storm the streets in virus superspreader crowds to defend him and fight for his second term, going against the will of the majority of the American people who voted for Biden to be the 46th president of the United States. “President Trump is racing to raise money for an “official election defense fund.” But the fine print on the solicitations tells a different story: Half -- or more -of any contribution will be used to retire debt from his re-election campaign,” the Wall Street Journal reported.  The president and his cohorts in Congress have been attacking the integrity of the votes of the American people, the integrity of election officials and secretaries of states, governors and lieutenant governors, who were composed of Republicans and Democrats alike.  These Republicans in Congress are supposed to be exercising their checks and balances on the president, an obligation required of them by the Constitution as members of the co-equal branch of government. Unfortunately,

these Republican members put their own political survival ahead of the peaceful transfer of power, compromising the United States’ national security and the greater good of the American people. As “We, the People” want to heal and move forward together as one “United States of America,” it is imperative for Trump, the Republicans in Congress and their supporters to respect the will of the American people in this election — the most scared of all our rights as citizens in this democracy: Government of the people, By the People, For the People.  Let me quote excerpts from the late Senator John McCain’s speech when he conceded defeat to Sen. Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election.  May these words help us in our introspection on what we can do in the name of our love for our nation and our respect to the Constitution as true patriots of the United States of America. “Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day — though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her Creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise. Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. It is natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought — we fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours. I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends. The road was a difficult one from the outset. But your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you….” “This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life. And my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Sen. Obama and my old friend, Sen. Joe Biden, should have the honor of leading us for the next four years. I would not be an American

self-destructive despondency when the “wrong” ones win. In the words of Biden’s former boss, President Barack Obama, “We zig and zag and sometimes we move in ways that some people think is forward and others think is moving back. And that’s OK.” People vote for the Trumps of this world for a thousand reasons. Some were visibly frustrated and felt legitimately ignored. Some were misinformed, some were driven by age-old prejudice, and others were mostly angry and opted for a “protest vote.” But that doesn’t mean people don’t see the value of good leadership, as when countless suburban women and urban residents of rustbelts and sunbelts abandoned Trump this year. Second, build a diverse and dynamic coalition, while keeping radicals at bay. Biden won with a massive electoral college margin because he was willing to build the biggest political tent

possible, astutely reaching out to moderate Republicans, blue-collar white voters, and women along the ethnic and ideological spectrum. Though Trump expanded his base among right-wing Latinos in Miami and rural white Americans, more than enough minorities and moderates voted against the populism he represented. Earlier this year, a coalition of liberal-progressive Italians, for instance, managed to eject the far-right populism of Matteo Salvini from government. The same dynamic played out in France in 2017, keeping Marine Le Pen’s far-right party at bay. Third, character matters. Biden’s sincere compassion, moral decency, and faith inspired countless Americans to once again believe in a higher purpose and a “more perfect union” among themselves. Even in our climate of post-modern cynicism and toxic partisanship, people yearn for moral leadership.

Fourth, instinct and experience matter. Unlike the Hillary Clinton campaign, Biden primarily relied on his personal instinct and visceral familiarity with the grievances and sensibilities of average and blue-collar Americans. As one of his key advisers said, “It was his campaign. It was less consultant-driven than any presidential campaign in modern history.” Lastly, “boring” is the new sexy. After years of disruptive politics and disastrous policies, more than 75 million American voters opted for the quintessential “establishment politician.” After all, what’s so wrong with “boring” if it means good old competence, compassion, and patriotism?

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*** rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020

EVACUEE. A girl wears a face mask as she talks to her friend inside the tent at the temporary evacuation center in Bernardo Covered Court, Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City on Thursday, November 12. She was among 49 evacuated families along with 189 individuals living along the creek behind Marcelo H. Del Pilar Elementary School. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

‘The second wave is here’: New Jersey... PAGE 1 t alcohol between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. and restrictions will also be placed on seating. The new announcement also allows restaurants to place tables closer than six feet as long as there is a barrier. Restaurants will be allowed to create fully enclosed dining bubbles for outdoor dining but are limited to one group per bubble, and must be disinfected between groups. Murphy also said that all barside eating will be prohibited at all hours.    All youth indoor interstate sports games and tournaments up until the high school level are prohibited. “We have to change our mindset, we remain in the midst of a global pandemic. Our country is now recording more than 100,000 cases per day and New Jersey is back at levels we thought we left behind months ago,” Murphy explained. “We have to snap back into reality, this virus has not gone away and is posing its greatest threat to us in months.”     A total of 2,075 new cases were reported on Monday, putting the state total at 256,653 since the start of the pandemic in March. The following day, the state announced that 3,877 new cases were reported, the highest daily case total since April. The positivity rate in the state this week is 7.54 percent, among the highest numbers in

months. “This virus has not gone away as we predicted it would,” Murphy emphasized. “We’re still in the fight, and we’ve got to fight back against COVID fatigue. We’ve got to do everything in our power to fight back against that.”  #MaskUpJC Campaign In Jersey City, Mayor Steven M. Fulop has joined the Health and Human Services Department and Office of Innovation to unveil a multifaceted public campaign called #MaskUpJC to expand upon the city’s ongoing efforts of providing critical tools and resources to help Jersey City residents stay safe, especially as infection rates rise nationwide.  The #MaskUpJC initiative centers on a citywide mask distribution, wherein five city-branded, 3-ply masks are being sent via mail carrier to all 120,000 households throughout Jersey City.  “Absent a vaccine, wearing a mask is one of the few proven effective ways we can dramatically decrease transmission, and we want to further our efforts to support residents and encourage everyone to remain diligent as we get through this together,” said Mayor Fulop. “My top priority is to protect our residents’ health and safety, and the goal is to avoid another surge which would also inflict further damage on peo-

ple’s mental health, our struggling businesses, and the local economy.” Under the #MaskUpJC campaign, the city is distributing 2,000 stickers to businesses that read, “MASK UP to Enter”.  Business owners can put the stickers on their storefront windows to encourage customer compliance. All city employees will also receive cloth masks in addition to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that has been distributed throughout the pandemic. Along with the masks, the #MaskUpJC packages contain a letter from the Mayor and a “Mask Up JC” poster. In the Mayor’s open letter, residents are also encouraged to sign up for the city’s emergency alert system to receive important updates, as was used throughout the pandemic to keep residents informed. “We knew very little about this virus when it first hit, but today we have a much better understanding of what needs to be done and how we can continue our work with the community to help slow the spread. Our Mask Up campaign encourages compliance so that everyone can do their part to stay safe,” concluded Mayor Fulop.  Since March, the city has distributed over 200,000 masks and PPE to senior buildings, nonprofit organizations, local businesses, and residents.

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Cayetano’s dare: Jail me if Filipina-Irish named SEA Games anomalies proven runner-up to Miss USA... by Divina

Nova Joy Dela ManilaTimes.net

Cruz

FORMER Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano dared his critics to jail him if anomalies are proven in the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019. Cayetano, who was the Philippine Sea Games Organizational Committee (Phisgoc) chairman, hurled the same challenge at Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, who called for a probe of the SEA Games, or SEAG, at the height of the leadership squabble in the House over a month ago. “If there are a few senators or if anyone wants to meet my challenge, why not? May oras ako ngayon. Isa-isahin natin at ‘pag may makita kayo, ikulong niyo ako or itigil natin ‘to, kung ni singko kumita kami dito. But kung hindi, ano naman penalty niyo, mag-resign kayo (I have time now. Let us look at it one by one and if you see anything, put me in jail or let’s stop this, if we profited

Taguig congressman-elect Alan Peter Cayetano

even 5 cents from this. But if not, what would be your penalty, for you to resign)?” Cayetano said in a speech he delivered at the 30th SEAG Final Report Book Turnover Ceremony in Taguig City on Wednesday, November 11. “Is Phisgoc open to any investigation? Yes. Eh bakit po may masasakit na salita rin (Then why are there also spiteful

LEGAL NOTICE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 37-202000037776-CU-PT-CTL Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Petition of: Willard Brian Abe, on behalf of Darine Jay Verano, a minor for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Willard Brian Abe filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Darine Jay Verano to Darine Jay Abe The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 12/02/2020, Time: 8:30 am, Dept.: 6-61, Room: -The address of the court is 330 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The Asian Journal Date: October 20, 2020 Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 11/27/20 CNS-3411900# ASIAN JOURNAL

comments) versus that? We’re open to investigation but we’re against witch-hunts,” he said. Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros has called on a “fullblown” Senate investigation of the SEA Games issue. Cayetano said the allegations are part of politicking in the field of sports and government. While he had accused Velasco

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CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00035460-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner ANITA MARTINEZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: ANITA MARTINEZ to CACHO ALLEEN ESCOBAR MARTINEZ. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING 11/19/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: OCT. 06, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 671 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13 /2020 AJSD 671

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9016520

JU-ICHI BENTOS & BITES located at 10663 ESCOBAR DR., San Diego, CA 92124. Registrant: INNOVATIVE CHEF CONCEPTS, 10663 ESCOBAR DR., San Diego, CA 92124. This business is conducted by LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature NGHI DAO. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/29/2020. AJ 676 11/06, 13, 20, 27/2020.

Farmdale Independent lIvIng FacIlIty located at 7217 Farmdale Street, San dIego, ca 92114. registrant: annabelle SIngSon QuIntoS, 7217 Farmdale Street, San dIego, ca 92114. this business is conducted as Individual. regIStrant HaS begun to tranSact buSIneSS under tHe aboved name aS oF 09/01/2020. Signature leaH m. ollman. Statement filed with recorder/county clerk of San diego county on 10/02/20. aJ 670 10/23/20, 10/30/20, 11/06/20, and 11/13/20. aJSd 670

“Three words: I did it! My father’s military dog tags are beneath this gown. He is a 100% disabled, Vietnam veteran who used to travel, hunt, camp & fish. He couldn’t be in the audience last night because of his medical conditions and being immunocompromised but I brought him up there with me,” Layne said in an Instagram post after the pageant. Meanwhile, another beauty queen with Filipino blood won a pageant this year. Filipina American Ki’ilani Arruda bested 50 other candidates for the crown of Miss

Teen USA on Saturday, November 7 in Memphis, Tennessee. Arruda, 18, advocates for autism awareness after her brother was diagnosed with autism, and hopes everyone can build a world that is accepting and inclusive for all people. In a post-pageant interview, she revealed that Filipina beauty queen Catriona Gray is her favorite Miss Universe winner. “I’m a little biased towards Catriona because I am half-Filipino myself. Her reign was so amazing, and I’ve always looked up to her as a role model,” Arruda said.

PH extends suspension of Visiting... PAGE 5 t the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the United States Regarding the Treatment of the United States Visiting Forces Visiting the Philippines…is hereby sus-

pended.” The note also said that the suspension shall start on an even date and shall continue for six months – though it can be extended for another half a year. “After which, the tolling of

the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated 11 February 2020 shall resume,” it added. On February 11, the Philippines sent a notice to Washington that terminated the defense agreement.

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9017656

AJSD 676

ManilaTimes.net photo

PAGE 1 t Idaho. Her father is Irish, while her mother is Filipino. In her Miss USA profile, she said she graduated from Cornell University with honors in research. Currently, she is studying at Washington State University pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, and a Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.  Layne is passionate about health promotion and disease prevention, and has dual citizenship in the Philippines. She was crowned Miss Idaho Teen USA in 2012.

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00005726-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner ROLANDO RUVALCABA ARIAS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: ROLANDO RUVALCABA ARIAS to ROLANDO RUVALCABA. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING 11/16/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: SEPT. 23, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT DANIEL F. LINK Judge of the Superior Court AJ 672 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13 /2020

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00032107-CU-PT-CTL

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00037634-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner KATIE HICKEY ON BEHALF OF CHILD MINOR TALLIS WALDERS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: TALLIS ELIZABETH WALDERS to TALLIS ELIZABETH HICKEY WALDERS. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING 11/02/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: SEPT. 23, 2020. NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ673 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13/2020

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner SHERIELAINE LAYSON EDQUILANG filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: SHERIELAINE LAYSON EDQUILANG to SHERIELAINE EDQUILANG ADVIENTO. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING 12/02/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: OCT. 19, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 674 OCT. 30, 2020, Nov. 6, 13, and 20, 2020.

AJSD 672

AJSD 673

AJSD 674

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST TO PREQUALIFY AND FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR PRECONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR CERTAIN DISTRICT PROJECTS LEASE-LEASEBACK (LLB) GROUPS F & G - CZ20-0965-42 The San Diego Unified School District (“District”) is requesting submission of a two-step process: First, a prequalification application with the supplemental prequalification for LLB projects (“Prequalification Application(s)”). Second, once prequalified, Contractors will be invited to submit a statement of qualifications (“SOQ(s)”) (together, “Response(s)”), from qualified firms, partnerships, corporations, associations, persons, or professional organizations (“Contractor(s)” or “Firm(s)” or “Proposer(s)”) to perform preconstruction services and construction services for projects pursuant to a LLB structure*. This request is not a formal request for bids or an offer by the District to contract with any Contractor responding to this Request to Prequalify and for Statement of Qualifications (“RFPQ”). The District intends to create two pools, Group F and Group G, of qualified Contractors that the District intends to maintain for two (2) years with two options to extend for an additional year each (at the District’s discretion) for a qualification term of three (3) or four (4) years in total. The District intends to then solicit from these pools, proposals for certain projects through subsequent Request(s) for Proposal (“RFP(s)”). Group F Pool is for projects at or below $26,000,000 in estimated value. Group G Pool is for projects at or above $26,000,001 in estimated value. A mandatory pre-SOQ conference will be held November 19, 2019 at 9:00 AM via Zoom online conferencing. All participants are required to pre-register. The pre-registration information will be given to interested Contractors who email Ashley Mains when requesting the RFPQ package. The conference is expected to take approximately one (1) hour. Failure to attend or extreme tardiness and to sign in will render a Contractor’s Proposal ineligible. Completed prequalification package must be submitted at or before 2:00 PM on November 24, 2020 via email to Ashley Mains at amains@sandi.net. Contractors who have been prequalified, will be invited to submit a SOQ on or before 2:00 PM on December 17, 2020. Go to Planet Bids for the complete details: https://www. planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43764. Search for “Invitation number” CZ20-0965-42 Request to PQ & SOQ for Precon & Construction Services for LLB Groups F & G. For new vendors, please register under “New Vendor Registration”. *Note: Authorized under Education Code section §17406, LLB is a common delivery method used by approximately 89 school districts in California, including 15 school districts within San Diego County. Effective January 1, 2017, LLB is to be used via a competitive selection process for best value award (in contrast to the regular design-bid-build which requires award to the lowest bidder). The Board of Education for the San Diego Unified School District reserves the right to reject any and all submissions and to waive any irregularities. SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, Andrea R. O’Hara, M.A, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Officer, Strategic Sourcing and Contracts Department.

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00032333-CU-PTCTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner CAMILO ANDRES GARCIA VALENCIA filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: CAMILO ANDRES GARCIA VALENCIA to CAMILO YUNG. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING 12/01/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. C61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: OCT 16, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 675 OCT. 30, NOV. 6, 13, 20, 2020 AJSD 675

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9

PH Embassy, Consulates in US take steps to meet increased demand for consular services amid COVID-19 pandemic

BAYANIHAN. Residents work together to remove a fallen tree from the roof of a vehicle along Pasonaria Street in Barangay Roxas, Quezon City on Thursday, November 12. Typhoon Ulysses swept through Luzon, leaving many areas submerged in floods and scattered debris on roads and streets. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Trump, the Republican leadership... PAGE 6 t worthy of the name, should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century. Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone and I thank the people of Arizona for it. Tonight — tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or

Sen. Obama, I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.” Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history. Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America.”

*** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

Cayetano’s dare: Jail me if... PAGE 8 t of using the SEA Games issue in the speakership row, he also said that the impending elections of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) had something to do with it. The POC has said it was ready to press charges against the Phisgoc for failure to submit audited financial statements on the sports event. Cayetano said Phisgoc cannot turn over the documents at the moment because a financial audit was taking time to finish. “Once the audit is done, not only will we publish it, but everyone will be free to take a

look at all of the numbers,” he said. In a separate press conference after the event, Cayetano reiterated that most of the allegations such as the inconvenience of athletes and food served during the SEA Games and other “fake news” were all politicking. Cayetano called on Hontiveros and other critics to come up with the evidence regarding the anomalies. He vowed to cooperate for the sake of “integrity and transparency.” During the ceremony, the Phisgoc presented the Final Report Book on the SEAG to

Cayetano, POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez. Phisgoc Chief Operating Officer Ramon Suzara said the book, which will be submitted and delivered to the SEA Games Federation, “details each victory, both big and small; that we have had throughout our colorful and meaningful SEA games journey.” “It served as a historic document representing the hard work that we have all put together as one strong Phisgoc family,” Suzara said.

THE Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the United States are actively taking steps to meet the surge in demand for dual citizenship, passport, and visa services amid prevailing uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending on the local conditions and state restrictions in each Post, these steps may include increasing the number of appointment slots, operating on weekends, and assigning more personnel to process applications and answer phone, e-mail, and social media queries, among other measures. The adjustments are being made in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs as pandemic-related restrictions and stringent health requirements, both in the Philippines and the United States, continue to put pressure on Posts’ consular operations. The global nature of COVID-19 compelled many countries to enforce travel restrictions to protect their local populations from the disease. In March, the Philippine government temporarily banned the entry of foreign nationals and suspended the Balikbayan program and other visa-free entry privileges in the interest of public health and safety. Prior to the pandemic, former Filipinos traveling on U.S. passports were able to enter and stay in the Philippines for a maximum of one year without a visa under the Balikbayan program. With the program’s suspension, thousands of former Filipinos have filed dual citizenship and passport applications with the Embassy and Consulates to be able to travel to the Philippines as Filipino citizens. The increased demand, coupled with state and local health regulations limiting the number of people who can be physically accommodated in consulate premises, slowed down processing times and created backlogs that the Embassy and Consulates are working hard to address. “We understand our clients’ frustration over the impact of the pandemic on our consular operations. We wish to assure

them that we are aware of their concerns and we are doing everything we can to continue delivering critical services in the safest and most efficient way possible during these challenging times,” said Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez. Lockdowns, quarantine rules, and indications of rising COVID-19 infections across the United States this fall have also affected Posts’ operating hours and impeded the conduct of consular outreach missions. These factors continue to make it more difficult for the Embassy and Consulates to reach the majority of their clients who are spread throughout their areas of jurisdiction. “For us in the frontlines, this is a delicate balancing act between the need to fulfill our public service mandate and to ensure the health and safety of our clients and personnel. We appeal to the public for your understanding, and please bear with us as we try to deal with this evolving situation,” the Ambassador further said. “If you can put your travel plans on hold for the meantime, please do so. I know this might be hard as the Christmas season is upon us, but these measures

and regulations have been put in place to keep all of us safe from the pandemic. Only with everyone’s cooperation will we be able to defeat this pandemic that has already claimed more than a million lives worldwide and changed the course of our future,” Ambassador Romualdez added. For the latest announcements and detailed information on consular services, please check the websites below:  • Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.: www.philippineembassy-usa.org • Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam: www.aganapcg.dfa.gov.ph • Philippine Consulate General Chicago: www.chicagopcg. com • Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu: www.honolulupcg.dfa.gov.ph • Philippine Consulate General in Houston: www.houstonpcg.dfa.gov.ph • Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles: www.philippineconsulatela.org • Philippine Consulate General in New York: www.newyorkpcg.org • Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco: www.philippinessanfrancisco.org.

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SAN DIEGO

NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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N OV E M B E R 1 3, 2 0 2 0

‘A Taste of the Philippines’: culinary event showcases DC’s top Fil-Am chefs by Momar

E

G. Visaya / AJPress

VEN when he was still at Bad Saint, James Beard award-winning chef Tom Cunanan has been dreaming of coming up with a group of Filipino American chefs in the Washington, DC area for a gastronomic event.  Because they don’t get to cook together, he looked at it as an opportunity to be able to collaborate and work with other chefs in the city and showcase Filipino cuisine to a broader market.  Then the pandemic happened, and with it the lockdown, making it almost impossible to hold big events like the one he thought of. Over virtual meetings and phone calls, the organizers waited it out and when it was safe to do so, announced that the project dubbed ‘A Taste of the Philippines’ was a go.  “We wanted people to have that smorgasbord of Filipino food and just enjoy it, whether they eat it outside or take it to go,” Cunanan told us as the event was winding down. “We’ve all been friends for the past five years and collaborating with them is amazing, I am glad that this is successful.” Cunanan collaborated with the who’s who of Filipino American chefs in the Washington, DC area” Patrice Cleary of Purple Patch, Paulo Dungca, Julie Cortes, Javier Fernandez, Jerome Grant and honorary Filipina Rosie Nguyen.  With the success of the event, Cunanan and his friends are looking forward to making it an annual October event to celebrate Filipino American History Month.  “I love Filipino food and I’m a proud Filipino, I guess wherever I go, I will always carry the flag no matter what. It’s a natural, organic thing that just happens,” Cunanan shared.  The Philippine Department of Tourism invited him and a couple of other chefs last year to do a two-week food tour around the The tasting box had each of the chefs’ creations, from the kaliskis empanada to braised beef adobo and arroz caldo, along with a halo-halo Japanese-style cheesecake for dessert.

Philippines to sample regional dishes and treats. Among the cities they visited were Davao City and Bacolod City, which was where Cunanan got inspiration for what he served in the event.   The 37-year-old chef prepared mushroom sisig kaliskis empanada, made with royal trumpet mushroom and cremona mushroom.  He said that when he saw this place in Bacolod where they made kaliskis empanada, he told myself that this was what he wanted on his menu when he got back.  “There was so much inspiration there,” he quipped.  Collaborative effort ‘A Taste of the Philippines’ is something that other Filipino chefs across the United States could use as a model for collaboration in their respective cities. The smorgasbord of Filipino food that Cunanan mentioned earlier is actually a seven-course dinner. Aside from his empanada, the tasting bento box included Cleary’s braised short rib adobo served with atchara and pandesal; Fernandez served pork shoulder with Bicol Express gravy; Cortes had her beef kaldereta skewers; Grant served arroz caldo; Dungca had palabok shrimp dumplings and Nguyen served halo halo Japanese cheesecake.  The event was held at The Block, which also curated and served Filipino inspired cocktails, with ube, balut. pandan and sago at gulaman flavors. For Patrice Cleary, the tasting box is a gift from them to the diners and guests as each chef was given a spot on that box to showcase what the chef felt was a dish worthy to be highlighted.  “ I t was about

time that we as chefs came together to represent our cuisine and help each other out,” Cleary told us. “It is important specially right now because the restaurant industry is struggling.” Cleary shared that she wanted to serve something that was not on her menu so she came up with braised short rib adobo, a labor intensive stew which she slow cooked for hours.  Julie Cortes is the current chef de cuisine at Kaliwa. She worked at Del Mar for a year and in the Philippines, she was a junior sous chef at Wildflour. Filipinos love barbecue so she thought of serving beef and vegetables in skewers and drizzling them with kaldereta sauce.  “This is my first to collaborate with these chefs, I am the youngest and newest here so I am just overwhelmed and honored to be cooking with them,” the 27-year-old Cortes said. Paulo Dungca worked previously with Cunanan at Bad Saint. He was also a chef at Kaliwa. He has been doing a series of pop ups in DC for the past few weeks and just got married the Sunday before the event. Dungca cooked palabok shrimp dumplings because he wanted to “try it out, see how it is” and was happy “it tasted like it [palabok] but doesn’t look like it.” “We’ve been wanting to do this for the longest time but everyone was just so busy, now that everything slowed down, we had more time to think about it and make it happen,” he said.  Jerome Grant said he was super excited to be a part of the project. He was the inaugural executive chef of Sweet Home Café at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which received a James Beard Award nomination for “Best New Restaurant” in 2017.  Grant prepared arroz caldo, because it was something that reminded him of home. H e did not do

Tom Cunanan, former chef of Bad Saint and James Beard Award winner

Patrice Cleary of Purple Patch

Kaliwa’s former chef Paulo Dungca and current chef de cuisine Julie Cortes

the traditional version though since used salted hen of the woods mushroom for his bowl.  “I wish I could do this all day, to be with like minded folks who converse about food and what it means to us because that’s where great synergy happens,” he said.  A James Beard Award nominee, Grant currently works as executive chef at Jackie, a new restaurant in the Navy Yard. He put pork cheek adobo, Spam fried rice and crab fat pasta on their mostly American menu, which he said reflects global influences, including his own heritage as a Black Filipino American.  What the Future Holds As the restaurant industry continues to reel because of the pandemic, chefs, restaurant owners and cooks need to adapt and adjust, from doing popups to special events and focusing on DIY recipes at home to selling their specialty products online. Cunanan’s advise to Filipino cooks and chefs is to “keep

pushing and keep thinking outside the box.” He cited the numerous ways Filipinos across the diaspora cook the national dish, adobo. Even empanada and sinigang vary from town to town, region to region, depending on the availability of ingredients in their respective places.  “Keep cooking adobo that’s different, I love eating different kinds, I never judge and I never criticize. Our adobos are going to be different, there are so many different kinds out there. I want to know, I want to be inspired,” he said. “If the naysayers are saying that’s not adobo, tell them to go screw themselves. It’s not for them to say that. We come from different parts of the Philippines.” For Cleary, it was more than just collaborating with fellow chefs to celebrate Filipino American History Month, it was also about extending a helping hand to fellow chefs who may be struggling because of the pandemic.  “We all could use a little bit

AJPress Photos by Momar G. Visaya

of cash right now, and when all of us come together and collaborate, the more that we could bring it. As resilient as we are, we have to continue our efforts. We have all worked so hard for so long and we have to continue the fight,” she said.  The group is thankful to everyone who came in droves to support the project, despite the rainy and cold weather and the limitations set forth by the pandemic.  Cunanan turned a little nostalgic and remembered how Washington, DC gave him an opportunity when he started in the industry. Now, he has more than two decades of training and experience tucked under his belt. “Filipino food has been such a hot buzz lately and they just want to try our food. All these locals came out, from DC, Maryland, Virginia. I’m so blessed for all the support we’re getting here,” Cunanan shared. “This why I love my city. I pretty much grew up in DC, my first job when I was 15 was here.”

Charo still grieves ABS-CBN Liza opens up about ‘very trying time’ shutdown, misses John Lloyd by

Ratziel San Juan Philstar.com

by

Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

CHARO Santos-Concio admitted that she is still grieving over the shutdown of media giant ABSCBN Corp. after the Congress denied its franchise renewal.  Speaking with Noel Ferrer on YouTube’s weekly talk show, “Level Up,” Charo said she feels that she lost her child in the process.  “I couldn’t describe the pain when ABS-CBN was shut down. I felt so much pain and extreme sadness. That was very traumatic for me, as well, even if I am retired from the company,” she said.  “Parang sakit ng isang ina na ipinag-buntis mo ‘yung anak mo ng siyam na buwan. Iniluwal mo, pinalaki mo, inaruga mo. Tapos nakita mo na pinatay at wala kang magawa. Helpless ka. Masakit. I’m still grieving,” she added.  In the same interview, Charo said she is missing on-leave Kapamilya actor John Lloyd Cruz as she described the actor’s brilliance.

Charo Santos-Concio and John Lloyd Cruz

“John Lloyd is a very intense actor. I saw him when he auditioned for ABS-CBN when he was only 13 years old. I was a member of the panel. In a short interview, I already saw that may pupuntahan itong batang ito. Malalim,” she said. “There’s a certain intensity in him. He’s the kind of actor who gets into the zone. Sometimes nga, nakaka-intimidate. He stays in the character. He is a professional. He’s an introvert. But if he trusts you, he will bare his soul to you. I love Lloydie. I miss him,”

ABS-CBN photo

she added.  She also mentioned Piolo Pascual whom she considers as her number one crush.. “The quality of Piolo that drew me to him? Madali siyang maka-gaangan ng loob. Mabait. Gwapo talaga si Piolo. Aminin natin. Adonis,” she said.  She also hoped that the reuniom movie of Piolo and Judy Ann Santos will push through someday.  “I will pray that the stars will align for their reunion movie to happen,” she said.

KAPAMILYA star Liza Soberano has shed some light on her month-long social media blackout. The actress on Tuesday, November 10 posted about why she has been missing-in-action and how she has been spending her time recently. “Hi everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while. Just savoring the time I have with the people most special to me. But I do constantly have all of you at the back of my mind and I just want to say thank you so much for all the love and support everyone has been showing me this past month,” Liza posted on Twitter. The 22-year-old is currently in the United States, where she is caring for her ailing grandmother. Last month, Liza was redtagged on social media and even received warning from military official Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. against affiliating with women’s group Gabriela. This was after she spoke as a special guest during the Gabriela Youth webinar “Mga Tinig

Liza Soberano

ni Nene: Reclaiming Our Voice on the International Day of the Girl Child.” “It’s honestly been a very trying time for me and I wanted to express how I was feeling with all of you but it was just too soon for me. I needed to take a break and think about life, my

Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano

goals and what I think my mission is in life,” Liza wrote. Over the past few months, Liza also went through filing a criminal complaint for a rape remark as well as dealing with bashers for her stance against the release of US Marine Joseph Pemberton.

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Features

Iñigo: The singer on saving and spending wisely by Christina

Alpad  ManilaTimes.net

WHEN Iñigo Pascual was younger, he once used his grandfather’s credit card to buy in-app purchases on the game he was playing. He thought to himself, “It was only a small amount,” until a bill came in for $100. “Actually, dun yung turning point ko — to be careful with what I buy online, even the things with smalls amounts, because when it all adds up, sobrang laki na pala,” the hit singer told The Manila Times. Now at 23, Pascual is a lot wiser when it comes to his finances. Indeed, Iñigo represents the very generation who are now discovering their independence. First-time workers, freelancers and graduating college students. So very much into adulting is Inigo, in fact, that he couldn’t even think of a recent regretful purchase when The Manila Times Entertainment asked him to do so. “Kasi when I buy something, I make sure that I really use it, na tatagal naman iyon sa akin. And I like to take care of the things that I buy,” he explained, adding that working to earn his own money was what taught him to be wiser with his purchases. But where did Inigo’s financial literacy come from? After all, he thought to buy his first insurance policy at 18 years old. The recording artist was quick to reply he learned most of it from his mom with whom he grew up before coming to the Philippines. “When we were living in the US, we were always living on a budget; it wasn’t like we could just spend on whatever. Siyempre nakikitira din kami sa family ni Mommy, sa Tita ko so, we also had to give our own share.” When Iñigo star­t ed making his own money at age 17, to be financial lite­r ate became even more important for him. It was then he decided to come to the Philippines and try his hand at show business, first in acting, before breaking out as a singer and hitmaker.

At 23 years old, Iñigo Pascual is proudly ‘adulting’ all on his own — earning his money, running his household and saving for his future. Photo from Instagram/@inigopascual

“As a teenager, when you start earning your money, you automatically think I can buy this and that. But my mom, early on, made me more responsible by letting me help pay for house expenses. She told me na, ‘hindi porke’t teenager ka lang, hindi ka na magiging responsible.’” Being close to his dad Piolo who advises him on his finances, among other important matters, also helped. All this is why nowadays, Iñigo is able to police himself from common spending mistakes of young people his age. “I notice that once they get their paycheck, they spend and spend until it’s gone. They tend to splurge on the things that they want at that moment. For me, as a kid and as what people my age often think, nasanay ka na nandyan yung magulang mo, that they’ll save you no matter what. “But the thing is, time will come when you’re going to have to take care of yourself and of your parents as well. It’s important that you save up and have that mentality that when I get to this age, I should be financially stable enough to the things that I want.” Proof to Iñigo’s wise-beyond-his-years knowledge when it comes to finances was his determined goal when to move out of the family home.

He said at 18, he already started telling his parents of his plans but he waited until he was 21 to start working on it. And he finally did at 23. “I grew up always surrounded by family so it was definitely a big step for me to move out, live alone and learn things on my own. Nakakatakot but it’s fun. I really enjoyed the process of moving in to my own condo,” he proudly shared. Before anyone could think that Inigo is too stingy and too afraid to let go of his savings, he said he also enjoys spending, but again, puts emphasis on “wisely.” “One of my mentors told me to make sure I allot some time to enjoy my earnings. I think doing that will remind you why you are working and will motivate you to work even harder.” Wrapping up the interview that followed his Facebook Live event for Sun Life, Inigo finally left this tip to his promising generation: “To the youth starting to earn money now, make sure that you save and don’t splurge on things na gusto mo ngayon — make sure that you save for the future, your family, yourself. “But don’t forget to also enjoy what you earn during the process of earning it. But don’t stretch yourself too thin and too much.”

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020

The many blessings of Dingdong

DESPITE the current pandemic, Dingdong Dantes continues to be busy with a lot of things. He just finished a 14day lock-in taping for GMA’s” Descendants of the Sun” and also tapes every Sunday for “Amazing Earth.” Aside from that, he sometimes sits on the director’s chair for his wife Marian Rivera’s show and other endorsement shoots. While he is still active in the YesPinoy advocacy where he is the founding chairman, Dantes launched his passion project, DingDongPH, an online marketplace and delivery app, which aims to employ displaced workers from the movie and television industry. “This is possible because of my supportive family and community, who appreciate my craft and my contributions to the industries that I belong to,” Dantes said. What else could the public expect from the multi-hyphe­ nated personality? Dantes remarked, “I would like to think that I am still a work in progress and the best is yet to come. I have so many dreams for my family; for the entertainment industry that has nurtured me to become the best version of myself; and for the communities and sectors where I can extend inspiration and help. “The pandemic has been testing my faith and patience. It is challenging me to find ways to better ensure the safety and health of my children, my wife, myself and the people that surround me. But I know that in His perfect time, this too, shall pass.” Indeed, blessings continue to pour for Dantes who, aside from these on and off screen projects, is once again named as brand ambassador of pain reliever brand Medicol. “I am happy and honored with my new role. The fact that Medicol considered me to be its endorser, while the whole world is in the middle of this pandemic and everything is uncertain; makes me grateful.” Medicol’s brand manager Lisa Angeli De Leon happily welcomed him back, “We can collaborate on to inspire Filipinos to rise above the challenges that are experienced now, especially with the difficulties brought about by the

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Dingdong Dantes returns to advocate one of the first brands that trusted him as a product endorser. Photo from Instagram/@dongdantes

pandemic. We are happy to be working with Dingdong again.” It was in 2008 when Dantes first signed up as an endorser of Medicol and the actor is grateful for the brand’s trust. “It is a great privilege to be one of Unilab’s brand ambas-

sadors. I am one with them in working towards a healthier Philippines, one quality medicine at a time. I am also of the strong belief that quality health care must be within reach for Filipinos,” Dantes finally shared. (ManilaTimes. net)

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NOVEMBER 13-19, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Sam says he is ‘blessed sa love life’ with Catriona by Niña

V. Guno

Inquirer.net

IN facing worries about the pandemic, Sam Milby revealed that his “love life” helped. The actor confirmed his relationship with Catriona Gray in May, on his 36th birthday. When Milby guested on “Magandang Buhay” last Monday, Nov. 9, he was asked what has brought joy to his heart lately. The show is hosted by Jolina Magdangal, Melai Cantiveros and Karla Estrada. “I’m so blessed. First off, of course, happy ang puso ko (my heart is happy). I’m blessed sa (with my) love life, definitely,” he said. Later on, he opened up about being worried about his loved ones — his family is in the United States — and being

uncertain about the future and his career as an actor. “Sinong naging takbuhan mo (Who would you turn to)?” Magdangal asked. “Well, love life ko, of course. Siya iyong una na kakausapin ko,” the “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin” star admitted. (Well, of course, [the person in] my love life. She is the first person I would talk to.) He added that he has a support system that includes his sister and friends. Though the two have been low-key about their relationship, Milby has already said he believes she is “the one” in a press conference last August. When asked about settling down, he noted that they had a 10-year age difference and that her career was just begin- Sam Milby ning. Photo from Instagram/@samuelmilby

Ian, Beauty win audiences for TV5 via comedy by Iza Iglesias  ManilaTimes.net

IN demand TV stars Ian Veneracion and Beauty Gonzalez have successfully stepped into a new phase in their careers following the premieres of their new shows on TV5. Both block timers under businessman and former congressman Albee Benitez’s Brightlight Productions, Veneracion’s family sitcom “Oh My Dad!” and Gonzalez’s romantic-comedy “I Got You” are being credited for sparking a surge of viewership for the Kapatid Network, following the similar and necessary surge of ABS-CBN stars to TV5. A matinee idol even in his 40s, Veneracion boldly continues to tread different paths in show business, going from his usual heavy dramas to bringing on the laughs in this latest project. What his younger fans don’t know though is that the consummate leading man began his acting career via family sitcom “Joey and Son” in 1982, honored to share the title with veteran comedian Joey de Leon. Truth be told, the actor admits he is very excited to be

able to return to the genre he first loved. “As an actor I was born in the sitcom ‘Joey and Son’ — I was six years old. Through the years I’ve done roles as bida-kotrabida, lover boy roles, starred in horror movies, action and I enjoyed all of it. Ngayon pagbalik sa sitcom, it’s like coming home because dito ako nagstart and kailangan ko ulit ma-expose sa sitcom as an adult because it’s really refreshing and I’m very happy doing this,” Veneracion told The Manila Times Entertainment in a virtual press conference. “In Oh My Dad!” Veneracion stars as Matthew Balderama (Veneracion), a former PBA player tainted by a scandal and forced to flee to the United States. After many years, he returns to the Philippines where to his surprise, three “children” — borne out of his wild womanizing days — come knocking at his door, begging for him to take them in. As Matthew makes an attempt at juggling sudden fatherhood with romance and fame a day at a time, all sorts of hilarious situations unfold. Helping Veneracion bring on

the comedy are Dimples Romana, Sue Ramirez, Louise Abuel, Adrian Lindayag, Gloria Diaz and Ariel Ureta — a cast that was quick to get sync as seen on the show. Clearly reenergized, Veneracion is very grateful to be chosen as sitcom lead for Brightlight Production’s pioneering TV projects since he had long been typecast in dramatic, yet very memorable, teleseryes. “Hindi ako nag-adjust masyado because the comedy here is situational, it’s not kengkoyan lang. And we have really good writers and actors, so on our part, we just have to say your lines and be true to our characters,” he offered. Meanwhile, much like Veneracion, Beauty Gonzalez’s previous projects “Kadenang Ginto” and “Pusong Ligaw” required intense, confrontational and heavy dramatic scenes. But for her TV5 show, “I Got You,” the 29-year-old actress admitted it was a bit of a challenge to transition to a romantic-comedy. “It’s not easy to make people laugh. To have that right timpla na comedy and also drama, it’s not easy too. All projects are

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Janine wins Best Actress at Gawad Urian 2020 by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPUSO actress Janine Gutierrez won the prestigious Best Actress award at the 43rd edition of the Gawad Urian. Janine won the category for her performance in the movie “Babae at Baril,” which also won the Best Picture award.  The Kapuso actress bested Kapamilya actresses Kathryn Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, Bela Padilla and Alessandra de Rossi, as well as Max Eigenmann, Angie Ferro, Jean Garcia, Anita Linda, Sue Prado and Ruby Ruiz.  Apart from Best Actress and Best Picture, the crime thriller won most of the awards,  including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Production Design. Newcomer Elijah Canlas, meanwhile, won the Best Actor award beating veteran actors Raymond Bagatsing, Alden Richards, Joel Lamangan to name a few.

Kapuso actress Janine Gutierrez wins the prestigious Best Actress award at the 43rd edition of the Gawad Urian. Photo from Instagram/@janinegutierrez

Rabiya looks back at odd jobs to earn cash By Niña

V. Guno

Inquirer.net

RABIYA Mateo may now be queen as Miss Universe Philippines 2020, but she has not forgotten the struggles she has gone through, including financial hardships. The beauty queen recalled the jobs she would take even as a student just to bring some money home to help her mom, who is a single parent. Speaking on the talk show “Magandang Buhay” last Tuesday, Nov. 10, Mateo looked back at the gigs she would take. “For example po sa mga brands, namimigay po ng flyers o minsan nag-u-usher ng mga events nung college ako,” the 23-year-old beauty said. “Hindi ko po iyon kasi ikinakahiya kasi doon ako kumikita ng pera na mabibigay ko sa mama ko.” (For example when it came to brands, I would give out flyers or usher events when I was in college. I am not ashamed of that because that is where I would earn to give money to my mom.) She also noted that she had classmates who had no problems with tuition but would not take their studies seriously. Meanwhile, she needed to put in more effort to get out of poverty. “Kailangan ko talagang magdobleng hirap kasi mahirap lang din kami,” she said. (I had to put in double the work because we were poor.) “At sabi ko, kapag ako ay nakapagtapos, hindi na talaga mangungutang si mama sa ibang tao. Makakakain talaga kami palagi. Mapapatira ko

Miss Universe Philippine 2020 Rabiya Mateo

siya sa bahay na gusto niya. Iyon iyong naging motivation ko po, eh.” (And I said, when I graduate, mama will not have to borrow money from people anymore. We will be able to eat all the time. I will be able to make her live in the house that she wants. That became my motivation.) There was even a time that they had no electricity and she would study even by candlelight. Mateo, who represented Iloilo City at the pageant last October, spoke highly of her mom, saying she feared nothing. “Walang naniniwala sa ‘kin,

Gabbi Garcia is the host of GMA News TV’s new youth oriented program, ‘IRL.’

Photo from Instagram/@rabiyamateo

iyong mama ang naniniwala,” she added. (When no one believed in me, my mama did.) The Ilongga has stood tall amid controversies on her win. One of the contestants in the pageant, Miss Taguig City Sandra Lemonon, hinted that there was cheating involved in the competition. “People didn’t expect me to win. And now that I have the crown, they are questioning my capability as a person, as a candidate,” she told TV5’s MJ Marfori on Oct. 25 in a post-pageant interview. “But I know that I did everything and anything I could during that night.”

Photo from Instagram/@gabbi

Gabbi keeps it real in ‘IRL’

LOOKING for a new hub to get the latest updates on everything trending and lit? Beginning today, Gabbi Garcia takes viewers to an ultimate hang out space via GMA Public Affairs’ newest offering — “IRL” (In Real Life). IRL is a youth-oriented reality program airing on GMA News TV for millennials and GenZs. The weekly show features the latest on travel adventures, music, sports, fashion, gaming, career, love and relationships — everything inside and outside of their digital world. Garcia has proven her charisma among the Filipino audience as she’s currently one of GMA Network’s prime actresses, a sought-after model and endorser, a highly-talented

performer, and a vlogger. She has over 6.7 million followers on Instagram, 8 million on Facebook, 1.7 million on TikTok, and 1.12 million subscribers on YouTube. Off-screen, the Kapuso “Millennial It Girl,” as she is labeled, also enjoys playing ukulele and guitar, swimming, scuba diving, mountain climbing, and arranging dried followers. Every week in IRL, the 21-year-old and her featured guests try viral challenges. For example, go on gastronomic adventures, deep dive into fashion trends and explore exciting things inside and outside the digital world. For IRL’s pilot episode tonight, Garcia is joined by her boyfriend and newest Kapuso

actor Khalil Ramos. The two Kapuso celebrities will surely spread kilig vibes to viewers as they go for a road trip to Tagaytay and visit two Instagram-worthy cafes, perfect for the young and the young at heart. Ramos shows off his barista skills as the coffee enthusiast creates coffee art at Cafe Agapita. They also film a Mukbang video while reacting to assumptions on millennials and GenZs. A photography-enthusiast, Ramos shares tips on how to level up everyone’s Instagram feed as they do an impromptu photo shoot on Instagram-worthy spots. Finally, a self-confessed plantita, Garcia also checks out rare plants at Greenhouse Café. (ManilaTimes.net)

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Piolo is magazine cover star in US by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPATID actor Piolo Pascual graced the cover of U.S.-based Vulkan magazine as he talked about being an actor. In the interview with the magazine, Piolo revealed that “Dekada 70” and “Starting Over Again” were the two films closest to her heart. Piolo said that he felt validated as an actor portraying the son of Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon during the Martial Law period in “Dekada 70.” “I felt validated. That I could actually be in this business and use it as a livelihood, and just keep on growing,” he said of the film. “My thinking shifted and I thought maybe there was something for me here in this business. That was a milestone in my life that really changed

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Recipe Corner

Piolo Pascual graces cover of U.S.-based Vulkan magazine. Photo from Instagram/@vulkanmag

Ian, Beauty win audiences...

PAGE 12 t different. I’m happy that I have this opportunity to do a different range of acting and get to explore it,” Gonzalez said in the same virtual media conference. “And even though I’m married now and I have a family, I can still make people fall in love in a romantic-comedy. And I feel so empowered by that kasi kahit may asawa ka na, kahit may anak ka na, it doesn’t stop you in pursuing your dream and creating a character that people will also fall in love with,” she added. “I’m so lucky I have a family na very supportive and my husband who allows me to do this and pushes me that I can. So happy ako I can do these things,” Gonzalez enthused. Empowered indeed is the perfect word to use side-byside with “I Got You” because the series is about women empowerment. Gonzalez stars in it as Maria Adelina “Del” Ruiz (Gonzalez), an experienced and successful psychologist who has practiced both here and abroad. Ironically, her own life is full of obstacles and heartaches that trouble her, including motherhood. To make life more confusing, an old flame named Louie

Beauty Gonzalez empowers women in romcom ‘I Got You’

Ian Veneracion is irresistibly funny in ‘Oh My Dad!’ TV5 photos

(Bagatsing) resurfaces in Del’s life after a very long time. He is a former soldier with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and happens to be social media influencer Rissa’s (Jane Oineza) secret lover. Of course, Rissa is Del’s patient and you can imagine the madness that ensues.

“With my role, I want to empower women, especially single moms, that they can still pursue their dreams, and that when it comes to love, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be with a guy. Your daughter loves you, so masaktan ka man, nandiyan pa rin ang anak mo,” she wrapped up.

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This recipe is provided courtesy of Seafood City. Visit their Facebook Page or http://www.seafoodcity.com for more recipes. If you have any recipes that you would like to share with Asian Journal readers, please send email to editor@asianjournalinc. com or info@asianjournalinc.com, and include a photo of your dish.

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Community

Settlement requires Zoom to better secure your personal information

Upgrade virtual game nights at home with $0 delivery fee from McDelivery with DoorDash

Fans can watch and ‘share a meal’ with popular gamers Becca and Marlin Ramsey Chan during livestreams CHICAGO – McDelivery is here to help elevate your athome gaming experience. For the next two weekends* in November, McDelivery with DoorDash is offering $0 Delivery Fee on orders of $20 or more. Make sure to use the DoorDash app, enter code NIGHTIN and order all your must-haves for game nights. Joining in on the fun are gamers Becca and Marlin Ramsey Chan, who will each be hosting their own McDelivery livestreams. Tune in on November 14 or November 21 to watch them flex their

gaming skills. While watching, order McDelivery with DoorDash to connect with Becca or Marlin over your favorite games and favorite McDonald’s menu items. Upcoming livestream details: • McDelivery stream with Becca Tilts on November 14, 2020 at 2pm ET • McDelivery stream with Marlin Ramsey Chan on November 21, 2020 at 2pm ET. McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to nearly 25 million customers every day. Nine-

ty-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook. www.facebook.com/mcdonalds. *$0 Delivery Fee promotion is live on the DoorDash app from 13 – 15 and 20 – 22. Prices may be higher than at restaurants. Restrictions and service fees apply. Use code NIGHTIN. Valid in US on weekends through 11/22/20. Terms: drd.sh/qnAXuU (Advertising Supplement)

Piolo is magazine cover star in US... PAGE 13 t the course of my life,” he added. Piolo said that before he turned 40 years old, he was thinking about retirement but the movie “Starting Over Again” with Toni Gonzaga gave him hope and boost to stay in the business. “I was totally done – physically, mentally I was exhausted. I was like a machine. I just felt

like, okay it’s time to rest. Smell the flowers and enjoy the fruits of my hard work,” he said. “That would give me this much validation once again after twenty years. That’s why I’m still here,” he added. Piolo also talked about her upcoming film “Real Life Vision” with Jasmine Curtis-Smith, co-produced by Ten17P and Viva Films. The movie is his first film

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in English and entirely shot in a hotel during the quarantine period. He added that the film gave him a new perspective about life. “I thought I hit the glass ceiling in terms of characters I’ve portrayed. But I’m getting into this movie and into this role and there are still a lot of things I can work on or even study as a character,” he said.

DAILY life has changed a lot since the pandemic started. Because face-to-face interactions aren’t possible for so many of us, we’ve turned to videoconferencing for work meetings, school, catching up with our friends, even seeing the doctor. When we rely on technology in these new ways, we share a lot of sensitive personal information. We may not think about it, but companies know they have an obligation to protect that information. The FTC just announced a case against videoconferencing service Zoom about the security of consumers’ information and videoconferences, also known as “Meetings.” The FTC claimed that Zoom failed to protect users’ information in a variety of ways: • Zoom said it provided endto-end encryption — a way to protect communications so only the sender and the recipient can see it — for Zoom Meetings. It didn’t. • Zoom said it secured Meetings with a higher level of encryption than it actually provided. • Zoom told users who recorded a Meeting that it would save

a secure, encrypted recording of the meeting when it ended. In reality, Zoom kept unencrypted recordings on its servers for up to 60 days before moving them to its secure cloud storage. • Zoom installed software, called ZoomOpener, on Mac users’ computers. This software bypassed a Safari browser security setting and put users at risk — for example, it could have allowed strangers to spy on users through their computer’s web cameras. Or hackers could have exploited the vulnerability to download malware onto — and take control of — users’ computers. If users deleted the Zoom app, the ZoomOpener remained, as did these security vulnerabilities. Zoom could re-install the app without the user’s permission and without letting them know. (Apple removed the ZoomOpener web server from users’ computers in 2019.) • Zoom didn’t give users the straight scoop about the ZoomOpener software. Zoom said the software was a bug fix, but didn’t tell users that it would be installing a web server that would circumvent a privacy and securi-

ty safeguard, or that the software would remain on their computers even after they had deleted Zoom. Zoom agreed to settle the charges brought by the FTC. Though Zoom has now discontinued many of the practices challenged in the complaint, the settlement puts your security top of mind for Zoom. It requires Zoom to live up to its privacy and security promises and to put in place a comprehensive security program designed to protect your information for many years to come — or pay big fines. Check out our consumer tips to see how you can stay safe while video conferencing at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/04/ stay-safe-while-video-conferencing. And if you use video conferencing as part of your business operations, see Video conferencing: 10 privacy tips for your business (https:// www.ftc.gov/news-events/ blogs/business-blog/2020/04/ video-conferencing-10-privacy-tips-your-business). (By Alvaro Puig/Consumer Education Specialist, FTC)

Ronnie now an Army reservist after finishing civil-military ops correspondence course by Jan

Milo Severo

Philstar.com

SINGER Ronnie Liang has now completed the Civil-Military Operations Officer Correspondence Course, nine months after becoming a 2nd lieutenant Army reservist. In his Facebook account, Ronnie said he is grateful to the Philippine Army for the opportunity. “I am grateful to my Philippine Army family for the opportunity. This is truly an honor and an exemplary privilege,” Ronnie wrote. Ronnie was seen busy on the streets wearing his military uniform from the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In another Facebook post, the “Ngiti” singer said he hoped for peace between the military and the communist rebels. “Every time I read news about a certain encounter between the Philippine Army and the NPAs, I feel sad. I hope this ends soon enough para wala nang namamatay sa kapwa natin Pilipino,” he said. “Let us pray for peace and unity for a bright future of our nation most especially our youth,” he added. Reports said that though Ronnie is busy in his military service, he is still active in the music scene Singer Ronnie Liang has already completed with a Christmas album releasing the Civil-Military Operations Officer Correspondence Course. soon.

Photo from Facebook/Ronnie Liang

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