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M I D W E E K M I D W E E K
EDITION
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EJune DIT ION 15-17, 2016
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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
Volume 26 - No. 48 • 3 Sections - 20 Pages
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PH condemns execution of Canadian hostage Abu Sayyaf says killing was for Duterte
Western mindanao Command confirmed that it belonged to robert hall, a 50-year-old CaIsLAmIst militant group Abu nadian who had been under the sayyaf beheaded a Canadian na- captivity of the Abu sayyaf since tional after the ransom payment last september. deadline passed, the Philippine the beheading was reportgovernment said on tuesday, edly captured in a one-minute, June 14. 35-second video, the New York A man’s severed head was Times said. found in a plastic bag near a the militant group demanded Catholic cathedral in the southern a P600 million payment by the 3 island of Jolo on monday night, p.m. deadline on monday, which June 13. the Philippine military’s both the Philippine and Canadian by christina
M. oriel
AJPress
A still image captured from video footage of the kidnappers and their victims is shown in this SITE Intelligence Group video made available to Reuters. On Monday, June 13, intelligence reports said the Abu Sayyaf has beheaded Canadian Robert Hall (second from left).
DATELINE
USA
from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
49 dead in Orlando shooting Suspect had no direct ties to terror groups
the person accused of murdering 49 people and injuring 53 others at an orlando gay nightclub on sunday, June 12, may have been inspired by extremist propaganda, but was not associated with a larger terrorist plot, according to sources. No evidence suggests that the alleged gunman, omar mateen of fort Pierce, florida, had been directed by either a foreign or domestically based terror organization, according to sources for NBC News. he had, however, been interviewed twice by the federal Bureau of Investigation (fBI) in reference to comments he made to co-workers about radical Islamic propaganda in 2013, and again in 2014 regarding possible ties to an American suicide bomber for the Al Nusra front in syria. Police told the Associated Press that mateen fired at a uniformed officer working security detail outside Pulse nightclub in orlan-
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New bill to allow undocumented in Calif. to buy health insurance UNDoCUmeNteD residents in California who lack adequate health care may soon be able to buy coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange, Covered California. on friday, June 10, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law senate Bill 10 (sB 10), which petitions the federal government for a waiver allowing people who lack legal resident status to purchase health care plans made available by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). these patients will not receive state or federal assistance to pay for their coverage. California is the first state in the country to ask the federal government to lift restrictions to the ACA that have prevented undocumented immigrants from getting insurance. those who may qualify for sB 10 will still need to wait for the federal government to grant the state a waiver. “the current policy disallowing immigrants from purchasing care with their own money is both discriminatory and outdated,” said state senator ricardo Lara, who authored the bill.
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governments refused to meet. In a statement, Presidential Communications secretary herminio Coloma, Jr. said the Philippine government condemned “the brutal and senseless murder” of hall. “We truly regret that our people’s cherished tradition of extending gracious hospitality toward foreign nationals has been marred by a small band of criminals,” Coloma added.
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Facebook apologizes for flag gaffe Aquino celebrates
final Independence Day as president
by Janvic
Mateo Philstar.com
mANILA — social media site facebook committed a blunder on sunday, June 12 when it welcomed filipino netizens with an Independence Day greeting accompanied by an inverted Philippine flag. “happy Independence Day! here’s to all of the Philippines’ health, happiness and prosperity,” read the greeting that appeared on facebook users’ timeline. the inverted flag, with the red rather than blue side on top, means that the country is officially at war. the button, which allows users to share their Independence Day greetings to their contacts, carried an inverted Philippine flag, which immediately got the attention of filipino netizens. While facebook appeared to have taken down the original Independence Day button, screenshots of the gaffe have been posted on different social networking sites.
Urges Filipinos to guard democracy
by nikko
Dizon Inquirer.net
PresIDeNt Benigno s. Aquino III on sunday, June 12 appealed to filipinos to defend their freedom and democracy and remain vigilant, warning that the horrors of martial law under the late dictator ferdinand marcos could happen again. In his last Independence Day speech before stepping down from office, Aquino hailed the transformation of the Philippines during Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III his term from being the “sick man of Asia” to one of the world’s fastestgrowing economies. he said such progress came without disregard for the rule of law, due process and human rights. As the country prepares for a change in leadership, some people fear that Aquino’s successor, Davao City mayor rodrigo Duterte, could take a more authoritarian path. Duterte, a thuggish, trash-talking former prosecutor, promised during the campaign to impose a curfew on the nation, kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals outside the justice system, and restore the death penalty. Campaigning for his administration’s candidates, Aquino warned filipinos about a looming threat to democracy as Duterte powered to the top of the
some users pointed out the mistake, others mused on what they said was “subtle recognition” that the country is currently at war, either in reference to the territorial dispute in the West Philippine sea or the incoming Duterte administration’s war against crime. the flag and heraldic Code of the Philippines specifically prescribes that the Philippine flag shall be flown with the blue field on top in time
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‘Marcos will not accept Cabinet post’ by Jefferson
antiporDa anD JaiMe r. pilapil ManilaTimes.net
seNAtor ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. will not take on any government job because he is keen on pushing through with his electoral protest to prove his claim that he was cheated in the may 9 polls, his camp said on monday, June 13. Abakada rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, marcos’ adviser, said the Ilocano senator offered to assist President-elect rodrigo Duterte “in any way but not through any
government position.” Dela Cruz issued the clarification after romulo macalintal, lawyer of Vice President-elect Leni robredo, said marcos’ acceptance of any position is “political suicide” and surrender of his electoral protest. “such statement smacks of desperation coming on the heels of the Liberal Party’s non-filing of soCe [statement of Campaign expenditures]. first, such statement is speculative as no offer was made to senator marcos because both he and President rodrigo Duterte are aware of the
one-year ban,” dela Cruz said. “second, senator marcos offered to assist [the Duterte] administration in any way but not through any government position and third and most important, the deluge of evidence and witnesses in favor of senator marcos will ensure that he will assume the vice presidential seat being warmed for him sooner than macalintal can even speculate,” he added. George Garcia, marcos’ legal counsel, also on monday said the senator’s camp is not back-
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SC junks with finality Gigi Reyes, Napoles bids
High court denies pleas vs finding of probable cause, arrest order by tetch
torres-tupas Inquirer.net
the supreme Court has dismissed with finality the attempt of pork barrel scam accused Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” reyes and Janet Lim Napoles to nullify the finding of probable cause and arrest warrant order issued by the sandiganbayan. Also, the high court dismissed with finality the petitions of Na-
poles’ children Jo Christine and James Christopher questioning the arrest warrants issued against them. reyes and Napoles are facing plunder charges while Napoles’ children are facing graft charges for their alleged involvement in the supposed misuse by lawmakers of their Priority Development Assistance fund (PDAf). “the Court denied with finality the various motions for
reconsideration filed by counsels for the petitioners from its march 15, 2016 decision which dismissed the petitions challenging the finding of probable cause for lack of merit,” high court’s Information Chief Atty. theodore te said at a press conference tuesday, June 14. reyes, in her petition, said the ombudsman violated her right to due process. she said
1
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Janet Lim Napoles
Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes
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A JUNE 15-17, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797
From the Front Page
PH condemns execution of Canadian…
PAGE A1 t
Hall was abducted by the militant group from a resort in Samal Island last year along with three other individuals, John Ridsdel, a Canadian former mining executive, Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad and a Filipina named Marites Flor. Ridsdel was executed last April 25, five hours after the deadline for to pay the P300 million ransom passed. Two unidentified men riding a motorcycle dropped his severed head in the streets of Barangay Walled City, Jolo, according to reports. The Abu Sayyaf said that the group beheaded Hall to prove a point to incoming President Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to curb militant activity in the Philippines. “Para kay Duterte, ang bagong presidente, ito ay alamin mo kung ano gagawin namin sa Canadian (This is for Duterte, the new president. This is for you to know what we will do to the Canadian),” Abu Raami, a spokes-
person for the group told Inquirer on Monday. Last month, SITE Intelligence, a jihadist monitoring group, reported that Hall, Sekkingstad and Flor appeared in a video addressed to Duterte. The incoming president previously told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he would curb militant activity in the Philippines. “You can rest assured that when the time comes, we will be able to apprehend the criminals and exact justice,” Duterte told Trudeau, according to CNN. As of press time, Duterte has not released a formal statement in response to the execution. Incoming presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the beheading was to “taunt to the present administration.” “If they do that during the administration of Duterte, then that could be a challenge to him [Duterte], but not now,” he said, adding that the new president “will not tolerate or condone the
illegality in this country.” Calling it “another difficult day for Canada,” Trudeau said the country is committed to working with the Philippines to make sure these “heinous acts” are stopped and that those responsible are brought to justice. The prime minister added that Canada will continue its policy to not pay ransom for hostages because doing so “would endanger the lives of more Canadians.” “Canada will not give into their fear mongering tactics and despicable attitude toward the suffering of others,” he said. The Abu Sayyaf — which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) — reportedly still has COURTESY CALL. President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Monday met with Ambassadors Philip Goldberg of the United States, Asif Ahmad of seven hostages, including Sekthe United Kingdom, and Thomas Ossowski of Germany at the so-called Malacañang of the south. Goldberg, Ahmad, and Ossowski paid kingstad and Flor. their courtesy calls on Duterte separately at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) compound in Davao City. The details Flor’s family is hopeful that of the closed-door talks have yet to be disclosed. Duterte can help save her life. “There is still hope for my daughter and the other victims. I am pleading Duterte to please do everything to save them,” PAGE A1 t “A fellow Filipino had once “To our hard-won Filipino freeFlor’s mother, Flordelisa, told polls. dom, earned by the blood and stolen our freedom. This means Inquirer. n The president never directly sacrifice of martyrs, nurtured by that if we are not going to be referred to Duterte on the cam- the vigilance of an empowered vigilant, it could happen again,” paign trail, but his message people, may it never again be Mr. Aquino said after the video was clear and the identity of the challenged, diminished or ne- presentation at the event that source of the threat to democ- gated,” he said. was also attended by top govracy was unmistakable. “We have shown that we can ernment officials and business But Duterte went on to win the fight for democracy. We have executives. May 9 presidential election by shown that we can restore the “All it takes for evil to triumph a landslide, and now the Philip- democracy that was taken away is for good men to do nothing,” pines, just 30 years after the fall from us. Today, we are able to Mr. Aquino said, quoting Britishof Marcos, again faces the pros- prove that we can make democ- Irish statesman, philosopher and pect of authoritarian rule. racy work for the good of our author Edmund Burke. In his speech titled “Never For- countrymen,” he said. Mr. Aquino’s presentation was get/Never Again,” Aquino urged a break from tradition. Instead Video presentation Filipinos to be vigilant and to Part of the President’s speech of addressing the diplomats, for fight for their freedom lest it be was a video presentation about whom the event is held twice a curtailed anew. how his father and namesake and year, the President chose to ad“May we never lose our pa- the entire family suffered during dress the nation with a speech tience with the ways of democ- the martial law years. that was pregnant with meaning. racy, and may we never take it Mr. Aquino maintained his siHis father, Sen. Benigno Aquifor granted or be passive in its no Jr., was assassinated at the lence on the election of Duterte, defense,” the president said in then Manila International Air- leaving the actions and proan address to the nation dur- port, three years before the Edsa nouncements of the irascible maying a reception for diplomats in People Power Revolution that or of Davao describe the threat to Malacañang. the Filipinos’ freedom. n toppled Marcos from power.
Aquino celebrates final Independence Day…
‘Marcos will not accept Cabinet…
PAGE A1 t
ing out and will surely file an electoral protest. Garcia described Macalintal’s statement as “presumptuous,” noting that the senator’s openness to a Cabinet post will have no effect on their legal move. “Whatever will be the final decision of [Marcos], it will always
be to the benefit of the country and the people,” he said. A political analyst agreed with Garcia. Prof. Ramon Casiple, Executive Director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, said there is no relationship between the electoral protest and the possible inclusion of Marcos
in Duterte’s Cabinet. Casiple noted that the only time Marcos’ protest will be affected is when he decides to seek another elective post. “His [case] weakens if he will run again for any elective post,” he explained. Marcos earlier said his elec-
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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 15-17, 2016
A
Facebook apologizes for flag…
PAGE A1 t
of peace. “The flag, if flown from a flagpole, shall have its blue field on top in time of peace and the red field on top in time of war; if in a hanging position, the blue field shall be to the right (left of the observer) in time of peace, and the red field to the right (left of the observer) in time of war,” read the law.
PAGE A1 t
Facebook apologized over the inverted Philippine flag in its Independence Day message. “This was unintentional, and we’re sorry,” Facebook said in a statement sent to The Star. “We care about the community in the Philippines and, in an attempt to connect people on Independence Day, we made a mistake.” The company has removed the greeting.
Google joins celebration Technology company Google also joined the Independence Day celebration with a Philippine-inspired doodle on its home page yesterday. A jeepney with a flag-themed design dominated the home page of Google. Clicking on the image would direct users to search results for “Philippine Independence Day.” n
49 dead in Orlando…
do, Florida, before entering the crowded gay bar at about 2 a.m. on Sunday, June 12. Sources say he shot indiscriminately into the crowd with an AR-15 style assault rifle before police arrived on the scene. A gunfight with police ensued, and the suspect was forced to retreat and bunker down with hostages in one of the club’s bathrooms, prompting a three-hour standoff. Attempts to yield a peaceful resolution stalled until 5 a.m., according to the Wall Street Journal. Police suspected that another round of murders was imminent. Officers used an explosive and an armored vehicle to punch a hole in the bathroom’s back wall. Mateen appeared in the newly created passage armed with at
least two firearms. A second gun battle occurred which resulted in the suspect’s death. Mateen had called 911 dispatchers and declared allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) amidst the carnage that unfolded on Sunday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported. Islamic state representatives called him “brother,” and “one of the soldiers of the Caliphate in America,” on the extremist group’s official radio station, Al-Bayan. However, FBI Director James Comey said Mateen had claimed he was a member of Hezbollah and that he had familial ties to Al Qaeda while working as a courthouse guard in 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times. The following year, the FBI investigated Mateen a second time
for allegedly watching Al Qaeda propaganda videos and attending the same mosque of a man who became a suicide bomber for the Al Nusra Front. Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the Al Nusra Front all oppose IS. “What he did was completely an act of terrorism,” said Mateen’s father, Seddique, in statements released on social media. The elder Mateen added, “I didn’t see any unhealthy behavior on his part,” and said he was shocked by his son’s actions. However, the suspected shooter’s current wife, Noor Mateen, told the FBI that she had driven her husband to Pulse before, and had tried to talk her husband out of the shooting spree, sources told NBC news. The alleged gun-
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‘Marcos will not accept Cabinet… PAGE A2 t toral protest is not only to prove that he won, but also to expose the fraud committed by the Liberal Party and other victims of the poll cheating in last month’s elections. The Marcos camp is expected to file its complaint before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal on or before June 28, two days before the deadline. Macalintal said in a statement that Marcos’ interest in a Cabinet post means that the senator has admitted defeat. “The discussion with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte of a possible Cabinet post after the expiration of the one-year ban on appointments of defeated candidates is an admission that he lost the election for Vice President and the weakness of any election protest he would file against Vice President-elect Robredo. The one-year ban applies only to election losers,” he added. “For Marcos to wait for it [Cab-
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bongbong Marcos
inet post] is an acknowledgment of having lost in the 2016 elections for Vice President. If Marcos believes he has strong evidence to prove that he was ‘cheated’ in the said elections, then he should just concentrate on his election protest and should never seek a position lower than the vice presidency,” Macalintal said. “To accept a Cabinet posi-
tion while his election protest is pending will mean political suicide for Marcos. He would spend close to P100 million for his protest, which will eventually be dismissed since the consequence of accepting said Cabinet post is abandonment and withdrawal of his election protest for the VP post,” he added. (With Llanesca T. Panti)
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. A police mascot helps students cross United Nations Avenue in Metro Manila as classes started on Monday, June 13. Inset shows teacher Carla de la Cruz on her way to Commonwealth Elementary School to teach special education students. The Philippine National Police called on the public anew to help the PNP catch “sextortion” syndicates preying on students using Facebook and other social media websites. Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban
New bill to allow undocumented in Calif…
PAGE A1 t
The signing comes after SB 75, a bill also authored by Lara, took effect last month. Under the bill, also known as “Health4All Kids,” low-income children under the age of 19 can apply for full-scope Medi-Cal coverage, regardless of their immigration status. Groups in favor of stricter enforcement of immigration laws warn that provisions like SB 10 and SB 75 would encourage more immigrants immigrants to enter the country illegally. “It sends a message to the world that if you come to our country you will be rewarded,” Robin Hvidston, the executive director of We The People Rising, told the Los Angeles Times in a statement. A study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center projects that between 1.4 and 1.5 million of the roughly 2.5 million undocumented resi-
Gov. Jerry Brown
dents in California will remain without health care coverage by 2019. The new law will allow nearly as many as 390,000 people, who make too much to qualify for Medi-Cal, to purchase affordable plans, according to sources for the LA Times.
SC junks with finality Gigi… PAGE A1 t
she was charged in court without giving her copies of affidavits and transcripts of hearings that she needed to rebut the charges against her. Napoles argued that she could not be validly charged because she was not a public officer. Her children took their case
to the high court in a bid to nullify the Ombudsman’s March 28, 2014 joint resolution and June 4, 2014 joint order that gave the green light for the filing of criminal case against them. The siblings insisted that the Ombudsman committed grave abuse of discretion in filing the case against them. n
Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), told the Asian Journal that a significant number of Filipinos live without legal resident status in the US. They fill valuable roles in society, while some of their basic needs are neglected. There are Filipino caregivers and other medical professionals who currently lack access to affordable health care, according to Soriano-Versoza. “In order to have truly healthy communities, we all need to have access to affordable, quality health care,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, in a statement praising the bill’s passage. (By Eric Anthony Licas / AJPress)
A JUNE 15-17, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
Dateline USa
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LA City Council declares June Immigrant Heritage Month LOS ANGELES — Lawmakers and activists celebrated the contributions of foreign-born residents and encouraged immigrants to share their experiences of struggle and triumph as the City Council declared the month of June as Immigrant Heritage Month (IHM). LA City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo, who introduced the resolution designating IHM, hopes the stories of those who came from abroad and fought to make a home in Los Angeles will remind Angelenos of the impact immigrants have had in shaping the city. “We rely on immigrants to build our economy,” said Cedillo at a press conference held on the steps of City Hall on Friday, June 10. Between 2007 and 2011, foreign-born residents opened 45 percent of the city’s new businesses, said Cedillo. The contributions of immigrants are integral to the “social fabric of the nation,” he added. Angelica Salas, executive director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), encouraged all foreign-born immigrants to take pride in their heritage, and applauded their continuing roles in advancing American society. She said over 44 percent of businesses in the metro-Los Angeles area were owned by foreign born residents. “That means we [immigrants] are making jobs,” said Salas. “We’re making sure it’s not just immigrants that grow, but the entire community.” Foreign-born workers are especially critical in the field of in-home care, according to Mike Townsend, the founder of Home Hero, a startup that pairs seniors with qualified caregivers. “We as a country are going to need in excess of 6 million caregivers over the next 15 years to help our seniors of the baby boomer generation,” Said Townsend. A growing workforce of caregivers “fueled largely by the immigrant population” will be essential to ensure adequate care for Americans’ aging relatives, according to Townsend. The prevalence of Filipinos in medical professions has contributed to the community’s growth in the US relative to other im-
LA City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo
migrant groups, according to a report from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). Filipinos were the third largest AAPI immigrant group in America and made up 4.5 percent of the 41.3 million immigrants living in the country in 2013. The US is home to the largest Filipino population outside the Philippines, and more Filipino Immigrants reside in the greater Los Angeles area compared to any other American metropolitan region. Approximately 291,000 Filipino immigrants live in and around Los Angeles according to MPI. “This city was built by immigrants,” said the chief of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Dr. Linda Lopez. Her office, along with a coalition of elected officials, government bodies and community groups have been promoting citizenship for many of the 750,000 immigrants in Los Angeles county. Many Filipinos who apply to become naturalized citizens find themselves under tenuous immigration statuses as their cases stall. Many of these individuals are eligible for protection from deportation under the DACA program introduced by the Obama administration. However, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) Executive Director Aquilina Soriano-Versoza said Filipinos represent a disproportionate minority of DACA applicants. Jessica Caloza, a Filipino American who works as a policy analyst for the Office of Immigrant Affairs, told the Asian Journal that her
department would extend outreach efforts to the Filipino and other Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in order to boost their participation in the DACA program. Despite the contributions of millions of foreign-born US residents, however, Cedillo said, “this is a time when we [immigrants in the US] are under great threat.” He went on to decry the “absurd, scary, horrifying” exclusionist language coming from presidential candidate, Donald Trump. He called the real estate tycoon’s presumptive nomination on the Republican ticket an “embarrassment to politics.” City Controller Ron Galperin likened Trump’s comments against Islam and Muslims to the language of the Know Nothing Party, who discriminated against Catholics and objected to the arrival of Immigrants. He hoped IHM would serve as a “call to action,” for people to “denounce hatred.” After the press conference, members of the LA City Council recognized local business owners who came to the city from all over the world. Council President Herb Wesson honored the accomplishments of restaurateur Jeannie Kim, one of the owners of Park’s Barbecue, who arrived in the US as a single mother from Korea. Wesson said that enterprising, hardworking people like Kim were part of what make America the “greatest country on this planet.” “[Immigrants] will beat back this hate through their vote, and everyday action,” said Salas. Throughout the month of June, various activities and projects will highlight the immigrant experience, including video recordings of immigrants across the country by non-profit Welcome US. The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), the Organization of Chinese Americans-Asian Pacific American Advocates, and the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) are collaborating on a social media campaign entitled #ImmigrationStoryin5Words. Exhibits celebrating diversity in Los Angeles are also planned for the coming weeks. A detailed schedule of events can be found at culturela.org. n
NO TO MINING. Residents of Looc on Tablas Island, Romblon marked Independence Day with a rally against mining on Sunday, June 12. According to a report by Romblon News Network, around 300 people trooped to the Punta barangay hall after offering flowers at a monument to Dr. Jose Rizal at the Children’s Park. The protesters in the fishing village of Barangay Punta carried placards against mining in Looc and on Tablas Island itself. Philstar.com photo
Global remittances to exceed $25 billion by Klarize
Medenilla AJPress
INTERNATIONAL money transfers, including those conducted through mobile devices, are slated to exceed $25 billion by 2018, according to a new study. Juniper Research, UK-based digital commerce analyst group, forecasted that remittances all over the world will increase 67 percent from the estimated $15 million of 2015. The study noted that the increase of cross-border mobile remittance services, like WorldRemit and Paypal’s newly launched Xoom. Additionally, there has been an increase of more informal, “pure play” remittance resources whose services are lower in cost in comparison to traditional remittance services like Western Union and MoneyGram. Handling of financial services by way of new age digital services is growing popular among Filipinos all over the world. Popular digital payment network Bitcoin has been launching start-
up remittance services in parts of Asia, like Rebit and coins.ph, which convert currencies into Bitcoin. As Filipinos become more Internet-savvy, digital commerce is no longer going to be the trend, but the standard, according to GSM Association, an organization that serves the interest of the mobile industry. The organization penned a case study that highlighted the country’s role in helping facilitate the digital commerce phenomenon. “[The Philippines] is the texting capital of the world and Filipino mobile users are highly SMS literate, which made the proposition of conducting financial transactions on a handset somewhat more intuitive,” the case study said. Remittances are a crucial asset to sustaining the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP); as of 2015, personal money transfers account for about onetenth of the country’s GDP, according to the World Bank. The estimated 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are also an important adjunct to the rev-
enue gathered from international money transfers. Money transfers in the Philippines have fluctuated in 2016, but the country is currently experiencing an increase. From Jan. to March 2016, money transfers in Asia have increased 20 percent in comparison to Jan. to March 2015, according to a recent survey from Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas. Globally, Filipinos’ overseas remittances are slated to experience a growth rate of 4.4 percent by the end of this year if the current trends persist, according to the survey. Likewise, the Philippines was the third largest remittance-receiving country at $30 billion in 2015 behind China ($64 billion) and India ($72 billion), according to the World Bank. The BSP survey also noted that remittances from the United States have slowed down, which could be explained by the upsurge of OFWs in the Middle East and Asia. Since the country’s GDP is so dependent on remittances, a depreciation in money transfers would affect the market significantly. n
Trump renews call for Muslim ban after Orlando attack
by Klarize
Medenilla AJPress
IN the wake of the shooting at an Orlando gay nightclub on Sunday, June 12 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to thwart terrorism on U.S. soil by doubling down on immigration reform. Trump commented on the Orlando shooting, which claimed 50 lives, in a national securityfocused speech at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday, June 13. Referencing the suspect’s Afghan roots, Trump criticized the screening process for immigrants, noting that its imprecision allowed for the suspect’s family to enter the country. He also once again proposed banning immigrants from “areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies.” In December, he made a similar suggestion when he proposed a temporary ban on Muslims following the San Bernardino attack on Dec. 2, 2015. In a statement on his website, Trump stated that “migrants and their children have been implicated in terrorism in the United States” since the September
PAGE A3 t
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
11 attacks. According to media reports, the suspect had connections to jihadist groups and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State before going forth with the shooting. “Tens of thousands of people are pouring into our country and many of them are no different” from the suspect of the Orlando attack, Trump said on Fox News before the Saint Anselm College speech. His opponent and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized Trump’s
statements on Monday morning during an interview on CNN in which she lambasted Trump’s rhetoric and his proposed ban on Muslims. “What I won’t do, because I think it is dangerous for our efforts to defeat this threat, is to demonize and demagogue and declare war on an entire religion,” she said. “That plays right into ISIS’ hands.” Terrorism and immigration have been the key talking points behind Trump and Clinton’s
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49 dead in Orlando…
man also made visits to Walt Disney World earlier this month while the park was celebrating Gay Days 2016, according to CNN. Investigators believe Mateen was conducting reconnaissance for a potential attack during those visits. Members of Mateen’s family have said they believe his Omar Mateen actions were motivated by hatred towards the LGBT community. Sources told AP, however, that Mateen used gay dating apps and had been a regular at Pulse. “Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk, he was loud and belligerent,” Pulse patron Ty Smith told The Orlando Sentinel. The suspect’s ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, told members of the press that Mateen used to beat her and attempted to isolate her from her family. “When he got in his tempers he
would express hate towards everything,” Yusufiy told reporters in Colorado. One of Mateen’s co-workers at G4S secure solutions, Daniel Gilroy, described the security guard as a “conscientious” employee, but “very excitable” and racist, according to NBC news. “[Mateen] always referred to every other race, religion, gender in a derogatory way,” said Gilroy. “It was all the time.” Hours after Sunday night’s massacre, police in Santa Monica, California arrested a man who was on his way to the gay pride parade armed with a cache of weapons as well as chemicals that could potentially be used to make a bomb. Law enforcement officials told AP that James Howell of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was found in possession of several firearms including high-powered rifles, as well as extended capacity magazines and other suspicious materials.
In a statement, relatives of Howell, who is bisexual, told National Public Radio that he bore “no ill will to the LGBT community.” Howell was placed on parole last year in Clark County, Indiana for allegedly threatening his exboyfriend and his neighbor with a gun on two separate occasions. He was not permitted to leave Indiana or possess a firearm at the time of his arrest. The annual LA Pride event in West Hollywood, which drew hundreds of thousands of people, went on as scheduled. Despite prior suspicions from the FBI, the suspect in the Orlando shooting was licensed to own a firearm and all of his weapons were purchased legally. In a statement released Sunday, President Obama criticized “how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub.” As of press time, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said there were no reports of Filipinos affected by the shooting. (By Eric Anthony Licas / AJPress)
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Dateline PhiliPPines
Robredo to hold office at QC Reception House
She said Robredo plans to take her oath in her new office if President-elect Rodrigo Duterte ONCE known as the osten- would decide to hold the inaugutatious “Boracay Mansion,” a ration of the President and Vice 5,000-square-meter property President separately. Robredo, whose campaign in an upscale neighborhood in Quezon City is soon to be the promise was to improve the lives focal point of the government’s of those in the “laylayan ng lipuassistance for the marginalized nan” or the poor, will be close to the poverty alleviation offices of sectors of the society. Vice President-elect Ma. Le- the National Anti-Poverty Comonor “Leni” Robredo has decided mission, Department of Social to hold office at the Quezon City Welfare and Development and Reception House, formerly the several non-government offices “Boracay Masnsion” which then located in the city. The Quezon City government President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada supposedly built the two-storey property on owned, the city’s Vice Mayor Joy 11th Street in New Manila in Belmonte confirmed on Tuesday, 2013 to serve as the executive 25 YEARS AFTER THE BLAST. Drivers and crews of 4×4 all-terrain vehicles revisit a lahar watch point in the hinterlands of Porac, Pampanga house of city Mayor Herbert BauJune 14. province, to mark the 25th anniversary of Mt. Pinatubo’s massive eruption in 1991. Inquirer.net photo by Tonette Orejas “It looks like it’s a go. (VP-elect) tista. It was later converted into a Leni has inspected the place,” reception house of the local govBelmonte told INQUIRER.net in ernment for important visitors and foreign dignitaries. a phone interview. The compound then housed Belmonte said once the paper by alexis RomeRo Meanwhile, Wanda Corazon ted having difficulties convincing works are done, Robredo can the P140-million structure called Philstar.com Teo, the owner of Mt. Apo Travel people to join the government move in on June 30. the “Boracay Mansion” which & Tours, has been named Depart- due to the low pay. DAVAO CITY — President-elect ment of Tourism secretary. He has yet to announce his Rodrigo Duterte has chosen the Teo is a sister of journalist Ra- choices for the Department of people who will lead the Health, mon Tulfo and serves as the pres- Environment and Natural Retance of reinstating the assault Tourism and Trade departments. ident of the National Association sources, Metropolitan Manila PAGE A1 t weapons ban to dampen terrormudslinging in the media durNewly appointed deputy presi- of Independent Travel Agencies, Development Authority, Comists’ access to them, adding that ing this election cycle. Before dential spokesman Ernesto Abel- which describes itself as the mission on Higher Education, otherwise “these events are goTrump’s speech, Clinton delivla announced Duterte’s choices “biggest and the largest travel Housing and Urban Developing to keep on happening, and ered a speech that presented her for the three agencies Monday association in the country.” ment Coordinating Council, Na- own plans to combat terrorism the weapons are only going to night through state-run televiBusinessman Ramon Lopez will tional Anti-Poverty Commission, that starkly contrasted Trump’s get more powerful.” sion station PTV-4. serve as secretary of the Depart- Presidential Legislative Liaison In response to Trump’s comHealth Assistant Secretary ment of Trade and Industry. Lopez Office, Office of the Political Ad- immigration-heavy plans. ments about the phrase “radical She proposed strengthening Paulyn Ubial will be promoted to is the executive secretary of Go viser, Presidential Legal Counsel, Islam”, Obama described the desecretary once Duterte assumes Negosyo, a non-stock, non-profit Climate Change Commission and U.S. law enforcement and intellibate about using the phrase as a gence, implementing stricter gun office on June 30. Ubial handles organization that seeks to promote the newly formed Department of “political distraction” stemmed laws and maintaining foreign rethe Department of Health’s Of- entrepreneurship in the country. Information and Communication lations as the keys to combating from “partisan rhetoric” rather fice for Health Regulations. Duterte has previously admit- Technology. n terrorism. She added that the than a strategy to combat terrortime following the Orlando attack ism and protect national secuis a “time for statesmanship, not rity. “There has not been a moment partisanship.” in my 7.5 years as president President Barack Obama indiMANILA — The University of rectly retorted Donald Trump’s where we have not [been] able the Philippines (UP) and Ateneo criticisms in a speech delivered to pursue a strategy because we de Manila University (AdMU) after a meeting with the National didn’t use the label ‘radical Iswere named among the 100 top Security Council on Tuesday, lam,’” Obama said. “Not once has universities in Asia in an annual June 14. list by Quacquarelli Symonds. Obama expressed the urgency The QS University Rankings: to enact stricter gun laws on asAsia released Tuesday, June 14 sault weapons and criticized ranked UP 70th in Asia with an anti-Islamic rhetoric, describing overall score of 58.40, retaining the counterterrorism strategies its 2015 ranking. AdMu, meanof “the presumptive Republican while, scored 47.80 to land at nominee” as “dangerous.” 99th place, leaping from 114th “Enough talking about being last year. tough on terrorism, actually be The regional rankings, stemtough on terrorism,” Obama said. ming from the original world list, “Stop making it as easy as posare based on consultation with regional experts and stakeholders. Photos of the University of the Philippines’s Quezon Hall by Andrew Fulo and Ateneo de Manila sible to buy assault weapons.” Obama emphasized the imporu PAGE A7 University’s Church of the Gesu by Randy Galang. by Julliane love
De Jesus
Inquirer.net
DOH, DOT, DTI secretaries named
Estrada allegedly purchased for his favored mistress Laarni Enriquez. Estrada denied owning the property. Asked why she thought Robredo chose to hold office in Quezon City, Belmonte said it would be convenient for the VP-elect as the place was just a five-minute drive from the Robredo family’s condominium. Also, Robredo’s youngest daughter Jillian studies in the Philippine Science High School in Diliman, Quezon City. “It’s not extravagant but it’s presentable. It’s an honor that the VP chose our city. In fact, kung pwede na libre, ibibigay namin na libre (if only we could give it for free, we would do it),” Belmonte said. Cheaper than Coconut Palace But Belmonte clarified that they cannot just give it for free as the Commission on Audit (COA) has stipulated guidelines for government-to-government rentals.
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Trump renews call for Muslim ban…
2 Philippine universities among top 100 in Asia
an adviser of mine said, ‘Man, if we use that phrase, we are going to turn this whole thing around.’ Not once.” Without mentioning his name, Obama criticized Trump’s proposed banned Muslim immigration, denouncing anti-Islamic and xenophobic attitudes that pervade the country in the aftermaths of attacks committed by Muslim perpetrators. “We heard these suggests during the course of this campaign. Do Republican officials actually agree with this? Because that’s not the America we want. It does not reflect our Democratic ideals,” Obama said. Obama is scheduled to visit Orlando on Thursday, June 16 to meet with the victims’ families. n
A JUNE 15-17, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
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OpiniOn
Features
Terror attack
GRIM news of insurgency and terror attacks are thrust onto international headlines every day. Although modernization demolishes geographical barriers and moves the world toward an amalgamated economy, clashes among cultures continue to have a damaging impact on world peace and security. Because of cross-cultural ignorance, the essence of civilization is compromised. In one senseless act of violence, 49 people were shot to death and 53 more were injured after a gunman went on a shooting rampage inside a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida last Sunday, June 12. Details about the worst mass shooting in American history revealed that the gunman, 29-year-old Omar Marteen, had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and that the bloodbath was fueled by his hatred of gays. The Associated Press reported that the gunman was wielding an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and a handgun as he opened fire at the club in a three-hour shooting rampage and hostage siege that ended with a SWAT team killing him. Pres. Barack Obama has condemned the apparent terror attack and vowed to counter extremist ideology. “Our hearts go out to the families of those who have been killed. Our prayers go to those who have been wounded. This is a devastating attack on all Americans. It is one that is particularly painful for the people of Orlando, but I think we all recognize that this could have happened anywhere in this country,” Obama said. “And we feel enormous solidarity and grief on behalf of the families that have been affected.” “It’s a reminder that regardless of race, religion, faith or sexual orientation, we’re all Americans, and we need to be looking after each other and
protecting each other at all times in the face of this kind of terrible act.” While there the suspect has no direct link to the Islamic State, Obama pointed out “ this kind of propaganda and perversions of Islam that you see generated on the Internet, and the capacity for that to seep into the minds of troubled individuals or weak individuals, and seeing them motivated then to take actions against people here in the United States and elsewhere in the world that are tragic.” To counter terrorism, he vowed to after known terrorist organizations and “hit them hard.” The Philippines is no stranger to this kind of conflict. Since the 1960s, armed conflicts have persisted in the Mindanao. Major fronts such as the New Peoples Army (NPA), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf have long fought for communist insurgency in the region, leaving national reconciliation as still an ultimate goal for its government. The prevailing discord in Mindanao stems from what Moros believe as historical and continuing injustice committed against them, resulting in a majority-minority relationship that manifests itself in underdevelopment and dispossession in Muslim areas. Just recently, the Abu Sayyaf has been involved in an alarming atrocity after it was confirmed that
Editorial
TAKE it from a senior citizen: nothing worries us more than the thought that we might outlive our savings… or be afflicted with some medical condition or get into an accident that will deplete funds intended for 20 or more years in retirement. Sure, we appreciate the senior citizen discounts we get for prescription maintenance medicines and VAT-free indulgences in our favorite restaurants. But the fear of a catastrophic disease or unforeseen emergency is always in our consciousness. That’s because we don’t have a good enough pension system. We want to believe our culture mandates our children to take care of us. But with children living in all parts of the world or with financial problems themselves, more and more Filipinos end up poorly in their twilight years. Our Social Security System, like PhilHealth, hardly scratches the surface of our actual needs. Retirement benefits of private companies mostly comply with the minimum requirements of labor laws. If you didn’t save enough on your own in your productive years, you are in trouble. Maybe, if I stayed on with Petron, I would have managed to get a better retirement benefit when I turned 60. Petron had as part of its benefits package, a provident savings plan wherein Petron contributed to an employee’s account depending on how much he has set aside as monthly savings. I don’t remember the details now but when I left Petron after 11 years of service, I had enough money in my account plus the severance package to pay for the house I bought under Petron’s housing plan as well as to pay for the balance in my car loan.
ManilaTimes.net photo
it has beheaded a Canadian hostage after a ransom was not met. The Philippines and Canada have condemned the killing of Canadian Robert Hall, whose head was recovered in front of the Jolo Cathedral in Sulu on Monday, June 13. Hall is among four people who were abducted at a resort on Samal island late last year. Hall was the second victim beheaded by the bandits. Canadian John Ridsdel was killed in April after a P300-million ransom was not met. “The vicious and brutal actions of the hostagetakers have led to a needless death. Canada holds the terrorist group who took him hostage fully responsible for this cold-blooded and senseless murder,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
Reform our pension plans
The next Group I worked with for nearly 20 years after Petron Demand didn’t have a provident savings benefit. I was expected to man- and Supply age a retirement plan on my own plus whatever SSS would eventually provide. Trying to manage a retirement plan on your own is not Boo ChanCo always easy nor is it as efficient as one done by professionals with all the tools and connections of the trade. This is where the PERA or the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) Act of 2008 could have made a big difference. PERA was the pet project of then Sen. Ed Angara. This particular law is designed to promote capital market development and savings mobilization. It does this by establishing a legal, regulatory framework of retirement plans for persons composed of voluntary personal savings and investments. As a voluntary retirement account, PERA could have allowed guys like us in the employed middle class to have some kind of “forced savings” every payday. Over the course of a 20 to 30 year career, principal and earnings would have accumulated to provide a comfortable cushion against the uncertainties of life in the final years. PERA would have been better than just SSS at the end of one’s working years. PERA would have also been a good way to capture some of the OFW earnings to help finance bankable projects and provide the worker enough savings in his retirement. Even the local stock market would have benefited from the resulting broader capital for-
mation. But the farsightedness of Sen. Angara in sponsoring PERA through the legislative mill was not matched by the executive branch. The BIR and DOF officials were too shortsightedly focused on meeting the tax collection quota for the year and failed to see PERA’s social and economic
benefits. So PERA remained a dead law because DOF and the BIR refused to write the implementing rules and regulations. It is therefore refreshing to hear incoming DOF Secretary Sonny Dominguez saying that it is time to revisit PERA and put those implementing rules in effect. “Is it a correct approach to think that a reduction in revenue is the way it should be interpreted [under the Aquino administration] rather than [as] an investment that encourages business activity that will result in more savings, in the case of PERA?” Mr. Dominguez said. In any case, Mr. Dominguez thinks the government should be able to offset foregone revenues… Instead of looking at it as a reduction in income or revenue, maybe it should be looked at a different way: it’s an investment in the future.” I no longer have a vested interest in seeing the early implementation of PERA because that route is too late for me to take. I am fully supporting it because it is the right thing to do. It will benefit the financial security of future generations and the country’s future economic growth as well. The early implementation of PERA has also be-
as he expressed outrage over the incident. People behind such terror attacks must be reminded that it took millions of lives, thousands of years and hundreds of wars to achieve some sense of international order. While there is a lack of a comprehensive data on the total number of people affected and resources lost or destroyed as a result of these conflicts, reported estimates have been disturbing. In this turbulent times, It is easy to aggregate power and instigate war. To foster peace and security remains the world’s formidable challenge and greatest hope for its citizens. This goal must be initiated through mutual respect and humanitarian resolve. (AJPress)
come important in the light of the strong commitment expressed by president-elect Duterte to the P2,000 monthly pension increase for SSS retirees. This increase was rejected by the outgoing Aquino administration because it will shorten the life of the trust fund of the system from which benefits are sourced. My colleagues in the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) have issued a position paper calling for “a thorough review of the entire Philippine pension system to improve its structure and governance for a more adequate, affordable, sustainable, and robust system.” Maybe, in addition to making PERA operational, we also ought to merge the government pension system — GSIS, SSS, PAG-IBIG housing fund and the police and military pension plans. Having so many systems reduces management efficiency and increases opportunities for corruption by the fund managers. Questions are also being asked why the GSIS is better able to take care of its members than the SSS. We have heard of so many horror stories how the police and military pension systems have been misused to buy golf courses and cuddle high ranking officers. It isn’t as if we don’t know what to do. Studies have been made and it is time to implement some recommendations. For instance, a study on Structural and Governance Reform of the Philippine Pension System commissioned by the Department of Finance in 2006, already pointed out persistent weaknesses of the Philippine pension system that need to be
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Death penalty won’t stop crime, but could reduce ranks of poor IN a sense, the propagandists are Opinion right: the Duterte administration will “hit the ground running.” Despite the frail composition of the incoming Cabinet, President-elect FranCisCo TaTad Rodrigo Duterte is showing unquestionable resolve in at least two areas–one, in his proposed collaboration with the communists, and two, in his proposed reimposition of the death sentence. In both cases, the implementation appears to precede even his formal assumption of office. The announced resumption of peace talks with the Communist Party/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front in Oslo, Norway follows, rather than precedes, the announced decision of the incoming President Duterte to name nominees of the CPP/NPA/ NDF to his Cabinet, thereby launching a coalition government with the Left. This is an inversion of the correct process. Ideally, the Cabinet appointments should have come only after a comprehensive peace agreement has been concluded between the govern-
ment and the CPP/ NPA/NDF. This subject is more elaborately treated in a paper written by former National Security Adviser and Secretary of National Defense Norberto B. Gonzales (The Philippine Road Map to Communism), and appearing on the National Transformation Council Facebook page and the NTC Website. Reviving the death sentence With respect to the proposed reimposition of the death sentence, Duterte’s announced support for vigilantism has gained strong support from local executives and police chiefs, who have put up bounties on the head of notorious drug trafficking suspects. Duterte’s intended P1 billion bounty for the death of thousands of drug dealers has drawn an immediate response from 20 alleged drug lords, who are reported to have decided to raise a P1 billion kitty for the assassination of Duterte and the new Philippine National Police chief. Duterte has drawn enthusiastic support from the incoming members of the new Congress who have aban-
doned their old sinking ship to board Duterte’s adopted flag carrier, the PDP-Laban, which used to have not more than a handful of members. They are eager to support the reimposition of the death sentence, which the 1987 Constitution has abolished, except for certain heinous crimes which Congress may define for “compelling reasons.” The political butterflies are more than eager to pass the needed law, as though it were no more than a city ordinance. At the Senate, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, who expects to be crowned Senate President despite his being the only PDP member of the Senate, said the death penalty should be in place by October, four months after the first regular session of the 17th Congress opens on July 25. There was no mention of the need for extended debate, so it appears that the decision to reimpose the death sentence could precede the formal proposal for its reinstatement. Atienza’s dissent Except for Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito Atienza, three times Mayor of Manila and Cabinet member under the Arroyo administration, no incoming member of Congress has expressed any strong
misgivings about the proposed reimposition, and the kneejerk reaction to it in the social media and various other places. While fully supporting Duterte’s proposed war on crime, Atienza, a pillar of the national pro-life movement, has warned that reimposition of the death sentence would be the wrong solution to crime. His objection is grounded on high moral ground and a wealth of empirical evidence. At least 102 countries have abolished the capital sentence, and among those that still have it in their books, 38 have not carried it out in the last 10 years. This is a trend the world can hardly ignore. Weighing in I am fundamentally against the capital sentence, and this is not the first time I am compelled to weigh in. In 1992, on the first year of my first term in the Senate, seven Senate bills sought to impose the appropriate penalties for certain heinous crimes. All except one proposed the death penalty as the maximum. This was consistent with Article III, Section 19 of the Constitution, which provides: “Excessive fine shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment
inflicted. Neither shall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons, involving heinous crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua.” When the seven bills were consolidated, the committee in charge chose to scale down the proposed penalty from death to reclusion perpetua. Sen. Jose Lina Jr., the committee chair, asked me to co-sponsor the committee report, and on Nov. 18, 1992, I delivered my sponsorship speech on the floor of the Senate. My speech, “The Death Penalty Will Not Solve Crime,” has since been reproduced in a number of publications, and appears in one of my books of Senate speeches, “Guarding the Public Trust.” I revisited it the other day, and found that none of the premises have changed. Against UN accord Now, as then, the reimposition of the capital sentence would violate or at least disavow a formal and solemn commitment of the Philippine government when it acceded to the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the Second Optional Pro-
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OpiniOn & Features
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Death penalty won’t stop…
tocol on Jan. 23, 1987, which provides: “No one within the jurisdiction of a (signatory) state shall be executed.” And no party to the agreement may do anything to prevent or delay the abolition of the capital sentence. What are we now to say to the rest of the world, were we to turn around and do the exact opposite of what we had committed to do under the Covenant and its companion protocol? Shall we simply say, “Sorry we did not know what we signed, and we have now changed our mind”? Or shall we say, “there is a general breakdown of law and order, and the restoration of the death penalty is the only way to solve crime”? This was what we heard then, and this is what we are hearing again now. What, if any, has changed? Twenty-four years ago I said: “Our citizens despair of protection not only from criminals but also from those who are supposed to protect them from criminals. Rightly or wrongly—fairly or unfairly—many among them have learned to believe that they are as much in danger from the police as they are from criminals. Rightly or wrongly—fairly or unfairly –they have come to believe that the justice system does not work; that nobody is ever arrested anywhere anymore; or if that criminals do get arrested, they are never tried; if tried, they are never convicted; if convicted, they are not made to suffer the remorse of living hell but given the privileges of honored guests in a pre-paid inn. “That is the heart of the problem. If we miss that, then we miss everything. We end up trying to cure everything except the disease that needs to be cured, or trying to cure one disease with a cure meant for another. This is what the proposal to reimpose capital punishment means. “Were the death penalty reinstated today, it would probably be met with cheers from among its proponents. For a while it would satisfy their cry for blood and raise their expectations about the government’s capability to combat crime. But it is the wrong solution and because it is the wrong solution to a serious social problem, it will do no such thing. In the end, it would simply frustrate and enrage the majority when they see that criminals still went unpunished and the increased penalty has not deterred crime. Need for reforms “The solution to the problem does not lie here. It lies somewhere else. It lies in reform. Reform the police and law-enforcement agencies. Reform the prosecution arm of the government. Reform the judiciary and the legal profession. Reform the prison system. Reform the social and political institutions. Reform the media and the educational system. Reform the society as a whole. “Do all these and the state will not need to execute a single criminal to make justice and the law, and the people’s faith in them, live again. Look for the solution elsewhere, and the state will remain powerless to deal with crime, even if the government combined the harshest cruelties of the Mosaic Law, the Code of Hammurabi and King Nebuchadnezzar and decreed the execution of the entire village along with every condemned individual.” St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest philosopher of all time, grants that under certain conditions, the State, in the exercise of its right of self-defense, may execute a criminal. The Catechism of the Catholic Church confirms
the moral validity of this proposition when the death penalty is the only available means to protect the society from a grave threat to human life; although never when other means more respectful of human life are available to punish criminals and protect society from them. The advance of human civilization has rendered the killing of criminals by the state virtually unnecessary and non-existent. The fallible state There are grave practical reasons for this too. The State is not infallible, and should be able to correct its mistakes. But the death penalty is irrevocable, irreparable and irreversible once carried out; it can no longer be corrected even after it is shown to have been a mistake—-and there are many instances when the penalty was shown to have been a mistake. This is the biggest and loudest argument behind the proposal. Many seem to believe, to use Arthur Koestler’s words, that legal murder by the state prevents the illegal murder by criminals, “just as the Persians believed that whipping the sea would calm the storm.” This, however, is not supported by the evidence. Albert Pierrepoint, the last century’s most famous and longest employed executioner, said before he died that capital punishment never deterred anyone from committing a capital crime. Criminals don’t learn Koestler records, as does Camus, that at a time when England used to hang pickpockets, other pickpockets worked the crowd that watched the hanging. They usually chose the time when the strangled man was swinging above them to exercise their talents, because they knew that everybody’s eyes were fixed on the wretched creature at the scaffold. Of 250 pickpockets who were hanged, says Camus, 170 had previously attended one or two executions. In 1886, out of 167 condemned men who had gone through the Bristol prison, 164 had witnessed at least one execution. Prior to the abolition of capital sentence by the 1987 Constitution, death convicts used to pack the national penitentiary to the brim, while awaiting execution. Among these hundreds, if not thousands, of death convicts, not more than a handful came from well-to-do families; almost all had wretched economic and social backgrounds. Did this mean that only the poor were capable of committing capital crimes? By no means. But it means they had no means to hire good lawyers, or to bribe the police, the fiscals and the judges in order to escape arrest, prosecution or punishment. This situation has not changed at all. The poor still lie at the bottom of the criminal justice system. So a revival of the death sentence can only revive that same outrageous situation. The death penalty will not solve crime. But if and when the state begins to kill again, it would be killing the poor and only the poor. So while the secretary of central economic planning tries to limit new births to a maximum of three children per family, and the new anti-life and anti-family members of the Senate try to railroad same-sex marriage and other means of population control, capital punishment could be used to drastically reduce the ranks of the poor on the other end. So if it doesn’t work to solve crime, it could probably be justified as an “anti-poverty measure.” (fstatad@gmail.com)
MISS EARTH 2016. Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism Melanie Mader of Vienna, Austria; Miss Philippines Water Loren Mar Artajos of Laoag City; Miss Philippines Earth Imelda Schweighart of Puerto Princesa City; Miss Philippines Air Kiara Giel Gregorio of London; and Miss Philippines Fire Shannon Bridgman of Rosales, Pangasinan, are crowned on the Coronation Night of Miss Philippines Earth 2016 held at the U.P. Diliman Theater in Quezon City. ManilaTimes.net photo by Nazzi Castro
Robredo to hold office at QC Reception…
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Asked about how much the rental would be, the vice mayor said: “I’m thinking along the lines of less than half of what they are paying at the Coconut Palace.” Robredo had said many times in her past interviews that she would not hold office in the lav-
ish Coconut Palace in Manila. She described it as “too ostentatious” for the vice president. Outgoing Vice President Jejomar Binay holds office at the Coconut Palace and pays P484,000 to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) monthly. The beige house, guarded by a
tall black gate, has a wide reception area and has eight rooms that could be converted into offices. Belmonte said the compound has a parking space enough to accommodate the cars of employees so it would not cause inconvenience to the neighbors as it is situated in a residential zone. n
2 Philippine universities among top 100 in…
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QS said in its methodology that the set of criteria is “designed to reflect key priorities for universities in Asia, drawing on as much available data as possible.” Key indicators for the study are academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per paper and papers per faculty, staff with doctorate degrees, proportion of international faculty and students, and proportion of exchange students. UP, whose flagship campus is in Diliman, Quezon City, earned a score of 74.8 in terms of aca-
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demic reputation, 87.9 in employer reputation and 69.2 in faculty-student ratio. It has a student population of 53,160. Ateneo’s Manila campus, on the other hand, scored 59.1 in academic reputation, 59.1 in employer reputation and 55.4 in faculty-student ratio. It has a student body of 12,172. Beyond the top 100, six other Philippines-based university figure in the chart, with the De La Salle University making a major jump from 181st place last year to 143rd this year. The University of Santo Tomas ranked 143rd last year was this
year surpassed by De La Salle, dropping to 157th place. Ranking among the top 300 universities in Asia, meanwhile, are Ateneo de Davao University, Silliman University, Xavier University and the University of San Carlos. In Asia, the National University of Singapore was hailed as the best institution of higher learning by the QS ranking, with an overall score of 100. It was followed by the University of Hong Kong and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore at ranks second and third, respectively. (Camille Diola/Philstar.com)
Reform our pension…
addressed. These include: 1) investments decisions need to be protected from political processes; 2) pension assets need to be sufficiently diversified and well matched to risk/return needs; 3) supervision, regulation, and auditing need to be holistic and adequate; 4) mandatory system needs to be sustainable and equitable; 5) benefit formulas need to be harmonized; 6) the defined-contribution, fully-funded element of the pension system needs to be bigger; 7) taxation needs to be harmonized and consistent; 8) administration of the system needs improvement; and 9) the system needs to expand its coverage and sufficiently reach the poor elderly. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all these things
that ought to be done but have been left undone. Suffice it to say that if Sec. Dominguez can jumpstart everything by getting PERA on line and work steadily to accomplish everything else through the next six years, the working class will be forever indebted to him and Mr. Duterte. As in everything else that needs to get done in government, Sec. Dominguez will need political will to make a difference. I am sure he can convince Mr. Duterte all these must be done. The president-elect in turn, will provide his political capital to do the things the Aquino administration didn’t have the balls to accomplish. That’s what change should be about! *** Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is bchanco@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco
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BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal
B
Villar rejects plan to build $13-B Manila Bay airport by Christina
Mendez
Philstar.com
MANILA — Sen. Cynthia Villar appealed to the incoming administration of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte not to pursue the proposed reclamation of Manila Bay as a site for a new international airport. Villar, a known advocate of environmental protection, said the reclamation of Manila Bay would destroy the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA). On March 16, 2012 Villar filed before the SuSen. Cynthia Villar
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Report: PH investment growth to top 10% this year lauded the incoming administration’s focus on infrastructure development, a policy that SINGAPORE-based banking aims to speed up infrastrucgiant DBS expects investment ture spending and improve on growth in the Philippines to the public-private partnership be robust this year and remain (PPP) scheme. above 10 percent despite some With this, it expects investmoderation, bolstered by the ment growth to remain strong, incoming Duterte administra- as reflected by imports of capition’s stated intention to focus tal goods, which grew by a reon infrastructure development. cord-high 49 percent in the first In a research note, DBS u PAGE B2 by MayveLin
U. CarabaLLo ManilaTimes.net
by LawrenCe
agCaoiLi Philstar.com
MANILA — Less Filipino households receiving remittances from their loved ones abroad saved and invested less in the second quarter due to the expected rise in expenditures for basic goods and services, a quarterly survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.
the 7.2 percent recorded in the first quarter of 2007. “Now for the second quarter of 2016 there was an improvement. Of course, relative to the previous quarters, there were more improvements during that time. But nonetheless, the trend is going up,” he said. On the other hand, the number of households allocating remittances for investments declined to 4.5 percent in the second
quarter from 6.5 percent in the first quarter. Guinigundo said the percentage of OFW households investing remittances now was almost double the 2.3 percent level when the survey was first conducted. “A number of households with one or two members working abroad who have started investing at least twice as many when we started this in the first quarter
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World Bank official: Ease of doing business to improve under Duterte
Remittances play vital role in ratings, says S&P ing abroad could play an important role in the stability of sovereign ratings. MANILA — Standard and The report said pressure on Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings said external finances has typically remittances play an important been a precursor of sovereign role but its impact on sovereign stress and default in recent credit rating is “double-edged.” economic history. In a report, Moritz Kraemer, A steady and robust flow of credit analyst at S&P, said that current account receipts could remittances of nationals residu PAGE B2
Results of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) for the second quarter showed a decline in the number of overseas Filipino workers’ households allocating remittances for savings to 38.6 percent from 43.4 percent in the first quarter. BSP deputy governor Diwa Guinigundo said the percentage of OFW households using remittances to save as of the second quarter was more than five times
Cites solid track record in Davao
by LawrenCe
agCaoiLi Philstar.com
the World Bank said. In an interview, World Bank Group’s Trade and CompetiMANILA — Incoming presi- tiveness operations officer Rodent Rodrigo Duterte’s vast ex- berto Galang told The Star that perience in the local government Duterte’s decades-long service should bode well for the country’s as a local government leader is a quest of becoming more globally good sign for a country like the competitive in terms of ease of Philippines, which is hoping to doing business and attracting climb the ranks when it comes to investments, a local official from international competitiveness. by riChMond
s. MerCUrio
Philstar.com
Incoming president Rodrigo Duterte
“From what we know, doing business in Davao is relatively fast and that the incoming president has already made pronouncements that he wants government permits approved or deemed approved within three days. So we are very hopeful that the new president will pursue this,” Galang said.
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Business news
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Report: PH investment growth to top 10%… PAGE B1 t
Remittances play vital role in rating… PAGE B1 t
therefore contribute to strengthening creditworthiness and averting a sovereign debt crisis. Throughout the great financial crisis and its aftermath, remittances have held remarkably steady in many countries, providing a welcome buffer to current account risks, the report said. However, Kraemer said the impact of worker remittances on sovereign credit strength is “double-edged.” “Regarded in isolation, we believe that remittances are a positive factor. In a wider context, however, they are the flip-side of a brain drain that in some cases may lead to skill shortages at home and therefore hamper economic and social development,” the credit analyst said. The report said while the share of nationals residing abroad keeps rising in most emerging economies, in the majority of cases remittances have grown less dynamically, suggesting that the “financial return” on emigration for the source countries is diminishing.
“Should this negative trend continue, the positive effect of remittances on sovereign creditworthiness may wane over time,” Kraemer said. Latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed remittances from overseas Filipino workers grew 4.4 percent to $6.56 billion in the first quarter from $6.28 billion in the same period last year. For this year, remittances are expected to increase by four percent on account of the steady deployment of Filipino workers, greater diversification of country destinations, and shift to higherskilled types of work. Remittances from more than 10 million Filipinos working abroad account for 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This helps boost private consumption resulting in faster economic growth. He pointed out remittances of emigrants have been a large and relatively stable current account inflow for many developing economies resulting to stable sovereign ratings.
Kraemer explained some sovereigns, especially in Asia, are benefitting more from outward emigration than others such as several central and eastern European countries. According to him, the “return on emigration” appears to have fallen following the global financial crisis when remittances grew more slowly than the emigrant population. “Remittances are not going to be an important driver to improve sovereign creditworthiness in the absence of a structural strengthening of the domestic economy,” he said. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth of the Philippines accelerated to 6.9 percent in the first quarter from 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, making it the fastest growing economy in Asia. Last April, S&P affirmed the country’s investment grade credit rating at BBB or a notch higher than the minimum score within the investment-grade scale on the back of sound macroeconomic fundamentals. n
quarter of 2016. The bank noted in addition that investments in durable equipment jumped 36.6 percent during the same period. However, DBS did say that some moderation is likely, as the numbers from the first half of the year are partly distorted by the election effect. “While we don’t expect investment growth to maintain the pace seen in the past two quarters, another double-digit investment growth is still likely this year,” it said. Growth will moderate DBS said investment growth will moderate from the average 25 percent seen in the past two quarters but will likely remain
above 10 percent. The bank also pointed out that business sentiment remains fairly stable for now, suggesting that the business community is not too concerned about the change in government. It noted that firms’ capacity utilization has remained high at more than 80 percent, indicating sustained growth in industrial production. “Note that exports of electronic products grew 4.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016, despite overall export growth being down by 7 percent in the period. That capacity utilization is running at record-highs is likely to continue to spur investment demand going forward,” it said. DBS added that loan growth
has also ticked back up to 14 percent as of March 2016, from an average of 12 percent in the second half of 2015. Finally, DBS said it is also keeping a close eye on foreign direct investment (FDI) for the remainder of the year. Total FDI averaged just under $6 billion in 2014 and 2015, or about 1.7 percent of GDP. “President-elect [Rodrigo] Duterte indicated plans to revise the cap on foreign ownership to 70 percent instead of the current 40 percent. Limits to foreigner’s land-lease are also said to be revised up to 40 years from the current 25-year term,” it said, suggesting these moves if carried out would provide a boost to FDI. n
World Bank official: Ease of doing…
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“And what we also like is the president comes from an LGU so he understands, because a lot of these doing business processes like construction permit and tax payments have an LGU component. So we feel that he understands the LGU side and will have the convening power, especially since he’s a former mayor, to get the mayors to shape up because a lot of the issues here like getting business permit is an LGU
concern,” he added. Before being elected as the 16th president of the Philippines, Duterte served as mayor of Davao City for 22 years. “So we’re hopeful that given that he’s a former mayor, the other mayors in the country will listen to him more. Now, it’s hard for a mayor to give an excuse that he or she can’t do it because it has been done in Davao. He has proven himself to be able to create these kinds of reforms
in Davao in terms of streamlining. This is something he understands and I think it will have full support from the administration,” Galang said. The World Bank’s International Finance Corp. releases annually the Doing Business Report which measures the ease of doing business among major economies in the world across several processes which a business must undertake with several govern-
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OFW families saving, investing…
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of 2007,” he said. The central bank said the decline in the percentage of households that allotted remittances for savings could be due to the expected increase in expenditures on basic goods and services. The survey showed the spending outlook index of households on basic goods and services held steady at 30.2 percent for the third quarter of 2016. “This indicates that respondents who expect to spend more on goods and services outnumre-elected Parañaque Mayor Ed- bered those who said otherwise, win Olivarez urged the incoming but the number that said so readministration to push through mained nearly unchanged comwith the proposed $13-billion pared to the previous quarter’s international airport in Manila survey,” it said. Bay. Across commodity groups, Under the plan, the proposed more respondents expected airport will make use of 157 an increase in expenditures on hectares of Freedom Island. Vil- transportation; fuel; water; edular pointed out that contrary to cation, recreation and culture; the claim of Olivarez, the Japan electricity; clothing and footInternational Cooperation Agen- wear; and personal care and efu PAGE B3 fects while fewer respondents
Villar rejects plan to build $13-B…
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preme Court a petition or writ of kalikasan. “I appeal to president-elect Duterte to look beyond the claim of decongesting existing airports and realize that the planned reclamation will cause flooding as high as eight meters in Parañaque, Las Piñas and Cavite. It will also deprive 300,000 fishermen of their livelihood,” Villar said.
“Attracting tourists and investors should not be proposed at the expense of the Constitutionally-guaranteed rights of citizens for a safe and secure environment to live in,” she added. Villar lamented that the airport project was being resurrected after San Miguel Corp.’s proposal to build a new airport in Manila Bay did not push through during the Aquino administration. She issued this statement after
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anticipated an increase in expenditures on medical care, food, and restaurant and cafes. Guinigundo also cited the percentage of households with savings slightly increased to 33.2 percent in the second quarter of the year from 32.7 percent in the first quarter. Households with savings increased from 19.9 percent to 20.5 percent among the low-income group but decreased from 41.7
percent to 40.5 percent for the middle-income group and from 74.5 percent to 70.6 percent for the high-income group. “These numbers will show that saving is also an important function of income,” Guinigundo said. According to respondents, they save money for emergencies, retirement, health and hospitalization, education as well as business capital and investment. n
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Debt Relief Atty. lAwrence yAng CLIENT is 65 and recently widowed. Her husband was suddenly taken ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer even though he doesn’t smoke. Strange. Husband was in the pinnacle of good health, so it seemed. He had no known illness. His blood pressure was normal. He had no diabetes. He ate healthy, none of the greasy stuff. He was slim, not overweight, when all his friends were obese. He walked around their neighborhood every morning before he went to work as a scientist. He had a complete yearly check up provided free of charge by the large pharmaceutical company that he worked for the last 30 years. They have two children who are both professionals and doing well, with their own families. They have 3 grandchildren. Husband was a doting and dedicated grandfather. It seemed all was well and they were living the American dream, and looking forward to retiring next year. They still had a $600K mortgage on their house which was now worth $800K. The mortgage payment was $3,000 a month, which was not a problem. That’s quite reasonable. Even a rental would now cost $2,000 in Los Angeles. They bought the house 33 years ago for $250K and refinanced it several times. They cashed out for home improvements and to pay for their children’s college expenses. Husband’s salary of $10K a month, make their life quite comfortable with no financial worries. When they retire next year, he would get $2,500 in social security, and client would get $1,500. So, $4,000 a month in social security can pay the mortgage with tight budgeting, or if the decided to do so, they could sell their house and pocket $200K tax free, and perhaps downsize to a condo which they can pay cash for $300K, and taking a much reduced mortgage of $100K, paying $700 a month. Husband started coughing uncontrollably about 4 months ago. He had never coughed this way before. At first, they thought he was just having some kind of allergy, but he felt that this cough was different. He felt pain in his lungs when he coughed. He rushed to see his doctor who determined that he had a lump on his right lung the size of a tennis ball. A biopsy was done and it was cancer, stage 3 which had not yet spread to other parts of the body. He immediately went for chemotherapy but after a month, it was determined that the cancer cells had spread to his liver. From then on, things just started going downhill. Although the prognosis was that there was no problem curing the cancer, husband died last month. After the funeral, client started to get calls from credit cards of husband, collecting from client. Client pulled the credit report
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA IT’S been said time and again that if you want anything done, give it to a busy person. That may very well be true, but only up to a point. One’s carrying capacity can be maxed out. The truth is that anyone who is both efficient and effective has mastered many times by trial and error over some length of time that fine blend of mixing the art and science of planning his work and working his plan. How? By thinking things through, prioritizing, sequencing and when necessary, improvising to stay within timetables and resources and keeping a laser-like focus on the goal, anyone can get things done. Nowhere is this life skill more put to the test than here in America where a person’s worth, whether you like it or not, is measured by his productivity, his creativity, and his results. It is a skill needed to navigate a person’s day-to-day life. The major strides in technology have enhanced man’s capability to multi-task. Picture the modern version of Everyman running on a treadmill fulfilling multiple roles. No matter how much you want to buck the system, there is no way you can get around the fact that in order to thrive, let alone survive at this time and in this place, the life skills one needs to acquire and develop some level of competence in, are in the areas of planning and working the plan. You know what a delight it is to work on a project that has been well conceived and well planned. And when a plan comes together in seamless fashion, everything is as smooth as silk. On the flip
Community Journal
Senior seeks relief from $40K credit cards
Business owner seeks to discharge $100K credit cards used to buy business; Clinton beats Trump to become first woman president of America of husband and found out that he had $40K of credit card debt, which he did not disclose to her. The collectors told her that California was a community property state; therefore, she is equally liable as her deceased husband to pay for his cards. Somehow, they were able to get her phone number at work and started to call her at work. This was too much harassment for client. She asked me if she was liable for her husband’s credit cards. I said that she was unless they had a prenuptial agreement. I informed her that life changing events such as death and divorces usually create this kind of financial problem. In fact, husband’s creditors can sue husband’s estate then put a lien on the house and eventually sell their house to collect. I asked her if her husband had life insurance. She said just enough to pay for the funeral expenses. Client then opted to file a Chapter 7 case to discharge her liability for her husband’s credit cards. Since they held their house as joint tenants, upon husband’s death, client automatically owns the entire 100% of the house as husband’s share passes to her by operation of law under joint tenancy. The Chapter 7 will discharge the $40K of credit cards and protect her house at the same time so she can live her new chapter of life unhampered by debilitating debt left by her husband. In her plan for the future, the following is apropos: “in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs – 3:5. I mean, you can see, without our God’s direction, even if you think all is well, death is actually knocking at your door. Death comes like a thief in the night. By God, I refer to God the Father, Adonai, El Shaddai, El Elohim, Yahweh, Jehovah whose only and beloved Son, Jesus Christ, willingly died for us on the cross, to redeem us from the consequences of sin because He loved us so. Client’s husband is now in heaven with Jesus and God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. That certainly is a lot better option than spending an eternity of pain and suffering in hell with Lucifer, the evil one. Don’t you think so? I am so happy that our loving God and his beloved Son has given us this option. Even the world’s smartest man, Stephen Hawking, denies that God exists! Perhaps he’s not that smart after all. If he’s the world’s smartest man, how come he cannot heal himself of his disability? Because he is so smart, he denies the existence of his own creator. This is really sad that the greatest intellect in the world thinks he evolved from monkeys. But our God, in his infinite wis-
dom, created us with free will to choose for ourselves what we want. So you can choose to be a monkey’s descendant if you want to. Maybe someone should tell Trump that the world’s smartest man has concluded that Trump, just like the rest of us who don’t look like him, and who don’t have the “pelo de elote (corn hair) like he does is descended from apes. Oops, sorry did I say that, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, that’s not what I meant. I similarly rely on Trump’s excuse for his racist remarks. He loves everyone who doesn’t look like him, because after all, we’re all descendants of the same monkey; but wait, didn’t Trump also mock Mr. Kovaleski, a disabled reporter for the New York Times? I don’t know how this will sit with Mr. Hawking whose current physical state is worse than Kovaleski’s. But despite Trump’s Oscar winning performance on T.V. mimicking Mr. Kovaleski’s disability and therefore undisputably mocking Mr. Kovaleski, Trump categorically denies that he was mocking him and that he would never mock a disabled person. This guy is totally unfit to be president of our country. Our society is not a homogenous block of corn hairs. People from all over the world migrate here and eventually become American citizens. All of us are Americans, disabled or not, Christian or not, regardless of all our different ethnicities. This is why America is the greatest country in the world as it has always been, and we don’t need Trump to make us great again, because Americans are a just and kind and courageous people who seek what is good and seek divine mercy and guidance. It is our God, Yahweh who makes our country great. It is all of us Americans who make America great. It is not Trump who makes America great. It is all Americans, you and I, all of us Americans, all of us a lot handsomer and prettier than Trump, all of us guided by the one true God, who make America great! I will discuss the rest of the subject matter next week, including why Hilary will beat Trump to become the first woman president of the United States. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acnoledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5 *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)
The secret of getting things done “O Lord, Thou givest us everything, At the price of an effort.”
— Leonardo da Vinci
side of the coin, you know how aggravating it is to be involved in one that is a mess from the beginning conceived by one who seems to be running around like a headless chicken. History bears out that most of the great leaders of all time, whether in politics, in industry and in business are supreme planners. And contrary to common belief, these planners see the big picture but do not feel that it is beneath them to roll up their sleeves and work on the nitty-gritty themselves. Planning helps you to see the goal very clearly. Planning makes it possible to signal your intentions to others so adjustments can be made in the early stages of the project. In freeway driving, it is not only courteous to signal your intention when changing lanes to let other drivers either speed up or slow down to make room for your move, it is the safe and prudent thing to do. Planning, like your left and right turn signals on your car, is a communication tool that gets feedback from within the team. Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” As you flesh out the details of a project, the number of sub-tasks and the sequence with which these smaller tasks need to be done becomes clearer. Assigning who does what further breaks down the job to smaller and manageable bite sizes. Of course as the overseer, your task is to monitor prog-
ress of each component of the project and see that each one contributes to the overall goal. Ultimately, the value of planning brings you full circle as it helps you stay focused on the goal and get the job done on time and within budget. Here’s a caveat. Lest we think that planning is foolproof, remember that “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Even with all the seemingly perfect planning that scientists at NASA do and even with the use of cutting edge technology, the agency still experiences monumental failures - sometimes. Things may not work out as planned. There are absolutely no guarantees that something will work out because of a great plan. When things don’t work out as planned, accept it. Perhaps, there is a much better
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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 15-17, 2016
Tax consequences of debt discharge
What’s New Arlene Al-os, cPA, MBA DURING and after the recession, many borrowers who were financially distressed lost their homes and had their loans cancelled. It was a relief to have their debts reduced or forgiven, but the same debt relief also triggered tax consequences that they were not aware of. Some homeowners were in disbelief when they learn that they may owe taxes on loans that were cancelled - right after they lost their homes. General Rule: • You must report taxable amount of a canceled debt as ordinary income from the cancellation of debt. • However, there are several exclusions and exceptions to this rule. These exclusions and exceptions are described below. Exceptions: There is no cancellation of debt income from the following circumstances. • Cancellation of debt by a private lender’s Last Will and Testament. • Cancellation of debt by a private lender such as a relative or friend, if intended as a gift. • Student loans for teachers, nurses, and doctors who agree to
serve in rural or low income areas in exchange for cancellation of their student loans. • Price adjustment if an individual purchases property and the seller later reduces the price. • Pay-for-Performance Success Payments that reduce the principal balance of home mortgage under the Home Affordable Modification Program. Exclusions: There is no income from discharge of debt in the following situations: • Insolvent taxpayer, • Title 11 bankruptcy, • Qualified real property business debt, • Qualified farm debt, and • Qualified principal residence debt (discussed below). Qualified Principal Residence Debt Exclusion: This applies where individuals • Lose their principal residence in a foreclosure, • Restructure their acquisition debt on a principal residence, or • Sell a principal residence in a short sale (where the sales proceeds are inadequate to pay off the mortgage and the lender cancels the balance). Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt: • A taxpayer should receive a
Calendar of Events across
ment agencies over its typical life cycle, or from starting to closing a business. The Philippines has made significant gains in the Doing Business Report, moving up 45 notches over the past five years. Based on last year’s outcome, the country ranked 103rd out of 189 economies in the report. The country aims to be on the top third or at the least number 63 of
Form 1099-C from a financial institution, credit union, or federal government agency that pardons a debt of $600 or more. • The amount of the cancelled debt should be shown in box 2. • Any forgiven interest included in the amount of canceled debt in box 2 should also be shown in box 3. • If you are not in agreement with the amount shown on Form 1099-C, request your lender in writing to issue a corrected Form 1099-C showing the proper amount of canceled debt. • If the lender refuses to issue a corrected report, attach to your tax return sufficient documentation to show that the lender erroneously reported the amount canceled. In accordance with IRS Circular 230, this communication is not to be considered a “covered opinion” or other written tax advice and should not be relied upon for IRS audit, tax dispute, or any other purpose. *** Sy Al-os Accountancy Corporation provides accounting and tax services to individuals, corporations, LLCs and business entities. The Firm has a niche in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS and other governmental agencies. (Advertising Supplement)
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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS JUNE 16
Know Your Rights A working entitled “Know Your Rights” will be held on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 6 to 8pm at the Union City Kids Zone (former Barnard White Campus) at 725 Whipple Road in Union City sponsored by the Filipino Advocates for Justice, Our Lady of the Rosary, Union City Kids Zone and Congregations Organizing for Renewal. The overall goal of the Know Your Rights Workshop is to provide the community with the knowledge and tools they need to exercise their rights during Immigration Customs and Enforcements (ICE) raids. The workshop includes information on what to do when ICE and law enforcement knocks on your door, stops you on the street, searches you on the street, approaches you at school or arrests you. There will also be a presentation by the National Lawyers Guild. Spanish and Tagalog translation is available, and there will be light food provided to attendees. For questions and inquiries, contact Abigail Andrade at (510) 476-2770. (Resources will be provided but we will not be able to assist individual cases during the workshop.)
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Cabiao USA annual picnic Join Cabiao USA for its annual picnic on Sunday, June 26 at Wilderness Park in Downey, California from 11 am to 5 pm. There will be food, games, prizes and karoke! Meet kababayans, relatives and new friends and help plan for our 25th anniversary next year. For more information, call Allan Ocampo (323) 684-1820, Irma Ocampo Alcaraz (323) 861-6101, Gardy Parungao (562) 754-7511 or Andy Tecson (323) 467-5096.
S E P T E M B E R 8 -1 7
42nd annual celebration in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia United Bicolandia Los Angeles (UBLA) invites everyone, Bicolanos, devotees and friends to come and celebrate the 42nd annual celebration in honor of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Patroness of the Bicol Region. The festivities will start on Sept. 9, with the translacion at 5pm at the Immaculate of Mary Church (4954 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029. A nightly novena Mass follows from Sept. 9 to Sept. 16 at 6 PM except on Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3:30 PM and Sunday, Sept. 11, at 2;30 PM and culminates on Saturday, Sept. 17, with the ninth day novena at 8am, foot & fluvial procession at 9 AM, and a Concelebrated Mass at 10 am at Lincoln Park, 3501 Valley Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90031. Main celebrant will be HE Most Rev Arturo Bastes, Bishop of Sorsogon. For details, please call Lanie Berrei (818) 281-3169 or Gene Leano (818) 439-6896.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
Villar rejects plan to build $13-B…
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cy (JICA), proposed the Sangley Point in Cavite as a viable site of the airport and not Manila Bay in Parañaque. Villar cited the 2002 ruling of the Supreme Court, which struck down the Public Estates Authority (PEA)-Amari deal as unconstitutional. The ruling stated that private companies cannot own reclaimed lands. LPPCHEA is a declared critical habitat and a protected area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1412 and 1412A in 2007. It is the first critical habitat to be declared in the country. Covering around 175 hectares of wetland ecosystem, LPPCHEA consists of two islands – Freedom Island and
Long Island. In March 2013, it was also listed as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention because of the critical role it plays in the survival of threatened and restricted-range bird species. It is the only wetland in Metro Manila and in an urban setting. The five other Philippine sites in the list are: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan, the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu; the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, the Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro; and the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu. LPPCHEA’s 35 hectare mangrove forest is the thickest and
World Bank official: Ease of doing…
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the rankings this year. Last week, members of the country’s inter-agency Ease of Doing Business Task Force convened to identify priority areas in government regulatory procedures for businesses that need further upgrades to help improve the country’s competitiveness. These priority areas are trading across borders, protecting minority investors, enforcing contracts, registering property, starting a
business, and paying taxes. Galang said recurring processes such as tax payments and business permits in the Philippines are the ones that are currently needed to be streamlined. “It is only in the Philippines where businesses should renew their business permits every year. In other countries, when you get your business permit, that’s for life already. The same goes for
most diverse within Manila Bay. At present, there are 11 mangrove species growing in the area. It is the spawning ground of fishes in Manila Bay which gives livelihood to 300,000 poor fishermen and related livelihood. The mangrove forest is also home and known breeding area of the Philippine Ducks, Chinese Egret and Black-Winged Stilts vulnerable species as listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources along with 82 other wild bird species coming from as far as China, Japan and Siberia. About 1,000 of the Black-Winged Stilts of only 100,000 existing in the whole world can be found in the area. n tax payments, it is one of the biggest burdens for SMEs because you have to make the payments every month,” Galang said. “If you’re a business, once you complete your registration and everything, then that should be it and once a year you go to BIR to pay your taxes, but you shouldn’t be going to BIR every month, and you shouldn’t be going to the city hall every year because these are the issues that make doing business here not easy,” he added. n
B JUNE 15-17, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes THERE is never the perfect time to think about who you would like to inherit from your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan. One of the best vehicle in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are: Your estate can avoid the time, cost, and hassle of going through the probate court process. If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your estate. Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate
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Five benefits of establishing a revocable living trust succession. Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $150,000 and go through the probate process. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distribution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, probate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc. If people contest the case, your estate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litigation. The entire process can take anywhere from 9 months to years depending on the contentiousness of the probate case. With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without having to open a probate court case. If the trust is funded with all your assets, it is possible to administer and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate.
Your estate is not public record When you file a probate case, the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those assets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny. Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away. You can dictate who will inherit from your estate If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California probate code. Certain relatives will be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving. By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to inherit from your estate. You can designate what and how much each one will received from your
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estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each beneficiaries does not have to be equal. The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust does not even have to be close family members. You can designate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate. You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes If your estate is valued above the estate tax exemption, establishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate. It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving which carries tax advantage and asset protection. You can choose who will administer your estate after your death When you establish a revocable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trustee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administering (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity
in operating the trust and the efficient and cost effective distribution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family members as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a professional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions, wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee. This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperienced family members. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He
is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. (Advertising Supplement)
The secret of getting… PAGE B3 t plan. However, it has been proven that unless mighty cosmic forces are conspiring against something from happening, chances are stacked heavily towards transforming an idea to reality
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because of the simple act of planning and tenaciously working the plan. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 15, 2016
Celebrating Father’s Day: History and facts about fatherhood born in June, she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration at the YMCA Center in Spokane, Washington on the June 19, 1910. The tradition stopped when Dodd left for school in Chicago, although several celebrations were held to honor fathers. When she returned, she took up holiday promotion, but this time nationally. her strategic efforts included working with business groups that would profit from
The idea to create a day for children to honor their fathers has a very interesting history embedded in it. A holiday to celebrate fathers and fatherhood in general -- including father figures such as guardians and grandfathers -- came to the mind of Sonora Smart Dodd while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 in Spokane, Washington. After the death of her mother, Sonora and her sibling
were raised by her father, William Jackson Smart. Though her father fought in the Civil War, Jackson was still able to raise Sonora and her six siblings. She wanted to tell her father how special he was and what role he played in her life and wanted to honor her father’s parental sacrifices he made them. Lastly, she wanted him to know what a courageous, selfless and loving man he was. Since Sonora’s father was
Sons and daughters send 50 percent of the Father’s Day cards to their dads.
In 2015, it was estimated that there were 199,000 stay-at-home dads.
such a holiday, such as men’s clothing companies and tobacco companies. Unfortunately, Dodd’s efforts only made the day “too commercialized” that many saw as too shallow and unimportant. Though President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the holiday official in 1916, its commercial nature stopped Congress from passing the bill. It wasn’t until Margaret Chase Smith, a senator from Maine, stated that it was unfair to honor mothers and not fathers in 1957. In 1966, President Johnson issued a proclamation. Then finally in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. Thus, Father’s Day was born in memory and appreciation by a daughter who believed that her father and all other fathers should be honored with a special day just like mothers are honored on Mother’s Day. Facts about Father’s Day you
Sonora Smart Dodd started the tradition of celebrating Father’s Day to honor her own father, William Jackson Smart.
President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day in 1972.
should know • Roses are the official flower for Father’s Day. A red rose is worn in the lapel if your father is alive, while a white rose represents a father who is deceased. • Most places celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June, but not everywhere. Spain and Portugal for instance, honor their fathers on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19. In Australia, it’s the first Sunday of September. • Sons and daughters send 50 percent of the Father’s Day card to their dads. Nearly 20 percent of Father’s Day cards are purchased by wives for their husbands. That leaves 30 percent of the cards that go to grandfathers, sons, brothers,
uncles and “someone special.” • It was estimated that there were about 199,000 stayat-home dads in 2015. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year so they can care for the family while their wives work outside the home. • The number of single fathers last year was 1.9 million. About 45 percent were divorced, 33 percent were never married, 17 percent were separated, and 6 percent were widowed. • 70.1 million: estimated number of fathers in the US in 2008 (The most recent year for which data is available). (AJPress) Source: www.census.gov
Academic regalia: Origin of the graduation gown A CoMPLeTe account of the origin and background history of the graduation gown would fill a book. But to make a very long story short, the early academic dress in colleges and universities came from Medieval europe. Sometimes also known as academical dress, academic regalia, and graduation cap and gown, it has its origins in the everyday dress of the medieval clergy. The dress which secular clergy wore was no different from that worn by all classes of the community. everyone from highest to lowest wore, as did the clergy, a hood to protect the head in bad weather. The distinction between dress
and various academic levels was seen to have originated in the 13th century. Prior to that, no academical dress was accorded to the undergraduate level, as it was originally a distinction accorded only to masters, unless the founder of a college prescribed a special livery for members. By 1500 the academical dress became more simple and comfortable, with the result that the heavy outer, closed dress being left off, the sleeved or sleeveless tabard, or some form of sleeved tunica, or other such dress, now the outer garment, assumed a new significance. Throughout the years, lay fashion was changing rapidly and
the academical dress was later on influenced by the three forms of association that grew up in universities. The first of these was the Faculty, less strong in the english universities than elsewhere, the second the College, strong at first at all universities, but later only really so in France, england, Spain, and the Austrian Netherlands, and the third the Nation, strong at first in France and Italy, and in due course in Germany. This association was a result of the gathering together of those who taught the same subject and who found that only by a united effort could their common aims be made known to their university at large. It also to secure them against the unqualified, who might try to set up for themselves at the university. The second was a corporate body, which enjoyed the benefits of an endowment; and the third was an association Continued on Page 5
Top of their class: Pinoy celebrities who graduated with honors
CeLeBRITIeS have a busy life — shooting schedules, appearances, concerts, red carpet premieres — that people assume they have no time to go to a regular school. But there are some who managed to continue their education and even finish with honors. here are some artists who shuffled their time between work and school and managed to come out on top: 1. Carla Abellana, Cum Laude, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, De La Salle University, Manila As the daughter of 80s matinee idol Rey “PJ” Abellana, it was expected that Carla was to follow suit. however, she made sure that she finished school first, then entered show business right
Benjamin Alves
Agot Isidro
after she graduated. She was given a major project right away by GMA Network, portraying the lead role in the Filipino remake of the Mexican telenovela, “Rosalinda.” 2. Benjamin Alves, Summa Cum Laude, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, University of Guam
3. Agot Isidro - Magna Cum Laude, Fashion Buying and Merchandising, New York Fashion Institute of Technology 4. Giselle Sanchez, Magna Cum Laude, Broadcast Communication, University of the Philippines Infographic by AJPress. Sources: Pew Research Center, Economic Policy Institute, Mic.com, National Association of Colleges and Employers and “U.S. Job Growth Expected to even with her mindless and Hold Steady in the New Year, CareerBuilder’s Annual Job Forecast Finds.” Continued on Page 4
Treat dad to a lavish feast at Cafe Sierra Father’s Day weekend is just around the corner, and Cafe sierra’s Father’s Day Weekend Bash is the perfect way to celebrate your old man’s special day. Cafe sierra is known throughout the Filipino-american community for providing
top-flight service and cuisine, and its Father’s Day Celebration on sunday, June 19 will surely be no different. the annual celebration has all the makings of an unforgettable meal and a fun-filled experience for the whole family. the delightful Champagne
Make dad feel like a king during Father’s Day. Whether your dad prefers seafood or prime rib, CafÊ Sierra offers them both in generous portions in a beautiful, mouthwatering spread. If you are looking for lobsterfest, you don’t have to go to the state of Maine to enjoy lobster. If dad loves lobster and eats lot of it, CafÊ Sierra is your go-to place. And if he is really a prime rib sort of dude, CafÊ Sierra is the place to go as well.
BBQ Brunch Buffet will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is sure to please the entire family. Later that night is Cafe sierra’s renowned Lobster, BBQ, Prime rib & seafood Dinner Buffet from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Cafe sierra offers an abundant assortment of eats for every kind of dad out there. Is he a fan of the marine variety? Cafe sierra’s seafood options include an ocean of options including lobster, crab legs, shrimp, oysters, salmon on ice and an assortment of sushi and sashimi. some of Cafe sierra’s meat options for the carnivorous man include ham, legs of lamb and, of course, a delectable array of BBQ. also be sure to try freshly cut prime rib at the prime rib carving stations. the buffet will also include savory Chinese specialties, tasty entree specialties from the chef and even classic
breakfast favorites: Cafe sierra is sure to please every palate. still have room after scouring through the abundant buffet? Looking for something to satisfy that sweet tooth? Cafe sierra has got you covered. sample a variety of chocolatedipped goodies at the chocolate fountain, or customize your own delicious crepe at the crepe station. Don’t want to confine the fun to just one day? Cafe sierra is also hosting two Pre-Father’s Day Celebration dinners on Friday, June 17 and saturday, June 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. where the scrumptious pickings include some of Cafe sierra’s finest installments in its crowd-pleasing buffet. a memorable meal is not the only thing Cafe sierra offers. During the sunday brunch and dinner buffets, a Dixieland Jazz band will be filling the dining rooms with fun, New
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The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 15, 2016
Treat your dad to a place he will be impressed with. Bring him to the Universal City Hilton’s CafÊ Sierra. No one does it better than CafÊ Sierra. The seafood choices from lobster to crab legs will have any seafood lover coming back for more.
ed. Prices, dates, times, menu and entertainment are subject to change without notice. For reservations call (818) 5092030. to reserve online and for more information, visit www. cafesierrahilton.com. (AJPress)
Orleans-style tunes. admission for all days and meals is $58/person for adults and $28/child (3-10 years old). Father’s Day Weekend at Cafe sierra is sure to be an unforgettable experience. tax and gratuity not includ-
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Celebrity dads share their fave fatherhood moments by Dolly
Anne CArvAjAl Inquirer.net
Father’s Day this year is more significant because after we celebrate it with our own fathers on June 19, we will welcome the new “paternal figure� of our nation, President-elect Duterte on June 30. Of all the roles that celebrities play, being a dad is what they relish the most. I cornered some stars and asked them about their favorite fatherhood moment. the “Papalicious Papas� of show biz come and go, but dads remain: Ryan Cayabyab: seeing my son toma smile happily during his first airplane ride was a relief. It was quite a struggle to convince him to ride a plane at 4 years old. he had this notion that we might fall off from the plane when we were airborne. I hid newspaper and magazine photos of airplane crashes. this was one of those father moments—to convince a son that everything will be alright. so, finally, on a flight to Cebu, when I tucked him in his seat and put his seatbelt on, he declared: “It’s just [like] riding a bus, after all.� My daughter Krina came home one day from school crying. at 6 years old, she joined a singing contest and lost. For one so young, Krina had perfect pitch, but she had such a faint voice. [My wife] emmy and I had to comfort her and tell her that her voice wasn’t good for singing contests. Bo Cerrudo: On a stormy day in august 2003 in Boracay, I went swimming despite the big waves that almost drowned me. Before I knew it, I was struggling helplessly and was being swept further out into the sea. I heard my then 3-year-old son Diego crying and screaming at the
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top of his lungs for me to come back to shore. as I managed to get my head above water, I faintly saw that he was all alone by the shore, all wet and crying, fearing for my life. at that moment, tired and all, I swam safely back to shore for almost 40 minutes. he didn’t leave my side till the next day. Ogie Alcasid: I always love the Father’s Day cards that my girls give me every year. I actually have two Father’s Days, because australia celebrates it on another date. Nate is planning a Father’s Day surprise for me this year. Noel Cabangon: One of the more unforgettable bonding moments I had with my son was watching a concert of John Mayer at sM Mall of asia. We were drenched, and while alternately sharing one umbrella, we sang along to Mayer’s songs.
Jose Mari Chan: I own a complete collection of Classics Illustrated comics (circa 1950s). When my kids were growing up, I would read to them the different classic stories in these comic books. and as we went through the pages of the comics, I would alter my voice according to the characters depicted in the stories, which helped bring the characters come to life. I also made up enchanting bedtime stories to expose them to the songs of my generation. Kim Atienza: When I got sick and had GBs (Group B strep, a type of bacteria) in 2013, [my kids] volunteered to take turns watching over me in 12-hour shifts at the Intensive Care Unit. I had so much quality time with each of them telling jokes, stories, taking pics and just enjoying every minute. It was then that I realized how much my kids loved me.
Drew Arellano looks forward to fatherhood
ready to be a dad? “Yes,� assured Drew, “ready na ready na ako.� sPeaKING of impending When his parents broke up, date with the stork, Iya Villania Drew opted to stay with his will keep her own either end of father atty. aga whom Drew august or early september, aclooked up to as his idol, more of cording to expectant first father a friend than as a father. Drew arellano. “I will be easy with my son,� “It’s really my first time to be said Drew who will leave the one,� Drew told Funfare in jest, disciplinary task to Iya. “In my “kasi so far, wala pa namang case,� added Drew, “it was my ibang (babaing buntis) na mom who is the disciplinarian. nagdo-doorbell, hehehe!!!� I will be a barkada to (antonio). Yes, the couple (married in We will be buddy-buddies.� January last year) is having a Incidentally, the home boy. asked if they have already Foodie show falls right smack chosen a name, Drew said, “Not along the couple’s alley. yet. We are still thinking of one.� “I love to cook,� revealed But when Iya told the movie Drew who is joined by Iya as copress at the presscon the other chef on the show. “I usually look day for san Miguel Pure Foods for new recipes on the Internet,� home Foodie season 2 that the agreeing that, as per the show’s child would be named antonio, bulletin, anyone with an interest Drew expressed (or feigned?) in food and new food experisurprise. “ha, you have already ences is a foodie. found a name?� the name is Besides the foodie show, in honor of Drew’s late father, Drew also hosts the travel lawyer antonio arellano (a.k.a. show Biyahe ni Drew which has atty. aga). brought him to various parts not by riCky lo Philstar.com
Soon-to-be parents Drew Arellano and Iya Villania on the San Miguel Pure Foods Home Foodie show with chefs Rene Ruiz, Llena Tan-Arcenas and RJ Garcia.
only of the Philippines but also of asia. home Foodie viewers are expected to learn tips and techniques in food preparation with the experts from the san Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center led by chefs Llena tan-arcenas, rene ruz and rJ Garcia.
,5.#( 30%#)!, 3ERVED WITH 3OUP UP
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4
entertainment
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 15, 2016
Clint Ramos wins Tony Award for Costume Design By MoMar
G. Visaya
AJPress
NEW YORK—Clint Ramos made history on Sunday, June 12 when he won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Play, becoming the fourth Filipino to win the coveted award and the first person of color to win in his category. This year marks a milestone, the 70th year of the Antoinette Perry Awards, more famously known as Tony Awards. Ramos won for his work in “Eclipsed,” penned by The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira and starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o. He was nominated along with Jane Greenwood (“Long Day’s Journey Into Night”), Michael Krass (“Noises Off”) and Tom Scutt (“King Charles III”). “From one to Pia Wurtzbach, I would say I was a six,” a playful Ramos told the Asian Journal when asked about his confidence level on Sunday evening. “I did not expect to win. I thought the British guy was going to win. My mother mentioned a survey that I was the one favored to win but I didn’t want to pay attention. Nakaka-nerbiyos na eh (It’s nerve-racking).” That feeling of uncertainty made the victory sweeter for Clint, who wished he was more prepared when he went onstage to receive his award. His category was among the first awards to be given last Sunday and he was chatting with David Zinn who won the Tony for Best Set Design for a Play (“The Humans”) when his name was called. “It caught me by surprise. I got up there, managed to say a couple of thank yous and as I looked at the crowd, I saw Oprah who was smiling and I went blank,” Ramos said. “I was really overwhelmed. I don’t think I ever considered in my own reality that I’d see myself up on that stage receiving a Tony Award.” Only three Filipinos have won the Tony: Lea Salonga for her “Miss Saigon” performance in 2001, Robert Lopez for “Avenue Q “in 2004 and “Book of Mormon” in 2011 and Jhett Tolentino (with his partner Joann Raffe) in 2014 for being co-producers of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” (Best Musical), “A
Janella Salvador steps into the limelight by
Honey orio-escullar Philstar.com
“THERE’S a feeling of excitement and a little pressure,” says Janella Salvador, referring to Raisin in the Sun” (Best Revival on Tuesday morning, June 14, a her and Elmo Magalona’s first of a Play, which starred Denzel full day after the awards show. team-up via the kilig series “Born Washington) and in 2013, “Vanya “I’m diving into other work now, for You” which premieres on the and Sonia and Masha and Spike” and trying to meditate on what it Kapamilya Primetime Bida on (Best Play). all means.” June 20. The Tony statuette will stay He went to work on Monday As the newest love team in his apartment for now, he and spent time giving a few that ABS-CBN is building up, said, on the top shelf along with interviews. He then started workJanella knows that she and Elmo the other awards that he has ing on his next projects, respondare up to the challenge of living amassed through the years. ed to emails and congratulatory up to the network’s expecta“I love, adore and respect messages posted on his various tions, thankful that they are you! So excited for this win for social media accounts. to be entrusted with such an you!! You are a consummate Historic Tony night important project like the popular artist to me,” Eclipsed creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamlove teams of James Reid and Gurira tweeted when Clint’s ilton” was the evening’s biggest Nadine Lustre, Enrique Gil and name was announced as the winner, bagging 11 out of the Liza Soberano, Daniel Padilla and winner. record 16 nominations spread Kathryn Bernardo, and Kim Chiu Team Ramos across 13 categories. It was one and Xian Lim. At the Tony Gala held at The win shy of tying the record 12 “We’re hoping naman (it will Clint Ramos with his Tony Award Plaza Hotel, a few hours after the wins achieved by “The ProducAJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya be successful) but it’s not good awards telecast, Ramos said he ers” in 2001. Hamilton lost in to expect too much also,” says was still floating from the eupho- two categories – scenic design actor, respectively. Cynthia Erivo Janella. “I guess we couldn’t ria of the win. At that point, he and lead actress in a musical, and won lead actress for “The Color avoid the comparison but we’re was just letting it sink in. three other acting nominations, Purple.” not trying to compete with “It’s unbelievable that it for Jonathan Groff, Christopher The talk on diversity on anyone. We’re just really enjoyhappened,” he said, in between Jackson and Miranda himself. and off stage is something that ing what we’re doing. We’re just bites of sliders. Miranda won for Best Score Ramos is passionate about. In hoping the best for this show.” A few moments later, we and delivered an emotional son- the Asian Journal’s first inter“Born for You” tells about passed through where his team net that reflected the evening’s view with him a month ago, he how fate works for two people was camped out. restrained sentiments about lamented the fact that what hap- destined to be together. Janella Team Ramos had his mom, the mass shooting in Orlando. pens backstage does not fully re- plays the aspiring Pinay singer Atty. Linda Boiser-Ramos, his He ended it with a powerful flect what’s happening onstage. Sam Kazuko who grows up in sister Regina, his husband Jason message that resonated to the And this is why he is happy that Japan. A hopeless romantic, she and his husband’s parents, David viewers and the social media, this year’s batch of Tony Award believes in the concept of the red and Bunny Moff. “And love is love is love is love nominees – and eventual winners string of fate, which means there’s A practicing lawyer in Cebu, is love is love is love is love can– is diverse. an invisible string that connects Atty. Ramos is ecstatic about this not be killed or swept aside. Fill “The diversity means a lot. two people set to meet each incredible and historic win. the world with music, love and This means that even children other wherever they are in the “Masayang masaya ako pride.” or young artists of color who are world. tonight. Bihirang mangyari ito sa Tony host James Corden considering a career in theater “This is my first soap that reatin,” Ramos’s mom Linda told set the tone of the evening can see themselves up there. ally focuses on romance because the Asian Journal. and talked about the industry’s It’s pretty major and I wish there my first soap was about family The Tony winner, whose message to the Orlando victims. were more people of color in full name is Clint Edward, was “Your tragedy is our tragedy. the design categories as well,” named after his father Eduardo. Theater is a place where every Ramos said. “I was just told that He is the eldest among the race, creed, sexuality and gender I am the first person of color to From Page 3 Ramos children. “I have two is equal, embraced, and loved. win in my category, it is imporlawyers, and accountant, and Hate will never win,” he said. tant that people see that. When sometimes very foolish stand up now a Tony Award winner, how’s “There was no way that the I was growing up, I couldn’t acts, comedienne and actress that?” she said proudly. As for theater community could ignore see myself up there, I had to Giselle is nevertheless a very the history of Clint, his mom what happened in Orlando. That seek examples out like Eduardo smart lady. quipped before breaking into a particular part of the community Sicangco and Loy Arcenas.” 5. Cristine Bersola-Babao hearty laugh, “Gusto ko si Clint that was affected is almost an exThe newly-minted Tony - Cum Laude, Mass CommunicaEastwood nung araw eh.” tended part of the theater world. Award winner also expressed his tion, University of the Philip“I’m just so glad that my I think it was appropriate as it profound thanks to his supportpines mom came. My dad passed away was a little somber,” Clint added. ers and everyone in the diaspora 6. Paula Peralejo - Magna three years ago and he would “The theater has always been who prayed for him. Cum Laude, Bachelor of Arts have been really, really happy to about inclusion, acceptance and “I would like to thank all my in Philosophy with a minor in have seen this. When I decided tolerance.” family and friends and kababayTourism, University of the Philto pursue a life in theater, my Actors of color also made ans in the Philippines and here ippines (2008) mom and dad expressed their Tony Awards history by winning in the U.S. who have extended Maria Elena Paula Peralejo concern for me because I was all four musical acting categotheir prayers and support. I feel in real life and the sister of Rica choosing a life of uncertainty, but ries. Three cast members from the love and I just want to say Peralejo was a famous teen they still gave their blessings,” “Hamilton” – Leslie Odom, Jr., that I am not taking that for star during the late 90’s and Clint shared. Renee Elise Goldsberry and granted,” Ramos said. “I know early 2000’s. She quit showbiz “It’s slowly starting to sink Daveed Diggs won as lead actor, what responsibilities this kind of right after the final episode of in,” Clint told the Asian Journal featured actress and featured recognition comes with.” “Tabing-ilog”, the popular youth-
Janella Salvador
(“Be Careful with my Heart”); while my second soap (“Oh my G!”), yung ka-love team ko talaga is God. So this time, it’s the Sam and Kevin characters talaga ang magmamarka and I’m excited,” shares Janella. The Star Magic talent considers portraying Sam her most challenging role yet because “this one is far from my being maarte, different from my previous kikay roles, so you will see a different side of me in this show. So doon ako na-challenge na maalis yung ka-kikay-an ko sa pag-arte.” After a six-week preparation, including shooting “Born for You” in Japan, Janella couldn’t wait to finally see its pilot episode. “I have a good feeling about the show. I’m excited because music is gonna be a big part of it and we have so many surprises here,” says Janella who is grateful for being able to showcase another skill aside from singing and acting, which is playing the ukulele.
Top of their class: Pinoy celebrities... oriented show during the early 2000’s. The show ran for 3 years, and one of the top-rated shows during those times. She left show business for her to focus on her studies. 7. Lea Salonga - Valedictorian, Elementary and High School, OB Montessori Even at a very young age Lea was already performing on the theater stage, TV and film. She also started her recording career and was a teen star via “That’s Entertainment.” However, in spite of her busy schedule, the international Broadway star and Tony awardee still managed to finish grade school and high school with high honors.
Moonlighting
features 5
The gift of service
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 15, 2016
by Mylah de
leon
There is in all work of service a deep soul — something that has called those who participate in it and sustains it. Tangible and visible, whose objects had been brought by nurses, doctors, telephone operators, cleaning women, file clerks, social workers, to name a few, but it is not possible to tell what had been placed there, because in a few hours these people had gone beyond their expertise. It is in another way of life, a recognition of your real value and power. It is independent of any role that you have been given to play or the expertise you have acquired, possible to diminish the life around you in almost any role. A man called Rudy he was more known as rodolfo Lacson Tirona, recently retired after serving 43 years at the Los Angeles County Department of health Services. rudy worked in various county
three feet to four feet, and the doctoral hood is wider. Lined with college or university colors, they typically have one field color and one chevron color, though sometimes there are school specific variations. The edge of hoods is velvet in the color of the degree subject. Cowl Cowls are typically made from velveteen rather than velvet, and are used for Associate Degrees. They do not display a degree or discipline color, just the institutional colors on the lining. The outside is generally black. Tam Tams are typically used for Doctoral degrees, though some Master’s programs do use them. Tams are made from velvet, and usually have a ribbon over the fabric, and in black. Color variations do occur with some colleges. The number of sides vary, and can be four, six, or eight-sided, eight, six, or four sides. Four-sided is usually only used for Master’s degrees, while six and eight sided are used for
Doctor’s degrees depending on which the University prefers. Tams are “poofed” at the top instead of flat, and come with a tassel usually in gold, with one or two buttons and sometimes in a gold bullion color. Mortarboard or cap Mortarboards are flat rather than “poufy” at the top, are not made from velvet, and are also usually black but come in a variety of colors and variations are more frequent than with tams. Mortarboards have only four sides, and typically have a tassel with a single button at the top, usually in the color of the degreegranting institution. Tassel is worn on left after graduation (on right before the big moment). Usually black for undergraduates, but Masters have the option of wearing discipline color while Doctors usually wear gold. (AJPress) Source: “The History of Academical Dress in Europe Until the End of the Eighteenth Century,” by HargreavesMawdsley, WN, Oxford University Press 1963
Rodolfo Lacson Tirona, a dearly loved social worker of LAC+USC Medical Center
departments and spent most of his years for the Los Angeles County+University of Southern California Medical Center as a Patient Finance Service Control worker. The story of how his family got to America is also inspiring, where everyone and everything is caught in the pressure of survival of the fittest, with courage and resolve to pursue and accomplish your goal. “every life is unique and with purpose, all you need is a clear head and a kind heart. Service — true service — is a relationship between people who bring the full resources of their combined
Academic regalia: Origin of the... From Page 2 based on nationality to defend the rights of an alien in foreign land. Some examples of faculty colors will show that no exact code of colors, but there were certain tendencies. Thus black at Paris, Oxford, and Cambridge, and white at Salamanca, Coimbra, and Perpignan were the colors of the Faculty of Theology. Green, yellow, or sanguine were at various universities the colors of the Faculty of Medicine, while blue of various shades very often denoted the Faculty of Philosophy. The most constant was scarlet for Canon Law, but even this by no means always held good. In some countries, in england and Spain especially, founders of colleges ordered certain kinds of dress to be worn by members of their foundations. Today, it’s useful to know where we are now with graduation robes. The modern graduation gown employs a different robe, gown, hood, tam, mortar-
humanity to the table and share their generosity.” With those words, our conversation flourished and the ice was broken. We had distinctly asked him, what “service” was all about (over coffee a recent afternoon), the only topic we had chosen. “Mr. Tirona, what to you is the true meaning of service?,” I asked. “When we help, it is not really service it is hard not to see someone weaker than yourself, but someone more needy. When we help, we become aware of our strength
because we are using it, we do not serve with strength but with ourselves drawing form all our experiences. Service is a relationship between equals, free from debt. In helping, we may find a sense of satisfaction. In serving we have an experience in gratitude. All who serve, serve life,” he said To follow up my first question, I asked, “Mr. Tirona, you said earlier, only service heals, could you amplify?” “All who serve, serve life, something worthy of our attention, the ultimate commitment of our time, our lives,” he started and then added, “You see, Mylah, service is not about fixing life, outwitting life, manipulating life, controlling life or struggling to gain mastery over life. When we serve life, you discover a lot of other things. Service is closer to generosity than it is to duty. It connects us to one another and to life itself. Servicing others becomes the natural and joyful thing, as we experience our connectedness over the long run,
board, cap, and cowl for different individuals and groups within the school or religious institution. Robe or gown The three types of degrees each have a different style gown. Bachelor’s gowns have pointed sleeves, and are worn closed. Master’s gowns have oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, with the base hanging down, and rear part of the oblong cut square while the front arc cuts away. These robes have fasteners so they can be worn open or closed. Doctoral gowns have bell-shaped sleeves, also designed with fasteners so it is worn closed or opened. For the doctor’s robes also have trimmings including velvet panels down the front and three bars of velvet on the sleeves. All three gowns are usually black, though some colleges and universities use the color of the school. Hood Academic hoods are black, made from the same fabric as the gown. They vary in length depending on the degree from
fixing and helping are draining, but service is renewing: when you serve, your work itself will sustain you, renew you, bless you after over many years… and that is what I am looking at, on my retirement. “We already know that professionalism has embedded in service a certain distance, but on its deepest level, the service I have experienced in my personal
battle with cancer, is an experience of connection to others and to the world around us, a connection that gives us the power to bless the life in others. “Service has a life of its own, a single act of kindness may have a long trajectory and touch those we will never meet or see.” *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol. com
6
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - June 15, 2016
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