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Filipino on FBI’s Most Wanted list by Agnes
ConstAnte AJPress
A fILIPINo man from Los Angeles wanted for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend last month has been named to the fBI’s ten most Wanted fugitives list. Philip Patrick Policarpio, 39, was charged with first-degree murder on April 22 in Los Angeles. Authorities have
issued local, state and federal warrants for his arrest, and are offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. “his pattern is one of violence, and he is always armed,” said special Agent scott Garriola, a member of the fBI’s Los Angeles fugitives task force. “he is the definition of a continuing threat to the community.” the fBI said the filipino fugitive may
have traveled to Las Vegas and has family ties to the Philippines. During a card game last month with associates and friends, Policarpio got into an argument with his girlfriend who was 17 weeks pregnant. Garriola said Policarpio, in front of everyone, began beating her with his fists, then pulled out a gun and shot her in the head, killing her and her unborn child instantly. Witnesses at the scene said he fled and
has not been seen since. on may 16, Policarpio was charged with a second count of murder of a human fetus with malice aforethought, according to ABC News. At the time of the killing, Policarpo was on parole for multiple counts of attempted murder in a 2000 case in Burbank, according to the Los Angeles Times. In that case, he fired multiple rounds at a
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Philip Patrick Policarpio (Photo from FBI)
VP issue divides Congress
Senate, House canvass panels have differing views by LeiLA
B. sALAverriA Inquirer.net
CONGRESS CONVENES. Senate President Franklin Drilon (second from left) and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. turn over the contents of one ballot box to Sen. Koko Pimentel and Rep. Boyet Gonzales at the Batasang Pambansa complex. Inquirer.net photo by Lyn Rillon
DATELINE
USA
from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
Report finds Asians in US are healthier than other groups A NeW study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that Asian adults – particularly Chinese adults – are physically and psychologically healthier than other Us adults. overall, Chinese adults reported better health in five measures included in the report: likelihood for fair or poor health, chronic conditions, psychological distress, work limitations and limited social participation. the study, based on data from the 20102014 National health Interview survey (NhIs), took into account the six largest Asian sub-
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LA to host Super Bowl in 2021
GooD news for football fans: Los Angeles is set to host super Bowl LV in 2021. the announcement came on tuesday, may 24, after NfL owners voted to have the annual game in the city. the game will be played at the NfL stadium that is yet to be constructed in Inglewood. the venue, privately funded by Los Angeles rams’ owner stan Kroenke, is estimated to cost $2.6 billion and is scheduled to open in 2019. the rams relocated back to Los Angeles from st. Louis, and will play at the LA memorial Coliseum in the meantime. “Los Angeles is built to host the super Bowl,” Los Angeles mayor eric Garcetti said, according to CBs. “We helped forge this great
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Incoming GMA declines Duterte’s pardon offer DOJ chief sets probe on DAP by Aries Joseph
Inquirer.net
by edu
punAy Philstar.com
mANILA — Incoming justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II will look into the liabilities of officials of the outgoing Aquino administration over unconstitutional acts under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). Apart from corruption, Aguirre said drug cases would also be a priority of the Department of Justice (DoJ) under the new administration.
heginA
DAVAo CItY — Presumptive President-elect rodrigo Duterte said that he believes that former president Gloria macapagal Arroyo should be released because there is no good case against her. “I talked to her (Arroyo). sabi ko (i said), if I become president, ipa-pardon kita (i will pardon you) not because you are my friend but I also believe that there is no good case against you, as a prosecutor and a lawyer,” the incoming President told reporters here monday night. however, Duterte said that the former chief executive and now reelected Pampanga representative
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DFA: Around 10,000 manual votes by mail from OFWs to be counted by estreLLA
torres Inquirer.net
foreIGN undersecretary rafael seguis said close to 10,000 votes from overseas filipino Workers (ofWs) will have to be counted in the national canvassing as they have come from the manual votes by mail, mostly from seafarers and filipinos in the Us. he said the ofW votes have gained importance particularly in the vice presidential race, with results still hanging. “the closely contested vice presidential race has highlighted the importance of the overseas filipino Vote,” said seguis in a statement, a copy of which was given to the Inquirer. “this impact should go a long way in helping enhance the outputs of future overseas voting cycles because awareness of its value for both major stakeholders (voters
1
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte
and politicians) seem to have been dramatically enhanced by this recently concluded democratic exercise,” he said. At 32 percent voters’ turnout or 439,000 votes cast out of the 1.37-million registered filipino voters abroad, undersecretary seguis said, “I would endeavor to say that the 2016 elections was an unmitigated success for overseas voting.” he said although presumptive President-elect rodrigo Duterte and vice presidential candidate Bongbong marcos won in the overseas voting, “ it is a little too early to come up with an in depth and detailed assessment since raw figures that need to be processed are not completely in yet.” seguis heads the overseas Voting secretariat of the Department of foreign Affairs. With regards the voters’ turnout he said the 2016 election cycle overseas continued “to set new historical milestones.” n
CAN the winning presidential candidate in the may 9 elections be proclaimed ahead of the winning vice presidential candidate? the leaders of the canvassing panels of the house of representatives and the senate are divided on the matter, but the decision ultimately rests with the members of Congress. the question arose on tuesday, may 24 when Congress convened as the national board of canvassers (NBoC) to count the votes for the country’s top elective posts amid the landslide win of rodrigo Duterte in the presidential race and the hairline lead of Leni robredo over Bongbong marcos in the vice presidential contest based on an unofficial quick count. marcos has raised suspicion about the quick count by the Parish Pastoral Council for responsible Voting (PPCrV), the citizens’ arm of the Commission on elections (Comelec). majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, head of the house canvassing panel, said he could not see how separate proclamations could be done.
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A MAY 25-27, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
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From the Front Page
Filipino on FBI’s Most Wanted… PAGE A1 t
year sentence for that case. The Filipino suspect is described as 5-foot-8 with brown eyes, black hair and weighing between 150 to 165 pounds. He has a shaved head; a scar near his left eye; a mole on his right nostril below his right lip; tattoos on his back left thigh and both arms; a tattoo on his chest that says “Only God Can Judge Me;” and may wear eyeglasses. Also named to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is Luis Macedo, a Latin Kings street gang member from Chicago wanted for the murder PAGE A1 t “She has been detained for so of a 15-year-old boy in 2009. refused his offer. long. What it has been like, two Macedo and Policarpio are the “She doesn’t want because to 507th and 508th individuals to be able to grant pardon, you have years?” he said. be named to the list. “Under the Constitution, to admit the sin. She doesn’t Anyone with information is want it because she didn’t do ground talaga yan eh. You canasked to call the Los Angenot prejudice the case.” anything wrong. And that is In the campaign trail, Duterte les Field Office at (310) 477right,” he said in Filipino. has repeatedly said that he 6565. Those outside the United Duterte believes that Arroyo had been deprived of a speedy wants Arroyo to be freed from States may contact the nearest US Embassy or Consulate. n her hospital arrest. n trial. vehicle, shooting a woman in the head and a man in the shoulder. Both victims survived. He fled to the Philippines with the help of his mother, according to the complaint, and was extradited back to the United States a year later after being caught by Philippine authorities. “We believe – based on not only his criminal history, but what seems to be a clear propensity for violence coupled with the fact that he’s on the run
– that he’s clearly a danger to society and needs to be caught,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller in Los Angeles, according to The Associated Press. Policarpio is also wanted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for violating his parole. In 2001, he was convicted for assault with a firearm by an ex-felon as well as narcotics violations, according to ABC News. He was released on parole in May 2015 after serving only part of his 14-
GMA declines Duterte’s…
NEW LEGISLATOR. Michael “Mikee” Romero is proclaimed as representative of 1Pacman party-list. With him are sons Santi and Miguel. The Court of Appeals (CA) has allowed the camp of businessman and incoming partylist Rep. Michael Romero to resume the operation of Harbour Centre Terminal which was the subject of contention between Michael and his father, Reghis Romero II. ManilaTimes.net photo
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VP issue divides…
He noted that the certificates of canvass (COCs) contained the votes for both president and vice president so that questioning the result for one position would mean questioning that for the other. But Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, head of the Senate canvassing panel, said separate proclamations could be done “theoretically,” although it did not happen before for the positions of president and vice president. But Pimentel told reporters that he saw no legal impediment to the idea of proclaiming the President earlier. Sen. Vicente Sotto III, a member of the Senate canvassing panel, also believed the President could be proclaimed ahead of the Vice President. Vacuum “What we don’t want is for there to be a vacuum. We abhor vacuums,” Sotto said in an ambush interview. He said there could be separate proclamations because the Senate leadership made it clear that under the canvassing rules, the board could tackle separately the issues or objections concerning the votes for President and the votes for Vice President in
the COCs. This means that there would be no delays with regard to the positions where the COCs have not been questioned. Sotto initially moved during the joint Congress session to include in the canvassing rules the separate handling of the issues concerning the votes for president and vice president. But Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said Sotto’s proposal was already included in the inherent powers of the NBOC. Sotto withdrew his motion. But Gonzales said the COC for one province or city contained the votes for president, vice president and even the senators. If the execution of a COC for a province is OK, then it is OK for all the positions, he added. “You can’t be blind about the observations for the votes for President and then have your eyes open for the observations for votes for Vice President,” he told reporters. Panels formed The Senate and the House formed the canvassing committee during a joint session on Tuesday and approved the rules that would govern the proclamation of the country’s next leaders.
For the Senate, the panel will be headed by Pimentel. Its members are Senators Sonny Angara, Ralph Recto, Teofisto Guingona III, Sergio Osmeña III, Juan Ponce Enrile and Sotto. The alternate members are Senators Cynthia Villar and JV Ejercito. For the House, the panel will be headed by Gonzales and its members are Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, and 1BAP Rep. Silvestre Bello. The alternates are Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora. Marcos challenge Marcos had indicated that there were COCs from several provinces that his camp intended to challenge for supposedly questionable results. The areas included the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where he said there were reports that people were not allowed to vote and that ballots were preshaded. The ballot boxes containing the COCs were brought to the House
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Listahan ng paghihintay para sa Long Beach Housing Authority Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher at HOPWA ay magbubukas ng June 6, 2016 Pagtanggap ng mga Aplikasyon Ang Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach (HACLB) ay magsisimulang tumanggap ng mga aplikasyon para sa Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) at HOPWA (pabahay na oportunidad para sa mga taong may AIDS) simula Lunes, June 6, 2016 at magsasara ng Lunes, June 20, 2016. Ang voucher ay maaaring gamitin sa kahit anong uri ng pamamahay na rerentahan na tumatanggap ng Section 8 at umaayon sa pamantayan ng programa. Paano Ako Mag-aaplay: Maaari mong kumpletuhin ang isang online na aplikasyon sa www.longbeach.gov/haclb/apply. Mangyaring tawagan ang Linya ng Telepono ukol sa Awtomatikong Impormasyon para sa karagdagang impormasyon — (562) 570.6309. Kung walang desktop computer na magagamit kaagad, mangyaring bumisita sa isa sa aming mga satellite na lokasyon na nakalista sa ibaba upang makumpleto ang iyong aplikasyon. WALANG MAKUKUHANG APLIKASYON SA TANGGAPAN NG AWTORIDAD NG PABAHAY SA LUNGSOD NG LONG BEACH
Long Beach Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher and HOPWA waiting list to open June 6, 2016
Accepting Applications
The Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach (HACLB) will be accepting applications for its Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) program and HOPWA Program (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) starting Monday, June 6, 2016 and will close on June 20, 2016. These vouchers can be used in any unit as long as the unit you wish to rent accepts Section 8 and meet the standards of the program. How Do I Apply: You may complete an application online at www.longbeach.gov/haclb/apply. Please call the Automated Information Telephone Line for more information — (562) 570.6309. If a desktop computer is not readily available to you please visit one of our satellite locations listed below to complete your application. APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH OFFICE All City of Long Beach Public Libraries 2017 E 4th Street The Center 1150 E. Fourth Street Long Beach Senior Center Centro C.H.A. (Community Hispanic Association) 205 E. Anaheim St. Cal Rec Community Center United Cambodian Community Houghton Park Community Center Silverado Park Community Center Filipino Migrant Center
1550 Martin Luther King Blvd 2201 E. Anaheim St Suite 200 6301 Myrtle Ave 1545 W. 31st Street 2125 Santa Fe Ave
10:00 am – 3:00 pm 9:00 am — 2:00 pm 8:30 am — 6:00 pm 8:30 am — 3:00 pm 9:00 am — 2:00 pm 9:00 am — 12:00 pm 9:00 am — 2:00 pm 9:00 am — 2:00 pm 10:00 am — 2:00 pm
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A
Fil-Ams ‘feel the Bern’ at Sanders rally in Southern Calif. by Florante
Peter Ibanez Inquirer.net
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? They’re not exactly shedding off their yellow coats, but 80 of the 116 elected Liberal Party (LP) representatives are joining the incoming Duterte administration’s Coalition for Change. The rest of what was once the bulwark of President Aquino’s daang matuwid (straight path) governance, will be sharply reduced and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. transformed into the minority leader of the House of Representatives. Belmonte, who led the House in the 15th and 16th Congress, has conceded the speakership fight to incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of PDP-Laban in order to preserve the LP’s status as the single biggest party in Congress.
Fil-Am vote organizers hope for ‘carryover’ effect of PH polls by Jun
nucum Inquirer.net
OAKLAND, California — Filipino community activists expressed hope that more Filipino Americans will turnout in the coming June 7 California presidential primary, as a carryover of the election fever that saw an 81 percent turnout at the May 9 national elections in the Philippines. This hope was aired at the Rock the Balut: Mobilizing the New Majority press briefing during the recent celebration of the 43rd anniversary of Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ). Rock the Balut seeks “to energize the Filipino vote in California.” “Filipinos are quickly becoming an active constituent in the democratic process with the potential for more growth,” reported FAJ Board President Nelson Layag. Largest after Latinos “In California, not only are there more than 370,000 Filipino registered voters, but Filipinos are also the largest immigrant group after Latinos. In 2013 40 percent of Filipino legal permanent residents were eligible to apply for naturalization, a precursor to voter registration,” Layag added. Part of the FAJ’s efforts to inform the Filipino community is to use a study being funded by Wells Fargo Bank on areas where Filipino voters could have significant impact. Voter engagement researchers Levin Sy and Rebecca Apostol are studying information from a database of registered voters gathered by Political Data Inc.
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(PDI). “Studies on voting behavior found that when folks do have dual citizenships and are actively voting in their home country, they are actually active voters wherever they are living as well,” reported Apostol, explaining why Fil-Ams’ enthusiasm over the recent elections in the Philippines could carry over to the polls in the US. “Voting behavior actually feeds off each other and it is encouraging,” Apostol said. She urged Filipinos to show the same enthusiastic participation in electoral participation here. Low registration It is still a major challenge, however. As the 2010 Census indicated, more than half of the 1.4 million eligible Filipino American voters in 11 Northern California counties were unregistered. FAJ study of the 11 Northern California counties pointed to Yolo County as having the highest percentage of unregistered Filipino voters with 82 percent; followed by San Francisco County (53.4 percent); Sonoma County (50.8 percent); Sacramento County (50.5 percent); Santa Clara County (50.1 percent); Marin County (46.7 percent); San Mateo County (45.9 percent); Napa County (45.7 percent); Alameda County (45.5 percent); Solano County (43.8 percent) and Contra Costa County (43.4 percent). Ricardo Reynoso of the Alameda County Registrar of Voters further broke down the figures on Filipinos in his county: “In the 2010 Census figures, about 6 percent or roughly 82,000 of the1.5 million residents of Alam-
eda County were Filipinos. Eighty percent of this or around 65,000 were of voting age, but only close to 30,000 were registered voters. That leaves around 35,000 who were qualified but unregistered potential Filipino voters.” “If we are going to make a margin of difference considering that we are the largest ethnic group in the state, we need to register to vote,” Sy exhorted. He said further: “Also, we learned that in some of the Assembly races, state Senate races and counties supervisorial seats, Filipino Americans make up a sizable difference to actually make an impact in the elections, if only they are register and participate.” Potential impact The localities with the most potential for Filipino voters’ impact (from highest to lowest percentage of Filipino registered voters) are San Mateo County Supervisor District 5 (23 percent); San Francisco County Supervisor District 11 (10 percent); Alameda County’s Supervisor District 2 (10 percent); 19th Assembly District (8 percent); 27th Assembly District (6 percent); 14th Assembly District (6 percent) and 11th Senate District (5 percent). Some of reasons cited for the low rate of Filipino voter registration: the community is not inspired to vote; there is a sense of apathy; Fil-Ams feel their votes won’t matter; political campaigns don’t bother to call or involve Filipinos if they are not a sizable constituency; there is little investment poured in mobilizing the Filipino vote. “When they are inspired, like
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VP issue divides…
from the Senate early on Tuesday morning. They had been housed in the Senate since May 9. Marcos has questioned the alteration of the script in the transparency server used by the PPCRV, contending that poll officials did not present proof that the change only resulted in a cosmetic and not substantial change. Last week, Marcos sent a formal letter to the Comelec demanding that his camp be allowed to conduct a systems audit to determine the extent of the effect of the supposedly unsanctioned change in the data packet for a transparency server on the night of Election Day. He has been suggesting that
because of the change in the script in the data packet, supposed irregularities in the count of votes in the vice presidential race occurred. Count unaffected Earlier, Comelec and its technology partner Smartmatic had explained that the minor change in the script only involved substituting “?” that appeared in the names of certain candidates with “ñ” and that this did not affect the counting of the votes. The Marcos camp claims that the change in the script may have allowed Robredo to overtake him in the PPCRV count. The senator was trailing Robredo by more than 200,000 votes when the PPCRV ended its quick count last week, with
96.17 percent of election returns counted. Gonzales said it would be up to the canvassing committee, made up of designated members of both houses of Congress, to decide what action to take on any observations or protests that the camp of Marcos may raise. But he also said the NBOC was tasked with tabulating the votes, not to investigate alleged fraud. Not board of inquiry Quoting Senator Enrile’s statements during a previous canvassing, Gonzales said the board’s mandate was to canvass and tabulate the votes. “It’s not a board of inquiry,” he added. (With a report from Jocelyn R. Uy)
Incoming DOJ chief sets probe on…
PAGE A1 t
Aguirre revealed on Tuesday, May 24, that his marching orders from incoming president Rodrigo Duterte is to pursue corruption cases and spare no sacred cows. “We will investigate the DAP and look into the liabilities of officials responsible for it. If evidence warrants, we will file cases in court,” Aguirre said. He said Duterte, his law school classmate and fraternity brother at San Beda College, had instructed him to apply the law equally regardless of the respondents. “He told me that charges should be filed no matter who gets hurt. There should be no selective justice,” Aguirre said. He did not specify any officials who would be covered by the probe, but the grounds had been set by the Supreme Court (SC) when it voided the DAP with finality in February last year. The high court ruled that acts and practices under DAP, an economic stimulus program meant to address government underspending, violated the doctrine of separation of powers and the provision prohibiting inter-branch transfer of appropria-
tions. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justice Arturo Brion tagged President Aquino and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad as the authors of DAP and they could be held liable for the illegal act. Carpio and Brion said Aquino and Abad are not covered by the doctrine of operative fact and cannot invoke good faith in evading liability for unconstitutional acts. These included the withdrawal of unobligated allotments from implementing agencies and their use as savings prior to the end of the fiscal year as well as the transfer of savings of the executive to augment the funds of agencies outside the department. The Palace had released some P144.38 billion in DAP funds from 2011 to 2013. Detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who is facing plunder charges over the pork barrel scam, had claimed that the Palace used DAP to secure the conviction of the late chief justice Renato Corona in his 2012 impeachment trial at the Senate. Aguirre also believes there is a need for a better and system-
atic handling of evidence in drug cases. “Respondents in drug cases get off the hook because of some loopholes in the procedure of handling evidence,” he said. Aguirre is planning to start the anti-illegal drug campaign at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), an attached agency of the DOJ supervising the New Bilibid Prison and other penitentiaries in the country. “Major drug lords at the Bilibid have managed to manufacture drugs inside the area with the connivance of some BuCor employees. We have to institute more reforms. If we need to replace all the jail guards there, we will,” he said. He vowed to implement reforms in the DOJ, including possible adjustments in the salary of prosecutors to prevent corruption. “The DOJ prosecutors are the frontliners. The salary of some of them is not included in the national budget. They just rely on per diem allowances from the local government units.” Aguirre is considering closing his law firm once he assumes office as DOJ head on July 1. n
CARSON, Calif. — An estimated 11,000 supporters, including several Filipino Americans, listened attentively to speakers extol the merits of Democratic Party presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders Tuesday, May 17, at the StubHub Center Tennis Stadium. The crowd at “A Future to Believe in Southern California Election Night Rally” overflowed the stadium’s 8,000-seat capacity. A self-proclaimed democratic socialist, the pro-labor Sanders, 74, favors greater economic equality among Americans. His supporters, including Hollywood celebrities like Danny Glover, Frances Fisher and Kendrick Sampson, touted his platform, which includes free higher education, gender equity, $15 minimum wage, climate control and universal medical care. “I think we have a real shot to win primaries in a number of states coming up,” Sanders said at the rally. “And don’t tell Secretary (Hillary) Clinton — she might get nervous — but I think we’re going to win here in California.” The enthusiastic crowd represented the wide range of Californians who will be voting in the June 7 primary; it was a very diverse mix of ethnicities, ages and genders. Among them were Filipino Americans who make up a large population in Carson and the Los Angeles South Bay area. Many of the Filipinos present were also supporting local progressive Democratic candidate Warren Furutani for State Assembly District 35, representing Carson and much of the Los Angeles South Bay. SoCal Gas company engineer Daniel Ojeda Kimbrough had this to say: “It’s a packed house! Standing room only! I’ve never been so happy to have waited in such a long line. Seeing all these people here gives me hope!” Kimbrough added, “The Bernie Sanders rally was a fantastic event. It was great to see so many people supporting the basic idea that the government should look out and care for its people.” Rose Estepa Ibanez, long time community advocate and Carson resident, admired Sanders’ outspoken message of “making major changes.” She also was hopeful that a new third political party
Nurse Vicky Perez Geaga (left) and friend on their way to Bernie Sanders rally in Carson, California. Photo from Faceook
would arise from his candidacy, citing other countries functioning beyond a two-party political system, such as Brazil and Finland. “We are behind the times and we need a change now,” she commented. “I went to the Bernie rally because he embraces the same concerns that I do. I’ve been a nurse for over 30 years, and I don’t want anyone to die because they couldn’t afford healthcare, couldn’t afford medications or didn’t have access to mental health services,” stated Fil-Am Vicky Perez Geaga who drove
with friends the 20 miles from Echo Park in Los Angeles to attend the event. “We need universal health care now, and he is the only candidate supporting it. Bernie, like Pope Francis, is striving for a moral economy, one that takes care of people first, not financial institutions or corporations,” Geaga added. “Just look around–massive homelessness, so many people living without savings, one paycheck away from catastrophe, massive student debts. We need a change and we have that chance with Bernie.” n
LA to host Super Bowl in…
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American tradition as its very first host in 1967, and now, at long last, we’re bringing it back where it belongs.” This will Los Angeles’ eighth time hosting the Super Bowl. The most recent game was held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 1993. NFL owners also voted to have
the game in Atlanta in 2019 at its new $1.4 billion stadium. In 2020, Miami will host the Super Bowl for the 11th time, following a $450 million stadium renovation. Last season’s game was played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The next two games will be in Houston and Minneapolis. (AJPress)
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Guam archbishop denies sex abuse charge
SECURED. Around 600 ballot boxes which contain certificates of canvass and election results are secured in a room near the plenary hall of the House of Representatives for the canvassing of the votes for president and vice president. Inquirer.net photo by Marc Jayson Cayabyab
Report finds Asians in US are healthier…
PAGE A1 t
groups: Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean. For other groups, no clear patterns were observed for the measures. Filipino adults fared better than all US adults in the five measures, although the group was nearly equal to US adults when it came to a likelihood of having multiple chronic conditions, posting 22.3 percent compared to 24.1 percent. Filipino adults also came close to all US adults in the measure of likelihood for limited social participation at 3 percent compared to 3.9 percent. Asian Indian (4.1 percent) and Korean adults (4.6 percent) were more likely than US adults to have limited social participation. Vietnamese adults were the most likely group to report fair or poor health status (16.8 percent), surpassing the total for US adults (12.4 percent); Japanese adults were the most likely to report a work limitation (4.1 percent). “The findings of this study are consistent with these earlier analyses on non-Hispanic Asian subgroups and add to the body of evidence concerning their widely varying health,” wrote authors Barbara Bloom and Lindsey Black, who are with the National Center for Health Statistics Division of Health Interview Statistics. “Further research is needed to better understand the differences among subgroups in health care and health care out-
comes for this population.” Asians constitute 5 percent – or 15 million people – of the US population. The data used in the report was collected on more than 165,000 adults aged 18 and older. Noted by the authors is that less than 1 percent of NHIS interviews are conducted in languages other than English or Spanish. In these cases, a family member typically translates for the respondent. In the data collected from 2010 to 2014, approximately 8 percent of interviews were conducted in other languages for non-Hispanic Asian respondents. Additionally, 16.6 percent of family respondents said the sample adult’s ability to speak English was “not well or not at all,” compared to 6.5 percent for all US adults. “This limitation should be considered when interpreting results
in this report,” Bloom and Black wrote. Not detailed in the report are the reasons for Asians’ better health in these areas, nor the genetic risk Asians face for developing diabetes, which is the seventh most common cause of death worldwide. In LA County, 10 percent of Asian Americans are diabetic, compared with 7 percent of whites, despite Asian Americans’ lower obesity level, the Tribune News Service reported. Scientists believe the mismatch is because obesity measures weight – not necessarily fat, which is what is associated with diabetes. South Asians have some of the diabetes rates among Asians, according to the Tribune News Service. (By Agnes Constante / AJPress)
AGANA, Guam — The head of the Catholic church here is defending himself against claims that he sexually abused an altar boy 40 years ago. Archbishop Anthony Apuron released a video May 17, in which he denied the allegations brought by Roy Taitague Quintanilla, of Hawaii. Quintanilla has accused Apuron of sexually abusing him when he was an altar boy and the archbishop was a priest at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Agat, The Pacific Daily News reported. “To be absolutely clear and to avoid any misinterpretations of my statement, I deny all allegations of sexual abuse by Roy Quintanilla,” Apuron said in the video. The archbishop also referred to “malicious ads” recently featured in local newspapers, including the Pacific Daily News. In a previous news release, the archdiocese said the advertisements insinuated sexual abuse
Archbishop Anthony Apuron.
by Apuron. “As predicted just four days ago, these malicious ads have resulted in a false accusation of sexual abuse,” Apuron said in the video. The Concerned Catholics of Guam, a group that has been
Catholic Archdiocese of Agana
critical of the archbishop, paid for the advertisements, which called on victims of sexual abuse to come forward. Apuron has been accused of molestation in the past, but has never been charged with a crime. n
Two US warships dock at Subic by AllAn
MAcAtuno Inquirer.net
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— Two warships belonging to a carrier strike group of the United States Navy arrived here on Saturday, May 21 for a routine port visit. Guided-missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) docked at the Alava Pier inside this free port at around 9 a.m. The ships are part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG) that is currently patrolling the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The strike group arrived in the country three days after two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a US military reconnaissance aircraft in a routine patrol in the international airspace over the West Philippine Sea this week. n
Guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence docked at the Alava Pier inside the Subic Bay Freeport around 9 a.m. for a routine port call. The ship is part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group that is currently patrolling in the West Philippine Sea.
Guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon docked at the Alava Pier inside the Subic Bay Freeport around 9 a.m. for a routine port call. The ship is part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group that is currently patrolling in the West Philippine Sea. Photos by Allan Macatuno/inquirer Central Luzon
Fil-Am vote organizers hope for ‘carryover’… PAGE A3 t
the election of President Barack Obama, the community comes out to vote in large numbers,” stressed Galedo. Sadly, more than 50 percent of qualified and registered Filipino voters do not vote, reported
Reynoso. Among the cities in Alameda County are Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City and Fremont. Reynoso stated that Filipinos have to be motivated in order to be prompted to register and actu-
ally vote. Apostol and Sy agreed. “A lot of studies indicate that voters are motivated and come to the polls when they find out what kind of impact they can make in the elections. So that is the main driving force for this to make Filipinos go out and participate.” n
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Dateline PhiliPPines
San Pedro bell returns after 115 years
US Navy Captain Dennis Wright, who discovered the existence of the bell through research work. BAUANG, La Union — The “This bell is very important to 400-year old San Pedro bell was us. It is our long lost treasure. installed and returned in its origi- The return of the bell would nal home at Saints Peter and Paul strengthen our faith and further Parish Church on Monday, May unite us,” De Guzman said. 23 after it was taken by American The bell was transported from soldiers in 1901 from the Roman the West Point Community in Catholic church here. New York, USA on April 30 “After more than a century, we and arrived in the Philippines, are so glad that we now have the through the Clark Airport in opportunity to once again hear Pampanga, on May 17. the call of San Pedro (St. Peter) Before the bell’s shipment, a to our church services,” said Fa- ceremony and Mass were held ther Ronald Chan, parish priest, at West Point’s Most Holy Trinin his remarks during the unveil- ity Catholic Chapel attended by ing and ceremonial rites. Philippine consulate officials and The bell was installed at left representatives of the US govside of the church’s main door. ernment. Most Reverend Rodolfo BelWright said he first learned of tran, Bishop of the Diocese of San the bell’s existence three years Fernando, La Union, officiated ago through research work to efthe Mass during the ceremonial fect the return of the Ballangiga rites attended by representatives bells. from the United States (US) Em“It was through this research bassy in Manila, US war veter- that we learned of another bell ans, the West Point Association (San Pedro) from the Philippines of the Philippines, parishioners, that was located at the US Mililocal officials and residents. tary Academy in West Point New “I would like to express my York. We learned that it was taksincerest gratitude to the US mil- en in 1901. However, the circumitary for the return of the bell, the stances surrounding the removal voice of God,” Beltran said, who of the bell and its journey to led the ceremonial ringing of the the U.S. remain lost in history,” bell following its unveiling. Wright said. Mayor Martin de Guzman also Wright said that he, along with thanked all who facilitated the re- a group of American veterans, return of the bell, especially retired discovered the bell and found out by William Jun
Garcia ManilaTimes.net
that it belonged to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul here. The veterans then worked with Fr. Chan and Mayor De Guzman to formally request the return of the bell. On January 26, 2016, Lt. General Robert Caslen Jr., 59th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, agreed to return the bell as a gesture of goodwill and in recognition of America’s enduring friendship with the Philippines. The bell was taken by American soldier Gen. Thomas Barry, during the Philippine-American war and gave it to the US Military Academy at West Point where it was hung outside the academy’s chapel. Historical records show that in 1883, Gobernadorcillo Mariano Balancio, who became a Mayor of Bauang and Lt. DD. Hilario Calica gave the bell to Father Mariano Garcia, who was then Parish Priest of San Pedro from November 1872 to July 25, 1876. The bell was almost destroyed during the Philippine revolution but the advancement of American forces prevented it and other bells in the Philippines from being melted down and made into guns and other war ammunitions. The bell is made from alloy of gold silver and copper. n
PROOF. The victory of Leni Robredo as vice president is now indisputable, the leading vice presidential candidate’s election lawyer said on Monday, May 23. “We’re very, very confident that the victory of Leni Robredo is now unassailable and that’s why we should refer to her as presumptive vice president-elect,” election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said in a press briefing at the Liberal Party “Balay” headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City. Presenting a breakdown of the unofficial count of votes, Macalintal said that if the public would base the results on the certificates of canvas turned over to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), it’s clear that Robredo has won the close vice presidential race. Inquirer.net photo by Julliane Love De Jesus
Joma: I’ll be home in July
by Delfin
mallari Inquirer.net
Jr.
LUCENA CITY—Barring a major setback, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison will be back home in July, in time for the release of political prisoners in the general amnesty promised by presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. “I will probably go to Manila in July to celebrate the release of the political prisoners and the approval by the principals of the formal agreement or declaration earlier forged by the negotiating panels to resume the peace negotiations,” Sison said in an online interview from his base in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Tuesday, May 24. thored some of the most important laws. He said representatives of the Santiago took her second stab at the presidency incoming Duterte administrain the May 9 elections but partial and unofficial tion and the National Democratic tally of votes showed that she got the least number Front of the Philippines (NDFP) of votes in the presidential race. may consult with each other and She earned over a million votes, far from the 15 prepare drafts that may be finalmillion votes garnered by President-elect Rodrigo ized at the resumption of formal Duterte. n talks in July.
Santiago bids Senate goodbye by michael Joe
T. Delizo
ManilaTimes.net
IT looks like Filipinos will no longer see Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in the Senate. Although the senator’s term will end on June 30, she has informed Senate President Franklin Drilon that she will be on medical leave during the remaining days of her final term. In a letter addressed to Drilon dated May 24, 2016, Santiago, known for her legal brilliance and acerbic tongue, said one of her medications for Stage 4 lung cancer triggers a side effect of anorexia (an eating disorder), which renders her “physically and mentally weak.” The senator has not been attending sessions because of her illness, which she announced in July 2014. “In any event, my staff and I shall be ready to vacate our offices by 30 June 2016,” she wrote. Santiago is on her third and last term in the Senate. She has filed the highest number of bills and au-
Jose Maria “Joma” Sison
Last week, NDFP representative Fidel Agcaoili met with Duterte and discussed initial steps for reopening the peace talks. The NDFP, the political arm of the CPP, and the national government have been engaged in on-and-off negotiations the past 27 years but peace has remained elusive. On Monday, Duterte reiterated to reporters that he would grant amnesty and pardons to political detainees as part of confidencebuilding measures to bring the communist rebels back to the ne-
gotiating table and end over four decades of armed conflict. “This is a highly significant and noble act of goodwill. It promotes the peace negotiations,” Sison said. He said the NDFP peace panel members were “inspired” by the promised release of all political prisoners. “They are ready to meet in Oslo as early as June with the negotiators of President-elect Duterte,” Sison said. The Norwegian government is brokering the peace talks between the Philippine government and the NDFP. n
A MAY 25-27, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
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OpiniOn
Features
Separated WHILE most of the country is joining the bandwagon of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, the Church is keeping its stand and keeping a close eye on the incoming leadership. Earlier in April before he won the votes, Duterte has already shrugged off a possible support from the Church. He even warned Catholics to not vote for him because the Church said it would be sin to vote for him. He then vowed that, if he wins, the Church would have no say in his administration. Duterte and the Church leadership have since been butting heads on divisive issues such as death penalty and family planning. The president-elect insists on these “solutions” to combat criminality and overpopulation. “I’m a Christian, but I’m a realist so we have to do something with our overpopulation,” he said. “The religious sector, I’m sorry, your fundamental beliefs do not solve the problems of the country,” Duterte said on Sunday, May 22. Duterte said the government’s population control program was “not moving because every President has deferred to the stand of the Catholic Church.” “I will defy the opinion or the belief of the Church,” Duterte vowed. He called the Church as the most “hypocritical institution” and warned to reveal the sins of the Church if it continues to
meddle in his leadership. For centuries, followers of the Church are bound by stern and unrealistic expectations that are set by strict traditions. Today, the Church must become less of a moral standard and must make itself more of a guide, for people to find a harmonious relationship with God without dictating on how they can live as decent human beings. There is something in the Filipino ethos that makes a person accept the harsh reality. A Filipino finds it easy to come to terms with hardships and persist on achieving a better life. What softens the blow of the realities of life is the Filipino spirit when it comes to living a difficult life. Such resilience is a precious gift, but is not an excuse to practice fatalistic attitude. The country’s problems is multi-faceted which makes mitigation to require action from multiple fronts—including the Church. Religion is no excuse. Being faithful is not turning a blind eye on solutions (that contradicts the teachings of the Church) to problems. The Filipino faithful must find a balance to embrace their faith and welcome the change they want achieved in the society. (AJPress)
Editorial
ManilaTimes.net photo
With the unfavorable ratings of front-runners Clinton and Trump, should Sanders drop out of the race? This race to the White House is not like any other, especially when you look at the front-runners of each party. In past elections, voters generally have fallen in love with their candidates of choice, giving each a boost in favorability ratings. The winning candidate usually has the highest favorability rating — the one that is most “likable,” but such is not the case in this election cycle. Polls show that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Party front-runner Hillary Clinton are both deemed highly unfavorable by the voters. In fact, of the three remaining candidates for president, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has the highest favorability rating. What has bothered many Democrats lately is the fact that Trump and Clinton are now neck-andneck in a hypothetical match-up for the November general elections. This is bad news for Clinton, who used to have a double-digit lead over billionaire business mogul/reality star Trump. Despite his unconventional campaign, questionable conservative principles, and bizarre policies and platform, Trump has defied expectations and the Republican Party leaders’ attempt to deny him the nomination. Critics explain the reason behind the narrowing margin between Trump and Clinton is the fact that
Republicans are now starting to rally behind their presumptive The Fil-Am nominee, whereas Clinton is still in the race against Sanders to be Perspective the democratic nominee. Many of the Democratic party establishment leaders blame Sanders, saying his continued criticism of Clinton just increases her unfa- Gel SantoS-ReloS vorability and trust ratings among voters, not to mention the time and resources she is spending to compete with Sanders, which should otherwise be used to start unleashing her arsenal to defeat Trump in the general elections. But the Sanders campaign is not giving up, vowing to fight all the way to the convention in July. Why won’t he? He continues to win in state primaries and receive donations from ordinary citizens who believe in his cause for a political revolution that would give power back to ordinary working Americans and not just to the top 1 percent of the richest American corporations and citizens. The Sanders campaign contends that the primary election isn’t over until all states have made their voices heard and not until Clinton has won
the required 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination without the weight of the superdelegates — elite Democratic party officials who have given Clinton 525 delegates. Sanders only has 42 superdelegate counts. As of press time, Clinton has 1,776 unpledged delegates (from ordinary citizens’ votes from different states that have completed their primary elections), while Sanders has 1,533 unpledged delegates. The Clinton camp says the superdelegates’ votes should catapult her to be the party nominee even before the delegate-rich states of California. Sanders says this is something he will fight until all votes from all states have been counted, and up until the Democratic National Convention in July. The Sanders campaign believes that should Sanders win big in the remaining states, especially in California, then he can make his case for the superdelegates to shift their votes to him to reflect the will of their constituents. Moreover, Sanders contends that he is the stronger candidate to defeat Trump, with his double-digit lead over Trump in the polls. He also
points out how he has energized new and returning voters to align with the Democratic Party, even attracting more independent voters and moderate Republicans, especially in states where Democrats need to win. The Clinton campaign argues that the reason for this is because Sanders is not really vetted yet, and has not really been the target of the GOP’s arsenals of negative ads. But beyond this, Sanders continues to be in the race to fight for his progressive agenda, which is supported by almost half of the Democratic primary voters. Even if he ends up losing to Clinton, he has already pushed Clinton to embrace more of his policy and platform, which he wants to be part of the Democratic Party platform that will be presented in July and all through the general election campaign season against the Republicans. So what do you think? Should Bernie Sanders remain in the race and fight all the way to the convention? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com and https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
Change requires new ideas THE Duterte campaign promised the Demand nation that change is coming. Close to 40 and Supply percent of the voters bought that promise. The question now is… can Mr. Duterte deliver Boo ChanCo change? Based on recent cabinet appointments, change is not apparent. I saw one complaint on social media that captures a skeptical sentiment: “I voted for Duterte but it seems Gloria Arroyo won.” Indeed, some Duterte appointments are rethreads from the Arroyo era. There is nothing wrong with that if the appointees have been outstanding. That does not seem to be the case. Other than the names, ideas are also important. We have age old problems and past administrations have applied the same old solutions that have not been effective. Someone said something about the idiocy of applying failed solutions over and over in the hope of having a different outcome. Past administrations have been doing that and the Duterte administration is in danger of doing that too. In a way, I like the appointment of former Gov. Manny Piñol as agriculture secretary. He doesn’t have formal training in agriculture, but he runs his own farm. I don’t know how big a farm it is, but I can imagine that running a farm plus his direct contact with farmers as a provincial governor are good inputs in crafting and carrying out agriculture policies that work and not just in theory. Mr. Piñol’s first pronouncement, however, makes me wonder if change
is coming. Maybe it is not just Mr. Piñol, but Mr. Duterte himself. The former governor said it is the policy of Mr. Duterte to stop private importation of rice to stop smuggling. Only the NFA will do importations. Perhaps, it will help Mr. Piñol to get the economists of PIDS, the government economic think tank, to brief him on the problem. Or consult Dr. Rolly Dy, a native of Davao who is an expert in agri-business at the University of Asia and the Pacific. It seems the policy of Mr. Duterte, as announced by Mr. Piñol, is more of the same thing that already failed. The policy also resulted in piling up NFA debts that surpass our annual national defense budget. The problem is precisely in the government agency’s monopoly to import rice. Private importers have to get NFA’s permit to import. This is at the root of corruption in NFA and the recyclable permits they issue are the basis of much rice smuggling. NFA officials also have the incentive to over import and pad costs of related services like trucking. On the other hand, if we liberalized rice importation, the private traders will not import more rice than the market can buy. They can also respond more quickly to unexpected market demand, up or down. Private importers will have the incentive to buy rice as cheaply as possible because there’s competition from other importers. There will be no reason to smuggle rice because
importation is allowed. We can also put an import tax and the proceeds used to help local rice farmers. This is why a group of economists under the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) called on the incoming Duterte administration to stop the rice importation monopoly of NFA. It is only through liberalizing rice importation that the new administration can make good on its promise of affordable food for the poor. FEF believes liberalizing rice importation “will enhance food security, rather than diminish it. Malaysia allows up to 30 percent of its needs to be met by rice imports. The economists are sure “liberalizing rice importation will definitely benefit the poor. Our country cannot bear rice to become more unaffordable especially at a time of supply uncertainty due to severe drought conditions.” There is also the need to unburden taxpayers with billions of annual subsidies to NFA which presently exceeds P150 billion, the economists urge. The World Bank estimates that for every P5 of spending for NFA, P4 are wasted leakages that provide no public benefit. In any case, our rice quantitative restriction (QR) expires in 2017. After that, we are committed by our international trade obligations to allow private sector importers. The QRs on rice should have expired in 2012, but extended to 2017 at our request. As part of the continued QR on rice, the Philippines has committed to cut tariff under the scheme starting July 2015. Tariff is now 35 percent and with minimum access volume or MAV of 805,200 MT. Purchases beyond that
will be subject to a 50 percent rate. In energy, Duterte’s pick for Energy secretary promised to “ensure reliable, steady and affordable power supply and work towards greater energy self-sufficiency.” Those are wonderful motherhood objectives an Energy secretary has no power to deliver due to the nature of the sector today. But I cannot blame Al Cusi, a close friend of Mike Arroyo, who was appointed to head the Energy department by Mr. Duterte, for trying to sound like he can deliver. Al has little or no background in energy, his last assignments under the Arroyo administration having been running NAIA, CAAP and the Philippine Ports Authority. Al will be disappointed to eventually find out he got the worse Cabinet seat there is. Unlike during the time when I was with Energy under the late Ronnie Velasco, we had the power and resources to really manage the energy sector. Today, the Energy secretary is powerless. The petroleum downstream sector is deregulated. All he can do is monitor prices in Singapore, make some computations and exert moral suasion on oil companies not to raise prices too much. During our time, we had Petron to set prices that the private oil companies must follow or lose market share. In the power sector, we had NPC to build new plants and distribution lines. Now the Energy secretary must convince the private sector to invest in power plants and the power grid. Once power plants are built, the private generators pretty much call the shots under EPIRA. Then there is the independent ERC for regulating
the utilities including the approval of power rates. There is PSALM which holds and manages assets of NPC. Here, the chairman of the board is the Secretary of Finance, not the Energy secretary. The Energy secretary does not have powers, but has all the responsibilities. Al will get blamed when oil prices don’t go down at the pump fast enough or go up too quickly. He will be blamed for blackouts even if all he can do is monitor the power supply situation through data given by NGCP. I am not sure how the Energy department can handle governmentto-government oil importations from Russia or some other country as some eager beaver in Davao announced. Government no longer has a refinery to process that crude. The independent oil companies import processed products from Singapore. Petron has a top rated refinery, but any deal has to benefit its bottom line. On energy development, government has no money to risk in this very risky side of the energy business. We are dependent on private oil companies with the risk appetite. But they look at the most favorable deals that also depend on world oil market prices (now depressed and unattractive for exploration) and data about our geology. A good Energy secretary must have some good ideas that can only come from years of experience in the energy business. Otherwise, he will be a non-performer, his best intentions notwithstanding. *** Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is bchanco@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.
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Aquino: I’m leaving P164-B behind
will leave this country in a totally different situation from what I came upon,” Mr. Aquino said in PRESIDENT Aquino is ending a speech during the 2016 GOCC his six-year term with P164.33 Dividends Day at Malacañang. billion in the government coffers, He said his administration courtesy of dividends remitted fixed the GOCC system with the by government-owned and -con- passage of the GOCC Govertrolled corporations (GOCC). nance Act of 2011, which superThe president said this was more vises and monitors the service of than double the total dividends re- government corporations. mitted by GOCCs under the more For this year, he said the than nine-year administration of GOCCs remitted P27.28 billion, former President Gloria Macapa- on top of the P12.92 billion repgal-Arroyo, which remitted P84.18 resenting remittances of other billion from 2001 to 2010. corporations. “My promise to our boss: I “We can see the difference by Christine
AvendAño Inquirer.net
of the service provided by our GOCC,” Mr. Aquino said, citing the APO Production Unit, a government printing office, for undoing its image of suffering losses through reforms. The APO’s P329.14 million in sales in 2010 increased by P1.21 billion last year, the President said. This year, the APO remitted P5 million in dividends, he added. Mr. Aquino said the GOCC contributions were able to fund programs under unprogrammed projects such as modernizing the military, education and health. n
Smartmatic execs charged with cybercrime THE camp of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday slapped criminal charges against officials of SmartmatSAFE SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Children and their parents show their support for Eco Waste Coalition’s campaign on safe school supplies that are ic and IT personnel of the Comfree from phatalates, cadmium, lead, mercury and other chemicals known to harm the brain and interfere with the endocrine system. mission on Elections (Comelec) ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan for an unauthorized change of script in the transparency server of the poll body on the night of the May 9 polls. A complaint for violating the CyNorth Cotabato in commemora- tives granted to national athletes bercrime Prevention Act of 2010 by Jess diAz Philstar.com tion of its founding anniversary; and coaches and appropriating (RA 10175) was filed at the Manila Republic Act No. 10679 – An Act funds, repealing for the purpose Prosecutor’s Office by Abakada MANILA — As he transitions promoting entrepreneurship and Republic Act No. 9064, also party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, from congressman to senator, financial literacy program among known as the National Athletes, campaign adviser of Marcos. boxing champion Manny Pac- the Filipino youth by instituting Coaches and Trainers Benefits Charged were Smartmatic quiao can claim authorship and mechanisms and strategies; and and Incentives Act of 2001. executive Marlon Garcia; Elie Pacquiao is one of the top ab- Moreno, Smartmatic project diRepublic Act No. 10699 – An Act co-authorship of four laws. There is only one law of which expanding the coverage of incen- sentee congressmen. n rector; and Neil Banigued and he is sole author: Republic Act Mauricio Herrera, members of 10828, which President Aquino the Smartmatic Technical Supsigned last May 19. port Team. The law is titled, “An Act estabAlso included in the case were lishing a regular district office of Rouie Peñalba, Comelec IT Ofthe Land Transportation Office ficer, and Nelson Herrera and in the province of Sarangani and Frances Mae Gonzales, Comelec appropriating funds.” employees. Pacquiao represents SaranDela Cruz maintained that the gani in the House of Represenchange of script was a clear and tatives. deliberate violation of RA 10175 The law mandates the secresince it assailed the “confidentitary of transportation and comality, integrity and availability of munications “to include in the computer data and systems,” indepartment’s program the opercluding the “illegal access of any ationalization of the regular dispart of a computer system withtrict office of the LTO in the muout right.” nicipality of Alabel, province of He said the replacement of the Sarangani, the funding of which script was a “security breach.” shall be included in the annual The complainant noted that General Appropriations Act.” the interference in the system to Since the law has just been correct the typographical error signed, it is doubtful if there are (from “?” to “Ñ”) was not authofunds in this year’s budget to esrized and can be considered as tablish the LTO-Alabel unit. illegal access to a computer. House records show that he is “Indeed, the act of ‘tweaking’ co-author of three other laws. the script of the transparency These are: Republic Act No. server caused widespread anxi10777 – An Act declaring Sept. 1 ety and concern among the naof every year a special nonworktion. The lapses in the protocol ing holiday in the province of Manny Pacquiao have undermined the credibility
Pacquiao has 4 laws in his name
and integrity of the 2016 elections,” de la Cruz said in his complaint affidavit. “[What happened was] illegal access in a sense that they accessed the system without the permission and authority of the owner, which is the Comelec,” Jose Amor Amorado, head of Marcos’ legal team, explained in an interview. Amorado said his camp does not buy the defense of Smartmatic and the Comelec that the change was only “cosmetic” and election results were not altered. De la Cruz said the law prohibits interfering with “the generation, transmission of election results, data or information.” It also bans “gaining or causing access to, using, altering and destroying computer data, pro-
gram and system software, network, or any computer-related devices, facilities, hardware or equipment, whether classified or declassified.” The penalty for violating the Cybercrime law is imprisonment of about nine years to 12 years. The Comelec has started its own investigation of the incident and has summoned officials of Smartmatic to explain why the script was changed without the permission of the commission. Comelec chief Andres Bautista said on Monday that the initial results of the probe will be known within the week. A number of IT experts have asserted that the introduction of a new script also changed the hash code of the packet data. (ManilaTimes.net)
A MAY 25-27, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
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BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal
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Outgoing Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima (left) assured incoming finance chief Carlos Dominguez of a smooth transition when the government of presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte takes over on July 1. Inquirer.net file photo
Cesar Purisima sees smooth transition at finance department
at a golf club in Makati City to discuss the transition process. Dominguez requested that THE current and incoming some of Purisima’s staff as well heads of the Department of Fi- as key officials of a number of nance (DOF) — the agency in- DOF-attached agencies be recharge of the country’s fiscal af- tained for at least one month to fairs — met last Friday, May 20 assist him, sources said. and agreed on a smooth transiIn a statement Monday, May tion on June 30. 23, Purisima said the DOF Sources said Finance Secre- had been preparing a transitary Cesar V. Purisima and Car- tion document that detailed los “Sonny” Dominguez III met u PAGE B2 by Ben
o. de Vera Inquirer.net
Lazada tops PH internet startups in earnings — Forbes tertainment Gateway, which recorded P853.9 million revenues in 2014, came second, folTHE Philippine arm of online lowed by fashion e-commerce shopping portal Lazada was the company Zalora at P465.9 top grossing internet startup million, with online remittance in the Philippines, according company iRemit in third place to a list by Forbes Philippines with P453.6 million, and mobile content provider Xurpas fourth Magazine. Forbes ranked Lazada as with P331.8 million. Forbes collected the data of the leading startup in terms of gross revenue with P1.1 billion 200 startups from the Department of Science and Technolin reported earnings in 2014. Mobile content provider Enu PAGE B2 by Kristyn
niKa M. ManilaTimes.net
by Lawrence
agcaoiLi Philstar.com
MANILA — Moody’s Investors Service said the administration of incoming president Rodrigo Duterte would benefit from the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals. Moody’s vice president and senior credit officer Christian de Guzman said the victory of Duterte in the May 9 polls would
not immediately affect the sovereign credit profile of the Philippines. “The incoming government will be formulating its economic and fiscal strategies against the backdrop of a favorable economic environment,” De Guzman said. De Guzman said the Philippines shows sustained high economic growth while also demonstrating price stability, a robust external payments position and debt consolidation.
“We expect broad policy continuity in the country, with regards to economic and fiscal management,” he added. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerated to 6.9 percent in the first quarter from the revised 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter last year amid strong private consumption and robust investments. The country’s economic expansion in the first three months
was the fastest beating China’s 6.7 percent, Vietnam’s 5.5 percent, Indonesia’s 4.9 percent and Malaysia’s 4.2 percent. Earlier, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said there is no need at the moment to further stimulate the economy after the robust first quarter growth and with the impending rate hike by the US Federal Reserve. Tetangco said the strong
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P100-B plan to end traffic woes in 2-3 years by MigueL
Lazo
r. caMus
Inquirer.net
Metro Manila traffic
Inquirer File Photo by Joan Bondoc
METRO Manila’s traffic woes can’t be solved overnight, but possibly within two to three years, according to a “Marshall-like” solution being offered to presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte by Filipino consortium Philtrak Inc. Francis Yuseco Jr., who heads Philtrak, said in an interview that his group sent early feelers to the incoming administration to imple-
ment, among other items, an elevated bus-based Philtrak Rapid Transit (PRT) system along traffic-strangled Edsa and end road congestion. Yuseco claims to have invented the technology, known elsewhere as a bus rapid transit (BRT) system involving dedicated bus lanes where passengers are loaded and unloaded at designated stations. That was a key feature of the group’s Marshall-like plan, in reference to the United States’ mas-
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B MAY 25-27, 2016 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL
Business news
BSP calls for exchange of old banknotes by Mayvelin
U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net
THE central bank reminded banks that they are required to accept, exchange or replace the old New Design Series (NDS) banknotes until the last day of 2016 and that it has issued additional guidelines for the exchange of banknotes held by institutions such as government offices, overseas Filipinos, and by courts as part of judicial proceedings. The old NDS banknotes, which consist of 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-, 100, 200-, 500- and 1,000-peso denominations, were first issued on June 12, 1985. As of January 1 this year, they can no longer be used for purchases in line with a central bank demonetization program. They can still be exchanged at authorized financial institutions for the New Generation Currency (NGC) series but will become worthless beginning 2017. The latest BSP count showed that about P61 billion of the three-decade-old series still have to be exchanged for NGC banknotes. A total of P815 billion in banknotes were currently in circulation, 7.53 percent of which are NDS bills. In volume terms, 415 million pieces of NDS bills need to be exchanged, equivalent to 14.6 percent of the 2.8 billion pieces in circulation. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently issued a circular detailing the procedures to be observed by institutions and overseas Filipinos who may have in their possession NDS banknotes for exchange or re-
place ment as of the December 31 cut-off date. From January 2, 2017 to March 31, 2017, all banks and offices of Provincial, City, or Municipal Treasurers may submit the NDS banknotes in their custody for replacement or exchange at the BSP, with two-day prior notice to allow the central bank to prepare the required volume and denominations of NDC banknotes. In the case of NDS banknotes that are subject of pending court cases, Clerks of Court or law enforcement agencies shall submit to the BSP a duly filled-up and certified inventory/exchange form for the NDS banknotes not later than January 31, 2017. “The NDS banknote holdings shall be submitted to the BSP for replacement/exchange within six (6) months after the corresponding legal case(s) have been terminated,” it said. Meanwhile, overseas Filipinos may register their NDS banknote
holdings through t he BSP website starting October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. The BSP said the registered NDS banknotes shall be submitted for exchange with NGC banknotes within one year from the date of registration at any BSP office, subject to a P10,000 limit for each overseas Filipinos. Finally, overseas Filipinos who are located in countries experiencing geopolitical crisis can avail of the BSP exchange facility from January 1, 2017 until December 31, 2017, subject to the P10,000 limit for each. “The BSP advises the concerned entities to note the actions they need to take and the corresponding dates mentioned in BSP Circular No. 910, Series of 2016, to facilitate the replacement/exchange of their NDS banknote holdings. The said Circular can be downloaded from the BSP website under the Regulations section,” it stated. n
sive post-World War II economic aid for Western Europe in 1948 drawn up by then Secretary of State George Marshall. Yuseco said the plan covered the entire country and could cost about P100 billion, with close to half of the amount going to Luzon and Metro Manila. “We made this parallelism with the Marshall Plan because we’re in that same situation. We need to pour resources into infrastructure and stop losses,” Yuseco said, citing a 2012 studyby the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) showing that productivity losses due to traffic in Metro Manila amounted to some P2.4 bil-
lion a day. “The Aquino administration really underspent on infrastructure. So this is a Filipino solution, we can really solve our own problems,” he added. Yuseco said the Edsa PRT would be a P12.5-billion, singlelane elevated road running more than 50 kilometers along the main thoroughfare, with “turnaround” points at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City and the Monumento Roundabout in Caloocan. He said the cost would cover the construction of the elevated road and about 96 buses, serving a million passengers a day, approximating the current capacity of Metro Manila’s three elevated
Cesar Purisima sees smooth…
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“the state of progress across its various clusters and results areas, including revenue, liability management, privatization, government-owned and/or -controlled corporations, and corporate affairs.” “The transition document will serve to keep the new leadership abreast on where things are with the DOF’s priorities and projects,” Purisima said, adding that it would allow incoming President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team to hit the ground running on day one. Purisima will also turn over to Dominguez a “DOF Manual of Institutional Knowledge,” which the department is set to finish by end-June. “It will contain four volumes of documented learnings in the DOF over the past six years of the Aquino administration—best practices from the DOF Institute, learnings on what could have gone better, and recommendations moving forward,” the finance chief said. He added, “The manual also codifies 200 processes and ap-
proval protocols, with templates of completed staff work and style guides.” “Following a rationalization process on the DOF’s issuances including 4,300 department orders since 1958, the DOF will also pass on a simplified body of issuances, for improved institutional coherence and ease of enforcement,” he added. The incoming DOF leadership would also get to enjoy upgraded and renovated offices on the 5th and 6th floors as well as the building’s roof-deck. “We take transitioning seriously and view it as an integral part of organizational development. We want to ensure the new team has all the means and resources to succeed on day one. My team is coordinating with his in order to work with depth over the next month on a smooth transition,” Purisima said. “I am confident that when I pass the baton in this relay race of governance, the economic team will be ready to sustain and improve on our gains from the past six years with evenkeeled leadership from a Secre-
tary Dominguez after the noon of June 30. We extend our best wishes of success and look forward to officially passing the baton on June 30,” Purisima added. The outgoing finance chief was all praises for Dominguez, who served in the cabinets of former Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos. “After speaking on the phone to congratulate Mr. Dominguez last Thursday, he and I met the next day to begin the transition process. Mr. Dominguez is an esteemed businessman and public servant with a lengthy record of excellence. There are three important things for any Finance secretary: having the ear of the President—having the stomach to stand firm in advising him soundly even in the face of opposing political tides, having an understanding of government and an appreciation for good governance, and lastly, having an understanding of how business works and the economic landscape you’ll be navigating. Mr. Dominguez has all three,” Purisima said. n
Lazada tops PH internet startups…
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ogy (DOST), as well as various incubators, venture capital funds, and other sources. The DOST published a Roadmap for Digital Startups in August 2015. Only startups registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and those that reported gross revenue of at least P1 million based on 2014 financial statements were on the list, which came down to 46 companies. Several companies on the list are quite popular among internet users, but this is likely the first train lines, where capacity is time that a comparison has been strained. Yuseco said bus capacmade in terms of income and ity could ramp up to 3 million pasrevenue, Forbes noted. sengers daily. The list also indicated which He said the optimistic completion scenario was partly because of right of way, a perennial problem, would be minimized since posts supporting the elevated PAGE B1 t road could be built on sidewalks, growth in the first quarter was in line with market expectations which is government property. Yuseco said their buses would and builds confidence that the be air-conditioned and carry be- 6.8 to 7.8 percent GDP expansion tween 180 and 200 passengers set by the Cabinet level Developeach and charge rates similar ment Budget Coordination Comto non-air con buses operating mittee for this year is achievable. “This also confirms that policy along Edsa today. He said stations would dot the PRT line, with pas- settings are appropriate right sengers waiting no more than a now. We will, however, continue u PAGE B4 to be mindful, among others, of
P100-B plan to end traffic woes…
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companies have undergone exits, either through an initial public offering (IPO) or share sale and the valuation at the time of the exit. Among the best-known startups on the list are the local com-
panies behind the ride-hailing apps Grab and Uber, both services introduced in 2013. Grab made P85 million in gross revenue in 2014 and Uber posted P39 million.
weather-related developments,” he said. Agricultural production in the Philippines contracted by 4.53 percent in the first quarter of the year on the back of poor output of the crop and fisheries sector amid the prolonged El Niño and damage caused by typhoons Lando and Nona. “While El Niño seems to be winding down it could still have
residual effects on the crop cycle. In addition we may see the onset of La Niña by midyear,” he said. Robust growth and the benign inflation environment have allowed the BSP to keep interest rates steady since September 2014. The country’s current monetary policy stance has been kept steady for 13 straight policy-setting meetings since October 2014. n
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Strong macroeconomic fundamentals…
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Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes DOMESTIC violence is abuse perpetrated against a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, the mother or father of your child, your child. Family Code Section 6211. Abuse is not limited to the actual infliction of physical injury or assault. Family Code, § 6203(b). A court may issue an order enjoining specific acts of “abuse” (§ 6218, subd. (a)), which are defined as, among other things, behavior that could be enjoined under section 6320. (§ 6203, subd. (d).) Section 6320, in turn, permits a court to enjoin a party from engaging in various types of behavior, including “disturbing the peace of the other party.” (§ 6320, subd. (a).) “[T]he plain meaning of the phrase ‘disturbing the peace of the other party’ in section 6320 may be properly understood as conduct that destroys the mental or emotional calm of the other party.” (In re Marriage of Nadkarni (2009) 173 Cal.App.4th 1483, 1497, 93 Cal.Rptr.3d 723 (Nadkarni ).) The phrase includes “destroying the mental or emotional calm of [a former spouse] by accessing, reading and publicly disclosing her confidential e-mails.” (Id. at p. 1498, 93 Cal.Rptr.3d 723.) The expansion of the term “disturbing the peace” to cover accessing, reading, and publicly disclosing electronic communication has profound effect in every divorce and family law case. In Nadkarni, a former wife alleged that her ex-husband had accessed her private e-mail account while she was away on a
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond
Community Journal
business trip, then attached copies of the e-mails to documents filed in proceedings regarding custody of their teenaged children. In re Marriage of Nadkarni (2009) 173 Cal.App.4th 1483, 1497, 93 Cal.Rptr.3d 723. She sought a permanent restraining order, but the trial court denied it without a hearing after finding that the DVPA did not cover situations in which there was no physical harm alleged. The appellate court reversed and remanded the matter to the trial court for a hearing. It held that the definition of abuse under the DVPA is not limited to the infliction of physical injury or assault. Id. at pp. 1498, 1501, 93 Cal. Rptr.3d 723. In Marriage of Evilsizor and Sweeney, husband’s actions in releasing and threatening to release personal data downloaded from wife’s cell phone constituted “disturbing the peace of the other party” and thus “abuse” which warranted restraining order. In re Marriage of Evilsizor and Sweeney (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 1416 [189 Cal.Rptr.3d 1], reh’g denied (June 24, 2015), review denied (Sept. 9, 2015) Phrase “disturbing the peace of the other party” in injunction provision of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA) includes destroying the mental or emotional calm of a former spouse by accessing, reading and publicly disclosing her confidential e-mails. Cal. Fam. Code § 6320. In re Marriage of Evilsizor and Sweeney (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 1416 [189 Cal. Rptr.3d 1], reh’g denied (June 24, 2015), review denied (Sept. 9, 2015) Husband’s actions in releasing and threatening to release personal data downloaded
from wife’s cell phone constituted “disturbing the peace of the other party” and thus “abuse” which warranted restraining order under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA). Cal. Fam. Code §§ 6218(a), 6300, 6320(a). In re Marriage of Evilsizor and Sweeney (2015) 237 Cal.App.4th 1416 [189 Cal.Rptr.3d 1], reh’g denied (June 24, 2015), review denied (Sept. 9, 2015) In Evilsizor, Ms. Evilsizor testified that it had been “incredibly incredibly difficult to deal with” the dissemination of her personal information, stating, “I have sleepless nights. I’m sick to my stomach. My friends are mad at me, embarrassed as if I let him. I didn’t know he was even doing any of this. My parents are upset, you know. Why did I marry him? I didn’t know that things were going—I didn’t know. Yeah. It’s been incredibly challenging to live with.” She further testified that she had suffered shock and embarrassment and feared for her safety because of the disclosure. Evilsizor also was concerned about Sweeney’s threats to reveal information to the Internal Revenue Service about “things [she] didn’t do.” The court concluded in the Evilsizor case that even if Sweeney legally obtained Evilsizor’s information, an issue left unresolved, it was authorized under the DVPA to enjoin the disclosure or threats of disclosure of the information to protect Evilsizor’s peace of mind. The court ordered Sweeney be “prohibited from using, delivering, copying, printing or disclosing the messages or content of [Evilsizor’s] text messages or e-mail messages or notes, or anything else downloaded from her phone or
An old tale on self-absorption “Vanity of vanities; ALL is vanity.”
— From Ecclesiastes
(Part 2 of 2)
What’s New Arlene Al-os, CPA, MBA STARTING 2015, filer of Form 8938 who satisfies the reporting obligation by completing Part IV Excepted Specified Foreign Financial Assets, must complete the newly added checkbox on item D on Form 5471 (discussed in this column), Form 3520,3520A, 8621, or 8865 (not discussed in this column). What is a controlled foreign corporation (CFC)? • more than 50% of total voting power is owned by a US person. • control of USperson is for an uninterrupted period of 30 days or more during the tax year. Who may be required to file Form 5471? • US person who meets the 10% stock ownership requirement with certain foreign corporation. • US shareholder of a CFC.
B
Disclosure of text messages, e-mails, and Facebook info of a spouse or significant other may constitute domestic violence
Monette AdevA MAglAyA POOR Echo! Her heart broke into a million little pieces. Beauty and light dissolved into darkness for her until nothing held any meaning. Refusing food and drink, Echo grew pale and consumptive and faded away, leaving only her far-off voice in the distance. It is said that Echo haunts the mountains where she answers all who call but only with the last words. Narcissus meanwhile continued to break one hapless heart after another in the most mean spirited away, until one day, one totally aggrieved nymph with her heart shattered, prayed to the powers that be, for vengeance, to inflict punishment on Narcissus to make him feel the pure pain of unrequited love, to make him feel how it is to give love and have it flung back in his face. Her prayer was heard and in a world of swift and even-handed justice with no lawyers, judges and jury to cloud the issue, appropriate punishment was served. One day Narcissus chanced upon a pool with water so clear, it looked like a mirror. Bending over to drink, Narcissus saw his own reflection, thought it was a water nymph, and forthwith, was smitten with the image on
LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 25-27, 2016
the pool. He fell in love with the image of himself, hook, line and sinker, not unlike celebrities who read their own press and believe them to be true. But I digress. Narcissus tried to embrace his own reflection in the water but his attempt to touch or kiss his beloved ended in frustration each time. The image in the water dissolved into ripples, disappeared and came back on. Narcissus had to be content just by looking at the mirror image of himself in the pool, day and night, without ever knowing the joy of touching or being loved in return. He now knew, up close and personal, the excruciating pain of multiple rejections from the same object of his affection. Still he persisted, becoming rooted to the spot by the pool. He now knew how it is to be on the receiving end of rejection. He slowly pined away, losing his youth and beauty and withering away on the same spot by the pool’s edge with Echo still hovering over him and repeating his poignant last word, “Alas!” as he lay dying. As the woodland creatures prepared to bury his body, Narcissus’ body was nowhere to be found and in its place, stood a flower, bending over the pool, as though admiring itself. Garden-
ers know this flower as narcissus. Hence, we call those who exhibit the same folly these days as narcissistic. The irony of it is that others clearly see it for what it is but the afflicted individual is blind to this egocentric flaw in himself, thinking the world revolves around him. In today’s world, there’s opportunity to cash in on this human flaw and use vanity and self-image as hot buttons to sell their wares: beauty products and services, diet pills and machines and illusions of power and beauty, with remarkable success. Self-improvement is great but only if it comes from the inside out. Pray that both the “once young” and the young ones don’t fall prey to the trappings of extreme self-absorption that rule the global culture of the present age. Self love taken to extreme, is something that might account for much of the social problems affluent societies with only one or two self-absorbed children per family, experience and suffer from today. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
New IRS reporting requirement to US persons Who are US persons? • US citizens and resident aliens. • US domestic corporations. • US domestic partnerships. • US domestic trusts. When and Where to File Form 5471? • Filed with your annual return Form 1040 or partnership, exempt organization, by the due date. • Annual return includes income tax return or information return. What If I Fail to File Form 5471? You will be subjected to a $10,000 penalty. A continuing failure of more than 90 days after the day on which IRS mails a notice subjects the particular person to an additional penalty of $10,000 for each 30-day period (or fraction thereof) during which the failure persists after the 90day period has expired, up to a maximum penalty of $50,000 for each such failure. If the failure
was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, then, no penalty applies. What if the corporation is using currency other than US currency? • foreign currency must be translated into US dollars at the end of the year. • translate functional currency to US dollars using the method specified for example, use average exchange rate for the tax year in accordance with the rules of section 986(a). 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)
Lazada tops PH internet startups…
and text campaign provider enPAGE A2 t Rappler, a social news net- gageSPARK. work, more than doubled its revThree other startups on the list enue to P116 million in 2014. are in Cebu City, which hosts a Startups based outside Metro growing number of startups in Manila are nevertheless on the search of a large talent pool and list include Caresharing, the affordable cost of living. medical app for doctors; jobs Startups in financial services, portal Mynimo.com; and voice gaming, real estate, education,
and software development round up the list. Forbes noted the 46 startups on average recorded a 134 percent increase in revenue year-onyear. But about half of the companies were also losing money, a hardly surprising phenomenon for many startups. n
from what has been called the family computer except as otherwise authorized by the court.” Sweeney also was prohibited from trying to access or otherwise interfere with Evilsizor’s internet-service provider accounts or social-media accounts. Text messages, E-mails, Social media, and other electronic communication has become a common and inseparable part of today’s lifestyle. Accessing, reading, and publicly disclosing electronic communication of an ex, spouse, or sgnificant other has profound effect in every divorce and family law case. A finding of domestic violence against a party
can affect the rulings on custody and spousal support issues. If your divorce or family law matter involves your ex, spouse, or significant other downloading and disclosing confidential electronic communication, one has to consider taking appropriate action in the case to be protected from conduct which is regarded as abuse under the California domestic violence statute. *** 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
Calendar of Events across
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)
America
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 M AY 28
LASAA dinner-dance The Los Angeles San Antonian’s (Zambales) Association will hold its dinner-dance on May 28 at the Holiday Inn-La Mirada, 14299 Firestone Blvd. The association is headed by Larnoe Dungca. Its president. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For questions, call the association’s vice president, Ramon Radoc, at (951) 751-3267.
JUNE 4
Piyesta Pinoy Bolingbrook Please join us on Saturday, June 4 for the 3rd Philippine Fest Celebration (Piyesta Pinoy sa Bolingbrook) at the beautiful Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center (375 W. Briarcliff Rd. Bolingbrook, IL). This year’s event will include a variety of food vendors, business, merchandise, and non-profit organizations, as well as hours of dance, games, and musical entertainment, including special guest performances. The Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) is proud to promote and share our rich Filipino cultural heritage and traditions in America. Your participation and support are always valuable and critical to the survival of PACF and its programs. For more information, or to volunteer, perform, exhibit, or donate, please visit www.piyestapinoy.net, or email Piyestpinoy@gmail.com.
Missionary Society of St. Columban Dinner-Dance The Missionary Society of St. Columban will hold its annual dinner dance event on June 4th, 6pm, at the Friendship Auditorium (3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90941). Organized by the Dancing for the World, an affiliate of the Columbans, will celebrate the “Year of Mercy” to echo and emphatically support the call of Pope Francis’s Jubilee Year. This year is very important to be responsive to the call of the church and be faithful to the mission of God because God is by nature merciful. Thanks to the many dedicated missionaries, priests, sisters and lay missionaries who responded to the call of God and live among the poor to make a difference and allow God’s mercy to flow into the hearts of those they minister. For more information, please visit www.columban.org. The Dancing for the World event on June 4 is also an opportunity to meet supporters, donors and friends to thank them for their valuable contribution to the Columban mission. Event will include delicious food, ballroom dancing, and fabulous raffle prizes. (For this year, the first prize will be a cruise for two to Mexican Riviera. The second prize is a Flat screen TV. The third prize is a Tablet.) There are many amazing prizes available for all lucky winners. The dinner dance ticket is $40.Reserve your tickets now or before May 15. For information and tickets please contact Carmencita Enriquez (213) 880-5075 or Ariel Presbitero (323) 691-5262, or at: 2919 Moss Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Thank you in advance on behalf of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and the Dancing for the World committee members. Please continue praying for all Columban Missionaries all over the world and the success of this event.
Pechanga Bus trip The Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association (FALEO), a 501c(3) nonprofit organization, will host a bus trip to Pechanga to raise funds for its scholarship. There will be two locations for pick up and drop off: First pick up is at 10:45 am; drop off at 8:30 pm at Carson Civic Center, 801 East Carson Street, Carson. The second pick up will be between 11:15 to 11:30 am; drop off at 8 pm at Angels Stadium Metrolink, 2626 East Katella Avenue, Anaheim. Tickets are $35 and include games and a light breakfast while en route to Pehcanga. For more information, contact Pauline at igorott@yahoo.com.
Installation of Officers The City of San Fernando La Union of Northern California Association USA, a social non-profit organization, will hold a dinner and dance fundraiser event to install its officers for 2016-18. CSFLU aims to socially reunite Friends and Families living in Northern California through scheduled fundraisers, camping, picnics, family events, programs and local community projects. Its mission is to uplift and enrich the living experience through social, moral, ethical and spiritual support in Northern California and in the City of San Fernando La Union Philippines. The event will take place at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, 32083 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City, CA 94587. For more information, contact Jake Valdez at (408) 768-1209 or jake4realestate@yahoo.com.
JUNE 5
YFPA Annual Scholarship Gala 2016 Your Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) will hold its Annual Scholarship Gala with the theme: “Collaboration is the New Bayanihan’” on Sunday, June 5, 6pm, at the Watts Room, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. The event is to award YFPA Scholarship program recipients. For tickets: www.YFPASF.com/events.html.
JUNE 11
Philippine Independence Day celebration The Philippine Independence Day Foundation in conjunction with the City of Carson and GMA Pinoy TV will hold the 118th Philippine Independence Day celebration at Veterans Park and Sports Complex, 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson, CA 90745. The event is celebrated yearly in the City of Carson and is attended by thousands of Carson residents, as well as people from different parts of Southern California. The celebration will take place from 8am to 6pm. For more information, call (310) 549-3111.
Kalayaan Incorporated celebrates the 118th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence On June 11, from 6 p.m. to midnight, at the Concourse Hotel, a Hyatt Affiliated Hotel, Los Angeles International Airport, Kalayaan Incorporated will stage its annual gala dinner ball with Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim as the guest speaker. Attendees will hear his farewell words of wisdom as he ends his term in Los Angeles on June 30. At the helm of the freedom day commemoration are President Josie E. de Jesus, event chair, and Vice President Jose Relson Banas, co-chair. Emcees are Lydia V. Solis and Noel S.V. Omega. Program Director Ted Benito and Program Committee Chair Zeny Sabocor will have a highspirited presentation from endearing singers Manny Evaldez, Sam Santiago, and Christine Love. PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company, the Filipino-American Musical Ensemble, a rondalla group, and the Fil-Am Choir of St. Pius V of Buena Park, Calif., promise an enchanting evening for attendees. And be carried away with the music from Bits N’ Pieces Band. For more information, contact Gil Mislang (562) 417-6772 or Lydia V. Solis lvsolis@aol.com.
LACFAEA to celebrate 118th Philippine Independence Day The Los Angeles County Filipino-American Employees Association is all set to celebrate the 118th Philippine Independence Day on June 11 at the Pasadena Hilton, 168 S. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For more information, please call Rosalinda Vangie Cruz (661) 406-5136; Edwin Martinez (818) 438-6517 or Tony Millonado at (818) 515-2147.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
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Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng CLIENT is 52, still young by any standard. He has got it all together. He has no credit card debt or bank debt. He doesn’t own a house but owns a mobile home that he lives in with a fair market value of $45K. He’s pretty happy living in the camper because he can drive it anywhere he wants to when he feels like it. Last week he spent a week in Yosemite enjoying fresh air and nature’s beauty. The week before that, he spent a couple of days hunting rabbits in Arizona with his camper in tow. He still works as a commissioned salesman when he feels like working, grossing about $30K a year. He has a beautiful fiancée who loves him for who he is since he doesn’t really have much in his name in this world. So what kinds of financial problem can someone like this have? He made the mistake of acting as a guarantor on a commercial lease for his friend. His friend owns a business, which requires
EMPLOYMENT
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Client seeks relief from $700K commercial lease Seniors seek relief from $80K and $28K credit cards
commercial space. The lease on the space is $20K monthly. It’s a five-year lease with three more years to go. His friend’s business was doing well until recently. You know how businesses go. You make money, breakeven or lose money. The first situation is the best. The second situation give you a fighting chance, after all, no money are being lost because the business is able to pay for all of its expenses. But the last situation sucks. Unless you have deep pockets, losing $10K a month means losing $60K in six months. You know what I mean. This deficit has to be financed by new capital from stockholders or from bank loans. Since you know its losing money, you don’t want your own money at risk, so you apply for bank loans to transfer the risk to the banks. You tell the banks that the situation will change if this happens or that happens. But nothing happens; you just continue to lose money. When push comes to shove, and you see the writing on the wall,
you might decide that its time to call it quits and shut down the business. Client is thinking that friend’s business is facing some headwinds that may eventually force his friend to shut it down. If the business is shut down, the commercial lease won’t be paid and guess who is holding the bag for the next three year’s lease of $720K? Fortunately for client he qualifies for a Chapter 7 wipe out of the $720K commercial lease guaranty. He will keep all his assets, including his mobile home, and his 2015 MB E 320. With this $720K liability out of the way and out of his life, client can become productive again, a beneficiary of the Chapter 7 fresh start. I understand that he plans to start a new life with his beautiful bride as soon as the court discharges his $720K personal guaranty liability. This potential liability for a quarter of a million dollars is what hounds client from the time he wakes up to the end of the day, every day. Now what kind of life is that when you have to wor-
EMPLOYMENT
ry about getting sued for $720K just because you signed a lousy guaranty to help your friend out? Not the good kind. It’s a bad kind of life and pretty soon, you have to decide if you want to face this problem squarely and get rid of it so you can get back to enjoying your life. God, the one True God, Yahweh, the God of Moses and Israel, of Abraham and Jacob, my God, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, because He loved us so, did not mean for us to live life under the burden of so much debt! Jesus said that He came that we may have life and have life more abundantly!
And when I say Jesus Christ, I refer to the one and only Son of the one True God, I mean Jesus Christ, who is true God of true God, consubstantial with the Father, begotten, not made. Jesus, who came down from heaven, humbled Himself and became man, conceived by the Holy Spirit without human intervention, in the womb of our Blessed Mother Mary, to die for our sins on the cross, so we can have a chance to spend eternity with our God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and our loved ones, in paradise. I refer to our Lord and Savior, our redeemer, our shepherd, the prince of peace, the king of
kings, the way, the truth and the light. I will discuss the cases of the seniors in the next article. “Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned…” — Romans 5:12
*** 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)
P100-B plan to end traffic woes…
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minute to catch their next ride. Philtrak is also proposing to build a road using the 30-meter right of way of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) across 1,079 km of train lines stretching across Luzon. Yuseco said this would help boost connectivity and spur development outside the capital district. He said this plan would cost more than P30 billion. “We’ve already approached
some people in the new administration,” Yuseco said, noting that proposals sent to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in the Aquino administration fell on deaf ears. “We might have a better chance since they [Duterte administration] have the tendency to think outside the box.” The DOTC announced it was planning several BRT projects in the Philippines, starting with
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Cebu and then Metro Manila, but those projects have yet to be launched commercially. Apart from Yuseco, who claims to hold patents for the BRT dating back to the late 1980s, Philtrak’s other shareholders are bus company Del Monte Motor Works Corp., Micrologics Systems Inc. and Versatech Consultants and Management Corp., an engineering firm with experience in “field transport and traffic analysis.” n
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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 25-27, 2016
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The Asian Journal
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Wednesday, May 25, 2016
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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 25, 2016
From earthquake kits to big business
george rivera, Ceo, total resources international shares his story of faith and success by
During lunchtime on a Wednesday, more than two dozen employees of first aid company Total resources international (Tri) are gathered inside a fellowship hall in Walnut, California. Sitting behind transparent acoustic panels, george rivera, the company’s CEO, strikes his drum sticks against the instrument in front of him while singing along to worship songs in English and Spanish. “god is good,” rivera says after the worship segment of the fellowship. “it’s up to us to recognize god’s goodness.” He also welcomes first-time guests and tells them that the fellowship hall is the most important building in the seven-acre facility his company stands on. it was July 1991 when then 40-year-old rivera established
Agnes ConstAnte / AJPress
Total resources international, and as his business enters its 25th year of operation, he takes no credit for his continued success. “You see, the thing is, it’s not me. And i would never tell you that and you to write that it was me, that i made this big. i made myself available for god to use and he is the one that’s making it big,” he told the Asian Journal. Sitting on a black chair inside a Tri conference room with an assortment of first aid kits displayed across the walls, rivera makes it clear that everything in his life ties back to his relationship with god. On a gold chain around his neck hangs a cross encrusted with jewels that twinkle against the light. “You know,” he says, “this company is a church. We just happen to make the best first
Employees of TRI attend a fellowship segment on a Wednesday afternoon.
aid kits in the country.” From earthquake kits to first aid Before incorporating Tri, rivera and his wife, Merlyn, initially sold a product called Ed-uCase, an educational briefcase she designed for earthquake emergencies. in 1989, Merlyn told the Los Angeles Times that the product was created after the couple purchased a plain plastic briefcase from West germany as a gift for their children. She decided that if it were decorated with alphabet letters, safety tips or animals, it could both serve as a case to carry items and be educational. rivera pitched Ed-u-Case to supermarket chains and was rejected 12 times by stores including Food 4 Less. But he kept going and eventually struck a deal with former supermarket chain Alpha Beta.
Ed-u-Case sold well whenever earthquakes shook Southern California. But because sales were seasonal, Tri eventually transitioned into selling first aid kits. Before making that move, rivera purchased kits from a number of drug and grocery stores to examine their contents and discovered they were basically band-aid kits that lacked wipes, ointments, scissors and other essentials. When he decided to compete in the industry, first aid kits were dominated by Johnson & Johnson and were characterized by white boxes with a red cross. Despite this, rivera was confident he could succeed. in 1994, Tri secured a test run year with Sam’s Club, a membership-only warehouse club chain, to see if it could outsell Johnson & Johnson, the chain’s exclusive first aid kit provider. The company outsold its competitor by more than three times and became Sam’s Club’s new exclusive provider with a contract for an initial order of $5 million. But some time after receiving that order, rivera underwent an episode of anxiety. A month before he established Tri, he was going through bankruptcy and lost everything. He wondered if securing the contract with Sam’s Club would lead him to a similar loss. “i was sweating, i was nervous, my heart was pumping, i didn’t know what was going
on. That’s when i prayed, ‘Lord, please, tell me what’s going on. reveal to me what this is all about. Are you making me see these millions again so i can experience what i experienced when i lost [everything]?’ i said, ‘i don’t want that.’ That’s the worst thing that ever happened in my life,’” he said. After praying, rivera took a 45-minute nap, and then began to write out his vision for Tri: “To be the most dependable and excitingly innovative manufacturer of first aid kits and emergency survival preparedness products in all categories of home, office, school, auto, sporting goods, outdoors, marine and farm for the purpose of spreading the good news, supporting ministries and missionaries of all nations in their calling and election to care for orphans, help the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and encourage, comfort and urge everyone to live lives worthy of God.” That phrase was never edited and is now Tri’s mission statement. “That statement is what we live by now,” rivera said. To this day, Tri remains the exclusive first aid kit provider to Sam’s Club. in June, the company is set to host its 25th anniversary celebration where 500 to 600 guests – including vendors, partners, sales representatives, and current and former employees, along with
AJPress photos by Noel Ty
their plus-ones – will be invited to attend. The company is also planning to direct additional efforts toward advanced and active wound care kits, given that China is now entering the first aid kit market. Tri products can also be found at Walmart and may be sold at Target in the future. The company today employs about 100 workers, including his four children (one son and three daughters): gregg rivera, 37, is the company’s president; gina rivera, 44, is director of new products; Dawn rivera, 46, is director of special projects; and geolyn gonzalez, 39, is the marketing director. “i’m not going to paint [working with family] like it’s pretty and roses,” gonzalez said. “it’s not. it’s really hard and it is challenging because it is family. But at the same time we’re all committed to the same vision and we see my dad’s vision. We – us siblings – all have our own individual personalities and we might all have our own passions, too. But i believe we’re all here for a reason and we’re here to learn the business because anything that any of us wants to do, this is the perfect place to learn all aspects of the business.” Dawn, who has worked alongside rivera since she was 13 years old, credits her knowledge to her dad. “Everything i know is from the university Continued on Page 3
features
Solenn Heussaff, Nico Bolzico wed in France THIS time it’s for real. On Saturday, May 22, longtime couple Solenn Heussaff and Nico Bolzico finally tied the knot in Comboug at Brittan, France—almost five months after their “supposed” wedding in Dec. 2015 in Argentina. The French-Filipina TV actress and commercial model hails from France, while Bolzico is an Argentine businessman. Both are currently based in the Philippines. In attendance at their intimate and charming ceremony set in the rustic Eglise Notre Dame de Combourg are the couple’s high-profile friends from the Philippines, including A-list actress Anne Curtis, whose boyfriend is Solenn’s younger brother Erwann Heussaff, “It Girls” Liz Uy and Bea Soriano, celebrity girl friends Lovi Poe, Carla Humphries, Rhian Ramos and Isabelle Daza, socialite Tim Yap, and designer Rajo Laurel, among many others. Also seen is Solenn’s best friend, TV host and model
Inside TRI’s facility in Walnut, California.
Georgina Wilson-Burnand who got married ahead of Mr. and Mrs. Bolzico in England in April. (Euden Valdez/ManilaTimes.net)
Mariel Rodriguez confirms pregnancy AFTER suffering two miscarriages last year, TV host-actress Mariel Rodriguez announced last Saturday, May 21 that she is three months pregnant. Rodriguez, the wife of action star Robin Padilla, made the announcement on ABS-CBN’s noontime program “It’s Showtime,” where she is one of the hosts. Rodriguez suffered miscarriage in August last year, losing a triplet pregnancy. In March 2015, she was eight weeks and three days pregnant when she lost her first child. (Inquirer.net)
From Page 2 of George. I never went to college,” she said, adding that she has worked in all of the departments to get an entire understanding of the company’s operations. Her siblings claim that she could run the company all on her own, but she says she needs them. “We’re all good at our own different things, but collectively, it would take all four of us to run TRI if anything happens to my dad,” she said. Overcoming birthing and growing pains Some years ago, TRI’s banker asked Rivera how he predicted the business would do in the future, after noticing how it was growing. It’s a question Rivera didn’t have the answer to. “I told him, ‘I don’t know. I don’t want to put a limit to what my God can do’,” he said. Because of his deep faith and relationship with God, it wasn’t until recently that the company adopted a budget. “In the past, it was really never a priority for us because we just know it’s going to be good.” But circumstances weren’t always good. Even after getting past the bankruptcy, Rivera endured a series of humbling experiences that led him to his current success. Rivera was about 18 years old when he arrived in the United States in 1969, at which time he pursued
Jaclyn Jose becomes the first Filipino to win Best Actress at Cannes By Billy
De la AJPress
Cruz
JACLYN Jose made history after winning the Best Actress award at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, May 22. She is the first Filipino to bring home the acting honor for the Philippines at Cannes. The 52-year-old veteran actress was hailed for performance in the film “Ma’ Rosa,” directed by Brillante Mendoza, who marks the film as his return to Cannes after winning Best Director for his film “Kinatay (Butchered)” in 2009. In “Ma’ Rosa,” Jose plays a struggling mother who owns a small sari-sari (variety) store in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Manila. She makes ends meet with her husband (played by Julio Diaz) by selling drugs. “The small-time drug selling and all that is happening and it’s quite alarming and something needs to be done. That’s why I decided to make a story out of this situation,” Mendoza said about the film. “I don’t know what to say. I am so surprised,” Jose said with a shaking voice as she accepted her award at the Palais des Festivals on the French Riviera in France. An emotional Jose was joined by her daughter and “Ma’ rosa” co-star Andi Eigenmann and Brillante on stage. “I just went through having a red carpet walk with my daughter, my real life daughter and my daughter in the movie also,” she continued. “Thank you to Cannes, thank you so much. Thank you to the jury, thank you that you liked our film” “Thank you also to Brillante Mendoza. I was just following whatever he tells me to do. He is such a brilliant director--a genius in the Philippines, and now, here in your country,” Jose said as she gestured towards Mendoza, who was applauding at the sidelines. “To my countrymen, to the Philippines. Thank you so much, France, for loving our work,” she concluded. Jaclyn bested front-runners and Hollywood actresses Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Ruth
AJPress photo by Noel Ty
George Rivera, CEO, Total Resources International...
The blushing bride: Solenn Heussaff
Cannes best actress Jaclyn Jose shows her Palme d’Or (Gold Leaf) award upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Tuesday, May 24. Inquirer.net photo by Grig Montegrande
Negga, Isabelle Huppert, and Kristen Stewart for the prestigious Palme d’Or (Gold Leaf) award. “When I saw the line-up, I said, ‘Oh, they are all my idols and they are all good.’ (During the awards night) I was just watching and enjoying the moment. When they called my name, I got surprised and got emotional,” Jose told Reuters after the awarding ceremony. “Who would not get be emotional, this is the Cannes film festival, this is big, especially in my country. You know, not anyone can be in the competition here or be nominated as best actress, so this is big in my country right now,” she added. International accolades During a press conference after the awarding ceremony, Cannes Jury member and Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen
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The Asian Journal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 25, 2016
described Jose as “a wonderful leading actress, a master of her skills.” “It was an absolute beautiful, beautiful performance for lead actress. That’s why she got it,” Mikkelsen said. French film director and screenwriter Arnaud Desplechin said: “She’s the film. Have you seen the performance she gave? She broke my heart.” “Everybody’s heart, actually,” Shahrzad Media International CEO and Iranian film producer Katayoon Shahabi echoed. Jose now joins the rank of other premier actresses who have won the Best Actress award at Cannes, such as Sally Field (1979), Helen Mirren (1984, 1995), Cher (1985), Meryl Streep (1989), Julianne Moore (2014), and Rooney Mara (2015), among others.
studies in accounting. Prior to establishing his company, he worked as a controller at International Industries where he managed people in their 40s and 50s. He also went into real estate, a field he discovered he enjoyed. What Rivera’s real estate job entailed, particularly packaging loans, came in handy when overcoming what he has deemed the most significant birthing pain of TRI: he didn’t have any working capital, nor did he have the best credit. “We didn’t have any money. We didn’t have a bank. Nobody wanted to talk to us. In the meantime, we were already getting busy.” Eventually he came across some clients seeking to obtain a $2 million line of credit. He helped them secure that loan and was set to receive a 10 percent cut of the amount. But because Rivera obtained the loan for his clients within a week, they didn’t think he worked too hard to get the job done and paid him $2,000 instead of the $200,000 he was due. In an act of desperation, Rivera kneeled in front of the client to request for the money. “I got on my knees and begged this person to pay me. I never thought I could ever do that. God has really put me through many, many humbling experiences to get me to where I am right now because he knows the task at hand,” he said.
The clients went on to offer Rivera the key to their 700,000square-foot warehouse and told him he could sell the merchandise in it to earn his money. “In other words, I had to work for it again. Remember now, I didn’t have a choice. So I just took the key and went in there,” he said. Inside, the warehouse was full of gift wrapping merchandise like paper and ribbon. The items, however, were submerged in water. “So what did we have to do? We had to take the water out, re-box every single one of the wrapping papers to get it ready to sell. Again, I didn’t have a choice. So I did that.” Despite all the work involved, Rivera says he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself at the time; he was just focused on the work he had to do. But even after selling $20,000 worth of products and passing the checks along to his clients, they continually shortchanged him and gave him only $2,000. Rivera said that shortly after he surrendered his life to the Lord, he came across an old friend named Steve who, it turned out, leased the building where Rivera’s delinquent clients stored their merchandise. Steve was also trying to collect money from the clients, and in the end, he transferred the lease of the property to Rivera, which became TRI’s new location.
“Our story here is just like that all the time. It’s not being mushy or anything like that, or being religious. We’re not religious at all. This is our way of life. It’s a relationship that we have with God,” Rivera said. From its beginnings in a 700-square-foot borrowed warehouse, TRI ultimately became situated on a seven-acre facility. It is a church, Rivera says, that just so happens to sell the best first aid kits in the nation. Every morning, employees gather in the production building where one person will give a 20-minute devotion or prayer. And on Wednesdays, while employees aren’t required to attend fellowship, a good number of them choose to participate. In addition to TRI, Rivera and his wife established a nonprofit organization shortly after incorporating the company. In 1996, they started Vision Himpossible Ministries. The organization supports ministries and missionaries in nations across the globe that feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, and care for orphans, among other things. It also supports pastoral schools and feeding centers in the Philippines. And it serves as another testimony of how everything for Rivera truly always goes back to God. “[This is] what drives us to be the best … [and] what we are right now,” he said.
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features
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 25, 2016
Moonlighting
Divorce is a real life-altering event. Couples argue over custody, division of estates, whose value depends on who is counting or hiding assets. Some try but fail miserably to keep as much mud off their public imLAS VEGAS: On a hot, dry ages (especially tabloid fodder day in May, the whole city was breathing and heaving like a tired celebrities), but there are only two emotions that people feel in beast. On the strip that cona divorce case: anger and guilt, trolled all the luxurious hotels, played by gladiators in a melocursing motorists are melting down encased in a steeled impo- drama of greed, hurt, outrage, shock and disbelief. Believe me, tence, trapped in a horrendous gentle readers I know what I’m gridlock. But come hell or high rattling about. water, people flock here to untie Baron Geisler It is said that the freedom to the knot. ent from other people,” Verzosa Here, divorce is simply about luxuriate in self pity is one of the explained. consolations of a marriage gone the villain and the victim. It is wrong. Whether it is ending In defense of himself, Geisler who got cheated and who got left, the agony of the dumped. It a longstanding marriage or a wrote a lengthy post on his shorter relationship, one needs Facebook account to explain that will always be a conundrum of time to grieve — time and space how dramatically love can go into he was given an idiot board the to heal hurts. a turn around. moment he arrived on set, when People can choose the In this city of quickie divorces, he already asked for the script wrong mate, cheat on them layers of emotional smog polahead of time. because they’re bored or begin lutes the atmosphere of any the The actor—who has a history divorce lawyer’s office. The time to loathe the spouses they of violent encounters with fellow once adored. They lie, trick a divorcing couple spends in a celebrities—even threatened to and obfuscate especially when court room is brief. After the all that are at stake is half their sue Verzosa for apparent intenjudge denies alimony, the main net worth and their emotional action on a mediation session tion to “exploit an already damequilibrium. is done in crowded hallways aged reputation” The soon-to-be former wife — where offers and counter ofDay after this, Versoza decidis surely saddling him with trefers are tendered, while some cry ed to take down the video “out out and lament “extortion.” Not mendous legal bills. The scorned of respect for Baron.” He said, exactly the most special place for woman will use whatever she “Imagine if you were the one can and subscribe to such stratdramatic partings. The corridor harassed and a found footage of minuet is simply all about pay off egy as well, when it is expedient you harassing women or whoever, or some equivalent symbol of and sometimes bordering on would you change for the betwhat is considered ethical. revenge, like a demand that the The catalogue of fear and ter? We all need [to] realize that mate burn in hell for eternity, if insecurity that bedevils these such a request was possible. violence isn’t the answer.”
Baron Geisler, student reconcile after scandal by Christina
alpad ManilaTimes.net
THREE days after the video of Baron Geisler cursing and grabbing a University of the Philippines student inside campus went viral in Facebook, uploader Khalil Verzosa had reached out to the actor to “resolve the issue” between themselves.
Khalil, who is a Visual Communication student at UP, tapped Geisler to star in his film project, which coincidentally is about Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act. He said, “When I uploaded the video, I thought that was my form of justice, perhaps differ-
When love turns around
by Mylah de
leon
disgruntled and miserable uncoupling couples are as deep as the Grand Canyon and just as hard to fill up. “I’ll be financially ruined and no woman wants to date a pauper.” “I’ll become a bag lady. I’ll lose contact with my children and they’ll never forgive me.” “ He will get off easy because he has hidden money in off shore accounts.” “She will skip town and run away with my kids.” “He will marry an obnoxious bimbo who’ll be a bad influence on my children.” All these fears are enormous, but the deadliest is, I’ll be alone and die!” On the other hand, no one can ever discount the possibility that people can be positively transformed by the crucible of divorce. That woman who has never had a control of finances and can’t even balance a check book, much less, manage investments, will somehow learn to become her own person. Women that start out scared eventually become both psychologically and financially stable at the end. But for the Moonlighter and the late Mr. de Leon, during decades of an almost blissful marriage, we’ve had our countless spars and yet divorce was never considered. Murder maybe (and oh many times), but to divorce was definitely out of the question! ***
com
E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol.
Maria Isabel Lopez: No intention to steal scene in Cannes by yuji
VinCent Gonzales
ing before she left Manila. “I have to put it in mind that I’m not the lead actress here. I’m AFTER a red carpet photo of just doing a cameo role. The spotthe cast of the film “Ma’Rosa” light is not on me. It’s the director went viral, actress Maria Isabel Brillante Mendoza and Jaclyn Lopez clarified that she did not intend to steal the spotlight at the Jose in the title role of Ma’Rosa,” Lopez wrote. 2016 Cannes Film Festival. “When we got off the car, In an article she wrote at Glitter.ph, Lopez apologized to direc- yells and screams from internator Brillante Mendoza and Cannes tional fans, media, onlookers and guests. I positioned myself on Best Actress Jaclyn Jose, saying the right side as I don’t want to that “there was no intention” on steal the limelight from Brillante her part to be a “scene stealer.” Lopez was reacting to a photo and Jaclyn, as they were being of the “Ma’Rosa” cast on the red interviewed by the French TV. In the choreography, I didn’t take carpet that went viral, where a center stage. I was positioned on noticeable gap can be seen between her and the rest of the cast. the extreme right with new actor John Paul Duray.” she added. She was wearing an emerald Lopez said the reason for green gown by Albert Andrada, while her companions wore black the gap in the viral photo was because her expensive gown, the and white outfits. Lopez said she was not advised of the color cod- train of which was “three times Inquirer.net
Maria Isabel Lopez makes a splash in the south of France.
longer than Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach’s winning blue gown,” was being stepped upon. “The walk, the smile, the projection, the wave, was exactly the same moves in the 2009 red carpet of the 62nd Cannes Film
Festival. The same make up done by me, the same hairstyle. The same old me … only in a different gown, in a different time when the Philippines is now the social media capital of the world,” she added.
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 25, 2016
5
Why Donald Trump has a real shot at the Presidency by German
P. Palabyab
DONALD TRUMP has defied all odds and bucked popular expectations to become the Republican presumptive nominee for the 2016 Presidential elections. Even traditionally Democrat leaning New York Times (Nate Cohn in his May 4, 2016 column The Upshot) writes “Mr. Trump was a tremendous long shot when he entered the race, and even for months thereafter. Victory wasn’t inevitable — and it took a lot to go his way.” It seems that a lot of us, especially the Filipino-American communities in the mainland and the Hawaii are not getting the real Donald Trump … yet. This remarkable story of Donald Trump, a Washington DC “outsider”, but a savvy if not legendary negotiator and strategist who used this talent to build his multibillion dollar empire, finally came through by May 3, 2016 during the pivotal Indiana primaries. It looked like a long
I’ve always loved the Philippines. I think “ it’s just a special place and Manila is one of
Asia’s most spectacular cities. I know that this project will be second to none.
”
– Donald Trump Chairman & President of the Trump Organization
shot when Mr. Trump declared his candidacy at the Trump Tower on June 16, 2015. Mr. Trump continues to baffle a lot of our Washington D.C. political analysts. According to Cohn of New York Times, a number of factors came into play in favor of Donald Trump. Among others, these are the number of aspirants (17 was a record number of aspirants), the inability of the “Republican elites” to consolidate and muster support (as donors had to delay and could not decide who to throw their support), and the weak opponents who were left during the Indiana primaries (Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich) who clearly did not have the popular support from the voters. Will Mr. Trump again defy the odds against Hillary Clinton? As we come closer to the final convention of both the Democratic and the Republican Parties in July this year, to nominate their respective presidential candidates, the roller-coaster ride of Trump seems to change at every turn, but generally closer to catching up with Hillary Clinton’s initial lead in the surveys. A Trump-Clinton race to the White House looms as both candidates are set to win their respective party nominations. Again, the odds are against Mr. Trump who according to CNN and Washington Post surveys, trails Ms. Hillary Clinton by as much as 10 points if elections were held in April. Mr. Trump has more than 60% negative points among women and much larger disapproval ratings among Hispanics because of his earlier inflammatory remarks and his controversial position on immigration and the building of a wall along the US-Mexican border. He also needs to unite the Republicans before anything else to prepare for a one-on-one race against Hillary Clinton. The only two things going for Mr. Trump last April were, that Hillary Clinton herself is not very popular among the Democrats and the “Bernie Sanders factor” who vowed “to carry the fight to the very end”. Sanders enjoys the support of the millennials, the highly educated and young voters who catapulted Obama in his bid for the presidency. Mr. Trump can court this sector of the voters who do not necessarily follow party lines but go by their own persuasions. More recent surveys seem to indicate that Trump, in spite of his “loose canon” is catching up and sometimes ahead in Republican dominated states. “This is because Donald Trump has the ability to captivate his audience, give them the sound bites that they like to hear, keep his critiques guessing and create excitement that people are looking for in a candidate. This is the magic that has successfully carried Donald Trump through the primaries.” Negative campaigning from both sides We expect a lot of negative campaigning from both sides because both Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump have “issues” to deal with in public. The “trust factor” will weigh heavily on both candidates. Can the American people trust Hillary Clinton amidst allegations that she broke the law on more than one occasion (the alleged email and financial scandals) and as a Washington, DC political insider? Likewise, can the American people trust Donald Trump who has been “less than presidential” with his public comments and whose skill and abilities have not been tested in any public position? The Benghazi attack in September 2012 which claimed the life of an American Ambassador among others will continue to haunt Hillary Clinton even after the 2016 elections. Offhand, it appears that what Hillary lacks, Mr. Trump has and vice versa. Mr. Trump thinks that he will quickly close and erase the “gap” in time for the November 2016 election once he focuses his campaign on Hillary Clinton’s flaws. The Minority Swing Vote and the Filipino-American vote in a tight contest The current surveys place the millennials as a significant factor in this coming elections. They account for at least 30% of the voters according to the latest election statistics. They are the ones who also are the most likely to vote. According to Nate Cohn of New York Times, non-whites collectively account for about 30% of the electorate for the 2016 elections. The Asian Americans and particularly the Filipino-Americans are part of this 30%. In a tight contest that Mr. Trump aims to achieve, the Fil Am vote
Trump Tower Manila, the tallest building in the Philippines.
Jose E.B. Antonio has been building and selling houses and condominiums for 30 years. Forbes Magazine calls Antonio’s “biggest publicity coup” was when he closed a deal with billionaire showman Donald Trump. The New York real estate mogul is licensing his name for the 55-story Trump Tower Manila, changing the landscape and the skyline of metropolitan Manila. “My dream has been to position Manila as an international city, because we lose by default against cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, where all the brands go,” Antonio told Forbes in an interview. “Our tie-up with brands like Versace is a conscious effort to position us as a city with good service, restaurants, luxury brands.” Antonio’s Century Properties boasts of 30 years of experience in real estate marketing, real estate development and property management, with more than 60 projects in its portfolio. Its major projects include the Essensa East Forbes in Fort Bonifacio, Global City in Manila and The Gramercy Residences in Makati. It has built up almost $1.45 billion of properties, mostly in the Philippines. In New York, the group has The Centurion, the first ground up residential condominium in New York City designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei.
could be part of the swing votes that Mr. Trump is aiming for. It appears that Mr. Trump already has a plan and a strategy to capture the millennial votes, the disgruntled Democrats that continue to support Bernie Sanders and appeal to the Hispanic and the Muslim voters he might have offended. Mr. Trump has started focusing his guns at Hillary Clinton’s weaknesses and will shortly launch a PR campaign to tell everybody, the Hispanics, Asians and Muslim voters that he is not a racist and a homophobic individual. Part of this campaign will highlight his success as an entrepreneur, an empire builder and a decisive leader who can make “America great again”. It is notable that the legal immigrants are not really the ones going to the streets to denounce Trump. In fairness to Mr. Trump, until he entered the race, Mr. Trump has no history of being a racist and a violator of equal rights. To this writer, Mr. Trump has been the ultimate marketing genius, selling himself to the Republican electorates, willing to say what he feels his audience wants to hear, regardless of its sensitivity or political correctness. Considering he is a TV personality and an entertainer prior to entering politics, we cannot judge him and his leadership ability merely by his public pronouncements and behavior in the primaries. So far his decisions and strategy have been effective in achieving his goals. He has also exhibited effective leadership in his campaign organization. This makes him a formidable opponent and not to be taken lightly even now by Hillary Clinton. The Fil-Am vote and psyche What about the Filipino-American vote? According to recent studies from the Pew Research Center, there are now more than 3.4 million Filipino-Americans residing in the US mainland and Hawaii. In California and Nevada, they have been largely identified with the Democrats. But in other states like Chicago, New Jersey, Texas and New York who tend to go Republican, they are also identified with the Republican Party. The Fil-Am millennials tend to gravitate along with the mainstream millennials towards anti-Washington, DC insiders or the traditional politicians who are known to broker, wheel and deal with special interests allegedly at the expense of public interest. This makes the millennials and the highly educated voters really mad at the current system. This is the reason why Mr. Trump won and has a chance to catch up or even overtake the lead of Hillary Clinton by election time. Between Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump, the latter seems to represent more the ideology of the millennials, the Bernie Sanders supporters and the disenfranchised independents. Ted Cruz was right on this count. The highly educated Fil-Am voters are no different from the new millennials and those who feel disenfranchised by the current two party system. Using the system, Mr. Donald Trump beat the odds and broke into one of the parties, the Republicans and is now poised to offer himself to represent and become the voice of the “outsiders and the disenfranchised”. Trump is aware that America was built by hardworking immigrants like the Filipino-Americans. What really is Donald Trump all about? Mr. Dean Cambe, a very hardworking Filipino-American entrepre-
The Trump® brand now encompasses projects across the United States, Philippines, Panama, Canada and Turkey and is renowned for representing the highest level of excellence and luxury in residential, hotel, office, retail and golf properties. Trump branded projects have always been associated with the world’s premier real estate. Trump buildings are known for their spectacular views, prime locations, luxurious amenities and discerning owners. The existing clientele of Trump includes global CEOs and celebrities. The experience of owning a Trump
branded property and living in the Trump lifestyle is unparalleled. Superior Quality, Detail and Perfection are standards that Trump demands of all properties bearing its name. The exclusive touch of the Trump brand is present in every aspect of their properties, from the design driven, cutting edge façades created in collaboration with the world’s best architects, to the flawless interiors designed specifically for each market to the world-class service. No detail is overlooked. With each of its developed and branded properties, the Trump brand continues to raise the bar of super luxurious living consistently.
Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Robbie Antonio, (Project Head of Trump Tower, Manila and Managing Director of Century Properties Group Inc), Donald J. Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
Cambe has over 40 years experience in the aviation industry. In his early years serving in the US Navy onboard the USS Enterprise to owning an FAA Certified MRO, his in-depth knowledge of aircraft is unsurpassed. Dean’s passion for aviation has given him the edge to providing the very best service in sales and acquisitions for his new and existing customers.
neur, who leases his jets in the Philippines to the rich and famous, aptly describes why the Filipino Americans, even those who have voted Democrat in the past might go Donald Trump’s way. “Filipino-Americans traditionally earned their keep the old and proven American way, through self-reliance and hard work”, he says. “Most of us do not depend on dole outs and entitlements given by the government. This is what Donald Trump is all about, doing things the old fashioned American way – through hard work.”, Cambe continues. Dr. Orlando Maloles, an MD and retired family practitioner in Philadelphia echoes the same sentiment. People are tired of the exclusive “old boys club”, the Washington, DC clique from both sides of the aisle in the US Congress. Mr. Trump seems to represent a new source of hope for the majority that feels under-represented in the Washington clique of Republicans and Democrats. They feel left out and no match to the lobby by the big players with whom the DC Democrats and Republicans have been traditionally catering to. Dr. Maloles and Mr. Cambe represent the sentiments of thousands (maybe millions) of successful Filipino-American professionals in the US. Mr. Donald Trump is on his way to become the nominee of the Republicans, with or without the endorsement of the Republican leadership in the US Congress like Speaker Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush. It will be the end of the Republican Party if they do not rally behind Trump. This is the message that the American people is giving to the Republican Party and to the traditional politicians and king makers who hold their court in Washington, DC. They want a real representation for them in DC and Trump, the outsider has gate-crashed the exclusive club. This is where the Trump magic is coming from, being self-made in the realm of party politics as he was in private business. He is beholden to no one but the American people who supports him. And he knows how to leverage this position when dealing with the king makers in Washington DC. Filipino Americans like this. Signs of the times, the revolution of the disenfranchised This is the sign of the times. This is the same revolution of electorates in the Philippines last May 9, 2016, that catapulted Mr. Rodrigo Duterte from a “nuisance candidate” who did not have a party and a machinery to speak of, to become the duly elected president of the Philippines garnering the largest number of votes since Cory Aquino rose to power in February of 1986. There is a close parallelism or similarity between the Trump success in the US primaries and the campaign of Duterte in the Philippines. While there is no comparison between the American and Philippine economies, there is a similarity and parallelism between the two when it comes to the widening gap between the rich and the poor and the failure of the political leadership and system to address or meet the expectations of the greater majority of the population. The masses, particularly the working class and the millennials are worried about their future and do not see the solutions in the hands of the current political parties. The electorates in both countries are willing to try an “outsider” for a change. Mr. Trump seems to have seen the hand writing on the wall. What is going for Mr. Trump is that he has the data, the money and a clear picture of what he needs to achieve. His sound bites are not the same as the rhetoric and clichés of Hillary and Sanders and even his fellow Republicans Cruz and Rubio’s. He speaks the people’s language, plain and simple. His detractors say this is less than presidential but really this is how he connects to the people. Among Filipino-Americans, Mr. Trump needs to reach the FilAm millennials and the Fil-Am professionals to capture the Filipino-American votes. The Fil-Am professionals in particular are a potent force to capture other Fil-Am voters with the expansion of their respective spheres of influence in their communities. To us Filipino-Americans, this is a great opportunity to leverage our political empowerment to both parties. Why put your eggs in one basket? California Fil-Ams must give themselves a better chance by opening themselves to both parties. Trump’s vision and type of governance is a good match with what we stand for here in the US: self-reliance, faith in the free-market system and the role of the government as an equalizer of opportunities and leveler of the playing field.
Trump has the ability to captivate his audience, give them the sound bites that they like to hear, keep his critiques guessing and create excitement that people are looking for in a candidate. This is the magic that has successfully carried Donald Trump through the primaries. This advertorial does not reflect the views, concerns and opinions of the Asian Journal management, editorial and staff.
6
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 25, 2016
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