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ED ITION April 8-11, 2017
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T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r
Volume 27 - No. 29 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages
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Duterte orders military to occupy PH islands in the South China Sea
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by Dana
sioson AJPress
PresIDeNt rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Armed forces of the Philippines (AfP) to occupy undisputed Philippine islands in the south China (West Philippine) sea and strengthen the country’s territorial claims. In a press conference during his visit to Palawan on thursday, April 6, Duterte said he wanted the Philippines to “maintain ju-
risdiction” over “areas under [its] control.” “And I have ordered the Armed forces to occupy all – these so many islands, I think nine or 10 – build structures and place the Philippine flag,” he told reporters. Duterte also announced that he may visit Pag-asa Island on Independence Day, June 12, to “raise the flag there.” Also referred to as tithu Island, Pag-asa Island is located 480 kilometers off the coast of
USA
DATELINE Neil Gorsuch confirmed to Supreme Court from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
After tensions flew over who’d replace the late supreme Court Justice Antonin scalia, Judge Neil Gorsuch was confirmed on friday, April 7 as the 113th justice of the nation’s highest court. In a senate vote that was largely based on party, Gorsuch, 49, was confirmed with a 54-45 in favor of, with Vice President mike Pence casting a voluntary final vote as senate president. President Donald trump nominated the republican judge — who sat on the U.s. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals — just over two months ago. During his 20-hour confirmation hearing, the Democratic senators who questioned him criticized him for evading questions. What was proven, however, was that he will likely vote conservatively, shifting the power of the court to the conservative bloc of
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Major General Tony Taguba sounds off on caregiving, Filipino WWII vets recognition
F i l i p i n o -A m e r i c a n M a j o r General Tony Taguba shares his experiences with family caregiving and lobbying on behalf of Filipino World War II veterans.
After 35 illustrious years serving in the United states Army, major General Antonio “tony” taguba has dedicated his life to two crucial missions: stressing the importance of family caregiving and assuring filipino World War II Veterans receive the recognition they deserve. the major general’s efforts go beyond the mere expression of these two very important
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Palawan. It is the largest Philippine-controlled island among the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the disputed spratlys region. Duterte vowed full support on the improvements and airport repairs in the island. “the money is there. I don’t know how the Army or the engineering battalion would do it. But that development there has my full support,” he affirmed. Apart from Pag-asa, the Philip-
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DOUBLE CELEBRATION. President Rodrigo Duterte blows the candle on a custom-made cake with a figure of himself on a motorbike. Duterte, who turned 72 last March 28, had his own birthday cake during the 70th birthday celebration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (right) in Lubao, Pampanga on Wednesday, April 5. Malacañang photo
AMLC rejects Trillanes’ request Pacquiao-Horn to release Duterte’s bank records match set for July by Dana
sioson AJPress
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
the Anti-money Laundering Council (AmLC) has rejected the request of senator Antonio trillanes IV to release a copy of Philippine President rodrigo Duterte’s “flagged or reported” bank transactions. In a letter addressed to trillanes, the AmLC said it cannot grant the senator’s request because it would violate the Constitution. “We regret to inform that your request, which necessarily includes transactions on President’s bank accounts, is not allowed under repub-
lic Act No. 1405 or the Bank secrecy Law,” the AmLC said in a letter dated march 29. Under the law, the AmLC said that “all bank deposits and all transactions related thereto, are absolutely confidential and may not be inquired into by any person, government official, bureau or office, subject only to a few exceptions not present in this case.” Last month, trillanes revived his accusations against Duterte, claiming that the president had almost two billion pesos worth of undeclared wealth in his three bank accounts from 2006 to 2015. he challenged Duterte to open
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Former Interior Secretary Sueno addresses allegations, calls president ‘misinformed’ by AJPress PhILIPPINe President rodrigo Duterte denied that he was ‘misinformed’ when he fired former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Ismael sueno over allegations of corruption. “I could never be misinformed,” Duterte told reporters on thursday, April 6 in Palawan. “And
when I make a move, when I fire you diyan mismo (right there), alam ko ang ginagawa ko (i know what i’m doing).” earlier in the day, sueno said he believes the president was ‘misinformed’ about the accusations against him, which instantly led to his dismissal. “I think (Duterte) was misinformed. I think so. he acted and decided on what he has read in the
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Former DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno
by AJPress
fILIPINo boxing champion manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has signed a contract for a July match against olympian Jeff horn in Australia, top rank chief Bob Arum disclosed earlier this week. speaking to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles times on tuesday, April 4, Arum said Pacquiao will defend his World Boxing organization (WBo) welterweight title against horn on July 1 at suncorp stadium in Brisbane. other details, however, have yet to be finalized. “We’re slowly finishing up the deal to fight,” Arum told the newspaper. “People have agreed on essential points.” “Paperwork takes time, particularly when it’s not the usual thing of getting it done in the United states. We’re dealing with an Australian promoter, the state government. here, in this case, you’ve got to cross the t’s and dot the I’s, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing,” he added. expressing confidence that the fight against horn will be a blockbuster in Australia, Arum said he expects the tickets for the 55,000-capacity stadium to be sold-out. “horn is an Aussie. there’s government behind it. they want the fight. they wanted manny Pacquiao. essentially, to buy the cheese, they wanted Pacquiao against this Aussie fighter,” Arum said.
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DFA monitors situation of Filipinos in Syria after US airstrike by Mikas
Matsuzawa Philstar.com
mANILA, Philippines — the Department of foreign Affairs (DfA) on friday, April 7 said it is monitoring the situation of over a thousand filipinos in syria following the United states’ (Us) massive airstrike against the country. trump ordered the strike after the syrian government unleashed on tuesday, April 4 suspected chemical weapons on rebel-held Khan sheikhun in syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, killing at least 86 people, including 27 children. health officials from the neighboring country of turkey said re-
sults of post-mortems performed on victims point to possible exposure to sarin, a lethal nerve agent that can kill in minutes. over 50 tomahawk missiles launched from U.s. Navy destroyers in the mediterranean sea targetted syria’s shayrat airbase, believed to be the site from where the chemical weapons were dispatched. foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose noted that the strike was aimed at the airbase and not at civilian centers where most filipinos reside. “Nevertheless, our embassy in Damascus is monitoring the situation very closely and is in close coordination with the filipino community to ensure their
safety,” he said. there are about 1,400 filipinos in syria, according to the DfA. syria has been the site of a civil war for over half a decade— claiming more than 250,000 lives and forcing millions of others to flee their homes. syrian President Bashar alAssad’s government has denied the use of chemical weapons and even claimed never using such despite sufficient evidence found by UN investigators that it had used chlorine gas against civilians twice before between 2014 and 2015. the strike has killed four syrian troops and nearly destroyed the airbase, according to a monitor. n
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, April 7, 2017. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise missiles in fiery retaliation for this week’s gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ford Williams/U.S. Navy
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From the Front Page
Duterte orders military to occupy PH… PAGE A1 t
pines also occupies the following areas in the Spratlys region: Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Balagtas (Irving) Reef, Kota (Loaita) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Likas (West York) Island, Panata (Lankiam Cay) Island, Parola (Northeast Cay) Island, and Rizal (Commodore) Reef. “We have to fortify. I must build bunkers there or houses
and make provisions for habitation,” the president said. He further added, “Let’s occupy all the unoccupied territories. This looks like a mad scramble for islands, and what’s ours now at least, let’s get it and make a strong point that it is ours.” In jest, Duterte remarked that he would also replace the rusty BRP Sierra Madre ship -- which serves as an outpost for marines at Ayun-
gin Shoal -- with a cruise ship. “I will replace it with a luxury liner. There will be waiters, food, swimming pool so that the soldiers stationed there would get fat,” he said. As part of the Philippine government’s renewed efforts to assert its territorial claims, Duterte said he also plans to rename Benham Rise. “I will officially claim it as ours and rename it. Not Benham Rise… I would call it the ‘Philippine Ridge,’” the president announced. “It’s like a ridge, the continental shelf is continuous down below. So might as well claim a ridge because it connects one ridge to another.” LAKE CLEARING. Government personnel dismantle illegal fish pens on Laguna de Bay. The Laguna Lake Development Authority had said Located along the Pacific that the removal of hundreds of fish pens will improve the condition of the lake and allow small fishermen to regain their livelihood. Ocean 250 kilometers (155 miles) ManilaTimes.net photo east of Isabela, the Benham Rise is believed to be rich in mineral and gas deposits, with Philippines as its only claimant. Development of PH-owned PAGE A1 t lenge, Duterte has given the not enough. areas While AMLC has the authority his bank accounts if he had noth- AMLC a verbal approval to disReacting to Duterte’s remarks, ing to hide. close information about his net to conduct a bank inquiry under u PAGE A3 In response to Trillanes’ chal- worth, which the council said is the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 (Republic Act No. 9160), the council noted that it generally needs to secure an order allowing such inquiry from the Court of Appeals first. “Absent the foregoing circumstances, the AMLC has neither the power nor authority to conduct a bank inquiry. Without an authorized bank inquiry, the AMLC is in no position to have in its possession the bank records of, or to disclose, the bank transactions of anyone,” the letter read. The AMLC further added, “Whatever reports are in its possession, based as they are based on bank transactions, are confidential and may be disclosed only in strict accordance with the requirements and procedures, and may be disclosed only in strict accordance with the requirements and procedures prescribed under the law and jurisprudence.” Following the council’s refusal, Trillanes accused Duterte of lying when the latter said he ordered the AMLC to reveal his wealth, scoring the president for supposedly “hiding behind technicalities.” “Dito niyo makikita na nagsisinungaling muli si Duterte at nagtatago sa mga teknikalidad para hindi mabisto yung kaniyang
AMLC rejects Trillanes’ request to…
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From the Front page
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Duterte orders military to occupy PH… PAGE A2 t
Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines Director Jay Batongbacal said that “ordering the AFP to occupy, build on, and raise the flag over islands and reefs that have already been occupied, built on, and flying the flag for decades initially makes no sense.” “It can make sense if applied to an island or reef that is currently unoccupied,” Batongbacal wrote in a Facebook post. He went on to say, “If what was meant was to simply order the repair of the runway on
Pag-asa and the building of new facilities on presently occupied islands, then that’s exactly what should have been said. No more, no less.” In a statement, Malacañang clarified that Duterte merely wants to “develop” the islands that are already under the Philippines’ control when he said he ordered the military to “occupy” the areas. “He wants to develop what we have already occupied,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said that Philip-
pine troops had long been occupying the nine islands in the KIG. “We have nine islands in the KIG that are already in our possession since long ago, including Pag-asa,” Lorenzana noted in a statement. He added, “The president wants facilities built such as barracks for the men, water (desalination) and sewage disposal system, power generators (conventional and renewable), lighthouses and shelters for fishermen.” Parts of Spratlys region have also been claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. n
AMLC rejects Trillanes’ request to…
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dalawang bilyon na ninakaw sa kaban ng bayan (This shows Duterte is lying again and hiding behind technicalities to conceal his P2-billion wealth stolen from the national coffers),” Trillanes said. Renewing his challenge to Duterte, the senator dared the president to sign a waiver and disclose his bank transactions in order to clear the allegation against him.
“Ang gagawin ni Duterte, pumirma ka ng waiver. Marami ka pang drama, marami ka pang arte. Pumirma ka ng waiver para malaman na ng taumbayan kung ano ang totoo (All Duterte has to do is to sign a waiver. You use too much drama. Just sign a waiver so that the people will know the truth),” Trillanes said. The senator also remarked that if his allegation against Duterte is proven wrong, he would not only
resign from the Senate but would also voluntarily walk into the jail himself. “Pagka-mali ang alegasyon ko, magre-resign ako sa Senado. Hindi lang yan, magwo-walkin pa ko sa kulungan para hindi mo na ako kailangan kasuhan pa (If my allegation is wrong, I will resign from the Senate. Not only that – I will walk into jail. I will walk into jail so that you will not have to file a case against me),” Trillanes said. n
Pacquiao-Horn match set…
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The Top Rank chief initially endorsed Pacquiao’s match against undefeated Horn on April 23 but it was put on hold as the possibility of a match against Britain’s Amir Khan this coming May in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was explored. “We’re not able to fight Amir Khan because of Ramadan, so we decided to take this fight in the interim,” Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael Koncz, told Fox Sports Asia. He added, “Manny will train and do the best he can and hopefully we get the fight over with very quickly, we get out of there, we say ‘hi’ to the Australian fans and media and come home.” While the proposed UAE fight was dropped, Koncz, for his part, said he is still looking at the possibility of a PacquiaoKhan bout sometime in October or November. “We signed it, so yeah, we’re excited about it. But again, my preference was to fight Amir Khan. That didn’t work out. We had this on the table so we decided to take it,” Koncz said.
President Rodrigo Duterte awards a Wounded Personnel Medal to First Lieutenant Jose Mari Landicho during his visit to Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Jolo, Sulu on Thursday, April 6. Ace Morandante/Presidential Photo
Former Interior Secretary Sueno… PAGE A1 t
white paper,” Sueno told reporters during his ‘send-off’ ceremony at the DILG’s office. On Monday, April 3, Duterte fired Sueno from the top DILG post due to “loss of trust and confidence,” according to Malacañang. The president had reportedly received a confidential letter from Interior undersecretaries - John Castriciones, Jesus Hinlo, and Emilie Padilla -- detailing corruption allegations hurled against the former secretary. The sacked secretary affirmed that he was not involved in corrupt activities. “It is his call if he wants me in his Cabinet or not,” Sueno said in a statement on Tuesday. “But for the record, Mr. President, and I can say this with all honesty and
sincerity, hindi po ako corrupt (I am not corrupt).” Despite this, Duterte maintained that he would not condone even a mere suspicion of corruption in his administration. “Sabi ko the first whiff, ang unang singaw lang, miski hindi totoo, ba-bye tayo. Maraming kapalit sa gobyerno. Hindi tayo nagkulang ng talent, bright, pati iyong honest with integrity (I said that even if it’s not true, at first whiff of corruption, it’s going to be goodbye. We can always find replacement. We never lack of talented, bright, and honest people with integrity),” Duterte said. ‘No due process’ While Sueno said he “wholeheartedly accepts the decision of the president,” he decried how he was not given due process to
defend himself against the allegations thrown at him. “I was not given a chance to answer, to clarify with the president... Feeling ko naman walang due process dahil (It felt like there was no due process because) he did not listen to me,” Sueno told reporters on Tuesday. He clarified, however, that he is not harboring ill feelings towards Duterte. On Thursday, Sueno sent Malacañang a copy of elaborate explanations on the corruption allegations, among which include purchasing overpriced fire trucks from Austria. Sueno reiterated that the Rosenbauer foreign loan agreement for the purchase of 76 fire trucks was signed during the previous administration of President Benigno Aquino. n
Major General Tony Taguba sounds off on… PAGE A1 t
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Jeff Horn
Koncz added that Pacquiao’s fans likely prefer a match against Khan. In a Twitter poll last February, Pacquiao asked his followers to vote for his next opponent. Khan gained 48 percent of the more than 44,800 total votes. Horn, meanwhile, only received 7 percent, while Kell Brook and Terence Crawford got 24 percent and 21 percent respectively. “Frankly and honestly, and noth-
ing against Jeff Horn — I’ve never met the kid, I don’t know him personally — but the name recognition is I guess why the fans picked Amir Khan,” Koncz said. Pacquiao, with a record of 596-2 win-loss-draw, won his last match via unanimous decision and defended his WBO welterweight title against Jessie Vargas last year. Horn, on the other hand, has a record of 16-0-1 and 11 KOs. n
issues that greatly affect the Filipino-American community. Taguba — who is the second American citizen of Philippine birth to be promoted to the general rank in the U.S. — has lobbied lawmakers to provide more benefits to Filipino WWII Veterans, even rallying behind the Congressional Gold Medal award, which was signed by former President Barack Obama late last year. Taguba currently serves as a
community ambassador for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the nation’s leader in advocating for more benefits for retired senior citizens. At AARP, he lobbies for more resources in public health, particularly for family caregiving, which he calls a crucial “national public health issue” that “starts with the family.” “Caregiving is a 24/7 job, 365 days a year,” Taguba told the Asian Journal. Taguba learned how difficult
family caregiving can be from his own experience of caring for his mother. She was dying of stomach cancer and Taguba and his six siblings had to organize a family caregiving system, and it was not easy. “We were not prepared,” he recounted. “I called it ‘discovery learning.’ We were just going along, relying on primary doctors and not looking at other forms of care like looking into social workers or geriatricians. That would
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Neil Gorsuch confirmed to Supreme‌ PAGE A1 t
justices, 5-4. The Supreme Court has been divided on contentious issues in the past year including the tie on former President Barack Obama’s immigration executive order. However, the court has pending cases that, if ruled according to party with Gorsuch on the bench, would expand gun rights, uphold state voting restrictions that many say disenfranchise minority voters and allow private businesses to refuse service to gay couples on the grounds of
religion. Gorsuch’s confirmation is a big win for the Trump administration which has been burdened by Senate investigations into possible Russian ties during the presidential campaign and the failed healthcare bill and Obamacare replacement, the American Health Care Act, among other controversies. In a statement, Trump hailed Gorsuch for his “judicial temperament, exceptional intellect, unparalleled integrity, and record of independence.�
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“As a deep believer in the rule of law, Judge Gorsuch will serve the American people with distinction as he continues to faithfully and vigorously defend our Constitution,� the president added. The confirmation fulfills one of the president’s agenda plans: to find a conservative replacement for Scalia and disregard and thwart Obama’s nomination, Merrick Garland, a Democrat. The 49-year-old holds many similar lauded credentials of a typical Supreme Court justice; he graduated from Columbia, Harvard and Oxford universities. In the 1990s, he worked as a clerk for federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices Byron White and Anthony Kennedy. He also held a private practice at a law firm, and then became a deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2006, Gorsuch was nominated by then-President George W. Bush to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
BATTLE-READY. The military’s commander in chief flaunted his new combat uniform given to him as a token during the 120th anniversary of the Philippine Army. Duterte’s common-law wife Honeylet Avanceùa posted Tuesday night, April 4 on her Facebook account her photo with the President in full battledress. The uniform bore Duterte’s name and his title — Commander in Chief.
Major General Tony Taguba sounds off on caregiving, Filipino‌
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have made a difference.� “I share my story because there’s always a better plan,� Taguba added, emphasizing the importance of preparation. “It’s never going to be perfect, but it can ease the pain, grief, and guilt because if you’ve done it once, you’re going to do it again. After a while, we thought if it could happen to my mom, it can happen to us.� Family and the comfort of home play two important roles when it comes to making end-oflife decisions for Filipinos, and Taguba recognizes that. Most families will eventually have to turn to family caregiving, and it will be a struggle, he said. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible; he advises all loved ones to research all the options available rather than relying on only a few sources. As an ambassador for AARP, he goes around the country to tell the stories of people’s experiencing in caregiving. In collaboration with AARP, he created a documentary called Caregiving Dahil Mahal Kita (Because I Love You). Through this, he exemplifies an important point: there’s no one-size-fits-all option for caregiving. He’s committed to letting people know that all the resources are out there and that
Major General Tony Taguba currently serves as a community ambassador for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
families can get started at AARP. “There’s no one answer, but there’s a lot of answers,� Taguba affirmed. “AARP is the lead organization for those that want to get started on family caregiving because they’re the leader in identifying resources and getting families prepared. The elderly have a multiplicity of ailments and you can’t just rely on one source, and you can’t do it alone. You’ll get devastated and overworked on your own. But the first thing I tell people is to ask around the area. Ask a doctor, ask a nurse or find a social worker.� He’s also lobbied in Congress
to challenge lawmakers who want to reduce funding to Medicaid and other government-funded programs that provide resources to public health As a veteran of the U.S. Army and the son of a Filipino WWII guerilla fighter who escaped the Bataan Death March, Taguba holds dearly to him the recognition of the efforts of Filipino WWII veterans, about 15,000 of whom are still alive today. “They struggled for over 75 years. Nobody cared about them and history was not kind to them and the past five to six years we decided that we have to congre-
gate something for them by rewarding them the Congressional Gold Medal,� Taguba said. Filipino WWII veterans were one of the seven minority veterans who fought in the war with about 260,000 Filipinos lending their efforts to fight for the Allied Forces. However, they were “the last to have been disenfranchised, disassociated and denied recognition,� Taguba noted. “We need to do something right; 75 years is a long time to be forgotten,� he said. Taguba chairs the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FILVETREP), an organization with the mission to promote academic research to raise public awareness of the massive Filipino efforts during the Second World War. The retired major general acknowledged the progress that has been made in terms of providing Filipino WWII with payment, benefits and public recognition. But he believes that more work needs to be done with educating the youth about these veterans and the enormous effort on their part. “Kids and grandkids [of those soldiers], like myself, want to tell the world that their history is our story, their story is our history,� Taguba declared. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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While Washington fiddles, California leaders forge ideas for universal health care by Pauline
Bartolone Califorina Healthline
AS the nation’s Republican leaders huddle to reconsider their plans to “repeal and replace” the nation’s health law, advocates for universal health coverage press on in California, armed with renewed political will and a new set of proposals. Organized labor and two lawmakers are leading the charge for a single, government-financed program for everyone in the state. Another legislator wants to create a commission that would weigh the best options for a system to cover everyone. And Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hopes to become the next governor, has UP, UP AND AWAY. Hot air balloons prepare to take off during the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival. At least 37 colorful suggested building on employerballoons were showcased for the event that will run until April 9, 2017. ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma based health care to plug holes in existing coverage. The proposals are fueled both by a fear of losing gains under the Affordable Care Act and a sense that the law doesn’t go far enough toward covering everying responses over the internet concerns could make Americans one and cutting costs. by Honora Montano – but may not have the time and even more hesitant to particiNew America Media But heath policy experts say resources to adequately develop pate. that creating any type of univerWITH the 2020 Census three and test them. Lowenthal says she and other sal health plan would face enoryears out, civil rights groups and Budget limitations have al- advocates must be prepared for a mous political and fiscal chalcensus experts are sounding the ready hindered major prepara- “wild card” event, such as Presi- lenges — and that if it happens alarm that pending actions by tions, including the cancellation dent Trump publically question- at all, it could take years. the Trump administration and of tests of new methods in Puerto ing the importance of the census “There are different ways to Congress could severely hamper Rico and on two American In- via social media. get there,” says Jonathan Oberan accurate count of all commu- dian reservations, and resulted “One errant tweet could shake lander, professor of social medinities. in mailed tests rather than elec- public confidence and in the pro- cine and health policy at the Uni“Congress’ failure over the tronic or in-person ones, as well cess depress participation and versity of North Carolina. “None past few years to pay for rigor- as delayed community outreach undermine faith in the results, of them is easy.” ous 2020 Census planning, and and advertising campaigns. The most specific California u PAGE A6 now the Trump Administration’s Advocates say current funding insufficient budget request for shortfalls will result in many peo2018, will strike at the heart of ple – particularly black, Latino operations specifically designed and rural households, and famito make the census better in his- lies with young children – betorically undercounted communi- ing missed by the count. Arturo ties,” said Terri Ann Lowenthal, Vargas is the executive director former staff director with the of the National Association of LaHouse Subcommittee on Census tino Elected and Appointed Offiand Population. cials (NALEO) Educational Fund. She spoke during a national He calls the underfunding of the press call hosted by the Lead- census a major civil rights issue ership Conference on Civil and for Latinos and other communiHuman Rights. The call was ties of color. moderated by Wade Henderson, “A successful 2020 Census is president and CEO of Leadership not possible if Latinos are not acConference on Civil and Human curately counted,” Vargas said. Rights. Millions of Latinos, the second “The decennial census is by largest ethnic group in the U.S., far the most important and criti- were missed in the 2010 census, cal tool in our country to ensure including 400,000 children under that diverse communities are eq- four, according to Vargas. uitably served with government For each uncounted person, resources and that the American state governments and commupeople are adequately represent- nities lose thousands of federal ed at all levels of government,” aid dollars, which go to anti-povsaid Henderson. “The census is erty programs, education, infrarequired by the U.S. Constitution structure, emergency services, and policymakers are respon- healthcare and other programs. sible for making sure the job gets An undercount can also trigdone right. All of us must insist ger changes in political reprethat they do that because there sentation – from redrawn district are no do-overs.” lines, to fewer seats in local, state Currently the Census Bureau and federal offices, often diminis being funded at 2016 levels, ishing the power of communities as Congress has not approved of color. final spending bills for 2017. Advocates say that new costThe bureau has requested a 25 saving strategies like collecting percent “ramp up” for prepa- responses over the internet rather ration activities. But President than paper forms require investTrump’s 2018 budget proposal ments on the front end. Delayed recommends keeping funding preparations cannot be made up levels where they are currently, later. Surveys administered on$1.5 billion. line may also be hampered by Census advocates say this the “digital divide” if adequate is a crucial time for laying the field tests are not taken. groundwork and are calling for Lack of access to broadband Congress to reject the adminis- and the internet may make it tration’s budget proposal in favor “more challenging to [reach] of one that covers all preparation those historically left out of the activities. census in the first place,” Vargas A ‘major civil rights issue’ warns. Recently, the U.S. Government The ‘first high tech census’ Accountability office deemed the The first “high tech” census 2020 Census a “high risk federal also opens the door to cyber program,” in part because the security concerns, which have U.S. Census Bureau is planning been exacerbated of late by evito utilize several never-before dence of foreign attacks on the used strategies – such as collect- 2016 presidential elections. Such
‘There are no do-overs’ - advocates sound alarm on 2020 Census
proposal comes from state Sens. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), co-authors of legislation that would take steps toward creating one publicly financed “singlepayer” program. The bill, co-sponsored by the California Nurses Association, would aim for something like a system of “Medicare for all” in which the government, not insurers, provides payments and sets coverage rules. Lara said the approach would get California closer to a system “that covers more and costs less.” The bill’s authors haven’t announced how the program would be funded. And that’s where the biggest obstacle lies, said Oberlander: It would largely uproot California’s present system, in which roughly half of coverage is sponsored by employers. If “you’re going to take health insurance largely out of the market, you’re going to disconnect it from employers,” he said. “Then you have to make up all the financing that you’re going to lose.” There’s no way to make up for those lost employer contributions other than to introduce “very visible taxes,” Oberlander said. And that’s not the only reason why a single payer plan would be controversial. “A lot of people are satisfied with what they have,” he said. The trade group for insurers in California does not support the
single-payer idea. “A single-payer system would make the quality of our health care worse, not better,” said Charles Bacchi, president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans. “We’ve made substantial progress in expanding and increasing access to and quality of care — this step backwards would be particularly devastating for Californians.” Many conservatives oppose the single-payer approach. “We have come to value and expect a health care system that has private-sector market elements,” said Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and former chief policy adviser to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. A single-payer system would need federal approval and likely have to overcome other bureaucratic hurdles even if approved in the state. As it stands, no state has such a system. Perhaps the best-known effort to create one was in Vermont, but it failed in 2014 after officials there couldn’t figure out how to finance it. Single-payer proposals have been put forth many times in the California Legislature since 2003, and all have hit roadblocks. One bill, carried by former state senator Sheila Kuehl several years ago and passed by the state Legislature, would have created a payroll tax to help fund a program costing about $200 billion each year. That measure
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Dateline USa
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City of Carson holds annual military career day by AJPress
HUNDREDS of attendees gathered in the City of Carson, California for the third annual military career day. Representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard were at the annual event hosted at the Congresswoman Juanita MillenderMcDonald Community Center on Friday, March 24.
06/06/17
They spoke about their experiences in their respective branches, as well as the benefits that come with their service. “It’s an incredible opportunity for us to talk to youth, who are in a critical stage in their life, looking for guidance, looking for a path forward,” Carson Mayor Albert Robles told the Asian Journal. “Careers in the military offer an incredible and exciting opportunity, not only for a permanent
career in the military, but you acquire the training and discipline and you can take that learning experience and apply that to any other career, whether the medical field as a doctor or in the legal profession.” Banning High School principal Rudy Mendoza, who is Filipino American, spoke about the importance of joining this event every year as it presents students with a possible route after their secondary education. Approximately 100 students from the school are present during the presentations each year. “It’s providing another option for our students,” Mendoza said. “It’s not just recruiting them to go to war -- it’s more than that.” Mary Bane, a science teacher at Banning whose mother hails from Cebu, Philippines, shared her prior experience serving in the Army. “It helped me pay for college and it helped me gain work experience,” she said. “It really moved me forward in my life. I want to support my students in that same thing to look at all the options and know that there are other ways for them to pay for school. In our community, they don’t always get exposed to all the different [possibilities] so anytime we can bring and give them a broader view of the world, it’s important.” She added that the Army has helped her with her leadership skills, which have been useful in guiding her classroom. “In teaching, you are the leader in the classroom. Through my college experiences, I gained the knowledge and the content. But a lot of the strategies and techniques I use for classroom management actually come from
Carson Mayor Albert Rosales and Councilmember Elito Santarina (both center) meet with military veterans on Friday, March 24 for the city’s third annual military career day.
my leadership training in the military,” Bane explained. “Of course, we have to soften the edges, but the students respond really well to the military mentality, which says you have to accomplish the mission, but you have to take care of your people. My students understand that.” Carson Councilmember Elito Santarina, LAUSD Local District South Superintendent Christopher Downing, and Benjamin Soy, education services specialist for the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion--Los Angeles, also spoke during the program. “No matter where you go from the military, you acquire the necessary resources to move forward. These high schoolers, at such a young age, taking an interest in their futures and in their own lives means that they care,” Robles added. n
AJPress photos by Ivy Manalang
While Washington fiddles, California leaders forge… PAGE A5 t and a similar bill were vetoed by then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who cited financial concerns. Kuehl, now a Los Angeles County supervisor, said the time is as good as ever to reintroduce a proposal like single-payer because many people fear losing coverage under Republican proposals being discussed in Washington, D.C. “The ACA created more familiarity with being insured,” said Kuehl. “They’ve recognized the
value.” Other observers say attempts to expand access should not undermine efforts to preserve insurance gains under Obamacare. The threat to Medicaid or private insurance access is still real, they say. “California should explore all options, [but] we should not do that if it means withdrawing support for protecting the ACA,” said Jerry Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “It would take decades to get back to where we are now,” he said. In an interview with California Healthline, California Gov. Jerry Brown emphasized that financing a single-payer system would be a major challenge. Although he said he would entertain a conversation about a single-payer system, he did not say whether he would endorse creating one. For one thing, it would require a new tax, which would have to be approved either by a twothirds majority vote in the state Legislature or a simple-majority popular vote, he said. Even with the current Democratic supermajority, Brown said, there
are always a few “outliers” who wouldn’t support raising new revenues. Brown leaves office in 2018, however, and Newsom, who hopes to succeed him, is looking into a creating a plan for universal coverage that would be an alternative to a single-payer system. One option, according to Newsom’s office, would be to use as a model the Healthy San Francisco program he introduced in 2007 as mayor. The city has used a combination of public money and contributions from employers and enrollees to plug holes in coverage and make primary care accessible to nearly everyone. Newsom has acknowledged, however, that the San Francisco approach would not necessarily work in every county, and said he is open to other possibilities. Using that model to expand health care statewide has some political advantages, Oberlander said, because it builds on the “status quo rather than radically restructuring” the current system. Another California lawmaker proposes to keep the conversation
going about universal health care, at least, by creating a commission that would make various recommendations to policymakers. “We have to be able to move on multiple tracks at once,” said Assemblyman Rob Bonta (DOakland), who is carrying the bill to create the Health Care for All commission, which would convene in 2018. The debate in Washington could actually produce some surprising opportunities for California and other states. The feds might, for instance, approve waivers to allow other types of experimentation within states. Some Republicans favor an approach in which each state decides on its own coverage system, within certain limits. That could mean a retraction of coverage in some states, but in California it might open the door to a new model. “It is possible that some liberal-leaning states are going to do things that we didn’t think possible before,” Oberlander said. This story was published by California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
‘There are no do-overs’ - advocates…
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conceivably all the way to the halls of Congress,” Lowenthal said. Census advocates are eyeing several other threats to the decennial count and its yearly counterpart, the American Community Survey. The ACS is sent yearly to about 1 in 38 households to collect demographic data on everything from employment and home-ownership to educational attainment. Republicans in Congress are pushing to make participation in the ACS voluntary which could
severely damage the data, says John C. Yang, president and executive director of the non-profit advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “The ACS updates the Census throughout the decade. As such it is required by law and must remain so to provide the vital info needed from our communities,” Yang said, emphasizing that the ACS is the only source for detailed data of ethnic subgroups, such as Vietnamese of Chinese descent. Census advocates are also on high alert because an unsigned
leaked executive order, titled “Protecting American Workers from Immigrant Labor,” referenced a directive to the Census Bureau to collect data on immigration status. Advocates are alarmed by the intentions behind this unsigned order. “Latinos and other immigrant families are keenly aware of heightened immigrant enforcement actions in their communities, and this may increase distrust in contact with public agencies including the Census Bureau,” Vargas said. n
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PH Catholic Church ready to collaborate with gov’t to address social issues by AJPress
FLOODED CEREMONY. Without shoes and sandals, 97 Grade 6 pupils graduated with their heads held high in Lamitan City, Basilan on Tuesday, April 4 despite flooding at the ceremony venue. The students of Balas Elementary School in Barangay Balas were in their school uniforms for the simple graduation rites in the school’s multipurpose hall when it began to rain heavily. Maria Nava, the school principal, said the incessant rain came as they were already in the middle of the graduation rites. Philstar.com photo
Aquino ordered to respond to DAP motion Duterte vows to expose ex-president, Abad, Trillanes by DAnA
sioson AJPress
THE Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, April 6 has ordered former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and all other parties involved to respond to the motion for reconsideration filed against them in connection with the controversial use of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). Parties named in the DAP cases were given 15 days from notice to submit their comments. Earlier in March, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales dropped the administrative charges against Aquino and indicted only former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. The Ombudsman found Abad guilty of violating Article 239 of the Revised Penal Code, or the
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AMID tensions over opposing views on the drug war killings and the reinstatement of the death penalty, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the government in addressing social problems. In a television interview on Tuesday, April 4, CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said leaders of the Catholic Church recently met with some of the Cabinet officials to discuss possible areas of cooperation. “We have made a breakthrough...We are exploring possibilities for collaboration such as working for the poor and empowering Mindanao,” Villegas told ANC. He, however, refused to name the officials present at
the meeting. The CBCP has repeatedly condemned the supposed summary killings in relation to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, as well as the proposed reimposition of capital punishment in
the country. Duterte, for his part, has constantly hit back at his critics. At one point, he described the Church as the “most hypocritical institution” in the country. While admitting that the
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OpiniOn
Features
Anti-corruption purge HE’S not corrupt, Ismael Sueno said after he was unceremoniously fired by President Duterte in front of the entire Cabinet on Monday night. The next day, the President was still fuming as he disclosed that Sueno was fired over accusations of corruption that the fallen secretary of the interior and local government failed to disprove. The accusations will have to be subjected to legal scrutiny. Corruption is a serious offense; amounts involving at least P50 million warrant an indictment for the non-bailable offense of plunder. Lower-ranking public officials have been dismissed from government service and sentenced to years in prison for amounts involving less than P500,000. If the secretary of the interior is accused of corruption by his department’s undersecretaries, the charge must not be dropped with the sacking of Sueno. The accused has a right to be heard and to defend himself. Several issues were raised against him, but the President focused on only one in a speech yesterday: the procurement of fire trucks from Austria for the Bureau of Fire Protection. The government-to-government deal, approved during the Aquino administration, was controversial from the start. Austria has defended the contract and vouches for the quality of the fire trucks. President Duterte said cheaper fire trucks made
locally are available and there is no need to import. But he has also said he does not want procurements to be based on the lowest bid, because prices could be rigged by collusion and quality could suffer. What he wants, he maintains, is value for money. Sueno reportedly claimed he was not familiar with the details of the contract. With his disgraceful exit from his post, Sueno should be the first to want a thorough probe of the charges against him. He has already been condemned in the court of public opinion, and a formal probe is the only way for him to clear his name. Sueno headed the President’s political party the PDP-Laban, and he was among those who helped persuade then Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte to seek the nation’s highest post. The President can be commended for not hesitating to let go of those rid of officials who are tainted with “even a whiff close to him who are implicated in graft cases. Yes- of corruption.” Firing officials, however, is not enough. The terday he reiterated his warning that he would get
Guest Editorial
Philstar.com photo
whole truth must be known, the innocent must be cleared, and appropriate penalties imposed in case guilt is established. (Philstar.com)
Despite Democrats’ filibuster, Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch now confirmed after Senate Republicans fire back with ‘nuclear option’ AFTER more than a year of contentious debate over who should The Fil-Am succeed the late con- Perspective servative Justice Antonin Scalia in the Supreme Court, the Senate on Friday, April 7 confirmed President Gel sAntos-relos Donald Trump’s nominee, Neil M. Gorsuch, with a vote of 54 to 45. The battle culminated in the Democrats’ filibuster of Gorsuch’s nomination, with Democrats explaining why they could not vote in favor of Trump’s nominee. This filibuster became a roadblock to Gorsuch’s confirmation, as the Senate rule requires a minimum of 3/5, 60 votes, for a Supreme Court justice nominee. With only 52 Republicans in the Senate, Gorsuch needed the support of at least eight Democrats, which he did not
have because of the filibuster. Therefore, the Republicans fired back by using the “nuclear option,” which effectively now changes the Senate rule of confirming a nominee for justice of the Supreme Court. Instead of 3/5 of the votes, they now just needed an absolute majority or 50 percent plus one minimum, to be confirmed. The contention was anchored on ideology — conservative or liberal — as this seat will more likely become the tie breaker for cases elevated to the highest court. Before Gorsuch’s oath taking as the 113th justice, the Supreme Court has four judges deemed as liberal, and an equal number seen as conservative in their interpretation of the law, not to mention the ideology of the president
who appointed them. The confirmation of Gorsuch was preceded by the Senate Republicans’ refusal to even have a hearing, much less a vote on former President Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court— Merrick Garland — following Scalia’s sudden death in February 2016. The Republicans in the Senate argued that they should not be confirming an appointee during the president’s last year in office — which was not really an official rule but something that was adopted by the Republican-majority Senate. The Democrats who filibustered Gorsuch argued that despite his illustrious resume as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, they expressed that his record reveals he should not be given the lifetime seat on the Supreme Court. Some have expressed concern over his decisions that they thought favored
contended that Trump could just pick another nominee who would and could have bipartisan support. “The nuclear option means the end of the long history of consensus on Supreme Court nominations. It weakens the standing of the Senate as a whole as a check on the President’s ability to shape the judiciary. In a post-nuclear world, if the Senate and the presidency are in the hands of the same party, there is no incentive to even speak to the Senate minority. That’s a recipe for more conflict and bad blood between the parties, not less,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). *** 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, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Why I became a citizen at 79
The reform of health care through healthy eating “SPENDING on food and health together make up more Rhizomes than 30 percent of the U.S. economy, yet our politicians and civic leaders aren’t discussing these important issues. They may bicker about how to finance health-care reform, but I’d like to Prosy AbArquezsee more attention on the reform DelAcruz, J.D. itself. It boggles my mind to think the conversation remains stuck on figuring out how to pay for health care rather than diminishing our need for it. Each one of us can make a difference if we each are part of reducing the overall demand for health care. The result will follow one of the fundamental laws of Econ 101: when we start living strong, robust lives, we’ll lessen our need for health care, causing the demand to decrease and costs to go down. Simple as that.” — David B. Agus, MD, “A Short Guide to a Long Life,” 2014. Thanks to David B. Agus, MD, one of the world’s leading cancer doctors and author of “A Short Guide to a Long Life,” for recapturing the still relevant role of Hippocrates, a great Greek physician from over two thousand years ago. Dr. Agus emphasized how healthy individuals can play a significant role in health care reform through prevention and with healthier bodies, reduce the demands for health care services. “Walking is the best medicine. Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health. A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.” – Hippocrates (c. 460 B.C. – c. 370 B.C.) It was a trip to the Philippines that laid bare one’s lack of good health. In Leyte, the weather was fickle with sunny mornings and rainy afternoons, all in 12 hours and repeated several days a week, resulting in ambient
the rich and the powerful and were troubled by his views on voting rights and campaign financing. There is, of course, the concern of his independence, especially when the man who appointed him is now the subject of many lawsuits, accusations, and scandals. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Gorsuch’s confirmation before they voted nuclear: “Judge Gorsuch is independent and fair. He’s beyond qualified and he’ll make a stellar addition to the Supreme Court. Hardly anyone in the legal community seems to argue otherwise. And yet, our Democratic colleagues appeared poised to block this incredible nominee with the first successful filibuster in American history.” The Democrats, on the other hand, said the Republicans had the choice not to go nuclear, which effectively killed the bipartisan spirit in the Senate. They
by Florencio Sunga
mold spores and pollen in flowering blooms in trees. In six months of travel through the plane, ferry, car, bus and tricycle emissions, it led to a breakdown of the immune system from a triple threat of bronchitis, allergies, and asthma, requiring emergency hospitalization. Role of healthy nutrition Food allergies occurred and for two weeks, this writer subsisted on steamed fish and steamed vegetables exclusively. No pastries, no desserts, no fruits, no red meats, no chicken, no fruits and no pork could be eaten, as these led to belabored breathing and coughing. When I got back to the U.S, green juice became part of breakfast and 10 years later, juicing is still a habit of fortifying the immune system. Part of this habit of ‘fortifying the immune system’ includes cooking meals with mostly organic produce or preparing salads from homegrown, pesticide-free, organic lettuce and tomatoes. I discovered that drinking organic milk no longer creates lactose intolerance, unlike regular milk. Studies show that 80 percent of the immune system lines the gastrointestinal tract. This means, if you control the gut, you control the health of your body. Christine Gonzalez, N.D., Ph.D. introduced the role of healthy nutrition in preventing diseases and cancers. In her book, “Yes You Can Prevent & Control Cancer,” she stresses that the “wrong food is the most important factor in the promotion of disease.” She wrote about some of the anti-cancer superfoods, the right foods one must have as part of healthy living and preventing diseases. Vegetables — Research has shown that “cruciferous vegetables provide protection against certain cancers, such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts,
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Mallari, Sr.
IN March 2008, my life took a big turn when I moved to the United States from the Philippines. I was full of hope as I stepped off the plane in Los Angeles. The warm air reminded me of home, but that familiarity quickly disappeared as I found myself in America’s second biggest city. In my rural hometown of Pampanga most houses were unpainted, made of cheap materials and in desperate need of repair. Not everyone in my neighborhood had access to clean drinking water and with the high cost of household appliances, few could afford to own an electric stove. It was a huge contrast to Los Angeles, with its massive buildings, electric grids for miles on end and people from all over the world. I found it hard to interact with the people around me. I spoke very little English and mostly talked with my Filipino neighbors to get me through the day. Words can’t describe how hard it was being half a world away from my four beautiful children and my loving wife. I couldn’t afford to sponsor them on my own, but a dear friend I met a few years after moving to the U.S. gave me a wonderful gift and offered to be the legal sponsor of three of my kids. After four years, I was able to get visas for my three youngest children to come to live with me in the U.S. They adjusted to American life quickly and had no problem making friends with the people in our neighborhood in Koreatown. For me, it was a different story. By then, I was in my mid-70s and retired, and even though I had my kids with me, I missed my wife and oldest son, Florencio – who stayed in the Philippines with his mom. I felt disconnected from the community around me, like a stranger in my new home. Things began to change for me thanks to my neighbor Juliet, a fellow Filipino, who told me about the Filipino American Service Group (FASGI). I was excited to find ways to get involved with the Filipino community in LA and I called FASGI right away and became a volunteer. At Christmas, I helped make handcrafted “parols,” star-shaped lanterns that are iconic symbols of a Philippine
Christmas. I also helped clean FASGI’s garden and office space and made friends with many FilipinoAmericans along the way. It felt great to work with FASGI and help others stay connected to the Philippine culture. Many of us had similar hopes and dreams of coming to the U.S. for a better life, but our struggles were different. For me, I wanted to be able to bring my wife to join me and my children in the U.S. My kids needed their mother around. Talking to her on the phone wasn’t nearly as good as having her here. But to petition for my wife to come to the U.S., I needed to be a U.S. citizen. There were two problems: I was 79 years old and I did not speak very much English and I couldn’t afford to apply. Becoming a citizen seemed like it would be very difficult. I was wrong. The people of FASGI – especially Yey Coronel – stopped at nothing to help me get my citizenship. They gave me lots of information for my USCIS interview, practiced speaking English with me and encouraged me to practice with my neighbors. They even filed my citizenship application for me. But what I am most thankful about is that FASGI helped me apply as a low-income resident so that I did not have to pay the application fee. Because of FASGI, getting U.S. citizenship was within my reach. On March 16, 2016, I became a U.S. citizen. I cannot even explain how happy I was that day.
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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 8-11, 2017
The reform of health care‌ PAGE A8 t
cabbage, and cauliflower. These vegetables stimulate the production of enzymes that detoxify carcinogens.� She cites the research studies done at John Hopkins University where laboratory animals were fed cruciferous vegetables and exposed to a dangerous carcinogen, aflatoxin, a type of mold found in peanuts. These animals had 90 percent reduction in their cancer rate. Why? The vegetables increase these animals’ productions of glutathione peroxidase, one of the most important protective enzyme systems in the body. Colorful fruits and vegetables — She wrote that “raspberries, boysenberries, strawberries, dark cherries, blueberries, and blackberries contain a powerful anti-cancer agent, ellagic acid, which causes cancer cells to self-destruct. “The deeper the color of the vegetable, the more ‘phytochemicals’ it contains. Some examples are beets, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, squash, moringa (malunggay) leaves, sweet potato leaves, bitter melon (ampalaya), arugula and charantia leaves (ampalaya leaves.) Within these pigments lay 20,000 bioflavonoids and 800 carotenoids providing immune stimulation to destroy cancer cells and extraordinary antioxidant protection for the human body.� Moringa (malunggay) is also known to result in hormonal balance and aids in digestion. Notice how malunggay leaves are promoted by grandmothers to aid lactation amongst breastfeeding mothers. Papaya in chicken tinola helps with digestion of proteins, while pineapple also assists in digestion, as well. Or the use of yakult, for the ingestion of probiotics in a yogurt drink, which “helps balance one’s inner ecosystem.� Or taking organic Greek yogurt, European Style, for its live cultures of L. Acidophilus, L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, Bifidus, all of which are good microorganisms that can aid in digestion daily, as protection for a healthy gut. For example, L. Acidophilus produces an enzyme that breaks down the lactase, the sugar in milk. L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus both help produce an acidic environment in the gut and promotes the growth of good bacteria to digest the foods we take and help extract the nutrients from them for the body’s use. Inflammation and onset of diseases Among nutrition-conscious physicians like Dr. Oz, he describes inflammation as the source of some common ailments: gout, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and lower back pain. Some seek acupuncture to rid the body of its accumulated toxins, known as detoxification, while
others take an omega-3 supplement to support the body’s optimal inflammatory response and promote unimpeded blood flow. In some hospitals, glutathione injections are routinely given to cancer patients to help their bodies discharge the accumulated toxins, as some nurse/relatives shared. Others with rheumatoid arthritis do water aerobics to soothe sore joints, increase energy and to help them sleep better at night. In 2007, I learned how a body can have a systems breakdown with a lack of sleep, caused by a malfunctioning body system, from toxins accumulating due to the stress of travel, and chemicals from prepared restaurant foods with preservatives, MSG and soy sauce. I also learned the difference between adequate medical care both here and abroad. Abroad, in a third world country, a conscientious doctor found the appropriate medication, Flovent and Serevent, combined into one Swiss medication for asthma prevention. While in America, it is dispensed as two medications, in the form of an inhaler and another in a dry powder form. But, by giving the body its required nutrients from juicing and balanced meals, such that in a plate ( Âź for fruits, Âź for vegetables, Âź for protein and Âź for grains), proper eating can give a new lease in one’s life. Atul Gawande, MD — a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and professor at Harvard Medical School, and the author of three bestselling books — made us aware that our lives are more than a series of nights of sleep. “You may not control life’s circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them,â€? she wrote. Footnote: Part I was on “Acupuncture insights of R. Antonio Whiteley,â€? published in the Asian Journal’s Los Angeles Weekend Edition on April 1. Part II is on “The reform of health care through healthy eating,â€? in this issue, April 8. Part III will be on Dr. Araceli de Guzman and the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California’s Medical Mission in Dumaguete. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.â€? She has been writing for AJ Press for 9 years now. She contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Mexico and 22 national parks in the US, in pursuit of her love for arts.
Why I became a citizen at‌ PAGE A8 t
and support. Now, I can petition for my wife to join our family in the U.S. and that hope I felt when I first landed in LA has been restored. Now, I can travel back to the Philippines whenever I want for however long I want. I can vote in elections, which is something I have looked forward to since arriving in the U.S. And, I am part of a country that takes care of its senior community members and lower-income residents.
My journey to become a citizen was worth it. The best part is when my children tell me how happy they are that I was able to bring them here because now they “can give themselves a better future.� And soon, I get to watch them become U.S. citizens and experience the full benefits this country has to offer – just like I have. For more information on how to become a U.S. citizen, visit the New Americans Campaign at newamericanscampaign.org. n
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A10 APRIL 8-11, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
Dateline PHiliPPineS
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Arroyo turns 70 in hometown with little fanfare by ToneTTe
orejas Inquirer.net
mors that she intended to run for governor in 2019. When Arroyo talked to those LUBAO, PAMPANGA—Former who greeted her, she spoke President and now Pampanga about her joy after being freed Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from over four years of hospital celebrated her 70th birthday on arrest as she awaited trial for alWednesday, April 5 with little leged corruption. “This is my first birthday after fanfare. There were no handouts trum- hospital arrest,” she said after peting her accomplishments as the 7 a.m. Mass celebrated by senator, vice president, president 10 priests at the centuries-old St. Augustine Church here. and congresswoman. Archbishop Emeritus Paciano There were also no activities that would confirm or deny ru- Aniceto wished her strength so
Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Inquirer.ner file photo / Lyn Rillon
she could “continue her advocacy for life, genuine womanhood and for the poor.” He said Arroyo “suffered the consequence of voting according to her conscience,” referring to the House measure seeking the restoration of death penalty. She voted against the bill and lost her post as House deputy speaker. Well-wishers Most of her well-wishers were from her home district. Family members, including two grandsons, attended the celebration. Only Pampanga Rep. Carmelo “Jonjon” Lazatin II came to join her for the breakfast buffet. After breakfast, she inaugurated the Escolastica Romero District Hospital. Named after her paternal great-grandmother, the hospital received P25 million from President Duterte and P75 million from the Pampanga provincial government for the construction of additional buildings. Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda, whose gubernatorial bid in 2019 would depend on whether or not Arroyo would run for that post, wished the former president “good health and more birthdays.” In the 2010 elections, it took Arroyo 67 visits to the province’s second district before she announced her plan to run for Congress. She was the first president to run for a lower post immediately after her stint in Malacañang. Pineda is serving his second term. His mother, Lilia, intends to retire as governor in 2019. Arroyo’s eldest son, Juan Miguel (Mikey), is reported to be considering a return to Congress. n
TREE PLANTING. Environment Secretary Gina Lopez and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Wednesday, April 5 planted mangrove tree seedlings together as start of their joint protection of marshes in the province. The event capped off a two-hour dialogue between Lopez and mayors led by the governor who all pledged support to the efforts of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to protect the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta from ecological hazards and overfishing. Philstar.com photo by John Unson
Security issues pull down PH tourism ranking by richmond
s. mercurio
Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — Safety and security issues have resulted in the decline of the Philippines’ ranking in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. The country dropped five notches in the latest edition of the bi-annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which measures how “tourism-friendly” the economies are. The Philippines ranked 79th out of 136 countries in this year’s report, compared to placing 74th out of 141 economies in 2015. The country’s tourism attractiveness was dragged down by safety and security concerns, poor ground and port infrastructure and lackluster environment policy. Among the nine Southeast Asian countries measured in the report, the Philippines ranked third to last, ahead only of Laos (94th) and Cambodia (101st). Spain, France and Germany were the top three most tourismfriendly destinations in the world, based on the report. They were followed by Japan at 4th and the United Kingdom at 5th. Completing the top 10 are the United States, Australia, Italy, Canada and Switzerland. The 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report measured each economy’s attractiveness through 14 pillars, with each having its own sub-pillars. The country’s most enticing aspects proved to be its price competitiveness and natural resources, being ranked 22nd and 37th globally, respectively. The price competitiveness pillar is composed of ticket taxes, airport charges, hotel price index, purchasing power parity and fuel price levels, while the natural resources pillar is composed of the number of World Heritage natural sites, total known species, total protected areas, natural tourism digital demand and
Safety and security issues have resulted in the decline of the Philippines’ ranking in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report.
attractiveness of natural assets. Other dimensions where the Philippines performed well are in human resources and labor market (50th), prioritization of travel and tourism (53rd) and business cultural resources and business travel (60th), “The travel and tourism sector continues to develop on the back of the country’s rich natural resources and high price competitiveness, and arrivals have continued to grow so far,” the WEF report said. “Yet this country attains a lower competitiveness performance this year due to a more restrictive visa policy that reduces its openness performance (60th), a reduction of the government budget dedicated to the development of the travel and tourism sector by almost half and reduced efficiency of ground transport (107th, losing 14 places),” it added. The WEF said these factors may not have their full effect yet and may reduce tourism activity in the future. “In addition, security concerns remain high (126th) and diminished protection of property rights, less effective judicial system and stricter rules on FDI (foreign direct investment) have reduced the conduciveness of the
business environment (82nd),” the report stated. The safety and security pillar was measured based on reliability of police services, business costs of crime and violence, index of terrorism of incidence, business costs of terrorism and homicide rate. “At the same time, environmental policy has improved but remains low (118th), risking to undermine natural resources, the main asset for attracting tourists in the country. Although the Philippines’ travel and tourism potential remains high, there are several areas where policy interventions could help to regain competitiveness,” the report said. According to the WEF, research has shown that for every 30 new tourists to a destination, one new job is created, making the travel and tourism industry a tremendous employment generator. “To reach their potential, the majority of countries still have more to do, from enhancing security, promoting their cultural heritage, building their infrastructure and creating stronger visa policies,” WEF’s Community Lead of the Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industries Tiffany Misrahi said. n
PH Catholic Church ready to collaborate…
PAGE A7 t
Church and government differ in some principles, Villegas stressed that differences should not hinder them from cooperating. “There are issues where we differ in principle, but we should not allow such differences to prevent us from cooperating on the bigger issues where we can collaborate,” Villegas said. He affirmed that the CBCP supports Duterte “on matters that are dear to the people,” citing peacemaking and alleviating poverty. He also assured the “full cooperation” of the Church on “everything that will benefit the people,” clarifying that the Church is not against Duterte himself but rather, “with the issue of killings” related to some of his administration’s policies. “We are not attacking the per-
son of the president. We are not attacking the institution of the police. But we’re dealing with the issue of killings and, related to that, is the seeming acceptance of that culture, that killing becomes something normal, something ordinary,” Villegas explained. He said the Church will maintain its stance against the killings: “You can’t tell us to stop talking when issues are so un-Christian and against our beliefs.” “We are afraid that if we keep quiet about the killings, the people will think that it is alright,” Villegas added. “Our children might grow up thinking killing is correct, or that there are some people exempted from the commandments.” Despite this, Villegas said that the two sides both agreed to “tone” down criticisms against each other.
Malacañang has welcomed the CBCP’s statement regarding the possible cooperation with the government. In a statement on Thursday, April 6, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the CBCP’s openness to exploring avenues of collaboration with the Duterte administration is “a welcome change.” “It is a good reminder that power struggles between church and state belong to a dim dark past, and in a world that has evolved by leaps and bounds, it is imperative that all work together to put food on every table, no matter what beliefs one holds in private,” he added. He said Malacañang also “looks forward to [the CBCP’s] help in treating drug dependents and restoring their mental, spiritual, and psycho-emotional health.” n
Aquino ordered to respond to DAP…
PAGE A7 t
usurpation of legislative powers, by “unlawfully” issuing the National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 541, which paved the way for the release of P72 billion worth of DAP funds. In a motion for reconsideration filed on March 13, the complainants, led by Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna party-list, appealed to the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision of clearing Aquino from charges. “The roles of (Mr.) Aquino and (Mr.) Abad could not be discounted as mere ‘policy makers’ of the DAP scheme. Rather, the policy direction chosen by respondents are the raison d’être of the DAP,”
the motion for reconsideration read. In October 2011, then-President Aquino approved the DAP proposed by Abad, which aims to “fast-track public spending and push economic growth by prioritizing high-impact budgetary programs and projects.” It was later declared partly unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2014. ‘I will reveal everything’ President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, April 2, vowed that he would expose those who benefitted from the anomalous DAP. “Gusto ko lang ilabas lahat ‘yan (I just want to expose everything),” Duterte told report-
ers in Cagayan de Oro City. “Despite a constitutional ruling na bawal ‘yang DAP (that DAP is not allowed), they continued to do it as if it was nobody’s business.” Challenging the media to dig deeper into the issue, Duterte asked: “Bakit di nyo kalkalin si (Why not investigate) Abad? Si P-Noy (Aquino)?” “Ngayon gusto ko na ilabas yan lahat pati yung si Trillanes. DAP nila lahat ilalabas ko, ilan natanggap nila, paano nila nagastos (I will reveal everything about their DAP funds, how much they got, how they used it),” Duterte added, citing Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. n
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SHOWBIZ&STYLE
Coldplay composes song for Manila by Deni
Rose A. BeRnARDo Philstar.com
COLDPLAy shook the Mall of Asia Arena at around the same time as the 5.4-magnitude earthquake came on Tuesday, April 4. Besides visiting a fan with cancer, Coldplay front man Chris Martin did something special in the Manila leg of their “A Head Full of Dreams� tour. He composed a song for Manila on-the-spot. According to Martin, he has been dreaming to be in the Philippines since he was a child and since it took them 17 years to come here, he scrambled for words to pen a tribute song for the country’s capital.
Journal
‘Manila song’ by Coldplay The song’s lyrics go this way: I’m so happy that you are here today Even if you are so far away It feels like you can’t see a check It’s two miles from the front to the back But we’ve toured “My Head Full of Dreams� Now we’ve made it to the Philippines I’d say that the crowd is such a thrilla Coldplay frontman Chris Martin composed a song for Manila during the band’s concert on Tuesday, They’re all killer, no filler Philstar.com photo by RP Ocampo I’d tell you that the crowd is April 4. a thriller Oh with love that we’re touring pines Just listen to how they sound “My Head Full of Dreams� Just listen to the way the crowd in Manila Now we made it to the Philip- screams.
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Why Lotlot de Leon is happy by lhAR
sAntiAgo ManilaTimes.net
IF you see Lotlot de Leon blooming these days, it’s because she’s very happy with her life. yes, she is in love. She doesn’t deny the fact that she and Lebanese boyfriend Fred el Soury—or Faddie, as Lotlot fondly calls him—are already entertaining the thought of getting married. “Life is short. We have to stop the hate and be happy,� Lotlot quipped. Faddie is very supportive of Lotlot not only in her acting career but also in the restaurant-bar she opened just a couple of weeks ago. He helps her in operations because Lotlot de Leon PAGE B4
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A day before fronting for the 7/27 concert of the all-female pop group Fifth Harmony at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, Niko Del Rey, Jules Cruz, Joe Caigoy, VJ Rosales and Trace Gaynor faced the media at Gerry’s Grill Aseana and gamely answered all questions under the sun.
What Filharmonic expects when visiting Philippines
are more concerned about the water and nothing else.� The Filharmonic’s parents hail from Ilocos Norte, Bataan, Cavite, Iloilo, Leyte and Manila. The Los Angeles-based boyband first shot to fame as a finalist at the a cappella singing competition The Sing-Off on the American network NBC. The group also joined The Sing-Off national tour in the US and got featured in the Universal Pictures blockbuster Pitch Perfect 2, and as back-up vocals of Shawn Mendes, Neil Patrick Harris and PAGE B3
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MeMBeRS of the popular FilAm a cappella group Filharmonic are so used to flying to the Philippines that they’re no longer bothered by the political and social controversies surrounding their parents’ native land. If there’s one thing the group and their parents are wary about coming to Manila, it’s the infamous tap water that has become a source of nightmare to not a few tourists and visiting expatriates. Just a day before fronting for the 7/27 concert of the all-female
pop group Fifth Harmony at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, Niko Del Rey, Jules Cruz, Joe Caigoy, VJ Rosales and Trace Gaynor faced the media at Gerry’s Grill Aseana and gamely answered all questions under the sun. They claimed that their parents are more concerned about them accidentally drinking contaminated water that often causes waterborne diseases. “They just reminded us to just drink bottled water as a safety precaution,� said Joe Caigoy, laughing. “We’ve been here before and that’s why our parents
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Moonlighting by Mylah de
leon
LAS VEGAS - On this heated and dry day in April, the whole city is breathing and heaving like a tired beast. On the strip that controls all the luxurious hotels, cursing motorists are melting down encased in a steeled impotence, trapped in a horrendous gridlock. But come hell or high water, people flock here to untie the knot. Here, divorce is simply about the villain and the victim. It is who got cheated and who got left — the agony of the dumped. It will always be a conundrum, how dramatically love can turn around. In this city of quickie divorce, layers of emotional smog pollutes the atmosphere in any lawyer’s office. The time a divorcing couple spends in a court room is brief. After the judge denies alimony, the main action of a mediation session is in crowded
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one is a lonely number
hallways (not exactly the most special place for dramatic partings), where offers and counter offers are tendered. Some cry out and lament “extortion!” The corridor minuet is simply all about pay off or some equivalent symbol of revenge — like a demand that the mate burn in hell for eternity, if such a request were enforceable. 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 and fail miserably to keep as much mud off their public images, especially tabloid fodder celebrities, but there are only two emotions that people feel in a divorce case: anger and guilt. These emotions are played by gladiators in a melodrama of greed, hurt, outrage, shock and disbelief. Believe me, gentle readers I know what I’m rattling about. It is said that the freedom to luxuriate in self pity is one of the consolations of a marriage gone wrong. Whether one is ending a long marriage, in which one was mostly happy (or mostly miser-
able), or a shorter relationship, one needs time to grieve the ending. People choose the wrong mate, or cheat on them because they’re bored or begin to loathe the spouses they once adored. Lie, trick and obfuscate when all that are at stake is half their net worth and their emotional equilibrium. The soon-to-be former wife will be surely saddling him with tremendous legal bills. The scorned woman will use whatever she can and subscribe to such strategy as well, when it is expedient and some times bordering on what is considered ethical. The catalogue of fear and insecurity that bedevils these 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 kids accounts.”
“She will skip town and run away with my kids.” “He will marry an obnoxious bimbo who’ll be an influence on my children…” 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 but at the end, they become both psychologically and financially stable. But for the Moonlighter and the late Mr. de Leon, during decades of an almost blissful marriage, even on our countless spars, divorce was never considered. Murder, oh many times, but to divorce was definitely out of the question!
Programming for Kababayan Today, April 10-14, 2017 and Associates gives real estate advice. Thursday, April 13 - Actors from the webisode, “Pretty Dudes” come to the show to talk about their characters. Kat Iniba talks about the latest happenings at Lucky Lady Casino. Know HisG. TönGi tory Know Self with Professor Brandon Reilly Friday, April 14 - Learn about Monday, April 10 - Melissa Roxas talks about her holistic NextDayBetter, a storytelling health practice at Little Sage, platform for diaspora communiwhich is located in Long Beach. ties. *** Tuesday, April 11 - We are takGiselle “G” Töngi is the host and producer ing your calls from the studio. Call us to get immigration advice from of Kababayan Today, a daily talk show that Attorney Allison Aquino- Silva and features relevant topics for Filipinos living in America. Her aim is to bridge not only Attorney Richard Loew. Wednesday, April 12 - The the cultural gap between America & the Asian Journal shares the latest Philippines but to help with the generational headlines relevant to the Fil-Am gap between our own people. She is married community. Dr. Ed Dela Vega with two children and is based in Southern discusses Dentistry for Every California and makes frequent trips in the Village and shares the work he Pacific Rim to Hawaii and Manila to feature does for kababayans who are in fellow kababayans who are empowering the need. Mia Mcleod of McLeod FilAm community.
The Global Kababayan
The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA) recently elected its new officers for 2017-2019. Photo shows (L-R) officers Benny Uy (PRO), Yvee Tadeo-Guevarra (Corresponding Secretary), Ethel Rubio (President-elect), Mutch Carino (President), Joy Angeles (Recording Secretary) and Gil Guinto (Treasurer). Other officers not show in the photo include: Nati Matitu (1st vice president), Evelyn Andamo (2nd vice president), Dick Cu (Auditor) and Bobby Canseco (IT Officer). TheUPAAGLA Board of Directors are Ivy Manalang, Atty. Mary Lyn Sanga, Luisa Lansigan, Ellery Atienza, Mary Trinidad, Sonny Gancayco, Annie Nepomuceno, Mary Drees, Jess Espanola, Melette Lampino, Bob Shroder, Carina Slepian, Ivy Cosio-Bautista, Ellen Gomez and Angie Alvarez.
UST hosts IOWA International Conference THE University of Santo Tomas together with the US Embassy in Manila will bring together 21 fellows of the Iowa Writing Program (IWP) composed of Filipino and foreign writers who will speak and facilitate in the International Con-
ference on Education, Literatures, and Creative Writing to be held from April 20 to 22, 2017 at the Dr. George S. K. Ty Function Hall, Paredes Bldg., UST, Manila. According to College of Education Dean Prof. Allan B. de Guz-
man, the conference is sponsored by the US Embassy in Manila, and co-organized by the UST College of Education and the UST Department of Filipino through HASAAN 5. PAGE B5
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Features
A MOTHER’S AND HER ATTORNEY’S PERSISTENCE RESULT IN HER DAUGHTERS FINALLY BEING ISSUED CSPA VISAS BASED ON “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES”-- ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY! Lolita left her two daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the US, with the dream that she would eventually have them join her. However, her previous attorney missed the one year “sought to acquire” filing deadline for CSPA eligibility, resulting in the Embassy refusing to issue their immigrant visas. Leading US immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL was her beacon of hope, as he did not give up in trying to convince the Embassy that the daughters should be entitled to visas, despite missing the one-year deadline. Find out how Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to prove extraordinary circumstances, have the two “aged-out” daughters be issued visas, and reunite this family on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday, April 9 at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.
Successful moving
By Sean
Shono
DO you know anyone who became very unhappy right after moving? The following advice is how to avoid misfortune in your new home: 1) Prior to finding a new house to move into, place a Feng Shui horse at the entrance hall facing the outside. 2) A few days before moving, use Feng Shui incense to extinguish the evil energy left over. Place the Feng Shui horse at the entrance hall facing inside. 3) After moving, move the Feng Shui horse to the South as illustrated. The horse is said to have been purified by the auenhance financial luck and make thentic Feng Shui process. your business prosperous. *** *** Feng Shui master Sean Shono owns All of our Feng Shui horses Dragon God, a Feng Shui store in Gardena,
What Filharmonic expects... PAGE B1 Anna Kendrick at The Late Late Show with James Corden. They have also been staging concerts in various campuses across the US. The extremely talented band said they are more than thrilled
fronting for Fifth Harmony, calling it “a dream come true,” as they look forward to performing with other mega famous artists like Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Despite their newfound fame, the group’s members admit they still get discriminated in the US
The Feng Shui horse can enhance financial luck and make your business prosperous. California. He is the U.S. Chief of the International Feng Shui Association. For more information, please call Sean Shono at (310) 787-1891. Dragon God is located at 1580 W. Artesia SQ. Suite A, Gardena, CA 90248.
— primarily because of their ethnicity — with some people wrongly classifying them as a “cultural group.” But they are unfazed, they assured, as they educate people about diversity before displaying their musical skills on stage that have won respect and adulation among fans and critics around the world.
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 8-11, 2017
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Join this year’s new Ambassadors Tour to PH and experience the best of Manila and Davao THE highly popular tourism program that drew hundreds of balikbayans and Filipino-Americans to revisit their homeland is back. This year, the new Ambassadors’ Tour to the Philippines is featuring new and exciting destinations meant to further showcase the country’s tourism gems. Scheduled for July 11 to 16, 2017, this year’s Tour will not only reacquaint participants from all over the United States to the enduring charms of Manila but will also provide the opportunity to visit and explore the southern city of Davao. Touted as the cleanest and the safest city in the Philippines, Davao City is home to the country’s current leader, President Rodrigo Duterte. Davao boasts of outstanding recreational areas like museums, nature parks, fantastic beaches and zoos, in addition to adventure activities like scuba diving, island hopping, wake boarding, white water rafting. Participants to this year’s tour can look forward to exciting destinations and highlights, most important of which is the opportunity to have an audience with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in addition to a dinner • Check-out to be hosted by no less than Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte. • Transfer to Domestic Airport The very affordable and irresistible package price for the 6 days/5 • Leave for Davao nights Manila and Davao tour is as follows: • Arrive in Davao International Airport Following is the full itinerary of the 6-day tour covering both Manila • Welcome reception at Davao International Airport by the Dept. of and Davao: Tourism • Lunch at local restaurant NET RATE PER PERSON IN USD • Afternoon at Malagos Resort and Philippine Eagle Center Tour PACKAGE COST 7Days/6Nights Package 6Days/5Nights Package • Return to hotel (July 10-16) (July 11-16) • Overnight stay at the Hotel SGL $1,240.00 $1,090.00 DAY 3: JULY 12, 2017 (Wednesday) MARCO POLO DAVAO (5*) TWN $865.00 $790.00 • Breakfast at hotel TRPL $852.00 $785.00 • Audience with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte SGL $1,215.00 $1,065.00 • Lunch at local restaurant PARK INN BY RADISSON (4*) • Afternoon Davao City Tour TWN $855.00 $780.00 • Visit the Crocodile Park for reptilian adventures. Get to know “PanTRPL $842.00 $775.00 gil” the 2nd largest crocodile in captivity and “Buloy” the friendly 15ft SGL $1,200.00 $1,050.00 python. Just nearby is the Tribung K’Mindanawan where it showcases SEDA ABREEZA (4*) TWN $845.00 $770.00 our rich cultural heritage and replicas of the different tribal houses in TWN $827.00 $760.00 the region. Amaze on the vast collections of animal skeleton at the Bone INCLUSIONS: Museum. Sample on the local fruits and bountiful harvest of Davao such • Airport transfers in Manila and Davao with meet and greet assistance by Department of Tourism and Rajah Tours Coordinators as the pomelo, mangosteen, marang or take your first whiff of the Durian • 2/1 Nights stay at Nobu Hotel or Hyatt City of Dreams for the 1st call in Manila at the fruit market. Otherwise settle for the candies at the Durian Candy • 3 Nights stay at choice hotel in Davao City • 1 Night stay at Makati Shangri-la Hotel for the 2nd call in Manila Factory or the Durian Flavoured Cappuccino. • Meals as stated in the itinerary • A scenic view of Davao from the top of the Shrine hill at the Holy • Tours as stated in the itinerary Infant Jesus or at the Jack’s Ridge. Visit the Museo Dabawenyo where it • Private air-conditioned vehicle throughout the tour • Services of an English-speaking and DOT accredited guide throughout the duration of tour houses the rich collection of Davao’s History displayed in their galleries. Bargain for some souvenirs at the Aldevinco Souvenir Shops. After the EXCLUSIONS: • International air fare tour, we shall transfer you back to your hotel. • Domestic air fare • Return to hotel • Meals not specified above • Overnight stay at the hotel • Personal expense throughout the stay DAY 4: JULY 13, 2017 (Thursday) Participants coming from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and other parts of the United • Breakfast at hotel States will have various airfare options and can choose to fly to the Philippines with any of the Tour’s airline partners, among them Philippine Airlines, and China Airlines, with round trip • Assembly at hotel lobby ticket priced as low as $1,795.00 • Depart for Samal Island with Lunch • Pick up from hotel. Transfers from hotel to Sta Ana Wharf. Boat ride to Samal Island passing through Pearl Farm, Malipano Island, Wishing DAY 1: JULY 10, 2017 (Monday) Island, Coral Garden, Angel’s Cove and Isla Reta. Picnic lunch will be • Early morning arrival in Manila served at the Isla Reta. Free time on the beach. Boat ride back to mainland • Welcome reception by the Department of Tourism Davao and transfers to hotel. • Transfer to hotel/check-in • Dinner hosted by Mayor Sara “Inday”Duterte • Assembly for Malacanang Tour • Overnight stay at the hotel • Depart hotel DAY 5: JULY 14, 2017 (Friday) • Proceed for Wreath Laying Ceremony at Rizal Park • Breakfast at hotel • Running tour of Intramuros • Check-out • Proceed to Malacanang Museum Tour with lunch • Transfer to airport • Return to hotel • Depart for Manila • Welcome dinner hosted by Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) • Arrive Manila • Overnight stay at the hotel • Transfer/Check-in at the hotel DAY 2: JULY 11, 2017 (Tuesday) • Optional activity in the afternoon • Breakfast at the hotel • PASAYA. PASARAP & PAGANDA Package-
• Packages to distress and pamper yourself • Dinner hosted by Western Union • Overnight stay at the hotel DAY 6: JULY 15, 2017 (Saturday) • Breakfast at hotel • Check-out • Transfer to airport • Depart for homebound journey The Ambassadors’ Tour is a joint project of all Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the US, namely: Agana, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Saipan, San Francisco, and Washington D.C., in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board. Seats are fast filling up, so don’t waste any time. Register now and be part of this year’s 11th Ambassadors Tour to the Philippines and experience the best of Manila and Davao. For more information and to register, contact Majestic Vacations by sending email to: ambassadorstour@majestic-vacations.com or call tel. numbers: (213) 251-9401 or 1-800-423-4480 and ask for Angie or Jeanet; the Philippine Department of Tourism at: (213) 487-4525 and the Philippine Consulate General at (213) 639-0980. *** Manny V. Ilagan is a Tourism Specialist with over 23 years professional experience in the overseas tourism and travel industry. He is currently the Director for Business Development and Marketing of GTT International/Majestic Vacations, one of the biggest airlines consolidators in the United States, and wholesaler of package tours worldwide. He also provides travel consultancy services to some of the biggest wholesalers and tour operators in the country as well as to some airline companies. He is the former Tourism Director-OIC of the Philippine Department of Tourism-Los Angeles, where he worked for over two decades. As a writer, he has written numerous articles about travel and tourism, which have been published in various Filipino-American newspapers in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York, and other Manila-based newspapers as well. For comments or questions, you may reach him at manilagan@gmail.com.
Observing Holy Week By Monet
Lu
LENTEN season is the time when Christians — Catholic and other religious denominations — remember Christ’s passion (his suffering and death) and resurrection. Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter Sunday) marks the beginning of this season, it is when you will see Catholics with ashes smudged on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Holy Week is from Palm Sunday to Black Saturday, then Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a solemn occasion, most commonly known as Semana Santa in the Philippines and other countries. Priests and religious statues are dressed in purple to symbolize gloom. Devout Catholics go to church every day; some fast as a symbol of respect and faith while the born-again Christians just pray directly to God without worshiping statues or saints. Although different, these practices convey the same message. This time of the year commits people to fulfill their vows, to ask God for forgiveness or favors, such as cures for health, personal and financial problems. Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Filipino Catholics bring palaspas (palm fronds) to church to be blessed by the priests. Then, they bring the fronds back home with them. In the Philippines, for most of the week, especially after Tuesday, the towns are eerily quiet with TV and radio stations going off the air and no loud noises or revelry whatsoever. Catholics stop eating meat, turning to fish, and the more devout ones go on a completely liquid diet. Many businesses are closed, so make sure you have supplies, especially food, stocked up. The traditional pabasa (the “reading” or chanting of verses
about the suffering of Christ) starts on Sunday and ends on Maundy Thursday, which is the day when the washing of the feet is celebrated. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Christ. On this day, you will see religious figures being carried through the towns on top of carrozas (carriages). religious images and statues are veiled in black in mourning of the death of Jesus. Now the tourist spot and the most striking feature of the Holy Week celebrations in the Philippines is the sight of Filipinos publicly whipping themselves. These are reenactments of the torture and death of Jesus. Some of the hardcore devotees not only whip their backs into a bloody mess, they also have their feet and hands nailed to a wooden cross. Tourists come from all over the world for the sight! Tondo in Manila is the place to see these flagellants. Outside the capital, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija are famous for their flagellants who cover their faces with white cotton hoods. Crowns of thorns are placed on their heads to cause blood to drip. I remember one of the superstitions on Good Friday is the prohibition against children playing. This is because they might injure themselves and not have their wounds heal. You will always be reminded that during this time that Jesus is dead, and so every-
Why Lolot de Leon... PAGE B1 he knows how much Lotlot really worked hard at having a business. “This resto-bar is really a dream come true for me. I’ve been wanting to open a restaurant for such a long time, and now that I got the oppor-
thing is awry and bad things are apt to happen. Black Saturday is when Christ is entombed. Filipinos spend the day preparing for the night vigil leading up to Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. At four o’clock in the morning, Filipinos do a ceremony commemorating how the Virgin Mary met her son Jesus who has come back to life. Her image will be brought to the image of the Christ at the local church. Flower petals will be rained down on them. Everyone is happy that Jesus is alive again and that the world is back right. In contemporary times, these Philippine traditions are slowly disappearing. Young Filipinos now use the Holy Week to vacation at the beach, while socialites and members of the upper class fly to out of Manila or go to another country. In my experiences of Holy Week, it truly is the time to renew our faith and feel the lords suffering for mankind. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or
“Hindi ko pala pwedeng kalimutan ang taping ko because it’s my primary job. One thing more, tunity to do it, I will really give it my I really love working with Alden best shot and make it successful,” and Maine! They’re very nice and fun to work with. I’m so impressed Lotlot vowed. Lotlot doesn’t neglect her show- with their humility. Parang wala biz commitments. She’s busy taping lang sa kanila na sikat sila. Hindi for Destined To Be Yours with Alden pa-importante. I love their kind of attitude,” Lotlot said. Richards and Maine Mendoza.
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Shed your worries away at Wi Spa by AJPress
For busy professionals, finding a few hours to unplug and care themselves can seem like an indulgence. However, places like a Korean spa allow for that moment of pampering — without the guilt of making it seem excessive. Perhaps Los Angeles’ best example of such a space is Wi Spa, located along Wilshire Boulevard in downtown. It’s a 24/7 haven, where for just a $25 entrance fee, you can wade in a hot tub, meditate in a sauna room or eat a hearty Korean meal. Upon entering, guests are handed a yellow Wi Spa t-shirt (to be worn on the co-ed floor), towels, and a waterproof wrist watch that serves as a locker key. They are then free to go to their respective gender floor or to the upper-level Jimjilbang, which means “bathhouse” in Korean. on the women’s floor, for example, you’ll find a common area for sitting/napping, changing areas, and a pool-sauna facility that has a no-clothes policy. There’s even a small store where you can purchase various skincare products. (Pro tip: putting on a facial sheet mask after sitting in the sauna is a treat.) What is worth noting at Wi is
that despite dozens of other participants present, it never feels too crowded nor does it feel too hard to relax. one of the spa’s signature services for women is the buff & massage ($70), which alone is worth carving some time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Before the 70-minute treatment, you are advised to take a quick shower and dip in the hot tub. Next, one of the masseuses motions you to a massage table to begin the “buff,” which entails her scrubbing every inch of the body with a rough glove that feels like sandpaper. The process may be uncomfortable at first as you see dead skin falling and your body turning red. You can always tell your masseuse about to adjust the pressure. The buffing leaves you with supple, radiant skin that will last for weeks and garner compliments from observers wanting to know the secret to your glow. You are then guided to take another shower and sit in the dry sauna for a few minutes before the massage starts. Using hot oil, the masseuse begins the rubdown on the back to relax the body after what it previously endured during the buffing. At this point, minding the clock is the least of your worries — it’s the perfect opportunity
The Clay Sauna
The Salt Sauna
UST hosts IOWA International... PAGE B2
The conference, whose theme is “Educating the World through Literatures: Promoting Understanding, Peace and Equality” will be a rare occasion to gather topnotch writers from all over the world who have passed through the stringent selection process set by the IWP, and are thus called ‘IWP Fellows.’ Mr. Christopher Merrill, Director of the International Writing Program of the Iowa University and member of the National Council on the Humanities of the United States of America from 2012 to 2016, will deliver the opening lecture. He will talk about ‘The role of IWP in Promoting International Understanding, Peace and Equality.’ National Artist in Literature F. Sionil José will deliver the Keynote Address while another National Artist in Literature, Dr. Bienvenido L. Lumbera will be the speaker for the plenary session. Both national artists are graduates of the University of Santo Tomas. The topics and session speakers are: Session 1 Updates on Philippine Literatures with fellows from the Philippines Mr. Sarge Lacuesta, Ms. Susan Lara, and Dr. ruel M. Aguila; Session 2 Updates, Experiences, and Concerns on Teaching Philippine Literatures with fellows from the Philippines Mr. Ian rosales Casocot and Mr. Joel Toldeo; Session 3 Updates
on International Literatures with fellows Ms. Ukamaka olisakwe (Nigeria), Mr. Vladimir Poleganov (Bulgaria), Mr. Hao Guang Tse (Singapore), Ms. Zhou Jianing (China) and Ms. Alice Yousef (Palestinian Territories). The topic for Session 4 ‘Updates on Teaching Creative Writing’ and fellows are from the Philippines that include: Mr. Mark Angeles, Ms. Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, and Mr. Ian rosales Casacot. Session 5 will be on Special Topics that focus on Writing Workshops with fellows from the Philippines that include Dr. Marjorie M. EvascoPernia, Mr. Charleson L. ong, and Mr. Eros S. Atalia of the University of Santo Tomas. Another session, Session 6 will be on Special Topics but it primarily deal with Publishing Creative Works. The fellows are Mr. Yusi Avianto Pareanom (Indonesia), Ms. Chae Won Lee (South Korea), Mr. Ko Hua Chen (Taiwan), Ms. Tomoka Shibasaki (Japan), and Ms. Christine Yohannes (Ethiopia). Interested parties may contact the UST College of Education through 731-4323, Mr. Alvin ringgo C. reyes, chair of the Teacher Education Department at acreyes@ust.edu.ph, or through +639154819604 or Dr. Zendel rosario M. Taruc, chair of the Department of Filipino at zendelt@yahoo.com or through + 63919566779.
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Visit the restaurant after pampering yourself.
AJPress photos by Ding Carreon
the rounds at each of them can do wonders for your body, as saunas boast countless benefits, such as stress relief, detoxification, clearer skin and weight loss. (You can ask the front desk for more information about the numerous advantages.) Whether you book one of the treatments or simply want to unwind at the sauna, there’s a reason
what Wi Spa stands out among the pack of spas. It will leave you rejuvenated, clean and clearing your calendar for the next visit. Wi Spa is located at 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057 (on the corner of rampart). Visit http://www.wispausa.com/ for more details on spa services and specials. (Advertising Supplement)
Rooftop deck
to take a nap or be present in the moment. A facial mask made of fresh cucumbers (which reduces puffiness and fades dark spots, among other wonders) and a hair shampoo top off the procedure. What you do after these 70 minutes is entirely up to you, but drinking water and resting are a must as your body is undergoing detoxification. Additional menu items are worth checking out as well, such as a manicure/pedicure, facials, and other variations of the buff and full-body massage. After spending time on the gender-specific floor, a trip to Wi is not complete without visiting the upstairs Jimjilbang. You’ll find floorspace to lay down a mat to
relax and a restaurant serving an array of made-to-order Korean dishes for when you feel hungry (the bibimbap is particularly satisfying). The five-themed sauna rooms — Bulgama, Salt, Clay, Jade and Ice — are unique to the spa and each have their own healing powers. Spending a few minutes making
The Jimjilbang, which means “bathhouse” in Korean.
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COMMUNITY Journal
Obtaining a green card after being abused
Your Immigration Solution Devin Connolly PERHAPS the most common way for a person to be granted permanent resident status (Green card) is through marriage to a U.S. citizen. But what happens when the U.S. citizen spouse is physically or verbally abusing the foreign national? Are they required to stay in the abusive relationship until they receive their green card? Because of the “Violence Against Women Act,” (“VAWA”), the answer is NO! The VAWA applies to both men and women and it is not limited to only spouses of U.S. citizens. It allows certain spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to file a petition for themselves without any assistance from their relative. This ability to file without their family member’s assistance allows victims to immediately seek both safety and independence from their abuser. The abuser will not be notified about the self-petition. There are three general categories of people eligible to file self-petitions under VAWA. These categories include people who are abused after entering into a marriage with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; parents of abusive U.S. citizen children; and children who are under 21, unmarried, and have been abused by their U.S. citizen or permanent resident parent. This requirement that a child file before their 21st birthday may be extended until they turn 25years-old if they can demonstrate that the abuse was the main reason for the delay in filing. The most difficult task facing a self-petitioner under VAWA is typically establishing that they have suffered “extreme cruelty” by their family member. While difficult, this task is still very possible. First, it is important to know that “extreme cruelty” is not limited to acts of physical violence.
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“Extreme cruelty” is interpreted much more broadly. It does obviously include acts of physical violence, but it also includes many other types of abuse as well. In fact, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) may approve a self-petition based solely on psychological and emotional abuse. The USCIS will also consider what has been deemed “immigrant-related” abuse. Immigration-related abuse may include the refusal to file papers on behalf of a family member despite repeated promises to do so, calling the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report a family member’s unlawful presence in the U.S., or threats to
also file the VAWA petition before the self-petitioner enters into a new marriage. In addition, if the abusive spouse/parent had previouslyfiled an immigrant visa petition on behalf of the battered spouse/ child, the priority date can be transferred to the self-petition. This can be helpful for spouses or children of lawful permanent residents who face a long wait for the availability of their priority date. Following the approval of a self-petition by the USCIS, the immigrant will be permitted to seek adjustment of status as soon as their priority date is current. However, even if the selfpetitioner is not ready to adjust their status, they may receive “Deferred Action.” This grant of “Deferred Action” would protect them from being placed in removal proceedings even though they lack lawful immigration status in the U.S. These individuals have a family member deported who receive “Deferred Action” if they do not act in conformity are also eligible to receive emwith the abuser’s wishes. ployment authorization. The USCIS will consider the toObtaining permanent resident tality of the circumstances when status as an abused spouse, parassessing whether “extreme cru- ent or child is a complex process elty” is present, which means and requires excellent advocacy that they may find the existence before the USCIS. Individuals of “extreme cruelty” when there seeking assistance in such matare acts that may not initially ap- ters should therefore always conpear violent but are part of an sult a knowledgeable and experioverall pattern of violence. enced immigration attorney. It is especially important to *** note that in cases where a per- Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, son is filing a self-petition based largest and most experienced immigration on the abuse they suffered from firms in the United States with offices in Los their spouse, the immigrant does Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Manila. not have to stay married to their For more Information please call (800) 795abusive spouse. They are cer- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com. tainly permitted to file a self-pe- Telephone: (800) 795-8009 tition during the marriage, but E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com they may also file the self-peti- Website: www.rreeves.com. tion after the marriage has been *** terminated through death or di- The analysis and suggestions offered in vorce. However, if the marriage this column do not create a lawyer-client has already been terminated, relationship and are not a substitute for they must file the self-petition the personalized representation that is within two years of the termina- essential to every case. tion of the marriage. They must (Advertising Supplement)
The most difficult task facing a self-petitioner under VAWA is typically establishing that they have suffered “extreme cruelty” by their family member. While difficult, this task is still very possible.
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Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon ARE your debts keeping you up at night? Are you always worried about money? Are you barely surviving and can’t even keep up with minimum payments on your credit cards? Do you wish to reduce or eliminate your debts but don’t even know where to start? If you are searching for debt reduction solutions, you may be inundated with advertisements for various debt management programs, companies and solutions. The choices seem confusing to the average consumer. The truth is that every situation is different and what may work perfectly for others is not necessarily going to work the same way for you. So what do you do before your debt problems get worse? If you know your finances are a mess and you’re struggling with a mountain of debt, then you need to create a plan of attack to help you get rid of your debt properly. If you’ve ignored your debt problems for a while and you are now at a point where creditors have taken legal action to collect what you owe, self-help debt reduction may be out of the question and you may need to immediately take the legal steps necessary to protect what you have. Many times, people come to our office with wage garnishments, bank levies or a lien filed by a creditor against their home and they don’t know what to do to stop it. These are the situations where filing bankruptcy may be the only way to get out
Immigration Corner
Community Journal
Debt problems: What to do when you don’t know what to do of debt as quickly as possible and to protect yourself from further creditor actions. It is important for you to have an accurate picture of your current financial situation before you embark on implementing a solution. This means understanding exactly how much income is coming in and how much you pay out in expenses. As a starting point, you should also write down your outstanding balances on all your current debts and add up the totals. The total figure might shock you at first but it’s important for you to know where you’re starting in order to create a plan of attack. Alongside each debt balance, write down the amount of interest you’re being charged and how much you’re paying each month on that debt. Sadly, most people who are buried in a mountain of debt have lost track of what they owe. And because they have stopped paying their creditors, the bill collectors are now demanding the full amount which, of course, makes it even harder for the person to catch up on their delinquent debts. If you’re on a very tight budget or if your income is not even enough to cover your living expenses, it may be impossible for you to get out of debt without having to file bankruptcy in order to wipe out what you can no longer afford to pay. For many people, this may be the only realistic way to get rid of debts hanging over their head instead of trying to pay their creditors slowly or even worse- not paying them
and having to face the legal consequences later on. Working out the right debt elimination or debt reduction plan to help you get out of debt can be tricky. Everyone seems to have all kinds of advice and they’re all convinced that their solution is the best. How can you know which one is the right one to help you? If your debts are mounting up and becoming uncontrollable, maybe you also need to take a current look at your current lifestyle and how much it costs to maintain your standard of living today. Can you maintain this standard of living based on your current income or is it forcing you to borrow even more which just makes your situation worse? In order to become debt-free, you first need to fix your spending leaks to make sure that you are living within your means. This might mean finding the discipline to stop charging anything else on your credit cards and only buying those things you have the cash to afford. If you need help in figuring out your options, I’d like to help you. Please call Toll-Free 1-866-4777772 and let me review your situation. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. ***
None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)
Trump’s revised travel ban executive order is halted
nary Injunction, and therefore, is both nationwide and issued for a Atty. BRiAn leRneR much longer period than would have been the time span of the QUESTION: I know that Trump temporary injunction. Q: Why did the judge rule issued a second executive order. against Trump? What is happening with this A: There were several reasons one? Answer: The District Judge in as to why the judge ruled against Hawaii has ruled in favor of the the president: 1) The judge basically said that plaintiffs. In other words, that judge has ruled that the brief this is a watered down version of Temporary Restraining Order the first executive order and that is now converted to a Prelimi- just taking out some language,
which was blatantly inflammatory and unconstitutional in the second executive order does not change the basis for the executive order itself. Essentially, Trump said many times on the campaign trail how he was going to ban Muslims from entering the United States. He stated many derogatory statements against Muslims and essentially attacked a Gold Star family whose Muslim son died defending the U.S. The
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Tax Tips
20 don’ts in an IRS audit
9. Don’t raise your voice. 10. Don’t ignore the IRS. 11. Don’t mess with the IRS. 12. Don’t fight the auditor. This VictoR Sy, is an agent’s case assignment, not cPA, mBA a personal attack against you. 1. DON’T go to your appoint13. Don’t create distance bement unprepared. tween you and the agent. 2. Don’t be late for your ap14. Don’t insist on indefensible pointment with the auditor. positions. You’ll lose it anyway. 3. Don’t volunteer informa15. Don’t argue for the sake of tion. arguing. You know who’s going 4. Don’t be condescending of to lose. education, experience, age, or 16. Don’t expect to win on all gender. issues. Settle. 5. Don’t be arrogant, even if 17. Don’t reject the agent’s poyou clearly have an upper hand. sition without adequate analysis. 6. Don’t flaunt your being a It could be worse. CPA or lawyer to an agent who 18. Don’t be fixated in resolvmay have fewer qualifications. ing the case with the agent. Go 7. Don’t insult the auditor. to Appeals. 8. Don’t bully. 19. Don’t complain about bu-
A Law in the Life ed lindAin, eSq MARCUS is a 49-year old male, native and citizen of the Philippines. He was admitted as a permanent resident in 1994 based on an approved immigrant petition filed by his mother Cecilia who sponsored him as an unmarried son of a lawful permanent resident. Although Marcus was unmarried when the petition was filed by Cecilia, he married his longtime girlfriend Monica before his immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. He did not disclose his marriage on his application for immigrant visa. Marcos settled in the U.S. and found gainful employment. He visited Monica in the Philippines many times over the years and the two of them were blessed with two kids, Jeffery and Susan. Marcus wanted to bring Monica and their two children to the U.S. one day. Back in the States, Marcus lives with his mother Cecilia who later naturalized as a U.S. citizen. Cecilia is now 70 years old and is of failing health. She suffers high blood pressure and other illnesses brought about by her senior age. As a dutiful son, Marcus has been taking care of his mother, driving her to her doctor’s appointments, looking after her when she is sick, preparing her meals, and providing for her needs. Marcus applied to become a
reaucracy. Instead, use bureaucracy to your advantage. 20. Lastly, if you’re in a hole, stop digging! And if you don’t behave, plead the fifth. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com. (Advertising Supplement)
A very helpful waiver naturalized U.S. citizen in 2010. His naturalization application was denied when the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services discovered his marriage to Monica. He was also placed in removal proceedings for misrepresenting himself to be unmarried at the time of his immigrant visa application. Our firm was retained by Marcus to represent him in his removal proceedings. At his removal hearing before the Immigration Court, we requested the Court to grant Marcus a discretionary waiver under Section 237 (a) (1) (H) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 237 (a) (1) (H) is relief available to aliens who are deemed to be inadmissible at the time of entry because they had procured a visa or other documentation by fraud or misrepresentation, whether willful or innocent. This waiver not only waives the fraud, it also waives the grounds of inadmissibility at admission resulting from the fraud, and validates the alien’s initial unlawful entry. To be able to demonstrate eligibility for relief under INA §237(a) (1) (H), we had to establish that Marcus is statutorily eligible and that he merits relief in the exercise of discretion. To be statutorily eligible, the alien must be the spouse, parent, son or daughter of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and must have been in possession of an immigrant visa or equivalent at the time of entry, and have been otherwise admissible except for those grounds of inadmissibility
which were a direct result of the fraud or misrepresentation. Marcus established his statutory eligibility for this waiver as his mother Cecilia is a United States citizen and that he was in possession of an immigrant visa upon entry in the United States in 1994. Finally, Marcus needed to show that he merits a favorable exercise of the Court’s discretion to be granted this waiver. He was able to establish favorable considerations such as his strong family ties in the U.S., his residence of a long duration in this country; evidence of hardship to Marcus and his U.S. citizen mother if deportation occurs; a stable employment history; and a strong showing of his good character. The Court granted his request for waiver and his removal case was terminated. Marcus immediately filed for naturalization as a U.S. citizen and after taking his oath as a American, he filed an immigrant petition for his wife Monica and their minor children Jeffery and Susan. Now, Marcus is reunited with his wife and children and he vowed never to be separated again. If you want to know more about INA §237(a) (1) (H), you are welcome to contact our office for consultation. ***
This information is not legal advice. It is for informational purposes only. You should consult a lawyer for legal advice specific to your situation as each case is different. Atty. Ed Lindain is a member of the Londonbased International Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Contact him at 213-381-5710 or at attorneys@lindainlaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)
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Community Journal
Should employees be paid for doing tasks while not clocked in? Q: I WORK as a “team member” in the service industry in Protecting Los Angeles. Before we clock- Employee in for our shift, we are required to attend a “huddle,” or a meet- & Consumer ing where we discuss events Rights during prior shifts, our assignments, etc. These “huddles” Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. last 15 to 20 minutes every day. Should we be paid for these meetings even though we are not clocked in and the meetings are not part of our main job? A: Your “huddle” sounds like “hours worked” and must be paid. “Hours worked” is the time during which an employee is subject to the control of an employer. This includes all the time that you are required to be present at the workplace. It also includes any “off-the-clock” time you spend performing job-related activities which benefit the employer. Under California law, “off-the-clock” hours are considered “hours worked.” “Off-the-clock” hours are hours worked by employees before or after their regular scheduled hours, even if the employer has not directly required or authorized that the off-the-clock activities be performed. Off-the-clock hours may include coming to work early to work before the shift’s official starting time or continuing to work after one has clocked out for one’s official end time. Off-the-clock work may also include preliminary or preparatory activities that employees do before they do their main tasks. For example, employees may spend time putting on a special uniform or gear before they start work. Or employees may spend time cleaning equipment after the close of a shift. Some employees may take work home or are contacted at home by telephone for work-related reasons or are “called back” to work. All of these post-shift activities fall within hours worked and should be paid. If any of the activities above caused the employees to work overtime hours, then California law requires that the employees be paid at the premium rate of 1 ½ times the employee’s regular rate if the employee worked more than 8 but less than 12 hours in a work day. If the employee worked more than 12 hours in a work day or in excess of 8 hours on the seventh day in a work week, the employee is entitled to double the employee’s regular rate. An employer’s failure to pay its employees for work hours incurred in excess of the employee’s scheduled hours may result in an expensive employment lawsuit against the employer. Consider the case of employees at a sheriff’s department in San Francisco as reported by the
Daily Journal: A group of San Francisco Sheriffs Supervisors sued the city and county of San Francisco, on behalf of themselves and other employees, claiming that they were not paid for conducting or attending “muster time” prior to the start of their shifts. “Muster time” is a kind of meeting where deputy sheriffs were given instructions regarding the upcoming shift. Aside from not being paid for attending muster time, the employees also complained about not being paid for putting on and taking off their uniforms and equipment before clocking in or out for their shift. Rather than proceed to trial, the parties agreed to settle the case. The employer agreed to pay $1,035,000 to about 103 sheriff supervisors, and an additional $250,000 for the employees’ attorney fees and costs. An additional $5,000 in service awards will be paid to the three employees who had come forward to sue. The case settlement totaled $1.3 million. In determining whether additional wages are due, employees should not be discouraged if the work performed was “off-the-clock” and not recorded. They should also not simply accept that they’re not entitled to additional wages just because the work performed was “voluntary,” “unauthorized” or “unapproved.” Work performed voluntarily, or without authorization or approval, may still be compensable if the employer knows or should know work is being done and permits the employee to do it. In addition, all the time spent performing work-related activities for the benefit of the employer, whether “required” by the employer or not, would still be hours worked. These would include work performed at the employer’s premises or work performed “at home” or at another place that is not the usual work site. Employers who accept the benefits of the work performed by its non-exempt employees must pay the wages due to these employees. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. *** C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully obtained significant recoveries for thousands of employees and consumers. He is named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently Aselected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advocates Forum. (Advertising Supplement)
AC 21: changing the employer of your employment-based green card application DEAR Attorney Tan, I have an approved I-140 immigrant petition which was filed by Company A on my behalf. Company A would like to employ me as a bookkeeper. Based on that approved I-140 petition, I filed an application for green card (I-485 adjustment of status) in August 2014. Since that time, my green card application has been pending, as USCIS has requested additional documents in support of my application. Recently, another company, Company B, has expressed interest in hiring me for a payroll clerk position. Company B is a more established company based in the Midwest and pays $10,000.00 less but offers much better benefits. Is there a way I can substitute Company B as the employer in my green card application? — P.T. Dear P.T. Under INA Section 204(j), commonly referred to as AC 21, an approved I-140 employment-based immigrant petition filed by one employer can be used by or “ported” to another employer providing certain requirements are met. First, a green card (I-485 adjustment of status) application must have been filed and must be pending for at least 180 days. Second, the “new” job offered by the second employer must be in the same or similar occupational classification as the job for which the first employer filed the I-140 petition. In your situation, you meet the first requirement in that your application for green card (I-485) was filed in August 2014. Your application has been pending for over 1 year, which is more than the required 180 days under AC 21. In depth analysis in your case is needed as to whether Company B’s job of “payroll clerk” is considered a “similar occupational classification” to Company A’s job of “bookkeeper,” for which Company A petitioned you. In determining whether one job is similar enough to another job for AC 21 purposes, the USCIS takes into account the totality of the circumstances, including the job duties of both positions, the Standard Occupational Code (SOC) from the approved I-140 and the SOC code for the job offered by the new prospective employer, as well as the offered wages for each position. In your case, analysis would begin with the job duties of each position. The more similarity in job duties between bookkeeper and payroll clerk, the greater the likelihood that USCIS would consider them similar. Also, the SOC code for the 2 jobs would be taken into account. In addition, the wages offered by each employer would be considered. The existence of a big disparity in wages offered by each employer is not by itself a reason to conclude that the jobs are not similar. In your case, the fact that Company B is offering $10,000 less than Company A has to take into account the fact that the Midwest has a lower cost of living, as well as the fact that better benefits are being offered by Company B. If it is considered a “similar occupational classification,” Company B may be substituted in as the employer in your pending green card application, and Company B will not have to start the process from the beginning by filing a labor certification application and by obtaining an approved I-140 petition. The analysis of whether you can use or “port” your approved I-140 requires additional analysis, and consulting with an experienced attorney is recommended. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw. com. (Advertising Supplement)
Trump’s revised travel ban executive order… PAGE C2 t judge stated he was not going to close the shutters, turn out the lights and go hide in a corner as though those statements and actions were never taken. Thus, the judge ruled that the words in the executive order cannot simply be taken at their face value and that he needed to look at Trump’s past statements to see the real intent behind the executive order. Since the real intent is the ‘Muslim ban’ and not the watered down words of the executive order, the preliminary injunction was issued. 2) It was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. This particular clause is in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and it prevents the government from either endorsing a religion or prohibiting the practice of a religion. Thus, in the first execu-
tive order, Trump has specifically stated that anyone coming into the U.S. claiming ‘Christian persecution’ would be given priority. This was clearly a violation of the Establishment Clause as it gave preference by the government to one religion over another. In the second executive order, the Court basically said that this ‘Muslim ban’ is really meant for a prohibition of one particular type of people who practice a certain religion from entering the U.S. Thus, it violated the Establishment Clause on the other side of the spectrum by the government essentially prohibiting practice of a religion in the U.S. Q: Why is the Establishment Clause so important? A: It is critical to our democracy that there is a separation of Church and state. Thus, the government must both stay out of religion as well as anything that
promotes religion. Otherwise, you start having a government that starts making decisions based upon religion and not law. The government starts giving preference to one religious sect over another. The government essentially starts discriminating. This is why the founding fathers put the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. *** Atty. Brian D. Lerner has been an Immigration Attorney for nearly a quarter of a century. He is married to a Filipina and has helped thousands of Filipino families all over the country. In addition to his offices in Southern California in Long Beach and Carson, he has an office in Quezon City. He is a certified specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Legal Board of Specialization, California State Bar. The initial consultation is free. Call (562) 495-0554 and/or send an e-mail to blerner@californiaimmigration.us. (Advertising Supplement)
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 8-11, 2017
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Getting around the six month residency requirement to file a divorce in california
Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS
vorce once the residency requirement has been met by one of the GENERALLY, you must have parties. Millar v. Millar. Unlike a resided in California for at least divorce, there is no residency resix months in order to file a di- quirement to filing an Annulment vorce in this case. Under Family or a legal separation. Code Section 2320, a judgment The advantage of this strategy of marriage dissolution (divorce) is you would immediately have acmay not be entered unless one of cess to the courts and can ask the the spouses has been a “resident” court for immediate temporary of California for six months and of orders needed to maintain the the county where the proceeding status quo or preserve the mariis filed for three months immedi- tal assets. If domestic violence is ately preceding the filing of the involved in the case, the domespetition. This poses a problem tic violence issue can be heard in for divorcing couples that has not the same court room by the same resided in California for at least judge that would be hearing the 6 months. Couples that moved divorce case. In addition, service to California from other states or on the legal separation petition other countries are faced with this (to be amended later to a divorce) problem because they cannot get will also start the clock on the sixdivorced until they satisfy the res- month “waiting period” for finality idency requirements. Even a big- of a judgment terminating marital ger problem is when they need status, optimizing the time-frame immediate temporary orders within which the parties will be from the California Court regard- legally restored to “single” staing child custody, child support, tus. As far as the county where management and control of com- to file the legal separation or nulmunity businesses and property. lity, venue is proper in the county The solution for this type of where either party resided at the problem is filing nullity or legal time the petition was filed pursuseparation petition rather than a ant to CCP 395(a). divorce and amending the petiOnce the parties have satisfied tion later on to convert it to a di- the residency requirements, the
Petition may be amended from legal separation to Dissolution without permission from the Court as long as notice is provided the opposing party under Marriage of Dick. The Petitioner would also be in a safer position if the intent to amend from legal separation/nullity to a divorce is stated in the initial Petition. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. (Advertising Supplement)
The determination
A Dash of Salt and Pepper (A simple thought of inspiration with biblical encouragement) by Henjie Pimenta
THERE is something about the immigrant’s heart, as most of us know and can relate to. Long before we knew we would be emigrating to another country, we laid out all our plans and priorities—a foresight of what we want to do and what we want to be once we settle ourselves to that new place. In our case, it was the United States of America; once we came to Henjie Pimenta this land, it was all we ever dreamed of and what we wanted to pursue. Some may not materialize the way we want it, but others may go as well as planned. Others, like myself, would only realize what to do once fully adopted into the new surroundings, cultures and lifestyles. After all, Los Angeles, California is a different world from where I grew up, Saint Andrew’s Field in Manila. The determination of an immigrant is innate in his/her heart. Even those who settled in the Philippines from another country have made it well. They know the very purpose of why they decided to come and stay in a place different from where they grew up.
Jesus, coming to earth from the Father in heaven and dwelt among us (John 1:14), was determined to the very purpose of why He needed to come down to earth in the first place. John 12:27-28 says, 27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.28 Father, glorify your name!” Matthew 26:38-39 says, “38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” It is not because He wanted to escape the very purpose of why He came down from heaven, but he knew that sin separates us from our relationship with the Father, and our sins are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and so, Jesus bore all humanity’s sins, God the Father being a just God allowed all these things to happen. Why? Because we will never be able to create a better plan that will restore us to the arms of our Fa-
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Community Journal
C APRIL 8-11, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797
Common misconceptions Calendar of Events across America about bankruptcy
Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng (Part 2 of 2)
HERE are some more misconceptions about bankruptcy that we did not discuss last week: 1. Will I lose my house? Normally, debtors get to keep their residence as long as their equity in the house does not exceed the applicable homestead exemption. If the equity of the house is within the limits of the homestead exemption, then the house does not become part of the bankruptcy estate that is subject to trustee administration for the benefit of creditors. In other words, there is no risk of losing the house to the trustee in a Chapter 7 case. Real estate values are high now after losing half their values between 2007 and 2009 during the mortgage crisis created by Wall Street greed with their bundle mortgages. If you recall, it was easy to buy a house for a couple of years before the mortgage crisis. You could buy a house with zero down with no income qualification. All you had to do to buy a house then was have a name and social security number. You did even have to be alive. Even if you were buried six feet underground, as long as you
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had a social security number, there was a house of your dreams waiting for you to move into. In fact, a lot of dogs with fake social security numbers were able to buy houses too. I kid you not. I had many clients back then with minimum wage jobs who were able to buy $1.0M mansions. The idea was to keep the house for a few months then sell it for a profit. Since house prices kept on going up, the $1.0M mansion that you bought with zero down would be worth $1.2M in 3 months. After deducting holding costs of $30K, there was a cool profit of $170K to be made in 3 months. Practically everyone and their mothers became mini Trumps. Some would buy ten rental properties with the intention of selling them in a couple of months for a profit of $50K each. With ten rentals, you could make $500K in 6 months. Do it twice in a year, and you could be a cash millionaire in one year. I had clients with rentals in Texas, Arizona, Florida, and of course here in California. They all became landlords. Then, the bubble exploded and real estate lost more than half their values at their peak. Well, real estate values are now back up even surpassing their peak just before the bubble burst.
So debtors now have to pay attention to what the current value of their houses are. It’s easy to get an appraisal of the current value of your house. You can go on line and have an e-appraisal done in less than two minutes. The homestead exemptions in California are $75K for a single person, $100K for a person with a qualifying relative who lives in the house, and $175K for seniors who are at least 65, or 55 but who earn less than $35K with the spouse. For instance, your house is now worth $500K and the balance of your first mortgage is $325K. You just turned 65 yesterday. Then, your house is exempt because the entire equity of $175K is covered because you are 65. If you the equity of your house in just in excess of the homestead exemption, the better part of caution requires that you file a Chapter 13, not a 7. Chapter 13 trustees do not have the power to sell debtor houses but Chapter 7 trustees do have that power. 2. What happens to the cars? There are two systems of exemption. You choose one of them. You cannot mix them both. System one allows $3,050 for the equity of one car while system two allows $5100 for the equity
The determination
ther in heaven except through Jesus being our Sacrificial Lamb; also, the Father loves us so much that He does not want us to perish (2 Peter 2:9) but, through Jesus we will have our Salvation. John 3:16 says: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. At the very apex of Jesus’ suffering on the cross: “ 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Matthew 27:46 It was at this very moment that all the sins of humanity were poured out unto Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. We know that the Father has never left Jesus. John 10:30 says,” I and the Father are one.” But in this very case, the sin and shame that separate us from the love of the Father were carried by Jesus on the cross--yes it is His love that motivated Him to do all these things. John 4:34 says, “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work….God’s love for us is what compels Him to do all these and it was done excellently with His
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Life ending on the cross. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says… “55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”[a] 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, let us pray this with humility: Father, I thank you for your love, giving us your Son Jesus Christ, shedding His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of my sin. Dear Jesus, I invite you to come into my life and take full control of me. Be my Lord and Savior. I want to enjoy an eternal fellowship with you in Heaven. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. I pray this only in Jesus name. And all who agree say, Amen! If you need prayers, please do not hesitate to call or visit us on any Sunday at: Praise Christian Fellowship of the Valley at 9051 Woodman Avenue, Arleta, CA 91331 (inside Helping Hands ADHC, behind the CVS drugstore and Vallarta Supermarket at the back alley) at 4:30 p.m. or call Pastor Emmanuel Madeja at (818) 813-3971; or at Praise Christian Fellowship, Los Angeles, 2235 Beverly Blvd. (corner Roselake/Rosemont), Los Angeles, CA 90057 at 8:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. or call Pastor Courtney Hall at (213) 484-8294.
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Filipino Cursillos’ Kalbaryo show in San Diego, CA The Filipino Cursillos in Christianity of Los Angeles, CA (FCIC-LA) will present a Kalbaryo (Lenten) show about the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus on Saturday, April 8. It will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pala Mission Church, San Juan Diego Center at 3015 Pala Mission Rd., Pala, CA 92059. For further information, please contact any of the following: Tess Tan Torres at (213) 249-1507; Agnes Golingay at (818) 599-8401; Len Balino at (310) 203-3639; Genie Bagsic at (858) 472-9338; or Oddie Sabas at (760) 670-5868.
APRIL 14
Greenlining Institute Economic Summit in Oakland, CA On Friday, April 14, the Greenlining Institute’s 24th annual Economic Summit will boldly tackle local and national controversies as it focuses on the theme, “Racial Justice on the Frontlines.” With Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza moderating the opening discussion, community activists, political and business leaders will take on such challenging issues as gentrification, tech diversity (or the lack thereof), possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the impending arrival of Uber in downtown Oakland. It will be held at Oakland Marriott City Center at 1001 Broadway, Oakland, California. Registration opens 8 a.m., program starts at 8:30 and runs to 5:45 p.m. For more information, please visit www. greenlining.org.
APRIL 15
‘A Musical Odyssey’ in Cerritos, CA Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA, Inc. and DreamAgeGroup presents Rudolf Paleaz Golez, an internationally acclaimed Filipino virtuoso pianist in “A Musical Odyssey” on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Other local singing talents will be present at the concert, such as recording artist Sean Collado, aspiring actress and singer Sheila Tejada, Sabrina Oxciano and Samantha Murray. Ticket prices are $35, $65 and $100. Proceeds of this performance will go toward the Pangansian Brotherhood-USA’s scholarship funds, which helps academically successful seniors who are college-bound in both the greater Los Angeles area and the Philippines. The performance will be at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts’ Sierra Room at 12700 Center Court Drive South, Cerritos, California 90703. Interested parties may contact project managers Dan E. Nino at (562) 921-5116 or denino1951@gmail.com; E. Mendoza at (623) 341-6247 or thedreamagegroup@gmail.com; Lino F. Caringal, Jr. at (714) 808-2642 or linojr.caringal@gmail.com; Bong Soriano at (909) 851-1493 or believe1156@gmail.com; Neil Estrada at (562) 301-9972 or bluezero2sixty@yahoo.com; or Feliz Lopez at (562) 572-2301 or fblopezinsurance@msn.com.
APRIL 20
CAUSE’s annual gala in Los Angeles Join Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) for its annual gala on Thursday, April 20. It will be held at LA Hotel’s California Ballroom at 333 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a VIP reception. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact kim@causeusa.org or visit www.causeusa.org.
APRIL 21
Fundraising event to benefit the first-ever Filipino American Heritage and Arts Museum in Las Vegas The Filipino American Heritage and Arts Museum (FAHAM) will host “Heritage Celebration - Filipinos Landing in California,” a fundraising event on Friday, April 21, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Dallas Ballroom of Texas Station Hotel and Casino. Festivities include a buffet dinner, arts exhibits, vendor booths, cultural entertainment a native fashion show, a Philippine history presentation, and dance performances. The cultural entertainment will be provided by the FAHAM Cultural Dance Group, Heart of Polynesia, Gina Kim Korean Dance Group, Filipiniana Dance Company of Las Vegas, Sophia Ramos, Sharon Tanyag, and DJ Mike. Emcees will be Amie and Leo Belmonte. The donation is $50 / person. Attire is formal. FAHAM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is currently America’s first Filipino American Museum, Archives, Legacy, Culture, Innovation Research Center, and Library Garden founded in Delaware by Mrs. Ditta Camomot, M.Ed., M.A. Its holdings are artifacts, ethological materials, and ecclesiastical, historical, arts and ephemera collections, as well as environmental projects. Texas Station is located at 2101 Texas Star Ln, North Las Vegas, NV 89032. For tickets and more information, please contact Salve Edelman at (702) 418-8968.
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ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com. And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event. To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice. The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.
Afternoon of bowling and networking with Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACC-GLA) proudly presents an “afternoon of bowling fun and networking” on Sunday, April 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Matador Bowling Lanes at 9118 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325. Enjoy the Sunday afternoon with fun, laughter and meet new friends. Please RSVP to Connie Mapue, secretary of FACC-GLA at (323) 337-7714. Fee for bowlers, $25 / person (FACCGLA members); $30/person for non-members. $15 / person for non bowlers
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12th annual Sikad ng Bayan bike ride in Anaheim Hills, CA The Sikad ng Bayan (Cycling for the Nation) is an annual bike ride that raises funds to build preschools for less fortunate communities at Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages in the Philippines. It is a non-competitive ride that will be held on Saturday, April 29, where cyclists traverse the Orange and Los Angeles counties. And in true Filipino fashion, this fun ride culminates in a Pinoy-style luncheon where cyclists can get together and know more about Sikad. It will be held at the Yorba Regional Park (7600 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807). For more information or to register please visit www.sikad.org or call Rey D. at (562) 964-1445 or Robbie V. at (949) 351-8344.
APRIL 30
Filipino Cultural School to host “Sari-Sari Talent Show 2017” in Cerritos, CA Filipino Cultural School (FCS) will host its 2nd annual Sari Sari: Talent Show Fundraiser on Sunday, April 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Josephine’s Cerritos (11305 183rd St, Cerritos, CA 90703). Filipino Cultural School, based in Cerritos, CA and other neighboring cities, is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization geared to the preservation and promotion of the Philippine heritage and culture. FCS has and continues to be open to all. Filipinos and non-Filipinos who are interested in Philippine culture are invited to attend. “Sari-Sari” is a Tagalog word for “variety,” and in this talent show, FCS aims to celebrate the diverse talents of our community members in forms of singing, dancing, spoken words, etc., along with some great Filipino food from the restaurant. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for ages 13 years old and above, and $5 for ages 12 years old and under. Door prices will be $15 for ages 13 years old and above, and still $5 for ages 12 years old and under (ticket prices do not include food). The raised funds for the event will go towards helping cover for the cost of venue, insurance, and materials for the FCS Summer Program. For information on how to purchase a ticket and also sign-up to perform in the show, please visit the website http://filipinoculturalschool.org. For any inquiries, feel free to contact FCS at filipinoculturalschool@ gmail.com.
M AY 6
25th Annual Filipino Fiesta in Waikiki, HI The Filipino Community Center, Inc. will be hosting its 25th Annual Filipino Fiesta on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. This year’s theme marks the 25th year of the annual celebration with the theme, “And the Fun Continues...” The event is free and open to the public! Participation from the local Hawaii and Hawaii-Filipino community from the over 100 Filipino community organizations, U.S. and or Philippine based business owners and/or their representatives are expected. For more information about the Filipino Fiesta, please visit www.filcom.org or call (808) 680-0451.
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To Live With Faith ReveRend Rodel G. BalaGtas ARE you ready for Holy Week? Are you ready to enter deeply into the mysteries of our faith-the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ? Are your hearts open to the graces of renewed faith and the outpouring of God’s mercy and love in the image of water and blood that flowed out from wounded sides of Jesus? Are you willing to embrace your own crosses, knowing that it is only by doing this sacrificial act that you become healed and saved? Are you ready to peer into the empty tomb to discover that Jesus’ body is not there and to realize that what Jesus taught about dying and rising is true? Are you willing to share the news with others that even your own life is a testimony to God’s power of raising us up from any form of death like the loss of good health and youthfulness? Is your life open to all possibilities and promises? The Holy Week liturgies are not just religious traditions that we observe every year and then
Family Law Atty. EthElEnE F. SAlAS LEGAL Separation is an alternative to a dissolution or divorce. Although a legal separation can be maintained on the same grounds as a dissolution action i.e. irreconcilable differences, a judgment of legal separation does not terminate marital status. In other words, the parties cannot remarry. Most people pursue this alternative action due to religious or other personal reasons. For example, parties may not want the legal status relationship absolutely severed because they would like to retain eligibility for medical insurance that would otherwise be lost by a termination of the marriage. This can be very important where one of the spouses has a pre-existing medical condition (very difficult to have medical coverage since
Community Journal
On observing Holy Week we go about our daily businesses afterward. They are meant to heal our troubled minds, to enlighten our hearts, to bring peace into our lives and the world and, most of all, to inspire us to live a more engaging and dynamic Christian faith in our relationships and our responsibilities to one another. The Holy Week liturgies are all about the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who showed us the way to a meaningful, fulfilling, and hopeful life. It’s about Jesus who showed us the road to eternal life. And so, come to the Palm or Passion Sunday to glorify God with palms to reenact Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem to prepare for God’s most powerful drama of human suffering and death for the sake of love for all people and the world. Relive this drama as you pray the Stations of the Cross. Let your hearts be moved by the humble act of washing each other’s feet on Holy Thursday. Meditate on the Seven Last Words of Jesus and let them bring you new wisdom in leading your life and the lives of other people. Kiss the Cross and let it heal you from physical and emotional distress.
If you wish to be in stronger solidarity with fellow Christians, come to the Easter Vigil to witness the blessing of new fire and water, to hear again God’s unfolding history of salvation, to stand by new converts, the catechumens, as they get immersed in the baptismal water to express their dying to their old selves and rising to new life in Christ. On Easter Sunday join your family and friends to celebrate the beauty and the richness of our Christian faith. Let it be a day full of joy and hope in each of us. Let it be a time to think of the many possibilities that we can do to make our lives better, not only as individuals but as citizens of the world. *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of ImmAaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
Legal separation – what is it? it is a pre-existing condition) or a party has insufficient financial resources to replace medical coverage. Just like a dissolution proceeding, a legal separation conclusively determines and settles the spouses’ property rights and financial responsibilities towards each other and the family. In other words, community assets and debts will be adjudicated as if the parties are in a dissolution proceeding. Moreover, the issues of custody, visitation and support are all adjudicated just like in a dissolution proceeding. In effect, after a judgment of legal separation, the parties are “married” in name only, without the concomitant rights and responsibilities that attach to marital status. However, there is one potential stumbling block to a judgment of legal separation that is not encountered to a judgment of marriage dissolution-----both parties must consent to legal separation. Thus, if one spouse petitions for legal separation but
the other spouse responds with a request for a dissolution, a judgment of legal separation cannot be granted by the court. The case must therefore be a judgment of dissolution. Although both spouses must consent to a legal separation, it is still worth discussing with each other to determine if a judgment of legal separation is more beneficial as opposed to a dissolution of marriage. In some instances, the termination of marital status can adversely affect the interests of both spouses which spouses do not want affected at all and only a judgment of legal separation would protect those interests. *** Ethelene F. Salas, Esq. is a practicing family law attorney. Ms. Salas is a Filipino-American born in the Philippines, raised in the United States, and speaks Tagalog fluently. The Law Offices of Ethelene F. Salas is located at two locations – the main office at 100 N. Barranca St., Suite 700, West Covina, CA 91791 and affiliated offices at 18000 Studebaker Road, Suite 700, Cerritos, CA 90703. To schedule an appointment with her, please call (626) 858-4646 or visit www. EFS-Law.com. (Advertising Supplement
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 8-11, 2017
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Common misconceptions about…
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of any number of cars. Let’s say you have a 2015 Mercedes Benz E 350 with a loan balance of $38K while the current value of that car is $35K. You also have 2015 SUV Land Rover with a loan balance of $45K. That SUV is currently valued at $40K. Will you be able to exempt these two luxury vehicles if you filed for Chapter 7? Of course you can. Why? Because both cars have zero equity. In order to keep these two cars, you have to continue making timely payments even if you filed for bankruptcy and you may have to reaffirm the car loans. Some creditors do not require reaffirmation. Some do. For creditors who require reaffirmation, even if you are current on the car payment, they have the right to repossess if no reaffirmation was timely filed and approved by the Judge. 3. Can you keep your retirement accounts? Generally speaking, retirement accounts are exempt up to $1.0M. So most debtors do not have any problem exempting their retirement accounts. Most people do not have $1.0M of retirement funds. I tested the retirement exemption once a
couple of years ago when client had almost $920K of retirement funds. He was given an early retirement at the age of 55 and he opted for a lump sum retirement of $920K. His retirement account had ballooned into $920K because the stock market was on the rebound from the 2007 market crash. Once the money was paid to him he had 60 days to roll it into an IRA. Since the money was large and was had not yet been rolled into an IRA, I was concerned that the trustee might dispute the status of the funds as not being retirement funds since the $920K had not yet become an IRA, although debtor’s intent was to make it an IRA. He was still in the process of looking for a financial advisor. Fortunately, the trustee did not dispute the applicable exemption that we used to cover the $920K. 4. Can you continue operating your business? In Chapter 13, operating a business is absolutely no problem. In a Chapter 7, you can continue operating your business if certain conditions are met. If the business is a sole proprietorship, debtor must exempt the net worth of the business and must
have liability insurance for the business that is enough to satisfy the trustee that the insurance is big enough to cover any potential liability from a third party. If the business is an S or C corporation, LLC or partnership, debtor must exempt the value of his shares in the corporation, LLC or partnership. (Disclaimer: The foregoing is an expression of opinion and is not meant to be legal advise to any reader. There is no attorney client relationship established by this article with reader. If you want to discuss your situation, you have to set an appointment to consult with Attorney. First general consultation is free.) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.” — Romans 15:13 *** 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)
C APRIL 8-11, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 8-11, 2017
MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM Foreign investments
&
continue to come to PH Middle East, US investors bullish
by Roy
Stephen C. Canivel Inquirer.net
INvESTMENT pledges registered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) went up 50.51 percent in the first quarter, driven mainly by Filipino investors opening up new economic zones as well as expansions in the manufacturing industry. Peza started the year on a positive note, recording P51.34 billion worth of investment pledges from January to March, up from P34.11 billion in the same period a year before. The boost in first-quarter pledges was attributed to members of the private sector developing more lands into ecozones on top of locators in the IT and manufacturing industry. Elmer San Pascual, manager of Peza’s promotion and public relations, said that these Filipino ecozone developers were still looking to develop more areas. “A number of them are into economic zone development. These are more of Filipino investments because the land is Filipino-owned. If I am not mistaken, about a third of the total 50.51-percent growth is economic zone development. The others include IT and manufacturing,” he said. Pascual said that American firms continued to dominate the make-up of foreign investments especially in the case of the manufacturing firms, although there has been a decline in US IT investments. In the manufacturing sector, he said a number of semiconductor and electronics firms were expanding. Last January, Peza Director General Charito Plaza said she was aiming to “triple or quadruple” investment levels this year follow-
Peza Director General Charito Plaza
ing a 26-percent decline in pledges in 2016 to P218 billion from P295 billion in 2015. Moving forward, Plaza expects a string of investment pledges this month, including half a billion dollars from the Middle East and a combined total of more than $4 billion from two American firms interested to set up shop in the Philippines. Plaza told reporters on Tuesday night, April 4 that two American firms —OS Petro and PayOdd— would come this month to formalize their investments under Peza. International oil and gas exploration and production company OS Petro has committed to invest a total of $4 billion, she said. On the other hand, mobile and online payment processing and money transfer service provider PayOdd would have an initial investment of $10 million. “Both are American companies coming to Peza this month of April to formalize their application to invest and register,” she said. These pledges followed Peza’s investment mission to Washington, D.C. last month. Plaza said that they PAGE D3
PH opens up banking to Malaysia, Thailand by lawRenCe
agCaoili Philstar.com
MACTAN ISLAND, Cebu – The Philippines firmed up agreements with Malaysia and Thailand to open up the banking industry, aimed at greater financial integration and economic development among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. led yesterday the signing of the Declaration of Conclusion of Negotiations (DCN) with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Letter of Intent with the Bank of Thailand in line with the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework (ABIF). “We have to remember that despite the diversity, the collaboration has become stronger and is a key to achieving the success of ABIF. In the ASEAN integration, each jurisdiction will take the initiatives, including ABIF at its own pace and at its own extent as deemed feasible or desirable. Under the ABIF timeline, each ASEAN-5 including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand should conclude at least one bilateral agreement with another ASEAN-5 country by 2018. By 2020, ABIF targets the con-
clusion or near conclusion of at least one bilateral agreement for each of the ten ASEAN members. The DCN on the entry of qualified ASEAN banks between the Philippines and Malaysia was signed by Tetangco and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor Muhammad bin Ibrahim on the sidelines of the 3rd ASEAN Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ joint meeting and related meetings. “Finalizing this agreement between the BSP and BNM is an important step towards achieving the goal of the ABIF to enhance intra-regional trade and inclusive growth through QABs operating in host ASEAN jurisdictions” Tetangco said. The agreement signed by the BSP and BNM reflects the specific conditions for QABs from each jurisdiction to enter the other in a manner that is consistent with global banking standards and meets host jurisdiction regulations. “We already have one of the largest banks waiting in the Philippines and we do expects other Malaysian banks to show interest in (the Philippines). We also want Philippine banks operating in Kuala Lumpur,” Ibrahim said. The BSP chief also signed an PAGE D2
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR CALEITC?
Don’t leave income on the table, advocates urge by viji
SundaRam New America Media
JUSTIN Redmond no longer has to spend hours on public transportation commuting to work and school from his home in San Bernadino County. With the $600 tax credit that the 23-year-old received from the state of California last year, he was able to finally fix his car, something his $800-a-month janitorial salary didn’t allow him to do. “I had been struggling to get around,” he says. Redmond is among hundreds of thousands of low-income residents who benefited from the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) program that the state launched in 2015 to help families making less than $14,000 a year. The program allowed some 385,000 people statewide who filed tax returns for 2015 to get the credit, of about 600,000 who were eligible. “A super majority of Americans are living in a persistent state of economic anxiety,” says Joseph
Sanberg, the founder and chair of the educational campaign around the new tax credit. “Seventy-five percent of Americans cannot afford a $700 financial shock. The CalEITC is a direct way to boost the income of low-income workers and give them the economic security to fulfill their human potential.” California is one of 25 states, including the District of Columbia, with such a program. There’s been a federal earned income tax credit since the 1970s, but now more states are instituting their own programs as well. In California, the average state payout is just over $500. “Think of the ways an extra $500 can help a struggling family,” says State Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). Atkins had pushed for the credit during her time as the Assembly Speaker because, she says, “a refundable tax credit is proven to be an effective tool for helping lift families out of poverty.” PAGE D2
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ
DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I overstayed my visa, and am now out of status (TNT). I’m living in California, and want to visit my relatives on the East Coast. I’m afraid of flying, because they have immigration officers at the airport, and I’m concerned they will just pick me up at the airport and deport me home. So, I’m considering taking a bus, to avoid the immigration officers at the airport. Do you think it is better or safer to take a bus than to fly? Very truly yours, NR Dear NR: There is no right or wrong answer, but I will give you some observations: When you’re flying domestically (within the United States), ordinarily you do not encounter Customs and Border Protection (CBP). You don’t need a passport and visa to fly within Mainland US and Hawaii. Many people, including myself, travel by showing
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Is it safer to travel by bus or plane? my driver’s license. If a person cannot obtain a driver’s license (because of their immigration status) they can present the picture page of their unexpired passport, which is considered a government-issued form of identification in order to prove identity to TSA. As for TSA, their role is to examine luggage and carry-ons in connection with safety and security, not for immigration inspection. That is the role of CBP. Even US citizens have to go through TSA, and TSA should typically be checking only the picture page of your current passport, and should not be asking for visas or other immigration status when you’re flying domestically. The problem or concern in taking a bus is that you don’t know where the immigration checkpoints are located. I’ve had several consultations where a person decided to take a bus instead of a plane, out of fear of being confronted by CBP at the airport. Unfortunately, even when the bus was hundreds of miles from the Mexican border, there was still a border checkpoint. The bus was stopped, immigration officers got on board and asked for everyone’s proof of legal sta-
tus. Those without proper documentation were removed from the bus, and placed in removal proceedings. Had they taken a plane instead, it is most likely they would have reached their destination without ever having encountered border patrol. I also know that there are hundreds of millions of people flying domestically each year, and there are certainly a large number who are out of status. But I have not heard in any news reports about CBP enforcement activities on domestic flights. While that’s not a guarantee, the risk is bigger in taking a bus for long distances trips. But the bottom line is if you are out of status, you may want to consult with an immigration attorney, who can evaluate your situation and perhaps advise you on possible ways to legalize your status. This way, you would
not have any of these concerns whenever you travel within the US. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)
Business Quote of the Week “Before dreaming about the future or marking plans, you need to articulate what you already have going for you – as entrepreneurs do.” – Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
Marketplace
D APRIl 8-11, 2017 • lA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAl
Who are the missing dollar billionaires from the ‘Forbes’ list? by Wilson lee
Flores
Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS
Philstar.com
First of all, congratulations to the 14 Filipino dollar billionaires who have been included in the list of the world’s wealthiest people, based on the estimates of net worth by Forbes magazine. Although the quality of its list on Philippine tycoons has been improving every year, i believe it is still incomplete like in the previous years, when i cited various billionaires they missed and whom they eventually added to their roster. Among the names missing from the latest list include the following: 1. The Jaime Zobel de Ayala family - they control the Ayala conglomerate with patriarch, former Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom and artist/photographer Jaime Zobel de Ayala, now managed by his very capable Harvard-educated sons Jaime Augusto and Fernando Zobel de Ayala. For this year alone, the Ayala group has announced increasing its programmed capital expenditure (capex) to P185 billion, of which P88 billion will be by Ayala Land, inc., led by the brilliant and hardworking University of Chicago-educated CEO, Bernard Vincent “Bobby” Dy. 2. The Aboitiz family - this leading business clan from Cebu controls top power firms with 42 power-generating facilities nationwide, Union Bank, the country’s third-biggest flourmill, Pilmico,
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Jaime Zobel de Ayala with sons Jaime Augusto and Fernando Zobel de Ayala.
and others. Bullish about the Philippine economy this 2017, the capex of their holding firm Aboitiz Equity Ventures, inc. this year will be P76.7 billion or 83 percent higher than the P42 billion spent last year. 3. Mercedes Tan Gotianun - the widow of the late Filinvest Group and East West Bank founder Andrew Gotianun is also the strong-willed cofounder of this business group. Her children running the conglomerate include Josephine Gotianun Yap and Jonathan Gotianun. Filinvest is today the biggest commercial landowner in Alabang, Clark, and Cebu. A consortium formed by the Gokongwei and Gotianun groups is proposing to offer the Philippines a new, world-class Clark international Airport (CiA) by 2020, if the government will accept its unsolicited airport infrastructure proposal. 4. Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco - the patriarch of
rCBC and Malayan insurance Group; his talented daughter Helen Yuchengco Dee now heads the conglomerate. 5. Beatrice Dee Campos - the widow of the late United Laboratories (Unilab) founder Jose Yao Campos, daughter of the late prewar lumber tycoon Dee Hong Lue, and great-grandniece of 19thcentury Manila lumber tycoon and philanthropist Dy Han Kia. 6. The Lopez family - this family controls ABs-CBN, First Philippine Holdings, and rockwell Land. 7. Lucio and Susan Co - the Co family controls the phenomenally successful Puregold retail chain, s&r, Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCom) and others. 8. Carlos Chan - Chan is boss of the Liwayway food group, which produces the Oishi brand of snacks in the Philippines, all over China and Asia. He is the elder brother of Ben Chan of the Bench fashion brand.
ABOUt 25 percent of physicians practicing in the United states graduated from foreign medical schools who had their internship/medical/surgical residency training in the U.s. More than 22,000 of them are from the Philippines. For an objective evidencebased reply to that question, i am reprinting below, verbatim, the tusgawa Harvard study published in the British Medical Journal on February 2, 2017: Graduates of international medical schools are an important part of the healthcare system in many Western countries, and the authors of the current study provide a review of the role of international medical graduates (iMGs). they note that one-quarter of practicing physicians in the United states, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are iMGs. in the United Kingdom, most iMGs trained in india, the republic of ireland, or Pakistan, whereas in the United states, iMGs from india, Pakistan, and the Philippines are fairly common. the United states requires that iMGs pass both the U.s. Medical Licensing Examination (UsMLE) Clinical Knowledge tests plus the UsMLE Clinical skills test before being permitted to practice medicine. Moreover, the U.s. Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates has stated a goal to ac-
Is the patient death rate in the US lower among non-US-schooled MDs? credit all foreign medical schools by 2023. in the United Kingdom, iMGs have to pass an examination of English proficiency and professionalism, but not examinations evaluating medical knowledge. there is concern among stakeholders, including patients, that the care provided by iMGs is inferior to that of physicians trained in their country of practice. However, little data are available to validate this belief. in fact, some research has found that iMGs outperform Us medical graduates on medical knowledge testing. the current study by tsugawa and colleagues fills a gap in research by evaluating outcomes of inpatients cared for by U.s.-trained physicians and iMGs in the United states. Study synopsis and perspective Medicare patients admitted to the hospital and treated by internists who graduated from medical schools outside the United states had lower 30-day mortality rates than matched patients cared for by graduates of Us schools, according to results of a study published online in the British Medical Journal. to practice in the United states, international medical school graduates must pass 2 examinations on medical knowledge and 1 assessment of clinical skills, and complete accredited residency training here. However, medical schools outside the United states are not accredited by any domestic agency. in response to concerns about the quality of care from internationally trained physicians,
the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates will require accreditation of medical schools outside the United states by 2023. studies comparing the quality of care provided by internationally trained physicians with that by domestically trained physicians are few and small in scope. Yet, physicians trained outside the United states may be perceived by some as not as competent as physicians who attended medical school in the United states. to compare the two, Yusuke tsugawa, MD, Ph.D., from the Harvard tH Chan school of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues conducted a large observational study of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries to assess whether outcomes differ depending on whether their general internists were trained domestically or abroad. the study excluded graduates from Central America and the Caribbean to minimize inclusion of Us citizens trained outside the country. the countries that contributed the most internists to U.s. hospitals were China, Egypt, india, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and syria. the researchers assessed 30day mortality rate (the primary outcome), readmission rate, and costs of care (total part B spending), and whether clinical condition influences differences in patient outcomes and care costs between the 2 groups of patients. in addition, they adjusted their PAGE D3
PH credit rating seen to go higher by Victor
Anthony Inquirer.net
V. silVA
LAPU-LAPU CitY, Cebu – the Philippines was among two countries that showed bright prospects in credit ratings amid a bleak outlook for the rest of the economies in the world. Karby Leggett, Asia head of public sector at standard Chartered, said the credit ratings of the Philippines as well as of indonesia’s were seen to go higher. “in both cases, the rationale for positive outlooks is the general improvement on the overall macro fundamentals, sufficient external buffers, and very highquality policy-making,” he said during the Asean Finance Ministers’ investor seminar (AFMis) in Lapu-Lapu City on thursday, April 6. sovereign credit ratings, simply put, are indicators of the likelihood a country will pay back an obligation. these also reflect how investors look at a government or sovereign environment in terms of suitability of business, said Leggett. Many investors who would buy a government’s bond would look at the rating as it serves as a gauge on whether or not a government would pay or default on
its obligation. the Philippines was given the BBB stable long-term credit rating by standard & Poor’s Financial services (s&P) in 2015 while two others, Fitch ratings and Moody’s investor service, gave the country BBB-Positive investment Grade rating and Baa2 stable investment Grade rating, respectively, in the same year. A BBB stable credit rating for the country means the Philippines has an adequate capacity to pay its debts fully and on time. stable, meanwhile, means the rating has a “stable” outlook and is likely not to change within a year. Leggett said that because the rating is positive, there is one in three chances that the rating will go higher instead of lower. At the end of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and the start of 2009, ratings have been on a declining trajectory, which was even more accelerated by the present European debt crisis. Leggett said the decline can be attributed to growth and fiscal deficits as well as rise in public indebtedness. Other issues seen to affect the opinion of credit rating agencies are the rising interest rates in the United states and soft commodity prices last year.
PH opens up banking to... PAGE D1 agreement with the Bank of thailand Governor Veerathai santiprabhob yesterday. “this document formalizes our intention to eventually craft the specific provisions that will govern the entry of QABs between our two countries. the bilateral discussion allows us to explore opportunities as well as common interests and the BsP looks forward to having vibrant discussions with our colleagues from the Bank of thailand,” tetangco said. “thailand is following the footsteps of the Philippines and Malaysia. the letter of intent is to mark the beginning of negotiations
on QABs. We would very much like to see more Philippine banks operating in thailand,” Veerathai added. tetangco said the AsEAN region has a great potential as savings rate reached 33 percent of gross domestic product against the lower rate of 25 percent in other regions. “As AsEAN integration advances, we expect to see greater collaboration across different member of AsEAN and the development of new channels. We think this is going to lead to greater banking activity, which then encourages greater cross border investment in the region,” the BsP chief said.
Don’t leave income on... PAGE D1
“But we have more work to do,” she says. “First, we must continue to spread the word about this tax credit … too many people are leaving this income on the table, simply because they don’t yet know about it. second, when the state budget will allow it, i would like to see the program expanded so that more workers are eligible.” Last year, sanberg unsuccessfully tried to get the state legislature to raise California’s EitC income threshold from its current $14,000 a year to $20,800, so that full-time workers making the $10-an-hour minimum wage could be eligible. there are two bills currently in the Assembly that would open eligibility to full-time minimum wage earners and to self-employed taxpayers, for taxable years starting in January 2017. “CalEitC must be expanded to serve more working families,” says sanberg. “By increasing the eligibility threshold to full-time minimum wage, and including self-employment earnings, families who struggle daily but still make too much to receive the current EitC
will be able to access a life-changing boost in income.” Advocates promoting the tax credit are making an extra effort to inform residents of economically depressed counties like san Bernardino. redmond found out about the program through notices sent out by his school, san Bernardino Valley College. the first-time tax filer took advantage of the free services offered by Volunteer income-tax Assessment (VitA), which set up a mobile site on the school campus. “this tax season there’s a lot more awareness [of the new tax credit],” says Jason Montiel, a spokesperson for the state’s Franchise tax Board who also volunteers as a VitA tax preparer. He says that low-income people should not abstain from filing their tax returns just because they’re not required to (in California, people making less than $16,000 a year aren’t required to file at all). in order to receive the tax credit, low-income residents have to be sure to file their taxes by April 18.
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PSA adjusts 2016 GDP growth to 6.9% from 6.8% How to prime women business leaders to face risk by Maria
Victoria Españo ManilaTimes.net
by Julian
ocaMpo Philstar.com
maniLa — The philippine economy grew a little bit faster than initially estimated last year at 6.9 percent from 6.8 percent, the philippine statistics authority (psa) reported on Thursday, april 6. “The annual growth rate... for 2016 was revised upward at 6.9 percent. The major contributors for the upward revision in 2016 were construction, mining and quarrying, and other services,” psa said in a statement on its website. For the fourth quarter, growth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDp), was kept at 6.6 percent. The psa revises GDp figures according to international best practice and to reflect additional data that otherwise may not have been available when the first estimates were reported. Last year’s GDp figures were first reported in January. With the revision, the actual growth was now just a tad lower than the official 6 to 7 percent government target last year. The
sufficiently rigorous to ensure high-quality care,” the researchers conclude. They suggest that the testing process may select for the top international medical school graduates. The fact that some internationally trained internists may have completed two residencies (one in the home country and one here) might also contribute to the slightly better mortality outcomes of their patients. The current study should help dispel the notion that imGs provide worse medical care compared with U.s. medical graduates. The study results may be used by hospitals and health systems to create awareness about imGs and their qualifications as clinicians.
Companies cannot forgo beneficial opportunities. However, we find it easy to forget that risk and opportunity are a duality and companies need to consider both sides. They could lose a substantial sum of money and damage their reputation if they fail to identify risk and avert it in time. and yet, risk-taking is one of the essential attributes of a successful organization. But how can you avoid risk or take it if you’re on blinders? Diversity is a commercial imperative to provide organizations with a peripheral vision. Diverse teams benefit from connections to a wider network and better decision-making. The diversity in thinking, experience and knowledge all help to expand our views on risks and opportunities. With a mixture of men and women at the helm, companies are better prepared for all eventualities. Curiously, though, do men and women take risk differently in business? How can firms harness their differences for more effective assessment of risks and opportunities? Grant Thornton’s Women in Business study in 2017, which surveyed 5,500 male and female business leaders all over the world, shows that men and women rank risk fairly similarly. economic change tops the list for both sexes. This is followed by competitor activity, political change and legal/regulatory change. media activity, social change, technological change and environment change are seen as areas of lower risk. Hence, despite the common perception that women are more risk-adverse than men, the findings dissuade a black-and-white analysis. The individuals interviewed used such terms as “risk-aware,” “diligent,” and “diligent-driven” to describe the qualities that women bring into the team. They consider context and nuance to fully comprehend the implications. and
*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com
PAGE D1 would still have to discuss where to locate these firms, although she said that the ideal location for os petro was to put it on an island. meanwhile, plaza also said that she would sign next week a memorandum of understanding for $500 million worth of investment pledges from middle eastern firms. peza held an investment road-
The Philippine Statistics Authority revises GDP figures according to international best practice and to reflect additional data that otherwise may not have been available when the first estimates were reported.
Duterte administration lowered the goals from 6.8 to 7.8 percent when it took over on June 30. For 2017, the government is targeting economic expansion between 6.5 and 7.5 percent. in a briefing in Cebu, Karby Leggett, asia head of public sector development at standard Chartered, said the country continues to benefit from “very strong growth.”
The briefing was held on the sidelines of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the association of southeast asian nations being hosted by the philippines this year. “We see slight widening in fiscal deficit as a way to accommodate more infrastructure spending, which is actually viewed as a positive by credit rating agencies,” Leggett said.
Is the patient death rate in the US lower among... PAGE D2
models for patient characteristics (age, sex, race or ethnic group, diagnosis, and income), physician characteristics (age, sex, and patient volume), and hospital fixed effects (characteristics of hospitals). Results indicated that 19,589 (44.3 percent) of 44,227 general internists in the United states graduated from medical schools outside the country. They were slightly younger than Us graduates (age 46.1 vs 47.9 years; p <.001) and were more likely to work in medium-sized, nonteaching, for-profit hospitals without intensive care units. in addition, their patients were more likely to be nonwhite, have medicaid, have a lower median household income, and have more chronic comorbidities (congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes). The mortality analysis included 1,215,490 patients admitted to the hospital under the care of 44,227 general internists between 2011 and 2014. patients treated by international graduates had lower mortality rates (adjusted mortality rate, 11.2 percent vs 11.6 percent;
adjusted odds ratio [oR], 0.95; 95 percent confidence interval [Ci], 0.93-0.96; p <.001). “Based on the risk difference of 0.4 percentage points, for every 250 patients treated by Us medical graduates, one patient’s life would be saved if the quality of care were equivalent between the international graduates and Us graduates,” the authors write. The cost analysis included 1,276,559 patients treated by 44,680 physicians during the same study period. overall, patients of internationally trained internists had slightly higher adjusted costs of care per admission ($1145 vs $1098; adjusted difference, $47; 95 percent Ci, $39-$55; p <.001). meanwhile, adjusted readmission rates among 1,182,268 patients who were treated by 44,201 physicians did not differ between the 2 patient groups. patients receiving care from international graduates had lower mortality rates than did patients of Us graduates for pneumonia and congestive heart failure. “Taken together, our findings should reassure policymakers and the public that our current approach to licensing international medical graduates in the U.s. is
though it may take longer for women to come to a conclusion about whether or not something constitutes risk, they are equally open to taking the risk. The Grant Thornton survey showed that women react to risk differently from men. Women tend to approach risk and opportunity in a holistic, detail-driven way. Women require more analysis compared with their male counterparts because they have a greater need for a balanced and complete view before taking action. some tend to view these traits negatively, especially those who believe that risk requires quick thinking and swift action. However, in today’s more erratic and uncertain environment, large strategic risks affecting the entire business are ever evolving. Here, women can provide checks and balances to encourage the right risks and opportunities to be pursued. With women in leadership roles, men are deterred from getting caught up in quick thinking. a mixed gender team, thus, brings a broader range of input, help and consideration to bear on huge and strategic issues. Companies must, therefore, help women to learn to tackle risk and spot opportunities. The Grant Thornton study forwards a number of suggestions. First, it recommends that companies build mixed gender teams for effective risk management. Dynamic resilient companies will navigate the extremes with a calmer, more balanced assessment of the risks and rewards. second, it suggests that companies provide women with leadership opportunities to make them familiar with risk. experience and leadership bring confidence and familiarity. Companies should not rely solely on technical training, but provide young women with onthe-job experiences, too; exposing them to the process of risk management and—where appropriate—involving them. The more familiar women are with considering risk, the more capable and confident
they become. The study also encourages companies to create a culture where taking calculated risk is part of a successful business strategy, not something to be avoided. individuals and teams need to feel supported, not penalized, when making decisions about the risks their companies encounter. Hence, companies need to provide training and allow more room for women to experiment and “fail well.” This can be done by establishing a growth mindset where individuals and collective teams of decision-makers can learn from their mistakes and actively seek out new challenges. Companies are persuaded to look at risk and opportunity as different sides of the same coin. They should avoid referring to risk exclusively as a threat but consider them as opportunities for growth. one idea that surfaced through the research was to allow mixed leadership teams to contribute ideas and observations about threats and opportunities anonymously to risk registers ahead of discussions. These submissions may then be considered without bias and encourage participation that will maximize the benefits of diversity and welcome a wider spectrum of views. Finally, the study suggests that companies engage in more collaborative risk management processes. Companies should facilitate the involvement of women, who are often positioned in finance and HR departments, in wider discussions around risk as business opportunity and threat. This way, women will have greater exposure to this increasingly important management and strategic role and, thus, boost their potential for career growth. When the team is balanced, more debate happens, more voices are heard, and more facts and perspectives are incorporated. This ultimately leads to more comprehensive ways for companies to succeed and thrive in this risky erratic world.
Foreign invesments continue to come... show in Riyadh, Dubai and Qatar in February in preparation for president Duterte’s visit to the region next week. “During the middle east visit, we were able to get $500 million in investment pledges that would be signed as an moU when the president goes to the middle east,” she said. plaza previously said that she
was looking to tap the middle eastern market, citing its potential to help boost investments here in the philippines. in the case of the pledges to be signed next week, plaza said that the companies were interested in locating in agro-industrial ecozones as well as halal hubs and production ecozones that would be mostly located in mindanao.
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