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june 4-10, 2020
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 31 - No. 22 • 12 Pages
2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 201 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879
Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, New York/NEW JERSEY
USA
DATELINE ‘They’re not even naming our dead’: Digital memorial tracks deaths of transnational Filipino health care workers from the AJPress NEWS TEAM across America
SINCE March, 74 health care workers of Filipino ancestry have died of COVID-19 in the United States. The number is nearly double the fatalities of individuals working in the same sector back in the Philippines. In the United Kingdom, where around 20,000 Filipinos are employed in the national health care system, 41 deaths have been reported. Despite the rate at which Filipino health care workers have been dying on the global front lines of the pandemic, there is no centralized place for tracking this data for Filipinos beyond separate sources that include news articles, online obituaries, fundraising pages and social media posts. A new digital project housed on Kanlungan. net — the Filipino word for shelter and resting place — was recently unveiled by transnation-
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Philippine Consulate in New York boards up amidst looting in the city, sets new protocols when it reopens THE Philippine Consulate General in New York — just as it was preparing to reopen — shuttered and boarded up its glass windows on Monday, June 1 as New York braced for more widespread looting and violent protests. “In light of reports of looting and break-ins in the vicinity of the Philippine Center, and as a precautionary measure to add protection to the facility and enhance the safety of our on-duty personnel, we decided to shutter and board-up the glass windows and doors of the Center until the situation calms down,” Consul Arman Talbo, who also acts as manager of the Philippine Center, told the Asian Journal. “We urge our kababayans to monitor the news in their area and to take necessary safety measures.” The consulate was informed last week that there have been break-ins around the area even before the first looting in the city happened. Some of the protests escalated into looting on Sunday as dozens of stores from Soho to mid-
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Palace: Duterte’s decision unchanged, VFA termination only suspended by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has not changed his decision to terminate the country’s Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, despite the suspension this week. “Ang nangyari lang po, nasuspinde ang termi-
nation. Hindi pa po niya sinasabi na hindi na tuloy ang termination, so wala pong nagbago sa pagiisip ng ating pangulo (What happened is the termination has been suspended. He did not say the termination is no longer happening. The resident has not changed his mind),” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday, June 4. “Ang nasuspinde lang naman po ay iyong pros-
eso ng termination, eh wala naman pong bagong desisyon ang presidente pagdating doon sa termination (The only thing suspended is the process of termination. The president has no new decision about the termination),” he added. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday, June 2 announced that the Philippines
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96 more Filipinos abroad contract COVID-19 by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
THE Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, June 4, reported 96 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) among Filipinos abroad, bringing the official tally to 5,355. It also recorded two new fatalities from the Middle East, raising the death toll to 357. Meanwhile, five new overseas Filipinos recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recovered individuals to 2,210. “With a spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad today at 96 across three major geographic regions, the total number of COVID-19 infections involving our nationals abroad went over the 5,300 mark,” the DFA said in its report. “Of the total confirmed cases, 5 new recoveries were recorded in Asia and the Pacific and Europe with 2 new fatalities in the Middle East,” the agency added. Overall by region, Europe — which comprises 16 countries with PH Foreign Service coverage — has recorded 834 cases, including 453 undergoing treatment, 290 recoveries and 91 deaths. The Middle East and Africa, covering 12 countries,
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INDEPENDENCE DAY PREPS. Philippine flags fly at a center island in Rizal Park, Manila on Thursday, June 4 in preparation for the commemoration of Independence Day on June 12. The Philippine flag was first unfurled May 28, 1898 after the Philippine Revolutionary Army defeated Spanish forces in the Battle of Alapan in Imus, Cavite. It was officially presented to the public on June 12, 1898. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Anti-terror bill to undergo Duterte review before being signed into law by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
A protester wears a protective mask as he holds a slogan during a rally calling on lawmakers to junk a proposed anti-terror bill at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on Wednesday, June 3. ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina
DESPITE growing criticism over the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte will run a “final review” before signing it into law to ensure that it complies with the 1987 Constitution. “Alam niyo, bagamat it’s certified urgent, hindi naman po automatic na pipirmahan yan ng presidente (You know, even if it was certified urgent, it does not mean that the president will automatically sign it),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser on Thursday, June 4. “That is still subject to final review by the president to ensure that it is compli-
ant with our Constitution,” he added. The House of Representatives on Wednesday, June 3, approved HB 6875 on its third and final reading. A total of 173 lawmakers voted to pass the measure, while 31 voted against its passage. 29 others, on the other hand, abstained. According to Roque, Duterte would not allow unconstitutional provisions in the proposed law. “Dadaan pa rin yan sa isang final review para titingnan kung may probisyon na labag sa Saligang Batas bago po pirmahan ng presidente (It will undergo a final review to see if there are provisions that violate the Constitution before it is signed by the president),” he assured.
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UN report: Philippines’‘heavy-handed’ focus on drugs, Gabby Lopez: I am a natural-born Filipino security threats led to serious rights human violations by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
by Gaea
Katreena Philstar.com
Cabico
MANILA — The Philippine government’s “heavy-handed” focus on combating illegal drugs and security threats—coupled with verbal encouragement from top officials—has resulted in grave human rights violations, the United Nations Human Rights Office said. In a report released Thursday as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, the UN rights agency said human rights concerns in the Philippines have become “more acute” in recent years
as manifested by the “widespread and systematic killing” of thousands of alleged drug personalities. The campaign against illegal drugs was launched by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 after winning elections with his ruthless anti-narcotics and anti-crime platform. “While there have been important human rights gains in recent years, particularly in economic and social rights, the underpinning focus on national security threats—real and inflated—has led to serious human rights violations, reinforced by harmful rheto-
ric from high-level officials,” the report said. “This focus has permeated the implementation of existing laws and policies and the adoption of new measures—often at the expense of human rights, due process rights, the rule of law, and accountability,” it added. Latest government figures put the number of alleged drug personalities killed in Duterte’s war on drugs at 5,601. But it is significantly lower than the estimates by human rights watchdogs of as many as 27,000 killed. ‘Ominous’ language
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ABS-CBN Corporation chair emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III ABS-CBN photo
ABS-CBN chairman emeritus Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III on Wednesday, June 3, said he is a natural-born Filipino, explaining that both of his parents are Filipino citizens. “It was in recognition of being a natural born citizen that I took it upon myself to ask for recognition of my citizenship. My understanding of my lawyer was that I was a naturalborn Filipino citizen because both of my parents are Filipino citizens,” he told the members of the House committees on legislative franchises and good government and public
accountability as the hearing for ABS-CBN’s franchise resumed. “But because I was not born in the Philippines, I did not have a Filipino birth certificate. So it behooves me to have a recognition by the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration for whatever legal purposes I may use of that recognition,” Lopez added. The network chairman also denied that he took the United States pledge of allegiance. “I grew up in the Philippines and I went to grade school and high school in the Philippines. I only went to college and my
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June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • June 4-10, 2020
(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com
From The Front Page
Palace: Duterte’s decision unchanged... PAGE 1
E-TRIKES. Electric tricycle owners in Antipolo City, Rizal install plastic divider between driver and passenger as per directive of the local government unit (LGU). Public utility drivers are also required to wear face masks and provide alcohol to passengers. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon
96 more Filipinos abroad contract... PAGE 1 have reported 3,346 cases; of which, 1,910 are undergoing treatment, 112 deaths and 1,324 recoveries. The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 12 countries, has 518 cases, with 152 under treatment, 364 recoveries, and two deaths. The Americas — covering six
countries like the United States — have 657 reported cases, with 273 undergoing treatment, 232 recoveries, and 152 deaths. “Based on the latest figures, the Middle East and Europe still have the highest number of recorded Filipinos infected with COVID-19,” the DFA noted. “Asia and the Pacific [have] the
fewest number of cases and highest in recoveries followed by Europe, while the Americas still has the highest number of fatalities followed by the Middle East,” it added. Meanwhile, the Philippines has recorded 20,382 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, with 984 fatalities and 4,248 recoveries. n
UN report: Philippines’‘heavy-handed’ focus on...
PAGE 1 The report of the UN rights agency stressed that the Command Memorandum Circular 162016, which discusses how the anti-illegal drug campaign Project Double Barrel will be operationalized or implemented, contained language that almost encouraged violations of due process. These terms include “neutralization,” which means to kill. “Such ill-defined and ominous language, coupled with repeated verbal encouragement by the highest level of State officials to use legal force, may have been emboldened police to treat the circular as permission to kill,” the report said. The UN office also said that police operations were routinely carried out without warrants and that evidence may have been falsified as it found that “police repeatedly recovered guns bearing the same serial numbers from different victims in different locations.” “People who use or sell drugs do not lose their human rights,” UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said. She is expected to
report her office’s findings to the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva this month. ‘Near impunity’ The UN Human Rights Office also said there has been “near impunity” for drug war killings with only one conviction—for the murder of 17-year-old school boy Kian delos Santos in 2017. “Despite credible allegations of widespread and systematic extrajudicial killings in the context of the campaign against illegal drugs, there has been near impunity for such violations,” the report said. The agency stressed the need for independent and credible probes into allegations of human rights violations and international humanitarian law. “Given the scale of killings and human rights violations this report has documented and given the failure so far of domestic remedies from bringing to justice perpetrators, the high commissioner is calling for independent investigation into the situation, into human rights violations in the Philippines,” Ravina Shamdasani, Philippine report team leader, said.
The report also noted that vilification of dissent and attacks against perceived critics are being “increasingly institutionalized and normalized.” Last year, the UN Human Rights Council voted to adopt a resolution tabled by Iceland requiring Bachelet to prepare a comprehensive report on the human rights situation in the Philippines. In an online forum last week, Agnes Callamard—UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions— said she is hoping that the report to be presented by Bachelet will have an impact on the next step of the International Criminal Court, which is conducting a preliminary examination into Duterte’s alleged crimes against humanity. A preliminary examination is not the same as a preliminary investigation and is chiefly concerned with evaluating whether the ICC has jurisdiction over the allegations. Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the ICC, earlier said her office is seeking to finalize its preliminary examination this year. n
has suspended the termination of its Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States “in light of political and other developments in the region.” “I issued this diplomatic note to the U.S. ambassador. It has been received by Washington and well at that. The note is self-explanatory and does not require comment except from me,” he said in a tweet. “The abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement has been suspended upon the President’s instruction,” Locsin added. In the diplomatic note attached to Locsin’s tweet, it said: “In light of the political and other developments in the region, the termination of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the United States Regarding the Treatment of the United States Visiting Forces Visiting the Philippines...is hereby suspended.” The note also said that the suspension will start on an even date and will continue for six months — though it can be extended for another half a year. “After which, the tolling of the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated 11 February 2020 shall resume,” it added. On February 11, the Philippines sent a notice to Washington that terminated the 20-year defense agreement. The United State welcomed the Philippines’ decision to suspend the abrogation of the VFA for now. “On June 1, the Government of the Philippines notified the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines of its decision to suspend termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” the Embassy in Manila said Tuesday. “The United States welcomes the Philippine government’s decision. Our long-standing alliance has benefited both countries, and we look forward to continued close security and defense cooperation with the Philippines,” it added. Roque likewise acknowledged the Philippines’ friendship with the U.S., saying the
country can lend a hand especially in the fight against terrorism. “Alam niyo po, bago na ang anyo ng terorismo ngayon. Wala na pong kinikilalang mga border at wala na pong kinikilalang mga bansa. So lahat po ng bansa na ating kaibigan, Amerika,
Tsina, Russia, India, Australia, lahat po sila, importante lahat (You know, terrorism now has a new face. It knows no borders and countries. So, countries like America, China, Russia, India, and Australia are important because we consider them as our friends),” he said. n
June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
Dateline USA
http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678
Philippine Consulate employees boarded the windows and doors of the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue on Monday, June 1 to prepare for the possibility of continued looting in midtown. For news and announcements, follow the Facebook account of the Consulate: Philippine Consulate General in New York or visit their at website: www.newyorkpcg.org The consulate is also urging everyone in the Fil-Am community to monitor the news and take necessary measures to ensure their safety. For urgent cases, kababayans can call the Consulate’s emergency hotline (917) 2940196. Contributed photo/PCGNY
Philippine Consulate in New York boards up... PAGE 1 town were vandalized and display windows smashed. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has extended the curfew in the city and will now continue through Sunday, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfew first went to effect at 11:00 p.m. on Monday but it failed to curb the rampant looting in the city, which has scheduled to begin reopening next Monday, June 8. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC has also issued an advisory for Filipinos to exercise increased caution and vigilance amidst the spark of protest actions across the United States following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “Filipinos are strongly advised to adhere to curfews and other security measures imposed by local authorities: avoid areas of unrest and be aware of their surroundings and any crowd buildups that may lead to disturbances,” the advisory read. And because these protests are happening during this global pandemic, the embassy is also urging Filipinos to abide by existing medical advisories on social distancing and wearing of face masks. New Normal Consul General Claro S. Cristobal led a press conference last Friday to announce the new system that has been set up when the consulate gets to reopen. In a livestreamed ConGen Me-
dia Hour, Cristobal said that there would be significant changes in the way that the consulate will conduct its operations. “We want to reassure our kababayans that we are taking the changes seriously. We take great care of the well -being of the people who visit us and those who work here,” Cristobal said. There will be a limited number of services will be offered, and this includes those that require personal appearance. Appointments are absolutely necessary as no walk-ins will be allowed. “Appointments will be required for the following services: urgent passport applications, travel documents, overseas voter registration and social security,” Consul Ricarte Abejuela explained. “If the schedule is followed strictly, clients will be in and out of the premises in 15 minutes.” Dual citizenship application is suspended until further notice. On the first two weeks of opening, the consulate will be open only for three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. “This [system] is perfect for social distancing. It is so efficient, democratic and transparent. Just follow the procedures,” Cristobal said. “That’s why there will be no walk-ins.” He added that 48 hours before the reopening, the appointment system online will be activated
and that they will announce it on the consulate’s website and social media platforms. The first step is to go on PCGNY’s website at www.pcgny.org and schedule an appointment. The consulate is using the Qless Appointment System. For passport applicants, download and complete the passport application. The consulate officials are urging visitors to prepare and bring all the requirements needed, along with a self-addressed, stamped, USPS prepaid envelope (with tracking number) and cash or money order payable to “Philippine Consulate General in New York”. Provision of a mobile number is crucial, since text messages will be sent: a confirmation text upon registration, a reminder text sent 24 hours prior to the appointment and some text messages during the day of the appointment, including the approximate wait time. On the day of the appointment, dedicated staff members will be available to check if clients have an appointment. Their temperature will then be checked and allowed entry to the lobby 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. A face mask is required to enter the consulate premises. “We will definitely check the requirements. If despite all the reminders, nakalimutan talaga, they have to register again,” Consul Abejuela remarked. (Momar G. Visaya/AJPress)
Dateline USA
(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • June 4-10, 2020
Anti-terror bill to undergo Duterte review...
PAGE 1
Released after Memorial Day by organization AF3IRM, Kanlungan.net is a memorial website honoring Filipino health care workers around the world who lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic.Â
‘They’re not even naming our dead’... PAGE 1 al feminist organization AF3IRM, which seeks to memorialize all the health care worker deaths of Filipinos in and out of the Philippines. “Kanlungan has this tenderness to it. It’s a cradle, it’s where you are held,� Ninotchka Rosca, the organization’s co-founder, told the Asian Journal. “It’s a very good word to convey the idea that we maintain a home in these memories.� The website, made by a small volunteer team of activists, data analysts, artists and writers over the course of five weeks, contains a digital memorial wall highlighting the names and photos of the fallen workers. “We took so much time to choose the photos and it reminded me of the process of the funeral rights of our family members where you try to choose a photo they like of themselves, a photo that shows them in their joy,� Jollene Levid, a union organizer and member of AF3IRM’s transnational committee which spearheaded the project, told the Asian Journal. The information was pulled from at least two public sources, such as news sites or GoFundMe pages, that confirmed the passing and the individual’s Filipino ancestry. Social media accounts have also provided an added layer of confirmation. However, the team has been cautious to not assume ethnicity solely based on last name or physical appearance. “There are actually several names that are not on the list because we couldn’t verify whether or not they’re Filipino,� Levid said. Levid recalled how in late
March, she lost two family friends who worked as nurses alongside her mother for 20 years at a hospital in Los Angeles. Yet, their names hadn’t been released or honored widely. She reached out to Rosca and aired frustrations about the lack of data, while Rosca offered the idea of a memorial, similar to a living altar. The ideas then spun into the website. “We had a discussion about the fact that our family members are dying around the world to COVID19, particularly those in the health care sector,� Levid said. “So it becomes not just a personal issue, but also a workers’ right issue, an immigration issue, and a dignity issue.� The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs provides daily updates on the number of overseas Filipinos who have been infected or have died, but does not provide further detail in terms of age, gender or occupation. To date, it has reported 340 deaths globally. Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Washington in mid-May reported 137 Filipinos have died since the virus outbreak hit the U.S., and said 40 were health care workers. However, new evidence shows that the number of deaths among Filipinos employed in U.S. health care system is nearly double that. A global map on the Kanlungan website bears symbols marking where the deaths took place. By clicking each one, a visitor can see the individual’s name, location, profession and a link to a news article or obituary. A graph also tallies the total number of known deaths by country: the United States (74 deaths), United Kingdom (41 deaths), the Philippines (33 deaths), United
Arab Emirates (4 deaths), Canada (3 deaths), Bahamas (1 death) and Kuwait (1 death). In the U.S., for example, the map shows that a large cluster of deaths occurred in the tri-state region, as 1 in 4 Filipinos in the New York and New Jersey area is employed in the health care sector. The nurses who have perished included Maria Guia Cabillon, head nurse of Kings County Hospital emergency department in Brooklyn, New York, and Imelda Tangonan, who worked at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. But the fallen Filipinos are not only nurses. Deceased individuals include physicians, such as Dr. Tomas Pattugalan, 70, a primary care physician in Queens, New York; Dr. Alejandro Albano, 74, a doctor at Clove Lakes Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Staten Island, NY; Dr. Jessie Ariel Ferreras, 62, of New Jersey; and Dr. Leo Dela Cruz, 57, a geriatric psychiatrist at CarePoint Health in Jersey City, New Jersey. Or they held other positions at care facilities, such as Louis Torres, director of food services at a nursing home in Woodside, Queens and Lemuel Sison, a medical laboratory scientist who lived in Fresh Meadows, New York. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics started releasing the percentages of infections and deaths by race but only goes as far as clumping Asian groups together. Of the reported COVID19 deaths nationwide, 5.4% are Asian. In California — where nearly one-fifth of its registered nurse workforce is Filipino — the Department of Public Health also ag-
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SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Procurement Dept. 340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101 INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) B20017
GENERAL CONTRACTORS: STUCCO, PAINT, STAIRS, LANDINGS & DECKS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES JONES GARDENS, AIDA BRENTS, VILLA CAPRI, LEVY GARDENS AND HAMPTON COURT PRIMARY CONTACT PERSON(S): Note: Contact with any other SNRHA staff other than the named here, including SNRHA’s Residents and Board of Commissioners will result in your Proposal being rejected.
Linda P. Simpson, Contracts Administrator Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Contracts & Purchasing procurement@snvrha.org or
HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ON THE APPLICABLE WEBSITE:
DOWNLOAD AND RESPOND TO THIS SOLICITATION: Housing Agency Marketplace website: ha.economicengine.com (no “wwwâ€?) Registered Users: “Log in and insert Solicitation No. IFB B20017. 1RQ 5HJLVWHUHG 8VHUV <RX PXVW ÂżUVW UHJLVWHU your company before downloading the Solicitation. Click on “New Vendorâ€? to register. Problems accessing the system or registering, call customer support at 866-526-9266, M-F, 9 AM(EST) – 5 PM (PST)
Wanda Beckett, Contracts Administrator procurement@snvrha.org
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The spokesman also said the anti-terror bill will not infringe on Filipinos’ freedom of speech. “I think dito sa Pilipinas, hindi mo na talaga masusupil ang karapatan ng malayang pananalita dahil hindi na po papayag ang sambayanang Pilipino (here in the Philippines, you can no longer curtail freedom of expression because the Filipinos will not allow it),� Roque said. Still, the United Nations Human Rights Office expressed concern over the impending law. “The proposed 2020 AntiTerrorism Act, slated to replace the already problematic Human Security Act, dilutes human rights safeguards, broadens the definition of terrorism and expands the period of detention without warrant. The vague definitions in the Anti-Terrorism Act may violate the principle of legality,� the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement on Thursday. It also described the bill as “much worse� than the current law it seeks to replace. “We’re very worried. Currently there’s the Human Security Act which is in place. The UN human rights mechanisms have already expressed concerns about the current law in that it gives too much discretion to the authorities and the definition of terrorism is too broad. Now this new proposed anti-terrorism law makes it much worse,� said Ravina Shamdasani of the UN Human Rights Office. Once signed into Law, HB No. 6875 grants any law enforcer to arrest and detain without warrant “a person suspected of committing any of the acts� punishable under the
measure for 14 calendar days, extendable by 10 days. The suspected “terroristâ€? can also be placed under surveillance for 60 days, extendable by up to 30 more days, by the police or the military. Acts punishable under HB No. 6875 include: • Engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endangers a person’s life; • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place, or private property; • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure; • Developing, manufacturing, possessing, acquiring, transporting, supplying or using weapons; and • Releasing of dangerous substances, or causing fire, floods or explosions. Any person who will propose, incite, conspire, participate in the planning, training, preparation, and facilitation of a terrorist act; as well as those who will provide material support to terrorists, and recruit members in a terrorist organization will also be penalized by life imprisonment without the benefit of parole. Meanwhile, anyone who will threaten to commit terrorism, and those who will propose any terroristic acts or incite others to commit terrorism will suffer imprisonment of 12 years. This goes the same for anyone who will voluntarily and knowingly join any organization, association or group of persons knowing that such is a terrorist organization. House Minority Leader and Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante, who voted against the bill, said: “Under this bill, any-
one suspected of being a terrorist can be detained without warrant for up to 24 days.� “Hindi po ‘yan ang aking ipinapangarap para sa aking mga anak at apo (This isn’t what I was wishing for my children and grandchildren). The questionable and unconstitutional provisions of this bill defeats the very purpose why we are enacting this bill in the first place,� he added. Quezon City 6th District Rep. Jose Christopher “Kit� Belmonte also voted no, saying the bill is “intended to widen the net on who can be considered as terrorists.� He added: “With this bill, in the guise of protecting our country, we are in fact undermining it. We are repressing our freedoms. We are, in fact, destroying our democracy.� Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas also pointed out that the ordinary people who are angry at the government are the first ones who will be arrested if the bill is signed into law. “Kung di ka raw terorista, wala ka raw dapat ikatakot sa panukalang ito. Pero klaro sa mga probisyon ng anti-terror bill na kahit ordinaryong mamamayan ay puwedeng maakusahan na terorista by mere association of a terrorist act (They said if you are not a terrorist, there’s nothing to be afraid of. But it’s clear with the anti-terror bill’s provisions that ordinary men can also be accused of being a terrorist by mere association of a terrorist act),� she said. Meanwhile, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers defended his vote to pass the measure, saying “For terrorists, this bill is laudable. Putting them in custody for long periods to extract valuable information from them is ideal.� n
Gabby Lopez: I am a natural-born... PAGE 1
Masters in America. When you go to college in America, it does not ask you to make an oath of allegiance,� Lopez said. He added that he never renounced his Filipino citizenship, as well. According to his lawyer, Mario Bautista, Lopez is a dual citizen as he was born a Filipi-
no citizen by Filipino parents, but was born in the U.S., so he is also an American citizen. “Without any overt act or choice, Mr. Lopez was automatically a Filipino citizen and an American citizen,� he said. Lopez admitted he has considered renouncing his U.S. citizenship. “I will live, I will die in the Philippines... Frankly, the is-
sue of being a dual citizen is not something I think about. I know in my heart that I am a Filipino and all my actions in the 35 years I’d been associated with ABS-CBN has been with the service of the Filipino in my mind,� he said. “If it came down to conflict of interest, I will give up my U.S. citizenship in a minute,� he added. n
SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Procurement Dept. 340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101
INVITATION FOR BID IFB NO. B20018
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Opinion & Features
June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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Preparing to dine in GUIDELINES were released over the weekend by the Department of Trade and Industry for dine-in service in restaurants and fast-food chains. The DTI guidelines, issued on the eve of Metro Manila’s transition to general community quarantine, were approved on Monday, June 1, by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infection Diseases or IATF. The only question is when dine-in services can resume. The IATF has approved the reopening of barbershops and salons by June 7, although facials, manicure-pedicure and massage services remain prohibited. Dining in involves less direct physical contact than hairdressing, but food-handling hygiene is a concern. Industry players estimate that up to 490,000 Filipinos are employed in 16,300 dine-in restaurants nationwide. The players say they expect half of the establishments to permanently close shop as a result of pandemic restrictions, particularly physical distancing requirements that on average can cut the number of patrons by half at any given time. Such restrictions are seen to persist for months in the absence of a vaccine or cure for COVID-19. Even fast-food chains that have survived the
pandemic through take-outs, drivethrough operations and deliveries are feeling the strain of reduced earnings due to the prohibition on dining in. Now, with dine-in establishments in certain countries serving as models, the DTI has recommended the guidelines for reopening. These include the use of suitable dividers to promote physical distancing as well as the use of singleuse menus per table or other ways of taking food orders without promoting the transmission of pathogens. Buffets and self-serve areas will remain banned. Health protocols that have become part of the pandemic normal will be required: temperature checks for all, well-equipped sanitation stations for hand washing and disinfection, and possibly footbaths at entrances. Reviving the dining industry could not only save jobs but also provide employment to the tens of thousands of overseas Filipino workers who have been forced to return home after losing their jobs amid the pandemic. For years, the food service industry has been one of the biggest employers of OFWs. In hotels, on cruise ships and commer- working in kitchens. If they lose their jobs and cial liners around the planet, there are Filipinos return home, they can be absorbed by the local
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
food service industry. But first the industry must reopen and thrive again. (Philstar.com)
Dear Filipinos in America, are we complicit in fanning the flame of racism and police brutality in America? The Fil-Am Perspective Gel Santos-Relos MGA KABABAYAN, we have seen the gruesome video and pictures recounting how Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on African American George Floyd’s neck last week while Floyd pleaded with him, saying he couldn’t breathe. Multiple videos reveal the white police officer knelt on the 42-year-old black man for eight minutes and 46 seconds in total and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd was unresponsive, according to CNN. Police issued a statement earlier this week that they were responding to an alleged forgery that they got Monday evening and that “Floyd “physically resisted officers,” the network reported. Contrary to the police statement, surveillance video from outside Minneapolis restaurant Dragon Wok reveals that Floyd did NOT resist arrest before Chauvin knelt on his neck. According to an independent autopsy report ordered by Floyd’s family, Floyd died of “asphyxiation from sustained pressure” when his neck and back were compressed by Minneapolis police officers during his arrest last week. The pressure cut off blood flow to his brain, that autopsy determined. But Minneapolis’s medical examiner’s office, in its report, also released Monday, said that the cause of death is “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” Cardiopulmonary arrest means Floyd’s heart failed. CNN reported that the medical examiner made no mention of asphyxiation. “Many Americans are be-
ing killed by the police — more than 1,000 per year,” the New York Times reported. “So does a pandemic that’s disproportionately killing African-Americans. And so do the angry, racialized politics that President Trump encourages.” For these reasons, “the anger is different this time,” the Times reported. And so peaceful protests erupted in different cities in the United States, and even in different countries where people fight against racism and police brutality in solidarity with the American people. BUT for many people, even among us Filipinos, who are watching news reports showcasing the looting, property damage, lawlessness, violence, and chaos that ensued and even during protests, the focus has shifted away from what the protesters have peacefully been fighting against. Read the comments on social media posted by yourself or your family and friends, and you will see how many Filipinos in America think the protestors and the looters are one and the same. Their comments have now been denouncing the looting and the violence, understandably so, but without differentiating between the protesters and the looters. Many of us have once again echoed the usual undertone that the black people are to blame for the looting, that the police are, after all, justified to be suspicious of them and their actions without according them the due process that the Constitution mandates to be given to all people. They lose sight of the message the peaceful protests are demanding for: police accountability and how racism factors in the criminal justice system in the United States. Did you know that many of the chaos we are watching and hearing about in the news are initiated and perpetuated by non-black people? It is very important to read this report by Forbes: “But some of this anger has
been misguided, as individuals whose connection to the protests, communities, or reasons for joining the cause seem dubious. In some cases, non-Black protestors have moved peaceful gather “Take this video for instance, of a Black woman, Courtney Nichole, trying to stop two non-Black women from graffiting a Starbucks in Los Angeles with “Black Lives Matter.” They essentially “whitesplained” their justification — to which she responded, ”they don’t show your face when they show that, they show ours… do not let them come into your peaceful protest and make it something that it’s not. That man could not breathe on the street. It is not about them… If you are tagging on behalf of Black Lives Matter, ask someone Black.” “Across the country, it’s been widely reported that white supremacist and alt-right groups have taken advantage of protests for their own purposes. In Minnesota, city officials — after witnessing both in-person instigations and reviewing social media footage shared by attendees — extended a city-wide curfew on residents to help verify who the late-night looters are and where they’re coming from.” “The fact that we’ve seen so many of them in so many places now makes us believe that this is part of that pattern that shows that this is in fact an organised activity and not some random act of rage,” says Minnesota corrections department commissioner John Harrington. As one white activist experienced in solidarity actions noted, “Some of the folks are white and not following black leadership, the others are actively there to disrupt Black leadership” — both groups are dangerous, and distract from the true purpose of the protests.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump tweeted, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” On Monday, June 1, he declared himself the “president
Hate unmasked in America tive face coverings anytime we left home, not just when we enCommentary tered essential businesses. I pointed out my house to the neighbor to explain how close we were, just a few doors down from him. He cut me off. “I don’t give a f– where you Anna Almendrala live, and I don’t give a f– what your reason is.” Then my dad jumped in. “Sor“You are the most selfish f— ing people on the planet.” ry, sir, we forgot our masks. I’m I jerked my head to the left, sorry, sir.” Still, the man didn’t soften. where I saw a neighbor glaring at us from his driveway while un“You should be sorry. And you loading groceries from his trunk. should make her be sorry, too,” “Where’s your f—ing mask?” he gestured toward me. After a he said. “Unbelievable.” few more agonizing seconds, he My jaw dropped. I had just dismissed us Our neighbor’s mask, by the walked three blocks home with my toddler and my dad in our way? It was off his face, hangleafy, mostly empty Los Angeles ing loosely around his neck. All neighborhood because my kid the better to shout at us. As a had thrown a tantrum in the car. health care reporter, I had covAnd we had forgotten our ered America’s evolution on masks. Four days earlier, Mayor masks as the coronavirus spread Eric Garcetti had ordered protec- across the globe. Back in Janu-
ary, I wrote an article about why Chinese immigrants insisted on wearing surgical and construction masks in the U.S., even though it went against official health recommendations at the time. In February, I wrote about Asian families in California clashing with schools over whether their children should be allowed to wear masks in class. At that time, Asian people wearing masks were targets for verbal and physical abuse. Attackers saw masks on Asian faces as signs of disease and invasion; people were punched and kicked, harassed on public transit, bullied at school and worse. Now, of course, masks are the norm. And they’ve become more than just personal protection; they are symbols of courtesy and scientific buy-in. They have, to some extent, also become political signifiers. In a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation,
of law and order” and in a brief statement delivered from the Rose Garden of the White House, he “ordered governors and mayors to establish “an overwhelming law enforcement presence” until the protests have been quelled, and he threatened to send in the U.S. military to “quickly solve the problem for them.” Trump made no mention of the reason why people were protesting, no mention about police brutality and racism, and no differentiation between the peaceful protests and the violent looting. His threats against protesters in general are in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” He claimed he supports peaceful protests but his action and true intention betray what he professed. At the time he was speaking “police also fired rubber bullets at protesters gathered peacefully on the edge of Lafayette Square directly in front of the White House. After his speech and with the square cleared, the president walked across the street for a photo-op in front of the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he held up a Bible,” Politico reported. Trump has a history of discriminating against black people as a businessman, demonizing yet abusing immigrants of color for money, treating refugees inhumanely, obsessing over the legitimacy of the first Black president and erasing his legacy. Trump has also blamed the extreme left group “ANTIFA” (Antifascist) for the violence and designated the group a terrorist organization, while defending the Alt-Right, the far right, white nationalist movement based in
the United States, the Ku Klux Klan and other neo-Nazis, calling them “fine people” in their defense. You would recall the “Unite the Right” rally that sparked the violence in Charlottesville in August of 2017 featured several leading names in the white-nationalist alt-right movement, and also attracted people displaying Nazi symbols. As the Atlantic reported, “they walked down the street, the white-nationalist protesters chanted “blood and soil,” the English translation of a Nazi slogan. One of the men seen marching with the fascist group American Vanguard, James A. Fields, is charged with deliberately ramming a car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-yearold counter-protester Heather Heyer.” MGA KABABAYAN, where are we in this fight? We felt how it was to be discriminated against when Trump labeled undocumented immigrants as “stealing U.S. jobs, criminals, rapists, drug peddlers” and some Filipinos were even told to “Go home!” by white people who would not know who among the nonwhite are actually documented and undocumented. Filipino Americans have also become targets of “excessive use of force” by police officers over the years, as The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” has been reporting for more than a decade. We felt how Asians were discriminated against with the COVID-19 pandemic when Trump labeled it as “Chinese virus.” Some kababayans who “look Chinese” had been subject to harassment and blame. Have we ever been bold and unambiguous in our support for black people in America who had been discriminated against and profiled for centuries, even after we elected the first African American president in Barack Obama?
Or have we assimilated and acculturated to the white culture, echo what they say and how they define “American”, so we can delude ourselves into thinking that they will accept us as they do caucasian looking people despite the color of our skin? Is this why some of us refuse to call out President Trump? Is this why some of us pretend all is well in America, thinking that saying otherwise makes us “walang utang na loob” (ungrateful), unless the target of criticism is a black president? Let me share an excerpt from an article written by Asian American Larry Lin, born and raised in San Jose, California. He serves as a pastor at The Village Church Hampden in Baltimore, MD. He has a BS from Cornell University and a MDiv from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: “While the white officer was pinning down Floyd’s neck with his knee, an Asian officer was standing by in silence, and even at times preventing protestors from intervening. “To me, it was the perfect representation of Asian American complicity in racism. “I acknowledge that there have been Asian Americans throughout history who have fought alongside their African American neighbors against racism. However, they have been far outnumbered by Asian Americans who have chosen to be ignorant at best or complicit at worst in their racism.” FILIPINOS in America, have we been complicit in fanning the flame of racism and police brutality in America?
70% of Democrats said they wear a protective mask “every time” they leave their house, versus 37% of Republicans. (Kaiser Health News, which produces California Healthline, is an editorially independent program of KFF.) After our verbal beatdown, my dad and I walked home stonefaced, and then retreated to our separate rooms to nurse our wounds. I have no idea if the neighbor’s comments had a racist undertone. But it felt like the times in my childhood, first in New Zealand, then in a Bay Area suburb, when I had seen my Philippinesborn parents, stunned and silent, get dressed down or humiliated by angry, callous white people. Now it was my 3-year-old daughter’s turn to see me dumbstruck. As I began telling my husband the story, I started crying so hard that I got a headache. After my tears came reflection, and an attempt at empathy.
My neighbor was obviously scared. He was older, and potentially more medically vulnerable. His trunk had been packed with overstuffed shopping bags probably enough food for weeks, to avoid leaving his house. He had just come from the grocery store, an enclosed space full of things and people that could potentially infect him. I understand the stress that comes with shopping during the pandemic. Like many of us, my neighbor could be struggling with how to live in mortal fear of the coronavirus. And for him, at least that morning, that struggle got the better of him. Later that day, I wrote the neighbor a card introducing ourselves. I apologized for making him feel unsafe and acknowledged that he was right about the masks. But I also said he had unfairly used us as a target for his fear and frustration, and I told him I was shocked and sad-
dened he would treat a neighbor with so much hate. I haven’t heard back from him. My dad spent the rest of that morning praying that the man didn’t get the coronavirus — lest he blame us and all Asians, forever. Since that day, no one in my family has left the house without a mask on their face, and I’m anxious to train my daughter to wear one, although she resists it the way she has refused hats and headbands in the past. We can’t stop noticing that most other exercisers and dogwalkers in our neighborhood all white fly past us without them. They don’t seem to worry about getting caught on the wrong side of whatever America happens to believe about masks on any given day. But my family can’t risk it. This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
* * * Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.
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Dateline Philippines
LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • June 4-10, 2020
Traditional jeepney phaseout to proceed PH targets higher-spending tourists by Richmond
Mercurio Philstar.com
MANILA — With still no clear timeline as to when they can resume operations amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Philippines’ traditional jeepneys, dubbed “king of the road,� may no longer be plying major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. Jeepney operators and drivers will have to face the reality that their days are numbered with the looming phaseout of old jeepneys, a transport official said on Monday night. In an interview with “The Chiefs� on One News, Alberto Suansing, senior consultant for the Department of Transportation (DOTr), said the phaseout of old jeepneys would push through this year. “It’s true that there is a plan to phase out traditional jeepneys and they knew it will come because since 2017 we have been talking with the jeepney operators and their leaders,� Suansing said. He said jeepney operators had all the time since 2017 to comply with the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program. “Before the COVID-19 situation, they were given until June 30 to consolidate their franchises and start forming a legal entity like a cooperative. The LTFRB will issue one franchise for them. We told them if they can’t consolidate their franchise, then they lose the chance of being given another
by Catherine
Talavera Philstar.com
franchise to operate in that route,� Suansing said. Suansing, however, said old jeepneys would still have the chance to operate this year as the deadline for them to consolidate has been extended until December. He said there are more than 2,000 modernized jeepneys in Metro Manila. Jeepneys were not allowed to operate in Metro Manila after all forms of public transportation were suspended last March due to the enhanced community quarantine. Under the DOTr’s two-phased approach for the resumption of public transportation in Metro Manila, jeepneys would only be allowed to operate starting June 22, but only if higher capacity vehicles would not be enough. Even by then, modern jeepneys will be prioritized over the old jeepneys, according to transport officials.
Philstar.com photo
Suansing said the June 22 schedule is not set in stone as the DOTr may allow vehicles that are only allowed to operate under phase two such as public utility buses, modern PUVs and UV Express to operate earlier if the need arises. “We will do certain adjustments. One of the considerations is to implement phase two at an earlier period,â€? he said. The situation in terms of stranded commuters improved yesterday compared to Monday as the government fielded more buses, DOTr Assistant Secretary Goddess Libiran said. Libiran said said the agency opened two city bus routes: AngatQuezon Avenue and DasmariĂąasPITX. “We also coordinated with other government agencies for the provision of free rides. Bus augmentation services were put in place along railway lines and more P2P buses were allowed to operate,â€? she said. n
COVID-19 cases in PH surpass 20,000 with nearly 1,000 deaths by Gaea
Katreena Philstar.com
Cabico
MANILA — The tally of confirmed coronavirus disease cases in the Philippines passed 20,000 on Thursday, June 4, more than four months after health authorities first detected an infection in the country. The grim milestone came after Metro Manila—the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak—began emerging from one of the world’s longest coronavirus lockdowns. The Department of Health reported Thursday 634 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the country’s case tally to 20,382. Of the additional cases, 313
were classified “fresh,� while 321 were “late� cases from the agency’s testing backlog. Nearly half of the fresh cases were recorded in the capital region, while 32% were from Central Visayas. Under the new reporting system, fresh cases are those whose test results were validated by the DOH in the last three days, while late cases are those whose results were released to patients four days ago or more but were just recently confirmed. Ninety-five more patients have survived the disease, bringing the number of COVID-19 survivors to 4,248. Total recoveries accounted for around 20% of the country’s confirmed cases.
But the DOH logged 10 new deaths related to the severe respiratory illness, raising the fatality count to 984. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the fatality rate of COVID-19 has gone down in the country. “This is a small victory for us,� Vergeire said in Filipino.  Currently, there are 40 certified polymerase chain reaction laboratories and 12 GeneXpert laboratories. Some 345,577 individuals have been tested for coronavirus in the country as of June 2. The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 385,000 people out of the more than 6.4 million infected worldwide. n
PH sees slight dip in migrant workers in 2019 by Ian
Nicolas Cigaral Philstar.com
MANILA — Filipino migrant workers reached 2.2 million as of September last year, a figure that is expected to dramatically decline this year as the coronavirus pandemic begins to displace thousands of workers. The latest figure came from the results of a 2019 survey relased by the Philippine Statistics Authority on Thursday, June 4 which showed the number of Filipinos expatriates who worked abroad from April to September last year. The latest tally was slightly down from 2.3 million in the same period in 2018. But the drop is expected to continue and worsen this year as the lingering pandemic put migrant workers out of their jobs. Based on estimates two weeks ago, the labor department said around 302,000 migrant workers were already displaced by the pandem-
ic, some of whom have decided to stay in their host countries. The figure is projected to rise to 500,000 by year-end. Of the total number of workers in 2019, PSA data showed 96.8%Â had existing work contract while 3.2% had none. During the survey period, remittances sent home by workers, mostly coursed through banks, was estimated at P211.9 billion. Broken down, 39.6% of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)Â worked on an elementary occupation, while about 18% were employed as service and sales staff. The balance worked as plant and machine operators (12.2%), technicians (8.7%), professionals (8.5%) and craft and related trade workers (8.1%). Female overseas Filipino workers outnumbered their male counterparts, 56% to 44%. Majority of OFWs came from CALABARZON, accounting for 20.7% of the total,
while those from Central Luzon, Metro Manila and Western Visayas comprised 13.3%, 9.7% and 9.0%, respectively. By destination, Saudi Arabia continued to be the most preferred host country of OFWs at 22.4%. Other popular destinations were United Arab Emirates (13.2%), Hongkong (7.5%) and Taiwan (6.7%), the PSA reported. Remittances from OFWs has been one of the Philippines’ major sources of dollars, shielding the economy against external shocks that could have interrupted a developing country’s growth. But OFW remittances are forecast to fall this year, a first since 2001, after the coronavirus crisis triggered massive job losses around the world. After sending home repatriated OFWs stuck in quarantine sites for months, the government is already preparing for the expected influx of another 42,000 returning OFWs this month. n
‘They’re not even naming our dead’... PAGE 5 gregates the data, finding 14.8% of the total deaths are among Asians, which comprise 15.4% of the total state population. The LA County Department of Public Health has the racial data available for 2,112 deaths and reported 17% are individuals of Asian descent. Going deeper into LA County’s numbers, however, 30 COVID-19 related deaths have been among health care workers — 74% in skilled nursing facility staff and 52% nurses — as of May 21. “We know those numbers must be Pinays,â€? Levid said. Among the county’s known deaths are Rosary Castro-Olega, the first health care worker in the region taken by the disease; Emily Gualberto Canonizado of Oxnard who spent 31 years as a nurse; Anabelle Soriano Lustina, an RN from Carson; Celia Lardizabal Marcos, who was only equipped with a surgical mask when she responded to a patient suspected to have COVID-19 at CHA-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center; and Arlene Aquino, a single mom and nurse who died on May 24. “Data, anything from statistics to budgets, are not just political documents. They’re moral documents. What we’re seeing here in the United States, for example, is an unprecedented closure of hospital units and the displacement of health care workers who are already risking their lives every day to treat potentially positive COVID-19 patients,â€? Levid said.Â
As the health care profession has become part of the Filipino migration story, as well as as a career route for multi-generations of many families, the AF3IRM team noted that Filipinos moving abroad to deliver care and risk their lives is not a new phenomenon under COVID-19. However, decades later, higher-paying jobs overseas as well as a global demand for workers continue to fuel the Philippines as the largest exporter of nurses and other positions. “It’s both a global and national issue. If we’re going to change the situation, we have to go to the root of the problem of migration,� Rosca said. “There’s such a disparity in the recognition of the essential skills of health care work. That cannot happen unless medical workers in the Philippines themselves get organized and push.� Based on available sources that highlight the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death, several patterns have emerged, including: the disproportionate rate at which nurses have died at non-unionized facilities in the U.S.; higher mortality rates for those employed in long-term care facilities in Canada and the United Kingdom; and in the Philippines, the majority of fatalities have been among doctors. Another trend, Rosca noted, is the correlation between a country’s number of deaths and how its government acted and responded upon the onset of COVID-19. “With Boris Johnson in the UK
and the high rate of deaths among Filipinos, it’s directly due to his unpreparedness and dismissal of the virus,� Rosca said. “Of course, that was until he got it. The irony is that the Filipino nurse who ended up in the same ward as him died.� The group envisions the website as a resource for journalists, educators and activists to help with news reporting or advocating for workers, whether it’s for adequate personal protective equipment, better working conditions, fair wages, or more transparent contracts before Filipinos migrate abroad for work. “How are we supposed to demand justice and talk about egregious working conditions when they’re not even naming our dead? Without data, your campaign will only go so far,� Levid said. “This data can be weaponized in a way that any data is weaponized, or in the way that Trump uses data against us every single day.� On the website, individuals are encouraged to submit information about a deceased loved one or colleague along with a photo and fond memory. “You don’t have to identify yourself so that you can remain anonymous if you choose to. But if you have a colleague, if you have a cousin, if you have someone else that has has died and their employer refuses to release their name, this is a place where you can go so that your loved one can be rightfully named and honored,� Levid said. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)
MANILA  – The Philippines will be targeting higher-spending tourists as it moves forward under a new normal.  In an interview with “The Chiefâ€? on One News, Tourism Secretary Bernadette RomuloPuyat said the industry is enforcing safety and health protocols under the new normal and destinations would have to reduce the number of tourists accommodated at a given time to ensure physical distancing.  “(The way) we’re looking at it now, we’re going to be getting quality tourists. We want to get high-value tourists‌ And the high-value tourists are the ones who will spend, and it matters to them – the cleanliness and hygiene,â€? Puyat pointed out last Tuesday, June 2. She emphasized that the country cannot focus on the quantity of tourists given the physical distancing measures that need to be enforced.  “What is important now until there’s no vaccine, physical
distancing would be the new normal,� she added.  Department of Tourism (DOT) data show that international arrivals for January to May 2020 dropped 62.21 percent to 1.3 million arrivals from 3.49 million arrivals in the same period last year. The estimated inbound tourism revenues during this period plunged 60.56 percent to P81.05 billion from P205.50 billion in the same period a year ago.  Puyat emphasized that a tourist destination will have to reduce the number of tourists it accommodates at a certain time. She cited Boracay Island, with its carrying capacity of 19,000, would have to accommodate only half or lower than that number to ensure distancing.  She also noted that local government units (LGUs) and tourism stakeholders are not rushing the resumption of tourism activities as they want the revival to be slow but sure.  “Because if there is an outbreak in one tourist spot, it is not just that tourist spot that
will be affected but the whole Philippines,� Puyat stressed. At an earlier press briefing, she revealed that LGUs are not keen on opening up their areas to tourism right away. Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong is comfortable at opening the destination by September while Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap is looking at July at the earliest. “So I actually appreciate it that our LGUs are being really careful. And when they are ready to have tourists, it is sure that they will be safe when they visit there,� Puyat added. Meanwhile, the DOT is pushing digital tourism while the leisure travel and other tourism activities are still restricted due to the lingering threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19). It launched several programs that utilize the internet to boost its presence on social media, including the DOT Online Training wherein seminars that usually gathered large crowds were done through video-call apps. [Richmond Mercurio, Ghio Ong]
Lorenzana: No militarization on Pag-asa Island by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com
Viray
MANILA — Despite the presence of hundreds of Chinese ships in the area, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there is no threat of attack on Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea. Pag-asa Island, which is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan, is one of the biggest features occupied by the Philippines in the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Confirming that the beaching ramp on the island has been completed, Lorenzana said the Philippines will not militarize the island. “We will not militarize our island there. We will not bring in military equipment to defend it because I don’t think there is any threat of attack of our Pagasa (Island) and eight other islands,� Lorenzana said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source.� The Philippines controls nine islands in the Spratlys, where Filipino troops are stationed. On the completion of the
beaching ramp, Lorenzana said the next project of the government would be to repair the dilapidated runway on the island. “Next project will be the repair of the dirt runway. We can now bring in materials, we can bring in heavy equipment, we can also bring in construction materials to improve the living quarters of our people there,� Lorenzana said. Just last month, the Philippine Navy’s landing craft BRP Ivatan docked on Pag-asa Island, becoming the first navy ship that berthed on the island. The docking of the navy vessel was part of the navy’s rotation and reprovisioning mission at different Kalayaan Island Group detachments in the West Philippine Sea. While Philippine officials blamed severe sea conditions for the delay of construction projects on Pag-asa Island, Washington-based think tank Asia Maitime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported that the continuous presence of Chinese militia ships in the vicinity likely slowed down the repairs.
In a report issued in March, satellite imagery obtained by AMTI showed that an average of 18 Chinese ships are around the island each day. “These counts indicate the minimum number of Chinese ships present on a given day. Many vessels likely went uncounted because they were under cloud cover or outside the frame of the images,� the report read. China appears to have deployed ships in the area as early as July 2018 in response to the Philippines’ repairs on the island. In November 2018, Lorenzana confirmed that China tried to block the government’s plan to repair facilities on the island. Lorenzana earlier said then Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua approached him upon learning of the planned rehabilitation of Pag-asa Island. The Defense chief, however, said “no� and told the Chinese envoy that it was proper for the Philippines to improve every facility on the island as China already developed Subi Reef, which is 12 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island. n
Karagdagang kaalaman sa Filipino (Tagalog) ay makikita rin sa website ng Lalawigan ng Clark Kagawaran ng Halalan sa: www.clarkcountynv.gov/vote. NOTICE OF EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY MAIL BALLOT DROP-OFF SITES FOR THE 2020 PRIMARY ALL-MAIL BALLOT ELECTION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that early voting for the June 9, 2020 Primary Election Mail Ballot will begin on May 23, Saturday, and continues through June 5, Friday. Any voter registered in Clark County is encouraged to mail in their voted mail ballot or drop-off their mail ballot at any drop-off location. NO VOTING MACHINES WILL BE USED ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME IN CLARK COUNTY, NV. Any voter registered in Clark County will receive a mail ballot for voting in the June 9, 2020 Primary Election. The packet will contain: (a) Your ballot; (b) Instructions for voting a mail ballot; (c) A pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope that you must use for returning your voted mail ballot; and (d) A list of mail ballot drop-off sites for personally dropping off your own mail ballot. Please note that voters are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO MAIL THEIR BALLOT rather than drop it off in person. For additional information, call the mail ballot hotline at (702) 455-6552. The early voting drop-off locations, dates, and times are listed below. All drop-off sites are ADA compliant. For additional information, call the Clark County Election Department at (702) 455-VOTE (8683). The TTY/TDD number is 711. Also check online at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote.
2020 PRIMARY ELECTION EARLY VOTING DROP-OFF SCHEDULE MAY 23 (SATURDAY) TO JUNE 5 (FRIDAY) DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
DATES AND HOURS
For coronavirus prevention reasons, some sites may be subject to temporary closure or revised times, until further notice. For updates, check our website (www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote) or call (702) 455-VOTE (8683). CLARK COUNTY ELECTION DEPARTMENT 965 Trade Dr., North Las Vegas Only the Clark County Election Dept. will be available on May 25, 2020, Memorial Day.
CLARK COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Las Vegas
83 72 0$< ‡ 021 )5, DP SP ‡ 6$7 $1' 681 &/26(' MAY 23-JUNE 3, EVERY DAY (including Sat.,Sun., and Memorial Day): 8am-6pm JUNE 4-5, THURS.-FRI.: 8am-8pm MONDAY-FRIDAY: 8am-5pm CLOSED: All Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day Holiday
BOULDER CITY, CITY CLERK City Hall, 401 California Ave. Boulder City
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 7am-6pm
HENDERSON CITY CLERK City Hall, 240 S. Water St. Henderson
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 7:30am-5:30pm
LAS VEGAS CITY CLERK City Hall, 495 S. Main St. Las Vegas
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 7am-5:30pm
CLOSED: All Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day
CLOSED: All Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day
CLOSED: All Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day MONDAY-THURSDAY: 8am-5pm
MESQUITE CITY CLERK City Hall, 10 E. Mesquite Blvd. Mesquite
FRIDAY: 8am-3:30pm CLOSED: All Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day
NORTH LAS VEGAS CITY CLERK City Hall, 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North, North Las Vegas
MONDAY-THURSDAY: 8am-5:45pm CLOSED: All Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and May 25, Memorial Day
DROP-OFF LOCATION ON JUNE 8, 2020, (MONDAY) On this date, voters may drop-off their own voted mail ballot in-person, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Clark County Election Department, 965 Trade Dr., North Las Vegas.
DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ON JUNE 9, 2020, PRIMARY ELECTION DAY (TUESDAY) On Primary Election Day, voters may drop-off their own voted mail ballot in-person at the locations and during the times listed below DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ON JUNE 9 PRIMARY ELECTION DAY, OPEN 7:00 A.M. TO 7:00 P.M. For coronavirus prevention reasons, some sites may be subject to temporary closure or revised times, until further notice. For updates, check our website (www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote) or call (702) 455-VOTE (8683).
VETERANS MEMORIAL LEISURE CENTER, 101 N. Pavilion Center Dr., Las Vegas WALNUT COMMUNITY CENTER, 3075 N. Walnut Rd., Las Vegas WHITNEY RECREATION CENTER, 5712 E. Missouri Ave., Las Vegas
CLARK COUNTY ELECTION DEPARTMENT, 965 Trade Dr., North Las Vegas
WINDMILL LIBRARY, 7060 W. Windmill Ln., Las Vegas
BOB PRICE RECREATION CENTER, 2050 Bonnie Ln., Las Vegas
ADDITIONAL DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ON JUNE 9 PRIMARY ELECTION DAY, VARYING HOURS
BUNKERVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER, 200 W. Virgin St., Bunkerville CLARK COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS – LOGANDALE, 1301 Whipple Ave., Logandale DESERT BREEZE COMMUNITY CENTER, 8275 Spring Mountain Rd., Las Vegas DR. WILLIAM U. PEARSON COMMUNITY CENTER, 1625 W. Carey Ave., North Las Vegas ENTERPRISE LIBRARY, 25 E. Shelbourne Ave., Las Vegas HOLLYWOOD RECREATION CENTER, 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd., Las Vegas INDIAN SPRINGS COMMUNITY CENTER, 715 W. Gretta Lane, Indian Springs LAUGHLIN LIBRARY, 2840 S. Needles Highway, Laughlin MOAPA COMMUNITY CENTER, 1340 E. Highway 168, Moapa MOAPA TRIBAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 1 Lincoln St., Moapa MOAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER - OVERTON, 300 N. Moapa Blvd., Overton MOUNTAIN CREST COMMUNITY CENTER, 4701 N. Durango Dr., Las Vegas PARADISE RECREATION CENTER, 4775 S. McLeod Dr., Las Vegas PASEO VERDE LIBRARY, 280 S. Green Valley Pkwy., Henderson SAHARA WEST LIBRARY, 9600 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas SANDY VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER, 650 W. Quartz Ave., Sandy Valley SEARCHLIGHT COMMUNITY CENTER, 200 Michael Wendell Way, Searchlight SILVER MESA RECREATION CENTER, 4025 Allen Ln., North Las Vegas Dated this 13th day of May, 2020.
For coronavirus prevention reasons, some sites may be subject to temporary closure or revised times, until further notice. For updates, check our website (www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote) or call (702) 455-VOTE (8683).
BOULDER CITY, CITY CLERK, City Hall, 401 California Ave., Boulder City 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CLARK COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Las Vegas 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. HENDERSON CITY CLERK, City Hall, 240 S. Water St., Henderson 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. LAS VEGAS CITY CLERK, City Hall, 495 S. Main St., Las Vegas 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. MESQUITE CITY CLERK, City Hall, 10 E. Mesquite Blvd., Mesquite 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. NORTH LAS VEGAS CITY CLERK, City Hall, 2250 Las Vegas Bl. North, N. Las Vegas 8:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
IN-PERSON VOTING LOCATIONS AND SCHEDULE NO VOTING MACHINES WILL BE USED Early Voting Period, May 23 (Saturday)-June 5 (Friday), Hours Vary During the early voting period, in-person voting will be available only at the Clark County Election Department, Suite F, 965 Trade Dr., North Las Vegas. The dates and hours will be: ‡ 0D\ -XQH (YHU\ 'D\ LQFOXGLQJ 6DW 6XQ DQG 0HPRULDO 'D\ 0D\ 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. ‡ -XQH 7KXUVGD\ )ULGD\ D P S P Primary Election Day, June 9, 2020 (Tuesday), Open 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. ‡ &ODUN &RXQW\ (OHFWLRQ 'HSDUWPHQW 965 Trade Drive, Suite F, North Las Vegas, NV 89030 ‡ 'HVHUW %UHH]H &RPPXQLW\ &HQWHU 8275 Spring Mountain Rd. at Cimarron Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89117 ‡ 3DUDGLVH 5HFUHDWLRQ &HQWHU 4775 S. McLeod Dr. at Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89121
JOSEPH P. GLORIA Registrar of Voters Clark County, Nevada
PUB: May 21, 28, & June 4, 2020 Las Vegas Asian Journal
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June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
Journal Despite minor damages, Fil-Am restaurants stand in solidarity with protesters in LA County By Christina
M. Oriel
A volunteer cleans up graffiti at Wanderlust Creamery’s Third Street location in LA. AJPress photo by Christina M. Oriel
She’s the sweetest woman and she’ll give until she has no more,” Nicole Rempola told the Asian Journal. “I think we raised and met our goals so quickly because they know the kind of woman she is and they wanted to take this opportunity to give back to her.” Despite the property damage, the Rempola family expressed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the peaceful protests. Nearby, the windows and door at Valerio’s Bakery along Woodman Avenue were also broken into. As the county continues to have daily 6 p.m. curfews this week, other business owners like Barb Batiste are taking extra safety measures to protect their brick-and-mortar locations, even if doing so is another expense. Batiste boarded up Big Boi and B Sweet along the usually bustling Sawtelle Boulevard in West LA with the help of friends. Since the pandemic, both shops have seen a decline in sales and have needed accommodations to pay rent at a later date. Batiste is slated to reopen Big Boi on Wednesday for lunch service, however, another consideration is the availability of ingredients from suppliers which have also closed temporarily. “I want to reopen for lunch as it’ll help bring in some sales, especially since it’s the time of the month when rent is due again, and help staff get in some hours. I support the movement and the right to protest and I want to be loud about it as I feel the pain of everything that’s happening,” Batiste told the Asian Journal. “But I just cannot support the criminal acts and looting. It becomes no longer about the message.” Miles away in Downtown Los Angeles, protests began late last week among dozens organized in major cities across the county in response to George Floyd, a
EMPLOYMENT
FOR RENT
AJPress
EARLY morning on Tuesday, June 2, Mary Jane Rempola received a call from an employee that the front glass door of Bagnet in Panorama City had been shattered amidst the unrest unfolding across Southern California. Rempola opened the small Filipino restaurant in a plaza along Roscoe Boulevard in February, but has since been struggling to attract customers following Los Angeles County’s issuance of safer-at-home measures. Tuesday morning was another setback
for her. “It’s a bit sad, but it’s just the door,” she told the Asian Journal, adding that nothing appeared to be stolen from the restaurant. In less than five hours, a GoFundMe page started by Rempola’s daughter Nicole exceeded its $1,000 goal to help repair the damage. “My mom took a hard hit financially because of the pandemic. After this happened, my mom sounded so defeated so I wanted to reach out to our family and friends mainly to help us out because they all know my mom.
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black man, being killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on Monday, May 26. After closing early on Friday night, Petite Peso’s front left window was shattered. Executive chef Ria Barbosa wrote in an Instagram post, “Our window can be replaced. George Floyd can’t. #blacklivesmatter.” The restaurant reopened the next day with limited hours, but decided to suspend operations until this Wednesday to avoid local police and National Guard presence and to keep employees safe. On top of the boarded-up windows and door, the team left written messages: “Justice 4 Big Floyd” and “We are a POC owned business.” “Saturday night, we didn’t want to take any risks from what we saw the night prior so we boarded up all our windows with plywood and brought all our valuables with us, POS, electronics, neon sign, etc. We thought things would possibly cool down on Sunday and Monday but [on Tuesday] the team didn’t feel the vibe of DTLA was right for business or safe for our employees,” Tiffany Tanaka, head of marketing for Peso Hospitality, told the Asian Journal in an email. Wanderlust Creamery’s cofounder and creative partner Adrienne Borlongan was preparing its four stores to be reopened for regular service on Saturday, May 30 when messages flooded saying that their bright blue storefront along Third Street in LA’s Fairfax District was in the background of news coverage. Outside of it, hundreds of protesters had marched from Pan Pacific Park and made their way along the main thoroughfare of the district which is dotted with many retail and restaurant businesses. “That’s when we realized there were bigger things going on than the city reopening. We knew it
Filipino restaurant Bagnet in Panorama City, California was broken into sometime before Tuesday morning, June 3. Photo courtesy of Nicole Rempola
was an issue very close to home for a lot of our staff and we wanted to allow them the opportunity to participate,” Borlongan told the Asian Journal. That particular location of the ice cream shop had still been under construction but had brown paper covering its windows from the inside with the notes: “Sorry, we don’t serve racists,” “This is a POC-owned business, we stand with you!” and “Say his name, George Floyd!” “No matter what is said about the social progress this country has made so far, there’s no denying there’s an unspoken white superiority that still exits in American culture. Let me be clear: the challenges most minorities, including Fil-Ams, face in dealing with this are nowhere near the gravity of what Black Ameri-
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cans are faced with,” Borlongan said. “But we share a common problem, and so the burden and work needed to solve it is also one that needs to be shared. It’s our responsibility to dismantle everything that allows systemic racism against black lives to exist, including the anti-blackness in our own culture.” Protesters spray-painted “No Justice, No Peace” on the shop’s exterior walls but in the following days, volunteers came back to help clean up the building as well as surrounding stores. One individual went to Home Depot to buy the matching paint color and offered to paint over the graffiti, Borlongan said. Over the weekend and early this week, Wanderlust Creamery closed all its locations in PAGE 11
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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • June 4-10, 2020
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June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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Warning: Drug/food recalls
Health@Heart Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS ONE of the functions of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to monitor and evaluate drugs for efficacy, quality, and safety. Whenever it discovers impurities or contamination, it notifies the manufacturer and recall of the product is expected or imposed. Usually, the pharmaceutical company affected initiates the voluntary recall. Lately, the popular anti-diabetesT2 pill, Metformin 500 mg Extended Release version of the tablets from some manufacturers (not all), has been found to contain the impurity N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a carcinogen (cancer producing substance) above the acceptable intake level. The regular immediate acting variety of Metformin is not affected by this recall. This generic Metformin comes in various brand names (Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Fortamet, and Glumetza). The basic active ingredient in Metformin is fine; it is the contaminant, NDMA, that is the impurity which must be eliminated, or, at least, reduced to an acceptable safe level by the manufacturer. Is my Metformin part of the recall? To find out if the Metformin Extended Release you are taking is part of the recall, go to the FDA website and check on Drug Recalls. So far, the subject of the recalls are Apotex Corp, Amneal Pharma, and four other yet unnamed firms, which are the producers of the contaminated Extended Release version of Metformin. The Tagi Pharma, which is Costco’s supplier of Metformin ER in Las Vegas, has not been implicated in the recall at this time. When FDA informs the drug stores a certain drug is under recall, the pharmacists automatically call the patient-customers. Recalls usually do not result in drug supply shortage. What is the risk for Metformin users? FDA states it “does not expect nitrosamines to cause harm when ingested at or below the acceptable intake limit levels (such low levels of nitrosamines are present in foods in low levels and ingested as part of usual diets) even over a long period of time (such as a 70-year lifespan). Nitrosamine impurities may increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them at above acceptable levels over long periods of time, but we do not anticipate that shorter term exposure at levels above the acceptable intake limit would lead to an increase in the risk of cancer. We are working to ensure medicines on the U.S. market do not exceed the acceptable intake limit.” What to do if your Metfor-
min ER is recalled? When your Metformin Extended Release is part of the recall, contact your physician who would deal with your new prescription. In the meantime, while waiting for your physician’s advice, the FDA recommends not to stop the Metformin you are taking until the replacement prescription has been filled. The recalled tablets may be returned to the pharmacist when getting your new medication. How long has this contamination been? The FDA does not have science-based information as to how long this NDMA impurities have been in the Metformin Extended Release tablets, but it started its investigation in December 2019 and found Singapore, among other countries, was a source of the supply of the NDMA contaminated Metformin Extended Release sold in the USA. What is FDA’s new mandate? The FDA “is also asking all manufacturers of extended release versions of metformin to evaluate their risk of excessive NDMA and to test at-risk product before each batch is released onto the U.S. market. If testing shows NDMA above the acceptable intake limit, the manufacturer must inform the agency and should not release the batch to the U.S. market.” Zantac is also tainted The popular OTC stomach acid reducer Zantac (Ranitidine) has also been recalled. The FDA announced it is “requesting manufacturers withdraw all prescription and overthe-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of the contaminant N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications (commonly known by the brand name Zantac). The agency has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperature, and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity. As a result of this immediate market withdrawal request, ranitidine products will not be available for new or existing prescriptions or OTC use in the U.S.” Blood pressure pill recall The FDA has advised the public about its ongoing investigation about the recent voluntary recalls of various generic angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) drugs used for high blood pressure and heart failure. According to the US-FDA “Hetero Labs Ltd. in India has announced a recall of 87 lots of losartan potassium tablets (25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg). The recalled losartan potassium tablets made by Hetero Labs and distributed by Camber Pharmaceuticals contain the impurity, N-Nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA). The impurity is a known animal and potential human carcinogen. This is the
first ARB recall resulting from the presence of NMBA, which is the third type of nitrosamine impurity detected in ARB medicines. Recent testing of these recalled lots of losartan potassium tablets showed NMBA levels higher than the FDA’s interim acceptable intake limits. The FDA’s evaluation suggests that the nitrosamines found in ARBs may be generated when specific chemicals and reaction conditions are present in the manufacturing process of the drug’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), and may also result from the reuse of materials, such as solvents.” Not all manufacturers of Losartan Potassium are subject of this recall, and not all generic or brand name Losartan are contaminated. To find out if the ARB you are taking is part of the recall, contact your pharmacist. Other recalled items Some of the other tainted common products recalled by the US-FDA include: various homeopathic products, Cannabidol CBD Complex, Curcumin Complex, Cannabidol Plus Curcumin, Watermelon CBD oil, Active Male capsules, male enhancement capsules, Bull Platinum 30,000 sex pills, Finasteride Plus 1.25mg capsules, Tertracycline Hydrochloride 250 and 500mg, Alka Seltzer Plus, Ketorolac, and 95% Ethyl Alcohol by Lake Michigan Distilling company. Food recall Some of the 2020 food recalls include contaminated Conagra Brands Frozen Not-Ready-ToEat Chicken and Turkey Bowl products, Evans Food Group Ready-To-Eat Pork skin products, Nestle Prepared Foods Lean Cuisine Fettuccini Alfredo, Ideal Foods Meat and Poultry Flatbread Pizza, Amity Packing Products RAW GROUND Beef. Google for other recalls. Device recall Giant medical device maker Medtronic has recalled the auto-registration feature of their StealthStation Deep Brain Stimulation Software (brain neurostimulator pacemaker – used for Parkinson’s, essential tremors, dystonia) due to inaccuracies which could be serious or life-threatening to the patient. Indeed, the US-FDA, like the Philippine BFAD (renamed FDA in 2009), has the duty and responsibility to protect the nation and the people by constantly monitoring the quality and safety of consumer items in the market and advising the public accordingly in a timely fashion to safeguard and maintain the good health of the people. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.
WGU Labs receives grant to research inequities facing underserved students Findings will help create and implement plans to increase student equity in higher ed SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — WGU Labs, Inc., an affiliate of online nonprofit Western Governors University (WGU), announced today that it has received a planning grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research on access and outcomes for WGU’s students of color, ethnic minorities, low-income students, and other student populations historically underserved by higher education. Inequity remains one of higher education’s most pressing and persistent student success challenges. With this grant funding, WGU Labs—the university’s research and development hub and an accelerator for scalable EdTech solutions—will create a plan for research and improvement of student equity at WGU. The project, known as the Equity Initiative at WGU, seeks to understand the systems and processes that lead to inequities for underserved student populations by examining the WGU student experience from application and enrollment through graduation. The research will aid in the discovery of processes that may contribute to inequitable academic outcomes for WGU students. WGU Labs will engage thousands of current and former WGU students, faculty, staff, and leadership to guide research and planning, and the findings
will help WGU create and implement a plan for student equity over the next several years. The first research report will be available in September of 2020, and subsequent reports will be published on a regular basis during each phase of the research. The project will be led by WGU Labs’ Research Scientist, Dr. Nicole Barbaro, Ph.D. “We hope insights from our research will not only help shape how WGU attracts, retains, and graduates students in the future, but will also provide actionable insights to other institutions working to solve similar problems,” said Dr. Barbaro. “Making measurable progress toward equity at scale here at WGU will hopefully set an example for other institutions.” More than 70 percent of WGU’s students come from one or more historically underserved populations: low-income earners, rural residents, students of color, and/or first-generation college students. The university consistently outperforms peer institutions in measures of access and affordability, innovative academic support, and postgraduation outcomes like student debt and career success for these populations. However, the fact that disparities remain means more must be done to close the gap and ensure pathways to opportunity through education for all.
“Partnering with foundations that share a passion for exploring new learning models and implementing new technologies that increase equity for underserved students is central to our mission,” said Annalisa Holcombe, President of WGU Advancement, the university’s fundraising arm that was created in 2018 to support efforts to expand access and improve outcomes. WGU Advancement spearheaded collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund the Equity Initiative at WGU. “Finding scalable solutions that address student inequities at WGU and across higher education is possible with support from partners like the Gates Foundation.” The grant for the Equity Initiative at WGU is the second gift secured in as many months to fund research led by WGU Labs. In April, WGU Labs announced the launch of the College Innovation Network—an initiative that will connect thought leaders from education institutions with educational technology innovators to advance students’ academic, career, and life outcomes—which is funded through a grant from the Charles Koch Foundation. In addition to these research projects, WGU Labs signed its third partnership agreement last week with InScribe, with research and development already underway for Edquity and MajorClarity. n
Protect yourself from COVID-19: Stop smoking and vaping now DOCTORS like me and many other health professionals are working to treat sick patients for the COVID-19 virus. The best ways for you to help are to stay home, wash your hands, and not smoke or vape. Here are three good reasons why you should stop smoking and vaping now: 1. Smoking doubles your risk of developing respiratory infections. • In one study,1 391 healthy volunteers had 1 of 5 respiratory viruses, including a coronavirus, dropped in a liquid into their noses. The volunteers who smoked were twice as likely as those who did not smoke to develop an infection. Smoking is known to weaken the immune system and the body’s ability to fight infections.2 2. Smoking doubles your risk of getting sicker from COVID19. • In a review of 5 studies published to date,3 smoking is most likely associated with getting sicker with COVID-19. In the
largest study of 1099 people with COVID-19,4 people who smoke were 2.4 times more likely to get really sick (e.g. admitted to an intensive care unit, needing mechanical ventilation, dying) compared to those who did not smoke. Smoking can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health problems that may contribute to serious illness.2 Stopping smoking still helps your health if you have COPD or heart disease.5 3. Vaping can also harm lung health. • Growing evidence suggests that the aerosol from vaping devices can harm lungs at the cellular and organ levels and worsen the body’s ability to fight respiratory infections.6 The recent outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping-associated product lung injury, predominantly affecting young people, is still a major public health concern.7 You can get free help to stop smoking and vaping! The California Smokers’ Helpline is here for you. Counselors will help you
develop your own personal quit plan by phone or chat. Text and app programs are available too. It is great to work through the stress and anxiety with caring professionals during these times about how to stop. The counselors can also talk with you about medications like nicotine patches, gums, or lozenges that are overthe-counter and help manage cravings. You may be eligible for special offers that send free nicotine patches to your home. Keep a smoke-free home to protect others as well. Secondhand smoke worsens lung health for nonsmokers, especially children.2 If you are a nonsmoker, contact the Helpline to find out how to help someone you love quit smoking or vaping. Being smoke and tobacco-free is as important as washing your hands and covering your cough for your health and the health of your family and our community. (by Elisa Tong, MD, MS Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis)
Pavilion Center Pool to reopen on June 5 following phase 2 safety guidelines Open and lap swim available to the public
THE city of Las Vegas is welcoming residents and visitors back to the Pavilion Pool, 101 S. Pavilion Center Drive, on Friday, June 5. The facility will follow social distancing and other safety guidelines provided by the Governor’s Office. Open swim will take place Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and 7:15 - 9:15
p.m., and Saturdays from noon - 5 p.m. The pool is closed on Sundays. Lap swimmers must call 702-229-1488 to make a lane reservation. Daily fees are $2 for ages 4-17 and 50 and older, and $3 for ages 18-49; children three and under are free. Locker rooms remain closed; all guests should arrive in appro-
priate swimming attire. Prior to being admitted into the facility, temperatures of guests will be checked. The city is currently working on plans for the reopening of other pools by June 15. Visit www.lasvegasnevada.gov/ welcomeback for the most up to date reopening information for the city of Las Vegas.
Piolo gets first call slip from ABS-CBN to resume ‘ASAP’ taping by Marinel
Cruz
Inquirer.net
AS a result of the pandemic, the number of projects that were scheduled for production under his company, Spring Films, were cut in half, according to actor and film producer Piolo Pascual. Piolo added that he was expected to return to work, like many other employees, on June 1—the first day of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila. The actor said he understood that, after being on lockdown since March 15, there is now a need to resume work in order to revive the economy, despite the fact that a vaccine has yet to be developed for the deadly COVID19 disease. “It is what it is. We really have no choice. We have to adjust for the sake of the community,” he told Inquirer Entertainment over the weekend. Piolo, who has been living in his farm in Mabini, Batangas, with his mom since the start of the lockdown, had already been called for taping for the ABS-CBN Sunday variety show “Asap.” He said all program regulars would be working in a studio and staying in a hotel. “Can you imagine us doing new episodes in just a matter of days? It’s going to be really hard. That’s why we were given homework,” he said, adding that he never really got to rest because aside from this, he also participated in various fundraising events “that I couldn’t say ‘no’ to since they’re for a good cause.” “Once the soap committees (or groups assigned to produce teleserye) resume work, we would also be brought to locked-in sets,” Piolo reported. “It’s going to be hard to adjust. We are still feeling our way around. People will have to be more cautious and sensitive to the needs of others. Traydor kasi ang kalaban natin.” As a film producer, Piolo admitted he was concerned with the higher cost of production. He explained: “I just had a meeting with Spring Films. We agreed to cut our projects in half.
We can’t accommodate all anymore because of the expenses that would be incurred with all the safety guidelines we have to abide by.” Piolo runs the movie production outfit with talent manager Ericsson Raymundo and film-TV director Joyce Bernal. The newly formed Inter-Guild Alliance recently drafted a health and safety protocol, which productions firms are expected to follow to avoid getting infected by COVID19 while at work. Meanwhile, Piolo said being stuck at home also has its advantage. “Your creative juices overflows. Performers are able to record at home and have their work broadcast worldwide. I’m excited to see whatever will come up after we all get back to work from being isolated for almost three months.” Before lockdown, Piolo already brought his family to his farm in Mabini, Batangas. “I programmed myself to stay here for a while because I felt that [the order for an enhanced community quarantine or ECQ] wasn’t going to take a short time. Adjustment wasn’t really hard since I’m a homebody. I’m actually more productive when I’m just at home.” In fact, only recently, Piolo did a photo shoot for Star Magic’s ecatalogue in one of his house’s downstairs bedrooms. “It’s difficult to produce my own content because I don’t have all my equipment with me. I just use my sister’s phone as flashlight and mine for recording. It’s really so basic,” he said. “And while we’re recording, we could hear the crowing of the roosters.” While there, Piolo also tested his skills in farming. “I discovered that I … [have] a green thumb!” he declared. The actor is growing vegetables like cabbage, pechay, eggplant and okra in a multilevel plant nursery he had built in his backyard. “They’re my babies! I would visit them every morning and would get excited when I see them slowly sprouting one by
Piolo Pascual in his farm in Batangas. Photo from Instagram_@piolo_pascual
one. It’s my first time to try farming, but I’ve always wanted to grow my own food,” said Piolo, who incidentally was a Department of Agriculture ambassador for the agency’s 2018 “Be RICEponsible” campaign. “We now eat our own produce. This is one of the projects I started when we came here in March. We also have a poultry,” said Piolo, embarrassed, as he tried to explain the sound of chickens during our phone interview. “That’s what I appreciate about being where I am,” he said of the barangay he belonged to with 2,000 other residents. “I built a house that’s about 300 meters away from the main road. It’s located on a hillside. Everything here is self-sustainable. Everyone plants his or her own produce. We raise our own goats and chickens.” He further said: “That’s why, even during lockdown, nobody had to beg. We each have our own farm, no matter how small. Life is really easier and simpler. Those who live by the sea would come up here to sell fresh catch. They would then get vegetables from those in the highlands. It’s the cycle of life here. Ang galing!” The one thing that Piolo said he realized while living in the province was that “the earth has a lot of resources. You only need to cultivate your land and appreciate what you have.” n
Features
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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • June 4-10, 2020
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Kathryn shows fit quarantine body, encourages fans to work out by Cha Lino Inquirer.net
Filipino restaurant Big Boi along Sawtelle Boulevard in West LA boarded up its windows as a precautionary measure
Despite minor damages, Fil-Am restaurants... PAGE 8 solidarity and to abide by the county’s curfew. In addition to dealing with the physical side of the business, Borlongan acknowledged the significance of communicating as a brand and minority-owned small business, which boasts over 71,800 followers on Instagram. “I also think that it’s important to note that most small businesses struggle with crafting what to say publicly without getting backlash or having their message being dissected as disingenuous. Even more challenging is finding the time to carefully craft a statement with everything going at a moment’s notice…Some people are so quick to jump on a business if they haven’t taken a public stance by now. I think the last thing the world needs right now is more judgment,” she said. Downtown Long Beach was the site of another big protest on Sunday. Bebot Filipino Soul Food along 4th Street was far from the main demonstration, but owner AC Boral covered the windows and
barricaded its doors as a precautionary measure. The restaurant came out unscathed. Boral said that he’ll continue feeding front line health care workers and low-income families in the community as he has been since the pandemic began but implored fellow Fil-Ams to support black-owned businesses and to reflect on the systemic issues prompting the protests. “It’s important for us as community leaders, not just business owners, to support Black Lives Matter because this is our entire community and it does affect us,” Boral told the Asian Journal. “At the end of the day for me, it comes down to our values…and the values that the restaurant stands for: to care for humanity and to take care of everyone. Black Lives Matter supports that.” Romeo Garcia was among those peacefully marching as an ally and to denounce police brutality on Sunday. However, by nightfall, many small businesses in the area were set on fire, damaged or vandalized, Garcia wrote
Romeo Garcia in front of Romeo Chocolates in Long Beach Photo courtesy of Romeo Garcia
Petite Peso in DTLA experienced a broken window and closed for a few days amid protests. Photos courtesy of Ria Barbosa/Instagram
in a Facebook post. Romeo Chocolates, his chocolate and wine bar along Pine Avenue, was also affected. However, the next day, he and volunteers patched and covered the shop’s windows in addition to cleaning the streets and repairing other nearby stores. “My heart goes out to small businesses recovering from the damage. Thank you to the volunteers and neighbors who kept watch of our block last night, even making a human barricade at storefront broken doors to prevent further theft. Today, people donated food, water, and greeted one another as we all cleaned up our neighborhoods. It was a beautiful sight,” Garcia wrote on Monday. n
ACTRESS Kathryn Bernardo has revealed her workout routine while in quarantine, in the hopes of motivating others to follow suit. Bernardo said she is taking online workout classes to keep her body healthy during the COVID19 crisis. The actress flaunted her fit physique via Instagram on Tuesday, June 2. “Ever since the lockdown began, I swore to myself that I will work out at least (three times) a week to keep my body healthy (and to offset all those junk I eat) especially at a time like this,” she recalled. The actress exceeded her former goal and ended up exercis-
ing almost every day. Bernardo also assured aspiring fitness enthusiasts that they only need to find the right routine for them
LOVI Poe and Zanjoe Marudo grapple with the choice to abandon or realize a once-in-a-lifetime love in the movie “Malaya,” the latest love story from “Glorious” director Concepcion Macatuno. The iWant original movie features the first on-screen pairing of the actors and was shot entirely in scenic Italy, which is home to hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipinos. “Malaya” follows two wandering souls who chase their dreams in a foreign country, putting the relatable real-life experiences of overseas Filipinos at the forefront. New to the country and still
adjusting to its customs, sweet Malaya (Poe) is determined to make a life of her own and help her mother who has been working there for years. Through her first job, she meets the hardworking enigma Iago (Marudo), and the two form an unexpected yet undeniable connection. However, because of their mismatched priorities and ambitions, they choose to walk away from each other. Years later, they meet again. Malaya finally thinks it is their time to be together, until Iago announces that he is engaged to be married. Will they be able to complete-
Kathryn Bernardo shows off her fit body. Photos from Instagram_@bernardokath
and they will enjoy the process. “Tip: Start with (15 minutes) per day first and adjust it from there based on what your body can handle!” she shared. Bernardo also recommended free ab and full-body workouts on YouTube for reference. The “Got to Believe” star recently marked her 8th anniversary with her boyfriend and fellow actor, Daniel Padilla. Due to the pandemic, the couple kept the celebration simple by spending some quality time and painting a cherry blossom mural. The actress had also been helping with COVID-19 relief efforts in the country. She also expressed how proud she is of her older sister who works in the United Kingdom as a nurse. n
Lovi and Zanjoe star in ‘Malaya’
Zanjoe Marudo and Lovi Poe in a scene from their film “Malaya.” Photo courtesy of Dreamscape Entertainment
ly let each other go? How long should one wait for the right time and the right person? (ManilaTimes.net)
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June 4-10, 2020 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL
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