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Volume 9 – Issue 22 • 16 Pages
F E BR U A R Y 2 6 - MA R C H 3 , 2 0 1 6 Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
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1986 People Power: Philippines’ gift to the world of ferdinand Marcos and propelled Corazon Aquino to power. “Demonstrating the primacy of people power MANIlA—Thirty years ago, on feb. 25, is the filipinos’ gift to the world: we paved the 1986, filipinos achieved the impossible and way for the peaceful dismantling of the Berlin brought down a dictatorship. Wall and the return of democracy in South KoThe 1986 people power revolution inspired rea and Romania,” Coloma said at the launch pro-democracy uprisings in other parts of the of the People Power experiential Museum at world and must not be forgotten by filipinos, Camp Aguinaldo. Malacañang said Wednesday, feb. 24. The Berlin Wall divided Germany from 1961 Presidential Communications Operations Of- to 1989. A reunified Germany is celebrating the fice Secretary herminio Coloma Jr. said filipi- 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. nos should “celebrate and rekindle the spirit of The German government has given the PhilipeDSA as it represents a high water mark in our pines a section of the wall. history” with the triumph of democracy. Based on reports, huge rallies challenged The peaceful revolt ended the dictatorship u PAGE A2 by AureA
CAliCA Philstar.com
Enrile hits Aquino, defends Marcos years by Christine
o. AvendAño
Inquirer.net
SeNATe Minority leader Juan Ponce enrile said President Aquino did not know what he was talking about in condemning the Marcos regime. “I am sorry to say this, [the President] is very strong in blaming others, pointing his fingers at others, and [blaming] them. But he’s very weak and poor in knowledge and understanding,” enrile told the Inquirer by phone. enrile was reacting to President Aquino’s statements during the 30th edsa People Power anniversary celebration where the Chief execu-
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USA
DATELINE Fil-Am leaders kick off voter registration & Get-Out-the-Vote Drive fROM The AJPReSS NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA
“IT is now generally known that Asian Americans are the fastest growing voters in the United States today,” says JT Mallonga, Chairman of the National federation of filipino American Associations (NaffAA). “They are emerging as a key voting block that could significantly influence national and local elections in the coming years.” Validating this trend is a report from the Center for American Progress, which shows Asian American voters in the last decade nearly doubling from more than 2 million voters in 2000 to 3.9 million voters by 2012, and is estimated to reach 5 percent of the voters nationally by 2025 and 10 percent by 2044. “As the second largest Asian American population in the US, our challenge as fili-
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EDSA JUMP. President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and former President Fidel Ramos and Bobby Aquino, son of former Senator Butch Aquino, re-enact the historic “jump” as EDSA Heroes and personalities as a helicopter hovers for confetti and flower drops to culminate the re-enactment of the historic “Salubungan” in front of the People Power Monument during the commemorative activities of the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution in White Plains Avenue corner Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) on Thursday, Feb. 25. It re-enacts the stopping of the tanks and the convergence of the military and civilian contingents. This year’s theme is “EDSA 30 Pagbabago Ipinaglaban N’yo, Itutuloy Ko!” The 1986 peaceful and bloodless uprising ousted the dictatorship and catapulted the late Corazon C. Aquino to the Presidency. Malacañang photo by Robert Viñas
Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile
All candidates claim victory Legal woes threaten PH in first PH presidential debate presidential frontrunners
But Dignidad, a coalition of civil society groups organized recently, was not impressed with the debate and the performance of the Inquirer.net candidates. The group found the questions and the All of them won the debate. A day after the first presidential debate candidates’ answers inadequate and the faceheld in Cagayan de Oro City, the camps of off’s format faulty. Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, president Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Davao City Mayor Ro- of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance, said drigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe and former the Vice President’s team was satisfied that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas claimed first- he showed he was “the most experienced, round victory. u PAGE A3 by Christine
o. AvendAño And JoCelyn r. uy, Gil C. CAbACunGAn
by Jim
Gomez Philstar.com
MANIlA—It’s not just difficult to predict who will win Philippine presidential elections this year — thanks to some of the candidates’ legal woes, it’s difficult to predict who will be allowed to run. four are within striking distance. Sen. Grace Poe, a political newcomer, leads opinion polls ahead of the May 9 elections, with Vice President Jejomar Binay, close behind. They are followed by former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of the southern city of Davao. Poe, 47, has seen her popularity soar since she first ran for office three years ago. She is the adopted daughter of one of the country’s most famous movie couples. her late father mostly played roles as a defender of the downtrodden in a country still plagued by widespread Presidential debates held in Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City with VP Jejomar Binay, Sen. Miriam Santiago, Mayor poverty and corruption.
State effort urges immigrants to prepare for DAPA, DACA China insists PH violated agreements on disputed sea Salceda warns Albay may dump Roxas Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe and Mar Roxas. Also in photo is COMELEC Chairman Andy Bautista.
Inquirer.net photo by Lyn Yillon
WhIle the fate of President Barack Obama’s executive actions on programs to expand deferred action for undocumented immigrants has yet to be decided by the US Supreme Court, individuals eligible for the programs are encouraged to continue preparing for their implementation. “We believe that these programs are perfectly legal and will be of help, and so it’s important for people in the meantime to gather their documents that would demonstrate that they meet the requirements, that they are eligible for relief under these programs,” said hairo Cortes, program coordinator of Orange County Immigrant Youth United. Cortes was among six speakers who,
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by PAtriCiA lourdes Philstar.com
virAy
MANIlA—Beijing on Wednesday, feb. 24 insisted that Manila violated agreements on maritime conduct in the disputed South China Sea. Chinese foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed that the Philippines reneged on the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) between China and Southeast Asian nations. “It is exactly one country, and let me not avoid mentioning the name: that is, the Philippines has violated
the stipulation of Article 4 of DOC and has given up on the dialogue and negotiations with the direct concerned parties of China, which is regrettable and which is ill-advised,” Wang said. The Philippines had filed an arbitration case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The hague, Netherlands. China, however, refused to participate in the proceedings. Wang warned other claimant countries in the region from deploying naval power to enforce their claims. “We don’t hope to see anymore
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by rhAydz
b. bArCiA
Philstar.com
leGAZPI CITY—Gov. Joey Salceda warned of the possibility that the province may dump liberal Party (lP) presidential candidate Mar Roxas for the failure of the administration to finish the much trumpeted Bicol International Airport. “If Mar Roxas will lose in Albay in the May 2016 election, it’s their (lP) probChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
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From the Front Page
A FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 3, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426
1986 People Power: Philippines’ gift… PAGE A1 t
South Korea’s strongman Chun Doo-hwa a year after EDSA, which eventually led to democratic reforms, among them the direct election of president. The overthrow of the communist regime in Romania and other parts of the world also occurred a few years after EDSA. Coloma said the executive branch would continue to work closely with the judiciary to ensure that all those who suffered during the Marcos regime get justice. Funding for claims would be drawn from ill-gotten wealth recovered from the Marcoses and their cronies by the Presidential Commission on Good Government. Human rights victims during martial law assail the slow justice, the reemergence of oligarchs and traditional politicians, as well as the return of the Marcoses to power 30 years after
the relatively peaceful militarybacked people’s uprising. Reflect on EDSA As the country prepares to elect its new leaders, voters should ponder the lessons of EDSA so they can be more discerning in their choice, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said. He recalled that during the EDSA revolution, Filipinos were ready to lay down their lives to “end over two decades of a dictatorship where freedoms of expression and of the press were controlled, and the justice system was barely allowed to function.” “Significantly, this celebration comes during an election year – a genuine exercise under a democracy that was made possible because of EDSA,” Belmonte said in a statement. “In May, we choose new leaders. It should also be an occasion where voters should carefully assess choices based on his-
tory and our world-recognized achievement that was EDSA,” he said. The Speaker said the country has taken great strides since February 1986 when Filipinos overcame fear and fought peacefully for genuine freedom. He said a legacy of the revolution is the continued quest for good governance as well as for a just and lasting peace. Aquino’s tales In Talavera, Nueva Ecija, President Aquino recalled how martial law had turned his family’s world upside down—especially with the arrest and detention of his father and namesake, then a senator—at Fort Magsaysay here along with fellow senator Jose “Pepe” Diokno. He said his father and Diokno were blindfolded and handcuffed then flown by helicopter from Fort Bonifacio to Fort Magsaysay
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PNoy says Bongbong might follow father’s footsteps by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com
Viray
MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday, Feb. 25 expressed his concern that Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. might be a dictator like his father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos. During his speech at the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, Aquino cited Marcos Jr.’s refusal to apologize for his father’s wrongdoings. Aquino, however, noted that Marcos Jr. should no be blamed for the human rights violations that occurred during the term of his father. “Pero ang masakit: ‘Yun pong kadugo ng diktador, sa mahabang panahon ay puwede namang sinabing, ‘Nagkamali ang aking ama’ o ‘Nagkamali kami; bigyan n’yo kami ng pagkakataong iwasto ito.’ Pero isipin na lang po ninyo, ito ang tahasang naging pagsagot niya, ‘I am ready to say sorry if I knew what I have to be sorry for,” Aquino said. The president added that Marcos Jr. might repeat the mistakes of his family if he is not willing to acknowledge it. “Ang akin nga, thank you na lang, dahil kahit papaano nagpakatotoo ka sa pagpapakitang handa kang tularan ang iyong ama,” the president said. Aquino also expressed his dis-
UNITY CARAVAN. Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. brings his Unity Caravan to Muntinlupa on Monday, Feb. 22 as he continues to bring his message of unity as a way to bring the country to a progressive future. Senate photo
appointment that the recent ratings of Marcos Jr., a vice presidential aspirant, have been rising in various pre-election surveys. “Ngayon po, kung tama ang ilang mga survey na nagsasabing dumarami ang sumusuporta sa anak ng diktador na hindi kayang makita ang pagkakamali ng nakaraan, ang ibig po bang sabihin ay nalimot na natin ang sinabing, ‘Tama na, sobra na, palitan na,’?” Aquino said. The president also stressed that the Marcos regime was not the Philippines’ “golden age” as the national government’s debt
increased while the dictator was in office. He recalled how his father, former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., was imprisoned in Camp Crame and Fort Bonifacio and was later on transferred to solitary confinement in Nueva Ecija during martial law. “Hayagan kong sinasabi ngayon, bilang bahagi ng henerasyong pinagdusa ng diktadurya: Hindi golden age ang panahon ni Ginoong Marcos. Isa itong napakasakit na yugto ng ating kasaysayan,” the president said. n
REENACTMENT. Actors reenact the EDSA rally at the People Power Experiential museum at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on the day of 30th celebration of People Power anniversary. The interactive museum, which is composed of nine halls, recreates the martial law victims struggle for democracy, including the events that led to the bloodless revolution in 1986. Inquirer.net photo by Richard Reyes
Legal woes threaten presidential…
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But the Commission on Elections ruled in December that Poe was not a natural-born Filipino as required by the Constitution because she was abandoned as a baby by her unknown parents at a Roman Catholic church. The US-educated Poe, who renounced her Filipino citizenship for about five years to live with her own family in America, also lacked the required 10-year Philippine residency ahead of the vote, the commission said. That prompted Poe to bring her case to the Supreme Court, which could deliver its verdict soon — and have a huge impact on the presidential race. “This particular election has the most uncertainty,” said Ana Maria Tabunda, research director of Pulse Asia, an independent pollster whose latest survey last month showed Poe leading with support from 30 percent of respondents, with Binay garnering 23 percent. Roxas and Duterte each got 20 percent each in the survey that polled 1,800 people nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent. “It’s a very tight race,” Tabunda said. “We don’t really know what the next survey will say.” Should the court rule against Poe’s candidacy, it is unclear who would benefit. Poe has carried on, holding rallies across the country. “The story of my life started in a church,” Poe told follow-
ers when she kicked off her campaign outside a downtown Manila church popular among the underclass. “So I decided to go in front of a church to launch the next chapter of my life.” President Benigno Aquino III’s successor will need to grapple with poverty, corruption and Marxist and Muslim insurgencies in the south — persistent problems facing the country that three decades ago toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos through a “people power” movement. Aquino’s anti-graft campaign led to the detention of his predecessor on an elections fraud charge and three senators, and the economy has grown steadily. However, a tenth of the country’s 100 million people still seek better-paying jobs abroad. He ends his six-year term in June. Aquino, who has had a falling out with Binay, has endorsed Roxas, a former investment banker who served as Aquino’s transport chief and later as interior secretary in charge of local governments and the national police. Legal woes have also hounded Binay and Duterte, a toughtalking mayor who has caught national attention for threatening to take down criminals, drug lords and corrupt bureaucrats within half a year if elected president. Elections officials have dis-
missed petitions to disqualify Duterte, 70, but those could still be challenged in court. His party put forward another candidate while they convinced him to run, and some questioned whether he could replace the party’s initial nominee. Binay, 73, faced several months of investigation by a Senate committee over alleged corruption when he was still mayor of Makati city, Manila’s version of Wall Street. He has denied the allegations, which have weighed down his popularity. Anti-graft officials have found “probable cause” against Binay over alleged corruption in the construction of a parking building when he was mayor. But a government prosecutor said Binay would not be charged before a special anti-graft court until his vice presidency ends because he has immunity while in office. Unlike in the past, the closelyfought battle now has left many undecided, including Macario Puno, a 48-year-old father of seven who ekes out a living by peddling boiled duck eggs and chips in Manila’s streets. Puno backed the winning candidates in the last three presidential polls, including Aquino in 2010, because he said the choices always narrowed down to just two main contenders. “Now there are four major candidates,” Puno said. “And they’re all sweet-talkers.” n
(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com
From the Front Page
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 3, 2016
Aquino richer by P20 M since 2010 by Michael
Punongbayan Philstar.com
MANILA—President Aquino’s net worth increased minimally during his stay in Malacañang since June 2010, but he is still expected to step down in 2016 richer by around P20 million. Based on his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, Aquino’s total wealth amounted to P50.194 million when he assumed office on June 30, 2010. His real properties then was collectively valued at P33.755 million, including the house he inherited in Quezon City declared to be worth P13.8 million. Aquino’s first SALN said he THE WATER IS FINE. A makeshift swimming pool put up on Recto Avenue in Manila is cause for cool and wet celebration for these young has a residential lot in Antipolo, boys and girls, with the weather phenomenon El Niño seemingly farthest from their mind. ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina Rizal that he inherited worth P12.2 million; another residential lot in San Juan that he also inherited, valued at P7 million; another residential lot in Tarlac that he purchased worth According to Binay, a host of nomic opportunities for majority by Joel M. Sy egco social services and programs P604,680 and agricultural land, of Filipinos who remain poor. ManilaTimes.net The Vice President said the has also addressed poverty in also in Tarlac, purchased at THE EDSA People Power re- challenge for the next adminis- Makati, where government data P116,588. volt goes on as Filipinos continue tration is to restore the dignity placed the number of poor resito struggle against poverty, Vice of the poor by redistributing eco- dents at around 2,000 individuals or 0.5 per cent of the population President Jejomar Binay, the nomic opportunity. He pointed to the experience as of 2012. presidential bet of the United “More important, we ad- PAGE A1 t Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in of Makati City (Metro Manila) as dressed the poverty of our peo- during a media roundtable on the May 2016 elections, said on proof that the fight can be won. Wednesday, Feb. 17, addressed Binay was named acting mayor ple,” he said. Wednesday, Feb. 24. “After 30 years, the ideals of what immigrant families can do Speaking on the eve of the of Makati in February 1986, the 30th anniversary of the popular first local official to be appointed political and economic freedom while waiting for the top court’s 1986 uprising, Binay noted that by the then-revolutionary gov- are now a reality in Makati,” the decision. The roundtable was hosted by Ready California, a poverty remains the country’s ernment of President Corazon Vice President added. The Makati experience can be cross-sector collaborative effort “greatest shame” and the next Aquino. He would later be elected to done for the entire country, he of various organizations, consuladministration’s “greatest chalates, and ethnic media. several terms by the people of said. n lenge.” “We have achieved political Makati. Binay sided with and defended freedom, yet economic freedom is still beyond our grasp. The the Aquino administration, earnfight for freedom from poverty re- ing him the monicker “Rammains,” said the Vice President, botito” when he appeared in a human rights lawyer during full battle gear during one of the the martial law years and an ac- many coup attempts against the tive participant in the revolt that government. “Makati teaches us that polititoppled Marcos’ strongman rule. He described the revolution as cal will, transparency, compassion and the unfettered support “far from complete.” “Democracy is nothing if it of the people can move a comdoes not democratize wealth. munity forward. We have seen Democracy cannot thrive in a so- the fruits of people power in ciety whose population groans in Makati through a government that serves its people well. We abject poverty,” Binay said. The UNA presidential bet cited did it in Makati. We can do it for the need to provide more eco- the entire country,” he said.
EDSA Revolution unfinished – Binay
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He also had other personal and other properties like motor vehicles valued at a little over P9 million, investment in stocks in seven companies worth P4.774 million and cash totaling P3.635 million. When he assumed office, President Aquino, a bachelor, listed one liability in the form of mortgage debts amounting to P2.430 million. After six months in office, he filed his second SALN, which showed his net worth increasing to 54.999 million as of Dec. 31, 2010. The increase in his wealth, as explained by Malacañang, was supposedly due to the income he earned from the sale of a residential lot in Antipolo City. One year later, President Aquino’s wealth again increased to P65.130 million as of Dec. 31, 2011 supposedly because of the increase in the value of his house in Quezon City which went up from P13.796 million to P23.6 million. His next SALN as of Dec. 31, 2012 showed a slight decrease in
his net worth as he declared himself to be worth P65.128 million. In 2013, Aquino’s total declared wealth of P66.494 million posted a considerably minimal increase of only P1.3 million. The last SALN he has so far filed, for the year 2014, showed his net worth at P68.311 million, posting an increase of P1.8 million. So far, from June 30, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2014, President Aquino has increased his total wealth to the tune of P18.117 million. He is expected to file his 2015 SALN before April 30 this year and another SALN after he steps down from office on June 30 as required by law. Unless his next declarations reveal huge increases, the increase in his net worth during his presidency pales in comparison to his predecessor. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s wealth more than doubled during her nineyear stay in Malacañang, starting at only P66.7 million in 2001 and ending at P145.7 million by Dec. 31, 2010. n
State effort urges immigrants to prepare for…
Relatives of those killed during the Martial Law years offer candles and flowers at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution. Manilatimes.net photo by Mike de Juan
China insists PH violated…
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close-up military reconnaissance or the dispatch of missile destroyers or strategic bombers to the South China Sea. This is something we have a responsibility for under our non-militarization commitment,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of diplomatic solution in resolving the maritime dispute in the region. “We think everybody benefits by true demilitarization, non-mil-
itarization. We also urged people to clarify the territorial and maritime claims in accordance with international law and to commit to peacefully resolve and manage disputes,” Kerry said. A US think tank earlier reported that China may be building radars in some of its artificial islands at the Spratly Island Group in the South China Sea. A few weeks ago, Fox News reported that Beijing has deployed surface-to-air missiles at Woody Island, a part of the Paracel Island chain in the disputed sea. n
All candidates claim…
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most ready and most committed to uplift the lives of the poor.” Malacañang hailed Santiago’s performance, with Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III saying “many people’s hearts were melted by the great personal courage shown by Senator Santiago in what was a very obvious great physical ordeal for her.” “Duterte wins first presidential debate,” Duterte’s camp declared in a press release. “It is clear that the big winner of the debate is Mayor Duterte and the big loser is Vice President Jejomar Binay,” said the press release. Duterte’s running mate, Sen. Peter Cayetano, agreed. “Binay is the biggest loser in the debate. He lied about the source of his wealth and could not talk about corruption, unlike the other candidates,” Cayetano said at a campaign rally in Pateros Monday. ‘Enriching experience’ In a statement, Poe said she found the debate “an enriching experience.” “You get the pulse of the people. Seeing that kind of ardor for knowing who would become the next President has only spurred me on to reach out and go to the farthest, hardest-to-reach places
in the country so I can hear and address the concerns of the people,” she said. Malacañang said Roxas was the “best prepared” speaker at the debate. “Secretary Roxas showed that he was the best prepared, that he was able to meet the timelines, which is important because it boiled down complex questions into answers that met the timeline. And I think people saw a new side of him that they may not have known in the past—a side of great responsibility and great commitment,” Quezon said in a tweet. ‘Good start’ Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista found the candidates “very civil.” He said he expected them to be more aggressive in the succeeding debates. Sunday’s face-off was the first in a series of three organized by the Comelec, GMA 7 and the Philippine Daily Inquirer to shift the public’s focus toward policy talk and programs to confront social life. “It was a good start, given that we haven’t done it [in 24 years]. At least we are able to show that it can be done,” Bautista told reporters. (With reports from Nancy C. Carvajal, DJ Yap, Jaymee T. Gamil and AP)
The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments about the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs – which Obama announced in November 2014 – in the spring.
Concerns have risen following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday, Feb. 13, as Scalia was the leading conservative voice on the top court. Joyce Noche, directing attorney of Orange County pro bono law firm Public Law Center, said the high court may choose to
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A FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 3, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
China builds radars in disputed sea, US think tank claims
THE Chinese government is installing radar facilities on artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea in a move that could “significantly change” the operational landscape, a US think tank reported on Monday, Feb. 22. Recent satellite images of Philippine-claimed Calderon Reef (international name: Cuarteron Reef) in the Spratly Islands released by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) show what appears to be a high-frequency radar installation as well as a lighthouse, underground bunker, helipad and other communications equipment. The Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative of CSIS said the images showed that construction of the radar facilities on Calderon Reef appeared nearly complete and that the artificial island now covered an area of about 210,500 square meters (52 acres). “Two probable radar towers have been built on the northern portion of the feature, and a number of 20-meter (65-foot) poles have been erected across a large section of the southern portion,” the report said. High frequency “Placement of a high-frequen-
cy radar on the reef would significantly bolster China’s ability to monitor surface and air traffic coming north from the Malacca Straits and other strategically important channels,” it added. China’s foreign and defense ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment from international news agencies. Calderon Reef is controlled by China but is claimed by the Philippines as part of the Kalayaan group of islands in Palawan province. The latest photographs come only a week after US officials said China had deployed surfaceto-air missiles in the Paracel Islands further north, heightening tensions in the strategically vital region. The CSIS report said satellite images showed that China appeared to also have constructed a quay with a loading crane on the reef. Based on analysis of satellite images from January to February, the report said China already had significant radar coverage of the northern part of the South China Sea given its mainland installations and on the Paracel Islands to the northwest of the Spratlys.
Both the United States and Vietnam last week expressed concern at China’s deployment of advanced surface-to-air missiles on the Paracels. ‘Landscape changed’ CSIS described as “notable” China’s earlier deployment of HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, but the US think tank added that “does not alter the military balance in the South China Sea.” “New radar facilities being developed in the Spratlys, on the other hand, could significantly change the operational landscape,” CSIS said. In recent months, the US Navy has sent warships to sail within 22.2 kilometers (12 nautical miles)—the usual territorial limit around natural land of a disputed island—of one of Beijing’s artificial reefs in what Washington says is a defense of the right to free passage. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have rival claims. A high-frequency radar on Calderon Reef would increase China’s ability to monitor sea and
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State effort urges immigrants to prepare for… PAGE A3 t
move forward and hear oral arguments scheduled in April and then issue a decision in June. If the outcome is favorable for the immigrant community, implementation of the programs would begin before the end of Obama’s term. If the court comes to a 4-4 vote, the lower court’s ruling of an injunction will stand. The court may also decide to hold off on making a decision until a new justice is appointed in place of Scalia. “What I do want to stress and reiterate is that the DACA and DAPA programs are an extension of the president’s authority to exercise prosecutorial discretion. Many legal experts and law professors believe that the president was within his power to do so,” Noche said during Wednesday’s roundtable. Data from Ready California indicates that more than 1.5 million individuals in the state are eligible for DACA and DAPA.
Members of Ready California also offered the reminder that the Supreme Court’s ruling is separate from the original DACA program. Eligible individuals are encouraged to apply, while those who have received deferred action through DACA are urged to request for renewal. Three individuals who have benefited from the original DACA program shared their stories with media on Wednesday, including David Lee, a 22-year-old Korean who arrived in the United States when he was about 11 or 12 years old. Lee said his visa expired when he was 21, that he had been homeless and had engaged in illegal activities to make money. He majored in theater in college and said he would use his passport as identification to get into clubs. Now, he has a work permit and is working toward getting a car. “Thanks to DACA, I can have more fun, I feel more free, and I already have a couple of IMDB credits,” he said. “I got more opportunities to do the things
that I wanted to do before I got DACA. And those of you who [are] in the situation like my past before DACA, I want to tell you that don’t be skeptical like I was. Take action. There are a lot of community services people [who] sacrifice their time and really help you out to [get] a job, get a car...” Another issue discussed at Wednesday’s roundtable was what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrive at the residence of undocumented immigrants. Carlos Perea, project manager at Resistencia, Autonomia, Igualdad, IideraZgo, also known as RAIZ, offered a three-step plan: 1) Have an emergency contact who can move easily if you were to be detained, 2) Have contact with a trusted attorney or advocacy community organization, 3) Have an emergency plan for your children and have a contact ready to take care of your child in the event of deportation. (Agnes Constante / AJPress)
Dateline USa
http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426
NEW TRAINS. New train coaches arrived last week to add to the existing fleet of the Metro Rail Transit, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications. In a statement on Tuesday, Feb. 23, DOTC said the light rail vehicles were assembled over the weekend to complete the first new MRT 3 train expected to be launched in April. Photo courtesy of DOTC
Vargas raising $1M for news site on immigration, identity in US by Anthony
AdvinculA Inquirer.net
NEW YORK, NY—Filipino American immigration activist Jose Antonio Vargas was in Florida, on a recent Friday. Then three days later, he was on his way to Georgia, and soon to Wyoming. Vargas, the Filipino journalist who rose to prominence after he came out as an undocumented immigrant in a New York Times Magazine essay in 2011, says he practically lives in airplanes, hopping from one state to another. The reason? He is trying to raise $1 million in 60 days for his new venture #EmergingUS, an innovative video-driven digital news site that explores the intersection of immigration, race and identity in the United States. “#EmergingUS is a corrective,” he said. “It is correcting the mainstream media’s failure to really cover this demographic earthquake that we, as a country, are going through — with aftershocks everywhere.” Vargas, 35, believes that the national media do not fully capture what the true picture of America is and what will it be in the future, culturally, racially or politically. Fill a void He hopes that his new media outlet would fill that void. “This is the time that our population has grown more Latino and more Asian, with Asian people being the fastest immigrant group in this country — documented and
Jose Antonio Vargas is trying to raise $1million for his new online news site on immigration, race and identity.
undocumented,” he said. “But I think the media, when they talk about us, there’s kind of almost have one dimension, and we’re lucky if we get a few dimensions on the story. So, we don’t really get the richness of our experience,” he added. Even by just watching this year’s election coverage, according to Vargas, he feels as if Asian people didn’t even exist. “They talk about the Latino vote, the black vote, but not the Asian vote,” he added. But the country that has been predominantly black and white is now going to talk about issues that are not black and white; it is going to be the fundamental issue of American identity.” Crowdfunding journalism #EmergingUS was originally a
joint venture between Vargas and the Los Angeles Times, at a time when the paper was trying to find new ways to experiment with digital initiatives. After meeting in 2015 with thenLos Angeles Times publisher and chief executive Austin Beutner, Vargas started #EmergingUS in the Times newsroom. But Beutner was fired last September. Then the Times and Vargas agreed to transfer the assets developed for #EmergingUS to his company so that he may pursue the project independently. Now partnering with Beacon, the journalism crowdfunding platform that helps raise funds for journalists around the world, Vargas needs to reach the $500,000 goal in two months in order to get Beacon’s matching funds. “Jose’s tireless immigration reporting has earned him the trust of readers and lawmakers alike, and has already sparked a national conversation about identity,” said Dmitri Cherniak, co-founder of Beacon. “We’re excited to see what happens when he has the resources to broaden his purview even further.” Vargas, as the publisher and editor, launched #EmergingUS on February 18. Center of narratives “We should be the center of the narratives. I am tired of being marginalized. I am tired of being just the minority,” he said. “I think that is something that you’d tangibly
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SALUBUNGAN. Former President Fidel V. Ramos joins the members of the military during the reenactment of the Salubungan to mark the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power revolution n thursday, Feb. 25. The traditional “Salubungan” between Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramos led to the bloodless revolution that ended the two-decade long dictatorial rule of of Former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc
Enrile hits Aquino, defends Marcos... PAGE A1 t
tive condemned the view of some people that the Marcos dictatorship was the golden years of the Philippines. The President also reiterated that Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should apologize for the human rights abuses of the martial law regime of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Enrile said the plans being implemented by the Aquino administration were made during the
Marcos years. He also said President Aquino was “inconsistent.” “Why are we still enforcing the laws made in the Marcos years if he was really that bad,” Enrile said, referring to the late dictator. He pointed out that the government was now using for its programs coco levy funds that were put up during the Marcos years. At one point, Enrile also asked President Aquino who was Commander Selman to his late father, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
He said Commander Selman served as a bodyguard of the late senator but he was also a “principal” commander of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Asked whether he was saying that the late senator had links to the CPP, Enrile said, “I’m just starting facts, not conclusions.” On whether Senator Marcos should apologize for the past, Enrile said: “I don’t know if he has anything to be sorry for. You better ask him.”
Salceda warns Albay may dump... PAGE A1 t lem because they did not fulfill the construction of Bicol International Airport as promised,” the governor said. Salceda, the Party provincial chairman, said he is not blaming President Benigno Aquino III for the unfinished project but pointed to Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya’s failure to award its construction to the winning bidders, causing the snail-paced construction. “I’m not blaming the President but the DOTC. It was Secretary Abaya’s lapses which now has a domino effect on the candidacy of Mar Roxas. I’m confused already as I’ve been doing several followups as chairman of the Regional Development Council. The same
action has been done by our Bicolano solons but to no avail,” Salceda lamented. Salceda said because of the delay, Phase 2-A of the project for horizontal construction already lapsed, while the awarding of P1.7 billion intended for the terminals was put on hold by the DOTC for unknown reasons despite a winning bidder. During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) Aquino said that the international airport will be initially operational in 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2016 for full swing operation. The P3.5 billion Bicol International Airport was a flagship project of former President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo and pursued by Aquino.
The DBM already released P150 million for its development under the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA). A total of P2.1 billion has been spent from 2007 to 2012 for the earthwork, rightof-way acquisition, access road construction, and preliminary detailed engineering. “How can I campaign for Roxas when the Albayanos are losing trust because of the DOTC’s failure to follow through President Aquino’s vital project in Bicol despite the availability of funds?” Salceda said. Earlier, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the DOTC will finish the construction by the end of Aquino’s term to push further economic development in the region.
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Santiago on Duterte: We have been friends for a long time by Frances
Mangosing Inquirer.net
TIAONG WELCOME. Vice President Jejomar Binay greets the crowd who waited for his caravan in Tiaong, Quezon. Hundreds of his supporters welcomed the candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance who visited the province Thursday, Feb. 25. ManilaTimes.net photo
1986 People Power: Philippines’ gift… PAGE A2 t
after martial law was declared. “Whatever I am today, I was molded by everything that we have been through in our lives. And one of the most significant stories or chapters of our lives, of my life, is the declaration of martial law in our motherland, which happened in 1972,” Aquino said. He noted that though there had been squandered opportunities after EDSA, including what he called the lost decade under the Arroyo administration, there were still a lot of reasons to honor the first EDSA revolution. “My father wrote an article published in the Bangkok Post that was critical of martial law imposed during the time of Mr. Marcos. Because of this article, the forces of the dictatorship were enraged,” he said. “He was secretly arrested in
Fort Bonifacio, along with the late senator Jose ‘Pepe’ Diokno,” he added. “We did not know if our father was dead or alive. There are those even taking advantage and providing false information as to my father’s whereabouts at the time,” the President recalled. He said they sought help from the Supreme Court which allowed him, his mother and his siblings to visit the senator. He said he was relieved to see his father but was shocked to realize he had lost so much weight. “My father told us that he had been praying for so long to see us his family even just once. He prayed to the Virgin Mary and that was his request,” Aquino said. The President said his story and that of his family were just
part of the millions of stories told by Filipinos who experienced injustice at the time. Aquino said he was doing his best to make sure people are always empowered. “Here in Talavera, if I’m not mistaken in 2010, we were campaigning, it was here when an elderly woman told me, ‘You will be clashing with the heavyweights, you be careful.’ I lived with that. I knew that what I got into was dangerous,” the President said. “We stopped their grisly wrongdoings, they would find a way to get even. That is okay with me for as long as in the end I could say that I would leave you in a much better place than what I found. With your help, we can continue the changes,” Aquino said. (With Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Romina Cabrera)
Vargas raising $1M for news site… PAGE A4 t
see in the way we are covering the stories in #EmergingUS.” Relying mainly on donations from its readers and supporters, he and his current team of six have already received almost $65,000— a big achievement in the past 24 hours since the launch. According to Vargas, most of the donors are individuals supporting the site. Some of them gave $5, he added, while others donated as high as $1,000. “This is something that has never been done in American journalism—that is, to raise a million dollars from the crowd, so we’re very excited about being able to do that,” he said. As a for-profit company, Vargas admits that #EmergingUS needs to be “economically sustainable” to carry out its operations. He says that, in the long run, his company will rely on “the mixture of readers’ support, advertising, sponsorship, live events and all that [to] build an actual business model.” Helping the Filipino community A former reporter at the Washington Post, Vargas was part of its Pulitzer Prize-winning team that covered the Virginia Tech shooting massacre in 2007. He landed on the cover of Time Magazine in 2012, telling his story as a 12-year-old boy arriving in the US from the Philippines and now
a public figure without legal status but considers himself American. With his voice and influence, he could have championed stories about other Filipino undocumented immigrants in the United States—something that Filipino critics say he had almost never done in the community, particularly in the time when Filipinos have the lowest number of applicants for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) as compared to other Asian groups. According to Vargas, he has helped the Filipino community, including a relief operation for the Filipino victims of Typhoon Haiyan. He says that he also supported Rob Bonta, the first California’s Filipino American assemblyman, to push Filipinos and other Asian immigrants to get their driver’s license, after the historic legislation that allows undocumented residents to apply for a driver’s license in California. “I would say that I’m proud to be the first [undocumented] Filipino to get a driver’s license,” he said. Vargas does not want to be revered as a celebrity. “I kind of realize early on, in this journey, that I don’t want to be put in a celebrity thing, especially among Filipinos. Because what do people do? They put you up in some sort of a pedestal and then
knock you down. I’m not interested in that.” Not just an “immigration guy” While he has become a public figure for immigration reform, Vargas adds that his work in recent years has formed him to become the voice for other American issues that relate to race, culture and identity. “I have been traveling nonstop, and I have argued that what I have been doing is journalism. #EmergingUS is kind of the evolution of my own career as a journalist,” he said. “It is important that there’s been a way for me to insist on my own career, and that I am not only an ‘immigration guy.’” Over the last five years, he says that he has done more than 450 events in 45 states, and he has visited more than 210 college campuses. But for Vargas, as a gay, undocumented immigrant, of Filipino descent with a Latino name, he won’t be able to talk about immigration without talking about race or without talking about identity. “People don’t walk around thinking, ‘Oh, that’s an immigration thing.’ Or, ‘Oh, that’s an Asian thing. Oh, that’s a gay thing. I walk around with all those three things intact all the time,’” he said. “These issues are connected—and that’s what #EmergingUS content is going to focus on, with the complexities of our identity.” n
Fil-Am leaders kick off voter registration…
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pino Americans is to translate these numbers into political power,” adds Mallonga. “That means being actively engaged as informed citizens, exercising our voting rights and casting our ballots on Election Day.” To achieve this goal, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), a non-partisan organization recognized by Washington policy-makers, private industry and other advocacy groups as the voice of Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States, will launch Fil-Am Vote on February 25-27, 2016. NaFFAA chapters in the following cities will kick-off this voter drive: San Diego, CA., San Francisco, CA., Las Vegas, NV., Jersey City, NJ., Chicago, ILL. Fil-Am Vote is a national program directed at strengthening the voter registration, voter education, voter protection and get-out-the-vote capabilities of Filipino American communities nationwide. “Our immediate objective is to register more Filipino voters between now and November 8, and mobilize a huge voter turnout by the time polling booths open,” says Juanito Amor, Fil-Am Vote National Director. “We know that by increasing the voting ranks of the Filipino American community, we will not only make our voices heard but will most assuredly make a difference in determining who will lead our country.”
People Power Fil-Am Vote’s launching, Amor points out, is not only “an affirmation of our civic responsibility as American citizens, but also a commemoration of the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines, which occurred 30 years ago this week. That historic moment taught the world what people can do collectively to assert their democratic rights to vote, fight against election fraud and ensure that the people’s will is carried out. “Fil-Am Vote, therefore, draws from the energy, inspiration, passion and courage of the millions of Filipinos who used the ballot box to make their voices heard. Despite the threat by an authoritarian regime to suppress their right to participate in the electoral process, the Filipino people stood up to make sure each vote counted. “Fil-Am Vote honors this powerful movement and is committed to carrying on the legacy of full, active civic engagement of the
Filipino American community.” Highest Naturalization Rate The latest US Census Bureau data indicate there are 2,790,928 potential Filipino voters nationwide. Figures from the US Citizenship & Immigration Services also show that Filipinos are among the top AAPI groups with the highest naturalization rates. “But we have been lagging behind in terms of registered voters and voter turn-out,” explains FilAm Vote national adviser Gloria T. Caoile of Henderson, Nevada. “Our numbers won’t matter unless we enlist community members to register and show up at polling places on November 8 to cast their votes.” NaFFAA Regional Chair Myrna Farinas Reyes of San Diego, CA. is calling on the Filipino American community to “come together and demonstrate our collective strength as an influential voting bloc. Let us proudly and unequivocally assert ‘I am a Filipino American Voter.’” n
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The presidential debate on Sunday launched a new tandem between Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Miriam Santiago, which was christened by netizens as “DuRiam.” Their apparent mutual admiration and respect for each other during the square off caught the attention of netizens who turned out as instant fans. Soon as the program was over, memes of the two started going around social media. Moments before the show was aired on television, Duterte approached Santiago and gave her a salute. They even hugged each other onstage. While other presidentiables argued with one another during the debate, the two of them only exchanged praises. When Santiago, who fought stage 4 cancer, was questioned about her health, Duterte instead defended Santiago in the rebuttal. “I will not go into an argument with Ma’am Miriam. She’s telling you the truth. I don’t see Sen. Santiago passing away within the next 20 years so what’s the problem?” he said. Prior to the show, Duterte said that he was threatened by Santiago because she was “bright” and he considers her as his greatest rival at the program. “We have been friends for a very long time. He was one of the sponsors during my 25th wedding anniversary. And when I’m in Davao, I always try and pay him a visit for only a social purpose, nothing political. I’m always happy to see him… He’s always been a gentleman with me,” Santiago told Inquirer.net before the event. She added that the tough-talking mayor is “different from the public image.”
Presidential debates held in Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City with Sen. Miriam Santiago, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hugging. Inquirer.net photo by Lyn Rillon
Santiago is trailing in surveys, consistently at the fifth spot among all contenders. But she was quick to defend herself. “I did not start to campaign until the formal start of the campaign period since Feb. 9. That’s because that’s what the law says, so I want to go around the country and point to them and tell the people, ‘Do not elect people like that because they are not yet in office and they are already violating the law,’” she said of her opponents who have started going around even before the official campaign launch early this month. On Friday afternoon, Santiago will meet students of University of Cebu- Banilad campus. This will only be her third public appearance since the campaign period started on Feb. 9. n
China builds radars in disputed sea, US…
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air traffic coming north from the Malacca Straits and other important channels, according to the CSIS report. CSIS also pointed to “probable” radars as well as helipads and gun emplacements built by China on Philippine-claimed Burgos (Gaven), Subi (Hughes) and Mabini (Johnson South) Reefs in the Spratlys. Beijing previously operated radars on Philippine-claimed Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, but the latest radar installations would give the Chinese military far more extensive coverage, according to regional analysts. Wang visit The CSIS report comes on the eve of a US visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during
which US concerns about China’s assertive territorial claims will be high on the agenda. Mark Toner, a spokesperson for the US Department of State, said the United States would “press China to deescalate and stop its militarization” in the South China Sea. Toner said China’s “militarization activity” only escalated tensions. “There needs to be a diplomatic mechanism in place that allows these territorial claims to be settled in a peaceful way,” he added. Wang is due to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday. Their talks will also include the international response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch, cybersecurity and climate change, Toner told a
regular news briefing. In a talk with reporters last week, Kerry said, “There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarization of one kind or another. It’s of a serious concern.” US President Barack Obama last week called for “tangible steps” to lower tensions in the region. The Obama administration is under congressional pressure to step up the US response to China’s activities in the South China Sea. Lawmakers are expected to raise their concerns on Tuesday in the Senate armed services committee which has summoned the commander of US forces in the Pacific. (Inquirer.net with reports from the wires)
A FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 3, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
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OpiniOn
Features
Ideological 30 YEARS ago—on Feb. 25, 1986—the People Power Revolution on EDSA trampled the 20-year-old dictatorship of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. For the generation who witnessed this peaceful uprising, the echoes of the People Power Revolution reverberated not only in the air, but in the consciousness of the Filipinos who were awakened to their senses about a leader who kept their democracy in chains. When Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, then Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was one of the first to be arrested. He was allowed to leave for the US due to his health condition. While in the US, Aquino attended forums, symposiums and delivered speeches in freedom rallies opposing the Marcos dictatorship. Saying “the Filipino is worth dying for,” Aquino returned to the Philippines from his exile in the US to continue his plight for the restoration of the Filipinos’ rights and freedom. He met his death upon his arrival at the Manila International Airport. He was shot in the head while being escorted off the airplane by his captors via the Manila International Airport. His kababayans found solidarity in his death. His widow, the late Cory Aquino was thrust into the public eye. She ran for president against Marcos during the 1986 snap elections and pulled the Filipinos out in the streets for the People Power Revolution. According to the Malacañang Palace, the essence of People Power Revolution remains: to
commemorate the heroism and greatness of the Filipino race that helped the country achieved freedom. “The important issues here are freedom and justice. The EDSA People Power revolution became the answer of the Filipino nation to the suppression of their freedom and making a travesty of democracy by imposing martial law,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said. Coloma also said that remembering this event would make Filipinos learn from the past. “We were united in EDSA in 1986 based on principles of democracy, freedom and justice. That is the true spirit of our EDSA 30 celebration,” Coloma added. The People Power Revolution is embedded in Philippine history. To honor the people who have suffered and lost their lives for the sake of democracy, today’s Filipinos must never forget the event that freed the country from the clutches of a tyrannical ruler. Much has been achieved since martial law. But with present controversies hounding current
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
government leaders, Philippine politics appears to be hampered by bureaucracy, manipulation of money, interests of capital and the status quo. Filipinos must zealously guard that has been granted to them by the People Power Revolution.
Filipinos must appreciate the genuine meaning of democracy, which is empowered by the will of the people. It gives the citizenry the power to overturn the culture of corruption, unethical conduct, and self-serving antics of politics. (AJPress)
Fil-Am who started petition for Nike to drop Pacquiao gets death threats. Should Pacquiao Intervene? FIL-AM Aries Dela Cruz spearheaded an online petition for Nike to drop the Philippines’ Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao as its endorser after the boxing congressman compared people in homosexual relationships to animals. Now, this kababayan from New Jersey is getting death threats online. The harassment and threats are reportedly not only aimed at Dela Cruz, but are also targeting many gays and lesbians. After all, their idol Manny Pacquiao has been humiliated all over the world, been labeled homophobic and a bigot, and has income opportunities following Nike’s decision to drop him as an endorser of their sports apparel. Pacquiao supporters also burned their Nike shoes as a sign of protest and have urged kababayans to ban the brand. An online petition, which has reportedly gained more than 18,000 signatures as for this writing, has also been created, urging the Philippine government to declare Dela Cruz ‘persona non grata’ in the country. The petition calls Dela Cruz a
personalities and human rights “selfish traitor.” activists came to Dela Cruz’s Surprisingly, even Fil-Ams who The Fil-Am defense. They say Dela Cruz has are exposed to the “political corbeen offended by Pacquiao’s rectness” and “inclusive culture Perspective remarks and has all the right to of the American people, have not start a petition in a free country lost love for Manny because of like America. He, too, has his what he did.” freedom of speech which does In an online poll, The Filipino Gel SantoS-ReloS not take away nor diminish Channel’s daily newscast “BaliPacquiao’s freedom of religion tang America” asked its viewers: “Were you personally offended by Pacquiao’s and freedom of speech. They explain that they respect Pacquiao’s comments comparing people in homosexual restand against same-sex marriage/relationship lationships to animals?” A big majority of those who voted, 66 percent, because of his religious views, but what they said said NO. Some said Pacquiao was just express- was offensive was the comparison to animals, ining his opinion because of his religious convic- sinuating that these people were even lower than tions, and he has the right to do so because of animals because animals do not engage in homosexual relationships. free speech. Of course those knowledgeable about science, 34 percent said YES. They opined that Pacquiao’s comments were hurtful, homophobic as pointed out by Broadway superstar and Filiand unworthy of someone who is known as “The pino singer/actress Lea Salonga on social media, know that there are many kinds of animals who People’s Champ.” However, many LGBT advocates, respected DO engage in homosexual acts. They urge Pac-
quiao to do more research before making such unfounded statements meant to discredit gays and lesbians. They also say Nike dropped Pacquiao because Dela Cruz’s petition gained traction. Many people were offended by Pacquiao’s statements and signed the petition. They, too, are exercising their freedom of expression. Nike and other brands who have distanced themselves from Pacquiao also exercised their right to do what they believe is in the best interest of their business. But what is really concerning are the death threats being thrown at Dela Cruz. To his credit, Pacquiao told his fans not to hate but to pray for Nike. But with the tension now elevated to death threats, shouldn’t Pacquiao categorically speak up in defense of Dela Cruz to avert any violence? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Who is really leading in the presidential race? THE recent BusinessWorld (BW)-So- Street cial Weather Station (SWS) presidential Talk preference survey, conducted from February 5 to 7, tells us that Vice President GReG B. MacaBenta Jejomar Binay is ahead of the pack with a 29 percent rating. While this is lower than the 31 percent that he got in the January 8-10 BW-SWS reading, one could conjecture that Binay’s score has actually remained relatively stable because of the margin of error of +3 percent. Binay is followed by Sen. Grace Poe and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who are tied with 24 percent. While Poe has maintained her rating in the last poll, Duterte has surged from 20 percent in January. On the other hand, Liberal Party standard-bearer, Mar Roxas, appears to have lost ground, from 21 percent down to 18 percent. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has remained in last place with 4 percent, a slight improvement from 3 percent in the last SWS poll. In stark contrast, the Pulse Asia survey of January 24-28 -- only a few days earlier than the BW-SWS reading -- had Poe in the lead with 30 percent (up by 9 percent from 21 percent in the polling firm’s December reading) and Binay suffering a 10 percent drop to 23 percent from 33 percent in December. Significantly, Roxas and Duterte, both rating 20 percent in Pulse Asia’s January survey, were said to be statistically tied with Binay because of the margin of error. How do you explain the variance between the BW-SWS and the Pulse Asia surveys, which were conducted only
a few days apart and ostensibly using a representative nationwide respondent base? Well, if your head hasn’t stopped spinning yet from trying to figure out the variance, in the Standard-Laylo survey, conducted from January 27 to February 4 (almost overlapping the February 5-7 BW-SWS poll), it was Poe who was on top with 29 percent while Binay and Roxas both rated 22 percent. Duterte was close to 20 percent. To further add to your confusion, in the Pulse Asia January 24-28 survey, Binay and Poe were virtually tied in Metro Manila (32 percent and 33 percent, respectively), but in the Standard-Laylo reading, Poe was way ahead with 35 percent vs. only 22 percent for Binay. While I have occasionally been critical of SWS and Pulse Asia, mainly over the issue of methodology (I’ve only been recently exposed to Junie Laylo’s work), I’m not willing to go along with critics who have accused them, and other survey firms, of selling out to political interests. Even that startling November SWS survey -- which had Duterte enjoying a commanding lead of 38 percent, compared to 21 percent each for Poe and Binay, and Roxas’ 15 percent -- was explained away (albeit, awkwardly) as having been commissioned by a Duterte supporter who appears to have influenced the way the questionnaire was framed (allowing a leading question that created an obvious bias for Duterte). SWS made no effort to deny who funded the survey. It could, of course,
have protested the media exploitation of the results by the Duterte camp. And it could also have more vigorously clarified that the methodology was not up to its high standards. But, unless a specific condition prohibits a survey funder from using the results for certain purposes, all is fair in war and politics and surveys happen to be one of the weapons of choice. How survey results are used for political advantage is obvious. Impressive results for a candidate are supposed to generate a bandwagon effect on voters, motivate bigtime contributors to loosen the purses, and cause the usual political carpetbaggers to jump in. But the key to unleashing these dynamics is in the hands of media. This is where the astute political operators get to work. By motivating media to banner the results and give them a positive spin, the bandwagon is supposed to start rolling, the money bags are supposed to be loosened and the political ward leaders are supposed to be attracted like flies to food. At ground level, this scenario does not necessarily unfold. In the 2010 race for the vice-presidency, Mar Roxas was flying high throughout most of the survey periods. He enjoyed a rating of 47 percent and 39 percent in the SWS and Pulse Asia surveys, respectively, both conducted in December 2009. Loren Legarda was not far behind Roxas. In the same surveys, Jojo Binay was struggling with only 10 percent. At a certain point in the campaign, Roxas even enjoyed higher poll ratings than Noynoy Aquino, such that some of Roxas’ supporters began making noises that he should not have given up his presidential candidacy in favor
of Aquino. However in the May 2-3 SWS survey, just a few days before the May 10 elections, Binay had overtaken Roxas with a razor-thin margin of .2 percent (37.2 percent vs Roxas’ 37 percent). Legarda was down to only 12 percent. The final results had Binay winning 41.65 percent of the votes against Roxas’ 39.58 percent. The lesson is obvious to the wise political strategist. Don’t let the current survey results go to your head. The numbers have a way of going up or down and the margin of error may be larger than the statistical calculations of the research firms. Back in my early ad agency days, we were constantly reminded: “Use research as a lamp to illuminate rather than as a lamp post to lean on.” The best use of survey findings is as an indicator of strengths and weaknesses. In this regard, it makes no sense to argue that unflattering results may have been due to a biased methodology conducted by mercenaries in research scientists’ clothing. “Keep running scared,” is a motto that I have heard from veteran politicians. “Never take anything for granted.” If the ratings are down, the seasoned strategist will take that seriously and find out why. If the ratings are up, he will find out why, too. It’s just as bad not knowing why your candidate is ahead as not knowing why he is behind. There’s another factor aside from voter preference, as indicated by the surveys, And it could be the gamechanger. In the 2004 presidential elections, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo defeated Fernando Poe, Jr. by a nar-
row margin of 3.48 percent (equivalent to one million votes). Up to the time she had served her full term, Arroyo never lived down the accusation that she had schemed with Comelec officials, specifically Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, to pad the election results with the winning margin. The infamous “Hello Garci” phone call of Arroyo has forever tainted her legacy. In other words, whatever Pulse Asia, BW-SWS and Standard-Laylo say about who is leading in the polls, the usual skeptics believe that a “Garcified” electoral count will determine the final results. Will someone make a crucial phone call to the Comelec the way Arroyo did to Garci? Frankly, I don’t think that a phone call will be necessary. The way Noynoy Aquino has been using his presidential muscle to twist the arms of provincial officials and ward leaders, down to the barangay captains, he doesn’t need to make that call. The message he has sent to everyone in his administration – especially those he has appointed to key positions - is that he wants Roxas elected president by hook or by crook. Who’s really leading in the presidential race? The surveys will tell you from time to time, and the results will keep changing as election day nears. But the big question is: Who’s going to win in the counting? Take it from one battle-scarred pundit: “If you thought getting Chief Justice Corona impeached was important enough for Aquino to bribe members of the Senate, imagine how important it is for him to see that his presidential candidate will win.” (gregmacabenta@ hotmail.com)
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 3, 2016
A
Study shows most Pinoys hooked on cellphones by Ted
Torres Philstar.com
MANILA—Mobile phone has become a necessity for the common man as more than three fourths of Filipinos look at their devices within 15 minutes after waking up, according to the Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey. The survey also showed that 73 percent of Filipinos still prefer to use SMS or text message over instant messaging (IM). But those who use IM or 33 percent of the respondents turn to Facebook Messenger instead of pure Over-The-Top (OTT) IM services to communicate. According to the report, 94 percent of Filipino IM users use Facebook Messenger, an app that has been downloaded three times more than Skype and 10
times more than WhatsApp in this country. In Southeast Asia, IM emerged as the most popular messaging tool, with IM usage increasing and SMS decreasing across the board, except in the Philippines. Filipinos also glance at their screens repeatedly, using their phones most frequently when commuting on public transport. The survey likewise revealed that a significant proportion of Filipino users (31 percent) listen to online radio via their smartphones. About 82 percent of Filipino respondents use Wi-Fi at home, in the workplace, or their place of study while the rest use Wi-Fi in public places. The popularity of IM will continue to hold in the region, with Filipinos finding it a convenient
option for chatting with friends and family overseas. Navarro Amper & Co. managing partner and chief executive officer Greg Navarro said telecommunication operators could take advantage of this situation to increase revenues from data usage. “They can, for example, tailor chat packages to specific IM applications that are widely used in their respective local markets,” Navarro said. Navarro Amper & Co. is the local member firm of Deloitte Southeast Asia Ltd., which conducted the survey, which covered 49,500 consumers across 31 countries. The survey was done to determine the trending attitudes and behaviors of today’s mobile consumer. It was conducted in the third quarter of 2015. n
SC asked to resolve Arroyo plunder case by edu
Punay Philstar.com
MANILA—The camp of detained former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria MacapagalArroyo has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to rule on her petition to end her trial for plunder before the Sandiganbayan. Her lawyer, former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza, also urged the SC to decide on her plea to stop the anti-graft court from trying her for the remaining case, which involves the P366-million fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). “It is very unfair. The former president has been in detention for three years. She is sick. She is being arbitrarily detained. She does not deserve to be in detention a day longer,” Mendoza told SC reporters in an interview. The lawyer lamented that Arroyo is being treated unfairly because most of the other accused in the plunder case—including all the PCSO directors who approved the disbursements—have been acquitted. Mendoza believes there is no more legal basis to keep Arroyo in detention other than being “treated like a trophy of an achievement of this present administration.” He made the appeal after the 120-day status quo ante order, which the SC issued to halt the proceedings before the Sandiganbayan First Division, lapsed last Feb. 19. The case against Arroyo, he stressed, is weak as the prosecution failed to present evidence to establish or even support its allegations. “In all my years as a defense lawyer, a prosecution lawyer, a solicitor general for 14 years, I have never seen a case like this when an accused is being detained without any single evidence produced to establish that she committed the crime charged,” Mendoza said. “In fact, not a single exhibit in the 637 exhibits offered by the prosecution or a single testimony of the 21 witnesses prove that she amassed, accumulated or acquired even a single peso of the P365million CIF (confidential intelligence funds) alleged
EDSA Experiential Museum’s Hall of the Lost or the Disappeared (Desaparecidos). The EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) hopes to debunk myths and misconceptions about the People Power Revolution, especially among the new generation of Filipinos, through an experiential museum set up at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The interactive museum, which is composed of nine halls, recreates the martial law victims’ struggle for democracy, including the events that led to the bloodless revolution in 1986. Inquirer.net photo by Yuji Vincent Gonzales
Will LP drop Robredo? Lacierda belies claims by KrisTine
angeli Inquirer.net
Former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza believes there is no more legal basis to keep former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in detention other than being “treated like a trophy of an achievement of this present administration.” Philstar.com file photo
in the information,” Mendoza claimed. He questioned the Sandiganbayan’s denial of Arroyo’s plea to have the case dismissed via demurrer and accused the court of creating a new law on plunder. The SC should correct this “grave abuse of discretion committed by the Sandiganbayan and not allow the conviction of Mrs. Arroyo based on just one fact – that she was the president of the Philippines from the period January 2008 to June 2010,” he added. Arroyo filed a petition in April last year to ask the SC to reverse the final Sandiganbayan ruling that denied her motion to post bail. She reiterated this plea in October last year, citing a report from the United Nations Technical Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that recommended her release from detention. The UN panel, composed of five independent human rights experts, said Arroyo’s application for bail was “in accordance with relevant international human rights standards.” Amal Clooney, international human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney, represented Arroyo in the UN. n
NORTH AMERICA
each other in their speeches. So, why listen to her when all you need to watch and listen are Mar and Leni on the campaign trail?” Lacierda told media in a text message. Malou Tiquia, founder of campaigns management firm Publicus Asia, on Facebook complained that she received information from “two different but credible sources” that Robredo might be junked by LP “if she does not pick her numbers.” Tiquia, who has been publicly supporting Robredo, said the congresswoman’s rankings has improved but “she (Robredo) is plateauing…because there is not enough support to get her message out.” Earlier reports said that while Tiquia has been supporting Robredo, her bet for the presidency is opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay. “Is it true that she was a consultant for VP Binay in his terrible debate performance and that she is rooting for Binay as President and Leni for VP? If so, I am not surprised at her efforts to wormtongue a different tandem considering the debacle of Binay last Sunday,” Lacierda said of Tiquia. In her post, the Publicus CEO said Robredo “remains loyal to a fault to LP” and that the ruling party’s possible decision to junk her “at this early stage is cruel.” She claimed that people are wary of Robredo’s chances to
sabillo
PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Thursday, Feb. 25 shot back at a political strategist who claimed that the ruling Liberal Party (LP) will drop Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo as its candidate for the vice presidency due to poor survey rankings. “Mar (Roxas) and Leni have been going out on a tandem campaign and both have been reinforcing Daang Matuwid and each other in their speeches. So, why listen to her when all you need to watch and listen are Mar and Leni on the campaign trail?” Lacierda told media in a text message. Malou Tiquia, founder of campaigns management firm Publicus Asia, on Facebook complained that she received information from “two different but credible sources” that Robredo might be junked by LP “if she does not pick her numbers.” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Thursday shot back at a political strategist who claimed that the ruling Liberal Party (LP) will drop Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo as its candidate for the vice presidency due to poor survey rankings. “Mar (Roxas) and Leni have been going out on a tandem campaign and both have been reinforcing Daang Matuwid and
TAIPEI
The Best Link to Cross the
counter the rise of Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., running mate of presidential candidate Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago. President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday spoke against the Marcos family, zeroing in on the senator who supposedly blocked the passage of the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law. The Aquino and Marcos families have been at odds since the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was accused of masterminding the assassination of his number one critic, former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., the President’s father. Tiquia’s sources reportedly said that another vice presidential candidate had better chances at beating Marcos. But she answered, “That easy, you junk her? What kind of party are you? What kind of leader do you have?” Tiquia, referring to the latest Pulse Asia survey, said she asked her source if LP will hold unto Robredo if her preference ratings increased to 25 percent. “That person was quiet,” she said in her post. “I ended the conversation with: ‘You don’t junk Leni, you give her the wherewithal to fight.’ The person said I should not get mad because this is just politics.” “This is politics and Leni will win because she is better than your Plan B,” Tiquia ended her post. n
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February 26 - March 03, 2016
Paolo EsPanola and his friEnds arE bEhind hiddEn aPron, thE grouP bEhind this PoP-uP dinnEr in thE lowEr East sidE, nYC.
people events arts culture entertainment
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
HIDDEN APRON AGENDA
Encouraging More People to Cook, One Pop-up Dinner at a Time by MoMar
G. Visaya/AJPress
Paolo Espanola briefly explained what he and his friends from Hidden Apron want to achieve. He went on to discuss a little history of every dish they presented that evening.
THERE’S no stopping Filipino cuisine from evolving in New York City as cooks and purveyors of the Filipino Food Movement continue to present inventive interpretations of traditional dishes from the homeland. Done through pop-up dinners or collaboration work with fellow chefs, these dinners and supper club meetings present a different side of the cuisine, one that is seldom seen. Over the past couple of weeks, we saw just that. There was a Hidden Apron popup celebrating the old and the new, using both Filipino and French techniques in cooking. Then there’s Maharlika’s Guest Chef Series featuring a couple of Ecuadorian chefs and their version of Filipino dishes. Some called it Ecuapino, another called it Filidorian. There’s Manila Social Club in Brooklyn which has been getting a lot of buzz for their $100 Golden Cristal Ube Donut, undoubtedly the fanciest one in the world. Helping push the envelope further by becoming more visible on the streets of Manhattan and Queens is Sisig City, a food truck selling Filipino dishes including their signature take on the quintessential Kapampangan dish they proudly carry on their brand. Hidden Agenda Old and New: Filipino dishes done with French flair. That was the theme of Hidden Apron’s recent popup dinner held at Exhibit C in the Lower East Side. The group behind Hidden Apron – that’s Paolo Espanola and his friends Ricky Ho, Michael Gonzales, Christina Dominguez, Bertha Arimas, Matthew Raymundo and AB Fofana took over the event space and cooked a delicious five-course dinner for about forty guests. Vincent Lacsamana and Miryam Osorio along with DJ Micah Vellian provided the music and entertainment part of the evening. Hidden Apron began almost by accident. Back in 2014, Ayesha Vera-Yu, founder of the non-profit Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK) asked Paolo and Ricky to prepare a four course meal for her family when the chef she had hired that night got into a car accident and cancelled hours before. “We only had a few hours notice to come up with a menu, get to South Orange, Jersey, and get
With a theme centering on ‘Old and New’, Hidden Apron showcased five dishes—a couple that were vegetable-forward, a dish that was magnificently done sous vide-style and a playful dessert that challenged each of the diners’ inner artists. AJPress Photos by Momar G. Visaya
ourselves situated. When we pulled it off, it just snowballed from there, a few more private events then popup dinners,” Paolo recalled. The collaboration worked so well that Paolo and his crew decided that a portion of the profits of all their dinners are invested with ARK, a for-impact organization that seeks to eradicate poverty in rural areas by empowering farmers and getting kids back to school through their award-winning feeding program, entrepreneurial ventures, and community organizing. Paolo remembers his curiosity on the culinary world was piqued after watching a Food Network show back when he was in high school. He asked to go to culinary school but his dad made him do accounting instead. “Cooking and Hidden Apron became an obsession and a rebellious expression and ultimately it saved me from being trapped in a cycle of “study hard, get a good/safe job, have kids, etc.”. I made my own curriculum (something many of us regular “cooks” do): eating out and taking notes, reading books, watching YouTube,” Paolo revealed. He had always wanted to get into the food industry since he was in high school but Paolo was not
sure how exactly. He said he just wanted - over time - to use Hidden Apron to help inspire more people to cook (through blogging, dinners, upcoming podcast). “We don’t claim to be “chefs”, our crew is comprised of regular folks, and it’s hard to pinpoint what “ethnicity” our food is. The whole point is to show everyone can and should cook and tell their stories through food and how interconnected we all are,” he explained. “We’re just regular people trying to cook more, eat better, and live well.” The new Netflix series Cooked talks exactly about that, getting more people to cook again. The four-part documentary series is based on science writer and food advocate Michael Pollan’s New York Times bestselling book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, published in 2013. He argues that cooking is “a primal human need” and its discovery set us apart from apes and made us human, a theory shared by Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham, who also appears in the show. Cooked is not a show where we watch other people cooking. On the contrary, it is a show that encourages us, its viewers, to get off our couches and go back to our own kitchens and cook. Pollan and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney issue this clarion call where they ask for a return to the kitchen in order to reclaim lost traditions and restore balance to our lives. “I’m hopeful that there will be a renaissance in cooking,” Pollan says in the series. “We all have powerful memories of being cooked for, by our moms or dads or our grandparents.” In between dishes during the popup dinner, Paolo, who works as a social media analyst, mentioned that they are looking for people who want to explore cooking and that it is not something to be scared about. “We are regular cooks with day jobs. If you can boil water, you can join us, you can cook,” he said. Old and New “What we have here tonight is French comfort food with local ingredients, as well as Filipino
The sold out pop-up dinner was held at a new event space in the Lower East Side and was attended by a diverse group of people.
standbys elevated with a technique, and a traditional new year food with a plant-forward twist. We have a menu that melds both old and new into a celebration around the thing we all share a love for: food,” Paolo added. “Growing up, the two cuisines that seemed inflexible to me were French and Pinoy (in a way all cuisines are to some degree). Both had these really strong-opinionated people who would be so incensed if you left out a certain ingredient or process...going as far as to tell me it isn’t “Filipino” at all or even “correct”,” he explained. They chose what he said was the easiest entry point to any cuisine: peasant fare, and remixed all components. Michael Gonzales, a home cook and a finance guy, joined Paolo and his team this evening. They collaborated on a couple of dishes, particularly the first one: Petit Salé Aux Haricots Mungo or what they called “Franco-Filipino Farmer Fare”. It had mung bean stew, Hasselback carrots, squash, garlic-thyme crema and smoked fish. “We combined two sometimes perceived as “inflexible” cuisines and took it old school,” Paolo remarked. The result was the deconstructed French cousin of our humble ginisang munggo. There was a hint of smoked fish (tinapa) but it was so subtle and it did not overpower the dish. Then there’s the bistek, only it was not the Filipino bistek as we know it. It was beef steak. Their “Bistek: A Reasonable Amount of Rice and Meat” may have
looked different from the Filipino version but the taste was almost exactly like it. The steak was cooked Sous Vide style and was served with cauliflower rice, charred leeks and coconut-lemongrass foam. Eating this dish was like having my mind play tricks on me since I was slicing an actual steak but it was even more tender than the thin strips of beef traditionally used for the dish. In between those two were a couple of fresh and appetizing vegetable-forward dishes. The first was Yusheng, a ritualistic and traditional salad eaten in the new year in Chinese communities especially in Singapore and Malaysia. It is a mix of collard greens, eggplant, cucumber atsara, avocado puree,
radish, black sesame-peanut dukka and miso-plum glaze. Then there was the Molo Binakol, an herbal coconut soup made of coconut broth, mushroom dumplings, and chayote slaw. It was a pansit molo meets binakol dish, it was light but very flavorful. Their last course was a Halo Halo dessert with a twist. The diners were given a palette with the different halo halo ingredients such as the ube panna cotta base, sweet potatoes, pears, black beans and pomegranate. It was a playful ending where they challenged their diners’ creativity by coming up with their own artworks using the ingredients they provided, a fun conclusion to a beautiful evening of great food and music.
Contributed photo by Hidden Apron
An Asian Journal
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ MARRIAGES are usually governed by the laws of the place of celebration. In the Philippines, the Family Code deals with the validity, invalidity, and termination of local marriages. Despite these laws, some people “invent” their own marriage laws, based on gossip, rumors, hearsay, or statements from friends, relatives or barangay captains. However, this can be dangerous, as the USCIS and Embassy follow the official laws on marriage in the Family Code, not the “laws” that you create or invent. Here are some typical rationalizations people offer, why their marriage is valid or invalid, despite the Family Code: My father-in-law “forced” me to marry his daughter. Therefore, the marriage is not valid. While sometimes a marriage can be annulled due to fraud, duress, or mistake, the “forced” party must take immediate legal steps to annul the marriage. Any person who continues living with his or her spouse for many years, has children, celebrate anniversaries, etc., cannot claim later that he or she was “forced.” It is difficult to reconcile a lengthy marriage with an alleged lack of consent based on force or duress. I haven’t seen my spouse in several years, so he must be presumed dead, and I am automatically “single,” and free to remarry. While there is a law in the Family Code concerning “presumptive death,”
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (Part 2 of 2) THERE seems to be a moral turpitude that ails a society when some of its members regard violence as an option. This much is certain — when extreme hubris rules the heart and mind, there will always be a lack of personal responsibility and accountability when something goes wrong. It would always be because of someone else’s fault or because of a set of
Magazine
You cannot make up your own marriage laws it is not something that happens automatically. You still have to go to court, and obtain a judgment declaring the marriage terminated because the spouse may be presumed dead, based on his absence, unknown whereabouts (despite good faith search), and total lack of communication and contact. And even a “presumptive death” court decree is no guarantee. I know of several cases where people used this presumptive death basis and even obtain a court decree. However, the Embassy investigated, and found out that the “dearly departed” spouse was very much alive, and the spouse who obtained the court decree was in regular contact with that “dead” spouse. If your spouse is alive, your “presumptive death” termination of marriage will not work or be accepted by the Embassy. My former spouse has already remarried and has another family. Therefore, I can remarry now. Unless you or your spouse obtained a court decree terminating your marriage (annulment/divorce), you are not free to remarry. If no courtordered termination of your marriage was obtained, your spouse is committing bigamy. That doesn’t entitle you to also commit bigamy. When your former spouse married a second time, he or she may not have disclosed to the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) he or she had an existing marriage, and so was able to obtain a marriage license. That doesn’t make that second marriage legal, nor would it terminate your existing marriage. I obtained a church annulment,
so I may remarry. While a church annulment may be acceptable for religious purposes, you need a court annulment to legally terminate your marriage for US immigration purposes. A church annulment would not be recognized for immigration purposes. Therefore, if you had only a church annulment of your first marriage, and then married a U.S. citizen, the marriage to the citizen may not be recognized for U.S. immigration purposes. I was promised that the marriage contract would not be recorded. Therefore, even though it was recorded, I should still be considered “unmarried.” Many people believe they can obtain a marriage license, go through a ceremony, say “I do,” but somehow remain “single,” because a well-connected relative or friend promised that the marriage contract would not be recorded. However, by law, if you satisfied the legal requirements of the marriage (marriage license, ceremony, solemnizing officer with authority to perform weddings, etc.), then you would be considered legally married, notwithstanding the relative or friend’s “promise” not to record the marriage contract. Even if a marriage contract is not recorded, it does not affect the marriage’s validity and you could still be considered legally married. The above are only a few of the excuses or rationalizations that people give as to why they believe they are single despite a marriage, or their marriage has been properly terminated. Relying on myths and misconceptions could have devastating effects. For example,
Pressure cooker violence “We tend to blame everything else but ourselves. The tendency to shirk responsibility is probably wired into our DNA right at the Garden of Eden with Eve originally playing the blame game early on. The devil made me do it. So did Adam. The woman gave me the apple.” circumstances. We tend to blame everything else but ourselves. The tendency to shirk responsibility is probably wired into our DNA right at the Garden of Eden
with Eve originally playing the blame game early on. The devil made me do it. So did Adam. The woman gave me the apple. It is our inability, due to pride, the
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
THIS WEEK ON “CITIZEN PINOY!” Leading US immigration lawyer Michael J. Gurfinkel continues to answer questions from Kapamilya in Rosemont, Illinois, such as “I petitioned my son without legally adopting him, can he still qualify for a visa?,” “Once I become a US citizen, can I invite my parents and siblings to come to the US as tourists?” Get answers to these and more on an encore episode of the information-packed, award-winning public service program -- “Citizen Pinoy,” this Sunday, February 28 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).
if you were petitioned by an immigrant parent as “single” but you were married, your petition is void. Reliance on the fact that the marriage contract was not supposed to be recorded does not erase the fact that you are married. If you are married to your first spouse, and then marry a second spouse (who is a U.S. citizen), but you have not properly terminated your first marriage, the citizen cannot petition you, as you are not legally married to the citizen. It doesn’t matter that your first spouse may have already married someone
else. That is why it is important that you seek the advice of a reputable attorney, who can analyze your situation and guide you according to laws that are “on the books”, as opposed to mythical laws, made up by friends, relatives, gossip, rumors, or misconceptions. ***
deadliest of all human failings, to own up to sin. And so it was with the fallen angels. There’s only one antidote to pride for us mere mortals and that is to cultivate daily a grateful, humble heart that thanks God for every moment of life on earth. Our Blessed Mother Mary exemplifies the kind of heart that bears all. That is why she is worthy of emulation of the ultimate role model for a God-centered life. I say emulation but not adoration. Adoration belongs to God alone. That is why the devil works hard but fails miserably to marginalize the role of the Holy Mother Mary in Christian worship. Many Christian churches have fallen into the devil’s snare eliminating God’s choice for the most powerful of intercessors among humans.
“Thou shalt not kill” is a commandment that holds in good times and in bad. There’s no moral relativism on this. Each is precious to God or He wouldn’t have sacrificed His own Son if He didn’t think we were worth the time and trouble. Each murder, particularly abortion, is a grievous sin against the Holy Spirit from whom all life comes. Man has discounted his own worth. Part of the reason we have discounted the value of human life is that modern society has become so desensitized to violence and death via the content in films, games and media that pass for entertainment these days, that we take life for granted as though it means nothing. Does hell exist? How is punishment meted out in the afterlife?
Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information
contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)
In the physical universe, scientists claim that there are black holes in the known universe that cannot be seen by human eyes but with gravitation so strong that it suctions, as in a whirling cosmic cauldron stirred by mighty forces, all the stars and planetary systems that come within its orbit, so strong that not even light can escape. That must be what hell is like. Need a visual image for hell aside from Dante’s Inferno? Black holes could fit the bill as a repository for lost souls, a cold, dark, fetid, state of gnawing pain and bitter regret, filled with the piercing screams of the damned, without the presence of God for all eternity, and forever blotted out from all memory except their own. Continued on Page 6
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
On the PEP Front
People, Events, Places
Rose P. Javier looks back sans regret as she turns 70
but in the minutest but impressively memorable AFTER having immeasurably moments I have encounlived life, deservingly attained tered and shared with the what she desired, and contentpeople I love.” edly enjoyed the vast reward of “That in life, planwhat she has painstakingly toiled ning maybe important for, it is only but fitting and apbut unexpected turn of propriate that Rose Pantoja Javier events and heartwarming recognizes the seven decades she surprises are what actually has profitably journeyed with a make life more exciting grandiose celebration to mark her and meaningful. I have noteworthy milestone. also learned that while you Although turning 70 could be enjoy life’s simple joys, the somewhat crucial especially for a aging process momentarily woman like her since this stage of ceases since the more I try life signals a penultimate phase to discover about the facts of existence, but Rose thrillingly of life the harder for me to anticipates her red-letter-day with comprehend my exisimmense enthusiasm. Being tence. I merely work hard born in 1946 during the Baby to realize my dream and I Boomer Generation that gave rise understand that nothing to independent and self-reliable happens overnight,” she women makes her a quintessential further assumed with enexponent of her era. thused pronouncement. For such an independent and With verity, Rose actually Rose P. Javier American Friendship Committee free-spirited woman like Rose, who realizes that living content(PAFCOM), Rose has effectively doesn’t allow age to affect neither edly with what she and her husher self-esteem nor the even flow band have conscientiously worked held totem pole positions in the Pan-American Concerned Citizens of her daily grind, growing old and for is more rewarding. “It’s but grey only gives her a more mature normal for people to be ambitious Action League, Inc. (PACCAL), the Garden State Filipino-American outlook in life while simultaneously and dream of things sometimes intensifying her grip for reality and impossible to realize. I, for one, had Association, Inc. (GSFAA), and the the very soul of her mortality. For also envisioned of luxury and living Filipino-American Association of her every passing year is a precious in style but as I aged and matured, St. Aloysius Parish while simultanegift for she could only experience I soon came to realize that material ously seated as Vice-President of other well-known Filipino-Amerito live it once. things are but transitory… and can organizations in the eastern “I am neither afraid nor that what actually matters and ashamed to grow old…it’s one gives joy are things that came from seaboard of New Jersey: the United Mindoro Association and Ladies rare privilege denied to many. And your sweat,” the self-sacrificing for Rizal. Aside from all these, besides turning old and gray with and sensitive-natured Pisces-born she’s also actively involved in a intact sanity, on tip-top shape, eloquently uttered. number of community events: as functional, and with closely knitted Being born on the 2nd day a member of the Board of Direcfamily is definitely the greatest of March makes Rose a typical tors and Events coordinator of the reward one gets after emerging Piscean… a woman with strong Philippine Fiesta in America, Inc., triumphant from a life-long battle convictions and personal vision. the Secretary of the Republican for survival,” Rose straightforwardly An independent thinker with the Committee (Jersey City Chapter), declared, seemingly based from ability to inspire and persuade her personal experience. others because of her indefatigable member of Philippine Dance Ensemble, and acted as Committee “Age is just a matter of numand passionate ways, she could Chair in various fundraising events ber... and how I look and perform manage to lead with unwavering and Charity Balls. were what actually emanated dedication and potent force. She Energetic and dynamic from within,” the septuagenarian may appear fragile in her diminuRose, despite her petite stature, celebrator defensively commented. tive physicality but tested in her “After an extensively tumultuous capability to face even gargantuan undoubtedly remains to be an archetypal example of an organizer journey, I have learned that life’s tasks bestowed on her dainty with a genuine heart…one who fullness is gauged not in years but shoulders. Rose is a doer, a shaker, combines compassion and sweepin the many ways I have touched and unmistakably, a mover. ing vision of a true community and influenced others…and that Currently the President-elect leader. Her long body of humanilife is savored not in grand gestures for the FY 2017 of the Philippine BoBBy T. yalong
EMPLOYMENT
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tarian service record and dutiful accomplishments benefiting a huge number of the less privilege provide credence to her authentic advocacy and munificent intention. Her assiduous participation in various organizational events neither failed to dampen her remaining energy nor keep her at rest. Since the time she was appointed by former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler as Commissioner of Cultural Affairs in 1997 (when she was the Stage Director to the former’s “Taste of the Nation” festival), Rose never considered taking a back seat as an option. Aside from her regular office hours at the Hudson County Social Services, she relentlessly attends to a number of less exposed but equally beneficial events where her charismatic public relations and tested capabilities as a fundraiser are potently applied that justifiably chose her as one among the “Women of Action” awardees by then Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, the Municipal Council and the Department of Cultural Affairs. Rose, being a woman of distinct pride, embraces her femininity to the hilt. Despite standing barely five feet tall, Rose’s innate charm was utilized to the tallest order. She has gracefully reigned as Reyna Emperatriz during the Catholic Action of Mary’s annual Santacruzan, Mrs. Performing Arts Philippines of P.A.P.I., and Ms. Balik-Mindoro of the United Mindoro Association. Innately loyal, trusting, and nurturing with an expansive understanding even of the complexities of the world of both adults and children, Rose exemplifies the muliebrity of someone that possesses the truest essence of a woman. Motherly with a munificent heart, Rose could easily dissuade or cancel even long-planned and pre-meditated engagement if and when anybody among her children or grandchildren calls for an un-
The birthday girl and hubby Rolly Javier
scheduled visit. They say that the truest fundamental nature of motherhood is reflected in the way she cares and raises her children. Since food is the shortest way not only to a man’s heart but to children’s, as well, her culinary expertise is often put to test during decisive moments like this. With her brisk movements and well-calculated kitchen maneuvers, preparing a three-course meal is as easy as setting a full table. The Bongabon, Oriental Mindoro-born birthday celebrator is blissfully married for forty-five years to one of the most ideal husbands a wife could ever find, the affable Rolly Javier of Imus, Cavite, and together they were blessed with four children: Sherwin, married to Kristine Magat-Javier, with three kids (Angelina Rose, Angelo, and Aeden, 14, 8, and 3, respectively); Leilani who is married to Oliver Evangelista with a 3-yearold daughter, Elise Kareen; Maureen who is married to Joe Varco with 3 children (20-year-old Justin, 18-year-old Michael and 15-yearold Alyssa Jade); and Kathleen, married to Noel Arzadon, with 2 children (Camryn, 6 and Alexa, 3). On Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 5:30 PM, a well-planned dinnerdance party is slated at the Crystal Ballroom of the Ramada Plaza Hotel (#160 Frontage Road, Newark, New Jersey) to commemorate Rose P. Javier’s 70th birthday. To be celebrated with her family, friends and community associates, the magnificent milestone will be aptly highlighted with lavishly prepared production numbers, vocal renditions by her grandchildren,
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and a specially choreographed medley dance exhibition by the Birthday Girl and dance instructor, Jun Cloma. How does it feel to be turning 70? Are there fears? Rose paused briefly, casting a glimpse at her painted nails as if evading eye contact …and after gathering her thoughts, incessantly decanted what was crowding her mind. “I don’t exactly know but one thing is certain… I am excited to celebrate it together with my loved ones and friends. I always love to be surrounded with people dear to me every time a significant event in my life comes. This is one defining moment and what better way to celebrate it than with family and friends. This is also my way of thanking my Creator for the good life and a rewarding journey.” “Although there were myriad schemes and huge impenetrable forces that tried to pull me down but all these absurdities were merely passing tempests that promised silver linings. After I’ve lived my 70 years in a tumultuous day-to-day existence, it’s about time to celebrate!” “My life may not be perfect and ideal since there were failures, losses, and pains… but no regrets. Those bitter points only challenged and motivated me to do better while adding spice to my struggle. I have such a wonderful family and supportive friends. Truly, this is an enjoyable life! I cannot ask for more.” For comments and suggestions, please email to: gemini0646@ yahoo.com.
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
Filipino develops app to simply fitness and health by Christina
M. Oriel
AJ Press
IT’S well into the second month of the year — how many individuals have ditched their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy and shed some pounds? But if you’ve stuck to your word or are looking for another way to stay active, there’s a new app for that. Nikko Mendoza, a 30-year-old Filipino from Fairfield, California, recently launched“Fit in 15,”a fitness and health app that combines workouts with nutritious meal plans. The inspiration for the app came from Mendoza’s own experience when he gained several pounds to the point where he couldn’t tie his shoes without
losing his breath. “When I got married, I stopped caring and I blew up. It wasn’t huge, but it got to a point where I would tie my shoes and I lost my breath…I would see my [stomach] in the way and I asked, ‘how did I get here?’” Mendoza shared. “So from there, I got back into working out, I read thousands of articles and it just kind of stuck with me.” “Fit in 15” is essentially a portable trainer that was created to eliminate the various excuses people have for not getting in a daily workout: affordability (the app is free for a trial period but is only $2.99 a month), no time (workouts span just 15 to 25 minutes)
Screenshot of Fit in 15 app
or stuck in a fitness rut (workouts options are abundant). With options for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), cardio acceleration or a fit test, users can perform the workouts anywhere, and can select whether they want to use equipment or just their own body weight. During a six-month development process, Mendoza looked at other fitness apps, but noticed that most of them didn’t have a nutrition component. “If you don’t teach people the other half, I feel like you’re cheating them,” he said. “If you’re first starting out, you need to have the basics and this common foundation of knowledge if you really want to lose weight.” Users can enter their basal metabolic rate and the app generates a customizable plan for up to every meal for a week. Since the app was launched in the Apple store in late January, Mendoza shared that some users have reported losing an average of two pounds a week. Some reviews of the app praise it for being “easy to navigate” and a “personal trainer and nutritionist all rolled into one.” Mendoza said the app is his way of making a difference in the lives of others. “The benefits of being healthy are unbelievable — confidence goes up, the pride you have, and it’s a snowball effect,” he said. He added, “to me, it’s really easy to be healthy. 15 minutes a day, that’s all you need. You can eat rice, Kare Kare and lumpia — you can eat all this food because I do — and still look decent.” More updates are planned for the app, such as progress tracking, incentives for completing achievements and different languages. Fit in 15 is currently available for iOS, and a version for Android is expected to be released soon. For more information, visit http://www.fitin15. training/.
PACCAL kicks off 2016 ‘Healthy Heart, Healthy Family’ program PAN American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL), kicks off its Healthy Heart, Healthy Family Program in February, the month of heart at Harborview Senior Apartments in Jersey City, New Jersey where majority of the tenants are Filipino-American Seniors. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is one of the leading causes of death for Filipino Americans. In California, Filipino Americans have a higher prevalence of high blood pressure compared to other Asian American subpopulations. In the Philippines, about one in four Filipino adults has high
blood pressure. During the American Heart month, PACCAL would like to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it, says Linda Mayo, PACCAL CEO/Founder. PACCAL has Certified Community Health Workers (CHWs) who teaches the program using the “Healthy Heart, Healthy Family” manual created especially for Filipino American communities by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institute of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Funded by the New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services, Older Americans Act Title III,
through a grant from the Hudson County Office on Aging. PACCAL is the first and only service provider that conducts this program in Hudson County. The team of PACCAL CHWs teaches the “Healthy Heart, Healthy Family” Program to Senior Centers and other places where seniors congregate to help them build skills to make practical, lasting changes to help fight heart disease and to improve their health. The CHW Team is headed by Bobby T. Yalong, PACCAL Executive Director. For more information on how to join the “Healthy Heart, Healthy Family” Program, contact Linda Mayo (201) 388-1260.
‘Bamboo Flowers’ charms audiences at 8th Bridges to the World Film Fest WASHINGTON, DC—“Bamboo Flowers,” a critically acclaimed film by multi-awarded director Maryo J. delos Reyes, charmed audiences during the 8th Bridges to the World Film Festival held at six separate venues in Maryland. The Bridges to the World Film Festival is an annual flagship event organized by the World Artists Experiences (WAE), a non-profit organization with the mission to bridge international understanding through cultural and citizen diplomacy. “World Artists Experiences (WAE) looks forward to presenting the film, BAMBOO FLOWERS, in partnership with the Embassy of the Philippines, as way to bridge our people and countries. The film is a wonderful means of people being taken to the Philippines and better understanding
the spirit of the people, the culture, and the country through the arts,” WAE President and founder Betty McGinnis said. “We celebrate the PhilippinesUS relations for over seventy years. Our hope is that WAE can continue to build bridges between the people of the Philippines and the US,” she added. “Bamboo Flowers” is a 2013 production that tells the stories of diverse characters experiencing major changes to their otherwise idyllic lives in the Philippine province of Bohol. It takes on themes such as school bullying, urban migration and vice versa, the problematic path of establishing careers and making ends meet in a limited economic environment. “The Philippines has so much to offer in terms of culture and heritage. ‘Bamboo Flowers’ is
Calendar of Events across
only one of the many Philippine films that have been able to successfully combine exposition of local culture and entertainment value in recent years. We intend to showcase more of these movies to foster appreciation of the Philippines among international audiences, especially to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-US relations this year,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said. The other four participating countries in this year’s festival are Israel (“Cupcakes”), Panama (“Breaking the Wave”), Slovakia (“Cruel Joys”), and Syria (“Vent and Cham Leaves of Damascus”). The 8th Bridges to the World Film Festival takes place from the first week of February to the first week of March.
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New Americans Campaign FREE citizen workshops in LA A partnership with the Catholic Charities of Los Angeles and Immigrant Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS) will help local green card holders take the first step towards becoming citizens through FREE event as part of the New Americans Campaign. The workshop will provide lawful permanent residents with free naturalization application assistance by professional and trained volunteers. Individuals will also receive legal counsel by pro bono attorneys and legal experts. Services are available in multiple languages. WHERE/WHEN: Friday, February 26, 2016 at 10:30am Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (3621 Brunswick Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039) RSVP: Registration for the Immigrant Refugee and Immigrant Service (IRIS) workshop is required. For more information, call 213-819-1890. Services are available in English, Spanish, Russian, Farsi and Arabic.
F E B R UA RY 27
FREE Citizenship Workshop/legal assistance in North Hollywood On Saturday, February 27, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles and Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) will help local green card holders take the first step towards becoming citizens through two free events as part of the New Americans Campaign. These workshops will provide lawful permanent residents with free naturalization application assistance by professional and trained volunteers. Individuals will also receive legal counsel by pro bono attorneys and legal experts. Services are available in multiple languages (English, Khmer, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Spanish), and registration for both workshops is required. The Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles workshop will take Saturday, February 27, at 9:00am at 1145 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017. For more information, call 213-977-7500. The CARECEN workshop will take place Saturday, February 27, at 12:00pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (5250 Central Ave, Riverside, CA 92504). For more information, call 213-385-7800 X 152.
MARCH 4-6
GK USA National Summit 2016
Jersey City launches new loan programs for small businesses as Fulop administration continues to support local entrepreneurship JERSEY CITY—In an effort to further support small businesses in Jersey City, Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced today the launch of two new loan programs to serve local business owners who wish to invest in their businesses or start a new one, especially in those areas most in need. The EDA Microloan Fund is a new program offering $1,000 to $5,000 loans at low interest rates (based on the Wall Street Journal prime rate, which is currently 3.5 percent). The program is being funded by $70,000 in currently unused funds from the Federal Economic Development Authority. The second program, the Small Business Investors Fund, is a forgivable loan program available to small business owners in underserved commercial corridors. These funds may be used for a variety of store upgrades, startup costs, and other business investments, and the program is funded by a generous $50,000 grant from Investors Bank. In November, Investors Bank opened a full-service branch in the MLK Hub offering not only traditional banking products but also small business and personal finance services. These loans range from $5,000 to $10,000 and a portion of the loan will be forgiven each year as long as the recipient remains in business in the same location and employs Jersey City residents. This program is designed to support brick-and-
mortar businesses in certain Special Improvement Districts as well as other underutilized commercial corridors targeted by the Office of Innovation. “Small businesses are driving the growth of our local economy, adding hundreds of new jobs, providing important services and improving neighborhoods across the city,” said Mayor Fulop. “A focus of our economic development policy has been to prioritize small business development and growth by providing tools and resources like these new micro-loan programs that in many cases give a business owner the start they need to succeed.” The two new loan programs, developed in partnership with the Office of Innovation, expand on the success of the Jersey City Fund, which launched last September to provide small business loans from $25,000-$250,000, the City’s new programs help facilitate funding for qualified business owners needing smaller infusions of capital. In discussing the new loan program for small businesses, Investors Bank President and CEO Kevin Cummings said, “We are proud to be the local bank in Jersey City that is part of a public-private alliance to serve startup firms. As a community and small business-focused Bank, we know that new and existing companies need ready access to capital so that they can grow their operations. Also, thriving small businesses can create jobs and
help revitalize neighborhoods. We believe that the financing available through this program will make a positive difference for companies in this City.” Both new funds will be administered by The Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (JCEDC). An information session for all interested applicants will be held on Wednesday, March 23 at 3 p.m. at City Hall and will broadly cover how to access all business loans and grants that the city offers. Interested applicants may contact the JCEDC at 201-333-7797 to learn more about eligibility and the application process. Additional information is available at www.jcedc.org. These new funding opportunities are just the latest in a series of steps taken by the Fulop Administration to support local small businesses in Jersey City. From revamping the Buildings Department to expedite approvals to driving new development throughout the city with an innovative tax abatement policy, the Fulop Administration has made improving the business climate in Jersey City a top priority. These efforts have had a large impact on the economic landscape – since Mayor Fulop took office, more than 450 small businesses have opened shop in Jersey City. The small business growth has contributed to a net 6,333 new jobs created since July of 2013, as employment has dropped to an historic low of five percent.
There is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new land of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, innovative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entrepreneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriving nation. Asian Americans will have a taste of the emerging market of world-class, affordable Philippine-made products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo chocolates. Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and livelihood to the poorest of the poor, and learn about GK, GK USA, and GK Enchanted Farm programs. The Summit will take place from March 4-6, 2016, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). To register, please visit gk-usa.org.
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Eagle Rock High School Monthly Open House Tours Eagle Rock High School invites the community to International Baccalaureate Open House Tours, from 8-10am during the spring semester on March 11; and Friday, April 1. Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School serves students in grades 7-12, and was the first school in the LAUSD to be authorized to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (grades 7-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12), a project-based program for concept and content-based learning to promote global mindedness and service to others. The IB Open House is open to all interested students, and will include an introductory presentation in the ERHS library, followed by campus tours, classroom visits, and a short question-and-answer period. To register for the Open Houses, please visit www.erhs.la, and click on the “IB Open House Registration” link. Please email Mylene Keipp mylene.keipp@lausd.net for more information. We look forward to your visit!
MARCH 6
Love to Nippon 2016 “Love to Nippon 2016” is the fifth-anniversary memorial event and community-wide tribute to those lost and the survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The free event will support the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the devastated regions, and helps prepare and train Southern Californians for future natural disasters through sharing information and education, and designating “3.11” (March 11th) as the official statewide natural disaster preparedness training day. The formal program includes peaceful interfaith prayers, incense-burning, musical tributes, panel discussions, and outdoor information booths hosted by the American Red Cross, Home Depot, LA County Fire Dept., US Coast Guard, and affected prefectures of Japan. Love to Nippon 2016 takes place on Sunday, March 6, from 1 pm – 5:30 pm at LAPD Headquarters, Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium (100 West First Street, Los Angeles, California 90012). The event is free. To register (limited auditorium seating available), please visit www.lovetonippon.com. For more information, please call 310.484.1800 / lovetonippon2016@gmail.com.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
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Madonna visits children at Bahay Tuluyan Foundation
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
by AllAn PolicArPio
As thank you to guests, McDonald’s to offer some of its most iconic items on one value menu
FOR the first time in the company’s history, McDonald’s USA is offering four of its most iconic menu items – the Big Mac made with 100% beef, a 10-piece order of crispy Chicken McNuggets made with white meat, its golden Filet-O-Fish and the seared on the grill Quarter Pounder with Cheese – on a national value menu. Starting Feb. 29 nationwide, customers can mix and match any two of these McDonald’s classics for just $5 as part of a limited time offer. “We wanted to thank our guests for providing their feedback as we continue to build a better McDonald’s,” said Chef Jessica Foust, McDonald’s director of culinary innovation. “Offering All Day Breakfast, refreshing
classics like the Egg McMuffin and furthering our sustainability efforts are all examples of us listening to our guests. As a thank you and as proof that we will continue to listen, we are making our most iconic menu items available for a limited time at never before seen value.” While these classics have been discounted before as limited time offers, they have never been offered all together on one value menu. But these items are no strangers to making history: • They’ve stood the test of time with the youngest of the group, Chicken McNuggets, holding a spot on our national menu for 33 years, while the veteran, Filet-O-Fish, boasts 51 years. • The Big Mac and Filet-O-Fish
were all developed by McDonald’s franchisees – Jim Delligatti and Lou Groen respectively. • The Economist Magazine publishes the Big Mac Index to annually contrast the value of foreign currencies against the US dollar. • All four menu items originated in the US but are now sold in many other countries – most notable is the Big Mac which today is sold in more than 100 countries. And now, the Big Mac, 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish and Quarter Pounder With Cheese will add another milestone to the history books by coming together for customers to mix and match and enjoy at a great price. (Advertising Supplement)
Toni Gonzaga still mum about rumored pregnancy TONI Gonzaga would rather not talk about about her rumored pregnancy yet. “I think this is not the right place and moment to talk about it,” she replied when asked about her pregnancy, in an interview aired in the ABS-CBN late night talk show “Tonight with Boy Abunda” aired on Tuesday, feb. 23. The Kapamilya actress said that there’s “tamang panahon” to talk
about the issue. It was early this month when a report came out about her pregnancy, eight months after her wedding with Paul. In previous interviews, the actresshost said that they haven’t planned to have a baby yet and that she would still finish her projects with her home network even after she got married. (Joyce Jimenez/Philstar. Toni Gonzaga is still elusive on talking about her rumoured pregnancy with husband Paul com) Soriano.
Inquirer.net
A DAY before her scheduled concert on Wednesday, Feb. 24, pop culture icon Madonna spent her time visiting welfare institutions for children in Manila on Tuesday afternoon. Catherine Scerri, deputy director of the nongovernmental children’s rights organization Bahay Tuluyan, said the American singer-songwriter dropped by at their headquarters at 2 p.m. and stayed for close to an hour. “She watched a little dance number prepared by the children, and then ended up dancing with them, too,” Scerri told the Inquirer in a phone interview. “The children were very happy and enjoyed their time with Madonna,” Scerri said. On her Instagram account, Madonna posted a photo of her with three children under the organization’s care. “Chillin’ with my homies at the Bahay Tuluyan Foundation, giving shelter to orphans street children trafficking abuse victims in Manila,” Madonna wrote. Scerri described the meeting “private and casual,” with Madonna being accompanied by around 20 people, including some of her dancers. “They reached out to us yesterday. Initially, we thought it was only her dancers who will go. We found out that Madonna was also coming only today,” Scerri said, adding that Madonna asked her about how the foundation works. “We discussed the situation of the children and how we help them,” she said. Also on Instagram, Madonna
Madonna in Bahay Tuluyan Photos from Madonna’s Instagram account
Madonna at Hospicio de San Jose
shared with her 6.2 million followers photos of her playing with babies at the orphanage Hospicio de San Jose. “Everyone needs a tickle!” she wrote in another post. Madonna, one of the bestselling artists of all time, is currently in the
country for a two-night show at SM Mall of Asia Arena, on Feb. 24 and 25, as part of her ongoing “Rebel Heart” world tour. The Manila leg is presented by promoter Music Management International.
Anne Curtis and sister Jasmine admit they don’t always see eye to eye by rito P. Asilo Inquirer.net
ANNE Curtis rarely finds herself at odds with her sibling, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, whom she dotes on. But Anne, who turned 31 on Feb. 17, admitted to the Inquirer that when she does find herself “on a collision course” with her younger sister, it’s almost always about two things—Jasmine’s studies and her choice in boys. Anne and Jasmine gamely talked about “sisterly strife” after they took part (and competed) in Smart and Warner Bros.’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” event in SM Megamall last Saturday. It wasn’t hard to see why Anne chose to rally behind the Man of Steel’s in-your-face heroics, while Jasmine was partial to Bruce Wayne’s dark, brooding appeal. Anne muses, “This is why Jasmine is perfect for the indie films she starred in (like ‘Transit,’ ‘Puti’ and ‘Dementia’). I am unapologetically bubbly, while she’s perceived to have a more serious disposition in life.” Jasmine agrees, “She is more fun and bubbly—that’s probably why, between the two of us, she seems more youthful. She’s always full of energy.” With her characteristic vim and vigor, Anne also seized the opportunity to remind her followers to watch for her upcoming album, “Forever Young.” Anne cherishes her rare public moments with her sister. She says, “I want to do movies or TV shows with Jasmine, but we’re committed to different networks—I’m with ABSCBN, while she has a contract with TV5. But there’s a bigger possibility of us working together, especially now that Boss Vic (del Rosario) of Viva, which manages my career, is involved with TV5’s programming. I can’t wait for that to happen.” Do they give each other notes about acting or hosting? Jasmine discloses, “I ask her when I don’t
Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Anne Curtis
know what I’m doing—and she always has helpful advice. We learn from each other.” Anne quips, “Some people think that I’m a strict ate, but while that may have been true some years ago, I’m no longer as strict as I used to be. I’m more tolerant now, perhaps because Jasmine has learned to understand where I was coming from. I’m still protective, but these days it only comes out when needed (laughs).” Didn’t Jasmine feel that her ate’s “protectiveness” was intrusive? Jasmine says, “In the beginning, I couldn’t understand why she was being too strict—and I thought I already knew everything. When you’re young and finding your way in the world, you feel like you know everything. You want to be in control with your life. I was hard-headed … and I would just say, ‘Bahala na.’ Now, I know better.” Anne quickly quips, “She now knows that I was right (laughs)!” Then, she turns serious and puts their unique relationship in perspective, “We really don’t fight—I don’t see it that way. You have to realize that I am nine years older— she’s only 21. She was just a baby when I began acting.” How do they bond? Jasmine vol-
Pressure cooker... From Page 4 Is it possible that the morally bankrupt and depraved, regard the taking of a life as an option when things do not go their way or when the course of their lives hit a snag and overweening pride tells them to end it all, instead of getting down on their knees to pray to the God of their beings for the humility, the courage and the strength to endure and receive the grace to overcome the most severe of troubles? Gone is the fear of God, much less the love of God. As we steer farther and farther away from God and place something else in the center of our lives, scenarios of helplessness and despair such as what we are witnessing more frequently these days may be expected to unfold with eerie regularity. Particularly during the “Age of Self-
unteers, “We stay home and watch movies together.” What was their biggest fight about? Was it about … Sam Concepcion? Anne smiles cryptically but refuses to name names, “Alam na ng lahat ’yan (Everybody knows that already).” Jasmine replies, “Was that our biggest fight? Was it because of (she whispers to Anne) … or was it because of somebody else?” Anne beams, “Minsan kasi, I don’t approve of her choices in men. They have to be kind and respectful to the family—and try to get along with us.” Perhaps those men probably found Anne too intimidating…? Anne answers, “Ang bubbly ko kaya (laughs). Well, perhaps I’m just being an ate who wants only what’s good for her sister. Besides, the men who are making their presence felt around Jasmine now medyo like ko na (laughs).” Did Anne see herself in Jasmine when she was just starting out? Like a proud older sister, Anne replies with a smile, “Mas mabait siya sa akin (She’s better-behaved). I warn her against impatience. Patience is important in the different aspects of her life, whether in her career, studies or love life—everything has its time.” cause of a long, drawn-out presentation I was making on the upper floor of a nearby high-rise. Fortunately, I narrowly missed getting a hefty fine from the parking enforcer because a panhandler had dropped some coins for my car’s meter, from his can of coins. It stunned me to see him feeding all the meters that were expiring on that block. Of course, he may have been merely trying to annoy the heck out of the parking enforcer. Who knows? I only saw the kindness in the act. That stayed with me. From then on, I would remember and always be inspired by the completely anonymous gesture of that person who had practically nothing but still gave of the little he had. That’s when I knew kindness is contagious like the flu. ***
ies,” many have developed bloated images of their own self-importance. Far too many have become egocentric, overly individualistic, self-absorbed individuals. Perhaps during this period of testing, we would be a lot happier, healthier and less prone to veer towards lives of quiet desperation if we focused less and less on ourselves and more on the welfare of the other person and commit spontaneous, frequent acts of kindness and generosity to family members, total strangers and even those we struggle to love. It would be a tough slog but with God’s help, all things are possible. There was one telling incident I never quite forgot. Long ago, I was running breathlessly huffing and puffing in my stilettos to drop some Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian coins on a parking meter on Wilshire Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, eBoulevard I knew had expired be- mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc.com
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Stars given ‘gag order’ on Pacman issue
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY F E b R uA RY 26 , 20 1 6
By Dolly
Anne CArvAjAl InquIrer
SOME celebs begged off from commenting on the raging issue about Manny Pacquiao’s rift with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. As much as they would want to share their sentiments with media, some stars have been “ordered” by higher-ups to refrain from doing so. Could it be because the bigwigs are wary that their wards might also lose endorsements like what happened to Pacman if they make a faux pas? It’s better to be safe from the knockout punch! Indeed, Manny has endured all kinds of blows as a boxer, but nothing must have bruised him more than the controversy he is embroiled in because of his derogatory statements regarding the LGBT community. Pacman has turned into “YuckMan.” Instead of getting ready to rumble, the People’s Champ stumbled and fumbled. Be that as it may, the honor he brought to our country in the field of boxing remains. But for now, the hysterical reactions to his recent booboo eclipse his historic achievements. Although he has made a public apology, Manny still has to roll with the punches. Aiko Melendez: There are two sets of moral [values] that our church and government must provide and protect. Citizens have the right to marry regardless of their gender and reli-
Aiko Melendez
Kim Atienza Noel Cabangon
gion. I’m a born-again Christian, but I must consider… even God gave us the freedom of choice. Mark Bautista: After watching some of his recent interviews, I must say he really is a fighter—so brave and strong in his conviction. I admire him for that, but it was just the choice of words that should have been carefully expressed since the issue is very sensitive and, of course, universal. With that kind of thinking and attitude, I’m sure he’ll get through it. Let’s just continue to love and respect each other… as that is the greatest commandment given. Noel Cabangon: Manny’s statement is a blatant disregard for LGBT [rights] and a clear disrespect for their guaranteed human right. As a public official, it is a pity that his knowledge of the Constitution, particularly on the Bill of Rights, is limited, if not nil. We should not allow his kind to be voted into the
Mark Bautista
Senate. He should use his common sense, [that is,] to remain a boxer. Kim Atienza: Pacquiao is like a brother to me, and I love him dearly. He was coming from a deep conviction to stand by and share his beliefs, though he made a mistake in the way he expressed himself. The Bible teaches us to share the word “with love and respect.” My sins—vanity and pride—are just as unacceptable to God as homosexual sin, so who am I to condemn? Christ commanded us to love sinners. He hangs out with them to give them light. As Christians, we are to be like Christ—love the sinner, but hate the sin. Also, no one can be worse than animals. The Bible teaches us… to have dominion over them. Jim Paredes: Scary that a person may be adored by the public and condemned the next because of one statement. I accept Manny’s apology and rec-
Manny Pacquiao
AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal
Gabriela USA to Pacquiao: Knockout homophobia!
Jim Paredes
ognize his humility. We all make mistakes. No exception. But I still would not vote for him. I wish him a more loving understanding of God’s love for everyone. Wency Cornejo: It is a known fact that so many wars have been waged because of differing beliefs, and that’s the reason I don’t believe in organized religion. I refuse to accept that a book, line or verse can define me as a human being. I cannot condone acts that debase my fellow man. My one real truth in life is love, and anything that goes against that is what I call an abomination. Mr. Fu: His stand on same-sex marriage is fine with me. That’s his choice. But overanalyzing the issue and giving offensive statements are not acceptable. Respect for each other is a must. Gays like me may have animalistic appeal, but the masahol pa sa hayop tag is too harsh.
LAST WEEK, Filipino world champion professional boxer and member of the Philippine House of Representatives, Manny Pacquiao called people in gay relationships “worse than animals”. His comments outraged the LGBTQ community and their allies globally, and although he made a public apology, Pacquiao made it clear that he would not back down from his stance against homosexuality, referencing Bible verses to support his views. “Pacquiao’s statements are disgraceful coming from a politician. This type of religious conservatism has no place in a government that claims the separation of church and state. It is the duty of our government representatives to fight for the lives of all the citizens they represent, which include LGBTQ and gender non-conforming (GNC) people. Members of the LGBTQGNC community face daily systemic violence, and comments such as Pacquiao’s legitimizes hate crimes, discrimination, and harassment,” says Irma Bajar, Vice Chair of International Relations and a queer-identified member of GABRIELA USA. “Transgender people such as Jennifer Laude suffer from unspeakable violent acts and
human rights abuses, we must rally in support of the LGBTQGNC community” Manny Pacquiao has been campaigning for a Philippine Senate seat in elections scheduled for May of this year. “Comments like Pacquiao’s legitimizes hate crimes, discrimination, and harassment against the LGBTQGNC community. This form of violence unacceptable, and Pacquiao should educate himself if he wants to become a senator that represents all Filipinos,” continues Bajar. Since the release of Pacquiao’s homophobic comments, we have already witnessed the inevitable backlash from all over the world. In the last year, the United States has witnessed murders of trans people on the rise and LGBTQ youth suicides caused by bullying and harassment. It is vital to provide ongoing education for children, teens, adults, community workers, church people and the government to deconstruct homophobia and transphobia. GABRIELA USA will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize our community to fight for the rights and liberation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Gender Non Conforming community.
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY FEbRuARY 26, 2016