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Volume 10 – Issue 52 • 16 Pages
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DATELINE Congress fails to renew Children’s Health Insurance Program by budget deadline FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Congressional committee introduces new replacement childcare bill AS Washington continues the battle over the future of American health care, the United States Congress over the weekend failed to renew federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), allowing the program to expire by the end of the year. CHIP is a program created under Medicaid that has funded affordable healthcare for nearly 9 million children of low-income families. Through the program, states receive federal funding to establish low-cost health insurance for children. Congress was set to re-establish the $15 billion allocation towards CHIP, which had been backed by Democrats and Republicans since it was passed in 1997. The deadline to take action in CHIP’s renewal was Sept. 30. A delay in renewing the program may have been the result of Congress’ ongoing saga of the Obama-era Affordable Health-
Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Duterte to file impeachment complaints vs Sereno, Morales by LEILA
B. SALAVERRIA Inquirer.net
STEPPING up his attack on the country’s chief graft buster, President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, Oct. 4 said he wanted Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales impeached. At the same time, Mr. Duterte said he wanted to file a new impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for failing to declare her earnings from the Piatco case in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, for using luxury cars and
for staying in hotel suites. There is already a pending impeachment complaint against Sereno in the House of Representatives. The president’s latest attack on Ombudsman Morales came after she refused to back down on her agency’s probe of Duterte and his family’s bank transactions before he won the presidency. The President also claimed there was an alliance between the Left and the “yellows” to oust him from power. “They want me removed from Malacañang,” said Mr. Duterte.
Malacañang earlier accused Morales and Sereno of being part of a plot to oust the President. Mr. Duterte said he would file the impeachment case against Morales for practicing selective justice and for using falsified evidence, referring to the purported Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents in the antigraft agency’s possession. ‘Part of conspiracy’ “We will file an impeachment case against her and I would tend to believe she was part of the conspiracy, the fabricated papers,” Mr. Duterte told
reporters. Mr. Duterte accused Morales and Sereno of working with his archcritic, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has accused Mr. Duterte of racking up more than P2 billion in bank transactions from 2006 to 2015. Asked how he would respond to the impression that his moves against the Ombudsman and the Chief Justice could be seen as an attack on the government’s checks and balance system, the President said he was retaliating for the women’s supposed actions
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Beginning October 18, the Department of Homeland Security will begin collecting social media data from all immigrants entering the United States. Photo from dhs.gov
Homeland Security to begin collecting immigrants’ social media information
Immigration applicants to be subjected to further gov’t surveillance
JUST days before the announcement of President Donald Trump’s latest version of the travel ban, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quietly introduced an amendment to its record regulations that would allow federal officials to collect data from immigrants’ social media history. The DHS published the new rule in the Federal Register last week that would include “social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results” as a part of an immigrant’s file. The new rule
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ManilaTimes.net photo
Ombudsman: I will not be baited into abandoning my constitutional duties by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio-Morales refused to bend to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s dare for them to resign together, saying she “will not be baited into abandoning” her constitutional duties. In a statement, Morales said she is ready to answer all the president’s allegations against her. “I will not be baited into abandoning my constitutional duties,” the Ombudsman said. “If the president has charges against me, I will answer them in accordance with the law. I expect him to answer the charges against him in the same manner,” she added. Stressing that she and Duterte are public officials who have “sworn to uphold the rule of law,” Morales added that they should try to do their jobs with “honor, honesty, and decency.” Earlier this week, Duterte said he will not to recognize the investigation being conducted by the anti-graft body in connection with the corruption complaint filed by Senator Antonio
SIXTH VISIT. President Rodrigo Duterte made his sixth visit to Marawi City on Monday, October 2, where he led the inauguration of the Bahay Pagasa Project at Barangay Bito Buadi Itowa that is intended for the residents of Marawi who were internally displaced due to the conflict in the area. Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal
Palace: Trump visit to show ‘improving PH-US ties’
scores the improving Philippine-U.S. ties and President [Rodrigo] Duterte is looking forward to welcoming the THE Malacañang on Saturday, U.S. President in Manila,” he added. Sept. 30 confirmed United States “As host country, we hope to make President Donald Trump’s visit to the event productive and pleasant Manila in November to attend the to our foreign guests. We will let Association of Southeast Asian Na- them experience our world-famous tions (Asean) and East Asian Summit Filipino hospitality to make sure they conferences. would have good memories of their “We confirm U.S. President Don- stay in the Philippines,” he said. ald Trump’s visit to the Philippines Tensions had marred the relations this November,” presidential spokes- between the two countries as Duterte person Ernesto Abella said in a state- declared his pivot to China and unment. leashed tirades against the U.S., “President Trump’s visit underu PAGE A2 u PAGE A2 by JHOANNA
BALLARAN Inquirer.net
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella Inquirer.net photo
Marcos confident to win poll Motive of Las Vegas shooter still unknown as investigation develops protest, replace Robredo as VP Filipina girlfriend says she had no knowledge of attack by RAE
There is still tight security and police presence along Las Vegas Boulevard where Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is located. On Sunday night, October 1, Stephen Paddock sent bullets and terror down on thousands attending a country music concert from his 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay. Paddock killed at least Marilou Danley 59 people and injured 527 more in the deadliest mass shooting in Photo courtesy of Las Vegas modern U.S. history. AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal Metropolitan Police Department
ANN VARONA AJPress
AS new details emerge, none make clear of what may have led 64-year-old Stephen Paddock to fire bullets over the 22,000 attendees of the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. The country music festival, which was ending it third and last day of weekend festivities, instead resulted
in 59 deaths, and close to 500 injuries, making it the worst shooting attack in modern U.S. history. Paddock’s Filipina girlfriend, who investigators hoped would shed some light, said she had no knowledge of his plan when meeting with FBI on Wednesday, October 4. “There’s all kinds of things
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by DANA
SIOSON AJPress
FORMER Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday, October 5, expressed anew his confidence to win his electoral protest against Philippine Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo. Last year, Robredo won the vice presidential election with only around 263,000 more votes than Marcos. Marcos Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos
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Jr.
Inquirer.net photo
A october 6-12, 2017 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426
From the Front Page
Duterte to file impeachment... PAGE A1 t against him. “They did it first,” he said. “I did not start this ruckus. I was quiet. The problem is they allowed Trillanes to rope them in. It’s Trillanes who will bring this country down to the dogs.” The Office of the Ombudsman’s fact-finding probe of the Duterte family’s bank transactions was based on a complaint filed by Trillanes. In a privilege speech on Tuesday, Trillanes said the AMLC had flagged the President’s transactions in 2006-2015. More than P50 million went into Mr. Duterte’s bank accounts 13 times during the period, according to the senator. The President has denied Trillanes’ allegations. “I said, in the end, to their sorrow, they would discover that there’s no such thing as that amount,” he said. Mr. Duterte said he would resign if anyone could find more than P40 million in his account with Land Bank of the Philippines. The accounts of Mr. Duterte that Trillanes was referring to, however, were those with Bank
of the Philippine Islands and Banco de Oro. AMLC papers stolen The President said the purported AMLC documents in the Office of the Ombudsman’s possession could not be used as evidence in court because these were “stolen” by an “Abad” from the council. He did not know Abad’s first name, he said, when asked if he was referring to former AMLC Executive Director Julia BacayAbad. He said Abad, who he alleged was Trillanes’ mistress, supposedly gave to the senator the documents she had stolen. The senator denied any romantic relationship with Abad. “She gave it to Trillanes, (who) gave it to [Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Rodolfo] Elman, the Ombudsman for Mindanao because I’m a resident there in Mindanao, then gave it to Morales. Now they’re all washing their hands of it, including Elman,” he said. ‘No clearance’ Mr. Duterte said Morales had no “AMLC clearance” and should not have entered into the situation, especially since
the evidence was “illegally obtained.” Anything that was improperly obtained could not be used as evidence, he said. Even if authentic documents are released, these would not be of any use, he added. “The problem is, even if the central bank releases authentic ones, I will say, ‘those are the fruits of the poisonous tree,’” he said. “You knew about that account that was stolen and made it public. Therefore, you cannot use it in any other proceeding, even if it’s real. It’s of no use because you have an official who is the Ombudsman who is part of the fabrication and the use of falsified documents,” he added. In the House of Representatives, the Makabayan bloc told Mr. Duterte to “back off” and DUMP TRUMP. Members of youth groups hold a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Manila to protest the upcoming visit of President Donald Trump to leave Morales alone. the Philippines in November. The U.S. president will attend the ASEAN East Asian Summit. ManilaTimes.net photo by Nica Gallardo The group slammed the President for “vilifying and intimidating” the Office of the Ombudsman from its constitutional mandate to investigate linked to Duterte’s war on drugs have “redeemed themselves a the alleged hidden and ill-gotten PAGE A1 t lot.” wealth of the President. (With whose officials, including former mounted. The relations, however, eased “There are so many factors inPresident Barack Obama, critireports from DJ Yap and Chriscized the administration’s violent as Trump assumed the presi- volved but I’d rather be friendly tine O. Avendaño) crackdown against illegal drugs. dency in November. Duterte to them now because aside from U.S. lawmakers had also called had said he considered the U.S. these episodes of, I said, sad incidents, overall I think the for sanctions against the Philip- President as his friend. During the 116th anniversary Americans also redeemed thempines—including the halt of the sale of arms to the Philippine of the Balangiga attack on Thurs- selves a lot,” Duterte said in his the former senator said. National Police—as death toll day, Duterte said the Americans speech. n Asked if he was pertaining to the Aquinos, Marcos replied, “I’m sure they have something to do with it.” Duterte likewise slammed over- plaint after more than a year The Aquino family, for their PAGE A1 t all Deputy Ombudsman Arthur since its filing and in stating that part, denied the allegations Carandang for saying that the a request was made to AMLC as that they are behind a demoli- Trillanes IV against him. Duterte repeated denied al- Anti-Money Laundering Council part of the regular investigative tion job against the Marcoses. “Pasensya na kay Senador legations that he has billions of (AMLC) provided his family’s bank process.” He also maintained that his ofBongbong Marcos dahil hindi illegally amassed wealth, as he records. The president claimed that the fice “has observed confidentiality namin kayang sumang-ayon claimed that never committed sa pantasya nyang pagbigyan any corrupt practices and that his supposed report of the AMLC on in the Ombudsman investigation at pansinin sila. (Sorry, Sena- total assets would not reach even his bank transactions were “fabri- on the complaint against then cated” and “illegally obtained.” Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, which tor Bongbong Marcos, but we P40 million. Claiming that Morales herself The AMLC, however, denied complaint was filed, in fact, even could not agree with, more so dignify, your fantasies to was corrupt, the president said that it gave records to the Om- before the 2016 elections.” Carandang has been authorized be given some attention and on Monday, October 2, said he budsman, clarifying that the consideration),” said lawyer “will not submit jurisdiction to latter’s request was still being by Morales to investigate the bank transactions of the Duterte family Abigail Valte, spokesperson the ombudsman because it’s a evaluated. Carandang, for his part, clari- based on Trillanes’ complaint. of former President Benigno lousy thing.” He challenged the Ombuds- fied that he does not have in his Morales previously said she has “Noynoy” Aquino III. It was the killing of Benigno man, as well as Chief Justice Ma. possession the bank transactions inhibited herself from acting on “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. that sparked Lourdes Sereno, to “resign” with but was merely “reading through any case filed against the Duterte the People Power Revolution, him. He also dared them to open the documents shown to him by family as her nephew, lawyer also known as EDSA revolu- their bank accounts with him be- the media during the ambush Manases Carpio, is married to tion—which unseated Marcos’ fore Congress to show the Filipino interview, in response to media’s Duterte’s daughter, Davao City people who was really corrupt. inquiry on the status of the com- Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. father in 1986.
Palace: Trump visit to show ‘improving...
Marcos confident to win poll protest... PAGE A1 t filed a case before the Supreme Court (SC), accusing her of committing a massive electoral fraud. In a forum in Quezon City, Marcos said he is positive that the results of recounting of votes in questioned precincts will prove that his allegations against her were true. “We are definitely sure that when the recount starts the true result will emerge and prove that the votes in the vice presidential election had been incorrectly counted,” the former senator told reporters. Marcos likewise confirmed that his family is in talks with President Rodrigo Duterte over the planned proposal to return the billions-worth of assets they allegedly plundered during the reign of his father and namesake, former President Ferdinand Marcos. Asked about who he thinks is
behind the recent scam at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), Marcos suggested that their family’s longtime political rival, the Aquino family, may have something to do with it. Last September 23, thousands flocked at the grounds of UPLB in Laguna after they were promised to receive a share from the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth. Marcos has denied that their family had anything to do with the event, saying it was a “political action” organized by someone who had “political wherewithal.” “Sino ang sumisira sa mga Marcos? Sino in the past, I don’t know how many years, na walang ginawa na gustong sirain ang mga Marcos? (Who are maligning the Marcoses? Who in the past, I don’t know how many years, have done nothing but destroy the Marcoses?)”
Ombudsman: I will not be baited into...
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Dateline USa
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 6-12, 2017
A
Congress fails to renew Children’s Health Insurance... PAGE A1 t care Act (ACA). Agreement on renewing the program was reached as recently as mid-September, according to Bruce Lesley, president of children’s advocacy group First Focus told the Los Angeles Times. “Momentum was building,” Lesley said of the plan to renew CHIP but as soon as GrahamCassidy, the GOP health bill looking to repeal and replace the ACA, was introduced “we couldn’t even get a meeting. No one was even taking our calls.” If Congress doesn’t take action to reinstate CHIP, states’ children health programs that are under CHIP may be forced to deplete their resources or even shut down. The Children’s Partnership, a children’s non-profit advocacy group in California, warns of dire consequences with the end of funding for CHIP. Mayra Alvarez, president of the organization, said that CHIP was essential in providing access to health care for children and their families and urges Congress for the program’s reauthorization. “The consequences of not passing a clean CHIP reauthorization bill could have serious implications for the 1.4 million chil-
dren in California who depend on CHIP for coverage,” Alvarez said in a statement sent to the Asian Journal. “Without federal support, California will have to make difficult decisions that will undoubtedly impact the health and well-being of millions of children across the State. The successful CHIP program has long had bipartisan support in Congress, so vague promises of action later in the year are not enough. We urge Congress to move forward with a clean CHIP reauthorization bill immediately and make sure they put our children, our future first.” However, the Senate Finance and House Energy Commerce committees submitted a bipartisan bill on Monday evening that would extend CHIP funding for the next five years with a gradual decrease of the 23 percentage point funding increase guaranteed under the ACA by 2020. The new reauthorization bill, called the Helping Ensure Access for Little Ones, Toddlers and Hopeful Youth by Keeping Insurance Delivery Stable Act of 2017 (HEALTHY KIDS Act), was introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (DOre.) and didn’t specify how the government would pay for the funding extension.
Motive of Las Vegas shooter... PAGE A1 t that surprise us in each one of these events. That’s the one in this one, and we are not there yet,” said FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. “We have a lot of work to do.” “This individual and this attack didn’t leave the sort of immediately accessible thumbprints that you can find on some mass casualty attacks,” added McCabe. An updated timeline of the shooting puts Paddock’s initial shots at 10:05 p.m. and lasting approximately 10 minutes. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the attack was “pre-planned, extensively”. As police and SWAT officers approached Paddock’s 32nd floor Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino suite, cameras were found outside the room — two on a room service cart. More cameras were found inside, including on the door’s peep hole. A hotel security guard named Jesus Campos was shot in the leg when approaching Paddock’s room. Lombardo said Paddock fired “well over 200 rounds” into the hallway. “It’s amazing that security guard didn’t sustain additional injury,” said Lombardo. SWAT officers strategically arrived at 11:20 p.m., using an explosive to open the suite where they found Paddock dead from what looked like a self-inflicted gunshot. No one else was found in the room. A note was also found, but Lombardo said it was not a suicide note. When asked if there was evidence that Paddock had planned to escape, Lombardo said “yes”, but could not say what the evidence was. Stockpile of weapons suggests possibility Paddock had some help Investigators were said to have found 23 firearms in Paddock’s room — 12 of the found rifles were found outfitted with “bump stocks”, an apparatus that enables a gun to function like a machine gun. A total of 47 firearms were also found by police in Paddock’s two houses in Reno, and Mesquite, Nevada, and at the hotel. Lombardo who initially described Paddock as a “lone wolf” recently suggested possibility that Paddock could have had some help in handling his stockpile of weapons. “Do you think this was all accomplished on his own? You’ve got to make the assumption he had to have some help at some point,” Lombardo said. “It’s troublesome this individual was able to move this amount of gear into a hotel room unassisted,” he added. “It’s troublesome for the amount of stuff he had at both residences unassisted.” On Thursday, October 5, police reported an additional 50 pounds of explosive materials, and 1,600 rounds of ammunition in Paddock’s car which was at the hotel’s parking lot. This has led investigators to suggest Paddock may have planned for a larger massacre. Among the materials found in his car were several pounds of ammonium nitrate, and later 50 pounds of Tannerite, said Lombardo. Tannerite is a patented brand name used to form homemade exploding targets for firearms practice. CNN’s law enforcement analyst, Art Roderick, said the supply of explosives may be indications of plans for a car bomb. Paddock had apparently been purchasing weapons since 1982, including 33 in the past year, said
San Francisco Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, Special Agent in Charge Jill A. Snyder, to CBS News on Wednesday. Investigators are interested to see if something may have happened between October 2016 and last month that made him make those purchases. According to the Gun Control Act of 1968, sellers are only required to report sales of two or more handguns of the same buyer if the purchases were made at the same time, or within five business days of each other. Gun shops who have sold to Paddock in the past say he cleared background checks. Snyder said Paddock made his purchases in Nevada, Utah, California, and Texas. “What we know is that Stephen Paddock is a man who spent decades acquiring weapons and ammo, and living a secret life, much of which will never be fully understood,” said Lombardo. Previous music festivals Police are now also looking to see if Paddock had been eyeing previous music festivals in Las Vegas and Chicago, Illinois. Paddock reportedly rented a room in Las Vegas’ Ogden condominium complex through AirBnB from Friday, September 22, to Monday, September 25 — about a week before his deadly attack. The booked dates coincided with Life is Beautiful, another music festival whose headliners were Chance the Rapper and Lorde. “Was he doing presurveillance? We don’t know yet. This is all conjecture at this point,” said Lombardo. On Thursday, police said they were also looking into whether Paddock booked rooms in a Chicago hotel overlooking the widely attended Lollapalooza music festival that took place on August 3 to August 6. A photo obtained by TMZ shows two Blackstone Hotel bookings under a guest named Stephen Paddock, who didn’t end up staying. One booking was for August 1, and second on August 3 — both had checkout dates of August 6. The rooms had prime view of the festival’s Grant Park venue, and were reportedly requested to have a “view room” which only faced the park, according to TMZ. “We can confirm that a reservation was made under the name Stephen Paddock; however, authorities have not confirmed that this is the same person as the Las Vegas shooter,” said hotel spokeswoman Emmy Carragher in a Los Angeles Times report. “We are cooperating with the authorities on this matter.” Filipina girlfriend, no knowledge of plan Marilou Danley — the 62-yearold Filipina girlfriend of Paddock who holds an Australian passport — met with FBI at the Los Angeles Federal Building on Wednesday after arriving in the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from the Philippines Tuesday night, October 3. “I am devastated by the deaths and injuries that have occurred and my prayers go out to the victims and their families and all those who have been hurt by these awful events,” said Danley. Her lawyer said Wednesday that she intends to fully cooperate with the investigation on Paddock. Defense attorney Matthew Lombard said Danley was not expecting the $100,000 Paddock sent to her in the Philippines a few days before the shooting, and was worried he was breaking up with her. A source close to
Former President Bill Clinton signed CHIP into law in 1997 and has had overwhelming bipartisan support. CHIP was pivotal in reducing the amount of uninsured children from 14 percent in 1997 to 4.5 percent in 2015. Approximately 1.3 million children in California are enrolled in public health programs through CHIP, the highest enrollment rate of any state that runs out of funding this year. About 3 out of 4 of those children are children of color. The program provided a whole host of medical services for underprivileged children: routine check-ups, immunizations, emergency services, prescriptions and inpatient and outpatient hospital care to name a few. In addition to providing coverage for children, CHIP also provides for more than 370,000 pregnant women a year. Though current authorization has expired the program’s funding, states may use any unspent money to continue their children’s health programs under CHIP. Many states, including California and Arizona, are slated to run out of money before the year ends, but most have enough to last until next summer. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano.
Inquirer.net photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta
AFP chief: US is PH’s top ally by Dana
SioSon AJPress
MANILA - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has hailed the United States as the country’s “number one ally.” Returning from his meeting with U.S. Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry Harris in Hawaii, AFP Chief General Eduardo Año also announced the return of regular war games between the two countries. According to him, there will be an increase of 261 joint military Danley’s family claimed the mon- engagement with the U.S. from ey was to help the family build a this year’s 258. Training and exercises will include humanitarian home. “I was grateful, but honestly, assistance, disaster response, I was worried, that first, the un- and counterterrorism, and will expected trip home, and then also cover territorial defense. AFP made the statement on the money, was a way of breaking up with me,” she added. “It Thursday, October 5, just days after Philippine President Rodrigo u PAGE A4 Duterte’s earlier pronouncement
that he wanted to be “friendlier” with the U.S. “The president said: ‘I want to be friendlier to the U.S’. So we have a closer relationship and more exercises,” Año told reporters. “He (Duterte) said to continue engagement with the United States. They are still our number one ally,” he added. Duterte, who took office last year, has been criticizing Washington, particularly the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, for allegedly interfering with the domestic affairs of the Philippines. The joint military exercises were scaled down this year as the Philippine government steered away from U.S. and toward China, under Manila’s so-called independent foreign policy. Duterte initially ordered the scrapping of joint drills with the
American troops. He later allowed the continuation of other military exercises but excluded territorial defense from its coverage. In a recent speech, however, Duterte claimed that he’s now on friendlier terms with the U.S., saying that the latter has “redeemed themselves a lot.” “There are so many factors involved but I’d rather be friendly to them now because aside from these episodes of, I said, sad incidents, overall I think the Americans also redeemed themselves a lot,” the president remarked on Thursday, September 28. Amid call for warmer ties with Washington, Año said that Manila will still pursue a closer relationship with Beijing. “The U.S. is not our enemy. China is not our enemy. Our utmost priority is the interest of the country,” the military chief said. n
A october 6-12, 2017 • NeW YorK AND NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL
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Senate committee holds hearing for DACA, future for DREAMers
Panelists encourage Congress to pass a permanent, long-term plan for undocumented youth by Klarize
Medenilla AJPress
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a congressional hearing for Trump administration’s ending of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Tuesday, October 3, just two days before many DACA recipients must renew their permits. The hearing was the first of step of finding a solution for DReAMers, who are set to lose benefits once the program expires in March 2018. In September, the Trump administration made an astonishing announcement that it would phase-out DACA, which has provided nearly 800,000 undocumented youth with renewable two-year permits for valid work authorization and protection from deportation. In his opening statements, committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) denounced DACA, which he said “never operated in the way it was supposed to,” referencing one case where a DACA recipient was arrested for child exploitation. Despite his criticisms of DACA, Grassley expressed the administration’s “empathy” for DReAMers “who came to this country through no fault of their own.”
“The wind-down is simple: to get Congress to adopt a longerterm solution — a legislative one,” Grassley said at the hearing. “So here we are, almost a month after the administration’s announcement, and now’s the time to start considering a path forward with earnest.” DACA recipient and UC Berkeley graduate Denisse Marquez, who arrived in the U.S. from Mexico in 1990, calls DACA “the answer that lifted the ceiling to my educational and career ambitions.” Marquez is currently a medical student at Mount Sinai in New York, and with the termination of DACA, she said her goals will be once again “unreachable.” Although she spoke highly of DACA, she proposed Congress to come up with legislation to provide a long-term solution and suggested reviving the Development, Relief, and education for Alien Minors (DReAM) Act. A revived version of the DReAM Act was first introduced in 2001 but hasn’t been passed despite several bipartisan efforts. In response to Trump’s rescission of DACA, a bipartisan effort led by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) called for the Senate to promptly pass the DReAM Act before DACA expires.
“I understand that it can be difficult to relate to this situation,” Marquez told the committee. “however, you do know what it’s like to make investments in your future; you have invested in your education, pursued your career aspirations, applied for jobs, and made a living to provide for yourselves and your families. I ask that you and your colleagues restore these opportunities for us as well.” According to a Politico/ Morning Consult poll from last month, 76 percent of Americans — from both parties — support granting DReAMers citizenship or legal permanent residency. DACA recipients whose permits expire by March 5, 2018 must turn in their renewal applications by Thursday, October 5. Attorneys encourage those to complete renewal by Tuesday and send their applications overnight via Fedex to be received by USCIS by Wednesday morning. A group of 37 senators — led by Sen. Kamala harris (D-Calif.) — have been urging the administration to extend the Oct. 5 deadline, referencing the destruction brought by hurricane harvey, Irma and Maria that have stifled many DReAMers’ applications. “These major hurricanes significantly disrupted day to day
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM. A 20-foot dinosaur welcomes families to the Mind Museum at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. The museum is hosting an international travelling exhibition titled ‘Dinosaurs Around the World.’ ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma
living and operations in these states and territories,” the lawmakers wrote. “It would be appropriate for the government to extend the October 5, 2017 deadline nationwide to allow individuals adequate time to meet the government’s recent request.” DACA provided a profound impact on all undocumented youth, especially Asian DReAMers. Since its inception in 2012, more than 16,000 Asian immigrant youth — including between 4,000 and 6,000 Filipinos — were granted benefits and protection under DACA. David Palau, a recent graduate of Cal State LA, was brought to the U.S. from the Philippines
when he was two years old. he told the Asian Journal that DACA has been “instrumental” in his academic success. “DACA opened doors for me that I never thought I would get to open,” Palau, 25, told the Asian Journal at a DACA press conference in September. “ending it means that people like me, people who just want to work and be a part of the American Dream, have to struggle again. After years of being able to do everything other American kids can do
— even something as simple as driving — this feels like a hard blow to the stomach.” “It would be great to have a path to citizenship like the DReAM Act, but what do we do until then, you know? It just feels like we’re in limbo right now, and there are so many of us just waiting to find out what will happen with our lives,” Palau said, adding that “it’s scary to think that the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids are in the hands of a few people in Washington.” n
Homeland Security to begin... PAGE A1 t takes effect on Oct. 18. Affecting green card holders as well as naturalized citizens, the DhS — along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — now has permission to look through immigrants’ posts on their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, adding to the increased government surveillance of immigrants’ internet activity since the beginning of former President Barack Obama’s administration. In short, the government will now be able to obtain information on any immigrant through all available digital means. “This amendment does not represent a new policy,” the DhS said in a statement. “DhS, in its law enforcement and immigration process capacity, has and continues to monitor publicly available social media to protect the homeland. In an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations, and due to updates in the electronic immigration system, DhS decided to update its corresponding Privacy Act system of records.” According to Buzzfeed News, which first broke the news, the new rule may affect U.S. citizens who interact with immigrants; government officials may be given clearance to look through conversations between U.S. citizens and immigrants who pose a threat. Although social media is usually reserved for intimate interactions with friends and family, the DhS sees these accounts as possible places that may determine a person’s threat level. Since its announcement, the rule has raised concerns over privacy. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) spoke out against the rule in a statement saying it’s another attempt to demean immigrants’ basic rights. “This Privacy Act notice makes clear that the government intends to retain the social media information of people who have immigrated to this country, singling out a huge group of people to maintain files on what they say,” ACLU National Political Director Faiz Shakir said in a statement. “This would undoubtedly have a chilling effect on the free speech that’s expressed every day on social media. This collect-it-all approach is ineffective to protect national security and is one more example of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda.” As the Asian Journal previously reported, the announcement of the new rule was introduced a few days before Trump announced the latest version of the controversial travel ban, which bans travel from at least eight countries and implements tight security restrictions to those that pose a threat to
the U.S. The interest in including social media in the immigration vetting process dates back to the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, wherein the two suspects, Tashfeen Malik and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, exchanged private online messages expressing commitment to the jihad movement. Since then, immigration officials and Washington lawmakers grew increasingly concerned over the use of social media by sympathizers of jihadist groups like the Islamic State (IS). As a part of a bipartisan effort, members of Congress began urging the DhS to adopt new methods in collecting data that could lead to the capture of of potential terrorist threats. Congressional Democrats called upon the DhS to include social media in its data collection methods following the San Bernardino attacks in hopes to stifle terrorist activity linked to IS. “We believe these checks, focused on possible connections to terrorist activity, should be incorporated into DhS’s vetting process for visa determinations, and that this policy should be implemented as soon as possible,” a group of Democratic senators wrote in a letter. In early 2017, the DhS inspector general published a report that found that the existing programs that utilize social media when screening immigration applicants lacked “criteria for measuring performance to ensure they meet their objectives.” The White house approved a new questionnaire in May wherein visa applicants must fill out that requests social media handles and accounts created within the last five years, in addition to reporting 15 years worth of biological information. The Trump administration has maintained an interest in including social media in the vetting process despite there being no empirical evidence that those methods are reliable, as indicated in USCIS presidential transition records. “At our briefing with [Trump’s] Landing Team, one of the things they mentioned they’d be interested in seeing was guidance that we use regarding social media use and when/how we can use social media,” wrote one White house senior adviser in December. According to the records, the USCIS asserted that immigration benefits were denied solely on the findings uncovered through social media vetting. Additionally, three refugee pilot programs used to screen social media accounts found that they did not link to any national security concerns, even for applicants that were considered national security threats. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
Motive of Las Vegas shooter... PAGE A3 t
never occurred to me in any way whatsoever that he was planning violence against anyone.” Police were first prompted to suspect Danley’s involvement in the shooting after Paddock had used her ID documents to check into the 32nd floor hotel room. She was later ruled out as a person of interest, as she was believed to be either in the Philippines or Japan with friends. Antonette Mangroband, a spokeswoman for the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI), con-
firmed that Danley had been in the Philippines since September 25. Lombardo said on Tuesday afternoon that Danley was still a “person of interest” due to her close relationship to Paddock. “She has probably the best insight into the mind of Paddock prior to him killing all these people,” Steve Gomez, a former FBI agent, told ABC News on Tuesday. “So they definitely want to hear from her what was going on in his life.”
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Dateline PhiliPPines
A
Cayetano: PH open to UN probe but asks for someone ‘without bias’ by aJPress The Philippine government is ready to welcome experts from the United Nations (UN) who would conduct an objective assessment of human rights situation in the country, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said. Cayetano relayed this message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their first meeting in New York on Friday, September 30, according to a statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). “We will fully cooperate and work with you on a rationale, open, fair dialogue on our campaign against crime and illegal drugs,” Cayetano told the Secretary-General. The top diplomat, however, requested the international body to send representatives who have “no bias against the Philippines.” he specifically ruled out UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard, saying she had already “prejudged the human rights situation in the country” and even referred to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as a “murderer.” “how can someone who is in league with our political opposition conduct a fair and objective assessment of our human rights situation?” Cayetano said. he added, “All we want is an impartial assessment and not outright condemnation to help
PH Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano Inquirer.net photos
Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings
us understand the extent of the problems that we are confronted with.” Callamard has been a vocal critic of Duterte’s so-called drug war and of the alleged thousands of summary executions and human rights abuses linked to his anti-narcotics campaign. At one point, she described campaign against illegal drugs “cruel.” Last August, she reiterated her call that “all unlawful deaths must be investigated.” But Cayetano clarified that the Philippine government values human rights. “We’re not turning our back on human rights,” he maintained. “Our campaign against crime and illegal drugs is not intended to violate human rights; it is intended protect the human rights of our people.” he also blamed the western media for supposedly exaggerating the human rights situation in the country. “There are real problems but perceptions have overtaken us in western media that make it
appear the situation is worse than it actually is,” Cayetano said. CHR defends Callamard Defendending Callamard, Philippine Commission on human Rights Chair (ChR) Chito Gascon said the UN rapporteur is known globally for her “truthful” work. “Special Rapporteur Callamard has longtime experience in human rights work that she is globally recognized for her competence and professionalism,” Gascon told Inquirer. “She conducts her work around the world purposively… dealing with facts as she sees them. She is just being truthful,” he added. The ChR chair also expressed that it is Cayetano who should be “first to understand and appreciate that the UN system takes the process of vetting persons [who are] given particular responsibility to conduct human rights investigations under the Special Rapporteur Mandate System.” n
Senate holds hearing on ‘fake news’ by Dana
SioSon AJPress
The Philippine Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media on Wednesday, October 4, held its first hearing on the proliferation of ‘fake news’ or false information in the country. In her opening speech, Senator Grace Poe, the committee chair, emphasized the need to restrict the spread of fake news as it “cultivates a culture of lying.” “If purveyors are allowed to get away with the lies, they embolden government officials to also lie in order to escape accountability, crush dissent, and commit illegal acts with immunity,” Poe said. “If fake news is not challenged, it will create lynch mobs out of certain people turning them into an army of character assassins that can be unleashed with one meme to destroy an idea, a person or an institution,” the senator added. Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, meanwhile, commented how they became victim of “fake news” as they hit a blog that accused them of refusing to sign a bill that urges the government to stop the supposed spate of killings in the country, especially of minors. Sotto said he already got used to criticisms, but warned that “once you start hitting me, calling me names and charging me with crimes I did not commit, my first move is to hunt you down.” he expressed how he was offended by a blog post that tagged him, Pacquiao, and five others—Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and Senators Richard Gordon, Cynthia Villar, Miguel Zubiri, and Gringo honasan—as “Malacañang dogs” for failing to sign the Senate Resolution 516. The resolution, which was drafted by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party (LP), was filed on Monday, September 25. It was signed by by 16 out of 23 senators. In its September 26 post, the “#Silent No More Ph” blog urged Filipinos to expressed their outrage against the seven senators whose signatures were not seen on the document, saying their “loyalty is to the Palace, not to Filipino people.” “These senators’ votes are reflective of their stance: They
Katreena CabiCo
Philstar.com
MANILA — The house justice committee on Thursday officially approved the decision to dismiss the impeachment complaint against Commission on elections chairperson Andres Bautista. Voting 26-2, the house panel reaffirmed the dismissal of the resolution and committee report on the allegations against Bautista initiated by his estranged wife Patricia.
ManilaTimes.net photo by roger Rañada
Palace welcomes confirmation of Environment Chief Cimatu by Dana
SioSon AJPress
MALACAñANG on Wednesday, October 4, welcomed the Commission on Appointments’ (CA) confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Roy Cimatu as the Philippines’ environment secretary. In a statement, Palace spokesman ernesto Abella expressed confidence that Cimatu would keep a “delicate balance” between the country’s economic development and environmental protection. “We welcome the confirmation of the nomination of Department of environment and Natural Resources (DeNR) Secretary Roy A. Cimatu by the Commission on Appointments,” Abella said. he went on to say, “The Palace is confident that Secretary Cimatu would be able to implement the president’s marching orders on natural resources development and environmental policies of keeping a delicate balance between economic development and environmental sustainability.” earlier this year, Cimatu was appointed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Gina
Senate President and Commission on Appointments (CA) chair Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III pose for a photo with Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu (left) and Civil Service Commissioner Leopoldo Valderosa, Jr. (right), whose ad interim appointments were confirmed during the CA’s plenary session, Wednesday, October 4. Senate photo by Ariel Cagadas
Lopez, who was rejected by the CA in May. The president said he had chose Cimatu because he believes in the retired general’s “honest” and “hardworking” character.
Senator Manny Pacquiao, who chairs the CA committee on environment and natural resources, recommended the approval of Cimatu to the plenary as he re-
u PAGE A7
Senator Grace Poe (3rd from right), chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information, stresses the need to address the proliferation of misinformation in social media during a committee hearing on Wednesday, October 4. Also in photo are Senator Risa Hontiveros, Senate Minority Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis Pangilinan and Nancy Binay, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, and Senator Manny Pacquiao. Senate photo by Alexis Nueva España
don’t care about lives. They don’t want to hold this government accountable. They only care about their alliance with Malacanang,” the blog noted. “These are the senators who will block any action that would investigate the sins of the government. These are the senators whose silence lead to continuous murder of poor and innocent children,” it further added. The seven senators, however, said a copy of the resolution calling on the government to stop killing minors did not even reached their offices. Sotto said it was obvious that the resolution was being used to “destroy” them. Pacquiao, meanwhile how he was enraged by the “fake news,” as further noted that the incident is “not merely an attack to an individual,” but “an attack to the Senate as an institution.” “Ni anino nga ng resolution di ko nakita eh… hindi ito nagkataon lang, ito’y sinadya. (I didn’t even see the shadow of the resolution... This is not a coincidence, it’s intentional.)” the senator claimed. Pacquiao also reiterated that he “condemns the killings of the innocent.” Trillanes meets Uson In a highly anticipated encounter, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV engaged in some banter with Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson. At one point, Trillanes said he initially did not plan to attend the hearing but later changed his mind upon hearing that Uson
“missed” him. “Actually wala na sana akong planong umattend dito kaso namiss daw ako ni Ms. Mocha (Actually I don’t have plans to attend here but I heard that Ms. Mocha misses me),” the senator said. Uson teased Trillanes in response, saying “Ang guwapo niyo pala, senator, sa personal. hindi po fake news yun sir (You’re handsome in person, senator. And that’s not fake news.)” Trillanes then replied, “Konti na lang at baka i-atras ko na ‘yung kaso. Konti na lang bola. (Just a bit more flattery and I might withdraw the case.)” The two also gamely posed for a photograph after the Senate hearing. Last month, the senator filed charges of libel, graft and ethics violations against Uson for accusing him of having ill-gotten wealth in several offshore bank accounts—including the DBS bank in Singapore, which turned out to be non-existent. Despite a light moment they shared, Trillanes that he will still pursue the cases he filed against her. “While I appreciate the friendly gesture of Ms. Mocha Uson to have a photo taken with me, it doesn’t change the fact that, as a senior public official, she committed criminal offenses that warranted the filing of multiple cases,” Trillanes said in a statement after the hearing. “Sa madaling salita, tuloy-tuloy lang ang mga kaso (In other words, the cases will continue),” he added.
House thumbs down Bautista impeachment anew by Gaea
NO ANIMOSITY. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (left) and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua inspect firearms and ammunition turned over by Beijing to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday, Oct. 5.
earlier, 19 solons voted in favor of the move by justice committee vice chairman Rep. henry Oaminal to declare the case against Bautista insufficient. Only two legislators voted against it. On Thursday, Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas asked the panel to reconsider the vote after raising that the committee should comply with impeachment rules on majority vote. The panel on September 20 earlier dismissed the complaint because of what it deemed as
defective verification. Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and former congressman Jacinto Paras filed the impeachment complaint. Reps. harry Roque (Kabayan party-list) and Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu) endorsed the complaint. The case was based largely on the allegation of Bautista’s wife, Patricia or Tish, that the Comelec chief had amassed more than P1 billion in illegal assets. Bautista denied all the allegations.
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A6 OCTOBER 6-12, 2017 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
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FEATURES
OPINION
One for Las Vegas
“IN moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one — and it always has. We call upon the bonds that unite us — our faith, our family, and our shared values. We call upon the bonds of citizenship, the ties of community, and the comfort of our common humanity. Our unity cannot be shattered by evil. Our bonds cannot be broken by violence. And though we feel such great anger at the senseless murder of our fellow citizens, it is our love that defines us today — and always will, forever.” This was the statement made by Pres. Donald Trump on Tuesday, Oct. 2, in light of the deadly mass shooting incident in Las Vegas, Nevada which claimed the lives of at least 59 victims and injured more than 500 people. It was a fun night on Sunday, Oct. 1, as a crowd of about 22,000 revealers gathered at an outdoor country music concert for the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Las Vegas Boulevard. Across the street, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock was settled in his hotel room 32 floors up at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. As country music singer Jason Aldean was performing, a rain of gunshots began pouring toward the celebrating crowd. “The gunshots lasted for 10 to 15 minutes. It didn’t stop,” a witness told CNN. It was Paddock. The lone wolf attacker was several feet southwest of the concert grounds and equipped with at least 23 weapons and two tripods when fired ri-
fles—clip after clip—out of two different windows in his hotel room. Paddock killed himself as authorities stormed his hideout. Authorities believe that Paddock acted alone, but they have yet to determine his motives. As more details begin to unravel in this gruesome incident, the world joins Americans as they pray for the victims and extend their condolences to the families they left behind. The Philippines extends its “deepest condolences to the families of the more than 50 victims who died because of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. We likewise pray for the speedy recovery of the more than 500 people who were reported injured,” Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said during a Palace briefing. “We join the peaceloving people of the international community in denouncing this latest act of violence.” this senseless violence that disrupted what should In this time of distraught, let us express our have been a joyous occasion. They will be rememcompassion and pay our respects to the victims of bered not for giving a reason of mourning, but for
Editorial
ManilaTimes.net photo
uniting the whole world amidst disorder, and making such occasion more meaningful, today and for years to come. (AJPress)
The Bernie Sanders plan to cover all Americans with universal health care HEALTH CARE is a right and not just a The Fil-Am privilege. This is the philosophy behind the Perspective plan proposed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders — a policy he has been advocating GEL SANTOS-RELOS for years, and especially during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Because it is a fundamental right, Sanders proposes a plan that would create a federally administered single-payer health care program. Sanders’ universal single-payer health care plan hopes to accord a comprehensive coverage for all Americans that will cover the entire continuum of health care, from inpatient to outpatient care; preventive to emergency care; primary care to specialty care, including long-term and palliative care; vision, hearing and oral health care; mental health and substance abuse services; as well as prescription medications, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostics and treatments. Under the Sanders proposal, patients will be able to choose a health care provider without worrying about whether that provider is in-network and will be able to get the care they need without having to read any fine print or trying to figure out how they can afford the out-ofpocket costs. Sanders said with this system, all you need to do is go to the doctor and show your insurance card. The plan means no more copays, no more deductibles and no more fighting with insurance companies
when they fail to pay for charges. Let me share with you the details of his plan as detailed on his website and what this proposal means for us Americans: Getting health care spending under
control We outspend all other countries on the planet and our medical spending continues to grow faster than the rate of inflation. Creating a single, public insurance system will go a long way towards getting health care spending under control. The United States has thousands of different health insurance plans, all of which set different reimbursement rates across different networks for providers and procedures resulting in high administrative costs. Two patients with the same condition may get very different care depending on where they live, the health insurance they have and what their insurance covers. A patient may pay different amounts for the same prescription depending solely on where the prescription is filled. Health care providers and patients must navigate this complex and bewildering system wasting precious time and resources. By moving to an integrated system, the government will finally have the ability to stand up to drug companies and negotiate fair prices for the American people collectively. It will also ensure the federal government can track access to various providers and make smart investments
to avoid provider shortages and ensure communities can access the providers they need. Major savings for families and businesses Bernie’s plan will cost over $6 trillion less than the current health care system over the next ten years. The United States currently spends $3 trillion on health care each year—nearly $10,000 per person. Reforming our health care system, simplifying our payment structure and incentivizing new ways to make sure patients are actually getting better health care will generate massive savings. This plan has been estimated to save the American people and businesses over $6 trillion over the next decade. The typical middle-class family would save over $5,000 under this plan. Last year, the average working family paid $4,955 in premiums and $1,318 in deductibles to private health insurance companies. Under this plan, a family of four earning $50,000 would pay just $466 per year to the single-payer program, amounting to a savings of over $5,800 for that family each year. Businesses would save over $9,400 a year in health care costs for the average employee. The average annual cost to the employer for a worker with a family who makes $50,000 a year would go from $12,591 to just $3,100. How much will it cost? This plan has been estimated to cost $1.38 trillion per year. The plan would be fully paid for by: A 6.2 percent income-based health
Yellow is the color of hypocrisy
Opinion
RICARDO SALUDO ONE way the corrupt try to look clean is to launch a crusade against corruption. The impressionable then think that someone waging war on graft would not engage in it. That’s how then President Benigno Aquino 3rd could unleash immense sleaze on the nation, and yet still be seen as “corruptfree,” as his handpicked Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales lauded him last December. In fact, anomalies under Aquino were huge, even unprecedented in some respects, and are still burdening our people today. Take the mammoth anomalies in the transport department under Liberal Party stalwarts Mar Roxas and Jose Emilio Abaya. Due to an illegal license plate contract bid out and awarded with no budget allocation, hundreds of thousands of vehicles have no license plates, even if owners already paid P400 each for the illegally contracted plates. Also bedeviled by incompetence or sleaze are driver’s li-
cense cards, also unissued by the millions because the Land Transportation Office under Aquino’s shooting buddy Virginia Torres (God rest her soul) delayed payments on the computerized licensing contractor. But the real bonanza was at the Bureau of Customs, where smuggling trebled to $26.6 billion in 2014, from less than $8 billion five years before. No wonder the system Aquino left “swallowed” Duterte appointee Col. Nicanor Faeldon, as Sen. Panfilo Lacson put it. When more than 2,000 cargo containers disappeared in 2011— the biggest spate of smuggling in Philippine history—Aquino never had it investigated. Imagine the racket the yellow camp would have made if that happened under Gloria Arroyo or Rodrigo Duterte. Still, the most pernicious and anti-democratic sleaze was the use of pork barrel and the illegal Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to induce legislators to pass Aquino’s pet bills and oust impeachable officials he didn’t like. The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the
pork barrel scheme created by Aquino’s mother Corazon, more than doubled under him, from about P8 billion during the Arroyo years, to more than P20 billion from 2011 until the Supreme Court declared PDAF unconstitutional in 2013, and DAP too the following year. Plus: No less than the Supreme Court in its unanimous decision said that DAP funds were allocated to programs and projects not found in any budgetary appropriations enacted by Congress. Spending public funds in ways not authorized by budget laws constitutes malversation. So, the high court ordered Ombudsman Morales to probe and charge the “authors” of the P157-billion DAP. The hypocrisy continues Today, the yellow hypocrisy continues, now decrying moves to hold its stalwarts and appointees accountable for gross anomalies. It has balked at impeachment petitions against Aquino appointees Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista, and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. Is the Liberal Party and its allies
care premium paid by employers — Revenue raised: $630 billion per year. A 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households — Revenue raised: $210 billion per year.This year, a family of four taking the standard deduction can have income up to $28,800 and not pay this tax under this plan. A family of four making $50,000 a year taking the standard deduction would only pay $466 this year. Progressive income tax rates — Revenue raised: $110 billion a year. Under this plan, the marginal income tax rate would be: 37 percent on income between $250,000 and $500,000; 43 percent on income between $500,000 and $2 million; 48 percent on income between $2 million and $10 million. (In 2013, only 113,000 households, the top 0.08 percent of taxpayers, had income between $2 million and $10 million.); 52 percent on income above $10 million. (In 2013, only 13,000 households, just 0.01 percent of taxpayers, had income exceeding $10 million.) Taxing capital gains and dividends the same as income from work — Revenue raised: $92 billion per year. Warren Buffett, the second wealthiest American in the country, has said that he pays a lower effective tax rate than his secretary. The reason is that he receives most of his income from capital gains and dividends, which are taxed at a much lower rate than income from work. This plan will end the special tax break for capital gains and dividends on household income above $250,000. Limit tax deductions for rich — Rev-
in business, legal, and civil society groups saying that the issuance of Supreme Court resolutions without the constitutionally required en banc approval is not serious enough to warrant congressional investigation and prosecution? Plus, the alleged manipulation of the Judicial and Bar Council shortlists of nominees to court vacancies, including the post of Associate Justice, prompting the Supreme Court en banc to overrule the JBC? Is it now no longer right to impeach officials for not declaring tens or hundreds of millions of pesos in assets, like Sereno’s earnings from the NAIA Terminal 3 case, and most of Comelec Chair Bautista’s nearly P1 billion in bank deposits, as alleged by his estranged wife with passbooks and account statements? The yellows cheered when the LP-dominated Senate convicted Chief Justice Renato Corona for failing to declare dollar deposits covered by absolute secrecy—an offense that could have been corrected without penalty under the law. So, why are they changing their tune now that their appointees are accused of hiding mountains of cash? As for Ombudsman Morales, whose predecessor was impeached for allegedly favoring former President Gloria Arroyo,
enue raised: $15 billion per year. Under Bernie’s plan, households making over $250,000 would no longer be able to save more than 28 cents in taxes from every dollar in tax deductions. This limit would replace more complicated and less effective limits on tax breaks for the rich including the AMT, the personal exemption phase-out and the limit on itemized deductions. The Responsible Estate Tax — Revenue raised: $21 billion per year.This provision would tax the estates of the wealthiest 0.3 percent (three-tenths of 1 percent) of Americans who inherit over $3.5 million at progressive rates and close loopholes in the estate tax. Savings from health tax expenditures — Revenue raised: $310 billion per year. Several tax breaks that subsidize health care (health-related “tax expenditures”) would become obsolete and disappear under a single-payer health care system, saving $310 billion per year. Most importantly, health care provided by employers is compensation that is not subject to payroll taxes or income taxes under current law. This is a significant tax break that would effectively disappear under this plan because all Americans would receive health care through the new single-payer program instead of employerbased health care. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column 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
is it now wrong to hold Moales to the same standard of impartiality in dealing with the past administration which appointed her? Consider what this wrongly awarded paragon of partiality has done. Despite a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that programs and projects not appearing in any pertinent budgetary laws were allocated DAP funds—a textbook case of malversation—she has found no reason to charge Aquino, who signed every DAP disbursement, and merely slapped the wrist of the other DAP author, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. In the disappearance of more than 2,000 cargo containers in 2011, she has exerted zero effort in probing the mammoth smuggling, even if it is so easy to simply grill all those who kept releasing boxes after dozens or hundreds had vanished, so they will point fingers at higher-ups who masterminded the scam. Are all the foregoing gross and blatant anomalies worthy of the same congressional reckoning which then-President Aquino demanded for CJ Corona and thenOmbudsman Merceditas Gutierrez? Or does being named or favored by him exempt officials from accountability, like the LP stalwarts spared from pork barrel
cases targeting opposition senators, prompting Catholic bishops to decry “selective prosecution”? Decrying Duterte ‘despotism’ A further argument raised against impeachment is the power it could give President Duterte over the judiciary, the Comelec, and the Office of the Ombudsman if all their heads were removed. Rights lawyer and former De La Salle University law dean Chel Diokno warned of Duterte despotism. Well, where were these lemontinted objectors when their idol Aquino named his election lawyer Sixto Brillantes as Comelec chairman, his Ateneo classmate Sereno as Chief Justice, and the justice who swore him in as Ombudsman? Didn’t those three appointments also give the yellow gang immense influence over these independent constitutional bodies? And more to the point, are they now fighting tooth and nail to keep that clout in the Supreme Court, the Comelec, and the OMB? Plainly, if Chief Justice Sereno, Comelec Chair Bautista, and Ombudsman Morales, along with their yellow backers, were keen to keep their offices from falling under the sway of Duterte appointees, they should have kept their noses clean. But they didn’t. (ManilaTimes.net)
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Dateline PhiliPPines
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 6-12, 2017
A
Pimentel to PNP: Where is the peace and order people are ungrateful for?
MANILA — Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel on Thursday, Oct. 5 slammed the Philippine National Police for lack of peace and order as he condemned the killing of a Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro councilor and his son. Councilor Melchor Arago, 52, and his son Kenneth, 15, were shot dead by two unidentified men onboard a motorcycle. “This is yet another murder by the now usual modus operandi of motorcycle-riding gunmen. Where is the peace and order that [PNP chief] Dela Rosa says the people are ungrateful for?” Pimentel said referring to PNP Director General Ronald Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel asked the police force: “Where is the peace and Philstar.com photo “Bato ” Dela Rosa’s latest state- order that [PNP chief] Dela Rosa says the people are ungrateful for?” ment calling critics of the war on drugs as “ingrates.” “The Filipino people deserve they see as the incompetence of Dela Rosa earlier said the pub- the PNP in catching them.” a modern, professional, and calic benefited from the peace and The Senate president urged pable police force. Right now, order the anti-illegal drug cam- for proper training and mod- the PNP is none of the above. paign brought. ernization of tools for the PNP We need to take radical action to Pimentel asked Dela Rosa to to carry out the administration’s change this state of affairs,” Pishape up as he said “criminals campaign against drugs and mentel said. (Rosette Adel/Philare being emboldened by what criminality. star.com)
House panel finds sufficient ground to impeach Sereno MANILA — The House Committee on Justice, voting 25-2, found sufficient ground to impeach Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who has been accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust. This means the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon and which the same panel foundsufficient in form and substance on September 13 will move forward. The committee will also determine whether there is probable cause to impeach Sereno. Those findings will be included in a committee report on the complaint. Members of the House of Representatives will vote in plenary on whether to approve or reject the justice committee’s report. If at least a third of the members of the House — 98 of 292 members — vote to approve the committee report, this will then constitute the Articles of Impeachment and the chief justice is impeached. The Articles of Impeachment will be transmitted to the Senate, which will try the case as an im-
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno meets the press in Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila. Inquirer photo by Lyn Rillon
peachment court. ‘Most charges not impeachable offenses’ Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands) argued before the panel that most of the charges against Sereno “are not really impeachable” offenses. Bag-ao pointed out that among
the charges against the chief justice is the purchase and use of a Toyota Land Cruiser as an official vehicle. Although government officials are prohibited from using luxury vehicles as official transport, Bag-ao said that top officials — including the chief justice — are exempted from the ban.
WORSHIP RESUMES. Holy Mass is offered for the first time at the badly damaged St. Mary’s Cathedral inside the war-torn city of Marawi since fighting broke out on May 23. About 300 government troops battling Maute terrorists assisted in the Eucharist. ManilaTimes.net photo
Palace welcomes confirmation... marked that the retired general is “perhaps the most fit and best qualified for the DENR highest post.” “It is with great pleasure and honor to report to the commission, to the president, to the men and women of the DENR, and to the whole nation the overwhelming yes, votes, of the members of this commission confirming and affirming the ad interim appointment of our DENR Secretary in the person of Roy A. Cimatu,” Pacquiao said. For his part, Cimatu said that the “challenge” for him now is to
prove to Duterte that the CA made the “right decision in placing their trust and confidence” in him. “I am pleased, honored and humbled by the vote of the Commission on Appointments confirming my nomination. I am excited about this opportunity to continue serving the public as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Cimatu said. He said that his confirmation would allow him to “continue to institute reforms, and pursue programs and projects that would truly protect the environment and improve people’s lives.” “This gives me enough inspira-
tion to carry out the seemingly gargantuan tasks of protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable use of the country’s rich natural resources in the face of climate change and dwindling natural wealth of the nation,” he added. The Environment Secretary likewise reassured that the agency would push for “people-centered agenda.” Prior to his current post, Cimatu served as the Armed Forces chief in 2002. He also served as the special envoy to the Middle East during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“If we go to the parking lot of Congress, we’ll see so many Land Cruisers,” she said in Filipino, again stressing that using an SUV is not an impeachable offense. Gadon also wants Sereno impeached for traveling in Business Class, which the chief justice has said she is allowed to do under the Supreme Court Human Resource Manual. Bag-ao said Gadon has admitted that “what is at issue with the chief justice taking business class is not legal but proprietary.” Bag-ao said that many of the grounds raised by Gadon do not mention particular provisions of the 1987 Constitution despite his accusing the chief justice of committing culpable violations of the constitution. “Shouldn’t we dismiss these allegations?” Umali: We apply ‘totality rule’ But Rep. Reynaldo Umali (Ori-
ental Mindoro), who is panel chair, said that the complaint and the proceedings must move forward. “[T]here is need for clarification and this is the reason why we are now at the level of determining whether there is sufficient ground not only for purposes of impeachment but to conduct further hearing as provided under our rules,” he said before the committee voted. He said the House panel will apply the “totality rule”, suggesting the complaint should be evaluated as a whole and not by particular allegations. “Again, we apply the totality rule,” he said, referencing the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011. “In fact, we did not go through the whole eight articles, we just limited ourselves to about two or three and we got the former chief justice convicted on just one
ground,” Umali said. In May 2012, the Senate voted to convict Corona for betraying public trust and committing culpable violation of the Constitution for failing to accurately disclose his wealth in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. “It may be pointless at this point to argue thereon,” Umali said. Alvarez: House will not rush complaint House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said that the majority has more than enough numbers to send the complaint directly to the Senate but he wanted the House justice committee to deliberate on the bill. “I want to be fair, and before we bring it there... before it is transmitted to the impeachment court, we have to be sure that the evidence will stand trial in an impeachment court,” he said in Filipino in a televised interview last month. (Philstar.com)
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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 O C TO B E R 6 , 20 1 7
TRACING HISTORY:
When and how Filipino-American History Month started by RIAN
FILIPINO-American History Month is celebrated in the United States every October. The significance of the month is attached to the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the United States. It was on October 18, 1587 when the “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Manila-built Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza under the command of Spanish Captain Pedro de Unamuno and set foot in what is now Morro Bay, California. The late Dr. Fred Cordova, along with his wife, Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Founder Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, first introduced October as FilipinoAmerican History Month in 1992 with a resolution from the FANHS National Board of Trustees. The Filipino American History Month was first recognized statewide in California in 2006 when the California Department of Education placed it on its calendar. California State Senator
MENDIOLA /AJPress
Leland Yee introduced a resolution, which passed the California State Assembly and was submitted to the California Secretary of State, that recognizes October as FilipinoAmerican History Month. In November 2009, both the United States House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions — House Resolution 780 and Senate Resolution 298, respectively — officially recognizing the month of October as Filipino-American History Month in the United States. Filipino-American History Month is widely celebrated in various states, counties and cities in the United States especially in California and Hawaii, where a large number of Fil-Ams currently reside. Commemorating 70 years of PH-US military bases agreement This year, the FANHS is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.
SORIANO /AJPress
BOTH Americans and Filipinos acknowledge their countries’ relationship is a “special one,” said Frank H. Golay in the book “The United States and the Philippines,” published by the American Assembly. Tracing back the pieces of history until the most recent issues emanating between the two countries, it is likely true. From the issues such as colonization and military agreement, today’s love-hate relationship of the two countries is hard to uproot. By a way of example is when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s threatened to cut ties with the U.S. government in the past. Latest headlines now say Duterte has changed his mind and now chooses to be friends with the American government. This otherwise complex relationship between the two countries has deeper roots. It has stood the test of time and numerous storms, and keeps on growing. Here are some distinct contributions by Filipinos that helped shaped U.S. history and society: 1) 250,000 Filipinos served under the U.S flag during the World War II. Approximately 250,000 Filipino soldiers signed up to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt’s call-to arms in 1941. These Filipinos soldiers fought under the American flag during World War II, serving under both the U.S. Army Forces in Asia and as guerilla fighters against Imperial Japan’s occupation of the Philippines. These, all to the U.S. government’s promise of a possibility to be granted U.S. citizenship and full veteran benefits. Although some Filipino soldiers were later granted the much-coveted U.S. citizenship, their role during WWII and the suffering of the entire Filipino nation are not mentioned in U.S. history books. Furthermore, five months after the war ended, President Truman signed the First Surplus Rescission Act in February, 1946, which deemed the service of the Filipino soldiers as not full-time, thereby disqualifying them from receiving their rightful benefits. Today, advocates have fought the inclusion of their stories in public schools starting in California. The Filipino veterans of WWII are also finally receiving the Congressional Gold Medal on October 25. presentation of the gold medal to recognize that “the loyal and valiant Filipino Veterans of World War II fought, suffered, and, in many instances, died in the same manner and under the same commander as other members of the United States Armed Forces during World War II.” The medal collectively honors the more than 260,000 Filipinos who lent their efforts on behalf of the United States during WWII. Fewer than 16,000 of those soldiers are alive today. 2) Filipino-Americans contributed significantly to the American labor movement, particularly with the United Farm Workers movement in the 1960s. Years of poor compensation and mediocre conditions paved the way for the Delano grape strike. Filipino American grape workers and members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee walked out on strike against Delano-wine grape growers. Fil-Am farm workers were actually the
Events and Celebration
OCTOBER 5 Bindlestiff Studio presents “Welga,” set in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood. Community preview on October 5, at 8 p.m. but will run from October 6-21, from Thursday-Saturday. For tickets: http://welga.bpt.me. OCTOBER 6 State of Illinois FAHM Celebration, Concourse Level at James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601. Contact Mr. Thomas Choi Thomas.Choi@illinois.gov, co-hosted by the Consulate General of the Philippines. OCTOBER 7
Along with it is acknowledging the monumental effect it had on U.S.Philippine relations and the Filipino community The history of the alliance between the two countries indicated an opposition toward the first attempts at establishing U.S. military bases in the Philippines. The Filipino opposition to the bases started when the HareHawes-Cutting Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, overriding a veto by President Herbert Hoover, on January 17, 1933. The law promised Philippine independence after 10 years but reserved several military and naval bases for the United States, as well as imposing tariffs and quotas on Philippine imports. The Philippine Commonwealth Legislature and the Filipinos opposed the act at the insistence of then Philippine Commonwealth Senate President Manuel L. Quezon, who advocated for the passage of the Tydings-Mcduffie Act instead. This act eliminated objectionable provisions of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act and provided authority for naval reservations in the Philippines, giving the U.S. president only the authority to negotiate within the Philippine government for that purpose. It was passed on March 24, 1934 and the Philippines was finally granted independence on July 4, 1946. When World War II broke out, the U.S. sought to maintain its military presence in the Philippines. The Military Bases Agreement, signed in 1947, provided basing rights of U.S. forces in the Philippines for 99 years. It also gave the United States the right to recruit citizens of the Philippines for voluntary enlistment into the US armed forces, according to Article 27. From the Bases Agreement
Filipino American National Historical Society (FAHNS) 35th anniversary at the Immaculate Conception Auditorium, 820 18th Avenue, Seattle, WA from 5:pm. to 9 p.m. Reception and silent auction at 5 pm., dinner and historical program at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. For reservations: e-mail fanhsnational@ gmail.com or call (206) 322-0204. City of Carson 2017 Filipino-American History Month Kick-Off at the CJMM Community Center, 801 E. Carson Street. For more information, please call (310) 952-1743. 3rd Annual Barrio Fiesta at Shaffer’s Farm, 8915 E. 31st Street S, Wichita, KS 67210. Contact: Ms. Rose Axman (316) 648-1364/ roseaxman06@gmail.com. Sponsored by the Filipino American Association of Greater Wichita (FAAGW).
Photos courtesy of National Archives and FANHS. org
to 1992, when the Philippine Congress voted to end the bases agreement. The country closed the bases, with more than 35,000 Filipinos having served in the U.S. Navy. Thousands of Filipino men enlisted to Sangley Point Naval Base, the Naval headquarters in the Philippines, due to the declining economic and political environment. The Navy offered higher pay than any other occupation in the Philippines, and additional incentives included traveling the world and the potential opportunity to obtain U.S. citizenship. During their service and upon retirement, these servicemen became American citizens, created families in the U.S. and petitioned for the immigration of their other family members. Because of this, they and their families created large Fil-Am communities in different states such as Chicago, Illinois; Providence and Newport, Rhode Island; Long Beach, San Diego, Oakland and Vallejo, California; Jacksonville, Pensacola and Key West, Florida; Kitsap and Seattle, Washington; Charleston, South Carolina; Honolulu, Hawaii. As a result of Military Bases Agreement, thousands of FilAmes trace their roots back to the Filipinos who served in the military and chose to settle in the United States upon retirement.
Filipinos’ contributions Some notable to US history and society Filipino-Americans by JENNIFER
Filipino-American History Month 2017
By ELIJAH
RODEROS AJPRESS
FILIPINO-American History Month is celebrated annually every October owing to the fact that it was on October 15, 1857 that the presence of Filipinos in the United States was first recorded. The first Filipinos who came ashore were called “Luzones Indios.” They the boarded Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esparanza and landed on what is now Morro Bay, California, according to the Filipino American National History Society (FANHS). In in 2009, the 111th U.S. Congress passed a resolution officially recognizing October as Filipino American History month. Since their arrival in 1857, Filipinos have made their mark in U.S. history and society, raising both the American and Philippine flags. Here are some notable FilAms, in no particular order: 1. Rob Bonta, California Assemblymember Born in Quezon City, Bonta made history when he was elected to the California State Assembly in 2012, making him the first FilipinoAmerican state legislator. Since then, he has been representing the Filipino community in an effort put their issues forward and advocate for the rights of his fellow. In 2013, he proposed legislation that would require California public schools to teach students the contributions of Fil-Am farm workers’ in the farm labor movement. It was later signed the same year by Gov. Jerry Brown. 2. Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong, farmers and activists Founders of the United Farm Continued on Page 6 Workers (UFW) Union. They were
FAHM Celebration dinner and dance at Penna’s of Sterling, 38400 Van Dyke Avenue, Sterling Heights, MI 48312. Sponsored by NaFFAA-Michigan, Contact Tony Kho (248) 755-6122 or Becky Tungol (248) 755-6119. Filipiniana 2017 Gala - A Colorado benefit dinner by NaFFAA Region V at the Radisson Hotel Denver, Aurora Colorado from 6-11 p.m. For tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/filipiniana-2017gala-a-colorado-benefit-dinner-tickets-35953391562?aff=es2. Filipino Children’s Story Hour program launch at the Bergenfield Public Library, Bergenfield, New Jersey from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. For more information call (774) 257 4669 or e-mail info@filschool-nynj. org. OCTOBER 8 “Michigan Filipinxs: Our Spaces in History,” at the Philippine American Cultural Center of Michigan (PACCM) located at 17356 Northland Park, Court, Southfield, MI. Contact Aurora Harris aurora.fanhsmi@gmail.com. OCTOBER 9 FAHM Celebration in Iowa, a feature display of Philippine arts and crafts, souvenirs and power point presentation. At the Urban Dale Public Library, 3520 86th St, Urbandale, IA 50322. Contact Mr. Roel Campos at rfcampos@gmail.com. Sponsored by NaFFAA Iowa. OCTOBER 13 FilAm Creative sponsors “Asian AF Presents: Filipino AF” at UCB Sunset’s Inner Sanctum Stage, 5419 West Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 9:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Free admission. OCTOBER 14 26th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) at Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more info: www. filamarts.org. Fil-Am of American Canyon and AmCan Arts Foundation celebrate Fil-Am History Month at the Community Gym, 100 Benton Way, American Canyon, CA from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more info: http://filamcyn.org. The Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School at 31604 Alvarado Blvd., Union City will celebrate Filipino American History Month from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. with keynote speaker Fil-Am NBA player Raymond Townsend. FAHM Exhibits in Skokie, sponsored by FANHS-Midwest and NaFFAA. Contact Jelly Carandang at (847) 679-7058 or msjellybeans@aol.com. OCTOBER 15 FAHM Luncheon Honoring the Most Outstanding Fil-Am Seniors at Four Points by Sheraton Chicago O’Hare Airport 10249 West Irving Park Road Schiller Park, IL Sponsor – PACF, contact Adeline Fajardo at adeline.pacf96@gmail.com or Evelyn Natividad, Ph.D. (773) 426-5459 or e-mail ivynatividad9@gmail.com. OCTOBER 21 8th Pamana Heritage Awards The Filipino American Historical Society Rio Grande (FANHS RG) in cooperation with the Filipino American Community council (FACC) will have their annual Pamana Heritage Awards in conjunction with Filipino-American History Month. Event will be at Wyndham Hotel, 2500 NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico from 2 - 4 p.m. Regional Food Fare* at Filipino Cultural Center, 9810 We 79th St. Overland Park, KS 66204. Sponsored by the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City, contact Lucila Rider, rider1215@yahoo.com or call (816) 522-3854
Rob Bonta, California’s first Fil-Am Assembly member
both leaders for farm worker rights. Cruz was one of the founders of of the Agriculture Worker Organizing Committee (AWOC), which later merged with Cesar Chavez’s National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) and gave birth to the UFW. Itliong was a labor leader that founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union (FFLU) and was the President of AWOC. He was a selftaught labor leader who handled protests in California and Alaska. Along With Cruz, he convinced Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta’s predominantly Mexican/Latino National Farm Workers Association to join the Grape Strike and Boycott of 1965 demanding better pay and benefits. Composed of mainly Filipinos, the AWOC initiated the infamous “Delano Grape Strike” that lasted more than five years since 1965. Most farm workers resided in Delano, California, have voted to strike against the table-grape growers and demand them wages equal to the federal minimum wage. A week after the strike began, the predominantly Mexican American National Farmworkers Continued on Page 6
FAHNS Los Angeles Chapter’s film screening of “Fall of the I Hotel,” a documentary by Curtis Choy at the LA Public Library, Echo Park Branch, 1410 West Temple Street at 1 p.m. Contact (424) 488-3846. City of Carson 8th Annual Larry Itliong Celebration at Veterans Park, 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Free admission, for more info call (310) 952-1743. OCTOBER 22 Brooklyn Nets 2nd Annual Filipino Heritage Night vs the Atlanta Braves at the Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York at 3:30 p.m. OCTOBER 28 Larry Itliong Day 3rd annual Parade & Festival “Weaving our Communities.” Join the Larry Itliong Day Committee (LIDC) in honoring the legacy of Fil-Am labor leader Larry Itliong at the Unidad Park (parade) and St. Colombian Church (festival program). Admission is free. For information: LarryItliongDayLA@ gmail.com. Film showing of the acclaimed writer-director John Sayles’ “Amigo” with Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, Rio Locsin, Bembol Roco and Yul Vasquez. Central United Methodist Church, 8237 N. Kenton, Skokie. Call Mariano Santos (847) 528-4991 for details. OCTOBER 29 FAHM display exhibits and film showing of “Amigo” with Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, Rio Locsin, Bembol Roco and Yul Vasquez at Indian Prairie Library at 401 Plainfield Rd, Darien, IL. Sponsored by FAASD, contact Jose Soloria at (630)915-5956 or e-mail jsoloria@comcast.net. UNTIL OCTOBER 30 “Filipino History Unveiled Through the Arts,” a display of the collaborative mural by five Fil-Am artists from Chicago and five artists from the Philippines and art work of local Filipino American artists Monica Acosta, Paul Balan, Tita Brady, Fred de Asis, Lea Rivera and Susan Silvano. At Trickster Arts Gallery, 190 S. Roselle St., Schaumburg, Illinois.
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ A POPULAR segment on my weekly immigration television show, “Citizen Pinoy”, is “Your Tanong, My Sagot”, where people ask immigration questions on a variety of subjects, and I offer my advice and guidance. Here are a sampling of questions from Filipino viewers, which may also be helpful to you: Question: I am a Filipino citizen, and was married to a U.S. citizen for 12 years. Two years ago, my wife divorced me. Last year, she and our 12-year-old daughter came to the Philippines for a visit. My wife and I had a heart-to-heart discussion, and found out we are still in love with each other. Right now, she wants to petition me. Do you see any complications, since we are still considered married under Philippine law? Answer: Although divorce is not recognized in the Philippines, from a U.S. immigration law standpoint, your divorce is recognized and valid in the U.S., since your U.S. citizen wife obtained a valid divorce from you in the U.S., you would now be considered “unmarried.” Therefore, a fiancé (K-1) visa would be the appropriate way to go. Question: My U.S. citizen son retired from the military. He is on
PART 1 ‘Your tanong, My sagot’ disability because of a traumatic brain injury. He has an 18 year old daughter living in the Philippines whom he met for the first time in 2013. She did not have a birth certificate, so we had her birth registered late in 2015. My son and his child did a DNA paternity test, which proved 99.99% positive that he is the biological father.. Can my son file a petition for his daughter? Could she possibly be a U.S. citizen? Answer: It is possible that an out of wedlock child of a U.S. citizen father could be considered an “automatic” U.S. citizen at birth, and therefore no petition would be needed. The basic requirements are the U.S. citizen father should have lived in the U.S. for at least five years before the child’s birth, two of which were after his 14th birthday. (Time in the military also counts as physical presence in the U.S.) In addition, the child should have been “legitimated” before age 18. It is possible to legitimate a child without marrying the mother. Most importantly, the father must have agreed, in writing, under oath, to support that child up to the child’s 18th birthday. That support agreement is a relatively simple form, but many US citizen fathers do not sign it before the child’s 18th birthday, thus cutting
off that child’s ability to become a U.S. citizen at birth. Alternatively, the child could be petitioned as an illegitimate child, provided the father could demonstrate that he supported the child while the child was a minor. (In other words, petitioning an out of wedlock child for green card would not necessarily require a formal written agreement under oath, as is required for citizenship.) *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and 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 re-enactments) 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 attorney-client 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
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THE so-called “destination wedding” is popular among celebrities (with money, I hasten to add) but Zsa Zsa Padilla is not keen on jumping onto the bandwagon. Still fresh in Zsa Zsa’s memory when she faced the movie writers for her new movie, Bes and the Beshies, the other day was the fabulous wedding of Drs. Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho in Paris, graced by showbiz A-listers including Zsa Zsa and her beloved Conrad Onglao. “Destination weddings are fun,” noted Zsa Zsa, “but Conrad and I would rather have a quiet wedding. Sabi ko nga sa kanya, magtanan
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HER “AMERICAN DREAM” SHATTERED WHEN HER CASE WAS DENIED AND HER TWO ATTORNEYS TOLD HER THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO JUST “HIDE.” Mariel (left) was devastated when her adjustment of status was denied after USCIS concluded she was out of status. Distraught and lost, especially after her first two lawyers’ only advice was to “hide,” Mariel decided to consult with “Attorney-of-LastHope” Michael J. Gurfinkel who sought reconsideration and was able to get Mariel her elusive green card in record time. Watch Mariel’s dream come true on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” — on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA
MANY years ago, on a visit to my father’s grave site on a quiet, (Advertising Supplement) lush, manicured patch of Forest Lawn Glendale, my husband, daughter and I trudged along several tombstones of husbands and wives who lived in the 1850’s and died just before the mid1900’s buried side by side. My daughter noted the pattern in the weathered bronze tablets of several generations ago. I commented that it is getting harder to find such longevity of devotion these days among younger married couples of the current generation. Call this the Age of Distraction Top: Zsa Zsa Padilla reveals more about her lovelife during a no-holds- for the “Selfies” generation. It barred interview with the movie writers. Note the engagement ring seems we love ourselves far too (encircled) given to her by her beloved Conrad Onglao. much to the exclusion of others. Perhaps it is because society as money to invest in business.” na lang tayo para hindi magastos. No wedding date yet, although a whole, is engaged in far too We’ll just elope na lang, have a many distractions and mired in there were reports that the simple wedding before a judge too much self-absorption. Social sweethearts planned to have it in and that’s it. Ayoko ng mabongga; I media enables and encourages Italy, until it fizzled out and they want it simple and solemn. What’s a popular culture that fosters broke up and reconciled after only self-love to the worrisome point of important is the exchange of vows. We can be practical and use the Continued on Page 6 extreme narcissism. It has become
Zsa Zsa Padilla: We’ll just elope! by Ricky Lo
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Two magical words “…And I think about those people who mean so much to me and for so many years have made me so very happy and I count the times I have forgotten to say “thank you” and just how much I love them.” — “Sometimes”, Richard & Karen Carpenter a struggle for many couples just to stay together. One might argue that the generations before us didn’t have the same challenges that we are having. True, it may have been a far simpler time compared to the complexities we are all faced with. And yet they leave behind lessons of love that result in devotion and fidelity. Surely, we can learn a lot about nurturing human relations from those who have gone before us. This I have learned from an older generation at an early age. Of all the powerful words in the English language, the words “Thank you” are like magic wands in helping transform human relationships, marriage in particular, happier. Not perfect …
just happier. You don’t even have to say the words. You can acknowledge anything good done for you by your partner by a sweet gesture, a nod, a smile, a touch or anything else that works for you that says “thank you.” In short, don’t take your partner for granted. Whether you’ve been together 50 days or 50 years, those words never get old. If you want that most powerful emotion called love to live on, treat your partner like a gardener takes care of a plant. Most plants cannot survive without water, light, soil and other optimum conditions kept at a consistent basis. The human heart is like that. Continued on Page 7
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Zanjoe Marudo gets iEmmys nomination for ‘MMK’ role
After earning nods from local award-giving bodies, Zanjoe Marudo has received a major boost by way of an iemmys nomination for a single portrayal in the weekly ABS-CBN drama anthology, “Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK).” the model-turned-actor is vying for the Best Performance by an Actor award at the 45th International emmy Awards, nominated alongside Julio Andrade (Brazil), Kenneth Branagh (United Kingdom), and Kad Merad (france). “this recognition from the iemmys is a personal milestone for me as an actor and as a filipino. this is a dream come true. I thank the jurors, the show MMK, ABSCBN and Star Magic,” Marudo said in statement sent to the Manila times. the 35-year-old is nominated
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for his portrayal of a father with paranoid schizophrenia in MMK’s “Anino” episode. It will be remembered that MMK gave Marudo one of his first acting jobs after his stint in the “Pinoy Big Brother” reality show in 2006. that same year, he starred with rica Peralejo and Derek ramsay in the “Love Letter” episode of the anthology. Between 2006 and 2016, Marudo counts a total of 13 MMKs in his body of work. Marudo said that while this latest validation of his acting skills comes from an international award-giving body, he has also thrived in nominations in the local scene. the actor was nominated in 2011 for two awards: New Movie Actor of the Year at the PMPC Star Awards for Movies for the Star Cinema film “You Got Me!” and
Breakthrough Actor of the Year at Golden Screen Awards for “Altar.” In 2011, he took home the 9th Gawad tanglaw for television’s Best Single Performance by an Actor for his role in MMK’s “Kuliglig” episode. thereafter, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the 38th Metro Manila film festival for his portrayal as Angel Locsin’s devoted boyfriend in the drama movie “One More try.” the same role earned him two more best supporting actor nominations in the 61st fAMAS Awards and the 29th PMPC Star Awards for Movies. Most recently, Marudo won the PinakaPasadong Katuwang na Aktor in the 19th Gawad Pasado Awards for the movie “the third Party.” the dramedy was all the more challenging for Marudo as
he portrayed Sam Milby’s new love interest. It also marked his second movie with Locsin who played Milby’s ex-girlfriend. for the iemmys, Marudo earned a spot along 44 nominees across 11 categories, from 18 countries. fellow Star Magic artist Jodi Sta. Maria was also nominated in the international awards in 2016 for Best Performance by an Actress as Amor Powers in the hit drama “Pangako Sa’Yo.” Primetime series “Bridges of Love,” meanwhile, was nominated in the Best telenovela category that same year. this year’s winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony on November 20 at the Hilton New York Hotel. the International emmy Awards are given by the International Academy of television Arts and Sciences. (ManilaTimes.net)
The 35-year-old actor gets a nod for his portrayal of a paranoid schizophrenic father in the ABS-CBN drama anthology. ABS-CBN photos
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Dr. Cristina D. Lopez: Always aspiring for excellence BY MONET
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ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS
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THEY say, “Experience is the best teacher.” Through it, we learn what makes us strong and what breaks us. It teaches us what to do and what to avoid. It makes us want to dream, live, laugh, fail, and try again. We live and get the most out of every experience so that when we look back, we have stories to tell, wisdom to impart and words to live by. I had the pleasure of hearing some beautiful words from a beloved friend. She is one whose intelligence and beauty radiate so naturally. We’ve been friends for three years but I’ve admired her forever. She is half Spanish, half Chinese yet her warm and friendly personality makes her a full-blooded “Pinay.” Her name is Cristina D. Lopez. Colleagues call her Dr. Lopez. She is also known as Dr. TeeLo (a moniker they coined by combining the syllables of her first and last name – like JLo). I know her as my dear friend, “Tina.” And the words you read below tell of Tina’s incredibly inspiring story. By the way, if you happen to see her shaping young minds at the UCLA School of Dentistry (Section of Restorative Dentistry), speak to her — you might learn a thing or two. I did. “I never wished to become a teacher,” was Tina’s exact line when I asked her what she wanted to be when she was young. She initially responded with what she did not want to become. Well, as with the famous line, “Be careful what you wish for ‘coz you might get it,” her case was quite the irony because she actually got what she did NOT wish for. Growing up, she wanted to be a dentist. Being a middle child and the only girl, she was determined — and it paid off — when she graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) at the University of the East (UERM) in the Philippines. She migrated to Virginia in 1997 and worked in Washington DC as a Dental Assistant for almost 10 years. After eighteen years, Tina now works at the UCLA School of Dentistry as a Lecturer/Clinical Instructor. Not only did she turn out to be a great teacher, she is actually the only Filipina Instructor in the UCLA School of Dentistry.
Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS FOR thousands of years, China has been known to be the capital of herbal medicine. Other countries like the Philippines have their own local regional version of treating diseases and health conditions using herbal products. Today, we still hear an abundance of anecdotal testimonials about the efficacy of these natural “medications” from indigenous foods, plants, minerals, some of them from regular food we eat everyday. Efficacy and safety Folk remedies are our earthly natural gifts and traditional plant and herbs are still man’s sources. About 85 percent of the world’s developing nations studied and refined for years in scientific laboratories until governmental agency’s (the Food and Drug Administration or in case of the U.S.) strict efficacy and safety standards are met. Some of the problems with herbals drugs include lack of stringent product testing and quality control, contamination with adulterants and bacteria, and resultant serious complications, acute (instant) or chronic (long term, years) and in some cases, deaths. There is no question that many plants, fungi, flowers, roots, leaves, fruits have chemical substances in them that are beneficial to the human body, not only as a source of nutrition but as herbal items with medicinal values. Modern science has harnessed some of them, reconfigured their molecular structures and properties, and transformed them into medicine. Penicillin is one of the multitudes of drugs that have their origin from these natural elements. Tainted reputation The quest for alternative medicine — driven by culture, tradition, or economics — has been tainted by the incursion of some pharmaceutical or
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4th Filipino American International Book Festival in San Francisco Join a weekend of fun literary events, performances and activities for book lovers of all ages! The opening gala will be held on Friday, Oct. 6, while the festival will begin on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 8, it will be from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will take place at the San Francisco Main Library at 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Admission to the festival is FREE and open to the public. For more information, please visit http://www.filbookfestival.org/.
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A3M Starnight 2017 annual gala in Long Beach, CA In the past 25 years, A3M has given hope and a second chance of life to many patients. Their journeys have inspired and motivated the organization to continue its mission of increasing and diversifying the Be the Match Registry. A3M is committed to supporting patients from the communities that are underrepresented in the Be the Match Registry. To continue its life-saving work, you are invited to support A3M at its Annual Gala Dinner held on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach (200 South Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802) from 5 to 9 p.m. To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.flipcause. com/secure/event_step2/MTk3NjI=/13381.
City of Carson’s Filipino-American History Month Kick-Off Dr. Cristina D. Lopez
“Do not settle for mediocrity.” You might be wondering how Tina switched from being a Dental Assistant to a Clinical Instructor. She did it by living up to her motto, “never settle for mediocrity.” Back when she was working in Washington DC, she had her eyes on getting her Dental Residency. However, things didn’t go as she hoped so she shifted to a slightly different direction – which meant moving to Los Angeles to start as an Administrative Assistant in UCLA’s Continuing Dental Education office. In April 2007, she passed her board exam. Circumstantial changes did not let Tina settle for anything less. Instead she pushed forward and continued to pursue her dreams, which led her to discover her love for teaching. She can sum up her experience in two words: “Never Settle.” “Always aspire for excellence.” At work, no two days are the same for Tina. Everyday is different; there are days when she has to stay late to supervise dental students, days when she sees patients, and days when she facilitates skills course for foreign post-graduate students. There are also weekends throughout the year where she teaches Continuing Dental Education courses. She has been doing all these for more than a decade. And has been in the same industry for the last 23 years. When I asked her
what makes her love her job, she said the sweetest thing: “Teaching is my calling and my passion. I love what I do because I care for the people I train. One of the most rewarding moments I had was when I heard some of them say to themselves while working under my supervision, ‘I want to be like her’.” Tina always advises her students to strive for excellence in whatever they do. She also added that aside from her selfdetermination, she gets support and encouragement from her family and from her faith in God. “Teach others by showing.” This is what Tina considers as an effective way to teach. She says that she herself learns by watching. And there’s no better way to emulate that but to “show and tell.” To my friend Tina: Thank you for being a great teacher and friend. May you continue to inspire more people by living and teaching these philosophies. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com
Herbal warning manufacturing companies which have flooded the market with a hundreds of “herbal medications and juices.” Each has the preposterous claim or insinuation that their products are useful or good for all diseases, from acne to athlete’s foot, from high blood pressure to diabetes, from impotence to aging, from arthritis to cancer, etc. They obviously aim to deceive the unsuspecting public into believing their product is a cure for any and all diseases known to man. And since this particular business is today a multi-billion dollars industry, it goes without saying that there are millions upon millions of ignorant consumers that are being victimized daily by these unscrupulous entrepreneurs. While these companies are spending millions of dollars in marketing and promotion, they are raking in billions of dollars a year, by peddling their products, under the guise of the label “food supplement,” in order to escape the strict scrutiny and investigation by the U.S. FDA or similar governmental agencies in other countries, for safety, efficacy, proper dosage, contraindication, side effects, etc. Reckless, profit-driven ventures Most herbal products today have not been scientifically investigated the same way all western drugs on the market have been studied and tested. So, we do not really know which are safe and efficacious, and what side effects they may have. Not all herbal medicines are dangerous but a few have been shown to cause kidney failure, liver failure, cancer, clot blockages in the kidney veins, seizures, etc. Some of them have caused deaths. Sometime ago, a Chinese herb known as Aristolochia fangchi or A. fangchi was linked to kidney failure and urinary cancer. This herb is used in Chinese medicine to treat asthma. A. fangchi is also an ingredient in a Belgian weight-loss formulation, where
the linkage was discovered. This was not the first time where herbal medicines have caused severe, if not fatal, complications. Other herbals to stay away from, to mention a few, are pokeroot, comfrey, and liferoot, which have been reported to cause liver damage. Ginseng can affect hormonal balance and Gingko Biloba, excessive bleeding during surgery, among some people. A warning has been sounded by the United Nations health agency regarding the use/misuse/overuse of herbal medications. Late discovery of toxicity Most of the herbals and socalled food supplement sold over the counter have not undergone proper and adequate testing like what are required by the FDA for proprietary medications. It is most unfortunate for the public that these substances do not need FDA approval prior to marketing. As such, manufacturing and marketing firms are able to make the usual attractive but false claims that the product is effective for various illnesses. The gullible and illinformed people fall victims to these fraudulent claims in their search for the “fountain of health and longevity.” This unregulated business is a trillion-dollar industry around the globe. It is one thing to take a substance and discover after days or months that it is not effective; it is another to find out months or years later that the substance is toxic, or causes cancer. By then, it is too late. Alternative medicine could be a wonderful natural option, but with today’s sophisticated medical science, it is most prudent for all of us to use only those herbal products and drugs that have been investigated by the FDA, studied, tested, and proven safe, effective, with minimal side effects and potential complications. There are many fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, spices, and herbs that we eat daily, which have medicinal values in Continued on Page 7
The City of Carson will kick off this year’s Filipino-American History Month on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the CJMM Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 980745). From 8 to 9 a.m., there will be refreshments at the Community Center East Parking Lot. It will be followed by a wreath laying at Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s monument from 9 to 9:15 a.m. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. there will be a program at the Carson Dominguez Room. For more information, please call (310) 952-1743.
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Adobo Festival in Los Angeles The 12th Annual Adobo Festival is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, October 7 & 8 at the Silver Lake Medical Center at 1711 W. Temple St. in Los Angeles. The festival starts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is FREE! For details regarding how to join the Adobo Cook-Off Contest, Kiddie Popstar and for booth vendors, call (650) 2900542 or (650) 290-4457 or log on to www.adobofestivalusa.com.
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Glendale Tech Week Glendale Tech Week offers the best of tech from within Glendale and the Greater LA area. Attendees will have access to talent, networking, and business opportunities. Passes, schedule of events, and list of speakers available at Glendaletechweek.com.
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26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in Echo Park The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) hosted by Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) is back at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, October 14. Expect a whole day filled with art exhibits, entertainment, and Fil-Am vendors. More details and special guests to be announced. For more information, please visit: http://www.filamarts.org/.
18th annual Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra, CA On Saturday, Oct. 14, the 18th annual Asian Small Business Expo will be held at the Almansor Court Conference Center (700 S. Almansor St., Alhambra, CA 91801), featuring free workshops, exhibitors, networking opportunities, and more! Jonny Hwang, founder of 626 Night Market, is the featured guest speaker with special guest, Jerome Horton, chairman of the California Board of Equalization. It is FREE to attend! The Asian Small Business Expo is the only business-to-business expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream to connect and utilize your company and its services. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with small businesses, market your organization and tap into a network of entrepreneurs, service providers, financial organizations, franchises and governmental and legislative representatives. For more information, please visit http://www.apisbp.org/expo.html.
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Award-winning journalist Raissa Robles holds speaking tour in Los Angeles As part of a six-city U.S. tour, Raissa Robles, a Manila-based award-winning investigative journalist, will share her insights into the significance of the rise of the Marcoses and the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Robles is the author of “Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, a brief history of torture and atrocity under the new society,” nearing her the International Award for Excellence in Journalism by the Geneva-based International Christian Organization of the Media (ICOM). The community special events will take place followed by a Q&A. These events are free and open to the public: Saturday, October 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pilipino Workers Center (153 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026) and Sunday, October 15 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church (6657 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028). For more information, call (323) 606-1322 or email mrjaimeg@ hotmail.com.
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City of Carson’s 8th annual Larry Itliong Day Celebration Join the City of Carson for its 8th annual celebration of Larry Itliong Day on Saturday, Oct. 21 with a parade and program. Assembly time begins at 8 a.m., with the parade from 9 to 9:30 a.m. The program will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will be held at Veterans Park at 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson, CA 90745. Admission is FREE. For more information, please call (310) 952-1743.
NaFFAA to celebrate 20th anniversary in Washington, DC The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) turns 20 years old this year. This October, several events are being planned to celebrate this milestone, which coincides with the national observance of Filipino American History Month. They will culminate with NaFFAA’s 20th Anniversary Gala, to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 21. With its theme “NaFFAA 2.0: One Voice, Four Million Strong,” NaFFAA will recognize the legacy and accomplishments of the organization over the past 20 years, and highlight its comprehensive vision to unite and amplify the voices of the four million Filipinos living in the United States. “NaFFAA 2.0” represents how NaFFAA is honoring its past while forging a new forward-thinking and balanced approach in uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse Filipino American individuals and community organizations through leadership development, civic engagement, and advocacy. To learn more about NaFFAA or to purchase tickets for the 20th Anniversary Gala, please visit www. naffaa.org.
Mutya ng Lahi in Santa Clarita, CA To celebrate Filipino-American History Month, the Fil-Am Association of SCV, Inc. proudly presents Mutya ng Lahi (Jewel of Ancestry) on Saturday, Oct. 21. It will be held at the Centre at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91351 from 6 to 10 p.m. The program will showcase traditional folk dances, songs, national costumes and an exhibition of Philippine Centennial. Tickets for the dinner and show are $35 for adults, $20 for children (4-12), and free for under 3 years. For ticket sales, please contact the following no later than Oct. 13: Emie R. Carrillo at (661) 877-2699, Zeny Justiniano at (661) 294-0181, or Zony Gordon at (661) 312-3422.
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FACC-GLA’s Halloween Dance Party in Canoga Park, CA The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce - Greater Los Angeles (FACC - GLA) invites members and guests to its Halloween Dance Party on Friday, October 27 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the Best Western Canoga Park Hotel. Come in with your scariest attire as there will be special gifts for the best costume attire. Food & drinks will be included. Tickets are limited and entry will only be allowed for those who paid online or through check on or before Tuesday, October 24. Payment can be made through the website www.filamchambergla.org. Strictly NO payment will be accepted at the door.
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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Star Magic Ball becomes a family affair by Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo Philstar.com
STAR Magic Ball, in the past, was notorious for its drunken stars, brawls and cat fights. But this year was different. The ball has become more wholesome this year as more and more celebrities are walking down the red carpet with their family members as dates. Even ABS-CBN Publishing Inc. President Ernie Lopez came with his son. As event host Bianca Gonzalez-Intal observed, the ball that celebrated Star Magic’s 25th anniversary has become “a family affair.” Denise and Alejandro Laurel Actress Denise Laurel celebrated her birthday at the ball last Saturday, Sept. 30 in Makati Shangri-La. “I’m celebrating my birthday, so I thought it would be cool to spend this day with my son,” the single mom told reporters.
According to Denise, she wants Alejandro to be part of everything she does. Clad in a Rajo Laurel suit, Alejandro was host Tim Yap’s bet for “best dressed.” Meanwhile, Denise donned a Michael Cinco ball gown. Ogie and Leila Alcasid “Nagulat ako! Bonggang bongga pala ‘to!” Ogie told the press when asked about his first time at the ball. “I think it’s a great experience. Now I know why everybody’s talking about it. But I’m more excited for her (Leila) than I am for me.” The award-winning singercomposer is proud of his daughter for taking control of her own life and making big decisions like going back to the Philippines to pursue a career in music and acting as a Star Magic talent. “Of course, music will always be
Zsa Zsa Padilla: We’ll just... From Page 3 seven weeks. Without digging up the past (you know, let bygones be bygones), all Zsa Zsa shared was how they reconciled. It must have been fate that led them back to each other. “We happened to be at a mall at the same time,” related Zsa Zsa. “Before we knew it, we were talking to each other and it lasted for more than two hours. Then we just decided to give our relationship another shot.” If you recall, Zsa Zsa left home to report to her ABS-CBN Sunday show “ASAP” and never came back, leaving behind everything that Conrad had given her including the 3-carat emerald-cut engagement ring Conrad gave her two years ago. “Here,” Zsa Zsa waved her finger with the ring, “I got it back. We even had a Friendship Ring,” adding with a laugh, “Friendship Ring daw, o! Ano, mga bata? Hahahaha!!!” The “second time around” proved challenging to Zsa Zsa
because she had never reconciled with anybody after a break-up. “That’s why I was hesitant at first. After our break-up, I had to undergo healing sessions because there was a lot of the past that I had to come to terms with.” Is she completely healed? “Well,” said Zsa Zsa, “I think so…I hope so!” Like most, if not all, women, Zsa Zsa admitted that she is “historical” (but not “hysterical”). “We women are fond of going back to the past, binabalik-balikan namin ang nakaraan, we dig up everything, so it’s hard to forgive and forget. But I realized that once you have forgiven, kapag pinatawad mo na, you should forget. “Actually, I came up with a method that applies only to and for myself; I made my own rules that I promised I wouldn’t break. That is, no more reference to the past. I practiced that for a long time. Forget the past and move on, at nasanay na ako.” In Bes and the Beshies (opening
my first love. But I’ve been told from her acting workshops that there’s something in there as an actor and I have to make sure that she really has good chops and she has a story to tell in her heart.” According to Leila, she has always known in her heart that she would return to the Philippines. “I always feel like a part of me is always here even though when I was in Australia, so it’s a very nice transition. Lucky that I have part of my family here, especially my dad…I don’t think there’s much of an adjustment at all, actually. I really blended in easily.” She said she is taking her showbiz career slowly. “I’m making sure that I’m ready for every step that I want to take. But I’m enjoying it. I’m enjoying the experience of meeting with people, discovering new things about myself as well. I’m very excited.” Aiko and Andre Melendez Sixteen years after their nationwide on Oct. 18), produced by Cineko Productions and directed by Joel Lamangan from a screenplay by Ricky Lee, Zsa Zsa co-stars with Ai-Ai delas Alas. Carmi Martin and Beauty Gonzales. Their roles are described as “woman empowering,” with Ai-Ai as an ideal single mom, Carmi as a mistress, Beauty as a family breadwinner, and Zsa Zsa as a martyr mom who will do anything to keep her family from falling apart. True-to-life? “Of course, not!” said Zsa Zsa. “My character is a dedicated housewife na na-losyang na (past her prime), who loves cooking.” Does she cook for Conrad? “He cooks better than I do,” conceded Zsa Zsa. “But we both love to eat and we like to do the same things. Conrad is really sweet. He loves to give me even little things, pati shampoo binibili niya for me!” It helps that their respective children are okay with the relationship. “My children respect my decision in the same way that I respect their own relationships.”
ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com. And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event. To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice. The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.
Leila and Ogie Alcasid
with Jomari’s current girlfriend. “I saw her in a wake. It’s a sad way to meet. But a life might have Denise and Alejandro Laurel ended but a new friendship, who knows, baka maging mas okay,” said separation, actress Aiko Melendez Aiko. and estranged husband Jomari Aiko and Jomari has a son Yllana have reconciled. together, Andre, who is now a Star “Ayun, we’re okay na. And God Magic talent and was Aiko’s date at is just so great that after 16 years the ball. everything is just you know, okay According to Aiko, she enjoyed na. Wala nang tensyon,” Aiko told the press during a red carpet interview at the ball as much as she does with the Star Magic Ball Saturday evening. acting. Relationships might come and go, but for Aiko, one love Aiko and Jomari even had a endures, and that is her passion for “selfie” or a photo together after her craft. burying the hatchet. As a Star Magic talent, it was According to Aiko, the key to Andre’s second time in the ball and their peace pact is proper timing. accompanying him for the first time Likewise, Aiko has made peace
was his mom, Aiko. Donny and Hannah Pangilinan “It’s my first time on the red carpet so I’m so nervous,” confided Hannah, daughter of TV hosts Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and Anthony Pangilinan. Her older brother, Donny, teased her: “Ang ganda nga n’ya ngayon eh! Tapos daring pa ‘yung suot n’ya, pak!” Donny said that now Hannah has come of age, “She can now do a lot of things she can’t do before. It takes a lot of responsibility, but I’m really proud of her. S’yempre, she has a long way to go pa.” Hannah said of her brother: “He’s very caring and always transparent. He loves to share about his day to his family…He’s always running!” Donny’s advice to young people who want to be an award-winning athlete like him is to “do what excites you and keeps you motivated.” Other celebrities who went with their family as dates: Jolina Magdangal-Escueta and son Pele, sibling Daniel and Vanessa Matsunaga, Sen. Chiz and Heart Evangelista-Escuero, siblings Tom and Antoinette Taus, and Drs. Hayden and Vicki Belo-Kho.
Filipinos’ contributions to US history... From Page 2 brains behind what Cesar Chavez and Mexican farmworkers are often credited for. The strike which lasted for more than five years lead to the signing of union contracts, which finally paved the way for granting the workers better pay and necessary benefit. Fil-Am leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz reached out to Chavez to help organize the union. Historians credit Dolores Huerta, one of the many activists for being the first to start the strike. 3) Fil-Ams have been a part of many advocacy movements throughout U.S. history. In the late ’60s, Filipinos were at the forefront against corporate interest in the U.S. during what they call the “Radical 60s”. Take for example the campaign against the eviction of elderly tenants of the International Hotel in Manilatown area in San Francisco, which housed Asian laborers — with Filipinos being the majority of them. Inspired by Mao Zedong’s political slogan, “Serve the People,” Asian Americans invited students to participate the movement. Most of the Fil-Ams who joined the movement were children of farmworkers and WW II veterans who also participated in the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) or went to college through special admissions for disadvantaged students. According to Estrella Habal‘s book, “San Francisco International Hotel: Mobilizing the Filipino American Community in the Anti-Eviction Movement,“ the Fil-Am community’s involvement
in the anti-eviction movement gave way to the rise of a workingclass consciousness, betraying the middle class dreams of their immigrant parents. In 2015, Alvarado Middle School was renamed the ItliongVeracruz Middle School after the Fil-Am labor leaders, thanks to the efforts of Filipino-Americans. The school was the first ever school in the U.S. to be named after a FilipinoAmerican. In 2016, Fil-Ams made a successful attempt to rename the South of Market (SoMa) district of San Francisco to SoMa Pilipinas, yet another historical recognition that manifests the Filipinos and U.S. relations. 4) Fil-Ams have a significant presence in the arts and in hiphop culture. You name it — theater, rap and entertainment — Filipinos are there! There’s Lea Salonga who is the first Filipina to win a Tony Award, popular musicians like “High School Musical” alum Vanessa Hudgens,
Some notable...
singer-composer Bruno Mars and Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas. Fil-Am disk jockeys and beatmakers, including DJ Neil Armstrong, DJ Q-Bert, DJ Icy Ice, as well as b-boys and dance crews also rise to popularity. Add to this list the more recent ones — members of groups featured on “America’s Best Dance Crew” like the Jabbawockeez, Super CR3W, and Quest Crew. This has all helped shaped America’s pop culture.
Outstanding Documentary. A year later, he appeared on From Page 2 the TIME magazine cover with his fellow undocumented immigrants, Association (NFWA) led by Cesar as a follow-up story to his essay. Chavez joined the struggle at He since has been Delano. AWOC and NFW later contributing editor to Huffington banded Filipino and Mexican farm Post on Technology and College workers and became known as Sections. United Farm Workers Union (UFW). Other worth mentioning are: The success of the grape • Vicki Manalo-Draves, the first boycott has made the growers woman to win two gold medals sign their first union contracts, in springboard diving at the 1948 granting workers better salary and Olympics in London. protection. • Geno Espineli - Retired 3. Monique Lhuillier, fashion baseball pitcher for the SF Giants. designer He was born in Houston, Texas to Cebu-hailed Monique Lhuillier Monique Lhuillier Filipino parents. has already etched her name on • Bobby Balcena - Became the the bridal fashion industry as she’s ever-changing America. first player of Filipino ancestry to been designing numerous bridal In 2011, the New York Times appear in a major league game. He gowns and dresses for Hollywood published a groundbreaking had a long distinguished Triple-A A-listers and celebrities. essay he wrote which revealed career with the Seattle Rainiers as Daughter of real estate and chronicled about his life in a center fielder in the 1950s, and investors and jeweler, Michel and America as an undocumented in Seattle is fondly remembered to Amparito Lhuillier, Monique started immigrant. this day. her career with Melivier in 1996 as He then produced and • Peter Aquino Aduja - The first a designer. By 2001, she opened directed “Documented,” a Fil-Am elected to public office in her first store in Beverly Hills and documentary film about his the United States. He was elected expanded her business to home experience as an undocumented as a representative in the Hawaii decors and handbags six years later. immigrant. It was theatrically Legislature in 1954. Monique got her big break and broadcasted on CNN in 2004 • Benjamin Cayetano - First in 2005 when Martha Stewart and received a 2015 National Fil-Am governor in the U.S. Weddings featured her bridal Association for the Advancement • Mona Pasquil - First Filipino, gown. Now, she’s been the favorite of Colored People (NAACP) female and Asian lieutenant designer of celebrities such as Eva Image Award nomination for governor for the State of Longoria, Kate Bosworth, Drew California. Barrymore and Zoe Saldana when *Editor’s note: It is a fact it comes to the red carpet outfits. that many Filipinos (and not just 4. Jose Antonio Vargas Fil-Ams) have made their mark in A former Washington Post different industries and societies all journalist, Jose Antonio Vargas over the world. May it be in politics, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 sports, entertainment, technology, for covering the Virginia Tech military, journalism, culinary and shooting. Jose has also been in the others; it is no doubt that Filipinos scene of filmmaking and media are regarded as hardworking, entrepreneurship. intelligent and persevering He founded Define American, people. Unfortunately, we do not a non-profit media advocacy that have enough space to mention aims to humanize conversation all of them in this piece, but we on immigration, citizenship, and identity through storytelling in the Jose Antonio Vargas AJPress file photo acknowledge their contributions.
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A tandem of achievers for the PIDCI Board
Fernando “Nanding” Mendez
Dr. Laura Garcia
Nanding Mendez A Fil-Am Who’s Who profile, frequent press coverage, and nearubiquitous presence at community events can still fail to depict a person’s full dimensions. For Fernando “Nanding” Mendez, Chairman and CEO of Fiesta In America, the spotlight has always focused on how he has steered the 20-year-old nonprofit into the biggest expo and cultural show of its kind on the US east coast. But this successfulimmigrant persona is just as an introduction to the total person. Graphic design, logo development, and advertising art direction has been Nanding’s first rung on the Philippine and US business ladders. With a degree in Fine Arts, major in advertising from UST, he embarked on his award-winning advertising career at Philippine Advertising Counselors, then one of the country’s leading ad agencies. In Billings, Montana (where he and his family had settled in the early ‘80s), he won the competition to design the city’s logo. He later
Two magical words
From Page 3 It grows strong and beautiful with constant, devoted care. Saying “thank you” to your partner in life as often as you can, simply means you appreciate him. You are validating his worth as a person. Perhaps, being appreciated and shown respect, is next on the list of the most basic needs of a human being after the needs of food, clothing and shelter are met. The words may not come naturally to you and your partner may be stunned at first but go ahead. Give it a try and say “thank you.” Say it like you mean it. Look for the small gestures such as giving you a cup of coffee, opening your car door, doing housework, cleaning your car or filling up your gas tank. Just don’t take what he does for you as a given. Or how about taking the initiative yourself? If you do it long enough and often enough, he just might mirror your behavior. What goes around comes around. If he brings home the paycheck that pays for your family life, then treat him like a king. Often, the goodhearted partner will treat you like his queen. There are exceptions, of course. It is only the jerks and the jackasses who abuse their positions of strength. That holds true for both sexes. If there is constant, sincere appreciation shifting back and forth between partners, you are, in effect, cementing a foundation for a relationship that would be tough to crack even if a threat to your marriage, like a pretty, young vixen with mile-long legs comes along making a play for your partner. Likewise, a smooth talking, slick Pepe Le Pew character. with washboard abs would smell more like Brad’s sweaty armpit and would have no chance with a woman who already has a man at home she can canoodle with. The same is true for men. Paul Newman simply explained why he remained faithful to Joanne Woodward, “Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?” What is good for the gander is good for the goose. There may be scores of women out there right now who feel neglected by their spouses. Maybe there’s another woman or man waiting in the wings. But more often than not during this Age of Distraction, the disaffection is rooted in selfabsorption. And there lies the problem. Women need, want and crave appreciation just as much as men, if not more.
Self-love takes many forms — whether it is playing video games or social networking on FB, Twitter or Instagram or some such platform on the internet for hours on end; binge drinking; gambling; watching or playing golf or any other sport; vain, self-obsession as a health nut or on becoming an Adonis body-building hunk or going to the deep end of things, deviant sex and pornography. With few exceptions, obsession is unhealthy not only for the obsessed but also for those who live within his or her immediate orbit. Excessive time spent on these obsessions is time stolen from nurturing the love relationship. Watch out for these modern-day distractions and addictions that are just too many to list. Admit them if you have them and break the bonds with firm resolve. If you want true love and happiness, strive for balance and moderation. In all cases of neglect, love is left to wither and die. Women who feel neglected, if driven to their limits, may throw all caution to the wind and look for love from the first opportunistic guy that comes along ready to engage in mild flirtation, an occasional dalliance or a full blown affair and gives them the attention and validation they crave. Such women can make disastrous, life-changing decisions that cause not only personal damage but also leave behind in the wake of a messy split, massive psychological, irreversible damage to children and other people involved in the couple’s life. Say “thank you” and mean it. Don’t just do it out of habit. Cut off the cellphone “umbilical cord” and make eye contact. Open your eyes and see the good in your partner. Wisdom, as they say, is knowing what to overlook. Rein in that critical sharp tongue. The tongue is a small yet powerful muscle that can lash out capable of slashing and burning a relationship forever. The effect is amplified a million times when you write it down or use the web to vent your fury. When you document your anger on paper and more frequently these days online, you have entered “scorched earth” territory. There is little chance of ever going back. (To be continued …) ***
them. These are the “herbals” that are good, safe and much less expensive too. For example: drinking water, for system cleansing and detoxifying; apple, anti-viral and lowers cholesterol; mustard, anti-fungal and antibacterial; salt, anti-bacterial and preservative; corn, induces urination; garlic, circulatory stimulant and lowers blood pressure; wheat, anti-aging; cucumber, anti-inflammatory; onion, lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; watercress is a tonic that detoxifies; potato, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory; lemonade to minimize kidney stone formation; honey, antiseptic and expectorant; pepper, decongestant and immunesystem enhancer; and, green leafy vegetables, anti-oxidant like
LBC brings holiday cheers to overseas Filipinos as BOC suspends Tariff Act on balikbayan boxes LBC’s customers abroad who are now busy filling up Balikbayan boxes to send to their loved ones here in the country will now be able to do so without worrying about the rules and regulations imposed by the Bureau of Customs last August 1, 2017 This is after BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapena issued a memorandum last September 28, 2017 suspending the implementation of the Customs Modernization Tariff Act (CMTA) until March 31, 2018. The CMTA carried with it certain provisions which set parameters for Balikbayan shipments and who was qualified to send them so they can avail of tax exemptions. It was enacted, not just to prevent revenue loss which comes when balikbayan boxes are shipped abusively or inadvertently, but also to simplify
Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
Herbal warning From Page 5
parlayed his design skills to major accounts in New York City, which included the logo of the Philippine Independence Day Committee, Inc. (which he won in a competition). But boundless creative energy tends to flow over, prodding him to immerse himself beyond art, events management, and nonprofit work, but also in photography, competitive chess, and guitar. Multi-dimensionality drives Nanding towards uncharted pathways for business, civic, and public service alliances; to try the untested and explore possibilities. He is standing for election to PIDCI’s Board, which could use his diverse range of creative and business abilities to the fullest. Dr. Laura Garcia is the President for Community Partnerships at Fiesta In America, the biggest expo and cultural show of its kind on the east coast. According to the nonprofit’s Chairman and CEO, Nanding Mendez, “Laura’s wealth of experience in alliance-building and nursing education is the missing piece in the growth puzzle as our nonprofit organization enters its second decade.” Devoting herself to nursing care as well as teaching nursing students are hallmarks of Dr. Garcia’s life, as well as her lifelong passion and professional philosophy. Community service and participation have held an equally significant place Dr. Garcia’s life. She has been avidly active in Filipino and non-Filipino community concerns, having received a Long Citation for Academic Excellence and Community Leadership sponsored by New York State Assemblyman Brian Barnwell. She completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice this year and is concurrently a Professor at the Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. A Butuan City native and Silliman University alumna, Dr. Garcia is the immediate past president of the Silliman University Alumni Association, New York-New Jersey Chapter, and sits on the board of other nonprofit groups. She was a recipient of the Ulirang Guro (Exemplary Teacher) Award from the Association of Fil-Am Teachers of America. Dr. Garcia was one of the Fil-Am doctorate degree-holders who were feted by Consul General Ma. Theresa Dizon de Vega on June 20 at the fifth Philippine Graduation (PGRAD) ceremony held at the Philippine Center, New York. She is standing for election to PIDCI’s Board of Directors, which has the opportunity to optimize her healthcare, education and alliance-building background.
most of the above, and also anticancer, etc. One caveat: There is no one single drug on earth that is a cure-all for every illness known to man, and taking an untested drug or substance with unknown side-effects and complications is downright dangerous in the long term, and potentially fatal. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com
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clearance procedures and adopt clear and transparent customs rules, consistent with international standards. LBC, the largest and leading forwarding company in the Philippines, welcomed the development saying many Overseas Filipinos are still unaccustomed to the CMTA and that the suspension will give them time to focus, instead, on sending joy and gifts to loved ones this Holiday Season. (Advertising Supplement)
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