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Duterte slams NY-based Human Rights Watch report: Criminals have no humanity mANILA - Criminals have no humanity so killing them is not a crime, President rodrigo Duterte said on thursday, march 2 as he railed against the report of a rights watchdog that the country faces a “human rights calamity.” malacañang also branded as “thoughtless and irresponsible” the New York-based human rights Watch (hrW) report on the Philippines, which said Duterte could be held liable for extrajudicial killings. Presidential spokesman ernesto Criminals have no humanity so killing them is not a crime, President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday as he railed against the report of a rights watchdog that the country Abella said President Duterte’s war faces a “human rights calamity.” Philstar.com photo PAGE A2

DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

Fil-Am among 43 most powerful female engineers of 2017

MASS FOR EJK VICTIMS. People look at photos of their family members, who they say were killed due to their involvement in illegal drugs before a Holy Eucharist mass action at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perfetual Help in Baclaran, Paranaque City on Thursday, March 2. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

Trump talks immigration in joint speech to Congress Pres. puts hold on revised travel ban by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

ImmIgrAtIoN continues to be one of the most contentious issues of President Donald trump’s administration, so it was no surprise he reiterated his immigration plans and rhetoric in his joint speech to Congress on tuesday, february 28. In his speech, the president acknowledged the country’s history in civil rights and race relaIN the maletions among minority groups, including immidominated terrain at san francisco’s In his first joint address to Congress this on Tuesday, Feb. 28, Pres. Donald Trump declared grants. In an effort to bring the nation together, silicon Valley, a a “new chapter of American greatness.” Photo from White House’s Twitter account he referenced recent events in which minorities filipina-American shines as one of the influential women in the realm of engineering and technology. At the 32nd spot of Business Insidby dana SioSon the minority leader. er’s “43 most PowAnne Aaron AJPress Pacquiao also moved the chairmanerful female engiseVerAL Liberal Party (LP) senators ships of the committees on agriculture neers of 2017, is Anne Aaron, current video have lost their committee chairmanships and education, which were both chaired algorithms director at Netflix. “she leads a team of software engineers and were kicked out of the majority bloc by LP members, be declared vacant. During the plenary session, senator and research scientists. they make the soft- during the senate reorganization on monday, february 27. Cynthia Villar replaced LP president senPAGE A4 on senator manny Pacquiao’s motion, ator francis “Kiko” Pangilinan as chair of LP senator franklin Drilon was removed the senate committee on agriculture. from his post as senate President ProLeaving the minority bloc, senator tempore. francis “Chiz” escudero meanwhile reDrilon, who second Pacquiao’s motion, placed LP senator Benigno Paolo “Bam” was replaced by senator ralph recto, Aquino as chair of the senate committee who switched to the majority from being PAGE A2

have been the target of violence and hate. “recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms,” the president said. the Kansas shooting —which actually took place in olathe, Kansas—involved a white, male shooter telling two India-born engineers to “get out of my country” before shooting and killing them. PAGE A4

Liberal Party senators removed from Arum to Pacquiao vs Khan PH Senate majority, committee posts backers: Show me the money Maragay Philstar.com

mANILA – top rank Inc. chief Bob Arum said he is prioritizing the planned fight between manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. But for him to do so, the fight’s purported backers in the United Arab emirates must already produce the money. “I don’t want to talk about any other fights,” Arum said in WBO world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao a report by ABs-CBN. “that’s and Amir Khan say they have agreed to terms for a what we are concentrating fight on April 23. Inquirer.net PAGE A2

Fil-Am progressives stress importance of supporting small businesses

“UP, up, up with the people! Down, down, down with the system!” As a way to mobilize young Americans, progressive revolutionary organization Kabataang maka-Bayan - Los Angeles (KmB-LA) hosted its 13th annual Love for the People: Divest Big Business, Invest community event, whose name says it all: support local businesses which are often driven out by big corporations. the intimate group of predominantly millennials gathered at the APAIt headquarters in Westlake in Los Angeles on thursday, february 23 for a multifaceted night of community discussion focusing on a wide range of issues, all relating to the overarching theme of love. “It’s the idea of challenging the commercialization of love, the idea that love is a source of MAJORITY RULE. Senators vote on Monday, Feb. 27 to replace Sen. Franklin Drilon with Sen. Ralph Recto as Senate capitalism which can be not with the people. president pro tempore after a motion by Sen. Manny Pacquiao. Senators Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV PAGE A4

by dino

and Risa Hontiveros were stripped of their committee chairmanships and relegated to the minority bloc. Photo from the Office of Sen. Manny Pacquiao

Robredo calls on dissent to be louder, braver by dana

SioSon AJPress

PhILIPPINe Vice President Leni robredo encouraged the opposition to be braver and louder in expressing their sentiments over the policies of the Duterte administration. Describing the dissent as the “most important element of democracy,” robredo said that she and the Liberal Party (LP) tried to cooperate with the present administration for the benefit of the country. robredo, however, took note that “expressing disagreement”

to the “policies you think were wrong” is “part of cooperation.” earlier this week, LP senators have lost their committee chairmanships and were kicked out of the majority bloc during the senate reorganization on monday, february 27. LP senator franklin Drilon was removed from his post as senate President Pro-tempore, while senators francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Benigno Paolo “Bam” Aquino, and risa hontiveros were stripped of agriculture, education, and health chairmanships PAGE A2

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From the Front Page

Robredo calls on dissent to be... PAGE A1

Duterte slams NY-based Human Rights... PAGE A1

charges filed against her by the respectively. Department of Justice (DOJ). Notably, the four senators The LP senators also reportearlier expressed their support edly attended a rally on February for LP Senator Leila De Lima, a 25 as part of commemorating the staunch critic of Duterte’s war on 31st People Power anniversary drugs and alleged rise of extraju- that ended the regime of late dicial killings in the country. President Ferdinand Marcos as De Lima was arrested last the country’s dictator. week after a warrant of arrest Robredo said that the reorgawas issued for the drug-related nization in the Senate sends a

Vice President Leni Robredo

“chilling effect” that there would be repercussions for those who would go against the administration. “Lakasan pa rin natin ang ating loob na kung hindi kami sang-ayon sa polisiya ng gobyerno, lalakasan namin ang aming paghayag dahil sa tingin namin mahalaga ito (We need to be braver and louder in expressing our oppositions to policies that we think were wrong),” she remarked. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, however, earlier clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte did not play a hand in the recent reorganization of Senate leadership. Robredo also expressed her dismay following news that the Lower House approved the proposed Death Penalty Law in its second reading on Wednesday, March 1. She said that the passage seemed to be done in “haste,” pointing out that more congressmen “wanted to interpolate but were not given a chance.” Citing the Philippines’ “history of criminal justice system,” Robredo said that the then-active capital punishment did not show any positive effects to the crime incidence of the country. “So, yung tanong kung hindi siya source sa improvement sa crime statistics, bakit pa natin ibabalik (So the question is, if it’s not a source of improvement to crime statistics, why bring it back)?” shen then asked.

on drugs is not a war against humanity but one meant “to protect humanity from a modern-day evil.” “To say otherwise is to undermine society’s legitimate desire to be free from fear and to pander to the interests of the criminals,” Abella said in a statement. In Davao City, President Duterte belittled the HRW report. “When you kill criminals that is not a crime against humanity. The criminals have no humanity God damn it,” the president told reporters during the groundbreaking of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. Abella disputed HRW’s claims by citing figures supposedly showing the extent of the drug menace in the country. “Is it a human rights calamity when more than 1.1 million drug pushers and addicts have voluntarily submitted themselves to authorities? Is it a human rights calamity when rehabilitation centers are being constructed to treat drug dependents?” he said. “Is it a human rights calamity when the sheer scope and magnitude of an emerging narco state have been exposed? “ Chief presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo said the contents of the HRW report are “incredible.” “The title of the report should have been ‘Licensed to Lie.’ It was full of lies,” Panelo said, referring to the report’s title “Licensed to Kill.” “You know the accusations against the President have been there since he was mayor. They have been investigating the same group. They’ve been saying that but have not filed any charges against the President when he was still mayor,” he added. Panelo said the families of the victims interviewed by HRW investigators were not expected to admit that their loved ones were

guilty of wrongdoing. He maintained that the extrajudicial killings were perpetrated by criminal groups to silence potential informants. “The extrajudicial killings are the result of surrenderees pointing to their comrades in the drug trade. And these co-conspirators in the drug trade involved in illegal industry will silence them because they will not allow themselves to be jailed or to be arrested; hence, they will have to silence them,” Panelo said. “Those who surrendered will not allow themselves to be killed so they will fight back, that’s why there are so many extrajudicial killings. The fact remains that many of our policeman and soldiers have also been killed. If the policemen were behind extrajudicial killings, they should not have suffered casualties,” he added. With regard to HRW’s claim that Duterte is criminally liable for the killings, Abella pointed out that Duterte enjoys immunity from suit. “The President is constitutionally immune from suit. But he has always been forthcoming with his fellow Filipinos to encourage constructive criticism, nay dissent, in the spirit of democracy and nation-building,” he said. In its report, the HRW also said many law enforcers planted evidence on drug offenders killed. “They plant guns, spent ammunition and drug packets on their victims’ bodies to implicate them in drug activities. Masked gunmen taking part in killings appeared to be working closely with the police, casting doubt on government claims that the majority of killings have been committed by vigilantes or rival drug gangs,” the HRW said in a statement. HRW has documented 24 cases of shooting incidents since October last year that resulted in the deaths of 32 drug suspects.

Do your homework Abella also advised interest groups to “do their homework more diligently before attempting to engage in propaganda” as he scoffed at HRW’s asking foreign governments to suspend their assistance to the Philippines because of the drug-related deaths. “President Duterte has won on a platform for genuine change and this will remain as his only agenda to serve the interest of the people,” Abella said. Malacañang also dismissed as hearsay HRW’s claim that the policemen had planted evidence to justify their actions against drug suspects. “Planting ‘evidence’ to justify police action is an allegation, nothing more. It must be substantiated by solid evidence, eyewitness account and sworn statement or affidavit. Recovered firearms from drug suspects are kept in custody and subsequently presented before legal proceedings,” the President’s spokesman said. “All these accusations of circumventing police procedures should be proven in a competent court and if found meritorious should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. Failing these, such claims are mere hearsay.” The Philippine National Police (PNP), for its part, dared the HRW to show solid evidence or stop making generalizations. “We need proof and if there is a complaint, we will act on it,” PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos told a news briefing. He said the Counter-Intelligence Task Force and Internal Affairs Service have been instructed to investigate possible police abuses in the conduct of the war on drugs. Carlos said the PNP is open to a probe by other investigating bodies. (Alexis Romero, Emmanuel Tupas, Eva Visperas/Philstar.com)

Liberal Party senators removed from... PAGE A1

on education. Hontiveros, who ran under the LP during the last May 2016 senatorial election, was replaced by Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) Senator JV Ejercito. Drilon, Pangilinan, Aquino, and Hontiveros are now part the Senate minority, led by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a vocal critic of President Rodrigo Duterte. In a press conference on the same day, Pangilinan claimed that the revamp was planned by the Duterte administration. “This is a part of their plans because this administration is not comfortable with our criticism of some of their policies,” the senator said. “We voice out our opinions on certain policies and orders. It seems that the administration wants total support, may they be right or wrong, and we can’t allow that.” Notably, the four senators stripped of the chairmanships in their respective committees earlier expressed their support for LP Senator Leila De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte’s war on drugs and the alleged rise of extrajudicial killings in the country. De Lima was arrested last week after a warrant of arrest was issued for the drug-related charges filed against her by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The LP senators also reportedly attended a rally on Saturday, February 25 as part of commemorating the 31st People Power anniversary that ended the regime of late President Ferdinand Marcos as the country’s dictator. “If this is the price to pay to show up in the streets of EDSA talking about democracy, talking about the issues of violence in our streets, if this is the price to pay then I gladly pay this price,” Aquino said. Hontiveros, for her part, remarked that she’d “whole-heartedly accept being a part of the

OATH OF OFFICE. Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III administers the oath of office to Senator Ralph Recto as new Senate President Pro-Tempore on Monday, Feb. 2 Senate photo by Ariel Cagadas

minority” if staying with the majority means associating herself “with a violent administration that has no respect for human rights.” ‘Clear lines have to be drawn’ Sought for comments, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo clarified that Duterte did not play a hand in the recent reorganization of Senate leadership. “I think the policy of the president is not to interfere with the other branches of the government,” Panelo told reporters on Tuesday. “If I hear right, those who replaced the current senators belong to the same party. Otherwise, the allies of Malacañang should have been placed there.” Following the reshuffling of positions on Monday, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel assured that the Senate will remain “independent and

true to its role as the last bastion of democracy in our country.” Pimentel said that the majority of the senators decided that “clear lines have to be drawn” in order for them “to best achieve the Senate’s legislative agenda.” “Work in the Senate has been hampered by the blurring of the lines between the majority and the minority to the detriment of public interest. There have been instances where the majority, instead of closing ranks, ended up divided,” Pimentel said in a statement. Pacquiao, who initiated the motions to strip the LP members of their chairmanship posts, also insisted that Duterte played no hand in the reorganization of the Senate positions. Like Pimentel, Pacquiao also stressed that the revamp is needed for legislative processes to move.

Arum to Pacquiao vs Khan backers... PAGE A1 on—the fight with Amir Khan at the UAE.” An investment group in the UAE is reportedly dangling a $38 million fund to hold the fight in the Middle Eastern country. Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz spearheaded the negotiations with the group, later on aligning with Arum at Top Rank’s office in Las Vegas. They have agreed to stage the fight on May 20, which is almost a month farther than the originally proposed April 23 date, to allow a longer time for promotion. Now more importantly, Arum wants to see the money for the ball to start rolling. “In order for the fight to hap-

pen in the UAE, funds have to be produced to enable the fight to happen and I am hoping that those funds would materialize,” the veteran promoter added. The issue of funding has been central in the fight’s planning, and it will either make or break the deal. “However, if they (money) don’t materialize, we have to do something else,” Arum continued. The Top Rank boss previously held talks with representatives of prospect Jeff Horn to stage a Pacquiao-Horn tussle in Brisbane, Australia. But those fell through the moment Pacquiao announced he’s fighting Khan in the UAE.

Unlike the parties in the UAE, Horn’s people assured that a purse of $5 million to $6 million is sure to be on the table for Pacquiao. Arum, for his part, is hoping the UAE group delivers soon. “But Michael is optimistic that the funds will materialize, and once they do, then Top Rank will roll up its sleeves and help put on a tremendous worldwide event. If they don’t materialize, then we’ll have to search for a viable alternative,” he said. “It is not accurate to say that the fight is on. It is also not accurate to say that the fight won’t happen. We don’t know. We have to wait and see if the funds materialize,” Arum also said.

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Filstream pirate box kingpins arrested by Shenzhen Police Owners and operators of a factory in Shenzhen China illegally programming pirate IPTV boxes to stream ABS-CBN and other pirated content raided by Shenzhen Police and fully shut down; Alan Zhou, Roland Lu, and 2 senior programmers arrested, in custody and facing 7-year jail time in China

SUPPORTERS RALLY BEHIND GINA. Environment Secretary Regina Paz ‘Gina’ Lopez calls supporters to rally against destructive mining on Wednesday, March 1. Environmentalists and residents of mining communities joined a protest caravan and appealed to lawmakers to confirm Lopez as Environment Secretary. ManilaTimes.net photo

Greenlining joins 16 groups to tell data firms ‘Don’t help persecute Muslims, immigrants’ Joint letter urges companies not to provide data that could be used to violate rights

OAKLAND, Calif. – On Sunday, February 26, The Greenlining Institute joined with a total of 16 public interest groups to send a letter (available in both English and Spanish) to nearly 50 “Big Data” companies asking those companies to pledge to “not allow our data, or services, to be purchased or otherwise used in ways that could lead to violations of the human rights of Muslims or immigrants in the United States.” The public interest groups acted in response to the current administration’s refusal to rule out the possibility of a “Muslim registry” and its moves to accelerate deportations of potentially millions of

undocumented immigrants. “Many tech companies collect vast amounts of personal data on all of us and make a profit by reselling that information,” said Greenlining Institute Telecommunications Legal Fellow Vinhcent Le. “Today we’re asking these companies and their data brokers to make absolutely clear that they will not let anyone not use this mass of data to persecute people because of their religion, nationality or immigration status.” Greenlining noted that a registry profiling people based on religion would violate the right to nondiscrimination and could lead to further human rights abuses.

In addition, since about threequarters of U.S. Muslims identify as people of color, any “Muslim ban” would disproportionately affect communities of color. Registries of Muslims or unauthorized immigrants would likely be used to facilitate arbitrary detention and deportation, splitting up families and again violating fundamental human rights. “Silicon Valley companies often talk about human rights and how technology can empower people and promote freedom,” said Greenlining Institute President Orson Aguilar. “Today we’re asking the tech and Big Data worlds to make sure their actions match their words.”

Fil-Am student dies in Indiana car crash A 20-year-old Filipina-American nursing student has died in a car crash in Gary, Indiana. The news site of Chicago Tribune reported that Samantha Salvador, a resident of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, was one of the three passengers of a green Honda Civic that crashed Thursday, February 23 night last week. The Honda Civic, driven by 19year-old Rose Katcher, was on 1-65 in Gary when she tried to take a left turn onto US-20, but due to the foggy climate in the area, they crashed onto a con-

crete median and then bumped a Chevrolet Malibu that was heading on 1-65. Heavily injured, Salvador passed away while being taken to Northlake Hospital, while her two other schoolmates, Sammy Walus and Lindsay Hofmeister were confined in separate hospitals. Katcher suffered minor injuries. Salvador, who hails from Bacolod City, was taking up nursing at Valparaiso University in Indiana, which organized a prayer vigil for Salvador and her recov-

SHENZEN, GUANGDONG, CHINA – Alan Zhou and Roland Lu, the owners and operators of Shenzhen Welnavi Technology Co., LTD (“Shenzhen Welnavi”) factory in Shenzhen, China, who police determined illegally programmed pirate IPTV boxes in Shenzhen and marketed and sold them around the world under the “Filstream” brand, were arrested and charged with copyright infringement by the Shenzhen Police on Wednesday, March 1, local time in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Two senior programmers at the factory were also arrested and charged in connection with the matter. All those arrested are expected to remain in custody pending trial which is likely to take place next year. The Shenzhen police team conducted a raid of Shenzhen Welnavi on February 28, 2017 and the company’s servers and business records were seized as part of the police team’s criminal investigation of the illegal distribution network. The arrests in China were the culmination of an eight-month long worldwide investigation spearheaded by the Philippine media and entertainment network ABSCBN. To date, the investigation has resulted in the arrest and seizure of Filstream box distributors in Illinois and Florida. The criminal arrest and prosecution of additional distributors in multiple locations around the United States and Canada is ongoing and expected within the coming weeks. Arrested together with Zhou were Roland Lu and two programmers, who were all charged with copyright infringement with a maximum penalty of seven years in jail. Zhou, Lu and the two programmers, are expected to stay in jail until trial which is to begin in about a year. Shenzhen Welnavi has been fully shut down. Piracy is a cancer in the content industry” According to ABS-CBN’s AVP & Head of Global Anti-Piracy Elisha Lawrence, “The police have determined that Alan Zhou and Roland Lu ran a global piracy operation with the intent to interfere

ering friends. “Earlier this week, we lost a beloved member of our campus community, student Samantha Salvador, as a result of a car accident involving three of her fellow nursing classmates,” the school’s Facebook update read. A close friend of Salvador set up a GoFundMe page to assist the family in raising funds for her funeral expenses. The page has raised $19,075 (P956,000), PAGE A1 exceeding its $4,000 (P200,000) He, then, affirmed his faith in his target. (Gianna Francesca Catol- widely-panned border wall between ico/Inquirer.net) the U.S. and Mexico, arguing that the U.S. maintains an open border “for anyone to cross” that is conducive “for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate.” However, the U.S. does not maintain an “open border” and immigration from Mexico experienced a decline between 2009 and 2014 due to the weakened economy left by the 2008 financial crisis. “At the same time, my Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security,” Trump added. “We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.” However, more than half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies. According to a CBS poll released last month, 51 percent of Americans disapprove of the now-defeated travel ban— which temporarily banned travel

Photos of the illegal Filstream IPTV boxes found at the Shenzhen Welnavi office in China owned by Alan Zhou and Roland Lu. These are distributed in U.S., Canada and other countries.

with ABS-CBN’s legitimate business. ABS-CBN/TFC distributes its content through cable providers, its own TFC IPTV boxes, as well as via digitally on tfc.tv. Alan Zhou and Roland Lu have disrupted ABS-CBN’s legitimate business. In addition, Filstream’s distributors contacted ABS-CBN’s distributors throughout the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, soliciting them to be Filstream’s distributors. They contacted customers of ABS-CBN offering their boxes in lieu of ABS-CBN’s legitimate IPTV boxes. They blatantly confused customers by using ABS-CBN’s registered trademarks and logos on their websites and social media sites. Alan Zhou and Roland Lu’s actions were despicable.” Lawrence revealed also that ABS-CBN plans to continue to initiate and enforce criminal and civil actions against anyone who steals its movies and TV shows and offers them via IPTV box, free websites or on Youtube, Daily Motion and Facebook. “ABS-CBN spends millions of dollars each year producing these TV shows and movies and we will not allow these pirates to give them away for free,” Lawrence explained. Lawrence had harsh words for Zhou and Lu. “Pirates are thieves

stealing the content that ABS-CBN has invested a great deal of time to create,” she said. “I am glad to see them, and their distributors, being criminally pursued by every means under the law in China and the U.S. I am very grateful for the excellent work by the police in Shenzhen, China, Illinois, and Florida. It is a global operation with an army of investigators throughout the world that helped us get the evidence to support the raids in China and the United States.” ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez was very clear about the company’s stand against piracy. “The management of ABS-CBN has absolutely no tolerance for content piracy. We will continue to do everything in our power to prosecute all who would attempt to pirate our content,” said Lopez. “Piracy is like a cancer in the content industry. The pirates, in their selfish pursuit of short-term profits, have absolutely no regard for their negative impact on the industry. We will continue our vigilance in finding and prosecuting all pirates regardless of the cost.” As the Filstream signal has been shut down, for all victims who purchased the Filstream boxes, call 1866-746-6988 now to receive one month FREE TFC subscription or visit www.tfc-usa.com/tfcbox for details.

from seven Muslim countries—and only 45 percent approve. According to a Quinnapiac University survey conducted in November shortly after the election, 55 percent of Americans oppose the proposed border wall. Nevertheless, Trump said that the construction of the “great wall... will be started ahead of schedule” and believes that “will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.” Referencing terrorist attacks on American soil, including 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing, Trump said that his administration is “taking strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism.” He, then, falsely claimed that a majority of those convicted of terrorism on American soil since 9/11 were foreign-born—a claim he’s repeated and is also written in his executive order. However, a nonpartisan think tank New America Foundation

found that the vast majority of jihadist terrorist attacks were homegrown terrorist acts that were committed by American citizens or legal permanent residents (LPRs). About 82 percent of those convicted were citizens and permanent residents while only 18 percent were non-residents or held an unknown status. Regardless of the facts, Trump’s administration plans to move forth with the revised executive order, but delayed the signing once again. According to those closest to the president, the executive order will not go into effect once it is signed. The revised version promises significant changes including removing Iraq from one of the banned countries, exempting current visa holders and LPRs and will not prioritize those of certain religions, a stipulation which opponents said was meant to discriminate against Muslims.

Trump talks immigration in joint...

Fil-Am among 43 most powerful female... PAGE A1 ware that enables more than 86 million Netflix members worldwide to watch streaming with the best possible quality,” the report described Aaron. Aaron graduated university valedictorian and magna cum laude from the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1998 and Computer Engineering in 1999. Soon after, she went to the US where she pursued her master’s

and PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University. Before joining the entertainment company in 2011, Aaron worked as a senior software engineer for Video Codecs at Cisco Systems. In an interview with Variety in 2015, Aaron discussed how Netflix’s Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion project could provide viewers with crystal clear videos with lesser bandwidth.

“A one-size-fits-all model doesn’t give you the most optimal quality…Each episode could be very different,” mentioned Aaron. “We want to be good stewards of the internet.” In celebration of National Engineers Week in March, Business Insider publishes a list of top female engineers to reognize the female brains behind vanguard advancements in science and technology. (Gianna Francesca Catolico / Inquirer.net)

PAGE A1 It’s not about making a profit, it’s about that community love,” Eddy M. Gana, Jr., one of the leaders of KmB-LA told the Asian Journal. The Los Angeles chapter of ANSWER Coalition first led a discussion and posed the question of how individuals can mobilize others to support small businesses. Several people answered and all expressed the importance of community involvement and staying “angry” about injustice. They encouraged young people to get to know their neighbors and fellow citizens and expand into a local coalition to raise awareness and to take action against “the system.” “People are at the center of all movements. Coalitions cannot lead unless they understand the people, the community they are leading and struggling with. An effective coalition must be able to build relationships and create communities. Relationships can

happen between actions, and concepts and different struggles. Small businesses provide opportunities to network and become involved in the community,” the group said on its Facebook page. The group also hosted two workshops: one focussing on HIV and how to deal with and combat LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace and one on the benefits of bike commuting. This year’s event included a vendor fair which featured a diverse group of local businesses: hat and beanie brand Indigenous 1492, African-themed clothing line Nicole Wilson and environmentally-friendly jewelry line Native Sol. Local artists that showcased artwork included global visual artist Shelley Bruce and Yvonne Ho, a visual artist, painter and illustrator based in Little Saigon, California. Vietnamese food shop Patches and vegan catering company Bomb Vegan provided tasty eats, along with delectable Filipino se-

lections from The Park’s Finest, Kapistahan Grill and Dollar Hits LA. KmB-LA began hosting Love for the People in 2005 and its mission has always been the same: to uplift local businesses and artists and promote love for the local community. A vendor fair was chosen this year, but in past years they’ve held panel discussions, spoken word nights and other modes of expressing their mission. It’s always scheduled around Valentine’s Day to remind folks that love isn’t something you can buy: it’s in one’s active support. “Our mission here has always been the same: to challenge the commercialization of love by Valentine’s Day and to show that community love,” Gana affirmed. All the proceeds from donations to KmB-LA were given to Black Lives Matter - LA and NoDAPL. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Fil-Am progressives stress importance of...

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D ateline PhiliPPines Robredo, De Venecia cite PCOO shakeup: Abella to speak for Duterte, Philippines’ gains in women’s rights Andanar to focus on running agency

MANILA - Vice President Leni Robredo and former Pangasinan congresswoman Gina de Venecia extolled the country’s gains in championing the rights of abused women. “The ability of women to shape their homes and community is a crucial aspect in building a nation,” Robredo told the gathering at De Venecia’s birthday celebration at The Haven in Muntinlupa City on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Robredo also vowed to prioritize women empowerment, along with hunger and food security issues, rural development, education, public health and housing as part of her Angat-Buhay antipoverty program. Robredo cited the gains made by De Venecia in establishing The Haven, a rehabilitation center and shelter for abused women and children. De Venecia, when she was president of Congressional Spouses Foundation Inc. as wife of then speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., established The Haven with 15 regional centers to rehabilitate abused women and children. She also took the initiative to establish The Haven for Children with four regional centers to help street children and The Haven for

by Alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

Vice President Leni Robredo, former congresswoman Gina de Venecia and child star Ryzza Mae Dizon greet students who joined them at the Haven for Women in Alabang, Muntinlupa on Wednesday, March 1. Robredo and De Venecia cited the country’s gains in women empowerment.

the Elderly in Tanay, Rizal for the elderly abandoned by their families. Opened in September 1995, The Haven took custody of more than 25,000 abused women nationwide. They provided temporary shelter and protective custody of women aged 18 to 58 years who were victims of forced prostitution, illegal recruitment, battered/abused women, victims of sexual abuse and victims of armed conflicts. “We take pride and satisfaction in the testimonies of many former

clients who recovered from their lives of misery,” De Venecia said. De Venecia said The Haven and its regional centers have been active in helping President Duterte in his campaign against illegal drugs. She said that aside from women victims of sexual and domestic abuse, The Haven also helps the victims of illegal drug use. De Venecia said The Haven is also accommodating the rehabilitation of street children who were also victims of illegal substances. (Philstar.com)

MANILA — The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) will be reverted to the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) in a reorganization that will come amid issues involving PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar’s relationship with the media. Andanar said an executive order that would revive the OPS is now awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte. “On the desk of the president right now is the executive order reverting back to the Office of the Press Secretary,” Andanar said during the blessing of the newly renovated International Press Center in Manila last Wednesday. “Let’s wait for it to be signed and then we can officially release that,” he added. While the president has yet to

issue the order reviving the OPS, some changes have already been implemented at the PCOO. In a department order dated February 27, Andanar placed presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella in charge of transferring, content and distribution of Malacañang messages. Andanar used to have overall supervision of content and messaging. “In the exigency of service and in accordance with the authority of the Secretary... the content and messaging of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, including the authority for the final release and distribution, shall hereinafter be under the supervision and control of the Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella,” the still unnumbered order signed by Andanar read. Andanar clarified that the reorganization had nothing to do with issues involving his relation-

De Lima writes to loved ones: Let’s all be strong by Rosette

Adel

Philstar.com

MANILA — Detained Sen. Leila De Lima on Thursday, March 2 penned a letter addressed to her loved ones. In her handwritten letter dated March 1, 2017, De Lima told her loved ones to be strong amid the challenges she is facing while in detention. De Lima said that although she is physically prepared for her detainment, her whole being yearns for truth and justice. She did not just refer to injustice on her part but also to other victims of prejudice. “My heart also bleeds for all other victims of injustice those who were falsely accused and now cramped in severely congested jails. But God who is all knowing and infinitely good and just will make sure that evil will

not triumph,” she wrote. In a separate statement, De Lima, who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police’s Custodial Center for six days now, said her supporters should keep the faith and uphold the truth. De Lima reiterated her concerns on her security despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier assurance that she is “100 percent” safe at the Camp Crame. She said she can never trust the president as he described him as a “murderer” and “capable of having her killed.” “Each day I am here my life is at risk,” she said in a released statement. “Anything can happen to me while in detention. While I have no complaints about my custodians—they are very professional and courteous—I feel completely defenseless here. Each day I am

detained is a day of injustice. What is being done to me is extraordinary,” De Lima added. The senator is known as among Duterte’s top critics against his alleged human rights violations. In her letter, De Lima then prayed for more strength and fortitude. “Let’s all be strong. Love you all,” she told her loved ones. De Lima was accused by the Department of Justice of violating Section 5 (sale) in relation to Section 3 (jj trading), Section 26 (b) and Section 28 or the criminal liability of government officials and employees under the Republic Act 9165 also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for allegedly allowing the proliferation of the drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison during her stint as Justice secretary. She presented herself before the authorities last Friday, Feb. 24.

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Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar

ship with the media. “It is not an offshoot (of the issues). I will concentrate in running PCOO Proper and its attached agencies to ensure lasting reforms,” Andanar said. “I will speak from time to time if spokesperson Ernie Abella is not around,” he added.

A

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OpiniOn

Features

Legislative jungle

SOME say that a governance needs a good opposition to bring out the best in itself. Will this hold true for a government that is marred by a political rumble where supremacy is tested and egos are displayed? The three great departments of the Philippine government—the Executive (President), Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and Judiciary (Supreme Court and all other courts)—are empowered by the Constitution to preserve freedom and democracy among its people. To serve such purpose, these institutions are accorded with distinct powers and responsibilities. However, to prevent any form of abuse of power, they are also subjected to separation of powers with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability and responsiveness in the government. This complicated exchange lives under the Filipinos’ scrutiny. The departments are expected to play a complementary relationship, one that is more symbiotic and less parasitic. If they begin to be at each other’s throats, erosion of public trust will be the impending result. In the long run, this will leave the government to hang in a precarious balance. This might cripple the country that is dependent on the ideals of democracy and thrives on public participation. In the Senate, a line has been (clearly) drawn on Monday, Feb. 27 when six senators were relegated to the minority. Sen. Manny Pacquiao has moved that the Senate President Pro Tempore post, held

by Sen. Franklin Drilon, as vacant. Sen. Ralph Recto was sworn in on the same day to assume the post. Three other senators took the hit on Monday as Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan and Bam Aquino were stripped off their chairmanship of the committees on health, agriculture and education, respectively. Senators JV Ejercito, Cynthia Villar and Francis Escudero were named their replacements. They now join Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, in the minority. Another Liberal Party (LP) member Sen. Leila De Lima, who was previously arrested on drug charges by the Department of Justice, completes the minority bloc. Pacquiao revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 28 that at least 15 senators previously gathered in his house in Makati City to plan the reorganization of the Senate. He also pointed out that Malacañang had no hand in the shakeup that resulted in the removal of LP senators and allies from their positions. Sen. Panfilo Lacson told reporters that he, Sotto, Senators Gregorio Honasan II and Loren Legarda pushed for the meeting, concerned about the “awkward” situation in the chamber. “Most of us are not pro-Duterte or anti-Duterte.

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

We do not want to be subservient but we also do not want to be hostile to the administration,” Sen. Vicente Sotto III explained. This current rumpus in the upper chamber of the Congress is a far more complex issue than just the “few bad apples spoil the whole bunch” defense. Averting a constitutional crisis does not mean developing a pugnacious attitude. These are

the very people entrusted by the Filipinos to articulate measures that would ease their hardships. Despite all these political horse trading, we can conclude that Filipinos are becoming increasingly informed today because finally there is actually a debate on issues—that matter—taking place. This means that both sides are engaging and the country is being better served. (AJPress)

Trump gives himself an ‘A’ for achievement in his first month as president: How do you rate him? DONALD TRUMP has been the president of the United States for a little more than a month now, and when asked in a TV interview how he would rate himself, he said he would give himself the grade of “A” for achievement. However, he acknowledged how bumpy the first month had been and said because of this, he would rate himself a grade of “C” or a ”C+” for messaging because he said apparently, his administration had not been as successful in communicating his policies and plans to the American

people in as much as he wanted it to be. The Fil-Am This is a good segue to the latest poll of polls by RealClearPoli- Perspective tics. An average of recent polls reveals that Trump just got a 44 percent approval rating, with 48 percent disapproval. This is historically low for a newly elected Gel SantoS-reloS president. A slim majority of Americans, however, say the in office? In his

media treat President Trump unfairly. The recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows 51 percent of Americans think the media have been too critical of Trump, while 41 percent say the press has been fair to the president. WHAT DO YOU THINK? How do you rate Trump’s first month first speech before the joint ses-

sion of Congress on Tuesday, the theme of the address is “Renewal of the American Spirit — an optimistic vision for All Americans.” What can and shall he do to unify the nation and achieve his goals for the good of all Americans? *** 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

Tightening the screws THE screws are tightening on both Street sides of the Pacific, pretty much like the Talk garote that snuffed the lives of the Tres Martires, Padres Burgos, Gomez and Zamora. Sooner or GreG B. MacaBenta later, some necks are going to snap. In America, the screws are being tightened around the neck of President Donald Trump, with calls for his impeachment, while, in the Philippines, the target is President Rodrigo Duterte, with hints of a coup. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is digging into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suspected hand in influencing the results of the US presidential elections, and Trump’s alleged connections with Russian-controlled business interests. The first casualty has been Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign, following revelations of possible unlawful contacts between him and the Russian ambassador to the US. The Democrats are calling for an independent counsel to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation of these allegations. Doubts have also been raised that Trump has not truly divested himself of his business empire and that his presidency is being used to benefit the Trump enterprises. On the other hand, Trump’s executive orders on banning visitors and immigrants from predominantly-Muslim countries, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, have affected even legal US residents and citizens. In a recent incident, passengers of a domestic flight landing in New York were asked to show their IDs by immigration authorities, ostensibly in the course of searching for a person who was subject of a deportation order. Ordinarily, only passengers of international flights are subjected to such an inspection. The most eyebrow-raising news was about immigration officers questioning the former wife of boxing icon, Muhammad Ali, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, and her son, Muhammad Ali, Jr., upon their arrival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from a trip to Jamaica. Both Camacho-Ali and

Muhammad Junior are bonafide US citizens. Trump’s obsession to build a wall on the USMexican border to keep out illegals from Mexico and other Latin American countries, has been translated into more aggressive action by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In cities across the US, ICE officers have conducted raids on business establishments suspected of hiring undocumented workers. In some cases, checkpoints have been set up at which motorists have been asked to produce IDs, to prove legal presence in the country. Trump has also begun to tighten the screws on the media, singling out what he has labeled as “the fake press who are the enemy of the American people.” The enmity between Trump and US media is escalating. Trump has sent word that he will not attend the annual White House correspondents reception where the chief executive is traditionally roasted. The report is that Hollywood star, Alec Baldwin, who has been doing a hilarious impersonation of Trump on the TV comedy show, Saturday Night Live, may be invited in Trump’s place. It goes without saying that Trump will get the roasting of his life at the event. That’s not all that the US media are doing. They are digging up all kinds of dirt about Trump, particularly those related to his businesses. The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Atlantic and The Guardian UK have raised the possibility that Trump owes $560 million dollars to the Blackstone/ Bayrock Group, which is wholly owned by Russian billionaires who are cozy with Putin. The media suspect that this explains why Trump refuses to release his tax returns. The speculation is that Trump’s indebtedness is one of the reasons why Russia has him by his cojones and why he could be subjected to pressures against US interests. On another front, a special report in Newsweek, aired on MSNBC TV, alleges that Trump could be subjected to blackmail by the government of Turkey because of his relationship with the Dogan

business group which is building twin towers bearing the Trump name. It appears that the Turkish government has arrested a senior executive of the Dogan group and Trump has hinted that the executive should be given a break, otherwise, the Trump group will lose millions. What the Turkish government may want in return is the extradition of a Turkish imam, suspected of having committed a terrorist act in Turkey. The imam is now a legal US resident and the US had earlier refused to extradite him. Newsweek believes there could be a quid pro quo by which Trump’s business asso- US President Donald Trump and PH President Rodrigo Duterte ciate will be released in camp rallied thousands of supporters exchange for the imam’s and staged a “vigil” at the Rizal Park on extradition. If this, in fact, happens, the screws the same day. Interestingly, a delegation led by the could really tighten around Trump’s Marcos family, attended the pro-Duterte neck. In the Philippines, Duterte is be- rally, loudly branding as a “fake revoluleaguered following revelations by a tion,” the 1986 EDSA uprising that oustself-confessed member of the dreaded ed President Ferdinand Marcos. In a demonstration of tightening the Davao death squad (whose existence a Senate investigation committee has de- screws on the opposition, the Duterte nied). Former Davao policeman, Arthur government facilitated the arrest and Lascañas has revealed to the media that incarceration of Sen. Leila de Lima, a Duterte had personally ordered several fierce critic, on allegations of abetting killings, including the assassination of a the criminal activities of drug lords confined at the New Bilibid Prison. broadcast journalist. In the Senate, in what may called a Duterte has been unusually quiet in the wake of these revelations, leaving it massacre, Liberal Party Senators Frankto his spokespersons and trolls to ques- lin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros and Bam tion the credibility of the self-confessed Aquino and Pwersa ng Masa Senator JV assassin. On the other, Sen. Dick Gor- Ejercito, were summarily ejected from don, who had conducted the Senator their committee chairmanships, apparinquiry into the Davao death squad and ently for being oppositionists. At the Rizal Park rally, Justice Sechad doubted its existence, has shown no retary Vitaliano Aguirre II did a virtual interest in revisiting the case. The 31st commemoration of the Peo- Pontius Pilate by asking the pro-Duterte ple Power Revolt at EDSA, on February supporters, in the course of his speech, 25, echoed with warnings against the whom they wanted him to arrest next. threat of martial law by Duterte and con- Like the Jews screaming for blood, the demnation of the extra-judicial killings crowd yelled out the name of Sen. Anthat have marked Duterte’s campaign tonio Trillanes IV, not that he has any against the drug menace. Perhaps fear- moral similarity to Jesus Christ. The message of Aguirre has not been ing that the EDSA gathering could snowlost on the critics of the Duterte adminball into an attempt to oust Duterte, his

istration. The screws are being tightened on them. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, who earlier swore under oath that he has never been a US citizen, may have been caught lying because of incriminating documents released by media. The documents show that Yasay did in fact become a US citizen and his renunciation only took effect before his appointment to the Duterte cabinet. In that case, Yasay’s tenure as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and his senatorial candidacy in the 2004 elections were against the law. With the screws tightening around Yasay’s neck, will his patron, Duterte, come to his rescue or drop him like a hot camote? Finally, the question is, whose neck will snap first. Trump’s or Duterte’s? Or will it be Trillanes, following De Lima, as well as those who attempt to fight the Duterte juggernaut or Aguirre, Yasay and the mouthpieces, Martin Andanar and his trolls? And in the US, will it be the US media and the Democratic Party or will it be Trump’s team of alternative fact-purveyors, like Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Kellyanne Conway? Abangan! (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal. ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President

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march 3-9, 2017

A conversation with DePaul University’s incoming president, Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban

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by Christina M. Oriel / AJPress

BY this summer, Chicago’s DePaul University will welcome its new president, Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban. The Filipino academic leader will become the first non-ordained president in DePaul’s 119year history — considered the largest Catholic university in the United States — when he assumes office on July 1. The new post shouldn’t be too much of a leap for Esteban, who has held the same position at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey since 2011, where he has overseen the development of new schools, ensured that the institution has stayed financially robust, and promoted its academic profile. In a recent interview with the Asian Journal since his appointment was announced, Esteban shared his vision and goals for DePaul and why learning is a lifelong pursuit. Journey to higher education Esteban, who was born and raised in Quezon City, Philippines, never intended to pursue a career in higher education. Growing up — and it’s a familiar scenario for many Filipinos — he thought he would follow his father’s footsteps as a doctor. The draw to teaching must have come from seeing the elder Esteban spend the latter part of his life as a professor at University of the Philippines (UP) School of Medicine. Esteban went on to earn a bachelor of science in mathematics and an MBA from UP, where he met Josephine King, who would become his wife. He was the first Philippine recipient of the Fujitsu Asian Scholarship, which brought him to Chaminade University in Hawaii for a master’s degree in Japanese business studies. He returned to the Philippines for a few years to work in the private sector at a bank and then in consumer goods at San Miguel Corp. “When you grow up in the Philippines, everyone at some point hopes that they’re given an opportunity to study overseas, whether it be in Japan, the UK, or the U.S.,” he told the Asian Journal, adding that scholarships and fellowships helped him and his wife study abroad. The Estebans migrated

Esteban is photographed in the Cortelyou Commons on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus Photo courtesy of DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief

Seton Hall has always been a great national university and now more people are hearing about that story and internally, I think there’s been a shift in the culture because we’ve been able to do a lot of things in the midst of the recession,” Esteban said. Selected to lead The search to find the 12th president for DePaul was a fivemonth, international process, following the resignation of Rev. Esteban with Ban Ki-Moon at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations World Leaders Forum. Dennis H. Holtschneider last Photos courtesy of Seton Hall University summer, who had been head of to the United States, where the university since 2004. Josephine obtained her MBA In early February of this year, from the University of California, the university’s board of trustees Riverside, while he was working voted unanimously in favor of the toward a doctorate in business 55-year-old Filipino, regarding administration at the University of him as someone who aligns with California, Irvine. the core principles of the Catholic “We’ve been blessed, being at institution. He was formally the right place at the right time, announced as the next president having people who mentored us on February 16. throughout my academic career “What appealed to me were who made sure I gave 150 percent Saint Vincent [DePaul], the saint effort in everything I do,” he said. “It of charity, and the university’s paid off in the long haul.” mission to help the poor, After completing his doctorate marginalized and immigrant program, Esteban was hired as populations, which are some a marketing professor at the things very near and dear to our were not solely his own doing. transferred to the University University of Houston-Victoria in hearts,” Esteban shared. “In terms of contributions, it’s of Central Arkansas, also as a Texas. Part of the motivation of professor, before being named the actually a group effort so it’s hard He planned to work in moving to the Windy City is to be to point to one thing because dean of the College of Business. academe for five years at most closer to his only child, Ysabella, “When I was asked to become we’ve accomplished a lot as a before returning to the private an alumna of Seton Hall who is a university. For example, if you an administrator was when I sector. medical resident at the University look at the academic profile of thought that maybe this was the However, opportunities at of Chicago. our students, since I was asked to career path that’s being unveiled various institutions across the “It’s very a humbling to me, so to speak,” he said, adding oversee enrollment management country arose. in 2009, our SAT scores have gone experience that I’ve been “so that’s the path I ended up The Esteban family then up over 100 points and 35 percent selected. My wife and I were just taking.” moved to Arkansas, where he overwhelmed by the reception of our freshmen are in the top President of Seton Hall was a professor and associate we received at DePaul when we 10 percent of their [graduating] University vice president of academic affairs class,” he boasted, adding that the were introduced,” Esteban shared, He was once again uprooted at Arkansas Tech. Eventually, he referring to a special welcoming student population has become and settled in New Jersey in ceremony on the Chicago campus more diverse in terms of ethnicity 2007 when he became a provost he attended last week. “But, there’s and also admission to firstat Seton Hall University, the a tinge of sadness because Seton generation students. oldest Roman Catholic diocesan Hall has been home for 10 years.” In 2015, Seton Hall university in the country and one He said he hopes to be unveiled the new College of of the largest. He was appointed remembered at Seton Hall as a Communication and the Arts. It interim president in late 2010, a “collaborative decision maker” who also developed a new health and capacity he served for six months listened and considered all sides. medical sciences campus, which before being formally named “To me, what is fascinating was done in partnership with president. is the number of individuals I’ve He became the first lay person Hackensack Meridian Health, that will house the School of Medicine met, like alumni of Seton Hall for to lead the Catholic university example, who start off by saying ‘If and the College of Nursing and — which has a population of not for Seton Hall, I wouldn’t have School of Health and Medical 10,000 students, over 900 faculty been able to go to college.’ That members and 1,800 employees — Sciences. In 2018, the university shows you the power of education will welcome the first class at the after its board of trustees created — how higher ed can transform an exception that presidents must medical school. the lives of individuals,” he said. Further, the university be priests. As with starting any other invested nearly $150 million in Esteban reflected on Seton Esteban’s presidential investiture on October 14, 2011 job, “it’s about setting priorities” campus infrastructure in the Photo courtesy of Seton Hall University Hall’s growth over the past seven and getting a feel of the culture last five years, resulting in “zero years, as well as the changes he’s of the unfamiliar environment deferred maintenance,” he said. seen in himself as a leader and through listening and talking (The deferred maintenance had educator. reached $36 million in his first few to the different members of the A lot of his time as president, university. He intends to bring years with the university.) he said, was spent listening to that type of leadership and way In a recent release, it boasted the voices on campus, whether of handling academic affairs to that fundraising has reached allthey’re students, faculty or staff time highs, with $40 million raised DePaul. administrators in order to create “Every place I’ve been to, I’ve in the last year and a half alone. a “vision for [what] the institution told people to learn to set their “There are a lot of those could look like in 10-15 years.” priorities. I tell students to find As for accomplishments under tangible things, but to me, the out what theirs are — whether biggest change has been in his tenure that he’s particularly it’s family, friends, Church or your the culture on campus and the proud of, Esteban listed a few, yet perception outside the university. faith, try to live by them. It also humbly acknowledged that they means finding your passion. That would make your life a whole lot easier. As a leader, one thing you’ll find about me is that I will listen, I will ask questions and encourage people to give me feedback,” he said. “But at the end of the day, someone has to make a decision. If that’s me who has to make a decision, then I’ll explain why. I also understand that as you move up the hierarchy, at some point, it’s going to be me that has to make the final call and the willingness to do that is important.” As of this writing, Esteban’s replacement at Seton Hall has yet to be named, but he notes that Esteban and his wife enjoy a men’s basketball game with the Seton Hall Pirate mascot. Photo courtesy of Seton Hall University the university has been on a roll Esteban with his wife Josephine. Photo courtesy of DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief

in terms of achieving its some of the goals he outlined early in the presidency. He intends to close out this current school year with helping the transition process and making sure the pending projects are on course for completion. Diversity in higher education Esteban is currently one of three Filipinos serving as a president of an American higher education institution, alongside Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw of St. John’s University in New York and Lori Adrian of Coastline Community College, which has campuses in Orange County, California. A 2013 study by the American Council on Education found that Asian Americans comprised only 1.4 percent of presidents at fouryear institutions and 2.2 percent of other senior-level administrators. He has been a champion for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in education, through his work as founding board member and vice chairman of the AAPI Association of Colleges and Universities — which advocates on behalf of minority-serving institutions that have a significant population of AAPI students — and a board member of the AAPI Research in Education Commission and the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. Though Esteban said he would like to see more Filipinos and Filipino Americans ascend the ranks of academia, he reminded that they must possess the passion to take on such leadership roles. “As you move up in higher education,” he said, “one realizes that these are 24/7 jobs. You have to have a willingness to serve. You basically put everyone else ahead of yourself. But it can also be very rewarding to be able to have the impact on the lives of the people you serve.” Even if Esteban never saw himself in higher education before, he now says that this is the field he will continue to be in until he retires. “If at some point it’s time for me to move on, then I’ll just go back and teach full-time, which would be a great way to complete by academic career,” he said. With debates surrounding the rising costs of higher education and billions of dollars in student debt here, he said that affordability must be a goal governments and academic institution must work toward. “There are individual benefits of a college education, but I think those are outweighed by the benefits to society as a whole,” he said. “I think governments — state and federal — have to step up to the plate. In higher ed, we have to do our fair share of making sure that the costs incurred are consistent with what we’re trying to achieve.” However, even if pursuing higher education is not for everyone, Esteban emphasized that the spark for learning must be kept burning. “For our entire lives, we should spend learning, whether it’s formal or informal. We have to try continually to enrich ourselves through learning different and new things,” he said. “The world is becoming more and more competitive and I think it’s up to us to make sure that we continue to be competitive in our work. I know it can be difficult at times, but it’s something we should do.”

Megan Young and Mikael Daez dismiss wedding rumors by lhar sanTiago ManilaTimes.net

NOW that Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Mikael Daez have admitted that they have been officially together for six years, everyone wants to know when they plan on getting married. The pair insists, however, they’re not going that road yet. They are happy with the way things are going between them and haven’t talked about tying the knot. “As of now, we’re enjoying travelling together. We’ve been travel buddies and i believe our adventures make our relationship stronger. We get to know each other better when we enjoy doing a lot of things together. i think that’s very important for two people in a relationship,” said Mikael.

He also said they will not allow themselves to be pressured with all the talk about marriage After all, it’s their life and they’re the ones who can tell when they’re ready to exchange “i do’s.” “Of course, i don’t see myself ending-up with anybody but Megan. But i believe we still both want to do a lot of other things. i give it a few more years before we settle down.” As of now, Mikael and Megan’s travel plans are on hold. Both of them are busy with their respective careers. Megan has just wrapped-up work for Alyas Robinhood and is busy preparing for her next project. Mikael is now preoccupied with the taping of his afternoon series Legally Blind with Janine Gutierrez. He is so happy that their show is getting a lot of praises on social media from viewers, and rating high.

ManilaTimes.net

it seems that there is no way but up for Derrick Monasterio. As his weekly comedy fantasy series “Tsuperhero” flies high in the ratings game, he is set to soar higher as he is set to

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Benjamin Alves and the road to ‘excellence’

“i just wanted to be honest with myself, so when i turned 17, i saved up money working at Macy’s and went to Manila to try AcADeMic excellence is not out acting.” always a topic one usually hears Giving himself two years, Alves discussed in show business. This had his share of commercials and is not to say that intelligence is small parts in TV shows. Honest rare in the industry but merely with himself as always, however, because many actors are often he knew his career was far from unable to complete college going the direction of his Kuya educations precisely because of Piolo’s. their careers. “i was unsuccessful,” he GMA Network artist Benjamin said with neither a hint of Alves, however, made sure he embarrassment nor regret. “So i finished a college degree—even saved up money for one semester if it meant being a working and went back to Guam to enroll student—before he finally took in college, and worked hard as i the risk to pursue his passion for can so i could secure a scholarship acting. But rather than talk about the fact that he graduated summa to be able to keep on going.” He also took on several jobs cum laude in english Literature Megan Young and Mikael Daez to pay for his books and other from the University of Guam requirements. where he grew up, he would “i worked at a warehouse much rather highlight the story selling paper. in my second year, of how he secured his college start taping for GMA’s gigantic and children recognize you because of diploma to inspire the youth to do i took a job as an english tutor your superhero character. You feel the same. in our school. i really thought i most expensive telefantasya for they look up to you,” Derrick said. would pursue teaching at the “i don’t want people to think 2017, “Mulawin Versus Ravena.” And as if playing the title time,” he added. that i got to where i am because The Kapuso young actor is role is not enough, now comes GMA, however, reached out to i was a summa cum laude, or presently in the thick of training an even bigger one in “Mulawin him and asked him to come back because i am well-off. if i hadn’t for his action scenes in the Versus Ravena.” Derrick confirmed been a scholar, i wouldn’t have and try showbiz again. telefantasya where he will be that they already had a cast “i had one semester left before been able to go to college in the playing a very important role. briefing and he has met his cograduation and decided to finish first place,” Alves revealed at a Showbuzz visited him during stars in the iconic telefantasya. But round table with entertainment school before another attempt at his sword fight training, and the young actor remains mum showbiz again.” editors at his network witnessed a very serious Derek Finding himself lucky to be headquarters. learning the different routines. His on the details of the series. He doesn’t even want to talk about given another shot at fulfilling his in fact, the would-be actor effort was a hundred percent. his character. pursued college several years after dreams, Alves is already counting “it’s actually hard [to do],” he “i am not yet at liberty to five years of a thriving career finishing high school because he volunteered. “You need to focus discuss my role and the whole with the network today, and is was sidetracked by his dreams because one wrong move and project. What i only just say is i’m especially grateful that GMA also of entering show business in the you either get hit or you hit your so happy with my character,” he found his young life’s story to be Philippines. instructor. You have to consider beamed. inspiring enough to name him the “When i was young, i really a lot of things during training. indeed, Derrick’s career is on ambassador of the GMA Network wanted to act. i think i was six or You have to learn the footwork excellence Award (GNeA). seven years old when we moved because du’n nakadepende yung the upswing. Besides his big TV “i took over from Kuya movement ng body mo. Aside shows, he is also slated to shoot a to Guam. i always tried, when movie under Regal entertainment. i was in elementary school, to Dingdong Dantes as ambassador from that, you also have to last year, so i’ve obviously had audition for stage plays, but i was be conscious of your form Producer Roselle Monteverde herself confirmed this to very big shoes to fill,” Alves too shy. i always ended up in the because arts department, doing stage sets,” humbly added, as he explained you’re doing Showbuzz. They are now in close consultation with GMA to iron out he laughed. what GNeA is. the fight “GNeA was established Just as he was about to go scene for the details of the movie. But wait! Here’s more good 15 years ago to honor the into his teens, Alves heard how TV.” news for Derrick’s fans: Advertisers his cousin Piolo Pascual broke achievements of graduating Getting have taken good notice of the boy into the entertainment industry students by recognizing such good breaks from his excellence through the back home, his star fast on the mother network is, of course, very and he has just finished shooting his first TVc. The pictorial for the rise. Thinking he might be able to demonstration of their leadership, heartening for Derrick. billboard was done a couple of academic performance and social do the same, he ditched plans of “Playing the title role in weeks ago as well for this perfume either going to college or joining responsibility,” he related. Tsuperhero is already something line. He has further signed up as “The nationwide search is the army because he feared to be proud of for me. Wherever i the new endorser of a shoe line, open to all Filipino graduating regretting he never pursued his go now, kids call me ‘Tsuperhero,’ Continued on Page 4 dream. students of Mass communication, and it really feels good that

Derrick Monasterio soars to greater heights by lhar sanTiago

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

by Tessa Mauricio-arriola ManilaTimes.net

Benjamin Alves graduated summa cum laude in English Literature before finally pursuing his lifelong dream to be an actor.

Multi-media Arts, Advertising or any equivalent course on communication, as well as electronics and communications engineering (ece).” “This year, i wanted to make sure all the finalists get to share their story—not just their grades—because their journey is what i believe truly makes them excellent. Determination to finish their education is what makes them excellent,” he emphasized. With his passion for learning and being a teacher still burning, Alves is devoting a great deal of his time in the search for the next GNeA awardee. “Nominations are now open for any bona fide Filipino graduating student for academic year 2016 to 2017. The aspirant must be graduating with honors and active in socio-civic activities,” he informed. “But again, like i said, their stories will also form a huge part of being selected as finalists and eventually as the winner.” As such, Alves looks forward to meeting students who are determined and dedicated in completing their education toward a more meaningful goal. “i’m sure i will end up learning from them through this process, and if i can teach them a thing or two about life along the way, then i would be very happy to share a part of what i know,” he ended.

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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Goodbye, Jonalyn Viray: Jona reinvents herself by MaRidoL

Rañoa-BisMaRk Philstar.com

WHAt’S in a name? A lot. If not, ABS-CBN would have stuck with the name Jonalyn Viray instead of Jona when the singer became a Kapamilya a year ago. “Jona is modernized,” the Star Music artist beamed when she faced the press in a recent album launch. One look at her new album and you see why. Jona traded that school girl image years back, the one where she wore her hair straight, for a sophisticated Mariah Carey look with wavy, flowing tresses. In keeping with the times, Jona’s album tracks speak of millennial angst and desires. She asks where a relationship sans labels is headed for in “Ano Nga Ba tayo?” She sings about surviving hard times in “Matibay” (a duet with regine Velasquez). She pines for lost love in “Pusong Ligaw,” also the theme of an upcoming ABS-CBN teleserye. She has yet to know what a label-less relationship and what longing for lost love are, but Jona can feel the lyrics because she wills herself to do so. “She’s tough on herself,” said songwriter-producer and Star Music executive Jonathan Manalo. the award-winning tunesmith, himself a stickler for excellence, admitted he does not hold a candle to the perfectionist singer. “I’m already an OC (obsessivecompulsive) producer,” he revealed. ”But what’s okay with me isn’t fine with her. She asks me to take another look at the work.”

Meet Jona, the Kapamilya reinvention of former Kapuso singer Jonalyn Viray. Philstar.com photo by Maridol Ranoa-Bismark

ABS-CBN has rewarded Jona’s hard work with projects like her participation in “Handog P-pop Love Songs 2016” and the 25th anniversary album of “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” along with her role as one of ASAP’s “Birit Queens.” Her home studio also mounted “Queen of the Night,” Jona’s first concert as solo performer. At last, Jona is not just onethird of a singing group (the defunct La Diva with Aicelle Santos and Maricris Garcia). She is on her own. Jona has a say on what songs to include and what to exclude in her first Star Music album. She can accept or reject a stylist’s choice of clothes for her. Jona knows that being petite and morena means choosing a certain style and color palette over the others. So, she is discriminating about what she wears. Meanwhile, Madrid beckoned (for MMK’s episode, “Kuwentong Kapamilya”). the glam and gliitz of the annual Star Magic Ball became a reality. Jona sang the theme

(“You”) of the Star Cinema hit, “My ex and Whys.” thanks to her brave new world, Jona dreams even bigger. She wants to try acting, “if the project is good.” She counts Piolo Pascual, John Lloyd Cruz, and Jericho rosales as dream co-stars. Songwriting is another possibility. But first, Jona must get over her fear of critics tearing her existing compositions to pieces. Perhaps, Jona can take her cue from “Matibay,” the track which says is her current theme song. Part of it says, “Di magigiba ang matibay/ Di payayanig sa paligid ko. “ Jona puts her trust in Divine Guidance and the goodness in others. As she says, “I can face challenges with the help of God and other people.” After all, she has transitioned from Jonalyn to Jona. She has reinvented herself. She has kissed her pop band days goodbye to become a confident solo artist. Yes, Jona has reason to hope for the best.

Cory Quirino: Goodbye, beauty pageants? by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

After producing the country’s Miss World (Megan Young) in 2013 and one runner-up (Gwendoline ruais in 2014) and a finalist (Catriona Gray in 2016), beauty guru Cory Quirino has had enough of beauty pageants and has called it quits, leaving the management of Miss World Philippines franchise to talent manager Arnold Vegafria, her business partner. It remains to be seen if Arnold can equal, or hopefully break, Cory’s record. Beauty-watchers were dismayed when Catriona, whom they perceived to be a sure winner, lost to Miss Puerto rico and finished “only” a finalist, trailing Miss Dominican republic first runner-up and Miss Indonesia (second runner-up). Has Catriona’s (well, “sad”) fate anything to do with Cory’s decision? “In my personal opinion,” admitted Cory, “and based on my six-year experience in the beauty-pageant business, there are candidates that carry that victorious aura or what many people label as ‘winnable.’ Catriona has what it takes to win an international crown,” adding, “there is a professional code of ethics that national directors abide by. Be that as it may, I felt that the Philippines deserved to win the crown and if fate was not on our side, then a top 3 finish would be good enough. I confess that, once again I found myself examining my life’s mission. thus, my subconscious

decision to move on was made on Dec. 18, 2016, after the Miss World pageant (in Washington, D.C., USA).” Beauty-watchers (including this one) agree — nay, are clamoring! — that Catriona (who is still under contract with Cory and the Viva Group of Companies which is producing Catriona’s debut album) should join in this year’s Bb. Pilipinas search and, “sure winner” that she’s perceived to be, represent the country in next year’s Miss Universe pageant and, knock on wood, bring home our fourth Miss U crown. Why not, Cory (and Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. head Madame Stella MarquezAraneta)? “I would gladly endorse her to Bb. Pilipinas,” said Cory. “Ultimately, winning on the international stage benefits our country in terms of goodwill and tourism promotions.” Nothing wrong in that, really. After all, some beauties who failed in one pageant have gone on to bag the title in another pageant — to wit: a Miss Puerto rico lost in the Miss International pageant and won Miss U the next year; a Miss Namibia lost in the Miss World pageant and won Miss Universe the next year; and Madame Stella herself, representing her native Colombia, bagged the first Miss International crown after competing in Miss U pageant the year before. Of course, Miss Wales Helen Morgan finished first runner-up to

Spain’s (the late) Amparo Muñoz in 1974 when the Miss U pageant was held here for the first time, and won Miss U the next year (only to be dethroned when she was discovered to be an unwed mother). And remember Miss Botswana who beat our very own Miriam Quiambao in the 1999 Miss U pageant in trinidad & tobago? Botswana lost in the Miss World contest the previous year. “there are crossroads in people’s lives where life’s many options are presented,” continued Cory. “the decision to go either way...in this case, to stay or to leave...was something that confronted me after Megan’s victory in Bali, Indonesia. “At present, I am elevating my health-and-wellness advocacy to a national level. expect to hear more from me in the months to come.” Heard that many people are appealing (and some tearfully pleading) to Cory to reconsider her decision. “Admittedly,” said Cory, “it has been heart-wrenching. I am grateful to everyone for their generous outpouring of support and kindness. It has been one exciting journey which led to the Miss World crown. I have kept my promise to our countrymen. And I left behind a legacy.” Will she ever return to the beauty pageant industry? “As of now,” insisted Cory, “the answer would be no. But who can say for sure? However, I always keep an open mind.”

Derrick Monasterio soars to greater... From Page 3

replacing a popular matinee idol whose contract with the company expired. With all these good things happening in his career, Derrick, isn’t forgetting to thank the heavens for all his blessings. He believes to whom much is given, much is expected so he says it’s also time to give back. With the help of his fan

EMPLOYMENT

groups like the Dreamers and the Creamers—and without cameras focused on him—Derek visits charity institutions and does what he can for those in need. In fact, he just spent an afternoon with his fans at a gift-giving at a home for the elderly in Amadeo, Cavite. He also visited charities in Bulacan housing minors who ran in conflict with the law. Besides giving them gifts, he also talks to

them and encourages them not to lose hope and to make their paths straight. “I believe that people in entertainment like me have the responsibility not only to be a good example to people but to be encouragers as well. Since the public looks up to us, we might as well make good use of our position in the society,” said Derrick.

EMPLOYMENT

Cory Quirino was former holder of the Miss World Philippines franchise. Left: 2016 Miss World Philippines (and Miss World finalist) Catriona Gray.

SERVICES

Health@Heart

Beating heart surgery

enlarged view), on a non-beating heart. What are the sizes of the PhiliP S. Chua, arteries? MD, FaCS, FPCS The coronary arteries (which feed the muscles of the heart) and the internal mammary WHAT is OPCAB? arteries (which are harvested as OPCAB stands for off-pump grafts from the undersurface of coronary artery bypass surgery, the breastbone, one from the left which is the most popular and one from the right side) are minimally invasive heart bypass usually about 2 to 3 millimeters operation today, one that in diameter, about the size of a is done on a beating heart. Conventionally, a coronary bypass round toothpick or the lead in pencils. The vein grafts that are is done on an arrested heart (chemically-induced cardiac arrest harvested from the leg are on to allow for a quiet field) with the the average about 4 to 5 mm patient connected to a heart-lung in diameter. To connect vessels machine (pump) that temporarily this small, we arrest the heart and use a magnifying loop as takes over the oxygenation (lung mentioned above for precise function) and circulation (heart function) of the patient while the suturing. This is a delicate -- and an essential part -- of the bypass surgery is going on. surgery, and requires extreme Is OPCAB better? attention to details, in order for If at all possible, OPCAB, the “pipe connection” to allow or beating heart surgery, is maximum blood flow, with the preferred. Doing the coronary least resistance or impedance. bypass on a beating (nonAny buckling, purse-stringing, arrested) heart precludes the or twisting of the anastomosis use of the heart-lung machine. will cause blood clots in the area This pump has the potential of of the T-joint which eventually destroying some blood cells, of blocks off, leading to failure of the wasting some essential clotting surgery. This could spell a disaster, factors in the blood, and of forming blood clots or air bubbles a heart attack. This particular “plumbing job” must be “perfect.” that could cause stroke, albeit What suture materials are very rare. So, not using the used? heart-lung machine is a definite The sutures we use for the advantage, much less invasive anastomoses have a diameter and stressful for the patient. As a smaller than human hair. They are result, OPCAB patients recover a lost faster, go home much sooner, technically known as 6-0, 7-0, or, usually after three-four days after 8-0, which is the smallest of the three. They are propylene (plasticsurgery. However, OPCAB is not like, but with greater tensile for everyone. strength) sutures, commercially How is the heart stilled? With the patient connected to called Prolene, which are nonthe pump, the heart is arrested by absorbable, unlike silk, which disintegrate with time. Prolene lowering the body temperature sutures stay intact forever. (thru blood cooling using a How are blockages special cooler machine connected diagnosed? to the pump) down to about The stenoses (narrowing) or 28-30 degrees centigrade, and by occlusion (total blockage) of the giving the patient a high dose of coronary arteries are diagnosed potassium chloride which stops the heartbeat in a relaxed (flabby) with the aid of coronary angiogram (also referred to as muscular state. This allows the cardiac catheterization), where cardiac surgeon to make tiny a spaghetti-sized catheter is (2 mm-4 mm) anastomoses (suturing together two arteries or inserted into the femoral (groin) artery under local anesthesia and a vein and an artery of the heart, its tip directed to the opening of like sewing a sleeve to the shirt, the left and right main coronary an end-to-side or T-connection) arteries. Dye is injected into the using a magnifying surgical coronary arteries and the whole loop (special eyeglasses for an

procedure is recorded in a video movie. This will show the dye in motion, the diameter and integrity of the lumen (inner channel) of the arteries and whether there are blockages or none. Why not do this test on everyone? While cardiac catheterization is a safe procedure done daily in various heart centers around the world, it has potential complications like transient irregular heart rhythm, blood clots, arterial leak, disruption in the wall of the artery, bleeding at the puncture site in the groin. While these are rare, there is a golden rule in medicine that says tests, in general, must only be done if there is a clinical indication (justification). If a person has no symptoms or strong family history of heart disease, cardiac catheterization is not recommended. Just about the only exceptions could be an employer required executive check-up, or airline mandated test for commercial pilots. Besides, this is an expensive procedure and insurance companies do not consider this to be a reimbursable prophylactic test. How is OPCAB done? With the patient under general anesthesia, the chest is split in the middle, from the base of the neck down to about the tail of the sternum (breastbone), same as in the conventional technique. With OPCAB, the patient is not connected to a heart-lung machine. There is a special instrument (cardiac stabilizer) that minimizes the heart action in the area of the artery to be bypassed. The rest of the heart continues to beat. This stabilizer restricts the contraction of the heart in the target area, allowing the cardiac surgeon to do his suturing, aided by a surgical loop for magnified (3-4 times) view. With beating heart surgery, the patient does not feel so zapped, rundown and tired compared to the standard procedure where heart lung machine and cardiac arrest are used. Does every heart surgeon do OPCAB? No. Only those who had Continued on Page 7

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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5 lucky shoppers win tickets to the Philippines from Island Pacific Supermarket CALIFORNIA - With the culmination of Island Pacific’s Shop and Fly promo last January 2017, five lucky winners each have been awarded with a roundtrip ticket to the Philippines via the Philippine Airlines. The winners have all been randomly selected using an electronic raffle through Island Pacific Seafood Market’s Bonus Rewards program. The winners include Ms. Karina Soriano of West Covina, Mr. Gerald Mendoza of Panorama City, Mr. Yami Dy

of Santa Clarita, Ms. Victoria Hodson of Long Beach and Ms. Catherine Morales of Oxnard, CA. Island Pacific Seafood Market, in cooperation with Philippine Airlines, congratulates all the winners and are excited for them to enjoy their vacations in the Philippines. Island Pacific remains proud to its Filipino roots and believes in promoting the beautiful destinations of our homeland. Through the Shop and Fly Promo, the company not only

gives its shoppers an incentive for their support, but it also gives them a chance to enjoy the Philippines. For this promo, the company has focused its attention to the city of Cebu. Thus, all winners have been given a roundtrip ticket to Cebu via Philippine Airlines. Island Pacific’s Bonus Rewards program is offered to all shoppers for free. Sign up today to earn points and save more on your store purchases!

(Advertising Supplement

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alendar of Events

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America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS MARCH 5

Free women’s self-defense workshop in Los Angeles A free women’s self-defense workshop will be held on Saturday, March 5 from 2 to p.m. at St. Columban Filipino Ministry (125 Loma Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026). It will be hosted by the Los Angeles Philippine Women’s Club in tandem with the Women’s Council of the St. Columban Parish. This is open to all genders. For more information, please contact MOTHER at (213) 268-3222

MARCH 6

Talk and book signing with Susan Quimpo, author of “Subversive Lives” in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey Come see Susan Quimpo, one of the authors of “Subversive Lives” on Monday, March 6 at the Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights from 6 to 8 p.m. “Subversive Lives” is a memoir by eight siblings (plus one by marriage) who dedicated themselves to the anti-Marcos resistance in the Philippines. Quimpo will talk about her personal experience during the Marcos years. Books will be available for sale. A book signing will follow after the talk. The Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights is located at 320 Boulevard, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604.

MARCH 9

Talk and book signing with Susan Quimpo, author of “Subversive Lives” in New York Come see Susan Quimpo, one of the authors of “Subversive Lives” on Thursday, March 9 at the 67th Street New York Public Library from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. “Subversive Lives” is a memoir by eight siblings (plus one by marriage) who dedicated themselves to the anti-Marcos resistance in the Philippines. Quimpo will talk about her personal experience during the Marcos years. A book signing will follow after the talk. The New York Public Library is located at 328 E 67th St. (between 1st and 2nd Ave.), New York, NY 10065.

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CAAMFEST35 in San Francisco & Oakland Come to the 35th anniversary of CAAMFest from March 9-19 and immerse yourself in expansive and diverse programs celebrating the best in Asian American film, music and food. The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. The annual CAAMFest is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films. It presents approximately 125 works in San Francisco and Oakland over the course of 11 days. Tickets can be purchased online or in person. For more information, please visit http://caamfest.com.

MARCH 11

CSFLU to hold dinner-dance in Brea, CA The City of San Fernando La Union Association (CSFLU) will hold its annual dinnerdance at the Embassy Suites in Brea, CA on March 11. Music will be provided by Willie Manacsa & The Midnight Motion Band. For more information, please call Vangie So, president of the association at (626) 485-3110.

Whitney High School’s 30th annual Pilipino Culture Night in Cerritos, CA Whitney High School’s Club Kaibigan invites you to attend “Ang Ating Salaysay (Our Story),” the 30th annual Pilipino Cultural Night on Saturday, March 11. The matinee show is at 2 p.m. ($12 / ticket), with the evening performance at 6:30 p.m. ($15 / ticket). The show will be held at the high school’s Mac Auditorium (16800 Shoemaker Ave., Cerritos, CA 90703). Any questions can be directed to clubkaibigan@gmail.com.

“Walk for Wishes” in Las Vegas Powered by wish families, volunteers, donors, and friends, Walk For Wishes is a nationwide Make-A-Wish fundraiser celebrating thousands of wishes that have already been granted, while raising funds for future wishes. Proceeds from this event help fund wishes that bring life-changing joy and hope to children battling life-threatening medical conditions in our community. On Saturday, March 11, Make-A-Wish® Southern Nevada partners with Caesars Foundation to present its 16th annual Walk for Wishes. Registration opens at 7 a.m., with opening ceremonies at 8:00 a.m. The 5K Run will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the 1 mile walk at 8:35 a.m. It will be held at Town Square Las Vegas at 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South (northwest corner of Town Square Blvd. and North St.), Las Vegas, NV 89119.

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Consular outreach mission in Phoenix, AZ A team from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles will conduct a Consular Outreach Mission in Phoenix, Arizona on March 11 and 12. It will be held at Halo Halo Kitchen (3553 W. Dunlap Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85051) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m by appointment and completed documents only. Please email arizona.consularoutreach@gmail.com with submissions and applications before March 3. No walk-in applicants will be accepted. The following consular services will be rendered: renewal and/or first-time applications for electronic passport ($60 processing fee + $24 mailing fee). New passports will be released to the applicant by mail twelve (12) weeks from March 15, 2017. No lost passport applications will be accepted; Applications for the retention and re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship pursuant to the Dual Citizenship Law ($50 processing fee). Oath taking will be scheduled on the same day for qualified applicants. Applicants are advised to wear appropriate clothing for the occasion; Applications for report of marriage & birth ($25 processing fee + $7 mailing fee); and registration for overseas voting for the 2019 national elections for senators and party list representatives. Fees must be paid in person at the scheduled appointment. Only cash, postal money order or cashier’s checks are accepted. Personal checks will not be accepted. For more information, please visit http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/. A final list of all applicants will confirmed appointment schedules will be posted on the website by March 8.

MARCH 18

Free vision screenings & walk for sight in San Fernando, CA On Saturday, March 18, the Lions Club event Lions Eyes Across America will be having free vision screenings and a “Walk For Sight” at San Fernando Recreation Park (208 Park Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340). Registration is at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m. Donate your old eyeglasses and hearing aids. Gather family and friends to support low vision resources throughout Los Angeles. The $15 registration includes a 2017 Lion Eyes T-Shirt. Contact Vangie Tabberrah at (818) 399-7965 or csvangie.tabb@gmail.com.

FASO’s “Swing the Night Away” in Glendale, CA Swing the night away with Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) on Saturday, March 18 at the Glendale Hilton! Bring your dancing shoes for an evening of swing, two-step, rumba, cha-cha, tango and waltz! Dance Instructors will be available on the floor. You can feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy the music! No host cocktails at 6:00 p.m, with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Tickets (dinner included) are $125. You can also contact Arlene Ferrolino (213) 248-9850, Bob Shroder (818) 395-8936 or JL Garcia (310) 936-2988 for tickets and sponsorship opportunities information. FASO is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Proceeds will be used to sustain the orchestra, and to fund its education and outreach programs. More information is available on the FASO website at http://www.fasofoundation. org.

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

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA First of 2 parts Thankfully, spring is almost upon us in a few weeks and the earth beckons. The atmospheric river that gave us the blessing of so much rain has quenched the thirst of the earth during the long draught in California. This long, wet and cold winter, believe it or not, is one huge blessing. We thank and praise God for the mercy he showers upon the earth and his people. Whether you are aware of it or not, miracles, great and small, are happening right before our very eyes. There is a strong sense that countless people are bending down their knees in prayerful supplication of miracles such as abundant rainfall to come. lo and behold, the rains have quenched the parched earth. Meteorologists have dubbed this atmospheric river above our heads way up in the clouds the “Pineapple Express” which gavus this weather phenomenon. Tropical moisture from the Pacific Ocean near hawaii runs like a choo choo train to the mainland first hitting the West Coast. Thank God we now have water for our fields, our plants and many millions of people. at the same time, the rains have exposed the vulnerability of California’s aging infrastructure, such as the dam on the verge of bursting at the seams at lake Oroville in northern California. Parts of roads and freeways need reconstruction. Water is a blessing but it is also a double-edged sword. It can also destroy. Oh if we only had leaders in California that had the foresight to build more dams and reservoirs for the periods of dryness that are sure to come in cycles. The problem is that we have politicians but no true leaders, who would place the interest of the people rather than their own agenda, in this part of the country. The gardener at heart tunes out all such concerns. he can tune out all dire fake news of doom and gloom that the mainstream media bombards people with. Media has lost its credibility. Media does not realize that viewers have the

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Tweaking the lessons learned from the garden “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece” -Claude Monet, speaking of his garden At Giverny power in their fingertips to kill their broadcast with their remote control. People have the power to cut off their revenues by unsubscribing. It’s that simple. This year will still be an unsettling year. This is a transition year with nationalists battling globalists. The Chinese people say that there is always a danger in transitions. and it is true. So many forces are in play. The country is divided and there are sinister globalist forces that work against the american worker. however, there is a movement worldwide among nations, specially in Europe, to unshackle themselves from unelected unions that dictate how nation states are to live. There will be so much uncertainty in the air as the nation state reasserts its primacy over global forces. The forces of good and evil are aligned. There exists the specter of a protracted war with radical Muslim terrorists gunning for world domination with their visions of a caliphate, looming menacingly in the horizon. The goal for all peaceloving people is to avoid any nuclear war at all costs. The realist in us thinks there is reason to be anxious. But the true gardener at heart remains unfazed. Cool, calm and collected, he chooses to live in that rare state of grace called equanimity. Sort of like the old song “que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be”…… It must come from the zen-like peace one gets when one gardens, even if it is simply tending a single potted plant on an office desk. Doing what must be done in the garden is his small way of keeping the delicate balance of nature in his own sphere of influence. In many ways, gardening is like praying. It keeps fears and anxieties at bay and keeps one centered in the belief that all things in the cosmos work together for good. I was and still am a reluctant gardener. I was thrust into it by circumstances since I have a thing

about not wanting anything dying on my shift. I had to seek books and advice despite the frenetic schedule of a workaday world as I multitasked my way through the day. nothing I did seemed right at the time. I tended to over water not knowing about the dangers of root rot. My track record at growing things was dismal, yet I have often wondered what it would be like to watch something grow. I marveled at my mother’s green thumb. She can stick a seemingly lifeless stump at a clump of earth and grow a new beautiful plant nearly every time. I wasn’t one to give up easily though. Tenaciously, doggedly I hung on to an image of me as a confident gardener. My education on the art and science of growing things had begun. I took baby steps and stumbled countless times. I still do. Only these days, I don’t have very much time as life and its distractions get in the way overly much. I became quieter within as I began to observe and seek to understand the process of growth, the seasons and the cycle of life. I read voraciously volumes upon volumes about plants and watched public television that featured gardening. nurseries and gardens have become my favorite haunts where I could ask those who knew better. I boned up on my rusty, halting Spanish quizzing the gardener as best I could. finally, I slammed on the brakes fearing I had become boringly, compulsively obsessive. But I found that unless I got down on the ground myself, nothing happened. I have discovered gardening to be a quiet, solitary pursuit somewhat fit for hermits and loners — unglamorous, unexciting, backbreaking, time consuming, manual, icky, down in the dirt labor that was certainly not meant for immediate gratification. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, email monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

The Philippine housing plan is an epic failure

The Kite Runner Prof. EnriquE M. Soriano IN a CNN report written by Paolo Taruc on September 21, 2015, the Philippines emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies with an average gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.2 percent per year from 2010 to 2014. The figure represents the highest growth in nearly four decades, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Former NEDA chief Arsenio Balisacan believes that the country’s economic gains have been a boon to the property sector. “The shape of real estate industry in the Philippines has changed dramatically over the years. In particular, the property market has grown robustly over the last 20 years as increasing demand for residential and commercial properties in the country became ever more evident against the backdrop of our changing economic landscape,” he said in a speech last July 28, 2015 during the summit organized by the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and The Organization of Property Stakeholders, Inc. “While the property industry has already been doing very

From Page 5

well in the past few years… the sector is seen to grow even more robustly, driven by the continued positive outlook on the economy and the projected expansion of outsourcing industry within the next five years,” he added. Metro Manila has more than 3 million informal settlers However, behind a robust property canvass, it is time to paint a different picture. In a 2010 report, Metro Manila was already home to 2.8 million informal settlers...that’s 556,526 families living in improvised housing communities commonly referred to as shanty towns and often lacks property sanitation, safe water supply, electricity and other basic human necessities. With very limited opportunity for livelihood, heightened military conflict and unabated poverty continue to wreak havoc in the countryside, it is estimated that around 200,000 annually troop to the National Capital Region hoping for a better life and preferring to be tag as informal settlers rather than risked being impoverished in their hometowns. The National Urban Development and Housing Framework (NUDHF) 2009- 2016 finds the housing problem to be serious and is a largely urban phenomenon. The magnitude

Overcoming this condition will require the application of innovative government approaches coupled with creative of housing need, defined as strategies by the private sector.” the housing backlog plus new Housing and Urban households, is enormous and Development Council’s Housing is estimated to reach about 5.8 Sector: Accomplishment million housing units. That is the Report? official figure. HUDC’s Report for the My unofficial estimate having period July 2010 to December been actively monitoring the 2015 showed that the housing sector for close to 29 years is agencies provided housing roughly hovering between 7 to 8 assistance to 894,569 families million backlog. valued at P313.607 billion. The And the gap is widening. assistance includes the provision Annually it is estimated that or funding of house and lot close to 500,000 new homes are packages, developed lots, houses, needed to address the current or home materials for home housing need. Homebuilders improvement/repair. can only supply anywhere from In addition to the direct 20 percent to 22 percent of the housing assistance provided by unmet need. the key shelter agencies (National CREBA, in its recent National Housing Authority, Social Convention in Baguio City where I Housing Finance Corp. and Home moderated the proceedings cites Development Mutual Fund) the very disturbing figures and I quote Home Guaranty Corporation its President Charlie Gorayeb: (HGC) guaranteed P222.026 “The 5.5 million housing billion worth of housing loans backlog is too huge to be extended by private commercial ignored. It threatens to balloon and rural banks as well as other to even bigger proportions if financing companies equivalent supply and access continue to to about 127,500 housing units. fail to cope with the consistent But are these numbers rise in demand as a result of enough? Does HUDCC have the population increase, rapid urban power to effect real change? migration, and affordability gaps, CREBA’s 30 Year Old and other factors. The nagging Housing Advocacy: Is the housing problem transcends Government Listening? many other facets of the nation’s A Roof Over Every Filipino over-all economic and social employing its five-point agenda, development. CREBA believes, is the most

Beating heart surgery

additional training on this particular technique perform beating heart surgery. It is a more tedious procedure and more difficult for the surgeon but much easier on the patient. Putting sutures on tiny arteries while the heart is beating is just like “shooting a tiny moving target.” A surgeon has to “retrain” his mind and hands, and gets used to this cutting edge-technology to be able to do OPCAB. This writer had to undergo such hands-on OPCAB surgical training at the Boston University Hospital in Massachusetts, under Dr. R. Cohn, the inventor of the

Genzyme Cardiac Stabilizer. My team and I did our first OPCAB on a 68-year-old American from California, a retiree in Cebu, on June 8, 1999, the first quadruple OPCAB bypass performed in the Philippines, at the Cebu Doctors University Hospital. Even in the United States, only a little more than 60 percent of the surgeons perform OPCAB procedures. Is the conventional bypass obsolete? Most definitely not. There are still a large number of patients who could be better served with the conventional on-pump heart bypass. As I stated earlier, OPCAB

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) From 2001 to 2014, the HLURB issued Licenses to Sell to less than 2 million housing units, covering all housing segments, from socialized up to the open market group. This performance rate, averaging about 130,000 housing units per year, is hardly enough to bridge the widening housing demand and supply gap. Despite all these, however, homelessness, unauthorized housing and lack of decent housing remain to be a major headache. Why? What has been the problem? Where, how and why did the programs fail? The Philippine Housing problem has become a social malaise, a clear injustice to those who have less in life. Without a roof over one’s head, it strips a person naked and robs him of his dignity to a decent life. If we continue to ignore this boiling point, Metro Manila will have “shadow” cities comprising millions of informal settlers soon. It is now a race against time. (esoriano@wongadvisory. com) *** Prof. Soriano is a National Agora Awardee for Marketing Excellence, an ASEAN Family Business Advisor, Book Author and Executive Director of ASEAN-based Consulting group, W+B Strategic Advisory. He has close to three decades of real estate experience and is currently the Program Director for Real Estate at the ATENEO Graduate School of Business

It’s a boy for Kylie & Aljur

is not for everyone. But the trend shows more and more coronary bypass procedures are being done on beating hearts today. It stands to reason that OPCAB is here to stay. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

effective, doable and strong package of reforms that works to the benefit of government, the home buying public and the private sector. It is so designed to bring about permanent and farreaching solutions to our current and future housing problems as opposed to palliative roadmaps which address only the peripheries of the housing situation but not its core. Yet, the housing sector continues to suffer heavily from administrative, structural and regulatory delays under various levels of government, from the national agencies down to the barangays. Five Presidents and this advocacy still remains a pipe dream. HLURB LICENSE TO SELL ISSUED FOR RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS IN UNITS (2001-2014): A Glaring Imbalance HOUSING PACKAGES TOTAL UNITS percent Socialized 616,123 32 percent Economic 687,377 36 percent Mid-Cost & Open Market 619,347 32 percent TOTAL 1,922,847 100 percent Source: Housing and Land

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by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla

IT’S a boy for sweethearts Aljur Abrenica and Kylie Padilla who is scheduled to give birth sometime in July. The baby, who will have two first names (one of them probably Joaquin), will make Kylie’s father Robin Padilla (photo, right) and mother Liezl Sicangco, and stepmother Mariel Rodriguez first-time grandparents. It’s also Aljur’s parents’ first grandchild. Late last year, Mariel gave birth to her and Robin’s first child, named Maria Isabella, in the States. Although he hasn’t publicly acknowledged it, Lolo Robin has reportedly forgiven Aljur after he confirmed how very much in love with Aljur his daughter is, and vice-versa.

march 3-9, 2017 www.asianjournal.com

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