IN his first presidential term, Donald Trump obstructed asylum, imposed a “Muslim Ban,” undermined Temporary Protected Status, terminated DACA and separated families at the border. This time, his immigration plans are even more ambitious.
If elected this November, Trump’s plans include mass deportations and detention camps, legal immigration category freezes, re-invoking public charge and penalizing states that offer in-state tuition to undocumented students.
At a Friday, June 14 Ethnic Media Services briefing, immigration policy experts discussed Trump’s plan — outlined in Project 25, a report from conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation — and its impact on U.S. citizens, immigrants and the economy.
Dutertes running
Speaking
US asks Philippines to solve politically motivated cases after De Lima acquittal
MANILA — The United States lauded the exoneration of former Senator Leila De Lima from her last drug-related case and urged the Philippine government to resolve all “politically motivated cases” in the country.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Tuesday, June 25 that the U.S. remains “committed to working with the Philippine government to strengthen democracy and human rights.”
“We continue to urge the Philippines to resolve politically motivated cases, including those against journalists and civil society, in a manner consistent with its international human rights obligations and
commitments,” he also said.
On Monday, June 24, a Muntinlupa court granted De Lima’s demurrer to evidence petition for the dismissal of the third and final drug case filed against her by the Duterte administration. De Lima’s camp filed the petition in March, arguing that the prosecution’s case has insufficient evidence.
The lower court’s decision to dismiss the drug charges against De Lima is tantamount to an acquittal of the former senator, a staunch critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Now, all three drug-related cases that the Duterte administration filed against her are dismissed.
Philippines issues protest note over China’s latest aggression in West Philippine Sea
by KRISTINE DAGUNO-BERSAMINA Philstar.com
MANILA — The Philippines issued a note verbale in response to its latest act of aggression against Filipino forces in the West Philippine Sea.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo announced during an international media conference that the Philippine government issued a note verbale to China last week, according to a GMA report.
The incident happened on June 17 as the Chinese coast guard personnel wielding bladed weapons foiled a Filipino navy attempt
to resupply troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre that sits atop Ayungin Shoal.
The move resulted in injuries to Filipino troops, including a Navy servicemember who lost his thumb. Footage released shows the Chinese coast guard looting items and damaging boats, including navigational and communication equipment.
The incident is the latest and most serious in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months, as Beijing intensifies efforts to assert its claims over nearly the entire waterway.
During a Senate hearing on Tuesday,
“I feel immense relief and joy right now. I can now rest easier and sleep more soundly,” De Lima said in Filipino during an ambush interview with members of the media after the Muntinlupa court’s decision on her third drug case was announced Monday. Earlier, European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Véron said the bloc welcomed De Lima’s acquittal as they stand alongside the verdict of justice and human rights.
“I share the joy of Atty. Leila De. Lima and her codefendants who were cleared of all charges today by the Muntinlupa City Court. After so many years, this is a victory for justice!” Veron said on X (formerly
Women’s rights advocates are hailing last week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that takes away the right of those subject to domestic violence restraining orders from owning or purchasing firearms.
In an 8-to-1 ruling, the justices upheld the constitutionality of a federal law that makes it a crime for a person under a restraining order in a domestic violence case from owning firearms. It limits a controversial standard the high court’s conservatives had set down in 2022 that required gun prohibitions to have a connection to historical practices to survive constitutional scrutiny.
“When an individual poses a clear threat of physical violence to another, the threatening individual may be disarmed,” said Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote for the ma-
MANILA, — Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s fingerprints matched with Chinese woman Guo Hua Ping, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday, June 27.
In a statement, Hontiveros said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has confirmed that Mayor Guo and Guo Hua Ping’s fingerprints have matched.
“It means, they are the fingerprints of one and the same person. This confirms what I have suspected all along. Mayor Alice is a fake Filipino — or should I say, Guo Hua Ping. She is a Chinese national masquerading as [a] Filipino citizen to facilitate crimes being committed by [Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators],” Hontiveros
LAS VEGAS - A tragic accident claimed the life of 44-year-old Filipino American Michael Navarette Guardian in the southwest Las Vegas Valley on Thursday, June 20.
According to the police report, Guardian was riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle south on Durango Drive at high speed. As he approached the intersection with Arby Avenue, a Chevrolet Colorado truck traveling north on Durango entered the left turn lane just south of Arby Avenue. The truck stopped before making a westbound turn onto Arby Avenue, crossing into the motorcycle's path. The front of the Suzuki collided with the right rear of the Chevrolet, ejecting Guardian onto the roadway. Emergency medical personnel arrived promptly and transported Guardian to UMC Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at University Medical Center.
Police reports indicate that the driver of the Chevrolet remained at the scene, showed no signs of impairment, and cooperated fully
Marcos on 3 Dutertes running...
Cabinet. Marcos said the Dutertes' plan to run in the elections will not affect the UniTeam — a coalition between him and the vice president in the previous polls.
The president said that the stand of the UniTeam will depend on who the vice president will support in next year's elections. Sen. Robinhood Padilla, acting president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP), described the prospect of former president Duterte and two of his sons running for the Senate as excellent news.
"Given the current political landscape, this development could significantly influence the balance of power in the Senate," Padilla said on Thursday.
He emphasized the benefits of having three more allies in the Senate, including Senators Bong Go, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino. "That is indeed excellent news. I will have allies in the Senate other than Senators Go, dela Rosa and Tolentino," Padilla said. Go, dela Rosa and Tolentino are eligible for another Senate term in 2025. Their reelection could further strengthen the PDP's position in the Senate. g
US asks Philippines to solve politically...
1
Twitter).
De Lima’s colleagues in the political opposition also expressed happiness over her acquittal.
“Noon pa man, alam kong
walang sala si Sen. Leila at umaapaw ang kaligayahan sa puso ko na ngayon ay nakamit na niya ang hustisya. From ‘Free Leila Now’ to ‘Now, Leila is free’,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in a statement Monday.
(Even before, I knew that [former] Sen. Leila was innocent and I am extremely glad now that
she has achieved justice. From “Free Leila Now” to “Now, Leila is free.”)
“Ito’y patunay na ang katotohanan ay mananaig pa rin ang hustisya sa gitna ng mga kasinungalingan,” human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said on X. (This proves the truth that justice will still prevail even in the midst of lies.)
Both Hontiveros and Diokno, however, stressed that people who unjustly accused De Lima of wrongdoing “must face the consequences of their actions.”
“[W]e need to focus our
attention on those who have wrongly accused her. False charges compromise not only the accused’s reputation but also the integrity of our legal system. We call upon the authorities to pursue and hold accountable those who have perpetuated these unfounded.
“Ang hukuman ay takbuhan ng taumbayan para matamo ang hustisya, hindi ito instrumento para sa maruming pamumulitika
(People go to the court to get justice, it is not an instrument for dirty politics),” Diokno also said.
(Moss R. Laygo/Inquirer.net)
Fil-Am motorcyclist Michael Navarette...
with the investigation.
Guardian's death marks the 77th traffic-related fatality in the Las Vegas metropolitan jurisdiction for 2024.
Family and friends remember Michael Navarette Guardian as a kind, generous, and loving family man. He is survived by his four children, ages 13, 12, 9, and 5. His sudden death has left his brothers, mother, and many friends in the Philippines and Las Vegas in shock.
Joel Malate, a close friend of Guardian, expressed his disbelief, recalling Guardian's love for family outings and his careful
driving habits.
"I was really shocked. It was unbelievable because during the memorial, he was here at my house," Malate said. "He loved going out with the family."
Guardian worked as a truck driver for Goodwill and was known for his strict adherence to speed limits and impeccable road manners. Malate emphasized Guardian's cautious nature, especially when riding motorcycles.
"It's unbelievable, first of all, he was a careful driver. When we used to ride motorcycles together, he was a skilled rider, even better than me," Malate added.
Malate shared that Guardian was thrilled about his children's upcoming arrival in the U.S., making the tragedy even more heart-wrenching. Guardian's defining traits as a good father and a loyal friend remain unforgettable.
The Guardian family has retained the services of the Richard Harris Law Firm to handle the legal matters arising from the accident.
A GoFundMe page has
Philippines issues protest note over China’s...
June 25, the foreign affairs chief expressed hope that the Philippines-China Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea will convene in early July to address the recent incidents.
The last meeting was held on January 17 in Shanghai, where the two parties formulated “some confidence-building measures,” according to Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
Defense Secretary Gilberto
“We still believe in the primacy of dialogue, and diplomacy should prevail even in the face of these serious incidents, though I admit it’s also a challenge,” Manalo said.
Teodoro Jr. last Monday, June 24 clarified that the latest incident was neither a “misunderstanding” nor an “accident,” describing China’s moves as “illegal use of force.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously assured the public that the Philippines will not resort to war in addressing issues in the disputed region. g
TARP SAYS IT ALL Former Sen. Leila de Lima (center, with scarf) is greeted by her supporters, led by peace advocate Teresita “Ging” Deles (fourth from left), after the Muntinlupa City court on Monday, June 24, cleared her of the last drug-related case filed by the Duterte administration. Inquirer.net photo by Grig Montegrande
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Malacañang file photo
Medicaid for millions in America hinges on Deloitte-run systems plagued by errors
by Rachana PRadhan and Samantha LiSS KFF Health News
DELOITTE, a global consultancy that reported revenue last year of $65 billion, pulls in billions of dollars from states and the federal government for supplying technology it says will modernize Medicaid.
The company promotes itself as the industry leader in building sophisticated and efficient systems for states that, among other things, screen who is eligible for Medicaid. However, a KFF Health News investigation of eligibility systems found widespread problems.
The systems have generated incorrect notices to Medicaid beneficiaries, sent their paperwork to the wrong addresses, and been frozen for hours at a time, according to findings in state audits, allegations and declarations in court documents, and interviews. It can take months to fix problems, according to court documents from a lawsuit in federal court in Tennessee, company documents, and state agencies. Meanwhile, America’s poorest residents pay the price.
Deloitte dominates this important slice of government business: Twenty-five states have awarded it eligibility systems contracts — with 53 million Medicaid enrollees in those states as of April 1, 2023, when the unwinding of pandemic protections began, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Deloitte’s contracts are worth at least $5 billion, according to a KFF Health News review of government contracts, in which Deloitte commits to design, develop, implement, or operate state systems.
State officials work hand in glove with Deloitte behind closed doors to translate policy choices into computer code that forms the backbone of eligibility systems. When things go wrong, it can be difficult to know who’s at fault, according to attorneys, consumer advocates, and union workers. Sometimes it takes a lawsuit to pull back the curtain. Medicaid beneficiaries bear the brunt of system
errors, said Steve Catanese, president of Service Employees International Union Local 668 in Pennsylvania. The union chapter represents roughly 19,000 employees — including government caseworkers who troubleshoot problems for recipients of safety-net benefits such as health coverage and cash assistance for food.
“Are you hungry? Wait. You sick? Wait,” he said. “Delays can kill people.”
KFF Health News interviewed Medicaid recipients, attorneys, and former caseworkers and government employees, and read thousands of pages from contracts, ongoing lawsuits, company materials, and state audits and documents that show problems with Deloitteoperated systems around the country — including in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.
In an interview, Kenneth Smith, a Deloitte executive who leads its national human services division, said Medicaid eligibility technology is stateowned and agencies “direct their operation” and “make decisions about the policies and processes that they implement.”
“They’re not Deloitte systems,” he said, noting Deloitte is one player among many who together administer Medicaid benefits.
Alleging “ongoing and nationwide” errors and “unfair and deceptive trade practices,” the National Health Law Program, a nonprofit that advocates for people with low incomes, urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Deloitte in a complaint filed in January.
“Systems built by Deloitte have generated numerous errors, resulting in inaccurate Medicaid eligibility determinations and loss of Medicaid coverage for eligible individuals in many states,” it argued. “The repetition of the same errors in Deloitte eligibility systems across Texas and other states and over time demonstrates that Deloitte has failed.”
FTC spokesperson Juliana Gruenwald Henderson confirmed receipt of the complaint but did not comment further.
Smith called the allegations “without merit.”
The system problems are especially concerning as states wade through millions of Medicaid eligibility checks to disenroll people who no longer qualify — a removal process that was paused for three years to protect people from losing insurance during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In that time, nationwide Medicaid enrollment grew by more than 22 million, to roughly 87 million people. At least 22.8 million have been removed as of June 4 , according to a KFF analysis of government data.
Advocates worry many lost coverage despite being eligible. A KFF survey of adults disenrolled from Medicaid during the first year of the unwinding found that nearly 1 in 4 adults who were removed are now uninsured. Nearly half who were removed were able to reenroll, the survey showed, suggesting they should not have been dropped in the first place.
“If there is a technology challenge or reason why someone can’t access health care that they’re eligible for, and we’re able to do something,” Smith said, “we work tirelessly to do so.”
Deloitte’s contracts with states regularly cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the federal government pays the bulk of the cost.
“States become very dependent on the consultant for operating complex systems of all kinds” to do government business, said Michael Shaub, an accounting professor at Texas A&M University.
Georgia’s contract with Deloitte to build and maintain its system for health and social service programs, inked in 2014, as of January 2023 was worth $528 million. This January, state officials wrote in an assessment obtained by KFF Health News that its eligibility system “lacks flexibility and adaptability,
Fil-Am Team USA manager happy for volleyball’s growth in PH
EVERYTHING has come full circle for Filipino American team manager David Dantes of Team USA, as he returned to his home country of the Philippines for volleyball in the recently concluded Manila leg of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League last week.
After being away from the Philippines for a decade, Dantes flew with fan favorites Team USA for the weeklong tournament. Bearing witness to the country’s love for volleyball, he reflected on his return to Manila.
“[It’s] my first time back [in Manila] for like, 10 years. So it’s really great to be back. You know, my parents are from here and I think the guys right now are having a wonderful experience,” he said, referring to Team USA players.
“I think that’s been the best part. [For] most of our team, it’s their first time here and we love it. They love the fans, they love the passion, [I] couldn’t be happier,” he added.
Dantes has had a long history with the men’s indoor team, having been a technical staff member for the squad in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He’s also the Independent Contract Performance Analyst of the men’s sitting team.
Now with a new role, Dantes gets a share of the love from the Filipinos in the stands. Born in California to Filipino parents from Quezon City, he connected with his motherland through the sport that he loves.
“That excites me a lot because I love volleyball obviously, and it’s really cool to see that you know, where I’m from, where my parents are from, love it as passionately [as me],” Dantes continued.
“I mean, obviously, almost makes me want to come back and see the sport grow even more. I mean, it’s so cool to see the Philippines growing in the professional sport really quickly, which is great.”
Dantes wears many hats, including being the
director of volleyball operations at NCAA Division 1 school University of Georgia. As luck would have it, one of his athletes will be continuing her career in the Philippines with the Premier Volleyball League.
Though unfamiliar with the pro scene in the Philippines, Dantes vowed to follow the league beginning this upcoming Reinforced Conference as he supports his player.
“I don’t [follow the league], but I will now. Because one of my athletes in [University of] Georgia just started for Creamline last week. Her name’s Erica Staunton, so I will be watching it now because she’ll play,” he said.
As for what advice he has to offer Philippine volleyball, Dantes made it simple and sweet on how the country can continue to grow the sport and push forward in the international scene.
“Just play as much as possible, you know? I think it all starts at the grassroots level. Just provide as many opportunities as you can and let the kids, let the youth play as much as they can.” (Luisa Morales/Philstar)
David Dantes Philstar.com photo
Medicaid for millions in America hinges...
limiting Georgia’s ability to serve its customers efficiently, improve the customer and worker experience across all programs, ensure data security, reduce benefit errors and fraud, and advance the state’s goal of streamlining eligibility.”
Deloitte and the Georgia Department of Community Health declined to comment.
Deloitte is looking ahead with its “path to Medicaid in 2040,” anticipating sweeping changes that will expand its own business opportunity.
“State Medicaid leaders and policymakers are hungry to know what the future of health care holds,” the company said.
“Deloitte brings the innovative tools, subject matter expertise, and time-tested experience to help states.”
Trouble in Tennessee
When Medicaid eligibility systems fail, beneficiaries suffer the consequences.
DiJuana Davis had chronic anemia that required iron infusions. In 2019, the 39-year-old Nashville resident scheduled separate surgeries to prevent pregnancy and to remove the lining of her uterus, which could alleviate blood loss and ease her anemia.
Then Davis, a mom of five, received a shock: Her family’s Medicaid coverage had vanished. The hospital canceled the procedures, according to testimony in federal court in November.
Davis had kept her insurance for years without trouble. This time, Tennessee had just launched a new Deloitte-built eligibility system. It autofilled an incorrect address, where Davis had never lived, to send paperwork, an error that left her uninsured for nearly two months, according to an ongoing class-action lawsuit Davis and other beneficiaries filed against the state.
The lawsuit, which does not name Deloitte as a defendant, seeks to order Tennessee to restore coverage for those who wrongly lost it. Kimberly Hagan, Tennessee Medicaid’s director of member services, said in a court filing defending the state’s actions that many issues “reflect some unforeseen flaws or gaps” with the eligibility system and “some design errors.”
Hagan’s legal declaration in 2020 gave a view of what went wrong: Davis lost coverage because of missteps by both Tennessee and Deloitte during what’s known as the “conversion process,” when eligibility data was migrated to a new system.
Tennessee’s Medicaid agency, known as “TennCare, along with its vendor, Deloitte, designed rules to govern the logic of conversion,” Hagan said in the legal declaration. She also cited a “manual, keying error by a worker” made in 2017.
Davis’ family was “incorrectly merged with another family during conversion,” Hagan said.
Davis regained coverage, but before she could rebook the surgeries, she testified, she became pregnant and a serious complication emerged. In June 2020, Davis rushed to the hospital. A physician told her she had preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal death. Labor was induced and her son was born prematurely. “Preeclampsia can kill the mom. It can kill the baby. It can kill both of you,” she testified. “That’s like a death sentence.”
Deloitte’s Tennessee contract is worth $823 million. Deloitte declined to comment on Davis’ case or the litigation.
Speaking broadly, Smith said, “data conversion is incredibly challenging and difficult.”
Hagan called the problems one-time issues: “None of the Plaintiffs’ cases reflect ongoing systemic problems that have not already been addressed or are scheduled to be addressed.”
States leverage Deloitte’s technology as part of a larger push toward automation, legal aid attorneys and former caseworkers said.
“We all know that big computer projects are fraught,” said Gordon Bonnyman, co-founder of the nonprofit Tennessee Justice Center. “But a state that was concerned about inflicting collateral damage when they moved to a different automated system would have a lot of safeguards.”
TennCare spokesperson Amy Lawrence called its eligibility system “a transformative tool, streamlining processes and enhancing accessibility.”
When enrollees seek help at county offices, “you don’t get to sit down across from a real human being,” Bonnyman said. “They point you to the kiosk and say, ‘Good luck with that.’”
A Backlog of 50,000 Cases As part of the Affordable Care Act rollout about a decade ago, states invested in technological upgrades to determine who qualifies for public programs. It was a financial boon to Deloitte and such companies as Accenture and Optum, which landed government contracts to build those complex systems. Problems soon emerged.
In Kentucky, a Deloitte-built system that launched in February 2016 erroneously sent at least 25,000 automated letters telling people they would lose benefits, according to local news reports. State officials manually worked through a backlog of 50,000 cases caused by conflicting information from newly merged systems, the reports say.
“We know that the rollout of Benefind has caused frustration and concern for families and for field staff,” senior Deloitte executive Deborah Sills said during a March 2016 news conference alongside Gov. Matt Bevin and other senior officials after Kentucky was bombarded with complaints. Within two months, roughly 600 system defects were identified, found a report by the Kentucky state auditor.
In Rhode Island, a botched rollout in September 2016 delayed tens of thousands of Social Security payments, The Providence Journal reported. Advocacy groups filed two classaction lawsuits, one related to Medicaid and the other to food stamp benefits. Both were settled, with Rhode Island officials denying wrongdoing. Neither named Deloitte as a defendant.
In a 2018 statement for a Statehouse hearing, Sills of Deloitte said, “We are very sorry for the impact that our system issues have had on your constituents, on state workers, and on service providers.” The state’s top human services official resigned.
A 2017 audit by a top Rhode Island official prepared for Gov. Gina Raimondo found that Deloitte “delivered an IT system that is not functioning effectively” and had “significant defects.” “Widespread issues,” it said, “caused a significant deterioration in the quality of service provided by the State.”
“Deloitte held itself out as the leading vendor with significant experience in developing integrated eligibility systems for other states,” the audit read. “It appears that Deloitte did not sufficiently leverage this experience and expertise.” Deloitte declined to comment further about Rhode Island and Kentucky.
Deloitte invokes the phrase “no-touch” to describe its technology — approving benefits “without any tasks performed by the State workers,” it wrote in documents vying for an Arkansas contract. In practice, enrollee advocates and former government caseworkers say, the systems frequently have errors and require manual workarounds.
As it considered hiring Deloitte, Arkansas officials asked the company about problems, particularly in Rhode Island.
In response, the company said in 2017, “We do not believe Deloitte Consulting LLP has had to implement a corrective action plan” for any eligibility system project in the previous five years.
Arkansas awarded Deloitte a $345 million contract effective in 2019 to develop its system.
“It had a lot of bugs,” said Bianca Garcia, a program eligibility specialist for the Arkansas Department of Human Services from August 2022 to October 2023. Garcia said it could take weeks to fix errors in a family’s details and Medicaid enrollees wouldn’t receive the state’s requests for information because of glitches. They would lose benefits because workers couldn’t confirm eligibility, she added.
The enrollees “were doing their part, but the system just failed,” Garcia said.
Arkansas Department of Human Services spokesperson Gavin Lesnick said: “With any large-scale system implementation, there occasionally are issues that need to be addressed. We have worked alongside our vendor to minimize these issues and to correct any problems.”
Deloitte declined to comment.
‘Heated’ negotiations In late 2020, Colorado officials were bracing for the inevitable unwinding of pandemic-era Medicaid protections.
Colorado was three years into what is now a $354.4 million contract with Deloitte to operate its eligibility system. A state-commissioned audit that September had uncovered
Mayor Alice Guo is also Chinese woman...
widespread problems, and Kim Bimestefer, the state’s top Medicaid official, was in “heated” negotiations with the company.
The audit found 67% of the system notices it sampled contained errors. Notices are federally required to safeguard against eligible people being disenrolled, said MaryBeth Musumeci, an associate teaching professor in public health at George Washington University.
“This is, for many people, what’s keeping them from being uninsured,” Musumeci said.
The Colorado audit found many enrollee notices contained inaccurate response deadlines. One dated Dec. 19, 2019, requested a beneficiary return information by Sept. 27, 2011 — more than eight years earlier.
“We’re in intense negotiations with our vendor because we can’t turn around to the General Assembly and say, ‘Can I get money to fix this?’”
Bimestefer told lawmakers during the 2020 legislative audit hearing. “I have to hold the vendor accountable for the tens of millions we’ve been paying them over the years, and we still have a system like this.”
She said officials had increased oversight of Deloitte. Also, dozens of initiatives were created to “improve eligibility accuracy and correspondence,” and the state renegotiated Deloitte’s contract, said Marc Williams, a state Medicaid agency spokesperson. A contract amendment shows Deloitte credited Colorado with $5 million to offset payments for additional work.
But Deloitte’s performance appeared to get worse. A 2023 state audit found problems in 90% of sampled enrollee notices. Some were violations of state Medicaid rules.
The audit blamed “flaws in system design” for populating notices with incorrect dates.
In September, Danae Davison received a confusing notice at her Arvada home stating that her daughter did not qualify for coverage.
Lydia, 11, who uses a wheelchair and is learning to communicate via a computer, has a seizure disorder that qualifies her for a Medicaid benefit for those with disabilities. The denial threatened access to nursing care, which enables her to live at home instead of in a facility.
Nothing had changed with Lydia’s condition, Davison said.
“She so clearly has the need,” Davison said. “This is a system problem.”
Davison appealed. In October, a judge ruled that Lydia qualified for coverage.
The notice generated by the Deloitte-operated system was deemed “legally insufficient” because it omitted the date Lydia’s coverage would end. Her case highlights a known eligibility system problem: Beneficiary notices contain “non-compliant or inconsistent dates” and are “missing required elements and information,” according to the 2023 audit.
Deloitte declined to comment on Colorado. Speaking broadly, Smith said, “Incorrect information can come in a lot of forms.”
Last spring in Pennsylvania, Deloitte’s eligibility role expanded to include the Children’s Health Insurance Program and 126,000 enrollees. Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services said an error occurred when converting to the state’s eligibility system, maintained by Deloitte through a $541 million contract. DHS triaged the errors, but, for “a small window of time,” some children who still had coverage “were not able to use it.”
These issues affected 9,269 children last June and 2,422 in October, DHS said. A temporary solution was implemented in December and a permanent fix came through in April.
Catanese, the union representative, said it was another in a long history of problems. Among the most prevalent, he said: The system freezes for hours. When asked about that, Smith said “it’s hyperbole.”
Instead of the efficiency that Deloitte touted, Catanese said, “the system constantly runs into errors that you have to duct tape and patchwork around.”
KFF Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam and correspondents Daniel Chang, Bram Sable-Smith, and Katheryn Houghton contributed to this report.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
said.
According to Hontiveros, this revelation is a great insult not only to voters in Bamban, but also to the Philippine government.
“This is a very strong evidence to remove Mayor Alice from public office,” she added in Filipino.
With this development, Hontiveros pressed the Office of Solicitor General to expedite its filing of a quo warranto case against Guo, emphasizing that the suspended local official needs
to be held accountable for all the crimes she and her Pogo hub has committed. “This revelation is not the end. Guo Hua Ping, soon, we will know the full extent of your deception. We will dig deeper and locate the systemic roots of our Pogo problem,” Hontiveros added.
To recall, it was also Hontiveros who ordered the NBI to examine the biometrics data of Guo Hua Ping and Alice Guo, directing them to specifically compare their fingerprints.
This came after Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian alleged that the suspended mayor’s true identity is that of a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping. Guo has been the subject of scrutiny after the Senate committee on women bared her alleged ties to Zun Yuan Technology, an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator in Bamban, Tarlac. Guo, however, repeatedly denied all accusations hurled against her, including being an alleged China spy. g
High court ruling upholds law disarming domestic...
jority, with only Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting.
In a press release put out by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV), the group noted that the ruling acknowledges that guns must be kept away from people who commit acts of domestic violence, as they have been proven to increase lethality in abusive situations. CPEDV filed a brief supporting the law.
A woman is five times more likely to be killed if the intimate partner abusing her has access to a firearm, according to the CPEDV. Black women are twice as likely to be shot and killed by an intimate partner.
Justice Thomas argued that instead of encroaching on a person’s Second Amendment right, the better way of dealing with a dangerous person is by prosecuting them for criminal violence.
Earlier this week US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a first-of-its-kind advisory declaring gun violence a public health crisis. “I want people to understand the full impact gun violence is having on the United States,” Murthy told the BBC in an interview.
There were some 48,000 firearm-related deaths — or 132 people per day — in the US in 2022, according to provisional data.
SCOTUS’s ruling notwithstanding, abusers with restraining orders can still sneak guns during visitations with their children.
A case in point happened in March 2022, when David Mora, a 39-year-old immigrant, fatally
shot his three daughters ages 13, 10 and 9 at the time, during a supervised visitation at a church in Sacramento. He then shot the chaperone supervising the visit, before turning the gun on himself.
Mora was out on bail after being arrested five days earlier on charges of resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and driving under the influence. In response to a court filing for a five-year-restraining order submitted his ex-girlfriend and mother of their children, Mora said he had no guns. His ex-girlfriend also said she was not aware of him having guns.
“There were gaps in the order” that allowed him to have access to guns, said Krista Colon, senior director of public policy strategies at CPEDV. She said the visitations should have been in a “more secured location.”
Every time domestic violence survivor Anjali Raj called the police on her former partner after he violently abused her, it didn’t take him long to retrieve his guns from the police within days after he was released, she said.
Raj, who lives in the Bay Area, said she dropped the charges against him after every arrest, out of fear of what he might do to her and their two children, now 7 and 8, and her elderly parents. And to add to her fears, he would display the weapons on a countertop as a threat, she said.
“Why was he allowed to reclaim them when he had a history of abuse?” Raj said. They are now separated and have shared custody of their chil-
dren. She said that because she has been unable to hire a good attorney she has never been able to get justice from the court.
According to a new report from California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, the number of protective orders issued in California to limit access to firearms for people deemed dangerous increased by 20% between 2020 and 2023. Last week’s high court ruling stemmed from a case involving a Texas man named Zackey Rahimi, with a history of armed violence against girlfriends and shootings in public places. While under a protective order, prosecutors said he shot his gun at least six times in public, once at his former partner and mother of his child and once allegedly at another woman while in a parking lot.
The June 21 ruling keeps in tact a California law that mandates that guns should be removed from those with restraining orders against them, Colon said.
In a related issue, San Francisco and San Diego are trying to increase the utilization of red flag laws, also known as Gun Violence Restraining Orders, to help keep guns out of dangerous situations. In 2016, California became one of the first states to enact a GVRO, after a mass shooting in Isla Vista that killed seven people.
The law allows law enforcement, household members, family teachers, employers and co-workers to request that a judge temporarily remove access to another person’s firearm if they pose a significant threat. (Viji Sundaram/ Ethnic Media Services)
How would Trump’s immigration plan...
Immigration policy in Project 25
Project 25 — the newest iteration of Mandate for Leadership, a series of playbooks published by The Heritage Foundation recommending conservative policies to be implemented by the federal government — includes over 175 immigration policy changes and a chapter written by Ken Cuccinelli, immigration director under President Trump.
“These policies abandon traditional conservative values like supporting business growth, decentralizing power away from the federal government and decreasing bureaucratic hurdles, often doing the opposite,” said Cecilia Esterline, immigration research analyst at the Niskanen Center. “They should be taken seriously; President Trump implemented nearly 64% of the prior Mandate for Leadership’s recommendations within the first year of his administration.”
“Using executive authority, without Congress, they hope to introduce processing delays,” she continued. For instance, H2A and H2B visas are seasonal visas sustaining the agricultural, construction, forestry and hospitality industries. Project 2025 argues that no updates to eligible countries should be issued, which would essentially grind the program to a halt.
The U.S. Labor Department certified 370,000 temporary H2A jobs in 2022, while the H2B cap was raised from 66,000 to 130,716 visas for 2024.
“They also create new standards cutting off intake for entire categories of immigration; for example, any deemed to have an excessive backlog,” Esterline added. “However, excessive is not defined.”
Another policy would process every approval through a secondary office that currently completes around 35,000 cases a year, rather than through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which completed 8.6 million in 2022.
Project 2025 also recommends denying Department of Education loans – based on mandatory information sharing with the federal government –to states that allow in-state tuition to “illegal aliens,” including DACA recipients.
While only citizens and green card holders are currently eligible for federal student aid, state tuition is determined according to state-defined residency terms. Currently, 26 states and the District of Columbia allow DACA recipients to qualify for in-state tuition, while 23 states and D.C. allow undocumented immigrants meeting minimum
residency length to qualify.
Nearly 10.7 million U.S. students are enrolled in higher education in states allowing in-state tuition to “illegal aliens.” Under this policy, up to 67% of all U.S. higher education students could lose access to federal aid because their state offers in-state tuition to undocumented or DACA students.
Implementing immigration policy under Trump
In addition to these proposals, most policies from the first Trump administration would be “reimplemented in some form” in a second term, said David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute.
These prospective policies include the “Muslim Ban” expanded to include more non-Muslim countries like Venezuela; restricting parole sponsorship for the current 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans entering the U.S. monthly; removing the CBP One app allowing 1,500 daily legal migrations from the southwest border; and reducing the refugee program, which was capped below 10,000 under Trump’s final year — the smallest cap in history, 90% less than that under Obama and dramatically less than the over 100,000 admitted refugees projected this year under Biden.
“Trump left office in 2020 with the highest number of border patrol arrests for any December, going back to 1999 … and removed more people mainly by increasing the immigrants held in detention” by a peak of about 20,000 more beds amounting to roughly 60,000 removals, said Bier.
“This time isn’t anywhere near that scale,” he continued, as Trump has campaigned on calls to detain and deport 15 to 20 million people by using the National Guard and coerce sanctuary cities into compliance by withholding federal funds.
“It’s illegal and unconstitutional,” he added. “The only question is whether there’s anyone who can stop the president, any president, from violating the Constitution in these ways.”
Political implications
“Trump’s immigration agenda presents three interrelated threats in the form of mass deportation, political violence and a threat to American democracy … where the law becomes a challenge to overcome rather than an impediment to rein in the vision,” said Zachary Mueller, senior research director for America’s Voice Education Fund.
The campaign’s calls to deport 15 million to 20 million immigrants are far above the
nation’s actual undocumented population. As of 2021, there were 10.5 million undocumented U.S. immigrants — about 3% of the total population and 22% of the foreign-born population, the lowest since the 1990s.
Between 2007 and 2021, the U.S. undocumented population decreased by 1.75 million, or 14%.
“They’re not just going to go after new arrivals but also the 80% of the undocumented population who have called the U.S. home since 2010 — a second-grade teacher with DACA, a home health care aide with TPS, a farm worker keeping food in the grocery store,” said Mueller. “Nor will the havoc be contained to those who lose that legal status. One estimate has found that over 4.4 million U.S. citizen children could be affected if this plan goes into full effect.”
Although the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from enforcing regular civilian law, would also prohibit it from enforcing mass deportation, “others like Stephen Miller and Ken Cuccinelli will suggest policies to grant themselves and red state governors war powers,” he continued, “whether that be around the Insurrection Act, or asserting the white nationalist conspiracy that immigrants constitute a literal military invasion.”
As Republican campaign spending grows, so does rhetoric around an immigrant “invasion.” The word has appeared in 27 TV ads for Republican candidates totaling over $5 million, according to AdImpact.
For comparison, in 2022, the word “invasion” appeared in 22 ads totaling $3.3 million; in 2020, it appeared in four ads costing under $300,000.
“The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly warned that the language of invasion and replacement have become the mainstream of immigration talking points from Republicans this cycle,” said Mueller. “Driving this anti-democratic conspiracy is the baseless myth of a threat of non-citizen voting.”
“It’s not just about these individual policies,” Mueller added. “By laying the foundation for their supporters to believe the election was rigged, Trump and Republicans may be in lockstep — if the immigrant demagoguery fails to deliver them the electoral college victory in November — for another violent assault on our democracy … by a white nationalist vision that seeks to remake who gets to be American.” (Selen Ozturk/Ethnic Media Services)
Dateline PhiliPPines
Less tourists seen to visit PH this year
by KeiSha Ta-aSan Philstar.com
MANILA — BMI Country Risk & Industry Research slashed its projection for tourist arrivals in the Philippines this year to 6.6 million from the 8.21 million forecast it gave in January.
BMI’s revised forecast for this year is also 14.2 percent lower than the baseline target of 7.7 million visitors set by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
However, despite the slight downgrade in forecast, BMI said international arrivals could still grow by 19.1 percent in 2024 from last year’s 5.54 million. This will also be 81 percent of the 8.26 million arrivals recorded in 2019, right before COVID-19 hit.
“We have a positive outlook for Philippines’ tourist arrivals in 2024 and over the remainder of our medium-term forecast period to 2028,” it said. “We expect arrivals growth to be driven by key source markets in Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.”
The unit of Fitch Solutions added that tourism in the Philippines would continue to see a strong rebound over the medium term after travel was halted for many years due to the pandemic.
As such, BMI said tourist arrivals could increase further to 8.3 million in 2025 and 9.4 million in 2028, reflecting an annual growth rate of 14 percent year on year over their 2024 to 2028 forecast period.
However, the research firm flagged short-term risks for the country’s tourism sector stemming from high cost of living in many markets globally and tighter credit conditions, which will drag down consumer spending, especially on nonessential categories such as travel.
Based on the latest data
from the DOT, 2.01 million international visitors entered the country from January to April.
About 1.9 million of these were foreign tourists while the remaining 116,446 were overseas Filipinos.
The country’s top five source markets over the first quarter were South Korea with 546,726, U.S. with 315,816, Mainland China with 130,574, Japan with 123,204 and Australia with 88,048.
Also among the leading sources of tourist arrivals to the Philippines were Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Germany. g
Dela Rosa won’t attend House probe on drug war
by Javier Joe ismael ManilaTimes.net
MANILA — Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa said on Wednesday, June 26 that he would not attend the hearing by the House of Representatives on the war on drugs under his former boss, then President Rodrigo Duterte, even as he has yet to receive an invitation from the committee that would take on the inquiry.
This developed after the House Committee on Human Rights approved the day before a motion by Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas to invite the former leader, ex-senator Leila de Lima, and Dela Rosa. The committee's decision was based on their roles and involvement in the war on drugs.
Dela Rosa's decision was not his alone but was based on the advice of Senate President Francis Escudero.
Dela Rosa, however, has yet
to receive an invitation from the House Committee on Human Rights led by Rep. Bienvenido Abante of the 6th District of Manila.
Dela Rosa said he sought Escudero's guidance following the recent developments at the House.
“I sought the advice of the Senate President on what to do. I have no problem with them and can face them anytime. However, I must follow the guidance of the Senate President as I am a member of the institution, the Senate of the Philippines. I must adhere to the long-standing tradition in the Senate to follow our top leader,” Dela Rosa said in English and Filipino, underlining the significance of institutional practices.
"The Senate President responded, 'No, you don't have to attend.' This is because in the Senate, it breaks interparliamentary courtesy when they mention a senator's name during
their hearings. The implication is clear: a senator attends their hearings, and the Senate won't be able to fulfill its legislative function. This is a crucial consideration for Dela Rosa, as he explains, 'We're only twenty-four; we'll just attend their hearings.'
Dela Rosa clarified that he only follows the long-time tradition in the Senate to follow their top leader. "We have to seek guidance because that is an enshrined practice, tradition among chambers of the legislature to observe inter-parliamentary courtesy," the Mindanaoan lawmaker said, reinforcing the importance of this institutional practice.
"Every time you make an official act, the Senate leadership is aware of it to prevent us from blaming each other later on, claiming that you made decisions in your official capacity without the knowledge of the Senate leadership," he said. g
Anti-Duterte unity ticket proposed
Trillanes: Marcos, ‘pink’ camps can join forces by
JoSe Rodel Clapano Philstar.com
MANILA — With the Duterte family aiming to return to power, the Marcos administration can unite with non-traditional allies, including the so-called “pink” forces of the independent opposition, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV said on Wednesday, June 26.
Trillanes said he has sent a message to the administration about the possibility of uniting with the forces that opposed the return to power of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
“We have to set aside sensitivities for a larger cause,” which is “the obliteration of the Duterte forces,” Trillanes told “Storycon” on One News.
“The timing is good. It is a reason to galvanize the unity of all the sectors who are not with the Dutertes. It should be in 2025. We must have unity candidates and absorb all the opposition, the independent opposition,” he added.
Trillanes said he has initiated “exploratory talks” for the administration and the independent opposition to unite.
“We have been reaching out to different personalities involved. Their initial reactions are positive. We just have to sit down with them. I am reaching out to those who are establishing the lists of senatorial candidates for the administration ticket,”
Trillanes said. He said he launched this effort after Vice President Sara Duterte announced last Tuesday, June 25 that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and brothers Paolo and Sebastian intend to run for the Senate in 2025.
Sebastian, currently the mayor of Davao City, would also seek the presidency in 2028, the Vice President said. She clarified on Wednesday, however, that there was still no final decision on this.
Trillanes said he had sent a message about his proposal to the camps of former Senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan, but not to former Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Mar Roxas, and so far, not to Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
The past two years have shown that the camps of Marcos and those who opposed his rise to power have more common ground than differences, such as over the West Philippine Sea and economic recovery, Trillanes told Storycon. The main divergence of opinion, he noted, is over Charter change.
Asked if he thought President Marcos might be open to the idea, he said, “We’ll know in a few days. Naparating na natin yung mensahe (We have sent the message).”
“That’s a proposition worth looking into,” Trillanes said. “If I am crucified for thinking of the proposal, OK lang naman sa akin (it’s OK with me).”
If his proposal is pursued, he said a united ticket could be fielded in time for the 2025 midterm elections.
“We have already sent messages to the inner circles of some of these candidates,” Trillanes said. “There has to be a consensus… We are calling on them… If the pink forces can see that it can be done, if the Marcos forces can see that this will be the easiest way to finally ease out the Duterte forces.”
He added: “It is in the interest of the Marcos administration and the independent candidates to join forces. Otherwise, they will be weakened.”
Trillanes, who is expected to run for mayor of Caloocan City in 2025, said the vice president’s announcement of her family’s political plans could galvanize the anti-Duterte forces to unite.
Meanwhile, Speaker Martin Romualdez on Wednesday welcomed the plans of former president Duterte and his sons to run for senator in 2025, saying it is part of the democratic process. Romualdez said it is the “democratic right” of the Dutertes to seek an elective post.
Asked about his own plans in 2025, the Speaker noted that he intends to seek reelection as the representative of the first district of Leyte in the House. He added there are still many things that he wants to do for his district. g
Imee Marcos not running for Manila mayor
by Tina SanToS Inquirer.net
MANILA — Sen. Imee Marcos has dismissed speculation that she is running for mayor of Manila next year, saying that she will seek another term in the Senate.
When asked if she would be joining the current administration’s slate for the 2025 midterm elections, Marcos said she was not sure.
“I don’t even know if I will be included … I’ve been seeing various slates. I think the candidates would reach 50 because there are so many of us. There’s Lakas, there’s [Partido Federal ng Pilipinas], there’s so many. That’s why I am confused, but let’s see, there’s still more time left anyway,” she added.
“The politics in Philippines is always like basketball. So wait for the last two minutes,” Marcos said. g
SOUTHERN NEVADA REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY Procurement Dept. 340 N. 11TH Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101
QUALIFICATIONS BASED SELECTIONS ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS SERVICES QBS NO. S24015
SNRHA CONTACT PERSON(S) ONLY:
Note: Contact with any other SNRHA staff other than the named within this document is prohibited and will result in your Proposal being rejected. This also includes contact with SNRHA’s Residents and Board of Commissioners.
HOW TO OBTAIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS ON THE APPLICABLE INTERNET SITES:
Ryan J. Perry, Contracts Administrator Email: rperry@snvrha.org TDD: (702) 477-3142
PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS DEADLINE:
SOLICITATION SUBMITTAL RETURN & DEADLINE:
Download and Respond to the Solicitation: NGEM website at https://nevada.ionwave.net/HomePage.aspx Please note: You must register your company before downloading and responding to this Solicitation. For Registration Assistance, call 866-277-2645 x4, or Email: support.ionwace@eunasolutions.com
To only Download this Solicitation: SNRHA Website at www.snvrha.org click on Procurement then “Current Bid Invitations” and proceed to the appropriate solicitation number. For Download Assistance, contact SNRHA’s IT Department at (702) 477-3163 1. 2.
See Questions & Answers (Q&A) Information below in lieu of Pre-Bid Conference.
Thurs, June 27, 2024 - Monday, July 22, 2024, 10:00 AM (PST) All questions and answers must be submitted in writing to SNRHA contact listed above.
Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Procurement & Contracts Office 340 N. 11th Street, Suite 180 Las Vegas, NV 89101 QBS S19017
Monday, July 31, 2024, 10:00
A group of tourists arrive at NAIA Terminal 3. Philstar.com file photo
Sen. Imee R. Marcos Senate photo
OPINION FEATURES
Weak enforcement
THE first law signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was Republic Act 11934, the SIM Registration Act of 2022. Two years later, phishing, smishing and other cyberscams continue to proliferate. Thousands of smartphones with SIMs, used for digital scams, are seized in raids on Philippine offshore gaming operator or POGO hubs.
On top of the continuing proliferation of subscriber identity module cards that are unregistered, or registered under fictitious names, cyberscams persist on over-the-top messaging platforms that are not covered by RA 11934, such as Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram and Messenger.
Editorial
It’s not for lack of a legal framework to go after the scammers. Under RA 11934, anyone who provides false or fictitious information in registering a SIM card can be imprisoned for six months to two years, fined P300,000 or suffer both penalties. For the fraudulent use of a registered SIM card, the penalty is at least six years in prison, a fine of P200,000 or both.
The other weekend, the National Telecommunications Commission drew fire from Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who said the NTC was “sleeping on the job” after thousands of SIM cards were found in raids on POGO hubs Smartweb Technology Corp. in Pasay City, Zun Yuan Technology Inc. in Bamban, Tarlac, and Lucky South 99 at the boundary of Porac town and Angeles City in Pampanga.
WITH the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte from her Cabinet position as secretary of the Department of Education, it is now abundantly clear our country is heading towards another endless chapter of divisiveness, with politics being a primary concern, instead of the many major challenges we face locally and internationally.
Political pundits say that this recent development signals the VP’s plan to seek higher office in the 2028 elections by establishing herself as an opposition figure and reaching out to groups that are hostile to the administration. But as expected, the Liberal Party through former Senator Leila de Lima and other parties as well, voiced their objection to the idea of the VP as the new opposition leader following her resignation from the Cabinet.
There are those, however, who believe that the decision
ON June 30, 2024, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. finishes the first two years of his six-year presidency. In two years, Marcos Jr. did five things:
One, he unified the country.
Two, BBM has focused on the economy and infrastructure, the “Build Better More” (BBM) program.
Three, BBM neutralized many of his political enemies.
Vice President Sara Duterte is out of the Cabinet, denied travel, intelligence and discretionary funds. She will be a non-starter in the 2028 elections which a broadcaster could probably win, unless a relative snags the presidency.
Four, BBM traveled a lot, making 24 trips to 17 countries. The trips generated $72.2 billion in investment pledges (as of end2023), which if they materialize would make every Filipino upper income overnight.
Five, BBM executed a pivot to America and made China Public Enemy No. 1 of the Filipino people.
He has offered Washington D.C. up to 12 military bases from which to deploy armor, missiles, ships,
Reacting to the criticism, the NTC vowed to enhance enforcement of RA 11934, but pointed out that the law, while an “important tool” against SIM-enabled offenses, is “not a silver bullet against messaging scams.”
Even when RA 11934 was being crafted, several quarters including telecommunications companies had stressed the importance of first having in place a reliable national identification system. This point was brushed aside as lawmakers rushed to be rid of the unwanted messages they kept getting on their mobile phones. To this day, registration for the national ID is not yet complete, and the SIM cards seized at the POGO hubs show how easy it is to provide false information in SIM registration.
The National Bureau of Investigation, under a new director, is at least on the job against cybercrime, busting a team of suspected hackers, one of whom said at a press conference that he operated under the direction of a newspaper editor for technology. The Department of Justice, which has jurisdiction over the NBI, must ensure that heavy penalties are imposed in this case, to send a strong message that hackers can be caught and
to resign was also a strategy on the part of the vice president to distance herself from her father’s political allies and strengthen her own political party, the Hugpong ng Pagbabago – leaving her free to choose a senatorial slate and field candidates for local government positions for the 2025 midterm elections.
According to Senate President Chiz Escudero, VP Sara’s resignation from the Cabinet was “inevitable,” considering her family’s criticisms against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and her silence on certain policy issues, foremost of which is the West Philippine Sea where the Chinese have been escalating their aggression and harassment of Philippine troops and vessels as well as fishermen.
It’s a well-known fact that criticisms against the president stemmed from his tough stance against China’s overly expansive claims in the disputed territories in the South China Sea and his assertion that he will not cede even one square inch of our maritime territory.
But as Chiz pointed out, the vice president has every right to
have policy differences with the president and assert her own beliefs. In other words, VP Sara was elected separately, unlike the U.S. presidential system where the presidential and vice presidential candidates must come from the same party.
No one can argue that if someone firmly believes in something, we have to respect it. And the fact that people can exercise their free will, choose their political affiliations and elect the leaders they want is tangible proof that freedom and democracy is very much alive in this country.
However, it is likewise important for political leaders to be cognizant of, and sensitive to, the sentiment of the majority of the people, especially when it comes to our national security, as seen in the results of the most recent Tugon ng Masa survey conducted by the OCTA Research Group. According to OCTA, a large majority of Filipinos – 91 percent to be exact – continue to distrust China.
Additionally, 76 percent of the respondents also believe that China is a country that poses the
punished.
biggest threat to the Philippines – and this sentiment seems to be buttressed by the most recent incident in Ayungin Shoal where the China Coast Guard, People’s Liberation Army Navy and Chinese maritime militia vessels were shown acting in a way that has been described as barbaric, brutal and pirate-like.
Clearly, the conduct of the Chinese during that incident belie the claims made by Beijing that their personnel acted in a restrained and professional manner. Anyone who has seen the video released by the Philippine Navy would be left in no doubt that there was nothing professional or restrained in the actions of the Chinese.
There is no denying that we have to secure our maritime borders, and that we cannot give up our territory, as asserted by President Marcos during his keynote speech at the Singapore Shangri-La Dialogue that we cannot and should not cede any contiguous part of our maritime territory. Simultaneously, we also do not want to escalate the already simmering tension in the West Philippine Sea.
Five things BBM did in two years
aircraft and troops, despite what the Philippine Constitution says to the contrary on foreign military bases and nukes.
Marcos Jr. is the first president elected by the majority of Filipinos, since the last majority presidential winner, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr. in 1969.
With 31.629 million votes on May 9, 2022, Marcos Jr. garnered 59 percent of the votes cast for president. He won in 64 of the 80 big provinces and in 25 of the 27 largest cities, including all the 15 cities of Metro Manila and the southern cities of Cebu and Davao. BBM beat Isko Moreno in Manila.
The second presidential placer, Leni Robredo, won in just 14 provinces. Third placer Manny Pacquiao won in one province.
“In nearly four decades, we endured being mocked and oppressed,” recalled elder sister, Senator Imee Marcos Manotoc, who joined her only brother at the rostrum for his proclamation after the May 2022 election. “We are grateful for this second chance.” Ironically today, Ate lmee sounds more like a member of the disparate opposition parties than of the ruling Ang Bagong Pilipinas class.
On the economy, from a modest 5.5 percent growth this year, the administration targets minimum average economic growth of 6.5 percent per year til 2028, with eight percent the high target for
the years 2026, 2027 and 2028, despite worsening geopolitical tensions and growing trade wars.
Whether by luck, by accident or by design, the Philippines is today ASEAN’s fastest growing economy, “a leading force among Asia’s emerging economies.”
“Our first quarter GDP growth rate is about the same as Vietnam’s, surpassing other major economies such as China at 5.3 percent, Indonesia at 5.1 percent and Malaysia at 3.9 percent, but slower than India’s projected growth rate of 6.2 percent,” says Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. From double digits, poverty will be cut to nine percent, or 14 million Filipinos rescued from the misery of earning just $2 every day.
“The Philippine economy’s dynamism is anchored on strong consumer demand supported by a vibrant labor market,” says Finance Secretary Ralph Recto. “With our arsenal of growthenhancing strategies, this administration has the right policy tools and determination to take us to $6,500 income by 2030,” vows Recto. In 2033, he predicts, “the Philippines will be a $1-trillion economy.” Filipinos will be trillionaires, in dollar terms. “We have a bold and decisive leader,” Recto shrugs off cynics.
Under his BBM infra, Marcos Jr. has lined up 185 infrastructure flagship projects that would cost
a whopping P9.54 trillion ($164 billion) which, if carried out, will be the largest infrastructure rollout in the country’s history.
The 185 projects consist of 134 physical connectivity projects costing $142.2 billion; 29 water projects, $12.3 billion; nine agriculture, $3.7 billion; five health, $1.6 billion; three digital connectivity, $2.8 billion; one power and energy, $0.2 billion; one education, $0.5 billion and three other projects, $0.5 billion. Only half of the 185 projects have a good chance of being started and/or completed.
Puzzling is the sparse allocation for energy projects – $200 million, and education infra, $500 million.
We have a severe energy crisis.
Within five years, according to forecasts by SMC, additional power capacity needed is between 69,000 megawatts and 92,000 megawatts, an investment of $184 billion. Who will provide that money?
Meanwhile, our 15-year-olds are rated among the most stupid teeners on earth. They cannot read, they cannot count beyond 20 and they are not at all creative. Just like monkeys.
Where will BBM get most of the money, the P9.54 trillion? Well, from borrowings, and from our taxes. Since borrowings will be paid with taxes, Filipinos will shoulder the brunt of the cost.
Only five of 82 identified projects
Amid the precarious situation, there is the willingness of Vietnam to peacefully resolve our respective claims in disputed areas in the South China Sea.
Last week, the Philippines filed a claim with the UN to an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea, saying such submission “does not prejudice discussions with relevant coastal states that may have legitimate extended continental shelf claims” – something that resonated well with Vietnam that said it “asserts its full rights and interests under international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS, and stays ready to discuss with the Philippines to seek and achieve a solution that is mutually beneficial for both countries.”
This development aligns with the president’s initiative for a separate code of conduct with other ASEAN nations that also have maritime claims in the South China Sea.
There are those who oppose our current relationship with the United States and believe that continuing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will impede efforts to resolve
the situation with China. After all, differences in policy perspectives exist in any country or government – which can be like trying to mix oil and water. Certainly, political differences are par for the course in a country that has a multiparty system. Yet now more than ever, we must be united and should not allow politics to distract us from what is paramount at this time – ensuring our national security and protecting our sovereignty. Which is why the upcoming 2025 elections will be extremely critical in giving us an indication where our country is heading and who the next president in 2028 will be. In fact, it could possibly determine whether our foreign policy will continue in the right direction or not. The bottom line is – either we are united, or divided we will fall. (Philstar.com)
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * babeseyeview@gmail.com
have private sector participation. So expect tax measures to come our way. To entice private companies to undertake the 185 projects, BBM has shortened the processing time for unsolicited projects under the new Public Private Partnership (PPP) Code, from 26.5 months to 16.9 months for local PPPs and 14.9 months for national PPPs.
Speaking of investments, the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) holds its “Investment Night” tonight, Tuesday, June 25, at the Fairmont Makati ballroom. Senior journalists, diplomats and top businessmen will hear the economic czar Frederick Go report on investments and the economy. Secretary Deck Go built from scratch Robinsons Land Corp., one of the largest and most innovative
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Malacañang file photo
ManilaTimes.net photo
The discovery of those piles of SIM cards at the illegal POGO hubs, however, shows how much still needs to be done. RA 11934 clearly needs better enforcement, and perhaps additional legislation to stop the messaging scams. (Philstar.com)
VEGAS&STYLE JOURNAL
From ‘America’s Got Talent Stage’ to global media spotlight: 7-year-old Zoe Erianna Cui’s musical journey
AT just seven years old, Zoe Erianna Cui is taking the world by storm with her extraordinary musical talents. From playing the piano to singing and producing her own music, Zoe's performances have captivated audiences far and wide.
Showcasing her ability to sing in Tagalog, Zoe's rise to fame began with simple online videos shared for amusement.
In a recent conversation on "Ano Na Bev," Zoe and her father, Eric, shared their journey. Eric recounted the unexpected turn of events that catapulted Zoe into the spotlight.
"When we started this last year, we were just putting up videos for fun," Eric explained. "We didn't know that America's Got Talent (AGT) would reach out, and suddenly she would be all over the media, with celebrities contacting her from everywhere."
Zoe's popular videos have amassed a significant following on social media, presenting new challenges for her working parents. Eric highlighted the difficulties they face with managing her growing fame and the numerous
contracts being offered. "I think one of the hardest things is dealing with her increasing notoriety," Eric said. "All the contracts being thrown at her, like management and advertising deals. Just the AGT contract alone is 80 pages. Another challenge is managing our time because we still have to survive."
Among the celebrities impressed by young Zoe are Alicia Keys and Beyoncé, who have expressed their admiration for her talent.
When asked about the most memorable part of her musical journey so far, Zoe shared her favorite moments.
"I like being on AGT, participating in Winterfest, and when Beyoncé gave me flowers, a card, and a teddy bear," Zoe said with a smile. "I also love that Alicia Keys commented on my videos and posted me twice on her page."
Despite her busy schedule, Zoe continues to enjoy the activities of childhood while producing over 30 original copyrighted pieces of music. Her global fanbase on social media keeps growing, inspired by her talent and dedication.
"God gave everyone a talent," Zoe said during the interview. "He gave talents for building, cooking, writing—whatever it is, you have to practice it. You have to work hard on your gift and don't give up. Don't try to find other gifts that He didn't give you."
As Zoe's journey continues, her story serves as a reminder of the importance of nurturing and practicing one's talents. (Bev Llorente/ ABS-CBN News)
David Licauco on drawbacks of being a popular actor
by Marinel cruz Inquirer.net
WHILE David Licauco said he is enjoying his time working in front of the camera, the selfconfessed introvert added that the hardest part about being an artist is the attention from people.
“I find it hard to adjust to fame, especially because I’m an introvert. Since I will be talking with a lot of people during this media conference, I know this will take a lot of energy from me. I appreciate this kind of interview with you because it’s intimate,” David told Inquirer Entertainment. “But when I’m at a mediacon, I change. If you see me there and notice that I’m talking nonsense, that means I’m already stressed. Being surrounded by a lot of people really stresses me out. I tend to open up when I’m in a more intimate setting.”
The media conference held on Thursday, June 20 was to promote Catherine Camarillo’s romantic comedy “That Kind of Love,” which is also David’s first big-screen project with love team partner Barbie Forteza.
“I think there are two kinds of artists. The first does this for passion and the second treats it as work,” David began. “I don’t walk around feeling like I’m an artista, a celebrity. I look at this as work, that it’s not so different from the work of a doctor, for example. It just so happens that a big part of this particular kind of work is that people know me. I try not to let that get to my head.”
David continued: “Of course, I’m not perfect. If someone approaches me for a picture, I would obviously smile. But there were times when, in my mind, I would say, ‘I want some alone time!’ Of course, I understand where they are coming from. They don’t know that I’m tired, or that I suffer from sleep apnea, or that I’m an introvert.”
David said there were even times when people would approach him while he’s in the middle of a business meeting.
“I understand that they’re not aware that a meeting is happening. They just know that I’m David, the artista. Of course,
I’d say ‘yes’ to their request for pictures because I’m naturally friendly. I can’t tell them, ‘I’m busy, and so you can’t take pictures with me!’”
‘Blessed’ Despite the drawbacks, David insisted that he is “super blessed” to be part of this industry. “Everything I earn from show biz work, I put in to my business ventures. With the kind of business I’m into, I need my show biz connections because I meet with big-time people. I’m not your typical businessman who started in a corporate setting. I need the artista image so people will take me seriously. Their impression of me changes when they talk to me,” he pointed out.
“I love acting so much, that’s why I really work hard to give my best in ‘Pulang Araw,’” David said of the war drama series he stars in with Barbie. “This has become my main career. I don’t think I’d be successful in my businesses without show biz.” David now has six restaurants all over the country. He is currently busy working on a branch in Taguig that will open soon. “I’ve been doing a lot lately. Prior to coming here, I had a meeting for the space I’m eyeing in BGC. Yesterday, I was taping, and we finished late. Then I’m here now, and I have a meeting again later. I still have to study my script for the next taping day. Then there’s my workout, too. Sometimes, I myself wonder how I’m able to find time to do all these things,” he said.
David explained that the stress was partly because he is “the type of businessman who really does the legwork. I’m really hands on. I’m the CEO. Of course, I have people under me, but I do everything from operations to marketing.”
Failures
David admitted to having experienced failure in his past business ventures, too. “I bought a franchise and lost. The same thing happened to my boxing gym. In those failures, you learn. I guess if you don’t fail, you won’t win in life also. You just have to take that risk. As long as you have an open mind to learn, you
Lea Salonga, Dolly de Leon to star in ‘Request sa Radyo’ play
by Jessica ann evangelista Inquirer.net
BROADWAY superstar Lea Salonga and Hollywood breakout star Dolly de Leon are set to headline the Manila run of the 1971 play from Franz Xaver Kroetz, “Request sa Radyo,” in October.
“Tony and Olivier Award winner Lea Salonga and Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee Dolly De Leon return to the stage for “Request sa Radyo,” read Samsung Performing Arts Theater’s Facebook announcement.
The two women are set to alternate performances as they portray the theatrical piece that “captures the poignant solitude of a woman through her meticulous evening routine.”
“As she navigates her quiet, solitary life, her actions and her favorite radio program reveal the profound loneliness and yearning for connection that lie beneath,” reads the synopsis on the play’s official website.
In an interview with Vogue Philippines, the Filipina icons echoed each other’s excitement.
“When I was asked by Clint and Bobby if I was interested at
all in this project, an experience that told a probable and possible story that absolutely applies to our people, I said sure—even before knowing the details. It will be a challenge, but hopefully it will lend a figurative voice to those who are suffering,” Salonga said.
Meanwhile, De Leon expressed: “With loneliness one of the immediate problems society faces today, my hope is that people will understand mental health more and find compassion for those who suffer.”
The play is set to be produced by Clint Ramos, with Bobby Garcia directing.
“When we got the blessing to bring it to Manila at the Samsung Theater and have it speak to a specific Filipino condition, we could only think of two of the Philippines’ premier actors: Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon,” Ramos said.
“Through its minimalist approach and profound storytelling, grounded in a specific Filipino lived experience, this production invites audiences to find extraordinary meaning in the everyday and the invisible,” added the producer.
“Request sa Radyo” will open its curtains starting October 10 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.
Vilma Santos nominated for National Artist
by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com
VETERAN actress and “Star for All Seasons” Vilma Santos-Recto received a nomination to be part of the next batch of National Artist recipients.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines confirmed to Philstar.com that Vilma was among the National Artist nominees, the full list of which will be available at the end of June, the deadline for nominations, but will not be announced to the public. The winners, however, would be announced.
Vilma previously called the National Artist award bestowed on her fellow actress Nora Aunor was “the highest” honor an artist could receive.
Alam mo, if it’s meant for you, it’s meant for you,” Vilma also said when asked if she also wants to be hailed a National Artist as well. “’Pag hindi napunta sa’yo, it’s not meant for you.
will eventually be successful,” he pointed out.
David said Pocket Media Productions also took a great risk when it decided to produce a movie featuring BarDa and have it shown in the cinemas.
“The story is well-written and the shots are all beautiful. Budget wasn’t a problem for this project. I hope that this will be promoted well. Our producers invested in this, they trusted us, so I really want to help them,” said David.
In “That Kind of Love,” Barbie plays Milagros Maharlika, a renowned dating coach and certified psychologist. She takes it upon herself to transform Adam de Dios, a stuck-up and controlling CEO of a prestigious company, by finding him the perfect partner. The chance encounter between the two at a restaurant challenges Adam’s belief in his own perfection and leads Mila to confront her own doubts about love’s complexities.
“Adam is misunderstood. Because he seems perfect, because he is rich, people think he is doing OK. They just see that he owns a helicopter and a jet plane, and that he is handsome. This is just a wall that he has put up, and this wall has to be broken down by someone—that someone is Mila,” explained David. “In real life, you can’t have it all. Sometimes, you may have a lot of money, but you have no time for yourself. In this life, you have to choose happiness all the time.”
So d’un sa mga nabigyan, it’s meant for them, like ‘yung kay Ate Guy. So kung meron akong space d’yan, darating ‘yung panahon na ‘yun, para sa akin na ‘yun.”
Ate Vi also told Philstar.com last year she was willing to work with Nora again, given the right material, “If we can offer something new and something different, why not? Lalo na sa edad namin ngayon, ‘di ba?”
How Derrick Monasterio and Alden Richards address gay rumors
by Ronnie CaRRasCo iii ManilaTimes.net
THERE’S probably not a single actor who isn’t rumored to be gay. Even the “tough” ones with nary a slight trace of “gayness” in their outward demeanor are not spared from this public misjudgment.
In the case of Kapuso actors Alden Richards and Derrick Monasterio, one might wonder how they’re dealing with persistent talks that they’re limp-wristed. Do they feel slighted, worse, insulted? Or are Alden and Derrick simply unaffected or unbothered knowing how secure they are with their sexuality as well as their sexual preferences?
Let’s take up Derrick’s case first.
It was on his guesting on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” where the main host asked Derrick pointblank: “Are you gay?”
Derrick could have spewed a convenient “No!” reply yet he initially opted to take a personal stand on the subject.
“It’s just like saying: ‘You’re so fat!’ or ‘You’re so ugly!’ Clearly, the intention of the person saying it to someone is simply to annoy them! It’s exactly the same when some people tell me I’m gay, they’re just teasing me!”
This vexation all the more gives Derrick a reason to dismiss it.
While there’s hardly any truth to such cruddy talks, his real-life girlfriend and screen partner Elle Villanueva admitted she had told her parents that
Derrick was
An only child to overly protective parents, Elle had to make it up for the latter to realize she was in safe hands. Ergo, harmless.
Well, that was the only time Derrick was made to “experience” a life of being gay.
Seriously though, the Kapuso actor has a lot to thank Elle’s gay reference to him for. A Godsend, it was Elle who Derrick says has turned his life around. Meanwhile, Alden takes this gay impression of him with a grain of salt to avoid any further argument.
“If they think I’m gay, fine!” stresses the 32-year-old actor. Nah, it’s not Alden’s way of lending some credence to a farfetched assertion but more of giving in to what delights his bashers.
He calmly qualifies, “If that’s what makes them happy, so be it. I’m not about to take that right to happiness away from them.” It appears oddly ironic though that amidst these gay issues confronting Alden, talks about his “marriage” to Maine Mendoza and siring a child with her wouldn’t cease to this day — this even if the latter is already a happy, content wife to Quezon City Representative and actor Arjo Atayde. If only for these unnerving, disturbing rumors — there isn’t a scintilla of doubt that Alden’s and Derrick’s careers have flourished by leaps and bounds. With their career trajectory steadily taking an upward turn, should this baseless stuff matter? End of argument.
Lea Salonga and Dolly de Leon Photo from Facebook/Samsung Performing Arts Theater
Zoe singing while playing the piano
Contributed photos
Zoe with her dad
Vilma Santos graces the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Cine Icons event at University of Sto. Tomas to lead the special screening of her restored classic film ‘Anak,’ which is directed by Rory Quintos and written by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee (with Moira Lang). Philstar.com photo
David Licauco Photo from Instagram/@davidlicauco
Jehovah’s Witnesses to host ‘Declare
the Good News!’ Convention: A three-day escape from the gloom
IN an era where headlines often bring a sense of dread, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are set to turn the tide with their 2024 “Declare the Good News!” convention series. Known for hosting some of the largest global gatherings, this uplifting event will draw thousands to the Mira Loma Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses from June 28 to June 30, 2024. For the Cachola family, devout members of Jehovah’s Witnesses, every convention isn't just an event on the calendar; it’s a beacon of hope and community. While many families might choose theme parks or beach trips, Erwin and Dyna Cachola, along with their three children, are eagerly anticipating their journey to California. “Every year, my family looks forward to the Regional Conventions,” said Erwin Cachola. “My kids are already counting the days until Thursday when we travel to California. It’s a time for family, friendship, and being part of something that brings us joy and hope. Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with our brothers and sisters from Arizona, California, and parts of San Diego. It’s a fun and meaningful getaway.”
The “Declare the Good News!” convention promises a rich program of Bible-based videos, discourses, and interviews. Each day brings its own highlights: •Friday: Delve into the Gospels and explore evidence of the good news about Jesus, examining how these ancient texts remain relevant today.
• Saturday: Reflect on the prophecies about Jesus’ birth and childhood, and witness the baptism of candidates from nearby communities. A captivating video
feature will also be presented in two parts across Friday and Saturday mornings. Saturday also features a baptism of candidates from surrounding communities. • Sunday: Attend the compelling talk, “Why We Don’t Fear Bad News,” and discover why millions find security and confidence despite the world's challenges. In the lead-up to each convention, local congregations will launch a campaign to invite community members to this free event. Last year’s conventions saw nearly 13 million attendees at over 6,000 locations worldwide, underscoring the event’s widereaching impact.
For those interested in attending, here are the details for the Mira Loma convention and others: Mira Loma, CA (Tagalog
only)
Dates: Friday, June 28, 2024 – Sunday, June 30, 2024 Location: Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 3300 Cornerstone Dr, Mira Loma, CA 91752 Saint George, UT (English only)
Dates: Friday, July 26, 2024 – Sunday, July 28, 2024 Friday, August 2, 2024 – Sunday, August 4, 2024 Friday, August 16, 2024 – Sunday, August 18, 2024
The event is free and open to all. The daily schedule runs from 9:20 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. on Friday, 9:20 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:40 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, with a one-hour and 20-minute lunch break each day. For more information and to find a convention near you, visit jw. org > About Us > Conventions. (Bev Llorente, Las Vegas)
Las Vegas Natural History Museum celebrates 33rd anniversary with community birthday party on July 13th
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is thrilled to announce its 33rd anniversary celebration with a community birthday party on July 13th. This special event offers a day filled with fun, learning, and community spirit. Guests can enjoy complimentary ice cream and everyone will receive a 50% discount on museum admission for the day.
The celebration will include crafts, science experiments, Story Time with Dinos, and more! Visitors will also have the chance to win a museum gift basket in the raffles and take memorable photos with their favorite museum characters.
“Our 33rd anniversary is a testament to the enduring support and enthusiasm of our community,” said Laurie Thomas, Executive Director of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. “We are excited to celebrate
this milestone with a day of fun activities that highlight our commitment to education and family engagement. We extend our gratitude to Anderson Dairy for their generous donation and to all our visitors who have made these years so special.” Discounted museum admission for
at http://www.lvnhm.org or
Photos
Health @Heart
PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS
SUGAR is sweet and “addicting”, and anything prepared with sugar becomes delectable, like many of our desserts: smooth fine velvety ice cream with various tropical flavors ( halo-halo, macapuno, buko-pandan, ube-langka), suman sa lihiya kalamay of various kinds, bibingka kutsinta, and, of course, ginataan, sweetened calamansi juice, and sago-gulaman drinks, to name a few. Soft drinks and fruit juices are loaded with sugar!
While sugar is essential to life, we can’t survive without carbohydrates, the sugar in the food we eat. But in excess, it could be dangerous to those with T2 diabetes mellitus, and even to those who are not diabetics or overweight.
Hyperglycemia (sugar toxicity, too high glucose level in the blood), as seen among diabetics, could damage the nerves to the eyes (causing blindness), to the foot, (causing gangrene, leading to amputation), to the brain, liver, kidneys (requiring dialysis, kidney transplant) and other complications to different parts of our body.
In acute cases of hyperglycemia, the individual could go into coma. In hypoglycemia, the opposite, where the blood sugar among diabetics goes down too low, they become dizzy, very confused, unaware of their surroundings, wandering aimlessly, or even pass out.
Our body needs just the right level of blood sugar to remain healthy. A person with a healthy lifestyle, non-smoker, non- or mild drinker, who has a diet of fish 3-4 times a week, eats a lot of vegetables of various colors, eats some fruits and nuts, and who exercises at least 5 times a week, usually tolerates eating more sweets. Their metabolism seems more efficient compared to those with unhealthy diet, habits and behavior.
But the trick for anyone is to get our sugar from the carbohydrates in the vegetables, fruits, nuts, seafoods, and not from desserts or from table sugar. Our body’s need for sugar is satisfied by those food items in our main course, without added sweets. But a modest bite of dessert is fine for non-diabetics who are not overweight. For diabetics, a sugar-free dessert or a tiny bite of sweet desserts, if tolerated, is acceptable. And part of a healthy strategy is to stay away from red meat (pork, beef, etc.) or limit it to once a week, concentrating on vegetables, chicken, and seafoods. Coffee or tea are health drinks,
Sugar: Warning!
unlike soft drinks which are poison to our body, especially to children. Regular or diet, cola or un-cola, they all increase our risk for Metabolic Syndrome. For children, we used to think fruit juices are good. We now know that these are load with sugar, albeit fructose, and cause tooth decay and reduce their appetite for milk and foods, and expose them to pre-diabetes in the long term. Nothing beats filtered water and milk. But coffee or tea are healthy only if we do not “contaminate” them with additives, like sugar, cream, honey, caramel, etc. The only healthy additives to coffee or tea are cinnamon and collagen protein powder or liquid. Talking about beverages, gulping down a tablespoonful of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) every day is healthy in warding off dental carries, reducing the risk for heart disease, stroke, arthritis, T2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. This is a popular drink in Europe (especially in Italy and Spain) and gaining favor in the United States, as clinical studies reveal the magic wonder of olive oil for health. With man’s experience with consuming sugar for centuries and as independent clinical studies around the world on this carbohydrate show, sugar has a split “personality,” like a double sword. While it tastes sweet, it could also “bitter” for people of all ages, diabetics or not. Sugar is an inflammatory substance that damages our body cells and organs, like the joints (hip, knees), liver, kidneys, brain, etc. And chronic inflammation induces diseases, cardiovascular (heart attack, stroke, arterial blockages, etc.), and metabolic illnesses. Most, if not all, diseases start with inflammation, like arthritis, gastritis, entero-colitis, etc.
Some of the food items that are inflammatory are the so-called Nightshade veggies: tomato, potato, eggplant, paprika, pepper, etc., all pain triggers for those with arthritis, like sugars and sweets.
From Interesting Facts: Sugar used to be prescribed as medicine revealed by the following historical data:
• Sugar was used to treat sickness and injury as far back as the first century, when Middle Eastern practitioners prescribed it for dehydration, kidney issues, failing eyesight, and more. During the 11th century, English monks noted sugar’s ability to soothe upset stomachs and digestive issues, and by the Middle Ages, doctors tried treating bubonic plague with concoctions of hemp, sugar, and more unpleasant ingredients. As recently as the 1700s, pharmacists recommended a glass of lemon juice and sugar
water for asthma attacks.
• Part of sugar’s allure — and perhaps perceived medicinal benefits — may have been connected to its former rarity. Some historians believe sugarcane originated in Southeast Asia, where farmers may have grown it as early as 8000 BCE, but refining began around 2,500 years ago in India — a process that made sugar shelf-stable and allowed it to spread to other regions. With far to travel, the sweetener was expensive by the time it reached medieval Europe, and for centuries was mostly reserved for the wealthy.
A sweet historical background, indeed. But the bottom line is, evidence-based clinical studies around the globe have proven repeatedly that sugar is not totally sweet for our well-being. It is prudent for all of us in general to reduce our sugar (carbohydrate: bread, rice, French fries, biscuits, chips, cakes, ice cream, and desserts) intake as much as we could tolerate.
Reducing rice and bread from our staple and calorie-counting will do wonders for our blood sugar levels and for our overall health.
By avoiding these carbohydrates and losing weight, countless diabetics are able to control their blood sugar without medications. It is apparent that diabetes can be cured by diet, exercise, and weight management. Be sure to consult with your physician before stopping any medications or changing your treatment strategy.
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation, or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable to or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
* * * Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, presented by then Indiana Governor, US senator, and later a presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali and Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today. SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.
Sam Milby diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes
by Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com
KAPAMILYA actor Sam Milby revealed that he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
In his Instagram account, Sam posted his blood sugar glucose test kit that reads "525 mg/dL."
"I've always thought of myself as a healthy person. I don't have a sweet tooth, bihira din mag junk food, pero last year I found out na may type 2 diabetes na ako," he said.
"My parents and grandparents never had it. I just wish I got checked up earlier nung pre diabetes pa. My advice - don't ignore the symptoms (my main symptoms - always thirsty and urinating often) and get checked up regularly," he added.
A quick Google search shows that a 500 mg/ dL blood sugar level is considered extremely dangerous and requires immediate attention.
"If you experience blood sugar levels in this range, contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency medical care," the Sahyadri Hospital website said.
According to Mayo Clinic, if left untreated, a high sugar level can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), which can lead to death.
McDonald’s unveils AI tool to help Gen Z connect with non-English-speaking grandparents
MCDONALD’S is revolutionizing intergenerational communication within Asian American families with its latest AI-powered initiative. This groundbreaking campaign aims to bridge the language gap between Gen Z and their non-English-speaking grandparents.
Utilizing advanced voice cloning and lip sync technology, McDonald’s new AI video translation website allows users to “speak” in their grandparents’ native languages, fostering stronger family bonds and preserving cultural heritage.
In a first for the brand in the U.S., McDonald’s launched sweetconnections.ai, inviting users to record heartfelt video messages and translate them into their grandparents’ native languages with just a few clicks. With the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, the site employs voice cloning and lip sync technology to transform videos from English into one of 31 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Italian, and French. The result is a video in which the user will look and sound like they’re speaking a completely new language.
This new AI tool is part of McDonald’s Grandma McFlurry® campaign. As grandkids know, McDonald’s is often the place to make memories with grandma. From treating us to impromptu soft serve to letting us have dessert first, grandma always knows how to make us feel special!
“I cherish the memories of my Sitty [grandmother], whose first language was Arabic. At times, I struggled to communicate all my emotions to her,” said Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald’s USA. “So, I love that we launched an innovative program that removes the barrier of language to address a real-world challenge for many multigenerational families like my own. McDonald’s is all about engaging our fans in ways that bring their families and communities together.”
Sweet Connections is being promoted nationally through a trio of documentary-style commercials exploring the language barrier between U.S.-born grandchildren — who speak primarily English — and their foreign-born grandmothers, who may speak little to no English. The spots feature real-life grandchild and grandma duos discussing the joys and challenges of their relationship before being surprised with an AI-translated message.
“I’m honored to be part of this campaign and celebrate the relationship I have with my lola Seeing her reaction when she saw the video of me speaking in Tagalog was incredible," shared Aina, one of the Asian Americans featured in the campaign. Her Lola Herecilla is thankful that the program exists.
“It’s great that McDonald’s is supporting a program that helps immigrant families better communicate,” she said.
“As a child of immigrants who isn’t fluent in my grandparents’ native language, I can attest to the language barrier that often exists within
intergenerational families. However, this new AI tool aims to create those lasting connections to our elders by dissolving this barrier,” said Nita Song, President and CEO of IW Group, the multicultural agency that developed Sweet Connections. “For this campaign, we’re utilizing AI to help bridge this divide and enable grandkids to express their feelings of love and gratitude to their grandparents in a way they can truly understand.” In addition to translating Gen Z’s English video messages into their grandparents’ native languages, the Sweet Connections website can perform the reverse function: translating their grandparents’ non-English messages into English. To highlight this unique feature, McDonald’s is bringing the tool to select senior citizen centers across the U.S. and hosting workshops to teach non-English speaking grandparents how to use the tool to send messages to their grandchildren. g
Robin Padilla on possible movie reunion
by JeSSica ann evangeliSta Inquirer.net
ACTOR-senator Robin Padilla is set to lead the biopic of retired soldier and politician Gringo Honasan, and one of the questions that fans are asking is: who would be his leading lady?
Padilla said he is excited upon learning that megastar Sharon Cuneta is being offered the role opposite him.
“Na-excite ako (I’m excited),” the senator told the press in an ambush interview. “Sana tanggapin niya kasi ‘pag nakausap ko si Ma’am (Sharon), sasabihin ko naman na ang pelikulang ito ay true story at may aral na matutunan ang mga manonood. Ang magiging problema lang, ‘yung schedule niya, sana hindi siya busy.”
( I hope she accepts the offer because, once I get to talk to Ma’am (Sharon), I will say that this movie is a true story and there is a lesson for the audience to learn. The only problem is her schedule, I hope she’s not busy.)
During the film’s media conference on Wednesday, June 26, Padilla shared that he asked the production to text the veteran actress right then regarding the offer and awaited her reply.
The actir-politician also
with Sharon Cuneta
revealed that he hasn’t been in contact with Cuneta for a while, and he doesn’t know about the health concerns she’s facing at the moment, based on her social media posts.
“Hindi kami nagkaka-usap ni ma’am. Nag-aalala naman ako. Tatawagan ko,” he said.
(We haven’t talked in a while. I suddenly got worried. I will call her.)
Padilla also expressed optimism about the possibility of doing intimate scenes with Cuneta, who used to be his girlfriend, and who at one point admitted that he had proposed marriage to.
“Pwede ba natin unahin ‘yung mga eksena na ‘yon? (Can we prioritize those scenes?)” joked the senator. “Pero seriously, malaki ang maambag ni ma’am, ni Sharon, kumbaga sa mga dialogue-gan. Alam naman natin na magaling na dramatic actress si ma’am.”
(But seriously, ma’am, Sharon can contribute a lot to the dialogues. We know that ma’am is a good dramatic actress.)
Cuneta and Padilla have previously worked in “Maging Sino Ka Man,” (1991) “Di Na Natuto,” (1993) “Unexpectedly Yours,” (2017). g
Sam Milby
Photo from Instagram/@samuelmilby
Sharon Cuneta and Robin Padilla
Photo from Instagram/@reallysharoncuneta
Lola Herecilla (left) reacts upon hearing granddaughter Aina speaking in Tagalog.
Lola Herecilla and Aina are featured in McDonald’s Grandma McFlurry® campaign, which features sweetconnections.ai – allowing non- or limited-English-speaking grandparents to connect with their GenZ grandchildren in their own native languages.
