Comerford has left the White House kitchen after 29 years of service.
Citing a spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden, The Washington Post reported about the retirement of Comerford, who served state dinners and family meals to five U.S. presidents throughout her decades-long tenure. Her last day was Friday, July 25.
In a statement sent to the media outlet, Biden said that Chef Cris "has led her team with warmth and creativity, and nourished our souls along the way" in her "barrierbreaking career."
"With all our hearts, Joe and I are filled with gratitude for her dedication and years of service," she said.
Chef and humanitarian José Andrés previously posted about the culinary expert's retirement, calling her a "national treasure" and a "culinary diplomat" who "has shown the world how an immigrant can celebrate American food and share it with the world’s leaders." "Congrats on retiring. We love you, Cris," he added.
US forces
FOR low-income residents of California, health care costs became less of a concern on this year, when on Jan. 1, the state rolled out its final phase of Medi-Cal expansion, providing free health care to all residents, regardless of immigration status.
Also beginning Jan. 1, Medi-Cal eligibility will be based solely on income. Assets are not included, which means a person can own a home, a car, even a stock portfolio, and still be eligible for benefits, explained Yingjia Huang, Assistant Deputy Director at California Department of Health Care Services.
“Those are considered assets that no longer need to be verified, or included in the basis of the determination,” she explained in an interview.
People living on retirement or pension benefits of under $1,732 per month would qualify for Medi-Cal, Huang clarified.
Living with family
Adriene Clark, client advocate at the Alameda County Department of Social
MANILA — Satisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance dipped in March but started recovering in June, based on a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
In a report dated August 1, SWS said Marcos’ net satisfaction rating was at +20 in March 2024 — down 27 points from the +47 score that he got in December 2023.
However, it bounced back up to +27 based on a survey conducted by SWS from June 23 to July 1. The net satisfaction rate for June 2024 was the aggregate score obtained, as 55 percent of respondents interviewed said they were satisfied with Marcos’ performance, 28
percent were dissatisfied, and 15 percent were undecided.
“The national Social Weather Survey of June 23 – July 1, 2024, found 55% of adult Filipinos satisfied, 15% undecided, and 28% dissatisfied with the performance of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as President. Compared to March 2024, gross satisfaction with President Marcos rose from 50%, gross undecided fell from 19%, and gross dissatisfaction fell slightly from 31%,” SWS said.
“The resulting net satisfaction rating is +27 (% satisfied minus % dissatisfied), classified by SWS as moderate (+10 to +29). This is a 7-point increase from the moderate +20 in March 2024, following a decline from
Blinken described it as a "once in a generation investment" to help modernise the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.
Blinken and Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has taken a strong stand against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before
MANILA — The Philippine government cannot stop the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) from serving arrest warrants that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue against former President Rodrigo Duterte and several others for the killing of thousands of suspects during his bloody war on drugs, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Thursday, August 1. At a media forum, Remulla said that while the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, it is still part of the Interpol, to which it
has obligations. He noted that the ICC and the Interpol are “used to working together” and the international tribunal could bring in the Interpol to enforce arrest warrants.
“We are not in the business of blocking any movement of the Interpol, unless a policy is laid out, which of course will go against our international commitments. Kaya hindi natin ginagawa yun (That’s why we don’t do it),” he said.
Citing the principle of comity, Remulla said the Philippine government will not obstruct anything as long as it does not violate the country’s laws.
“The principle of comity dictates
Attorney General
Bonta delivered a
to the Filipino American community, emphasizing the
importance of the upcoming
presidential
In a speech during a Zoom call hosted by the Filipino Americans for Harris group on Tuesday, July 30, Bonta issued a rallying cry for Filipino Americans to unite in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, highlighting the stakes of the election and the community’s pivotal role in protecting democracy.
“I
FILIPINO American Cristeta "Cris"
Blinken says US to provide $500 million...
PAGE A1 the United States if a conflict were to break out in the region.
holding "2+2" talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.
The latest high-level U.S. visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.
The additional funding is part of the $2 billion in foreign military financing approved by the United States in April.
It comes as the Philippine modernises its armed forces, one of the weakest in Asia, and bolsters its coast guard.
The Philippines' proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as self-ruled Taiwan, would make it a key partner for
Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and considers democratic Taiwan to be part of its territory.
There has been a revolving door of top U.S. officials passing through the Philippines since Marcos took office in 2022 and adopted a more U.S.-friendly foreign policy.
Marcos expanded an agreement giving American troops access to nine Philippine military bases, including in the far north of the country, which has infuriated Chinese leaders. The agreement allows U.S. troops to rotate through the bases and also store defence equipment and supplies at them.
Marcos told Austin and
Blinken on Tuesday that he was "very happy" about the open lines of communication with the United States, which helped Manila be "agile in terms of our responses" on issues including the South China Sea.
Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi sparred on Saturday, July 27 over the South China Sea when they met on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos.
Wang told Blinken the United States should "refrain from fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea," according to a foreign ministry statement.
"The risks and challenges facing China-U.S. relations are still rising," he said. (Philstar. com with reports from Agence France-Press)
Marcos’ net satisfaction rating rises...
the good +47 in December 2023,” it added.
Still, Marcos’ score for June 2024 was significantly lower compared to the +58 he got a year ago or in June 2023, and his highest-ever net satisfaction rating of +68 in December 2022.
Satisfaction among respondents was highest in Balance Luzon, with 60 percent saying they were okay with Marcos’ performance, followed by 57 percent in Metro Manila, 55 percent in Visayas, and 46 percent in Mindanao.
Dissatisfaction was highest in Mindanao at 41 percent, followed by Visayas at 28 percent, Metro Manila at 26 percent, and Balance Luzon at 28 percent.
Marcos’ rating was lower than that of his two predecessors during the same period.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte, in his second year in office, got a +45 score in June 2018, whereas former President Benigno Aquino III got a +42 net satisfaction rating in May 2012.
The SWS said 9 percent of respondents said they expect Marcos to fulfill all or nearly all of his campaign promises; 17 percent said that many of the promises would be actualized; 48 percent said only some would be fulfilled; and 23 percent do not believe the president’s objectives will be attained.
Combined, the 27 percent who were optimistic — or those
who believe Marcos can fulfill all, nearly all, or many of his promises — were up in June 2024, compared to just 22 percent in March.
“In past SWS surveys, the percentage of those who expected all or most of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s promises to be fulfilled were 19% (5% all or nearly all, 14% most) in September 2001 and 23% (8% all or nearly all, 15% most) in August 2004. For President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, it was 44% (9% all or nearly all, 35% most) in September 2010 and 63% (22% all or nearly all, 41% most) in June 2016,” SWS said.
“For Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, it was 56% (15% all or nearly all, 41% most) in September 2016 before it ranged from 35%-67% from March 2017 to June 2022,” it added.
According to SWS, the survey was conducted through faceto-face interviews with 1,500 Filipino adults, subdivided into 600 from Balance Luzon, and 300 each from Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The SWS maintains a sampling error margin of ±2.5 percent for national percentages, ±4.0 percent for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
PH, US forces hold joint
coordination between the navies of the Philippine and the U.S. The activities included communications check exercise, division tactics, officer of the watch maneuver exercise, photographic exercise and cross deck exercise.
“By conducting these exercises, both navies aim to improve their readiness and ability to operate together in ensuring maritime security and stability in the region,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement.
AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. emphasized the significance of cooperative activities in maintaining regional peace and security.
“These joint exercises with our ally are crucial in enhancing our naval capabilities and ensuring that we can effectively collaborate to safeguard our maritime
interests,” Brawner said.
During his visit to the Philippine Navy headquarters in Subic, Austin underscored U.S.Philippines shared priorities of further strengthening maritime security and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.
“Today, we saw some of our industrial base companies out here working together to create additional capability, and that’s also very exciting,” he added.
After arriving in Manila on Tuesday, July 30, Austin and Blinken met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during which they reaffirmed U.S. support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights.
“You’ve seen us announce a number of key initiatives. You heard us talk about the $500 million in [foreign military financing] opportunity here that we’re going to provide to the
Chinese vessels are back The number of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters has again soared, apparently due to improving weather that prompted many of them to return after waiting out Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
The Philippine Navy said there were a total of 104 Chinese naval and coast guard ships and maritime militia boats spotted inside the country’s EEZ from July 23 to July 29. There were only 80 Chinese vessels of various types in the West Philippine Sea between July 16 and July 22, the Philippine Navy said.
The increase in the number of Chinese vessels was most noticeable in the area of Pagasa Island, from 10 maritime militia vessels to 29 including one belonging to China Coast Guard.
There are six People’s Liberation Army Navy warships detected from only two in the past days.
Three of the naval vessels were sighted in the vicinity of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal while three were seen each in Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), Ayungin Shoal and Panata Island. Philippine Navy monitoring from July 9 to 15 also showed a big drop in the number of Chinese vessels in WPS from 105 to only 80.
But Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad explained the decrease was likely due to bad weather, particularly effects of the monsoon and typhoons Butchoy and Carina.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta urges...
Bonta acknowledged the legacy of Filipino Americans who have historically fought for justice and equity, both in the Philippines and the United States. He paid homage to the leaders who came before, including his mother, Cynthia Bonta, who fought to restore democracy in the Philippines. Bonta also recalled the contributions of Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, and the Filipino farmworkers who spearheaded the Delano grape strike of 1965, as well as the activists who fought for housing justice in San Francisco’s International Hotel.
“As Filipino Americans, we carry a very important torch lit by Filipinos who came before us,” Bonta said, reflecting on the community’s deep-rooted history of activism. He stressed that this legacy should inspire current and future generations to continue the fight for justice and equity.
Bonta’s speech took a sharp turn as he addressed the urgency of the upcoming election, describing it as an “inflection moment” in American history.
He warned of the dangers posed by a potential return of former President Donald Trump to the White House, referencing Trump’s past policies and the goals outlined in the Project 2025 plan, which he described as a roadmap to consolidating presidential power and rolling back critical rights.
“We’ve seen the darkness of a Trump presidency. We know what he’s capable of,” Bonta stated, underscoring the importance of preventing a second Trump term. He highlighted the threat to reproductive rights, public education, and social safety nets that would come with a TrumpVance administration, noting that the stakes could not be higher.
Bonta then pivoted to a strong endorsement of Kamala Harris, whom he described as the antithesis of Trump. He praised Harris’s track record as a tough and effective leader, recalling his firsthand experience working with her in California. Bonta noted that while Trump was a “convicted felon,” Harris had
spent her career fighting for justice, putting scam artists and sex offenders behind bars, and holding big banks accountable during the mortgage crisis.
“Kamala Harris is our chance to chart a new path forward,” Bonta asserted, emphasizing that her leadership is essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable America. He described her as the embodiment of the values that the Filipino American community holds dear—resilience, justice, and the pursuit of the American Dream. As the speech drew to a close, Bonta called on the Filipino American community to mobilize and take action in the final stretch before the election. He stressed the importance of unity within the Democratic Party and the need for grassroots efforts to ensure victory on November 5.
“There’s no more powerful power than people power, and we’ve been the heart and soul of the party,” Bonta declared, urging the community to lean in with all their strength and determination.
Philippines won’t stop drug war arrests...
that we remain friendly and do not block any legal actions they undertake. If they engage in illegal activities, then we will not tolerate that, if they violate our laws,” he said.
The justice chief said they still would study the implications of dealing with the Interpol on the matter but stressed there are repercussions if the Philippine government moves to block its activities in the country.
Kapag nag-issue ng warrant of arrest, it’s the Interpol’s job to serve it, and we have a job to the Interpol. We are not in the business of blocking the Interpol’s job, which is to fight international crime. We respect the Interpol’s actions 99.9 percent of the time,” Remulla said. He also emphasized that
Interpol agents and officials can freely enter the country visa-free. Remulla likewise confirmed the ICC’s requesting assistance from the government in interviewing persons of interest. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra earlier revealed the ICC making such request. The DOJ chief said the government “noted” the request but did not “act favorably” on it, as the country had already withdrawn from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 during the Duterte administration after the tribunal began a probe on his war on drugs.
Trillanes had posted a supposedly redacted copy of an order of the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor.
Others supposedly named in the document were former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Romeo Caramat Jr., former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, and former
Trillanes
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier said Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and four other former ranking police officials have been named as suspects in the ICC probe.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Malacañang file photo
Photo by the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Philippines,” Austin said.
California lawmakers debate sending local health inspectors into immigration facilities
by VANESSA G. SÁNCHEZ KFF Health News
COVID-19, mumps, and chickenpox outbreaks. Contaminated water, moldy food, and air ducts spewing black dust.
These health threats have been documented inside privately run immigration detention facilities in California through lawsuits, federal and state audits, and complaints lodged by detainees themselves.
But local public health officers who routinely inspect county jails and state prisons say they don’t have the authority under state law to inspect detention centers operated by private companies, including all six federal immigration centers in California.
State Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) wants to close that loophole with legislation that would allow county health officers to conduct inspections at the facilities if health officers deem them necessary.
Durazo said that many detainees live in substandard conditions and that communicable diseases sweeping through these facilities could pose a risk to surrounding communities.
“Unfortunately, our detainees are treated as if they’re not human beings,” she said. “We don’t want any excuses. We want state and public health officials to go in whenever it’s needed.”
It’s not clear how much authority local health officers would have to implement changes, but public health experts say they could act as independent observers who document violations that would otherwise remain unknown to the public.
The state Senate passed the bill, SB 1132, unanimously in late May. It is now under consideration in the state Assembly.
Immigration is regulated by the federal government. GEO Group, the country’s largest private prison contractor, runs California’s federal centers, located in four counties. Together they can house up to 6,500 people awaiting deportation or immigration hearings.
While campaigning in 2020, President Joe Biden pledged to end for-profit immigration
detention. But more than 90% of the roughly 30,000 people held by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on any given day remain in private facilities, according to a 2023 analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union. Congress members in both chambers have introduced legislation to phase out private detention centers, while other lawmakers, including at least two this month, have called for investigations into substandard medical and mental health care and deaths.
Lawmakers in Washington state passed a law in 2023 to impose state oversight of private detention facilities, but the GEO Group sued and the measure is tied up in court. California lawmakers have repeatedly attempted to regulate such facilities, with mixed results.
In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a measure banning private prisons and detention facilities from operating in California. But a federal court later declared the law unconstitutional as it related to immigration detention centers, saying it interfered with federal functions.
In 2021, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring private detention centers to comply with state and local public health orders and worker safety and health regulations. That measure was adopted at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, as the virus tore through detention facilities where people were packed into dorms with little or no protection from airborne viruses.
For instance, at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, one outbreak at the start of the pandemic infected more than 300 staff members and detainees.
The Health Officers Association of California, which represents the public health officers for the state’s 61 local health departments, supports Durazo’s legislation.
“These investigations play a pivotal role in identifying and addressing health and sanitary concerns within these facilities, thereby mitigating risks to detainees, staff, and the surrounding communities,” according to a letter from the association’s executive director, Kat DeBurgh.
Under the measure, public health officers would determine whether the facilities are complying with environmental rules, such as ensuring proper ventilation, and offering basic mental and health care, emergency treatment, and safely prepared food.
Unlike public correctional facilities, which local health officers inspect every year, private detention centers would be inspected as needed, to be determined by the health officer.
GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira and ICE spokesperson Richard Beam declined to comment on the measure.
American Public Health Association Executive Director Georges Benjamin said public health officers are well positioned to inspect these facilities because they understand how to make confined spaces safer for large populations.
Even though they likely can’t force the detention centers to comply with their recommendations, their reports could provide valuable information for public officials, attorneys, and others who want to pursue options such as litigation, he said. “When the system isn’t working, the courts can play a very profound role,” Benjamin said.
The federal system that monitors health care and the transmission of communicable diseases inside immigration detention centers is broken, said Annette Dekker, an assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at UCLA, who studies health care in these facilities.
Inspections of detention centers are typically conducted by ICE employees and, up until 2022, by a private auditor. In a paper published in June, Dekker and other researchers showed that immigration officials and the auditor conducted inspections infrequently — at least once every three years — and provided limited public information about deficiencies and how they were addressed.
“There’s a lot of harm that is happening in detention centers that we are not able to document,” Dekker said.
ICE and the GEO Group have PAGE A5
Governor Newsom announces $76M in grants to bolster safety and security in faith communities and nonpro ts
SACRAMENTO — California
Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, July 30 announced that California is expediting the deployment of funds and is now accepting applications for $76 million in grant funding available to bolster safety and security for nonprofits — including synagogues, mosques, and Black and LGBTQ+ organizations — that are at higher risk of hate-based crimes.
“An attack against any community is an attack against our entire state and our values. Every Californian deserves the ability to worship, love, and gather safely, without fear of hate. This new round of funding is aimed at helping high-risk organizations protect themselves against violent attacks and hate crimes,” said Gavin Newsom.
The California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program provides nonprofit organizations with funding for security enhancements including reinforced doors, gates, high-intensity lighting, access control systems, and Inspection and screening systems.
Recent data points to an increase in hate crimes carried out against Jewish, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities in 2023. Anti-Black bias events remained the most prevalent, despite a decrease in total reported incidents from 2022 to 2023. Hate crime committed against the Black community Last year, after heightened fear of violence due to conflicts in the Middle East and the troubling trend of hate-fueled attacks across the country, Governor Newsom increased funding for the grant program by over 35%, adding an additional $20 million available for nonprofits to improve safety and security.
“Despite facing significant budget challenges, the California Legislature will continue to stand firm in our commitment to supporting vulnerable communities targeted by hate,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel
(D-Encino) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), the Budget Chairs of the California Legislature. “We are particularly grateful to Governor Newsom for his longstanding leadership in funding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and for his efforts to expedite the disbursement of these vital grants. We have no doubt that this funding will continue to make a major difference in protecting the Jewish community and all communities targeted by hate.”
Since the inception of the program in 2015, the state has awarded $152,750,000 in state funding to 924 community groups. Steps to apply for funding
The new request for proposals can be found on the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services website, which administers the program. Eligible organizations include those exempt from taxation under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Interested applicants are encouraged to learn more by attending one of six upcoming informational webinars. Proposals must be received electronically by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23.
“We encourage nonprofit organizations to consider applying for these new grants, which can go a long way toward helping them enhance their
security
California seniors: Retain your home, car, and...
Services, noted that retired seniors who choose to live with their family are still eligible for expanded Medi-Cal, as eligibility is determined solely on their income, not the income of the household in which they live. This is an enormous benefit to multi-generational families living in the same household.
Medi-Cal applicants can even keep assets they might have in the home country if they are immigrants, she said, noting such assets will not be included in eligibility determination.
Stock portfolios can also be kept, but dividends and payouts from stock would be counted as income.
Proof of immigration status not required
“More people will be able to see health care providers when they need to, which will reduce sickness and guarantee more wellness throughout the state,” said Clark. California is the first state in the nation to provide health care coverage to undocumented residents. No proof of immigration status is required to enroll.
The expansion provides a huge boon to seniors living in California. More than 600,000 people in the state who are over the age of 65 live below the federal poverty line of $15,000 per year.
Poverty is especially acute among undocumented immigrants: about 27% live below the federal poverty line, according to the Public Policy
Institute of California. Older adult expansion program
Seniors can provide proof of California residency via a utility bill or a rental agreement; there is no requirement as to how long they have lived in California. Applicants must also be able to provide proof of income, and vouch that they intend to stay in California indefinitely. Additional eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal Older Adult Expansion Program can be found here.
Medi-Cal expansion for seniors has been in effect since May 1, 2022. This January brought about the final phase of expansion, which now includes all low-income residents of the state.
Benefits
“In California, we believe everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health care coverage – regardless of income or immigration status,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said when signing the bill in 2021.
“Through this expansion, we’re making sure families and communities across California are healthier, stronger, and able to get the care they need when they need it.”
Full-scope Medi-Cal includes a variety of services, including: routine and emergency health visits, medication and medical supplies, including hearing aids, personal attendant care, referrals to specialists, and even transportation to and from doctors and pharmacy visits.
More recently, the California Department of Health Care
Services, which oversees MediCal, has attempted to avoid the stigma surrounding mental health care by pairing it with programs such as free accupressure and Qigong classes. One out of 5 Asian Americans need mental health services, but fewer than 1 in 50 seek it out. The reluctance to seek mental health care is especially acute among older Asian adults.
Assisted living Medi-Cal will not pay for room and board at an assisted living facility, but will pay for services rendered at the facility, explained Joseph Billingsley, Assistant Deputy Director, Integrated Systems of Care, Health Care Delivery Systems at DHCS. Those who need assisted living facilities would have to find a means to pay for their room and board. Assisted living waivers are available through the state to help with room and board costs, but are currently only available in 15 counties, Billingsley said in an interview.
Folks who qualify for an assisted living waiver must use one of the assisted living facilities that have been approved by the state. Those approved facilities are called Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, and are equipped to take Medi-Cal. Residents, however, may still find that they have to pay for some of their room and board, even with a waiver.
Medi-Cal does offer some services for older people who choose to age in their homes.
(Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services)
Evangeline ‘Vangie’ Paredes, who served as secretary to President Manuel Quezon during WWII, celebrated her 108th birthday on July 26
by BING CARDENAS BRANIGIN AND JON MELEGRITO Inquirer.net
birthday on July 26, shared her secret to better health and longevity: community service.
“Volunteer, when you can,” she told well-wishers who attended her 108th birthday celebration. “Use your instincts. Do your best and always find ways to help others.”
After retiring from her secretarial jobs at the Philippine Embassy and the Pentagon, she spent the next four decades volunteering with AARP as an activist and advocate.
A life-long member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary, she visited veterans in hospitals and offered her personal assistance to their families.
She played a key role in planning and building the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center in Washington, DC. On July 21, leaders of the VFW Post 5471, auxiliary officers and members, family and guests hosted a tea party in her honor at the Chevy Chase House where she resides.
Auxiliary President Lera Rickling organized the event, which featured testimonials and musical renditions. Residents of Chevy Chase House hosted their own celebration for Vangie Paredes on July 25, replete with musical performances by a jazz band.
Speakers shared personal anecdotes, with tributes about her honesty, openness and kindness to the Chevy Chase House staff.
“Seeing Miss Vangie participate in many of the house activities was inspiring,” noted one staff member. Asked how she managed to stay healthy and look well, she gave this advice: “Eat a lot of nuts, and chew your food very well.”
For her amazing memory, Vangie Paredes was asked by John Hopkins Hospital if she would be willing to donate her brain for research on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. “I did not
hesitate to say yes,” she recalls. “I’m glad I can help.”
Evangeline “Vangie” Abellera Paredes is the daughter of Tomas Rulloda Abellera – who left the Philippines to serve in the US Navy during World War I – and Francisca Estrada, who was born in Asturias, Spain and worked as a translator on Wall Street in New York City. Vangie was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 26, 1916. The family moved to Washington, DC when Tomas became a chief master mechanic at the Navy yard in 1921.
After attending Congress Heights School and Eastern High School, Vangie won a scholarship to secretarial school and began working as a telephone operator in the office of the Resident Commissioner of the Philippines. In the early 1930s, Vangie attended George Washington University and studied interior decorating. After graduation she became an executive secretary to the resident commissioner. She married Juanito Paredes in 1941 and they lived on Chesapeake Street in southeast Washington, DC. Juanito was the nephew of Quentin B. Paredes (18841973), the Philippine resident commissioner to Washington, DC in 1935.
During World War II, Vangie was President Manuel Quezon’s secretary and later served as the public relations officer for the Philippine Embassy.
She worked for the Philippine government from 1936 to 1957, then served as a secretary for the Pentagon for 30 years.
Vangie Paredes has a son, Juan, who lives in Washington DC with his wife Francine. Her younger sister, Dolores Lillian Abellera, who lives in Las Vegas, travelled to Washington DC to honor her sister on her 108th birthday.
anti-hate investments to support community services for victims and survivors of hate acts. Amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and recent hate-related incidents throughout the nation, earlier this year, Governor Newsom released the Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism to address increasing attacks on California’s Jewish communities, and wrote a letter to California’s Muslim, Palestinian American,
photo by Joan Bondoc
Vangie Paredes is serenaded by Jon Melegrito. Contributed photo
Paredes of
DC, who celebrated her 108th
Fil-Am White House chef retires after...
Born in Sampaloc, Manila, Comerford took up food technology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. At 23 years old, she moved to the United States, where she showcased her brilliance in different restaurants in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
According to a report by GMA News, she entered the White House kitchen in 1995 when Walter Scheib III, the head chef during the Clinton administration, hired her as his assistant. The Post reported that when former First Lady Laura Bush fired Scheib and opened the chef in chief position that garnered around 450 applicants, she later decided to give the job to Comerford, making her the first woman and person of color to get the position in 2005.
Comerford's "deft handling" of an official dinner for over a hundred guests in honor of India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a big factor in the former first lady's decision. "She understands the scale of the job she’s undertaking and there’s a personal compatibility with Mrs. Bush," Whitson said of Comerford.
'A great honor' Comerford's excellence in the White House kitchen shone through the years, appealing to the varied palates of different presidents over five administrations: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.
In a 2014 interview with CNN International, the Fil-Am chef said it's a matter of "knowing each of them individually."
kind of thing," she shared.
When asked what it was like to land the top culinary job in the White House in a previous interview with GMA News, Comerford called it "a great honor."
"It is something that I take very seriously on a day by day basis. You want to make sure that you are up there being the best that you can be all the time," she said.
CalGrows takes on caregiver shortage with free training and incentive payments
Bush's press secretary Susan Whitson told The Post that PAGE A3
"Do they like their pizza with thick or thin crusts? What vegetables do they prefer? That
For those who are hoping to follow in her footsteps and serve as a White House chef or succeed in the same field, she had this to say: "It is really just taking the responsibility seriously, that anything given to you is a chance to be good. It could be the simplest task, like chopping onions or something like that, but as long as you really give all your heart in whatever you do and whatever you cook (that could go a long way)." (Brooke Villanueva/Philstar.com)
California lawmakers debate sending local...
been the subjects of lawsuits and hundreds of complaints alleging poor conditions inside the California facilities since the pandemic began. Some of these lawsuits are pending, but a significant share of complaints have been dismissed, according to a database maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The most recent lawsuits by detainees allege crowded and unsanitary conditions, denial of adequate mental and medical health care, medical neglect, and wrongful death by suicide.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the GEO Group about $100,000 in 2022 for failing to maintain written procedures to reduce exposure to covid. The GEO Group has contested the fine.
“I have experienced really inhumane living conditions,” 28-year-old Dilmer Lovos told KFF Health News by phone from the Golden State Annex immigration detention center in McFarland, Kern County. Lovos has been held there since January while awaiting an immigration hearing.
Lovos, who was born in El Salvador and uses the pronouns they/them, has been a legal permanent resident for 15 years and was detained by immigration officials while on parole.
In early July, Lovos and 58 other detainees from Golden State Annex and the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield started a labor and hunger strike demanding the end of poor living conditions, solitary confinement, and inadequate medical and mental health services.
Lovos described a packed dorm room, clogged air filters, mice and cockroaches scurrying in the kitchen, water leaking from the ceiling, and detainees with flu-like symptoms who couldn’t get access to medication or a covid test when requested.
ICE protocols require testing of detainees with symptoms upon intake into facilities with no covid hospitalizations or deaths in the previous week. In facilities with two or more hospitalizations or deaths in the previous week, all detainees are tested during intake. It is up to each facility’s medical providers to decide when a test is necessary after that.
After Lovos filed a complaint with the GEO Group in June, alleging medical and mental health neglect, they said they were placed in solitary confinement for 20 days without a properly functioning toilet. “I was smelling my urine and feces because I was not able to flush.”
Ferreira declined to address Lovos’ allegations but said via
email that detainees receive “around-the-clock access to medical care,” including doctors, dentists, psychologists, and referrals to off-site specialists.
“GEO takes exception to the unsubstantiated allegations that have been made regarding access to health care services at GEO-contracted ICE Processing Centers,” he said.
An unannounced inspection by federal immigration officials in April 2023 found Golden State Annex employees did not respond within 24 hours to medical complaints, which the report said could negatively affect detainees’ health, and did not properly store detainees’ medical records.
Lovos said that no one has addressed their concerns and that conditions have only worsened.
“Please come check these places out,” Lovos said in a plea to local health officials.
This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
SACRAMENTO – California faces a looming shortage of caregivers for older adults and adults with disabilities over the next five to 10 years. The California Department of Aging (CDA) has committed to helping close the gap through the CalGrows direct care workforce training and career development program. CalGrows encourages, supports, and incentivizes home and community-based services (HCBS) caregivers. To date, more than 13,000 caregivers across the state have participated in more than 89,000 training courses, and qualified applicants have collected over $7 million in incentive payments.
“CalGrows has been instrumental in addressing the impending shortage of caregivers in California. Thousands of enrollees across the state — many of them women and people of color — have been able to take free training courses and earn financial incentives of up to $6,000 while building their skills,” notes CDA Director Susan DeMarois. “CalGrows offers a tremendous opportunity for paid direct care workers, as well as unpaid family and friend caregivers, to learn new skills and improve existing skills to deliver the best possible care to older adults and adults with disabilities. I encourage all California caregivers to take advantage of this free training before the CalGrows program ends on September 30, 2024.”
Jeannie Smith of NAPA Valley Support Services said of her experience with the CalGrows program, “We can apply [what we learn] in our everyday work life immediately. [People] like feeling empowered by being able to take what they learned and immediately use it in their workplace.”
“Being a caregiver and direct care worker is a very hard job. Having the opportunity not just to take these free courses but also getting incentive pay is a huge win to them,” said Sean Hidalgo, who manages CalGrows courses at Sacramento’s ACC Senior Services.
ACC driver Keng Thor, who has taken CalGrows courses, said, “The knowledge I received from CalGrows was put to use and made me more confident in being able to meet and interact with my clients.”
30, 2024. CalGrows courses will be available online through September 30, but all Incentive
CalGrows training has empowered California caregivers with improved skills and more confidence when working with older adults and adults with disabilities. Hear from caregivers like Smith who have grown their skillset to support loved ones and/or their career in these video clips on YouTube (https://www. youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXexWQOeFtkalNyQcP4z0jFd4XlVgsUJd). California’s aging population is growing quickly. By 2030, 25% of the state’s population will be over age 60, outnumbering younger generations for the first time. This population shift increases the need for skilled caregivers as more Californians face age-related conditions like Alzheimer's and limited mobility.
CalGrows is a critical step toward increasing California’s workforce of high-quality caregivers.
CalGrows provides a foundation for increased skills, job satisfaction, retention, and career development opportunities for direct care workers. Those include paid professional caregivers as well as family and friends who step into caregiver roles and want to better care for and communicate with patients and loved ones.
More than 600 free, virtual and in-person courses are available on Calgrows.org. The CalGrows website course catalog is searchable by topic, location, and language. Courses are offered in nine languages and designed to address the needs of California's diverse population. Among the many topics are dementia care, patient-centered communication, mobility assistance techniques, healthcare professional self-care, managing chronic disease and care team collaboration.
Paid caregivers who are eligible for up to $6,000 in incentive payments must submit an Incentive Claim by August
OPINION FEATURES
Closer to justice?
RELATIVES of the thousands of people who were killed in the course of the brutal campaign against the drug scourge are feeling closer to justice these days. Let’s hope that this doesn’t turn out to be a chimera.
The Marcos administration, citing the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court, has maintained that the Philippine government will not cooperate with the ICC in its probe of possible murder as a crime against humanity. The ICC believes the offense was committed in the brutal crackdown on the drug menace that was carried out by Rodrigo Duterte during his presidency and when he was mayor of Davao City.
Editorial
While the government will not cooperate with the ICC, however, it will not stop the ICC from building a case against those responsible for thousands of killings that the Duterte administration claimed were part of legitimate law enforcement operations.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra confirmed this week that the ICC had notified the Philippine government, through the country’s embassy in the Netherlands, that five former and active police officials had been named as “suspects” in the crimes against humanity case.
Suspects would have to be arrested, but how can this happen if the Philippine government says the ICC has no jurisdiction in the country? On Thursday, August 1, the government presented a way – through the International Criminal Police Organization. The Philippines is a member of
the Interpol and is committed to cooperate with it. The ICC has reportedly requested the Interpol to place the five suspects on a “blue list” – meaning the five can be held for ICC questioning if they leave the Philippines for a country that is among the 196 member states of the Interpol. If the ICC orders the arrest of a suspect and courses it through the Interpol, the order can be carried out right in the Philippines. Being a member state, the Philippines must assist the Interpol in carrying out its mandate, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
An ICC lawyer had earlier said an arrest order is expected soon for Duterte. The five other “suspects” are Duterte’s former Philippine National Police chiefs Ronald dela Rosa and Oscar Albayalde, retired police Col. Edilberto Leonardo who is now a commissioner of the National Police Commission, Northern Luzon police commander Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. who was the Bulacan police chief when 32 drug suspects were killed within just 24 hours in the province in 2017, and Brig. Gen. Eleazar Mata, currently head of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group. Is justice possible? The government must ensure that it does not turn out to be a false hope. (Philstar.com)
An outsider’s view of the US elections
UNITED States President Joe Biden made the most important decision of his political career when he withdrew from his country’s presidential race. It is a significant legacy he bequeaths to his country, regardless of the results of the elections. Americans should not begrudge foreigners from giving an outsider’s take on their election and on the candidates vying to become their nation’s leader. What’s at stake is the most powerful post on earth, and the results reverberate with impact beyond American shores. The world outside America contributes immensely to the U.S. economy because American businesses generate hundreds of billions of income, and necessarily infuse huge chunks of taxes into the U.S. government from the business patronage of foreign nationals. So, while the rest of the world do not have the right to vote in the U.S. elections, we have the right to speak and to be heard because we will experience the consequences of America’s wisdom or folly. Besides, the appraisal of the candidates’ worth from a distant perch that’s uniquely available to non-Americans, may be useful to Americans because it supplements the latter’s
proximate view of the aspirants. There’s an ideological war raging on in the world today. There has always been such a war going on in our midst, but we are at a time when this kind of war is dangerously tilting in favor of those who want civilization to move on a backward trajectory.
On one side of this ideological war are countries, political parties, and leaders who subscribe to the belief that the world will be better off if humanity marches on to the beat of democratic ideals. These ideals include fair elections, freedom of expression, adherence to peace, nondiscrimination on the basis of race/gender/religion, among others. To be frank, the forces who are on this side of the divide are imperfect institutions and flawed individuals, not totally immune from greed, selfinterest, and moral deficiencies. Still, these are forces whose compass point north toward the principles of democracy as a general direction. They move backward and sideways on many occasions, but at the end of the day, their strides achieve a net gain in the direction of democracy. On the other side of the ideological divide are countries, political parties, and leaders who are adherents of tyranny, fascism, or permutations of either of these two. Their words and actions encourage violence, discrimination based on race/ religion/gender, disinformation,
among others. They have their merits, especially when it comes to economic gains (mostly on the short term), and espousal of conservative values. But because of their words and actions, plus the kind of fascist groups they empower, one can almost feel that they espouse these issues not because of earnest belief, but because of their utility in their quest for power. The U.S. has been the world’s torchbearer of democratic ideals for much of contemporary history. True, America has been responsible for many horrific deeds that are the anti-thesis of democracy, and it must be continuously rebuked for its many sins. But in a continuum that has on the right end the ideals of democracy and on the left end the paradigms of fascism, the U.S. under its current leaders is situated somewhere on the right from the middle of the continuum. In contrast, countries like Russia and China, under their current leaders, are placed on the left from the middle.
In the forthcoming elections, former president Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance have captured the nomination of the Republican Party, notwithstanding a history of disgraceful conduct (even a criminal conviction for Trump), political somersaulting, and scandalous utterances that would have ended political careers in the not so distant past.
Trump and Vance have staked positions that appeal to
devout Christians who want to preserve conservative values, and Americans who favor Trump’s policies of economic and immigration protectionism. But the standpoints of Trump and Vance have equally provided voice and lent considerable power to right-wing groups whose beliefs and actions will make the U.S. stride toward the left-side direction of the ideological continuum. If Trump and Vance get elected, the stature of the U.S. as torchbearer of democratic ideals will suffer,
in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Are Americans correct in earnestly believing that Trump and Vance share the Christian values and democratic ideals they mouth in the limelight, despite their past conduct? Are the two riding on these issues because of their utilitarian use in their quest for power? Are Americans supporting Trump and Vance because of their utilitarian roles in championing their beliefs?
The heart and soul of America
as the world’s torchbearer of democracy are at stake in the U.S. elections. What beliefs and ideals will make Americans sacrifice their country’s heart and soul as bastion of democracy? (Inquirer. net)
* * * 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.
* * * Comments to fleamarketofideas@gmail. com
IN my last column, I suggested that President Marcos’ ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) might accomplish one of the biggest transfers of wealth and assets since the Duterte administration (when the sudden escalation in the number of Mindanawon scions of families both prominent and hitherto unknown, to Metro Manila private schools, as well as anecdotes from car aficionados, is the telltale sign of the Southern bonanza over six years). Property owners from the upper and middle classes get to keep the rents paid, sometimes years in advance; and as Pogos either leave or are expelled, their immovable assets will be bought
or seized by the enterprising, ruthless, lucky, or all three. Ironically, this is one official decision that might actually please Beijing, too. In their zeal to score political points or simply pander to public opinion, they essentially push a 19thcentury-style racist angle—a “Yellow Peril”—which is why there are many anti-Pogo who somehow seem to think the gambling outfits are somehow, state-sponsored, when Beijing has been quite categorical for years about how it views Pogos as criminal enterprises, using its clout to pressure regional governments to eject them.
Two investigative pieces abroad around the time the president made his announcement illustrate the point I want to make. On July 21,
The New York Times published an article, ”The Billionaire Criminal Who Secretly Profited Off Jack
Ma’s Deals,” about how “Xiao Jianhua, a corrupt investor tied to China’s political elite, backed the country’s most successful and revered entrepreneur.” The next day, July 22, The Washington Post published “A Chinese actor was enslaved in a compound running online scams,” in which the paper revealed, “more than 200,000 people are being forced to work as scammers in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.”
These articles illustrate my point because they zeroed in on the intersection between racketeers and gangsters operating not just Pogo but other offshore entities, and corrupt Chinese officials— and officials in high places, eager to get a piece of the economic action through dummies and syndicates trafficking in influence and favors.
So when veteran journo Jim Gomez of the Associated Press reported that Beijing gave a
rare compliment to Mr. Marcos, you can see why—and see why those who conflate Pogos and other condemned overseas Chinese activities with China’s government as a whole, are seriously misappreciating matters. Beijing’s statement of approval for the recent Marcos pronouncement in turn reflects its frustration with former President Rodrigo Duterte who would not, because he could not, do anything about Pogos except roll out the red carpet for them because of the bonanza of cash of all kinds, licit and illicit, they poured into the pockets of Filipinos from the highest to the lowest political and economic classes of this country. A bonanza that Beijing, not keen to throw good money after bad, was never as forthcoming to provide to its Filipino fair-weather friends.
Mr. Marcos hit the nail on the head when his initial reaction
to the Alice Guo exposé was to express surprise because his peers in the political class didn’t know her, so how could she be anybody? Except that very fact revealed how weakened the political class was, that the traditional barons were now blind in their old domains.
The past three to four decades have already seen widespread domestic migration, weakening old political networks and ties; even ethnic groups have experienced something similar, the established Chinese Filipino merchant class has, for some decades now, clashed with a new generation of migrants not from the same region of China and who ruthlessly competed (by now, they have risen in the world enough to start wanting to be players not just in the provinces but in Metro Manila), just as the overseas Filipino workers who rose to middle-class status,
despite not being part of the churches, clubs, or schools which formed the attitudes and identity of our middle class, have rebelled, first socially then politically, against the old middle class and the upper class they once aspired to emulate.
Hence the new political divide: A showdown between the old loyalties, certainties, and aspirations represented by the incumbent, and the dangerous insolence, bruteness, and brashness it sees in the administration it replaced, and which now dreams of its own restoration. (Inquirer.net)
* * * 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.
* * * Email: mlquezon3@gmail.com; Twitter: @mlq3
Pexels.com photo by Edmond Dantès
by CHARIE ABARCA Inquirer.net
MANILA — Sen. Ronald “Bato”
dela Rosa said he is willing to face International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors, but only if it involves being interviewed and nothing else.
“Kung makipag communicate sila sa akin walang problema. Kung gusto nilang mag interview, they can interview me anytime. Mag-iinterview lang sila, pero it doesn’t mean na yumuyuko ako sa kanilang jurisdiction,” said dela Rosa in a Radyo 630 interview.
(If they communicate with me, there is no problem. If they want an interview, they can interview me anytime, but that doesn’t mean that I bow to their jurisdiction.)
“Ako gusto ko lang na — e kung gusto [nila] mag-usap
by CRISTINA CHI Philstar.com
MANILA — The Marcos administration is seeking P10.29 billion in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) for 2025, at least 16% lower than the CIFs the executive branch received for the current budget year.
Of the P10.29 billion, P4.37 billion will go to confidential funds while P5.92 billion will go to intelligence funds, said Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman during the turnover ceremony of the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the House of Representatives.
The DBM first received an overall request of P11.39 billion from the executive branch but pared this down to P10.29 billion before transmitting the proposed spending plan to Congress.
Pangandaman also listed the 15 agencies with a request for intelligence funds in 2025:
• Department of National Defense (including the Armed Forces of the Philippines):
1,800,000,000
• National Intelligence Coordinating Agency: 991,200,000
• National Intelligence Coordinating Agency: 991,200,000
• Philippine National Police:
806,030,000
• Department of Justice: 579,400,000
• Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency: 500,000,000
• Department of Transportation: 405,000,000
DATELINE PHILIPPINES
by ICC prosecutors
sasagutin ko ang mga tanong nila, pero it doesn’t mean na nire-regress ko ang kanilang jurisdiction over us,” he added. (I just want to — if [they] want to talk, I will answer their questions, but that doesn’t mean that I am regressing their jurisdiction over us.)
Dela Rosa, however, stressed that it does not mean he is willing to cooperate with the international court should their investigators arrive in the Philippines.
“Hindi ‘yan ang term [na] cooperation. Kuwan lang, I just want to show amity or pagiging isang normal na indibidwal na kung magtanong ay hindi tayo bastos na sumasagot. Sasagutin ko, but it doesn’t mean I recognize their jurisdiction over me,” dela Rosa explained. (Cooperation is not the term. It’s
just that, I just want to show amity or being a normal individual, that if asked a question, we will not reply disrespectfully. I will answer, but it doesn’t mean I recognize their jurisdiction over me.)
Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal antidrug war campaign. He is among those mentioned in the crimes against humanity complaint before the ICC.
Former Sen. Sonny Trillanes IV earlier said Dela Rosa and four other former officials of the Philippine National Police “are now considered suspects” in the “drug war” case against Duterte.
“Being suspects, most likely they would be included in the warrants of arrest to be issued later on,” Trillanes earlier told INQUIRER.net.
secret funds sought for 2025
• National Security Council: 250,000,000
• Department of Finance: 79,500,000
• Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process: 60,000,000
• Office of the Ombudsman: 51,400,000
• Commission on Audit: 10,000,000
• Anti-Money Laundering Council:7,500,000
• Games and Amusement Board: 4,000,000
• Commission on Human Rights: 1,000,000.
Publicly available NEP documents show that the Office of the President requested P4.5 billion in CIFs, the same amount it received for 2024.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President did not request CIFs for 2025. The Department of Education, which prepared its budget proposal under Vice President Sara Duterte's leadership before she resigned as secretary on June 19, also did not request CIFs.
The submission of the NEP to the House marks the beginning of the legislative budget cycle where both the House and Senate will scrutinize and possibly tweak the P6.352-trillion spending plan for 2025.
During last year's budget hearings, Duterte's request for confidential funds for the OVP and DepEd drew flak, while lawmakers questioned the vice president's P150-million confidential and intelligence expenses in 2022.
Duterte eventually dropped her request for CIFs, while the
by DIANA LHYD SUELTO, DAPHNE GALVEZ Philstar.com
MANILA — Even with the recall of 75 members of her security detail, Vice President Sara Duterte still has 320 security personnel, which is even larger than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s contingent, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.
Remulla made the revelation as he defended the recall of 75 police personnel from Duterte’s security detail, saying it is no big deal.
“She still has 300 bodyguards. That’s bigger than the president’s contingent,” Remulla said in a media forum on Thursday, August 1. Remulla, however, declined to provide specific numbers on the president’s security detail, citing security concerns.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier explained that the redeployment of some of Duterte’s security detail was to address the shortage of personnel in Metro Manila. It ensured that the move was properly coordinated.
Duterte criticized the recall as a “clear case of political harassment,” noting that the cops who had been transferred were the ones she trusted.
She also appealed for the safety of her family, claiming that police “cased” her house and had tried to find out where she lives.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former top cop, called on retired police and military personnel to volunteer to provide additional security to the vice president.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil assured Duterte that the country’s police force continues to provide top-tier security services for her, noting that she “retains the most extensive security detail compared to her predecessors.”
A 2022 Commission on Audit report on the Office of the Vice President indicated that Duterte’s Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group had 433 members, making up the majority of its 683 staff.
This is a 455 percent increase from the 78 detailed military personnel assigned to former vice president Leni Robredo during the windup of her term in 2021, according to the report.
House decided to realign civilian agencies' requested CIFs to agencies defending the West Philippine Sea.
Confidential funds, as the name implies, cover expenses linked to confidential surveillance tasks within government agencies.
Similarly, intelligence funds are for intelligence expenses related to information-gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners.
MANILA — Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, together with health professionals and civil society organizations on Friday, August 2, challenged the legality of the transfer of P89.9 billion in funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the national treasury in a petition filed before the Supreme Court on Friday. The petitioners argue that the insertion of a provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) on unprogrammed appropriations (UA) and the subsequent issuance of a Department of Finance (DoF) circular were unconstitutional.
"Rather than transferring the funds out of the health sector, these funds should be used to expand benefit packages, outpatient and inpatient, from primary to tertiary levels, to decrease out of pocket
GAA for indirect contributors, not member contributions. The agency assured members that its financial stability remained intact and benefits would expand as per the 2023 plan. (ManilaTimes.net)
Asian Journal WKND
Heart Evangelista’s new role thrusts her into the political spotlight
By Nathalie toMada Philstar.com
MANILA —
“We’re really in a good place.”
Heart Evangelista recently reflected on her nine-year marriage with Senate President Chiz Escudero, as she stated she has nothing more to ask for at this point in her life and career.
The 39-year-old Kapuso star and style maven spoke to select press, including The STAR, after her contract renewal with her long-time home network GMA.
“Of course, meron talaga… nagka-episode siya but yes (we’re past that),” she also admitted to a challenging period in their relationship that worried her fans, but no longer went into detail. Kaya ‘wag na tayo humingi ng kahit ano kay Lord, okay na ‘to.” She believes that having mutual support and making the effort to understand each other’s worlds are important for a couple to have a stronger relationship.
by MJ Marfori Philstar.com
AND just like that, she’s back in Hollywood as we speak. But midway through this week, we had a quick sit down with Liza Soberano at her BYS endorsement event in Taguig alongside Niana Guerrero. Liza looked more relaxed, comfortable, and eager to share what she has been up to since
Recipe for a green card: The journey...
start the next day. Jonas kept improving his kitchen skills and eventually he became Cook in Charge of the branch in Batangas. In 2016 and in 2017, Jonas became the champion of the company’s annual cooking competition. It was then that Gerry’s Grill owner, Gerry Apolinario, put Jonas in the short list of his staff who would be sent to the U.S. to run the branch in Houston, Texas. Gerry hired leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel to work on Jonas’ petition as Senior Line Cook, and in less than two years, Jonas acquired his green card. It has been 20 years since Jonas was hired by Gerry’s back in Pampanga, and even now, he cannot believe how dramatically different his life has been from the days he was struggling in Bacolod, when he could hardly
put food on the table, to the present, where he is able to provide food, shelter, and a better life for his family.
Watch this success story on an encore episode of Citizen Pinoy on Sunday, August 4 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)
Heart Evangelista’s new role thrusts...
“Siya pumupunta sa mundo
ko, tapos sige ako pumupunta sa mundo niya,” she noted.
“It is,” she said when asked if it was their “secret to a stronger marriage.” “And aside from that, you really have to go through the toughest times to really become stronger. I think we had our fair share so we’re really in a good, good place,” she continued.
Heart also shared a sweet message for her husband. “I will stand by you with whatever you choose to do, and tatanda ako kasama mo. Yun lang talaga yun. I’m so thankful for the time I have with my family and husband so sana ibigay na ni Lord.”
Meanwhile, Heart’s new role as head of the Senate Spouses foundation has thrust her into the political spotlight.
“It was daunting at the beginning because it’s not something that I asked for. It landed on my lap literally. But I enjoy it because politics
is never really for me, I never really thought that I would… But it’s not really politics, it’s an independent entity kumbaga and it’s for the love,” she told The STAR
“So why will it be daunting if you have so much in your heart to give and I enjoy it. It’s really fulfilling that finally, I can be an instrument. Again all of this (pointing to what she was wearing)… is accessorizing your soul. What is my soul ‘di ba at the end of the day, at the end of each life, so at least I’m doing more.”
Hinting at her plans to enhance the organization’s activities, she said, “Madami (plans). Nagulat nga sila kasi usually Ber months talaga active ang Senate Spouses but we have a calendar full (of activities), the whole year. Of course, it’s like bringing the past things that I’ve done to the present, revisiting the structures that they have already created.
“It’s also tapping different
companies, that we can do modern things. Hopefully, a kabuhayan showcase. There’s a lot. I don’t know how long I have but I’m rushing to do as much as I can with the given time.”
Asked about her first project, she said, “Ayoko kasi magsalita, gusto ko ng gawin.”
According to her talent management, Sparkle GMA Artist Center, Heart recently donated P1.5 million from the proceeds of selling a designer bag from her vintage collection to help jumpstart the foundation’s operations.
Heart said she has zero plans of joining politics in the future.
“I think I’m OK. I understand for some people because they need in a sense a platform, in a way, that power, the pull, to make a bigger impact. I think whatever stage I have now, I think that’s all I need to make a difference. I don’t think I’d be somebody who would join politics. Not for me. Not my calling.” g
Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture returns home for
its 30th anniversary
SAN PEDRO – Get ready for a FilipinoAmerican experience filled with vibrant performances, delicious Filipino cuisine, traditional arts, and an incredible community spirit. FILAMARTS, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, proudly presents the 30th Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) on Saturday, September 14, from 12 to 9 p.m. at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro, CA. “It’s time to celebrate, discover, and become part of a thriving community. The 30th anniversary theme is “Ang Pagbabalik” -A Homecoming. It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Filipino culture in Los Angeles and the power of community!” Giselle Tongi-Walters, FILAMARTS Executive Director, proudly explained.
Giovanni Ortega, Festival Director, added “ The momentous festival will provide a wide variety of pavilions ranging from seniors, childrens, ancestral and culinary and two stages, a Main Stage and a Discovery Stage with simultaneous performances and panel discussions.” Point Fermin Park was where the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) was held for 19 consecutive years in the past. The last two years, FPAC was held at the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park, Los Angeles.
Main stage This year’s FPAC Main Stage will feature famous Filipino-American artists and cultural performers showcasing the essence of Filipino art and culture, including musical acts like Joe Bataan, Roger Rigor of VST and Co. with Bootleg Orchestra, Tia Carrere, Bambu and Prometheus Brown a.k.a. Barkada, Cheesa and Jake Zyrus, Ruby Ibarra’s Bolo Music Group and cultural performers like Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble, Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, Rondalla Club of Los Angeles and Kayamanan ng Lahi.
Discovery stage In festivals past, there was always a second stage for newer performers. This year, The Discovery Stage (formerly called “Generations”) returns and will showcase up and coming musical performers, as well as Ancestral Village Panels, ArtPHair Artist Talks and a Bolo Music Discovery Hour.
There will be over 50 vendors. Explore the artistry and flavors of the Filipino-Americanowned food vendors and craftsmen who sell jewelry, Filipiniana clothes, prints, paintings, stickers, and more. Food vendors include the popular Cafe 86, Dollar Hits, Tatay Ry, Ensaymada Project and more.
NEW at FPAC: ArtPHair Immerse yourself at the Ancestral Pavilion, Children’s Pavilion, Tony Ringor Seniors Pavilion, and the groundbreaking ArtPHair, a fine art exhibit - curated by notable artist and educator, FilAm Arts Board Member Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, “In our inaugural FilAm Arts Art PHair, we hope to introduce the community to the diversity of Contemporary Fil-Am Art in Ceramics, Painting, Printmaking, Photography and Wood, with the hope of continuing this initiative in the future.” The fine art exhibit features: Edmund Arevalo, Nica Aquino, John Yoyogi Fortes, Elyse Pignolet, Carlo Ricafort, and Rodolfo Samonte.
Join us for an unforgettable day Don’t miss this historic event produced by FILAMARTS in partnership with the City of Los Angeles. Let’s celebrate 30 years of FilipinoAmerican culture and heritage together! The event is free and open to the public. FPAC 2024 is made possible by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) Arts United San Pedro, Department of Cultural Affairs of Los Angeles, California Arts Council, Janice Hahn, LA County Board of Supervisors, City of Los Angeles Council Districts represented by Council Member Tim McOsker (CD15) Council Member Hugo SottoMartinez (CD13), and Council Member Kevin de Leon (CD14), NBCUniversal Launch, Magnolia/ Ramar Foods, Island Pacific Seafood Market, Sun Tropics, LADWP, Port of Long Beach, Ruby Ibarra and Bolo Music Group, KTLA, One Down Media, SoCal Filipinos, and the Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) Coalition. Follow @filamartsla on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates. Official Hashtag #FPAC2024 For more information about
How the Filipino hip-hop community helps this local brand succeed
By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com
MANILA — A local clothing brand owner revealed how the Filipino hip-hop community helped his business grow.
In an exclusive interview with Philstar.com during the opening of Cirqua Resto Bar in Caloocan City, The Hundred Percent owner Dadof Carlos said he only started his shoe business from 50 pairs of shoes until he was supported by the local hip-hop community.
“Shout out sa mga hiphop sila nagpakilala sa brand. Tropa kasi ang mga hip-hop e. Bago pa nagkaroon ng The Hundred Percent Brand, friends of friends. Parang si ‘Dadof sumusuporta ‘to sa hip-hop.’ Ayon ‘yung naging tulay kaya ‘yung mga tropang nakilala sila talaga nagpalawak sa brand,” he said. “Putok na putok ang hip-hop ngayon e kaya talaga silang
Boss Toyo, Ron Henley, Pricetagg, halos lahat ng kilalang hip-hop artist,” he added. Dadof said that the brand is also helping rising hip-hop artists with their apparels. Mas marami tayong natutulungan na hip-hop artist ngayon, lalo na pagdating sa pormahan nila. Kumbaga, head to toe. ‘Yung mga batang magagaling pero ‘di pa kilala, sinusuportahan natin,” he said. The Hundred Percent Quezon City boutique was affected by Typhoon “Carina.” The brand is now offering 70% discount on all products. Dadof, however, said that the incident will just make the brand stronger than ever. g
THE photo of grieving Elvis Gutierrez and his daughters Ezra and Aria in front of the casket of his wife, Alexa Uichico-Gutierrez, moved netizens to tears.
showed
hugging one of her daughters, while the other one hugged the coffin of her mom.
on the evening of July 27 at age 38. She is survived by her husband and their two daughters. During the last day of her wake on July 31, celebrities including Claudine Barretto, Vina Morales, and Bubbles Paraiso, among
The Hundred Percent owner Dadof Carlos and his wife Abhie Instagram photo/@TheHundredPercent.ph
Ruby Ibarra
Photo by David Regoso
Kayamanan ng Lahi perform traditional Filipino dance
Photo by David Rodriguez
CCHC National Health Center Week
Multicultural Health Fair and Children’s
Appreciation Day on Aug 10
COMPREHENSIVE Community Health Centers (CCHC) in partnership with Anthem Blue Cross, L.A. Care Health Plan, Quest Diagnostics, Blue Shield of California and Health Net invites members of the multicultural community to CCHC National Health Center Week (NHCW) – Multicultural Health Fair and Children’s Appreciation Day celebration to be held on Saturday, August 10, 2024, 9:30 a.m. at the Clinic Parking Lot - 801 S. Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale, CA 91205. The annual health fair and children’s health day supports CCHC 20th year of excellence ensuring the health and wellness of those we serve, so they may reach their fullest potential.
CCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and a California Non-Profit Public benefit Corporation that operates and administers six community health centers across Los Angeles County, including Glendale, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Sunland, North Hollywood and Arleta. The center provides dental, medical, and behavioral health services to children and adults from diverse and underserved communities regardless of immigration status. Established in 2004, CCHC has over 20 years of experience providing healthcare services to California’s most diverse populations and has grown to become one of the leading FQHCs in Los Angeles County. CCHC also administer a Mobile Clinic, an on-site Clinic-On-Wheels bringing health care professionals together to address the needs of underserved adult, children, youth and family members or the broader school and community.
The annual event serves and provide low-income, uninsured and undocumented individuals with access to primary care, health screenings, and education and social-welfare referrals. What is significant about this event is that it is a partnership that enjoys the power of an entire health community and would greatly advance our goal of providing health access in our communities.
The timing of NHCW-Children’s Appreciation Day lends itself well to engaging the youngest members of our communities as they prepare to return to school. At the event, CCHC will be hosting Back-to-School Backpacks and Shoes distribution for our 1000 children patients and underserved children from our school partners in Glendale and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.
Also, during the event, CCHC will recognize distinguish community leaders and elected officials by presenting the NHCW-Stakeholders Appreciation Award including Mayor Elen Asatryan of the City of Glendale, Superintendent Darneika Watson of Glendale Unified School District, Consul General Karen Israyelyan of the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia and Supervisor Kathryn Barger of the 5th District of Los Angeles County. For more information, contact CCHC at 818.630.2204 or email outreach@cchccenters.org. g
Liza Soberano now has...
screen role after her impactful portrayal as Taffy in “Lisa Frankenstein,” and she is, too.
“I’ve been very, very busy, but I’m actually so excited to get back into actual filming work,” she shared.
What I can tell you is, we all know Hollywood is no easy journey and Liza has been making sure that she is planting the right seeds to be in the industry for the long haul. Patience, strategy and persistence are what Liza is showing. Landing the next big project is not a walk in the park, but she soldiers on.
“I’ve been taking in also a lot of auditions,” she said.
As she should! Liza said that she is not stopping with her plans to represent the country in Tinseltown.
Right now, Liza is sharpening her skills in acting, learning from the 12-time Best Acting Coach in the business.
“I’ve been taking acting classes. I’ve been very busy with that, and I’m taking that four times a week with this amazing acting coach named Alex Taylor.”
Wow! The Taylor Studio of Alex Taylor is actually one of the top five acting schools in Hollywood.
According to his profile, Alex is the youngest acting teacher to have worked with legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. He was in the last class to work with Meisner before Meisner’s death in 1997. So, Liza is
UCLA Filipino alumnus presents ‘ethics and compliance in corporate America’ seminar to national audience
ON July 13, 2024, University of California Los Angeles alumnus and California State University Los Angeles Associate Professor
Bobby Rimas presented the “Ethics and Compliance in Corporate America” seminar at the National Association of Legal Assistants’ (NALA) Conference and Expo at the Downtown Louisville Kentucky Marriott to a live audience and individuals who attended the seminar virtually across the nation.
The “Ethics and Compliance in Corporate America” seminar provided an overview of the core elements of ethics within corporate America and how legal teams often address and mitigate ethical and compliance issues that can help companies determine organizational culture and success.
Rimas indicated that he was honored to present at the NALA Conference & Expo where he has previously presented seminars in prior years in Charleston, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida. After the seminar, NALA’s immediate past president Debbie Overstreet, ACP, congratulated Rimas and indicated via the conference’s Facebook page: “A full house for Bobby Rimas’ session on Ethics and Compliance in Corporate America. Another fantastic
CLE session brought to you by NALA…”
Rimas is an Associate Professor at California State University Los Angeles, an Adjunct Instructor at West Los Angeles College, an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of La Verne, and a Board Member for the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Lambda Alumni Association. He is also a Paralegal at the Larson LLP law firm in Downtown Los Angeles and serves as Commissioner for the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission. In May 2024, he was elected Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Stonewall Democratic Club, one of the largest Democratic clubs in California.
Rimas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in History from UCLA, a Master of Legal Studies degree, cum laude, with a concentration in Compliance and Legal Risk Management from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and a Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Diversity, Equity & Social Justice in Education from The University of Texas at El Paso. He is the past chair/president of the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association and past president of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association. g
learning the Meisner approach, wherein actors do not focus on themselves and instead concentrate on the other actors in the immediate environment. It is one of the most prevalent techniques in Hollywood today.
What is more significant about Liza’s acting school is that she is also working with the same acting coach as Johnny Depp, Jessica Lange, Meg Ryan, and Mickey Rourke. Okay, Liza! Good move! We see where this one is going.
Given that Liza has been around and has deep roots in the Philippine scene, she said that all that she is doing is for her Filipino fans, “Like with anything, I have been hands-on. I’ve been setting up businesses in L.A. and my production company.” Like the creative that she is, Liza has been collaborating with international producers.
“I am the Philippine producer, but I am also working with people from L.A. and people from Korea,” said she.
Another major life update, too, is that finally, Liza has already moved into her own apartment in Los Angeles. We even played around with the idea of an apartment tour, to which she made the most sensible reply. “ Hindi ko alam! Nakakatakot mag- apartment tour doon, buti kung dito sa Pinas! Okay lang sa Pinas kasi safe baka may kidnapper na pumasok kapag doon ! hahahaha!”
See you when we see you next time, Liza. g
NALA past president Debbie Overstreet, ACP, congratulates seminar speaker Bobby Rimas, M.L.S., M.A.Ed. at NALA’s Conference & Expo at the Louisville Downtown Marriott. Photo courtesy of Bobby Rimas
CSULA Associate Professor Bobby Rimas during his presentation at the NALA Conference & Expo. Photo from NALA Facebook page
How to achieve your summer body
Randy Santiago to perform at NWR’s
to enjoy a little bit of everything
ALLOW me rephrase that title more accurately. What I was meaning to say was, “how to achieve your summer bod the fast (rather the fastest) way. With summer underway, it is not surprising for many people to aim for their summer-body goals. For most of them, it is losing weight; for some, it is gaining weight, while others would be to build muscles. And if you happen to be one of them, I am almost certain that you have tried working out longer or harder than usual to get you closer to your goal. And while some of you may have actually succeeded, there are still those who struggle with fat-burning and muscle-building no matter how hard they worked.
Come to think of it: an average person can do about 50 to 200 crunches a day and are still likely to not achieve the results they wanted..”If only there is a machine that would yield results faster or one that is equivalent to 20,000-crunches in as little as 30 minutes…” Well, if you had to wonder, that means you have not heard about EMSCULPT NEO. Let me clue you in.
EMSCULPT NEO is the first
non-invasive device designed to eliminate fat cells and build muscle non-invasively by a combining radio-frequency heating & HIFEM in a single 30-minute treatment session. It is available at our MedSpa (both in Beverly Hills and Rancho Cucamonga), as one of the legitimate and FDA-approved (machine) providers in the city. It is clinically proven to reduce fat in the abdominal area, flanks, arms, butt, thighs, and prepares muscles for exposure to stress which is somewhat similar to what a warm-up activity does before any workout. However, this doesn’t mean that doing daily crunches does not do anything for your body. Of course, it does. But would you have the time, stamina and sheer determination to consistently maintain that routine? Eventually, you would reach (or maybe already have)
a point where you are too busy or too tired to work out as much as you want or used to. And when you get to that, you would want a good alternative “do the work” without having to actually “work.”
Plus, EMSCULPT NEO works faster! It does not only do the work for you, it does it FASTER than you could have done it yourself. It is perfect for those who are to busy go to the gym or too tired to lift weights. You can just relax and enjoy the treatment and wait for the result.
In one of my conversations with a celebrity client, we talked about the challenges in toning specific parts of our body. She mentioned that the toughest to address are the arms. This goes the same for most of my clients. Some of them admitted to hiding their arms by wearing clothes that conceal the arm area.
The abdominal area and “love handles” are also among those body parts that are much tougher to tone down – even if you are a size 0 or 1. Sometimes it is not always the weight that needed “fixing.” Some parts of our body require special attention no matter how much (or how less) we weight.
Your mid-body is your core, and if you carry about 5-10 pounds of excess fat in you abdominal areas while walking, that significant amount of weight would likely and eventually lead to back pain or a weaker knee.
With a technology like EMSCULPT NEO, the fat cells die and are naturally eliminated from the body through metabolic processes. It is clinically proven to burn fat and build muscles. We recommend this as part of a treatment plan for those who are suffering from excess weight especially on the abdominal area, which is a common problem for those who are overweight. So how do we incorporate “diet” in this program? In my consultations, I always talk about looking good for health reasons. We teach our clients to work with their bodies and make their programs “work for them” and not the other way around. Don’t think of diet as a way to “restrict yourself unnecessarily.” Instead, be smart with your food intake and find the balance between eating right while still getting
. Everyone needs moderate carbs and a healthy amount of meat, fish, while adding more vegetables and fruits to your daily meal . One way to enjoy your proteins is to learn how to alternate meat and fish.
When it comes to body or face treatment, the key is to be consistent with what’s best for you. And in cases such as “racing against time” (specifically by summertime), Our amazing weight-loss protocol with EMSCULPT NEO is your ticket to getting your summer-bod faster than you’ve ever tried. As I always remind my clients: “Beauty is a lifestyle.” And, there is no time like the present to start that lifestyle.
If you are in the LA area, feel free to swing by iSkin Beverly Hills. And if you happen to be in the Inland Empire and Orange County, we have MiSkin Spa for your self-love and selfpampering needs. For more information you may visit iskinbeverlyhills.com.
Visit iSkin Med Spa and MiSkin MedSpa for a free consultation. iSkin is located at 8665 Wilshire Blvd. Penthouse Beverly Hills ,90211 or call 424382-1002
MiSkin MedSpa is located at 9227 Haven Ave. Suite 120 in Rancho Cucamonga, 91370 or call 909-9898464.
You may also follow us on social media: @iskinmedspa and @miskinmedspa or watch her Youtube channel that talks about how you can make “beauty a lifestyle,” on “Beauty Talk with Imee.” *
Known to several Filipino-American awarding circles, Imee has been awarded the “Premier in Beauty and Skin Treatment.” for iSkin Face and Body Spa. She maintains a monthly beauty column on Asian Journal, and a YouTube Channel, “Beauty Talk With Imee.” Imee Ong-Maghanoy is an established aesthetician, a business owner and CEO of iSkin Beverly Hills, iSkin MedSpa and MiSkin MedSpa. Imee has been in the aesthetics industry for more than 20 years. She has a degree in Biology and Doctor of Dental Medicine. iSkin MedSpa and MiSkin MedSpa are fast emerging as a top spa destination in LA. iSkin is located at 8665 Wilshire Blvd penthouse Beverly Hills, CA 90211. MiSkin MedSpa is located at 9227 Haven Ave. Suite 120 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91370. (Advertising Supplement)
Bar
360; Philstagers’ musical version of ‘Juan Luna’ coming soon
My P.E.P. (People, Events,Places)
ROGELIO CONSTANTINO MEDINA
RANDY Santiago, OPM’s one and only EyeCon dubbed as Mr. Private Eyes, had an engaging performance on August 3 at Bar 360 in Newport World Resorts (NWR), with the Serenity band. Recently, his son Raiko, or Rainier Nikolo Lorenzo Coronel Santiago, graduated with Honorable Mention and Loyalty Award from De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde. He said, “So proud of this hardworking son of ours who works for me as production and tour manager of Private Eyes and still managed to study online especially during the pandemic... He managed his time between working and studying online while we were doing the Eye Labyu U.S. Tour... He did very well as we flew back and forth from East Coast to West Coast. So much pressure including time difference,” said Randy, who was my classmate at De La Salle University-Manila.
*
* * I was a guest recently in The Voice of Senior Citizens at DZME TV Cable Link Channel 5 and DZME 1530 AM Band from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., with Congressman Godofredo Arquiza, Sure Manuel and director Raymard Gutierrez, assessing the situation of senior citizens in the Philippines.
*
* * Singer Louie Heredia, known for his phenomenal song “Nagiisang Ikaw,” reminisced to me that: “My bosses at Vicor Music Corp. wanted me to sing Tagalog songs because they felt that I would be able to reach to the masses, or ordinary people, more if I sang Tagalog songs. So they gave me Nag-iisang Ikaw, composed and tailor-made by one of the country’s top composers Vehnee Saturno. At first I did not want to sing this song since I found it so ‘baduy’ (in poor taste). It was then not my style but an insider in Vicor told me that if I did not record the song, they would release me from my contract with them. So, I had no choice but to record the song.” Louie took up business management at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California and graduated cum laude in 1987.
“Vehnee Saturno, aside from being the composer of the song, was also assigned to be the producer of the song. He guided me every inch of the way during the recording of Nagiisang Ikaw, and I guess we did everything right since the song gave me a Double Platinum Record Award and this is the same song that made Louie
Heredia,” he added. To this date, many other top performers have revived Nagiisang Ikaw.
* * * Congrats to the winners of the PSF (Philippine Stagers Foundation) Theater Festival 2024 Thumbs Up Awards as well as to the PSF Workshop and Masterclass Batch 2024 graduates. The PSF, or Philstagers, the national mobile theater company in the Philippines, announces the biggest, grandest and most spectacular All-Original Filipino Musical based on the life story of the misunderstood and highly questionable character of a national hero, Juan Luna. Written and directed by Atty. Vince Tañada, the musical brings us to late 1800s Manila and Europe up to the death of Luna in Hong Kong. The avantgarde, neo-cinematic musical is billed as “Juan Luna, Isang
Sarsuela” – a lavish, most expensive and highly technical stage piece but maintaining its classical and elegant literary masterpiece and musicality. The musical will run from August 2024 to April 2025 in various theaters all over the Philippines, true to the vision and mission of the theater company in bringing quality theater to the masses and in turn educating its audience on Philippine history, culture, tradition, patriotism and national identity.
* * * Congrats to Mabalacat City College (MCC) of Mabalacat City, Pampanga for being praised by Pres. Bongbong
in
was bestowed a prestigious award as Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year by Times Higher Education in United Kingdom.
Dr. Fernando de la Pena (right) with his dad Paquito Diaz in a photo
from 2003.
OMI chairman Marlon Mendoza (middle) with friends.
Randy Santiago with his son Raiko during the latter’s graduation in P.I.C.C. Manila. Photos courtesy of Rogelio C. Medina
Louie Heredia gives moral support to current Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos attends the GMA GALA 2024. With her in the photo are Annette Gozon-Valdes and Shintaro Valdes.
PAGE B7
Marcos
SONA 2024. MCC
MCC president Michelle Ong with Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero during the recent U.S. Independence Day reception in Fairmont, Makati.
Can I file a divorce in California if my spouse resides outside California?
‘Our prayers. God’s answers.’
Pastor’s Notes
no other state is the child’s home state or when all court’s having jurisdiction over the child has declined to act and deferred to California as the more appropriate place to make custody orders. California may also exercise jurisdiction if no other state would have jurisdiction over the child.
* *
*
THIS is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. The California Courts has the power to grant a divorce, annulment, or legal separation if either party is domiciled in the state. Domicile is where a person lives and intends to remain. However, there is an additional requirement if you are seeking a divorce rather than annulment or legal separation. To obtain a divorce in California, one of the parties must have been a resident of California for six months immediately before the filing of the divorce petition. Responding spouses can use this requirement as a defense if the Petitioning spouse does not meet such requirement when the petitioner filed for divorce. In addition, divorce petitions may be filed in the county where at least one spouse resided for 3 months immediately prior to filing the petition. Now apart from getting a divorce, legal separation, or annulled status, there may be issues relating to distributing community and separate
properties between the spouses and awarding support payments. In order for the California Courts to have the power to make orders, the California Courts must have personal jurisdiction over the respondent. Personal jurisdiction means the respondent has minimum contacts with California even if not physically here. Some of the factors looked at is respondents presence in the state, domicile, residence, citizenship, consent, appearance in the action, doing business in the state, doing an act that causes an effect in the state, ownership in the state, other relationship to the state. If the respondent does not have minimum contact with California, respondent may challenge any orders relating to distribution of property and support based on the court’s lack of jurisdiction.
reverend rodel G. BAlAGtAs
in this Sunday’s (August 4) First Reading from the Book of Exodus (16:2-4, 13-15). I must learn to be content with the blessings He bestows upon me, express gratitude, and have faith in His plan for my life. It is crucial to maintain trust in His companionship along my journey.
Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement) Atty. Kenneth
With regards to initial child custody issues, these issues are resolved under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. California Courts have the power to make initial custody orders if it is the child’s home state at the time the action was filed. California may also assume power to make custody orders if California has been the child’s home state within six months before the action was filed, the child is absent form California, and a parent continues to live in California. California may also exercise jurisdiction when
Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APC. This article is not a solicitation.
IS it possible that God answers our prayers in ways that do not align exactly with our desires? Or is it that while God answers our prayers, He may not shield us entirely from challenges or distress? He may provide assistance through the people He sends our way, but still, we are required to exercise patience in dealing with our struggles. Recently, I prayed to God for help. I believe He responded by directing the right person to aid me through my difficulties. However, I continue to face God’s challenge of trusting Him and committing all my worries and concerns to His care. This entails refraining from murmuring against God or anyone else, as illustrated
Complete confidence in God or surrendering to His will is not a simple task. Yet, I firmly believe that God recognizes our sincere efforts in embracing His providential care for us and will reward us spiritually in His divine timing.
Often, the key to overcoming life’s challenges lies not in finding a definitive solution but in cultivating virtues like courage, patience, hope, and trust to face life’s complexities with resilience. This resilience itself is a grace from God.
I recall a poignant story concerning the encounter between John Kavanaugh, a renowned ethicist, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. John spent three months working at “the
house of the dying,” seeking guidance on how to best serve his remaining days. Upon meeting Mother Teresa, he requested her prayers for clarity. However, her response was unexpected. She denied his request, emphasizing that clinging to clarity was hindering his spiritual progress. Instead, she advocated for trust in God, highlighting her own reliance on trust rather than clarity in her remarkable journey. Indeed, what we often seek as ‘bread’ from God may not align with our true needs. Rather, the essential gift we require is unwavering faith in God under all circumstances. May God bless us with this precious gift of faith.
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal,
Fr.
Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
Cooky Chua, Lolita Carbon, other OPM singers to hold fundraising gig for Coritha
By anne Pasajol Inquirer.net
Pokwang recalls personal trauma upon seeing ‘Pulang Araw’ scene
— Even celebrities are glued to the currently most watched Filipino drama Pulang Araw” on Netflix, as the Japanese colonial period drama retained its top spot on Netflix Philippines days after its premiere last week. Fans were able to screenshot actor JC Santos’ Instagram By Kathleen a llemit Philstar.com
Stories where he was seen enjoying an episode of the GMA-7 drama. “I am at episode one and I am loving it. Great work, Pulang Araw team! Currently No. 1 @ netflixph,” wrote the actor. Comedian-host Pokwang also posted about the trending drama on X, formerly Twitter. Tutok na tutok na ako
OPM singers including Cooky Chua, Lolita Carbon and Bayang Barrios organized a show to raise funds for folk singer Coritha, who has been bedridden after suffering from a stroke. The gig entitled “Awit para kay Coritha” will include performances from Barrios and Mike Villegas, Becky and Lester Demetillo, Bobby Mondejar and Friends, Chickoy Pura, Corky and Kiko, Chua and Kwachi Vergara, Carbon, and Toto Sorioso, as seen in the poster shared by Chua on her Facebook page on Wednesday, July 31.
Scheduled on Aug. 5, the show will be held at My Brothers Mustache in Quezon City with P500 show charge.
Barrios also called for in-kind donations for Coritha’s everyday needs, such as milk, nasogastric tube, adult diapers and wipes.
Coritha, best known for her songs “Oras Na,” “Lolo Jose,” Gising Na, O Kuya Ko” and “Sierra Madre,” has been living with her partner Chito Santos in Tagaytay after her Quezon City home was destroyed by fire in 2018. “Akala ko hindi na siya tatagal. Sabi ko, ‘Iiwan mo na ako?’
Parang ayaw niya, pilit siyang lumalaban e,” Santos said in an interview with broadcaster Julius Babao, who visited the couple in their home.
Hindi kami pinababayaan ng langit. Hindi umaabot sa magutom kami kasi laging may dumadating na tulong,” Santos added. g
Rodel “Odey”
Photo from Facebook/Cooky Chua
Five outstanding Fil-Am college-bound students to be honored
LOS ANGELES – Five collegebound students are recipients of supplemental scholarship grants from APO Global Foundation, Inc.
The students, who were nominated by their high school and career guidance counselors, will receive $1,000 each so they can jump start and tied them over in their freshman college career path.
The five Filipino-American scholars were judged by their school’s nominators on the basis of their academic merits or GPA (85%), extra-curricular activities (8%), written essay (5%) and school size (2%). The essay topic or theme that they submitted as part of the criteria for being considered as grantees is: “How can I help uplift my Filipino heritage and how can I be a positive contributor for the betterment and welfare of our community.”
The student scholarship awardees who will be honored on Aug. 17, 2024, 4 p.m. at Parkside Cerritos Clubhouse at 166th Street corner Redwood Ave., Cerritos are Sara Jane D
Alyssa Iidd
Sarajena, Alyssa Iida, Jezreel Villegas, Aubrey Faith B. Reyes and Mitch Cris De Guzman. Sarajena, who graduated from Eagle Rock High School, will be attending Pasadena City College and hopes to pursue Nursing as a pediatric or NICU nurse.
Iida, an alumna of North High School in Torrance, will take up Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology in UCLA. Villegas, who finished high school at Hollywood High, will be
Jezreel G. Villegas
attending University of California San Diego and will take up Human Biology. He wants to be a part of the healthcare industry as physician assistant. Reyes, also a product of Hollywood High School, will attend the University of San Diego as well with a major in Political Science, but is interested to have a career in business.
De Guzman, a graduate of Granada Hills Charter High
School, will be an incoming freshman at UCLA, majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. He hopes to be a neurologist or cardiologist someday.
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.
* * denino1951@gmail.com
Actor Sandro Muhlach
GMA contractors named in Sandro Muhlach issue release statement
By Kathleen a llemit Philstar.com
MANILA — The two GMA independent contractors identified in the issue involving actor Sandro Muhlach have issued a statement through their lawyer.
In the “24 Oras” report aired on Thursday, August 1, lawyer Maggie Abraham-Garduque sent a statement in behalf of her clients Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz. Cruz and Nones have yet to receive a copy of the formal complaint.
“Our clients are deeply saddened by the serious allegations hurled against them circulating on social media. And though these allegations do not mirror the true accounts of the event, we would like to reserve the right to respond in a proper forum when we receive a copy of the formal complaint,” the statement read. Their camp also asked for the public to refrain from posting “baseless defamatory
allegations” that can subject them to “publicity trial.”
“For the meantime, we urge the public to respect the investigation being conducted on this case and we advise people who have no personal knowledge of the incident to refrain from posting baseless defamatory allegations and therefore unfairly subjecting both parties to publicity trial,” it added.
GMA released statements regarding this incident, saying that it has already initiated its own investigation.
Actor Niño Muhlach in a text message to GMA News said that they are in the process of filing a criminal case. He will issue a statement after it. “Tinatapos lang po namin i-file criminal case then I’ll talk,” he said. Niño recently penned a cryptic post amid the issue surrounding a GMA-7 artist and independent contractors. In his Facebook account, Niño wrote: “INUMPISAHAN NYO, TATAPUSIN KO!” Niño is the father of Sandro. g
Elvis Gutierrez, kids’ hug...
others, paid their last respects to the late entrepreneur.
Family members, including her father-in-law Eddie Gutierrez, delivered their emotional eulogies. Ezra also performed a dance number to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Elvis also delivered a loving tribute to his beloved wife, as he fondly recalled how they met.
“She gave me so much love. ‘Yung love niya (her love) for me; I have never felt it before,” he said. “She taught me how to love so hard. I’ve never loved like that before, and I don’t think I ever would.”
“Now I seriously don’t know how I’d feel a year from now. When the emptiness starts to creep in. When I miss her, telling me, ‘Babe, touch my feet, touch my head,’ simple things like that. I’m going to miss everything she did for me. I’m going to miss everything that she is,” Elvis added.
Alexa’s inurnment was held on Thursday, Aug. 1, after holding a wake at the Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, McKinley Road in Makati City from July 29 to 31. (By Jessica Ann Evangelista/Inquirer. net) g
Aubrey Faith B. Reyes
Sara Jane Sarajena
Mitch Cris De Guzman
Elvis Gutierrez with his kids at his wife Alexa’s wake Photo from Instagram/@mfvillaruz, @patricia.uichico via @iloveruffag
Pokwang recalls personal...
sa #PulangArawOnNetflix
#PulangArawBodabil. Mahusay lahat lalo na ‘yung gumanap na batang @dealwithBARBIE.
Galing niya. Galing nilang lahat infairnessssss,” she wrote on her July 30 X post. Barbie is one of the lead stars of the show. The young version of her character named Adelina is played by child star Cassy Lavarias.
Pokwang followed up her first post about the show with another complimentary tweet. It was a scene with the young Adelina who accompanied her older brother, played by Franchesco Maafi, to his American father. Young Adelina and Eduardo are left homeless after their mother Fina (Rhian Ramos) died of Tuberculosis, which had no cure in 1931. Eduardo begged for his father to give them money so they could pay for their temporary shelter. Adult Eduardo will be played by Alden Richards. “Grabe nakaka-relate waaaa
Kung sa bagay kailan ka ba naging ama para sakin???? Ouch!!!” the comedian-host
tweeted.
Many online users think Pokwang was able to relate to the situation as she went through a difficult separation from her ex, Lee O’Brian.
The American actor was deported from the country last April for failing to secure the required permits from the Department of Labor and Employment and from the Bureau of Immigration.
Pokwang also filed complaints against O’Brian for financial abuse, intimidation and abandonment of their daughter Malia.
Pulang Araw,” meanwhile, retained its top spot as the most watched drama on Netflix Philippines since it premiered last July 26.
The drama tells the story of four friends who will go through life, love and heartbreaks amid the onslaught of World War II in the Philippines.
It stars Alden Richards, Sanya Lopez, David Licauco and Barbie Forteza, with Dennis Trillo in his first major villain role on TV. It also airs on GMA-7 weekdays after “24 Oras.” g
Randy Santiago to perform at NWR’s Bar 360...
It is headed by MCC president Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, also a former producer of films directed by multiawarded Kapampangan director Carlo Enciso Catu. She is the former TV host of a weekly public affairs program on GNNTV 44 in Pampanga.
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Zumba instructors joined together in Quezon City Memorial Circle to show their concern for the environment. Among them were Maricris Wee, Mike, Winston, James, Aris and Jason of Live Love Party (LLP) Crew; Jenito, Camper and Gilbert of South Vibes Est. 2020; Charly Esquejo and Jayz Blanco of TML; Mark and Che of MNL Crew Est. 2018; Lhou and Ace of Lou & Ace Fitness Group; and Erwin Mendana of AE5.
It is spearheaded by One Movement Inc. headed by chairman Marlon Mendoza, with the support of former Eat Bulaga and Solid Gold dancer Emily Samson. Singer Imelda Papin, with her daughter Maffi and her sister Aileen, attended this worthy cause.
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First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos attended recently the GMA Gala 2024, and she was seen with GMA Films president Annette Gozon-Valdes and actor Shintaro Valdes, a fellow La Sallite. Meanwhile, on August 10, some young talents from Sparkle GMA Artist Center will be recognized as Philippine Empowered Youth 2024 at Teatrino Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan City.
Among the young Sparkle GMA Artists to be recognized are as follows: James Graham, Charlie Fleming, Zyren dela Cruz, Waynona Collings, Travis Clarino, Shane Sava, Selina Griffin, Princess Aliyah, Patricia Coma, Mark Oliveros, Liezel Lopez, Liana Mae, Lee Victor, Kimson Tan, Keisha Serna, Kaloy Tingcungco, Josh Ford, Jade Tecson, Hannah Arguelles, Gaea Mischa, Brent Valdez, and Aya Domingo.
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Dr. Fernando dela Pena, a Californiabased dentist, is the eldest son of the late actor Paquito Diaz and 1969 FAMAS Best Supporting Actress Eva Darren.
Dr. De la Pena finished college at Centro Escolar University-College of Dentistry in Manila in 1992. Afterwards, he went to the U.S. His younger brother actor Joko Diaz and sister actress Cheska Diaz and other siblings often visit him there.
“My best memories of my dad was when he came to see me on my birthday. No matter how busy he was, he always found time to see me,” he said.
Dr. de la Pena’s practice’s website (De La Pena Dental Group) is www. losangelesdentist.la, while the school website of Los Angeles School of Dental Assisting is www. losangelesdentalassistant.com and is located along Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Fernando is named after Fernando Poe Jr., his dad’s bosom friend. He also writes articles about the Philippine Dental Association.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * rogeliocmedina@yahoo.com
OJ Arci with Lance Cabradilla (left) and John Kenette Intano (right) in Philstagers’ “I Didith Show.” Singer Maffi Papin Carrion (3rd from left) with OMI’s Emily Samson (extreme left) and friends.
From left: Ray Gutierrez, Sure Manuel, Cong. Fred Arquiza and Rogelio Medina.
A poster for the musical “Juan Luna, Isang Sarsuela” which will be staged by Philstagers Foundation in various theatres starting August 2024.
The historical drama ‘Pulang Araw,’ marking the first collaboration between Netflix and GMA Network, stars (from left) Barbie Forteza as Adelina, Sanya Lopez as Teresita, David Licauco as Hiroshi, and Alden Richards as Eduardo. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. The show is now streaming on Netflix. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Young Eduardo and Adelina dela Cruz (played by Franchesco Maafi and Cassy Lavarias) in a scene in the period drama ‘Pulang Araw,’ currently the most watched series on Netflix Philippines and airs weekdays on GMA-7 after ‘24 Oras.’ Online users notice the sky in the scene resembles the Philippine flag. ‘Pulang Araw,’ GMA Entertainment Group, screenshot
