Gia Pergolini delivers the U.S. team’s first gold at the Paralympic Games
foLLoWING the conclusion of the 2024 Paris olympics, the city seamlessly transitioned into hosting the 2024 Paralympics, where filipino athletes have been making significant strides in the medal race. Among the standout performers is Gia Pergolini, a filipino American swimmer who captured gold at just 20 years old. Competing in the 100-meter backstroke s13, Pergolini secured her victory with an impressive time of 1:04.93. And it’s her second time around. reflecting on her achievement, Pergolini shared with USA Today, “I’m just so happy to be here and representing one of the greatest countries in the world and getting its first gold medal at the Paralympics. It’s just unreal, especially after watching the olympians dominate the olympics, I wanted to do that here and I’m so glad I got to do
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Procession held to honor FilAm cop killed in pursuit crash
Community mourns death of San Diego police officer Austin Machitar
sAN DIeGo – A procession was held friday, August 30 to honor filipino American police officer Austin machitar, who was killed in a fiery crash while pursuing a suspect in san Diego. first responders from the san Diego firerescue and the san Diego Police Department (sDPD) stood with their vehicles on the bridges near the state route 52 interchange to pay tribute to sDPD officer michitar, who was on his way to his final resting place, foX 5 reported. machitar’s body was being moved from the san Diego County medical examiner’s office to el Camino memorial in sorrento Valley ahead of his funeral. Community members have been mourning the loss of machitar, bringing flowers and candles to the scene of the crash. others brought cards and flowers to the Northern Division police station where the filAm officer was assigned. the American flag was flown half-staff at the station in honor of machitar, who served
US condemns China’s aggression, reminds defense treaty covers attacks
by ian laqui Philstar.com
m ANILA— t he United s tates has condemned the recent aggression by Chinese maritime forces against a Philippine Coast Guard ship on August 31 (manila time).
the U.s., a treaty ally of the Philippines, called the incident “dangerous and escalatory,” according to a statement from the U.s state Department. the condemnation follows a Chinese Coast Guard vessel’s ramming of the Philippine Coast Guard’s BrP teresa magbanua three times near escoda shoal. “ t he P r C’s unlawful claims of ‘territorial
DepEd in the dark on
by reinaTolenTino and BernadeTTe Tamayo ManilaTimes.net
August 31.
“With a heavy heart and unwavering resolve, I strongly condemn the recent acts of aggression by the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine sea. the ramming of the BrP teresa magbanua, one of our largest and most modern patrol vessels, is a troubling incident that raises serious questions about respect for international law and our nation’s dignity,” romualdez said.
“this event, the fifth of its kind this month alone, represents a significant escalation in tensions over the escoda (sabina) shoal — an area clearly within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (eeZ),” he said. romualdez said the CCG’s actions “are cause for serious reflection” and prompt the Philippines must reassess how
how VP Sara spent confidential
by crisTina chi Philstar.com
mANILA — the Department of education’s finance unit is not aware of how Vice President sara Duterte spent the department’s P112.5 million in confidential funds in 2023.
Deped Undersecretary Annalyn sevilla told the house appropriations committee on monday, september 3, that the finance department was not involved in the “process of utilization and liquidation” of the secret fund. After releasing three-quarters of the P150-million confidential fund lodged in
funds
the agency’s 2023 budget, sevilla said the finance unit “recorded [the confidential funds] as liquidated because we were given a copy of the cover letter only of the liquidation.” Dep e d did not release the remaining confidential funds for the fourth quarter of 2023 because no request was made.
sevilla explained that Deped adhered to the Commission on Audit’s 2015 joint circular that governs the release of confidential funds through cash advances. there is a three-month requirement, that it (the confidential fund) should be released u PAGE 3
Alice Guo arrested in Indonesia
mANILA — Unseated Bamban, tarlac mayor Alice Guo has been arrested in tangerang City, Jakarta, Indonesia, government authorities said on Wednesday, september 4. the Department of Justice said based on information provided by senior superintendent Audie Latuheru of the Indonesian Police, Guo, also known as Guo hua Ping, was apprehended at 11:58 p,m. on tuesday, september 3. this development has been verified by our counterparts in Immigration, who have confirmed that ms. Guo is currently in the custody of the Indonesian Police at
Jatanras mabes Polri," the DoJ said.
In a statement, Justice secretary Jesus Crispin remulla described the arrest of Guo as a "testament to the tireless efforts of our law enforcement agencies and the strength of international cooperation in bringing fugitives to justice."
"We will ensure that all legal processes are followed to hold her accountable for any crimes committed," remulla said. sen. sherwin Gatchalian said he got the information of Guo's arrest from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
"We extend our heartfelt thanks to u PAGE 5
by neil Jayson servallos Philstar.com
DFA urged to bring China’s ‘concerning’ acts...
it protects its maritime rights and interests.
“It is time for us to consider stronger measures. We should enhance our presence in the West Philippine sea, reinforce our alliances, and ensure that our capabilities are sufficient to protect our sovereign rights,” he said.
romualdez said the global community, including the United Nations, “should be made aware of these concerning actions.”
surigao del Norte 2nd District rep. robert Ace Barbers condemned what he described as “bullying” by the CCG.
“While our PCG still practices maximum tolerance, we should all stand our ground against the China Coast Guard’s brazen bullying and violence against our sailors,” Barbers said in a statement on sunday.
In a statement on saturday (sunday in manila), U.s. Department of state spokesman matthew miller said the “United states stands with its ally, the Philippines.” miller reiterated the U.s.’ call for China “to comport its claims and actions with international law and to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.” the U.s. condemned Beijing’s “dangerous and escalatory actions ... against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of sabina shoal in the south China sea on August 31.”
China’s “unlawful claims of
‘territorial sovereignty’ over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, threaten the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations,” miller said.
he said that a China Coast Guard vessel “deliberately collided three times with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel exercising its freedom of navigation in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, causing damage to the vessel and jeopardizing the safety of the crew onboard.”
on multiple occasions throughout August 2024, the PrC (People’s republic of China) has aggressively disrupted lawful Philippine aerial and maritime operations in the south China sea, including at sabina shoal,” he said.
Japanese Ambassador to manila endo Kazuya said Japan stands with the Philippines in upholding the rule of law as he expressed concern over China’s repeated dangerous actions in the south China sea.
endo on sunday, september 1 said as a stakeholder of the south China sea, Japan was seriously concerned over the repeated incidents, including the collision by a CCG vessel against a Philippine vessel.”
“Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” endo posted on X. he said tokyo would “continue working in coordination with the
international community to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
the envoy said the issue “with regard to the south China sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community.”
the issue is also an important matter of interest for Japan, which depends on sea transport for most of its resources and energy,” he said.
Japan raised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the sea (Unclos).
endo said Unclos “sets forth the conditions for the application of baselines in a specific and exhaustive manner, whereas China has failed to invoke the relevant provisions of Unclos in asserting the lawfulness of the baselines in question.”
the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016 ruled that the “historical rights” based on the “nine-dash line” claimed by China were found to be contrary to Unclos and were clearly denied.
r egrettably, China has not changed its position of not accepting the Arbitral tribunal’s award to the Philippines and China and has continued to assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with the Unclos,” he said. n
US condemns China’s aggression...
to desist from “dangerous and
conduct.”
It also reaffirmed the 73-year-
m utual Defense t reaty,
stating that it covers any attacks on Philippine assets. the United states reaffirms that Article IV of the 1951 United states-Philippines mutual Defense treaty extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft – including those of its Coast Guard – anywhere in the south China sea,” the statement read. the ramming caused damage to the Japan-made Coast Guard ship, according to Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay tarriela. t hese are the damages sustained by B r P t eresa magbanua due to the unprovoked ramming by China Coast Guard 5205,” tarriela shared on X (formerly twitter). the incident marks the seventh instance of aggression by Chinese forces in the West Philippine sea. Before this, multiple Chinese vessels fired water cannons simultaneously on a Bureau of fisheries and Aquatic resources (BfAr) vessel on August 25. three of the seven incidents involved Chinese multi-role fighter jets harassing B f A r survey planes. n PAGE 1
Sea protest Fishermen from Batangas, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite gather in Calatagan, Batangas, on Sept. 1, 2024, to condemn the recent collision between a China Coast Guard vessel and the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua. ManilaTimes.net photo by Ismael De Juan
CRITICAL LEVEL. La Mesa Dam in Quezon City reaches water level of 80.03 meters as of 3 p.m. Monday, September 2, near its spilling level of 80.15 meters. Water from La Mesa Dam, when released, affects low-lying areas along Tullahan Rover from Quezon City (Fairview, Forest Hills Subdivision, Quirino Highway, Sta. Quiteria, and San Bartolome), Valenzuela (North Expressway, La Huerta Subdivision), and Malabon. PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
Kuzma visits creatives house in Poblacion, gives back to Quezon City youth
m ANILA – t he “Kuzmania” fever went high as Kyle Kuzma of the NBA’s Washington Wizards made his first visit to the Philippines the past week for his Kuzmanila tour.
t he 29-year-old, 6-foot-9 Wizards forward received a warm reception from his filipino fans in a series of activities, including an event hosted by a local coffee shop
chain, a press conference, backto-back media interviews, and a visit to the NBA store in sm mall of Asia immediately after landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Amidst his hectic schedule, Kuzma visited the Navitas Learning haus — a hidden oasis located in Poblacion, m akati City, which provides a space for creatives, designers, artists, project visionaries, hobbyists, and interest-based clubs to promote immersive learning. Navitas was founded during the pandemic by a former preschool teacher, elo Coronel-Quiambao, with the goal of reframing learning beyond traditional boundaries.
Coronel-Quiambao toured Kuzma, a self-confessed art enthusiast and a known fashion icon, inside the renovated 50-year-old house, particularly its renowned spaces such as the common room used for creative meetings and workshops, the kitchen used for small cooking classes, the story room used for storytelling sessions, and the “Quriocity” which is used for lectures and exhibits. Kuzma was also briefed about the various programs offered by Navitas such as math is Not the Villain, Auntie’s Artnest, and teacher Jack, which are related to mathematics, arts, and counseling, respectively.
Kuzma lauded the importance of having a learning home such as Navitas. he shared his stories, on the value of play, community, gratitude, creativity, non-linear thinking, and childhood as vital foundations for one’s core.
After visiting Navitas, the NBA star went to Belarmino sports Complex, where he led a basketball clinic for 80 young athletes from Quezon City. Kuzma, who averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and shot 33% of three-pointers in the most recent NBA season, played with young athletes and displayed his savvy basketball moves. the participants also performed offensive and defensive drills with the help of local coaches. the activity ended with Kuzma signing some of the participants’ sports items.
In a media interview, Kuzma emphasized the value of giving back by fulfilling his mission to help others elevate their games and themselves to the next level. he stressed that helping somebody improve is a true sign of a great player.
t he basketball clinic cosponsored by s tradcom Corporation C eo Anthony Quiambao was also graced by Quezon City Vice m ayor Gian sotto, Quezon City sports Action officer Benjamin Afuang, and sK federation president Councilor sami Neri. (Philstar.com)
DepEd in the dark on how
on a quarterly basis. the next is liquidation, which should be upon the head of the agency to the Commission on Audit,” she added.
What’s the process?
Confidential funds, as the name implies, cover expenses linked to confidential surveillance tasks within government agencies.
Auditing confidential and intelligence funds mostly depends on the transparent and accurate submissions of government agencies with these funds.
h owever, state auditors’ 2015 joint circular requires agencies to present a detailed physical and financial plan when requesting such funds. this plan should include estimated amounts for each project, activity, and program.
In DepEd’s own words
Deped’s then-spokesperson michael Poa said in January that the agency’s confidential funds are used for gathering information or intelligence to prevent the alleged participation of students in “illegal activities” by terrorist groups.
In 2022, Deped defended the insertion of the secret funds in its budget by citing several “threats to the learning environment, safety and security of Dep e d personnel.” Using the funds, Dep e d personnel and students were to be protected from sexual abuse, violence, corruption, drug involvement, child pornography and other unlawful issues that “require surveillance and intelligence gathering.”
Duterte’s renewed request for confidential funds for Deped in the 2024 budget drew criticism from lawmakers, who pointed out that Deped and other civilian agencies have “no business” engaging in surveillance activities.
After facing public backlash, the h ouse of representatives decided to strip Duterte of her request for confidential funds and realign this to agencies focused on maritime defense. for 2025, Duterte did not request any confidential
VP Sara spent...
and intelligence funds for the o ffice of the Vice President. there was also no insertion of confidential funds in Deped’s proposed spending plan, which was submitted to the Department of Budget and management prior to Duterte’s resignation on June 19.
Duterte was replaced by former senator sonny Angara on July 19. Reason for resignation
Duterte said the government’s “mishandling” of Deped’s 2024 budget was among the reasons why she stepped down as the department secretary, according to her interview with GmA News in August. the vice president did not substantiate her statement but implied she could not handle Deped’s budget again in 2025 for this reason.
When asked about Duterte’s remarks in an interview, Angara said he is leaving it up to state auditors to determine if there was any mishandling of the budget. n
Kondado ng Contra Costa Konsolidasyong Taunang Pagganap at Ulat ng Ebalwasyon
Ang Kondado ng Contra Costa ay naghanda ng FY 2023/24 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) para sa Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Programs, at Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Ang CAPER ay isang taunang ulat tungkol sa paggamit ng mga pondo ng CDBG, HOME, ESG, HOPWA, at NSP sa panahon ng pag-uulat mula Hulyo 1, 2023 hanggang Hunyo 30, 2024.
Mula Setyembre 6, 2024 hanggang Setyembre 23, 2024, maaaring suriin ng mga interesadong mamamayan ang CAPER sa opisina ng Conservation and Development, 30 Muir Road, Martinez, CA, 94553, mula 8:00 AM hanggang 5:00 PM, o sa sumusunod na web page: http://www.contracosta.ca.gov/CDBG.
Ang mga komento sa ulat ay maaaring ipadala kay Gabriel Lemus, CDBG Program Manager, o kay Kristin Sherk, sa nabanggit na address sa itaas. Ang mga nakasulat na komento ay dapat matanggap bago mag 5:00 PM, sa ika-23 ng Setyembre, 2024.
Ang mga komento ng publiko sa CAPER ay maaari rin gawin sa darating na pagpupulong ng Board of Supervisors sa Martes, ika-24 ng Setyembre, 2024, mga bandang 9:00 AM. Ang mga pagpupulong ng Board ay inilalathalang live sa Comcast Cable 27, ATT/U-Verse Channel 99, at WAVE Channel 32, at maaari ring mapanood ng live online sa www.contracosta.ca.gov. Ang mga taong nais magbigay ng pahayag sa Board sa panahon ng public comment o may kaugnayan sa isang item sa agenda ay maaaring tumawag sa pagpupulong sa pamamagitan ng pag-dial ng (888) 278-0254 at pagpindot ng access code na 843298#. Upang ipahiwatig na nais mong magsalita tungkol sa isang item sa agenda, pindutin ang “#2” sa iyong telepono.
Magbibigay ang Kondado ng mga makatwirang kaluwagan para sa
may kapansanan na nagpaplanong dumalo sa mga
Lupon,
makipag-ugnayan sa Clerk ng Lupon nang hindi bababa sa 24 na oras bago ang pagpupulong, sa numero (925) 655-2000.
mga taong
pulong ng
at dapat
Vice President and former Education Secretary Sara Duterte File photo
SERVICE CARAVAN. Tingog party-list conducts the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers payout for emergency employment in Davao City on Tuesday, Sept. 3. It is part of the MindaNOW: Serbisyo Para sa Mindanao service caravan that will start on Sept.
PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
NBA star Kyle Kuzma (center, top photo) joined Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto and Stradcom Corp. CEO Anthony Quiambao in a basketball clinic sponsored by Navitas for 80 young athletes at the Belarmino Sports Complex. He also met with Elo Coronel-Quiambao, founder of Navitas Learning Haus in Poblacion, Makati City (bottom photo). Philstar.com photos
Feds killed plan to curb Medicare Advantage overbilling after industry opposition
by Fred Schulte KFF Health News
A DeCADe ago, federal officials drafted a plan to discourage m edicare Advantage health insurers from overcharging the government by billions of dollars — only to abruptly back off amid an “uproar” from the industry, newly released court filings show.
t he Centers for m edicare & medicaid services published the draft regulation in January 2014. t he rule would have required health plans, when examining patient’s medical records, to identify overpayments by Cms and refund them to the government.
But in may 2014, Cms dropped the idea without any public explanation. Newly released court depositions show that agency officials repeatedly cited concern about pressure from the industry. the 2014 decision by Cms, and events related to it, are at the center of a multibillion-dollar Justice Department civil fraud case against Unitedhealth Group pending in federal court in Los Angeles.
the Justice Department alleges the giant health insurer cheated medicare out of more than $2 billion by reviewing patients’ records to find additional diagnoses, adding revenue while ignoring overcharges that might reduce bills. the company “buried its head in the sand and did nothing but keep the money,” DoJ said in a court filing.
m edicare pays health plans higher rates for sicker patients but requires that the plans bill only for conditions that are properly documented in a patient’s medical records.
In a court filing, Unitedhealth Group denies wrongdoing and argues it shouldn’t be penalized for “failing to follow a rule that Cms considered a decade ago but declined to adopt.”
this month, the parties in the court case made public thousands of pages of depositions and other records that offer a rare glimpse inside the medicare agency’s longrunning struggle to keep the private health plans from taking taxpayers for a multibillion-dollar ride.
“It’s easy to dump on medicare Advantage plans, but Cms made a complete boondoggle out of this,” said richard Lieberman, a Colorado health data analytics expert. spokespeople for the Justice Department and Cms declined to comment for this article. In
an email, United h ealth Group spokesperson heather soule said the company’s “business practices have always been transparent, lawful and compliant with Cms regulations.”
Missed diagnoses medicare Advantage insurance plans have grown explosively in recent years and now enroll about 33 million members, more than half of people eligible for m edicare. Along the way, the industry has been the target of dozens of whistleblower lawsuits, government audits, and other investigations alleging the health plans often exaggerate how sick patients are to rake in undeserved medicare payments — including by doing what are called chart reviews, intended to find allegedly missed diagnosis codes. By 2013, Cms officials knew some medicare health plans were hiring medical coding and analytics consultants to aggressively mine patient files — but they doubted the agency’s authority to demand that health plans also look for and delete unsupported diagnoses.
t he proposed January 2014 regulation mandated that chart reviews “cannot be designed only to identify diagnoses that would trigger additional payments” to health plans.
Cms officials backed down in may 2014 because of “stakeholder concern and pushback,” Cheri rice, then director of the Cms medicare plan payment group, testified in a 2022 deposition made public this month. A second Cms official, Anne hornsby, described the industry’s reaction as an “uproar.” exactly who made the call to withdraw the chart review proposal isn’t clear from court filings so far.
“the direction that we received was that the rule, the final rule, needed to include only those provisions that had wide, you know, widespread stakeholder support,” rice testified.
“so we did not move forward then,” she said. “Not because we didn’t think it was the right thing to do or the right policy, but because it had mixed reactions from stakeholders.”
the Cms press office declined to make r ice available for an interview. h ornsby, who has since left the agency, declined to comment.
But erin fuse Brown, a professor at the Brown University school of Public health, said the decision reflects a pattern of timid Cms
oversight of the popular health plans for seniors. “C ms saving money for taxpayers isn’t enough of a reason to face the wrath of very powerful health plans,” fuse Brown said. that is extremely alarming.”
Invalid codes t he fraud case against Unitedhealth Group, which runs the nation’s largest m edicare Advantage plan, was filed in 2011 by a former company employee. the DoJ took over the whistleblower suit in 2017.
DoJ alleges medicare paid the insurer more than $7.2 billion from 2009 through 2016 solely based on chart reviews; the company would have received $2.1 billion less if it had deleted unsupported billing codes, the government says.
the government argues that Unitedhealth Group knew that many conditions it had billed for were not supported by medical records but chose to pocket the overpayments. for instance, the insurer billed medicare nearly $28,000 in 2011 to treat a patient for cancer, congestive heart failure, and other serious health problems that weren’t recorded in the person’s medical record, DoJ alleged in a 2017 filing.
In all, D o J contends that Unitedhealth Group should have deleted more than 2 million invalid codes.
Instead, company executives signed annual statements attesting that the billing data submitted to Cms was “accurate, complete, and truthful.” those actions violated the false Claims Act, a federal law that makes it illegal to submit bogus bills to the government, DoJ alleges. the complex case has featured years of legal jockeying, even pitting the recollections of key Cms staff members — including several who have since departed government for jobs in the industry — against those of Unitedhealthcare executives.
‘Red Herring’ Court filings describe a 45-minute video conference arranged by then-Cms administrator marilyn tavenner on April 29, 2014. tavenner testified she set up the meeting between Unitedhealth and Cms staff at the request of Larry renfro, a senior Unitedhealth Group executive, to discuss implications of the draft rule. Neither tavenner nor renfro attended.
t wo United h ealth Group executives on the call said in depositions that C ms staffers
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Fil-Am swimmer wins gold at 2024 Paris...
PAGE 1
that and end up achieving my goal.”
Pergolini’s triumph in Paris echoes her previous success, as she also claimed gold in the same event at the tokyo Paralympics when she was just 17. she once held the world record for the 100-meter backstroke s13 with a time of 1:04.64, a mark she narrowly missed by just 0.3 seconds in Paris.
As a member of the U.s team, the florida International University student delivered UsA’s first gold medal at the Paralympics. In an interview with the LA Times, Pergolini recalled her mindset before the race: “I just kept telling myself, ‘Worrying won’t change the result of the race.’ I focused on channeling the same sense of fun and determination I had at 17, just going out there and doing what I know best.”
the vibrant atmosphere in Paris left a strong impression on Pergolini, who admired the french crowd’s passionate support for their athletes.
Looking ahead, she expressed her desire to experience that same pride and excitement at the
VP Sara apologizes anew for asking...
PAGE 1
secretary.
Duterte said she would reveal her reason for seeking the vice presidency.
“In another forum, I will thoroughly explain myself on what happened and what led me to decide (to run as vice president),” Duterte said.
s he disclosed that she had been discouraged from making an appearance at the K o JC celebration due to its political implications, but said she chose to ignore them as she believes the sect is facing an “assault.”
she explained why she did not come sooner to them as police raided their compound last week.
“the assault on the Kingdom Nation has been going on for nine days. I could not come earlier because there was also an assault on the office of the Vice President and I could not leave my co-workers at the office of the Vice President,” Duterte said.
the office of the President is facing scrutiny from Congress and the senate over its proposed 2025 budget. Duterte is also being questioned for the P10-million
budget for the book she authored titled “isang Kaibigan.” she said that even if she is not always present, she will always be with KoJC members in their “darkness.”
“As vice president and as a Davaoeño, I will be there to comfort them. I have a moral obligation to assist them if they see that they are persecuted, even if there are so few of them. that’s my duty as vice president,” she said.
Duterte encouraged the KoJC members not to fear the thousands of police in their compound, and to refrain from violence.
“It is wrong to fear. Why?
Because you were sent 5,000 police that you can talk to and enlighten on what’s happening in our country, and ask where the rule of law now is,” she said.
“ t his is about Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the assault on the Kingdom Nation. Always remember that you are not to be pitied. If they come from a place of violence, the Kingdom of Nation is the expert on peace. Davaoeños are peace-loving filipinos,” Duterte added.
she said that the operations to find Quiboloy are an “abuse of power and an assault on freedom of religion.” meanwhile, Davao City mayor sebastian Duterte said the police should state how long they plan to stay at the KoJC property, saying their presence has been causing inconvenience to the public. the younger Duterte said while he respects the implementation of the arrest warrant on Quiboloy, it should adhere to the law.
“We have observed that the PNP personnel led by General marbil and General torre are no longer following proper procedure in implementing the warrant, especially the use of excessive force against innocent citizens, and their unauthorized occupation at the K o JC compound,” the mayor said in a social media post. “ t his situation has already caused inconvenience to motorists, businesses and the public. t he public seeks clarification from the PNP, how long do you intend to stay at the KoJC property,” he said. (With reports from Diana Lhyd Suelto, Edith regalado)
upcoming Los Angeles Games on her home turf. for now, she remains focused on taking things
one step at a time, with her sights set on future competitions.
(Gavin Martinez/inquirer.net)
Competing in the 100-meter backstroke S13, Gia Pergolini secured her victory with an impressive time of 1:04.93. Photo from Instagram/@gia.pergolini
Procession held to honor Fil-Am cop killed...
with the sDPD for about five and a half years.
sDPD Chief scott Wahl described machitar as a “san Diego kid” who “was the kind of guy you want on your team.” he was athletic,” Wahl said. “he was a competitor. he had a passion for training. … Austin had a very infectious smile and a character that made him one of a kind.” machitar was killed tuesday, August 27 following a fiery traffic crash in san Diego that also killed a motorist, who allegedly fled from an attempted late-night traffic stop. the crash sent officer Zach martinez, who was in the police car with machitar, through the windshield of the police vehicle, which then caught fire. martinez, 29, remains in serious condition.
A fundraising campaign set up by the san Diego Police officers Association to assist the families of machitar and martinez has raised more than $173,000 as of press time.
machitar, the son of a retired san Diego County deputy sheriff, grew up in Chula Vista. he was a 2012 graduate of otay ranch high school, where he played varsity baseball, according to the san Diego Union-tribune.
“As a graduate of otay ranch h igh s chool, and a dedicated member of our community, officer machitar’s contributions will be remembered,” the sweetwater Union high school District said in a statement. “ o ur thoughts are with all those affected by this heartbreaking loss.”
state sen. steve Padilla (D-san Diego), a friend of the machitar family, described Austin as “warm, thoughtful, gentle and kind.”
“Austin had a bright, milliondollar smile that put everyone at ease. he was always willing to help and find ways to help,” Padilla said in a statement.
“I knew him in the dawn of his young adult life, when he was searching to find his calling, while never letting go of his youthful sense of adventure and zest for life. he found that calling as an officer for the san Diego Police Department, and no doubt he served with distinction.”
t he f il-Am mayor of s an Diego, todd Gloria, released a statement honoring machitar.
“our city mourns the tragic loss of one of san Diego’s finest, officer Austin machitar. his distinguished service to our city makes him a hero. I offer the deepest condolences of the city to Austin’s family and loved
“san Diego is grateful to our brave police officers who put themselves in harm’s way every single day to keep us safe. Your sacrifices are appreciated and will never be forgotten.”
flags are at half staff at the state capitol in honor of machitar.
“Jennifer and I are heartbroken by the tragic loss of officer machitar,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “his loved ones, friends and colleagues at the san Diego Police Department are in our hearts during this difficult time. our thoughts are also with his fellow officer who was seriously injured.” (inquirer.net)
Feds killed plan to curb Medicare Advantage...
told them the company had no obligation at the time to uncover erroneous codes. o ne of the executives, steve Nelson, called it a “very clear answer” to the question. Nelson has since left the company. for their part, four of the five C ms staffers on the call said in depositions that they didn’t remember what was said. Unlike the company’s team, none of the government officials took detailed notes.
“All I can tell you is I remember feeling very uncomfortable in the meeting,” rice said in her 2022 deposition.
Yet rice and one other Cms staffer said they did recall reminding the executives that even without the chart review rule, the company was obligated to make a goodfaith effort to bill only for verified codes — or face possible penalties under the false Claims Act. And Cms officials reinforced that view in follow-up emails, according to court filings.
DoJ called the flap over the illfated regulation a “red herring” in a court filing and alleges that when United h ealth asked for
the April 2014 meeting, it knew its chart reviews had been under investigation for two years.
In addition, the company was “grappling with a projected $500 million budget deficit,” according to DoJ. Data miners m edicare Advantage plans defend chart reviews against criticism that they do little but artificially inflate the government’s costs.
“Chart reviews are one of many tools medicare Advantage plans use to support patients, identify chronic conditions, and prevent those conditions from becoming more serious,” said Chris Bond, a spokesperson for AhIP, a health insurance trade group.
Whistleblowers have argued that the cottage industry of analytics firms and coders that sprang up to conduct these reviews pitched their services as a huge moneymaking exercise for health plans — and little else.
“It was never legitimate,” said William hanagami, a California attorney who represented whistleblower James swoben in a 2009 case that alleged chart
reviews improperly inflated medicare payments. In a 2016 decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that health plans must exercise “due diligence” to ensure they submit accurate data. since then, other insurers have settled DoJ allegations that they billed medicare for unconfirmed diagnoses stemming from chart reviews. In July 2023, martin’s Point h ealth Plan, a Portland, maine, insurer, paid $22,485,000 to settle whistleblower allegations that it improperly billed for conditions ranging from diabetes with complications to morbid obesity. t he plan denied any liability.
A December 2019 report by the health and human services Inspector General found that 99% of chart reviews added new medical diagnoses at a cost to medicare of an estimated $6.7 billion for 2017 alone.
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
Asian American mental health: It’s time we talk about it
by Jeannine chiang Ethnic Media Services
fAY e Du is conflicted. Like other children of immigrants, she’s grateful for the opportunities her parents have worked to provide her. And yet, she says, the pressure to honor their sacrifice through academic success has taken a toll on her mental health.
As students across the country return to school, Asian American students like Du are grappling with an issue they say goes largely unaddressed in their own homes.
“my parents worked so much harder than me to bring me here, and it feels like I owe academic success to them,” says Du, a high school senior. “I think this makes many Asian Americans, and immigrant children in general, fearful of failure, in and outside of school.”
f or Du, that fear became paralyzing, especially during the height of the pandemic lockdown, impacting her studies as well as her personal life.
“When I struggled with my mental health, I didn’t have the opportunity or ability to reach out to a healthcare professional, which fed into a cycle of not knowing and feeling deeply uncomfortable with where I was mentally,” Du recounts. “that correlated with my academics… I wasn’t keeping the best grades and often turned in work late. At that point, the pressure of academic success became overwhelming.”
Du describes a downward spiral where the pressure to succeed in school fed into the mental turmoil she was experiencing, which in turn impacted her performance in school which again fueled her inner anguish.
And the worst part, she says, was that she couldn’t confide in
her family. “In my household, poor mental health or mental disorders are seen as a disease or something that makes you less of a respectable and functioning human.”
studies show Asian Americans are 50% less likely than other racial groups in the Us to seek out help for mental health issues. A recent article in JAmA Pediatrics also noted an alarming rise in suicide rates among Asian American youth ages 15-24, with a 72% increase for males and a 125% increase for females between 1999 and 2021.
suicide is the leading cause of death for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth.
“When we’re designing policies and programs to address this problem, we need to think about which communities to focus on and how to make our mental health interventions appropriate, taking into account things like culture, language and community resources,” study author Dr. Anthony L. Bui said in an interview after the study’s release.
Advocates for disaggregating health data along racial and ethnic lines have long argued that doing so can provide a more granular understanding of the health challenges unique to specific communities. the federal government announced earlier this year that it would do just that, with new standards for data collection to be rolled out over the next five years.
But for high school student Ben suo, efforts to address this largely silent epidemic need to start closer to home.
“What I’ve noticed is at any gathering with other Asian families, the hot topic for all the parents is to compare children and share what awards and extracurriculars they’ve been doing,” he says. “I’ve found it to be pretty toxic.”
Alice Guo arrested in...
the Indonesian authorities and the NBI for their prompt apprehension of Guo hua Ping (aka Alice Guo) and her associates," Gatchalian said in a text message to reporters. the senator, along with colleague risa hontiveros, has been at the forefront of the senate's ongoing investigation on Guo and her alleged links to the Philippine offshore Gaming operators (PoGos) operating
illegally under her jurisdiction. the senator said since Guo has been caught, she must be held accountable for the charges filed against her, such as human trafficking, money laundering, quo warranto, violation of the order of the senate, and others.
"she must be responsible for this in our country," he emphasized.
Like Du, suo traces the root of his mental health challenges to the pressure he feels to live up to his parents’ – and by extension, his community’s – expectations. And, he says, cultural norms add another layer to an already tangled web. Whether it’s the emphasis on family over the individual, common in Asian cultures, or the myth of the model minority, these entrenched norms can often make it difficult to open up about an issue that for many is deeply personal. suo has some advice for parents. In his own home, he says, his mom gave him the space to find outlets that helped him cope. “my mom allowed me to pursue running and even a girlfriend to ‘recharge’ academically,” he says, adding he knows other students, those he says have “the most net stress,” whose parents actively discourage such pursuits.
As a young Asian American, I’ve felt first-hand that weight of expectation and the difficulty in communicating one’s inner struggles. I remember the first time I visited a therapist while in junior high school, and how absurd it seemed when she asked me to rate my sadness on a scale of 1 to 5. such a question would never have come up in my own home. Looking back, I realize what that exercise revealed about the extent of my own inner struggle and how I had learned to ignore it for so long.
As more young Asian Americans succumb to depression and the silence around mental health, the need for open conversations about these issues is greater than ever.
Jeannine chiang is an aspiring journalist and a rising senior at Burlingame High School in Burlingame, california where she is a reporter for the school paper, The Burlingame B n
Gatchalian stressed that after the NBI and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) processed Guo, she should also be brought to the senate because only the senate has an outstanding arrest warrant against her. the senator also said that Guo should disclose the identity of her accomplice in the criminal activities in Bamban and identify who was aiding her from within the government. "We require specific names so that we can pursue legal action against them as well." n
OPiniOn Features
Not a blank check for Sara
A yeAr, indeed, is an eternity in politics.
twelve months ago, no less than President marcos’ son, Ilocos Norte rep. sandro marcos, shielded Vice President sara Duterte from hostile questions during the house appropriations committee’s discussions on her office’s 2024 spending program.
opposition lawmakers had hoped to quiz her on the office of the Vice President’s (oVP) share of confidential funds in prior fiscal years, including in 2022, when it spent P125 million of the hard-to-audit allocation in 11 days. But on the strength of the young marcos’ intervention, all questions were torpedoed in the guise of parliamentary courtesy, and it took 15 minutes for Duterte to hurdle the hearing.
had the panel allowed former President rodrigo Duterte’s daughter to be interrogated on the secret appropriations earmarked for her office, along with those for the Department of education (Deped), which she headed concurrently until she quit in June, perhaps the issue would have been sufficiently ventilated and put to rest.
Alas, that was not the case.
Spoiling for a fight one year later, the vice president faced a house panel that was much less friendly than in 2023. this time, no marcos relative was present to back her up, as she presented the oVP’s budget for next year. But it was obvious, too, that the country’s No. 2 official had come spoiling for a fight, hackles raised and bristling with non-answers.
setting aside the testy exchanges that have become fodder for impeachment talk, the questions asked during the Aug. 27 hearing — to which Duterte had no useful responses — betray a systemic problem that extends beyond her office: the lack of rigorous oversight mechanisms for confidential and intelligence funds (CIf) in civilian agencies.
the heart of the matter may lie in the nature of CIf
oN Aug. 26, 2024, the senate of the Philippines did something monumental, if not unusual. the 24-member chamber unanimously paid tribute to five-term speaker of the house of representatives Jose de Venecia Jr.
In sponsoring resolution 1142, sen. Loren Legarda called JDV “a towering figure in Philippine politics and governance. hailing from Dagupan City, JDV’s journey in public service is marked by steadfast dedication, results-driven leadership and a relentless pursuit of peace and lasting progress…a stalwart of legislative leadership and political acumen.”
“JDV’s coalition-building efforts during the post-martial Law era were instrumental in promoting unity and stability. e conomic, political and social reform laws were passed under his stewardship during President fidel V. ramos’ administration, laying the groundwork for the country’s growth. It
itself. By design, these funds are meant to be used discreetly to protect national security interests. however, the ambiguity in the guidelines governing the funds has given non-security-related offices, such as the oVP, an undeserved access to them.
Confidential expenses are for surveillance operations to thwart illegal acts and prevent harm to an agency, while intelligence expenses are for gathering information with a direct impact on national security, often by military and police.
Prone to abuse
Under a joint 2015 budget and audit circular, agencies must present plans and submit a quarterly accomplishment report on CIf use, while the Commission on Audit (CoA) performs a post-audit of the liquidation of disbursements based on the offices’ own submissions. except for internal controls and auditing protocols, how agencies use CIf is generally kept secret. But as the oVP’s case makes evident, such opacity in the system is not only vulnerable but prone to abuse.
In fact, it took a subpoena by the house committee to compel the CoA to release — to lawmakers and not the public — its audit reports on the oVP’s and Deped’s respective confidential funds spending under Duterte.
At last week’s hearing, ACt teachers rep. france Castro gave a breakdown of how the oVP’s P125 million in secret funds were spent in 2022: P14 million in purchase of information, P10 million in payment of rewards, P16 million in rental of safe houses, P35 million in purchase of supplies, P40 million in food aid, and P10 million in travel expenses. It was further revealed that the CoA ordered the oVP via a notice of disallowance to return P73 million of the amount, as the office had failed to document its purported surveillance operations.
A double violation But as constitutional law expert michael henry Yus-
ingco noted, Duterte’s office had no inherent mandate to engage in such activities. “In the first place, it was not appropriate to give the vice president confidential and intelligence funds,” he said.
“And now, we find that it wasn’t even spent on intelligence gathering and law enforcement operations. so, it’s a violation twice over, a double violation,” Yusingco said.
It took political headwinds to force lawmakers to confront Duterte about her secret funds, which shows how the system was built on a house of cards. Consider this: If the Dutertes were still in the good graces of the administration, would these matters have been raised at all?
Granted, the oVP withdrew its request for CIf last
year and made no new request for CIf in its proposed 2025 outlay, but what about when the political tides shift yet again?
Which brings us to the crux of the issue: the CIf is not a blank check for any public office, let alone civilian ones with zero security-related mandates like the oVP. the revelations at the house are a wake-up call for lawmakers to revisit the rules governing CIf their challenge is to strike a
rAther than mock former President rodrigo Duterte for his unflinching support for his bosom friend and spiritual adviser, the fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, I think we should praise and congratulate him for finally seeing the light and acknowledging the importance of human rights. It must be age, or the reflection afforded by retirement, but the Digong Duterte we heard from last week in the wake of the massive police raid on Quiboloy’s lair was worlds apart from the apoplectic and coarse-tongued person we used to know. It took some time –likely aided by a sobering reversal of political fortunes – but gone is the swaggering mussolini of the past, prone to profanity and what his apologists liked to call “hyperbole,” replaced by the pained and measured indignation of the aggrieved. of course, his statement could have been crafted by one of his former spokespersons, who must
is worth noting that, if I may, my own political journey began under the guidance of JDV,” the famous broadcaster turned legislator added.
In November 2019, at its 18th anniversary, the business weekly BizNewsAsia honored JDV with a “Visionary Public service excellence Award.” he is the epitome of the Global filipino. my good friend Joe turns 88 this year (he was born after Christmas Day). so his saga encompasses more than eight decades. I like JDV and feel close to him because he began his professional life as a newsman. he went on to become an excellent diplomat, a pioneering labor exporter to the middle east and North Africa (which opened jobs for millions), our very own first billionaire oil baron with his Basic Petroleum and Landoil resources and a statesman of great vision and excellent execution. As the longest-serving postwar speaker, JDV was a visionary legislator, authoring many of the greatest pieces of political, social and economic legislation of his time. he held the notion that any major problem could be solved by
legislation. that practice is still in vogue. to me, the biggest contributions JDV has to nation-building are two: 1) he conceived and implemented the remittance program for overseas filipino workers (ofWs), today numbering 12 million in over 130 countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, with the biggest share, 40 percent, coming from the Us; and 2) peacebuilding. After centuries of conflicts, if the country has not been torn asunder, credit should go to JDV in many ways. the ofW remittances dramatically enrich the Bangko sentral foreign exchange reserves, killed the once rampant black market and financed the economy and countless homes for filipino overseas worker families nationwide. the program became a model for many third World countries.
In the past four years alone, remittances totaled over $128 billion, four times the foreign direct investments during the same period. the $128 billion is 100 percent value added, unlike fDIs for which the government absorbs costs in the form tax incentives, conces-
Digong’s conversion
therefore take responsibility for the minor grammatical and stylistic infelicities in the text – but how can we even complain about language when gross human rights violations are on the table? for those of you who missed it because you were wasting your time deploring Caloy Yulo’s filial impiety, here’s what PrrD said, in full: our country has never been in a more tragic state as it is today. rights have been trampled upon and our laws, derided. early today, elements of the Philippine National Police regional office, led by Gen. Nicolas torre III, forced their way into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound which resulted to (sic) a violent confrontation and the unfortunate death of one KoJC member and the requiring of (sic) immediate medical attention of many others.
“We sympathize with the members of the K o JC for having become victims of political harassment, persecution, violence and abuse of authority. this certainly puts a dark stain on the hands of those involved in today’s incident, led by no less than the top police
official of the region.
“We call on the remaining decent and patriotic members of our government not to allow themselves to be used and to be abusive and violent in enforcing illegal orders.
“We call on all filipinos, regardless of political persuasion, to offer prayers for peace and justice, and to spare our people of the unwarranted tension brought about by the reign of fear and terror by people sworn to uphold the law and protect the citizens of this country.
“Again, let us ask this administration how it can guarantee the preservation of the constitutional rights of our fellow filipinos when even the most fundamental of these rights are being blatantly violated? (sic)”
Why, minus the edits, this could have passed for something that P rr D’s arch-nemesis, former senator Leila de Lima, could have said a few years ago, before she went off to prison. or it could have been mouthed by the late Chito Gascon, whose Commission on human rights PrrD sought to abolish for meddling in police
sions and even land grants. Also, the $128 billion could pay for the entire $128-billion foreign debts of the Philippines. one of every three households in the Philippines has an ofW. Were it not for the remittances, the Philippines would be in deep s**t today.
As an inveterate peacemaker, JDV has no peers. he has this unbridled optimism in the goodness of man and nations, and an unceasing passion in his diplomacy to find pathways to compromise to nagging age-old problems, like territorial disputes and extended rebellions.
he proposed joint exploration by claimant nations in the south China sea. he also conceived a “third route” to complement China’s great “Belt-and-road” initiative. JDV negotiated ceasefire with the rAm-YoU rebel leaders Col. Gregorio honasan, then in the underground, General Abenina, Commodore Calahate, both in prison, which led to the final peace agreement, ending rAm’s many coup attempts; he crossed the sahara Desert twice, with wife Gina, for peace talks with Libyan leader m oammar Gaddafi and m NL f leader Nur misuari in North Africa, ending in the 1996 peace pact.
JDV was the first Christian leader
investigations into dastardly drug deals, even getting Congress to pare its budget down to a more suitable P1,000.
t hat r odrigo Duterte could now speak so eloquently and convincingly of the need to uphold human rights is a testament to the possibility and power of redemptive conversion, which such famous miscreants as Paul of tarsus and Ignatius of Loyola underwent. Gazing out on the horizon on the beaches of Davao (or in the Quiboloy compound, in his new job as its administrator), the former president must have felt a pang of remorse for all the lives that were needlessly lost under his administration – all because his followers in the police failed to understand, as his spokesmen were at pains to emphasize, that he was “only joking” and was given to “exaggerating” for rhetorical effect.
how in heaven’s name could they have taken him literally when he told a controversial police officer whom he assigned to a southern city in 2019, “Go there and you are free to kill everybody. son of a b****, start killing there. the two of us will then go to jail!” the following year, at another event in another province, PrrD was quoted by the newspapers
to enter the mILf mountain lair at Camp Abubakar for initial talks with mILf chair hashim salamat and his deputy, now mILf chairman Gen. ebrahim murad. he was accompanied by Deputy speaker simeon Datumanong. final peace with the mILf is still pending. A 30-year diplomat, minister and economic counselor during the Vietnam War, then based in saigon, now ho Chi minh City, JDV pushed the creation of the first Philippine h elicopter s quadron and first Armalite Battalion in the AfP with his friendship with the then famed U.s military Commander, Lt. Gen. Creighton Abrams, after whom the U.s. Abrams tank was named.
In UN speeches, JDV pushed the Christian-muslim and Inter-faith Dialogues approved by the United Nations to reduce politico-religious tensions and conflicts in various parts of the world. this was a breakthrough because inter-religious issues were, before, taboo in the UN system. today an Inter-faith unit functions in the office of the UN secretary General.
As a Pangasinan congressman, JDV designed and authored the conversion of the U.s. military bases Clark field, subic Naval Base, Camp John hay in Baguio City, Camp Wallace in san fernando,
as saying, in filipino, “All addicts have guns. If there’s even a hint of wrongdoing, any overt act, even if you don’t see a gun, just go ahead and shoot him. You should go first, because you might be shot. shoot him first, because he will really draw his gun on you, and you will die…. human rights, you are preoccupied with the lives of the criminals and drug pushers. As mayor and as president, I have to protect every man, woman and child from the dangers of drugs. the game is killing.... I say to the human rights, I don’t give a s**t about you. my order is still the same. Because I am angry!” Now, there’s every possibility that the president may have been misquoted by journalists hungry for incendiary news. But even granting that PrrD did say horrible things like that – perhaps in a fit of desperation over the fact that the drug menace he promised to eradicate in six months was still very much around toward the end of his presidency – that allegedly murderous despot is a ghost in the past. today’s Digong is a sensitive soul with a nuanced sensibility that understands and will not countenance “abuse of authority” and “illegal orders,” especially when these are implemented by ingrates in the police force whose
La Union, into free ports or special economic zones, and simultaneously converted the filipino military camps in fort Bonifacio and Nichols Air Base into major business cities under one classic law, a dramatically successful “game changer” for the Philippines, the Bases Conversion Law. JDV also initiated the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) and is president of the Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International (CAPDI) and co-chairman of the International ecological safety Collaborative organization (IesCo), based in New York and Beijing, and which enjoys Consultative status in the UN economic and social Council (eCosoC).
In 1998, JDV exhausted most of his lifelong earnings for an ambitious attempt at the presidency. he lost, to erap Para sa Mahirap, Joseph estrada, by a wide margin. ever the statesman, speaker JDV quickly proclaimed estrada as the duly elected president.
* * * 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.
* * * biznewsasia@gmail.com
base pay he doubled (shame on the 2,000 cops who apparently forgot this in their brazen assault). Indeed, if rodrigo roa Duterte can undergo and manifest such a miraculous conversion, then hope yet exists for the rest and the worst of us, who wallow in unproductive cynicism. Indeed, it might even be that his resistance to the idea of yielding Pastor Quiboloy to the authorities stems from the deep debt of gratitude he feels toward his spiritual adviser, with whom he must have read and parsed many a Bible story. If there’s anything we filipinos and especially the Dutertes understand and respect, it’s the value of friendship – right? something in me already misses the old Digong, but I’ll gladly march with this new one in defense “of the constitutional rights of our fellow filipinos.” I hope sen. Leila can find it in her heart to forgive and forget, and link arms with Lady Justice’s latest convert.
* * * 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 me at jose@dalisay.ph and visit my blog at www.penmanila.ph.
Dateline PhiliPPines
Gov’t urged: Prioritize flood control master plan
by cecille suerTe Felipe Philstar.com
m ANILA — s en. Bong Go has urged the government to prioritize the development of a flood control master plan amid heavy rains brought by tropical storm enteng and the enhanced southwest monsoon.
“We need to have a comprehensive plan for flood control. We can no longer wait for the next storm before taking action,” Go said.
ten deaths and 10 injured were reported by the National Disaster risk reduction and management Council, based on its 8 a.m. bulletin on tuesday, september 3.
Go earlier urged the Department of Public Works and highways to efficiently utilize its budget and ensure the effectiveness of the government’s flood control initiatives.
t he senator had asked the DPWh for its accomplishment report, given that billions of pesos have been allocated for flood management since 2019.
f lood control projects will corner almost a third of the DPWh’s 2025 budget, but some riverside provinces like Bataan and Bukidnon will get none of this, raising concerns from a think tank. for flood management, the DPWh allocated 32 percent, or P254.29 billion, of its proposed P898.8-billion budget under the 2025 National expenditure Program. of the amount, P90.5 billion would be allotted for the construction and rehabilitation
of flood mitigation structures in areas close to rivers.
t he highest allocation from this budget is outlined to go to oriental mindoro, P12.5 billion, and o ccidental m indoro, P9.2 billion.
the Congressional Policy and Budget r esearch Department (CPB r D) said these provinces account for some of the smallest areas at risk of flooding, begging the question of why they are obtaining the biggest budgets. only nine percent of oriental mindoro and seven percent of occidental mindoro are prone to flooding.
s ome provinces sitting near river basins, like Bataan and Bukidnon, will receive no funding at all, the CPBrD noted.
“It is puzzling that Bukidnon and Bataan have zero budgets in 2025 considering that four major river basins pass through Bukidnon, namely, rio Grande de mindanao, Cagayan de oro, Davao and tagoloan river Basins and Pampanga river Basin for Bataan,” the CPBrD said.
the CPBrD also raised alarm on the P1.5-billion budget that metro manila would receive under the subprogram for flood control projects in provinces near rivers.
t he region is susceptible to flooding, given that its interior is traversed by the Pasig-Laguna river Basin.
President marcos, in his July 22 state of the Nation Address, reported that the government finished 5,521 flood control projects between 2022 and 2024.
t his claim was challenged when typhoons Butchoy and
Lawmaker hopes Duterte, de la Rosa will attend House probe
by Reina C. TolenTino ManilaTimes.net
s AN tA r osa City r ep. Dan
f ernandez on s unday, s ep -
tember 1 said he hoped former President rodrigo Duterte, sen. r onald de la r osa, a former Philippine National Police chief, and s en. Bong Go would attend the hearing being conducted by the h ouse of r epresentatives' quad committee.
fernandez chairs the Committee on Public o rder and s afety, part of the quad panel.
"It has come to public attention that serious allegations have been made against former President r odrigo Duterte and s ens. Bong Go and Bato de la r osa in the Quad Comm probe, and given the gravity of these accusations, we hope they attend the hearings to address these claims directly," fernandez said.
In the quad committee's hearing last August 22, a prisoner, Leopoldo tan Jr., linked Duterte to the 2016 killing of three Chinese drug convicts in the Davao Prison and Penal farm.
Police Col. Jovie e spenido also exposed what he said was a reward system in the implementation of the Duterte administration's war on drugs.
e spenido, a key figure in the drug war, claimed that funds were funneled through Go.
De la r osa, who led the Philippine National Police during the early years of the drug war, has been accused of instructing police officers to neutralize drug suspects, which has been interpreted as an order to kill.
f ernandez said the attendance of Duterte, de la r osa and Go "would provide them a crucial platform to defend themselves and clarify their roles in the previous administration's anti-drug policies."
De la r osa had alleged that e spenido's affidavit was "concocted."
m anila 6th District r ep. Bi -
Hontiveros warns of POGO ‘rebranding’ amid Marcos ban order
m ANILA — s enator r isa hontiveors flagged on monday, september 2 what she dubbed as possible “rebranding” of Philippine offshore gaming operators (P o G o s) following President Bongbong marcos Jr.’s pronouncement to completely ban such firms in the country.
In a statement, hontiveros said senate hearings have established that PoGos are run by organized and syndicated criminal groups complicit with some public officials.
“Kaya tayo nagsusumikap sa ating mga hearing sa senado ay upang makahanap ng mabisang solusyon para tuluyan na ngang mapasara ang mga P o G o sa Pilipinas,” she said.
(That’s why we are working hard in our hearings in the Senate to find an effective solution so that PoGos in the Philippines can be shut down.)
step up in acting on the total ban ordered by marcos.
“Dapat hindi na maulit pa ang mga ganitong modus, kabilang na ang pagsulpot ng iba’t ibang ‘rebranding’ ng PoGo. Andyan ang mga balitang magiging call center daw ang mga P o G o o itatago sila sa special economic zone, at iba pang mga hocus-pocus na hindi dapat mapahintulutan,” she said.
(Such modus operandi should not be repeated, including the apparent rebranding of PoGo There are reports that the PoGos will be called call centers or they will be hidden in the special economic zone, and other hocuspocus that should not be allowed.)
h ontiveros’ remarks came following the discovery of Visayas’ first illegal PoGo hub in Cebu.
s a mga hearing sa s enado, nabanggit na nabubuhay ang mga hubs na ito dahil sa forced labor ng mga biktima ng human trafficking, Pilipino man o dayuhan. Under AfAsA, this is economic sabotage,” hontiveros pointed out.
(it was mentioned in Senate hearings that these hubs survive because of the forced labor of victims of human trafficking, whether Filipinos or foreigners. Under AFASA, this is economic sabotage.)
In a separate statement also issued m onday, s en. s herwin Gatchalian said the presence of a PoGo hub in Cebu proves that there is a lot more to be done to combat such firms.
Carina consecutively hit the Philippines in July, killing 46 people and affecting 1.6 million families.
t he country sustained infrastructure and agricultural damage of P4.3 billion and P1.3 billion, respectively.
In response, the DPWh said it is building 5,000 more flood control structures nationwide. (With reports from Elijah Felice rosales)
“Kaya determinado rin tayong panagutin ang mga opisyal na nagbigay-daan at patuloy na nagpapatakbo sa mga ito,” she added.
(That’s why we are also determined to hold accountable the officials who allowed and continued to operate them.) hontiveros proceeded to lament the “continuous underground operations” of P o G o s in the country, prompting her to call on law enforcement agencies to
Authorities said 162 foreign nationals were rescued from the P o G o firm, including six Indonesians the authorities were initially searching for. for the opposition senator, the rescue of these individuals highlights the urgent need to enforce republic Act No. 12010 or the Anti- f inancial Account scamming Act (AfAsA). hontiveros said the government should not allow the country to become a headquarters for scammers. t hese cunning scam hub operators are transnational.
“the presence of former PoGo workers from Bamban and Porac at the recently raided P o G o hub in Cebu suggests that we may have only scratched the surface of the issue. A deeper probe is clearly necessary,” said Gatchalian.
similar to what was stated by hontiveros, Gatchalian said PoGo operators and agents appear to only “flout the law” by only shifting from one location to another.
“We need stricter enforcement and more comprehensive measures to ensure that these operations are permanently shut down,” he said. (inquirer.net)
envenido Abante Jr., chairman of the h ouse Committee on h uman r ights, which is also a part of the quad committee, said Duterte, Go and de la r osa should take the opportunity to defend their reputations. n
Sen. Bong Go ManilaTimes.net file photos
Sen. Ronald de la Rosa
Former President Rodrigo Duterte
Why Heart prefers to keep charity work ‘under the radar’
by allan PolicarPio Inquirer.net
If she could have it her way, heart evangelista would continue keeping most of her charity and advocacy work under wraps.
“If there was anything I needed to do and be an instrument of help, I would always do it under the radar. I like things that way. If I can only cover myself with a blanket, keep my face and head hidden, I would do it,” she told the inquirer in a recent interview.
But as president of the senate spouses foundation Inc. (ssfI), the actress and fashion influencer realizes that she will have to be more “out there,” because the projects the group initiates require “transparency” and could benefit from public awareness.
“I’m very sensitive with these things, because I don’t want people misinterpreting, questioning my sincerity,” pointed out heart, who assumed the said position after her husband, sen. Chiz escudero, was named senate president last may.
Work
Creating awareness
Composed of spouses of incumbent senators, the ssf I takes part in projects like medical missions, home-building for the elderly, relief operations and feeding programs. other celebrity members of the ssf I include mariel Padilla (sen. robin Padilla) and rep. Lani revilla (sen. Bong revilla).
“But now, it has to be out there because we need a platform to create awareness for our advocacies. I love it so far. I have even more purpose,” heart said.
“We will continue what they have started and tap different companies I work with for livelihood packages.
“I don’t know how much time I have, so I’m rushing and doing as many things as I can,” she added.
“You just try to give as much as you can. there’s no measure. Give what you can give. When it comes to helping, there’s no such thing as big or small.” t he responsibility came unexpectedly, she said, so she found it daunting at the beginning.
“It wasn’t something that I asked for. It landed on my lap, but I realized: ‘Why be daunted if you have so much to give?’ It has turned out to be really fulfilling,” she said. how was she welcomed by the rest of the group? “It didn’t come with a brochure on how I should be, or what I needed to be,” he said.
“But it’s all good.”
Asked if she would ever consider entering politics, heart said she would rather stay where she is.
“Politics isn’t for me. Whatever platform I have now is all I need,” she said.
keeps Piolo Pascual ‘eternally’ young
by naThalie Tomada Philstar.com
for others, working nonstop can be a source of stress and signs of aging, but for Piolo Pascual, it seems to be the secret to maintaining his youthful appearance at 47.
“I work every day. It’s become routine for me to look presentable because of the work that I do, especially for this one (‘Pamilya sagrado’), with ‘the Kingdom’ with Bossing Vic sotto,” Piolo told broadsheet press during the recent media junket for the Book 2 of his ongoing primetime drama “Pamilya sagrado.” my director asked me about that, plus with my endorsements, that’s why I always stay fit. It comes with the territory. I feel good; I’m in good shape. I don’t get sick because, as my director told me, Wag daw ako magkakasakit.’ so I just try to take care of myself.”
Piolo believes that peace of mind, a positive outlook on life and selfcare contribute to his overall health status.
“When you have peace and your outlook in life is positive, it follows. I sleep a lot. I drink a lot of water. And (I practice) self-love ba. I want to maximize my potential in whatever field and business I am in. I take care of myself.”
When it comes to his diet, Piolo doesn’t limit his food choices. “Hindi ako nagda-diet. I do omAD (one meal a day) on some days. one big meal. I don’t eat in the morning. I just eat late. I don’t cut down or limit myself. When I eat, I just eat,” he said.
In terms of his career, Piolo is experiencing a renewed sense of energy and excitement.
“When I was turning 40, I wanted to quit. I wanted to leave while I was still on top of my game. I was humbled by the Lord — ang dami pang projects — how can I dare refuse or resist work that comes my way? You can be a conduit or a vessel of some projects that can help people,” he shared. Nagkaroon ako ng renewed excitement because during the pandemic, ang boring pala nung wala kang ginagawa. ‘Di ko pala kaya walang ginagawa sa buhay
I don’t want to be unproductive, and since the start of the pandemic, nung nag-loosen na siya (restrictions), ‘di na talaga ako tumigil
“I did four movies during the pandemic and kept doing stuff left and right. And work hasn’t stopped since then. It’s really about trying to bring my A-game every time so I don’t compromise or feel regret
after.” Piolo is already looking forward to what’s next after “ Pamilya s agrado,” where he plays the morally questionable politician rafael sagrado who rises to become president of the country.
“In all honesty, I've never been this invested in a show. When I said I was done with soaps, (the late) Deo (endrinal, Dreamscape boss) pitched this to me last year and said, it’s a good project to have. You know, you're a voice in society, and you get to play a character that you can say is not just challenging but a milestone for my career.
“I watched it from Day 1,” he said. “I'm just really proud that I became part of the show.” he continued, “I don’t think I’m gonna stop after ‘flower of evil,’ after ‘Pamilya sagrado,’ or anything with Dreamscape or ABs for that matter. I’m already excited for another one.
“I’ve found renewed excitement for content and giving life to diverse characters. We have more choices and access to different platforms now, so I’ll never stop creating content that makes me feel productive while offering something new. I always try to think of new concepts that can serve our audiences and that they can be proud of.”
Born to actor parents, Olympic gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar enters showbiz
by charmie Joy Pagulong Philstar.com
fILIPINA American olympic gymnast Levi Jung- r uivivar is thrilled to explore acting, modeling and endorsement opportunities after inking a deal with Viva Artists Agency.
Levi always had a passion for the entertainment industry since both of her parents are actors, Anthony ruivivar (“third Watch,” “Banshee,” “Criminal m inds,” “CsI: Crime scene Investigation”) and Yvonne Jung (“third Watch,” er”).
“I don’t know if that’s just the way I was born or it had to do with my parents being actors. But I was actually really pushing both my parents to be able to get more involved in the entertainment industry,” she told the press during a contract signing at Viva’s office.
Now that she’s part of Viva, she’s keen on projects related to acting, modeling, brand deals and social media content. “since I was like a younger gymnast, I really made it (a point) to be able to post more consistently and kind of like put myself out there. And I felt that starting with Viva was gonna help me more in that field. And that I would be able to achieve more of my higher goals by working with Viva,” she maintained.
“’Cause there’s always so much that you can do on your own through things like social media. so I was really hoping that by signing with Viva I will be able to reach a larger audience and the audience, specifically in the Philippines as well.”
school, o lympic preparations and Viva projects, she said, “If there are little projects that come up here and there, and then that work in my schedule that would be something that I will discuss with Viva and try to kind of figure out how that would be possible.”
“But bigger projects would have to be after L.A. because I do train almost 34 hours a week sometimes. But now that I’m going to college, I will have a little bit more time because the training hours are a little bit less,” she added.
the actors she looked up to in the industry are her parents and comedian Jack Black. But she would love to collaborate with Julia Barretto, given the chance.
told The STAr. “so I’m gonna say no to that. Well, I scream in karaoke though. e ven though it’s not the most beautiful thing to hear.” Levi, nevertheless, is a fan of Billie eilish and martin Nievera. the latter is also good friends with her dad.
m eanwhile, she appreciated the apology issued by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion to her, along with other filipino gymnasts, for missing the Aug. 14 homecoming parade for filipino athletes at the 2024 Paris olympics.
Aside from “Pamilya sagrado,” which now has a new timeslot at 9:30 p.m. on the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya online Live, A2Z and tV5, Piolo is filming his metro manila film festival 2024 entry “the Kingdom” with Vic sotto. his film “real Life fiction,” which delves into the psyche of an actor, blurring lines between fiction and reality, is still showing in cinemas. Asked about the extent he could relate to his character in the Paul s oriano-directed movie, Piolo said, “It was haunting, to a certain extent, because it really delves into the psyche of a person so close to me — me mirroring myself. It was so close to home that I really had to shake it off, more than with mallari,’” referring to his mmff 2023 horror thriller that won him acting awards. “In ‘mallari,’ I had an acting coach for three roles at the same time, but with ‘real Life fiction,’ it was so close to home that I really had to detach myself right away after. It was like dealing with your demons; those things haunt you and leave a mark. they’re just there in the back.” the perennial leading man added with a laugh, “I get scared when I watch it. that’s not something I want to do anytime soon again.”
right after the presscon, the 18-year-old, L.A.-born athlete left to catch her flight to the United states where she will pursue her college education at s tanford University. she will also be busy training for the 2028 Los Angeles (L.A.) olympics. the youngest filipina athlete of the Philippine Centennial team represented the Philippines at the 2024 Paris olympics and is looking forward to doing it again in the 2028 olympics. on how she will balance her
“In terms of filming, movies and stuff like that, I would have to do more research. But a lot of people say that I look like Julia Barretto, which is, I guess, my ‘long-lost sister.’ so it would be incredible to really work with her actually.”
Does she also have plans of venturing into music since her grandfather, tony ruivivar, was a founding member of the musical group society of seven?
“I wish I could say yes but unfortunately, my voice is not the best. It’s not very good at all,” she
Levi’s dad explained that the Philippine o lympic Committee (P o C), Philippine s ports Commission (PsC), and GAP have been “incredibly supportive and helpful” to his daughter.
“Levi wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. so don’t get this wrong,” he stated.
“I think she’s specifically talking about a very specific thing. But the PoC, the PsC, the President’s office, GAP all in different ways have been incredibly supportive. Again, she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. so just to clarify, it’s not that in general. It’s not across the board. I think she was asking that question (about) something very specific that happened.”
Levi, meanwhile, didn’t comment on the issue surrounding f ilipino gymnast and o lympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo and his mother, but she went on to praise her fellow athlete.
“I don’t know exactly what is going on with that issue. But I do know that Caloy is an incredible gymnast and worked really, really hard to get where he was and he had an incredible performance at the competition,” she said.
“I think everyone in the Philippines is celebrating his success and is very supportive of him — what he was able to do or he was able to bring to the Philippines. so, I think… I mean, everyone should be celebrating his success and his ability to compete with such high-level pressure and then win two gold medals at the olympics. that’s just amazing!”
Levi Jung-Ruivivar
Levi with her dad, Hollywood actor Anthony Ruivivar, at the Viva office in Ortigas.
Piolo Pascual is already looking forward to what’s next after his primetime series ‘Pamilya
The lead star with
Sagrado’ co-actors Kyle Echarri (left) and Grae Fernandez during the media junket at the Royal Indian Curry House in Tomas Morato. Photos courtesy of Dreamscape
Heart Evangelista
GMA photo
Fintech startup company executives meet with PCGSF officials
sAN frANCIsCo – Philippine
Consul General in san francisco
Neil ferrer met with the executives of Pomelo, a leading fintech startup, at the Philippine Center in san francisco on August 15, 2024.
Director of marketing Ladd martin, Partnerships and Business Development Lead
sofie Jimenez, and Carissa Villacorta presented their remittance product, which would innovate the way filipinos in the United states send money home through the “send now, pay later” model.
According to Pomelo’s officers, the platform empowers users to send money to the Philippines while simultaneously building credit in the U.s. By partnering with mastercard, Pomelo offers faster, fee-free transactions compared to traditional remittance methods. recipients enjoy instant fund availability and enjoy no transfer fees at the moment.
Pomelo has expanded its services to include GCash, a popular Philippine e-wallet, as a payment option. the company also offers both unsecured and secured credit lines, providing flexibility for users.
Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Director soleil tropicales of the Department of tourism office in san francisco, economic Assistant Jennifer sto. Domingo, and trade specialist rosalie say of the Philippine trade and Investment Center in silicon Valley were also present in the meeting. Pomelo’s official san francisco launch took place on the same day, drawing attendance by filipino American community leaders–including maria Banatao of PhilDev, sonia Delen of filipino food movement, Charity Nicolas of tech in Color and fAster, Genevieve Jopanda of fYLPro, and John morada of startup home Key. the fil-Am leaders shared their personal anecdotes about their experiences with remittances and financial management, highlighting the crucial role these funds play in supporting their respective advocacies in the Philippines. (PcGSF release)
Baraan,
Pinole, California.
Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona (standing, left), representing Consul General Neil Ferrer, congratulates Pomelo and underscores the consulate’s support for innovative initiatives that benefit the Filipino community.
Jose Mari Chan and the ‘Ber’ months
Pasay
1
My P.E.P. (People, Events,Places)
Rogelio ConsTanTino MeDina
WheN the “Ber” months come, oPm icon Jose mari Chan’s “Christmas In our hearts” is in vogue in Philippine Am and fm radio stations.
I remember I was the one requested by mr. Chan each year to help him distribute the presents he would give to the different radio stations in metro manila during the yuletide season. for years, the songs of Jose mari Chan have served as landmarks of original Pilipino music because he has been a consistent hitmaker. Perhaps, much of the blessings he has now in life must have come because there was a time that his wife mary Ann and he served in Japan as lay missionaries.
“God expects you to do your best... Life is short, and we cannot always just think of ourselves. the quality of our lives will be measured by how much we have shared with others and by what we have contributed to society,” said Joe, who enjoys what he does and gets a great deal of satisfaction from it. Asked what he would want his legacy to be, Jose mari Chan, promptly said, “As a businessman, to substantially improve the lives of all those who work for me. As a father, to bring to this world responsible citizens who will constructively contribute to our society. As an artist and songwriter, to be able to write songs that not only touch lives but will live on long after I’m gone.”
* * *
DZrh’s radyo Balintataw host Cecile Guidote-Alvarez joined with Volt Bohol of Atom, Atty. Chel Diokno of Bantayog ng mga Bayani foundation, Patrick Claudio of human rights Violations Victims’ memorial Commission, Karl Patrick of Project Gunita, rebecca Quijano (the lone witness who saw Ninoy Aquino shot by a soldier), National historical Commission of the Philippines officers Alvin r. Alcid and Gina Batuhan, and mIAA officials Arnel B. Atis and feliciana santos in laying wreaths of flowers to observe Ninoy Aquino’s death anniversary at the Ninoy Aquino International
other groups who joined were the spirit of eDsA foundation and the Ninoy and Cory Aquino foundation.
* * * Gymnastics had molded a filipino Canadian athlete, Anna Gamelo, to be hardworking. “I’ve developed the need to persevere through the challenges presented in gymnastics.”
At 11, she won her first international medal (bronze) in 2008 at the International Gymnix Cup competition in montreal, Quebec. Years later, she placed 3rd at the Canadian National Championships. As a national senior, she moved to Gemini Gymnastics under the guidance of her two coaches, former olympic all-around gold medalist elena Davydova and Valery Yahchybekov, who honed her to win 4 All-Around National open Championship titles, specifically at the ontario Provincial Championships and at the Canadian National Championships in 2014.
As a scholar at UsA’s michigan state University, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree major in experience Architecture and minor in Chinese, and graduated with honors in 2019, the year she retired from gymnastics. since then, she has been hiking in places across Canada with her big sister. she did some jujitsu, kickboxing, swimming, and ran 5K/10K races with the family to stay active.
she is proud of her filipino heritage. “I’m proud that filipinos are known for their talents, being innovative, hardworking and humble. And I love filipino foods and desserts...I’ve been to manila for a couple of weeks with my family.”
* * * house speaker martin
romualdez described Carlos Yulo as a “once-in-a-century filipino athlete” following his exceptional double gold victory in france.
“Carlos’ achievements have not only brought glory to the Philippines but have also highlighted the potential of our athletes to excel in the international arena... We will continue to support and invest in our sports programs to nurture and develop more world-class athletes like Carlos. his success is a shining example of hope and a source of inspiration for all of us,” said romualdez.
* * * the recent 1st sovereign
seal of Business triumph and remarkable Achiever awards ceremony at Dusit thani manila was well-organized with a press conference attended by some media persons, like Peps Bernardo of malaya Business Insight, Cheska Itable of Amazing manila Journal, blogger mac Vasquez, Yuan santos of Business World, Queenie ostulano of Philippines Graphic magazine, Carlo Abalos of Business mirror, Vivian Yjares and Cha-Cha Bantug of People’s television Network, blogger rain de ocampo, James humarang of tech and Lifestyle Journal, and Guia Cruz Buenaventura of media house express.
Video messages of congrats for ssBtrA awardees came from sen. Jingggoy estrada, former sen. Bam Aquino and sen. sherwin Gatchalian. my heartfelt thanks to La Visual Corp., ms. Lalaine Geronimo, awards chairman Nirro marcelo of sirbisu Channel, the awards production staff as well as to singers Lae manego with her supportive daughter mica Chely and rtU himig rizalia, entrepreneur salvie Collado Paparon (with the support of her hubby raymond Pedroso and children sheanne marie faye and shawn raymond Lue), and Wej Cudiamat of Net 25 radyo Agila 1062 KhZ.
* * * thanks to Australia-based Blarneystine serrano and ms. oJ Arci for the kindness they extended to this columnist and child actress elia Ilano (co-host of People’s tV Network’s Artsy Craftsy show every saturday) during the 50th birthday celebration of Vince m tanada in tagaytay City. All guests were ready for “the Golden shindig: A masquerade Ball.” As my friend Ymman Biaco wrote: “Vince made a grand entrance on horseback before entering the hotel’s grand ballroom. everyone dressed in their finest white outfits for this royal and Greek mythologyinspired event.” to brings joy to the night, Generation Z singers Pia Caduyac and regin Lanz entertained the guests with their powerful voices that caught my eyes’ cynosure. Later, Vince made an address that night that left an indelible mark in my mind. Despite being a “renaissance man,” he remains humble and knows how to look back to thank people, from his parents emy and the late tony and his siblings Anna, elaine and Cocoy, his son Peter Parker, to the members of Philstagers who have been with him through thick and thin.
Celebrities like former manila mayor Isko moreno, Dindo Arroyo, mon Confiado, eric Quizon, mercedes Cabral, Ynez Veneracion, snooky serna, Gazini Ganados and overseas Philstagers sent him video birthday greetings, and some friends from other sectors greeted him and presented gifts. As a highlight, everyone sang the happy birthday song to the golden boy who still looks young and strong. members of Philstagers continued to make splendid performances that evening of continuous music, dance, food and drinks. oJ Arci was the person in
*
* * * rogeliocmedina@yahoo.com
From left: Rogelio Medina, Salvie Paparon, Nirro Marcelo and Lae Manego.
Celebrant Vince M. Tanada, the golden boy Blarneystine Serrano and child actress Elia Ilano
House Speaker Martin Romualdez with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson Photos courtesy of Rogelio Medina
The Gamelo family members – (from left) Angela, Anna, mom Maria, Marco, dad Michael and Alyssa – at the Oasis Zoo Run in Toronto in 2023.
DZRH Radyo Balintataw host Cecilia Guidote-Alvarez (center, in multicolored dress) at a recent
Ninoy Aquino death anniversary observance.
Jose Mari Chan (left) and Rogelio Medina at the former’s Forbes Park home in Makati City.
From left: Rain de Ocampo, James Humarang, Mac Vasquez, Yuan Santos, Peps Bernardo, Rogelio Medina, Queenie Ostulano and Cheska Itable.
Airport terminal
in
City.
PH consulate, Amazon web services explore collaboration opportunities
sAN frANCIsCo – Philippine Consul General in san francisco
Neil r ferrer met with executives from Amazon Web services (AWs), Jamie Lim, senior Policy Global Advisor at AWs, and Anthony Lopez, executive assistant to the AWs Vice President of Global Public Policy, to explore potential collaborations that would support the growth of the Philippines' digital economy. the meeting, held at the AWs headquarters in seattle, Washington, was also attended by Philippine tourism Director marie soleil tropicales and economic Assistant Jennifer sto. Domingo.
Consul General Neil frank ferrer thanked AWs for its continued presence and investment in the Philippines.
“We greatly appreciate AWs’ commitment to the country,” he said. “Investments in the Philippines’ digital infrastructure, such as those made by hyperscalers like Amazon, are welcome.”
AWs highlighted its dedication to skilling the Philippine workforce through programs like AWs re/start and partnerships with local universities. the meeting concluded with a shared commitment to continued dialogue and collaboration, recognizing the immense potential for mutual benefit.
(PcGSF release)
and collaborate.
Stanford webinar addresses lung cancer in Asian Americans
LUNG cancer is the leading cause of death for Asian Americans, yet they are the least likely group to be screened. While lung cancer is traditionally associated with cigarettes and lung cancer screening is recommended for heavy smokers, studies show that lung cancer rates among non-smoking Asian American men and women are on the rise, increasing by 2% each year. the stanford medicine Center for Asian health research and education (CAre) presents a virtual talk on the issue, including screening, treatment and advancements, on september 10, 2024 at 7 p.m. those interested to join can register at https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YaJQz7wmr 5ePkK6gU8v o YQ#/registration.
In this session, experts will discuss the current lung cancer screening guidelines from the United states Preventive services task force and explore efforts to increase screening rates, particularly for Asian Americans.
Additionally, the webinar will examine the epidemiology of lung cancer among Asian Americans, covering aspects
such as diagnosis, staging, and treatment. the focus will be on the latest surgical techniques used in lung cancer treatment, providing a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and advancements in this critical area of healthcare.
the featured speaker for this webinar is Dr. Natalie shaubie Lui, who is currently an Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic surgery at stanford University school of medicine.
Dr. Lui studied physics as an undergraduate at harvard before attending medical school at Johns hopkins. she completed a general surgery residency at the University of California, san francisco (UCsf), which included two years of research in the UCsf thoracic oncology Laboratory and the completion of a master in Advanced studies in Clinical research. Dr. Lui went on to hold a fellowship in thoracic surgery at massachusetts General hospital, during which she participated in visiting rotations at memorial sloan Kettering and the mayo Clinic.
Dr. Lui’s surgical practice consists of general thoracic surgery, with a focus on thoracic oncology and robotic thoracic surgery. her research interests
include intraoperative molecular imaging for lung cancer localization, increasing rates of lung cancer screening, and using artificial intelligence to predict lung cancer recurrence. she is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Donald B. Doty educational Award from the Western thoracic surgical Association in 2019, the Dwight C. mcGoon Award for teaching from the thoracic surgery residents Association in 2020, and the Carolyn e reed traveling fellowship from the thoracic surgery foundation and Women in thoracic surgery in 2022. moderator for the webionar will be Dr. michelle Yixiao engle, a core faculty member at the stanford-o'Connor family medicine residency. she is board-certified in family medicine and palliative medicine, providing holistic care to patients of all ages. her academic interests include medical education, cross-cultural communication, and bioethics. Previous CAre community health talk recordings can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDU t4n86IKm r 8xq_8J
Citizen Pinoy brings ‘Your Tanong, My Sagot...
Bakeshop, and elaine Valerio, manager of the seattle branch.
Lola maria wants to know if her granddaughter and her husband, currently in the U.s. as tourists, can obtain work permits and if her granddaughter can become her caregiver.
romeo asked about his brother’s 2004 petition for his married daughter, wondering why there has been no update from UsCIs
Carmen was there to ask a question on behalf of her friend, Dionisia. Dionisia’s husband petitioned their children in 2015. however, the petitioner died in may 2020. After his passing, all the children have been denied. Dionisia wants to know what else can be done for the children to come to the U.s
Atty. Gurfinkel answers these questions and more in “Your Tanong my Sagot” at the seattle branch of Valerio’s
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