101919 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 80 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

New committee seeks to ensure all Filipinos are counted in 2020 census Fil-Am leaders in Los Angeles launch Filipino Complete Count Committee of LA County

IN an effort to combat an undercount of the Filipino community, Filipino American leaders in the Los Angeles area have established a new outreach endeavor to ensure a full count of Filipino residents in the United States in the 2020 census.

On a bright morning in Unidad Park in Historic Filipinotown, the Filipino Complete Count Committee of LA County (FCCCLC) was launched on Saturday, October 12 with the comprehensive mission to increase Filipino participation for the decennial count scheduled for April 1, 2020.

“We need to make the concerted effort to count every single member of our Filipino community,” Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and co-chair of the FCCCLC Aquilina Soriano Versoza said at the committee’s launch.

Distributed to every household in the U.S. every 10 years, the census survey asks the u PAGE A4

Asian American group disappointed in Newsom’s veto of bill protecting imprisoned immigrants from deportation WITH California being a “sanctuary state” where law enforcement officers are prohibited from assisting in federal immigration enforcement, it came as a surprise when a bill prohibiting state prisons from allowing federal immigration arrests was vetoed.

California Governor Gavin Newsom returned the bill without his signature on Saturday, October 12 — a day after he signed into law, legislation that would close all privately owned and operated prisons as well as private immigration detention facilities by 2028.

“I am concerned that provisions in this bill would negatively impact prison operations and could hinder and delay needed transfers between facilities for myriad situation-specific reau PAGE A4

VP poll protest recount: Robredo maintains, increases lead over Marcos

by TETCH

TORRES-TUPAS Inquirer.net

MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Leni Robredo has maintained and even increased her lead against former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) said in a decision released late Friday, October 18.

“Based on the final tally, after revision and appre-

ciation of the votes in the pilot provinces, protestee Robredo maintained, as, in fact, she increased her lead over protestant Marcos. After the revision and appreciation, the lead of protestee Robredo increased from 263,473 to 278,566,” the PET said in its ruling.

The pilot provinces–Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental—were chosen by Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as areas where

he said he was cheated most.

Rule 65 of the PET, composed of Supreme Court justices, states that if the tribunal is “convinced that, taking all circumstances into account, the protestant or counter protestant will most probably fail to make out his case, the protest may forthwith be dismissed.”

Although acknowledging Robredo’s lead, the u PAGE A2

Lawmaker: ‘Abominable’ should be banned

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

A MINORITY lawmaker in the Philippines on Thursday, October 17, said the animated film “Abominable” should be banned from the country’s movie houses, stressing that it will have a “negative bearing on our integrity as a country and a nation.”

“The movie ‘Abominable’ should be banned, or if it’s already showing in our movie houses, immediately stopped,” said Agusan del Norte 1st district Rep. Lawrence Fortun in a statement.

“Amid calls to boycott the movie, the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) cannot just stand [on] the sidelines, and instead, proactively address what could mislead our children, even adults, into believing a foreign country’s claim prejudicial to our national interest to be true and controlling,” he added.

“Abominable,” a joint production by DreamWorks and China’s Pearl Studio, tells the story of a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home.

The animated film drew controversy after it showed in one of its scenes a map showing China’s nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam, one of the u PAGE A5

RALLYING SUPPORT. President Rodrigo Duterte congratulates 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC & E) Chairman Ramon Ang who was recognized for organizing the past PBC & E during the 45th PBC & E at The Manila Hotel on Thursday, October 17. Duterte made a renewed call to the business sector to help his administration address corruption and red tape, which have been plaguing the country for decades and affecting its growth. He told the country’s business leaders that he needs their input to better serve the country and “thereby fulfill what I promised to the people.”

Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal

De Lima identifies ‘persecutors’ who should be denied US visas

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

Nearing her 1,000th day of most unjust detention (960th on Friday, October 11), Senator Leila M. De Lima draws everyone’s attention with her composed and dignified demeanor as she arrives at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court to attend the resumption of hearing on the fake illegal drug charges filed against her by the vindictive Duterte regime.

Senate photo

SENATOR Leila De Lima on Thursday, October 17, listed the names of the people behind her detention in 2017 at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center after two American senators proposed to deny U.S. visas to those supposedly responsible for her imprisonment.

De Lima, who is a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, denied the drug charges against her, claiming that the charges were politically-motivated.

On September 27, U.S. Senators Richard

Durbin and Patrick Leahy proposed an amendment that seeks to ban the entry into the U.S. of Philippine government officials involved in the “politically-motivated” detention of De Lima.

The amendment was adopted at the Committee level.

According to De Lima, Durbin and Leahy would not stake their names and reputations if they did not believe in her innocence and causes.

“It will not be presumptuous to assume that these U.S. senators must have verified the information they received about my situation u PAGE A5

Duterte rewards Yulo, other Filipino medalists Bill seeking to decriminalize PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has thrown in additional incentives for world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, gold medalist boxer Nesthy Petecio and other Filipino athletes, his longtime aide said on Wednesday, October 16.

The president met Yulo, Petecio, pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, champion weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and silver medalist boxer Eumir Felix Marcial during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Wednesday, said Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. In a text message, Go said Yulo, Petecio and Obiena would get P1 million each as an additional reward from Duterte.

Yulo bagged the gold medal President Rodrigo Duterte strikes his signature pose with the Filipino athletes who have brought home medals from various international at the 49th Artistic Gymnastics competitions during their meeting at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Wednesday, October 16.

Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez u PAGE A2

marital infidelity filed

by EDU

PUNAY Philstar.com

MANILA — House lawmakers are pushing for the decriminalization of marital infidelity, saying the law is unfair to women.

Led by Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill 1144 seeking to repeal Articles 333 and 334 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalize adultery for wives and concubinage for husbands.

Brosas said the law on adultery and concubinage is discriminatory against women in terms of evidence and penalties.

“There is inequality in gender and discrimination against women in this law. There is a need for more evidence to prove concubinage by a husband than to prove adultery by the wife,” Brosas told The Star.

Brosas said such unfair treatment of women under the law covering marital infidelity must be corrected.

“The husband needs only to prove that his wife engaged in a sexual act with another man, while the wife needs to show that her husband’s sexual intercourse with another woman was done under ‘scandalous circumstances,’” she said. u PAGE A2

A october 12-15, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

The long wait for the Supreme Court’s final ruling on Ferdinand Marcos’ protest case against Vice President Leni Robredo is far from over for their supporters who massed on the high court’s grounds in Manila on Tuesday, October 15.

Inquirer.net photos by Marianne Bermudez

VP poll protest recount: Robredo...

PAGE A1 t main ruling, however, required both the Marcos and Robredo camps to submit comments on results of a recount of votes in the pilot provinces and submit memos on other issues including Marcos’ third request—to nullify results of elections for Vice President in Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao provinces.

Marcos claimed elections in those provinces were marred by terrorism, intimidation and harassment of voters and pre-shading of ballots in all their 2,756 clustered precincts.

Rep. Mujiv Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, cried foul over Marcos’ claim of election fraud in the three provinces that used to belong to the ARMM. But the PET said the election protest had already spawned

Supporters of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. gather outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 15, as they wait for the result of deliberations on the poll protest filed against Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

“very serious but unfounded and careless speculations.”

“The tribunal deems it essential to meet due process requirements to require protestant and protestee to now provide their position in relation to the third

cause of action,” the PET ruling said.

The tribunal added that requiring both parties to examine first the results of the vote recount was in compliance with the Constitution. n

Duterte rewards Yulo, other Filipino...

Bill seeking to decriminalize marital...

PAGE A1 t

PAGE A1 t “And under the third circumstances when concubinage is committed, it is not enough that the husband is keeping a paramour in another house. It must be shown that the husband lives with the paramour in that house,” she added.

Brosas questioned the unequal penalties imposed on women and men under the law.

Adultery is punishable by two years and four months to six years in prison, while a man proven guilty of concubinage may be sentenced to six months and one day to four years and two months in prison only. n

World Championships while Petecio won the gold medal in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship.

Obiena was the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games, after passing the Olympic standard with a leap of 5.81-meters in an event in Italy in early September.

Go said Marcial and Diaz would get P500,000 each — all from the president.

Marcial won a silver in the world boxing championship in September, while Diaz bagged bronze in the weightlifting worlds also last month. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)

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Dateline USa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 12-15, 2019

A

US warns of SCS code of conduct with China

by Neil JaysoN

servallos Philstar.com

Fifteen Asian American and Pacific Islander community leaders were sworn in on Wednesday, October 9 for the revived Clark County AsianAmerican Pacific Islanders Community Commission, which will be tasked with addressing the needs and making recommendations on behalf of the county’s over 252,000 AAPI residents.

Clark County’s Asian-American Pacific Islanders Community Commission is comprised of Sharifa Wahab, Fayyaz Raja, Craig Valdez, Sonny Vinuya, Rica Tamura, Divya Narala, Arlene Anita Markthepharack, Margie Gonzales, Tuan Pham, Allen Mallari, Vida Chan Lin, Daniel Lee, Jeannie Kim, Arun Gupta and Dorinda Burnet.

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

4 Fil-Ams named to Clark County AAPI commission

by AJPress LAS VEGAS — Four Filipino Americans have been appointed to the reestablished Clark County Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Community Commission on Wednesday, October 9.

Fil-Am community leader Margie Gonzales will serve as chairwoman of the 15-person commission, which also includes Fil-Ams Allen Mallari, a pastor; Craig Valdez, regional program manager for New American Leaders; and Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce President Sonny Vinuya.

Other members represent leaders, business owners and students across AAPI backgrounds and ages.

The commission had its inaugural meeting on Wednesday at the Clark County Government Center during which members were sworn in and the duties of the commission were laid out.

Gonzales said the commission will work to identify the AAPI communities within the county, the population of each one, and their respective socio-economic needs.

Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerbloom recognized that the AAPI community — considered the fastest-growing demographic in Southern Nevada — continues to be an economic driver for the county.

The county previously had a similar commission in 1995, which had been established by the late Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom through AB 525 in

the Legislature. It, however, only lasted for a year.

“The Asian-American Pacific Islander community is large and diverse and it’s important that we identify and address its needs,” said Segerblom. ”I look forward to watching the panel go about its work and receiving a report of its recommendations.”

Segerblom advocated for the revival of the commission based on the recommendations of a group of community leaders, including Rozita Lee, who was on the 1995 commission.

Census data from 2017 indicates there are currently 251,853 Asians and 31,546 Pacific Islanders in Clark County.

Filipinos make up the largest AAPI group in the state, with around 86,000 in the county alone — though that number is projected to have increased since the last Census.

The commission is also tasked with the creation of an AAPI cultural center within the county, which is proposed to be a centralized hub for resources and services for the community.

The meeting on Wednesday did not disclose any further information on the timeline or the site of the center.

“With your hard work, compassion and commitment, our community will be stronger and I am proud to be one of you,” Nevada first lady Kathy Sisolak, who was present on Wednesday, told the commissioners.

The commission is also authorized to accept donations that will be put toward the research of identifying the community

and the relevant organizations.

The 15 members of the commission will serve until June 30, 2021, and will meet once a month. n

WITH numerous acts showing outright “bullying” of South China Sea claimant states, the United States has said it remains skeptical of China’s commitment to negotiate an effective code of conduct in the disputed waters.

David Stilwell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, expressed doubts over China’s avowed commitment to peaceful diplomacy.

“While claiming that they are committed to peaceful diplomacy, the reality is that Chinese leaders — through the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) navy, law enforcement agencies and maritime militia — continue to intimidate and bully other countries,” Stilwell told the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee.

This comes on the heels of a commitment made by Southeast Asian nations early this year to fast-track a meaningful code of conduct in the disputed South China Sea. If China continues with its current behavior and its provocative insistence of its sweeping maritime claim dubbed the “ninedash line,” Stilwell said a code of conduct would be harmful to the region.

The nine-dash line refers to the undefined, vaguely located, demarcation line used by the Chinese government for their claims to major parts of the South China Sea. Stilwell said a binding code at this time would only enable Chi-

David Stilwell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Photo from State.gov

na to legitimize its “egregious behavior and unlawful maritime claims, and to evade the commitments Beijing signed up to under international law.”

While the Hague ruling of 2016 declared that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights over the nine-dash line in the South China Sea, the Chinese continue to refuse to pay heed to it as the Philippines — which won the case — seems unwilling to enforce it.

China’s repeated actions to assert the nine-dash line was also denying claimant states from accessing over $2.5 trillion in recoverable energy reserves, while contributing to instability and risk of conflict, Stilwell added.

“PRC maritime claims in the South China Sea, exemplified by the preposterous nine-dash line, are both unlawful and unreasonable. These claims,

which are without legal, historic or geographic merit, impose real costs on other countries,” he said.

“PRC actions in the South China Sea are a threat not only to South China Sea claimant states, or to Southeast Asian nations generally, but to all trading nations and all who value freedom of the seas and the peaceful settlement of disputes,” he added.

Bullying has to stop Citing the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA), signed by U.S. President Donald Trump last year, the state department official said that China was also challenging the international system by its “illegal” construction and militarization of artificial features in the South China Sea. The ARIA establishes a multifaceted strategy to increase U.S. security, economic interests and values in the Indo-Pacific region.

Through it, the U.S. helps ensure freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the sea. It also led to joint maritime training and operations to maintain free and open access with its Indo-Pacific allies, including the Philippines.?Stilwell, a former defense attaché to Beijing, said the manner by which Beijing continues to bully claimant states is consistent with a previous statement of former Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi in 2010.

“China is a big country and other countries are small countries, and that’s just a fact,” Yang was quoted as saying. n

A october 12-15, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch talks on again

by EddiE

AlinEA ManilaTimes.net

THE now on, now off Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. 2 is again shaping up.

This time, though, it looks the fight fans have been looking forward to happen, could, at last, be realized.

What triggered renewed speculations was the holder of the immaculate 50-0 fight record, “Money Man,” was reported to have withdrawn from talks about a planned exhibition fight in China that, for all intent and purposes, has restarted negotiations for a rematch with the Filipino eightdivision champion.

Jay Lau of Hong Kong’s DEF Promotions director and promoter, and the man behind the exhibition match, told Boxing Scene that Mayweather is currently more interested in a rematch of his 2015 mega-fight with Pacquiao than finalizing the China deal.

Lau reportedly admitted that the Pacquiao-Mayweather 2 is a lot more important businesswise than the exhibition match

he was offering to the undefeated American.

“We were talking about an exhibition in China, a big event, not a professional boxing fight, but something like Mayweather vs Tenshin in Japan,” Lau was quoted as saying.

“We spoke a bit about doing a special fight in China, but half way through he turned to the Pacquiao rematch so we stopped (talking).”

Lau said that letting go of such a big (exhibition) event is something that a boxing promoter wouldn’t do, adding, however, the rematch with Pacquiao will more beneficial.

He pointed out that the rematch is the biggest thing that can happen, so why bother with the exhibition bout first?

“If that happens we will stop everything and let him (Floyd) do his thing first.”

Had the 42-year-old not withdrawn from the exhibition bout negotiations that actually started last June yet, It would have been the second fight of this kind for Mayweather.

He outclassed kick boxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round of their three-round exhibition held under Japanese promotion Rizin on New Year’s Eve in 2018 where he collected a gargantuan £7m for brief outing.

In a separate interview, Lau said Mayweather came twice to Hong Kong and spoke to his son. “He spoke with my son Jayson we had communications but now he is focusing the Pacquiao rematch.”

The two greatest welterweights in the world first fought in 2015 in a contest that was the richest in the history of sweet science won by Mayweather via unanimous decision.

Although the fight was considered by fans as a big letdown that failed to come up to expectations, a PacquiaoMayweather 2 is still considered as big business.

Lau expressed apprehension, though, in Mayweather being too expensive that “we have to work really hard to get him back over to Asia – the offer is not easy.” n

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PH BUSINESS CONFERENCE, EXPO. Vice President Leni Robredo (2nd from right), receives a token of appreciation as keynote speaker from officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) led by its president, Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco (second from left) during the opening of the 45th Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC&E), held at The Manila Hotel on Wednesday, October 16. The conference gathered government officials and business leaders to provide a platform to discuss the impact of digital economy on local businesses.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

California to provide financial boost to help buy health coverage

by BErnArd

Wolfson Kaiser Health News

IF you are among the Californians who buy your own health insurance, a surprise may await you as the enrollment period for 2020 coverage opens this week.

Starting Jan. 1, California will become the first state to offer subsidies to middle-income people who make too much money to qualify for the federal tax credits that help consumers buy health coverage through Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act insurance exchange.

Many people in the middle class have struggled to afford health insurance, often shouldering the entire cost of premiums that can surpass $1,000 a month.

“The law is going to do what it is intended to do, which is to help out those people who didn’t qualify for any assistance when in reality they should have gotten something,” says Jonathan Edewards, president of Citrust Insurance Agency in Pasadena, Calif. “And those people really got hammered.”

Covered California estimates that nearly 1 million Californians could benefit from the new state money.

Also starting next year, state residents will be on the hook for a tax penalty if they are uninsured for more than three months, unless they qualify for one of several exemptions.

The penalty will mirror the federal one that was nullified — effective this year —by the 2017 federal tax reform law. In many cases, it will amount to $695 for a single adult and about $2,000 for a family of four. But for a lot of

people, the financial hit could be substantially larger.

In California the deadline to enroll in coverage through Covered California or the open market is Jan. 31, but if you want the coverage to begin Jan. 1, you must sign up by Dec. 15.

Some of the $429 million worth of state subsidies available in 2020 will go to low- and moderate-income people who earn between 200% and 400% of the federal poverty level, or roughly $25,000 to $50,000 for an individual and $51,500 to $103,000 for a family of four, based on 2019 figures. This group also qualifies for federal tax credits. The average household state subsidy in this category would be $15 a month, Covered California estimates.

The lion’s share will go to those whose incomes are between 400% and 600% of the poverty level — too high for federal aid but still low enough to make health care financially challenging. That’s between about $50,000 and $75,000 a year for an individual and $103,000 to $154,500 for a family of four.

The average state assistance for this group will be about $170 a month, says Peter Lee, Covered California’s executive director.

Say, for example, you are a married couple in Sacramento, both 55 years old, with an annual income of $80,000. You would not have qualified for a federal tax credit this year and would have been responsible for the entire $1,654 monthly premium for a Blue Shield of California Silver 70 HMO, the second lowest level of coverage. In 2020, you would pay $995 per month after a $688 subsidy from the state — a sav-

ings of $659 a month, despite a 1.7% increase in the premium.

You could pocket those savings, or you could bump yourselves up to a higher level of coverage with lower deductibles and copays.

For a do-it-yourself estimate of what your financial assistance might be, go to the Covered California site (www.coveredca.com) and click on “Shop and Compare.” You will be asked to enter your ZIP code, the number and ages of people in your household, and your family income.

The tool will show you a list of health plans, how much you would pay per month for each and the subsidy amount, if any, labeled “monthly savings.” Hover on that, and you will see a breakdown of state vs. federal dollars.

But before you sign up, seek free help from an insurance agent or enrollment counselor, who can guide you through the complexities of the process. Find one in your area by visiting the Covered California website and clicking on the “Find Help” tab.

You can also search for local insurance agents at the National Association of Health Underwriters website (www.nahu.org) under “Membership.”

A word of caution: Be careful estimating your income. If you end up making more than you guessed, you may have to pay back some or all of the financial aid.

That has been the case for the federal tax credits since the health insurance exchanges debuted in 2014.

“That’s caused a lot of stress.

I have two people this year who owe about 20 grand,” says Larry

u PAGE A5

New committee seeks to ensure all Filipinos...

PAGE A1 t following: the name, sex, age, dates of birth, race of every person living at that address and the relationships of everyone in the house to one central figure, usually the head of the household.

Every household will be able to respond to the survey via mail, phone or online. As digital options become more ubiquitous, most households will be able to complete the questionnaire online. On or between March 1220, 2020, households will receive a letter in the mail on how to answer the census survey online.

Soriano Versoza emphasized the significant relationship between the census count and federal funding as a major influence on the committee’s genesis.

According to data retrieved from the 2018 American Community Survey, there are more than 4 million Filipinos in the United States. California is home to 1,651,933 Filipinos, making the the largest Asian and Pacific Islander group in the Golden State; Los Angeles County alone has more than 400,000 Filipinos.

An accurate count is tantamount to how the estimated

$675 billion of federal funds is diverted to states and local communities every year. The federal funding determined by the census also affects the number of representatives each state gets in the House of Representatives and the ways in which federal, state and local districts are drawn every year.

“If [the Filipino community is] undercounted, then the government doesn’t see as much of a need to put resources toward infrastructure like streets or parks that serve those communities,” Soriano Versoza noted.

“We are making the argument that our community needs these dollars and they deserve these dollars, but if we don’t have an accurate count, then it makes it really hard for us to advocate for as much resources as we actually should be getting,” Soriano Versoza explained.

Historically, Filipinos have been one of the hardest-to-count communities. Soriano Versoza noted that undocumented Filipinos often don’t complete a survey for fear that their immigration status will be used against them.

But Ivy Daulo, partner special-

ist at the LA Regional Census Center emphasized that census responses are confidential by law and will not be shared with any other government agencies.

Additionally, the Trump administration’s proposal to ask a question about citizenship on the next census has been blocked by federal judges; as of press time, that question will not be on the 2020 census.

At the end of Saturday’s launch, members of the Filipino community in the Greater Los Angeles area signed a resolution establishing the committee and promising to encourage greater Filipino turnout at the 2020 census.

“No other API committee I’ve observed is as organized and diligent with meeting twice a month and getting work done,” Artesia City Councilwoman Melissa Ramoso told the Asian Journal, noting that the LA committee was established after Nevada’s Filipino American community established its own complete count committee.

“We have to set the precedence for our Filipino and API communities,” Ramoso affirmed.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

PAGE A1 t sons such as a medical care and court obligations,” reasoned Newsom in his veto message.

California law currently allows the transferring of inmates for court-related or medical purposes.

The bill, AB 1282, would have put statutory restrictions on California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) centers from giving federal immigration agents — contracted with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — entrance into CDCR facilities to take inmates about to be released and transfer them to immigration detention.

It also would have banned state and local agencies from keeping immigrants in custody for a period longer than their release date to allow federal agents in deportation and other immigration enforcement processes.

Authored by Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, the bill was upheld in a U.S. appeals court after the Trump administration sued to

have it overturned on the grounds that it went against federal immigration policy.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a sponsor of the bill, was among those that expressed disappointment.

Attorney Angela Chan, Advancing Justice’s policy director, told the San Francisco Chronicle that contrary to Newsom’s reasons, AB 1282 would not have affected already allowable transfers.

She said the bill “came out of the blue” in that no amendments were requested, nor were there any objections while the bill was pending.

Proponents of the bill have also stressed that while federal law already prohibits private security guards from serving immigration arrests in California prisons without warrants, the arrests still happen.

In a statement released Wednesday, Kalra said that the bill would have assured that California “complies with federal law by prohibiting private secu-

rity guards from masquerading as federal immigration officers in California prisons.”

“We cannot continue to allow our state to be intimidated by an administration whose immigration policy is based in unlawful and hateful actions,” said Kalra.

G4S Global Solutions is one principal immigration contractor that has conducted warrantless immigration arrests and would have been affected by the bill. The company is responsible for approximately one-third of immigration arrests.

A lawsuit was filed against G4S back in May for the “brutal and inhumane” treatment of four immigrant women in 2017 who were being transported in to Bakersfield from the Bay Area.

According to the suit, G4S employees ignored the women who were shackled in a windowless van in broiling temperatures, without food, water, medication, or access to a restroom. The trip lasted more than 24 hours. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

Asian American group disappointed in Newsom’s veto...

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 12-15, 2019

Lawmaker: ‘Abominable’ should...

USCGC Stratton (WMSL-752) is the second cutter of the U.S. Coast Guard to visit the country.

PAGE A1 t claimants of the contested waterway aside from the Philippines, has pulled the movie from its theaters due to this.

According to Fortun, the MTRCB is mandated by law to “empower the Filipino family, particularly parents, and at the grassroots level, such that family members are able to evaluate and intelligently choose media and entertainment content.”

“At the very least, considering the seriousness of the possible repercussions of the movie’s public showing, the MTRCB should should suspend its showing in the meantime that it is investigating the adverse impact it can have in the minds of the Filipino audiPhoto courtesy of Philippine Coast Guard ence,” he added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., for his part, suggested to cut out the offending Manila scene as well as called for a uniU.S. Coast Guard commandant Adm. Karl Schultz will arrive in Manila next week for a series of engagements, Balilo said.

He is expected to visit the PCG headquarters and the National Coast Watch Center.

PAGE A1 t On Monday, October 14, the with key agencies of the U.S. govU.S. Marines and the PCG Spe- ernment i.e., the U.S. State Decial Operations Force launched partment, the Central Intelligence the 5-day Kamandag (Kaagapay Agency, the U.S. Drug Enforceng mga Mandirigma ng Dagat) ment Agency, and even the U.S. exercises which aims “to pro- Embassy here,” she said. mote multinational interoperabilIncluded in the officials De Lima ity, readiness and capabilities.” identified to be behind her alleged Participants, which include 8 political persecution are Duterte personnel from Philippine Na- and Presidential spokesperson tional Police Maritime Group, 12 Salvador Panelo, who failed to adfrom PCG, 15 from U.S. Marine vise the President that violating her Corps and, 18 from Philippine human rights and depriving her of Navy Marine Reconnaissance her freedom are abuses offensive Group, will undergo rigid board to justice and humanity. search and seizure training, “My persecution started with a Balilo said. n daily public media demolition by none other than Duterte, using all his powers as President. This was followed by a vicious social media campaign conducted by DDS 2020. (Kaiser Health News, which (Duterte diehard supporters) trolls, produces California Healthline, is led by Duterte sycophants Mocha not affiliated with Kaiser Perman- Uson, Sass Rogando Sasot, and RJ ante.)

Nieto,” she said.

Shannon, 63, is retired. Her “Then came the House (of Rephusband, also 63, is self-em- resentatives) investigation where ployed, and his income fluctu- criminal convicts were induced to ates. She thinks that by working testify against me in exchange for less, he can reduce it enough prison privileges and immunity, next year to qualify for a state if not presidential pardon, as led subsidy. He’s been wanting to by former Speaker Pantaleon Alcut back anyway, “and this has varez, former DoJ (Department of really given us the motivation to Justice) secretary Vitaliano Aguspeed up his retirement plan,” irre, Solicitor General Jose Calida, she says.

PAO (Public Attorney’s Office) This Kaiser Health News sto- Chief Persida Acosta, Sandra Cam, ry first published on California Dante Jimenez, Congressmen Rey Healthline, a service of the Cali- Umali and Rudy Fariñas,” De Lima fornia Health Care Foundation. n added. n

US Coast Guard ship joins maritime drills near Spratlys

by Frances

Mangosing Inquirer.net

A U.S. Coast Guard ship has carried out maritime exercises with Philippine and Japanese forces near the West Philippine Sea. The USCGC Stratton (WMSL752) arrived in Palawan on Wednesday for the Sama-Sama exercises, said Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Capt. Arman Balilo. The Sama-Sama is an annual activity of the Philippines and U.S. designed to undertake complex maritime training.

Palawan is an island province in the Philippines closest to the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The resource-rich waterway is being claimed mostly

by China, which has built massive military outposts in recent

years to strengthen its claims.

This is the second deployment of a U.S. Coast Guard ship in Philippine waters in six months.

Last May, the Philippine and U.S. coast guards conducted exercises near Scarborough Shoal.

Aside from its navy, the U.S. has stepped up in using its coast guard to broaden its reach in the South China Sea amid Chinese expansion.

The exercises are being conducted amid fresh tensions between the Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea. The Philippines early this month filed a diplomatic protest against China after Chinese coast ships were spotted near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, where the Philippine Navy has grounded a ship to serve as its detachment.

U.S. Coast Guard chief to visit

California to provide financial boost to...

PAGE A4 t Pon, a certified public accountant in Redwood City, Calif.

You may also have to pay back some or all of your state aid if your income exceeds your estimate, but the details of how much you will owe are being finalized.

On the flip side, if you make less than expected, you can retroactively claim the credit, whether state or federal, when you file your taxes — but only if you enrolled in a health plan through Covered California.

So if you don’t seem to qualify for financial aid but think your income might drop, or you’re just not sure, strongly consider sign-

ing up with Covered California — even with no initial subsidy — instead of buying a plan through the open market.

“I am putting anybody on Covered California if there is any potential for their income to fall,” says Tom Freker, a Huntington Beach, Calif.-based insurance agent.

Maribeth Shannon and her husband, residents of Napa, Calif., plan to switch to Covered California in 2020. They are paying $1,671 out of pocket each month for a Kaiser Permanente bronze HMO that they purchased outside the exchange, and they just learned it will rise to $1,834 in

De Lima identifies ‘persecutors’...

versal boycott of all DreamWorks productions.

“No less than our Foreign Affairs Secretary has called for its boycott. So, why not just ban it?

The MTRCB can very well do that consistent with its mandate,” Fortun said.

He also said that such official action “will be a message to the world that the Philippines has not abandoned the 2016 Hague arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea that invalidated China’s ninedash line for being contrary to the

A

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and thus, bereft of any lawful effect.”

The MTRCB gave “Abominable” a “G”classification before the controversy broke out.

Fortun supposed it was possible that the reviewers and even the top officials of the MTRCB were unaware of the nine-dash line map in the movie.

“Had they been aware, they might have exercised more prudence and acted accordingly,” he noted. n

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D ateline PhiliPPines Locsin turns down China panda offer

by Pia Lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has declined a Chinese offer of a panda for the Philippines, saying the country cannot let another animal starve to death.

“Why I politely dismissed an offer to give us one. We can’t starve another animal to death in a dead zoo. We’re just no good at this,” Locsin said in a tweet on Thursday, October 17. He did not specify who made the offer or when.

The secretary was reacting to an Agence France-Presse report about a panda whose sudden death in Thailand due to heart attack sparked outrage in China last month.

China dispatched a team of experts to Thailand after 19year-old Chuang Chuang died at the Chiang Mai Zoo on Sept. 16.

Pandas can live up to 30 years in captivity. The panda had been living in an air-conditioned enclosure with female Lin Hui. The pair were on loan from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu as part of Beijing’s

“panda diplomacy” and were supposed to be returned in 2023. China reportedly first used panda diplomacy in the 1950s.

The policy involves gifting pandas or loaning them to nations where China’s interests need further boost.

Pandas also play a crucial role in China’s bamboo forests conservation by spreading seeds and helping vegetation to grow.

They are a national symbol of China, generating significant economic benefits for local communities through ecotourism and other activities. n

Sandiganbayan sets Enrile plunder trial next month by reina

ToLenTino

ManilaTimes.net

THE trial of former senator Juan Ponce Enrile and others for plunder in connection with the alleged misuse of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam will resume

in November.

The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division on Wednesday tentatively set the resumption of the trial on November 26 and 27 from October 15 after Enrile’s camp filed a motion for its deferment, to which the prosecution did not object.

MALASAKIT CENTER LAUNCH. Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (3rd from left), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and

The court gave Enrile’s camp Demography; and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez (2nd from right), lead the launch of the 45th Malasakit Center at the Ospital ng Parañaque until last Monday, October 14, to on Thursday, October 17. A Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop that enables indigents to avail of various health services.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan submit additional stipulations.

The court has yet to issue a pretrial order that would contain the number of hearing dates, the documentary evidence and witnesses to be presented, and issues to be of total assets, followed by Com- named richest province in the by gaBrieL PaBico LaLu resolved during trial. n postela Valley (P19.61 billion), country. The province is comInquirer.net Batangas (P18.18 billion), Rizal posed of 53 local government MANILA — The province of (P18.07 billion), and Bukidnon units — 44 municipalities, six Cebu is the richest province in (P15.27 billion). component cities, and three inthe Philippines in terms total asBukidnon was followed by the dependent cities — Cebu, Lapusets, according to the 2018 an- provinces of Negros Occidental Lapu, and Mandaue. nual financial report by the Com- (P14.46 million), Laguna (P11.58 On Wednesday, it was reportmission on Audit (COA). billion), Iloilo (P11.44 billion), ed that Makati City remains to be COA said in its report upload- Palawan (P11.27 billion), and the richest city in the Philippines, ed in their website last Tuesday, Zambales (P11.24 billion). with over P230 billion worth of October 15, that Cebu topped the Reports said this is the fifth assets. Next to Makati is Quezon list with a P35.65-billion worth consecutive year that Cebu was City, with P87.28 billion. n

Cebu is again richest province in PH –COA

Mindanao quake kills 6, injures dozens

by DemPsey

reyes ManilaTimes.net

MARAWI CITY — The strong and shallow quake that jolted several provinces in Mindanao left at least six people dead and injured 53 others, authorities said.

The 6.3-magnitude earthquake reduced dozens of houses to rubble and damaged hundreds of structures including schools, prompting local officials to cancel classes indefinitely.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesman Mark Timbal on Thursday confirmed that three persons were buried alive when a landslide hit the town of Magsaysay.

In Tulunan, North Cotabato, a child died and two persons were hurt.

Meanwhile, in M’lang, Cotabato, Tony Panangulon died of a heart attack.

Later in the day, a wall fell and killed an unidentified man in the province of Maguindanao.

The strong earthquake tested the stability of structures in the areas affected.

Timbal said in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, buildings near the epicenter of the earthquake sustained heavy damage.

The Philippine seismology office has recorded more than 300 weaker aftershocks in the area since the big quake, but authorities said they did not expect the toll to rise significantly.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) deployed teams to inspect roads

and and structures in quake-hit areas.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said these teams would assess the damage on roads, bridges, major establishments and government-owned buildings to ensure public safety.

Based on the initial report of the DPWH in Region 12, all national road networks in Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City) are passable.

Meanwhile, Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddess Hope Libiran said reports from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines showed that the Cotabato Airport only suffered a cracked window glass panel.

Air hubs in Davao, Tambler, Laguindingan and Butuan sustained no damage.

Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Jay Santiago said there was no reported damage to the Port of General Santos, but the agency temporarily shut it down until Thursday to pave way for a thorough inspection of all structures at the port.

Help them President Rodrigo Duterte has directed all concerned government agencies to assist the victims of the quake.

“The president has directed agencies to assist in whatever way they can to alleviate the suffering of these people and to undertake any rehabilitation activities relative to whatever damages that the residents in Cotabato City went through,”

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

Panelo added that the national government, through the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, was closely monitoring the situation.

“We ask the public to remain calm but vigilant and we urge them to refrain from spreading disinformation that may cause undue alarm, panic and stress to many people,” he said.

“The Office of the President has already tasked all concerned agencies of the government to mobilize, respond and provide immediate assistance to those in need, as well as to study plans on how to rehabilitate the damaged areas,” he added.

Panelo said Duterte might visit some of the quake victims.

No severe damage was reported to ports and regional airports.

Razed Meanwhile, an estimated P2 billion worth of properties and commercial goods were destroyed in the huge fire that gutted the Gaisano Mall in General Santos City shortly after the 6.3-earthquake on Wednesday night.

Firefighters battled the blaze for more than 16 hours.

Fire Insp. Reginald Legaste, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection station in the city, said about 75 percent of the 2.3-hectare mall was razed, based on their initial assessment.

Dacera said no one was hurt because mall-goers and employees were evacuated when the fire started. n

Nurses attend to those who were injured following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked parts of Mindanao on Wednesday, October 16.

Photo courtesy of NDRRMC

Lowering of retirement, senior citizen age to 56 sought MANILA — A party-list lawmaker is pushing to lower the optional retirement and senior citizenship age in the country from 60 to 56 years.

Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. filed House Bill 86, seeking to adjust the minimum retirement age in both public and private sectors, to enable retirees to enjoy a better quality of life through their pension and retirement benefits at an earlier age.

“VAT (value-added tax) exemptions, mandatory membership in the government’s healthcare system and discounts for medicine, basic necessities and service will all come earlier, reducing the physical toll on our citizens to keep working just to reach the retirement age and avail themselves of the benefits of being…senior citizens,” the lawmaker explained.

The proposed measure seeks to amend section 13-A of Republic Act 8291, or the Government Service Insurance System Act of 1997, which set the optional

retirement age for government workers at 60 and the mandatory retirement age at 65.

Garbin said the lower retirement age would likewise help the bureaucracy, as it hastens the turnover of government positions to younger professionals, making way for the infusion of fresh blood in public services.

“Countless cases involving public officers emphasize the need of a younger workforce in the government, to inject new perspectives and insight into the government’s ranks,” he pointed out.

He said the same principle applies to the private sector, as the proposed measure would create more employment opportunities for those seeking employment in the government and a chance to serve the country.

“This bodes well for the families of our retirees as well, as our retirees have more time to spend with their loved ones in relative comfort. Our retirees and their families will enjoy the fruits of

decades’ worth of labor and will lessen the burden on the family’s spending,” Garbin added.

He cited for instance the police and military services where the retirement age is 56 or once they reach 30 years of service.

At present, the retirement age for private employees is 60, while government workers have until 65 for mandatory retirement.

In conjunction with this proposed measure, Garbin filed a separate bill seeking to lower the age of senior citizens to 56.

The bill seeks to amend RA 7432, also known as the Senior Citizens law, which currently sets the age of senior citizenship at 60.

Garbin said the measure seeks to give employees the necessary benefits and privileges at the age when most “ailments and other physical limitations” are experienced the most.

The House is set to tackle the proposed measure when it resumes session next month. (Edu Punay/Philstar.com)

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A

Cayetano: Term-sharing with Velasco still a go by edu

TURN OVER OF COMMAND. Major Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (right), the outgoing chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), hands over the NCRPO flag to incoming chief, Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, during the Change of Command ceremony held at the NCRPO Grandstand in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City on Wednesday, October 16. Presiding the turnover rites is Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa (middle), the Philippine National Police (PNP) officer in charge.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Blue Ribbon: PNP chief, ‘ninjas’ liable for graft, drugs

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez, ChRistina mendez, Paolo RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — After considering the “totality� of testimonies of witnesses and circumstantial evidence in its inquiry, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee has recommended the filing of drug and graft charges against former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde and 13 of his former subordinates, in connection with the drug raid in Mexico, Pampanga in 2013, where a bulk of the nearly P1 billion worth of seized methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu was pilfered.

Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the committee, presented on Friday, October 16, the draft report on its inquiry into the socalled “ninja cops� or PNP officers involved in illegal drugs, a copy of which was sent to President Duterte through Sen. Christopher Go. The 46-page preliminary report has yet to be signed by other members of the committee but Senate President Vicente Sotto III — who is in Serbia for the InterParliamentary Union conference with 10 other senators — indicated to Gordon that they will sign the document after receiving copies of it via email.

Go said he still needs to read and review the committee report before he decides whether to sign

it or not.

While presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace will likely consider the outcome of the Senate Blue Ribbon report, it can’t be predicted whether Duterte — also a lawyer — would accept the findings against Albayalde and his men.

Duterte had earlier berated Gordon for questioning his decision to appoint retired military officers in the Cabinet.

During the command conference last Tuesday, October 15, in MalacaĂąang, sources said Duterte had also expressed his serious apprehensions on the motives of Gordon, as well as Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in pursuing the inquiry.

Gordon said Albayalde apparently led a “monumental coverup� after the raid led by Police Maj. Rodney Baloyo IV on Nov. 29, 2013, where the policemen allegedly took away huge amounts of cash, vehicles and over 160 kilos out of the 200 kilos of shabu they seized from the residence of a suspect, identified as Johnson Lee. At the time of the raid, Albayalde was still a colonel and Pampanga provincial director, while Baloyo was his intelligence officer. An internal PNP investigation shortly after the raid also discovered that Lee was freed in exchange for P50 million, and was replaced with a Chinese national, Ding Wengkum, who was presented to the media as the suspected drug trafficker.

“This (raid) was no buy-bust.

The real intention was ‘hulidap’,�

Gordon said at a press conference in the Senate, even as he described Albayalde as the “biggest fish ever� the committee has netted in the course of its investigation into “ninja cops.�

Albayalde stepped down as PNP chief on Monday as the controversy on the raid raged. This is the first time he was officially recommended to be charged in connection with the raid. A previous PNP probe found nothing against him after he was relieved from his post and placed on “floating status� for eight months in 2014.

Among the possible charges that may be filed against Albayalde are violation of Section 27 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which is punishable by life imprisonment to death; a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million and perpetual disqualification from public office, according to a summary of the committee report.

The section deals with instances where an officer of the law misappropriates or fails to account for confiscated drugs, precursors and paraphernalia.

Albayalde may also be liable for violation of the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in allegedly calling his former superiors — then PNP generals Aaron Aquino in 2016 and Rudy Lacadin in 2014 — in an apparent attempt to stop

u PAGE A9

Punay, Jess diaz Philstar.com

MANILA – There is no truth to speculations that the term-sharing in the House leadership will no longer push through, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday, October 16.

Cayetano said there has been no change in the earlier decision of President Duterte for him to share the speakership post with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco – a compromise reached before the House elected its leaders on July 22 when the 18th Congress convened. “There is no reason for anyone to worry because we all agreed to let the president decide (on the speakership issue). He had a decision and so far that decision stands,� Cayetano told reporters.

He was reacting to reports that the term-sharing arrangement with Velasco might no longer push through because of his high trust and approval ratings in both Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations surveys. ‘Cayetano’s fate up to Duterte’ Whether or not Cayetano will stay on as Speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 months will be up to Duterte, according to Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. of DasmariĂąas City in Cavite. “It was the president who brokered the term-sharing arrangement. It is he who can say if our current boss in the House will continue as speaker after serving his share of the three-year speakership,â€? Barzaga said in a television interview.

Under the arrangement, Cayetano would hold the post for 15 months, after which Velasco takes over.

Upon the president’s suggestion, a third speakership aspirant, Martin Romualdez of Leyte, was chosen majority leader.

Barzaga is president of the National Unity Party, the first political group to endorse Cayetano, a former foreign affairs secretary, for the top House post. He chairs the House committee on environment and natural resources.

Barzaga said as far as the NUP is concerned, the party would want Cayetano to serve the Speaker’s full three-year term. “His high approval and trust ratings in recent surveys prove that we in NUP, together with our colleagues belonging to other political parties, made the right decision to support him as our leader in the House,� he said.

He said Cayetano’s 64 percent

and 62 percent approval and trust ratings in the Pulse Asia survey “are remarkable and are the highest ever received by a Speaker.�

Barzaga added that a majority of House members “like our Speaker, who has been fair to all of us.�

Cayetano’s speakership rivals have commended him for his high survey ratings.

Velasco said the speaker’s survey showing is proof that the public “appreciates what he and Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano

u PAGE A9

Philstar.com photo

Dear Fil-Am Lawyers, Our father owned real property in the Philippines and he has passed away. My siblings and I were born in California and are not sure how the laws work in the Philippines. We have discovered that the real property is still in the name of our paternal grandfather who died over 20 years ago! I read online that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in the Philippines will assess estate taxes corresponding to the deaths of our grandfather as well as our father. Is this correct and what are the necessary steps for us to properly settle our father’s real property in the Philippines?

Sincerely, Carlos A., San Diego, California Dear Carlos A., You are not alone. Generations of Filipino families still hold properties in the names of their deceased relatives. Traditionally, properties >Ă€i ÂŤ>ĂƒĂƒi` `ÂœĂœÂ˜ LĂž ĂœÂœĂ€` Âœv Â“ÂœĂ•ĂŒÂ… LĂ•ĂŒ Ă€>Ă€iÂ?Ăž LĂž Âœvw Vˆ>Â? }ÂœĂ›iĂ€Â˜Â“iÂ˜ĂŒ deeds. Why? Well, it is all due to one scary thing- estate taxes. Estate tax refers to the tax imposed on the conveyance of property upon the death of the estate owner. In other words, the estate tax must be paid in order to transfer a decedent’s estate to his or her lawful heirs and Li˜iw Vˆ>Ă€ÂˆiĂƒÂ° /Ă€>`ÂˆĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜>Â?Â?Ăž] iĂƒĂŒ>ĂŒi ĂŒ>Ă? ˆ˜VÂ?Ă•`iĂƒ > Óä¯ ĂŒ>Ă? œ˜ ĂŒÂ…i ˜iĂŒ estate of the decedent, plus any additional penalties and interests. In ĂžÂœĂ•Ă€ v>“ˆÂ?ĂžÂ˝Ăƒ V>Ăƒi] ÂˆĂŒ iÂ˜ĂŒ>ˆÂ?Ăƒ > Óä¯ iĂƒĂŒ>ĂŒi ĂŒ>Ă?] > ĂƒĂ•Ă€VÂ…>Ă€}i Âœv Ă“xÂŻ ­>˜` Ă•ÂŤ ĂŒÂœ x䯎] >˜` ĂŒÂ…i˜ >Â˜ÂœĂŒÂ…iĂ€ Óä¯ ÂˆÂ˜ĂŒiĂ€iĂƒĂŒ vĂ€ÂœÂ“ ĂŒÂ…i ĂŒÂˆÂ“i ĂžÂœĂ•Ă€ }Ă€>˜`v>ĂŒÂ…iĂ€ died. Unbelievable, right? With such cost-prohibitive taxes imposed on a decedent’s estate, it is no surprise that many families avoid estate taxes by simply not transferring their assets; leaving them unprotected and subject to accruing penalties with the (BIR).

Luckily for you and your family, the newly approved Republic Act (RA) No. 11213, also known as the Tax Amnesty Act of 2019, has provided new provisions on estate tax amnesty and tax amnesty on delinquencies. What does this mean and how does it affect your family?

7iÂ?Â?] Li}ˆ˜˜ˆ˜} œ˜ Ă•Â˜i ÂŁx] Ó䣙] Â?i}>Â? Â…iÂˆĂ€Ăƒ Âœv >˜ iĂƒĂŒ>ĂŒi Âœv > `iVi`iÂ˜ĂŒ ĂœÂ…Âœ `ˆi` œ˜ ÂœĂ€ LivÂœĂ€i iVi“LiĂ€ ĂŽÂŁ] Óä£Ç] V>˜ Li˜iw ĂŒ vĂ€ÂœÂ“ ĂŒÂ…ÂˆĂƒ ˜iĂœ Â?>ĂœÂ° i˜iw Vˆ>Ă€ÂˆiĂƒ ĂœÂˆÂ?Â? }>ˆ˜ ÂˆÂ“Â“Ă•Â˜ÂˆĂŒĂž vĂ€ÂœÂ“ ĂŒÂ…i ÂŤ>ޓiÂ˜ĂŒ Âœv iĂƒĂŒ>ĂŒi ĂŒ>Ă?iĂƒ] as well as civil, criminal, and administrative cases and penalties. This can be accomplished by settling estate tax obligations within two years from the amnesty’s effective date. Unlike previous estate tax provisions, the >“˜iĂƒĂŒĂž ÂŤĂ€ÂœĂ›Âˆ`iĂƒ vÂœĂ€ > y >ĂŒ Ăˆ ÂŤiĂ€ViÂ˜ĂŒ ­¯Ž ĂŒ>Ă? œ˜ ĂŒÂ…i `iVi`iÂ˜ĂŒÂ˝Ăƒ ĂŒÂœĂŒ>Â? net estate at the time of death, with a minimum tax amnesty amount Âœv *x]äää ÂŤiĂ€ `iVi`iÂ˜ĂŒ] >˜` ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ÂœĂ•ĂŒ ÂŤi˜>Â?ĂŒÂˆiĂƒ >ĂŒ i>VÂ… ĂƒĂŒ>}i Âœv ĂŒĂ€>Â˜ĂƒviĂ€ of property. Ultimately, your family will be saving lots of money when settling your father’s real property‌but you and your siblings need to take care of this during the 2 year period!

So how can you take advantage of this opportunity? Our team of licensed and experienced attorneys, from both the United States and the Philippines, can guide you through the intricate maze of the Philippine inheritance laws and help you receive, and protect, what is rightfully yours. To schedule a phone or video consultation, please visit us online at www.FilAmLawyers.com or contact us at 323-FILAMLAW or 323-345-2652.

Warm regards, Fil-Am Lawyers

A8 OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Not yet universal health care

FEATURES

THE Supreme Court has ruled that nurses deserve a monthly basic pay of P30,000 under Republic Act 9173 or the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, which enhanced RA 7164 passed in 1991. But the SC also stressed that it would be up to Congress to allocate funding for the increase.

Health officials have said that with Congress already finalizing the General Appropriations Act or GAA for 2020, the increase may not be possible by next year. Worse, a senator has warned that more than 10,000 workers of the Department of Health – about 40 percent of the 26,389 government health personnel – could even lose their jobs next year because of a P9.39billion cut in the DOH budget for 2020.

The workers reportedly include 7,107 nurses, 202 dentists and 597 medical technologists under the Human Resource for Health Deployment Program. The funding is being slashed as the DOH gears up for the implementation of the Universal Health Care law in 2020. The implementing rules and regulations for the law were signed on Oct. 10.

This problem is similar to the significant funding cut for public education even as the government expands free universal education to the tertiary level. Public school teachers are also seeking an

entry-level pay of P30,000 a month – up from P20,754 – to be at par with military and police personnel.

From its appropriation this year of P169.45 billion, the proposed 2020 budget for the DOH is down to P160.15 billion. Its health deployment program is seeing its P8.5-billion allocation for 2019 slashed drastically to P2.45 billion next year.

DOH officials said the universal health care program, which expands the health care services subsidized by the state, needs P257 billion in its first year alone. But with the funding short by nearly P95 billion, the DOH has said the expanded primary care benefit package can only be rolled out progressively, initially in 33 “integration sites” where the local government units are most prepared to assist the department. In Metro Manila, only the cities of Parañaque and Valenzuela are included. appropriation for their pet infrastructure projects.

The controversy is raging amid reports that law- The national budget will show where the priorities makers have tagged billions in the proposed 2020 of the government lie. With funding constraints, it

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

looks like the health care program isn’t going to be expanded enough or universal by 2020. (Philstar. com)

Vice President Leni Robredo maintains victory over Bongbong Marcos after electoral protest recount

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS LENI ROBREDO was sworn in as vice president of the Philippines after winning in the 2016 elections, defeating her political rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. by just 263,473 votes.

This prompted the son of the deposed dictator to allege that he was “cheated” and therefore filed an electoral protest against her, the widow of the popular and beloved late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo.

As Rappler reported on Tuesday, October 15, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, which sits as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), released the report on how it had dealt with Marcos’ second cause of action in the protest, including the results of the recount of votes in the three pilot provinces picked by Marcos.

These areas are Robredo’s territory — Negros Oriental, Iloilo, and Camarines Sur — where Marcos claimed Robredo did some “hocus pocus” to steal the votes and the election victory from him.

Unfortunately for Marcos, the results of the recount failed to support his allegations. In fact,

the numbers boomeranged against him with Robredo’s lead widening with 15,093 additional votes.

The latest tally now shows Robredo won the vice presidential race with 1,510,178 votes from the three provinces compared to Marcos’ 204,512 votes.

Prior to the recount, Robredo got 1,493,517 votes in 2016 in these areas against Marcos’ 202,136 votes.

“The Tribunal retrieved thousands of ballot boxes from three provinces, revised millions of ballots, and ruled on each and every objection and claim of the parties on these millions of ballots. After all these, the Tribunal eventually arrived at a final tally,” explained Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa in his dissenting opinion the high court released Friday as reported by ABS-CBN News, along with the resolution revealing vote recount results.

Citing Rule 65 of the 2010 PET Rules, Caguioa asserted that the election protest filed by Marcos should be dismissed.

As ABS-CBN News reported, Caguioa argued that under Rule 65, the protest may be dismissed

“without further consideration of the other provinces” if the protestant will most probably fail to make out his case after the initial recount involving the three provinces.

Caguioa contended that “it is a disservice to the PET Rules to refuse to dismiss the protest despite ‘clear and unmistakable lack of basis’.”

Citing due process however, the High Court with many justices appointed by Duterte ruled, voting 11-2, to require both parties to comment on the report and to submit their memoranda on Marcos’ third cause of action, that sought to annul the elections in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao.

The Supreme Court’s two dissenting votes came from Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa and Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who said PET Rules are clear that the pilot provinces should not be more than three.

Marcos wanted to look into the three provinces in Mindanao, but according to ABS-CBN News, Carpio argued that even Marcos’ third cause of action on annulment of elections in three Mind-

anao provinces requires revision and recount of ballots, and these provinces should have formed part of the pilot provinces.

“The last thing that this Tribunal should do is to change its rules in midstream to accommodate a party who has failed to comply with what Rule 65 of the 2010 PET Rules expressly requires,” Carpio explained.

Robredo’s camp said this new development only confirmed her victory in 2016, urging Marcos to “respect the decision of the Filipino people and don’t confuse the public with misinformation and lies.”

“Tapos na ‘yong eleksiyon…

Prinoclaim tayo ng Kongreso, panalo tayo. Nagkaroon ng recount, panalo ulit tayo. So ilang panalo pa ang kailangan para maniwala siya na hindi siya ‘yong nanalo? (The election was done...

We proclaimed by the Congress, we won. A recount was conducted, we still won. So how many more victories are needed before [Marcos] believes that he didn’t win?)” Robredo said in a press conference on Tuesday, October 15, following the release of the results of the recount.

It is important to remember that the Marcos family had been pushed out of Malacañang after the late dictator was ousted from the presidency by the People Power Revolution of 1986 for their oppressive regime, abuse of power, corruption, plunder, and election fraud.

Last year, the special anti-graft Sandiganbayan court found former First Lady Imelda Marcos guilty of graft and sentenced her to serve six to 11 years in prison for each of the seven counts of violating an anti-corruption law when she illegally funneled about $200 million to Swiss foundations in the 1970s as Metropolitan Manila governor.

President Rodrigo Duterte had been very open about siding with Marcos in his electoral protest, even addressing the young Marcos the “VP” of the Philippines in several public events.

Reuters even reported in 2018 that “Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could step down if the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos succeeds in overturning his 2016 vice-presidential election defeat”, citing Duterte’s spokesperson then Harry Roque.

The South China Morning Post reported in 2017 that “The son and namesake of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared Thursday he was confident of ousting the current vice-president in a legal challenge, which would place him a heartbeat away from leading his country.”

In 2009, Agence France Presse reported as published

by ABS-CBN News, “The son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos announced he was aiming to become president of the Philippines and insisted his family had nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I would like to take this political career that I have embarked upon as far as it can go. The ultimate position is to be president.” *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.

France, Qatar to Pangasinan and A dep’t of overseas Filipino workers? engagements in Asia and the U.S. Commentary PeaceMaker FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. WE had a hectic month-long journey to France including Lourdes where we visited once more the shrine of our Blessed Virgin Mary, then to Qatar in the Middle East, and in the last few days back to our home province of Pangasinan.

With wife Gina, we spent five days until yesterday with our former constituents, relatives, friends, teachers, farmers, fishermen, and employees in government in Pangasinan’s 4th Congressional District, where we served for twenty years before the advent of Martial Law until 2010, followed by Gina’s two terms in office.

We joined our son, now 33year-old Christopher, who is beginning his second congressional term as he visited new projects in Dagupan City and San Fabian, both along the South China Sea. Then we motored to the other municipalities of Mangaldan and San Jacinto enroute to the miracu-

lous Blessed Virgin Mary town of Manaoag, visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims throughout the year every Sunday and even on ordinary days.

Christopher’s projects recently launched included irrigation systems, municipal and barangay roads, school buildings, barangay halls, health centers, covered courts, new farm equipments, and computer sets for 44 public schools.

In some villages, hedistributed water pumps and medicines, and even had experts conduct a martial arts seminar and self-defense classes for barangay police (tanods).

He also launched the 1stDe Venecia Challenger’s Cup, a 13kilometer cross country race traversing the upland barangays of San Fabian town.

Christopher held a week-long birthday celebration by inaugurating projects, conducting medical and dental missions, and launching livelihood programs in the 4th District of Pangasinan.

We told wife Gina that we believe Christopher is doing better now than in our own first term which was cut short by Marcos’ Martial Law and that he far exceeded our expectations.

We were joined during our

Pangasinan visit by the celebrated Pangasinan publisher Roger Oriel from Binalonan, who now owns and publishes the popular Asian Journal newspaper in the U.S.: twice a week in Los Angeles, California, weekly in San Francisco and Las Vegas, and also once a week in New York City and New Jersey in the East Coast.

Wife Corazon team up with Roger in running their modest network and the editor-in-chief in L.A. is 26-year-old daughter Christina, a graduate of George Washington University, assisted by another daughter Carina, who will soon graduate in Fordham University.

The Oriels of Binalonan, Pangasinan used to own the Oriel Vocational School in Binalonan for 50 years.

Roger began as a junior accountant of Sycip, Gorres & Velayo founded by the legendary Washington Sycip, then became a small publisher in 1982, g to lead the first Filipino Yellow Pages directory until 1990 with 600 pages in California.

In the Philippines, the Yellow Pages directory was introduced in 1958 by the American-based firm, GTE Directories Corporation.

u PAGE A9

THE Duterte administration is seeking to establish a separate department specifically to cater to the needs of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). House Bill No. 2 and Senate Bill No. 202 have been filed to create the Department of Overseas Filipino Workers (DOFW). While the benefits of creating such a new department are notable, there are valid concerns that need to be considered.

The advantages of instituting the DOFW mainly focus on boosting bureaucratic efficiency. It will streamline and simplify government assistance for prospective and current overseas workers. It is expected to combine the functions of the Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Commission on Filipinos Overseas and the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

But while the DOFW can be an instrument for better service delivery, it can also be a symbol of the government’s failure to provide local employment. For Sen. Joel Villanueva, the DOFW may imply that the state’s policy is to “send its citizens to work abroad.” Migrant workers advocate Susan Ople disagrees: “The state is not compelling our peo-

ANDREA CHLOE WONG ple to leave … All we can do is to manage labor migration in the best way possible.”

In considering the establishment of the DOFW, the Philippines may benefit from examining Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MOEW&OE).

The ministry is mainly tasked to increase job opportunities overseas for its citizens and protect their rights as migrant workers, which the DOFW similarly seeks to undertake. The Philippines may consider how the MOEW&OE pursues its tasks to determine whether the DOFW is necessary. This should be a good reference point for the Philippines to evaluate the efficiency and shortcomings of the current “division of labor” among its government agencies covering the OFW cause.

It is also important to clarify the policies of the prospective DOFW. While the protection of migrant workers’ welfare is indisputably a government mandate, the promotion and/or facilitation of overseas employment is a thorny issue. Will the establishment of the DOFW include

institutional efforts to expand job prospects abroad, which Villanueva reckons is an indication of the government’s policy to send its people out? Or will it merely regulate or assist in the process of overseas employment for its citizens, as Ople pragmatically pointed out, in line with the current labor realities?

The Philippines appears ambiguous on its policy stance regarding sending its citizens abroad; hence the dilemma of institutionalizing the “export” of labor. Although labor promotion is not a declared policy, it has since become an implicit objective and a de facto economic strategy of the Philippines, as it has signed labor agreements with other countries and relies on overseas remittances to augment the country’s economy. In Bangladesh, the establishment of the MOEW&OE as early as 2001 was a critical acknowledgment that its government aimed to expand overseas employment for its citizens to benefit the country’s economy.

The Philippines needs to think hard about the prospects and implications of labor migration before establishing the DOFW. In the long-term, will labor migration increase or decrease?

If Filipinos continue to leave the country for work, then the

u PAGE A9

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OpiniOn & Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OctObER 19-22, 2019

A

France, Qatar to Pangasinan and...

PAGE A8 We are encouraging the 64year-old Roger to put up a Filipino-led newspaper in the Arab world, based in Dubai or Jeddah, followed eventually by a broadsheet in Iran’s capital Tehran to cover both the Shiite and Sunni cities of Islam, where this columnist pioneered for the Philippines as a businessman on both sides of the Persian Gulf (Arab Gulf to the Arabs) from the 1970’s until the early 1980’s, following our earlier stint in government as MinisterEconomic Counselor in Saigon in the old Indo-China in the late 1960’s and then as congressman before Martial Law. INDIAN PRESIDENT IN MANILA. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind troops the line, escorted by Lt General Antonio Ramon Lim, Inspector *** General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shortly upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Pasay In a few weeks, from November City on Thursday, October 17. Welcoming the Indian leader are Health Secretary Francisco Duque and officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan 18-21, we will travel to Phnom Penh to address the Asia Pacific Summit co-hosted by the Seouland New York-based Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and the Government of Cambodia unRevilla is accused of receiving the Napoles-linked NGOs. MANILA – Pork barrel scam derPrime Minister Hun Sen. Despite his acquittal, Revilla is star witness Benhur Luy yester- from businesswoman Janet LimIncumbent and former presiday concluded his testimony on Napoles, the alleged mastermind still facing 16 counts of graft still dents and prime ministers, parthe graft cases against Sen. Ra- of the pork barrel scam, P224.5 in connection with the alleged liamentarians, and civil society mon “Bong” Revilla Jr., describ- million in kickbacks or commis- misuse of his PDAF. and religious leaders from the During his cross-examination ing the lawmaker as “kind” for sions for allegedly allocating supposedly allowing the payment P517 million of his Priority Devel- by Revilla lawyer Rheody Anthony of his pork barrel kickbacks on opment Assistance Fund (PDAF) Balisi, Luy, a former right-hand to her bogus non-government man of Napoles, admitted that he installment. never personally transacted with PAGE A8 Taking the witness stand be- organizations (NGOs).

The ombudsman said the PDAF the senator, especially when it need for a DOFW to accommofore the Sandiganbayan First Division, Luy was asked by state allocation was for supposed live- came to the supposed payment date the multifaceted needs of OFWs becomes more acute. But prosecutor Reza Casila-Derayuna lihood and agricultural projects of the latter’s kickbacks.

Luy said he used to commu- if the government’s long-view to clarify his earlier statement which turned out to be “ghosts” nicate with Revilla only through goal is to foster employment at that “mabait si Revilla (Revilla is or never implemented.

In a decision in November last Cambe. Luy said it was Napoles home by growing the economy kind)”.

Luy said he described Revilla year, the First Division acquitted who had sole direct access to Re- such that its citizens no longer have to leave for work abroad, as such since the senator used Revilla of a plunder case in con- villa.

“My level is only through Cam- then the DOFW may eventually to allow the payment of his kick- nection with the scam. The court, become a wasteful redundancy backs from the pork barrel scam however, convicted Napoles and be,” Luy said.

The hearing of Revilla’s graft on an installment basis as com- Revilla’s former staff member cases will resume on Nov. 7, with pared to other lawmakers who Richard Cambe.

The court said “not a single officials from the Commission on used to demand full payment of evidence” was presented by the Audit and the Anti-Money Launtheir kickbacks.

“Pinapayagan po kasi kami na ombudsman’s prosecution team dering Council as well as bank PAGE A7 magbayad ng installment (Be- to prove that Revilla received re- representatives set to take the the dismissal of his men.

He could also be liable for viocause he used to allow us to pay bates, commissions or kickbacks witness stand. (Elizabeth Marlating another provision in the for the allocation of his PDAF to celo/Philstar.com) him on installment),” Luy said.

Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for causing “undue injury” to the state, and to Lee and Ding.

At the very least, Albayalde PAGE A7 that Lord (Velasco) may not be could be charged for negligence, preciation of our constituents.”

He said the positive feedback able to serve as Speaker at all,” Gordon continued. members of the House have inAside from the recommended dividually and collectively accom- they received from the public the lawmaker, who refused to be charges against Albayalde, the plished in the first two months of “will definitely prompt all of us in named, said.

Another House member, Albay committee also recommended the House to work harder in the the 18th Congress.”

Rep. Joey Salceda, lauded Cay- that Baloyo and those under him “We are hoping that we will days to come.”

Asked about Barzaga’s state- etano for posting high survey rat- be charged with unlawful arrest, sustain our performance and the planting of evidence and robbery, people will continue to appreciate ment that Cayetano might stay ings.

Cayetano thanked his col- as well as civil damages. on Speaker after 15 months, a it,” he said.

Gordon said the report, once For his part, Romualdez, said, Velasco supporter said, “That is leagues in the lower chamber for “We are proud of our leader’s ex- a possibility we are prepared to supporting his leadership, but officially adopted by the Senate, urged them to instead focus on will be forwarded to the Departemplary trust and approval ratings. accept.”

“There was a realization when their work of passing measures ment of Justice (DOJ) and the OfTruly, nothing warms the heart of fice of the Ombudsman to be used public servants more than the ap- Alan Peter was elected on July 22 for the benefit of the people. n

Luy: Revilla got kickbacks ‘on installment’

Asia Pacific region will discuss issues besetting the Asian region and the international community, such as peace and security, poverty, climate change, and terrorism and extremism.

UPF will hold a World Summit in Seoul in February next year.

Prior to the Phnom Penh conference, we hope to fly to Washington D.C. with Senator MushahidHussain Sayed of Pakistan and former South Korean Ambassador to Russia and Armenia Park Ro-byug, Vice Chairman-Special Rapporteur and Secretary General, respectively, of our International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), for consultative meetings with incumbent and former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate about a possible working cooperation between ICAPP and members of the U.S. Congress and the Republican and Democratic parties.

As we mentioned in this column much earlier, ICAPP has working partnerships with the Latin American political parties

under the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL), the Council of African Political Parties (CAPP), and the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) and European lawmakers.

In December, we will travel to Terengganu, Malaysia to preside at the 33rd Meeting of the ICAPP Standing Committee and address the inaugural meeting of the newly-created subsidiary group under ICAPP, the Tourism Promotion and Inter-City Cooperation (TOPIC) Council, headed by our good friend Dato Seri ShahidanKassim, former Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, now led by the legendary and still capable Prime Minister MahathirMohamad, pride of the Malays in Southeast Asia.

We will be accompanied in these trips by our long-time Assistant, AldwinRequejo, who previously worked as junior executive in the Secretariat of the House of Representatives for 17 years. n

A dep’t of overseas Filipino... in the country’s development plan.

In the absence of a sustainable alternative, the Philippines has relied on labor migration for too long that it has overlooked carrying out a more effective program to address institutional inequities that would help produce more local employment. This is a critical factor that needs to be

addressed in deliberating on the establishment of a DOFW, which, after all, would require massive investments and the reprioritizing of scarce government efforts and resources.

Andrea Chloe Wong is completing her PhD studies in political science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

(Inquirer.net)

Blue Ribbon: PNP chief, ‘ninjas’ liable for...

Cayetano: Term-sharing with Velasco...

for the possible filing of charges.

“This report will surely be useful in the reinvestigation of the alleged drug recycling or ‘ninja cops’ case currently being conducted by the DOJ,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.

Guevarra said he will review the Blue Ribbon committee’s report first before coming out with any comment on the issue, but said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) may amend its complaint so that it will be included in their investigation.

Gordon said the senators were initially skeptical of the allegations against Albayalde — first raised in the inquiry by former PNP-CIDG head and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong — but as the hearings wore on,

and after given all the time to defend himself, the former PNP chief was found to be much more involved in the questioned raid than he professed himself to be.

He said all Albayalde could show to the committee in his defense was his recommendation to promote Baloyo and the rest — and surprisingly himself — for what he saw was a successful anti-drug raid.

Since 2013 until recently, the beleaguered PNP general never did anything significant to have Baloyo and the others sanctioned, the senator continued. Instead, Albayalde called up Aquino, who was PNP Region 3 chief in 2016, asking that the dismissal orders against his men not be implemented. n

A10 october 19-22, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

ASF reaches Cavite, Nueva Ecija; new cases in Pangasinan Still no new CJ as Bersamin retires

by Louise

Maureen siMeon, eva visperas Philstar.com

MANILA – African swine fever (ASF) has reached the southern part of Luzon even as the government scrambles to contain the disease, which threatens the P260-billion hog industry.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Friday, October 18, confirmed that pigs in two barangays in Dasmariñas, Cavite and in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija tested positive for ASF. “These add to affected areas in Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite and Quezon City,” Dar told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippines-India Trade Consultation.

“The analysis is still ongoing as to how it reached (Dasmariñas) since Rizal was the first ground zero,” he said.

Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said 21 pigs in Barangays Emmanuel Bergado and Salawag died of ASF. “We are doing a one-kilometer sweep of both farms... There is

another quarantine zone that is for strict observation,” Remulla said.

He said the affected farms could have used swill feeding. ”Those using commercial feeds were not affected because of strict biosecurity hazards...

In swill feeding, we do not have control,” Remulla said.

He said pigs in Cavite need to undergo blood tests before a certificate to transport them would be issued.

The Dasmariñas City government is giving P2,000 per culled pig. The provincial government is adding another P2,000 aside from the P5,000 to be given by the Department of Agriculture.

Pangasinan hogs In Pangasinan, 30 hogs in Barangay Apalen in Bayambang tested positive for ASF. Apalen is outside the 10-kilometer radius of Barangay Baloling in Mapandan, where ASF in Pangasinan was first reported.

The affected pigs came from Bulacan.

Pangasinan Gov. Amado Es-

pino said he directed the provincial task force on ASF to follow the measures it implemented in Mapandan to prevent the spread of ASF. Espino reiterated his call for municipal and barangay officials to be more vigilant to prevent the entry of infected pigs and monitor the swine industry in their areas.

The DA said ASF is confirmed in 24 areas nationwide.

At least 52,000 pigs, which is 0.4 percent of the 12.8 million hog population nationwide, have been culled.

Online traders Meanwhile, Dar warned online traders on the sale of processed meat from ASF-affected countries.

“Authorities should confiscate the items and ban the seller...

The laws are clear because it has something to do with food safety... They have to be implemented,” he said.

Dar warned those who continue with the illegal trade of banned items face charges. n

by heLen

FLores, edith regaLado Philstar.com

DAVAO CITY — President Duterte has yet to appoint the next chief justice, replacing Lucas Bersamin who retired on Friday, October 18.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told The Star that the president has not yet appointed anyone.

Sources, however, said Duterte had picked Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. as the next chief justice.

Medialdea denied reports that Duterte has picked Senior Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta to succeed Bersamin.

The president is expected to appoint the next chief justice soon based on three justices endorsed by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

On Tuesday, October 15, the JBC submitted to Duterte a shortlist of candidates for the post, which included the names of Peralta, Reyes and Associate Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe.

Reyes is a third generation justice in his family and was appointed by Duterte to the SC. A “I’m sure Senator Sotto graduate of Ateneo Law School, knows what he’s saying but, at Reyes will retire on May 11 next the same time, our Constitution year. has really provided checks and Peralta was appointed to the balances, as well, so I guess I’ll Supreme Court in 2009 by forleave it as is,” Belgica said. mer president Gloria Macapa“But I want to say that the gal-Arroyo. Bernabe had served ARTA monitors a Citizens Charin local courts in Makati before ter on all government agencies.

In fact, by December 6, the requirements for all government agencies is to submit to us a revised Citizens Charter with

by JanviC Mateo a three-day, seven-day, 20-day Philstar.com processing time. All transactions with the government canMANILA — A star witness in not exceed that,” he added. the Maguindanao massacre case Belgica also said the Execu- surfaced on Thursday, October tive Order for Freedom of Infor- 17, to deny the allegation of susmation signed by President Ro- pect Andal Ampatuan Jr. that he drigo Duterte “gives freedom will recant his testimony in the to any Filipino citizen multiple murder case. to inspect government agen“Walang katotohanan cies in the pursuit of transpar- ‘yan (There is no truth to that),” ency.” suspect-turned-state witness On Wednesday, Belgica Sukarno Badal told Quezon City named the Land Transporta- Regional Trial Court Branch 221 tion Franchising and Regula- Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes when tory Board, the Food and Drug asked on the witness stand about Administration, and the Land the claim of Ampatuan.

Registration Authority as the “Gawa-gawa lang lahat ‘yan “most problematic” govern- ni Unsay (Unsay just made it all ment agencies. up),” he added, referring to Am“They really need to shape patuan. up because there’s really red Speaking to reporters after tape inside these agencies,” he the hearing, Badal said he will said. n never recant his testimony in the decade-long trial.

“Kung anong nasabi ko sa testimony ko ‘yun na ‘yun. Mamatay na ako kung mamatay, hindi ko talaga babaligtarin ang Maguindanao massacre (Whatever I said in my testimony, that’s it.

Even if I die, I will never change what I said in the Maguindanao massacre),” he said.

Ampatuan, through his lawyer Paul Laguatan, asked the court last month to reopen the trial, claiming that a representative of Badal contacted him to inform him of the supposed intention of the witness to recant his testimony.

During the hearing, prosecutor Arthur Velasco asked the judge to deny the motion as

‘Nothing wrong with checking of gov’t agencies’

by Catherine

vaLente ManilaTimes.net

THERE is nothing wrong with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) conducting spot checks on government offices, including the Senate, according to the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA).

Jeremiah Belgica, ARTA director general, issued the statement after Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the CSC had no jurisdiction to conduct inspections in the Senate because of the principle of separation of powers.

Belgica insisted that the CSC had the right to conduct inquiries to ensure that government agencies provide timely and adequate service to the public.

“I think even ang mga ordinary citizens can check on government agencies kung ginagawa nila ‘yung trabaho nila (I think even ordinary citizens can check on government agencies if they are doing their jobs),” he added.

“As a matter of fact, if one thinks about it, the Civil Service is a constitutional body.

Although what I understand, I haven’t watched the hearing, but what I understand is may-

be what they were referring to that the ARTA received the jobs, was those in relation to the citizen’s charter, those no noon breaks, those are within the ARTA which is why we are conducting surprise inspection,” he said.

“But there are some Civil Service standard issues, which are not within our reach. So, I believe this is within the jurisdiction of the CSC,” Belgica added.

The ARTA chief pointed out that if the agencies were not hiding anything, they should be open to the spot-checking.

He also urged all government regulatory agencies and disciplining bodies, like the CSC, to conduct inspections in government offices.

“In fact, I would encourage all government regulatory agencies and disciplining bodies to do spot-checking regardless of what agency it is. Of course with due respect still with our co-equal bodies,” Belgica said.

“The spot-checking was done to make sure that government offices are corrupt-free,” he added.

Like the CSC, Belgica also pointed out that the ARTA had its own charter that it follows.

Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Andres Reyes Jr. and Jose Reyes Jr. are vying for the chief justice post.

Photos from sc.judiciary.gov.ph

being appointed to the Court of Appeals and later the SC. Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday appealed to whoever Bersamin’s successor may be to always protect the integrity of the Supreme Court.

“We always have the same message not just for the chief justice but for the entire judiciary, that the judiciary is the pillar of the democracy,” Robredo said in an interview in Camarines Sur. “The obligation of the one holding the position is to protect the institution... not to lose the people’s trust in the judicial system,” she said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim congratulated Ber-

samin on social media for his “productive tenure.”

On his Twitter account, Kim posted, “Congratulations to Lucas Bersamin on his productive tenure as Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice. We appreciated his leadership on important rule of law initiatives and look forward to seeing his continued advocacy for justice as a private citizen.”

Bersamin finished his law degree at the University of the East. He was appointed as a Quezon City regional trial court judge in 1986.

He was promoted to the Court of Appeals in 2003 and appointed to the Supreme Court in 2009

by Arroyo. n

Massacre witness stands by testimony vs Ampatuan the defense failed to present evidence that would warrant the reopening of trial.

He said the request was also premature, noting that the rule cited in the motion only allows reopening of trial after the conviction of a suspect.

Following Badal’s testimony, Velasco reiterated his request for the judge to dismiss the motion, saying it is anchored on hearsay that has been disproven in court.

Laguatan, after the prosecution informed Solis-Reyes that Badal was in the courtroom to refute the claim, said he does not have direct knowledge on the matter as the information only came from his client.

He did not pose any question to Badal and declined to answer questions from the media after the hearing.

Solis-Reyes did not rule in open court, saying she has to refer to the stenographic notes on the testimony of Badal. She submitted the matter for resolution.

Delay Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, whose wife and sisters were among those who died in the massacre, said the request of Ampatuan to reopen the trial and suspend the period for the judge to decide on the case was another ploy to delay the proceedings.

He said Badal, a former vice mayor of Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao, has earlier assured him that he will never recant his testimony.

“Narining natin na pinapasinungalingan niya lahat ng sinabi ni Unsay Jr., na ‘di pala totoo. (We heard him belying all those that were said by Unsay Jr., that it was not true),” he said of Badal’s testimony. “(It was) just to delay the decision of the judge,” he said when asked about Ampatuan’s motion to reopen the trial.

Badal, a suspect whose charges were dropped in order for him to become a state witness, testified seeing Ampatuan shooting some of the victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.

He claimed to have been with Ampatuan and the other suspects when they stopped the convoy carrying Mangudadatu’s wife Genalyn and 57 other people, including 32 media practitioners.

Solis-Reyes earlier submitted the case for decision after the camp of Ampatuan failed to submit his memorandum, a document that would summarize his arguments on the case.

The ruling is expected to be released prior to the 10th anniversary of the massacre next month.

Last month, the court allowed Laguatan — who had just entered his appearance in behalf of Ampatuan — to file his client’s memorandum by October 14.

But instead of the memorandum, the lawyer filed a motion asking for the reopening of the trial and the suspension of the 90-day period for the judge to rule on the case. n

Concerns over impact of Bulacan airport still unanswered, Taliptip residents say by gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — Residents of a coastal village in Bulacan, who fear they will lose their homes and their livelihood once the construction of an airport project in the province starts, said their concerns have yet to be addressed despite protesting in front of the main office of a major conglomerate.

Residents of Barangay Taliptip in Bulakan town and their supporters picketed the headquarters of San Miguel Corp. in Mandaluyong on Thursday morning, October 17, to stress their opposition to the construction of the P735-billion New Manila International Airport in waters they call home.

The coastal villagers appealed to SMC president and COO Ramon Ang to stop the project and to consider the welfare of “little people”—the fishermen and their families.

They said the development will lead to the displacement of around 700 families in Taliptip and the loss of livelihood of fisherfolk once the 2,500 hectares of fishing grounds are reclaimed for the construction of the aerotropolis.

“Sa San Miguel, sana wag niyo nang ituloy ‘yung gagawin niyong airport kasi kaming mahihirap ang naapektuhan.

Tirahan, kabuhayan at ang kalikasan ang inyong sisirain kung ituloy niyo ang airport na ito (We appeal to San Miguel to stop the planned airport because the poor like us will be affected. You will destroy

our homes, our livelihood and the environment if you push through with this project),” Evangeline Ilod, a resident of Brgy. Taliptip, said.

SMC did not send a representative to face the protesters during their hour-long protest.

The Bulacan airport, dubbed as a “game changer” by SMC, is seen by its proponents to attract foreign investments and millions of additional tourists to the Philippines.

Effects of development to reach other communities The coastal villagers said the airport project will also have an impact even in distant communities.

“Hindi lang kami ang mahihirapan kundi buong mamamayan dahil sa pagtatambak niyo ng palaisdaan. Maraming mga isda ang mawawala kagaya ng bangus, hipon, sugpo, tilapia, alimango at iba pang isda (The residents are not the only ones who will be affected once the fishing grounds are filled with land. Many types of fish will be gone such as milkfish, prawn, tilapia, crabs and others),” Ilod also said.

Vito Hernandez, public information officer of Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, or Agham, said the reclamation will affect the entire Manila Bay. “The fishing industry of Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite will die.

Even the people living in Metro Manila will feel the impact,” he said.

Environmental groups also warned that the reclamation will bring intense flooding to

the coastal and low-lying areas of Bulacan and in nearby areas.

Fight for their homes, livelihood The residents of Taliptip said they will not give up the waters of Bulakan—their lifeblood— without a fight.

They said the company has yet to provide them the masterplan of the project, which should include the details of their relocation to a fishing village.

“Hindi kami papayag na matuloy ang binabalak ninyo.

Habang kami ay nakatayo, lalaban kami at ipaglalaban namin an gaming karapatan bilang mamamayang maliliit (We will not allow your project to push through. We will fight and we will fight for our rights as small individuals),” resident Monica Anastacio said.

Last July, the coastal villagers held protests at the main office of SMC and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Rogelio Martinez, a priest who has been helping Taliptip residents for the past two years, said there is nothing wrong with development projects but the welfare of fisherfolk should not be neglected.

“Pinararangalan natin sila sa isang partikular na araw pero sana pakinggan din natin ang kanilang hinaing (We honor [fishermen] on a particular day but we should also listen to their concerns),” he said.

May 31st of each year is National Fisherfolks Day under Proclamation No. 261. n

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A11

A12 october 19-22, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 19-22, 2019

SHOWBIZ&STYLE

Journal No end in sight to Barretto family feud facio Global City where he was confined following a stroke he suffered while celebrating his MANILA – Even as the re- birthday hosted by his daughter mains of Miguel Barretto, pa- Marjorie Barretto at her home. triarch of the Barretto family, Marjorie is fighting with sister were cremated (as scheduled) Gr etc hen Ba r r et to who has on Thursday, October 17, at The also been estranged from her Heritage in Taguig City where parents, par t icularly fami ly the wake was held, there ap- matriarch Inday Barretto who, pears to be no end to the long- at 80, is suffering from lupus. running feud among the family T he prot racted fa m i ly feud members, waged in newspa- could have been put to an end when Gretchen and company pers, TV and social media.

Miguel, who in his teenage showed up Wednesday night at years appeared in a few movies the wake in Heritage. Dressed

by Sampaguita Pictures, died in a white shirt with rolled-up last Tuesday at 82 after more sleeves over black pants, she than two weeks at the St. Luke’s wa l ked q u iet ly towa rds t he Medical Center (SLMC) in Boni- f lower-covered casket. Along

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

t he way, she greeted President Duterte who arrived with Sen. Bong Go and presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, before g iv i ng mom I nday a t ight hug, pr ompt i ng t hei r sister Claudine to rejoice on social media that they were one whole family again. She spoke too soon.

At t h is ju nct u re, Duter te called Marjorie and tried to patch things up between her and Gretchen. Instead of obeying, an eyewitness told T he STAR that the sisters engaged in a heated word war, unmindful of the presidential presence.

Soon, t he eyewitness added Marjorie Barretto Photo from Instagram/@marjbarretto Gretchen and Claudine Barretto Photo from Instagram/@claubarretto PAGE B2

The real story behind the Maine-Carlo tandem by

NathaLie tomada Philstar.com

WHEN news first came out in June that Maine Mendoza and Carlo Aquino were going to be partnered in Black Sheep’s Isa Pa With Feelings, it raised not a few eyebrows and questions not only about the pairing but also the timing.

Some of the burning questions that lit the online world included, was the film a response to the Star Cinema-produced Alden Richards-Kathryn Bernardo starrer, Hello Love Goodbye (HLG), announced earlier and went on to become the highest-grossing Filipino film ever?

Why is ABS-CBN’s year-old film division Black Sheep producing it and not the “flagship brand” Star Cinema? How did the CarloMaine tandem come to be in the first place? The stars belong to rival networks and are still very much identified with previous love teams — especially Maine with her popular AlDub team-up

Carlo Aquino and Maine Mendoza in a scene from their movie, “Isa Pa With Feelings.”

Contributed photo

with Alden.

But the seemingly wild idea of pairing the two in Isa Pa With Feelings — Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board — started with less drama than imagined.

Black Sheep, a division under Star Cinema that primarily targets the millennial market, is producer because the material originated from them. And it all began with the story concept of its director Prime Cruz,

said Black Sheep head Kriz Gazmen.

“Since Black Sheep started, it’s very director-driven. It’s really our vision for Black Sheep because we want to give parang voices to new directors. When we started Black Sheep, we started talking to our director-friends na finally this is your chance to make your dream projects. We talked to Prime and asked him, PAGE B2

B

EntErtainmEnt

B OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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One Magical Night with Live Band at Pechanga Resort Casino on Nov. 2

Tasting the flavors of Taiwan at 99 Ranch Market

ORGANIzED by 99 Ranch Market, sponsored by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council and Bureau of Foreign Trade, “Fantastic Flavors of Taiwan-2019 99 Ranch Market Taiwan Food Festival� officially kicked off on October 12.

This special promotion runs until October 27 for three consecutive weekends in Southern California, Nevada, Texas, New Jersey, and Maryland stores. Customers will enjoy a variety of new and authentic Taiwanese food at the best prices!

Taiwan has always been known to have some of the best food in the world. Every year, a plentiful amount of high-quality, diverse products and flavors emerge in the marketplace. From local foods, refreshing desserts, beverages, casual snacks to delicious noodles, successfully highlights the essence and charm of Taiwanese food culture. The Taiwan Food Festival brings together many outstanding Taiwanese brands and an exclusive variety of popular products, showcasing one of a kind Taiwanese authentic flavors.

2019 Taiwan Food Festival features products includes zUANG mung bean (Green Diamond) and is known to be one of the most authentic Taiwanese-style ice pop.

Made with a traditional recipe, it preserves the naturally-sweet flavor with the plump and firm texture of mung beans. Kimbo Grass jelly and ai-yu jelly are two of Taiwan’s famous summer desserts, which are ultra juicy and fulfilling. Taiwanese pineapple cake and suncake are world famous desserts – a tourist’s favorite baked delicacies all year round. Mizuho and Sunbooth are the two must-try

brands for these delightful confectionary. Don’t miss the classic Kuang Chuan Tea Time Milk Tea, Heysong Sarsaparilla Drink and Vitalon Supao Sports Drink among other countless classic products.

Dry noodles and Taiwanese pancakes are the two key items that has generated big buzz in the markets recently. We offer two popular celebrity brands Chia Yi Shi Ri and Kiki with many unique flavors paired with premium noodles. Uncle Onion carefully selects local, high-quality ingredients to bring the most original Taiwanese flavors. It has become one of the go-to Chinese pancake brands around the world. The 2019 Taiwan Food Festival offers various

A Great Pairing: Pears & Apples

Taiwanese specialties, allowing customers to enjoy authentic Taiwanese cuisine.

99 Ranch hosted an on-site promotional event at its location in Rowland Heights, where customers enjoyed food samples, including Greenmax cereal, Wu-Mu spicy noodles, Ve Wong porridge, Ko-La-Ko pea crackers, Jane-Jane prepared shredded squid, Chimei buns, among others. Guests also enjoyed live performances from traditional drummers and an aboriginal Taiwanese dance group. For more information, please refer to the official page: https://www.99ranch.com/2019-taiwan-food-festival

(Advertising Supplement)

Pear and Apple Tart SERVES 6-8

By Grace O

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THE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Phenomenal Box Office Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Manila, multi-talented actress and performer, Kathryn Bernardo and young-famed heartthrob, Daniel Padilla, along with three other veteran actors, perform live in Pechanga Resort Casino on November 2, 2019 at 8 p.m.

Pechanga Resort Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and provides a wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd.

Bernardo and Padilla, partners on-screen and in real life, have created a string of mega blockbuster movies that broke multiple records in Philippine cinema.

She won the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Best Actressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; awards at the 35th PMPC Star Awards for Movies and Entertainment Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Awards for Movies, or the EDDYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 2019 for her outstanding portrayal as George.

Touted as the grandest, being the first Philippine tele-series show to be shot in Bhutan, the couple starred â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Princess and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a romance-drama royaltythemed TV series that gained accolade in television scene.

The beauteous Bernardo also released her first solo original song titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ikaw Na Nga Yata, (Maybe Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s You) - a song used in the local airing of the Korean series â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pretty Man.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; A lead single was later on released under Star Music.

Meanwhile, Padilla made waves for himself in both acting and singing sensations. He was labelled the Philippine showbizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Teen King,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;King of Hearts.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Padilla headlined in concert shows and had a number of successful performances that earned him numerous awards in television, film and the music industry.

Joining them are comediansinger extraordinaire Eric Nicolas, Marcelito Pomoy, and Jim

De Guzman plus, a live band to cap it all.

Come and watch the duo in a fun-filled, exciting performance at the Pechanga Theater. Make it a habit to witness and watch surprising live performances in the only one entertainment hub in Temecula, California-- the Pechanga Resort Casino. You may purchase tickets staring at $58 from the Pechanga Box Office, 888.810.8871 or online at www.Pechanga.com.

Shows in the Pe cha ng a Theater offer a comfortable and intimate concert experience. With 1,200 seats in its theater, each show features state-of-the-art and acoustically perfected sound. Enjoying favorite artists at Pechanga versus other venues proves effortless with free valet and self-parking for guests, complimentary casino/resort shuttles, gourmet and casual dining options on site, plus comfortable chairs and an up-close view from every theater seat.

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(Advertising Supplement)

No end in sight to Barretto...

PAGE B1 that other members of the family joined the scuffle, leaving the few mourners around (place was sealed off for the duration of the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit) helpless, with Gretchen and niece Nicole â&#x20AC;&#x153;pulling each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hairâ&#x20AC;? and Claudine â&#x20AC;&#x153;slapping Marjorie.â&#x20AC;?

Inday was screaming â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stop it! Stop it!â&#x20AC;? along w it h ot her mourners, but the sisters wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t listen.

A f ter on ly si x m i nutes, Duterte was escorted out by the Presidential Security Group.

Late that same night, he got involved in an accident when the motorcycle he was driving around MalacaĂąang grounds skidded. He was reported to

have sustained a mild hip injury that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop him from attending to his schedule the following day.

Marjorie, on her Instagram account, later apologised to the President for dragging him into the mess.

It was repor ted T hursday night t hat Mar jor ie (on one side w it h her t wo chi ldren) and Claudine clashed again when Claudine was allegedly â&#x20AC;&#x153;barredâ&#x20AC;? by Marjorie from entering Heritage.

During the commotion, Inday fainted and Edu Manzano comforted her. In a while, she got well and there was no need to rush her to a nearby hospital.

Claudine was allegedly brought to the hospital for an undis-

closed reason. That same night, Gretchen was spotted at a (wedding) party. She is scheduled to go abroad today, presumably to San Francisco to visit her daughter Dominique, her daughter by Tony Cojuangco.

As the patriarch was being laid to eternal peace, Gretchen and Marjorie yesterday continued their war on social media, s wappi ng acc u sat ion s t h at brought up dirty linen in public, promising to hit each other harder even as they threaten to file libel suits against each other.

Friends of the Barrettos are hopi ng aga i nst hope, praying that the sisters will come to their senses and bury the hatchet.

The real story behind the...

Ingredients 6 Tbs. butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup sugar, combined with 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 4 apples (Braeburn, Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji), peeled, cored, and cut in half 2 pears (Bosc), peeled, cored, and cut in half 1/2 lemon, seeds removed 1/2 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans 1 9-in. whole-wheat pie crust

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a cold 8-inch cast-iron skillet, lay 1/2 of the butter pieces, evenly spaced. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar mixture over the pan. Lay the fruit, cut side up, over the butter and sugar, covering the entire pan. Pack the fruit tightly to avoid shrinking during cooking.

3. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the fruit. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the sugar mixture over the fruit. Dot with the remaining butter.

4. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the fruit mixture until the butter melts and the sugar caramelizes, about 20 minutes. If hot spots develop, rotate the pan but do not stir the fruit.

5. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle the pecans over the fruit.

6. Top with the pie crust, folding edges into the pan so no crust is hanging over. Bake at 425 degrees until the pastry is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

7. Cool the pie until the caramel thickens without sticking to the pan, about 10 minutes. Turn out onto a plate before cutting and serving.

ABOUT GRACE O

GRACE O is the creator of FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness and longevity. She is the author of two award-winning cookbooksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;The Age Gracefully Cookbook and The Age Beautifully Cookbook, which recently won Gourmandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Best in the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Award for Innovation. She is a fusion chef with a mission to deliver delicious recipes built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 20years in the healthcare industry.

Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at info@FoodTrients.com

PAGE B1 what is your dream project and we will co-produce it. Ito yung nilapit niya sa amin.â&#x20AC;?

In Isa Pa With Feelings, Maine is the disheartened intern Mara who wanted to become architect but failed the licensure board exams. She meets Gali (Carlo), a deaf sign language teacher who is out to prove that he can dance the same way hearing people can.

Producers revealed that it was the female character who was deaf and the male character hearing in the original story. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Originally nga, baliktad siya.

Yung girl talaga yung deaf, yung lalaki yung hearing. That was the original concept. It took a year na sinusulat siya, ni-re-revise siya. Then, we realized, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to work pag babae yung deaf. Babae kasi generally ang market natin, especially with love stories, so (the female audience) would want to hear what a woman is going through, what her feelings are for the guy. If you take out the faculty of language, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be difficult,â&#x20AC;?

Gazmen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally, men are quiet and mysterious so mas okey pagbaliktarin (better to swap the characters). But we always knew that if we made the female character the hearing one, we had to have somebody who is so charming, so cute,â&#x20AC;? he added.

The name of Maine was brought up by Kookai Labayen, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jenilee Chuaunsu.

Gazmen recalled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really got so excited with the idea of Maine but it was a long process, a lot of back and forth with APT,â&#x20AC;? referring to Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent management team.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Gazmen deems

it very unfair for the film to be compared to Hello, Love, Goodbye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even before the tandem of Alden and Kathryn was finalized, we were already talking to (Maine). Maayos na talaga communication namin. So, when the Alden movie came out, it was so unfair that they were being compared na â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pansagot niyo ba â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to or something?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; because even before that, inaayos na talaga namin yung movie with Maine.â&#x20AC;?

Maine was cast first before Carlo came on board the project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really thought of Maine first before casting Carlo in his role,â&#x20AC;? confirmed Labayen.

But Carlo was the first and only choice. The actor starred in Black Sheepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hit inaugural film, Exes Baggage, which earned more than P300M at the box-office. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of any actor who can deliver the requirements of the role aside from Carlo. Si Carlo kasi, kaya niya yung mata-mata acting talaga.

Also personal bias, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our favorite at Black Sheep,â&#x20AC;? said Gazmen.

Labayen also shared, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember when we pitched the story to him, it was the first time I saw his ears turning red, as in he was very nervous with the role.

He felt it was going to be really difficult because it was, indeed, difficult. We were going to ask a lot from him because he had no dialogues.â&#x20AC;?

Gazmen acknowledged that Carlo and Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pairing did come as a surprise. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course, it felt like it came out of nowhere.

Pusta-pusta nalang talaga (weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re placing our bets on it),â&#x20AC;? he said.

By opening to a total of 265

cinemas last Wednesday, Isa Pa With Feelings already feels like a hit in the making.

When asked about the box-office expectations for the movie, ABS-CBN Films (Star Cinema) executive Mico del Rosario said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s putting too much pressure on Carlo and Maine. We have high hopes for the movie because based on the feedback, malakas siya. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s see.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I mean, who would have thought that Hello, Love, Goodbye would do really, really well?â&#x20AC;? he added.

According to him, Star Cinema was surprised that HLG would become the highest-earning Filipino film of all time with its global gross of over P880M. Del Rosario further said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the same with Hows of Us (referring to the top-grosser before HLG). You know it will make money, but not that kind of money. But, of course, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thankful for all the support.

Hindi naman nagiging mindset na kailangan ito matalo ito kasi it would be unfair to all the movies. You just create movies. And hopefully, it does well and is attuned to the audience.â&#x20AC;?

Gazmen agreed that Isa Pa With Feelings is not burdened with box-office pressure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Honestly, we are not pressured at all.

The reason weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not pressured, I think, is because we know that this is just a story that we want to tell. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t design the project to compete, to have a huge box-office draw. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just wanted to design the perfect casting for the story we want to tell. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a response to a previous success. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not designed that way. So, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not pressured because we all know that wherever this takes us, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud of the film.â&#x20AC;?

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IS THERE A WAY TO EXPEDITE THE PETITION FOR A 42-YEAR OLD SPECIAL CHILD SINCE HER GRANDMOTHER WHO USED TO CARE FOR HER HAS ALREADY PASSED ON? THIS QUESTION AND MORE WILL BE ANSWERED ON “CITIZEN PINOY: YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT!” The first batch of Kapamilya who came to the “Citizen Pinoy” taping in Illinois have their questions answered this Sunday. Find out if the petition for a married son, that has dragged on for 15 years, can be expedited since he is needed by his aging parents to care for them.

Can a U.S. citizen petition her mother who has married twice, but her first marriage has not yet been annulled? Get answers to these questions and more on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy,” this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Angelina Jolie gets honest with Boy Abunda about love and loss

by Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo Philstar.com

HOLLYWOOD star Angelina Jolie took a moment before answering Filipino TV host Boy Abunda’s questions about love and loss.

In a recent interview for Abunda’s talk show “Tonight With Boy Abunda,” the “Maleficent” star seemed to be holding back tears when answering questions about the pain of loving, a theme in the now showing sequel of the Disney film, “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”

“Why does love always come with pain?” Boy asked Angelina.

“I think when love is right, it’s a good kind of pain. It’s growing. It’s a pain where your heart is stretching, your feelings are stretching,” the “Tomb Raider” star explained.

“The greater the love, the greater the loss, is true,” enthused the mother of six who recently got divorced from husband Brad Pitt.

“Love doesn’t always end well. Why, Ms. Jolie?” Abunda

Angelina Jolie being interviewed by Boy Abunda for her movie “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.”

ABS-CBN photo

asked as a follow-up.

“Just take a minute for that,” she said, laughing.

“It doesn’t always end well because maybe one kind of love is mistaken for another,” she replied while seemingly holding back tears.

Abunda then turned to Jolie’s

co-star Sam Riley, who plays Maleficent’s sidekick, the raven who turns into a man, Diaval.

“Do you believe in ‘happy ever after’?” Boy asked Riley.

“I think so. You have to work for happiness,” Riley responded.

“You have to work in relationships.”

Jolie, who has Maddox, 18; Pax, 15, Zahara; 14, Shiloh, 13 and 11-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, admitted in a separate interview with People magazine that she had to gather some strength to reprise her role as Maleficent because she was “feeling pretty broken.”

“It was a tough time. I’d been coming off a few years of difficulty, and I was not feeling very strong. In fact, I was feeling pretty broken. It took me a moment to feel the strength of (Maleficent) again.”

Jolie is reportedly training for her next film, “Eternals,” about a race of immortal aliens created and set to Earth to battle the Deviants. Jolie is set to star alongside Salma Hayek and “Game of Thrones’” Kit Harington.

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How ‘toughing it out’ paid off for Arra

“Sometimes, you get frusby ALLAN POLICARPIO trated about the kind of jobs Inquirer.net you get. Or you wonder why AFTER her stint in the sixth things are taking so long. But season of the talent search eventually, you realize that “Starstruck” in 2015, Arra San you’re just a newbie; that I still Agustin spent the next three needed a solid foundation,” she years playing minor and sup- told reporters at a recent press conference for the upcoming porting roles.

But while this could be dis- afternoon drama, “Madrasta”— heartening once in a while, the her first lead role.

“And maybe that’s God’s way GMA 7 talent understands that this is all part of a process new- of putting you to the test,” the bie actors like her go through. 24-year-old actress surmised.

“To make you think if this [acting] is what you really want to do, you have to be patient and tough it out.”

Besides, Arra didn’t expect to land plum roles right away.

Learning, she said, is what’s more important at the moment.

“I do have a vision of what type of actress I want to be. But I don’t pressure myself that I should be doing lead roles by this or that time. I’m more concerned about learning, improving myself,” she said.

Prior to “Madrasta,” which airs weekdays starting Oct. 7, the biggest project Arra had been a part of was “Encantadia 2016.” Also, her character in the hit series “My Special Tatay” was supposed to be the love interest of Ken Chan. However, it was Ken’s scenes with Rita Daniela that clicked with the viewers.

But Arra didn’t mind. “I knew that, even though I was putting in the effort, it may not be my time then. I know that progress is usually gradual,” pointed out Arra, who’s also a mainstay in the long-running gag show, “Bubble Gang.”

“When they see that I’m ready, I will be open to whatever opportunity they give me,” Arra added.

In “Madrasta,” Arra plays Audrey, an optimistic nurse who tries her luck overseas. However, she ends up being swindled by an illegal recruiter. This turn of events leads her to a man, whose kids she will nurture as her own. Also in the cast are Thea Tolentino, Juancho Trivino and Phytos Ramirez.

Playing lead comes with a big responsibility, Arra said. “That’s why I can’t be complacent.”

Arra San Agustin Photo from Instagram/@aarasanagustin

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MOONLIGHTING

Recognizing individuals

by MYLAH DE

LEON

THEY met in Las Vegas.

From all over the world, they came and gave three days of their lives to be with each other.

It was in the Philippines Normal University Global Alumni Association (PNUGAA) gala where former classmates, mostly seniors now; gathered, danced, broke bread, wined and caught up with their lives.

Their stories were endless Revelers in a souvenir pose and sounded like a diary’s page when they were in high school, and long before they chose to teach, the most noble profession.

The prestige is always there.

Teaching is a very serious pursuit that starts with a calling and to live it as a purpose.

The saying “Those who can, do; those who can’t teach.

People who think and believes teaching is a mediocre choice of professional career does a deal of damage to those who go in there to make a school room an oasis every single day.

Sofronio Navarette Teachers come in all forms and express themselves differently. What they have in common is that they are thinkers, mentors — existing in a world of ideas, be it a nursery, or a professor in the most distinguished university or the most admired public school teaches.

The currency is ideas that are conveyed through relationships and interactions.

The public school teacher lives within the cellular environment of a classroom. There are no rewards for collegial relativity or discourse. While teaching is a very autonomous experience, Flower Dance but the flip side of autonomy is that teacher tend to experience loneliness and isolation. They miss other adults for company, colleagues, camaraderie; even intellectual stimulation. They also yearn for time and space during school days; to come together, support one another, to develop plans together, and to respond critically to one another in terms of relating and interaction, including with parents and the community. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol. com.

Erlinda Stone

Elizabeth Zaide and Antonette Montealegre

Officers of the PNUCAA

Ken Chan and Rita Daniela

GMA photo

Ken and Rita: These adorable ‘Baes’ break the mold by

RITO P. ASILO Inquirer.net

FOR much of his career, Ken Chan has been known for roles with predicaments that add to their increasing degree of difficulty. “My Special Tatay” and “Destiny Rose” immediately come to mind.

In the former, Ken portrays a young father with mild intellectual disability, while in “Destiny Rose,” he’s cast as a transgender woman bravely navigating a world that is weighed down by intolerance and discrimination.

Trust us, while Ken is good at what he does, it doesn’t hurt that he’s also one of the nicest guys in the biz.

We enjoyed his company the few times we crossed paths with him. From a distance, we could see how hard he tried not to make the people around him feel that he was a star who needed to be ogled at.

Playing the character of Grant Altamirano in the teleserye “One of the Baes,” about seamen, marine students and the people they interact with, isn’t really easier for Ken, but at least it’s a breath of fresh air for the actor who’s been wanting to sink his thespic teeth into something “fun and lighter,” for a change.

“When I was doing ‘My Special Tatay,’ I started missing the light and ‘kilig’ moments of romcoms,” Ken says. “Good thing ‘One of the Baes’ fell on my lap.

We won’t just be showing how it is to be a millennial; we’ll also be channeling the feel-good themes of the stories depicted

by the popular love team of the ‘90s, like that of Rico Yan and Claudine Barretto.”

“People say that they feel the Rico-Claudine vibe in our love team,” Rita chimes in. “I think they found it refreshing to see that, in ‘Tatay,’ it was the girl who was the alpha. That’s probably why it clicked with viewers—they got tired of seeing male characters getting their way, while nagpapa-sweet ang babae in the background.”

For her part, Rita Daniela, Ken’s leading lady in “One of the Baes,” is far from the conventional damsel in distress. She may look “suplada,” but she’s an adorable softie inside.

And she’s no slouch at performing, either. She was the first grand champion of “PopStar Kids,” and has also successfully dabbled in musical theater (“Eto Na! Musikal nAPO!”).

“In ‘One of the Baes,’ alpha pa rin ang girl,” she discloses.

“They’re having a hard time making me look poor, kasi hindi kapani-paniwala na inaapi ako (laughs)!”

But in Ken’s case, he has to keep flexing his acting muscles to look believable in the complex roles assigned to him.

“I learned a lot from ‘Destiny Rose,’ but I was worried I would go about my characterization the wrong way,” he admits. “I didn’t know if people would find me credible in the role of a transwoman. But that whole experience opened my eyes about the difficulties trans people go through in their daily lives.

Now, I don’t worry about getting typecast anymore. I see each

new challenge as a gamble. It’s an opportunity for me to show viewers my range—what I can and cannot do as an actor.”

And it sure looks like Ken is taking a step in the right direction. He recently went to Thailand to promote “Destiny Rose,” where it’s being shown, while “My Special Tatay” is being telecast in some countries in South America. Not bad for someone who was reportedly snubbed by a an actress from another network!

Rita also enjoys breathing life into her character, Jowa Biglangdapa, because it breaks stereotypes and misconceptions about how women should behave in society and what they should wear.

“Just because a woman isn’t ‘prim and proper’ doesn’t mean she’s loose,” she explains. “Just because you act like a tomboy doesn’t mean you’re a lesbian.

I’ve always been treated as one of the boys because I grew up with my male cousins. Also, wearing a short skirt doesn’t make a woman ‘malandi.’”

The series also dangles an alluring conflict between its lead protagonists: Would you choose love over career? Grant prefers love, while Jowalyn prioritizes her career.

If they were asked the same question, what would Ken and Rita choose?

“I chose career before, pero hindi ako naging masaya,” Ken admits. “So now, I’d choose love, because if you have love, mas magiging maganda ang career mo. Ngayon kasi, wala akong love, eh.”

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COMMUNITY

Journal First Filipino Heritage Tour of Carson to be held on Oct. 25 SAN PEDRO, CA – In conjunction with “Recuerdos-Souvenirs,” New Works by Eliseo “EL1SY” Art Silva which opened at Pinta*Dos Philippine Art Gallery on October 3 and will be up until November 23, 2019, the artist will conduct a guided tour of his Carson-based “recuerdos” on Friday, October 25 from 1:30pm -4:00 pm.

Dubbed as the “First Filipino Heritage Tour of Carson,” it will be free and open to the public.

The meeting place will be the Rizal Monument at the Carson Civic Center at 1:30 pm sharp, to be followed by stops at the following places: Manifest Diversity Mural (2010) which is located at the Loker Student Union at California State, Dominguez Hills, and the Roots and Wings Mural (1996) which is beside the Maynila Restaurant on Main Street. A visit to Recuerdos’ satellite art exhibit called The Philippine Masters Collection (2019) inside the Mabuhay Credit Union on 146 W Carson St. is included in the tour.

Mabuhay Credit Union’s Philippine Master’s Collection by Eliseo Art Silva visually introduces Philippine Masters into the U.S. cultural landscape, reinterpreted into new paintings designed to contextualize the Filipino story in America. Silva considers these series of large-scale canvases (three 6’ x 6’ paintings of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as the subject and a 12’ x 6’ panel honoring the masterpieces of Juan Luna with the Republic of the Philippines as the

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 19-22, 2019

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“main event”), to be the exact studio art/ painting counterpart and equivalent of his first city-commissioned public art work: the 1995 Gintong Kasaysayan Filipinotown mural of Los Angeles.

This seminal series is not only one of only two American sites to honor Philippine Masters (the other is the Philippine Nationality Room, at the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, brings to full-circle his signature art in the US (the 1995 LA Filipino mural), but also signals the artist return to his first love: painting.

To end the tour, there will be a “No-Host Merienda” at Goldilocks which is located on Main and Carson Streets.

Since artist Eliseo Art Silva is relocating to the Philippines by November 2020, “Recuerdos-

Souvenirs” is his last solo exhibition as a US-based artist. This exhibition and guided tour of his public art will give viewers a chance to see both his new and old works before he restores his original trajectory to create art as a Philippines-based painter, thus this new collection was called recuerdos (souvenirs).

When Pinta*Dos Art Gallery opened its doors in June 2017, he was the inaugural artist and his works were on an extended exhibition for six months because of the interest it has generated. The gallery is located at 479 W Sixth St, Suite 105, Historic Arts District,, San Pedro, CA. Anyone interested in the tour should email Linda Nietes-Little : info@philippinebookshop.com or call 310514-9139 or 310-548-8148. n

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Fil-Am History Month festivities in Historic Filipinotown

Also known as the TempleBeverly Corridor, Historic Filipinotown is located just west of LOS ANGELES — As we reflect central downtown. Once home on Historic Filipinotown Festival to one of the largest Filipino enactivities on Saturday, October 5, claves in California, it is a place we can’t help but be grateful. It where many of our kababayans couldn’t have been a better set- purchased their first homes, ting to commemorate the 18th raised families, and established anniversary of the only officially businesses. The cultural continudesignated Historic Filipinotown ity of Filipino families and busiin the United States. nesses in the corridor in the 21st Historic Filipinotown was of- century inspired the collective ficially designated by the City efforts of Filipino organizations, Council (District 13) on August 2, Los Angeles community leaders, 2002, as one of the city’s historic and individuals working in congeographic areas. It is the first cert to establish Historic FilipiFilipino community in America notown and maintain its vibrant to merit a named area with dis- culture. tinct geographic boundaries.

Listening to the speeches of Contributed by Thelma

and

Sugay lindS edralin BoughTon

the president of Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council Cecilia Ramos and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell of District 13, it is humbling to know that the freedom that we, Fil-Ams, are experiencing today in this country is one that came with a steep price.

How many of us have heard of Carlos Bulosan and Larry Itliong, our forefathers who struggled to fight for justice against discrimination and unfair labor treatment? They are just a couple of our heroes who endured for the Fil-Ams of today to enjoy the opportunities this country offers.

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C OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Tax & Stock Tips Victor Sy, cPA, MBA

YOU have two options to diversify your stock portfolio: exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. Both involve pooling money that becomes part of a big fund invested in a mix of different assets. Depending upon the mutual fund or ETF you buy, you can gain exposure to a broad mix of different assets with just a single fund purchase, making it easy to diversify and reducing risk compared with purchasing shares in a single company.

While ETFs and mutual funds have a lot in common, there are important differences between them that you should understand when you decide which investment is right for you. Here are tips in choosing between ETFs and mutual funds: ETFs Offer More Trading Flexibility: ETFs are traded like stocks.

They’re priced based on what investors think the market value is and you can buy and sell shares throughout the day. Mutual funds, however, can only be purchased or sold at the end of the trading day after the market

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAMSon ANG mga panuntunan na nagbago ng mga regulasyon tungkol sa public charge ground ng inadmissibility ay magiging epektibo sa Oktubre 15, 2019. Ipapatupad ng Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at USCIS ang mga bagong panuntunan sa mga petisyon at aplikasyon na nakapost-mark mula Oktubre 15, 2019. Noong Oktubre 9, 2019, ang USCIS ay nagpublish na rin ng mga bagong edisyon ng Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-539/539A Application to Extend/ Change Nonimmigrant Status, Form I-864/I-864EZ Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) at Form I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency. Ang mga

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Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF)

Exchange-Traded Funds versus Mutual Funds

Part 1 of 2 closes and their price is based on aged mutual funds and a 0.27% Net Asset Value (NAV), the value expense ratio for index equity of fund assets minus liabilities di- mutual funds. Many mutual funds include a variety of fees vided by the number of shares.

ETFs Provide More Transpar- in their expense ratio, including fees to cover marketing and disency: ETFs typically disclose hold- tribution costs.

ETFs Often Require Lower ings daily. Actively managed mutual funds typically disclose their Minimum Investments: ETFs don’t require you to inholdings on a quarterly or semivest a lot of money at once. Many annual basis.

ETFs Are More Tax Efficient mutual funds have high initial investment requirements. This Than Mutual Funds: Both ETFs and mutual funds makes it a challenge to get started are treated the same by the IRS investing in a mutual fund if you in that investors pay capital gains don’t have a lot of money saved. taxes and taxes on dividend in- ETFs allow you to buy as little as come. However, there are gener- a single share, which means that ally fewer taxable events in ETFs, you don’t need a fortune to get in which means tax liability will typ- the market. Try it. ically be lower. There are fewer *** taxable events because while mu- Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude tual funds often must sell securi- from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State ties when shares are redeemed, University with an MBA. Vic worked with ETFs are simply traded between SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen investors and no underlying as- Consulting) and Ernst & Young before sets must be sold just because establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. shares of the ETF are sold. *** ETFs Often Have Lower Fees He has 50 years of experience in And Expenses: ETF expense ratios are typical- defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental ly lower than mutual fund fees. In agencies. He is publishing a book on his 2016, the average expense ratio expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE of index ETFs was just 0.23% IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire compared with a 0.82% average about the book or email tax questions at expense ratio of actively man- vicsy@live.com.

New public charge rules effective October 15, 2019

edition date ng Forms na ito ay 10/15/2019. Tatanggapin lamang ng USCIS ang dating edisyon ng mga Forms na ito kung may postmark ng 10/14/2019 o mas maaga sa petsang ito.

Sa ilalim ng Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), ang isang dayuhan ay maaaring maging inadmissibile kung mayroong posibilidad na siya ay magiging public charge sa hinaharap na panahon. Sa bagong panuntunan, sa interpretasyon ng “public charge” ay kasama na ang mga non-cash benefits tulad ng food stamps, Medicaid, at mga housing voucher o mga housing subsidy.

Ito ay upang matiyak na ang mga dayuhang napapailalim sa public charge inadmissibility ground ay may sariling kakayahan at hindi umaasa sa public resources para sa kanilang mga pangangailangan, kundi sa sariling kakayahan at sa mga mapagkukunan ng kanilang mga pamilya, sponsor at mga pribadong organisasyon.

Ayon sa bagong panuntunan, ang “public charge” ay isang dayuhan na nakatanggap ng mga public benefit ng mahigit ng 12 buwan sa loob ng 36 buwan sa pangkalahatan. Kaya’t ang pagtanggap ng dalawang benefit sa isang buwan ay bibilangin bilang dalawang buwan. Kasama na sa “public benefit” ang mga cash benefits para sa income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) o mga food stamp, mga Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance sa ilalim ng Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Section 8 ProjectBased Rental Assistance, at iba pang subsidized housing.

Ang pagpapatupad ng public charge inadmissibility law ay magsusulong ng mga mithiin ng sariling kakayahan, pagsandig sa sarili, pagiging masipag at matiyaga, na silang mga naging pun-

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Should you consider filing for bankruptcy?

Minding Your Finances Atty. rAyMond BulAon A LOT of people who are contemplating bankruptcy as a solution to their debt problems often wonder if it can be avoided at all. They fear that they might be making the biggest mistake of their lives.

If you are struggling with debt problems and are starting to feel hopeless about your situation because you are not getting anywhere in spite of your efforts, at what point do you consider filing bankruptcy as an option?

Bankruptcy scares a lot of people and that’s understandable because everything that they’ve heard about it from friends, family and coworkers is negative. But is bankruptcy really all that bad?

Well, most people don’t even understand it. The law says that bankruptcy is nothing more than a fresh financial start when you are no longer in a position to help yourself.

Of course, this is not what the bill collectors want you to think.

They want you to think that this is the ‘worst’ thing that you can ever do and that it will ruin your chances of ever buying a house or getting credit again. These are the lies that they want you to believe because they know that once you file bankruptcy, they can no longer get any of your money.

From a legal standpoint, here are a few helpful questions you should be asking to help you assess whether it’s time for you to consider filing for bankruptcy: (1) Are you struggling to pay

even the minimum payments on your credit cards? (2) Have you started borrowing money just to be able to cover your basic living expenses such as rent or mortgage, food, gas, etc? (3) Have you lost track of how much you owe?

(4) Are bill collectors calling you because you have accounts in collection? (5) Have creditors taken legal action against you such as filing a lawsuit, obtained a judgment and threatening to garnish your wages or levy your bank account?

If you said “yes” to any or most of the above, you could be

counts. This is not what you want, is it? So why wait for the worst to happen if there is something you can do right now to prevent all of the above from happening.

Never ignore your debts because they could come back and haunt you when you least expect them. I’ve seen this happen many, many times. At the very least, you should consult with an experienced attorney so you can plan in advance what you should do if your financial situation gets worse.

I believe that bankruptcy should be a last resort and that you need to exhaust all debt relief options before resorting to it.

But I also believe that a lot of people put off the decision to file bankruptcy for too long that they needlessly suffer in debt when they could have acted sooner to rebuild their finances and their life.

Since 1997, I have helped thousands of clients get out of debt in order to live more financially secure lives. Let me help you determine if bankruptcy is right for your situation or if other options are available in order for you to avoid it. Call Toll-Free 1866-477-7772 to schedule a free office consultation. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

“The law says that bankruptcy is nothing more than a fresh financial start when you are no longer in a position to help yourself.”

The Prophetic Voice reVerend rodel G. BAlAGtAS ASK God with a sincere heart for his absolute forgiveness for all your failures and sinfulness, and he will grant it to you. Plea to him for a place in heaven along with your loved ones, and he will listen to you. For God sees your repentant and believing heart, and is moved by your persistence and enduring faith.

Indeed, when God sees your strong faith in him, he can’t help but be moved with pity on you. As Jesus says, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?” (Luke 11:11-12) This message is apparent in all the three Scripture Readings of the Mass this Sunday.

First, the Old Testament Reading (EX 17-8-13) shows Moses standing on top of a hill, holding a staff in his hand while Joshua and his men engaged in a battle with Amalekites As long as Mo-

The Kite Runner Prof. enrique M. SoriAno WITHOUT any doubt, crafting a Family Constitution or a Charter is one major step to every founder’s dream and aspiration of ensuring that his blood, sweat and tears (legacy) is cemented for generations to come. The objective therefore in any governance undertaking is to anticipate the “what ifs,” create harmony, and unite family members. The key is to prepare solid family and ownership agreements.

Today’s column will focus on family agreements and in what my industry colleagues Lansberg and Gersick refer to as “institutionalizing control.” They went on to highlight that “Governance is concerned with all of the ways that the interests of owners are reflected and implemented in the organizational system…”

Formalize agreements Formality is very important in family businesses. Assuming that one’s relatives would forever be supportive to the family business and consistently remain productive may not be a good way to set one’s frame of mind. We should always accept the reality that there are different types of family members working in the family business. Some of them may exhibit exceptionally good performance, are committed and trustworthy. There are some that are plain indifferent, selfish and would always look at his last name and employment as his or her birthright. For some entitlement is all there is to it in a family business.

Behaviors change According to a Business Week article, family business leaders

in a financial danger zone and I suggest that you take immediate action before your situation gets worse.

If you own a home and have assets that may be at risk if you were sued by your creditors, it is in your best interest to find out how you can protect what you have from creditors who are trying to collect from you.

A lawsuit can lead to a judgment against you- and it can attach as a lien to your home which makes the debt secured while also earning interest. The lien may stop you from refinancing your mortgage and could be a hindrance in trying to sell your home unless the underlying debt is paid in full.

A judgment can also be enforced by garnishing your wages and attaching your bank ac-

(Advertising Supplement)

Persistence wins!

ses kept his hands raised, Israel had a better fight, but when he let his hands rest, the Amalekites had the better fight. When Moses’ hands got tired, Aaron and Hur put a rock in place for him to sit and supported his hands so that they remained steady until sunset. God saw Moses’ persistence and enduring faith and that of his people, and he let them win the battle against their enemies. Moses and his people must have shouted in praise to God, “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”

(Ps 121) In the New Testament Reading (2 Tim 3:14-4:2), Paul wrote to his young disciple, Timothy, telling him to remain faithful to what he learned and believed.

He urged him to stay persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient. Timothy kept the advice of his mentor, and he too succeeded in his missionary efforts.

The Gospel (Lk 18:1-8) picks up on this theme of persistence.

Jesus told his disciples about the necessity for them to pray without becoming weary by teaching them the lesson of the Parable of

the Dishonest Judge.

A widow untiringly pleads to a judge for a just decision against her adversary. Knowing how defenseless she is as a woman and a widow, she has to be bold.

So she keeps on pressing the judge for a hearing. Despite the judge’s ungodly ways and indifference towards her case, she is persistent in her demands. As the judge keeps not giving in, she resists giving up. She continues calling to him day and night until the judge finally relents out of annoyance and gives in to her wishes.

The Gospel presents a clear message: If the unjust judge will finally vindicate those who have been mistreated, how much more will God vindicate those who are faithful to him, who praying continually, crying out to God night and night?

Let’s not grow weary in praying to God for all our needs and wishes. Let’s believe in God’s absolute providence, mercy, and forgiveness! *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Preparing for the ‘What ifs’ Part 1 of 2

must always recognize the family members’ individual differences (types of personalities, attitudes, and behaviors), varying opinions, values, demands, expectations, and capabilities and changing or evolving priorities in life. What you know of your younger or older siblings’ behavior when you were in your teens may no longer be the same in midlife.

With all these likely scenarios happening, family business leaders must anticipate and expect the difficulty in meeting the kind of certainty that is needed from its pool of family members to operate a business on a professional level and direct it towards specific objectives.

The core group of any family business would be the members of the family itself who could either be catalysts for positive outcomes or a major source of problems if they do not agree with certain guidelines.

Familiarity and entitlement The issue with members of the family boils down to familiarity and entitlement and they will naturally have the tendency to be complacent and presumptuous since they are related by blood or marriage with the president or any family business leader with significant influence, they would not be made accountable for underperformance or weakness they might have.

In most cases, “free riders” in the family can also compromise the business. They think that being entitled will allow them the advantage to put little or no effort at all in the development of the business. Without any performance metric and a semblance of accountability, they continue to draw their salary every payday and benefit from dividend sharing. And to add salt to the

wound, they moonlight and put up separate businesses outside of the family business.

Another cause of major conflict is in dealing with different personalities in the family.

Some could be very intellectual, capable and productive, but are greedy, overly controlling and manipulative for their own good.

Some are usually quiet and have the penchant to question every policy laid out by a family member or sibling disrupting initiatives for growth.

Start by crafting solid agreements and policies There are different kinds of agreements that could be created and followed in the family business to keep family relationships in harmony and espouse professionalism in the industry.

Based on my experience coaching family businesses in the Asia Pacific region, the most important documents and policy to unite and harmonize family members are the following: Family Constitution or Charter incorporating Governance Policies covering Employment, Compensation Policy, A Code of Conduct, Job Description of working family members and a Statement of Vision and Values Shareholders Agreement, on the other hand, covers agreements on ownership and Board level accountabilities (To be continued next week) *** Prof. Soriano is a National Agora Awardee for Marketing Excellence, an ASEAN Family Business Advisor, Book Author and Executive Director of ASEAN-based Consulting group, W+B Strategic Advisory. He has close to three decades of real estate experience and is currently the Program Director for Real Estate at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

(Advertising Supplement)

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 19-22, 2019

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Reinstatement for surviving beneficiaries Thinking of filing a discrimination or retaliation claim? Here are the new deadlines of an I-130 petition filed by deceased relative Q: AFTER I came back from a two-month medical leave, my employer told me that my position was eliminated. However, I heard from a former coworker that the employer hired a person to replace me. Was I wrongfully fired? Can I still file a claim, considering that the firing occurred 11 months ago?

A: The timing of your firing certainly sounds questionable, since it occurred immediately after you had returned from a protected leave. So yes, you may have been wrongfully terminated. As explained below, your employer seems to have engaged in unlawful disability discrimination. On whether you can still file a claim, the short answer is yes. Due to a new law signed by California’s lawmakers, the time for filing a complaint due to discrimination and retaliation has been extended.

Aggrieved employees usually have a specific period of time within which they can make a claim or file a lawsuit against their employers. Before an aggrieved employee can file a case in court, the employee must file an administrative claim with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

A new law was signed by California lawmakers and the California Governor, which will be effective on January 1, 2020.

Assembly Bill No. 9 extends the claim period for employees to file claims of discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation with the DFEH from one year to three years. If the DFEH declines to prosecute the case for the employee, it may issue what’s called a Right to Sue letter to the employee. The employee will then have one more year from the date of the Right to Sue letter

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. to file a civil action in court.

This new law is certainly good news for employees as it gives employees more time to pursue remedies that they would otherwise be time-barred from pursuing. However, having practiced in this area of law for many years, I know it may sometimes be difficult to make a claim due to the lapse of time. Evidence are destroyed, documents are lost, and witnesses forget facts or move away. So if an employee thinks that they had been treated unfairly, I would generally urge them to consult with an experienced and knowledgeable attorney immediately in order to protect themselves.

It would be easier to stand up for one’s rights if employees are educated on the nature of discrimination, and what people can do to prevent victimization.

As a law firm that works to protect the rights of employees, we would like folks to be vigilant in this area.

Discrimination occurs when an employee receives less favorable treatment because of a specific characteristic they have. Not all types of discrimination are illegal. Illegal discrimination occurs when one is being targeted for a specific characteristic that the law says should be protected. These protected characteristics include race or skin color; ancestry, national origin; religion or creed; age; disability (both mental and physical), medical condition and

genetic information; sex and gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions); sexual orientation; gender identity and gender expression; marital status; and military and veteran status.

Retaliation occurs when an employee engaged in protected activity, such as requesting wage payments due or complaining about safety issues, or opposing a practice which is forbidden by law (e.g. sex, race, or age discrimination), and the employer subjected the employee to an adverse employment action (such as a firing or demotion) because of the employee’s protected activity.

California law provides several remedies for victims of employment discrimination or retaliation, including: back pay (for past lost earnings); front pay (for future lost earnings); reinstatement to the job; out-of-pocket expenses; policy changes; reasonable accommodation(s); damages for emotional distress; punitive damages (where the employer’s conduct was especially bad); and attorney’s fees and costs. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic.

All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit HYPERLINK “http://www.joesayaslaw.com” www. joesayaslaw.com. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers.

He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas in 2018.]

(Advertising Supplement)

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng THERE’S a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest. There’s a time for everything.

So states Ecclesiastes 3: “For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven… A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up; a time to cry and a time to laugh…”

The client is was 72. Three years ago, the client and his wife became my clients for a Chapter 13 case. They had a relatively small default on their residence, less than $20,000. And they owed about $18,000 to the IRS for back taxes, which were not yet dischargeable. The client and wife were still working, gainfully employed as members of a profession. But all of a sudden, the client’s kidneys start to fail. Diabetes is the culprit, and he needs to go for dialysis three times a week. He says he’s too old to wait for a kidney transplant as the wait is about 10 years. So, he’s decided to tough it out, just continue living with dialysis. It’s not hard to imagine that once you start needing dialysis, your whole life is now centered-around dialysis.

Three times a week, each time four hours at least tethered to

Barrister’s Corner Atty. kenneth UrSUA reyeS the marriage invalid. Domestic Partnership of Ellis & Arriaga (2008) 162 CA4th 1000, 1005, 76 CR3d 401, 404; Estate of DePasse (2002) 97 CA4th 92, 107, 118 CR2d 143, 155; see Marriage of Vryonis, supra, 202 CA3d at 718–719, 248 CR at 811–812.

A party’s “good faith” belief in the validity of the marriage is not tested by whether he or she believed a “marriage” lawfully occurred under some private, secular or spiritual set of standards.

A putative spouse must have had a good faith belief in the existence of a lawful California marriage. Estate of DePasse (2002) 97 CA4th 92, 107–108, 118 CR2d 143, 156; Welch v. State of Calif.

(2000) 83 CA4th 1374, 1378– 1379, 100 CR2d 430, 432–433; Marriage of Vryonis (1988) 202 CA3d 712, 723, 248 CR 807, 814–815 “Good faith” belief is tested by an objective standard based on facts that would cause a reasonable person under the circumstances to harbor a good faith

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Chapter 13 client with house default dies. What happens next? the machine to filter your blood. I wish God had not allowed diabetes to exist.

So they fall behind on their mortgage since all of a sudden, their income gets substantially reduced from regular paychecks to social security. They owed about $14,000 of arrears in their mortgage, and they could no longer pay the $18,000 of income taxes that were due. Clients decided to file for Chapter 13. The plan allowed them to pay off the $14,000 owed on the mortgage over 60 months, and the $18,000 owed to the IRS over 60 months as well, without interest.

The plan’s payment each month was about $650. Shortages were covered by family contributions by their children who are both adults and working.

By year 3, the client died of a massive stroke at 72. The wife, who is a joint debtor, is now wondering what she will do. What are her options?

Option no. 1: since the house has $200,000 of equity now, she can sell the house while in Chapter 13. We will need to file two motions. One is to suspend plan payments. Another is to ask for court permission to sell the house subject to comments by the Chapter 13 trustee. The right time to do these motions and when there is a firm offer for the purchase of the house. The mo-

tion to sell will tell the court how much the sale price is, the net proceeds and who the escrow agent is. From the sale proceeds, the unpaid balance of the plan, since it has two more years to go, will be paid off. The balance will be given to the surviving spouse who happens to be the co-debtor’s wife. Let’s do the math. Net proceeds are $200,000. About $12,000 of this will be used to pay the balance of what is owed on the plan. $188,000, less whatever trustee expenses are, will be given to the wife.

Option no. 2: Continue paying on the plan for another 24 months and complete all plan payments. On the 60th month, the wife will not have any arrears on the house, will be back on the current status with the lender, and will not owe anything to the IRS. And she will still own the house with equity of at least $200,000, and rising. Since she will still own the house, she can continue living in it, or rent it out and get rental income.

Option no. 3: Ask the lender for a loan modification because her husband died to reduce mortgage payment. If this is approved, then the arrears will be added to the principal and she will be back to current status. The plan can be reduced by a motion to modify plan payments since only what is

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Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn is also available to derivative beneficiaries in I-140 employment-based petitions where the principal beneficiary has died.

Another requirement for Section 204(L) relief is that the person seeking relief must have “residence” in the US. What is meant by “residence?” It is your primary home or principal actual dwelling place. At least one beneficiary must have resided in the U.S. when the petitioning relative died, and must continue to reside in the U.S. when seeking Section 204(L) relief. It is worth noting that all beneficiaries of a petition can benefit from Section 204(L) relief as long as at least one of the beneficiaries meets the residence requirement. Further, although “residence” is required, Section 204(L) does not require actual physical presence in the U.S. when the relative died.

In your case, it appears that you are eligible to obtain a green card. You are a principal beneficiary of an I-130 petition filed by your US Citizen mother. Further, you appear to meet the residence requirement in that you have been in the US since your arrival in 1999—you resided in the US when your mother passed away, and currently reside in the

US. A check of the USCIS visa bulletin indicates the priority date for the I-130 petition filed by your mother on your behalf is current, so you can file an I-485 adjustment of status application, requesting reinstatement of the I-130 petition filed by your mother pursuant to Section 204(L).

As a sidenote, Section 204(L) relief is also available if one’s relative died while the I-130 was pending, not only after the I-130 petition was approved.

Section 204(L) relief therefore is broader than Humanitarian Reinstatement of a petition under 8 CFR Section 205.1, which can only be requested by the principal beneficiary when the petitioner him/herself has died, and after approval of an I-130.

Relief under Section 204(L) is discretionary, and can be denied if factors in support of relief are not presented properly.

It is accordingly recommended that you seek the assistance of an experienced attorney. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada.

Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA). LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: 323-639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw. com (Advertising Supplement)

New public charge rules effective...

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dasyon ng US. Ang bagong panuntunan ay hindi nag-aapply sa mga US citizen (USC) kahit ang USC ay kamag-anak ng dayuhan na sumasailalim sa public charge ground ng inadmissibility. Ang mga isaaalang-alang ng DHS ay belief in the existence of a valid mga public benefits na direktang California marriage. Domestic natanggap ng dayuhan para sa Partnership of Ellis & Arriaga, su- kanyang kapakanan, o kung saan pra, 162 CA4th at 1005, 76 CR3d naka-lista ang dayuhan bilang at 404; Marriage of Guo & Sun beneficiary ng public benefit. Ang (2010) 186 CA4th 1491, 1497, public benefit na natanggap ng 112 CR3d 906, 911; Marriage dayuhan para sa iba ay hindi rin of Ramirez & Llamas (2008) 165 kasama, kahit ang public benefits CA4th 751, 756, 81 CR3d 180, ay natanggap ng mga miyembro 183. Whether a party had an ob- ng pamilya ng dayuhan. jectively reasonable “good faith” belief is a question of fact to be determined in light of all the circumstances.

Successfully proving putative spouse status or putative marriage status in court gives rise to certain property, support and attorney fees/costs rights, as well as certain other rights that ordinarily attach only between lawfully married persons. Property that would have been community or quasi-community property had the marriage been valid is deemed “quasi-marital property” and, in a proceeding to terminate the invalid marriage, “shall” be divided between the parties as if it were community. Family.Code. 2251(a)(2); Marriage of Tejeda (2009) 179 CA4th 973, 983, 102 CR3d 361, 368; Quasimarital property divided pursuant to 2251 is also liable for the parties’ debts to the same extent as if it had been community or quasi-community property. Family.Code. 2252.

Putative spouse status as a defense to a petition for nullity of marriage ALL property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in California is community property. Family Code 760. However, there are situations in which the marriage may be held to be null and void.

These situations include, but are not limited to entering into a bigamous marriage, fraud and misrepresentation in entering into a marriage, etc. The legal consequences of having your marriage annulled by your spouse is that it results to you not having any community property interest on property acquired by your spouse during the marriage. A nullity may also cut off your claim for spousal support.

What options do you have if your spouse files a nullity against you? You may still have a claim to community property and support as a putative spouse. A party to a void or voidable marriage has “putative spouse” status only if he or she believed in good faith the marriage was valid. Family.Code. 225; Marriage of Guo & Sun (2010) 186 CA4th 1491, 1493, 112 CR3d 906, 908; Marriage of Vryonis (1988) 202 CA3d 712, 721, 248 CR 807, 813. A party who has the requisite objectively reasonable “good faith” belief may be a putative spouse where any legal infirmity in formation of the marriage renders

DEAR Attorney Tan, My US Citizen mother filed an I-130 immigrant petition on my behalf, which has a priority date in February 2000 and which has been approved. She filed the I-130 petition after I came to the US in 1999 as a tourist from the Philippines.

Since my arrival, I have lived in the US and have been out of status.

Since I was petitioned as an unmarried adult daughter, I was advised that I had to wait several years to get a green card. Recently, my mother passed away. Can I still get a green card through my mother’s petition? -Apparently In Limbo Dear Apparently In Limbo, When your mother passed away, the I-130 that was approved on your behalf was revoked by operation of law pursuant to 8 CFR Section 205.1.

However, depending on the facts of a particular case, all is not lost. You may be eligible to get a green card pursuant to INA Section 204(L).

Under INA Section 204(L), relief from an automatic revocation of an I-130 petition is available to certain surviving relatives. Surviving relatives who are eligible to seek 204(L) relief include a 1) principal or derivative beneficiary of an I130 petition that was filed by a deceased permanent resident or U.S. Citizen, and 2) derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a permanent resident or U.S. Citizen where the principal beneficiary has died. Section 204(L) relief

The rules amending the regulations related to the public charge ground of inadmissibility will take effect on October 15, 2019. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS will apply these rules to applications postmarked on or after this effective date. On October 9, 2019, USCIS also published new editions of Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, I-539/539A Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Sttaus, I-864/I-864EZ Affidavit of Support under Section 213A of the Immigration and Nation-

ality Act (INA) and I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency. The edition dates of these Forms are 10/15/2019. USCIS will only accept previous editions of the Forms if they are postmarked on or before 10/14/2019.

Under the rules, DHS will determine whether an alien who is applying for admission or adjustment of status is inadmissible to the US under the INA based on his likelihood of becoming a public charge at any time in the future. The interpretation of “public charge” will incorporate consideration of non-cash ben-

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C4 OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

A

merica

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS O C TO B E R 1 9

PhilDev annual awards gala in Beverly Hills, CA Join the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) on Saturday, October 19 for a red carpet affair at the elegant Montage Beverly Hills hotel in the heart of Los Angeles. Let the glamour of Hollywood inspire your attire as we celebrate our 2019 PhilDev awardees and enjoy the evening.

The night begins with a cocktail reception where guests can meet, mingle and bid on our exclusive silent auction items. Guests will then be escorted into the Grand Ballroom where they will be treated to a delicious multi-course meal and entertainment. After dinner, PhilDev will present the 2019 awards to the outstanding Filipino-Americans who have made significant leadership and innovation contributions in their industries and who have furthered the positive impact of Filipinos worldwide: PRISCILLA HUNT - Philanthropist of the year; NICOLE PONSECA - Rising Star in Entrepreneurship; APL.DE.AP - Innovation in the Arts; RAISSA GERONA - Innovation in Branding; and JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS - Innovation in Education. For more information, visit http://www.phildev.org/gala-2019.

20th annual Asian Small Business Expo in Montebello, CA The Asian Small Business Expo on Saturday, October 19 is the only business-to-business Expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream to connect and utilize your company and its services. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the day will feature networking, exhibitors, business services, start-up opportunities and workshops. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with small businesses, market your organization and tap into a network of entrepreneurs, service providers, financial organizations, franchises and governmental and legislative representatives. There will also be a Women Entrepreneurs Panel featuring Trisha Murakawa (Principal and Chief Problem Solver, Murakawa Communications), Patricia Perez (Co-founder, Pho Show and Co-founder & CEO, Genever Bar) and Lindy Huang Werges (Founder, Integritas Resources, Inc. and Co-founder, Zen Yoga Strap, Inc.) Registration is FREE at http://www.apisbp.org/expo. The event will be held at Quiet Cannon Conference & Event Center (901 Via San Clemente, Montebello, CA 90640). For more information, please contact smallbiz@apisbp.org or (213) 473-1605.

West Ranch High School presents the Wildcat Classic in Valencia, CA West Ranch High School is proud to present the 11th annual Wildcat Classic, a daylong display of musical artistry on Saturday, October 19. More than 20 high school bands from the Santa Clarita Valley and around the region will gather for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra (SCSBOA) Marching Band Competition. The Wildcat Classic will take place at Valencia High School’s football stadium, located at 27801 Dickason Dr. in Valencia. Tickets are $12; parking is free. Each high school band will compete by division followed by an astounding showcase performance of the three-time state champion West Ranch Band and Colorguard.

The day-long event culminates in an awards ceremony with trophies presented in each division as decided by a panel of SCSBOA judges. The performance schedule will be announced prior to the event. Vendors will be on site with plenty of delectable food and drink options as well as gifts and apparel for the music enthusiast. For additional information, please contact West Ranch Music Director Jason Marshall at 661-222-1220 x 646 or jmarshall@hartdistrict.org or visit www.westranchmusic.com.

Sikad cycling ride in Las Vegas Hosted by the Nevada Bicycle Club, in collaboration with charity institution Gawad Kalinga to give care, Sikad 2019 will be held on Saturday, October 19 at the River Mountain Trail Loop.

The mission of the charity fun ride is to end homelessness through community building efforts in the Philippines. Gawad Kalinga is a nation building movement that hopes to end poverty for millions of Filipinos. Its template begins with restoration of dignity as a human being by bringing the poor out of their homelessness. But that is just the start.GK uses its resources to allow the poor access to basic services and opportunities that will turn them to productive citizens.

It’s values formation component is a key element that promotes the effectiveness of all of its other programs. SIKAD NG BAYAN is an annual bike ride that supports GK program to include building schools, homes and community centers. This is the third annual SIKAD NG BAYAN - Las Vegas hosted by Nevada Bicycle Club. It will begin at the Railroad Pass Casino & Hotel at 2800 S. Boulder Hwy, Henderson, NV with the trail at the River Mountain Loop Trail & Acaia Park — course 1 is 9 miles; course 2 is 35 miles; course 3 is 50 miles. Register now at www.nevadabicycleclub.com/sikad2019. Free jersey & buffet with registration. For more information, please email nevadabicycleclub@gmail.com.

49th anniversary of Federation of Rosary Groups rally in Burbank, CA On Saturday, October 19, devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary will come together to attend and celebrate the 49th year-anniversary of the Federation of Rosary Groups Annual Rosary Rally at St. Francis Xavier Church (3801 Scott Road, Burbank, CA). In partnership with Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Crusade in Glendale, people will assemble beginning at 9 a.m. to attend a talk to be given by the Most Reverend Alex Aclan, Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. This year’s theme is Mary In the Upper Room. The event is filled with activities that will enrich one’s faith. The afternoon speaker is Reverend Francis Mendoza, pastor of St. Finbar Church in Burbank. Procession and praying of the rosary will start at 3:30 p.m.; followed by a liturgy at 5:00 p.m. which will be concelebrated by Reverend Rodel Balagtas, Pastor of Incarnation Church/ Glendale and Reverend Sebastian Vettickal, Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church/ Burbank. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the event. For more information, please call: Rico Nosce (818) 331- 9111, Linda Gordon (818) 633-5600 or Rene Decena (818) 679- 7896.

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75th anniversary of Leyte landing in Carson, CA The 75th anniversary of the Leyte Landing will be observed on Sunday, October 20 at the International Sculpture Garden at the Carson Civic Center from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. the main program will start at 10 a.m. where the veterans present will be honored by the guest speakers and the community. There will be music and entertainment, food trucks, vendors and booths. This program is part of the annual Filipino-American History Month in October. For more information, please contact Dr. Jenny Batongmalaque, executive director of the Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation, at drjennyb.md@gmail.com or visit www.erbfoundation.com.

Filipino Priests Association of Los Angeles fundraising “Pista Sa Nayon” is a fundraising event sponsored by the Filipino Priests Association of Los Angeles on Sunday, October 20 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium (1401 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA 91208) at 5 p.m. The highlight of the event will include but are not limited to: Honor the 2nd Filipino Bishop in USA, Most Reverend Alex Aclan, as well as recognize Filipino priests who have dedicated many years of service to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The priests will serve food and entertain guests with songs and dances. Tickets are at $50.00 per person. Sponsorships are available. Proceeds will benefit priests attending the 4th Assembly of National Association of Priests -USA in New Jersey on October 26-30, 2020, for continuing faith formation so that they may become effective ministers of evangelization. For more information, please contact Ging Mangaliman at (213) 453-2595, Patty Santiago at (818) 472-4288, or Rhomie Ramirez at (818) 618-6515.

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Larry Itliong Day Celebration in Carson, CA The City of Carson, California will hold a Larry Itliong Day Celebration on Saturday, October 26 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. In 1966, Filipino Larry Itliong and Cesar Chavez formed the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee, which later became the United Farm Workers of America, one of the greatest unions in the history of the nation. Larry Itliong Day will be at Veterans Park (22400 Moneta Ave. Carson, CA 90745). For more information, please call (310) 830-9991.

Free health screenings at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center In honor of Filipino-American History Month, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is offering free comprehensive health screenings for the entire family on Saturday, October 26 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the hospital’s auditorium in Doctors Tower on A-level. Health screenings offered include Height, Weight, BMI , Blood Pressure, Temperature, Blood (Cholesterol, Glucose), Serum Glucose, Mini Mental Health Score, Mammogram, Flu Shots, Eye Vision, and EKG. You can also watch a therapeutic mental health play by StanD Play Team from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The health screening and play is free and open to the public. No RSVP required to attend the event. Please take benefit of this offering to improve your and your family’s health. Hospital address is CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center 1300 N. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

People and Events

Atty. Roman Mosqueda among best of top 10 personal injury attorneys JOHN Kingston, director of the Best of the Best Attorneys, on October 14 announced the selection of Roman P. Mosqueda to its top 10 personal injury law attorney list for 2020.

Of the 1.3 million attorneys practicing in the United States less than .05% of attorneys will receive this distinction.

Selection to the list provides independent third-party validation of Mr. Mosqueda as an attorney, his practice, and influences potential new clients hiring decisions.

New clients can be assured that they are hiring the absolute Best of the Best, per Mr. Kingston.

The expertise of Mr. Mosqueda, his commitment to excellence, and countless hours mastering his craft have earned him this well-deserved distinction.

Mr. Mosqueda is also a lifetime

charter member of the Rue Ratings’ Best Attorneys of America.

He was also among 2019’s Ten Best High Verdict and Settlement Attorneys in California of the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys (AI0-PIA).

Mr. Roman P. Mosqueda practices law at 7136 Haskell Avenue, Suite 302, Van Nuys, CA 91406.

Please call (213) 261-0816 ext.

104 for a free consultation or appointment.

(Advertising Supplement)

Fil-Am History Month festivities in Historic...

PAGE C3 t Like our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, Bulosan and Itliong used the power of words to win the revolution through the books they wrote. It is, therefore, fitting that during this year’s festival that we celebrate history, heritage and the culture to honor our ancestors — our unsung heroes.

The festival was filled by music and performances by the second generation musicians like Heaven, son of singer and actress Geneva Cruz; Robin Nievera, son of the original Concert King and Queen, Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez; and finally Chenza Puno, daughter of the late singer Rico Puno, with her mother Christine Love.

The group Power Impact — who placed 11th in last year’s TV dance competition “World of Dance” — also gave a rousing performance.

Finally, the theatrical reenactment of some of the highlights of Bulosan’s “America is in the Heart.” All these speak volumes of who we are: the pearl of the orient, the smiling faces of faith that finds hope in that great blue sky.

This year’s backdrop is the newly renovated LA Downtown

Search to Involve Pilipino Americans booth

Thelma Sugay and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell

Historic Filipinotown Rotary Club

Medical Center formerly Silverlake Medical Center at the heart of Historic Filipinotown.

Most of the community organizations (SIPA, FASGI, NAFFAA, Rotary Club of Historic

Filipinotown, Asian Pacific Alcohol and Drug Program, Burlington School, VGR and associates) were present together, with the media support of the Asian Journal. ■

most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Section 8 ProjectBased Rental Assistance, and certain other forms of subsidized housing.

According to the USCIS, the enforcement of the public charge inadmissibility law will promote the ideals of self-sufficiency, self-reliance, industriousness and perseverance, which have laid the foundation of the nation and have defined generations of hardworking immigrants seeking opportunity in the US ever since.

The rules do not apply to US citizens (USC), even if the USC is related to an alien subject to the public charge ground of inadmissibility. DHS will also consider only public benefits received directly by the alien for the alien’s own benefit, or where the alien is listed as the beneficiary of the public benefit. Benefits received on behalf of another will not be considered. Neither will receipt

of public benefits by one or more members of the alien’s household be attributed to the alien, unless the alien is also listed as a beneficiary of the public benefit. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty.

Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their goals and dreams.

As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others.

Please visit our office: LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Call or text us: (213) 381.5710 Email us: attorneys@lindainsamsonlaw. com.

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for which a judgment of nullity is sought.” Family Code Section 2255. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.

The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information.

This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. ***

Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

God one day and on that day; it will be our time to go. Even if you had all the money in the world, you can’t pay someone to die for you. You can’t even pay someone to be sick for you. Because of the original sin by Adam and Eve, we now have these frail bodies that suck. We all succumb to sickness and death. In heaven, I understand we will have glorified bodies that last for eternity and will never get sick or die.

So, the client now has a glorified body in heaven with Jesus and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit that will last him for eternity. Never again to need dialysis ever. Well, that’s a really sweet deal, right? So all you have

to do is believe that Jesus is the Son of the one true God who died for our sins that we may have a chance to enter heaven.

If you need debt relief, please set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South-Lower Level Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

New public charge rules effective...

PAGE C3 t

efits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and housing vouchers or other housing subsidies to better ensure that aliens subject to the public charge inadmissibility ground are self-sufficient and do not depend on public resources to meet their needs. Rather, they rely on their own capabilities, as well as the resources of family members, sponsors and private organizations. The rules redefine “public charge” as an alien who receives one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months, in the aggregate, within any 36-month period (such that, for instance, receipt of 2 benefits in 1 month counts as 2 months). The rules further define the term “public benefit” to include any cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps,

Putative spouse status as a defense...

PAGE C3 t

In addition, “temporary” and “permanent” spousal support may also be awarded in a nullity proceeding in favor of a putative spouse “in the same manner as if the marriage had not been void or voidable” Family Code Section 2254. The court may also award attorney’s fees pursuant to family code section 2030 in favor of a party found to be “innocent of fraud or wrongdoing in inducing or entering into the marriage, and free from knowledge of the then existence of any prior marriage or other impediment to the contracting of the marriage

Chapter 13 client with house default...

PAGE C3 t

owed to the IRS will be left proportionately unpaid.

These are three basic options available to the surviving co-debt spouse. Which is the best option to go for? Well, this all depends on how the wife feels about the house and what the children want to do with it. Right now, of course, the wife does not want to live in the house by herself, which is understandable. So she has quickly been able to rent the house.

I feel bad for her but as stated

by Ecclesiastes, there’s a time to be born and a time to die. There’s a time for everything. This is so true. All of us will be called by

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Is there hope after a denial?

Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ MANY people believe that once their case is denied, that is the end of the line. No more hope or chances. There is nothing more they can do, and the case is now dead. However, depending on the reasons for a denial, it could still be possible to salvage the case and get it approved.

The first thing that should be done is a thorough and detailed analysis as to WHY the case was denied. What were the legal and factual bases relied on by the government to support that denial?

Were the proper legal standards and burdens of proof utilized

by USCIS or the U.S. Embassy in supporting the denial? Were there any misunderstandings or miscommunications that created confusion and resulted in a denial? (For example, the person was nervous, didn’t understand a question and gave a wrong answer, etc.). Did the person fail to fill out the forms correctly or include the required documents or information?

The next thing to evaluate is WHAT can be done to overcome the denial. Is a waiver available to overcome the denial? Could additional documents or other evidence prove eligibility and

Part 1 overcome the denial? Is it pos- nial.

Although there cannot be any sible to seek reconsideration or reopening of the case? Can or “guarantees” of success, if your should the case be refiled? Can case was denied, you should the case be appealed, and what consider consulting with an atwould be the grounds for ap- torney, who can evaluate your situation, and determine if there peal?

There are several reasons a is hope in overcoming that denial case could be denied, includ- and assisting in helping you reing the following, where it could verse the denial and your case be possible to get the case ap- approved. *** proved: Child aged out and therefore Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attornot included under a petition. ney for over 35 years and is licensed, However, it could be possible the and an active member of the State Bars child could still be eligible under of California and New York. All immigrathe Child Status Protection Act tion services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of (CSPA).

Marital petition denied be- the State Bar of California. Each case cause USCIS thought the mar- is different and results may depend on riage was fixed. If a couple truly the facts of the particular case. The married for love, the petition information and opinions contained should be approved. However, herein (including testimonials, “Success in some cases the couple does Stories”, endorsements and re-enactnot fully document or prove the ments) are of a general nature, and are bona fides of the marriage (they not intended to apply to any particular may not have enough joint docu- case, and do not constitute a prediction, ments, they live apart because warranty, guarantee or legal advice reof work, etc.). If they receive a garding the outcome of your legal matnotice of intent to revoke or the ter. No attorney-client relationship is, or case is already denied, it could shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com be possible to better document Follow us on Facebook.com/Gurfinthe case, refile with a far better packaging of the bona fides of kelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultathe marriage, etc. The denied family petition could also be ap- tion for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487pealed to the Board of Immigra- 3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: tion Appeals (BIA).

LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW In a future article, I will discuss more situations where there YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement) could still be hope despite a de-

Business Quote of the Week “The pace of change for entrepreneurs is rapidly accelerating, and the cost and risk of launching a new business and getting off the ground is just amazing.

The ability to gain user feedback really quickly and adapt to what your consumers want is totally different with the web as it is now. But fi nding a new market, helping people and taking that original idea and turning it into a business is really exciting right now.”

— Matt Mickiewicz, co-founder of 99 Designs, SitePoint, Flippa and Hired

D1

Filipinos spent an average P7,496 for health in 2018 — PSA

Total health expenditures grew 8.3% to P799.1 billion in 2018 from P737.8 billion in the preceding year.

by IAN

NICOLAS CIGARAL Philstar.com

THE Philippines spent more for health in 2018, with such expenditures contributing 4.6 percent to the economy last year, the country’s statistics agency reported Thursday, October 17.

Total health expenditures grew 8.3% to P799.1 billion in 2018 from P737.8 billion in the preceding year.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, each Filipino spent P7,496 for health last year, up 6.6 percent from P7,032 in 2017.

Meanwhile, Filipinos’ out-of-

Philstar.com file photo

pocket heath expenses, or OOP, expanded 10.8% to P413 billion last year from P373 billion in 2017.

More than half of OOP (50.1 percent) amounting to P206.7 billion were spent on pharmacies. Hospitals received the second largest amount of OOP at P148.8 billion. ■

‘Hot money’ outflow eases in September but Philippines still in the red in 2019

by DAXIM

L. LUCAS

Inquirer.net

THE net outflow of short term investments from the Philippines was halved in September compared to the same period last year, but the total exodus so far of foreign portfolio investments continued to rise, according to data form the central bank.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said net outflow of $232 million was recorded in September as a result of the $1.5 billion outflow which more than

offset the $1.3 billion inflow for the month. This figure is an improvement from the net outflow of $392 million recorded in August 2019.

From the start of 2019 to the first week of October, $1.33 billion in net outflow was recorded by the central bank compared to $74.6 million in net inflow in the same period in 2018.

In September 2019 alone, the $1.3 billion registered investments reflected a 7.2 percent increase from the $1.2 billion figure in August. ■

Inquirer.net file photo

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PH ranking in property rights index improves National standard for QR code payments seeks to wean Pinoys off cash, cards

by AnnA LeAh

e. GonzALes Manilatimes.net

THE Philippines’ ranking in this year’s International Property Rights Index (IPRI) improved to 67th out of 129 economies from last year’s 70th out of 125 countries.

The country’s score also went up to 5.31 from last year’s 5.22.

The 2019 IPRI released on Wednesday by the Property Rights Alliance measures the strength of physical property rights, intellectual property rights, and the legal and political environments that enforce them.

The country’s ranking in physical property rights protection improved to 60th out of 129 from last year’s 63rd out of 125 economies.

Ranking in intellectual property rights protection also went up to 58th from 62nd in 2018.

The Philippines ranking in legal and political environments, however, went down to 102nd

Manilatimes.net file photo

from 95th a year ago.

Overall, Finland remained first in protection of property rights.

“Property rights are human rights. Without them, people are restrained in how they act, how they speak, and how they participate in the economy,” said Property Rights Alliance Execu-

tive Director Lorenzo Montanari.

The report noted that since 2017, increases in property rights in China (36 percent), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Indonesia (30 percent), and the Philippines (20 percent) helped

by IAn nIcoLAs cIGArAL billions reach moderate levels of Philstar.com protection. n THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Thursday, October 17, it approved a policy requiring the adoption of a national standard for quick response (QR) code payments, with the goal of ensuring that Filipinos can use “major reforms” were helping an efficient and safe payment “set the agriculture sector on a system. par for improved competitiveThe central bank said it will ness.” collaborate with the Philippine “What we’re doing now is implementing some programs and projects that are going to support that,” said Bird. “We now see agriculture as priority,” he said.

by AnnA LeAh e. GonzALes Manilatimes.net In comparison, between 2011 and 2018, the top three sectors SALES of automobiles picked that received the biggest ADB loans were public sector man- up in September, growing by 2.3 agement (53 percent of total), percent on the back of increased finance (14 percent), and educa- demand, two industry groups retion (12 percent)—while lend- ported on Tuesday, October 15.

In a joint report, the Chamber of ing for transport was only 7.7 percent, and for agriculture and Automotive Manufacturers of the natural resources, just 1.6 per- Philippines (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association said cent of total.

This year, the ADB’s lending 31,820 units were sold last month, program included two already compared with 31,116 a year ago.

Sales of commercial vehicles approved projects—$1.3 billion for the Malolos-Clark Railway (CV), which accounted for 69.45 Project and $300 million for the percent of September sales, inSecondary Education Support creased by 2 percent to 22,099 units from 21,675 year-on-year.

Program.

Sales of passenger cars (PC), Expected to be approved by the ADB board in November meanwhile, rose by 3 percent to and December were the follow- 9,721 units from the year-earlier ing loans: additional financing 9,441.

In a statement, Campi President for the Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility ($200 Rommel Gutierrez welcomed the million); additional financing “positive growth, as this is a good for the Angat Water Transmis- indicator of the increasing and PAGE D3 widening demand for vehicles

‘Big bang lending’: ADB doubling PH loans to $12.1B until 2022

by Ben

o. de VerA Inquirer.net

IN what an official dubbed as a “big-bang lending program,” the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday, October 17, said it will lend its host country, the Philippines, up to $12.1 billion between 2019 and 2022 or a record $3 billion yearly.

ADB country director for the Philippines Kelly Bird told a press briefing that from a total of only $6.4 billion in approved loans or $800 million annually from 2011 to 2018, the Manila-based lender was “scaling up significantly” its financing, especially for transport and agriculture projects. The increase is nearly double.

With up to $3 billion in annual financing, the Philippines would easily be among the top three beneficiaries of ADB loans in the next three years, Bird said.

Last year, the Philippines received $1.4 billion in loans, the fifth-biggest among ADB’s members. This year, the projected $2.6 billion would be the secondlargest after those being extended to India, according to Bird.

The ADB also “balanced” sectors that would benefit from loans with transport now becoming the

biggest beneficiary.

From 2019 to 2022, 59.9 percent of the ADB’s lending portfolio to the Philippines will be for transportation projects; 14 percent for public sector management programs supporting the government’s policy reforms and 9.9 percent for projects in the agriculture and natural resources sector.

While the ADB lends heavily to infrastructure across the region, the 2019-2022 lending pipeline for the Philippines was “custom-made, reflecting the government’s priority of ‘Build, Build, Build,’” Bird said, referring to the Duterte administration’s ambitious infrastructure development program.

The ADB was also ramping up lending to agriculture as Bird noted that the sector had become a “drag to economic growth” during the past two to three years.

“You still have a large segment of the population reliant on agriculture,” said Bird.

“And if you look at the reasons why it’s been a drag, one is the low competitiveness,” the ADB official added.

Policy restrictions in the past had been a “drag on agriculture.”

The Duterte administration’s

Philstar.com file photo

Payments Management Inc., or PPMI, in setting a national QR code standard that is aligned with international standards so the system will be interoperable not just in the country but also abroad.

A QR code is a computer-generated image — usually a blackand-white square pattern — used for payments or fund transfers.

The code is scanned via a smartphone camera to make transactions.

The use of this code is seen as an alternative to the traditional debit and credit cards. A QR code contains most, if not all, of the critical transaction information such as account name and account number, helping minimize encoding errors.

Being the country’s payment system management body, the PPMI will coordinate with stakeholders to build public trust in the QR technology by ensuring PAGE D3

Car sales rise 2.3% in September that has been the trademark of our industry.”

He said his organization had “expected this recovery coming into the last quarter of the year,” noting that “September is traditionally the start of an upward trend in sales as the public begin to spend for the upcoming holiday season.”

“We are optimistic that the industry is well-positioned [to] get back on track toward strong positive growth in the coming months,” he added.

Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. was last month’s market leader, capturing a 42.30-percent market share after selling 13,460 units, a 6.1-percent increase from last year’s 12,686.

Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. came second with a 15.53percent share, selling 4,973 units, down 21.1 percent from 6,305 last year.

Nissan Philippines Inc. was third with a 14.98-percent share,

selling 4,768 units, up 21.8 percent from the previous year’s 3,916.

Year-to-date, the number of cars sold climbed by 2.38 percent to 267,364 from 261,161 on the back of higher CV sales.

Toyota recorded a market share of 42.68 percent in the nine-month period after selling 114,117 units, up 4.3 percent from the year-ago 109,402.

Mitsubishi came next with a 17.21-percent market share, selling 46,007 units, down 9.1 percent from the figure posted in the same period last year.

Nissan came third with a 12.34percent share, selling 32,980 units, a 34.6-percent increase from the figure in the same period last year.

With continued demand for CV and PC propping up the industry, Gutierrez said Campi remained optimistic that the sector would continue to record growth until the end of the year. n

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PH poverty rate seen falling DoF: Train revenues above target in H1 below 20% starting 2020

by MayVelin

U. CaraBallO ManilaTimes.net

High-quality job creation, human capital investment boost needed to ensure shared prosperity

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

AMID easing inflation and rising incomes, the World Bank expects poverty rate in the Philippines to fall below 20 percent starting next year.

In its Macro Poverty Outlook for East Asia and the Pacific report, the World Bank projected poverty incidence in the Philippines at 20.8 percent by the end of 2019, down from 26 percent in 2015, the latest comparable full-year date from the Philippine government.

The report was released this week on the sidelines of the Washington-based lender’s annual meeting.

The World Bank had estimated poverty incidence in the Philippines at 24.5 percent for 2016, 23.1 percent for 2017 and 21.9 percent for 2018.

Its medium-term poverty projections were based on the lower middle-income poverty line of $3.20 per day.

At that threshold, the World Bank sees the Philippines’ poverty rate further declining to 19.8 percent next year and 18.7 percent in 2021.

“Despite a temporary growth slowdown in the first half of 2019, progress on shared prosperity is likely to continue,” it said.

Partial estimates of the 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey showed that incomes of households in lower-income deciles grew at a much faster pace than the average, the World Bank report read.

“Meanwhile, cash transfer

bal oil prices skyrocketed and food prices soared due to local supply bottlenecks, especially of rice.

But state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) had nonetheless pointed out that traditionally, full-year poverty incidence rates were lower than those posted in the first half.

“What we hope is that the inFinance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III Manilatimes.net photo by J. Gerard Seguia crease in income will offset the personal income taxes were origi- back of “improved compliance as increase in prices in the second nally projected at P64.5 billion, result of the issuance of a revenue semester of 2018,” NEDA Assistbut actual losses were lower at regulation that provided clear ant Secretary Carlos Bernardo P52.5 billion, or savings of P11.9 guidelines on the coverage of the Abad Santos said in April. billion.

SB excise tax,” the DoF also reThe Philippine Statistics Au“This is due to better compli- ported. thority will release the full-year ance, increase in registered taxThis also resulted in the in2018 poverty data in December. payers, and lower unemployment crease in the number of non-large Moving forward, the World and underemployment rates,” the taxpayers from 36 to 42, it added.

Bank said that fostering highDoF said.

The Finance department also quality job creation and boosting It added that higher-than-pro- mentioned that better compliance human capital investment would grammed volume of imports, and amid the government’s continued enhance the impact of economic better compliance in anticipation crack down on illicit tobacco trade growth on poverty reduction and of fuel marking program roll out boosted tax take from tobacco exshared prosperity. resulted in the petroleum excise cise to surpass target by P2.1 bilTo increase the growth imtax to exceed target by P3.4 billion lion to P8.1 billion. pact on poverty and inequality, to P54.4 billion.

Lastly, documentary stamp tax targeted investments and supSweetened beverage excise tax surpassed the government’s tarportive business regulations are exceeded government’s target by get by P2.8 billion to P20 billion needed in industries and sectors P1.5 billion to P24.9 billion on the PAGE D5 that generate high-quality jobs, it said.

Human capital investments in education and health must be fortified, including training and skills development, which will be PAGE D2 t 2021 included the following: Modernization Project ($70 milneeded for workers to stay com- sion Improvement Project ($126 South Commuter Railway Project lion); Local Government Revpetitive in a fast-changing global million); the Local Government between Manila and Calamba, enue Mobilization Project ($28 work environment, it added.

Development Program ($300 Laguna ($1.2 billion); Inte- million); Expanded Social As“Finally, improving social-pro- million); Capacity-Building to grated Flood Risk Management sistance Assistance Project for tection programs, including the Foster Competition Project ($25 Sector Project to manage and the government’s Pantawid 4Ps, will support the incomes of million); and Facilitating Youth minimize flooding in six river ba- Pamilyang Pilipino Program or poor households and help build School-to-Work Transition Pro- sins—three in Mindanao, two in 4Ps ($500 million); and Inclusive their resilience against adverse gram ($400 million).

Luzon and one in Visayas ($400 Finance Development Program shocks,” the World Bank said. n For 2020 to 2022, Bird said million); Support to Capital Mar- ($300 million). the ADB “realistically” targets ket Generated Infrastructure FiFor 2021, loans in the pipeline at least $2.5 billion in loans to nancing Program ($300 million); included $500 million for the the Philippines per year as some Metro Manila Bridges Project to Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 4 es onboard the financial system,” percent share in 2013. proposed projects may prove to build three bridges along Ma- Project between Ortigas Center the BSP said. rikina River ($180 million); and and Taytay, Rizal; $500 million The BSP said it will be notified be unfeasible.

“Moreover, it is faster and easi- once the PPMI Board approves The projects in the ADB’s EDSA Greenways Project ($100 for Bataan-Cavite Bridge Project er to just scan the code than to dip the national QR code standard Country Operations Business million). in Manila Bay; $500 million for or swipe a card, and sign a charge — which payment service provid- Plan for the Philippines 2020Also for ADB board approval Laguna Lakeshore Road Transslip,” it added. ers are required to adopt within 2022 pipeline “must complete next year were the Support for port Project; $1-billion second Currently, non-bank financial 30 days from the date of the said government approvals, including Agrifood System Competitive- tranche for Malolos-Clark Railway firms like PayMaya and GCash are notification. meeting thresholds for economic ness Program ($300 million); Project; $100 million for Mindoffering QR payments via select For payment service providers rates of return, before financing Philippine City Disaster Insur- anao Irrigation Project; $300 milstores. ance Pool Project ($100 million); lion for Local Government Develalready offering QR-enabled pay- decisions are made,” Bird said.

Under the regulator’s National ment service, they are allowed Also, “amounts can change Sustainable Tourism Develop- opment Program; $300 million Retail Payment System initiative, to fully comply with the national based on approved feasibility ment (Livable Cities Investment) for Facilitating Youth School-tothe BSP is targeting digital pay- standard until June 30 next year. studies,” he added.

Project ($100 million); Regional Work Transition; and $300 milments to rise to 20 percent of total (With a report from BusinessThe big-ticket projects lined Development Facility ($40 mil- lion for the Support to Universal transactions by next year, from a 1 World) n up for the ADB’s financing in lion); Davao Public Transport Health Coverage Project. n schemes from the government will continue to help cushion the impact of negative shocks. Given the continuous expansion of nonagriculture wage employment, rising real wage, continuation of social programs, and stabilizing inflation, the declining trend in poverty is likely to continue,” it added.

In a report last month, the World Bank said the 12-year-old conditional cash transfer scheme called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) slashed the nationwide poverty rate by 1.21.5 percentage points (ppt) between 2012 and 2015.

4Ps also reduced income inequality by 0.5-0.6 ppt in the same period, it said.

Citing the latest Philippine government data, the World Bank noted that poverty incidence slid to 21 percent in the first half of 2018 from 27.6 percent during the same period of 2015 “as real wages continue to rise, and employment continues to expand towards nonagriculture wage employment.”

The latest poverty incidence figure is equivalent to 23.1 million poor Filipinos, down from the 28.8 million below the poverty threshold three years ago.

“However, the high inflation experienced in the second half of 2018, especially among lowerincome households, may have dampened the gains from higher wage and salary incomes,” the World Bank said.

To recall, inflation hit a 10-year high of 5.2 percent last year as consumer prices peaked mostly during the second half when glo-

National standard for QR code payments...

PAGE D2 t that payment service providers, both banks and non-banks, have the necessary security measures.

Meanwhile, the payment service providers will be required to establish an appropriate pricing mechanism for QR-enabled payment and financial services to encourage their clients to use these services.

“The adoption of a QR Code Standard on a national scale is expected to bring more Filipinos as well as micro and small enterpris-

GOVERNMENT’S first-half 2019 revenue from the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train) exceeded its target as most of its components posted better-than-expected results, the Department of Finance (DoF) said.

In a report, the Finance department noted that the earlier announced P55.6-billion Train tax take for the first six months of the year was P3.5 billion or 6.8-percent above-target.

To recall, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III earlier said that the amount in January to June this year was 65 percent higher than the figure posted in the same period last year.

Implemented at the start of 2018, Train exempts those earning annual taxable incomes of P250,000 and below from paying personal income taxes. In exchange, new taxes were imposed on automobiles, fuel and sugarsweetened beverages, among others.

“The major gains are seen in the personal income tax, petroleum excise tax, sweetened beverage (SB) excise tax, tobacco excise tax, and the documentary stamp tax (P21.8 billion more in total),” the DoF, meanwhile, noted.

Broken down, losses from lower

‘Big bang lending’: ADB doubling...

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Air fares to stay at current levels

by Richmond

meRcuRio

Philstar.com

PASSENGERS will not see any adjustment in their air fares this coming holiday season as fuel surcharge level for the next two months will remain the same.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said in its latest advisory that passenger fuel surcharge for domestic and international flights from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 would stay at Level 2, which is the same for the current September to October period.

“For August to September 2019, the price of jet fuel averaged $77.07 per barrel, with the dollar exchange rate of 52.19 for the same period. This is equivalent to P25.30 per liter, which corresponds to Level 2 of the

passenger fuel surcharge matrix,” the CAB said.

Under the Level 2 of the passenger fuel surcharge matrix, airlines are allowed to impose an increase of P45 to P171 for domestic flights, and P218 to P2,076 for international flights.

The CAB said airlines wishing to impose or collect fuel surcharge for the November to December period must file its application on or before the beginning of the effectivity period, with fuel surcharge rates not exceeding the stated level.

Both local and foreign airlines are allowed to collect fuel surcharge rates that are lower than the stated level for the given twomonth period if they choose to do so depending on how they want to compete with other carriers.

The CAB in September last year decided to allow the reimposition of fuel surcharge on the back of soaring fuel prices.

It has adopted a matrix for fuel surcharge that will be determined based on the two-month average of jet fuel MOPS (Mean of Platts Singapore) prices in its peso per liter equivalent and will be fixed for two months. Should the two-month price average of jet fuel per liter falls below P21, then no fuel surcharge will be collected.

The fuel surcharge is a way in which airlines can partially recover losses from the soaring fuel prices and the weakening of the peso against the dollar. Fuel cost accounts for over 50 percent of the total operating costs of airlines. n

NEDA: Understanding PH culture key to change

by AnnA LeAh

e. GonzALes ManilaTimes.net

A RECENT survey shows that understanding Filipino culture and common values are essential to creating well-targeted plans and effective policies for the country’s development, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said on Monday, October 14.

The study, covering 10,200 respondents aged 15 and over, aims to understand the cultural values that characterize Philippine society and provide a basis for monitoring the country’s progress in terms of values formation toward national development.

“There has been a notion that Filipinos are culturally diverse, and that it is difficult to determine what really makes us Filipino. This survey now shows

us what distinguishes Filipinos from other nationalities based on common values,” NEDA Director General Ernesto Pernia said.

NEDA said results of the survey showed that Filipinos are generally proud of being a Filipino and are quite traditional, religious and trusting of others regardless of their sexuality and religion.

The survey’s initial results also indicate the Philippines is a relatively conformist and interdependent society.

“The survey results provide insights on specific Filipino cultural values that have potential effect on national development and the role they play in shaping public policy,” Pernia said.

Since the Philippines being a relatively conformist society, this hinders efforts at spurring innovation and change, which needs to be challenged and overcome,

Pernia added.

He added the survey provides new knowledge that the government can make use of in positively influencing people’s attitudes and behavior toward building a high-trust society.

“We need to initiate cultural change and promote those positive values that will allow us to achieve our goals and realize our AmBisyon of creating a highlyinnovative and high-trust society,” Pernia said.

Conducted by Hofstede Insights Inc., the study employed the dimensional model for analyzing cultural differences.

Developed for the Philippines, the model gauges Filipino culture and values, and identifies its key dimensions.

The survey was done over a two-year period and the final report is expected to be completed by the end of October. n

DoF: Train revenues above target...

PAGE D3 t “given higher transaction value and better collection efficiency,” it added.

On the other hand, the DoF reported that major shortfalls are seen in the excise tax of automobiles and value-added (VAT) tax or P11.2 billion less in total.

Automobile excise tax collection was short by P7.7 billion to P1.2 billion “due to lower volume of imports,” it said, noting that January to May 2019 imports declined by 8.3 percent.

The Finance department add-

ed that VAT collection was short

by P3.6 billion to P3.9 billion.

“The main reason cited by the BoC (Bureau of Customs) is that there are only six previously-exempted taxpayers (power transmission, jewelries, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Philippine Sports Commission, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) that reported importations, which are now VATable,” it said.

The shortfall in VAT was also seen in overall Bureau of Internal

Revenue VAT revenues, which is lower than the target by P28.9 billion in the first semester of 2019, the DoF also pointed out.

“A major reason is the surge in input VAT, which reflects higher capital investment, given the infrastructure program,” it said.

In 2018, revenues attributable to Train amounted to P68.4 billion, exceeding its full-year target of P63.3 billion by 8.1 percent.

This year, the government is targeting to collect P153.8 billion from the tax measure. n

New neighborhoods now open at Park Place in Ontario ONTARIO, CA — Make your way to Park Place by Lewis Community Developers and Stratham Communities, a new collection of homes that have it all in Ontario Ranch! Surrounded by acres of parks and modern amenities, Park Place introduces a fresh take on comfortable and convenient living in Ontario with nine allnew neighborhoods. With up to 3,599 square feet and five bedrooms and open-concept floor plans available, the spacious homes at Park Place provide extra room to spread out and enjoy daily life. Plus, every home at Park Place comes with ultra-high-speed fiber-optic broadband at gigabit speeds, allowing you to stream, download and upload from multiple devices without slowing down.

Come by today to visit these exciting new neighborhoods, tour the 20-plus model homes available and discover all the amenities Park Place has to offer. This is also your chance to explore Celebration Park North in the heart of this stunning community with plenty of green space to roam, walking paths and so much more.

Besides lightning-fast internet speeds that are 100 times faster than today’s average broadband connection, Park Place offers many other top-tier amenities. All residents enjoy The Parkhouse, a world-class 14,500-square-foot central community clubhouse that features a resort-caliber swimming pool, fully equipped fitness and business centers, Wi-Fi, multiple game rooms, a library and a state-of-theart movie theater with club seating. And a masterfully appointed catering kitchen and adjoining multipurpose room are ideal for hosting special celebrations in style. Three acres of beautiful grounds surround The Parkhouse and are home to tennis courts, a creative play area and a dog park.

Picnics with friends, family and neighbors are a delight at Celebration Park North and Celebration Park South, where kids and adults alike enjoy outdoor play, relaxation and socializing.

Plans at Park Place include a future elementary school

Lewis Community Developers Park Place at Ontario Ranch Contact: Rachel Mullins (562) 499-6707

within walking distance of each neighborhood. Not only is Park Place served by an award-winning school district, but it is also located near many universities and higher-education institutions, including Azusa Pacific University; Cal Poly Pomona; Chaffey College; Mt. San Antonio College; Platt College; Riverside Community College; The Art Institute of California; University of California, Riverside; Western University of Health Sciences; and the highly acclaimed Claremont Colleges, one of which is among the nation’s top ten.

Park Place proudly presents nine new home collections: Camden by CalAtlantic Homes – A Lennar Company, Coventry by Christopher Homes, Meadowood by Taylor Morrison, Seville

by The New Home Company, St. James by TRI Pointe Homes, Stonewater by Woodside Homes, Willowmore by KB Home, Aurora by Pulte Homes and Primrose

by Richmond American Homes.

Extending from approximately 1,800 to 3,599 square feet, this dynamic range of residential designs offers three to five bedrooms and two-and-one-half to five baths plus spacious two- or three-car garages, making them ideal for growing or multigenerational families. Prices begin in the $400,000s.

Park Place is located within the greater community of Ontario Ranch, which will span over 8,000 acres and is planned to offer modern amenities and abundant recreation, including an expansive park and trail system. Proposed plans include re-

tail and business spaces, along with nearly 1,000 acres dedicated to public open space, parks and schools.

Directions to Park Place: If traveling on the 15 freeway, exit on Limonite Avenue and head west. Proceed on Limonite Avenue for approximately 2.5 miles and turn right at Archibald Avenue. Travel approximately 0.5 miles and turn right at Merrill Avenue.

Continue for approximately 0.25 miles and The Parkhouse sales center will be on the left.

If traveling on the 60 freeway, exit on Archibald Avenue and head south. Proceed on Archibald Avenue for approximately 3.25 miles and turn left at Merrill Avenue. Continue for approximately 0.25 miles and The Parkhouse sales center will be on the left.

Call (888) 855-6249 for more information or visit www.parkplaceontario.com.

Park Place at Ontario Ranch reflects the vision and experience of Lewis Community Developers and Stratham Communities. Park Place is a true collaborative effort between award-winning homebuilders CalAtlantic Homes – A Lennar Company, Christopher Homes, Taylor Morrison, The New Home Company, TRI Pointe Homes, KB Home, Pulte Homes, Richmond American Homes and Woodside Homes. We understand the wants and needs of today’s families because we have families of our own. We designed and built a community that we would live in. n (Advertising Supplement)

D OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797