Against access threats, ensuring votes count this November
WITH the presidential elections just three weeks away, voters and election officials nationwide are facing historically high threats to voting access.
These threats include new state voting restrictions, misinformation, voter roll purges and political violence.
Political violence
“You’d have to go back to the 1960s and ‘70s to see anything like the hotbed of political violence we’re in now,” said Dr. Robert Pape, political science professor at the University of Chicago, at a Friday, October 18 Ethnic Media Services briefing about voting access threats.
As director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), Pape and his colleagues found that since 2001, the average number of Department of Justice-prosecuted threats increased fivefold to 19.5 under President Trump, and even higher to 21.6 under President Biden.
“Most of this violence revolves around support or criticism of Donald Trump, and mass support and publicity is nudging volatile wouldbe attackers to act out,” he explained. “Much of it is also motivated by the ‘Great Replacement’ theory that the country’s white population is being replaced by other ethnic groups.”
Recent political violence includes assassination plots and attempts against major political figures like Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in May 2022, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in October 2022, President Joe Biden in June 2023, former President Barack Obama in September 2023 and former President Trump in July and September 2024. Alongside these are politically motivated mass shootings like the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in September 2018; the El Paso, Texas Walmart shooting in August 2019; and the Buffalo, New York supermarket shooting in May 2022.
A September 2024 CPOST survey of over 2,200 demographically representative Americans found 5.8% saying political violence was justified to restore Trump to the presidency and 8% saying it was justified to prevent him from being president —
Biden, Harris honor Fil-Am History Month
by AJPress
UNITED States President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris extended their greetings for Filipino American History Month, recognizing the contributions of Filipino Americans to the country.
Biden acknowledged that “since our founding, Filipinos and Filipino Americans have enriched the very essence of who we are as a people.”
“They are the community leaders, who
advocate and stand up for all of us. They are the first responders and Service members, who put themselves at risk to keep the rest of us safe,” his statement continued, adding the breadth of industries Fil-Am contribute to from health care workers to athletes to public servants.
He concluded that “Dreamers and doers like you embody the possibilities of this great Nation—and that is a big part of the reason why I have never been more optimistic about our future.”
For her part, Vice President Harris said
Marcos smiled, walked away when asked about VP Duterte’s accusation
by Luisa Cabato Inquirer.net
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. smiled and walked away when asked about Vice President Sara Duterte’s accusation that he does not know how to be president. Reporters tried to get Marcos’ comment
on Duterte’s accusation at the celebration of the Philippine Coast Guard’s 123rd anniversary in Port Area, Manila on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
In a press conference last Friday, Duterte said the Philippines was on the “road to hell” as Marcos does not know how to do his job.
PAGE 2
during this month, "we uplift the stories of Filipinos and Filipino Americans — an integral part of the story of America.”
Based on the 2020 U.S. census, Filipinos make up the third largest Asian-American group with a 4.4 million population.
On Monday, October 21, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders held a Fil-Am History Month celebration, which featured Nani Coloretti, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, who is the highest-
De Lima recalls DDS ops, ties to ‘Superman’ Duterte
by Krixia SubingSubing Inquirer.net
MANILA — The joint congressional panel investigating the war on drugs waged by former President Rodrigo Duterte heard the testimony of former Sen. Leila de Lima, one of the first public officials to question its methods since he first laid down its “template” as mayor of Davao City.
Facing the House quad committee on
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte fired back at critics questioning her state of mind on Tuesday, October 22, and insisted her recent tirades against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — including an admission she once wanted to cut off his head in anger — were her mere response to being hounded by political attacks for more than a year. u PAGE 4
After drawing flak, Sara Duterte fights off claims she's 'mentally unstable'
by CRISTINA CHI Philstar.com
u PAGE 2
Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, LAS VEGAS, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
LOOKING GOOD. Dark clouds seen from the Ortigas Central Business District, located within the joint boundaries of Pasig, Mandaluyong and Quezon City, on Tuesday afternoon, October 22. PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
IMF retains Philippines growth outlook for 2024, 2025
by LOUISE MAUREEN SIMEON Philstar.com
MANILA — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained its growth prospects for the Philippines for this year and next amid challenging private consumption expansion in the country.
Based on the World Economic Outlook (WEO) released yesterday, Oct.
22, the Washington-based multilateral lender kept its gross domestic product (GDP) assumption for the Philippines at 5.8 percent. This was the same forecast the IMF gave the Philippines during the 2024 IMF Article IV consultation earlier this month.
While this is an improvement from last year’s 5.5 percent expansion, it falls below the six to seven
percent growth assumption set by the Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
The IMF said private consumption is going to grow slightly with less momentum. The sector’s growth during the first semester was lower than expected due to more expensive food prices.
After drawing flak, Sara Duterte fights...
In yet another freewheeling interview with the media on the sidelines of an event on Tuesday, October 22, Duterte took exception with those calling her "unstable" and flipped the accusation back at the president's allies in the House of Representatives who have been investigating her office's alleged misuse of funds.
This comes after Duterte held a two-hour press conference last week where she aired her grievances against the president and recounted an incident where she said she wanted to "cut off his head" for humiliating a student who asked for his watch as a graduation gift.
The comment did not sit well with a number of lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and Senate President Chiz Escudero, who both described Duterte's remarks as "unusual" and "unbecoming," respectively.
Duterte also recalled a conversation where she allegedly threatened Sen. Imee Marcos with exhuming the remains of the ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to toss into the West Philippine Sea if the political attacks against her persist.
House leaders — including Assistant Majority leader Zia Alonto Adiong, the budget sponsor of the Office of the Vice
Biden, Harris honor Fil-Am History Month...
ranking Fil-Am in the BidenHarris administration; Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), who is of Fil-Am descent; and former US Undersecretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones.
President — said Duterte's statements were "pure desperation" and had hit a "new low in public discourse" and urged her to tackle the allegations about her office's budget instead.
For Duterte, the issue boils down to officials who "have never seen a politician who has nothing to lose."
"Unstable, unhinged, unbecoming, unsound mine... I'm not any of those,"
Duterte said in mixed English and Filipino.
"They have never seen a politician who's IDGAF (I don't give a f***). I’m not like them.
People tend to say things like I'm crazy, desperate... but why would I be desperate?
I'm the vice president of the Republic of the Philippines. I'm not going anywhere. So what would I be desperate about?" she said.
Duterte said she was willing to undergo a televised neuropsychiatric exam and a drug test as long as those seeking re-election in the House of Representatives are willing to be tested for drugs.
The vice president singled out those running to represent Davao City’s first district, specifically her brother Rep. Paolo Duterte and Rep. Margarita Nograles — one of the perceived adversaries of the vice president in the lower chamber.
"So what we will do is have two tests for me because they say I'm unstable," Duterte said.
Other prominent Fil-Am personalities and community leaders were present at the celebration, such as former White House chef Cris Comerford, social media influencer and beauty entrepreneur Patrick Starr, and Carlyle Nuera, Mattel designer who released a second Filipina Barbie for this year’s Fil-Am History Month celebration.
Filipino American History Month is celebrated every October, commemorating the first recorded presence
of Filipinos in what is now the United States in 1587.
The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) first established October as Filipino American History Month in 1991 to honor the contributions of Filipino Americans and to raise awareness about their history, culture, and experiences. Congress formally recognized the observance in 2009.
This year’s theme announced by FANHS is “Struggle, Resistance, Solidarity, and Resilience.”
The theme serves as a reminder of the challenges that Filipino Americans have faced, from labor exploitation and racial discrimination to political marginalization,
and their enduring spirit in overcoming these obstacles.
Some historic events include 100 year-anniversary since the 1924 Hawaii Sugar Strikes and Hanapepe Massacre, 50 years since the election of Thelma Buchholdt, the first Fil-Am legislator in the U.S., and 25 years since the murder of Joseph Ileto, a postal carrier who was killed by a white supremacist in the Los Angeles area.
"From the painful to the triumphant, all of these moments contribute to a cumulative Filipino American history. We encourage our communities to reflect on our history and celebrate our collective love and joy,” FANHS said in a statement. n
She also said she was blamed several times for the country’s current situation because she chose not to run for president in the 2022 elections.
Duterte also claimed she had a list of impeachable offenses that could remove Marcos from office, but she did not disclose what these offenses were.
Reporters also sought comment from the Office of the President but received no response. n
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (L) and Vice President Sara Duterte. In a press conference on Friday, October 18, 2024, Duterte scoffed at the feelings of Marcos over their soured friendship. Photos from Official Facebook pages of Bongbong Marcos and Inday Sara Duterte
Vice President Sara Duterte attends her office's first budget hearing with the House appropriations committee on August 28, 2024. House of Representatives / Release
PURE TALENT. The National Arts and Crafts Fair kicks off at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday, October 23, with Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque (in blue), Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco (2nd from right), and officials of Design Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts gracing the opening program. The five-day event is a celebration of Filipino creativity, talent and craftsmanship. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler
PAGE 10
De Lima recalls DDS ops, ties to ‘Superman’...
PAGE 1
Tuesday, Oct. 22, De Lima corroborated earlier accounts about the so-called Davao template, a phrase used by Royina Garma, a retired police colonel who claimed she was personally asked by Duterte to help implement the scheme on a national scale after he became President.
De Lima was the most prominent figure to appear so far before the four-panel body—and one said to have suffered the consequences of confronting Duterte over the merciless crackdown.
Despite being an incumbent senator in 2017, she was charged and detained on charges of drug trafficking filed by the Department of Justice, an agency she also once headed, during the Duterte administration.
She was detained at Camp Crame as the trial dragged on for more than seven years. All three cases were eventually dismissed, the last in June this year.
De Lima is currently running for a House party list seat and has earlier spoken of plans to sue Duterte over her legal ordeals.
Duterte, 79, was invited to Tuesday’s hearing but did not show up. According to a letter he sent to the panel, he had to decline for health reasons.
“I attend this hearing with a deep sense of irony,” De Lima said in her opening statement. “I have not forgotten that in September and October 2016, the House committee on justice conducted [an] inquiry on the Bilibid drug trade. However, unlike this hearing, the real subject of that hearing was not in any way about the drug trade.”
“The real subject of that 2016 House committee hearing was all about destroying me for conducting a Senate inquiry which, in so many aspects, was like this one. The only difference between this hearing and that Senate hearing is that my committee inquiry was eight years earlier and Duterte was at the peak of power.’’
“It is so saddening that it was only now that there has been a comprehensive discussion by Congress of the drug war and EJKs, only after the bodies of thousands of victims have already mounted,’’ she said.
First look at DDS
In the course of the hearing, De Lima confirmed several aspects of Garma’s testimony, including how Duterte tapped his most trusted police officers to head major commands, their use of lists obtained from village or barangay
governments to select “victims,” and the payoff system for hired gunmen and their “handlers.”
As then chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), De Lima launched an investigation in 2009 into the summary killings allegedly perpetrated by the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), incurring the ire of thencity mayor Duterte.
The CHR probe, De Lima recalled, found that the DDS was composed of former communist rebels who were hired as hitmen, with active police officers serving as their handlers.
Between 1988 and 2000, the DDS teams were paid P15,000 per kill, split into P10,000 for the gunman and P5,000 for the handler, she added.
At the time, De Lima said, Duterte “personally gave out the kill orders and the reward money directly to the assassins themselves.”
In 2001, she said, the DDS was “upgraded” to make it appear as part of the Davao City police, where it became known in the organization as the Heinous Crimes Investigation Section (HCIS).
By this time, the teams were composed of active officers and civilian “abanteros” or hit men. The reward now ranged between P13,000 and P15,000 per job: P3,000 to P5,000 going to the handlers; P7,000 to P8,000 for the assassins; and P500 to P1,000 for the informants.
“Special projects” that involved high-value targets, De Lima said, were rewarded between P100,000 and P1 million per hit, she added.
‘Nanlaban’ concept
The DDS members “directly received salaries as auxiliary services workers,” the money drawn from the mayor’s intelligence funds, De Lima said in an exchange with Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel.
Even the concept of “nanlaban”—or of the suspects being killed because they allegedly resisted arrest and shot back at the law enforcers—came from the DDS operations, De Lima said.
Most of the CHR’s findings were later corroborated by confessed hit men Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas, who went public about the DDS in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
Lascañas’ affidavit on the DDS was later submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating Duterte for crimes against humanity.
Against access threats, ensuring votes count...
amounting to 15 million and 21 million Americans on the national scale, respectively.
“If Trump loses, the violence could actually get worse,” said Pape. “A third of respondents already own guns … While Election Day itself is a danger point, it may get worse afterward because of state vote counting and certification schedules, especially in swing states where losing even 3% of ballots could throw the outcome into chaos.”
However, the CPOST survey also found that 84% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans — collectively amounting to 200 million Americans on the national scale — supported a bipartisan Congressional coalition against political violence.
“The political violence prevention strategy we’ve been seeing the most traction with is not to have our political leadership become therapists getting people to talk out their anger, but helping people redirect their anger away from violence and toward voting,” added Pape.
Voter suppression
“Voter suppression doesn’t involve states putting up giant signs that say you can’t vote. It involves less overt ways to make it just a little too hard for some people to get to the ballot box, like a death by 1,000 cuts,” said Andrew Garber, a voting rights and elections counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice.
These measures include laws that shorten deadlines for voter registration, early voting and mail ballot requests; laws that make it harder for organizations to help people register to vote; understaffing or closing polling centers; and limiting the ability of local election administrators to help voters use ballots.
Between 2020 and 2024, at least 30 states have passed an unprecedented 78 restrictive voting laws — nearly double the laws passed in the prior eight years.
The years between 2016 to 2020 saw 27 such laws, while 2013 to 2016 saw 17.
The most common type of voting restriction law in recent years involves mail voting.
“2020 saw an explosion of people voting by mail due to the pandemic, and these restrictions have particularly fallen on communities of color,” Garber explained. “In Georgia, for instance, previously, primarily white voters voted by mail. In 2020, that flipped toward voters of color … In January 2021, the Georgia
legislature reconvened and, as one of its top priorities, passed a law that made it harder to vote by mail.”
“To justify these restrictions, the claim legislators make over and over is that our elections have widespread fraud — and that’s untrue,” he added.
A 2016 Brennan Center survey of 44 election administrators overseeing 23.5 million votes across 42 states saw 30 incidents of suspected noncitizen voting, or .0001% of all votes.
“The U.S. has some of the most secure elections in the world. It’s not the actual infrastructure apparatus. It’s more about people’s ability to access it,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters (LWV).
Ensuring voter access
What can voters do?
“First and foremost, register to vote,” continued Stewart. “With voter roll purges, it’s important to update and check your registration, especially if you move or change your name … To get around potential long wait times on Election Day, learn about early and mail invoting opportunities in your state.”
Local polling locations, voter registration, mail-in and early voting resources, candidate information, campaign finance information and ballot guides are available in English and Spanish through the LWV hub VOTE411.
LWV chapters also hold question-and-answer forums with local candidates in jurisdictions nationwide.
“Nothing is better than being able to hear directly from a candidate answering your questions about the issues you care about,” said Stewart.
“When we vote for our leaders, we’re choosing the people who will make decisions that impact how we engage in the world day-to-day, whether that’s health care, jobs or climate change — like the impact of the recent hurricane in the South.”
Fighting voter restrictions in Arizona
“Arizona has the most extreme requirements in the country for providing proof of citizenship when
registering to vote in state and local elections,” said May Tiwamangkala, advocacy director at Arizona Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander for Equity (AZ AANHPI), the only AAPI civic engagement organization in the state.
“They passed this requirement back in 2004. This year, the fact that registrants who registered before 2004 did not provide citizenship led to 98,000 people being taken off the voter roll,” she continued.
Of these people, one was found to be a non-citizen — 0.00001% of the 98,000 — and they had never voted.
“The ‘non-citizens voting’ rhetoric is a scare tactic that certain elected officials and media outlets use to divide our state … and this election year, the rampant anti-immigrant narrative is making it easier for lawmakers to pass laws that target immigrant communities,” said Tiwamangkala.
AZ AANHPI is currently involved in a lawsuit against the state of Arizona for two voter restriction laws passed in 2022, HB 2492 and HB 2242.
One law “adds more requirements for providing proof of citizenship in order to register to vote,” she explained, and the other “gives county recorders the right to suspect voters of being a non-citizen and purge voter rolls … If additional proof of citizenship is not provided within 35 days after a notice to give documentation, it may also lead to criminal investigations.”
“We’re an extremely polarized culture, especially since we’re a border state, and people are hesitant to get political because they don’t want to break personal relationships. Voter apathy is growing here because people are struggling with inflating living costs, and they feel that the government isn’t helping,” Tiwamangkala said.
“We’re constantly on the defense against harmful bills like these that impact citizens, rather than advancing bills that actually address the issues we face,” she added. ( Selen Ozturk/Ethnic Media Service)
FAMILIAR TOPIC Facing the House quad committee on Tuesday, former Sen. Leila de Lima revisits a subject dating back to her days as human rights commission chair and for which she earned the wrath of then President Rodrigo Duterte: the so-called Davao Death Squad, the alleged liquidation force who took orders from Duterte when he was still Davao City mayor. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
People voting
FeAtures OPiniOn Election e-fraud
IT’S good to hear the Commission on Elections banning the use of troll farms for the May 2025 midterm polls. Such troll farms have been used by certain candidates in recent elections to malign their rivals and influence public opinion. Whether the Comelec can enforce the ban effectively, however, remains to be seen.
The Comelec said it would get help from social media platforms in going after troll farms. Social media giants TikTok and Google recently announced that they are banning paid political advertisements on their platforms in the runup to the May 2025 midterm elections, in support of Comelec initiatives for clean and honest polls. Meta announced a similar ban, but only during the official campaign period, to give candidates and parties with limited resources a chance to promote themselves and their advocacies on its popular platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Meta said it was also instituting measures to curb troll accounts on its platforms.
Worldwide in previous years, Meta has removed numerous accounts found to be violating its policy against coordinated
WITH just a little over two weeks left before the Nov. 5 presidential elections in the United States, never in the history of the world has so much attention been focused on this election. Poll results show the race to be so tight that it could be anybody’s game, with the winning
inauthentic behavior and “foreign interference” –referring to CIB done in behalf of a foreign or government entity. Most of those removed were linked to “commercial entities and individuals associated with political campaigns and political offices,” Meta said. “Domestic campaigns like these raise a particularly complex challenge by blurring the line between healthy public debate and manipulation,” Meta pointed out.
The social media giants have the technical savvy and other resources to prevent the use of digital technology for undermining free elections. The Comelec doesn’t have such resources, so it will need to coordinate with the internet-based platforms to go after troll farms. The Comelec will also need sufficient tech support for enforcing its requirement,
imposed on all candidates and party-list groups, to disclose all campaign paraphernalia using artificial intelligence.
Last month, the Comelec issued a resolution, giving all candidates, party-list organizations and their campaign teams until Dec. 13 to register their official social media accounts, pages, websites, podcasts, blogs, vlogs and other internet-based campaign platforms. Poll fraud is going digital. The Comelec –and the nation – must be prepared for the many ways by which technology is being used to subvert the people’s mandate in elections. (Philstar.com)
All eyes on the US elections
margins projected to be “razor-thin.”
Unlike other countries where the candidate who wins the popular vote is declared the winner, the United States has a unique system called the Electoral College where a state is allocated electoral votes based on the number of their congressional representatives and two more from the senators. The winner will need 270 Electoral College votes out
of the total 538, and with this system, it’s possible for a candidate to win the popular number of votes nationally but still lose the election.
Swing states or battleground states are those where results have not been predictable for each election cycle, with the support for candidates split rather evenly. This year, the battleground states include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona
and Nevada – which is why both the Trump and Harris camps are doubling down on their campaign activities to shore up support in these critical states and convince undecided voters across race, age and gender lines.
However, a report from the Pew Research Center on the results of a survey conducted from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2 shows that majority of Americans “continue to favor moving away from Electoral
ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL
College,” with 63 percent indicating they would “prefer to see the winner of the presidential election be the person who wins the most votes nationally,” while 35 percent favored retaining the Electoral College system.
I also came across an interesting report published at the website of National Public Radio titled, “In an election race this close, Asian American voters have become a force” about members of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community – which includes Filipino
Americans – emerging as the “fastest-growing voting group” in the United States. In Pennsylvania for example, “the number of eligible voters from this demographic group grew by a whopping 55 percent between 2010 and 2020,” the report said, explaining that while their number may be just a narrow slice of eligible voters, the AAPI vote can turn the tide and help determine who will win in a critical state like Pennsylvania. According to AAPI data, there are “over 2.14 million
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Babe’s Eye View
BaBe Romualdez
DAteline PhiliPPines
PMA cadet who asked Marcos for watch reprimanded – AFP
by NESTOR CORRALES Inquirer.net
MANILA — The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadet who asked President Marcos for his watch at the graduation rites in May has been reprimanded, the spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Col. Francel Margareth Padilla clarified at a press briefing that the president was not required to give his/her watch to a member of the graduating class.
“This is not a tradition of the PMA. We’ve been there, we graduated there and through the years, this is not a tradition we uphold,” Padilla, who graduated from the academy in 2000, told reporters.
Isolated incident
“This is an isolated incident, and it has already been dealt with. He was already reprimanded; in our case, it’s already a closed book,” she said.
The cadet, according to her, had long been given a reprimand even before Vice President Sara Duterte claimed in a press conference on Oct. 17 that Marcos had refused to give up his watch as a graduation gift.
Duterte said the incident left her so angry that she imagined herself decapitating the president.
According to Padilla, the cadet “was already admonished,” while the case “has already been dealt with according to the regulations of the AFP and the PMA.”
She clarified that the cadet was merely “called out” for his behavior and was now serving in the military.
In 2019, then-President Rodrigo Duterte gave his watch to PMA cadet officer Alberto Julaquit during the commencement exercises held in Baguio City. n
After drawing flak, Sara Duterte fights...
"In my view, they're unstable too. Why? Because when someone responds to their attacks, they get angry and call them unstable. Well, for me, you’re all unstable too," she added.
Duterte also scored Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla for criticizing her remarks about exhuming Marcos Sr.'s body, saying: "There is a big difference between talking about desecration of a body and actually desecrating a body."
While doing a sign of the cross to mimic being in prayer, Duterte said: "Let’s pray for the Philippines because we have a secretary of Justice who doesn’t understand the law."
Remulla told reporters on Tuesday that Duterte's remarks are "very disturbing" and "shocking."
"We’ll just leave it at that and I think we all know the score, of what kind of vice president we have… How seemingly unstable her mind can be," Remulla said.
Grand distraction
The word war between Duterte and her critics in the House — including Rep. Sandro Marcos, who called out the vice president for "crossing the line" with her remarks against his family — are more akin to "theatrics" than actual discourse, according to the Kabataan Partylist.
"Sara’s rants are not a mental health issue; these are an accountability issue. She doesn't need a day at the doctor's clinic but a day in Court or Congress hearings for her alleged crimes. What the past days have shown us is that she and her family are surely crazy for power," Kabataan Partylist First Nominee Renee Louise Co said.
Sandro hits Sara: She ‘crossed line’
MANILA — Ilocos Norte
"Health concerns have been used from Imelda Marcos, Gloria Arroyo to Rodrigo Duterte and many others to escape accountability, while many political prisoners suffer and die in jail cells due to illnesses. The youth sees beyond these theatrics, and we must treat her sins against the Filipino people with grave seriousness," Co said.
Playing with Duterte's choice of words for her press conference last week, Co added: "The country is being dragged to hell with the Marcos-Duterte clan wars. The youth already have enough problems as it is."
Sara cusses at opponents anew
Insisting she is not naturally confrontational, Duterte said she decided to speak out more after jealousy-fueled attacks against her supposedly escalated after her exit from the Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (LakasCMD) party in 2023.
The party, currently led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, was the launchpad for Duterte's vice presidential run in 2022. She left the party in 2023 after a House shakeup led to the demotion of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, another party stalwart, who lost the senior deputy speaker title.
Duterte expressed her frustration over what she described as relentless political harassment against her and those associated with her, noting that some of them are "in depression, another contemplating suicide, and others facing severe health issues."
She also cussed at her adversaries, saying "mga g*** talaga yan sila."
"Politics is the root of these attacks. That's perpetuation of power," Duterte said, adding that she would speak about Romualdez "at another time." n
Rep. Sandro Marcos, the eldest son of President Marcos, on Tuesday, Oct 22, scored Vice President Sara Duterte for “crossing the line” with her comments about wanting to behead his father and exhume and then throw the remains of his grandfather and his father’s namesake, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., into the sea.
De
The young Marcos said he had “held [my] tongue” out of respect for the vice president despite castigating his family, but said he had drawn the line at her “bizarre temper tantrum” and “abhorrent comments.” He was referring to Duterte’s two-hour press conference on Friday, October 18, where she admitted to having daydreamed once about cutting off Marcos’ head and to threatening the president’s older sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, that she would dig up and dispose of the
patriarch’s body in the West Philippine Sea if “they don’t stop” the political attacks against her. Marcos Sr., who fled the country in 1986 after his ouster during the Edsa People Power Revolution, died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His preserved remains were flown back to the country in 1993 and stayed in a family mausoleum in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, which was opened for public viewing. He was finally interred at Libingan
Lima recalls DDS ops, ties to ‘Superman’...
De Lima said Lascañas’ accounts would show that the DDS was not just a loosely organized gang but a group that reported directly to Duterte, who was code-named “Superman” in its lingo.
Applicable PH law
These findings, she said, were also part of her personal investigation notes that she submitted to the ICC.
De Lima renewed her calls on the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC and reverse the policy it inherited from Duterte.
She also reminded Congress that Republic Act No. 9851, or the law against crimes against humanity, empowers the government to file charges against those most responsible for drug war killings.
The 2009 law punishes the same crimes that fall under ICC jurisdiction, including extrajudicial killings, she said.
Section 6, for example, deals with “crimes against humanity” and the corresponding penalty of reclusion perpetua, while Section 9 specifies the public officials, including heads of state, who can be held accountable.
De Lima further noted that even before the Philippines ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty creating the ICC, in 2011, the country had already recognized the jurisdiction of the tribunal and other international bodies through
RA 9851.
The law allows for the surrender or extradition of individuals accused of crimes against humanity to international courts, she said, adding: “It is our own law that says we have to cooperate with the ICC even before we became a member of the ICC. To say that we don’t care about the ICC, we have to repeal this law.”
Should the victims of the drug war decide to file cases using RA 9851 as a basis, it would still depend on the ICC whether it would see it as an improvement of the Philippine justice system, de Lima said.
She was referring to the premise that the ICC investigation only targets persons “most responsible” for the crimes being alleged.
‘Admit your sins’
Asked what she would have told the former president if he appeared at Tuesday’s hearing, De Lima said:
“I’ve proven that I’m beyond (being) threatened by him. Just admit everything. Admit your sins against me, that you merely targeted me, that you invented the cases against me, and that you are the most involved as the mastermind, the one who gave the orders and induced the killings.”
“Admit it so that the victims who have long been seeking out justice can finally have peace,” De Lima said. n
AP Photo/Aaron Favila
Sandro Marcos Phto from Lyn Rillon
by Krixia SubingSubing Inquirer.net
Duterte to appear before Senate panel Go leads senate preference survey
by Javier Joe ismael and Bernadette e tamayo ManilaTimes.net
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte will attend the Senate hearing on his administration's bloody war on drugs on Monday, October 28, Senate President Francis Escudero said Tuesday, October 22.
In a press conference, Escudero assured the former chief executive that he would be accorded the utmost courtesy as a former president of the country and as a former member of Congress.
Escudero did not say, however, if Mr. Duterte could be cited in contempt if he refuses to answer questions from any of the senators, but he said he doesn't want this to happen.
On Friday, October 18, Escudero declared that the hearings on the drug war would be handled by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee rather than the Senate Committee of the Whole, as proposed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III is scheduled to preside over Monday's hearing, even though Sen. Pia Cayetano is the chairman of the panel.
Pimentel on Tuesday rejected a call to have Sens. Ronald Dela Rosa and Bong Go — who were alleged to have played a part in the war on drugs — inhibit themselves from the Senate investigation next week.
The Akbayan Party-list had called on Dela Rosa and Go to take an indefinite leave amid the scheduled Senate probe.
Retired police colonel Royina Garma testified during the House of Representatives'
quad committee hearings on Duterte's antidrug campaign that Dela Rosa and Go had a role in the reward system for policemen who killed drug suspects during operations. Both senators have denied the accusation.
Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice, said their presence should not affect the credibility of the probe.
"They are not going to preside. And we have to encourage other senators to show interest in the probe," Pimentel said in a text message on Tuesday.
Asked what role Dela Rosa and Go could play in the hearing, Pimentel said, "They will be given time [to ask questions]." He said the senators could anticipate the issues against them and answer these allegations.
Dela Rosa has said Duterte would attend the Senate hearings, but Pimentel said he would not be called first.
He said Duterte "can give his immediate reaction after hearing first the issues raised against his administration's war on drugs."
Pimentel wanted to allow first the families of the drug war victims and Garma to testify.
"We should first hear the issues against the war on drugs. Because the only reason why we conduct hearings was because there must be some issues. If it's a perfectly run government program, then we will have no issues."
Last week, Escudero said the nature of the issues to be raised makes the Blue Ribbon
by Bernadette e tamayo ManilaTimes.net
SEN. Bong Go led a recent Senate preference baseline survey conducted by Publicus Asia Inc. with 5 percent of the votes.
In a statement, Publicus said while certain candidates have gained early support, a significant portion of voters remain undecided and open to change.
It said the "unaided test was part of the survey where respondents were asked to name their top-of-mind senatorial candidate."
The survey was conducted from October 16 to 17 with 1,500 respondents randomly drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 registered Filipino voters.
The survey firm said Sen. Risa Hontiveros "emerged as the most prominent name in the survey due to her leadership in the Senate investigation into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations." However, she is not running for reelection in 2025 since her term ends in 2028.
Go was followed by a four-way tie among cardiologist and health advocate Doc Willie Ong, former senators Manny Pacquiao and Vicente Sotto III, and Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who all got 4 percent.
Go was the top pick in Mindanao with 12 percent, while Pacquiao followed at 8 percent.
Region, returning senators Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Francis Pangilinan were the respondents' "top of mind with 7 percent and 6 percent, respectively."
The Publicus said the survey showed that five to seven out of 10 voters who named candidates such as Go, Ong, Sotto, Marcoleta, Pangilinan, Aquino, returning senator Panfilo Lacson, and Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa were "unlikely to change their votes."
However, Pacquiao, Sens. Imee Marcos and Bong Revilla, as well as senatorial aspirant Erwin Tulfo, "have a larger number of supporters who are still undecided and could potentially shift their choices as the election approaches."
Publicus also said that when respondents were shown a list of senatorial candidates, newcomers Ong (41 percent) and Tulfo (40 percent) topped the survey, along with Ben Tulfo (33 percent) and Aquino (27 percent).
These new faces were joined by eight in the Top 12, including Sotto (38 percent), Lacson (38 percent), Go (35 percent), Pia Cayetano (33 percent), Pacquiao (32 percent), Pangilinan (30 percent), Marcos (30 percent), and Dela Rosa (26 percent), it added.
"Despite the strong early showings for several candidates, the survey reveals that 45 percent of voters remain undecided and are likely to change their preferences in the lead-up to the May 2025 elections," Publicus said. n PAGE 10
In North Central Luzon, Ong held a 7 percent lead. In the National Capital
Duterte to appear before...
Committee the logical choice.
He added that he would prefer the hearing begin during the congressional break so that the Senate can give its full attention to the debates on the 2025 national budget when it is back in session.
"This timing is important because Congress must pass the proposed national budget for 2025 before the year ends to prevent a reenacted budget," he said.
He said the Blue Ribbon Committee has the authority to conduct motu propio investigations even while Congress is in recess.
Escudero said Duterte's presence on Monday would be significant because this would be the first time he attended any hearing related to his actions while in office.
Escudero, meanwhile, ruled out a joint hearing with the House quad committee, saying congressional rules do not provide for the conduct of a joint investigation by two separate houses.
On Monday, House quad committee lead co-chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers proposed that the Senate and the House of Representatives conduct a joint investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration's war on drugs.
After discussions with Escudero, however, the senators agreed that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee would hold its own hearings. n
IMF retains Philippines...
Private consumption rose by 4.6 percent in the second quarter, slower than the 5.5 percent growth in the same period last year.
IMF’s growth forecast for the Philippines remains one of the highest in the region, next to Vietnam’s 6.1 percent.
This year, the Philippines is expected to grow faster than Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and even China.
Likewise, the IMF retained its 6.1-percent GDP assumption for 2025, also way below the 6.5 to 7.5-percent target of the economic team.
For inflation, the IMF also did not change its inflation forecast for the Philippines, which would ease to 3.3 percent this year and further to three percent in 2025.
The latest data showed that the September inflation
All eyes on the US elections...
6
Filipino-American adults eligible to vote” and that “when considering battleground states, Filipino Americans are one of the three largest groups of eligible AAPI voters” at 15 percent. With more Filipino Americans getting involved and increasing their participation in U.S. politics, they can become a potent force in the elections and undoubtedly play a major role in strengthening the relationship between the Philippines and the United States. Without a doubt, every diplomat in Washington, D.C. is closely monitoring the developments and carefully watching the twists and turns in the campaign. In fact, all eyes will practically be riveted on America on election day, knowing fully well that the outcome will have tremendous global impact in most every aspect, particularly in terms of the foreign policy direction that the U.S. under a new administration will take.
As noted by Dr. Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in his foreword to a major new report titled “The Global Impact of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election,” the audience is global, with the choices of Americans having “ramifications for the world.”
Calling it “an election of global consequence,” Dr. Cha says the next U.S. president will, “upon entering office, contend with not only two wars in Europe and the Middle East, but also growing cooperation among autocratic powers as a disruptive force in the global order,” highlighting that “China’s assertiveness and coalitions of autocratic
leaders are putting unprecedented stress on the rules-based international order.”
Not surprisingly, Europe seems to be slightly on edge, considering that the war in Ukraine continues to rage. As International Crisis Group president Dr. Comfort Ero has put it, it’s a “highstakes election for NATO and Ukraine,” noting that “in all the biggest conflicts in and around Europe, the U.S. is playing a central role. It is a critical supplier of military aid to Ukraine as Kyiv fights to fend off Russian aggression. It has taken the lead in attempting to end the Gaza war and contain spillover elsewhere in the Middle East. Washington has also been out front seeking a settlement to the civil war in Sudan.”
It is, therefore, quite “jarring” for many European leaders to think about “the erosion of a partnership on which the EU relies to manage the crises that plague its neighborhood,” Dr. Ero says.
From what we are told, the foreign policies of the two candidates may differ on Europe, but when it comes to the Indo-Pacific region, the policies would more or less be the same regardless of who the next occupant of the White House will be.
During my discussion with the board, advisory council and members of Asia Society Northern California, I conveyed that majority of Filipinos strongly support the current trajectory of our relationship with the United States. With strong bipartisan support for the Philippines by members of the U.S. Congress, I am confident that whichever way the U.S. elections will go, our alliance, friendship and partnership will remain strong, anchored on the Mutual
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris
Defense Treaty – which remains a tool for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. (Philstar.com)
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com
Sandro hits Sara: She ‘crossed line’...
eased to an over four-year low of 1.9 percent, even falling below the expectation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The sharp reduction was primarily due to slower increases in the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as transport and housing water, electricity, gas and other fuels.
In its report, the IMF noted that the global battle against inflation has essentially been won, even though price pressures persist in some countries.
However, the IMF also warned that downside risks to inflation are rising, specifically with the escalation in regional conflicts, monetary policy remaining tight for too long, growth slowdown in China and continued protectionist policies of some countries. n
ng mga Bayani in 2016 on the approval of Duterte’s father, then President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Going ballistic was perhaps the selftherapy she prescribed for herself. But she crossed the line, leaving the civic and civil space in which disagreements can be rationally argued,” Representative Marcos said.
“Let this be an opportune time to remind ourselves that we mustn’t take our mental health for granted and that above all else I sincerely hope she is OK,” he added.
Duterte faces allegations of mismanaging hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, where she served as secretary for two years until her resignation in July this year.
She has repeatedly refused to attend congressional hearings to clear her name, while also openly disavowing Marcos and especially his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom she accused of controlling the national budget.
Father’s advice
Sandro, who is also House senior deputy majority leader, said his father advised him to refrain from making a statement.
“However, one must draw the line at some point and it’s frankly long overdue,” he said.
“Forget that the objects of her derision are dear to me, but I would also be remiss in my responsibility as an llocano representative if I didn’t voice out my disdain at the abhorrent comments she so carelessly uttered. I can ascertain that my emotions are shared not only by my kakailian (province mates) in the north but across the country,” Sandro said.
He said he still wished Duterte success, hoping that she “find the peace of mind and mental clarity that seems to be eluding her.”
Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero believed the vice president’s criticism of the Marcoses had no impact at all on the economy and on the stability and security of the government.
“But if ever there would be any effect, it would be to herself and her office, just like the commentaries we heard in relation to the press conference she had recently,” Escudero said at a briefing on Monday.
“The president and the vice president are not actually bickering. The vice president was talking against the president and the president was not answering back. The president did not engage in an argument with her. It was only her (Duterte) … in a
sense it’s just one-sided,” he added.
Several government officials, including lawmakers, have expressed disappointment over Duterte’s “deeply alarming” remarks, with others saying she should seek a “psychological assessment.”
Escudero had said Duterte’s conduct was “unbecoming” of the second highest official of the land and this portrayed her in a bad light.
Asked if Duterte’s conduct should determine her fitness, especially since she is the country’s Vice President, Escudero said: “There is no such provision in our Constitution. If you will examine fitness in relation to the health of a government official, only the President was mentioned, not the Vice President.”
“And if you also remember, the provision in our Constitution says that majority of the President’s Cabinet may write Congress and say that the president is not fit, health-wise. But there is no same provision in relation to the vice president. So that is a gap or gray area with regard to our procedure and existing law,” he said.
While the Senate leader understood where the vice president was coming from, Escudero said Duterte should have been more circumspect in her statements issued in a public setting. (with a report from Tina G. Santos)
PAGE 7
PAGE 2
Based on the World Economic Outlook (WEO) released yesterday, the Washingtonbased multilateral lender kept its gross domestic product (GDP) assumption for the Philippines at 5.8 percent. STAR / File
Former U.S. President Donald Trump FIle photos from WhiteHouse.gov
COMMUNITY JOURNAL
U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel takes on one of the most challenging cases in the show’s 19-year history. Judy was petitioned by her father in 1993, but a series of tragic events complicated her case: Judy fell into a coma in 2002, and her father, the petitioner, passed away shortly after. Adding to the challenge, one of her daughters was close to aging out of the petition.
Judy remained in a coma for years while her family held on to the hope that her daughters would eventually have a chance at a better future in the U.S. By 2008, Judy’s priority date for her visa had become current, but her medical condition and the death of her petitioner left her case in limbo.
Judy’s family eventually sought the help of Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel after watching “Citizen Pinoy.” Despite the odds stacked against them, Judy’s brother, Jasper, made a promise to his
comatose sister: he would do everything he could to make sure Judy’s daughters could immigrate to the U.S.
Atty. Gurfinkel faced three major legal hurdles: reinstating Judy’s petition after her father’s death, convincing USCIS to allow a biometrics appointment (fingerprints) and interview for a comatose beneficiary at her home, and ensuring that Judy’s daughter Joyze, who was about to turn 21, would not age out of the petition.
Against all odds, Atty. Gurfinkel was able to navigate these challenges. He successfully reinstated Judy’s petition under Obama’s Survivor Law, arranged for USCIS agents to conduct the necessary home visit for Judy’s green card despite her coma, and used the Child Status Protection Act to preserve Joyze’s eligibility for immigration.
In February 2024, Judy's long journey to PAGE 12
WHOLE FAMILY, IN A BRAND-NEW EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY. In this week’s episode of “Citizen Pinoy,” leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) tackles a complex and difficult case. Judy was petitioned by her father in 1993, but a series of tragic events complicated her case. Judy fell into a coma in 2002, and her father, the petitioner, passed away shortly after. Adding to the challenge, one of her daughters was close to aging out of the petition. Despite these obstacles, Atty. Gurfinkel used his expertise to reinstate Judy’s petition, ensure a home-visit by USCIS for her fingerprints, and apply the Child Status Protection Act to prevent Judy's daughter from aging out. Judy’s brother, Jasper, (left) also promised her that he will do everything he could to make sure her daughters could immigrate to the U.S. Thanks to Atty. Gurfinkel's perseverance, Judy's daughters, Joyze (center) and Mitzi, were granted green cards in February 2024, fulfilling their mother’s dream of giving them a brighter future in the U.S. Be sure to watch this incredible success story on a brand-new episode of Citizen Pinoy on Sunday, October 27 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. (Advertising Supplement)
PhiliP S. Chua, md, FaCS, FPCS
THE nation’s health
Elections always affect our mental health, as individuals, personally, and as a nation.
Voting with wisdom and common sense is the smartest and healthiest way to choose which candidates to vote for.
Being strictly partisan and voting for one particular political party’s candidates, without analyzing what they stand for, their past record, performance, and accomplishments, and vision for the future, puts the entire nation in jeopardy. The health and well-being of our nation and our family’s future are in our hands.
We must not be blinded by hyperbole and empty promises.
Let us NOT vote on the basis of political party affiliation only.
Let us all vote wisely for the best policies that will be good for our country, its security, economy, international integrity, and global peace, and for our family’s safety, health, and prosperity. Let us vote with an open mind, open heart, and
open eyes.
Vital info capsules
Let history judge us and portray us as people of intellect, wisdom, vision, and compassion, who love the world, our nation, and our family, and their integral mutual future together.
COVID and diabetes
Recent studies have shown that teenagers and adolescents were much more likely (more than 50 percent) to acquire type 2 diabetes “within 6 months of having COVID-19 (a respiratory infection), compared to kids of the same age who were diagnosed with other respiratory infections.”
Contrary to the misinformation that young people are not significantly affected by COVID-19, the new (2020-2022) clinical data among 63,602 patients aged 10-19 suggests a new prevention pathway, which is avoiding COVID-19 at all costs. This finding reinforces the fact that COVID-19 is dangerous for any age group, and that, besides the new discovery above, Long COVID, a debilitating chronic aftermath of this viral infection, is simply devastating.
Physician negligence
An American physician in California, Tam Ky Nguyen, is “accused of gross negligence for attributing a stroke patient's death to the COVID vaccine without any evidence, among other allegations; he faces potential disciplinary action by his state's medical board.”
This is not an isolated case. There are misguided physicians and nurses who have not only refused to get the COVID-19 vaccines themselves but have publicly claimed the vaccines “are not safe.” This allegation, of course, has been proven wrong by the billions of COVID-19 vaccines given worldwide. The complications and deaths from COVID-19 infections are a hundred-fold higher compared to the fraction of 1 percent complication from the vaccines. The vaccines are safer than the COVID-19 infection. Listen to science not to the spreader of fake news and rumormongers
These obviously ignorant healthcare providers have done a great disservice not only to the people of this country but to all people around the world. Eyeglasses warning Progressive and multifocal eyeglasses have been found to
be associated with a significant number (twice as likely) of tripping over obstacles on the floor and falls among seniors. Fractures and head injuries among seniors, especially those on aspirin or blood thinners, are a great risk factor for death in the age group.
“Falls for adults 65 and over is an urgent national public health crisis,” according to the American Public Health Association.
Those with single lens glasses (and a separate pair of reading glasses) are less likely to suffer these falls. Studies also show that cataract surgery reduces the incidence of falls. Talk to your ophthalmologists, not optometrists or opticians, about which lenses are best for you.
A1C is vital
and gangrene of the limbs necessitating amputation.
CDC recommends a baseline A1C level for everyone 45 and over and every 6 months for those with diabetes. Prevention is always better than a cure.
Contaminated tampons
The average woman uses between 11,000 to 15,000 menstrual tampons and pads throughout her lifetime. Tampons are used practically monthly, inserted into a very sensitive area that rapidly absorbs substances.
Recent studies revealed trace quantities of 16 heavy metals, including lead, cadmium and arsenic, in 14 tampon brands in the United States and the United Kingdom. This has led to concerns about safety of menstrual products, especially in the long term.
kidneys, harmfully increasing body acidity, and0 destroying body tissues. Soft drinks, with 50-60 mg phosphoric acid in them, are good and safe ONLY for unclogging sink drains, and, perhaps, cleaning car carburetors.
* * *
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * *
A1C is a fundamental blood test to show the past 3-month average blood sugar level of a person with type 2 diabetes mellitus. While the fasting blood glucose test done by a lab, or the instant self-test (finger stick or one taken with a Dexcom needleless device), shows the real-time blood sugar level that day, A1C level shows how the patient managed his/ her caloric intake and output (exercise), an average glucose level the previous 3 months. A1C level below 5.7 is normal; 5-7 to 6.4 is pre-diabetes; and 6.5 or higher (which translates to about 140 mg/dl blood sugar level) is Diabetes.
Untreated properly, diabetes could cause damage to the brain, kidneys, eyes, and nerves, generally including the heart and blood vessels, some leading to blindness, kidney failure requiring dialysis,
To reduce the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, the CDC recommends the use of lower absorbency tampons, to change the tampon every 4 to 8 hours, to wash the hands before and after inserting the tampons, and to consider the use of pads instead. Consult your gynecologist about this matter.
Coffee warning
A recent study presented at the ACC Asia 2024 in India last August revealed that “people who chronically consume high amounts (4 cups, 400 mg or more) of caffeine at least five days per week may have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This was true even if the study participants were otherwise in good health.” A cup or two of regular coffee or tea a day has positive health benefits.
Warning: Any kind of soft drink is toxic to the body especially to young children and adolescents, damaging
The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle, to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation, or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable to or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
* * *
Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, presented by then Indiana Governor, U.S. senator, and later a presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom, scientists, and educators. (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888. com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Amazon.com (“Where is My America?”); Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.
Success story: Comatose mother’s petition...
PAGE 11
provide her daughters with a brighter future in the U.S. finally came to fruition. Both Joyze and Mitzi were granted their immigrant visas at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and were able to enter the
U.S. While Judy remains in a coma, her love and determination have opened the door to the American Dream for her children.
Watch this success story on a brand-new episode of Citizen Pinoy on Sunday, October 27 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)
Jasper (extreme left) with his niece and Atty. Gurfinkel (extreme right) Jasper and Joyze
Lumpia, palabok, reimagined suman: Filipino dishes draw crowds at NYCWFF
NEW York City's food enthusiasts were treated to a feast of Filipino flavors over the weekend, indulging in dishes like palabok, lumpia, ginataang alimasag, and ube and pandan cookies at the 17th annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF).
Held from October 17 to 20, NYC’s biggest food extravaganza featured over 80 culinary events across the city. Among the 400 chefs participating were Filipino culinary talents who showcased the vibrant creativity, unforgettable flavor, and rich heritage of Filipino cuisine.
Chef Augelyn Francisco recently featured the Filipino favorite, lumpia at the Grand Tasting events. For Chef Augee, lumpia is more than just food—it represents her Filipino heritage and family traditions. “My mom would ask us to help roll the lumpia, bringing everyone together at the table,” she recalled fondly.
Her passion for the dish also stems from its ability to connect people to Filipino culture. For her, lumpia symbolizes the Philippines' diverse history and its ability to blend different cultural influences into one delicious creation. “Lumpia is our word. You cannot take it away from us,” she explained, highlighting how the dish resonates with people who want to learn more about Filipino cuisine.
At the NYCWFF, lumpia was a big hit with festivalgoers, drawing long lines and enthusiastic feedback. She brought more than 6,000 pieces of meat and vegetable lumpia to the three-day event, all wiped
by MoMar G. Visaya / AJPress
out before each day ended. “My heart is so full. It was such a proud moment for me, as a chef, a Filipino, and for the Filipino culture,” she said.
This year’s NYCWFF marked a significant milestone for Francisco, who was invited to participate in the prestigious Grand Tasting for the first time. In previous years, she had been part of dinners and dessert parties, but this year’s thousands-strong crowd provided more exposure. “It was amazing, beyond what I expected,” she shared. Meeting renowned chefs and culinary experts, while sharing her Filipino heritage with a wider audience, made the experience all the more meaningful.
Chef Jae de Castro of Keyks World dazzled the Grand Tasting with her Filipino-inspired desserts, showcasing flavors like ube white chocolate chip and pandan with butterscotch in her signature cookies. Known for her nostalgic treats, particularly her Twinkie-inspired keyks, Chef Jae’s creations are a reflection of her life as a Fil-Am baker, blending tradition with modern twists.
After years in marketing and communications, her passion for baking flourished when she became a stay-athome mom. Now, she plans to open a café in Ozone Park, Queens, offering more Filipino-flavored delights to a broader audience.
Chef Frances Tariga, of the newly-opened Tadhana in the Lower East Side, brought Crispy Suman Rice Cake with Coconut Crab Stew (Binalot na
alimasag sa gata) to the table. It was inspired by ginataang alimasag, a dish she remembers fondly from her childhood in Mauban, Quezon, where her grandparents used to prepare it.
Chef Jae and her assortment of cakes and cookies with Filipino flavors like use and pandan AJPress Photos by Momar G. Visaya
Chef Augee and her lumpia dish, served with atsara
Team Kabisera led by Chef Augee and her partner Joey celebrate the end of a successful three-day appearance at the NYCWFF, serving more than 6,000 pieces of pork and vegetable lumpia.
Chef Frances Tariga and her teammates from Tadhana, AP Villanueva and Dominico Quintos Contributed photos
Ginataang Alimasag on top of sumaninspired by Chef Frances favorite dish from childhood.
PAGE 15
Chef Anton’s Lobster Palabok, a big hit at the Asian Bites & Karaoke Nights event hosted by Jet Tila.
Photo from NYCWFF/ Contributed photos
Chef Anton Dayrit of Tradisyon
(People, Events,Places)
THROUGH the efforts of First Lady Louise AranetaMarcos, Bahay Pangulo (during Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ term), formerly named Bahay Pangarap (during Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s term) or Bahay ng Pagbabago (during Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s term), has been completely restored. It was open recently to selected media entitities for the first time.
In the past I used to visit this place when I worked as presidential message writer or information officer under Press Secretary Teddy Benigno. This is the same rest house where then-presidential son Noynoy Aquino (I was called by him to go there) and I were together while watching his cousin actress Jackie Aquino on TV.
During the terms of Presidents of Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada, I was often invited to Bahay Pangarap . But it was only during the term of my fellow Kapampangan, former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, I was able to visit the entire Malacanang Park alone reaching up to an apartment (I remember it cost only P500 a month) for families of soldiers.
But never did the late Pres. Noynoy Aquino and former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte (I first met him when he was a congressman at the house of Sonny Dominguez in Ayala Alabang Village on December 25, 1998) invite me to the Presidential Residence just across the Pasig River overlooking the Malacañan Palace.
I felt nostalgic seeing again some members of the Presidential Security Group, an elite force that is tasked to protect the president of the Republic of the Philippines at all cost, who are close to my heart. It is now only during the term of President Bongbong Marcos (I interviewed him years ago for the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s New Year’s issue) that I am able to see the new Presidential Residence near a golf course.
Bahay Pangarap was originally designed in the 1930s by architects Juan Arellano and Antonio Toledo as a rest house of the Malacañang Park for informal activities and social functions of the president. The Malacañang Park itself was
A visit to the presidential residence of the First Family
converted from a rice field south of the Malacañan Palace during the administration of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon. The resthouse underwent refurbishment in the early 1960s initiated by former FL Eva M. Macapagal, wife of former Pres. Diosdado “Cong Dadong” Macapagal (I had a chat with former FL Eva in Forbes Park after Cong Dadong was buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani and she told me to take good care of her daughter Gloria).
During the term of Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos, it was the residence of his mother, Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos. During the administration of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos, the house was repurposed as a clubhouse (known as Malago) for the Malacañang Golf Club (thanks to FVR for often accompanying him to the plane in visiting Mindanao).
In 1996, it was made as an alternative venue for official government functions, in addition to social and recreational events.
As I made a reflection on its brief history, 3 women, Pariseducated Social Secretary Bianca Zobel, Deputy Social Secretary Dina ArroyoTantoco (daughter of my former boss in Congress, the late Cong. Iggy Arroyo whose birthday is on October 24), and fellow La Sallian Vivian Recio (member of the Board of Directors of PTV) explained to us about the private tour of Bahay Pangulo (Presidential Residence) at PSG Compound, Manila.
While we had a private tour of the Bahay Pangulo surroundings, I listened to the explanation of Architect Conrado Onglao, husband of singer-actress Zsa Zsa Padilla. It was Architect Onglao who did the renovation of the Presidential Residence upon the initiative of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (thanks to her consistent initiatives and tireless efforts for the Bahay Pangulo restoration).
I really liked the guest house, Pres. Bongbong’s gym (I stayed longer here), the paintings, the Pac-Man video game machine, the chess board, the black piano, the long table, and FL Liza Araneta-Marcos’s office (I love it!).
After the private tour, we returned to Pangarap Golf Club for some refreshments.
* * * Carissa Cruz Evangelista
represented her mom, Gina de Venecia, during this year’s FAMAS Awards. Her mom received the Presidential Award from FAMAS President Francia Conrado at Manila Hotel. She had a photo with another Presidential awardee Pempe Rodrigo. She recently participated as an exhibitor at CITEM’s Manila F.A.M.E. at World Trade Center.
* * *
When I met Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc in the provincial capitol in Laoag City, I knew he could be the Philippine leader in the future. I dreamed about him in 1990s and I mentioned in Bulong-Pulungan at defunct Philippine Plaza Sofitel Hotel as an invited person with ESP. I dreamed he is tall, has a good body, belongs to Millennials/Generation Z, must be born in other country, is humble, respects the elderly, and serves as a unifying factor to unite the Philippines.
* * *
Atty. Vince M. Tanada’s “Juan Luna: Isang Sarsuela” of the Philippine Stagers Foundation will be performed on October 26 and 27 at San Sebastian College in Manila. Juan Luna, born in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, was a Filipino painter, sculptor and political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late
19th century. His famous works were Spolarium (1884) and The Parisian Life (1892).
* * *
FL Louise Araneta-Marcos was the guest of honor during the CITEM’s Katha Awards at the World Trade Center last October 17.
The Katha Awards is a hallmark of Philippine design excellence through the recognition of product design and innovation that combine the ideals of form and function. Since its launching in 1983, Katha Awards has sought to inspire and challenge Philippine exporters and designers to constantly innovate and develop designs and products for export.
This year’s winners include: major product design for furniture (Finali-Zulu Bench), lamps and lighting (Azcor Lighting SystemsFauna), home decor and houseware (Bon Ace-Achite Chess Board Set), fashion (Bon Ace-PISA Hand Bag), holiday decor and gifts (P & B Valises et CompagnieNutcracker Ornaments), and eco-design award (Buttons ‘N Things PAEA Table Runner). Special citations were for best booth design (P & B
and best sustainable booth design
* * * Miss Aura Philippines
* * * The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
* * * rogeliocmedina@yahoo.com
Valises et Compagnie)
(Zarate).
Rogelio ConStantino medina
(From left) Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque, and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos. Deputy Social Secretary Dina Arroyo-Tantoco (at the back) is partially seen. Photos courtesy of Rogelio Medina
Carissa Cruz Evangelista (left), representing her mom Gina de Venecia, a FAMAS 2024 Presidential Award recipient, with another awardee, Pempe Rodrigo.
Social Secretary Bianca Zobel explains the history of the Presidential Residence.
Rogelio Medina inside First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos’ office at Bahay Pangulo.
Vince Tañada’s “Juan Luna, Isang Sarsuela” will be performed at San Sebastian College.
Miss Aura Philippines Isabelle De Los Santos
Architect Conrad Onglao (with mic) explains the renovations done to the Presidential Residence to selected media entities.
Rogelio Medina and Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Manotoc at CITEM’s Manila FAME at the World Trade Center’s Ilocos Norte Pavilion.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Manotoc with news anchor-beauty titlist Jamie Herrell and their pets.
2024 Isabelle De Los Santos represented the country in the Miss Aura International in Turkey. She is the daughter of beauteous Oly Sason-De Los Santos and former PNP (Philippine National Police) spokesperson Chief Supt. Napoleon De Los Santos Jr.
Lumpia, palabok, suman...
Her restaurant Tadhana, praised by Bon Appétit as one of NYC’s best new spots in 2024, is a love letter to Filipino culture and cuisine, blending authenticity with modern innovation. It has become a destination for food enthusiasts eager to explore dynamic Filipino flavors.
“How are you going to feed 800 people? I had to be creative,” Chef Frances said. She paired the traditional suman (rice cake), turning the rice into crispy fried bites, using her Japanese culinary experience to add a tempuralike texture, with ginataang alimasag on top. She finished it off with a ginger, turmeric, and coconut puree, giving the dish a unique twist.
Reflecting on her experience, Chef Frances noted the difference from her previous work at NYCWFF last year representing Japanese cuisine with Trust Bae and Chef Masaharu Morimoto. This year, participating in the Asian Bites walkaround tasting event was more exciting for her, as it had a party-like atmosphere with plenty of fun, food, and drinks.
Chef Anton Dayrit of Tradisyon brought Lobster Palabok at the same event, held at the One World Observatory.
“Palabok is what really started my Tradisyon journey,” Chef Anton told the Asian Journal. “I was craving palabok one day and no one was doing proper palabok in the city, especially for delivery so I decided that I was gonna be the one to do it.”
Chefs Anton and Frances were among the nine chefs participating in the Asian Bites and Karaoke Nights event led by celebrity chef Jet Tila. It was Anton’s first time to join an NYCWFF event.
“My experience was amazing! We were one of, if not the most popular booths there that we were sold out in an hour and a half,” he exclaimed.
The strong presence of these Filipino chefs at the NYC Wine and Food Festival is proof of the rising global recognition of Filipino cuisine and its cultural significance. Through their innovative dishes, chefs like Augelyn Francisco, Jae de Castro, Anton Dayrit, and Frances Tariga highlighted the deep-rooted traditions and rich history embedded in Filipino food, showcasing its modern adaptability. Their participation in New York City’s biggest culinary event signifies not just their individual success, but also a broader movement toward a greater representation of Filipino flavors on the world stage, bridging cultures through food. n
Anne Curtis' Madame Tussauds figure arriving later this year; search for next Filipino begins
by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com
SENTOSA — The Madame Tussauds wax figure of host-actress Anne Curtis will officially be revealed toward the end of 2024, almost a year since it was announced she'd be the latest Filipino to get a figure at the popular tourist attraction.
It was late last year when Anne and Madame Tussauds both confirmed the "It's Showtime" host would be getting a wax figure in the attraction's Hong Kong branch.
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is also where three wax figures of Filipinos are located: boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Miss Universe winners Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray.
But since then, it was announced that veteran stage actress Lea Salonga would also be getting a figure, eventually becoming the first wax figure of a Filipino to permanently reside in Madame Tussauds Singapore (Pia's figure had a brief stint in the branch earlier this year).
Merlin Entertainment, the company that operates
the wax museum, said through head of sales and marketing Elain Quek, who told Philstar.com during TravMedia's International Media Marketplace in Singapore that Lea's figure has seen a lot of visitors since its unveiling.
Quek shared that Lea's figure being in Singapore instead of Hong Kong as well as the brief stay of Pia's figure were part of efforts to bring more Filipinos to Madame Tussauds Singapore.
She added that public holidays in both Singapore and the Philippines sees a lot of Filipinos visiting Madame Tussauds Singapore, and likely other attractions in Sentosa island.
Quek confirmed that Anne's wax figure would officially be revealed in Hong Kong later this year, and after that, the search for the next Filipino to get a wax figure of themselves will begin.
Quek told Philstar.com that during the unveiling of
suggested
many
Sarah
sharing that some people even referred to her as "the Beyonce of the Philippines."
Even Lea mentioned Sarah to Quek, and it can be recalled that the two artists both served as coaches on "The Voice Philippines." Other Filipinos that are viable prospects include Anne's fellow "It's Showtime" host Vice Ganda and billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes.
Kris Aquino to return to showbiz via new ABS-CBN show
by Jan Milo severo Philstar.com
MANILA — "Queen of All Media" Kris Aquino revealed that she will make her ABS-CBN comeback before the year ends.
In her Instagram post, Kris gave an update on her health condition as well as her showbiz comeback.
“ Para hindi kayo magsawang magdasal Sabi nyo , you miss watching me. I want to thank my former ABS-CBN bosses for allowing Jasmin and Darla to work with me on a show which will launch before 2024 ends,” Kris said.
“Secret muna ‘yung concept, but you will get to see my present day journey and as much as possible the reality of Kris, Bimb, and my ‘through the years” best friends (my extended family) and definitely my team of doctors who are now among my most trusted friends,” she added.
In the same post, Kris said that she's cancer-free but have life-threatening multiple autoimmune diseases.
“I now have 5, possibly 6 autoimmune conditions. But the scary part is that 3 of the diagnosed ones are life threatening in other words- pwedeng ma-damage my vital organs or my blood vessels, specifically my artery connecting my lungs to my heart- to the extent na I can die immediately from a stroke or aneurysm or cardiac arrest,” Kris said.
Anne Curtis for Madame Tussauds
Photo from Madame Tussauds
Kris Aquino
Photo from Kris Aquino via Facebook
Chef Frances with celebrity chef Jet Tila, who hosted the Asian Bites event at the One World Observatory in downtown Manhattan. Contributed photo
Lea's statue,
Filipinos
singer-actress
Geronimo,
