LA Midweek Edition -- August 19 -- 21, 2015

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Los AngeLes

M I D W E E K

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August 19-21, 2015

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r

Volume 25 - No. 64 • 3 Sections - 22 Pages

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US maintains call for peaceful USA Fil-Ams on US mercy resolution of maritime dispute ship relish homecoming DATELINE

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

ABoArD UsNs merCY—some UsNs mercy crew members with Philippine roots were reunited with their relatives in the country during their stay in subic Bay freeport last week. hospital Corpsman 3rd Class stephanie madridejo, 21, had a rare opportunity to spend time with some of her relatives from Quezon City. “I am excited to see my relatives in the Philippines. It’s been years since I last visited them and I have cousins whom I will meet for the first time,� madridejo told the Inquirer before the reunion. madridejo, whose parents are filipinos, is a medical student and lives in san Diego, California. she is assigned to the intensive care unit on the mercy during the hospital

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New app aims to push Asian American voter participation in 2016

by Frances

Mangosing Inquirer.net

the United states reiterated its call for a peaceful resolution of the south China sea dispute following China’s release of military recruitment video that seemed to warn other nations. “I think what will promote stability in the region are legal and peaceful means to settle disputes and the Us

feels very strongly about that and supports those efforts very much,� Us Ambassador Philip Goldberg told reporters at Villamor Air Base on monday, Aug. 17 on the sidelines of the turnover of 10 brand new choppers for the Philippine Air force. the four-minute, 23-second video posted on Youtube early this month showcased China’s assets such as warships, submarines and fighter

jets. “struggle over maritime rights have never ceased. We shall never yield even the tiniest bit of our resources,� a part of the translated subtitle of the video read. “I think that our position has been clear that the way to settle disputes in south China sea is through legal, peaceful and diplomatic means. that’s why we have the Philippines’

effort to bring the case before the ItLos, UNCLos. that’s why we have supported a code of conduct to better lay out the rules of the road because ultimately what we should all be seeking are rules-based, legal-based solutions to the various claims, not the use of force or threats or any kind of coercion,� Goldberg added. the Philippines is one the Us treaty

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Customs to impose tighter rules for balikbayan boxes

by Kathleen

Martin

Philstar.com

mANILA - the Bureau of Customs said it may impose tougher measures on balikbayan boxes for fear that these tax-free packages are being used by traders to smuggle goods into the country. “the existing rules are obsolete and we may have to reassess our coordination and processes with consolidators for stricter and improved compliance,� Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said in a statement. “our spot checks from several warehouses show how misconstrued the rules may have become. People are sending in used clothing, home appliances and items of the same kind that can well be used for commercial purposes,� he said.

for the 50th anniversary of the Voting rights Act, 18 million rising, an Asian American digital activist group, launched a new Indiegogo campaign to create a translation matching app designed to increase voter participation in next year’s presidential elections. the mobile app, called VoterVoX, is described as “one part civic tech, one part grassroots organizing, and three parts cultural connection.�

VoterVoX seeks to connect multilingual Asian Americans with voters in their communities needing language assistance in order to address continuing language barriers facing Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) at the polls and resultant voter disenfranchisement.

According to recent studies, AAPIs are three times more likely than Latinos to cite language barrier as a reason for not voting. “Nearly half of all adult AAPIs are not comfortable in english (the technical term is limited english proficient), and I want the other 50 percent of us to take initiative in helping them participate fully in civic life,� C.m. samala, executive director of

the supreme Court has granted temporary liberty to 91-year-old senator Juan Ponce enrile.

Voting 8-4, the high court on tuesday, Aug. 18 granted enrile’s motion to reverse the sandiganbayan third Division’s ruling denying his bail plea.

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BalikBayan boxes are duty and tax-free packages designed for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sending home gifts to their families.

However, it should always be noted that these packages have limitations, such as contents not exceeding $500 in value, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) said. inquirer.net photo

SC grants Enrile bid for bail Susan Roces: Don’t bully my daughter Grace! by

tetch torres-tupas Inquirer.net

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile

by cathy

yaMsuan Inquirer.net

ACtress susan roces on tuesday, Aug. 18 attacked those claiming that her daughter, sen.

Grace Poe, could not be presumed a natural-born filipino as she was a foundling, spewing colorful and emotional filipino terms against the senator’s detractors. “how dare they! Wala silang karapatang duru-duruin ang anak ko at sabihing hindi (filipino) citizen ang anak ko (they

don’t have the right to bully my daughter by saying she is not a filipino citizen),� the widow of filipino movie icon fernando Poe Jr. told reporters in an ambush interview.

Under the Constitution, one can run for President only if he or she is a natural-born filipino. “Grace is our daughter! Nakakabit pa ang pusod niya nang siya’y matagpuan sa simbahan sa Jaro (Iloilo)‌ ’Di ko alam kung anong pamantayan nila‌ Anong karapatan nilang ipawalang-bisa

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Senator Grace Poe and mother Susan Roces.

Pacquiao cases head to CA court heard arguments in cases filed last year against sony Pictures related to a major company cyPLAINtIffs who argue the ber-hack, will decide if the Pacmay 2nd boxing match be- quiao cases are granted classtween filipino champ manny action status before any trial Pacquiao and undefeated floyd proceeds.

A panel of judges that decides mayweather Jr. was a fraud will get a chance to settle their cases whether to consolidate similar before a federal judge in Califor- claims brought in different jurisdictions into a single courtroom nia. the long-awaited match, ruled friday, August 14 that lawdubbed the “fight of the Cen- suits filed in multiple states will tury� at the mGm Grand in Las be heard in the Central District Vegas, received 4.4 million view- of California, where Pacquiao ers who paid up to $100 each to was said to injure his shoulder watch on pay-per-view. Disap- while training for the fight.

Pacquiao, 36, injured his rotapointed viewers criticized both boxers’ performances, including tor cuff in April during a trainmayweather, who won the fight ing exercise. his team did not by the judges’ unanimous deci- disclose the injury until hours after the may 2 fight, when Pacsion.

Manny Pacquiao Judge r. Gary Klausner, who quiao said that he re-damaged aJPress file photo by andy Tecson by allyson

escobar

AJPress

the shoulder during the fourth round against mayweather.

Nevada Athletic Commission officials have considered fining or suspending for not reporting any injuries on the pre-fight questionnaire. the Us Judicial Panel on multidistrict Litigation said in its final decision friday that “determining the severity and timing of the boxer’s rotator-cuff injury could require significant factual, and possibly expert, discovery.� “Questions about the facts of the case, including for example who knew about the injury, are sufficiently complex to warrant consolidating the large number of related cases,� the panel said.

At least 32 lawsuits had been

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A AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From the Front Page

US maintains call...

PAGE A1 t allies and last year, both signed an agreement that would allow US forces to rotate in the country without having to build permanent basis.

China claims most parts of the South China Sea and it has made rapid progress in seven reefs in

the Spratlys in recent months.

The US is one of the critics of China’s massive reclamation works in the disputed maritime superhighway.

The Philippines is pushing for an arbitration case against China to invalidate its sweeping claims in the disputed seas. China has

repeatedly refused to participate in the proceedings, however.

Malacanang and the Department of Foreign Affairs have also downplayed the recruitment video and instead called on for a diplomatic track in solving disputes in the South China Sea.

Customs to impose tighter rules...

PAGE A1 t

Lina recounted that some items inside these balikbayan boxes could be considered as smuggled goods due to non-compliance with the Philippine Tariff and Customs Code.

Some packages were found to be “spilling with undervalued items and under-declared contents” during the bureau’s spot checks, he said.

Balikbayan boxes are duty and tax-free packages designed for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sending home gifts to their families, the BOC said.

However, it should always be noted that these packages have limitations, such as contents not exceeding $500 in value, Lina said.

“Canned goods, grocery items and other household effects must not exceed a dozen a kind, while apparel whether used or new must not exceed three yards per cut,” Lina said.

He added that one consignment per sender during a one-month period is allowed.

These packages should also not contain any banned or regulated

firearms and ammunition, prohibited drugs, pornographic material and gambling material.

“Home appliances are not allowed unless these are consigned to returning Filipino residents and overseas contract workers. We will seize these prohibited shipments and revoke registrations of forwarders or consolidators if we find any violations,” Lina said.

He further said examination of the shipments is allowed and if a receiver finds any items missing from the packages, he may report this to the proper authorities.

Congressional probe sought Meanwhile, a group of OFWs immediately sought an investigation into the reported plan of the BOC to impose additional taxes on balikbayan boxes and other consolidated shipments.

Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante party-list chair, said Congress must look into this.

According to Regalado, Migrante has received information that the BOC plans to increase clearing fees for all containers entering Philippine ports to as much as P100,000 to P120,000.

SC grants Enrile bid...

PAGE A1 t The decision came exactly a week after the SC sided with Enrile’s request for bill of particulars in his plunder case over his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.

The bail is set at P1-million.

The four who dissented are Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio Associate Justices Estela Perlas Bernabe and Marvic Leonen.

She reported that the first increase was actually imposed last July and another will reportedly be implemented this October.

“What is the reason and rationale for this increase? Why was it imposed despite strong opposition from forwarders and OFWs alike? Where will the added cost go?” Regalado asked.

She said the least the government could do to help the millions of Filipino workers abroad is to stop any money-making schemes that will affect them and their families.

Freight forwarders earlier complained that the BOC has approved an increase of taxes covering all shipments in a consolidated container from P80,000 to P180,000.

The imposition of additional taxes on consolidated shipments should be thoroughly investigated by Congress when legislators hear the agency’s proposed 2016 budget, Regalado said.

She said the additional taxes, which could translate to P325 per balikbayan box, would surely be passed on by the freight forwarders to OFWs. (With Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan)

bail.

In his 70-page petition for certiorari filed Sept. 4, 2014, Enrile said he should be allowed Enrile is one of the three to post bail since the prosecusenators accused of plunder in tion failed to present strong eviconnection with the pork bar- dence against him and that the rel scam. He is currently in charges “cannot be considered hospital arrest at the Philippine a capital offense.”

National Police General HospiAt the same time, Enrile said tal, while co-accused senators he is not a flight risk considRamon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and ering that he even voluntarily Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada are surrendered to the authorities detained at the PNP custodial when the warrant for his arcenter. rest was issued by the anti-graft Enrile went to the Supreme court.

Court after the Sandiganbayan He also cited his advanced Third Division denied his mo- age as another reason for the tion that he be allowed to post SC to grant his petition.

EL NIñO. With experts warning of a severe El Niño this year, President Benigno Aquino III ordered his Cabinet to present a detailed road map for dealing with the weather phenomenon that can bring torrential rains and then drought. Aquino met with members of his official family to assess the administration’s first semester performance on the implementation of programs.

Philstar.com photo

Susan Roces: Don’t bully my daughter...

PAGE A1 t ‘yung pinaglaban namin sa korte para magkaroon siya ng birth certificate. (She still had her umbilical cord when she was found in a church in Jaro, Iloilo. I don’t know what their standards are.

What’s their right to dismiss what we fought for in court so she could have a birth certificate),” Roces said.

“Never ko siya (Sen. Poe) tinawag na adopted, ampon… lalong never, never ko siyang tinawag na pulot! (I never called her adopted or a foundling) How dare they use that word),” the actress said.

Accusations in Comelec Roces was responding to queries prompted by defeated 2013 senatorial candidate Rizalito David’s move accusing Poe in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of “material misrepresentation” when she filed her candidacy for senator that year. Poe was the topnotcher in that election.

David, who ran under the Catholic-oriented Ang Kapatiran party, said since Poe was a foundling, she could not be presumed to have parents who are Filipino citizens.

David said Poe became an

American citizen in 2001 and reacquired her Filipino citizenship only in 2006. He argued that since Poe was not a natural-born Filipino, her reacquisition of citizenship was considered null and void.

Earlier, David also filed a disqualification case against Poe citing the same reasons.

There are insinuations, however, that political bigwigs are using David as a proxy to harass Poe. A few months ago, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay, the first to declare his intention to run for President, accused Poe of not being a natural-born Filipino as she was a foundling.

Bring it on Roces turned the tables on her daughter’s opponents, challenging them to bring it on and start by looking for Grace’s biological parents.

“Ngayon may pagkakataon, halungkatin na nila ang gusto nila (Now there’s an opportunity for them to look for what they want to find). I will appreciate it kung sino mang tao ang maka-match ng DNA ng anak ko.

Aba, eh, magpapasalamat ako sa kanya, matagal na naming

hinahanap (If anyone can find a match to my daughter’s DNA, I will thank him as we have been looking for [her biological parents] for a long time),” she said.

Like ‘askal’s’ instinct The veteran actress and widow also compared her situation to a common “askal,” or mixed breed dog, whose instinct tells her to attack even humans based on mere perception of danger to her puppies.

“Kahit askal lalaban nang patayan. Huwag mong mahipo-hipo ang tuta ng bagong inahing aso.

Kahit hayop nasasaktan kapag ginagawan ng ’di maganda.

Sasakmalin ka n’yan (Even an askal will fight to death. Don’t dare stroke a new-born puppy.

Even an animal is hurt if something bad is done to it. It will bite you),” she said.

Roces made these statements after the formal launch of the new logo of Champion detergent, a laundry product she has endorsed since 2006, at a hotel in Pasig City. Peerless Lion Corp., the manufacturer of Champion, sponsored the event.

A mix of entertainment and lifestyle journalists besieged Ro-

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From the Front Page

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

Fil-Ams on US mercy ship relish...

PAGE A1 t ship’s Philippine mission.

Mateo de dios, another filipino-american crew member, said he visited his relatives in cabangan, Zambales. de dios, 48, has been working as an electrician on the hospital ship for three months.

He said his visit with his filipino relatives was “special,” as the ship’s stay in subic was for only a few days.

Lt. (jg) timothy Pietrack, public affairs officer of the UsNs Mercy Pacific Partnership 2015, said the filipinoamerican personnel on the ship were allowed to debark and spend time with their relatives outside the free port. the relatives were also allowed to board the ship to meet the fil-am crew members, he said.

100 fil-ams aboard Capt. Christopher Engdahl, UsNs Mercy Pacific Partnership 2015 mission commander, said there were about 100 filam personnel on the ship and some of them were on their first humanitarian mission. the UsNs Mercy arrived in this former american naval base on aug. 4 for the second phase of Pacific Partnership 2015, which aimed to provide multilateral training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. formerly a san clementeclass supertanker, the hospital ship has a 1,000-patient bed capacity. it has four X-ray rooms, a ct scan unit, a physi-

cal therapy suite, a pharmacy, a blood bank and an optometry lab. the ship deployed a team of military and civilian medical professionals to provide surgical and other treatments to residents of olongapo city and surrounding areas. a team from the UsNs Mercy went to Pangasinan on aug. 10 for a three-day humanitarian mission.

‘It’s great to be home’ Lt. cmdr. elmer Jimenez, who grew up in Barangay Bued in calasiao town, said he visited Pangasinan on a sentimental homecoming. “it feels great to be home. it’s been 25 years since i left my pinablin (beloved) Pangasinan,” said Jimenez, the Mercy’s medical planner for the Philippines and fiji missions. the UsNs Mercy team conducted a basic life support training on aug. 5 and 6 at subic Bay. Medical personnel from the Pangasinan Provincial Health office joined the training.

Jimenez and 69 other personnel of the hospital ship, led by its deputy mission commander, capt. Brian delamont of the royal australian Navy, were received in Pangasinan by Gov. amado espino Jr. during the flag-raising ceremony at the capitol in Linagayen town. the team was composed of eight filipino-americans, four of them, including Jimenez, hailing from Pangasinan.

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Pacquiao cases head...

PAGE A1 t filed as of mid-May in california, Nevada, florida, illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New york and texas. several more appear to have been filed since.

Pacquiao and his promoter top rank inc. are named in all of the lawsuits, and most also include Mayweather, his promoters, as well as cable companies HBo and showtime. the lawsuits argue the injury was not revealed until after the May 2 fight, too late for the millions of worldwide viewers who paid to watch it. HBo and show-

time have said they earned more than $400 million total from the fight. in court filings, attorneys representing Pacquiao and top rank have said the claims are without merit. an attorney for the defendants declined to comment on august 17, as well as representatives for HBo and showtime. each of the boxers earned more than $100 million in a single night. (Allyson Escobar/ AJPress with reports from the Associated Press, BoxingScene. com)

ces with questions about Poe after the launch.

Much worse roces noted that while she was hurt by similar accusations of non-filipino citizenship against her late husband when he ran for President in 2004, she considered those hurled against her daughter much worse. this is because aside from calling attention to her being a foundling, Poe’s detractors have also spread allegations about her supposed excessive drinking and that she is unkind to the house help.

“Personal, eh. Kasi tungkol sa pagkatao. Wala silang karapatan para magsalita ng ganun… (this is getting personal. they don’t have the right to speak like that,)” the mother said.

FPJ movies turning to humor, roces said her daughter’s critics had probably “watched too many movies” produced by her husband. Plots of movies in which the late actor, fondly called fPJ, had starred in usually had scenes where rich but cruel people mistreat the poor. “siguro marami silang napanood na pelikula ni fPJ. ang mga bagay na ganyan ’di na dapat patulan. Kahit naman anong sabihin ko or ng miyembro ng pamilya, hindi nila paniniwalaan kung ayaw nila. (they must have watched a lot of fPJ movies. those things should be ignored. they will not believe whatever i or a family member will say.),” roces said. at one point, the fiercely maternal roces’ soft side showed.

Prayers answered

she told reporters she really had prayed that God would give her a child, adding that she once told the senator she was thankful that Grace’s biological parents had left her in front of a church instead of throwing her in the trash. apparently addressing her daughter, roces said: “Pinanalangin ko na magkaroon ako ng anak. salamat at nagtagpo-tagpo tayo ng landas (i had prayed for a child. thank you for our paths have crossed.”

Twinkling eyes, curly hair the actress, who has no biological child, said she had always wanted a baby with “twinkling eyes and curly hair” like Grace had when she was found.

“Ngayon may darating na lang at sisirain ang lahat ng iyan?

(Now somebody steps in and wants to destroy all this?)” roces asked. still, the senator’s mother thanked her daughter’s supporters “because of your belief that she will make a difference.”

Right choices roces said she continued to pray that Poe would “make the

A

Estimated $2.74 billion cost of California drought

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

division. increased pumping costs of about $587 million also will cut into farm incomes this year, the report stated. it estimated that groundwater pumping has been able to offset roughly 70 percent of the drought water shortage.

However, new water regulations led by california Governor Jerry Brown are going into effect that could curb the ability of farmers to rely on groundwater reserves.

Meanwhile, fitch ratings released a report examining the impact of the state’s current 25 percent mandatory water cuts on water utilities and found 78 percent of utilities polled indicated

tHe worsening drought in california will cause the state’s economy to lose as much as $2.74 billion and nearly 21,000 total jobs this year--and ripple effects of the 4-year-old drought will likely continue through at least 2017, according to a study released august 18. the report, authored by the University of california, davis center for Watershed sciences, also revealed that direct costs to the state’s agriculture economy will total $1.84 billion and 10,100 direct seasonal jobs. the $2.74 billion figure reflects the cost to all economic sectors, and when multiple effects are considered. “increased prices for crops will give a boost to some farmers in areas less affected by the drought PAGE A1 t and with access to groundwater,” according to the authors of the 18 Million rising told NBc News. study. a new report by asian “central coast and southern california regions benefit from americans advancing Justice | slightly higher commodity prices aaJc, entitled “50 years of the due to decreased production in Voting rights act: an asian other parts of the state,” the re- american Perspective,” found that language assistance is viport stated. researchers estimated that the tal to the growing aaPi com2015 drought will result in the fal- munity, many of whom are lowing of 542,000 irrigated acres, immigrants. section 203 of mostly in the state’s central Val- the Voting rights act requires ley. an earlier similar Uc davis bilingual ballots and assisstudy estimated around 564,000 tance at the polls for limited acres would be fallowed this year, english proficient voters, but but the update released tuesday only when the population that revised the impact “because wa- speaks a minority language ter transfers, groundwater pump- reaches a certain threshold in ing and surface water deliveries have changed since our preliminary analysis.” the recent study sees continued economic impacts through 2016 and 2017, which assumes this year’s water conditions for both years and “a slow decline in the water tables.” it also predicts nearly 550,000 fallowed acres by 2017. total crop revenue losses are projected to reach $902 million this year, and the study estimates that total gross revenue losses from crops under a continued drought will increase to nearly $940 million by 2017, according to cNBc. additionally, droughtrelated losses for the state’s dairy industry are expected to reach $250 million this year, and another $100 million for the livestock

that rate adjustments for californians will be on tap in the next year or have already begun. fitch said the water reductions ordered by the state in May and the “short compliance time frame” that utilities had to adjust led to “revenue challenges and heighten credit risk for california’s retail water utilities. as a result of reduced water sales, many utilities will experience reduced financial margins in fiscals years 2015 and 2016.” the rating agency forecasts recovery of financial margins in fiscal 2017, even if the severe statewide drought continues. the median water rate in-

New app aims to push...

Susan Roces: Don’t bully my daughter...

PAGE A2 t

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 19-21, 2015

right choices” but did not mention the offer of roxas for the senator to become his running mate in 2016 under the Liberal Party banner.

“Wala akong kinalaman sa kanyang propesyon. ayokong magbigay ng mga opinion or suggestion. Kung may nakikita akong mali, marahil paaalalahanan ko but beyond that, hindi siguro dapat (i have nothing to do with her profession. i don’t want to give an opinion or suggestion. if i see something wrong, maybe i will remind her. Beyond that, no more).”

Poe, a junior senator who leads in presidential preference surveys, is being wooed by interior secretary Mar roxas, standardbearer of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), to be his running mate in the May elections. she has yet to declare whether she will run for higher office. roces said the fact that a Philippine court had issued a birth certificate bearing her and her late husband’s names as parents should be enough proof that even the judiciary was convinced of Grace’s citizenship.

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the community. as a result, many voters from smaller, less concentrated language groups who need assistance are left out. section 208, however, allows voters to receive assistance from a person of their choice, and exit polls show that this is a solution many aaPis utilize.

VoterVoX works by matching a volunteer translator with a voter identified by community groups as needing help understanding the ballot. the volunteer translator meets the voter at a local library or community center, and they go over the voter’s mail-in ballot in the preferred language. to

crease next year will be around 5 percent, the fitch report said, also adding that water rate hikes in some areas could go as high as 31 percent.

Besides rate increases, the report said more than half of the utilities surveyed expect to offset lower revenues by cutting operating expenditures, and 46 percent said they would use financial reserves. 37 percent of the companies also said they would divert from their planned capital spending to help offset the lost revenue, and 2 percent said they would consider debt service restructuring. (With reports from CNBC)

finish, the voter mails in his or her own ballot, and the volunteer translator uploads his or her ballot translation or technical language notes to share with other volunteer translators. samala sees this as just the first step to better engagement for multiple communities. “as we make democracy accessible in more languages for aaPi communities, we also hope that VoterVoX grows into a platform that all limited english proficient americans can use to improve access to voting, health care, housing, and other aspects of civic life,” she said. (Allyson Escobar/AJPress with reports from NBC News)

A AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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Calmer temperatures ease Western wildfires

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

Over the weekend, firefighter crews continued battling against wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the West and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Calmer weather on Sunday, August 16 helped firefighters tighten their grip on the blazes, but dry, hot temperatures and low humidity is expected in the days ahead.

Temperatures will be five to seven degrees cooler in the early part of week, but will remain hot for most areas in the valleys and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. As highpressure systems over Southern California weakens, clouds, fog, and lower temperature will continue for the rest of the week, with the coolest weather on Thursday, August 20.

In Washington, more crews, including some from the Washington National Guard, are being mobilized in the battle on Monday with several large fires threatening homes in the Chelan area in central Washington. The blazes have destroyed more than 50 structures, forced about 1,500 residents to flee and scorched more than 155 square miles.

Fire incident spokesman Wayne

Patterson says air tankers have established lines to keep the flames from reaching downtown Chelan, a popular resort town.

“There were literally people on the beaches near that lake in their swimwear out on the lake right near it,” Patterson said.

In Oregon, higher humidity and lighter winds allowed crews to slow the spread of wildfires burning up eastern Oregon.

A lightning-sparked fire near John Day has grown to nearly 60 square miles and has destroyed at least 26 homes. roughly 300 firefighters were assigned to the blaze over the weekend, with more on the way.

Improved weather conditions south of Baker City also helped firefighters make progress on the state’s largest wildfire. The blaze has charred almost 140 square miles and destroyed six homes.

In Colorado, lightning across the northwestern region is suspected of sparking about 30 fires over the weekend, keeping firefighters running from one blaze to another.

Many of the smaller fires have been contained. The largest of the wildfires is the Four Mile Fire, which has burned over 1,000 acres 20 miles north of Craig.

It was 80 percent contained on

Monday, August 17.

The Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit says over 4,000 lightning strikes hit northwestern Colorado over the hightemperature weekend.

In California, a large fire north of San Francisco that has been burning for over a week has destroyed nine homes and charred more than 39 square miles But with the improved weather, firefighters are gaining ground against the wildfire, with 85 percent containment reported Monday.

Fire officials say that over the weekend, smoke from the fire drifted into the San Francisco Bay Area and east of the city, where it was trapped in valleys for several days, causing hazy skies and poor air quality.

The fire is the second of two blazes that have charred land area near the dry Lower Lake.

The first one, which was contained Friday after more than two weeks, destroyed 43 homes.

In Southern California, crews working through the night stopped the spread of two Los Angeles County fires that burned several structures, charred hundreds of acres of dry brush and led to the arson arrest of one person.

Three fires in the area simultaneously occurred Saturday and Sunday, with firefighters battling in the triple-digit heat.

A brush fire sparked near a riverbed in Montebello, a suburb east of downtown Los Angeles, halted operations at an oil field and prompted the evacuation of the Whittier Narrows recreation Area. The fire, which grew to about 200 acres, is 60 percent contained on Monday.

Montebello authorities say a 45-year-old homeless man has been arrested on suspicion of arson. The causes of the other two fires were under investigation.

To the north, a wildfire that burned buildings at an abandoned rehabilitation center in rural Castaic has charred about 300 acres in Angeles National Forest.

So far it is 10 percent contained.

Meanwhile, a 2-and-a-halfsquare-mile fire in the forest above the suburbs of Glendora and Azusa is 60 percent contained.

With the triple-digit heat over the weekend, over 2 million visitors steered clear from hometowns and brush fire warning areas, flocking instead to a cool ocean breeze at LA County beaches. (With reports from the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times)

Fil-Ams on US mercy ship...

PAGE A3 t “This is my first time to come home in my uniform. So it also feels great that I’m in this capacity to deliver some services here in Pangasinan,” Jimenez said.

On Aug. 10, the team conducted veterinary medical missions in 10 villages of Lingayen and met with disaster response officials.

TB, leprosy, etc.

The team also held a symposium on tuberculosis, leprosy, leptospirosis and dengue, and conducted a mobile blood donation, presurgical screening for patients with cleft palates and demonstration and rapid rabies detection tests in several Pangasinan towns.

Jimenez, 43, said he left Pangasinan when he was 18 and joined the US Navy a few months after arriving in the United States.

“There have been a lot of improvements here. I am impressed that the governor has

prioritized health services as one of his programs and it’s very apparent in the capabilities of the health workers,” Jimenez said.

He said hours after his team’s arrival here on Aug. 9, he treated his colleagues to a dinner of Filipino food that included Dagupan bangus (milkfish).

“A lot of them loved the bangus and they enjoyed the puto (glutinous rice cake) and some of them even tried balut (boiled duck embryo),” Jimenez said.

During the flag-raising ceremony, the Pacific Fleet Band surprised the provincial employees when it played “Luyag ko tan Yaman” (My Province and Treasure), the official hymn of the province. They also entertained the employees with jazz numbers.

Lt. Patrick Sweeten, bandmaster, said it took his band three rehearsals to perfect the Pangasinan hymn.

“It was a special arrangement by one of our members.

Some USNS Mercy crew members with Philippine roots were reunited with their relatives in the country during their stay in Subic Bay Freeport last week.

Inquirer.net photo

They are very talented people,” Sweeten said.

The band held a concert featuring American pop music at the robinsons mall in Calasiao

on Aug. 11.

The USNS Mercy left the Philippines on Friday for its next destination, vietnam. (Inquirer.net)

GONE TOO SOON. Workers watch as a crane dismantles a huge oil tank belonging to Shell Philippines. A year after the Supreme Court ordered their relocation, oil companies in Pandacan, Manila have started dismantling their depots on Monday, Aug. 17.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez

A AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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OpiniOn

Features

Tourist-friendly

NEXT month, the world is celebrating World Tourism Day. This year’s World Tourism Day highlights the global potential of tourism for socioeconomic development.

As part of this celebration, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) commends the 1.1 billion tourists who take international trips every year, and their value as a reliable driving force behind the world’s economy.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encourages the world’s citizens not just to travel but to work together to maximize the immense potential of tourism to drive inclusive economic growth, protect the environment and promote sustainable development and a life of dignity for all.

“Today, more than one billion tourists travel to an international destination every year. These billion tourists have made tourism a leading economic sector, contributing 10 percent of global GDP and 6 percent of the world´s total exports,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, who echoed Ki-moon’s sentiments.

Rifai noted that tourism is behind one in 11 jobs worldwide and that it is a valuable source for million of people. He also described the tourism sector as a gateway to greater understanding of the world beyond our borders, the first step in building peace and between communities and nations.

According to UNWTO, in 2014, the number of tourists traveling internationally grew by 4.4 percent, reaching a new milestone of 1,135 million, and capping a five-year consecutive increase since the global economic crisis of 2009. There results have surpassed UNWTO´s long-term projection of

3.8 percent growth for the period 2010 to 2020, well on track to reach the projected 1.8 billion international tourists by the year 2030.

“Yet these big numbers represent more than just economic strength – they reflect tourism´s vast potential and increasing capacity to address some of the world´s most pressing challenges, including socio-economic growth, inclusive development and environmental preservation,” Rifai added.

Rifai said that tourism is more than just about reaching a destination—it has a global reach. “Every time we travel, we become part of a global movement that has the power to drive positive change for our planet and all people.”

In the Philippines, tourism remains a thriving industry but requires more improvements to fully maximize its potential. Foreign arrivals for 2014 was recorded at 4,833,368 or 3.25 percent higher than the volume of 4,681,307 arrivals in 2013. Total earnings from inbound tourism in 2014 amounted to P214.88 billion, higher by 15 percent compared to the P186.15 billion registered in 2013.

In the first six months of this year, tourist arrivals hit a record 2.6 million, 7.6 percent higher than the same period last year, generating P111 billion in tourist receipt. The Dept. of Tourism (DOT) also reported that domestic tourism is the genuine backbone of the country’s tourism. It noted there are 56 million domestic tourists this year from only 44 million last year.

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Despite these promising numbers, the country is lowering its target of tourist arrivals from 10 million to six million for this year, saying it was a more realistic figure. DOT revealed that security and negative travel advisories by a number of countries are challenges that affected the full-year target.

To address this issue, the government has been implementing proposed changes in crisis management and police procedures, coordination, and emergency protocols applicable to acts of

violence.

With abundance in natural wonders and the warmth of its people, the Philippines remains confident that it has an edge over other travel destinations neighbors and still anticipates a major flow of tourists. It also remains focused on enforcing necessary reforms to improve its travel industry.

Regardless of the feeble global market, political instability and some weak areas in its domestic economy, the Philippine tourism industry remains attractive, unscathed and a bargain. (AJPress)

What undocumented Pinoys can expect from a Donald Trump presidency

The Fil-Am Perspective

complish this, especially given the cost, Mr. Trump responded with a question which resonated with many of his Fil-Am supporters as evidenced by their social media posts.

“Do you think there’s tremendous cost for the illegals that are in here right now?” Mr. Trump asked. “Do you think there’s tremendous crime being committed by illegals?”

The NYT said Trump promised to “expedite it so people can come back in” after the deportation.

“The good people can come back,” he said.

According to the NYT, Trump’s formal policy maintains what he has contended many times before that “Mexico’s leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country.”

Other parts of Trump’s plan, the NYT opined, are similar to the proposals of his rivals in the Republican race. He proposed enforcing the nationwide e-veri-

fy system, ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and increasing the prevailing wage for the temporary H-1B visas.

Unlike many of our conservative/Republican-leaning Filipinos in America, those who are leaning Democrat contend that Trump’s plan is not humane, and discriminates against immigrants. They also echo Trump’s Republican opponents who are already criticizing his plans, by saying they just won’t work.

On the plan to build the wall in the southern border, CNN’s Tom Foreman stated in his report: “ If Mexico won’t play along, Trump proposes a torrent of fees on Mexican citizens, corporate CEO’s, and Diplomats who visit the US, possible tariffs and cuts to foreign aid, too. But Foreman also pointed out that Mexico is the United States’ third-largest trading partner, and that all of Trump’s plans” could cost the US as well, that was why his political opponents are not impressed”.

“This is not a negotiation of a real estate deal, OK? This is in-

ternational diplomacy and it’s different,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, according to CNN. On Trump’s plan to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants, the CNN report likewise explained that Trump was not clear on how to find them and how to fund deporting all of them, even if he would limit the deportation to those with criminal records.

On the issue of Trump’s policy that kids of two illegal immigrants should not automatically be US citizens even if they are born in the United States, Tom Foreman also stated in his report that there is the 14th Amendment in the US Constitution that was ratified in 1868, which stipulated that “All persons born… in the United States…are citizens of the United States”.

According to Foreman, legal scholars say Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship would require changing the Constitution. This is not within the power of the Executive but the Legislature.

Pulitzer prize winning journal-

ist Jose Antonio Vargas, perhaps the most popular and outspoken undocumented immigrant in America, shared his frustration about Trump’s plan in an interview with Yahoo News Live.

As The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast Balitang America reported, Vargas was among the beneficiary of President Barack Obama’s Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, sparing him from deportation for two years, and according him work and travel permit. Trump said he would reverse this.

Vargas said if he would have the chance to talk to Trump, he would ask him, “‘How do you define American, sir?’”

Vargas added: “This is not a reality television show anymore.

This is running for president.” ***

FILIPINOS in America are divided between two ends of the spectrum: those who believe Donald Trump is their “Messiah” who will help “reclaim” America (but from whom?) and all her glory; and those who abhor Trump and see him as a caricature, no more than a rich real estate mogul and reality star on TV who craves for attention. The way kababayans responded to Trump’s recent announcement about his plan to combat illegal immigration depended on how they view him.

Those who look at Trump as their next President and Commander-in-Chief hailed his plan, saying this is fair and just, especially for those who waited in line, came to America through legal means, and paid fees.

As the New York Times (NYT) reported, Trump’s plan is centered on three principles. The first principle states “a nation

without borders is not a nation”.

This calls for the United States to build a wall along the southern border, and he repeated his promise to make Mexico pay for the wall and laid out how he would do it: largely through increasing fees on border movement between the United States and Mexico.

The second principle of Mr. Trump’s proposal, according to the NYT, calls for strengthening the “enforcement arm” of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, to be paid for by “eliminating tax credit payments to illegal immigrants.”

The third principle says that “any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.”

The report further stated that the release of Trump’s plan followed his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he elaborated on his position to deport undocumented immigrants.

“We have to keep the families together, but they have to go,” Mr. Trump said.

When asked how he might ac-

Shooting Straight

What about FVR for President... again! A response from former

Gel SantoS-ReloS

BoBit S. avila OUR column last Tuesday triggered a deluge of comments, some of them nasty, even one reader accused me of being “Binayaran.” These readers obviously do not read our columns, word for word. First of all, I clearly pointed out that in the present crop of Presidentiables I have chosen “none-of-theabove,” none of them should be President of this country! What a dilemma for our people! We cannot find a suitable candidate!

Secondly, I was merely citing which is better… voting for an incompetent person or a corrupt one? We in Cebu have lived for nearly five years under the incompetent Aquino regime where we were never given any major infrastructure projects according to a National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) report. This is why we hate Imperial Manila for these bureaucrats prevent cities from moving forward. All infrastructures have been poured into Metro Manila!

Yet a lot of the people in Metro Manila stare at incompetence every single day if you take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT).

Worse for Cebu, the Aquino regime leased the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for 25 years to the GMR/Megawide consortium and during the ground breaking ceremonies for the new Terminal 2, no less than Pres. Aquino revealed to the Cebu media that the P14.4 billion will be deposited in the National Treasury to be used for other projects. Wow! What about our second runway? As I said before, this is the legacy of Pres. Aquino for Cebuanos and we will never forget this big insult.

We already tasted 70 years of having a centralized system of governance and just take a good look at what this has done for the Philippines. From second to Japan we’ve dragged ourselves to be the laughing stock of ASEAN. We may brag about our robust economy today, thanks to our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which can only be found in two places, India and the Philip-

pines.

But check out the Wallace Forum statistics on Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and you’ll be dismayed that the Philippines still ranks at the bottom of ASEAN. So now, did you ever hear of any of our Presidentiables say how they would solve or fix this problem on FDIs? No sir, not one of them!

What our nation needs today is a President who should be a reformer, one with the guts to change our highly centralized system of government into a parliamentary-federal form of government. One who has a good track record, experience, the gung-ho attitude and above all the wisdom to lead this nation into a better future.

After a lot of thought, I finally found that person. So I asked my good friend, Mr. Rick Ramos who writes for Manila Times to meet up with former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) and he did.

Here’s an excerpt of his meeting with FVR a few days ago.

“I had a meeting with former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR).

He is the best person to champion the parliamentary system and federal form of government.

FVR and I talked about the parliamentary system and the federal form of government. He is all for it. He told me that when he ran for President in 1992, he already wanted a parliamentary system. He also wanted to do it in 1997, but Cory Aquino and Jaime Cardinal Sin opposed it. Cory thought FVR wanted to become a Dictator like Marcos.

T___a talaga.

His strategy is shift first to the parliamentary system and the federal form to follow. He said that the federal form has to evolve after the parliamentary system.

It cannot be legislated and cited what happened in England and then the UK. I told FVR that the BBL issue can be resolved if we have a federal form of government. The Bangsamoro region can be one for the states. FVR said that he recommended the same 10 years in 2005.”

So will FVR accept our challenge to run for President? He must do it as a matter of duty and for a long lasting legacy… shifting our nation from ugly politics to one where politicians are true public servants. FVR’s only negative is his age. But I PAGE A7

Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

President Fidel V. Ramos

by BoBit

S. AvilA

LAST Thursday we wrote in this corner a column entitled, “What about FVR for President… again!” And it got me another deluge of emails from people from all walks of life and a lot of them congratulating me for urging former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos to run again for President especially in this Presidential elections where most people just cannot picture the front runners to become President of this nation.

But what I got was a classic response from no less than FVR himself, who sent me a book entitled Giving Back: Service and Legacy which is a collection of his Sunday columns in the Manila Bulletin. With it is a photocopy of my column last Thursday and the FVR note that he always writes on the side and sends me when he was still the President. Here’s his note in full: “Thank you for this great accolade which I do not deserve… because although “The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.” I can

still do 40 push-ups and shoot my age in golf (18-holes), but the Presidency of our beloved Philippines of 7,107 island (during high tide, and more during low tide) and 100 million people demands more than muscle.

You and Rick and so many others are correct… our younger Filipinos deserve a better future which we, their elders, must continue to work for. Mabuhay!

Signed Fidel Ramos.”

Thank you FVR for your quick response to our article. While his answer to me was not a categorical “No”, FVR and I agree that our young Filipinos deserve a better future. Hence, let me clarify what I think FVR ought to do first is for him to run for President and I’m sure that in no time, he will overtake everyone in the current surveys of Presidentiables. When he wins the Presidency, his first order of business is to call for a constitutional convention (con-con) and elect con-con delegates to change our Charter.

When that is done within a year or two, the new constituPAGE A7

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A

Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte seeks death penalty for plunder

by Jefry

M. Tupas ManilaTime.net

DAVAO CITY - Mayor Rodrigo Duterte believes the persistent problem of corruption in the Philippines can be remedied if death penalty for plunderers is imposed.

It’s a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures, he said.

“Drastic measures must be done,” he said. “Death penalty must be considered for plunders.”

In a recent meeting with his supporters, Duterte expressed exasperation over the lingering problem of corruption in the government and how it has taken its toll on the people, particularly the poor.

“Corruption has crept into every fabric of the Philippine society,” he said. “Corruption is not only happening in the government, but even in the private sector and the religious sector.”

The mayor of Davao City for 22 years has always been vocal about his stand on the restoration of the death penalty, saying it is a tool that will deter crime.

Duterte, who is being prodded to join in the presidential race, said the Philippines must come

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

up with laws that are tough on corrupt officials.

“Laws must be amended to make it easier to prosecute the corrupt,” he said.

Duterte always takes pride over his “clean” record saying no one can prosecute him for corruption.

“Public money should always go to the people, benefit people, should better their lives. Public money should never go to the pockets of public officials,” he

said.

He said: “I have never spent even a single centavo of government money.”

Duterte also wants death penalty for drug lords and criminals.

“I have zero tolerance for drug lords and criminals,” he said. “Drugs and criminals destroy the future of our children.

Those who destroy our children do not deserve to be part of our lives.”

PNP intensifies watch of threat groups after Bangkok blast THE Philippine National Police is intensifying its monitoring of known threat groups following a massive explosion in Bangkok, Thailand on Monday, Aug. 17.

In particular, the Directorate for Intelligence and Directorate for Operations is stepping up its information-gathering activities in case anyone would take advantage of the bomb explosion, which killed more than 20 people and injured more than 100 victims.

“Dir. Generoso Cerbo Jr., the Directorate for Intelligence, has ordered all intelligence units to conduct intensified

monitoring and information gathering to deter any persons or group of persons who may take advantage of the situation,” said PNP spokesperson, Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor.

So far, the PNP has not received any specific threat in the aftermath of the explosion at a popular shrine in Bangkok.

Mayor said that as of Tuesday, there was no need yet for PNP to raise its alert levels.

The police official assured the public of its readiness to respond to any situation as their intelligence personnel have been deployed to

monitor developments on the ground.

“The Directorate for Operations has already directed all units to be alert and vigilant and assure the public that the PNP is ready. This is the reason for the emphasis on police visibility, for policemen to be on the streets,” the PNP spokesperson said.

The PNP’s monitoring of threat groups includes the targets of the PNP’s criminality campaign, although the PNP is prioritizing the monitoring of threats related to the Bangkok blast. (Julie M. Aurelio, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

A response from former President...

PAGE A6 t tion where we will finally have a Parliamentary/Federal system would be ratified and then a few months later, new elections will be called, which would exempt all con-con delegates from running for any elective positions.

Then Pres. Ramos can become the First Titular President of this new Philippines whose only powers is to abolish Parliament and call for new elections. No sir, we’re not asking FVR to run for another six boring years…. but to reform our nation. I hope he accepts this challenge and the greatest legacy he can give to the Filipino people at the time he is needed the most. *** Last Friday, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) announced the winners in the individual and institution categories for the 6th RAFI Triennial Awards, the premier social development award in the Visayas and Mindanao. In the Exemplary Individual Category, the finalists were good governance advocate Fr. Carmelo Diola (Cebu City), Anita Castillon (Lake Sebu, South Cotabato), and Rep. Lawrence Lemuel Fortun (Butuan City).

The finalists in the Outstanding Institution Category are, Balay Mindanaw from Cagayan de Oro City, Cantaan Centennial Multi-purpose Cooperative from Guinsilaban, Camuiguin, Western Samar Development Foundation, Inc., Sibog Katawhan Alang sa Paglambo from San Francisco, Agusan del Sur, and the Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace Advocates, Inc. from Curbada Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

These finalists have their own stories to tell, they all work hard to help uplift the lives of our Filipino brethren.

The winner of the Exemplary Individual Category, the 6THTriennial Award goes to Mrs. Anita Castillon a.k.a.

Nanay Anit from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. She is a remarkable teacher who built three schools in Lake Sebu dedicated to educate the T’boli Indigenous children.

Nanay Anit was widowed at a very young age of 22 years old and she only had one daughter who now lives in the United States.

Jon Ramon Aboitiz told me that the dream of the majority of Filipinos is to get a US visa

and live in the US. But despite the approved petition by her daughter for Nanay Anit to live with her in the US, she refused because someone had to take care of the T’boli children.

The Triennial Awards for Outstanding Institution category went to the Kadtabanga Foundation for Peace Advocates, Inc. (KFPDAI) from Curbada Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. The award was accepted by its Executive Director Hadja Giobay Diacolano. This 15-year old foundation literally turned 57 former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels into Peace and Development Advocates. These people did not have to wait for a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to bring peace in their community.

So kudos to Hadja Diacolano for coming up with that foundation that brought real peace to that part of Maguindanao by turning gun toting rebels into Peace Advocates and to Nanay Anit for what she has done for the T’boli people, which is why the RAFI search committee found them to become the 6th Triennial Awardees for this awards cycle. (Philstar.com)

MONDAY MEETING. President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Cabinet Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the Malacañang Palace on Monday, Aug. 17. With the President in the meeting are Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, NEDA Arsenio Balisacan, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, and DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, among others.

Malacañang photo by Gil Nartea

Filipina injured in Bangkok explosion by paTricia Lourdes

Viray

ANC, the injured Filipina is in Bangkok with her foreign employers who are set to return to MANILA - The Philippine Em- return to their country soon. She bassy in Bangkok on Tuesday, requested not to reveal her other Aug. 18 confirmed that a Filipina personal details. was injured during a bomb exMeanwhile, Thai authorities plosion in at a popular shrine in contradicted earlier police reBangkok, Thailand, the Depart- ports that a Filipino was among ment of Foreign Affairs said. those who were killed during the The said Filipina sustained a explosion, a report from the Ashearing injury from the explo- sociated Press said. sion.

At least 20 people were killed According to a report from and around 140 were injured in Philstar.com

the bombing incident.

Bangkok deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd released the following list of nationalities of the 20 people killed in the explosion: Thai - 5 Malaysian - 2 Chinese - 2 Hong Konger - 2 Singaporean - 1 Unknown - 8 (With reports from Associated Press)

Ferrer: BBL passage to benefit next administration

by Jose

rodeL cLapano Philstar.com

MANILA - Passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before President Aquino’s term ends will benefit the next administration, government chief peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said.

Ferrer added the passage of the BBL would give the country its best shot at achieving peace in Mindanao.

Delaying the passage of the BBL and letting the next Congress under a new President consider it would be a big waste of time, Ferrer said, pointing out the resources and goodwill invested in securing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and in coming up with the committee reports in both chambers of Congress.

“Congress can either pass this law or they can choose to throw away all the time, money and goodwill already spent by just passing it on to the next Congress,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer, who was in the Senate anticipating the start of deliberations on the Senate version of the Bangsamoro bill, said “if there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“The power is in the hands of the legislators,” Ferrer said.

Some legislators argued that it would be best to pass the BBL during the next Congress since most of the implementation and oversight would happen then.

Ferrer, however, said leaving legislation undone would be detrimental to the next administration.

“I am certain that the next administration would be better off with a BBL in place. It will benefit from the enhanced political stability. The next president and Congress can then focus on other legislative measures and strengthening

Philippine government chief peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer

the reforms introduced in the region,” she said.

Ferrer noted that if not passed, another draft BBL would have to be filed again, requiring another round of committee hearings before the bill gets any farther from where it is now.

“That’s a complete waste of millions of taxpayers’ money,” she said.

When Aquino assumed office in 2010, he immediately made the Bangsamoro peace process a priority of his administration.

In 2014, the government and the MILF signed the CAB that served as basis for the original BBL drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

The signing is considered a historic milestone in the storied negotiations dating back to 1997.

The House of Representatives currently holds three plenary sessions per week, meaning there are only 17 session days left before the House sets aside BBL debates in favor of budget deliberations expected to commence on Sept. 28.

What about FVR...

PAGE A6 t

dare all the Presidentiables to do push-ups with him and let’s see who is stronger physically? Let’s go FVR! For God and country!

A AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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seafood city fpfc

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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 19-21, 2015

COMMUNITY Journal

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Business News

Filipino Migrant Center urges Long ASEAN companies face more headwinds – S&P Beach City Council to raise the wage and protect workers against wage theft

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

ManILa - Standard & Poor’s believes companies in Southeast asia including the Philippines Long Beach - The Filipino are now facing more headwinds Migrant center mobilized with amid sluggish consumption roughly 200 residents to Long growth and consumer sentiment Beach city hall on aug. 11, to as well as intense competition. support the citywide campaign In its latest report on top to raise the city’s minimum wage companies in the association of to $15 an hour, protect workers Southeast asian nations (asean), against wage theft, and ensure S&P expects debt of top compaworkers earn paid sick days. earnies to reach $300 billion by the lier last week, 2nd District city end of 2015 from $165 billion as councilmember Suja Lowenthal of end March this year, assuming announced a proposal to fund the no further exchange rate depreLos angeles corporation for ecociation. nomic Development (LaceD) to “We also see further deteconduct a study on the potential rioration in credit quality taking impacts of raising the minimum place through 2016. Spending wage and enforcing the new and dividends remain elevated, Joanna Concepcion, executive director of the Filipino Migrant Center, stands in front of a wage in the city. and we expect cash inflows will community mural displaying the organization’s campaign to address the stealing of wages in In May of 2015, the Filipino remain insufficient to cover cash Long Beach.

Migrant center spearheaded the Migrant center. She continued, outflows,” S&P said. launch of the coalition to end workers at all.

It added currency depreciation “We want to amplify the voices of “as it currently stands, many Wage Theft in Long Beach after a growing number of Filipino employers continue to violate ex- our members who are suffering caregivers and restaurant work- isting minimum wage and hour everyday because their wages ers raised issues of wage and wage and hour laws placing law are being stolen. employers are hour violations at their work- abiding businesses owners at a getting away with robbery when place. The most common form disadvantage. according to the they fail to pay back their workof wage theft occurs when the Department of Labor Standards ers by simply changing the name employers pay workers below the enforcement in the Long Beach of their business, repositioning

by Ted P. Torres minimum wage, require work- office, from 2008-2011 they have the ownership to someone else’s Philstar.com ers to work off-the-clock, deny found that over $31 million worth name, or even filing for bankruptcy to escape accountability.”

The in wages were stolen from workrest or meal breaks, give late or ManILa - The United nabounced checks, deny overtime ers who have filed cases...and only Filipino Migrant center provides pay, misclassify employees as in- 8% were collected from employ- free monthly legal clinics in Long tions World Tourism organizadependent contractors, make ille- ers,” said Joanna concepcion, Beach for workers to consult with tion (UnWTo) said tourism still gal deductions, or fail to pay their executive Director of the Filipino a legal attorney about workplace receives limited attention as a issues such as wage theft. “We tool for development despite its have been educating Filipinos wide-reaching socio-economic that all workers have labor rights impact. regardless of their immigration UnWTo Secretary general status. It’s important workers Taleb Rifai said the sector is cruand our community are informed cial for less developed countries about this issue because we can (LDcs). only solve this issue by togethIn 2013, 49 LDcs received 24 er.” million international visitors and Ricardo Lustado, a food ser- earned $18 billion from internavice worker and member of tional tourism. “This represented the Filipino Migrant center, is eight percent of total exports of a Long Beach resident who at- goods and services of LDcs, and tended the meeting to support 12 percent for the non-oil exportthe campaign. “everything is go- ers among them,” Rifai said.

Ricardo Lustardo (white polo) joins the evening press conference alongside Filipino nurses and ing up. It’s hard to buy groceries, Tourism was in fact one of the restaurant workers such as Chando Kem, a Long Beach City College student shares his experience main contributors behind the

could be the catalyst for a more severe distress.

“While it may not be sufficiently material yet in itself to cause widespread issues in the region, it is happening in a much tougher context than 12 months ago and could snowball rapidly if a sudden weakening in market confidence or a squeeze in liquidity accompanies it,” S&P said.

It explained major credit support to rising debt so far has been an adequate liquidity and low funding costs that mitigate some of the effects of debt-led investment. according to S&P, debt maturing within 12 months represents only about 20 percent on average of total debt for the 100 companies and interest coverage ratios remain sound.

The debt watcher expect the median credit ratios of the largest listed companies to further

deteriorate in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore if companies maintain the same level of capital spending and dividends.

S&P believes the growth in foreign currency debt is an increasingly negative attribute of credit quality in the region.

“We estimate that it grew two to three times more rapidly than local currency debt for Malaysian, Philippine, and Indonesian companies operating domestically and included in our sample over the 2010-2014 period,” it added.

S&P expects large companies in Southeast asia would keep spending elevated this year and next year despite reduced growth prospects and eroding consumer sentiment. aggregate capital spending of about $11 billion was recorded for the quarter ending March this year. n

Tourism still gets limited attention as tool for economic development, says UN

of not receiving rest breaks or overtime pay as a restaurant worker in Long Beach.

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In the Philippines, the contribution of tourism to the economy was estimated at 7.8 percent in 2014.

Inquirer.net photo

graduation of Botswana, The Maldives and cabo Verde from their previous LDc status.

In the Philippines, the contribution of tourism to the economy was estimated at 7.8 percent

in 2014.

Tourism cuts across different sectors of the economy and the tourism direct gross value added (TDgVa) amounted to

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B AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Business news

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Foreign businessmen push reforms to National Apprenticeship Program

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

MANILA - Foreign business groups in the Philippines are pushing for the immediate approval of a proposed measure in the Senate which could help address the country’s soaring unemployment problems.

In a statement over weekend, the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) renewed its call for the passage of Senate Bill 136 which aims to reform the country’s National Apprenticeship Program.

JFC has been pushing for the measure since last year.

“With just a few remaining months of the 16th Congress, this bill deserves urgent consideration in view of the extremely high unemployment rates among young Filipinos,” the JFC said.

The foreign businessmen said the level of investment, both foreign and domestic, in the Philip-

pines has been insufficient so far to create enough decent jobs to meet the growing supply of young workers.

“If this growing crisis for the young people of the country continues without the government providing solutions, their future will be bleak, forcing many to seek work abroad, others to be idle and dependent, and sadly a few to turn to crime and even rebellion and radical politics,” the JFC said.

The business groups cited the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (TESDA) apprenticeship program as one of the promising solutions to the increasing employment for Filipino youth.

The current program allows apprentices to be trained by a private firm up to six months and to receive a fee of 75 percent of the applicable minimum wage.

In 2013, TESDA reported 56,832 students enrolled under the program, 51,912 graduated, and 13,011 were hired by the companies where they apprenticed.

The small number of people who were hired, however, indicates the importance of reforming and expanding the program to provide a route to long-term jobs for much larger numbers of young, the JFC said.

“One important reform is to extend the period of training.

A revitalized and reformed apprenticeship program will provide sufficient time for young workers to gain skills while providing companies sufficient time to give them training and assess their working skills. At the end of the apprenticeship period, many more should be offered employment directly where they have trained than in the past,” the groups said. n

ter future for youth and families in Long Beach.”

Seventh District City Councilmember, Roberto Uranga, representing the district with the highest concentration of Filipinos reaffirmed the call to raise the wage and protect workers. “A couple of years ago, we worked on Measure N. We heard that the sky is falling. And in fact tourism went up, the businesses and hotels are doing well, hotel workers are spending their money in Long Beach. But we talk about what has gone up… theprices of gasoline has gone up, prices of groceries has gone up, medical costs has gone up. What has not gone up? Minimum wage.”

He continued, “If we raise the minimum wage, we’re raising families, we’re raising kids, we’re raising businesses, and we’re raising our economy.”

Rex Richardson, Ninth District City Councilmember, of the North Long Beach area also echoed the need for raising the wage as well as wage enforcement given his family’s experience.

His mother was a in home care provider and nurse’s aid and his step-father was a contract truck driver. “Over a third of all of our workers in Long Beach make less than $15 an hour...I was moved by the stories today about wage

theft and enforcement...Enforcing the wage is just as important as raising the wage.”

Concepcion expressed hope and urgency during her testimony addressing the Mayor and City Councilmembers. “We need to create, simple, and efficient tools for hardworking employees to collect the wages they have earned. We need to protect courageous workers who speak up when they face wage theft so they do not go to work in fear. We need the city to create the authority to take charge to enforce wage and hour laws correctly and efficiently. Long Beach needs a strong policy that raises the minimum wage and gives the city all the tools needed to enforce it and make it real for all workers.”

The Filipino Migrant Center is working in coalition with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Justice for Port Truck Drivers, Warehouse Workers United, Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice: South Bay, 9to5 Long Beach, Unite Here Local 11, and the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs & a Healthy Community. For more information contact the Filipino Migrant Center at (562) 438-9515 or visit filipinomigrantcenter.org. n

Filipino Migrant Center urges Long Beach...

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gas, and everything that people need in their everyday life.” He joined Filipino residents during the press conference carrying signs saying, “End Wage Theft #RaiseAndEnforce15.”

A long line wrapped around Long Beach City Hall including church leaders, parents, truck drivers, nurses, teachers, hotel workers, restaurant workers, warehouse workers, business leaders, and students. Megan Rose Dominguez, Vice Chair of Anakbayan Long Beach, a Filipino youth and student organization, waited in line to enter City Hall. “Some people forget that many minimum wage workers also have families and children that are also deeply affected by a lack of sustainable income. It’s hard to do well in school when you don’t have a nutritious meal or the school supplies you need to succeed in class. There are also many youth who have to work in low wage jobs in order to to pay for school or face student loan debt after graduating from college. It’s frustrating to be told false promises of success and to work so hard, only to find out that you are not reaping any of those benefits. We support raising the minimum wage and enforcing it because we need to ensure a bet-

The Philippines has the slowest average speed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the crowd-sourced Net Index (www.netindex.com) rankings by internet broadband testing company Ookla.

Inquirer.net photo

PH Internet users ‘paying more’ for slow connection speed – study by maila

ageR Inquirer.net

INTERNET users in the Philippines are “paying more for less” as the actual speed of their connection has never reached the “advertised speed” by Internet service providers (ISPs), a study showed.

Mary Grace Santos, a research fellow of the LIRNEasia, presented the results of their study during the hearing of the Senate committee on trade on the impact of slow and expensive Internet in the country.

Santos, said LIRNEasia is a regional ICT (Information and Communications Technology) think tank policy that has been conducting quality of service testings since 2010.

“Based on our study, we tested the basic data plans of the three major ISPs in the Philippines and if you can see here, from 2011, we actually saw deteriorating actual versus advertised speed from 2011 to 2014. That’s not the ideal scenario,” Santos said.

“In terms of value for money,

we also saw that we’re actually paying more for less every year,” she said.

Santos said the “lowest value for money” was offered in 2014.

“We actually offered the lowest value for money when we tested all these other ISPs during the first quarter of 2014. So that’s a position that we don’t want to be in because that means Filipino Internet subscribers pay more for less,” she said.

After the study, Santos said they found out that the actual speed of Internet connection in the country has never reached the advertised speed.

“Not even once. In all the tests we conducted since 2011, the highest average actual speed that was attained by an ISP was only 26.65 percent of the advertised speed,” she said.

“That means it was always 80 percent lower than the advertised speed and speed performance actually declines for all ISP tested…,” she added.

Santos also presented during the hearing the summary of the Akamai’s state of the Internet

report conducted from 2011 to 2015, which showed that “nothing much has happened to the Philippines.”

Based on the report, she said the Philippines is third to the lowest in terms of average speed and second lowest in the Asia Pacific in terms of connection speed.

“In terms of average peak connection speed, 20.3 mbps is what was registered for the PH. As you can see, Singapore is leading with 98.5 , Hong Kong with 92.6 and South Korea at 79 mbps,” she said.

Santos said Internet connection is also “very expensive” in the Philippines, pointing out that the bandwidth in Manila would range from $25 to $45 per mbps or it could go up as $70 in Cebu compared to only $5 and $6 in Hong Kong and Australia, respectively.

She cited two main reasons why the Philippines has been lagging behind other nations in terms of Internet connection: First, the lack of government support for Internet infrastructure and the lack of real competition in the telecommunications industry. n

Tourism still gets limited attention as...

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P982.4 billion in 2014, higher by 14 percent compared to previous year’s P861.7 billion. TDGVA measures the value added of different industries in relation to tourism activities of both foreign and domestic visitors in the country.

Total earnings from inbound tourism in 2014 amounted to $4.84 billion, higher by 10 percent against the previous year’s

earnings of $4.4 billion. In peso value, inbound revenues totaled to P214.88 billion, higher by 15 percent compared to P186.15 billion in 2013.

Despite being a high impact economic activity, a major job generator and key export sector accounting for six percent of total world trade, tourism receives only 0.78 percent of the total Aid for Trade (AfT) disbursements and a mere 0.097 percent of the

total Official Development Assistance (ODA), the UN organization said.

“As we move forward to adopt a new sustainable development agenda, we have a unique opportunity to raise the level of assistance in tourism to further harness its vast potential for stimulating green growth and inclusive development worldwide, particularly for the countries most in need,” Rifai added. n

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Business news

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 19-21, 2015

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Two seniors rely on Chapter 13 Calendar of Events across America to solve different financial problems Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng CLIENT no. 1 Client is 65. She presents her financial problem thus. Both she and her husband were gainfully employed for the last 20 years.

They are both professionals. Husband was making $100K a year with a cushy job until last year when employer went bankrupt.

Fortunately, despite his advanced age, he is still healthy and landed another job but at 40% of his old pay. So now husband makes $40K a year, instead of $100K. She herself also lost her long-time job 2 years ago. She now collects social security of $2,000@month. Husband also now collects $1400@ month from social security, in addition to earning $4,000@month from employment. Although their household lost about $100K of yearly income, they still gross right now about $6K/mo. That’s not bad at all.

They have a first and a second mortgage on their house. And their house has equity of $400K. The problem is that they have not paid their mortgage for seven months. They have a default of about $20K on the first and about $2K on the second. So a total default of $22K on their house. They filed an application for loan modification in March, but that got denied. They filed a second application for loan modification in May, and that got denied too. They then sent two months of payment to the first mortgage holder but the payments were sent back to them. Last week, they received a letter from the first mortgage holder asking them to update the default or foreclosure proceedings will begin. With their backs against the wall, client consults with me to determine if I can help her solve her problem. First, she says that she loves their house and she wants to keep the house at all costs because she’s been living there for 20 years, and that’s where her children grew up. Second, she says that their equity in the house is $400K, and she doesn’t want to lose that equity. Third, she says, but the bank won’t accept her payments, unless it’s a full payment of $20K. Fourth, she says she tried to modify the mortgage payment through government agencies, and twice they got denied. Fifth,

Get rid of your debts now and get a head start to live up to 120! she’s getting really worried that they will lose their house because the bank will not accept their partial mortgage payments.

Sixth, can I help her keep their house?

Fortunately, I can help her keep her house. Still incredulous, she reiterates to me that the bank won’t accept her payments. So, I advise her that we can force the bank to accept the payments, and legally stop the foreclosure process. This is how Chapter 13 will work in her case: 1. The $22K default on the two mortgages will get “frozen”. 2.

She will be given 5 years or 60 equal monthly installments to pay the $22K default. 3. She will resume the current mortgage payments at the first 341A meeting of creditors. 4. The foreclosure will stop at the moment the Chapter 13 case is filed. So, she will pay about $380 a month for 60 months to update the $22K default, and next month she will resume the current mortgage payments. As long as she is making these payments to the court on a timely basis for the next 5 years, the banks cannot resume the foreclosure process. Therefore, Chapter 13 protects her house from foreclosure until hbecoming current again. She will become current again on the mortgages on the 60th month.

She will be catching up on the default amount of $22K at the rate of 20% a year. At the end of the 5th year, the $22K default is fully paid. Since she resumed current mortgage payments the month after filing, both of her mortgage loans will be current again at the end of the 5th year! That’s a simple and beautiful plan to allow her to save her house from foreclosure. Lastly, after the court confirms the plan, the bank may take a third look at her loan modification request and she may get a pleasant surprise.

Client no. 2 Client is 74. He owes $25K of credit card debt, which he has kept current for a very, very long time. How long? To start with, it was a slow build up since he arrived in the United States in 1970. He informs me that when he migrated to California, it was so easy to get a job. He decided to work for a construction firm starting 1972. He worked for that construction firm for forty years, until he retired last year! He said

that he really enjoyed working for the firm such that he was never late and never absent from work for 40 years, unless he got sick. Since he retired last year, he only gets $1,600 of social security. His wife is also retired, but let’s just say that he takes care of his own bills and she takes care of her own bills. The problem is that the equity in their house is more than $175K, the exemption allowed for seniors who are at least 65. That said, a Chapter 7 will put the house in jeopardy. The trustee can literally sell the house if there is more than enough money over the $175K exemption, and use that money to pay off his $25K credit card debt in exchange for the discharge. This makes no sense at all. Why would client risk his house with a Chapter 7 just to get rid of $25K of credit card debt?

I advise client that Chapter 13 is appropriate in his situation. With a Chapter 13, he will pay about $430 a month over 60 month. At the end of the 60th month, the court will give him a discharge order saying he doesn’t owe the $25K anymore. With a Chapter 13, there is absolutely no risk to client’s house. Client has been paying $800 a month on $25K of credit card debt at least for the last 10 years. He says he has already paid $100K to keep the $25K current in the last 10 years, and today, he still owes the very same $25K, so its about time he got rid of those cards once and for all. He says at 74, he doesn’t care about his credit score anymore. I told him his credit score will be perfect again at 84 and there won’t be any record of his Chapter 7 filing then.

We may be able to live to 120 By that time, he can borrow again from new credit cards to buy stem cells to make him younger! Frankly, seniors in your sixties now, if you don’t get sick, by the time you’re eighty, you can probably take pills to reverse aging 20 years from now (They can reverse aging in rats now, lucky Micky and Minnie – Harvard medical report), and you can easily use your own stem cells to regrow your kidneys, heart and other organs when that biotechnology is ripe. You just have to reach 65. If you reach 65 without getting seriously sick, statistics show that you have an 80%

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Two women, a boy and the jellyfish Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA LoU’S story is worth retelling.

Lou Xiaoying is one remarkable Chinese woman who is a beacon of light, a ray of hope and a surge of warmth in a world that has grown dark and cold.

I wrote about Lou a few years back to shine a light on the life of a woman, who despite humble circumstances, managed to save the lives of babies salvaged from the trash heap, apparently discarded by women in compliance with China’s draconian one-child policy to curb its population growth.

Contrast Lou’s life with that of a 25 year-old New Jersey woman who claims she is not ready for her pregnancy, filmed her own abortion, with full make-up, lights and gazing at the camera and exclaiming with joy at the end of the procedure purportedly to “inspire” and show women that abortion is a positive experience. She even writes about it in one publication. Notice I refuse to give a shout out to her name or the publication’s name. Some bask in infamy and one can show displeasure by refusing to give a shout out.

The woman who is a wannabe actress of low-budget slasher horror movies which slaughter children works as an abortion counselor. She says, “I feel in awe of the fact that I can make a baby. I can make a life…” Sadly, it was a life that she chose to end coldly. The delusional woman, as if reading from a script even says at the end of the murderous procedure, “Yay, Cool! I feel good.”

She decides to keep a sonogram of the baby as a memento.

Did she even bother to ask the father of the child? Even more disturbing is the distinct possibility that she may have become pregnant to create a prop so she can pull this contemptible youtube stunt and become an internet sensation. If she did, this makes it all the more egregious

“…The boy looked at him nonplussed, shrugged his shoulders and went back to throwing one more jellyfish back to the water, and told him, “Made a difference to that one …” and revolting.

This stunt she pulled at the expense of an innocent life to grab her few minutes of dubious fame cries out for justice and she will be held to account. The laws of karma are irrevocable, sometimes swift, sometimes slow, but without bone marrow-deep repentance, comes without fail in due season.

The response so far has been worldwide revulsion and condemnation at the celebratory tone of her scripted abortion. At the very least, women who see abortion as a solution to a complex problem do so in a somber, quiet way, head bowed down, away from the limelight.

What has women’s liberation come to these days? Shallow, soulless creatures who call themselves women walk the earth. Fortunately, for every one of this kind of vile woman, there are thousands who shun the limelight and work quietly in the trenches fighting the evil of abortion, women I know like Gerri and Anna Maria and members of the Shield of Roses who have been quietly pounding the pavement, persuading women to consider adoption instead and knocking unceasingly on heaven’s doors with prayer and fasting to help in the struggle against the seemingly prevailing culture of death and darkness.

But let’s get back to Lou. Her story is like a laser light and her story is worth repeating. She lived in the rural countryside in Eastern Zhejiang province. Picture her home. It is a humble hovel, its small yard littered with debris and recyclables. A little boy of 7 plays in the yard. Lou lived in that home with her husband Lin until he passed away 20 years ago.

When I first wrote about Lou in 2012, she was 88 years old and lay languishing of kidney failure in a hospital. Despite pain and impending death, Lou looks

beautiful in repose. Her eyes sparkle with joy. A calm peacefulness is etched in her face. If she is still alive, she would be 91 years old. An internet search show no updates about Lou. At her age and condition, no news is good news.

Lou and her husband made a living scavenging the village trash for recyclables. It was a tough, backbreaking way of life trudging through the streets and sifting through other people’s often filthy and smelly discards. over the years, they picked up 30 abandoned babies from the trash heap. of the 30 foundlings they saved, the couple kept 4 babies to raise themselves and the rest, they gave away to friends and relatives. They have one biological child, a woman, who is now past 50 years old. When Lou was 82 and already a widow, she saved one more baby from the trash.

She said, “Even though I was already getting old I could not simply ignore the baby and leave him to die in the trash. He looked so sweet and so needy. I had to take him home with me … My older children all help look after Zhang Qilin … I named him after the Chinese word for rare and precious.”

Lou’s story is riveting for its simple, unquestioning reverence for life despite living in stark poverty. She didn’t start out wanting to rescue foundlings but in 1982, her heart was touched when she found the first child, a baby girl, who was lying helpless and abandoned amongst the trash.

“Watching her grow and become stronger gave us such happiness and I realized I had a real love of caring for children …

These children need love and care. They are all precious human lives. I do not understand how people can leave such a vulnerable baby on the streets. I realized if we had strength enough

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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 AU G U ST 2 0

Rotary Club of Historic FIlipinotown Join the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown as they have a special guest speaker Captain Donald R. Graham Jr., Commanding Officer in the Central Patrol Division, on August 20th at the Los Angeles Police Department.

AU G U ST 2 0 -22

MSEUF Alumni Homecoming Reunion Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation of Lucena City, Philippines to be hosted by MSEUF Alumni Association of California. Announcement to all MSEUF (formerly known as Luzonian University Foundation) Alumni of our Grand Reunion to be held on August 20-22, 2015 at the Gold Coast Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada (4000 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas). Tickets are $80.00/person, including Bowling and the reunion Dinner/ Dance. For additional information and inquiries, please contact the following: Nonato Palomar (818) 209-6881 nonatop@sbcglobal.net; Mercy G. Bruno (310) 686-1421 mercygbruno@ gmail.com; Malou Almadrones (213) 531-7824 marylou616@yahoo.com; and Butch Villarama (916) 600-8472 r.villaram@comcast.net.

AU G U ST 2 1 -23

30th Northridge Invitational Tournament (NIT) California State University Northridge (CSUN)’s Filipino American Student Association is set to host their annual 30th Northridge Invitational Tournament (NIT), one of the most competitive Filipino American sports tournaments in Southern California from August 21-23 at CSUN campus, with over sixty teams and 700 athletes in attendance. The 3-day summer sports tournament will include basketball, volleyball, softball, football, and bowling. Players include high school varsity, junior college, NCAA & NAIA Division 1-3, and some professional players. For more information on participating in or sponsoring NIT, please visit www.csunfasanit.com. Registration payments are due by Friday, August 14. For any questions, please email us at fasa.nit@gmail.com or call the Tournament Director CJ Berina at (818) 458-7446.

You can also follow FASA NIT on Twitter @FASANIT2015.

AU G U ST 23

PWUAASC Casino Turn-Around Fundraiser The Philippine Women’s University Alumni Association of Southern California appeals to alumni, family and friends to help in its humanitarian mission with a casino turn-around fundraiser at Harrah’s on Sunday, August 23. First pick up is at 8 am at 1512 E. Amar Rd., West Covina, CA 91792. Bus departs at 8:15 am; please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to departure. Second pick-up is at 8:45 am at 7511 Orangethorpe Ave., Buena Park, CA 99621.

Bus leaves at 9 am with a return from the casino at 3 pm. Donation is $20, which includes bus ride and continental breakfast, and a chance to help PWUAASC’s projects like the annual distribution of hygienic packages for homeless men at Skid Row; backpacks for children at Harbor UCLA Medical Center; and donation to American Red Cross for survivors and victims of natural disasters. To sign up, please contact Virginia B. Vivas (714) 397-2976; Puring Worrell (310) 999-9574; Vicky Soong (626) 272-0465, Tessie N. Lightholder (909) 465-5919, or email Marigene Strouse GENIE1705@aol.com.

AU G U ST 29

UPAAGLA Induction Dinner-Dance All U.P. Graduates, family and friends are invited to attend The Induction Dinner Dance of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA) on August 29, 2015 at 6pm at the Glendale Embassy Suites (800 Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91203). This event shall benefit the Scholarship Fund of UPAAGLA. Tickets are $75 inclusive of dinner. For ticket and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Arnel Joaquin (213) 880-3305 / arnelj@gmail.com, or Dick Cu (562) 547-0560, or visit www.upaagla.org.

SEPTEMBER 4

National Council of Philippine American & Canadian Accountants 2015 Charity Golf Tournament Where: Penderbrook Golf Club, 3700 Golf Trail Lane, Fairfax, VA 22033 When: September 4, 2015; 8am-2pm Please contact: Jaena Hermosilla Valles 718-275-1422; jvalles@vallesvendiola.com or Bobby Tamayo 703-615-9451; rgtamayo@verizon.net Visit www.ncpacafoundation.com for more details.

Saulog Celebration: A Night of Serenade Cebuanos Engaging in Building Unity, Inc. (CEBU INC.) will be hosting a Saulog Celebration: “A Night of Serenade” on Friday, September 4th, at St. Rebastian Roman Catholic Church (5802 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, NY 11377). The show will present the Cebu Clergy Performing Artists, and feature: the 2015 NYC Philippines Independence Day Parade Grand Prize Winner - C.E.B.U. INC. Sinulog Dancers. The show will start at 8:00pm on Friday. Please contact CEBU INC. for more details.

SEPTEMBER 4-6

National Council of Philippine American & Canadian Accountants 2015 Convention Where: JW Marriott 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20004 When: September 4-6, 2015; from 8am-5pm Please contact: Jaena Hermosilla Valles 718-275-1422; jvalles@vallesvendiola.com or Bobby Tamayo 703-615-9451; rgtamayo@verizon.net Visit www.ncpacafoundation.com for more details.

S E P T E M B E R 4 -7

Ramon Magsaysay/Cubao High School 2015 Reunion in Las Vegas Calling all Cubao High School/Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School graduates and alumni! Come out and join the 2015 Get-Together of our Alma Mater from Friday, September 4 to Monday, September 7 at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (4000 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103). A special Dinner/Dance is scheduled on Saturday, September 5. To our Alumni now residing in Canada, the US, and other parts of the world, all are invited to share this special weekend event with their fellow graduates and classmates in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, please call Jay Medina at (310) 967-9517 or Boots Doria at (925) 330-8081.

SEPTEMBER 5

Filipino Association of Leisure World Dinner-Dance The Filipino Association of Leisure World will hold their dinner-dance at the Leisure World Hall on Saturday, September 5th. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For further information, please call Ren Villanueva at (323) 854-6209.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 -26

CELEBRATE LOCAL with San Diego Restaurant Week!

This September, San Diego Restaurant Week, presented by Lexus Dealerships of San Diego, will CELEBRATE LOCAL... keepin’ it fresh - really fresh. San Diego Restaurant week returns September 20th - September 26th for ONE WEEK ONLY to “Celebrate Local” at all 180+ participating restaurants. Choose from a three-course dinner or two-course lunch deal to satisfy your cravings. NEW THIS YEAR, San Diego Restaurant Week will be partnering with Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank to provide backpacks for children in need within the San Diego community during the ALL FOR KIDS campaign. Ditch the dirty dishes and join over 150,000 fellow diners as we celebrate San Diego’s thriving culinary scene and the homegrown, local businesses that provide us with the produce and products we love! Tickets are not necessary for this delectable week of discounted dining, but reservations are recommended! Visit SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com for more information, including a list of participating restaurants, or to make your reservations in advance!

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

Community Journal

B AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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

How can INA section 245(i) benefit you?

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes CERTAiN aliens are barred from adjusting to legal permanent residents by virtue of having entered the United States under the following conditions: • Entering the US as an alien crewman (C-1 visa/ jumpship) • Accepting unauthorized employment • Entering the US without inspection (No i-94 or crossing the border without a visa) • Remaining in the US past the expiration of their status

(overstays) • Status/ Visa violations • Admitted in the US in transit without a visa • Admitted in the US as a non immigrant visitor without a visa These bars will prevent an alien from getting their green card inside the US even if they are eligible to receive a green card through a Petition that is current. Aliens that with the above issues who try to adjust may encounter problems with the USCiS. iNA section 245(i) waives these inadmissibility grounds for aliens that are grandfathered (covered) by iNA section 245(i).

How does someone get grandfathered by section 245(i)? An alien is grandfathered if the alien is a beneficiary of a quali-

ter acquired dependents may adjust under 245(i) but are not independently grandfathered. fying petition filed prior to April After acquired dependents must 30, 2001 and the principal ben- adjust pursuant to the original eficiary was physically pres- qualifying petition that grandent in the US on 12/21/2000. fathered them under section For petitions filed on or before 245(i). if an alien is covered 1/14/1998, no physical presence by section 245(i), the alien can in the US is required. Qualify- adjust to a legal permanent resiing petitions are i-130s, i-140s, dent by paying a $1,000 penalty some i-360s and i-526s, labor and submitting evidence that certification applications, that the alien was a beneficiary of a are filed and approvable when qualifying petition.

Being covered by section filed. in addition, under Matter of Jara RiERO and Jara ESPiNO 245(i) makes a lot of differL, 24 i&N Dec. 267(BiA 2007), ence for aliens who lost their the applicant must demonstrate i-94. it is a common situation bona fide marriage for i-130 for aliens not to have their i-94 and passports if they entered filed based on marriage.

Derivative beneficiaries that the US many years ago. Someexisted at the time the qualify- times, the i-94 and old passport ing petition was filed are inde- are lost through the years when pendently grandfathered under the alien move from one resisection 245(i). They may adjust dence to another. The problem under a separate petition. Af- with this is the alien might have

Two women, a boy and the...

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to collect garbage how could we not recycle something as important as human lives?”

Since 1978, the Chinese communist government has enforced, with few exceptions, its one-child policy. Families are prevented from having more than one child under pain of penalty. Those who abide by the rule are given bonuses and incentives. Boys are preferred in Chinese culture so that couples who want a son feel compelled to throw away infant girls. it is claimed that the policy prevented the birth of 400 million babies.

Lou’s life story bears resem-

blance to the story of the little boy and the jellyfish.

There was once a little boy walking on the beach. He noticed that as the tide receded, there were thousands of jellyfish being washed up and lay stranded helpless on the shore.

He picked them up one by one and began tossing each jellyfish back into the water, into the sea where they can survive and live.

A man also walking along the shore watched the boy in utter disbelief. To him, the boy was trying to do the impossible.

Shaking his head, the man approached the boy and asked,

“Hey, kid, what do you think you’re doing? You can never make a difference. There are thousands of jellyfish. You’ll only save a few of them.”

The boy looked at him nonplussed, shrugged his shoulders and went back to throwing one more jellyfish back to the water, and told him, “Made a difference to that one …”

Each precious human life saved certainly made a difference to that one life. ***

Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Two seniors rely on Chapter 13 to...

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chance of living to 84. Maybe i’ll still be around at that time, looking 45 again. A rising tide lifts all boats. Doesn’t it make sense to get rid of all your credit card debts now that you are in your fifties or sixties so that by the time you hit seventy or eighty, your credit will be very good again, in fact perfect without any evidence of your previous filing after 10 years, so you can you use that perfect credit to buy your much needed stem cells at that time?

You want to become young again, don’t you? Don’t forget the Bible says that our God, El Shaddai, made man to live 120 years. And our loving God, Adonai, does not lie. So if you are sixty now, ten years from now, with stem cells, you’ll have another sixty years to

live a healthy life with God’s (El Elohim) blessings and as God, Yahweh, intended. “And the Lord said,” My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

(Genesis 6:3). This can only mean that even with stem cells, we will not live more than 120 years. But it does mean, with stem cells, we can live to 120 years. Am i right?

God, Jehovah, wants us to live a long and productive life. We’re the ones who want to live like there’s no tomorrow so we burn the candles from both ends. And He said 120 years is how long we will live on this earth. Stem cells will make us live longer, but not more than 120. if you want to get rid of your debts without losing your hard

earned assets and get a head start to live up to 120, call my office to set an appointment. i will analyze your case personally.

“Give your entire attention to what god is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Mathhew 6:34

*** 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) 2841142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

problem proving inspection into the United States specially if the alien is unable to obtain a replacement i-94 or present other proof of inspection such as the immigration admission stamp or a copy of the visa.

Another common situation are crew men under a C-1 visa that were inspected but admitted as “in transit.” Many of these crew men never make it to their final destination. The crew men instead decides to remain in the United States. What they do not realize is that they cannot adjust to legal permanent residence even if they end up marrying a US Citizen. However if they are grandfathered by section 245(i) such as if their parents were petitioned when they were minors, the crew men will be able to adjust inside the United States and get their green card by paying a $1,000 penalty and presenting

evidence of the qualifying petition. *** 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 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) 3881611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

***

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.

(Advertising Supplement)

People and Events Youth graduate from Filipino Cultural School summer program

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

NEARLY 120 youth on Saturday, Aug. 15, showcased their knowledge of Filipino dance, music, language, history and lifestyle during Filipino Cultural School’s (FCS) summer school graduation ceremony.

At St. Bernard Parish Hall in Bellflower, California, youth from ages 5 through 18 took the stage and sung Filipino songs “Tanging Yaman,” “Ako Ay May Lobo,” “Kay Liit Lang ng Mundo,” and the national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang.” They also performed traditional dances including Sakuting and Lapay Bantigue.

Saturday’s graduation follows the 50th anniversary celebration for the organization, which is dedicated to helping youth learn about their Filipino heritage. in the last three years, demand for the FCS summer school program has consistently increased. in 2013, FCS saw about 60 to 65 students; in 2014 there were 98; this year, the number of enrollees exceeded the board’s expectation of enrolling 100 youth.

“The quality of the program says a lot,” said outgoing FCS CoPresident Czarina De Jesus, who is also a former student and teacher of the program. “The parents post about it, they tell people about it because they love it that much.”

Students this year hailed not only from the surrounding South Bay area, but as far as irvine and

About 120 youth on Saturday, Aug. 15, graduated from the Filipino Cultural School (FCS) summer program. Students showcased their knowledge of Filipino culture through dance and song during the ceremony, held at St. Bernard Parish Hall in Bellflower, California.

AJPress photo by Agnes Constante

the San Fernando Valley. “in general, a cultural program for Filipinos is really rare, so when parents hear about it, they want to come and put their [kids] through it because it’s not a common thing to see,” De Jesus added.

Positive feedback from parents Among parents who spoke highly of the school is Karen Rapacon, a second-generation Filipino American whose two children participated this year. “i think because i was educated so much with Filipino culture, for some reason i thought i was teaching them, and i didn’t realize how much i wasn’t until they went to Filipino Cultural School,” she said. “i was teaching them very surface level [things like language

and food] and this is giving them more of a sense of Filipino culture rather than just [those things]. And [FCS] was so much more and i really appreciated that,” she added.

Having been raised in a household with first-generation Filipino parents, Rapacon said that’s how she and her Filipino friends were exposed to the culture.

“With us, we actually have to think about how we’re sharing it with [our kids]. i have to consciously think how i can immerse them in the culture because with my parents, that was it. That was how it was in the house,” she said.

After going through the Filipino Cultural School summer program, Rapacon said her children have begun using more Tagalog words

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Artist Lynda A. N. Reyes at the LAMAG Exhibit in Barnsdall Park LA based artist Lynda A. N. Reyes is currently showing her oil painting titled “Aiming High….” at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) at Barnsdall Park on Hollywood Boulevard until September 20, 2015.

A much anticipated event, the 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition is a the creative spirit of Los Angeles.

The panel of experts, that juried the show are art critic and curator Peter Frank, art professor & internationally-renowned artist, Fatemeh Burnes and Tomas Benitez, former executive director of Self-Help Graphics. Over 850 works of art done by artists from all over Southern California were received and over 80 talented Southern California-based artists were chosen for the show.

The exhibit features a variety of media that includes video art, sculpture, photography, printmaking, painting, digital arts and installations.

Lynda’s featured painting “Aiming High…” was meant to be a metaphor. She tells her viewers “Aim high. There are

“Aiming High...,” a 30”x40” oil painting on canvas by Lynda A. N. Reyes is currently on view at the LA Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) at Barnsdall Park on Hollywood Boulevard until Sept.

20, 2015. Through the painting, she tells her viewers to: “Aim high. There are more seats to occupy. Soar and explore. You will eventually find that special seat in life that only you should occupy. Move on. Aim higher.”

more seats to occupy. Soar and explore. You will eventually find that special seat in life that only you should occupy. Move on.

Aim higher.” Lynda’s paintings are highly representational and

yet they invite the viewers to ponder. Her paintings speak to all who see it. She says, “The subjects of my paintings ‘reach’ out of the 2- dimensional plane

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YOUTH PROGRAM. Members of Filipino Migrant Center’s Sama Sama summer youth program on Saturday, Aug. 15, held its third annual Pilipino Cultural Night, Lakas Ng Pagkakaisa (Strength in Unity). The program featured skits, traditional dances and multimedia presentations performed and produced by Long Beach and Carson high school youth.

AJPress photo by Agnes Constante

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PeoPle & events

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Artist Lynda A. N. Reyes at... Youth graduate from Filipino Cultural School...

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to make contact with the viewers. I aspire to create representational imagery that triggers a lasting smile, a longing to look and find a positive view of our world and of the people living in it. Through my art, I want to interact with my viewers and to share with them what I have experienced. When the viewers participate, only then can I say my painting is done! I believe that the appreciation of art is a very personal response to creative work and that as an artist I strive to engender this response in my viewers. My hands, mind and heart all work in unison to spark the awe the viewers experience in their initial encounter with any of my artworks”. She paints portraits, landscapes and inanimate objects in both watercolor and oil.

Lynda is a professional artist and maintains her studio and gallery in Glendale, California.

The pursuit of fine arts has been Lynda’s life-long aspiration. She is also an art historian, an author and educator. She has participated in five museum exhibits since 2012. Her paintings have been featured in different national

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and international shows in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Montana, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado, New York, California (San Francisco, Berkeley, Salinas, Brea in Orange County, Monrovia, Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Glendale) and in Canada. Just recently, another oil painting titled “Peace in An American Beach” was exhibited at the Schomberg Gallery at the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica.

LAMAG, the City’s flagship gallery and the country’s last remaining municipal art gallery managed by the Department of Cultural Affairs is a 10,000 square foot gallery that has been central to the growth of Los Angeles as an international art capital. Since its founding in 1954, LAMAG has showcased the works of emerging, mid-career, and established artists from the region, the country, and the world. It has presented group shows that tap into contemporary art movements, issues, and ideas relevant to LA’s diverse cultural communities.

For more information, please visit: www.lamag.org, www.

Lyndaanreyes.com, or email lyndaanreyes@gmail.com. n

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are not full Filipino are often times seeking to learn about what it means to be Filipino.

“Some of them might already be going to a whole year Korean school or whole year Japanese school, so it’s something amazing that they can explore both sides of their identities and both sides of their family,” he said.

De Jesus added that she finds it important to have part-Filipino students, as it is the direction in which the generation is headed.

“We’re not always going to have full blood forever and even though they’re not full Filipino, they identify as Filipino and they come out here and want to learn about that. I think that’s great,” she said.

Among part-Filipino children involved in FCS are those of Rapacon, who are half-Chinese.

The program has helped them learn about their Filipino heriFCS Co-Presidents Czarina De Jesus and Paolo Roca call out tage and she said her the names of each student in the summer program’s 2015 oldest son, a 9-yeargraduating class.

AJPress photo by Agnes Constante old, has expressed

such enthusiasm for FCS that he hopes to become a teacher for the organization someday.

Rapacon and her husband Darron Young said they plan to keep their children in FCS as long as they’d like.

Leadership awards After their kids went through the summer school in 2014, the couple developed an appreciation for it that led them to create an award to recognize leadership in the community.

“We really appreciated the program last year and wanted to give back for this year’s program. We really appreciate the leadership that the whole directors provide and we wanted to reward students who stepped up to do something similar,” Young said.

The couple created a prompt regarding young leaders’ vision for FCS outside of what they learned in the summer. Along with other directors, Young and Rapacon selected two recipients – a volunteer (De Jesus) and a student from Group C (Inah Mangahas).

Goals for FCS As FCS looks ahead to next year, Roca said members of the organization will be working toward obtaining its status as a non-

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and talking about the history of the Philippines.

More part-Filipinos enroll in FCS In addition to a rise in the number of enrollees for its summer school, another trend FCS has seen is more part-Filipinos in the program.

Paolo Roca, who served as FCS co-president this year and will lead the organization as president next year, said the increase in second and third generation Fil-Ams who

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profit status. And while its main programming occurs in the summer, another goal is for FCS to be more active throughout the year.

Among events it hopes to participate in and host include the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, Filipino-American History Month celebrations, Christmas parties and caroling. Roca said he hopes these will help support the organization in the summer.

FCS graduations, Roca said, demonstrate that Filipino culture is staying alive in America. “[It] is our duty to make sure that we preserve it and at the same time address what it means to be Filipino in America. [Yes], we are preserving our culture, but at the same time we have to talk about what our current situation is.

FCS provides the students and [volunteers] a space to talk about the past, the history of our people back home in the Philippines and here in the US, and also the present: what does it mean to be a Filipino in America, what’s happening in the Philippines right now. Learning about the past and the present situation of our community prepares us more to better understand ourselves and plan for the future,” he said.

B AUGUST 19-21, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

NextDayBetter x LA: Entrepreneurs, chefs & foodies show promise of Filipino food

By Christina

There is perhaps no better unifier than food.

Case in point: a recent Saturday night when nearly 300 individuals flocked to The Well in Downtown Los Angeles to talk about food. And of course, to eat.

From the venue to the food vendors to the speakers, it was organized as an “LA-specific event,” according to NextDayBetter LA’s lead city curator Diane Romualdez.

That specificity underscores NextDayBetter’s strength of uniting diaspora communities and spurring a call to action that is relevant and tailored for a particular city.Already this year, the creative speaker and food series — in partnership with sponsors like Mailchimp — has held similar events in San Francisco, Orlando and Toronto, with Washington DC, New York, London and Manila on the lineup in coming months. Around the world, these events are creating platforms to discussliterally how to make the next day better.

“Many people left the event learning a lot and feeling

inspired from personal stories and entrepreneurial spirits that were shared. Location and the event experience [were] important for the curator team, we wanted to elevate it across the board through partnering with The Well and involving named food purveyors. The end result exceeded our expectations and proved that taking the time to understand the needs of our community and taking a few risks go a long way,” Romualdez said.

With the population of Filipinos in Southern California, it’s continually a surprise that Filipino cuisine hasn’t permeated the fine dining scene, as it has (or has begun to, depending on whom you ask) in other cities. Given that void, the LA curation team — composed of Romualdez, JP Capulong, Krizia Medenilla, Krystal Menez and Mike Tinio — was motivated to organize an event that spoke to that question on everyone’s minds, featuring ‘tastemakers’ who have each had their fair share of experiences in the culinary industry.

“When it came for us to

Ice cream samples from soon to be open Wanderlust Creamery

M. Oriel/aJPress

Special DJ Guest - Samantha Duenas aka SOSUPERSAM

decide on a theme for this [event], it really was a unanimous decision to talk about and highlight the Filipino tastemakers right here in our backyard that are making waves in the Filipino foodie scene.

With so many Filipinos living in Southern California, we’re always asking ourselves, why hasn’t Filipino food gotten the attention that Thai, Japanese, and Korean [food] have?,” Medenilla said.

How sustainable agriculture can make the next day better For Justin Garrido, one of the night’s keynote speakers, doing an MBA exchange program in the Philippines was a “life-changing experience” that exposed him not only to the immense poverty, but also to come up withviable solutions to ameliorate the problem.

From there, he and a classmate launched SocialProject.PH, a crowdfunding website featuring projects that deal with social issues and environmental challenges in the Philippines.

However, while traveling around the country, he visited farming communities and realized that farmers themselves could

Krizia Medenilla, Diane Romualdez, Samantha Duenas, Mike Tinio, and Krystal Menez Photo Credit: Brian Trinidad + pisforprops

solve eradicating poverty, which, according to Garrido, is a more sustainable and grassroots way to make an impact. “…I realized that the true potential of the Philippines wasn’t in crowdfunding and what we’re doing by tapping the Filipino diaspora through remittances,” he said during his speech. “But it was in the food, the land and agriculture.”

Last year, Garrido and his cousin Kris founded Social Products, a social enterprise that sources black rice from farmers in Little Ongpin Pancit and Leelin Bakery and Cafe Empanadas Mindanao. Earlier this spring, the product reached the shelves of specialty health food stores across Southern California, and has been used in dishes prepared by local chefs at LASA and Rice Bar. “[A] key catalyst within that value chain is the social enterprise that has the business skills to take their products and services to market but also has a heart for the farmers wherein [there’s] shared wealth and inclusive growth — basically it’s what we do and why we exist is to empower Filipino farmers by Continued on Page 3 The Park’s Finest sampling its pulled pork and Ann’s cornbread bibingka

NextDayBetter x LA: Tastemakers share...

From Page 2 connecting them to markets, and specifically importing their rice to the US organic food industry,” Garrido said.

In return, 5 percent of Social Products’ profits go back to technical training for the farmers. Now that the company has received organic certification from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it is looking to target larger organic market chains and introduce more products (i.e. a medley of black, red and brown rices), as well as cultivating other resources like turmeric, ube and cacao.

After the program, Social Products sampled its black rice with various toppings, such as pieces of bangus. In addition to helping out the livelihood of farmers, the company shows that the Philippines is home to many superfoods; a spoonful of black rice alone packs in more antioxidants than a bowl of blueberries.

On just doing it and following your dreams If there’s anything that LAnative Alvin Cailan — owner and chef at Eggslut and Ramen Champ, two wildly popular and successful eateries in Downtown LA?— can draw from his experiences, it’s going ahead with his passion and not letting detractors stand in the way.

“The key to my success and the key to believing and making dreams happen is: just doing it,” he said.

His rise as a chef began when his father taught him how to cook eggs at a young age.

“So what did I learn how to cook? I learned how to cook eggs like everyone else…I think everyone can relate: waking up in the morning and smelling spam, eggs, vienna sausage, and longganisa,” he told the audience.

“It’s a natural progression.”

He went on to work as a dishwasher at 15 years old, “where cooking professionally really started” for him. When it came time to go to college, however, Cailan studied business and got his first post-grad job with a construction company.

“All I could think of every day was, ‘what am I going to cook for

dinner?’” Cailan said.

One day, he packed up and just drove to Portland to attend culinary school. “…I made it work because I really, really wanted it. Determination is key. Making the first step is one thing but actually pulling through and doing it is the biggest thing,” he continued, adding that he knocked on the doors of every major restaurant in Portland in search for a job with no luck.

When he finally found a paying gig, the restaurant flopped six months later, prompting another move down the coast to Yountville and Napa, where some of the country’s best and Michelinstarred restaurants are located.

Bouchon offered him a job, but he declined and moved back to LA where he made rounds at “pinky up” restaurants.

“I go, I eat a breakfast sandwich and I’m like ‘this sandwich sucks’ and at the time, in LA, everyone didn’t eat breakfast…so I thought I had something there: I could make a damn good sandwich. I’ve been doing fine dining, why not make a sandwich? Then I realized, man, I’m broke,” Calian said. He sold his car and bought a food truck, which was timely as the city’s food truck craze was peaking. Naming the truck ‘Eggslut,’ Cailan had three menu options — all made with eggs — and parked in front of Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake.

“If people buy $7 coffee, they’re going to buy $6 breakfast sandwiches. They did, but the thing is the other business owners and restaurants on that street complained so I had to move and that was the biggest hit. Three months rolled by and I was making like $50 a day. I was running the truck myself…I would wake up at 4 in the morning from Compton and drove it down to West Hollywood myself. Back then, it was just yell 1, 2 or 3 because I [was] the cashier, cook and everything else,” he said.

Then, one “miraculous” morning Ruth Reichl (famed food critic and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine) stumbled upon the truck and ordered the coddled egg atop potato puree.

LASA’s hamachi kinilaw with salt & vinegar taro chips

“I’m looking out the window and she digs in and eats it. Boom, you just see it. I’m like I…crushed this,” Cailan said, recalling that feeding one of the most influential food writers led to an uptick in social media followers and attention from other writers. “I owe it to her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gotten to shine.

She gave me a chance…Next thing you know, every food blog and writer [was] hitting me up.”

Today, Eggslut is a fixture at Grand Central Market, where lines can span anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. (One of the night’s raffle items was a front of the line ticket — the modern day version of the Golden Ticket.) “[W]hat I love about our generation of Filipinos [is that] we actually put in work. We go in there and don’t take no for an answer and that’s why we’re here today, right?,” he said.

Why Filipino food can finally have its moment In what Samantha Duenas aka DJ SOSUPERSAM called a “state of the union” of Filipino cuisine, a group of food-minded individuals agreed that bringing together the Filipino-American community can propel the food to a mainstream level similar to some of its Asian neighbors.

On the panel was: Charles Olalia, former executive chef of Patina who started his own popup series called Apostrophe and is now chef/partner at Ricebar in Downtown; Kristine de la Cruz, owner of Créme Caramel, an LA-based custard & confection

features

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

Tamales from Let’s Eat It All U

dessert shop specializing in traditional baking recipes with Filipino ingredients; brothers Chad and Chase Valencia who run the much sought after, monthly pop-up series LASA Restaurant; Kathleen Reyes, paleo gourmand and blogger of TheCavery.com.

The conversation fully engaged the audience, touching upon subjects like the authenticity of Filipino food, how to make it healthy and why 2015 is the right time. Here are a few soundbites: “One night it hit me for the 50th time…it was pasta and not pancit. I had to make a decision.

It took a while but at that point, it was about eight years of cooking, I think I was ready to try at least, whether I knew we were going to succeed or not,” said Chad, who had been been working at neighborhood spots like Canele and Sqirl in Los Angeles and Contigo in San Francisco.

Olalia, who has 12 years of experience working at the French Laundry, Patina and Terranea Resort, shared how he began his Filipino pop-up series earlier this year.

“The reason I started cooking back then was to bring people together — to be the very reason of why people had a good time.

Through the years, it got lost in techniques, ranks and working up the ladder. I wanted to cook Filipino food. This is what I missed the most. So I came back here [to LA] in February and did a Filipino pop-up and I got in trouble with my job and you can’t do that. At the time, I had a specific clause

Chicken crostini with kale salad & lemon parmesan vinaigrette (left); mango mousse with cilantro chantilly and crispy rice (right) prepared by Charles Olalia of A’postrophe

that I couldn’t do anything outside of my restaurant,” he said.

How Filipino food can resonate with customers “When we first started the business, it started with my family’s leche flan and my aunt and uncle adapted it, so it [had] Filipino taste and French texture.

But we didn’t even start doing the Filipino ingredients until a year into it when we participated in FPAC…From there, it just shows us how much community really stems from your heritage… the ube and buko pandan were the two flavors we did because that was what we were familiar with. When we introduced it to our menu at the farmers’ market, people were asking, ‘what’s that purple thing?’ I would say ube but they hear blueberry…

Because we sample a lot it gives people the opportunity to try it without feeling they have to buy it to experience it. I think with Filipino food, the exposure through other types of preparation is

giving people the opportunity to try it in different ways,” said de la Cruz.

“Through the three years I’ve been blogging, I’ve been seeing patterns of Filipino food in social media, so the presence of Filipino food has greatly populated social media lately and I think that’s been feeding the Filipino food movement…” Reyes shared.

Striking a balance between authenticity and being unique For the Valencia brothers at LASA, which boasts California cuisine influenced by Filipino components, looking at the building blocks of Filipino cuisine has guided their menu decisions.

“With LASA, we always considered the flavor profiles and the foundation of flavors of Filipino food…For us, we’re always trying to find ways to respect that without trying to take away from that aspect of Filipino food.

For instance, we would create dishes such as the adobo braised Continued on Page 5

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features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

How PH lost its FIBA bid

by Joaquin

Henson Philstar.com

TOKYO, Japan—The premise was FIBA would recognize the Philippines’ unbridled love for basketball and transcend the paradigm of tradition to award the hosting rights of the 2019 FIBA World Cup to the country with more heart, not necessarily more resources. And so the Philippines went head to head against China in a battle of David and Goliath, hoping and praying that FIBA would bless the bidder with an authentic, uncontrived passion for the game.

SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan was behind the Philippines’ bold bid to pull the rug from under China, the heavy favorite to claim the majority of the FIBA Central Board’s votes.

It was a year ago when the Philippines signified interest to host the World Cup. Germany, France, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Venezuela, Turkey, Qatar and China also threw their hat in the derby.

WINNER IN PNBRCI’S MAGPADALA MAGPALIPAD PROMO. Seen in the Photo from left to right Is Junne Juan, VP for Sales for PNBRCI in Northern California After Europe hosted the last handing the travel certificate to Federico Mendoza, one of the winners of the PNBRCI Sacramento Branch. Gina, Federico’s wife came along to witness the two World Cups, FIBA decided event. to bring it back to Asia. In 17 previous stagings, Asia has hosted only twice — in Manila in 1978 and Saitama in 2006.

China and the Philippines were picked as the finalists for the 2019 event. Initially, FIBA schedremit through via PNBRCI as tourist in one’s homeland. It’s EUREKA INDEED! He’s got uled the showdown of presentawell. Federico even showed it. Federico Mendoza of Eureka, true what they say. It really is tions in Geneva in June. It was his certificate to his Caltrans more fun in the Philippines.

California won a round-trip reset to Tokyo in August. FIBA co-workers.

“I have had a good experiticket to the Philippines via secretary-general Patrick BauThe promo is part of PNB ence with PNBRCI Sacramento Philippine Airlines including 2 mann, who was in Kuala Lumpur Global Remit’s efforts. PNBRCI to head the Lausanne bid to round-trip tickets to select Phil- with their good and faster serin the US, makes remitting vice”, Mr. Mendoza said. The ippine domestic destinations. host the 2020 Winter Youth money a bit more fun and excit- Olympics a week before, said loyalty runs deep in the family Mendoza, a long time eming. This is also the company’s on both sides of the globe. He ployee of Caltrans in Northern moving it from Geneva to Tokyo way of thanking its loyal pasays their relatives back home California could hardly believe would be more convenient for are also long time PNB custom- trons in every part of the globe delegations from China and the his ears when he received a who have used the services of call from PNBRCI’s Sacramento ers.

Philippines to attend with less Federico who took a day off the company through the years. travel mileage.

Branch. He said excitedly, It is also PNB’s way of reinforcfrom his Caltrans job, brought “Now I can take my vacation FIBA instructed both bidders ing the emotional ties that bind to submit their candidature files along his wife, Gina who is to the Philippines! It’s been 5 equally excited, to the PNBRCI expatriates and their loved years.” months before D-Day. China Sacramento Branch to claim the ones by making it possible for To support loved ones and the Philippines were resome very lucky winners to travel certificate from Junne back home, the Mendozas quired to detail what they had in come home for free and enjoy have been remitting money to Juan, VP of PNBRCI Sales for mind in staging the World Cup the warmth and comfort of the Northern California. them via the PNBRCI Sacrawith the minimum bid at eight homeland.

The couple, who both hail mento Branch since 2001. million euros or the equivalent So why remit your valuable Their generosity and loyalty to from Dagupan City in Pangaof about P470 million. With the dollars using any other comsinan, was so overjoyed that PNBRCI have paid off having paperwork signed, sealed and pany? PNBRCI offers a relation- delivered, the next step was to won one of the coveted prizes Gina, posted a photo of the ship that is mutually rewarding. show up in Tokyo. FIBA artravel certificate on Facebook in the industry worldwide. *Advertising Supplement ranged for live streaming of the After all, it is a chance to play encouraging her friends to

PNB announces another Magpadala Magpalipad Promo winner

SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan (center) with Rep. Manny Pacquiao and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Philstar.com photo

so-called bidding event where both countries made audio-visual presentations from 4 to 5 p.m. to justify their tenders last Aug. 7. After the presentations, each country was represented by a panel that was subjected to a question-and-answer grilling by the board. By 6:30 p.m., FIBA promised a decision.

Realizing China would flaunt its economic wealth and influence in its audio-visual, the Philippines attempted to take the fight to a higher level. Pangilinan himself set the tone of the presentation with his opening remarks. The idea was to appeal to the board’s heart by conjuring a vision of delivering a flawless World Cup with the unique attraction of assembling the greatest, most connected basketball fans on the planet in an unmanufactured environment. Moreover, the Philippine bid had a social component by focusing on youth engagement.

To deliver the Philippines’ message, Pangilinan assembled a team made up of TV5 sports head Chot Reyes, former Gilas skipper and Fil-Am celebrity Lou Diamond Phillips. The presentation was a knockout and if only production was the basis of deciding the bid, the Philippines would’ve won hands down.

As expected, China’s audiovisual was all about brass tacks.

With a bigger 32-nation World Cup ahead, China developed the theme “More Than Ever,” which highlighted the country’s vast resources and a population of 1.3 billion. The presentation was a statement of capability

based on global connections and modern transportation.

China promised to employ eight venues in different cities with each location boasting a capacity of 100,000 five-star hotel rooms. The Philippines could offer only two acceptable venues with a third to be renovated and a fourth to be constructed.

When the board took the battle to the ground and out of the air, the die was cast.

There was no way the Philippines could even come close to China’s bid. The Philippines bid 12 million euros and added another two million euros as a performance bond, all guaranteed

by Deutsche Bank. China’s bid was at least thrice more and the estimate was between 32 and 35 million euros. The contrast in infrastructure development was just as one-sided.

The decision didn’t come at 6:30pm as first announced.

It was delayed to 7 p.m. then pushed up to 7:15pm. The two postponements meant prolonged deliberations before the vote. The final count, however, wasn’t close.

China won, 14-7.

“I accept our defeat,” said Pangilinan. “We can’t change the decision, let’s just move on.” He said that hopefully, the Philippines’ show of sportsmanship and spirit would cement a long-term relationship with FIBA. Phillips said there was nothing to be ashamed of because the Philippines fought a good fight. He agreed to pitch for the Philippines without Continued on Page 5

entertainment 5 David Foster: I still believe in Charice NextDayBetter x LA: Tastemakers...

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

KUALA LUMPUR—Finding and developing a potential Asian superstar has long been on the bucket list of the acclaimed musician-record producer David Foster.

He thought he came “very close” to fulfilling it a couple of years ago with Charice, until a slew of personal problems thwarted the then teenage sensation’s promising career.

It’s no big secret, Foster said, that Charice—who came out as a lesbian two years ago—is “with a woman and not a man.” He already knew that the young singer was struggling with her sexual orientation while they were on tour in 2009, and watching it, the composer related, was “painful.”

“I really felt bad for her that she was struggling with an issue that shouldn’t be an issue…

We’ve seen it with the likes of Caitlyn Jenner coming out,” he told Southeast Asian journalists at his recent launch here, as AirAsia’s new global ambassador.

But despite everything, he remains a staunch admirer of Charice’s exceptional talent. And as she tries to get right back on track, Foster said he hoped to be there and help her goddaughter.

Overcoming issues “Charice has been coming into terms with herself, overcoming her issues. And when she does, we will hit it with her again.

Because I believe in her,” said Foster, who took the now 22-yearold music artist under his wings and produced her self-titled international album that was released in 2010.

After losing communication about four years ago, the two reunited last April to tape a song number that was aired in the finals of the recently concluded first season of “Asia’s Got Talent,” in which Foster served as a judge.

It’s in the same show that he met yet another Filipino singer he has taken interest in: Gerphil Flores.

“She was amazing, like a flower who just blossomed,” he said of the 24-year-old classical

David Foster and Charice

crossover singer, who captured the hearts of fans all over with her stunning rendition of “The Impossible Dream.”

Both Charice and Flores are set to share the stage with Foster in the Manila stop of “The Hitman: David Foster and Friends” Asian concert tour on Aug. 18 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Also in the lineup are Boyz II Men, Natalie Cole, Ruben Studdard and Mark Mabasa.

As the face of AirAsia, Foster will promote the low-cost airline’s premium product range, which includes the Premium Flex service and the Premium Flatbed Seats.

If there’s anything that comes close to his love for music, it’s his fascination with aircraft.

‘Airplane freak’ “I’ve loved music and aviation all my life. I’m an airplane freak; I can name the models of planes currently being used right now, whether private or commercial!” said Foster, who’s a longtime friend of Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group chief executive officer and former Warner Music Southeast Asia vice president.

More than a mere business endorsement, Foster said he was looking forward to using this new partnership as a platform to continue his pursuit for the next breakout Asian music act.

“There’s a wealth of talent here in this region, billions of people. So, we’re bound to find stars,” said the 16-time Grammy Award winning musician. “I hope this hookup helps us do that.”

From Page 3 octopus where we would braise the octopus tentacle in the adobo and then later sear it, [while] still keeping components of adobo — that kind of ideal and preserving that without taking away too much,” Chase said.

Olalia added that creating a warm dining experience, distinct to Filipino culture is as important as the food.

“A lot about Filipino cuisine is the warmth and hospitality that are shared with other people Inquirer.net photo — that’s important, the tradiAsked what particular quality tion and part of the cuisine that I focus on. I want to make sure that he looks for in an artist, Foster’s reply was simple, yet telling: “I’m whoever is at my table will feel that they’re at somebody’s house, drawn to people who can sing.” or my house so I pay as much “There are people who have attention to them and make them hit records, but are not great feel as comfortable as I can. Flasingers. Britney Spears comes vor profiles will always be flavor to mind. She’s amazing and has profiles, but I think the hospitality great hits. I just wouldn’t know of the Filipinos is one thing that is what to do with her since she very unique,” he noted. isn’t a great singer,” he said.

On what Filipino dishes “I’m drawn to the voices of singers like Josh Groban, Andrea should be on menus Olalia: “My philosophy is: if I Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Barbra don’t eat it [or] crave it every day, Streisand, Beyoncé and Celine I will not put it on my menu. For Dion,” added the Canadian me, one thing I want to see on artist, dubbed as the “Hitman.” more menus [are] pinkabet and a “That’s sort of where I hone my well-done lugaw.” skills.”

Chad: “Places like Meanwhile, Fernandes, who NIGHT+MARKET have a blood said that his passion for music MSG sauce with chicharrones and hasn’t waned one bit despite bitter herbs and people eat that shifting to the aviation industry, up. At least dinuguan is cooked described the Philippines as being in the forefront of music in and no one’s making it.”

Southeast Asia.

“It’s because of your grasp of the English language. And music is in your blood,” he told Filipino From Page 3 reporters on the sidelines. charging a professional fee and And like Foster, his friend of 25 years, Fernandes said that he’s did it to support his mother’s homeland. Alapag said “FIBA “all about unearthing and giving got an even clearer picture of chances to new talents,” espethe love and passion we have cially the young, up-and-coming for the game … in due time, ones. “I see lots of great bands we’ll get there.” and acts who can cross over Reyes said there were many and break into the international positives that the Philippines scene. We’ll look everywhere,” he said, adding that Foster is the gained throughout the bid process. “The rallying behind the man to do just that.

“David has that gift of taking team, trending No. 1 worldwide, beating out at least five firstin something raw and turning it world countries just to get this into a hit,” Fernandes said. far,” he said. “But the biggest

Ube dessert from Créme Caramel LA

Reyes: “I would say a nice sinigang house instead of Pho — you know, you have that late night craving and you’re out there and you just want something comforting and reminds you of home.”

As the speaker portion of the night drew to a close, the crowd gathered outside to make rounds to the different vendors, sampling dishes, such as a chicken crostini with kale salad & lemon parmesan vinaigrette from Olalia, LASA’s hamachi kinilaw with salt & vinegar taro chips, ice cream served on an ube cone from soon-to-open Wanderlust Creamery, and bibingka cornbread from The Park’s Finest, among others.

If this event was any indication of community interest and

cohesiveness on promoting Filipino food — no airs of “mygrandmother-cooks-it-best” here — then, yes, Filipino food can finally have its moment.

“Filipino food in LA is a given and let me tell you why…We’re here. We have the talent. But the next step in Filipino food is you.

We need your support…It comes from us. If we don’t represent our own community, how will everybody else represent us? We put in all the mad hours, the years of sacrifice. Now we just turn to you guys, our communities. At the end of the day, when we are all together, we’re all crossing over…I challenge each and every one of us in this room to enjoy the food but also to tell everyone you know about it,” Cailan said.

How PH lost its FIBA bid victory really is for the country and Philippine basketball. Our FIBA-Asia hosting (in 2013) and our World Cup stint (in Spain last year) and this bid have entrenched ‘puso’firmly in world basketball.”

While the Philippines’ bid was outward-looking with the world’s social media capital seeking to broadcast the excitement of the game globally, China was inward-looking and pointed to its 600,000 basketball courts and the 200 million fans who watched the local

league finals on TV as the base market for the World Cup. David had only a slim chance to slay Goliath from the onset as no slingshot could propel a stone close to the target. But this was an instance where the outcome couldn’t totally overshadow the process.

Because of its courageous stand, David won the admiration and respect of the FIBA Central Board. The Philippines won’t host the 2019 World Cup but in the bigger picture, there was victory in defeat.

6

entertainment

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

Kris Aquino denies hand in Premium Taxi issue ‘I earn millions the honest way’

by Aries Joseph

Inquirer.net

heginA

PRESIDENTIAL sister and actress Kris Aquino was irked after her name was dragged in the creation of a new

app-based vehicle category called “Premium Taxi” by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

In her Instagram Saturday night, Aquino denied ear-

johnny kambingan 1/8v

marking funds to purchase 200 Toyota cars supposedly intended for the Premium Taxi service.

“It has reached my attention that I am being dragged into the LTFRB-Premium Taxi-UBER-GrabCar issue. In particular, I am being accused of #SelfishMotives & #UnfairCompetition.

I have not bought nor own 200 vehicles earmarked for premium taxis for Toyota. I do not own any taxi company that will operate Premium Taxis,” Aquino said.

However, the actress said that she is an “angel investor” in the LBR taxi company of actor Luis Manzano.

She slammed critics for dishing out malicious allegations against her, adding that she will not put the Aquino family name in a bad light.

“Get your facts straight before spreading malicious LIES about me. I’ve earned my money & continue to earn good money through hard work, commitment, and passionate dedication. Why would I jeopardize our family’s good name and reputation when I already earned millions the honest way,” the presidential sister said.

Last week, the LTFRB came under fire after critics claimed that the creation of Premium Taxis was meant to displace other app-based transport services such as Uber and GrabCar. They assailed the suspicious timing of the Premium Taxis and the crackdown against vehicles under Uber and GrabCar which starts August 20.

Premium Taxis, which are sedans with engine displacement of 2.0, will sport yellow plates. In order to qualify for franchise, the taxi operator should have a minimum of 25 units.

Claire dela Fuente, Imelda Papin and Eva Eugenio reigned supreme during the Jukebox Era when you could enjoy listening to your favorite songs at 10 cents each.

Philstar.com photo

Reliving the glory days of jukebox by ricky Lo

when you get older you will gain wisdom. Di na mainit ang dugo mo, hahahahaha!

BEFoRE the karaoke, there Imelda: No, because I treat was the jukebox. Drop 10 cents Claire and Eva as my family. and, presto, you could enjoy Eva: Yes, noong nagsisimula any of your favorite songs. Drop pa lang kamiand when we were more coins and you would have at the peak of our careers. But enjoyed a virtual concert, except now, we have grown fonder of that you just heard the singer(s) one another. Magkukumare pa without seeing them. nga kami, eh.

Baby Boomers have expeYou (Claire) are immortalrienced that kind of jukebox ized by Sayang, Imelda by Isang thrill and among their favorites Linggong Pag-ibig and Eva by were…you guessed it…Claire Tukso. Which of your songs is dela Fuente, Imelda Papin and the most personal?

Eva Eugenio whose songs conClaire: Ako wala naman. Matinue to be played on the radio tino ako. My songs are all about on retro Sundays, thus bridging mga forbidden-forbidden. And I the gap between generations of never had a break-up, eh. My first music-lovers.

The three singers have grown boyfriend became my husband, hahahahaha! (Her husband, wiser through the decades, survivors of the vagaries of loving Moises de Guzman, died a few and living, heads unbowed, chins years ago. — RFL). There’s not much thrill in my love life. ‘Yun up, still singing about lost love and abortive love and unrequited ang sayang.

Imelda: Bakit? and Kung love, and about lovers unsatisfied Liligaya Ka Sa Piling Ng Iba. with loving only one.

Eva: Kay rami nang winasak on Aug. 31 at the Newport na tahanan. Pati ako, winasak.

Performing Arts Theater of Hahahaha!

Resorts World Manila, the three During your shows then Jukebox Queens will bring back (and on Aug. 31), isn’t there any the glory days of jukebox. The scene-stealing? jukebox generation is expected Claire: Hmmm, there’s none. to reminisce with them.

If ever there was, it was unintenYou are friends in real life, tional. I’m speaking for myself right? But has there ever been ha. I don’t know about Eva and any professional jealousy or rivalry among the three of you? Imelda. Hahahaha, joke!

Imelda: of course, there is.

Claire: oh yes, naman. Magiging plastic naman ako if I say wala. We want the people to see how crazy we are, na loka-loka kaming Yes, especially when we were tatlo. youngpa and during our peak.

Eva: Sa akin wala. Ewan ko sa You know naman when you are dalawang ‘yan! young, ang dali mo matangay In love, who among you ng emotions mo.But of course, Philstar.com

is the luckiest and who is the kulelat (loser)?

Claire: Pantay pantay lang siguro. Before, I was the luckiest in love. But my husband died so soon. Now it’s only Imelda who has a love life. Eva and I acted as bridge between Imelda and her current flame. Eva and I are kunsintidora. o, hayan, nilabas ko na ang well-guarded secret!

Hahahaha!

Imelda: I am the luckiest because up to now I’m still in love with my Honey. ‘Yang dalawa, hindi suwerte sa love life, hehehehe!

Eva: Me, I’m also lucky kasi wala na akong iniintindi, inaantay o pinag-seselosan. But up to now, I’m still waiting for somebody.

Give three good reasons why we should watch your concert on Aug. 31.

Claire: First, we rarely do a concert together. It’s so expensive to put all three of us together in a concert,hahahaha! Second, you will see more than what you are expecting. And third, you will truly enjoy listening to songs of yesteryear. The concert will bring you down Memory Lane when you were young and clueless and happy and walang problema.

Makaka-relate ka, maiiyak at mai-in love all over again…promise!

Imelda: Para malaman na ng madla kung sino sa amin ang pinaka-maganda, pinaka-sexy at pinaka-magaling, hehehehe!

Eva: We would like the people to know that we can sing different genres, that we can also dance. At para makita nila ang mga outfit namin…bongga!

Moonlighting

by Mylah de

leon

It is called the pompous sickness -- the spell which hushes the household, with its desert-like stillness felt through its innermost chambers. One in a world unto herself, her own theater.

A severe fit of indisposition, under the name of a fall from dignity, amounting to a deposition that made me a prisoner of myself -- in pain and grief, for some weeks now.

But the state of sickness is

Mango Mix

by Martin

Jason l. ita-as

HIkING may seem like a walk in the park, but it’s definitely an activity that tenderfoots shouldn’t take lightly. A lot of preparation and packing can make all the difference when you traverse nature.

Rookie hikers will definitely want to remember a few of these suggestions while experienced hikers will need to remember to always include these little tips on their checklist before a thrilling expedition through mother nature’s creation: Packing For a hiker, keeping your things protected in any type of climate and weather is a must if you’re planning to go on for hours. Misty mountain air or sudden downpours can really put a damper on your trip by making your supplies turn all soggy. You can easily fix this by keeping your items in a small plastic baggy or line your backpack with a small or medium garbage bag to keep moisture at bay. For smartphones, keeping them inside a small ziplocked bag allows them to stay dry in any situation while still being quite usable. keep your electronics, like power banks

features 7

The riddle of sickness

but a magnificent dream. to lie in bed, with the daylight curtains drawn to shut out the sun, in total oblivion of all the works going under it. You become insensible of all the operations of life, except the beating of your feeble pulse.

No one ever lays down without a feeling of disappointment.

In the regal solitude of the sick bed (where caprices do not have control over the catalogue of moans and strong armor of sickness, wrapped in the callous hide of suffering), sympathy and correct compassion seem to be your only rise and not to be insulted with soothing fictions.

then, as you backtrack, you recall that morning sickness. It will be months again before you can see your toes.

Strapped down and delivered into a place where pain winces off the walls, the doctor bears down (like a foreman to this sweating laborer), forcing one life out of another.

It is something I’ve signed up for, at that moment when I would have signed anything!

“Give it up!” says a bad wit.

“She’s crowning,” the doctor says. But there’s no one royal -- only this barefoot peasant, greeting a barefoot infant.

In that riddle of sickness, how can anything so beautiful

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

come from so much pain?

But the heart will lead and the head will explain, for the common pathway is the heart, whatever may be. And what matters is how the human spirit is spent: every morning is a day of joy, a reason to rejoice.

Yet to be sick is to enjoy monarchal prerogatives.

From the bed of sickness, to the elbow chair of healing, a scene of one’s regalities.

Hushed are those mysterious sighs, with groans that are so much more awful. One does not know from what caverns of vast, hidden sufferings they

proceeded.

And into this flat swamp of healing (left by the ebb of sickness yet far enough from the terrains of established health) notes, requests, summons and deadlines reach me. the quibble relieves me, for it seemed to link me again to the petty business of life, which I had lost sight of -- a gentle call to activity, however trivial, awakens once more from the preposterous dream of self-absorption and sickness in which I have stayed long and had spread over. the riddle of sickness that swells contemplation of one’s

single suffering, wasted to a span of giant self-importance, of which I was lately.

Now, I am once again in my natural pretensions—the same old woman: a lean and meager figure of your insignificant columnist—writing occasional sentences that shimmer on its own, with freedom in expressing whatever narcissistic non sense that would come within one’s kin, taking pleasure in the show or rapid movements of my pen as I write with my hand. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com

of avoiding them or help you learn to escape or handle them if ever you do encounter them.

Learning the route can also help you avoid any dangerous places that may be unstable or prone to things like rockslides or slippery surfaces.

Once you go in fully prepared, a great hike can make for great memories and

fun experiences that can also exercise the body and broaden the mind. So pack up, pick a route you can study and get out there to enjoy a little slice of nature.

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Visit www.mangotours.com to know more about its latest promos and travel offers.* *Advertising Supplement

Preparations for hiking or a GPS, in ziplocked bags for easy opening and closing.

Packing some food like dried fruit or trail mix is a great way to fill up a hungry belly while keeping energized. A container of water is essential for keeping hydrated as you continue to sweat.

Body Aside from warming up before a big hike, there are several other ways to make sure you’re geared up to handle anything that comes your way.

Clothes are an essential part of any hike. picking a hoodie or jacket with multiple pockets can help decrease the weight of the items you carry in your backpack while keeping the cold air at bay. Wearing a light shirt or tank top underneath is just what you need when the weather and climate begin to warm up. to prevent blisters on your feet from your hiking boots, coat the skin most affected with some petroleum jelly to avoid friction. Finally, wear some long socks or tuck your pants into your boots to avoid scrapes from the forest floor or tiny creatures latching to your leg.

Tools Anything can happen when you’re out in the wilderness. that’s why keeping a supply of handy and compact set of tools is important. Duct tape

is a great way to fix things on the go (like broken water bottles, waterproof ventilated boots, cover blisters). Instead of bringing a space consuming roll of the tape, try wrapping some around a lighter or a survival knife for two tools in one. If you want to avoid bringing a bulky first aid kit, try fitting some band-aids, a couple of aspirin pills, antiseptic towelettes and some gauze into an airtight prescription medicine bottle. this is a tiny medical kit that contains all the essentials while staying waterproof inside the bottle.

Finally, bring some binder or bulldog clips so that you can hang wet clothes around your backpack to dry as you continue walking.

Route Never go to an unfamiliar route without a guide or prior knowledge of the area. there may be hidden dangers within the forests and mountains that you may be unprepared to face without first learning about them. Read up the features of poisonous plants that can irritate the skin so that you can avoid accidentally touching them while you walk. Research on dangerous animals that make their habitats in the hiking trail of your choice. having knowledge about them may greatly increase your chance

*** Mango Tours is a provider of quality, affordable and convenient travel services that include lowpriced airline tickets, customized Philippine and International Tour Packages, Cruises, Land Transfers, Passport and Visa Concerns. It is the #1

8

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 19, 2015

w w w. i s l a n d p a c i f i c m a r k e t . c o m

SUPERSulit SAVINGS! 7BMJE BU *TMBOE 1BDJรถD 8FTU $PWJOB $FSSJUPT 1BOPSBNB $BOPHB 1BSL / 7FSNPOU -PT "OHFMFT 4 7FSNPOU -PT "OHFMFT 0YOBSE 5IVSTEBZ 8FEOFTEBZ t "VHVTU

syong Sulit Savings!

Pre

syong Sulit Savings!

3

Pre

1

$ 99

$ 99

Korean BBQ Ribs

Pork Belly (Regular)

WAS

WAS

/lb

/lb

SAVINGS

$5.99 33%

1

1

2$

WAS

syong Pre

Sulit Saving s!

syong Pre

syong Sulit Savings!

Pre

lbs for

SAVINGS

$2.99 33%

3

$ 89

$ 99 WAS

SAVINGS

/lb

/lb

WAS

SAVINGS

Chicken Leg Quarter

SAVINGS

$5.89 34%

$2.49 21%

$0.99 49%

Sulit Saving s!

Pork Butt (Boneless)

Beef Short Ribs

Presyong Sulit na sulit! Panalo ka sa Island Pacific!

Presyong Sulit Savings!

99

c

/lb

Jumbo Squid

WAS

Presyong Sulit Savings!

99

c

Pike /lb Mackerel

SAVINGS

$1.99 50%

25

16.99

$

36.99

$

WAS

$41.99

3 Ladies Jasmine SAVINGS 12% Rice 50 lbs

IP Jasmine Rice 25 lbs

Pantry Favorites!

7

WAS

for

WAS

SAVINGS

18.99

$

WAS

$20.99 19%

6

2$

for

WAS

SAVINGS

2.99

$

3

for

SAVINGS

$4.79 38%

Indomie Fried Noodles Asstd Flavors 2.82oz

CORPORATE OFFICE 20819 CURRIER ROAD, WALNUT, CA 91789 (909) 594-8080

Presyong Sulit Savings!

1

Filipino Eggplant

WAS

for

CERRITOS 11481 SOUTH ST. CERRITOS, CA 90703 (562) 809-8889

CANOGA PARK 20922 ROSCOE BLVD. CANOGA PARK, CA 91304 (818) 857-3400

$1.69 26%

SAVINGS

WAS

4$

for

WAS

Mogu-Mogu Juice Drink Asstd Flavors 320ml

for

3

SAVINGS

lbs for

$1.29 61%

S VERMONT LA 229 S. VERMONT AVE. LOS ANGELES, CA 90004 (213) 674-2980

3

2$

for

SAVINGS

WAS

Presyong Sulit Savings!

1

SAVINGS

$0.79 37%

Presyong Sulit Savings!

99

c

WAS

SAVINGS

Cantaloupe $0.79 58%

WEST COVINA 1512 E. AMAR ROAD WEST COVINA, CA 91792 (626) 964-4858

OXNARD 4833 S.ROSE AVE. OXNARD, CA 93033 (805) 874-4980

7

SAVINGS

$4.99 30%

Cx2 green Tea Asstd Flavors 500ml

WAS

SAVINGS

Calbee Shrimp Chips XL 8oz

$1.29 42%

Banana Regular

UFC Refresh 100% Natural Coconut Water 1L

1.99

WAS

2

$ lbs

5

SAVINGS

$2.59 23%

SAVINGS

2

WAS

$3.59 30%

$

SAVINGS

$0.89 25%

SAVINGS

1

SAVINGS

Lucia Coconut Juice 11.5oz

Trafficanda/ Olivera Medium White Egg 1Dozen

Kraft Cheese in Can 7.5oz

2$

for

$0.79 37%

Chaokoh Coconut Milk 13.5oz

3$

N VERMONT LA 627 N. VERMONT AVE. LOS ANGELES, CA 90004 (323) 671-1020

WAS

$4.89 39%

Presyong Sulit Savings!

Pechay

SAVINGS

2.99

WAS

Green Beans $1.99 50%

WAS

5

2$ for

$

for

SAVINGS

WAS

WAS

$1.09 31%

7

Presyong Sulit Savings!

1

$ lbs

$1.29 61%

PANORAMA CITY 8340 VAN NUYS BLVD. UNIT A , PANORAMA CITY, CA 91402 (818) 895-2423

3

3

SAVINGS

TAS Coconut Water 16.9oz

$4.99 30%

Crown Sando Biscuits Asstd Flavors 161g

2

SAVINGS

WAS

SAVINGS

$2.29 34%

99 $

WAS

WAS

c /lb

2

SAVINGS

$3.49 28%

2$

2$

Produce Fresh

lbs for

5

4$ for

4$ for

Coco Glace Coconut Dessert 7.75oz

for

for

SAVINGS

$0.49 33%

Meiji Hello Panda Assorted Flavors 9.1oz

6

SAVINGS

Ladies Choice Sandwich Spread 220g

99c

WAS

WAS

$21.99

$3.99 25%

Pampanga Sweet/Hot Sausage 12oz

Manco Pride Corned Beef 12oz (Trapezoid)

2$ for

WAS

3 Ladies Brown SAVINGS Jasmine Rice 20 lbs 14%

SAVINGS

$3.99 25%

$5.59 37%

WAS

LBS

2$

2$

for

WAS

$9.99 30%

20

LBS

LBS

1/2 Shell /box Mussel 2lbs

$1.99 50%

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6

$ 99

SAVINGS

WAS

Presyong Sulit Savings!

Calpico Flavored Water Asstd Flavors 1.5L

Presyong Sulit Savings!

1

$ 49 each

for

NATIONAL CITY 2720 E. PLAZA BLVD. NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 (619) 475-1025

โ WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE THE SALES PROMO WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. WE ALSO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REPLACE ITEMS WITH PRODUCTS OF APPROXIMATE VALUE. NO RAIN CHECKS. PROMO GOOD WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER COUPON OR PROMO. PRICES MAY CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. GIVEAWAYS NOT VALID FOR CUSTOMERS WITH DISCOUNT.โ

WAS

SAVINGS

$2.99 50%

Presyong Sulit Savings!

1

$ lbs 2

Pineapple

Red Apple

WAS

SAVINGS

$0.99 49%