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Enrile hits Aquino, defends Marcos years by christine

o. aVendaño

Inquirer.net

seNAte minority Leader Juan Ponce enrile said President Aquino did not know what he was talking about in condemning the marcos regime. “I am sorry to say this, [the President] is very strong in blaming others, pointing his fingers at others, and [blaming] them. But he’s very weak and poor in knowledge and understanding,” enrile told

DATELINE

the Inquirer by phone. enrile was reacting to President Aquino’s statements during the 30th edsa People Power anniversary celebration where the Chief executive condemned the view of some people that the marcos dictatorship was the golden years of the Philippines. the President also reiterated that sen. ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. should apologize for the human rights abuses of the

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

state effort urges immigrants to prepare for dAPA, dACA WhILe the fate of President Barack obama’s executive actions on programs to expand deferred action for undocumented immigrants has yet to be decided by the Us supreme Court, individuals eligible for the programs are encouraged to continue preparing for their implementation. “We believe that these programs are perfectly legal and will be of help, and so it’s important for people in the meantime to gather their documents that would demonstrate that they meet the requirements, that they are eligible for relief under these programs,” said hairo Cortes, program coordinator of orange County Immigrant Youth United. Cortes was among six speakers who, during a media roundtable on Wednesday, feb. 17, addressed what immigrant families can do while waiting for the top

PAGE A4

Aquino receives honorary degree from LMU Los ANGeLes — In an invitationonly ceremony attended by over 200 guests, including local elected officials and Philippine dignitaries, President Benigno s. Aquino III received an honorary Doctor of humane Letters degree from Loyola marymount University (LmU) on Wednesday, feb. 17. Aquino, who graduated from Ateneo de manila University, was chosen to receive the honorary degree because “he role models the values, character and purpose of what we live here at LmU as a Jesuit and marymount institution,” said LmU President timothy Law snyder, Ph.D. As the 15th president of the Philippines, snyder remarked that Aquino is “a world leader who has reinvigorated the filipinos’ passion to build a nation of justice, a nation of peace, and a nation of inclusiveness.” rep. maxine Waters also delivered remarks at the ceremony, welcoming Aquino to the country and to CaliforPAGE A2

martial law regime of his father, the late dictator ferdinand marcos. enrile said the plans being implemented by the Aquino administration were made during the marcos years. he also said President Aquino was “inconsistent.” “Why are we still enforcing the laws made in the marcos years if he was really that bad,” enrile PAGE A2

salceda warns Albay may dump roxas by rhaydz

B. Barcia ManilaTimes.net

LeGAZPI CItY—Gov. Joey salceda warned of the possibility that the province may dump Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate mar roxas for the failure of the administration to finish the much trumpeted Bicol International Airport. “If mar roxas will lose in Albay in the may 2016 election, it’s their (LP) problem because they did not fulfill the construction of Bicol International Airport as promised,” the governor said. salceda, the Party provincial chairman, said he is not blaming President Benigno Aquino III for the unfinished Liberal Partt presidential candidate Mar Roxas project but pointed to transportation secretary Jun Abaya’s failure to award its construction to the winning bidders, causing the snail-paced construction. “I’m not blaming the President but the DotC. It was secretary Abaya’s lapses which now has a domino effect on the candidacy of mar roxas. I’m confused already as I’ve been doing several follow-ups as chairman of the regional Development Council. the PAGE A4

President Benigno S. Aquino III has encouraged the country’s youth to know the history of the EDSA People Power Revolution to avoid a repeat of the dark years of Martial Law. In his speech during the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA revolt on Thursday, Feb. 25 the President recalled the hardships during martial rule when the government suppressed freedom as former president Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies committed abuses and engaged in corruption. Malacañang photo by Joseph Vidal

‘EdsA AboUt right vs wrong’

Pnoy: People power wasn’t about Aquino vs Marcos by

nikko dizon Inquirer.net

As if guided by his martyred father whose statue stood behind him at the People Power monument, President Aquino led the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the edsa People Power revolution thursday, feb. 25 by countering attempts to revise history, saying martial law was “a painful chapter” and not a “golden age,” as the New York times put it in a frontpage article. the only son of democracy icons Ninoy and Cory Aquino, the President also took to the The late Coraon Aquino flashes the Laban sign to the crowd in EDSA. The peaceful revolt stage to warn people that sen. ended the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and propelled Aquino to power. Teo Marasigan via Kapirasong Kritika/worpress.com ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos Jr. could replicate the iron-fist Yellow and white confetti People Power monument to rule of his father, the late dicta- rained on the crowd of several recall the glorious day when tor ferdinand marcos. thousands who gathered at the PAGE A3

Pinoys happy with Ph democracy China insists Philippines violated by catherine

s. VaLente ManilaTimes.net

more filipinos are satisfied with the way democracy works in the Philippines, according to a survey of the social Weather stations (sWs). the poll held from December 5 to

agreements on disputed sea

8, 2015 showed that 76 percent of the 1,200 respondents expressed satisfacby Patricia Lourdes Viray tion, barely changed from the 77 perPhilstar.com cent in June 2015. the sWs said the satisfaction rating mANILA—Beijing on Wednesday, had been above 60 percent since June feb. 24 insisted that manila violated PAGE A2 agreements on maritime conduct in the disputed south China sea. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi claimed that the Philippines reneged

PAGE A2 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Pacquiao negotiating with other brands after being dropped by nike by agnes

constante AJPress

REENACTMENT. Actors reenacts the EDSA rally at the People Power Experiential museum at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on the day of 30th celebration of People Power anniversary. The interactive museum, which is composed of nine halls, recreates the martial law victims struggle for democracy, including the events that led to the bloodless revolution in 1986. Inquirer.net photo by Richard Reyes

DAYs after Nike dropped its endorsement contract with manny Pacquiao due to his controversial remarks on same-sex couples, the filipino boxer has reportedly begun negotiating new deals with other sports apparel companies. “there are several already now in the pipeline,” Pacquiao’s business

manager, eric Pineda, told Agence france-Presse without identifying the companies. “they [the Pacquiao camp] were actually negotiating with some already.” Pacquiao, 37, had endorsed Nike for a little more than eight years. however, the brand last week terminated its relationship with the boxer after he made controversial remarks comparing same-sex couples to animals. PAGE A3

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From the Front Page

Pacquiao negotiating with other... PAGE A1 In a statement, Nike called Pacquiao’s comments “abhorrent.” Pineda said among companies in talks with the Pacquiao camp is a multi-million dollar brand that would likely replace Nike as the supplier of the Filipino boxer’s sports gear, Inquirer reported.

He further noted that no Philippine-based companies dropped Pacquiao despite the comments he made. On Sunday, photos of Pacquiao wearing red Under Armour shoes spurred speculation that he may be working with the brand. However, The Baltimore Sun, reported that the Baltimore-based fitness ap-

parel and footwear brand is not in talks with Pacquiao. The publication further stated that Under Armour on Monday, Feb. 22, declined to comment on the issue. Despite being dropped by Nike, Pacquiao was seen playing basketball in Nike shoes on Monday in General Santos City. Hours after making his comments, Pacquiao, a devout Christian, posted an apology on Twitter while still standing by his beliefs. He also said he respected Nike’s decision, that the endorsement agreement had expired and that the company was only a clothing sponsor for him, according to GMA News. TV5: Pacquiao’s video “edited in good faith” Television network TV5, where the video of Pacquiao’s controversial comments was aired, on Sunday, Feb. 21, issued a statement regarding the boxer’s remarks. A 26-second clip was broadcast by the network. However, the complete one-minute-andtwo-second video included the interviewer’s question and Pacquiao saying that he was not condemning the LGBT community in his response, but that he just believes such individuals getting married goes against the Bible. In a statement, TV5 said it had no intention of taking what Pacquiao said out of context. “The video that was posted online was not spliced but minimally edited in good faith and with reasonable care. There was no intention to change the context or misrepresent the essence of Mr. Pacquiao’s statement,” the network said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. The complete video was sent to Pacquiao’s camp and broadcast on primetime newscast Aksyon on Feb. 16, TV5 said. Pacquiao has announced that his last fight will be on April 9 against two-time former WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr. The Filipino boxer is running for a seat in the Philippine Senate in May. Despite a poor attendance record as the representative for the Sarangani province, Pacquiao remains poised.

SALUBUNGAN. Former President Fidel V. Ramos joins the members of the military during the reenactment of the Salubungan to mark the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power revolution n thursday, Feb. 25. The traditional “Salubungan” between Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramos led to the bloodless revolution that ended the two-decade long dictatorial rule of of Former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

Enrile hits Aquino, defends...

PAGE A1 said, referring to the late dictator. He pointed out that the government was now using for its programs coco levy funds that were put up during the Marcos years. At one point, Enrile also asked President Aquino who was Com-

mander Selman to his late father, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. He said Commander Selman served as a bodyguard of the late senator but he was also a “principal” commander of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Asked whether he was saying that the late senator had links to the CPP, Enrile said, “I’m just starting facts, not conclusions.” On whether Senator Marcos should apologize for the past, Enrile said: “I don’t know if he has anything to be sorry for. You better ask him.”

Pinoys happy with PH democracy PAGE A1

2010. It declined in June 2013 when it hit 80 percent. In contrast, only 44 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied after the 2004 presidential race. The survey firm also found that a majority, or 58 percent, believe that “democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government.” The remaining 18 percent believe that “under some circumstances, an authoritarian government can be preferable

to a democratic one,” while 23 percent think “it does not matter whether we have a democratic or a non-democratic regime.” The public preference between democracy and authoritarianism is a different issue from the degree of satisfaction with how democracy works, and is probed by a separate question, SWS said. The non-commissioned survey, first published in BusinessWorld on Thursday, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the balance of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Responding to the survey results, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said “such overwhelming approval reflects the Filipinos’ deep appreciation for democracy as a way of life.” Coloma described the latest survey as “a timely and fitting tribute” to Filipinos on the 30th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution. “Filipinos cherish and uphold democracy as they disdain the oppression and tyranny of dictatorship,” he said.

China insists Philippines violated... PAGE A1

on the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) between China and Southeast Asian nations. “It is exactly one country, and let me not avoid mentioning the name: that is, the Philippines has violated the stipulation of Article 4 of DOC and has given up on the dialogue and negotiations with the direct concerned parties of China, which is regrettable and which is ill-advised,” Wang said. The Philippines had filed an arbitration case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. China, however, refused

to participate in the proceedings. Wang warned other claimant countries in the region from deploying naval power to enforce their claims. “We don’t hope to see anymore close-up military reconnaissance or the dispatch of missile destroyers or strategic bombers to the South China Sea. This is something we have a responsibility for under our nonmilitarization commitment,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of diplomatic solution in resolving the maritime dispute

in the region. “We think everybody benefits by true demilitarization, non-militarization. We also urged people to clarify the territorial and maritime claims in accordance with international law and to commit to peacefully resolve and manage disputes,” Kerry said. A US think tank earlier reported that China may be building radars in some of its artificial islands at the Spratly Island Group in the South China Sea. A few weeks ago, Fox News reported that Beijing has deployed surface-to-air missiles at Woody Island, a part of the Paracel Island chain in the disputed sea.

Aquino receives honorary degree... PAGE A1 nia’s 43rd district. “I am immensely proud of the fact that are estimated to be over 21,000 Filipino-Americans in my district. These Filipino-Americans are a significant part of the multicultural fabric that makes the Los Angeles area a great place to live,” Waters said. Mayor Eric Garcetti — whose accomplishments as a councilmember include the creation of Historic Filipinotown — went on to say that “Los Angeles [is] a great Filipino city.” “In fact, if you took the population of all the Filipinos who live here, we would be a top 10 city in the Philippines by population,” he said. Sharing the history of how Los Angeles came to be, Garcetti said, “it was Filipinos who helped in the founding moments of our pueblo and who’ve also come to find their unrealized destinies here.” In his nearly 30-minute remarks, Aquino reflected on how a Jesuit education has shaped his path to the presidency. “The be-all and end-all of our existence here is, how does it lead to the bettering of the condition of the other?” he said. “We were taught not just that this was the right thing to do, but also that it is a moral imperative.” Touting some accomplishments under his term, Aquino shared that the backlog of classrooms from the previous administration was finished in 2014. By the time he steps down from office, 180,000 classrooms will be added, he said. “I can go on and on with the list of things that I keep saying we have done,” he said. “I have not done all of these things. It is the people who elected me to office. It is the people who write me…all of the vested interests… it is the people who continuously express their support.” Edward James Asuncion, a senior at the university and presi-

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Rep. Maxine Waters of California’s 43rd district and Loyola Marymount University President Timothy Law Snyder join President Benigno S. Aquino III (center) as he receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the university on Wednesday, Feb. 17. AJPress photo by Ding Carreon

dent of Filipino student organization Isang Bansa, said it was a “very surreal experience” to present cords to Aquino. Other Fil-Am students present at the ceremony commented that it was humbling to hear how Aquino has translated his Jesuit upbringing. “His speech made me very thankful to attend a Jesuit university, and I am proud to say Loyola Marymount does such an incredible job of promoting the idea of service and justice to its students. President Aquino’s visit to the US and to LMU is a reminder that despite the different cultures of the two nations, people of the world should have the goal to care and love one another, as he emphasized that it is simply the “right thing to do,” Heather Marie Domingo, a junior at LMU, said. “It’s not every day that you get to see the President of the Philippines, so witnessing him receive an honorary degree, especially from your alma mater, was very surreal and cool,” added Kathleen Castillo, an alumna of the university. “The fact that it was held on campus just shows

how the relationships between Jesuit institutions are so strong, even from across the world.” The ceremony was co-sponsored by the School of Education’s Teach for the Philippines program and the university’s World Policy Institute. “I think it was an honor and opportunity to recognize both the partnerships with LMU in the Philippines, especially with the Teach for the Philippines program, and it was great for students and faculty to have a chance to hear from a respected world leader. When conferring honorary degrees from a university, especially awardees of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, it’s a great opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate those achievements,” said Aristotle Mosier, faculty member and director of Asian Pacific Student Services (APSS) at LMU. Aquino has also received several honorary degrees from institutions, such as Fordham University in New York and University of the Philippines, Diliman. (With reports from Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

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New report on home mortgages: Are Black & Latino Californians locked out of the market? Study highlights Fresno, Long Beach, Oakland

FREEDOM LEAP. President Aquino joins former President Fidel V. Ramos, who led the military breakaway from dictator Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986 with then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, and Bobby Aquino, son of the late former Sen. Agapito “Butz” Aquino, in reenacting the freedom leap during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on Thursday, Feb. 23. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

PNoy: People power wasn’t about Aquino vs Marcos PAGE A1 Filipinos drove away the Marcoses in 1986, but the prospect of Senator Marcos being elected Vice President, a doorstep away from Malacañang, hovered like a dark cloud. Around 500 protesters blasting the Aquino administration for purportedly allowing the Marcos resurgence briefly clashed with riot police on Edsa after the celebrations, but no injuries were reported. In his speech, President Aquino belied Senator Marcos’ claims that the Philippines saw its best years during his father’s rule. “As part of the generation who suffered under the dictatorship, I tell you just as directly: The time we spent under Mr. Marcos was not a golden age,” Mr. Aquino said. “It remains one of the most painful chapters of our history—it was why so many of our countrymen mustered the courage to gather at Edsa and in other places outside Metro Manila, armed only with their faith and their principles,” he said. “We were able to unite as one people, and by the grace of God, we toppled the dictatorship without resorting to a bloody civil revolution,” he said. “Today, if the surveys are right, then the son of the dictator who still cannot see the mistakes of the past has an increasing number of supporters,” Mr. Aquino said. “If that is right, then does it also mean that we have forgotten what we once said, ‘Enough is enough; we have had it out with the lot?’” he said. “Does this mean that, today, we are being asked, ‘Can we give the possibility of martial law taking power once more, and repeating all its crimes?’” he said. “It is also true that the sins of the father should not be visited on the son,” Mr. Aquino went on. “At the same time, what I cannot understand: The dictator’s own blood had all this time to say, ‘My father did the country wrong; give us the chance to make it right,’” he said. “And yet, just think, this was what he said, ‘I am ready to say sorry if I knew what I have to be sorry for.’ If he cannot even see the wrong in what his family did, how can we be confident that he will not repeat the same?” he said. “All I can say is, thank you, because you have at least been honest in showing us that you are ready to emulate your father,” the President said. “Do not [get me wrong]: This is not about the Aquinos versus the Marcoses; it is clear to me that

this is about right versus wrong,” he added. Peace deal derailed As an example of the likelihood of the senator doing as his father had done, Mr. Aquino said Marcos, along with Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, derailed the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). “And is it not true these two surnames were the ones who pushed for a military solution against the Moros during the dictatorship?” Mr. Aquino said, pointing out that the late dictator tolerated land grabbing in Mindanao, which was one of the biggest injustices to the Moro people. Acknowledging that the efforts at revisionism had partly succeeded in fooling a number of young Filipinos, the President devoted nearly a third of his speech to recounting the horrors of martial law that his family and others experienced as well. Nearly half of those at the monument were the so-called millennials, young people born after 1986. The theme of the 30th anniversary of the bloodless coup that inspired similar movements across the world was for them—about the passing of the torch, for them to continue the change that their elders began at Edsa. The President said the young enjoyed “different kinds of freedom” today—from being able to travel without having to be watched by authorities, having no state-imposed curfews to being able to access information from smartphones. Lucky to be alive He said the young were now “enjoying the freedoms that were taken away from the generation

that came before you—where, if you reached your 30th birthday while fighting against the dictatorship, you were already lucky to still be alive.” “Now, at 30 years old, your professional life has just started. You have the freedom to earn and to save money, to love and to start a family—the freedom to dream,” Mr. Aquino said. “You will benefit the most if we are able to protect our freedom so, God willing, you understand the responsibility you bear. God willing, we will all do our part so that darkness will never consume the Philippines once more. God willing, the freedom we so long dreamed of, will never, ever be taken away from us once more,” the President said. He emphasized that the abuses of the dictatorship were neither “products of imagination” nor just the opinion of some. “Martial law actually happened. There was a dictator who, along with his family and his cronies, abused his position, and the price for this was the lives and the freedom of Filipinos,” Mr. Aquino said. The President said he expressed disappointment whenever he was told that there were those who say that the time of Marcos was the “golden age of the Philippines.” In a lengthy article, “Yearning for the ‘golden age’ of Marcos, The New York Times said that fading memories were benefiting the dictator’s son in his vice presidential bid. “In fact I have wondered: We have both been President—where might our country be today if he had just stayed true to his manPAGE A4

BERKELEY, Calif. – A new analysis of federal home mortgage data finds a shockingly low level of lending to African American and Hispanic/Latino borrowers, both statewide and in three cities examined in detail: Fresno, Long Beach and Oakland. The report, Locked Out of the Market: Poor Access to Home Loans for Californians of Color, was prepared by The Greenlining Institute and Urban Strategies Council using lending data from 2013. Key findings include: • Statewide, African Americans and Latinos were far less likely to apply for or receive home mortgages than would be expected based on their percentage of the population, and lagged even farther behind in total dollars lent. Blacks and Latinos combined represent 44 percent of California’s population, but received just 10.6 percent of home mortgage dollars. • Despite being comparable in population to Fresno and Long Beach, Oakland had less than one quarter as many loan applications and originations as those cities. Oakland blacks and

Hispanics, representing 56 percent of the population, received just 10 percent of mortgage dollars lent. The top 12 lenders financed only four Oakland home purchases for African American buyers and just seven for Hispanics. • Fresno had the highest lending volume of the three cities, but again Latinos and African Americans lagged behind their share of the population. Latinos represent 48 percent of Fresno’s people, but got just 21 percent of mortgages. For blacks the figures were eight percent and three percent. • Long Beach was the only city in which Asians lagged behind their population share in both applications and originations. Whites in Long Beach were the only group that exceeded their population share. • Incomplete data hampered the researchers, with over 15 percent of applications missing race/ethnicity data. Because all Asians and Pacific Islanders are lumped into one category, potentially significant differences between Asian ethnic groups can-

not be identified. “Unfortunately, the federal data can’t tell us why black and Latino borrowers are so underrepresented, but the fact that these families are effectively shut out of the home mortgage market should set off alarms,” said lead author Zach Murray, Greenlining Institute Economic Equity program manager. “It’s time to ask whether banks are doing enough to reach African American and Latino borrowers with loan products that meet their needs and help them gain the benefits of homeownership.” “Our analysis revealed several major concerns regarding the home mortgage market,” said Urban Strategies Council Research and Technology Director Steve Spiker. “We found that applications from, and loans to, black and brown communities were much lower than would be expected given their share of the population, and that too often applicants’ race, ethnicity and income data are either not collected or submitted by lending institutions.” (Greenlining Institute)

AAPI voters energized after Nevada caucuses Clinton, Trump win state

by Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

ASIAN American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) across Nevada aggressively mobilized voters leading up to the Democratic and Republican caucuses on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Tuesday, Feb. 23, respectively. With 100 percent of the votes counted, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump proved victorious yet again on Tuesday night, capturing 45.9 percent of the vote. “Now we’re going to get greedy for the United States,” Trump said in his victory speech. “We’re going to grab and grab and grab.” According to poll data, Trump appealed to various demographics, especially caucus-goers without a college degree. “We won with the young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated,” he added.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump AJPress photos by Ding Carreon and Raoul Gatchalian

For Filipino-American Dolly De Leon, Trump’s win in Nevada was “expected.” “Donald Trump is a phenomenal candidate,” De Leon told the Asian Journal. “Donald’s supporters like what they’re hearing and he’s a fighter. He tells it like it is and that’s what people like to hear. He doesn’t hold back.”

She added that Trump’s offers promise for business owners like herself. “A year ago, I was already preparing myself for…the 2016 election. The last eight years have been so bad. I’m a business owner and I was deeply affected by the bad economy,” she said. PAGE A4

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february 26-march 3, 2016 • Oc/Ie aSIaN JOurNaL

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AAPI voters energized after Nevada caucuses

PAGE A1

UNITY CARAVAN. Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. brings his Unity Caravan to Muntinlupa on Monday, Feb. 22 as he continues to bring his message of unity as a way bring the country to a progressive future. Senate photo

Salceda warns Albay may dump... PAGE A1

same action has been done by our Bicolano solons but to no avail,” Salceda lamented. Salceda said because of the delay, Phase 2-A of the project for horizontal construction already lapsed, while the awarding of P1.7 billion intended for the terminals was put on hold by the DOTC for unknown reasons despite a winning bidder. During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) Aquino said that the international airport will

be initially operational in 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2016 for full swing operation. The P3.5 billion Bicol International Airport was a flagship project of former President Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo and pursued by Aquino. The DBM already released P150 million for its development under the 2014 General Appropriations Act (GAA). A total of P2.1 billion has been spent from 2007 to 2012 for the earthwork, right-of-way acquisition, access road construc-

tion, and preliminary detailed engineering. “How can I campaign for Roxas when the Albayanos are losing trust because of the DOTC’s failure to follow through President Aquino’s vital project in Bicol despite the availability of funds?” Salceda said. Earlier, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the DOTC will finish the construction by the end of Aquino’s term to push further economic development in the region.

PNoy: People power wasn’t about Aquino vs Marcos

PAGE A1 date during his time in office?” Mr. Aquino said. The President said that under his administration that followed the “straight and righteous path,” 7.7 million Filipinos had been lifted from poverty. More than 4 million indigent households benefited from the conditional cash transfer program. Ninety-two percent of the 100 million Filipinos enjoyed universal health coverage; The poorest 40 percent of the country receive free treatment from public hospitals. The country has the lowest unemployment rate in a decade.

Mr. Aquino said infrastructure that took “decades in the making” had finally been completed under his term, such as the 180meter Aluling Bridge in Ilocos Sur province that took 35 years to build. “Let me ask: Is it right to play at being blind, especially now that we have a government that truly cares for the citizenry?” he said. “I believe that it is not our fate to repeat the grim parts of our past; our fate is the sum of the decisions we make in the present,” the President said. “I believe in the greatness of our people. I believe that, even if we are known for our patience, it has its limits—and if those limits

are reached, then no one will be able to stop the wave of solidarity that will follow,” he added. Loretta Ann Rosales, former chair of the Commission on Human Rights, Thursday said during a visit at the People Power Experiential Museum at Camp Aguinaldo, “Let us never allow the Marcoses to return. We should not let another Marcos again in Malacañang.” Rep. Leni Robredo, the Liberal Party’s vice presidential candidate, told reporters: “If you don’t have acceptance of the wrongdoings done before, you are bound to repeat these once you are given power.” (With a report from Julie M. Aurelio)

At Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas, a line formed ahead of the 5 pm start time on Tuesday afternoon, stretching around the block. Rand Paul supporter Sharon Pascual shared why he would have been a suitable nominee for the Republican Party. Though Paul dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucus earlier this month, Pascual expressed her enthusiasm for voting and participating in the political process for the first time. “This is my first time to get involved in politics,” Pascual told the Asian Journal. “I felt passionate enough this year to register for the caucus and general election.” Aurora Hornbuckle, a staunch Republican voter, said it was her first time to participate in the caucus. “I see Ted Cruz in the White House,” Hornbuckle said, as she waited for her turn to cast the ballot. “I believe in [him] and his policies.” Trailing behind Trump on Tuesday were Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (23.9 percent) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (21.4 percent). Republican National Committee (RNC) APA Press Secretary Ninio Fetalvo shared that Republicans have been engaging with AAPIs in Nevada through caucus trainings, meeting with community leaders on recruitment for the Republican Leadership Initiative, conducting voter registration and knocking on doors. “It’s clear that the Republican Party’s continued engagement with Nevada’s Filipino-American community contributed to Tuesday night’s historic voter turnout in the Nevada Republican Caucus,” Fetalvo said in an email. “We are excited to continue our work with the Filipino-American community to ensure a Republican president is elected in November.” Prior to Nevada, Trump took the lead in the South Carolina primary on Saturday with 32.5 percent. Rubio narrowly took second (22.5 percent), before Cruz (22.3 percent). Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush trailed in fourth at 7.8 percent, just ahead of Ohio Gov. John Kasich (7.6 percent) and retired Michigan neurosurgeon Ben Carson (7.2 percent). Bush, who entered the race last year as the Republican frontrunner and reportedly spent the most funds in campaigning and attracting high-profile endorsements, dropped his candidacy after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary, reported CNN. “I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office to someone who understands that whoever holds it is a servant, not the master, someone who will commit to that service with honor and decency,” Bush said in his exit speech.

Aurora Hornbuckle

At Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas, a line formed ahead of the 5pm start time on Tuesday, Feb. 23, stretching around the block. AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

Clinton triumphs in Silver State On Saturday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton succeeded in Nevada with 52.6 percent of the vote, compared to 47.4 percent for Sanders. “Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other,” Clinton told her supporters at an appearance in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. “This one is for you.” She continued, “it is not enough, simply to give voice to the anxiety and frustrations many voters feel. Americans have a right to be angry. But we’re also hungry for real solutions.” Days before Saturday’s caucus, AAPI organizers and volunteers — from throughout Nevada, California and even the East Coast — launched a week of action that involved training sessions and canvassing around AAPI-concentrated areas. These efforts, they say, helped Clinton secure the state. “We walked door-to-door in heavily AAPI districts…pretty much they were Hillary supporters. But we had to remind them to get out and caucus,” Melissa Ramoso, who came from Southern California, said. Ultimately, according to exit polls, AAPIs made up 4 percent of the Democratic caucus-goers. “We were thrilled that Clinton did win. We are not going to stop [until she is elected]. We did a lot of phone banking, calling friends, relatives and Democrats who are registered to vote. We are going to remind them to vote for her,” Fil-Am grassroots political leader Rozita Lee told the Asian Journal. CAPA21, a national AAPI political action committee, launched a $50,000 outreach campaign using

Sharon Pascual

direct mailers, ethnic media ads and a new website (NevadaAAPI. com) to target AAPI voters in Nevada and encourage them to support Clinton. Filipino Americans for Hillary organized walks to over 50 FilAm businesses through the Las Vegas area. “We asked owners if they would support, come caucus and put up signs. Many people were really receptive so it was an overall successful outreach [effort], especially to Filipino Americans,” Ramoso added. With election season in full gear, grassroots leaders will be continuing on the efforts already started. The Nevada Republican Party reported a record turnout of 75,000 voters this year (compared to only 33,000 in 2012). Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party estimated around 80,000 turned out on Saturday. “It was amazing for both caucuses to have those numbers. I’m glad that people are engaged. This is a hotly contested race,” Lee said. According to APIAVote data, 8.5 percent of Nevada’s voting age identifies as AAPI. “Hillary is known in Nevada and the Clinton name resonates well with the Filipino-American community,” Ramoso said. “They’re really energized and ready to elect her…because she would be the best representative for our community.” De Leon added that Fil-Am voters need to be aware of candidates’ platforms and what the parties stand for. “Filipinos, and even other ethnic groups, need to be educated…It goes back to the fact that [some] are not aware of the differences between where the Republicans stand and where the Democrats are,” she remarked. “I would say, even if you are Democrat or Independent, know what your candidate stands for. Do they believe the way you believe? Does it goes within your values as a Filipino American?” While Republicans were focused on Nevada, Clinton and Sanders participated in a town hall in South Carolina on Tuesday night. Democrats in that state will select their candidate on Saturday, Feb. 27, and will send 59 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this July. (With reports from Robert Macabagdal and Allyson Escobar/AJPress)

State effort urges immigrants to prepare... PAGE A1 court’s decision. The roundtable was hosted by Ready California, a cross-sector collaborative effort of various organizations, consulates, and ethnic media. The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments about the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs – which Obama announced in November 2014 – in the spring. Concerns have risen following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday, Feb. 13, as Scalia was the leading conservative voice on the top court. Joyce Noche, directing attorney of Orange County pro bono law firm Public Law Center, said the high court may choose to move forward and hear oral arguments scheduled in April and then issue a decision in June. If the outcome is favorable for the immigrant community, implementation of the programs would begin before the end of Obama’s term. If the court comes to a 4-4 vote, the lower court’s ruling of an injunction will stand. The court may also decide to hold off on making a decision until a new justice is appointed in place of Scalia.

“What I do want to stress and reiterate is that the DACA and DAPA programs are an extension of the president’s authority to exercise prosecutorial discretion. Many legal experts and law professors believe that the president was within his power to do so,” Noche said during Wednesday’s roundtable. Data from Ready California indicates that more than 1.5 million individuals in the state are eligible for DACA and DAPA. Members of Ready California also offered the reminder that the Supreme Court’s ruling is separate from the original DACA program. Eligible individuals are encouraged to apply, while those who have received deferred action through DACA are urged to request for renewal. Three individuals who have benefited from the original DACA program shared their stories with media on Wednesday, including David Lee, a 22-year-old Korean who arrived in the United States when he was about 11 or 12 years old. Lee said his visa expired when he was 21, that he had been homeless and had engaged in illegal activities to make money. He majored in theater in college and said he would use his passport as identification to get into clubs.

Now, he has a work permit and is working toward getting a car. “Thanks to DACA, I can have more fun, I feel more free, and I already have a couple of IMDB credits,” he said. “I got more opportunities to do the things that I wanted to do before I got DACA. And those of you who [are] in the situation like my past before DACA, I want to tell you that don’t be skeptical like I was. Take action. There are a lot of community services people [who] sacrifice their time and really help you out to [get] a job, get a car...” Another issue discussed at Wednesday’s roundtable was what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrive at the residence of undocumented immigrants. Carlos Perea, project manager at Resistencia, Autonomia, Igualdad, IideraZgo, also known as RAIZ, offered a three-step plan: 1) Have an emergency contact who can move easily if you were to be detained, 2) Have contact with a trusted attorney or advocacy community organization, 3) Have an emergency plan for your children and have a contact ready to take care of your child in the event of deportation. (Agnes Constante / AJPress)

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D ateline PhiliPPines PH growth on track despite â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bumpyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; start THE Philippine economy will continue to expand despite a very challenging external environment this year but certain issues must be addressed first to ensure continued growth, speakers at The Manila Times III Business Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 23 said. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., the International Monetary Fund Philippine Representative Shanaka Jayanath Peiris, World Bank lead economist Rogier Van den Brink and Convergys Philippines Services Corp. Chairman Marife Zamora led the discussions on the 2016 economic outlook as the main speakers. Tetangco said in his keynote speech the economy will sustain its resilience in 2016 despite a bumpy start to the year. The central bank does not give forecast growth figures for the year. But the inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) early

last week announced a revised growth target of between 6.8 percent and 7.8 percent for gross domestic product (GDP) this year, down from 7 to 8 percent originally set for the period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;2016 was off to a bumpy start. While we foresee the same risk factors in 2016 as those in 2015, it may be more difficult to predict how these factors would play out in 2016. Policy makers are being more sensitive to spillovers and spillbacks to their economies. And market sentiment continues to be shifty,â&#x20AC;? Tetangco said. Factors spurring the uncertainty, he said, include a slowing Chinese economy, the speed and magnitude of the US Federal Reserveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned rate hikes and low global oil prices. Domestically, these involve the prolonged El NiĂąo weather pattern, which has hit the agriculture sector significantly and threatens prices, and the existence of infrastructure gaps. Nevertheless, he said the Phil-

ippines could benefit from volatile external financial markets in the long run but it was important to adopt the right policies to realize gains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The low inflation, because of the lower global oil prices, would be one of the advantages. But we need to closely monitor the developments and the potential impact of these developments on us and adopt policies to address the potential impact,â&#x20AC;? he said. Tetangco said the Philippines is weathering the volatility because its macroeconomic conditions remained sound. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Keeping oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house in order is always a good thing. When the time come that investors will differentiate among different emerging economies, I think we will be in a good position because the macroeconomic conditions in the Philippines continue to be strong. It will be a plus for us,â&#x20AC;? he said. (Mayvelin Caraballo, Ben Kritz and Catherine Talavera/ManilaTimes.net)

Santiago on Duterte: We have been friends for a long time by Frances

Mangosing Inquirer.net

THE presidential debate on Sunday, Feb. 21 launched a new tandem between Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Miriam Santiago, which was christened by netizens as â&#x20AC;&#x153;DuRiam.â&#x20AC;? Their apparent mutual admiration and respect for each other during the square off caught the attention of netizens who turned out as instant fans. Soon as the program was over, memes of the two started going around social media. Moments before the show was aired on television, Duterte approached Santiago and gave her a salute. They even hugged each other onstage. While other presidentiables argued with one another during the debate, the two of them only exchanged praises. When Santiago, who fought stage 4 cancer, was questioned about her health, Duterte instead defended Santiago in the rebuttal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will not go into an argument with Maâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;am Miriam. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s telling you the truth. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see Sen. Santiago passing away within the next 20 years so whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the problem?â&#x20AC;?

Presidential debates held in Capitol University in Cagayan de Oro City with Sen. Miriam Santiago, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hugging. Inquirer.net photo by Lyn Rillon

he said. Prior to the show, Duterte said that he was threatened by Santiago because she was â&#x20AC;&#x153;brightâ&#x20AC;? and he considers her as his greatest rival at the program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been friends for a very long time. He was one of the sponsors during my 25th wedding anniversary. And when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in Davao, I always try and pay him

a visit for only a social purpose, nothing political. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always happy to see himâ&#x20AC;Ś Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always been a gentleman with me,â&#x20AC;? Santiago said. She added that the tough-talking mayor is â&#x20AC;&#x153;different from the public image.â&#x20AC;? Santiago is trailing in surveys, consistently at the fifth spot among all contenders..

PEACEFUL RALLY. Military soldiers handed out flowers during the 30th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Thursday, Feb. 25. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

SC asked to resolve GMA plunder case by edu

Punay Philstar.com

MANILAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;The camp of detained former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to rule on her petition to end her trial for plunder before the Sandiganbayan. Her lawyer, former solicitor general Estelito Mendoza, also urged the SC to decide on her plea to stop the anti-graft court from trying her for the remaining case, which involves the P366-million fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is very unfair. The former president has been in detention for three years. She is sick. She is being arbitrarily detained. She does not deserve to be in detention a day longer,â&#x20AC;? Mendoza told SC reporters in an interview. The lawyer lamented that Arroyo is being treated unfairly because most of the other accused in the plunder caseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including all the PCSO directors who approved the disbursementsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;have been acquitted. Mendoza believes there is no more legal basis to keep Arroyo in detention other than being â&#x20AC;&#x153;treated like a trophy of an achievement of this present administration.â&#x20AC;? He made the appeal after the

120-day status quo ante order, which the SC issued to halt the proceedings before the Sandiganbayan First Division, lapsed last Feb. 19. The case against Arroyo, he stressed, is weak as the prosecution failed to present evidence to establish or even support its allegations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In all my years as a defense lawyer, a prosecution lawyer, a solicitor general for 14 years, I have never seen a case like this when an accused is being detained without any single evidence produced to Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo establish that she committed the ippines from the period January crime charged,â&#x20AC;? Mendoza said. 2008 to June 2010,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fact, not a single exhibit in Arroyo filed a petition in April the 637 exhibits offered by the last year to ask the SC to reverse prosecution or a single testimony the final Sandiganbayan ruling of the 21 witnesses prove that she that denied her motion to post amassed, accumulated or acquired bail. She reiterated this plea in even a single peso of the P365-mil- October last year, citing a report lion CIF (confidential intelligence from the United Nations Technifunds) alleged in the information,â&#x20AC;? cal Working Group on Arbitrary Mendoza claimed. Detention that recommended her He questioned the Sandigan- release from detention. bayanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s denial of Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plea to The UN panel, composed of have the case dismissed via de- five independent human rights exmurrer and accused the court of perts, said Arroyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s application for creating a new law on plunder. bail was â&#x20AC;&#x153;in accordance with relThe SC should correct this evant international human rights â&#x20AC;&#x153;grave abuse of discretion com- standards.â&#x20AC;? mitted by the Sandiganbayan and Amal Clooney, international hunot allow the conviction of Mrs. Ar- man rights lawyer and wife of acroyo based on just one fact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that tor George Clooney, represented she was the president of the Phil- Arroyo in the UN.

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OpiniOn

Features

Ideological

30 YEARS ago—on Feb. 25, 1986—the People Power Revolution on EDSA trampled the 20-year-old dictatorship of former Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. For the generation who witnessed this peaceful uprising, the echoes of the People Power Revolution reverberated not only in the air, but in the consciousness of the Filipinos who were awakened to their senses about a leader who kept their democracy in chains. When Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, then Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was one of the first to be arrested. He was allowed to leave for the US due to his health condition. While in the US, Aquino attended forums, symposiums and delivered speeches in freedom rallies opposing the Marcos dictatorship. Saying “the Filipino is worth dying for,” Aquino returned to the Philippines from his exile in the US to continue his plight for the restoration of the Filipinos’ rights and freedom. He met his death upon his arrival at the Manila International Airport. He was shot in the head while being escorted off the airplane by his captors via the Manila International Airport. His kababayans found solidarity in his death. His widow, the late Cory Aquino was thrust into the public eye. She ran for president against Marcos during the 1986 snap elections and pulled the Filipinos out in the streets for the People Power Revolution. According to the Malacañang Palace, the essence of People Power Revolution remains: to commemorate the heroism and greatness of the Filipino race that helped the country achieved

freedom. “The important issues here are freedom and justice. The EDSA People Power revolution became the answer of the Filipino nation to the suppression of their freedom and making a travesty of democracy by imposing martial law,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said. Coloma also said that remembering this event would make Filipinos learn from the past. “We were united in EDSA in 1986 based on principles of democracy, freedom and justice. That is the true spirit of our EDSA 30 celebration,” Coloma added. The People Power Revolution is embedded in Philippine history. To honor the people who have suffered and lost their lives for the sake of democracy, today’s Filipinos must never forget the event that freed the country from the clutches of a tyrannical ruler. Much has been achieved since martial law. But with present controversies hounding current Filipinos must zealously guard that has been government leaders, Philippine politics appears granted to them by the People Power Revolution. to be hampered by bureaucracy, manipulation of Filipinos must appreciate the genuine meaning money, interests of capital and the status quo. of democracy, which is empowered by the will

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

of the people. It gives the citizenry the power to overturn the culture of corruption, unethical conduct, and self-serving antics of politics. (AJPress)

Fil-Am who started petition for Nike to drop Pacquiao gets death threats. Should Pacquiao Intervene? FIL-AM Aries Dela Cruz spearheaded an online petition for Nike to drop the Philippines’ Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao as its endorser after the boxing congressman compared people in homosexual relationships to animals. Now, this kababayan from New Jersey is getting death threats online. The harassment and threats are reportedly not only aimed at Dela Cruz, but are also targeting many gays and lesbians. After all, their idol Manny Pacquiao has been humiliated all over the world, been labeled homophobic and a bigot, and has income opportunities following Nike’s decision to drop him as an endorser of their sports apparel. Pacquiao supporters also burned their Nike shoes as a sign of protest and have urged kababayans to ban the brand. An online petition, which has reportedly gained more than 18,000 signatures as for this writing, has also been created, urging the Philippine government to declare Dela Cruz ‘persona non grata’ in the country. The petition calls Dela Cruz a

“selfish traitor.” Surprisingly, even Fil-Ams The Fil-Am who are exposed to the “political correctness” and “inclusive Perspective culture of the American people, have not lost love for Manny because of what he did.” In an online poll, The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Bali- gEl SantoS-rEloS tang America” asked its viewers: “Were you personally offended by Pacquiao’s comments comparing people in homosexual relationships to animals?” A big majority of those who voted, 66 percent, said NO. Some said Pacquiao was just expressing his opinion because of his religious convictions, and he has the right to do so because of free speech. 34 percent said YES. They opined that Pacquiao’s comments were hurtful, homophobic and unworthy of someone who is known as “The People’s Champ.” However, many LGBT advocates, respected

personalities and human rights activists came to Dela Cruz’s defense. They say Dela Cruz has been offended by Pacquiao’s remarks and has all the right to start a petition in a free country like America. He, too, has his freedom of speech which does not take away nor diminish Pacquiao’s freedom of religion and freedom of speech. They explain that they respect Pacquiao’s stand against same-sex marriage/relationship because of his religious views, but what they said was offensive was the comparison to animals, insinuating that these people were even lower than animals because animals do not engage in homosexual relationships. Of course those knowledgeable about science, as pointed out by Broadway superstar and Filipino singer/actress Lea Salonga on social media, know that there are many kinds of animals who DO engage in homosexual acts. They urge Pac-

quiao to do more research before making such unfounded statements meant to discredit gays and lesbians. They also say Nike dropped Pacquiao because Dela Cruz’s petition gained traction. Many people were offended by Pacquiao’s statements and signed the petition. They, too, are exercising their freedom of expression. Nike and other brands who have distanced themselves from Pacquiao also exercised their right to do what they believe is in the best interest of their business. But what is really concerning are the death threats being thrown at Dela Cruz. To his credit, Pacquiao told his fans not to hate but to pray for Nike. But with the tension now elevated to death threats, shouldn’t Pacquiao categorically speak up in defense of Dela Cruz to avert any violence? *** 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

Why the do we celebrate EDSA I, anyway? The failure of agrarian reform under Cory Aquino Commentary

rigobErto tiglao There have been 20 countries in the post-war era that had peaceful “revolutions” similar to our ESDA uprising in 1986 – more accurately, nonviolent, extra-constitutional regime changes, especially transitions from dictatorship to democracy. Thirteen of these were the so-called “color revolutions,” said to have been inspired in some way by the EDSA “Yellow Revolution.” But it is only the Philippines that celebrates such an event, and as a national holiday, with all the stage spectacles, speeches and parades. As examples, in our neighborhood there had been two ruthless dictatorships. First was the 31year regime of Indonesia’s Suharto – who was rated in 2004 as the most corrupt political leader in the 20th century by Transparency International. Respected historians estimated that 500,000 Indonesians, mostly Chinese, were killed by the pogrom he ordered when he wrested power from Sukarno in 1965. About 1,000 Indonesians were killed by the police in peoplepower-like demonstrations that led to Suharto’s fall in 1998. Does Indonesia have a holiday to commemorate this peaceful revolution? Nope. Sukarno wouldn’t even be ar-

rested or forced into exile by the US. He died at 86 years old in 2008 due to heart and kidney complications. He was buried in a state military funeral with full honors, with the Indonesian commandos as his honor guard. The second iron-fisted dictator in Asia was Korea’s Park Chung Hee, who ruled for 17 years. His Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) was so bold and ruthless that it was known to have even kidnapped opposition Koreans abroad. Ironically, Park was shot pointblank and killed in a banquet by the KCIA director in 1979. After a two-year transition in which another military man ruled as an unelected leader, Korea went on to become a fully democratic state. Does Korea celebrate this transition, demonize Park and consider as hero the KCIA director who killed him? Nope. Park’s daughter, Park Geun-hye, was even elected as South Korea’s 11th and first female president in 2012. Lech Walesa during a visit to the Philippines told Corazon Aquino that the movement that overthrew the communists in Poland in 1989 was “inspired” by the People Power uprising she led in 1986. Does Poland have its version of our People Power celebration? Nope. Fighting during the 1989 Romanian revolution (Revolusia Român) led to more than 1,000 killed, and after a two-hour kangaroo court, Nicolae Ceauescu, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 42 years, was executed, together with his wife. Does Romania commemorate

this historical people-power event? Nope. We can go on and on, with data on each of the 20 countries that had people-power-like peaceful revolutions. Not one celebrates its extra-constitutional, nonviolent regime change. Significantly, what Indonesia, South Korea, Poland, and Romania, as well as most of these 21 countries, celebrate as national holidays is Constitution Day. In our case, Constitution Day is a “working holiday” and thus, passes unnoticed. No wonder, the Constitution here is routinely defied. No People Power celebrations What these countries mostly celebrate – other than religious days – are their independence dates from foreign masters. None of them celebrates the fall of their own dictatorships. There are three major reasons our governments have celebrated People Power since 1987. First is that EDSA I was such a good template for Cory’s master, the US, to disseminate worldwide to rouse people under communist dictatorships to revolution. The EDSA template would have been swiftly forgotten if there were no EDSA I commemorations yearly, complete with videos of heroic ordinary people, nuns and priests stopping tanks. The US’ first target was China’s democracy movement, which however, failed. Where do you think that young Chinese got the idea to stand ramrod in front of a tank in that iconic Tiananmen Square uprising of 1989? Remember also that the 1980s PAGE A7

Commentary

EmEtErio Sd. PErEz MEMBERS of the yellow tribe will mark today the 30th anniversary of what they call people power revolt. Hopefully, their numbers will be small enough to confine themselves to a road which is perpendicular to the 23.8-kilometer Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA, formerly called Highway 54. The restriction may be justified by the fact that not many Filipinos believe anymore in EDSA’s spirit of unity against the alleged dictatorial regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. To some who choose to forget EDSA day even if February 25 has been declared a holiday, the late President Marcos was even a better leader than the first woman president who succeeded him. This piece, however, is neither about EDSA nor about the yellow followers of the late President Corazon Aquino, whose son is the present temporary occupant of Malacañang Palace. I prefer to write again about the failed legacy of the first woman president of the Philippines, which was Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), as I did on February 27, 2014. Stock corporation Why HLI? Why don’t I write about the uprising that had, as

claimed by the yellows, successfully driven the Marcoses out of Malacañang Palace? I am sticking to the topic that is HLI to illustrate how, as the Supreme Court has ruled, shares of stock could never replace a piece of farmland that the hacienda’s tenant farmers truly deserve to own. HLI was a circumvention of the agrarian reform law. It was not only a frustration even as it was mandated under the governing provisions of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the late first woman president. The agrarian reform version of Aquino the mother was bound to fail from the day HLI farmers agreed to become its stockholders on May 11, 1989. After 22 years, however, the high court upheld the Department of Agrarian Reform’s decision which declared as illegal the stock certificates instead of farm lots in complying with the law on agrarian reform. Not beneficial to farmers Here are the reasons why Cory’s version of agrarian reform was intended to benefit her family’s hacienda and not the tenants: Aside from not being compliant with the agrarian reform law, HLI deprived its tenants the opportunity to own a piece of the property. Shares of stocks could never replace farm lots, which the Cojuangcos tried to impose on most of their tenants. Those who agreed to become HLI stockholders did not know what

they were getting in exchange for farm lots. The company in which they were to own 37 percent, or even more, would eventually collapse with an accumulated deficit of more than P1 billion. What happens to a company that has incurred that kind of deficit and continues to lose money? Definitely, it is bound to end in liquidation by the time its creditors start filing collection suits against it. So, what happens to stockholders of such a bankrupt company? In the order of priorities of claims against the assets of financially distressed corporations, the government enjoys the right to be paid ahead of other claimants, then the suppliers, workers, secured creditors and finally, the unsecured creditors, in that order. Being the tailenders among claimants, the stockholders would get nothing. Liquidation In the case of Hacienda Luisita, had it been liquidated, the Bureau of Internal Revenue would have run after it for unpaid taxes, if it had any. Unluckily for the hacienda’s tenants-turned stockholders, as owners of a stock corporation, they would have been at the tail-end of the list of claimants. Luckily, the high court ruled against the Cojuangcos by outlawing CARP’s stock distribution scheme that could have been a strategy to preserve one family’s ownership of 4,915 hectares of farm lands instead of distributPAGE A7

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal. ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

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Why the do we celebrate EDSA I... PAGE A5 was the height of Reagan’s crusade against the Evil Empire, the Soviet Union. The US had actually first focused on Poland, and it has been indisputably proven that the Central Intelligence Agency funneled, starting in 1980, a total of $1 billion to Lech Walesa’s “Solidarity” trade union that was the vanguard of the Polish revolution. Televised scenes and press photos of EDSA I proved much, much cheaper to rouse the Poles. Indeed, even the US officials and the Yellow Cult have boasted that EDSA I , the “Yellow Revolution” – inspired the peaceful revolutions, especially the “color revolutions” (e.g., Czechoslovakia’s 1989 Velvet Revolution), that overthrew communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The inspiration wasn’t just on the level of inspiring morale. Formulating and executing the political tactics for Cory and the People Power movement was the political consultancy group Sawyer Miller, (See James Harding, Alpha Dogs: The Americans Who Turned Political Spin into a Global Business.) After EDSA, the firm’s prestige shot up, their ‘technology,’ even if pejoratively described as the art of the political spin, was studied, their political-consultancy business model adopted by a host of new Washington-based firms. I suspect that Sawyer Miller was even directly contracted by the CIA, as that Hardin book read: “When the firm’s principal David Sawyer died in 1999, (US) Sen. Daniel Moynihan stood up on the floor of the US Senate to mourn him, saying, among other things, that Sawyer ‘helped to open up the governments of Eastern Europe and Latin America by introducing mass communication into their electoral processes.” The US also realized in EDSA I how the media could be so powerful in fomenting revolutions, especially that new media – the 24-hour Cable News Network. EDSA would be the first revolution covered live on TV. Exhilarated after helping a revolution in the Philippines, journalists lusting after a Pulitzer Prize, would rush to whatever country seemed on the verge of a revolution. While the EDSA template failed in China, it was remarkably successful in Eastern Europe and even the Middle East, starting with Poland and Romania in 1989 to the “Arab Spring” revolts in the 21st century. Falsely portrays a united nation

The second reason why we have been forced to celebrate the 1986 EDSA I: It was through this and its accompanying demonization of Marcos and martial law that the Yellow Cult has tried to paint the scenario of a national consensus that removed the strongman from power. It was an utter embarrassment for us as a nation, really, for the US to intervene in the ‘revolution’ by fooling Marcos that he would be flown to his home province of Ilocos Norte. Instead, he was flown to Hawaii in a forced exile. The scenes of former National Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and then Armed Forces Chief Fidel V. Ramos staking their lives at Camp Crame, preparing for Marcos’ attack, of the helicopter squadron defecting just as they were thought to be positioning to attack Camp Crame, the crowds stopping the tanks in the street – all these images of high drama had to be shown on TV again and again to justify the revolution, to create the illusion that this was a national revolution. However, the first presidential election after EDSA I, in 1992, provided hard proof that the country was so divided over EDSA and Marcos’ fall. Marcos widow Imelda garnered 10 percent of the votes, while his top crony, Eduardo Cojuangco, received 18 percent. If the two had gotten together instead, they would have gathered 28 percent of the votes, bigger than Ramos’ winning 24 percent or Miriam Santiago’s 20 percent. Isn’t that enough proof that a big part of Philippine society didn’t support EDSA I and wanted the Marcos regime back, even if just through his wife and top crony? Thirty years after, Marcos’ “Solid North” and Imelda’s Eastern Visayas, and swathes of Mindanao continue to refuse to be part of the “people” of the People Power uprising. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s strong showing in the polls, even if this is unsurprising since he is running against political pygmies, especially Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Antonio Trillanes 4th, is proof that for many Filipinos, Martial Law wasn’t the era of the Dark Lord, as Aquino portrays it. I have explained in my column Wednesday what is the third reason for People Power celebrations: It conceals the reality that the ruling Philippine elite continues to screw the masses, regardless of whether the nation is ruled by a democracy or a dictatorship.

Dateline PhiliPPines

It is not coincidental that the EDSA I celebrations have religious undertones. In ancient and medieval times, religion served to conceal the fact that the pharaoh, the king, or the emperor, together with their clans, exploited the broad masses of the working classes through the lie that these rulers were anointed by, or even sons, of their deity. The EDSA I celebrations portray the fiction that we are a nation of equals, and we have become poor (“condemned”) only because of Marcos (“the devil’), and were saved by Cory (“the Messiah”). On the other hand, countries that had people-power types of regime changes don’t have such annual people-power celebrations because they were honest and clever enough to realize that such would only exacerbate the division in their countries. After all, even dictatorships that had lasted long had to be supported by a significant section of their nation, and their fall would, of course, alienate those sections. The EDSA I celebrations have only been divisive for our country, as its spokesman Aquino has been. We should stop this inanity if we are to be united as a nation in the coming years. Note President Aquino actually made things worse for some people, just as he is stepping down soon this year. Since 1987, the February 25 EDSA I commemoration had been a working holiday. Aquino, however, issued a proclamation in July last year making it a nonworking holiday, which will every year thenceforth add to the misery of millions of laborers paid on a daily, no-work, no-pay basis. (The laborers and the contractor working on a renovation in a friend’s house were livid. Even if the contractor was willing to pay double as required by labor laws, his workers couldn’t be let into the subdivision, because it was a nonworking holiday! His workers would spend a day doing nothing, earning nothing.) It was intended to be a big political ad for the May elections: Aquino’s candidates Manuel Roxas and Leni Robredo would be on the event’s stage with him, and portrayed as the crusaders for People Power whom Filipinos need to support. That’s a big blunder, though. After 30 years with the country remaining poor, Filipinos have gone tired of this People Power nonsense. (ManilaTimes.net)

OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • fEbRUARy 26-mARCh 3, 2016

TIAONG WELCOME. Vice President Jejomar Binay greets the crowd who waited for his caravan in Tiaong, Quezon. Hundreds of his supporters welcomed the candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance who visited the province Thursday, Feb. 25. ManilaTimes.net photo

Lawmaker to pursue SSS veto override BAGUIO CITY—Whether or not he wins a Senate seat, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said he will refile the veto

The failure of agrarian reform... PAGE A5 ing them to their tenants. Had the SC’s ruling gone against the farmers, HLI would have served as the model for other wealthy families with vast tracts of tenanted farm lands. Unfortunately for the very rich, the high court saw in the Cojuangcos’ hacienda a diversionary tactic against the successful implementation of the Agrarian Reform law. Today, the temporary resident of Malacañang Palace will probably join the yellows’ celebration of a forgotten EDSA spirit. He would probably wish his late mother were still alive to witness what to him would be a historic event, which it is obviously not. Some, if not many, of those who were at EDSA on February 25, 1986 also wished that his mother should have lived long enough to have witnessed how the high tribunal led by Chief Justice Renato Corona nullified the distribution of stock certificates that she had conceived to protect the inheritance of her children. (ManilaTImes.net)

override on the bill that would increase Social Security System (SSS) pensions by P2,000. Colmenares said his refiling of the override resolution in the House of Representatives on May 23 should not be seen as a campaign stunt because it will be the next president who will enforce the new SSS law after Congress overturns President Aquino’s veto of the pension hike measure. The veto by Mr. Aquino sparked

outrage from retired professionals and employees, the ones who would benefit from a P2,000 hike in their monthly pension. The President said the increase would require a monthly allocation of P56 billion, which would adversely affect the SSS’ financial stability and require that working members increase their monthly contributions. Colmenares said 81 representatives had expressed support for the override. (Inquirer.net)

february 26-march 3, 2016 • Oc/Ie aSIaN JOurNaL

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When Manila bowed to Madonna Madonna ‘devotees’ at MOA Arena

by TessA

MAuricioA-ArriolA ManilaTimes.net

Had it been any other artist, Filipinos would not have waited almost three hours in good cheer. But because it was Madonna, the Queen of Pop, those who eagerly trooped to the Mall of asia arena on the night of February 24 waited without complaining. Finally, at 10:45pm, “Her Madgesty” decided it was time to indulge her loyal subjects. and all at once, the famed Rebel Heart stage–a catwalk in a hybrid of a cross, an arrow and a heart that almost ran the entire length of the Moa court–came alive with dazzling lights, heart-pounding beats, an astounding ensemble of dancers, and the Queen of Pop in all her glory. Even if she did away with the immensely dramatic entrance of descending center stage in a cage of samurais, Madonna was every bit the royalty the music world had crowned her to be. For just like real royalty, the 57-year-old american singer captivated and lorded it over her audience. The crowd got up to dance along to Madonna’s most classic hits, but for the most part, the entire arena just watched her perform. To top it off, every “sinful” act

a nuMBER of Madonna “devotees” spotted on the first night, Feb. 24, of the Queen of Pop’s concerts at SM Mall of asia (MOa) arena turned up in outfits reflecting the innovative fashion style of their idol. But actress Iza Calzado likewise stood out in a black T-shirt with the statement: “GO F#CK YOuR SELFIE.” a guest dJ warmed up the crowd before Madonna took the stage shortly before 11 p.m. Check out these photos by Inquirer.net’s Pocholo Concepcion:

Madonna performs during her spectacular concert at the Mall of asia arena. Photo courtesy of Jasper Lucena/MMI Live possible to do on stage, Madonna committed. From stripping down to a-barely-there nun’s outfit and pole dancing to butt slapping, heavy gyrating and an explicitly choreographed girl-on-boy, boy-on-girl, and boy-on-boy “bed scene” by the ensemble; to having a shot of tequila, almost lighting a cigarette (not that she smokes), and endless cursing and swearing, Madonna did them all. She only allowed two types

of response from the audience whenever she asked a question. It was either “Fu*k yeah!” or “Fu*k no!” explaining that she always feels the need to curse when looking for inspiration. all the cursing aside, the audience was awed by the sheer artistry of the Rebel Heart concert, and ultimately, the genius that has made Madonna transcend genres and generations since hitting the music scene in the 1980s. She is

all at once the Queen of Pop, of reinvention, of passion, of stamina, and of determination. The eye-popping show justified the sky-high ticket prices. VIP tickets sold for a staggering P57,750, and general admission seats still considerably pricey at P3,150. The immensely elaborate set designed and ultra-high tech audio equipment that were Continued on Page 5

Madonna visits children at Bahay Tuluyan Foundation by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

Madonna at Hospicio de San Jose

a daY before her scheduled concert on Wednesday, Feb. 24, pop culture icon Madonna spent her time visiting welfare institutions for children in Manila on Tuesday afternoon. Catherine Scerri, deputy director of the nongovernmental children’s rights organization Bahay Tuluyan, said the american singer-songwriter dropped by at their headquarters at 2pm and stayed for close to an hour. “She watched a little dance number prepared by the children, and then ended up dancing with them, too,” Scerri told the Inquirer in a phone interview. “The children were very happy and enjoyed their time with Photos from Madonna’s Instagram account Madonna,” Scerri said.

Review

‘Criers for Hire’: A hilarious, heartwarming cultural triumph

On her Instagram account, Madonna posted a photo of her with three children under the organization’s care. “Chillin’ with my homies at the Bahay Tuluyan Foundation, giving shelter to orphans street children trafficking abuse victims in Manila,” Madonna wrote. Scerri described the meeting “private and casual,” with Madonna being accompanied by around 20 people, including some of her dancers. “They reached out to us yesterday. Initially, we thought it was only her dancers who will go. We found out that Madonna was also coming only today,” Scerri said, adding that Madonna asked her about how the foundation works. Continued on Page 3

Pinoy celebrities recall heady EDSA days by BAyAni

sAn Diego Jr. AnD AllAn PolicArPio Inquirer.net

EVEn movie stars and TV celebrities felt the spirit of the EdSa People Power Revolution 30 years three struggling Filipina women ago as they joined fellow Filipinos by Allyson escoBAr who work as professional funeral on those four heady days that AJPress criers to make ends meet. Baby changed the course of the nation’s THE East West Players’ has petitioned her 14-year-old history. premiered “Criers for Hire” at the daughter, Ligaya/“Gaya” (Barredo), Tessie Tomas, who used to spoof david Henry Hwang Theater on a to study and live with her in the former first lady Imelda Marcos in rainy night on Wednesday, February uS from the Philippines, and her comedy shows, recalled joining 17. Starring Broadway veteran the funeral criers are eager to “other performers Freddie aguilar Joan almedilla, nicole Barredo, teach Gaya their somber line of and the apo Hiking Society on the Samantha Cutaran, Rudy Martinez, work. However, upon arrival and roof of the (government station) and La18 “Kababayan Today” host enrollment in high school, young, PTV 4 building (now aBS-CBn), Giselle “G” Tongi, the play warmly heavily-accented Gaya is more entertaining the crowds so they celebrates Filipino and Filipinoconcerned with immersing herself would continue to protect us from american culture, generation, and in american life and culture. government troops. The next day, I the excitement and challenges of Criers for Hire, written by went to EdSa with my son, Robin, finding home in a new place. Giovanni Ortega and directed by who was 10 years old then. We both Set in California’s predominantly Jon Lawrence Rivera, is hilarious, wore yellow shirts.” asian neighborhood of Monterey heartwarming, and filled with Stand-up comic Willie Park in the 90s, the play centers cultural references that Filipinos nepomuceno said he was hosting on mother aurora/“Baby” (played and Fil-ams alike will enjoy. For the launch of a pizza restaurant in by almedilla), Remedios/“Meding” non-Tagalog speakers in the Makati when news of the coup led (played by Tongi) and Eugenia/ audience, the show’s program by (Marcos defense minister) Juan “Henny” (played by Cutaran), Continued on Page 3 Ponce Enrile and (armed Forces vice chief of staff) Fidel V. Ramos broke out. On his way back to Marikina, he saw opposition leader Butz aquino in front of Isetann department store, said the performer who said he was “a constant figure” in the four-day revolt. Jon Santos, another comic who spoofs politicians, said he was a college senior at uP diliman at the time. “I went to EdSa with my classmates. after three decades, we still reflect on EdSa and how we are continually challenged to fight for clean and honest elections and leaders who won’t betray our trust.” never forget Ces Quesada, a former uP diliman teacher who went on to portray Cory aquino in the seminal gag show “Sic O’Clock news” postEdSa, recalled following the news (L-R) Giselle “G” Töngi as Meding, Joan Almedilla as Baby, Nicole Barredo as Gaya, Samantha on TV in her parents’ house. “(Earlier, Cutaran as Henny, and Rudy Martinez as Narcisco Triste Photos by Michael Lamont I had gone) to Crame to bring

sandwiches for the (rebel) soldiers,” she said. Pop singer Celeste Legaspi, who joined 14 other performers in recording the EdSa anthem “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” recounted how she went to EdSa on the first night and brought freshly baked pan de sal for the soldiers. “It is good to observe the 30th anniversary of EdSa … We must never forget,” she said. Singer Kuh Ledesma recalled that she sang “Bayan Ko” one night on EdSa. “We should be proud of EdSa. We got together for a common and worthy cause—to

topple a dictatorship and regain democracy.” Scriptwriter-director Jose Javier Reyes likewise shared “vivid memories” of those four days. “My best friend (actor) Manny Castañeda and I were among the first people to join (TV director) Johnny Manahan and his group at the PTV 4 studios along Mother Ignacia Street, monitoring troop movements and relaying the latest developments to the public.” It was a time for unwavering, if sleep-deprived, valor. “Fueled by adrenaline, we survived on only two hours of sleep,” Reyes recalled,

Ces Quesada

Jose Javier Reyes

adding that he now regards the events of February 1986 with “a greater sense of objectivity.” He added: “The personalities deemed as heroes then were not saints, (but) were just historical necessities who had their own agenda better understood decades later.” Activists Filmmaker Joel Lamangan, who was on EdSa with the late director Lino Brocka and other artists, said that “the young people who sacrificed their lives for freedom (before EdSa) must be remembered as well. We must also Continued on Page 3

Joel Lamangan

JOINT FORCES. Thousands of people jammed Edsa on Feb. 23, 1986, and witnessed how then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile crossed the street to Camp Crame, where he consolidated forces with then Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos. Photo from People Power Book, The Philippine Revolution of 1986

Charice, Xyza Bacani, 8 others on Forbes ’30 under 30’ Asia list Pinoy celebrities recall heady...

february 26-march 3, 2016

www.asianjournal.com

Singer Charice Pempengco, acclaimed street photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani and eight other Filipino millennials were included in Forbes’ inaugural “30 under 30” Asia list. Pempengco, 23, was hailed under the “30 under 30” in the entertainment and Sports category. The magazine said that she was the second Filipino who earned a spot in the Billboard 100 chart. She was also hailed for the release of her 2010 hit “Pyramid” with iyaz which topped the Billboard Dance Chart. A domestic worker-turnedphotographer, 29-year-old Bacani became famous with her black and white photos of Hong Kong city life. Forbes said Bacani’s photos have revealed conditions of “domestic workers facing human rights issues.” She won a Magnum Foundation Human rights Fellows award in 2015. Other Filipinos who were included on the inaugural list include: - ronson Culibrina, artist, 24, for The Arts - LoudBasstard founder Koh Martinez Onozawa, 26, for retail and e-commerce - Cropital founder rachel de Villa, 23, for Finance and Venture Capital - Dating app Peekawoo founder Valenice Balace, 27, for Consumer Tech - SALt lamp cofounder

From Page 2 honor the heroism of activists who were jailed or killed so that eDSA could happen.” Scriptwriter ricky Lee said he was a regular on eDSA who would stay till late at night, “sometimes with Brocka, sometimes with (actress) Chanda romero and other friends and workshoppers. i told them that people power happened because, during martial law, many Filipinos risked their lives, took to the streets and opposed the dictatorship.They paved the way. And i am proud to say that i was one of them.” Singer-actress Ali Sotto, another imelda impersonator on TV, said she was an Ateneo law student who later C�arice Xyza Cruz Bacani joined the national Movement for the international Sustainable raphael Mijeno, 28, for Social Free elections in the 1986 snap polls. World energy, engineering, and entrepreneurs She was monitoring the canvassing environment Project in 2015 - edukasyon.ph founder of votes when the revolt broke out. and a gold medal from the Henry Motte- Munoz, 28, for rushing off to eDSA, she “ran into international Young inventor’s Social entrepreneurs and joined the group of (the late Olympiad in 2014. - Solar Philippines director) Marilou Diaz-Abaya.” The Forbes’ “30 under 30” founder Leandro Leviste, 22, Today, the radio commentator Asia list had 10 categories which for Manufacturing and energy; conceded that the “euphoria had include: consumer technology, and long since died down… but what is enterprise technology, the arts, - Amin Hataman, 15, for inarguable is that we regained many healthcare and science, media, Healthcare & Science. of the freedoms we had lost during social entrepreneurship, Hataman, who is the martial law, including freedom of finance, industry, retail and youngest Filipino on the list and speech. Had i done then the kind of manufacturing. on the Healthcare and Science political satire and commentary that “For months on end, our category, was hailed for her Arnold Clavio and i are doing now, i correspondents from around invention of biodegradable bags would have been a desaparecida.” the region have been looking “made of a coconut by-product” Mass action for the best and brightest 300 which disintegrates after several Before he played gen. Antonio millennials who are disrupting days. Luna in the 2015 film “Heneral and changing the faces of their Hataman’s invention has Luna, ” actor John Arcilla was already industries,” the magazine said. reaped several awards which a revolutionary in his own way, a (Inquirer.net) include a bronze medal from regular in the parliament of the streets and president of the cultural arm of a student organization.” When eDSA happened, some student leaders cautioned Arcilla that it was not a true people’s revolution. “But i wanted to give Filipinos credit for that triumphant day,” he said, adding that eDSA was a “culmination of our tireless community-organizing and massaction efforts.” Singer Bituin escalante was only 8 in 1986, whose parents would go to eDSA after bidding “real goodbyes because there was uncertainty in the air.” When the crowds swelled and the soldiers switched sides, her parents brought her along to eDSA �rofessional �ourners Henny (Sa�ant�a Cutaran), Ba�y (Joan Al�edilla), and Meding (Giselle “G” Töngi) cry in t�e �ackground wit� Narcisco Triste (Rudy Martinez) and Gaya (Nicole Barredo) in with her grandparents and uncles. t�e foreground in East West �layers’ world pre�iere co�edy “Criers for Hire” written �y Giovanni “We wore homemade shirts that

‘Criers for Hire’: A hilarious, heartwarming...

From Page 2

provides a helpful glossary of “Taglish” (Tagalog-english) words, and uniquely projects english translations onto the stage. “...i’ve never played a Filipino before--it’s such a great opportunity. i could also relate to Ligaya as far as her culture shock, because i was 14 when i moved here from the Philippines as well,” actress nicole Barredo shared. “it is also amazing that i get to work in east West Players, the longestrunning professional theater of color in the US, bringing our culture out to Los Angeles.” inspired by the immigrant experience in the United States, “Criers for Hire” reveals important challenges and themes: culture shock, assimilation, conflict, coming-of-age, and sacrificial love. it brilliantly explores Filipino values (education, strict parenting, close-knit family ties) and Chinese traditions (burning of Joss paper in funerals), and focuses on the distinctive ways in which people express emotion. Almedilla, Tongi, and Cutaran have hilarious chemistry, while Barredo and Martinez (playing the charming classmate, narcisco) add depth to their quirky, flirting scenes. The complex relationship between mother and daughter is moving and reminiscent of any child with a hard-working parent. “We wanted it to be an all-out comedy, but we realized there was an emotional connection, especially with the relationship between the mother and her daughter,” said Tim Dang, producing artistic director of east West Players. “People in the audience were saying that it reminds them of their own relationship with their mother, how they did not appreciate all the things she had sacrificed for them. We added these poignant moments that will have an impact and touch the heart.” The unique set design also plays an important role in the show, which utilizes sliding panels to change scenes and reveal different locations around the city. The climax also includes a gorgeous, originallywritten musical number--though is not a musical--involving the main cast of characters. “When we found out our cast has musical talent and background [including lead actress Joan Almedilla], Jon [Lawrence rivera]

Ortega.

Rudy Martinez as Narcisco Triste and Nicole Barredo as Gaya

thought it would be great to have Joan sing. The characters humming the song’s melody during the scene changes also builds up the show’s music, so it’s not completely random,” said Dang. “Our cast has contributed so much to this production; we had so many suggestions on where this plot and its characters could go, and changes were made to script every day. The show is not set until the day before opening.” Dang also noted the importance of diversity in arts and culture, which is key for the east West Players, celebrating 50 years of Asian American theater. “People want to see themselves, their stories, on stage. Doing a play for the Filipino community is one of the great things we have to offer. We also give Filipino actors a chance to play Filipino,” he said. “There is a lot of support for these kinds of plays, and we always keep in mind why certain Asian American communities support the arts.” “it’s mind-blowing, especially to work with this cast,” Barredo added. “There’s not a lot of opportunities for Filipino plays, so when something comes up like this,

��otos �y Mic�ael La�ont

you jump on it. Bringing Filipino culture out in the creative space is something we need to do more in our community.” Latino actor rudy Martinez commented, “The best part is being around these four women. As an actor in LA, i’m so committed to doing really diverse theater. i’ve learned so much about Filipino culture by being a part of this. People need to know the hardships of women who work. recognize what the women in our families have struggled with and gone through, in order to help us be where we are today.” “i guess i’d say the main message of ‘Criers for Hire’ is to call your mom,” Martinez laughed. The east West Players’ performance of Criers for Hire, in community partnership with Asia Society and FilAm ArTS, will be at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts (120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012) from Wednesday through Sunday until March 13. Tickets, discounts, and detailed information may be found online at www.eastwestplayers. org.

Madonna visits children at Bahay... From Page 2

Madonna in Ba�ay Tuluyan

��oto fro� Madonna’s Instagra� account

“We discussed the situation of the children and how we help them,” she said. Also on instagram, Madonna shared with her 6.2 million followers photos of her playing with babies at the orphanage Hospicio de San Jose. “everyone needs a tickle!” she wrote in another post. Madonna, one of the bestselling artists of all time, is currently in the country for a two-night show at SM Mall of Asia Arena, on Feb. 24 and 25, as part of her ongoing “rebel Heart” world tour. The Manila leg is presented by promoter Music Management international.

read: ‘Veteran February 1986.’” Actor Juan rodrigo went to eDSA with his mom and siblings and brought sandwiches to share with others. “The feeling was indescribable. People were friendlier. You could feel the love and sincerity. How i wish that kind of unity still exists now.” Stuck at home Singer Ogie Alcasid was a college freshman at UP Los Baños, but would motor all the way to Manila, to join the crowds on eDSA. “i am now part of the eDSA People Power Commission, which sees to it that its ideals will never be forgotten.” Others celebrities, who were stuck at home or based miles away, made sure they were part of the fiesta revolution, too—as concerned citizens who monitored the event as it unfolded on radio and television. Among them were highschooler Cooky Chua who recalled watching everything on TV as her parents did not allow her to go out on the streets. “One of the things that struck me was the music,” said the singer who later joined the cast of “Lean,” the musical on the life of murdered student leader Lean Alejandro in 1997. Singer Bayang Barrios, also based in Mindanao in the 1980s, remembered the “curfew and (not being) free to speak out against the government.” She felt happy when the people prevailed on eDSA, she said. “it showed us that there’s power in unity.” Folk singer Lolita Carbon was also at home monitoring the news

Ricky Lee

on eDSA. “Through my music and songs, i try to embolden people and encourage them to piece everything together.” Poetic justice Singer Martin nievera recalled being glued to the TV and “feeling the tension in the air.” His mother had already booked plane tickets for his sisters, he said, adding: “Being close to the Marcoses didn’t help.” Folk singer Joey Ayala recalled being in Davao province, monitoring developments on radio and playing mah jong with his in-laws. “What remains relevant is the idea that power resides in the people,” he said. gary Valenciano, a young father then, was unsure of what would happen, “but certain of the need to be at eDSA.” He recalled: “i thought we were going to war. it was a trying time for me because i didn’t know what the future held.” His son Paolo was only 4 months old then, while his wife, Angeli Pangilinan, was in Hong Kong for a surgery, he said. Musician rJ Jacinto, whose family was persecuted by the martial-law regime, was “on exile in Hawaii” when the revolution happened. “i watched everything on Cnn,” he said. When radio Veritas went off the air, a station called radyo Bandido took over and appealed for support for the rebel soldiers. “Turned out radyo Bandido was my old rock ’n’ roll station dzrJ, which was taken over by the (Marcos) military in 1972. it was poetic justice,” he said. “A radio station i put up became a voice of democracy.”

february 26-march 3, 2016 www.asianjournal.com

Ultimate heartthrobs Piolo Pascual & Sam Milby LIVE at Pechanga in March With Pokwang and Darren Espanto

Two of the most sought after young Filipino actors, both on screen, cinema and singing sensation, Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby—along with comedian extraordinaire, ‘Pokwang’ and budding male actor Darren Espanto, in one of a kind performance ever will lead the pack of performers live at Pechanga Resort & Casino on March 26 at 8p.m. and March 27 at 5pm. Pechanga Resort & Casino is wellknown for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and performers such as international singer Gary Valenciano, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the singer/actress and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, popular comedian and actor Vice Ganda, winner of “Star Power Search 2011” Angeline Quintos, international actress and top endorser Anne Curtis, and Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo - who all gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd. Dubbed as ‘ Heartthrobs Reloaded Live at Pechanga, ‘ Pascual, an award winning actor and singer, was tagged as one and only ultimate heartthrob due to his peculiarity, smart looks and hot appeal. He’s being link to well-known famed celebrities and is notorious as every lady’s dream man. Born Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual on January 12, 1977 to Amelia “Amy” Nonato and Philip (Herzig) Pascual. The youngest of six (four girls and 2 boys), Peejay (his nickname) was considered a “miracle baby”. Pascual was discovered by a family friend who picked him up and on their way home and stopped at the taping of the late German Moreno’s That’s Entertainment show. It was there that a staff member saw

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a potential star in Piolo. He was asked to audition and later got a call back to be part of the show. He also became one of the country’s leading endorsers. Billboards lined up in highways with him endorsing brands such as Hammerhead, Max’s chicken, San Mig Coffee, Bench, Belo, Banco de oro, etc. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ ‘Rockcoustic Heartthrob’, Sam Milby is an established actor and multi-awarded singer who is one of the few homegrown actors to venture into Hollywood while maintaining a successful career in the Philippines. From being just another Pinoy Big Brother housemate, the Filipino-American looker has eclipsed even his own popularity with sold-out concerts and Platinum albums, top-rating TV soaps. Born and raised in Troy, ohio, Milby is the youngest son of Filipina Elsie Lacia who hails from Surigao Philippines and American entrepreneur, Lloyd Milby. Commonly known as Pokwang— A comedienne, television host, and singer. Born on August 27, 1960 as Marietta Subong. She is a well-known actress, who won the Clown in a Million contests in ABS-CBN’s comedy-gag show program. Yes, Yes Show! (2004). She is the ninth child

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in a family of twelve. Darren Lyndon Gonzales Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino singer. Born in Calgary, Canada to Filipino parents, at 10 years old, he won the Masters Finals of the Pinoy Singing Sensation competition in Edmonton. He made his first television appearance at the age of ten when he joined YTV’s reality television The Next Star in 2012; he became the youngest finalist in the history of the show to be included in the Top 6. Espanto rose to prominence after joining the first season of the The Voice Kids Philippines, the youngest artist who staged a major solo concert at the age of 13. Piolo, Sam, Pokwang, and Darren— are perfect combinations to thrill you come March by Temecula, California’s only pride— Pechanga Resort & Casino. Buy your tickets now (from $118, $98, $88 to $78) at the Pechanga Box office, wednesday-Sunday from noon to 8p.m. or go online at www. Pechanga.com. Pechanga Resort & Casino Pechanga Resort & Casino offers one of the largest and most expansive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted the Number one Casino in America by readers of USA ToDAY and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort & Casino provides an unparalleled getaway. offering more than 3,400 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-888PECHANGA or visit www.Pechanga. com. Advertising Supplement

Kiss from Clive Owen, love from Meryl Streep by Bayani

San Diego Inquirer.net

Jr.

IT was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” And since actor Bernardo Bernardo was not the type to decline such a golden prospect, he somehow scored a kiss from Oscar nominee and Berlinale juror Clive Owen at a dinner party in honor of the winners—which included the Filipino film, Lav Diaz’s “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,” which won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize. The way Bernardo recalled it, the “kiss” was part of a dare the film’s Tres Tikbalangs (halfmen/half-horse creatures played by him, Angel Aquino and Cherie Gil) concocted after the Philippine contingent’s heady victory. “We dared Cherie to ask for a kiss,” he reminisced. “She could and she did. Angel did the same. So, why not me?” Owen was game. “He smiled and said: ‘Yes, of course!’” They had to do it thrice “because the first two photos were blurry. I was so embarrassed. Char!” Owen was so gracious that he even invited the PH team to the “after-party party.” “He said he was done with jury duty!” Bernardo also snagged a little face time with jury president and three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep.

Free help preparing tax returns offered by CSUF scholars Certified volunteers assist low-income families, individuals

Mery Streep chats with John Lloyd Cruz.

The Filipino cast and crew were called onstage by Diaz after the awarding. Executive producer Paul Soriano then took them to Streep. “All I could muster was: ‘Miss Streep, you’re the favorite actress of the Philippines.’ Her eyes lit up, and she said, ‘You were amazing! You were all wonderful!’ That was my chocolate high for the year.” The Filipinos were in a “delightful daze” on the red carpet, he recalled. They were dressed to the nines—Bernardo in a barong, “a gift from the late German Moreno”; the other gents in suits; and the ladies in gowns.

CAL State Fullerton students are offering income tax return preparation and filing assistance to low-income families and individuals. More than 200 students and alumni — all certified — take part in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), an IRS-sponsored community program. Graduate student Annie Bach, pursing a master of science degree in taxation, is president of the student-run VITA chapter under the guidance Photo courtesy of Bianca Balbuena of Jennifer Howard and Sarah Gil wore a red Oliver Tolentino Fulmer, assistant professors of dress. “I wanted to wear creations accounting. by Filipino designers,” she said. At Those who are interested the premiere, she wore an aqua can come in during: Fridays Michael Cinco. and Saturdays through April 16, At the postawards party, the 9am to 4pm on Fridays and 9am jury gave the “Hele” contingent a standing ovation, Bernardo said. Streep made it a point to chat with the Filipino actors, including Hazel Orencio and Susan Africa, and told them that “Hele” was “fantastic and… rearranged the molecules in her mind.” ORANGE—The Orange She explained that the long County Transportation Authority scenes allowed her “to appreciate will implement a series of the changes of emotions in the Continued on Page 6 changes to its public bus service beginning in June, a move aimed at adding 1.3 million riders over the next three years. The OCTA Board of Directors unanimously approved how jaded she was, how she had recommendations for the just a “little bit” of cellulite on her 2016 Bus Service Plan at its still very firm legs with age. She even said a little something about meeting on Monday, Feb. 22. The plan, revised based on Manila traffic. strong input from bus riders and “I don’t get to go to this the community, is expected to part of the world much often,” Madonna began. “So I don’t have reverse a near-decade trend of the opportunity to say thank you, declining ridership. Since 2008, OCTA has lost more than 20 and to show you my gratitude and appreciation for your support million passengers, a reduction of 30 percent. for all these years, for over 30 During the last two months, years. It’s pretty amazing if you OCTA collected and reviewed think about it. Just a minute is extensive public feedback and amazing so imagine 32 years of conducted additional technical being able to do what I love, to analysis of the plan. The make a living to do what I love, approved plan modifies 14 of the to share what I love, with people around the world. I love you all so 35 bus routes originally proposed much. If you are a rebel heart, just for changes. OCTA operates 77 routes. pretend I’m holding you already, Among other adjustments, that I’m holding you close to my OCTA has approved plans to: heart.”

When Manila bowed to... From Page 2 reportedly flown into Manila in three batches by Boeing jets from Rebel Heart’s previous stop in Macau were show stoppers within themselves. Imagine a giant LED screen—besides an even bigger one for a backdrop—that tilts up and down from the floor to serve as stage that follows Madonna and her dancers’ every move with blinding lights. There is also a descending spiral staircase, sky-high poles rising from the surface, and part of a car that suddenly come up on stage throughout the show. Her four themed acts too— “Joan of Arc/Samurai,”“Rockabilly meets Tokyo,”“Latin/Gypsy,” and “Party/Flapper” gave Filipinos the kind of balance they look for in any foreign artist’s concert in these shores—a good mix of the singer’s

february 26-march 3, 2016 www.asianjournal.com

newest hits, with a generous serving of his or her classics. As such Madonna more than satisfied her fans with tracks from her Rebel Heart album with “Iconic,”“B*tch, I’m Madonna,”“Body Shop,” and “Living for Love,” while making sure to include her greatest hits like “Burning Up,”“Vogue,”“Deeper and Deeper,”“Like a Virgin,”“La Isla Bonita,”“Take a Bow,” and “Material Girl” in every suite. She also brought the arena to a hush when she sang a wonderful arrangement of “True Blue” as she played a ukulele, following it on with the French classic, “La Vie En Rose.” And oh boy, did Madonna– who had a total of five equally elaborate costume changes–talk to her Filipino fans. She chatted about believing in love no matter

to 1pm Saturdays (not offered during spring break: March 28-April 3) at Cal State Fullerton, Steven G. Mihaylo Hall, Room 2508, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, 92831. For those seeking services, annual incomes can be no greater than $58,000 per household. For married couples, assistance is provided to those filing jointly, and both spouses must be present. Applicants must bring the following: • Valid photo ID and Social Security cards, plus birth dates for taxpayer, spouse and dependents; • Wage and earnings statements and financial statements applicable to a personal income tax return;

• Records of any payments to daycare and provider’s ID number; • Last year’s income tax returns, plus bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit; Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and clients must arrive at VITA sites no later than one hour before closing time. Parking is $2 per hour or $8 for a daily permit on weekdays. Free on Saturdays and after 5pm on Fridays. Details are available online. For more info, contact the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center at (657) 2788681 or by e-mail: csufvita@ gmail.com

OCTA OK’s bus plan to boost ridership Significant public feedback helped determine final 2016 Bus Service Plan that will begin implementation in June • Introduce a new Route 150, covering major portions of Routes 51 and 145 that are being eliminated. This new route will run from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana, providing direct service to Santa Ana College and other nearby schools. • Add new “Bravo!” route and a second “Xpress” route. • Retain Route 87 based on feedback from Saddleback Unified School District. Route 87 runs along Alicia Parkway, providing service from Rancho Santa Margarita to Laguna Niguel. • Extend the hours of the Same-Day Taxi Program for ACCESS users and implement a pilot program to eliminate the $3.60 transfer cost between the same-day taxi and the regular ACCESS service. The fundamental strategy of the plan is to shift service from low-performing routes to areas where there is higher demand. It’s an effort to better meet the community’s needs by matching limited funding with ridership

demand. The plan aims to strike a balance between providing efficient and convenient service, while being as cost-effective as possible. “I want to thank the many riders who voiced opinions and helped shape the recommended plan, “ said OCTA Chair Lori Donchak, also a San Clemente City Council Member. “Their input and OCTA staff’s effort to consider each and every route, and the riders who would be affected, has led to an important improvement in the county bus system. This is an excellent first step towards making the bus one of the best choices for more people to get where they need to go.” OCTA will begin implementing the recommendations in June following an extensive publicoutreach campaign to ensure riders are aware of the upcoming changes. For more information on the bus service plan, please visit www.octa.net/2016busplan.

february 26-march 3, 2016 www.asianjournal.com

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (Part 2 of 2)

THERE seems to be a moral turpitude that ails a society when some of its members regard violence as an option. This much is certain — when extreme hubris rules the heart and mind, there will always be a lack of personal responsibility and accountability when something goes wrong. It would always be because of someone else’s fault or because of a set of circumstances. We tend to blame everything else but ourselves. The tendency to shirk responsibility is probably wired into our DNA right at the Garden of Eden with Eve originally playing the blame game early on. The devil made me do it. So did Adam. The woman gave me the apple. It is our inability, due to pride, the deadliest of all human failings, to own up to sin. And so it was with the fallen angels.

Pressure cooker violence “We tend to blame everything else but ourselves. The tendency to shirk responsibility is probably wired into our DNA right at the Garden of Eden with Eve originally playing the blame game early on. The devil made me do it. So did Adam. The woman gave me the apple.” There’s only one antidote to pride for us mere mortals and that is to cultivate daily a grateful, humble heart that thanks God for every moment of life on earth. Our Blessed Mother Mary exemplifies the kind of heart that bears all. That is why she is worthy of emulation of the ultimate role model for a God-centered life. I say emulation but not adoration. Adoration belongs to God alone. That is why the devil works hard but fails miserably to marginalize the role of the Holy Mother Mary in Christian worship. Many Christian churches have fallen into the devil’s snare eliminating God’s choice for the most powerful of intercessors among

Calendar of Events across

humans. “Thou shalt not kill” is a commandment that holds in good times and in bad. There’s no moral relativism on this. Each is precious to God or He wouldn’t have sacrificed His own Son if He didn’t think we were worth the time and trouble. Each murder, particularly abortion, is a grievous sin against the Holy Spirit from whom all life comes. Man has discounted his own worth. Part of the reason we have discounted the value of human life is that modern society has become so desensitized to violence and death via the content in films, games and media that pass for

America

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 F E B R UA RY 26

New Americans Campaign FREE citizen workshops in LA A partnership with the Catholic Charities of Los Angeles and Immigrant Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS) will help local green card holders take the first step towards becoming citizens through FREE event as part of the New Americans Campaign. The workshop will provide lawful permanent residents with free naturalization application assistance by professional and trained volunteers. Individuals will also receive legal counsel by pro bono attorneys and legal experts. Services are available in multiple languages. WHERE/WHEN: Friday, February 26, 2016 at 10:30am Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (3621 Brunswick Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039) RSVP: Registration for the Immigrant Refugee and Immigrant Service (IRIS) workshop is required. For more information, call 213-819-1890. Services are available in English, Spanish, Russian, Farsi and Arabic.

F E B R UA RY 27

FREE Citizenship Workshop/legal assistance in North Hollywood On Saturday, February 27, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles and Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) will help local green card holders take the first step towards becoming citizens through two free events as part of the New Americans Campaign. These workshops will provide lawful permanent residents with free naturalization application assistance by professional and trained volunteers. Individuals will also receive legal counsel by pro bono attorneys and legal experts. Services are available in multiple languages (English, Khmer, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Spanish), and registration for both workshops is required. The Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles workshop will take Saturday, February 27, at 9:00am at 1145 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017. For more information, call 213-977-7500. The CARECEN workshop will take place Saturday, February 27, at 12:00pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (5250 Central Ave, Riverside, CA 92504). For more information, call 213-385-7800 X 152.

MARCH 4-6

GK USA National Summit 2016 There is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new land of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, innovative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entrepreneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriving nation. Asian Americans will have a taste of the emerging market of world-class, affordable Philippinemade products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo chocolates. Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and livelihood to the poorest of the poor, and learn about GK, GK USA, and GK Enchanted Farm programs. The Summit will take place from March 4-6, 2016, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). To register, please visit gk-usa.org.

MARCH 5

“An Enchanted Evening” Dinner-Dance for Gawad Kalinga As part of the GK USA National Summit, you are cordially invited to a dinner-dance, themed “An Enchanged Evening,” to benefit programs of Gawad Kalinga and GK Enchanted Farm. The Dance will take place on Saturday, March 5, 7:00pm, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). The cost is $100, with formal attire. The all-night program will include dinner, induction of the GK-USA Board of Directors, remarks from the Chairman of the Board, and all-night dancing. For more details on sponsorship packages for Gawad Kalinga builders and feeding programs, as well as GKEF programs and scholarships, please visit gk-usa.org. For tickets, please visit gk-usa.org/dinnerdance.

M A R C H 1 1 -A p R I l 1

Eagle Rock High School Monthly Open House Tours Eagle Rock High School invites the community to International Baccalaureate Open House Tours, from 8-10am during the spring semester on March 11; and Friday, April 1. Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School serves students in grades 7-12, and was the first school in the LAUSD to be authorized to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (grades 7-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12), a project-based program for concept and content-based learning to promote global mindedness and service to others. The IB Open House is open to all interested students, and will include an introductory presentation in the ERHS library, followed by campus tours, classroom visits, and a short question-and-answer period. To register for the Open Houses, please visit www.erhs.la, and click on the “IB Open House Registration” link. Please email Mylene Keipp mylene.keipp@lausd.net for more information. We look forward to your visit!

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

entertainment these days, that we take life for granted as though it means nothing. Does hell exist? How is punishment meted out in the afterlife? In the physical universe, scientists claim that there are black holes in the known universe that cannot be seen by human eyes but with gravitation so strong that it suctions, as in a whirling cosmic cauldron stirred by mighty forces, all the stars and planetary systems that come within its orbit, so strong that not even light can escape. That must be what hell is like. Need a visual image for hell aside from Dante’s Inferno? Black holes could fit the bill as a repository for lost souls, a cold, dark, fetid, state of gnawing pain and bitter regret, filled with the piercing screams of the damned, without the presence of God for all eternity, and forever blotted out from all memory except their own. Is it possible that the morally bankrupt and depraved, regard the taking of a life as an option when things do not go their way or when the course of their lives hit a snag and overweening pride tells them to end it all, instead of getting down on their knees to pray to the God of their beings

for the humility, the courage and the strength to endure and receive the grace to overcome the most severe of troubles? Gone is the fear of God, much less the love of God. As we steer farther and farther away from God and place something else in the center of our lives, scenarios of helplessness and despair such as what we are witnessing more frequently these days may be expected to unfold with eerie regularity. Particularly during the “Age of Selfies,” many have developed bloated images of their own self-importance. Far too many have become egocentric, overly individualistic, self-absorbed individuals. Perhaps during this period of testing, we would be a lot happier, healthier and less prone to veer towards lives of quiet desperation if we focused less and less on ourselves and more on the welfare of the other person and commit spontaneous, frequent acts of kindness and generosity to family members, total strangers and even those we struggle to love. It would be a tough slog but with God’s help, all things are possible. There was one telling

incident I never quite forgot. Long ago, I was running breathlessly huffing and puffing in my stilettos to drop some coins on a parking meter on Wilshire Boulevard I knew had expired because of a long, drawn-out presentation I was making on the upper floor of a nearby high-rise. Fortunately, I narrowly missed getting a hefty fine from the parking enforcer because a panhandler had dropped some coins for my car’s meter, from his can of coins. It stunned me to see him feeding all the meters that were expiring on that block. Of course, he may have been merely trying to annoy the heck out of the parking enforcer. Who knows? I only saw the kindness in the act. That stayed with me. From then on, I would remember and always be inspired by the completely anonymous gesture of that person who had practically nothing but still gave of the little he had. That’s when I knew kindness is contagious like the flu. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Kiss from Clive Owen, love from Meryl... From Page 5

actors’ faces.” Bernardo reported: “She told Lav that she was drawn to the film… that she became part of the action, and the action became part of her—just like what movies used to do when she was a newcomer. She confessed that she felt sad that this film experience had changed through time.” Soriano confirmed that Streep was keenly interested in “Hele.” Recounted Soriano: “She said she enjoyed the film and felt calm as she watched and relished the experience. She was great! She also asked me why I decided to produce an eight-hour film. I simply replied that I wanted to learn from the great Lav Diaz. As a young filmmaker, I always strive to never stop learning and, in this movie, I got to pick the brain of a great storyteller.” Bernardo remembered that there was only one Filipino waving at them on the red carpet. “He was rain-drenched and cold, but kept cheering us on: ‘Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!’” Bernardo witnessed how Diaz was worshipped like “a rock star” in Europe. “Autograph seekers hounded him; reporters

Angel Aquino gives Clive Owen a kiss.

The Metamorphosis

Different generations, different strokes

ErniE D. DElfin AS a senior citizen in America now, I find it very fascinating to study and compare the different generations and their collective impact in society, namely: the G.I. Generation (born 1901-1926) who are sometimes called the “savior of the world” that built a nation. Revered by millions, this group suffered greatly during the Great Depression and World Wars but they worked hard, prospered and lived happily. They were considered energetic, humble, honest, excellent team players and community-minded citizens, as they are very patriotic Americans. The next generation, called the Silents (born 1927-1945) was America’s “Last Innocent Generation.” This generation went through their formative years during an era of extreme conformity, but also during the post-war happy days, enjoying peace, jobs, television, cars, rock ‘n roll and Playboy Magazine! They were the drumbeats of the civil rights movement and the pre-feminist movement. This generation was loyal to the corporation and many worked for just one employer until they retired or died! Many worked past normal retirement years and excelled in their professions but struggled as effective leaders in the late 1980 to late 2000s. Then comes my own generation, called the Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), where thousands of us now are eligible for Medicare at 65 years old. This influx of seniors will have a significant impact on America’s social security trust funds and Medicare reserves,

chased him with cameras; colleagues went out of their way to meet him; critics savored his philosophy and appreciated his aesthetics.” Bernardo exclaimed, with a tinge of sadness, that their European experience was in stark contrast with the treatment of artists in the Philippines. “It’s a cinematic variation of a well-worn biblical phrase: ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country,’” he said. Producer Bianca Balbuena asserted that Diaz’s award

Photo courtesy of Bianca Balbuena

(named after a film historian and Berlinale stalwart) was “welldeserved.” “After four years of struggle, and looking for financiers, we finally made it. It’s the first Bear for the Philippines. Lav has sacrificed a lot for his cinema. It’s about time,” she said. Soriano agreed, “Winning the Silver Bear is an honor for the country. I am so happy for, and proud of, Lav because he deserves this recognition. He stands by his unique way of storytelling and sticks to it!”

What is their best legacy to the next generation?

especially considering that hundreds of thousands among us will live past the century mark due to advances in medicine and healthier lifestyles! Baby Boomers are career driven, assertive, demanding and fearless leaders. We are also considered as Golden Generation in the American workplace but are struggling with parenting and marriage issues. Our generation will be leading the nation into the 2030s as it started in the last decade or so. We’re also the generation that will never fully retire, and this will affect the nation’s workplace, marketplace and the culture of our communities. After our Boomers generation comes our children’s generation, called the Gen X (born 1965 and 1981). A lot of these Gen X children experienced being latchkey kids — street smart but isolated and/ or introverted. Often they were children of divorced couples, or were time-starved with dualcareer parents. However, many of these children have become entrepreneurial, creative, independent and self-starters. Making up for their parents’ lack of time growing up, they were eager to make marriage work, and “be there” for their own children. Leading America in the 2030s and 2040s, they have great potential to be excellent leaders but still need effective training to become good “servants” or people leaders.” After the Gen X comes the first wave of Millenials (born 1982-1996 and still coming!). It is too soon to predict the peculiar or unique characteristic of this

generation, as many of them have not finished college yet. However, it appears that this first wave of the Millennials is a sharp departure from Gen X as they are more optimistic, idealistic, somewhat patriotic but over parented. They are showing reverence for the wisdom of their elders but being suffocated with “extended adolescence” as they are delaying marriage and parenting. Unlike the older generations, many of them do not display loyalty to their employers and most of them will have multiple employers during their careers or employment, which will have direct significant impact on their families and their lifestyles of enjoying their lives to the hilt. Many of them do not really care for “home ownership” which was one of the hallmarks of older generations, as home ownership to them was a fulfillment of their “American dream.” The Gen X and the Millennials are exhibiting minimalist behaviors meaning exerting the minimum efforts but expecting the maximum benefits. Compared the generations before them, many of them go to “easier” careers like humanities and less on math, engineering or business. As a whole, these younger generations are less entrepreneurial and less adventurous. They seem contented playing and enjoying with their social tools of iPhones and Ipads that they cannot live without. (To be continued next week) *** E-mail writer : ernie.delfin@gmail.com Visit: www.gkerc.org

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february 26-march 3, 2016 www.asianjournal.com