Philippine News Today

MARCOS UNVEILS WEALTH FUND

DAVOS – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated here that the Philippines will not relinquish its territorial claims in the South China Sea (SCS).

In an interview with loomberg on the sidelines of the World conomic Forum in Davos, witerland, arcos emphasi ed that pursuing diplomatic

DAVOS, Switzerland - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. underscored here that his administration’s plan for a sovereign wealth fund, pointing out that the fund aims to diversify the country’s financial portfolio and eventually push more big-ticket projects that will propel further growth and development in the country.

By Gilda Balan, Correspondent

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Mayor London Nicole Breed’s recent claim that hate crimes against Asian-Americans had been decreasing lately was generally welcomed, but fears were also raised that it was due to more incidents going unreported.

MANILA --The plight of the Filipino farmer is going from bad to worse, and stuck in the middle is the Agriculture secretary, who also incidentally happens to be the President of the Philippines.

There is no greater sign of their stress and desperation than the case of five farmers from Bayambang, Pangasinan who committed suicide, according to lvin Laceda, national president of the Young Farmers

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. arcos r. vouched for the appointment of several retired generals to key positions in his Cabinet, including the Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Adviser ( A) even as newly appointed defense chief Carlito Galve r. admitted

PHL won’t concede territorial claims in South China Sea: PBBM

Are hate crimes against Asian-Americans decreasing, or just going unreported?

‘grumbling’ in

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

y A FRED GA OT, Editor in hief

aygo Dolor, Editor

PHL ready once WHO lifts Covid-19 global health emergency

MANILA – The country is “ready” should the World Health Organization (WHO) decide to lift the global public health emergency declared due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

This was discosed by Department of Health officer-in-charge aria Rosario Vergeire said in a media forum.

“The implications of a global health emergency or the public health emergency definitely will be in our borders and we have seen and that slowly we have eased our restrictions across our borders also and until now we are managing our cases,” Vergeire said.

She made the statement following a news report which disclosed that the WHO Emergency Committee will meet on Jan. 27 to discuss whether Covid-19 still represents a global health emergency.

Nationally, the state of calamity due to Covid-19 declaration seems to have a small probability to be extended as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. previously expressed hesitancy on the matter.

Earlier, the DOH recommended another extension as several of the Covid-19 response measures rely on the declaration of the state of calamity and public health emergency, including the vaccination

drive.

“If and when the public emergency will be lifted, we know that the virus is here to stay,” Vergeire said.

“The Philippines will continue to be cautious and vigilant, and we will still be imposing these same restrictions that we have right now which are not so much strict, but we have that safeguard that anytime cases will increase, we have our safeguards that we can rely on and we can impose to better protect Filipinos,” she added.

Currently, Covid-19 infections and hospital admissions of severe and critical

cases in the country are beginning to plateau after a recent slight increase.

The DOH reported a 6-percent decrease in its daily average of new cases -- from last week’s 447 to 419 in the recent week.

To date, the country has logged over 4 million Covid-19 cases and more than 65,590 fatalities.

Covid-19 admissions remain manageable with only 17.2 percent or 402 out of the 2,340 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 20 percent or 3,917 of 19,607 nonICU beds utilized as of Jan. 15.

3 appointees to CFO, IA and GSIS named

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has named new appointees to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), the Intramuros Administration (IA) and the Government Service Insurance System’s (GSIS) Board of Trustees.

Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed the appointment of Romulo Arugay as CFO chairperson, Joan Padilla as IA administrator and Mario Mo-

lina as acting member of the GSIS Board of Trustees.

The CFO was created in June 1980 by virtue of Batas Pambansa 79 to strengthen the government’s policy on the promotion of migrant welfare and interest.

The commission is tasked to provide assistance to the President and Philippine Congress in the formulation of policies and measures concerning Filipinos overseas.

The CFO is also in charge of developing and implementing programs to promote the Filipino overseas’ interest and well-being.

The IA, on the other hand, was established in 1979 by virtue of Presidential 1616 to protect and conserve the historical and cultural value and significance of Intramuros while advancing and guiding its urban development.

The IA is responsible for the orderly restoration and development of Intramuros as a monument to the Hispanic period of Philippine history.

Meanwhile, the corporate powers and functions of state-run pension fund GSIS are vested in and exercised by the Board of Trustees composed of the President, General Manager, and eight other members appointed by the President.

After Galvez at DND, Año takes over as National Security Adviser

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Eduardo Año as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) in place of Secretary Clarita Carlos who moved to the House of Representatives.

Following his appointment, Ano immediately took his oath before Marcos in Malacanang and started work.

Before Ano, Marcos installed former Duterte Cabinet member and Armed Forces chief Carlito Galvez Jr. as defense secretary.

Galvez welcomed Ano’s appointment

and looked forward to a smooth working relationship with him.

Galvez . said he believes Año will provide informed guidance to address various security concerns.

“Secretary Año will undoubtedly render his decisive, informed, and pragmatic guidance. The former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff and Secretary of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) has also been a stalwart advocate of our whole-of-nation approach on national security, especially in addressing the armed conflict brought by insurgency and terrorism,” Galvez said.

Año was the military chief during the Marawi siege in 2017 while Galvez was one of the ground commanders and became AFP head himself the following year.

Galvez was likewise chief implementer of the Covid-19 response in the previous administration and was at the forefront of negotiations to secure vaccines.

Ano, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, was the secretary of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Año, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, is a veteran intelligence officer who also served as the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (December 2016 to October 2017) under the Duterte administration.

Meantime, Carlos will “continue her pursuit of scholastic endeavors” by joining the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives, Garafil said.

The CPBRD provides the Lower House with technical service in the formulation of national economic, fiscal and social policies.

“I have realized that it is no longer

politic to continue as NSA to the President and so, I have decided to migrate to another agency where my expertise on foreign, defense and security policy will be of use and I shall continue to help build a better Philippines,” Carlos said in a separate statement.

Carlos, a retired political science professor of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, served as the first female civilian president of the National Defense College of the Philippines.

She was also a consultant in Congress and other government agencies, including the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

She authored books and papers about political parties, elections, defense and security, and foreign policy, among others

Eduardo Año

Maria Ressa, Rappler acquitted of tax evasion

trial court and the upreme ourt, and her lawyer had reiterated that there was no evidence on the tax cases against her and RH .

Ressa, who won the obel Peace Pri e along with Russian ournalist Dmitry uratov in , still faces three other criminal cases, including a cyber libel conviction, currently on appeal, for which she could face nearly seven years in prison.

“ oday, facts win. ruth wins, Ressa said shortly after the court handed down its ruling.

“ hese charges were a bra en abuse of power, political harassment against ournalists trying to hold power to account. his is where business, capital mar ets, and press freedom meet. o this victory is not ust for Rappler, it s for every Filipino who has ever been un ustly accused, Ressa said.

Ressa, an American prior to oining A - , has been battling a series of cases that media advocates say were filed due to her criticism of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his drug war, which claimed thousands of lives.

MANILA

ta -related

The CTA First Division handed down the verdict on anuary , finding Ressa and RH not guilty on three counts of failure to supply correct information and one count of ta evasion, amounting to P million worth of ta es, including surcharge and interest.

Ressa, who is out on bail on conviction of libel charges and still has pending cases before a regional

Duterte s government said previously it had nothing to do with any of the cases against Ressa.

he Department of ustice, which filed the charges in , had said that RH allegedly failed to file valueadded ta ( A ) returns for the rd and th quarter and income ta return in , in violation of ection of the a ode.

DO also alleged that Ressa and RH violated section of the a ode, or an attempt to evade payment of ta es.

Ressa had pleaded not guilty to the charges against her and paid a bail of P , at the A in .

— The Court of Tax Appeals has acquitted journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa of four counts of

charges filed against her and her media company Rappler Holdings orporation (RH ).

Bantag’s plea to oust DOJ from Lapid murder probe junked

Charlie Guhit, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Lincoln Asencion and Assistant State Prosecutor Eric Opriasa.

The preliminary investigation for submission of counter-affidavits of respondents is set on Jan. 24, 2023 at the Hall of Justice, Department of Justice on Padre Faura, Manila.

Bantag is seeking the recusal of the DOJ which is conducting the preliminary investigation of the cases for the deaths of veteran journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa last October and the subsequent death of person deprived of liberty Cristito Villamor Palana, also known as Jun Villamor.

QUEZON CITY – Over 20 million subscriber identity module (SIM) cards have so far been registered with the country’s major telecommunication companies, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported.

MANILA – The panel of prosecutors hearing the murder cases against suspended Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director General Gerald Bantag has thrown out the prisons chief’s motion for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to recuse itself from the proceedings.

In an order dated Jan. 17, the panel said it is not granting the motion filed by Bantag’s lawyers for state prosecutors to inhibit from the case and to allow the Ombudsman to take over the preliminary investigation.

“In sum, while motions for inhibition, especially those anchored on asper-

sions of grave prejudice and partiality, are granted with the ultimate purpose and idea of maintaining the integrity and faith of the parties in our justice system, no room for inhibition can be had in these cases,” the order said.

The DOJ panel added that there had been “no violation of Bantag’s right to due process to be heard” and the DOJ panel “continue(s) to remain independent and impartial in hearing these cases.”

The panel consists of Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas, Deputy City Prosecutor Christopher Garvida, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor

Villamor was tagged as the alleged middleman in the killing of Mabasa.

Bantag’s counsels claimed that as their client is a high-ran ing public official, the proper office which should investigate the charges against him is the Office of the Ombudsman and not the DOJ.

Bantag’s legal counsel Rocky Balisong last filed a motion last Dec. that sought the inhibition of the DOJ panel of prosecutors.

The complainants, including Mabasa’s family, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police, have filed comments on antag s motion as directed by the DOJ pane

Metro Manila Covid-19 positivity rate dips to 3.7%

MANILA – The positivity rate or the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the National Capital Region (NCR) further dropped to 3.7 percent as of Jan. 14.

The region’s positivity rate a week ago, on Jan. 7, was 5.8 percent.

“Low positivity rates also observed in ten other provinces in Luzon,” OCTA Research Group fellow Dr. Guido David said.

These provinces include Batangas, from 4.9 percent to 3.2 percent; Benguet from 5.3 percent to 3.6 percent; Bulacan from 3.5 percent to 2.3 percent; Cagayan from 7 percent to 3.9 percent; Cavite from 5.5 percent to 3.2 percent; Ilocos Norte from 4.3 percent to 3.9 percent; Laguna from 7.3 percent to 4.4 percent; Pampanga, 5.5 percent to 2.6 percent; Pangasinan from 4.3 percent to 3.9 percent and Zambales from 8.4 percent to 4.1 percent.

Isabela’s positivity rate increased from 35.1 percent to 50.2 percent which is considered “very high”.

As of an. , the top five areas with the most number of cases include NCR with 96 cases and the provinces of Rizal with 16; Bohol with 10; Cavite with 10; Davao del Sur with 10; and Tarlac with 9.

In a statement, DICT Spokesperson, Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo, said a total of 20,551,294 or 12.16 percent of the 168,977,773 active mobile subscribers in the country have been registered since the start of the SIM card registration law implementation on Dec. 27, 2022.

Smart has so far registered 10,041,791 SIM cards or 14.77 of its 67,995,734 subscribers, DITO with 1,744,935 or 13.31 percent of its 13,108,103 users, and Globe with 8,764,568 registered users or 9.97 percent of its 87,873,936 users.

She called on the public to register their SIM cards and not wait until its deadline on April 26, 2023, and assured them of the safety of the registration process.

“SIM Registration is being implemented in conjunction with the Data Privacy Act. Encryption of data is mandatory. Under the law, PTEs (public telecommunications entities) must ensure that data of end-users are secured, encrypted, and protected at all times,” she said.

Earlier, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) ordered the three PTEs to address some data privacy “gaps” in their SIM registration after its simultaneous compliance check on-site visits.

DSWD facilitates release of social welfare funds for BARMM

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is in constant coordination with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to hasten the release of funds allocated for various social welfare programs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In an inter-agency consultation meeting held on uesday, D WD officials facilitated the discussion of the terms and conditions stipulated under the department’s 2023 budget special provision No. 8 of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) to BARMM representatives.

They tackled the mechanisms and procedures that will be observed in the direct transfer of funds from the DSWD to the autonomous region.

Under the special provision, the funds will be released directly to the BARMM’s Ministry of Social Services and Development, through the Office of the hief inister.

Pangasinan partnerships boost economy, tourism, health

as encourage economic activity and tourism.

The most recent convergence the province has made was the memorandum of agreement ( OA) signed with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (D R) for the interim management of the foreshore area for salt production, PNA’s Hilda Austria reported..

In a statement, the Pangasinan Provincial Information Office (PIO) said the salt production sharing agreement aims to provide continuity of operations to the salt industry, gives security of tenure to the more or less 400 displaced salt wor ers within the aforementioned area with necessary services, technology, and financing to be furnished by the local government unit (LG ) of olinao town.

The salt farm area for the project is about 473.88 hectares of foreshore land situated in arangay arago a, olinao.

LINGAYEN - The provincial government of Pangasinan has made significant partnerships with the different national government agencies and local government units in the region to provide better services to the people as well

“It serves as an avenue to prepare for the looming salt shortage at the end of the year as local production does not cover domestic demand per the previous announcement of the Department of Agriculture (DA). he government share shall be computed based on a formula per DENR Administrative Order o. - , otherwise nown as “Guidelines for the Identification and Award of Areas uitable of alt Production, it added.

Ex-Gov. Al Tillah named Presidential Adviser on Muslim Affairs

AWI- AWI/ A ILA President Ferdinand R. arcos r. has tapped former awi- awi governor Al illah as his new adviser on uslim affairs.

arcos administered the oath of office to illah as Presidential Adviser on uslim Affairs at the alaca an Palace in anila.

illah s appointment came amid arcos firm commitment to strive for peace and development in indanao.

Philippine ompetition ommission (P ) chairperson ichael Aguinaldo also too oath on Friday before ecutive ecretary Lucas ersamin.

Aguinaldo s term as P chairperson will end on an. 7, 2030.

efore serving as head of the P , Aguinaldo was OA chairperson from arch to February

Governor Ramon Guico III said the project supports President Ferdinand arcos r. s mandate for food sustainability in the country as the salt has many uses and its industry could create more jobs.

PARTNERSHIP. Department of Human Se�lements and Urban Development Assistant Secretary, lawyer Hanica Rachael Arshia Ong (le�), and Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III (2nd from le�) sign a memorandum of agreement for the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Zero Informal Se�lers Family by 2028 program.

MANILA – Nineteen gold medalists brought honor to the Philippines in the World International Mathematical Olympiad (WIMO) held on Jan. 7-8 in Bangkok, Thailand. Leading the gold medalists are three

World Champions who topped the scores in their respective grade levels --Alexandra Brianne Gochian (St. Jude Catholic School) from the Senior Secondary Group, Harvey James Dolar (Philippine Science High School – Main Campus) from the Secondary 3 Group and Mateo Inigo Espocia (Genesis Christian Academy) from Primary 5.

Completing the elite pool of World gold medalists are Caiser Charleton Chua So, Skyler Ioan B. Uy, Linaiah Amethyst O. Flores, Lourd Grey M. Latido, Liam Spark Peña Palarca, Lineth Mikaela B. Muldez, Agatha Maria Eden O. Nunag, Skyler Ycaruz O. Flores, Zac Andre E. De Lara, Jenelle Nyka G. Lee, Princess Abbey Cziarah A. Aquino, Arwin Peter C. Castro, Evan Justin E. Panergo, Matt Raymond Ayento, Matthew Charles C. Carpio and Rey Stephen Chua.

The Philippines, represented by 178 delegates from kinder to senior high school, also tallied 52 silver and 67

bronze medals.

WIMO participation is strictly by invitation to the gold medalists in the final rounds of each of these three international math competitions: Hong Kong International Mathematical Olympiad, Thailand International Mathematical Olympiad and the Guangdong Greater Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad.

Fourteen countries qualified in this year’s WIMO including Australia, Hongkong, Bulgaria, Iran, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

A panel of international experts prepared the WIMO test questions covering standard math topics such as logical thinking, arithmetic, number theory, geometry and combinatronics.

WIMO is sponsored by the WIMO Foundation and is presented in the Philippines by the Math Olympiads Training League Inc.

Gov’t urged to take ‘giant step’ to address ‘extreme challenges’

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Eduardo Año as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) in place of Secretary Clarita Carlos who moved to the House of Representatives.

Following his appointment, Ano immediately took his oath before Marcos in Malacanang and started work.

Before Ano, Marcos installed former Duterte Cabinet member and Armed Forces chief Carlito Galvez Jr. as defense secretary.

Galvez welcomed Ano’s appointment and looked forward to a smooth working relationship with him.

Galvez . said he believes Año will provide informed guidance to address various security concerns.

“Secretary Año will undoubtedly render his decisive, informed, and pragmatic guidance. The former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff and Secretary of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) has also been a stalwart advocate of our whole-ofnation approach on national security, especially in addressing the armed conflict brought by insurgency and terrorism,” Galvez said.

Año was the military chief during the Marawi siege in 2017 while Galvez was one of the ground commanders and became AFP head himself the following year.

Galvez was likewise chief implementer of the Covid-19 response in the previous administration and was at the forefront of negotiations to secure vaccines.

Ano, a former Armed Forces chief of staff, was the secretary of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Año, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, is a veteran intelligence officer who also served as the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (December 2016 to October 2017) under the Duterte administration.

Meantime, Carlos will “continue her pursuit of scholastic endeavors” by joining the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives, Garafil said.

The CPBRD provides the Lower House with technical service in the formulation of national economic, fiscal and social policies.

“I have realized that it is no longer politic to continue as NSA to the President and so, I have decided to migrate to another agency where my expertise on foreign, defense and security policy will be of use and I shall continue to help build a better Philippines,” Carlos said in a separate statement.

Carlos, a retired political science professor of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, served as the first female civilian president of the National Defense College of the Philippines.

She was also a consultant in Congress and other government agencies, including the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

She authored books and papers about political parties, elections, defense and security, and foreign policy, among others.

19 students top world math contestsing honor to PH OFW remittances hit $2.93 B in November - BSP

MANILA – Filipino overseas workers remitted to the country a total of $2.93 billion in November, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The remittance improving from $2.77 billion a year earlier but lower compared to the previous month’s $3.28 billion.

“The increase in personal remittances in November 2022 was due to higher remittances sent by land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more, and sea- and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year,” the BSP said in a statement.

Of the total, money coursed through banks rose to $2.64 billion, higher than the $2.50 billion registered a year earlier. It was $2.91 billion in October. The yearon-year expansion in cash remittances was said to be due to growth in receipts from land- and sea-based workers.

On a year-to-date basis, cash remittanc-

es as of the end of November amounted to $29.38 billion, 3.3 percent higher than the year-ago $28.43 billion. The JanuaryNovember personal remittances tally rose to $32.65 billion, up by 3.4 percent from $31.59 billion posted in the comparable 2021 period.

Growth in cash remittances from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Qatar were said to have driven the rise in year-to-date remittances.

Meanwhile, growth of remittances being sent by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is seen to be affected by a possible recession in the US, with an economist noting also the impact of elevated inflation.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort, in a report, traced the lower monthly cash remittance inflows partly to higher US dollar-Philippine peso exchange

rate in the latter part of 2022 compared to the earlier part of the year.

The local currency was trading at 56-level against the greenback in around November last year while it was only at around 51-level at the start of 2022.

This factor, Ricafort said, “partly led to lower amount of U.S. dollars sent by OFWs to the country, given the higher equivalent of these remittances when converted to pesos.”

“Furthermore, higher prices/inflation also in host countries of OFWs could have also increased the cost of living of OFWs abroad, thereby partly reducing the amount sent to the country,” he said.

In the coming months, inflows are seen to also be affected by the possible recession in the world’s largest economy, he said.

“(This) could slow down remittances amid slower global trade/exports, investments/FDIs (foreign direct investment),

employment, and other business/economic activities,” he said.

The economist, on the other hand, noted that continued reopening of countries hosting OFWs as well as recovery of these economies from the pandemic are seen to cushion any impact of the possible recession.

He said growth of remittances, which remain resilient amidst the repatriation of some OFWs in 2020 due to the pandemic, is seen to continue due to demand for Filipino workers in countries with aging population, among others.

“OFW remittances are still near record highs on a monthly basis, a bright spot for the Philippine economy in terms of spurring/supporting consumer spending, which accounts for at least 73 percent of the economy, and in turn, support faster GDP (gross domestic product)/economic growth,” he added.

Tulfo proposes evacuation centers in every city, town

y ennifer T. Santos

PA A I - enator Rafael Raffy ulfo filed a measure see ing to establish well-equipped evacuation centers in all , municipalities and cities in the country.

In filing enate ill ( ) o. , ulfo underscored the need for evacuation centers that have basic facilities, accessible location and adequate emergency supplies, such as water, medicine and relief goods considering that the Philippines is one of the most typhoon-prone countries in the world.

“When disaster and calamities stri e, covered courts, gymnasiums, schools, and even churches serve as evacuation areas to shelter affected residents and families, ulfo said in his bill s e planatory note.

“ hese areas are am-pac ed when the situation worsens. Diseases e isting and unforeseen may also spread because these areas do not meet standard mea-

sures for a proper and well-ventilated evacuation center, he added.

otably, appro imately - typhoons enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility annually, with - reaching landfall, according to limate hange nowledge Portal for Development Practitioners and Policy a ers.

nder o. , each location for every evacuation center shall be determined by the Department of nvironment and atural Resources (D R), in close coordination with the LG s concerned.

he said location must be centrally located in the community, must be of a safe distance from large trees and structures with ha ardous materials, must be near a health facility, must be located on geotechnically stable land, must not be located near military base camps and camps of insurgent groups.

Its structure must also be calamityresilient and built with sturdy materials, and must have the capacity to accommo-

date a large number of evacuees.

he enator from Isabela and Davao also proposed that under said bill, the LG s concerned shall be primarily responsible for the operation, supervision,

and management of evacuation centers. he local sanggunian, meanwhile, shall promulgate guidelines and procedures for the use and operation of the evacuation center under its urisdiction.

DA under fire anew from Villar, senators over salt importation

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

O I he Department of Agriculture is under fire again from enator ynthia illar and other senators in connection with their alleged failure to support the country s salt industry. During a hearing, it was gathered that almost percent of salt consumed in the country are imports.

illar said Philippines imported salt, pure sodium chloride amounting to . millionin . he top trading partners of Philippines in are Australia ( million), hina . ( . million), hailand . ( . million) and ew ealand . ( , ).

Data shows that the Philippines only

produced less than , of salt from , hectares occupied by Philippine salt ma ers, illar said alt production in the country needs about , to , hectares of shoreline and the proper technology. alt production is very economically and sustainable, she said.

eanwhile, a party-list lawma er appealed to the Department of ustice (DO ) to tas the ational ureau of Investigation and a panel of prosecutors to go after the economic saboteurs who manipulate the prices and supply of any farm produce.

agong Henerasyon Party-list Representative ernadette Herrera said the DO should build solid cases that are

“fool-proofed against technicalities and e cuses and send the economic saboteurs to ail because they have “inflicted great suffering on millions of Filipinos and have adversely impacted the economy.

“We have to go beyond raids on warehouses. We need paper trails, electronic trails, protected witnesses and convictions, Herrera said.

he emphasi ed the need for tough administrative penalties and stiff fines to at least temporarily shut them down while their cases are pending.

“ ome of these heartless saboteurs would try to blame e ternal factors, that other countries are also e periencing the same problems. hey would even blame the pandemic, she said.

“ ut these wild fluctuations in prices and supply of agricultural products have happened time and again despite the many laws meant to curb economic sabotage situations which have led many to suspect that the economic saboteurs op-

erate outside and within the government agencies that are supposed to thwart the saboteurs, she added.

President Ferdinand R. arcos r. has sought the assistance of the private sector amid his plan to intensify the fight against rampant smuggling in the country.

arcos, in a meeting with the Private ector Advisory ouncil (P A ) at alaca an Palace in anila , lamented that the present system is “not wor ing, despite efforts to curb smuggling.

“ o be brutally fran about it, we have a system but they are not wor ing. he smuggling here in this country is absolutely rampant. o it does not matter to me how many systems we have in place, they do not wor , he told P A , as quoted by the Presidential ommunications Office (P O). “ o we really have to find something else. We cannot continue to depend on these systems, which have already proven themselves to be quite ineffective.

WINNING BONSAI TREE. Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Pablito Sanidad poses beside the bonsai tree that won rst pri e among compe ng bonsai plants. The compe on was one of the highlights of the Narvacan esta held recently.

Senator Rafael Ra y Tulfo

tal s with hina to settle the maritime dispute is not tantamount to abandoning the Philippines claims to the .

“We cannot concede any of the territorial claims that are being made against our established territory. hat is the red line, Marcos said.

“That is something that will not move. It’s something that we cannot cross because it s a very slippery road from there, he added.

This, as Marcos admitted that breaking the stalemate between the Philippines and hina was “difficult because the two countries are both reluctant to give up their claims.

“ hat s a difficult thing to have to do because the impasse, really, has occurred

Are hate...

The San Francisco mayor reported last week what was deemed as a major accomplishment: the SF Police Department reported a dramatic drop in cases of anti-Asian hate last year, after it had experienced a 500 percent increase the year before.

Joining the city’s Lunar New Year festivities, Breed cited the statistics during a press conference. She urged the Asian American community to remain alert for possible hate crimes against their community.

Some community leaders and advocates, however, said the dramatic drop in hate crimes, while noteworthy, may not show the complete story.

They expressed the need for caution as hate crimes were still being reported not only throughout the state, but the entire nation, especially where there are large pockets of Asian-American communities.

Breed said San Francisco “saw a

in the application of the law. Both sides say that this area belongs — we say it is the maritime territory of the Philippines, and, of course, hina says the same, he said.

he Philippines and hina, along with other littoral states, have overlapping claims in the , with ei ing claiming around 80 percent of the busy waterway.

he Philippines on uly , won its petition filed before the Hague-based Permanent ourt of Arbitration (P A) after the arbitral tribunal invalidated hina s claim of supposed historic rights over almost the entire . hina, however, has ignored the P A ruling.

Marcos said Manila and Beijing still have several options to address the disputes.

significant decline last year in attac s against Asian-Americans. She said this was the result of a coordinated effort among the SFPD, the newly-elected district attorney, and community-based nonprofit organi ations.

Rex Tabora, executive director of the Asian Pacific American ommunity enter, however, had a different ta e. He said, “What they don’t take into account is the non-reported hate crime that occurs on a regular basis.

His center is based in isitacion alley, which is a predominantly AsianAmerican neighborhood.

By his estimates, Tabora said more than 75 percent of Americans of Asian descent would usually not report crimes they experienced, unless it involved serious violence.

he top AAPI Hate coalition which receives self-reported anti-Asian incidents likewise questioned the statistics cited by the mayor.

ynthia hoi, co-founder of the coalition, told The San Francisco Standard that “law enforcement numbers will never capture the full extent of the racism and hate our communities face, adding that most of the hate incidents do not

He said the possible oint oil and gas e ploration in the could be one of the ways to address the Philippines’ territorial disputes with hina.

“We may find a way around that, it d be limited to e ploration. Hopefully, I think there’s still some give-and-take there, arcos said.

arcos also stressed the need to fi the apparently “poor communication between the two countries, considering that there are still “incidents in the .

“We call them ‘incidents’ that had been going on in the past few weeks, months. It really is a clear indication that there is poor communication between the two sides, he said.

“I suggested, and I think we’re going to establish it, is that we will have a line of communication that is higher up.

We already have a bilateral group that is wor ing on the issues in the outh hina Sea, West Philippine Sea. But I think it should be raised to a certain level, arcos added.

Marcos noted that there was also a commitment from the nited tates ( ) to help the Philippines, if the tension in the escalates.

He, however, hoped that the role will only be limited to building a presence in the disputed waters.

“They have already made that commitment. As a matter of fact, when there are certain reports that come in, some of the American ships come down and make their presence felt. So, we’re hoping to maintain it at that level, arcos said, emphasi ing that his utmost priority is to maintain peace

even qualify as crimes under the law. Even when they are actual crimes, Asian Americans are unlikely to report them to the police.

In fact, top AAPI Hate recorded incidents in 2021 compared to the SFPD s official figure of incidents.

Ridding the city and the state of the hate “is something that’s going to take a

some “grumblings in the military.

Galve , however, assuaged the country that the “grumblings are under control as solutions are being addressed and put in place like the seniority and promotions in the Armed Forces.

pea ing to the press en route to Davos, wit erland to attend the Word conomic Forum (W F), arcos cited newly appointed NSA Secretary Eduardo Año’s “long e perience in intelligence.

“ efore he became hief of taff, before he became group commander, he was with I AFP (Intelligence ervice of the Armed Forces of the Philippines). o sanay na sanay yun (he is very familiar) and he s wellknown, and he knows all of the operatives in the intelligence community, arcos said.

On the reappointment of Gen. Andres entino as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the chief e ecutive said this is due to his administration s move to “rationali e the seniority of officials.

“ asi nira-rationali e namin yung ( ecause we rationali e) seniority Andy entino has four stars and Bob Bacarro had three stars. So kailangan natin ayusin asi mag a agulo doon sa baba (we have to fi it because there will be problem in the lower ran s), ar-

consistent effort, said rian uan, president of the hinese American Democratic lub.

Even if the data presented by the mayor was generally correct, the AsianAmerican community should not let its guard down until hate crime against them is virtually eradicated.

cos pointed out.

“ o tiningnan namin (we will study), What do you want us to do agtanong ami sa (We as ed in the) military and I said ayusin namin yung (we will fi ) seniority and that s what we ve done, the chief e ecutive added.

entino earlier served as the AFP chief of staff from Nov. 12, 2021, to Aug. 8, 2022, when he was replaced by Lt. Gen. artolome icente acarro.

Marcos also noted newly appointed DND Secretary arlito Galve s trac record in peace and security, a key factor for his appointment to the post.

“Well, yan isa pa (another thing). ery, very e perienced, and in fact as soon as he took his oath, he was already he new already what to do. ag-command conference na siya (We held command conference). o I thin he ll slide into that position really easily, arcos said.

The President said he also sought the former peace adviser’s assistance in picking the next head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and nity (OPAPR ).

“We’re asking him to make a short list for [OPAPRU]. ecause we re especially now that the angsamoro is in transition we re redefining the relationship, arcos said.

Marcos...

(From page 1)

This as Marcos stepped up his investment pitch for the Philippines, immediately garnering a “very positive response” from some of the world’s top business leaders he met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

The proposed wealth fund is meant to make money sitting in state-owned and commercial banks work for the government and pursue projects, particularly in energy and agriculture, Marcos told chief e ecutive officers at a brea fast meeting.

“Such a fund is one tool among many in our efforts to diversify our financial portfolio, which includes our existing institutions pursuing investment that will generate stable returns, but also welfare effects spanning employment creation, improvement of public service, and a decrease in costs of economic activities,” Marcos said.

A Congressional bill (House bill No. ) creating the fund to be nown officially as the Maharlika Investment Fund was approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives on December 15 and has been transmitted to the Senate for its consideration.

The measure proposes that the fund will be sourced from the Land Bank of the Philippines (P50 billion), the Development Bank of the Philippines (P25 billion), and the dividends/profits of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Marcos joined several chief executive officers ( Os) and investment eperts during an event in Davos.

Among those in the event were Luhut Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister of aritime and Investment Affairs, Republic of Indonesia Andy assy, O of Amazon; Zhang Yiming, Tiktok Founder ared ushner, Founder of Affinity Partners; Patrick Foulis, Editor-in-Chief of conomist Alan ope, O of nilever ill Ford, O of General Atlantic Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Investment, Republic of Indonesia; Dr. Bambang Susantono, Chairman of ID New Capital City Authority; Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Thailand; Arsjad Rasjid, Chairman of KADIN; Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of the Tony lair Institute for Global hange Dolf van den rin , O of Heine en and Rachel Lord, Head of Asia of BlackRoc , one of the largest investment firms in the world.

Other Philippine delegates include Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.

In another event, Marcos told the World Economic Forum that the Philippines is expected to post a seven-percent economic growth in 2023 with strong macro-economic fundamentals in place,

In his opening remarks during the Country Strategy Dialogue at the WEF, Marcos cited an International Monetary Fund (IMF) projection for the 2023 global economic growth, which will only be at 2.7 percent, slower than the . percent posted last year a significant decrease from six percent in 2021.

“But for the Philippines, we project our economy to grow by around 7.0 percent in 2023,” Marcos stressed.

In an open forum, Marcos touted his government’s digitalization initiative to ma e bureaucracy more efficient in the country, as well as efforts to shield it from cyberattacks.

Noting that internet connectivity in the country “is still pretty slow,” Marcos said the government needs to do better in terms of connecting millions of Filipinos and revving up initiatives to advance the digital economy.

“We have reserves. And we must make [sure] that money sitting in banks, commercial and government… We need to find a way to ma e that money wor for us, and that’s why we thought the sovereign wealth fund would be a good idea to leverage what assets the government has, what monies the government has,” he added.

Marcos said the proposed sovereign wealth measure will fund critical infrastructure projects “especially since the development that we are anticipating to initiate are really big-ticket items.”

“We’re talking about energy, we’re talking about infrastructure, we’re talking about agricultural development, we’re talking about digitalization. So all of these will need a great deal of support,” Marcos said.

The President said the fund will “play its part” in encouraging public-private partnerships (PPPs), which is crucial in national growth and development.

pea er Ferdinand artin G. Romualdez said global leader hyave shown keen interest in the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

Romualdez said this bolstered the wisdom of fast-tracking the passage of the proposed measure creating the sovereign wealth fund at the House of Representatives.

Later report from Davos showed Marcos met with the international chief e ecutive officers ( Os) to discuss potential business opportunities in the Philippines.

A breakfast meeting was held between arcos and the world s top Os in Davos, Switzerland to enable the President to present the investment climate in the Philippines, Presidential Communications Office (P O) ecretary heloy Garafil said in a statement.

arcos, Garafil said, was accompanied by the official Philippine delegation which include his Cabinet and top Philippine business leaders.

“ op international Os gathered for a breakfast meeting with President Fer-

dinand R. arcos r., his abinet, official delegation and the 7 top Philippine Os to discuss the investment climate in the Philippines and to find ways to facilitate their business operations in the country,” she said.

Marcos also had the chance to meet with Go ul Laroia, chairperson of investment banking powerhouse Morgan tanley for Asia Pacific, on the sidelines of his participation in the World Economic Forum (W F), Garafil said.

Garafil said Laroia, during the meeting with Marcos, discussed Morgan tanley s plan to have an office in anila.

“Mr. Laroia informed President Marcos that the top global investment bank will set up office in anila, she said.

Marcos is currently in Davos to present the current state of the Philippine economy and woo more investors.

On uesday ( urich time), arcos also had a series of business meetings on the WEF sidelines, including a meeting with officials of mining and commodities training giant Glencore.

arcos and Glencore officials led by its O, Gary agle, discussed the wiss multinational firm s intent to epand its business operations in the Philippines, Garafil said.

“On the sidelines of the World co-

nomic Forum (WEF) organized sessions, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual met with r. Gary agle, hief ecutive Officer of Glencore, on uesday to discuss the company’s interest to expand mining and processing operations in the Philippines,” she said.

Garafil said Glencore, one of the largest and globally diversified natural resource companies in the world, sees the Philippines as a “potential partner to process nickel and copper resources responsibly and sustainably for use in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage units.”

Glencore is engaged in a wide range of commodity production, sourcing, processing, refining, transporting, storage, financing and supply. With mining, metallurgical and oil production assets worldwide, Glencore is dedicated to responsibly sourcing the commodities that drive progress in everyday life.

Marcos also received a “warm welcome” from WEF founder and chairperson Klaus Schwab on Tuesday, the Office of the President (OP) said in a Facebook post.

Marcos’ investment pitch for the Philippines also earned “a very positive response” from some of the world’s top chief e ecutive officers and investment experts attending WEF.

Challenge Club of the Philippines.

At a Senate hearing at the start of this week, Laceda revealed not only the tragic fact, but even brought along the wife of one of the onion farmers who had taken his own life.

Nanay Merly (not her real name) said she somehow found the strength to continue running their family farm after her husband committed suicide last year.

She said their farm had gone bankrupt after harabas (army worms) had destroyed their crops.

After they replanted, they then suffered further losses due to the series of storms and other weather disturbances that hit the province in 2022.

Speaking in the vernacular, Nanay Merly said that their farm which was millions of pesos on debt had barely started to break even when the government announced plans to import onions this month. “We were forced to harvest after 85 to 90 days even if our crop had not yet reached the full maturity of 100 days,” she said.

Laceda said he hoped Nanay Merly’s tale would not happen to other farming families.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during his official visit to wit erland this week that the government had “no choice” but to resort to imports because of the shortage of the essential produce.

Farmers from San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, one of the country’s top onion producing provinces, were up in arms

over the government’s plan, saying to import now was wrong because harvest season had just arrived.

The cheap imports would naturally compete with local produce, causing further losses for the onion farmers.

Interviewed over local broadcast media, San Jose municipal agriculturist Romel Calingasan said they were concerned that onion prices would drop to between P8 to P15 per kilogram, just like last year when onion importation competed with local harvest.

Calingasan said farmers from his province were now eager to plant onions because they saw how high the product was selling late last year.

Those farmers saw how the produce they sold to traders ended up retailing at local markets at more than P700/kilo, or a ten-fold increase in some cases.

The agriculturist said they “strongly oppose” the government’s importation plan.

A lawmaker, meanwhile, said that the reason for the abnormally high selling price of onions and other essential products was because of collusion between the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

AGAP Party-list Rep. Nicanor Briones told local media that the only way the practice could be stopped if the people doing the monitoring were different from the people being monitored.

Speaking in the vernacular, Briones said those go after smugglers “are from the BOC and DA, and we know that smuggling will only happen if there is collusion between the two groups.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino ‘Kpko’ Pimentel lll said he believes that the real reason for the unusually high prices is due to “price manipulation.”

He said that by disrupting the supply chain, supply could be decreased from the local mar et, causing artificial shortages and eventual skyrocketing of prices.

Pimentel noted that it was only in the Philippines where an onion shortage took place, while there was a sufficient supply throughout the rest of the world.

He said President and concurrent Agriculture Secretary Marcos should study the onion planting seasons to avoid the recurring supply woes.

The storage and distribution problem may resurface as a result of the planned importation of 21,000 metric tons of onions.

Calingasan said there were not enough cold storage facilities to guarantee that supplies would be available all year round, and that whatever facilities were available usually ended up being used not by local farmers but by the traders who

purchased onions in large quantities.

Briones said that a repeat of the travails and tragedies that had recently befallen the country’s onion farmers was an “alarming” scenario, all because of the government’s failure to provide enough support as well as its failure to stop rampant smuggling.

Meanwhile, senators and social media were angered at what they said was the “nitpicking” of the BOC, which threatened to file charges against Philippine Airlines crew members for bringing in 40 kilos of undeclared onions and fruits last week.

enators li e Raffy ulfo and inggoy Estrada asked why the BOC was engaged in a “double standard” by going up against small fry, while letting powerful crooks get away with large-scale smuggling.

EDITORIAL

Paying the price for global warming

If there is one thing that everyone must pray for, it is that taking action to counteract the effects of global warming may not be too late.

What has been happening in alifornia in the past few wee s is as good an e ample as any to show that climate change is now upon us, and the effects can be truly devastating.

It was unusually hot one wee , then an uncharacteristically out of season winter storm appeared seemingly out of nowhere, causing severe damage to property.

During that hot period, much of the mainland was also suffering from the oppressive heat.

he fact that the odd weather too place in December and anuary left many e perts dumbfounded. How on earth could the change from the usual patterns of decades and centuries past come so suddenly, they as .

It s a fair question and anyone who chooses to ignore the obvious is not only in denial, but could well pose a danger to all. his is because such persons will most li ely refuse to ta e part in the necessary big and small actions to save the planet, dismissing them as useless e ercises.

hey will still continue leaving their carbon large footprints, same as before. Worst, they may even have an attitude that tomorrow s problems will be faced by tomorrow s leaders. It is not their problem, even if they are part of the cause.

he problem is not ust in this country either.

Our motherland, the Republic of the Philippines, has been having similar drastic weather issues of late. he last couple of months have seen similarly devastating storms and other weather disturbances, including hard rains on the hristmas wee end that saw tens of thousands of our fellow Filipinos forced to abandon their homes.

he flooding was so severe that entire communities were washed away. And of course, the greatest tragedy would have to be the loss of life that came in the wa e of the floodwaters.

o this day, it is not yet nown how many people died because of the unnatural weather, mostly in the isayas and indanao regions.

ad to say, an equally high number of our ababayans are also deniers of climate change. hey do not bother to ta e even the smallest steps as segregating their trash, much of which is in the form of non-biodegradable plastic.

hat plastic trash eventually finds its way to the open seas, where fish and other marine life consume them. efore the refuse ma es its way to the world s waters, however, they will first clog drains, which coupled with the deforestation of the countryside has been the cause of clogging of drainage and subsequent floods.

ost Americans have a passing nowledge of who Greta hunberg is, while fewer Filipinos are aware of who this young warrior of the environment is. adly, she is even made fun of in and movies and other forms of pop culture. In fact, this wede activist fears for her future and is not afraid to spea out for good reason. It is her future, along with the hundreds of millions of today s youngsters, who may not reason to e pect a bright tomorrow.

he is angry because she sees the world s leaders tal ing but not acting enough to reverse global warming.

What the world is witnessing now is only the beginning, and it is the youth who will be made to assume a burden they might not be able to bear. It is they who will pay the price of their elders serious shortcomings.

2022 FilAm headliners

IMMIGRATION SCAMS

PRO I Filipinos on both sides of the ontinental Divide admitted to committing immigration fraud in the fall.

dmonton resident arlito “ arl enito, a Filipino anadian who had served as a member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly and his son harles pleaded guilty in October of illegally employing Philippine nationals unauthori ed to wor in anada because their temporary wor permits had lapsed. Authorities accused the enitos of the illegal hires for two years from uly through their three immigration service consultancies riple aple Leaf anada, World Immigration Group orporation and Helping igrants anadian Immigration orp.

urien, Washington, resident atherine De Leon varisto received a sentence of two years probation for immigration fraud by the . . District ourt. varisto was a ustoms and order Protection officer who allegedly entered in fa e marriage with an acquaintance for him to gain citi enship for , . varisto allegedly applied for a fianc visa for the man to enter the in . hey were “married in an Diego and applied for citi enship in . hey allegedly lied in their interview. Authorities were alerted to varisto s scheme when she made an inquiry into her fa e husband s immigration status as a new staff at the Office of Field Operations with the P. varisto was nown to be dating someone else when she tried to access her fa e spouse s records, triggering P officers investigation. he pleaded guilty in ay and was sentenced in eptember.

Federal authorities say si Philippine citi ens arranged a minimum sham marriages that ra ed in millions of dollars. assachusetts Attorney Rachael Rollins announced the indictments in April in oston, residence of one of the victims of the alleged ring. “ hese weddings were not love stories, Rollins said as she identified arcialito iol enite as the mastermind. enite allegedly used his Los Angeles employment agency as a front, charging from , to , per applicant. amed co-conspirators were ngilbert lan, ino Reyes almeo, Harold Poquita, uanita Pacson and Felipe apindo David.

FIGHTING AAPI HATE CRIMES

Pioneer FilAm organi ations oined statewide nonprofits in receiving a total million grants to stop hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from the Asian Pacific Islander quity Fund. he Fund emerged from political and community leaders clamor for resources to combat attac s targeting AAPIs that surged during the rise of O ID and political rhetoric scapegoating the population for the spread of the virus.

Filipino Advocates for ustice in Oa land and nion ity received , that e ecutive director Geraldine Alcid said would be used for education and healing programs, and Philippine ews oday led a media group that received , for outreach that team lead Francis spiritu said would inform the public of the history of incidents targeting AAPIs and resources for prevention and helping victims.

alifornia legislators passed the nation s first-ever top AAPI Hate state-level policy “ o Place for Hate engaging transit and businesses in providing safety for AAPI and vulnerable sectors. he two-bill pac age to go in effect anuary .

BEAUTY BRAVERY

o FOR the metoo movement too fire, Filipina Italian model Ambra attilana

FRANCIS ESPIRITU

CHERIE QUEROL MORENO

JO ERLINDA YABUT

BLESIE D. SISON ALBERT MARTINEZ RENE AMON Account Executives

BETING LAYGO DOLOR Manila Editor

JUNNI RANILLO Entertainment Editor

CLAIRE M. TRUE Managing Editor

CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO

BPI’s A-Team

The key to the success and longevity of a bank is trust. Once more, Bank of the Philippine Islands established its trustworthiness with the expert and quick resolution of an incident which occurred on Jan. 4.

BPI’s systems double-posted transactions that were made on ATMs, CAM, POS and online debit cards during the period Dec. 30 and Dec. 31.

In his brief note, BPI President and CEO Jose Teodoro “TG” Limcaoco told the BPI board:

“We discovered the errors in the early morning of Jan. 4 and began investigations right away. While we are still ascertaining the root cause, it looks like that missing data for transactions done at that time caused the double posting.

“We addressed the public shortly before 9 a.m. and began corrective actions just before noon.

“I believe we should have all transactions corrected soon.

“As I write this, over 91 percent have been corrected.”

Expectedly, the incident trended on social media. Fortunately, BPI’s quick response and the reassurance that “BPI would correct the balances by the end of the day” and that “all accounts are safe and secure” negated initial adverse reaction.

Depositor Darwin Labor wrote “ han you ahit . million na debit sa a in, confident a ong mare-reverse. And you did!”

Depositor Myca Lacurom Dagalea: “I never doubted your service. Thank you to the team behind restoring our accounts.”

Throughout the day, BPI was in touch with the Bangko Sentral, which was advised of the situation and of BPI’s actions.

Parenthetically, the incident happened just a few days after EVP Mon Jocson retired from BPI. Jocson had been in charge of, among many others, the A-Team that responds to this type of contingency.

San Francisco considers paying reparations to African-American community

Following the killing of George Floyd and the public outcry that followed in mid-2020, San Francisco’s Board of upervisors created a fifteenmember advisory committee to develop a “San Francisco Reparations Plan that addresses the institutional, City-sanctioned harm that has been inflicted upon African American communities in San Francisco.”

This week, after more than two years of considering the matter, the committee (AARAC) has recommended that the city pay each eligible black resident over 18 years old a sum of $5 million.

In addition, all debt should be forgiven, including credit card debt, student loans, payday loans, etc. The committee also recommended an annual stipend of $97,000 for qualifying low-income individuals for 250 years. This last suggestion is designed to make up for centuries of harm.

Coincidentally, I have been listening to a 5-hours podcast on the Atlantic Slave Trade this week, it’s genesis and how it developed. y first reaction is how appalling that such a savage thing could have occurred a mere 158 years ago. My second reaction is to cringe at the ind of atrocities inflicted on the slaves from branding to torture to the flat-out denial of their humanity.

It is hard to argue against the atrocities of slavery. What is difficult to argue is that the city and population of an Francisco should be held responsible for (Continue on page 27)

Lasting gifts for the New Year

Are you still thinking what to give as lasting gifts to your FRANC (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Co-Worker) this new year

Health & Wealth

GABOT MADLAING

Since Jesus is the reason for the season, why not give to your FRANC copies of “HISTORICITY OF JESUS” subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists, Believers and Christians.” Copies of the “ HISTORICITY OF JESUS” are now available through Amazon (Hardcover- $18.95 per copy; Paperback - $14.95 per copy and E—book- $8.95 per copy).

Foreword to the updated and revised Edition is written by Atty. Junas T. Sagurit, President of Asian Christian University in Bugallon, Pangasinan, Philippines. The back cover include the picture of the WE CARE Ministries Team with then congressman and former Philippine Senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquaio during a Courtesy Call and Prayer Meeting inside his mansion in General Santos City, Sarangani, Philippines last February 19, 2016. Members of the WE CARE Ministries Team who joined the Courtesy Call Prayer Meeting include Larry West from West Monroe, Louisiana; Cole Robertson of the popular Duck Dynasty TV Show; Steven Prine, Director, WE CARE Philippines from Oakland, California USA; Erben Gonzales, Evangelist and Minister, CALASIAO CHURCH OF CHRIST in Cabilocaan, Calasiao, Pangasinan; and yours truly.

Here are some reviews and comments on the “HISTORICITY OF JESUS” subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists, Believers and Christians.”

“This book can help bring millions of Filipinos to Jesus, the Prince of Peace for salvation and spiritual awakening, “ wrote CORAZON M. NERA, former Chair, Regulatory Board of Librarians; Director of Libraries, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila, Philippines.

“I was blessed to meet and had prayer session with Evangelist Art Gabot Madlaing and members of the WE CARE Ministries Team in our home in General Santos City, Mindanao last February 19, 2016. For reformation, moral and spiritual regeneration, I recommend this book to everyone especially to Filipinos in our country and abroad,” echoed boxing icon and former Philippine Senator EMMANUEL “MANNY” PACQUIAO, General Santos City, Sarangani, Philippines.

“I urge ownership of this book. For faith building and antidote to fear and worry everywhere, many benefits can result from reading this vital information under any circumstances and most doubtlessly now with the world in such turmoil from diseases and uprisings and all manner of a ictions, wrote DARL GA L ,, eacher who finished A in Special Ed and MA in Reading at Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas, USA.

“HISTORICITY Of JESUS is not only a tool for Christian wor ers in the field, but it can be helpful teaching tool in our Sundays schools, fellowships, lectureships and other gatherings, “ wrote ATTY. JUNAS T. SAGURIT, President, Asian Christian University, Bugallon, Pangasinan, Philippines.

“Reading HISTORICITY OF JESUS should make it impossible for the smallest seed of doubt to be sown in anyone’s mind,” echoed JUANITA ROBERTSON, Retired Professor, City College of San Francisco, California USA

“This is a special book which merits devoted attention. The devastation caused by COVID-19 and the following new strains reveals more than ever how desperately we need to fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” said HENRY T. BRAVO. Elder, SURREY CHURCH OF CHRIST, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“How thrilling to read such a concise testimony concerning the historical evidence declaring the truth of Jesus Christ. Anyone reading this book would be hard-pressed to deny Him, affirmed LA RA DAW O , eacher, Ladies Children Bible Classes, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

“This timely book is a must read for agnostics, atheists, believers and Christians,” said FELIX L. OLIDAN, JR., Evangelist Minister, WANCHAI CHURCH OF CHRIST, Wanchai, Hongkong.

Another book that I strongly recommend as lasting gift for Christmas and other occasions is LONGEVITY TIPS subtitled “Secrets” You Can Dis-

“Not gold only man can make people great and strong Men who for truth and honor sake Stand fast and suffer long Brave men who work while others sleep Who dare while others fly They build a nation’s pillars deep And lift them to the sky.”

-A Nation’s Strength

ByRalph WaldoEmerson

Ihave written three letters to President BB or DD Marcos since July 31, 2022 – no answers. His probable reason of ignoring my letters are – that I am not his wife, his mother, his congressman son, his girl friend, his ice-President, his first cousin Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, head of a foreign country like Xi Jin Ping of China, leader of a foreign economic group that holds court either in Brussels or Davos, hief of taff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or a rumored foreign organization that made possible his election as President.

If any of these is his reason to ignore my letters – I mind.

Citizen is sovereign: Why do I mind that he does not answer my letters? I do because I am still a citizen of this country. And under section 1, Article II of our Constitution, this country is a “democratic and republican State…sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from the people.” I am one of the millions who compose the people. He is not my master. In the language of the street –President BB or DD Marcos is the servant of the people not their master.

But based on his behavior these past six months – he appears to think that he is our master like President Digong Duterte and the late President Noynoy Aquino or President Gloria Arroyo. It is about time he is reminded that he is not our king, emperor or dictator. He is our constitutional President with the duty “to preserve and defend the Constitution as section 5, Article VII provides and he“must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice”. under section 1, Article XI of the Constitution.

Test: Let us subject his words and actions in the past six months to test his competence as President.

he concluding statement in his first tate of the ation Address (SONA) is that the condition of the country is sound. Was it sound when he assumed office amine the following – the prices of commodities and services were high and increased with every passing day and week; the unresolved killings of poor drug addicts exceeded twenty thousand, according to media reports, both local and international, not to spea of social media and human rights observers the flood of illegal drugs in the country remained uncontrolled and continued to wreak havoc in the country; graft and corruption, according to President Duterte, continued to be rampant; poverty continued to be a numbing problem; minimum wage was not enough to support a family of five insurgency had a threatening present; XiJin Ping’s China continued to dominate the West Philippine Sea bullying and preventing our fishermen from fishing in their normal fishing grounds and our Armed Forces unashamedly helpless to contain the China military inroads.

And you call these conditions sound? Anyone who can read his ABC will tell you this is unsound. Anyone who thinks these conditions are sound should have his head, eyes and ears examined. Something is dysfunctional there.

And now: These conditions have gone from bad to worse under the BBM or DDM presidency. The man keeps on gallivanting around the word – probably thinking that appearing handsome, reading prepared speeches, and pleasing the Western powers, he will solve our problems and please and satisfy our people

You are wasting our money, Mr. President, by these travels. his is not responsible and efficient behavior for a President. It lacks loyalty and pa-

ART

This President - BBM - has not learned yet how to be president

HOMOBONO A. ADAZA

IGNACIO TOTING BUNYE

Setting himself up for a big fall

Ihad always believed in and tried to follow that old saying among us journalists that it was our ob to comfort the a icted, and a ict the comfortable.

Also, where a new president is concerned, I also followed that practice of giving him or her the benefit of the doubt, as well as the traditional First Days honeymoon, when our judgement would necessarily be colored by his or her lac of e perience.

Looking back at some of my past writings, I am happy to recall that I gave the likes of Gloria acapagal Arroyo that benefit, believing that her bac ground gave her all the ma ings of not only a good president, but a great one. adly, it was her actions that led me and many of my fellow ournalists to believe that she had become corrupted by the near absolute power that comes with the Philippine presidency.

I now believe that G A remains one of the most dangerous politicians alive today. ore on that later.

For now, the 100 day grace period of Ferdinand Marcos Jr is long over. He has held the reins of power long enough for us to reali e that he will never become a great president. ot even a good one, unfortunately. At best, he can be a mediocre chief e ecutive li e rap strada.

He has made himself the butt of painful o es for multiple reasons. his wee he added to that list by going on his eighth foreign trip in seven months as president.

His apologists will say that each one was official business, and that the country would reap the benefits from the investments that he is sure to bring in.

his is bullpap, of course. Loo bac at all the promises made, the pledges that he supposedly brought home. hat s all they are, thus far. Pledges, which have not translated to actual investments.

Worst of all, in all his foreign trips, he would bring a contingent worthy of a global superstar, whether in bo ing or bas etball or music or movies.

he trip to Davos, wit erland that he ta es this wee is one for the boo s. He is bringing a contingent of friends, relatives, and hangers on. o one will question him for bringing along his wife, the First Lady. ut does he always have to bring along his cousin, the House pea er, and his son, the deputy ma ority leader

What, pray tell, are those two lawmakers planning on doing in wit erland Will they thin of and craft new bills while en oying the winter snow

And what in God s name is Gloria Arroyo doing there, too y dirty and suspicious mind eeps telling me that they are either loo ing over their wiss ban accounts, or are planning on opening one.

What is most galling about this junket is that most other leaders attending the World conomic Forum are bringing with them contingents of or less.

I am talking about countries whose economies are much larger than the Philippines. he fast-developing India, which I e pect to be both an economic as well as military power by the end of this decade, will be represented by a contingent of .

And believe it or not, Finland with its rock solid economy will be represented by three that s one, two, three representatives. here is no ustification at all for a developing country li e the Republic of the Philippines to send representatives. Who pays for the plane fare, hotel, food, and allowances eed I as ou and me, of course.

One wag jokes that Marcos should not have appointed himself as concurrent Agriculture secretary. ince he loves to travel so much, why not ust head the Department of ourism hat semi-funny o e is also a mite painful. ee, he is indeed the country s Agriculture secretary. And guess what department has been failing consistently.

y now it is well nown that the prices of various commodities have shot through the roof – I may even use the word skyrocket –and the Department of Agriculture continues to act like a deer on a highway that s been blinded by the glare of an incoming bus. It is petrified.

Last year, it started with sugar more than doubling in price at the mar et. hen came the unbelievably high prices of onions, which reached a height that was beyond belief. It was selling at more than P per ilogram, when earlier in the year it was selling at one-tenth of that sum. ow the prices of the humble egg are also heading for the heavens.

It is the job of the Agriculture department under the leadership of its secretary one Ferdinand ongbong arcos r. to eep the prices of agricultural commodities within reach of the ordinary Filipino.

In this regard, Secretary Marcos has been a complete and utter failure. ven close allies have suggested that he step down and hand over the reins of the department to a worthy e ecutive. uch allies as senators Grace Poe and Imee Marcos have suggested that he step down soonest.

ome again es, that Imee

Unsheathing the katana

Last month, Japan unveiled an ambitious, -billion, five-year defense plan to upgrade its defense capabilities and, at the same time, acquire stri e capability to hit targets deep into what it considered the biggest threat in the region.

A hundred years ago, Imperial Japan went to Manchuria in search of resources to fuel its rapid industriali ation and rise as a global power, having tasted victory at the expense of declining sarist Russia. he Romanovs did not survive after a humiliating defeat.

IN THE TRENCHES

ut apan went too far. It wanted to dominate the region, defeating Western powers the nited tates, nited ingdom, France, and Portugal in the Asia and Pacific region and creating the Greater ast Asia o-prosperity sphere.

However, the apanese empire was short-lived. he nited tates returned and demonstrated its awesome military might, dropping two nuclear bombs in agasa i and Hiroshima the only instances an atomic warhead was used in a war in modern times.

apan s humiliating defeat served as a lesson. It renounced war as a state instrument and adopted a pacifist constitution. In , for instance, it adopted a policy to avoid building offensive weapons, such as carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

It relied on the nited tates for its defense, hosting more than , American troops, fighter aircraft, and two carrier battle groups.

At that time, o yo was only concerned with orth orea and the old nion of oviet ocialist Republics ( R). It was the old War.

he world has changed. he security environment has evolved. ew threats have emerged.

he R melted away but a more dangerous orth orea emerged, developing a nuclear arsenal and constantly testing its missile delivery capability, hurling for the first time in years a ballistic missile into the ea of apan.

First, there were the pirates in the iddle ast forcing apan to send coast guard vessels to patrol the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, escorting oil tankers from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to its home ports in apan.

Japan is dependent on oil imports to run its engine of growth but hina s dynamo was more efficient and effective, overta ing o yo as the world s second largest economy behind the nited tates.

As hina s economy grew rapidly, ei ing began building its war machines and threatened not only the region but the world as it e panded its influence in the outh Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the iddle ast using chec boo diplomacy.

Its militia vessels have started harassing smaller littoral states in the region to create a buffer one in the outh hina ea as the nited States and its Western allies, including Japan, stepped up freedom of navigation operations and overflights in the region.

In February , Russia invaded its neighbor raine in an effort to create its own buffer one against the rapid e pansion of the -led orth Atlantic reaty Organi ation ( A O) in astern urope. Russia has lost most of its satellite states in urope with Poland gaining strength as a beacon of democracy in the region. It has become one of urope s strongest military powers ne t to France and Germany.

In this part of the world, apan felt insecure with Russia s aggression in the raine, orth orea s continued belligerence, and hina s march to become the world s global superpower.

Japan has maritime and territorial disputes with both China and Russia, which has increased its air and sea patrols, ma ing o yo more nervous.

here are fears that hina might also invade self-ruled aiwan to unite the two countries and attempt to control the en a u islands. Russia, in the north, could completely retake Kuril islands, which it administered at the end of the econd World War. It was a war booty won by Imperial apan in its brief war against Russia in .

Japan felt it was surrounded by its enemies, which grew stronger as it restrained itself from arming again.

hin o Abe started apan s military moderni ation, e panding its security role in the region with its coast guard holding drills with Southeast Asian countries and patrolling the waters in the Middle ast.

Its capable navy oined the -led annual multinational naval drills, the Rim of the Pacific e ercises (RI PA ), while conducting a series of air, sea, and ground e ercises with the nited tates.

Can a lie propel one to Congress?

Morally and ethically no, but it just happened in the last elections!

George antos, who admitted he faked his resume and lied about everything, including his mom s death, was sworn in as a duly elected congressman.

While he was sworn in as a duly elected member of the House of ongress, GOP Rep. George antos from ew or , the recently elected GOP congressman has admitted to lying about parts of his resume, is facing escalating backlash from his own party as a growing number of House Republican lawma ers call for him to resign or say he can t serve effectively even as peaer evin c arthy has stood by the embattled congressman. ( lare Foran and anu Ra u, )

antos has so far been defiant, pushing bac on calls for his resignation and House GOP leadership has not called on him to do so. c arthy, a Republican from alifornia who was elected s House Speaker with a very slim margin after 15 balloting, has indicated he will not oin demands from ew or GOP leaders, and others, for antos resignation.

I think, McCarthy acted that way in support of Santos because antos voted for him to be the pea er. Perhaps, if not for his vote, he should have lost the election. And c arthy needs every vote in every bill he wants to pass. hat s where antos will come in. c arthy can t afford to loss votes.

c arthy told reporters on hursday “ he voters of his district have elected him. He is seated. He is part of the Republican conference, c arthy said at a news conference on apitol Hill. rue, the voters voted for him, but I think McCarthy is wrong because had the voters known what Santos had put in his resume was not true, they should not have voted for him. hey relied on his resume and they thought he was that person they thought to be trustworthy and qualified as per his resume. antos was not being truthful to his would-be constituents. In fact, he cheated his way to ongress

Other than c arthy, some GOP colleagues are supporting him. a ority Leader teve calise, a Louisiana Republican, echoed carthy, saying, “Obviously, you now, we re finding out more, but we also recogni e that he was elected by his constituents. Again, Scalise was wrong because had they known his true personality, they should not have voted for him.

Also, House GOP onference hair lise tefani , a ew or Republican who endorsed antos in his race, would not call on antos to resign on hursday.

“It will play itself out, she told . “He s a duly-elected member of ongress. here have been members of ongress on the Democrat side who have faced investigations before. Again, his being a duly-elected member of ongress is fa e, ust as his resume.

While some GOP are supporting antos, the defiant congressman also faces growing condemnation from ran -and-file Republicans as new and damaging revelations come out about his past.

For e ample, two ew or Republican lawma ers Reps. arc olinaro and i e Lawler told on hursday morning they don t believe antos can serve his district effectively. I agree How can you serve effectively with truthfulness when you lied in the first place to be there

Santos insisted he was elected by the people, so he refused to resign. “I was elected by the people he said. r. antos, although we know the election was rigged by his lies!

antos, however, swiftly re ected the calls to resign. He is very defiant and had no intention to resign

“ oday, on behalf of the assau ounty Republican ommittee, I m calling for his immediate resignation, chairman oseph G. airo said at a news conference on Long Island, adding that the congressman s campaign was made up “of deceit, lies and fabrication.

airo was oined by a slate of local party officials and, remotely from Washington, D , by Republican Rep. Anthony D sposito, who also called for antos to step down. D sposito was oined later Wednesday in calling for antos resignation by four more in the House GOP conference ew or Reps. ic LaLota, ic Langworthy and randon Williams, as well as outh arolina Rep. ancy ace.

antos is facing a long list of allegations and criticism from congressional Democrats, and a growing number of Republicans, after he admitted to fabricating sections of his resume – including his past wor e perience and education.

27)

Fumio ishida wanted to do more. He wanted to e pand drills with other states, including the nited ingdom, Australia, India, and the Philippines. o yo already has security cooperation with three countries Australia, India, and the nited tates, collectively nown as the uad.

Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las egas, evada, on ovember . David ec er/Washington Post via Getty Image en acobs is a political reporter at o , based in Washington, D . en has covered three presidential campaigns, as well as apitol Hill, the White House, and the upreme ourt. His writing has appeared in publications including ew or maga ine, the Atlantic, and the Washington amin he biography of newly elected ongress member George antos seemed quite impressive. he -year-old son of immigrants had graduated from aruch ollege, a public college in ew or , before going on to wor at firms li e Goldman achs and itigroup.

BETING DOLOR

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO

MANNY MOGATO

Are your wages being garnished?

It is possible that a creditor could obtain a court order to garnish your wages. In other words, they can take money right out of your paycheck to pay your debts. In some cases, wage garnishments may take more than half of your paycheck.

Wage garnishment is a drastic step, often used by creditors that have no claim to any of your property. Without any property or collateral to back up your credit card purchases or medical bills, a creditor may file a lawsuit against you and as the court to grant their motion for your wages to be garnished. Depending on your debt, the court will assign a percentage of your paycheck to be automatically deducted and sent to the creditor. Oftentimes up to 25 percent of your disposable income could be taken away from you. In cases of tax debt, much more could be taken out.

Wage Garnishment Laws

It’s possible that your spouse’s wages be garnished because of your debts. In California, married couple’s debts and assets are considered community property. In this case, your spouse’s wages might be at stake even if the credit card and the debts are under your name.

As required by law, your employer must comply with the court order, and will be unable to stop wage garnishment. However, you are also protected by the same law, which says that an employer may not fire you because your wages are being garnished.

Wages are often garnished for the following reasons:

1. Credit card lawsuit - Once a credit card account goes into default, and the creditor decides it cannot collect, it may sell the debt to a debt collection company. If the credit card or debt collection company is unsuccessful in recovering the debt, then a lawsuit may be filed against the consumer in an attempt to recover its losses. If the ruling in the lawsuit goes against the consumer, a judgment may be issued to garnish property, bank accounts or wages.

2. Tax liens: unpaid state and federal taxes - The IRS and State Taxing Authorities have the power to collect back taxes by levying on taxpayers’ property as a result of a tax lien. When a person owes back taxes, the IRS/State can collect a lien on a particular taxpayer’s assets after meeting certain statutory requirements, which attaches to all rights, title and interest of the taxpayer.

Once the IRS/State has a lien on all of a taxpayer’s assets, they may enforce it by administratively levying his/her assets. As a collection tactic, the IRS/State often imposes a wage garnishment, which means that they literally take money out of every paycheck – often enough seriously jeopardizing an individual’s lifestyle and making it impossible to maintain the same standard of living.

3. Delinquent child support – Pursuant to child support enforcement laws in the United States, statutes permit the use of a variety of types of garnishments to collect past due child support, according to Find Law.

4. Delinquent spouse support (alimony) – There is numerous ways to enforce an order for spousal support or alimony, including entry of a money judgment and wage garnishment. However, the availability these enforcement tools and how they are used are controlled by state laws and/or the rules of the courts in your area.

Wage garnishment will only stop if:

1. Your debts are settled

2. Automatic stay in bankruptcy stops the action

If you are already facing financial disaster, garnishment can ma e it harder for you to support yourself and your family. y filing either hapter or hapter ban ruptcy, you have the power to stop the action. oth hapter and hapter ban ruptcy may stop wage garnishment. In the case of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the garnishment will stop for several years as you work through your repayment plan. In a hapter , each state s e emptions provide protections against wage garnishment.

ote his is not a legal advice and you need to spea to an attorney. he Law Offices of rispin C. Lozano has 22 years of experience in bankruptcy cases.

Bankruptcy Basics

1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the ban ruptcy will be in your records for years, not filing banruptcy will make your credit even worse until most your debts are paid.

2. If you are being sued by your creditors, most money judgment can be eliminated in bankruptcy.

3. Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement.

. hapter will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminate most of your debts.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

1.

PETITION FOR NURSES AND CAREGIVERS

Our Law Firm entered into agreement with nursing facilities in the U.S. to process applicants for Nurses, LVN and Caregivers in the US. We also process petition for caregivers from the Philippines or inside the US.

You may qualify if you have RN or LVN license

Inside or outside the United States

Have caregiving experience.

2. BIG TAX REFUNDS FOR SELF-EMPLOYED

The Coronavirus Cares Act Sick and Family Leave for Self-Employed provides big tax refunds for self-employed individuals for ta years and . If you have filed your ta return and failed to avail of this refund contact us for consultation. The refund ranges from $4000 to $32000 per individual self employed depending on your income.

all our office at - - - for confidential consultation

CLAIM FOR UNPAID WAGES

We help our clients recover from employers’ unpaid minimum wage and overtime. Undocumented wor ers are qualified to apply.

CAR ACCIDENTS

Our Law Firm successfully settled a car accident for . .

FAMILY LAW

We also handle uncontested DIVORCE.

SUCCESS STORIES

For the month of December, 2022, we received approval from USCIS three naturalization applications, two Fiancée visa petition, two removals of condition on residence and four adjustment of status applications.

If you have immigration problems the Law Offices of rispin . Lo ano can help you find a solution before your problem gets worse which could lead to deportation and family separation.

Chris Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and San Francisco Trial Lawyers. He practices immigration law, ban ruptcy, personal in ury and income ta representation since une . His contact phone is - - - , email info Llaw.net Website www.crispinlo anolaw.com/ with officers in Hayward and Cerritos, CA.

presented as investment u in Asia at in Davos

DAVOS/MAKATI CITY – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual has presented the Philippines as an investment destination in Asia at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Switzerland.

In a statement, Pascual said he met with senior executives of companies with business interests in the Philippines including Coursera, Chevron, Astranis, and She Loves Tech.

“We met with several business executives and presented our country as an ideal investment destination in Asia. Similarly, we shared with them our improved business climate, which was fueled by the recent economic policy reforms that facilitate ease of doing business, Pascual said.

The DTI chief also met with WEF executive committee members and head of International Trade and Investment to discuss potential cooperation with the Philippines.

During the five-day W F meeting, Pascual joinED the sessions on MSMEs Going Global, Next Generation Industrial Strategies, and Trade and Investment Leadership Lunch.

Pascual, along with other economic managers, also joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in the CEO Dialogue on the Philippines, which will highlight the government’s programs on energy, food security, and digitalization.

“We see WEF as an opportunity to gather more FDIs (foreign direct investments) that will complement our country s economic recovery initiatives, he said.

During the Laging Handa public briefing, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon pointed out that the WEF is a good platform for the Philippine government to highlight its initiatives in working with the private sector to achieve economic growth momentum.

“What we can promote is the way we engaged with the private sector, which is also among the top priorities at the World Economic Forum. So, when we weathered this ovid- (coronavirus disease ) pandemic, we have seen that the private sector has engaged with the government, and the LGUs (local government units) also coordinated with their own private sector, she said.

openin trade offi e in , eyed as business boost

MAKATI CITY – Large investment opportunities expected to increase trading between the Philippines and the United States have been cited as the reason for the opening of a United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) office here within this quarter.

“To meet the demands of the Philippine market and in recognition of the potential in the Philippine economy, USTDA is opening an office in anila, Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay arlson said during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) event in Makati City last week.

She said the agency will conduct feasibility studies that “will focus on supply chains, clean energy, infrastructure and telecommunications.

In an interview with journalists, Carlson said results of the feasibility studies can be used both by the government and the private sector to help them determine where the interests of US investors are in the Philippines and where matches can be made.

She said not all US Embassies around the world have DA offices and the one to be opened in the Philippines “is really based on what we see as great promise between the investment opportunities and trade opportunities between the United States and the Philippines.

The US is one of the Philippines’ top

BOOST TO INVESTMENTS. Investments between the Philippines and the US are expected to increase with the opening of the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) o ce in Manila, says US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson.

three trading partners while the country is the US’ 31st largest goods trading partner.

Carlson is optimistic regarding the increase in investment opportunities between the US and the Philippines within the Indo-Pacific area due also to the people-to-people ties.

“People-to-people ties are really a strong foundation and a springboard for those types of investments and trade opportunities not just to recover from the pandemic but as I’ve heard President (Ferdinand R.) Marcos said to really accelerate and go beyond simple recovery, to revitalize and accelerate in 2023 and beyond, she said.

TRADE Secretary Alfredo Pascual

More Philippine TV drama and fantasy come to Indonesia as Vidio launches localized series from ABS-CBN

QUEZON CITY – Television and other device screens in Indonesia now play more Philippine series and a drama anthology after ABS-CBN and PT VIDIO DOT COM recently inked a content localization partnership.

Full and select episodes of the following Filipino programs may be viewed by local audiences of all ages:

Love Thy Woman

A story of sisters turning into rivals, of family traditions, and of heartbreak.

MeaCulpa

A crime drama about complicated social relationships and realization of justice.

her son’s.

MaalaalaMoKaya

A drama anthology that brings to light the extraordinary stories and anecdotes of people from different walks of life. Featured episodes: Toy Cars, Bridge, and Shadow.

Fantasy stories with valuable lessons come alive in limited series Anika Pintasera, My Hairly Lady, and Jasmin’s Flower Power.

ABS-CBN has long been recognized as a reliable foreign content provider and is becoming the premier source of high-quality Filipino programming in over 50 territories over the world.

“The past couple of years saw a huge boost in the streaming industry. Around this period, ABS-CBN has taken massive steps to dominate the digital landscape through partner-

ships among the OTT sectors across the globe. On another hand, we acknowledge the support of Indonesians for our programs, films and music. This partnership with Vidio will allow us to further reach Indonesian viewers,” shared Maribel Hernaez, Asia Pacific managing director of ACBN Global.

Monika Rudijono, managing director of PT Vidio Dot Com, appreciates the value these kinds of content bring to their popular platform.

“As a leading OTT in Indonesia, Vidio is committed to providing premium entertainment content and seamless viewing experience for everyone. We continuously expand and refresh our content library with new

titles from all around the world. This collaboration with ABS-CBN is a huge opportunity to further enhance our content offerings and bring some of the best shows across a wide variety of genres from the Philippines to our beloved Indonesian audiences.”

Don’t forget to download and install Vidio on your Android smartphone via the Google Play Store, iOS smartphone via the Apple Store, or by accessing the website www.vidio.com

Mother’s Guilt

(Hanggang Saan )

A series about a selfless single mother who agrees to do the unthinkable: take a man’s life to save that of

Vidio Managing Director Monika Rudi ono (le�) and A S- N anaging Director for Asia Paci c aribel Hernae during the la�er s visit at the idio o ce in a arta, Indonesia

FilAm crowned Miss Universe, raring for Manila visit

By Claire Morales True

NEW ORLEANS/SAN FRANCISCO - Filipino American beauty queen R’Bonney Gabriel of the United States won the Miss Universe crown during the pageant final ceremonies at the orial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, besting beauty queens from 49 countries.

Gabriel, 28, a fashion designer and model who was Miss Texas when she won Miss USA title, was a proud FilAm as she wore dresses partly designed by Filipinos. She acknowledged her Filipino heritage in her first conference after she was crowned, and immediately expressed she was raring to visit the Philippines, the country of her father who was in the crowd with his American wife when Gabriel won the title.

Aside from winning Miss Universe, R onney was also the first FilipinoAmerican to win Miss USA and reportedly the oldest winner of the two titles at 28.

Gabriel’s winning the title put to rest protests made by some candidates in the Miss USA pageant who claimed that organizers were reportedly bias in her favor.

Gabriel, whose father Remigio Bonzon Gabriel was born in Manila and migrated to the US at 25, was supposed to visit the Philippines last December to launch a Miss Universe-supported project but her trip had to be postponed due to the Miss USA controversy. Gabriel’s mother Dana Walker hails from Beaumont, Texas.

Gabriel was proclaimed “the most beautiful woman” in the Universe during the 71st edition of the pageant in New Orleans January 14 in US (January 15 in the Philippines).

She succeeds Harnaaz Sandhu of India, and is the first to wear the “Force for Good” crown made by Mouawad in partnership with the Miss Universe Organization under its new owner, Anne Jakrajutatip.

During the first round of questionand-answer portion of the pageant, Gabriel was asked what change she’d like to see in Miss Universe and why.

She answered: “For me, I would like to see an age increase, because I am 28 years old and that is the oldest age to compete. I think it’s a beautiful thing. My favorite quote is ‘If not now, then when?’ As a woman, I believe that age does not define us. It s not tomorrow, it s yesterday but it’s now. The time is now that you can go after what you want.”

In the final A, all the op contestants were asked how they would work to demonstrate that the Miss Universe is an empowering and progressive organization should they win the competition.

“Well, I would use it to be a transformational leader. As a very passionate designer, I ve been sewing for years, I use fashion as a force for good. In my industry, I’m cutting down on pollution through recycled materials when I make my clothing. I teach sewing classes to women who survived from human traffic ing and domestic violence and I say that because it is so important to invest in others, invest in our community and use your unique talent to ma e a difference. We all have something special and when we plant those seeds to other people in our life, we transform them and we use that as a vehicle for change,” she said.

Gabriel is the fourth Asian American and first Fil-Am to be named iss A, while Miss USA 1962 Macel Wilson, who is said to have grandparents from the Philippines, is considered the first Asian Pacific American Islander to win the crown.

The 2022 Miss USA pageant featured two other Pinays: Suzanne Perez of Miss New Mexico and Miss Hawaii Kiana Yamut.

R’Bonney said in interviews prior to the pageant that she loved fashion as early as she was only 15. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design in 2018.

She is a fashion designer, model, and currently, the CEO of her own sustainable clothing line, R’Bonney Nola.

R’Bonney collaborated with Filipino fashion designers for her gorgeous outfits during the Miss Universe pageant.

R’Bonney is the lead sewing instructor at agpies Peacoc s, a Houston-based non-profit design house that is nown for their commitment to sustainability and community impact. She teaches sewing classes to women who were victims of human traffic ing and domestic violence.

Her evening gown during the preliminaries and the coronation night were created by Rian Fernandez, while her national costume was made by Patrick Isorena.

Gabriel s first and second runners-up are Amanda Dudamel of Venezuela and Andreína Martínez of Dominican Republic, respectively.

While the proud Filipino American beauty was victorious, the Philippines’ representative, Filipino-Italian Celeste Cortesi, ended her Miss Universe quest early on, as she fell to land in the Top , the first time the Philippines missed a semi-final placement in the iss niverse since the stint of Venus Raj in 2010.

The Miss Universe Philippines Organization, however, was still all praises for Cortesi after her early exit in the pageant.

“You inspired us with your beauty, grace, and perseverance. Thank you for giving an amazing performance for the country, @celeste_cortesi!” the organization said on Instagram.

During the preliminaries, Celeste turned heads with her shimmering baby

blue evening gown with a thigh-high slit. he also showcased her fit figure in a pin bikini with an inspiring cape.

For her national costume, Celeste channeled her inner superhero as she dressed as Darna, the iconic character from Mars Ravelo’s comic series.

Cortesi was aiming for the Philippines fifth iss niverse crown after Catriona Gray (2018), Pia Wurtzbach ( ), argie oran ( ), and Gloria Diaz (1969).

Born to an Italian father and Filipina mother, she first represented the Philippines in Miss Earth in 2018, where she placed in the Top 8.

House leader to refile bill on recovery of PHL film industry

ly-produced operas, concerts, dramas, musical plays, recitals, painting and art e hibitions, flower shows, musical programs, literary and oratorical presentations and local film productions so long as Filipinos own at least percent equity of such local entertainment productions.

he panel also discussed ways to boost the industry by advancing programs that provide assistance to its wor ers, as well as reinforcing policies that promote their welfare.

hairperson irso ru III discussed their initiatives that offer assistance to filmma ers and producers, such as cash grants, mentoring sessions with e perts and assistance in securing permits.

eanwhile, the committee adopted House Resolution , congratulating and commending Ian Fermin Rosales asocot for winning first pri e in the hort tory ategory of the arlos Palanca emorial Awards for Literature.

QUEZON CITY – A bill that see s to provide aid to the film and events industries in recovering from revenue losses due to the coronavirus disease ( ovid- ) pandemic through the grant of ta e emptions and subsidies is set to be filed in the House of Representatives.

Representative hristopher De enecia ( th District, Pangasinan), House pecial ommittee on reative Industry and Performing Arts chairman, made the commitment during the panel s hearing on House Resolution , assessing the plight of Philippine inema, with the intention of promoting more film productions to generate employment and reviving its renaissance and golden era.

De enecia is the son of former pea er ose de enecia and former congresswoman Gina de enecia whose family are into the film industry for years.

“We re waiting on some data points from some of our resource persons that were committed this morning to be able to guide us in crafting the necessary bill that we are going to file that would help the industry in terms of reducing some of the ta a-

tion, De enecia said.

He particularly noted the plan to refile the proposed “Film and Live vents Recovery Act, which would provide for an additional two years of ta holiday and reduction of amusement ta from to percent.

“In terms of the amusement ta , right now it is at percent. It is not being charged by all of the LG s (local government units). hanfully, that is a prerogative. o we are refiling the bill for a ta holiday for additional two years and reducing it to percent, he said.

ommittee vice-chair and Leyte th district Representative Richard Gome also stressed the need to provide more incentives for the country s film producers considering that the industry is “burdened with so much ta es .

“ he basic gist is to ma e it cheaper and more affordable for film producers to ma e more films, Gome , an actor, said.

he proposed measure also suspends for two years the power of local government to levy an amusement ta as provided under RA .

he measure see s to e empt from payment of amusement ta all local-

Department of rade and Industry (D I) ompetitiveness ureau Assistant Director o-Dann Darong said among the challenges of Philippine inema the past three years were the constrained movie production process and the hampered performance of the etro anila Film Festival due to loc downs.

He, however, noted that the pandemic gave elbow room for mar et e pansion through digital platforms.

For his part, Film Development ouncil of the Philippines (FD P)

he panel also adopted HR , commending ecile Guidote-Alvare for being the only outheast Asian awardee at La a a heater s Rema e-a-World Gala in ew or ity, and HR , e pressing profound congratulations to Dolly De Leon for winning the Los Angeles ritics Awards est upporting Actress for her role as toilet manager in “ riangle of adness and for being the first Filipino to be nominated for Golden Globe est upporting Actress for the same role.

Representa ve hristopher De enecia

Alex Gonzaga under fire, apologizes after viral birthday cake video

Actress-TV host Alex Gonzaga has apologized following backlash against her behavior during her recent birthday party celebration.

“On my birthday, God taught me a hard and important lesson. Humility, kindness and better judgment. I am truly sorry, Kuya Allan,” Gonzaga wrote on Twitter, referring to the waiter she smeared icing on as seen in a viral clip as reported by CNN Philippines and other Manila media.

The now-deleted video posted by content creator Dani Barretto showed the 35-year-old Gonzaga blowing

her birthday candle, before suddenly smearing chocolate icing on the face of the server holding the cake. The guests can be heard cheering in the background.

he scene drew fla from neti ens and even names in the entertainment industry — who called for better treatment for service workers in the country.

The actress also apologized to her family for causing them “pain and embarrassment.”

“I will rise from this a wiser and better person,” she said.

Parokya

Chito

on Wednesday

“Pero sa tagal tagal namin magkasama, ngayon lang kami nagkaroon ng legit na collab on an original song,” Miranda said in his Instagram post. “Ilang buwan naming tinutukan ito, and with the help of our friend @jonathanmanalo, we were able to come up with a beautiful song about love.”

[Translation: For the longest time that we have nown each other, this is the first time that we collaborated on an original song. We worked on this for months, and with the help of our friend Jonathan Manalo, we were able to come up with a beautiful song about love.]

“Thanks Tito @garyvalenciano for giving me the opportunity na gumawa ng kanta kasama mo, at i-perform yung song para mga tao that we wrote the song for,” he added.

[Translation: Thanks, Tito [Gary Valenciano] for giving me the opportunity to work on a song with you and perform it in front of the people that we wrote the song for.]

Miranda and Valenciano worked together last year as judges in the second season of “Idol Philippines,” a reality singing TV competition, alongside Regine Velasquez and Moira dela Torre.

Miranda added that the project was also made possible with the help of songwriter and composer Jonathan Manalo.

Miranda said he is grateful to work with Valenciano, who is his uncle, CNN Philippines reported.

ni Edgar frontman

Miranda

shared that he and Mr. Pure Energy Gary Valenciano will soon release a “song about love.”

Year of the Water Rabbit, what do we need to do to bring luck home

he hinese odiac says that is the ear of the Water Rabbit. he incoming year is about hope and prosperity, rising from the ground up where people can recover, reconnect, and e pect new and e citing opportunities. he new Feng hui trend also pays special attention to environmental protection. It is a common practice to ma e small to big changes in one s home at the beginning of the year. If you want to ma e your home auspicious for the new year, you can follow these ear of the Water Rabbit home trends and tips.

idy p and Declutter efore ma ing changes to your home, it is best to clean it up. Feng hui s general practice is removing clutter in the home to improve the h i or energy flow. hec your home items and personal belongings. oss in your trash or donate bo any unusable items or no longer need.

Once your space is decluttered, consider introducing fresh air and natural light into your home. For dar areas in your home, add a floor lamp or decorate it with furniture and fi tures with reflective surfaces that bounce bac the light.

Once you have identified the ha or sources of bad energy in your home, here are nine appropriate Feng hui cures to help restore and energi e the h i in your home olors (the luc y colors derived from Wood and Water lements and in polarity of are a ure blue and apple green) ounds (bells, wind chimes)

ital life force (pets, plants) right ob ects (lights, mirrors, crystals) lectrical energy (appliances, computers, ) ymbols (shapes corresponding to elements)

Heavy ob ects (sculptures, roc s) inetic energy (water fountains, windmills) Other additions (curtains, incense, pictures, rugs)

For e ample, if you cannot move your bed located under a table, you can “cure this ha by hanging a crystal ball of units (inches, centimeters, and so on). se the a-Gua

Feng hui uses the a-Gua or an eight-sided pattern representing specific areas of a person s life family ( hen), health ( ai i), hildren (Dui), helpful people ( ian), partnerships ( un), wealth ( un), nowledge (Gen), career ( an), and fame (Li).

Overlay the a-Gua pattern on the floor plan of your home to identify the sections affecting the different areas of your life. ou should only concentrate on two to three areas at a time to achieve the best results. ote that your front door is the main entrance of your home.

Feng hui for our Living Room

One of the ear of the Water Rabbit home trends is adding potted plants in your living room to attract the positive h i of the wood element. hoose potted plants with wellrounded leaves, such as the hinese oney plant, tring of oins, and ade Plant. horny bushes and cacti should be avoided. Aside from plants, you can also add an aquarium to your home.

Also, ensure that you do not have any furniture with its bac directed at the doors. It is best to have furniture pieces and sculptures with rounded edges instead of pointed ones.

he bac left corner from the entrance of your living room should also be paid special attention to since this is considered the wealth corner. se wood and water elements here to guarantee prosperity. Aside from healthy plants, you can also use wood, wic er, and bamboo materials in this part of your living room.

Feng hui for our edroom

Place your bed in a commanding position. his means you can see the door when you prop up from your bed, although it should not face you directly. Having water bodies and aquariums in your bedroom is also discouraged as this can diffuse the fire, bringing less passion to your bedroom. ou should also have limited reflective surfaces in your bedroom to limit distractions.

o ma e your bedroom in line with the ear of the Water Rabbit, incorporate blues and light greens in your bed covers, pillowcases, and blan ets. ou can also invest in good rugs and ceramics that attract good energy.

Feng hui for our itchen

Declutter your refrigerator and remove bro en items. se a mi ture of salt and water as a cleansing liquid to ward off bad energy in your itchen and at-

Firm sees sustained recovery for PHL real estate sector

A A I I Officials of a real estate bro erage firm in the country is optimistic of the continued growth of domestic real state sector given the reopening of the economy and the private sector s low debt level.

Leechu Property onsultants (LP ) chief e ecutive officer ( O) David Leechiu said prices are rising amid the uptrend of interest rates but demand for office and residential spaces remained high.

Results of the firm s middle of December study show that office demand so far this year reached , square meters (sqm), e ceeding the combined demand in the past two years at , sqm in and , sqm in . ul of the demand came from the information technology-business process management (I - P ) sector at , sqm given the hybrid wor set-up.

With the return-to-wor policy epected in , the study indicated that resumption of percent office wor for the I - P sector alone would require an office space demand of around , sqm.

he firm said a , sqm of live requirement from the I - P sector

is already visible to date.

In terms of the impact of the rising interest rate, LP Director for Research and onsultancy Roy Gole said property developers are more affected than the customers because the latter are given longer payment terms to cushion the impact of the higher rates.

“It s more on the developer side where we will be seeing a higher impact of these interest rates as logistics infl ation and interest rates impact on the construction cost when delivery these products, especially when the prices would have been fi ed today and the construction for a certain building will be over a period of four years, maybe even fi ve years. he said during the same briefi ng.

Leechiu further said the real estate sector remains robust despite several economic crisis in recent years and its impact on prices.

“ hat s a testament to the high savings rate and the low debt levels in the private sector. And that s why, despite all these ramping up of interest rates, it not really caused much havoc in the property sector as far as capital values are concerned, he said.

Sen. Alan Cayetano reelected volley federation chairman emeritus

once again named Senator Alan Cayetano as its chairman emeritus.

ayetano, the federation s first chairman emeritus, was given a fresh mandate during the organization’s elections on Tuesday in Taguig City.

Cayetano’s new tenure with PNVF will last until 2025.

“Thank you so much for the trust and confidence, and for the small part you have given me in the PNVF. Let’s look forward again to 2023 and further,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano is not new to working with reelected PNVF president Tats Suzara as they led the way in the Philippine Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Organizing Committee in 2019.

Following the success of the SEA Games hosting, Cayetano hopes that the reunion will mean greater success for volleyball in the years to come.

“Through the leadership of PNVF President Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara, our

newly-elected P F officers, and through God’s guidance, we are claiming more years of victories for the Philippine Volleyball Federation,” he added.

Cayetano, once known as the “godfather of Philippine women’s volleyball”, was also named the delegation head for the Philippine volleyball teams to the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this May.

He hopes that more people and companies will throw their support to the national teams.

“It will be a very busy year for our athletes, and their success will require the support of our government and our kababayans,” he said. “To Chairman Ariel Paredes and to our volleyball athletes, please know that in the Senate, you can count on me and Ate Pia (sister Sen. Cayetano) to help our volleyball athletes soar higher and make the sport greater.”

Int’l surfing tourney set in La Union, 19 from Siargao to compete

BUTUAN CITY – Nineteen professional surfers from Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte will see action in the an. to World urfing League (WSL) La Union International Pro.

“Our surfers are already on the competition site since Jan. 16, Monday. They need to familiarize the surfing site especially the waves of rbi tondo Beach in La Union,” Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco Matugas II said in a statement.

he international surfing event will feature men’s and women’s Qualifying Series 3,000 and the Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) 1,000.

atugas said that aside from his office, the local government unit of General Luna in Siargao is also extending its full support to the surfers.

In a separate statement, the WSL said the La nion international surfing event “will be one of only a couple of Longboard events in the Asia Region in 2023.”

“After the two LQS events, the top male and top female on the rankings will be awarded a spot on the 2023 WSL Longboard Tour which will run in the second half across four locations around the world,” the WSL said.

MANILA – The Philippine Nation- al Volleyball Federation (PNVF) has

Senator Alan ayetano with the PN F o cials.

Hidilyn elected to Int’l Weightlifting Federation Executive Board

MANILA – Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz has been elected as one of three athletes in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board.

Also elected during the IWF Athletes Commission online meeting on Jan. 11 were chairperson Forrester Osei of Ghana and Luisa Peters of Cook Islands. Diaz will serve as Osei’s deputy.

The three athletes will serve as full voting members of the IWF Congress.

“It’s a huge honor to be reappointed by my peers as Chair of the IWF Athletes’ Commission. I’m very excited to continue the work we’ve begun – for example, on the athlete scholarships project with the benefit of even stronger representation on the IWF Executive Board alongside Hidilyn and Luisa. As athletes, we know we have a key role to play in shaping a positive future for our sport in the crucial months ahead,” said Osei in a news release posted on the IWF website on Jan. 13.

IWF President Mohammed Jalood said he was delighted to welcome the three athletes to the Executive Board.

“We look forward to working closely together as we seek to shape a new future for weightlifting, which places athletes at the centre of everything we do. As a Board, we have been clear that strengthening athlete representation in decision-

making is a key stepping stone to greater accountability and progress in our sport,” said Jalood, who is also vice president of the Asian Weightlifting Federation.

Diaz ruled the women’s 55kg. category at the 88th IWF World Championships in Bogota, Colombia last December.

The 31-year-old athlete from Zamboanga City lifted 93kg. in the snatch and 114kg. in the clean-and-jerk for a total of 207kgs. in the competition which was the first qualifying meet for the Paris Olympics.

With her category excluded in Paris, Diaz decided to move up to 59kg., hoping to make it to the competition proper and give the Philippines another medal.

Diaz led the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) monthly achievers for December 2022.

The 31-year-old from Zamboanga City swept the women’s 55kg. category at the 88th International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Bogota, Colombia.

She lifted 93kg. in the snatch and 114kg. in the clean-and-jerk for a total of gs. in the first qualifying meet for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

With her category excluded in Paris, Diaz decided to move up to 59kg., hoping to making it to the competition proper and giving the Philippines another medal.

In collegiate basketball, Ateneo de

Manila University defeated University of the Philippines, 75-68, to claim the UAAP men’s title at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, while Letran clobbered College of St. Benilde, 81-67, to claim its third consecutive men’s crown at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

In volleyball, Petro Gazz Angels banked on American import Lindsey Van Derweid to clinch the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced title over Cignal HD Spikers at the Philsport Arena.

Petro Gazz, coached by Rald Ricafort, won Game 1 (25-21, 27-25, 37-36) and finished the best-of-three title series in Game 2 (25-17, 22-25, 12-25, 25-21). Van Derweide earned the MVP Finals and Best Foreign Guest Player awards while teammate Mar-Jana Philips was named Best Middle Blocker.

In the V-League Collegiate Men’s tournament, National University outplayed University of Santo Tomas, 25-23, - , - , in their final showdown at the the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards bagged the Season 4 title of the Maharlika Basketball League after posting a 6965 victory over the Zamboanga Family Brand Sardines in Game 4 of their bestof-5 title series at the Mayor Vitaliano Agan Coliseum in Zamboanga City.

Byron Villarias led the Vanguards with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two

steals to win the Best Player of the Game and Most Valuable Player Finals awards.

In bo ing, anny Pacquiao won over outh orean mi ed martial arts fighter DK Woo in a goodwill exhibition match at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Seoul.

The Batang Pinoy National Championships was held online and on-site in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. It was the last project of Philippine Sports Commission chairman Jose Emmanuel ‘Noli’ Eala before he was replaced Richard ‘Dickie’ Bachmann, a former professional basketball player.

Edward Hayco and Walter Torres were appointed as PSC commissioners. Hayco was former chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission while Torres, was a former national fencer and Philippine Paralympic Committee secretary general.

QC’s Amoranto sports complex now ready for int’l competitions

try. Iyan ang aking (That is my) goal, to promote, provide and create outstanding athletes here in the city, but we cannot create champions without fi rst-class facilities, elmonte said in a statement.

A multilevel parking building was also built to accommodate even big vehicles, including buses.

The city government began the renovation in April last year to revitalize sports and harness the potential of the city’s athletes.

“It will be a space where the city’s homegrown athletes can train and improve their skills,” Belmonte said.

QUEZON CITY – Quezon City wants to lay claim to the title “Sports Capital of the Philippines” with the renovated Amoranto Sports Complex in Barangay Paligsahan.

The complex boasts of a 3,500-seating capacity arena, Olympic-size swimming pool with 10 lanes, open tennis court and the indoor sports facility that

houses venues for basketball, volleyball, badminton, billiards, table tennis and darts.

Mayor Joy Belmonte declared the city is ready to host local and international competitions.

“Quezon City will not only be known for being the City of Stars but also as the sports capital of our coun-

GRASSROOTS. The basketball court of the Amoranto Sports Complex in Barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City has a seating capacity of 2,000.

The Amoranto Sports Complex was constructed on a 5.8-hectare land in 1960.

he facility fi rst consisted of a grandstand, an eight-lane track and fi eld oval, bleachers and a gymnasium.

The complex’s velodrome hosted

the cycling events of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

Quezon City is known as the “City of Stars” for being the host local government unit of major broadcast networks like GMA Network, ABS-CBN, Eagle Network, and UNTV and the Eastwood City Walk of Fame in Barangay Libis.

Patterned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, the city’s version features the brass stars of personalities who made signifi cant contributions in the entertainment industry.

WORLD-CLASS. The 10-lane Olympic-size swimming pool at the Amoranto Sports Complex is ready to host interna onal tournaments.

GRASSROOTS. The basketball court of the Amoranto Sports omple in arangay Paligsahan, ue on ity has a sea ng capacity of 2,000.

PH CONSULATE GENERAL IN SAN FRANCISCO JOINS NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION AND INDUCTION OF OFFICERS OF UP LOS BAÑOS ALUMNI GROUP IN AMERICA

In her remar s, Deputy onsul General olano noted that as alumni of PL and practitioners in the field of natural sciences, they are familiar with and have access to the latest developments in agriculture and biotechnology. As “Is olar ng ayan , she highlighted the need to give bac to the niversity that shaped and nurtured them, and to the country that needs the s ills, talents and creativity and service of its people.

“If there is a way you could facilitate the transfer of nowledge and technology to the Philippine agricultural sector, or secure opportunities for collaboration in faculty and student e change between PL and American niversities, or access funding for agricultural research projects for the Philippines, that would be most welcome, she added.

he also en oined them to avail of the reacquisition or retention of Filipino citizenship as prescribed in RA , and encouraged them to register as overseas voters in line with the national elections.

Deputy Consul General Solano also led the oathta ing of the new set of officers of PL AGA for - , led by its President Dr. Ruben overa.

PL AGA, formed in , currently

PhP . million since its inception.

PH Consulate General in San Francisco Invites Travelers to the 2023 ‘VIP Tour’

A FRA I O, anuary - Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer invites travelers to oin the ery Important Pinoy ( IP) our at the official launch at the Philippine enter.

“I wish to invite all of you to participate in the IP our, which will ta e visitors to anila, Iloilo and oracay onuly, said onsul General Ferrer. He added that the Philippines’ tropical climate and its tourist destinations await visitors, especially those coming from orth America.

In a video message, Ambassador ose anuel Romualde invited participants to oin the IP our and e perience what historical and vibrant anila, heritage-rich Iloilo, and onde ast raveler Readers hoice op Island in Asia, oracay, have to offer.

Philippine ourism Director oleil ropicales presented the itinerary involving ecotourism adventures, cultural heritage and culinary tours, as well as additional recreational options, such as dive, golf, among other activities. Details about the IP our are posted on the IP our website at http //viptourphilippines .com/. Interested parties may also register through the website.

r. o o lemente, president of Ra ah ours, the ground tour operator in the Philippines, responded to inquiries during the launch. Philippine Airlines Area anager Dell erano also presented the available flight itinerary and special airfare rates for those availing themselves of the IP our pac age. A testimonial from Atty. velyn Al-

fonso, whose family and friends participate in the IP our each year, showed how the group en oyed IP treatment in the tour.

ow in its th year, the IP our is a ma or tourism activity of all Philippine foreign service posts in the . . he IP our enables Filipino Americans and foreigners to visit the Philippines and e perience Filipino

culture and hospitality and immerse in the sights and sounds of various tourist destinations.

For more details, including rates and registration, visit the IP our website or follow eryImportantPinoy our on Faceboo .

Businesses impacted by storms eligible for Emergency Tax Relief

By Claire Morales True

A RA O usiness owners and taxpayers impacted by California’s winter storms are now eligible for emergency ta relief from late payment interest and penalties, according to Governor Gavin ewsom.

“ alifornia is moving with the urgency this moment demands, rapidly bringing support to alifornians recovering from the devastating impact of the recent storms, said Governor ewsom in a statement sent to Philippine ews oday.

“ usiness owners across the state

can now access much-needed assistance to help accelerate their recovery efforts, including relief from interest and penalties, the governor said.

Impacts of the storms have been felt throughout the state, and small business owners who have been affected by flooding, power outages, and other stormrelated hardships may request up to an additional three months to file their ta returns.

a payers who face return deadlines between anuary , and anuary , who are granted relief will not have to pay interest and penalties if they are

unable to file their returns and pay ta es and fees by the original due date.

“Help is available for alifornia businesses, alifornia Department of a and Fee Administration Director Nick aduros said. “If you cannot file or ma e a payment on time because of the storms, please reach out to us, and we can offer some relief.

Impacted ta payers can request relief

On the D FA website

By mail at California Department of a and Fee Administration, PO o , I , acramento, A In person at one of our field offices

y phone at - -( R ), onday through Friday from a.m. to p.m. (Pacific ime), e cept state holidays.

ustomers can also contact D FA to update account information, change an address or contact information, request replacement copies of D FA ta records, or as questions about their account.

In addition to our tate of mergency a Relief webpage, information regarding relief requests is available in various languages online, via videos in nglish and panish, and on D FA s Online ervices webpage.

Philippine Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano joined the New Year’s celebration and Induction of Officers of the niversity of

the Philippines Los Baños Alumni Group in America ( PL AGA) at the American anyon Adult Activity enter on anuary .

has lifetime members and has supported various pro ects and causes in PL and Los a os municipality in Laguna amounting to around

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil R. Ferrer invites par cipants to the 202 Very Important Pinoy Tour in a launch of the Tour at the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 11 January 2023.

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil R. Ferrer invites par cipants to the 202 Very Important Pinoy Tour in a launch of the Tour at the Philippine Center in San Francisco on 11 January 2023.

Ground tour operator Rajah Tours President Jojo Clemente, Philippine Tourism Director Soleil Tropicales, and Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil R. Ferrer.

Businesses impacted by storms eligible for emergency tax relief - Newsom

By Claire Morales True

SACRAMENTO – Business owners and taxpayers impacted by California’s winter storms are now eligible for emergency tax relief from late payment interest and penalties, according to Governor Gavin Newsom.

“California is moving with the urgency this moment demands, rapidly bringing support to Californians recovering from the devastating impact of the recent storms,” said Governor Newsom in a statement sent to Philippine News Today.

“Business owners across the state can now access much-needed assistance to help accelerate their recovery efforts, including relief from interest and penalties, the governor said.

Impacts of the storms have been felt throughout the state, and small business owners who have been affected by flooding, power outages, and other storm-related hardships may request up to an additional three months to file their tax returns.

Taxpayers who face return deadlines between January 4, 2023 and January 31, 2023 who are granted relief will not have to pay interest and penalties if they are unable to file their returns and pay ta es and fees by the original due date.

“Help is available for California businesses,” California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Director ic aduros said. “If you cannot file or ma e a payment on time because of the storms, please reach out to us, and we can offer some relief.

Newsom earlier signed an executive order to further

bolster the emergency response to severe winter storms and support impacted communities across the state.

In the past week, California has secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and a Presidential Emergency Declaration to assist response and recovery efforts to the storms, which have resulted in at least 20 fatalities and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

With lingering storms expected through midweek, the state continues to work with local and federal partners to prepare for and respond to flooding, debris flow and other storm-related emergencies.

Newsom’s executive order includes provisions that help ensure adequate staffing for the emergency response

by waiving work hour limitations for retired annuitants; support impacted residents by waiving fees to replace records such as marriage and birth certificates and provide fle ibility to help health care facilities in impacted areas remain open and support schools in Merced County impacted by flooding.

In recent weeks, Governor Newsom has met with evacuated residents in Merced County, assisted storm preparedness work in Santa Barbara County and surveyed storm damage in Santa Cruz County and Sacramento ounty with state and local officials.

The Governor has activated the State Operations Center to its highest level and proclaimed a state of emergency statewide.

Impacted taxpayers can request relief:

On the CDTFA website

By mail at California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, PO Box 942879, MIC 35, Sacramento, CA 94279

In person at one of our field offices

By phone at 1-800-400-7115 (CRS:711), Monday through Friday from a.m. to p.m. (Pacific ime), except state holidays.

Customers can also contact CDTFA to update account information, change an address or contact information, request replacement copies of CDTFA tax records, or ask questions about their account.

In addition to our State of Emergency Tax Relief webpage, information regarding relief requests is available in various languages online, via videos in English and Spanish, and on CDTFA’s Online Services webpage.

Presidential major disaster declaration expanded to 3 additional California storm-impacted counties

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the White House has added the counties of Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara to the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration issued to support the state s storm response and recovery efforts, oining the counties of Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz initially approved for assistance this weekend.

Last week, President Biden also approved the Governor’s request for a Presidential Emergency Declaration to bolster state, local and tribal government storm response efforts.

“I’m deeply thankful for the incredible support of

our federal partners throughout this emergency as we’ve worked around the clock to save lives and help Californians whose lives have been turned upside down by these storms,” said Governor Newsom. “As communities across the state turn towards recovery, we will continue to work closely with our federal and local partners to support them.”

The Presidential Major Disaster Declaration makes residents in impacted counties who had damage or losses from the storms eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance. It also includes public assistance to help state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency

response and recovery costs and hazard mitigation.

Additional impacted counties may be included as state, local and federal officials continue to assess the scope of damage.

Governor Newsom in recent weeks has met with evacuated residents in Merced County, assisted storm preparedness work in Santa Barbara County and surveyed storm damage in Santa Cruz County and Sacramento ounty with state and local officials. he Governor has proclaimed a state of emergency statewide and issued an executive order to further assist the emergency response and support impacted communities across the state.

UERM alumni in California sets medical mission in Abra

LOS ANGELES/BANGUED, Abra - With most of the Covid-19 travel restrictions lifted, the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Medical Alumni Association of Southern California (UERM MAASC), decided to resume its annual humanitarian endeavors in the Philippines.

he recent earthqua es affecting orthern Lu on, specifically the province of Abra as the epicenter, the medical group chose Bangued, the province’s capital to conduct its medical mission to include feeding and gift giving programs.

Current Los Angeles-based Consul General Edgar Badajos, a native son of Bangued, also played a major factor in the association’s decision to go to Abra in late January 2023.

Three barangays were chosen as the site of the medical mission, namely: Banacao, Sagap and Calaba in the capital town of Bangued.

With the help of Abra Gov. Dominic Valera and Bangued Mayor Mila Valera, the medical mission has been scheduled from January 30 to February 1 this year. he humanitarian mission will benefit about 500 schoolchildren in these three barangays.

The Abra Medical Society with Dr. Joselito Bringas together with his wife of Councilwoman Rowena Bringas are also assisting UERM MAASC in this humanitarian program.

According to organizers, “UERM MAASC, UERM MAAAI, other groups and individual donors provided the much-needed funds for us to be able to resume this

annual medical mission.”

Overall coordinators Dr. Rosita San Diego, Dr. Edgar Banez and Dr. Joselito Babaran, said,”This mission is made possible by the generosity of our alumni members and donors but most importantly the unselfish dedication of our volunteers in the US and in the Philippines.”

They added, “We also thank our dear Lord for the opportunity to serve and for His guidance and blessings. May we continue to help our needy kababayans stay healthy and have a better life as one barangay and one community at this challenging times.”

A total of 40 volunteers led by UERM MAASC President Dr. Pauline Jose include medical doctors, nurses, paramedical personnel mostly from Southern California are involved in this project. (Dan E. Nino)

The Philippines -- Cradle of the most beautiful and talented women on earth

By Gus Mercado

We have always known the Philippines as a cradle of beautiful and talented women, with a bounteous share of Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss World title winners. This past year, in particular, has been a year of outstanding and world-class Filipina beauty queens!

.

Two Filipino-American young women from Dallas and Houston won the Miss Texas title and went on to grace the world stage. Our very own Averie Bishop, the first Asian-American to become iss e as, was head

Upside...

Gutierrez in 2015 wore a wire that helped New York police investigation into various women’s allegations of sexual assault by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. She testified in in his rape trial in Los Angeles that he had groped her and put his hand up her skirt during a meeting. In 2019 she told her story in Ronan Farrow s etfli e pose on Weinstein based on his book of the same title “Catch and Kill”. Weinstein on Dec. was found guilty in of charges by several women including Jennifer Seibel, wife of the California governor. Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York. He faces another 24 years in the latest conviction. Gutierrez, whose mother was originally from Calamba, Laguna, has become an activist against sexual assault for which she has been visible on US talk shows. She was 18 when she placed runnerup for Miss Italy. In 2015 she was a Binibining Pilipinas runnerup.

- ADAPTED FROM ORIGINAL REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM POSITIVELYFILIPINO.COM

1,414 new Covid-19 cases, 21 new deaths recorded in Los Angeles County; vaccination cited

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) reported 1,414 new COVID-19 cases raising the total in the county to 3,663,899 cases.

The department also reported 21 new deaths due to COVID-19 bringing the total to 35,052 deaths since the onset of the ailment in California.

Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a statement on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) joint statement identifying a preliminary COVID-19 vaccine safety signal for persons aged 65 years and older.

The state’s Department of Public Health concurs with the recommendations in the federal statement that the updated bivalent vaccines are safe and effective against COVID-19, the department stated.

“ No change in vaccination practice is recommended given the totality of the evidence from the United States and other countries and given the totality of the evidence from the United States and other countries, the department added.

“California continues to support its vaccine recommendations and encourage Californians to stay up-todate with their vaccines,” the DPH stated.

“ accines continue to be safe and effective, and they remain the most powerful weapon against hospitalization and serious illness due to COVID-19. Widespread vaccination is a major reason California is in a position to wind down emergency processes,” the department stated.

More than 12,861,000 individuals have been tested for Covid-19, 25% of whom tested positive to date, the department stated. (Claire Morales True)

and shoulders above the other contestants in professionalism, talents, community service and grace. She advanced to the Miss America pageant finals and won very respectable 2nd Runner-Up honors. Houston’s R’Bonney Gabriel easily won the Miss Texas USA title with her elegant poise, personality and natural beauty. She went on to win the highly-coveted Miss USA title and is competing in the Miss Universe contest in New Orleans. Last but not least, the Philippines’ own Miss Philippines Celeste Cortisi who is a stunning, standout beauty from Manila is also competing for the Miss Universe crown in New Orleans this weekend. R’Bonney Gabriel and Celeste Cortisi aspire to follow in the footsteps of former Filipina Miss Universe crown holders Catriona Gray, Pia Wurtzback, Margie Moran and Gloria Diaz.

.Journalist Joseph Lariosa asks: “Who is the fairest of them all?” From my vantage point as a Fil-Am leader from Texas, with of course a tinge of bias combined with immense pride, I declare without fear of contradiction that Filipinas are among the most beautiful women in the world. Our beauty queens are the fairest of them all.

(From Page 11)

Gutsy Ambra a lana Gu erre too down a Hollywood mogul. screengrab

California farmworkers highly susceptible to COVID-19 despite vaccine presence

By Jun Nucum

SAN FRANCISCO - Probably one of the important sectors least given attention, thought and protection in the California, the farmworkers who continue to provide needed food and nourishment during the COVID-19 pandemic are ironically being the more vulnerable to the disease even on these days when vaccines are available.

This is the disturbing predicament of more than 500,000 hardworking agricultural workers that serves in all capacities from picking crops to working at packing plants that was highlighted in a virtual online news briefi ng sponsored by Ethnic Media Services and California Department of Public Health/VaccinateAll58 that was led by Chief Health orrespondent and edical Aff airs Offi cer at Alta ed Dr. Ilan hapiro trygler together with National Center for Farmworker Health Advisory Committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention member Ed Kissam, Sustainable Rural Communities Project at the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation Director Noe Paramo and Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project Executive Director Arcenio Lopez.

As if the problems of crowded housing and work sites, along with daily exposure to poor air quality and harmful pesticides were not enough, most farmworkers also are found to have a host of underlying conditions that make them highly vulnerable to a COVID-19 infection and that infection rates were about 2.5 times higher than the state average in 25 farm-worker communities.

Participants in the news briefi ng discussed the challenges of getting accurate data about the farm-worker community, the impact of expanded MediCal, which aims to provide health insurance to all Californians regardless of immigration status, the need for continuing a vigorous vaccination campaign including updated boosters and their families, and measures to expand access to anti-viral treatment for farm-workers.

Strygler admitted that even when farmworkers were essential, the agricultural workforce were really regarded as such “until we struggled (with COVID-19) in 2020.”

“When most communities were at home, they were out there making sure we can feed our families. And they were getting exposed. Right now, our communities need information,” Strygler explained.

Strygler also noted that, although California made enormous strides in reaching farmworker communities around the state during the pandemic, COVID-19 opened a lot of conversations and that the key now is to continue distributing this information to these groups in the languages and cultures they understand.

More than 800 thousand people work on California’s farms and packing facilities, the vast majority of whom are migrant laborers from Mexico and Central America. An estimated two-thirds are undocumented. Many come from Indigenous communities in Mexico where Spanish is often rudimentary or non-existent.

As such, the conditions contribute to enormous challenges that exist in en-

suring farmworkers have equitable access to healthcare and as new variants emerge coupled with the rise in winter infection rates rise, Strygler is also bothered on the further prevalence of misinformation and a diminishing sense of urgency around getting vaccinated.

For his part, Paramo believes it’s likely that up to 40% of farmworkers will not be eligible, because their incomes will supersede the cut off for eligibility and that there is a need for the study that his team is conducting with other advocacy groups “to highlight policy options that can narrow this looming gap in coverage.”

It was found out recently that more than half of farmworkers never received treatment even when infected with the virus and a 2020 UC Berkeley study also found that 58% of farmworkers still went to work even when showing symptoms.

Reasons advance for these results ranged from a lack of medical insurance to mistrust of the medical system, fears of lost wages or outing of their immigration status and the dearth of medically trained professionals in rural parts of the state is also a contributing factor.

Also worried is Kissam, a member of the National Center for Farmworker Health Advisory Committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that lamented the fi gure that only of eligible people having gotten the upto-date vaccines and that number falls to just 5-6% in California’s agricultural communities, putting those with underlying health conditions, along with the elderly and pregnant women at greater risk.

Whle commending the Test to Treat approach now being implemented by the University of California targeting farmworker communities, Kissam encouraged the

“The idea is to test workers as soon as they show signs of infection, and then to connect them to treatment as soon as possible, including access to anti-viral medicines like Paxlovid, which have been shown to reduce serious illness but must be administered within fi ve days of showing symptoms,” encouraged KIssam while commending the Test to Treat approach now being implemented by the University of California targeting farmworker communities.

I OP s top offi cer Lope praised that there has been more willingness to work with community based organizations that have a promotora model as a result of the pandemic.

“They have been the champions for access and education for hard-to-reach populations. One of my key concerns is the issue of language access, as many Indigenous farmworkers speak little to no Spanish. Mental health also tops his list. Many families lost loved ones, and there is an increase of anxiety, stress,” stressed Lopez who also echoed Strygler’s concern that lingering distrust, fear and misinformation are combining with an increased sense of laxity around the virus even as even as infections again begin to climb in a community.

“I am worried COVID-19 is becoming normalized,” Lopez emphasized. “My worry is that there is this increase in positive cases while there is no sense of urgency as there was previously.”

Social Security Update

NEW: SELF-ATTESTATION OF SEX MARKER IN SOCIAL SECURITY RECORDS

By G. Samson So ial Se urity u li ffairs S e ialist in the ay rea

ffective October , you can selfselect your sex on your Social Security number (SSN) record.

Reminiscences of 2022 hristmas. hristmas holiday is always a me for get together, fun and white elephant gi� e change to celebrate and e ult the birth of our Savior and ing, esus hrist with reunions and hristmas par es among friends, colleagues and rela ves. The United Specialist Healthcare Founda on (USHF) which is engaged in humanitarian missions in both Southern alifornia and the Philippines, is not an e cep on. This fes ve occasion was celebrated by the o cers, board members and guests of USHF from far and near at a func on room at Denny s in Duarte. In photo from le� in their fes ve a res and ubilant moods are Si ng e� to right Annabelle Espinosa, atherine Rubio, A�y oni E ercito, armelita Paule, ucy abaran, Dr oselito abaran, Annie ho and enny anuel. Standing from le� ecilia Gueco, Phillip Gueco, Fred Santos, Ethel Rubio, Dan Nino, ydia Solis, ay Hernande , aryann Omega, Teddy Ortega, arie Evalde , Noel Omega, anny Evalde , ohnny anuel.

“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security Number card application process,” said Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Kilolo Kijakazi. “This new policy allows people to self-select their sex in our records without needing to provide documentation of their sex designation.”

You need to apply for a replacement SSN card to update your sex marker in our records. You still need to show a current document to prove your identity, but you no longer need to provide medical or legal documentation of your sex designation.

We will accept your self-identified se designation of either male or female, even if it is different from the sex designation shown on identity documents. Identity documents include a passport, a state-issued driver’s license, and an identity card. SSN cards do not include sex markers. Currently, our record systems are unable to include a non-binary or unspecified se designation. We are exploring possible future policy and systems updates to support an “X” sex designation for the SSN card application process.

Please share this information with your friends and loved ones who may need it – and share it on social media.

Offline

(From Page 13)

Marcos, his older sister, who seems to know more about agricultural matters than her baby brother.

Last year, that dangerous ex-president who is absolutely addicted to some form of political power was credited for convincing Marcos Jr to have Sara Duterte as his running mate. At that time, the daughter of then president Rodrigo Duterte was topping the surveys, and with the support of the government’s machinery, she could have won.

But GMA succeeded in what now appears to be part of her plan to remain in power, but not in the open. Junior even called her his secret weapon in dealing with China.

The way his presidency is going, Marcos Junior is setting himself up for a big fall, and he will only have himself to blame.

He wanted to become president supposedly to clear his father’s name. If he does not play his cards right, he may end up with a worse reputation that his father, the dictator.

From where I sit, I see a presidency that survives on press releases and little else. Junior has not only failed to accomplish anything, he has actually overseen the fall of the Philippine agri sector. And that’s not even the worst of his sins.

Like a rudderless ship, the country is going nowhere. But unlike Mao Zedung who rightfully saw himself as China’s Great Helmsman, this Philippine president is nothing more than a Mediocre Captain of a Ship of Fools.

In The Trenches

claimed to be “Jew-ish”).

Top Stories00:0600:30Spare is Prince Harry’s love letter to the people who willhate him for writing itThe story has sparked one of the more bizarre political scandals in American history. Members of ongress have committed murder in office. In fact, a member of Congress has even killed another member of Congress. Even in the present day, we’ve seen every scandal under the sun, from Anthony Weiner tweeting a lewd picture of himself, to ar orie aylor Greene’s infamous Facebook post about Jewish space lasers. But it’s hard to think of a precedent for a scandal like this. There are some things we know about Santos. The openly gay son of Brazilian immigrants, he was elected in November to an open congressional seat that includes a thin slice of Queens and much of the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County. Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent. This represented a ma or swing from when iden had won the district by the same margin. That year, Santos ran against incumbent Tom Suozzi in a similar district and lost handily by a margin of 56 percent to 43.5 percent Also, for all his alleged lying about his résumé, it is clear that one company Santos worked at, Harbor City Capital, has been accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of being a Ponzi scheme. As for Santos’s other employment, he did spend a stint as a Portuguese language customer service agent for DISH Network a decade ago.

Ken Go

attract good energy. Make sure that your stove is in a commanding position as well.

For colors, use blue and green (for vitality), yellow and brown (for nourishment), white and gray (for oy), and red or orange (for inspiration).

Feng Shui for Your Bathroom

Bathrooms have the lowest energy source in a home. It is best to place your washroom in the northeast. Oval mirrors and subtle lighting are recommended and suspended harsh lights are discouraged.

(From Page 13)

Now, it wants a Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines, inviting Manila to a trilateral army meeting with the United tates last year. It was the first time for the Philippines to ta e part in a Japan-US military drill.

Based on a white paper, Japan plans to break its defense spending from 1 percent of GDP, raising it to 2 percent and making its defense budget the third largest largest behind the US and China.

Japan may have only a self-defense force but its military capabilities are far greater than the entire Southeast Asia combined.

It has aegis-equipped destroyers, diesel-electric submarines, advanced F fighters, and had converted its helicopter carriers into platforms for OL fighter ets.

China has the numbers but Japan has better quality equipment. It now aims to build three types of precision-guided ballistic missiles capable of hitting deep into China as well as intercept missiles from China, North Korea, and Russia.

It also has plans to acquire attack and reconnaissance drones, satellite communications equipment, stealth fighters, helicopters, submarines, warships and heavy-lift transport ets. apan has also allocated . billion to a oint pro ect to develop a fighter aircraft with Italy and the United Kingdom.

Japan’s defense plan makes its neighbors nervous. It brings bac horrors of apan s imperial ambitions during the first half of the 20th century.

The Philippines is, perhaps, one of the few countries that have fully embraced Japan’s coming out from the shadows of the United States.

Japan has been generous, donating second-hand planes and the bulk of spare parts for helicopters that extended the shelf life of the Philippine fleet of H- H.

Japan has also built its three-dimensional air defense radar and a fleet of ocean-going coast guard ships. he Philippines could benefit much from closer relations with Japan. The two countries share common interests and deal with common security threats.

The Philippines will not oppose a re-armed Japan to balance the forces in the region. Let the Samurais draw their swords from their scabbards.

As I See It

(From Page 12)

antos eventually became a successful financier who started an animal rescue charity. The problem is that biography was apparently a lie, and now he might be facing not only political consequences but legal consequences for his wholesale inventions. (Ben Jacobs Updated Jan 11, 2023, 11:58am EST)

he ew or imes on December revealed, it wasn t ust that Santos exaggerated his résumé — he had allegedly invented it out of whole cloth. There was really an intent to cheat and defraud his constituents.

More falsehoods were discovered. The Times found that he apparently did not graduate from Baruch College, he did not work for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, there were no records of him being a successful financier, nor were there of him registering his animal rescue charity. The Times also found that he had been charged with check fraud in Brazil.

Compounding the issue, a number of outlets have found no evidence of Santos’ repeated claims to be Jewish, to have Jewish heritage, or to be descended from refugees fleeing the Holocaust.

Santos admitted to putting “a little bit of fluff on his r sum . In other words, he conceded that he never graduated from college, never worked for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, and wasn’t Jewish (though he

Another development that popped up was we don’t know where Santos’s money came from. It was reported that he loaned his own campaign $700,000 during the 2022 cycle and claimed an income of $750,000. He also listed millions of dollars in assets including an apartment in Rio De Janeiro worth up to $1 million and a sevenfigure savings account. It s a ma or shift in fortune for someone who was evicted twice, in 2015 and 2017, for failing to pay rent and had been taken to court for not paying debts.

Santos initially conceded that he owned no property, but in contrast, he had previously claimed on Twitter to be a landlord who owned 13 properties. The representative eventually claimed in an interview with Semafor that his newfound wealth came from “capital introduction” where he helped broker deals for the wealthy. Santos used a yacht sale as an example of how he earned a living, “If you’re looking at a $20 million yacht, my referral fee there can be anywhere between $200,000 and $400,000.”

Dan Goldman, a fellow representative from New York and a former prosecutor, has suggested that Santos face criminal investigation for conspiracy to defraud the nited tates as well as filing false statements to the Federal Election Commission.

So, Santos became a public property when he was sworn in as a representative. homas efferson enunciated the basic principle of public service: “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property. Public service is a public trust,” as enunciated in the fundamental principles of ethical behavior.

(ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and a multi-awarded journalist here in the US. For feedbacks, comments, email the author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.)

Health & Wealth

(From Page 12)

cover and Do for Good Health and Longevity. Foreword is written by Dr. Yvonne P. Bulong, M.D. from Baguio City, Philippines. Copies of this latest global bestseller are now available through Amazon (Hardcover- $14.95 per copy; Paperback- $12.95 per copy; E-book- $5.95 per copy). Here are some reviews and comments on the book.

“As nursing educator and practicing nurse, I commend Art Gabot Madlaing, founder of FITNESS FOR HUMANITY , for writing this timeless book. It is a must reading for everybody,” wrote DEBORAH Q. MARCOS, Registered Nurse with KAISER PERMANENTE, San Francisco, California USA.

“As founder of WE CARE Ministries, I am glad that Art Gabot Madlaing wrote this book. I encourage everybody to order a copy, read it, heed it and be blessed,” echoed LARRY WEST, Evangelist, West Monroe, Louisiana USA

“LO G I IP , another bestseller, is a magnificent read for you to discover and do the FREE ‘secrets’ for good health and longevity. I recommend it highly,” wrote ERLINA A. BIANAN, RN, author of the bestselling book “Nurses Notes on Medical, Surgical and Critical Care Nursing,” Sacramento, California USA.

“HISTORICITY OF JESUS “and “LONGEVITY TIP”S are the best and lasting gifts you can give to your FRANC (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Co-Workers) this Christmas and other occasions. The two bestselling books are also excellent addition to your personal and family library.

In the spirit of Christmas, I am giving FREE copy of LONGEVITY TIPS for every order of the HISTORICITY OF JESUS in hardcover or paperback plus one extra original copy of the HISTORICITY OF JESUS. It’s like buying three boo s for one order. For orders and autographed copies, ust write or call: ACHIEVERS BOOKS, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel. (650) 438-3531 or (415) 584-7095 or email:artmadlaing@gmail.com

(ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE #00635976) in California since 1981. He is founder of MO-

Feng Shui experts also recommend that you use wicker in your bathroom. For colors, they suggest light and warm hues, including pink, peach, white, yellow, light blue, turquoise blue, and green.

Article from Lamudi. Thanks for your support for the past years and looking forward to a better year.- Please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group for your financial and real estate needs. all en at - -or write to Kennethgo@verizon.net CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

Diliman Way

(From Page 12)

triotism. Integrity and dedication are required of you under the Constitution. Thus far, you’ve failed in all these. You are not a fool or an idiot so you can learn. It is not too late. Just read these pages and the subsequent ones that will come regularly in this column and hopefully you and I will learn.

Generation Exile

(From Page 12)

for this. According to the 2021 census, Asians made up 33.7% of San Francisco’s population. Latinos/Hispanics made up 15.7%. These two populations are largely constituted of immigrants and, moreover, they were not the historic slave-owning population. I also question whether California should be held responsible for the experiences of slaves kidnapped from Africa and transported to the Americas in the th, th and th centuries. alifornia oined the union in 1850 as a free non-slavery state. Slavery was abolished nationwide fifteen years later.

The committee that made this recommendation works with city government. If the Board of Supervisors decides to listen to them, the reparations which would amount to tens of billions would need to come out of city coffers (perhaps their $13 billion budget) or funded by municipal bonds. They may get lucky and receive supportive funds by the state of California. Federal support is unlikely since the House of Representative flipped red at the start of the year. hat leave two reasonable sources of funding for these reparations: an added parcel tax or an increase in local income tax.

Anyone thinking of moving there to avail of the reasonably priced real estate and spotless streets of San Francisco should probably think twice. If the city government is entertaining such expensive ideas, it would be best to should support but not put yourself in the way of that tax tsunami. More than that, it speaks to the alignment of city government with the needs of their citizens.

here is a final possible source of funding they could ust ta e the money from George oros.

BILE SIGNING SERVICES, FITNESS FOR HUMANITY (aka FITNESS FOR CHRIST) and ACAPINOY. Art is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California USA)

WHO announces plans to establish a TB Vaccine Accelerator Council

DAVOS, Switzerland - The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) services has brought the urgency of vaccine development efforts into sharp focus.

Speaking at a high-level panel on TB at the World Economic Forum, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, announced plans to establish a new TB Vaccine Accelerator Council.

The Council will facilitate the licensing and use of effective novel vaccines catalysing high-level alignment between funders, global agencies, governments and end users in identifying and overcoming barriers to TB vaccine development.

“One of the most important lessons from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is that innovative health interventions can be delivered fast if they are prioritized politically and financed adequately , said Dr edros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The challenges presented by and O ID- are different, but the ingredients

that accelerate science, research and innovation are the same: urgent, up-front public investment; support from philanthropy; and engagement of the private sector and communities. We believe the field will benefit from similar high-level coordination.

Despite countries making bold commitments to end TB by 2030, in the Sustainable Development Goals, the WHO End TB Strategy and the 2018 political declaration on the fight against , the epidemic shows no sign of slowing down. In 2021, approximately 10.6 million people fell sick with TB, and 1.6 million died. Drugresistance continues to be a major problem with close to half a million people developing drug-resistant TB every year.

BCG is currently the only licensed TB vaccine. While it provides moderate efficacy in preventing severe forms of TB in infants and young children, it does not adequately protect adolescents and adults, who account for close to 90% of TB transmissions globally.

A recent WHO commissioned study, An investment

case for new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines estimates that, over years, a vaccine that is effective in preventing disease among adolescents and adults could avert up to 76 million new TB cases, 8.5 million deaths, 42 million courses of antibiotic treatment and US$ 6.5 billion in costs faced by affected households, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable.

A vaccine that is effective could avert up to 110 million new TB cases and 12.3 million deaths. The study further suggests that every US$ 1 invested in a effective vaccine could generate an economic return of US$ 7 in terms of averted health costs and increased productivity.

Later this year, Heads of States and Governments will meet for a second United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB to review progress against commitments made in the 2018 political declaration. This presents an important opportunity to correct setbacks in the TB response, which includes the urgent development and delivery of new TB vaccines.

XBB.1.5 is kraken!

Protect yourself

Heart of Hope

When it comes to diseases, especially contagious ones, prevention is the best strategy to avoid infection and transmission to others. And the best preventive tool we have is the vaccine, followed by hygiene, masking, and social distancing, as in the case of COVID-19. All these mitigating measures are aimed at preventing spread of the infection, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Although people are letting their guards down following President Biden’s declaration last month that the pandemic was over, there are still around 67,000 cases of COVID-19 with almost 500 associated deaths on average per day for the past couple of weeks. On January 4, 2023, there were 207,391 cases of COVID-19, with 2,126 deaths, and around 47,000 hospitalizations, a 17 percent increase over 2 weeks before. After the BA.4 and BA.5, the dominant subvariant now is the BQ.1.1, with 34 percent of the cases nationwide, followed by XBB.1.5 (named kraken), with percent of the cases, and vying for first place.

Sea monster

The new subvariant of omicron called XBB.1.5 or kraken, named after the legendary gigantic sea monster, is drawing a lot of concerns among scientists. It is showing rapid rise in hospitalization, especially among those 70 and older, in certain states in the USA. Kraken, which caused a huge outbreak in Asia the fall of 2022, is highly transmissible (the fastest yet) compared to the other past sub-strains, doubling weekly in the United States. It could already be in the Philippines, under the radar. As long as there are people who are unvaccinated, and people who do not wear masks to protect themselves and others, the virus will continue to replicate in the bodies of those individuals and mutate to newer (potentially more deadly) strains and sub-variants. The more bodies the virus infects and goes through, the more it mutates. Kraken has been shown to be highly immune-evasive and has the highest immune-escape ability, 63 percent more resistant to antibodies. Scientists do not know if kraken will respond to the current vaccines.

Still the best way to protect oneself is to update your COVID-19 vaccine and get vaccinated with the latest bivalent vaccine. The recent news about its side-effects have been shown not to be true among the general population. The vaccines are safer than COVID-19 infection. In view of these new waves, resume using your NIOSH-approved N95 mask when outdoors, in stores, etc., frequent handwashing, and to continue to do social distancing, avoiding crowds. When exposed to any infected person or someone coughing and when you develop cough, with or without fever or malaise, test yourself. If positive, let your physician know, and stay home, isolate yourself to protect other members of the household.

Foods for ED

There are about 30 million men in the United States who have erectile dysfunction, the inability to maintain good erection to perform effective penetration and sexual intercourse.

The following food items are suggested by food experts (and items to avoid) for those with ED for sexual health: Mediterranean diet is recommended by the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, with mostly veggies, whole grains, fruits, healthy fats (olive oil, avocados), and the following items fish, blac berries, and other berries, chocolate, spinach, oatmeal, watermelon, pistachios, avocados, pomegranate, bananas, chili peppers, and most green and multi-color leafy vegetables. Items to avoid are soy-based products, licorice, alcoholic beverages, and sugary drinks, like soft drinks, which are general toxic to the body. If the above preventive measures and trial with prescription ED pills (like Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, etc.) fail, medical consultation is prudent.

Cervical cancer

Cancer of the mouth of the womb (cervical) could now be prevented with a vaccine, thank God for medical science he first-generation Gardasil was produced by Merck in 2006 for young girls and boys to prevent Human Papillary Virus (HPV, the cause of cervical cancer in 96 percent of cases). In 2021, there were almost 15,000 cases of cervical cancer, with almost 4300 deaths in the USA. Women 21 to 65 are recommended to have a Pap smear test every 3 years. Oropharyngeal and anal cancers are also (sexually) caused by HPV infections. Since 2017, Gardasil-9 (ef-

fective against 9 strains of HPV) is the only available HPV vaccine in the United States.

But the problem is some mothers refuse to allow their young (as early as 9 years old) sons to get Gardasil for fear of possible complications (rare and mild). This then exposes these young boys to HPV and spread it to the girls they have sex with who would then have HPV and a high risk for future cervical cancer. he plus percent preventive power and efficacy of Gardasil is sadly severely reduced when boys are not also vaccinated. That translates to thousands of deaths annually from an otherwise preventable cervical cancer.

great lesson

Science is clear: If the USA was locked down (no-one-in without quarantine first, no-one-out) since January 1, 2020, masking and social distancing required when the first case was diagnosed in Washington State, and vaccination for all federally mandated when the R A vaccines were first developed, this pandemic in the USA could have been prevented. And so with the national economic devastation (countless billions of expenses), mental anguish, disrupted education of our children and the negative impact on their and our psyche and emotion, etc. A medical situation should be managed by medical scientists, epidemiologists, and not by politicians or misinformed mothers, or civil right activists/protestors, or radio-TV anchors.

If we haven’t learned our lesson yet from the way the government and we, The People, have poorly handled and mismanaged this pandemic, the next severe one could possibly annihilate countless millions of us in the United States.

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a decorated recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

PHILIP S. CHUA

DEALING WITH OBSTACLES OF LIFE

By TIM PEDROSA

Ido believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet in our path of life are put there for a purpose. There are no accidents; we should pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door. Early in life I learned that the greater the obstacle, the greater is the glory in overcoming it; that right always wins out over wrong; that if we have good intentions in our heart and want to do the right thing, then there are certain ways that any obstacle can be overcome. I have also learned that our ego can become an obstacle to our success in life. If we start believing in our greatness, it is the death of our creativity. An excuse becomes an obstacle to our success when it is made in place of our best eff ort or when it is used as the ob ect of the blame, instead of making every obstacle an opportunity. A successful life is also one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others. It sometimes takes a lot of wrong turns before you fi nd the right path teven Aitchison. he beautiful path is not a place outside yourself, but rather a place you carry with you everywhere you go ryant cgill. When we stand up to our obstacles and do something about them, we will fi nd out that they are not even half the strength we think we have. Obstacles don’t have to stop us. If we run into a wall, let us not turn around and give up. Let us fi gure out how to climb it, go through it, or wor around it. When obstacles arise, we change our DIR IO to reach our goal we do not change our D I IO to g et there. Patience and perseverance have a magical eff ect before which diffi culties disappear and obstacles vanish. Positive thin ing is also a valuable tool that can help us overcome obstacles, deal with pain, and reach new goals. Yes, for every obstacle in life there is a solution. ometimes though, we are the real obstacle in our path to a fulfi lling and satisfying life. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The greatest mistake is giving up. It is what distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives Henry David Thoreau.

Waging the War of the Soul

God wants us to be with Him. He wants that we share His divine life not only in this life; but especially and fully also in the next. Our salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ made us become heirs to the glory of heaven, and with the gift of the Holy pirit we are enabled and equipped to live out our faith and a virtuous life. ut the evil one is envious of what we are endowed with from God. It, thus, intends our destruction. All the devil’s work is to make us drift away from the Lord God and from our divine and glorious destiny. nare after snare, temptations one after another, are thrown at us by atan and its minions. he battle has been raging, and it is waged between the Archangel ichael with his company of holy beings as well as all peoples who live and walk under the banner of Christ the Lord.

ame The Heart

Dear reader, you and I, must never lower our guard even for an instant. There are many ways we can be lost from our focus of God. Among these many ways, I would like to highlight three: First, is what I call chronic mediocrity; I say chronic because it is a constant struggle to cast out from ourselves being lukewarm in matters to our relationship with God. All of us may for a time be very devout in doing the practices of our faith, or so enthused with living virtuously, but as time passes, when we are not vigilant and become complacent, little by little we fall into minding more our comforts and no longer concerned about our spiritual ourney. ltimately when we become aware of this, one has many lapses already and have wandered away from the Lord. Once again; we must pick ourselves up and regret our mistakes and sins, and vow to cast out the attitudes that ma e us stagnate. We must get out from our mediocre selves promptly. With the grace of God, we must fight fiercely to emerge from our chronic mediocrity. Determination in our pursuit of living God’s divine life can give us great advantage against our tendency to be mediocre. With the presence of the Holy pirit in us, we have all the graces necessary to win our spiritual battle but we must will to fight We must will to win over mediocrity and being lukewarm.

econd, the tragedy of alienation from the acraments nfortunately, even though we know how important and how powerful the acraments of our faith are in relation to our life, many of us ta e for granted these sources of grace and blessings. The battle for our soul by the evil one and us will tilt to the advantage of the evil one when we neglect our reception of the acraments, the acrament of Penance and Reconciliation and the acrament of the Holy ucharist. All the more difficult to fight the good fight when we do not arm ourselves with the weapons of our faith. The moment we are mediocre in our spiritual life, we throw aside our going to mass, our going to the confession, and all the more we do not want to pray, we lose the will and vigor to build ourselves up in divine life. Dear reader, we cannot live without the acraments. We must be in contact with our Lord esus and have access to the divine blessings of God’s abundant life; but as long as we distance ourselves from the acraments, we will be wea , the devil will easily defeat us and laugh out loud at us. Having the constant reception of the acraments is having God s constant company. Receiving the Holy ucharist is receiving esus into our lives over and over so that, He becomes he aster and Lord of our whole being.

Lastly, do not underestimate the havoc the moral relativistic mindset can cause in our lives. oral relativism is attractive, because it gives any one the capacity to say, “I am the master, I am god, there is no right or wrong unless I say so.” In relativistic mentality the sense of God, the sense of truth, and the sense of sin, disappears. We are to fight fiercely against this error which is also to say to fight for our own spiritual wellbeing; for we are, in one way or another, to a greater or lesser degree, are living with this mentality. e equipped well by studying and learning more about our faith and its moral teachings. Never be discouraged when in your life the spiritual battle becomes difficult war is won by tired, bruised and wounded warriors that fight to the end, and so should we. Amen.

REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD

Afl

Recipe of the Week

Pork

and Chicken Afritada

Por and hic en Afritada. Afritada is one of the Pinoy dish that is as popular with adobo and aldereta to non-Filipino. In fact it would be safe to say that it is more acceptable to a nonFilipino because it is milder in taste compared to the tangy adobo and spicy aldereta. anila.

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork belly or pork chop, cut into cut into serving pieces

1/2 kilo chicken tights, cut into serving pieces

1/2 head garlic, chopped

2 medium size onion, chopped

1 big canned crushed tomatoes

3 medium sized potatoes, quartered

1 medium size carrot, cut into wedges

2 large red bell pepper, cut into trips

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup patis

- pcs. bay leaf

tsp. dried parley fla es tsp. peppercorns salt and pepper

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 slices loaf bread, trimmed, soak with water, mashed cooking oil

Cookingprocedure:

In a bowl marinate pork and chicken with light dust of salt and pepper for 15 to 20 minutes before coo ing. In a sauce pan fry the por and chic en for to minutes or until colour turn to light brown each side in batches. Remove from pan and set aside. In same sauce pan saut garlic and onion, add pork and chicken and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, Add patis canned tomato and tomato sauce, stir coo for another to minutes. Pour in to cups of water add in the peppercorns, parsley fla es bay leaf and the mashed loaf bread, simmer for to minutes or until liquid is reduced to half. Add potatoes and carrots simmer for another to minutes or until por and vegetables are coo ed and tender. Add bell pepper, season with salt and pepper to taste, thicken sauce with cornstarch dissolve in 1/4 cup of water, cook for another 2 to minutes. erve hot with a lot of rice.

Heads must roll over New Year’s Day airport fiasco: Zubiri

MANILA – Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said heads must roll, noting that what transpired during the New Year’s glitch at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is unforgivable and a national embarrassment as he also pushed for more Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) for effective transportation.

This as the Senate and the House of Representatives opened their separate investigation into the mess which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of international and domestic flights coming in and out of the country from Manila and local airports, including those from the nited tates and anada.

Speaking before the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Zubiri said he wanted to hear the facts during an investigation and hear their explanation at the start of the Senate Committee on Public Services hearing on the AIA incident.

“I cannot make a categorical statement at this point in time. ut definitely, heads should roll. ay apalpa an na ganito kalaki tapos ganoon uli, parang wala lang, deadma lang (There is a remiss this big, then just like that, seems nothing happened), he said.

ore than flights in and out of Manila were cancelled, diverted or delayed due to the incident.

Zubiri said perhaps the investigation will start from the lower level, citing reports that some personnel used 280 watts from 350 watts when power outage occurred.

“Kung totoo ‘yon, ang bobo naman nun. Hindi niya na ita na ganito pala ‘yung sistemang ito at sinasaksak mo dito. aya titingnan natin yon. We have to find out ano ba talagang nangyari (If the report is true, that’s stupidity, The person didn’t bother to see the system, we will look into it, what really happened), he said.

ubiri said he wants to find out whether the fiasco was caused by mere incompetence or sabotage, adding that as far as he knows, the incident of system failure happened only thrice in the world, adding it is good to know that the Bulacan Airport will push through easing air traffic congestions.

“Because of that, we’re pushing for more PPP, we re filing, I filed personally, amendments to the BOT (build, operate, transfer) Law to ma e it simpler. In other words, ease of doing business sa PPP. It s going to be discussed in the committee level -- amendments to the PPP law he said.

He said that PPP attracts more foreign and local investors. hey are on top of the infrastructure, road networks, bridge networks, airports, seaports, pointing to the ongoing PPP project named One Visayas Bridge Program -- connecting Bohol and Cebu, Cebu to Negros, Negros to Iloilo and Panay Island to Guimaras.

Earlier, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said they are looking to expedite the upgrade of facilities and replace affected equipment following the New Year’s Day technical glitch that resulted in suspended flight operations in several of the country s ma or airports.

In a statement, the CAAP said the decision to upgrade came after a meeting with various heads of government agencies on uesday.

“After CAAP reported their investigation and traced the most likely cause of the glitch, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said Department of Information and Communications Technology (DI ) ecretary Ivan ohn y offered to assist CAAP in expediting acquisition, it said.

During the meeting, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos suggested declaring such communications and electrical equipment as vital to national security to accelerate its purchase and prevent a repeat of the incident.

CAAP reported that the glitch does not appear to be the result of a cybercrime “because affected electrical equipment cannot be manipulated from outside AAP compound.

“Nonetheless, a review will still be conducted by cyber-security experts,” it said.

The meeting was followed by an inspection of affected equipment and facilities inside the CAAP compound by heads and representatives of the DOTr, DICT, Department of National Defense, National Intelligence Coordination Agency and Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Bautista said he received news of the glitch at around a.m. on unday and immediately informed President Ferdinand R. arcos r.

“Ang sabi niya ay pilitin nating maayos ‘yan as soon as possible and ‘yung mga maapektuhan na pasahero see to it na they are taken care of (Marcos said we should try to fi it as soon as possible and affected passengers must be ta en care of), he said.

Aside from providing food and drinks to passengers, he said those with canceled flights have been reboo ed without additional fees while diverted flights were coordinated with different airports.

he AAP Air raffic anagement system and its backup failed, stranding hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark, Mactan, Davao and other AAP-operated airports.

The incident was the result of a loss of power due to a problem in the system’s electrical network and the failure of its uninterruptible power supply that served as the bac up power supply.