PNEWS 11.16-11.22,2023

1 November 16-22, 2023

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

www.pnewstoday.com

MARCOS RALLIES PINOYS IN U.S., EYES APEC DEALS THE PREMIER FILIPINO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN THE U.S. SINCE 1961

Vol.63 No.14 November 16-22, 2023

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

Meeting with Biden, Xi, other leaders; going to LA, Hawaii

Duterte critic De Lima out on bail, goes home to Iriga City

By ALFRED GABOT and CLAIRE MORALES TRUE Editor in Chief and Managing Editor

SAN FRANCISCO – For the third time since taking over Malacanang on June 30, 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is in the United States, this time meeting with US President Joe Biden and leaders of 21 member nations of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in a two-day summit and related and business meetings at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco and elsewhere. Page 9

MARCOS IN SFO. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets, commends and thanks the vibrant Filipino community at the South San Francisco Conven�on Center together with First Lady A�y. Louise Lisa Marcos, Speaker Mar�n Romualdez and Cabinet members including Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Economic and Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Informa�on and Communica�ons Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Tourism Secretary Chris�na Frasco, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Energy Secretary Rafael Lo�lla, Presiden�al Assistant Antonio Lagdameo and Transporta�on Secretary Jaime Bau�sta. Also in photo are Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer and Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez.

MANILA – What was supposed to be one of the flagships of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been mired in one controversy after another.

After naming the President and CEO of the multi-billion peso fund last week, it was learned that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) had been tweaked by Malacanang to allow Marcos’s choice to fill the post, among others.

Under the original IRR, his choice of Rafael Consing Jr would not have made the grade as he

lacked the qualifications necessary to head such a large fund.

Then a bloc of lawmakers warned this week that the Maharlika Investment Fund had “dangerous” provisions and had lacked “thorough scrutiny.”

The Makabayan bloc of members of the House of Representatives led by ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said “crucial safeguards” that were in the original draft of the bill creating the super fund had been removed. Page 6

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

Voters blame Controversy continues politicians’ rhetoric for rise in Asian to hound Maharlika fund hate crimes

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

By Gilda P. Balan, Correspondent

SAN FRANCISACO - A new survey has found that most voters in the all-important key battleground states that are seen to determine who wins the next presidential election are holding political leaders accountable for the rise in hate crimes that target Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).

It must be noted that Filipinos and FilAms are frequently categorized as part of the Pacific Islander community rather than Asian Americans. Page 5

IRIGA CITY, Camarines Sur — Following her release on bail from the PNP Detention Center in Camp Crame, former senator Leila de Lima prayed at the Minor Basilica in Manaoag and flew to her home in Iriga City to the delight of supporters, friends and relatives. Page 7

The 13 lifetimes of Greg Macabenta

By Rodel Rodis

SAN FRANCISCO - I cannot tell the future but through the magic of the International Date Line, I learned in San Francisco on October 10 that my friend, Greg Macabenta, had passed away in his Paranaque home on October 11 after undergoing dialysis earlier in the day. I remained in shock for much of the day as I mourned the passing of a friend who had done much to shape and influence Philippine history and Filipino American history. Page 21

SC affirms another Marcos wealth case dismissal Abalos, Gomez lead exodus to Partido Federal party VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHOWBIZ

Relatives of Care Home Owners may be petitioned as Caregivers

FilAm Olivia Rodrigo gets 6 Grammy nominations

By A�y. Lozano

Page 12

Page 14

SPORTS

Pacquiao peps up Paris Olympics bound Eumir Marcial Page 16

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 NATIONAL NEWS

November 16-22, 2023

2

SC affirms dismissal of another Marcos wealth case MANILA – Another ill-gotten wealth case against the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and former first lady Imelda R. Marcos is finally dismissed.

This as the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the Sandiganbayan ruling in 2012 that junked the consolidated cases filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for the recovery and reconveyance of alleged ill-gotten wealth of industrialist Lucio Tan Jr., the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and Imelda Marcos.

Marcos Sr. was ousted following the EDSA People Power in 1986 for allegedly amassing between $5 billion to $10 billion of public money through their cronies and associates. About $3 billion has been recovered as of 2020 and other lawsuits are still pending.

In an extensive 62-page decision dated Oct. 3 and uploaded online on Nov. 14, the SC en banc affirmed the Sandiganbayan’s rulings in the four cases dating back to July 17, 1987, filed during the Corazon C. Aquino administration.

The complaints sought the reversion, reconveyance, restitution, accounting and damages against the Marcos couple and 24 other individuals in connection with alleged transactions with Tan. In its 2012 ruling, the Sandiganbayan said the PCGG failed to prove that the assets “originated from the government’s resources.”

The court also denied for lack of merit the petition questioning the Sandiganbayan’s rulings to reject the government’s plea to be allowed to file “amended complaints.”

It upheld other Sandiganbayan rulings on the case, including the outright dismissal of the cases against former Marcos hands, Don Ferry and Cesar Zalamea, and likewise affirmed the anti-graft court’s ruling for the Sandiganbayan justices not to inhibit themselves from the cases.

The court said the affidavit of supposed Marcos financial consultant, Rolando Gapud, cannot be admissible either as the prosecution failed to present him before the witness stand for cross examination.

“Affidavits are generally prepared not by the affiant himself, but by another who uses his or her own language in transcribing or writing the statements. If the affiant is not presented, the opposing party is deprived of the chance to cross-examine him or her,” the court said, since “the opposing party cannot test the perception, memory, veracity and articulateness of the out of court declarant.”

“As such, Gapud’s affidavit remains devoid of probative value for purposes of establishing the truth of Gapud’s claim on the alleged 60-40 business arrangement between Marcos and Tan,” the SC said.

The consolidated cases included the recovery of alleged ill-gotten wealth acquired

by Marcos and Tan through the liquidation of the General Bank and Trust Company, and Tan’s acquisition of its assets through Allied Banking Corporation without sufficient collateral; Tan’s alleged delivery to Marcos of a substantial beneficial interest in shares of stocks in Asia Brewery Inc. beginning 1977 in exchange for concessions and privileges for his business ventures; establishment of Shareholdings Inc. for illegally obtained assets including shares in Fortune Tobacco Corp., Asia Brewery, Foremost Farms Inc., Himmel Industries Inc., and Silangan Holdings Inc.; sale of controlling interests of the Development Bank of the Philippines in a number of hotels; printing of revenue stamps for products of Fortune Tobacco Corp.; and the establishment of Northern Redrying Co., which allegedly imported and purchased tobacco in excess of the allowable ceilings under the law.

Coast Guard gets P1.3-B budget hike to boost WPS, sea security PASAY CITY – To boost its work to pro- Grace Poe announced the approval of adtect the vast West Philippine Sea, the coun- ditional funds allocated for the PCG’s vestry’ territory and 200-mile exclusive econom- sel operations and maintenance activities ic zone amid China’s aggressive activities, during the Department of Transportation’s the Senate provided additional P1.3 billion to plenary debate for its fiscal year 2024 budthe Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), raising its get. outlay to P27 billion for 2024.

Poe noted that the increase in budget was The PCG immediately thanked the sen- given due to the situation in the WPS. ators for the P1.3 billion budget increase.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri conIn a statement, PCG spokesperson, Rear cluded the plenary debate by highlighting the Admiral Armando Balilo, said the budget in- approved budget increase for the PCG and the crease would “significantly augment” PCG Senate’s “full support and confidence” for the operations not only in the West Philippine PCG and its ability to protect the country’s Sea (WPS) but also its security operations in territory and sovereign rights. the southern Philippines and Benham Rise in the country’s eastern seaboard.

“We thank the Senate for supporting the PCG in performing our mandates and pursuing our modernization projects,” Balilo said.

The increase, he said, would boost the PCG’s “capability development and daily operations.”

“We thank our fellow Filipinos for their trust and confidence in the organization.

Rest assured that we will manage every single centavo entrusted to us in accordance PCG AT WEST PH SEA. The Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP with existing auditing rules Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) during a resupply mission and regulations,” he said. at Ayungin Shoal on Nov. 10, 2023.

On Monday, Senator

3 November 16-22, 2023

 NATIONAL NEWS

Gov’t workers start getting P69-B year-end bonus, cash gift

By Jennifer T. Santos MANILA – Good news to national govThis as the Department of Budget and ernment officials and employes.

Management announced that government personnel, including military and uniformed personnel, will start getting their yearend bonus equivalent to one month salary and cash gift of P5,000 each starting November 15.

In a statement, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said her office has allotted a total of P60.5 billion for the year-end bonus and P8.9 billion for the cash gift of over 1.7 million civilian employees and military and uniformed personnel (MUP) in the national government agencies (NGAs).

Pangandaman said around P45.3 billion of the P60.5 billion year-end bonus would be given to the civilian personnel, while the remaining P15.2 billion would go to MUP. “The appropriations for the YEB and the CG were already comprehensively released to the NGAs concerned at the start of the fiscal year,” the DBM said.

According to Item 6.1 of the DBM Budget Circular (BC) No. 2016-4, the yearend bonus is equivalent to one month of basic pay, as of Oct. 31, and the cash gift

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 METRO NEWS

November 16-22, 2023

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NAIA terminals ready for Christmas holiday rush, free WiFi service boosted

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – The country’s airports, seaports and other transportation hubs are ready to accommodate a rush of holiday passengers for the Christmas season, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista reported.

This as Bautista led the expansion of connectivity at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 with the launch

of Converge’s free WiFi program.

Bautista said NAIA terminals alone are expected to receive 138,000 passengers daily during the Christmas holiday rush.

Bautista reminded passengers to book and plan their flights early to avoid hassles and reach their destinations in as little time as possible.

Bautista said Converge, one of the country’s fiber broadband providers, is also planning to expand its free internet services at Terminals 1 and 2 of the country’s main gate-

way in the coming months.

“This new dimension of connectivity will be much appreciated by the hundreds of passengers, allowing the airport to go a notch higher in global standards,” Bautista said during the launch.

He thanked Converge chief executive officer Dennis Uy for making good on his promise to provide free WiFi services at NAIA. He encouraged similar public-private partnerships to improve the country’s trans-

portation hubs such as rail lines, bus terminals and seaports.

“I hope this will signal the start of other collaborations to improve the service of airports, seaports, bus terminals, and rail systems,” he said.

Converge first launched its free WiFi program in July at NAIA Terminal 4 – a free 120-minute internet access.

Similar services are available at NAIA through telecommunication giants PLDTSmart and Globe.

2 students found dead in Taguig school TAGUIG CITY - Police and school authorities are puzzled why two students were found dead in an office of the Signal Village National High School in Taguig City on Friday night.

The fatalities were identified as Mary Nicole Picar, 15, a Grade 10 student, and Irish Sheen Manalo, 13, a Grade 8 student. Their lifeless bodies were reportedly found lifeless on the third floor of the school’s Magsaysay Building at past 10 p.m.

A witness, reported to be a 16-year-old student by Philippine Star, said she last saw the girls at around 7:45 p.m. and they told her they were about to head home, according to the Southern Police District.

The witness told police she learned

through a Messenger group chat that the victims never got home. She said she searched for the victims and found their bodies.

The witness reported the incident to the guards on duty at the school.

5 November 16-22, 2023

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Police major, 3 others face kidnap raps in missing beauty queen case BATANGAS CITY - The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Calabarzon has filed kidnapping case against a police major and three others in connection with the case of missing beauty queen and Batangas teacher Catherine Camillon.

Charged were Major Allan de Castro, Jeffrey Magpantay and two John Does before the Batangas Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.

Fajardo said the prosecutors will have at least 10 days to evaluate whether the cases referred by the CIDG will reach preliminary investigation.

Camilon, a teacher and a native of Tuy town, was last seen alive at a mall in Lemery town. She also called up her family to say she was in Bauan and was going to a meeting in Batangas City.

Police investigators have questioned the family members and a friend of missing Catherine Camilon to determine the possible motive behind her disappearance.

PNP CIDG Calabarzon chief Col. Jacinto Malinao said the testimonies of Camilon’s mother, her sister Chin-Chin, and her friend, a certain ‘Vanessa’, confirmed that the Catherine was supposed to meet with her boyfriend, Maj. Allan de Castro, in Batangas City on the day of her disappearance on Oct. 12.

Malinao said they were able to obtain screenshots of the exchange of messages of de Castro and Camilon which will be part of the evidence against the police officer and accomplices.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT– In consonance with the objective of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to attain increased economic activity, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan has adopted a position to buckle down on erring locators, giving way to upright investors for more revenues and employment opportunities.

Earlier, the agency Chief thru SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator Atty. Ramon Agregado led the repossession of the leased premises of the Nile Niigata Subic, a truck trading company located along Boton Highway, Subic Bay Freeport Zone. In a letter to Nile Niigata President Muhammad Kafeel, Chairman Tan cited that the lease term of the company had already expired last January 31, 2022.

He noted that the company has unsettled accounts with the SBMA amounting to P4,249,500.83. The said arrears

Voters..

(From page 1) The results of the poll came out recently in The Hill and was written by Cheyanne Daniels. It was conducted by the National AAPI Power Fund, and found that 60 percent of likely voters in eight battleground states along with California said that they believe that political leaders’ rhetoric, specifically on China, is responsible for the increase in AAPI hate.

It should be further noted that for better or worse, Filipinos and FilAms are frequently mistaken for Chinese, as a large percentage of them have Chinese sounding names (i.e., Tan, Lim, Co, Lee, etc.) and admit to having some Chinese blood.

According to EunSook Lee of the Power Fund, “Over the last four years, there has been an increasingly aggressive rhetoric about the Chinese government, and these messages have led to increasing violence and racist attacks against Asian Americans in the United States.”

Unsurprisingly, one of the two major political parties is seen as bearing the brunt of the blame for the divisive rhetoric.

Lee said AAPI voters “are critical to winning a multi-racial path to democracy” and they are “weary of Republican political extremism.”

Daniels’ report quoted a 2022 study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism which found that during the coronavirus pandemic, hate crimes against the AAPI community rose by 339 percent. The community faced racist rhetoric, verbal abuse, harassment and physical violence.

Cebu gas stations now bus stops CEBU CITY – The city traffic body here will no longer allow roadside bus and jeepney stops once an ordinance converting gasoline stations and establishment frontages into pocket passenger loading and unloading areas is implemented,Councilor Rey Gealon, chairperson of the Cebu City Traffic Management Committee, said the “lay-by” ordinance will help decongest city roads experiencing heavy traffic due to the ongoing construction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The traffic body is conducting a pilot study in the Bulacao corridor in the south district where motorists were complaining about early morning traffic.

Miss Grand Philippines 2023 candidate Catherine Camilon “Based on the exchange of messages with her friend, it seems that Catherine was hurt and it seems de Castro was enraged when Catherine told de Castro’s wife that he has another woman. When the suspect gets drunk, he also hurts Catherine and sometimes, she sustains bruises. This is the most visible motive that we see which prompted this incident,” he stressed.

During interrogation, Malinao said de Castro denied all allegations against him.

De Castro, who is assigned to the Police Regional Office4A, is under restrictive custody at the PRO 4A headquarters.

Subic agency takes over leased land of erring truck trading firm

By Armie C. Llamas

AROUND THE NATION

represented the company’s unpaid lease rentals, Common Use Service Area (CUSA) fees, and the five percent share of the Aeta indigenous cultural community which had already accrued interests and penalties as of November 8, 2023.

Tan said that despite the foregoing defaults, he granted a final grace to fully settle their outstanding obligations and comply with the rules of the SBMA, on or before October 31. “Unfortunately, they failed to make a settlement despite the utmost liberality the SBMA has extended,” he added.

“While we try to understand the financial predicament of our locators, still, this is a business we need to run efficiently for our stakeholders and the country in general. This is why we are hell bent and determined now more than ever, on taking over properties of erring locators so we can offer them to other legitimate companies that can help steer the country’s economy on an upward trend. The “how” is called “tough love.” he said.

Today, the AAPI community represents nearly 5.5 percent of the US population.

AAPI voters who took part in the survey said they believe violence against them is on the rise, and most political leaders should cut back on their race-baiting rhetoric.

“The date is clear,” said Joshua Ulibarri, partner at Lake Research Partners, an organization that has been conducting focus group discussions on the AAPI community, “Voters are desperate to hear solutions and not place blame.”

The survey covered 900 likely 2024 general election voters, including 100 AAPI voters. It took place at the end of the third quarter of this year, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/.

200 new cops in Cordilleras CAMP DANGWA, Benguet - A total of 200 new police officers took their oaths of office here as part of the 2023 police recruitment program in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). “Today will be the start of your police journey from the arduous selection. You hurdled the tedious recruitment application,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Allan, the Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PROCor) deputy regional director for administration, said during the ceremony.

Ilocos Region’s 300 police recruits SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Ilocos Police Regional Director Brig. Gen. John Chua challenged the 300 recruits to become agents and implementers of change and to work hard for the country. Of the total number, 240 are males and 60 are females. They were part of the 2,384 applicants for the Philippine National Police (PNP) recruitment in the region.

Pampanga cops get motorcycles CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The provincial government of Pampanga has donated 23 patrol motorcycles to the police units here as part of its commitment to augmenting peace and order and public safety in the province. Governor Dennis Pineda personally handed the ceremonial keys to the chiefs of police in the province at the Pampanga Police Provincial Office (PPPO). Col. Levi Hope Basilio, PPPO director, said the motorcycles are crucial in promoting peace and order in the province.

2 Mindoro provinces stage festivals CALAPAN CITY – Oriental and Occidental Mindoro hold an all-out celebration for the 73rd founding anniversary with various activities highlighting livelihood and natural wonders for residents and tourists alike. The celebration in Oriental Mindoro is dubbed “Fiesta MaHalTa Na,” representing Mangyan, Halcon, Tamaraw and Naujan Lake. In Occidental Mindoro, it will be the Arawatan Festival as the province pays homage to one of its big money-making industries through the biggest tuna catch challenge.

Biliran hosts int’l adventure race TACLOBAN CITY – Local and foreign participants will join the La Routa 2023 adventure race, exploring the terrain of Biliran province set on Nov. 20 to 24.

Jason Garrido, La Routa race director, said that eight teams from Poland, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, and Japan and another eight teams from different provinces in the Philippines will join the race. Each team has about four members and will tackle the terrain of Biliran province through different disciplines of running, hiking, swimming, paddling, mountain biking, ropemanship, and land navigation, said Garrido.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

November 16-22, 2023

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Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union expressway extension by 59 kms OKd by NEDA MANILA — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved a 59-kilometer extension of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) from Rosario, La Union to San Juan town also in La Union.

NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the TPLEX extension is one of three highimpact projects approved by the NEDA board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during its 11th meeting.

The TPLEX extension is expected to

boost tourism and the economy in the region. San Juan is a popular tourist destination due to its beaches and resorts.

TPLEX is currently operated by San Miguel Corporation.

“Following this approval, the Department of Public Works and Highways will proceed with the publication of the invitation for comparative proposals in accordance with the Revised 2022 Build-Operate-Transfer Law Implementing Rules and Regulations, as well as the ICC Guidelines on Processing PPP proposals,” Balisacan said in a briefing. The Cabinet-level Investment Coordination Committee evaluates major projects, in-

Controversy...

(From page 1) Because of this, doubts had been raised about the potential for political interference “and the absence of checks and balances.”

For one, under the revised rules, it is President Marcos who will have the sole authority to select not only the CEO of the fund, but also its board of directors.

The “independence and integrity” of the fund would, therefore, be lost as the board could potentially be comprised of cronies of the president. Marcos’s choice of Consing was immediately

cluding public-private partnerships, and recommends these for NEDA Board approval The Board also approved the ₱28.2-billion Pang-Agraryong Tulay Para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka or the bridges project of the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Balisacan said the 350 modular steel bridges “aim to increase the productivity and income of at least 350,000 households.”

“The ease of mobility and access to and from the agrarian reform communities will generate more employment and address the communities’ need for better access to social services and market outlets for their agricultural products,” he added.

The Board also approved the third phase questioned, as the original IRR clearly stated that one of the criteria would be that not only the CEO but also the board of directors all had to have a master’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a related field.

Consing only has a bachelor’s degree in business from De La Salle University. He also completed a Leadership Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, but never earned a master’s degree.

His background also came into question as Consing had previously worked with billionaire businessman Enrique Razon’s International Con-

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of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) maritime safety capability improvement project, which costs ₱29.3 billion and to be financed through an official development assistance loan from Japan.

Under the project, five units of the multirole response vessels from Japan are expected to be delivered between 2027 to 2028.

These can also be used for resupply missions, Balisacan said.

“In particular, the project will enable the coast guard to secure important sea lines of communication in the West Philippine Sea, Sulu and Celebes Seas, and the Philippine Sea,” he added. “It will also help the PCG combat illegal activities and enforce maritime laws in the Philippine waters.”

tainer Terminal Services Inc. He also previously worked with the Aboitiz group of companies.

The president is known to be close to both Razon and the Aboitizes. Before his appointment as head of the Maharlika Investment Corp (which will take charge of the Maharlika fund), Consing was the executive director of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Investment and Economic Affairs.

He will have a fixed term of three years.

The Maharlika Investment Fund has had an odd beginning, as in his first State of the Nation Address of Marcos, he made no mention of it.

But by his second SONA, it had become one of his priority bills, which the House and then the Senate fast-tracked into law last year.

Oddly though, Marcos through his Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced that the Fund had been suspended, which Marcos later denied.

Among the Fund’s biggest opponents is Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, who has questioned the constitutionality of the Maharlika Investment Fund. Up until last month, Pimentel and fellow minority senator Riza Hontiveros had been urging the President to “abandon” the Fund, referring to it as “a very risky financial venture.”

Its economic viability “is not there from the start,” according to Pimentel.

The kinds of investments the Fund is intended for – primarily big ticket infrastructure projects – should be left with the private sector, he said.

It also almost failed to take off when the early planning stages would have had the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System providing its initial funding.

Members of both the SSS and GSIS raised a howl, causing the lawmakers crafting the law creating the Fund to back off. Instead, start up funds would be coming from the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Land Bank of the Philippines, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

While offered as a cure all for what ails the Philippine economy, there is no guarantee that the sovereign wealth fund that is the Maharlika fund will deliver.

As an example, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund from Norway famously lost $174 billion in the first half of 2022 alone.

Closer to home, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund collapsed after officials misappropriated some $4.5 billion, resulting in the fall and subsequent imprisonment of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

7 November 16-22, 2023

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Abalos, Gomez, 30 others move to Marcos’ Partido Federal party; only 15 PDP-Laban solons left

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda MANILA - Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. has led an exodus of officials and lawmakers from the PDP-Laban and LakasCMD to the official party of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), indicating a breakup of the Unity Team which helped install Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte to power.

Aside from Abalos, more than 30 other lawmakers led by Rep. Richard Gomez and local officials took their oath as Partido Federal

Duterte... (From page 1)

The ruling was hailed by many in the Philippines and abroad. (See related story.)

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, meanwhile, said the 64-year-old former Senator may likely be acquitted in her remaining drug case as she was granted bail.

“Chances are she will be acquitted because that is a very strong statement when you say that the prosecution was unable to fulfill that burden of proof that is necessary for them to keep her in detention,” said Remulla, a lawyer and former congressman.

The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 on Monday allowed De Lima to post bail for her remaining drug case, giving her temporary freedom after nearly seven years of detention. Judge Gener Gito said that the prosecution was unable to sufficiently establish De Lima’s guilt due to lack of substantial evidence.

ng Pilipinas (PFP) members before Marcos in Malacañang.

The exodus left only 15 PDP-Laban members in the House of Representatives from original 65 at the start of the 19th Congress in 2022.

Data from the House of Representatives showed that as of Nov. 14, Lakas-CMD is now the dominant party in the House with 82 members. It is followed by the National Unity Party with 44 members, Nacionalista Party with 40, the Nationalist People’s Coalition with 38, PDP-Laban with 15, and Liberal Party with 7.

The lawmakers who joined the PFP were Laguna Rep. Maria Jamina Katherin Agarao, De Lima was at the court when her bail was granted and she was tearful when she heard the judge’s decision.

“It pains me to be jailed without doing anything wrong,” said de Lima. “And I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. This is a moment of triumph.”

Later, de Lima said she may go back to teaching while she attend to personal and family matters.

She said going back to politics has not crossed her mind.

De Lima was detained in 2017 for allegedly receiving money from the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was the justice secretary. She allegedly used the drug money to fund her senatorial bid in 2016.

She has consistently denied this, saying detention was the Duterte administration’s way to silence her for her criticisms of its bloody war on drugs.

Negros Occidental Rep. Francisco Benitez, Pangasinan Rep. Marilyn Primicias-Agabas, San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes, Occidental Mindoro Rep. Leody Tarriela, Quezon City Rep. Ralph Wendel Tulfo, and Bulacan Rep. Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica.

Other new PFP members are former Laguna Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr., Qurino Governor Dakila Carlo Cua, Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez, Cabanatuan City Myca Elizabeth R. Vergara, Meycauyan City Henry R. Villarica, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Sr. and Mandaluyong City Vice Mayor Carmelita Aguilar Abalos.

Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, PDP-Laban’s vice president for Mindanao, said the number of party stalwarts in the House could dwindle to as little as five, as more lawmakers -- including himself -- will be jumping ship in the coming days.

“I’m already weighing my options. Most probably I’ll also be transferring to another party,” Pimentel said.

PDP-Laban was the ruling party during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, with over 120 members in the House.

Pimentel attributed the mass exodus of PDP-Laban members to the rise of LakasCMD and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), both of which are considered administration parties.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the chairman of PFP, while Lakas-CMD is led by his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“We as members of Congress should also be aligned or attuned with the direction of the leadership. It seems that the direction of PDPLaban is going in another direction. So probably the members deemed it prudent to transfer to other parties because they can’t serve two masters,” Pimentel explained.

He said Duterte’s recent attacks against the House might have prompted some lawmakers to leave PDP-Laban, where he sits as chairman.

One of the significant departures from the party was that of Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales, who announced his resignation in the plenary during deliberations on a House resolution that sought to uphold the chamber’s integrity and affirm support for Romualdez.

9 November 16-22, 2023

Major AFP weapons systems tested in live-fire exercise in Ilocos BURGOS, Ilocos Norte – Major weapons systems of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) such as the newlyacquired Israeli-made Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled guns along with modern attack aircraft and helicopters participated on Wednesday’s live-fire exercise in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

The drill is part of the ongoing AFP Joint Exercise “Dagat-Langit-Lupa” (AJEX DAGIT-PA).

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. witnessed the event that featured the newly-acquired artilleries of the Philippine Army and the Philippine Marine Corps working in tandem with the Philippine Air Force’s AW-109 and A-29B ‘Super Tucano’ (attack) aircraft,” AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said in a statement.

The exercise tests demonstrate the capability of AFP major services to conduct joint territorial defense operations and highlight the seamless integration of different military units and platforms.

Brawner earlier said this year’s AJEX “DAGIT-PA” will beef up the AFP’s capabilities in dealing with “emerging threats”. It is scheduled to end on Nov. 17.

“In this exercise, we will fortify our territorial defense posture, sharpen our external security capabilities and respond to emerging threats with unparalleled precision,” the AFP chief stressed.

More than 1,500 active and reserve personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Special Operations Command and Cyber Group are taking part in this year’s iteration of AJEX “DAGITPA”.

Marcos...

Philippine Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer led in welcoming the President, First Lady Louise Lisa Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Cabinet members including Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Economic and Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Filipino singers Jaya, Jay R, and Florante led the personalities who provided entertainment during the program, some of whose attendees came from as far as Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Los Angeles and San Diego in southern California.

The President also congratulated the frontline workers who showed patriotism during the COVID-19 pandemic and acknowledged the achievements of young Filipino Americans, such as Sarina Bolden’s goal in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the increasing participation of Filipino Americans in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley that supports the rapid growth of the Philippines.

Marcos also hailed Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the United States for their success as well as contributions both to the Philippines and their host country. He also recognized Filipinos who won statewide elective positions in the US, including South San Francisco Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas.

“Mula noon hanggang ngayon, pinatutunayan ninyo na kayo ang mga bagong bayani ng ating salinlahi. Kaya naman sa Bagong Pilipinas na ating itinataguyod, nais ng inyong pamahalaan na suklian ang inyong pagsusumikap upang bigyan ng mas magandang bukas ang ating mga anak,” he said of the Filipinos in the US. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans experienced first-hand the

(From page 1)

Before departing for California, Marcos vowed to enhance bilateral relations between the Philippines, the US and other member-countries in the region and invite investors that will uplift the lives of the Filipinos. He said he hoped to sign or witness the signing of agreements in various fields while in the US. While Marcos is in US for a week, Vice President Sara Duterte will be the caretaker of the country, according to Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Gerafil.

Marcos said that his third visit to the US was upon the invitation of President Biden who he first met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York and later in the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris, a native of San Francisco Bay Area, and a recent visitor in Manila and Palawan, also invited Marcos for talks.

As soon as he landed on a chartered Philippine Air Lines flight at the San Francisco International Airport, Marcos started his activities with a meeting with the Filipino American community from various groups at the South San Francisco Convention Center near the airport where he thanked them for their big support to the Marcos-Duterte team in the last election and contribution to the country through sizable remittances and commended them for their achievements in the US. Among the achievers he singled out were California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.

He hailed the Filipino community in San Francisco and neighboring areas for serving as role models and contributing to the country’s good image abroad.

“We are all grateful for your selfless service to humanity, and we look up to you as role models for future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans,” he added. “Dahil sa inyo, napakasarap at napakadali at napakatotoo na maisigaw: Proud to be a Pinoy.”

MILITARY DRILL. Philippine Army personnel prepares two units of ATMOS self-propelled ar�llery during the combined arms live fire exercise in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

Filipino way of caring and acting on the needs of others, said Marcos, stressing that one in every five nurses in California are trained in the Philippines, with Filipino nurses, doctors, first responders, and essential workers all demonstrating the timeless Filipino virtues of malasakit, pakikipagkapwa, and bayanihan.

“We are all grateful for your selfless service to humanity, and we look up to you as role models for future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans,” he said.

“We recognize the hard work of Overseas Filipinos in the US. In 2022, the workers, health workers, injected [US$] 14.89 billion to the Philippine economy in cash remittances—making the United States the Philippines’ biggest single source of remittances.”

According to the President, he is honored to follow the footsteps of his late father, President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr., who first visited San Francisco in 1966 during his first year in office.

Considering San Francisco as an important city because of the significant Filipino population, the Philippine government in 1974 purchased a set of buildings off Union Square in the downtown area, which is now known as the Philippine Center in San Francisco, the President said.

There are now more than four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the US, of which 1.3 million reside in the 10 states under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and 700,000 in the Bay Area.

Later, Marcos reaffirmed the country’s commitment to attracting more investments through fiscal incentives and a business-friendly environment during a roundtable discussion with business leaders.

During a roundtable discussion, the President expressed his gratitude to Bain & Company and NightDragon for teaming up with the Department of Trade and Industry in organizing the meeting with Silicon Valley technology companies

and investors.

Marcos is in San Francisco for a weeklong participation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and visits to Hawaii and Los Angeles.

He will be in California until Nov. 17 to raise issues on clean energy, innovation, and digitalization. His visit to Hawaii and Los Angeles state are scheduled on Nov. 18 to 19.

“By the end of the four-day visit to San Francisco, we hope to have witnessed the signing of agreements with various American businesses in the fields of digital infrastructure and connectivity, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing, health, and tourism, among others,” he said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said that the “123 Agreement” on nuclear-related investments, including nuclear energy, between the US and the Philippines will be signed.

Marcos said that he will meet with business leaders of the Asia-Pacific region to discuss food and energy security, and economic inclusion of the Philippines’ micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, and indigenous people, among other segments of the economy.

The chief executive is also expected to deliver the keynote remarks on “intentional equity in sustainability” at the APEC CEO Summit, which he deemed is the annual gathering of top CEOs from across the APEC region Marcos said he is looking forward to the signing of government-to-government, public-private, and business agreements, which have been under negotiation over the past several months.

These pacts, according to him, cover priority sectors, such as nuclear energy; artificial intelligence to support weather forecasting; health sciences, particularly cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; pharmaceutical manufacturing; and satellite connectivity.

 OPINION

November 16-22, 2023

10

Dear President Marcos Jr. FRANCIS ESPIRITU MARILYN B. KING

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Marcos Jr must heed the painful truth

P

hilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is now in US for what Malacanan Palace says is official business. While here, he will meet with the Filipino community, or at least a small group of Filipinos and FilAms who are very likely handpicked to make sure that they give him a warm welcome and no one asks any embarrassing questions.

All this is well and good, but it will be a grievous error for Marcos Jr to believe that nothing is amiss with the Filipino community, whether here in the US or back home.

Very recently, a survey conducted by Meta and Gallup found that the Philippines has one of the highest levels of self-reported loneliness in the world.

Such a survey might have been dismissed by Marcos Jr’s cordon sanitaire, which is very likely feeding him nothing but positive news concerning his regime and ignoring anything and everything that is negative.

Unfortunately for Marcos Jr, another more recent survey should serve as a wake up call for him. The OCTA Research Group conducted a third quarter 2023 survey and found that one out of five Filipinos now believes the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Recall that when he was running for president, Marcos Jr constantly referred to the OCTA group, believing that it showed an honest picture of what was happening at ground level.

That survey showed that optimism among our countrymen has significantly declined over the past year.

Just one quarter earlier, the same research organization found that 72 percent believed that Marcos was taking the country in the right direction, but this took a double-digit dive down to 62 percent last quarter.

Meanwhile, Filipinos who believe that country is headed in the wrong direction rose from 11 percent last July to 20 percent in the latest survey, practically a similar doubledigit fall.

So what is going wrong with the Marcos administration?

In a word, plenty.

It has become quite noticeable that he enjoys nothing more than to give speeches, Not a day goes by that he is not delivering an address to some government organization or another. Some of those organizations are so inconsequential that few are even aware of their existence, to be honest.

Those speeches of his have a generic quality. They are usually variations on a theme.

Trust me and my regime. All is well. The future is very bright indeed. Promise.

Except that it’s not.

He should be disturbed by the results of the recent surveys. It has always been granted that Filipinos are an optimistic people. Thus for so many to say that they are lonely and believe the country is not going in the right direction speaks volumes.

He should be reminded that substance is more important than form. In other words, Mr. President, talk is cheap.

Pardon us for further raining on your parade, sir, but the OCTA survey showed that pessimism was highest among the ABC class at 26 percent in the third quarter from 15 percent in the second quarter.

Yet another double-digit decline, isn’t it?

You, Mr Marcos, now have two choices: Own up to your shortcomings and work harder. Or believe that all is well until that fantasy world you now occupy comes crashing down on you.

The choice sir, is yours and yours alone.

I

can’t believe you are actually here, in my backyard, where I chose to start over some four decades ago. What drove me away from the land of my birth to endure the ache of homesickness, longing for my parents and my sister, the compulsion to prove myself equal to the rest of my new compatriots? I could write a book, but you won’t want to hear about it, as the worn phrase intones.

Believe me I had no plans to plant roots here. There was a reason, in fact a multitude, I know now, why we did make the decision for our sojourn to be lifelong.

Fate is inescapable.

Despite previous trips to California where friends in- CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO sisted that I cobble up a resume and remain away from a dictatorship – a tempting prospect, considering my passion for fashion, rock music and pop culture - I demurred. Dad was fighting lung cancer but still seething over the country no longer what he knew as an orphan passed around from uncles and aunts who were less than ecstatic to take him. Steeled by his circumstances, he sated a thirst for books, recognized a way with words that, matched with wit and fearlessness, earned him a spot as a reporter covering President Ramon Magsaysay. Dad identified with Magsaysay’s courage as a World War II guerrilla and was crushed when Magsaysay was killed in a plane crash before his first term ended. No succeeding leader of the Philippines impressed Dad. Ever.

I, on the other hand, was less interested in politics than acquiring the latest Carole King album. Dad’s dinnertime denunciation of elected officials he believed abused their power ruined my appetite for his favorite subject. And yet I harbored this anxiety over the state of the country.

While partying with my classmates, I wondered how they were oblivious to the plight of those who lived in poverty not too far from our neighborhoods or why they seemed untroubled by the disappearance of students like us but who spent their days protesting the growing might of the military. My best friend and I would have serious conversations about where the country was headed and then mindlessly sing along to James and Carly or devour Glamour and Cosmopolitan.

Who would have thought I’d end up becoming a reporter/editor for Philippine News in the middle 1980s? Your family’s rule was ending when my social and political consciousness was waking and I found purpose. It just so happened that I had been around when a job opened at the loudest US publication opposing your father’s regime when I came for a visit. My having worked at a magazine that housed columnists unafraid to criticize your father’s policies as they saw fit won over our publisher/editor-in-chief Alex Esclamado.

To the amusement of my former colleagues in the “lifestyle” journalism community in Manila, for sure.

My enlightenment began with my tenure in Philippine News, now Philippine News Today, which gave me access into the many Filipino communities and that means populations that identify as Filipino whatever their race, citizenship or country of birth.

There are success stories and sordid stories. And where there are incredibly tragic tales of Filipinos victimizing vulnerable Filipinos, so too are those of Filipinos aiding Filipinos.

People Power opened the doors of the Philippine Consulate to PNews where once we were personae non gratae. The Consulate General these 37 years has been welcoming, (Continued on page 20) consular services have been efficient especially lately.

Upside

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A grammarian’s frustration Living in America , the land from which we Filipinos learned the English language, I am constantly frustrated at hearing errors in grammar spoken by Americans.

I grew up , thinking, reading and speaking in English, our second language during the American regime in the Philippines. One would think that since American Thomasites came to the Philippines and taught their Filipino brothers how to speak in English, that their brothers on the US mainland would speak perfect English.

Not so, apparently.

Many Americans commit grammatical errors that make me cringe.

For instance, they keep saying “between you and I” instead of “ between you and ME”. They also misuse the words “lie “ and “lay”. How often have I heard them tell their dogs to “LAY “ down instead of to “LIE” down? To lay means to put down, to lie means to recline.

And there is the rule about the agreement of subject and predicate. I often hear on television “ everyone ARE” instead of “everyone IS”.

But the most jarring of all to my ears is the non-use of the past participle, which is used with helping verbs.

For example, they say “I should have WENT” instead of the correct “I should have GONE”. This holds true as well with the verbs “take, forget, forsake”, all of which should be used this way: “I should have TAKEN”, “I have not FORGOTTEN” . and “ I have not FORSAKEN”.

How I came to be so concerned about correct grammar is a mystery to me. Perhaps this was due to my voracious reading from my childhood up or my experience as an English teacher. Somehow I instinctively know when I hear incorrect grammar.

I try to correct people when they commit grammatical errors, and sometimes, I may hurt their feelings. I guess they will just have to put up with me, the “grammar pollce.”

I take this opportunity to apologize to them, even as I remind them that “a word to the wise should be enough”!

11 November 16-22, 2023 Best and lasting gifts this Christmas

F

San Francisco Visitors Enter the Twilight Zone

Take a bow, Chief PNP Gen. Acorda THE OUTSIDER

Health & Wealth

ormer President Fidel V. re you planning to Ramos once quoted Leo give some gifts to your Oracion, the first Filipino to FRANC (Friends, Relaconquer Mt. Everest, saying: “Gotives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, ing up to the top is optional but Co-Workers) this Christmas? coming back down is mandatory As a book author, columnist because you cannot stay at the top and an active Evangelist, I highly forever.” recommend four books as the Unless extended by President best and lasting gifts you can give Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Gen. namely: “LONGEVITY TIPS” Benjamin “Jun” Acorda Jr. is set to subtitled “Secrets You Can Disstep down as Chief of the 224,000 cover and Do for Good Health and ART GABOT MADLAING strong Philippine National Police Longevity,” “R.A.W. WISDOM” (PNP) on December 3, 2023.

MELANDREW T. VELASCO subtitled “FINDING PEACE IN I had the rare privilege to inTHE MIDST OF CHAOS,” “JESUS CHRIST” subtitled “The Final Days on Earth Before His Return to terview him at his office in Camp Heaven,” and the original “HISTORICITY OF JESUS” subtitled “Facts Crame last November 3 where we discussed far ranging topics from and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists and Believers.” These four books our book project on the late former PNP Chief Gen. Leandro R. Mendoza whom he served as aide de camp for five years to national are excellent addition to Personal Library or Family Library.

LONGEVITY TIPS ’ back cover has colored group picture with security issues as well as his journey to the totem pole of the national boxing legend and former Philippine Senator Manny Pacquaio. Fore- “ police.

My friendship with Gen. Jun Acorda goes way back in 1993 word was written by Dr. Yvonne P. Bulong, M.D. from Baguio City when we worked together under the tutelage of then Pangasinan proPhilippines.

“I will always cherish and treasure this book which has the picture vincial director Col. Amado T. Espino Jr. Then a lieutenant, Jun and of my idol and boxing legend Manny Pacquaio,”said L:arry who got I teamed up for some special projects like the Lingayen Gulf War, a autographed copy of “LONGEVITY TIPS” from Terry Denis who is crusade to save the endangered gulf, Pista’y Dayat, 1995 Palarong Pambansa, and flagship projects like the Sual Coal Power Plant and vacationing in Baguio City, Philippines.

The updated “LONGEVITY TIPS (193 pages) is now available the San Roque Multi Purpose Dam. Thirty years after, Gen. Jun and through Amazon in hardcover ($15.95 per copy plus shipping and han- I will be teaming up again along with Gen. Reynaldo V. Velasco.

When he took over the helm on April 4, Gen. Acorda anchored dling); paperback ($12.95 per copy plus shipping and handling) and Ebook ($7.95 per copy). Here are some comments and reviews on LON- his leadership on 5-focused agenda for a better and more effective police force namely: 1) Personnel Morale and Welfare; 2) CommuGEVITY TIPS: “LONGEVITY TIPS, a new bestseller, is the best and lasting gift nity Engagement; 3) Integrity Enhancement; 4) ICT Development; you can give to our students and the new graduates,” said DARLENE and, 5) Honest Law Enforcement Operations.

Among his crowning achievements as PNP Chief is the drop by GAMBLE, Teacher who finished her Master in Special Education at 8.24 of index crime volume based on the Crime Information ReportHARDING UNIVERSITY in Searcy, Arkansas, USA. “This latest book, LONGEVITY TIPS, is a must reading for anyone ing and Analysis System (CIRAS). From January 1 to October 31, interested to have good health and longevity in life,” wrote HENRY T. 2023, there were only 34,908 recorded cases and it dropped to 2,877 BRAVO, Elder & Evangelist,” SURREY CHURCH OF CHRIST, Van- cases or 8.24 percent compared to the same period last year. Likewise, the PNP also concentrated on “8 focus crimes” like murder, couver, B.C. Canada.

“I am excited to recommend and share LONGEVITY TIPS to my homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, rape, car and motor theft. friends, classmates and fellow millennials,” affirmed KENNETH WIL- As a result, focus crimes dropped by 8.18 percent, from 34,702 cases in 2022 to only 31,864 in 2023.

SON from San Francisco, California USA. “These promising outcomes stand as a clear testament to the R.A.W. WISDOM subtitled “FINDING PEACE IN THER MIDST OF CHAOS” was written by Ralondria Antoinette Ward few months tireless and coordinated efforts of the PNP contrary to popular narbefore her death at the age of 47. Here are some comments and reviews ratives,” said adding that “The statistics undeniably demonstrate a noteworthy decline in the overall crime rate during the 10 months on R.A.W. WISDOM: “For emotional, physical and special well-being of readers, copies of 2023. This success reflects the PNP’s commitment to ‘Serbisyong of this important book must be available in every library in the Phil- Nagkakaisa’ and our unwavering vow to decisively suppress crimiippines and also in other countries,” echoed CORAZON. M. NERA, nal activities, ensuring the safety and security of our communities.”

Over and above his outstanding performance in his barely seven Former Chair, Regulatory Board of Librarians; Director of Libraries, months in office, the PNP emerged as one of the top five most trusted Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila, Philippines.

“Are you seriously looking for inner PEACE, true HOPE and eter- among 25 government agencies based on the Tugon ng Masa survey nal LIFE? Make sure to order your copy of R.A.W. WISDOM subtitled commissioned by Octa Research. Their ratings were in the following “FINDING PEACE IN THE MIDST OF CHSOS.” Then read it, follow order: CHEd, 80 percent; DepEd, 79 percent; PNP, 76 percent; DOH, it and be blessed,” said ROSE DE LA CRUZ, global MY ANGEL RA- 75 percent; and DSWD, 73 percent.

While expressing his contentment having achieved what every DIO Singer, San Francisco, California USA. “The wisdom discussed in this timeless book will help everyone. police officer has aspired for in the police organization, Gen. Acorda Order your copy now. Then read it, heed it and be blessed,” wrote LAR- laments that as Chief PNP, he should have been given more leeway RY WEST, Evangelist & Founder, WE CARE Ministries, West Monroe, in pushing for the well-deserved promotions of his fellow officers. In fact, he has written both houses of Congress that the gridlock affectLouisiana, USA. JESUS CHRIST subtitled “The Final Days on Earth Before His ing the promotions involving the National Police Commission (NaReturn to Heaven” was written by John Jeffrey, Evangelist & former polcom) be resolved by legislative and executive means so as to give Elder, UPTOWN CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California. due recognition to all police officers who are ripe for a well-deserved IT IS A JOURNEY. Follow the journey of Jesus Christ before He promotion based on merit, seniority and performance.

However, what stood out in our almost two-hour meeting was ascended to heaven. Listen to the apostles as they tell the story of Jesus from the Passover Celebration until He ascended to heaven. KNOW Gen. Jun Acorda’s undying sense of patriotism whose love for counTHE TRUTH. Learn the truth straight from the writings of the apostles try shines brightly as the sun, moon and stars. He gifted me with a patriotic medallion emblazoned with Makabansa, Maka Diyos at in the gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

DO NOT BE CONFUSED. This book is free from religious de- Maka Tao. Along with the medallion is a call for patriotism printed nominational doctrines and bias. YOU can decide for yourself what is on a small sheet of paper entitled Makabansa…Pilipino with the following words: true and thereupon establish your faith.

Ako ay Patunay HISTORICITY OF JESUS subtitled “Facts and Evidences for AgNg Isang Pilipino na Makabansa nostics, Atheists and Believers” was first published and printed on AuNagmamahal sa Watawat gust 18, 2004. Foreword was written by SONNY CHILDS, A MissionAt Handang Mag-Alay ng Buhay ary to America, Paragould, Arkansas, USA. Here are some comments Sa Ngalan ng Katarungan and reviews on the original HISTORICITY OF JESUS: Kasanrinlan at Kalayaan “My faith in the reliability of the Word of God, and the actuality of Ng Aking Pamilya at Bayan the resurrection of Christ, and the Truths presented by the Apostle Paul, Sa Gabay ng Diyos have been enhanced and encouraged,” said JUDY MILLER, author of At Tao-Pusong Panalangin 19 motivational and spiritual books from Pasadena, Texas, USA. Ang Ating Karapatan “It is a wonderful book to introduce the atheists and agnostics to the At Dangal ang Adhikain truth and logic of the Scripture “ wrote STEVEN PRINE, Evangelist & Maglingkod sa Kapwa former Deacon, TURLOCK CHURCH OF CHRIST, Turlock, CaliforTunay na Mithiin nia USA. Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao “Brother Madlaing has presented an impressive array of documenMaka-Bansa…Pilipino tary evidence to support the historical actuality of Jesus Christ and the With this rare kind of police officer and patriot, how I wish he authenticity of the New Testament. He challenges the readers to examine the New Testament using the same proofs that we apply to other could serve much longer and extended as PNP Chief especially with documents accepted as authentic history,” echoed ODELL LEE, former the national security concerns and geo politics now in play.

At the testimonial parade at the Philippine Military Academy Elder of the Williamsburg and Fairfax churches of Christ, Virginia USA. tendered in his honor and awarded with the “Outstanding PMA YOU can order the four books through Amazon for a total cost of (Continue on page 20) Alumnus,” Gen. Acorda has this to say:

Imagine if you will what modern people now call the multi-verse. A city at the tip of a peninsula surrounded by whipping cold ocean waters and two bridges and views close to paradise that was once riddled with the zombie-covered streets, a manifestation of woke politics that lost all common sense, is now clear, clean, safe. At least in some places. At least while the APEC VIPs are visiting.

Is it an alternate reality?

Did someone just turn a dial and change all the things that local politicians were claiming made it impossible to solve the homeless problem?

Wasn’t there a law that prevented the government from incarcerating people living on the streets? Or maybe they were just lured into another part of the city, in which case the fix is only temporary.

Nevertheless, all this time they claimed the problem was hard to solve. Alas, what a pleasant surprise: the zombie apocalypse has at least been suspended for the moment.

When I heard that San Francisco was hosting APEC, I wondered how they were going to keep those visiting dignitaries safe, their car windows unviolated, or shield them from the offensive sight and smell of human fecal deposits. No doubt we will hear the stories out of the foreign press.

In cities far away, people ask me why the homeless problem is so bad in San Francisco.

Because the local government is corrupt, I explain. They have hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe a billion, locally raised, just to tackle this problem. But they use the money not to create shelter but to buy $20,000 garbage cans and pay $61,000 dollars a year to rent parking spots so that homeless can pitch their tents. Instead of building bathrooms, they create union jobs to clean the feces off the streets.

It is a machine that allows politicians to overpay their friends and the government to create more jobs for people who will serve as loyal political support. The homeless problem is part of the structure of San Francisco’s corrupt political scene.

But this, this arrested zombie apocalypse in the middle of downtown, this suspension of crime, is an interesting development.

Will it continue? Or will the problem they were able to control for this short time come back and allow San Francisco politicians to continue their old ridiculous ways?

I hope this Twilight Zone is here to stay. I’d certainly like to see the old city back.

Top performing mayors: Congratulations to Urdaneta City Mayor Rammy Parayno I was really happy and excited to hear that our city mayor from Urdaneta was among the top performing mayors (4th) in the Ilocos Region. I was born and raised in Urdaneta up to the time my family and I immigrated to the US in 1997, and after I became a US citizen, I applied for dual citizenship, so I treasure my birthplace and my country and anxious to hear developments every now and then.

To me, the news is great, so I ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO would like to devote my column this week to acknowledge his accomplishments in making our city a top-notch city in the region.

I learned of the news through my former high school classmate Mely Parayno in her FB page sharing the survey made by the RPMission and Development Foundation, Inc (RPMD) as published in their website.

RPMD, an NGO, in its official page, released their latest detailed performance evaluation survey of city mayors in the Ilocos region dubbed as “Boses ng Bayan”. Its systematic survey utilized seven key metrics to gauge the effectiveness of mayoral leadership: service delivery, financial stewardship, economic development administration and governance, environmental conservation, social programs, and community involvement.

The independent non-commissioned survey, in their website, showed Mayor Eric Singson of Candon city emerging once again as the “Top Performing City Mayor” with an impressive 93.3% rating.

He was closely followed by Mayor Michael Marcos Keon of Laoag City with a score of 87.5%.

Mayor Bonito Singson of Vigan City claimed the third spot with an 84.8% rating and Mayor Rammy Parayno 111 of Urdaneta City securing the 4th slot with a score of 82.7%. What a great performance, Mayor Rammy! My fellow Urdanetani- (Continue on page 20)

As I See It

A

 OPINION

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS Relatives of Care Home Owners may be petitioned as Caregivers Many people are asking me if they can petition their relatives as caregiver. The answer is yes. It should be one of your option in uniting family.

Relatives are more reliable as workers because of their loyalty to the owner.

Aside from helping them to come to the U.S. you have made your business stronger because they can help you outside the box. Your relatives include your children, grandchildren, siblings, uncle, aunt, cousins, niece, nephew.

Aside from the position of caregiver, you may be able to petition them as skilled worker in the Care Home like administrator or supervisor. The EB3 (Employment Based 3rd Preference) include skilled and other workers.

Caregivers are classified as other workers.

Petitioning caregivers is a long and complex process that you should be aware of. You need to know this to save time and money. This is a very challenging time for those Care Home Facility owners because of the shortage of Caregivers. Many caregivers can be petitioned by the facility owners whether they are coming from the Philippines or already in the United States.

Our Law Firm can handle the process from start to finish. As of this writing the priority for caregivers is May 1, 2020. However, if you are inside the US you can file an adjustment of status based on approved I-140 petition if your priority date is May 1, 2020.

What are the requirements for EB-3 Green Card for Skilled workers, Professionals, or Other Workers?

Answer: The EB-3 green card covers a wide range of applicants and has less stringent requirements compared to the two categories above. To qualify as a skilled worker, you must demonstrate that you have at least two years of job experience or training in the job you are applying through.

To qualify as a professional, you must have at least a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its foreign degree equivalent in the field you are working in.

Other workers are usually unskilled workers who are able to demonstrate the ability to perform unskilled labor that is not seasonal or temporary in nature. Caregivers usually need only three months experience as a caregiver.

What is needed to start a caregiver petition?

Answer: An EB-3 applicant must have a job offer from a U.S. employer and fulfill the PERM Labor Certification requirements, which will likely mean a longer application timeline than other categories where the PERM can be waived.

Note that since some cases require additional paperwork to be filed, it’s best to contact a qualified employment immigration attorney.

What is the processing time for employment based green card?

Answer: The employment-based green card timeline varies depending on the category you qualify for.

Generally, however, here are the steps you need to take if you are working toward getting an employment-based green card: 1.

Have a U.S. Employer 2.

Complete PERM Labor Certification Process: Average of Six to Nine Months Once you have a qualifying job offer and an employer who is ready to sponsor your green card, the next step is to complete the Program for Electronic Review Management (PERM) Labor certification. This is a process that requires your employer to demonstrate that the foreign worker (you) is not taking a job position away from qualified U.S. workers.

What should an employer do to process PERM? Answer: Your employer with the support of an immigration attorney will conduct a recruitment process to ensure that you are not displacing any qualified U.S. workers The PERM can take between six months and a year and a half to obtain depending on whether or not your employer is subjected to an audit. Here is the breakdown of the timeline for PERM Labor processing times: • Prevailing Wage Request: two weeks • Recruitment Process: eight to nine weeks • ETA-9089 Application: 24 weeks After getting approved on the PERM Labor Certification, what is the next step?

Answer: Your employer will need to file a Pettion for Alien Worker Form I-140. Once your Form I-140 is approved, and your priority date becomes current, you can file for an Adjustment of Status by submitting an I-485 form. The I-485 is the last stage along the employment-based green card timeline, but in most cases, it has the longest waiting period. However, you will be issued a work authorization document after submitting Form I-485 in about five months.

Note: This is not legal advice and presented for educational purposes only. Our office successfully obtained a green card for caregivers.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 1.

PETITION FOR CAREGIVERS Our Law Firm entered into agreement with Care Home Facilities in the U.S. to process applicants for Caregivers in the US You may qualify if you six months experience as Caregivers Applicants Inside the United States or in the Philippines or other countries may qualify.

Bankruptcy Basics We also process Bankruptcy cases.

1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing bankruptcy will make your credit even worse until most of your debts are paid.

If you have immigration problems the Law Offices of Crispin C. Lozano can help you find a solution DOJ SELLER OR TRAVEL # 2025230-40 before your problem gets worse, which could lead to deportation and family separation.

November 16-22, 2023

12

Maharlika fund chief lists 4 investment pillars TAGUIG CITY – Newly-appointed Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC) president and chief executive officer Rafael Jose Consing Jr. has identified four priority areas where the sovereign fund will be poured into.

Consing said the four investment pillars include tourism infrastructure, building agricultural urbanism, energy, and information and communications technology (ICT).

“If you look at all four pillars, the common thread of these four pillars of investment is really generating employment and socioeconomic development, or being able to meet the socio-economic development goals of the Philippines, of the government,” he said in his first press briefing as MIC chief in Taguig City.

In particular, Consing said he is keen on putting the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) in the infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) of the government, 38 of which fall under public-private partnership (PPP).

For tourism infrastructure, the MIC chief named four airport projects that he considers vital. These include the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Laoag Internation-

MEET THE PRESS. Newly-appointed Maharlika Investment Corp. president and chief execu�ve officer Rafael Jose Consing Jr. answers ques�on from the media in a press briefing at the Manila House in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City on Wednesday (Nov. 15, 2023).

Consing names four investment pillars of the sovereign development fund.

al Airport Development Project, and the upgrading of the Laguindingan Airport.

In terms of energy projects, Consing mentioned the rehabilitation of two hydropower projects including the Agus-Pulangi and the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan hydropower plants.

He added that investing in agri-urbanization projects should ensure that food security would be prioritized apart from building residential units.

On the other hand, Consing has yet to mention specific ICT projects for potential investments from the MIF.

 ENTERTAINMENT

November 16-22, 2023

14

FilAm Olivia Rodrigo gets 6 nominations in Grammy Awards 2024 Multi-awarded FilipinoAmerican singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo is in Cloud 9 again.

The reason: She got six nominations in the Grammy Awards 2024 and prospects are bright that she may win in most of the nominations.

The California-born Olivia Isabel Rodrigo was nominated the big three general fields -- Album of the Year for her sophomore album “GUTS” and both Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her

comeback single “vampire.”

Reports from California showed “GUTS” is also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album while “vampire” got a nod for Best Pop Solo Performance.

She also got a surprise nomination for “ballad of a homeschooled girl” under the Best Rock Song category, according to an ABS-CBN report.

Olivia, 20, credited her producer Dan Nigro — nominated for Producer of the Year,

Non-Classical — for the success of her latest album.

“6 grammy noms today ... what an incredible honor to be recognized by the recording academy in this way. grateful is an understatement!!!!! and huge congrats to @dan_nigro for his producer of the year nom, there’s no one more deserving!! second slide is me rn!!!!!” she said in an Instagram post.

Olivia already has three Grammy Awards, including the coveted Best New Artist, under

her belt.

She also bagged the Best Pop Solo Performance for her debut single “drivers license,” while “SOUR” was named Best Pop Vocal Album in 2022.

Two other Filipino Americans, H.E.R. of California and Bruno Mars of Hawaii - also won big awards in 2022.

In 2022, Olivia, then 19, a singer, composer and actress known as the breakout superstar, romped off with three awards, namely, the Best New Artist award, Best Pop Solo

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Performance for “Drivers License” and Best Pop Vocal Album for her debut album, “Sour.”

Award-winning R&B singer and musician H.E.R. received her fifth Grammy Award when she took home the award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Fight For You,” for which she had already won a Golden Globe award, Critics’ Choice award, and an Academy Award.

Multi-talented Hawaiibased Bruno Mars, who had many individual and group awards in previous events, this time won the Record of the Year trophy for the song “Leave the Door Open,” the sultry soulful lead single Mars released as one-half of Silk Sonic, his current collaboration with musician Anderson .Paak.

Olivia, who performed her breakout hit “Drivers License” early in the show, won the coveted Best New Artist award which she acknowledged in her acceptance speech, “This is my biggest dream come true.”

In another speech after winning Best Pop Vocal Album, Olivia dedicated her award to her parents.

“When I was 9 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a gymnast even though I could barely do a cartwheel. She thought I was joking, but I was super defensive. So the next week when I told her I was going to win a Grammy, she was very supportive even though she probably thought it was just a little kid pipe dream,” she recounted.

Olivia, whose father is Filipino, added: “I want to thank my mom and dad for being equally as proud of me for winning a Grammy as they were when I learned how to do a back walkover.”

Olivia, who hails from Temecula, California and is also an actress on the Disney Channel, was actually nominated for seven awards, including all four major categories, like Record of the Year.

15 November 16-22, 2023

 ENTERTAINMENT

QCinema Int’l Film Festival opens Nov. 17 in QC theaters; Oscars entries to join

In its eleventh year, the QCinema International Film Festival continues to grow as a major player in the international festival scene, adding new sections and new programs that aim to elevate every Filipino festival-goer’s experience.

This year’s edition of QCinema has again some of the most acclaimed films on the festival circuit in its lineup, including festival award-winners and Oscars entries.

The opening film is the Golden Lion winner in this year’s prestigious Venice Film Festival — Poor Things.

Headlined by Emma Stone, this astonishing new feature by Yorgos Lanthimos is a dark sexy comedy, set in Victorian-era London, about a resurrected woman who embarks on a fantastical journey in reinventing herself.

Director Lanthimos is no stranger to QCinema where his Killing of a Sacred Deer had its Asian premiere in 2018.

Closing the festival is The Breaking Ice by Anthony Chen, Singapore’s entry to the 2024 Academy Awards.

The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section, highlighting emerging art-house directors and daring films. The Generation Z drama follows the relationships of three tourists over a snowy city.

Director Anthony Chen had also been part of our festival with his 2018 film, The Wet Season, as QCinema’s closing film that year.

Competition sections The 10-day festival, slated from November 17 to 26, also features 63 other titles, divided in 10 sections, including three competition sections.

Its main competition section, the Asian Next Wave, has 10 directorial debuts from Asian filmmakers. The section includes Cannes, Venice, and Udine award-winners and two Oscars entries.

These films vying for a Pylon Award are Abang Adik

by Jin Ong, Gitling by Jopy Arnaldo, Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell by Thien An Pham, Last Shadow At First Light by Nicole Midori Woodford, Love Is A Gun

by Lee Hong-chi, Mimang by Kim Tae-yang, Solids By The Seashore by Patiparn Boontarig, and Tiger Stripes by Amanda Nell Eu. Abang Adik won at the Udine’s Far East Film Festival the Golden Mulberry audience award, the Black Dragon Critics’ prize, and best first feature. Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell won the Caméra d’Or or Best Feature Film at Cannes. Love Is A Gun is the first Taiwanese film to win the best first feature at the Venice International Film Festival. Tiger Stripes won Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Gitling is Cinemalaya’s Best Screenplay winner.

Its two other competition sections are for short films, which are QCShorts and QCSEA. QCShorts, a festival mainstay, features films that received generous grants from QCinema. These are A Catholic School Girl by Myra Angeline Soriaso, Abutan Man Tayo ng Houselights by Apa Agbayani, Animal Lovers by Aedrian Araojo, Microplastics by Lino Balmes, Tamgohoy by Roxlee, and Tumatawa, Umiiyak by Che Tagyamon.

QCSEA, a fresh section, includes 10 shorts from Southeast Asia. The films are Basri And Salma In A NeverEnding Comedy by Khozy Rizal, Buoyant by Toan Thanh Doan and Hoang-Phuc Nguyen-Le, Cross My Heart And Hope To Die by Sam Manacsa, Dominion by Bea Mariano, Hito by Stephen Lopez, I Look Into The Mirror And Repeat Myself by Giselle Lin, Kung nga-a Conscious ang mga Alien sang ila Skincare (The Thing About Aliens And Their Skin Care) by Seth Andrew Blanca and Niño Maldecir, The Altar by Moe Myat May Zarchi, and When You Left Me On That Boulevard by Kayla Abuda Galang.

Exhibition sections The much-awaited Screen International, New Horizons, Restored Classics, RainbowQC, Special Screenings, and Before Midnight also have something for every cinephile.

Screen International, which features works from

world-renowned directors, has the best films from the most distinguished film festivals.

These include Locarno Golden Leopard winner Critical Zone by Ali Ahmadzadeh and Special Jury Prize winner Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

by Radu Jude.

Venice Grand Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Award winner Evil Does not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi is also in this year’s Screen International.

This section also has Cannes Jury Prize winner at the Palme d’Or Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, and Best Director winner The Taste of Things by Trần Anh. Also in this section is Berlin Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Afire by Christian Petzold. Completing the lineup are Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers and Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević.

In New Horizons, five films, all directorial debuts, make up the section.

These are City Of Wind by Lkhagvadulam PurevOchir, Foremost By Night by Victor Iriarte, Scrapperby Charlotte Regan, Through The Night by Delphine Girard, and Women From Rote Island by Jeremias Nyangoen.

Scrapper is the Grand Jury Prize winner for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Restored Classics, a regular QCinema crowd-drawer, has Wong Kar-wai classics Chungking Express and Fallen Angels by Wong Kar-wai. Also included are Enter the Dragon by Robert Clouse and A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick This year’s RainbowQC, one of the most distinctive sections this side of Southeast Asia, has four show-stoppers.

These are Mutt by Vuk Langulov-Klotz, Passages by

Ira Sachs, Peter Von Kant by François Ozon, and Woman Of… by Michał Englert and Małgorzata Szumowska.

Mutt’s Lío Mehiel won the Special Jury Award for Best Acting at Sundance.

Lav Diaz returns to QCinema at the Special Screenings section with his film Essential Truths of The Lake.

Other films are Daaaaaali! by Quentin Dupieux, FOE

by Garth Davis, Irreversible: Straight Cut by Gaspar Noé, Karaoke by Moshe Rosenthal, Only the River Flows by Wei Shujun, Raging Grace by Paris Zarcilla, Under Special Screenings is another shorts program, which is LGBTQ shorts. The program includes QCShorts 2022 Best Picture BOLD EAGLE by Whammy Alcazaren and Gender Sensitivity Awardee the river that never ends by JT Trinidad. It will also have Strange Way of Life

by Pedro Almodóvar.

Before Midnight’s 2023 lineup includes Hungry Ghost Diner by We Jun Cho, Femme by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, River by Junta Yamaguchi, and Red Rooms by Pascal Plante This year also witnessed the rebirth of QCinema’s documentary section. Now called QCDox, the section has three interesting real-life stories. These are Divine Factory by Joseph Mangat, Nowhere Near by Miko Revereza, and National Anarchist: Lino Brocka by Khavn.

The films Afire, City Of Wind, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Fallen Leaves, Perfect Days, Sweet Dreams, Tiger Stripes, The Breaking Ice, and The Taste of Things are their respective countries’ Academy Awards submissions.

Screenings will be held at the cinemas of Gateway Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Shangrila Plaza, and Power Plant Mall. Tickets are at 300 pesos each with discounts for QCitizens, senior citizens, PWDs, and students.

 SPORTS

November 16-22, 2023

16

Pacquiao peps up Paris Olympics-bound Eumir Marcial MAKATI CITY - World boxing icon and eight-division world boxing champion Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao personally congratulated Paris Olympic-bound fighter Eumir Felix Marcial for winning a silver medal in the 19th Asian Games in China.

In their meeting in Pacquiao’s posh mansion at Forbes Park in Makati City, the retired boxing champion gave a much-needed pep up to Marcial, one of his proteges.

Marcial said he was thankful for Pacquiao’s support. In posts on his Instagram page, Marcial said the former senator is proud of his qualification to the upcoming Olympic Games.

“My ultimate idol @mannypacquiao is extremely happy and proud that I qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he wrote.

Pacquiao himself wanted to fight for the Philippines in the Paris Olympics but he has to hurdle many regulations, although the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has endorsed his bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Last month, the POC made a “special request” to the IOC to allow boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to fight at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the age of 45.

In a letter to the IOC, the POC seeks approval for the only eight weight division world champion in the history of the sport would be able to compete.

Pacquiao faces stumbling blocks as the maximum age limit for Olympic boxers is 40.

If given an exemption, he would need to book his Paris spot

through one of two qualification tournaments which are taking place next year in Italy and Thailand.

Another route for Pacquiao could be receiving a universality place from the IOC which are normally reserved for countries whose boxers struggle to qualify.

Four spots are available in the Paris 2024 men’s event in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.

Pacquiao, one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time, said he would not be too old to compete.

“I am grateful to the Philippine Olympic Committee, under the leadership of Abraham Tolentino, for making a recommendation to the IOC to process my eligibility to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” he said.

“I believe it is not too late to fulfil my dream of bringing home a boxing gold medal from the Olympics for the Philippines.”

Pacquiao congratulated Marcial for becoming the first Filipino boxer to qualify for the Paris Games after reaching the Asiad final, an Olympic continental qualifier.

The 28-year-old boxer from Zamboanga City got boxing tips from Pacquiao during their meetup at his Forbes Park mansion in Makati City.

“He (Marcial) was congratulated by the senator personally after bagging a silver medal in the Asian Games and making it to the Olympics for the second time,” International matchmaker Sean Gibbons said. “The living legend Pacquiao was so

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excited to see him, he also gave Eumir some boxing tips.”

Gibbons said Pacquiao is planning to set up a pro fight in an undetermined venue in Manila for Marcial — one of Marcial’s possible two scheduled pro bouts — before competing in the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11.

“The Asiad silver medalist, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist just met with Viva Manny Pacquiao, he presented him the silver medal, and the big news was the senator wants to do a fight here in Manila, maybe in February to be sponsored by the Manny Pacquiao Promotions,” Gibbons added.

Fil-Dutch bags 2 golds, silver; PHL 3rd overall in Asian Masters Athletics tourney

GOLD WINNER. Netherlands-based Rachel de Weerd wins gold for the Philippines in the 45-49 category of the women’s 5,000-meter run in the 22nd Asian Masters Athle�cs Championships at the New Clark City Athle�cs Stadium in Capas, Tarlac on Nov. 11, 2023. She also won gold in the 10,000m and a silver in the 4X100m relay event.

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – Netherlands-based Filipina marathoner Rachel de Weerd defied slight fever to win two golds and a silver medal for the Team Philippines in the 22nd Asian Masters Athletics Championships held from Nov. 8 to 12 at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

De Weerd, a native of Ifugao who migrated to The Netherlands in 2001 after she and her Dutch partner, Jan, got married in the same year, won her first gold medal after dominating the 45-49 category of the women’s 5,000-meter race on Saturday.

Rachel finished the race in 21 minutes and 00.28 seconds to beat Tehereh Behkam of Iran who won silver in 25:34.04 and Sidhu Renu Kaur of India who settled for bronze with a time of 27:04.88, PNA’s Jelly Musico reported.

The Philippines finished third overall with 42 gold, 41 silver and 35 bronze medals behind India (70-63-82) and Japan (58-25-18).

Completing the top 10 countries are China (40-32-26), Malaysia (29-41-29), Thailand (29-22-16), Kazakhstan (27-13-8), Sri Lanka (25-34-25), Iran (22-19-12) and Mongolia (21-2431) On Sunday, Rachel bagged her second gold medal in the 10,000m with a time of 42:54.17, way ahead of Irina Salykova of Kazakhstan (45:12.07) and Kaur (55:11.87), who won silver and bronze medals, respectively.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

November 16-22, 2023

18

Filipino human rights advocates in US applaud De Lima release from jail

By Jun Nucum SAN FRANCISCO - Resounding cheers

by Filipino human rights groups in the U.S. greeted the release of Senator Leila de Lima from jail on bail calling it a triumph of justice from political persecution.

In a statement by the Filipino American Human Rights Alliance (FAHRA)-USA by its San Francisco Chapter President Ago Pedalizo, the militant organization rejoices over the hard-won freedom by former Senator De Lima who was “politically persecuted by the Duterte for her unyielding conviction to resist extrajudicial killings and uphold rule of law.

She suffered terribly but persevered and won ultimately.

“This is a great victory of justice over injustice in the Philippines. Once in a while, justice persists despite the control of the elements of injustices. Filipino-Americans lobbied for the enactment of the Magnitsky Act in the US Congress in light of the atrocities in the past regime, and in part, in support of the former Senator,” Pedalizo added.

FAHRA also cited the much-needed support even from outside the Philippines particularly American Senators Dick Durbin and Ed Markey who issued a statement welcoming “this long overdue decision and call on any remaining bogus charges to be dropped once and for all. Her eloquent words upon release about defending democracy and truth and not succumbing to hate amid repression are an inspiration to all of us. We look forward to hosting her soon for a visit to the United States Senate.”

As they delight in the decision of the court, FAHRA vowed to continue to fight that justice be served to those who made her suffer and her vindication will be complete even

as they wish de Lima all the best in her new found freedom for almost seven years of delayed justice and illegal detention. They also admired de Lima’s unwavering commitment to truth and justice, even in the face of grave adversity that served as a testament to her strength and integrity.

The continued fight for justice mentioned in the FAHRA statement is not lost with foremost Filipino defender of de Lima lawyer Rodel Rodis as he claimed that it is totally shameful that it lasted this long that she was in jail before being allowed to be released on bail.

“The people who put her there should be the one in jail because they are responsible for the mass murder of thousands of young Filipinos primarily boys who have been falsely accused of being drug pushers when they maybe just ordinary users,” Rodis said.

“They should not have been tortured and murdered with impunity calling attention to that injustice that also brought de Lima in prison unjustly.”

Rodis continued that the release was long in coming “but we should still celebrate people’s exerted effort to right the injustice.”

Akbayan North America through its National Coordinator and Member of the National Council of the Akbayan Party in the Philippines Edwin Batongbacal called the de Lima release as a victorious moment in the fight for justice and echoed the continued call for justice saying “the fight is not yet over.”

“Former President Rodrigo Duterte must be brought to justice for vindictively fabricating the charges against De Lima in malicious retaliation for her courageous opposition to the thousands of unjust state-sponsored extrajudicial killings perpetrated on his instigation during his presidency. Duterte and his min-

Akbayan North America through its Na�onal Coordinator and Member of the Na�onal Council of the Akbayan Party in the Philippines Edwin Batongbacal

Filipino American Human Rights Alliance (FAHRA)USA San Francisco Chapter President Ago Pedalizo

ions must be held accountable and face the consequences of their grave crimes against humanity,” Batongbacal said.

Former Senator de Lima was released from the custodial facility of the Philippine National Police’s headquarters in Camp Crame to comply with Muntinlupa Court 26 decision to grant her petition for bail.

“After six years, eight months, and 24 days, sweet, sweet freedom. Thank you, Lord,” said de Lima who was arrested in 2017 for drug allegations and jailed although she vehemently maintained her innocence and repeatedly denied the three drug charges leveled against her.

De Lima has already been cleared from two out of the three cases filed against her after she was first acquitted in February 2021 and after one of the three cases filed against her was junked by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205.

Foremost De Lima defender in the U.S. A�y. Rodel Rodis

The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 likewise cleared both de Lima and former aide Ronnie Dayan last May 12 on charges related to the illegal drug trade.

“He knows what he did to me; God forgive him,” was what the message of de Lima to former President Rodrigo Duterte after her release.

Lawyer Boni Tacordon announced that Muntinlupa City Regional Trial though Presiding Judge Gener M. Gito has granted detained former senator Leila de Lima’s bail plea for her remaining drug case after “motions for reconsideration of the concerned accused are granted.”

De Lima was allowed to post bail in the amount of P300,000 the same bail amount each for co-accused former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu, de Lima’s former aide Ronnie Dayan, de Lima’s former security aide Joenel Sanchez and Jad Dera.

Rain and Wind Throughout Northern California Serves as Reminder to Practice Winter Storm Safety OAKLAND, Calif. — A November storm is bringing rain and wind to much of Northern California and serves as a reminder of the importance of winter storm safety.

Rain and winds are expected to impact the Bay Area, Monterey Bay and North Coast on Tuesday, November 14. Showers and possible isolated thunderstorms will continue to be experienced across Northern and Central California through Friday or as late as Saturday of this week. In addition, dirt and dust can build up on equipment throughout the year. The first of rains of the season, or even heavy mist or fog, can turn this accumulated dirt and dust to mud, which can conduct electricity and lead to outages and in some cases, small pole fires.

PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts, historical data and system knowledge to predict where and when storm impacts will be most severe.

This model enables the company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to enable rapid response to outages.

PG&E is urging its customers to take the necessary steps to be prepared and stay safe throughout the winter.

Safety Tips Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800743-5002.

Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.

Have a backup phone: If you have a tele-

phone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup.

Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/ freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.

Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.

Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to pre-

vent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.

Safely clean up: After the inclement weather has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 811 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked.

Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

Clean California transforms blighted SFO vacant lot into nursery and education center SAN FRANCISCO — Governor Gavin Newsom joined state and local leaders in unveiling a state-of-the-art tree nursery and education center at a previously vacant, blighted lot near a highly visible intersection in San Francisco.

This is one of 3,275 Clean California sites cleaned statewide under the Governor’s $1.2 billion, multiyear effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs and engage communities to revitalize public spaces.

The $3.5 million revitalization project highlighted today was designed in partnership with Caltrans, the San Francisco Department of Public Works and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Governor Newsom announced a major milestone for Clean

California: since its launch in July 2021, Caltrans has cleared more than 2 million cubic yards of litter from California roadways – enough litter to span the length of the Golden Gate Bridge 670 times – and the program has employed 8,700 people.

“Back when I was Mayor of San Francisco, this particular state-owned site was always a source of frustration – we could never seem to keep it clean and we couldn’t get the state to engage. That’s why we made it a priority for Clean California – and why I’m especially excited for today’s milestone. This once blighted area that serves as a vital gateway to San Francisco has been transformed into a landscape that all San Franciscans and Californians can be proud of.” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

Located at the intersection of Interstate 80 and 5th Street in San Francisco, this active tree nursery

will offer visitors unique opportunities to learn about the benefits of trees for people and the environment, including the chance to engage with arborists.

“The opening of our first City-run street tree nursery is important for so many reasons,” said San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed. “First, we’re nurturing home-grown trees instead of outsourcing them from so many miles away. This means we’re emitting less carbon in the process and stepping closer towards our climate goals. Second, we’re making sure we can better prioritize new trees in neighborhoods that have historically been left out from these investments so that all San Franciscans can have access to cleaner air, more green spaces, and a healthier environment. I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for committing funding to this project last year, and all of our State partners at Caltrans,

CalFire, and the California Natural Resources Agency for making today a reality.”

Last week, Caltrans unveiled another Clean California project in San Francisco, along 4th Street between Yerba Buena Gardens and the Moscone Transit Center. And last month, Governor Newsom announced the latest round of Clean California grants to cities, local governments and transit agencies throughout the state, which included $3.3 million to clean transit stations and bus stops throughout San Francisco.

Clean California has helped individuals overcome barriers to employment, including 357 people who had been experiencing homelessness, and has drawn more than 10,000 volunteers to events ranging from community cleanups to large debris collections for appliances, tires and mattresses.

19 November 16-22, 2023

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Voting begins on new rail line name WALNUT PARK, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is inviting the public help to rename the “West Santa Ana Branch” rail line project. The much-anticipated Metro light rail line will connect ten cities in Southeast Los Angeles County and 1.4 million residents with accessible and reliable transit to downtown Los Angeles, but the name has long confused the public and has held back enthusiasm and support for the project. Supervisor Hahn has led an effort at Metro to rename the project and, starting today, the public will get to vote on the new name.

The planned rain line will run through Artesia, Cerritos, Paramount, Bellflower, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park, Vernon to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. While the West Santa Ana Branch name carries historical significance, it has led to confusion because the line neither connects to the City of Santa Ana, nor is it west of most of Los Angeles County.

“This rail line is going to make a huge difference in the lives of residents from Artesia all the way to Huntington Park, but few people know about it because the name is so terrible,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “So, we’re picking a new name that people can get behind and connect with. Thank you to everyone who submitted one of the over 1,200 ideas we received. Now it’s up to the public to vote for their favorites and help us ‘Name That Train’.”

“I’m excited to finally have a replacement name for the West Santa Ana Branch that properly represents and connects with the communities it will serve,” said Whittier Mayor Pro Tem Fernando Dutra, who serves as 2nd Vice Chair on the Metro

Board. “I appreciate the enthusiastic response from all the individuals that participated.”

In the first part of the Name That Train contest, residents living up and down the line’s route submitted over 1,200 possible names for consideration and a panel of judges selected 12 finalists: Calafia: the mythical queen after which California—first thought to be the “Island of California”—is named.

Esperanza: “Hope” in Spanish. This project rep-

resents the aspirations of 1.4 million residents for improved mobility, better opportunities, and an enhanced quality of life.

Gateway Cities: This line will serve most of the Gateway Cities, making these communities more accessible to the rest of LA County and helping unify a regional identity.

Los Angeles Gateway: The Gateway Cities region will finally have a direct transit connection to the heart of Los Angeles.

Los Rios: This line will run along and cross our major rivers, including the San Gabriel River, the Los Angeles River and its Rio Hondo tributary.

Pioneer: Pioneer Blvd. runs through the heart of Artesia, the line’s terminus. This project also represents a new frontier for the communities it will serve.

Pórtico: A portico is a door, a gateway to something new. This line will offer the Gateway Cities a portal to a brighter future.

Ruta Segura: “Safe Route” in Spanish. This project will give many new public transit users the confidence to travel on the Metro system.

Southeast: This line will serve not only Southeast Los Angeles but also most of Southeast Los Angeles County. Check the compass at Union Station; this line goes due Southeast.

Southeast Gateway: The communities of SELA and the Southeast LA County region—also known as the Gateway Cities—will have a gateway to DTLA. The Heartland Connection: This line will provide a connection to the heart of the Metro system for the millions of residents of the Southeast Los Angeles County communities.

Tongva: The Tongva—whose name means “People of the Earth”—are the original inhabitants of the land that today is Southeast Los Angeles County.

The online public vote at RenameWSAB.com launches on November 15, 2023 and will close on December 17, 2023. Anyone can vote for their top three choices, ranked in order of preference. Votes are limited to one per person. The name with the most votes will be selected and announced in January 2024.

How to get rid of your credit card debts Credit card companies made it so easy for us to use the cards but we are stuck with having to struggle to make more than the minimum payment to actually pay down the debts.

1. Find a payment strategy or two Pay more than minimum Credit card issuers give you a handy monthly minimum payment, generally 2% to 3% of the balance, to make sure you’re making timely payments. However, banks make money off the interest they charge each pay period, so the longer it takes you to pay, the more money they make.

Debt snowball The snowball method of paying down your debt uses your sense of accomplishment as motivation.

You prioritize your loans by amount, focusing on the smallest one first. When you’ve paid off that loan, you roll that payment into the amount you’re contributing toward your next smallest loan, and so on. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, you’ll gradually make bigger and bigger payments, ultimately eliminating your debt.

Debt avalanche Similar to the snowball approach, an avalanche approach swaps your priorities. Instead of paying off the card with the lowest balance first, you pay off the card with the highest interest. It tends to be a faster, and cheaper, method than snowballing.

Automate Automating your payments is an easy way to make sure your debts are being paid so you avoid racking up additional costs in late fees. If you’re practicing a debt snowball or debt avalanche approach, however, you will have to be a little more hands on to make sure you’re contributing exactly what you want to each account.

2. Consider debt consolidation If your credit is good but your debt payments feel overwhelming, consider consolidating them into one account. That way, you only have to make one payment each month to chip away at the balance.

0% balance transfer credit card It might seem counterintuitive to apply for a credit card when your main goal is to get out of credit card debt, but 0% balance transfer cards can help save

you money in the long run. Find a card that offers a long 0% introductory period — preferably 15 to 18 months — and transfer all of your outstanding credit card debt to that one account. You’ll have one simple payment each month, and you won’t pay interest.

If you apply for this, remember your goal is to pay the loan off before the end of the term. By getting a 0% rate you will avoid all the interest being charged by the previous credit card company.

Personal loans Similarly, you can take out a fixed-rate debt consolidation loan to pay off your debt. Though you will have to pay interest, interest rates for personal loans tend to be lower than for credit cards, which can still help you save some extra cash. Use a debt consolidation calculator to estimate your savings.

3. Work with your creditors Reach out to your creditors to explain your situation. A credit card issuer may be willing to negotiate payment terms or offer a hardship program, especially if you’re a longtime customer with a good track record of payments.

If your issuer offers a hardship program, it may provide relief when circumstances beyond your control like unemployment or illness impact your ability to manage payments. Whether you negotiate with your issuer or accept the terms of a hardship program, either option could lead to more affordable interest rates or waived fees, depending on the issuer.

These small changes might be just enough to help you get a handle on your debt, and the worst that can happen is they say no.

4. Seek help through debt relief If the total amount you owe is more than you can pay each month and you’re really struggling to get your debt under control, it may be time to take some more serious steps. Consider debt relief options, such as bankruptcy or a debt management plan.

Debt management plan Debt management plans are created with the help of a nonprofit credit counseling agency. Counselors negotiate new terms with your creditors and consolidate your credit card debt. You’ll then pay the counseling agency a fixed rate each month. Your credit accounts may be closed, and you may have to forgo new ones for a period of time.

Bankruptcy Filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy wipes out unsecured debt such as credit cards, but not without consequence. Chapter 13 bankruptcy can help you restructure your debts into a payment plan over 3 to 5 years and may be best if you have assets you want to retain. It can stay on your credit report for 7 to 10 years, though your credit score is likely to bounce back in the months after filing. Some debts, such as student loans and tax debt, typically can’t be erased

in bankruptcy.

Debt settlement Under debt settlement, a creditor agrees to accept less than the amount you owe. Even though it may sound like a good deal, it’s not an option for most people. Typically, you hire a debt settlement com-

pany to negotiate with your creditors on your behalf.

Read more details on how debt settlement works and the risks you face.

Thanks for your inquiries, call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group 562-508-7048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net CABRE 010212S 238636

November 16-22, 2023

As I See It

(From Page 11)

ans here in the US surely are very proud of your performance! My group in Southern California, the The Global Urdanetanians (TGU) and The Original Urdanetanians (TOU) based in San Diego are proud of you and all our Urdaneta alumni abroad from the four high schools in Urdaneta (Urdaneta City National High School (UCNHS); UCNHS Barrio High Schools; Our Lady of the Lilies Academy (OLLA); and the Divine Word College of Urdaneta (DWCU) are really proud of you especially my high school batch ’65.

Mayor Ayoy Resuelto of San Carlos City came in 5th with 80.2%; Mayor Art Bryan Celeste of Alaminos City ranked 6th with a 79.6% and Mayor Belen Fernandez of Dagupan City ranked 7th with a 75.9%. Mayors Albert Chua of Batac City and Dong Gualberto of San Fernando city tied for 8th place scoring 73.1%and 72.7% respectively.

This comprehensive assessment by RPMD highlights the dedication and effective governance of these city mayors in the Ilocos Region, showcasing their commitment and service to their communities/ constituents.

The performance evaluation encompassed various dimensions, yardsticks of a mayor’s role and policy outcomes. Service delivery to their constituents were based on the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of public service they extend to their communities.

As to financial stewardship, their actions were evaluated through their management efficiency of city budgets, financial transparency, and the effective use of taxpayers funds. Job creation efforts, business environment enhancement and sustainable growth, on the other \ hand, are gauged through economic development or the impact in the economy.

Criteria for leadership and governance were focused on the mayor’s vision, decision-making skills, and ethical standards while environmental conservation were examined via their initiatives for sustainability and public education in environmental issues. The reach and impact of social programs were also evaluated for their inclusivity an effectiveness.

Lastly, community involvement was assessed based on how the mayors engaged themselves with the residents and incorporated their feedback into governance.

I agree with Dr. Paul Martinez, a Global Affairs Analyst and the Executive Director of RPMD who emphasized the importance of these evaluations in promoting democratic accountability and responsible governance to be advocated for continuing assessment of mayors across the Philippines to foster accountability, transparency, continuous improvement, and high governance standards. This type of assessments should be replicated in the whole country to be able to encourage better local governance and better service to the community.

The “City Mayors-Ilocos Region” report is part of the more extensive RPMD’s “Boses ng Byan” national survey conducted from September 20 - 30, 2023. The survey, with a +1 percent margin of error and a 95% confidence interval, involved 10,000 registered voters from diverse areas. The selection process ensured a representative sample, matching the official electoral population demographics for accuracy and representation.

As I See It, “Boses ng Bayan” should be implemented nationwide!

The Outsider

(From Page 11)

“I can say that the PMA is a bastion of idealism. Everytime an alumnus returns to PMA, he experiences goose bumps. One is reminded to always follow the right path because the cadet corps is always a magnet for idealism. The magic is never lost in embracing love for country, serving the nation with professionalism and idealism will always be there. And it’s nice to be back home to thank also my alma mater that prepared me for the challenges that I have faced all these years in going up the ladder.”

Take a bow Gen. Jun Acorda. Our esteemed salute to the PNP Chief!!!

Health & Wealth...

(From Page 11)

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For your autographed paperback copies of the four books, just send $10 (in check or money order) to: ART G. MADLAING, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112. You can order extra copies for your FRANC (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Co-Workers).

This Special Offer is only good in the United States until December 31, 2023.

(ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker in California since 1981. He is founder of MOBILE 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. He can be reached at (650) 4383531 or (415)584-7095 or email: artmadlaing@hotmail.com)

20

Thousands stage anti-APEC rally ahead of summit opening in SanFo

By Cesar Antonio Nucum Jr. SAN FRANCISCO - Thousands of people took to the streets and held a rally at the Harry Bridges Plaza in Embarcadero in San Francisco to oppose the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meetings as thousands of heads of state, diplomats, and corporate representatives arrive to the city for the annual event.

At the Plaza, No to APEC activists were joined by other rallyists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas forces and their rally speakers together took turns in lambasting the forthcoming APEC meeting and the continuing hostilities in Gaza.

The rally of the No to APEC Coalition, representing over 100 grassroots organizations from around the US, was punctuated by chants of No to APEC, shut shut shut down APEC, from the river to the sea Palestine will be free, people united will never be defeated, “from Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine slogans.

After holding the initial Embarcadero rally and hearing speeches, the participants organized their ranks before marching through Market Street in downtown San Francisco towards a corner in 5th street to get as near as possible to Moscone Center, the APEC venue.

In an interview, Malaya Movement USA National Vice Chair Audine Tayag who came all the way from Southern California said she was very proud of the mass action estimated to have been joined by around 3,000 participants.

“This is a gathering of organization from different movements from numerous countries apart from the Philippines like Myanmar, Palestine and South Korea, among others. This is a strong collective effort from these different countries,” saidTayag who added other Filipino organizations represented were from Filipino American Human Rights Alliance (FAHRA), MIGRANTE USA, GABRIELA USA, BAYAN, LFS-SFSU, among others.

Tayag explained that the Malaya movement is against APEC be-

Upside...

cause it is trying to facilitate trade agreements that ultimately only benefit foreign corporations and foreign countries like the US leaving countries like the Philippines with the short end of the stick.

“Philippine President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. has promised that these agreements will result to benefits and positive enrichments for the Philippines but until now there is no fruition from all those so-called those benefits or those promises,” Tayag stressed.

“Essentially, in being part of APEC, he is opening up the Philippines territory, our sovereignty for multinational corporations and other foreign governments to take advantage of leaving us Filipinos at a disadvantage and more vulnerable to force migration.”

Tayag added that part of APEC focus now are workers in the technology industry which she believes is just a cover to say that women from other countries will benefit from more technological innovations and investments that they in Malaya claim is not true for it really leads to lower wages, unbearable working conditions, people in Third World countries being exploited by these technology monsters and giants.

“We are here to say no more of that, no more of this race to the bottom resulting to having low-paid Filipinos, and mistreated in terms of overall labor management. Free trade agreements have historically been extremely harmful to the Philippines, as they benefit other countries, always produces policies that open up the Philippines by slashing protections for workers and for the environment,” Tayag disclosed.

“We are here to say that the Filipino people are not for that anymore.

We have to stand up for dignified work, dignified living.

For her part, coalition spokesperson and convenor Rhonda Ramiro echoed Tayag’s claim that APEC’s free trade agenda will “harm millions of workers, women, and migrants in the US and across the Asia-Pacific, yet those who will be most impacted are not at the table.”

“We organized this counter(From Page 10)

I had watched from afar as the May 2022 Philippine presidential campaign unfolded and saw the hope and joy in some as well as discord and recrimination in other rallies.

I’m reminded of President Cory Aquino’s statement about being “magnanimous in victory” after she was declared winner against your father as I wait for you to set the tone now that you have been proclaimed leader of your country.

I wish there were opportunity to speak to you about your plans for “women,” among issues you cited for “engaging with leaders” of APEC in your pre-departure speech in Manila.

In your arrival remarks in South San Francisco you pointed to Filipinos’ good reputation as hard workers as the reason why we are in demand for employment of every level.

You sound so much like your father and are beginning to look a lot like him.

I wonder if your legacy will mirror his or if your lived experience in exile has brought you enlightenment.

History will tell. *** Cherie M. Querol Moreno is Executive Editor of Philippine News Today, Manager of Got Wheels! Transportation Program Manager of Peninsula Family Service and Founder-Executive Director of ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment.

Crowd shot at Harry Bridges Plaza in Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Filipina Women’s Groups Gabriela members serenade the rally crowd with protest song.

Some of the placards used in the rally at Embarcadero summit and mass mobilizations to expose APEC’s false solutions and build a movement to address the very real crises of climate change, economic crisis, and militarization,” Ramiro said.

“APEC is simply a tool of big business and the ruling elite to increase their profits at the expense of people and the planet,” said Brandon Lee of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines. “Contrary to the city’s branding, APEC will not be epic. It will be a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars and it will only result in further worker exploitation and environmental destruction.”

The protesters also voiced their opposition to the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a massive new free trade agreement that would set the rules for 40% of the world’s economy while IPEF members held talks in San Francisco in the week leading up to the APEC Leaders Meetings.

The “Indo-Pacific Economic Framework’’ (or “IPEF”) proposed for this year’s Summit is projected to negatively impact millions of American workers as a result of increased outsourcing and workforce downsizing, as well as millions abroad through cuts to social programs, corporate land grabs, and loosening of labor protections.

The anti-APEC protest attracted participants like Keyser Garganera, a fast-food worker who came with some co-workers in a fast-food chain in New Jersey to support the cause of the anti-APEC rally.

“We came to lend our support to the cause of the rally to stop abuses and harassment that workers suffer from employers like we have that treats employees that render 40 hours of work a week as still part timers,” Garganera said.

Filipino Migrant Center Gisele delos Reyes who came from Los Angeles said she joined the San Francisco rally to protest the displacement and exploitation of migrants with no resources from the state.

“At APEC summit, we know that the heads of states and the CEOs will make decisions on where the funds will go within the United States and these funds usually does not grant benefits like access to healthcare for the migrants,” de los Reyes articulates. “APEC has been there for decades now if they really want to make decisions for the world, they should invite the people in the majority instead of CEOs so that the people that are actually exploited by their policies may be represented and heard.”

21 November 16-22, 2023 The 13 ... (From page 1)

There is a belief in reincarnation that our souls pass through 13 stages or lifetimes to complete one cycle of enlightenment. Prominent reincarnation philosopher Alison Shine explains this concept: “Each lifetime gives us a new perspective to see the human experience from a new angle.”

What is remarkable about Greg Macabenta is that he went through at least 13 lifetimes in just 84 short years of his life on earth.

Greg’s first lifetime began in Tacloban, Leyte on August 23, 1939 and he was 5 when Gen. Douglas MacArthur and 100,000 US soldiers landed in his province on October 20, 1944 and began the liberation of the Philippines from three years of a brutal Japanese occupation.

Greg’s family moved to Quezon City in his teens and after graduating from high school at 16, Greg found employment in Manila working as a cub reporter and magazine writer. At the ripe old age of 17, he completed his first movie script, “Barkada”, which he sold to a movie producer on the condition that he star in the movie. Condition accepted.

Barkada proved a hit with the masa and it led to a demand for more of his screenplays. In all, Greg wrote more than 250 movie scripts in the 26 years that followed that lifetime including blockbusters like “Roses and Lollipops”, “Nardong Putik” and “Gabriela Silang”. He also directed TV comedies including one he did without a script, simply providing his actors with the scenario he envisioned and encouraging them to improvise their lines. (It worked surprisingly well).

GREG’S PRIMARY PASSION But movies and TV productions were just side lines to Greg’s main passion - advertising - where he made his mark as a creative genius for the catchy jingles he created for his clients which became marketing classics. His success led to his promotion as President/CEO of Advertising Marketing Associates (AMA), one of the largest advertising agencies in the

 COMMUNITY NEWS | HEALTH Philippines and forerunner of DDB Group Philippines. Even though he never finished college, Greg was a much sought-after lecturer on the art and practice of advertising in various universities.

In his autobiographical book, “How to Make a Benta: Anecdotes, Lectures & Articles from the Advertising Wars”, Greg wrote: “When I landed my first ad agency job, there were no advertising schools in Manila, not even Masscom as a course. We all had to learn the business through trial and error. Making up solutions to problems others had not encountered before.”

While Greg did not attend college, he has been a much sought after lecturer on advertising in colleges and public forums throughout the Philippines. In his lectures, Greg explains: “Advertising is a job for the street wise. Books can feed you theories and principles but unless you’ve taken a ride in a sales truck, smelled the stink in palengkes, listened to tens of thousands of consumers, seen your copy demolished by harsh realities of the marketplace, twisted the arms of media reps, and matched wits with a savvy competitor, you don’t really know what advertising is all about.”

In his Philippine Daily Inquirer review of Greg’s book, “Adman’s memoirs: how to make a benta”, Roger Pe provided a brief bio of Greg’s accomplishments as an adman: “He was president of the Philippine 4As and chairman of Ad Congress…He worked in broadcast production, copy, creative direction, account management, PR and general management before becoming president and CEO of AMA - Advertising & Marketing Associates (predecessor of DDB), one of the top five ad agencies in the Philippines during its heyday.”

Pe recounts that Greg is a legend in Philippine advertising for his creative work in the following advertising campaigns: -Milo “Olympic Energy,” where he and his team used conventional and guerrilla strategies and tactics to wrest market leadership from Ovaltine.

-Nescafé “Great Cities of the World,” one of Nestlé’s most successful coffee campaigns that kept the brand dominant in the Philippine market.

-When Philippine ad agencies could hardly land on Clio finalists’ list, Macabenta’s Milkmaid “Grow Tall Little Man” garnered two Clio certificates, an All-Japan commercial competition trophy and an Award of Excellence in the Philippine Ad Congress.

Greg was not known as a political person as he made friends with all regardless of their politics.

But his reputation as an advertising genius brought him to the attention of First Lady Imelda Marcos who summoned her fellow Leyteno to Malacanang in 1985 to tap him to help the Marcos regime burnish its tattered image in the US. Reluctantly, Greg agreed and brought his family to immigrate to Virginia close to the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC where he was assigned to work.

But, as luck would have it, before Greg could do anything for the Marcoses, People Power toppled the Marcos Dictatorship in February of 1986. Greg moved his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to begin a new chapter in their lives..

In San Francisco, Greg learned that the large Filipino American community did not have a weekly TV show that would feature stories about the community and news about the Philippines. So Greg created “Manila, Manila” which was shown on Saturday mornings on Channel 26 KTSF which could be watched on regular TV without cable (there was no cable yet). Because of the dearth of any competition, the show was an overnight success as it satisfied a need in the community.

BETTER LEYTE THAN NEVER In San Francisco, Greg hooked up with another province mate from Leyte, Alex Esclamado, editor and publisher of the nationally circulated Philippine News. Greg had greatly admired Alex for rejecting a $12M offer from the Marcoses to purchase his paper when it led US opposition to the Marcos regime.

Knowing of Greg’s experience and skill, Alex encouraged him to form his own advertising company in the Bay Area and even loaned him $50K as seed money to start what became “Minority Media Services” (MMS). In no time, as Alex predicted, MMS rose

to become the premier Asian American advertising company servicing the advertising needs of Seafood City and other companies. Greg’s financial success allowed him to buy his own GBM building right behind the City Hall of Daly City. Greg repaid Alex’s loan ahead of time but remained forever in his utang na loob (debt of gratitude).

In April of 1997, Alex Esclamado, Michael Dadap and I met with millionaire businesswoman Loida Nicolas Lewis in New York to plan a major effort to unify the Filipino American community. To accomplish this formidable task, which Alex described as “The Impossible Dream”, Alex tapped Greg to prepare the invitation brochure that would be sent to Filipino community organizations throughout the US inviting them to attend the first National Empowerment Conference at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington DC on August 22-24. 1997.

The call to arms that was written by Greg in 1997 is as relevant even now as it was then: “Major events are occurring and laws are being passed that affect our interests such as those on immigration, affirmative action and social services. But our community is being swept by the tides of change and circumstance. We are not playing a significant role in shaping these events and enacting these laws, despite the fact that we make up the largest Asian ethnic group in this country.”

“We appear to be impotent in the face of these adverse circumstances, not because we lack the numbers nor the social status nor the intellectual capacity but because we, as a community, have not been able to harness our full potentials as a socio-economic and political force.

“We have not struggled hard enough for empowerment. This is our challenge. Panahon Na!” NOT SO IMPOSSIBLE AFTER ALL Alex and Luli Esclamado crisscrossed the United States to invite Fil-Am community leaders to heed Greg’s call to action. About 1,500 Fil-Am community leaders like Sen. Ron Menor from Hawaii and Alaska Rep. Thelma Bucholdt and Maryland Delegate David Valderrama as well as 400 students representing the college chapters of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking for Dialogue (FIND) trekked to Washinton DC. On the third day of the empowerment conference, the delegates unanimously agreed to form the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

(To be continued)

Queries From Readers Heart of Hope

Is COVID-19 gone?

No, COVID-19 is still with us. This fall, there is a rise in the number of cases and number of hospitalizations of this evolving virus. Covid-19 dangers have not ended, especially for those vulnerable seniors with health issues and those with compromised immune system. About 25 percent of Americans have not had COVID-19 infections. As of October PHILIP S. CHUA 14, 2023, the daily admission for COVID-19 was 3,827 on average; hospitalization was 10,708. Only about 17 percent of Americans had the bivalent booster shot. Those who suspect they may have flulike symptoms should stay home, rest and hydrate themselves and, perhaps, test themselves for COVID-19. To protect yourself, get the booster…and the flu shot too.

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, about 100 times more potent than morphine, approved for treating cancer pains. This deadly substance is smuggled in by the Cartels through the open US borders. Criminal entrepreneurs lace candies and other delible items (and other illicit drugs) with fentanyl to be able to distribute it more widely, killing adults and children. Fentanyl kills by slowing down and stopping respiration (breathing), known as overdose. One kilogram of fentanyl is enough to kill half a million people. Why our government intentionally keeps the borders open is obvious dereliction of duty and simply criminal, considering the inaction contributed to the deaths of more than 300,000 from fentanyl overdose since 2021.

Is marijuana safe?

No, marijuana is not healthy to use. News studies showed the use of marijuana increases the risk for heart failure, heart attack, and stroke. Besides the development of psychiatric symptoms, evidencebased data show cannabis has negative effect on memory, verbal cognition, and visual recall, slows down reaction time, and worsens multiple domains of cognition. Side-effects could include dizziness, dry mouth, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea. We have enough problems,

medical and societal. Are our national and state legislators who voted to approve the recreational use of marijuana (when our streets are already loaded with addicts from other drugs) stupid or what?

What causes vaginal itching?

Vaginal itch, with or without drainage, must be medically attended to. The most common cause is vaginosis, like infection with Trichomonas Vaginalis. Many times there are no symptoms at all, and the first sign could be from the male partner who complain of itchiness or irritation in his organ. If gynecologic consultation proves it to be Trichomonas Vaginalis, oral medications (Flagyl) will treat the condition. But all the sexual partners (as in any sexually transmitted disease) must likewise be medicated to eradicate the vicious cycle.

Does smoking prevent Alzheimer’s?

Preliminary studies appear to show this, but the final verdict is not in yet. One thing that is a proven fact is that smoking causes cancers and it kills. Therefore, medically, no physician will prescribe smoking for the possibility that it could lower the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease. Forget it!

I have high blood pressure. Can I still take aspirin?

Aspirin (81 mg, like Baby Aspirin) is widely recommended for people 35 and older as a mild blood thinner, to slow down hardening of the artery to prevent heart attack and stroke. So long as your blood pressure is well-controlled with medications under physician care, and you do not have any contraindication like stomach ulcer or previous history of it, then 81 mg of aspirin used for the reason mentioned above is safe. As always, it is best to discuss this with your own physician who is familiar with your personal medical history.

Is Melatonin effective for jetlag?

A pineal gland extract derivative, Melatonin has been reported to be effective in combating jetlag. However, one of the side effects noted in clinical studies is cardiac arrhythmias (heart rhythm disturbance). Consulting a physician before taking any medication is a prudent practice.

Are probiotics effective?

New studies have shown that while prebiotic is useful, this supplement is more effective in our microbiome (gastrointestinal) health if used with a prebiotic. The combination is known as Dualbiotic.

These supplements (gummies or capsules) help balancing our gut flora of bacteria, the good and the bad, to maintain a healthy gut. An imbalance microbiome not only leads to GI problems but also to metabolic, cardiovascular, and negatively impacts our over-all health.

Can I get TB from kissing?

Yes, most definitely, if your partner has active pulmonary (lung) tuberculosis. One can be exposed to TB by airborne (inhaling the breath of a person with active TB) or physical contact (contaminated hands touching food or drink that is ingested, or sharing dining utensils, toothbrush, or by kissing, etc). So, if you are in doubt, make sure your partner seeks medical care. And since you are exposed to him, you also need a check-up. The same precaution must be taken with all close contacts of either of you.

Can Viagra help my erection problem?

Most likely yes, even at your age of 35. Majority of Male Erectile Dysfunction (ED) cases respond to Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra) and other ED meds. Medical evaluation is recommended to rule out any organic cause for the ED. If none is found, the cause could be psychological, and Viagra will certainly be effective. Taking these ED pills together with any form of nitroglycerine (heart vasodilator) pills could lead to massive shock. These must be used under medical supervision.

Can bathing in a tub cause disease?

Yes, the reason why we recommend against bathing in public (hotel, motel, resort) tubs. Besides sexually transmitted diseases, bacterial, viral or fungal illnesses can also be caught by using contaminated bathtubs. The shower is safe, but make sure the soap or towel you use has not been used by others. If home tubs are not properly cleaned, the same problem, although much less likely, could arise.

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, conferred by then Indiana Governor, later Senator, and then presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

23 November 16-22, 2023 Recipe of the Week

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Baguio’s latest attraction: Nativity and Christmas village

Papaitan Baka / Pinapaitan Baka Ingredients: 1 k. ox tripe/innards 1/2 c. diluted ox bile 1 head whole garlic 1 thumb size ginger, crushed 2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips 1 head garlic, chopped 2 medium size onion, chopped 1 bundle spring onion, chopped 1 small packet, sampalok sinigang mix 2-3 siling labuyo, chopped 1/2 c. patis salt and pepper Cooking procedure: Wash thoroughly ox innards, drain and cut into small slices, set aside liver. In a sauce pan put all innards, whole garlic and crushed ginger cover with water and boil for 15 minutes, drain and discard liquid. Rinse and add fresh water and boil for 1-2 hours or until innards are tender. Remove from pan separate broth and keep aside. In same sauce pan sauté onion, garlic and ginger. Add innards including liver stir for 3-5 minutes, add patis and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Pour in broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes, add siling labuyo, sinigang mix and goat bile (half quantity at time and taste sourness and bitterness add more if required).

Simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with spring onion. Serve hot.

SNOW SHOW. A li�le girl enjoys the snow show at the Baguio Country Club Christmas Village on Oct. 21, 2023. The snow show along with the re-enactment of the Na�vity scene are among the main a�rac�ons in the Village with this year’s them of “World of Fun”. (Liza T. Agoot)

BAGUIO CITY – The Nativity scene that keeps on giving.

This is what Baguio Country Club’s Christmas Village has to offer as it retains the Nativity and re-enactment of the scene as a mainstay and center stage of the attraction, which has been drawing a large number of locals and tourists since 2011.

“It is a mainstay to serve as a reminder for the children to remember that Christmas should be Christ-centered and not just about Santa Claus or the gifts, it is about the birth of Christ,” said Andrew Pinero, member and client relations manager of the Baguio Country Club, the only five-star membership resort in this city.

Re-enactment of the Nativity scene, held every 6:00 p.m., has club employees as actors.

He said the snow show is also another mainstay in the Village.

With revenues from the tourist attraction, Pinero said they are finalizing with the organizers of the month-long Silahis ng Pasko, an annual holiday event held in December, of the latter’s request to bring five indigent families to the Village.

He said they welcome the suggestion because that is the essence of Christmas -- giving, especially to the less fortunate.

“They can enjoy the place. We will give them food and will transport them to

their homes,” he said.

In previous years, blind singers were also featured at the Christmas Village to promote their service to the public.

“That is one thing that we want (for the) Christmas Village, na maging (to become) special with the indigent families visiting,” he said.

The Country Club first opened the Christmas Village in 2011 as an additional attraction in the city. The management continued to have it even amid the Covid-19 pandemic to allow the residents to see something during the season, especially with lockdowns and outdoor venues being a trend then.

Changing theme For this year, the Christmas Village’s theme is “World of Fun” and it offers more activities for kids such as through the game machines, toys on display and for sale, a wishing wall, free carousel ride, and a ball pit.

Pinero said the theme changes every year and there is a challenge for them to surpass how they did in the previous year.

“We want every year to be an experience for those who come here,” he said.

The Christmas Village formally opened last Oct. 22 and will be open to the public until Jan. 7, 2024. (Liza Agoot/ PNA)