Norcal 3/23/23

1 March 23-29 2023

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

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Vol. 62 No.32 March 23-29, 2023

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

US, PHL TROOPS GIRDING FOR WAR WITH CHINA? Beijing ops in sea alarm Austin, Galvez; Teves a no-show at House hearing, US warship, troops arrive for big drills suspended

By ALFRED GABOT and CLAIRE MORALES TRUE for 60 days

Editor in Chief and Managing Editor

By Jennifer T. Santos

CAMP AGUINALDO/WASHINGTON D.C. - As QUEZON top American military officials warn of a likely CITY – Newar between the United States and China by gros Oriental epresenta2025 due to heated tensions in the South Chi- Rtive Arnolfo na Sea, among others, it appears that US and “Arnie” Teves Philippine troops are now preparing for “a Jr., who is being tagged as possible war” with China. Page 9 a mastermind Negros US AMBASSADOR MaryKay Carlson greets guests and soldiers on the flight deck of USS America while the ship is in port in Manila.

Atlanta remembers multiple spa killings of 2021 that saw 8 dead

Bystander intervention workshop against harassment held, lauded

By Jun Nucum

ers. It was a time for reflection on the progress and challenges faced by the community since the shootings.

District Attorney Fani Willis, prosecutor of the case, classified the Atlanta spa shootings as a hate crime.

Robert Aaron Long was charged and convicted of the crime after he pleaded guilty.

He is expected to remain in prison for the rest of his life.

What was most bothersome about the mass killings was that it occurred in not one but four separate sites. The victims were spread out over the four spas and Long was not Page 8

Roel Degamo and in other killings in the province, failed to show up Page 8

Software flaws source of cheating in 2022 polls, says ex-Cabinet sec

By Gilda Balan, Correspondent

ATLANTA, Georgia - Two years ago last week, eight people were killed in four Atlanta spas in what was then considered as the worst hate crime against the Asian community in the US in recent history. Six of the victims were Asian women.

The oldest victim was Soon Chung Park, 74, followed by Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue, 63; Paul Michels, 54; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Xiaojie ‘Emily’ Tan,49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Delaina Yaun, 33.

Memorials were held in various states organized by the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and lawmak-

Oriental 3rd District Rep. in the killing of Governor Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr.

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

MANILA – Retired general Eliseo Rio, who served as Information and Communications Technology secretary during Panelists included le� to right: Vincent Pan, Stop AAPI Hate/Chinese for Af- the Duterte administration, says firma�ve Ac�on; Jerome Flores, Wells Fargo; Rebecca Rolfe, SF LGBT Center; that software flaws in the 2022 Emily May, Right To Be; and moderator Richard Lui, MSNBC elections set the stage for rigging of the presidential and vice SAN FRANCISCO - A by- spond promptly and rightfully in presidential race. stander intervention workshop case one encounters a bias-motiThe National Movement for was conducted in Japan town San vated harassment incident in go- Free Elections (Namfrel) had Francisco recently to address the ing about their daily lives. uncovered the flaws, but the need of usually strangers to rePage 8 Commission on Elec- Page 10

FilAm Vanessa Hudgens filming in PHL this March Newsom bares $1 B in homelessness funding VIEWS & COMMENTS

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How to appeal Marriage fraud charge

FilAm Miss Universe R’Broney Gabriel In Manila in May

EJ Obiena voted top athlete in February

By A�y. Lozano

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 NATIONAL NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

2

5 more Degamo slay suspects under gov’t custody

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda CAMP AGUI NALDO , Q uezon City – Five more suspects implicated in the March 4 attack that resulted in the death of Negros O riental Governor Roel Degamo and eight others have surrendered and are now under the custody of authorities.

This was disclosed by I nterior and Local Government Secretary B enjamin “B enhur” Abalos Jr., head of the Special Task Force Degamo, during a media briefing together with other members of the task force like Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. “The Special Task Force Degamo would li e to announce that five more suspects who have a direct participation in this incident are now under the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). And from the custody of the AFP, kanina po ay nilipat na po ito sa (they were earlier transferred to the) NB I (National B ureau of I nvestigations),” Abalos said at the Camp Aguinaldo briefing.

This developed after the surrender of another suspect on March 2 0 who was also turned over to the NB I .

Some of the suspects had tagged a certain Cong Teves as the alleged mastermind in the killing of Governor Degamo and eight others.

JUSTICE SECRETARY Crispin Remulla, Interior Secretary Benhur Ab alos, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and military o cials brief the media on the Degamo killing.

Abalos disclosed that 10 suspects in the killing of the Negros O riental governor are now under government custody, including four ex-soldiers who were arrested in B ayawan City just hours after the killings.

Abalos said that the suspected killers have voluntarily o ered relevant testimonies that will help the task force build a strong case against the perpetrators as well as the intermediaries and mastermind.”

He added that the investigation and legal team under Special Task Force Degamo is now completing the documentation of the initial statements taken by the investigators from the suspects presently under custody.

“O ur collaboration the past few weeks have paved the way to the surrender of the

individuals responsible for the murder of Degamo and others,” the DI LG chief said.

Remulla, in another development, said the latest group of former soldiers implicated in the killing of Degamo may shed crucial details in the planning and resources to carry out the attack will be revealed.

Remulla spoke to newsmen after a courtesy call by 10 Negros O riental mayors led by Degamo’s widow, Pamplona town Mayor Janice Degamo, as he reiterated his call for Rep. Arnolfo Teves to consider returning to the country to clear his name.

Teves, who has been charged with illegal possession of firearms in connection with killings in the province in 2 0 19, has denied having a hand in the killing of De-

gamo earlier this month inside the governor’s residence.

The latest surrenderers in the Degamo case, Remulla said, are also former military men and at least one trainee who did not complete military training. The group, the DO J chief said, would help authorities piece together who were the masterminds in the case by identifying the persons who facilitated their escape from the place of the attack to a safe house in Mindanao.

Abalos said joint military tracker teams remain focused in pursuing leads, including information provided by the suspects under custody.

The DI LG chief also noted that the suspects have provided them with many information on the case.

Abalos urged the remaining suspects to voluntarily surrender as a lot of their companions had already given themselves up.

“We would like (to tell) those who have knowledge on the circumstances of the crime and location of the remaining suspects to come out and cooperate with government authorities so that justice can be served to the victims of this gruesome crime,” he added.

Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. assured Degamo’s widow, Pamplona, Negros O riental Mayor Janice Degamo, that the government is sparing no e ort in going after the culprits behind the attack.

PHL, US troops open ‘Salaknib’ drills; mortar, anti-tank warfare part of training FO RT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – American experts on extended-range mortar and anti-tank missile operations provided lessons to Filipino troops during the subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) segment of the ongoing “Salaknib” exercises in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

“Experts on extended-range mortar and ‘Javelin’, an anti-tank weapon extensively used in the Ukraine crisis, conducted lessons for Filipino soldiers at the SFS (Special Forces School),” said Philippine Army (PA) spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad.

O bservers said the FGM-148 “Javelin missile has proven e ective in neutralizing tanks and other armored vehicles in the said conflict.

Aside from these, field artillery personnel from participating artillery units from the PA and the United States Army Pacific USARPAC conducted the counter unmanned aerial system SMEE at the headqu arters of the Army Artillery Regiment which is also located in Fort Magsaysay.

“Filipino and US soldiers learned lessons, tactics and procedures from jungle environment and survival subject matter experts at SFS while Army aviators and medical personnel and their US counterparts conducted the aero medical evacuation SMEE at Army Aviation Regiment,” Trinidad said.

The first phase of Sala nib , which started on March 13 and will conclude on

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April 4, is an Army-to-Army training between the PA and USARPAC. The ongoing exercises involve around 3,00 soldiers from USARPAC’s 25t h I nfantry Division and PA’s 5th I nfantry Division, 7th I nfantry Division and 1st B rigade Combat Team training side by side in a spectrum of military operations.

The exercise’s second phase is slated for the second qua rter of the year.

Trinidad said the training audience from both PA and USARPAC is also scheduled to conduct avelin live-fire exercises on March 31.

Filipino troops who participated in the “Javelin” lectures are from the PA’s 1st

B rigade Combat Team, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), First Scout Ranger Regiment, Light Reaction Regiment, 5th I nfantry Division, 7th I nfantry Division, Armor Division and the PA Anti-Armor Capability Technical Working Group from the Training and Doctrine Command.

They were taught by personnel of the 1st B attalion, 27t h I nfantry Regiment, 2nd B rigade Combat Team, USARPAC. The “Javelin” SMEE bolsters the PA’ s modernization and capability development thrusts as it gradually shifts from internal security to territorial defense operations, Trinidad said.

3 March 23-29 2023

 NATIONAL NEWS

1st online presidential library launched in honor of FVR legacy

MANI LA – The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has launched the country s first online Presidential Library in honor of the legacy of the Fidel V . Ramos, the 12t h president of the country.

The launching, held on March 18 at the NMP building in Manila, coincided with the th birthday of Ramos.

He died on July 31, 20.

The F R Presidential Library documents the life and leadership of FV R as a soldier and statesman and is the main repository of the voluminous body of wor s and significant materials generated throughout his public life.

The contents aim to support the work of students and scholars, inspire generations of Filipinos around the world and contribute to the living chronicles of the international community.

The conversion into digital format was done in three phases and covered more than 16,00 video tapes, over 10,0 documents contained in 00 steel filing cabinets, and over 21,00 presidential photos.

The vast collection of boo s and memorials were catalogued and segregated for donation to select public schools, foundations and project partners.

The FV R O nline Presidential Library can be accessed at https: / / www.fvrlegacy.org while the FV R Legacy channel on YouTube carries the F R Oral History interviews, including presidential speeches.

A graduate of the West Point military academy in the United States in 1950, Ramos showed his bravery in combat when as a young 2nd lieutenant of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTO K) during the Korean War, led his men in the capture of Eerie Hill, a heavily fortified camp occupied by Chinese forces following a close uarter fighting.

During the V ietnam War, Ramos volunteered as a member of the Philippine Civic Action Group and helped V ietnamese civilians displaced in the war.

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 METRO NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

4

Makati condo unit raided, yields cache of loose arms MAKATI CI TY – O peratives of the Philippine National Police Criminal I nvestigation and Detection Group (CI DG) have sei ed firearms in an operation on March 20 at a condominium unit in Makati City.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame, Que on, Interior and Local overnment Secretary B enjamin Abalos Jr. said the firearms were sei ed in a search warrant operation as part of the OPLAN Paglalansag Omega, a campaign against unlicensed firearms, in arangay Poblacion.

The raid yielded 84 long and short firearms, including si sub-machine guns, and ammunition.

Abalos said the subject of the search warrant was Zhang iaodong, a a Lu Ming Chung, whom he described as the suspected ring leader of a Taiwan-based criminal group.

Citing intelligence reports, Abalos said the group of Zhang is also involved in the production of illegal narcotics, telecom fraud operations, and other illegal activities in the Philippines.

Abalos said the CI sei ed rifles,

seven submachine guns, handguns, ammunition and gun accessories. owever, the suspect in the search warrant eluded arrest.

Another significant development in the continuing whole-of-government campaign against loose firearms and private armed groups operating in the country and I e tend the commendation of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the Philippine National Police under General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. for the strong manifestation of keen responsiveness to this priority action of the government to take away all instruments of crime, violence, and oppression from the hands of unauthori ed individuals, Abalos said. e said the operation was a follow-up to an earlier police operation last March 1 launched through information provided by law enforcement counterparts from the Taipei Economic and Cultural O ce (TECO ). uring the March operation, police o cers arrested in Ma ati City three Taiwanese nationals who are alleged members of the criminal group -- Wu Jheng

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos inspects the firearms and ammuni�on seized in a Maka� raid.

Long a. .a u Chang Long, Yang Zong ao, and Chen Chun-yu -- in Ma ati City.

The three fugitives who are sub ects of a deportation order issued by the B ureau of I mmigration also yielded four pistols and a sub machinegun during the opera-

tion.

Abalos said Wu is the “right-hand man of the group s big boss Chen ChienNing, who is also wanted for drug charges in Taiwan.

Massive tree planting in watershed areas pushed anew in QC rites

By Ben Cal

lion Trees Foundation I ncorporated MTFI on its first anniversary celebraQUEZON CITY e who plants a tion on March urging Filipinos to plant trees to sustain the supply of water across tree, plants a hope.

This is the battle cry adopted by Mil- the country, particularly in Metro Manila

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and ad oining provinces for the ne t 0 years and beyond.

MTFI made its plea during the celebration of its first anniversarywas held at the La Mesa am compound in Novaliches, Que on City on March .

The chorus of calls to plant trees were echoed by Elpidio ega, administrator of the Metropolitan aterwor s System M SS , obby Cleofas, M SS administrator, ac ueline A. Caancan Ceso III of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ENR , Ramon S. Ang, president and chief e ecutive o cer of San Miguel Corporation SMC , . .

Emmanuel de ios,, president and CEO of Manila ater, Ramoncito Fernande , president and CEO of Maynila ater, en. Rey elasco Ret. , MTFI chairman emeritus, and Mel elasco, MTFI president.

They stressed the importance of a sustainable environment by planting trees all over the country to ensure the continued supply of water for the present generation and the generations to come.

In his remar s, Fernande called for the cleaning of Laguna La e of dirt and pollution.

This was seconded by de ios, who called on the people to respect Mother Nature, particularly water.

Laguna La e is one of the la es where Metro Manila and adjoining provinces get their water supply all year round.

On the side of the private sector, San Miguel Corporation SMC , the giant beer company headed by Mr. Ang cited the vital role of MTFI in taking on taking on the ambitious, but arduous tas of planting millions of trees in critical watershed areas, including the La Mesa atershed.

“The importance of this endeavor in this day and age of climate change cannot be overemphasized. With more and more forest areas threatened by degradation,

hands-on and direct action such as what MTFI and others responsible organizations are doing, is critical in ensuring we can at least mitigate some of the impacts of climate change, Ang said.

“The role of trees and forests in our lives is basic but commonly overlooked-or worse, ignored. Apart from providing us valuable resources such as food and building materials, trees also protect us against land erosion and flooding, he added.

Ang also said that In the case of watersheds, they help ensure that there will be water for human survival.

He lauded MWSS and MTFI by not lowering their guard down in this area, and have been successful in reforesting target watersheds these last couple of years.

“With the help of institutional partners and volunteers, they were able to surpass the five million trees target and have set another ambitious goal. And that is to plant 10 m illion more trees by the year 20 0, he said.

Ang assured that “you are not alone in this advocacy. For our part, San Miguel, through our power arm, San Miguel lobal Power, have also surpassed the five-million tree mar in our own reforestation program, Pro ect .

“This initiative targets to plant seven million upland trees and mangroves on some ,000 hectares of land in at least seven provinces, nationwide, Ang said.

These include the provinces of Albay, ataan, ulacan, avao Occidental, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, Que on, and Zambales.

The Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of the seven critical watersheds namely Angat, Ipo, aliwa, La Mesa, Laguna La e, Umiray, and Upper Mari ina, including Manila B ay through regular tree-planting and environmental conservation projects.

5 March 23-29 2023

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Voters okay creation of 2 new barangays in Marawi MARAWI CI TY – Marawi City, capital of Lanao del Sur in Mindanao, has now two new barangays (villages) following twin plebiscites on March 18 .

B ased on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) data, a total of 1,42 1 registered voters from mother barangays Datu Dalidigan and Sagonsongan approved the creation of two more.

A total of 948 out of the 950 canvassed plebiscite returns voted “yes” for the establishment of B arangay B oganga I I from B a-

PLEBISCITES. A Marawi City resident casts her v ote during the twin pleb iscites.

Gumaca bishop Victor Ocampo passes away at 71

Gumaca Bishop Victor Ocampo

GUMACA, Q uezon – B ishop V ictor O campo of the Diocese of Gumaca town in Q uezon province passed away at the age of 71.

The Catholic B ishops’ Conference

of the Philippines (CB CP) news website reported that the prelate succumbed to heart attack on March 16.

Fr. Tony Ryan del Moro, chancellor of the diocese, said the bishop was declared dead at 5: 58 p.m. at a hospital in Gumaca.

O campo just turned 71 last March 6.

B orn in Angeles City in 1952, he was ordained priest of the Diocese of B alanga in 1977.

After his ordination, the B ishop worked in eight parishes and served as director of various diocesan o ces such as catechetical o ce, the liturgical commission, the B iblical apostolate, and the family and life commission.

Plan to return to old name of Manila airport revived

rangay B oganga.

O n the other hand, 473 out of 476 actual voters said “yes” to the creation of B arangay Datu Dalidigan from B arangay Sagonsongan.

The plebiscites were held after last year’s approval of City O rdinance No. 0 7-0 10 for the creation of B arangay B oganga I I and City O rdinance No. 0 5-0 10 to establish B arangay Datu Dalidigan.

The plebiscites were held five years after the five-month siege of Marawi which ended O ctober 2 0 17.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

6

Marcos ows continued AFP moderni ation s e ternal threats FORT ONIFACIO, Taguig City – President Ferdinand Marcos r. has reiterated his commitment to continue the military s moderni ation to enhance armed forces capabilities to deal with national security threats.

As your Commander-in-Chief, I am assuring you that we remain committed to moderni ing the Armed Forces so no threat will be impossible to handle, Marcos said during the Philippine Army s PA 2 th founding anniversary in Fort onifacio, Taguig City. e will continue to invest not only in modern e uipment and material but also in your training, so you can eep abreast of concepts, doctrines and strategies that we now need in the modern battlefield, he added.

Marcos said the country s army must be vigilant amid a more comple and

unpredictable e ternal security environment, especially the increasing geopolitical tension in the region, as well as the advancements in technology that will dictate the future of warfare.

That is why the army must always be fully prepared and capable for any contingencies, especially considering

you are the country s last line of defense against any e ternal security threat, Marcos said. e vigilant against elements that will undermine our hardearned peace, our hard-earned stability. e also urged the Philippine Army to strengthen its ties with its counterparts overseas through sharing of information

and learning from the best regional practices.

Marcos e pressed confidence that the Philippine Army, with more than a century of e perience, will be able to rise up to the tas of ad usting its strategies amid the emerging threat to the nation s territory.

Meanwhile, Marcos emphasi ed the need for a recalibration of the Armed Forces of The Philippines AFP military doctrine in dealing with internal security threats as the country s half-acentury s fight with communist insurgents is coming to an end. e noted that the army must be the catalysts to the rebels surrender and disarmament, as well as peacema ers that will wor under a whole-of-nationapproach.

omelec resets candidac filing eriod for baranga

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia MANI LA – The Commission on Elec-

tions (Comelec) has rescheduled the period of filing of Certificates of Candidacy COCs for the 202 arangay and Sangguniang abataan Elections S E over a month from its original schedule. e reset the filing of COCs for S E from uly - to August 2 to Sept.

2, said Comelec chairman eorge Erwin arcia. arcia noted that the calls of lawma ers to push bac the filing period were among the reasons why they decided to move the scheduled filing.

Not only because of their calls but because we wanted all sectors be prepared from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and our electoral board members, the poll body chief said.

Li ewise, after reviewing our process, we believe that we can decide nuisance and d dis ualification cases e peditiously before the election, he added.

As ed if the calendar of activities for the Oct. 0 polls will be a ected by the change in schedule, arcia said, No, it s

olls

a manual election so the names of candidates are not printed.

Senator Francis Tolentino earlier urged the poll body to move the filing period from uly to August.

On the other hand, Para a ue City Representative us Tambunting e pressed opposition to the early setting of the COC filing period.

The poll body, in Resolution No. 0 , set the filing on uly to to have more time to accept and resolve dis ualification and nuisance cases.

House anel o a s di orce bill set for lenar debates

Q UEZ O N CI TY – A committee of the ouse of Representatives has approved the bill reinstituting absolute divorce and endorsed it for plenary debates.

This will put the country at the threshold of oining the universality of absolute divorce in the community of nations , said Albay Representative Edcel Lagman.

Lagman said the divorce bill will give spouses, especially wives, the option of getting out of an irremediably bro en marriage and a chance to start over as the House Committee on Population and Family Relations gave its thumbs up to the proposal. hile it is said that marriages are solemni ed in heaven, the fact is some marriages plummet into hell because of human frailty and imperfections. The i-

vorce Act see s to redeem couples, particularly the abused or abandoned wives, from infernal agony, Lagman said. e noted that the proposed law would be for the e ceptional circumstances of married couples who are marooned in to ic, dysfunctional and even abusive marriages, particularly for wives who suffer the torment of irreversibly dead marriages. ivorce is not the worst thing that can happen to a family. Enduring years of physical violence, su ering emotional abuse, tolerating infidelity, allowing children to live in a hostile home and witness daily discord and constant conflict – these are far worse than divorce, he said.

The bill provides that a divorce petition will undergo a udicial process where

proof of the cause for the divorce is established and that the marriage has completely collapsed without any possibility of reconciliation.

Quic ie, notarial, email and other speedy drive-thru divorces are prohibited, it added.

There is a cooling-o period of 0 days after the filing of the divorce petition wherein the udge shall e ert earnest e orts to reconcile the parties.

The public prosecutor is mandated to conduct an investigation to assure that there is no collusion between the parties or whether one party coerced the other to file the divorce petition.

At any time during the proceedings, if the parties agree to reconcile, the petition is dismissed. Even after the issuance

of an absolute divorce decree, when the parties decide to reconcile, the divorce decree shall be nullified, according to the proposed law.

The bill proposes harsh penalties for those who collude to secure a divorce decree or of one spouse coercing the other to file for divorce. The penalties consist of an indivisible punishment of five years imprisonment and a si eable fine. ivorce is an option. An aggrieved party can see in the proper cases annulment of marriage, legal separation or dissolution of marriage based on psychological incapacity under the Family Code, all of which are e pensive and involve a lengthy process, unli e divorce which is mandated to be e peditious, reasonable, and ine pensive, Lagman said.

a anese remote sub finds sun en oil tan er as oil s ill s reads in riental Mindoro CALAPAN CI TY, O riental Mindoro – A apanese remotely operated vehicle RO has located MT Princess Empress that san off the waters of Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 2 as oil spill from the sun en ship spread to erde Island passage and top tourist beaches.

I n a situation update, the Philippine Coast uard PC said RO a uyo, onboard apanese ynamic Positioning essel P Shin Nichi Maru

found the sun en tan er at . nautical miles from alingawan Point in Nauan town, Oriental Mindoro province on Monday. ito inilunsad ang RO A UYO na ayang sumisid hanggang 2,000 metro This is where RO a uyo was launched, capable of diving up to 2,000 meters , the PC said.

The services of P Shin Nichi Maru and RO a uyo were hired by R C Reield Marine Services R C

-- the owner of MT Princess Empress -- to locate and assess the condition of the sun en tan er.

Oriental Mindoro overnor umerlito olor also showed the initial photos and videos ta en by the RO of the sun en tan er ship that was carrying 00,000 liters of industrial oil and has caused a spill in the regions of MIMAROPA and estern isayas. olor said the provincial government is now loo ing at drafting a re-

covery plan after the sun en M T Princess Empress has been located off the waters of Nau an town.

Through the remotely operated vehicle RO , olor said e perts have identified 2 lea ing areas from the M T Princess Empress. e also said that the sun en ship has e tensive structural damage due to the pressure while sin ing, and the front portion is the most heavily damaged part of the ship.

7 March 23-29 2023

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Congress goes into Holy Week recess Q UEZ O N CI TY – Congress is on a Holy Week break from March 2 5 to May 8 but its committees may still work during the recess.

B efore going on recess, the House of Representatives approved on the third and final reading 2 of bills listed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) as priority under the Marcos administration, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.

Romualde said LE AC priority measures, collectively called the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) of Malacaña ng, Senate and the House of Representatives, were drawn up from do ens of legislative measures filed in Congress since the start of the th Congress in July last year.

The priority bills, he said, aim to further stimulate economic activities, create job opportunities, reduce poverty and provide better health care services for Filipinos.

Romualde said out of the 2 measures approved by the House, two had been signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. while the remaining eight bills in the LEDAC priority list are under advanced stages of deliberation.

“We have done our share in passing important pieces of legislation that will help the country recover from the crippling impact of the Covid- pandemic and e ternal shoc s that adversely a ect the economy and the nation,” he said. “That was our commitment during the series of meetings at LEDAC. That is our continuing commitment to the Filipino people.”

The two bills already signed into law are the mobile phone SI M (subscriber information module) Registration Act and the measure postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to O ctober this year.

Romualdez said the 2 0 LEDAC-endorsed bills approved on third and final

reading were already transmitted to the Senate.

These are: Magna Carta of Seafarers; E-Governance Act / E-Government Act; Negros I sland Region; V irology I nstitute of the Philippines; Passive I ncome and Financial I ntermediary Taxation (PI FI TA) Act; National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Medical Reserve Corps; Philippine Passport Act; I nternet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law; and Waste-to-Energy B ill.

Also included are the Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers; Apprenticeship Act; B uild-O perate-Transfer (B O T) Law; Magna Carta of B arangay Health Workers; V aluation Reform; Eastern V isayas Development Authority; Leyte Ecological I ndustrial Z one; Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery; National Citizens Service Train-

ing Program; and Rightsizing the National Government.

He said another LEDAC priority measure, the Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation B ill, is now for bicameral conference committee approval.

The remaining eight out of priority bills remains pending in the House. These are Regional Specialty Hospitals (for second reading approval); Enabling Law for the Natural Gas I ndustry (under technical working group or TWG deliberation); National Land Use Act (TWG); Department of Water Resources and Services and Creation of Water Regulatory Commission (TWG); Electric Power I ndustry Reform Act (for committee deliberation); B udget Modernization (for committee deliberation); National Defense Act (for committee deliberation and Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension for Uniformed Personnel (also for committee deliberation).

Navy chief visits Pagasa Island, other West Phl Sea outposts

VISIT TO PAGASA ISLAND. Philippine Navy flag o cer in command, Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. right , is oined

by Naval Forces West commander, Commodore Alan Javier le� , in his visit to Pagasa Island on March .

PAG-ASA I SLAND, Palawan – Amid the growing tension between China and the Philippines as Chinese war ships and militia vessels swarm in South China Sea

and West Philippine Sea, Philippine Navy PN flag o cer in command, ice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr., recently visited Pagasa I sland and other outposts in the Kalayaan I sland Group to reach out to personnel deployed there.

On March , ice Admiral Adaci r. flew to the alayaan Island roup and reached out to the personnel stationed at Pagasa, Parola, and Likas I slands,” Naval Forces est public a airs o ce chief, Navy Lt. Joseph M. I son, said in a statement.

He also visited the Naval Forces West NF and rd Marine rigade headqua rters in Puerto Princesa, Palawan on March .

The FOIC Flag O cer in Command) PN also inspected the naval stations located at Macarascas and Ulugan ay of the same city on March , Ison said.

Adaci also led the ribbon cutting and blessing of the newly constructed administrative and research building at Parola and Likas islands.

“Part of the activities in the island stations are the talk to the troops and handover of emergency its and foodstu s, I son said.

Adaci was accompanied by NFW chief, Navy Commodore Alan M. Javier, on his visits to these island stations.

“The FO I C, PN commended the efforts of our sailors and marines in the di erent island stations, as well as the Philippine Navy ships and aircraft in the Kalayaan I sland Group within the Western Command joint area of operations, in accomplishing their mission and upholding their duties as Defenders of the Western Frontier,” I son added.

Adaci also lauded the Western Command through its commander, V ice Ad-

miral Alberto Carlos, for highlighting the PN s e orts as a multi-capable naval force responsive to the country’s defense and development.

Navy spokesperson Captain B enjo Negranza said the PN chief “expressed his gratitude to the troops stationed in the various islands for their unwavering performance of their duties in guarding our island territories.”

He also said Adaci’s visit was also meant to boost the “morale of our personnel in the frontlines. Also, to see firsthand the situation in the islands.”

Negranza also said the visit is not meant to raise tensions in the area.

“The visit is not intended to add to tension. Troop visit is a commander’s prerogative to check on his troops and equi pment and their readiness to perform their duties,” he added.

Warmer days ahead as ‘amihan’ season ends Q UEZ O N CI TY – The country could expect warmer days until May as the northeast monsoon or “amihan” season ends, the weather bureau reported.

I n a statement, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) administrator V icente Malano said warmer temperatures are likely in the coming months.

Rainfall across the country will be influenced mostly by the easterlies and localized thunderstorms, he added.

“Recent analyses indicate a retreat of the high pressure area over Siberia, which resulted in the weakening of northeasterly winds and an increase in the air temperature over most parts of the country. Furthermore, the strengthening of the North Pacific igh has led to a gradual shift in the wind pattern from northeasterly to easterly. These signify the end of the northeast monsoon (amihan) and the

beginning of the warm and dry season, which is expected to last until May,” the statement stated.

PAGASA urges the public to take precautionary measures to minimize heat stress and to optimize the daily use of water for personal and domestic consumption.

In a public briefing, PA ASA assistant weather services chief Chris Perez said the El Niño phenomenon was expected to begin by July.

Prior to El Niño, he said PAGASA projected near-normal to above-normal rainfall over di erent parts of the country.

During this transition period that coincided with the dry season, Perez said it was normal to experience warm and humid weather.

“B ut there are still chances of rains due to thunderstorms, most likely in the afternoon or evening,” he said.

N otary P ublic &

R eal E state Brok er

* C ommissioned N otary P ublic and lic ensed R eal E state Brok er ( BR E # 0 0 6 3 5 9 7 6 ) in C alifornia sinc e 1 9 8 1 . Author, C olumnist, and M ember, N ational N otary Assoc iation ( N N A)

 NATIONAL NEWS Atlanta...

March 23-29, 2023

(From page 1)

known to have personally met any of them.

Police response was also found wanting.

Lawrenceville Rep. Sam Park said it was important for Asian-Americans to recall the dark moment of two years ago, and organize to create change.

Of Asian descent himself, Par said e have to organize, speak out and call out injustice whenever we see it, with the understanding that the only way we can

Bystander...

(From page 1)

Right To B e, a leading bystander intervention organization, and Wells Fargo hosted an intercommunity workshop to educate its employees together with leaders and members of diverse communities on actions they can take to unwelcome hate incidents through educational session covering the basics of bystander intervention and a panel discussion with community leaders.

Hosted alongside NB C News / MSNB C anchor Richard Lui, the workshop included President, Co-Founder, And Lead E ecutive O cer of Right To e Emily May, Wells Fargo’s Senior V ice President, External Engagement Ruben B arrales, and Filipino American Senior Diversity & I nclusion Consultant and Pride ERN Lead Jerome Flores.

According to recent FB I data, hate crimes have continued to surge in New York and other major cities. Preliminary police data shows that at least six metropolitan areas recorded levels not seen since the 1990 s.

“I n my reporting on anti-Asian hate and attacks against B lack, Latina/ o/ x, and LGB TQ I A+ communities over the past ten years, I ’ve seen how bystanders want to help but aren’t sure how,” said Richard Lui. “The need to eq uip folks to safely intervene and de-escalate a situation is greater than ever.”

May, who led the bystander intervention seminar, claimed that the workshops will empower the public with the skills they need to navigate instances of harassment as a bystander. “O ur goal is to transform bystanders into allies,” May said.

I n an interview, it was learned that May started the organization in 2 0 0 5 to really look at the issue of sexual harassment in public space and also street harassments and over the years have learned of over 30 ,0 0 0 stories of harassments.

8

protect ourselves is if we’re building these coalitions, Note Lim and Par are both emocrats. these multi-racial coalitions and fighting together inThere is a consensus among Asian-American comjustices of any kind.” munities that underreporting of hate crimes take place, especially when minor to no physical violence is conPark expressed frustration at the lack of action on cerned. gun safety bills.

Women and the elderly are considered the most vulMeanwhile, Norcross Rep. Marvin Lim said that nerable. in the area of bridging the gap between minority comAnti-Asian hate crimes saw some 11,0 0 0 incidents munities and the police, “while we’ve certainly made from March 2 0 2 0 to December 2 0 2 1, and more than progress” everyone would have to agree that “we still 60 percent were against women. Anti-Asian hate saw a have a long way to go.” spike during the pandemic.

And in those stories, they have learned that one thing that constantly support people being harassed is when other people intervene, May said.

“So we developed this curriculum that on bystander intervention what to do when harassment is happening and we have taken it and applied it to all source of ideas – to Asian America communities, the LGB TQ community, the black community and we are bringing it across the world,” May narrated. “We started work with Asian Americans in 2 0 2 0 when we saw the rise of anti-Asian and Asian American hate with Asian-American Defending Justice with bystander intervention curriculum. We have trained over 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 Asians so far with this curriculum.”

Among the achievements that their group had through the years was that 76% of those that took the training and see harassment afterward actually intervened in harassment and that 98 .8 % of attendees leave workshops feeling like there is at least one thing they can do to help next time they witness harassment after just one hour of training.

Among the tools that can be learned from the training is the employment of the five s 1) Distract- create a distraction to deescalate the situation; 2 elegate or find somebody else to help 3) Document the situation and give it to the person who was harassed; 4) Delay by asking the person are you ok and ask how can I help; and 5) Direct setting a boundary with the person doing the harassment and then turning your attention to the person being harassed.

May added that they provide this free training to everyone and on their website, anyone can get the one-hour training for free and those interested only need to sign up at righttobe.org. to get trained or to share their stories or experiences of harassment.

Filipino American Wells Fargo Senior Diversity & I nclusion Consultant and Pride ERN Lead Jerome Flores shared that he has always been very passionate on who I am. I am also gay and a Filipino and have always been passionate in both the gay and Filipino communities and

Teves...

(From page 1)

at a hearing of the House of Representatives where he was summoned to attend, prompting his fellow lawmakers to suspend him for 60 days over his continued absence despite an expired travel authority.

The House plenary -- with 2 92 a rmative votes, no negative votes and zero abstentions -- adopted the recommendations made by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges headed by CO O P NATCCO Party-list Rep. Felimon Espares, through Committee Report No. 472 .

“Pursuant to this Constitutional mandate and the provisions of the Rules of the House and the Committee Rules of Procedure for the th Congress, we find and so hold that the conduct of Rep. Arnolfo A. Teves Jr. in staying abroad with expired travel clearance and his continued defiance to the orders of the House and the Committee to return

is glad that Wells Fargo is active as far as the diversity and di erent engagement programs that we do.

“I want to be a part of the Wells Fargo programs in order to create change and to give our employees the resources to make their decisions and be educated because diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but also a business imperative,” said Flores in an interview. “I have not been overtly victimized in a violent way but the remar s I hear a lot of that ind of stu . As a gay man, I feel more excluded isolated especially in the LGB TQ + there is a lot of stigma and stereotypes in what Asian man looks like and that is also prevalent in the LGB TQ + community.”

Flores added that he hopes to get the word out to their employees and partners in the community that work with them that they can do more than just stand around and videotape and do what is comfortable and right to intervene in the way to help stop a lot of harassment and that makes it feel that everybody is supported whether it is microaggression or outright attack.

Another Filipina with Wells Fargo Erika B area-Garcia regard the training as a great entry way to practice safe intervention and things like when you are witnessing harassment.

“How do we intervene safely to deescalate the situation. We should be able to help when we can and a lot of times, we just don’t know how to do it. This training gives us easy tools so we can do something instead of doing nothing. All of us can do something and what we do does not need to be everything. Stop hate and harassment and we need to care,” B area-Garcia stressed.

“At Wells Fargo, we are committed to creating a culture with broad representation of who we are, how we think, and how we make decisions. Having an inclusive environment in which di erences and perspectives are respected and valued is both a business imperative and the right thing to do,” underscored Head of DE& I Strategy and Employee A airs imberly ert . The bystander intervention workshops are a great way of celebrating belonging, because they create a sense of unity and connectedness among individuals, while reminding us all of the important role we play in keeping our communities safe.”

to the country and perform his duties as House member constitute disorderly behavior a ecting the dignity, integrity and reputation of the House of Representatives, which warrant disciplinary action,” the committee report stated.

I t added that Teves failed to observe the norms of conduct and ethical standards expected of public o cials, and that his misconduct has adversely a ected the dignity, integrity and reputation of his public o ce and that of the ouse of Representatives as an institution.”

“After thorough deliberation and observation of due process, the committee hereby recommends to the House of Representatives the imposition of penalty of 60 days suspension from the service upon Representative Teves for disorderly behavior,” it added.

Following the plenary vote, Speaker Martin Romualdez, who had personally asked Teves to re-

turn home and answer the allegations against him, assured the nation that the House of Representatives, under his stewardship, will not tolerate misconduct and wrongdoing among its members.

I n his speech shortly before Congress went on its Lenten break, he said the call for disciplinary action against Teves, who was implicated in the recent killing of Governor Roel Degamo and several others, was a “pressing matter that warranted the chamber’s urgent and sound response.”

He noted that the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, “observing due process and fully cognizant of Rep. Teves’ rights,” conducted an investigation and has submitted its report for plenary action.

“Under my leadership, the House of Representatives will never ever countenance any conduct unbecoming of a House member,” Romualdez said.

9 March 23-29 2023 US...

(From page 1)

This loomed as live-fire training, using naval artillery gunfire and aviation roc ets and bombs to sin a vessel in the est Philippine Sea, where China continues its aggressive maneuvers, will highlight the e panded ali atan military e ercises of troops of the two countries starting ne t month.

It was gathered that the military drill will also feature the first live-firing of a US Patriot missile as part of e ercises in coastal defense.

As this developed, the defense chiefs of US and the Philippines condemned on March 20 what they called as China s gray one activities in the est Philippine Sea as military leaders in Indo Pacific raised the alarm over the tension and conflict in the region. ut the U.S. presence in the region was not an e ort to contain or invite conflict with China, said Admiral ohn A uilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, referring to an AU US partnership between Australia, ritain and the United States to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

As good partners, United States and the United ingdom will go ahead and assist in the ability for Australia to defend themselves, A uilino said in a lecture in Singapore.

US efense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Philippine epartment of National efense O cer in Charge Carlito alve r. said the China s operations interfere with the livelihoods of local Philippine

communities and the rights of other claimant states that see to operate lawfully in the South China Sea consistent with the 20 Arbitral Tribunal ruling.

The two o cials e pressed concern over China s massing of more than 0 vessels, including a People s Liberation Army PLA Navy ship within the 2-nautical mile territorial sea of Pag-asa Island in the est Philippine Sea this month.

The swarming of vessels falls on the heels of a dangerous incident last month, in which the PRC Coast uard directed a military-grade laser against a Philippine vessel operating lawfully around Second Thomas Shoal, temporarily blinding some of the crew, said a US epartment of efense readout.

In a related development, the USS America L A- , an amphibious assault ship and one of the biggest ships of the US Navy, doc ed at the Port of Manila to give its crew time for rest and recreation. The ship sailed from apan after finishing oint military e ercises.

The Philippines-US isiting Forces Agreement allows visits of American ships and planes in the country.

The flight dec of USS Amrica, one of the biggest US Navy ships in the world, can accommodate 2 aircrafts, and si more for landing and ta eo , according radio and television reports.

The ship, which also carries anti-air missiles, serves as bac up for marine flight operations.

USS America s commanding o cer Captain Shoc ey Snyder said the ship sailed through South China Sea on its way to the Philippines.

After their ongoing Salacnib military drills, the US and Philippine troops will proceed with their e panded ali atan oint US-Philippines war e ercises that will open after the oly ee on April and scheduled to end on April 2 . It will be staged in atanes, Palawan and Zambales.

See related stories .

Earlier this wee , US and Philippine o cials presided at the launching of the multi-million peso e pansion and rehabilitation of the asa Air ase in Floridablanca, Pampanga, which will serve as one of the operations center of the US forces under the Enhanced efense Cooperation Agreement E CA of the two countries.

The asa air base e pansion includes widening of its air strip so that bigger airplanes could land and ta e o there.

The war drills will be participated in by ,000 troops, the biggest since the drills started years ago. These will include 2,000 Americans and ,000 Filipinos. In addition, troops from apan, South orea, Australia and New Zealand will oin the e ercises.

Some members of the US forces oining the ali atan drills arrived in the Philippines on March 20.

Col. Medel Aguilar, spo esperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines AFP , said the troops will first wor on various humanitarian civic assistance programs before the annual military e ercises formally begin April . oth the AFP and the Australian Embassy earlier confirmed that around 00 members of the Australian efence Force would be active participants in the war drills.

Australia is proud to return as an ac-

tive participant in E ercise ali atan 202 . This is a significant activity that o ers the opportunity for the Australian efence Force to continue to wor closely with our partners, particularly the Philippines and the US, the Australian Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

In 202 , Australian participation will be our strongest yet -- with appro imately 00 personnel from conventional and special forces participating in multiple scenarios throughout the Philippines, this includes field training and live fire activities. apan, meanwhile, will deploy observers.

To yo and Manila are still in tal s over the proposed establishment of a Reciprocal Access Agreement RAA or a Status of Forces Agreement which would pave the way for more enhanced training and e ercises between the two nations.

AFP Chief of Sta en. Andres Centino led a Philippine delegation to the efense and Security E uipment International in To yo, apan on March to .

Earlier announcement by the Armed Forces indicated that the target vessel will be located 22 ilometers from Zambales or ilometers from Panatag Shoal, the traditionally open fishing ground which China sei ed from the Philippines and controlled since 20 2. e will be sin ing a target vessel using a combination of artillery naval gunfire and aviation weapons e will be firing IMARS igh-Mobility Artillery Roc et System , a combination of Philippine Air Force and US Air Force roc ets and bombs , ali atan spo esperson Col. Michael Logico said during a briefing.

 COMUNITY NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

10

Anti-drug cop in P6.7-B shabu haul axed Fajardo also expressed hope that Mayo’s case is a wake-up call to every police o cer that the PNP leadership will not tolerate misfits among the ran s.

She also added that there is a need to follow the due process in the investigation of the case to ensure that Mayo would not get a reinstatement into the

service.

Mayo is currently detained in Camp agong iwa in Taguig City over his criminal case for violation of the Comprehensive angerous rugs Act of 2002.

“He is still in jail while his trial is ongoing in the criminal case for violation

of Republic Act , he will remain in the custody of the B ureau of Jail Management and Penology, she added.

Mayo was arrested during a drug buy-bust operation in Quiapo, Manila on Oct. , 2022. e was then a member of the PNP rug Enforcement roup s Special Operations Unit in the National

Capital Region.

The operation stemmed from the arrest of a drug suspect identified as Ney Saligumba Atadero during a buy-bust operation in Tondo Manila on Oct. .

Recovered from Atadero were over 0 ilograms of shabu with an estimated value of P . billion.

Software... (From page 1)

dered that the poll data logs of the May 2022 elections should be deleted, thereby rendering impossible any chance of a recount.

Rio had que stioned why more than 20 million votes had been reported less than an hour after the end of balloting in May , 2022.

This was physically impossible, he said, given that each precinct had to complete nine steps under Comelec rules before transmitting the counts from CMs or vote counting machines to the Transparency Server. The nine steps ta e more than 0 minutes to complete, according to Rio. y comparison, even the US does not report the first results of its own presidential elections until many hours after voting has ended.

Comelec also stated that Robredo received ero votes in more than 200 precincts, which her followers consider an impossibility given that the former vice president had volunteers in all areas nationwide.

The poll body has refused to identify

where the 200-plus precincts are located.

In its final report on the May 2022 polls, Namfrel gave details of the discrepancies it had discovered. The CM source code di ered from the hash code, indicating possible program tampering.

Comelec s international certifier, Pro , admitted that human typographical error could have occurred in the data posted. The human-readable source code is comprised of commands to the CMs written by programmers. The hash code, meanwhile, is a computer-generated fingerprint of the software.

Said Namfrel If a change in the software is introduced, a di erent hash code will be generated.

Two months before last ear s presidential elections, Namfrel had noted errors following what was supposed to be an end-to-end demonstration of the election system.

In layman s language, Namfrel said the software used on the CMs on Election ay could have been edited.

According to Rio, the Comelec com-

missioners did not understand the technology. They shouldn t have believed Pro , he said.

Rio had been ta ing his case to the public since late last year after studying the final report on the May polls, and after Namfrel chairman Lito Averia dismissed as flimsy, Pro s e cuse that typo errors had occurred.

With the one-year anniversary of the elections coming up, Rio insists that the flood of results released to the public at a time when some precints were still counting votes was intended to condition the electorate to a Marcos victory.

The former Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief for research and development says, CMs were rigged.

As of last wee , the Supreme Court had yet to act on his petition to order the Comelec to reveal the transmission logs before they are deleted.

That decision lies largely in the hands of Comelec chief eorge arcia, who as earlier stated was previously Ferdinand Marcos r s election lawyer.

tions Comelec ignored the poll watchdog s warnings.

Comelec did not e plain its inaction.

I t must be noted that the poll body is now headed by the former election lawyer of Ferdinand ongbong Marcos, r., who won the elections under what is said to be mysterious circumstances.

A global poll watchers organi ation, The International Observer Mission IOM , had reported that last year s elections “did not meet the standard of free and fair elections because voters has been deprived access to reliable information as well as a credible vote-counting system.

The electorate had also been denied voting places without intimidation, according to the IOM. Comelec had released data showing Marcos suddenly pulling away from his main opponent, Leni Robredo, even before all the polling places had closed. orst of all, the Comelec also or-

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11 March 23-29, 2023

 OPINION Women calling the shots C onc l us i on RA A for Filipino and American sisters of every heritage calling the shots in diverse sectors of society.

Recently aly City stepped up the reopening of program gates from the three-year lull forced by the pandemic.

Under the auspices of aly City Partnership, ealthy Aging Response Team or HART heralded its longtime operations for older adults. From connecting callers to resources to home visits, HART has been helmed by FilAms since Chito Patricio, who relocated to Nevada, and Louis Solano, who left to oin ealth Plan of San Mateo in 20 .

This year anet ronson, who also identifies as Filipina, has earned the top seat of site coordinator at o ces in oelger CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO Community Center. As in previous productive years, she will have veteran care coordinator Maria O rleman visiting clients as well as assisting with DCP meal and brown bag distribution.

Energy and e hilaration reigned last month at the ART reopening it never really closed, says Orleman, who ept busy virtually and not during the shelter in place mandate . ice Mayor uslyn Manalo and City Council Member Pam i iovanni led o cials in congratulating ronson and team. Retired CP boss Pat oehm, C Library Rec Senior Rec Services Supervisor en er and oelger Center Active Adults Supervisor Ann Cooney mingled with DCP youngblood. Newish services specialist Karen Parq ue renewed acq uaintance with providers she had met during her earlier tenure in Pacifica.

San Mateo County Commissioners on Aging CoA Eileen arsi and Li Taylor made sure to bring Help at Home booklets and CoA brochures and learn the northernmost municipality’s Age-Friendly amenities.

Tessie Madrinan and elen Tsui, coordinators of Peninsula Family Service Filipino and Chinese Peer Counseling program, cheered O rleman’s story of how she successfully helped a client acq uire assistance from the County.

Mariya Ouro- belou, CP senior director of client services, concluded presentations with an update on the many services of the nonprofit that literally partners with the City and the community to provide for its multicultural population, from pre-school education to resources for people 55 and older.

No surprise that the light refreshments o ered for lunch was a hefty Filipino-inspired meal of lumpianitas and pancit and a hearty lentil soup with sweet-tart cranberry condiments. For a sweet ending, chocolate crin les and a baggie of beauty products awaited the mostly-female attendees. omen, after all, dominate the caring arena. And self-care matters.

The teams are gearing up for the city s second in-person gathering since their open house last year. This year s Active Adults Fitness Fair set for am – pm, Saturday, May , at the Pacelli Event Center on the Doelger Park campus promises to be as fun and educational for all generations. oelger Senior Center volunteers will have all activity rooms open for show and tell. The aly City All-Stars Concert and will perform in the Larcombe Club ouse. The arden eli will be open. Delicious treats will be available for purchase from local food trucks so you can en oy a picnic in the par , Par ue issued an enthusiastic rah-rah, adding she e pects throngs up to 30 0 to show up.

MEAN ILE San Mateo County Supervisor avid Canepa honored entrepreneurs Reina Montenegro of Chef Reina vegan food fame and I va Chen of Mama Go’s Filipino Cuisine at the SFO Terminal by ate for partnering for the first-ever vegan Filipino food at San Francisco I nternational Airport. undreds of thousands of travelers to SFO will now have the opportunity to sample some of the finest and healthiest vegan Filipino cuisine in the world, Canepa(C ont i nue d on page 26)

EDITORIAL

What’s next for Donald Trump?

B

y most accounts, he is not only anxious but afraid.

He has good reason to be. I t can happen this week or at a later date, but former president onald Trump will be the first US president to be indicted in history.

Worst of all, other indictments will likely follow. B ut for now, he will have to face the conseque nces of the hush money payment he made to porn star Stormy aniels.

Trump denies he had an a air or even a one-night stand with aniels, but his own lawyer said that he had been authorized to give the money to Ms. Daniels in exchange for her never talking about what happened between them.

This was while he was running for president back in 2016.

He has since dismissed his lawyer Michael Cohen who has been revealing many of the moves the real estate billionaire supposedly took that were either e tra-legal or outright illegal. This, after he too the fall for Trump and served time in prison.

Ms. Daniels, for her part, has admitted that she had sexual relations with the former president, going so far as to describe certain parts of his anatomy.

Trump could very easily prove her a liar by showing that part of his body, but has refused to do so. Wise choice, if you ask us.

B ut it is not that image of exposing himself that is giving Trump reason to lose sleep these days.

If and when he is arrested, he will face the same steps that most other criminal suspects have to undergo.

There is at least one area where his fears may be unfounded. There is little chance that Trump will be led out of his Florida residence in handcu s. e is, after all, still a former president of the US and deserves some level of respect. e also has his 2 Secret Service guards to watch over him, and who will make sure that Trump is treated properly, if not kindly.

Unfortunately, his fear of arrest has led him to call on his supporters to go to the streets and demand the he not be taken in, much less incarcerated.

I t is not clear if Trump had any inside information, but he did announce that he would be arrested this Tuesday.

His call for protests was taken seriously by the NYPD – Trump’s trial will be held in New Yor , if it pushes through -- which is now prepared for the worst.

Hopefully, there will be no repeat of what happened on January 6, last year.

At the very least, his most e treme followers now that hundreds of their fellow fanatics have been charged and imprisoned if they go beyond what the law allows.

So what s ne t for onald Trump He may or may not know it, but this hush money case is said to be the weakest of the several cases he faces in the coming months. He may even beat this rap, but the same cannot be said of the other, more serious cases he has on the horizon.

He should, therefore, prepare for possibly worst days to come.

Upside

B

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VAL G. ABELGAS, HOMOBONO A. ADAZA, PERRY DIAZ, JOJO LIANGCO, JO ERLINDA G. NEBRES, ROY C. MABASA, ART G. MADLAING, FR. JOEPEL PADIT, RODEL E. RODIS, LOURDES TANCINCO ESQ, MELANDREW T. VELASCO, DANTES & CYNTHIA VELUZ, CRISTINA OSMENA, LUDY ONGKEKO. COLUMNISTS

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 OPINION

March 23-29, 2023

ULL DI SCLO SURE: “I t is not the size that matters Even an ant bite can sting.” – From “Memoirs” of Emmanuel S. Tipon “You are a better performer than my husband,” cooed the ravishingly beautiful mestiza to her lover. “And he is younger,” she added as a footnote.

EMMA NUEL S A MONT E T IP ON The I locano lawyer who was the ob ect of her a ection responded. “I do not have erectile dysfunction. I could make love with you every night.”

“How about during the day? ” asked the mestiza, expecting the lawyer to say “touche”.

“I have to work during the day so I can give more money to you,” answered the lawyer, who was q uick at repartee and avoided acknowledging a touche.

W H A T IS E R E C T IL E D Y S F U N C T IO N ?

According to Matthew Z iegelmann, M.D., a doctor at the Mayo Clinic: “Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is the inability to get and eep an erection firm enough for se .

I MMI GRATI O N RELATED MARRI AGE NO T CO NSUMMATED Immigration o cer to visa applicant as your marriage consummated?

V isa applicant: No sir.

O cer So your marriage is not bona fide.

Applicant: I t is sir, but I cannot have an erection. I have erectile dysfunction.

Patay kang bata ka. (You are dead, young man.)

N O E R E C T IL E D Y S F U N C T IO N IN IL O C A N O There is no I locano word for “erectile dysfunction”. O ur associate Mae Joy and I are writing an English-Tagalog-I locano dictionary. e do not have any entry for erectile dysfunction”. There is no such creature as “erectile dysfunction” among I locanos.

There is no evidence that the following story is true: A bali bayan man and his new bride went to a first class hotel in Laoag City, I locos Norte for their honeymoon. As they were consummating their marriage, the man asked his wife, “Darling, na feel mo? ” The wife replied in disgust: “Napilco” (I t is bent).

NO ERECTI LE DYSFUNCTI O N I N THE B I B LE iblical scholars find no such thing as erectile dysfunction” (ED) in the B ible. King Solomon reputedly had 1,0 0 0 women in his life (70 0 wives and 30 0 concubines). 1 Kings 11: 3. You cannot have sex with such a large number of women if you have ED. King David, father of Solomon, had less, but still a significant number. avid had to ma e love fre uently to the young B athsheba, a woman of incomparable beauty, whom he lustfully saw bathing under the last rays of the setting Mediterranean sun. David stole her from her husband Uriah, a younger man and a soldier in his army, whom David sent to the battlefront to get him killed. David was about 70 years old when he died, but still making love. He is considered Israel s greatest ing. avid was a firm believer in od and God rewarded him. No ED. Then there is Abraham, said to be the patriarch of David and Jesus, who was 10 0 years old when his son I saac was born to him and his wife Sarah who was 90 years old. I n addition, Abraham had to make love with the young Hagar, a slave, who was Sarah’s handmaiden but who gave her to Abraham so that he could have a child with her and have an heir. That was before Sarah herself had a child with Abraham. hen agar became pregnant, however, Sarah became ealous and treated her harshly and she fled into the desert. She bore a child who was named I shmael. B ut after Sarah died, Hagar came back and Abraham married her. This proves that if you do not waver in your faithfulness to the Almighty He will reward you by allowing you to have a mistress, have an erection, and children even though you are 10 0 years old and above.

I have read the B ible – both the English and I locano version. There is no “erectile dysfunction”.

V IA G R A A N D E R E C T IL E D Y S F U N C T IO N Most people never heard of erectile dysfunction until 1998 when viagra was introduced (C ont i nue on pag e 27)

s accredited and commissioned Notary Public since 1981 and founder of Mobile Signing Services (MSS), I was amazed how Cesar, my friend and lawyer licensed in California and in the Philippines, arranged for the signing and notarization of four documents needed in the A RT G A B OT MA D LA ING Philippines last Saturday, 2: 30 pm, March 18, 203 at the China all u et Restaurant in Concord, California USA. The day and time of signing of the four documents (e.g.

Extra Judicial Settlement of Estate Among Heirs, DEED O F A SOLUTE SALE, Special Power of Attorney, AC NO LEDGEMENT RECEI PT) by nine siblings coming from Antioch, Concord, V allejo, B aypoint, San Francisco, Pittsburg, Yountville and Sacramento, California coincided with the th edding Anniversary celebration of their oldest sibling sister through Lunch- u et at the China all Restaurant in Concord, California USA. My beloved wife V irginia Jimenez Madlaing (as witness to signatures) and I arrived at the Chinese Restaurant 15 minutes early (2: 15 pm) so all the siblings signed the Special Power of Attorney , Extra Judicial Settlement of Estate Among Heirs; and one couple signed the DEED O F AB SO LUTE SALE and AC NO LE EMENT RECEIPT , for a total of 2 signatures. Then, all the nine siblings signed my JO URNAL O F NO TARI AL ACTS and put their right thumb marks.

After the notarization of the four documents signed by the nine siblings all residing in Northern California, we submitted the notarized documents to the Secretary of State, Notary Public Section, in Sacramento, California for apostille.

Through this special and amazing arrangement made by my lawyer-friend Cesar, here are the savings and benefits the nine siblings received though the unique and complete MSS services, as follows: SPECI AL DI SCO UNT O N MULTI PLE SI GNATURES – e gave 0 iscount for the Multiple Signatures 2 signatures) for a savings of about $50.

SPECI AL DI SCO UNT O N MULTI PLE DO CUMENTS – e also gave special discount for multiple documents for a total savings of about $75.

SAV I NGS O N GAS AND MI LEAGE FEES – This was a very big savings due to the amazing ability of Cesar to bring together the nine siblings in one location and one time for all the siblings and signed the four documents and my JO URNAL O F NO TARI AL ACTS and then put their right thumbmarks.

I f I visited them separately for the signing of the documents and my JO URNAL O F NO TARI AL ACTS, it should have cost them $810.

I only charged them $75 (special discount) so the nine siblings got $735 s avings on Gas and Mileage Fees.

A OI ETTIN OFF FROM OR – All the nine siblings were busy from their work and businesses so they avoided getting o from wor . MSS too care everything for them through our unique , complete and professional services.

ERY FLE I LE APPOINTMENTS E o er very fle ible appointments during regular o ce hours, after office hours and wee ends e cept on Sunday morning. It was a blessing that Cesar was able to bring all the nine siblings for the signing of documents last Saturday afternoon at the China all u et Restaurant in Concord, California.

ERY FLE I LE LOCATION – e also o er very fle ible location of appointments for the signing of documents and the OURNAL OF NOTARIAL ACTS. e can meet old and new clients for the signing and notarization of documents at home, o ces, schools, ART lobby, Post O ce Station Lobby, convalescent homes or hospitals and restaurants. e commend Cesar for bringing all the siblings for the signing of the four documents and JO URNAL O F NO TARI AL ACTS in one location at the Chinese Restaurant in Concord, California USA. SAV I NGS O N THE CO ST O F SUB MI SSI O N AND FOLLO -UP OF NOTARIZE OCUMENTS FOR APOSTI LLE AT THE SECRETARY O F STATE, NO TARY PUB LI C SECTI O N I N SACRAMENTO - I t was a wise move for the nine siblings to have the four notarized documents be submitted together to the Secretary of State, Notary Public Section, in Sacramento. I f the four notarized documents were submitted separately, it could (C ont i nue on page 27)

T

Breaking Through

F

A

Health & Wealth

MSS discounts for multiple documents and multiple signatures What’s Up Attorney

Erectile dysfunction, immigration, and an Ilocano lawyer

Surprisingly ‘rude’ Delta Air employee ACO MA Airport, Seattle, ashington — - Here on a 3-hour layover last Tuesday, I thought it would just be one of those boring, uneventful things a traveller has to go through and bear while waiting for his T ED D Y P . MOLINA ne t flight.

B ut, it was not to be.

My usual travelling buddy (my wife) was with me ta ing a elta connecting flight.

After finishing restroom rituals and freshening up, we consulted the airport monitors for our flight s departure gate. e headed for the assigned gate which was classified as one the S gates. To reach the S gates, we saw a notice directing a ected travelers to ta e the airport train.

As we approached the place where to take the train, we came upon a short lady dressed in a Delta Airline uniform who was walking her way to the train stop too.

I t turned out she’s a Filipino too. She immediately asked us what gate were we going to. I gave her the gate number. And she q uickly sprang into action!

She said she’s heading there too. I felt an air of arrogance from her as she insinuated she’s the oss of that gate for our outgoing elta flight.

“I ’m going there ahead of my agents who are still attending a meeting,” she said. I didn’t mind it. I n my profession, I ’ve been used to getting across assertive folks who take pride in announcing who they are.

She promptly asked if we already have our Q R codes. e gave her an in uisitive loo as it s the first time, e cept during the height of Covid, that I encountered such a req uirement for air travel. hy, don t you now that, she as ed in a condescending manner. From that point on, the diminutive , around 5ft or less, in height, Delta employee launched her uninterrupted all-knowing discourse that the Q R code is a big req uirement.

She gave a warning that we can’t leave Seattle without such Q R codes. She so spoke like a high authority that an uninitiated to such messaging would have a sudden heart attack. She sounded scaring.

She went on to say that “the problem with Filipinos” is that they appear at the airport without Q R codes and they come in close to boarding time. “They ask for help. I assist them but the problem is I would be busy attending to other passengers and there would be no more time to assist them further. “ Sounds reasonable but the trouble is the way she addresses Filipinos is as if she’s not a Pinoy herself and therefore rude.

I don’t know if Delta would be better without her but I wish the lady leaves her bad manners behind and transforms into a courteous, tactful, friendly and considerate employee.

I was unable to take her name as I had to withdraw q uickly to a place where I can take a seat to work on my mobile phone in order to comply with the travel req uirement.

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13 March 23-29, 2023

 OPINION

O

A Glimpse of Pinoy Educators in the Bay

Making sense of bank collapses

Offline

k, ok. This head is a play on a popular phrase of a TV show that I loved as a teen, which was Hawaii Five-O . (The original, not this new version which while successful does not have the spirit of the one starring Jack Lord.)

At the end of each episode, top cop Steve McGarret would tell his deputy named B ET ING D OLOR Danny or whatever to book the bad guy that they had just caught, or build a solid case against. So, “B ook ‘im, Danno…”

I n a perfect world, the good guys always win and the bad guys always get their comeuppance.

Life isn’t always perfect, of course. I n fact, most of the time life can be totally frustrating. B ut every now and then, partial justice is served against even the most powerful bad boy.

Such is the case with the I nternational Criminal Court (I CC) ordering the arrest of mass murderer V ladimir Putin.

I refer to him as a mass murderer because it is impossible for Putin not to know that some of the missile attacks from Russia targeted private homes, hospitals, and schools.

B lood is in his hands for the thousands of Ukrainian civilians who have been killed or maimed in the name of his special military operation, which is his way of calling the war that he declared and which only exposed the fact that the Russian military is inept.

Russia is on the losing end of the year-old war, thus far, and it appears that this will be the case for the near to midterm.

Meanwhile, the killing of civilians continues.

I t’s highly doubtful that the I CC can, in fact, arrest Putin.

He is too well protected and being one of the most powerful men in the planet means that chances of his landing behind bars are practically nil.

The same cannot be said of the Philippines’ own mass murderer, Rodrigo Duterte.

I t’s one thing to be the president of a powerful country like Russia, and qui te another to the a former president of a Third World nation, which is what the Republic of the Philippines still is.

The now retired Duterte spends almost all his time in his Davao City home, doing whatever it is that mass murderers do. He is old, but still capable of pulling a trigger, so his blood lust may return and he may want to hunt down suspected drug users in his city just for the heck of it.

He may have ample security, but it is within the realm of the possible that this most violent of all past Philippine presidents can still be arrested by the I CC. This may be the reason why B ongbong Marcos has spoken of providing international lawyers to represent his predecessor should he be arrested, booked, and face trial.

He will most likely lose, of course, as there is strong evidence to suggest that he personally ordered, or at the very least allowed, the police to go on an all-out war on drugs where the rights of suspected drug users and pushers were temporarily suspended, at least long enough for them to be shot to death on the prete t that they put up a fight.

Now Senator B ato dela Rosa was his chief of the Philippine National Police back then, and must share the guilt, as he was the architect of the kill, kill, kill program that resulted in the death of anywhere from six thousand to 30,0 mostly poor, young men who were not even given the chance to surrender.

I honestly have no idea how the I CC will go about nabbing the likes of Putin and Duterte. Will they send a fully-armed assault team to where they suspect their man is hiding? O r will they ask local executives to carry out the task of implementing the arrest order?

B ongbong Marcos is in a qua ndary. His vice president is the daughter of the mass murderer, and he may fear that she will take any and all steps to prevent the arrest of her old man, including mounting a coup.

B ut if the president does nothing, he could lose his credibility in the world stage, and all his calls and pleas for top companies to invest in the Philippines will be for naught.

After all, why would any of the world’s top corporations place their funds in a country (C ont i nue on page 27)

W

hile this is not a would like to focus on a few Filipino American personal finance educators in the B ay Area column, the for this week’s column. They deserve to be recognized and collapse of Silicon V alley remembered for the e orts B ank, Signature B ank, they have exerted and still and the current distress of e erting in ma ing a di erence in the lives of the stuCredit Suisse (underway dents. as I write this) must be While Filipino teachers/ educators had a hard time ELP ID IO R. ES T IOK O the news of the week. And getting into the educational rightly so. system as teachers here in the I f anyone tries to tell US as new immigrants, there were some who were lucky and earned their teaching jobs you, including yourself, through merits and experience. that these are isolated Their experience in the Philippines, which was seldom events, don’t listen. B ank failures cause their considered for new immigrant applicants, propelled them into getting US teaching jobs which became a dilemma for own contagion. Even if Silicon V alley B ank new teacher-applicants considering that most school adminsu ered the flaw of poor li uidity manageistrators look for local experience from the applicants and a boy (meaning a graduate of US institutions) in the hirment and no ris o cer for eight months, that local ing process. failure has or will cause a subseq uent liq uidHellie Mateo, for instance, taught English Language Development (ELD) and Global Literature here in the US for 2 6 ity contraction in the market. Loans will be years with the Fremont Union High School District in Sunnyharder to get, including personal loans and vale- in all of its five high schools. She said I got my Single home eq uity lines of credit. I f you were look- Subject (Secondary) Teaching Credential through San Jose University. My experience as an educator was for the ing to do any ind of financing, e cept maybe State most part very productive and satisfactory due to my supa mortgage, you may have to wait out this portive supervisors and professional colleagues. We have a Teachers’ Union which supported its members in negotiating crisis. And, if I am right and the loan market for pay increases and better working conditions. O ur school is closing as I write, then those who live on district is also one of the few in the B ay Area that paid really rolling over their own debt will be faced with well due to its geographic location and socioeconomic demographics. We got a raise on top of the salary increases almost their own challenges. every year based on left-over money from district funds, so I These problems are going to happen at the never thought about switching to a di erent district. The students are very diverse which made teaching both challenging individual level but also at the company and as well as fulfilling as an educator. I retired in une 2022 after larger entity level. That is what is happening 2 6 years with the FUHSD.” at Credit Suisse. Funding, in this case eq uity, She worked with students with special needs thereby redirecting her career toward special education. She spent a few has dried up for the time. years helping build the Transition Program at the school disThe FDI C has decided to ensure all depos- trict, at the same time helping recent high school graduates and other young adults prepare for employment by teachits of SV B , including those well above the work skills. Additionally, she developed and conducted insurance limit of $ 2 50 ,0 0 0 . This is also true ing a training program for the district’s job coaches - enabling for Signature B ank and any other US bank them to better support their students with disabilities at their jobs. of a certain size. I f your money is in a small Former Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) regional bank, take is out. I wouldn’t also dis- Dean Roman Dannug, PhD, a resident of Northern Califorcount the idea of having lots of cash around in nia said Yes, I got a teaching ob at the Concord College Nursing. I went to credentialing, got a very good rate per case another weekend comes and things don’t of hour, and class size was 2 5 pax maximum which was great. work. Keep in mind that if the US government I strictly followed a school-approved subject syllabus, high multi media-driven instruction, and observed a takes on enough risk, that means the next risk technology/ criteria-based grading system that allows a very small percould be to the United States itself. centage of teacher’s discretion… practically everything is measurable based on documented class performance, impresIn short, the emotional e ects of ban sive faculty development program for professional growth, failures take on lives of their own. The bigand excellent extension program to support increased enrollgest risk is that the contagion spreads to the ment.

To my surprise, our white school director who was a country level. Less financially sound countries Ph.D. holder talked to me privately and advised that students may be the next shoe to drop. The United and colleagues should address me inside the campus as Dr. Dannug, since “we all earned a professional title that sepaStates is even at risk. That, ultimately, is the rate the ordinary from the extraordinary” emphasizing that biggest risk I f the Fed sets the pace of interthe title req uires some great responsibility in both teacher beest rate hikes. Smart investors think that the havior, delivery and performance inside the program. O ver all, my close to 3 years college teaching experience in the US singularity in the Treasury market happens was exceedingly great.” this decade. You know, when those who buy r. annug added Managing classes that were full of US treasuries realize, like Wile E Coyote, that actual diverse racial and cultural backgrounds became more lling with a profound understanding of unity in diversity they are standing on a cli of air and nothing fulfi “and full dedication to professional responsibilities - two very is beneath them. important traits for Filipino-American educators in order to remain e ective agents of change, powerful voices against Take this very seriously. And, in 2 0 2 4, I racism/ discrimination and genuine advocates of eq ual opporhope you remember that this happened under tunity for all! ” Maria I barra, on the other hand, was a public-school Joe B iden’s watch.

I

teacher in the Philippines before

As I See It

Book ‘im, Bongbong

(C ont i nue

on page 27)

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS How to appeal Marriage fraud charge

I

s your marriage case denied for inconsistencies during the interview, no su cient documents submitted or some other reasons? Do not lose hope. There are many ways you can convince the government that you deserve an approval. I f the reason for denial is inconsistencies during the interview, you can submit proof that the responses are consistent with respect to your case. This is called reconciliation of responses. If your case is denied because of lac of su cient evidence, you can submit a davits proving that your marriage is in good faith. I f your case is denied because the government has been very unfair during the interview such as using threats of imprisonment or some coercive tactics during the interview, you need to see a help from an immigration attorney to represent you on this matter because a simple mista e in analysis could be fatal. In legal language, you need to appeal on due process ground. Due process requi res voluntariness in giving information of the part of the alien and the government adhering to the fair and ust process in see ing responses. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants aliens the right to due process. enerally, Immigration proceedings, although not sub ect to the full range of constitutional protections, must conform to the Fifth Amendment’s requi rement of due process.”

Salgado-Diaz v. Gonzales, 395 F.3d 1158, 1 162 ( 9th Cir. 205) (as amended); “A full and fair hearing is one of the due process rights a orded to aliens in deportation proceedings.

A court will grant a petition on due process grounds only if the proceeding was so fundamentally unfair that the alien was prevented from reasonably presenting his case. utierre v.

Holder, 662 F .3d 1083, 1091 ( 9th Cir. 201 1).

The court reviews de novo claims of due process violations. Grigoryan, 959 F.3d at 1239; Liu v. older, 0 F. d , 0 th Cir. 20 as amended Ibarra-Flores v. on ales, F. d , 20 th Cir. 200 . The IA s decision will be reversed on due process grounds if (1) the proceeding was so fundamentally unfair that the alien was prevented from reasonably presenting his case, and 2 the alien demonstrates pre udice, which means that the outcome of the proceeding may have been a ected by the alleged violation. IbarraFlores, 439 F.3d at 620– 21.

For those of you who received a denial because your rights are violated on due process ground you need to spea to an immigration attorney to discuss your individual situation.

Note: This is not a legal advice and presented for information purposes only. I f you have immigration problems the Law O ces of Crispin C. Lo ano can help you find a solution before your problem gets worse which could lead to deportation and family separation.

March 23-29, 2023

SMC grosses P1.5 trillion in rofit at P B MAN ALUYON CITY iversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. SMC reported gross revenues of P . trillion and net income of .2 billion in 2022.

Our strong top line performance is a clear indication of our economy s continuous recovery as well as the strong consumer demand for our products and services,” SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said in a statement.

The conglomerate saw a hefty 0 surge in consolidated revenues, hitting . trillion from billion in 202 even stronger than the 20 pre-pandemic result of trillion.

In 202 , SMC finished with .2 billion in consolidated net income.

Ang e pressed optimism about the group s future growth despite lingering challenges. e re confident in the measures and programs we ve put in place to weather these. e remain strongly committed to e ecuting on the long-term growth strategy we ve laid out for our company, that will also significantly benefit our country, he said. rea ing down its businesses financial performance last year, San Miguel Food and everage, Inc. generated . billion in revenues, higher than a year ago as its core segments posted growth. Net income also rose to . billion.

San Miguel rewery, meanwhile, posted .2 billion in revenues and 2 . billion in earnings, on account of the 0 ump in volumes. inebra San Miguel Inc. also had a strong 2022 with an all-time high net income reaching . billion.

San Miguel Foods li ewise ept its momentum with .2 billion profit.

SMC lobal Power oldings Corporation s profit stood at . billion.

Fuel refinery and retail arm Petron Corporation also maintained its recovery with its profit improving by to . billion.

Listed infrastructure arm SMC Infrastructure had 2 billion in revenues, climbing by from 202 on higher tra c flows witnessed last year.

Maharlika bill reaches Senate plenary

MANI LA – The Department of B udget and Management (DB M) welcomed the news that the bill creating the proan ruptcy asics posed Maharli a Investment Fund MIF reached the Senate plenary. . an ruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unseThe measure reached the Senate floor cured debts are discharged. Although the ban ruptcy will be in your records for 0 years, three wee s after the committee ended its not filing ban ruptcy will ma e your credit even worse until most your debts are paid.

2. If you are being sued by your creditors, most money udgment can be eliminated in hearings on the MIF bills. ban ruptcy.

DB M Secretary Amenah Panganda. Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement. man lauded Senator Mar illar, chair of . Chapter will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you the Senate Committee on an s, Financial must eliminate most of your debts.

I nstitutions, and Currencies, for sponsoring Senate ill No. 2020 establishing the IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT MI F Act. e commend Senator illar on his .

PETITION FOR CARE I ERS Our Law Firm entered into agreement with nursing and care home facilities in the U.S. to sponsorship of Senate B ill No. 2 0 2 0 . This process applicants for Caregivers in the US. We also process petition for caregivers from the is a testament to his clear vision for economic growth for the country,” she said in Philippines.

2.

I TA REFUN S FOR SELF-EMPLOYE a statement.

The Coronavirus Cares Act Sic and Family Leave for Self-Employed provides big ta She said the DB M maintains its strong refunds for self-employed individuals for ta years 2020 and 202 . If you have filed your support for the passage of the MI F Act, ta return and failed to avail of this refund contact us for consultation. The refund ranges saying it will greatly aid the country in from $40 t o $320 pe r individual self employed depending on your income. increasing its fiscal space, cataly ing ecoCall our o ce at - 2 for confidential consultation nomic growth and ultimately, achieving CLAIM FOR UNPAI A ES the goals outlined in the Medium-Term We help our clients recover from employers’ unpaid minimum wage and overtime. UnFiscal Framewor , the -Point Socioecodocumented wor ers are ualified to apply. nomic Agenda, and the Philippine Development Plan 2 0 2 3 to 2 0 2 8 .”

CAR ACCI ENTS Our Law Firm successfully settled a car accident for .000.

“More importantly, present and future FAMILY LA generations will reap these benefits a orde also handle uncontested I ORCE. ed by the MIF Act, the M said.

SUCCESS STORIES The M li ewise vowed to continue For the month of January, 203, w e received approval from USCI S four naturalization to o er technical assistance to legislators applications, three Fianc e visa petition, two removals of condition on residence and five to ensure the integrity of the MI F, while adjustment of status applications. upholding the rule of law and respecting If you have immigration problems the Law O ces of Crispin C. Lo ano can help you the process of legislation. find a solution before your problem gets worse, which could lead to deportation and family Under SB 2 0 2 0 , the initial capitalizaseparation. tion will come from the investible funds C hr i s C aday L oz ano, E s q. i s an ac t i v e membe r of t he St at e B ar of C al i f orni a, t he A meri c an I mmi grat i on L aw y ers A s s oc i at i on and San F ranc i s c o T ri al L aw y ers . H e prac t i c es i mmi - of the Land an of the Philippines and grat i on l aw , bank rup t c y , pers ona l i nj ur y and i nc ome t ax repres ent at i on s i nc e J une 199.

H i s the evelopment an of the Philippines c ont ac t phone i s 1- 87456926, e mai l : i nf o@ C C L l aw .ne t W eb s i t e: w w w .c ri s pi nl oz anol aw . dividend remittances of ang o Sentral com/ with officers in Hayward and Cerritos, CA.

14

ng Pilipinas; national government share of income from Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation; and proceeds from privatization and transfer of assets.

In his sponsorship speech, illar said the establishment of the MIF will help the country attain economic transformation, growth and sustainability.

He assured that the creation of the MI F, as well as the management, investment, and use of its proceeds, will adhere to the principles of “good governance, transparency, and accountability.

He said several layers of oversight will be put in place.

Not only will this promote e ective intergenerational management of the country s financial resources, but more importantly, improve the welfare of the future generations of Filipinos, illar said.

In anuary, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the soft launch of the MI F in Davos, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the orld Economic Forum.

He said the proposal to create the MI F for the Philippines gained support from EF participants, as Marcos noted that the fund would be used to diversify the country s financial portfolio.

15 March 23-29, 2023

 BUSINESS

Bangko Sentral seen to raise rates by 25 basis points MANI LA – The B angko Sentral ng PI lipinas (B SP) is expected to raise its key rates by 2 5 basis points this week as domestic inflation remains elevated and both the supply and demand side risks still high.

In its economic preview for the wee covering March 20-2 , Moody s Analytics said the Philippines “is battling some of the stic iest inflation in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The rate of price increases last February slowed to 8 .6 percent but this was little changed from the . percent in the previous month, a -year high. ang o Sentral ng Pilipinas SP policy-ma ing Monetary oard M hi ed the central ban s ey rates by 0 basis points last February to percent for the overnight reverse repurchase RRP rate, bringing the total rate increase since May last year to 00 basis points.

Moody s Analytics said drivers of domestic inflation rate come from both the demand and supply side, with the influ of tourists, among others, resulting in higher demand for accommodation, transportation and restaurant meals and is contributing to the faster inflation rate.

On the supply side, prices of oil in the international mar et remain elevated due to economic developments overseas. ith inflation still too high, SP will want to prevent what it calls the emergence of additional second-order effects, it said. owever, the small easing in inflation in February, which contrasted with SP s e pectation for an increase, could give the central ban confidence to step it back.”

Meanwhile, the oint publication of First Metro Investment Corporation FMIC and University of Asia and the Pacific UA P , The Mar et Call, in its March 202 issue, said domestic inflation remains a concern.

It said while prices of some food items and transport cost decelerated in the second month this year, this was countered by the faster rise in prices of eggs and milk and other dairy products.

Core inflation, which e cludes volatile food and energy items, accelerated to . percent in the second month this year from the previous month s . percent. espite core inflation YOY yearon-year rising faster in February, we should not lose sleep over it since food and transport prices, in the Philippines, have a lagged e ect on non-volatile items, it added.

It forecasts a 2 basis points increase in the SP rates when the M will have its second rate-setting meeting for the year on March 2 with inflation li ely to have pea ed in anuary and price gains in the coming months much less than e perienced in 2022.

It also forecasts the same ump in rates during M s rate setting meeting in May. “There is an upside risk in the March 2 -22 meeting if the Fed Federal Reserve hi es its policy rates by 0 bps.

B SP will likely not want to extinguish the economic recovery momentum, it added.

The Federal Open Mar et Committee FOMC will have its meeting on March 2 -22 and it is widely pro ected to hi e rates by 2 5 basis points.

Some analysts cited the need for the Federal Reserve to slow down or pause its rate hi ing cycle to boost depositors confidence and prevent a possible ban ing crisis following the collapse of two United States-based ban s about two weeks ago A pause in Federal Reserve s rate hi es this month is seen to give central ban s in Asia Pacific a leeway to also do the same but not in the Philippines given the elevated inflation rate.

In a commentary dated March 20, 202 , Moody s Analytics said the Federal Open Mar et Committee FOMC will now likely pause in its interest rate hi es at the 20-2 March meeting, before another rate increase in May.” This, after two US ban s, Silicon alley an and Signature an , collapsed a few wee s ago while another one is facing some unusual challenges to date.

The commentary said central banks in Indonesia, Malaysia and South orea already took a breather on their rate hike ad ustments and others may do li ewise, at least in the near term, because the ris of currency depreciation will diminish if the Fed doesn t tighten. ut in countries where inflation has not yet been tamed, including Australia, India, the Philippines, and ietnam, central banks may continue to raise rates as e pected while watching to see if tightening of lending standards within the Asia Pacific region and around the world does some of the heavy lifting for them, it said.

For one, ang o Sentral ng Pilipinas policy-ma ing Monetary oard M is widely expected to increase the central ban s ey rates by 2 basis points as do-

mestic inflation remains elevated.

Since May 2022, the SP s ey rates have been increased by 00 basis points, with the overnight reverse repurchase rate RRP now at percent from a record-low of 2 percent when the pandemic hit in 2020.

The rate of price increases slowed to . percent last February from the previous month s . percent, among its year highs.

This brought the year-to-data average to . percent, way above the government s 2 to percent target ban .

Monetary authorities e pect inflation to remain above target for most of this year, with the average inflation pro ected at . percent.

Relatively, the elevated inflation rate along with the downtrend in merchandise e ports were cited by Moody s Analytics as main factors for its decision to cut its growth forecast for the Philippines this year from . percent to . percent, lower than the government s to percent assumption.

The commentary said the pro ections for continued hi es in the SP rates will

have a greater downward impact on domestic demand, particularly household consumption.”

“With the weaker global economy this year, growth of remittances also will soften adding another hit to the private consumption and housing investment, it said.

Inflows from overseas Filipino wor ers OF s are among the main drivers of Philippines gross domestic product P at around nine percent of domestic output.

The SP recently reduced its remittance growth outloo for the year from an e pansion of percent to percent on account of the pro ected slower global output.

Moody s Analytics said merchandise e ports of the Philippines account for around 0 percent of the country s total exports. hile service e ports for tourism will improve, this will not be su cient to pic up the slac in goods e ports. Service e ports also include business process outsourcing, which follows global growth” it added.

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 ENTERTAINMENT

March 23-29, 2023

16

Gerald Anderson says Julia Barretto is the woman he’ll marry “Siya na.”

These were the words of actor Gerald Anderson when asked if he sees his current girlfriend and former co-star Julia B arretto as the person he’s going to marry.

I n an interview with Korina Sanchez and reported by AB S-CB N, Anderson said that all his present endeavors are leading up to plans of settling down.

“Genuinely, lahat ng ginagawa ko sa career ko, sa show business, sa pagiging businessman is leading up to that point,” he said.

Expounding on seeing B arretto in his future, Anderson added: “You

just know. Alam mo lang eh. You feel na may nagbabago sa’yo.”

“You feel na mas nag-iiba ‘yung priorities mo or mas naging malinaw sa’yo priorities mo. Ang hirap magexplain eh. I ba ‘yung (feeling),” he added.

B arretto and Anderson have become increasingly open about their relationship since going public with their relationship in March 2 0 2 1.

Anderson earlier referred to B arretto as “the one,” saying that while he hopes to marry her eventually, they intend to achieve a “q uota” first when it comes to their showbi careers. (AB S-CB N)

Alma Moreno transforms in ‘Salamat, Daks’ I f you have the means to give your life a complete makeover, will you do it? O r will you change nothing and embrace yourself and allow others to love you for who you are?

A story of a middle-aged woman who turns things around to make her life more exciting. Meet Maricar (Alma Moreno , a woman in her fifties who longs for a drastic change in her dull and stagnant everyday routine. With this, she uses all her life savings for a botox procedure that transforms her into a much younger, almost unrecognizable version of herself (Ayanna Misola). ith her new loo , she finally can give her life a second chance and do the

things she missed out on before, one of which is to experience love. Maricar’s eyes are set on only one man, her ultimate crush and dream guy, the online sensation – Mikko (Nikko Natividad).

Thanks to her botox procedure, she can now use her irresistible charm and make Mikko fall in love with her.

Can she finally be happy and satisfied with her life choices ill this transformation of hers make her look and feel forever young? O r is it like a spell that will wear o when the time is up?

Salamat Daks stars FAMAS nominated and certified seasoned actress, Alma Moreno, together with V ivamax’s

Moira dela Torre fitness journey: From 180 lbs to 120 lbs Singer and songwriter Moira dela Torre leaves netizens abuzz as she shares recent photos of her weight loss after a year and a month.

Dela Torre opens up that she is now

60 l bs lighter and “cleared of hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, estrogen dominance, and no longer infertile after 2 years of being declared to be.”

“I n 20, I secretly became bulimic for 2 ye ars during a season that left me struggling mentally and physically. B ut in December 201, I met Doc Sheree online through Ms. Karen Davila (after an interview I did with her) and that’s when she started working on my hormones and forever changed my life for the better. She had me take a hormone test, where she found out what really was messing up my system (stress, depression and misdiagnosed PCO S for years). I ’ve been known to be someone whose weight fluctuated a lot and I d get conscious, not really because of my physical appearance but more so because of how I felt internally. I always felt uncomfortable and unable to function at my best. So when we got to the real root of all the misalignment, she knew exactly which supplements to give me and the rest is history,” writes Dela Torre.

sexy actress Ayanna Misola and comedian hunk actor Nikko Natividad.

I t also stars Giselle Sanchez, Andrew Muhlach, B ob Jbeili, Shiena Yu, and Millen Gal. Salamat Daks is the second collaboration of director B obby B onifacio and Ayanna Misola. ula was their first film together.

A movie that will make you laugh and feel loved, flaws and all, with no transformations necessary.

Salamat Daks can now be streamed exclusively on V ivamax.

Salamat Daks is also streaming on V ivamax Middle East covering UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, O man, B ahrain,

‘Aaliwin Kita’ marks 100th episode

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ast month, a departure from its regular Sunday schedule, “aALI Win Kita” marked its 100t h episode.

A project of B irdie Reyes I I I , Aliw Awards Foundation’s 1st V ice-President, who is based in New Jersey, USA, the show was started in August, 20, f our months before the Through December 15, 20 Aliw Awards Night held at the Manila Hotel. a Looking I t was B irdie’s aim to promote both the Aliw Awards Night and Filipino live entertainers , whom he considers the best in Glass the world.

Guests at the 100t h episode were Jam Morales, based in New Mexico , and Fe de los Reyes, based in California.

B Y A LICE HERNA ND EZ REY ES Co-hosting with B irdie was Lloyd Mara, based in Chicago, I llinois.

Since its first episode, aALI in ita on F live has generated tremendous interest in Filipino live entertainers not only in the Philippines, but also and especially in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Audiences world-wide have been entertained by the music and stories of Filipino performers both in the Philippines and abroad, many of whom are Aliw awardees.

The show, which is aired every Sunday from 6 to 8 A.M., US East Coast, 3 to 5 A.M., US West Coast, and 7 –9 P .M. in the Philippines and Asia, may be viewed any time after its airing, by fans, at the “aALI Win Kita” FB .

Performers are given an opportunity to show their talents through the show, which has “discovered” them and brought them to the attention of the Aliw Awards Foundation, the pioneering award-giving body for live entertainment. I n fact, several nominees in the 20 Awards Night came from guests of aALI in ita , which now has over fifteen thousand viewers.

This F live show even o ers viewers a chance to win cash for having the most li es during the show.

So far, without advertising support, B irdie has been providing the cash prizes for his viewers.

17 March 23-29, 2023

 ENTERTAINMENT

‘Applause’ set for July 31 Preparations are underway for “Applause”, a Tribute to AAFI Founder Alice H. Reyes, which is scheduled for Monday, July 31 ,2 0 2 3 at the Manila Hotel Fiesta Pavilion.

The once-in-a-lifetime event will have as guest performers only Aliw Entertainers of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awardees, to whom invitations have been sent. The final list of performers will be announced at a later date., I t will be recalled that Aliw Awards Foundation I nc.(AAFI ) was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1976 by Alice H. Reyes and a group of newshens and newsmen.

The following year, the first Aliw Awards night was held at the Philamlife auditorium with Pilita Corrales as the first Entertainer of the Year. E cept for a

hiatus of ten years (198 8 -1998 ), the pioneering award-giving body held annual awards nights from 1977 to 2 0 2 0 . Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation had no awards night in 2 0 2 1 but held its awards night again in 2 0 2 2 .

The “Applause” Executive Committee is co-chaired by B irdie Reyes I I I and Aristeo Garcia., 1st and 2 nd V ice-Presidents respectively, who will announce their members soon.

O ther Committees are Finance, chaired by Rema T. Manzano , with members O felia Cajigal, B rian Lu, Jose Dadulla Jr., Francia Conrado and Elna Miralles Fabiana; Reception Committee, co-chaired by Tess Tan and Francia Conrado, with members O felia Cajigal and Leonora Cabael; and I nvitation Committee, chaired by Joey Nombres, with members Leonora Cabael and Nelson

Mendoza.

“Applause” was chosen as the title of the Tribute, because applause is what live entertainers see as an a rmation of their talent. The Applause trophy was designed by the late B enjo Laygo, son of noted artist Z ny Laygo.

Directing the concert is multi-awarded Joey Nombres, who has been part of the foundation since its establishment as a member of the sta of the late T and stage director Mitos V illarreal, who directed the first and subse uent awards nights.

“Applause ” is supported by Mayor Joy B elmonte of Q uezon City and friends of the honoree and the foundation, whose names will be published in subseq uent press releases and in the Tribute Souvenir Program.

Tickets to the July 31 dinner-show will be available

Filipino streaming platform iWantTFC and TFC IPTV offer huge 2022 MMFF winner “Nanahimik Ang Gabi” on Pay-Per-View starting March 22

LO S ANGELES – There were two big winners at the 2 0 2 2 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awards night held last December: “Deleter” which hauled seven awards, and “Nanahimi Ang abi A Silent Night which won five awards - Third B est Picture, B est Lead Actor for I an V eneracion, B est Supporting Actor for Mon Confiado, est Musical Score and est Production Design.

Starting March 2 2 to April 10 this year, movie fans around the world can watch the award-win-

ning suspense thriller “Nanahimik Ang Gabi” on iWantTFC – the world’s leading Filipino streaming platform available in 2 0 0 countries – from the comfort of their homes or on the go for just Php 2 49 (or its eq uivalent in local currency). The selling period to access the film ends on April 0.

Pay-Per-V iew (PPV ) buyers can watch on their preferred screening time with a 48 -hour access period on the new iWantTFC Tickets website at https: / / tickets.iwanttfc.com Meanwhile, on TFC I PTV , users have until April 10 to rent the movie for USD 4.99 (or its eq uivalent in local currency). They can watch the movie until April 12 . Each purchase will give users access for 48 hours.

O ne of 2 0 2 2 ’s B est Filipino Films Named one of the 10 B est Filipino Films of 2 0 2 2 by the editors of Cinema Escapist, “Nanahimik Ang Gabi” tells the story of “sugar baby” Me-ann (Heaven Peralejo) – a young car show model and social media influencer - whose sugar daddy” whom she calls Chief (I an V eneracion) turns out to be a corrupt and abusive police officer.

As they rendezvous one evening at their secluded mansion love nest, their illicit tryst q uickly turns into a nightmare when they are interrupted by a seemingly deranged intruder named Soliman Mon Confiado . The mysterious stranger ta es the couple’s getaway into a horrifying direction.

What impressed many critics and viewers aside from the compelling acting are the chilling cinematography, haunting score and heart-pounding action scenes. The direction and screenplay of Shugo Praico swing the viewers from the familiar to the unexpected, creating cinematic tension that characterizes this thriller which explores power dynamics.

Watch iWantTFC on a larger screen with select devices, including V EWD, RO KU, and Am-

azon Fire streaming devices, Android TV , select Samsung Smart TV models, Telstra TV (in Australia), and V I DAA. V isit https: / / bit.ly/ iWantTFC_ TV Devices for a complete list of compatible devices, sign-in instructions, and account activation.

For updates, follow www.facebook.com/ iWantTFC, @ iwanttfc on Twitter and I nstagram, and subscribe to www.youtube.com/ iWantTFC.

D O J S E L L E R O R T R A V E L

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 ENTERTAINMENT

March 23-29, 2023

18

Fil-Am Vanessa Hudgens to shoot film in Manila, Palawan this March

By Claire Morales True LO S ANGELES - Award-winning Filipino American actress and singer V anessa Hudgens is set to visit the Philippines for the first time and shoot a documentary about her and family and about the Philippines.

Reports on V anessa’s visit and new project were splashed all over the Hollywood media – Hollywood Reporter, V ariety and Net Shark, among others – and those in the Philippines, the home of her mother, Gina Guangco Hudgens, who is joining her in the visit.

V anessa, who had long wanted to visit the Philippines which her late father had loved, is expected this March in Manila, and Palawan to do a documentary with Filipino director Paul Soriano, who is Presidential Adviser for Creative Communications to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. B orn in Salinas, California and raised a Catholic in the West Coast from O regon to Los Angeles in Southern California, V anessa, now 34, is one of

Filipino Americans who rose to fame in the Disney Channel original movie High School musical series.

V anessa loves dearly her Filipino mother and her Filipino heritage and loves “lumpia,” “pansit” and “adobo.”

She dropped “adobo” later when she stopped eating meat. She admitted she used to eat rice in every meal.

Lately, V anessa has been one of FilAm celebrities who supported the campaign against vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans.

I n an interview years back, V anessa recalled that her mother Gina came to America from the Philippines with V anessa’s father, Greg, an engineer, and all she knew then was her husband and another daughter Stella.

She said her dad, who had visited the Philippines many times and admired Filipinos as people who love music, died of cancer in 2 0 16, the night before she played Rizzo in Fox TV ’s “Grease: Live” and she dedicated her acclaimed performance to her father.

V anessa always pay tribute to her

parents who were all out in her career, driving her to auditions way back. She describes her mother as a hardworking woman who was devoted to her husband until he passed away.

“My parents never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do, which I ’m grateful for. I ’m also grateful that it actually worked out for me. O bviously, it’s still a work in progress and, with God’s blessing, I ’ll be able to do this for a very long time. B ut, you never know,” V anessa admitted in an interview four years ago.

As an actress and singer, V anessa also performed in stage plays and musicals such as Carousel, The Wizard of O z, the King and I , The Music Man, Evita, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the King and I and Cinderella, among others.

Her debut in B roadway was through “Gigi.”

I n the romantic comedy “Second Act,” V anessa co-starred with Jennifer Lopez, Milo V entimiglia and Leah Remini.

V anessa appeared in many movies, including “B ad B oys for Life,” “The Princess Switch” and “The Princess Switched Again,” and “The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star” where she also was a producer and was shown in Netfli . anessa s film which Paul Soriano will direct and produce has no title yet.

Filming will start in Manila and later move to Palawan province which a fellow Californian, US V ice President Kamala Harris earlier visited.

I t was gathered from Hollywood media that the film will e plore anessa s Filipino heritage, including her relationship with her family and her journey as a Filipino American celebrity.

“I feel like ours is such a relatable story to so many women all over the world,” she said in a statement. “The more that we can share, the more we can lift each other up.”

V anessa disclosed that she had been wanting to develop a movie about her mother Gina’s immigrant journey. Gina, a producer and actor herself, immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 2 5.

V anessa’s co-producer and director, Paul Soriano, had produced Manny Pacq uiao biopic “Kid Kulafu” in 2 0 15.

“We are honored to work with V anessa for this film pro ect, Soriano said in a statement. “I t’s inspiring to note that with everything she has achieved in life, she wants to discover her Filipino roots and pay homage to her mother’s country. Hopefully, this opens doors for many more collaborations to come.”

Paul Soriano was also the director of Mañ anita (a competition entry at the 2 0 19 Tokyo I nternational Film Festival) and also produced Lav Diaz’s A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2 0 16), which won a special film award at the B erlin I nternational Film Festival and Transit (2 0 13), which was the Philippines’ entry in the B est I nternational Film Category for the 8 6th Academy Awards. Soriano’s Philippine boutiq ue studio TEN17P is producing the new Hudgens doc.

Hudgens had just co-hosted this year’s O scars Awards pre-show. She executive produced and starred in Netfli s “The Knight B efore Christmas” and led all three installments of “The Princess Switch” franchise. She most recently starred in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Tick, Tick… B oom! ” and is slated to star in the upcoming indie comedy “French irl alongside Zach ra .

19 March 23-29, 2023

 ENTERTAINMENT

Fil-Am Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel in Manila in May

Yes, V irginia, Miss Universe 20 R ’B onney Gabriel, a Filipino American, will visit the Philippines again this May. She disclosed she can’t wait to meet her Filipino fans as she confirmed that she will visit the Philippines in May. “I grew up going to the Philippines just as a child and just going on a vacation there, and to actually be somewhat an inspiration to the people in the Philippines now is amazing,” the FilipinoAmerican beauty que en said in an interview with a local lifestyle show in Houston, Texas and reported

by CNN Philippines.

“Actually, I will be visiting the Philippines soon in May,” she also said. “We’re gonna have a huge event there as Miss Universe, so I ’m really excited. For all the Filipinos tuning in, I cannot wait to meet you.”

Gabriel, who was originally scheduled to be in Manila last December as Miss Universe, was born in Texas to a Filipino father and an American mother.

She was the 9th Miss Universe winner from the United States and was also the first Filipino-American to win the Miss USA title.

During the Miss Universe pageant held Jan. 14 in New O rleans, Louisiana, Gabriel had Filipino designers Patrick I sorena and Rian Fernandez make her national costume and evening gowns, respectively.

Gabriel has become controversial because of allegations that Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were “rigged.”

The allegations, however, were never proven, it was gathered.

In October she became the st Miss USA and the first ever of Filipino descent.

O n January 14, the Houston-born beauty was crowned Miss Universe in New O rleans, breaking the decade-long drought for American winners, and becoming the oldest winner in the history of the pageant at the age of 28.

I n the Miss USA pageant, fellow contestants made allegations that R’B onney was pre-selected

to win the pageant.

“Following the rigging allegations, the Miss Universe O rganization launched a thirdparty investigation, and Crystle Stewart, who was president of Miss USA at the time, was suspended indefinitely, stated an I nsider.com report in mid-January.

“A spokesperson for the organization told I nsider that the investigation found the Miss USA judges’ scores were accurately recorded and no winner was pre-selected.”

The FilAm beauty que en disclosed that she has been in the Philippines maybe five, or si , or seven times” but her visit in May will be more meaningful as she is arriving as Miss Universe titlist.

She recalled in an interview with GMA Network entertainment reporter Nelson Canlas that her last Manila visit was back in 2018.

“I was able to go growing up every couple of years for summer time,” she shared in a GMA network report.

“I ’m good to go back, I would love to go back.

I ’m hoping we can make it happen this year,” she continued.

Gabriel went on to talk more about being a Filipina as she expressed her love for ensaymada.

“I love to introduce people to mamon or ensaymada, and I ’m actually eating a lot of ensaymada.

I ate seven on Saturday,” she said with a laugh.

In anuary, abriel made history as the first Filipino-American to bag the highly coveted crown at the Miss Universe 20 pageant. She was followed

by Miss V enezuela Amanda Dudamel and Miss ominican Republic Andre na Mart ne as first runner-up and second runner-up, respectively.

While she represented the USA, she expressed her pride for being a half-Filipina and thanked her Pinoy fans for their support after her win.

“Mabuhay Philippines, mabuhay Filipino fans!

Maraming maraming salamat sa lahat ng tulong ninyo. The support is everything, I feel it in my heart, I heard it in the room. I t was an amazing energy. The Filipino blood is so strong, we are hardworking, we are fun, and we are determined, and I am so proud to be a half-Filipina,” she said. (with GMA News)

 REAL ESTATE

March 23-29, 2023

Governor Newsom bares $1 Billion in homelessness funding, launches state’s largest mobilization of small homes SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom joined state and local leaders, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, advocates and other partners to announce the release of $ 1 billion in Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 4 funding to support communities across the state stepping up their work to reduce homelessness.

Last year, Governor Newsom paused this funding to local governments and demanded greater ambition when they collectively proposed only a 2 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness. Local governments have since revised their homelessness plans, now targeting a 15 percent reduction in homelessness statewide by 2 0 2 5.

Additionally, the Governor announced the state’s largest mobilization of small homes to serve people experiencing homelessness, especially those living in encampments.

The California National Guard will assist in the preparation and delivery of 1,2 0 0 small homes to Los Angeles, San Diego County, San Jose and Sacramento, free of charge and ready for occupancy.

“I n California, we are using every tool in our toolbox – including the largest-ever deployment of small homes in the state – to move people o the streets and into housing,” Newsom said. “ The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing – the two issues are inextricably linked. We are tackling this issue at the root of the problem by addressing the need to create more housing, faster in California,” he added.

Governor Newsom is challenging the status q uo and

implementing new approaches to solve the dual crises of housing and homelessness, with a focus on greater accountability. Small homes are cost-e ective and can be q uickly deployed to move people from homeless encampments into housing.

Locations for placement of these small homes will be the responsibility of local jurisdictions. However, when needed and when available, the state will provide surplus land to use as an option for small homes. Local governments will own the units and provide all services, including recruiting residents, leveraging previously provided state funding. The following communities are set to receive small homes: Los Angeles: 50 0 units Sacramento: 350 units San Jose: 2 0 0 units San Diego County: 150 units “Thank you to Governor Gavin Newsom for being innovative in his approach and a great partner in this e ort. No one body of government will solve homelessness alone, and it will take local, state, and federal partnerships to ensure that we are collectively addressing this humanitarian crisis,” said Supervisor Nora V argas, Chairwoman of the San Diego County B oard of Supervisors. “These small homes are one important step to solving a bigger problem and will provide shelter and access to resources for our unhoused residents in San Diego County. O ur B oard is committed to prioritizing transformative policies to ensure our families, children, veterans, and seniors experiencing homelessness have a roof over their heads.”

T H E N U M B ER O N E CH O I CE F O R F I L I P I N O F A M I L I ES

T h e O N L Y P lac e for A ll Y ou r A rrang em ents in O ne Conv enient L oc ation N ew F uneral home with R ec eption C enter F lower Shop Beautiful Garden M emorial P ark C remation Servic es W e transfer y our loved ones to and from the P hilippines

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Why Seniors should move to Improve their quality of LIFE

W

hen conversations begin between a senior and their family about moving to a retirement community, the topic is often met with several objections. The most common objections to making a lifestyle change and the emotions involved with the entire process.

Generally, if the topic of making a lifestyle change comes up, something has been going on that is predicating the conversation. Maybe it is becoming apparent that the home is becoming too much to care for. Although it was the perfect size for raising a family, it is now too large for just one or two people. I t may be that the senior themselves can no longer manage on their own. They are having di culty managing their medications or making meals. Things like showering or going down the basement stairs to do laundry just aren’t safe anymore.

How do you determine whether its time for your to move to a Retirement Community: 1. I f you are considering a Low Maintenance Living?

Even in retirement, the never-ending battle against laundry, grocery shopping, bills, and that lawn (that seems to grow twice as fast each year gets more di cult. Your household responsibilities can get in the way of your bigger goals, like long-term travel or spontaneous road trips.

2. D o you want an Upscale Living?

Living in a community tailored to creating the good life has its advantages. Many retirement communities have upscale amenities you would never dream of owning in your own home. Staying active as you age can help you maintain your independence longer and prevent falls or injury. I f selfmotivation is an issue, the fitness classes and outdoor activities o ered in many retirement communities may appeal to you.

3. Are you ready to actually have a social life?

I t’s always a challenge to make new friends, but it can become increasingly tric y in retirement. If you re finding your schedule a little empty, but want an engaging social life, a retirement community may be the perfect fit. Usually you go to one that you already know someone, then you can know and have more friends with the same interest.

4. Would you like to start Eating Healthy?

Sometimes it’s hard to go to the trouble of cooking a nutritious meal. I t’s tempting, as one blogger put it, to “B read.

Wine. Cheese. Repeat.” Choosing a retirement community can help you opt back into daily meals that nourish the body and satisfy the soul.

5. Time to be Learning, Growing, and Traveling for Fun? Aging doesn’t put a stop for the need to grow and explore the world around us. Retirement communities can make it easier to get out and discover exciting new experiences through planned excursions and travel. . You will need Personal Care Services As we age, there are daily tasks that just aren’t as easy as they once were. I t’s not embarrassing or something to fear, it’s just the facts.

Whether you need help with housekeeping or personal hygiene now, or are cognizant that one day you might, retirement communities o er the opportunity to now when that transition happens, you will be in good hands.

7. Safety and Security should be important for you?

You may not need any help with your daily personal care, but that doesn’t mean that accidents don’t happen.

Household accidents and falls do occur, and if you live alone, the thought of not receiving the help you need can be daunting. I n a retirement community, you can be sure there is always someone there to help!

8. F inally do you need a driver to drive you around? etween bumper-to-bumper tra c, new roads, and that one guy” who is always in a hurry, driving can start to feel like a chore.

Retirement communities o er (C ont i nue on page 27)

21 March 23-29, 2023

 SPORTS

EJ Obiena is PHL sportswriters’ top athlete for February MANI LA – Ernest EJ O biena lived up to his lofty billing as one of the world’s finest pole vaulters as the pri ed Filipino athlete made a lot of heads turn anew during his torrid European indoor campaign in February.

I n such a short span, O biena, 27, bagged two gold, a silver and bronze medals while touring Poland, Germany, Sweden and France, ma ing him the undisputed choice by the Philippine Sportswriters Association as the month’s top performer.

The Italy-based Obiena ic ed o February by finishing third overall behind first-placer Armand uplantis and silver medalist KC Lightfoot of the United States, in the Mondo Classic in Sweden.

A couple of days later, it was O biena’s time to lord it over as he topped the O rlen Cup in Lodz, Poland, with a 5.77 meters

e ort, further boosting his stoc as one of the country’s best athletes. is second gold also too place on Polish soil when O biena did 5.87 to rule the O rlen Copernicus Cup. Obiena would then run into uplantis in the I STAF I ndoor in B erlin where he wound up second to the US-born Swede world outdoor and indoor record holder and O lympic champion.

O biena, third-placer during last year’s world championships in Eugene, O regon, is revving up for a gold medal when Paris hosts the 204 O lympics.

The PSA’s monthly citation of top performing Filipino athletes is being bac ed by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, MI LO , Philippine O lympic Committee and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation

PHL to send 905 athletes, 257 officials in Cambodia SEAG MANI LA – The 1,2 33-strong Team Philippines, composed of 90 5 athletes and 2 o cials, is on a mission to ma e the country proud in the 32 nd Southeast Asian Games that Cambodia will be hosting from May 5 to 17 this year.

Philippine O lympic Committee (PO C) President, Rep. Abraham “B ambol” Tolentino, made the announcement during the General Assembly at the East O cean Garden Restaurant in Pasay City.

The General Assembly also approved the suspension of the Philippine Swimming I nc. (PSI ) as a regular PO C member.

There was no objection.

I m confident these are all fighting athletes,” Tolentino said in a news release on Thursday. “They will be competing in all the events despite the odds.”

Cambodia has programmed a 0 -event, -sport in its first hosting of the Games— but has also set uniq ue rules, particularly in combat sports where, except for the host, the other countries cannot field full teams in certain events.

Filipino athletes will compete in all sports in Cambodia.

Team Philippines exceeds the 656 ath-

letes who competed in 38 sports in last year’s 31st SEA Games in V ietnam where the country finished fourth with 22 2 gold, 70 silver and 10 4 bronze— medals out of the possible 1,759.

The team to Cambodia also approximates the 2 0 19 Philippine hosting where 1,119 Filipino athletes competed in the 56 sports.

The PO C also scheduled a formal sendo ceremony for Team Philippines on April 15 at the Philippine I nternational Convention Center.

PSI ’s suspension was prompted by the

World Aq uatics’ suspension on the national federation which the PO C Executive oard in turn o ered to the eneral Assembly for a decision.

“THE PO C just followed the order of World Aq uatics,” Tolentino said. “I f the World Aq uatics lifts the suspension, then we will lift the PO C suspension.”

The World Aq uatics has also ordered for an election of a new set of board members of the PSI and approved the composition of a PO C Electoral Committee that will conduct and supervise the election process

Alex Eala gets wildcard entry for Miami Open MI AMI / MANI LA — Filipino tennis This after Eala clinched a wildcard entry sensation Alexandria Alex Eala is set to re- for the main draw of the World Tennis Asturn to the Miami O pen. sociation tournament which will be held at the ard Roc Stadium in Florida from March 19 to April 2 .

Eala was among the 2 2 players who were handed the final wildcards for the tourney.

Eala first saw action in the prestigious Miami O pen in 2 0 2 1, when she was granted a wildcard slot for the singles’ q ualifying draw.

She then made her main draw debut in the tournament in 2 0 2 2 .

The Filipino athlete is currently ran ed No. 2 2 0 in the WTA ladder.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

22

NaFFAA mourns loss of Fil Am community advocate, politician, and NaFFAA’s director Jesse Vizcocho AS IN TON, C - NaFFAA is saddened by the passing of one of the Fil Am community s most remar able leaders, esse i cocho. orn in the Philippines, esse immigrated to odia , Alasa, in and later moved to Anchorage in 200 .

In , esse became the first Filipino American to be appointed as a council member for the City of odia , where he served two terms and was elected eputy Mayor of odia in 2000. e served as President of the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of Alas a. e also recently became the ice President for Internal A airs and a Member of the oard of overnors for the Asian American Unity Coalition AAUC . For 0 years, he has served as a volunteer and leader of many civic, social, and religious organiations, including Community olunteer Leader for the American Red Cross of Alas a and overnment A airs irector for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations.

NaFFAA National Chair, rendan Flores, described esse as an outstanding leader who wants nothing but to serve and empower those around him, especially our Filipino Americans. e was one of the biggest inspirations behind our Fil-Am ote Program and was a good advocate for our Run For O ce Program. Lou argas, Pacific Northwest Region President, added, uring NaFFAA National s and Region s visit to Alas a, esse introduced us to several elected o cials he wor ed with and ensured our Filipino Americans have a seat at the table where decisions regarding our communities are made.

NaFFAA National President Mariela Fletcher added, esse was the type of leader who was very committed to his role. is passion for civic engagement was unmatched. e lived a life full of meaningful service.

Alas a US Senator Lisa Mur ows i also commented, I was so saddened to hear of esse i cocho s passing, and

send my deep condolences to his friends and family. This is a loss to the Filipino American community in Alas a that I now is being felt deeply by all who new him. NaFFAA plays an important role in advocating for and giving a voice to the Filipino American community in Alas a – esse was a leader in those efforts. I m grateful that I had the opportunity to now esse and learn from him about how we can all work together to ma e Alas a a more welcoming and vibrant place for everyone who calls our state home.

The details regarding esse i cocoho s funeral service can be seen in the poster below. Any donations to the i coco family could be sent to Teresita i cocho at P.O o 2 0 Anchorage AS 2 .

NaFFAA National and the Pacific Northwest Region will celebrate esse s life at a Memorial via Zoom with his family to be led by PN Region President at a soon to be determined date.

California storm response and recovery continue SACRAMENTO – As California weathers the twelfth atmospheric river since late ecember, the state s all-of-government emergency response continues to deploy personnel and resources to protect communities and support recovery e orts across the state. e re continuing to mobili e an allhands-on-dec response to protect Californians during this latest round of devastating storms, said overnor avin Newsom. ith communities from San iego to Sisiyou County reeling from recent storms, the state is wor ing closely with federal and local partners to provide immediate relief and support the ongoing recovery.

Since the start of severe winter storms in late February, overnor Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in counties.

At overnor Newsom s re uest, President iden issued a Presidential Emergency eclaration authori ing federal assistance to support storm response and recovery e orts.

The Administration is wor ing to ma imi e federal aid to storm-impacted communities as state and county o cials conduct preliminary damage assessments and tally totals for financial losses to determine if California meets the criteria for a Ma or isaster eclaration from the federal government. Earlier this year, California secured a Ma or isaster eclaration in response to severe storms that began in late ecember.

All-In State Response California s emergency response to the widespread storm impacts has involved nearly every part of the state government. Assistance on the ground includes Caltrans and C P More than ,000 crew members mobili ed

by Caltrans statewide, wor ing 2 in shifts to eep roads open and uic ly respond to emergencies.

Caltrans has accelerated repairs on stormdamaged roads in nearly 200 locations statewide and prepositioned e uipment at critical locations to prepare for flooding, slides and heavy snow.

C P has stepped up patrols statewide and is augmenting local government law enforcement to assist with road closures and evacu-

ations.

CAL FIRE crews active statewide including personnel from CAL FIRE, California National uard, California Conservation Corps, and California epartment of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Five amage Inspection Teams statewide.

Two Incident Management Teams deployed to assist Inyo, Mono and Tulare counties.

Two engines, one helicopter and one mobile communications center.

CAL FIRE storm response video and photos can be found here.

California National uard 2 Cal uard soldiers and igh- ater ehicles deployed across seven counties to support flood and rescue operations.

One lac haw and one Pave aw helicopter deployed and on standby for search and rescue operations across Northern California.

One Chinoo helicopter deployed in standby support of heavy lift operations related to the Pa aro River levee breach. uardsmen from Tas Force Rattlesna e deployed in Tulare, Mono and Placer counties assisting with debris and snow removal.

Cal OES and Emergency Medical Services Authority EMSA Cal OES has pre-positioned Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid Resources in communities vulnerable to flooding, including Swiftwater Rescue Teams 0 local government fire stri e teams EMSA has pre-positioned ambulance stri e teams as well as a California Medical Assistance Team CAL-MAT to aid in evacuations and support medical needs in communities impacted by flooding. epartment of ater Resources R 0 deployments of Flood Fight Specialists to rapidly respond to levee breaches and locali ed flooding.

0,000 sandbags and ,000 s uare feet of plastic sheeting distributed to local government partners. That s enough plastic to cover eight and a half football fields.

epartment of eneral Services S S is providing 2 -hour support procuring goods and services to assist in the response to storms and flooding, including ,000 sandbags heavy machinery security guard services accessible and functional needs showers fuel firewood, anitorial services road materials and additional shelter support services.

S has procured more than 0 pallets of

water, various food items, diapers, and 2, 00 cans of baby formula for Monterey County.

California epartment of Social Services C SS C SS is wor ing with local o cials to help coordinate food, water, and other supplies such as cots and blan ets to ensure that people impacted by the storms have what they need.

Social Security Update

STAY HEALTHY AND INDEPENDENT WITH THE SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM ocia

ec rity

B y G . S a m so n ic A airs ecia ist in the ay Area

Are you eligible for Social Security retirement benefits or already receiving them? Did you now that you can also receive healthy meals and other nutrition services through the National Senior Nutrition Program Local meal programs in communities across the country are waiting to serve you.

As we age, we have di erent needs, di erent ways we ta e care of our health, and different nutrients we need to get from our food. ut we don t always have enough healthy food or the desire to prepare or eat a meal. hether you need more food, healthier food, someone to share a meal with, or ust want to learn about good eating habits, a meal program can help.

Every day, senior nutrition programs serve almost one million meals to people age 0 and older. ith home-delivered and group meal options, you can get the food you need in a way that wor s best for you. It can help you avoid missed meals – and save you time and money with less shopping and coo ing.

Local programs serve up more than food they o er opportunities to connect and social-

i e. e now this improves both your mental and physical health.

The programs can also teach you how to create a healthy eating plan. You can learn about healthy food recommendations based on your age, uni ue needs, and preferences.

A senior nutrition program can also connect you with other resources li e transportation or homema er services. This helps you stay connected and engaged in your community.

It s no surprise that out of 0 participants say they would recommend a senior nutrition program to a friend. e now these services help create healthy, strong communities where everyone can thrive at any age.

Find a senior nutrition program in your area and help us spread the word about this program by sharing it with your loved ones, neighbors, and community. isit eldercare.acl.gov Public Inde .asp for more information.

The Senior Nutrition Program is administered by the Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. epartment of ealth and

 COMMUNITY NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

24

CONSUL GENERAL FERRER CALLS ON SAN FRANCISCO’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY BROOKE JENKINS SAN FRANCI SCO , USA – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer paid a courtesy call on San Francisco’s District Attorney B rooke Jenins at the latter s o ce on March 202 .

Consul General Ferrer extended his congratulations to Jenkins on her successful election as District Attorney in November 2022.

B oth sides discussed possible collaboration between the Consulate and the District Attorney’s O ffice, especially on spreading awareness on human tra c ing among the Filipino American community in San Francisco.

Jenkins won the District Attorney race in November 2022. She was appointed by San Francisco Mayor London reed in uly.

School Diversity Committee Highlights Employee Appreciation Day, Women’s History Month San Jose, California – The San Jose Job Corps Center (SJJC), a Department of Labor OL program located in its . -acre school campus in San Jose, is celebrating two events this month – the Employee Appreciation Day and the omen s istory Month, according to Center irector avina ernande .

In her message, ernande said March 4th is Employee Appreciation Day! I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you for all of your hard work and your dedication to our students and our center. As we continue to focus on O S, OMS, acancies, compliance, and customer service, each of you has a role in helping us to grow to be the best center in the country. Each of you has demonstrated your commitment and your continued motivation to support our students in a positive way. As we all now, this is not always an easy task, but we learn and grow and get better in the process.

She further said, “San Jose has always been a center that embodies care and concern

and doing the right thing for our students and our sta , even when sometimes the answer is no. I am proud to lead such an ama ing team whose dedication and commitment to each other and to the center remains at the forefront in everything that we do. appy Employee Appreciation Day to all of you! Go Team San ose The school s sta and students are so diverse that a diversity committee was formed many years back and holds a monthly event featuring diverse cultures and their heritage until today. S C is one of 2 ob Corps Centers in the country under the DO L giving marginali ed young adults ages to 2 a chance to earn their high school diploma, get their GED, and acqui re trade skills and certifications.

SJJC’s Diversity Committee chairperson Melissa Abby said elcome to omen s istory Month omen s istory Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since . e will be cel-

ebrating omen s istory Month in the gym on March 2 th Also, in the message of Job Corps National Director Rachel Torres, she recognized the e orts of women leaders in supporting ob Corps. Former Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins helped drive the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the program that later inspired the creation of ob Corps.

“Without the groundworks laid down by women like Secretary Perkins, we wouldn’t have programs like Job Corps, which has helped serve almost million men and women since its inception in , Torres commented.

Torres explained: “I share that piece of history to recognize those women who came before us and worked hard to instill change, so that we could continue to shape our world.

As educators and mentors, its so important to remind the next generation of the work that was done for us. And the wor we still need to continue to do to make sure every Job Corps student has the opportunity to break boundaries like the alumni retired WNB A Star Nakia

National Asian Pacific Center On Aging NAPCA is a non-profit organi ation dedicated to improve the qua lity of life of AANHPI older adults and their families. e operate a NAPCA Senior Assistance Center for O lder Adults and Caregivers and is available in di erent languages. In this column, we want to share some of the important que stions we received from readers. ope you will find them useful.

Q A hat inds of social security benefits can I have at age 2 ow are they compared with ones at age You can start collecting Social Security retirement benefit early when you reach age 2. The monthly insurance amount would be reduced per year if you start receiving benefit earlier than your full retirement age. owever, you would get 00 of your retirement benefit when you reach your full retirement age and the amount would increase by the same rate each year beyond your FRA until you turn 0 .

Q A 2

I am going to apply for Social Security retirement benefit when I reach my full retirement age.

I am a US citizen and already have 0 wor ing credits. My wife is still a green card holder and has never wor ed in the US. Is she eligible for any benefits under my retirement even though she s not a citi en She does not need to be a US citizen to receive benefits. Permanent legal residents are eligible for Social Security Retirement if they are 2 or older and they have wor ed and paid Social Security ta es for at least 0 years or 0 uarters.

B ut since she hasn’t worked, your wife can receive Spousal Social Security benefits up to 0 of your benefit. After you begin to receive your Social Security Retirement, she will become eligible for benefits when she turns 2 years old. owever, if she can wait until her Full Retirement age, her monthly benefit will be higher.

Q A hat is Medicare and who can get it Medicare is a health insurance program for people age or older. Medicare helps with the cost of health care, but it does not cover all medical expenses or the cost of most

long-term care.

Original Medicare includes Part A and Part .

Part A is Hospital insurance that helps pay for inpatient care in a hospital or limited time at a skilled nursing facility (following a hospital stay), and some home health care and hospice care.

Part is Medical insurance that helps pay for doctors’ services and many other medical services and supplies that the hospital insurance does not cover.

Other parts of Medicare are Part C and Part .

Part C is nown as Medicare Advantage plans and o ered by private companies and approved by Medicare. Many Advantage plans include drug coverage and additional benefits.

Part D is Prescription drug coverage helps pay for prescribed medications.

Q & A #4 I am now years old and have no wor ing uarter credits. owever, my wife has 0 credits and she will apply for early retirement when turning 2 ne t year. Can I apply for Medicare Part A now Is it free Depending on your residency/ citizenship status, and which state you live in; you may be eligible for low cost or free Part A as of right now. Or you can wait until your wife turns 2 to get Part A for free. Please contact

By Elpidio R. Es�oko

DIRECTOR Dav ina Hernandez Sanford.

Sanford testified that her career – first as a professional basketball player in the WNB A, and now as an investment advisor – wouldn’t e ist without ob Corps. er mom, ac ie, attended the program and was able to create a stable financial future for her family. us if you would li e us to help you.

Q A hat s the di erence between Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid are both government health care programs, but they are very di erent. Medicare is generally for people who are or older, or who have a ualified disability. Medicaid is a state-governed program for people with limited income and resources. For e ample, you are over , married, and living in CA. Your husband and your monthly income is below 2 0 and your assets are below the state’s standard, you would be eligible for Medicaid for elders in CA. Some people are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. These people are considered dual eligible and are often ualified for special Medicare plans.

I f you have additional que stions regarding the above, or around the topics of Medicare, Medicaid, A ordable Care Act or others, there are three ways you can reach us. e will answer all of your que stions in a timely manner.

C al l our Se ni or A s s i s t anc e C ent er at : 3627 E mai l : as k N A P C A @ napc a.or g M ai l : N A P C A Se ni or A s s i s t anc e C ent er, 151 1 T hi rd A v enue , Sui t e 914, Se at t l e, W A 98101 1- 80-

25 March 23-29, 2023

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Scammers Took Consumers for $8.8 Billion in 2022 ByPeter White $ 3.8 billion in investment scams and $ 2 .6 billion in impersonator scams topped the list. Most money lost through bank transfers and crypto currencies.

Ever get an email about an extended car warranty or a free gift from Home Depot hat about online service to flush out malware from your computer? I t’s hard to avoid these unsolicited o ers. Fraudsters send texts, they call you on your phone, and sometimes use AI to mimic a relative’s voice who says they have an emergency and please send money.

The Federal Trade Commission FTC says what you don’t know can be expensive. They received 2 .4 million complaints last year compared to 2 .9 million in 2 0 2 1 but the total amount lost in 2 0 2 2 was $ 2 .6 billion more than in 2 0 2 1.

“The dollar loss reported was staggering. Consumers reported that they lost more than $ 8 .8 billion to fraudsters, the most ever reported,” say Maria Mayo, Associate irector for the ivision of Consumer Response and O perations in the B ureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission FTC .

The FTC maintains a database of consumer fraud reports. Report a scam here. e now that fraud a ects every community and that scammers are running their scam in the languages that people speak at home. And that s why the FTC now has information in a dozen languages to help people spot and avoid these scams,” says Cristina Miranda, Consumer Education Specialist with the FTC s Education ureau of Consumer Protection.

Scammers targeting ethnic communities During an March 10 Ethnic Media Services briefing Miranda briefed reporters about how to protect against fraudsters. She said that recent refugees and immigrants are freq uent marks for scammers who use their native language to steal their money.

“We have a downloadable publication called Spotting, Avoiding and Reporting Scams a Fraud andboo . It helps people learn to spot some of the scams related to looking for a job, going through the immigration process, or ust trying to figure out

how things work in this country,” she said.

“Scammers are targeting ethnic communities and they speak your language. They target ethnic communities in uniq ue ways,” says Rosario Mendez, an attorney with FTC s ivision of Consumer and usiness Education ureau of Consumer Protection.

The Latino community filed a higher percentage of reports relating to problems with banks and lenders, related to debt collection, auto issues, and also business opportunities.

“And we’ve had several cases related to bogus business opportunities, bogus work at home, specifically targeting Latinos. e know from our data analysis and from also our casework that business opportunity, moneymaking schemes, are also something that is impacting the Latino community.

I n terms of the black community, the largest number of reports were about payday loan applications, and also student debt relief programs,” Mendez said.

An October 202 FTC report, Serving Communities of Color, detailed the e tent of fraud a ecting ethnic communities and the FTC s e orts to combat it.

Scams vary widely Mayo said a lot of people fell prey to get-rich-q uick schemes last year and the average median loss per consumer was $ 5,0 0 0 .

Consumers reported losing money to investment scams more than any other type of scam, and the amount lost in 2 0 2 2 more than doubled what was lost in 2 0 2 1.

Consumers reported losing . billion in investment scams, most of which were lost to crypto currency scams.

These scams often started on social media where consumers were enticed to invest in crypto currency in an attempt to make money. Consumers invested, and the scammers were so savvy that they often presented websites that actually showed how the consumer’s money had grown. B ut it was all fake,” Mayo said.

Con artists have not given up on romance scams, a staple in the field of fraud.

These scams are aimed at older Americans who lost $ 139 million in 2 0 2 0 up from $ 8 4

million in 20 . For the most part, scammers operate with impunity and many of them are based overseas. That makes it hard for them to be prosecuted. B ut sometimes they get caught.

O ne case involved an 8 7-year-old Holocaust survivor who was swindled out of his life savings by a Florida woman, Peaches Stergo. She was arrested January 2 5, 2 0 2 3.

The FTC stopped a large-scale fraud of students enrolled at the University of Phoeni UOP and made them pay. The FTC is sending nearly $ 50 million in payments to more than ,000 UOP students who may have been lured by allegedly deceptive advertisements.

The 20 settlement also re uired UOP and its parent company, Apollo Education Group, to cancel $ 141 in student debt.

The FTC alleged UOP falsely touted its relationships and job opportunities with companies such as AT& T, Yahoo! , Microsoft, Twitter, and the American Red Cross.

The FTC also alleged that UOP s advertising gave the false impression that the online school worked with those companies to create job opportunities for its students and tailor its curriculum for such jobs.

Consumers can get email alerts from the FTC regarding the latest imposter, real estate, and investment scams. Sign up here.

Congratulations!

The Friends of the Filipino American Community and San Francisco Filipino American Chamber of Commerce

CONGRATULATE the 16 Filipino American winners at the 2022 Elections. Their victory brings diversity and representation of our heritage and community. As a way of saying THANK YOU, we are holding a reception to honor our Filipino American electeds.

YOU are Invited to join us When: Wednesday March 22,2023 Where: Philippine Consulate Building 447 Sutter St. San Francisco, Ca

Dynamico Space, 3rd Floor o

Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00PM Program starts at 4:30PM SPECIAL FEATURE: Women’s Forum with Bay Area Filipina Leaders in Government Attendance is on a First Come First Served. Entrance by Ticket only.

Email your RSVP to evelynjcenteno88@gmail.com

Questions: Evelyn Centeno @ 925-876-1617

San Mateo County Superv isor Dav id Canepa with Tess Gregorio and friends at the Hope Horiz on Gala in East Palo Alto.

Jose Pecho @ 925-286-6607

 COMMUNITY NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

26

39 Officers From The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Honored By Board of Supervisors For Their Service To Community

SANTA CLARA CO UNTY, CA - O n March 13, 2 0 2 3 the Santa Clara County B oard of Supervisors recognized the outstanding wor and bravery of o cers and personnel from the County Sheri s O ce in their handling of a volatile situation in San José last year. Supervisor O tto Lee recognized each of the o cers with certificates and a oard Commendation for the O ce of the Sheri Crisis Negotiation Team for de-escalating a potentially deadly situation and their dedication and service to the residents of Santa Clara County.

The eputies employed their training to de-escalate a volatile situation as they waited for the Sheri s Crisis Negotiation Team, CNT, to arrive. The CNT utili ed their speciali ed s ill set while the individual continued to escalate the situation, the eputies engaged in non-lethal measures to eventually subdue the individual.

I m so than ful for the bravery and composure displayed by our Sheri s eputies. The Crisis Negotiation Team de-escalated a very dangerous situation and safely disarmed a distraught individual,” said Supervisor O tto Lee. “While risking their lives, these o cers remained calm and professional to keep everyone in the area safe.”

The County of Santa Clara has been focused on enhanced

Upside...

de-escalation and crisis response training for law enforcement and personnel.

The Santa Clara County B oard of Supervisors honored the following thirty-nine personnel involved in the last year s incident for dedicating their lives to serving the residents of Santa Clara County with unwavering commitment to ma ing our community one of compassion, safety, and pride Protective Service O cer Robert Pere Protective Service O cer Arthur on ale Sergeant e Taylor Sergeant Colin Haselbach, CNT Sergeant Tyrone Monroe, K9 Sergeant Marcus B arbour Sergeant Tyler Fernandes Sergeant John Rizq allah Sergeant Nicolas Carlin Sergeant Ti any Poyadue Sergeant erardo Quintant Sergeant Mike Ford Deputy Russ Lopez Deputy Rob Paul

Deputy Mark Harper eputy ennifer Toomey Deputy Rosalind Nguyen eputy eremy Ashley Deputy B rian Tanaka eputy Steve Emehiser Deputy Alok Patel eputy Omar Pere Deputy David Fisher eputy e ery Slaats Deputy Edward Tobia Deputy Reuben Delapena Deputy Peter Nguyen Deputy Ryan Hale eputy abriela Toruno Deputy Edgar Z uniga Deputy Jarvis B ui eputy eraldine Fisher Deputy Joe B rown Lieutenant Dennis O wens Lieutenant eremy ones Captain e Puente Captain rendan Omori Captain Eric B ourassa Photos and additional information about today s presentation will be available online at SupervisorLee.org. I f you or someone you now is struggling with mental illness, self-harm, or addiction/ substance use in crisis please dial 9-8 -8 .

The Santa Clara County Sheri s epartment has a un Relin uishment Program where individuals may turn in any unwanted firearms. Please contact the Sheri s O ce for more information 0 -2 -2 or visit CountySheri .sccgov.org. * * * S u perv i s or O t t o L ee s erv es D i s t ri c t 3 on t h e S an t a C l ara C ou n t y B oard of S u perv i s ors w h i c h repres en t s S u n n y v al e, M i l pi t as , an d t h e n ort h ern n ei gh b orh ood s of S an J os é i n c l u d i n g A l v i s o an d B erry es s a. S u perv i s or L ee al s o s erv es as t h e V i c e P res i d en t of t h e B oard of S u perv i s ors . H e i s an i n t el l ec t u al propert y at t orn ey , R et i red U . S . N av y C omman d er, f ormer S u n n y v al e M ay or & C ou n c i l memb er, an d f at h er. S u perv i s or L ee l i v es i n S u n n y v al e w i t h h i s w i f e an d t h ree d au gh t ers , an d t h ei r f ami l y rab b i t . H e w as el ec t ed t o repres en t D i s t ri c t 3 i n N ov emb er 2 0 2 0 . M ore i n f ormat i on ab ou t h i m an d t h e D i s t ri c t ffice is a ai a e on ine at

(From P age 11)

cuisine in the world, Canepa gushed. I m tory Month. These ladies are nothing less than * * * w i t h t h e S an M at eo C ou n t y C ommi s s i on on so proud to commend this incredible collabo- Super omen and an inspiration to little girls P N ew s T od ay E x ec u t i v e E d i t or C h eri e A in and a ro ram mana er with non ro t ration at the airport in honor of omen s is- everywhere to follow your dreams.

Q u erol M oren o i s a f ou r- t erm C ommi s s i on er agen c y P en i n s u l a Fami l y S erv i c e.

Maria Orleman, Janet Bronson, Jennifer Der, Marya Ouro-Gbelou and Stephanie Garma-Balon celebrate HART s big day. CM M photo

Le� photo Chef Reina Montenegro and right photo Iva Chen get honors for o ering vegan Filipino food at SFO. Courtesy Supervisor Canepa O ce

27 March 23-29, 2023

Offline

(From P age 13)

where the rule of law is pretty selective? At any time, their operations can be a ected if they fall into the bad graces of the politicians in power.

If ongbong opts to ignore the ICC, the billions – or is it trillions – of pledges he has received in the first year of his globetrotting presidency will end up as empty promises, and those who made the pledges can always point to his inability to ta e the proper action where his predecessor is concerned.

They can only conclude that he is afraid of Sara uterte, who may ta e steps to remove him if he agrees with the ICC. I must admit being surprised at the failed logic of the country where the ICC is concerned. The Philippines is indeed a former member of the ICC, and is no longer under its urisdiction. ut in arguing this, the Philippines is ignoring the fact that the cases being built against uterte by the global court are for crimes committed when the country was still a member.

The country also argues, uite laughably at that, that the Philippines has a fully functioning legal system.

Tell that to the families of the tens of thousands of victims of uterte s drug war.

E cept for a pitiful few, all the victims were illed and buried, ending up as statistics with no names and faces for the public to remember.

This is why it is so important that Marcos Jr. play ball with the ICC. It is the ONLY way for the thousands of victims to find ustice. oes Marcos r. have the balls to do the right thing e should ta e legal advice from his wife, who is after all a lawyer. ow good a lawyer is not clear yet, but at least she can tell her husband that doing the right thing will bring ustice, if not closure, to the victims of uterte and ela Rosa s to hang.

If she s as smart as some people say she is, she only needs to tell him Let the ICC boo im, ongbong.

As I See It

(From P age 12)

immigrating to the US. Teaching in the US is way di erent compared to the Philippines in many aspects, she said. Credentials need to be evaluated by an accredited agency. Screening is rigid. You can t get that ob security right away if you haven t been teaching for more than years in this country. hen the budget is cut, you re the first one to go.

Ibarra further commented Compared in the Philippines, if you pass your -month probationary period, you re good to stay unless you committed something against the set policies or regulations. Parents and students in our country have a high regard for teachers since the administration has your bac while in this place referring to the US the admin is leaning more towards the parents.

Most of the students here seem not that serious about their studies since they don t get a lot of support from their parents compared to the Philippine students whose minds were instilled with the idea that education is very important in their lives. Considered by parents as the best legacy they can give to their children.

The only thing in this place that we missed out in our country is the availability of resources for both teachers and students. Teaching and learning materials are easily ac uired or provided. ac ueline Curiale was not a teacher in the Philippines, but she found herself teaching in the US. I was not a teacher in the Philippines. I was a Parole and Probation O cer for several years under the epartment of ustice wor ing in my province of ulacan. It s my st year of teaching here in the ay Area, CA in a public technical school for young adults called ob Corps. Education in the US is not perfect and has its own issues, but I must say that students here are very fortunate to have the opportunity of obtaining career technical education and other assistance free of charge through this government program.

Curiale further said hen I first arrived in the US, I immediately started wor ing for the same establishment school as a part time employee. Then I wor ed my way through various departments being promoted until I too the ob of a Career Technical Instructor teaching O ce Admin class. I had my achelor s egree in ehavioral Science from the University of Santo Tomas UST , Manila and then went to the University of the East UE and Arellano Law Foundation for some law units years ago before oining the entire family in the US. I recently completed the re uired credentialing classes online through the University of San iego s Continued Education Program in CA and is about to clear my credentials with Los Angeles County O ce of Education this month. rowing up in the Philippines, both my parents were public high school teachers for 20 years, and I didn t reali e then that I will be crossing similar career path as they did, but I am en oying it and is truly grateful to this profession.

For me, on my first year as an immigrant, I started teaching at e An a College that considered my e perience in the Philippines.

I was an Assistant Professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines PUP then teaching ournalism and mass communication sub ects at the College of Languages and Mass Communications CLMC

and a special lecturer in three other colleges and universities Institute of Mass Communications, UP- iliman PR epartment, Arellano University as department chair where I started the achelor of Science in Public Relations SPR course and the raduate School of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

I taught Reading, ESL and English riting in e An a College for 0 years until my retirement. For five years, I taught at A ia College, University of Phoeni , as a regular online faculty teaching communication sub ect and business writing. I also had a brief stint with the San ose State University S SU where I taught essay writing.

I have a Master s egree in Mass Communications from the PUP raduate School, in addition to my achelor s egree from the University of the Philippines UP- iliman .

At present, I am still teaching this is my 22nd year of teaching at the high school department of San ose ob Corps Center S C , one of 2 federally-funded programs of the epartment of Labor OL in the country for marginali ed adult learners ranging from to 2 years old.

I passed the California asic Educational S ills Test C EST , entry credentialing re uirement for new teachers went through getting a US e uivalency of my college degrees in the Philippines by an accredited educational institution and getting a multiple-sub ect adult education credential to be able to teach.

For those who want to teach in the US, if you are not a graduate of any course here in the US, you don t need to go to college and earn a degree ust wor for your US e uivalency ta e the C EST for California applicants and get your teaching credentials, whether a single-sub ect, multiple-sub ect or adult education credentials well, a trade credential for trade instructors.

ELPI IO R. ESTIO O was a veteran ournalist in the Philippines and a multi-awarded ournalist here in the US. For feedbac s, comments please email the author at estio oelpidio gmail.com.

Health & Wealth

(From P age 12)

have cost them additional 0.

CON ENIENCE AN PEACE OF MIN - Old and new clients has total convenience and peace of mind with the uni ue, complete, prompt and professional services at MSS. E at MSS are committed, dedicated and will continue to help and assist old and new clients, particularly the elderly, veterans and those physically handicapped, in the notari ation and apostille follow up of A davits, Special Power of Attorney, EE OF A SOLUTE SALE, Proof of Life, E tra udicial Settlement of Estate, aiver of Rights, EE OF ONATION and other documents needed in the Philippines and the other member nations of the ague Apostille Convention.

For immediate help and assistance, ust write or contact MOILE SI NIN SER ICES, 0 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 2. Tel. 0 or - 0 or email artmadlaing hotmail.com (A R T G A B O T M A D L A I N G i s ac c redi t ed and c ommi s s i one d N ot ary P ubl i c and l i c ens ed R eal E s t at e B rok er (D R E #06359 76) i n C al i f orni a s i nc e 1981.

H e i s f ounde r of M O B I L E SI G N I N G SE R V I C E S, FI T N E S FO R H U M A N I T Y (ak a FI T N E S FO R C H R I ST ) and A C A P I N O Y . A rt i s ac t i v e E v ange l i s t w i t h t he G O L D E N G A T E C H U R C H O F C H R I ST i n San F ranc i s c o, C al i f orni a U SA )

What’s Up Atty

(From P age 12)

by a pharmaceutical company as a cure for erectile dysfunction.

The Ilocano lawyer tried viagra. A few minutes later the ceiling turned blue. is heart beat faster. e whispered to his playmate in bed that he had ta en viagra. is playmate remonstrated You told me I was your viagra.

The lawyer whispered You are still my viagra. I ust tried viagra once ust to feel its e ect. iagra can have deadly results.

The Ilocano lawyer was told this story when he went to Ilocoslova ia. A former congressman s son, who was the Ilocano lawyer s classmate in elementary school, reportedly was told by a woman companion at a hotel to ta e viagra. e too a pill. It did not wor fast enough. She egged him to ta e another one. e did. e died in bed. The woman fled. Police were called to investigate a dead body in the hotel. They found 2 viagra containers on the table. The police caught the woman who confessed to what happened.

RELIEF FOR ERECTILE YSFUNCTION Matthew Ziegelmann, M. . said aving erection trouble from time to time isn t necessarily a cause for concern. If erectile dysfunction is an ongoing issue, however, it can cause stress, affect your self-confidence and contribute to relationship problems.

Problems getting or eeping an erection can also be a sign of an underlying health condition that needs treatment and a ris factor for heart disease.

If you re concerned about erectile dysfunction, tal to your doctor even if you re embarrassed. Sometimes, treating an underlying condition is enough to reverse erectile dysfunction. In other cases, medications or other direct treatments might be needed.

The Ilocano lawyer – who is now 0 although loo ing much younger according to adoring women – was told by his beauteous 0-something doctor on May 20 that he could e pect to live another 0 - 2 years and that he can still have children. hat is the lawyer s secret Spend significant time with young women – and above. Any one below that might get you in trouble with the law.

Their youthful vigor and outloo on life will be absorbed by means of osmosis. There are also en ymes which speed up chemical reac-

tions in the body made in the young woman s mouth which can be transmitted by passionate isses. rin at least half a uart of pasteuri ed goat mil every day. Eat goat meat. Eat meat from animals with big se ual organs li e bulls and bisons. Ta e all the necessary supplements including those containing horny goat weed and iron.

E ercise every day. E ercise even during the long 0-hour airplane flight from onolulu to Manila. Minimi e stress. e positive. e optimistic. elieve that everything will be all right.

A very e citing se life can be achieved if the man has no ailments, all his organs are disease free and functioning properly, and most importantly he has rich red blood flowing smoothly into the penis coupled with a se ually attractive young woman who nows how to stimulate the man to the height of simultaneous orgasm. As the song goes It ta es two to tango. As the poem puts it. Useless each without the other. Or as Emmanuel S. Tipon puts it S lood and stimulation .

A t t y . E mman u el S amon t e T i pon w as a Fu l b ri gh t an d S mi t h M u n d t s c h ol ar t o Y al e L aw S c h ool w h ere h e ob t ai n ed a M as t er of L aw s d egree s pec i al i z i n g i n C on s t i t u t i on al L aw . H e grad u at ed w i t h a B ac h el or of L aw s d egree f rom t h e U n i v ers i t y of t h e P h i l i ppi n es .

H e pl ac ed t h i rd i n t h e 19 5 5 b ar ex ami n at i on s .

H e i s ad mi t t ed t o prac t i c e b ef ore t h e U . S . S u preme C ou rt , N ew Y ork , an d t h e P h i l i ppi n es . H e prac t i c es f ed eral l aw , w i t h emph as i s on i mmi grat i on l aw an d appel l at e f ed eral c ri mi n al d ef en s e. H e w as t h e D ean an d a P rof es s or of L aw of t h e C ol l ege of L aw , N ort h w es t ern U n i v ers i t y , P h i l i ppi n es . H e h as w ri t t en l aw b ook s an d l egal art i c l es f or t h e w orl d ’ s mos t pres t i gi ou s l egal pu b l i s h er an d w ri t es c ol u mn s f or n ew s papers . H e w rot e t h e an n ot at i on s an d c as e n ot es t o t h e I mmi grat i on an d N at i on al i t y A c t pu b l i s h ed b y T h e L aw y ers C o- operat i v e P u b l i s h i n g C o. an d B an c rof t W h i t n ey C o. H e w rot e t h e b es t - s el l er “ W i n n i n g b y K n ow i n g Y ou r E l ec t i on L aw s . ” L i s t en t o T h e T i pon R eport w h i c h h e c o- h os t s w i t h h i s s on A t t orn ey E mman u el “ N oel ” T i pon . T h ey t al k ab ou t i mmi grat i on l aw , c ri mi n al l aw , c ou rt - mart i al d ef en s e, pol i t i c s , an d c u rren t ev en t s . I t i s c on s i d ered t h e mos t w i t t y , i n t eres t i n g, an d u s ef u l rad i o s h ow i n H aw ai i .

K N D I 12 7 0 A M b an d ev ery T h u rs d ay at 8 : 0 0 a. m. A t t y . T i pon w as b orn i n L aoag C i t y , P h i l i ppi n es . C el l P h on e (8 0 8 ) 2 2 5 - 2 6 4 5 . E ai am aw yahoo.com. e site htt s //www.ti onimmi ra tion ide.com, htt s //www.hawaiianimmi rationattorney.com T h e i n f ormat i on prov i d ed i n t h i s art i c l e i s n ot l egal ad v i c e.

P u b l i c at i on of t h i s i n f ormat i on i s n ot i n t en d ed t o c reat e, an d rec ei pt b y y ou d oes n ot c on s t i t u t e, an at t orn ey - c l i en t rel at i on s h i p. )

Ken Go

(From P age 20)

transportation to their residents to help them stay active in their local communities and beyond. You don t necessarily have to give up your eys altogether, cruise around when you feel li e it, and other times let someone else worry about the new roundabout.

Than s for your in uiries, please call en o of st Innovative Finance roup 2- 0 - 0 or write to ennethgo veri on.net CA RE 0 02 22 NMLS 2

 HEALTH NEWS

March 23-29, 2023

28

DOH detects 711 new cases of Omicron subvariants MANI LA – The Department of Health (DO H) has detected new cases of the highly transmissible Omicron subvariants.

In its latest coronavirus disease 20 Covid- biosurveillance report, the department noted that samples were seq uenced by the San Lazaro Hospital, Research I nstitute for Tropical Medicine and the University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center Main, V isayas, and Mindanao from March to 0.

Out of the total samples, about 2 or .0 percent were classified as A. including three Q. cases and one F. case 2 or 2. percent as A.2. .20 2 or .02 percent as including 0 . . cases 2 or . percent as C four or 0. 0 percent as A.2. including two N.

cases and one C . . case three or 0. percent as A. and or 0. percent as other Omicron sub lineages.

All additional A. cases were local cases from all regions except Northern Mindanao and B angsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao while additional B A.2 .3.2 0 cases were from all regions except Eastern V isayas.

Among recently detected cases, one was classified as a Returning O verseas Filipino (RO F) while the rest were local cases from regions – I locos Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, B icol Region, Western V isayas, Central V isayas, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and the National Capital Region (NCR),” the DO H said.

The XB C cases were all local cases from the I locos Region, Central V isayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.

All A.2. cases were local cases from the avao Region, CAR, and NCR while the additional B A.4 cases were local cases from Regions Calabarzon, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen.

As of March , the orld ealth Organi ation has labeled A.2. , Q. , , C . . , and F as variants under monitoring.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has labeled A.2. , Q. , , and . . as a variant of interest and C . ., F, and Cr as variants under monitoring as of March .

As emergency orders end, lifesaving COVID-19 tools remain accessible in Los Angeles County LO S ANGELES - With recent decisions to end federal, state and local emergency orders related to CO V I - , Los Angeles County residents were reminded to continue taking sensible steps to protect themselves and others against severe illness and help keep hospitalization and death rates low.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public ealth, meanwhile, reported , new CO I -

cases raising the total to , 0 ,022 cases, with new deaths due to CO I - , Some , deaths have been recorded in the county.

During this new phase, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) is committed to ensuring easy access to free lifesaving preventative services, including testing, vaccinations and boosters, and treatment, the department said in a statement sent to

Philippine News Today.

The department said one of the most effective ways to prevent severe illness is to get the updated bivalent booster, which has been shown to offer boosted individuals increased protection against hospitalizations and deaths when compared to individuals who were vaccinated but had not received the updated booster.

Are you depressed? at i s d e p r e s s i o n ?

Depression is a state of emotion where the individual has some or all of the following senses, feelings or moods: downhearted, unhappy, anxious, irritable, unable to concentrate, socially withdrawn, empty inside, has inordinate fatigue and reduced interest in activiPHILIP S. CHUA ties which used to be fun, hopelessness, indecision, impaired sleep, misery, helplessness, confusion, monosyllabic speech or abnormally qui et.

Wh at i s m or b i d m od ?

The morbid mood in depression may be so severe that the patient is unable to cry (tears dry up) or to feel the usual emotions like pleasure, grief or joy. The whole world appears lifeless and colorless to the patient, who could be pre-occupied with a sense of guilt and self-denigrating and destructive ideas.

Wh at i s M e l an c h ol i a?

I t used to be called endogenous depression. I ts features include marked slowness in thinking and activity, agitation, worthlessness, weight loss, restlessness, wringing of the hands, inability to experience pleasure or wellbeing, di culty falling asleep and has insomnia, following arousal from sleep, with diminished or loss of sexual desire. The patient usually has the feeling of guilt that he/ she has committed a grave crime, with hallucinations (voices of people accusing the patient of bad deeds, or condemning him/ her to death. O thers believe that they have incurable diseases like cancer or AI Ds). V ery rarely, the patient with this psychotic depression kills family members (“to save them from future misfortunes in life”) and kills himself/ herself.

H ow r am p an t i s d e p r e s s i on ?

In the United States, depression a ects about million Americans. I n the Philippines, about ten percent of young adults have moderate to severe depression in 20, about . million of the population. More than 2 or of them do not benefit from proper therapy because of patient’s inability to seek counseling, misunderstanding of the condition or misdiagnosis. Most people do not seek professional help because the condition is very common and many of them mild or subclinical (with no obvious symptoms). Sometimes, even physicians miss making the correct diagnosis in earnest, thinking the patient’s complaints could be due to some medication interaction.

Heart of Hope

Wh

A r e t h e r e s c r e e n i n gt e s t s f or d e p r e s s i on ?

Yes, there are. Mental health specialists can administer preliminary tests such as the B DI (B eck Depression I nventory), or the HRS (Hamilton Rating Scale), which is composed of 20 que stions to screen the patient.

Today, computeri ed phone interviews are gaining e ectivity as a screening tool. These tests are only a small part of the evaluation process, because the specialists have the symptoms of the patient and other criteria to aid them make the correct diagnosis.

D on ’ t w e al l ge t d e p r e s s e d s om e t i m e s ?

To some degree, when the situations demand it, normal people develop a mild form of depression, which is transient, self-terminating, and not a disease. As long as the resultant symptoms are trivial and temporary, and do not debilitate the person, the condition does not need any medical treatment.

Wh at f od s r e l i e ve d e p r e s s i on ?

Foods that are high in tryptophan, an amino acid involve in serotonin production, provide relief to some people with depression. Niacin (V itamin B 3), which is essential in the production of tryptophan, can be found in dried peas, beans, whole grains, dried fortified cereals, and especially in oily fishes li e salmon and mac erel. It is reported that Omega- polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil may actually reduce depression. PMS Escape, a high carbohydrate drink, is claimed to increase tryptophan level and may control the depression related to pre-menopausal syndrome for about 3 hours. However, there are impurities in the L-tryptophan diet supplements that are associated with EMS (eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome), which increases the white blood cells and causes muscle pains.

D oe s c al c i u m h e l p al l e vi at e d e p r e s s i on ?

Calcium supplements and itamin - 2 have been reported to reduce pre-menstrual depression. Also, some studies showed that among depressed people who drink caffeinated beverages have a lower incidence of suicide, which seems to suggest that co ee or tea reduces depression.

Wh at ar e t h e t h e r ap ygu id e lin e s ?

Among adults who su er from ma or or chronic depression, a trial of antidepressant drugs is used, together with psychotherapy that is designed for the patient. For those who do not improve with this strategy, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy have been found to be e ective and safe. I f this fails, psychosurgery might be indicated.

H ow ab ou t e xe r c i s e s ?

B elieve it or not, physical exercises may be as e ective as psychotherapy in the management of mild to moderate depression. Prolonged aerobic workouts lead to higher levels of serotonin, adrenalin, endorphins and do-

pamine in the brain (producing the popular term “runner’s high”). Physical exercises, brisk walking, ballroom dancing, yoga, tai-bo, etc. lead to better emotional health. As an extra bonus from physical exercises, weight loss and improved muscle tone lead to the sense of well-being and higher self-esteem. Those individuals with strong spiritual faiths have a relatively lower predisposition to depression.

These people might benefit from meditation, yoga, and other technique s for obtaining spiritual security, inner peace, and happiness.

Wh at ar e t h e t h e r ap ygu id e lin e s ?

Among adults who su er from ma or or chronic depression, a trial of antidepressant drugs is used, together with psychotherapy that is designed for the patient. For those who do not improve with this strategy, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy have been found to be e ective and safe. I f this fails, psychosurgery might be indicated.

H ow ab ou t f or c h i l d r e n ?

Children and adolescents with major depression have been found in clinical studies to respond as well to placebos (sugar pills) as to tricyclic antidepressants, especially the newer ones, the SSRI s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. For these group of young patients, a trial of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral or supportive therapy) is preferred before they are placed on antidepressant drugs.

D oyu h ave d e p r e s s i on ?

I f you suspect you do, do not medicate yourself. I t is most prudent to see medical help. The first thing to do it to consult your primary physician, who can help guide you. With early proper medication and/ or advice, depression in most cases can be managed e ectively and eliminated faster than one can imagine. Physicians today have invaluable tools in their armamentarium for the diagnosis and treatment of depression. Many individuals with depression, who have sought medical care, are “cured” with simple oral medications that they look, behave, function, and live as normally and happily as anybody else, lost in the sea of anonymity.

P hi l i p S. C hua, M D , FA C S, FP C S, a C ardi ac Sur geon E meri t us bas ed i n N ort hw es t I ndi ana and L as V egas , N ev ada, i s an i nt ernat i onal med i c al l ec t ur er/ aut hor , H eal t h A dv oc at e, ne w s paper c ol um ni s t , and C hai rman of t he Fi l i pi no U ni t ed N et w ork - U SA , a 501( c )3 hum ani t ari an f oundat i on i n t he U ni t ed St at es . H e w as a de c orat ed rec i pi ent of t h e I ndi ana Sagam ore of t he W abas h A w ard i n 1995.

O t he r Sagam ore pas t aw arde es i nc l ude P res i de nt H arry T rum an, P res i de nt G eorge H W B us h, M uham mad A l i , A s t ronaut G us G ri s s om (W i k i pedi a). W ebs i t es : FU N 8. c om, T oday .SP SA t oday .c om, and phi l i pSc hua.c om E mai l : s c al pel pen@ gmai l .c om

29 March 23-29, 2023

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS True Repentance: Ninevites’ Example

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

By TIM PEDROSA

L

ET US B E FEARLESS, LET US SHAKE UP O UR NO RMAL RO UTI NE AND DO SO METHI NG DARI NG. Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to put us to the place we are meant to be. Living our best life does not always mean traveling a linear path. Sometimes we need to shake thing up along the way, throw the plan out the window and go in search of what truly makes us happy. Let us find our fit to discover a sense of purpose and chase down the dreams that mean the most to us. I t is about passion.

I t is about truth and and most of all, it is about listening to our gut, our feeling or reaction based on an instinctive emotional response rather than considered thought.

I f we lack inspiration, shifting our scenery sometimes works. Changing our scenery does not have to mean traveling halfway around the world. I t could also be as simple as changing where we live, taking a new route to work, or exploring a part of town we don’t usually go to. I nspiration will hit when we break up our routine.

I have learned that what I like most about change is that it is a synonym for hope.

I f we are taking a risk, what we are really saying is that: we believe in tomorrow and we will be part of it. I have learned that what could move us could be as simple as being around animals, or growing plants, or as big as helping children in need.

What we do in our free time is what we could do regularly. O ur hobbies can tell us a lot about what really ma es us happy. I have learned to stay fle ible as we discover what we want from life. O ur plan may change; it is important that we change with it.

Sometimes things need shaking up. We got to test the limit. Sometimes a break from our routine is the very thing we need. So when opportunity knocks, let us hurry up to answer the door. No one is going to hand us our dream like a gift, all wrapped up in a bow. Rarely is it that easy. Whether we are shifting gears to go after something new or persistently chasing down what we have always dreamed of, it is going to take grit, grind and a decent amount of hard work. So let us be determined and patient all the time. When we are stuck in a rut, it often feels like we need a big change like: a new ob, a dream vacation, or a wildly di erent way healthier lifestyle. The problem with big changes in life is that they are usually terrifying, challenging, e pensive and di cult.

So we end up just sitting there in our boring rut, dreaming of a major life overhaul but actually managing to change nothing.

Experts are pretty clear to give our big dreams, at least initially and start with small changes instead and warm up to a new life with lots of little actions that expand our horizons, increase our energy, spur our creativity, and provide valuable feedback about what habits and paths will actually work for us. Let us take control of what we can control. I ncredible change happens in our life when we decide to take control of what we do have power over instead of craving control over what we do not have. I f we are bored or in a rut or frustrated with the rat race, adding an entirely new activity can change our outlook, our routine and even our set of friends. Above all let us be patient and focused to our goal.

J

onah was sent by God to proclaim repentance and conversion to the great city of Nineveh (Jonah 3: 1 – 10) . The people believed his message; from the king to the lowest rank, even animals, were not spared from the decree of the king, to abandon any evil ways and to ma e sacrifices, and call on the Lord God in prayer. There was, therefore, a remarkable change of the people’s REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD lives of the city of Nineveh. During Lenten Season, the same call is being proclaimed, repent and be converted; abandon evil deeds; “put on sackcloth and sit on ashes” this means have some acts of penance like having daily prayers, fasting, abstinence, and alms giving. From the first day of this holy season, during Ash Wednesday, we were mark with ashes with these words: “repent and believe in the gospel,” or “remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” Repentance and being reminded of what we are made of should urge us to contrition and humility; sorrow for our sins and humbly accepting our need of change and renewal; then, seriously embark in the journey of changing and converting our lives to be lives pleasing to God. O ne of the reasons, for me, why the Ninevites heeded Jonah’s call was their belief in God accompanied with their humility in accepting where and who they were in the moral and spiritual aspect of existence. They accepted they have forgotten God as they were all consumed by their own ego-centric pursuits and pleasures to the point of falling into many wicked deeds. They accepted that their lives, their conduct and lifestyles, were o ending the Lord od instead of being an honor and glory to Him. Their contrition and humility pushed forward their decision to amend their lives and be pleasing to God. This example must be seen in our lives here and now in this season of Lent. God relented and did not carry out the punishment e had planned to inflict on them. The Psalmist says (Ps. 51: 19): “… a contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn.” We are to have this contrite and humble heart in order to have a genuine and lasting change and conversion of life.

What could be the reason why we do not truly change for the better? We may have some changes but why is it that it does not last, or that our change is not persevering to the extent that we really pursue the total transformation of our lives in a way that fully our life style and conduct become pleasing to God? The reason is the control of the conseque ntial demand of the word of God in our lives. We control our way of responding to the word of God that we receive; unlike the Ninevites, there was no ustification nor watering down of what they were to do, simply all evil deeds and conduct must stop and change lives as God wants. When we control the conseque ntial demand of God’s word, this means, we not only hesitate our full assent into what the word of God is asking us but also, we practically, whether directly or indirectly, do not decide to put into practice truly what God’s words ask of us.

For example; God’s words we know says; forgive, for if you do not forgive neither will your heavenly Father forgive you (Mt. 6: 14-15).

Controlling the conseque ntial demand of these words means, we will only apply these words in moments of convenience, we will not actually forgive in every situation that comes our way. So, if ever we change and be a forgiving person, we only change superficially because we are not intent actually in forgiving always, but selectively only. Another example, every Lenten Season, God’s words call us into doing the acts of penance, prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Now do we do them? Maybe we pray because we are used to, but do we pray some extra prayer for the atonement of the sins of the world? Do we do fasting? Like during the Ash Wednesday, or do we have plan to fast this coming Holy Friday?

During Fridays of Lent, we are encouraged to abstain from meat, so that even just for this small act of self-denial we can join Christ’s suffering for our sanctification and that of others in the world today. o we practice this Or maybe we have many ustifications and reasonings to escape our responsibility to respond fully the conseque ntial demand of the word of God. O ur arrogant and proud heart will not give in to real conversion and change simply because it is proud and arrogant. We have to be contrite and humbled liken to the example of the Ninevites in order to have a genuine change of life. B lessed Holy Week!

Aflame The Heart

SHAKING UP OUR LIFE

31 March 23-29, 2023  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Papaitan Baka / Pinapaitan Baka I n gr e d i e n t s : 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 m edium 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 C ok i n gp r oc e d u r e : Wash thoroughly ox innards, drain and cut into small slices, set aside liver. I n a sauce pan put all innards, whole garlic and crushed ginger cover with water and boil for 15 minutes, drain and discard liq uid. Rinse and add fresh water and boil for 1-2 hours or until innards are tender. Remove from pan separate broth and keep aside. I n 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 q uantity at time and taste sourness and bitterness add more if requi red).

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

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Sagada opens new tourist hubs, relaxes entry rules B AGUI O CI TY – Sagada, a town in tourist arrivals are on the rise.

Mountain Province famous for its hang“We have recorded a total of 39,866 ing co ns on high cli s and centuries old burial sites, has opened new places to visit for domestic and foreign tourists.

This was disclosed by Mayor Felicito Dula who said the new destinations are in the town’s southern zone composed of four villages -- Ankileng, Nacagan, Takkong and Suyo (ANTS) which launched what they called as the “Southern Sagada nature treat, tour and adventure.”

“Marami pang destination at kasama natin ang VISIT SAGADA. Sagada y has launched the southern Sagada community sa pagbubukas nature treat, tour and adv enture that formaliz es tours and at pag-welcome ng mga visits to the Ob a Canyon aterfalls, the Taccong tradi�onal bisita para ma enjoy din b urial grounds, Balangagan cav es and the Pinumdeng sk yline nila ang iba pang maga- sunrise as among the a�rac�ons. gandang lugar sa Sagada (there are still other destinations and we tourists who arrived from January 1 to are one with the community in opening September 30. There are also a small them and welcoming the visitors to enjoy number of seminars and conferences althe other beautiful places in Sagada),” ready being held here,” the mayor said.

Mayor Dula said in PNA’s Liza Agoot Pre-pandemic, Sagada averaged report.

140,0 t ourists per year.

Sagada, considered the Shangrila of Sagada has lifted all entry requi rethe North, earlier relaxed entry rules that ments for tourists, including registration, used to ma e visits to the town di cult Covid-19 test, and proof of full vaccinaand expensive for tourists. tion.

The opening of additional tourist at“We have decided to ease the restrictractions in Sagada was earlier proposed tions because they prevent tourists from to attract more tourists and put Sagada on putting us on their list of areas to visit,” the bucket list of local and international Dula said. “We had to move because tourists. tourism is the number one livelihood of Southern Sagada has the O bwa Can- the people in Sagada and making it difyon waterfalls, Takkong traditional buri- ficult for tourists to enter our town will al grounds, B alangagan caves and the ma e it di cult also for our people to Pinumdeng skyline sunrise as among the recover from the financial losses that reattractions. sulted from the lockdowns.”

A camp site has been set up near the The mayor said locals own restaubarangay hall of Suyo, which will have a rants, inns, and souvenir shops while tourist information center where coordi- others are engaged in making processed nation can be done and tour guides will items or serve as tour guides. be provided for the safety of the visitors B ased on a 201 survey, Sagada has aside from a ComPAC (Community Po- 12,300 residents who are directly enlice Assistance Center). gaged in tourism or related business acSagada, which has 19 villages, is di- tivities vided into five ones -- central, southCulture preservation thru tourism central, northern, eastern, and southern Councilor Jaime Dugao, the I ndigzones. enous Peoples Mandatory RepresentaThe eastern zone, where the Marl- tive (I PMR) of the town, said during the boro Hills is located, is expected to be launching of the southern Sagada nature launched anytime. treat, tour and adventure that Sagada’s Dula said most of the existing and tourism is not just about the place but popular tourist destinations are located in most especially about the people and the central and south central zones like the culture.

Echo- alley, anging Co ns, pottery, “I n accepting visitors, we do not just Sagada weaving, B okong Falls and the show the beautiful place that we have, but Kiltepan sunrise, same as the town prop- our culture, the way we deal with people, er or Poblacion. our care for each member of our commu“They are ready to receive the tour- nity that is why we want that the benefits ists. The tour guides have been trained from the industry that we reap be shared and accredited to bring the visitors and to the other villages in our town, to all make them safe while in the village,” the our brother I -Sagada. We have our way mayor said. of attending to our visitors, we will take Sagada has e pressed confidence that it seriously and we will make sure that its tourism industry will flourish anew, tourists will have no sad stories because according to Mayor Dula, who said ev- it will destroy the whole of Sagada,” he ery weekend for about four weeks now, added.