5.23.24-5.29.24 by Philippine News Today

ZUBIRI OUSTED IN SENATE REVOLT, ESCUDERO IS IN

Marcos blamed for surprise shakeup, denies participation

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

PASAY CITY – Surprising the nation only days before Congress adjourns sine die, some 15 senators ousted Senate President Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri as the Upper Chamber of Congress leader and replaced him with Sen. Francis Joseph Chiz Escudero of Sorsogon.

Page 9

CA vs Hate hotline marks first year, cites gains, new initiatives

By Cesar Antonio Nucum Jr

SAN FRANCISCO -

More than a thousand acts of hate were reported to CA vs Hate during its ﬁrst year and these connected hundreds of Californians supporting the campaign against hate.

Oﬃcials reported that during its the ﬁrst full year of operation, the CA vs Hate statewide hotline, initial data submitted

MALACANANG. Hours a�er

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

QUEZON CITY – The National Security Council (NSC) challenged China to allow third-party inspectors to check the cur-

rent environmental condition of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) as the Philippines stood ﬁrm on its territory and

By Gilda Balan, Correspondent

den and unexpected

to Civil Rights Department (CRD) shows approximately 1,020 acts of hate reported to the hotline, the ﬁrst-ever multilingual statewide hotline and online portal that provides a safe, anonymous reporting option for victims and witnesses of hate acts launched a year ago this month by Governor Gavin Newsom. Sudden

the

Celebrating 60 years in love and service

What happened to the two sons of Hai Au Huynh may well represent the current state of racism and harassment faced by Asian American students.

For months, the 45-yearold Texas mother had been trying to reach a resolution with teachers and administrators of the CypressFairbanks Inde- Page 7 Page 20

DALY CITY, Calif. – State, County and City leaders hailed pioneer Daly City residents at their recent diamond wedding anniversary.

Mig and Perla Ibarrientos’ love was born in Iloilo City, Philippines, where Perla’s friend Brenda orchestrated a blind date with Mig, then-chief engineer with the Bureau of Public Works. He had asked Brenda to ﬁnd  Page 10

by Cherie M. Querol Moreno

MANILA -- The sud-

change

the Senate’s leadership this week has been seen as

current regime taking steps to stiﬂe acts inimical to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

the Senate shakeup, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Marcos hosted a dinner for newly installed Senate President Francis Escudero and several senators in Malacanang. They are shown in a group photo posted by ABS-CBN.

San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa (le�, with son Piero) commends the celebrants for modeling healthy in�mate partnership. REY GUARIN photo

California Civil Rights Department Director Kevin Kish (center with mic) addresses the crowd to commemorate the ﬁrst year since the launch of CA vs Hate hotline.

PHL, Indian navies hold maritime drills

MANILA — After the Philippines and American Balikatan war drills, the Philippines and India with four missile destroyer frigates are holding exercises in the West Philippine Sea to boost maritime cooperation.

Philippine Navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos said the two navies will hold a passing exercise (PASSEX) within the country’s territorial waters this week.

Passing exercises generally include drills to help navies of two countries learn to communicate and work together.

The PASSEX was scheduled oﬀ the country’s western coast on Wednesday, and “will focus on enhancing interoperability in both maritime security and disaster response operations,” Alcos said in ABSCBN News report.

According to Alcos, the PASSEX will involve warfare exercises and seamanship serials to ensure seamless combined operations, improve mutual understanding, and share best practices between the two navies.

This will further boost the strategic alliance and partnership between the Philippines and India, he added.

“We have been conducting interoperability exercises with the Indian Navy regularly. This is in line with the Philippine Navy’s thrust to further develop ties with our strategic allies and other like-minded navies,” Alcos said.

The Philippine Navy’s guided-missile frigate, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), is to the exercise.

Three Indian Navy vessels which arrived in Manila over the weekend --the guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi, ﬂeet tanker INS Shakti, and anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan, which are all

part of the Indian Navy Eastern Fleet -- will join the drills said Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, commanding oﬃcer of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet.

“The two nations share common interests, particularly in maintaining peace and order in the Indo-Paciﬁc region. The Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy share strong bonds of friendship and both have endeavored to participate in maritime partnership exercises at every available opportunity,” Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, commanding oﬃcer of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, said in his arrival statement.

Ex-ES Ochoa denies knowledge of PDEA ops vs. Marcos, actress

PASAY CITY – Former executive secretary Paquito Ochoa showed up during a Senate investigation on Monday and denied the claim of former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales that he ordered the halt of an alleged surveillance operation against thensenator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano in 2012.

Appearing before the fourth hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs on the so-called “PDEA Leaks,” Ochoa said he does not know former PDEA deputy director general Carlos Gadapan, whom he supposedly ordered to discontinue with the operation.

“As I mentioned earlier, I don’t even

know him and I don’t recall of any occasion that we have met or even talked. So, I completely deny that I have made those instructions as alleged,” Ochoa said, answering the question of panel chair Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

Ochoa also denied knowledge about or having seen the alleged PDEA documents.

When asked by Senator Josse Jinggoy Estrada if he personally knows Morales, Ochoa answered in the negative.

“I have absolutely no idea,” he continued when asked by Estrada if he has any idea of what Morales’ motive might be.

The former executive secretary was not able to attend the previous hearings because of prior commitments and testing positive

in Covid-19.

In his opening statement, Estrada noted that after three extensive hearings of the panel, the veracity of the alleged PDEA documents has yet to be established.

“Wala ni isa sa mga tumestigo sa komiteng ito ang nakapag-corroborate sa testimonya ni Ginoong Morales. Bagkus, pinasinungalingan pang mga taga-PDEA mismo ang kwento nya. At hanggang ngayon, matapos ang tatlong public hearings, ang dokumentong sinasabi ni Morales na siya mismo ang gumawa ay hindi niya maipakita ,” Estrada said.

Estrada also recalled the testimonies made by former PDEA chiefs questioning Morales’ credibility.

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One of them was former PDEA director general Dionisio Santiago who called Morales an “STL” (story telling liar).

CLUELESS. Former execu�ve secretary Paquito Ochoa (center) denies blocking a supposed 2012 Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency surveillance opera�on against then senator Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano during a Senate hearing on May 20.

QC hotel-casino resort opening set; Belmonte bans ofﬁcials, employees

By Claire Morales True

QUEZON CITY - Yes, Quezon City may soon be casino capital north of Manila.

After reckoning for years with the oppositors, including the Church, the Quezon City government ﬁnally gave the go-signal for the opening of a Las Vegastype modern hotel-casino-entertainment center in the city.

At present, similar casino resort complexes are conﬁned mostly in Pasay City, Paranaque City, Las Pinas and Manila.

And oﬃcials of the casino owners, Bloomberry Resorts Corp. led by taipan

Enrique Razon, are gearing up for the grand opening of the complex, called the Solaire Resort North, so named after the Solaire casino resort in Pasay City by the same group.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp.’s Solaire Resort North is located inside a Diliman property near the present SM North and Ayala Mall, the Oﬃce of the Ombudsman and the Philippine Science High School complex once an eyesore teeming with informal settlers.

The Solaire Resort North is expected to formally open in late May and before that opening, Quezon City Mayor Joseﬁna Joy Belmonte ordered a ban on all QC

oﬃcials and employees from the casino.

Belmonte said that the city government had coordinated with Bloomberry to “create a databank of photographs of all city government personnel”, in order to enforce the ban. The list would cover circa 19,000 employees, she added.

The lady mayor announced the ban at the inaugural “International Conference on Responsible Gambling and Gaming Addiction”, held in Quezon City and backed by the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).

According to Ms Belmonte, an electronic device posted at each entrance of

the casino at Solaire Resort North would identify any city government oﬃcial or employee, barring their access to the gaming venue. Quezon City public servants would still be allowed to visit other areas of the resort, she added.

“Even if one wears a wig, a mask or a hat, one’s face can still be detected using a very sophisticated system,” the mayor said, as cited by the media outlet.

Actress and television host Anne Curtis has been shown lately campaigning for the opening the casino resort complex initially set on May 25. Bloomberry conﬁrmed the opening schedule.

House okays divorce bill on 3rd and ﬁnal reading

QUEZON CITY -- The House of Representatives has passed a bill seeking to reinstitute absolute divorce as a way for Filipinos to end a marriage on third and ﬁnal reading.

It will now up to the Senate to approve a similar measure so divorce would ﬁnally be legalized in the Philippines. Only the Vatican and the Philippines have bans on divorce. It was gathered that the divorce bill in the Senate has been pending

Sudden...

(From page 1)

Ousted senate president Migz Zubiri said he believes the Marcos camp was “displeased” with him for allowing Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa’s committee on public order and dangerous drugs to probe the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) leaks of documents that claimed the alleged involvement of Marcos in the use of illegal drugs.

on second reading.

The lower chamber was sharply divided on the measure as 126 solons made aﬃrmative votes with 109 opposition and 20 abstention.

The bill in the lower house seeks to allow the dissolution of marriage on grounds of violence, substance abuse, homosexuality, inﬁdelity, abandonment, and separation of at least two years.

The measure would also require cou-

Last week, Zubiri had asked that the committee hearings not be used for political purposes, but fell short of asking for its termination.

Another reason cited by Zubiri for his removal was the slow pace in the moves to amend the Constitution.

Assuming the post of Senate president is Chiz Escudero, a known loyalist of Marcos. Escudero has stated in the past that he also “idolized” the late dictator and namesake of the current president.

Escudero’s father had also served in the Cabinet of the senior Marcos.

Escudero admitted that he moved to oust Zubiri and assume the Senate presi-

PAUNAWA NG PUNONG OPISYAL NG MGA HALALAN SA ORAS AT LUGAR NG ESPESYAL NA HALALAN NG LUNGSOD NG MILLBRAE PARA SA PAGPAPAALIS SA KATUNGKULAN

ANG PAUNAWA AY IBINIBIGAY SA PAMAMAGITAN NITO na ang isang Espesyal na Halalan para sa Pagpapaalis sa Katungkulan ay gaganapin sa Martes, ika-23 araw ng Hulyo, 2024 sa Lungsod ng Millbrae, Distrito 2 at Distrito 4. Ang halalan ay upang pagpasyahan kung ang mga opisyal na tinukoy sa mga petisyon para sa pagpapaalis, sina Maurice Goodman at Angelina Cahalan, ay dapat paalisin sa katungkulan. Ang mga bagay sa balota ay dapat na ang mga sumusunod :

Dapat bang alisin (tanggalin) si Angelina Cahalan mula sa katungkulan bilang Miyembro ng Konseho ng Distrito 2?

Dapat bang alisin (tanggalin) si Maurice Goodman mula sa katungkuluan bilang Miyembro ng Konseho ng Distrito 4?

ANG PAUNAWA AY IBINIBIGAY RIN na ang isang Sentro ng Pagboto ay mananatiling bukas nang hindi bababa sa walong oras kada araw na magsisimula sampung araw bago ang Araw ng Halalan, mula 9:00 a.m hanggang 5:00 p.m. kabilang ang mga weekend at holiday. Ang mga Sentro ng Pagboto ay mananatiling bukas mula 7:00 a.m hanggang 8:00 p.m. sa Araw ng Halalan.

ANG PAUNAWA AY IBINIBIGAY RIN na ang lahat ng balota para sa Espesyal na Halalan para sa Pagpapaalis sa Katungkulan na gaganapin sa Martes, Hulyo 23, 2024, ay dapat na bilangin nang sentral sa lokasyon na nakalaga y sa ibaba:

County of San Mateo Registration & Elections Division 40 Tower Road San Mateo, CA 94402

Pinetsahan: Abril 24, 2024

_______/l/______________________

Mark Church

Punong Opisyal ng mga Halalan at Tagatasa-Klerk-Tagapagtala ng County CNSB # 3813731

ples applying for divorce to go through a judicial process to prove their grounds for divorce, while prohibiting “quickie divorces.” Moreover, petitioners would be given a 60-day cooling-oﬀ period to allow them some time to possibly reconcile.

Proponents of the measure, including 1st district Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, stressed the need to provide a way out for Filipinos in

dency over the weekend, when he began to gather the votes needed to take over.

Fifteen senators including Escudero and – surprisingly – Dela Rosa voted for the change in leadership of the upper chamber of Congress.

The change in the Senate likely means that Dela Rosa’s probe of the PDEA leak will come to an end.

The committee held its fourth hearing on Monday, this week, which resulted in the citing for contempt of two of its resource persons, namely former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales and former National Police Commission staﬀer Eric Santiago.

Both were ordered locked up in the Senate’s detention facility for lying.

Santiago had claimed that he had to Morales and another resource person, Romeo Marquez. Santiago saidhe had done

irreparably broken marriages, especially women in abusive relationships.

“Bigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang mga naaabusong kababaihan at kanilang mga anak ng isang pagkaakataon na mabuhay sa isang pamilyang puno ng pagmamahal,” Brosas said.

But some lawmakers warned that the measure could be abused, citing instances of marriages that end in divorce within a day in other countries.

so in order to be invited by the Senate to help shed light on the controversial PDEA document implicating Marcos along with actress Maricel Soriano.

Morales, on the other hand, was also ordered detained supposedly for giving conﬂicting statements on the reasons why he had been separated from the service.

Members of the House asked the new Senate leadership to immediately put an end to the PDEA leak hearings.

It must be noted that Morales was the sole witness to the leak, but said he was not himself the whistleblower. Ending the Senate committee hearings will mean that the truth behind the leaked documents will never be known.

Morales had agreed to a one-on-one meeting with Philippine News Today, scheduled for Tuesday, but his incarceration made it impossible.

Cebu City Mayor Rama, others suspended, CA junks plea for TRO

CEBU CITY – The Court of Appeals in Manila has dismissed the petition filed by suspended Mayor Michael Rama and seven other Cebu City Hall officials questioning the suspension order issued against them by the Office of the Ombudsman.

In a resolution issued on May 17, 2024, the Appellate Court thumbed down the petition of Rama and the seven other City Hall employees for failure to cite meritorious grounds as to why they did not pursue other legal remedies before ﬁling the petition for certiorari.

The petition assailed the order of the Oﬃce of the Ombudsman placing Rama, his city administrator lawyer Colin Rossel, Rosell’s wife former City Assessor Maria Theresa Rosell, lawyer Francis

May Jacaba, Angelique Cabugao, Jay-Ar Pescante, Lester Joey Beniga, and Nelyn Sanrojo under preventive suspension for six months.

The Court resolved to dismiss outright the petition with a prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and injunction, as the petitioners failed to ﬁle a motion for reconsideration at the Oﬃce of the Ombudsman.

“A motion for reconsideration is a condition precedent to the ﬁling of a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court, as amended,” the order states.

“Although there is an exception to the rule, the petitioner failed to allege meritorious grounds as to why it was not availed of before ﬁling the instant petition,” the court ruled.

Rama and the other petitioners also failed to attach the original transaction receipts from a private courier as proof of the mailing of their petition.

The case stemmed from the complaint of four Cebu City Hall employees – Filomena Atuel, Maria Almicar Diongzon, Sybil Ann Ybañez, and Chito dela Cerna – for allegedly withholding their salaries for 10 months.

Tarlac mayor under ﬁre over POGO, birth inconsistencies

BAMBAN, TARLA/PASAY CITYSenators grilled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo over gaps and inconsistencies in her birth and other records and allegations she was a China spy as a Senate panel looked into her alleged links to a raided Philippine oﬀshore gaming operators (POGOs) in her town.

Mayor Guo, who is being threatened to be suspended, had repeatedly said she is a Filipino and never a spy for China. Some Tarlac leaders and her constituents continue to support her for her accomplishments especially in initiating businesses and jobs for Bamban.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate women, children, family relations and gender equality committee, Sen. Rafael Tulfo grilled the lady mayor extensively as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) had “negative records” of Guo’s parents in its database.

Guo admitted during the hearing her father was a Chinese from Fujian, China

while her mother was a Filipina and former household help of the family.

Hontiveros noted that Guo’s father, Angelito Guo, was declared to be of Filipino citizenship in his birth certiﬁcate but was described by the mayor as a Chinese national. China does not allow dual citizenship, the senator noted.

Senators also found that Guo has two younger siblings, casting doubts into the mayor’s earlier claims that she was abandoned by her mother after birth.

“Mayor Guo, sabi niyo po ay ayaw niyong magsinungaling, pero sa nakaraang oras ay ang dami ko paring narinig,” Hontiveros said in a closing statement.

Guo explained that she had not disclosed her siblings’ identity to the public so they would not be affected by the issue. She also insisted she was not the one who prepared her birth certificate which was executed and filed when she was already old so she was not aware of some entries there.

Suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

AFP chief, US Paciﬁc Fleet head tackle regional peace efforts

CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City– Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and United States Paciﬁc Fleet commander, Adm. Stephen Koehler met Monday to discuss ways to further uphold peace in the Indo-Paciﬁc Region.

“In their meeting, Gen. Brawner Jr. expressed his gratitude to Admiral Koehler for the continued support of the enduring US-Philippine alliance amidst evolving secu-

rity challenges,” AFP public aﬀairs oﬃce chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said.

During their meeting at the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Brawner reaﬃrmed the AFP’s dedication to upholding a free and stable Indo-Paciﬁc region through rules-based approaches under international law.

Trinidad said Koehler’s courtesy call reﬂects the AFP’s strategic partnership to strengthen interoper-

ability and further advance combined capabilities in the maritime domain.

The two oﬃcials also discussed the conduct of the ﬁrst-ever multilateral maritime cooperative activity and its regular holding between Manila and Washington D.C.

These activities are part of the ongoing eﬀort to underscore collective commitment to regional and international cooperation in safeguarding the Indo-Paciﬁc Region.

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exclusive economic zone in South China Sea and West Philippine Sea and on protecting them.

“In the face of China’s repeated denials, we call on China to open up Bajo de Masinloc to international inspection and we also call on third-party inspectors from relevant United Nations bodies or respected environmental organizations to determine the true situation therein in order to protect the environment,” NSC Assistant Director General and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

The Department of Foreign Aﬀairs, meanwhile, said the Chinese government’s policy of detaining “trespassers” would be a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) if applied to areas beyond its jurisdiction in the South China Sea (SCS).

“We have to see what will happen but obviously, whatever they said, if that’s correct it’s inconsistent with UNCLOS,” Foreign Aﬀairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said.

The Philippine Navy at the same time

said China’s latest pronouncement that it would detain foreigners “trespassing” what it claims as its territorial waters would not prevent the Navy from performing its mandate to safeguard Manila’s sovereignty.

“The guidance is we will just continue performing our mandate of ensuring the territorial integrity of the national territory, protecting the Filipinos, ensuring and protecting our sovereignty. It will not deter us from performing our mandate,” said Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for the WPS.

Trinidad said Beijing’s latest threat, which he described as lawfare, is based on its 2021 Coast Guard Law that became effective on Feb. 1, 2021.

Trinidad said this tactic is not only being used against the Philippines in the WPS but is also being utilized in the East China Sea against Japan and South Korea. He added that similar tactics would also be crafted against Vietnam in the coming days.

“After passing such a law, China will remain silent and they will threaten to implement (that) law. That is what is happening right now in the WPS, which they stated that they will start arresting ﬁshermen intruding in their own territory. I would like to emphasize the statement of our Commander in Chief (President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) this is totally unacceptable, ﬁrst and foremost, it has no basis in international law. It has already been ruled by the Arbitral Tribunal that the Nine-Dash Line does not have any legal entitlements and any action by the Chinese Coast Guard is illegal. It is unacceptable,” Trinidad said.

The South China Morning Post last week reported that under the new regulation of the 2021 Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) Law, the CCG could “detain” foreigners suspected of illegally crossing Chinese borders up to 60 days without trial.

The new regulation, eﬀective starting June 15, was issued following the successful civilian mission conducted by the “Atin Ito” (This is Ours) Coalition oﬀ Scarborough Shoal.

ENDURING ALLIANCE. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (right) and US Paciﬁc Fleet commander, Adm. Stephen Koehler, Commander hold talks during the la�er’s courtesy call at the AFP headquarters

Senate panel cites ex-PDEA agent in contempt for ‘continuously lying’

IN CONTEMPT. The Senate Commi�ee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs cited former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales (in photo) in contempt for “con�nuously lying” before the panel on Monday (May 20. 2024).

PASAY CITY – The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs

Asian...

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pendent School District (CFISD) board. This, after her two sons experienced antiAsian racial harassment at their elementary school.

According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity written by Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria, the mother had filed multiple emails, meetings and officially filed grievances, but school officials refused to condemn the racist acts nor assure protection for her boys.

On November 13, last year, Huynh took to the podium of the CFISD board meeting to share her story.

She said her children “have been the target of several racist attacks in CFISD this past year. My 8- and 11-year-old should not have to repeatedly tell other children why it is wrong to use racial slurs.”

In an incident caught on video, her sons had been called “ching-chong-wing-wong” throughout their bus ride home.

on Monday cited former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent Jonathan Morales in contempt for “continuously lying” before the panel.

The motion was made after Senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada failed to get a concrete answer from Morales about his questionable personal data sheet (PDS) that he submitted when he applied in PDEA.

During the hearing, the senator was trying to get an admission from Morales that he misrepresented himself during his application for answering “no” to a PDS question if he was previously dishonorably discharged from service.

Morales was dropped from the Phil-

In another incident, during their last day of school, the students signed each other’s shirts. Huynh’s older son looked at the back of his shirt and saw that someone had drawn a swastika, the ultimate symbol of racial hate.

Huynh asked the school to grant a “stay away” order against the student who drew the swastika, but her request was denied by the CFISD board.

She said the lack of accountability of the board was appalling. “My children do not feel CFISD will keep them safe,” she said.

The school refused to comment on the matter.

The anti-Asian racial harassment faced by the Huynh boys is not isolated.

ippine National Police roll and was disnmissed and suspended from service before joining PDEA.

“Sinungaling talaga ito. Mr. Chair, tinanong ko kanina kung pirma niya ito and he already admitted na pirma niya ito. Kanina tinanong ko, is this your handwriting? Ang sabi niya hindi niya maalala. Nung prinisent ko ulit itong PDS sa kanya, pinag-aralan niya, inamin niya na handwriting niya daw niya. Now he is denying na hindi niya sinagot itong isang question. Eh sino ang naglagay ng ‘no’? Multo? “ Estrada said.

Morales told Estrada to ask PDEA because the PDS record came from them which the senator did.

The Center for Public Integrity report said “generations of Asian American and Paciﬁc Islander children (which includes Filipinos and FilAms) educated in US public schools point to a pattern of racial harassment and bullying that is not fully reﬂected in data due to lack of reporting.”

Worst of all, “families who do report hate incidents are often not taken seriously enough for school oﬃcials to put a stop to it,” said writer Sandhu-Longoria’s report.

Huynh said she was familiar with the pattern of hate, having experienced the same when she was a child growing up in South Philadelphia.

A report by researchers at California State University, San Bernardino, found that antiAsian hate crimes in the 16 largest US cities rose 145% in 2020. This was a year when overall hate crimes declined in the same cities.

Huynh said her boys asked why no one was acting to stop the hate crimes. She reassured them that by speaking up, they would inspire others to do the same.

“I am not Jonathan Morales. We, PDEA, are not Jonathan Morales,” PDEA Compliance Service Director Ronnie Cudia replied.

“I move that he [Morales] be cited in contempt for continuously lying before this committee. Bring him down [the Senate Detention Facility]. Please instruct the sergeant-at-arms,” Estrada said.

His motion was seconded by panel chairperson Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa during the committee’s fourth public hearing on alleged “PDEA Leaks.”

Before Morales, dela Rosa also cited in contempt Eric Santiago, a former National Police Commission employee, for also being a “liar” before the panel.

The FBI says many hate crimes go unreported, and it may be more prevalent in AAPI communities than other racial or ethnic groups. This is based on data from the US Commission on Civil Rights.

Unfortunately, a report last year by the commission noted that few police oﬃcers are ﬂuent in Asian languages. This barrier may be one more reason victims are discouraged from reporting.

One survey taken in 2021 found that the majority of Asian students who have been bullied do not tell adults of their experience. “The reverse was true of bullied students from other racial groups,” wrote Sandhu-Longoria.

As a result of this, “there is going to be underreporting no matter what,” said Bethany Li, legal director of the Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund.

This sad state prompted the non-proﬁt Stop AAPI Hate to start compiling voluntarily submitted data in hopes that community-based organizations, government agencies, and researchers can help drive policy solutions that keep AAPI communities safe.

ZUBIRI...

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Critics of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. immediately hinted that he had a hand in the unexpected shakeup and the allegation was bolstered by immediately hosting Escudero and his senator allies with First Lady Liza Marcos in a dinner in Malacanang only six hours after the Senate revamp.

With Escudero in the dinner wereSenate President Pro Tempore Jose Jinggoy Estrada, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Juliana Pilar Pia Cayetano, Robinhood Padilla, Rafael Raﬀy Tulfo, Mark Villar, Mary Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda, and Sherwin Gatchalian and Maria Imelda Imee Marcos who came in late.

The Chief Executive denied the allegation and was quoted by media as saying he knew only the change of leadership in the Senate only after it was already done. Escudero later admitted he masterminded the ouster of Zubiri with some senators.

Marcos nonetheless Marcos expressed his support to Senator Escudero citing his track record and experience in the legislative.

With Escudero at the helm, the President said he was conﬁdent that the Senate would continue prioritizing measures supporting the administration’s trust for positive transformation.

“I extend my support to the new Senate President, Chiz Escudero. His legislative record and commitment to public service have distinguished him as a dedicated leader,” Marcos said.

“Senator Chiz steps into this role following the commendable tenure of Senator Migz Zubiri, and I am conﬁdent that under his leadership, the Senate will continue to prioritize transformative laws to achieve our shared vision for a Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.

Escudero, 54, is the son of the late Sorsogon Congressman Salvador Escudero III who served in various capacities, including as Agriculture Secretary, during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. His mother, Dr. Evelina Guevarra Escudero served as congresswoman. Before returning to the Senate via the 2022 election, he was governor of Sorsogon.

Hinting an ouster plot for weeks, erstwhile Senate President Zuburi resigned as Senate leader and delivered a fully charged speech admitting he was heartbroken as some senators who had earlier vowed loyalty to his leadership had betrayed him despite of the many accomplishments under him.

This allowed the changeover and Escudero’s nomination by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and election as Senate President without any objection.

As his wife, actress and fashion icon Heart Evangelista looked on, Escudero took his oath before Senator Mark Villar.

In his assumption speech, Escudero committed that there will be no division in the upper chamber following the sudden change of leadership.

He thanked Zubiri for his patience, diligence and love for the country.

In his valedictory speech, Zubiri reiterated that under his leadership, the autonomy of the Senate was maintained

despite the current political noise in the country.

“We have been a staunchly independent Senate. Let me say that again, we have been a staunchly independent Senate holding strong against all threats against our institution, and against threats to the very foundation of democracy on which our nation is built,” he said.

“I have put myself on the line to shield the Senate from all attacks, particularly from eﬀorts to diminish the powers of this institution as the country’s last bastion of democracy...God knows what I had to do to defend the Senate,” he added.

Zubiri’s allies, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Senator Joel Villanueva, Senate Committee on Tourism, Accounts and Ethics chairperson Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, Committee on Finance and Sub-committee on Constitutional Amendment chairman Senator Juan Edgardo Sonny Angara, and Senate deputy majority leader Joseph Victor JV Ejercito also resigned from their post as a courtesy to Escudero’s leadership.

Senator Jose Jinggoy Estrada was named as the new Senate President Pro Tempore, while Senator Francis Tolentino will replace Villanueva and will also serve as the concurrent chairman of the upper chamber’s committee on rules.

Cayetano will take the helm of the Senate Committee on Accounts, replacing Binay.

Observers attributed the resignation of Zubiri to his alleged failure to call oﬀ the ongoing investigation of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs on the alleged leak of conﬁdential documents from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) that links President Marcos and veteran actress Maricel Soriano, among others, to illegal drug use back in 2012.

In the Senate inquiry presided by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief, former PDEA agent Jonathan Morales said that the leaked documents that name Marcos and Soriano as targets for a supposed to be planned anti-drug operation were legitimate.

Morales’ claims, however, were denied by the PDEA, saying that such documents do not exist in their database.

Interviewed later, Escudero said he expects the new Senate leadership to ﬁnish reorganizing the committees this week.

The 19th Congress adjourns its Second Regular Session on Tuesday.

Gatchalian will retain chairmanship of the basic education and ways and means panels.

Sen. Grace Poe will get the Senate Finance Committee, which will craft the annual national budget, Escudero said.

He said Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher Lawrence Go will retain their existing committees. Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino will have to give up the Justice Committee because of his new job.

Escudero said the bloc of former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri will be oﬀered chairmanships.

In his privilege speech, Zubiri hinted that his failure to “follow instructions” from the “powers that be” was the reason he was replaced.

“I have never dictated my positions to

any of you and I always supported your independence — which is probably why I face my demise today. I failed to follow instructions from the powers that be,” he said.

“I fought the good ﬁght. If I had rufﬂed some feathers in doing so, if I had upset the powers that be, then so be it,” he added.

In an interview, Zubiri said the investigation by Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa into the so-called “PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) leaks” was one of the reasons he was replaced.

“I am only presuming. Many people told me to halt the hearings. They did not stop,” he said, surmising the change in leadership started when the Senate took a solid stance against the People’s Initiative to amend the Constitution.

“When we did not agree with the timeline for Cha-cha (Charter change), that’s when I felt there was discontent. My intention was to maintain the institution’s independence,” he said.

De la Rosa, who was chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order, spearheaded the investigation into the alleged involvement of President Marcos Jr. in illegal drugs.

When asked if he thought Malacañang had a hand in the turn of events at the Senate, Zubiri declined to comment.

“I don’t want anymore to rain on the parade of Senator Escudero. I did my job. I did it well. We have no scandals. I am so happy that I had been able to render my service,” he said.

Zubiri admitted that he was heartbroken by the actions of his colleagues, who

had supposedly assured him of their support amid the rumors of his impending ouster.

“It’s sad. I did everything to protect the independence of the Senate, but that’s just how politics is, there’s nothing we can do,” he said.

During his speech, Zubiri, who belongs to the “seatmates” bloc, expressed his gratitude to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, and Senators Nancy Binay and Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara for “supporting him until the end.”

He also thanked Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, whom he said he stayed “loyal” to him, a position he described as a “true test of character.”

He also extended his gratitude to Senator De la Rosa and Senator Win Gatchalian.

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A Senate beholden to the administration

It is extremely sad to note that in our beloved motherland, the Republic of the Philippines, the principle of three co-equal branches of government is not adhered to, even if it is enshrined in the Constitution.

This was proven again at the start of this week when the Senate ingloriously removed its erstwhile president, Miguel Zubiri, in favor of Chiz Escudero.

No one doubts that the sudden change was at the behest of the Executive department, speciﬁcally its head, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The Philippines has a 24-member Senate, and theoretically it is its members, and only its members, who decide who should lead the upper chamber of the bicameral Congress.

In practice, however, the Senate as well as the House of Representatives are usually beholden to whoever occupies Malacanan Palace.

They are beholden because they surrender their independence as well as their integrity by kowtowing to the president every chance they get.

It is only on rare occasions when Congress acts independently of the Executive department, especially the Senate. The last time it happened was during the time of the late President Benigno Aquino lll and the Senate was headed by Juan PonceEnrile. There was no love lost between the two leaders, but they at least managed to work together for the common good.

No so in the current as well as the previous regimes. Like some previous chief executives before them, Messrs. Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte made sure to have Congress in the palm of their hands, ﬁguratively and even literally.

The changing of the guard in the Senate this week is a reﬂection of the growing schism between the Marcos and Duterte camps.

Zubiri was removed because he is closely identiﬁed with the former president, while Escudero is tied to the current one. In fact, Escudero’s father also served in the Cabinet of the late dictator and father of the incumbent.

Not that there is reason to believe that Chiz Escudero will do a better job than Migz Zubiri. In all likelihood, he won’t. At worst, the new Senate president will follow all of Malacanang’s instructions and directives to the letter.

Worst of all, the Senate president pro-tempore will be Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who has been convicted by the Sandiganbayan of one count of bribery relative to the pork barrel scandal. (Estrada is appealing his conviction.)

As for the House, it has always been a motley collection of lawmakers who prefer to preen before the public rather than pass signiﬁcant laws. One can count with the ﬁngers of one hand the number of outstanding lawmakers emanating from the House.

Not so with the Senate, where once upon a time the country’s best and brightest occupied its august halls. Indeed, titans held sway in the Senate for many decades, until little by little celebrities – mostly past-their-prime actors -- were able to ﬁnd their way therein.

The majority of today’s senators should be ashamed of themselves for surrendering their independence to the Executive department.

Where the Philippines’ political maturity is concerned, its senators and congressmen are the weakest link. But only because the Filipino electorate keeps voting for jokers, clowns and convicts to national posts.

Celebrating 60...

(From page 1)

him the ideal partner for the Iloilo Maritime Academy graduation ball aboard a ship.

Perla, who was at the event for the Ring Hop for a relative, was unaware of the plan. When the dashing mechanical engineer asked her to dance, she declined, saying she didn’t know how. But then the song “This Love of Mine” played and suddenly Mig grabbed her hand, swept her oﬀ her feet and the dance ﬂoor became their stage.

“And that started everything,” the co-celebrant wrote in the love story she had penned and narrated twice on the same day 60 years later.

The bride and groom’s family made up the bridal renewal entourage. Guests included protagonists in the couple’s colorful journey from central Philippines to Northern California, their contributions to their community extending beyond their chosen hometown as new Americans.

REUNION OF ALLIES

From FilAm collaborators and diverse elected oﬃcials from three levels of government, attendees renewed ties and reminisced the beginnings of FilAm empowerment kindled by the event honorees.

Wearing a Barong Tagalog gifted by the woman he calls “Tita Perla,” City Manager Tom Piccolotti shared candle-lighting duties with Marie Villarosa, marketing director of Serramonte Center. Dept of Recreation Director Denise Brown and Rec Supervisor Romeo Benson, HR Director Natalie Sakal, Dept of Water Resources Manager Joshua Cosgrove, Fire Chief Ron Myers and Deputy Chief of Police Cameron Christensen traded well wishes.

A traditional Philippine feast complete with two lechon was served buﬀet-style by Willy Carandang, who has added “Catering King” to his well-earned title of “Lechon King” now that his popular Daly City restaurant Hapag has shut down as redevelopment of commercial hub St. Francis Square takes place. His youngest daughter Tiﬀany Carandang later took the spotlight for a special performance of a love song.

Four-time DC Mayor now newly single Lake County Chief Public Defender Ray Buenaventura smiled as his surrogate mother walked gracefully down the aisle in her resplendent Filipina dress with the love of her life. Council Member Glenn Sylvester heartily applauded the celebrants. Just weeks before her appointment as the newest City Council Member Theresa Proaño and her longtime employers Dan and Karen Duggan cheered for the honorees.

Earliest arrivals were California Assembly Member Dianne Pappan and Millbrae Mayor Gina Pappan whose father, the late Assembly Member Lou Pappan conﬁded in Perla. Assembly Member Phil Ting, representative of District 19 encompassing San Francisco and Daly City who has singled out Perla as her home district’s (Continue on page 18)

California’s Attorney General Robert Andres Bonta has the distinction of being the First Fil-American to be elected to the California State Legislature and to be Attorney-General of the State of California.

Appointed Attorney-General by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, Bonta ran for the post the next year and won handily over his Republican opponents.

“My job,” he said at a recent interview, “ is to enforce the law in Callifornia.”

Born in Quezon City, Philippines to parents Warren and Cynthia Bonta, he was barely two months old when the Bontas moved to the United States.

They ﬁrst lived in a trailer at the United Farmers Workers headquarters at Nuestra Senora Reina de la Paz near Keene, California before moving to Fair Oaks, a suburb of Sacramento.

Bonta studied at the Bon Vista High School, where he graduated valedictorian. He got his B.A. in history, cum laude, in 1995, went to Oxford for a year to study politics, economics and history, proceeded to Yale Law School, where he graduated Juris Doctor in 1998.

He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1999.

The ﬁrst and only one in the Bonta family to take up Law, Rob Bonta bared that he had always wanted to be a lawyer after reading “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

His interest in social justice and civil rights was inspired by his father who was active in the labor and Civil Rights Movement.

Though he hadn’t planned to enter the ﬁeld of politics, having worked for the ACLU, his work was cut out for him.

His private law practice had enabled him to handle cases in areas such as civil rights, crime, insurance, patent infringement, legal malpractice, contracts and frauds. He was certainly prepared to be Attorney-General of his State.

Since assuming the post, he has traveled to diﬀerent parts of the State to see for himself what his oﬃce can do to serve California families by making their lives better and improving their human condition.

Such includes stopping gun violence, ﬁghting hate, protecting civil rights, stopping transnational criminal organizations, helping victims of crime, standing up to powerful interests which hurt consumers, getting justice for workers, tackling underground economy and standing up for immigrant communities.

Bonta considers aﬀordability, housing, cost of living and public safety among his state’s biggest problems. Dubbed the “Attorney of the People,” he has striven throughout his political life to get justice for Californians.

Because of his dedication to his work, he considers balancing his work and his family his greatest challenge. Fortunately, he is married to an understanding wife, Mia, who is also a public servant, as Assemblywoman, and they have three oﬀspring: Reina, Iliana and Andres.

Californians are certainly blessed to have Rob Bonta as their Attorney-General and we Filipinos are proud to call him one of our own!

Rob Bonta: Attorney for the people

CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO

Billy Graham, Jesus and Your Salvation

Astatue immortalizing the late Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol last Thursday, May 16, 2024 by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, with members of Graham’s family, including his son Franklin Graham, in attendance.

Franklin Graham said he appreciated that the statue depicts his father gesturing while holding an open Bible. “I like the fact that that he is holding the word of God in his hand. My father always took the Bible in the pulpit with him. Even though he may have had the passage typed out in front of him in his notes, he still held the Bible because he wanted that to remind people of the authority of the Scripture (Bible),” explained the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.

Billy Graham’s focus was about personal salvation and encouraged all those who heard his message during the crusades and evangelistic rallies to come forward and receive Christ into their hearts. And for those who could not quite ﬁnd the words, he always provided a simple prayer, known as “Sinner’s Prayer”, as follows:

“Dear heavenly Father, know that I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins, and rose from the dead. I turn from my sin. I repent of my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.”

On the important issue of personal salvation, let us remember that Jesus is the ﬁnal and supreme authority when He gave and proclaimed the Great Commission. He said in Matthew 28-18-20. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Jesus said and commanded in Mark 16:15-16, “Go into all the work and preach the gospel to every creature. He believes and is baptized shall be saved.”

Obeying what Jesus said and commanded, Peter preached the gospel in its purity on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem and 3,000 precious souls obeyed the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness or remission of their sins (Acts 2-37-38, 41-47, NKJV).

YOUR PERSONAL SALVATION IS AT STAKE HERE! Do you have to follow the teachings of Billy Graham and the other denominational preachers, or follow and obey the teaching and command of Jesus as exempliﬁed by Peter and the rest of the apostles and early disciples?

For your personal salvation, you MUST follow and obey Jesus rather than men like Billy Graham and the other denominational preachers who teach that one needs only to believe and invite Jesus into his/her heart and/or recite the “Sinner’s Prayer.”

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, NJKV).

Billy Graham and the other denominational preachers are not teaching and preaching the gospel its purity and simplicity. They added and/or omitted from the word of God. Here’s a serious warning in Revelation 22:18-19, NKJV:

“If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away of the book of this prophecy God shall take away his part from the Book of Life from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.”

Billy Graham and the other denominational preachers added the “Sinner’s Prayer” and omitted the necessity and urgency of obeying the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-38, Acts 22:16)

Pope John Paul II emphasized the authority of the Bible: “Something is not right because the church says it or the pope says it. Something is right because the Bible says it.” (Source: The Christian Chronicle, May, 2005, p.14)

YOUR PERSONAL SALVATION IS IMPORTANT TO US. We, therefore, invite YOU to have WE CARE Gospel presentation in the privacy of your home or oﬃce to ﬁnd answer directly in the Bible the important and urgent question: “What if Christ were to come right NOW or if you’ll die tomorrow? Would YOU know for sure, without any doubt, that YOU would go to HEAVEN?”

If YOU are ready to obey the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness of ALL your sins (Acts 2:37-38, Acts 22:16), we can assist and help you, Whatever your needs, just contact: WE CARE MINISTRY, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel. (650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:artmadlaing@hotmail.com

FREE BOOKS FOR PERSONAL OR FAMILY LIBRARY

To commemorate our 50th Wedding Anniversary last May 5, 2024 and my 77th Birthday on August 18, 2024, my beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and I are oﬀering two FREE autographed books to our readers and the general public as excellent addition to your Personal Library or Family Library, through the BOOKS MINISTRY.

YOU can choose “LONGEVITY TIPS” subtitled “Secrets You Can Discover and Do for Good Health and Longevity” or “R.A.W. WISDOM” subtitled “FINDING

(Continue on page 20)

China has become more dangerous than ever

Imay hate the current leadership of China, most especially Xi Jinping, but I must also admit to having a fascination with the country that went from Third World some four decades ago to the world’s second largest economy today.

This resulted in a country with tens of thousands of millionaires and hundreds of millions of families attaining middle class status.

Now, however, China is in the midst of what looks like a recession, possibly leading to a full-blown depression in the foreseeable future.

After ignoring the obvious problems that had surfaced in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions of small, medium, and now very large companies shut down resulting in countless workers rendered jobless, the Chinese Communist Party is planning on taking remedial measures, which are not likely to work.

Excuse me if I seem as if I’m gloating. Rest assured that I’m not. I used to believe that all Chinese were the enemy, and they should be banned from even entering the Philippines.

In fact, millions upon millions of them are suﬀering economically. Those who owned businesses are losing their investments because the economy is down and nobody is buying their goods or availing of their services.

Incidentally, I know that when I speak of “millions” of Chinese, I am not exaggerating. With a population in excess of one billion, no one should be surprised to learn that tens of millions are currently jobless, more than a million restaurants and similar businesses have closed shop, and hundreds of millions face the very real prospect of starving.

There are countless videos on YouTube showing the true picture of what is happening in Xi’s China.

It is now possible to think the unthinkable. The beginnings of what may be a Chinese People Power revolt is in the oﬃng.

Millions -- there’s that word again -- of Chinese bank depositors have been told that they may not withdraw their own money beyond a certain limit.

Millions of workers have not received their full pay for more than a year now.

The communist government denies all of the grim news, of course. At most, they say that there are problems but nothing that they can’t handle.

A few weeks ago, China released what they claim to be accurate data on their ﬁrst quarter, which surprisingly grew by middle single digits.

Various economists and academicians, however, scoﬀed at the ﬁgures which they consider doctored.

Tangible signs say that the economy is headed for a big fall, and among the solutions being considered is something no economist would dare consider, which is to simply print more and more yuan.

The central government would also salvage the collapsing real estate industry by rescuing the big players, all of whom are trillions of yuan in debt.

Incidentally, Chinese consumers who purchased real property akin to our condominiums are in the worst straits for the simple reason that they cannot run after errant developers. Not only did they pay large down payments, which is the norm everywhere, but when construction slows down or even stops, they are still legally obligated to continue paying their amortizations.

Whoever thought up this scheme some three decades ago clearly had little appreciation of the rights of buyers. Again, there are numerous videos on YouTube showing a brewing anger among property buyers, workers with unpaid salaries, and young Chinese just giving up and lying in beds, sofas, park benches, or sidewalks.

Until the government stopped releasing employment ﬁgures this year, the youth unemployment had reportedly hit 20 percent.

It’s gotten so bad that college graduates are only able to land jobs in the food delivery business, where they work long hours to earn a pittance.

Once called the world’s manufacturer, China’s exports have slipped even as local consumption has likewise headed south.

What had once been considered a possible savior, the manufacture of electric vehicles, is also facing serious issues, not only in terms of quality but also because of an ongoing trade war with the US, and soon possibly the EU.

Very recently, President Joe Biden approved a 100 percent tariﬀ on Chinese e-vehicles. This will almost certainly cripple the industry, which unbelievably has hundreds of manufacturers. Their cars will retail at double the prices of e-vehicles made by Japan and Europe. So why would anyone buy a Chinese made e-vehicle of dubious quality and bloated prices?

It is no exaggeration to say that the Chinese economy is in dire straits now and has an even bleaker future.

The majority of Chinese are, therefore, both angry and frustrated at what has become of the Chinese dream.

All this can force Xi to take

FilAm Jurado solidiﬁes campaign, gains momentum during AAPI Heritage Month

While Asian American and Paciﬁc Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is being celebrated, Ysabel Jurado’s campaign for Los Angeles City Council District 14 (CD-14) received a week-long celebration highlighting endorsements from prominent AAPI community leaders and elected oﬃcials.

During this month, her campaign staff announced a series of AAPI Community Leader and Elected Official Endorsements for her in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, she being a recognized AAPI community leader. They acknowledged her presence in the community due to her active involvement on issues affecting her constituents.

Kicking off this commemorative week is the endorsement from the Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County (ADLAC), a steadfast advocate for AAPI representation and empowerment in the political landscape, served as a commemorative kick-off event for the week. The ADLAC’s endorsement reaffirms the growing momentum behind Ysabel Jurado’s candidacy and underscores the pivotal role of AAPI voices in shaping the future of Los Angeles.

ADLAC’s President Andrew Murphy said: “LA City Council District 14 is home to many historic Asian American neighborhoods, and there is one clear choice who will best represent our Asian communities. Ysabel Jurado is a proven organizer, advocate, and community leader who will lead with integrity and reverse the backroom dealing, corrupt, racially insensitive politics of her opponent. The Asian Democrats of Los Angeles County (ADLAC) wholeheartedly endorse Ysabel Jurado. Ysabel is the right and only choice for Angelenos who care about diversity, community-centered policy, and honest leadership.”

Murphy’s testimony and his group’s endorsement is crucial and very signiﬁcant in the quest of Jurado for being the ﬁrst FilAm to be elected in the LA city council. This is unprecedented, if I may say, for a neophyte politician in the district of LA.

This is not the only one because in addition to ADLAC, Jurado has been endorsed by a coalition of Democratic clubs, including the Stonewall Democratic Club, the East Area Progressive Democrats, Democrats for Neighborhood Action, and the Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats, reﬂecting a groundswell of Democratic support for her vision and the clear choice for the Party.

“I am so excited to receive the endorsement and support of ADLAC,” said Ysabel Jurado. “Their dedication to fostering equitable representation and advocating for justice aligns perfectly with the values driving our campaign,” said Ysabel Jurado. “As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, I feel more compelled than ever to build a truly inclusive democracy, and I’m honored to have ADLAC by my side in this ﬁght.”

A lifelong resident of CD-14, Ysabel Jurado brings both lived and professional experience to the race. As an eviction defense attorney, single mother, and daughter of immigrants, she has lived the challenges faced by many residents in the district. Her platform centers on advocating for aﬀordable housing, climate justice, workers’ rights, and creating a solidarity economy throughout Los Angeles.

In a crowded ﬁeld of eight candidates, Jurado earned ﬁrst place in the primary election, ahead of the incumbent council member who placed second.

Last week, she earned the endorsement of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters (LALCV).

“Today, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters (LALCV) announced its endorsement of Ysabel Jurado in the upcoming November 5 election for Los Angeles City Council District 14 (CD14). The endorsement comes just days after the campaign announced it had earned the support of progressive powerhouse organizations UAW6, SEIU/CIR and the Working Families Party,” Jurado said.

LALCV is known for its vocal support for climate justice candidates in Los Angeles County. So, they chose to endorse Jurado because of her strong commitment to environmental protection and advocacy, which is one of the main goals of their organization.

In their endorsement, LALCV President Shona Ganguly on the other hand said: “Ysabel has made environmental protection an important part of her activist career and is exactly the type of candidate that LALCV seeks to support. As an attorney, Ysabel helped several local community land trusts protect open space and facilitated the transfer of private land to native tribes. As an LA City Councilmember, Ysabel will ﬁght for environmental justice in the district and Citywide. The LALCV Board believes that Ysabel will be a leader on the council when it comes to protecting clean air and clean water, and that she can energize her constituents to join her in those efforts.”

Jurado is committed to environmental concerns and sustainable initiatives, so the organization’s endorsement “underscored her commitment to environmental stewardship and her dedication to advancing sustainable initiatives within Los Angeles.”

All the while, they thought she was the right candidate for them… for the organization.

(Continue on page 20)

She continues to gather support from individuals and organizations dedicated to progressive change in (Continue on page 20)

BETING DOLOR

“ ART GABOT MADLAING Health & Wealth

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO

Kathryn-Alden movie sequel

‘Hello, Love, Again’ readied, seen to boost ABS-CBN, GMA earnings in 2024

By ISAGANI DE CASTRO JR

Good news for shareholders of GMA Network Corporation and ABS-CBN Corporation.

A new movie project that may beat Rewind, the Philippines’ current highest grossing ﬁlm, was formally announced on Sunday, May 19.

Star Cinema and GMA Pictures, the film outfits of the two media conglomerates, announced their first-ever collaboration, the sequel to the 2019 box-office hit, Hello, Love, Goodbye.

Star Cinema’s Hello, Love, Goodbye earned P839 million in ticket sales in 2019, and held the box-oﬃce king record for over four years until the tearjerker ﬁlm of real-life couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera made Philippine movie history in January 2024.

Kriz Gazmen, head of ABS-CBN Film

Productions, made a bold prediction on Sunday. As he looked to GMA Films president Annette Gozon-Valdes, he said, “We’ve been talking of collaboration for more than two years now, this is just the beginning. And together, I’m claiming it: We’re going to make history again.”

The number to beat? A worldwide gross of P922 million or nearly a billion for Rewind, a movie co-produced by Star Cinema with Dantes’ ﬁlm outﬁt, Agostodos Pictures, and APT Entertainment.

Hello, Love, Again has the key elements that the top two Philippine box-office films have: it’s a love story and it involves collaboration between the country’s top entertainment firms. It also stars the most bankable exclusive talents of the two conglomerates – Kathryn Bernardo for ABS-CBN and Alden Richards for GMA.

Why the optimism when so many Philippine ﬁlms, even among Hollywood movies,

shown in the ﬁrst quarter of 2024 appear to have bombed, based on limited patronage in most theaters?

Gazmen told Rappler on Sunday it’s because of the sequel’s two lead stars.

“Ang hirap kasi ‘pag nagbi-build ka ng movie star. Kasi there are artists na okay for television, okay for streaming, pero ‘pag sinabi kasi nating movie star, sino ‘yung artista willing bayaran ng tao ng presyo?” he said. “That’s what we’re hoping.”

(It’s because it’s hard to build up a movie star nowadays. Because there are artists who are okay for television, okay for streaming, but when we say movie star, who is that artist that people are willing to pay to watch in theaters?)

solidated revenues were down 9% in the ﬁrst quarter of 2024, or from P4 billion to P3.6 billion year-on-year.

From Hong Kong to Canada

Another reason for his optimism is the choice of November as the month for the release of the ﬁlm. The ﬁlm will begin showing in the Philippines on November 13, followed by an international release.

Gazmen said this is historically a strong month for ABS-CBN’s movie releases. This is when it’s close to Christmas when people in the Philippines may already have received their Christmas bonuses, and it’s a receptive month in the international ﬁlm market. Hello, Love, Again is another movie about the Filipino diaspora, and the producers hope that Filipinos overseas will again watch in droves.

“Mataas ang conﬁdence namin sa Hello, Love, Again (Our conﬁdence is high for Hello, Love, Again, even if it’s a regular playdate,” he said.

Among Star Cinema’s movies about overseas Filipinos are Anak, Barcelona: A Love Untold, Caregiver, Dubai, In The Name of Love, and Milan. Star Cinema said these ﬁlms tell “heartwarming stories of Filipinos and shedding light on the realities of Filipinos living and working abroad.”

Rewind was a key contributor to ABSCBN’s improved earnings from content production and distribution in the ﬁrst three months of 2024.

The Lopez-led company reported P2.6 billion in revenues from content production and distribution in the ﬁrst quarter of the year, an increase of P241 million or P10% more than the P2.38 billion revenues in the ﬁrst quarter of 2023.

“The company’s Film and Digital divisions delivered marked improvements in their businesses driven by an increase in box-oﬃce performance and enhancements in subscription and advertising revenues on its digital properties,” said ABS-CBN in its ﬁrst quarter earnings report disclosed last May 15.

As for GMA, the movie Firefly which it released in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, helped increase the company’s consumer sales in the first quarter of the year. Sale of services went up from P210 million from the first quarter in 2023 to P225 million in the same period in 2024, a 7% increase.

“…providing the boost this period for this revenue category were box-office receipts from movie production, particularly from the multi-awarded comeback film of GMA Pictures, Firely,” said GMA in its first quarter earnings report last April 16. Firefly won Best Picture in the 2023 MMFF, which set a festival box-office record of over a P1 billion.

Both companies need the box-oﬃce receipts from Hello Love Again. ABS-CBN still faces big debts to pay, while GMA’s con-

During the press conference on Sunday, Director Cathy Garcia-Sampana, who also helmed Hello, Love, Goodbye, said what excites her about the sequel is the new story that was inspired by Filipinos in Canada, where the ﬁlm will be shot.

“Tinutuloy lang natin ang kuwento but this is all about Filipinos living abroad,” she said. “Ibang-iba ang Hong Kong and Canada, which excites me kasi at least may bago kaming kuwento.”

(We’re continuing the story but this is all about Filipinos living abroad. Hong Kong and Canada are very diﬀerent, which excites me because at least, we’ll have a new story.)

The script, however, has yet to be ﬁnalized.

Bernardo said that although she’s familiar with her Hello, Love, Goodbye character, Joy, it’s been ﬁve years since the movie was made.

“I’ve changed, I think we all did, lahat tayo nagbago (we’ve all changed). I’m just curious kung ano ‘yung mabibigay namin (what we can give) this time around. Because when we shot Hello, Love, Goodbye, I was just 23, and then now, I just turned 28 so ‘yung 5 years na ‘yon, ano ‘yung nangyari (in those ﬁve years, what happened to us) sa growth namin (to our growth) personally, and of course, kung ano naman yung magiging (what will be the) growth when it comes to Ethan and Joy. So, ang daming tinatantiya pa namin (so we’re still gauging a lot of things), but then, it’s an exciting feeling.

“When [ABS-CBN COO] Tita Cory [Vidanes] told me about this ﬁlm, s’yempre natakot ako, kasi hindi ko alam (I was afraid of because I didn’t know), should we leave it as it is, or maybe gumawa na lang kami ng bagong kuwento ni Alden (should we make a completely new story about Alden and I) or better na ituloy s’ya (or better just continue the story). But then, nung pinag-isipan ko s’ya (when I thought about it), if I put myself aside of being part of the cast, parang me din (for me also), ang dami kong (I have a lot of) questions, ang dami kong gustong malaman, kumusta si Joy, is Ethan okay, (I want to know many things, how is Joy, is Ethan okay), nagsurvive ba ‘yung LDR [long distance relationship] nila (did their LDR survive), kumusta ‘yung buhay niya sa Canada, nag-survive ba ‘yung dreams niya (how’s her life in Canada, did her dreams survive), so I think, for me, Hello, Love, Again will provide the answers to my question and to all your questions, hopefully, but this time naman, sa ibang (in a new) setting, in Canada,” she said.

PG&E Safety Tip to Graduates: Celebrate Safely by Securing Balloons with a Weight

Power Outages from Wayward Balloons Can Put the Damper on Commencement Fun

OAKLAND, Calif. — It is graduation season in California Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) has an important reminder for the public about the safety risks associated with helium-filled metallic balloons. If your graduation celebration involves balloons, make sure they are secured with a weight. Otherwise, they can float away and come into contact with overhead power lines, causing a public safety risk.

In the ﬁrst four months of 2024, metallic balloons striking electric lines have caused nearly 112 power outages in the PG&E service area alone, disrupting service to more than 47,000 customers. This is a 30 percent increase from the same time period last year.

“Metallic balloons have a silvery coating, which is a conductor for electricity. If the balloons ﬂoat away and make contact with power lines, they can short transform-

ers, cause power outages and melt electrical wires, causing public safety risks. We urge everyone to celebrate responsibly and secure metallic balloons with a weight,” said Peter Kenny, Senior Vice President of Electric Operations for PG&E.

A few years ago, more than 6,000 San Francisco customers were without power after metallic balloons released during a graduation ceremony came into contact with overhead power lines. PG&E tends to see an increase in balloon-caused outages during graduation season.

Here’s a sobering example of what can happen when metallic balloons become lose and hit utility power lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jzefJfBbNA

In order to signiﬁcantly reduce the number of balloon-caused outages and to help ensure that everyone can safely enjoy graduations and Father’s Day celebrations,

PG&E reminds customers to follow these important safety tips for metallic balloons:

“Look Up and Live!” Use caution and avoid celebrating with metallic balloons near overhead electric lines.

Make sure helium-ﬁlled metallic balloons are securely tied to a weight that is heavy enough to prevent them from ﬂoating away. Never remove the weight.

When possible, keep metallic balloons indoors. Never permit metallic balloons to be released outside, for everyone’s safety.

Do not bundle metallic balloons together.

Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite, drone or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone, and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-7435000 to report the problem.

Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground or is dangling in the air. Always assume downed electric lines

are energized and extremely dangerous. Stay far away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and ﬁre departments. Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared

Visit our Safety Action Center for balloon safety graphics and more safety tips: https://www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com/ articles/44-celebrate-safely

About PG&E

Paciﬁc Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 24,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

The 0% Down Purchase Program: A New Path to Homeownership

In an era where the dream of homeownership often feels out of reach, the exclusive 0% Down Purchase Program is a game-changer. Designed to assist borrowers in purchasing homes without the traditional hurdle of a down payment, this innovative program offers financial flexibility and accessibility to a broader audience. Here’s a comprehensive look at how the program works, its benefits, and what it means for potential homeowners.

How the Program Works

The 0% Down Purchase Program provides a unique opportunity for eligible borrowers to receive a 3% loan up to $15,000 from the lender, covering their down payment. This loan, structured as a second lien, requires no monthly payments and does not accrue interest. Instead, the second lien is due in full as a balloon payment upon refinancing, payoff, or final payment of the primary mortgage.

Key Benefits

1. Immediate Homeownership: By eliminating the need for an immediate down payment, more borrowers can achieve homeownership sooner. This allows them to allocate funds towards home repairs or emergency savings, providing peace of mind and security.

2. Eligibility Criteria:

•For the Home Possible program, borrowers need a minimum FICO score of 620.

•For the Home One program, aimed at first-time buyers, a minimum FICO score of 700 is required.

3. Cost Savings: Unlike FHA loans, this program does not require an upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) or financing it. Additionally, it avoids the high Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) premiums that can be close to 1% of the new loan amount.

4. Conventional Loan Advantages: Borrowers will qualify as they would for a conventional loan, which can be more appealing to sellers compared to an FHA loan.

5. Income Limits and Credits: There will be an income limit based on your Area Median Income (AMI). Borrowers with an AMI at 50% or lower receive a $2,500 credit, reducing the down payment assistance to $12,500. This program is exclusively for owner-occupied borrowers.

Impact on Homeownership

This 0% Down Purchase Program is a revolutionary step towards making homeownership more accessible. By removing the barrier of a down payment, it opens doors for many who might otherwise find homeownership out of reach. This program not only provides financial flexibility but also adheres to affordability guidelines that help un-

derserved borrowers achieve their dreams.

Benefits for Lenders and Real Estate Professionals

For lenders, this is a compelling product that can attract new business and build stronger relationships with real estate agents and buyers. It’s a powerful tool for expanding market reach and supporting community development.

Conclusion In summary, the 0% Down Purchase Program is a bea-

con of hope for potential homeowners and a powerful tool for the lending community. By offering a path to homeownership without the upfront financial burden, it stands to make a significant impact on the housing market and the lives of countless families.

For more information or to discuss the program further, please contact Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group at 562-508-7048 or kennethgo@verizon.net. CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636.

MANILA/TASHKENT - Filipino Olympic gymnast Carlos Yulo on Sunday concluded his campaign in the 2024 Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships with two more gold medals.

Yulo ruled the vault and the parallel bars at the Gymnastics Sport Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to ﬁnish with four golds in the competition.

Carlos Yulo hauls 4 golds in Asian Championships, Obiena wins in US Pasig City’s Melencio bags 14 medals in COPA swimfest

Alson on Sunday, meanwhile, Filipino Olympic pole vaulter Ernest J Obiena bagged another gold medal a few months before the Paris Olympics after ruling the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.

Obiena reigned supreme in the event after ﬁnishing the tourney with 5.80 meters.

This is the third pole vault championship for the 28-yearold Obiena this year.

In February this year, Obiena snagged the top place in the Memorial Josip Gasparac indoor event in Croatia and the ISTAF Indoor 2024 in Berlin.

The Olympic-bound Carlos Yulo earlier won the individual all-around and the ﬂoor exercise, each time beating Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi to the top of the podium.

In the vault, Yulo scored 14.883 to hold oﬀ home bet Abdulaziz Mirvaliev, who scored 14.783. Malaysia’s Muhammad Sharul Aimy was third with a score of 14.466.

Another Filipino gymnast, Juancho Besana, placed fourth after scoring 14.150.

Yulo made it four golds with a dominant performance in the parallel bars, scoring 15.133 to ﬁnish ahead of China’s Yin Dehang (15.033). Another Uzbek gymnast, Rasuljon Abdura-

khimov, took the bronze with a score of 14.866.

However, Yulo missed out on the podium in the horizontal bar, where his score of 13.433 was only good for fourth place.

Kazakhstan’s Karimi, performing last, claimed the gold with a score of 15.033, followed by China’s Tian Hao (14.300) and China’s Liao Jialei (13.800).

Yulo’s younger brother, Karl Eldrew, will take home a gold medal of his own after ruling the vault in the junior division.

By Jean Malanum

MANILA – Pasig City’s Ricielle Maleeka Melencio bagged 14 medals, including nine golds, in the Congress of Philippine Aquatics (COPA) ‘One For All-All For One’ National Capital Region Swimming Championships at the Teoﬁlo Yldefonso Swimming Center inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila on Sunday.

Melencio was named Most Outstanding Swimmer (MOS) award in the girls’ 18-over category after claiming victory in the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle; 100m and 200m backstroke; and 200m and 400m Individual Medley. She also scooped ﬁve silver medals coming from the 50m butterﬂy and four relay events – 4x100m freestyle (with Mia Barretto, Mara Santiago and Jana Avergonzado); 4x100m medley (with Lindsay Mamucod, Barretto and Avergonzado); 4x50m freestyle (with Jaen Sabularse, Avergonzado and Santiago); and 4x50 medley (with Barretto, Mamucod and Santiago).

“I wish my times could’ve been better than my personal best times, but I am happy and thankful for the results and in helping our Pasig City Swim Team,” said Melencio, who was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to the Philippines before her ﬁfth birthday.

“I’d like to thank Mayor Vico Sotto for always supporting our Pasig City swim team. And to coach Jessie Lacuna, coach Elson, coach Macky, coach Bea, our coaches in Pasig. Thanks also to coach Archie Lim and coach Candice, my coaches in Ateneo, and of course, AMDG (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam), thank you God for everything,” added Melencio, a freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University taking up Management Information Systems, who won the silver medal (400m IM) in the UAAP Season 86 last year.

Meanwhile, Aishel Cid Evangelista swept his last three events while Patricia Mae Santor got one more gold medal to also receive the MOS honors in the three-day event sanctioned by the Philippine Aquatics, Inc. (PAI) and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

The 14-year-old Evangelista, representing Betta Caloocan Swim Team, dominated the 200m butterﬂy, 100m backstroke, and 50m freestyle events in the boys’ 14-under class to ﬁnish with eight gold medals.

The Grade 8 student from University of Santo Tomas dedicated his medals to his father, Elcid Evangelista, a swimming coach who passed away two weeks ago.

“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Diyos at binigyan ako ng kalakasan ng katawan para matupad ko yung misyon ko na mabigyan ng regalo ang aking namayapang ama. Para po sa kanya ito, alam ko masaya siya sa tagumpay ko (I thank God for giving me the strength to fulﬁll my mission to give a gift to my late father. This is for him, I know he is happy with my success),” said Evangelista, who topped the 100m and freestyle; 100m butterﬂy, 200m backstroke and 400m IM, and the silver medal in the 50m backstroke.

Melencio

Carlos Yulo

Upside...

(From Page 10)

Woman of the Year, made time to present the couple with a proclamation. As did San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Vice President David Canepa, who brought along his son Piero, and Mayor Juslyn Manalo, who highlighted the reception program with a narration of the Perla and Mig’s love story.

City Clerk staﬀ Becky Ayson welcomed guests like retired San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ron Quidachay and wife Kathy, former BART Board Member Rodel Rodis and wife Edna and retired Deputy City Attorney Ernie Llorente and wife Mila.

Meanwhile at their table, community advocates led by PBRC pillars Jojo and Noime Liangco, and their best buddies Rolly and Tessie Recio proudly took in the scenario of Filipino Americans literally seated at the table with the city establishment, the outcome of their grassroots eﬀorts not too long ago.

Adapted from original reprinted with permission from INQUIRER.NETUSA

Daly City’s pioneer FilAm residents Mig and Perla Ibarrientos met on a blind date aboard a ship in central Philippines. REY GUARIN photo

Tom Piccolo�, City Manager of Daly City, and Marie Villarosa, marke�ng director of Serramonte Center, light the 60th wedding anniversary candles. REY GUARIN photo

Nation’s...

(From page 13)

developing a comprehensive housing program and that they want mayors at the table. We are on the ground and understand our communities better than anyone on what is needed to get more people housed, which is fundamental to economic opportunity in America. The ﬁght for action will continue, but we all leave Washington more conﬁdent that our message is being heard and that we will have partners to drive solutions.”

“Americans that fought on behalf of our country, the people who have defended us, should never sleep one night outside on our streets. There are solutions to this crisis – so while we’re fighting day in and day out to get people off the street, we have to bring the fight here to Washington, DC so that we can look at rules and regulations that need to be tossed aside, given the magnitude of

Nepal New Year. The Nepalese community, which is the fastest growing ethnic group in California held their new year celebra�on in the City of Sunnyvale. Community leaders and city oﬃcials were there to witness and enjoy the fes�vi�es. Photo shows Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor with Councilwoman Kathy Watanabe, Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein with Finance Head Tim Kirby , Fremont Mayor Lily Mei with Councilman Raj Salwan and community leader Sa�sh Vale and FilAm Don and Thelma Orozco is joined by restaurateur Vijay Gupta and Melissa Cuenca of Honest.

the problem that we have today,” said Mayor Bass. At the White House, mayors met with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez, Domestic Policy Advisor to the President Neera Tanden, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young. Mayors also met separately with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Acting Secretary of HUD Adrianne Todman. Additional members of Congress who the mayors met with included Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senator Ron Wyden, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Dancing Queen. Fremont Mayor Lily Mei together with Planning Commissioner Benjamin Yee held the annual Asian Heritage Fes�val. It was held at the Downtown Event Center and Plaza and was par�cipated by several ethnic group dancers. The Philippines was represented by the FilAm Dancing Queens led by Milpitas FilAm Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua and dance leader Mila Garcia. They were joined by both City oﬃcials a�er their performance.

FilAm

Alzheimer’s disease poses greater challenges on women

California is said to have age as the primary risk factor for the type of dementia known as Alzheimer’s disease as the Golden State is home to more adults aged 65 and over than any other state and in response, the state has launched a new initiative aimed at raising public awareness about the disease and promoting early detection.

And women take the brunt of dealing persistently with the challenges that Alzheimer’s disease bring as it continues to cause problems with memory, thinking and behavior with symptoms that usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.

Accounting for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, Alzheimer’s has no cure for but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. And if advanced treatments are discovered and improved further, women probably be the happiest as they account for two thirds of those diagnosed with the disease.

Besides, women also make up of some 60% of caregivers of dementia patients. With 11 million women in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it, however, the disease is no less burdensome.

Women who have Alzheimer’s risk social isolation, misdiagnosis and stigma, while women caring for those with Alzheimer’s risk adverse personal, professional and mental health consequences due to unpaid and informal caregiving responsibilities. In fact, over a third of U.S. dementia caregivers overall are daughters, while 19% of women Alzheimer’s caregivers have had to quit their job due to their caregiving duties.

In a May 9. 2024 Ethic Media Services brieﬁng dubbed The Heavy Toll of Alzheimer’s on Women, practitioners, researchers, advocates and ﬁrsthand storytellers discussed how and why Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women both as patients and caregivers, and what can be done to ease the toll.

Those who were in the brieﬁng were Geriatric Medicine Practitioner, Medical Director of Acute Care for the Elderly unit at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael and Sonoma County Senior Advocacy Services Board of Directors member Dr. Wynnelena C. Canio, UCLA Assistant Professor in Residence of Neurology and Director of Equity for Latino/Hispanic Healthy Aging Lab Dr. Mirella Diaz-Santos, President and CEO, Self Help for the Elderly Anni Chung and Founder of Prestige Care Mereani Ikanivere.

Appointee to appointee to Governor Newsom’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s and chief of geriatrics at Kaiser Permanente San Rafael and Petaluma Dr.

Wynnelena C. Canio shared data on the signiﬁcant impact Alzheimer’s has on women and that, “Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 announced the creation of the groundbreaking task force responsible for submitting recommendations on how California can prevent and prepare for the increase in Alzheimer’s and other diseases causing dementia.”

It was found out that there were 660,000 Californians living with Alzheimer’s in 2019 and the number is expected to more than double to nearly 1.5 million in 2040.

While the state’s population is projected to grow in that time by 16%, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s is projected to grow by 127%, not including unreported cases.

“The task force’s ﬁnal report included 10 major recommendations included in the state’s Master Plan for Aging, one of them being the creation of a multilingual, multicultural, and intergenerational Alzheimer’s education campaign,” revealed Canio.

Alzheimer’s education mostly helps women, who at age 45, face a one in ﬁve lifetime risk for the disease, compared to one in 10 for men while Californians who live to be 65 or older have a one in six chance of developing Alzheimer’s, and a one in ﬁve chance of developing any kind of dementia overall.

“These numbers represent real people,” shared Canio. “My own grandmother was diagnosed with dementia … as she was losing her ability to cook, move independently and shower on her own, our family took turns caring for her.”

“One day as I was helping her with bathing, she cried and said ‘Why are you helping me? I bathe you,’” Canio continued. “I responded, ‘You’re right, you did. So now it’s my turn.’ … The experience I had caring for her and thousands of Californians living with dementia inspired me to help this population often unable to speak for themselves.”

Diaz-Santos discussed emerging research on the biological and environmental factors that impact rates of Alzheimer’s disease in women.

“Why are women more at risk of Alzheimer’s? Genetics, biology, environment. Research indicates genes associated with women that increase longevity, thereby increasing risk. “Some research also indicates that beta amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s, “accumulates more in the brains of women,” Diaz-Santos explained.

“There’s also inﬂammation,” Diaz-Santos continued. “Think about all the chronic stressors that we endure, day in and day out — environmental stressors, workforce, the nuances that come with gender

roles and the role of women in family … chronic stress from discrimination also plays a role in how diﬀerent communities are at risk for Alzheimer’s at diﬀerent levels.”

Black Americans are twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia compared to whites, while Hispanic Americans are one and a half times more likely.

“To answer these questions of why women are at higher risk, we need to be having conversations with communities suﬀering in silence because they’re afraid a dementia diagnosis will label them as crazy,” imparted Diaz-Santos. “The moment you share your story, we all have a story.”

Chung shared the fear and shame that can accompany an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, especially in the Chinese community, and how her organization has worked to change perceptions surrounding the disease.

“Even as we’ve seen Alzheimer’s rise, our community members often treat it like a mental illness,” rued Chung. “In fact, the Chinese word for Alzheimer’s is translated as ‘crazy,’ so those taking care of a loved one with dementia try to hide it, which means that they don’t seek resources or education, and the situation gets worse.”

“To address Alzheimer’s, we need to address this association of shame through educating caregivers about the disease,” Chung continued, adding that alongside residential and day care programs, “we help professional and family caregivers spot the

symptoms and stages of Alzheimer’s to avoid frustration and shame when there’s loss of verbal communication or memory.”

“It’s usually the daughters who have to quit their jobs and move to care for their parents full-time. They often feel guilty hiring outside help, but they get burned out,” Chung said.

Over a third of U.S. dementia caregivers overall are daughters, while 19% of women Alzheimer’s caregivers have had to quit their job due to their caregiving duties.

“Though caregivers enjoy the work, it still takes a toll,” disclosed Ikanivere, founder of Prestige Care, an agency coordinating the work of over 100 caregivers — mostly Fijian — in Marin and Sonoma Counties. “To prep them to handle each day’s challenges means helping them recognize changing levels of ability and patterns of behavior as Alzheimer’s progresses.”

Even caregivers themselves are not exempt: “We’ve seen that those who have been caregivers for many years can show signs of cognitive decline as well,” she explained, adding that Paciﬁc Islanders have twice as high a risk of Alzheimer’s as white Americans.

Some 65% of caregivers at Prestige Care look after someone with Alzheimer’s, Ikanivere said, “and I’ve noticed a continuous increase over the last four years.” “Caregiving is ingrained in many Fijians’ DNA” as they are often “used to taking care of loved ones since childhood.”

Green card approved in three months front ﬁling Liezle Castulo was approved with green card by USCIS within three months from ﬁling date. A�y. Chris Caday Lozano represented her case with USCIS

Dr. Wynnelena C. Canio

Dr. Mirella Diaz-Santos

Anni Chung Mereani Ikanivere

PH CONSULATE ATTENDS OPEN HOUSE OF THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON ASIAN AMERICANS, NATIVE HAWAIIANS, AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS (AANPHPI) REGIONAL NETWORK CA

Mejia; 2022 mayoral candidate Gina Viola; LAUSD School Board member Rocio Rivas; LAUSD Board President Jackie Goldberg; the East Area Progressive Democrats, Culver City Mayor Emeritus Dr. Daniel Wayne Lee; Stonewall Democrats; LPAC; Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE); SEIU/CIR; UAW6; EAA; PALAD; Democratic Socialists of America – LA; and Ground Game LA. The latter two grassroots organizations that helped elect some of the city’s most progressive champions, including Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez.

I was told by her campaign staﬀ that more endorsements are to come as they are busy making appointments, not only with known professionals, but also with small and big organizations in the district.

As I See It, it’s just a matter of time, come November general election, for Jurado to realize her dream of becoming the ﬁrst FilAm elected oﬃcial in the LA City Council. At the rate the campaign is going, she will surely emerge as the winner.

She is young, she is talented, she has the guts, the leadership, and the will to weather the storm in the campaign trail leading to her hardearned victory in November.

Go for it, Ysabel!

Health & Wealth...

PEACE IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS” plus autographed copy of the original “HISTORICITY OF JESUS” subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists and Believers.” These three best-selling books are available at Amazon in Hardcover, Paperback or E-book. For your FREE copies of the two autographed books, just send $10 in check or money order (for mailing, shipping and handling to: ART G. MADLAING, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel. (650) 438-3531 or (415) 584-7095 or email: artmadlaing@hotmail.com

(ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE #00635976) in California since 1981. Art is founder of MOBILE SIGNING SERVICES, FITNESS FOR HUMANITY (aka FITNESS FOR CHRIST) and ACAPINOY. Art is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California USA.)

11)

order to unite his people.

Should this catastrophe take place, the death toll will be unthinkable. It will be, and here I go again, in the millions. And Guess what? A good number will be Filipinos, since the Philippines will be the next target of attack and invasion after Taiwan.

Pseudo-nationalists will blame the presence of US forces in the Philippines, but I look at it another way. Without the US forces, the Philippines becomes an even easier target.

No one can believe that the Armed Forces of the Philippines can put up even a semblance of a ﬁght should the People’s Liberation Army land in the country.

There may be a guerilla war to be waged by able-bodied Filipino men and women of all ages, but what will they ﬁght with? The majority will only have side arms, maybe even Danao-made paltiks.

Let there be no doubt. A desperate China is a dangerous China. Unless there is a sudden change of leadership, hostilities will be inevitable, and the Philippines will be the biggest victim. The aggression Filipino ﬁshermen and the Philippine Coast Guard has been experiencing in recent years is nothing compared to what would-be warlord Xi Jinping will do to save his hide.

Sadly, the Philippines has become more vulnerable to invasion today because of a certain ex-president Duterte, who willingly sold his country down the drain.

What favors he got in exchange for being Xi’s stooge is anybody’s guess.

Philippine

Na�onals Oﬃcer Leonida

Region 9

in San

Federal Building in San Francisco.

The Mee�ng featured Commissioner Kapana Kotagal, of the U.S. Equal

and was a�ended by various service providers from the City and County of San Francisco, as well as from the various federal agencies represented in the Regional Network.

“CA vs Hate is about recognizing and protecting the incredible diversity of our state and sending a clear message that hate will never be tolerated,” stated Governor Newsom.

CRD Director Kevin Kish echoed Newsom saying that “when California was confronted by an alarming increase in hate, we didn’t just sit back and hope it got better.”

“We came together and launched an array of nation-leading programs to ensure all our communities feel welcome and protected. I’m incredibly proud of our state’s resilience and commitment to a California for all. This work is only just beginning, but it would not be possible without the advocacy of our community partners and the foresight of our state’s Administration and Legislature. With CA vs Hate, we’re doing our part to ensure that when people report they get support,” Kish added.

As part of the eﬀort to make CA vs Hate as inclusive and easy-to-use as possible, individuals who report an act of hate can remain anonymous and, recognizing that hate can target multiple aspects of a person’s identity, may select multiple bias motivations related to the report.

To the extent that individuals who report are comfortable doing so, CA vs Hate staﬀ engage extensively with them through initial contacts over the phone or follow up care coordination to better understand the incident and services needed.

More granular data veriﬁed through that process is also included. While CA vs Hate data serves as an important indicator, the hotline is new, and the data should not be treated as being representative of all acts of hate in California.

In all, people who reported to CA vs Hate were directed to more than 100 diﬀerent forms of resources and support.

In the ﬁrst full year of operation, CA vs Hate

had 2,118 contacts from members of the public seeking assistance — including non-hate related reports — and directed people to resources, regardless of whether a report was tied to an act of hate.

Of those contats, the most common reasons cited for the reports were discriminatory treatment (18.4%), verbal harassment (16.7%), and derogatory names or slurs (16.7%).

The most common location types for where an incident occurred were residential (29.9%), workplace (9.7%), and public facilities (9.1%).

The hotline received 1,020 actual reports of hate based on the information provided by the individual reporting the act. Of those reports, roughly four out of six people agreed to follow up for care coordination services, including direct and ongoing support accessing legal aid or counseling.

Nearly 80% of California’s counties were represented, including all 10 of the state’s most populated counties, according to the report.

Further, validated bias motivation information for 560 reports through additional CA vs Hate staﬀ review.

Race and ethnicity (35.1%), gender identity (15.1%), and sexual orientation (10.8%) were the most cited bias motivations

Anti-Black (26.8%), anti-Latino (15.4%), and anti-Asian (14.3%) bias were the most cited reasons for reports related to race and ethnicity.

As reported hate crimes have risen in recent years, California has led the charge in responding through increased grant funding, innovative programs, and expansive outreach eﬀorts across state government and in collaboration with community-based organizations. These partnerships — whether through the Stop the Hate Program or Ethnic Media Outreach Grants — are critical to CA vs Hate’s success.

As CA vs Hate continues to grow, the program is launching

new initiatives and building on existing eﬀorts aimed at strengthening the hotline’s statewide support network and improving access to resources for all of California’s diverse communities. These ongoing or upcoming eﬀorts include:

Outreach Campaigns

Kicking oﬀ CA vs Hate’s ﬁrst-ever billboard campaign to support increased awareness of the hotline and available resources across half a dozen cities.

Launching targeted outreach materials to support increased access to CA vs Hate resources for historically hard-to-reach and underserved Californians, including new digital assets developed in coordination with tribal partners and members of the AAPI community.

Developing new pathways to reach members of the public, including through a digital ad partnership with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and in-person event engagement with California-based sports teams.

Capacity Building

Launching a partnership with UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab to support increased data collection and analysis going forward.

Exploring the launch of a text-responsive reporting option to support increased access to the CA vs Hate hotline.

Stepping up statewide coordination eﬀorts through ongoing collaboration with United Against Hate Week.

Community Engagement

Bolstering community-speciﬁc engagement through the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act grant to ensure communities most targeted for hate have access to resources, including a new partnership with California Black Media.

Establishing new quarterly meetings with city and county government partners to support increased responsiveness to local communities and build on existing feedback mechanisms in place for community-based organizations.

Standing up a coalition of faith-based leaders from a range of backgrounds to better address acts of hate targeting Californians on the basis of religion.

CA vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal. Reports can be made anonymously by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NOHATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT or online at any time. Hate acts can be reported in 15 diﬀerent languages through the online portal and in over 200 languages when calling the hotline. For individuals who want to report a hate crime to law enforcement immediately or who are in imminent danger, call 911. For more information on CA vs Hate, please visit CAvsHate.org.

Many hate crimes have historically gone unreported due to a variety of factors, including fear of retaliation, lack of culturally competent resources, concern around potential immigration consequences, and distrust of law enforcement. CA vs Hate aims to help address some of these issues by oﬀering people targeted for hate — and their communities — additional resources to report acts of hate through a community-centered approach that does not require engagement with the criminal legal system. Hotline services are conﬁdential and provided for free, regardless of immigration status.

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

The

Consulate General

Francisco, as represented by Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil and Assistance to

Longcanaya, a�ended the White House Ini�a�ve on Asian Americans, Na�ve Hawaiians, and Paciﬁc Islanders (WHIAANHPI)

Northern California Regional Network Open House on 15 May 2024 at the Phillip Burton

Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),

Alameda County’s and California State’s Departments of Public Health host discussion on Alzheimer’s disease

Leading clinical and public health experts got together at The California Endowment’s Center for Health Communi�es in Oakland for a discussion on Alzheimer’s disease and related demen�a (ADRD) dispari�es.

In what can be referred to as a strong united stand and actions on very arduous challenges posed by Alzheimer’s disease, the Departments of Public Health of the State of California and Alameda County sponsored an important discussion to address and educate Californians particularly residents of the County of Alameda.

Leading clinical and public health experts along with community leaders banded together at The California Endowment’s Center for Health Communities in Oakland for a morning discussion on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) disparities that exist in Alameda County.

Aimed at also to expand on public health strategies to address these disparities, promote risk reduction and early detection, and support people living with ADRD and their caregivers, the event is part of the Take On Alzheimer’s media campaign of the state and county mentioned that also shared information on available resources and services in Alameda County.

Data released from CDPH in 2024 identi-

ﬁes Alzheimer’s disease as the second leading cause of death in California. The number of California residents living with ADRD is expected to double by 2040.

two thirds of those diagnosed with the disease.

Besides, women also make up of some 60% of caregivers of dementia patients overall are daughters, while 19% of women Alzheimer’s caregivers have had to quit their job due to their caregiving duties. With 11 million women in the U.S. living with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it, however, the disease is no less burdensome.

It was found out that there were 660,000 Californians living with Alzheimer’s in 2019 and the number is expected to more than double to nearly 1.5 million in 2040.

While the state’s population is projected to grow in that time by 16%, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s is projected to grow by 127%, not including unreported cases.

Other disproportionately impacted groups include older Black Americans, who are two times more likely to develop the disease, and Latinos, who are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than white older adults.

Moderated by Senior Manager of Community Outreach and Engagement of Alzheimer’s Association – Northern California/ Nevada Chapter Mercel Amin the panel discussion was attended to by Director of UC Davis Alzheimer’s Center/VA Center –East Bay Alzheimer’s Disease Clinic and Principal Investigator, The Good Life David K. Johnson, MA, PhD, Director of Community Health Services Division Jenny Wang, MPH, MPP, Alameda County Public Health Department Palliative Care Grant Project Manager of the Alameda Health System and Chief of

Geriatrics and Palliative Care Dr. Claudia Landau, PhD, MD, Director of Elder Services, Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Jessie Spivey, Member of Regional Paciﬁc Islander Taskforce and Director, Taulama for Tongans Taunu’u Ve’e

Dr. Johnson shared that “California’s projections indicate that by 2040, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s will more than triple for Californians who identify as Latino/x and nearly triple for those who identify as Black/African American.”

“By educating Californians about the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease, we can build understanding around the relevant risk factors, reduce the negative impacts of stigma and work towards the goal of helping individuals improve their brain health. Take on Alzheimer’s is going to create easily accessible and informationally accurate, and most importantly, culturally appropriate and inspiring conversations about memory loss and late life,” Johnson added.

For her part, Wang reminded that “this is a growing public health crisis that needs our attention now.”

“The Alameda County Public Health Department is thrilled about CDPH’s Take On Alzheimer’s campaign and the campaign-related community awareness and engagement sessions. Our goal is to partner with those who are most impacted and develop speciﬁc and equitable strategies to build a comprehensive system that supports Alameda County residents living with or at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias and their caregivers in Alameda County,” explained Wang.

Spivey believes that “it’s most important to have partnerships with community organizations to allow people to have safe spaces to be able to talk openly and reduce the stigma. Ultimately, this will result in more people being screened and diagnosed earlier.”

Heart of Hope

It is easy to understand how people in general, being more health conscious today, could mistake distilled water as the “cleanest and healthiest” water for drinking. After all, it is nothing but pure H2O. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Distilled water (neutral, pH 7) could come from distillation (tap water boiled into vapor and condenses back into liquid distilled form, leaving all solid sediments behind, as in bottled distilled water.

We are all using recycled water. Water we use for washing, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and toilet flushing all flow into the river, lakes, large bodies of water. Large cities get their water from rivers, lakes, deep wells, which is piped in from a central water supply, brought in through aqueducts and to water treatment plants for purification.

The other industry purifying method uses tap water that passes through multi-stage, reversed osmosis ﬁlters plus UV-C light exposure, saving the beneﬁcial minerals in it, and bottled for drinking.

The popular Zero water ﬁltration pitcher is a very convenient way to remove all total dissolved solid contaminants and produce water with zero level of TDS (total dissolved solids), practically like bottled distilled water.

The standard water industry ﬁltration system usually includes a multi-stage process: sediment and carbon (2-stage), Reverse Osmosis (3-stage),

Distilled water: Unsafe!

Reverse Osmosis/Deionization (4-stage)… in other words, mechanical, chemical, mineral, bacterial, including the use of UVC light for further puriﬁcation.

Boiling city tap water also leaves sediments at the bottom of the pot, and produces “almost distilled” water, safer to drink. This last method could be used in urgent temporary situations where no bottled water or ﬁltered water is available. It may also be used safely for brewing beverages or for cooking.

Distilled water, produced in any method, is devoid of minerals and solid particulates, including good ones (the harmful ones are: pesticides, herbicides, chlorine, mercury, cadmium, benzene, asbestos, copper, particulates, copper, zinc, etc.).

The Zero Water filter does NOT get rid of bacteria, fungi, parasites, which the city water filtration system removes anyway, so it is safe to use it for cooking, CPAP devices, cleaning wounds, iron, steamers, humidifiers, and other devices that require distilled water to prevent harmful calcium deposits. Bottled distilled water, manufactured through condensation process also is free of bacteria, fungi, parasites, besides removing those harmful chemicals.

Unhealthy to drink

However, distilled water is NOT healthy for daily drinking because it lacks all the important minerals our body needs, like ﬂuoride (for tooth health), especially for children. These beneﬁcial minerals include calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, and chloride.

The basic beneﬁts we get from drinking enough ﬁltered water (at least 8 glasses) each day: (1) Water makes up at least 60 percent of our body, babies, 7083 percent; (2) Supports the functions of our organs and cells; (3) Regulates our body temperature; (4)

Aids in digestion; (5) Keeps our skin healthy; (6) Boosts our alertness and supports brain function; (7) Helps kidneys and gastrointestinal system function well in getting rid of our liquid solid wastes; and, (8) Water is life, it also quenches and satisﬁes our thirst.

“Absolute”ly untrue

While distilled water is ubiquitous in the Philippines, very cheap and available even in tiny street stores in the most remote rural areas of the country, in the western world it is sold only in drug stores and big grocery stores. It tastes bland and ﬂat. Boiled tap water, hot or cold, and bottled water taste a lot better.

The brands Absolute (Asia Brewery) and Wilkins (Coca Cola Beverages Philippines) are two popular brands of distilled water in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, distilled water is advertised in many cities around the world as “cleanest or purest drinking water,” which is not true, a deceptive claim, and a public disservice, bordering on criminal false advertising practice endangering people’s health. The same thing is true with alkaline water, when used by a healthy person.

Side comment: I have a TDS meter and tested the water in our ancestral home in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City, Philippines, and discovered to my surprise that its city tap water (supplied by the city government’s water ﬁltration plants) has lower TDS (total dissolved solid contaminants) than the water in Munster, Indiana, and even a lot lesser than in the water in Las Vegas, which has one of the hardest (highest TDS level) water in the United States.

Bad side-eﬀects

Drinking distilled water for daily beverage is unhealthy. Imbibing distilled water occasionally when regular bottled or clean tap water is not avail-

able, is fine, but not for regular daily consumption. Bad side-effects of drinking distilled water daily among adults, and more especially for children and those who are not eating a balanced diet, are: the bland and flat taste causes people to drink less; chronic drinkers of distilled water have a high risk of having electrolyte deficiency, imbalance, causing fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, organ failure, etc.; when distilled water is in contact with the air, it can absorb carbon monoxide, a poison, similar to the colorless, odorless gas from car exhaust that kills people in a closed garage. Final message, a warning: Distilled water is not safe to drink every day - for anyone.

Let’s use modern scientiﬁc data to help us live a healthier lifestyle, for maximal longevity possible. And let us share the valuable correct information with our fellowmen for a healthier nation as a whole.

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

PHILIP S. CHUA

Recipe of the Week

Ingredients:

Pork and Spinach in Coconut Milk, Pinoy Laing Style

1/4 kilo pork belly, cut into thick strips

1/2 kilo frozen chopped spinach

200 grams fresh baby spinach

1 400 ml canned coconut milk/cream

3-4 clove garlic chopped

1 thumb size ginger, cut into thin strips

1 large size onion chopped

2 tbsp. bagoong alamang (use ﬁsh sauce if not available)

1 stalk lemongrass (optional), trimmed crushed

1/2 tsp. cracked peppercorns

3-5 pieces green/red chili, chopped or whole salt

cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

In a medium size sauce pan sauté garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant. Add in the pork and stir cook for 3 to 5 minutes add in the bagoong alamang and continue to stir cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of water, the coconut milk, lemon grass, crushed peppercorns and chili, bring to a boil and simmer at moderate heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pork are tender and the sauce renders oil and almost dry, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen spinach and baby spinach, cook at low to moderate heat for 15 to 20 minutes until almost dry, stirring occasionally. Correct saltiness if required. Serve with a lot of rice.

Hello Kitty Golden Anniversary celebrated by Eva Air and San Francisco Giants

EVA AIR joined the exclusive event of celebrating the Golden Anniversary and experiencing the magic of Hello Kitty Day with the San Francisco Giants last weekend in front of a sellout crowd. The Bay Area Hello Kitty Golden Anniversary celebration was made even more joyous and memorable after the Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 thanks to the ﬁrst inning grand slam courtesy of Matt Chapman and the Giants never looked back after.

In a truly unforgettable experience, EVA AIR presented the Hello Kitty Day in partnership with the SF Giants that lived up to its promise of an afternoon ﬁlled with fun, excitement, and plenty of Hello Kitty magic that immersed its guests in the whimsical world of baseball and Hello Kitty that they celebrate in style.

As EVA Airways SFO Branch has secured a long-term partnership with the SF Giants, spanning from August 2023 to 2027, the celebration served as a pivotal moment for Giants and Hello Kitty enthusiasts in fostering a sense of community and connection for both EVA AIR fans and SF Giants fans.

On hand joining all the way from Taiwan was EVA AIR’s President, Mr. Sun Chia-Ming who was the guest of honor that afternoon adding an extra touch of excitement to our celebration in throwing the ﬁrst pitch.

In an exclusive interview before the game, Mr. Sun is excited as he felt “wonderful to see so many fans turn out for the game.”

“When we decided to sponsor this event, we know that it will attract a huge crowd because of the popularity of Giants and Hello Kitty,” Sun stated. “Giants is one of the storied baseball clubs in the major league. Like EVA Air, which is among the ﬁrst airlines that started the Premium Economy cabin, SF Giants is widely recognized for its innovative business practice. In term of excellence. SF Giants has won numerous honor that included World Series Championships, sport organization of the Year and Sports humanitarian team of the year in the past decade.”

Sun further explained that, “EVA Air is one of the only 10 Skytrax-rated 5-Stars airlines worldwide for 8 years in a row and was also recognized by TripAdvisor among the “Top 10 Airlines-World”. By partnership with SF Giants, we hope to create EVA Air brand awareness to the loyal Giants fans, and to promote travel from Asia to San Francisco and beyond.”

Sun himself is an avowed and “especially partial to the Giants. I played baseball when I was growing up.”

Representing Filipino American pride in the

momentous event was Raven Angelique Barbieran who sang the U.S. national anthem before the game started.

In an interview, Raven Angelique felt amazed in being chosen to sing the national anthem in front of an appreciative hometown crowd.

“It is such an honor. I know the privilege to be able to represent America as a Filipina through singing the national anthem,” beams Raven Angelique, who came with her Filipina mother Rochelle. “Filipino representation matters because there is not a lot of us Filipinos out there. To be able to represent my culture every time I sing for America really matters to me.”

Mother Rochelle, a native of Santa Barbara and Rosales Pangasinan and who has been in the U.S. since 2000, claims to be always emotional because “the national anthem is an important song and every time it is sang by my daughter means a lot to me.

Raven Angelique started singing the U.S. national anthem for the Golden State Warriors then auditioned for the Giants.

“It was my sister Venice who was scheduled to sing today but she was sick so I was asked to take her place,” admitted Raven Angelique who also advised those who aspires to also sing the national anthem in a big-league game to “always keep trying. Never give up. You’ll never know they might choose you.”

First pitch by Eva Air EVA AIR’s President Sun Chia-Ming

San Francisco Giants President and Chief Execu�ve Oﬃcer Larry Baer (le�) and EVA AIR’s President Sun Chia-Ming at the VIP Lounge

Mother Rochelle (le�) and Raven Angelique Barbieran

San Francisco Giants (le�) and Hello Ki�y mascots