Philippine News Today

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor-in-Chief

By Gilda Balan, Correspondent

and Asians in general.

Most of the victims are either women or senior citizens because they are less likely to fight back against bigger, younger, and stronger attackers.

Their numbers have grown to the hundreds, perhaps thousands, in the last couple of years. Yet the victims of hate crimes are generally unable to seek justice, their attackers rarely being charged and convicted.

One FilAm victim has been given a chance to make a difference.

NEW YORK - It is no exaggeration to say that almost all Filipinos with close relatives and friends in the US have become aware of the hate crimes perpetrated against Filipinos, FilAms,

She may have an exotic sounding name, but Potri Ranka Manis is a Filipino through and through. She is a nurse who lives and works in New York. She is also a hate crime victim.

Her name identifies her as a lumad, or cul-

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

MANILA – The sheer number of winners in the latest lotto draw held over the weekend by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has been deemed statistically improbable if not impossible by an independent think tank, and senators are calling for an investigation.

The 433 winners of the Grand Lotto jackpot over the weekend will have to split the P236 million equally among themselves.

To have so many first prize winners was an occurrence that a mathematician and OCTO Research fellow could only describe as “highly unusual,” to say the least.

OCTA fellow Guido David said the probability of having more than 400 winners in the lottery held last Saturday was about one out of a number “followed by more than one thousand zeros.”

To put this in perspective, one million is a one followed by six zeros (1,000,000). One billion is a one followed by nine zeros (1,000,000,000). One trillion is a one followed by 12 zeros (1,000,000,000,000).

Thus, a one followed by one thousand zeros is practically beyond comprehension to the average person.

David added that

By Jun Nucum

SAN FRANCISCO

The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco has urged Filipinos to be cautious and vigilant to avoid incidents of hate crime especially while commuting or spending time outdoors in public.

Page 10

a statement, the Consulate said it believes that

By Claire Morales True, Managing Editor

MANILA/WASHINGTON

-- The Philippine government’s running debt hit a new record high in August as it crossed the P13 trillion mark.

The debt increased partly due to the weakening of the local currency, according to the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr).

America’s national debt, on the other hand,

Minister

Potri

Biden lauds contributions of Filipino Americans

WASHINGTON D.C. – United State President Joseph Biden Jr. sent his gratitude to the Filipino American community in celebration of Filipino American History Month (FAHM) this October.

Biden said he and the First Lady, Jill, are proud to recognize FAHM and celebrate the “innumerable” contributions and rich heritage of Filipino-Americans across the US.

“We support, honor, and thank you for all yo have done to help lfill the promise of America for all of us,” Biden posted on Twitter and Facebook.

The statement was consistent with Biden’s statement last year.

“With a recorded presence in the continental United States as far back as October 1587, Filipino Americans have served our nation, defended our democracy, and fought for the promise of a more just and inclusive America,” Biden said then.

He recalled the contributions of the Filipino Americans in World War II and the catalyzation of permanent changes that improved the farm labor conditions in the US.

Biden similarly acknowledged the service and sacrifices o ilipino mericans front liners in the Covid-19 pandemic, saying they are an “essential part” of the strength and diversity of the US.

The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) themed FAHM this year as “Celebrating Our History and Legacies: 50 Years of Filipino-American

Studies, 40 Years of the Filipino American National Historical Society, and 30 years of Filipino-American History Month”.

H as first proposed in hile the S Congress made the official declaration in November 2009, citing the “advancement of Filipino-Americans and as a time to rene efforts to ard the eamination of history and culture in order to provide an opportunity for all people in the US to learn more about FilipinoAmericans and their historic contributions to the Nation.”

FANHS, currently led by Dr. Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal as president, has prepared various activities throughout the month-long celebration of FAHM.

“We kindly remind people that we emphasize history, not heritage, during Filipino American History Month, commemorating our struggles, resilience, and contributions to the history of the United States,” FANHS said on Facebook.

The group was founded in 1982 with a mission of promoting understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment thro gh the identification gathering, preservation, and dissemination of the history and culture of FilipinoAmericans.

A volunteer-run organization with 40 chapters across the US, FAHNS has a national office and ational Pinoy rchives located in Seattle, Washington, and a Filipino American National Historical Society Museum in Stockton, California.

MANILA – Some 3,000 Filipino and American Marines are taking part in this year’s “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma ng Dagat” (KAMANDAG) exercise together with some Japanese and South Korean troops which started on October 3 and ends on October 14 in various locations, including Batanes and Palawan.

“The exercise is scheduled for October 3-14, 2022 at various training sites throughout Luzon, Batanes, and Palawan. During ‘KAMANDAG’, approximately 530 Philippine Marines and 2,550 US Marines will train closely together,” Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) spokesperson Maj. Emery Torre said.

“KAMANDAG” translates to “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea.”

The participating American troops will be coming from the US 31st and 11th Marine Expeditionary Units, Torre added.

Some 100 members of the Philippine Navy and Air Force will also join the exercise.

“The PMC and the US Marine Corps will be joined by the Japan Ground SelfDefense Force and the Republic of Korea arine Corps or the first time as eercise observers,” Torre said.

The exercise is to enhance bilateral cooperation and interoperability among

participating forces in the conduct of combined tactical operations that focus on capacitating the Marine Amphibious Ready Unit and enhancing their capabilities in special operations, coastal defense capability, humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear operations.

“The PMC looks forward to this year’s KAMANDAG Exercise with our foreign military allies who are advanced in terms of amphibious operations, special operations, HADR operations, and territorial defense capabilities. Through this exercise, we are able to learn from their techniques, tactics, and procedures to develop our interoperability strategy in the Philippine Marine Corps, especially as we operationalize our Marine Corps Operating Concept for Archipelagic Coastal Defense,” PMC commandant Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan said.

This year’s ‘KAMANDAG” is the sixth iteration of this exercise and will formally open on October 3 at the Philippine avy Officers Cl b avy acting ag-officer-in-command Rear Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia will grace the opening rites as guest of honor and speaker

PHL, US, Japan, South Korean troops start 2-week drills off Batanes, Palawan

Former S odriguez confirms complete e it from arcos admin

MANILA – Resigned Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez is no longer part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration.

In a statement, Rodriguez himself announced that his “complete exit” from the Marcos administration is a “personal decision” to have more time with his family. confirm that have completely e ited the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, after having spoken to him at length about my wish to spend most of my time with my family…a very personal decision that was happily made,” Rodrig ez said in a statement on his official Facebook page.

He issued the statement, a day after Malacañang announced that there is no official doc ment delegating him as Presidential Chie o Staff (PCS)

Rodriguez initially announced on

Sept. 17 that he stepped down as Executive Secretary to assume his new role as PCS, a position created under Administrative Order ( O) s pposedly signed by the President.

However, there is no AO 1 formally appointing Rodriguez as Marcos’ chief o staff ne ly-installed ec tive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.

Rodriguez’s resignation came after his name was dragged into the controversial issuance of unauthorized sugar import order.

Rodriguez said he has kept his silence on issues related to his post as Executive Secretary because of his “privileged” communications with Marcos.

He said he would stay silent about his classified conversations ith arcos to “honor in full recognition of and respect to both the Office o the President and the Office o the ec tive Secretary.”

“I have been ridiculed, maligned and subjected to baseless and unfair commentaries on all conceivable platforms, but I take solace in the legal aphorism, ‘Men in public life may s ffer nder a hostile or unjust accusation; the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear conscience,’” he said.

Rodriguez also vowed that while he is now a private citizen, he will continue serving the public.

“It has been an honor to have served the country. Ako po ay magpapatuloy maglingkod bilang pribadong mamamayan sa abot ng aking munting kakayanan. Atin pong suportahan si Pangulong Bongbong Marcos at ang ating bansang Pilipinas ( ill contin e to serve the country as a private citizen to the best of my ability. Let us support President Marcos and the entire Philippines) he said.

Former Execu�ve Secretary Vic Rodriguez

Fishers raise alarm over 187 reclamation projects in Manila Bay, other Philippine waters

total o reclamation pro ects covering more than hectares are recorded across the Philippine archipelago the fishers gro p Pambansang akas ng il sang amamalakaya ng Pilipinas (P ) disclosed based on a master list o approved pending and ongoing reclamation pro ects o the Philippine eclamation thority (P )

This isn t st fig res these are act al prod ctive marine and a atic ecosystems to be destroyed and a significant n mbers o coastal pop lation to be orcibly displaced to pave ay or these proit-driven and environmentally-destr ctive pro ects said onnel ramb lo Pational Spokesperson in a statement

The fishers gro p said that anila ay

acco nts to or at least reclamation pro ects hile pro ects are recorded in egros Occidental in Panay sland in Ceb and ohol and in astern isayas

placement o fisher olk and a conse ent threat to local fish s pply ramb lo said

Actor, 54 others nabbed in QC drug bust

O C T Operatives o the

P

reaffirmed call or the abolition o the P (then Philippine states gency) hich it said has been a seless agency acilitating massive destr ction o prod ctive Philippine aters and coastal comm nities The P as created by the late dictator erdinand arcos Sr nder the Presidential ecree o

t has been long proven by many scientists e perts and fisher olk that reclamation is catastrophic to marine and a atic ecosystems On top o its environmental impacts reclamation entails massive dis-

P rged the arcos administration to certi y as rgent a bill declaring anila ay as a reclamation- ree zone

iled by the akabayan bloc last ly the Ho se ill prohibits all orms o reclamation activities in anila ay The bill is p rs ant to the -S preme Co rt contin ing mandam s to rehabilitate clean- p and restore anila ay or recreational se and fishery reso rces development

e rge arcos r to take a categorical stand on this cr cial iss e that is not only environmental b t also involves o r fishery prod ction and local ood secrity said ramb lo

Broadcaster Percy Lapid gunned down; killing condemned, Marcos orders probe

S P S C T - eteran broadcaster and hard-hitting commentator Percy apid as shot dead by t o motorcycleriding men near a gate o s bdivision in as Pinas City on onday October ario s gro ps like the ational Press Cl b and the ational nion o o rnalists o the Philippines condemned the senseless killing and called on the arcos ad-

ministration and the Philippine ational Police to solve the case and the killers bro ght to stice Philippine e s Today editor in chie l red abot a ormer PC president and e ec tive director o the P blishers ssociation o the Philippines nc (P P ) also oined other media gro ps in condemning the killing o apid and calling on a thori-

ties to immediately arrest the perpetrators o the senseless killing apid hose real name as Percival abasa as a sta nch critic o the terte administration and President erdinand arcos r and some officials arcos e pressed concerned abo t the killing o apid

ezon City Police istrict ( CP ) have arrested s spected dr g p shers in its latest anti-criminality operations last eek mong those arrested ere an actor and gitives on the ost anted Persons ( P) list

O the s spects ere ca ght in separate b y-b st operations

ctor ominic oco and o r others ere nabbed in arangay Holy Spirit at abo t a m on Sat rday according to CP report

The others ere eynaldo Sanchez gene arvin Tolentino enz nthony Cr z and e ie iamante

Confiscated rom them ere s spected shab ith an estimated street val e o P P orth o dried mariana a eighing scale and the b y-b st money

The ovaliches police (PS- ) arrested three the nonas police (PS- ) got one and Pro ect police (PS- ) nabbed t o n the intensified campaign against P ere arrested

The o P o PS- identified as rape s spect Herbbie a e arro and a resident o arangay agbag as arrested at ichael Homes in the same village at abo t p m on riday

Metro Manila subway construction is on

PASIG CITY – Construction of the co ntry s first ndergro nd rail ay officially called the etro anila S b ay Pro ect ( SP) rom alenz ela City to ort oni acio lobal City and evnt ally the airport is nder ay

This as President erdinand arcos r led the s b ay gro ndbreaking ceremonies or t o stations in Pasig City together ith Sens race Poe and ercito and other national and local officials like Pasig ayor ico Sotto incl ding representatives o the apanese government hich is financing the pro ect

The pro ect hich is e pected to be completed in si years is seen to create tho sands o obs d ring its constr ction and boost economic activity in nearby areas once finished epartment o Transporta-

tion ( OTr) Secretary aime a tista said ring the gro ndbreaking o the SP s Contract Package (CP ) in Pasig City a tista said the SP is the co ntry s cro n e el in the mass transport system and ill be completed at ll speed

Constr ction is estimated to create more than obs a tista said

He said the SP ill provide a comortable convenient sa e and affordable transportation option to the p blic once completed

The SP s CP is one o seven civil ork contracts or the pro ect and covers the constr ction o the Ortigas and Sha o levard stations and t nnels spanning kilometers

GROUNDBREA ING. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 2nd from le and Transporta�on

Teves continues as Negros governor, awaits SC order on his petition

estraining Order (T O) contesting the n llification o his proclamation.

“At this moment, I am your governor. There is no order yet that I am uninstalled or unseated (from my current position),” Teves said during his regular weekly press briefing at the Capitol

Teves said he talked to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG-7) Director Leocadio Trovela on Tuesday evening and learned that they also did not have an order to remove him rom office and are even “confused on how to interpret” the copy of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc’s writ of execution furnished them.

who went by the name of Ruel Degamo during the last elections, whom the poll body later declared a nuisance candidate.

The Comelec en banc ruled to have Ruel’s votes counted in favor of the other Degamo.

DUMAGUETE CITY – Pryde Henry Teves declared he is still the governor of Negros Oriental as the Supreme Court (SC) has not yet ruled on his Temporary

Teves was referring to the Comelec en banc decision dated September 27 nullifying his election victory in the May polls after his closest rival candidate, Roel Degamo, garnered more votes than him and was proclaimed on Oct. 3 as the new governor of Negros Oriental by a special provincial board of canvassers.

Degamo’s victory stems from the transfer of votes from another gubernatorial candidate, Grego Gaudia,

omelec dis ualifies Legazpi ma or, re ie of ruling sought

LEGAZPI CITY – Legazpi City Mayor Carmen eraldine osal has remained in office ollo ing the order o her dis alification by the Commission on Elections.

osald said her la yers are filing a motion or reconsideration of the Comelec second division ruling.

The Comelec second division ordered her disqualification or allegedly violating a provision o the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) on the disbursement of public funds during the election period.

In a statement, Rosal said they received Tuesday af-

ternoon the Comelec’s Resolution disqualifying her as Mayor of Legazpi City.

She said the decision came as a surprise to her, especially the portion where she was found guilty because of “indispensable cooperation” in the distribution of the cash assistance during the election period.

“With all due respect to the Second Division of the Comelec, it is settled in law that a person becomes a principal by indispensable cooperation when he perorms an act itho t hich the offense o ld not have been accomplished,” she said.

BUDGET HEARING. Negros Oriental Governor Pryde Henry Teves discusses the province’s budget for next year during a mee�ng with department heads

ongress passes first bills for PBB signature

MANILA - The Senate and House of Representatives have signed two bills that both chambers have approved, the SIM (subscriber identity module) Registration Act and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) Postponement Act.

Copies of both bills have been sent to Malacañang for the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Senators and congressmen gathered at Manila Golf Club in Makati City for the ceremonial signing of the bills that will become the first t o la s nder the th Congress.

Also present during the signing were House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Representative Manuel Jose Dalipe; Representatives Toby Tiangco (Navotas City), Marjorie Ann Teodoro (Marikina City st istrict) and liet arie errer (Negros Oriental 4th District); Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, and Senators Imee Marcos and Grace Poe.

“Nakakabuo na tayo ng maganda at ( e have created a good and) effective working relationship with the House and if our bicameral sessions for these two bills are anything to go by, then I think we can all expect to have a very active and prod ctive th Congress Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said during the signing ceremony.

Zubiri, who principally authored the S egistration ct is confident that

President Marcos will see the urgent need to sign it into law.

“We have also addressed the concerns regarding social media registration raised in the previous veto, so umaasa tayong wala ng magiging problema dito (we hope there ill be no more problems) he said.

“We need this law. Masyado nang laganap ’yung mga text at online scam (text and online scams are very rampant) saidbiri, himself a recipient of spam text messages.

The SIM Registration Act seeks to put an end to SIM-enabled text and online scams by requiring users to register their S cards sing valid identification documents.

“Matagal na nating isinusulong itong (We have been pushing for this) SIM Registration Act, at ’yung (and the) Barangay and SK Elections Postponement Act naman ay (is) very time-sensitive, so tama lang na itong dalawa ang (it is just right that these t o ill be the) first enrolled bills natin para sa ( or) th Congress Zubiri added.

The BSKE Postponement Act seeks to defer the BSKE from Dec. 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez commended Zubiri, saying the House will “try to emulate the high standards that he has put there so that we could achieve great things together

“We look forward to more of these oc-

casions. And again, to each and every one of you who have been a very, very important part of today’s event, maraming, maraming salamat po (thank you very much). Congratulations for a job well done om aldez said

Romualdez said they hope to have the

PHP5.268-trillon national budget for 2023 signed into law by the end of the year.

“Rest assured that as we exit this pandemic, we will usher in a period of recovery and the proper utilization of our country’s resources for the recovery of the economy and o the people he said

US, PHL defense chiefs reaffirm strong securit ties

nder the t al e ense Treaty, the US is obligated to defend the Philippines, one of its oldest allies in Southeast Asia if attacked.

Austin said that the Philippines can depend on the US to “defend its sovereignty, ensure prosperity for its people and strengthen sec rity in the region

“We fought together, we trained together We are allies, but we consider ourselves to be more family than anything else. And I’m proud to say that I cannot imagine a day where the United States and the Philippines aren’t allies. It is who we are stin said

bilateral relations.

“And we appreciate the US government’s willingness to work with the Philippine government as an equal, sovereign partner. Our two countries are working together to reach a common understanding of the importance of our defense alliance and what it means to recognize each other as equal partners in advancing our respective countries’ interests and in promoting peace and prosperity in the region he added.

This meeting marks the first in-person bilateral engagement between Faustino and Austin following their phone call last September

oth officials reaffirmed their commitment to the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), and discussed ways to further strengthen the defense alliance.

HONOLULU – The defense chiefs of the United States and the Philippines held talks at the S ndo-Pacific Command in Honol l and reaffirmed the strong bilateral defense relations between their two countries under their Mutual Defense Treaty o

“Our meeting highlighted the importance of the bilateral defense relations between the Philippines and the US, and we were able to discuss forward-looking, practical, and tangible ways on how to empower our partnership through improving defense cooperation across various lines of efforts epartment o ational e ense officer-in-charge ndersecretary ose Faustino Jr. said in a statement last week.

Faustino said that his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III disc ssed increasing interoperability between the their two armed forces.

“By deepening and modernizing our alliances, we can help secure the Philippines’ future, tackle regional challenges and promote peace and security in the Indo-Pacific he added

Faustino said he also discussed with Austin information sharing between the two militaries “with the end view of further enhancing the credibility of our alliance

“The Philippines and the US have a shared history, spanning more than 70 years as friends, partners, and allies. In those years, our cooperation in political, economic, and socio-cultural relations has expanded, and our ties, including that between our defense establishments, have contin ed to gro stronger he added

Faustino also said the Philippines’ defense and security engagement with the US remains a key pillar of the two nations’

n a oint media briefing stin and Faustino highlighted the two nations’ Mutual Defense Treaty as one of the pillars of the PH-US bilateral relations, and that the two countries “are working together to reach a common understanding of the importance of our defense alliance and what it means to recognize each other as equal partners in advancing our respective countries’ interests and in promoting peace and prosperity in the region

“The bilateral meeting we held was a welcome opportunity to discuss the way ahead for the Philippines-US alliance, based on the current priorities of our respective administrations, as discussed during the recent meeting between Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in New ork a stino said Faustino and Austin’s meeting comes at the culmination of the planning cycle of the Philippines and the US’ bilateral defense activities for next year.

Faustino highlighted that the MDT is central to the Philippines’ national defense policy, and recognized that both sides agreed on common views on how the alliance will respond to current security challenges.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional security developments and discussed opportunities for cooperation in the maritime domain, increasing interoperability through capacity and capability building activities, and modernizing and strengthening the alliance through information sharing.

Austin highlighted the commitment of both sides to work together through the robust implementation of bilateral exercises every year.

He e pressed confidence that the t o countries can do more together by increasing the complexity of bilateral cooperation activities.

Both sides also see the value of implementing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in sustaining and developing individual and collective defense capabilities and responding to current needs.

SIGNED. Senate President Juan Miguel ubiri and House Speaker Mar�n Romualdez 2nd and rd from le , seated lead the ceremonial signing of the SIM Registra�on Act and the Barangay and Sangguniang abataan Elec�ons Postponement Act at Manila Golf Club in Maka� City.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Aus�n le and Department of Na�onal Defense ofcer-in-charge Undersecretary Jose Faus�no Jr. right in Honolulu talks.

Marcos reappoints 10 Cabinet members; Trixie Angeles quits, DICT chief dropped

By Claire Morales True

MANILA President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has re-appointed 10 Cabinet members bypassed by the Commission on Elections and immediately administered their oath o office

This as Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles has resigned due to medical reasons along with Chairman Jose Calida of the Commission on Audit who was not re-appointed like Information Technology and Communications Secretary Ivan John Enrile Uy, a lawyer and information technology expert.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra said there still no decision who would replace Cruz-Angeles at press time but the names of lawyer Mike

Toledo, a former press undersecretary, and Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez, a seasoned broadcaster and former DZRH general manager, have been oated

The reappointed Cabinet members were led by Finance Secretary Benjamin Estoista Diokno, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Manligas Bonoan and Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Espinosa Pascual.

Others re-appointed were:

Erwin Teshiba Tulfo - Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development

Jaime Jimenez Bautista - Secretary of the Department of Transportation Renato Umali Solidum Jr. - Secretary of the Department of Science and Tech-

nology

Raphael Perpetuo Mercado LotillaSecretary of the Department of Energy

Maria Susana Vasquez Ople - Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers

Arsenio Molina Balisacan - Secretary of the National Economic Development Authority

Jose Rizalino Larion Acuzar - Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development

Former Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin also took his oath as Marcos Jr.’s new Executive Secretary in place of longtime Marcos aide and lawyer Victor Rodriguez who reportedly got the ire of the President due to his role in a botched order to importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar.

After the oath-taking, Marcos presided over a Cabinet meeting in Malacaang He as anked by ersamin and Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile.

Rodriguez resigned as executive secretary, saying he wanted to devote more time to his family.

After he resigned in September, Rodriguez said he would instead work as the Presidential Chie o Staff (COS) a position which, however, was not created and not given to him.

Bersamin later said Rodriguez is no longer part of the Marcos administration since the supposed Administrative Order No. 1 that designated Rodriguez as presidential chie o staff has not been officially issued.

Increased gas emission in Taal Volcano recorded

TAGAYTAY CITY – An increase in s l r dio ide (SO ) gas emission totalling 10,718 tons was recorded in the Taal Volcano last week by the Philippine Instit te o olcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs)

In an advisory, Phivolcs said the high SO emission prod ced significant volcanic smog (vog) over the Taal Caldera og was reported by residents of the municipalities of Laurel, Agoncillo and Sta. Tere-

sita in Batangas.

The airborne gas is forecast to drift to the est o the Taal olcano sland (T ) og consists o fine droplets containing volcanic gas which is acidic and can cause irritation of the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract, with severities depending on the gas concentrations and durations of exposure.

Comm nities affected by vog are advised to limit their exposure and outdoor

activities, and to protect themselves by wearing face mask and drinking plenty of water to reduce any throat irritation or constriction.

Phivolcs said the average SO in Taal Volcano was 6,612 tons/day for the month of September. An increase in degassing activity in the form of visible p elling o volcanic ids in the ain Crater Lake, and emission of voluminous steam-rich plumes of up to 2,500 meters

rise above TVI, have been observed since August.

Phivolcs said the Taal Volcano is still on lert evel (lo -level nrest) hich means it is in abnormal condition and should not be interpreted to have ceased the threat of eruptive activity.

Phivolcs reiterated that entry into TVI, especially the Main Crater and Daang Kastila fiss res and occ pancy and boating on Taal Lake, should remain prohibited.

Group urges DENR to permanently shelve Cebu town reclamation

CEBU CITY – “While the temporary refusal of the DENR against a reclamation project in Consolacion, Cebu is commendable the fight against this destr ctive proect is not yet over ntil it is completely off the table according to the national fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang amamalakaya ng Pilipinas (P)

The fishers gro p as re erring to the 235-hectare reclamation project in Conso-

lacion town, Cebu, which failed to secure an environmental compliance certificate ( CC) d e to ail re o the proponents to submit additional requirements within the prescribed period.

“The DENR should not give this reclamation another chance or they will be acco ntable to the affected fisher olk coastal residents, and environmental groups opposing this destructive project. Instead, this project should be permanently shelved

beca se there ill never be stification or the destr ction it ill in ict to the marine environment and fishing comm nities Ronnel Arambulo, PAMALAKAYA National Spokesperson, said in a statement.

PAMALAKAYA urged the DENR to reject and revoke all the pending and approved reclamation projects throughout the Philippine aters The fishers gro p earlier denounced the 187 reclamation projects covering more than 25, 000 hect-

ares across the archipelago.

“DENR’s commendable move in Consolacion, Cebu should be followed by revocation of existing environmental permits on several big-ticket reclamation projects, mostly in Manila Bay. Ultimately, the DENR should completely renounce all orms o d mp-and-fill pro ects over environmental and socio-economic grounds,” Arambulo added.

the n mber o molec les in a niverse has zeros It’s not even comparable to the odds of having 433 lotto winners.”

In another oddity, one of the winners was found to have had t o separate inning tickets hich the PCSO said was valid.

avid said the chances o one person inning the main prize o the lottery o ld re ire the bettor to bet million times in his li etime avid ho ever re sed to se the ord impossible as the inning n mber o - - - - - ere all multiples of nine.

tural minority back home. She would be the equivalent of a Native American in the US. She belongs to the Maranao tribe of Mindanao.

Her online profile says she is the da ghter o a s ltan from southern Philippines,” making her a member of a royal family. She is also known as an award winning poet and playwright and founder of the Kinding Sindaw dance company.

Manis was recently appointed as a member of the sian ffairs dvisory Co ncil o e ork City t m st be noted that e ork and Cali ornia are the two US states with the highest number of Filipino and FilAm residents. They are also the states with the greatest

PHL...

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climbed to over trillion or the first time in the ake o high in ation rising interest rates and gro ing economic uncertainty.

The nation’s total public debt outstanding closed at

t least t o senators inority eader oko Pimental and Senator isa Hontiveros still estioned the res lt Pimentel said he o ld file a resol tion to investigate the PCSO s gaming activities etizens mean hile ere beyond shocked at the seemingly impossible result.

hile PCSO general manager el obles said he was also surprised at the number of winners, but added that many bettors had pet n mbers that they bet on regularly.

Some had been betting on the same set of numbers for the past 10 years or more, he said.

While each winner gets roughly half a million pesos as their share this ill be s b ect to a percent ta according to Robles.

number of recorded hate crimes against Asians, FilAms included.

Manis’ traumatic experience happened at the height of the pandemic in g st o e ork City then as effectively gro nd zero o the CO - pandemic ith more cases and fatalities than any other place in the US.

rse Potri as in the middle o the phill fight against the pandemic distrib ting ace masks in the s b ay when it happened.

She was both verbally and physically assaulted by a couple for no other reason than her being Asian. This much was made clear to her by her attackers. Potri was harassed and beaten p be ore her nidentified assailants left her.

trillion according to Treas ry epartment data published this week.

t press time the national government s o tstanding debt s elled to P trillion p rom P trillion as of July.

Analysts said the debt means every Filipino has debt of approximately P13,000.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary en amin iokno earlier said the arcos administration is epected to borrow more than P1 trillion to plug the pro ected iscal shortfall next year.

The arcos administration is planning to impose a tax on digital transactions, which could generate P billion next year.

The Treasury reported that domestic debt, which comprises almost o the total debt pile, stood at P trillion higher than the P trillion posted as o endJuly.

External borrowings totaled P trillion as o end- g st p slightly by rom the endly level o P trillion.

The US government went on a borrowing spree d ring the Covid- pandemic to help shore up the nation’s economy as the deadly vir s pended lives labor markets and supply chains O tstanding debt has climbed nearly trillion since the beginning of 2020. And it has jumped by $1 trillion in just eight months.

obles said he as illing to ace a Senate investigation i necessary The PCSO says they have too many sa eg ards or their system o selecting inning n mbers as to be foolproof.

Mathematicians say that there is no such thing as an impossibility. For example, they ask a question that cannot be ans ered to e plain this Can one o an endless number of monkeys typing on an endless number of typewriters for all eternity type out the complete works of Shakespeare?

To say it is impossible is to fail to understand what the concept of endless and eternity mean.

t the start o this eek at least inners had trooped to the PCSO office to claim their prize money

Aside from being repeatedly hit, one of the attackers also called her a ch nk a racial sl r s ally thro n at Chinese and Chinese- mericans ter her e perience Potri became an activist speaking out in defense of FilAms as well as Asian American communities, and informing them of their rights.

t as beca se o her activism that the e ork sian ffairs Co ncil tapped her to give her recommendations on ho to e tend more help to the sian merican community.

Potri is the only FilAm in the council.

Th s rom being a victim the n rse rom the Philippines now has a chance to spread the word and to help put a stop to Asian hate.

Uproar...

(From page 1)

Criticisms about the trip continued as well in the traditional media as of press time even after Malacanang declared the trip was “productive” as Marcos was able to meet with various leaders, including another meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong whom he had met early this month, and renewed his call for investments in the Philippines.

Various leaders like Senator Robin Padilla, however, defended Marcos, claiming that he was entitled to whatever ways he want to convince businessmen to invest in Manila and securing support for the country and the Filipinos, and, to some extent, use his free time with family and relax.

Senator Padilla said the trip opened economic opportunities for the Philippines as Singapore is considered as the “center of business in the entire Southeast Asia.”

“Andyan po sa bansang Singapore ang foreign investors, pugad po ito ng mga negosyante. Ang ating mahal na Pangulo Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos ay nanliligaw sa mga ito at dapat po lamang na makita siya at makahalubilo ng mga ito upang magkaroon siya ng magandang relasyon at mas maipaliwanag ang kalagayan ng negosyo sa ating bansa,” he told reporters.

Observers said the issue was allegedly “mishandled” by the presidential dr mbeaters ith gaffe in their responses to questions on Marcos whereabouts while many areas in the co ntry ere s ffering rom the devastation triggered by typhoon

Karding. This, according to critics, led to the untimely departure of Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

As this developed, President Marcos recited some of his accomplishments and that of his administration in the first days in office like being able to assemble the “best and brightest officials and meeting world leaders led by US President Joseph Biden Jr. and businessmen in travels in New York, Indonesia and Singapore.

Marcos spoke at the President’s Night of the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) and said that his administration has also put together a government which is “functional” and has a “very good” idea in targeting economic targets, emphasizing that the officials nderstand that their mission is to help the country recover amid CO - pandemic

Earlier, Marcos re-appointed ten o Cabinet members as three oficials resigned (See related stories)

Marcos also met with Singaporean Minister for Manpower, Tan See Leng, Palau President Surangel hipps r and other officials rom Cambodia and Saudi Arabia.

In a statement posted on Facebook before she vowed out, Press Secretary Cruz-Angeles said that Marcos’s second visit to Singapore was a “productive” one.

“Pinagtibay niya ang mga pangunahing usapan sa huling state visit sa bayan na ito, at pinatuloy ang paghihikayat sa pag invest sa bayang Pilipinas,” Angeles added.

Marcos himself declared on Facebook, his visit was “productive,”

adding that orm la racing as the best way to “drum up business.”

t as lfilling to have been invited alongside several dignitaries and to have met new business friends who showed that they are ready and willing to invest in the Philippines. Will be sharing more details on,” he added.

Singapore Minister for ManpowerTan See Leng said that he was happy to have met Marcos, and other oreign officials at the said event as it provided an avenue for them to reaffirm and strengthen their economic relationship and bilateral relations, especially on energy cooperation and manpower policies.

“Happy to have met various Head of States, Ministers and foreign dignitaries including Bongbong Marcos to affirm o r bilateral economic relationships and strengthen collaborations in energy cooperation as well as exchange views on manpower policies on the sidelines of the race,” he wrote.

Marcos was accompanied in the trip by his cousin, House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, and his wife, Rep. Yedda Romualdez, the First Lady Lisa Mar-

cos, son, Rep. Sandro Marcos, Cavite Rep. Aniela Tolentino and actress Alexa Miro, among others.

Later, newly tapped Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, a retired Supreme Court Chief Justice, said that one didn’t have to be too concerned about the cost of the trip as Marcos still performed his duties as Chief Executive.

“I am sure if that was the trip of the President, you don’t need to be too particular about where the funds were sourced… He was still performing his job as President when he was abroad altho gh that is not an official state visit,” Bersamin said.

“He met there with many people who were very relevant to our business activities or the running of our government here. Whether it was a fully-paid trip or not is irrelevant,” he added.

Marcos critics like Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said the Singapore trip was “insensitive, unnecessary and irresponsible” of the President, considering that the Philippines was in the midst of an economic crisis and the aftermath of the fury of typhoon Karding which devastated vast farmlands, among others.

hate crimes are caused by perpetrators’ racist and xenophobic vie s and attit de against sian mericans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) or other groups that they believe are inferior to them.

“We can, in no way, predict what should be done to avoid incidents of hate crime,” the consulate added. hat is re ired are s stained efforts to talk abo t the issue and dismantle pre-conceived views about AAPI thro gh ed cation This sho ld be a comm nity effort one hich the Cons late o ld like to be involved ith said Consul General Neil Ferrer. “It would be useful to have kno ledge on personal sa ety sec rity and sel -de ense or to be equip with gadgets such as personal alarm and pepper spray,” he added.

errer admits that it only has anecdotal kno ledge o anti-Asian hate incidents, including those experienced by some Cons late staff and their ho sehold members as it mostly learns about other incidents through media reports and that victims of anti- Asian hate incidents/crimes or racisms do not usually report to the Consulate.

“The Consulate constantly monitors the issue, notes, and reports Anti-Asian hate incidents to Manila and usually contacts the concerned Filipino American if his or her contact details are available, and inquires how the Consulate could help,” Ferrer said. “As a standard practice, we reach out to the Police Department where the hate crime/ incident happened and request for more information. Due to restrictions on the Police Department’s policy, however, only those information that can be legally shared to the public are provided, such as whether the elements of a hate crime existed in a particular case and what the suspect was arrested for.”

Moreover, due to the strong data privacy laws in the U.S. and restrictions on the Police Department’s policy, it has been diffic lt to obtain in ormation on the victims much less on the status of their cases, Ferrer said.

Ferrer assured, however, that they constantly monitor the issue, notes, and reports Anti-Asian hate incidents to

Manila apart from calling upon federal, state, and local authorities to further ensure the protection of persons of Asian descent, including Filipinos.

O r Cons late has ritten to local officials in o rrisdiction partic larly those here incidents o attacks against persons o ilipino descent have taken place e have re ested these officials to strengthen efforts to ens re the security and protection of people of Asian descent, including Filipinos and Filipino Americans,” said Ferrer. “In 2021, the Consulate met with San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott to personally convey its concerns regarding anti-Asian hate.”

As to actually helping the victims, the Consulate provides assistance to nationals in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Department of Foreign ffairs he added

In a study made by AAPI Data in 2021, the reasons cited for AAPIs’ reluctance in reporting hate incidents to local a thorities incl de ear o retaliation a lack o confidence that stice ill be served by local a thorities and co rts and the concern about bringing undue attention to themselves and their families.

To somehow assuage fears/hesitations of some victims to report hate incidents/crimes, the Consulate said it believes that it is only through a sustained push from the comm nity that systemic and lasting o tcomes can be effected

“Reporting such incidents to authorities is crucial in addressing the matter t is heartening to itness efforts being done by the community to address this issue. These initiatives embody the bayanihan spirit that is kept alive by the Filipino-American community,” Ferrer said. “We have seen Filipino-American community leaders and advocates organize events to raise awareness so that leaders and officials co ld be in ormed o the gravity o the sit ation and the importance which the community attaches to this issue.”

Ferrer said that in coordination with city authorities, neighborhoods have come together to protect seniors, those who are most vulnerable in the community, and help them

in seemingly simple b t cr cial tasks s ch as accompanying them and running errands for them.

The Cons late also observed that la yers firms and legal associations and organizations have set up free legal clinics to assist victims and their families, martial-arts groups have organized free self-defense classes to empower our community and there are many others who have stepped up to assist.

It is believed that hate crimes do not only cause harm to an individual’s physical health but also to one’s psychological or mental health.

any o the hate crime victims s ffer rom post-tramatic stress disorder, which may include anxiety, fear, avoidance and isolation, and in some instances, hyper-vigilance.

Thus, aside from reporting the hate incidence/crime to the police authorities, the Consulate directs an individual to avail himself of mental health and behavioral services that are available in their area.

“We urge the community to report any incident of hate crime they witness or experience. Addressing crime is not the sole responsibility of the police authorities. Each of us can contribute to our community’s peace and security,” Ferrer stated.

The Consulate also highly suggests that the person reports it to the police authorities. Filipino Americans can also report the incident to the Philippine Consulate, to Philippine media or to StopAAPI Hate (https://stopaapihate. org/). Your report contributes to the extent of the pervasiveness of hate incidents/crime in your area, which can be used as basis for any actions or advocacy needed to address the issue.

According to SFPD, if there is an assault or potential hate crime, it should be reported by calling 911 or 415-5530123 (if incident is in in San Francisco).

For multilingual tip line for reporting crimes, including hate crimes, reports can be made by calling (415) 558-5588 and press i callers ish to speak in Tagalog lang age Tip line callers may always remain anonymous.

48,782 cancelled visas

Exactly

48,782 is the number of visas that the Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration are reportedly set to cancel in the near future.

Most, if not all, of them are stamped on passports of Chinese nationals who entered the country as tourists, only to end up working for what has come to be known as Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations, or POGOs.

An unknown number of them were enticed to head for the Philippines during the Duterte administration with the promise of lucrative, high-paying jobs. They would also be entitled to free housing and transportation to and from their place of employment.

Those places ere generally modern air-conditioned b ildings ith fine amenities. Their quarters were mostly condominiums or houses in exclusive, gated villages.

Filipino property owners and landlords were happy with their clients, as a good number paid their rent up to a year in advance.

There was, however, a downside to the presence of what we can call OCWs, or overseas Chinese workers. POGOs were actually online gambling sites and where there’s gambling, there’s almost always an upsurge in crimes like prostitution, loan sharking, and gangsters engaged in kidnap-for-ransom.

Also, most POGOs were either operating illegally and therefore not paying taxes, but also treated their Filipino employees as second class citizens in their own country.

Only a few were registered enterprises paying the correct taxes due the government.

There should be no debate as to what to do with the POGOs, which incidentally are not allowed to operate in mainland China.

Senators and other lawmakers have pointed out that the social cost of allowing them to operate in Philippine territory is way too steep to allow them to stay. They may bring in a few billion pesos in tax revenue every year, but any sum they add to the government s coffers is still too small to make p or the horrors that they bring in

It is therefore extremely sad that one sector in the Philippine business community, along ith the s pport o a e government officials are still p shing or the continued stay of POGOs in the country.

The property rental sector claims that several hundred billion pesos per year will be foregone if the gaming operators are forced to close shop. Under the skewed logic of a usually respectable lawmaker, keeping the POGOs around is a risk worth taking.

One Cabinet secretary even had the gall to say that kicking out the POGO workers would spur a “humanitarian crisis.” Then it was learned that his family was one of the biggest landlords of the POGO industry.

It is, therefore, quite heartening to note that a growing number of Marcos administration officials are in avor o removing the online gambling operators or good and that talks had been held with the Chinese embassy in Manila to quietly deport those who had been found to be working without any documents.

As for the 48,782 who entered the country as tourists only to end up working in the gaming companies, we can only wish them well and pray that they have a safe return to their home country.

We also hope that they enjoyed some of the world famous Filipino hospitality during their extended stay in our country. But now the time has come for them to leave.

5 FilAm Mayors, Vice Mayors in Bay Area vie for re-election

Note: This series debuted last week with a review of the achievements and motivation of first-time Daly City Mayor and his mentor Vice Mayor Ray Buenaventura. Part 2 highlights the accomplishments of their first-time colleagues in a bustling neighboring city.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO Mayor Mark Nagales

Ofall sitting FilAm Council Members, SSF Mayor Mark Nagales has had the longest on-the-job training, having been an aide to the late California Assembly Member ene llin and constit ent services director ith the office of US Rep Jackie Speier.

o co ld say agales hit the political road r nning a ter taking his oath in as the first male FilAm council member. Even his day job as Outreach Manager for a leading fair housing nonprofit echoes his progressive political roots

Nagales counts his achievements as having led his town in passing Guaranteed Basic Income d ring the pandemic and making ho sing and child care affordable

“We’re helping uplift our most vulnerable populations. 160 households are receiving $500 a month for one year,” he told Inquirer.net, lauding his city’s emergence as a “leader in tackling the affordability crisis

m in the process o finding a location to b ild a ne childcare center in estboro gh pinpointed by data as site for the highest need, he said. “I was able to allocate several millions of dollars from our city budget to build a new child care center in Westborough. We’re also converting the old library to a new childcare center. That project should start in a few years. So childcare will continue to be a priority.”

The San Francisco State grad says he is guided by his philosophy to “remember where you come from, because they are the people who got you there.”

“I remember growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people that looked like me in leadership positions The act that m the first ilipino mayor in So th San rancisco is a c lmination o years of hard work that my mentor Alice Bulos had been working towards. I think she’d be proud knowing that both the current mayor and vice mayor are Filipino,” he said, sharing his main motivation: Representation for FilAms among the 67,000 residents.

He acknowledges his ex-boss and high school teacher Gene Mullin and Speier as major inences on his political o rney rom them he learned to listen to all sides o the arg ment find ays to help those in need and al ays give back

Nagales praises his wife and campaign manager Amy, mother of their two children, as “a big reason for my victory.”

“My dream is to be able to serve on the city council for 20 years. If I can do that, I can look back and know that I served my community well,” says the Manila-born racial barrier breaker.

Vice Mayor FLOR NICOLAS ong be ore hen she became the first ilipina elected in So th San rancisco ice ayor ena or lor icolas had already been serving her adopted hometo n or over three decades. In her parish and her neighborhood, she led and contributed to programs benefiting schoolchildren and older ad lts thro gh sports and c lt ral estivities

Part 2 (Continued on page 27)

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SMC @ 132: ‘Iba ang may pinagsamahan’ Sanibel Island’s newfound fame

This year marks the th o nding anniversary o San ig el Corporation

t as in hen San ig el Corporation s orer nner a abrica de Cerveza de San ig el as o nded by nri e a arretto y de casa

e to inclement eather the ne ly established breery as opened on October instead o the sched led September the east day o Saint ichael the rchangel or beer drinkers thro gho t the archipelago the catchphrase ba ang may pinagsamahan is easily e ated to San ig el beer the beer that has become the co ntry s pride and remains the top selling beer brand in the co ntry

Since then the first bre ery in So theast sia has evolved rom beer man act ring it e panded to become a ood and beverages company Today it is one o the most diversified conglomerates in the co ntry ith its s bsidiaries involved in packaging el and oil po er banking and in rastr ct re b sinesses

On the occasion o San ig el Corporation s anniversary its President and C O amon S ng said lot has changed since San ig el started in e have e panded and evolved rom a ood and beverage company to a diversified conglomerate that b ilds and operates ma or roads airports mass transport systems modern po er generation plants state-o -the-art el refining acilities and vario s man act ring plants that today drive o r economy s gro th and help enhance o r co ntry s competitiveness

ndeed S C s role in the economic development o o r co ntry is very palpable nd it has been and contin es to be a partner in nation-b ilding t is providing the climate or better employment to tho sands o ilipinos or them to en oy improved living standards and oster economic gro th ts prod cts have become part o the ilipino li e rom processed ood po ltry and beverages among others t has provided the physical in rastr ct res or progress

Thro gh the years San ig el Corporation has been g ided by same ilipino val es and principles mong these is malasakit Simply the ord means concern or empathy t means caring or others itho t asking or anything in ret rn

orld ar shered a t rb lent time in the co ntry s history and San ig el s operations ere affected t a ter the ar years it began a massive rehabilitation and even at that time malasakit as already evident side rom rehabilitation it started ac iring more acilities and enabled the generation o more employment or the ilipinos providing b sinesses to it s ppliers and b siness partners hile helping in the co ntry s economic recovery t as a mani estation o malasakit or the ilipino people ho ere str ggling to reb ild their lives amid the hardship bro ght by the ar years

This malasakit as again very evident hen the co ntry as placed nder strict arantine classification at the height o the Co id- pandemic S C immediately mobilized its available reso rces to help the government and ilipinos adversely affected by h nger beca se o lost obs t paid advance ta es to the government to help the treas ry d ring the challenging times and donated PP s and vaccines to p blic hospitals oreover it deployed medical pro essionals to assist in the vaccination program t aived toll ees or vehicles transporting health orkers passing thro gh the ne Sky ay These S C did itho t neglecting the el are o its employees and their dependents ike ise malasakit has been ingrained in the company thro gh its CS programs or the social good ach o the conglomerate s s bsidiaries has their CS programs hich among others aim to protect the environment and mitigate the effects o climate change note orthy initiative o S C is its re orestation drive Since it has planted million trees especially in comm nities that host S C b sinesses

Eulogy for my mother

As book a thor col mnist and active vangelist ith the O T CH CH O CH ST in San rancisco Cali ornia as blessed and ort nate to deliver the logy or my mother d ring the neral and emorial Services last September onday -am to pm at the Skyla n neral Home and emorial Park in San ateo Cali ornia S o ld like to share the logy to o r readers and the general p blic as ollo s

ART GABOT MADLAING Health & Wealth

ood a ternoon agandang hapon po sa inyong lahat aimbag a malem kadakayo amin aong ya kaage an ed sikayon amin enas tardis

Today e come to remember the color l and long li e o my mother S P OT hose neral emorial Services coincide ith the neral emorial Services o een lizabeth o ngland ho died at the age o The acts o her li e are not complete as mentioned in the Obitary and in my col mn emembering y other lena Sampayan abot adlaing p blished in the eekly PH PP TO(iss e Septemer - page ) Please get yo r copies o the PH PP S TO located at the lobby and read my col mn hen yo arrived at home ant yo to remember ho my mother as by the acronym H S H or H mility or nd stry and S or Simplicity

On H T my mother as the h mblest person that kno in addition to my late ather milio ag ilat adlaing y mother as very h mble P in locano or Pin Pangasinan mentioned d ring the ie ing isitation yesterday that in her years and months o earthly e istence ve never heard my mother ttering ngry ords That s ho h mble my mother as On ST y mother as ind strio s and very patient oman S P at T in Tagalog T ken

OS in locano or tan OS in Pangasinan lly remember my mother habit ally and reg larly alking and carrying fire oods on top o her head rom o r bangkag ( armland) in arangay Canarvacanan to arangay Santo ino in o r hometo n inalonan in the province o Pangasinan Philippines

The fire oods ere or amily se and or sale hich helped or the financial needs o the amily y yo nger brother Salvador mentioned and described my mother as the oldest and longest recycler o empty bottles and cans The money she earned as not or hersel b t to help or the ed cation o her grandchildren in the Philippines Her grandchildren ere able to finish their college ed cation and are no n rses That s the yardstick o her ind stry and patience

On S P C T y mother lived a very simple li e ith very simple needs ith her aith in od pl s her complete tr st in od s protection and providence she slept good at night in the midst o trials and trib lations rom a amily li e o hardships and poverty The ord O as not in her vocab lary repeat the ord O as not in her vocab lary e can take com ort today beca se my mother not only alked and talked ith the ord b t today she is in the presence o the ord postle Pa l said to be absent rom the body is to be present ith the ord

Today as e say good-bye to my mother please let me share ith yo hy e can take com ort rom the ords o es s am glad that my nephe erdinand e is read ohn - earlier These com orting ords given by es s to com ort His disciples in t rn com ort s also today - et not yo r heart be tro bled eath has a ay o tro bling s does it not st the very nat re o death is tro bling The nkno n The ncertainty hat ill do ne t y all standards death is the most dreaded event to many o s t es s says on t let yo r heart be tro bled or agitated beca se yo believe in od od brings s com ort today (read Corinthians ) od is providing or s the relie e need - e receive com ort hen e realize there is a home Thereore e are al ays confident and kno that as long as e are at home in the body e are a ay rom the ord e live by aith not by sight e are confident say and o ld pre er to be a ay rom the body and at home ith the ord ( Corinthians - )

This home speaks o od s provision There is room or each o s eary traveler s most dreaded sign is O C C b t that is not tr e ith o r home in H There is al ays room in His ho se to everyone ho hears nderstands and obeys His instr ctions and commandments This speaks o od s care or His o n - e receive com ort in kno ing that es s is ret rning or s eath is simply a transition es s says that i go ill ret rn e detest saying good-bye beca se the event is over e say things like e see yo later t e kno that is not al ays a certainty Plans change lives t rn t es s says ill ret rn the late en o glas ac rth r lfilled his promise shall ret rn o r ord and Savior es s Christ ill s rely re-

Abo t five or si months into the pandemic embattled by the oppressive lockdo ns fires ranging dangero sly close to the ay rea city here e lived plag ed ith visitations rom termites impossible air ality and bro n o ts e ed the state o Cali ornia t really elt like a ee since conditions ere so dire the month e le t elt an rgent need to escape the choking air there as nothing leis rely abo t it e moved to lorida and lived in isolation there t the space and the vie s and the resh air ere a significant improvement e decided to b y a home in lorida and chose Sanibel sland beca se e anted to be on the beach hile the pandemic offered e o tlets or entertainment ring CO it as an e cellent choice nstead o living o t o r monotono s isolation indoors e alked on the beach each evening The hole amily oined e bro ght o r dog The dog it t rns o t loved to s im Tho gh e sa very e people at first Sanibel seemed like the per ect place to live o t a pandemic Come ebr ary e o ld have been there or t o years t s not a tiny island abo t fi teen miles across and five miles thick On a map it looks like the smile on a smiley ace The length o the smile r ns est to east Permanent residents n mber bet een and ith visitors d ring peak months s elling the pop lation to t s aint old ashioned and obsc re ntil last eek

remember the ho r the h rricane seemed to shi t co rse and head right to ard Sanibel t took a sharp right t rn rom the north ard path it as on and headed straight to ard Sanibel as i a giant h rricane magnet on Sanibel t rned on its po ers and called an right to it called my h sband and said the h rricane path has changed direction and is pointing right to ard Sanibel tried to atch the events thro gh remote cameras installed at vario s spots on the island t at last hen the eye hit and mph inds tore the place apart the cameras stopped orking The orst o it played o t over t o to three ho rs ith the all o the eye coming right over Sanibel to ching the so thernmost part here my ho se is located tried te ting riends or emailing them Some replied that they ere abo t to evac ate most did not reply at all don t blame them e are not the most n ort nate residents o Sanibel e are l cky to have another place to live t is the people ho made Sanibel their year-ro nd home or those ho lived their entire lives there ho eel the lost most ac tely n lorida h rricanes happen reg larly so ins rance companies kno not to provide coverage to first oor losses in ood zones oreover many people did not ins re t as either too e pensive or they elt they co ld sel -ins re y amily does not need consolation t is these people ho do an as a category o r h rricane hen it passed over Sanibel n the Philippines typhoons are as commonplace as they are in lorida eca se o that have been trained not to take it as serio sly There s something nostalgic even cozy abo t a really bad storm One thing ill never do in the t re ill never ignore an evac ation order

Why the big fuss over ROTC?

Whetherthe revival o the eserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program should be or senior high school stdents or college freshman has been the topic of debate of late, with today’s students and their parents balking at the return of the mandatory military training program that is being pushed by Vice President and conc rrent d cation Secretary Sara Duterte.

From the looks of it, the return is all but inevitable.

To this I can only say, so what?

Offline

Guys of my generation – I’m in my 60s now, so you do the math – underwent not only ROTC or its equivalent, but we did so in both high school and college.

In my case, my school had naval training so in high school e had hat as called pre-naval training or P T n college it as OTC or aval eserve Officers Training Corps

Few of us took the mandatory training seriously. We were pissed that it took some of our time from our hanging out or going on daytime dates. But we survived.

The only thing I remember enjoying somewhat was when we were taught how to assemble and disassemble a .45 caliber handgun. It was easy as pie.

e also mocked the orld ar ll era ri es that e sed during training. Or maybe they were World War l vintage. We ere not s re i the damn things co ld even fire

The one sad event I remember was when one cadet – I think we were called cadets, but I could be wrong – collapsed in front of me and starting shaking violently. He was also frothing at the mouth.

For a while, we were afraid that we had a death in our hands t the g y recovered soon eno gh and he as allowed to go home. I never saw him in our ROTC drills again.

So he may have had a medical reason for being exempted from the much disliked ‘RO’ as we called it.

nd ill say something no that have kept a semisecret for decades.

One of my barkada hated RO so much that he found a way to get exempted for one whole semester. He claimed to have an nkno n medical condition so he approached o r commander and asked to be exempted. He gave the guy a bottle of Black Label, and we was properly rewarded with 12 weeks of no RO.

That ar back e learned that good old gra t and corr ption was no big deal. Both parties got what they wanted.

Me? I just continued with the training, which didn’t do anything good or bad or me as ar as as concerned nyway, one of my closest friends was weird enough to train over the s mmer to be an officer

He nor I have no idea if RO did him any good.

Maybe the discipline was helpful later in life, I don’t know. also had other not-so-close riends ho also took p officer s training. The best thing about it was they got to don a sword and a fancier costume, or uniform, than the rest of us cadets.

We also competed against other schools in military drills, such as marching in formation. Most of us believed we did exceptionally well, and were surprised when the other school won over us.

recall one o o r officers taking the loss hard He p nched a wall again and again until his knuckles became swollen. He also kicked the same wall if I remember right.

That gent is now in the US and may read this piece. In which case my message to him is, I remember bro. We were cheated t it s really yo r a lt beca se yo o ld eventally make yo r ay to the S and end p as a card-carrying Republican.

Worst of all, you became a Trump diehard.

Ok ok est t it did take something to ant to become an officer One o the g ys ho did get to o n that nicelooking sword is alive and well, except for the usual aches and pains of growing old. Actually, he does have some kind of condition and when I last saw him, he was already wearing a ace mask This as long be ore the CO - pandemic

So thousands of us, maybe tens or hundreds of thousands o s s rvived O e did not become better or orse citizens, as far as I can tell.

If the powers that be force

California Climate Changed

International Coffee Day, how about Kape de Barako Day?

California’s

climate has changed e are eperiencing more etreme eather hotter temperatures, longer and more severe droughts, worsening ildfires and dangero s ash ooding e re seeing this not just in California, but across the entire American West.

On the Record

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM

These changes mean we must continue adapting to a hotter drier t re itho t action state officials believe extreme weather could diminish California’s water supply by up to 10 percent by 2040.

The state has implemented unprecedented measures to cut water use, build storage capacity and increase supply. And it’s also up to all of us to keep doing our part to curb our water use.

California is investing billions of dollars into concrete actions that ill sec re the t re o o r state s ater s pply. These key actions are part of a comprehensive water resilience plan Cali ornia s ater S pply Strategy dapting to a Hotter rier t re hich my administration released in August to highlight how we can stretch existing supplies and develop new sources to replace the water we will lose in this new era of warming temperatures.

The plan o tlines o r aggressive science-led approach to addressing California’s water future by reimagining the way we source, store and deliver water statewide for future generations. To match the pace of climate change, we know we must move smarter and faster – and we’re doing that.

Californians have repeatedly answered the call to use less ater in past dro ghts s the state prepares or the possibility of a fourth dry year and potential weather extremes, it s more important than ever that all o s adopt ater conservation as a way of life.

or many homeo ners most ater se and aste happens in o r yards in some areas p to percent o residential water use comes from sprinklers and other outdoor irrigation.

The good news is there are simple actions we can take right now to help save water in a big way. Simply watering yo r la n less and fi ing leaks inside and o tside the ho se can save thousands of gallons of water each year. yo re ready to make bigger changes o tside pdating yards ith native landscaping that incl des ater- ise plants and hardscaping elements, like pavers, granite or bark can create year-ro nd o tdoor living spaces that eliminate the need to weed, mow and water regularly.

The state is working closely with local water agencies and other partners to ensure that Californians have access to the resources you need to help. Check with your local water agency for rebates to help cover some of these costs and to find o t abo t comm nity reso rces that can help yo replace grass ith ater-smart landscaping that yo yo r family and your pets can all enjoy.

Cali ornians kno ho to meet the moment and together e can create necessary change or a ater-smart future. The recently enacted state budget includes $3.6 billion over four years for immediate drought support and long-term ater resilience ncl ding allocations in the 2021 state budget, a total of $8.7 billion has been dedicated to support drought resilience and response. This includes million or la n replacement and other ater conservation strategies.

By making saving water a way of life, we can adapt and thrive. And if we each do our part, we can make our water last for generations to come. Together we can save water, and save California.

(Gavin Newsom is the Governor of California, formerly Lieutenant Governor of California and Mayor of San Francisco. His “On the Record” column covers timely public policy issues impacting Californians across the state.)

Yesterday as s rfing the net and to my s rprise, I chanced upon one event being celebrated on October nternational Cofee Day!

I See It

Wow, honestly this is my first time to hear it learn abo t it and immediately ondered i e can have one distinct for the Filipinos. So, how about a Kape de Barako Day? This ill be o r chance to promote o r o n brand o coffee from Batangas and learn why it is ni e to ilipinos hich started and o rished in the province of Batangas.

Aside from Batanguenos being known for their balisong (Batangas knife,) they are also known for their kape de barako, b t not many kne here to find them and here to b y them especially here in the US.

In fact, I haven’t heard of kape de barako for a while here in the US until I met two gentlemen from Batangas in 2017 who ere in the coffee b siness in the ay rea hile that s five years ago already still o r atangas coffee is not spreading too fast based on our planned timetable.

Well, have you ever heard of it? Of course, you do, but do you know where to buy the almost extinct barako (liberica)?

One a ternoon oined avid acho and dgar adarang at oldilocks esta rant at Sea ood City in ilpitas acho s barako coffee b siness had been going on in San rancisco for a while but for Madarang, it just started two years ago in San Jose and Milpitas.

While we were at the restaurant, one matured FilAm lady from Batangas happened to pass by our group and overheard o r conversation She also noticed the -o nce pack o coffee lying on the table and said: “Ano yan, kape barako? Alamid?”

Then she started to tell s a story o kno hat a relative of mine brought some barako when she visited us here in the US but after consuming it, I looked around to buy some, but I found nobody selling them.”

So, based on her story, the demand was there but there were no supplies or they didn’t know where to buy them. I never thought, there were people who were looking for it and didn’t know where to look for it. Even my Batangas friends, when asked, never knew either where to buy some. They have been longing for it here in the US.

acho coffee trader and o ner o C Coffee Trading residing in Colma, CA was duly assisted by his wife Digna in their coffee b siness He said o it is available in San ose and ilpitas area have partnered lately ith dgar adarang of San Jose and Gene Granadosin of Milpitas to sell our -o nce kape de barako and other coffee prod cts in the area t has been selling in San rancisco or the past five years and no it needs to reach to as many il- ms in the area acho said Coffee is o r b siness and o r passion e hope to epand o r reach first by sat rating the ay rea and then moving towards the south,” he added.

acho said his atangas coffee being distrib ted here in the S ere gro n in a -hectare plantation in madeo atangas where they planted 1,200 trees. “We bring in the beans from Batangas to the US, process it, and pack them (handcrafted) here in Colma. We bring them in through airfreight in order to preserve consistency and reserve the characteristics o the co fee, unlike ordering them through sea freight on container vans hich contaminates the coffee and it takes months to arrive

He explained that the seedlings were grown for 4 to months and then planted them on the soil. After 18 months, the plant starts to bear fruits and harvest time comes in late ovember or early ecember The o ners harvest once a year and then the cycle starts again The barako coffee gro s p to 6 feet high, Bacho said.

esponding to a estion on the side effects o drinking coffee acho said like everything in li e caffeine has side effects that mostly appear i yo have ay too m ch or eample as a stim lant or the central nervo s system caffeine could produce anxiety, rapid heart rate, and insomnia.”

t acho a stroke s rvivor said Coffee re venates dead cells in the body. I drink barako in the evening and I don’t have any problem sleeping a ter drinking it The three alities of barako are, according to Bacho, “matapang” (strong); walang sabit/suwabe (smooth); and malasa (tasty). arako coffee or liberica is a

BETING DOLOR

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO

Did you enter the U.S. using a different name?

BREAKING NEWS

New Regulation will make it easier to immigrate

The Biden Administration will release a regulation by December 2022, making it easier to immigrate for people ho have taken p blic benefits The p blic charge nder Tr mp era ill be revised significantly N-400 Application for Naturalization

The USCIS is now giving priorities to application for nat ralization The reason is obvio sly to allo alified immigrants to vote in the coming midterm and presidential election There are cases hen the aiting time is only si months compared to prior years Pres iden is enco raging all alified to file or nat ralization This is a rare opportnity that all alified sho ld take advantage o DACA reinstated

Pres iden reiterated to rene the C processing as o g st rrest and removal o ndoc mented is no p to the discretion o C officer S S preme Co rt did not allo Pres iden to overt rn the immigration policy o Tr mp ith regards to priority in arrest and removal ith increasing migrants at the border hite Ho se is no re iring C to deport more migrants nder political press re t is no a decision to be made by the C officer hich co ld incl de arrest o anyone ho is ndoc mented t is time to ork on yo r green card no

id yo enter the S sing a different name yo entered the nited States sing a different name or committed a crime else here then yo need a aiver o inadmissibility nder orm - so that yo can process yo r green card

hat gro nds o inadmissibility may be covered by a aiver

A: The following grounds of inadmissibility under the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) are as follows: health-related grounds, criminal and related grounds, immigrant membership in a totalitarian party, misrepresentation in immigration matters, smugglers, subect to civil penalty and nla l presence in the S or at least days beginning on or a ter pril ollo ed by depart re rom the S Ho long is the validity o the aiver the aiver is granted then e cept or - and - nonimmigrant s and conditional permanent residents, the grant permanently waives fraud or willful misrepresentation incl ded in the application or p rposes o any t re immigration benefits application hether immigrant or nonimmigrant The aiver remains valid even i the person later abandons or other ise loses P stat s oes the aiver cover all gro nds o inadmissibility aiver applies only to the specific gro nds o inadmissibility and related crimes events or incidents specified in the aiver application in the t re the applicant is o nd inadmissible for a separate incident of fraud or willful misrepresentation not already included in an approved aiver application he or she ill be re ired to file another aiver application USCIS may reconsider an approval of a waiver at any time if it is determined that the decision has been made in error hat happens i at the time o entry the immigration officer declares the visa holder inadmissible based on doc mentary re irements an applicant proc red an immigration benefit by ra d or ill l misrepresentation the applicant may also be inadmissible or lack o doc mentary re irements at the time o entry hen an applicant is granted a aiver or ra d or ill l misrepresentation inadmissibility based on lack o doc mentary re irements at the time o entry is also implicitly aived

Can yo give an e ample o the above or e ample an applicant misrepresents a material act d ring the overseas nonimmigrant visa application process The epartment o State ho ever grants her a visa ater she applies or ad stment o stat s ring her ad stment intervie an officer discovers her misrepresentation and finds her inadmissible or both ill l misrepresentation and ail re to comply ith doc mentary re irements The applicant then applies or a aiver o inadmissibility or ill l misrepresentation pproval o the aiver has the effect o aiving inadmissibility or ill l misrepresentation and or the lack o a valid visa at the time o entry ote This is not a legal advice and presented or in ormation p rposes only yo have immigration problems the a Offices o Crispin C ozano can help yo find a sol tion be ore yo r problem gets orse hich co ld lead to deportation and amily separation Bankruptcy Basics

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Marcos gets $3.9-B investment pledges from US trip

President erdinand

ongbong arcos r received S billion in investment pledges during his orking visit to the nited States ( S)

Marcos made the disclosure in a speech during the inauguration of the Clark International Airport modern terminal

The business agreements and commitments hich are e pected to generate obs ill come rom different sectors such as Information Technology and siness Process anagement ( TP ) data centers and man act ring

The Palace clarified that the estimates do not re ect the ll potential o t re investments from several companies that the President and the trade department met hile in e ork

Some companies had e pressed interest in considering new or further investments in the country, but their plans have yet to be firmed p alaca ang said in a statement

arcos orking visit to the S as held rom Sept to This as his third overseas trip since ass ming office in ne ring his si -day orking visit he first met ith the ilipino comm nity in

e ersey

He participated in a business dialogue with members of the US-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce, seeking partnerships with merican investors arcos also presented the Philippine government s priorities aimed at bringing progress and development to the Philippines during a meeting with top World ank e ec tives ring the Philippine conomic riefing in e ork he also en oined American investors to take advantage of the Philippines economic res rgence

He said business leaders and investors rom different S companies he met have committed to be a part o the Philippines development and economic gro th

The highlight o arcos trip as his participation in the th session o the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where he delivered the “message o nity be ore orld leaders

He also met with various heads of state incl ding S President oe iden apan Prime inister mio ishida and rench President mman el acron

September in ation in PHL umps to

The cons mer price inde (CP ) or September this year rose percent, which is mainly driven by faster food in ation the Philippine Statistics thority (PS ) reported

PS head and national statistician ndersecretary Dennis Mapa said the headline in ation last month as higher than the -percent rate in g st and the -percent CP in September ast month s fig re bro ght the average in ation rate rom an ary to September this year to percent apa said nine o t o commodity gro ps recorded higher in ation rate last month Top contrib tors to the aster pace in price increases were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing, water, electricity gas and other els and transport

He said food and non-alcoholic beverages in ation climbed to percent in September rom percent in g st

The price increases in the food basket contrib ted percent to the total in ation last month

Amid the sugar woes in the previous months, the pace of price increase of sugar, con ectionery and desserts stood at percent in September from 26 percent in g st

n ation rate o fish and other sea ood also rose to percent in September rom percent in g st hile increase in prices of vegetables, tubers and the likes recorded an in ation o percent in September rom a contraction o -percent in g st

Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels sub-group is the second highest contrib tors to September in ation

ith a share to the ptrend o aro nd percent

n ation rate o this s b-gro p last month increased to percent rom percent in August, with power rates increases rising to percent in September rom percent in g st

The third major contributor to higher in ation in September as transport cost ith an in ation rate o percent contrib ting percent to the aster rate o price increases

Other commodity groups which had higher in ation rate in the previo s month include alcoholic beverages and tobacco at percent clothing and oot ear at percent rnishings ho sehold e ipment, and routine household maintenance at percent in ormation and comm nication at percent recreation sport and c lt re at percent resta rants and accommodation services at percent and personal care, and miscellaneous goods and services at percent

While the National Capital Region ( C ) recorded a -percent national ination rate last month the pace o price increments in areas outside NCR (AONCR) was higher than NCR and national level at percent

Fifteen regions AONCR recorded higher in ation rate in September ith fastest price increases reported in Zamboanga Penins la and avao egion both at percent

t as noted that hile in ation or rice in C decelerated to percent in September rom a -percent increment in g st rice in ation in O C ent p to percent last month rom percent in g st

iWantTFC’s family rom-com series

‘Hoy, Love You 3’ explores blessings and trials of blended families

HOLLYWOOD, California - It was the start of 2021 when the Filipino rom-com series, “Hoy, Love You,” premiered on iWantTFC, the world’s leading Filipino streaming platform present in over 200 countries.

The series, starring ex-real and reel couple JoRoss Gamboa and Roxanne Guinoo-Yap, was so well-received by audiences that iWantTFC produced a second season in the same year. Now in 2022, iWantTFC will premiere its third season on September 30 under the title, “Hoy Love You 3”.

Aside from the charming chemistry of the two lead stars who as a love team is known as “JoRox”, the original storyline o single parents finding love again resonated among viewers.

In Season 1, Gamboa is Jules, a country boy and widower who is focused on his job as a contractor and encourages his daughter Johanna Rose or JR (played by Brenna Garcia) to finish architect re so they can ork together and live a comfortable life. Meanwhile, Guinoo plays Marge, a career-centric interior designer and hands-on mom to teen son Charles (Aljon Mendoza) sired by wealthy exboyfriend Richard (Dominic Ochoa). Jules and Marge fell in love when they worked on a construction project together.

Fast-forward to Season 3 in “Hoy,

Love You 3”.

Jules and Marge are extremely excited to start a new life as they prepare to welcome their baby to their big, blended family. However, Marge’s pregnancy will not be as smooth-sailing as they had hoped for when they find o t that her pregnancy is delicate

Wanting to make sure that Marge is always stress-free and healthy, Jules will try his best to take care of her while taking charge of their construction business. But more problems arise when overly concerned family and riends meddle in their affairs

The couple will struggle with the constant nagging of Richard, Marge’s ex-boyfriend, who not only wants to help in taking care of Marge, but he also suddenly becomes Jules’ competitor as the boss of a new construction firm The non-stop bickering o arge and Jules’ mothers, Elizabeth (Carmi Martin) and Malu (Keanna Reeves), will also escalate as they debate about pregnancy s perstitions and effective medical practices.

As Marge and Jules learn how to adjust to their new way of life, their kids will also mature along with them as they become involved in romantic relationships. Charles will get to know Kara (Karina Bautista) on a deeper level no that they can finally make their relationship official

But their young love will be put to the test when Charles grows jealous of Kulas (Race Matias), Kara’s childhood friend, who also happens to be the love interest of JR.

How will Jules and Marge overcome the str ggles o their first baby together?

Returning for season 3 is Lou Veloso, who plays

Kara’s strict lolo, and new cast member Donna Cariaga.

“Hoy, Love You 3” is directed by Theodore Boborol and will stream on

the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android) and website (iwanttfc.com) starting September 30, available on Premium plan for users outside the Philippines.

‘On the Job: The Missing 8’ is PHL entry to Oscar

Erik Matti’s crime thriller “On the Job: The Missing 8” has been selected as the country’s entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards, the Film Development Council of the Philippines announced.

The 3-hour and 28-minute sequel to 2016’s “On the Job” revolves around a corrupt journalist seeking justice for his colleagues.

“On the Job: The Missing 8” made its world premiere--and was the only Southeast Asian entry

in the main competition of the prestigious 78th Venice Film Festival, where lead actor John Arcilla bagged the Volpi Cup for Best Actor award.

The HBO Asia Originals mini-series based on the t o fi lms had also been nominated or est TV Movie/Mini-Series at the 50th International Emmy Awards.

The Philippines has been submitting entries to the Academy Awards since 1953, but no Filipino fi lm has ever been nominated or an Oscar

‘Lyric and Beat: The Cinema Cut’ now exclusively available on iWantTFC

iWantTFC o ers a new viewing experience via a two-part movie version of the year s breakout Filipino musical series

Broadway or Hollywood productions do. It’s not easy. And viewers appreciated the h ge efforts

HOLLYWOOD, California - After its premiere back in August on the world’s leading Filipino streaming platform, iWantTFC, the original musical series, “Lyric and Beat”, concluded its summer fun run with a bang last September 23. It enthralled viewers with an unforgettable showdown between Lyric and Beat’s Team Werpa (with the Prime Belters) from the Philippine National Conservatory of Music and Grae’s Modern Pop from the School of Modern Pop as they clashed for gold in the National Music Competition.

With the highly encouraging worldide reception or its first original m sical series, iWantTFC rewards the show’s ans ith an e cl sive offering o the

two-part “Lyric and Beat: The Cinema C t The first part as made available on the platform last September 30 and can now be viewed on demand by Premium subscribers outside the Philippines. The second part will drop on October 7. A New Generation of Talent

Why was “Lyric and Beat” a breakout digital series?

The musical numbers were the main p sh t s hard to find a T series no that dishes out one song-and-dance number after another while telling a story because it requires a lot from the cast and production. Moreover, to give the iconic Filipino composer Jonathan Manalo’s discography a fresh twist and incorporate his songs into a story is the st ff that big

Next, the cast is top-notch. If curious olks are interested in finding o t hat the new Filipino artists are capable of delivering as far as performance is concerned, they will not be disappointed with “Lyric and Beat”. The cast of next generation talents Andrea Brillantes (Lyric), Seth Federlin (Beat), Darren Espanto (Jazz), AC Bonifacio (Cadence), Kyle Echarri (Grae), Sheena Belarmino (Melissa), eremy (Stevie) ngela en ( irlyn) and Awra Briguela (Unique) all proved they can give out great energy and create good chemistry. They lived up to the hype and expectations. The solid backing of a supporting cast of acting and singing heavyweights like Agot Isidro, yoy olante ito Pimentel ett Pangan, Joel Saracho, Lilet Esteban, Pinky Amador and others helped elevate the performances and moved the narrative idly

Director Dolly Dulu was steady and focused, making sure that nobody forgot that at the heart of all the acting, singing and dancing was a story about chasing one’s dreams in the midst of challenges, with (or sometimes without) the love and support of family and friends.

Dulu also mentioned that the last time ABS-CBN Entertainment (producer of the show together with Dreamscape Entertainment) did a m sical series on T was 15 years ago via “Idol”, starring Sarah Geronimo and Sam Milby. “Lyric and Beat” was a long time coming, and thank lly it energized T or m sicals anew, opening doors to more similar projects.

Experience a new way of viewing “Lyric and Beat” with its two-part cinema cut or enjoy streaming the entire 8-episode series on iWantTFC (iOs and Android) and website (iwanttfc.com), available with a Premium subscription for users outside the Philippines. New eligible users can enjoy a free trial.

Fil-Am R’Bonney Gabriel is Miss USA 2022

By Claire Morales True Special to Philippine News Today

RENO, Nevada - Yes, Maria Clara. A Filipino American beauty queen has been crowned Miss USA 2022.

The FilAm beauty queen is Miss Texas R’Bonney Gabriel, 28, a model and fashion designer who hails from Friendswood City in the outskirts of Houston, Texas. She made history as the first il m to be cro ned iss USA 2022 on October 4 (Monday night, October 3 in the US) in ceremonies in Reno, Nevada.

Gabriel, who also made history hen she as cro ned the first sian American as Miss Texas last July 2 at the Hilton Houston Post Oak, bested 49 other candidates, including two other Filipino Americans, in the competition to succeed Miss USA 2021 Elle Smith. The two other candidates

with Filipino ancestry are Kiana Yamat of Hawaii who formerly resided in San Francisco, California and Suzanne Perez of New Mexico. Perez made it to the Top 12.

Gabriel was impressive with her dresses during the competition. One of her dresses featured a traditional Maria Clara collar shape.

hand painted the same o er design from my mothers wedding dress onto my sleeves and tied in a traditional Maria Clara Filipina collar shape,” she said.

“I have immense gratitude for the opportunities my parents provided me and wanted to express my love to them through this,” she added.

During the interview round, Gabriel, wearing a Maria Clara-inspired o tfit as asked ho she ill address climate change, according to a CNN Philippines report.

“I am a fashion designer, I actually made the o tfit m earing in pcycle pieces and recycle different clothing to be more sustainable in my industry because I feel it’s like my duty,” she answered. “So, I think that’s something you can look for ways in our certain industries or in our homes to be sustainable as well.”

According to published reports, Gabriel, a graduate of University of North Texas in Denton whose mother is from Beaumont, Texas and her father is from the Philippines and were married in Manila, is also a model and owner of her eco-friendly fashion label onney ola hich offers handmade t-shirts, dresses and other clothings made from sustainable materials.

Interviewed by ABC News, Gabriel said that she considers it a “big responsibility” to share her multicultural background and inspire others to be confident in their identities m a very proud Filipina Texan,” she declared in the interview.

“My dad moved to America from the Philippines on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. He wanted to pave a new life for himself. He met my mom in Texas, who is a country woman from Beaumont,” she added in the interview with ABC News.

Following her Miss USA win, Gabriel will represent the US in the 71st Miss Universe pageant set on January 14, 2023 in New Orleans, Lousiana.

She will be competing against Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi, 24, a Filipino-Italian beauty.

Gabriel said she was ecstatic and thankful for winning the Miss USA crown, admitting that she learned that immediately after her win Filipinos were congratulating her.

“I’m getting messages on Instagram and just social media of Filipina girls and women telling me they’re so excited, they’re so happy,” Gabriel told Houston Life.

“They’re crying tears of joy because they are inspired to go after pageantry or something. Like I’m paving the way for them to just go after whatever they want no matter what it is,” she added.

Filharmonic and Jay R to headline FilAm History Month rites in Carson

“Mike Guingona represents and uplifts our diverse communities. He is an experienced elected official, a mentor and coach to our youth, and a Skyline College graduate. He is uniquely qualified to serve as a San Mateo County Community College District trustee. I encourage voters to support Mike Guingona,” said Bonta.

Mike Guingona, a practicing defense attorney, grew up in Daly City and is a graduate of Westmoor High School. In 1993 Mike became the first Filipino American to be elected to the Daly City Council and one of the youngest elected officials in the Bay Area, serving for 23 years.

Mike has dedicated himself to public service, particularly to our youth. To help support the community college district that supported him, Mike became a founding member of the Skyline College President’s Council in 2000 – providing support for the mission of the college and direct fundraising – spending 18 years in that role.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement from our barrier breaking Attorney General,” said Guingona.

“Like the Attorney General, I have dedicated much of my life to public service to help maintain and expand opportunities for all to access pathways for success - just as I did when I attended Skyline College.”

In addition to his work with Skyline College, Mike has worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco and as a coach at Terra Nova High School in Pacifica. Mike is also a former 2nd Lieutenant in the CA State Military Reserve (now called the California State Guard).

Thanks, Mike Guingona

Vote for Mike Guingona SMCCCD Board of Trustee 2022 mikegunigona@gmail.com

CITY OF CARSON - Filipino merican History onth kick-off celebration in Carson will showcase amazing talents and performing artists in music, creative arts, and other varied forms of entertainment from the Filipino American community.

The festivity on Sunday, October 2nd from 11 a.m. – p.m. will be held at Dignity Health Sports Park located at 18400 Avalon Blvd. in Carson. This event is open to the public and admission is free.

Headlining this year’s event are the Filharmonic and Jay R. Filharmonic is an L.A.-based acapella group featured in NBC’s hit musical competition, The Sing-Off and eat red in the niversal Pictures hit movie, Pitch Perfect 2, which became a viral sensation.

Jay R is a Filipino-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and model. In 2008, he released a cover album, Soul in Love, which became Jay R’s highest-rated and biggest-selling

album. He made his big screen debut in eat re film Happy Together and later released his self-titled second album in 2005.

Other performers also include The oice PH grand finalist anice avier Comedians Eric Escobar and Rex Navarrete, Performer and Host Erik Escobar, Singers and Songwriters Jules Aurora, Chris Chatman and Ardyanna Ducusin. The event will be hosted by Michael Palma and ABC7 Eyewitness News Health Specialist Denise Dador.

“Carson is proud to recognize the contributions of Filipino Americans nationwide especially in the Carson community. Carson, as one of the most diverse cities in the country, is proud to celebrate Filipino American history as part of American history,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes.

Filipino American History Month Celebration is an annual event during the month of October in the City of Carson.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta Endorses Mike Guingona for the San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees 2022

Daly City - California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced his endorsement of Mike Guingona in his race for the District 2 seat on the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Board of Trustees. Bonta joins numerous local and state officials endorsing Guingona.

Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla happy as they celebrate 11 years with fans

Reel and real partners Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla are literally in cloud nine as they celebrated their 11th year as a love team with their loyal fans.

Exclusive coverage from the thanksgiving event for the solid supporters of the love team were uploaded by Star Magic’s Inside News.

or the first time a ter three years the s eet reunion of Bernardo and Padilla with their fans happened in ezon City according to S-C

Hosted by alad aren and hai Ho the event was also attended by Padilla’s mother and actress and television host Karla Estrada and Min Bernardo.

ring the event S-C reported that the couple once again expressed their gratitude for the unwavering support and love of their fans.

“Happy 11th anniversary to the best fandom anyone co ld ever ask or the actress rote in the caption of a post after the celebration.

Thank yo or the onder l years athiels. Growing up with you is something that we’ll cherish orever and reminiscing all the memories

we’ve shared will always bring a smile to our faces she added Bernardo said she and Padilla still could not believe how far they have come. They also vowed to continue working hard to make their supporters proud.

“Maraming salamat. Mahal namin kayo! Kitakita tayo soon okay she said n the clip ernardo and Padilla are seen bloing a candle on a cake ith the ords Happy nniversary ath iels ritten on it

The apamilya stars ere first paired in the series ro ing p Their tandem clicked that it as immediately ollo ed by Princess and in ot to elieve in Pangako Sa yo in and a na Sangre in side rom these s ccess l television pro ects Bernardo and Padilla have also done numerous box office hits s ch as Crazy ea ti l o arcelona ove ntold She s ating the angster and The Ho s o s

C rrently they headline the S-C series ood e Tr e hich is also a top sho on et i

Sharon Cuneta turned away at Hermes, splurges in another store in Korea

She then told the salesman o more b y everything hile pointing at her shopping bags

Sharon also incl ded a scene rom the movie

Pretty oman in her vlog n the clip lead star lia Roberts showed her shopping bags to a saleswoman who said that their prod cts are too e pensive or her

ctress and singer Sharon C neta trended the past days after her post on being turned away at at Hermes story while vacationing with family in South Korea went viral.

ter Hermes reportedly t rned her a ay she and gro p moved to nearby o ie itton store here they spl rged ith p rchases hich they later sho ed off to Hermes as they went away.

Sharon i e o ormer Senator rancis Pangilinan later updated her social media post promoting the third part o her So th orea vlog hich doc mented the incident.

She told her ans as S-C reported that they have no reason to eel bad abo t hat happened to her explaining that the restrictions have more to do with the CO - pandemic on t eel bad abo t Hermes not letting me in ots i not all name-brand stores even in the S allo a certain n mber o people in at a time Sometimes lang hile the others ait in line o tside o the store ots also ask yo to make an appointment CO meas res nila yan so okay lang she said in an S-C report Sayang lang talaga belt lang naman ang balak ko eh kaya ayoko p mapasok sa ibang store na di ko plano p ntahan ng dami kong nakikita eh she added in est n the vlog C neta and her companions passed by Hermes again hile carrying all o her p rchases rom o is itton

Demand for retail space returning to pre-Covid level

MANILA – Demand for commercial space is supporting the growth of the country’s property market with the easing of travel restrictions and recovery from the pandemic.

Real estate services company Santos Knight Frank reported that vacancy rate in the commercial sector for the second quarter of 2022 was at 4.6 percent, which was close to pre-pandemic level.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, vacancy rate for commercial space was at 3.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“The easing of travel restrictions, pent-up demand for consumption, high vaccination rates, and the ret rn to office ( TO) are all being cited or the recovery in brick-and-mortar retail a sector that sa many b sinesses closing shop d ring the height of pandemic lockdowns,” Santos Knight Frank said in a statement.

For the upcoming stores in Metro Manila alone, 32.7 percent of commercial space takers are or the ood and beverage sector and percent are for clothing apparel stores.

(T)he Philippines property sector is likely to see significant recovery in the ne t t o to three years into the administration o President erdi-

nand Romualdez Marcos, Jr., as demand returns on both commercial and residential property it added.

With the government’s directive to register b siness process o tso rcing ( PO) firms to the TO last pril Santos night rank has also seen an increase in activity in the office market

Second arter as the first arter or many employees to ret rn to the office ith that e also saw an increase in leasing activity for the first time in a hile Santos night rank senior director for occupier strategy and solutions Morgan McGilvray said in a press conference.

However, vacancy rate in April to June 2022 period has remained high at 23 percent as s are meters o office spaces ere added in Metro Manila in the second quarter of the year.

astly the Philippines as ith ndia So th Korea, Singapore, and most of Asia, is likely to see a greater rate o TO or employees than the rate in developed estern economies TO in the Philippines is a res lt o both the office c lt re and the needs o its PO occ piers the cons ltancy firm said

Mortgage rates hit highest since 2007

Historically low mortgage rates fueled the pandemic housing rally b t borro ing costs have more than do bled since starting the year near 3%. The rapid jump has diminished b ying po er for house hunters and dragged down real estate prices as the Federal Reserve tries to tackle in ation

The ncertainty and volatility in financial markets is heavily impacting mortgage rates, seems like for no the eal arket is the first one to get hit This ill definitely have a trickle do n effect on cons mers for everything from the service to the tourism industry.

ortgage rates dipped brie y belo at the beginning o g st b t have no increased nearly percentage points since then. Data released this week showed that homes prices in 20 US cities posted a monthly decline in ly or the first time since Seattle San rancisco and San iego posted the biggest drops as e pensive est Coast markets all ast

US pending home sales fell in August for the seventh time this year, dropping to the lowest level since e cl ding the immediate a termath o the pandemic, according to the National Association of Realtors inde released ednesday

efinance b siness is do n by abo t and people really cannot refinance and cash o t to a rate, just does not make sense. Rental market rates are above also hich ill kill a lot o investors b ying rental properties

It’s a stark turn after more than two years of a ho sing boom that p shed real estate prices in the US to record highs. And it’s likely to get worse as rates climb above a level not seen since

The huge surge in mortgage rates over the last nine months has s ashed many b yers b dgets leading to a significant p llback in transactions

ed policymakers raised the central bank s benchmark overnight interest rate by three- arters o a percentage point last week, the third straight hike of that size, and acknowledged “pain” ahead for the economy as they seek to cool demand.

ed Chair erome Po ell also e plicitly called o t the ho sing market and said it o ld probably go through a “correction” after a period of “red hot” price increases.

pectations or ed tightening have led to a surge in Treasury yields since the start of this year. The yield on the -year note acts as a benchmark for mortgage rates. The cost of home loans has risen by more than a percentage point over the past si weeks.

The also said its arket Composite nde a measure of mortgage loan application volume, ell percent rom a eek earlier ts efinance nde dropped rom the prior eek and is now at a 22-year low.

ed Chair sho ld re-think i this is the best ay to fight in ation Thanks or yo r s pport and in iries. Call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group 562-508-7048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net

Climate Credit from State ProgramWill Lower Bills this Month

Electric Residential and Eligible Business Customers Will Receive $39.30 Bill Credit

OAKLAND, Calif.— More than million Pacific as and lectric Company (P ) electric c stomers ill a tomatically receive the California Climate Credit on their energy bill this month

The credit as created by the Cali ornia P blic tilities Commission (CP C) as part o the state s efforts to fight climate change P is pleased to administer the credit in a timely manner to help red ce c stomer energy bills this month n addition to residential c stomers eligible b siness c stomers ill be receiving the Cali ornia Climate Credit or the first time esidential electric c stomers ill receive a credit o on their October bills compared to last all s credit o This is the second credit o the year or residential ho seholds n pril nat ral gas residential c stomers received a credit o and electric residential c stomers received a credit o

C stomers ith both services sa a total credit o in pril so incl ding the October credit o the total credit or this year ill be more than or the first time small b siness electric c stomers also ill receive a credit o ligible small b siness c stomers might receive do ble the credit amo nt i they ali y or both ( pril and October) credits Starting in eligible b siness c stomers ill receive the credit t ice a year along ith residential c stomers

The Cali ornia Climate Credit is one o many programs developed as part o the lobal arming Sol tions ct o t re ires po er plants nat ral gas providers and other large ind stries that emit greenho se gases to b y carbon poll tion permits This credit represents c stomers share o the payments rom the state s program dditional ays to ed ce nergy

ills

P offers vario s programs to help c stomers save money and energy Cali ornia lternate ates or nergy (C ) Program saves or more each month on energy bills or incomealified c stomers amily lectric ate ssistance ( ) Program offers a monthly disco nt on electric bills or income- alified c stomers ith three or more people in the ho sehold edical aseline provides a lo er monthly rate or c stomers ith special energy needs d e to certain medical conditions

dget illing averages o t energy costs or more predictable monthly payments and eliminates big spikes in bills d e to seasonal changes ill orecast lerts are notifications sent by email te t or phone noti ying the c stomer i their monthly bill is e pected

to e ceed a specific amo nt set by the c stomer

Smart devices also can help c stomers manage energy se and costs This year ne participants in P s Smart C program receive or e isting thermostats or off a p rchase o a ne thermostat The vol ntary program helps enhance grid reliability by enco raging participants to shi t energy se o t o the ho rs hen it s most in demand

To learn more abo t the Climate Credit visit the CP C s Cali ornia Climate Credit page

About PG&E

Pacific as and lectric Company a s bsidiary o P Corporation ( S PC ) is a combined nat ral gas and electric tility serving more than million people across s are miles in orthern and Central Cali ornia or more in ormation visit pge com and pge com ne s

UP Alumni holds first annual fair in Daly City

By Jun Nucum

S C SCO - The first ann al air o San rancisco ay rea al mni o the niversity o the Philippines as held recently in aly City here al mni ere oined by their amilies riends and s pporters in a fiesta-like atmosphere to n ind rela and reminisce the good old days they had hile in the camp s

bbed as the irst nn al niversity o the Philippines l mni ssociation o San rancisco P S iesta the event as held at aly City s ellert Park Picnic rea in partnership ith the City o aly City and the ilipino ood ovement by the al mni organization comprised o P al mni driven by its val es o e cellence leadership and integrity and as part o the o treach initiative program in aly City to benefi t the ilipino diaspora as ell as ello al mni and ilipinos in the homeland n an intervie P S President iza ino said she regards the fi rst ann al fi esta as a commnity-b ilding event herein health and fi nancial matters ere tackled in collaboration ith otary Cl b o aly City Colma vening and San rancisco Hepatitis ree SCO entors and otaCare that provides ree clinic across rom aly City City Hall every ondays hen as the president o otary Cl b o aly City Colma vening partnered ith ichard

So ec tive irector o S Hepa- ree to rite a grant s ccesslly t is o r goal to have health airs to provide a areness and prevention o Hepatitis as e have in the fi rst P al mni ann al iesta ino said ith creating positive change and helping the comm nity as its p rpose hether it is here in the S or the Philippines the event started ith a simple picnic ith ello al mni ino and ello al mni offi cer dcelyn P ol event ally decided that they can make the event bigger that incl des the ilipino comm nity

Together they orked in partnership ith Co ncil oman slyn analo or collaboration ith the government o aly City to have a ven e or the event ot long a ter the aly City Co ncil readily approved nanimo sly to allo the se o ellert Park

To make it meaning l invited otaCare or their ree alkin clinic and otary Cl b o aly City Colma vening together ith S Hep ree to bring the Hep ree areness nitiative and ello al mni Chato Calderon o S SCO bro ght in the mentorship or entreprene rs and small b sinesses ino reco nted mong those ho graced the event ere g ests aly City ayor r od a z- agb al ice Cons l drian accay (Philippine Cons late eneral - San rancisco) San ateo Co nty S pervisor avid Canepa and aly City Co ncilmember slyn analo

Others eat red in the P l mni iesta incl ded per ormers like oseph oe Sparks ( otarian) iki r nch ( P al mna) and Taipan an cero ho had an e hibit on his art and baybayin nother al mni officer Odette lcazaren- eeley oined ino or the emceeing chores in the program

The P l mni iesta enth siasts savored ilipino dishes rom ood tr cks and booths by os yas Cabalen S eet Savory ely ino errero ely s Siomai Oodaalolly Chocolate and sina i aven esel

The P l mni iesta is something different beca se o the health and b siness mentorship services e offered e also partnered ith ilipino ood ovement to give s g idance on orking the ood estival aspect ino shared The challenge e aced is ho to get everything done b t e have a good gro p o people illing to vol nteer and donations or ra e prizes esides e are doing o r best to prevent liver cancer

The P S has a ide gam t o initiatives geared to help and these incl ded ilipino i e mmersion S mmer Camp aagapay program o providing comp ter hard are to P st dents to help in online ed cation typhoon relie thro gh clean ater initiative pdate o P St dent ibrary s pport orth o COtest kits donated to P P H and the and the mentorship programS based al mni to mentor P stdents in anila among others

UPAASF O cers led by President Liza Gino center, in dress and Board Members pose in front of event banner. Photo by Jeremiah Ysip

San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa th from le is anked by UPAASF o cers and board members. Photo by Jeremiah Ysip

Governor Newsom calls for a windfall tax to put oil profits back to Californians

ment sent to Philippine News Today. “We’re not going to stand by hile greedy oil companies eece Cali ornians. Instead, I’m calling for a windfall tax to ensure e cess oil profits go back to help millions o Cali ornians ho are getting ripped off

Earlier, Governor Newsom directed the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to make an early transition to winter-blend gasoline, and CARB took prompt action. This change is expected to immediately increase oil supplies by 5-10% and drop gas prices. When California did this in 2012, gas prices dropped by 25 cents within two weeks.

Also, starting next week, millions of Californians will get upwards of $1,050 in their bank accounts from the in ation relie program anno nced in the b dget

“As the cost of living continues to rise, California families have been forced to cut back on spending and rethink their budgets,” said California Attorney General ob onta arlier this year my office arned refineries against taking advantage of ongoing market disruptions, and I want to again be clear: Market manipulation is illegal y office is monitoring the market closely and e ill not hesitate to take action i e find evidence that the law is being violated.”

SACRAMENTO – As Californians see renewed spikes in gas prices, Governor Gavin Newsom called for a windfall tax on oil companies that would go directly back to California taxpayers.

While crude oil prices are down, oil companies have increased gas prices in California by a record 84 cents per gallon in just the last 10 days.

At the end of August, crude oil prices were roughly $100 per barrel, and the average gas price in California was $5.06; now, even though the price of oil has decreased to per barrel, the average gas price at the pump has surged to $6.29.

Meanwhile, oil companies have raked in unprecedented profits on the backs o hard- orking Cali ornians – nearly $100 billion in the last three months alone.

Oil companies have failed to provide an explanation for the unprecedented divergence between prices in California compared to the national average.

“Crude oil prices are down but oil and gas companies have jacked up prices at the pump in California. This doesn’t add up,” said Governor Newsom in a state-

Updated Vaccines: How to Update Your Protection Against COVID this Fall

From the We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Educa�on Campaign

“Been there, done that.” People are feeling like they’ve heard enough about COVID-19. But staying on top of the facts, vaccinations, and level of spread in the community is still important to keep your family and communities safe. In fact, updated vaccines that can better protect against the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its subvariants are now available in the United States.

Here is what people should know about the updated COVID vaccines:

First, complete the primary series COVID vaccine . While more than 224 million Americans have been vaccinated, many could still get protection by completing a primary series with any of the available vaccines rom Pfizer oderna or ovava CO vaccines are available to everyone age 6 months or older living in the United States at no cost.

Updated vaccines provide extra protection. Recently both Pfizer and oderna have pdated their vaccines to target the Omicron strains of the COVID virus that are causing nearly all COVID infections in the United States. The updated vaccines also provide protection against the original COVID virus. Updated vaccines are available to anyone age 12 or older who has already completed the primary vaccination series. As the virus continues to change, vaccines will be updated annually to target the dominant variant.

Updated vaccines are now available. Updated vaccines are available for free and they are easy and conve-

nient to get. Tens of thousands of sites including pharmacies doctor s offices comm nity health centers and other places have the pdated vaccines available ost people will now be able to get one COVID vaccine, once a year each all st like yo r ann al shot get an updated COVID vaccine sometime between Labor Day and the end of October.

It doesn’t matter how many few boosters you’ve had before. Anyone age 12 or older who has completed a primary series can get an updated vaccine regardless o hether they previo sly had zero one or more boosters. As long as at least two months have passed since the last dose, it is safe to get an updated vaccine.

Community spread matters. While being up to date on vaccinations provides the best protection from severe illness hospitalization and death rom CO additional actions can further lower the risk of these complications, especially when COVID is increasing in your community. Paying attention to the level of COVID transmission locally can help make decisions abo t hat actions to take or e ample hen there is an increased level of spread of COVID in your community, wear a mask in public indoor spaces, regardless of whether you’ve been vaccinated.

People who have not been vaccinated against COVID are increased risk severe illness and death. Vaccines, including the updated COVID vaccine, provide strong protection against hospitalization and death from COVID. Vaccination

also reduces the spread of COVID and the emergence of new variants, further reducing risk for the entire community, especially those most vulnerable to COVID risks. This means that everyone can stay healthier and enjoy spending time with their loved ones during this fall and upcoming holiday season.

Embassy hands over books for Mabuhay Culture School

SH TO C To kick-start the celebration of the Filipino American History onth in October Sentro izal of the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. donated Filipino cultural books to ab hay nc to s pplement the ab hay nc C lt re School ( CS) program.

The donated books from the Embassy ational Commission or C lt re and the rts and Office o the gric lt ral Co nsellor are ( ) yoko Po Sana ( )Teacher s ide od le orand ( ) The e ilipino itchen

The Sentro izal o the Philippine Embassy hopes that these books will rther enrich the CS c rric l m and library e thank the ab hay nc or their contin ed efforts in teaching kids of all backgrounds about Filipino culture and heritage thank the ational Commission for Culture and the Arts as well as the Embassy’s Agricultural Counsellor for their donation,” said Ambassador Jose an el om aldez

CS one o the organization s agship projects, is a cultural and educational enrichment program for children ages 4-16 years old.

An Open House event will be held on October rom - P T at the Holy amily Ch rch in aryland hile the ll CS sched le will run every Saturday from October 8, to ay Thro gh this pro-

gram ab hay nc promotes its overall mission Harmony in iversity CS aims to teach students about the common bonds of history, geography, and culture between the Philippines and the United States of America.

ab hay nc is an organization established in 1985 that provides support for Filipino American community who have similar concerns about assimilation into the American mainstream, interracial marriages, raising biracial children, and maintaining ties with their home country, the Philippines One o the organization s goals is to foster a better understanding of American and Filipino culture.

TURNOVER. Fred Michael “Moks” Laureles le of Mabuhay Inc. receives a dona�on of Filipino books from the Philippine Embassy through Deputy Chief of Mission Jaime Ramon T. Ascalon, Jr. right .

Senator Bradford’s 8 bills approved

to the stat s o by allo ing b sinesses to search and filter by date o birth and driver s license n mber in ormation hen cond cting a backgro nd check etoed by the overnor

SACRAMENTO – Senator Steven Bradford (Dardena) contin ed his efforts championing a m ltit de o iss es impacting not st his constit ents b t all Cali ornians n total he as s ccess l at getting bills approved by the egislat re o hich ere signed into la by the overnor be ore the bill signing deadline hich as September

s Chair o the egislative lack Ca c s and Senate P blic Sa ety Committee am committed to creating legislation ith a oc s on e ity and social

stice in p blic sa ety the economy ho sing and employment said Senator Steven rad ord ach year presents s ith the opport nity to address the most pressing iss es acing o r state am pro d o hat e have accomplished in and look or ard to all that e ill achieve together in the ne t legislative session

rad ord said his bills approved by the egislat re and signed by overnor e som are S et rns p blic co rt record access

S liminates the re irement that secondhand dealers and coin dealers report personally identi ying in ormation regarding the seller or pledger o secondhand goods to the O database and instead re ires that this in ormation to be kept confidential and on file and available pon re est by la en orcement

S e ires the niversity o Caliornia and other p blic sector healthcare employers to provide orkers the same meal break and rest periods that the private sector c rrently en oys

S emoves offenses involving controlled s bstances rom the list o crimes re iring a tomatic license denial nder escro la s administered by the epartment o inancial Protection and nnovation

S e ires the Secretary o the Cali ornia epartment o Corrections and ehabilitation to increase the pay scale or those orking hile incarcerated over a five-year period etoed by overnor

S thorizes

the epartment o inancial Protection and nnovation to eval ate the impact o a state program that allo s tenants in assisted living the option o having their rental payments reported to a cons mer-reporting agency

S thorizes ater tilities to tilize a ratemaking process re erred to as deco pling to enco rage ater conservation

S thorizes the ater eplenishment istrict to provide e ibility or the p rchase o materials e ipment s pplies and pro essional services The bill also streamlines the e ec tion o contracts n addition to legislation

Senator rad ord as also s ccess l in sec ring critical and significant nding thro gh the b dget process illion or the estoration o the llens orth State Historic Park illion or the repair o the rtesia ridge in Compton illion to increase services to disadvantaged pop lations ho are e periencing vision health disparities and ine ities

illion in nding to provide yo th ith opport nities to learn and per orm m sic illion in nding to promote entreprene rship and small b siness creation e pansion in the nderserved comm nities o os ngeles illion in nding or the City o ardena or the revitalization o ardena o levard

Upside...

id ay into her first term she as named chair o her city s Commission on Racial and Social Equity to probe and address “racial injustice in public safety, barriers to economic and educational opport nity and access to ality healthcare The commission established the Equity and Public Safety Commission to ensure ongoing oversight to lfill its mandate t also created the conomic dvancement Center to percolate opportunities for the disadvantaged sector as well as making a behavioral health therapist available for police calls in cases where mental health issues are a factor.

As second in command, the Batangas-born Mapua University and Amherst College, Massachusetts, alum, says her priorities are unchanged.

“My goals remain the same - preserving the quality of life of South San Franciscans and planning for our future that ensure a sustainable and equitable community that celebrates diversity, creates economic opportunities for all, and allows every generation to thrive.”

The P and Head o lobal r g Sa ety and Pharmacovigilance o a precision oncology company anticipates lfillment ne t year o her city s efforts to obtain certification o SS as an age- riendly by WHO and youth-friendly city by UNICEF.

hat e do as p blic officials is to make s re e have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our community and society as whole,” she said, altruism always in her sights.

Nicolas says her one and only political aspiration is to “make a positive impact on to the lives of my community here in South San Francisco.”

The th oman elected in her to n s years o incorporation inspires future successors, like a young girl who went up to her at a church to say one day the girl too will also be Mayor like her. A prophetic statement as ell or the listening ice ayor ho is ortified by her faith and family led by her supportive husband Nenar Nicolas. - Adapted from original reprinted with permission from INQUIRER.

T

TO CO C

Offline

(From Page 13)

today s kids to take p mandatory training my only advice is live with it.

I only wish that the country employ the same type of mandatory military training employed by srael This is one co ntry highly admire and having all their citizens ready to be called to active duty at the snap o a finger is one reason srael is s ch a strong co ntry hy even the glamoro s al adot is a reserve officer o the Israeli military. So there.

Another country that has a similar mandatory training is South Korea, I believe. And this is yet another country that I highly admire. itto ith Tai an hich is a separate state as ar as m concerned

Xi can take his One-China policy and shove it. He knows that invading and con ering Tai an ill only take place in his dreams mighty military ith a civilian o ndation is hy srael s neighbors know that waging war against the Jewish state will always be an e ercise in tility t cannot be beaten in any kind o conventional war.

But what of the Philippines?

O r motherland has a eak military and that s the plain and simple tr th t s the reality eviving or dispensing ith O ill not make one hit o a difference

What I would like to see is for all our young men and women learn the intricacies of guerilla warfare, so when those big, bad #bleep# invade our country, they will regret their decision.

The ietnam ar proved that the mightiest military in the orld co ld be beaten The ssians in kraine are learning the same lesson now. When a country is invaded, its people can be depended on to fight to the death

Our grandfathers proved pretty much the same thing in World War ll. Parts of the Philippines never surrendered to the Japanese invaders.

So the government ants to revive OTC Fine. And then what?

56-YEAR-OLD KOREAN AMERICAN STABBED TO DEATH IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

A coalition of Korean and African American leaders will demand justice for the 56 year old Korean American man a business owner who was stabbed to death Sunday afternoon in broad daylight outside his store by two teens trying to steal a wig from his business with a call to LAPD Chief Michel Moore for more police resources in the downtown area which has seen a recent spike in violent crime.

“What happened to this small business owner was

CO - as the ca se o my mother s death

Ho ever there is a ote in my book ST O O -

T ( hich my mother inspired me to rite and pdate) hich says The tragedy is not that e die ith CO - or other sickness

The real tragedy is i e die itho t es s beca se e re se to learn, understand and obey the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness o sins ( omans Corinthians - cts ) and ail to remain aith l ntil death ( evelation )

T T O There are t o t re events hich ill s rely come b t e don t kno hen and e don t also kno hich ill come first The second coming or ret rn o es s to give the final T to everyone Physical death like hat happened to nang or my mother o may die old like my mother o may die young like what happened to the students massacred inside the classrooms or you may die at middle-age like the soldiers who died in the on-going war between Ukraine and Russia. Let us, therefore, be prepared like a Boy Scout

The important and rgent estion is hat i es s Christ ere to come tonight or i yo ll die tomorro o ld O kno or s re itho t any iota o do bt that O o ld go to H hope and pray that the li e and e ample o my mother in repenting and obeying the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness of her sins ill motivate and enco rage O to do the same ( cts - ) o r decision in choosing to obey or not to obey the gospel in baptism will determine your eternal destiny in H or in H ay O choose the right decision and obey the gospel in baptism for the forgiveness of your sins before it is too late TH O O SS O

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

The Outsider

(From Page 12)

Under the leadership of RSA, SMC has completed the cleanp o the T llahan iver nother pro ect is the rehabilitation o the Pasig River. Costs in undertaking the projects are borne solely by SMC.

RSA is a visionary leader. He is driven to bring SMC to greater heights. He is a leader who knows that planting and nurturing comes before harvesting. He is aware the success of SMC will benefit not only the company b t also his ello ilipinos

S does not tr mpet S C s accomplishments There o ld be times when he mentions what

SMC has done for the country at no cost to the government.

On such instances, these are to draw the attention of other business entities to do their share and contribute in building a better world and a better future for all.

s S thanked those ho have been part o S C s contining o rney o ld like to e press my appreciation to him and S C or s pporting o r advocacy at the illion Trees o ndation.

Cheers to S C ba ang may pinagsamahan

horrific and ine c sable This b siness o ner as stabbed to death and murdered in broad daylight by two teens over a ig The entire city sho ld be o traged by another violent m rder o an innocent person There must be an increased police presence in downtown Los Angeles, especially with the holiday shopping season approaching,” stated Hyepin Im President and CEO at FACE, Faith and Community Empowerment, and Najee Ali Director of Project Islamic Hope in a joint statement.

area most tasting as - per person and some ere even or more Ho ever there ere some ays to get aro nd those steep tasting fees, including lesser known wineries and regions, by p rchasing ine or hen they ere offering complimentary tastings avid acho his i e igna and da ghter Thiana alternately bre ed their coffee prod cts or the g ests to taste They ere assisted by Edgar Madarang, the one who opened barako outlets in San ose and ilpitas They had o r established prod cts and are still developing others They first made barako coffee cooked ith the traditional pot ith batirol (old style coffee stirrer) kape de barako blended ith rabica barako deca and the hazel n t coffee The g ests also tasted the -layered barako coffee kape mocha vanilla kape barako and latte or me tasted the p re barako coffee batirol and loved it t s strong b t smooth and tasty ene ho also tasted it said alang sabit Tasters attest that kape barako is a ality coffee and can compete ith Peet s Coffee and Starb cks

Some o those ho attended ere g sto Tito ychengco ince Thayer elia ent ra- stioko lora Canio ose imples Palacios and ene ranadosin and mysel o co rse

Coffee has been part o H man Civilizations since ancient times so it s the per ect day to get to kno more abo t coffee c lt re the barako ay id yo kno there are tons o traditions and rit als that ancient civilizations sed to do ith coffee o can se it as a bea ty treatment, as an insect repeller, as compost or fertilize, to spice your steaks and avor yo r ood and m ch more atangas entreprene r Bacho said his group is developing those traditions and rituals in order to contrib te to the coffee c lt re in the co ntry o matter ho yo take it coffee can energize yo arm yo up, refresh you, keep you awake, and even catch you up with your loved ones.

ccording to a Harvard s Health P blishing st dy coffee drinkers tend to live longer, plus they have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Historians reported that even Beethoven was a cofee lover t is ell kno n that he sed to co nt his beans be ore making the bre mostly per c p also remember the late ilipino o rnalist col mnist and coffee-lover Teodoro ( oroy) alencia naming his col mn Over a C p o Coffee

One o the main ob ects o the international coffee day is to create a areness abo t the process that implicates coffee s prod ction and to promote healthy and safe methods and procedures for human consumption.

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

Immigrants Help

(From Page 14)

or the month o September e received approval rom USCIS four naturalization applications, two Fiancée visa petition, two removals of condition on residence and two adjustment of status applications.

t

rn This speaks o His love or s This speaks o o r val e o r hope, our assurance.

- e receive com ort in kno ing that e have a destination Thomas pon hearing that es s as leaving as an io s He asked “Lord, we do not know where you are going –how do we know the way?” And with three words, Jesus told us about the destination, which will give us comfort we need in days such as these. Jesus said in ohn am the ay the tr th and the li e

The ay He is the path to ollo am glad that my mother ollo ed the path by repenting and obeying the gospel ( eath rial es rrection o es s) in baptism or the orgiveness o her sins ( cts )

The Tr th There are no shado s hen it comes to ollo ing od s ay He is tr th hen He says He loves He does hen He says He cares for us, He does. When He says He will return for us, He will.

The i e Psalm says o r li e is made p o years i there is strength y mother as years and months hen she transitioned from this earthly life.

I remember that my mother was still active when she celebrated her st irthday in mdontog sipolo gao Philippines in an ary The CO - pandemic lockdo n restricted her mobility and alking hen she got the CO - vaccination her physical health deteriorated and became worst. I have a feeling that

As

It

(From Page 12)

rare and e otic coffee o nd only in the Philippines ietnam Indonesia, Borneo, and Liberia. Bacho said that “today, there are only handful of barako growers in the Philippines and is in the brink of e tinction d e to armers s itching to planting pineapples and other fruits.”

hile there is ine tasting in the apa alley e sho ld also develop barako tasting here in the ay rea This is one ay o spreading the almost e tinct coffee rom atangas kno n to as many people in the Bay Area and beyond.

Part of the marketing strategy was to have barako tasting, just like wine tasting. During the barako tasting session sponsored by couple Ed and Precy Madarang in their San Jose residence, it was free and they even served steak and other goodies for dinner after the tasting session. Unlike in wine tasting where they usually charge an average o altho gh sometimes the tasting ee as aived by some wineries with a wine purchase, the barako tasting sponsored by the Madarang couple was free.

Cost of wine tasting varies a lot, depending on the state. In California, lesser known wine areas like Lodi and Mendocino County had per person n contrast to apa alley- the most e pensive

ote yo have immigration problems rite s a letter and e ill reply to yo ith no initial obligation The a Offices o Crispin C ozano can help yo find a sol tion be ore yo r problem gets worse which could lead to deportation and family separation.

Chris Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and San rancisco Trial Lawyers. He practices immigration law, bankruptcy and income ta preparation since June His contact phone is - -email info@CCLlaw. net ebsite www.crispinlozanolaw.com/

World failing to protect mental health and wellbeing of health and care workers - report

DOHA – A new report by the Qatar Foundation, World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), in collaboration with the orld Health Organization ( HO) finds that at least a quarter of health and care workers surveyed reported anxiety, depression and burnout symptoms.

The report O r d ty o care global call to action to protect the mental health of health and care workers,” examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health o the health and care ork orce and offers policy actions as a framework for immediate follow-up by employers, organizations and policy-makers.

The report found that 23 to 46 percent of health and care workers reported symptoms of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and 20 to 37 percent experienced depressive symptoms.

Burnout among health and care workers during the pandemic ranged from 41 to 52 percent in pooled estimates. Women, young people and parents of dependent children were found to be at greater risk of psychological distress -significant considering that omen make p percent o the global health workforce and are subject to inequalities in the sector, such as unequal pay. The higher risk of negative

mental health outcomes among younger health workers is also a concern.

“Well into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, this report confirms that the levels o an iety stress and depression among health and care workers has become a ‘pandemic within a pandemic,’” said Jim Campbell, WHO Director of Health Workforce.

The report follows landmark decisions at the World Health Assembly and International Labour Conference in that reaffirmed the obligations o governments and employers to protect the workforce, ensure their rights and provide them with decent work in a safe and enabling practice environment that upholds their mental health and wellbeing. Protecting and safeguarding this workforce is also an investment in the continuity of essential public health services to make progress towards universal health coverage and global health security.

“The increased pressure experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly had a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of health and care workers,” said S ltana dhal Chie ec tive Officer o SH The pressure isn’t new, but COVID-19 has brought into sharp

focus the need for better care for those who care for us. This new report sets out policy actions that promote strengthening health systems and calls for global collaboration across governments and healthcare employers to invest in safeguarding the most valuable asset that our health systems possess, which is the people working within them.”

The report highlights 10 policy actions as a framework for immediate uptake, such as investing in workplace environments and c lt re that prevent b rno t promote staff wellbeing, and support quality care. This includes the obligations and roles of governments and employers for occupational safety and health.

HO recently p blished recommendations or the effective interventions and approaches to support mental health at ork incl ding those specifically or the health and care workforce, which call for organizational level changes that address orking conditions and ens re confidential mental health care and support as a priority. Relevant to this framework, the WHO Global health and care worker compact provides technical guidance on how to protect health and care workers and safeguard their rights; it highlights that duty of care is a shared responsibility in every country.

Lemonade for stones

Heart of Hope

Nothing to date can dissolve kidney stones, in spite of various marketed herbal substances or “natural and home” remedy potion or pills which claim to be able to do so. Don’t be fooled by false advertisements which are only after your hard-earned money.

tients showed genetic changes related to solid cancers, while the test detected genetic alterations in 60%–70% of those with stage I or II cancer. The researchers say the approach could “in principle” be implemented for cancer screening, pending validation studies. Early detection and intervention are likely to be the most effective means for reducing morbidity and mortality of human cancer. When it is validated and accepted as a standard diagnostic procedure, “Liquid Biopsy” could save hundreds of millions around the globe.

There are countless undiagnosed OSA cases. Almost 25 percent of individuals with diabetes T2 also have OSA,

PHILIP S. CHUA

If you are prone to develop kidney stones, drink lemonade, not soft drinks, which are medically speaking, poison to the body. It cannot dissolve kidney stone crystals, but it can slow down the development of stones. It is a delicious way to control your stone formation.

“When treating patients in our kidney stone center, we put everyone on lemonade therapy,” says Steven Y. Nakada, chair and professor of urology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.at a previous annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Atlanta.

Potassium citrate is usually prescribed for patients with kidney stones. Citrate is a kidney-stone preventing substance, and lemonade (lemon juice) is full of citrate. The pill is more potent but the citrate in lemonade has been found to also slow down kidney stone formation. An alternative to “another pill” to take. Liquid biopsy?

The term biopsy conventionally means cutting a piece of solid tissue for microscopic analysis to make a diagnosis. Liquid “biopsy” is a new promising procedure for detecting early-stage cancers by blood test, which replaces cutting a “solid tumor,” hence termed “liquid biopsy.” The article about this future much less invasive ay o finding cancer at its early stage edited by William E. Chavey, MD, MS, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.

The report says “the technique allows assessment of sequence changes in circulating cell-free DNA. Researchers used the method to look for alterations in nearly 60 cancer-related genes in blood samples from 44 healthy individuals and 200 patients with colorectal, breast, lung, or ovarian cancer. None of the healthy pa-

Your teeth, sleep, and diabetes

Most people do not know or realize that poor dental health and impaired sleep increase our risk for diabetes T and in t rn this metabolic disease adversely affects our teeth and sleep. It is a vicious cycle of cause and effect highlighted by the merican ental ssociation

The t o- ay-street clarification lood sugars fueling the acidity that leads to tooth and root decay and gum disease, and dental disease that leads to infection and boosts blood glucose when the body’s immune system responds. The 2017 publication recognizes the close association of dental disease and diabetes, even tho gh ackno ledges that ca ses and effects aren t yet universally understood.”

lso dental oral in ection and in ection (in ammation) in any other parts of the body increase our risks for cardiovascular diseases and cancer too.

This is why dental hygiene and regular visit to the dentist is paramount.

Sleep and diabetes

Impairment in sleep raises our risk for metabolic disease, like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular illnesses, like heart attack, stroke, and even cancer. Yes, lack of restful sleep leads to increased proneness to all these major ailments, including deadly cancers. Indeed, sleep is that important to our health and well-being.

More and more, physicians today are far more vigilant about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as a most common cause of impairment of sleep and its association and role to the development of (and as a worsening factor) for the major illnesses listed above. For emphasis, I wish to highlight cancer is on that list.

About 3-7 percent (roughly about 10 to 16 million) of the US population have sleep apnea, more among men.

Then, there is Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), affecting about 60 percent of the adult and elderly population, where the person does not stop breathing but breathes shallower and gets about 30 percent less airo or seconds n OS there is re ent (co ld be hundred times a night) breath holding, severely reduced oxygen level, and the person wakes up gasping for breath Some do not even ake p at all s ffering anoxia and heart attack or fatal heart-rhythm problem. The constant reduction in oxygen due to OSA every night also leads to fatigue, sleepiness during the daytime, lack of concentration, poorer decision-making, and inferior performance. Depriving the body oxygen and rest also increase the risk for those major diseases mentioned above, including cancer.

Among diabetics, SDB, OSA, and all stresses, impair the metabolism of our body in general and, among those with diabetes, the body’s ability to allow the medications to work fully.

Metformin, the most popular drug for diabetes T2, which acts to reduce the glucose production in the liver and reduce the cell insulin resistance, acts less than 100 percent when the patient has an untreated sleep disorder, most frequently sleep apnea. This makes the treatment less optimal. And the same thing is true among those patients with high blood pressure or other major ailments on treatment. A good restful sleep every day is essential for all of us.

ter a Sleep St dy has confirmed the diagnosis o Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the best treatment is the use of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) whenever going to sleep. CPAP has saved and improved countless lives around the world.

Philip 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 manitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Know the Devil’s Deceptions

By TIM PEDROSA

Criticism,

like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish our growth without destroying our roots. Constructive criticism is about finding something good and positive to so ten the blo to the real criti e o hat really ent on have learned that the final proo o greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment. have also learned that criticism is an opinion and one person s opinion o s does not need to be become opinion o s One ay to avoid criticism is to do nothing say nothing or be nothing have al ays been mind l o the kindness and not the a lts o others al ays trying to accept both compliments and criticism beca se it takes both s n and rain or a o er to gro There is a h ge amo nt o reedom that comes to s hen e take nothing personally o one can make s eel in erior itho t o r consent t is m ch more val able to look or the strength in others e can gain nothing by criticizing the imper ections o other people Criticism and pessimism destroy amilies ndermine instit tions o all kinds de eat nearly everyone and spread a shro d o gloom over entire nations – Gordon B. Hinckley.

Criticism may not be agreeable or satis ying b t it is necessary t lfills the same nction as pain in the h man body t calls attention to an nhealthy state o things t e m st al ays have to atch o t or the oy-stealers gossip criticism complaining a lt-finding and a negative dgmental attit de see people committing social media s icide online all the time by one o t o ays irst by responding to all criticism and by responding to things that don t arrant a response The tro ble ith most o s is that we would rather be r ined by praise that saved by criticism. e cannot let praise or criticism get to us. t is a eakness to get ca ght p in either one do take compliments and also take constructive criticism. e people have the wisdom to recognize criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them am sorry to think that you do not get a man s most effective criticism until you provoke him Severe tr th is e pressed ith some bitterness Henry David Thoreau.

Heart

REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD

e cannot all into the deceptions o the evil one or be nable to detect them e m st be able to read and understand the mentalities and li estyles in o r time and hat among them do e all into O r ord es s told s e vigilant at all times and pray that yo have the strength to escape the trib lations that are imminent ( k ) O r environment in the moral and spirit al stand point presents to s many challenges or elements that are not cond cive to the thriving and gro ing o the divine li e in s e sho ld be vigilant et s learn and kno hat are the things that are good and positive in o r environment live ith them and promote them ean hile let s also kno most importantly the elements hich are bad and detrimental to o r spirit al li e avoid them or fight and cast them o t o o r ay

o ld like to s ggest the ollo ing points to be considered and let s all try to root them o t o o r Christian li e irst the access to harm l materials ith the advancement in technology and comm nications ith the internet and social media plat orms et cetera e have access to many things even access to the sin l ones like pornography that even kids can access to There are many good things that come ith progress b t there are also bad ones ay e all be observant and atch l against anything that can r in the divine li e in s e cannot st be complacent ith hatever the channels o comm nication present to s e sho ld not nderestimate the effects o sin l materials or immoral practices that e can see or enco nter in o r time The devil is at ork so e m st be vigilant against its tactics and deceptions

Second being l ke arm or being cold to ards the Sacraments any o s Catholics altho gh e kno the ab ndant graces and benefits coming rom the Sacraments b t there is a trend to take them or granted any people think that the Sacraments are not necessary hat is important is simply to believe in es s Christ and tr st in od This vag e mindset believing in es s itho t act ally having some specific ays to practice s ch belie creates an attit de o indifference to ard the Sacraments People begins to st say it is fine not to go to ass or go to Con ession or even or those ho are married many o ld settle on having civil marriage only and not any more the Sacrament o atrimony e cannot all into this deception o the Satan as i receiving the Sacraments is obsolete ot receiving the Sacraments ill orsen any mediocrity in the aith that is already present itho t the grace rom the Sacraments o r prayer li e and o r illingness to pray daily ill ane ntil losing it completely

Third Capitalizing on the ail res o the Ch rch and the scandals The devil ses the ail res and the scandals to create do bts ntil the aith in person is destroyed oc sing on the scandals and ail res o the Ch rch can make the person distr st l o the Ch rch hence all the more people ill not go to Ch rch or ill orsen the attit de not to listen to the g idance o the other Ch rch e m st not orget that e have responsibility by aith in relation to the Ch rch e have the moral obligation to b ild p o r aith and love o od thereby thro gh o r alive and firm aith e contrib te as ell in the b ilding p o the Ch rch in o r time idelity to the aith and the teachings o o r aith is a responsibility hen e all into this deception o the devil to mind the ail res and scandals o the Ch rch e may think badly o the Ch rch e m st not stop st dying and learning abo t the aith the moral teachings and o r mission as a Ch rch and as individ al believer eing in ormed is being armed against the evil one

The devil is ast te and deceptive e cannot be complacent in o r spirit al li e e m st see to it that e kno o r environment and identi y the things that are help l rom those that are harm l to o r spirit al li e e m st see to it that e in o r battles against the evil one and inning can start by these points e re ected ay the lessed irgin ary and St oseph protect s rom the evil one and g ide s daily in o r o rney o aith and spirit al li e men

Beef Meatballs Kaldereta Recipe of the Week

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo regular beef meatballs

6 small size egg, hard boiled

6 medium side baby potato, peeled

1 large size carrot, cut crosswise into 6 parts, peeled 200 grams large size button mushroom

1/2 cup pitted green olives

3-4 small size Spanish chorizo, cut diagonally

4 to 6 small size sweet pickled jerkins, cut diagonally to small size s eet pickled erkins finely diced

1/2 cup syrup from the sweet pickled jerkins

2 small can liver spread

1/2 head garlic, chopped

2 large size onion, chopped tsp dried parsley akes

1 large size bell pepper, dice into large square

1 tsp. peppercorns

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

2-3 pieces bay leaf

2-3 pieces green/red chilli, sliced salt to taste cooking oil

Cookingprocedure:

In a frying pan fry the beef meatballs on all side until seared, keep aside. In a large sauce pan sutee garlic and onion add in the Spanish chorizo and stir cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the potatoes, carrot, tomato sauce, soy sauce, peppercorns, bay leaf, and dried parsley stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water bring to a boil and simmer for to minutes. Add in the meatballs, liver spread, diced pickled jerkins, pickled jerkins syrup, Worcestershire sauce, chili and continue to simmer for to 10 minutes. Add in the boiled eggs, button mushrooms, olives, cut jerkins and continue to simmer for another to minutes or until the liquid has reduce to a thick consistency. Correct saltiness if required. Add in the cheese and bell pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve.

Green Oasis emerges in Nueva Vizcaya heritage town

DUPAX DEL SUR, Nueva Vizcaya

--Are you looking for a unique tourist destination for your next travel?

Why not the Dupax del Sur, a hilly town in Nueva Vizcaya province.

The town is fast becoming a preferred destination for food and nature lovers, thanks to its beautiful sceneries and a new attraction called the Green Oasis of Dupax.

The Green Oasis of Dupax is a unique dining concept that combines the freshness of farm-to-table cuisine with Italian inspiration. It is situated in an ancestral farm in the inner part of the town, which is famous for the 18th Century St. Vincent Ferrer Church, declared a national treasure by the National Museum in 2001; the Spanish era Dampol Bridge, also a declared National Treasurer; Clouds in the Sky and the oldest acacia tree in Northern Luzon.

The Green Oasis has a restaurant that offers talian and local c isine sing resh ingredients from the fertile soil of Dupax. Guests can enjoy fresh food, stroll around the lush garden and purchase local produce as “pasalubong” or giveaways.

e believe e are the first in eva izcaya to offer a variety o services rom ood garden park and shops in one destination,” says John Lacanlale Danao, Managing Partner of the Green Oasis of Dupax.

Danao says the name of the destination speaks for itself. “As what oasis connotes, we foresee it as a haven of greens rom different plants r its trees o ers and vegetables

“We get most of our ingredients from the farm, especially the herbs and vegetables. Nueva Vizcaya is known for delicious citrus and is considered the vegetable basket of Cagayan Valley region,” he says.

“The project site is an ancestral farm inherited from our Mendoza ancestors whose heritage are Tagbanuas from El Nido, Palawan,” says Danao.

The reen Oasis is sit ated five kilometers from Saint Vincent Ferrer Church or a three-minute drive from Poblacion. Green Oasis welcomes both local and foreign visitors who put a premium on their food and health.

The oasis resta rant reen Oasis itchen is open T esdays to ridays from 11 a.m. to 730 p.m. and Saturdays to Sundays from a.m. to 730 pm. It offers Italian staples as well as all-veggies pizza which is loaded with tomatoes, eggplants, onions and black olives; Teriyaki chicken, Paella; vegetable soups; Mulberry smoothie; Tarragon tea; and many other dishes made from fresh produce from the area.

Aside from the fresh food, diners and visitors can go around the greenhouse, herbal and medicinal plants area and lush garden ith color l o ers

o can try alking o r re e ology path. Kids can play at our playground and vie different animals at o r animal world. You can also shop for native goods and organic prod cts and different plants and o ers says anao

reen Oasis ill soon open a fish pond area, hold Sunday farmers market of organic products and showcase the arts and crafts of local artists.

“With this, we hope that we can help Dupax del Sur and Nueva Vizcaya become a favorite tourism attraction, not merely a transit point for the Banaue Rice Terraces. We also hope to be a venue for local farmers and local artists to showcase their products and talents,” says Danao.

Dupax del Sur is located some 280 kilometers from Manila but travel to this national heritage site has been shortened to o r to five ho rs by the orth zon Expressway (NLex), the Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway (SCTex) and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLex) and good highways in Pangasinan and the adjoining province of Nueva Ecija.

Nueva Vizcaya aims to be a premium ecotourism destination for local and international tourists. Among its attractions are cascading waterfalls, majestic mountains, unspoiled caves, crystal-clear rivers and brooks, historic churches and sacred sites t also offers a ni e c lt ral e perience with multi-ethnic and indigenous people.

Gifted with temperate climate and bountiful agricultural lands, Nueva Vizcaya is also a major producer of highval e crops vegetables and c t o ers