Philippine News Today

1 October 7-13, 2021

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

www.pnewstoday.com

THE PREMIER FILIPINO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN THE U.S. SINCE 1961

Vol. 61 No. 9 October 7-13, 2021

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

PACQUIAO, ISKO, LACSON MARCOS FOR PRESIDENT 4 file CoCs; Robredo, Duterte bids awaited

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor in Chief

PASAY CITY – As the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy ends, four major presidential candidates – Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former Sen. Ferdinand |”Bongbong” Marcos Jr. – have filed their certificates of candidacy, indicating the failure of the opposition to unite against Page 9 the candidate of President Rodrigo Duterte.

PH constitutional Sara firm crisis unfolds on reelection, not presidency MANILA – The feared constitutionBy Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

DAVAO CITY - Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte continued to deny plans to run for president in 2022 after filing her certificate of candidacy for mayor, adding she plans to finish her final term before seeking a Mayor Sara Duterte higher position.

In a post on Facebook, Duterte said it pains her not to be able to heed the call of her supporters, who have been urging her to run for the presidency.

“Masakit din para sa aking damdamin na sana’y magpaubaya sa mga kaibigan na hindi ko maibigay ang gusto ninyo,” she said.

The daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte has been leading opinionPage 10

al crisis sparked by President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for his Cabinet to ignore any summons from the Senate Blue Ribbon committee became reality this week.

Citing the president’s order, Health Secretary Francisco Duque refused to attend further hearings on the investigation of the Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. deal to supply personal protection equipment to the Health department. Page 8

Biden honors Filipinos on FilAm History Month

By Jun Nucum

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden greeted Filipino community and paid tribute to Filipino American frontliners working during “one of the darkest years in our history” as the nation kicked off the celebration of Filipino American Page 9 History Month.

Lacson

Marcos

Pacquiao

Domagoso

Ex-Californian to run for Cebu City Mayor

By Ryan Macasero

CEBU CITY - Former Cebu City councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, the wife of ex-mayor Tomas Osmeña, announced on Monday, October 4, she is running for mayor of Cebu City. (The Osmeñas lived in Los Angeles in 198087. - Ed.) Osmeña made the announcement dur- Former LA resident Margot Osmeña may being the local online talk show of Page 8 come first woman mayor of Cebu City. RAPPLER

Duterte pulls out from VP race, set sight on US visit

By Claire Morales True

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has announced his retirement from politics and, as a proof, he withdrew his certificate of nomination for vice president, instead pushing Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go for the post.

At the same time, Duterte announced that he wants to visit the United States to thank US officials for supporting the fight against Covid-19 in the Philippines.

At press time, Malacañang is still waiting for the final word on the sup- Page 8

PHL debt hits new high of P11.64 Trillion

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Tugade, others linked to offshore accounts VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHOWBIZ

SPORTS

How the USCIS investigates Marriage Fraud

After Lovi Poe, Bea Alonzo to star in Hollywood film

FilAm Wesley So begins US Chess tourney campaign

By A�y. Lozano

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 NATIONAL NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

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Malacanang notes, defends Duterte’s declining support MANILA — Malacañang has acknowledged the seemingly declining support for President Rodrigo Duterte, but defended his latest satisfaction rating pointing out that it was still “very good.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque cited Duterte’s seemingly decreasing satisfaction rating based on the latest Social Weather Systems (SWS) survey held June 2021 which showed a +62 net satisfaction rating.

Even Duterte himself noted his satisfaction rating decline, according to published reports.

“It’s still good but I think it’s time.

There’s always a time for everything.

Even if you get a 64 rating, may panahon panahon ang buhay. So sa palagay ko, tama ‘yung ginawa ko (It’s still good but I think it’s time. There’s always a time for everything. Even if you get a 64 rating, everyone has their own time. So I think, I did the right thing.),” Duterte said.

Meanwhile, based on another SWS survey, nearly half of Filipinos believe it is dangerous to publish or broadcast anything that is against the Duterte administration.

Of 1,200 adults polled on June 2326, 2021, 45 percent believe to print or air anything against the administration is dangerous “even if it is the truth.” Only 25 percent disagreed while the remaining 28 percent were undecided, SWS said.

By area, the proportion of those who have this belief was highest in Metro Manila at 51 percent, followed by the Visayas (46 percent), Balance Luzon (45 percent) and Mindanao (41 percent).

Roque said Duterte’s June 2021 net satisfaction rating is still the highest compared to the previous administrations in the past 30 years.

“Pero ang dapat pong malaman ng taong bayan ay itong +62 po ng June 2021 ang pinakamataas na satisfaction rating

ng kahit sinong presidente matapos po ang Martial Law,” he said in a taped public briefing.

He compared Duterte’s rating to those of past presidents at the start of their final year in office, namely: Corazon Aquino, +24 in April 1991, from +53 in first year; Fidel V. Ramos, +49 in June 1997, from +66; and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, +30 in June 2015, from +60.

There was no data for Joseph Estrada as he did not finish his term, while Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s was at -31 in June 2009, from -32.

“Bagama’t ang 62 po ay mas mababa sa 72, ito po ay very good pa rin, and it is unprecedented for any president,” Roque admitted.

According to SWS, Duterte’s net satisfaction rating peaked at +79 in November 2020.

SWS said Duterte’s latest net satisfaction rating is roughly the same as when he first became president. He received a +64 net satisfaction rating in September 2016.

PHL Covid-19 recovered cases hit 2,471,282 MANILA – The nation’s overall tally of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients who beat the disease have reached 2,471,282 as 133 new recoveries were recorded as of October 6.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the figure is equivalent to a 94.2-percent recovery rate from a total of 2,622,917 infections since the start of the pandemic last year.

The DOH also tallied 9,868 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of active cases in the country to 112,807 or 4.3 percent of all cases.

“The relatively lower case counts today is due to lower laboratory output last Monday, October 4. The DOH is in constant coordination with the DICT [Department of Information and Communication Technology] to resolve technical issues with COVIDKaya,” it said.

Of the active cases, 76.7 percent are mild, 13.9 percent are asymptomatic, 2.8 percent are severe, 5.49 percent are moderate, and 1.2 percent are in critical condition.

There were no new fatalities due to technical issues with COVIDKaya. The country’s death toll remains at 38,828 or 1.48 percent of the total cases.

The DOH said 21 duplicates were removed from the total case count as 16 of those were recoveries.

According to DOH data on October 4, about 18.2 percent of 43,759 who were tested turned out positive for Covid-19.

All laboratories were operational on Oct. 4 while two laboratories were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System.

Based on data in the last 14 days, the two non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 0.2 percent of samples tested and 0.1 percent of positive individuals.

To date, 71 percent of 4,500 intensive care unit beds, 57 percent of 21,000 isolation beds, 61 percent of 15,600 ward beds, and 53 percent of 3,400 ventilators dedicated to patients with Covid-19 are in use nationwide.

In Metro Manila, 69 percent of 1,600 intensive care unit beds, 47 percent of 4,900 isolation beds, 58 percent of 4,300 ward beds, and 57 percent of 1,100 ventilators dedicated to patients with Covid-19 are being used.

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3 October 7-13, 2021

 NATIONAL NEWS

Tugade, Bautista, Uy, other persons, firms in PHL linked to offshore accounts More than 900 individuals and companies linked to the Philippines have appeared in thick files on offshore accounts leaked from unnamed finance providers, which journalists from 117 countries recently investigated, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The report for the country, produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and Rappler, features the offshore companies linked to more than 35 Filipino politicians, contractors, bankers, and business professionals.

Their profiles are based on a cache of leaked documents from offshore ser-

vice providers, namely, Trident Trust, Commence Overseas Limited, Overseas Management Company Trust Limited, Asiaciti Trust, and Alcogal.

The documents were shared with PCIJ and Rappler by ICIJ, which led a global investigation with more than 600 journalists in 117 countries.

PCIJ and Rappler found more than 940 individuals and companies with Philippine addresses in the leaked files.

“We sifted through hundreds of emails, documents, and corporate records and selected names that were in the public interest. There are legitimate uses of offshore companies, and we do not intend to imply that all of the individuals or companies included in this page were in violation of the law,” PCIJ and Rappler said.

The two agencies said

they sent requests for comment to all those on the list. The answers they received are included in the profiles.

On a global scale, the Washington, DC-group found that fugitives, con artists, murderers, and world leaders used offshore accounts to hide wealth and buy properties – in the report it called the “Pandora Papers” which it said “reveal the inner workings of a shadow economy that benefits the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of everyone else.”

An extremely small number of these accounts are tied to big businesses with legitimate sources, and whose reasons for moving and keeping their wealth overseas may indicate how the Philippine financial system has been slow on reforms, the journalists said.

They added that the rest of the Philippine-linked accounts are mysterious at the very least.

Another page found in the investigation was that a high-ranking Cabinet official in the Duterte administration, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, has his name listed as keeping an offshore firm off the business list.

Despite repeated attempts by the PCIJ and Rappler to send questions to Tugade, neither he nor his staff had responded as of press time.

PCIJ and Rappler quoted a former finance undersecretary as saying that since the Philippine government taxes resident citizens on worldwide income, the Bureau of Internal Revenue should be investigating if Tugade’s British Virgin Islands firm has undeclared earnings.

Tugade has been keeping an offshore company while he occupied government posts in the last eight years, but didn’t declare it in his list of businesses, as required of public of- (Continued on page 14)

PHL bats for ‘new multilateralism’, inclusive world economy NEW YORK/PASAY CITY – The Philippine government has called for a “new democratic multilateralism” and an inclusive world economy that empowers not only a few but also the marginalized and vulnerable.

In a pre-recorded message to the 15th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad 15) on October 5, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. highlighted the need for a “decisive transformation of multilateralism” to address the gaps in multilateral developmental processes and the “longignored vulnerabilities” of developing countries, especially with the ongoing global health crisis.

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“Just as we did in 1964 and 1979, we need to find fresh approaches in 2021 to prepare ourselves for the rest of the decade,” Locsin said. “This pandemic has caused the most significant disruption in

economic, social, and political – not to mention life itself since the Second World War. It demands no less than a major shift in another or at least reinvigorated paradigm.”

 METRO NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

10-story new Ospital ng Maynila completed in December - Isko MANILA – The construction of the 10-story Bagong Ospital ng Maynila is expected to be finished by December this year, the city government of Manila disclosed.

The P2.3-billion hospital, a major project of Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, is located along President Quirino Avenue, broke ground in June last year.

The modern hospital will be fully

airconditioned with 384 beds, 12 intensive care units, and 20 private rooms.

There will also be a three-story parking area and a helipad for emergency cases.

The old building of the 52-year facility will be used by students of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine once the new hospital, which has a total floor area of 29,951 square meters, is already operational.

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Lacuna seeks to become Manila’s first lady mayor

LACUNA and SERVO

Belmonte and Sotto seek 2nd term in QC

the city’s local chief executive.

Belmonte filed her CoC before the local Commission on Elections under the Serbisyo sa Bayan Party.

Belmonte is expected to face Anak Kalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor.

Belmonte’s runningmate will again be Vice Mayor Gian Sotto. Congressman Winnie Castelo is expected to be Defensor’s running mate.

Before being elected city mayor in BELMONTE VS DEFENSOR 2019, Belmonte served as Quezon City QUEZON CITY - Quezon City Mayor vice mayor for three terms from 2010 to Josefina Joy Belmonte has filed her certif- 2019.

Included in the Defensor’s congrresicate of candidacy for her second term as

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sional ticket is Rose Lin, a controversial executive of Pharmally Biological, who will run as 5th district representative.

Lin previously attended a Senate probe to shed light on Pharmally Biological’s supposed links to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. which is under fire for alleged anomalous purchases of face masks, face shields, and personal protective equipment.

Defensor previously served as city councilor and congressman of Quezon City. He was also a Cabinet member during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

MANILA — Manila Vice Mayor Sheilah Honey Lacuna-Pangan is seeking history to be the first lady mayor of Manila filing her certificate of candidacy for the post with her runningmate Manila 3rd District Rep. John Marvin Nieto.

Lacuna, who is doctor, is seeking to replace presidential aspirant Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso.

Lacuna and Nieto, who is popularly known by his actor name Yul Servo, are running under the banner of Asenso Manileño.

Lacuna led the six district hospitals in the nation’s capital and the Manila Health Department (MHD) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 October 7-13, 2021

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Arenas, de Venecia, 136 other bets file COCs in Pangasinan nas has filed her certificate of candidacy for congrersswoman in the third district of Pangasinan.

Arenas was among the first to file her COC on October 1 at the Comelec Pangasinan provincial office here under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

It will be a comeback bid for Arenas who had served as congresswoman earlier.

FIRST. Movie and Television Review and If she wins, she will replace her mother, Classifica�on Board (MTRCB) chairper- incumbent Rep. Rose Marie “Baby” Areson Ma. Rachel Arenas files her cer�fi- nas, who is Deputy Speaker in the House cate of candidacy (COC) at the Comelec of Representatives. office in Dagupan City.

Calasiao Liga ng mga Barangay President Mamilyn ‘Maya’ Caramat also filed DAGUPAN CITY - Movie and Teleher COC, challenging the incumbent mayvision Review and Classification Board or, Joseph Arman Bauzon.

(MTRCB) chairperson Ma. Rachel Are-

Reelectionist fourth District Rep. electionist, and a new aspirant.

Christopher de Venecia, who is running For the board members at the Sangguunder the Lakas-CMD, also filed his COC niang Panlalawigan, there are five aspiring through his lawyer Evelyn Panlaque. candidates so far.

Some 135 other aspiring candidates have filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for the different electoral seats in Pangasinan as of October 2.

Citing data gathered from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) said hat four have filed COCs for the congressional post, two of them are incumbent officials, one re-

Taal Volcano emits record-high level of sulfur dioxide TAGAYTAY CITY – Taal Volcano emitted a record-high level of sulfur dioxide on October 5, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.

The volcano in Batangas province spewed out 25,456 tons of sulfur dioxide, beating the previous record of 22,648 tons per day logged on July 4.

Phivolcs also noted a visibly moderate to strong degassing in the volcano’s main crater. It also

released steam-laden plumes as high as 3,000 meters above the Taal Volcano Island (TVI).

“A sudden inflation of TVI was detected by GPS monitoring in August 2021, which may indicate renewed pressurization of the subsurface hydrothermal system due to continuous magmatic degassing,” state volcanologists said.

Taal Volcano remains at Alert Level 2 where steam-driven or

phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, and ashfall can still occur in the vicinity of TVI. The volcano has been at the same alert level since July 23, after it was raised to Alert Level 3 due to a phreatomagmatic eruption on July 1.

The state volcanology bureau also reminded the public that entry into the volcano’s permanent danger zone and fishing in Taal Lake are prohibited by law.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

It’s Singson vs Singson in Ilocos Sur in 2022 polls my name under public embarassment),” the visibly-irked but cool Singson said in NARVACAN, Ilocos Sur - It’s an un- a live radio interview here.

But Chavit expressed doubt where the usual election atmosphere here in Ilocos two-Gov Ryan and Savellano- got their Sur. This as former Governor, now Nar- money.

“Where did they get that big amount vacan town mayor Luis Chavit Singson, will be slugging it out in the governorship of money,” asked Singson, further boostagainst the wife of his own son, outgoing ing suspicion that politics is a juicy position where corrupt politicians can easily Governor Ryan Singson.

Offended by his governor-son’s chal- make money at the expense of the public.

Now on his last term as governor, lenging behaviors against him, Mayor Chavit Singson, who is currently the Ryan Singson filed his Certificate of Canpresident of the League of the Munici- dicacy for vice governor while his wife palities of the Philippines, vowed to Patch filed her COC to run for governor that irked Chavit and Savellano is seeking reelection, challenging another Chavit’s son former congressman Ronald Singson.

Chavit lamented that “All of them came and saw their political careers rise through me from nothing.

Now they are going against me.”

Mayor Chavit Singson and son Governor Ryan Singson.

And Ilocos Sur folk are watching spend 10 times more than the amount to what happens next.

“Ryan is now challenging me when be spent by his political foes.

“Nadamagko nga adda kan P1 billion since from the start I was telling them that da Gov. Ryan ken manugang na nga ni I will run for governor. But what he did is Cong. DV Savellano nga nakasagana nga that he (Ryan) had his wife Patch filed her gastosenda toy umay nga election. Ngem COC for governor while his father-in-law aramidek nga 10 times ti gastosek toy seeks reelection, squaring off with his son election saanak la ketdi maibabain, (I was Ronald,” pointed out Chavit.

So as to settle this politically-ignited informed that Gov Ryan and his father- in law DV Savellano have P1B to spend this rift in the family, Chavit Singson asked coming election. But I’ll spend 10 times Savellano whom he helped rose in his more than that amount so as not be put political career from ‘nothing’ to Vice

By MAR T SUPNAD

mayor, board member, Vice governor, governor and congressman to cool-off just for one term only and withdraw his COC. “If they sacrifice for one term then all these family rifts will be solved. But if they decide to fight me, then I’ll fight them. I was not born yesterday,” said Chavit, a kingmaker and known political kingpin in the region.

Chavit vowed to spend all his money in the coming elections just to ensure his victory and that of his son Ronald.

Savellano has yet to answer when this writer tried to get his reaction.

To defuse the tension, Ryan immediately called for ‘ceasefire’ by proposing to withdraw their COCs but did not mention that of DV. Feeling betrayed, Chavit hit back, saying “Diak mamati ta ibagbagana ta awan sinseridadna ni Ryan; apay nga pinalabanannak ket manipud sipod ibagbagakon nga ag governornak,”( I do not believe the sincerity of what Ryan is saying; why he put an opponent of mine since from the start I am saying that I will run for governor).”

In the first day of filing of COC, Ryan, now on his third and last term as governor, his wife Patch Savellano-Singson and his father- in -law reelectionist congressman DV Savellano (1st district) immediately filed their COCs in the morning, earning the ire of Chavit who was surprised and shocked by the filing of COCs of the three.

“Siak amin ti naggapoanda nga dimmakkel ti politika ket itan sangdoendak metten; naawanen respetoda ken utang nga naimbag nga nakemda”( All of them came and rose their political careers from me; now they are now goring me, they have no more respect and debt of gratitude), lamented Singson in a telephone interview by this writer.

House okays P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 QUEZON CITY — Days before going to recess, the House of Representatives, voting 238-6-0, has approved in a rush House Bill 10153 or the proposed P5.024 trillion 2022 national budget on second, third and final readings on the same day.

No amendments were made by the plenary, but the House created a small committee that will accept and process individual proposals from lawmakers that will be included in the final version of the bill that will be submitted to the Senate.

Members of the small committee for the majority were Reps. Eric Go Yap, Joey Salceda, and Martin Romualdez; Rep. Stella Quimbo for the minority, and independent member Rep. Edcel Lagman. Lawmakers have until Octo-

ber 5 to submit their proposed amendments.

Under the approved budget bill, education remained the top recipient of the budget, P773.6 billion in 2022 compared to P751.7 billion in 2021, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, which received P686.1 billion in 2022 compared to P695.7 billion in 2021.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government has the third largest allocation (P250.4 billion compared to P249.3 billion in 2021).

Despite being in the middle of the pandemic, the Department of Health only got P242.0 billion compared to P210.2 billion in 2021.

The Department of National Defense received P222 billion, the Department

of Social Welfare and Development got P191.4 billion, the Department of Transportation got P151.3 billion, and the Department of Agriculture with P103.5 billion.

The Department of Justice got P45 billion, and the Department of Labor and Employment with P44.9 billion.

The budget of the top 10 departments amounts to P2.71 trillion and comprises 53.9 percent of the 2022 allocation.

The 2022 budget is 11.5 percent higher than this year’s budget. It has P252.4 billion for health spending.

The measure will be submitted to the Senate whose members now have time to study the bill ahead of the resumption of sessions in October and approve the budget before yearend, to prevent a reenacted budget.

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Official: Voters’ listing extended up to Oct. 31

MANILA – It’s official - registration for voters for the May 9, 2022 elections is extended up to October 31.

This as President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law extending the voters’ registration deadline for the 2022 national and local elections for another 30 days.

Under Republic Act 11591 (RA) 11591, Duterte set the last day for the filing of registration of voters for the 2022 polls “30 days after the effectivity” of the new law.

RA 11591, a copy of which was released on October 1, takes effect immediately after its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

The Senate and the House of Representatives on Monday night unanimously approved a measure seeking the extension of voter registration deadline for the 2022 elections for one more month.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) originally set the deadline for the nationwide voter registration on Sept. 30.

Lawmakers have sought the extension of voters’ registration, saying nearly six months of the registration was lost when the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic began and quarantine measures were imposed.

According to the data released by the Comelec, there are now 61 million registered voters, including 3,681,958 new registrants, for the 2022 elections.

The figure, however, is still short of the 73.3 million projected voting population reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in February 2021.

The extended voter registration would be held from Monday to Friday during office hours.

For this period, all services like reactivation and registration for new voters will be offered.

7 October 7-13, 2021

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Pacquiao’s brother files CoC for Sarangani governor ‘THE BIG THREE.’ Sarangani province’s touted “big three” – (from le�) outgoing Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon, Rep. Rogelio Pacquiao, and Vice Governor Elmer de Peralta – pose in front of supporters before filing their cer�ficates of candidacies under the ruling local poli�cal party People’s Champ Movement.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker and Sarangani Rep. Rogelio Pacquiao has filed his certificate for governor of Sarangani province and vowed to further accelerate the province’s

development and progress.

Accompanied by dozens of family members, close allies, and supporters, the second-term lawmaker filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for governor shortly before 3 p.m. at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office in Alabel town.

He led the complete provincial slate of the ruling People’s Champ Movement (PCM), a local political party founded by his elder brother and presidential candidate Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao.

“I am very happy that we are all here, united to push for more changes and make our beloved province better,” he told reporters after emerging from the Comelec office.

The PCM picked incumbent Vice Governor Elmer de Peralta, currently on his second term, as Rogelio’s running mate while outgoing Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon will be vying for the province’s lone congressional seat.

The provincial board slate in the province’s first district is led by incumbents Rosemarie Martinez Sayo, Jess Bascuña, and Russel Jamora, brother of Senator Manny’s wife Jinkee, and newcomer Arnold Abequibel.

In the second district, the party fielded incumbents Corazon Grafilo, Tranquilino Ruiz, Irish Arnado, Ephraim Galzote, Joseph Calanao, and new addition Gwyn Singcoy.

If elected, Rogelio said he would continue the programs started by Solon and introduce initiatives that would bring more development opportunities to the province.

He said he has enough experience to lead the province as governor after completing two straight terms in the House of Representatives.

At the local level, he said his office helped facilitate the implementation of millions worth of infrastructure projects and provided various services.

“Our family and party are very grateful for the trust and support of the people of Sarangani. Rest assured that we will continue to work to uplift the quality of life of every Sarangan,” Rogelio said.

He said the party is also fully supporting the presidential bid of Senator Pacquiao.

“We support him 101 percent. We’re happy for him, especially if given the chance to lead our country, God willing,” he said.

Metro Manila fully vaccinates 75 pct of target vs COVID-19 MANILA - Good news to Metro Manila folk.

The Department of Health has reported that the metropolis has vaccinated at least 16 million or 75 percent of its target population against COVID-19.

Of the 16.1 million vaccinated, at least 8.7 million got their first jabs.

A total of 7,408,813 people have been fully vaccinated, representing 75.57 of the target population, he said in a press briefing.

About 70 to 80 percent of a population should be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity,.

“Ang Metro Manila po ang siyang

talagang nagdadala ng COVID sa buong Pilipinas. ‘Pag nabigyan na natin ng proteksyon ang 75 to 80 percent ng population, magugutom ‘yong sakit at therefore, hindi na siya kakalat sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.

“Hindi po favoritism iyong paguuna natin sa Metro Manila; ito po ay nakabase sa sensiya,” continued the official.

Home to some 13 million residents, the capital region is expected to raise its vaccination coverage to 84 percent “in one month” and 92 percent in December, said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos.

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9 October 7-13, 2021 Pacquiao..

 NATIONAL NEWS Biden...

(From page 1)

In the meantime, the moves of Vice President Leni Robredo and Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio are awaited going into October 8, the deadline of the filing of CoCs, in the wake of Duterte’s announcement that the administration would be fielding a “Sara-Bong Co” ticket, with the presidential daughter as candidate for president and Sen. Christopher Lawrence Bong Go for vice president.

Robredo, who is considered as the opposition’s best bet for president, said that after months of dillydallying on her political plans, she would make an announcement on October 7, presumably on whether to run for president, vice president or governor of Camarines Sur. Mayor Sara, who has been topping surveys, has filed her CoC for mayor in Davao City and insisted that she would not run for president, which supporters and many doubted. Many followers of Mayor Sara continue to drump public clamor for her to run for president.

Meanwhile, those who filed COC for vice president were Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza

in tandem with Pacquiao; Senate President Vicente Sotto with Lacson; Dr. Willie Ong with Mayor Domagoso. Marcos has no identified VP candidate.

Several reelectionist senators and comebacking senators led

by Rep. Loren Legarda, Juan Miguel Zubiri, JV Ejercito, Jose Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Gov. Francis Escudero, have filed their CoCs. Marcos, the latest to file a CoC at the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent in Pasay City, declared readiness to have a possible “rematch” with Vice President Leni Robredo, who edged him back in the 2016 elections.

Political coalition 1SAMBAYAN and other groups immediately urged the public to reject what it called “lies” and “historical distortions” from the Marcos family.

In a statement, the group stressed that the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was not the “golden era” of the Philippines, contrary to what was being propagated by the family’s supporters.

Lacson said their tandem aims to reinstate the trust of the people

in the government.

“Ability, Honesty, and Courage. The Lacson-Sotto tandem aims to restore the people’s trust in our government,” he added.

Lacson is running under the Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma (PDR), while Sotto is representing the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

A total of 15 aspirants for president, one seeking vice presidency, and 19 senatorial hopefuls filed COCs on Wednesday Since the eight-day filing period started on Oct. 1, there are already 41 applicants for president, nine for vice president, 63 for senator, and 125 for party-list seats have filed their COCs. The Comelec said there are already a total of 145 individuals who filed COCs for House of Representatives nationwide as of October 5.

It said 53 COCs for the position of governor, 33 for vice governor, 354 for Sangguniang Panlalawigan, 936 for mayor, 823 for vice mayor, and 7,116 for Sangguniang Panglungsod/ Bayan have already been filed in different Comelec offices nationwide.

(From page 1)

In a statement issued by the White House, Biden recognized Filipino Americans’ contribution in the fight against the global health crisis, saying they have been “selflessly working on the widespread frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

At the same time, the US president said, “Filipino American History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on the achievements and milestones of Filipino Americans across the Nation.”

“Their contributions are reflected in some of our Nation’s greatest triumphs and struggles. When the United States and our allies overcame enemy forces to bring World War II to an end, Filipino Americans were fighting on the frontlines to make our victory possible. When Filipino farmers workers organized across the Nation, including the Delano Grape Strike in California, they catalyzed permanent changes that improved the conditions of farm labor in the United States,” Biden added.

He noted that Filipino Americans have continued to serve and sacrifice on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“According to one study from last fall, while Filipino Americans comprised just four percent of nurses in the United States in 2020, they accounted for nearly a third of all nurses who tragically lost their lives due to COVID-19,” Biden said.

“Today, our nation mourns their losses and honors the tremendous contributions of Filipino Americans during this global health crisis and throughout our history,” he added.

“Filipino Americans are an essential part of our nation’s strength and diversity, a living reminder of the courage of immigrants, and a growing force in our civic movements and engagement,” he said.

Biden concluded his statement by thanking the Filipino American community for their sacrifices and service.

Filipinos’ recorded presence in the continental United States dates as far back as October 1587.

 NATIONAL NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

10

Pinol files CoC for senator, vows to fight for farmers, fishers

By Claire Morales True DAVAO CITY – Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has resigned from his post to run as senator in the 2022 elections to fight for the cause of the country’s farmers, fisherfolk and the agriculture industry.

Immediately, Pinol was supported by various groups like the big group Federation of Free Farmers.

The farmers federation cited Piñol’s excellent rapport with agricultural stakeholders and steadfast stance against large-scale importation of agricultural products during his stint as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture from 2016 to 2019.

According to FFF Board Chairman Leonardo Q. Montemayor: “Piñol sacri-

Sara...

(From page 1)

polls for the presidency but said she would not pursue higher office after her father declared his plan to run for vice president.

This despite President Duterte’s announcement that it will be team-up of Mayor Sara with Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go for vice president.

Mayor Sara said the presidency was not necessary to be able to help the country.

“Gawin natin ang pagtulong sa kapwa sa araw-araw natin na pamumuhay,” she said.

ficed his DA position rather than surrender to the economic managers of the current administration, who inundated the rice industry with unlimited quantities of imported rice and thereby seriously undermined the livelihood and incomes of several million farmers.”

Montemayor cited Piñol’s major innovations in the DA, such as the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Project, which undertook targeted interventions in the country’s poorest provinces Himself a former DA Secretary, Montemayor also mentioned Piñol’s outstanding record in agriculture during the latter’s stint as Provincial Governor of Cotabato from 1998 to 2007.

“During his younger days in his hometown of M’lang, Piñol was an active mem-

ber of the Junior Free Farmers, the FFF’s youth arm,” Montemayor recalled.

In a Facebook post, Piñol said he tendered his resignation to President Rodrigo Duterte effective Oct. 5 and “thanked him for the opportunity to serve the country.”

“Today, I have reached a decision to vie for a seat in the Philippine Senate to pursue my advocacy to help the Filipino farmers and fishermen become more productive while at the same time ensuring food security and economic prosperity in the country,” he said.

Pacquiao said he could have opted to stay as MinDA Chairman until 2025 when his term expires but he found no candidate so far who want to stand up and fight for the farmers and fishermen.

Piñol served as Agriculture Secretary

Mayor Sara’s supporters, however, continue to push hard to persuade the lady mayor to join the presidential race for the 2022 elections.

This came about after the mayor filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for reelection in this city over the weekend.

In a statement, the Inday Sara Duterte Ako (ISDA) said they respect her decision to run for mayor anew and they will rally behind her.

However, due to the recent turnout of political events, and with the presidentiables who have so far filed their respective

certificates of candidacy, ISDA said they are left with no choice but to join the call for Mayor Duterte to run in 2022 presidential polls.

“We believe Mayor Inday is the best bet our countrymen could ever choose,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Sara All Philippines 2022 also conveyed their message that they are not giving up on Mayor Duterte until she gives her nod and takes on the challenge.

“We are not giving up. We are not losing hope. We were buoyed up by the fact that President Rodrigo Duterte did not pur-

SENATORIAL BET. Farmer-journalist Manny Pinol in a file photo with President Duterte while he was Secretary of Agriculture.

from June 30, 2016 to Aug. 5, 2019 and as Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority from Aug. 5, 2019 to Oct. 5, 2021. sue plans to run for Vice President thereby paving the way for just one Duterte to run for national office,” the group statement said.

The group added that the deadline for the filing of COCs is still three days away, on October 8, and they are hopeful that before then, Mayor Duterte will answer the call of duty and the clamor of the people for her to run.

“Switching her COC is still possible, to withdraw her COC for Mayor filed in Davao City and submit another one, this time a COC for President in Manila.

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 OPINION FilAms built this nation too

S

EDITORIAL

T

He is completely unworthy

he cast of characters for next year’s presidential elections in our beloved motherland, the Republic of the Philippines, is now complete it seems.

Unless Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte throws her hat in the ring as had been widely expected before, the five candidates who are seeking to succeed Rodrigo Roa Duterte as president are Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senators Manny Pacquiao and Ping Lacson, Vice President Leni Robredo, and former senator Bongbong Marcos.

Just like all the presidential elections in the post-Edsa Revolt era, there will be no two-way race for the Philippine presidency, but rather a multi-cast of characters each seeking to convince the electorate that they are the right choice to lead the country in the next six years.

All the presidential bets have their strengths and weaknesses, with some having more to offer than others.

There is, however, one candidate who does not belong in the list because he has absolutely nothing to offer the country and its people.

This would be the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Bongbong, as he is known to all, is running despite his questionable background. He constantly denies that his family plundered the country’s resources to the tune of billions of dollars when they were kicked out of Malacanang in 1986.

He can deny the grand larceny perpetrated by his father and mother and their cronies till hell freezes over. The simple fact is that hundreds of millions of unexplained wealth was recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government, and there is a wealth of evidence to prove that they absconded with much more than has been returned to the country’s coffers.

His family was also guilty of perpetrating mass killings long before Rodrigo Duterte thought it was a good idea to execute suspected drug users without benefit of trial. But in the case of the senior Marcos, the men, women and children who were executed were suspected of being communists or communist sympathizers.

The desaparecidos number in the tens of thousands. Their blood is in the hands of the Marcoses.

We might have been in a more forgiving mood towards Bongbong if he were not such a spoiled brat with an overblown sense of entitlement.

He went to one of the most expensive universities in the world for seven long years and couldn’t even manage to complete any course.

As senator, he served for six years and produced one unimportant bill, resetting the date of an election.

Worst of all, he was not even man enough to accept his defeat in the hands of Leni Robredo when they both ran for vice president in 2016.

What then does Bongbong Marcos have to offer the Filipino people?

Because of his lack of any achievement in the fields of scholastics and governance, he has been using an army of trolls to try and convince voters that he will bring back the glory days of the first Marcos presidency.

What gall.

This early, we are raising the warning signal to all our countrymen. A return of a Marcos to Malacanang will be a total and absolute disaster. Worst of all, the Philippines will be a global laughing stock during the six years that he will pretend to be president if he wins, while his underlings will continue the plunder first perpetrated by his father and later followed up by the current president.

For the sake of our children and our children’s children, we ask that all Filipino and FilAm voters reject Bongbong Marcos, and relegate him to the dustbin of history where he and his family belong.

Upside

EATTLE-BASED Filipino American National Historical Society sowed the seeds bloomed into this country’s celebration of October to recognize and appreciate Filipino contributions to the nation.

As far back as 1991, FANHS’ co-founders, educators Fred and Dorothy Cordova, and its board of trustees first issued a resolution designating the 10th month for the first known recorded landing of Filipinos on what would be the United States. That was October 18, 1587 on Morro Bay in what is now San Luis Obispo County.

While FANHS and its chapters across the country have CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO been marking the month with educational and cultural activities since the last decade of the previous century, time had marched on before the occasion reached broader official status.

The legislature of the youngest state but with the largest Filipino population per capita in April 2008 first promulgated October as the month to celebrate the contributions of Filipinos to Hawaii and the United States. Gov. Linda Lingle signed the legislation introduced by the Filipino Caucus led by former State Rep. Joey Manahan.

FANHS notes 2009 as the year the US Congress finally and officially recognized October as Filipino American History month. The President was Barack Obama. Nancy Pelosi was House Speaker and Joe Biden was the Senate Majority Leader.

October happens to be the birth month of Larry Itliong, leader of the movement to unionize farm workers. For him and fellow FilAm labor leader Phillip Vera Cruz was named Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in Union City.

On a bittersweet note, October 2016 was the month heart failure robbed the FilAm community of beloved role model Alice Bulos. In her honor, the City of South San Francisco has renamed the Westborough Recreation Center as the Alice Peña Bulos Recreation Center.

Dedication rites are set for 11 am, Saturday, Oct. 23. Her legacy of community service and political empowerment lives in South City Vice Mayor Mark Nagales and Council Member Flor Nicolas, who attribute their motivation to their “Tita Alice.”

Today organizations serving areas with high concentrations of FilAms take a moment to raise awareness of FilAm history and heritage to promote understanding and solidarity. Like this blurb posted in the weekly message from the Executive Team of Peninsula Family Service, a nonprofit serving the counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Benito for over 70 years: “October is Filipino American History Month, a time to commemorate the contributions of Americans whose presence in this land was first recorded in the 1600s on the coast of Monterey, California, and in the bayous of Louisiana. They were conscripted laborers who jumped off the Spanish ships along the Galleon Trade. Filipino Americans today descended from US government scholars, farm workers, WWII veterans, medical and other professionals, and political exiles, among folks from the former US colony on the Pacific, who arrived in waves in search of freedom and economic opportunities. FilAms (Continued on page 27)

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 OPINION

October 7-13, 2021

PerryScope

n September 15, 2021, US President Joe Biden together with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the formation of AUSUK --- a defense and security partnership between Australia, the US, and the UK -- which “will protect and defend shared interests in the PERRY DIAZ Indo-Pacific.” AUSUK had been in the works secretly for 18 months.

AUSUK’s primary aim is to block China at sea. However, in all honesty, it is intended to stop China from encroaching into the South China Sea, which is delineated by the First Island Chain that stretches from Japan by way of Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It will turn Australia into a base for a nuclear-powered submarine fleet and increase information sharing among Australia’s allies.

The first initiative under AUSUK will be the creation of nuclear-powered submarine technology for the Royal Australian Navy. For starters, eight nuclear-powered submarines are planned. In addition, the pact also covers the sharing of cyber warfare and other diverse undersea technologies.

US long-term strategy On geopolitical terms, AUSUK would strengthen the US long-term strategy to contain China using Australia as a proxy.

With a fleet of nuclear submarines prowling the depths of the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Australia’s naval power would supplement America’s naval supremacy in the Indo-Pacific region.

AUSUK would supplement the Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA), which was established 50 years ago to enhance bilateral defense relationships and mutual cooperation between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK. It’s noteworthy to mention that they’re all Commonwealth members and once were part of the British Empire.

And with AUSUK now part of the Indo-Pacific geopolitical calculus, it brings the alliance under America’s nuclear umbrella or to be more precise, underwater nuclear deterrence. With Australia becoming a nuclear submarine power, it adds strength and breadth to America’s worldwide network of military alliances that now encompass the entire Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Pine Gap Australia is also the site of Joint Defense Facility Pine Gap (JDFPG), which plays a key role in providing information for intelligence purposes, as well as for military operations, including air strikes. It is partly run by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US National Security Agency (NSA).

Pine Gap’s location is strategically significant because it controls U.S. spy satellites as they pass over one-third of the globe, including China, the Asian parts of Russia, and the Middle East. In other words, once a missile is launched from any of these places, Pine Gap is instantly alerted and the missile is tracked, providing the U.S. with valuable information to intercept it.

Since the South China Sea is within range of Pine Gap’s satellite surveillance, China’s seven bases in the artificial islands in the Spratly Archipelago are within reach of the U.S.’s cruise missiles deployed in the area and can strike any of the bases within 30 seconds.

The Quad Another development that has been moving fast is the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (also known as the Quad (US, Australia, Japan, and India).

In a joint statement in March 2021, “The Spirit of the Quad,” the Quad members described “a shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” and a “rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas.” The Quad members said they are needed to counter Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea. Recently, South Korea applied for membership in the Quad, a move that would solidify the Quad’s influence in the IndoPacific. It would be a counter-balance to China’s growing influence in the region. With South Korea and the possibility of New Zealand and Vietnam also joining the Quad, the partnership could evolve into “Quad Plus,” which could eventually emerge as the next global theater of power politics and competition. As a result, there had been (Continue on page 27)

L

ast week an old client from Daly City, California called Mobile Signing Services (MSS) requesting help for the notarization and authentication (red ribbon) of documents required by her bank in the Philippines.

I explained to her that as of May 14, 2019, the Philip- ART GABOT MADLAING pine Consulate Office in San Francisco, California no longer issue Certificate of Authentication (red ribbon) for documents notarized by accredited and commissioned Notary Public. The notarized documents must now be submitted to the Secretary of State, Notary Public Section in Sacramento or Los Angeles for apostille.

My old client insisted that the branch manager of her bank in the Philippines instructed her to specifically have the notarized documents be authenticated (red ribbon) by the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, California.

I explained to my old client that the bank branch manager must be ignorant to the provisions and effectivity on the Accession of the Philippines to the Hague Apostille Convention, which triggered the changes and support the Apostille legal validity. I instructed our lady client to send a copy of the Special Notice from the Philippine Consulate, Legal Section, to the bank branch manager as a way to inform and educate her.

For the information and guidance of our readers and the general public, I would like to share some excerpts of the Special Notice from the Philippine Consulate, Legal Section, on the Accession of the Philippines to the Hague Apostille Convention.

“The Philippine Consulate shall no longer issue Authentication Certificate (red ribbon) for documents notarized or apostilled in the states under its jurisdiction namely: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State, Northern Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Northern California.

If you notarized before 14 May 2019, the Philippine Consulate will (1) still accept it for authentication (red ribbon) or (2) you may advice the applicant to secure and Apostille. On the other hand, if you notarized documents from 14 May 2019 onwards, we will no longer authenticate said documents. The applicant shall forward it to the issuing State/Competent Authority for the issuance of an Apostille Certificate.

Please not that apostilled document/s no longer need additional authentication by the Philippine Consulate General.

Once apostilled. It already had legal validity and can be sent to the Philippines for use.”

MSS is committed and will continue to assist and help old and new clients especially the veterans, elderly and physically handicapped in the notarization and apostille follow-up of Affidavits, Special Power of Attorney, DEED OF ABSOLUTE SALE, Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate, Proof of Life, DEED OF DONATION and other documents needed in the Philippines and the other member nations of the Hague Apostille Convention.

For immediate assistance and help, just write or contact: MOBILE SIGNING SERVICES, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel. (650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:agmadlaing@hotmail.com TRIBUTE TO FIL-AM SONS As a father, grandfather, husband and former resident of Vallejo, California for more than five years, I am delighted and happy to know about the military careers of Jerard Delfin and Jonathan Delfin, sons of Gerardo C. Delfin and Maria C. Martinez Delfin.

Jerard Delfin, age 28, serves in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was promoted to captain in the Fall of 2020 and is assigned at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Jerard graduated from San Jose State University in San Jose, California Class of 2016 earning a BS in Justice Studies.

Jonathan Delfin, age 26, serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. He was promoted to SSgt in the Summer of 2020 and is assigned at Travis Air Force Base (AFB) in Fairfield, California. Jonathan graduated from San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California Class of 2020 earning BS in Electrical Engineering.

The two brothers, Jerard and Jonathan, are very good role models for our young people, the so called “millennials.”

May your tribe increase!

“I am proud and thank the Lord (Continue on page 27)

Health & Wealth

O

“

Apostille legal validity; tribute to Fil-Am sons

Philippines could be number 1

W “

e Ignore God’s Blessings And Choose to Remain Poor!”

There is this anecdote about an Israeli Agriculture Expert who reportedly said: “Give me Mindanao, I will feed the whole world.”

The Expert, who was not identified, may have been exaggerating but knowing the agricultural potentials of Min- MANNY PINOL danao compared to the limitations in space and precipitation in Israel, his statement actually had a valid basis.

Israel has an area of only 2.2-million hectares compared to 30-million hectares of the Philippines; it has a rainfall of only about 360-mm every year compared to the Philippines 3,000 to 4,000-mm; and it has only four major river systems compared to the hundreds of “living” rivers in the Philppines.

In fact, the land area of Israel is even smaller than that of two provinces of Mindanao - Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur which are blessed with so many rivers, cool mountain climate and huge lakes but which are among the poorest areas of the Philippines.

So, what is it that Israel is doing right and what is wrong with us?

Israel has identified stable food supply as the foundation of their nation which would help them survive in times of crisis as shown by their great ancestor, Joseph, who saved the Pharoah of Egypt survive a 7-year famine in Biblical times.

Our economic planners simply do not understand the importance of food production in nation-building and they consider agriculture as a dying industry which people must abandon.

In fact, in the disastrous Rice Tariffication Law pushed by the Economic Managers, they proposed Crop Diversification, meaning Rice Farmers should start planting other more profitable crops instead of rice.

Parang ganoon lang kadali turuan ang mga Pilipino na baguhin ang kanilang kinakain samantalang iyon ngang kambing ay hindi puedeng magpalit ng kinakain ng pabigla-bigla sapagkat mag-tatae.

Gusto ng ating mga legislators at mga Economic Managers na hayaan lang ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda na makipag-kumpetinsya sa mga dayuhang magsasaka.

“Our farmers are not competitive compared to the Vietnamese farmers,” sabi pa ng isa nating taga-gawa ng mga polisya at batas sa agrikultura.

Paano magiging competitive ang magsasaka at mangingisda na Pilipino samantalang nakatira sila sa magkakahiwalay na mga isla at kulang ang imprastruktura upang madala ang kanilang mga produkto sa merkado at the least expense.

Sa kabouan, 12,000 kilometers pa ng Farm to Market Roads ang hindi nagagawa sa buong bansa, kalahati lamang ng 4.9-million hectares na mga palayan ang may irigasyon, wala man lamang pagawaan ng yelo o ice sa mga lugar na pangisdaan, mataas ang presyo ng abono at farm inputs at walang access sa stable market ang ating mga food producers at kinakawawa sila ng mga traders.

So, paano sila magiging competitive?

Napakalawak at napakayaman ng Pilipinas at iyan ay masasabi ko ng buong katapatan sapagkat naikot ko ang buong bansa bilang Agriculture Secretary at MinDA Chairman - mula Itbayat sa Batanes hanggang Turtle Islands sa Tawitawi.

Hwag na tayong lumayo.

Puntahan ninyo ang lalawigan ng Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon at ka-Bicolan at makikita ninyo ang mga lupang nakatiwangwang at mga magsasakang ang tanging tanong: “Ano ang itatanim namin, saan namin ibebenta at magkano naman kaya ang kikitain namin.”

Kung mabibigyan natin ng katugunan ang mga isyu at katangungan na ito, kayang-kaya ng Pilipinas na magparami ng pagkain at sa pamamagitan nito makapagbigay ng maraming trabaho at hindi na kailangan mangibang-bayan ang ating mga asawa at anak upang maging katulong.

Walang panama sa atin ang Israel, Japan o South Korea.

Hindi natin kailangang umasa sa importasyon. In fact, we could be a major food exporter.

The first thing that we need to reform in our country is the wrong mindset of our policy makers and legislators about agriculture and to start appreciating (Continue on page 27)

MINDANAO VOICE

The advent of Pax Pacifica

12

13 October 7-13, 2021

Offline

t’s all right for Rodrigo Duterte to turn himself into a global laughing stock. It’s not ok for the Philippines to turn into an Asian Somalia-cum-Latin American narco-state like Colombia, Mexico, or Guatemala.

The country is headed into that direction based on the machinations that are going on, which would install either BETING DOLOR Sara Duterte or Bongbong Marcos to the presidency.

It does not look that way for now, but there is plenty of time to continue with the political script that took a sudden and unexpected turn last week when Rodrigo Duterte announced that he was retiring from politics.

It’s all for show, of course. And no, I will not use that godawful term moro-moro. It’s a dog and pony show. It’s all smoke and mirrors. The end result has been pre-determined long ago.

For those with a long memory, it was about as dramatic as then president Ferdinand Marcos stating that he was surrendering all his worldly goods to the people.

Remember that?

The dramatic announcement was done by Makoy’s then spokesman Kit Tatad, who even shed a tear or two at the magnanimous act of his boss.

At least Duterte’s supposed retirement was not done by his obnoxious spokesman Harry Roque but by the president himself.

It was all nonsense, of course. See, Duterte had done the exact same thing back when he was running for president back in 2016. Good thing the Philippine Daily Inquirer reposted that announcement, which was even treated as banner news.

Duterte didn’t retire in 2016, and he has not really retired despite what he said last week.

This is the same guy who has said on multiple occasions that he wanted to resign, that he was too tired to continue, and that anytime the Armed Forces wanted him to leave, he would.

He may or may not remember anything he has said in the past. After all, he retracts his statements when it is convenient for him to do so. Almost always, he or his infernal spokesman will say that he was just joking.

There’s an old saying, if it’s too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Thus, last week the celebration over Duterte’s announcement that he was done with politics did not take place. It was just too good to be true.

Ditto with the announcement from daughter Sara that she was definitely not running for president and to prove her point she filed her Certificate of Candidacy seeking another term as Davao City mayor.

With the old man withdrawing his vice presidential bid and his hot-headed daughter opting to stay in their Davao turf, the presidency would have been a four-way battle between Senators Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and Vice President Leni Robredo.

In theory, none of the four could have as horrible a presidency as old man Duterte, who has committed the most serious crimes of mass murder, surrendering the country’s patrimony to China, allowing various members of his Cabinet to commit wholesale plunder, and finally pushing the Philippines to the brink of a constitutional crisis.

He even managed to lawyer for a Chinese company that had won a multi-billion peso supply contract so obviously one-sided that Filipino doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals ended up using either sub-standard or expired personal protection equipment.

One thing should be perfectly clear. Corruption is a way of life for Rodrigo Duterte and family. He intends to install his daughter as president after him. If she really is against the idea, then the very worst-case scenario will take place: the son and namesake of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos could end up as Philippine president.

Then will the Republic of the Philippines not only revert back to being the Sick Man of Asia, the entire world will laugh at the Filipino people for first kicking out the dictator, only to welcome his son as leader of the country less than four decades later.

(Continue on page 27)

F

PAREX: More than just an expressway

‘A Day of Remembrance and Resistance’

or many of us, September 21 is always associated with the proclamation of martial law in the 70s, a dark moment in the nation’s history. But this year, for those of us who are looking for more improvement in the transport sector, September 21 offered a silver lining.

For on that date this year, the Department of Transportation, Department of Public MELANDREW T. VELASCO Works and Highways, Toll Regulatory Board, and the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC), along with the Pasig River Expressway Corporation, and Skyway O&M Corporation, signed the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) for the Pasig River Expressway (PAREX).

Three days after the signing of the STOA, project proponent San Miguel Corporation and government representatives gathered for the project’s grounding breaking ceremony in Pandacan, Manila.

The Pasig River Expressway project, an unsolicited proposal from San Miguel Corporation, was declared as a toll road by the Toll Regulatory Board in June 2020.

Once more, San Miguel Corporation is undertaking a big ticket infrastructure project that will provide ease of travel and contribute enormously to the country’s economic development.

The DPWH website describes the Pasig River Expressway Project as a 19.37km six-lane, all elevated expressway which traverses the entirety of Pasig River. The project starts from Radial Road 10 in the City of Manila and shall terminate at a connection to the South East Metro Manila Expressway at Circumferential Road 6. The Project will connect and utilize a 2.7-km portion of Skyway Stage 3 from Nagtahan to Plaza Azul.

The project is expected help decongest traffic by diverting traffic volume to alternative route as connectivity among toll roads will be provided. It will also provide a direct link between the western and eastern cities of Metro Manila through an elevated expressway. It will integrate various modes of transport thus providing faster access to business districts such as Makati, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City, among others.

“This project will incorporate green design principle to benefit, not just motorists, but also the environment and the economy of the people. It will be inclusive because it will accommodate various modes of transportation, such as the bus rapid transit, bicycle lanes, pedestrian, walkway, and water ferries,” SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang (RSA) said.

Bike lanes will be a feature in the project to encourage healthy, environment -friendly modes of personal transportation, as well as pedestrian walkways to encourage walking or exercise.

SMC will be investing P95 billion for the project which will complete the network of expressways in Metro Manila. It will cut travel time from Manila to Pasig to 15 or 20 minutes.

RSA considers the PAREX as one of the most impactful projects under the Duterte Administration as it integrates the social, economic, and environmental needs of the people.

“I’m very proud that we have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide an inclusive, future-ready solution to traffic, and at the same, restore the Pasig River back to its old glory,” he added.

There have been comments voiced by some sectors, wellmeaning or otherwise, over government action on the SMC PAREX project proposal. On claims that the PAREX would obstruct the view of the Pasig River, the SMC executive said the expressway will be built on the side of the river, along the easement. Other comments are mostly environmental concerns. But, government has not been idle in connection with projects under the Build, Build, Build program especially where environment protection is an issue.

The well-respected and hardworking Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he is sure that PAREX will not only benefit the public but also the environment.

“We are happy because we have a project like this connecting north to south and east to west. Never has this connectivity been thought of, and now it is being implemented.

We thank RSA and the whole (Continue on page 27)

T

hree years ago, the University of the Philippines through a proclamation made by its president declared September 21st as “A Day of Remembrance.” The proclamation was made to recognize the university’s contributions to the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship and despotism in the ATTY. JOJO LIANGCO Philippines. The proclamation stated--“September 21, and September 21 of every year hereon as Day of Remembrance throughout the University of the Philippines System, for which I authorize and encourage the holding of special lectures, meetings, and ceremonies devoted to the commemoration of UP’s participation and sacrifice in the struggle against martial law and to the continuing education of our students, faculty, and staff on the importance of academic freedom, civil liberties, and human rights in our society.”

This is a proclamation that other schools and institutions of learning should follow. Filipinos should never forget the evils, abuses, and atrocities that took place during the martial law years. If we do not remember the evils of Martial Law, then historical revisionism will triumph.

We can already see the efforts of those who are trying to cover up the evils of the Marcos dictatorship. They are telling the Filipino people now that the Philippines had its golden years during the Marcos dictatorship. *** It was in the morning of September 23, 1972 when the news “blackout” started. There were no radio and television broadcasts and no newspapers came out as well.

We remember September 23 as the “first day” or the beginning of martial law as this was the day when military forces implemented a media lockdown and only media outlets associated with Marcos were allowed to function and operate. By the afternoon, Filipinos were glued to the only telecast on KBS Channel 9 where Marcos’ press secretary Francisco Tatad went on the air to read the declaration of martial law (Proclamation No. 1081). I will never forget the face and voice of Marcos that night when he went on the air to formally announce that the Philippines was under martial law. He said--“My countrymen, as of the 21st of this month I signed proclamation No. 1081 placing the entire Philippines under martial law. . . I have proclaimed martial law in accordance with the powers vested in the President by the Constitution of the Philippines. The proclamation of martial law is not a military takeover. I, as your duly elected President of the Republic use this power which may be implemented by the military authorities but still a power embodied in the constitution to protect the Republic of the Philippines and our Democracy.”

The rest is history. From 1972 to 1981, Marcos was in power until his ouster through the EDSA People Power Revolt in 1986. Martial law resulted in severe political and economic repression, deaths, and many abuses that later on generated widespread discontent and resistance among the Filipino people. *** Fast forward to 2018 and we see powerful forces who seek to erase and revise the dark story and consequences of martial law. They resort to historical revisionism and lies about this dark chapter in our history. There are also people who support and are calling for the return of dictatorship and authoritarian rule in the country. This is scary.

Even during this age of information technology and communication, lies, fake news, and distorted narratives proliferate and are widespread. We need to make a principled stand against revisionism and these lies. If these liars and revisionists succeed, many of our people, even those who lived in the Philippines during the martial law years, will forget about this dark episode in our history.

And for the young people who never lived those years, they will be deprived of the lessons that they should know and put to heart, so they can be the first ones to oppose the return of dictatorial rule in the Philippines. *** (Continue on page 27)

Immigrant’s Story

What game are the Dutertes playing?

THE OUTSIDER

I

 OPINION

 IMMIGRATIONS How the USCIS investigates Marriage Fraud

M

arriage fraud is a major part of USCIS investigations because they believe that marriage is a fast way to get a green card. In some cases containing weak documentary relationship evidence, the adjudicator may refer the case for an investigation. This additional scrutiny may include deep public record searches, an early morning visit at their home, and interviews with neighbors, family and co¬ workers.

How do the USCIS investigate marriage fraud?

To detect frauds, the immigration authorities require a lot of proof that a marriage is real, including more documentation than for other family-based immigration applicants.

They subject marriage-based immigrants to a longer and more detailed personal interview than other applicants go through, as well as a two-year testing period for couples who have been married less than two years when their green card is approved or when they enter the U.S. on their immigrant visa.

The U.S. government will not normally follow a couple around or investigate their life beyond the required paperwork and the interviews it always conducts.

But it has the power to do so if it sees grounds for suspicion. Inspectors of the Department of Homeland Security can visit your home, talk to your friends, and interview your employers, and so on. By requiring more of married couples than of others, the U.S. government has set up a system that gives it a lot of information about whether a marriage is the real thing or not.

What is the information that the USCIS is looking for a married couple?

The “normal” married couple has a fair amount in common. They share a language and religion. They live together and do things together, like take vacations, celebrate important events, birthdays, and holidays, join clubs or gyms, and have sex and children. Typical couples also combine financial and other aspects of their lives after marriage. They demonstrate their trust in one another by sharing bank and credit card accounts and ownership of property, such as cars and houses. They celebrate each others’ birthdays and meet each others’ families.

Based on this information, it is advisable to seek the advice of an immigration attorney to inform you of the chances of your immigration petition or application.

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

Chris Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and San Francisco Trial Lawyers. He practices immigration law, bankruptcy and income tax law since June 1999. His contact phone is 1-877-456-9266, email: info@CCLlaw.net We do a free telephonic consultation.

Immigration News The Senate Parliamentarian DENIED the Immigration Bill to be a part of Budget Reconciliation. This means that the Immigration Bill will not be included in the budget bill but will need a 60 Senate votes to pass.

Success Stories For the month of September 2021, we received approvals from USCIS three naturalization applications, two Fiancée visa petition, three removal of condition on residence and four adjustment of status applications.

Philippine Stories 1. There are about 3.6 million Chinese in the Philippines working on POGO. Chinese are registered military personnel of China. Many POGO do not pay income taxes. Chinese are allowed to enter the Philippines without visa restrictions.

2. President Duterte’s approval rating declined in double digit. The Philippine Senate is currently investigating purchase of mask and face shield involving Pesos Eight Billion that are grossly overpriced and anomalous. Listen to Percy Lapid (or Lapid Fire) and Waldy Carbonell on You Tube and Facebook for details and more corruption in the government.

3. Filipinos should wake up and work in whatever capacity to defend our country before we lose it to China.

Note: This is not a legal advice and this article is for information purposes only. You should consult with an immigration attorney about the specifics of your case.

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

Chris Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and San Francisco Trial Lawyers. He practices immigration law, bankruptcy and income tax preparation since June 1999. His contact phone is 1-877-456-9266, email: info@CCLlaw. net Website: www.crispinlozanolaw.com/

October 7-13, 2021

14

Philippines debt hits new high of P11.64T in August

MANILA — The Philippine government’s debt soared to a new high of ₱11.64 trillion in August, jacked up by more borrowings from the domestic market.

Data from the Bureau of the Treasury released last week showed end-August outstanding debt went up to ₱11.64 trillion from ₱11.61 trillion in July, as the Philippine government continued to secure funds to combat the latest pandemic wave.

For the first eight months, total debt rose by 18.9% from end-2020.

The bulk, or ₱8.22 trillion, of the outstanding obligations was raised from local sources — also ₱100.70 billion or 1.2% higher against figures from July.

Domestic debt increased by 22.79% from the beginning of 2021.

Loans with foreign sources, meanwhile, fell to ₱3.42 trillion, 2% lower from end-July’s level.

“The lower figure was due to the net repayment of foreign loans amounting to ₱34.22 billion,” the Treasury said.

“The impact of both local- and thirdcurrency fluctuations against the US dol-

Tugade...

lar further lowered the peso value of external obligations by ₱32.04 billion and ₱2.39 billion, respectively,” it added.

However, foreign debt already jumped 10.4% from end-December.

Commenting on the rise in national debt, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said in an email that this could be attributed to the two-week hard lockdown in Metro Manila and the subsequent MECQ, which reduced business activity, thereby affecting tax revenue collection.

“Thus, lockdowns tend to widen the country’s budget deficit that in turn, increase the need for the government to borrow more to finance the budget deficit, and adds to the country’s debt stock,” he added.

Ricafort said embracing granular lockdowns coupled with the government’s accelerated vaccination drive could justify the further reopening of the economy, which would in turn increase revenue collection. With less spending on COVID-19 programs, he said there would be a reduction in new government borrowings.

(From page 3)

ficials, PCIJ and Rappler said.

Also cited in the Pandora Papers is businessman Dennis A. Uy, who donated P30 million to Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential campaign in 2016 and was later appointed presidential adviser for sports.

Uy has also been serving as honorary consul to Kazakhstan since 2011, PCIJ and Rappler said, but also has not responded to their requests for comment.

Under the Constitution and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, the failure of government officials to declare their assets, including business interests and financial connections is an administrative and criminal offense.

Other prominent Filipinos uncovered by the investigation include former Presidential Commission on Good Government and Commission on Elections chairman Juan Andres Bautista and business leaders Jose Carlos Reyes Antonio, Joselito “Butch” Campos Jr., Helen Y. Dee, Rolando C. Gapud, Oscar J. Hilado, Enrique K. Razon Jr., Peter Y. Rodriguez, Elmer B. Serrano, and Delfin J. Wenceslao Jr. The business families of Aboitiz, Gaisano, Gatchalian, Olivarez, Sy, and Tantoco were also cited in the report by PCIJ and Rappler. It also cited Monte Oro Resources & Energy Inc., a corporation wholly owned by Apex Mining Co. and where Dennis Uy and Razon are also stockholders, among others.

Bautista, Antonio, Campos, Gapud, Hilado, Rodriguez, the Gaisanos, the Gatchalians, and Monte de Oro have replied to PCIJ/Rappler, while Wenceslao passed away last Sept. 22 and the rest have not yet replied to queries for comment.

ICIJ, which led 140 media outlets in

117 countries in this latest investigation on offshore accounts, said: “Some individuals, who are either previously unheard of in elite circles or never found in legitimate databases, turned out to be the beneficiaries of multiple accounts but the purpose of many accounts could not be ascertained.”

Rappler and PCIJ analyzed all names and companies from documents collectively known as the Pandora Papers.

“We found very little information about the persons with the most links to offshore accounts found in the documents from ICIJ,” PCIJ said but asked readers to check the complete list in their news link.

Details were scant to be able to identify the purpose of 259 offshore companies, while at least 282 names from the list could not be linked to registered or active companies.

While Rappler and PCIJ do not necessarily imply that illegal transactions were done through these companies of unknown individuals, they raised questions on the purposes of keeping these offshore.

There was no immediate reaction from Philippine government authorities on the report, which coincided with the week when candidates for national office were filing their certificates of candidacy for posts in the May 2022 elections.

“It is legal for Filipinos to set up offshore accounts. These companies, however, operate in various shades of gray areas that are worthy of scrutiny from regulators,” PCIJ and Rappler said.

The media groups said a corporate lawyer, who spoke on condition he would not be named but claimed to have wealthy clients, acknowledged in an interview that companies in so-called tax havens attract both high-net worth individuals and criminals.

 ENTERTAINMENT

October 7-13, 2021

16

Landmark Musical Theater bares full cast, creative team for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco’s Landmark Musical Theatre announced the full cast and creative team for the opening production of the Company’s upcoming in-person 20212022 season, the Tony Award®-winning audience favorite THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. The production will run from October 9 – November 7, 2021 at the Children’s Creativity Museum Theater (221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103). THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will be directed by Jon Rosen, with choreography by Meredith Fox, and with music and vocal direction

by Christopher Hewitt. Tickets range from $20 - $50 and are available now at LandmarkMusicals.com.

“Ever since I saw this show on Broadway, I hoped to get the opportunity to direct it,” said Director Jon Rosen.

“SPELLING BEE is a force field of theatricality that champions eccentric young people dealing with the trials and tribulations of adolescence. With great humor, it addresses the challenges

that almost every kid faces in feeling that they are just slightly different than everyone else. Most important, it leaves us with the understanding that winning ISN’T everything and that sometimes even the losers are winners. William Finn (who composed the FALSETTO trilogy and A NEW BRAIN) supplies a delightful score with amazing lyrics and Rachel Sheinkin’s book gives six adult actors the chance to re-engage with their inner youth!”

Landmark Musical Theatre’s production of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will feature two different casts (the Alpha Cast and the Betta Cast) who will be performing at specific performances. The full schedule of performances for each cast is available at LandmarkMusicals.com.

The Alpha Cast will feature Elana Cowen as “Rona Lisa Peretti,” Edward Pieczenik as “Doug Panch,” William Rhea as “William Barfee,” Vanity Olaires as “Olive Ostrovsky,” Eriette Atanante as “Marcy Park,” Johann Santos as “Chip Tolentino,” Libby Oberlin

as “Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre,” John Charles Quimpo as “Leaf Coneybear,” Marla Cox as “Midge Mahoney” and Curtis Pollard as “Carl ‘Dad’ Grubenierre.”

The Betta Cast will feature Rebecca Fox as “Rona Lisa Peretti,” John-Thomas Hanson as “Doug Panch,” William Rhea as “William Barfee,” Bekah Broas as “Olive Ostrovsky,” Saira Grewal as “Marcy Park,” Jamari McGee as “Chip Tolentino,” Tosca Maltzman as “Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre,” Alicia Hurtado as “Leaf Coneybear,” Jepoy Ramos as “Mitch Mahoney” and Curtis Pollard as “Carl ‘Dad’ Grubenierre.”

In addition to Mr. Rosen, Ms. Fox and Mr. Hewitt, the creative team will include Kathryn Gubler (lighting design) and Lish Lesh (sound design). Mr. Rosen designed the sets, based on the school gymnasium design created by Tony Award-winning designer Beowolf Boritt for the original Broadway production.

Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELL-

ING BEE, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor.

Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny, and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a truly fresh and vibrant score by William Finn (Composer of FALSETTOS), this bee is one unforgettable experience.

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents (all portrayed by adult actors) vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime.

While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life-unaffirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake.

Six spellers enter... one speller leaves victorious! The losers get a hug and a juice box.

The production also includes a novelty not often seen in a Broadway musical, as four members of each night’s audience get a chance to shine when they are invited to the stage to compete as spellers during the first act of the show!

PABATID NG PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG

Dumalo sa isang virtual na pagdinig upang suriin ang mga panukalang mapa at magbigay ng saloobin sa pamamaraang Pagbabago sa Distrito ng mga Tagpamahala ng County.

Oktubre 7 at 21 sa ganap na 6:30 nang gabi Ang publiko at sinumang nagnanais ay maaaring lumahok sa pamamagitan ng Zoom upang marinig sa usaping ito. Ang mga kaalaman sa pagdinig, kasama na ang mga pag-uusapan, mga pantulong na kagamitan, at Zoom links, ay malalaman limang (5) araw bago ang bawa’t pagdinig sa: https://SmcDistrictLines.org

 ENTERTAINMENT

October 7-13, 2021

18

Bea Alonzo to star in Hollywood film Another Filipino actress will star in a Hollywood film.

She is Bea Alonzo, 33, who is Phylbert Angelli Ranollo Fagestrom in real life.

The Filipino-British actress said she is taking the lead role in the upcoming Hollywood war film “Angel Warrior.”

Just last August, Filipino actress Lovi Poe said she has been selected for a Hollywood movie.

Poe said she will star in the Hollywood film The Chelsea Cowboy.

A Deadline report stated that the film is a biopic produced by Idris Elba based on the life of John Bindon.

After the release of the Deadline report, Lovi confirmed the news on her Instagram page. “Ahhh… can’t wait to start filming The Chelsea Cowboy in October…

Excited to be working with this amazing team of creatives,” she wrote.

Lovie, 32, who is Lourdes Virginia Moran Poe in real life, was immediately congratulated by fellow actors after learning of the report. Lovie is the daughter of the late movie king Fernando Poe Jr. and actress Rowena Moran.

The Deadline report added that Lovi’s co-stars in the film are Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Beastly) and Poppy Delevingne (Kingsman:The Golden Circle, Spy Intervention).

The film will be directed by Ben Cookson.

In what was described as “her biggest Englishlanguage movie role to date,” Lovi will portray British he met the rebel royal Princess Margaret.

Gillespie was reported to be close with Hollywood’s Blues singer Dana Gillespie, Bindon’s employer.

Bindon’s ties with Gillespie allowed him access to leading singers and actors. Citing a biography, Deadline high society, most notably the island of Mustique where reported that Gillespie’s famous lovers include David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Michael Cane, Jimmy

Paige, Keith Moon and Sean Connery.

The Chelsea Cowboy will begin filming in late September 2021.

The film will be based on Bindon’s life story and his inability to leave his criminal past behind despite having a successful acting career.

Several fellow Filipino celebrities including KC Concepcion and Raymond Gutierrez congratulated Lovi for her milestone.

Lovi is most known for her performances as Kristal Maisog in the series Bakekang (2006) and Shiela Real in the series Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real (2014).

She bagged her first acting award as Best Actress at the 2010 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival for her portrayal of Lilibeth in the film Mayohan. She was also nominated for a FAMAS Best Actress Award in the same year for her role as Kath Asero in Sagrada Familia.

According to a report by Variety, Alonzo will play the “she-devil” lead of a World War II-based story written by Cyrus Nowrasteh.

The film was derived from a “fact-based WWII story.” It will follow the Philippines’ resistance movements in Panay island against the Japanese occupation.

“Angel Warrior” will be produced by Inspire Studios founder Francis Lara Ho, while John Shepherd and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will serve as executive producers. Its screenplay was written by Nowrasteh.

Alonzo also confirmed her new project on Instagram: “And the secret is out!! Yes, I’ll be doing a World War 2 film soon. I’ll keep you posted about the future developments.”

The film is expected to start shooting in mid-2022 before it is released later in the same year

‘Kuya ng Bayan’ Kim Atienza joins GMA Network’s growing roster of talents Versatile host, triathlete, wellness and biodiversity advocate, and everyone’s favorite trivia man Kim “Kuya Kim” Atienza embraces a new chapter in his life as a Kapuso, joining the growing roster of talents and personalities of leading broadcast company GMA Network.

The grand welcome to the “Kuya ng Bayan” was made last October 4 on GMA’s flagship newscast 24 Oras where Kuya Kim will soon be seen as one of its segment hosts.

“Isang malaking karangalan na mapunta ako sa Kapuso Network,” said Kuya Kim, who regards his move to his new home as a blessing. “Nothing happens by accident. I was given this opportunity by GMA-7 and I intend to make the most out of this opportunity.”

Aside from 24 Oras, he will also be part of Mars Pa More and GTV’s upcoming news magazine show Dapat Alam Mo! GMA Network Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Atty. Felipe L. Gozon led the outpouring of welcome messages for Kuya Kim. “Ikinatutuwa namin na makakasama ka namin sa paghahatid ng Serbisyong Totoo sa lahat ng Kapuso sa loob at labas ng bansa,” said Gozon. “Una na nga rito ang magiging bahagi ka ng ‘24 Oras’ at ng bagong programang ‘Dapat Alam Mo.’ At makakaasa ang iyong fans na marami pa silang aabangang proyekto mo dito sa GMA. May the Lord guide your journey as a Kapuso.”

“I’m really happy that you’re with us,” shared Joel G. Jimenez, vice chairman of the Network’s Executive Committee. “We’ve been friends for such a long time, so you being with us makes me really happy.”

Likewise, Executive Vice President and CFO Felipe S. Yalong echoed the anticipation of Kuya Kim’s supporters on this new chapter in his life. “Excited na ang mga Kapuso na mapanood at makilala pa nang lubos si Kuya Kim. Welcome to GMA and congratulations!”

Also imparting her heartfelt message was GMA Films Inc. President and Programming Consultant to the Chairman and CEO Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes.

“Kuya Kim, welcome to GMA! I’m so happy that you’re now a Kapuso. You will be such a great addition to our Network. And may God continue to lead you to achieve greater things for His glory.

I’m very happy that GMA will now be part of your journey.”

Senior Vice President for News and Public Affairs Marissa L. Flores looks forward to having Kuya Kim part of the Network’s News and Public Affairs group. “Welcome to GMA, Kuya Kim! We are excited to have you with us as we continue to deliver Serbisyong Totoo to

the public. Makakaasa kang kasama mo kami sa iyong journey as a Kapuso.”

Conveying her delight over Kuya Kim’s transfer, Senior Vice President for GMA Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable said, “Kuya Kim is known for his entertaining way of sharing new and unique information and educating our fellow Filipinos on TV and even on social media. And now that he is a Kapuso, I’m excited to see more of what he can offer to our viewers. Congratulations and welcome to GMA, Kuya Kim!” With a career spanning 17 years in the broadcast industry, Kuya Kim is known for the weather updates he creatively presents and various trivia he graciously shares. He also inspires people to lead healthier life with his love for sports. A known advocate of wildlife preservation, Kuya Kim also uses his influence to spread awareness in protecting the environment.

As he embarks on his journey as a Kapuso, he says he embraces the opportunity to try new things and thanks everyone in GMA for the warm welcome he received.

“I am so happy that you are accepting me wholeheartedly.

Damang-dama ko ang pangalan ng ating istasyon,” Kuya Kim ended.

19 October 7-13, 2021

 ENTERTAINMENT

Pacquiao, Isko, Tito Sotto lead celebrities gunning for nat’l and local posts in 2022

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda

Sen. Manny Pacquiao

Mayor Isko Moreno

Sen. Tito So�o

Actors, actresses and other celebrities are invading the political scene again.

Since October 1, the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy for various national and local positions available for the May 9, 2022 elections, several actors and celebrities have filed their CoCS for government posts.

Leading the celebrities are Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso, who is popularly known by his actor’s name Isko Domagoso who are both running for president.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto, an actor, composer and singer, leads the celebrities for the vice presidency.

Those who filed their CoCs for senator are broadcast journalist and Rep. Loren Legarda, former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, actor Robin Padilla, broadcaster Raffy Tulfo and former Makati vice mayor Manuel Monsour del Rosario.

For congressman, those who have filed their CoCs are Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez who is replacing his wife, Rep. Lucy Torres, in Leyte; Richard Yap who is running in Cebu City; Arjo Atayde in Quezon City and Anjo Yllana in Camarines Sur. Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla will run for congressman in the first district of the province.

Meanwhile, celebrity chef Boy Logro wants to represent kusineros in Congress through a party-list group while beauty queen and actress Marissa del Mar through the OFW party-list.

In the local scene, Manila Rep. Francis Nieto, more popularly known by his actor’s name Yul Servo, will run for vice mayor with Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna; Lou Veloso for councilor of Manila, Jhong Hilario for councilor in Makati; broadcast journalist and Rep. Sol Aragones for governor of Laguna with actor Jerico Ejercito for vice governor.

Former Laguna governor E R Ejercito filed his CoC for mayor of Calamba City.

In San Juan City, Mayor Francis Zamora’s council slate includes basketball players James Yap, Ervic Vijandre, Paul Artaid, and Don Allado.

Other candidates for local posts are Jason Abalos for provincial board member of the 2nd District of Nueva Ecija, Ejay Falcon for vice governor, Oriental Mindoro, Javi Benitez running for mayor in Victorias City, Negros; Angelu de Leon for councilor of Pasig City; Aiko Melendez for councilor of Quezon City and Ali Forbes, singer and beauty queen, for councilor of Quezon City.

Richard Yap is running again for Congress, representing the 1st District of Cebu City. In 2019, Yap also

ran for a congressional seat under PDP-Laban but lost to Raul del Mar. Also running for local posts are Claudine Barretto for councilor in Olongapo City, Angelu de Leon for councilor in the 2nd district of Pasig City; Bobby Andrews for councilor in the 4th district of Quezon City; and Nash Aguas for councilor in Cavite City.

Former basketball player and actor Alvin Patrimo-

nio, meanwhile, is running for mayor of Cainta, Rizal while Arci Muñoz is running for councilor of Cainta; Alma Moreno, councilor in Parañaque City; Comedian Teri Onor or Dexter Dominguez in real life for vice mayor of Abucay, Bataan Meanwhile, according to Romualdez, Muñoz and Patrimonio are considered “assets” of the Lakas-CMD party.

 REAL ESTATE

October 7-13, 2021

Megaworld building P98-B business district in Bulacan MALOLOS CITY - Tycoon Andrew Tan-led Megaworld Corp. has unveiled plans to develop a 85-hectare land along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Marilao and Bocaue in Bulacan into a “global business district.”

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Megaworld said it is allocating P98 billion to develop the new integrated urban township in the said areas in the next 15 to 20 years.

The property giant said in a GMA News report the planned development, Northwin Global City, will give Bulacan its first-ever metropolitan hub for business and lifestyle.

Megaworld said Northwin Global City will be strategically located 20 kilometers north of Metro Manila and can be accessed via the Marilao Exit of NLEX. The planned township project will be 20 minutes away from the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, and five minutes away from the Philippine Arena.

The township project will have its own themed commercial district, high-rise residential condominiums, hotels, malls, mixed-use commercial buildings, educational institutions, and state-of-the-art office towers, according to Megaworld.

The property developer added that 40% of the entire township development will be dedicated to green

and open spaces such as landscaped parks.

The company said it will also be integrating “future-proofing” features into Northwin Global City such as the installation of solar-powered and LED streetlights, underground cabling system, fiber optic cabling, bike lanes, storm water detention facility for flood prevention, intermodal transport terminal, and other sustainable infrastructure for mobility and connectivity.

“Finally, our vision of having a truly modern and global business district for Bulacan is coming to a reality. This is like building a new city that will put the province of Bulacan in the global business map because we envision huge multinational companies to be operating here once our commercial district and our office towers will be completed,” said Kevin Tan, chief strategy officer, Megaworld.

“Northwin Global City’s close proximity to Metro Manila and its ideal location just along NLEX and the major transport infrastructure will be very favorable for the future locators and residents of this township,” Tan said.

Northwin Global City will also host one of the stations of the Manila-Clark Railway Project, Megaworld.

“Once completed, Northwin Global City will have convenient access to three international airports in Bulacan, Clark, and even in Metro Manila,” Tan said.

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20

Will Student loans affect your Home Loan Application Your student loan debt affects whether you can buy a house, in both direct and indirect ways. Here’s how: • Student loan payments make saving for a down payment more difficult and mortgage payments harder to handle once you’re a homeowner.

• Student loan debt may increase your debt-to-income ratio, affecting your ability to qualify for a mortgage or the rate you are able to get.

• Missing a student loan payment can lower your credit score, but consistently paying on time can bolster it. Having student loans, though, doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to afford a house. Here’s what you should know as you explore your options. Student loan payments hinder savings Sending hundreds of dollars a month to your lender or servicer may feel like the most immediate, and most frustrating, way student loans affect your ability to buy a house.

Student loans add to your debt-to-income ratio When deciding whether to approve you for a mortgage, lenders look at how much debt you already have compared with your pretax income. That’s called your debt-to-income ratio, known as DTI, and it’s calculated based on monthly debt payments.

There are different types of debt-to-income ratios, and not all mortgage lenders calculate them the same way. But in general, car loans, student loans, minimum credit card payments and child support all factor in. The more debt you have — or the lower your income — the higher your DTI will be.

A DTI of 45% or less is ideal, but governmentbacked mortgages, like FHA loans, may approve you with a DTI of up to 55%.

Consider focusing on paying off student loans, or credit cards if they have higher interest rates, and don’t add to your debt before buying a home. You could aim to get rid of one student loan payment before you apply for a mortgage; paying off the loan with the highest interest rate will save you the most money over time.

If you are in a forbearance and are currently not making a payment, lenders will usually use 1% of the total balance as your minimum payment to calculate your debt to income ratio.

Refinancing student loans to a lower monthly payment may also reduce your debt-to-income ratio. But it adds a line of credit to your credit report and may extend your repayment timeline. Make sure you refinance six months to a year before you apply for a mortgage.

That lets positive payment history offset the credit score dip that may occur from shopping for a refinance loan Student loan payments affect your credit score A higher credit score means a better chance of getting approved for a mortgage and receiving a favorable interest rate. Payment history makes up 35% of your FICO score, one of the two main credit scoring models, and mortgage lenders want to see a history of on-time debt payments.

Consistently paying student loans on time will strengthen your score. On the flip side, a missed payment or letting your loans default will hurt it.

Credit mix is a smaller component of your score.

But using a variety of credit types — such as student loans, car loans and credit cards — can help your score as long as you’re making payments on time.

Thanks for your inquiries, please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance at 562-508-7048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

21 October 7-13, 2021

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

Wesley So begins defense of US Chess Champsionship crown

MISSOURI - Philippine-born Grandmaster Wesley So is defending his US Chess Championship crown starting this week at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri.

This follows his loss in the just concluded Meltwater Champions Chess tour

which was won by world champion Magnus Carlsen.

The Filipino-born So is seeded second behind world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, the 2016 US champion who’ll be tangling with Lazaro Bruzon.

Other matches pit third seed Leinier

Dominguez against Alex Lenderman, 2018 champion Sam Shankland against Sam Sevian, Ray Robson against Daniel Naroditsky, and Darius Swiercz against John Burke.

So, overall champion of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour, ruled last year’s edition done online with 9 points out of a perfect 11, improving on his triumph via a rapid playoff in the 2017 US Chess Championships.

The 20-year-old Xiong placed second with 8.5 points and is expected to give So, also the 2017 US champion, a tough challenge with the white pieces.

A notable absentee this year is fivetime US champion Hikaru Nakamura, who wound up joint seventh in the 2020 edition.

The Cavite-born So dropped to fourth place in the Meltwater tourney following his loss to Carlsen.

Carlsen, the recently-crowned overall champion, subdued the Filipino-American Grandmaster with an emphatic 2.5-0.5 win.

The campaign-ending loss prevented So from increasing his 23.5-point total, dropping him down to fourth place in the

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standings where Carlsen perched atop with his 31.5 points.

Despite the loss, So was grateful to have finished the tournament.

“Well, I think everything went well, except the last tournament. I’m glad to finish it,” expressed the 27-year-old pride of Cavite.

“I think, considering what happened, fourth place is a great finish for me,” he said.

In the buildup to the Finals, So participated in nine other chess tournaments, which resulted to three titles in the Skilling Open, the Euro Opera Rapid and the Chessable Masters, as well as a runner-up finish in the FTX Crypto Cup. Looking back at his campaign, So could not help but give himself a pat on the back.

“Well, I won three regular tournaments. Also, I think I played very well in the Crypto Cup, almost won that as well.

So, I’ve been working really hard playing every single tournament,” he shared.

“I played ninety days for the entire tour and I think it paid off in the end with the fourth-place finish.”

October 7-13, 2021

22

Q: Should I rob Peter, Paul and Mary to pay my credit cards?

A: When people start getting really tight with money coming in and excessive credit card usage, it begins as string of debts when they start taking money out from one card to pay another. This can also be called the Ripple effect. This ripple is also called by others as Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Let me explain this further.

A client came to my office in search for a remedy for their problem. The wife is the only one working. Since they are a one income family, the budget becomes very tight. Sometimes too tight that they exceed the money coming in. When this happens, the household goes into a deficit. This deficit if not fixed by the following month will carry over and over until there is no solution in sight. Then, to make matters worse, they start taking out cash from one credit card to pay the other. That is why it is called Robbing Peter to pay Paul because the money is not coming from the monthly income. This begins a ripple that will eventually bring Peter to his knees and stop giving out money to pay the other debt. Now, we make it even worst. We now go to Mary to take money out and pay Peter and Paul until Mary stops giving out money where now you have to find money to pay Peter, Paul and Mary.

In short, it began with one month’s deficit and has now grown to three accounts which have become unmanageable. This will cause the household to be on edge and the marriage get rocky.

Faced with this problem, the couple in front of me was looking for someone else to loan them money to get out of the hole they were in. I told them that was not the answer. To get another loan. They were caught in this illusion that more borrowed money will make their problem disappear. At least for the moment. What they have not realized was it was only going to make matter even worse for them.

In cases like this, I can only advice clients to file bankruptcy, Chapter 7. There is no more hope when the hole they dug is too deep, it is impossible to get out, especially on one income.

Ating lesson, Pag pina anak ang utang, ikaw ay mahihibang!

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25 October 7-13, 2021

Garth Garcia and Shekinah Austria Filipino American History Month celebration in Carson

Garth Garcia

CARSON - Filipino American History Month is a month-long celebration in Carson showcasing amazing talents and performing artists in music, creative arts and other varied forms of entertainment from the Filipino American community.

The festivities started on Saturday, October 2 at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center starting at the East Parking Lot at 8:00 a.m. located at 801 E. Carson Street in Carson.

Headlining this year’s event are Shekinah Austria and Garth Garcia.

Shekina Austria is an actress, model, host, singer and songwriter. She has received several awards and recognition including the 2018 Woman of Worth Award for the Most Beautiful Filipina and Spotlight Awards for Star Discovery of the Year. She also won The Outstanding Pilipino Award for Youth Achievement and Fil-Am’s Got Talent Champion. Shekina was also crowned Binibining Pilipinas USA Runner Up in 2016.

Garth Garcia is known as the FilAm Prince of Old Pinoy Music (OPM). He is a decorated recording artist and songwriter with Ivory Music & Video and has an array of awards and nominations such as The Outstanding Filipino Awards

Nominee for 2021 and the only Filipino nominated for Best Music Video in the 2019 Asians on Film Festival. Garth won the Best R&B Artist Award in 2018 from Spotlight Awards.

Performers also include Carson Street Dance, Hollywood Dance Moms and Pamana Kali Filipino Martial Arts. A program featuring awards for community leadership, youth achievement, and heroism will also take place on October 2. The awardees are Philippine Nurses Association of Southern California and West L.A. Subchapter (PNASC WLA), Council of Young FilAms in Medicine (CYFAM), Filipino Young Leaders Program (FLYPRO), Consul General Ed Badajos and Ella Jay Basco for Youth Awardee.

“Carson is proud to recognize the contributions of Filipino Americans nationwide especially to our diverse community. Celebrations like Filipino American History Month is what adds to the social fabric that makes our city a unique place to live,” said Carson Mayor

Shekinah Austria

Lula Davis-Holmes.

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

For more information about Filipino American History Month Celebration, please call (310) 847-3570.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

26

California sets COVID-19 vaccine requirements for schools, first in US SAN FRANCISCO – At a school in San Francisco, Governor Newsom announced plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when the vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for middle and high school grades, making California the first state in the nation to announce such a measure.

Following the other first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination measures, Governor Newsom announced the COVID-19 vaccine will be required for in-person school attendance—just like vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella and more.

“The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella – there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same for COVID-19. Today’s measure, just like our first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination requirements, is about protecting our children and school staff, and keeping them in the classroom,” said Governor Newsom.

“Vaccines work. It’s why California leads the country in preventing school closures and has the lowest case rates. We encourage other states to follow our lead to keep our kids safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Thanks to the state’s bold public health measures, California continues to maintain the lowest case rate in the entire country and is one of only two states to

have advanced out of the CDC’s ‘high’ COVID transmission category. More information about the announcement can be found here.

The vast majority of school districts have reported that over 95% of students have returned to in-person instruction this school year, as can be seen on the state’s Student Supports & In-Person Dashboard.

Thanks to unprecedented resources and public health measures (measures shown to be highly effective), California is leading national trends in preventing school closures and keeping kids in classrooms, accounting for only 14 out of over 2,000 school closures nationwide, or roughly 0.7% – despite the fact that California educates an estimated 12% of the nation’s public school students. If California’s rates had aligned with national trends, the state would have seen upwards of 240 school closures.

In order to further protect students and staff and continue supporting a safe return to in-person instruction for all students, the Governor directed the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to follow the procedures established by the Legislature to add the COVID-19 vaccine to other vaccinations required for inperson school attendance—such as measles, mumps, and rubella—pursuant to the Health and Safety Code. COVID-19 vaccine requirements will be phased-in by grade span, which will also promote smoother implementation.

Upon full FDA approval of age groups

within a grade span, CDPH will consider the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians prior to implementing a requirement. Following existing statute, full approval of ages 12+ corresponds to grades 7-12, and full approval of ages 5-11 corresponds to grades K-6. Students who are under the age California announces plans to add COVID-19 vaccine of full approval, but within to list of required school vaccina�ons the grade span, will be reGovernor Newsom’s historic $123.9 quired to be vaccinated once they reach billion Pre-K and K-12 education packthe age of full approval (with a reason- age is providing an unprecedented level able period of time to receive both dos- of school and student funding to transes), consistent with existing procedures form the state’s public schools into gatefor other vaccines. The requirement will ways of equity and opportunity, suptake effect at the start of the term fol- porting the potential of every California lowing full approval of that grade span, student by: achieving universal transito be defined as January 1st or July 1st, tional kindergarten for four-year-olds by whichever comes first. Based on current 2025, expanding afterschool and summer information, the requirement is expected programs, providing universal free school to apply to grades 7-12 starting on July 1, nutrition, increasing the number of well2022. However, local health jurisdictions prepared staff per pupil, creating fulland local education agencies are encour- service community schools to support the aged to implement requirements ahead of mental and social-emotional well-being a statewide requirement based on their lo- of students, and more. cal circumstances.

California ready to administer booster doses on Day One SACRAMENTO – With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for boosters for those over the age of 65 and high-risk individuals, Governor Gavin Newsom released a COVID-19 Vaccine Action Plan that outlines how the state will be able to immediately begin administering doses to eligible Californians, continue our equity-centered focus on eligible but unvaccinated individuals, and expand operations once more Californians are eligible.

“California continues to lead the nation in both vaccines administered and low case rates. Vaccines work. They are safe, effective, and are how we end this pandemic,” said Governor Newsom. “We fully support our federal partners’ determination to provide boosters, and California has built the necessary infrastructure to mobilize such vaccine distribution – all to help protect the health and well-being of Californians.”

Developed in concert with local partners and providers statewide, the Newsom Administration is working to leverage the existing vaccine infrastructure to connect

eligible Californians with local providers who can administer the vaccine. To provide more insight into the plan, California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly is giving a press briefing this morning.

California’s vaccine action plan outlines scenarios to ensure the state and partners can meet expected demand for boosters. The plan also ensures the state’s readiness to administer vaccines to Californians under age 12, which is anticipated as early as next month.

“California’s top priority remains to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible, with vaccines being key to ending this pandemic,” said California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “Along with boosting protection to those that need it and proactively reaching out to newly eligible individuals, the state will continue to focus much of our vaccination efforts on reaching the unvaccinated and encouraging them to get vaccinated to keep themselves and their community safe.”

The state’s MyTurn.ca.gov platform is ready to launch its booster eligibility

screener and appointment finder to connect Californians to walk-in vaccine locations and appointments near them. The site will also send text message alerts to Californians when eligible for a booster to ensure people know their options. The MyCAVax vaccine ordering tool is updated to allow providers to order the supply they need to meet the expected demand for these additional doses. California is fortunate to have enough supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and is ready to get doses to the providers that need them.

“California welcomes our federal partners’ efforts to provide Pfizer BioNTech boosters,” said California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón. “It also continues to be incredibly important that unvaccinated Californians get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect both themselves and their loved ones. As part of the long-established, multi-step process CDPH follows for every COVID-19 vaccine related decision, we will take recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

(ACIP), and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup on administrating booster doses before taking action.

CDPH is working with local partners and health care providers to ensure California is ready to immediately begin administering booster doses eligible Californians once these recommendations have been made.”

The state also has been undertaking a robust coordination effort to ensure partners are prepared and have the capacity to administer boosters and vaccines to children under age 12. This includes ongoing conversations with health plans and statewide pharmacy chains about potential partnership opportunities, as well as upcoming trainings for medical providers to ensure they have the information and resources they need. CDPH is also working closely with schools on opportunities to vaccinate children under the age of 12 when they become eligible. California and our local health partners are also continuing to identify ways the state can support them as they roll out more localized vaccine administration plans.

27 October 7-13, 2021

Upside...

(From Page 11)

Offline

(From Page 13)

are a diverse community of people who possess a strong work ethic and deep filial devotion, honor their elders, take pride in their heritage and community spirit. Some of them are members of the PFS Family. To our FilAm coworkers, Mabuhay! (Live long!).” *** Cherie M. Querol Moreno is Executive Editor of Philippine News Today. She coordinates Peninsula Family Service’s Got Wheels! transportation program for older adults.

Contact: https://www.peninsulafamilyservice.org/our-programs/older-adult-services/

There may not be any elections at all, but if there are it’s a sure bet that the Duterte regime will employ all means fair and foul – mostly foul based on everything that has happened ever since the former Davao City mayor assumed the presidency – to guarantee a win by the handpicked candidate of Mr. Duterte.

I’m not making that up, by the way. A niece of the president named Nuelle Duterte has been saying as much, and she should know.

The Duterte regime has until the first week of November to set the stage for what will almost certainly be the biggest disaster to befall the Philippines since it first became a republic.

It is no exaggeration to say that the country’s last hope lies on the shoulders of Leni Robredo, who would easily win the presidency in a fair fight.

But that’s the rub. The fight will not be fair. The presidency will likely go to the candidate with the deepest pocket and who is more than willing to massively cheat in order to win. This includes the use of trolls to destroy the character of Robredo, or Moreno or Pacquiao or Lacson, then making sure that the Commission on Elections’ voting machines experience a 7-hour glitch as what happened in 2019, then reporting that the regime’s presidential and vice presidential bets had won by a landslide.

I’ve been wrong before and I hope I’m wrong now, but this is the scenario I foresee if Sara Duterte or Bongbong Marcos end up as the regime’s presidential candidate next year.

To prevent this disaster, what we mere mortals can do is to provide as much financial support to Robredo that she needs, storm the heavens with prayers, and when all else fails maybe even resort to witchcraft.

I’m only half serious with that last suggestion, ok? But if it works…why not?

Health & Wealth

(From Page 12)

that my sons are serving our country and for their amazing accomplishments,” said the father Gerardo C. Delfin.

The Fil-Am couple, now residing in Vallejo, California, immigrated from the Philippines to California in 1986. The proud father retired in 2018 after working for 25 years as backhoe operator for PG & E in San Francisco, California.

I commend and salute Mr. and Mrs. Delfin for the proper upbringing of their two sons (Gerard and Jonathan) and for encouraging and motivating them to finish their degrees at the San Jose State University and San Francisco State University respectively.

(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 FITNESS FOR CHRIST) and ACAPINOY. Art is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California.)

PerryScope

(From Page 12)

talks of building an Asian NATO with Quad at its core.

Indeed, an Asian NATO would definitely counter a militarized China. Looking back at how NATO was formed, it was the threat of Soviet expansionism that led to its creation. An Asian NATO could be the antidote to Chinese expansionist ambitions.

AUSUK would be the catalyst in bringing together a strategic framework of the collective might among the US’s mutual defense alliances with Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, and Taiwan, which in effect draws the US’s first line of defense at the First Island Chain.

ASEAN reaction Reactions from the 10-member Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) were mixed. Breaking with some of its neighbors, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin welcomed the formation of AUSUK, saying: “ASEAN member states, singly and collectively, do not possess the military wherewithal to maintain peace and security in Southeast Asia.” He argued that AUSUK would address the imbalance in the forces available to the ASEAN member states. “In that regard, we believe that the fresh enhancement of Australia’s military capacity through this trilateral security partnership would be beneficial in the long term.”

Nuclear powers While, I don’t think it would lead to a nuclear arms race -- the US and UK are already two of the biggest nuclear powers in the world -- adding Australia to the nuclear mix would solidify America’s position because of the proximity of Australia to the South China Sea. Besides, the US has already deployed 2,500 marines in Australia since 2011 when then President Barack Obama’s “Asia rebalance” had pivoted the US away from the Middle East towards the Pacific.

AUSUK has made it official that Australia will be playing a key role in geopolitical matters in the Indo-Pacific. Needless to say, America – as always – would still be calling the shots. But the huge Australian continent will be where the action would be. It was announced recently that more US troops were being rotated to Australia, and missiles, air force planes, and visits by US nuclear submarines were being planned in the near future. Australia would become an unsinkable aircraft carrier. Heck, the US “invasion” would culminate in strong trilateral relations between Australia and its former colonizer Great Britain and future colonizer America (just kidding – “partners-in-arms” would be more appropriate). It would also boost the economic well being of Australia whose population of 27 million is just a drop in the 2.9 million square miles of land.

By all accounts, Australia will be the focus of the advent of Pax Pacifica (Pacifican Peace). It will be the linchpin of AUSUK to check a rising China and put it in its proper place in a world at peace.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com )

Mindanao Voice

(From Page 12)

that food production is not just an economic activity used in determining the annual GDP. Food production is the survival of the nation and ensuring its sufficiency is government’s moral obligation.

Hindi puedeng pabayaan lang ng gobyerno ang magsasaka at mangingisda at sabihing “they have to be competitive.”

In fact, government should provide the enabling infrastructures, the market access and the assurance of strategic food positioning by establishing Regional Food Consolidation, Processing and Distribution Terminals all over the country.

Dapat guided ang magsasaka at mangingisda kung ano ang kailangan ng merkado at ang kailangan nilang gawin ay mag-deliver lang sa Food Terminals, tanggapin ang bayad ng kanyang produkto na patas sa kanilang paghihirap upang lalo silang ganahan na magtrabaho.

The task of the farmers, fishermen and food producers should just be to produce what is needed by the market and it should be the responsibility and task of government to consolidate, process, reposition and distribute the goods so that consumers will enjoy fresh farm products at the lowest possible price.

This is one of the major institutional reforms we need to introduce in our governance through appropriate legislations in the Senate.

Outsider

(From Page 13)

of San Miguel. Unequivocally I say, the DoTR fully supports this project because I know it is good for the people and the environment,” Tugade said.

SMC is undertaking a P2 billion initiative to clean up and rehabilitate the Pasig River. To improve the flow and carrying capacity of the river, SMC will be extracting some three million metric tons of silt and solid waste from Pasig River.

This will result in a river that would be navigable again. Its tributaries will also be rehabilitated to mitigate flooding.

“We know that a lot of silt, sand, and dirt will still go into the river from the Sierra Madre mountains, via the Marikina river, so the river needs to be maintained. We are committed to continuously dredge and clean it up for the next 30 years,” RSA said.

It is noteworthy to mention that in other projects undertaken by SMC, it goes the extra mile to ensure environment protection. It is involved in mangrove planting along the coastal areas of Bulacan to protect the province from flooding. Bulacan is site of SMC’s massive infrastructure project,

the new Manila International Airport. Its subsidiary, the Luzon Clean Water Development Corporation, the third concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) is an active partner of the water agency’s Annual Million Tree Challenge. SMC subsidiaries also have their respective tree-planting activities to promote environment protection.

“This is a private investment. We are not the type of people who will build something that will be bad for the public, the environment, and our country, for the sake of profits. In fact, we are investing a lot of money and other resources for these projects, even if the returns will take a while--because our country needs them,” RSA said.

Indeed, PAREX is more than an expressway. It is a testament to the dedication and willingness of one of the country’s oldest corporations to help in the country’s development.#

Immigrant’s story...

(From Page 13)

No Filipino leader should follow and emulate Marcos and his abusive rule. Dictatorships and authoritarian rulers do not bring progress. They can only bring tons and tons of abuses, economic downturns, and corruption, as dictators are the first ones to violate the law and the rule of law. They and their families are the first ones to steal from the people and become serial kleptocrats.

There is a saying in Pilipino that reminds us that “Ang taong hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa kanyang paroroonan” (He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never reach his destination.)

Let us not forget the painful lessons of the past. September 21st is not only a day of remembrance. It is a day of resistance as well to any attempts to bring back dictatorial rule in the Philippines.

Education and legislative leaders support COVID-19 vaccine requirements for schools

SACRAMENTO - Education and public health leaders in California and throughout the country applauded Governor Newsom’s announcement that the state plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when the vaccine receives full approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for middle and high school grades, making California the first state in the nation to implement such a measure.

The measure follows California’s other first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination measures, measures that have helped California to maintain the lowest case rate in the entire country. California is currently the only state to advance to the CDC’s ‘moderate’ COVID transmission category.

Here’s what education and public health leaders had to say about Governor Newsom’s first-in-the-nation announcement: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President: “I agree with what Gov. Newsom did in California. People need to realize that having a vaccine requirement for schools is not a new, novel thing that is very peculiar or specific to COVID-19. We’ve been doing this for decades.”

California State Parent Teacher Association President Carol Green: “California State PTA supports the use of vaccines to protect the health and safety of children and families across California. The state of California has required student vaccinations in public schools for years and PTA has long-held positions on vaccine requirements to protect our most vulnerable children.

“Vaccination is an important tool to ensure our schools remain open for in-person instruction while protecting the health and safety of our students, staff.

 HEALTH NEWS

October 7-13, 2021

28

WHO takes steps to address glaring shortage of quality palliative care services GENEVA/NEW YORK – Worldwide, it is estimated only 1 in 10 people who need palliative care are receiving it and global demand for care for people with life threatening illnesses will continue to grow as populations age and the burden of noncommunicable diseases rises. By 2060, the need for palliative care is expected to nearly double.

The world therefore needs urgent and concerted action to scale up access to quality palliative care services. To address this need, WHO is releasing two new resources to support countries in assessing the development of palliative care and improving the quality of palliative care services.

The two resources are being released in advance of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on 9 October 2021.

They include a WHO technical report providing a globally applicable and robust set of palliative care indicators for countries. These indicators can be used to assess and monitor the provision of palliative care services in countries worldwide. The report aims to create a global

consensus on indicators to measure palliative care development and its use will provide reliable data to support decision-making by informing health priorities and resource allocation.

The second resource is a technical brief on quality health services and palliative care, looking at practical approaches and resources to support policy, strategy, and practice. The brief will guide action at the national, district and point of care to improve the quality of palliative care services.

To date, monitoring the existence and maturity of palliative care services has been most often done by assessing the consumption of opioid analgesics. Although opioids are vital for pain relief, they are only one component required for the development of optimal palliative care services.

At a global level, harmonizing data across countries provides a clearer picture of global needs and challenges in palliative care, such as inequity. Measurement is also a

starting point for identifying success stories and learning from countries to design effective improvement strategies for application in other settings. The indicators will assist all those working in palliative care to identify tangible steps that can be considered by countries to expand access to quality palliative care for those who need it.

The provision of palliative care in most countries lags far behind the need for these essential services. Each year, it is estimated over 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, are in need of palliative care, of whom 78% live in low- and middle-income countries.

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for palliative care in all places and settings to relieve suffering at the end of life such as the physical suffering caused by breathlessness or the mental pain resulting from separation from loved ones. The pandemic also reminds us of the need for all health professionals to have some training in a palliative care approach: the demand for palliative services exceeds what can be provided by specialist teams alone.

Heart of Hope

Oral sex - cancer

PHILIP S. CHUA ogy.

While Human Papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus, causes majority of cervical cancer in women, it is also responsible for various cancers in men also. Between 2001 to 2017, “HPV led to a five-fold increase in head and neck cancers in young men,” data presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the American Clinical Oncol-

There were 25,000 cases of HPV-associated cancers in women between 2013 to 2017 and 19,000 cases in men. Greater than 40 percent cases of HPV caused cancers are in men. These are all preventable with Gardasil vaccine, when boys and girls are vaccinated before they are sexually active, and for men up to age 45.

The rate of throat cancer in the United States has not declined, compared to most head and neck malignancies. I suspect that the statistics could also be true, when extrapolated, for other countries, like the Philippines, since most Filipinos are westernized in their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors, etc.

The most logical explanation why cancer of the throat has not diminished has been attributed to the Human Papilloma virus. HPV is popularly known to cause genital and most cancer of the cervix (mouth of the womb). It has only been recently when scientists discovered and identified HPV transmission through oral sex as an etiology of throat cancer.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston reported that its research team found “the incidence of throat cancer (in the United States) to be stagnant and even rising in some populations, defying a downward trend in other head and neck cancers linked more closely with smoking.”

The American Cancer Society reports that the greatest risk factors in head and neck cancers are smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, 90% of them either smokers or tobacco-chewers and about 80% of them also imbibed a lot of alcohol.

The good news is that a trend analysis in head and neck cancers in the United States shows a decline the past twenty years, trailing a decrease in smoking prevalence, which started in the 1970s, by 10 to 15 years.

The bad news is that oro-pharyngeal cancers (which include the tonsils, base of the tongue and soft palate, and side and back of the throat) have been up

in some population in the United States, and probably among people in other parts of the world who practice oral sex, where HPV takes its toll. HPV could also cause cancer of the vagina, penis, and anus, besides cervical and throat cancers.

Sample of the vaccine referred to is Gardasil, which is genetically engineered, and which blocks infection caused by two of the more than 100 types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), strains 16 and 18. These two sexually-transmitted viruses are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers. HPV, in one form or the other, afflicts more than 20 million Americans. The other strains of the virus cause painful genital warts, and sometimes, cervical cancers too.

Let us momentarily discuss cervical cancer, since the HP virus is implicated in its causation in almost three quarters of this malignancy.

How prevalent is cervical cancer?

In the Philippines, there are about 5000 new cases of cervical cancer each year. However, more alarming than that is the fact that there are between 10,000 to 25,000 women walking around (not seen by physician) who have undiagnosed pre-invasive lesions in their cervix. If diagnosed early, these women could be saved. For every four survivors of breasts cancer, there are less than 3 women who survive cervical cancer, which shows how virulent cervical cancer is.

What causes cervical cancer?

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, also known as genital herpes virus) accounts for most cervical cancers.

At least 50% of sexually active men and women are infected with genital HPV, especially those with multiple partners. There are about 20 million American men and women infected with HPV, many linked with abnormal pap tests, genital warts and cervical cancer. It is estimated that at least 10,000 new cases of cervical cancers are discovered annually. Between half a million to a million Americans have genital warts, transmitted thru sexual contacts. It takes time for those infected with HPV to develop into cancer, so there are countless infected people out there who would potentially have cancers. The best for children (before turning 10) and adult up to age 45 is to get vaccinated to prevent HPV infection to begin with.

Is the cure for cervical cancer?

Better than the cure! A vaccine (Gardasil) that prevents cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancer that was approved by the US-FDA in 2006 was found to be “effective 100%, in the short term, at blocking the cancer and lesions likely to turn to cancer” (like the pre-invasive lesions), according to Gardasil manufacturer, Merck &

Co. “To have 100 percent efficacy is something that you have very rarely,” Dr. Eliav Barr, Merck’s head of clinical development for Gardasil, told The Associated Press.

The UK’s version of the vaccine is known as Cervarix.

How early should the vaccine be given?

Students in grammar school, middle school and high school should be vaccinated before they become sexually active, as early as 9 years old for both boys and girls, and adults up to age 45, because once they catch HPV infection, there is no cure; herpes is for life. This was the recommendation of Dr. Gloria Bachmann, director of The Women’s Health Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Brunswick, NJ., who said this vaccine is a “phenomenal breakthrough.” Prophylaxis Gardasil vaccination comprehensively eliminates HPV 16 and 18 associated non-invasive and invasive cervical cancer. The vaccine also cuts down infection with HPV 6 and 11, the causes of 90% of genital warts.

Gardasil is safe for both boys and girls and adults.

How about throat cancers?

Of the 45,000 head and neck cancers in the US each year, about 10,000 of them are oro-pharyngeal cancers, and tongue cancers among young adults have also increased. The evident conclusion is that the cause is the HP virus.

“Over the last five years, 35% of the throat cancer patients treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center had no history of smoking, and that close to 90% of patients who had never smoked showed evidence of oral infection with HPV,” says Dr. Sturgis on Web MD. The researchers felt that “vaccinating only females against HPV could result in a missed opportunity to prevent throat cancers.” It is recommended for both girls and boys to close that gap, preventing boys from spreading the HPV virus.

The use of cling plastic wrap used in the kitchen placed over the woman’s groin as a shield has been advocated by some to prevent HPV transmission.

Mouth, tongue, and other throat cancers could be as grave and deadly as most other forms of cancers.

I do not know how to put this more seriously, more effectively, and more delicately, but medically speaking, a moratorium on oral sex might be in order.

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: philipSchua.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

29 October 7-13, 2021

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS

Q: “My beloved wife of 30 years just passed on. I am not at all embarrassed to tell you that almost every day I cry my heart out longing for her. It has been two months and I still couldn’t believe that when I wake up, I would not find her beside me. At times when I am at work, I automatically dial our number at home expecting her to pick up the phone then I would just bawl in grief. I am PTR. DANTE & CYNTHA VELUZ just forcing myself to work and I try to stay late so that I will go home feeling so tired and sleepy. Of course our grown-up kids come and visit me very often, try to take me out and invite me to stay with them but I feel I still want to savor my wife’s presence in the house despite the fact that everything in it brings me deep sorrow. Some of my good friends are trying to help by teasing me about this lady at church just to divert my attention. Somehow I become more depressed and offended because I still feel so much in love with my wife. Instead of looking for another person to love, I am rather asking the Lord to take me home as well. I feel so lonely and helpless.

A: We cannot underestimate the grief and the sense of loss that you have right now. We know that even in the word of God, the Bible, a time is set aside for grieving. It is a blessing, though, that for us Christians that the hope we have in Jesus carries us through these hard times of sorrow and pain. He is the Prince of Peace and He will bring you peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). The Holy Spirit is our Great Comforter. More than ever, this is the time to find solace in and to draw closer to God, who is your very help in times of need.

By the way you sound, we can sense that you are a godly man and that you most probably believe that your wife is in a better place. The Bible says, “Absence from the body means at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). This should help comfort you that one day all those who have received Jesus into their hearts as their Lord and Savior will still see each other in heaven. What joy this reunion will be!

For now, since you cannot help thinking about your wife, we advise you to thank God every time you recall good and happy memories. This will focus your mind in God instead of on your grief. It is normal and healthy to give a good cry once in a while but you also have to think about your health as well. Remember that there are still people who need you.

Should anything untoward happen to you, just imagine how much greater their grief would be. Perhaps you might want to consider them and the other people who care for you as well.

We suggest you accept you children’s invitation to stay with them so you will be able to comfort one another. We believe they are also suffering as much although they are trying to stay strong for the only parent they have left.

Some friends are well meaning but sometimes their timing may be off. Just take their teasing you as their way of trying to make you come out of your loneliness. Do not take it against them but you can also be frank to them about how you feel. On the other hand, they may be insinuating something for you to consider in the long run, that is to find another partner who can give you comfort and happiness just as your deceased wife did.

This does not mean you will forget your wife altogether but we are sure she would have not wanted you to brood but rather be happy in your life, too. We know a man in the same predicament as yours who was married even longer than you were. The solution he found was to marry a lady he knew before only after a short time of much grieving.

Meanwhile, you can join friends and church mates in worthwhile activities, which would require giving of yourself away, for instance, visiting the sick and those in prison and perhaps sharing your faith. The more you share your life with other people, the more you add meaning to it. The Bible says, “Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). After the time of weeping, then it is time to move on. The earlier you can stash away your wife’s clothes and things in a box or give them away, the better it will be for you. Memories may remain; sometimes the pain doesn’t still go away, but do not stop living a full life. Jesus wants you to fulfill the destiny He has set before you. Shalom, our brother!

LEARNING FROM LONELINESS

By TIM PEDROSA

LET US PRAY THAT OUR LONELINESS MAY SPUR US INTO FINDING SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR, GREAT ENOUGH TO DIE FOR. Loneliness and isolation can leave us feeling empty and without hope sometimes. Sometimes you just need to be alone and let yours tears out. I have learned that when we feel stuck in our own thoughts and just want to be free of this pain, then all we have to do is look to God, the creator of the universe. He sent His son to overcome all of the pain of this world and He wants to help us overcome our pain as well. Loneliness doesn’t come from being alone: it comes from feeling that no one cares. We are meant to thrive in the community. It adds so much more to our lives and causes us to be happier. We all deserve happiness. I have learned that loneliness is the human condition that we can cultivate. It can allow our soul room to grow. Let us never expect to outgrow loneliness; never hope to find people who will understand us, someone to fill that space, otherwise, we will be disappointed. The best we can do is to understand yourself, know what we want and not let others stand in our way.

Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone. Why do I write? It is not that I want people to think that I am smart, or even that I am a good writer. I write because I want to learn from my loneliness, from the problems that life constantly brings and to inspire and encourage others to do the same.

I have learned that if we try to really learn, sit with loneliness and embrace it for the gift that it is…and an opportunity to get to know yourself; to learn how strong we really are; to depend on no one but yourself for our happiness; we will realize that a little loneliness goes a long way in creating a richer, deeper, more vibrant and colorful self. There is absolutely no point in sitting around and feeling sorry for oneself. The great power we have is to let go… focus on what we have, and what we want and remove which ones that have been mean or unkind to us. Once we have mastered to do that, we will never be alone and lonely.

Going Back to Forgive I would like us to take a second look at this act of forgiving; it can be difficult, but we cannot deny that this is one of the actions that defi ne us, Christians.

By forgiving truly, we are Christ-like, we reveal the mercy that we receive ourselves from God. In Matthew, we read, “Therefore, if REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (5:23-24).” In this passage, what appears right away is the person offering, we can assume, can be at fault, and thus, must go back to his brother who has something against him and ask apology. For logically, we cannot offer gifts to God and be pleasing in His sight, when actually we have offended another person. It will be hypocrisy. Meanwhile, another scene we can think of, and this is the heroic kind, that the brother offering the gift has done nothing wrong, rather he was actually the one offended by his brother. But even if so, one cannot totally profess love of God as he offers his gift to Him, when he is aware that he and his brother are not in good terms; because, he has not yet forgiven him or cannot forgive him. So, he must go and forgive his brother and get reconciled with him. The offended going back to the offender to give his mercy and forgiveness; this is in imitation of God Himself. Thus, follows what the Lord said, “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you (Mt. 5:44).” Also, He said: “If your brother sins, rebuke him; if he repents, forgive him (Lk. 17:3).” In another place, Peter and our Lord had this conversation: “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times (Mt. 18:21-22).” Hence, loving God should lead us to love others without selection or distinction; love the lovable and the unlovable. Gifts offered have value because of the love behind them. Without love, gifts are empty show. With great love, even a gift of the least material value gains weight and importance because of the love it brings.

Dear reader, many times what makes forgiving difficult is, we tend to focus more on the hurt and not on the healing. There will be no healing without forgiving first. No matter how we try to hide the hurt if we have not yet truly forgiven, it will still be like a fresh wound or even more painful as time goes by. By forgiving easily from the heart healing can begin right away, since goodwill has been restored. If there is no goodwill, if forgiveness is still absent; so, the heart will still hurt. God focused on the healing of the sinful humanity. The hurt and offense done to Him He nailed to the Cross; so that, healing and redemption be ours.

Moreover, it can also be difficult to forgive because we focus more on the pain and not on the person. The person is like ourselves, he has weaknesses, stupidities, foolishness, moods, may react exaggeratingly, the use of hurting words when at the height of negative passion, and so on. Like the person who hurt us, we also hurt and offend others. Thus, we have to forgive, forget the pain, and focus on the person. Let us tame ourselves, give space to dialogue, let us learn to correct and let us be humble to accept correction as well. When we focus on the person, the enemy can be a friend. Like God, He focused on us, sinful persons, and not on the pain of the offense and the Passion of the Cross.

In doing so, He transformed us to become His holy people, His children beloved to Him in Christ Jesus.

Lastly, often we have the difficulty to forgive because we focus on our broken pride, and not on the relationship that can be lost. All relationships pass through ups and downs. Good people seek the ups and not the downs; hence, we can forget the pride or tame it so as not to ruin our relationships with other good people like us. I prefer to be characterized as a person of relationships; a person easy to get along than a person of great pride. Would you not? God focused on His relationship with us. By forgiving us, He allows us to have intimacy with Him; in this way, He makes us know Him deeply and we learn to love Him dearly. Amen.

Aflame The Heart

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

Lovelife Special

Overcoming Loss

31 October 7-13, 2021  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Porkchop with Mushroom and Oyster Sauce Ingredients: 4-6 pcs. pork chops 2 big cans, button mushroom, sliced 1/3 cup oyster sauce 1 small size onion chopped 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. sugar 1 tbsp. coarsely ground peppercorns salt cooking oil Cooking procedure: Dash the pork chops with salt and keep aside. Heat 1 to 2 tbsp. of cooking oil in a medium size frying pan. Fry the pork chops for about 3 to 5 minutes each side do not over fry, keep aside. To make the sauce, heat the same frying pan with all the pork chops residue, add in the garlic and stir fry for about a minute now add in the onion and parsley, stir cook for another minute. Add in the oyster sauce and about 3/4 to 1 cup of water and sugar bring to a quick boil and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, correct saltiness if required. Add more water if salty. Add in the mushroom and continue to stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Thicken sauce with cornstarch diluted in 1/4 cup of water, cook for another minute or until sauce has thicken. Now add in the fried porkchops a let cook for about 1 to 2 minutes to let the sauce infused to the meat.

Serve immediately with mashed potato or rice.

Siargao among Time magazine’s greatest places of 2021 list SIARGAO – Siargao Island made it into Time magazine’s list of “greatest places” in 2021, which recognizes destinations that were able to adapt and innovate despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat hailed Siargao’s inclusion as a recognition of the country’s continuous efforts to make the country a safe destination once travel resumes.

“I am pleased that the country’s innate beauty continues to draw attention from travelers all over the world despite the pandemic. We are doubling our efforts to create a future of Philippine travel that is safe, more fun, and provides travelers with an authentic and meaningful experience throughout their journey,” she said.

Siargao earned its spot on Time magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021” not only because of its waves that attract surfers even outside the country but also because of its ongoing development to strengthen tourism infrastructure.

“While destinations such as Boracay, Cebu and Palawan nailed the mass market, the teardrop-shaped island off the coast of Mindanao until recently had been best known to a dedicated band of surfers lured by consistent wave,” Time magazine writer Duncan Forgan wrote.

“But the secret is out, and new spots are popping up on the island, including the beachfront Inara Siargao Resort, an intimate five-suite property that can be booked on Instagram. Just before Covid-19 shutdowns, Siargao got additional cell towers to improve data connectivity, which will be a boon to tourism when it reopens to vaccinated international travelers,” he added.

According to the publication, the list is a tribute to individuals and businesses who were able to “adapt, build, and innovate” amid the challenges of the pandemic. It also highlights “ingenuity, creativity, revitalization and reopenings in destinations across the world.”

The list was compiled through nominations from the magazine’s international network of correspondents and contributors, focusing on those that provide unique and interesting experiences.

DOT said Siargao is now open to domestic tourists coming from areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ. Beef Spareribs Adobo with Oyster Sauce