Philippine News Today by Philippine News Today

1 February 10-16, 2022

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

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

Vol. 61 No. 27 February 10-16, 2022

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

ELECTION HEAT UP AS PRESIDENTIABLES OPEN CAMPAIGNS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES Leony de Guzman, Sen. Panﬁlo Lacson, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, Sen. Manny Pacquiao and VP Leni Robredo

COVID-19 cases continue decline; vaccination pressed MANILA — COVID-19 cases in the country continue to decline and predicted to decline further in two weeks even as the government presses its nationwide vaccination against the virus, to include children ﬁve to 11 years old. On February 8, the Department of Health reported only reported 3,574 fresh cases of Covid-19, a signiﬁcant drop from February 7’s 6,835 new cases and a continuous

downward trend in new infections in the country the past two weeks. It was the lowest in several months, and the sixth straight day with less than 10,000 cases. Health Secretary Francisco Duque made the report to President Rodfrigo Dutere in a televised Cabinet meeting prompting the President to call anew on the people to get vaccinated. The government is Page 8

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte said he has already started packing up his belongings and getting ready to exit Malacañang Palace as the election campaign oﬃcially kicked oﬀ. “Nag-iimpake na nga ako eh. ‘Yung iba ipinadala ko na, ‘yung madala sa barko, binarko ko. You know the small things, ‘yung mga tokens, ‘yung mga bronze, ‘yun ang inuna ko, ‘yung mga mabigat (I am packing up. I

have already shipped some items home, those that can be shipped. You know, the small things, tokens, bronze ﬁgures, I sent them ahead, the heavy ones.),” Duterte said in a public brieﬁng. The 76-year-old Chief Executive also said he is ready to leave Malacañang and welcome the new president. “I await the day of turnover. Matikman ko rin ‘yung feeling ng outgoing president. I will be the one to meet the new Page 8

VP and senatorial bets join big proclamation rallies

Biden picks next US envoy to PHL

By ALFRED GABOT and BETING LAYGO DOLOR

MANILA – The political cauldron heated up further in the Philippines as the race for president to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte by June 30, 2022 oﬃcially started on February 8 with big and colourful proclamation rallies in the candidates’ bailiwicks. Page 9

Quiboloy, 2 others placed on FBI’s Most Wanted List, faces arrest, extradition

Duterte packing up, says ready to leave Malacanang

PRESIDENT DUTERTE in ﬁle photo with spiritual adviser Pastor Quiboloy LOS ANGELES/MANILA national operating businesses out — A second presidential adviser of Davao City, was recommendof President Rodrigo Duterte is ed to be deported and charged under ﬁre. by the Senate Blue Ribbon After economic adviser Mi- Committee over his role in the chael Yang, said to be a Chinese controversial multi-Page 24

NEXT US ENVOY to Manila MaryKay Carlson

WASHINGTON/MANILA — United States President Joe Biden has chosen career diplomat MaryKay Carlson as the next U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. The position had been vacant for more than a year since Ambassador Sung Kim ended his four-year tour of duty in Manila in October 2020 and moved to Indonesia as US envoy in that country. Carlson, who also speaks Spanish and Chinese and has been in the foreign service since 1985, is currently the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She will have to be conﬁrmed by the US Senate and accepted by the Philippine government before she can move to Manila. Heather Variava has been ad interim Chargé d’Aﬀaires (CDA) at the US Embassy in Manila since September last year, succeeding John Law. Page 8

Man behind kill Marcos plot surrenders

US Embassy clariﬁes FBI action vs Quiboloy VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHOWBIZ

SPORTS

Common problem when applying for Naturalization

Willie junks GMA, joins Villar’s new Channel 2

Hidilyn Diaz Athlete of the Year again

By A�y. Lozano

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 NATIONAL NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

Man behind Marcos ‘kill plot’ yields to NBI MANILA – A person identiﬁed with an account on video-sharing app TikTok linked to the alleged assassination plot against presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). “The owner of the BBM death threat account voluntarily turned himself into the NBI yesterday (Tuesday). He was advised to secure the assistance of counsel. I think he went to the NBI to give his side, but he’s not under arrest,” said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. Guevarra said due to security reasons, the NBI would not give any details for now while the case is still being evaluated. The NBI was earlier given a month to report on the

alleged slay attempt made through the Chinese videosharing platform. Guevarra earlier clarified the government investigates all threats on public officials, past and present, including candidates running for public office, upon prompt receipt of information. He said the DOJ Office of Cybercrime and NBI may also track down individuals who threaten to kill or rape public officials. A death threat is an unlawful act whether one believes it or not and even if it is unlikely, he added. The TikTok user allegedly posted “we are meeting everyday to plan for BBM’s assassination. Get ready.” NBI officer-in-charge director Eric Distor said the

MANILA – Presidential aspirant Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has called on the electorate to give him a chance to lead the nation, saying he gets things done. At the Aksyon Demokratiko proclamation rally near the City Hall, Domagoso wooed the crowd gathered at the Kartilya ng Katipunan on the first day of the campaign for national bets, telling them that he always fulfills his promises. “Maaaring mas magaling sila sa akin, pero (They may be better than me but) I get things done,” he said. “Kung sakaling ako ang pinili nyo, ang pinili nyo ay bahay, eskwelahahan, kapanatagan, at pantay-pantay na pagtrato sa bawat isa (If you chose me, you have chosen housing, schools, peace of mind, and equal treatment for everyone).” Domagoso, who is serving his first term as mayor, said he was running for the highest post because he was “tired” of erring political families that failed to improve the lives of Filipinos. “Ang tanong, kumusta po kayo after 39 years? Kamusta ang Pilipinas after 39 years? Sapagkat ‘yan ay isa sa mga naging dahilan kung bakit ako sumali sa halalang ito. Tutal nagbakasakali na kayo ng 39 years, ano ba naman magbakasakali kayo sa akin ng six years (The question is, how are you after 39 years? How is the country after 39 years? That is one of the reasons why I joined this election. Because you have taken your chance for 39 years, why don’t you take your chance on me for six years),” he said, referring to the Marcoses and Aquinos who have been political rivals since the 1970s. The party’s Senate bets also threw their support for Domagoso and his running mate, Dr. Willie Ong.

Also spotted during the rally were lawyer Jopet Sison, Samira Gutoc, and Carl Balita who presented themselves and their plans should they get elected as senators. Other supporters who came to the proclamation rally were Pateros Mayor Ike Ponce, Caloocan City District Rep. Edgar Erice, Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano, Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, and former secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform John Castricciones who is also running for senator under PDP Laban. Senate President Pro-tempore Ralph Recto spoke to the crowd through a video message, saying Domagoso has accomplished much amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. “Ang iba, namimigay pa lang ng promissory note, kay Isko, may resibo na (Some may just be sending out their promissory notes, but Isko already has receipts),” Recto said. “Nagawa niya sa buhay niya, nagawa niya sa lungsod ng Maynila, at magagawa niya sa buong Pilipinas (He did it to his life, he did it in Manila, and he can do it for the whole country).” Ong, a doctor by profession who ran in the 2019 Senate race but lost, said helping the public through his vlogs was not enough, prompting him to seek the vice presidency to further reach out to the masses. “Kailangan ko ng pwesto para mas matulungan kayo. Hindi pwede ‘yung puro vlog na lang ako. Papano ko mapapayo ‘yung Molnupiravir, ‘yung Paxlovid, ‘yung Manila Covid-19 niya, ‘yung Ospital ng Maynila niya (I need a position so I could help you. It is not enough that I only do vlogs. How can I recommend medicines, such as Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, the Manila Covid-19, the Manila Hospital),” he said.

man, identiﬁed as Ruel ‘Bong’ Ricafort, went to the bureau’s-Anti Organized and Transnational Crime Division (AOTCD) expressed his intention to ﬁle a complaint against those persons who maliciously used his name on TikTok. Last month, a video that went viral showed a man claiming to be Ricafort threatening to assassinate Marcos. In his statement to the NBI, Ricafort said when he was informed of the video, he searched and viewed the video and found out that someone illegally used his TikTok account, making it appear that his group plans to assassinate the presidential aspirant.

‘Give me a chance. I get things done’ - Isko

Part of their plan is to build 17 regional hospitals in the country, three specialty hospitals, an infectious disease hospital, a children’s hospital, and a cancer center. The Infectious Diseases Hospital, Ong said, would cater to Covid-19 patients, as well as other diseases that may emerge in the future. By having hospitals and medicines, he said, the country could safely reopen its borders, eventually bringing back tourists and jobs. “’Di pwedeng walang ospital tapos mag o-open. Reckless ‘yon (We shouldn’t open unless there are hospitals. That’s being reckless),” Ong said. Medicines for common illnesses such as diabetes, kidney problems, and hypertension, should be given for free, he added. Ong also spoke about improving the quality of education and raising the salary of teachers, continuing the war on drugs but focusing on rehabilitation, and looking after people’s mental health, especially the youth.

Over 17-M ballots printed since January: Comelec MANILA – More than 17 million oﬃcial ballots to be used in the May polls have been printed since the start of the printing process on January 21, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said as of February 7, a total of 17,502,631 ballots have been printed out of the 65,721,230 ballots to be printed. “As you can see, we have quite a way to go but it’s also very important to note that this is already a

signiﬁcant chunk of the tally work that we need to do,” he said. The ﬁgure represents the ballots for six regions as well as those that will be used for overseas and local absentee voting. A total of 1,868,798 ballots have been printed for Caraga; 2,298,930 for Zamboanga Peninsula; 3,060,485, Northern Mindanao; 3,236,251, Davao region; 2,606,492, Soccsksargen and 2,588,193 for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Meanwhile, 86,280 manual ballots were printed for 63 barangays in North Cotabato that are part of the BARMM. For overseas voting (OV), a total of 79,080 manual ballots have been printed while a total of 1,618,122 for the OV automated election system (AES). A total of 60,000 ballots for Local Absentee Voting (LAV) have been printed. The Comelec started printing ballots on January 21.

3 February 10-16, 2022

 NATIONAL NEWS

US Embassy: FBI action on Quiboloy not related to PHL nat’l election

MANILA - The United States Embassy in Manila has clariﬁed that the release by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of a “Most Wanted” poster for Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy had nothing to do with the 2022 elections in the Philippines.

“The FBI’s release of a wanted poster for Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy follows a multi-year effort by law enforcement. It is unrelated to the Philippines’ ongoing presidential election campaign,” the embassy said in a statement. The US Embassy said questions about extradition efforts may be directed to the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ). “And for any questions about extradition, I refer you to the DOJ,” the embassy said. The FBI recently released “wanted” posters for Quiboloy and two other KJC members, Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Helen Panilag. Quiboloy is “wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders,” the FBI said. The FBI said “Quiboloy was indicted by a federal

grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.” The US court issued a warrant for his arrest on November 10, 2021, the FBI said. The US Embassy statement was in reaction to Quiboloy’s legal counsel Attorney Ferdinand Topacio who said the pastor’s accusers are only using his closeness with President Rodrigo Duterte to indirectly destroy the latter. He also said the timing when the FBI released the “most wanted” poster was “very suspect” as the federal grand jury indictment was made on November 10, 2021. Topacio said that what the US has been doing against Quiboloy may be a “distraction and an issue” against the current administration as the US has “repeatedly and consistently interfered and intervened” in Philippine politics.

OVP exemption from poll spending ban sought QUEZON CITY – Senatorial candidates of the tandem of presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan appealed anew to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday to allow Robredo’s oﬃce to continue its aid missions, citing humanitarian grounds. The senatorial candidates said addressing the needs of poor Filipinos with urgent humanitarian concerns due to the pandemic and recent calamities should not be hindered by the start of the oﬃcial campaign period. Senatorial bet Chel Diokno said the Comelec should

act decisively on Robredo’s appeal. immediately grant her petition to continue with her “The OVP’s programs are a big help to many Fili- pandemic and disaster response initiatives during the pinos that’s why they should not be dragged with the campaign period for humanitarian reasons,” he added. campaign of VP Leni. Another thing, these programs fill the gaps of the government during this pandemic especially in terms of aid and testing,” said Diokno, a law professor and human rights fighter. Meanwhile, former Ifugao congressman Teddy Baguilat said Robredo’s work as Vice President should not be affected by the polls. Labor leader and senatorial candidate Sonny Matula, of the Federation of Free Workers, said the Comelec should act promptly on Robredo’s appeal. “The Comelec exemption is important since workers direly need the quality public service that only the OVP with its vast network and experience can provide. We hope the commissioners realize that VP Leni has been consistently providing aid to the needy even before the start of the campaign period,” Matula added. Meanwhile, lawyer Alex Lacson said the call for Robredo to continue her programs is “beyond politics”. “I join Leni’s request and call on Comelec to

 METRO NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

As COVID-19 cases drop, Alert Level 1 eyed for NCR MANILA – There is a possibility that the National Capital Region (NCR) will be placed under the most lenient Alert Level 1, if the Covid-19 cases will further decline in the coming days. Metro Manila, including Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal in Luzon; Biliran and Southern Leyte in the Visayas; and Basilan in Mindanao, are under Alert Level 2 until February 15. Acting Presidential Spokesperson and

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said key oﬃcials of the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will be having a preliminary assessment of Metro Manila’s Covid-19 situation on Thursday. It will be followed by a meeting on either Feb. 12 or Feb. 13, to discuss the latest Covid-19 data and numbers in diﬀerent regions, including NCR. “What we want to do sa IATF is the

closer to February 16 ang aming assessment para yun ang latest numbers na makikita natin to make a ﬁnal decision for alert level system for February 16 hanggang katapusan ng Pebrero (What we want to do in IATF is to make an assessment closer to February 16 so that we can see the latest number to make a ﬁnal decision for the alert level system from February 16 until end of the month),” Nograles said. Metropolitan Manila Development

New QC police director vows renewed war vs drugs, crimes CAMP KARINGAL, Quezon City – Brig. Gen. Remus Balingasa Medina has assumed as the new director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). Medina’s assumption of command ceremony took place at QCPD Grandstand, Karingal, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City over the weekend with National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Vicente D. Danao Jr. leading the turnover rites. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte was represented by Assistant City Administrator for Operations Albert H. Kimbo. In his assumption message, Medina committed to continue the plans and programs of his predecessor to sustain and maintain the TURNOVER. Na�onal Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Vicente momentum of gains, whether in the adminD. Danao Jr (center) leads the turnover of command of Quezon City Police District. istrative or operational aspect of governance. “On this new and greater responsibility Brig. Gen. Remus Balingasa Medina (right) replaced Brig. Gen. Antonio C. Yarra bestowed on me, I believe that continuity is (le�) as commander of QCPD. a very important factor to sustain and maintain the momentum of our gains whether in the administrative or operational aspect of governance. I have therefore nothing else to commit but to continue the plans and programs of my predecessor and to help fulfil and achieve the genuine change for our constituents- especially the people of Quezon City,” he added.

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“In like manner, along with our fight against illegal drugs and criminality, I will also continue to emphasize on reward and punishment system for our personnel and focus on imposing the kind of discipline that the public should want of their police by adopting internal and practical reforms for erring cops,” Medina said. Medina, who was former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG) and belongs to PNP Academy (PNPA) Tagapaglunsad Class of 1993, replaced Brig. Gen. Antonio C. Yarra of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sambisig Class of 1991 who was designated as the new regional director of Police Regional Office (PRO) Calabarzon. Prior to his current post, Medina was assigned to various commands where he held key positions such as director of the PDEG; senior executive assistant of the Office of the Chief, PNP; chief district directorial staff of Eastern Police District, NCRPO; chief of the Regional Intelligence Division of the NCRPO, PRO 2 (Cagayan Valley), and PRO 7; chief of the Regional Comptrollership Division of PRO 7 (Central Visayas); chief of the District Intelligence Division of EPD, NCRPO; chief of the Logistics Management Division of Special Action Force; among others.

Authority (MMDA) oﬃcer-in-charge and general manager, Romando Artes, earlier said the NCR mayors are ready to ease the restrictions within their respective local government units (LGUs) but are still waiting for the ﬁnal guidelines from the IATF. Once the Covid-19 cases will continue to go down, Artes said the Metro Manila Council will request placing NCR to Alert Level 1, as discussed by its members.

QC steps up vaccination of children

VAX FOR KIDS. The Quezon City government prepares a magic show to entertain children 5 to 11 years while ge�ng vaccinated against Covid-19 at its pediatric vaccina�on site at the Elements Centris. QUEZON CITY – The Quezon City government continues to encourage parents and guardians to have their children 5 to 11 years old vaccinated against the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Dr. Malu Eleria, Action Oﬃcer of the QC Task Force Vax to Normal, said it is important that like adult family members, children should also have protection against Covid-19. “Huwag nating i-deprive ang ating mga anak ng extra protection katulad ng naibigay na proteksyon sa ating adult population. Ang bakuna ay nakakatulong para maiawasan ang malubhang pagkakasakit o kamatayan (Let us not deprive our children of the extra protection like the protection to the adult population. The vaccine helps to avoid severe infection or even death,” she said. The parents thanked the city government for its eﬀorts to help their children feel relaxed at the vaccination sites through freebies, mascot, magic show, and attractive setup of the vaccination area. “Thank you po Mayor Joy Belmonte. Hindi po nila naramdaman ang sakit ng vaccine dahil sobrang naaliw sila sa hinanda nyo pong sorpresa sa mga bata, super happy po mga bata para na din sila namasyal (Thank you Mayor Joy Belmonte. The kids did not feel the pain from the vaccine at all because they were so amazed by the surprises you have prepared for them, they are so happy as if they enjoyed strolling,” Jhela Raymundo said in a Facebook post.

5 February 10-16, 2022

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Ex-Bohol board member pleads guilty to killing mayor-wife Gisela CALBAYOG CITY – Barely two months into the killing of veteran journalist Jesus “Jess” Malabanan, Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), said a murder complaint has been formally filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) against two suspects in connection with the crime. Egco said the PNP’s Special Investigation Task Group (PNP-SITG) formed to thoroughly probe the murder of Malabanan has successfully completed its initial findings with the filing of a murder charge against suspects Aries Solomon and Jerry Trinidad, both of Tinambacan District, Calbayog City, before the Office of the Prosecutor of Calbayog and docketed under NPS No. VIII-10INV-22B-00030. “I commend the men and women of the PNP who worked tirelessly in the investigation into the killing of my colleague and friend, Jess Malabanan. We are very

grateful for your swift and thorough work in identifying the killing was a dispute over a large tract of land in Calthe perpetrators of this heinous crime,” Egco said. bayog. Malabanan represented a group of poor farmers Egco, who has been in constant coordination with the who were fighting for their rights over the property. SITG Malabanan, said he has absolute confidence in the investigation done by the PNP. “I am confident that justice will soon be achieved in this case. The government through this Presidential Task Force created by President Rodrigo Duterte will not stop until the perpetrators of this dreadful act are made to pay for their crimes,” he said. Malabanan, a correspondent for various news outfits, was shot dead by motorcycle “riding-in-tandem” gunmen inside his small store in Calbayog City on Dec. 8, 2021. Earlier, the PNP-SITG confirmed that while Malabanan worked as a journalist, his murder was not related to his work. According to the PNP, the most probable motive for

P2-B agri aid handed to Bohol typhoon victims

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol Agriculture Secretary William Dar, together with Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap and other oﬃcials of the Department of Agriculture (DA), led the distribution of interventions to the province of Bohol, which has been badly beaten by Typhoon Odette on February 7 in Tagbilaran City. The agri-ﬁshery aid awarded to Bohol amounts to P2 billion. One of the supports awarded was the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) for the 52,819 farm-

er-beneficiaries totaling to P267.7 million. Under RFFA, every farmer tilling two hectares or less, will be receiving P5,000 in unconditional cash assistance. While in Bohol, the agri chief distributed other assistance packages through the SURE Aid Loan and Agri-Negosyo Programs, both under the DA-Agricultural Credit Policy Council, Quick Response Fund, Swine Recovery Program, and assorted inputs to aid rehabilitation efforts in the province for different agricultural

industries. The Secretary also committed additional support including processing facilities for poultry, livestock, ﬁshery, coconut, and other crops, to be lodged under the Philippine Rural Development Project. At the same time, fresh agri products from Davao, Zamboanga, and Cebu were on sale at the old Tagbilaran Airport in Bohol, courtesy of the Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita on Wheels modality of the marketing team of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

Sara not entertaining possibility of replacing BBM

MANILA – Vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said she is not entertaining the possibility of replacing presidential candidate and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. if the petition against latter is granted. Mayor Sara said she personally found talks about her taking the place of Marcos “exceptionally unpleasant”, noting that neither of them has yet to win the elections. “Personally, I ﬁnd talks about me ‘possibly replacing a President Bongbong Marcos exceptionally unpleasant as — in reality — both of us are yet to win the

elections. It is putting the cart before the horse,” she said in a press statement. “I am not entertaining the thoughts of a possible replacement as I also do not look forward to a scenario of a disqualified BBM — before or after the elections,” she added. She noted that there is no discussion between her and Marcos about the disqualification charges against him. However, she said the disqualification cases filed against Marcos have “no basis at all.” “I maintain that the disqualification cases filed against BBM have no basis at all — orchestrated by anti-Marcos forces

desperate to regain control of our country, never mind if they sow divisiveness among our people, never mind if they undermine our freedom, never mind if they make a mockery of our laws,” she said. Duterte is vying for the vice presidential seat under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party while Marcos is running under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. They decided to run as a tandem, calling themselves the “UniTeam.” In a TV interview with TV host Korina Sanchez aired on Saturday, Marcos admitted that he is worried about his disqualification cases filed against him but acknowledged the possibility that his running mate, Duterte, could become president if the petition against him is granted. “Yes. If I am disqualified,” Marcos replied, when asked if the scenario is possible. While the disqualification cases against Marcos remain unresolved at the Commission on Elections (Comelec), he said he would not let them get in the way of his plans. “Of course. I take everything seriously. I worry about everything. But I do not let it distract me from the campaign,” he said. To date, the Comelec has yet to rule on the petition to disqualify Marcos over his failure to file income tax returns and alleged failure to pay the corresponding tax deficiency.

Only fully vaxxed travelers from US, other countries can enter PHL: BI

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) clariﬁed that only fully vaccinated foreign nationals coming from over 150 countries are allowed to enter the country without a visa starting February 10. In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said foreigners whose country of nationality is not listed under Executive Order (EO) 408 cannot avail of the visa-free privilege and are required to secure visas before traveling

to the Philippines. Under the EO, nationals from 157 countries may be admitted into the country without a visa for an initial stay of 30 days. The nations include Canada, Japan, Singapore, the United States, New Zealand, Malaysia, and South Korea. The BI chief said foreign tourists from countries not listed under EO need to secure a 9(a) visa and an entry exemption document (EED) through any of

the Philippine embassies or consulates abroad. “They should also be fully vaccinated or else they will be denied entry even if they have valid 9(a) visas and EED,” he added. Morente said all foreigners entering the country are now required to present the appropriate proof of full vaccination as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). Visitors who will fail to comply will be turned back at the airports and booked on the ﬁrst available ﬂight to their port of origin. The task force also required arriving alien tourists to present a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, taken at least 48 hours prior to their departure from their country of origin, a return ticket, a passport valid for at least six months, and a travel and health insurance for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) with a minimum coverage of US$35,000 valid for the entire duration of their stay.

AFP, PNP, PCG join forces to ensure peaceful May 9 elections

CAMP CRAME, Quezon City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have adopted a joint legal cooperation against lawless groups as part of efforts to ensure peaceful and orderly elections. AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino, PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos, and PCG deputy commandant for operations Vice Adm. Eduardo Fabricante signed the Joint Letter Directive (JLD) No. 01-2022 during the second command conference with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The meeting was presided by Comelec acting chairperson Socorro Inting who commended all the uniformed personnel for their roles during the election. “I am confident that, in the performance of your functions concerning the coming elections, our uniformed personnel shall always remain professional and non-partisan. From the manning of Comelec checkpoints and implementation of the gun ban, down to the determination of hotspots and dismantling of private armed groups, the responsibility of our uniformed personnel is a heavy one and thus deserves commendation,” Inting said.. Also present were field unit commanders from the AFP, PNP, and PCG. In his message, Centino emphasized the AFP’s marching orders from President Rodrigo R. Duterte -- finish off the communist insurgency before the Chief Executive’s term ends, and ensure the conduct of safe elections.

OFW deployment to Saudi suspended

MANILA – Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he sees no valid reason yet to lift the suspension on the deployment of Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia, unless it has settled the financial claims of some 11,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “If it’s not settled, I don’t think I will have any valid reason to resume the deployment. I don’t want our overseas Filipino workers to suffer the same fate when they return there,” Bello said. Bello said he wants to ensure that once they started sending OFWs to Saudi Arabia again, they will be treated nicely and given what they deserve. “They should never suffer maltreatment so I want to pay our 11,000 (workers) first. Their claims have been pending for five years. That has not been settled. Who can give me the reason to lift the suspension?,” Bello said. He, however, said they will stick to the deployment restrictions for now when asked if there is a plan to expand it. “First, to give them all the reason and motivation to consider settling the claims of our workers. It’s been more than five years, (these happened) in 2016. It is now 2022,” Bello said. He said he is willing to sit down and talk with the officials of the host country since there was a commitment to invite him to visit the Arab nation.

7 February 10-16, 2022

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

MMDA’s Abalos quits, joins Marcos as campaign manager

MAKATI CITY – Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos, Jr. has resigned from his post inf the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).. “I would like to announce that I am resigning as MMDA Chairman eﬀective the end of business hours of February 7, 2022. I have submitted my resignation letter to the President,” Abalos said. Abalos now serves as the national campaign manager of presidential aspirant former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “The campaign period is fast approach-

ing and I would need to devote my time to Senator Bongbong Marcos’ campaign as his national campaign manager. While I am extremely saddened by this, I wish the agency success in its every program, project, and initiative for the betterment of the metropolis,” Abalos said. Abalos designated incumbent MMDA General Manager Romando Artes as the agency’s oﬃcer-in-charge, pending the appointment of the next MMDA chairman by Malacañang. “GM Artes is a lawyer. He knows everything. However, let me reiterate that the

MANDALUYONG CITY – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $2-million grant to support the Philippine government’s emergency response to the devastation in central

tributed to target communities, which beneficiaries can exchange for food in selected markets. The grant also includes logistics support for the food assistance delivery. “Typhoon Odette’s damage on housing, agriculture, and infrastructure amid the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has made life more difficult for Filipinos in affected areas,” ADB Director General for Southeast Asia Ramesh Subramaniam said. “This assistance will help finance the humanitarian needs of those residents, especially people living in remote areas.” ADB is partnering with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver the food assistance. It builds on WFP’s ongoing work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide emergency relief to typhoon-hit areas. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council estimated the typhoon caused P24.6 billion (nearly $500 million) in damage to crops, public infrastructure, and private property.

ADB okays $2-M grant to support ‘Odette’ relief

and southern provinces caused by Typhoon Odette, the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the country in 2021. The grant under ADB’s Asia Paciﬁc Disaster Response Fund will provide humanitarian assistance to about 15,000 households, or about 75,000 people, in Visayas and Mindanao severely aﬀected by the December 16 typhoon. It will fund food vouchers to be dis-

President has the prerogative to appoint the next chairman of the MMDA,” Abalos said. Abalos thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for the appointment. “I thanked President Duterte for his full trust and conﬁdence in me, most especially for believing in my capability to lead the MMDA,” Abalos said. Abalos, a lawyer, served as MMDA chief for more than a year, replacing the late Danilo Lim who passed away in January 2021. Since his appointment, Abalos led programs and projects carrying out the mandates of the agency under Republic Act 7924. Among these are the pandemic response of the National Capital Region and the policies initiated through the Metro Manila Council (MMC) to further decrease the number of Covid-19 cases towards eventual herd immunity in the region. Abalos also steered the Covid-19 pandemic response of the National Capital Region. He spearheaded the vaccination of the agency’s employees, as well as economic front-liners such as Philippine Basketball Association oﬃcials, cagers, and workers,

and those from the entertainment industry. As an overall chair of the MMC, Abalos also initiated the “Vax As One” program of the Metro Manila mayors. Artes said he will continue the priority projects, including the Covid-19 vaccination, started by his predecessor Chairman Abalos Jr. Aside from continuing the programs Abalos started, Artes said the MMDA will ensure “steady” Covid-19 vaccination in the National Capital Region (NCR) especially with the launch of the vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 years old on Monday. “Tayo naman po ay hindi nagmamadali, inuunti-unti po natin iyong pagbabakuna sa mga bata at iyon po magla-launch pa po tayo ng maraming vaccination sites all over the Philippines para po sa mga bata edad 5 hanggang 11 (We are not in a hurry, we’re slowly vaccinating children and we are going to launch a lot more vaccination sites all over the Philippines for children aged 5 to 11),” Artes said. To make Covid-19 vaccines even more accessible to the public, he said local government units (LGUs) in the NCR have begun oﬀering inoculation to residents “door-to-door.”

SAI RAM ASTROLOGER & PSYCHIC MISS DEVI SHAMALA

 NATIONAL NEWS Covid...

(From page 1)

eyeing to inoculate six million individuals on the third nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive set for Feb. 10 to 11, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. reported during the brieﬁng. Galvez said the government aims to administer primary doses to 4 million individuals and booster shots to 2 million people on the third wave of ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’. This will cover ages 12 and

Biden...

(From page 1)

Carlson is also a career member of the senior foreign service with the rank of minister-counselor, the White House said. She previously worked as deputy chief of mission in New Delhi, India for three years, and held the post of chargé

Duterte..

February 10-16, 2022

above. Senior citizens, indigent population, and individuals in economic zones will be given priority. Galvez said the government will push for the administration of booster shots to provide additional layer of protection to fully vaccinated individuals. So far, over 59 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The government aims to increase this to 70 million in March and 90 million in June when President Duterte’s term ends. During the meeting, Duque revealed

that around 93% of COVID-related deaths in the country were from the unvaccinated. Duque said that those who have yet to receive their vaccine shots comprise 85% of severe and critical cases, highlighting the importance of getting inoculated against the virus. On February 8, the DOH reported 83 new deaths from Covid-19, raising the country’s total to 54,621 or 1.51 percent of all conﬁrmed cases. Also at the brieﬁng, Duterte urged the unvaccinated to get their COVID-19 shots,

emphasizing that the country is not yet “over the hump.” “Kapag namatay ka at hindi kayo bakunado, well, sabihin ko sa iyo, ‘Good riddance’… Gusto niyo mamatay eh di sige. Maglakad-lakad ka and if you get contaminated, you will be awfully very, very sorry for yourself and your family,” he said.

d’affaires for 10 months. “She has also served at U.S. diplomatic missions in China (twice), Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic,” the White House said. “Her domestic assignments include Director of the Secretary’s Executive Secretariat Staff and Deputy Director of Korean Affairs.”

The White House said Carlson, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, has received numerous performance awards, including six Superior Honor Awards from the U.S. Department of State. She has bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and holds a master’s degrees from Georgetown University and the National

War College. “The biggest lesson I learned is the need to treat each applicant with respect,” Carlson said in an interview with the Rhodes College website in 2019. “Consular oﬃcers are the face of the United States, and how we treat applicants, even those who don’t qualify for visas, matters.”

Duterte also encouraged parents to get their children immunized, after the government launched its vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11.

Hindi na rin ako matutulog dito. Kung take me). But I trust that he would not let tial Spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Duterte is going to enjoy the privileges praktis na ako ng tulog doon,” he said. Duterte and his family’s official resi- of being a private citizen and spend more Once he is done moving out, Duterte dence is in Davao City. time with his family when his term ends in June. will go to the Palace every day to just fulDuterte said he also looking forward He said Duterte’s decision to back out fill his duties as president for the remainto meeting his successor and inviting him from the senatorial race will allow him der of his term. to prioritize the country’s Covid-19 re“Magpunta na lang ako dito for or her for a tête-à-tête. “I wait the day of turnover, matikman sponse and ensure peaceful, transparent, day-to-day trabaho, what’s left of the things we have to work on,” Duterte ko rin ‘yung feeling ng (I would experi- and fair national and local elections. ence the feeling of being) outgoing PresiDuterte earlier filed his candidacy as a said. Instead of staying at his official dent. I will be the one to meet the new substitute senator under the PDDS party residence in Malacañang compound, president. Then I will invite him here for or Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan, but eventually withdrew his senahe said he plans to buy a two-bed- a tête-à-tête,” he said. In December 2021, Acting Presiden- torial bid. room condo in Manila and only visit the Palace for “day-to-day” activities. “Magpunta na lang ako dito for a LAW OFFICE OF day-to-day trabaho (I’ll go here for day-to-day work) and what’s left of the things that we have to work on. Iyon ang (That’s all)… At (And) I will make a speech one of these days thanking the people for the distinct honor of giving me the position as & ASSOCIATES President,” he added. He said he wanted his next residence to be 3255 Wilshire Blvd. Ste# 1010 “affordable” because he Los Angeles, CA 90010 could not afford an expenTel: (213) 388-9925 sive house. Fax: (213) 388-6080 “Nagplano kami na ocampolawofc@yahoo.com ano magbili na lang ng --- ‘yung mumurahin na… O hindi ko kaya kung maganda. Pag-alis ko dito, wala akong matirahan. Wala akong mga (We are FOR COMPETENT & AFFORDABLE LEGAL SERVICES already planning to buy COMPLIMENTARY/FREE CONSULTATION an affordable house. I can’t afford the nicer ones. US IMMIGRATION LAW When I leave here, I won’t FAMILY/EMPLOYMENT BASED PETITIONS LABOR CERTIFICATION DACA have a place to stay. I don’t LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN DEPORTATION/REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS have) cousins because all FAMILY LAW of them are in America so DIVORCE SPOUSAL SUPPORT CHILD CUSTODY/SUPPORT/VISITATION wala akong bahay dito (I ADOPTION GUARDIANSHIP don’t have a house here),” PERSONAL INJURY he said. AUTO ACCIDENTS PREMISES LIABILITY SLIP AND FALL CASES Duterte said he does not need a big house beLABOR/EMPLOYMENT LAW cause his children are all WRONGFUL TERMINATION WAGE AND HOUR DISPUTES DISCRIMINATION WORKERS’ COMPENSATION grown up and even have their own political careers ESTATE PLANNING now. PROBATE WILLS TRUSTS ESTATE ADMINISTRATION “I don’t know where, kung saan ako dalhin ng TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM TREAT YOU Diyos (where God would

(From page 1) saan dalhin ng Panginoong Diyos, mag- me down,” he said.

president, then I will invite him here for a tete-a-tete,” Duterte added. Duterte said he hopes to be done moving out of his oﬃce in Malacañang by

March or April. “Nag-iimpake na po ako. I have a little over 3 months, so I should be out by March, hindi ko na paabutin ng Abril.

CALIFORNIA LAWYER SINCE 1993

9 February 10-16, 2022 Election...

 NATIONAL NEWS (From page 1)

Duterte has not selected his candidate for president as of press time. National candidates are given three months, or until May 7, to present their platforms and convince voters to support them come election day, May 9. The campaign this year is distinct as the Commission on Elections released guidelines on campaign activities to ensure public health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of supporters joined the rallies and the caravans before or after by the presidential aspirants – former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Domagoso, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Panﬁlo Lacson and labor leader Leony de Guzman. The candidates for vice president and senators joined the rallies in person or by video message as they woo the voters to their side with their respective party’s platform of government. The Unity Team of Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte who are leading the surveys held their proclamation rally in the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan with a capacity of 50,000 but whittled down to 30,000 due to social distancing, but thousands more waited at the arena until the program ended. Joining Marcos and Duterte on stage with host Toni Gonzaga were 11 senatorial candidates former defense secretary Gibo Teodoro, former Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, former senator Jose Estrada, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, former senator Gringo Honasan, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Deputy Speakers Loren Legarda and Rodante Marcoleta and lawyer Larry Gadon.

Marcos affirmed his message of unity and movement to make the country strong again while Sara vowed, “we shall move forward… bounce back like never before,” adding they are offering to the electorate a tandem endowed with “wisdom and experience.” Marcos vowed to “unify the country” saying: “This is not the time and place to be arguing about the history of the Philippines.” Incumbent Vice President Robredo -- a former congresswoman and lawyer for the disadvantaged and a distant second in voter surveys, kicked off her pink-colored campaign in Lupi, the capital town of Camarines Sur and in Naga City, her hometown, with vice presidential bet, Sen. Francis Pangilinan and a handful of senatorial bets led by former Rep. Ted Baguilat and lawyer Cel Diokno and thousands of supporters. Robredo is ahead of celebrity mayor Francisco Domagoso, boxing superstar and Sen. Manny Pacquiao and ex-police chief and Sen. Panfilo Lacson in the surveys. Domagoso held a city-wide caravan where he was mobbed by Manilans before his proclamation rally at the Kartilya on Mehan Gardens beside the Manila city Hall. Isko Moreno Domagoso called on the electorate to give him a chance to lead the nation, saying he gets things done. At the Aksyon Demokratiko proclamation rally near the City Hall, Domagoso wooed the crowd gathered at the Kartilya ng Katipunan on the first day of the campaign for national bets, telling them that he always fulfills his promises. “Maaaring mas magaling sila sa akin, pero (They may be better than me but) I get things done,” he said. “Kung sakaling ako ang pinili nyo, ang pinili nyo ay bahay, eskwelahahan, kapanatagan, at pantay-pantay na pagtrato sa bawat isa (If you chose me, you have chosen housing, schools, peace of mind, and equal

treatment for everyone).” Domagoso, who is serving his ﬁrst term as mayor, said he was running for the highest post because he was “tired” of erring political families that failed to improve the lives of Filipinos. “Ang tanong, kumusta po kayo after 39 years? Kamusta ang Pilipinas after 39 years? Sapagkat ‘yan ay isa sa mga naging dahilan kung bakit ako sumali sa halalang ito. Tutal nagbakasakali na kayo ng 39 years, ano ba naman magbakasakali kayo sa akin ng six years (The question is, how are you after 39 years? How is the country after 39 years? That is one of the reasons why I joined this election. Because you have taken your chance for 39 years, why don’t you take your chance on me for six years),” he said, referring to the Marcoses and Aquinos who have been political rivals since the 1970s. The party’s Senate bets also threw their support for Domagoso and his running mate, Dr. Willie Ong. Also spotted during the rally were lawyer Jopet Sison, Samira Gutoc, and Carl Balita who presented themselves and their plans should they get elected as senators. Other supporters who came to the proclamation rally were Pateros Mayor Ike Ponce, Caloocan City District Rep. Edgar Erice, Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano, Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, and former secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform John Castricciones who is also running for senator under PDP Laban. Sen. Manny Pacquiao renewed his vow to ﬁght corruption and poverty provide basic services such as housing, jobs, livelihood, health and education as he launched his campaign for president before a big crowd in General Santos City. Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza was unable to join the proclamation rally but sent his message as candidate for vice president. He called

the voters to send Pacquiao to Malacanang. Senatorial candidates under the PROMDI ticket led by broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian represented by girfriend actress Bianca Manalo, and former Senate secretary Lutgardo Barbo were present at the rally while others sent video messages. Earlier, Pacquiao vowed to run after the illgotten wealth of the Marcoses if he wins the presidency in the May 9 elections. With stamping out corruption in government as the centerpiece of his campaign, Pacquiao said it is proper to pursue the funds, which were stolen by the Marcos family. Based solely on attendance figures, presidential candidate Leni Robredo had the far more impressive official launch of her candidacy this week, drawing one of the largest crowds ever seen in Naga City, which the Philippine National Police estimated at between 200,000 and 400,000. The Associated Press estimated the Robredo crowd at between 300,000 and 600,000. Local media said Robredo’s rally at Plaza Quezon was “the biggest campaign rally in the history of Philippine politics.” By comparison, the launch of Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s candidacy at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan could not fill up the coliseum’s 30,000 seats. Photos of the event showed that less than half the seats at the Iglesia ni Cristoowned arena were occupied. Even in social media, Robredo had more views, with her rally covered by Facebook live garnering more than 1,700,000 views. In the live feeds of both events in another social media site which occurred at roughly the same time, Marcos Jr. had some 20,000 views compared to Robredo’s 80,000. Analysts wondered why Marcos Jr. did not hold his launch at his home province of Ilocos Norte, unlike Robredo who held hers at her Bicol region stronghold.

 NATIONAL NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

Pacquiao renews vow vs corruption, to run after Marcos ill-gotten wealth By Claire Morales True GEN. SANTOS CITY -— Sen. Manny Pacquiao renewed his vow to ﬁght corruption and poverty provide basic services such as housing, jobs, livelihood, health and education as he launched his campaign for president before a big crowd in General Santos City. Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza was unable to join the proclamation rally but sent his message as candidate for vice president. He called the voters to send Pacquiao to Malacanang. Senatorial candidates under the PROMDI ticket led by broadcast journalist Raﬀy Tulfo, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian represented by girfriend actress Bianca Manalo, and former Senate secretary Lutgardo Barbo were present at the rally while others sent video messages. Earlier, Pacquiao vowed to run after the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses if he wins the presidency in the May 9 elections. With stamping out corruption in government as the centerpiece of his campaign, Pacquiao said it is proper to pursue the funds, which were stolen by the Marcos family. “Napuno na ako, ang daming tumak-

bo bilang presidente puro lang pangako. Bakit imbes na yumaman tayo lalo tayong naghihirap? Ano ang pagkakaiba natin sa ibang bansa tulad ng Singapore?” said Pacquiao in the Visayan language. “Bakit sila umaasenso, kasi walang korapsyon. Umaasenso sila kasi walang korapsyon at hindi puro pangako.” Pacquiao said politics has become a livelihood in the Philippines, as greed and corruption besmirched the country’s reputation in the international community. “Hindi kailangan ng pulitiko sa Pilipinas. Ginagawang kabuhayan ang pagsisilbi sa bansa,” he said. “Sisiguraduhin ko na bawat Pilipino panalo sa laban ni Manny Pacquiao.” “Ang panaginip ng mga Pilipino ay magkaroon ng sariling tahanan, si Manny Pacquiao lang ang makapagbibigay niyan. Ang panaginip ng bawat Pilipino ay magkaroon ng matatag na trabaho at sapat na kikitain, si Manny Pacquiao lang ang makapagbibigay niyan,” he claimed. Also present in the rally was Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee Pacquiao and his mother Mommy Dionesia. Pacquiao also unveiled his 22-round priority agenda, which covers his plans for free housing, education, agriculture, livelihood, technology and transporta-

tion, and improved health system. Pacquiao promised to strengthen the Presidential Commission on Good Government, the body created during Corazon Aquino’s presidency to recover the

Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth. “We will strengthen the PCGG. What is for the government is for the government,” Pacquiao said in Filipino at the KBP Presidential Forum.

Lacson hits double standard in Duterte admin By Jeanne Michael Penaranda IMUS, Cavite - Sen. Panfilo Lacson launched his official campaign for president before a big crowd in his hometown of Imus in Cavite, promising to strengthen the government, fight corruption, among others. Lacson and his team urged the voters to select the right candidates to lead the country in the next six years who can lift the country to greater heights. With him were Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Lacson’s candidate for vice president, and senatorial candidates led by former Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol, former Makati congressman Monsour del Rosario, former PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, Dr. Minguita Padilla and former Senator JV Ejercito. Former Vice President Jojo Binay, and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bau-

tista failed to join the rally. Re-electionist Senator Richard Gordon and former Senators Loren Legarda and Francis “Chiz” Escudero joinedthe proclamation rally physically through their video messages. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and former Senator Gregorio Gringo Honasan were represented by their wife and sister, respectively, at the Lacson-Sotto proclamation rally. Earlier, Lacson said the biggest problem in President Rodrigo Duterte’s government is having double standard when it comes to his allies. “Ang napakalaking pagkakamali? Double standard. Kasi ‘pag ikaw namumuno iba ang tingin mo sa kaalyado mo sa kaibigan mo kaysa sa perceived mong kaaway mo,” said Lacson during an interview on Korina Sanchez’s “Upuan ng Katotohanan” that aired on A2Z and Kapamilya channels.

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11 February 10-16, 2022

 OPINION New Orleans FilAms thrive

EDITORIAL

Why not Pence in 2024?

ormer Vice President Michael Richard Pence may have fired his first salvo for what is likely a presidential run in 2024 last week. He finally publicly addressed former President Donald Trump, who continues to insist that he would still be president today had Pence done what he had asked, which was to block the peaceful transfer of power in January 6, last year. This, he could have done by rejecting Electoral College votes that had gone to Joe Biden. In an address to the Federalist Society, Pence’s statement was straight to the point. He said, “President Trump is wrong.” Pence knew the limits of his authority, and it did not include the power to unilaterally reject Electoral College votes, especially in the absence of any evidence of cheating. Some would consider it the vice president’s finest hour, which may have added to the anger that fueled the mob that fateful day. But in performing his duty against the wishes of his president, Pence became for that brief moment a defender of democracy. His very life was endangered when the pro-Trump mob screamed, “Hang Mike Pence!” But he survived and completed his task that same day, guaranteeing that Trump had no choice but to head to Mar-A-Lago and sulk. The 45th president may have been trying since then to hold on to some vestiges of power, particularly within the GOP. He still has a large following within the party, but he has been swamped with so many court cases that not only weaken his stature, but may also lead to his eventually landing some time in prison. And even if Trump is able to somehow avoid prison time, his once vast business empire is fast becoming a shadow of its former self. These factors plus his age – Trump turns 76 this year – means he will be 78 in 2024. Still some four years younger than President Biden, but still a very senior citizen who is out of touch with the youth, who form the majority of the US electorate. Pence, on the other hand, will only be 64 two years from now, still within the ideal age group to be POTUS. Best of all, more than Trump, Mike Pence represents what being a Republican leader is all about. He is a true fiscal conservative and has been married to the same woman his entire life. And as a lawyer, he also understands the law, something that Trump never quite got the grasp of. This is not to say that Pence is the only Republican leader who will seek his party’s nomination two years from now. Besides Trump, there are still the likes of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Gov. Ron deSantis. There’s also Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Ok, maybe Cruz should not be included in the mix as he is already considered badly damaged goods. But certainly there is no shortage of Republicans ready and willing to face off against President Biden, whose age will be validly held against him. If President Biden opts not to run, Vice President Kamala Harris will be considered the frontrunner to be the Democratic Party’s nominee. A Pence vs Harris battle would be most interesting to witness. At least the meanness and lack of civility that was the hallmark of Trump vs his past opponents Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden will be absent. This can only be a good thing.

Upside

HE latest television series to probe American diversity through food serves up the story of the less known but perhaps longest entrenched Filipino community in the United States. “Take out with Lisa Ling” premiered Jan. 26 on HBO Max with “Mix Mix”, a mélange of tales about Filipinos living in the New Orleans area, whose forebears built a vibrant settlement on the waters of what centuries later would become Louisiana in the future southern United States. CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO From the descendants of 18th Century pioneers who “revolutionized the shrimping industry” of this country, as Ling proclaims, and enhanced the regional cuisine already rich with Indigenous, French, and West African ingredients and techniques, to finding and providing family where they once feared they were alone and flaunting an art form reclaimed to showcase ancestral pride, the individual and collective stories astound. In the genre of televised cultural digs through cuisine popularized by Anthony Bourdain on CNN’s “Parts Unknown’, Take Out focuses on U.S. immigrant communities more along the vision of Marcus marker recognizes the Manila Men. Screengrab by Samuelsson’s “No Pass- Historic CMQM. port Required” on PBS. Ling focuses sharply on Asian Americans. “Restaurants are the pathway for immigrants” to belonging in American society, Ling said on The View on the eve of the series premiere. Her own grandparents opened a Jean Lafi�e Town Mayor Tim Kerner (right) and grandfather restaurant in her home- Gordon Rojas survey remnants of Manila Village in Jefferson town Sacramento al- Parish. Screengrab by CMQM. though they did not know how to cook because they could not find employment despite her grandfather’s MBA, she said. In a clip showing her with an aunt at the family’s Hop Sing restaurant, she bared her first taste of chopsuey and egg(Continued on page 27)

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 OPINION

February 10-16, 2022

alifornia house values in 2018-2020 climbed steadily in many areas of the state. However in 2021 slower real estate market volume was noticeable in some areas in California. The main culprit in slower real estate market should be due to higher interest or mortgage rates and afford- ART GABOT MADLAING ability of home prices. In the latest data reported by Zillow, the median home value in California rose by 8.1% over the last year, as reported in February, 2018. The median home value in California was about $524,000 at the start of 2018. That’s for the state as a whole. The median price is very much higher in some areas, including much of San Francisco, Daly City/Peninsula, San Jose/ South Bay and Silicon Valley. In San Francisco Bay Area, we have two main real estate selling seasons – in the spring and the fall right after Labor Day. Many people have the misconception that the summer months are our best selling period because families plan for schools and are out buying at that time. However, in San Francisco Bay Area, that is not the case for several reasons. First, we do not have a large population of children as compared to the rest of the country and school assignments are already done when summer arrives. Second, many people take vacations, which means many buyers, sellers and agents are out of town, thus delaying buying or selling decisions until they get back. Third, there are many events during the summer that takes the focus off real estate. Now that people are back from their vacations and the weather is getting better, homeowners will be putting their properties on the market. With buyers around, we should be seeing a strong spring real estate market. If you are now thinking and preparing your home for sale, have you ever asked yourself why some homes sell faster at higher prices than others? The answer lies in the pricing and emotional appeal. As Broker Associate with Statewide Realty and licensed Real Estate Broker (BRE #00635976) and Notary Publicin California since 1981, I would like to share with our readers and the general public some information and tips on how to prepare home to obtain the highest possible price. Purchasing a home, especially for first-time buyers, is a very emotional process and usually creates a very stressful period in the life of the home buyers. Buyers are making the largest financial commitment of their life and are unsure of whether or not they are getting the right deal. When other people are making offers on the same property, the multiple offers reassure buyers that they are making the right decision because others feel the same way about the property as they do. As a seller, how do you create emotions so that your property will sell faster and for the highest price in today’s market. Preparing a property for sale is very important because buyers today are busier than ever, so they are looking for homes that are in move-in condition. Here are some tips for inexpensive preparations that will bring returns and positive result for sellers: 1.UNCLUTTER THE HOUSE - It’s very common for homeowners to accumulate so much stuff through the years. By removing large items of furniture and putting belonging away, it makes a home show larger than it is, and gives the impression that the home is spacious and well cared for. 2. PAINT THE HOUSE – Painting the house inside and outside can be inexpensive and yet provides the impression that a home is well maintained. 3. FRESHEN UP BACK YARD AND FRONT YARD - Freshening up the back yard and front yard and refinishing the hardwood floors will do wonders for showing off the house. 4. PUT YOUR HOME FOR SALE AT THE RIGHT PRICE - Make sure to avoid over pricing your home for sale. Putting your home for sale at the right price or even at a slightly lower price will generate more inquiries from prospective buyers and from agents of home buyers. This will generate multiple offers which will result in faster sale of your home above the listing price. WHY LIST YOUR HOME WITH ART & HIS TEAM? If you are thinking planning to sell (Continue on page 27)

Comelec is vital to credible elections

ith the national elections just three months away and the official campaign period on, the Commission on Elections still has to decide on three disqualification cases against former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. A total of eight disqualification cases were filed against Marcos, all citing his failure to file income tax returns when he VAL ABELGAS was governor of Ilocos Norte, for which he was convicted by the courts and mandated to pay the tax deficiencies and a fine. The petitioners said Marcos never paid neither the deficiencies nor the fine. They say the conviction and the failure to tax returns constitute crimes of moral turpitude, which is a ground for disqualification. Four of the cases were dismissed outright, and the Comelec’s Second Division dismissed one of the four remaining cases on Jan. 15. The Comelec panel ruled that there were no grounds to cancel Marcos’ candidacy and disagreed with the petitioners’ argument that Marcos made false representations in his certificate of candidacy that shows he’s eligible to run despite a 1995 tax conviction. The three remaining cases had been consolidated and assigned to the Comelec’s First Division, which was chaired by Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. On the day the Second Division’s ruling was announced, Guanzon said her division would announce its ruling by Jan. 17. The date came and passed, and there was no ruling. Finally on Jan. 27, or 10 days after she said the ruling would be announced, an exasperated Guanzon prematurely released her opinion, which sought to grant the three petitions to disqualify Marcos on the basis of having committed a crime of moral turpitude. Guanzon said Marcos committed a crime of moral turpitude when he failed to file his income tax returns (ITRs) from 1982 to 1985, when his father was president of the Philippines. By failing to do so, Guanzon said Marcos showed a “serious defect in one’s moral fiber.” But Guanzon did not stop there. She said the commissioner assigned to write the ruling, known as the ponente, Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, has not been replying to her texts and those of the other member of the First Division, Commissioner Marlon Cosquejo. She also said she suspects a politician is pressuring Ferolino to delay the promulgation of the ruling until after her retirement on Feb. 2, which could invalidate her vote and her opinion. She then criticized Ferolino for delaying the ruling and said it was a senator “close to the President” who was pressuring her colleague to delay its promulgation. That started a nasty word war with Ferolino, who in a letter to Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas, denied that she was delaying the ruling and accused Guanzon of “conditioning the public’s mind” when she prematurely released her separate opinion. Ferolino said she was “reviewing three consolidated cases, among others, thoroughly to craft an objective resolution.” She said it was Guanzon who was interfering as Guanzon was telling her to adopt her opinion. Amid the catfight, Abas, who was also set to retire on the same day as Guanzon, kept his silence, prompting Guanzon to take a jab at the Comelec chair for failing to intervene in her feud with Ferolino. “It’s a leadership problem,” Guanzon said. While Ferolino may be right in saying she was “reviewing the cases thoroughly to craft and objective opinion,” and that she needed more time to come up with the fair decision, she must also be made aware that a prompt ruling is necessary to remove the uncertainty that continues to hang over the election because of the pending disqualification cases. As pointed out by writer Juju Z. Baluyot in Yahoo News, Comelec rules do not support Ferolino’s bid for more time to decide on the cases. Baluyot said Section 8, Rule 18 of the commission’s Rules of Procedure specifically states that any case heard by a Division shall be decided “within ten (10) days from the date it is deemed submitted for decision or resolution, except in special actions and special cases which shall be decided or resolved within five (5) days.” Disqualification cases, like those filed against Marcos Jr. before the COMELEC, are (Continue on page 27)

On Distant Shore

ORMER PRESIDENT Donald Trump on September 23, 2020, was asked if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the election to Joe Biden? His response was “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens. You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a diPERRY DIAZ saster.” What he said next was like a bombshell that created an uproar, “We’ll get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very -- we’ll have a very peaceful… there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation.” With those words, Trump declared that he’d block the mail-in ballots and disregard the outcome of the election and will not relinquish power regardless of the outcome! Trump failed to stop Biden, who won the election by more than eight million votes. But the threat to democracy continued beyond Trump’s dismal attempt to overturn the election when he ordered former vice president Mike Pence to declare him the winner during the electoral vote count in the Senate on January 6, 2021. In a speech in Florida last February 4, Pence said, “Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election.” However, Trump persisted saying that the committee investigating the deadly January 6th insurrection should look into “why Mike Pence did not send back the votes for recertification or approval.” The next day, he blasted Pence and falsely declared, “He could have overturned the Election!” But Pence described January 6thh as “a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol.” This just shows that Trump is determined to pursue his claim that he won the election, which had energized his diehard MAGA cultists who are hell-bent on following him to wherever he would lead them – come hell or high water. Trump had been going around the country in his bid to keep his “dream of returning to the White House” alive. In a recent “Save America” rally last January 29 in Conroe, Texas, he said, “If I run and I win, we will treat those people from January 6 fairly. And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons because they are being treated so unfairly.” Immediately, Republicans and Democrats, including two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, criticized Trump. Trump blasted Graham – one of Trump’s loyal allies –for breaking with him on the issue. He called Graham a RINO, that is, a Republican In Name Only. But between Trump and Lindsey, who is a true RINO? Hmm… Lindsey is a life-long Republican while Trump switched parties at least five times since the late 1980s. Changing political affiliations Voting records show that Trump registered as a Republican in July 1987, only to leave the GOP more than a decade later for the Independence Party in October 1999. In August 2001, Trump registered as a Democrat. He remained a Democrat for eight years. In 2009, he returned to the Republican Party but stayed for only two years. In 2011, he left the Republican Party and this time he marked a box that indicated, “I do not wish to enroll in a party,” which means he chose to be a registered Independent. Then after just a year, Trump returned to the GOP in April 2012. That was the time when Trump was teasing the idea of running for president. Four years later, he was elected president of the United States. He remained a Republican since then. One of the reasons why he wanted to run for president as a Republican was that he wanted to run as a pro-life or antiabortion candidate, which he believed would give him a better chance of winning the presidency. There is always an ulterior motive when someone changes political affiliation, isn’t it? Pro-life or pro-choice? When he ran for re-election in 2020, Trump bandied himself as the “most pro-life President ever.” According to some rather sensational leaked information, Trump has said he regarded abortion as “such a tough issue.” He once told the then British prime minister Theresa May, who was childless, in January 2017: “Imagine some animal with tattoos raping your daughter, and then she gets pregnant.” His remarks showed that Trump was not as pro-life as many in his party would have voters (Continue on page 27)

Health & Wealth

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR SALE

PerryScope

Can democracy survive in Trump’s America?

13 February 10-16, 2022

 OPINION

His strength is his weakness

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he campaign period officially began this week, although in truth it started months ago. This was about the time that one Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made it known that he was running for president. At age 64, this is his one shot at the presidency. He will be 70 when the next presidential elections takes place, and BETING DOLOR he can dye his hair black all he wants but Marcos Jr. will not be able to hide his real age. As it’s an all-or-nothing case for the son and namesake of the hated dictator who was kicked out by the people back in ’86, Junior has to pull all stops. Not too long ago, me and a few friends met for an extended lunch with drinks and talk got around to how well Junior’s camp had done in erasing the stigma of the Marcos name. We, of course, discussed the help he got from a global company that specializes in rebranding. It must have cost the Marcos family an obscenely large amount, but the results appear to be well worth the stolen money they shelled out to make Junior more palatable to the electorate. Indeed, we all agreed that his greatest strength is the bottomless well of money that he draws from. Since by all accounts the Marcos family has yet to surrender billions of dollars to the government, it is safe to assume that they are spending a huge chunk of that ill-gotten wealth to guarantee that Junior makes it to Malacanang this year. Not as a guest, but as a resident for six years. Any candidate knows that money is one of the most important factors in getting elected to any position. Thus, having all the money in the world already places Junior at a mega advantage over the competition. Unfortunately for him, money is not enough to convince the largest possible chunk of the electorate to gift him with their vote. He still needs to deliver the message that he is the best qualified to handle the reins of government for six whole years. Here is where he is failing. Junior is under the impression that he can buy his way to the presidency, doing nothing else than to smile at the cameras pointed his way and avoiding serious journalists who want to ask him the difficult questions that still need to be answered. Last week, data came out showing that Marcos Jr. took a big drop in popularity, all because he avoided the handful of interviews from honest-to-goodness journalists out to ferret the truth from the lies that surround his family. In social media, he was immediately tagged as “duwag,” or coward. His camp not only gave flimsy reasons for not attending the interviews, but actually resorted to flat out lies to protect their boy. Thus far, he has only appeared in two interviews from showbiz reporters, plus a cooking show where his display of culinary skills was found wanting. He prepared the healthy and popular Ilocano dish pakbet, sometimes known as pinakbet. A friend who’s a chef and who was also a professor in culinary arts pointed out what other Ilocanos later added. What Junior concocted was not the Ilocano dish that his own father frequently enjoyed. The jokes that came after his performance came in a flood over social media. The most popular was that the kitchen utensils of the host went missing after Junior’s stint. Junior haters had a field day repeating the one word that Marcos lovers have learned to hate – magnanakaw. A few months ago, a tarp was placed atop a footbridge in Quezon City, near where I used to live. It said, “Magingat sa magnanakaw,” or beware of thieves. It was a fair warning to pedestrians as there have been cases of snatchers and holduppers taking the money and valuables of users of the bridge. The over-reaction of the Marcos camp – who insisted that the tarp was addressed to their candidate – was too silly for words. In fact, the word thief had become connected to Junior. So now in the 90-day campaign period, he will have to exert greater effort to convince the electorate that he is neither thief nor coward. But this means he will have to face legitimate media and agree to (Continue on page 27)

A New Year

ithout intending to, I’ve been column-writing a lot less than I planned. I wanted to submit a missive every other week, but I have not always lived up to that goal. My neglect is not without reason: I’ve been working on a novel. I started writing fiction again during quarantine and, after publishing a couple of short stories, I decided to work on a longer piece. This one has nothing to do with how daunted I am (or not). This is a horror novel. Writing is a lonely vocation. I am emerging from this process feeling a little weirder than I typically am. More importantly, if you haven’t seen the latest Spider-Man, you should. The highlight of the movie features a Filipina Lola scolding several Spidermans (spoiler alert) in Tagalog for making a messing shooting their webs. That was after she asked Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman to clean some cobwebs on the ceiling that she couldn’t reach. I screamed during this scene (I was the only Filipina in the theatre), and I made the people sitting next to me laugh. It’s a new world we live in when the major actors of the day (and Spiderman characters) know the word, Lola. I guess everyone in this country has interacted with a Filipina or Filipino in some way. When he saw it on opening night, my 15-year-old son told me it was the best movie he has ever seen. Presumably, nearly all the teenagers in the United States have had the pleasure of watching a Filipina Lola scold several Spidermen in Tagalog for making a mess. I love it. Now my son tolerates it a little better when I scold him for his mess. With my deadline a minute away, I want to leave with a closing thought. I listened to a discussion today on the situation in the Ukraine. The expert on Russia made a comment which I believe repeated a belief expressed out of the Kremlin. It seems that small countries, someone said, don’t have real sovereignty. It made me ponder the Philippines and how our foreign policy game is a matter of picking the better protector: China or the United States. Right now, China is winning that battle. What do you think? Do small countries like the Philippines lack real sovereignty? If the Russian official has a point, then why bother pretending it is otherwise? Food for thought during the new year of the tiger.

Steadfast Friends, Equal Partners and Enduring Allies

By U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Aﬀaires ad interim Heather Variava

riends help each other. Partners respect each other. And allies stand by each other. These values have been central to the U.S.-Philippine relationship for 75 years, and they remain as important as ever. As the world battles another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have concerns about the coming year. However, as I reflect on our historic bonds and survey the possibilities before us, I am hopeful for our shared future. I witnessed a poetic symbol of this hope in November when I had the privilege of visiting the majestic Philippine eagles in Davao. When the newest eagle chick hatched a short time later, I shared the joy and hope of millions of Filipinos who celebrated the continued flourishing of this national treasure thanks to the dedication of conservationists. Their incredible devotion to protecting eagles reminds us that hope springs from commitment, and I am proud of the commitment that the United States and the Philippines continue to show one another as equal, sovereign partners with a shared future. While in Davao, I also visited a U.S. government-supported vaccination site where I saw firsthand how COVID-19 vaccines from the United States are protecting Filipinos. The United States has facilitated the donation of more than 65 million vaccine doses to the Philippines through COVAX, including more than 25 million donated by the American people, enough to fully vaccinate more than one in five Filipinos. We have also donated nearly Php2 billion in other COVID-19 assistance. This month, I joined a team of nurses and doctors from the U.S. Embassy who trained Department of Health and Red Cross professionals to use pediatric vaccines to protect the children of the Philippines—training that will be provided virtually to healthcare workers across the country. Soon, 15 million doses of Pfizer vaccine for children will arrive, raising the total to more than 124 million doses of U.S.-branded vaccines in the Philippines. The United States has also stood beside the people of the Philippines after Typhoon Odette as we support government relief efforts in places like Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Palawan, and Cebu. Thanks to years of ongoing cooperation and steady planning, we and our partners provided supplies to affected communities within 24 hours. The United States then followed up with more than Php1 billion to meet urgent needs like food, water, and shelter; and our experts on the ground continue to assess needs so we can walk with the Philippines each step along the road to recovery. We know that true safety from natural disasters requires a long-term commitment, especially related to climate change. In October, the United States pledged P750 million to help Philippine cities adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In November, the Philippines set an ambitious goal of reducing carbon emissions by 75 percent before 2030. Over the next year, we will work together toward this goal by increasing access to green finance, planning new clean energy deployment, and bringing U.S. private-sector solutions to support climate-resilient economic development. Of course, public health and natural disasters are not the only challenges we face together. In November, when the PRC Coast Guard used water cannons against Philippine resupply ships, the United States quickly and firmly reiterated our support for our oldest ally in Asia and affirmed that an “armed attack on Philippine public vessels in the South China Sea would invoke Mutual Defense commitments.” Philippine sovereignty is not negotiable. In October, I had the privilege of turning over four Unmanned Aerial Systems to the Philippine Air Force to strengthen our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. This year, the United States will continue to provide stateof-the-art equipment and participate in combined joint exercises to strengthen Philippine defense capabilities. There is no guarantee that 2022 will be easy. It has already started with great difficulty for many people. However, I am confident in my hopes for the United States and the Philippines this year because I have seen how much we can accomplish together, and I know that our commitment to steadfast friendship, equal partnership, and enduring alliance will give us a safer, stronger, and more secure future.

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS Common problem when applying for Naturalization When applying for naturalization, there are problems many applicants encountered during the interview process. This is because they look at how you first get your green card and what actions you have made while a green card holder. Listed below are some of them: 1. Proving good faith marriage. You will be surprised that you are applying for naturalization and yet the USCIS is considering you as a green card applicant although your marriage happened ten years ago. If you obtained your green card through marriage, no matter how many years has passed, they always asked questions and documents about whether your marriage is bona fide and what joint documents support this marriage. 2. Proving family relationship if you were petitioned by your parents, siblings or as derivative of your parents. You should be able to show proof of your relationship through marriage certificate, birth certificate, divorce or death certificate, whichever documents applied to your case. 3. If you were involved is a crime, no matter how minor you think it is, they will always look for documentation if you have been convicted and if you served your sentence. 4. There are crimes that will make you deportable when applying for naturalization. This will include committing two crimes of moral turpitude or an aggravated felony. Theft is a crime involving moral turpitude. There is waiver available, and you should talk to an immigration lawyer. 5. Green card holders who obtained their green card through misrepresentation may also be sent to removal proceedings. These include those who committed marriage fraud or declared as single but actually married. If you have this kind of problem, you need to talk to an immigration attorney to find if you qualify for a waiver of fraud or misrepresentation. 6. Failure to file and pay your income tax may also disqualify you for naturalization. If you have a payment plan agreement with the IRS and you keep paying the monthly payments, you may be able to get approved. Again you need to consult with an immigration lawyer about your situation. 7. Failure to pay child support. You may be d. ed if you fail to pay for child support. 8. If you stayed outside the U.S. for more than 180 days in a single year, you may be denied naturalization. 9. If you lack the required period of residency, you may also be denied. So that you will not have a problem when applying for naturalization, you should consult with an immigration attorney to avoid possible problem along the way. Note: This is not a legal advice Immigration News Immigrant Visa (IV): The Embassy is processing immigrant visas across all categories. However, with significant backlogs in most categories, wait times for interviews are lengthy for all but immediate relatives (IR-1 through IR-5). It is not possible to provide precise wait times as facilities, staffing resources, and local conditions all affect capacity and scheduling. As of January 31, 2022, most IR visa cases being scheduled for interview were documentarily complete at the National Visa Center in February 2021. Most K visa cases being scheduled were documentarily complete in October 2021. Most current employment-based cases being scheduled were documentarily complete in July 2020. Most current family preference cases were documentarily complete in October 2019. Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV): The Embassy continues to prioritize travelers with urgent (i.e. matter of life and death) travel needs, foreign diplomats, and certain mission-critical categories of travelers, such as students and exchange visitors (F-1, M-1, and J-1) and temporary employment (H-1B, H-2B, and L). Visa appointments for routine business and tourism (B1/B2) are available at significantly reduced levels. Many visa applicants paid a visa application fee and are still waiting to schedule an interview appointment. The validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) is extended until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule an appointment the opportunity to do so. The DHS issued a new guideline for the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. The guidelines focused on national security. crimes and border security as the government priority. Philippine Stories Leni Robredo is the only true opposition candidate among all Presidential candidates. We need to unite in order to defeat the current administration or we will lose our country. 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. Listen to Percy Lapid (or Lapid Fire) and Waldy Carbonell on You Tube and Facebook for details and more corruption in the government. 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/

February 10-16, 2022

Gov’t okays importation of 200,000 MT of sugar

QUEZON CITY - After rice, meat and fish, the government, through the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) of the Department of Agriculture, has approved the importation of 200,000 metric tons of refined sugar due to reported shortfall in supply which some groups criticized. “We have become a nation of importation of agriculture and fisheries products,” the groups said, adding the country has been importing rice, fish, milk, beef, chicken, pork and even vegetables, instead of helping local farmers and fisherfolk. The decision will stabilize the domestic price of the sweetener, officials said. Of the planned import volume, 100,000 metric tons (MT) will be standard grade refined sugar and the other 100,000 MT will be bottlers’ grade refined sugar. The importation is open and voluntary to industrial users of refined sugar that are duly registered with the SRA headed by SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica as an international sugar trader in good standing. In a statement, the SRA said Sugar Order No. 3 for Crop Year 2021-2022 allowing the importation of 200,000 metric tons of standard and bottler’s grade refined sugar was issued by the Sugar Board after considering the shortfall on the ending balance of refined sugar. The decision is pursuant to its mandate to establish and maintain such balanced relation between production and requirement of sugar and such marketing conditions as will ensure stabilized prices, it said. After assessing the damage caused by typhoon “Odette” to sugarcane crops, sugar stocks at warehouses, as well as facilities and equipment of sugar mills and refineries in key sugar milling districts, the SRA recalibrated its pre-final crop estimate of raw sugar production to 2.072 MT down from the 2.099 MT pre-final crop estimate prior to Odette. In addition, the Philippine Association of Sugar Refineries also revised its re-

fined sugar production forecast for Crop Year 2021-2022 to 16.748 million LKg, down from the initial production estimate of 17.572 million LKg before Typhoon “Odette.” According to SRA’s projections on sugar supply and demand, this will give the country a very tight sugar stock balance at the end of milling which will not be enough to cover the two to three months demand for refined sugar in between the milling seasons. Recently, SRA monitoring of sugar prices also recorded wholesale prices for both raw and refined sugar have increased to record highs. Likewise, retail sugar prices were also up. As the economy is once again starting to open up, the demand for raw sugar and refined sugar for January this year have also increased when compared to the same month in the three previous years. Hence the need to augment sugar stocks to ensure food security and availability of sugar to cover sugar demand until the next crop year or milling season begins again. A crop year starts September 1 and ends August 31 of the following year, however the sugar mills and refineries generally stop operations around May to June and the mills start operations for the next season around September to October while the refineries start around two weeks after the mills. 200,00 MT of refined sugar will cover the shortfall on the supply and will leave the country with enough buffer stock to tide over until the start of the next milling season. During a stakeholder’s consultation conducted by SRA, stakeholders posed no objection to an importation program, while they recommended its mechanics, type of sugar to be imported, and arrival dates of shipments, among others. Eligible participants to this open and voluntary importation program are industrial users of refined sugar in good standing that are duly registered international traders.

SEC halts more illegal online lending operators PASAY CITY – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ordered five illegal online lending operators to stop their operations without prior authorization from the commission. In an order issued February 3, the commission en banc directed Tacoloan, VCash, 365 Cash, SwipeCash, and BootCash to immediately cease and desist from operating, engaging in, carrying out, abetting, and/or promoting lending/ financing businesses and related activities until they have incorporated and secured from the SEC their respective certificates of authority to operate as a lending or financing company (CA). The companies, their agents, rep-

resentatives and promoters, as well as the owners and operators of their hosting sites, were further enjoined to cease oﬀering and advertising their lending business through the internet or any other media and to remove all materials involving such. The SEC issued the order after ﬁnding that none of the groups are registered as a corporation, nor have they secured CAs from the commission. Republic Act No. 9474, or the Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007 (LCRA), requires persons or entities operating as lending companies to register as corporations and to secure from the SEC the necessary authority to operate.

 ENTERTAINMENT

February 10-16, 2022

Heart Evangelista confirms she’ll star in a Netflix series It’s official: Heart Evangelista is set to star in a Netflix series. The Kapuso actress and style icon confirmed this during an interview with press and reported by her mother network GMA News. Heart, who turns 37 on February 14 and is Love Marie Payawal OngpaucoEscudero in real life, was asked whether she’ll be appearing in the upcoming season of “Bling Empire,” and while she didn’t specify whether it’s “Bling or something else,” she said that she has a project in the works with Netflix. “Definitely, I did film for a show in Netflix. Hindi ko alam sa totoo lang kung kailan siya lalabas,” she said. “Kasi with anything abroad siguro, parang ‘di mo siya aasahan, because it’s really destiny for me if you want to achieve anything in Hollywood.” Heart first sparked rumors about an appearance in “Bling Empire” in August last year when she met up with series cast members Kane Lim and Kelly Mi Li in Los Angeles. “Bling Empire” is a reality series inspired by “Crazy Rich Asians” that follows the City of

Angels’ wealthy Asian and American fun seekers as they go all out with their adventures. In June, Heart teased that she was working on a project that had something to do with Kevin Kwan, the author of “Crazy Rich Asians.” Heart, meanwhile, captured the world’s attention when she attended this year’s Paris Fashion Week! Fashion magazine Harper Bazaar Vietnam fea-

tured the Queen of Creative Collaborations and her head-turning outﬁts in one of its Instagram posts, referring to Heart as one of the “real crazy rich Asians” spotted in Paris. In one of the photos, Heart can be seen wearing her iconic David Komadesigned white dress matched with a thick black-and-white coat. Aside from Heart, other Asian fashion icons such as Christine Chiu and Jaime Xie were also featured in the post. “Real ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ spotted on the streets of Paris!” said Harper Bazaar Vietnam’s caption. “Heart Evangelista, Jaime Xie and Christine Chiu returned to Paris for a very glamorous season of Haute Couture fashion

week.” Heart, who recently joined the Dior family, ﬂew to France last month to make her highly anticipated return to Paris Fashion Week. The actress made heads turn and helped sell out luxury pieces as she attended fashion show after fashion show in iconic outﬁts by Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and many more.

Diether Ocampo hurt in car accident in Makati Actor Diether Ocampo was hurt in a car crash this Friday morning, February 4 on President Osmena Highway in Makati City. According to reports from DZRH police reporter Noche Cacas, Diether was driving his SUV Ford Explorer when it suddenly bumped a parked garbage truck along the service road of Osmena Highway in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati City. A Bantay Bayan of Barangay Pio del Pilar Joel Alicante said that the SUV was fast speeding the service road of Osmeña Highway. The garbage truck driver Lauro Banaga jolted when he heard there was something that bumped into the back of their truck while they were busy picking up garbage. The front left side of Diether’s SUV was practically wrecked. The Philippine

Red Cross immediately responded to the scene and brought the actor to the Makati Medical Center. He was accompanied by a friend who rushed to the place where the accident happened. The DZRH reporter added that Diether was drunk when the actor was rescued. He was unconscious as he suﬀered injury on his forehead. His feet was also injured.

17 February 10-16, 2022

Kelley Day’s mom defends daughter against bashers, denies ties with Tom Rodriguez

Kelley Day and Mom

It looks like Kelley Day’s bashers have no plans to stop because of her involvement in the issue of Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana’s alleged separation. This is despite the Kapuso actress and beauty queen’s denial that she is not and never will be the third party in the couple’s breakup. Kelley’s mother has also been affected and she immediately answered those are bashing her daughter. A netizen who seemed like a teacher said that Kelley is a bad person and

to think that she is the idol of her student. The netizen said that she cannot tolerate adultery and she will never teach this to her students. Kelley’s mother immediately answered: “Grabe ka din magjudge, ano po mam teacher po ba kayo? Pakibasa po ang statement ni Kelley at wala pong katotohanan ang tsismis at FYI nasa London po siya para sa funeral ng lola niya and to support her father at ang kapatid niya. Konting respect po sa kapwa natin. Salamat po.” The netizen answered back and claimed that one of her students became a janitress at GMA7 and that Kelley shouted at the janitress just because the latter failed to clean Kelley’s table. It was Kelley who immediately responded to the netizen. She said: “Never po ako sumigaw sa isang janitress, kahit saan, sa buong buhay ko.

“I never had anything with Tom either. I hope that when the truth comes out, your students will learn not to trust everything they read online.” There are people who defended the beauty queen-actress and her mother is grateful for all the support they are extending her daughter. The mother is in Tarlac and she did not join Kelley in London. She is currently busy with the house they are building there for Kelley. She made sure that Kelley is coming back next month to prove that she is not hiding anything and moreover, she is not pregnant as alleged by the netizens. Meanwhile, there has never been a word of conﬁrmation from Tom and Carla about the news that they have split up. The gossip has spread like wildﬁre even if Kelley has denied that she is pregnant. This is painful for Kelley and her mother, knowing that Kelley has a handsome boyfriend, who is reportedly a son of former actress. Tom and Carla are nice to Kelley and in fact,

the beauty queen even attended their wedding in October. Well, let’s wait and see if Carla will acquit Kelley. In this issue, the most important is Tom and Carla’s aﬃrmation.

 ENTERTAINMENT

February 10-16, 2022

Willie Revillame dumps GMA, switch to Manny Villar’s Channel 2 By Jeanne Michael Penaranda Popular television host, singer and composer Willie Revillame has not renewed his contract with GMA Network as reports surfaced that he will be moving to the new Channel 2 of businessman and former Senate President Manny Villar. Villar was awarded by the National Telecommunications Commission through his media outfit AMBS based at the Star Mall in Mandaluyong City. It was gathered that Villar and Revillame met in Tagaytay City to start mapping out plans for the resumption of Channel 2 under the Villar leadership. It was learned that Revillame may become part of the management of the new channel. Revillame, it was gathered, has started to approach ABS-CBN officials to discuss possible coalition for the new Channel 2 and other digital channels award to the Villar group. GMA Network led by lawyer Felipe Gozon confirmed that Revillame’s top-rating show “Wowowin” will have its last airing on Friday, February 11, or four days before the end of his contract. Revillame joined GMA in 2015. Joey de Leon and Mike Enriquez helped Willie to have a program in the network. There were different views which came out why Willie did not renew his contract with GMA7 and vice versa and it is not fair to accuse Willie that he dumped the Kapuso network. “We wish him good luck in his future endeavors,” GMA said in a statement. GMA issued the statement amid speculation that Villar was wooing Revillame to lead his ambition to build a media empire. In a Facebook post, Revillame’s friend Efren Syyap posted this message to the popular game show host and comedian: “Good luck WBR and to your new network.” Revillame is reportedly making the jump just weeks after Bilyonaryo.com reported that

the National Telecommunications Commission awarded the much-coveted Channels 2 and 16 to Villar’s Advanced Media Broadcasting System. The analog and digital channels used to belong to ABS-CBN Broadcasting until its franchise expired in May 2020. Villar’s Vista Residences named a condominium tower across ABS-CBN Studios on Eugenio Lopez St. in Quezon City after Revillame, Wil Tower. Revillame owns the penthouse on the 42nd floor of Wil Tower where he does his daily TV program. Villar’s daughter, Las Pinas Representative Camille Villar, also moonlighted as a co-host of Revillame in “Wowowin.” Villar, Rep. Camille Villar and Revilla were spotted together in a photo posted by Revillame’s friend Efren Syyap on his Facebook page. Revillame’s choreographer Anna Feliciano also posted a photo of the meeting in Tagaytay City with the caption: “Thank you former Sen. Manny Villar and Cong. Camille Villar for the visit.” Anna also wrote on her FB post, “When something ends, something starts. Sana hindi nyo kami iwan.” AMBS is taking over the television broadcast frequencies previously held by ABS-CBN Corporation, after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) granted AMBS on Jan. 6 a “test broadcast” permit to use the coveted channel 2 spectrum. According to NTC, the permit will be effective until the final shut off of analog TV, earlier set in 2023. A GMA insider said that the GMA Network has been waiting for Willie to sign his new contract. On February 3, Joey Abacan called the host on the phone.

Abacan is the First Vice President (FVP) for Program Management of GMA Network Inc. and he was the one who followed up with Willie that he needed to sign the new contract since it will end on February 15, 2022. The GMA-7 insider reported that Willie was so emotional when he and Abacan talked because he could not sign the new contract anymore. It was also reported that Willie’s leaving GMA7 and transferring to AMBS is one of the hardest decisions the TV host-actor has ever made in his life. GMA management has been very good to him and Willie said he will treasure this debt of gratitude for the rest of his life especially the trust given to him by GMA Network, Inc. CEO and Chairman Atty. Felipe L. Gozon and GMA Network, Inc. Chief Financial Officer Felipe Yalong. On the other hand, Willie and the former senator Manny Villar have developed a deep bond with each other that the controversial TV host regards the former senator as his second father. “Willie decided not to sign the contract dahil ayaw niyang maakusahan siya na namamangka sa dalawang ilog. “May delikadeza siya. Hindi niya maaatim na pipirma uli siya ng kontrata sa GMA-7 pero nakikipag-usap siya sa mga Villar. “Very unethical iyon para sa kanya dahil parehong mahal na mahal niya ang GMA-7 at ang Villar family,” the insider who knows the real story related so that the public will not be victims of fake news. The same source insisted that the management of GMA 7 and Willie cordially parted ways and the management gave Willie one week to say goodbye to his loyal viewers

19 February 10-16, 2022

 ENTERTAINMENT

Paolo Bediones under fire over DepEd TV project, delay in wages Television producer and anchor Paolo Bediones is under ﬁre over his multi-million-peso contract with the Department of Education and the alleged delayed payment of the wages of his talent in the production of programs and learning lessons for the agency. This as Andres Bonifacio Jr. , executive producer at Ei2 Tech Inc, the production company behind DepEd TV programs and lessons that are now used in distance learning, and about 100 former contractors of the company discloled plans to ﬁle a lawsuit against Ei2 Tech and its owner news anchor and TV host Paolo Bediones. The former contractors insisted that their wages were absent or delayed from 1 to 8 months which the Bediones denied and wanted to clarify, according to published reports. “Noong binigay sa amin iyong proyektong ito, nagtiwala kami, binigay namin lahat. In fact, natapos

namin iyong dapat na i-deliver,” said Bonifacio. “Maraming mga taong nawalan ng kuryente, napalayas sa bahay, napalayas sa kanilang apartment. Maraming naghirap, nag-suﬀer dahil sa tagal, dahil sa delay ng pasweldo ng Ei2 Tech,” he added. According to Andres, in October 2021, the staﬀ stopped production due to a wage delay. Bediones allegedly promised to pay their salaries by November, December, and January. But so far, they have not heard from the host and company. “Sa kadulu-duluhan, ganito lang din pala ang mangyayari, iiwanan lang din pala kami sa ere,” said Bonifacio. “As a messenger po nila, ito lang po talaga pinagkakakitaan ko, tapos inaasahan ng buong family ko. Wala pong ibang may trabaho sa amin, ako lang po talaga,” according to Lyndon

Taroy who also used to work for the company. They also plan to complain about the company’s use of their names in the bidding documents of the DepEd TV Phase 2 project, even though they did not allow it and they are no longer part of Ei2 Tech. According to Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua, their agency has already received the deliverables of Ei2 Tech. DepEd has also paid the company, and the agency no longer has a contractual obligation if there is unpaid personnel. According to the contractors, a demand letter will be sent to the company first. If there is no response, they will continue to file the complaint. This is not the first time the makers of DepEd TV episodes have complained concerning the wage delay. It was late 2020 when the issue came up.

Kristoffer Martin marries non-showbiz partner AC Banzon Kapuso actor Kristoﬀer Martin is now married to his non-showbiz partner AC Banzon. They tied the knot in a civil wedding ceremony held at the city hall in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday, February 3 which was oﬃciated by Mayor Reynaldo L. Catacutan.

It was Kristoffer who announced their wedding on his Facebook account with their photo as they proudly displayed their wedding rings on their fingers. The 27-year old actor posted: “Yes. This happened today.” For her part, AC also shared on her Instagram some clips which were taken on their wedding. Witness to the special day was the five year old daughter of AC and Kristoffer, Precious. There was a moment in the ceremony where Kristoffer cried and tightly hugged AC. Their seven-year relationship went through a heavy trial during the last month of 2020 until mid2021. In an exclusive interview with pep.ph on February 16, 2021, AC revealed that they ended up in separation due to a third party. She did not mention the name of the third party. AC related that their relationship suddenly went

awry and Kristoffer suddenly changed after his lockin taping in December 2020 for an afternoon drama series of GMA-7, Babawiin Ko Ang Lahat. According to AC, Kristoffer decided to end their relationship because the actor is getting tired of it all. Their separation became official on December 19,

2020 after having lived together for years. In April 2021, Kristoﬀer admitted on The Boobay and Tekla Show about his relationship with Liezel Lopez, his co-star in Babawiin Ko Ang Lahat. Kristoﬀer tried to win back again AC and now, they are married. (ecd/mtvn)

 REAL ESTATE

February 10-16, 2022

Gov’t institutionalizes measures vs. real estate scammer QUEZON CITY – The government has formally institutionalized its intensive drive and measures against illegal activities related to real estate property and other housing projects in the country. Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario signed a memorandum of agreement with the representatives of the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines over the weekend to formalize their partnership for a nationwide crackdown against real estate scammers. The move is part of the DHSUD’s Special Order No. 2021-002, creating a technical working group (TWG) that will institutionalize the department’s intensiﬁed drive on anti-illegal real estate practices. The DSHUD, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, among other national government and law enforcement agencies as well as REBAP will be adopting a whole-government ap-

proach to address illicit transactions and other issues in the housing industry. Del Rosario emphasized the importance of joint eﬀorts to put an end to unlawful activities that victimize homebuyers. The housing czar also thanked the REBAP for its commitment to propel this advocacy, saying “its national clout is vital to catching real estate scammers.” “I would like to thank REBAP for their support to our campaign to go after illegal real estate groups who are victimizing our homebuyers, with your help, we can further strengthen our force to go after them and ensure that less and less homebuyers fall prey to their schemes,” he added. Del Rosario said the help of REBAP “will certainly boost” the department’s campaign against illegal practices within the housing sector. “We will continue to work with relevant stakeholders in the human settlements and urban development

sector to ﬁnally put an end to this crime,” he noted. Under the newly signed pact, the network of broker-members of REBAP will serve as “monitors” of illegal practices and be tasked to submit documentary evidence to the TWG. The association is tasked to look into sales, leasing, joint ventures, among other related activities of unlicensed/unaccredited/unregistered individuals. The monitoring team should observe and document violations, as well as secure pieces of evidence such as media posting, defective ﬂyers, and testimonies from the victims. It will be followed by submission of a narrative report of the violation committed under the Presidential Decree 957 or the Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protective Decree and Republic Act 9646 or the Real Estate Service Act, and other laws governing the real estate industry.

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Mortgage Rates going higher have a direct effect from inflation numMortgage interest rates increased once again as the market prepares for the Federal Reserve to increase rates due to rising inflation, according to new data from Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage grew to 3.56% for the week ending Jan. 20, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. This interest rate is up from 3.45% last week and from 2.77% last year. Mortgage rates moved up again as the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose and financial markets adjusted to anticipated changes in monetary policy that will combat inflation. Follow the 10 year Treasury Bond and you will see the huge uptick and the 10 year Bond directly influences the residential mortgage rates movements. Mortgage rates are expected to continue rising through the rest of 2022. Both homebuyers and homeowners alike can take advantage of low rates now by taking out a new loan, or refinancing their current loan amount. Visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate without affecting your credit score. INFLATION COULD BE A TOP RISK FOR 2022, RISING TO 7% IN Q1, FANNIE MAE PREDICTS Housing market remains competitive despite rising rates due to low inventory, but once more buyers might not qualify or might be taking a step back due to rates. Added by more sellers thinking this might be the peak of home prices and they start to come out to sell, this might make a balance of buyers and sellers moving forward. Other mortgage types also saw increases in average rates. The 15-year mortgage went up to 2.79% from 2.62% last week and 2.21% last year. Despite these rising rates, the market remains competitive due to a drop in housing inventory. RECORD HOME PRICE APPRECIATION TO CONTINUE IN 2022, ECONOMIST SAYS: WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS. Mortgage rates could reach 5% in 2022 As mortgage rates rise, one expert says he expects the average 30-year mortgage rate could increase up to 5% this year. If you want to take advantage of interest rates before they rise further, consider refinancing your mortgage to reduce your monthly mortgage payments and save over the life of the loan. Thanks for your inquiries and comments. Please call Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group 562-508-7048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636

21 February 10-16, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

Hidilyn Diaz honored anew as Philippines’ Athlete of the Year

MANILA - For the third time, Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the country’s ﬁrst Olympic gold medalist, will be celebrated as the country’s Athlete of the Year during the Philippine Sportswrit-

ers Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night on March 14. Diaz ended the Philippines’ long wait for Olympic glory that spanned almost a century, when she ruled the wom-

en’s -55kg event in the Tokyo Summer Games last year. It was the highlight of what would become the country’s best-ever Olympic campaign. Boxing delivered three more medals, with Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam copping silvers, while Eumir Marcial bagged a bronze. But it is Diaz who will get the prestigious prize after once again making history for the Philippines and lifting the country’s spirits in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She leads a compact list of achievers that will be recognized at the grand ballroom of the Diamond Hotel. Backing the event are San Miguel Corporation, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and Cignal TV. “Hidilyn Diaz winning the country’s ﬁrst-ever Olympic gold medal was deﬁnitely the high point of what had been a truly memorable year for Philippine sports. The PSA was unanimous in its choice of Hidilyn as our Athlete of the Year for 2021,” PSA president Rey C. Lachica said. Diaz had won gold in record style,

setting a new Olympic mark after lifting 127kg in the clean and jerk, as well as in the total lift after a combined lift of 224kg. She defeated Chinese rival and world record holder Liao Qiuyun in a dramatic finale for the gold. Diaz becomes just the second Filipino athlete to win multiple Olympic medals after the late swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso (two bronze medals). It also marks the third time that the PSA has bestowed Diaz with the Athlete of the Year award. She first won in 2016 after bagging a silver in the Rio Olympics, where she ended the Philippines’ 20-year medal drought in the Summer Games. Two years later, she shared the honor with the golfing trio of Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go, as well as skateboarder Margielyn Didal after they all won gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Diaz joins track legend Lydia de Vega, former boxing world champion Luisito Espinosa, and iconic cue artist Efren “Bata” Reyes as three-time winners of the award.

Cebuano eye doctor lauded as world marathoner CEBU CITY – A renowned eye surgeon, Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III, has received a commendation from the House of Representatives recognizing him as the ﬁrst Filipino to conquer the World Marathon Challenge held from Feb. 7 to 13, 2020. “It has been two years, but I will always be grateful to everyone who believed in me. So, this commendation is not mine alone. I share this with my family, friends, and supporters who helped me achieve my goal and with my beloved Cebu,” the veteran runner said in a statement posted on his social media account as reported by PNA’s Minerva Newmann. The World Marathon Challenge, comprising seven marathons in seven continents within seven days, started in Antarctica. The competitors ran the standard 42.2-kilometer marathon distance in the seven continents comprising Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America, and North America. Larrazabal traversed the globe and ran the standard mara-

thon distance and finished overall at 12th place. Cebu 5th District Representative Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco, a sports enthusiast himself, personally handed over to Larrazabal the mounted copy of the resolution on Tuesday. Frasco sponsored House Resolution No. 203 that was adopted by Congress on August 31, 2021 duly signed by Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco and House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza. Larrazabal thanked Frasco and the members of the 18th Congress for adopting the resolution, saying it is such a great motivation to continue advancing his advocacy in promoting the sport he loves and a great reminder some leaders back the progress of all types of sports in the country. Frasco said Larrazabal made history as the first Filipino marathoner to compete and finish the World Marathon Challenge and earned the privilege of joining the unique Seven Continents Marathon Club reserved for athletes who have run a marathon within the Antarctic circle in the Antarctica continent and other six continents.

WORLD MARATHONER. Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal receives the framed copy of the House Resolu�on No. 203 series of 2021 from Cebu’s 5th District Rep. Vincent Franco Frasco). Right photo shows the ﬁrst page of the resolu�on commending Larrazabal, a renowned eye surgeon, for ﬁnishing the World Marathon Challenge.

BERLIN/MANILA – World No. 6 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena finished fourth at the Mercedes Benz Arena of the ISTAF Indoor Berlin event in Germany on February 5, marking his successful return to competition amid his row with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and after a knee surgery last month. The eight-man final field included world record holder and Tokyo Olympics champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden who took the gold with a 6.03-meter clearance. The 22-year-old Swedish tried to break his own record but was unable to clear 6.19m. Coming in at second and third spots were KC Lightfoot of USA and Oleg Zernikel of Germany after clear-

ing 5.92m and 5.81, respectively. With his ﬁnish, home bet Zernikel also set his personal best. The 26-year-old Obiena took two attempts to clear the 5.45 meters but easily cleared 5.59 meters and 5.7 meters in his ﬁrst try to take the tiebreaker over Bo Kanda Lita Baehre of Germany and Piotr Lisek of Poland, who also leaped past 5.7 but needed two attempts to do so. Obiena, who set the Asian and national record of 5.93 meters last September, formally bowed out of podium contention after committing three faults in an attempt to clear the 5.81 The miss out gave the host country a reason to celebrate as Olen Zernikel took the bronze by jumping past

the said height in just one move. Last January, Obiena was oﬃcially removed from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association’s (PATAFA) list of athletes. In a statement last week, PATAFA said it is moving on from Obiena’s decision to remove himself from its jurisdiction and compete on his own. Obiena and the association have been locked in a dispute over money issues, with the former refusing mediation which he said PATAFA is using “as means to silence me and to keep the truth hidden”. He will next compete in Uppsala, Sweden on February 9; Lodz, Poland on February 11; Lievin, France on February 17; and Torun, Poland on February 22.

EJ Obiena places 4th in season debut in Berlin

February 10-16, 2022

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 COMMUNITY NEWS Quiboloy...

billion-peso (estimated to be P6 to P11 billion) medical supplies contracts of the Pharmally Pharmaceuticals, a company with a start-up capital of only P625,000, President Duterte’s spiritual adviser and long-time friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Davao City-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, has been placed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on its most wanted list. According to the FBI advisory and a poster with Quiboloy’s photo which were posted on February 4, (US time), Quiboloy and two close leaders are wanted on allegations of “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; bulk cash smuggling.” “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, the founder of a Philippinesbased church, is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders,” the FBI stated in the advisory. “Furthermore, it is alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or ‘pastorals,’ for Quiboloy and that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called ‘night duty’,” the advisory added. “Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest,” the FBI advisory stated. The FBI said people with information on Quiboloy could contact its local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Also on the FBI Wanted List for cases connected to Quiboloy were Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Helen Panilag. The FBI also stated that “Quiboloy has ties to Calabasas, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Kapolei, Hawaii.” (From page 1)

February 10-16, 2022

At press time, it was reported by Rappler at least five US federal prosecutors are working to win a conviction against controversial Pastor Quiboloy and several of his associates who could end up in prison for life if found guilty of sex trafficking. The agencies working with FBI were identified as the Homeland Security Investigations, US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation. Reacting to FBI’s action, Quiboloy denied the allegations and alluded to himself as the “modern Joseph” who has to go through tribulations as his lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, questioned the timing of the action. In November, Quiboloy said that his continued “persecution” would lead to diseases “worse than Omicron.” Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Department of Justice assured it will handle according to law the extradition of Pastor Quiboloy, if requested by the United States, despite his close ties with President Duterte. At press time, the local Department of Justice (DOJ) said it has yet to receive an extradition request from the United States. Chief state counsel George Ortha II vowed that the agency will properly handle the US request. “If we receive the request, we will do our job within the bounds of the law and processes in our department, regardless of the personality involved,” he said in an interview. Ortha, in an ABS-CBN report, said it is also possible for the US to ask for a provisional arrest of Quiboloy ahead of an extradition request. “Hindi na dadaan ‘yan sa formal processes. Puwede na ideretso ‘yon ng US DOJ [sa Philippine DOJ],” he said. But the US needs to submit its extradition request within 60 days following the provisional arrest, Ortha said. In a statement, Laura Eimiller, spokesperson of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, refused to comment whether the agency has initiated extradition proceedings. “We cannot comment on extradition proceedings, including whether they have been initiated. There are outstanding arrest warrants for the fugitives and our investigation is continuing,” she said.

In 2018, Quiboloy, was detained at Honolulu airport for a day after US federal agents found $350,000 (P18 million) and gun parts from the private plane that he was on. The undeclared cash was found by US Customs and Immigration enforcement agents upon inspection folded and stuffed inside socks in a suitcase, according to Hawaii News Now on its website. The private plane, a Cessna Citation Sovereign purportedly owned by Quiboloy’s group and is worth at least $15 million, was not allowed to leave the Honolulu International Airport as the US federal government initiated its seizure for the violations. After almost a day being held at the airport, Quiboloy was allowed to leave after a Filipino American supporter, Felina Salinas, who was on board the plane with four others, owned the money and was charged with cash smuggling. Under US laws, only $10,000 is allowed by an individual to bring in or out of the US terrority and anything above it must be declared before the US Customs authorities. Quiboloy took a plane to the Los Angeles International Airport where he immediately took a commercial flight back to Manila. Only last November, the United States Department of Justice indicted Pastor Quiboloy and eight others for allegedly coercing girls and young women to have sex with the pastor under threat of “eternal damnation,” among others. A 74-page indictment released by the US Department of Justice office in Sta. Ana, California on November 18 expanded earlier indictment and charged Quiboloy, 71, and two other top officials of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) – Teresita Dandan and Felina Salinas – with participating in a criminal conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, marriage and visa fraud and other federal law violations. According to the US DOJ, three of the five female victims were minors when the alleged sex trafficking began. Three of the new defendants were arrested on November 18 by federal authorities and are expected to make their initial appearance at the US District Court in Los Angeles and Honolulu. The US DOJ said every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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25 February 10-16, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Year of The Tiger Cash Drawing is Waiting for You at Graton William So Concert Rescheduled to September Vietnamese Night New Year Celebration Concert Is Canceled ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – Graton Resort & Casino New Year is here, Good Fortune is here! $100,000 Year of the Tiger Cash Giveaway will be held on Friday, February 25 at 7PM and 9PM. 25 winners of $1,000 in cash at each drawing. One additional winner at 9PM wins $50,000 cash. Wishing you luck and make good fortune in the Year of the Tiger! And, starting now to February 24, Lucky Lotus Slot Tournaments will be held every Thursday from 5PM – 10PM at Graton Resort & Casino, members also get a chance to win double or triple prize amount. The total prize is up to $180,000! Please don’t miss the chance to win! Attention for important announcement! In order to comply with the covid restriction of Sonoma County, and to protect the health of our audiences. After careful evaluation, Graton Resort & Casino is announcing the following: The “Vietnamese Night New Year Celebration Concert” originally scheduled on Friday, 2/11 8:30PM is canceled. Graton will have a new show/date to announce soon. Graton sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of the event. In addition, the “William So Concert” originally scheduled on Friday, 2/18 9PM will rescheduled to Friday, 9/2

9PM. People who bought the tickets can keep their tickets and use it for the 9/2 show. Although the concert gets postponed, we believe the “Prince of Love Songs” William So will bring an unforgettable performance by then. Fans, please stay tune and see! Please visit GratonResortCasino.com for concert tickets information. Refunds will be automatically process if tickets were purchased from GratonResortCasino.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Refunds may be available from the same

source where the tickets were purchased. “Vietnamese Night New Year Celebration Concert” (Canceled) Please visit GratonResortCasino.com for ticket refund information. Refunds will be automatically process if tickets were purchased from GratonResortCasino.com or www.ticketmaster. com. Refunds may be available from the same source where the tickets were purchased. “William So Concert” (Rescheduled) Updated Concert Date & Time: Friday, September 2, 2022 | 9PM Venue: The Ballroom at Graton Resort & Casino 288 Golf Course Drive West, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Ticket Prices $68, $88, $108 About Graton Resort & Casino Located in Sonoma County, Graton Resort & Casino has a commanding presence among the rolling hills of Northern California’s wine country. Owned and operated by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Graton Resort & Casino features table games, the latest slot machines, upscale and casual dining, plus entertainment options for visitors and locals alike. For more information, please visit www.gratonresortcasino.com.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

99 Ranch Market rafﬂe draw held at new branch in Fremont

from grocery bags. 99 Ranch Market Vice President MarFREMONT - Months after its open- keting Administration and Human Reing on November last year, Ranch 99 sources Teddy Chow described the draw date as a very exciting day and “we are happy”. “We held this raffle draw for the celebration of our new Fremont branch grand opening to show our gratitude for the support of our patrons and customers whenever they come here, eat and shop. This is our way of saying thanks to them. this was also held to welcome the lunar New Year altogether,” beamed Chow, who led the event with 99 Ranch Northern California General Manager Pei Yan Weng. Teddy Chow 99 Ranch VP for Marke�ng, Administra�on Chow added that their and Human Resources customers want them to open more new stores in different locations and reMarket Fremont capped its celebration of the opening with a successfully held vealed that they are opening a new branch raffle as its way of showing their appre- in San Jose in March. “We get feedback from our customers ciation to patrons, customers and shoppers who flocked to their news branch in on how we are doing through email and customer service counters. The residenWarm Springs in Fremont. Some thirty earlier drawn shoppers tial community provides us good feedfrom the thousands who initially joined back and inputs that will help us serve were on hand to vie for the top prizes them better,” Chow said. “The new Warm Spring branch is in the raffle that included an iPhone 13 Pro-Max, IPad Air WiFi and others aside located right in the middle of Fremont where the traffic and location are very By Jun Nucum

(l-r) 99 ranch NorCal GM Pei Yan Weng, VP Teddy Chow drawing names of winners good. Besides, there is a lot of residential communities here. They like our products and services that is why we want to expand some more. In this new branch, we have food court, and video bar to entertain our customers while they shop,” Chow added. “We are expanding our merchandise to cater to the needs of our customers from diverse ethnicity particularly Filipino items,” Chow said. The contest for the raffle ran through Nov. 5th (11/5/2021) to Jan. 9th (1/9/2022) where filled out tickets dropped into drawing box at the Fremont location No purchase was necessary to enter the contest. The winners of the grand prizes are as follows: The grand prize of an iPhone 13 Pro Max with 128GB went to Anita Yat Man C.); Two first prize winners who received a 10.9 inch iPad Air Wi-Fi with 64GB

New poll shows San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa leading In California’s 15th Congressional District Canepa who leads in fundraising & labor support continues to build momentum REDWOOD CITY, CA – New polling data of likely June 2022 primary voters showed San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa leading the ﬁeld of candidates vying for California’s open 15th Congressional seat. The news comes on the heels of fundraising reports showing Canepa leading in fundraising despite being the only candidate refusing to accept contributions from corporate special interests. The poll, conducted by Tulchin Research, shows Canepa continuing to build momentum days after AFCSME Local 829 endorsed his campaign, joining UFCW and scores of local leaders. To Read The Full Polling Memo Click Here Canepa, continues to defy the odds against the powerful Sacramento Assembly Pro Tempore Kevin Mullin. Mullin, who hails from a distinguished political dynasty and recently lent his campaign $60,000 of his own family’s money, is facing a FEC complaint for allegedly

spending corporate money illegally in the congressional race. Canepa, a fourth-generation son of San Mateo County of Mexican and Italian heritage, led San Mateo County through the COVID-19 pandemic. He announced his candidacy on November 20th at Seton Medical Center in Daly City. Canepa, the former Mayor of Daly City, was born at the hospital and led the county’s eﬀort to save it from bankruptcy just prior to the pandemic.

Names of winners were Cathy M and Maggie L.; Two winners of second prize wo received a series 7 Apple Watch each were Shimei Z and Wan Fen C.; The single winner of third prize who got a Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing : New Horizons Edition was Wa L. of Union City; and The two fourth place winners who each got a third generation AirPods were Han Z.of Berkeley and Jeremiah W. of Fremont. Two other shoppers won a Zojirushi Electric Air Pot while there were other gests that were given grocery bags.

Application deadline for IMPACT FilAm internship extended SAN FRANCISCO - The deadline for the submission of applications for IMPACT! Filipino-American Internship Program for Summer 2022 has been extendd until midnight of February 18. The IMPACT! Program is a nine-week professional development program by the U.S.-Asian Institute (USAI), which allows young Filipino American adults to experience a ﬁrst-hand look at the U.S. government in Washington, D.C., engage civically with government and political leaders, and reﬂect on the role they, as future leaders, might play in strengthening PhilippineU.S. relations. The internship will run from 6 June 2022 to 5 August 2022. The program includes: · eight-week internship at a prominent Washington, D.C. organization; · one-on-one mentorship from a member of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FLYPRO); · participation in workshops, networking opportunities, and social/cultural activities; and · stipend of $1,000 or $2,000, depending on whether the participant will be joining in person or virtually. The internship program, which has the support of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates in the U.S., was launched by the USAI to empower future Filipino American leaders. It aims to inspire, motivate, and prepare the youth to contribute to civic transformation.

27 February 10-16, 2022

Upside...

(From Page 11)

foo yong, dishes she learned were invented in this country to appeal to non-Chinese palates. Ling, who is known for her investigative journalism on CNN, made no mention of her brand-new series’ first episode, but the title alone is a giveaway to Filipinos. Ling herself reinforces the Filipino translation of the title, or “halo-halo,” the favorite Filipino dessert combining preserved fruit, beans, coconut sport, flan, puffed rice (Ling says “rice crispies”) and ice cream in milk and crushed ice, is a metaphor for Philippine culture resulting from Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American influences. “What gumbo is to New Orleans, halo-halo is to the Philippines,” she declares, among other discoveries. The location of Episode 1 alone is a revelation even to Filipino Americans. Hawaii and California are known Filipino American hubs. New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida and Nevada, too, boast of large Filipino communities. They have blended into the mainstream, their presence palpable in all strata of society. But who knew that the Mayor of Jean Lafitte, a town on Barataria Bay near New Orleans, is a Filipino American? And that he is one of some 200 relatives who trace their roots to one Filipino – John Rojas? That’s a startling find by Ling and the dramatic opener for her series, maybe even to students of Filipino American studies who did not know till the 1980s about the “Manila Men” from now-retired University of New Orleans head librarian Maria Espina. In 1969 Espina, who husband was a consul with the Philippine consulate, “discovered” the existence of Filipino Cajuns when she met Jacinto Esmele, a community leader who told her about Manila Village. – ADAPTED FROM ORIGINAL REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM WWW.INQUIRER.NET TO BE CONCLUDED

Oﬄine

(From Page 13)

answer tough questions. He cannot allow his lawyers to do the talking for him, as this will only reinforce the belief that he is not only a coward and a thief, but is also weak in the brains department. He still insists that he graduated from Oxford, which has been denied again and again by the fabled UK university. If he doesn’t watch it, Junior will only end up spending billions on the belief that the election is in the bag. In fact, he is already surrounded by the worst type of traditional politicians – known locally as trapos or dish rag – who only want to grab a piece of the Marcos pie. There is also talk that his running mate Sara Duterte is prepared to drop Junior in favor of one of the other presidential candidates, speciﬁcally Senator Ping Lacson who has been most impressive in the presidential interviews or debates or whatever it is that Junior continues to avoid. Marcos followers, meanwhile, are reportedly dropping Sara no H in favor of Senate President Tito Sotto. Herein is another of Junior’s many weaknesses. He does not have the smarts and the political savvy of his father. All he has is the ambition to be president despite his total lack of credentials. This is not to say that Junior is sure to lose. He can still win with the help of such horrible people as Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and the dirtiest politicians in the country. Standing in his way is Vice President Leni Robredo, who not only has the most impressive record among the ﬁve serious presidential candidates, but who is as beloved as the late Cory Aquino. Junior has his paid followers, while Leni has a nationwide movement of true believers who will not allow the presidential election to be stolen by a coward, thief and college dropout who doesn’t even know how to cook pinakbet properly. Or should I say pakbet? Kindly excuse me as I am a full-blooded Batangenyo, and not an Ilocano. Not that there’s anything wrong with being an Ilocano, mind you.

Health & Wealth

(From Page 12)

your home, consider the following reasons why select the ART & HIS TEAM: 1. 1.EXPERIENCED BROKERS - Art G. Madlaing and his full-time Broker has more than 60 years of combined experience as licensed Real Estate Brokers in California. It’s like hiring two brokers for the price of one; 2. LOCAL, NATIONAL & GLOBAL EXPOSURE - Your home listed with us will be shared to hundreds and thousands of Realtors and real estate agents through several MLS for local exposures.

Your home listed with us will also be shared and exposed nationally and globally through Art’s involvement with the global MY ANGEL RADIO 3. PRINT & MEDIA EXPOSURE – Homes listed with us will be featured in the weekly syndicated column on “HEALTH & WEALTH by Art Gabot Madlaing for additional exposure. REMINDER & FREE BOOK: There are five (5) reasons why listed homes expire: 1. Very high sellers’ expectations; 2. Over priced listing; 3. Bad Realtors; 4. Insufficient marketing; 5. Poor timing. If YOU are thinking of SELLING your home now, you can avoid these by making sure to request your copy and read first “REAL ESTATE & YOU” (Revised 2022 Edition) subtitled “Basic Information and Guide for Successful Investing in Home, Land and Income Property.” recommended by Oscar L. Jornacion, CPA/MBA and described by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald E. Quidachay as “very informative book on real estate.” For your autographed copy, just write or contact: ART G. MADLAING, 701-8th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118 Tel; (650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:agmadlaing@hotmail.com *ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE #00635976) in California since 1981. He is the founder of MOBILE SIGNING SERVICES, FITNESS FOR HUMANITY (aka FITNESS FOR CHRIST) and ACAPINOY. Art is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURHC OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California.

PerryScope...

(From Page 12)

believe. Many were of the opinion that Trump had shifted his position on abortion, from a pro-choice when he was a Democrat in the 1990s to a conservative pro-life advocate after he became a Republican. But there were repeated rumors that Trump had paid for several of his former mistresses to have abortions. However, these claims remained unsubstantiated. But what seemed more likely was that Trump changed his tune on this moral issue depending on whom he was talking to. Character issue This just shows what Trump’s character is: a pathological liar with no sense of righteousness, a political butterﬂy that changes color on the whim, a misogynous womanizer, a xenophobic racist, a homophobic gay-bashing masochist, and a man who many believe has narcissistic personality disorder. In a June 2016 essay for The Atlantic, Northwestern University psychology professor Dan P. McAdams diagnosed the then-candidate Trump, writing in part: “People with strong narcissistic needs want to love themselves, and they desperately want others to love them too—or at least admire them, see them as brilliant and powerful and beautiful, even just see them, period. The fundamental life goal is to promote the greatness of the self, for all to see.” Obviously, this is the root of the controversial instances that he got himself mired into -- like a quicksand that would suck you in very slowly once you fall into. His attempt to incite his followers to insurrection and promising to pardon them if they’re convicted, raised the prospect of Trump going to the hilt to take back power in the 2024 elections. He is priming his followers to get ready for action. It’s going to be tough but he believes he would prevail and get the presidency back regardless of the price. And like the Pied Piper of lore, Trump’s “magical ﬂute” is leading them into a disastrous precipice that would put the future of democracy at risk. After more than two centuries of success, the American experiment of democratic government is facing a crucial test – its very survival as a republic that epitomizes liberty and freedom for all of its citizens. America today is on the brink of turning into a banana republic. And like they say, “All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Now is the time when good men are called upon to stop evil from consuming the minds of the American people. The people need to reject the notion that an autocratic demagogue could lead them into falsely believing that he is their savior. But did it cross their minds that Trump is leading them on the road to perdition? Ultimately, the question is: Can democracy survive in Trump’s America?

On Distant Shore

(From Page 12)

considered special cases, he added. Based on this and the fact that the cases were deemed submitted for resolution on Jan. 9 or 10, meaning a decision must have been made by Jan. 14 or 15. Besides, seven of the eight disqualification cases were filed in early December and the commissioners, including Ferolino, must have read the petitions or at least read the news reports on the petitions. If she were diligent enough, she should have studied the cases, knowing that eventually the cases would reach her, either in one of the Comelec divisions, or en banc. And yet, almost one month has passed since the cases were submitted for resolution and she still does not have her ruling. Now that Guanzon has finally retired, her separate opinion and her vote would no longer count. And since a replacement has not been named, the ruling could be delayed until after the election, a scenario feared by some pundits. Speculations – or rumors, if you must – abound in the social media, saying that if Marcos and his running mate Sara Duterte-Carpio won the elections, and a disqualification ruling is announced after the May 9 elections, Sara would assume the presidency. While, again, this is pure speculation at this time, those who are making them cannot be completely blamed because the two left in the First Division that would make the decision – Ferolino and Casquejo - were both appointed by Sara’s father, President Rodrigo Duterte, and both hail from Davao City, where Sara is mayor and the Dutertes are the kingpins. And the third person who will replace Guanzon in the panel will definitely be appointed by Duterte. It is unfair for the voters and the presidential candidates, especially to Marcos, to go into the campaign and the elections with the uncertainty of the outcome of the disqualification cases. Are the cases so complicated as to take so long to decide? There have been so many disqualification cases in the past to fall back on for precedents and the laws on disqualification look clear enough to even the non-lawyers. Why are they sitting on the decision? It is also not an ideal scenario for the campaign, the elections and the tabulations to be conducted while the Comelec is plagued by infighting, a clear case of inefficiency, lack of leadership, and a serious case of credibility problem. The people have only one chance every six years to elect the leaders they deserve. And the Comelec has a big role in making sure they get clean and honest elections.

 HEALTH NEWS

February 10-16, 2022

Essential health services face continued disruption during COVID-19 pandemic GENEVA, Switzerland – Two years into the pandemic, health systems are still facing signiﬁcant challenges in providing essential health services. Ongoing disruptions have been reported in over 90% of countries surveyed in the third round of WHO’s Global pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries reported disruptions across services for all major health areas including sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, immunization, nutrition, cancer care, mental, neurological and substance use disorders, HIV, hepatitis, TB, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and care for older people. Additionally, even as COVID-19 vaccination has scaled up, increased disruptions were reported in routine immunization services. Findings from this latest survey, conducted at the end of 2021, suggest that health systems in all regions and in countries of all income levels continue to be severely impacted, with little to no improvement since early 2021,

when the previous survey was conducted. Disruption continues in all health-care settings Countries reported disruptions in all health-care settings. In more than half of countries surveyed, many people are still unable to access care at the primary care and community care levels. Signiﬁcant disruptions have also been reported in emergency care, particularly concerning given the impact on people with urgent health needs. Thirty-six per cent of countries reported disruptions to ambulance services; 32% to 24-hour emergency room services; and 23% to emergency surgeries. Elective surgeries have also been disrupted in 59% of countries, which can have accumulating consequences on health and well-being as the pandemic continues. Disruptions to rehabilitative care and palliative care were also reported in around half of the countries surveyed. Major barriers to health service recovery include preexisting health systems issues which have been exacerbated by the pandemic as well as decreased demand for care.

Bottlenecks to scaling up COVID-19 tools While countries continue to face challenges to maintain essential health services, 92% of countries also reported critical bottlenecks to scaling up access to essential COVID-19 tools, including COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and personal protective equipment (PPE). The survey highlighted health workforce issues as the biggest barriers to access to COVID-19 tools, likely caused by health workers facing exhaustion, being infected with COVID-19 or leaving the workforce. Health workforce challenges were reported by 56% of countries for diagnostics and testing; 64% for COVID-19 therapeutics and treatments, and 36% for PPE distribution and use. Demand-side challenges, such as lack of community acceptance, access and aﬀordability, are the most frequently reported bottlenecks for COVID-19 vaccination. Fiftyeight per cent of countries reported demand-side challenges as a main bottleneck to COVID-19 vaccine access and 35% reported health workforce challenges.

Vital COVID data Heart of Hope

Following a COVID-19 infection (Post COVID Syndrome), Long COVID is a recognized entity of long-haul COVID-19, which could be unrecognized or undiagnosed, with any combination of these symptoms: “brain fog” or cognitive dysfunction, troubled breathing or PHILIP S. CHUA shortness of breath, fatigue, malaise, sense of “not feeling well,” Vaccines have been helpful to these chronic patients, making them feel better. A complete medical evaluation is warranted to rule out any speciﬁc organ malady. A patient-speciﬁc rehabilitation, including a physical exercise regimen, plays a vital role in the management of these patients. Omicron on plastic While Omicron, especially the Stealth variant, has been found to be the most rapidly transmissible SARS-CoV2 strain, recent studies have shown it to survive longer than previous strains on plastic surfaces and skin. Omicron “lasts on plastic for nearly 200 hours (81/2 days) and on the skin for about 21 hours.” The original variant survived on plastic for 56 hours, the Delta for 114 hours. This obviously means Omicron could be spread through touch also, besides through inhalation, the reason for the recent rapid massive vertical surges. Frequent handwashing, besides masking and social distancing, could be life-saving. Omicron kills Compared to the original Wuhan strain of COVID-19 and the Delta variant, Omicron has been described as a milder virus. While it is milder, it is NOT mild, as has been misinterpreted. So far, Omicron has been killing about 2,200 in the United States each day, higher than the peak 2,078 deaths from Delta in September 2021. Omicron deaths have surpassed the highest 7-day average of the ”more severe” Delta strain, which is less rapidly transmissible than Omicron. Getting vaccinated, using facemasks, social distancing, and personal hygiene are measures that will prevent replication and mutation of the virus in the bodies of the unvaccinated, and its rapid spread of more severe future strains to others. Omicron Stats “During the Omicron waves, unvaccinated adults

were 23 times more likely to be hospitalized, and nearly four times as likely to be infected compared to vaccinated adults who had also received a booster,” according to data from Los Angeles County. Compared to fully vaccinated but non-boosted adults, unvaccinated individuals were more than five times more likely to be hospitalized, and about twice as likely to be infected during this time, reported Sharon Balter, MD, of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and colleagues. Moreover, unvaccinated adults were significantly more likely to require ICU admission, intubation for mechanical ventilation, or die compared to vaccinated adults with or without a booster” according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Austria’s vaccine mandate As people in the United States (at least 20 percent of them) prefer to exercise their freedom of choice and civil liberties to dodge the vaccines and as politicians take advantage of political correctness in order not to lose votes, existing proven science (that includes vaccination of the population) to quickly end the COVID-19 pandemic in this country has been negligently disregarded by the government to the detriment of almost a million Americans who were killed by COVID-19. Obviously believing and heeding science more than politics and political correctness, the Austrian government became the first Western democracy to federally mandate the entire adult population (except those with medication contraindication) to be vaccinated to protect them and others from the killer COVID-19 viruses. Polls show that the mandate, a pioneering move, is supported by the majority of the people. This only shows how wise, intelligent, and compassionate the Austrian leaders and the people are. They apparently understand that national welfare, well-being, and safety take precedence and prevail over freedom of choice and individual civil rights, when it comes to defeating this global killer. This bold “science-based” decision by the country’s leaders is Solomonic and inspiring. Austria and the other European countries to follow suit are teaching all other countries around the world on how to properly, effectively, and more rapidly contain COVID-19 and future pandemics by rigidly following our currently available internationally-accepted and proven epidemiology protocol in managing infectious diseases, with mandatory vaccination and/or vaccine passes to access public places. Sadly, in the United States, it is obvious that this will

never happen, because the exercise of the freedom of choice (against the vaccines) and political correctness appear to be more important to government leaders and to at least a third of the population over pure science in dealing with this global medical catastrophe that has killed more than 927,000 Americans and almost 5.8 million worldwide. Politics is, indeed, more deadly than the virus. The coronavirus deaths in the United States “has been at least 63 percent higher than in any other large, wealthy nation in the world, the highest deaths per capita among rich nations…Americans are now dying from COVID-19 at nearly double the daily rate of Britons and four times the rate of Germans.” More than 36 percent of Americans have not been vaccinated at this writing. At this rate, this killer virus will linger in the United States much longer, and then become an endemic requiring a semi-annual or an annual COVID-19 vaccination forever. As I have asked in this column before: Is this dereliction of duty by our government not a negligent “genocide”? More than Ten Billion vaccines have been administered globally, 212 million fully vaccinated in the United States (around 68 percent of the population), proving how safe and eﬀective they are, and yet some people are still refusing the vaccines, putting their lives at grave risk. Not to mention the fact that their unprotected bodies will be a massive reservoir (hosts) where the virus will replicate, mutate, and rapidly transmitted to people (vaccinated or not) around them. More than 98 percent of the spreaders of the virus are unvaccinated. This is why the freedom of choice in this case (to refuse the vaccines, spread COVID-19, kill people, and prolong this pandemic) is a misinterpretation of civil liberties provided for in our Constitution. While the 30 percent (60 million) unvaccinated have the right to choose (refuse the vaccines), don’t the 70 percent (a clear majority) not have the freedom to choose NOT to be infected and NOT to be killed by the virus mostly being transmitted by the unvaccinated? Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, TODAY.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

29 February 10-16, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHE SMELLS GOD By TIM PEDROSA

s the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing, she was still groggy from surgery. Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency cesarean to deliver the couple’s new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing. At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor’s soft words dropped like bombs. “I don’t think she’s going to make it,” he said, as kindly as he could. “There’s only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one.” Numb with disbelief, David and Diana listened as the doctor described the devastating problems Dana would likely face if she survived. She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on “No! No!” was all Diana could say She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four. Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away. But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana. Because Dana’s underdeveloped nervous system was essentially ‘raw’, the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn’t even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love. All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl. As the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there. At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time. And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted. Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life. She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story. One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas Dana was sitting in her mother’s lap in the bleachers of a local ballpark where her brother Dustin’s baseball team was practicing. As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, “Do you smell that?” Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, “Yes, it smells like rain.” Dana closed her eyes and again asked, “Do you smell that?” Once again, her mother replied, “Yes, I think we’re about to get wet. It smells like rain.” Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced, “No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest.” Tears blurred Diana’s eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children. Before the rains came, her daughter’s words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along. During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.

The Lord’s Prayer 3

e are now in the third part of our reflection of the Lord’s Prayer. From past weeks, we learned that the Lord’s Prayer teaches us that God wants to relate to us; He is Our Father and we are His children. Then, last week, we learned different forms of prayer revealed from the lines of the Lord’s Prayer. This third part is about the missionary lesson this prayer brings; but before doing that, we have a REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD corollary to the second part: So, in connection to last week’s discourse; we ask, what could be the benefit of knowing the different forms of prayer? Firstly, the different forms of prayer can lead us to have the appropriate disposition towards God. Knowing the forms of prayer, we will be confident to speak to God about the many situations also in our life. Let us nurture our disposition for God; that is, a positive disposition to His sovereignty over our lives. Secondly, these different forms of prayer demonstrate to us of God’s concern and love for us as His children. Jesus composed these words of the “Our Father” in a way that He tells us that God knows our cares and necessities, our sinfulness, and He assures us that God our Father will give us what we pray for. Thirdly, these forms of prayer should remind us of our nothingness without God. We are to always seek Him, seek to honor, to serve, to know, and love Him at all times. Finally, The Third Part: Does the Lord’s Prayer call us to mission? Always we are sent, “as the Father has sent me, so I send you (Jn, 20:21).” Hence, this prayer too is calling us to: First, be obedient to God, we cannot overemphasize that. We are called to be doers of God’s will; for, our life is not about us but about Him. This is our lifelong mission which is to be done at all times. When we are obedient our heart and mind, our entire existence, will be about God and God will exalt and bless us all the more. Second, we are called to forgive, to be merciful as God is merciful. It is hard to forgive, but we are enabled to forgive by the very forgiveness we received from God. Jesus warned us in His parable, Mt. 18: 21-35, He concluded by saying: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” Our praying for mercy is not only for ourselves to be forgiven; but it is also, about empowering ourselves to be merciful. Forgive and shall be forgiven; forgive not and shall not receive it too. Third, we are called to share our blessings. We pray, “give us our daily bread,” which means also we are to imitate God’s generosity. As we receive, we are to share. As we are blessed, we are to be a blessing as well. The bread we receive is surely always more than what we need; thus again, from what we have been given of, we are enabled to share them too. To receive from God, in other words, is also a mission; so that, in giving and sharing we are able to show His face to others through us. Fourth, fight the evil one by using our human will as what it is intended by God for us. We use our will to serve God and not the evil one; to choose what matters to Him and not what matters to us. The line, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” is not only about protection but also a call to action. We are to realize that there is a moral and spiritual battle being waged on; and we are in the middle of it. So, we have to fight and in fighting we are enabled by God’s grace to be victorious. We will not be tested or tempted beyond our capacity. But tests, temptations, or troubles do occur not to break us but to build us. So, exercising our human will by always choosing what is right and what pleases God will give us a great advantage against the evil one and its lies. We fight to win and we will win; because, we are not alone and powerless. Victory is assured when our will is united with God’s Will. Whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer; therefore, let’s pray it well and be reminded of these lessons it teaches us. Amen. God bless!

Aﬂame The Heart

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

31 February 10-16, 2022  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Batchoy Tagalog Batchoy Tagalog is not similar to the La Paz batchoy of Iloilo. The Tagalog version is more similar to tinola in cooking method. Batchoy Tagalog is a soup dish made up pork loin and pork innards like kidney, spleen, liver and heart sautéed in ginger, garlic and onion. Pork blood is also added to the dish. Misua noodle is used instead of miki noodle. The pork blood is added in liquefied form which result a murky black soup dish that is un appealing to those who are not familiar with this delicious dish. Ingredients: 1 kilo lomo, pork loin, sliced 1/2 k. pork innards, kidney, spleen, liver (optional) 1 bowl coagulated pork blood, boiled, cut into cubes 1 small packet misua noodles 2 thumb size ginger, cut into strips 2 large size sayote, sliced 1/2 head garlic, chopped 1 medium size onion, chopped 1/2 tsp. peppercorns crushed 1 bundle dahon ng sili, chili leaves 1/4 cup patis, fish sauce 3 siling haba salt cooking oil Cooking procedure: In a casserole sauté garlic, onion and ginger. Add pork (including pork innards if using) and patis, cook for 2-3 minutes or until meat change color. Add in 8-12 cups of water and peppercorns, bring to boil, simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then add in pork blood and sayote simmer for another 3-5 minutes until sayote are just cooked but firm. Add more salt if required. Now add in the misua noodles cook for another 1-2 minutes, add in siling haba and chili leaves and cook for another minute. Serve hot.

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Mount Samat Shrine in Bataan re-opens, influx of tourists seen By CLAIRE MORALES TRUE Managing Editor MOUNT SAMAT , Pilar, Bataan – One Philippine landmark that every Filipino must visit is the Mt. Samat Shrine or the “Dambana ng Kagitingan” with its 36-storey cross tower in the historic province of Bataan. We had the chance to visit the shrine for the first time one Christmas season and the trip was well worth it and could be one of my most exciting and most memorable trips in my own country. And because of that, we visited the shrine many times again later and, except for the pandemic, would have return there again as fellow journalist Mar T. Supnad reported, following the announcement of Bataan Governor Albert Garcia, that the shrine, after also two years of closure for rehabilitation and due to the pandemic, has re-opened for local and foreign tourists, especially the war veterans. The climb to the peak of Mt. Samat alone was exhilarating as one traverses a long, narrow and winding good road, at some points negotiating sharp zig-zags similar to the climb to Baguio City , or the climb from Talisay town to Tagaytay City , or the dangerous Bitukang Manok in the Quezon-Camarines region. All throughout our climb, we shut down our car’s aircondition to enjoy the cool breeze under the canopy of old trees all the way to the top. As we climbed the mountain, with barely a vehicle infront or at the back of us, I was guessing that there will be very few people on top because it was Christmas holiday. To my surprise, there were hundreds of people already there as we were told by the gate guard that the parking area on top was full, and hundreds more came in after our group. For a Filipino, I was overjoyed to see some Filipino and American veterans still trekking to Mount Samat . And we saw many Filipino American tourists, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans and a few Europeans as well. I was downhearted, however, to find later on that despite the many people climbing Mt. Samat and the collection of entrance fees from each individual and parking fees for vehicles going there, there is no one tour guide from the Department of Tourism, the Philippine Veterans Office or the municipal or provincial government to guide visitors and impart on them the importance of the park in the attainment of peace in the world, among others. Certainly, this is one area which the DoT should look into if it wants to succeed in the promotion of our tourism industry. Located about 15 to 20 minutes away from the capital city of Balanga, and perched on top of Mt. Samat in Pilar town, the shrine is a tribute to the heroism of Filipino soldiers who valiantly fought side by side with the Americans against the Japanese forces during the war. A decorated Filipino soldier and hero who survived the ravages of the war, Ferdinand E. Marcos, himself initiated the conBeef Spareribs Adobo with Oyster Sauce

struction of the shrine while he was Philippine president in 1966 and inaugurated it upon its completion in 1970. President Marcos’ cousin, Fidel V. Ramos, a product of the US Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars who became Philippine president in 1992, improved the shrine. Other administrations also did some improvements. The shrine features a Collonade and a Memorial Cross which is a 36-storey high tower which, at 555 meters above sea level, is the tallest monument in the Philippines .

The Memorial Cross is similar to the famous Washington Monument in the capital of the United States . But unlike its US counterpart, this Philippine tower version is actually a Memorial Cross. On a clear day, this cross can be seen by naked eye in Pampanga and Zambales and as far as Metro Manila. In fact, on top of this Memorial Cross are two wings (the arms of the cross) which serve as viewdecks, from which the US Embassy and Roxas Boulevard and the skyscrapers that dot it up to Paranaque City are visible by naked eyed. With binoculars, one can see more of and appreciate the high-rise buildings of Makati and other areas in Metro Manila as well as the entire Manila Bay , with many fishpens dotting its Bataan , Bulacan and Pampanga sides. The Memorial Cross is made of steel and reinforced concrete with an elevator that can shuttle as many as ten visitors – Filipino size, mind you – at a time to the arms of the cross which serve as the viewdecks. The arms, which are 15 meters long on each side, are 74 meters high from the base and the cross is 92 meters high. The view galleries are 18 feet by 90 feet with a seven-feet clearance and open on the front, the rear and the two other sides. From the galleries, one can have a panoramic view of the entire Manila Bay , Pampanga and Bulacan infront and view of the rear – China Sea, Bagac and Morong towns in Bataan, Subic and Zambales. Climbing up the Cross is one unforgettable experience with the awesome view outside and the cool breeze on top. The exterior finish of the Memorial Cross at the base up to an 11-meter level is capped with “Nabiag nga Bato” sculptural slabs and sculptural bas reliefs depicting significant battles and historical events in the Philippines . Above the base, the Cross is of chipped granolithic marble.

 MOTORING

February 10-16, 2022

Red flags to watch for when buying - or financing - a car of New York, told his sales people to charge higher financing markups and fees to AfricanAmerican and Hispanic customers. Fittanto told employees that From le� to right: Dan Dwyer, A�orney, Division of Financial Practhese groups �ces, Federal Trade Commission; Elizabeth C. Goodell, Supervising A�orney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid; Joe Jaramillo, Staff A�or- should be targeted due to their limited education, and not SAN FRANCISCO (Ethnic Media to attempt the same practices with nonServices) - Car buying is the fourth lead- Hispanic white consumers. According to ing source of consumer fraud: the Federal the complaint, African-American and HisTrade Commission last year received more panic customers paid more for financing than 100,000 complaints from consumers than similarly situated non-Hispanic white who had been duped by fraudulent sales consumers. people. Bronx Honda sales people also Minority communities and low-income changed the prices on paperwork without people are especially vulnerable to being telling buyers; failed to honor advertised ripped off, said Daniel Dwyer, an attor- sales prices; and double-charged taxes and ney with the FTC’s Division of Financial fees to minority buyers, reported the FTC. Practices, at a Feb. 4 news briefing orgaFittanto and Bronx Honda were ornized by Ethnic Media Services. Elizabeth dered to pay $1.5 million to settle the case. Goodell, supervising attorney with Mid“Cars are key to how we live, learn and Minnesota Legal Aid, and Joe Jaramillo, provide for our families. They are also one an attorney with Housing and Economic of the most expensive and complicated Rights Advocates — HERA — also spoke purchases many people will make,” said at the briefing. Dwyer. Dwyer noted one particularly egreHe advised consumers to think of car gious case settled by the FTC last year in buying as a research project, in which exwhich Carlo Fittanto, general manager of tensive homework must be done before a Honda dealership in the Bronx borough setting foot in the show room. His tips for

preparation include: Know what kind of vehicle you want and how much you can afford. Dealers will always try to up-sell you. For used vehicles, get a report from https://vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov/ Confirm the out-the door price before you leave home, and that the advertised vehicle is actually in stock. Dealers will often advertise one price, and then say that vehicle is not available. Get pre-approved for a loan so that you don’t have to rely on a dealer’s financing, which often has much higher interest rates. Read the paperwork before signing to ensure that the terms you agreed to are reflected. Watch out for “yo-yo” financing. Many things the dealer says are required are actually optional. Price and interest rates are always negotiable. The FTC has also released an advisory for those who are behind on their car payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goodell of Minnesota Legal Aid, which provides free legal services for very low-income people, said the largest number of auto-related cases her organization takes on have to do with used cars. She has seen numerous instances in which a car stops working one to six months after purchase. The buyer stops making payments and the car is repossessed, but the dealer still tries to get the balance of payments

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from the buyer, even though the car is no longer in their possession, and — in some cases — already sold to another buyer. “It is insanity to keep paying for a car that no longer works,” said Goodell, adding that the continued payments send consumers down a spiral of debt. Cases often end up in small claims court. “Most cases end up with the dealer prevailing. Consumers rarely get to tell their side of the story,” she said, noting that representing oneself in court is tricky. Goodell also advised against trusting a sales person just because of language affinity. She also spoke about the large number of cases in which dealers have targeted a specific minority community. Jaramillo of HERA noted that California has a car buyers’ bill of rights. Some of the provisions state that all charges must be itemized in writing, and contracts must be translated into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, or Vietnamese. The dealer must provide credit scores and inspector reports. The dealer must also inform the buyer in writing as to whether the car is being sold in an “as is” condition, or whether it has a warranty. A full warranty means all repairs are covered, but often only at the dealership itself. Jaramillo advised buyers to look for the “Truth in Lending” box to determine all the terms negotiated for financing. Many states have a “cooling off” period during which a car can be returned without charges.