Philippine News Today

1 April 14-20, 2022

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

www.pnewstoday.com

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

Vol. 61 No. 36 April 14-20, 2022

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

76 BURIED ALIVE, SCORES MISSING IN LANDSLIDES

Leyte, Samar, other areas hit hard by typhoon Agaton

By ALFRED GABOT, Editor-in-Chief

LEYTE LANDSLIDES. Bodies in cadaver bags of people recovered from landslides in Baybay City, Leyte are processed by police officers, rescuers and other officials.

BAYBAY CITY, Leyte – Tropical depression Agaton battered Leyte and Samar provinces and other areas in the Visayas on April 10 before it left the country triggering massive floods and landslides brought about by rains bigger than those of typhoon “Ondoy” that killed at least 76 perPage 9 sons while over 140 people were missing.

Lupita Aquino, bishop bewail ‘desecration’ of Ninoy in Tarlac

By Jun Nucum

SAN FRANCISCO - “Does he have to die again even in death?”

Thus asked Lupita Aquino Kashiwahara referring to the reported ‘desecration’ of her brother Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s statue in Tarlac.

Kashiwahara was echoing a Philippine Catholic Bishop’s query on the propriety of some Filipinos LUPITA AQUINO- in treating “the memory of a man whose Page 8 KASHIWAHARA

Diane Papan, a daughter of North County, for Assembly

DALY CITY- Raised in Daly City and Millbrae, Diane Papan is a product of northern San Mateo County with deep roots in the local communities.

The youngest daughter of legendary Assemblyman Lou Papan, who served as both a Daly City Councilmember and long-time member of the State Assembly, Papan has emerged as a local leader in her own right, currently serving her second term on the San Mateo City Council as the Deputy Mayor.

As a councilmember, Papan has distinguished herself by serving in many regional capacities including on the City and County Association of Governments Board, the Resource Page 8

MANILA — A United States congressman has visited the Philippines and vowed to support the military’s counter-terrorism efforts, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

In a statement, the AFP said that a U.S. congressional delegation led by Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego visited the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) in Zamboanga City on April 11 following the conclusion of the largest ever US-Philippines military Balikatan exercises.

Gallego, a member of U.S. Page 10

DIANE PAPAN

Democrats celebrate appointment of Judge Jackson to Supreme Court, diversity of Biden administration WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democrats are keeping their promise to the Filipino American community because they

US solon visits PHL, backs AFP’s counter-terrorism drive

make the difference.

This as the President helped get America back to work, provided funding to support Asian American families and smallPage 10

Below-the-belt attack on Robredo daughter angers Church leaders, netizens

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

MANILA – Black propaganda may have been around for ages, but the most recent attack on the eldest daughter of presidential candidate Leni Robredo went beyond sickening.

An obviously fake pornographic video came out this week showing Dr. Aika Robredo Page 10 engaging in a sex

Be vigilant, Pinoys in New York told

Fears allayed over stamps in overseas voting VIEWS & COMMENTS

SHOWBIZ

Issues that may KC Concepcion come up when ap- to star in new plying for Natural- Hollywood film ization

By A�y. Lozano

Page 14

Page 16

SPORTS

Alex Eala wins 2nd championship title in Thailand tourney Page 21

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 NATIONAL NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

2

Legarda urges OFWs to vote

QUEZON CITY- Three-term former Senator and Senatorial candidate Loren Legarda expressed hope that the monthlong voting for overseas Filipino workers that started on April 10 will proceed smoothly in all the voting precincts worldwide as she called on OFWs to exercise their right to vote.

“Overseas Filipinos should take advantage of the opportunity to elect their next leaders, and to choose wisely.

Hinikayat ko ang ating mga kababayan sa labas ng bansa na huwag sasayangin ang inyong boto dahil nakasalalay dito ang kalagayan at kinabukasan ninyong mga OFW, ng inyong pamilya, at ng buong bansa,” said Legarda, who is an outgoing congresswoman of Antique and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Legarda said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should see to it that the registered overseas Filipino voters are adequately assisted as they cast their votes in Philippine embassies and consulates worldwide.

“I trust that our embassies and consulates worldwide will provide adequate assistance to almost 1.7 million registered Filipino overseas to ensure that the voting process will go smoothly. Let us help our kababayan overseas as they exercise their right to take part in electing the leaders who they think will give them and their family the ser-

vice and protection that they needed,” Legarda said.

Legarda, co-author of the Overseas Absentee Voting Law of 2003, made the statement as she assured OFWs that their welfare would remain on top of her legislative agenda once re-elected to the Senate. The three-term Senator stressed that “given the challenges that hardworking Filipinos encounter in foreign countries where their resources and avenues for protection are limited, we should promote much-needed reforms to effectively respond to the growing number of OFWs.” “Bilang mga lingkod-bayan, obligasyon nating pangalagaan ang karapatan ng bawat Pilipino sa maayos na trabaho, sapat na sweldo at benepisyo, lalong-lalo na ang mga kababayan nating nasa dayuhang bansa. We should continue to aim to provide better protection for our kababayan abroad because we do not want them to be subjected to inhumane or degrading treatment or any form of abuse,” Legarda concluded.

Legarda was chiefly responsible for the passage of laws promoting the rights and welfare of OFWs and seafarers, such as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Act under RA No. 10801 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 under RA No. 9208, and its expanded version under RA No. 10364. Through Legarda’s efforts as

Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the Senate concurred in the ratification of treaties and international agreements that promote the protection of the rights of overseas Filipinos, including the ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) for the protection of the rights of seafarers; the Mutual Le- LOREN LEGARDA gal Assistance Treaties tee voting and postage fees under the (MLATs) with the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and China, Commission on Election (COMELEC). which establish a legal framework that Legarda initiated the opening of emobligates Contracting Parties to assist bassies in Stockholm, Sweden; Rabat, in the investigation, prosecution, and Morocco; Copenhagen, Denmark and suppression of criminal offenses and new consulates in Frankfurt, Germany; proceedings related to criminal mat- Houston, Texas; Barcelona, Spain; Naters; the Consular Agreement with the goya, Japan; Melbourne, Australia; and People’s Republic of China, which pro- Istanbul, Turkey. She also sponsored the vides assistance to Filipino nationals in augmentation in the DOJ’s budget for China, and the Convention on Social the creation of a special task force and Security between the Philippines and victims’ assistance program and addiSpain, which ensures that Filipinos in tional allocation under the Department Spain are secured upon retirement, of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to be used for emergency repatriation of among others.

As chairperson of the Senate Com- our OFWs, worker protection, and welmittee on Finance, she ensured alloca- fare program, employment facilitation tion for the overseas Filipinos absen- program.

MANILA – More than half of the cities and municipalities in the country, including Metro Manila, are now under the lowest Alert Level 1 status from April 16 to 30 as Covid-19 cases in the country remain low.

Acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved alert level.

Placed under Alert Level 1 are the Cordillera Administrative Region’s Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Mountain Province, and Kalinga; Region 1’s Dagupan City, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan; Region 2’s Batanes, Cagayan, City of Santiago, Isabela, and Quirino; Region 3’s Angeles City, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Olongapo City, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales; Also under Alert Level 1 in Luzon are Region 4-A composed of Batangas,

Cavite, Laguna, Lucena City, and Rizal; Region 4-B: Marinduque, Puerto Princesa City, Romblon, and Oriental Mindoro; and Region 5: Catanduanes, Naga City, and Albay.

For the Visayas, placed under the Alert Level 1 were Region 6: Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo City; Region 7: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Siquijor; and Region 8: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Ormoc City, Southern Leyte, and Tacloban City.

For Mindanao: Region 9: Zamboanga City; Region 10: Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Iligan City; Region 11: Davao City; and Caraga: Butuan City and Surigao del Sur. Also be placed under Alert Level 1 from April 16, to April 30 are Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya in Region 2; and Basud, Camarines Norte in Region 5; Anini-y, Antique; New Lucena, Iloilo; Tubungan, Iloilo; and City of Victorias, Negros Occidental in Region 6; and Sevilla, Bohol in Region 7.

For Mindanao, the following were added: Region 10: Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental; and Region 12: Tantangan, South Cotabato.

In total, 54 percent or 887 of 1,634 total cities and municipalities are under Alert Level 1.

Meanwhile, the following HUCs, and ICCs will be placed under Alert Level 2

More than half of PHL now under Alert Level 1

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from April 16 to 30 without prejudice to their respective component cities and municipalities: For Luzon: Cordillera Administrative Region: Benguet and Ifugao; Region 2: Nueva Vizcaya; Region 4-A: Quezon Province; Region 4-B: Occidental Mindoro and Palawan; and Region 5: Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate, and Sorsogon.

For the Visayas: Region 6: Antique, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo Province; Region 7: Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental; and Region 8: Leyte, Northern Samar and Western Samar.

For Mindanao: Region 9: City of Isabela, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, and Zamboanga Sibugay; Region 10: Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Region 11: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and Davao Occidental; Region 12: General Santos City, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato; Caraga: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan, Cotabato City, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.

The Philippines recorded 1,906 new Covid-19 cases from April 4 to 10, which is 29 percent lower than the data registered the week prior, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

3 April 14-20, 2022

 NATIONAL NEWS

Isko Moreno rejects calls to back out for Robredo MANILA – Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has assured supporters that he will push through with his presidential bid despite supporters switching to other candidates plus the call for him to back out for Vice President Leni Robredo to win.

During his campaign sortie in Porac, Pampanga, Domagoso stressed that his “supreme sacrifice” is his offering to address the ills of many Filipinos and help the country recover from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

This, amid calls for him to heed the call of some quarters to withdraw from the presidential race and make the “supreme sacrifice” for Robredo to lead against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “My supreme sacrifice is here today.

This is the sacrifice. Despite misimpres-

sion, misperception, or perception or impression, that the other side is doing and creating in your eyes, in your mind, this is the sacrifice,” Domagoso said.

“I am going to sacrifice myself to address yung problema ng taongbayan.

And I’m offering my supreme sacrifice. If you want peace of mind, available ako. I get things done. I’ll do the job. Wala akong babawian, wala akong paghihigantihan, wala akong babalikan (to address the needs of the people. And I’m offering my supreme sacrifice. If you want peace of mind, I am available, I don’t have anyone to exact revenge against),” he added.

Meanwhile, on the issue that supporters have shifted to other presidential candidates, Domagoso said he respects their choice.

With supporters changing their minds

does not mean that he should give up on his goal to help the country and the people, he stressed.

“I wish them good luck. Life must go on. Parang syota mo iniwanan ka, hindi ka pwedeng huminto, hanap ka ulit ng bagong boyfriend. Parang ganun lang ang buhay, nadadapa ka, minsan natutumba ka, ang mahalaga, tulad ng mga kababayan nating mga ordinaryong pamilyang Pilipino, hindi sumusuko ang taong bayan (It’s like your partner leaving you, you cannot stop, you go and find another boyfriend. Life is like that,

you stumble, what’s important is, like most ordinary Filipinos, the people are not giving up),” Domagoso said.

He added, “Hangga’t hindi kayo sumusuko sa hirap na dinaranas ninyo, hindi ko kayo susukuan kasi (While you do not give up on the trials you are going through, I will not give up on you, because) as far as I am concern, in our group, Doc Willie (Ong, running mate), (senatoriables) Samira Gutoc, Carl Balita, John Castricciones, Jopet Sison, we are now offering you peace of mind”

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Pacquiao seeks Comelec nod to help ‘Agaton’ victims

magkakaroon ng conflict doon sa kandidatura natin (Right now, I want to help and if Comelec allows it, we will help in a manner that would not be in conflict with our candidacy),” he said in a statement.

If his request is turned down, Pacquiao said he would ask his friends instead to help provide aid.

The Omnibus Election Code states vote-buying or selling involves “any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.”

Any person, association, corporation, group, INTERESTED APPLICANTS, or community who solicits PLEASE SEND A TEXT MESSAGE TO or receives, directly or indirectly, any expenditure or promise of any office or employment, public or private, for any of these considerations may also be FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. accused of vote-buying or selling.

In Baybay City, Leyte, the villages of Can-ipa, Mailhi, Bunga, Gacat, Kantagnos, Bubon, Imelda, Makinhas, Maypatag, and Villa Solidaridad are flooded and have experienced landslides.

MANILA – Senator Emmanuel Manny Pacquiao urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to suspend rules that hinder candidates from helping disaster victims, such as residents of Eastern Visayas affected by Tropical Depression Agaton.

The presidential aspirant said he would make a formal request to the Comelec to allow him to help the victims.

The law prohibits candidates from giving out money and other items that may be construed as vote-buying.

“Sa ngayon, gusto ko mang tumulong at kung payagan tayo ng Comelec na tumulong, tayo ay tutulong tayo na hindi

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 METRO NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

Manila mayoralty race heats up, bets unveil plans for PHL capital MANILA – The Manila mayoralty race among the scions of former mayors and vice mayor continued to heat up as presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna are under fire for the sale for P1.4 billion of the Divisoria Public Market.

At the Manila candidates forum at the De La Salle University, mayoralty candidates Amado Bagatsing, lawyer Alex Lopez, and retired police general Elmer Jamias exposed and assailed the sale of the publi market.

Lacuna did not attend the forum but sent video recordings, while Cristina Lim Raymundo and Onofre Abad did not attend.

The controversial sale transferred ownership of 3,701.70 sqm property from the City of Manila to Festina Holdings Inc, a private company based in Ermita.

The Manila City Council, which is presided by Lacuna, authorized Moreno to approve and complete the sale where a 50-storey building will be built. The Divisoria market vendors will be transferred to Pritil Market.

The public wet and dry market, where thousands visit in droves to buy assorted wholesale goods and fresh produce, was

sold for P1.446 billion last August 2020.

However, according to vendor leaders, they were only made aware of the sale last August 2021, when they requested documents from the city council.

Moreno has publicly defended the move saying that the money will be used to fund the city’s pandemic housing and healthcare programs.

Bagatsing called the sale “highly questionable, unlawful, and void” for its failure to comply with the procedures in the law. ”It is an utter disregard of the constitutional rights of vendors to the due process of law,” said the former congressman and son of the late Mayor Ramon Bagatsing.

Lopez also condemned Moreno’s camp for the sale.

“We’re already trying to file an annulment case and possible plunder case,” said Lopez, a son of the late Mayor Geminiano Mel Lopez.

Lopez earlier questioned the P1.7 billion rehabilitation of the Manila Zoo for being costly and untimely.

The candidates cited that a lack of transparency and integrity went in on the sale.

In the same forum, Bagatsing, Lopez and Jamias faced each other as they

presented their platforms, plans and programs in front.

The three candidates stood united for the need of having a more transparent leadership and governance in the city.

Bagatsing said it is time to make Manila vibrant again to give a boost to businesses recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

With the lessons learned from the pandemic, he said the health of people should also be prioritized as he plans to build a diagnostic center in the city.

“Ilalapit ko sa community ang access sa health facilities at libre. Sa buong Manilenyo aalagaan ko ang kalusugan nila (I will make access to health facilities closer and free to the communities. For all Manila residents, I will take care of their health),” Bagatsing said.

Bagatsing boasted of the Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA) foundation which he founded in 1985 that provided medical assistance and conducted outreach programs and nutrition-feeding programs for children in the depressed areas.

If given the chance to lead the city, he said he will come up with programs to reach more constituents.

4

4 women lead QC 5th district congressional bets

By Severino Samonte

QUEZON CITY – Four women are among the seven candidates vying for the congressional seat of Quezon City District 5 - Novaliches area in the May 9, 2022 elections.

The female aspirants are former Congresswoman Annie Susano (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas), businesswomen Rose Lin (Lakas) and Catherine Esplana, and Rose Lyn Sanchez (Independent).

They are facing outgoing first-term Councilor Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas of Partido Demokratikong PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Angel Rustia Jr., an engineer, and Antonio Ortega (both Independent).

They filed their certificate of candidacy (CoC) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office for QC-Novaliches District 5 before the deadline on Oct. 8.

Susano, who was also a former QC councilor (2001-2004), was among those who represented the populous Novaliches district in Congress (20042010) before the area was divided into three districts (2, 5 and 6) in the 2013 local elections.

Maynilad inaugurates expanded WATERLab

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MWSS Administrator Engr, Leonor Cleofas (3rd from le�) is joined by Maynilad President & CEO Ramoncito Fernandez, MWSS Chief Regulator A�y, Patrick Ty and other Maynilad execu�ves at the inaugura�on of the Maynilad WATERLab QUEZON CITY - Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) west zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) recently inaugurated its expanded WATERLab (Water Analytics, Testing, Experimentation and Research Collaboration) located inside the La Mesa compound in Quezon City.

The WATERLab monitors and tests the quality of water supply and waste water effluents within the Maynilad’s concession area composed of certain portions in the cities of Manila and Quezon west of South Super Highway in Makati;

Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and, Malabon in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario in Cavite Province. It is under Maynilad’s Quality, Sustainability and Resiliency (QSR) team headed by Atty. Roel Espiritu with Christine Bagsik as laboratory chief. It is equipped with state-of-the art analytical instruments. The laboratory is accredited by the Department of Health and recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as an environmental laboratory.

5 April 14-20, 2022

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Tarlac governor endorses BBM-Sara tandem STA. IGNACIA, Tarlac – Governor Susan Yap has called on her fellow Tarlaceños to support presidential candidate former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

The reelectionist governor, who is running unopposed, also thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for always making sure that the province’s needs are met.

Earlier, Tarlac City Mayor Cristy Angeles endorsed the Marcos-Duterte Uniteam during a rally in Tarlac.

Angeles also reiterated the support of Tarlakenyos to Marcos and his running-mate Inday Sara Duterte and the whole UniTeam.

“Mahal kong kababayan, mulat na tayo alam na natin kung ano ang nararapat para sa ating lahat. Kailangan natin ang pagkakaisa at ibibigay niya (Marcos) po yan sa atin (My beloved countrymen, we are aware that we already know what is right for all of us. We need unity and Marcos will give that to us),” said Angeles

Tarlac is a known bailiwick of the Aquinos since the time of former Senator Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr. and his wife former President Cory Aquino, but the presence of Marcos during jampacked rallies in the province and the support of Governor Yap, Mayor Angeles and other leaders clearly showed that the place is not just for the Aquinos, after all.

“Dito sa Tarlac, taos puso akong nagpapasalamat sa kanilang pamilya. Dahil kahit papaano, bumuhos ang nga proyekto dito, at alam ng mga mayors natin yan (Here in Tarlac, we express our sincerest gratitude to their family.

Because somehow projects poured in here, and our mayor knows that),” Yap said before some 3,000 people who attended the Joint Town Clustered Meeting at the Sta. Ignacia Auditorium here.

The attendees came from the towns of Sta. Ignacia, Camiling, Mayantoc, and San Clemente.

“Hindi pa po humihingi ng tulong ang aming lugar, pero ang kanyang ama, si President Rodrigo Duterte, ay agad tu-

Phivolcs lowers Taal Volcano’s alert status to Level 2 TAGAYTAY CITY – Due to the decline in volcanic activity, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered Taal Volcano’s alert status from Level 3 (magmatic unrest) to Level 2 (decreased unrest).

In an advisory, Phivolcs said 86 small-magnitude and imperceptible volcanic earthquakes have been recorded since the volcano’s eruption last March 26.

Most of the recorded earthquakes were generated by volcanic degassing from the shallow magma and hydrothermal region beneath the Taal Volcano Island (TVI) edifice.

Volcanic earthquakes are caused by movement or eruptions of magma from the volcano, compared to tectonic quakes which are caused by fault movements.

Phreatomagmatic eruption, on the other hand, is caused by the interaction of magma and water.

“There has been no recorded seismic activity related to new magmatic intrusions from Taal’s deeper magma source since unrest began last year,” the advisory read.

Meanwhile, Taal Volcano’s sulfur dioxide (S02) emission elevated in the first three weeks of March, has reached 21,211 tonnes on March 16. The S02 emission declined on April 3.

Since then, the S02 emission had an average of 240 tonnes per day and further decreased to 103 tonnes on April 8, the lowest flux recorded since unrest began last year.

Phivolcs said the recent gas emissions indicate that the potential for eruptive activity is currently low.

mawag at tinanong: “Anong tulong ang aming mabibigay?

(Our area has yet to ask assistance, but her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, immediately called and asked: ‘What kind of assistance we can give?),” she added.

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

Ping-Tito supporters urged to get out and be heard

CORRUPTION-FREE GOV’T. Presiden�al aspirant Panfilo Lacson (le�) and running mate Senate President Vicente So�o III PASAY CITY – Independent presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III urged their supporters to start making themselves heard in helping them convince voters to elect the most qualified, competent, and experienced candidates in the May 9 polls.

“Thank you ‘Pure Love’, ‘True Friends’, ‘Lacson Sotto Support Group’ for organizing your ‘Supporters Rally’ and making it happen today. It’s time to stop being silent. Get out of your echo chamber to be heard by the people. No balloons, no umbrellas, no props. Just pure love,” Lacson said after he and Sotto attended the supporters’ rally at the

Quezon Memorial Circle.

Lacson and Sotto along with their families received a rousing welcome from the supporters who organized the event.

During the rally, Lacson said there is much work to do with just one month left in the campaign period.

The supporters can make a difference by convincing their families and neighbors to vote for the most competent, qualified, and experienced candidates, he stressed.

“Hindi pa natatapos ang ating gagawin. Pag uwi natin ngayong gabi, marami pa tayong dapat gawin para sa May 9 sa araw ng eleksyon. Kausapin natin ang ating mga kamag-anak at ating mga

kapitbahay at sabihin natin sa kanila kung sino ang pinaka-qualified, pinakacompetent at pinaka may karanasan.

Kami po yan ni Senate President Sotto (Our work is not finished. Once we go home tonight, we have much to do in preparation for May 9. Let us talk to our families and neighbors and ask them to vote for the most qualified, experienced, and competent -- that’s Senate President Sotto and me),” he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson and Sotto reaffirmed their commitment to good governance by signing a pledge for a corruption-free government before their supporters at the rally.

“Kami, ang tambalang Lacson-Sotto, ay taimtim na nanunumpa, na kapag kami ay nahalal bilang Pangulo at Pangalawang Pangulo ng bansa, ay pangangalagaan namin ang inyong tiwala; titiyakin naming walang bahid ng katiwalian ang aming panunungkulan, upang hindi masayang ang inyong boto (We, the Lacson-Sotto tandem, solemnly swear that if we are elected President and Vice President of the Philippines, we will ensure our administration will not be marred by corruption, thus making sure your votes for us are not wasted),” they said in their pledge.

“Ang lahat ng plataporma na aming inihain ngayong kampanya, ay aming tutuparin ng buong husay at katapatan; Uunahin at isasaalang-alang namin ang kapakanan ng Bansang Pilipinas at ng mamamayang Pilipino (We will fulfill our promises to implement much-needed programs of government. We will put the interest of the Philippines and the Filipino first),” they added.

SC drops Mike Arroyo from PNP chopper raps MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) cleared former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo of criminal charges arising from the purchase by the Philippine National Police (PNP) of three helicopters in 2009 for P105 million.

In its resolution uploaded online, the SC granted the motion for reconsideration filed by Arroyo and ordered the Sandiganbayan to drop the husband of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the information filed in the criminal case “at any stage of the proceedings,”.

The Dec. 1, 2021 resolution reconsidered a January 2020 decision which dismissed Arroyo’s petition.

The court said “the element of conspiracy with a public officer was not established” and said the intervention of the

SC is “necessary for the orderly administration of justice or to avoid oppression”. “(T)he court finds that the OMB (Office of the Ombudsman) has grossly misappreciated the attendant and clear facts in a manner that is tantamount to grave abuse of discretion,” the resolution read.

Arroyo had claimed that the Ombudsman failed to distinguish him from Lourdes T. Arroyo Inc. (LTA Inc.) which had originally had a hand in financing the purchase of the helicopters.

He argued that at the time of the transactions, he had already divested from LTA (in 2001) and resumed interest only in 2010 after repurchasing shares.

PCG-San Francisco allays fears on stamps for overseas voting

By Jun Nucum SAN FRANCISCO -The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco informed registered overseas voters within its jurisdiction of 10 states who have received postal voting packets bearing two postage stamps, that they may add one USPS Forever stamp on the ballot envelope and send the same to the Consulate.

“Alternatively, they may send their ballot envelope to the Consulate as is as any deficiency in the amount of postage shall be paid for by the Consulate in accordance with USPS guidelines,” stated the Office of Consulate General Neil Frank Ferrer.

This is to assuage fears spurred by concerns that their ballots would go to back to sender for not having enough stamps attached and therefore may need to be resent that would take time and may result to not making it on time to the Consulate for it to be counted.

The Consulate also added that voters may also drop off their ballot envelopes at the Consulate lobby until 9 May 2022 before 4:00 a.m. (Pacific time) and encouraged everyone to email them at ovs@pcgsanfrancisco.org. for any questions.

Overseas voting period has started and many of the voters would receive their ballots for mail in the next days and weeks to be returned back to the Consulates that have jurisdiction over them for their votes to be counted.

6

DA officials probed for links to smuggling QUEZON CITY - Several officials of the Department of Agriculture are under investigation for their alleged involvement in the smuggling of agricultural products, Secretary William Dar said as some sectors called for his resignation over various issues like the smuggling agricultural products.

Dar said in a television interview that the DA’s legal department has been doing a “comprehensive investigation” since last year against “a good number of” DA officials reportedly linked to smuggling.

Dar, however, refused to disclose other details, citing due process.

Dar was also under fire for failure to attend three hearings of the Senate looking into the smuggling of agricultural products.

During the Senate Committee of the Whole’s third hearing on April 12, Senate President Tito Sotto named four suspected big-time smugglers. Citing information from a whistleblower, he said they were being protected by agriculture and customs officials.

Dar said the DA has not come across these names in its own investigation, but recognized that one of them - so-called “Onion Queen” Luz Cruz, also known as Leah Cruz - is a known importer.

Senate Committee on Agriculture chairperson Cynthia Villar expressed dismay upon hearing her name again, saying Cruz had been investigated in 2014.

“So parang wala palang nangyari na nablacklist yan kasi hanggang ngayon lumalabas pa rin yung Leah Cruz,” Villar said during the hearing.

Peaceful, violence-free polls vowed

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte again vowed peaceful and clean elections under his administration.

“Again, it is my commitment to the nation that the elections will be peaceful and free from violence, intimidation of voters. Wag ninyo gawin iyan (Do not do that) because I would still be here to oversee the elections,” Duterte said during his prerecorded Talk to the People.

He earlier said he will not allow any election-related violence to occur during the remaining months of his administration.

Duterte also warned against violent electioneering.

“Do not do it kasi I will see to it na itong eleksyon na ito ay malinis at walang dayaan, walang patayan sa panahon ko. Maghanap kayo ng ibang presidente. Huwag ninyong gawin sa akin kasi pupuntahan talaga kita (Do not do it because I will see to it that this election is clean and without fraud. No killings during my time. Don’t do it to me because I will come for you),” he said, noting politicians “should never use violence to force the people to elect them.”

7 April 14-20, 2022

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

One Cebu party backs Marcos, Sara

By Claire Morales True

CEBU CITY – Three weeks before the May 9 elections, presidential and vice presidential frontrunners Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Mayor Sara Duterte have se-

cured a major boost when the One Cebu, the leading party of vote-rich Cebu led by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia endorsed the tandem. .Gov. Garcia said the party’s decision came after weeks of extensive consulta-

ONE CEBU FOR MARCOS. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia endorses the candidacies of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte for president and vice president, respec�vely, in this undated photo posted on Duterte’s social media page and shared by her spokesperson Liloan, Cebu Mayor Chris�na Garcia-Frasco. The Garcia-led One Cebu, the dominant party in vote-rich Cebu province, on Tuesday (April 12, 2022) formally announced its support for the BBM-Sara tandem. (Photo from Mayor Sara Z. Duterte’s Facebook page)

tions and discussions with provincial, municipal and barangay leaders in the 44 municipalities and seven cities, including Cebu City, Lapu Lapu city and Mandaue City.

One Cebu formalized its endorsement of Marcos and Duterte during its general assembly at the Sky Hall at SM Seaside City in Cebu City on April 12. Cebu boosts of 3.2 million voters, the biggest in the country, with over 700,000 coming from Cebu City.

The tandem were present during the assembly to receive the endorsement and later joined Garcia in proclaiming the local and congressional candidates of the party.

Garcia raised the hands of Marcos and Duterte during their appearance at the One Cebu general assembly.

Among those present during the event were Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and his slate, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and his slate, as well as Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. In his speech during the assembly, Marcos said the local party’s endorsement was a significant development for their campaign.

He recalled that he teased Garcia that

they would not leave the province without getting the support of One Cebu.

“The importance of the events that we have undertaken here today cannot be overstated...,” Marcos said.

“In fact, after we came down from the stage after signing the different resolutions... I whispered to the (House) Majority Floor Leader (Martin Romualdez), I said sumama sa atin yung One Cebu, sumama sa atin ‘yung Cebu Island may pag asa na tayong manalo,” he added.

According to the governor, the party “considered the different opinions of party leaders advocating the causes of different presidential candidates.”

Party leaders, she said, agreed that the interests of the Cebuanos, the unity and strength of One Cebu as well as their ability to serve their constituents “are best served if we unite behind the leadership of BBM as President.”

Marcos and Duterte thanked One Cebu for its support to the UniTeam.

“Daghang salamat Gov. Gwen at One Cebu sa inyong pag-endorso at suporta sa amin ni BBM at buong UniTeam. Makakaasa po ang lahat ng Cebuano sa tapat na paglilingkod, at walang pagod na pagtulong para sa lahat lalo na ang maliliit. Mahalin natin ang ating Pilipinas.

Robredo: Full disclosure policy will be first executive order PASAY CITY – Vice President Leni Robredo’s first executive order if she gets elected as president is a full disclosure policy in order to promote greater transparency in public service.

During the second installment of the Commission on Elections’ PiliPinas Debates 2022, Robredo said her first EO would require all government offices and instrumentalities to make public all their transactions and contracts “even without need of request from anyone”.

She pointed out that transparency is one of the key elements to combat corruption, which, she said, is a result of both institutional and individual weaknesses. The other elements are accountability and people empowerment.

“Merong tatlong pangangailangan para siguraduhin natin na napipilitan, ‘yung sistema napipilitan niya ang public officials para maging matino at mahusay. ‘Yung number one, accountability. Gaya nung sinabi ni Senator Manny (Pacquiao), dapat ‘yung nagkakasala napaparusahan. Pero equally important and even more important ‘yung transparency at people empowerment kasi eto ‘yung magp-prevent for public officials na gumawa ng mali ‘pag very transparent ang ating processes ,” she said.

She also highlighted other instruments for transparency, such as creating a citizen’s charter and digitizing government services and processes to improve public service delivery.

“Another instrument for transparency ‘yung paggagawa ng citizens char-

ter, na sinasabi natin, alam ng tao kung anong aasahan niya sa pamahalaan pagdating sa mga proseso, (at) ‘yung pag-digitize ng lahat ng proseso para minimal ‘yung human contact (Another instrument for transparency is the citizen’s charter. Through this, the public would know what they would expect in terms of processes and the digitization of all processes for minimal human contact),” she said.

As for people empowerment, she stressed the need to involve the public in decision-making through the creation of people’s councils in local governments, as well as the revival of the bottom-up budgeting scheme.

Robredo said there is a need to pass a law banning political turncoatism in order to strengthen the political party system in the country.

Turncoatism, or jumping from one political party to another, weakens the country’s political party system, as some politicians only use parties for “political convenience”, she said.

She said a law prohibiting turncoatism would compel politicians to join parties because they share the same political ideas and platforms.

Robredo also said it was time to discuss whether to retain the current multi-party system in the country or revive the two-party system.

She suggested the idea of holding a runoff election, or a second election that is held if the top vote-getting candidate in a first election did not achieve the minimum percentage of votes required in that particular area.

SAI RAM ASTROLOGER & PSYCHIC MISS DEVI SHAMALA

 NATIONAL NEWS Lupita...

(From page 1)

death helped save our country from the long dark years of tyranny and dictatorship and whose blood watered the seeds of aspiration for the restoration of our freedom and democracy.” “(If this is so)……then it must be said that he was wrong in believing that “The Filipino is worth dying for,” CBCP President Pablo ‘Ambo’ Virgilio David posted on his Facebook account on April 2, 2022.

“A nation that treats its villains like heroes and its heroes like villains has nowhere to go but down the drain.

It will be treated with contempt by the community of nations that used to be inspired by the fabled nobility of its citizens now gone,” Bishop David added.

Bishop David’s reaction and query were accompanied by pictures where the statue of the late Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ S. Aquino Jr. in Tarlac was covered with streamers and other paraphernalia used during the recent campaign rally for presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte and their senatorial candidates in Tarlac where local officials pledged support to Marcos and Duterte.

After seeing and hearing about the developments, Ninoy’s San Francisco California-based sister sent a message simply titled “How can I not reply to Bishop Ambo?” saying that upon seeing the picture of the desecration of Ninoy’s statue, her thoughts raced back to the time “I saw him lying on the gurney at Fort Bonifacio, blood still fresh red behind his ear. He had been shot less than an hour before.”

“Does he have to die again even in death? Can’t the politicians in Tarlac appreciate the spark that their Cabalen ignited for the country’s return to decency and freedom?” lamented Lupita. “And now the very people who did not appreciate Ninoy’s sacrifice hooted and hollered their hosanas at the visit of the son of the man who destroyed our country.”

Speaking directly to Bishop David, Lupita said the question “is the Filipino Worth Dying For?” came as a balm to her aching heart as “someone out there cares what Ninoy has done.”

Lupita also noted that “people like Governor Susan Yap, daughter of Ninoy’s good friend and colleague Apeng Yap, and Tarlac Mayor Cristy Angeles, in their delirious display of sycophancy perfidiously hid Ninoy behind a tent.”

Ninoy’s sister commended Bishop David saying “if

April 14-20, 2022

leaders like you continue to stand and speak up for our values enshrined in the notion of human decency, then we can survive. For that we are eternally grateful.”

“It seems that far too many in our country are now suffering from amnesia, ignorance or a deliberate and deceitful revision Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of the past, resulting, as you say, in a complete lack of respect. I can only pray that our country doesn’t “go down the drain,” Lupita added.

Here are the complete message of Lupita AquinoKashiwahara and the Facebook post of Bishop David: Lupita’s response: How can i not reply to Bishop Ambo?

Dear Bishop David, When I saw the picture of the desecration of Ninoy’s statue in Tarlac, my thoughts returned to the time I saw him lying on the gurney at Ft Bonifacio, blood still fresh red behind his ear. He had been shot less than an hour before.

Does he have to die again even in death? Can’t the politicians in Tarlac appreciate the spark that their cabalen ignited for the country’s return to decency and freedom?

And now the very people who did not appreciate Ninoy’s sacrifice hooted and hollered their hosanas at the visit of the son of the man who destroyed our country.

Dear Bishop, you wrote “is the Filipino Worth Dying For”. It came as a balm to my aching heart. Someone out there cares what Ninoy has done.

People like Governor Susan Yap, daughter of Ninoy’s good friend and colleague Apeng Yap, and Tarlac Mayor Cristy Angeles, in their delirious display of sycophancy perfidiously hid Ninoy behind a tent.

Bishop, it seems that far too many in our country are now suffering from amnesia, ignorance or a deliberate and deceitful revision of the past, resulting, as you say, in a complete lack of respect. I can only pray that our country doesn’t “go down the drain.”

If leaders like you continue to stand and speak up for our values enshrined in the notion of human decency, then we can survive. For that we are eternally grateful.

8

Screenshot of Bishop’s David post

-- Lupita Aquino Kashiwahara Bishop David’s Facebook April 2, 2022 post: *WORTH DYING FOR?* If this is how we treat the memory of a man whose death helped save our country from the long dark years of tyranny and dictatorship, and whose blood watered the seeds of aspiration for the restoration of our freedom and democracy, then it must be said that he was wrong in believing that “The Filipino is worth dying for.”

A nation that treats its villains like heroes and its heroes like villains has nowhere to go but down the drain.

It will be treated with contempt by the community of nations that used to be inspired by the fabled nobility of its citizens now gone. -- Bishop Pablo Virgilio David

Diane Papan... (From page 1)

$50m...

(From page 1)

Management Climate Protection Subcommittee and as chair of the Council of Cities. Moreover, Papan helped to create the One Shoreline Board for Sea Level Rise, the county’s first dedicated flood district supporting local cities planning and implementation of flood protection projects. This work has never been more urgent with rising seas and increased intensity of storms due to climate change. Protecting homes, businesses and infrastructure will be critical to San Mateo County’s future.

“San Mateo County is the most at risk to flooding of any county in California,” said Papan. “We must prepare now for the challenges ahead. I have helped to do that locally but as a member of the Assembly I will obtain the necessary resources and support from the state to get the work done as fast as possible.”

Papan, a Capuchino High School grad who attended UCLA for her undergraduate work and gained a law degree from UC Hastings, has worked as an attorney locally for most of her career focusing on representing small businesses.

In addition to her work as an attorney, Papan is also the executive director of a clothing bank for children started by her mother Irene in honor of her late brother John Papan. The clothing bank, operating out of Ben Franklin Middle School in Broadmoor, has provided free, new clothing to thousands of children in need from northern San Mateo County for decades. Papan, works closely with local schools and social service agencies to help connect local families with needed clothing. Unlike many service agencies, however, what distinguishes John’s Closet is

that the clothing provided is new, not used. The explicit intent of Papan’s mother Irene who started the clothing bank was to provide kids with clothing to support their self-esteem, not just simply cloth them.

“We all understand the social pressures that kids are under and what clothes they wear shouldn’t be added to that list,” said Papan. “We provide new, quality clothing to kids in need so they can just go to school and focus on their academic career without another distraction or feeling self-conscious.”

As a daughter of Daly City and through her nonprofit work, Papan has deep ties to the Filipino community and that is largely why she has gained the support of local leaders such as icon Perla Ibarrientos, Daly City Vice Mayor Ray Buenaventura and Councilmember Juslyn Manalo.

“Diane Papan is a great friend to our community. She has consistently supported northern San Mateo County as a San Mateo City Councilmember, nonprofit executive, and neighbor. I look forward to continuing to work with her next position in the Assembly,” said Manalo.

Papan’s deep ties to the local community are what she states will inform her work in the state Legislature.

“I am running for the Assembly because I know I can make a difference. I am a homegrown daughter of this district. Its residents are family, friends, and neighbors,” said Papan. “I know the struggles that exist here, and I have a demonstrated track record of successfully working to improve our communities.”

Papan is married to her husband Dan with whom she has a daughter now attending public school locally.

9 April 14-20, 2022 76...

(From page 1)

The storm also destroyed many roads, bridges and schoolbuildings along with agricultural crops and livestock worth several millions of pesos, according to local officials and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

In Baybay City alone, Mayor Jose Carlos Cari said the number of deaths due to landslides rose to 62 on April 13 and the number could still rise, prompting the mayor to place the city under a state of calamity.

At press time, rescuers have retrieved the remains of 53 people killed by landslides in Baybay City and the town of Abuyog also in Leyte.

The NDRRMC reported at least 580,876 individuals or 213,327 families were affected by the tropical storm, adding more than 34,000 residents sought refuge in 348 evacuation centers.

The Department of Agriculture said the storm left at least P270 million damage to farms and livestock in Eastern Visayas and Caraga.

As officials mounted search and rescue operations and started distributing assistance, typhoon Agaton left the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) but another typhoon, named Malakas. entered the PAR and was given the local name “Basyang.”

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) downplayed the

new typhoon saying “Basyang” is unlikely to directly affect the coastal waters’ sea condition, but swells resulting from the typhoon is forecast to generate moderate to rough seas over the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon, as well as the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao.

The NDRRMC reported 43 deaths from Agaton in its latest report, 37 in Eastern Visayas, three fatalities in Central Visayas, and three from Davao Region.

Local officials who are in the ground, however, reported higher number of fatalities.

In Baybay City, local authorities reported at least 26 people were still missing and105 others injured.

Three people were also killed in the central province of Negros Oriental and 3 on the main southern island of Mindanao, according to the national disaster agency.

The death toll from Agaton is expected to rise as rescue operations switch to recovering bodies.

Typhoon Agaton came four months after super typhoon Odette devastated swaths of the country, killing more than 400 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

The death toll from landslides and floods may still rise, officials said, as rescuers dug up more bodies with bare hands and backhoes in crushed villages.

Most of the deaths from tropical depression Agaton (international name: Megi) -- the strongest to hit the archipelago this year -- were in the central province of Leyte, where a series of landslides

devastated communities.

Thirteen people died and around 150 were missing in barangay Pilar, which is part of Abuyog municipality, after a torrent of mud and earth pushed houses into the sea and buried most of the settlement, Abuyog Mayor Lemuel Traya said.

Cebu City was also placed under a state of calamity due to Tropical Storm Agaton.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced on Sunday the emergency declaration due to heavy rains brought by the weather disturbance in the city.

Rama said the downpour caused some flooding in the city, with threats of landslides.

Rama also ordered the suspension of

work and classes in Cebu City as a preventive measure, despite the lack of a tropical cyclone wind signal warning from the weather bureau in the area.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

10

Be vigilant, Pinoys in NY told after Brooklyn shooting NEW YORK – Filipinos in New York were asked anew to be vigilant following a shooting incident in Brooklyn that left scores of individuals injured.

Consul General Elmer Cato said the consulate is still waiting for information from local authorities about the victims’ nationalities, 10 of whom were shot by an attacker that remains at large.

“The Philippine Consulate General advises kababayan to exercise extreme caution in

US...

view of the city-wide manhunt for the suspect in this morning’s shooting incident in Brooklyn,” the PCG said in a statement.

“The suspect, who is armed and dangerous, remains on the loose. There is a massive police mobilization ongoing. Kababayan(s) are advised to report any abandoned packages on subways, bus stops, or public places, especially along the N, R, and other Brooklyn subway lines,” the office added.

Cato said the consulate is checking on the

(From page 1)

House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, met with WESMINCOM officials in Zamboanga city.

Gallego was accompanied by four other officers and staff of Special Operations Task Force 511.2, a branch of the U.S. military that supports the Philippines.

During the meeting, the US lawmaker lauded the Philippine military’s “resolve to end terrorism and violent extremism which create worldwide peace crises.”

He assured that the U.S. is committed to supporting the AFP, describing the Philippines as a “reliable partner.”

WESMINCOM commander Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. thanked Gallego for personally visiting his troops to show support.

“We are deeply honored to have such supportive ally with us as we continue to journey toward peace and progress here in Mindanao,” Rosario said.

“After two years of a global pandemic, U.S. and Philippine forces have come together to complete one of the largest Balikatan exercises ever held,” said U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava at the conclusion of the Balikatan exercises. “This is a testament to the strength of the U.S.-Philippine alliance and the shared priorities of our countries.”

“The completion of yet another successful Balikatan is a clear example of our shared commitment to advancing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Brig.

Gen. Joseph Clearfield, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Deputy Commander. “As a result of our mutual efforts, our militaries have grown together in friendship, and we are better prepared to respond as one cohesive team to any crisis or challenge.”

“The experience gained from exercise Balikatan complemented our security cooperation endeavors and helped enhance existing mutual security efforts,” said Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, AFP exercise director. “Although there were limitations brought about by the pandemic, it is highly commendable that the exercise pushed through and generated a favorable outcome.”

Democrats...

Filipino community in Brooklyn where an undetermined number of Filipinos are working and at least 8,764 are residing.

At least 23 were injured from the rushhour shooting that occurred at the 36th Street Subway station in Brooklyn past 8 a.m. (US EDT time) on April 12, 2022.

New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the gunman donned what appeared to be a gas mask then took a canister out of his bag and opened it.

(From page 1)

businesses, and got kids safely back to school like creating a government that looks like America.

Starting at the top with the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president, the Biden-Harris administration nominated 16 Asian American federal judicial nominees, which represents 18 percent of all federal judicial nominees.

President Biden has also placed Asian Americans in senior roles in the White House and the Cabinet. As Republicans stand in the way of progress for the American people, Democrats continue to fight for a diverse America and deliver results that matter.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC AAPI Caucus Chair Bel Leong-Hong, and DNC Women’s Caucus Chair Lottie Shackleford, issued the following joint statement regarding the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson: “History has been made. The U.S. Senate voted in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In doing so, they reaffirmed what millions across the country have seen: Judge Jackson is a brilliant, graceful, experienced, fairminded jurist who will bring much-needed perspectives to our highest court.

The court would greatly benefit from the insight of a woman of color, a public defender, a judge who has served at the district and appellate levels and clerked at the Supreme Court. It is staggering that Judge Jackson embodies all those perspectives and more.

Judge Jackson has shown girls — especially girls of color — how big they can dream and just how profound an impact they can have on our nation. Her story is uniquely American. She represents the best of us and our shared values. We are grateful to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the senators who confirmed Judge Jackson for taking another important step to build a government that looks like America.

Today proves once again that diverse women can accomplish anything. They can be vice president. They can shape the future of our nation. And, they can serve on the Supreme Court.”

Below...

When smoke filled the Manhattan-bound N train, which was then waiting to enter the 36th Street station, the suspect opened fire and shot multiple people on the subway and the platform.

Sewell said the suspect was wearing a green construction vest and a gray hooded sweatshirt.

The New York City Police Department has so far identified a certain Frank James as a person of interest in the investigation (From page 1)

act. Dr. Robredo frequently accompanies her mother during rallies; she became known for being a frontliner at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reaction from netizens was quick as it was fierce, with most demanding that whoever came out with the video be arrested and charged under the Anti-Cybercrime Law. The Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime (OOC) said on Tuesday, April 12, said it will go after the parties responsible for online circulation of the fake sex video. OOC Officer in Charge Charito Zamora told local media that their agents were on the case and “if it needs further investigation, we will endorse the same to the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation).”

It was Lingayen Bishop Socrates Villegas who came out with one of the strongest statements on the fake video, which he said was the creation of “the disciples of the Prince of Darkness.”

He then addressed Dr. Robredo, telling her, “Let not the lies disturb you. The truth of your life of decency and humility and service and intelligence is known by all of us.”

Villegas is a past president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

Robredo’s camp branded the video as a “malicious fabrication” while the vice president herself took to Twitter – where the video first appeared – said the “best antidote to fake news is the TRUTH.” She added that she managed to survive for six years as VP by simply focusing on the work that needed to be done.

Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, spokesman for the vice president, said he suspected that the video was released for the purpose of distracting and enraging the followers of Robredo.

Speaking in a combination of English and the vernacular, Gutierrez said, “This is a direct and vile response to the momentum we continue to gain.”

The real goal of the perpetrators was for Robredo’s followers to engage the followers of Ferdinand Marcos Jr in a mudslinging war. Robredo followers – known as kakampinks – should “be firm but kind” against the political enemies, but more importantly they should “hold the line.”

While not allied with Robredo, the party-list group Gabriela Women’s Party this week denounced the spread of “fake sexist content” appearing on “several websites,” all aimed at the VP’s daughter.

The fake video’s timing shocked even non-Robredo followers, who pointed out that it was released during Holy Week, the most sacred time of year for the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.

The sex video is reminiscent of a similarly fake video supposedly of detained Senator Leila de Lima that had been mentioned by President Rodrigo Duterte to “prove” her immorality. The woman in the video, however, had little more than a passing resemblance to the senator, who has been in detention for the past five years despite most of the evidence of her alleged drug links being rejected by the court, not only as mere hearsay, but also from dubious sources.

 OPINION

PerryScope

HREE WEEKS TO ELECTION DAY, the tide of the Philippine election is turning the other way! Yes, it’s happening!

You can feel it when you listen to the political rallies around the archipelago. From Basilan in Southern Mindanao to Cagayan in Northern Luzon, the Filipino people are coming out enthusiastically for PERRY DIAZ their presidential candidate of choice: it be Bongbong Marcos, Leni Robredo, Isko Moreno, Manny Pacquaio or Ping Lacson. But only one will end up elected President of the republic.

In my last column, “My crystal ball for the 2022 Philippine election,” I wrote: “As in previous Philippine elections, the early frontrunners tripped over some issues that torpedoed their candidacies. It happened to Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004, Manny Villar in 2010, Grace Poe in 2016 and Jejomar Binay in 2016, who both lost to Rodrigo Duterte.”

Back in February 18-23, Pulse Asia showed Marcos Jr. had 60% approval rating and Robredo had 15%. But in a survey of 2,400 people taken between March 17 and 21, when the official campaign was underway, Marcos Jr.’s lead dropped to 56% while Robredo’s support jumped significantly to 24%, a nine percentage-point increase.

Usually, surveys are taken based on the socioeconomic classes (SEC) that divide the Philippines’ primary social classes into: Low-income class, the Middle-income class, and the High-income class. The latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that the majority (58.4%) of Filipinos belongs to the low-income class, the middle class comprises around 40%, and the high-income class about 1% of the population. The classes are further divided into income segments: i.e., Highincome = A, B; Middle-income = C, D; and Low-income = E. It was revealed that the Pulse Asia survey did not include Classes A and B. Their reason was that only one percent comprise Classes A and B, which might look insignificant but would still make the survey incomplete. Nevertheless, for the sake of brevity, let’s accept Pulse Asia’s explanation since it’s “negligible.” However, if the results are very close, it could make the difference.

Noticeable trend With May 9 just a few weeks away, there is a noticeable trend in the surveys: Bongbong’s approval rating came down while Leni’s went up.

Barry Gutierrez, Leni’s spokesperson, said that her 9-point surge in the latest survey reflected the mounting support for her presidential candidacy. “What we are seeing now is the turning of the tide,” Gutierrez said in a statement.

He said that the survey results actually showed Leni scoring a 13-point swing as Bongbong’s rating went down by 4 percentage points. He reasoned that the survey numbers are starting to reflect what the Robredo campaign has been seeing on the ground all along: “The massive crowds, the fierce passion, the untiring commitment of Filipinos from all walks of life, coming together to rally behind Leni Robredo’s bid for the presidency.” He also said that the momentum that Leni is now enjoying would “only further intensify and accelerate” in the run-up to the May 9 election.

Meanwhile, Bongbong’s spokesperson, Vic Rodriguez, told Bongbong’s supporters not to be complacent and to remain focused on their goal of 70-percent preference mark, which might seems improbable right now, considering that Bongbong’s approval rating has gone below 50% and continues to go down.

Grassroots campaign With Leni’s successful crowd-drawing record -- she just had a 220,000 attendance to her Pampanga rally last April 9, the largest to date – and house-to-house campaigns, which now explains her increase in voter preferences, would contribute to increasing her numbers against Bongbong. If she could increase her volunteers to at least 100,000 going doorto-door from barangay-to-barangay, she could surpass Bongbong’s numbers. As of April 2, she had 10,000 volunteers and increasing it ten times is doable considering the youth and enthusiasm of her army of volunteers called “kakampinks.”

It’s bringing the campaign down to face-to-face grassroots level, which was determined to be (Continue on page 27)

D

Parental travel consent; monthly raffle winners

o you have underage child who is traveling to the Philippines without you? To avoid possible problems and surprises during your child’s travel to the Philippines, just follow the example of Myrna.

Myrna, an old client with Mobile Signing Services, called me for assistance ART GABOT MADLAING and help in the notarization and apostille follow-up of a parental consent for her13-year-old granddaughter to travel with her to the Philippines without the parents. Myrna scheduled a weekend appointment with her daughter for the notarization of the AFFIDAVIT OF CONSENT TO TRAVEL, GUARANTY AND REQUEST FOR. THE ISSUANCE OF THE WAIVER OF EXCLUSION GROUND (WEG) In the AFFIDAVIT OF CONSENT TO TRAVEL, Myrna’s daughter gave consent for her granddaughter to travel with her to the Philippines The daughter also respectfully requested the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to issue a Waiver of Exclusion Ground (WEG) upon daughter’s arrival in the Philippines.

The mother is also financially responsible for the expenses relating to her daughter’s stay in the Philippines, with Myrna (grandmother) as the legal guardian throughout said stay in the Philippines.

Mobile Signing Services (MSS) is committed and will continue to assist and help old and new clients in the notarization and apostille follow-up of documents like Parental Travel Consent, Affidavits, Special Power of Attorney, DEED OF DONATION, Proof of Life, DEED OF ABSOLUTE, Deed of Extrajudicial Settlement and other documents needed in the Philippines. Here are the advantages and benefits of MSS: 1. AVOID TAKE OFF FROM WORK – You don’t need to take off from work and drive to Sacramento or Los Angeles, Secretary of State, Notary Public Section just to submit the notarized documents for apostille. MSS will take care everything for you.

2. DISCOUNTS FOR THE ELDERLY AND VETERANS – We offer special discounts for the elderly and veterans.

3. SAVINGS ON GAS AND MILEAGE FEES – We encourage old and new clients to come to our home office in San Francisco, California for savings on gas and mileage fees ($60 to $130).

4. MULTIPLE DOCUMENTS AND MULTIPLE SGNATURES DISCOUNTS - Old and new clients can have special discounts (10% to 15% ) for multiple documents and multiple signatures.

5. VERY FLEXIBLE APPOINTMENTS - We offer very flexible appointments during and after regular office hours and weekends except Sundays for old and new clients. For those who can’t come to our home office in San Francisco, we can do notarization in the privacy of your home or office, schools, hospitals, BART lobby and other locations.

6. FREE PARKING –When we had our office at the Philippine Center near the Philippine Consulate Office in downtown San Francisco, our old clients were complaining on the expensive parking fees. Now, in our home office in San Francisco, old and new clients can have FREE parking in our driveway and in the street parking spaces nearby.

7. DOCUMENTS PREPARATION DISCOUNTS – With our paralegal and lawyer-friend partner, we offer discounted and affordable documents preparation fees for old and new clients.

8. CONVENIENCE AND PEACE OF MIND - Old and new clients can have total convenience and peace of mind with the prompt, professional, unique and complete services at MSS. For immediate help and assistance in the notarization and apostille follow up of notarized documents needed in the Philippines and the other member nations of the Hague Apostille Convention, just write or contact: MOBILE SIGNING SERVICES, 730 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 94112 Tel. (650) 438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:artmadlaing@ gmail.com GGCC BOOKS LAUNCHING & MONTHLY RAFFLE WINNERS – As book author, columnist and active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST (GGCC) in San Francisco, California, I am delighted to announce the winners of the BOOKS LAUNCH- (Continue on page 27)

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12

Disenfranchising overseas voters

VERSEAS voting was scheduled to start last Sunday, April 10, in Philippine embassies and consulates all over the world.

Unfortunately, only a few foreign posts were able to start in-person voting mainly because of the continued threat of Covid-19 and the delays in the printing, and delivery of ballots and the voting counting VAL ABELGAS machines (VCMs).

It is important to note that this is the first Philippine national election to be held since the pandemic began spreading in the first quarter of 2020, the last having been held in March 2019. The previous overseas elections were generally conducted smoothly, although voter turnout has always been low compared to the number of registered voters.

Since overseas absentee voting was allowed in 2004 under the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, overseas Filipinos registering to vote in the country’s national elections have continued to rise, from 359,296 registered overseas voters in 2004 presidential elections to a peak of 1,822,115 in the 2019 senatorial elections, indicating an interest to participate in the elections. In this year’s presidential elections, more than 1.679 million overseas Filipinos have registered to vote.

Except for the 2004 presidential elections – the first for overseas Filipino voters – where 64.89% of registered voters cast in their ballots, the next five national elections had way less than 50% voter turnout.

In the 2007 senatorial elections, only 81,732 or 16.21% of the 504,124 registered voters cast their vote. In the 2010 presidential elections, only 153,323 or 25.99% of the 589,830 registered voters cast their ballots. In the 2013 senatorial elections, only 118,823 or 16.11% of the 737,759 registered voters turned out to vote. In the 2016 presidential elections, only 432,706 or 31.45% of the 1,376.067 voters actually cast their voters, and in the 2019 senatorial elections, only 336,549 or 18.47% of the 1,822,115 overseas voters cast their ballots.

This year, the Commission on Elections is targeting an improbable 80% turnout. With the printing and delivery delays, plus the physical limitations imposed by the still ongoing pandemic, the Comelec would be lucky to even come close to a 50% turnout.

The Comelec has offered more options to vote in the May 9 presidential elections in an effort to reach the 80% goal.

The poll body said it has passed a resolution formalizing the “vote anywhere” scheme for overseas Filipinos.

“If you are a registered overseas voter in Singapore, but on election period, you happen to be in another post, for example, you are in Hong Kong, all you have to do is to file a manifest intent to vote in that post even if you are not registered in Hong Kong, as long as you are a registered overseas voter,” Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said in a press briefing.

One area of concern here is that many overseas workers returned home during the pandemic and are probably staying in the country until after the May 9 elections. If they failed to register in their hometowns or cities, can they vote under the “vote anywhere” scheme?

Another concern is in areas where only in-person voting is allowed, such as in Dubai, where many overseas voters live hours away from the nearest consulate and can’t possibly just leave their work without the consent of their employers.

Similar problem is anticipated in Hongkong, which has one of the highest numbers of registered overseas voters. The poll body has already put up five voting precincts to try to accommodate all of them, but obviously it was not enough as the consulate had to tell some of them to vote another day because the police were worried about the Covid virus spreading among the crowded voters. The cause of the problem apparently is that many of these voters are domestic workers whose only day-off is on Sundays, resulting in the overflow on opening day of voting last Sunday.

There are two modes of voting for overseas Filipinos – one, they appear in person; two, they vote via mail. Out of the 92 posts or consular offices worldwide, 24 will fully employ the personal voting mode, 52 will use a postal voting method, and the rest will mix both schemes.

Unfortunately for us here in the United States, there is no available in-person voting and we can only vote by mail. The (Continue on page 27) consulates have promised to mail

On Distant Shore

Leni rides the crest of Pink Tsunami

Health & Wealth

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April 14-20, 2022

13 April 14-20, 2022

 OPINION

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Offline

ith the presidential elections less than a month away and with the rallies of Leni Robredo inviting bigger and bigger crowds, the camp of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has become quite desperate.

Even a questionable survey from Pulse Asia released last week showed Marcos Jr. losing four points, while RoBETING DOLOR bredo rose by nine points, an indication that momentum has shifted in favor of the vice president.

In a huge slap to the face of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has promised Marcos Jr. a landslide win in her home province of Pampanga, Kapampangans AKA cabalens came out in force over the weekend in support of Robredo.

The local police estimated the massive crowd at 220,000, easily the biggest crowd to attend a Robredo-Pangilinan rally.

So huge was the gathering that the Marcos Jr.-Duterte camp cancelled their own rally scheduled for the start of this week at the same site.

Going in the opposite direction, Marcos Jr rallies have been gathering progressively smaller and smaller crowds.

This was clear when the Marcos Jr. camp could only claim that 7,000 people showed up at their Samar rally, although drone shots indicate that the number was closer to 2,000.

By comparison, the crowd that attended Robredo’s rally in the same province a few days earlier was pegged at more than 70,000.

In a last ditch effort to stem the Robredo tide, the Marcos camp has been employing the dirtiest tactics imaginable, including blocking Robredo supporters from attending her rallies, sending hecklers to those rallies, preventing Robredo supporters from conducting house-to-house campaigns, and even planning personal attacks not only against the vice president but also her family.

In her Pangasinan rally last week, buses which had been reserved by the Leni brigade were warned not to bring her followers to the site under pain of cancellation of their franchise.

The Marcos camp has been doing the same thing but no one has taken any steps to prevent this. The LTFRB has come up with the lamest excuses for their threats, so the bus riders had no choice but to find other means of transportation. Some took jeepneys, some went by boat, others simply walked.

Las Pinas has become notorious for being anti-Leni, at the behest of the richest Filipino Manny Villar, whose son is running for senator under the Marcos Jr.-Duterte banner. Previously, the road leading to a scheduled Leni rally was closed.

This week, a planned motorcade was warned that they would be blocked if they dared pass through the streets of the city.

Incidentally, also in Pangasinan, a smaller rally was invaded by hecklers, mostly teenage kanto boys who must have been paid a small sum to shout at Robredo. They were lucky that the VP was present to prevent any retaliation by her followers against the misled boys.

In Ilocos Norte, meanwhile, local government officials threatened young men and women campaigning for Robredo from going house-to-house under pain of arrest.

Those brave kids are an indication that the so-called Solid North has crumbled and the Marcos name no longer wields the clout it once had.

Then there is Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte who was caught telling one of his people to begin personal attacks against the entire Robredo family.

After he was caught, he ranted and raved that it was not him speaking. It was a deep fake recording, he said, and even offered P7 million for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

Big fat deal. He offered a reward because he knew no one would ever be arrested and charged, since it was he himself who was caught red-handed. He was heard instructing an unknown woman to launch a demolition job against the Robredos and the VP’s allies in the region.

It was noted that the technology to create deep fakes is not available in the Philippines because of the huge costs involved. More importantly, his voice speaking in the vernacular is almost impossible to imitate.

He may or may not know it, (Continue on page 27)

Cheating scenario shaping up?

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ore and more people have expressed their concern about the possibility of cheating in the coming May elections.

They believe a cheating scenario could be shaping up and dark plans to undermine the electorate’s free will are being “negotiated.”

If it happened before, TEDDY P. MOLINA it can be repeated this election, they claim.

At this stage of the campaign which is barely a month before the May 9, 2022 elections, the camps of presidential candidates Vice President Leni Robredo and frontrunner former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have been observed to be exchanging barbs, including what many consider as misinformation and spread of fake news.

Robredo, for one, cried foul about “fake news” linking one of her daughters in what appeared to be black propaganda.

Other presidential candidates, like Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Manny Pacquiao have also expressed concern on allegations of possible cheating even as President Rodrigo Duterte as well as the Commission on Elections vowed clean, honest and orderly elections.

Despite expected hiccups during the first day of overseas absentee voting (OAV), Senator Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he trusts in the competence of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to run the 2022 polls.

Pacquiao appealed to the public to likewise trust the poll body to do its job well.

Observers cited the last vice presidential election where VP Robredo was adjudged the winner in a closely contested election.

Their suspicion that former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Robredo’s 2016 opponent, was robbed of victory got fueled when the then Comelec chairman, Andres Bautista, disappeared.

He exited while an investigation to unravel the cheating claim was going on. His testimony was important as the investigation involved the Comelec-accredited PCOS counting machines and other automated machines utilized by the Smartmatic organization for the 2916 election.

In his flight, he reportedly left behind a huge cache of money later found by his wife who disclosed it for the whole wide world to know.

Where did all this money come from ? It’s a mystery until now how he amassed it. If it’s clean money, why hadn’t he kept the money in a bank where it would stay safer than in a closet.

The obvious conclusion is that the money is neither hard-earned nor clean, but Bautista denied the allegations.

He was also an appointee of then President Noynoy Aquino who was transported from the PCGG where he served as chairman to the Comelec, also as chairman, on April 28, 2015 or a year before the 2016 elections.

Questions keep rising. Like - Did he (Bautista) direct the cheating operation, if there was one? Was VP Robredo aware of it or does she honestly believe that, despite her being an unknown except in the Bicol region in 2016, she won?

Nonetheless, Robredo’s victory then was later affirmed by the Supreme Court.

Filipinos in whatever pedestal, poor or rich, are hoping that the candidates will come clean in the elections, so that “we will get the government that we truly deserve.”

Breaking Through

Robredo camp braces for dirty tactics from other side

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Elon Musk, free speech and Twitter

have never been so grateful for Elon Musk as I have been this week. He has always had outrageous antics that were fun to watch.

He launched a Tesla into orbit around the sun carrying a quote from one of his favorite books, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. He lit up a marijuana joint on a Joe Rogan podcast and proceeded to talk about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. More recently, he challenged Vladimir Putin to one-on-one combat over the Ukraine. Presumably, he meant judo and, presumably, Putin hasn’t responded. He is a fan of the Avengers (that band of superheroes). He seems remarkably candid. And he loves his mother, Maye Musk. All in all, he is a fun person to follow. When someone is one of the wealthiest people on the planet, you have to take them seriously no matter how outrageous he is. That is why I love him this week.

On Monday, an SEC filing announced that Elon Musk bought 9.2% of Twitter for $2.9 billion. This calculates out to a valuation for the entire company of $31.5 billion. Since the news sent the stock up, the company is now valued at around $41 billion. Musk’s stake is up another 30%, netting him almost $1 billion.

That’s not the impressive part. The impressive part is that the investment follows about a month of Musk publicly hemming and hawing about free speech.

I’m giving this part of the story a new paragraph because I think it’s so important. Social media companies like Twitter and Facebook and search engines like Google are not government entities. They don’t have to be impartial in how they curate information for the public. They can mine the general user for all the information they can extract from them and also control how they think by controlling their information.

Doubts about vaccines? You may not get any information. Doubts about the cognitive ability of our current POTUS? You may not see those posts either. Curious about Hunter Biden’s laptop (which turns out to be a real thing.) You may not be able to find the original New York Post article on Twitter. It’s been increasingly egregious and, honestly, really irritating to converse with people who get their information from these curated news sources like the West Coast social media giants plus CNN and MSNBC (which have whittled down their own viewership as a result of their biased reporting). That is why it is so refreshing to watch a powerful persona like Elon Musk call it like it is. He does not cow tow to the thought police–he says what he thinks. I was worried for a moment that Twitter would cancel him too.

The news of the week is a wonderful reversal of that trend. Maybe Musk’s purchase of a stake in Twitter will put a bottom into the degradation of our badly curated news flow. Because he joined the board on Tuesday, his ownership is capped at 14%. That is, unless he leaves the board. This kind of swift move (the $2.9 billion purchase) could only have been accomplished by one of the few people in the world with Musk’s net worth. I’m just so glad that someone who can do that is on the side of free speech. The web of lies was getting so bad with the Silicon Valley set.

Thank goodness for Elon.

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS Issues that may come up when applying for Naturalization

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hen 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 when they first entered the U.S. 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 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.

Bankruptcy Basics • Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing bankruptcy will make your credit even worse until most your debts are paid.

• If you are being sued by your creditors, most money judgment can be eliminated in bankruptcy.

• Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement.

• Chapter 7 will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminate most of your debts.

LET US SAVE OUR COUNTRY FROM CHINA AND BBM Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan are the only true opposition candidates.

We need to unite in order to defeat the current administration or we will lose our country to China and BBM. There are about 3.6 million Chinese in the Philippines working on POGO. Chinese are registered military personnel of China. Sri Lanka is now in financial chaos due to debts and corruption in government.

Listen to Percy Lapid (or Lapid Fire) and Waldy Carbonell on You Tube and Facebook for details and more corruptions 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/

April 14-20, 2022

14

PHL ‘22 inflation rate not expected to surpass 5% MANILA – Domestic inflation rate is not seen to exceed 5 percent despite expectations of an elevated inflation rate until around the first half of 2023.

In a virtual briefing, BSP Department of Economic Research (DER) Managing Director Zeno Ronald Abenoja said oil price developments in the international market along with changes in commodities prices are among the factors seen to drive the inflation rate.

“Forecasts do not indicate inflation exceeding 5 percent. It could go towards 5 percent, however, the situation is uncertain,” he said.

During the rate setting meeting of the central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) last March, the Board hiked the BSP’s average inflation forecast for this year and the next to 4.3 percent and 3.6 percent.

Average inflation projection for this year is already above the government’s 2-4 percent target band until 2023.

These were previously at 3.7 percent and 3.3 percent for 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Inflation rate last March accelerated to 4 percent after staying at 3 percent in the previous two months.

Abenoja said the Board will again evaluate developments during its next rate-setting meeting in May.

6.5% growth seen this year: economist MANILA – Government expenditures and recovery of the private sector will help drive the Philippine economy to grow by 6.5 percent this year, according to an analyst.

Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) chief economist, Dr. Hoe Ee Khor, said in a virtual briefing that the growth outlook considered the impact of the additional coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) variants on the economy.

“The Philippine economy has really seen a large output gap so we expect that private spending will bounce back very rapidly once the economy opens fully. We are quite confident that this six and a half percent growth can be achieved this year. And we expect growth of another 6.5 percent next year,” he said.

The regional macroeconomic surveillance organization’s growth projection for the economy is lower than the government’s 7 percent to 9 percent growth assumption while its 2023 growth forecast is within the economic managers’ 6 percent to 7 percent target.

Last year, the economy grew by 5.7 percent, higher than the government’s 5.5 percent target.

Meanwhile, the acceleration of domestic inflation rate since last month is seen to continue for most of the year, Khor said.

The rate of price increases in the third month this year rose to 4 percent due to higher oil prices.

Inflation in the previous two months stood at 3 percent. Average inflation for the first quarter of the year stood at 3.4

percent, still within the government’s 2 percent to 4 percent aim.

“We expect inflation to remain above the target band for most of the year. And, so, inflation is driven mostly by increases in fuel prices and food,” he said.

Khor said the domestic economy continues to have a large output gap since it has yet to fully recover from the pandemic.

“Demand is still, I wouldn’t say very weak, but it’s still modest,” he said. “On the demand side, we don’t see very strong impetus to growth. So, because of that, I think, you know, inflation is likely to decline down to below, to within the target band by next year.

Khor discounts any “urgent need” to raise the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key policy rates, which were slashed off by a total of 200 basis points in 2020 as a measure to help buoy the economy from the pandemic’s impact.

“I think the BSP needs to start considering withdrawing some of the policy stimulus, you know, as the economy continues to gain traction,” he added.

 ENTERTAINMENT

April 14-20, 2022

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KC Concepcion to star in new Hollywood film Actress KC Concepcion is in a new milestone following her announcement that she is part of new U.S. film “Asian Persuasion.”

In an Instagram post, KC, who is Maria Kristina Cassandra Cuneta Concepcion in real life, included a screengrab from Variety Magazine that showed her head shot alongside Filipino actors Dante Basco, Paolo Montalban, and Jax Bacani.

KC’s caption to the photo indicated they had actually just wrapped Day 3 of filming.

KC called the project a new journey for her.

“Thank you for joining us on this new journey. Grateful to be part of this AsianAmerican project, with our amazing cast & crew,” added KC, 37, the daughter of

Isabel Sandoval

singer actress Sharon Cuneta and actor Gabby Concepion.

It was reported in Variety that KC replaced actress Toni Gonzaga as the lead star of “Asian Persuason,” the directorial debut of Filipino American Jhette Tolentino, the three-time Tony Awards and Grammy Awards winner.

Last July, Gonzaga was announced to be part of the film, but she left the production reportedly due to “schedule conflicts.” Concepcion then stepped in as lead actress, as per report.

On the lead cast of the movie are Kevin Kreider, Paolo Montalban, Scarlett Sher, Celia Au, Geneva Carr and Jax Bacani.

Also in the cast are Filipino Americans Apl.de.Ap and Tony Labrusca, Rachel Alejandro, Yam Concepcion, Fe Delos Reyes, and Rex Navarrete.

“Set in New York, romantic comedy ‘Asian Persuasion’ features a diverse, primarily Asian cast and seeks to elevate, inform and inspire the Asian narrative,” the Hollywood magazine reported.

The report stated that the movie follows newly divorced Mickey, a chef who has been trying to overcome tragedy while trying to establish a Michelin-rated Filipino restaurant. As life

continues to be unkind, Mickey comes up with scheme involving online dating and getting remarried. “Everything goes smoothly until Mickey’s plot backfires on him,” The Asian Persuasion writes on IG. “Asian Persuasion is produced under the Jhett Tolentino Productions banner with Tolentino and screenwriter Mike Ang serving as producers,” Variety added and reported by GMA News and other Manila-based media .

Jhett Tolentino most recently produced Isabel Sandoval’s critically acclaimed movie “Lingua Franca.”

Isabel Sandoval on breaking barriers

in Hollywood and her film ‘Lingua F...

JANET SUSAN R. NEPALES Isabel Sandoval knew all the challenges that faced her. She is a transwoman, an immigrant, an Asian. She needs t...

KC earlier dropped hints on Instagram about starring in a movie, GMA News reported. On her birthday a week ago, she shared a photo of herself being made up and said “being back on set for my birthday, doing what I’ve always loved, is a celebration in itself.”

“Coming back to acting + living in New York for work is another dream come true,” she added.

Megan Young spends quality time with her mom, husband in US * Stockroom Clerk (Auditing/Kitting) * Receiving Inspection * Assembler : Hardware / Cable / Manual Load * SMD Operator / Process Technician / SMD Programmer * Driver (with clean DMV Record) * 2nd Operation

Medical & Dental Insurance, Life Insurance, Vacation & Sick Leave

Filipino American actress and former Miss World Megan Lynne Young recently spent quality time with her husband Mikael Daez and her mother Victoria Young in Texas, California and other states.

The couple of two years showed off their vacation on their Instagram posts where they shared photos in March of their last bonding activities with her mother before they returned to Subic, their home.

Megan, according to the posts, also met with her mom’s friends whom she said they were “thankful that she has in her life.”

“A last minute trip on our last day. We drove up to Napa Valley with some of Nanay’s childhood friends,” she wrote.

“Throughout this trip, we met so many of her friends with whom we are so thankful that she has in her life,” she added. “Kahit wala kami sa tabi niya since she is working in the US, I feel reassured knowing she has friends whom she considers family by her side.”

In an earlier post, Megan shared a photo with her mom whom she hasn’t seen in two years.

“So happy to be with my mama we hung out after she was done with work and decided to enjoy the view!” she wrote.

“Mama wanted something fun to eat so we decided to have some kbbq! Super busog kami pero super happy,” she added.

Mikael, for his part, wrote on Instagram: “Back on the road. We’ve been extremely hesitant about going abroad because of the many uncertainties we faced. But, we haven’t seen Boneezy’s mama in two years and that was enough reason for us to finally fly again.”

“So here we are, travelling again and enjoying ourselves. It’s been quite the ride. A lot of it feels familiar with many small changes in between,” he added.

Megan and Mikael flew to US last month.

Before the pandemic, Megan and Mikael were quite the travel bugs, sharing vlogs of their adventures together in different countries.

17 April 14-20, 2022

 ENTERTAINMENT

Robin Padilla ‘more than just an actor’

President Rodrigo R. Duterte believes that senatorial aspirant and Muslim convert Robin Padilla is “more than just an actor”, noting that he has done so much to help the Muslim community.

During the second episode of President’s Chatroom aired on state-run PTV-4 , Duterte expressed admiration for Padilla’s advocacies which include creating more legislation to support the development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“Ang hangarin mo sa buhay maganda para sa Pilipinas. Tinulungan mo ‘yung ating mga Muslim brothers and sisters at ikaw naman you were an advocate of matulungan sila (Your desire in life is what’s good for the Philippines. You helped our Muslim brothers and sisters and you were advocating of helping them),” Duterte told

Padilla.

He thanked Padilla for also reaching out to his fellow Muslims amid ongoing efforts to attain peace and ensure national security.

“Ikaw ‘yung isa sa mga tao na provided the moderation so that it would not go out of hand. Hindi magkaroon ng giyera talagang patayan, putukan (You are one of the people who provided the moderation so that it would not go out of hand. To prevent a war that included massacre, gunfire),” he added.

Duterte described Padilla, who once played Andres Bonifacio in film, as a “crusader” because he was a “moral and upright person”.

“Ang nakikinig sa atin ngayon, kayong mga Pilipino, more than just being an actor -- huwag na, itabi na natin ‘yan -- kung may pelikula ka man, extra ano na lang ‘yan (To

those listening, you Filipinos, it’s more than just being an actor -- let’s set that aside -- if he has films, that’s more of an extracurricular),” he said.

Duterte said “it would be a waste” if Padilla would not be given a chance to go into public office.

He also downplayed Padilla’s conviction for illegal possession of firearms in 1994, noting that he was pardoned by President Fidel V. Ramos and released from jail in 1997.

Ramos’ conditional pardon did not restore, in full, Padilla’s civil and political rights.

“I must tell you that the crime does not involve moral turpitude. So walang kaalaman ‘yan sa (So it has nothing to do with) morality. Eh hawak lang ng baril eh (It’s just holding a gun),” he said.

In November 2016, Duterte granted absolute pardon to Padilla which allows him to vote and travel abroad among others.

Should Padilla get elected as senator, Duterte urged him to “correct” the exploitation of the country’s party-list system, saying the rich use it to lobby for their interests in Congress.

“Ang talaga ‘yung mahirap ginagamit lang ang pangalan, urban poor pero ang representative nila puro bilyonaryo. Iyan talaga ang nangyari diyan eh (They’re only poor by name but their representatives are billionaires). So ako (me) I suggest that you should correct it,” he told Padilla.

Padilla’s platform For his part, Padilla praised Duterte for giving pride to Filipinos, especially the Bangsamoro people.

He said it was only Duterte, the first president from Mindanao, who prioritized

the need to correct historical injustices in parts of Mindanao.

“Binigyan niyo po talaga ng pride ang mga Bangsamoro. Tumaas po ang kanilang pagtingin sa sarili nila (You gave the Bangsamoro people pride. They now have higher self-esteem),” Padilla said.

He vowed to continue the Duterte administration’s legacies, including crushing criminality and eradicating the country’s drug problem.

“Iyon po talaga nakita ko talaga na kapag ang isang bayan ay may law and order, puwede po tayong umunlad (That is what I can see, when a country has law and order, it can prosper),” he added.

Padilla said he wanted to push for a stronger “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program.

He also wanted to establish a federalstyle government, a campaign promise the Duterte administration had to set aside to prioritize the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.

“Kung aaraw-arawin ko po ‘yan na patungkol sa federalism ang akin pong sasabihin, naniniwala po ako na maiintindihan po ng mga Pilipino na lumang-luma na itong unitary form of presidential government (If we talk about federalism every day, I believe Filipinos will understand that the unitary form of presidential government is outdated),” Padilla said.

As an actor, Padilla is best known for his “bad boy” persona in films.

The senatorial aspirant has aligned himself with the UniTeam banner led by presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte.

Ivana Alawi stars in new tv series, confesses she is ‘nervous’ to work with Gerald Anderson, Sam Milby Just recently, ABS-CBN released a special video featuring Ivana Alawi who is now all set for her first lead role in a teleserye, the upcoming A Family Affair.

The special video featured Ivana and her four actors: Gerald Anderson, Sam Milby, Jake Ejercito, and Jameson Blake.

It also introduced their characters. Ivana will play the role of CherryRed, while Sam, Gerald, Jake, and Jameson play the Estrella brothers.

However, the involvement of Ivana’s character with the Estrella brothers has yet to be divulged. But the four actors are already being introduced as her leading men.

Ivana admitted that she is feeling nervous about working with Sam and Gerald, as they started ahead of her in showbiz.

She narrated, “I was very excited especially with the whole cast. Pero, pagpasok ko, natatakot ako, kinakabahan ako kasi Gerald and Sam, mga pinapanood ko lang iyan noong bata ako! Hahaha! “’Tapos, siyempre, excited to work with Jake and Jameson.”

But Ivana was glad because of the support she received from her co-stars.

“While I was working with them, it was

really fun kasi they were all so supportive, walang ilangan kasi they were very welcoming and they are very friendly.”

Gerald, for his part, was excited about Ivana’s first lead role.

He said about the show, “Iyong dynamics naming pamilya kasama si Cherry, sikretong mari-reveal, sinong kakampihan mo, kanino kayo makaka-relate.

“More than anything, excited ako for Ivana. It’s a beautiful project.”

The lock-in taping was held in Masbate.

According to Ivana, “Sobrang nagenjoy ako noong first cycle kasi first time kong makapunta ng Masbate. And yung mga experiences doon, yung horse riding, yung view, ang sarap sa feeling.

“Sobrang enjoy especially the company, yung production, the whole team, all the artists. Sobrang sayang kasama kasi parang bonding talaga, para lang kaming magbabarkada.”

Gerald said that it was also the first time a teleserye was allowed to tape in Masbate during the pandemic.

A Family Affair is produced by Star Creatives Television, the TV unit of Star Cinema. Its airing date has yet to be announced.

 ENTERTAINMENT

April 14-20, 2022

18

Pia Wurtzbach votes in United Arab Emirates

By Jeanne Michael Penaranda Miss Universe 2015 and actress Pia Wurtzbach has been added to the list of celebrities endorsing presidential candidate Vice President Maria Leonor Leni

Robredo.

In fact, Pia posted on social media that she has voted for Robredo as an absentee Filipino overseas voter in the United Arab Emirates.

Celebrities in the Philippines have been rooting for the top three presidential candidates led by frontrunner

former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Robredo, and Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso since the start of the campaign.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson also has his own set of stars since his runningmate Senate President Vicente Sotto III is an actor-singer noted for the top-rating noontime show “Eat Bulaga.”

Overseas Filipinos started voting for president, vice president, 12 senators and a party-list representative on April 10.

The Commission on Elections reported that there are 1.7 million registered overseas Filipino voters in more than 100 countries, including the United States and Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Saudi Arabia where bulk of voters are based.

The voting became controversial due to some early glitches and a after-voting survey being conducted by what Comelec said as unauthorized persons.

Wurtzbach has been in the UAE since late January, according to her home studio ABS-CBN in a report.

The report stated that on Instagram, Wurtzbach shared a photo of her posing in a pink suit — the campaign color of Robredo — with the Philippine Embassy’s seal behind her.

“As a first time voter, I must say that it felt so good to vote today. Emotional actually. May halong excitement & relief that I finally took my stand. Shading that little black dot felt like I was finally making a choice towards our future. I know I’m only 1 person. Only 1 vote out of millions but every vote counts,” she wrote.

Wurtzbach, the ABS-CBN report added,, expressed regret over what she learned during the voting process: “that only about 30% of already registered voters here in UAE are expected to vote.”

“Sayang naman kung ganon,” she added. “If you’re a Filipino living abroad who’s already registered, please make time for it because your vote counts. You have one whole month to do this so there’s really no excuse not to. Plus, the process in Abu Dhabi was super seamless.”

The beauty queen, an influential figure on social media with some 13.5 million followers on Instagram alone, then revealed who she voted for.

“Today, I am even prouder to have voted for Leni to be our next President. I’m sharing this with you dahil naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng isang babae. Naniniwala ako at naninindigan ako para kay Leni,” she said as ABS-CBN reported

Valeen Montenegro sports seaweed on her armpits in statement about body hair Let’s face it: everyone has body hair. No matter how often one tries to shave, pluck, wax, or have it lasered off, it’s an unavoidable fact of life and also a perfectly natural part of our bodies. So why are people — especially women — so worked up about going hairless?

Actress Valeen Montenegro shared the same sentiment recently when she got real about having body hair on social media. How? By sporting seaweed on her armpits while vacationing in Boracay.

Valeen posed hands up with seaweed stuck to her body in a series of photos, using them as a stand-in for her armpit hair.

“Body hair is NORMAL! It’s natural! And we need to talk more about it,” the actress wrote on Instagram.

While Valeen acknowledged that people have the ability to shave, wax or laser off their fuzz, the actress implored her followers to reflect on their so-called imperfections.

“But when other people criticize us for our ‘imperfections,’ let’s all think and understand first: What is perfection anyway?” she asked.

“I know my body is not even close to perfection,” the actress added. “But I love and nourish my body because it allows me to do things that make me happy.”

Valeen said that she no longer feels affected by peo-

ple pointing out her flaws and wanted to share the same message with others.

Though she doesn’t quite explain why she used seaweed instead of growing out her own body hair, the actress’ message still rings loud and clear. This is considering that Filipino beauty standards and celebrity culture continue to place a premium on certain physical qualities based on Western definitions of beauty.

The global pandemic has presented an opportunity to reconsider these standards. In August, the Belo Beauty brand and its partner agency GIGIL came under fire for airing an ad called the “Pandemic Effect,” depicting a woman growing body hair, wrinkles, and gaining weight while listening to depressing news on TV — which many slammed

as a tasteless instance of body shaming.

“I think more girls need to hear it [because] stereotypes should be broken! Let’s not compare ourselves to others and just love OUR OWN bodies,” Valeen emphasized on Instagram.

19 April 14-20, 2022

 ENTERTAINMENT

Filipino American Donita Rose in new romance in US

Don’t look now but Filipino American actress and television host Donita Rose is in a new relationship in United States.

Donita, who is Donita Rose Ramos Cavett in real life whose father is an American military officer and mother from Pangasinan, finally admitted her new relationship.

stated in the caption that she is happy to receive the overwhelmingly touching messages from her social media followers after revealing her new relationship.

“Although I’m currently a little overwhelmed with work deadlines & can’t answer all comments for now, I just want to thank everyone for their overwhelmingly touching messages,” Donita wrote on Instagram.

However, Donita admitted that there are also negative comments about her reveal, which she just shrugged off.

“There have also been a ton of negative comments from netizens regarding articles written about us and our social media posts, some making memes and trolling on us. Yes, they have been painful for me, I’ll admit, but just know that @felsonpalad and I prayed blessings for them,” she expressed.

Donita stated that she is proud of The actress and TV personality who how Felson and his family are handling has moved to the United States as a the situation. chef and works with a food market “Mind you, he has been unfazed popular to Filipinos and Asians, earlier and extremely amused to say the least has been sharing numerous photos about the negativity and we are excited of her with new beau, singer Felson now, more than ever to proclaim God’s Palad, it was reported. faithfulness and goodness in our lives.”

Recently, published reports showed She also stated that she does not Donita sharing another photo and

John Lloyd Cruz showed by rumored girlfriend Isabel Santos on Instagram John Lloyd Cruz and his rumored girlfriend Isabel Santos appear to be getting more comfortable sharing their rumored relationship to the public, as she showed him on her Instagram.

The artist gave a glimpse of her casual bonding moment with the actor, where he can be seen cradling a dog while sitting in an outdoor area, via her Instagram page yesterday, April 12. “bb1, bb2,” she said.

This marks the first time Cruz’s face was clearly seen on her Instagram feed, although Santos have been posting snaps with a man who netizens speculate to be Cruz.

Santos was also earlier spotted spending time with Cruz and Elias, his son with ex-girlfriend Ellen Adarna, on a beach trip.

Speculations that Santos and Cruz are dating started when eagle-eyed fans noticed Santos’ post of an identified man who appears to have a resemblance to the actor and his house in Antipolo. She also shared photos of a man by the beach which also appears to be Cruz.

Meanwhile, Cruz is co-parenting Elias with Adarna.

The actor also gave his well wishes to Adarna and actor Derek Ramsay after the couple got married in November last year.

live for other people’s approval, though find encouragement from the love they are receiving.

Donita said she’s proud of Felson on how he handles the bashing.

“Mind you, he has been unfazed & extremely amused to say the least about the negativity & we are excited now, more than ever to proclaim God’s faithfulness & goodness in our lives.

May this journey we are on encourage many of God’s promise in Romans 8:28, ‘That He is able to turn everything around for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes,’” she said.

“I do not live for the approval or the praises of man but I do find encouragement from the love we are receiving.

Much love back at everyone. There are so many wonderful stories and bellyaching hilarious moments of us to share but for now, this is what’s most on my heart,” she added.

Prior to Felson, Donita was married for more than 10 years to ex-husband Eric Villarama who she met in Angeles City, Pampanga. She and Villarama were married in Santa Barbara, California in 2003 and have a son, Joshua Paul. They disengaged in 2016.

 REAL ESTATE

April 14-20, 2022

Property sector continues to ‘pick up’ from pandemic: Cebu firm

CEBU CITY – The increase in sales and sustained housing demand is an indicator of recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, a Cebu-based real estate company disclosed.

Jose Soberano III, Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) chairperson and chief executive officer, reported that the recovery of the property sector from the effects of the pandemic is evident in the firm’s income performance when it effectively surged past its 2019 prepandemic bottomline by 30 percent.

The listed property firm has reported a record P2.61 billion net income attributable to shareholders in 2021, up 42 percent from 2020’s P1.85 billion.

Soberano said the company’s 2021 performance exceeded “puts us in a position to pick up from where we left off pre-Covid” and shows that the industry is on track to sustained recovery moving forward.

He added there continues to be a “solid housing demand in the Visayas and Mindanao, particularly in the economic and mid-income segments,” which drove the firm’s sales to hit a record P16.5 billion in 2021, 16 percent more than the previous year.

By the end of 2021, Soberano said construction was in full-swing across all their project sites in 16 key cities in Visayas and Mindanao, and catch-up measures had been put in place to compensate for delays caused by quarantine restrictions.

A major investment now progressing as planned is Masters Tower Cebu which will generate 10,500 square meters of gross leasable area and also incorporates Sofitel Cebu City’s 195 rooms.

Another anchor project is the 125-room Abaca Resort Mactan, a luxury hotel designed to be among Cebu’s premier hotel destinations, coming at a time when the tourism industry also looks to sustain recovery post-pandemic.

CLI has one operating hotel with seven other brands under different stages of construction. This will deliver a total of 1,775 keys to CLI’s growing hospitality portfolio by 202

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20

Freeze your credit to avoid scammers getting your information What Is a Credit Freeze?

Credit freezeis a more severe measure for protecting your credit file. Unlike a fraud alert, a security freeze prohibits potential new creditors (and others permitted by law to view your credit files or obtain your credit scores) from accessing your credit history unless you first lift the freeze.

There’s not much reason to put both a credit freeze and a fraud alert in place, but if you did, no one would ever see the fraud alert until you removed the credit freeze. Access to your credit file is required for the fraud alert to be visible.

How to Freeze Your Credit To freeze your credit reports, you must apply online to each of the three credit bureaus individually. Procedures vary somewhat at each, but they are essentially similar to those used at the Experian Security Freeze Center. As part of the freeze request, which can be made online or by phone, you will be assigned (or asked to create) a PIN code or password for use in unfreezing your credit file.

When you provide a PIN or use a password to request removal of a credit freeze online or by phone, your credit file will be unfrozen, or “thawed,” within one hour. If you lose your PIN or forget your password, thawing is still possible, but it may take longer and require resubmission of proof of identity. Make sure you remember or save your PIN number.

When to Unfreeze Your Credit You must unfreeze your credit file before applying for credit or other services that require access to your credit history, such as opening a new cellphone account or applying to renting an apartment.

If you do not unfreeze your credit file before filing an application, the business will not be able to access your credit file or process your application.

If you have one or more credit applications pending, or if you plan to apply for new credit in the near future, consider postponing a security freeze. For lenders to process your credit application, you will need to unfreeze your credit report, either permanently or for a designated time period.

If you know which credit bureau or bureaus a lender will be using to check your credit, you can request from them a single-use PIN you’ll provide to the lender to grant one-time access to your credit report. If you’re shopping for the best lending terms you can get (as you always should when applying for loans or credit cards), it’s virtually impossible to know which bureaus all your lenders will use, so the one-time PIN option isn’t very practical. In that case, you’re better off lifting your credit freezes at all three credit bureaus for a set time period—until at least two weeks after you send out your last application.

Here are the three bureau websites : Experian. com, Transunion.com and Equifax.com you can apply and freeze your credit for free. I recommend it.

Thanks for your inquiries, please contact Ken Go of 1st Innovative Finance Group 562-5087048 or write to kennethgo@verizon.net CABRE 01021223 NMLS 238636.

21 April 14-20, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

Defending champion PHL to send ‘fighting team’ to Vietnam SEA Games: POC chief CAMBODIA – Vietnam is putting up a hard-to-beat stance a month before it opens the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, but Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is unfazed saying Filipino athletes will be a “fighting team” in the May 12 to 23 games.

“Our athletes will fight and will do their best to bring the overall championship back to the country,” said Tolentino from Cambodia where the SEA Games Council met face-to-face for the second time this year to discuss both the Viet-

nam and 2023 Cambodia SEA Games.

As host, Vietnam will be fielding the biggest number of athletes at 965 -- 534 men and 431 women -- with a bold prediction of winning 140 gold, 77 silver and 71 bronze medals, according to reports by Hanoi media.

Vietnam programmed 40 sports with 526 events -- only five less than those in the 2019 Games with the Philippines as host and champion.

Tolentino said he is confident that Filipino athletes will deliver because majority of the 656-strong Team Philip-

pines clinched medals in 2019 when the country dominated with a 149-117-121 gold-silver-bronze haul.

Vietnam sent a strong message with its second-ranked overall 98-85-105 tally in 2019 that it intends to also dominate the Games it is hosting only for the second time since 2003.

The POC, Tolentino said, will release the composition of Team Philippines this week.

“Preparations by our athletes are peaking and the national sports associations, just like the POC, are focused at

keeping the country’s strong position in the Games,” he said.

Tolentino deferred predicting the country’s potential haul in Vietnam though.

The Philippines fielded 1,115 athletes in 2019, a privilege for being host, with Thailand sending the second-biggest delegation with 980, followed by Vietnam with 856 and Indonesia with 837.

Team Philippines will leave in batches for Vietnam with the main bulk expected to fly to Hanoi on May 10

Alex Eala wins 2nd championship title in Thailand Alex Eala wins 2nd championship title in Thailand BANGKOK - Filipina teen tennis champion Alexandra “Alex” Eala has won her second women’s professional championship title at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour in Thailand.

The 16-year-old Eala picked up her newest trophy and $25,000 prize money at the finals of W25 Chiang Rai on April 10, 2022, after overwhelming the hometown bet and Southeast Asian Games champion Luksika Kumkhum, 6-4, 6-2.

On her way to claiming the championship, Eala had a string of decisive victories. The Filipina athlete defeated YeXin Ma of China, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals match.

In the quarterfinals, Eala won against Momoko Kobori of Japan, 6-3, 6-3.

In the 2nd round, the Filipina athlete dispatched Patcharin Cheapchandej of Thailand, 6-3, 6-4.

Eala started the first round of the tournament against Serbia’s Katarina Kozarov, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Eala adds the W25 Chiang Rai championship title to her first professional tournament victory at the W15 Manacor in Spain last January 2021.

The scholar-athlete at Rafa Nadal Academy started playing tennis at 4 years old and has earned several junior titles including the single and doubles wins at JA Milan and the French Open doubles, both in 2021.

Alex Eala is set to represent the Philippines for the first time at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam scheduled in May. (goodnewspilipinas)

Boxers Ladon, Pasuit, Bacyadan bag golds in Thailand Open PHUKET, Thailand – Filipino boxers Rogen Ladon, Riza Pasuit and Hergie Bacyadan snagged gold medals to lead the Philippines’ triumphant campaign in the 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament at the posh Angsana Laguna Phuket Resort Hotel here on April 9.

Following the victory, the Philippine national boxing team seeks to fine-tune its game as it goes into the final stage of its rigorous preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games as well as the 2022 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships next month.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Marcus Manalo said the Thailand Open tested the Pinoy boxers’ current mettle and that gave them a clearer view of what to work on after a two-week precompetition training camp in Muak Lek, just outside Bangkok.

“There’s some catching up to do particularly on the conditioning side. What happened here in this Thailand Open is really a feedback for us. Whether we won or we came up short, it’s feedback,” Manalo, who led the Philippine delegation along with ABAP president Ed Picson and veteran boxing official Karina Picson The reigning Southeast Asian Games flyweight king Ladon earned the nod of three judges for a 3-2 split decision upset over defending Asian Games titlist and 2019 AIBA World Championships silver winner Amit Panghal of India.

Ladon, a Rio Olympics veteran, fought methodically to clinch points in the first two rounds before surviving a late flurry from Amit in the final round.

Later on, SEA Games 2019 silver medal finisher Pasuit dictated the tempo right from the get-go with solid counterpunching against Italy’s Alessia Me-

siano to rule the women’s lightweight division.

“I’m very happy. I expected the experience from Rogen to come out today.

As for Riza, she is a very good counter-puncher and a great boxer moving forward,” said Philippine boxing team head coach Don Abnett, who is accompanied by coaches Roel Velasco, Ronald Chavez, Reynaldo Galido and Mitchel Martinez.

Bacyadan, a wushu athlete-turnedboxer, capped off the national boxing squad’s successful stint with another gold after dominating Vietnam’s Tran Thi Oanh Nhi, 5-0, in the women’s middleweight category.

Aside from the medals, Ladon, Pasuit and Bacyadan also received US$2,000 (more than P100,000) apiece as top finishers in the tournament organized by the Thailand Boxing Association headed by its president and concurrent Asian

Boxing Federation president Pichai Chunhavajira.

Meanwhile, Ian Clark Bautista (men’s featherweight) and Aira Villegas (women’s flyweight) settled for silver after faltering against higher-ranked opponents Serik Termizhanov of Kazakhstan and Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam.

With the three golds and two silvers, the PH boxing team already eclipsed its medal haul in the 2019 edition (1 gold, 1 bronze) and 2018 iteration (1-1-2 goldsilver-bronze) when it seized the overall championship together with the host nation.

“I think we’ve exceeded our expectations because as you know, our boxers have come from a long period of inactivity. We’re happy with where we are right now,” said Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ed Picson, who is leading the Philippine delegation along with secre-

April 14-20, 2022

22

Q: I received a judgement from credit a card debt and they took my money from the bank, what can I A: If you really must ask, there is nothing you can do to stop that except to pay the debt in full and the court will stop the levy. Yes, this order is called a levy. This order is executed by the sheriff to the bank as ordered by the courts. This order is to pay the amount of the judgement in full plus any additional fees for executing the levy. They will keep wiping this bank account until the judgement and fees have been satisfied.

Before this took place, there were other events that should have taken place first which were more likely ignored. First, there was the summons for the lawsuit. Then there was the judgement. Then there could have been a garnishment order but if they could not locate an employer, which they will turn to a levy.

Take note that for every event there would have been ways to prevent the levy from happening. But when all else failed, they had to find other ways of getting paid.

I will always have programs that can try to get you out of these situations but as the problems get severe, the solutions look more like a band aid. So please try to solve the problem in its early stages because it tends to be harder and harder as events progress.

Ating lesson, May judgment ka ba? Malupit na yan Kuya!

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23 April 14-20, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN BAY AREA MOUNTS “REMEMBER BATAAN” 80TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT AT PH CONSULATE IN SF

Abril 19, 2022

Espesyal na Pangkalahatang Eleksyon

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer (third from le�) leads Filipino and American officials and leaders during the ribbon-cu�ng ceremony of “Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan” Memorial Exhibit at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco’s Kalayaan Hall on 11 April 2022. Joining the Consul General are, from le� to right: San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai; Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo; Filipino American Arts Exposi�on President Al Perez; Bataan Legacy Historical Society Execu�ve Director Cecilia Gaerlan; Philippine Scouts Heritage Society Na�onal Assistant Secretary Rod dela Concepcion; and San Francisco Public Library Chief Michael Lambert. (San Francisco PCG photo) SAN FRANCISCO, USA – To mark the milestone 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and the Bataan Death March during the Second World War, the Filipino and Filipino American community in the San Francisco Bay Area came together at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco to launch a visual exhibit, in honor of Filipino and American World War II veterans and civilians.

“Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan” Memorial Exhibit is a joint project of the Consulate, the Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, the Filipino American Arts Exposition through its President Al Perez, the Bataan Historical Legacy Historical Society through its Executive Director Cecilia Gaerlan, and the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society through its National Assistant Secretary Rod dela Concepcion.

Filipino American community leaders and descendants of World War II veterans, including Rudy Asercion, Edgar de Leon, Mel Orpilla, and Rick Villarina, also shared part of their World War II collection to the exhibit.

The “Remember Bataan” Exhibit was officially opened on 11 April 2022 at the Consulate’s Kalayaan Hall, with Filipino and American government officials in attendance that included Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer, Californian State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Daly City Councilmember and former Mayor Juslyn Manalo, San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, and San Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert.

In his remarks during the exhibit launch, Consul General Ferrer said that “it is only fitting that a visual exhibit of this kind is staged here in San Francisco,” adding that many Filipino World War II veterans migrated to the San Francisco Bay Area to rebuild their lives following the end of the war.

“As they start anew with their families here in the Bay Area, these veterans also sought official U.S. government recognition for their sacrifices during the Second World War, and fought for the compensation and benefits that were once promised to them when they enlisted to join the war effort,” Consul General Ferrer said.

During his speech, the Philippine Consul General cited the inclusion of Philippine World War II history in the Californian state curriculum and the conferment of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, America’s highest civilian award, to the more than 250,000 Filipino World War II veterans.

In staging the exhibit at the Consulate, Consul General Ferrer said that “it is incumbent upon us, the legacy bearers of our World War II veterans, to ensure that their memory will never be diminished nor forgotten by future generations of Filipinos and Americans.”

The “Remember Bataan” Exhibit is divided into seven sections: timeline of World War II in the Philippines, from 1941 to 1945; the Fall of Bataan and Bataan Death March; the role of the San Francisco Bay Area in the Philippine campaign of the war; profiles of Filipino, Filipino American and American soldiers, and civilians; a video projection featuring the interviews of Filipino and American children who witnessed the war; key takeaways such as the lasting political and cultural impact of the war in the Philippines, and the legacy of Filipino Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and community engagement to support Filipino American veterans and their families.

The “Remember Bataan” Exhibit is open to the public from Mondays to Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for three weeks, until 30 April 2022. Those who wish the exhibit on a weekend must make an appointment at http:// bit.ly/rememberbataan.

Tanging ang mga botanteng nakatira lamang sa

Distrito 17 ng Asembleya ng Estado ang elihibleng makilahok sa eleksyong ito.

Ang susunod na pang-buong lungsod na eleksyon ay gaganapin sa Hunyo 7, 2022.

(415) 554-4310 City Hall, Room 48

sfelections.org SFVote@sfgov.org

 COMMUNITY NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

Democrats Celebrate the Appointment of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court and the Historic Diversity of the Biden-Harris Administration President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are keeping their promise to the Filipino American community because they make the difference. The president helped get America back to work, provided funding to support Asian American families and small businesses, and got kids safely back to school. He’s creating a government that looks like America.

Starting at the top with the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president, the Biden-Harris administration nominated 16 Asian American federal judicial nominees, which represents 18 percent of all federal judicial nominees. President Biden has also placed Asian Americans in senior roles in the White House and the Cabinet. As Republicans stand in the way of progress for the American people, Democrats continue to fight for a diverse America and deliver results that matter.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC AAPI Caucus Chair Bel Leong-Hong, and DNC Women’s Caucus Chair Lottie Shackleford, issued the following joint statement regarding the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson: “History has been made. The U.S. Senate voted in a

bipartisan fashion to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In doing so, they reaffirmed what millions across the country have seen: Judge Jackson is a brilliant, graceful, experienced, fair-minded jurist who will bring much-needed perspectives to our highest court.

The court would greatly benefit from the insight of a woman of color, a public defender, a judge who has served at the district and appellate levels and clerked at the Supreme Court. It is staggering that Judge Jackson embodies all those perspectives and more.

Judge Jackson has shown girls — especially girls of color — how big they can dream and just how profound an impact they can have on our nation. Her story is uniquely American. She represents the best of us and our shared values. We are grateful to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the senators who confirmed Judge Jackson for taking another important step to build a government that looks like America.

Today proves once again that diverse women can accomplish anything. They can be vice president. They can shape the future of our nation. And, they can serve on the Supreme Court.”

April is National Safe Digging Month, a Reminder to Homeowners and Contractors to Call 811 Before All Digging Projects, Large or Small SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — With spring months upon us, many people will take advantage of the warmer weather to do work around their home that involves digging. Whether it’s planting a tree or shrub, gardening or landscaping, or repairing or replacing a fence that was damaged during winter months, customers should call 811 two business days before digging to avoid damaging underground utility lines. To help increase awareness of the importance of calling 811, April is National Safe Digging Month.

Underground utility lines can be shallow, sometimes only a few inches below the surface, due to erosion, previous digging projects, shifting or settling of the ground and uneven surfaces. And damaging an underground utility line is dangerous and can leave customers responsible for repair costs averaging $3,500 and up. Calling 811 is free and easy, and professional utility workers will respond within two business days to mark the location of underground utility lines for your project site.

“During spring and summer months, we see an increase in incidents where underground utility lines are damaged due to digging projects. Even if your digging project is small, calling 811 will help you dig safely and avoid expensive repair costs,” said PG&E Gas Operations Senior Vice President Joe Forline. “There is far too much risk with guessing where utility lines are located or how deep they may be. The safest play is to call 811 before you dig and a crew member will come out to mark where your lines are located.”

By the Numbers During 2021, 811 was not called in advance in 89 percent of incidents when homeowners damaged an underground utility line while digging The average cost to repair a damaged utility line is $3,500 Leading causes of damages to underground utility lines while digging include: building or replacing a fence, gardening and landscaping, planting a tree or removing a stump, sewer and irrigation work and building a deck or patio Calling 811 is Fast and Free

Customers should call 811 a minimum of two business days before beginning any project that involves digging, no matter how large or small. Customers can also visit 811express.com to have underground utility lines marked for their project site.

Professional utility workers for all utilities (gas, electric, water, sewer and telecommunications) will be dispatched to mark the location of all underground utility lines for the project site with flags, spray paint, or both The 811 call center serving Central and Northern California, USA North, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will provide Spanish and other translation services.

PG&E safe digging tips Mark project area in white: Identify the digging location by drawing a box around the area using white paint, white stakes, white flags, white chalk or even white baking flour.

Call 811 or submit an online request a minimum of two working days before digging: Be prepared to provide the address and general location of the project, project start date and type of digging activity. PG&E and other utilities will identify underground facilities in the area for free. Requests can be submitted a maximum of 14 days prior to the start of the project.

Dig safely: Use hand tools when digging within 24 inches of the outside edge of underground lines. Leave utility flags, stakes or paint marks in place until the project is finished. Backfill and compact the soil.

Be aware of signs of a natural gas leak: Smell for a “rotten egg” odor, listen for hissing, whistling or roaring sounds and look for dirt spraying into the air, bubbling in a pond or creek and dead/dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area.

About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.

Upside...

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(From Page 11)

Graduate students Chris�na Ayson Plank (le�) and Meleia Simon-Reynolds (right) address a gathered crowd of about 300 people during the launch event for the Watsonville is in The Heart Digital Archive at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Photo by Kaelynn Campbell ries of how love overcame those barriers.

The archive contains several testimonies of marriages in neighboring states, like Washington and Arizona, that show how some interracial couples built families. Manong also maintained close ties with fam- The launch event featured ily in the Philippines, sending pop-up exhibits by UCSC photos and heartfelt correspon- undergraduate students dence back and forth. In some Markus Faye Portacio and cases, family members from Katrina Pagaduan and interthe Philippines were ultimately ac�ve kiosks to help guests able to reunite with loved ones explore the archive’s current in the Pajaro Valley as immi- content, which is now pubgration policies changed. But licly available online. Phot for the majority of Manong, by Mitchell Plank who never had children of their own, the tight-knit local Filipino community became their family.

These are the types of stories that the digital archive shares.

Steve McKay, an associate professor of sociology and one of the faculty leaders of the project, said it has been a moving experience for UCSC researchers to work alongside community members on these efforts.

“We are so honored to be able to share such intimate stories that people tell us about their families and that they trust us with that,” he said. “The families I’ve talked to have been thankful that there’s going to be an archive so that their family stories aren’t lost. That’s really important, and we feel a lot of responsibility around that. It’s something that we can give back to them.”

Through sharing perspectives from the community, the archive documents Filipino life in the Pajaro Valley with a depth and richness that’s currently missing from historical accounts.

Most records of early Filipino immigrants in the area focus only on their exploitation as low-wage farm laborers, or on the violence they endured, like the 1930 Anti-Filipino Watsonville Race Riots.

But one of the new archive’s first digital exhibits, titled “More Than Their Labor,” takes a very different approach by broadening the frame beyond those traumas to show Manong and their families in happy moments of leisure. Christina Ayson Plank, a doctoral candidate in UCSC’s History of Art & Visual Culture Department and co-director of the archive, curated the exhibit.

“I wanted this exhibit to showcase how the Manongs were more than their laboring bodies, and you can actually see from the archives how they moved around when they were just having fun and hanging out, and that shows how they made friends and created community,” she said. “This is part of how they were building a home in Watsonville.”

As the archive continues to grow, a K-12 ethnic studies curriculum will also be developed around the archive materials, and the archive collection efforts will culminate in a 2024 exhibit at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. In the meantime, Kathleen Gutierrez, an assistant professor of history and faculty leader on the archive, said that UCSC members of the project team are looking forward to hearing many more stories from the community and are grateful to Recio for the opportunity to be involved.

“Roy’s energy for this initiative is endless, and I’m often struck by his commitment,” Gutierrez said. “He drives this work and reminds me of the power of community-engaged projects.

It’s wonderful to see his vision—and that of other Pajaro Valley community members—materialize.”

Reprinted with permission from Allison Arteaga Soergel, Public Information Representative of UC Santa Cruz.

25 April 14-20, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Turning Red Debuts Digital Release on April 26 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD on May 3

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red debuts on all major digital platforms April 26 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 3, just in time for Mother’s Day. Pixar fans can transport back to the early aughts and experience all the warm and fuzzy red panda Mei-hem with never-before-seen bonus material including seven deleted scenes, three featurettes and audio commentary with Director Domee Shi. Turning Red is also streaming on Disney+.

In Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, confident, dorky 13-year-old Mei must balance being a dutiful daughter with the chaos of adolescence. Her slightly overbearing mom is never far from her daughter. And, as if changes to Mei’s interests, relationships and body aren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda!

“I really wanted to explore the conflicts of a young teen girl—how she’s torn between being a good daughter and embracing her true messy self,” said Academy Award® winner Shi (Pixar short “Bao”).

“It’s a coming-of-age story about change and those transitional moments,” says producer Lindsey Collins. “It’s about that time in our lives when we’re trying to figure out who we are. We have a girl who is torn between her family and her friends, learning that she’s not at all who she thought she was. And we have the mother whose daughter is suddenly interested in strange music and boys—a mother who struggles with letting go so her child can become who she needs to be. It’s a universal theme that rings true whether you’re the parent, the child, or maybe both.

Ming Lee is a proud wife, devoted mother and hardworking keeper of the Lee Family Temple in Toronto’s Chinatown. Elegantly turned out and poised at all times, Ming takes her professional duties seriously—but she’s even more dedicated to keeping an eye on her precious daughter, Meilin.

There’s no doubt, Ming is fierce, stubborn, funny, controlling, and—as

Biden administration boosts campaign to combat ghost guns SACRAMENTO – In a move to address proliferating gun violence, the Biden Administration announced new actions to better regulate the manufacturing of kits used to make dangerous ghost guns.

President Biden’s announcement comes on the heels of recent actions taken by Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature to strengthen gun laws, regulate ghost guns, and quell the epidemic of gun violence seen across California and the nation.

“I salute the actions taken today by the Biden Administration that align with the nation-leading efforts we have been implementing in California to address the scourge of gun violence threatening the safety of our schools, workplaces, houses of worship, and throughout our communities,” Newsom said.

“California will not stand idly by as gun manufacturers, traffickers and others spread death and carnage on our streets. We will continue to lead efforts to save lives and work to ensure policies originating in California become a model for other states and the nation,” the governor added.

Since taking office, Governor Newsom has signed into law numerous bills to reduce gun violence, including fast-tracking the regulation of ghost guns, strengthening firearm restraining orders, and regulating the sale of guns and ammunition.

This April, legislation sponsored by the Governor – SB 1327, which will enable private citizens to hold the gun industry and others accountable through civil litigation for the spread of illegal ghost guns and other deadly firearms – was approved by the California Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mei would put it—a lot, but the deep love she has for her family is always apparent. “Ming is a compilation of all of the very strong and awesome Asian women in my life,” says Shi. “Ming can be intense, but all of the crazy stuff she does is motivated by her love for her daughter.”

Filmmakers called on newcomer Rosalie Chiang as the voice of Meilin; Sandra Oh (“The Chair,” “Killing Eve”) lends her voice to Mei’s protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming. Mei’s tightknit group of friends are voiced by Ava Morse (“Ron’s Gone Wrong”) as Miriam, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (“Never Have I Ever”) as Priya, and Hyein Park as Abby. The voice cast also includes Orion Lee (“First Cow”) as Mei’s dad, Jin, Wai Ching Ho (“Daredevil,” “Iron Fist”) as Grandma, Tristan Allerick Chen (“The Barbarian and the Troll”) as classmate Tyler, and Addison Chandler (“American Horror Story”) as Mei’s sudden secret crush Devon. Rounding out the voice cast are James Hong (“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny”), Lori Tan Chinn (“Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens”), Lillian Lim (“Motherland: Fort Salem,” “Meditation Park”), Mia Tagano (“Tantalus: Behind the Mask,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), Sherry Cola (“Good Trouble”), Sasha Roiz (“Grimm”) and Lily Sanfelippo (“Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” “Firebuds”).

Nasa panahon pa rin tayo ng tagtuyot.

Magtipid ng tubig, California.

Narito kami para tumulong.

We are in a drought. Save water, California.

We’re here to help.

bawsca.org/conserve

sfpuc.org/SaveWater

 COMMUNITY NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

26

PH Consulate in SF Gears up for Overseas Voting

by Filipinos in the U.S. Pacific Northwest 7 April 2022, SAN FRANCISCO - The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, which has consular jurisdiction over 10 U.S. Pacific Northwest states, conducted the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) on 4 April 2022 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time at the Sentro Rizal of the Consulate at the 5th floor of the Philippine Center on Sutter St. The FTS was conducted pursuant to Article XI, Section 47 of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution No. 10751. The Consulate’s three (3) Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) who were duly deputized by the COMELEC, carried out the FTS.

As reported to the COMELEC in Manila, no untoward or technical issues occurred during the FTS, which involved the testing of three VCMs to be used for a total of 24 polling precincts (8 precincts per SBEI and VCM).

Overseas voting in the U.S. will be done by mail. Registered overseas voters included in the Certified List of Voters (CLOV) https://tinyurl.com/SFCLOV released by the COMELEC will receive postal voting packets through their registered mailing addresses. Registered voters who changed addresses and have not notified the Consulate during the registration period are advised to notify the USPS near their previous addresses of their new

forwarding addresses.

The Consulate has started mailing ballots to the 47,711 registered voters under its consular jurisdiction after receipt of the ballots and other election-related paraphernalia in a shipment from COMELEC Manila.

After filling up their ballots, voters can mail their ballots back to the Consulate using the ballot envelope with postage stamp provided by the COMELEC. Voters may also drop off their ballots at the Consulate during office hours. A ballot receptacle is available at the Consulate’s lobby beside the security guard’s area. All ballots must be received by the Consulate before 4:00AM on 9 May 2022 Pa-

cific Time, the close of the voting period.

Ballots received by the Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) beyond this time will be considered INVALID and will not be counted.

VALID ballots received by the SBRCG during the voting period (from 10 April to 9 May 2022) shall be fed into the VCMs by the SBEI every Monday and Thursday, including on Maundy Thursday, beginning at 9:00 AM. Accredited poll watchers and media are invited to observe the “ballot feeding” on Mondays and Thursdays at the Consulate.

For election-related inquiries, the public may email the COMELEC at ov.concerns@comelec.gov.ph.

HISTORIC BATTERY BLUFF OPENS APRIL 23, OFFERING VISITORS MORE NATIONAL PARK EXPERIENCES IN THE PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO

Restoration along Presidio Parkway marks a milestone in a decades-long, multi-agency vision for the waterfront roadway San Francisco, CA (March 22, 2022) — The Presidio Trust is pleased to open the historic Battery Bluff in the Presidio on April 23, inviting visitors to enjoy six acres of beautifully restored park land that features gardens, picnic tables, overlooks with sweeping views of the Golden Gate, a multi-use trail and access to historic mili-

tary batteries not seen by the public since 1936.

Battery Bluff marks a milestone in the completion of a 30+ year, multi-agency construction effort to replace the outdated Doyle Drive freeway with the Presidio Parkway. Federal, city, and state agencies came together to fund and deliver the Pre-

sidio Parkway, which utilized a community-backed design by designer Michael Painter that fulfilled transportation needs, improved access to the Presidio, and upheld standards for a national park setting.

Says Jean Fraser, CEO of the Presidio Trust: “We are so grateful for the collaborative efforts of countless public servants and community members working together over decades to reimagine San Francisco’s northern waterfront. Thanks to that work, the Trust was able to create more park amenities for the enjoyment of all visitors. We look forward to unveiling the final gem, the Presidio Tunnel Tops, later this year.”

“People come from all over the world to experience the best that San Francisco has to offer. They come for the sheer beauty, access to green and open space, and to visit some of the best urban parks in the country. Now, everyone will have more to look forward to and greater access to this national park with the historic renovation of Battery Bluff,” said Mayor London Breed.

The entire park-making project restores

50 acres in the Presidio. Highlights are Battery Bluff and Cavalry Bowl. Designed

by Page and TRC, and built by Plant Construction, it is the six acres on the tops of the western set of tunnels over the Presidio Parkway, and the adjacent ten under the raised highway, by the Park Police horse stables and the beloved Presidio Pet Cemetery. Seven acres of new tidal marsh opened at Quartermaster Reach in December of 2020, and 14 acres at Presidio Tunnel Tops over the eastern set of highway tunnels will complete the final section of the project, set to open later in 2022.

LOS ANGELELS - A grand jury in Massachusetts has indicted 11 people in a sham marriage scheme that allegedly netted hundreds of “green cards” illegally, the US Department of Justice reported.

Six of the defendants have been identified as Philippine nationals, according to an ABS-CBN report.

The US Justice Department alleged that Marcialito Biol Benitez operated what was described as an “agency” at brick-and-mortar office and employed the other defendants to arrange sham marriages between clients and American citizens.

Based on the marriage, Benitez and his staff would then allegedly submit fraudulent immigration petitions to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, ABS-CBN added.

Benitez and other indictees were also

accused of filing fake domestic violence visas in case the American spouse became “unresponsive or uncooperative.”

Clients would be charged as much as $30,000 in cash for these services.

One of his clients resided in Massachusetts where the case is expected to be heard.

“Marriage fraud is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system,” United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement.

“These defendants’ alleged exploitation of this system for profit is an affront to our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens.

Their alleged fraudulent behavior makes things harder for the vast majority of immigrants who follow the law and respect our immigration system.”

6 Filipinos charged in massive marriage fraud scheme - US Justice Department

27 April 14-20, 2022

Offline

(From Page 13)

but the human voices is unique, much like fingerprints.

There may be sound alikes, but any expert can catch the fake very quickly.

The Villafuertes have an axe to grind against Robredo because she had crippled their stranglehold on politics in the region, so expect other dirty tactics to come out of their camp.

For the record, LRay was not on speaking terms with his late father Luis Villafuerte in his later years. It was his dad who accomplished much for the Bicol region.

The worst possible news for Marcos Jr. is the growing RoSa movement, where various political leaders allied with President Rodrigo Duterte have been actively campaigning for a Leni Robredo-Sara Duterte vote, in effect ditching the son and namesake of the late dictator.

Meantime, this being Holy Week, allow me to greet our readers a meaningful week, hopefully leading to a spiritual renewal on Easter Sunday.

A good friend who has been organizing Leni rallies said it is not just the camaraderie in numbers that feels great, but also the energy of the crowd. It’s almost like being slain in spirit, he says.

Amen to that.

And in a ridiculous development, the wanted leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy reportedly wants to declare Marcos Jr. a saint, which leads me to believe that he has either lost his marbles completely, or is evil personified.

Methinks some of the people in the Marcos Jr. camp needs to be exorcised. But I’m sure a few of them are actually nice people, or used to be.

Next week, I’ll detail how the large survey firms have been doctoring the results of their surveys showing Marcos Jr. remains ahead of the race, but is likely to state that the gap is closing. This sets up a scenario wherein the two top presidential bets will be statistically tied by election day. So when Marcos Jr loses, he can again file a complaint before the Commission on Elections, and eventually the Supreme Court.

His “I’m so New York” wife can file the protests for him, yes?

PerryScope...

(From Page 12)

the most effective in winning elections.

The day before, the Leni-Kiko tandem was welcomed by 76,000 supporters in Dagupan City in Pangasinan. Shouting “Awan ti Solid North!” (There is no Solid North), the Pangasinenses’ unabashed enthusiasm for Leni and her running mate Kiko Pangilinan seem to suggest that the Marcoses’ hold on the Solid North was just a myth. Encouraged by the big turnout in the heart of Ilocandia, Leni said, “It’s not over ’til it’s over.” Yes, indeed.

What is interesting to note is that Moreno, Pacquaio, and Lacson are helping Robredo chip away at Bongbong’s lead because they direct their attacks against Bongbong, which would insulate Leni from being accused of negative campaigning because she wasn’t the one who raised the issue.

The fact that it did not come from Leni is good because Filipino culture still tends to look down on those who do negative campaigning.

For them to stay in the race would be beneficial to Leni.

Hopefully, they’ll all stay in the race.

The next survey results should be very interesting. With the P203-billion estate tax that just became the hottest issue against Bongbong and compounded by Bongbong’s refusal to pay the tax assessment, his campaign is headed over the cliffs.

Cheating and disinformation/misinformation With the campaign season now in the homestretch, it is expected –- as has been rumored –- that Bongbong will resort to cheating and black propaganda. Actually, there was already unfounded disinformation and misinformation being spread about Leni.

According to Tsek.ph (a collaboration of over 30 academic and media organizations), Leni is the “biggest victim of disinformation” on social media, while Bongbong stands to benefit the most. Bongbong is also the favorite subject of false claims, which are “largely positive or in his favor seeking to promote him,” Tsek.ph head Yvonne Chua said.

In regard to cheating, Bongbong’s late father allegedly used the “Three G’s” – Guns, Goons, and Gold -- to win the election in 1969. It described the violence and vote-buying that characterized the political campaign period during the presidential reelection campaign of 1969.

Another method of cheating in elections is called dagdagbawas, which literally means “adding and subtracting,” is done by inserting fake ballots and removing legitimate ones.

The good news is: “The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the accredited citizen’s arm of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), rekindled its partnership with a private education conglomerate on Monday, March 28, as the poll watchdog readies its command center for the 2022 elections,” the report said.

For the fifth straight election, the PPCRV has teamed up with AMA Education System, which will lend the poll watchdog its computers, and provide information technology support and student manpower. It opened its command center at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.

As reported in the news, “after voting ends on May 9, PPCRV’s volunteers across the country will pick up election returns (ERs) from some 106,000 clustered polling precincts.

These ERs will be delivered to the command center in UST, where these will be encoded by about 200 volunteers per day for a period of 10 days.”

What they do at the command center is match via encoding the results in the ERs to that which the vote-counting machine transmitted electronically. Since the ERs were picked up before transmission, it would ensure that no dagdag-bawas would happen.

The PPCRV targets to register 500,000 volunteers for the May 9 vote, but so far, the group only has around 350,000.

Hopefully, they’d reach their goal on Election Day. While all the preparations for an orderly election and accurate vote-counting are being done, Leni is riding the crest of a pink tsunami.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Health & Wealth

(From Page 12)

ING & MONTHLY RAFFLE winners drawn by the authors, guests and participants in between the segments of the global MY ANGEL RADIO SAN FRANCISCO last Saturday, March 26, 2022. The winners and their corresponding prizes are as follows: SAFEWAY Gift Certificates – Ximena Rodriguez, Jamie Lopez, Orlando Cabatic; ABE Haircut Certificates – Ben Uriarte, Rudy Vergara; Autographed copy of REAL ESTATE & YOU (Amazon price $15.95 per paperback plus shipping and handling) subtitled “ “Your Basic Guide and Information for Successful Investing in Home, Land and Income Property” – M. Inwig, Lorelei Poblete Low Sandra Uriarte, Luis Parayno, Diego Cayabyab, Ben Ferrer, Christina Joseph, Bonifacio Andrada, Rodil Gonzales, Grace M. Trance; HISTORICITY OF JESUS subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics Atheists, Believers amnd Christians” – Gesena Gordon, Ferdinand Lewis, David Toshiyuki, Maribel Madlaing, Magdalena Sison, Rosie Avena, Cloefe Ochoa, Zenaida Asuncion, Maribel Terrado, Jovito Relosimon; JESUS CHRIST subtitled “His Last Few Days on Earth Before Returning to Heaven” – A. Stalworth, Violeta Umblas, Eric Abad, Aurora Relosimon, Felicidad Palma, Harold Morales, Andrew Agustin, Rodolfo Panelo, Brian Escalante, Benedict Zarsaba.

LIFESTYLE FOR LONGEVITY (Amazon price is $25.95 per paperback plus shipping and handling) subtitled “How to be Healthy Emotionally, Financially Physically, Sexually and Spritually” – Luzviminda Madlaing, Nemesio Umblas, Estrella Vergara, Cesar Aling, Diana Bohakel, Lourdes G. Medios, Margie Fernandez, Judy Fink, Amy Relosimon, Fidelis S. Jimenez.

QURTERLY JOURNAL, Christian World Ministry – Will Low, Josie Lewis, Dionisio Madlaing, Don Relosimon, Angelina Paraiso, Bellarose Baclig, Romualdo Cerezo, Poi Medios, Frank Palma, Athene Ochoa.

The raffle winners can claim their prizes by calling (650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:artmadlaing@ gmail.com or visit MY ANGEL RADIO studio every Saturday 11am to 3pm or attend the Bible Class (10am) or Worship Services (11am) every Sunday at the GGCC Auditorium, 7018th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118.

T h e next BOOK LAUNCHING & MONTHLY RAFFLE will be held on the last Saturday of April, 2002.

There are four ways you can join the next Book Launching & Monthly

Raffle namely: 1. Visit the ABE Barber Shop in San Francisco( located near the corner of Mission Street and Mt. Vernon) and the ABE Barber Shop in Daly City (located near the corner of Mission Street and School Street) and SIGN THE REGISTRATION LOG; 2. Visit the MY ANGEL RADIO SAN FRANCISCO studio every Saturday 11am to3pm and SIGN THE REGISTRATION LOG; 3. Attend the Bible Class (10am) or Worship Services (11am) every Sunday and SIGN THE REGISTRATION LOG; 4. Write or contact BOOKS MINISTRY, 701-8th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118 Tel. (650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email:agmadlaing@hotmail.com FOR REGISTRATION. (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 CHURCH OF CHRIST

On Distant Shore

(From Page 12)

this week the mail-in ballots to the registered voters using their addresses when they last registered for absentee voting.

The main area of concern here is that many voters have changed address since the time they registered. The consulate advises them to file a forwarding address request with the USPS so the ballots would be sent to their new addresses.

The problem, however, is that forwarding address notification is valid only for one year from the date of filing. If you registered in 2016, that means your forwarding notification expired in 2017. One person I know sent his new address to the consulate because the USPS wouldn’t entertain such notification anymore, but the person there said they couldn’t change the address contained in the Comelec list and that the voter has to inform the USPS to forward the mail from the Consulate General to the new address.

But the Comelec in Manila says such voters should inform the embassy or the consulate of their new address to ensure the ballots would reach them. Here’s the direct quote from Commissioner Cosquejo: “Maybe an overseas voter thought of changing addresses even in the same country. They have to inform the embassy (underscoring ours) because otherwise, the ballot [mailed to them] will be returned. That’s the issue why posts have many ‘return to sender’ cases,” Casquejo explained.

Under these circumstances, there is a great possibility that many ballots won’t find their way to the voters, and result in the disenfranchisement of these voters. With no other way in the US to exercise the right of suffrage embodied in the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 but via mail-in ballots, many similarly situated voters would not be able to vote for the next leaders who will guide our country in the next six years.

There is still time for Comelec to address these problems and enable it to attain even a 50% voter turnout, which although still a far cry from the 80% target is a big improvement over recent voter turnouts.

The coming election is one of the most crucial political exercise the country will ever have because of the many problems that the Duterte administration is leaving, including the trillions of debts that it has incurred, the slowing economy, the nagging problems of poverty and corruption, and the obvious mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Oversees Absentee Voting Act of 2003 was enacted precisely to give every eligible Filipino voter – whether they are in the homeland or toiling overseas - to exercise their right to choose the country’s leaders. Disenfranchising overseas Filipinos, who have been hailed as heroes for decades, for lack of vision and planning is a major sin.

The Comelec officials had all of three years from the last election to plan for this political exercise but apparently they have failed. They now have less than one month to address the concerns raised by overseas Filipinos. Can they do it?

 HEALTH NEWS

April 14-20, 2022

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Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data GENEVA – Almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, and threatens their health.

A record number of over 6,000 cities in 117 countries are now monitoring air quality, but the people living in them are still breathing unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, with people in low and middle-income countries suffering the highest exposures.

The findings have prompted the World Health Organization to highlight the importance of curbing fossil fuel use and taking other tangible steps to reduce air pollution levels.

Released in the lead-up to World Health Day, which this year celebrates the theme Our planet, our health, the 2022 update of the World Health Organization’s air quality database introduces, for the first time, ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a common urban pollutant and precursor of particulate matter and ozone.

It also includes measurements of particulate matter with diameters equal or smaller than 10 μm (PM10) or 2.5 μm (PM2.5).

Both groups of pollutants originate mainly from human activities related to fossil fuel combustion.

The new air quality database is the most extensive yet in its coverage of air pollution exposure on the ground. Some 2,000 more cities/human settlements are now recording ground monitoring data for particulate matter, PM10 and/or

PM2.5, than the last update. This marks an almost 6-fold rise in reporting since the database was launched in 2011.

Meanwhile, the evidence base for the damage air pollution does to the human body has been growing rapidly and points to significant harm caused by even low levels of many air pollutants.

Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke) and respiratory impacts. There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well.

NO2 is associated with respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, leading to respiratory symptoms (such as coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing), hospital admissions and visits to emergency rooms WHO last year revised its Air Quality Guidelines, making them more stringent in an effort to help countries better evaluate the healthiness of their own air.

“Current energy concerns highlight the importance of speeding up the transition to cleaner, healthier energy systems,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “High fossil fuel prices, energy security, and the urgency of addressing the twin health challenges of air pollution and climate change, underscore the pressing need to move faster towards a world that is much less dependent on

fossil fuels.”

Steps governments can take to improve air quality and health A number of governments are taking steps to improve air quality, but WHO is calling for a rapid intensification of actions to: Adopt or revise and implement national air quality standards according to the latest WHO Air Quality Guidelines Monitor air quality and identify sources of air pollution Support the transition to exclusive use of clean household energy for cooking, heating and lighting Build safe and affordable public transport systems and pedestrian- and cycle-friendly networks Implement stricter vehicle emissions and efficiency standards; and enforce mandatory inspection and maintenance for vehicle Invest in energy-efficient housing and power generation Improve industry and municipal waste management Reduce agricultural waste incineration, forest fires and certain agro-forestry activities (e.g. charcoal production) Include air pollution in curricula for health professionals and providing tools for the health sector to engage.

Higher income countries see lower particulate pollution, but most cities have trouble with nitrogen dioxide

Second Booster Heart of Hope

The US-CDC has recommended the second booster (Shot #4) for COVID-19 for those immunocompromised and people aged 50 and older. The second booster is highly recommended also for those who have comorbidities, like high blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, PHILIP S. CHUA etc., regardless of age, since they are more vulnerable to the infection, especially to the new strains.

It is anticipated that the fourth shot would be recommended for all ages in the weeks to come since the immunity from the vaccines wanes after 4-6 months. Whether the COVID vaccine would be a required bi-annual or annual shot, like the Flu shot, is yet to be determined.

In the United States, since there are only about 67 percent of the population vaccinated, 33 percent who refused the vaccines are unprotected unless they had been infected with COVID-19, which would provide some immunity, albeit not as stable and not as protective as the vaccines. With so many unvaccinated people, whose bodies are acting as a reservoir (factory) for the replication and mutation of the SARS-CoV2 virus, new variants are expected to evolve. This situation would also most likely lead to the need for a bi-annual shot or an annual COVID shot since the unvaccinated will continue to churn out new strains in the future. When everyone is vaccinated, the virus might self-destruct and vanish.

The second COVID-19 booster is now available for free for those eligible at various pharmacies in the USA. Hopefully, they would also be in The Philippines.

Death among ESRD New research done in the flu season 2010-2019 showed that the mortality rate from Influenza for those with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is significantly much higher (28 percent) compared to all other persons with the flu. This report was presented at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings. Obviously, those with kidney disease ought to be protected from the flu virus by vaccination, good personal hygiene, and the use of a mask, where needed, especially during the flu season.

Versatile ginger

Good old ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been used in eastern medicine since the 9th century or even earlier. Although not a substitute for conventional western medicine, ginger is claimed to have the following good benefits, besides its popular use in the kitchen: reduces arthritis inflammation, helps in weight loss, lowers cholesterol, eases nausea and vomiting, improves brain health, lowers blood pressure, prevents infection, relieves pain, reduces menstrual bleeding, decreases migraine headache, lowers blood sugar, induces faster muscle recovery, helps in weight loss, immune booster, antioxidant, and germ-buster.” In the laboratory, ginger was also found to improve the quantity and quality of sperm, and it has some anti-cancer action in mice experiments. For details, consult your physician.

Ginger is edible and comes in various forms: ale, tea, caramelized candy, pickled, dried thin wafer, powder, capsules, concoction, etc. Since this item is not evaluated by the FDA, here is some good advice: “It’s also a good idea to make sure whatever ginger supplement you take has third party oversight. Supplements are not highly regulated. ‘The concentration of ginger can vary widely between fresh ginger root, pills, extracts, and powder—and it’s not standardized,’ explains Heather Moday, MD, an immunologist, functional medicine specialist, and author of The Immunotype Breakthrough. ‘Therefore, outside of ingesting ginger root on its own and using fresh ginger tea, one should use supplements that carry a National Science Foundation (NSF) or U.S. Pharmacopeia stamp on the label.’

Butter: healthy?

New studies show that diets higher in two oddchain fatty acids, called C17:0 and C15:0 are the secrets of a dolphin’s healthy aging and long life. “The ‘goldilocks’ of healthy aging is C15:0 – which this team of researchers has since claimed may help prevent prediabetes, lower inflammation, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, and more, in the poor aging dolphins.” These scientists were able “to identify that the healthy aging dolphins have significantly higher C15:0 and C17:0 compared to the poor aging dolphins.”

“C15:0 or pentadecanoic acid is a molecule found in certain foods, including butter, whole-fat dairy, fish, beef and lamb. It’s also present in smaller amounts in some plants, including chia seeds and peanuts,” according to Venn-Watson, “but in roughly one-tenth the amount that’s

found in a serving of butter.”

More clinical studies are underway to find out if C15:0 will even be better than Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet. It is a fatty acid that shows the potential to slow the natural age-related breakdown in our cells. Since a strict low-fat diet has not significantly reduced the incidence of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, heart attack, and stroke over the past several decades, this diet is now being re-evaluated.

Perhaps butter has a place in our diet after all, while margarine is falling into disfavor as a healthy food item substitute for butter.

Endometriosis Often misdiagnosed, endometriosis is a painful condition where the tissues that normally line the uterus grows in other parts of the pelvis, like the fallopian tubes or the ovaries. Countless women have suffered from this often elusive condition, where most tests come out as negative.

A high index of suspicion among women and physicians could help in the early detection of endometriosis and end suffering among these patients.

Pregnancy myths The following are myths: A woman is guaranteed 100% not to get pregnant IF: (1) penetration is done only a few times without completion of intercourse; (2) withdrawal is done before ejaculation; (3) coitus is done during the “safe” period; (4) sex is done during menses; (5) the woman did not have an orgasm during sex; (6) the lovers drink wine before sex; (7) aspirin is inserted into the vagina as a contraceptive; (8) the woman is on top during the act; (9) the man uses any plastic wrap in the absence of, and in lieu of, a condom; (10) the man already had sex with another woman, or had masturbated, an hour or so earlier; (11) oral sex preceded normal intercourse; and (12) the woman douches immediately after sex. These are all myths and cannot be relied upon to prevent pregnancy.

Only total abstinence or use of an intact condom, or use of prescribed birth control pills under medical supervision, can prevent pregnancy.

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.co

29 April 14-20, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS

JESUS’ BLOOD ON TRIAL

By TIM PEDROSA

There is no human being who does not deserve our forgiveness. There is no human being who does not deserve our love. Let us be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God forgives us. Let us be an example in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Let us learn from the following article inspired by the writings of an unknown author. One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on, she became a faithful member of the church.

She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. Before long this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor’s son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife-to-be. He began to speak and his statement was this: “My fiancée’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial.

So, does it wash away sin or not?” The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

What can wash away my sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:23Weak people revenge; strong people Date: April 23, 2022 (Saturday) forgive, but inTime: Rosary 9:30 am telligent people Holy Mass at 10:00 am ignore the faults St. Gregory Catholic Church of others. We 2715 Hacienda St., San Mateo, CA 94403 forgive others Officiating Priest: Father Mark Reburiano not because they deserve forgiveFor more info, please call: ness but because Nellie Sarmiento (415) 939-3678 we deserve Mr. J.R.: (650) 952-8238 peace.

H

Lenten Special: Why Save Us?

ave we wondered with this question, why God saved or has to save humanity? He is not obligated to save us. There is nothing that He will gain from saving us, He is God everything is perfect in Him and nothing is lacking in Him. One thing certain is that He saved us; because, He freely willed it. As He freely willed salvation, what could be the reasons to His divine decision to save us? I want us REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD to explore three reasons from His revealed actions: Firstly, it is love. John 3:16, “…

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son… that the world might be saved through Him.” Divine Love willed the good of humanity, such goodness can only come by an offering of life; that is, the life of the Only Son of God. So, the Father God willed to give up His Only Son as an offering; whereby, in that sacrificial and selfless offering the Son of God, Jesus Christ, will save people from sin, reconcile us in Himself to His Heavenly Father. In this dynamism of the divine salvific love, freely given and pure love, sin is wiped away: The disobedience was destroyed by loving obedience; the death as effect of sin was destroyed by the self-sacrifice of the Incarnate Son; enmity to God destroyed through the willingness of the Son to give His life as ransom for all. God’s Merciful Love has all the power to destroy everything that separates us from God. Sin is divisive, love is unitive; sin is destructive while love is constructive; sin leads to condemnation, love leads to redemption and salvation. Lent is the season of God’s merciful love, let us not take God’s love for granted. We reciprocate His love by living godly lives and obeying His command to love as He loves us.

Secondly, God is light. We are saved to be people of the light. Sin is darkness. While in sin we are its slaves; hence, our life is in total darkness. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness… (Jn. 8:12);” also, “…people who sit in darkness of seen a great light… (Mt. 4: 14-16);” from the Prologue of John’s gospel, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (Jn. 1:5).” Humanity is not created to be in darkness but to live in union with God; thus, to live in the light. God loves us; so, He willed to save us to bring us back into His divine light and divine life. Life is miserable and meaningless in the void of darkness; for it is without God. God saved us in order to give meaning to our existence, to give moral and spiritual value to our daily endeavors, and let ourselves become light as well to each other.

During Lenten Season and for the Holy Week, let us make a resolution to be consistent in our behavior, words, and dealings with others that we are of the light. Any form of darkness in our manners must be cast out. Moreover, as light is seen, people must see our good examples. Let us be an inspiration to each in good deeds and godly living. Let us be consistent and persevering as we walk in the light of life not in the path of darkness.

Thirdly, God is holy. Holiness and goodness are in all the works of God. Humanity since the creation was created in God’s image and likeness; hence, we have an innate holiness and goodness in us. Sin destroyed that holiness and goodness in us. Thus, we are saved in order that we can be restored into our original identity and dignity in God’s image and likeness. We are saved; so that, once again we can radiate God’s image and likeness. In saving and redeeming us, God restores us into His holiness and friendship; we have become His children and heirs of heaven. In our daily life, therefore, let us not take for granted God’s abundant graces. His graces that benefit our body and soul are not only for our earthly journey; but most importantly also, they enable us to do what must be done in our journey of daily sanctification. He wants us to be holy as He is holy; so, He equipped us to pursue it in all that it takes to be counted among His holy ones, the saints. From this Holy Week and every day of our existence; let us form a determination and conviction of faith that our life is in service of God, our life is about God, our life is lived to the fullest only because it is lived in the holiness of God in the many small and big ways. Amen.

Aflame The Heart

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

31 April 14-20, 2022  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Pork and Spinach in Coconut Milk, Pinoy Laing Style Ingredients: 1/4 kilo pork belly, cut into thick strips 1/2 kilo frozen chopped spinach 200 grams fresh baby spinach 1 400 ml canned coconut milk/cream 3-4 clove garlic chopped 1 thumb size ginger, cut into thin strips 1 large size onion chopped 2 tbsp. bagoong alamang (use fish sauce if not available) 1 stalk lemongrass (optional), trimmed crushed 1/2 tsp. cracked peppercorns 3-5 pieces green/red chili, chopped or whole salt cooking oil Cooking procedure: In a medium size sauce pan sauté garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant. Add in the pork and stir cook for 3 to 5 minutes add in the bagoong alamang and continue to stir cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup of water, the coconut milk, lemon grass, crushed peppercorns and chili, bring to a boil and simmer at moderate heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pork are tender and the sauce renders oil and almost dry, stirring occasionally. Add in the frozen spinach and baby spinach, cook at low to moderate heat for 15 to 20 minutes until almost dry, stirring occasionally. Correct saltiness if required. Serve with a lot of rice.

KITE FEST. The Poblacion beach of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental is adorned with colorful kites during the just-concluded 8th Burangoy Kite Fes�val. The Kite Associa�on of the Philippines declared Sipalay as the “Kite Tourism Capital of the Philippines” as part of the event.

Sipalay City named PHL’s kite tourism capital BACOLOD CITY – The City of Sipalay in Negros Occidental has been declared the Kite Tourism Capital of the Philippines during the staging of its 8th Burangoy Kite Festival last month.

The plaque, which was conferred by the Kite Association of the Philippines (KAP) headed by its president Orlando Onkingko, was turned over by Supervising Tourism Officer Jerick Lacson to Mayor Maria Gina Lizares at the Government Center.

“The KAP confers to the City of Sipalay the title ‘Kite Tourism Capital of the Philippines’ in grateful recognition for the enduring commitment in promoting the traditional Filipino kite culture as an annual tourism activity,” the plaque dated March 31, 2022 states.

Lacson said the declaration is an affirmation of the city’s efforts in promoting sustainable tourism by showcasing the kite festival as a family-friendly activity, kite flying as an eco-friendly sport, and kite making as a venue to promote local arts and culture.

“Most importantly, the kite itself is our symbol of hope to soar high and recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic and Typhoon

Odette,” he said.

Lacson added that the latest recognition received by the city serves as a challenge for stakeholders “to strive, to innovate, to be better, and to improve” Sipalay’s image and quality as a tourist destination.

This year’s Burangoy Kite Festival, which was among the activities alongside the city’s 21st Charter Anniversary, was the first after it was suspended for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The kite flying exhibitions were conducted from March 30 to April 3 while the actual competition was held on March 31 at the Poblacion beach.

For the second time, the festival showcased colorful and unique kites made of various materials except for plastic in support of the local government’s “no plastic policy”.

The annual Sipalay kite festival is the grand winner in the Best Tourism Event (Sports) City Category of the 2018 Pearl Awards organized by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines and the Department of Tourism.

Its official name “Burangoy” was coined from the words “burador” or kite, and “barongoy”, a local term for flying fish.

Tourist arrivals in PHL since February reach 202,700; gov’t woos Koreans, Japanese MAKATI CITY – The Department of Tourism (DOT) hailed the recent increase in the latest number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country, reaching 202,700 as of April 7.

Based on the data generated from the One Health Pass that contains passenger and flight details, foreign arrivals from the United States topped the list with 43,744 visitors since the country reopened its borders to foreign leisure tourists in February.

Canada followed with 9,618; the United Kingdom with 9,315; South Korea with 8,440; and Australia with 8,212 tourists.

DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat

said the latest figures, following the sustained reopening of borders and loosening of travel restrictions, is a good measure of the industry’s success in its preparations under the new normal.

“Our high vaccination rate among tourism workers and reported low cases around the country have helped restore the confidence of travelers to visit the Philippines during the summer season,” Puyat said in a news release on Friday.

“This continued growth shall aid our stakeholders, as well as the economy, in recovering from the effects caused by the pandemic,” she added.