Philippine News Today

1 June 10-16, 2021

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

www.pnewstoday.com

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

Vol. 60 No. 44 June 10-16, 2021

NEWS AND VIEWS YOU TRUST

NO DUTERTE-DUTERTE TANDEM?; SARA-GIBO, LACSON-SOTTO EYED Daughter-dad slate ‘crazy,’ says ex-solon World Bank slashes PHL growth forecast yet again

By ALFRED GABOT Editor in Chief

By Be�ng Laygo Dolor, Editor

MANILA – With the Philippines making little headway in controlling the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy will continue to suffer this year.

In a report released this week, the World Bank said the country cannot expect to fully recover this year due to the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pan-

demic.

The WB again lowered its expected growth of the Philippines to 4.7 percent for 2021, down from the 5.5 percent forecast of last March.

WB economist Kevin Chua said the Philippines’ road to recovery was “fragile and challenging.”

The Duterte ad- Page 8

Daly City raises flag to start PHL independence rites in Bay Area Mayor Sara Duterte

Gibo Teodoro

Sen. Ping Lacson

Sen. Tito So�o

By Jun Nucum

MANILA — The political cauldron continues to heat up in the Philippines and if political pundits plus the opposition are to be the gauge, there will be no Sara Duterte-Rodrigo Duterte for president-vice president tandem in the May 9, 2022 elections as the proposed slate appeared to have drawn flak, with some proclaiming a “daughter-dad” ticket as a “crazy” proposition. Page 9

Pinoys, SanFo cheer as Yuka Saso wins US Women’s Open SAN FRANCISCO/MANILA – Filipinos in the Philippines and elsewhere, specially in the San Francisco Bay Area, cheered as one as Filipina-Japanese Yuka Saso won in historic fashion the 76th U.S. Women’s Open golf championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on June 6.

Saso, 19, who was born in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, bounced back from two early double bogeys and held off Japan’s Nasa Hataoka in the third hole of a sudden death playoff to romp off with the champion’s trophy and $1 million in cash prize.

A sizable Filipino Page 8

PROCLAMATION. FilAm Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo (2nd from le�), Vice Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual (3rd from right), Councilmembers Ray Buenaventura, Pam DiGiovanni and Glenn Sylvester present a Proclama�on to Consul General Ferrer declaring the 7th of June as Philippines Day in Daly City.

DALY CITY - It is not the actual day to commemorate and celebrate the 123rd Philippine Independence Day and yet cit-

ies around the San Francisco Bay Area have started raising the Philippine flag to begin the celPage 8 ebration.

US names PHL as COVID vaccine recipient

Dual citizenship applications put on hold VIEWS & COMMENTS

‘Tact, finesse, and the finest hour’ Page 13 By A�y. Liangco

SHOWBIZ

John Lloyd Cruz teary-eyed in showbiz comeback via GMA Page 19

SPORTS

Pole vaulter Obiena wins silver in Netherlands Page 21

P10

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

$1.00= P47.69

as of June 10, 2021 2:00am

Page 8

P7 P3

 NATIONAL NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

2

US-PHL’s VFA still hangs, US explanation in 2012 Scarborough shoal standoff sought MANILA – The United States’ explanation about its role in the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff between the Philippines and China will factor into President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision on the fate of the controversial Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Duterte, in an interview with SMNI’s “Exclusive” with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, said he wanted to hear the reason why the US did nothing when Chinese vessels decided to stay put in Scarborough Shoal in 2012.

“Ito ngayong VFA ang problema. May malaking problema tayo dito kasi nga nangyari itong nag-broker ang Amerika tapos nag-atras tayo. Bakit ang China hindi nila pinilit na mag-atras? (VFA is the problem. We have a big problem because America brokered a deal and ordered us to withdraw our ships. Why did it not force China to withdraw?)” he said.

Duterte said he would only reconsider the Philippines’ military pact with the

US once Washington can explain this.

“Unless they can explain it to me in a very simple way na maintindihan ng buong Pilipinas (that the entire Philippines would understand), then I can begin to talk about the (VFA). Pero kapag hindi medyo malabo (If not, it’s unlikely to happen),” he said.

There was an agreement brokered by the US in 2012 for the Philippines and China to withdraw their ships from Scarborough Shoal to resolve the standoff in the area.

The Philippine vessels left the Scarborough Shoal, but Chinese ships stayed in the disputed waters.

Despite his apparent gripe about the US’ supposed inaction to help the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China, Duterte said his independent foreign policy of being “friend to all, enemy to none” stands.

He assured that he would not give preferential treatment to any country.

“Foreign policy is just being neu-

tral. But ako (me, I am) neutral in the sense that I do not favor one country for the other nor would I allow any of these countries to be in the Philippines to establish itong mga (those) military bases,” he said.

Duterte, however, stressed the need for the US to “come clean.”

“America must come clean. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Ngayon kung makiusap sila (If they make a request), what is the fiasco all about,” he said.

In a public address delivered on May 14, Duterte made a firm stance that he would never let Filipino troops participate in any war with the US under his watch. He made the remarks as he slammed anew the US’ role in the withdrawal of Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal in 2012 amid a standoff with China.

On February 12, the President told the US to “pay” first before he reconsiders his decision to revoke the VFA,

saying there is a need to give the Philippines something in return because it is the “nearest, possible and convenient outpost” near China.

However, Duterte on February 24 admitted that he could not decide whether to enforce or suspend anew the termination of VFA. The VFA is a 1998 military pact between Manila and Washington that authorizes American troops participating in joint military drills to visit the Philippines sans passport and visa.

The Philippines formally notified the US about its intent to revoke the VFA in February 2020.

However, the VFA remains in effect after Duterte ordered on June 1 last year the suspension of its termination “in light of political and other developments in the region.”

The Philippines extended in November last year the suspension of VFA termination for another six months.

MANILA – Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque plans to seek an “early” res- ignation for a possible open-heart operation.

Roque made the revelation as he admitted that he is still open to joining the 2022 national elections.

“So, kung ako po ay magdidesisyon, tatanungin ko po iyong aking doctor kung kinakailangang magpabukas na bago mag-election tayo po ay magri-resign early para po magpa-opera kung kinakailangang magpa-opera (In making a decision, I would ask my doctor if there is a need for an open-heart surgery before elections.

I would resign early if I need to undergo operation),” Roque said.

In 2019, Roque was forced to drop his Senate candidacy in the mid-term elections after undergoing a heart surgery.

Roque explained that he needs to undergo another operation since angioplasty and stent procedure performed on him in

2019 is only effective for up to three years.

“Ang sabi ng mga doktor ay two to three years lang din lang iyon. Kaya kailangan kong magdesisyon, ano ba, magpapabukas ako bago mag-election kung kakayanin ba? So, iyon po ang aking estado (The doctors say the procedure is only good for two to three years. So, I need to make a decision if I can do an open-heart operation before elections. That’s the situation),” he said.

Angioplasty is a procedure used to open blocked coronary arteries caused by coronary artery disease and restore blood flow to the heart muscle without openheart surgery, according to the definition provided by John Hopkins Medicine.

In case there is no need for another heart procedure, Roque said he wants to secure a “medical assurance” that he is “safe” to run for public office.

Roque eyes ‘early resignation’ for possible open-heart operation

Notary Public & Real Estate Broker

*Commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (BRE#00635976) in California since 1981. Author, Columnist, and Member, National Notary Association (NNA)

3 June 10-16, 2021

 NATIONAL NEWS

US lowers travel warning to PHL, seeks full vaccination before trip

WASHINGTON/MANILA — The United States eased its travel restrictions to the Philippines but warned Americans to reconsider pushing through with trips due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also eased its travel recommendations for 60 other countries, including Japan from its highest Level 4 rating that had discouraged all travel to recommending travel for fully vaccinated individuals.

In its advistory, the CDC listed the

Philippines under “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” from “Level 4: Do Not Travel” when parts of the country were experiencing a surge in new infections.

The threat levels are determined by the number of COVID-19 cases in a given country. Areas under Level 3 are those currently reporting 100 to 500 cases per 100,000 residents.

The CDC urged Americans to ensure they are fully vaccinated before traveling to the Philippines, adding that unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential trips to the Philippines due to the “high

level of COVID-19” in the country.

“Because of the current situation in Philippines, all travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. Travelers should follow recommendations or requirements in Philippines, including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart from others,” the CDC said.

The CDC also issued new travel advice for at least 120 more countries and territories, including easing the recommendation on Japan ahead of the Tokyo Olympics which is scheduled to begin late next month.

The Philippines has 1.28 million COVID-19 cases, with 56,452 patient who are currently sick, and fatality count at 22,064.

Among those getting lower ratings were France, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Italy. Other countries being lowered to “Level 3” include Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Panama, Poland, Denmark and Malaysia.

The CDC said it has also revised its rating for the United States to Level 3 from Level 4.

PHL administers over 6-M Covid-19 jabs

MANILA – The Philippines has breached the six million mark in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine shots administered nationwide.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said as of June 7, the government has already administered a total of 6,096,208 jabs to priority groups A1 (health care workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), and A4 (economic front-liners).

Galvez said 1,604,260 individuals have been fully vaccinated or have received both doses.

He said the government is eyeing to vaccinate 25 million to 30 million individuals with the first dose by end of

August.

He is confident that the country would be able to administer the first shot for all individuals under the A4 category by mid-September or early October.

“Despite the reduced output in the country’s seven-day moving average due to a lack of vaccine supply in late May and early June, the Philippines was still able to hit the six million mark ahead of its initial target and is expected to gain further momentum in the coming weeks with the arrival of more vaccine shipments,” he said.

“This shows that the vaccination sites being run by our local government units are capable of vaccinating at an accelerated rate if they are provided with sufficient vaccine supplies. We expect to further ramp up our inoculation once our partners in the private sector will roll out their vaccination campaign.”

A total of 11,058,000 doses are expected to arrive this June wherein 5.5 million will come from Sinovac, a million of Sputnik V, 250,000 doses from Moderna, and 2,280,000 of Pfizer-BioNTech and 2,028,000 of AstraZeneca from the COVAX Facility, Galvez said.

Initial tranches of these shipments have already been confirmed.

Sinovac’s one million CoronaVac doses arrived last Sunday, while another one million doses are expected to arrive separately on June 10 and 17.

COVAX has confirmed the delivery of a large shipment of Pfizer doses on June 10 and 11 with 2,280,000 doses. It also announced the delivery of AstraZeneca doses to

the country in the third week of June, with 2,028,000 doses, though schedules might still change depending on the availability of supplies from the facility.

Moderna has also confirmed its delivery on June 21 of which 55,000 doses will be allocated to the private sector and 195,000 doses for the government.

As the Philippines begins to inoculate economic front-liners and essential

workers under priority group A4, local government units (LGUs) are given the flexibility to implement the vaccination for this sector due to its huge population.

However, Galvez said all LGUs must work under the supervision of their respective Department of Health regional directors and comply with the guidelines set by the national government.

 METRO NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

4

DENR urged to 86 in QC dad’s food pantry confirmed Covid-positive reject seabed quarry

FOOD TRUCK. Quezon City (3rd District) Councilor Franz Pumaren (right) mingles with Barangay Duyan-Duyan residents during a food pantry ac�vity on May 22, 2021.

QUEZON CITY – Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city government

has so far confirmed 86 Covid-19 positive residents who were at the food distribution event of Councilor Franz Pumaren in Barangay Matandang Balara on May 25, 2021.

During the Laging Handa public briefing aired over state-run PTV-4, Belmonte however said Pumaren has been cleared by the QC Police District (QCPD) of health protocol violations.

Based on the QCPD investigation, Pumaren properly coordinated with law enforcers and the authorities before the event.

“But having said that, I do believe that was a superspreader event dahil nung nagbalik ang mga tao sa kani-kanilang

mga linya ay medyo dikit dikit na sila, wala ng social distancing, crowded na talaga at ‘yung iba ay dahil nabasa ang kanilang mga face shield at face mask ay medyo naging pabaya (because when people returned on the line, people came very close to each other and disregarded social distancing, and because some got their face shields and face masks wet, they became careless),” Belmonte said of the rain-interrupted event.

An estimated 950 attended the event but not everyone was tested as there was no list of names and contact information.

Belmonte assured they learned their lessons and additional guidelines have been formulated.

Pope grants canonical coronation to Our Lady of Mercy in QC QUEZON CITY – Pope Francis has granted canonical coronation to the image of Our Lady of Mercy, the “Mother of Novaliches” diocese in Quezon City.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news website reported on Tuesday that the approval was announced by Archbishop Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, during the Corpus Christi Mass at the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy on Sunday.

A pontifical coronation is a pious

institutional act, wherein the Pope, through a bull, designates a crown or stellar halo to be added to a Marian image under a specific devotional title in a particular area or diocese.

No date has been set yet for the canonical coronation of the Marian image.

Also, the Mass celebrated the granting of “spiritual bond of affinity” between the parish and the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The privilege means that all indulgences granted in the basilica will be gained in the diocesan shrine.

In a Facebook post, the parish said they receive the Spiritual Bond of Affinity document with Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome last month.

“With gratitude and joy, we are now on the Pontifical Coronation of Our Lady of Mercy,” it added.

Last January, Novaliches Bishop Robert Gaa declared Our Lady of Mercy as the second patroness of the 18-year-old diocese.

The parish will celebrate its 165th anniversary on Sept. 24, the feast day of the Our Lady of Mercy.

for reclamation in Manila Bay

MANILA – The national fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) has urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to reject the seabed quarrying project of an offshore mining firm in Manila Bay. The progressive group’s demand came as Silverquest Mining Resources Inc. (SMRI) is currently securing an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the DENR to undertake seabed quarrying covering 2, 124 hectares of municipal waters of Ternate and Naic in Cavite.

The P12-billion SMRI Government Seabed Quarry Project would involve dredging of mud, silt, sand, among other quarry materials for the 318-hectare Manila Waterfront Project, a reclamation project in the City of Manila.

In a statement, PAMALAKAYA warned that “dredging-related stressors” pose adverse environmental impacts to marine biodiversity and livelihood of small fishers.

“Dredging-related stressors such as movement of solid particles, habitat loss, discharging of toxic contaminants, and noise pollution inflict damage to marine biodiversity.

5 June 10-16, 2021

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Palawan placed under state of calamity amid COVID-19 surge PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - Palawan has been placed under a state of calamity amid a rise in active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

The Provincial Public Information Office (PIO) said the decision was made through a resolution of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

PDRRMO chief Jerry Alili said that the provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) will allocate additional funds for food packs, medicine, antigen test kits, personal protective equipment, and additional facilities.

As of June 8, Palawan has recorded 2,035 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 659 are active and 33 have

succumbed to the illness.. province used to record around 100 to 200 cases.

Palawan PIO chief Winston Arzaga said their CODue to the surge in cases, the local government disVID-19 cases suddenly surged after the national IATF couraged the public from going out or visiting tourists allowed leisurely trips from NCR Plus to selected areas spots. until June 15.

“The first reason is… if you remember, the national IATF loosened restrictions and inbound travelers arrived in Puerto Princesa and other areas without quarantine,” Arzaga said.

“After this, cases suddenly rose… because there’s no quarantine… so they arrived in Puerto Princesa and then visited other tourist destinations,” he added.

Arzaga said prior to relaxing travel restrictions, the

2 Pangasinan airports readied

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Alaminos Airport and the Lingayen Airport in Pangasinan are being rushed for early completion, according to Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Tugade highlighted several transportation projects as he committed the government’s continued investment in Pangasinan province that has “major potential for exponential growth”.

In a Facebook post, Tugade showcased the two airports currently under construction in the province.

“Amid the pandemic, the asphalt overlay of [Lingayen Airport’s] track, which commenced in 2018, was completed in August 2020. On the other hand, construction of barbed wire perimeter fence of the Alaminos Airport is already complete,” Tugade said.

He said two “social tourism port projects” have already been completed in Pangasinan in the maritime sector.

“This week, we will be visiting and inspecting the

Pangasinan North River landing, a project which we have completed in May 2018. We also have the completed Capandanan River landing project, which combined with the North River project, are seen to enhance maritime connectivity in the region,” Tugade said.

The province, he said, is a “major contributor” to Ilocos region’s numbers on the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP), with the region currently the third highest in industry consolidation rate at about 64 percent.

“The region currently has 62 approved transport cooperatives with around 3,821 members, Tugade said.

He said the DOTr will continue to support Pangasinan’s progress through mobility and connectivity projects.

“Indeed, Pangasinan is a province with major potential for exponential growth. Thus, now, more than ever, we are determined to fulfill our commitment and mission to support Pangasinan’s bid for progress,” Tugade said

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

6

New PHL Navy chief vows to continue Typhoon ‘Dante’ predecessor’s programs leaves 11 dead

“For the PN to sustain its organizational development and modernization path, it is my responsibility to continue what our outgoing FOIC, Vice Adm. Giovanni Bacordo, and his predecessors have already started,” Bordado said in his assumptionof-command NEW NAVY CHIEF Rear Adm. Adeluis Bordado during the assump�on- speech at the PN headquarters in of-command ceremony at the PN headquarters in Manila.

Manila on June 8.

He also said MANILA – Newly-appointed Philip- “continuity and change” are intertwined pine Navy (PN) flag-officer-in-command concepts that represent the direction of (FOIC), Rear Adm. Adeluis Bordado, his leadership. pledged to continue all the programs “And as we pursue continuity in our and projects initiated by his predeces- initiatives and in our growth as an orsor, Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, ganization, change will be an inevitable to sustain the development of the naval effect and end-point. PN will be steady service. on course, full speed ahead,” he added.

Bordado also said he would focus on education and training to boost the Navy’s “manpower and physical competence.”

This as the PN tries to seek solutions to many of the complex organizational and threat-based problems in the country’s security landscape.

Solutions for these need to be “carefully conceived ahead of time,” he said.

“We will ensure alignment horizontally among the operational and support units and vertically among the levels of command. This is how we will continue to modernize our mindset,” he added.

Bordado, who hails from Camarines Sur, graduated number 4 in the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988.

His expertise lies in operations, intelligence, information technology, budget, planning, and education and training.

Among the key positions he held are being chief of naval staff and commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Education, Training and Doctrine Command, Naval Installation Command, Naval Forces Southern Luzon.

Sobejana visits, rallies AFP troops in Pag-asa Island, asserts WPS rights KALAYAAN, Palawan – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, visited Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea on June 7 to uplift the morale and commend the efforts of military personnel securing its community and other areas within the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

“The AFP will strike a balance between mission accomplishments and looking after the morale and welfare of our men and women,” Sobejana said in a statement as he addressed personnel manning the Naval Station Emilio Liwanag in Pag-asa Island in asserting the Philippine rights over the island and the West Philippine Sea. The AFP chief was accompanied by key officers from the AFP General Headquarters and the Western Command (Wescom) during his trip.

The province of Palawan and the KIG, dubbed as the nation’s final frontier, are challenged with both external and territorial security concerns.

The Wescom is the vanguard of the country’s western frontier and is tasked to conduct territorial and external defense operations, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, within these areas of concern.

Sobejana noted the importance of their role in protecting the citizens of KIG and their livelihood, as well as guarding the country’s territories in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The AFP recently deployed additional air and naval assets under the operational con-

AFP CHIEF OF STAFF, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana (wearing garland), is given arrival honors during his visit to the Pag-asa Island.

trol of the Wescom in Palawan to support the National Task Force – WPS, with the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, in performing sovereignty patrols in the WPS. Before visiting Pag-asa Island, Sobejana met with troops of the 3rd Marine Brigade to extend the AFP’s commendation for keeping Palawan peaceful, stable, and progressive.

“The 3rd Marine Brigade’s hard work and persevering efforts for the past three months have yielded significant successes that brought us closer to our goal of putting a decisive end to insurgency and terrorism in

this part of the country,” he added.

Sobejana lauded the unit’s contributions in security operations, civil-military operations, stakeholder engagement, and Covid-19 mitigation efforts, which are vital to the overall mission accomplishment of Wescom and the AFP. The 3rd Marine Brigade, with the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4, was also awarded

by Sobejana with campaign streamers and a monetary reward of P500,000 for their successful dismantling of a New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla unit previously operating in Palawan.

QUEZON CITY - The death toll in the aftermath of tropical cyclone Dante (international name: Choi-wan) has climbed to 11.

Aside from the fatalities, two others were reported missing, while three persons were injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

All the casualties were reported in Mimaropa, the Visayas, and the regions of Davao and Soccsksargen.

Dante weakened into a tropical depression as it exited the country’s storm monitoring area on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., a day after reentering it, the state weather bureau said.

PHL Air Force boosts capability with 5 new Black Hawk helicopters CLARK, Pampanga – Another five S-70i Black Hawk combat utility helicopters from Poland has arrived in the country.

Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, said the five brand-new Black Hawk helicopters were loaded in an Antonov transport aircraft that arrived at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

These are part of the 16 helicopters ordered by the country from Polish company Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp.z.o.o.

An initial six units were delivered to the country in November last year.

“With the latest delivery, the PAF now has 11 Black Hawk utility helicopters. Meanwhile, the third batch of five helicopters are scheduled to be delivered before the end of 2021,” Mariano said in a statement.

The Polish company is manufacturing Black Hawk helicopters under license from Sikorsky USA. The 16 Black Hawk helicopters acquired by the country are worth US$241 million (about P11.5 billion). These were procured through a government-to-government transaction with Poland in 2019.

Mariano said these helicopters can be applied with suitable equipment to meet a variety of missions.

“The recent arrival of the five Black Hawks will further boost the heli-lift capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and will help the government deliver more services in more areas in less time. In the past few months, the Black Hawks transported vaccines and PPE (personal protective equipment) sets to the remotest areas of Batanes, Bicol, and other parts of the country,” he added.

7 June 10-16, 2021

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Davao City not Covid-19 ‘epicenter’ but cases surge DAVAO CITY – Davao City is not an “epicenter” of Covid-19 cases despite a surge of infections in the area.

This as 403 employees in a business process outsourcing office in Davao City have tested positive for COVID-19.

Davao City Assistant Health Officer Dr. Marjorie Culas said that the BPO company was already placed on lockdown after the results of the surveillance swab test where 1,000 employees were tested.

It was the second BPO company to be placed under lockdown due to confirmed cases. The city closed another company last week after 46 employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the term “epicenter” in re-

lation to epidemics refers to an area as the source of the infection and to connote the area as a hotspot for the infection.

“We discourage the use of the term ‘epicenter’ in describing the rise of cases in an area. These areas are not the origin of the Covid-19 virus,” Vergeire said.

“Moreover, using the term ‘epicenter’ detracts from other surrounding areas which may be equally or more affected by Covid-19. Considering this, no, Davao City is not an epicenter.”

Meanwhile, the OCTA Research Group said Davao City is projected to surpass Quezon City with the highest number of new cases.

The group said Davao City is one of the Mindanao cities considered as an

area of concern with 206 new cases for the period of May 31 to June 6, 2021. Its growth rate is 54 percent while its average daily attack rate is 11.34.

Vergeire said the Department of Health continues to closely monitor the situation in the southern city due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

“Select NCR areas, as well as Davao City, were among our flagged areas because these had High Risk case metrics (TWGR or ADAR) and high to critical risk health care and ICU utilization rates. We do not compare counts alone as they are all of equal importance based on these metrics,” she said.

Davao city is now facing a shortage of beds in its Temporary Treatment Man-

agement Facility (TTMF) due to rising COVID-19 cases.

Mayor Sara Duterte said the local government unit is now coordinating with a group of doctors to assist through online consultation patients who cannot be admitted to the TTMF. “We are looking for other areas where we can put out additional TTMF. As of the meantime, for those who cannot be admitted to TTMF yet, we are working with a doctors’ association on telemedicine to assist them on what they need to do while waiting for pick up,” she said.

The city government previously announced that the TTMF is nearing 100 percent bed occupancy following the surge of COVID19 cases in the city.

US names PHL as vaccine recipient; delivery ‘soon’ WASHINGTON/MANILA – White House has officially named the Philippines as one of the recipients of its vaccine donation, with the delivery expected soon, according to the United States Embassy in Manila.

“The President’s been very clear on the US commitment to help countries throughout the world on this. We’re going to be seeing vaccines in significant numbers arriving in the Philippines and countries all around the world,” Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law said.

Law expects Manila’s portion to be delivered “soon” but he did not provide a specific date, citing the logistical aspects that the White House needs to sort out first.

“The White House is currently looking at not only the logistical aspects but also, of course, each country may have different regulatory aspects, we’re talking about different as well, so I think the White House needs a little bit of time to sort those out but I would expect the announcement very soon,” he said.

The US is donating about 80 million doses of US-made coronavirus vaccine worldwide by end of June 2021.

Last June 3, it announced that the initial 19 million doses will be shared through COVAX Facility while approximately six million doses will be sent directly to countries in immediate need or those experiencing surges.

To be coursed through COVAX Facility, approximately seven million doses will be donated to Asia, including the Philippines, India, Nepal, Bangladesh,

Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands.

Its direct donation, meanwhile, will be targeted toward regional priorities and partner recipients, including Mexico, Canada, and the Republic of Korea, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, India, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as for United Nations frontline workers.

PHL Covid-19 recovered cases reach 1,188,243; deaths at 21,898; vaccination stepped up MANILA – The nation’s total number of recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases has reached 1,188,243 after 7,372 more recoveries were reported on June 6.

In its latest case bulletin, the Department of Health (DOH) noted that recoveries account for 93.6 percent of the total case Covid-19 count which has reached 1,269,478 since the start of the pandemic last year.

The agency also reported 7,228 new cases, bringing the total number of active cases to 59,337. About 93.5 percent of these active cases are mild, 2.4 percent are asymptomatic, 1.3 percent are critical, 1.7 percent are severe, and 1.15 percent are moderate.

Some 166 new deaths were also reported, pushing the country’s total number of Covid-19 fatalities to 21,898.

Meanwhile, the Philippines received 1 million additional doses of government-procured vaccine to be distributed in areas with high Covid-19 cases, particularly in Visayas and Mindanao.

National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III welcomed the ar-

rival of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccines on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J671 that arrived at 7:22 a.m. on June 6 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.

With the arrival of 1 million doses of Sinovac jab, Galvez said the government is looking to administer 4 to 5 million more doses of Covid-19 vaccine before the end of June.

He said the government has so far administered nearly 6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

The country has so far received 9.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, including 6.5 million Sinovac jabs.

Aside from China-made CoronaVac, other Covid-19 vaccine brands in the country’s inventory include AstraZeneca (UK), Sputnik V (Russia), and Pfizer (US).

According to DOH data on June 4, about 13.2 percent of 43,442 who were tested turned out positive for Covid-19.

“Some 10 duplicates were removed from the total case count, and of these, six were recovered cases and one is death. Moreover, 10 cases that were previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths after final validation,” the DOH said.

All laboratories were operational

on June 4 while three laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System (CDRS).

The DOH noted the three non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 0.68 percent of samples tested, and 1.27 percent of positive individuals based on data in the last 14 days.

To date, 58 percent of 1,900 intensive care unit beds, 48 percent of 13,600 isolation beds, 49 percent of 6,000 ward beds, and 38 percent of 2,000 ventilators are utilized by patients with Covid-19 nationwide.

Meanwhile, 51 percent of 700 intensive care unit beds, 40 percent of 3,800 isolation beds, 36 percent of 2,200 ward beds, and 34 percent of 800 ventilators dedicated to patients with Covid-19 are in use in the National Capital Region.

June 10-16, 2021

Daly City...

(From page 1)

Daly City was one of the first cities to raise the Philippine flag as it started the Philippine Independence Day celebration on Monday, June 7.

Daly City officials led by Mayor Juslyn Manalo, Vice Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual, Councilmembers Ray Buenaventura, Glenn Sylvester and Pam DiGiovanni, and other city officials spearheaded the event.

Guests from the San Francisco Philippine Consulate-General were led by new Consul General Neil Ferrer, Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Trade Commissioner Celynne Layug, and Tourism Director Soleil Tropicales, among others.

In her speech, Manalo, the first Filipina mayor of the city whose almost 40% of population are Filipinos and dubbed as the Gateway to the Peninsula, said she is “so humbled and proud” to lead the ceremonies and acknowledge that both her parents were born and raised in the Philippines.

World bank...

(From page 1)

ministration agreed, but lowered its forecast to between six and seven percent, from an earlier 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent.

“The resurgence of COVID-19 cases and re-imposition of more stringent quarantine measures held back the early signs of an economic rebound,” the Washington-based lender said.

Chua said the country’s economy could still recover somewhat this year,

“They raised both my sister, Carley Ann and I with the values of (pakikipag) kapwa, pakikiramdam, bayanihan and to embrace our Philippine heritage by speaking to us in Tagalog,” Manalo shared. “As my husband and I raise our two children Ethyn and Juselle, we will be sharing with them the heroes and heroines, like Lapu Lapu, Tandang Sora, Gabriella Silang, Andres Bonifacio and as Filipino Americans we will continue to honor Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, Tita Alice Bulos, Steve Arevalo, and Dawn Mabalon, among others as we now see representation and so proud of California Attorney General Rob Bonta.”

For his part, ConGen Ferrer voiced much appreciation in witnessing for the first time the first in-person flag-raising that he is attending in the Bay Area as the top Consulate official in a city where four out of the five city council members are of Filipino descent.

“This year’s celebration is momentous as we are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the United States. The friendship

between these two countries has been strengthened by its people-to-people relations, especially in locations such as Daly City, where Philippine culture and heritage continues to thrive. We hope that the leadership and people of Daly City will continue to serve as the bridge that links our two countries together,” Ferrer said.

Elaborating on the theme of this year’s celebration “Diwa ng Kalayaan sa Pagkakaisa at Paghilom ng Bayan,” (“The Spirit of Freedom in Unity and National Healing.”), Ferrer explained that Filipinos imbibe the freedoms we continue to enjoy towards achieving unity and healing as the nation recovers from the pandemic.

“Like many of you, I am pleased to be out and about after more than a year of sheltering-in-place. We have all experienced an extraordinary year and we are looking forward to California’s expected reopening in a week’s time. As we remember the heroism of those who fought for independence, we pay tribute to the everyday heroes of the pandemic, including our Filipino frontliners,” Ferrer said.

Ferrer recognized that amidst the

pandemic, the Filipino community is also ironically facing a serious threat posed by rising anti-Asian hate. He expressed solidarity in efforts to overcome this issue and hope that systemic changes will result from collective actions.

“In the spirit of freedom, let us unite as a community in celebrating our National Day, even as we continue to heal and recover from our experience of this pandemic. Let this experience strengthen us and bring us closer together as a people,” said Ferrer as he invited everyone to the virtual Philippine Independence Day celebration that will showcase the best of Filipino talent in the Bay Area and beyond and will be broadcast on the Philippine Consulate’s Facebook page at 6 p.m.

Pacific Time on June 26.

It will also be available on The Filipino Channel on June 27 and on TFC’s cable TV on July 11.

As of press time, flag-raising ceremonies on the 123rd Philippine Independence Day are also scheduled in Colma Town Hall on Wednesday and San Francisco City Hall on Friday.

but this is dependent on the government’s ability to manage the health crisis, hastening its mass vaccination program, and further loosening quarantine restrictions.

But the Philippines has been bogged down by a number of factors such as its late launch of its nationwide vaccination program. The government blamed the delayed arrival of large doses from suppliers, which had sold most of their stock to developed countries.

As of this week, less than five per-

cent of the Philippine population had received their first vaccination, and a little more than one percent had received the required two vaccinations.

Vaccine “czar” Carlito Galvez said the country should hit the six million mark in number of jabs by the end of this month, out of a total population of about 110 million.

Second wave When the second wave of COVID-19 infections appeared in the last month of the first quarter, a strict lockdown was only implemented in Metro Manila and four adjoining provinces. And while daily infections slowed down in the area, new cases began to appear in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The effect on the economy was devastating.

In the first quarter of 2021, the economy continued to shrink by 4.2 percent.

This marked the fifth consecutive decline of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP, or the sum total of the goods and services produced by an economy in a given period, less earnings from foreignbased workers).

Because some form of lockdown was imposed throughout the current second quarter, expectations are high that the Philippines will experience a sixth con-

secutive quarter of negative growth.

The unemployment rate best reflects the depressed state of the economy, rising to 8.7 percent as of April, this year, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released this week.

The 8.7 percent translates to 4.14 million Filipinos being jobless in the midst of the worst health and economic crisis in recent decades.

The unemployment rate had actually worsened from the 7.1 percent recorded by the PSA in March, this year.

The underemployment rate, meanwhile, was pegged at 17.2 percent in April. This translates to 7.45 million Filipinos looking for more hours of work.

Just like the employment rate, the underemployment rate saw a deterioration from last March’s 16.2 rate, or 7.3 million Filipinos.

The number of employed Filipinos stood at 43.27 million, or an employment rate of 91.3 percent. This was lower than the 45.3 million working Filipinos as of March, or 92.9 percent.

Unemployed and underemployed Filipinos said that the strictest lockdown and quarantine protocols known as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was to blame for their failure to find work.

LAW OFFICE OF

& ASSOCIATES 3255 Wilshire Blvd. Ste# 1010 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Tel: (213) 388-9925 Fax: (213) 388-6080 ocampolawofc@yahoo.com

CALIFORNIA LAWYER SINCE 1993 FOR COMPETENT & AFFORDABLE LEGAL SERVICES COMPLIMENTARY/FREE CONSULTATION

US IMMIGRATION LAW

FAMILY/EMPLOYMENT BASED PETITIONS LABOR CERTIFICATION DACA LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN DEPORTATION/REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS DIVORCE

FAMILY LAW

SPOUSAL SUPPORT CHILD CUSTODY/SUPPORT/VISITATION ADOPTION GUARDIANSHIP

PERSONAL INJURY

AUTO ACCIDENTS

PREMISES LIABILITY

SLIP AND FALL CASES

LABOR/EMPLOYMENT LAW

WRONGFUL TERMINATION WAGE AND HOUR DISPUTES WORKERS’ COMPENSATION PROBATE

DISCRIMINATION

ESTATE PLANNING

WILLS

TRUSTS

8

ESTATE ADMINISTRATION

TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM TREAT YOU

Pinoy...

(From page 1)

contingent watched in the golf course gallery and on television as Saso nailed a 10-foot birdie putt to clinch the victory and celebrated with her after the historic win.

Speaking in Filipino later, the golfing sensation thank her countrymen who watched her achieve history.

“Sobrang malaki po ‘yung pasasalamat ko sa kanilang lahat sa pagpunta po dito. Alam ko na hindi po madali kumuha ng tickets, madaming tao, kailangan po nila makipag-siksikan,” she said.

“Maraming salamat po. Ang dami niyo pong binigay sa akin na energy, salamat po.”

“There’s so many people holding up Philippines flags, and it’s really big. It

made me really happy,” she also said and reported by ABS-CBN. Among the earliest to congratulate Saso were athletes Rio Olympics medalist Hidilyn Diaz and basketball stars Kai Sotto, Thirdy and Kiefer Ravena.

Malacanang and Congress also hailed her for her victory which made her the first Filipino to win the championship.

Saso, who first made history for the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games by winning the first ever gold medal for the country in both women’s individual and team events, also became the second teenager to with the US Women’s Golf championship.

Malacañang congratulated Saso for her historic win while Congress considered a resolution formally congratulating her.

9 June 10-16, 2021 Duterte...

(From page 1)

The possibility was bolstered no less by an official Malacanang statement pointing out that “there is no chance” that President Rodrigo Duterte will pair with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte, in the 2022 national elections.

This as President Duterte, with less than a year before his term ends, said he sees no one worthy to be his successor.

“Wala, wala akong nakita na ano, [I can’t see anyone who is] deserving,” he said in an interview with his pastor friend Apollo Quiboloy.

Duterte said there are aspirants who can continue his legacy when his term ends in 2022, but he believes they have to do more to become president. He said he prefers to stay neutral for now. He added he may publicly name his choice “when the time comes.”

As this developed, a “Sara-Gibo” ticket surfaced, referring to Mayor Duterte and former presidential candidate, congressman and defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro, in addition to a “Sara-Bongbong” tandem proposed earlier following a meeting in Davao City

of the mayor and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sen. Imelda “Imee” Marcos.

In another development, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who opposed the Duterte-Duterte tandem, said he might run for president, with Senate President Vicente Sotto as runningmate.

A Duterte-Duterte tandem is a crazy proposition, said former Budget Secretary and congressman Rolando Andaya, adding the person who thought about setting the tandem as “crazier.”

Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano also said he opposed President Duterte running for vice president in 2022.

At the same time, Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, acting president of the ruling party PDP-Laban, who is known to be harbouring plans to run for president in 2022, traded barbs anew with President Duterte on the West Philippine Sea issue, stating that he was only disclosing the view of majority of Filipinos who believe that Mr. Duterte was not exerting enough efforts to defend the Philippine territory from China.

Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, another possible presidential candidate, earlier called

on Mr. Duterte to give others a chance at Philippine leadership.

The opposition, meanwhile, was set to disclose their nominees for president and vice president this June 12 as Vice President Leni Robredo ruled out earlier reports that she was no longer interested to run for president following her statement that she was incline to run for governor of Camarines Sur. The opposition coalition 1Sambayanan earlier said their possible nominees are led

by Robredo, Sen. Nancy Binay, Mayor Isko Moreno, and former Senator Antonio Trlllanes IV. Duterte will not seek a national post, should Sara decide to run for president next year, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview with dzRH. But another Malacanang statement later pointed out that Mr. Duterte has not decided on the matter which indicated that he may yet accept the nomination.

“Sa tingin ko po iyong isyu kung siya ay tatakbo o hindi, nakadepende po iyan, unang-una kung tatakbo si Mayor Inday Sara. Kung tatakbo po si Mayor Inday Sara, sigurado po ako hindi siya tatakbo ng vice

president (I think the issue as to whether he will run or not depends on whether Mayor Inday Sara will run. If Mayor Sara runs, I am sure he will not run for vice president),” Roque said.

Mr. Duterte, in an interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s SMNI’s “Exclusive,” said he is reluctant to join the 2022 vice presidential race, as he wants to retire and return to his hometown, Davao City.

Duterte disclosed he has again told Sara not to “commit the mistake of running for presidency.”

Duterte said in the interview as he is “ready” to retire as the country’s chief executive after his term ends in June next year.

“Mahirap iyan kasi mag-retire na ako tapos this time ako ang mamili ng presidente (It’s difficult because I will retire and this time, I will have to pick the presidential aspirant),” Duterte said.

Duterte added that he would resist calls to seek vice presidency to reject insinuations that he wants to hold on to power.

While Duterte eyes retirement after his term ends in June next year, he might change his mind depending on “different scenarios,” Roque said.

Fully Vaccinated?

What the CDC Says You Should and Shouldn't Do Now How do I know if I am fully vaccinated?

A person is fully vaccinated two weeks after you have received the second dose of the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19

vaccine or a single dose of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

New recommendations for fully vaccinated

What should I do after being fully vaccinated?

It is acceptable for fully vaccinated individuals to visit your children, grandchildren or friends within a single household who are at low risk for a severe case of coronavirus without wearing a mask or needing to social distance.

Fully vaccinated individuals may also visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without masking or social distancing. Quarantining or getting tested after contact with someone who has COVID-19 is not necessary, as long as no symptoms are exhibited.

Do continue precautions that have been in place during most of the pandemic. When fully vaccinated people are visiting unvaccinated people from more than one household and/or are around people who are at high risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19, they should: • Wear a well-fitted mask • Stay at least 6 feet from people they do not live with • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms • Follow guidance issued by individual employers

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccination at aarp.org/vaccineinfo Scan here to download free COVID-19 vaccine handbook

 NATIONAL NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

10

PHL embassy to pause acceptance of dual citizenship applications

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) has started studying the possibility of lifting restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of face masks and physical distancing.

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said health experts, together with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), are looking at the possibility of lifting restrictions in specific bubbles.

“Ito ho ngayon ang ginagawa natin, tayo po ay nagaaral na nitong sinasabi na rekomendasyon na ito para makita na natin if we can apply this in specific bubbles (This is what we’re doing now, we are studying this recommendation so we can see if we can apply this in specific bubbles),” Vergeire said.

She said the study would look beyond the number of vaccinated people and would consider the current state of Covid-19 infections in the country.

However, she said it is too early to say when the easing of restrictions would happen.

“Kailangan natin tignan ano na po ba ang estado ng ating mga kaso dito sa NCR (National Capital Region) or healthcare utilization rate kung nakakaluwag-luwag na tayo. Kailangan din ho natin tignan ‘yung compliance ng tao sa minimum health protocols (We need to look at the state of cases here in NCR or whether we have room based on our healthcare utilization rate. We also need to look at the public’s compliance with minimum health protocols),” Vergeire said.

Despite the one million individuals who have received their full doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in the country, she noted that the number is still relatively small compared to the total population of the country— around 109 million based on 2019 data.

“They say we can achieve this through herd immunity pero alam naman natin na matagal pa ho natin ‘yan

makakamit (but we know it would take a long time before we achieve this),” Vergeire said.

She said the lifting of restrictions currently being rolled out across the United States is not yet possible in the country.

“Hindi pa rin ho natin ‘yan makonsidera dahil ‘yung rate ng vaccination natin hindi naman po pareho dun sa Estados Unidos. Marami na Silang nabakunahan na kababayan nila (We cannot consider that yet because our rate of vaccination is not similar with the United States.

They have vaccinated many of their people),” Vergeire said.

She noted that some places in the country still experience increases in Covid-19 infections.

“So, pag-aaralan po lahat ‘yan kasama ng ibang factors (So, we will study this along with other factors), not just vaccination, then we will inform the public,” Vergeire said.

1 more cop dies of virus; PNP reports 203 new Covid-19 cases CAMP CRAME, Quezon City - The Philippine National Police (PNP) Health Service reported 203 new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19 cases) and one fatality among its personnel.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar identified the 68th fatality as a 55-year-old male and a Police Master Sgt. assigned in Cagayan de Oro City.

According to reports, the said personnel experienced cough and fever on May 24 but no consultation was done due to fear of being Covid-19 infected.

The next day, he was still noted to be suffering

from cough and fever but with shortness of breath thus decided to seek consultation with a private physician.

An antibiotic medication was given to him for pneumonia and was also advised for admission but due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in Cagayan de Oro they were unable to find a hospital for his admission.

On the same day, he experienced difficulty in breathing and was immediately brought to a hospital where he got swabbed, intubated, and was admitted to the Covid-19 ward.

He was then diagnosed with Community-Acquired Pneumonia-High Risk, Hypertension, and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2.

On May 26 at 11 a.m. the wife of the personnel received the information that her husband succumbed to Covid-19. The policeman was cremated the following day.

As of June 5, with 203 new cases, the PNP posted a total of 24,691 confirmed cases with 1,733 active cases. A total of 104 recoveries were noted bringing the total number to 22,890.

1-877-456-9266 www.crispinlozanolaw.com • • • •

Deportation and Removal Defense Waiver of Misrepresentation Self Petition for Abused Spouse Waiver of Crimes and Inadmissibility • Fiancé Visa Petition

1290 B Street, Suite 205 Hayward, CA 94541

• Eliminate Credit Card Debts • Stop Collections and Harassments

17215 Studebaker RD., Suite 337 Cerritos, CA 90703

11 June 10-16, 2021

 OPINION Colma honors PH, FilAms

T

EDITORIAL

A seriously disturbed individual

E

ver since he left office, Donald Trump has not only continued to spread the Big Lie that he actually won the 2020 election, he has been finding ways to keep himself relevant.

After all of the major social media platforms decided to ban him, he attempted to put up a blog in order to reach out to his fanatical followers on a regular basis.

It didn’t work. His blog didn’t even last a full month before Trump shut it down permanently, embarrassed by the sad fact that he could not find an audience.

There are strong indications that he is already a spent force, although he will never admit it. Not to the public, and certainly not to himself.

Most recently, he has clung on to yet another big lie. He now says, and seems to believe, that he will be reinstated as president in August. This despite the fact that there is no legal mechanism for such a ridiculous action to take place.

We can state with absolute certainty that he will still be a twice impeached, single term president in August, and beyond. This is not a 99 percent guarantee, or even a 99.99 percent assurance. We know for a fact that Trump will never be reinstated as president anytime.

He may run for president in 2024. Nothing is stopping him from doing so. A good number of Republicans may even goad him into running again by telling him that he will be a sure winner.

Trump and all his true believers will ignore one undeniable fact. The numbers are against him. He lost the popular vote in 2016 by some three million votes. Last year, he lost by more than double that figure, or by more than seven million votes.

If he runs in 2024, it is safe to foresee that he will lose by ten, twelve, or even fifteen million votes.

More recently, one media sycophant put in his head the possibility that Trump could run for congressman, with the end in view of becoming Speaker of the House.

He found this idea quite attractive, as he would not only replace current Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but also set the stage for the impeachment of President Joe Biden.

These twin possibilities are more than enough for Trump to salivate at the thought of a return to political power. There’s just one problem. It is not going to happen. Not in a million years.

Very clearly, Trump is like a drowning man clutching at anything that could save him.

We daresay that nothing he does will save his soiled reputation, or prevent the inevitable from happening. The legal troubles he currently faces will drive him over the edge.

At this late stage in his admittedly colorful life, Donald J. Trump has become a seriously disturbed individual. As such, he has become a danger to himself.

He has become a sad and pathetic sight to behold, and his world is collapsing all around him for one reason and one reason alone. He could not accept the fact that he lost the November 2020 election.

Unless and until he accepts that reality, he will continue to take the path that will ultimately lead to madness.

Upside

HE entire Philippine Consulate General leadership witnessed the Colma June 9 PH flag-raising rites saluting the 75th year since the Philippines and the United States partnered diplomatically: Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul Jed Martin Llona, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Consul Dominic Xavier Imperial, Trade Commissioner Celynne Layug, Tourism Director Soleil Tropicales, Social Security System Representative Maritess Marin and Philippine Center Management CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO Board Administrative Officer Genevieve Ferrer.

Ferrer in remarks honored the heroes - the frontliners both during the fight for independence and now in the pandemic. He pointed to the rise in anti-Asian hate, expressing hope in unity with the “community in efforts to overcome” and result in “systemic changes” on the issue. He lauded the town’s elected FilAm women officials Mayor Diana Colvin and Council Member Joanne del Rosario. Proclamation signed and presented by the town Council details significance of the occasion: WHEREAS, on June 12, 2021, the Filipino American community will celebrate the 123rd Anniversary of Philippine Independence, and on this occasion it is appropriate to make special recognition of our community’s Filipino American citizens and thank them for their countless contributions to our nation’s cultural, economic, and political heritage; and WHEREAS, the Philippine Declaration of Independence took place on June 12, 1898, when Filipino revolutionary forces, under the leadership of General Emilio Aguinaldo, publicly read the Act of Declaration of Independence proclaiming the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain; and WHEREAS, Spain later ceded the Philippines to the United who did not recognize Philippine Independence until the signing of the Treaty of Manila on July 4, 1946; for nearly two decades, July 4 was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until President Diosdado Macapagal, upon the advice of historians and the urging of nationalists, designated the country’s Independence Day as June 12, which had previously been observed as Flag Day; and WHEREAS, the Town of Colma is proud to have strong ties to the Filipino and Filipino American community; Colma has a significant Filipino and Filipino American population, as does the whole San Mateo County, with our neighbor Daly City having the highest concentration of Filipino/Filipino Americans in any city in the United States; and WHEREAS, the Filipino community is also represented in our business community; the Town’s largest business, Lucky Chances Casino, is a Filipino American owned business; Colma also has several Filipino American community organizations that help serve our community, including Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center and ALLICE Kumares and Kumpares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting healthier relationships, and which was named after Tita Alice(Continued on page 27)

Philippine News Today is published weekly by Philippines Today LLC with business and editorial offices at 6454 Mission Street, Daly City, CA 94014., with telephones 650.757.1480, 650.872.3200, 650.552.9775 and website address www.pnewstoday.com and email address advertising@philippinestodayus.com or editor@philippinestodayus.com MANILA OFFICE: Le Marquis Townhomes, 51 P. Tuazon Blvd. Quezon City 1112, Tels. 8546.8426, 8451.1892, 8546.8421

FRANCIS ESPIRITU MARILYN B. KING

Vice President for Sales and Marketing

BETING LAYGO DOLOR Manila Editor

JUNNI RANILLO

Entertainment Editor

ANGELO LOPEZ Cartoonist

ELEANOR SMITH Office Manager

NICK SAGMIT GEORGE GANGE RENE AVENIDO

Photo Correspondents

Publisher/President

THELMA L. CRUZ

Vice President for Operations & Promotions

CHERIE QUEROL MORENO Executive Editor

NEIL GONZALES

Chief Correspondent Northern California

LYDIA SOLIS

Chief Correspondent Southern California

MA. CECILIA G. MADELO Graphic Director

GILDA PASION BALAN FRANCO G. REGALA ALI MACABALANG JEANNE MICHAEL PENARANDA ABRAHAM ASUNCION

ALFRED G. GABOT Editor-in-chief

CLAIRE M. TRUE Managing Editor

JO ERLINDA YABUT Entertainment Editor

THOMAS G. MADELO JR. Creative Director

BLESIE D. SISON ALBERT MARTINEZ RENE AMON Account Executives

Manila Correspondents

VAL G. ABELGAS, HOMOBONO A. ADAZA, PERRY DIAZ, JOJO LIANGCO, JO ERLINDA G. NEBRES, ROY C. MABASA, ART G. MADLAING, FR. JOEPEL PADIT, RODEL E. RODIS, LOURDES TANCINCO ESQ, MELANDREW T. VELASCO, DANTES & CYNTHIA VELUZ, CRISTINA OSMENA, LUDY ONGKEKO. COLUMNISTS

The views and opinions expressed herein by writers, columnists and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, management and staff of Philippines Today. We are not responsible for incorrect printing, photographical errors or information listed or for loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts.

Reproduction or redistribution in whole or in part is prohibited.

 OPINION

June 10-16, 2021

PerryScope

A

re you planning or thinking of selling your home or prop-

erty?

Here are seven tips and questions you should know before listing your home or property for sale.

1.

WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN CRITERIA ART GABOT MADLAING IN CHOOSING A REAL ESTATE BROKER OR AGENT? You need a full-time Real Estate Broker or Agent. He or she must be knowledgeable and must have enough experience in the business for at least five years or longer. I partner with a full-time Real Estate Broker with combined experience of more than 50 years. It like hiring two brokers for the price of one.

2. CHECK ADVERTISING AND MARKETING PROGRAM FOR YOUR PROPERTY. More advertising means more exposure of your home or property. More exposure means faster sale and higher price for your home or property. We advertise our listings in the local newspapers and in the weekly Philippine News Today for additional exposure to the Filipino and Asian communities. I also feature our listings in my weekly column HEALTH & WEALTH” for more exposure of your home or property.

3. TAX & CAPITAL GAINS. Did you consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of selling your home or property? How about capital gains and exemptions? The most important issue is not how much you sell your house or property but how much net proceeds you’ll get afte4r tax and capital gains consideration. We coordinate with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Tax Attorney for tax advice with our prospective home sellers before listing a home or property for sale.

4. DO YOU NEEED 1031 EXCHANGE? Home, rental and income property owners need a knowledgeable and experienced Real Estate Broker to coordinate the 1031 Exchange process. The Real Estate Broker or Agent has important and critical role in completing a smooth and successful 1031 Exchange.

5. REAL ESTATE AGENT MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. For effective and efficient service, make sure to choose a Real Estate Broker or Agent who is familiar with the neighborhood. He or she must be an Area Specialist or Neighborhood Specialist.

6.

OPEN HOUSES. Check how OPEN HOUSES are conducted as part of the service before listing your home or property for sale. We have perfected an OPEN HOUSE SYSTEM to bring prospective buyers together at almost the same time. This will create urgency to make offers and ignite competition among prospective buyers.

7.

HOW MUCH IS THE BROKERAGE FEE? The standard brokerage fee in the industry is ^% of the sale prices of homes and rental or income properties; and 10% for lots or land acreage. Our brokerage fees at Statewide Realty is negotiable. In today’s skyrocketing home prices in San Francisco Bay Area, particularly in San Francisco, San Jose and vicinities, ranging from $1.5 million to $4.5 million, it means BIG SAVINGS of $30,000 to $50,000 or more in brokerage fees.

For professional help, assistance and guidance in Selling or Buying Real Estate, you can call or contact: Art G. Madlaing, Real Estate Broker, Tel.(650)438-3531 or (415)584-7095 or email: agmadlaing@hotmail.com (ART GABOT MADLAING is accredited, 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. He is active Evangelist with the GOLDEN GATE CHURCH OF CHRIST in San Francisco, California, USA.)

What does a Duterte-Duterte scenario in 2022 polls tell us?

T

he country was electrified last week by two political developments.

First, the PDP-Laban adopted a resolution urging President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in 2022 after his six-year, single term ends.

(ERRATUM: The photo in the column logo of Manuel Mogato, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was mistakenly replaced with that of Mindanao jour- MANNY MOGATO nalist Ali Macabalang’s photo. Our apologies.)

Second, Albay Congressman dropped the bomb by announcing what is long rumored plan of Sara Duterte-Carpio to run for president next year.

This is not a total surprise as the president’s chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, has been preaching a Duterte-Duterte tandem in the May 2022 elections.

However, it would be impossible for the daughter and father to run together under one banner as Sara has rejected invitations by the PDP-Laban, her father’s political party, to join the club.

She wanted to be independent from her father, telling the people she has a mind of her own and may not continue the failed policies of her father in addressing the pandemic and the maritime dispute with China.

She may even break the heart of pro-China people in the country as the US State Department has an eye on her after granting her fellowship recently before the pandemic.

If she really plans to run for president, she may coalesce with other political parties, like the Lakas-NUCD, the NUP, the NPC, and the NP. The PDP-Laban will be forced to support her if the president decides to support her.

The president has not decided to run for vice president but this will break PDP-Laban’s heart if he decides to retire or maybe, reclaim his old position as mayor of Davao City.

It is really unthinkable for Duterte and Duterte-Carpio to run together under one party or on different political parties next year.

First, from the legal and constitutional point of view, it will be a highly controversial, fueling heated debates because if President Duterte wins, there is a possibility he will become president again if something happens to the president.

Of course, there is no law barring him from seeking the second highest position in the land but the political opposition can raise the issue before the Supreme Court.

Second, the possibility of a daughter and father running together in the two highest positions in the land suggests the lack of options for the Filipino to choose new leaders. It will also suggest that the government will be more like of the same and Filipinos have abandoned the desire for a change.

Political observers from outside the country would be puzzled on why Filipinos choose to keep an administration despite its dismal performance in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, get the economy back of its feet after the longest recession experienced since the Marcos years and the continued impunity to end violence and corruption.

From the outside world, it will be a contradiction for a rabid pro-American Filipinos to support a China-loving leader and his daughter whose position on the issue is uncertain.

Third, a Duterte-Duterte tandem could be seen as a desperate effort of the president to ensure the victory of his daughter, who will be seen as a weak candidate next year.

The administration is confident of a Duterte-Duterte victory next year and the tandem, based on surveys, is a sure winner at the polls given the weak political opposition.

In fact, opinion polls have shown pro-administration potential candidates were on top against the political opposition led

by Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Antonio Trillanes. Even independent Senator Panfilo Lacson is at the bottom of the list.

Sara, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, ex-senator and the dictator’s namesake Bongbong Marcos and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno are on top of the lists.

However, surveys do not predict the outcome of the elections and those who are on top of the list in pre-election polls end up losers as what elections tell us since 2004.

Movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. led surveys but lost to Gloria Arroyo in 2004. Well, let’s forget the “Hello Garci” episode because Arroyo would have won the polls even without the extra one million vote. She only wanted an insurance policy but it (Continue on page 27) backfired.

ANALYSIS

B

arely a year to the 2022 presidential election, the field is getting crowded. And money is not a problem for the top three undeclared contenders. They’re all super rich. But how they will fight it out is a subject of much speculation. They’re all expected to slug it out in the open once the campaign season starts. That’s only a short PERRY DIAZ four months away. And as the last day of filing of candidacy on October 8th gets closer, the rivalry intensifies. As expected, they’ll all hold their certificates of candidacies close to their chests. However, it would be anti-climactic since they’re all known to harbor this chance of a lifetime to be the next president.

Let’s begin with the most obvious presidential wannabe who is Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the colorful incumbent president, Rodrigo Duterte, who by law is precluded from seeking a second term. Inday Sara, as she is known in political circles, is currently the 43-year-old mayor of Davao City.

Recent polls show her as the top choice of potential voters next year, followed by former Senator Bongbong Marcos, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos’ son who is named after him. At 63 years of age, Bongbong is getting old. If he passes up an opportunity to run for president this year, he’d be 69 at the next presidential campaign. He’d be too old by Philippine standards and he’d become the next Jejomar Binay, competing against younger candidates.

The third presidential hopeful is none other than the famous world boxing champion, 42-year-old Sen. Manny Pacquiao. The youthful Pacquiao is a mega-billionaire and would be able to finance his own campaign against anybody. But his popularity is waning. He will be termed out in 2022 after serving as senator for 12 years.

Pacquiao is acting president of the PDP-Laban Party, now being chaired by President Duterte. Duterte, who is in favor of his daughter Sara for president and he seems bent on knocking Pacquiao out of contention for the 2022 presidential election in support of his daughter.

Duterte-Duterte tandem President Duterte, however, is being rumored to run for vice president, which would make it interesting to see a fatherdaughter tandem. But the president is denying such rumors.

How about Sen. Bong Go, Duterte’s former aide who remains loyal like a “lapdog”? Speculation is rife that he will run for president. Unless, he runs as Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential running mate, there is no guarantee that Go would win. But Go doesn’t have a chance without Duterte as his running mate. Last March 11, Go denied that he wanted to run for president but said, “My mind might change if President Duterte runs for vice president.” The question is: If both were elected president and vice president, what would prevent Go from resigning the presidency so that his veep Duterte would assume the presidency?

With anti-Chinese sentiments running high in the country due to the West Philippine Sea territorial dispute, he’d be lucky if he’d get 3% of the votes. However, if Go runs with Rodrigo Duterte as his running mate, Duterte could use the government resources to push for a Go-Duterte victory.

They’ll have the “power of incumbency,” which would put at their disposal all the government resources including the military and national police forces. It would be so easy for them to run a Triple G strategy – Gold, Guns, and Goons, which was popularized during the Marcos years.

Constitutional question But there is a constitutional question in the event Duterte runs for vice president. Article VII Section 4 says: “The President shall not be eligible for any re-election.” Clearly, the operative word is “any.” It prohibits the President from running for re-election in “any” office, whether it’s President, Vice President, Senator, Congressman or even Mayor or Council Member. Period. I’m pretty sure that the Supreme Court would interpret it as such. So if Papa Duterte were disqualified from running for vice president, then Go would not run for president either.

Duterte’s best option is for daughter to run as the vice presidential running mate of Bongbong Marcos or vice versa.

It’s interesting to note that on May (Continue on page 27)

Health & Wealth

Tips & questions before listing your home for sale

Battle of Titans looms

12

13 June 10-16, 2021

 OPINION

A

Offline

t the start of this week, the average daily total of new coronavirus cases in the country was hovering in the 5,000 to 7,000 level.

The government is saying that this shows a “sharp” drop from a month or so ago, when the level was around 10,000 to 12,000, even reaching a high of 15,000 for one day.

What the Duterte regime is BETING DOLOR not saying is that their own prediction was that the daily average would drop to around 3,000 by this time, approaching the daily average of between 1,000 and 2,000 in early March of this year as a best case scenario.

Obviously, that target was not met. Filipinos are still getting infected by the thousands and dying by the hundreds every day.

To this, the apologists of Duterte are saying absolutely nothing.

Indeed, it is a loud silence because the current regime refuses to accept failure of any kind, even when it is staring everybody in the face.

Worst of all, anyone who cites irrefutable evidence that the regime is failing such as what is happening now where the pandemic is concerned will be accused of turning a serious crisis into a political matter.

Facts are facts, and the data regarding the pandemic comes from official government sources.

At the very least, the government sources are to be commended for not understating the daily cases of the dread disease.

On the opposite end, the same government is to be blamed for its failed policies that have caused untold suffering to hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, and death to more than 20,000 thus far.

The biggest failure is seen from the movement of infections outside Metro Manila, with Metro Cebu and Metro Davao now showing dramatic hikes in new cases. This simply means that concentrating too much of its stopgap efforts in the National Capital Region and four adjoining provinces only set the stage for infections to explode in other parts of the country.

According to the Health department, Metro Manila as of this week accounts for only 13 percent of the total new COVID-19 cases. Well and good. But what about the remaining 87 percent?

What the Department of Health is not saying is that throughout the rest of the archipelago, the danger of being infected persists. And since the vaccination program of the government still concentrates in the metropolis, it can only mean that there will be no significant drop in new cases in the rest of the country.

Having been a media practitioner for some three decades now, I have met a lot of public relations practitioners, even befriending a few of them. Some of my peers in media also turned to PR when they discovered that the industry could be a gold mine for some.

I get how the industry works. For PR practitioners, the only news they disseminate about their clients are good news. Whenever possible, they try to “kill” negative news, and they earn a pretty penny if they are successful.

The problem with the Duterte regime is that it has failed to entice the best PR professionals to join them. What the regime has recruited are either failed PR practitioners, or dirty players.

They may not be good in messaging, but they are experts in stuffing envelopes with cash, and distributing the payola during press cons, or depositing directly to the accounts of a few key media players who then make sure that only good news regarding the regime comes out.

Just this week, one of the country’s biggest broadcast media organizations pulled their Malacanang reporter out of the important beat. His sin? He dared fact check the questionable data coming out of the presidential palace.

More than a couple of PR pros told me the basic tenet of their industry – do good and tell the world about it.

In the case of Duterte’s highly paid amateurs, none have been able to do the job. But since the president does not know how to distinguish the good from the bad, he is happy when they all praise him and tell him that he is the best president ever.

They are now trying to convince him to run for vice president next year.

And just as the regime is failing to control the pandemic, it is also failing to answer claims from a number of legal experts who say that running for VP would be illegal on the part of Duterte. That scrap of paper called the Constitution says so.

Oh yes, the charter will be dismissed by the Duterte camp as (Continue on page 27) just another piece of paper, the

A

How the rich abuse their privilege

re you furious about the recent news on the low taxes paid by some of the richest people in America?

A publication called ProPublica received IRS tax information from an unknown source covering 15 years of tax filing history for thousands of people. Apparently, included in those thousands are the likes of Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, and Elon Musk. According to ProPublica, Jeff Bezos paid no federal income taxes in 2007 and again in 2011. In fact, he actually received a child-care tax credit or two in recent years, allegedly. I am not surprised because I know wealth and income are taxed differently and that income is what the government pursues while asset appreciation can be the biggest contributor to someone’s net worth.

I thought this infuriating news might be a good prompt to share another story about people I (unfortunately) know who have used their privilege to abuse the system.

Many moons ago, my son attended a parochial school in San Mateo. It is an Episcopalian school (my husband and I are both baptized Catholics, just like 90% of the Philippines) but I was new to the area when I enrolled him and didn’t study my school options as I should have. For those of you who are not intimate with the Bay Area, the availability of slots at good schools is sparse and the public school system is challenged by severe quality problems (anyone who doubts that, just ask the kids who had to live through a year of remote learning!). I found the environment shockingly strange, like I had been transported back to the 1950s and locked into California’s interpretation of Stepford. Most of the families attending were white whereas less than 50% of San Mateo is white. The social powerbase resided squarely with the white moms in Hillsborough who drove designer SUVs and belonged to one of the two local country clubs. It was ridiculously conventional, horror-movie cliché. Having just arrived from New York, I became despondent that this was now my world.

I’m not writing about the cultural nightmare I experienced ten years ago (although it might make an interesting story after this much time). My point is that whatever I found insincere, even creepy about the school culture snowballed a few years later into a child pornographer (Anthony Satriano) preying on little blond girls, a San Quentin prison sentence, and a seven-digit settlement for damages.

The school, obsessed with perpetuating the lie of suburban convention, forgot all about the pedophile in their midst.

A few years later, a pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Children went home and instruction became virtual. It was a perfect excuse to cancel traditions that typically happen every year. This San Mateo school canceled the awarding of a valedictorian designation. But it wasn’t because there was a pandemic. It was because parents with deep and generous pockets had a child in the graduating class who did not look like he/she/it would earn the honor, a blow since all prior siblings had gotten it. Instead of coaching their child to accept life’s blows as they come, the mother requested to cancel the valedictorian award and the school agreed. Since I heard this story, I have been wondering which child was cheated of the designation—was it a financial aid student or a hard-working immigrant? Graduating as valedictorian would have looked quite nice on applications to both high schools and college. That poor child may perhaps never know that a Hillsborough mom with frosty blond bangs and deep wrinkles wouldn’t think twice about depriving someone of an opportunity if it spared her child’s feelings. Reminds me of a G-rated version of the college admission scandal of 2019.

Rich people. In the end, they’re probably not heroes.

‘Tact, finesse, and the finest hour’

P

resident Rodrigo Duterte keeps saying that the Philippines “has to go to war” to assert her rights against China in the WPS. Duterte spreads fear by declaring that war is the only answer and available recourse. Definitely, there are other means for the Philippines to assert her EEZ rights.

Brunei, Malaysia, Thai- ATTY. JOJO LIANGCO land, Vietnam, and Indonesia like the Philippines are also members of the ASEAN (“Association of Southeast Asian Nations”). They have voiced their opposition and have rejected China’s claim in the region but they have not embraced a militaristic approach. Instead, they have declared that China has no claim based on the framework of the UNCLOS. It is heartbreaking and disappointing to see a president raise his hands in defeat without even trying to make a stand and a global call for support and solidarity. Duterte said that “they (China) are in possession of the property . . . what can we do?” If he cannot lead his people to oppose China’s claim, he can at least voice his support to the Filipino people’s brave stand against China’s aggression. He can also join hands with the other ASEAN members to call the nations of the world to support their stand against China’s unwelcomed presence in the region. *** The Philippines scored a moral and a legal victory before the UN Tribunal. The democratic nations of the world will surely support the UN Tribunal’s position that affirmed the economic rights of the Philippines in the WPS. Why talk about war when other friendly nations are just waiting for the Philippines to make a call for support?

The U.S. also agrees with the UN Tribunal’s decision.

Why surrender and spread fear by telling the Filipino people that the Philippines has to go to war to pursue her EEZ rights? *** All of us fear war and should avoid it at all cost. The lessons we learned from the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 should help Duterte realize that there are other ways to settle conflicts and disputes.

After the failed “Bay of Pigs” attack by the U.S. in Cuba, Soviet premier Nikita Khruschev and Cuban leader Fidel Castro agreed to install missile launching facilities in Cuba in 1962. President John F. Kennedy was informed about the presence of nuclear missiles, and in response, he ordered a naval blockade to prevent the delivery of more Soviet missiles and demanded the removal of the installed missiles in Cuba. This tense situation between the U.S. and the then Soviet Union resulted in a 13-day standoff and the threat of a nuclear war became evident.

The talks and the negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were heated but in the end, a win-win agreement was reached. Premier Khruschev agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba, and in exchange, President Kennedy agreed to dismantle the medium-range ballistic missiles that the U.S. installed in Turkey.

The commitment of both leaders to keep the communication lines open prevented a full-scale nuclear war. Both leaders taught the world and future leaders that war is not the answer. Diplomacy results in win-win situations. What stops Duterte from even launching a strong protest for his country? *** There are so many lessons in history about leaders who have inspired their people to unite and defeat a common enemy--- even if the enemy appears to be very powerful and formidable. Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s “Their Finest Hour” speech 80 years ago when Great Britain was faced with the threat of Nazi-invasion rallied his people to stand tall and to oppose Adolf Hitler’s aggression. Before he concluded his 36-minute speech, Churchill said--“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin.

Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.

Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, includ(Continue on page 27)

Immigrant’s Story

Why the war vs COVID-19 is failing in PH

 IMMIGRATIONS

G

Biden instructed ICE for new prosecutorial discretion on immigration

ood news for all immigrants having cases in Immigration Court. The Biden Administration instructed ICE to use prosecutorial discretion on most immigration cases especially those in Immigration Courts. We are waiting for the formal procedure to be adopted by ICE to apply for this relief.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement prosecutors have been instructed by the Biden administration that they can consider dismissing cases for immigrants who have been longtime green card holders, are pregnant or elderly, have a serious health condition, or have been in the US from a young age, the documents state.

The guidance, written by chief ICE attorney John Trasviña, a President Biden appointee, was sent to prosecutors on May 27 and represents a shift in how the agency pursues deportation orders in immigration court by emphasizing the discretion prosecutors have in court. While it does not require prosecutors to toss cases, it could lead to more immigrants having the ability to push for delays or dismissal of their deportation cases.

DHS officials hope it leads to the public trusting that cases are not being pursued solely because they can be.

Trasviña instructed his attorneys to follow the Biden administration’s priorities on focusing resources on public safety and national security threats, but also explained that prosecutors should consider an immigrant’s circumstances in cases. He wrote that prosecutors can assess someone’s ties in the US, work history, or status as a victim or witness in a criminal proceeding when deciding whether to prosecute, dismiss, or delay cases.

The memo represents the latest change pushed by a Biden administration that is intent on reshaping how ICE officers and prosecutors pursue arrests and deportations. In recent weeks, ICE officials have set up a process for immigrants to appeal deportations and arrests via individuals at agency headquarters, sharply limited who could be arrested at courthouses across the US, and mandated that immigrants no longer be referred to as “illegal aliens” in official communications.

ICE prosecutors are key players in the immigration system as they pursue deportations and make daily decisions on whether certain cases should be dismissed or whether an individual should be released from detention. Immigration attorneys regularly request cases be delayed, closed, or dismissed in immigration court and prosecutors can choose to support or oppose those efforts as part of their discretion.

In Trasviña’s memo, prosecutors are told that they should be screening cases for potential prosecutorial discretion regardless of whether attorneys request it. This screening should happen at the beginning stages throughout the entirety of the process, officials added.

The memo appears to bring back many of the same principles ICE prosecutors followed during the Obama administration. During that time, ICE attorneys were encouraged to request the dismissal or indefinite suspension of deportation cases of immigrants who were not serious criminals or national security threats. To do so, the administration directed ICE attorneys to look for qualifying cases and encouraged immigration attorneys to email ICE with requests for “prosecutorial discretion.”

His memo not only reestablishes the use of the inbox for prosecutors to check for requests to delay or dismiss cases, but adds in a layer of reasons prosecutors should consider.

Prosecutors are told to assess “mitigating” factors, such as whether the immigrant has family ties to the US, is pursuing an education, their contributions to the community, or their health, age, and pregnancy status, when moving forward with cases.

Whether someone fits the priorities of the Biden administration — namely whether they have certain criminal convictions — will be a major factor in the decision to agree to “continue” or delay cases.

According to the memo, cases that can be dismissed — in the absence of other serious factors — include whether an immigrant is a military member or has a relative in the military, whether they will “likely” be granted status through a relative or Temporary Protected Status, and compelling humanitarian factors.

Trasviña writes that while some humanitarian factors will “weigh more heavily” than others, those factors can include whether the immigrant has a serious health condition, is elderly, pregnant, a minor, or a victim of domestic violence or other serious crime. The head prosecutor notes that someone coming to the US as a young child and living in the country continuously should play a factor, as does whether they have a physical or mental illness or are a primary caregiver to someone with such a condition.

In those instances, prosecutors are told they can agree to a motion made by the immigrant to dismiss the case. DHS officials want the dismissal process to be mostly led by immigration attorneys and their clients, as not everyone wants a case cleared from the court dockets.

The agency also wants its prosecutors to consider dismissals for green card holders who have been in the US for many years, especially those who got their status at a young age and have a close tie to family and the community, according to the memo.

If you believe you qualify for prosecutorial discretion based on the enumerated factors above you may contact our law firm for free consultation.

Note: This is not a legal advice.

Chris Caday Lozano is a member of the State Bar of California since 1999 and specialized on Immigration and Bankruptcy Laws. He has offices in Hayward and Cerritos CA. His contact phone is 1-877-456-9266, email at info@ccllaw.net., wwwlcrispinlozanolaw.com

June 10-16, 2021

14

MWSS welcomes Razon, new Manila Water team, thanks Ayalas; service expansion seen

By MELANDREW T. VELASCO QUEZON CITY - Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) welcomed industrialist Enrique Razon as he takes over as President and Chief Executive Officer of Manila Water Company, Inc. In a statement, MWSS Chairman and Acting Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco said the appointment is very timely with the signing of a new concession agreement between the government and the East Zone concessionaire.

“We welcome his appointment as President and CEO of Manila Water,” Velasco said.

“With the new concession agreement signed, we look forward to working more closely with Manila Water to better serve

the people.

It is a very timely appointment,” he added.

Ve l a s c o also thanked Messrs. Fernando and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Jose Rene Gregory Al- ENRIQUE RAZON mendras who vacated their posts to give way to the new team led by Razon.

ABS-CBN’s net loss balloons to P13.5 B in 2020 QUEZON CITY — ABS-CBN’s losses widened in 2020 as it reels from the denial of its bid for a fresh legislative franchise.

In its annual report published with the local bourse on June 8, the broadcast giant tallied a net loss of ₱13.5 billion last year up by a whopping 411.5% from ₱2.64 billion in 2019.

ABS-CBN reported a 50% drop in revenues to ₱21.4 billion in 2020, and a 69.2% plunge in advertising revenues to ₱7.06 billion, which the network attributed to its “absence” in free-to-air advertising space.

The Lopez-owned company first went dark on May 5, 2020 after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)

issued a cease-and-desist order.

Consumer revenues also took a blow from the NTC’s order - falling by 27.8% to ₱14.35 billion. The directive from the regulatory body “prohibited the Company in engaging in Sky Cable’s DTH services and distribution of TV Plus Boxes,” ABSCBN said.

The COVID-19 pandemic also forced the network to shut down “ancillary operations such as Heroes Burger, Kidzania Manila, and Studio XP,” it added.

ABS-CBN also recounted how it was compelled to lay off employees effective end-August last year in a bid to stay afloat.

Additional separation benefits amounted to ₱1.1 billion in 2020 in addition to retirement costs, the network said.

MAKATI CITY — Businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan has formally stepped down from his position as president and chief executive officer of PLDT Inc., with his new successor now at the helm of the telco giant.

During the company’s annual stockholders meeting on June 8, Pangilinan formally handed over the top leadership posts to Al Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and CEO. “At the end of this meeting I will discharge my final duty as president and CEO of PLDT and ask Al [Panlilio] to succeed me in this position,” Pangilinan said during the company’s virtual annual stockholders meeting.

“I now lay down my charge, I will continue to be your chairman and as such I will always follow the affairs and fortunes of our company with profound interest,” he added.

Pangilinan’s decision came amidst a strong competition being faced by the so-called telco “duopoly” of PLDT and Globe Telecom with the arrival of Davao businessman Dennis Uy and China Tel-led DITO Telecommunity Corporation.

The new major player is constantly expanding its network coverage since its commercial launch in early March.

Last year, despite the presence of COVID-19 pandemic, PLDT managed to grow its net income by 8% to P24.3 billion with revenues hitting an all-time high of P171.5 billion.

“This decision is made less difficult by the knowledge that Al, with his long experience with PLDT and his competent qualities, would be able to take my place forthwith without interruption or detriment to the progress PLDT has made,” said Pangilinan as he expressed support for Panlilio’s new roles.

Manny Pangilinan steps down as PLDT’s president & CEO

15 June 10-16, 2021

 ENTERTAINMENT

Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C., ABS-CBN TFC to present musical showcase celebrating 75th anniversary of PH-US relations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sizzling temperatures are on the way as the United States officially began Summer 2021 in June but burning with more meaningful fervor is this year’s grand celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and the United States.

On June 15, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. and ABS-CBN

TFC will join hands to shine before the world the “75th & Beyond: A Celebration of Enduring Partnership for Peace and Prosperity,” a LIVE entertainment presentation honoring Philippines-U.S. relations on the Facebook account of the Embassy, @PHinUSA. On July 4, the musical showcase will be aired as a special on iWantTFC, TFC on IPTV and TFC on cable and satellite globally.

For the special occasion, ABS-CBN TFC will have both current superstars and rising stars in the Filipino music industry led by Martin Nievera, known as the concert king of the Philippines, Martin Nievera, as host with popular Myx VJ Ai dela Cruz.

The live reception will be hosted by ABS-CBN North America News Bureau Chief TJ Manotoc. VIP dignitaries from various countries will grace the reception at the Philippine Embassy on Massachusetts Avenue.

Nievera will also perform virtually from the Philippines. Joining him are: Morissette, the singer with a five-octave vocal range, whose videos on You-

Vhong Navarro, Maine Mendoza teaming up for a show

Tube have garnered hundreds of millions of views, whose Tagalog songs have been covered by singers of various races, and who became the first ever Wish 107.5 Hall of Famer and first Filipina Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artist to debut at number 7 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart; Sheryn Regis, the Crystal Voice of Asia, multi-awarded singer in both Philippine and international singing competitions, and who, at one point in her career, also became Queen of Philippine Teleserye Theme Songs; up-and-coming Jeremy G whose impressive finals stint in The Voice-Teens Philippines helped earn him a slot in ASAP G!, the exciting teen group in the prestigious ASAP Natin ‘To, the premier weekend global Filipino TV variety show; and the promising Sab, a unique indie singer-songwriter who has caught the attention of many with her coming-ofage, self-penned debut, “She”, followed by “Dancing in the Dark”. She released this year her third single, “Always Stay the Same” under Star Music.

“Many will say that 75 years is a long time to stay as friends, partners, and allies, but I believe this is an undeniable testament to the depth and quality of the bilateral relationship of the Philippines and the U.S.. Our ties have withstood the test of time and have served both our countries and peoples well. This special celebration with TFC captures the essence of our partnership with the U.S.: trusted, enduring, excellent and forwardlooking,” said Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel G. Romualdez.

“ABS-CBN TFC has helped promote not only the best of the Filipino but also cultural understanding between the Filipino and other societies by serving as a connecting bridge on the air and online for over 25 years,” said ABS-CBN North and Latin America Managing Director Jun Del Rosario. “Our participation in this event is to celebrate the goodwill generated by years of mutual understanding.”

For more information on the event, visit https://www.facebook.com/PHinUSA/

ALLICE Kumares & Kumpares Alliance for Community Empowerment in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate General, Asian American Recovery Services/ Healthright 360 and Marin County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services invite you to our

13thAnnual

A virtual gathering on caring for elders and building healthier families Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Followers of “It’s Showtime” host Vhong Navarro were surprised when he shared a photo of him with a co-host of its rival program “Eat Bulaga” Maine Mendoza.

Vhong said, “Masaya at magaan katrabaho!” as he described Maine in the caption of his photo on his Instagram.

He even added “Nice working with you,” as he tagged Maine on her account.

Vhong also used the hashtag #EatShowtime, a playful portmanteau of their respective noontime program’s title.

But he did not share any detail about the project he is working with the phenomenal star.

Maine became phenomenal when she rose to fame as the other half of the “AlDub” loveteam in 2015. She is no stranger to cross-network collaborations.

She had projects in ABS CBN when she starred with Carlo Aquino in the network’s produced film titled “Isa Pa Nga with Feelings” in 2019 and earlier, she joined Coco Martin in the actioncomedy flick “Jack Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles.”

“Eat Bulaga” now on its 42nd year, was aired on ABS CBN for six years 1995 as a blocktime program.

Meanwhile, “It’s Showtime” is approaching its 12th anniversary in October.

|

5:30 p.m. — 7:00 p.m. PDT

To register: https://tinyurl.com/mcrpusxh ■ ■

Information on family resource providers Prizes will be given out for activities after the program

SPEAKERS Hon. Neil Ferrer, Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Hon. David J. Canepa, President, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors SPECIAL PRESENTATION “9 Acts of Kindness to Empower Older Adults” Ms. Tessie Madrinan, Coordinator, Peninsula Family Service Filipino Senior Peer Counseling Program PLEDGE to be an ALLY to Older Adults RECOGNITION OF GRAND AGERS 9 Individuals who celebrate their long life with engagement DONOR ALLIES Philippine News Today, Inquirer.net, Positively Filipino, Philippine Consulate General, Asian American Recovery Services, Marin County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Our Lady of Mercy Legion of Mary, Ed and Lydia Pomposo, Kaiser Permanente Filipino Association

RESOURCE PROVIDERS Adult Protective Services – San Francisco, Aging and Disability Resource Centers of San Francisco, Always Best Care – Peninsula, Asian American Recovery Services, Catholic Charities Adult Day Services, Chajinel Home Care Services, Colma City Police Dept., Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, Filipino-American Law Enforcement Officers Assoc., Grace United Methodist Church, Healthy Aging Response Team, HICAP of San Mateo, Holy Child and St. Martin Episcopal Church, Ombudsman Services of San Mateo, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, Peninsula Family Service – Senior Peer Counseling/Got Wheels!, Pilipino Senior Resource Center San Francisco, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, SMC Commission on Aging, SMC Pride Center, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Self-Help for the Elderly, South San Francisco Fire Dept., SSF Parks and Recreation Dept., SSF Police Dept.

 ENTERTAINMENT

June 10-16, 2021

18

Gary Valenciano, Apl.de.Ap headline Carson’s Philippine Independence Day celebration Independence Day on June 11 and 12 at 5:30 p.m. and 11 a.m.

The City of Carson said the celebration will be aired on Channel 18 (Local) – Spotlight TV, http://www. facebook.com/SpotlighTV.online/ and youtube:www.youtube.com/channel/ UC8pnZqcl i-XQXadFVtAOuhA. The June 12, 2021 morning celebration will be aired on http://carsonca. gov/PID123 , Cable Channel 35 (Spectrum) and Cable Channel 99 (ATT).

The free virtual celebration in Carson will also feature non-stop cultural and patriotic performances and various entertainments for the entire family, the city said in an announcement sent to Philippine News Today .

Non-stop entertainment will begin on Friday, June 11th at 5:30 p.m. and replay on Saturday, June 11th at 11 a.m. featuring big names in Filipino pop music, homegrown talents and various cultural performers.

Apl.de.Ap Gary Valenciano Topping the list of this year’s guests are ASAP Elite Platinum Circle Award CITY OF CARSON - Singers Gary line the guests of the City of Carson’s winner, Mr. Pure Energy, Gary ValenValenciano and Apl.de.Ap will head- 123rd virtual celebration of Philippine ciano and rapper, record producer and

co-founder/member of Grammy Awardwinning hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas Apl.de.Ap. They will be joined by numerous Filipino artists such as Anthony Castelo, Mon David, Tillie Moreno, Ella May Saison, Miguel Vera, Christine Love, Chenza, TOFA Performing Arts, Shane Selloria, April Velasco and four surprise guests from The Filipino Channel.

In the City of Carson, which is home to the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, the celebration of Philippine Independence Day is an annual festival that draws thousands of Filipinos and non-Filipinos of all ages from all over Southern California.

It is a commemoration of the birth of the Philippine republic after over 400 years of Spanish rule. This is the premiere Filipino event in the United States. The annual celebration is a joint undertaking of the City of Carson and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation.

For more information about the performance lineup, contact Parks and Recreation Department at (310) 8473570. (Jo Erlinda Maufit)

Claudine Barretto, Mark Anthony Fernandez excited in movie team-up comeback Finally, a reunion movie for Claudine Barretto and her former reel and real loveteam Mark Anthony Fernandez will push through.

It will also be the couple’s return to movies.

They already had a story conference for their team-up movie “Deception” last June 7.

The camera will start rolling for the movie “Deception” on June 10 in Angeles City, Pampanga under the direction of award-winning director Joel Lamangan, it was announced.

This as Claudine admitted that she felt the need to apologize to Mark Anthony 25 years after their breakup.

As reported on ABS-CBN, the ac-

tress said that there was no real closure between the two after their relationship ended in 1996 following the movie, “Mangarap Ka”.

“I think I was ghosting Mark. One day I woke up and realized that our careers are more important. It really was young love,” she said. The young couple were 18 years-old then.

Claudine stressed that Mark was a kind boyfriend who never got angry with her.

“He just took all the jabs. He was a gentleman. Maybe I should be asking his forgiveness,” she added, stating that it was never a difficult decision to work with Mark again.

To that, the actor stated that there

was nothing for him to forgive Claudine.

“We were never enemies. Though there was no closure, we have remained friends and I miss pleasing her,” he said.

The Pampanga shooting will be first time Mark and Claudine will meet in person after many years.

It has been 26 years since Mark and Claudine were paired in 1995 in Star Cinema film “Mangarap Ka.” But they were together again in August 2010 in “Claudine,” the actress’ drama anthology on GMA7.

There has been a plan for Mark and Claudine to be reunited in a movie project but it was cancelled.

It was gathered that Claudine is excited to be working with her ex-boyfriend again in a movie.

Claudine admitted that she regretted the times when she was not active in showbiz industry.

“Actually, it was a very painful decision for me. When Raymart (Santiago, her estranged husband) and I, nung naghiwalay kami, I felt that I really had to step back from show business because kailangan ako ng mga anak ko,” she admitted.

“I didn’t want them to feel na, one day, paggising nila, wala na silang nanay, wala na silang tatay. It was very painful.

“But, of course, at the end of the day, my priority will always be my children,” Claudine stated.

Claudine’s last movie was “Etiquette for Mistresses” in 2015.

In a statement released via her manager Arnold Ve g a f r i a , Claudine expressed, “I’ve been raring to face the cameras once more, and work with none but the best actors and directors in the industry.”

“I believe that the past struggles that we’ve all gone through collectively as a nation has not only strengthened our resilience and fortitude, but in my case, it has also tempered my acting with a great degree of depth and focus. It’s definitely great to be back in my element!” she added.

Screenwriter Easy Ferrer revealed that the character in “Deception” was tailor-made for Claudine, adding that she has been his idol since she starred in the 1995 movie, “Mangarap Ka”.

19 June 10-16, 2021

 ENTERTAINMENT

John Lloyd Cruz teary-eyed in showbiz comeback via GMA network

Bianca King marries Ralph Wintle in Sydney Actress Bianca King has left Manila for Australia.

And more - she tied the knot in Sydney with boyfriend Ralph Wintle amid the pandemic.

On her Instagram, the actress revealed and shared a photo with a short caption —“Married in our living room.” She, however, did not give details.

Ralph is the brother of Ben Wintle, husband of actress Iza Calzado.

“Welcome to the family,” Calzado told her sisterin-law.

The actress answered, saying: “sup, Mrs. Wintle!

Hahaha.”

The newlyweds were was greeted by celebrity friends like Maxene Magalona, Jackie Lou Blanco, Raymond Gutierrez and Joey Mead King.

It was last year when Bianca revealed she already moved to Sydney to start a new chapter in her life. She first confirmed her relationship with Ralph in August 2019.

On her social media account, the actress said that she will miss shooting in her kitchen and creating content with her friends.

“Something I won’t get to do anymore ever… shoot videos in this kitchen. Will miss the comfort of the creating content with friends in this house that sparked so much creativity,” she said.

Bianca started her showbiz career at the age of 13 as a commercial model. She appeared in a teen-oriented TV show in 2004, transferred to ABS-CBN in 2017.

She was part of ABS-CBN’s dramas “Pusong Ligaw” and “Halik.”

She was featured in GMA’s “Mulawin” and “Luna Blanca.”

John Lloyd Cruz is definitely back!

In the Shopee Mid-Year Sale TV Special last Sunday aired on GMA Network, the actor marked his comeback with a performance of him singing Charice’s “Yakap.”

After his number, Willie Revillame interviewed John Lloyd, who turned tearyeyed as he said he is “excited” to be back on screen, the network reported.

In the interview with Willie Revillame, John Lloyd expressed how he feels to be back after four years.

“Nanginginig pa,” he said as he brought up his trembling hands to show Willie just to prove his point.

John Lloyd said he is thankful to Willie and is “excited to be back,” turning emotional along the way.

Shortly after John Lloyd’s performance of “Yakap,” they had an emotional exchange over the actor’s television.

And then as GMA News reported Willie asked John Lloyd, “Ikaw ba, handa ka na bang umibig ulit?”

Without hesitation, John Lloyd answered “Handang handa na!”

“Abangan niyo ho, abangan niyo magsasama kami ni Lloydie magbibigay saya sa inyo sa isang primetime show. Abangan niyo ho ‘yan dito sa GMA-7,” Willie said during his short interview with the actor.

It was John Lloyd’s first TV appearance since he went on hiatus from showbiz in 2017.

Willie said that they will work on a possible primetime show soon, which he first teased last week when he revealed that he’s planning on a sitcom with John

Lloyd and Andrea Torres.

Willie thanked Maja Salvador and her boyfriend Rambo Nunez, who were present in the Coliseum, as well as GMA executives Atty. Felipe Gozon and Atty.

Annette Gozon Valdez .

John Lloyd later shared his TV comeback on Instagram, with a photo of himself looking dapper on stage during his first television performance.

On Instagram, John Lloyd posted a photo of himself clad the an orange suit and gold pants he wore as he performed the song “Yakap ‘’ on stage during Willie Reveillame’s Midyear Sale TV Special.

In the caption, John Lloyd thanked the “Yakap” songwriter Vehnee Staurno.

“Nakalimutan ko pasalamat kay master vehnee saturno. Salamat po,” he wrote in the caption.

John Lloyd’s performance and interview trended on social media, it was learned.

 REAL ESTATE

June 10-16, 2021

Property demand seen to boost jobs in Cebu’s ‘call center hub’

T

20

Economic downturn in the horizon

he Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have been extremely volatile in the last three weeks, reacting to news about President Biden’s proposed capital gains tax, Treasury Secretary, Yellen’s comments on inflation, Elon Musk’s tweets about bitcoin, and unemployment reports. Investors have been on a CEBU CITY – Cebu has sustained affected by the pandemic,” Soberano weekly rollercoaster ride, wondering whether the dreaded stock its spot as one of the promising real es- said. market slump is on the horizon. tate markets in the Visayas, with ecoHe said demand for residential propThe coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upnomic recovery expected to generate erties within the Cebu IT Park, deemed side down and has had a major impact on stock market more jobs as it drives up property de- to be the highest valued location in Met- earnings.

Here are the stories you and I are hearing on a daily mand moving forward. ro Cebu and among the most preferred basis, Food cost going higher, commodity prices going “The Cebu property market re- residential locations here, continues to higher, construction materials going higher, gas prices mains to be one of the bright spots in be resilient despite the pandemic. going higher and so fort and so on. Inflation is definitely with us and is not going any where the region with sustained demand and Soberano said premium residential soon.

Importing cost such as containers have quadrupled in prices, therefore our balikbayan highly resilient property values,” Cebu offerings in Cebu’s highly active busiwill soon go up more in fees. Shipping cost due to oil prices will follow beside having Landmasters Inc. (CLI) chief operat- ness district have also been in demand. boxes labor shortage. Higher wages to follow. ing officer Franco Soberano said durSought for comment, Joey Bondoc, Our government is giving away money today that we all have to pay for tomorrow. Where ing the virtual topping off of the firm’s associate director for research at Col- will this all end, I suspect it will all be ending is a recession that we have never seen before.

Coronavirus Update P3.5-billion high-end tower, 38 Park liers International Philippines, said The implementation of a successful vaccination campaign has resulted in a reduction Avenue, located at the heart of the Metro Cebu continues to be the largest daily Covid cases in the United States. As of May 20, there have been 33,833,181 cases Cebu IT Park. residential hub outside of Metro Ma- in and 602,616 deaths, according to the worldometers website. According to the CDC, apHe said the property sector in gen- nila. proximately 38.1% of the American population has been fully vaccinated, and 48.2% has eral here anticipates the quick recov“Covid has disputed the region’s received at least one dose. That is great for us here in the US but the entire Asian region is ery of Cebu and the rest of the Visayas economy and property market and we not doing the same and their covid cases are actually getting worse with multiple variance and Mindanao regions with the return continue to see subdued take-up and of the disease. This will also not end well for the world economy.

The Nasdaq Composite index falling below the 50-day stock market average is the most of greater global mobility, which is ex- completion in the region,” he said. telling sign of bubble trouble. This suggests that investors have lost faith in Big Tech and pected to boost employment.

Bondoc said completion of residen- that a stock market meltdown is imminent.

“Covid cases in Cebu have been tial units is likely to pick up this year, Big Tech In the short term, experts are optimistic, because they expect financial institutions, such relatively well managed with medical as developers brace for pent-up demand as Morgan Stanley MS -0.8% and JP Morgan, and Big Tech, such as Amazon AMZN -0.3% facilities able to accommodate patients beyond 2021. and Google, to post extraordinary financials in the coming quarters. The $12 revision in EPS is primarily driven by a $7 growth in financials and $3 growth in Big Tech. The issuance of $10 billion in reserves has benefited financial institutions. Likewise, the coronavirus pandemic has helped Big Tech companies to increase sales by 19% and post margins of 24.2% within the last quarter, pushing profit margins of S&P 500 to a record high of 11.6%.

President Biden’s Proposed Capital Gains Tax Analysts are less optimistic about EPS growth in 2022 beNew Funeral home with Reception Center Flower Shop cause of President Biden’s proposed increase in capital gains tax.

Beautiful Garden Memorial Park Cremation Services They expect EPS to rise to $202, which is significantly lower than the $209 consensus. The estimate assumes that the federal We transfer your loved ones to and from the Philippines statutory corporate tax will be raised from 21% to 25%, and that the tax rate on foreign income will also rise.

Outlook For 2021 Analysts have raised their EPS forecast for 2021 from $181 to $193, and for 2022 from $197 to $202. Increased consumer savings, global economic recovery, solid operating leverage and GDP growth are driving the revision. Experts predict that GDP will grow by 7% in 2021 and 5% in 2022, while EPS will grow by 35% in 2021 and 5% in the following years, as GDP returns to normal levels.

Overall, the second quarter’s earnings season has shown strength . There is a strong possibility that in the third quarter we may see a bit more strength but the momentum in economic growth is likely to slow significantly in comparison to the previous quarters. This could create a panic in terms of valuation and the stock market bubble could pop.

Having said that, if the employment market continues to show more strength, we could see more consumer spending, and that could boost the outlook for the remaining quarters. Under those circumstances, we could see the U.S. stock market to continue to soar, and traders may never see a stock market crash but only minor retracements in the Dow Jones, the S&P 500 and the TTT BBBBBBBBB NNN FFFFFFF HHHH RRRRRRRRR CCCCCC CCCCCCC LLLL Nasdaq.

My thoughts are that consumer spending will go up and will we will be over spending and over charging our credit limits again, which will occur in and around 2022.

The Bottom Line Although it is believed that the momentum of growth, witnessed during late 2020 and early 2021, will fade away, equity markets are still expected to grow, providing opportunities for investors to earn the profits they desire. This comment is true but dollar is getting weaker due to the amount of money we are printing, if all the “Hot Money” or investors money has another place to go, our US economy will immediately see stock prices tumble and that will start a quick and painful recessionary start to what no one can predict how it will end.

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

THE NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR FILIPINO FAMILIES The ONLY Place for All Your Arrangements in One Convenient Location

21 June 10-16, 2021

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

By JEANNE MICHAEL PENARANDA

MANILA - Tokyo Olympics-bound pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena won again, this time a silver medal, in the FBK Games held on June 6 at the Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, the Netherlands In a report to Manila, Obiena cleared 5.80 meters in his first attempt in order to secure second place in the tournament behind Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who currently holds the world record for men’s pole vault.

Duplantis ruled the competition after clearing 6.10 meters while Menno Vloon of the Netherlands settled for third place after clearing 5.80 meters following multiple attempts.

Obiena recently won the gold medal in the men’s pole vault event of the Folksam Grand Prix

in Sweden after clearing 5.70 meters.

The 25-year old athlete has secured a spot in the rescheduled Olympics in Tokyo, Japan which opens late July after surpassing 5.80 meter qualifying standard during an athletics meet in 2019 in Italy.

Aside from Obiena, other Filipino athletes who have qualified for the Olympics include weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, gymnast Carlos Yulo, boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, rower Cris Nievarez, and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa.The Filipino pole vaulter ruled the event pitting six other competitors after clearing 5.7 meters, beating longtime training partner Thiago Braz for the gold.

It was learned that Thiago Braz of Brazil was the topped reigning Olympic gold medalist.

Obiena cleared 5.70 meters in his first attempt and watched defending Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz fumble thrice at 5.75 meters to secure the win.

Obiena also went for a higher jump at 5.8 meters, but also missed the target.

Pal Haugen Lillefosse and Cole Walsh tied up for third place with a 5.6-meter leap.

Lillefosse, however, clinched the tiebreaker after clearing the height before that, 5.5 meters, in just one try.

Golfers Pagdanganan, Pagunsan poised to get berths for Tokyo Olympics campaign

Pagdanganan

Pagunsan

MANILA – Filipino golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan are poised to be part of the Philippine delegation to the Tokyo Olympics which opens late next month.

This as both Pagdanganan and Pagunsan are in the Top 60 Olympic Golf rankings in their respective genders, based on the updated list released on June 8.

Based on rules, the 60 best golfers in each gender will take the tickets to the Tokyo.Olympics, it was learned.

The 23-year-old Pagdanganan is at 42nd place in the Olympic Golf rankings, where newly mint-

ed US Women’s Open champion Filipino-Japanese Yuka Saso is at ninth place and is expected to spearhead the golfers’ campaign there.

Pagdanganan, an Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, last competed in the 2021 Pure Silk Championship at Williamsburg, Virginia where she finished in 39th place overall.

Pagunsan made it to the Top 60 in the men’s side after taking home the Mizuno Open crown last May 30. He currently holds the 51st spot in the rankings.

It was Pagunsan’s second professional title after winning the 2007 Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.

The Olympic debuts of Saso and Pagdanganan will be formalized on June 28, while Pagunsan will have to wait until June 21 to crack the list of qualified golfers for the Olympics.

The Tokyo Olympics golf competitions are slated from July 29 to August 7 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

MANILA - Another athlete has earned a berth in the Philippine team to the Tokyo Olympics which starts late July.

This as The organization governing international roller sports confirmed that Margielyn Didal of the Philippines has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

Didal, 22, will compete in street skateboarding, which is scheduled to play on July 25 and 26.

“These skateboarders will be showcasing to the world what it looks like when years of training and relentless effort is combined with opportunity,” World Skate said in a statement posted on its website.

Her inclusion meant the Philippines’ lineup to the Japan Games is now up to 10 participants.

Filipino athletes who earlier qualified are weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, gymnast Caloy Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, taekwondo Jin Kurt Barbosa, and rower Cris Nievarez.

Didal, whose last tournament was the Street World Championships in Rome over the weekend, qualified because of her world ranking at No. 13; the top 16 in her event earn Olympic berths.

Pacquiao: Nag-iisang kampeon sa 8 dibisyon

H

indi lamang iilang beses na ito naisulat, napanood sa telebisyon, narinig sa radio.

“Walang sinumang boksingero sa kasaysayan ang nanalo ng pandaigdig na kampeonato sa walong dibisyon ng sweet science maliban kay Manny Pacquiao.”

Para sa isang mandirigma sa ibabaw ng parisukat na lona, ang nagawa ni Pacquiao ay nagdala sa EDDIE G. ALINEA kanya para maging kauna-unahan at kaisa-isang nilikha na maghawak ng korona sa ganoong karaming dibisyon. Lalo na para sa isang boksingerong naging isang pro noong 1995 sa timbang na 106 libra.

At nakapag-uwi ng unang titulo makaraan ang tatlong taon sa 112 libra hanggang makarating sa 154-librang dibisyon samantalang tumimbang lamang ng 144.6 libra sa araw ng laban noong 2010.

Sa tutoo lang, ang bayaning Pilipino sa larangan ng palakasan ay dapat sanang nakapaghari sa 10 ng 17 timbang ng sport na sweet science kung siya sana’y nagkapag-kampanya rin sa junior bantamweight at bantamweight bago tumalon sa junior featherweight.

Tungo sa kanyang ika-22 taon bilang pro, sa darating na Agosto kung kailan siya ay nakatakdang harapin ang wala pang talong si Errol Spence, ang reporter na ito ay tatangkaing bigyan ng sukatan ang walong laban niyang nagdala sa kanya bilang hari ng walong dibisyon.

Lahat ng laban ng ating idolo mula noong umakyat sa 147-librang kategorya ay itinuturing na makasaysayan kung kaya nga’t marapat na sa welterweight natin simulan ang paghihimay ng kahalagahan ng mga ito sa mahigit 25 taong procareer ni Pacquiao: 1. Welterweigt: Miguel Cotto, TKO, Nov. 14, 2009 – Ito ang pangalawa lamang na laban ni Pacqujiao sa bago niyang tim(Continue on page 27) bang matapos puwersahin ang maala-

Outside Looking In

Obiena wins silver in Netherlands

Skateboarder Margielyn Didal going to Tokyo Olympics

June 10-16, 2021

22

Q: A hotel where I checked in demanded a deposit of $100 for liquor in the fridge if I end up drinking any but I didn’t Q: A hotel where I checked in demanded a deposit of $100 for liquor in the fridge if I end up drinking any but I didn’t. When I checked out they said that it will be credited back to my credit card which still hasn’t happened. The hotel is so far from me so how can I contest that?

A: A client called me to ask for advice regarding a hotel in Manila, Philippines who did not return the deposit of $100 back to his credit card. They claim he used liquor from the fridge in his room but according to the caller he did not.

The best way to handle this kind of transaction is to give cash as a deposit so when you check out, you can get cash back. If you use a credit card for a deposit, then, you become at their mercy because they can turn it around and claim what they are claiming now and you have no way to disprove that. If you use a credit card as a deposit, this are steps you can do: 1) Make sure to have someone check it at the hotel counter when you checkout.

2) If they claim no one is available to check it, have the manager write you a note that you have not used any if he does not want to check it and issue you a receipt for the credit.

3) You can call your credit card company and ask them to reverse those charges for the same reason.

4) Next time, use cash as a deposit so you can get it back when you check out.

5) Always use reputable hotels so this does not happen again.

People who are very trusting of people are the ones who are always calling me to ask for advice on how to reverse the actions they did and in most cases the process of reversing them is very tedious. The best is to always protect yourself by being proactive. Nothing bad can happen to you if you are always on the defense.

Ang ating lesson, Ibahin ang tuso dahil kay hirap maloko.

If you need help in getting out of debt, call Debt Aid Consulting International.

We do not use call centers which keeps your information safe. We have a new program that reconstruct debts for half of what you would pay our competitors.

We also provide legal assistance that keeps collectors away. We take Federal Credit Unions, Payday loans and high interest personal loans in our program too.

This is exclusively available for Debt Aid Consulting clients. None of our competitors provide this program. You are well protected.

We only provide Federal Trade Commission compliant programs. Go with Debt Aid Consulting!

Do not fall for marketing gimmicks saying that they have the right program for you. Most marketing companies only have one program and will enroll you in that program whether it fits you or not.

So beware!

Ben Lou at your service! I have over 35 years of financial experience.

If you would like sound financial advice, call us at Debt Aid Consulting International. We do not use call centers. No one has the right to put your information at risk.

Debt Aid Consulting is the first and only Filipino debt mediation company incorporated in the US and Canada, Caribbean Islands, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines!

Your Global Debt Solutions Company!

Tawag na po sa 1-888341-5234 at tutulungan po namin kayo.

Itama po natin ang mali!

23 June 10-16, 2021

US Senate leader urges Biden to give PHL 5-M doses of COVID-19 vaccine FDA-authorized vaccines on hand made by other manufacturers. As such, I fully support this decision to assist other nations with the millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine stockpiled by our government.”

“As a key ally in this region, it is imperative that the United States support the Philippines by committing at least 5 million doses of vaccines to the nation. Filipino healthcare workers have long been on the frontlines of America’s hospitals and emer-

WASHINTON D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer has joined calls for President Joseph Biden to commit 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

Schumer wrote a letter to Mr. Biden expressing the request as a result of the successful advocacy efforts of the New York team led by Ms. Kym Villamer RN, PNA NY, PNAA and community leaders with their virtual meeting with Sen. Schumer on May 30, 2021.

It will be known shortly if President Biden will donate 5 million or 3 million US vaccine doses to be delivered to the Philippines.

In his letter, Schumer urged Mr.Biden to commit at least 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Republic of the Philippines as part of the United States’ commitment to send 80 million of such doses to foreign nations over the next several months.

“The United States has a long, intertwined history with the Philippines, the nation is a key American ally, and Filipino Americans have made immeasurable contributions to New York and to American society – not the least of which includes selfless and professional efforts as frontline healthcare workers throughout Covid-19,” Schumer told the president.

The US senator said the Philippines has suffered over 1.2 million cases of COVID-19 and 21,000 deaths over this pandemic. “The nation in recent weeks has seen a worrisome uptick in cases this last week, moving from a seven-day average of 4,900 cases on May 25th to over 6,500,” he said.

“In order to combat the rising number of cases in the Philippines, the country needs assistance in securing more vaccines to protect its population. Currently, only 3.7% of Filipinos (4 million total) have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and only 1.1% are fully vaccinated (1.2 million). A crucial shipment of 17.7 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Thailand’s Siam Bioscience has also been delayed, putting the country’s vaccination efforts in dire straits,” the US senator stated in his letter.

He said the Biden administration on May 31st, 2021 announced that the United States will release 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to support the global vaccination program that is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. “The AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use domestically, however, other nations such as the Philippines have approved its use. Sending these vaccines abroad would not diminish our ability to vaccinate our population at home as the United States has more than enough

gency rooms,” stressed. “Indeed throughout the pandemic Filipino American nurses and doctors put themselves in harm’s way to save lives.”

Nearly a third of the nurses who died of coronavirus in the US are Filipino, even though Filipino nurses make up just 4% of the nursing population nationwide. The U.S. can honor the service and sacrifice of these heroes by providing the urgently needed 5 million life-saving doses as quickly as possible, Schumer told President Biden.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

24

PH Congen, SMC Supervisor to lead free elder care event

Board of Supervisors President David Canepa DALY CITY, Calif. - Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer and San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa will headline a virtual event aimed at educating on elder care and elder abuse prevention.

ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment is staging its “13th Annual Our Family, Our Future: 9 Acts of Kindness to Empower Older Adults” 5:30 - 7 pm, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Free and open to the public via registration, the virtual event is in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate, Asian American Recovery Services - Healthright 360 and County of Marin Behavioral Health & Recovery Services.

Ferrer and Canepa will deliver the keynote address from the Philippine/FilAm and US/local perspectives.

Some 20 community-based family resource providers will be available to chat with attendees on their programs and services.

WAY TO GIVE BACK “The Consulate General is pleased to partner with ALLICE Kumares & Kumpares for Community Empowerment in the 13th Annual Our Family Our Future,” said Consul General Ferrer. “The older members of our community are mostly responsible for what we are enjoying today -- a healthy and comfortable life, stability, and success in various fields.”

Ferrer urges the community to attend the virtual event to learn more about healthy interaction with elders and where to access resources for them as a form of reciprocation.

“It is time to give back to them and care for them as they live longer,” he said. “Let us help them and one another in protecting our elders who are among the Consul Gen. Neil Frank Ferrer most vulnerable members of our community.”

PROTECTING ELDERS honors the emancipation of the enslaved people in the “The county continues to do an excellent job in pro- United States. tecting our elderly residents in long-term care facilities ALLICE has chosen this time to share strategies including nursing homes, board and care, and for the to promote independence, freedom from isolation physically and mentally disabled through advocacy, and abuse, and empowerment of people lucky to live intervention and education,” said San Mateo County longer.

Board of Supervisors President David J. Canepa, HELPFUL RESOURCES reinforcing the need for opportunities to understand a Information on the following public and private crucial subject. agencies and organizations will be shared: Adult Pro“Elder abuse in any form is intolerable and we tective Services – San Francisco, Aging and Disability must continue to raise awareness around an issue Resource Centers of San Francisco, Always Best Care that is often very difficult to discuss,” said the former – Peninsula, AARS-Healthright 360, Catholic ChariMayor of Daly City, who is the Board of Supervisors ties Adult Day Services, Chajinel Home Care Services, liaison to the County Commission on Aging and prime Colma City Police Dept., CORA, FALEO, Grace mover the county age-friendly movement.

United Methodist Church, Healthy Aging Response Community leader Tessie Madrinan, coordinator of Team, HICAP of San Mateo, Holy Child and St. MarPeninsula Family Service’s Filipino Senior Peer Coun- tin Episcopal Church, Ombudsman Services of San seling Program, will discuss the 9 Acts of Kindness Mateo, PCRC, Peninsula Family Service – Senior Peer to Empower Older Adults. To culminate the event, 9 Counseling/Got Wheels!, Filipino Senior Resource individuals will be recognized for modeling longevity Center San Francisco, San Mateo County Aging and with engagement. The ALLICE Pledge to be an Ally Adult Services, SMC Commission on Aging, SMC to Older Adults will be recited.

Pride Center, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, SelfJune is a big month for commemorating freedom, Help for the Elderly, South San Francisco Fire Dept., identity and autonomy. This is Pride Month in the SSF Parks and Recreation Dept., and SSF Police Dept.

United States, recalling the struggle for equality of A diverse host of community sponsors are supportthe LGBT+ community. In 2014, I Am An Immigrant ing the endeavor: Philippine News Today, Inquirer.net, Foundation launched Immigrant Heritage Month to re- Positively Filipino, Philippine Consulate General, flect on and celebrate the contributions of immigrants AARS Healthright 360, Marin County Behavioral to our shared American history, Health & Recovery Services, Our Lady of Mercy On June 12, Filipinos all over the world memorial- Legion of Mary, Ed and Lydia Pomposo, and Filipino ize independence from Spain (related story on Upside). American Association of Kaiser Permanente.

June 15s commemorate World Elder Abuse Day, raisFor more information and to register, click the link ing awareness and denounce all forms of abuse against on the companion flyer on this page. Or visit www. the older population. Juneteenth, short for June 19th, allicekumares.com.

Obituary

Engr. Antonio G. Santos, 91 Engr. Antonio G. Santos died recently in Bulacan. He was 91.

Santos was the 4th son, among 8 siblings from the marital union of Maria Belen Galang and Vicente T. Santos. Growing up in the their ancestral house in Ipil st., Tayabas, a district of Manila, Tony, as he was fondly called, graduated from Jose Abad Santos High School, then took B.S. Mechanical Engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology but because he was working as a mechanic and studying college at the same time, he finally graduated with the same major at the Far Eastern University in the early 60’s.

He became president of Lions Club and also president of the Rotary Club of Metro San Francisco Del Monte. In 1967, he joined the Shell Car Rally of the Philippines and in 1969, he became one of the first Cursillistas in the Philippines having finished the 3-day Cursillo Weekend at the Cursillo House, Lipa, Batangas, He was a successful businessman and was always compassionate and generous to his relatives who would always approach him in times of need.

He became operations manager of Valiant Motors Corporation, distributors of Peugeot and Mazda cars in the the Philippines and in the early

70’s became the general manager of Rock Integrated Corporation. One of his clients, Architect Noli Bernardo convinced him to become a finishing contractor and in 1974, Astex Trading was born and specialized in textured spray painting, marble, parquet waterproofing, fireproofing, etc. In the mid90’s, Engr. Santos filed for a design and utility patent for his Vaccuumated Concrete Planer, which won the bronze prize award at the Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX), America’s largest invention trade show in Monroeville, PA. Engr. Antonio G. Santos died in Bulacan, last May 13, 2021, the Feast Day of our Lady of Fatima.

He is survived by his wife Anacoreta “Coring” Casas Santos, 83, his daughters Louh Santos-Chiefe from Atlanta GA & Architect Tina Santos-Franco from Valenzuela, Bulacan and his sons Joe from San Francisco CA and Dr. Ramon “Gerry” Santos from Sydney, Australia; his grandchildren : Martina, Joel, Joseph Santos; Francis Chiefe; Florence Faye, Frances Louie and Felicia Ysabel Franco.

His funeral mass was held last May 16, 2021 at St. Peter’s Memorial Chapel, La Loma, Quezon City, Philippines and his remains lie at the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park, Caloocan City, Philippines.

26  COMMUNITY NEWS Comcast RISE to support 13,000 BIPOC-owned small businesses with tech services, marketing resources and millions of dollars in grants by 2022 June 10-16, 2021

PHILADELPHIA – Comcast has announced it will award 13,000 Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)owned small businesses, which includes Hispanic and Asian American owned businesses among others, across the country with monetary grants, technology makeovers and marketing services from Comcast RISE by 2022.

Since November, nearly 2,500 entrepreneurs nationwide have been selected as Comcast RISE recipients, of which nearly 2,000 have received or will receive a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv, or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business.

Also, included are 500 businesses from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Philadelphia that will each receive a $10,000 grant in May, from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, for a total of $5 million awarded to date.

In addition, a critical component of Comcast RISE is to invest in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. To do so, the program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills focusing on company foundation, growing customers and financial stability.

All Comcast RISE recipients will also have a specialized online networking community within Ureeka with ac-

cess to educational resources, sources of capital and vetted experts such as U.S. Black Chambers, National Asian Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, Walker’s Legacy and Operation Hope.

“Comcast RISE represents a holistic program that can help advance BIPOC entrepreneurs. The commitment to coaching, capital and connections is critical for historically overlooked communities in achieving economic prosperity,” said Melissa Bradley, Co-founder of Ureeka. “We are humbled and excited to partner on this program.”

Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give BIPOC-owned small businesses, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. The 2,500 recipients are from in 422 cities across 34 states.

“The Comcast RISE Technology Makeover award is truly a game changer for us,” said Lois Arnold, owner of Hairs 2 U, a wig bank in Philadelphia that provides affordable wigs to women and children affected by hair loss. “Our redesigned website is giving us an upper edge with online marketing and awareness that will help drive both donors and customers in-need through our doors. And the new technology is allowing my staff to be so much more collaborative and efficient, which is vital during this pandemic.”

“When we launched Comcast RISE, we knew a profound need existed in many of the communities we serve. We now have seen firsthand how the program’s marketing and technology resources benefit the business owners who are working hard to rise above 2020, as well as their neighbors who share their commercial corridors, and their suppliers and customers up and down their resource chains,” said Teresa Ward-Maupin, SVP for Digital and Customer Experience at Comcast Business.

Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment,” is part of an expanded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment that Comcast announced last summer, as well as a coordinated crosscompany effort to address digital inequities through sustainable programming and investments such as Internet Essentials and Lift Zones. Eligible businesses can apply for the following.

Marketing Services: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including: Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period.

Creative Production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign.

Consulting: Advertising and market-

ing consultations with local Effectv marketing, research and creative teams to gain insights on how to drive business.

Technology Makeovers: The stateof-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for tech makeover services.)

In addition, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, as noted above, will provide $5 million in grants to BIPOC-owned small businesses in five cities. Also, a key part of Comcast RISE is ensuring sustainability for businesses beyond the marketing services and technology makeovers.

As such, Comcast has invested more than $2 million already in more than 20 community-based organizations and diverse chambers of commerce to provide additional support to BIPOC-owned small businesses.

All small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on Xfinity X1, which features aggregated small business news, resources, Comcast RISE recipient stories and more. The destination is designed to help businesses grow by empowering them through inspiration, education and entertainment. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote.

Visit www.ComcastRISE.com to apply, for more information and the latest updates.

Learn about PG&E’s programs providing backup power and lessen the impact of a public safety power shutoff SAN FRANCISCO. —There are several easy-to-use programs available to assist customers during a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) which occurs during severe weather to prevent wildfires.

For those customers who need electricity for very specific needs, such as charging and operating medical devices or running their well pumps, having a battery or generator option becomes a vital solution to lessening or overcoming the impacts of a PSPS. And that’s why PG&E offers numerous programs that enable many customers to obtain discounted or free backup batteries. And the best time to look into those programs to see if you qualify and to get a battery in place is now, before the start of California’s wildfire season when a PSPS most typically happens.

“Our most important responsibility is the safety of our customers and our local hometowns. Providing help to customers investing in backup power and/or battery storage is one way we can help. We continue to update our programs and support to enhance access to backup power for customers to keep essential devices such as medical equipment and electric well pumps powered during PSPS events,”

said Marlene Santos, PG&E’s Chief Customer Officer.

PG&E encourages qualified customers to take advantage of the following programs: PG&E’s Generator Rebate Program that was launched last year for well pump customers is now being expanded to cover rebates for qualified portable batteries to support Medical Baseline customers in high-fire threat areas (HFTD, eligible customers must live in Tiers 2 or 3 HFTDs defined by the CPUC fire map) ahead of this year’s PSPS events.

Applies to qualifying purchases made from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021.

Customers can apply for the rebate here.

PG&E’s Portable Battery Program provides no-cost portable batteries to low-income customers who rely on medical devices to sustain life, live in high fire-threat districts and are enrolled in the Medical Baseline and CARE programs.

There are a variety of batteries that can provide a range of backup power options, depending on need.

In 2020, PG&E collaborated with community-based organizations to pro-

vide more than 5,500 portable batteries.

This year, PG&E is continuing to work with five Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program providers and Richard Heath and Associates to deliver additional batteries. Program partners are reaching out to eligible customers.

Customers can learn more here about whether they qualify for the program.

Also continuing in 2021 is the Disability Disaster Access and Resources (DDAR) Program, a joint effort with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) to support people with disabilities and older adults before, during, and after a PSPS event. The program enables qualified customers who use electrical medical devices to access backup portable batteries through a grant, lease-to-own or the FreedomTech lowinterest financial loan program. CFILC administers all aspects of the program.

Transportation resources, lodging and food options are also provided through an online application process to qualified customers.

To date, more than 1,100 portable batteries have been distributed via the partnership.

In 2020, more than 560 hotel stays,

900 food vouchers, and accessible transportation for over 30 individuals was provided through the DDAR program.

PG&E is a program administrator for the statewide Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). Eligible customers have been installing permanent home battery storage systems that if paired with solar can support throughout a PSPS event at no or low cost to them. Incentives through SGIP are available to eligible residential and non-residential customers; PG&E recommends customers learn about the program here and find a contractor here.

PG&E understands how disruptive it is for our communities to be without power and continues to provide more help to customers with disabilities, hardships, language barriers and other needs.

For more information, visit pge.com/psps and pge.com/homebattery.

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.

27 June 10-16, 2021

Upside...

(From Page 11)

Bulos, the Godmother of Filipino American politics; and WHEREAS, Colma also has the distinction of having had the very first Filipino American woman mayor in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as being the first municipality in the United States to have both Mayor and Vice Mayor be Filipino American women; and Whereas, Philippine Independence Day provides an opportunity for each and every citizen to reflect on the cultural, scientific, political, and economic contributions of Filipino Americans, which are woven throughout American society.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the Town of Colma hereby proclaims June 12, 2021 as Philippine Independence Day in Colma and invites all our citizens to celebrate and recognize our vibrant Filipino and Filipino American community. *** Cherie Querol Moreno is Executive Editor of Philippine News Today.

Outside...

(From Page 21)

mat ding si Oscar De La Hoya na mag-retiro sa ika-9 na round.

Pinabagsak niya si Cotto sa pangatlo at pang-apat na round bago niya pasukuin ang kalaban sa panghuling yugto ng 12-round na paghaharap na itinuring na pinaka-mataas na antas ng kanyang pagiging mandirigma.

“Miguel Cotto was the ultimate test for me. It was a very physical battle. No question Cotto was one of the best I ever fought and he made me dig down deeper than I ever had to pull it out. Cotto is fierce, pahayag ni Pacquiao matapos ang laban. “ 2. Featherweight: TKO 11 - Marco Antonio Barrera: Unang laban na naman ni Manny sa bagong dibisyon na featherweight laban kay Barrera, ang lineal champion at kabilang sa listahan ng elite pound-for-pound na pinadapa niya sa lona sa ikatlo at pang11 round bago ng corner ng Mehikano ang tuwalya na pagsuko na ikinagulat ng mga eksperto.

“I was never more prepared or in better condition for a fight than I was for my fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. It was the biggest fight of my career to that point,” wika ni Pacquiao na ayon sa maraming nakasaksi ay siyang naging hudyat ng kanyang pagiging alamat matapos ang sagupaan.

3. Junior-welterweight: Ricky Hatton, KO 2 round – Sa pagkabigo ng negosasyon para pagsabungin siya at si Floyd Mayweather Jr., napilitan ang kabiyak ni Sarangani Bise Gob Jinkee na umatras sa 140 libra laban kay Briton Hatton kung saan ay ipinamalas ni Pacquiao lakas niyang manuntok sa loob ng wala pang anim na minutong natapos sa KO. “Bago ang laban ay may nagtanong sa aking taga-media kung saang bahagi ng pagtutuols ko matatalo si Hatton,”pagtatapat n Manny. ‘’Ang sagot ko ay noon pa lamang pirmahan ko ang kontrata.”

4. Junior-middleweight: W12 Antonio Margarito – Ang sagupaang tumapos sa mahigit isang dekadang paglalakabay ng bayaning Pilipinong tungo sa karangalang sa kasaysayann ay wala pang nakagagawa at wala pang makakagagawa marahil hanggang sa katapusan ng kasalukuyang milenyo. Sa makasaysayang pagakyat ng ngayon ay senador nang mandirigma, si Manny say tumimbang na mas magaan ng 17 libra kay Margarito. Sa kabila nito, bugbog sarado ang kalaban na nagdusa sa isang career-altering eye injury na naging dahilan ng broken orbit.

Naging dahilan din ito para magpahayag si Pacquiao na ito rin ang una at huli niyang laban sa 154-librang dibisyon . “This was my most physical and punishing fight. Once was enough for me at that weight. When I was asked if I wanted to defend [the title) I said, ‘No thanks!’ That was the fight where I had reached my limit in terms of weight class. I fought a very good fight and the atmosphere at Cowboys Stadium was so memorable. I do think the fight should have been stopped. Margarito took a lot of punishment.”

Immigrant’s story...

(From Page 13)

ing the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.”

Analysis

(From Page 12)

Senator Manuel Villar also led surveys in 2010 only to lose to Benigno Aquino III even if Arroyo supported him and abandoned her party’s candidate, Gilbert Teodoro.

Well, it seemed luck smiled on Aquino because the Liberal Party capitalized on the death of president Cory Aquino in 2009 to catapult an anemic politician to power.

And in the 2016, Vice President Jejomar Binay led the surveys but the black propaganda orchestrated by the Liberal Party through Alan Peter Cayetano and Trillanes stuck on him. The LP also concentrated on Grace Poe and succeeded in destroying her but the party forgot Rodrigo Duterte whose meteoric rise it never expected. It was too late to train all guns on him.

It looks like from the narrative of the administration the Duterte-Duterte tandem is unsinkable but after more than a year of failed economic and pandemic policies which left millions of people jobless and hungry would matter on election day.

It is very surprising pollsters have not released Duterte’s satisfaction or performance rating in the last two quarters. Are the numbers holding up?

Duterte will be surprised if the people he had intimated and threatened for the last five years with his “war of drugs” and red-tagging would rise up and revolt on election day.

They have remained silent for too long and judgment day on May 9, 2022 will be unforgiving and ruthless.

In short, from being the strongest tandem, it will become the weakest team. The administration will need Duterte to prop up his daughter who is seen as young, inexperienced and untested to grapple with the country’s problem inherited from her father.

Her leadership in Davao City is not sterling, It is one of the country’s epicenters for COVID-19, it has persistent drug problem and a gateway for drug smuggling from China and it has one of the active insurgency problems.

The elections next year is really a referendum for the six years of Duterte leadership which failed to make good a single promise to end corruption, crimes and drugs. It would also be harsh assessment for his daughter who once said honesty is not a requirement for public official.

I think it would be better for Duterte to retire from public service. He has repeatedly said he wanted to resign and he does not want the job, so let him rest.

For her part, Sara will surely win a third term as Davao City mayor easily. Let her stay in Davao to gain more experience and mature for a shot in the 2028 elections.

Let the has-beens fight it out next year. Bongbong Marcos is singing a swan song. Beaten in 2016, he has to prove himself. Imelda Marcos, his number one fan, may longer be there in 2028 to help him and this is his last shot to fame and power.

Isko may no longer wait for 2028 or 2034 to earn his ticket to the presidency. He wants to strike while the iron is hot, riding on his popularity as mayor of the Manila who overturned Estrada’s neglect, bringing to life the Royal City.

Manny Pacquiao has to win first his boxing match and has the luxury of time but he might be a forgotten boxing champ in 2028 and 2034, so the time is now.

The gentleman from Cavite is also too old to run for president in 2028 and his military bearing will no longer draw votes. So, he has to do it now.

But, again, are these the choices for the Philippines next year? They are all uninspiring. Filipinos need a leader with a vision beyond 2050, a good manager who will steer the economy to quick recovery and growth, a leader who will not rely heavily on ex-generals but brilliant technocrats and politicians to get out in the woods.

Sayang, hindi pa pwede si Vico Sotto who has proven himself to govern well Pasig City. But there could be other Vico Sottos out there. Who knows, one may emerge before May 2022? Teka di kasali yung dating nasa Eat Bulaga, magkaapelyido lang sila.

Offline

(From Page 13)

same way the president dismissed the Philippines’ legal victory over China where the West Philippine Sea is concerned.

The tragedy that the Filipino people faces on a day to day basis is the fact that the prices of consumer goods, specifically food, has gone through the roof, the number of jobless Filipinos is still painfully high, policemen still kill unarmed civilians on a regular basis, and the Chinese occupation of the country’s waters continues unabated.

Worst of all, there are strong indications that the regime will do everything possible to make sure the next president will be their candidate. They will use every dirty trick in the book, massive cheating included.

To paraphrase the great Abraham Lincoln, this is a regime that is still able to fool most of the people most of the time.

PerryScope...

(From Page 12)

29, Bongbong and sister Imee Marcos flew to Davao City to greet Sara “Happy birthday!” Presumably, Bongbong and Sara discussed a possible tandem between the two of them?

Why not? They’re the two top winners in the straw polls taken last April. The question is, who would be the presidential candidate? MY guess is it would be Bongbong simply because of Bongbong’s age. Besides, Imelda Marcos would veto it. She wanted her son to follow the footsteps of his father. Sarah is still young. Another six years wait for her to move up the presidential ladder is just about right.

How about Pacquiao? He is a formidable opponent, be it in boxing or in politics. Due to Pacquiao’s star power and wealth, he may be the one candidate who could mount an independent campaign. He also has the “bakya” crowd behind him. And that’s a huge number of voters. He can campaign using his Pidgin English, which would delight his audience.

Ultimately, it would be a fight between a Marcos-Sara Duterte tandem vs. Pacquiao and his handpicked running mate.

How about vice president Leni Robredo? Nobody is even sure if she’s going to run for president. Her main problem is money. She doesn’t have the financial wherewithal she needs to launch an effective campaign to win. She admitted that herself. With Sara Duterte, Bongbong Marcos, and Manny Pacquiao having all the money to buy themselves an election, Robredo would probably just run for governor of her home province of Camarines Sur, where she’d be a sure winner. Or she could be the vice presidential running mate of Pacquiao who is capable of funding Robredo’s candidacy.

Yes, the battle of Titans looms. It will be a survival of the fittest or should I say, survival of the cheatest?

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

 HEALTH NEWS

June 10-16, 2021

28

WHO steps up action to improve food safety and protect people from disease GENEVA, Switzerland – Every year 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses are reported. In 2010, 420 000 people died due to such diseases as salmonella and E.coli infection, a third of them children under five years of age.

It is estimated that this figure is increasing year after year, but it is difficult to get a clear picture of the real impact foodborne diseases are having around the world.

To address this problem the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a handbook to help countries measure their foodborne disease burden and identify food safety system needs and data gaps so they can strengthen national infrastructure and better protect people’s health.

“Food should sustain and support human health, not harm it,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “WHO’s new handbook will help

countries to collect and analyze data to inform sustained investments in food safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the intimate links between the health of humans, animals and the planet that sustains us. WHO will continue to work with partners with a One Health approach to keep communities safe from foodborne disease.”

In 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted a new resolution mandating WHO to monitor the global burden of foodborne and zoonotic diseases at national, regional and international levels and to report on the global burden of foodborne diseases with up-to-date estimates of global foodborne disease incidence, mortality and disease burden by 2025.

The Organization is reconvening its foodborne disease

burden epidemiology reference group (WHO FERG) with 26 new international experts. The group’s main functions are to advise WHO on methodologies to estimate the global burden of foodborne diseases, to monitor global food safety indicators and measure progress being made in food safety.

There are over 250 different food hazards that cause various health issues such as acute or long-term illness or even death. In 2015, the previous FERG helped WHO publish a historic report that revealed, for the first time ever, the global public health burden of foodborne diseases based on 31 foodborne hazards. The report showcased the massive health impact of unsafe food and highlighted the need for strong and sustained action.

Vegan longevity “Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends.”

George Bernard Shaw

D

Heart of Hope

iet plays a very important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and some forms of cancer, especially of the gastrointestinal tract. One particular diet --- one high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and low in fiber --- consisting mainly of PHILIP S. CHUA red meats (pork, beef, nonskim dairy products, etc) and eggs, has been linked to more than half a million deaths from heart attack each year in the United States alone. This translates to one person dying from a cardiovascular illness every 60 seconds. And this does not even include the mortality from cancer, etc.

Vegetables and Fruits Vegetables and fruits have phytochemicals that are good for our body. Twenty three epidemiological studies have shown that diet rich in grains and vegetables reduces the risk of colon cancer by 40%, and breast cancer by 25%. Some of the hundreds of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables are: lycophene, ellagic acid, lutein, flavanoids, saponins, monoterpenes, phthalides, phenols, ajoene, cassaicin, coumestrol, genistein, sulforaphane, zeanthin. Our mothers were right in cajoling us to eat vegetables and fruits while we were growing up.

Too bad, most of us didn’t listen. But since we are now wiser and know better, let’s educate our own children and persuade them to eat more vegetables and fruits— and less animal meat---for better health. The incidence of cancers, heart and kidney diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity among vegetarians is much lower than among meat-eaters. Veggies and fruits in capsules are most inadequate and expensive.

Types of Vegetarians Vegetarians come in three forms: (1) Lacto-ovo vegetarians, whose diet consists of vegetables, dairy products and eggs, no meat or flesh of any kind (pork, beef, lamb, etc., poultry, fish and seafoods); (2) Lacto-vegetarians who do not eat eggs, but eat vegetables, fruits and milk; and, (3) Vegans or pure vegetarians, who do not eat any food or food products of animal origin, including milk and eggs, and susbsist on vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits only. Most vegans also do not buy

or use animal products, such as those made of leather, intestinal tract, absence of claws, are all similar to those fur, feather, ivory, etc., all of which involves the killing of herbivores, very much unlike those of carnivores. of animals.

Thus, he argues that man is a natural herbivore, and must eat what herbivores eat: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, Imported From England and not meat or flesh, in order to stay healthy. Staying The Rev. William Metcalfe of England, together away from what herbivores should eat, and eating a lot with his friend, Sylvester Graham, a young Presbyterian of red meat, is unhealthy and is the cause of most, if not minister and 40 other English church members, brought all, of man’s ailments, is also a well-respected argument the vegetarian way of life to the United States in 1817. in the scientific community.

For thousands of years, being a vegetarians was a part of socio-cultural-religious practice around the globe, most Strength, Vigor and Vitality notably in the Far East. Many people around the world The belief that vegetarians are weak and sickly today choose to be vegetarians for health reasons. is a myth. Elephants, bulls, cows, carabaos, and some dinosaurs (plateosaurus, brachiosaurus, etc.) are a few Vegetarian Who’s Who of the strongest animals known to man --- all herbivores.

If you are a vegetarian, you’re in good company. Various studies comparing athletes who are carnivores Some of the famous vegetarians include Pythagoras, and herbivores revealed astonishing findings: VegetarSocrates, Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Buddha, Plutarch, ian athletes fared 2 to 3 times better, with greater endurJohn Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Mahatma Gandhi, The ance and better recovery time, compared to their meatDalai Lama, Benjamin Franklin, Shakespeare, Vicent eating counterparts in similar sport activities.

Van Gogh, Leo Tolstoy, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Voltaire, Albert Schweitzer, George Bernard Shaw, Albert Vegetables with Protein Einstein, Winston Churchill, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Vegetarians get their protein from soybeans, Rabindranath Tagore, Mark Twain, Robert Browning, lentils, kidney beans, lima and pinto beans, black beans, Linda and Paul McCartney, John Denver, Richard Gere, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, peanuts, almonds, cashew, Kim Bassinger, Steven Spielberg, Cameron Diaz, Josh sunflower seeds, and other nuts, broccoli and other vegHartnett…etc. etables, wheat, grains, brown rice, potato, and eggs and dairy products. These sources easily meet the daily reWas Jesus a Vegetarian? quirement of between 60-80 grams of protein, even for Knowledge as recorded in the bible about how vegans. So, animal meat is not really essential for health the Essenes, the Nazoreans and Ebionites, lived sug- and life. gests that Christ was probably a vegetarian. He was vehemently against animal sacrifices. Matthew and Peter Rx for myself were said to be vegetarians. The brother of Jesus, James A daily low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-fiber diet the Just, the first head of the church in Jerusalem after of fish and a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains the death of Christ, was raised as a vegetarian. If Je- (brown rice instead of white), with occasional red meat, sus’s parents raised James as vegetarian then it would be if desired, coupled with abstinence from tobacco, dolikely that Jesus was also raised as one. The early Chris- ing daily exercises, maintaining proper weight, drinking tian fathers adhered to a meatless regime. Many early a glass or two of red wine with dinner, taking a daily Christian groups supported the meatless way of life. In multivitamin-mineral supplement, taking time off with fact, the writings of the early Church indicate that meat- friends and/or family for rest and relaxation on weekeating was not officially allowed until the 4th century, ends, visiting the doctor for check-up as advised, and when the Emperor Constantine decreed that the practice adequately treating any existing medical condition (hyof vegetarianism was heresy and punishable by death. pertension, diabetes, etc) is our prescription for health, peace, happiness, and better productivity.

Man: A Natural Herbivore?

Was man supposed to be plant-eaters instead of Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac meat-eaters? Yes, according to several investigations and Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las books on the subject. A. D. Andrews, author of Fit Food Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/ For Man, made an anatomical and structural comparison author, health advocate and Chairman of the Filipino between herbivores (plant-eating animals) and carni- United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundavores (meat-eating animals), and came to the conclusion tion in the United States. Websites: philipSchua.com that man’s teeth, salivary glands, quality of saliva, long and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

29 June 10-16, 2021

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS

Lovelife Special

Q. “My wedding is 8 days away. My buddies planned to give me a bachelor party and joked about bringing a dancer. Jokingly I retorted that I didn’t want any dancer; why can’t my future wife dance for me instead? Apparently my fiancée overheard our conversation and got fuming mad.

She hurled hurting words that made my stomach churn. She said she really didn’t love me and that I wasn’t good enough for PTR. DANTE & CYNTHA VELUZ anything.

She was going to marry someone else. (Before I met her she was mending a broken heart after breaking off with her boyfriend of 4 years.) Then she left me and I couldn’t tell if she would still come back to me. I couldn’t sleep and almost cried because of the pain she caused me and maybe that I caused her. I have never been humiliated that way in my life before; yet despite this, I still want to marry her.

What shall I do? What if she cancels the wedding? What if we were already married and she would walk away from me whenever we would have conflict or we would fight at the slightest provocation? These things make me nervous.

I need prayers and I need to think. Could you somehow help me clear my head?”

A. Yes, you do need a lot of prayers and some fasting may help too. Through these you can get directions from God and will know His will for you. Although you probably have distributed invitations and everything is ready for the wedding, you still have time to think things through.

Remember that marriage is a life-long decision. When you get there, you cannot undo your status. You have to bear with whatever you get yourself into. Here is a question: Are these spats recurrent in your relationship? If they are, then we believe you need to test your love for each other further because what happened between you was not healthy. Never mind what people may say; if you need to postpone the wedding, then by all means do so. What is more important is that both of you are sure you are ready for marriage and for each other.

In our opinion, the words that came out of her mouth were due to the outburst of her emotions. Apparently she took your joke seriously and she felt demeaned that you leveled her to some dancer or maybe she couldn’t comprehend why you would ever suggest that in the first place. It was probably a morbid thing to her as her imagination got the better of her. That is why she probably said things she didn’t mean just to get back at you.

Nevertheless those hurting words cut deep. The Bible says “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). You have to dig deep into what she uttered to you for those words should be unheard of from a woman in love. Has she fully recovered from her previous relationship? Does she regard you with high respect?

Would she be willing to forgive? Only you can judge.

On the other hand, there is a saying that love conquers all. If you love her that much you can forgive her for the hurt she caused you and you can be first one to reach out and ask for forgiveness so you can reconcile. “Love covers a multitude of sin” (1Peter 4:8). Your love, especially your prayers can help her change. Your love can also cause her to mature emotionally. Finally, you may also want to see your wedding minister for counseling so he can help you prevent this situation from cropping up again.

We hope you can sort things out before your big day!

God bless your relationship!

To our readers: you may call us or write to us at our address above-stated or email us at danteveluz@gmail. com or you can channel your feedbacks or problems through Philippines Today. God bless you all!

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

THE TREASURE WE ARE GOING FROM

By TIM PEDROSA

The most deplorable poverty is that of a man who has more than he needs but feels he does not have enough. To possess money is well and good; it maybe a most valuable tool we could have but to be possessed by it is to be possessed by a devil, and one of the meanest and worst devil who struggles much in becoming rich. Our happiness lies in the joy of achievement, the thrill of creative effects and sharing something with others to inform, to entertain, to inspire and to motivate them but not to brag. When we die, our money remains in the bank, yet when we are still alive, many of us think that we don’t have enough money to spend. As the story goes a business tycoon in China passed away. His widow, left with $1.9 billion in the bank and married his chauffeur. His chauffeur said, “All the while, I thought I was working for my boss but it is only now that I realize that my boss was all the time working for me.” Life is tragic for those who have plenty to live on and nothing to live for. Our best wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants. The real measure of wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our possessions. The reality is, it is more important to live longer than to have more wealth; to have a strong and healthy body. It really doesn’t matter who is working for whom.

The joy in life comes not through wealth and ownership but through a wise, loving and grateful heart. The way to get a meaningful life is to devote ourselves to loving others. If your treasure is on Earth, you are going from it; If it is in Heaven, you are going to it. We could dedicate ourselves to creating something that gives us a momentous life by using things not by loving them and loving others not by using them. At the end, it is what we have scattered not what we have gathered that will tell what kind of life we had and how we will be remembered by whom and for what. And that is something we really have to think about.

Time and money are the heaviest burden of life and the unhappiest of all mortals are those who have more of either than they know how to use – Samuel Johnson.

Dirt Everywhere Sin is dirt to our soul. Sin blinds our view of God’s presence and action in our lives. Sin is death to our life with God; for it separates us from Him. Sin makes us ugly outwardly and inwardly; for it disfigures our whole being before God. There are countless of dirty sin- REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD ful things around us in the world. Anything that contradicts God and offensive to Him is dirt and can stain our mind, heart, and soul. We must, therefore, be vigilant and avoid any occasion that may compromise our state of grace and favor with God. We must never dialogue with the evil one and play its games. Let us avoid all occasions to sin and sinful elements; consider the following: First of all, the dirt of using bad language, foul words, and offensive expressions. This is dirt that we encounter on a daily basis. We must not be tolerant with this and let ourselves fall into having a dirty and bad mouth. If we have fallen into this dirt; surely, we are being dirtied on daily basis. As days and years pass by, we would think we are fine and not think we are harming our inmost being. We should correct ourselves and vow not to use any form of this dirt. Maybe an analogy can help us avoid this dirt is by thinking that using such bad words and sinful expressions can be liken to eating manure, it is gross imagining it, but it is truly gross morally and spiritually.

We just do not seriously consider that this kind of dirt can stain our relationship with God and may destroy our soul in the process. Give a serious thought if you are is fond of speaking bad words and expressions.

Secondly, the dirt of pornography is everywhere; even kids, if not supervised they can access dirty stuff in the Internet through their cellphones. In advertisements or commercials of things on Television there is subliminal seduction; like, advertising for cars, cigarettes, furniture, or beverages, et cetera. The mind is bombarded with things that can suggest malicious thoughts. And when the person enjoys such thoughts, the behavior and attitude changes, and the change is not towards the good but to the bad. This happens to everyone; we cannot lower our guard against this dirt of lewd and lustful things. The Lord said in Scriptures: “The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is sound, then, your whole body is filled with light, but when it is bad, then your body is in darkness (Lk. 11:34).”

We have to preserve and sustain the moral health of our eyes. Let us avoid feeding our eyes with bad images in order to maintain our purity and moral wellbeing.

Thirdly, we are influenced also by the dirt of bad habits, vices, the rude and disrespectful mannerism of other people around us. We observe other people’s behavior, their manner of talking, the way of dealing with others, and these lead us to emulate these actions. At first, we abhor these bad behavior and vices; but then, knowingly or unknowingly we are also practicing them. We have to be mindful always of the life of the Lord Jesus; we should imitate Him. Let His life be seen in our life.

We have to invest a lot of effort in practicing good habits and good behavior in order that dirty ways may not have room in us.

Fourthly, unfortunately we too can be causes of bad things, bad example, to others. We contribute also to the moral and spiritual dirt that floats around. That is why; we cannot be negligent to our Christian formation.

We must allow the moral principles and teachings of the Lord Jesus to deeply influence us. Let us continually be formed, be corrected, be disciplined, be also inspired in the good deeds that we are already doing. There is always consequence in what we do, the ripple effect; if we do bad, we are promoting the bad and the sinful around us, and this can flow onwards affecting not only one but many people too. Let us be agents of what is godly and not the ungodly. With good deeds and good words, we contribute to the flourishing of goodness around. There are many sinful dirts like dust all over, let us not be among the sources of them. Amen. You can find also this article in my website, faithexpressions.org, view us too in YouTube, Faith Expressions, for other faith formation videos.

Aflame The Heart

I Need Time to Think

31 June 10-16, 2021  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Special Beef Kaldereta Ingredients: 1 kilo beef spareribs 1/2 cup chicken liver, fried, massed in to paste 2 medium size red bell pepper, cut into 1” square 2 pcs. whole sweet pickle, sliced crosswise 1 small can button mushroom 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 1/2 tsp. ground peppercorns 2 medium size onion, chopped 1/2 head garlic, chopped 1/4 cup vinegar 1 cup green olives 1 cup tomato sauce 1/2 tsp hot sauce 3 bay leaf salt

Boracay Island welcomes back tourists Cooking procedure: Marinate beef meat with vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain marinade and stir fry meat until color changes to light brown, keep aside. In a saucepan, sauté garlic and onion, add meat and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stir cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add 8 to 10 cups of water, ground peppercorns and bay leaf simmer for 1 to 1/2 hours or until meat are tender and just enough sauce remains. Add more water as necessary. Add liver paste, mushroom, green olive and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add bell pepper, hot sauce, cheddar cheese and season with salt and cook for another 2 to 3 minute, serve hot.

MALAY, Aklan – Boracay Island is already accepting tourists from the NCR Plus bubble as residents under areas classified as general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ are now allowed to enter as provided for in Resolution 118A of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (EID).

Felix Gregorio Delos Santos, head of the Malay Tourism Office, said that tourists from Metro Manila (National Capital Region), Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, and Laguna) are already allowed to enter since these areas are under GCQ. Delos Santos said same protocol and same requirements will apply for tourists coming from those areas although they are already required to use the S-PaSS (Safe, Swift and Smart Passage) online travel management tool.

“Still we require the negative RT-PCR, booking in DOT-accredited hotel establishments, QR code, valid ID, itinerary, and flight details,” he said.

Tourists have an option to use the saliva testing or nasopharyngeal swab test for the negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) as long as it is taken 72 hours before travel.

Tourists who are 2 years old and below, however, are exempted from the negative RT-PCR requirement.

Meantime, all documents that will be submitted by the tourists are still subject to validation by the provincial government of Aklan.

Delos Santos added that while he could not yet tell the impact of tourists coming from those areas, yet they are grateful since visitors coming from Western Visayas are not sufficient for the industry to recover.

“We hope that they could add to our tourist arrivals; we will know that hopefully by next week,” he added.

Last month, almost 1,700 tourists visited the island. The highest arrival in a day was 161 and the lowest was 11, he said.

Almost 268 establishments have the authority to operate on the island, which is equivalent to 6,000 room accommodation.

He added that so far Covid-19 cases on the island are contained and there is no more surgical lockdown being implemented.

Boracay has 318 cumulative cases from Barangays Manocmanoc, Balabag and Yapak.

Of the total cases, 26 are active, 291 have recovered and one died as per June 1, 2021 health bulletin of the Malay Inter-Agency Task Force Against Covid-19.

Beef Spareribs Adobo with Oyster Sauce