Philippine News Today

1 June 30 - July 6, 2022

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA EDITION

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MARCOS TAKES REINS OF GOV’T

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Covid-19 cases rise across all regions: DOH

B y Jea nne M i c h a el P ena r a nd a MANILA – The number of Covid-19 cases continue to increase across all regions with a national positivity rate of 4. 1 percent but the average daily attack rate remains low, the Department of Health warned as it urged the public to continue to observe health protocols like wearing of face masks.

The country’s daily average y AL E GA O , Editor-in-Chief of Covid-19 cases, in fact, went MANILA – Following his unprecedented victory up by 53 percent from J une 20 to with over 31 million votes (58%) in the May 9 elec- 26 , Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said, adding the tions, President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. current positivity rate is similar took his oath of office as the country’s 17th Presi- with the rate the country logged start of March this year. dent on June 30 in solemn ceremonies at the Na- at the This as the country has detional Museum and thereafter took over the top tected 6 3 additional cases of three post from President Rodrigo Duterte. P a g e 9 Omicron subvariants -- 50 BA. 5, 11 BA. 2. 12. 1 and two BA. 4, 38 cases of which were from Western Visayas, five from the National Capital Region, and seven were returning overseas FilipiB y Jun N uc um nos.

OAKLAND, California “Isang indibidwal ay fully Overall hate crimes reported in vaccinated, isa ay unvaccinated, California increased 32. 6 % from habang kasalukuyang bine-verify 2020 to 2021 and are at their highpa namin ang status ng bakuna est reported level since 2001 as ng natitirang apa’t napong walo 1,7 6 3 bias events 2021 were re(One individual is fully vaccicorded. nated, one is unvaccinated, while This was disclosed by Califorthe vaccination statuses of the nia Attorney General Rob Bonta remaining 48 individuals are still in the 2021 Hate Crime in Califorbeing verified,” Vergeire said. nia Report and highlighted inforMeanwhile, only one out of mation and resources to support five Filipinos eligible for a first ongoing efforts across the state to booster or around 14. 85 million combat hate crimes. have received the needed third In the report, hate crimes tardose of Covid-19 vaccine, acgeting Black people remain the R O B B O N T A cording to the Department of most prevalent and increased hate crime incidents once again Health (DOH).

12. 5% from 456 in 2020 to 513 increased dramatically, rising “The DOH have recorded in 2021, while reported anti-Asian 17 7 . 5% from 2020 to P a g e 8 4,9 7 6 new cases fromP a g e 1 0

Pope prays for stability, peace and prosperity in Philippines

P ESI E

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. in his inaugural photo

US sends lightweight group to Marcos Jr’s inauguration y e ng Laygo olor, Editor

MANILA – It’s not exactly the best sign that US-Philippine ties – badly marred by the Duterte regime – will experience an improvement anytime soon.

Not after what is perceived as a diplomatic faux pas on the part of the US vis-à -vis the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, J r. on Thursday, J une 30 (Philippine time).

While China is sending its vice president, Wang Q ishan, to attend this week’s inaugural of Marcos, the US is only sending the Second Gentleman, Douglas

Emhoff, A A the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The husband of the US vice president does not occupy any official position in the administration of President J oe Biden.

As such, he only comes as a token representative, although he has performed the occasional public role in behalf of the Biden administration.

Worst of all, even the US ambassador to the Philippines will not be attending the noontime inauguration to be held at the National Museum. In- P a g e 8

Bonta unveils new measures vs hate crimes as cases surge

Isko vows out, urges support Manila’s first lady mayor

Metro Manila, others stay in Alert Level 1 VIEWS & COMMENTS

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3 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 NATIONAL NEWS

Duterte serenades, thanks supporters in shortest speech

MANILA - Four days before stepping down from office, President odrigo Duterte again went off-script as he faced supporters in a than sgiving concert at the uirino randstand at i al Par in Manila. nown for his unscripted tirades and lengthy speeches during his term, Duterte this time delivered his shortest remar s.

“Sa sambayanang Pilipino, maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo,” he said.

Duterte gave remar s lasting less than half a minute, the briefest for the chief executive. e then too a bow before returning to his seat beside partner oneylet Avance a.

Duterte was onstage for

the over-3-hour program, listening to performances by various artists.

Seated with him onstage were his special assistant-turned-senator Christopher Lawrence Bong o Sen. Imee Marcos, brother of Duterte s successor Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. and Senator-elect obin Padilla, whose wife Mariel was co-emceeing the event.

Padilla and fellow action star Cesar Montano sang “To All The irls I ve Loved Before” with comedian Moymoy Palaboy.

Cabinet officials Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Finance Secretary Carlos Domingue III were also with the president.

Duterte did not pass up the chance to serenade his fans and supporters despite being invited as special guest at the “Salamat P D” than sgiving concert.

Although international singer and Concert ing Martin Nievera had already sung “I aw” earlier in the program, Duterte was re uested to sing the love song himself with Nievera singing some parts of the song.

A firewor s display was also set off while the President was belting out what he earlier named as his favorite song.

There was also a drone show with a rendering of the words “Salamat (Than ou)” and “P D”, the president s face, his fist symbol, and the Philippine flag.

Duterte also delivered a short speech, than ing all attendees for showing up despite the rain.

“Maigsi lang po. Sa sambayanang Pilipino, maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo (This will be short. To all Filipinos, than you very much),” he said and returned bac to his seat to enjoy the rest of the program.

The SalamatP D concert was led by an ensemble of performers led

by Nieverra, Andrew E. Chad Borja, Dulce, Freddie Aguilar, Ice Seguerra, Isay Alvare , Jed Madela, Jimmy Bondoc, Moymoy Palaboy, obert Se a, and the Philippine Philharmonic rchestra.

Throughout the program, officials, celebrities, and supporters also posed for photos with Duterte.

Around 3, 00 people floc ed to the uirno randstand that also served as venue for Duterte s miting de avance in 201 elections.

Smooth Home buying and selling

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Rajeev removed all the stress related to the sale of the home for us. Due to his years of experience, he tells you things you can only look back and appreciate. He is the best realtor and you can trust him completely.

--- Ron & Lollie

 METRO NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

4

Bill dividing QC Isko Moreno thanks Manilans, barangay into 3 seeks full support for Lacuna lapses into law nileñ os and asked that they give the same trust to his successor.

Domagoso repeated the call during his last day to attend the Monday morning flag raising ceremonies at the Mehan Garden besides the City Hall.

Domagoso said he expects his constituents to also support and respect his vice mayor, Honey Lacuna, who will become Manila s first female mayor.

“Kung ano ang ibinigay ninyo sa akin na pagtitiwala, pakiki-isa, pagsunod sa mga alituntunin, siyang ibigay nyo rin sa bago nating halal sa kasaysayan ng lungsod ng Maynila, kauna unahang babaeng mayor (As you have given me your trust and cooperation in following policies, indly afford the same to our incoming, the first woman mayor in Manila s history), Honey Lacuna,” Domagoso said in his speech that ic ed off the “Nilad Festival” at the Kartilya ng Katipunan monument.

Lacuna won with a total of 538,59 5 votes, beating Alex Lopez who got 16 6 ,9 08 votes.

Her running mate, long-time counO U T G O I N G M A N I L A M A Y O R I s k o M o r eno D o m a g o s o a nd i nc o m i ng m a yo r H o ney cilor Yul Servo Nieto, also prevailed with L a c una 586 ,855 votes as against second-placed Raymond Bagatsing’s 185,431.

MANILA – As the nation’s capital outgoing Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” marked its 451st anniversary on J une 24, Domagoso expressed his gratitude to MaDomagoso, meanwhile, placed fourth overall in the presidential race.

The “Araw ng Maynila” (Manila Day), back after a two-year cancellation due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, was highlighted by a parade around the city hall, participated in by various divisions of the local government and the police.

Six groups representing Manila’s six districts competed in street dancing.

Domagoso and Lacuna offered a wreath at the tomb of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi at San Agustin Church in Intramuros, and at Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate.

Lega pi is the country s first governorgeneral who declared Manila as the capital while Rajah Sulayman III was the last King of Manila, along with Rajah Matanda (Sulayman II) and Lakan Banaw Dula of Tondo, who fought the Spanish empire during the 16 th century.

The “Nilad Festival” is named after the nilad plant, a flowering shrub, where the city derived its name.

“Nilad is a cultural icon and a representation of the journey and history of Manila.

A budding plant that is trying to trace and find its origin so it can once again bloom and be visible not only to the country, but also to the rest of the world,” the city’s Department of Tourism, Culture, and Arts explained.

Domagoso said the nilad plant is not simply a plant that the city is trying to revive, but the totality of all stories worth sharing and experiencing.

At the end of his speech, Domagoso expressed his love for the city he grew up in.

“Mahal na mahal ko kayo, mga batang Maynila. Pagpalain kayo (I love you, Manileñ os. May you be all be blessed),” Domagoso said.

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Q UEZ ON CITY – A measure dividing Barangay Pasong Putik in Q uezon City into three distinct and independent barangays has lapsed into law without the signature of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Republic Act No. (RA) 11803 divides Barangay Pasong Putik into Barangay Pasong Putik Proper, Barangay Greater Lagro, and Barangay North Fairview.

Barangay Pasong Putik Proper is bounded on the north by Caloocan City and Q uezon City boundary; on the east by Belfast Street, Caloocan City and Q uezon City boundary; on the west by Kaligayahan/New Haven and Teresa Heights boundary; and on the south by Q uirino Highway, Mindanao Avenue.

Barangay Greater Lagro is bounded on the north by Q uirino Highway; on the east by the MWSS Reservoir; on the west

by Belfast Street, Mindanao Avenue, Barangay Sta. Monica and Barangay Pasong Putik Boundary; and on the south by a creek, D.B .T . Marbay/Lagro Subdivision boundary.

Barangay North Fairview is bounded on the north by D.B .T . Marbay/Lagro Subdivision Boundary; on the east by Lagro Subdivision, Tullahan Creek; on the west by Barangay Sta. Monica and North Fairview Subdivision boundary; and on the south by Barangay Fairview and Tullahan Creek.

Pasig village hands out P1-M midyear cash gifts to seniors PASIG CITY – Residents, specially the seniors, of Barangay San Antonio in Pasig City are enjoying an early bonanza.

This after the barangay started distributing P1 million worth of midyear cash gifts to its senior citizens and additional incentives to those turning 9 0 and 100 years old.

Barangay San Antonio chairman Raymond Lising said a total of 9 7 6 senior citizens in their barangay will each get a P1,000 midyear cash gift. e said the barangay is eyeing to finish distributing the cash gift before the month ends.

“We have allocated P9 7 6 ,000 to fund the midyear cash gift program of our barangay as we currently have 9 7 6 registered senior citizens in our barangay,” he said.

Lising said the staff of the barangay would personally deliver the cash gifts to ensure the safety of the senior citizens, especially since there is still a pandemic.

“For their safety and convenience, our barangay personnel will deliver the PHP1,000 midyear cash gift right at their doorstep. We want them to be safe from Covid-19 ,” he said.

Lising also announced that the barangay will give a P5,000 cash gift to senior citizens who will be turning 9 0 and 100 years old this year. The additional cash incentive will be released in August.

5 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 PROVINCIAL NEWS

Marcos joins Bacoor city rites, urges people’s unity for better life BACOOR CITY – President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos J r. enjoined Filipinos anew to unite and help his administration pursue the dream of providing a better life for all Filipinos.

Marcos reiterated this call as he attended the 10th cityhood anniversary of Bacoor City, saying the government could not succeed without the help and support of Filipinos.

“Tulungan niyo po ako. Mahirap po ang ating kailangang gawin, marami po ang ating kailangang gawin.

Ngunit sa tulong ninyo, sa pagkakaisa ninyo, sa ating pangarap na pagandahin ulit ang buhay ng Pilipino… ay magiging totoo pag tayo ay nagkaisa (Please help me. hat we need to do is difficult, what we need to do will be a lot. But with your help, your unity in my dream of giving Filipinos a better life… we will truly be united),” he said in his speech.

Marcos also expressed confidence that he would succeed in lifting the country from poverty as long as Filipinos rally behind him.

“Kahit marami po tayong nakikita na maghahadlang sa ating ninanais na pagandahin ang Pilipinas. Malakas po ang loob ko magsabi na mayroon pa rin tayong

maliwanag at magandang kinabukasan at nasasabi ko He said he also does not want to miss the event as he po ‘ yun dahil nasa likod ko ang lahat ng Pilipino (Even was pleased that the city has kept its tradition of being if a lot of factors try to hinder our desire to make the known as the “Marching Band Capital of the PhilipPhilippines greater, I have the courage to say that we pines. ” still have a bright and beautiful future and I can say that because all Filipinos are behind me),” he said.

He said he did not pass up the chance to attend the city’s 10th cityhood anniversary upon invitation of outgoing Mayor and incoming congresswoman Lani Mercado Revilla and Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla J r. , noting that Caviteñ os’ votes contributed in helping him win the presidency with an overwhelming 31 million votes.

“Nung natanggap ko ang imbitasyon galing sa inyong butihing mayor ay sinabi ko, siguro naman karapat-dapat na ang una kong paglabas bilang President-elect ay magpunta ako at magpasalamat ako sa mga taga Bacoor at sa mga taga Cavite sa iyong ibinigay na resulta sa nakaraang halalan (When I received the invitation from your mayor, I said, perhaps it is only deserving that my first public appearance as President-elect would be to thank the people of Bacoor and Cavite for the results you gave during the recent elections),” he said.

Maguindanao plebiscite set September 17 COTABATO CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set a plebiscite on September 17 to determine whether Maguindanao will be divided into two separate provinces.

Comelec Resolution No. 107 9 7 dated J une 22 and made public also set the activities prior to the holding of the plebiscite which will create Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur. The issuance of the resolution was in accordance with Republic Act 11550 signed by President Ro-

Plan to return to old name of Manila airport revived

drigo Duterte in May last year, which provides for the division of the Mindanao province into two areas.

Aside from the plebiscite date, the Comelec also set the information and campaign period which will be from August 16 to September 15 including the holding of barangay assemblies, fora, or “pulong pulongs”.

The plebiscite period will also begin on August 16 and will run until September 24

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

Marcos names ex-PAL prexy DOTr secretary, other nominees

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MANILA – President-elect Ferdinand ‘ Bongbong’ Marcos, J r. has named veteran airline executive J aime “J immy” Bautista as Secretary-designate of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) along with other key nominees in his administration’s transportation cluster.

Bautista, a Certified Public Accountant, wor ed at the country s flagship Philippine Airlines (PAL) for 25 years and was its President for a combined 13 years before retiring for the second time in 2019.

Bautista rose through the ranks of PAL, eventually becoming Vice President for Finance from 1993 to 1994, Chief Finance fficer from 1994 to 1999, Executive Vice President from 199 to 2004, and President from 2004 to 2012, and from 2014 until 2019 .

Marcos also named former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Deputy Administrator Cesar Chavez as Undersecretarydesignate for Rails of the DOTr. Chavez, who President Rodrigo Duterte appointed to the same post in 2017, was instrumental in securing the National Economic Development Au-

thority Board’s approval for the Metro Manila Subway, Philippine National Railway (PNR) Manila to Calamba, PNR Manila to Bicol, and the Tagum-DavaoDigos Mindanao rail projects.

Chavez is also credited for overseeing the interconnection of the LRT Line 1 in Monumento to M T 3 in North Edsa, ensuring seamless travel for the passengers.

Before working in the transport sector, Chavez was Assistant General Manager for Planning of the Metro Manila Development Authority, Chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC), and youth sector Representative in the 9t h Congress.

Meanwhile, veteran journalist and lawyer Atty. Cheloy E. arafil, was nominated by Marcos as Chairperson-designate of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). arafil, currently a Service Director at the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives, was a Prosecutor for the Department of J ustice (DOJ ) and State Solicitor for the ffice of the Solicitor General (OSG).

She worked as a media practitioner for over a decade in various media organizations such as the Philippine Daily Globe, Central News Agency, Associated Press, and Malaya. arafil also holds a Master s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College and is a Philippine Air Force reservist with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

President-elect Marcos also named Christopher “Chet” Pastrana, as General Manager-designate of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

Pastrana, a successful businessman in the transportation field, brings with him decades of experience in various aspects of aviation, logistics, and public maritime transport.

A graduate of Bachelor of Science in

Agricultural Business from the University of the Philippines, Los Bañ os, in 1987, Pastrana is currently the President and CE of CAPP Industries, a supply and logistics conglomerate.

Pastrana is also the Chairman of Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corp.

(APFC), which operates FastCat ferries, the sector’s most recognizable and wellrespected transport provider.

Marcos also nominated two outgoing officials from the Duterte administration, naming outgoing Labor Secretary Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III as Chairman and Resident Representative-designate of the Manila Economic and Cultural ffice (MEC ).

Appointed as D LE Secretary by Duterte in 2016, Bello has spent decades in public service and has held various positions such as Acting Secretary of J ustice and later on Solicitor General in 1998 during the term of then-president Fidel Ramos.

Bello was appointed Cabinet Secretary by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from 2004 to 2010 and was a party-list Representative from 2013 to 2016.

Marcos also renominated former Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles as Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairmandesignate.

Nograles was among the Duterte adinterim appointees that were bypassed for lack of quorum by the Commission on Appointments (CA) this J une.

Nograles, a lawyer, was Davao City’s 1st district Representative for eight years before Duterte appointed him to several posts in the Executive branch.

Nograles was once Cabinet Secretary, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases spokesperson, Acting Presidential spokesperson, and Chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Z ero Hunger.

Duterte says corruption can’t be stopped DAVAO CITY – Outgoing President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared here that corruption cannot be stopped.

“Corruption is endemic. It cannot be stopped but it can be minimized,” Duterte said in a speech during the oath-taking of local officials in his hometown Davao City.

His son, Davao City mayor-elect Sebastian, was among the local officials who too their oath.

“It is hard to stop the corrosive effect of money upon the person,” Duterte added.

This is not the first time Duterte described corruption as endemic.

During his sixth and final State-of-theNation Address (SONA) on J uly 26 , 2021, Duterte said the only way to eradicate corruption is to overturn the government completely.

He said his successor could only change the system if he or she would fire “everybody” in government by declaring martial

law.

Duterte, however, said his administration has ta en significant strides in eradicating corruption in government.

Duterte has fired several officials due to alleged corruption.

Previously, he named officials from the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, and Department of Public Works and Highways as having been sacked for alleged corruption.

In October 2020, Duterte ordered the Department of J ustice to head a mega task force that would probe all government agencies hounded by corruption allegations.

His administration also launched a Citizens’ Hotline and Complaints Center where complaints against corruption and red tape are processed.

NE MA . Mayor-elect Sebastian Duterte takes his oath at the Sangguniang Panlungsod in Davao City witnessed by

President Rodrigo Duterte (left), his children, mother Eli abeth immerman, and sister, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte (right).

Mayor-elect Sebastian Duterte vowed to continue protecting the well-being of Dabawenyos as he took his oath at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

In his speech, Duterte also assured the effective and full implementation of the laws of the city for the welfare of the Dabawenyos.

“My mandate is clear, to protect and promote the welfare of the general public, and I will do everything I can within the boundaries of the law to deliver this mandate,” he said.

The Presidential son also assured that businesses in the city will continue to thrive, job opportunities would be available, and that Dabawenyos will remain safe and healthy.

6

SolGen Calida is COA chair; PNB exec appointed to GSIS MANILA — President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos J r. has appointed outgoing Solicitor General J ose Calida as the next Commission on Audit (COA) chairman.

Marcos camp also confirmed the appointment of J ose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso as president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System.

Veloso is the president and CE of the Philippine National Bank, and also served as president of the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

Marcos’ press secretary-designate Trixie Cruz-Angeles said prior to his role in the Duterte administration, Calida had served as the Undersecretary of the Department of J ustice from 2001 to 2004. e also previously held the Executive Director post at the Dangerous Drugs.

Zagala named PSG chief, senior military assistant MANILA – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Ramon Z agala will serve as acting commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and senior military assistant of Presidentelect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos J r.

“Ang sabi sa akin ni Col. Z agala is for issuance pa ang order, wala pa actually (ang) order, for issuance pa lang, ang effectivity is (J une) 30, sabi nya (Col. Z agala told me that the order is still for issuance, there is still no order yet, is still for issuance, but the effectivity is on June 30),” AFP public affairs office chief Col. J orry Baclor said.

Z agala will replace Brig. Gen. Randolph Cabangbang, who is also a former spokesperson of the Philippine Army.

Z agala belongs to a family whose military heritage spans three generations -from his grandfather, Col. Ramon Z agala to his father Maj. Gen. Rafael G. Z agala.

Z agala was born on Aug. 6 , 19 6 9 , in Camp Aquino, Tarlac. He completed his primary and secondary education at the La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City in 19 83 and 19 87 , respectively, and took up AB Political Science at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila where he graduated in 19 9 0.

He was commissioned to the regular force on Aug. 9 , 19 9 4. Prior to entering the AFP, Z agala was the Corps Commander of the DLSU Naval ROTC unit from 19 89 to 19 9 0. e entered the fficer Candidate School in 19 9 3 and became his class’ First Captain earning him the Chief of Staff Saber.

After his graduation from the fficer Candidate School in 19 9 4, he was assigned to different Army and eneral Headquarters units covering Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, holding various command and staff positions.

7 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 NATIONAL NATIONAL NEWS NEWS

Supreme Court junks 2 petitions vs Marcos candidacy

B y C la i r e M o r a les T r ue MANILA — The Supreme Court has unanimously junked two petitions to disqualify and cancel the candidacy of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong”

Marcos Jr. as it affirmed the dismissal of similar petitions by the Commission on Elections, two days before he is inaugurated in ceremonies at the National Museum, formerly the Legislative Building.

The dismissal of the petitions by a

vote of 13-0 officially paves the way for Marcos, 64, to take his oath as president on J une 30 and thereafter assume the post as the country’s Chief Executive.

The first petition, represented by lawyer and former SC spokesman Theodore Te, argued that Marcos certificate of candidacy when he ran for president should be void on the basis that he lied about not committing any crimes when he was convicted by a Q uezon City court for multiple instances of failing to file his income tax returns.

Thirteen Supreme Court justices voted to affirm the decision of the Comelec dismissing the petitions while two justices did not take part in the deliberations.

The two justices who inhibited themselves in the case are J ustice Henri J ean Paul Inting is the sibling of incumbent Comelec commissioner Socorro Inting, while J ustice Antonio Kho J r. previously served as commissioner in the poll body.

The first group of petitioners, led by Fr. Christian Buenafe, asked the magis-

trates to declare void ab initio Marcos’ certificate of candidacy, completely invalidating his presidential run and all the 31 million votes he received be labeled as stray votes.

The second petition filed by martial law survivors sought to disqualify Marcos from the presidential race for nonfiling of income tax returns or IT s.

Both petitions stressed the secondplacer, whom they said is actually the first-placer among the ualified candidates, should be proclaimed president.

Marcos’ archrival, Vice President Maria Leonor Leni obredo, placed a far second in the race with 14.8 million votes.

“The Court held that in the exercise of its power to decide the present controversy led them to no other conclusion but that respondent Marcos Jr. is ualified to run for and be elected to public office.

Likewise, his COC, being valid and in accord with the pertinent law, was rightfully upheld by the COMELEC,” the Supreme Court stated.

(ICCs), component cities, and municipalities.

The new matrix will remove the twoweek growth rate in determining case risk classification. Case ris classification will be based on average daily attack rates and their current thresholds.

However, the IATF retained the total

bed utilization rate and its current thresholds as the main metric for health system capacity.

The assignment of alert level will be based on the revised cross-tabulation of total bed utilization rate and average daily attack

Metro Manila stays under Alert Level 1 until July 15nat MANILA — Metro Manila will remain under Alert Level 1, the laxest COVID-19 r estrictions, until J uly 15.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) comes made the announcement as it also greenlit recommendations by the sub-Technical Working Group for Data Analytics on revising matrices for the alert level system.

Along with the capital region, 85 of 121 provinces and highly urbanized cities and independent component cities are under the most lenient alert level from J uly 1 to 15.

They are joined by 166 of 744 other component cities and municipalities.

The following provinces, cities and localities were placed under Alert Level 2 from J uly 1 to J uly 15 without prejudice to their respective component cities and municipalities which may be under a different alert level classification.

-- Cordillera Administrative egion Benguet and Ifugao -- egion 4-A - ue on Province -- egion 4-B - ccidental Mindoro and Palawan -- egion - Camarines Norte, Cama-

rines Sur, and Masbate -- egion - Anti ue and Negros ccidental -- egion - Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Oriental -- egion - Leyte, Northern Samar, and Samar (Western Samar) -- egion 9 - City of Isabela, amboanga Del Norte, amboanga Del Sur, and amboanga Sibugay -- egion 10 - Lanao Del Norte -- egion 11 - Davao De ro, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, and Davao Occidental -- egion 12 - Cotabato (North Cotabato), General Santos City (Dadiangas), Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat -- Caraga - Dinagat Islands and Surigao Del Norte -- BA MM - Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi Acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said this comes after the InterAgency Task Force (IATF) updated the matrices to be used for the Alert Level System, and on the alert level classification of provinces, highly urbanized cities (HUCs), independent component cities

Child adoption process simplified under new law PASAY CITY – It will soon be easier to adopt a child or children.

This as the process of adoption has been simplified under a new law, according to Sen. Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares, one of the authors of the law.

Senator Poe made the disclosure after the implementing rules and regulations (I ) of epublic Act ( A) 11 42 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act have been finali ed coinciding with the 40th day

since her adoptive mother, actress Susan oces, passed away.

The co-author of the landmark law on child care was the keynote speaker at the ceremonial signing of the I at the Manila Diamond Hotel in Malate.

“This is a milestone in our shared aspiration to ensure the best interest and future of our children,” Poe said in a statement.

The I will buttress collaborative efforts for the welfare of Filipino children.

SAI RAM ASTROLOGER & PSYCHIC MISS DEVI SHAMALA

 NATIONAL NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

Comelec audit reports 99.9% accuracy of May 9 polls MANILA The Commission on Elections (Comelec) achieved a nearly 100 percent accuracy score after its andom Manual Audit ( MA) of the May 9 elections.

Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, in charge of the MA Committee, said they started last month and finished ahead of schedule. “ n behalf of the entire andom Manual Audit Committee, including the civil society organi ations, Philippine Statistics Authority, and your Commission, as well as the teachers who served as MA teams, I am happy to report that we finished ahead of schedule and that our accuracy rate as of 4 p.m. yesterday (Sunday) stands at 99.9 92 ,” she said in a statement.

“The law gives us a maximum of 4 days to finish the audit, but with the dedication and cooperation of all parties involved, it too us only 34 days. e finished early and we finished strong,” Ferolino added. n May 10, Comelec randomly selected at least one clustered precinct per legislative district for MA, with clustered precincts representing one ballot box each.

The activity was publicly held at the National Board

US...

(From page 1)

stead, ad interim S Charge d Affaires eather Variava will be present in his stead.

The S, will, however, send a large contingent to the event including ep. Bobby Scott, chairman of the ouse Committee on Education and Labor former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff et. Admiral James innefeld Jr. S National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and ceania Edgar agan (also a Special Assistant to the President) ffice of Management and Budget Deputy Director Nani Coloretti and S Director of the Asian Development Ban Chantale

Bonta...

(From page 1)

2021.

$50m...

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8

25 bills lapse into law

of Canvassers at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, pursuant to the law and Comelec rules. “ ut of , a total of 4 ballot boxes were audited. Some ballot boxes were no longer subjected to audit, while 2 are still subject to further verification of the Technological Evaluation Committee for the following reasons mislabeled ballot boxes, with wet/torn ballots, and no printed and online elections returns” she said.

Ferolino ac nowledged the public and sta eholders for the success of the MA. “To every single person involved in the audit, from the teachers to the verifiers to the supervisors and security personnel, who spent long days and late nights, allow me to convey my sincerest than s and congratulations to all of you,” Ferolino said.

“To the Filipino electorate, it is my hope that we were able to successfully carry out the principal objective of the random manual audit as mandated by law, which is to verify whether the vote-counting machines used in the May 9, 2022 elections read and counted your sacred votes accurately,” she added.

MANILA - Twenty five bills, among them provide additional benefits to solo parents, have lapsed into law after President Duterte too no action on them. nder the law, a bill will lapse into law if the President fails to act on it within 30 days after receiving the bill and will ta e effect 1 days after being published in a major publication.

Among the measures was A 11 1 or the Expanded Solo Parents elfare Act, which aims to provide additional benefits to solo parents, which lapsed into law last June 4. nder the law, a P1,000 monthly cash subsidy will be given to solo parents who are earning minimum wage, a 10 percent discount will be given on certain medicines for low-income solo parents with children aged six years and below, they will be given priority in low-cost housing, and Phil ealth coverage.

Solo parents will also be given livelihood trainings, reintegration programs for verseas Filipino or ers, employment information, and other pro-poor initiatives that they will receive until their children turn 22 years old.

Despite the President s inaction on some measures, Duterte has signed into law A 11 2 which amended the Anti-Traffic ing in Persons Act of 2003 and strengthened its policies to cope with the times.

Wong.

Diplomatic circles were abu at the apparent snub of the inauguration mar ing the peaceful change of government, from odrigo Duterte to the son and namesa e of the dictator who was ousted in a popular revolt in 19 .

Duterte, who was elected in 201 , began his term on a less-than-friendly note with the S, announcing his administration s pivoting away from the Philippines oldest ally in favor of China. pon his election, Marcos Jr. said he was li ely to follow the same direction as Duterte, with an “independent foreign policy.” e had also made it clear that he would retain the

same friendly relations with China as his predecessor.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said ang is attending the event as a “special representative” of President i Jinping.

Marcos s interactions with S officials have been sparse, with Deputy Secretary of State endy Sherman the most senior official to meet with the president-elect earlier this month.

She answered a touchy subject of whether Marcos could visit the S, considering that he is facing charges in court. She said that the new president was entitled to diplomatic immunity while president, and could therefore visit the S in an official capacity anytime.

The report also indicated that hate crimes involving a sexual orientation bias also increased significantly, rising 4 . from 2020 to 2021.

Amidst this surge in reported hate crime events, Attorney eneral Bonta urged local partners and law enforcement to review the resources highlighted and to recommit themselves to ta ing action. “ e continue to convene law enforcement, elected leaders, and community organi ations at the local level across the state to help increase awareness around available resources and strengthen responses to hate crime in California,” said Bonta as he announced the creation of a statewide hate crime coordinator position within the California Department of Justice s Criminal Law Division in order to further assist state and local law enforcement efforts to combat hate crime.

“Today s report undeniably shows that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat,” said Attorney eneral Bonta.

“In fact, reported hate crime has reached a level we haven t seen in California since the aftermath of the terrorist attac s of September 11.” “ As our state s top law enforcement officer, I will continue to use the full authority of my office to fight bac ,” Bonta said. “ e will eep wor ing with our local law enforcement partners and community organi ations to ma e sure every Californian feels seen, heard, and protected. hile there is no single solution, it s up to all of us to heed the call, because when our communities feel empowered, they come forward. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we stand united there is no place for hate in California.”

The California Department of Justice has collected and reported statewide data on hate crimes since 199 . nder California law, a hate crime is a criminal act committed in whole or in part because of a victim s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion,

sexual orientation, or association with someone with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. ate crimes are distinct from hate incidents, which are actions or behaviors motivated by hate that may be protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

Examples of hate incidents include name-calling, insults, and distributing hate material in public places. If a hate incident starts to threaten a person or property, it may become a hate crime. istorically, hate crime data has generally been underreported and the California Department of Justice recogni es that the data presented in its reports may not ade uately reflect the actual number of hate crime events that have occurred in the state.

The total number of hate crime events reported in 2021 is the sixth highest ever recorded and the highest since hate crime events s yroc eted in 2001 in the aftermath of the terrorist attac s of September 11.

Some of the ey findings from the 2021 ate Crime in California eport include verall, reported hate crime events increased 32. from 1,330 in 2020 to 1, 3 in 2021 Anti-Blac bias events were the most prevalent, increasing 12. from 4 in 2020 to 13 in 2021 ate crime events motivated by a sexual orientation bias increased 4 . from 20 in 2020 to 303 in 2021 Anti-Asian bias events increased 1 . from 9 in 2020 to 24 in 2021 Anti- ispanic or Latino bias events increased 29. from 1 2 in 2020 to 19 in 2021 Among hate crime events involving a religious bias, anti-Jewish bias events were the most prevalent and increased 32.2 from 11 in 2020 to 1 2 in in 2021 and From 2020 to 2021, the number of cases filed for prosecution by district attorneys and elected city attorneys involving hate crime charges increased by 30.1 .

9 June 30 - July 6, 2022 Marcos...

(From page 1)

Upon his assumption, Marcos J r. became the second president from Ilocos Norte and the third scion of a former president to get the top post after President Gloria Macapal Arroyo and President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Chief J ustice Alexander Gesmundo administered the oath of Marcos in the presence of Vice President Sara Duterte, members of the Marcos family, thousands of officials, including foreign leaders led by United States 2nd Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and China s Vice President Wang Q ishan, and supporters who gathered in and outside the former Legislative Building that used to house the Philippine Senate and the House of epresentatives where Marcos father held office as Ilocos Norte congressman, senator and later Senate President.

Since his proclamation as presidentelect, Marcos, 6 4, has been congratulated by world leaders headed by US President J oseph Biden J r. , and China President X i J inping.

The latest to congratulate Marcos J r. is his Holiness Pope Francis in a message shared by Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown who stated that Pope Francis extended his “congratulations and cordial wishes to Your Excellency as you begin your mandate as the President of the Republic”.

The Pope said he prays for the stability of Marcos in the leadership of more than one hundred million Filipinos.

“In assuring you of my prayers that you will be sustained in wisdom and strength, I invo e Almighty od s blessings of peace and prosperity upon the nation,” the Pope added.

On J une 10, Archbishop Brown made a courtesy call on Marcos and discussed the strengthening of the relationship between church and government.

As mandated by the Constitution, Marcos Jr. too the oath of office at exactly 12 noon. Then a 21-gun salute was immediately fired after which the new president delivered his inaugural address.

The late President Marcos Sr. served as Ilocos Norte Representative from 19 49 to 19 59 during which he held office in the historic Legislative Building which was built in 19 26 together with Pampanga Representative Diosdado Macapagal Sr. whom he defeated in the presidential race in 19 6 5. Marcos Sr. then served as senator starting in 19 59 until he was elected Senate president from 19 6 3 until 19 6 5 when he was elected president.

A civic-military parade along Padre Burgos avenue set off the ceremonies officially opened with the singing of the National Anthem by actress-host Toni Gonzaga and invocation.

The song for the inauguration, “Pilipinas Kong Mahal,” was performed by Cris Villonco and the Young Voices of the Philippines choir.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III first proclaimed Marcos before he was sworn into office by Chief Justice esmundo. It was Sotto and Speaker Lord

Allan Velasco, sitting as co-chair of the National Board of Canvassers, who first proclaimed Marcos J r. at the Batasang Pambansa during a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

After his inauguration, Marcos J r. returned to Malacanan Palace, which becomes his official residence over the next six years.

The new President was to induct the new Cabinet in Malacanang on the same day and hold its first meeting immediately after.

In the evening, an inaugural reception is set for other officials and foreign dignitaries who wish to call on the new president.

In his vlog prior to his inaugura-

tion, Marcos J r. said he assured outgoing President Duterte of the continuity of his administration s programs during their brief conversation at the inauguration of Vice President-elect Sara Duterte on J une 19 in Davao City.

“I thanked him because he somehow helped me and Inday Sara. I assured him that I will continue his projects that benefited the country,” Marcos said.

“I salute and extend my utmost gratitude for his six-year historic leadership,” Marcos added.

One of the key accomplishments of the Duterte administration is the “Build, Build, Build” program that led to new expressways, airports and seaports, bridges and other infrastructure projects.

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 NATIONAL NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

10

ustoms, o fi ials, mayors tagged in agri produ ts smuggling MANILA - Three ran ing officials of the Department of Agriculture, five from the Bureau of Customs, including its chief, and two mayors have been tagged in a Senate report as the “alleged protectors and smugglers of agricultural products in the country. ” The report which was signed by 17 senators was forwarded to Senate President Vicente Sotto III on May 17 , 2022, or more than a month after the Senate Committee of the Whole ended its investigation on the non-stop entry of smuggled agricultural products in the country.

Named in the Senate COW’s Committee Report 6 49 as alleged protectors and smugglers of meat, fish, vegetables and other agricultural products were DA Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan, Director George Culaste of the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry, Director Eduardo Gongona of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Laarni Roxas of the DA’s Bureau of Plant Industry-PQ SD (Region 3).

Also tagged were Customs Commissioner Leonardo Guerrero, Deputy Com-

missioner Raniel Ramiro of the BOC Intelligence Group, Deputy Commissioner Vener Baquiran of the BOC Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group, Director Geofrey Tacio of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, Atty. Yasser Abbas of the BOC Import and Assessment.

The list also tagged a certain Toby Tiangco as “BFAR products, smuggling protector” and one “Mayor J un Diamante” for agri products smuggling thru the ports of Davao, CDO, Cebu, Subic.

If proven guilty of agricultural smuggling, government officials involved in the illicit activity should not last a day in office anymore, said Senator-elect obin Padilla, adding those tagged should have the “delicadeza” (propriety) to resign. fficials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) denied their supposed involvement in agricultural smuggling in the country.

“I vehemently deny the accusations against me on my alleged involvement in agricultural smuggling based on a supposed ‘ validated’ list. Law enforce-

aiwan olds live fire drills o LUNGSOD NG GILROY PAUNAWA SA HALALAN AT TAKDANG PANAHON NG NOMINASYON NG KANDIDATO

ment agencies such as the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) denied the release or submission of any Intelligence Report from their respective agencies allegedly implicating any B C official in any smuggling activity,” Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Senator Nancy Binay was dismayed over the inclusion of Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco in the Committee of the Whole Report No. 6 49 , saying it is a result of failed intelligence, lacks details and explanation, has no material basis, and a product of misinformed guesses.

The officials denied any part in agricultural products smuggling. In the Department of Agriculture, outgoing Secretary illiam Dar said their officials should be heared before judging them.

Dar asked the public to give the named DA officials the chance to present their side.

“Let the three officials named in the

report face their accusers, present their respective evidence to disprove the allegations, and defend themselves in the proper courts,” Dar said.

The Senate COW’s Committee Report 6 49 recommends the following steps to combat smuggling of agricultural products: Strengthen and rationalize inter-agency collaboration. All concerned agencies should have the authority and capacity to act expediently and effectively Allocate more resources to law enforcement agencies tasked to address smuggling Remove human intervention that provides an avenue for negotiation by fully digitalizing/automating trade transactions and monitoring not only on centralized database but also on import processes, request for inspection, etc.

Automatic delisting of offenders Provide trainings for all agencies concerned in relation to technical capabilities in determining quality, description, and types of agricultural commodities

igaw Island,

o e ts

PASAY CITY – The Philippine government has expressed its “strong objection” to Taiwan s unlawful live-fire drills off the coast of Ligaw Island, describing the move as an “illegal activity” that “raises tensions and complicates the situation in the South China Sea. ” In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the island, also known as Itu Aba, is an integral part

of the Kalayaan Island Group which is Philippine territory.

“The Philippines expresses its strong objection over the unlawful live-fire drills to be conducted by Taiwan (China) on 28 to 29 J une 2022 within the vicinity of Ligaw Island,” it said.

“Ligaw Island is an integral part of the Kalayaan Island Group over which the Philippines has sovereignty. ”

Covid...

Covid-19 , including 7 7 . 48 percent of 8,7 21,357 senior citizens.

As of J une 26 , a total of 14,9 47 ,87 8 have received booster shots out of the total 7 0,358,6 12 who are fully vaccinated.

The National Capital Region (NCR) shows a steep increase in the number of Covid-19 cases which started in mid-May and has an average of 350 cases per day.

The rest of Luzon, NCR Plus areas, and the Visayas logged sharp increases in Covid-19 infections but their cases remain lower than 150 per day.

Cases in Mindanao also showed continued increase in infections in the past days at 50 cases per day.

“Based on the health status of those hospitalized, more than half remain asymptomatic and mild. The number of severe and critical admissions at the national level remains less than 1,000 cases starting March or mid-March of 2022 despite continued slight increase in cases in the past days,” Vergeire said.

The severe and critical cases comprise at least 10. 6 8 percent or 59 1 cases of the total hospital admissions and this remains lower than the 20 percent logged in J anuary, she added.

(From page 1)

recorded 4,9 7 6 new cases from J une 21 to J une 27 . While we’re under low risk classification, the cases continue to rise at 7 10 cases per day, 257 cases or 57 percent more than the previous week,” Vergerie said. “There’s nothing to worry about because we’re still at less than one case per 100,000 population for our average daily attack rate. ” From 436 per day from J une 13 to 19 , the number of Covid-19 cases reached 6 6 2 daily from J une 20 to 26 .

The latest case bulletin showed that there were 4,6 34 new cases and 51 verified deaths in the recent wee .

For the same period, 14 cases were added to the tally of severe and critical infections, which went up to 59 1 from the previous week’s 554.

Only 14. 9 percent or 39 1 out of the 2,6 28 intensive care unit (ICU) beds are in use, while 18. 1 percent or 4,034 of 22,251 non-ICU beds are utilized.

To date, about 7 0,358,6 12 million or 7 8. 17 percent of the country’s target population (9 0,005,357 ) are vaccinated against

11 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 OPINION Brave and true oday officially closes the first half of 2022, this month being the explanation mar for its tumultuous moments!

J une - Pride Month - should have been a joyful time for people who identify beyond straight - binary in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity now that pandemic safety mandates have been eased and marches taking place in major cities.

Unfortunately hate against the LGBTQ + population has risen to levels fatal to transgender folks. This year – and we’re only halfway in – 18 trans people have been re- CHERIE M. QUEROL MORENO ported killed, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a 40-year organization advocating for equality for the community who only wish to be as they were born and love whom they love who love them back.

Last year CF s Jay Brown called 2021 the “deadliest year on record since we started trac ing incidents of factal violence in 2013.” It was also the year that “anti-transgender lawmakers passed a record number of discriminatory bills, fueling more stigma against transgender and non-binary people, especially aimed at the youngest of us,” said the senior VP of programs, research and training of HRCF. Imagine if you were a person of color, newly arrived in this country, your first language is not English, and identify as LGBTQ + or transgender. Already targeted by haters who resent you for all this country s problems, exacerbating your insecurity and depression because you don’t feel safe to come out, dashing your hope for the future where equality is supposed to reign: Reality can kill, truly.

My dear friend Dr. J ei Africa, the bravest person I’ve known, refused to be intimidated by anyone who tried to stop him from being his authentic self. He is the highest ranking transgender Filipino American county executive, the director of Behavioral ealth Recovery Service for the County of Marin.

In his earlier tenure as BHRS director in the County of San Mateo Health System, Dr. Africa s transition moved the department to issue an official memo to use the male pronoun to address him. Around the same time, signs in restrooms in county offices changed to All-Gender.

Before leaving for his new job in the North Bay, Dr. Africa, his office and advocates and allies opened the Pride Center on El Camino Real in San Mateo, a refuge for LGBT+ and trans individuals, their families and allies. Lisa Putkey was its founding director. It is the only known such gathering place in the County.

Given the decision of the US Supreme Court to Repeal Roe v Wade last week, the community is bracing for marriage e uality as the next target for the conservative bench.

Clarence Thomas did mention same-sex marriage as another issue for the high court to tackle, but his peers pushed back. For now.

Friends of Dr. Africa assure him they join him and the community in their efforts to preserve the legality of same-sex marriage, that would be all 0 states. * * * C h eri e M . Q u erol M oren o i s E x ec u t i v e E d i t or of P h i l i ppi n e N ew s T od ay

EDITORIAL

Roe v Wade revisited

I

t came almost like the biblical thief in the night. The suddenness with which the Supreme Court reversed its ruling on Roe v Wade was stunning, to say the least.

By a majority vote, the SC overturned what has been considered a landmark 19 7 3 decision that gave women the right to choose what they could or could not do with their bodies.

President J oe Biden made no bones about his disappointment with the SC, while the governor of the New York, Kathy Hochul, even threatened to totally ignore the ruling, saying that women could still find a “safe harbor” in her state.

In so many words, she said that women who needed abortions for whatever legal, moral or personal reason could have the medical procedure done in New or , if only to correct the “grave injustice” committed by the high court.

Women everywhere showed their anger and disgust at the decision, even as the country was again divided along partisan lines.

The odd thing is that the SC had even affirmed the 19 3 decision when in 19 9 2 – in the case of Planned Parenthood v Casey – the same rights that women had over their bodies were maintained, albeit with some restrictions.

The Republicans had long planned – even vowed – to overturn Roe v Wade.

Not in our watch, said the Democrats. But it was with a Democrat in the White House that a high tribunal stacked with conservatives made its move.

At the core of the argument is a woman’s right to choose. Once impregnated, the debate centers on whether a woman has the right to choose, or if she has forfeited that right as inside her is a living, breathing human being with its own rights. ith the current SC voting to overturn the abortion rights granted five decades ago, a new round of fierce debates is expected to resume.

Like it or not, the decision is very likely to be an important issue in the coming midterm elections.

And poor J oe Biden, a practicing Roman Catholic, found himself at the wrong end of the debate, as his church is unequivocally pro-life. Ditto with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who belongs to the same religion as the president.

To be clear, the original decision did not grant absolute rights to abortion for women. The procedure was perfectly legal in the first trimester of pregnancy, and in some cases even during the second trimester.

The current ruling or overturning of the original decision can now allow states to call for an absolute ban, and at least half of the 0 states are expected to immediately introduce new restrictions.

This only means that the controversial procedure may still be availed of in “liberal” states. Li e New or . But it will certainly cost more and a good number of women will have to travel far to avail of what was previously their right everywhere in the US. It is clear that women, in particular, will consider the SC decision as a temporary defeat, and will move to have Roe v Wade reinstated in some form somewhere down the road.

In fact, the pro-life or pro-choice debate is far from over.

Upside

T

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 OPINION

June 30 - July 6, 2022

THE OUTSIDER

L

ast week an old client-friend asked me this question: “Art does consulate authenticate docs now, thus no need to go to Sacramento for apostille? ” I answered back that as of May 14, 2019 , the Philippine Consulate no longer authenticate (red ribbon) documents notarized by accredited and commissioned Notary Public but A RT G A B OT MA D LA ING must NOW be submitted to the Secretary of State in Sacramento or Los Angeles for apostille.

The situation had not changed.

Since old and new clients may have similar questions like my friend, I would li e to share to our readers and the general public excerpts of the Legal Notice from Philippine Consulate, Legal Section, in San Francisco, California on the Accession of the Philippines to the Apostille Convention for clarification and further information, as follows: “The Philippine Consulate eneral shall no longer issue Authentication Certificate (red ribbon) for documents notari ed or apostilled in the States under its jurisdiction namely: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State, Northern Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Northern California.

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

Please note that Apostilled documents no longer need additional authentication by the Philippine Consulate eneral. nce apostilled, it already has legal validity and can be sent to the Philippines for use. ” If you have documents needed in the Philippines which are notarized by accredited and commissioned Notary Public, do not waste your time, money and effort in going or driving to the Philippine Consulate ffice in San Francisco or Los Angeles for authentication (red ribbon) Since May 14, 2019 , I founded Mobile Signing Services (MSS) to serve the needs of old and new clients for the notarization and apostille follow-up of documents needed in the Philippines like Affidavit, Special Power of Attorney, DEED F ABS L TE SALE, Proof of Life, aiver of ights, Deed of Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate, DEED OF DONATION , Parental Travel Permit for Children and others. ere are some advantages and benefits of MSS 1. AVOID TAKE OFF FROM WORK You don’t need to take off from wor and drive to Sacramento or Los Angeles just to submit notarized documents to the Secretary of State Notary Public Section, for apostille. MSS will take care everything for you.

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

3. M LTIPLE D C MENTS AND M LTIPLE SI NAT ES DISC NTS - e offer 10 discounts on multiple documents and multiple signatures for old and new clients.

4- SAVIN S N AS AND MILEA E FEES - e encourage old and new clients to come to our home office in San Francisco for savings on gas and mileage fees ($ 9 0 to $ 130). . VE FLE IBLE APP INTMENTS e offer very flexible appointments for old and new clients during regular office hours, after office hours and wee ends except on Sundays.

6 . FLEX IBLE LOCATION OF APPOINTMENTS – For those who can t come to our home office in San Francisco, California, we can do notari ation of documents in the privacy of homes, offices, schools, hospitals, restaurants, BART lobby, and other locations. . F EE PA IN hen we had our ffice at the Philippine Center near the Philippine Consulate ffice in downtown San Francisco, old clients were complaining for the expensive par ing fees. ith our home office, old and new clients can have F EE par ing in our driveway and the available street parking spaces nearby.

8. DOCUMENTS PREPARATION DISCOUNT – With our paralegal partner and lawyer-friends, we can offer special discounts in the draft and preparation of documents for old and new clients.

9 . CONVENIENCE AND PEACE OF MIND - As accredited and commissioned Notary Public in California since 19 81, you have convenience and peace of mind with the complete, professional, and unique services at MSS. Most of the time, it is more convenient and economical for you to avail yourself with the services at MSS. For immediate help and assistance in the notarization and apostille follow-up of all documents needed in the Philippines, just write or contact M BILE SI NIN SE VICES, 30 Madrid Street, San Francisco, CA 9 4112 Tel. (6 50)438-3531 or (415)584-7 09 5 or email: artmadlaing@ gmail. com M AN EL ADI ANNIVE SA IES As active Evangelist with the LDEN ATE C C F C IST in San Francisco, I am delighted to announce the first year Anniversary of My Angel Radio San Francisco and the 14th year Anniversary of the (C ont i nue on pag e 27) global My Angel Radio with live

Is Bongbong Machiavellian?

C

ays before President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos J r. takes over the government, one has to look at the people he has chosen to be his alter egos and wonder: Are they ready to run the administration or is Bongbong ready to be president on Day One? Looking at his published P ERRY D IA Z list of cabinet members, he has pic ed ualified except for a few misplaced appointees so far.

A few days ago, Bongbong appointed Clarita Carlos to be the National Security Adviser. A retired political science professor, Carlos will be the first woman to sit as National Security Adviser, a post typically given to former military officials. As National Security Adviser, Carlos will head the secretariat of the National Security Council, the principal advisory body of the president on national security and foreign policy.

A few days ago, Carlos requested the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate alleged libelous posts made against her by five personalities that includes former PC Commissioner Ruben Carranza for his tweet last March 2022.

Hmm… Makes one wonder: Have you heard of “Making a mountain out of a molehill? ” Bongbong also appointed J ose Rene D. Almendras to be the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. is bac ground includes a short stint as acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs from April 2016 until the end of the Benigno Aquino III presidency. Prior to that he held the position of Cabinet Secretary for three years. e has an extensive bac ground in business.

The positions of Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Adviser are arguably the three most important cabinet positions. They’re the triumvirate that is responsible for keeping the country secure and prepared to defend from external forces.

Defense Secretary Bongbong named retired Lieutenant eneral Jose Faustino Jr. as Senior ndersecretary and fficer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense (DND). However, Faustino will assume the position of Secretary of National Defense on November 13, 2022 in compliance with the one-year ban on the appointment of retired military officers under epublic Act no. 6 9 7 5.

It’s interesting to note that during the “Deep Probe: The SMNI Presidential Candidates Interview,” Carlos asked Bongbong whether he thinks of himself as Machiavellian.

Bongbong’s reply was: “Am I Machiavellian? Well, I’ve studied him quite thoroughly, and I know very many Machiavellians in my life. ” Needless to say, his model would be his own father, the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos who was a practitioner of Machiavelli’s famous dictum: “The end justifies the means no matter how cruel, calculating or immoral those means might be. ” His proclamation of martial law in 19 2 was a classic example of Machiavellian act.

Bongbong then explained, “It s about nowing the situation on the ground to help achieve success. ” However, Merriam- ebster dictionary defines Machiavellian as suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli specifically: marked by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics. i ipedia defines Machiavellian as a personality trait centered on manipulativeness, callousness, and indifference to morality, which is more a in to the personality of Marcos Sr. Those who exhibit high levels of Machiavellianism show signs of interpersonal manipulation, such as “the use of flattery and deceit, as well as by aloof, cynical, and traditionally amoral viewpoints adopted in order to promote their own goals/interests,” according to a 2013 study on the personality trait.

Machiavellian comes from the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (146 9 -1527 ), the author of the most famous treatise on bare-knuckled politics ever published, The Prince.

Troll Farm Bongbong s use of an “army of trolls” which he admitted to win the election was another example of Machiavellianism. A YouTube video recently (C ont i nue on page 27)

PerryScope

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here is no stopping San Miguel Corporation (SMC) from pursuing its infrastructure and environmental projects.

These projects promote sustainable development and have been preceded by thorough studies to ensure there will be no irreparable damage to the environment.

One of these is the Metro Rail Transit 7 (MRT 7 ) span- MELA ND REW T . V ELA S CO ning 22 kilometers from North Avenue in Q uezon City all the way to San J ose del Monte, Bulacan. It can accommodate up to 6 50,000 passengers daily and has 14 stations. According to SMC, construction work for M T focused on the first 12 stations and is estimated over 6 0 per cent complete.

SMC is now constructing the train depot on a 20-hectare property in San J ose del Monte, Bulacan. Aside from accommodating the train cars, the depot will house facilities for the maintenance and operation of the trains.

The New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan is also on track after it got the nod of the Dutch government of an Export Credit Insurance (ECI) for the land development phase.

The project’s long-term environmental and social impact mitigation measures were reviewed to ensure the project is sustainable and aligned with the country’s climate ambitions.

Environmental and social impact assessment was conducted by a group of experts.

The ECI was extended to oyal Bos alis estminster N. V. to cover its EUR 1. 5 billion contract for land development works at the airport site in Bulacan. The New Manila International Airport project is the largest in Boskalis’ history.

The new airport will feature four parallel runways, a world class terminal, and a modern and interlinked infrastructure networ that includes expressways and railways.

The designs of the NMIA prepared by the architectural firm Palafox Associates, “reflect the vision of a modern Philippine city that provides built-in solutions to various socioeconomic, environmental, and climate issues, and correct the mistakes seen in many urban developments of Metro Manila. ” “These designs presented to us by Arch. Palafox and his team will be close to actual. There will probably be some adjustments by the time we implement, and we will still continue to improve as needed, but in terms of the overall concept, design, and the features, this is it,” RSA said.

He added, the aerocity project is designed and will be built with sustainability in mind. It will be properly zoned, with areas dedicated to agriculture and food production, logistics, health and wellness, aeronautics, finance, science and technology, commerce, residences, education, tourism, entertainment, recreation, and government among others. It will utilize renewable energy.

The design will adopt green architectural and green urbanism guidelines over and above the country’s building and zoning codes, and follow structural codes of other countries similarly situated in earthquake zones like the Philippines.

As SMC undertakes a massive infrastructure like the NMIA, it continues to uphold its commitment to restore and rehabilitate the existing mangrove forest cover at the Bula an coastal area. The initiative is a major component of the project to address flooding in Bulacan.

It is admirable that in the business community there are companies like SMC that are actively involved in environment protection.

Last year, SMC signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct major clean-up and dredging of the Pasig River. Pasig River stretches 25. 2 kilometers connecting Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. The DENR Pasig Rehabilitation Program lists 4 identified Pasig iver tributaries grouped into nine clusters. It is the conglomerate’s commitment in line with DENR’s Adopt-a-River Program and complements efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay. The clean-up and dredging activities started in July 2021, will improve water flow and mitigate flooding. SMC President and CE amon S. Ang ( SA) identified priority dredging sites narrow and shallow portions of the river along the Pandacan-Paco area, Estrella in Makati City and near C5 Road, (C ont i nue on page 27)

Authentication or Apostille?; My Angel Radio Anniversaries Health & Wealth

SMC’S no let-up infra and environmental projects

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13 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 OPINION

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Offline

he answer to this nonrhetorical question is Ferdinand Marcos J r and Sara Duterte, who this wee officially assumed the presidency and vice presidency of the epublic of the Philippines.

This week’s inauguration of Marcos Jr. as the 1 th president of the Philippines was announced wee s in advance, B ET ING D OLOR and one of the most glaring things about the planned event was the high police and military presence at the National Museum.

Initially, the Philippine National Police said that around 9,000 of its men and women would be present at the site to provide security. The Armed Forces is sending its own contingent, and between the two it would appear that close to 20,000 uniformed police and soldiers would be present.

This led some wags to say that the bul of the crowd to attend the inauguration would be comprised of police and soldiers, and not so much fans of the new president. No need to dole out cash and food as the crowd will be a captive one.

It will be recalled that during his campaign for the presidency, Marcos and Duterte brought in pitifully small crowds compared to the huge gatherings present whenever Leni obredo was present.

But for now, let s just say that it s all water under the bridge. Marcos allegedly won, but I refuse to believe that the victory was untainted and was truly fair and s uare.

Spea ing of water under the bridge, the Coast uard is joining the fun by closing off portions of the Pasig iver, specifically the parts nearest Malacanan Palace.

There was even tal of closing off Manila Bay, but than fully that plan was dismissed as excessive.

Meanwhile, a number of streets surrounding the National Museum have been closed off, some as early as the start of this week. ver ill ou betcha. ne of the highlights of the ceremony is the military parade, where the AFP will show off what passes for its might.

This means military hardware from the Vietnam ar era, mostly donated by the S. Tan s and all sorts of military vehicles will pass by the new commander-in-chief. Included in the parade are wait for it jets is From the Coast uard. r maybe it s the Metro Development Authority.

The militaristic theme of the event sends shivers to some oldtimers li e yours truly, who remember the father of Marcos Jr. as being highly enamored with the military, having fought as a soldier in orld ar ll. If memory serves, he was part of the nited States Armed Forces in the Far East. up, Marcos Sr. fought for ncle Sam and the American way of life.

But everyone nows why Marcos Jr. would rather play ball with China. e remembers donning military garb as a million Filipinos gathered at Edsa demanding that the Marcos family leave. e was, before that, some sort of honorary officer with the Philippine Marines after attending a wee end outing in the jungle.

Can we now expect his favorite son Sandro to soon become an officer of the Air Force or the Navy or the Army Marcos Jr is not alone in see ing to curry favor with the military. e nows that it is important to play footsies with the generals because they will be needed to prop up his regime, which could conceivably fail given the serious problems facing the country that he is ill-e uipped to handle. is predecessor must have shared with him the secret of maintaining the loyalty of the top brass of the AFP and the PNP. Feed them money, tons of money. That way, they will all be beholden to him. hich brings me to the vice president, Sara Duterte.

She is also showing a militaristic bent when she eeps insisting that all Filipino youth be made to undergo compulsory military training, li e the TC of old.

Duterte also made no secret of her wish to be appointed Defense secretary. For a while, Marcos Jr. seemed willing to grant her wish. But I suspect that someone must have whispered in his ear that giving her control of the country s Armed Forces and its multi-billion (C ont i nue on page 27)

What kind of President will Marcos the younger Be?

Tourism should get priority attention too from PBBM

hat a difference less than two months ma e. By the time this column is published, the Philippines will have its second Marcos president. It s a moment that is ba ing that s the only way to characteri e it. At this point, given this strange reality that is our world, the best-case scenario for ellow-leaning Filipinos is that the anxieties associated with a second Marcos Presidency are overblown. So, let s ta e a loo at some of the worries and hopes that loom.

Economic ine uality iven the oft- repeated refrain that the D E voters feel that the ellowtards have done nothing for them economically in the 30 years they were in power, I thin they will ultimately be sorely disappointed with Marcos 2.0. But, first, let me chastise my side. The cagey protectionist ways of the oligarchs during both A uino administrations and all other administrations in between, are probably the primary culprit for what happened on May 9, 2022. hen I visited, I saw the good fortune spread among the same small group of families, the prestigious executive jobs going to the same old last names. It almost seems li e there is no real competition there, just a club that re uires preapproval. Land reform was weaponi ed and access to the fruits of the land were, as usual, ept away from the people. Don t you want to slap them now ill Marcos 2.0 do any better I highly doubt it.

In fact, I don t even thin it is in the culture of “their side” to thin about spreading access to the engines of wealth to the classes that have never had access to it. I am tal ing about things li e logging concessions, mining rights, other licenses the government can grant. I fully expect these types of things to be reserved for the cronies. I haven t seen any indication that Marcos the ounger views this part of the world any differently that his father. In fact, I would guess that the fruits of the land will be spread among fewer families rather than the old Manila 400. And so ine uality will get worse.

Violence n a positive note, I continue to marvel at how smooth and non-violent this power overta e has been. Duterte s drug-related illings aside, the power grabs have been so much more elegant than they were under Marcos the Elder. Ta e, for instance, the disband of the Lope media stronghold. nder Marcos the Elder, the station was overta en by goons with guns.

There was nothing subtle about it. This time around, a license simply expired and, with that, the ability of a single family to sway the minds of the masa disappeared. If we can attach any hope to that idea, I do not thing this version of Marcos power will echo the same violence as the first guy. istory ewrit It s my view that BBM plans to clear his father and his family s name. f course, there are limits to what he can achieve. The international legal blemishes will not go away. But the three decades of egg splashed on the Marcos name will be wiped clean in the Philippines. I wouldn t be surprised if the Ninoy A uino International Airport gets renamed and if the holidays commemorating the EDSA revolution and Ninoy s assassination are deleted. Instead, we ll have the return of Marcos statues and Imelda s face etched into the stations of the cross. The curriculum at schools will be revised and the notion that the country overthrew and dictator or suffered under martial law or every went through such a thing will be wiped from future minds.

In a very short time, there will be no more guessing. There will be no more leaps. The day is here.

y the time this column comes out, the Philippines has a new leader and he is none other than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ence, we write PBBM. r maybe PFMJr. Days leading to his inauguration, PBBM announced that he, himself, will ta e the helm of the Dept. of Agricul- T ED D Y P . MOLINA ture. That s definitely a masterstro e The Agriculture department needs a shot in the arm and with no less than the Chief Executive on the saddle, the road leading the agency bac on trac loo s promising.

Training his eyes on agriculture as a priority concern is expected of PBBM considering that food security was a top campaign promise he made amid controversies besetting the agency involving importation and smuggling issues, among others.

But just as the PBBM administration tac les food security and the economic crisis that was triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and grapples with how to rise from the new low, tourism should as well receive similar priority attention from government.

Tourism is a ey driver of the economy, in some countries and states li e awaii it is the main driver of their economy.

The nited States and Spain are the leaders in tourism income at 210 billion and billion respectively, a study showed. Thailand is fourth at billion. Singapore ma es 19 billion while the Philippines gets billion. Vietnam, surprisingly is ma ing more than us with . billion.

Despite its not-so-exciting showing however, there s a big promise ahead for Philippine tourism for as long as the government finally gives the attention that it truly deserves.

I believe more people will come visiting if only our tourist destinations get the shot in-the arm they need.

This writer has an eyewitness account of how some of our tourist attractions are in a bad shape and they are shooing tourists away instead of courting them in.

The undred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan is a case in point.

From the shoreline of Bolo beach where we stayed, some of the islands bec oned in the middle of the sea right in front of us in magical splendor.

A large boat brought our group to Marcos island, ue on island and omulo island. ur big group of 13 family members among whom are recent arrivals from (Lorna Davis), SA (my wife and myself), my vacationing brother in law odel Bello, a chief engineer of an ocean-going-vessel, and my wife s nephew Jarmon Bello who is on a furlough from his sea-based job were all excited as we approached the islands. ith their blue waters and whitish shorelines, the islands are standouts. nfortunately, one gets turned off by the restrooms that are so in a state of disrepair you got to have the strongest of will to enter one of them. The flush isn t wor ing due to lac of water and damage. Thus, they stin . The sin or what remains of it in the washroom is coated with rust. n top of it, there s neither faucet nor water to use. At the Marcos island, there s a big plastic container placed outside the toilet where a guest drew water from after she came out of the toilet.

The transient houses and Airbnbs that have mushroomed around the country also need improvements.

The lodging places I ve been to need refinements to ma e them comfortable for guests and comparable to their counterparts abroad. ne of them, located in Bolinao in Pangasinan, poured out salty water from the shower.

As the national government and the L s continue to encourage people to invest in tourism-oriented facilities, the time is ripe for the government to do its part harder to spruce up our country s attractions and facilities and invigorate the tourism industry.

As a lawyer and long-time mayor of Liloan, Cebu, wife of a Cebu congressman and daughter of top performing Cebu overnor wendolyn arcia, incoming Tourism Secretary Christina arcia-Frasco, we are sure, will do her best towards achieving this goal. Vice President Sara Duterte, whom she served as spo esperson during the campaign, will surely be at her bac to ensure her success.

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Breaking Through

Who’s afraid of the Filipino people?

 BUSINESS | IMMIGRATIONS Did you commit a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT)?

A crime involving moral turpitude can may you inadmissible and deportable. D S will find inadmissibility when you travel outside the U. S. and then return. You will be send to second interview where they will ask you questions about the crime committed. To be safe you should consult an immigration attorney before travelling outside the U. S. Traditionally a CIMT involves intent to commit fraud, commit theft with intent to permanently deprive the owner, or inflict great bodily harm, as well as some rec less or malicious offenses and some offenses with lewd intent. a crime involving moral turpitude.

A noncitizen is Deportable for One Conviction of a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (“CIMT”) if: a) Convicted b) Of one CIMT c) That has a potential sentence of one year or more d) And was committed within five years after date of admission To prevent deportability for a single CIMT ask your attorney to: a) Avoid a “conviction” by getting pre plea diversion or treatment in juvenile proceedings; or b) Plead to an offense that is not a CIMT or c) Avoid a potential one year sentence by pleading to a misdemeanor with a six month maximum sentence. r in California plead to attempt to commit either a one year misdemeanor or a felony that can be reduced to a misdemeanor, for a maximum possible sentence of six months; or d) Plead to an incident that happened more than five years after the “date of admission.” This is usually the date the person was first admitted into the .S. with any ind of visa or card.

Or, if the person entered the U. S. without inspection – i. e. , never was admitted on any visa it is the date that the person became a permanent resident by “adjusting status” within the U. S. If the person left the U. S. after becoming inadmissible for crimes, or for more than six months, get more advice from your attorney.

A noncitizen is Deportable for Conviction of Two or More CIMTs After Admission if: a) Both convictions must be after the person was admitted to the U. S. in some status, or adjusted status b) The convictions may not spring from the same incident (“single scheme”) A noncitizen is INADMISSIBLE FOR MORAL TURPITUDE, 8 USC 1182(a)(2) (A) if: Inadmissible for One or More Convictions of a CIMT There is an exception which is Petty ffense Exception automatically means the person is not inadmissible for CIMT To ualify for the exception a) Defendant must have committed only one CIMT ever b) The offense must have a potential sentence of one year or less. ere a one year misdemeanor, or a felony wobbled down to a misdemeanor, will ualify for the exception. c) Sentence imposed is six months or less. For example, suspended imposition of sentence, three years probation, six months jail ordered as a condition of probation will ualify. outhful ffender Exception applies rarely, but benefits youth who were convicted as adults.

Noncitizen is not inadmissible for CIMT if he or she committed only one CIMT ever, while under the age of 18, and the conviction or resulting imprisonment occurred at least five years ago.

Note: This is not a legal advice and presented for information purposes only.

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

Bankruptcy Basics 1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing ban ruptcy will ma e your credit even worse until most your debts are paid.

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

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

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

INCOME TAX PROBLEMS We can help you if you are under IRS audit, need a representation with IRS, need to reduce your tax liability or need to offer a payment plan to I S, Success Stories For the month of May 2022, we received approvals from USCIS seven naturalization applications, three Fianc e visa petition, six removals of condition on residence (C ont i nue on page 27) and five adjustment of status applications.

June 30 - July 6, 2022

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SEC upholds shutdown order vs. Rappler PASAY CITY – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has affirmed the administrative penalties slapped against Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. (RHC), and the revocation of their Certificates of Incorporation. appler said it has been notified by its lawyers of the SEC ruling.

“We are entitled to appeal this decision and will do so, especially since the proceedings were highly irregular,” it added.

According to the latest SEC decision signed by SEC Chairman Emilio B. Aquino and the four SEC commissioners, the commission upheld its J an. 11, 2018 decision, declaring as void the Philippine Depository Receipts (PDRs) issued to American firm midyar Networ ( N)

by Rappler and RHC since this violated, among others, Section 71.2 of the Securities Regulation Code.

PDRs are an investment instrument that allows domestic and foreign investors to place funds in a local firm.

The SEC said RHC sold 7,217,257 PDRs to Omidyar Network Fund LLC. On Feb. 28, 2018, O N announced that it has donated its PDRs to 14 Rappler managers.

The latest SEC decision said “the Commission finds that the Donation did not cure the violation by Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation of Article X VI Section 11(1) of the Constitution and PD (Presidential Decree) No. 1018, and hereby AFFIRMS the administrative penalties imposed in the Decision dated 11 J anuary 2018 declaring VOID the ON PDRs pursuant to Section 71.2 of the Securities Regulation Code and REVOKIN the Certificates of Incorporation of Petitioners Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corporation.”

It noted that “the fact that the Waiver was issued only during the pendency of the proceedings with the Commission clearly showed that its execution was merely an afterthought, and made for no other purpose than to make it appear and convince the Commission (and the CA) that midyar will not exercise control over Rappler even if the same was granted in the ON PDRs.” “This is supported by the fact that midyar specifically negotiated with Rappler and RHC to insert Paragraph 12.2.2 in the ON PDRs to ensure that its investments and interests therein are protected,” it said.

It noted that the Constitution requires 100 percent Filipino ownership of any mass media entity to, among others, protect the country’s best interests and prevent public opinion to be influenced by foreign investors.

It also said the revocation of Rappler and C s Certificates of Incorporation will serve public interest, adding that the Constitution and the laws of the land must be followed and cannot be disregarded “to further business interests.”

“To rule otherwise would be to condone a blatant violation of the laws of the land, create a dangerous precedent, and worse, a ‘ violate now, cure later’ culture where mass media entities who violate the nationality restriction provisions of the Constitution are effectively accorded a preferential treatment than those that have religiously complied with the same requirement,” the SEC said.

It added that “no amount of effort can salvage the legal existence of appler and C,” considering that their Certificates of Incorporation are based on contracts that are “void for being contrary to the Constitution and the laws.”

CDA eyes to hike budget to P2.5-B in 2023 MANILA – The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) is eyeing hiking its budget to P P2. billion next year, its chairman J oseph Encabo told the Philippine News Agency.

Encabo said the PHP2. 5-billion allocation for next year is more than double compared to the agency’s budget of nearly PHP1 billion this year.

“Because CDA is now working, and if you’re working, you need more budget,” he said.

Encabo said the bigger budget will be allocated to programs for the human capital development of cooperatives, which businesses remain small scale, as well as the capacity building for cooperatives of farmers and fisherfol .

“The agriculture co-ops, we should be directly involved by providing them more projects and programs for their sector,” he added.

The CDA chief said cooperatives have a crucial role in supporting the agriculture sector to ensure adequate food supply in the local market amid the challenges of food security.

Encabo said the higher budget for the agency also aims to increase the business engagement of cooperatives and help in stimulating economic activities as the country recovers from the pandemic. “ e just want our cooperatives not only busy but more engaging and more vibrant and looking at the perspective that we will be major contributors to our economy,” he said.

There are currently around 20,000 cooperatives registered with the CDA serving 13 million members. (PNA)

 ENTERTAINMENT

June 30 - July 6, 2022

16

Ai-Ai delas Alas enters QC mall amid city’s persona non grata resolution This one is not a laughing matter.

For the first time in many wee s after she was declared persona non grata by the ue on City council allegedly for “violating” the city s official seal, Ai Ai delas Alas bravely entered a mall in the city with her son Seth Andrei and her pet dog Sailor.

The Comedy ueen toured the two before she goes bac to the nited States where she has ta en up residence as a green card holder.

Ai Ai said in Evelyn Diao s Maharli a TV report that despite her being declared persona non grata by the outgoing city councilor in the place where she resides even dubbed City of Stars but she is not welcome she bravely went to the mall and moved around without any worry or

fear. “ indi a o nag-alala o nata ot dahil alam o namang wala a ong nilabag na batas sa ue on City,” she said.

“Bata pa lang a o, taga- ue on City na a o at sa a hindi naman lahat ng tao rito, hindi a o welcome,” she added. “ indi a o welcome sa mga tagaCity all na nagpasa ng resolution na ide lara ami ni Dire Darryl na persona non grata, pero yung mga tao sa ue on City, welcome a o sa anila.” the singer-actress said with a hearty smile.

According to the aising Mamay star, “Sabi nga nung isang mommy na na asalubong o, Na u, Ai-Ai, palagi itang pinapanood sa TV tuwing hapon, pa-picture naman.

“Na-touched nga a o dahil marami ang nagpa-picture na asama a o,” Evelyn Diao uoted her in a report as recounting.

“Dun sa isang restaurant, nagvideo pa yung staff. Ang sabi nila, elcome bac , Ma am Ai-Ai aya hindi o naramdamang persona non grata a o sa ue on City,” she said.

Ai Ai also extended her than s to those who patroni e aising Mamay, an afternoon drama series on MAwhere she plays the lead role.

She said she was happy to spread the news that her show has been extended due to high ratings and she fully believes that the controversy has not affected the program at all. “ aya ganun na lang ang pasasalamat o sa Diyos,” the Comedy ueen said. (ecd/mtvn)

Actress is Pangasinan town’s first lady mayor BA AMBAN , Pangasinan Actress Nina Jose is now the mayor of this progressive town.

Jose, who is now nown as Mayor Mary Clare Judith Phyllis “Ni a” Jose- uiambao, was elected as the first lady local chief executive of Bayambang during the May 9 election. She replaces his husband, Mayor Cesar uiambao, who served the town as mayor for three terms.

Mayor uiambao vowed to also put a focus on the mental health of his constituents amid the effects of the pandemic.

D O J S E L L E R O R T R A V E L

# 2 0 2 5 2 3 0 -4 0

The new mayor was a competitor in Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 1 in 200 . She is currently a contract actress for the ABS-CBN television networ .

In her speech during her inauguration, uiambao said she is alarmed at the rise in suicide cases in this town hence, her plan to address mental health concerns. “ e cannot and must not ignore the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on our mental health. And as an elected official, I want you to feel the love and care of a mother. I want you to feel that you are not alone,” she said in addressing her constituents. uiambao said a 24/ hotline and Faceboo page catering to those who are in need of help in battling mental health problems will soon be launched.

Also part of the agenda of the first female mayor of the town is to end poverty. “ e will end the cycle of poverty by addressing it from the roots. e will raise strong children, strengthen family ties, and promote health and wellness. Inculcate positive values to the youth, ensure food security, and give better and brighter opportunities for parents to provide for their family s needs,” she said. uiambao also aims to address teenage pregnancy through the women s center and youth hub where they will train the youth and women in different enterprises.

She announced that a technical-vocational school will soon open, which will offer vocational courses and s ills training and other learning opportunities. “ e will ma e education accessible so that we can ensure that the Bayambangue os will no longer stay in poverty,” she added.

She said other priorities during her three-year term are social-cultural development, social pro-

F o r m er P B B h o us em a t e a nd no w B a ya m b a ng F i r s t L a d y N i ñ a Jo s e-Q ui a m b a o w i t h h us b a nd m a yo r C ez a r Q ui a m b a o

tection, agricultural moderni ation, good governance, economic and infrastructure development, environment protection, and disaster resiliency, among others. uiambao won by 41, votes in the recent poll and would be replacing her husband, Mayor Ce ar uiambao.

Earlier, Mayor uiambao said it has always been a dream of her to be a nited Nations ambassador li e Audrey epburn, and she thin s her latest milestone is one way of od s manifestation in her life.

“I still have no words to say about everything that has happened, all I now is that od s plan always prevails in every situation in our life,” she said. “I have so many people to than and I will be doing that in another lengthier post, but right now allow me to say that we continue to serve our people of Bayambang and continue to wor for our Beloved Bayambang.”

17 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 ENTERTAINMENT

Sarah and Matteo moving to GMA network?

MA Networ , however, has yet to give out an official statement on the matter.

Sarah was one of the original coaches of The Voice Kids so there has been speculations about her possible transfer to GMA-7 , where she was first discovered through a talent search show and was her home in 2003 and became a guest performer in a Sunday noontime musical-variety show SOP. A close friend, however, ended the speculations, saying there was no truth to the issue that the singer-actress will transfer to Kapuso Network to be a coach in The Voice Kids show.

According to the source, there will be no transfer that is going to happen because Sarah will remain a Kapamilya and, in fact, she will go back to the Sunday noontime show ASAP Natin ‘ To next month.

From J uly 2022, Sarah will perform in the Sunday noontime musicalvariety show, but her participation will not be on a regular basis.

While she is enjoying her role as a wife of Matteo Guidicelli, she is also focused on recording her new songs for her next album.

Are Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo and husband Matteo Guidicelli transferring to GMA network from their present mother studio ABSCBN? Reports have circulated in Manila that the power couple maybe moving to the new networ , but there has not been any confirmation to the reports.

There are reports, however, that Sarah and hubby have denied the reported transfer, but there has not been official statement on the matter as of press time.

Showbiz show host and entertainment columnist Cristy Fermin was one of those who reported the rumors on the couple’s moving to a new network.

The veteran showbiz reporter revealed that a source disclosed to her that Sarah and her husband Matteo will be transferring to another networ , specifically, the MA. The showbiz reporter claimed, “And thinking na taga-VIVA sila, siyempre si Boss Vic (del Rosario) ang nagmamaniobra nito, coproduction to. Kasi sila na nagpi-pitch ng kung anong project ang gusto nilang gawin. Magmimeeting na. ” To recall, Sarah used to be a mainstay of SOP from 2003 to 2004. It was on the GMA network that her showbiz career started.

However, in 2004, she moved to ABS-CBN and did not leave the network ever since even though it has been shut down by government after Congress did not renew its franchise.

Upon transferring, she headlined ASAP, the rival show of SOP back then.

It was also reported that Fermin revealed in the same episode that Sarah and Matteo have bought a farm lot in Laguna which was actually their dream.

According to the report, Fermin also added that just previously, Sarah and Matteo sent foods to the Popstar’s parents and the foods were personally cooked by Matteo.

The report on Sarah s transfer was firmed up after reports circulated that GMA-7 has acquired the rights of the program The Voice Kids Philippines, which aired on ABS-CBN from May 2014 until November 2019 , where Sarah was one of the mainstay judges.

 ENTERTAINMENT

June 30 - July 6, 2022

2000 Measure A Citizens Watchdog Committee

ULAT SA PUBLIKO

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Nora Aunor and daughter Lotlot de Leon reconcile

Fiscal Year 2021 (Hulyo 1, 2020 - Hunyo 30, 2021) Ang 2000 Measure A ay isang 30 taong kalahating sentimong buwis na nakalaan sa mga pagpapasulong ng transit. Mandato ng measure na repasuhin ng independyenteng citizens watchdog committee ang mga gastusin ng 2000 Measure A, mag-audit ng commission, at maglabas ng mga report sa publiko. Ang ulat na ito ay ulat ng CWC ng 2000 Measure A para sa FY 2021, na ika-15 taon ng 30 taong programa.

Pagkatapos ng maingat na pagrepaso, nagbigay ng konklusyon ang CWC para sa FY 2021, ang dolyares na buwis ng 2000 Measure A ay ginastos alinsunod sa layunin ng measure.

Buod ng mga Gastusin ng Progama ng FY 2021:

$313.2M Kabuuang Gastusin sa FY 2021 Program

$150M

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* Pinagbukod-bukod ang mga gastusin ayon sa kategorya. Maaaring hindi eksakto ang mga kabuuan at porsyento dahil sa bukod-bukod na rounding. Available ang indibidwal na detalye ng proyekto sa seksyon ng katayuan ng proyekto ng report na ito. ** Kabilang ang mga serbisyong propesyonal, serbisyo sa utang, pagbabayad ng principal, interes ng bono, atbp.

2205-2475

*** Transit Operating Assistance na katumbas ng 20.75% ng kinikitang buwis, na tinatayang $45.8M ng kabuuang gastusin para sa FY 2021.

Para sa higit pang impormasyon, bumisita sa vta.org/2000MeasureA

All’s well that ends well.

This may be the case of Superstar, now National Artist Nora Aunor, and her daughter Lotlot de Leon with former husband Christopher de Leon.

This surfaced after it has been confirmed that La Aunor and Lotlot have finally issed and made up.

To recall, Nora failed to attend her conferment as National Artist and her children Ian, Matet, i o, and Kenneth were the ones who accepted the National Artist plaque in Malacanang on J une 16 .

Nora later went to Malacanang and personally met President Rodrigo Duterte for presenting the prestigous award.

It was learned that Nora was hospitalized during the conferment rites.

The 6 9 year old Superstar was indisposed and her doctor did not allow her to go to Malacanang, hence, her four children as her proxies.

It was learned that Lotlot was the one watching over the Superstar at her home, the reason why she was not able to join her siblings in Malacañ ang.

According to Matet de Leon, “Diretso na aming magde-deliver ay mommy ngayon ng anyang plaque… ” This means that Nora and her children were together eventually.

The original plan was Nora

would give the message on behalf of the eight National Artists during the Malacañ ang ceremonies, Evelyn Diao reported for Maharli a TV. But her doctor did not allow her to go so ic y Lee, who is also the Superstar’s best friend stood for Ate Guy. Everybody was hoping that Nora would recover soon so she can attend the tribute for all the National Artists which will be held at the CCP on J une 29 , Wednesday.

Regarding the mother and daughter’s reconciliation, nobody wants to give any detail but what is important for the fans and followers is they are now o ay. And this is the good news.

Those who are close to the original Superstar are saying that there is nothing to worry about the actress as she is o ay, though they are all mum when as ed about her sic ness.

Everybody is also expecting there will be a clearer report about the showing of her film Kontrabida directed by Adolf Alix, wherein the Superstar was hailed by her co-actors and the production staff.

Nora’s former husband, actor Christopher de Leon, it was reported had as ed their children to tell Nora to stop smo ing.

Nora has become a chain smo er lately, it was learned, and this is bad for her health, her ids were told by their father.

 REAL ESTATE

June 30 - July 6, 2022

Task force created to go after illegal real estate practitioners Q UEZ ON CITY – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has created a tas force that will boost the fight against illegal real estate operators and “colorum” (unregistered) bro ers and agents.

The National Tas Force on Anti-Illegal eal Estate Practices will expand measures to stop illegal real estate operations to be implemented through an inter-agency panel led by D S D and supported by partner agencies.

Created through Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 Series of 2021, the tas force is composed of D S D, Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local overnment, Department of Environment and Natural esources, Land egistration Authority, Professional egulation Commission, Philippine National Police, and National Bureau of Investigation.

“This is a testament to our partnership as we synchroni e our efforts to end the fraudulent activities in the housing and real estate industry, hence, protecting homebuyers and helping them in the reali ation of their dream to ac uire decent and affordable homes using their hard-earned money and lifetime savings,” D S D Secretary Eduardo del osario said in a statement.

The Philippine Association of eal Estate Boards Inc. earlier lamented the proliferation of fa e real estate agents and bro ers who continue to “unscrupulously dupe” buyers despite a law regulating the practice of real estate service.

During the tas force s launch over the wee end, the member agencies committed “to collaborate and intensify further the cooperation not only in eradicating malpractices in the housing and real estate sector but e ually important is protecting home buyers and legitimate developers”.

“D S D accepts the challenge to ta e the lead in this campaign as we fulfill our mandate to protect the rights of buyers of subdivisions and condominium projects, including memorial lots and similar real estate developments,” del osario said.

Based on the ousing and Land se egulatory Board under Presidential Decree No. 9 , no real estate bro er or salesman shall engage in the business of selling subdivision lots or condominium units without being registered.

D S D has regulatory power over real estate developers and brokers and salespersons are obliged to register with the agency before engaging in property selling.

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Why Seniors should move to Improve their quality of LIFE. When conversations begin between a senior and their family about moving to a retirement community, the topic is often met with several objections. The most common objections to making a lifestyle change and the emotions involved with the entire process. enerally, if the topic of ma ing a lifestyle change comes up, something has been going on that is predicating the conversation. Maybe it is becoming apparent that the home is becoming too much to care for. Although it was the perfect si e for raising a family, it is now too large for just one or two people. It may be that the senior themselves can no longer manage on their own. They are having difficulty managing their medications or ma ing meals. Things li e showering or going down the basement stairs to do laundry just aren t safe anymore. ow do you determine whether its time for your to move to a etirement Community 1. If you are considering a Low Maintenance Living Even in retirement, the never-ending battle against laundry, grocery shopping, bills, and that lawn (that seems to grow twice as fast each year) gets more difficult. our household responsibilities can get in the way of your bigger goals, li e long-term travel or spontaneous road trips.

2. Do you want an pscale Living Living in a community tailored to creating the good life has its advantages. Many retirement communities have upscale amenities you would never dream of owning in your own home. Staying active as you age can help you maintain your independence longer and prevent falls or injury. If selfmotivation is an issue, the fitness classes and outdoor activities offered in many retirement communities may appeal to you.

3. Are you ready to actually have a social life It s always a challenge to ma e new friends, but it can become increasingly tric y in retirement. If you re finding your schedule a little empty, but want an engaging social life, a retirement community may be the perfect fit. sually you go to one that you already now someone, then you can now and have more friends with the same interest.

4. ould you li e to start Eating ealthy Sometimes it s hard to go to the trouble of coo ing a nutritious meal. It s tempting, as one blogger put it, to “Bread. ine. Cheese. epeat.” Choosing a retirement community can help you opt bac into daily meals that nourish the body and satisfy the soul. . Time to be Learning, rowing, and Traveling for Fun Aging doesn t put a stop for the need to grow and explore the world around us. etirement communities can ma e it easier to get out and discover exciting new experiences through planned excursions and travel. . ou will need Personal Care Services As we age, there are daily tas s that just aren t as easy as they once were. It s not embarrassing or something to fear, it s just the facts. hether you need help with house eeping or personal hygiene now, or are cogni ant that one day you might, retirement communities offer the opportunity to now when that transition happens, you will be in good hands. . Safety and Security should be important for you ou may not need any help with your daily personal care, but that doesn t mean that accidents don t happen. ousehold accidents and falls do occur, and if you live alone, the thought of not receiving the help you need can be daunting. In a retirement community, you can be sure there is always someone there to help . Finally do you need a driver to drive you around Between bumper-to-bumper traffic, new roads, and “that one guy” who is always in a hurry, driving can start to feel li e a chore. etirement communities offer transportation to their residents to help them stay active in their local communities and beyond. ou don t necessarily have to give up your eys altogether, cruise around when you feel li e it, and other times let someone else worry about the new roundabout.

Than s for your in uiries, please call en o of 1st Innovative Finance roup 2- 0 - 04 or write to ennethgo veri on.net CAB E 01021223 NMLS 23 3

21 June 30 - July 6, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL SPORTS NEWS

Kai Sotto goes undrafted in NBA, may play again for Gilas Pilipinas

MANILA – The Filipinos’ hope to see a homegrown player get drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) remains a dream after seven-foot-three wunderkind Kai Sotto was left undrafted in the 2022 edition of the league’s annual draft last week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

This despite having had pre-draft workouts with several NBA teams like the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers where he sprained his ankle and temporarily hampered his goal to impress coaches and scouts as he was not included in the Draft Combine.

With the development, Sotto, as an unrestricted free agent,e can play in the NBA G

League where multiple teams have affiliate squads in the NBA itself. This will keep him on the radar of NBA teams and could help him land a two-way contract or get call-ups.

The Golden State Warriors, the 2022 NBA champions, have multiple players who are NBA G League alumni such as J ordan Poole, Gary Payton II, J ames Wiseman, J onathan Kuminga, J uan Toscano-Anderson, and Moses Moody.

It was learned that Sotto could also return for another year and sign with the Adelaide 3 ers or get offers from NBL teams. The Australian basketball league has been able to send players to the NBA over the years like LaMelo Ball, J osh Giddey, Patty Mills, and J oe Ingles.

EJ Obiena clinches gold, soars to season best in Sweden meet MANILA - Filipino Olympian Ernesto EJ Obiena has set a new season best as he took home the gold in the Taby Stavhoppsgala in Sweden on J une 28.

Reports reaching Manila from Sweden showed the Filipino pole vault sensation cleared 5. 9 2 meters on his way to gold in his first event since recovering from COVID-19 .

Obiena missed two meets due to health protocols: the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway and the Meeting de Paris in France earlier this month.

Obiena surpassed his previous personal best of 5. 85 meters which he set in Italy — it was . 01 shy of 5. 82 meters, while Simen Guttormsen of the Asian record of 5. 9 3 meters he set in Norway placed third with 5. 7 2 meters.

Austria in September last year.

Obiena will stay in Sweden to com2016 Olympic gold medalist Thiago pete in the Stockholm Diamond League.

Braz of Brazil settled for second with

With plenty of time to improve, Sotto could also play in Europe where he can be a more all-around player and polish his skills.

Experts said being undrafted in the NBA is not the end of the road for Sotto, but an opportunity to explore other venues to improve his craft and later re-join the draft.

A total of 58 players were chosen for this year’s NBA draft which was headlined by top pick Paolo Banchero who went to Orlando Magic as the number one pick.

Banchero, the 6 -foot-10 power forward, who expressed his desire to represent Italy in international play, became the second player of Italian descent to be selected first overall after Toronto took Andrea Bargnani as the first pic in the 200 draft.

Chet Holmgren, who was the consensus number one pick in early mock drafts before Banchero’s draft stock went on a steady increase, went to Oklahoma City as the second pick.

J abari Smith, who became a late consideration for the number one pick, ended up with Houston as the third overall pick, joining Filipino-American J alen Green, the second pick in last year’s draft.

All is not lost for Sotto, though, as he is now declared a free agent, making him eligible to be signed up by NBA teams at least for their Summer League squads.

However, this is now a dilemma for Sotto’s camp as the NBA Summer League coincides with Gilas Pilipinas’ upcoming tournaments, the FIBA orld Cup ualifiers and the FIBA Asia Cup. Interestingly enough, Sotto’s availability for both the Summer League and Gilas is in question.

In an interview with Q uinito Henson and Gretchen Ho over PlayItRight TV, Sotto’s agent, J oel Bell, claimed that the former J r.

NBA Philippines Most Valuable Player is choosing Gilas over the Summer League.

“I’ve already got several Summer League invites for him, but Kai has decided to play with the Philippine national team. That’s his commitment. He’s very dedicated to Filipino pride, so he’s gonna pass up the Summer League and play with the Philippine national team,” Bell said.

He even said that Sotto’s camp might prefer going to another league or staying in the NBL. “We’re not gonna do two-way and GLeague Exhibit 10 contracts.. At this point, the plan is for him to go to a non-North American league. He could go back to Australia.

There are some teams in Europe that are interested in him. He’s gonna develop wherever he goes,” Bell continued, adding that such special NBA contracts would not guarantee Sotto more playing time.

However, in a tweet right after the live podcast, Sotto clarified that there is no final decision on whether he will join the Summer League or be with Gilas instead.

“I want to clarify that no decision has been made about me not playing in the Summer League. M y agent misspoke,” Sotto said.

Sotto’s agency, East-West Private, added as quoted by Henson in a separate tweet, “No decision has been made as to what his next step will be. Kai is exploring all options, including playing in the NBA Summer League.

NBA agent J oel Bell has still to discuss with Kai & East-West Private what are the available options.”

Sotto, meanwhile, thanked his fans for the support despite the setback.

“Thank you to everyone for your support and kind words tonight. I won’t stop pursuing the dream of being in the NBA. This is not the end,” he vowed

PhilCycling nat’l tourney draws up to 600 riders TAGAYTAY CITY – Close to 6 00 riders across different categories and events registered for the PhilCycling National Championships for Road 2022 that hit the road on J une 21 with Tagaytay City as main hub.

PhilCycling and Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino wasn’t surprised with the big turnout as cycling surged to necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic when public transport was restricted.

Because of the sheer number of entries, the PhilCycling will stage elimination heats in the Men Under-23 category which drew the biggest number of entries at 19 8 riders.

Four elimination heats consisting of a five-lap race each around the Tagaytay City Centrum will determine the 6 0 cyclists— 15 from each heat— who will advance further in the championships.

The criterium races will ic off the four-day championships co-presented

by Standard Insurance, MVP Sports Foundation and Smart starting at 8 a. m. on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the individual time trial races will be staged from Nasugbu in nearby Batangas to the Praying Hands monument finish on Isaac Tolentino Avenue. The road races (massed start) are scheduled for Thursday (women) and Friday (men).

Races will be in Men and Women Elite, Under 23, J uniors (17 -18) and Youth (16 -under) in the championships staged in cooperation with Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino, Eighth District of Cavite, Province of Cavite and the First District of Batangas as well as the municipalities of Laurel, Agoncillo and Talisay and the local Philippine National Police commands.

June 30 - July 6, 2022

22

Q : C an I enroll in you r debt prog ram if I am u sing a T I N nu m ber?

A Most companies will not accept a Tax Identification Number (TIN) when enrolling in a debt program but the answer is yes, our company can.

A client called me to as if I will accept him in our program mainly because he is using a TIN and does not have a Social Security Number. In most cases people who are still wor ing on their immigration papers in the S will use a TIN in order to pay taxes. The TIN is issued by the I S to anyone who wishes to file taxes who do not possess a Social Security Number. As far as ban s are concerned, they will accept this too and use your name as a business enterprise of Doing Business As(DBA). This can be used to open an account and the account is mainly treated as a business. The ban can also use this number to grant credit to the clients as well as credit cards. And this where the client got into trouble. It is o to have credit cards but as the client told me his problems that he has a family in the Philippines and has to support them while he is here wor ing on his permanent residence. e also has to eep sending money every month. es every month, even if he does not have a job. Not all employment will hire employees who are using a TIN. Most employers now that if you are here legally, you will have a Social Security Number, so what is the purpose of using a TIN This means you do not have the papers to support being hired.

Ating lesson, ami po ay lagging handing tumulung para sa inyo.

If you need help in getting out of debt, call Debt Aid Consulting International. e do not use call centers which eeps your information safe. e have a new program that reconstruct debts for half of what you would pay our competitors. e also provide legal assistance that eeps collectors away. e ta e Federal Credit nions, 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. ou are well protected. e only provide Federal Trade Commission compliant programs. o with Debt Aid Consulting Do not fall for mar eting gimmic s saying that they have the right program for you. Most mar eting 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 3 years of financial experience.

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

Debt Aid Consulting is the first and only Filipino debt mediation company incorporated in the S and Canada, Caribbean Islands, Singapore, Australia, New ealand and the Philippines our lobal Debt Solutions Company Tawag na po sa 1-341- 234 at tutulungan po namin ayo.

Itama po natin ang mali

23 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

O’Farrell, Koretz, Krekorian lead Los Angeles City Council in unanimous action to address historic drought emergency

Councilmem ers ac ons will help conser e water and protect ratepayers in L.A. LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles City Councilmembers Mitch O’Farrell, Paul Koretz, and Paul Krekorian led the City Council in calling for a comprehensive series of reports and actions related to ratepayer funds, conservation, and the drought emergency currently affecting California and the estern nited States.

“There is great urgency to take a more proactive approach to conserving water, which is why my colleagues and I introduced this motion,” said Councilmember O’Farrell, the chair of the City Council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental J ustice, and iver Committee. “ e are not going to shy away from our responsibility in facing the challenge before us, and we will make sure that we do everything we can to address this emergency, conserve water, improve infrastructure, and protect ratepayers’ dollars. ” “Back in 2015, at the previous height of drought, I as ed LAD P to identify our top water users in the City, contact them, and help them dramatically reduce their use. Most weren’t aware of their high water use and just needed education and advice,” said Councilmember Koretz, co-author of the drought motion.

“Today, I as ed LAD P to do the same again. I don t want to see some neighborhoods doing a lot and some doing a little. e are all in this together and the only way out is together. ” “Los Angeles is already a national leader in water conservation. Angelenos have saved enough water over the last 20 years to serve a million people,” said Councilmember Krekorian. “Yet water shortages continue to endanger public safety, our economy, our clean energy goals, and our quality of life. This motion is a vital first step to addressing what is now an existential threat to the City of Los Angeles, and all of us need to embrace the commitment to conservation with urgency.

For the third consecutive year, California remains in a historic drought, and the three month period of J anuary-March 2022 was the driest start to a year ever recorded in the state. Throughout California, snowpacks are at 20% of normal levels, and key reservoirs are at 30% , and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association predicts that the state will remain in a moderate to severe drought throughout this summer.

The Metropolitan ater District of Southern California (M D) has declared a water shortage on the State Reservoir Project, meaning that a majority of Angelenos will not have adequate supplemental resources from M D to assist them throughout the year.

The City of Los Angeles is currently in Phase 3 of its water conservation ordinance, which limits outdoor watering with sprinklers to two days a week for eight minutes per station per watering day, and includes a refocused public outreach campaign to educate the public on how each Angeleno can play role in conserving water.

The actions unanimously approved today by the City Council will re uire LAD P and M D to report on several ey issues, including 1) current and projected water drought conditions statewide from all sources, and the corresponding impact to LAD P consumers 2) the impact of the drought on hydroelectric resources in Los Angeles 3) the expansion of large scale water recycling projects and budgetary programs to increase water conservation, as well as to expand water supply and 4) the potential implications for meeting the “LA100” goals of 100% carbon-

free electricity by 2035. These reports will now be generated and heard by the Council’s Energy, Climate Change, Environmental J ustice, and River committee, chaired by O’Farrell. “ e are in an unprecedented situation where the sources that normally make up 9 0% of the city’s water supply are extremely limited due to the worsening

drought,” said Martin Adams, General Manager and Chief Engineer, LAD P. “ e applaud the Council s action to help underscore the need for every Angeleno to do their part, accelerate our development of new local water resources, and stay ahead of this issue to ensure that this city has the reliable water supplies it needs to survive and thrive. ”

 COMMUNITY NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

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ASIAN AMERICANS CALL FOR Philippine MULTI-RACIAL Non-Stop Entertainment: SOLIDARITY AT FIRST-EVER UNITY MARCH American Friendship Day on July 9 In Cerritos Thecity afternoon putshort manyparade humanon faces B y S Cerritos, U N I T A S O Calif.

H R A B –JI All roads will lead to this as A the to thecultural statisticssite of anti E non-stop M S A s s o c musical i a t e E d i t o entertainment, r Philippine willAsian ic hate off crimes. the fesSeveral speakers weretothemselves vicpresentations, inspirational messages, product booths, tivities be participated tims ofduring hate crimes, or had lost family IN TandN workshops, DC Approxifood AS vendors, await attendees in by community leaders to attacks motivated by hatred. mately 1 ,000 American people gathered JuneDay 2 onmembers the Philippine Friendship J uly 9 from representing various Fil“White supremacy has taken hold at Mall the fiCommunity rst-ev8 the am National to 6 pm at thehere Donfor Knabe Regional Am organizations, City of of ourofAmerican lives. Asian Americans er March, to draw attenParUnity on 19 00 S.organized Bloomfield Ave. in this City 0,000 Cerritos Council members our other od-given rights just tion to the dramatic spike in hate crimes are fighting forand residents.

Fil-Am elected exist,” said the everend ena against the AsianbyAmerican c Is- toofsimply Hosted National Pacifi Federation Filipino public officials accompaHwang, one ofnied the few lander Community.

American Federation Associations (NaFFAA) Greater by ordained mounted female sheriff Korean ministers to serve in atheflyPresbyenthusiastic young crowds gathLosThe Angeles in partnership with Los Angeles County’s deputies with by heChurch. licopter. ered against Janice the backdrop of the Capitol 4th District ahn and L.A. Sheriff terian Alex VillanKaleka recalled Building the sweltering humidity of ato be Filmmaker ueva, thisinhistoric milestone promises the L.A . Pardeep Dignitaries who will the morning Aug.their , 2012, when mid-summer day inPhilippine DC. Harking the Su-Friendship County’s Largest American Day of deliver inspirational avowed whitemessages supremacist Wade State Mipreme Court decision many that had its roots in thea day Cityearlier, of Carson in 2021. include chael Pageatstormed the Fiona Sikh temple in. men andAmong womennotable carried entertainers handmade signs who will perform Treasurer Ma, L.A as Sunday mornequating reproductive rights civil Oak the huge park overlooking the with picturesque lakeCreek, includeWisconsin, County Supervisor J anice ing prayers beingL.A. held. Sheriff Page killed rights the AAPI community. Others B for singer iana Valenciano, obin Nievera, Fel-wereahn, Alex six people, templePhilippine founder had statements aboutSaigon son added Palad, handwritten Sara Mislang, former Miss Emeben including Villanueva, Satwant Singh Deputy Kaleka, Pardeep’s father. reproductive pre-printed Baysic, Lyndonfreedom Apostol, to Filipino American Symphony Consul General Satwant Kaleka signs.

Orchestra (FASO) Garth Garcia, Introvoys, Club Mag- Singh Ambrosio Brianconfronted F. Enciso, Page School during the massacre and tried to Theofoverarching theme of theFilipino rally — Cultural kaisa Cerritos High School, Artesia Mayor Melissa prevent Paco him from going Cerritos to the kitchen, echoed by many of theKali, speakers onstage Ensemble, , Pamana Carson Street Dancer, Ramoso, Mayor where were preparing theCoundaily — Arespacochaga was the hope what Americans of that Introvoys, Pamana Kali, Thewomen Ris- Chung Vo, Cerritos known ascilmembers langar. share in common is greater iDancers, than whatandfeast ing Stars, Visual Movement, ollywood Lynda J ohn“My dad s fison naland words were a prayer divides us. More than 40 organizations, Dance Moms, to name a few.

Frank Yokoyama, representing the full spectrum of AAPI he did not pray for himself. He prayed subethnicities, arranged the noon event, for all of us,” said ale a.

New York City resident Esther Lee led by APIAVote and Asian Americans was verbally abused and spit upon when Advancing J ustice.

MSNBC news anchor Richard Liu she refused to engage in a fist bump with moderated a portion of the four-hour a man, while she rode the subway. Her event, which can be watched here in its attacker called her “a miserable, f* * king carrier,” a charge often leveled at the entirety.

Over the past three years, the Web Asian American community since the portal Stop AAPI Hate has recorded pandemic began. None of the other submore than 11,000 incidents of verbal ha- way passengers stepped in to help Lee. “It was seconds of pure terror,” rassment, physical violence, and bullying targeting AAPI persons. More than she said.

Lee went straight to the police statwo-thirds of the attacks are against tion to file a report, but was told her case women. was not a hate crime. Police told her she should not LLUNGSOD NG GILROY have filmed the incident, PAUNAWA SA HALALAN — PAGBABAGO UPANG AMYENDAHAN and blamed her for triggerANG MGA BAHAGDAN SA BALOTA ing her attacker.

Robbyn Lewis, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, interrupted a hate crime as it was occurring at Washington DC’s Union Station. An Asian woman was being harassed by a man on a bicycle. “I was born in Maryland,” shouted the woman, as the aggressor escalated his taunts.

“I had to do something,” said Lewis. “I was afraid, but how could I not ” She confronted the aggressor, who turned his venom on her, calling her a “bi h” and other foul names.

“I put my body beAng mga lugar ng botohan ay magbubukas sa pagitan ng mga oras ng tween the woman and that alas-7:00 a.m. at alas-8:00 p.m. man,” said Lewis. “As he TAKDANG PETSA: Martes, Hunyo 21, 2022 circled, I circled too. I had this terrible feeling that he /s/ Thai Nam Pham, CMC, CPMC was going to raise his hand Kawani ng Lungsod/Opisyal ng Eleksiyon and stri e her.”

As he left, the man spit

in Lewis’ face. The politician called police spitting at someone is a felony. Federal prosecutors are working to identify the incident as a hate crime.

“I think about this and how many times women experience harassment, and they are completely alone,” said Lewis.

Gareth and Fe Hall shared the tragedy of their only child, Christian, who was killed by police at the age of 19 .

The Halls adopted Christian from China when he was just a year old. “ e totally embraced every race around him. He told people he was a Black, Filipino, Chinese American,” said areth all, who is Black. Christian had dreams of becoming a rap star.

But the young man struggled with his mental health, joining his peers in what is often referred to as the shadow pandemic of youth mental health crises. n Dec. 30, 2020, Christian experienced a serious bout of suicidal ideation. His parents called 9 11. Pennsylvania troopers fatally shot Christian, justifying their actions by stating that Christian was carrying a weapon.

“The very people that were supposed to protect my son illed him instead,”

said Fe Hall, who is Filipina.

Komal Chohan paid tribute to her grandmother, Amarjeet aur Johal, who was one of nine people killed as 19 -yearold Brandon Scott ole opened fire at a FedEx round facility in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 1 , 2021. Four of Hole’s victims were Sikhs.

“This was a wa e-up call to me that we had to ta e the fight into our own hands,” said Chohan, noting that she and other 20-somethings organi ed to fight back against hate. “We were feeling unsafe in the place we called home, a fear many Asian Americans have had to face, and we feel that no one is listening.”

Many of the speakers referred to pioneering activist Helen Z ia, who cofounded American Citizens for J ustice shortly after Detroit, Michigsan auto factory wor er Vincent Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat by two white men. ia spo e briefly at the march, via video.

“We march here where so many have marched before in the struggle for justice. For too long, our communities have been pitted against each other, fighting for the crumbs that are thrown our way,” said Z ia.

25 June 30 - July 6, 2022

 COMMUNITY NEWS

Governor Newsom’s CARE Court c00lears another legislative committee SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement on CARE Court clearing the Assembly Health Committee: “From a 39-0 vote on the floor of the state Senate, to the latest passage in two ey Assembly committees, our efforts to advance CA E Court is receiving overwhelming, bipartisan support from California s Legislature.

“Californians understand that we need a paradigm shift to help the thousands of individuals in crisis suffering with untreated psychosis and too often living on the streets.

“The passage of CA E Court will not only bring relief to those in dire need of care in the community, but it will also bring hope to their friends and family members who feel helpless under today s status uo.”

The overnor s CA E Court legislation, SB 133 authored by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) and Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) passed out of the Assembly ealth Committee in a 14 to 0 vote.

Soc i al Se c ur i t y U pdat e

F IV E S O C IA L S E C U R IT Y R E S O U R C E S T H A T C A N P R O T E C T E L D E R S F R O M S C A M S B yG r a c eS a m s o n Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Bay Area orld Elder Abuse Awareness Day is on June 1 . n this day, communities, seniors, caregivers, governments, organi ations, and the private sector unite to prevent the mistreatment of and violence against older people.

Social Security scams are widespread across the nited States.

Scammers use sophisticated tactics to deceive you into providing sensitive information or money.

They target everyone especially the elderly – and their tactics continue to evolve. ere are five easy-to-use resources to prevent Social Security fraud: Chec out our Fraud Prevention and eporting page to learn about Social Security fraud and how we fight scammers at www.ssa.gov/fraud.

• Read our Scam Alert fact sheet to learn what tactics scammers use and how to protect yourself at www.ssa. gov/fraud/assets/materials/EN-0 -10 9 .pdf.

Create your own personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to stay one step ahead of scammers. Please read our blog post at blog.ssa.gov/ my-social-security-what-to- now-about-signing-up-orsigning-in for more information about creating or signing in to your personal my Social Security account.

Learn about other types of fraud on our ffice of the Inspector eneral s ( I ) Scam Awareness page at oig.ssa.gov/scam-awareness/scam-alert. ou ll also see how to report these scams to our I and other government agencies. ead our blog post to learn how to guard your Social Security card and protect your personal information at blog.ssa.gov/guard-your-card-protect-whatsimportant-to-you/.

Please share this information with your friends and family to help spread awareness about Social Security imposter scams.

 COMMUNITY NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

26

Youth facilities and features unveiled Presidio Tunnel Tops Opening Day, Sunday, July 17 at Presidio Tunnel Tops NPS Par angers Campfire Tal ,

Presidio Tunnel Tops, the most anticipated visitor attraction ever planned for the Presidio of San Francisco, opens Sunday J uly 17 ! Come explore the park and enjoy free family-friendly events and activities on opening day and throughout the whole season, J uly through October.

Opening Day Activities include food trucks, DIY picnics, music and dance, art, NPS anger tal at the Campfire Circle and more! Kids of all ages will love the new 2-acre Outpost play area, with all natural features made of stone, wood, sand, and water! Explore the new indoor Field Station and outdoor activity centers, take in the views, paths, gardens, lawns and all the new park destination has to offer.

Opening Day Performances curated by the Presidio Activator Council, Presidio Community Experts, Hip Hop for Change, and World Arts West, feature: Community Stage ostess and Emcee Ryan Nicole Afro-Latin Dance by The CaliDance Cuban and Salsa music by umbache Beats by DJ nlearn the orld and DJ Saurus Drum and dance processions by Fogo Na Roupa Bi-lingual poetry readings by Forced2Fly B-Boy Dance by a land riginal

4pm-4: 30pm uth Asawa School of the Arts Choir Art! On opening day, artist, social justice activist and Presidio Activator Favianna Rodriguez unveils a temporary mural installation— Ancestral Futurism— honoring the diversity and interconnectedness of the people, flora, and fauna that have lived in this ecosystem for centuries. The murals are located outdoors on the ground near the Visitor Center and the Outpost nature play area.

Additionally, a banner with a welcome message in Ramaytush is on display at Presidio Plaza outside the Transit Center.

Check our website for updates to weekend activities during the Sunday Afternoon series every first Sunday of the month from 1pm – 4pm and come enjoy your national park!

When: pening Day Activities Sunday, J uly 17 , 2022, 10am – 6 pm Presidio Pop p (mobile food) Daily, year-round utpost Nature Play Area 9 30ampm daily (closes at 4 30pm Nov. thru March) Field Station ed-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am- pm (Closed Mon Tues) Presidio Visitor Center 10am- pm daily

LUNGSOD NG CUPERTINO PAUNAWA SA HALALAN

Where: Start at Presidio Visitor Center, 210 Lincoln Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94129 Who: Partnership for the Presidio (Presidio Trust, NPS and olden ate National Par s Conservancy) Link: presidiotunneltops. org Cost: Free entry Media Contacts: presidiotunneltops@ njfpr. com lpetrie@ presidiotrust. gov About Presidio Tunnel Tops Built over the tops of the Presidio Parkway highway tunnels, the Presidio Tunnel Tops site comprises 14 acres of new national park land— an iconic “must see” San Francisco destination for visi-

tors from across the country and around the world. Thoughtfully designed by James Corner Field perations (the firm behind New or s igh Line), shaped by community input, and funded by philanthropic gifts, the Presidio Tunnel Tops features scenic overlooks with stunning views of the olden ate Bridge and the City, paths and gardens, a welcome plaza with food and visitor services, a campfire circle, picnic grounds and more.

Kids and adults alike can learn about nature, explore and have fun at the Outpost natural playscape and new Field Station.

Enrolled programming is planned for Bay Area youth and communities at the expanded Crissy Field Center.

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL IN SAN FRANCISCO CONDUCTS CONSULAR OUTREACH MISSION IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO The Philippine Consulate General in of Tourism to promote Philippine prodSan Francisco held a Consular Outreach ucts and tourism.

Mission in Colorado Springs, Colorado This outreach is the 3rd mission confrom J une 18 to 20, 2022 at the Hil- ducted by the Consulate in 2022, followton Garden Inn Downtown Colorado ing its outreach in Washington in March Springs, providing a total of 874 services. 2022 and in Alaska in May 2022.

The consular outreach afforded FiliFilipinos residing under the Consulpinos and Filipino Americans the nec- ate’s jurisdiction may visit pcgsanfranessary consular services without having cisco. org/consular-outreach-missions/ to travel to San Francisco. Applicants for details on succeeding outreach misfrom throughout Colorado and other sions in 2022. states, including Florida, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming, among others, availed of consular services during the outreach.

The outreach was co-organized by Consul Donna Lavigne, a,h., Philippine Honorary Consul in Colorado, and the Filipino American Community of Southern Colorado, whose volunteers provided onsite support.

The Consulate team was joined by represen- ew dual ci ens sing the Lupang inirang a er ha ing their oath tatives from the Depart- of allegiance administered y Consul ed Llona at the Philippine ment of Trade and Indus- Consulate General in San rancisco s Consular Outreach ission try and the Department in Colorado Springs, Colorado on 20 une 2022.

27 June 30 - July 6, 2022

Offline

(From P age 13)

peso budget was not the smartest step to take.

Sara with no H settled for the Education portfolio, which theoretically has an even bigger budget than the Defense post.

But she is not to be underrated or underestimated. She really does seem to enjoy being near military men and women, so much so that she announced last week that she was forming her own version of the PSG, or Presidential Security Group.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. The vice president just formed her own private army without so much as bothering to ask the permission of the commander-in-chief.

Do not be surprised if she flexes her muscle once Marcos J r. commits fumble after fumble, maybe even ask for his resignation for being a weak president.

Her father said the same thing of his successor. He is a weak leader who does not deserve to be president, he said.

But here he is. Lo and behold, but Marcos Jr. has now started looking, talking and prancing around like his father.

In fact, he is not going to be a real president. He will only pretend to be one, and let his Cabinet run the country while he does whatever it is that spoiled brats who grew old without achieving anything do.

He will live in morbid fear that the Edsa Revolt of 1986 will be repeated, and he will again be “kidnapped” and forced to flee the country. nly this time, he and his in will be ta en to Beijing instead of Honolulu.

He must be warned that China has an ultra-strict policy where drugs like cocaine is concerned. And that’s all I’m saying, ok?

For now, he and she (Ms. No ) will surround themselves with the heaviest security imaginable. They need the protection because deep down they know that a large chunk of the Filipino people are only waiting for a single spark and all hell will break loose.

So who’s afraid of the Filipino people? nly the son and namesa e of the hated dictator, along with the daughter of the most vicious president the Philippines has ever had.

Sooner or later, they will get what they truly deserve.

Health & Wealth

(From P age 12)

broadcast studios in Albu uer ue, New Mexico Baguio City, Butuan City and Puerto Princesa City in the Philippines ,on J uly 30, 2022, Saturday, 10: 00 am to 4: 00 pm at the CC building, 01- th Avenue (near olden ate Par ) in San Francisco, California 9 4118.

We cordially invite our readers and the general public to a special Barbecue Party and participate in the global live broadcast inside the studio. Autographed copies by the authors and publisher will be given to guests which include the following boo s (in hard cover and paper bac ) ” LIFEST LE F L N EVIT “subtitled “ ow to be ealthy Emotionally, Financially, Physically, Sexually and Spiritually,” (404 pages, Ama on price 2 .9 per copy) “ EAL ESTATE ” subtitled “ our Basic uide Information for Successful Investing in Home, Land and Income Property,” (27 7 pages, Amazon Price: $ 19 . 9 5 hard cover, 1 .9 paper bac ) “JES S C IST” subtitled “ “Last Few Days on Earth Before is eturn to eaven ” “ IST ICIT F JES S” subtitled “Facts and Evidences for Agnostics, Atheists, Believers and Christians” (27 8 pages, Ama on price 12.9 paper bac ) and orld Christian Ministry uarterly Journal. SVP Call or text ( 0)43 -3 31 or ( 0) 0- 223 or (41 ) 4- 09 or (41 )2 2- 301 or (41 )3 -44 A T AB T MADLAIN is accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed eal Estate Bro er (D E 00 3 9 ) in California since 19 1, e is founder of M BILE SI NIN SE VICES, FITNESS F MANIT (a a FITNESS F C IST) and ACAPIN . Art is active Evangelist with the LDEN ATE C C F CHRIST in San Francisco, California.

Immigrants Help

(From P age 14)

Chris Caday Lozano, Esq. is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and San Francisco Trial Lawyers. He practices immigration law, bankruptcy, personal injury and income tax problems since June 1999. is contact phone is 1-87 7 -456 -9 26 6 , email: info@ CCLlaw. net Website: www. crispinlozanolaw. com/

Perry Scope

(From P age 12)

surfaced in which Bongbong admitted using a “troll army”— thousands— in his campaign to “keep political fortunes alive. ” Then he changed his tune, claiming that his support base on social media is “organic. ” He dared those who claim that he has troll farms to show evidence.

“I have never had a troll farm,” he said. But his YouTube confession has already gone viral!

A Filipino-American group called S Filipinos for ood overnance ( SF ) launched a website called Troll Exposer that identified 102 trolls using public data and artificial intelligence. The site collected extensive evidence of how those accounts coordinate with each other, sharing the same propaganda that berates Robredo’s intelligence, downplays her accomplishments, and tags her as a communist sympathizer.

Foreign Policy Bongbong’s lack of “foreign policy” initiatives on his official website are causing uneasiness among international community observers. He didn’t have a position on the est Philippine Sea ( PS) territorial disputes. e seems to be ambivalent on where to stand. ne thing for sure, he s been vocally supportive of China. He calls China a ”good friend” and the Philippines’ “strongest partner” and at the same time maintained that he will implement an “independent foreign policy,” which amounts to nothing more than posturing.

Wait until China starts dangling infrastructure loans for the various projects that Bongbong has in mind. Wait until Chinese fishing ships start swarming in the est Philippine Sea. Wait until killer typhoons inundate the Philippines’ towns and we need humanitarian assistance. ait until the Chinese Navy starts shooting at Philippine fishing boats in the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands. Wait until Chinese drug lords increase their smuggling operations in the country. Wait until China moves to take over the mining industry in the Philippines. Wait until the Philippines falls into a Chinese debt trap. The loans that China gave to fund Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” projects will soon be due.

With the Philippines’ debt-to-GDP ratio above 6 0% right now, the country needs to grow between 6 % and 7 % on a sustainable basis, which is hard to achieve under the dire economic situation. The Marcos Jr. administration would be forced to raise taxes, defer tax reductions, and repeal certain tax exemptions to reduce the anticipated huge deficits. And it would certainly help a little bit if the Marcos family would pay off their P203-billion tax liability. ow does Bongbong expect the people to pay their taxes if their president refuses to pay the taxes his family owed?

Right now, the Philippines’ economic troubles are immense. Is the Philippines ready to put as collateral its sovereignty like what’s happening to Sri Lanka, Kenya, Pa istan, Malaysia, and several others who had fallen prey to China’s debt trap diplomacy? The numbers are getting there. It’s just a matter of time.

The Outsider

(From P age 12 )

Manila Bay and EDSA. A total of 437 ,89 0 tons of silt and waste from the Pasig iver has been extracted by SMC s dredging teams to date.

SMC has allotted PhP 2-billion for the Pasig iver rehabilitation effort. From their previous depths of two-three meters, completed sections of the Pasig iver now measure five to six meters deep.

Recently, the project got a boost with the arrival of more equipment from J apan shipping giant N Line. The two high-capacity excavators form part of N s 1. million donation to the SMC river rehabilitation initiative.

My hope is that more from the private sector will find an opportunity to protect the environment even as they promote their business interests.

Southern California Filipino American elected officials mourn passing of Duarte ex-Mayor Tzeitel Paras Caracci D A TE - Filipino American local elected officials from Southern California mourned the passing of Duarte Mayor Pro Tem and former Mayor T eitel Paras Caracci .

In a statement, they said “we are saddened to hear of the passing of a great trailblazer and community leader, Mayor Pro Tem and Former Mayor T eitel Paras Caracci. ” “ As the longest sitting nited States Filipino American municipal elected official in office, Mayor Pro Tem Paras Carracci served her community honorably for 21 years,” they said in a joint statement.

They added: “She served as an inspiration to her city and the Filipino American community. Her enthusiastic desire to serve others was inspirational to all of us. We will miss her as our fellow kababayan, but her legacy will live on. ur deepest condolences to the Parras Caracci family and the City of Duarte. ” The signatories were Mayor Melissa amoso of the City of Artesia, Vice Mayor Ariel Pe of the City of La ewood, Mayor Pro Tem Sonny Santa Ines of the City of Bellflower, Council member Rachelle Arizmendi of the City of Sierra Madre, and Council Member Frank Aurelio Yokoyama of the City of Cerritos. ther signatories were Letty Lope -Viado, Councilwoman, City of est Covina Arleen Bocatija ojas, Councilmember, City of Carson Evelyn . neimer, Councilmember, City of South Pasadena Lynda P. Johnson, Councilmember, City of Cerritos Mar Pulido, retired mayor, City of Cerritos Dr. Victor Manalo, retired mayor, City of Artesia Thomas Small, retired mayor, Culver City, and Marissa Castro-Salvati, Commissioner, et. (Appointed), City of Los Angeles.

 HEALTH NEWS

June 30 - July 6, 2022

28

COVID-19 cases up globally, says WHO; Los Angeles calls for safety precautions y o Erlinda

au t

Omicron continues to be the dominant variant, accounting for 100% of the sequenced specimens this week and in recent past weeks. To date, we have detected a total of 16 7 positive, sequenced specimens of these two subvariants – 86 of BA. 4 and 81 of BA. 5. For the week ending J une 4, these two subvariants combined accounted for 9 . 1 % of positive specimens, an increase over the 6 . 5% from the week prior, and 4. 6 % from the week before that.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that across the country, for the week of J une 18, the BA. 4 and BA. 5 subvariants of Omicron combined accounted for just under 35% of specimens, a large increase from under 5% from a month ago. BA. 4 and BA. 5 continue to appear to be able to outcompete the BA. 2 subvariant and its sublineages.

These BA. 4 and BA. 5 subvariants of Omicron are of special concern because of their apparent ability to cause re-infections in people who were infected with other Omicron subvariants.

The number of daily new cases remains high but has

ENEVA/L S AN ELES - lobally, the number of weekly COVID-19 cases has increased for the third consecutive week, after a declining trend was observed since the last peak in March 2022, the World Health rgani ation reported.

During the week of 20 to 26 J une 2022, over 4. 1 million cases were reported, an 18% increase as compared to the previous week, WHO said in a statement.

The number of new weekly deaths remained similar to that of the previous week, with over 8500 fatalities reported, it added.

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, with cases remaining high, and hospitali ations and the test positivity rate increasing over the past two weeks, the Department of Public Health encourages residents and businesses to use critical safety precautions in order to slow potential spread at Fourth of J uly weekend gatherings, which have an increased risk due to the highly infectious variants in LA County.

stabili ed. ver the last seven days, the average number of daily new cases reported was 4,960, a small increase from two weeks ago when the average number of daily new cases reported was 4,788. Additionally, the 7- day average daily case rate has also stabili ed over the last two weeks with 48 new cases per 100,000 people.

Despite these metrics stabili ing, the test positivity rate has now increased to 12. 2% , nearly double from two weeks ago when the test positivity rate was 6 . 5% .

This increase li ely reflects the decrease in the volume of routine screening testing now that the school year has ended, meaning that a greater proportion of testing is among individuals with symptoms and/or exposures.

After weeks of high case numbers fueled by the highly infectious variants and sublineages, the number of people severely ill and needing to be hospitali ed is increasing. Over the last seven days, the average number of C VID-positive patients per day in LA County hospitals was 7 41, a 27 % increase from two weeks ago when the average number of COVID-positive patients per day was 583.

A new subvariant!

Heart of Hope

Since only about 67 percent of the people in the United States are fully vaccinated, it is not a surprise that a new Omicron subvariant (BA.2.1.2.1) , different from micron and Stealth Omicron, has emerged. It is supposed to take over Stealth Omicron as the dominant strain in PHILIP S. CHUA the USA. This new virus is 25 percent more contagious and was responsible for nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases last week, up by 39 pe rcent from a week before.

CDC’s unwarranted abandonment of its mitigating guidelines since April 2022, aggravated by the similar careless and dangerous premature advocacy by some Governors and other politicians to “stop masking and social distancing anywhere” for political correctness not to lose votes, has caused a massive increase in cases and countless deaths from COVID-19.

The conditions are not normal yet, still dangerous for children and adults alike. Unfortunately, we have other enemies during this pandemic: arrogance, stupidity, and political correctness, all worse killers than the viruses themselves. At least the viruses have an excuse, they have no brain.

Booster for kids The week ending May 19t h witnessed more than 107,000 children-cases of COVID-19, a 72- percent increase from two weeks before, the 6t h consecutive weekly increase. So far, about 13.3 million children have been infected with COVID-19 in the United States, many with the more contagious Omicron and Stealth Omicron variants. More than 1,100 children (0-18) died from COVID-19 i n the USA. The FDA announced that a third dose (booster) of Pfi er-BioNT C VID-19 vaccine is now authori ed for children ages 5-11. This adjusted micro-dose is given 5 months after the initial 2 shots.

Monkeypox Monkeypox is back in the United States. The first case this year was found in Boston on May 1 , 2022, and another one in New or City the following day. A third case in Florida and 3 others are being investigated.

Monkeypox is a chickenpox-like viral infection, which has been discovered in the United Kingdom, Por-

tugal, and Spain. Some of these patients have not been to Africa, where this is more common. Monkeypox is seen in other countries but not expected to be a pandemic like COVID-19.

The public is advised to be vigilant but not to panic since Monkeypox is not as contagious as the COVID-19 and there are vaccines and medications for it. The common symptoms are fever, headache, backache, chills, muscle aches, tiredness, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rash on the face 1-3 days after the fever occurs.

Our stealth weapons In our battle against the deadly invisible SARSCoV2 virus in this pandemic, we have three effective stealth weapons within us to defeat this nemesis: wisdom, love, and compassion for our fellowmen. These three essential personal virtues, when uniformly applied by a truly understanding society, can transform the CDC mitigating guidelines (hygiene, masking, distancing, avoiding non-essential travels, and self-quarantine at home when infections are still high) into a highly efficacious pre-emptive strategy that could prevent more millions of deaths and end this global catastrophe sooner.

Unfortunately, to some people the exercise of the freedom of choice to do what they want, regardless, “because I have the right to do what I want under the First Amendment,” is more important, even to the point of arrogant disobedience to the COVID-19 guidelines, resulting in more massive transmission of the virus, overwhelmed hospital system, more than a million deaths, and a devastated economy, in the United States, almost 4 million cases and greater than 60,000 deaths in the Philippines.

This selfish, unthin ing, irrational, behavior has, without any doubt, significantly contributed to the more than 526 million COVID-19 cases and 6.3 million deaths worldwide, almost 85 million cases in America.

I have used masks and done social distancing since the pandemic started (and still do), not only because I am a vulnerable senior, but because, as a cardiac surgeon, I am very familiar with the benefits of my masking, to myself, and more so to others around me.

J ust like in the operating room where the entire surgical staff is disciplined to be ever-conscious of their behavior to maintain sterility, and fully garbed with a cap, mask, gown, and shoe covers to prevent contamination, the aim is mainly to protect the patient, less of the staff. The mas is to minimi e “breathing germs” into the patient s open cavity, chest, or abdomen. While this scenario is standard surgical practice, it is no less wisdom, love, and

compassion for others.

There is no other way to end a pandemic the soonest without sacrificing some of our liberties and being compassionate to others. One person refusing to mask up, or get vaccinated, is enough to spread the virus and cause a pandemic, like Wei Guixian, the female vendor at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, the very first case of C VID-19 infection, discovered on December 8, 2019, who inadvertently caused the pandemic. Indeed, one infected person is all it takes to initiate a pandemic, as this and past deadly pandemics around the world have shown us.

The centuries-old proven effective evidencebased epidemiology protocol in the management of infectious diseases employs strict isolation, distancing, masking, hygiene, and urgent vaccination to prevent infection, transmission, and deaths, is obviously in conflict with some of our First Amendment rights.

Temporarily giving up the exercise of certain freedoms during this pandemic to save millions of lives is a necessary and noble option. The opposite majority also has the equal right to security, health, and life (not to be infected by those against masking and vaccination) and not to die. So, this is where wisdom, understanding, love, and compassion towards our fellowmen come in.

If we act without fairness and think only of ourselves, invoking every civil liberty in the book, insisting on behaving the way we want regardless of the deadly consequences to people around us, we must at least admit and feel remorseful that we will surely cause countless infections and kills many people, no matter how unintentional. The refusal to mask up and acquire the COVID-19 vaccines are deliberate choice, intentional, and negligent acts, transforming them into viral spreaders and potential killers.

So, wouldn’t exhaling or coughing the virus into the atmosphere, infecting others and causing their deaths, albeit unintentionally, like when someone inadvertently discharges a gun and kills some people (with dead people in both cases), be legally considered negligent homicide?

P hi l i p S. C hua, M D , FA C S, FP C S, a C ardi ac Sur geon E meri t us bas ed i n N ort hw es t I ndi ana and L as V egas , N ev ada, i s an i nt ernat i onal medi c al l ec t ur er/ aut hor , H eal t h A dv oc at e, ne w s paper c ol um ni s t , and C hai rman of t he Fi l i pi no U ni t ed N et w ork - U SA , a 501( c )3 humani t ari an f oundat i on i n t he U ni t ed St at es . W ebs i t es : FU N 8.c om, T oday .SP SA t oday .c om, and phi l i pSc hua.c om E mai l : s c al pel pen@ gmai l .c om

29 June 30 - July 6, 2022

NEWS  NATIONAL VIEWS & COMMENTS Prayer is our Solution

THE EVIL OF GAMBLING

e talk to God in prayer; we tell Him our cares. By involving od into our affairs of daily life and into our anxieties, we are equipping ourselves with divine means that can lead us out of anything that make our lives challenging and difficult. Events and things in life can be like thorns on our side, and we may suffer because of them. Things can be desperate; but when we pray things REV. JOSE PELAGIO A. PADIT, SThD become better. We let God be involved with our life with prayer, and by it, we can weather out any storm that pass us by. One thing, though, we must cast out sin and sinfulness. Everything else, there is always hope, there is always the care of God, as J esus our Lord assures us: “Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Mt. 10: 31). ” Prayer leads us to God and with God’s grace we are led to solutions to our troubles and problems.

Prayer can be our solution too in matters of moral life; like a criminal in prison or one in addiction, or marriage in chaos due to infidelities and other troubles. Praying in the midst of moral issues is allowing God’s graces to work in us. If only people can always let God be part of their lives and into their situations immorality or moral issues will not occur or be diminished. Only with God does a chance to become a new person is possible. The truth is to never lose God; and it is consistent prayer life that will sustain our connection to Him. No one is beyond the grasp and power of prayer. The evil one has no power with one who prays. So, prayer can be our solution also to get out from our bad habits or vices. Prayer accompanied with our persevering struggle against our vices will ultimately lead into winning over them. Bad habits and vices focus on one self; prayer focusses on God. By indulging in our bad habits, we give more attention to ourselves; while prayer, we attune ourselves and give importance to God. Ceasing to pray will make us all the more head towards moral and spiritual destruction.

So, we must pray for the very prayer will draw us more to God, and we will then have more courage to defeat all evil things in our life. We can change our dysfunctions into godly living with prayer. With God’s grace, we can live progressively in the new life in J esus Christ.

Furthermore, with prayer we can find solutions to our financial challenges or material difficulties. ith prayer, we lift up to od our necessities, our fears, and anxieties. With prayer, we entrust everything to od. And od will show us the way to find solutions to our all problems.

Prayer of course will not let the heaven rain down dollars or cash; that is obvious, but with prayer we are fortified in the attitude to trust in od s providence and to have peace within us even in the midst of poverty; for od will surely help and will not delay. od has a different vantage point than us; when we pray, we are given His view, and a new approach to the things and situations in our life. In God, we can even consider the problems or crosses as gifts. So, we cannot despair in the midst of material want; rather, persevere in prayer and walk in the right path; God will reward us. emember Jesus said “See first is ingdom and all these things will be added unto you (Mt. 6 : 33). ” Prayer can be our solace when we are already in some miserable state. Suffering can brea or build us up. e can entertain giving up on God when we are in deep mess or in moral and spiritual troubles. Yet again, many people who were in dire state of life testify that because of their faith and trust in God, or because of their prayer life, that they were able to bear and endure, and emerge in the end blessed and grateful. For passing through crucible times, they were able to see better who they were and made changes, and od blessed their efforts.

Lastly, prayer can be our source of strength and graces during any process of recovery and renewal. With prayer, we hope even when it seems hopeless; and we gain a sense of direction even when we are lost in sin. God helps us get out of the quagmire of our repeated sins when we pray. With prayer we can atone for our sins and enabled to emerge as a new person. God is always with us; even if, it may seem He is absent for in sin we are separated from Him; yet He waits for our return. Prayer will make us humble and contrite so as to always seek God. In everything, prayer is our companion; so, let us listen to St. Paul, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5: 16 -17 ). ” Amen.

By TIM PEDROSA

G

ambling is a sickness, a disease, an addiction, an insanity and a gambler is always a loser in the long run.

Gambling is hazardous. It can turn into a dangerous two-way street when we least expect it. Weird things could happen suddenly, and our life could go all to pieces.

There are many harsh lessons to be learned from the gambling experience, but the harshest one of all is the difference between having fun and being smart. By gaming we lose both our time and treasure, two things most precious to the life of man.

I have long understood that losing always comes with the territory when we wander into the gambling business, we could get crippled for life and pain is part of the bargain. Gambling is addictive, the more we gamble, the more we want to do it. Nobody is always a winner and anybody who says he is, is either a liar or does not play poker.

We know of many people, especially seniors, who go to the casino two or more times a week. Their obvious excuse is, they are bored. It is very convenient for them because casino bus is waiting for them somewhere. What a foolish way to entertain oneself. It is not hard to understand why casino houses flourish in convenient places li e flies.

Gambling is somehow, like we go out for a night and we don’t know where we are going to end up the next day. It could work out good or it could be disastrous. It’s like the throw of the dice.

Another great evil arising from gambling is the desire to be thought or to get rich; or rather, from the desire not to be thought poor.

It is the destructive thing which has been honored by the name of ‘ speculation’; but which ought to be called gambling.

Winning is a fleeting thing in the gambling business. Today’s winners are tomorrow’s blinking toads, dumb beasts with no hope, ending up a troublesome life. Countless relationships, lives, marriages and families have been shattered and wrecked by the gambling effects, let us not be one of them.

W

Aflame The Heart

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE FOR THE WEEK

31 June 30 - July 6, 2022  NATIONAL NEWS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

 FOOD & TRAVELS

Recipe of the Week Adobong Choy Sum ` I n gr e d i e n t s : 2 bundles baby choy sum, Chinese flowering cabbage, trimmed, cut to serving pieces 1/2 head garlic, crushed 1 small size onion, chopped 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/8 cup vinegar 1/2 tsp. crushed peppercorns cooking oil C ok i n gp r oc e d u r e : In a wok, stir-fry garlic until it start to turn to golden brown, add onion and continue to stir fry until translucent. Pour 1/4 cup of water and add in pepper, soy sauce and vinegar. Bring to boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes without stirring.

Add in the Chinese cabbage and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until Chinese cabbage is cooked but firm. Serve hot.

SEA VOYAGE. A cruise ship off the coast of Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte shown in this photo. Cruise tourism will resume in Eastern Visayas in 2023

Cruise tourism back in E. Visayas after 3 years

TACLOBAN CITY – Cruise tourism will resume in Eastern Visayas in 2023 after a three-year break due to pandemic travel restrictions, the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office here announced.

DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes said they have just completed the assessment of places that will be visited by international tourists next year.

Two cruise ships will be arriving next year with one that will make a stop in Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte.

Passengers of other cruise ships will visit 15 destinations in the country, including nine sites in Eastern Visayas.

Among the places that will be visited in the region are Sambawan Island in Maripipi, Biliran; Cuatro Islas in Leyte; the island towns of Capul, Biri, and San Vicente, in Northern Samar province; the town of Babatngon, Leyte; Tacloban City; and the island town of Limasawa, Southern Leyte.

“Handlers of the two cruise ships have already made an inspection in the places that

will be visited and they liked what they saw,” Tiopes said.

The return of cruise tourism in Eastern Visayas will spark the interest of local tourists to visit these destinations.

“So, it actually ignites domestic tourism as well. It gives interest among domestic tourists, it creates a positive impact at the local level,” she added.

Cruise tourism in Eastern Visayas started in 2013 with one cruise ship that made a stop in Kalanggaman Island, the prime tourist destination in Leyte province.

Since then, cruise ships regularly made stops in Eastern Visayas.

In 2020 and 2021, cruise ships canceled their trips due to the Covid-19 threat.

Among cruise ships that brought international tourists to the region were L’Austral, MS Bremen, and Silver Sea Discoverer.

Each of these expedition cruise ships carried 100 to 300 passengers who came for an authentic experience of the local culture, history, and livelihood activities.

Incoming DOT chief vows to forge stronger links with LGUs MANILA – Incoming Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco promised to be a “listening secretary” that values the inputs of local government units when creating national policies related to tourism and destinations under their jurisdictions.

In a speech, Frasco underscored the importance of strong coordination between the national government and the LGU as the latter is the one on the ground.

“There is the mandate by the local government code requiring prior coordination between the national and the local government and then there is the reality,” she said.

“What I intend to bring to the Department of Tourism is the perspective of valuing the input of local government units in the crafting of national policy, considering that the policies that are crafted nationally will be implemented by the local government units on the ground,” she added.

Frasco visited the DOT Monday morning to meet with its officials and regional directors.

She will join the Cabinet of Presidentelect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when the latter

assumes office on June 30.

At a press briefing, Frasco said she “plans to work hard” to realize Marcos’ vision of expanding countryside development, developing the Philippines’s tourist sites, and giving equal opportunities to lesser-known destinations. “[T]his means giving focus to all regions in the Philippines, including Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to replicate best practices in tourism that have already been proven successful in the various regions and to introduce innovations and digitalization where necessary,” she said.

Frasco said she would also push with her plans to develop Mindanao as a tourist spot while supporting efforts to achieve peace and order in the region. “[I will] work with the people of Mindanao to prove to the world that they are fully deserving of the attention that they have so needed and deserve,” she said.

She said the DOT with her at the helm would extend necessary assistance and ensure that tourism workers in the region receive appropriate training. (PNA)