The Filipino Press: February 25 - March 3, 2022

PH Embassy in Warsaw on 'high alert' as Ukraine crisis spirals

MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advised Filipinos in Ukraine to remain vigilant and maintain contact with Philippine authorities as the crisis between the European nation and Russia further worsen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he approved a "special military operation" in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and that he had asked Ukrainian troops to put down their arms.

As events rapidly unfold, Ukrainian authorities declare a nationwide state of emergency in the country.

Foreign Affairs Secretary

Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw has been on "high alert" and the DFA continues to make arrangements with other countries for the safe exit of Filipinos who want to go home.

"Poland finally agreed to let ours in sans EU visas; not heard anything from Russia on our request re: its closest border. Most Filipinos in Ukraine are grateful guests and want to stick it out with their warm welcoming neighbors," he wrote in a tweet.

At least 181 out of the estimated 350 Filipinos in Ukraine have so far coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, which holds jurisdiction over Ukraine.

On Friday, four Filipinos are

scheduled to arrive in Manila.

With the Philippines under Alert Level 2 or restriction phase, repatriation remains voluntary, said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola.

"As Secretary Locsin said, our chief and singular concern is to take out of harm’s way our fellow Filipinos in Ukraine and bring them

to the nearest places of safety by the fastest possible way. Our Posts in Warsaw, Budapest, and Moscow, as well as the rest of our European Posts, are on standby for any eventuality," she told reporters in a press briefing on Thursday.

"For now, we urge our kababayans in Ukraine not to panic but to exercise caution and mind their

IS INFLATION ERODING THE MIDDLE CLASS?

By Jenny Manrique/eMS

The highest consumer prices in a generation have made inflation the top public concern, replacing COVID. The middle class, and by extension, the poorest in society have experienced huge increases in the cost of gas, housing and medical care. During a briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services, experts argued that policymakers should work on reducing the unemployment rates to close the racial disparities in income. They also predicted that despite the impact of COVID during the last two years in the economy, by the middle of 2022 inflation is going to start to decelerate.

Alissa Quart, Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and author of Squeezed, Why Our Families Can’t Afford America and soon to be released Bootstrapped, Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream:

“Hundreds of people across the country experience being middle precariat. It is a cross between the proletariat and the precarious. It’s when the middle class (51% of the population) looks like the unstable working class in terms of contingency, job anxiety, economic doubt, inability to pay basic fees and rents.”

“Inflation rises against the backdrop of an already destabilized class… Three things are really pressing: cars, housing and medical care.”

“40% of US workers experienced worsening job quality since the start of COVID-19. 27,000 media jobs have been lost. we’re trying to give all these independent reporters some sustenance and keep them writing and keep them contributing to the mainstream media.”

“At the root of a lot of the attitudes

towards the struggling middle class is this bootstrapping myth that is a toxin… It has taken a mental toll particularly on the middle class because of the anxiety and secrecy around finances.”

Penny Wang, Deputy Editor, Special Projects-Money, Consumer Reports:

“It’s important to use this current spike in inflation as a touchstone in people’s interest and financial plans…

One reason that prices are going up now is that there’s a lot of cash sloshing through the economy.”

“90% plus of Americans were seeing significantly higher prices in all areas, but gas was the one that paid attention to the most. But there’s not a silver bullet for solving that. The main thing is just to budget for that…Another pain point was grocery shopping.”

“For families that are struggling financially, there are certain programs that might help you cut costs, one of them being on a project for people who are trying to pay for internet, and it’s the American connectivity program (https://www.fcc.gov/acp).”

“The biggest concern in future inflation is housing costs. That’s going to have to be something that policymakers and advocates really

push on.”

Josh Bivens, Director of Research for the Economic Policy Institute: “There’s no knob you can turn that only reduces inflation without having consequences for lots of other things we care about in the economy as well, like sustaining job growth, and how able people are to get wage increases.”

“The obvious thing that is common across countries is the shock of COVID. We have inflation, because COVID imposed extreme distortions on the economy, both on the demand side and the supply side.”

“By the middle of 2022 inflation is going to start to decelerate pretty significantly, just on its own. We have started to delink economic activity from COVID. Look at January when we had the biggest spike in Omicrom in the United States, yet we created 470,000 jobs in that single month.”

“We came into the pandemic with crazy disparities by income group by race. None of them got better during the pandemic, and we haven’t done anything in the long run to really push them back together. (Low) unemployment is one of the few things that actually does help racial disparities a little bit, it pushes wages closer together. We should always be searching for it.”

movement, to keep their vigilance, and to maintain communication with the Philippine Embassy Team in Lviv or the Consulate General in Kyiv should they need any assistance," she added.

Arriola said the DFA would help all Filipinos who want to get repatriated whatever the circumstance on the ground is and

that they would be the last to go.

"Our Filipinos especially the ones who are working there, who have families there have to weigh a lot of things before they decide to come home, so those are things that are at the back of their minds. What the DFA is doing is we're offering ourselves to assist in case they decide to come hope and give them

assistance if they decide to relocate elsewhere in Ukraine," she said.

Several reports said explosions could be heard from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv before dawn.

On Thursday morning, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that Russia had launched a "full-scale invasion" of Ukraine and several cities are under strikes, a move he described as a "war of aggression"

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Russia to withdraw its military and fully respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, adding that the European Union will swiftly adopt "further restrictive measures" against Moscow.

United Nations SecretaryGeneral António Guterres, on the other hand, appealed on Russia to pull back his army and prevent war from happening.

“Under the present circumstances, I must change my appeal: President Putin, in the name of humanity bring your troops back to Russia. This conflict must stop now," he said.

"In the name of humanity to not start what may be the most devastating war since the start of the century.”

Telcos offer free roaming data

Maigue, beloved Fil-Am community leader succumbs to lung cancer

Francine

By: Aurora Cudal

SAN DIEGO, CA -- If there is someone I would count as a true friend among my many friends, it would be Francine Maigue. I’ve known her since she was crowned as Miss Philippines of San Diego in the early 90’s, although our friendship grew when she became the President of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Diego, and as District Director for California State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzales.

Francine is an embodiment of the “good, the true and the beautiful.” I am very fortunate to have been the recipient of her kindness and support. She helped elevate me and other leaders in the community. Then when I got married the second time around, she went out of her way to serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies during my wedding party.

I am very proud of Francine. Her commitment and dedication in performing the multifarious tasks in all the positions she occupied is worthy of emulation. She is very humble. She did not boast of her credentials but when you read her column in the Filipino Press, you can’t help but share the information to others, with the hope that she becomes a “role model” to the younger generation.

For the past years, Francine represented our region with grace and honor as one of the “100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World” and the “Global Face of Pinay Power” as named by the Filipina Women’s Network. I presume that she was among the multi-awarded youth of her generation, having received the Filipino American History Achievement Award Winner in Humanitarianism, Arts, and Community Service and an Outstanding Filipino American Young

Leaders Awardee as selected by His Excellency Ambassador Jose Cuisia and the Philippine Consuls.

Francine’s numerous impeccable accomplishments make her alma maters proud. She graduated from Harvard University with an M.A. and with a B.A. from UCLA. She put into good use her knowledge and experience as a civic leader and as a prime mover of several organizations including the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Foundation and Los Chabacanos of Cavite City.

From her diagnosis in 2019 which she wrote about in her column in the Filipino Press, The Pampered Pinay, she openly shared her medical journey, learnings, hopes, struggles and challenges in dealing with her ailment.

Unfortunately, Francine lost her battle with lung cancer on February 22, 2022 . She was a non smoker.

To pay respect and for those who are inquiring , here's info on

Francine's Viewing at Greenwood Memorial Park 4300 Imperial Avenue San Diego, CA

All are welcome to attend, masks are require Viewing and Wake

Monday, March 14, 5-9pm

Tuesday, March 15, 5-9pm

Funeral and Internment: March 16 1pm.

Francine was survived by parents Edilberto and Olyfran Maigue, sister Theresa and husband Jason Berdorf, nieces Thalia Rose, Trinity Noelle, Jewel Therese and her nephew Jordan.

Top photo shows the Philippine Embassy in Warsaw, which holds jurisdiction over Ukraine. Filipinos are encourage to remain calm and vigilant and to contact Philippine Embassy for assistance if needed. (credit Embassy/google)

From left to right: Alissa Quart, Executive Director, Economic Hardship Reporting Project; Penelope Wang, Deputy Editor, Consumer Reports; Josh Bivens, Director of Research, Economic Policy Institute

Editor's Note: We are reprinting an earlier article by Francine and here it goes....

I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. As a community, we can afford to be more diligent and careful—socially distance, wear masks, wash hands...You know the deal. The surge in COVID-19 cases, especially given the impact of the Omicron variant, is frightening. The pandemic has been a real test of patience. But shortterm sacrifices for long-term success, right? Do what you can—all that you can—to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community…or we’ll be in our respective bubbles forever.

(Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!)

How are those well-intentioned resolutions?

If they’re already slipping, remember changing habits takes time and discipline…But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. This week, I’m sharing tips to help support your efforts.

#kayanatinto

1. If you planned on increasing your physical activity this year, make use of otherwise “dead time.” For example, complete a variety of leg lifts

Commitment to You in 2022

or calf raises while you brush your teeth, do rounds of push-ups (wall push-ups count) while waiting for the microwave, or stretch while your morning coffee is brewing. Build habits into existing habits, and make use of time when you usually daze out. Engage, my friends!

2. If squeezing in a fruit or vegetable into each meal is a bit of a challenge, display an array of washed fruit and vegetables on your kitchen counter. Now that they’re within reach and ready to be consumed, hopefully their vibrant colors will lure you in for a healthy dessert or snack during the day. If your plan is to enjoy your fruit and veggies in healthy smoothies daily, it may be helpful to keep your juicer/ blender out, next to your beautiful display of fruit and veggies. Easy access means more frequent use.

3. If your drawers, pantries and closets still need some lovin’— and by lovin’ I mean a good cleaning and organizing session—incentivize yourself. You just might find “gold” in there! For example, by cleaning and organizing your space, you may find that you don’t need to buy certain ingredients, order makeup, etc. because you already have the tools you need… You just didn’t know it. Consider these newly found treasures gifts you didn’t realize you were giving yourself. Think of the money (and space) you’ll save!

4. In labeling goods and spaces, are you finding that you actually don’t use or need certain items? Consider

donating or selling such items. Save your receipts of donation and keep them in a safe place, so they’re not forgotten when you prepare this year’s taxes. If you’d like to try selling your items, Facebook may be the quickest way to spread the word. Good luck!

5. Ok, maybe journal writing isn’t your thing…but maybe you’re on your phone or computer at least once a day (or maybe the whole day). Maybe your journaling looks like fun, artistic photos. You can also keep a Word file on your desktop. You may choose to add to a running digital note on your phone. Whatever works for you, try adding a daily entry. You may just find a support system of folks going through the same thing!

You’ve got this, my friends! We’ve got this. Let’s show this year just how committed, strong and disciplined we can be! XO, Francine

Exclusively here in The Filipino Press--Follow Francine Maigue’s adventures as she represents our region with grace and honor as one of the "100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World" and the "Global Face of Pinay Power," as named by the Filipina Women's Network. Francine is the FilipinoAmerican History Achievement Award Winner in Humanitarianism, Arts, and Community Service and an Outstanding Filipino American Young Leaders Awardee as selected by His Excellency Ambassador Cuisia and the Philippine Consuls.

Originally from Cavite City, Philippines and raised in Chula Vista, Francine Maigue received her master’s degree from Harvard University and bachelor’s degree from UCLA. Francine is the District Director for California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. She is the Immediate Past President of the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of San Diego County, Board Member for the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Foundation and Los Chabacanos of Cavite City, and is a former Miss Philippines of San Diego. Got an organization, business, or event Francine should know about?

Email: thepamperedpinay@yahoo.com.

BI OKs entry of Pinoys' foreign parents, kids from 'visa nations'

MANILA -- Visa-required foreign nationals who are parents or children of Filipinos may now enter the country without an entry exemption document (EED) from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Wednesday.

Commissioner Jaime Morente said while these foreigners are no longer required to present EEDs upon arrival at the airports, they are still required to secure the appropriate 9(a) visas from any of the Philippine embassies or consulates abroad.

He said the policy is pursuant to the latest resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which amended a previous resolution that exempted only foreign spouses of Filipinos from securing an EED before entering the Philippines.

“We welcome the IATF’s move to relax the travel guidelines for foreigners who are immediate relatives of our kababayans. It will allow families to reunite, and will also attract more foreign tourists to come here, helping hasten the recovery of our economy which has been badly hit by the pandemic,” Morente added in a statement.

However, the BI chief said the sticker visas of these foreign parents and children of Filipino citizens should contain the notation “Foreign Spouse/Parent/Child not covered by IATF Resolution 160-B; No EED Required.”

In a letter last February 17, the DFA requested the BI to allow holders of valid 9(a) visas with the said notation to enter the Philippines without an EED.

The department also informed the bureau that it has instructed all Philippine foreign service posts to use the notation in issuing visas to visa-required foreign spouses, parents, and children of Filipino nationals.

The IATF-EID resolution stemmed from the government’s earlier decision to allow the visa-free entry into the Philippines for 30 days of international travelers who come from countries covered by Executive Order (EO) 408.

Currently, there are more than 150 countries listed under the order while foreigners from countries not covered by the EO need to secure a 9(a) visa to enter the Philippines even if they are married to or are parents or children of Filipinos who may or may not be traveling with them.

(MNS)

Philippines working on mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates with Taiwan - official

Philippine labor officials are coordinating with Taiwan's government to reach an agreement on the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

At the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday, Labor Attaché Cesar Chavez Jr. of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) said mutual recognition is necessary in light of the expected entry of some 40,000 Filipino workers into Taiwan in the coming months.

Taiwan, which recently lifted the entry suspension for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), currently allows the entry of migrant workers

Maraya Performing Arts premieres “Disney Descendants: The Musical,” in partnership with KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy

CHULA VISTA, CA - Maraya

who were inoculated with vaccines accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO), leaving out Sputnik V.

“‘Pag nagkaroon ng mutual recognition ay mapapayagan na po ‘yung Sputnik at ‘yung other vaccines na hindi po WHO-accredited, pero sa ngayon po dapat WHO-accredited at dapat fully vaccinated,” Chavez said.

He also called on incoming Filipino workers to comply with Taiwan’s pre-departure protocol and ensure that all their documents are complete to avoid any inconveniences.

Chavez said there are some 15,000 new hires expected, and 25,000 returning workers who were hit by the entry ban imposed by Taiwan in May 2021 after a spike in domestic COVID-19 cases.

“Sa ngayon po ay talagang inaamin ng Taiwan na ang laki ng shortage ng labor nila, lalo na sa manufacturing kaya po sila ay nagbukas na ng mga migrant workers para makapasok na dito sa Taiwan,” he said.

“Ang demand po ay nasa manufacturing dahil mas gusto ng Taiwanese employers ‘yung ating mga OFWs sa semiconductors, computer and electronics manufacturing, so ‘yan ang malaking demand ngayon,” Chavez said.

As of December 2021, there were around 160,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, with 142,000 of them being OFWs, consisting of 115,000 manufacturing employees and 26,000 caretakers and domestic workers.

No ban on returning OFWs from Hong Kong -- Palace

The Philippine government will not impose a travel ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from Hong Kong even as the special administrative region of China is battling its fifth coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) wave, Malacañang said Tuesday.

"Sinumang Pilipino, saan man sa mundo ay maaaring umuwi sa Pilipinas, wala pong ban against Filipinos coming home to the Philippines. All Filipinos who want to come home to the Philippines welcome na welcome po (All Filipinos anywhere in the world could return to the Philippines. There is no ban against Filipinos coming home to the Philippines)," Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, acting presidential spokesperson, said in a Palace press briefing.

Asked if the government would impose a travel ban for Hong Kong, Nograles said no decision yet on the matter but emphasized the need for all the OFWs to get fully vaccinated before going to any country.

“Iyan po ang pinakamabisang paraan para ma-assure natin iyong kanilang full protection kapag sila po ay pumunta ng ibang bansa (That’s the best way to assure full protection if they will go other countries),” Nograles said.

“Kung ang tanong is kung iba-ban ba natin ang Pilipino na pumunta ng Hong Kong, iyon po ang ibig kong sabihin na wala po tayong ganiyang klaseng desisyon (If the question is whether Filipinos going to Hong Kong would be ban, that’s what I mean that we have not made that kind of decision yet). All Filipinos who want to come home to the Philippines welcome na welcome po,” he added.

For his part, Philippine Consul General to Hong Kong Raly Tejada said he is hoping the Philippine government would not ban the returning OFWs from Hong Kong.

“But of course, that is a decision that I leave to our experts and our superiors in Manila. But of course, due to the---also based sa restrictions, hindi rin po makapunta rito ang mga Filipino (Filipinos cannot go here). At, you know, these things are things that need to be assessed and discussed by our superiors in Manila,” he said in the same virtual press briefing.

Nograles, however, said it would be up to the Hong Kong government if it would ban flights going to Hong Kong from the Philippines.

“It’s really up to the Hong Kong government in terms of banning flights going to Hong Kong from the Philippines. Wala tayong ano diyan, control diyan (We have no control on that),” Nograles said. Nograles earlier said that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) will provide cash aid worth USD200 (around PHP10,000) for each OFW in Hong Kong who tested positive for Covid-19.

He said the POLO immediately provided OFWs there with food, hygiene kits, and power banks to allow them to communicate while waiting for calls from the Center for Health Protection and HK Labor Department.

Local, international relocation ready for OFWs in Ukraine amid tension -- OWWA

The Philippine government has prepared local and international relocation for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Ukraine amid the reported invasion by Russia, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said on Thursday.

OWWA administrator Hans Cacdac said the OFWs have been informed on the pickup points for the relocation.

“Meron nang proper information na disseminated kung saan-saan sila magkikita para sila ay ilikas inside and outside Ukraine,” he said.

Citing reports from the embassy in nearby Poland, Cacdac said incountry relocation is already ongoing for Filipinos in Ukraine who are mostly from the capital city Kyiv.

He said the area of relocation is around 400 kilometers away from the capital city.

If the tension worsens, he said the OFWs will be flown outside Ukraine. According to Cacdac, a place of refuge outside the country has been identified.

“Kung talagang kinakailangan ay ililikas sila outside of Ukraine. Meron nang identified na safe haven o pupuntahan (If really needed they will be relocated outside Ukraine. A safe haven has been identified)," he said. Cacdac said there are around 380 Filipinos in Ukraine.

Aside from the six Filipinos who were repatriated to the Philippines on February 18, Cacdac said another batch will come home soon.

Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops along Ukraine's northern, eastern and southern borders, with the United States warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack anytime. (MNS)

Performing Arts (Maraya) partners with KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy (KAPA) to create a sitespecific and immersive live theatrical show experience throughout KAPA’s new campus located in Southeastern San Diego. The show opens March 4, 2022 and closes on March 13, 2022. The show's message of unity and acceptance encourages youth performers and audiences alike that we are all "Better Together.”

Community leaders including Mayor of Chula Vista, Mary Salas; City of San Diego Council President Sean Elo-Rivera; and Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe are scheduled to attend.

Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI), twenty-two diverse young artists ages 4-16 of all abilities (including two young actors with Autism) sing, dance, and act to portray a compelling story featuring Disney's infamous good and evil characters and their children, as they navigate right and wrong. This show is site-specific where the school's outdoor and indoor facilities become the scenery of the show. The immersive theatrical experience motivates the audience to travel with the actors throughout the show. Maraya is trailblazing a new trend of how to safely provide equitable and accessible arts education and family friendly entertainment in a pandemic world!

Two cast members, AJ Gange (age 12) and Eddie Gange (age 13 with Autism) are performing together, and starring as leads in the show. Proud parents Wilmer and Anne Gange shared their sentiments stating, “One of our greatest worries for Eddie after he was diagnosed with Autism at age 3, was that he would not be able to take part in many of the same activities that his brother AJ could take for granted - including musical theater. AJ has performed in several productions with other companies in the past, but this world did not seem to be accessible to Eddie until Anjanette suggested that he audition for Maraya’s production of Descendants, the Musical. We were so excited when Eddie was cast, and cannot wait to see our boys perform together for the first time on stage, side-by-side! We are so grateful to Anjanette and Maraya Performing Arts for this inclusive opportunity that for so long…seemed beyond reach.”

Coming together from all different walks of life, the cast, crew, and family members worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone involved in the show remained safe and healthy, while having fun and making new friends. Through this two month long production process, strict COVID safety protocols were enforced, requiring all participants to show proof of vaccination and/or agree to be tested weekly. Hybrid zoom and in-person rehearsals were conducted through the Omicron variant surge, and half of the rehearsals took place at the Maraya studio before transferring onsite to KAPA’s campus. Through this high quality of care, the cast has learned important life skills of being adaptable and supportive of each other - overcoming numerous obstacles. As a result, the students have safely blossomed into triple-threat performers through the guidance of Director & Choreographer Anjanette Maraya-Ramey, Assistant Director José Barba IV, and Musical CoDirectors Jerrica and Matt Ignacio. Parents have volunteered numerous hours to work behind the scenes including selling tickets, sewing costumes, and sourcingprops to make this show a reality.

Though this is Maraya’s first large scale youth musical production, Founder, Anjanette MarayaRamey, has had her fair share of overcoming numerous financial and health obstacles to put on engaging community based shows throughout the pandemic, that are for, about, and with historically marginalized

communities of concern predominantly located South of the 8 freeway. Anjanette is a proud, firstgeneration Filipina-American, South Bay native, brain hemorrhage and cancer survivor who founded Maraya Performing Arts in 2020 during the pandemic.

Performance dates and times:

● March 5, 6, 12 & 13 at 2:00 p.m.

● March 4, 5, 11 & 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: KIPP Adelante

Preparatory Academy 426 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92114

Tickets: General Admission

Tickets are $10 for all ages: marayaarts.com/events

Due to COVID-19 and for the safety of the cast and crew, audience members ages 4 and up must present proof of vaccination or a Negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of their ticketed performance date. Dress casually with comfortable shoes, and take account of the weather for the date and time of your show. Be prepared to sit, stand, and walk intermittently throughout the show.

This show was made possible by the support of generous donors of Maraya Performing Arts. Thanks to the generosity of the Lindstrom Family, Maraya has launched a matching gift campaign to underwrite the production costs and scholarships for students demonstrating financial need. All donations made from now until the end of the show run of March 14, 2022 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000. Please consider making a donation and double your impact today! https:// marayaarts.com/give-support/.

Maraya is South Bay San Diego's premiere multicultural performing arts center dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for individuals of all ages and abilities; and offers multigenerational classes in dance, music, and theatre in its home studio located in Eastlake.

Facebook: @Maraya Performing Arts. Instagram: @marayaarts

Website: www.marayaarts.com

Gange Brothers, participate in a musical theater show together

BUD DAJO AND BUD BAGSAK: REMEMBERING AMERICAN ATROCITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Greetings!

Through the centuries, whether combatants have fought with spears or cutting-edge drones, one aspect of warfare has never changed: innocents die. In the 20th century alone millions tens of millions of civilians were killed and continue to be killed and maimed in global regional and civil wars.

Most of these victims are “collateral damage”: men, women and children who die as the result of military errors. But some civilians are killed by design – murdered, often after being raped or tortured. For Americans of a certain age, the My Lai (pronounced “me lie”) atrocity not only remains a grisly emblem of other war crimes that have been committed by some of “our boys” through the years, but in a very real sense marked the end of a certain willful American innocence about the fluid, shadowy line that separates good and evil in war zones.

The chilling facts about My Lai itself are widely known, but some details bear repeating. On March 16, 1968, hundreds (various estimates range between 347 and 504) of elderly people, women, children and infants were murdered by more than 20 members of “Charlie” Company, United States’ 1st Battalion 20th Infantry Regiment. Some of the women were raped before being killed. After this mass slaughter, only one man, Second Lieutenant William Calley, was convicted of any crime.

(He was found guilty in March 1971 of the premeditated murder of 22 Vietnamese civilians. He served just three-and-a-half years under house arrest at Fort Benning, Georgia.)

Incredibly, the world at large might have never learned about the death and torture visited by American troops upon the villagers at My Lai had it not been for an Army photographer named Ron Haeberle. Following Charlie Company’s 3rd platoon into the tiny hamlet, and expecting to document a battle between American and Viet Cong fighters, Haeberle instead end up chronicling (with his own Kodak, not his Army-issue camera) a scene of unspeakable carnage.

More than a year later, when he returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, he shared some of the pictures from the massacre with the city’s newspaper, the Plain-Dealer, which published them in late November, 1969. A few weeks behind, in its Dec. 5, 1969, issue, LIFE magazine published a series of Haeberle’s photos and the full story (as much as was then known) of what happened halfway around the world the previous March.

Nothing will ever keep innocent men, women and children from being killed in the midst of war. Nothing will ever keep warriors from acts

of savagery and, just often, feats of unimaginable bravery. (Three American soldiers in the village that day tried to stop their comrades from committing rape and murder, and fought to protect the wounded. Back in the states after news broke about My Lai, the three were initially denounced as traitors. Behind time, the Army lauded them for their heroism.)

We know nothing will bring back the dead. But decades after the gunfire has ceased and the terrified cries of the innocent have faded, we can still bear witness. And so we do.

Sixty-two years earlier and in an older tale of what happened after American troop’s unleashed hell in that village in Vietnam - I say we should also remember and reflect on the stories of Bud Dajo and Bud Bagsak back in the beloved old homeland of ours, the Philippines.

If you will all recall – my dear “kababayans” – and in an unprecedented and historic fashion, President Rodrigo Duterte made a pointed reference to the American “pacification” of Mindanao in the 1900s to demonstrate the human rights record of the United States.

116 years ago – March 5-8, 1906 to be precise the Battle of Bud Dajo, also known as the Moro Crater Massacre, was a counterinsurgency action fought by the United States Army against Moros in the southwestern Philippines. The incident was brought up by President Duterte to criticize America and President Obama in 2016, leading to a cancellation of a planned meeting between the two head of states.

In turn, his statement has generated

much public attention – quite detailed in social media circles – to the United States war of aggression and its attendant human rights transgressions, and also to the oft-forgotten Moro resistance to the US intrusion and the role Mindanao played in opposing the American war.

The American military attacks on Bud Dajo in 1906 and Bud Bagsak in 1913 both in Jolo bring to the fore, in a most graphic manner, how the Americans carried out “pacification” campaigns in the country.

The Philippine Commission of 1906 reported to the US Secretary of War the encounter at Bud Dajo. The report says “disaffected datus” of the island had been “joining themselves together in an extinct crater at the top of Mt. Dajo, near the town of Jolo, and had gathered about them the lawless of all the neighboring regions.”

The “joining together” quite appeared to be a collective refusal to submit to the American campaign to place all Filipinos under US dominion, a major measure of which was the creation in 1903 of the Moro Province (Act No. 787), with all its attendant instruments of control, including imposition of the “cedula” tax. The regiom was placed under Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood as governor, who also served as commanding officer of the US Army Department of Mindanao and Sulu.

The American intrusion was promptly met with stiff Moro resistance. From 1903, General Wood had to contend with Moro attacks, mainly in Cotabato and Sulu, directed against the American

Jesse T. Reyes

Filipino Potpourri

Moro barrios” and various histories of the Philippines then extant.

He writes: “A large band of Moros fortified Bud Dajo and defied the authorities to subject them to any law. The American garrison at Jolo was reinforced by the addition of two battalions of infantry and preparations were made for a decisive assault on the Moros…”

“The battle began on March 5. Mountain guns were hauled into position and 40 rounds of shrapnel were fired into the crater to warn the Moros to remove their women and children.”

crusade. The pattern in the conduct of the US campaign was bombardment with heavy artillery and assaults with “quick-firing” (machine) guns, resulting in the slaughter of Moro communities, such as in Kudarangan, Laksamana and Bud Dajo.

The attack on Bud Dajo was part of Wood’s punishing reprisals for Moro raids on American forces.

In Bud Dajo, “detachments of United States troops, assisted by US Marines, constabulary…assaulted the stronghold and exterminated the band. The position was first shelled by a naval gunboat and then assaulted by the combined government forces. Among those in the crater were more or less Moro women and children who were unavoidably killed.”

“The shelling…necessarily killed all who came in the way of missiles and the women fought beside the men and held their children before them. The Moros, men and women, were all fanatics, sworn to die rather than yield, and certain, as they believed, of a glorious reward in the world to come if they died killing Christians.”

The language of the report definitely does not elevate the Moros, described as “lawless” and “fanatics.”

It is noteworthy though that it refers to women and children as “unavoidable” casualties. Though the account does not say, it indicates that the subject of the assault was a community in retreat.

Vic Hurley, an American who stayed in Mindanao for seven years and wrote a book on the Moros in 1936 presented a more detailed description of the encounter, based on “acquaintances of elders of many

Three columns of American troops moved up Bud Dajo from different sides and encountered ferocious resistance from barricades blocking the approach to the crater. When overwhelmed with heavy bombardment and sniper fire, the Moros “sallied forth into the open with ‘kris’ and spear.”

On the second day, in the approach taken by a certain Major Bundy, “200 Mohammedans died here before the quick-firing guns and the rifles of the attackers.”

On the third day, “after the heavy bombardment had accomplished its purpose, the American troops charged the crater with fixed bayonets. The few Moros left alive made hand grenades from seashells filled with black powder and fought desperately to stem the charge. But the straggling ‘krismen’ were no match for the tide of bayonets that overwhelmed them and hardly a man survived that last bloody assault.”

“After the engagement the crater was a shambles. Moros were piled five deep in the trenches where they had been mowed down by the artillery and rifle fire. The American attack had been supported by two quick-firing guns from the gunboat Pampanga and examination of the dead showed that many of the Moros had as many as 50 wounds. Of the 1,000 Moros who opened the battle two days previously, only six men survived the carnage.”

Hurley’s judgement of the event is significant. He states: “By no stretch of the imagination could Bud Dajo be termed a ‘battle.’ Certainly the engaging of 1,000 Moros armed with ‘krises,’ spears and a few ancient rifles by a force of 800 Americans armed with every modern weapon was not a matter for publicity. The American

troops stormed a high mountain peak crowned by fortifications to kill 1,000 Moros with a loss to themselves of 21 killed and 73 wounded! The casualty reflects the unequal nature of the battle.”

“The Moros had broken the law and some punishment was necessary if America was to maintain her prestige in the East, but opinion is overwhelming in the belief that there was unnecessary bloodshed at Bud Dajo.”

Hurley’s narrative indicates that the subject of the attack was in fact a sizeable community. Women and children stood side by side with the men. The number of people, about 1,000, was too large for a “band.” The weaponry did not reflect a professional formation under arms.

It appears those who fought fiercely the American invaders were the menfolk defending the community, which reeled from heavy artillery bombardment, quick firing (from machine guns, the Gatling or a later type), and rifle fire (from the Krag or a Springfield). The “band” was a community that refused to submit to American colonial governance.

The military assault turned out as a massacre of a largely civilian population defending themselves with whatever they could lay their hands on – ‘krises,’ spears, some old muskets and improvised explosives.

Hurley’s mention of many fallen bodies riddled with bullets (with “as many as 50 wounds”) also points to the slaughter. A higher percentage of Moros were certainly killed (99 percent) than in other U.S. Army incidents now considered massacres, such as the Wounded Knee slaughter. It appears that the Moro defenders were so engulfed by heavy firepower that their actions signified willing submission to death as they “sallied forth into the open.”

In 1913, a similar encounter took place in another hilly point in Jolo, The Philippine Commission of that year reports that “in Jolo the authorities of the Moro Province, with the invaluable cooperation of the United States Army and the Constabulary, were engaged throughout the year in carrying out the disarmament of the Moro population.

The Battle of Bud Bagsak was

Illiberal democracy needs a strong and experienced leader, Part 12

“The truth has a way of changing plans.” INSURGENT, Chapter 3 Survey after survey, numbers are solidifying ex-senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s hold as a frontrunner in the presidential campaign. What is remarkable is Marcos breaching the 50% threshold in a multi-party system that produced presidents by mere plurality of votes. Perhaps the recent poll that shows Filipinos favor leaders to be strong (69%), honest (55%), intelligent (42%), morally upright (33%) and compassionate (19%) provides insight to these polling numbers.

Comparing the two top candidates, Marcos’ dominance in the surveys seems to dovetail with people’s perceptions that traits of strong and honest leadership trump intelligence, morally upright or compassionate traits for candidates. Surveys are also showing that 60% of Filipinos see graft and corruption as the most urgent national concern.

Vice president Leni Robredo is not doing well in surveys. Of course, hope springs eternal that the surveys could be wrong. Still, Robredo’s survey numbers are worrisome.

Two foreign policy issues (South China Sea and NPA insurgency)

and graft and corruption could be driving these perceptions on leadership and trust issues. Marcos makes it clear that he will continue President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy towards China while Robredo wants the opposite. This distinction alone means that based on Duterte’s popularity, Marcos is benefitting from the president’s uncompromising resolve to pursue an independent foreign policy toward the superpowers.

These survey numbers are clearly subjective but the candidates themselves could be a factor not so much for what they promise in the campaign trail, but their stand or perceived stand on the issues. For example, Marcos is unequivocally supportive of the government’s efforts to combat the communist armed insurgency, drug war, and corruption. More specifically, Marcos wants the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to take the lead in the negotiations. Robredo, on the other hand, vowed during a forum in early November last year to abolish NTFELCAC as duplicative of other agencies’ efforts in the fight against

the rebels. After an executive briefing from the NTF-ELCAC brass on their mandate, Robredo changed her tune and threw her support to the antiinsurgency body. Blowback from Leftist supporters made her clarify that she is still against red-tagging.

The decades’ old insurgency is really a much bigger issue. Recall that the older Marcos declared Martial Law precisely because of the New People’s Army’s push to overthrow the government in the early seventies. The emergency rule allowed Marcos to corral the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) including its Supremo/Founder, Jose Maria Sison. President Cory Aquino’s efforts to appease the Left allowed Sison and others to be freed. Aquino’s and succeeding administrations tried formal negotiations with the Left through its National Democratic Front (NDF) but failed.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then candidate Duterte promised to bring the rebels back to the fold through peaceful means but that too failed. Sison wanted power sharing, a seat on the table but Duterte rebuffed him and declared an all-out war instead. He created the NTF-ELCA to spearhead the anti-insurgency campaign.

Filipinos, in general, are against the Reds as shown by surveys and national election results. This view is probably steeled by the governments

failed peace talks with CPP-NPANDF reflecting insincerity on the rebels especially after the 1987 Constitution legalized the CPP. The constant news coverage of NPA ambuscades of police forces and lawless activities such as extortion, kidnapping are further reinforcing such unfavorable views. Thus, Robredo’s alliance with the Leftist groups is hurting her chances as shown by these survey results.

On the honesty trait, one would think based on social media postings that Robredo is more honest and intelligent compared to Marcos. But the opposite could be true based on the campaign strategy employed by the candidates. Robredo supporters and by association, Robredo herself, are coming across as being sanctimonious.

After being in public view for almost eight years, Robredo’s persona has been shaped by her criticisms of Duterte particularly on his handling of the drug war and the pandemic. Her trust ratings over the years have been steadily coming down for a variety of reasons. The most potent reason, perhaps, is her association with the Aquinos’ and the Yellows who are suspected to be funding her campaign.

Despite running as an independent, Robredo being the titular head of the Liberal Party, has inherited Aquino’s problems and the failure of the “Daang Matuwid”

(Straight Path) approach. Graft and corruption exploded in the public view during Noynoy Aquino’s term when the pork barrel and its successor, the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) were declared illegal. Robredo’s campaign promise to go after graft and corruption is not getting traction.

Meanwhile, Marcos has done well to manage his social media campaign. The years of vilifying the Marcoses by the Yellows is benefitting Bongbong Marcos who stayed away from confronting these issues. Instead, Marcos started his vlog to portray a different version of him and the Marcos family. Call it historical revisionism, Marcos has successfully marketed himself as a candidate with a vision to help the country recover from the pandemic and years of decline. Both Robredo and Marcos were exposed to the covid-19 virus. Marcos tested positive, had severe covid symptoms and sought medical help. In his vlog, Marcos talked about how he got it, what symptoms he got, the frontliners who helped him, and how thankful and appreciative he was of the frontliners who helped keep him alive. His vlog comes across as an honest retelling of his covid experiences.

Contrast that with Robredo’s bout with covid. When she announced that her daughter Tricia, a physician, tested positive for covid-19 and

was in quarantine, she too was in isolation because of exposure to her security aide who tested positive. Robredo, apparently, had to be treated intravenously for a few days because of severe classic covid symptoms (sore throat, high fever, chills, and lack of appetite) but never mentioned she tested positive for the virus earlier and just recovered.

Robredo had to dispel rumors that it was her daughter’s rumored failure to quarantine that got the vice president’s security aide infected. Robredo actually mentioned that the latest of her aides testing positive was the second. In the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, she could have clarified if she received monoclonal IV treatment and whether she was exposed to her daughter prior to her aides turning positive. It’s a valid concern because if it was true, it would have reflected poorly on her.

Clearly, Robredo has not learned the lessons of Team Leni’s poor performance in the 2019 senatorial election. Filipino voters rejected them because of their elitist perception of Robredo’s highly educated and moralistic candidates.

Yet, Robredo is following the same script of “being highly educated, well-mannered moral leader” because she wants to project herself as a good alternative to Duterte. Yet, her survey numbers are not catching up. (To be continued.)

116 YEARS AGO IN JOLO: Photo of the aftermath of the Battle of Bud Dajo showing the bodies of Moro insurgents and civilians killed by American troops on one of the infamous trenches at the top of the trail.

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California Southern Small Business Development Corp.

Launches $500K Fund with The San Diego Foundation

Grantmaking

SAN DIEGO, CA -- The California Southern Small Business Development Corporation, a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation, announced today that it has launched a $500,000 fund with The San Diego Foundation.

“We have been fortunate enough to be financially stable, so we need to give back to the local small business community,” said Juan Carlos Hernandez, President and CEO of the California Southern Small Business Development Corporation. “The best way for us to do it is to rely on someone who’s been doing it historically, successfully for decades, like The San Diego Foundation.”

Known as California Southern, the corporation is dedicated to providing access to capital, such as loans for startups or growth, for small businesses, particularly minority- and womenowned ones that cannot qualify for a bank loan without a guarantee. The new fund’s grantmaking will focus on programming, such as internships and workshops, for small businesses located in San Diego County.

“California Southern has made a tremendous difference for local women and minority small business owners and their access to capital to build and grow their economic livelihoods,” said Mark Stuart, President and CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “Our

professional staff at The San Diego Foundation looks forward to assisting them in identifying opportunities to contribute to the equity of opportunity for entrepreneurs in our region.”

California Southern will be the first Fiduciary Development Corporation (FDC) out of the seven in California to start this type of grantmaking fund. Hernandez hopes that California Southern’s action will inspire other FDCs throughout the state to do the same in their own communities to help their local small businesses through this phase of recovery and rebuilding.

California Southern plans to begin its grantmaking later this year.

“We’re excited to partner with The San Diego Foundation on this new fund,” Hernandez said. “The Foundation has been very proactive and has taken a leadership stance during the pandemic, and we hope to do the same with our new fund.”

As part of its role as a community foundation, The San Diego Foundation works with local nonprofit organizations to help them build agency funds that provide enduring assets and maintain stable revenue streams that ensure long-term sustainability and support. Through agency funds, nonprofit organizations can rely on the expertise of The San Diego Foundation’s experienced team,

which allows nonprofit organizations to do what they do best: serve their community. To date, nearly 150 nonprofit organizations have opened more than 400 nonprofit agency funds. To learn more about how to become a donor or start a fund with The San Diego Foundation, visit SDFoundation.org/donors. ;

About California Southern Small Business Development Corp.

For over 30 years, California Southern has been committed to assisting small and mid-size businesses get the financial assistance they need to become productive and successful and contributing partners in their communities. Through longstanding and trusted relationships with more than 40 banks and lending institutions, California Southern helps secure financing for small businesses that have great potential but lack credit strength and may be unable to qualify for a conventional loan on their own. The program places emphasis on assisting small businesses, particularly minority and womenowned businesses who cannot qualify for a bank loan without a guarantee. California Southern has guaranteed more than 4,000 loan requests for a total of over $387 million supporting small businesses in California. Learn more at CASouth.com.

About The San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering worldclass philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. For more than 46 years, The Foundation and its donors have granted more than $1.3 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Help Wanted / For Rent / For Sale

The power of Hope

I have been sharing my personal experiences and insights through this column for almost twenty five years. The enthusiasm I first felt when I started writing this column, upon the encouragement of the late Ernie Flores, original publisher and founder of The Filipino Press has never wavered. In fact, it has come to a point where I consider writing “My Personal Testimony” as a social responsibility towards the many readers of this newspaper.

A reader asked me, how do you decide on the topics you write about? I found some difficulty in answering her question because most often I do not decide on what to write. It is what I feel at the moment that inspires me to write.

I remember the time when I asked Ernie,” what should I write about? His answer was, “write anything about life and living.” Then he became more specific, write about spiritual matters. Hence, my very first article was about the beginning of my spiritual journey and my personal testimony on how my life was transformed by God through my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Soon I started writing articles about my activities and experiences.

Apparently, my readers appreciated my candor in sharing about myself.

My life became an open book. I met so many readers of The Filipino Press who inspired me with their comments. One said, “thank you for changing my life”, then tells me about the article I’ve written. I did not know her, but she embraced me and said, “I am glad I met you in person.”

While attending an event at

Aurora S. Cudal-Rivera My

Personal Testimony

the Tooma Park, an elderly person approached me and said, “Mrs. Cudal, I have all the copies of your articles. I cut them out and saved them.” It was a great compliment which served as one of my motivations for writing this column.

One of the theme that hovered in my mind the past week was about “the power of hope”. The pandemic has kept us anxious and fearful of an unseen enemy in our environment.

COVID-19 is so deadly that it has caused the death of millions around the world. The United States, supposedly, a country with the most advanced medical facilities leads the whole world in the number of people infected by COVID-19. But we now have hope, a vaccine has been discovered and will soon be available to protect us from this dreaded disease.

What is hope? This question led me to read more about this attitude common to all of us. One author said, “To have hope is to want an outcome that makes your life better in some way. It not only can help make a tough present situation more bearable but also

can eventually improve our lives because envisioning a better future motivates you to take the steps to make it happen.

Hope may mean different things to different people. Those who speak of hope in a spiritual context would consider it as a firm belief that good things will happen with faith on a higher power. Hence, they will direct their hope outward in prayer. In the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness. For others, it might mean always looking on the bright side and seeing challenges as opportunities. In other words, always “hoping for the best”.

Whatever the details, hope in general means a desire for things to change for the better and to want that change to come as soon as possible.

Definitely, we are in a situation where we hope that things will change for the better. We are hoping that with the coming of the Covid19 vaccine, we will all be immunized and live a normal life once again. We hope.

Spiritual Life I want to leave an impact for Christ

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive.

(Acts 20:35)

When you've departed this earth, what do you want to be remembered for? What do you want to leave behind? If you're putting God's kingdom first, it should not be wealth or how you scored by the standards of the glitter and glamour of the world. What really counts is the legacy you leave that impacts future generations for Christ.

Nobody who leaves a great legacy lived a selfish life. Jesus told us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The world preaches a different message, but if you understand your eternal inheritance, you will be more generous with your earthly inheritance. Your life will be about serving others with your time, talents and treasures. He wants us to invest in others for His and their sake.

Greetings in the Lord!

In the past Sundays we have reflected on the discipleship that entails the fidelity to the Law fully understood in the context of one’s conversion that leads to righteousness that is beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees as demanded by Jesus himself. This behavior is in fact the life that one embraces when he lives according to the Beatitudes that Jesus preached about in the Sermon on the Mount that I mentioned as the road map towards the Kingdom of Heaven and rightly described by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI as the new commandments that truly replaces the ten commandments handed down by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai in the Old Testament.

Today’s gospel reading further makes the disciple focus his attention on the reality that in life there are options to make, especially in the area of choosing whom to really give one’s life in total submission and fidelity. He admonishes that we should only serve one Master who is God, the most faithful one as mentioned in the first reading. He who will never ever forget his servants, even should mothers forget their own children (Is. 49, 15). A true disciple of Jesus should commit himself freely and totally to

God as his master and Lord and this total commitment to Him brings one to a degree of complete trust and confidence in his master that would liberate the disciple from worries and fears about the future, material things, food to eat and clothes to wear. “All these things are what pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you besides.”

The disposition of being able to entrust oneself to God is a process that happens for a long time and truly demands patience, perseverance and constant dying to oneself and allowing God be truly be our Master and Lord. A disciples who is attains this disposition has reached a stage in this life of

following Jesus that is worthy of emulation and imitation. This is the ideal but not an impossible dream to attain. In fact the canonized saints of our Church, especially those who lived a life of true holiness are those who have been able to fully given themselves in full trust and confidence in the mercy of God and his everlasting fidelity to his commitment of love for his servants and children. There is another person who has truly been able to follow this: Mary, the Mother of our Savior and our own beloved mother.

This reality, that there had been countless numbers of men and women who have given their lives to God in every corner of the world and in the different epochs of Christian history should truly encourage us to constantly implore the intercession of the saints and Our Lady herself so that in the present life of real challenges and hardship, of worldly enticements and allurements to embrace other gods and goddess, we can truly focus and give ourselves totally on the only one Master and Lord, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

SDG&E and Sumitomo Electric Complete Zero-Emissions Microgrid Pilot Project, Helping Advance California’s Climate Goals

Project successfully powered utility customers solely with energy stored in a flow battery

SAN DIEGO, CA -- In support of California’s goals for 100% carbon-free electricity, grid reliability and climate resilience, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Sumitomo Electric (SEI) undertook and successfully completed a zeroemissions microgrid pilot project using a vanadium redox flow (VRF) battery – the first of its kind to be connected to the state’s energy market in 2018.

Danny Hernaez From Whom

All Blessings Flow

At the beginning of a new year, people make all kinds of resolutions. What if your goals became steps to building your legacy? Have you decided exactly what kind of legacy you want to leave behind?

Lord, I want to leave an impact for Christ with the footprints of my life. Help me to grow and to shine by living by Your word this year. May the world I leave be a better place because I was here. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, how we thank you for your willingness to give up so much to become human. Thank you for your choice to become poor so that we

The country’s two leading telecommunication companies -Globe Telecom Inc. and Smart Communications Inc. have offered free roaming data, calls, and texts to Filipinos in Ukraine.

In a statement on Thursday, Globe Telecom Inc. (Globe) has extended 15 minutes of free roaming calls, 15 texts, and one gigabyte (GB) of data to its users in Ukraine.

To avail of the free service, Globe users would need to connect with its roaming partners—Life or Kyivstar—and they will receive a confirmation message advising of the free roaming service.

“There is no registration required as this goodwill offer will be automatically provided to Globe customers currently located in Ukraine,” Globe said.

On the other hand, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) has extended 1 GB of free data to its “almost 1,000” roaming customers in Ukraine as part of its assistance to the local Filipino community. Smart said the offer is valid for five days and urged its users in Ukraine to visit gigaroam.smart. com.ph to access Smart’s data roaming manager.

Pray for peace

Bayombong Bishop Jose Elmer

Mangalinao has asked the Catholic faithful to join Pope Francis on March 2, Ash Wednesday, for an intense fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine.

“Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially declared war and invasion on Ukraine warning all Ukrainian service members to drop their weapons if they still want to return to their families,” the bishop said in his message posted on the Facebook

might be rich in you. You know, Lord, how easy it is for me to receive your blessings, but then hold onto them. Help me to be a person who imitates your act of generous giving. As I have received financial blessings from you, may I share them freely with others. As I have been gifted by your Spirit, may I serve people in your church and in the world. As I have received the outpouring of your love, may I love others in my life: at work, at home, at church, and wherever I might be. Help me this very day, Lord, to be rich in you by giving away your blessings to others. Amen.

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account of Saint Joseph Husband of Mary Parish Kayapa on Thursday.

“Let us invite our families, friends, communities, and parishioners to offer prayers on Ash Wednesday for peace and the end of the war between Russia and Ukraine for we believe that “the diabolical evil of violence is answered with the weapons of God, with prayer and fasting -- Pope Francis,” he added.

The Archdiocese of Manila, Office of Communications also joined the call to pray for Ukraine and its people.

“May the Lord guide and protect them against war. May the Blessed Mother keep them safe under the mantle of her protection. Amen,” it said in a separate FB post.

“Let us also offer to the Lord the settlement between Ukraine and Russia,” the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Manila said in its own social media post. (MNS)

Developing zero-emissions microgrids powered with longduration energy storage has become a top priority for California, as growing wildfire risks have led to more frequent use of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Microgrids are mini power grids that can operate independently of the larger grid and keep critical facilities powered during emergencies and PSPS.

In one of the test runs, the 2MW/8MWh VRF battery –functioning as part of a microgrid – powered 66 residential and commercial customers for close to five hours.

“Climate conditions increasingly threaten the continuity of essential services that our customers expect and deserve from us, which is one of the many reasons we are so focused on innovation and technology,” said SDG&E CEO Caroline Winn. “There is a critical need to develop breakthrough solutions like zeroemissions microgrids to not only minimize disruptions, but to also support the transition to a cleaner, safer and more reliable energy grid of the future.”

Different from more prevalent stacked lithium-ion battery cells, VRF batteries consist of tanks of liquid electrolytes and pumps that charge and discharge electrons to the grid. During the pilot, the batteries charged when solar energy was abundant and discharged during peak hours to meet demand.

“We are honored that the Sumitomo flow battery has contributed to the

successful demonstration of this large-scale microgrid,“ said Hideo Hato, Senior Managing Director of Sumitomo Electric. “Sumitomo’s cutting-edge non-flammable and reusable flow battery system can help support California’s climate goals and improve resiliency for the state’s electric infrastructure.”

Following the 2015 signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the flow battery was installed at SDG&E’s substation in Bonita, CA in 2017 as part of a collaboration between SDG&E and SEI with project funding provided by NEDO.

“California already has the highest concentration of lithium-ion battery storage in the world, which has proven to be a game-changer at critical times of stress on the grid,” said Senior Advisor for Smart Grid Technology Peter Klauer at the California Independent System Operator. “It’s inspiring now to see other storage technologies emerge, creating more opportunities to balance and manage power grids. We are excited to understand the specific capabilities of VRF technology and will continue to evolve our market design to further support grid integration of energy storage technologies.”

“While climate change presents many challenges, it also spurs innovations that can lead to new industries and good, family-supporting jobs,” said GO-Biz Director Dee Dee Myers. “We are proud to be part of this international collaboration, which is a great example of Japan’s continued position as the top source of foreign investment in California and a demonstration of how that investment brings new opportunities both here at home and abroad.”

"It is a great honor for NEDO to successfully complete the

demonstration project through our collaborative relationship with the State of California. We are grateful to our project partners at GO-Biz, SDG&E, and Sumitomo Electric for their many contributions,” said NEDO Executive Director Shuji Yumitori. “The microgrid project shows flow batteries are an innovative technology that can prevent blackouts caused by natural disasters, such as wildfires, improve grid resiliency and integrate large amounts of renewable energy. NEDO looks forward to continuing to support clean energy innovation in California and around the world."

The microgrid demonstration project was completed late last year and included two successful tests. One was a seamless transition in which customers did not experience any loss of power when they were transitioned to the microgrid for electric service. The other was a black start – meaning microgrid operators established and sustained service after a complete loss of power. Customers experienced a momentary outage before they were transitioned to the microgrid, which operated in island mode separate from the larger power grid. Tests were conducted during variable weather conditions. Even on a cloudy day when solar power output was lower, the microgrid provided essential energy service.

SDG&E is a leader in integrating energy storage and developing microgrids. In 2013, the company began operating the first utilityscale microgrid in America in Borrego Springs and is currently in the process of upgrading it to run on 100% renewable energy. As part of its sustainability strategy and commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, SDG&E is building four additional microgrids and is on track to integrate about 145 MW of utility-owned energy storage with the local grid in 2022. To learn more about SDG&E’s sustainability projects, visit sdge.com/sustainability.

Fr. Agustin T. Opalalic

“There is a mistaken notion among some that to own a paper is to have a license to clobber one’s enemies and attack people we don’t like. A newspaper is an information tool to reach a large number of people at a given time. A newspaper should inform, educate, entertain and provide viewpoints that could give us the means to make intelligent decisions for ourselves and others.” — Ernie Flores Jr., founding editor and publisher

TEMECULA, CA -- Isa na namang gabi na puno ng katatawanan, kapananabikan at pagbubuklod pamilya sa di malilimutang kasiyahan sa Pechanga Resort Casino sa Temecula, California.

Ang T.K.O. (Tawanan! Kantahan! Overload!), ay rumaragasang nagbabalik sa Sabado, Marso 5, 2022, upang mang-aliw live alas-8p.m., sa Pechanga Theater na may baong katuwaan at mga antiks upang bulagain ang inyong Bagong Taon.

Ang Pechanga Resort Casino ay kilala sa pagtataguyod ng mga magagaling at matatalinong Pilipinong entertainers at naghahandog ng pampamilyang kasiyahan sa katuwaan ng mga manonood at taga-tangkilik ng casino.

Paborito ng mga tagahanga, si Bugoy Drilon at Kris Lawrence ay especial na itatampok ng tropang

T.K.O.— Negi, Wacky Kiray, at Ruffa Mae Quinto.

Si Negi, Wacky at Kiray ay datihan nang umaaliw upang magpatawa sa kapwa lokal at internasyunal na larangan habang gumagawa ng sariling tagumpay sa Filipino American komedya.

Paborito ng mga tagahanga, si Ruffa Mae Quinto ay may especial na itatampok mula sa pinagsanib na pagpapatawa, pagkanta at iba pang mga antiks na kinahiligan ng marami. Si Quinto ay datihan nang umaaliw upang magpatawa sa kapwa lokal at internasyunal na larangan habang

Continued from page

fought during the Moro Rebellion phase of the Philippine-American War between June 11 and June 15, 1913.

“Such opposition as was encountered centered in a small portion of the island known as Lati Ward…

The population, influenced by the disorderly element, when it appeared that movements of troops were to be made, stampeded to the number of several thousand, including women and children to Bud Bagsak…and flatly declined to surrender individual criminals or arms.”

“Finally, after a long period of negotiations and maneuvering, advantage was taken of a time when all but a defiant minority, including practically all the noncombatants, had left the stronghold and the latter was on the morning of June 11, 1913, carried by a surprise attack of a force of American troops and Scouts…”

As in Bud Dajo, the attack commenced with heavy bombardment of the cottas (forts) surrounding the main stronghold of Bud Bagsak. One by one, the cottas fell to shelling and infantry assaults.

The campaign to capture it took five days. Putting up fierce resistance against the Americans, the Moros “would rush out in groups of 10 to 20, charging madly across 300 yards of open country in an effort to come hand to hand with the Americans…In each instance, the charging Moros were accounted for long before they reach the American trenches.”

On the fifth day, the American forces under Gen John Pershing made the final assault.

Hurley writes: “The mountain guns opened up for a two-hour barrage into the Moro fort, and at 9 o’clock in the morning the troops moved up the ridge for the attack. The heavy American artillery shelled the Moros out of the outer trenches supporting the cotta of Bagsak and the sharpshooters picked them off as they retreated to the fortress. After an hour’s hard fighting, the advance reached the top of the hill protected by the fire of the mountain guns, to a point within 70 yards of the cotta.”

“To cover that last 75 yards required seven hours of terrific fighting. The Moros assaulted the American trenches time after time only to be mowed down by the entrenched attackers…”

“About 500 Moros occupied the cottas at the beginning of the battle of Bagsak and with very few exceptions they fought to the death.”

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Statistically, the Moros were entirely annihilated, including their leader, Datu Amil.

Like Bud Dajo, the encounter at Bud Bagsak eloquently speaks of Moro heroism and martyrdom in the face of a brutal war of conquest. At Bud Bagsak, it is not clear from the account of the Philippine Commission if women and children were included in the 500 or so Moros exterminated by the American assault.

While it reports of “noncombatants” being removed from the area, Hurley, however, points to the greatest difficulty in separating the women and children from the men at war.

“So long as the Moros saw that the American troops were inactive and in barracks many of the women and children would be sent down to work in the fields, but at the first suggestion of an American expedition all of the noncombatants would be recalled to the mountains. As General Pershing had stated, when the Moros make his last stand, he wishes his women and children with him…”

General Pershing in a letter to his wife also wrote: “The fighting was the fiercest I have ever seen. They are absolutely fearless, and once committed to combat they count death as a mere incident.”

The military campaigns against the Moros were part of the overall plan of the Americans to assert complete control over the archipelago after the establishment of civil government in 1901. They, however, found formidable day-to-day resistance from the Moros. Before the massacred at Bud Dajo and Bud Bagsak, no Americans were safe, armed or unarmed, away from the garrisons in Muslim Mindanao. The creation of the Moro Province in 1903 became the sole basis for campaigns of suppression on the island.

In the larger picture, stiff Moro resistance complemented similar organized resistance in Luzon and the Visayas, such as in Samar where Americans engaged in the burning of villages and rice granaries. Brigadier General Jacob Smith took charge of the American campaign in Samar and became notorious for his orders to “kill everyone over the age of ten” and make the island “a howling wilderness.”

The American general ordered all inhabitants of Samar’s interior to relocate to coastal town, “saying that those who were found outside would be shot and no questions asked…All suspects, including Spaniards and halfbreeds were to be rounded up in big stockades and kept under guard.” At the same time, Smith cut off all food shipments and trade from the towns

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into the backcountry, carrying out a policy designed to starve the resistance into submission. Detachments of American troops then traversed the island’s interior in search of rebel bands, burning villages and destroying crops and livestock.

In 2016, then US President Barack Obama acknowledged in Laos the American “shadow war” in Indochina. President Obama, declaring that it was time to pull America’s secret war in Laos from the shadows and that he stood with them in “acknowledging the suffering and sacrifices on all sides of that conflict.”

Mr. Obama, the first sitting American president to visit Laos, recalled that the United States had dropped more than two million tons of bombs on this country during the height of the Vietnam War, more than it dropped on Germany and Japan during World War II. That made Laos, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in human history.

“Villages and entire valleys were obliterated,” Mr. Obama said. “Countless civilians were killed. That conflict was yet another reminder that, whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a wrenching toll, especially on innocent men, women and children.”

The American president did not formally apologize for the bombing. But in a “spirit of reconciliation,” I say it definitely was a day that mixed America’s wartime legacy in Southeast Asia with Mr. Obama’s hopes for deeper engagement with the region.

“The bottom line is this,” President Obama said. “Today, the United States is more deeply engaged across the Asia Pacific than we have been in decades. Our position is stronger. We’ve sent a clear message that, as a Pacific nation, we are here to stay.”

In tune with that declaration, I say perhaps it is high time for the United States to take another look at this oft-forgotten war at the turn of the 20th century and reflect on the then newfound independent state of “Republica Filipina.” American anti-imperialists at that time, like Mark Twain, rejected the war and the atrocities it unleashed on the Filipino people.

No doubt about it, recounting the chronicles of Bud Dajo and Bud Bagsak is a small step in acknowledging that truth and adds to greater public knowledge a significant detail in the Philippine narrative of becoming a sovereign nation, the spirit of which truthfully resonates to this day.

Mabuhay!

JESSE REYES