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DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

April 2-5, 2016

Volume 26 - No. 27 • 4 Sections – 34 Pages

DIRTY MONEY. Casino junket operator Kim Wong turned over $4.63 million stolen by hackers from Bangladesh’s central bank to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for safekeeping at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) premises. In photo are (L-R) Second Secretary and Head of Chancery of the Bangladesh Embassy Manila Probash Lamarong, AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Julia Bacay-Abad, AMLC Member and Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc, Atty Inocencio Ferrer, Jr. – Legal Counsel of Mr. Kim Wong and BSP Deputy Governor Vicente Aquino. Photo from BSP

mANILA — Criminal charges are being readied against seven more individuals in connection with the $81-million money laundering case, as investigators from Bangladesh are set to arrive in the coun-try next week to begin their own probe on the loss of their government’s money

to hackers.A source told The Star the Anti-money

Laundering Council (AmLC) is gathering more evidence against the seven, who may have been among those who appeared at the recent senate Blue ribbon committee hearings on the issue. the source declined to share other details, including the identi-ties of the seven persons to be charged.

on thursday, march 31, Bangladesh

AMLC readies raps vs 7 linked in $81-M laundering scheme

by Ghio onGand Lawrence aGcaoiLi

Philstar.com

theY started counting the $100 bills at 3:30 p.m.

two and a half hours later, using three counting machines that can automatically detect the authenticity of paper currency, staffers of the Bangko sentral ng Pilipinas (BsP) and the Anti-money Laundering Council (AmLC) tallied a cash pile of $4.63 million, turned over by casino junket opera-tor Kim Wong.

the amount is believed to be part of the

$81 million stolen by computer hackers from Bangladesh Bank in february and has turned into the largest money-laundering case to be uncovered in the Philippines.

Kim Wong’s lawyer, Inocencio ferrer Jr., personally turned over the money to AmLC member and insurance Commissioner em-manuel Dooc, executive director Julia Ba-cay-Abad and other BsP officials.

“today mr. Kim Wong kept his promise to the senate blue ribbon committee to re-turn $4.63 million in his casino to the AmLC for later transmittal to the Bangladesh cen-tral bank,” ferrer later told reporters.

Wong returns $4.6 millionIt took BSP staff 2 1/2 hours to count money

mANILA — sen. Grace Poe has re-gained the solo lead in the latest Pulse Asia survey on presidential prefer-ence commissioned by ABs-CBN.

the poll, taken from march 15 to 20, showed Poe leading the race with 28 percent, up from 26 percent in the march 8 to 13 survey of Pulse Asia, which was also commissioned by ABs-CBN.

Poe takes solo lead in latest Pulse Asia poll

mANILA — most filipinos (88 percent) aspire to obtain gainful employment in the country instead of going abroad to work.

this was according to a nationwide sur-vey conducted by the National economic and Development Authority (NeDA).

Completed last february, NeDA’s Am-bisyon Natin 2040 survey also shows that filipinos aspire to eventually live in a coun-try that can guarantee their security in their respective communities.

furthermore, the survey shows that most

‘Most Pinoys do not want to work abroad’

hoLLYWooD — everything manny Pacquiao does from hereon could be his last as a boxer, whose rags-to-riches story the world has learned to love.

It’s always his last this or that.“maybe it’s my last time to run up the hollywood

sign,” said Pacquiao, the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight different weight divisions.

Pacquiao got up early Wednesday, march 30, for his road work. Being a non-sparring day, he worked harder on the Bronson Canyons up the huge hol-lywood sign.

It could be his last.Pacquiao is in the final days of his training for his Manny Pacquiao talks to the members of the international media at the Wild Card

Gym. Philstar.com photo / Abac Cordero

Pacquiao’s farewell fight? Maybe yes, maybe nouPAGE A3

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by heLen FLoresPhilstar.com

by daxim L, Lucasand Ben o. de Vera

Inquirer.net

by czeriza VaLenciaPhilstar.com

by aBac corderoPhilstar.com

IN a historic move, the California Legisla-ture voted on thursday, march 31 to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next six years.

With a 26 to 12 vote in the senate and 48 to 26 vote in the Assembly, the landmark mea-sure would make California the state with the highest minimum wage in the nation.

CA passes measure to raise minimum wage to $15

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A WeeK after Democratic presidential candidates hillary Clinton and Bernie sand-ers made campaign stops in Los Angeles, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Ceo Amy Dacey visited the city to lay the ground-work to expand the party’s base and meet with Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters, who comprise a crucial electorate in

DNC CEO emphasizes importance of AAPI vote

Confident Democrat will win presidency

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APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797A�

From the Front Page

HERE COME THE GRADUATES. Happy and giddy, students of the Lupang Pangako Elementary School prepare to march during their graduation ceremony in Quezon City. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan

Ambassador John Gomes said members of their Criminal Inves-tigation Department would dig deeper into the case, in coordi-nation with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

“They will start their own in-vestigation on how the money entered the country and who are the people involved,” Gomes said

after witnessing the turnover of $4.63 million by casino junket operator Kim Wong to the AMLC office at BSP headquarters in Manila.

Gomes added officials of Ban-gladesh Bank are also scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The officials, he said, would visit the AMLC on Monday and attend the fourth hearing of the

Senate Blue Ribbon committee on Tuesday.

“We are hopeful that the en-tire amount will be recovered. The return of $4.63 million from Wong is a step in the right direc-tion,” he added.

He said the Bangladesh gov-ernment hopes Wong would re-turn another P450 million that was part of the P1 billion brought in by two Chinese casino play-ers.

Gomes said the Bangladesh government would also pursue the $17 million left with Philrem Services owned by the Bautista family as alleged by Wong.

“We hope to recover the rest of the amount,” he added. Philrem owner Salud Bautista said she delivered P600 million and $18 million in cash at Solaire Resort and Casino between Feb. 5 and 13 to Weikang Xu, who “is not a junket operator but merely a gambler.”

An earlier anti-money laun-dering complaint has been filed against Xu before the Depart-ment of Justice (DOJ). Wong is also a respondent in the com-plaint.

Gomes thanked the Senate, the AMLC and the BSP for their help in efforts to recover the money stolen from the account of the Bangladesh Bank at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last

AMLC readies raps vs 7 linked in $81-M…PAGE A1 t

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“We are here because Mr. Kim Wong kept his word. He fulfilled his promise to bring the money to the AMLC,” Ferrer said.

Ambassador John Gomes and Probash Lamarong, second sec-retary and head of chancery of the Bangladesh Embassy in Ma-nila, witnessed the turnover of the $4.63 million contained in a

large purple trolley bag contain-ing 46 bundles in $100 denomi-nations and some loose bills.

“We hope this [is] a step in the right direction,” Gomes said.

“We thank Sen. TG (Teofisto) Guingona, chair of the Sen-ate blue ribbon committee, for making this turnover possible. We also thank the AMLC and BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco for

graciously accommodating our request for the AMLC to be the temporary repository of these funds prior to its return to the people of Bangladesh,” Ferrer said.

Earlier, Wong told the com-mittee that he had no knowledge nor participation in the entry and transmittal of stolen funds to the

Wong returns $4.6…

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(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-5, 2016 A�From the Front page

ILLEGAL POSTERS. A street in Intramuros, Manila, is made festive by the dozens of campaign materials strung or illegally pasted on walls. The area is near the national headquarters of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

Statistically tied for second are PDP-Laban candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who received 24 percent (from 25 percent), and United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay, who obtained 23 percent (from 22 percent).

Liberal Party (LP) bet Manuel Roxas II came in third with 19 percent (from 20 percent) while People’s Reform Party candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was a distant fourth with two per-cent (from three percent).

Pulse Asia’s March 15 to 20 poll interviewed 4,000 registered voters with biometrics nation-wide. It has an error margin of plus or minus 1.5 percent.

Duterte was statistically tied with Poe in the March 8-13 Pulse Asia survey.

Tied in MMPoe and Duterte were statis-

tically tied for the top spot in Metro Manila, after garnering 31 percent and 30 percent, respec-tively, Pulse Asia said.

The National Capital Region has 6.2 million registered voters.

Poe also topped the presiden-tial race in the rest of Luzon with 35 percent, while Roxas was the top choice in the Visayas with 37 percent. Duterte led Mindanao with 43 percent.

Poe and Duterte were also the most preferred bets by class D or the masa, obtaining 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

They were also tied for first place among class ABC voters with 30 percent and 32 percent,

Poe takes solo lead in latest Pulse…respectively.

Support for Poe among ABC significantly rose from just 22 percent in the March 8 to 13 poll.

Among class E, Poe (30 per-cent) and Binay (28 percent) were the most favored candidates.

Poe is second choiceAs in the previous surveys, Poe

is likely to benefit the most if any of the other presidential candi-dates back out from the presi-dential race.

The poll showed that 39 per-cent would vote for Poe if Binay would opt not to run. She would also get the same percentage of votes if Roxas would no longer pursue his candidacy.

If Duterte would not purse his bid, 33 percent of his votes would go to Poe. Twenty eight percent of Santiago’s votes would pick Poe if Santiago quits.

If Poe abandoned her presi-dential ambition, most of her votes (25 percent) would go to Binay, 22 percent to Roxas and 20 percent to Duterte.

Twelve percent of those voters said they would no longer vote for a presidential candidate.

Among Roxas’ supporters, 18 percent would not support an-other candidate should he decide not to run.

Still a tieMeanwhile, Sen. Ferdinand

Marcos Jr. and Sen. Francis Escu-dero remained tied for first place in the vice presidential race with 25 percent each. Marcos’ score was unchanged from the March 8 to 13 poll, while Escudero’s rat-ing went up a point.

Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Ro-bredo of the administration party was at second place with 21 per-cent (from 20 percent), followed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano with 14 percent (from 13 percent).

UNA’s Sen. Gregorio Honasan was now in fifth place with five percent (unchanged), dislodg-ing Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who got four percent, at fifth place. Trillanes suffered a two-point drop from the March 8 to 13 poll.

Marcos was the top choice in Metro Manila with 43 percent, while Robredo led in the Visayas with 34 percent.

Marcos and Escudero were tied for the first spot in the rest of Luzon with 32 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

Cayetano, runningmate of Duterte, topped Mindanao with 28 percent.

Senatorial raceMeanwhile, the LP continued

to dominate the senatorial race with seven of its candidates like-ly to make it to the Magic 12 if elections were held during the survey period.

The LP bets who have a win-ning chance are Senate President Franklin Drilon (51 percent), for-mer senators Francis Pangilinan (47.6 percent) and Panfilo Lac-son (45.2 percent), former Ak-bayan lawmaker Risa Hontiveros (34.3 percent), former Technical Education and Skills Develop-ment Authority head Joel Villan-ueva (34 percent), former justice secretary Leila de Lima (33.8 percent) and Sen. Ralph Recto

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APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797A� From the Front page

Filipinos are attracted to a mid-dle class and family-centric life rather than an affluent lifestyle.

Seventy-nine percent of Fili-pinos aspire for a “simple and comfortable life” defined as hav-ing a medium-sized home, hav-ing enough earnings to support everyday needs, owning at least one vehicle, having the means to provide their children with college education and traveling within the country for vacations,

the survey showed.When all these needs have

been met, they would also want to be able to run a business, have savings and be able to afford to spend more leisure time with family and friends.

In terms of good governance, most Filipinos expressed the need to eliminate petty corrup-tion in government transactions. This is defined as the need to pay extra to get their transactions with the government moving.

The survey, which was initiat-ed last year, utilized face-to-face interviews of 10,000 persons across all economic classes. The respondents are aged 15 to 50 years old.

Respondents were picked from both urban and rural ar-eas nationwide except in high-risk areas such as Abra, Sulu and Basilan and provinces with small population such as Apayao, Batanes, Siquijor, Camiguin and Dinagat Islands. n

‘Most Pinoys do not want to work…PAGE A1 t

April 9 clash with American Tim-othy Bradley. After the fight, he will have to decide whether he’d retire or continue fighting.

Wednesday’s media day at the Wild Card Gym could also be his last as well.

Reporters started asking him questions like, “What would you miss most in boxing once you re-tire?” or “How would you like to be remembered?”

“I will miss Bob Arum,” said Pacquiao of his promoter, who sat by him as he faced questions from members of the press. His answer drew some laughter.

How he would like to be re-

membered, Pacquiao said, “I want you to remember me not only as a good person inside the ring but outside the ring.”

Pacquiao’s welterweight clash with Bradley will be their third since 2012. On paper, they’re dead even at one apiece. In the eyes of many, Pacquiao is up, 2-0.

“I hope this fight provides the answer to all the questions,” Pac-quiao said just days ago.

“But this is one of the most important fights in my life. There are a lot of reasons why this is important. I don’t need to tell you,” he said.

Pacquiao, of course, wants to go out with a bang, the kind of

bang that has made him the face of boxing for some time some years back.

He said he’s looking to knock Bradley out this time when in their first two fights, all of 24 rounds, he failed to even put the 32-year-old American down.

“Honestly, in my heart, if there’s a knockout, why not? That’s good for me. But what’s in my mind right now is to win con-vincingly. If I have the chance to finish,” he said.

Pacquiao hasn’t knocked any-body out in seven years, and he’s hoping that this time, he could.

“I will do my best. In my heart I want to win convincingly,” he said. n

Pacquiao’s farewell fight? Maybe yes…PAGE A1 t

Philippines via Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC), which eventually ended up in Midas

and Solaire casinos.Ferrer declined to say where

the money was stored before it was delivered to the AMLC, only

Wong returns $4.6…PAGE A2 t

disclosing that they were provid-ed a van with two security aides to accompany him and the huge amount on their way to its office at the BSP compound.

“The stature of the Philip-pines in the world community is restored today; even without the [intervention of] courts, part of the funds were returned,” Fer-rer said.

According to the BSP, the mon-ey will be kept for safekeeping by the AMLC in the BSP vault.

Ferrer said Wong was innocent of money-laundering charges filed against him by the AMLC.

“He is without fault,” Ferrer said. “Whether Kim Wong re-turned the money or not, he has committed no crime,” he said when asked if his client was off the hook.

Dooc, however, said Wong’s action on Thursday did not make him less accountable. “No, there’s no quid pro quo here,” the AMLC member said in a text message to the Inquirer when asked if the council would withdraw the case against the businessman.

“His legal counsel, however, stressed that their turning over of the substantial amount to

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INJURED AT WORK?

It is against the law for an employer to terminate or discriminate against someone for filing a workers' compensation claim.Most WC benefits are not affected by immigration status.

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-5, 2016 A�From the Front Page

REINFORCEMENT. Three additional landing craft heavy ships acquired by the country from Australia arrived over the weekend, the Philippine Navy said on Monday, March 28. The three ships were the same type donated by Australia last year and will give a big boost to the growing fleet of the Navy, said spokesperson Captain Lued Lincuna. The decommissioned ships of the Royal Australian Navy worth P270 million arrived last Saturday in Liloan, Cebu. These were transported by a cargo ship from NTG. Inquirer.net photo

February.The money entered the coun-

try via the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) and found its way to two casinos.

For her part, AMLC executive director Julia Bacay-Abad clari-fied Wong is not yet off the hook despite his having returned $4.63 million last Thursday.

Abad pointed out the money laundering case filed by AMLC against Wong and Xu at the DOJ would not be withdrawn.

AMLC has also filed a simi-lar case against RCBC Jupiter branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito and holders of four ac-counts where the money was deposited. The depositors turned out to be fictitious.

“The return of the money will not result in the dropping of the charges,” she added.

Abad said the AMLC is seeking the help of the Chinese embassy in locating Gao Shuhua and Ding Zhizie, identified by Wong as the individuals who brought in the $81 million.

“We are coordinating with them,” she said.

Casino operators invitedAs the AMLC continues to

build up cases against those pos-sibly involved in the $81-million heist, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee has summoned two other junket operators to appear in the next hearing on April 5.

Invitations have been sent to Suncity Group Junket and the Goldmoon Junket, through the Solaire Resort and Hotel Casino, on the motion of Sen. Bam Aqui-no at last Tuesday’s hearing.

Aquino wanted to know from the two junket operators the whereabouts of Gao Shuhua and Ding Zhizie or if they were real people at all.

Wong had tagged the two Chinese as the ones responsible for bringing in the stolen money through RCBC.

Upon the request of Sen. Ralph Recto, invitations have also been sent to Rey de Guzman, the rep-resentative to Midas Hotel of the Philippine Gaming Amusement Corp. (Pagcor); Pinky Macaa-lay, manager of RCBC Unimart branch; and Mark Palmares, Philrem messenger.

Also summoned was the Bu-reau of Internal Revenue (BIR) representative tasked to look into all Philrem Service Corp. trans-actions with the casinos.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, chair-man of the Senate committee on banks and financial institutions, said he is optimistic the Blue Rib-bon committee would be able to find the rest of the stolen funds.

“We are certain that the com-mittee will be able to track down more stolen funds. The search will continue. The money should be turned over to its rightful owner ASAP,” he said.

“We commend Kim Wong for returning the funds that were stolen from Bangladesh Bank,” Osmeña added.

But some senators said Wong’s gesture was not enough and that others who got their hands on the loot should do the same.

“Kim Wong returning $4.6 mil-lion is only the first step,” Aquino said.

“In the previous hearing, we

AMLC readies raps vs 7 linked in $81-M…know that he received much more than that. In fact, I am hoping that all institutions that received the illegally acquired funds will return it at the soonest possible time,” Aquino said.

In the last hearing, Wong also testified that he got P450 million out of the loot, representing what he said was Gao’s debt to him.

The amount returned by Wong did not include the P450 million.

“We should insist that the oth-er junket operators, casinos and other institutions return the mon-ey that coursed through them, in good faith, and because it is the right thing to do,” Aquino said.

He also said Wong is not yet absolved of any liability despite his having returned part of the stolen funds.

“Of course, these actions will not absolve any party as the in-vestigation by the authorities is ongoing and the true picture of what happened is still unclear to the public,” he said.

Sens. Aquilino Pimentel III and Recto also said they welcomed Wong’s move but stressed this did not clear him of any possible criminal liability.

“Innocence in a criminal case is not for sale. If a crime has been committed like theft, estafa or money laundering, returning the loot will not erase the crime,” Pi-mentel said in Filipino.

“What he did was merely some sort of help to Bangladesh,” he added.

“I welcome its return. Even-tually it will be given back to the Bangladeshi people,” Recto said. (With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez)

PAGE A2 t

(32.8 percent).Sen. Vicente Sotto III (53.6

percent), who belongs to Poe’s ticket, shared the lead with Drilon.

Also included in the winning circle were former senators Juan

Miguel Zubiri (40 percent) and Richard Gordon (36 percent), world boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao (35.7 per-cent) and Sen. Sergio Osmeña III (34.2 percent). (With Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Janvic Mateo, Perseus Echeminada)

Poe takes solo lead in…

Bangladesh Bank with our help should in no way be interpreted as an admission of guilt on his client’s side,” Dooc said.

“There is no such arrange-ment,” Abad said when asked if the AMLC would withdraw the charges it had filed against Wong.

Wong testified on Tuesday’s hearing that two high rollers from Beijing and Macau shifted the $81 million to dollar ac-counts in RCBC. He said he did not know the money was stolen from Bangladesh and that he merely helped the two men, who are also his casino clients, open bank accounts.

He offered to return the mon-ey, which he said remained in his account in Solaire, one of the Philippine capital’s gleaming bil-lion-dollar casinos.

Gomes said Bangladesh want-ed to get back the $34 million that a lawmaker had said could still be recovered.

Earlier yesterday, Sen. Ralph Recto said as much as $34 mil-lion, almost half of the sum sto-

len, could be recovered from two casinos and a foreign exchange brokerage based on testimonies from the hearing.

By Recto’s own calculations, this would include $17 million that Wong claimed was still with exchange brokerage Philrem and $10 million from a destitute ca-sino in the north.

There was also $5.5 million that Wong picked up from the house of Philrem’s owner and a further $2.3 million in the Solaire casino account of the Macau man who allegedly brought the $81 million to the Philippines.

“Our law enforcement agen-cies must act swiftly to recover any portion of the loot that is still [in the Philippines],” Recto said in a statement.

“It is very important to re-cover as much of the money and return it to Bangladesh. The money was stolen from a poor country,” he added.

The brazen heist highlighted how the Philippine’s banking loopholes and antimoney-laun-dering laws have made the coun-try a dirty money destination. n

Wong returns $4.6…PAGE A3 t

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Following the plan, the state’s hourly minimum wage rate would increase from $10 to $10.50 on Jan. 1, 2017. By 2018, it will go up to $11 and increase by $1 annually until 2022. Busi-nesses with fewer than 26 em-ployees would get until 2023 to reach $15.

Estimates show that nearly 6.5 million workers, or 43 percent of the workforce, in California would benefit from the raise. Cur-rently, around 5.6 million Califor-nians (32 percent of the state’s workforce) live off the minimum wage, according to state Sen-ate President Pro Tem Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles).

On Thursday, De León said, “this is historic, and today I am proud to be a Californian.”

Ahead of the vote, Assembly-man Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) called the measure one of the most “transformative actions the Legislature will take.”

“By passing the measure on minimum wage, it will forever change the lives of tens of thou-sands of Californians who are living in poverty,” he told the Asian Journal.

He further applauded the mea-sure as a win for the state’s work-ers and employers.

“For small businesses, when minimum wage earners get more money in their pockets, they’ll be taking that money and spending it in the economy, at retail stores, and at Filipino-owned busi-

nesses. It will be good for busi-nesses,” Bonta said. “But overall, it’s more productivity for these workers and employers. It’s healthier employees. These are all good things that small busi-nesses owners should want. The positive outcomes that studies show far outweigh any negative ones. It’s a win-win for the state of California.”

Despite the praise for the measure’s passage, some oppo-nents argued that it will be det-rimental for businesses, and are urging Governor Jerry Brown to veto the bill. According to re-ports, only two Democrats vote against the measure, while not a single Republican in either chamber voted in favor.

“While $15 an hour probably isn’t even high enough for ar-eas like San Francisco and parts of Los Angeles and our other urban centers, it’s too high for some small businesses and some communities,” Assemblyman Tom Daly of Anaheim, one of the Democrats who voted against the bill, told the Los Angeles Times.

The National Federal of Inde-pendent Business (NFIB) noted that the bill was passed without input from small businesses.

“There is no question that a $15 minimum wage would have devastating impacts on small businesses in California. Over 90 percent of our 22,000 small busi-nesses across the state have told us in no uncertain terms that an increase in the minimum wage

will negatively affect their abil-ity to operate, and potentially put them at risk of closing their doors permanently,” NFIB/CA State Executive Director Tom Scott said in a statement. “Ignor-ing the voices and concerns of the vast majority of job creators in this state is deeply concern-ing and illustrates why many feel Sacramento is broken.”

State Sen. Ted Gaines (R-Rocklin) said, “Our job in this building is to help people climb the economic ladder, not cut off

CA passes measure to raise minimum wage…PAGE A1 t

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APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797A� Dateline USa

WORLD CULTURE FESTIVAL. 155 countries joined in this year’s celebration of World Culture Festival (WCF) 2016, which was The Art of Living’s (AOL) 35 years of service to humanity, spirituality and human values. At the helm of this movement, commanding millions of followers worldwide, is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, its spiritual leader, who calls himself the ambassador of peace. An estimated 3.5 million people from all over the world in attendance. Joining for the first time was the Philippines’ multi-awarded dance troupe, Buyogan Festival, from the town of Abuyog, Leyte, which wowed the audience with its energetic performance, a hymn to the Filipinos’ resilience against the overwhelming disaster of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” The dance, mimicking the cooperative spirit of bees, illustrated the Filipino culture of coming together in times of despair, and also sent a message for one united world. Inquirer.net photo

WITH affirmative action being used as a wedge issue in commu-nities, ethnic community leaders and members are working toward expanding educational access, affordability, and ethnic diversity in public higher education.

“[How] are we going to frame the discourse around education as a public good?” said Betty Hung, policy director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, during the organi-zation’s conference on Wednes-day, March 30, focused on em-powering Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. “Is it truly going to be a good that’s accessible to everyone in this multiracial democracy or is it go-ing to be limited to only a few?”

In a panel discussion, Hung introduced an initiative called “College for All,” which has a five-pillar platform: reinvesting in education, expanding enrollment slots in University of California and California State University systems for eligible California students, promoting the success of the highest need students at the highest need schools with lo-cal control funding formula plus (LCFF+), addressing implicit bias in all schools (including against LGBTQ students and others), and opposing all caps and quotas on admission and enrollment.

LCFF+ was historic legislation signed by California Gov. Brown in 2013 that allocates more re-sources to the state’s neediest schools. Under the law, districts receive a per-pupil base grant, a supplemental grant based on the number of English learner stu-dents, students who come from low-income families and foster youth, and a concentration grant for districts with more than 55 percent of this targeted popula-tion, according to a release.

Hung also cited data from the Public Policy Institute of Cali-fornia, which estimates that by 2030, without reinvestment in higher public education, the state will have a shortage of 1.1

Community leaders explore ways to expand access to public higher education

by Agnes ConstAnteAJPress

million college graduates based on California’s workforce needs.

“I think what we have to rec-ognize is that we retain remnants of policies that were adopted in a different era, chief among those is Proposition 209,” said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican Ameri-can Legal Defense and Educa-tional Fund.

Proposition 209, also known as the California Civil Rights Ini-tiative, was enacted in 1996 and amended the state Constitution to prohibit public institutions from discriminating based on sex, ethnicity or race.

“But it’s not only the policies we retain,” Saenz added. “I think it’s also common wisdom, ap-proaches to issues and process, that grew out of a different era that we retain even though they no longer serve us well.”

In data presented by Karalee Vaughn, board member of Em-powering Pacific Island Commu-nities, an organization that aims to empower Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) com-munities, Filipinos represented 2 percent of students enrolled in LCFF+ schools, while Hispanics constituted 76 percent. She also shared that 19 percent of NHPIs attend for-profit colleges and that many are targeted by these institutions. Upon graduating, these students face difficulty in finding jobs and have incurred much debt.

Saenz said he sees two ma-jor problems in California with respect to higher education: an inadequate number of seats available in post-secondary in-stitutions compared to the need projected for college graduates with four-year degrees, and con-tinued inequity.

“[We] continue to use sort-ing and selecting mechanisms for our higher education insti-tutions that have demonstrated biases and, in many cases, were adopted because of those bi-ases, again, to particular student groups. And we have done noth-ing to root out those biases in cri-teria or to significantly affect the

biases that play out in differen-tial resource availability and dif-ferential outcomes for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, where you go to school and specifically the socioeco-nomic status of those you go to school with largely determine or predetermine where your out-come is likely to be with respect to higher education,” he said.

The College for All campaign has identified the highest con-centration of LCFF schools, or those with 75 percent or more of students who are low-income English learners or foster care youth, Hung said. She added that there are about 700 high schools with nearly 700,000 LCFF stu-dents, 93 percent of whom are students of color. As part of the platform, College for All calls on more resources for LCFF+ high schools to support students in preparing for college.

Oraiu Amoni, political director of United Teachers Los Angeles, the second-largest teachers union in the nation, shared during the discussion his story as a product of affirmative action. Born and raised in Watts, Amoni went on to attend UC Berkeley in 1994, a transition he said he didn’t think would have been possible with-out affirmative action.

“From a personal perspective, I think it’s important that folks that have come from this envi-ronment or these environments speak up and support these en-deavors,” he said. n

the bottom rungs. That is exactly what will happen if we shove this unprecedented cost increase on businesses.”

Michael Saltsman, research director of the Employment Poli-cies Institute, told CNN that “Cal-ifornia may be the first state to pass a $15 minimum wage, but it will also be the first to find out why that’s a bad idea.”

Already cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle have passed measures to boost their minimum wages to $15 an hour throughout the next few years. In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown signed legislation that makes it the first state in the country re-quiring higher pay in cities than in rural areas. By 2022, the mini-mum wage in Portland is set to hit $14.75 per hour.

On Friday, April 1, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo an-nounced that the state legisla-ture reached an agreement to raise the minimum wage in New York City to $15 per hour by 2018. Under the state budget, employers across the state will also be required to give workers 12 weeks of paid family leave beginning in 2018.

As of this writing, Gov. Brown was expected to sign the bill on Monday, April 4, officially mak-ing California the first state to raise the minimum wage more than $10. (Christina M. Oriel with reports from Agnes Con-stante / AJPress)

CA passes…PAGE A5 t

coming elections. At a roundtable discussion with

reporters on Tuesday, March 29, Dacey remarked that she is confi-dent that a Democrat will win the presidency this November.

“[Donald Trump] isn’t just talking over the Republican Party — he is the Republican Party. That just shows to us how much we have at stake,” Dacey said. “I think the choice before us is clearer than ever. We, throughout this campaign, have had both our candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who have shown that they have the right priori-ties. Whether you’ve seen them at debates or out on the trail, the discourse between them, with the voters they’ve reached out to, has been incredible.”

While Dacey did not hint at whether Sanders or Clinton would be the party’s nominee, she said that they have both “run campaigns worthy of the office.”

“I’m confident that one of them will be the 45th President of the United States, but I’m not under-estimating the amount of work that’s going to take,” she added.

Dacey also took a slam at the “divisive politics” of the Repub-lican Party.

“You’re watching the debates on the Republican side and I’m working harder the next day be-cause it’s just unbelievable what you see,” she said, describing some of the Democratic Party’s work to reach out to more millen-nial voters and devote resources to various communities.

Despite the two Democratic candidates sparring over differ-ent views on the campaign trail, Dacey said she expects that sup-porters of either candidate will come together once a nominee is

DNC CEO emphasizes importance of AAPI…PAGE A1 t

selected. With four months until Phila-

delphia, a contested DNC con-vention is not expected, unlike what many predict may happen in Cleveland at the RNC conven-tion should no presidential can-didate win a majority of the del-egates.

“I’m fully confident that we’ll go through this process — that we’ll have a presumptive nomi-nee going into the convention. Our convention is literally going to be about bringing everybody together, having conversations, holding trainings,” Dacey told reporters. “We want to have out-reach at the convention. It’s a substantive, inclusive process so that when we leave Philly, you’ll see a stark contrast from the week before in Cleveland, where I do think it could potentially be in disarray.”

The DNC’s CEO went on to say that her party is focusing on is-

sues that voters care about, es-pecially those relevant to AAPI communities. Among those is-sues Dacey mentioned were the Affordable Care Act, equal pay and comprehensive immigration form.

“We saw a record turnout from the Asian American community and support of President Obama in the 2012 election cycle. We’ve also seen that 4.5 million Asian Americans were registered to vote in 2012, so I do think they have a strong voice in this elec-tion. I do think that the issues we’re talking about are issues they care about,” she said, add-ing that various party programs are geared specifically toward AAPI voters and figuring out how AAPIs acquire information and become civically engaged.

Fritz Friedman, a Filipino American who is part of the cre-dentials committee for the DNC’s

uPAGE A7

Democratic National Committee (DNC) CEO Amy Dacey Photo courtesy of the Democratic National Committee

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URBAN FARMING. Senator Cynthia Villar leads the ceremonial transplanting during the formal launch of the 2nd Urban Farming Seminar at the ‘Villar SIPAG’ Farm School. The event was also attended by its training partner--Allied Botanical Corp and its President Michael Caballes. The participant from different NCR cities and Cavite will undergo 12 training sessions for free. Senate photo

upcoming convention, lauded the Democratic Party’s outreach to the Filipino-American commu-nity in particular.

“A lot of the issues that Amy mentioned are core to the lives of Filipinos and Filipino Americans, specifically immigration and health care. Also the fact, I find personally, the Democratic Party is much more inclusive than the Republican Party. They under-stand the issues that are relevant to minority groups, like the Fili-pino-Americans,” Friedman told the Asian Journal.

Friedman added that the values of the Filipino-American commu-nity align with the Democratic Party, and that should guide vot-ers come November.

“The bayanihan spirit — we are a community, the Democrat-ic Party is a community. Filipinos and Filipino Americans take care of family and friends, as does the Democratic Party,” he said. “I think those base, core things are really are one of the impor-tant reasons why the goals of the Democratic Party align with the goals of Filipino Americans.”

Even with the party’s confi-dence, Dacey said there is more work to be done in the coming months.

“It’s going to be a tough gen-eral election. I think anybody discounting it because they’re

seeing what’s happening on the Republican side, is making a mistake,” she said.

Following the roundtable, Dacey attended a fundraiser with AAPI supporters — which was co-hosted by actor George Takei and attended by elected leaders, such as Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Ted Lieu and Rep. Mark Takano — and spoke at the Advancing Jus-tice conference co-hosted by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

“[We’re] trying to make sure the [AAPI] community knows that there’s a home for them in

the Democratic Party and that they’ll turn out and vote for Dem-ocrats in the fall,” she said.

Both Democrats and Repub-licans have continued to reach out to AAPI voters, an electorate considered to double by 2040, reaching 12.2 million, according to a 2015 report from the UCLA Center for the Study of Inequality and Asian Pacific American Insti-tute for Congressional Studies.

Leading up to California’s pri-mary on June 7, both Clinton and Sanders are expected to continue campaigning in the state, where 475 delegate are at stake. (Chris-tina M. Oriel / AJPress)

DNC CEO emphasizes importance of AAPI…PAGE A6 t

DNC CEO Amy Dacey (far left) speaking to reporters in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 29. Photo by Walter Garcia /Democratic National Committee

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THE race to the sec-ond-highest post in gov-ernment is a must-follow in Philippine politics. Un-like in the United States where the president and his/her vice presidential pick are elected as a team and from the same party, Filipino voters pick their choices for president and vice president, independently from one another.

This is why the position of VP is a con-test of its own, and the winning candidate may be a blessing or a curse to the win-ning president, if they belong to differ-ent parties. Moreover, the vice president is next in line in the executive branch of government, who will take over the top

post if the president dies or becomes inca-pacitated to perform his/her duties.

With only five weeks to go before the Philip-pine presidential elec-tions, the VP race is just beginning to get exciting. With Sen. Chiz

Escudero and Sen. Bongbong Marcos as frontrunners, Congresswoman Leni Robredo, the underdog in the race who started to poll a meager 3 percent in Sep-tember 2015, is now catching up to the ratings of Marcos and Escudero.

The unassuming lawyer-congresswom-an widow of the late DILG Sec. Jesse Ro-bredo is now polling at 24 percent in the

March 4-7 survey of the Social Weather Station (SWS). Robredo recorded the big-gest bump in the polls among the VP slate, up 5 percent from the previous poll.

With a ±2-point sampling error margin, SWS survey results show Escudero led the chart with 28 percent while tied with Marcos, 26 percent.

With Robredo gaining consistently al-most every month, can she pull an upset and be elected vice president in the May 9 elections?

* * *Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

The rise of Leni Robredo in the vice presidential race

Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

“LOVE is elicited in therapy, in medicine, and in education by the caring conversation, the intimate confes-sions, and by the lis-tening alone. Listening to another and caring for their welfare can be such a comforting expe-rience that the magic aureole of love descends when no one is looking….Love takes us out of life and away from the plans we have made for our lives. To give oneself over to love and mar-riage is to say yes to death. Submission entails a loss in life, but there is also a gain for the soul. The loss of will and control one feels in love may be high-ly nutritious for the soul.” – Thomas Moore, Care of The Soul, 1992.

Are you frozen in love? That you look forward to getting up in the morn-ing to see this person? That you can-not wait to see her the next day? That all you can think of after she leaves is to share how alive she is? That all day yesterday, it was about reading books? How she keeps pulling out the book of numbers and we can go over these books ten to fifteen times.

Yesterday, the number two fascinat-ed her and she made the peace sign. Oh my!

Today, the number three is her fo-cus and she points to three lines, three vacant spaces on her chair.

Did I miss this when I was raising my children that now, every step of my apo, I am able to see? Was I blind then? Or was my heart not at peace?

Hearts in chaos, after a lossTo suffer a loss gets a heart into cha-

os. Once at peace, all seems to un-ravel.

You get a flash of your life with that person, in my case, the death of my mother, Asun-cion Abarquez, on March 18, 2016.

What has been my life with her, what she was as a mother, and how I may understand the circumstances of how she strongly took on her roles, not with might, but with determination, with in-ner strength, with fortitude and with a strong faith in God.

Still, with only an idea of what she went through, the five of us sisters, wish for more time and for clearer rev-elations.

But, we cannot, and each one has a different way of grieving that our eldest Ate Rose gave us a great theme for our conversations, “We can be hearts at peace or hearts at war.”

In reading Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself”, his premise is that “Wise beings do not want to remain a slave to the fear of pain.”

Essentially, he looks at pain as sim-ply a flow of energy, let it flow through you, like other forms that you come across in any given moment: frustra-tion, anger, fear, insecurity, jealousy or embarrassment.

By simply watching how these feel-ings move through your being, and completely “feeling” these emotions, without pushing them away, you expe-rience freedom -- to simply relax your heart and release. Singer encourages

us to simply “go into the roots of the pain” and see where it leads us.

I did that one evening, sitting with my pain over the loss of my mother, and discovered that the pain of being abandoned came down to a day in the playground. It got me thinking about a pain that happened over five de-cades ago, as it was time to release all remnants of that day’s memory in my heart’s space.

It is not even important anymore as here I am alive. More than merely surviving, I am thriving, thanks to my supportive family and my friends, in-cluding my best buddy, my apo, my grandchild.

Compared to keeping the blueprint of this pain and then, having it grow to an overgrown painful body with legs and feet (which unconsciously gains a new life), the merits of living in the present, filled with joy and filled with anticipation for my one-year-old grandchild, is a much better bargain.

Two days before I buried my moth-er, I sat in silence, remembering all the good memories of how she showed me her love and it was enough to lull me to sleep.

She is in a much better place -- sur-rounded by her mom, her dad, her brother and the love of her life -- and is no longer in pain.

Journey towards hearts at peaceJoel Osteen was interviewed by

Oprah Winfrey one Sunday in March, about his new book, “The Power of I Am.” They were surrounded by a row of oak trees, shielded from the sun, by its canopy.

“Are you always this joyful?” Exact-ly the question I would ask Joel, “No,

not all days, but most days. It starts with a new day, I am breathing, “ he replied.

For Oprah, she shares that when she feels out of sorts, she thanks God and then, goes through her rolodex and asks herself, “Who can I help out today?”

After helping someone, she feels centered again.

I have heard this “soul-centering technique” before and it has been quite effective for me, too. Except, not a rolodex for me, but simply asking, who in my family needs me today?

But, it takes more than that for oth-ers. It also means adopting a spiritual discipline to bring in the Word of God into our lives.

Have you tried Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit? What a powerful read for daily reflections. For example, “You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading to fear, rather, you received a spirit of adoption enabling us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’”

If we simply think we are God’s be-loved, we walk lighter, weighing much less, unloading our burdens to our God that we can simply smile, as we are no longer relying on our own might.

“If you close around the pain and stop if from passing through, it will stay in you,” Singer reminds us. So the next time a moment or a memory of a loved one strikes you again (and that goes for me also), simply shoulder on, accept it with an open heart and mind, do not close your heart for you will be carrying the weight of that pain with you.

By doing that, the psyche acquires a border, a space between this memory

of pain and suffering and you. You can then be freed from the “noise inside your mind,” which is nothing more than an attempt to avoid the stored pain.

Open your heart as inside, “you will find tremendous joy, beauty, love and peace within you,” Singer wrote, and you can simply be free to enjoy more experiences on this earth, until you die.

Perhaps that is what we are find-ing in our surroundings now. The world filled with pain and suffering, from loss of lives from indiscriminate bombings in Paris, Brussels and Paki-stan, but not all spaces in the world are that way.

We cannot anticipate more of these incidents; instead, perhaps we can choose to connect more with one an-other, as we are made to be as human beings, be present and ready to lis-ten, or to enjoy one another with open hearts.

It starts with me, holding onto the Power of I Am, my God!

* * *Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 9 years now. She contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Mexico and 22 national parks in the US, in pursuit of her love for arts.

Hearts at peace

PRoSy abaRquez-DelacRuz, J.D.

Rhizomes

DESPITE the generally slow Internet connection and only half of its population having access to the World Wide Web, the Philippines has been tagged as a social media haven by digital experts.

E-politics

Filipinos are adoptive to new technologies. According to a sur-vey by Wave 7, Filipinos are the most social people online. The poll found that Filipinos spend 53 hours social-izing in a week, 11 hours more than the global average of 42 hours.

This was made apparent when Makati City was named the “selfiest” city in the world in 2014. Ac-cording to research by Time Magazine, Makati City registered an average of 258 selfies or self-portrait photographs per 100,000 people over the course of seven days. Other Philippine cities also made the top 100 list, including Cebu City (9), Quezon City (59) at Iloilo City (72).

In lieu of its 10th anniversary, popular social media application Twitter named five of the most significant world record achievements set by its users. The phenomenal love team of Alden Richards and Maine “Yaya Dub Mendoza,” more popularly known as “AlDub” from “Eat Bulaga!” made the list and was cited by the Guiness World Records. “#AlDubEBTamangPanahon,” was as “The Most used hashtag in 24 hours on Twitter” with 40,706,392 uses from October 24-25, 2015.

With the onset of the Philippine national elec-tions, social media is expected to play a major role in taking the country’s electoral process to another level. In an era when the Filipinos’ time and attention are increasingly invested toward various social media platforms, political aspirants are now using the Internet to mobilize people to vote for them.

While the correlation between social media and the election has yet to be determined, the impact of social media has surely motivated politicians to become more creative in their campaign tactics

to capture the attention of the voting public effectively.

Based on online popularity in social networking sites such as

Facebook and Twitter, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is at the top among presidential aspi-rants with 3,205,407 (Facebook) and 2,094,618 (Twitter) followers.

Vice President Jejomar Binay is second with 1,802,535 (Facebook) and 271,111 (Twitter) fol-lowers. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is third with 1,176,664 (Facebook) and 13,230 (Twitter) followers. Former Interior Sec. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II is fourth with 1,138,162 (Facebook) and 547,449 (Twitter) followers.

Ironically, Senator Grace Poe, who is consis-tently leading in the surveys, is at the last place with 737,711 (Facebook) and 58,154 (Twitter) fol-lowers.

While these numbers are small compared to the 54.4 million registered voters for the May elections, through social media, politicians are able to reach a wider set of audience with just a click away.

“What will define if the candidate will win or not is the message the candidate has for the cam-paign. Social media is a channel that will allow them to reach more people, to mobilize their fans and volunteers to be able to act,” Carlo Ople, Managing Partner and Director of digital adver-tising agency DM9 Digit said.

For Cristina Montiel, a political psychologist, honesty is the best way for the candidates to win the hearts of the voters. She also added that the effectiveness and reach of the message of the candidate would determine whether the message or a candidate’s propaganda would go viral.

Editorial

“Honesty is the best policy in social media. When you address issues that’s when people will understand where you are coming from.” Montiel said.

Regardless of who wins the most likes, or who becomes the most trending, social media is not

only a welcome development to the country’s traditional politics. It offers politicians, and the civically engaged citizens with a virtual arena to easily and conveniently establish a rapport that is beneficial to the country’s democratic process. (AJPress)

Leni Robredo

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A-OKAY. More than a million disabled Filipinos will finally enjoy tax exemptions at par with the perks granted to senior citizens, maximizing the benefits that they deserve under the law. President Aquino has signed into law a bill authored by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez granting persons with disabilities (PWDs) exemption from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on certain goods and services. Inquirer.net photo

POLICEMEN opened fire on hungry farmers who barricaded a highway in Kidapawan City in North Cotabato on Friday, April 1, to dramatize their protest against the government’s failure to provide them food.

At least three persons died in the clash that brought to mind the killing of farmers who marched to Mendiola Street in 1987.

Policemen were trying to dis-perse the protesters but shots were fired, killing at least three people and injuring many others, according to the farmers’ group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipi-nas (KMP).

The KMP said more than two dozen farmers were wounded in the brutal dispersal.

Some of the protesters, how-ever, hurled rocks at policemen, injuring a few of them.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman, Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor, said two police officers who were injured in the head are in critical condition.

Lumadnong Panaghiusa sa North Cotabato, a farmers’ orga-nization, said the police shot at the protesting farmers.

3 dead, scores injured as hungry farmers, policemen clash in Kidapawan

by AlJAcinto,cAtherine S. VAlenteAnd Anthony VArgAS

ManilaTimes.net

The farmers have been de-manding rice from the govern-ment, saying their families have no more food to eat because of the dry spell brought by El Niño.

Drought had destroyed over P240 million in crops, mostly rice, corn, banana, rubber, co-conut, oil palm and vegetable planted by small farmers in over 27,500 hectares in Kidapawan City and the towns of Arakan, An-tipas, President Roxas, Magpet, Makilala, Tulunan, M’lang, Ma-talam and Kabacan, all in North Cotabato.

The women’s group Gabriela said the wounded farmers were shot in the stomach, mouth and legs.

“Initial reports reveal that farmers suffered bullet wounds in the stomach, mouth and legs. These were obviously not warn-ing shots. These shots were meant to kill farmers holding barricade and demanding food,” said Rep. Emmi de Jesus.

Gabriela said 5,000 people joined the protests.

De Jesus condemned the dis-persal, calling it “brutal.”

“We strongly condemn the government’s brutal response to the farmers’ demand for relief and aid. We hold President Aqui-no, Liberal Party-backed North Cotabato Gov. Lala Mendoza

and the local police forces re-sponsible for the killings and the wounding of at least 30 farmers as police responded to protesters with bullets,” she said.

Gabriela’s Bai Ali Indayla, who was among the protesters, said security forces cordoned them off at the Methodist Church com-pound where they sought refuge.

Indayla added that the provin-cial officials refused to talk or ne-gotiate with barricading farmers to end the crisis.

She said the province has long been declared under a state of calamity because of the drought but farmers received no assis-tance from the Aquino adminis-tration.

“This bloody response to the farmers’ just and legitimate de-mands and depriving farmers of relief will have its political costs and Liberal Party bets will suffer greatly in this obstinate display of brutality and callousness,” In-dayla added.

Ariel Casilao, of the pro-farm-ers group Anakpawis, said, “This is the latest atrocity that the Aquino presidency has inflicted on poor farmers. We totally con-demn this brutal act and we hold him and his Liberal Party as pri-mary responsible. We demand justice and accountability.”

uPAGE A10

APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797A10 Dateline PHiliPPineS

BARRICADED. Another group of farmers from drought-affected towns blocked a stretch of the Sultan Kudarat-Davao Highway in Makilala, North Cotabato on Thursday, March 31 to call on Malacañang to address hunger in the province. North Cotabato, officially called Cotabato province, has been affected by a dry spell since last November. Drought has withered vast swaths of rice and corn in North Cotabato, where majority of residents rely on farming as their main source of income. Some 5,000 farmers barricaded portions of the Cotabato-Davao Highway in North Cotabato’s provincial capital, Kidapawan City, on Wednesday, stranding thousands of motorists and commuters. Courtesy of the North Cotabato Provincial Police Office

Casilao, citing reports by his group, noted that at least 30 farmers were reported missing and believed taken by the police.

He said among those wound-ed in the dispersal were human rights workers.

About 5,000 farmers and their families have camped along portions of the Cotabato-Davao Highway since Monday, accord-ing to North Cotabato Gov. Em-mylou Mendoza.

On Friday morning, Mendoza said about 500 police officers were deployed to disperse the protesters who blocked the highway.

But, she added, the farmers resisted and attacked the law en-forcers, triggering a commotion and a series of explosions.

Mendoza insisted that violence erupted when the farmers at-tacked the policemen, who were ordered to exercise maximum tolerance.

The police, she said, were with social welfare workers who were to bring the children and minors out of the barricade.

She added that the farmers were given permission to hold a rally by the city government of Kidawapan only for Monday but they kept on blocking the high-way until yesterday.

“The first shot came from the protesters,” Mendoza told re-porters.

Senior Supt. Bernard Tayong,

North Cotabato police spokes-man, said the protesters threw stones and metals at the law en-forcers.

One of the farmers allegedly shot and wounded a police of-ficer.

Mendoza said she could not grant the farmers’ demand be-cause part of the calamity funds had been allocated to drought-affected farmers while the rest of the money will be used for ca-lamities that may hit this year.

Probe onMalacañang and the police

said an investigation is ongoing.“Accountability is being estab-

lished and appropriate sanctions will be meted out if justified by the findings of the investigatios,” Presidential Communications Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

“According to DILG [De-partment of Interior and Local Government] Secretary [Mel] Sarmiento, the provincial govern-ment had assumed responsibility for the law enforcement opera-tions pertaining to the mass ac-tion on the Davao-Cotabato high-way,” according to Coloma.

“The PNP is conducting a thorough investigation, and has reported that 40 members of the police force were wounded, in-cluding two police officers who suffered severe head trauma in-juries as an offshoot of the clash between the authorities and mass action participants,” he said.

Mayor said the PNP is con-solidating information on the incident.

“We believe that, in the spirit of thoroughness and fairness, a complete and accurate narrative must be constructed,” he added. “The public may rest assured that any violation of PNP rules and regulations shall be meted the appropriate penalty.”

Violence decriedThe camp of presidential as-

pirant Rodrigo Duterte strongly condemned the violent dispersal of farmers.

In a statement, Leoncio Evasco Jr., Duterte’s national campaign manager, blamed the Aquino administration for the incident, saying the farmers were only seeking aid amid the drought that hit them.

“President Benigno Aquino 3rd cannot escape blame and re-sponsibility for the bloody assault against the hungry farmers de-manding food after a prolonged dry spell. A hungry people de-manding food do not deserve to be shot,” Evasco said.

“First there was the Mendiola massacre, then Hacienda Luisita, then the Mamasapano and now the Kidapawan carnage. Blood, blood of enraged and hungry people, are soaked in the hands of the landlord class personified by the Aquino-Cojuangco clique of the ruling elite,” he added.

The Presidentis a Cojaungco on his mother’s side. n

3 dead, scores injured as hungry farmers…PAGE A9 t

FORTY-five Filipino World War II veterans will be honored for their heroism at the Philippine Veterans Week starting April 5.

Retired general Restituto Agu-ilar, chief of the memorial and historical division of the Phil-ippine Veterans Affairs Office, said on Friday that the number of awardees is higher compared to last year with 30. Twenty five of the veterans will be awarded posthumously.

“All of them have significant of contributions during World War II that helped liberate the coun-try,” he said in a briefing.

“More than the monetary val-ue, this is a way of thanking them while they are still alive. What is important is they are recognized for their contribution during a time that the country needed their service,”

Aguilar said that in three years,

45 World War II heroes to be feted at Philippine Veterans Week

by Frances MangosingInquirer.net

the thousands of living veterans will be reduced to hundreds.

“As much as possible they should be acknowledged, most of them are bedridden. There are 9,500 veterans still alive and the casualty rate is 3,500 per annum. In three years, there will only be hundreds left,” he said.

Aguilar lamented that the youths today are not aware of the heroism of the veterans during the World War II and they want to impart to them that their self-less sacrifices must be emulated in our everyday lives to achieve lasting peace or progress.

“Because of the advancement of technology, there is less fo-cus on the valor of our heroes… That’s why we are trying to help bring consciousness of the im-portance of their sacrifices,” he said.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will lead the onset of the Philippine Veterans Week on April 5 at the Libingan ng mga

Bayani. Other activities include a review in honor of the veterans, a battalion-sized contingent from the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will perform the re-view and veterans are paraded and accorded honors at par with high-ranking military officers and visiting dignitaries who are entitled to such honor in Fort Bonifacio on the same day. The tribute to Filipino heroes will be held on April 7 on Corregidor Is-land. President Benigno Aquino III will lead the celebration of the “Araw ng Kagitingan” at Mt. Sa-mat in Bataan on April 9.

The weeklong observance is not only for the war veterans but also an opportunity to re-member those who rendered honorable military service in defending the country in times of war or peace to gratefully ac-knowledge their contributions in preserving our sovereignty and defending our national se-curity, Aguilar said. n

MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) was asked on Thurs-day, March 31, to consider the position of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and several prominent lawyers in resolving appeals on its ruling last month allowing the presidential bid of Sen. Grace Poe.

In a last ditch plea, former sen-ator Francisco Tatad submitted media reports on the IBP stand and published opinions of law-yers questioning the SC decision on Poe’s case.

The IBP said in a recent state-ment that legal questions on Poe’s eligibility still stand since the SC ruling did not resolve the issues involving her qualification as natural-born and the 10-year residency as required under the Constitution.

“While the decision appears to have rendered an opinion as to whether (Poe) is a natural-born as well as whether she has sat-isfied the 10-year residency re-quirement for the presidency, it should be emphasized that the dispositive portion of the deci-sion merely orders the reversal

In a last ditch plea, former senator Francisco Tatad submitted media reports on the IBP stand and published opinions of lawyers questioning the SC decision on Poe’s case. File photo

SC asked to consider IBP stand on Poe DQ caseby edu Punay

Philstar.com

of the decisions of the Commis-sion on Elections granting the petitions to disqualify her... and states that she is qualified to be a candidate for president in the national and local elections on May 9, 2016,” read the one-page statement.

“For this issue to be finally set-tled, the decision of the Supreme Court posits that, it is apparently necessary, for the eligibility of Poe to be determined with final-ity, that she must first win in the

May 9 presidential election and someone must file a quo war-ranto petition against her with the Supreme Court sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, for this tribunal to rule on this matter with authority, with juris-diction and with finality,” the IBP pointed out.

Tatad also submitted the re-ported opinions of Far Eastern University Institute of Law dean Melencio Sta. Maria; lawyers Jer-

uPAGE A11

VICE President Jejomar Bi-nay and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte vowed to protect journal-ists from work-related violence and to prioritize the resolution of cases of media killings in the country.

The Binay-led United National-ist Alliance (UNA) also expressed support to the National Press Club’s (NPC) call for candidates

Binay, Duterte vow to protect mediaby catherine s. Valente

and reina tolentinoManilaTimes.net

seeking national posts to disclose their stand on media killings.

“Violence against the media has no place in a Binay presi-dency. Press freedom must be respected and prioritized by the government and only a decisive leadership can end this culture of impunity in our country,” Bi-nay said in a statement issued on Thursday, March 31.

Binay said that his running mate, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, whom he has earlier said will be his administration’s anti-crime

czar, will ensure that members of the media will not have to fear for their lives in the line of duty.

“Matagal nating ipinaglaban na muling mabawi ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag. Maraming nagbuwis ng buhay sa hanay ng mga mamamahayag upang tayo at ang mga susunod pang hen-erasyon ay makinabang. Hindi natin papayagan na mayroong mga indibidwal o grupo na baba-luktutin ang katotohanan o kikiti-lin ang boses ng taumbayan. Na-niniwala ako na ang media ang isa sa mga haligi ng demokrasya [We fought for so long to take back press freedom. Many jour-nalists laid down their lives for our benefit and that of genera-tions to come. We will not allow any individual or group to twist the truth or kill the voice of the people],” Binay said.

UNA spokesma Mon Ilagan, a former broadcast journalist, said Binay “is serious in addressing the call of the media to end in-timidation and killings.”

“We want to assure the NPC and members of media that a President Binay puts a high pre-mium on freedom of the press. He has witnessed how journal-ists were brutally tortured, ha-rassed and killed during martial law. This will never be the case in a Binay Administration. As President, he will encourage freedom of expression because he believes that an active and progressive media is vital in a democracy,” Ilagan said.

“We in UNA are one with the National Press Club in condemn-ing media-related violence, and we likewise cry for justice for victims of political violence who were unjustly threatened, ha-rassed, intimidated and killed in this senseless act of political ha-tred and greed,” he added.

Duterte also on Thursday promised to protect journalists.

“In a democracy, the role of media is very important. In the absence of a credible opposition party, you can rely on the me-dia,” he said.

Duterte said it is the media that exposes the wrongdoings of the government but it is also be-cause of this duty that journalists get killed.

To ensure the speedy resolu-tion of media killings, Duterte will put up special courts to han-dle cases of slain journalists, the mayor’s spokesman, Peter Lavi-ña, said in a statement.

“He [Duterte] will also offer uPAGE A11

(818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 2-5, 2016 A11Dateline PHiliPPineS

Dateline PhiliPPines

emy Gatdula and Cristina Mon-tes of the Philippine Principles Institute; unseated Marinduque Rep. Regina Ongsiako-Reyes and newspaper columnists Jose Sison, Raul Palabrica and Emil Jurado.

Sta. Maria disagreed with the pronouncement of the SC in its decision favoring Poe.

“The issue on presidential qualification demands an exact-ing resolution based on solid grounds – not on possibilities, more-than-ample-probabilities, disputable presumptions, statis-

tical certainty, extraneous inter-national law and, yes, even bio-logical physical features of the candidates,” he said.

For her part, Reyes, who was earlier disqualified by the high court, could not help but com-pare the circumstances in her disqualification case to that of Poe’s and pointing out the differ-ent rulings of the high tribunal.

Reyes lamented how the SC treated Poe, whose parents are unknown, as a natural-born citi-zen with 10-year residency eli-gible for the highest post in the land while, on the other hand, she was declared ineligible for a congressional seat when she is “a natural-born citizen, with a birth certificate, whose parents are Filipino citizens and are known public servants.”

“If Poe-Llamanzares is allowed to run, should not, with more reason, Gina Reyes be allowed to run?” the ousted lawmaker stressed.

Tatad’s lawyer Manuelito Luna said these opinions demonstrat-ed the public disapproval of the SC ruling.

“In Philippine history, this was just the second time that the le-gal community criticized the rul-

ing of the Supreme Court – the first was during martial law. The move of the IBP, the national organization of 56, 000 lawyers, not to side with the SC insofar as its ruling that Poe is eligible to run for president is monumental or historic,” Luna said.

Tatad, one of four petition-ers in the disqualification cases against Poe in the Commission on Elections, urged the SC to consider these opinions as these demonstrated the repercussions of the ruling on Poe’s case.

“Tatad respectfully pleads the honorable court to grant him leave of court and to admit re-quest for judicial notice of the aforementioned Internet articles, they being relevant to the argu-ments raised in respondents’ mo-tions for reconsideration of the decision, promulgated on March 8, 2016,” read the pleading.

The former senator cited Sec-tion 2, Rule 129 of the Revised Rules of Evidence, which pro-vides the “court may take judicial notice of matters which are of public knowledge or are capable to unquestionable demonstration or ought to be known to judges because of their judicial func-tions.” n

SC asked to consider IBP stand on Poe DQ…PAGE A10 t

THE Philippines will not sur-render a part of its territory in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to China despite that country’s might, President Benigno Aquino III said on Thursday, March 31, adding that he as President was never intimidated by the mainland’s awesome powers.

“Hindi pwedeng ang ‘laki niya, hindi ko pwedeng patulan ‘to.’ Obligasyon ko po bilang Pangulo na ‘yung ating terito-ryo, ‘yung ating dapat isalin sa susunod na salinlahi ay nandi-yan at tangan natin at kailangan ipaglaban ang karapatan maski na dehadong-dehado tayo sa labanang ito [We shouldn’t cower just because it’s big. It is my obligation to see to it that our territory, that, which should be turned over to the next generation, is there and we will have to fight for our rights even if the enemy is powerful],” Aquino said during a meeting with Liberal Party candidates and supporters in Caloocan City (Metro Manila)

Aquino: PH will not surrender territoryby Joel M. Sy egco

ManilaTimes.neton Wednesday night.

The President made the re-mark in the face of China’s growing influence in the Sprat-lys in the South China Sea borne out of its unabated recla-mation of isles and reefs being claimed by other countries.

“Paulit-ulit natin sinasabi hindi tayo naghahangad ng sobra sa dapat atin pero sana naman galangin naman ‘yung karapatan din natin tulad ng iba [We’ve said it time and again. We are not after what is not ours, so other countries should respect our rights],” he added.

While admitting that the Philippines is “no match” against the military strength of China, Aquino said he believes that the country will have the full backing of the internation-al community, particularly the signatories to the United Na-tions Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).

Ironically, Beijing signed Un-clos, the agreement that deter-mines the maritime boundaries of every state.

The President said there is no need to engage China in

an “arms race” because it will only be a futile exercise.

“Ginawa po natin ang nara-rapat. Pumunta tayo sa Asean para ipaalala na matagal na ang usapin na ‘to, na dapat umusad na ‘yung paggagawa ng Code of Conduct. Dinala natin ang usapan ayon sa batas na tina-tawag na international law, dumulog tayo sa arbitration para malutas ang problemang ito [We did what was right. We reminded Asean that this prob-lem has long been simmering and there should be a Code of Conduct. We brought the case to the international tribunal so that this problem will be re-solved],” he explained.

Two years ago, the govern-ment filed a memorial with the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (Itlos) in The Hague, Netherlands.

The petition questioned the nine-dash line rule being im-posed by China in asserting sovereignty over several shoals and reefs in the disputed body of water, including those that are well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philip-pines. n

rewards and incentives for the immediate arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the killers,” he said.

Laviña said Duterte will give police investigators and prosecu-tors quick and limited time to re-solve these cases.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Phil-ippines (NUJP), 170 journalists have been killed in the country since 1986. n

Binay…PAGE A10 t

APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797A12

(213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 2-5, 2016 B�

SHOWBIZ&STYLEJournal

LOS ANGELES—Jesse Eisen-berg, who plays Lex Luthor in “Batman v Superman,” is curious about the Philippine presidential election in May.

“So, who do you think should win?” Jesse suddenly asked me in a recent interview at the Warner Bros. lot.

The actor has exhibited his interest in the Philippines in the past. The Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated actor (for playing Mark Zuckerberg in the acclaimed film, “The Social Network”) knows a sprinkling of Filipino words.

I watched his playwriting debut, “Asuncion,” which starred him and Justin Bartha as two buddies whose liberal outlook is challenged when their new Filipino roommate (Camille Mana) arrives. Jesse has stayed in touch with Camille since that play debuted Off-Broadway in 2011.

The New York native has gone on to write other plays, including “The Revisionist,” which starred him and the legendary Vanessa Redgrave in 2013 (a new produc-tion is ongoing in Beverly Hills), and “The Spoils” which premiered in NY last year with him and “The Big Bang Theory’s” Kunal Nayyar. He makes his West End acting debut when “The Spoils” moves over to London in May.

Jesse was reading “Ilustrado,” Miguel Syjuco’s award-winning first novel tracing over a century of Philippine history until he “got

JOHN Lloyd Cruz broke his silence about his split with Angelica Panganiban.

“Single na single,” was John Lloyd’s reply when asked in an ABS-CBN News interview.

The reports about their split first came out June last year, although they have denied it then in separate interviews.

The actor even explained then that they were just both busy with their projects.

Since the reports about their split sur-faced, his named has been linked with “A Second Chance” co-star Bea Alonzo.

Although denying the link, the actor reiter-ated it saying ,“Kung mayro’n naman parang magiging masaya ka naman para ipamalita, e.

“Hindi naman ‘yon dapat nililihim or tinatago. Life is too short. You have to make every moment count,” he said. (Joyce Ji-menez/Philstar.com)

‘Lex Luthor’ curious about PH presidential electionby Ruben V. nepales

Inquirer.net

Eisenberg plays Lex Luthor in “Batman v Superman” movie.

Jesse Eisenberg Inquirer.net photo by Ruben V. Nepales

He hasn’t seen the film at the time of our chat. “I would like to see the movie, but I wish I wasn’t in it,” he quipped, referring to his refusal to watch his films. He tends to be critical, likening the experience to seeing pictures of himself.

Jesse cracked with a chuckle, “The really strange thing is that I just saw an action figure of my body over there and it’s probably the same weight.”

Asked if that was his real hair in director Zack Snyder’s blockbuster, the actor, his mane long and curly again, said with a laugh, “If I say anything, I will self-explode. I have a Warner Bros. detonator in my body. I have my ankle bracelet.”

Excerpts from our talk:This is your first time to play a

villain, right?I hope so (laughs). The others

were unintentional.Talk about how much you

enjoyed being naughty, for a change.

The cliché that these are the characters that are fun to play is true. You can behave in ways that would get you arrested in public, and not only is it acceptable, but it’s required because the character is doing such horrible things.

But what’s really fun about this character is that he has these two personas. He has this public persona, which is charming and fun. He’s bright, seemingly happy and funny. Then, he has this very

sidetracked in something. I read like half of it.” He promised, “I’ll go back to it.”

The 32-year-old—he can pass for 22—certainly leads an interest-ing life. He revealed that he has been living in Indiana in the past few months to help raise funds for a Bloomington domestic violence shelter, Middle Way House, which is being run by his relative.

In May, he goes to Cannes when “Café Society,” Woody Allen’s 1930s-set Hollywood romance starring him and Kristen Stewart, opens the festival on the Croisette. He reprises his J. Daniel Atlas role in “Now You See Me 2,” which opens in June.

Light and thin compared to his “Batman v Superman” costars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Jesse has been described as a young Woody Allen, especially with his wit and focus when he speaks (and he talks fast, too).

PAGE B3

John Lloyd Cruz confirms spilt with Angelica Panganiban

John Lloyd Cruz confirms that he’s now single” and denied reports of a brewing romance with Bea Alonzo.

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Seafood City celebrates successful Community Night at its newest South San Francisco branch

South San Francisco—An event that has become a tradition for Seafood City – the Community Night – was held tuesday, March 30 at the newest branch of the large Filipino-owned supermarket chain on 3537 Callan Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA. this is Seafood City’s 23rd store and its seventh in Northern California.

As Seafood City Marketing Manager Mildred Smith said, “this Community Night aims to spark and build relationship with our new community. the night celebrates ‘true Filipino Goodness’ by sharing our culture, values and Filipino culinary heritage. this is our way of getting to know and being a part of our new South San Francisco families and friends.”

the event which was graced by Seafood City Chairman Steve Go and CEo Carlos Go was attended

ABS-CBN TFC showed full support for Seafood City as a community partner. (L-R) TFC dealers Junjun Pacifico and Aleli Cabunoc, Sam Simbulan of ABS-CBN Engineering, ABS-CBN Head for Dealer Management Malou Garcia, ABS-CBN North America Head of Ad Sales, Trade & Events Ricky Resurreccion, ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez, Seafood City CEO Carlos Go, ABS-CBN Global Head of Marketing Pam Castillo, ABS-CBN Marketing Specialists Cherry Laraya and Gemma Brion, and ABS-CBN Global Head of Carriage and Regional Marketing Head for North America Jun Del Rosario. Photos by NMFernandez

ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez congratulates Seafood City and commits to a solid community partnership as program co-host Henni Espinosa of TFC’s Balitang America listens; Seafood City Chairman Steve Go with South San Francisco Mayor Mark Addiego as he welcomes the popular supermarket chain to the city; Consul Reginald Bernabe delivers the message of Consul General Henry Bensurto, Jr. for Seafood City and the community; Daly City Mayor David Canepa gives a city recognition to Seafood City Chairman Steve Go, shown here with Daly City Councilman Mike Guingona and program co-host Henni Espinosa.

ABS-CBN North America Head of Ad Sales, Trade Marketing & Events Ricky Resurreccion, community leader and recent EDSA 30 speaker Gloria Navarette, Philippine American Press Club-USA President, Inquirer.net Vice President for Marketing & Sales and Regional Director for North America Boots Chavez, ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez and Balitang America Desk Editor Henni Espinosa; Seafood City Marketing Manager Mildred Smith and ABS-CBN Global Head of Carriage and Regional Marketing Head of North America Jun Del Rosario explain the Seafood City-TFC “Suki” Card tie-up ; Del Rosario, GTI President Olive Clavio who came from Los Angeles, and Resurreccion are among the business leaders at the Community Night.

and business and community leaders. ABS-CBN Global Coo Raffy Lopez led the team from ABS-CBN the Filipino Channel (tFC) in showing full support for Seafood City, a strong community partner of the network.

“tFC’s vision of serving the Filipinos and bringing the essence of the homeland to them wherever they may be aligns with Seafood City’s effort to ‘celebrate true Filipino goodness at your Filipino town.’ It makes good sense to partner with another Filipino establishment like Seafood City with its proven history of providing a dynamic hub where Filipinos can shop, dine, get together and feel at home,” said Lopez.

In the message of Consul General Bensurto, Jr. which was delivered by Consul Bernabe, he emphasized: “today’s store opening highlights once again the example set by Seafood City in showcasing empowerment through Filipino American

entrepreneurship and in fostering the spirit of community, connectivity and continuity. Seafood City is an example of the profile of the present day Filipino-American - forward-looking, determined, dynamic and hard working. We are not just gainfully employed, Seafood City proves that Filipino-Americans also provide gainful employment to other members of the Community.”

Consul Bernabe, reading the message, emphasized: “today’s store opening highlights once again the example set by Seafood City in showcasing empowerment through Filipino American entrepreneurship and in fostering the spirit of community, connectivity and continuity. Seafood City is an example of the profile of the present day Filipino-American - forward-looking, determined, dynamic and hard working. We are not just gainfully employed, Seafood City proves that Filipino-

Americans also provide gainful employment to other members of the Community.”

the Consul General’s message also echoed what Lopez said about connecting to home: “Seafood City is no ordinary supermarket or a place to eat; it provides a venue by which Filipino culture is promoted. It allows our Community and other communities to connect with one another through food, an important and binding element

in any gathering - be it Filipino or otherwise through food, and food in cultures, we learn to appreciate and bond with each other better and bridge our gaps and differences. In this, Seafood City proves itself true to its vision of being the place to gather and feel like you are in your home. A home that provides generations opportunities to appreciate and connect with our heritage and our motherland.”

(Advertising Supplement)

by government officials led by Mayor of South San Francisco Mark Addiego, Mayor of Daly City David Canepa andConsul Reginald Bernabe who represented Consul General henry S. Bensurto, Jr. of the Philippine Consulate General of San Francisco, members of media,

Newly elected Gawad Kalinga USA President Maricel Villanueva launches the “Kusina ng Kalinga” donation project at all Seafood City Stores. With her are Seafood City Chairman Steve Go and Henni Espinosa of Balitang America. One of the performers provided by CEO Christina Luna of The Luna Co. is popular violinist Corey Crywolffs. Other performers provided by The Luna Co are Kristine Sinajon, Sina and Mark Davis, Jackie Chavez and Kulintronica. Meanwhile, St Andrew’s Children’s Choir also performed and received a check donation from Seafood City.

At the ceremonial ribbon-cutting are (L-R) South San Francisco Mayor Mark Addiego, Seafood City Chairman Steve Go, South San Francisco Councilman Richard Garbarino, ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez, Consul Reginald Bernabe, and event co-hosts TFC Balitang America’s Desk Editor Henni Espinosa and Seafood City Marketing Manager Mildred Smith.

age gracefully

Homemade Sardines Get a Crockpot Makeover

GRACE O – Combining her passion for food and a commitment topromoting a healthy lifestyle, GRACE O has created FoodTrients®, a uniqueprogram for optimizing wellness and longevity. Grace O is a fusion chef andcookbook author with a mission: to introduce delicious recipes built on afoundation of anti-aging science and her 20 years in the healthcare industry.Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at [email protected]

BY GRACE O

Homemade Sardines Serves 2–4

Brine of ¼ cup salt dissolved in 2 cups water2–3 lbs. of mackerel, herring, orsmelt, cleaned with headsremoved (skin on, bones in)¾ cup olive oil¾ cup water¾ cup vinegar from a jar of sweet pickles3 bay leaves2 Tbsp. peppercorns

1. Add the fish to the brine andplace in the refrigerator for atleast 3 hours.

2. Remove the fish from the brineand add to a crockpot with theolive oil and all remainingingredients. Be sure the fish iscompletely covered with liquid.Add more water if necessary.

3. Simmer on low heat for 3–6hours (depending on the size ofthe fish) or until the fish is verysoft, even the bones.

© 2016 b

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My readers have let me know how muchthey enjoy crockpot cooking. They allowworking families the chance to comehome to long-simmered soups, sauces,stews and other comforting meals thatwarm the soul. The trick to developing orconverting recipes for slow cookers is tocorrectly estimate the liquid needed.Figure that about 2 cups of liquid will beevaporated during the cooking processover six to eight hours, so planaccordingly.For instance, if you want to make chickensoup or minestrone soup in the slowcooker, just add 2 extra cups of water toyour recipe and it should work out well.Don’t add pasta or rice until the end (15 minutes before serving for pasta, 30minutes before serving for white rice, 40 minutes before serving for brownrice). Chili works particularly well in theslow cooker. Most chili recipes have longcooking times and won’t need muchadjustment, but if the cooking time callsfor only one or two hours of heat, addthose two extra cups of water and let itsimmer all day.Because of the long cooking times, leantowards using tougher cuts of meat andheartier fish for best results. Lamb shankshold up well to 10 hours of braising as doshort ribs. Pork shoulder and rump roastbecome very tender after stewing forhours. Don’t be afraid to make fish inyour slow cooker. My HomemadeSardines cook for about 6 hours and canbe made with mackerel, smelt, herring, oreven trout. Sardines are any type of small fish likemackerel or smelt or herring that havebeen preserved in oil or packed in sauce.Sardines are a good source of protein,iron, zinc, vitamin D, and calcium (if youeat the bones). I like to make my own athome because it’s not very difficult and

the result is wonderful. This cookingprocess can be applied to larger fish liketrout very well. Just cut the bigger fishinto pieces. The sweet-pickle juice adds abeautiful complexity to these homemadesardines. The olive oil provides theprotection of polyphenols. I like to smashthe sardines up and eat them on Saltinecrackers.

AJ Ads 63 Crockpot Sardines_Layout 1 2/8/16 10:51 PM Page 1

(213) 250-9797 • http://www.asianjournal.com LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 2-5, 2016 B�Features

A MOTHER’S AND HER ATTORNEY’S PERSISTENCE RESULT IN HER DAUGHTERS FINALLY BEING ISSUED CSPA VISAS BASED ON “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES”-- ON A BRAND NEW EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY!” Lolita (left) left her two daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the US, with the dream that she would eventually have them join her. However, her previous attorney missed the one year “sought to acquire” filing deadline for CSPA eligibility, resulting in the Embassy refusing to issue their immigrant visas. Leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) was her beacon of hope, as he did not give up in trying to convince the Embassy that the daughters should be entitled to visas, despite missing the one-year deadline. Find out how Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to prove extraordinary circumstances, have the two “aged-out” daughters be issued visas, and reunite this family on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday, April 3 at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.

Ventura Crab N Spice: Finger-lickin’ good Cajun seafood! PUT on a plastic bib, and may-

be a pair of gloves, because your meal is about to get messy…in the best way possible.

Located in the Telephone Road Plaza, Ventura Crab N Spice goes beyond the average seafood res-taurant in Ventura County. With a fresh selection of shrimp, mus-sels, clams, crawfish, lobster tail, and different varieties of crab, this restaurant serves quality by the pound. Seafood is boiled in seasoned sauces and brought to the table in plastic sacks, where guests are invited to eat with their hands.

With your choice of lemon garlic, coconut, Hawaiian, or the chef’s special Crab N’ Spice flavor, as well as varying spice levels (from original/mild to the superhot “Assassin8”) and add-ons (like corn, sausage and hard-boiled quail egg), Crab N Spice offers variety, the spice of life. Boiled in savory flavors, the pound of shrimp makes the perfect meal that stays true to its Southern roots, while subtly fus-ing with traditional Asian/Filipino seafood cuisine. Coconut with clams also make a delicious pair-ing, reminiscent of Filipino Gi-nataan. And the Dungeness and

snow crab legs are served fresh, with juicy flavors in every bite.

“We came up with pineapple and light coconut flavors--the coconut because there is so much interest in coconut water now,” said co-owner Marlon Arsenal.

The restaurant offers many specials and deals, including a $40 CNS Combo that gives your choice 3 pounds of seafood (shrimp, crawfish, clam, or mus-sel), and includes 2 corn, a half-pound of hot sausage, and quail eggs. There is also a party combo option ($71) for larger groups. Sides include white rice, basket-fuls of Cajun/French/sweet potato fries, chicken wings, onion rings, fried calamari, hush puppies, and tasty garlic noodles. You can even order the fresh oyster. Check out the restaurant’s official website (www.venturacrabnspice.com), Instagram, and Facebook page for more restaurant deals and discounts.

The Pinoy owners, Marlon Arsenal and Jerrico Reyes, take pride in their family-owned busi-ness, which opened its doors this past August. They were inspired by their favorite Vietnamese-owned restaurant in Alhambra, the Boiling Crab, which has a

similar eat-with-your-hands ap-proach. “Ventura County needed a seafood restaurant like this, where you eat fresh from the table--almost like kamayan style--and it’s a different (and delicious) experience,” Reyes said.

The owners are already look-ing to expand to the vacant space next door, to better accommodate throngs of hungry customers in the plaza at lunch and din-nertime.

“There’s no place that has the same concept like Crab N Spice in the Ventura/Oxnard area, so I was super stoked to have found this place…Our food was out and ready within 15 minutes of order-ing!” said restaurant reviewer Lene N. on Yelp.

“The customer service was amazing and they go above and beyond; they do their best to accommodate the patrons,” said another reviewer from Oxnard, Youri Y.

Crab N Spice’s new winter hours are 3:00 to 10:00 pm on Mondays through Thursdays, and noon to 9:00 pm on Fridays and weekends. Visit @ventura-crabnspice, 4732 Telephone Rd #5B Ventura, CA 9300; (805) 535-4363. (Advertising Supplement)(Advertising Supplement)

Moonlighting

by Mylah de leon

world’s worst sweepers.But not Mang Segundo. He

always swept the alleys, the lanes, the pathways and the side walks, he always unclogged the sewers, emptied the dust bins down to the bottom. He never broke the bag, he never lost the filth on the way, but spilled it into deep holes and burned it. He was in sum, a fine sweeper — a sweeper who practiced his trade with pride and meticulousness. Like the arbulario (folk doctor) who cures diseases, Mang Segundo could heal Smokey Mountain’s disease of poverty.

The other protection was his Bible. He employed his broom with special skill like a soldier, without wasting ammunition and without wasting a shot. He was gaunt, and awfully poor, that the only clothing he owned was a pair of broken soled shoes, a pair of pants, a jacket of multi colored patches. Yet, to soothe such pov-erty, he had Sepa, his wife.

He went to adult school at night, learned his lessons with ease, and from his 4’11” stature, he saw more than tall people do.

Their barangay captain met him by chance, in an old city street – saw how carefully that boy sweeps the sidewalk, only to realize he was a man. He and Mang Se-gundo immediately started to talk and struck up friendship. Mang Segundo told the Barangay Captain that at age 40, the only thing he was most familiar with was his broom and his Bible. With the broom, he supported six children, a wife who is expecting a seventh and an in

infirm father. They could barely have three square meals a day, and they were all suffering from malnutrition.

That was when I met him, while covering the City Mayors Nutri-tion Program in a squatters area in Payatas. He was rich in intel-ligence and knew how to read and write. He told me the two kinds of malnutrition: the one of the body, which comes from not eating, and the one of the soul, which comes from not knowing. And that since both of them prevent us from growing, we need to know, as well as eat.

I asked Mang Segundo if he has ever read a book, his reply was, “Books are more expensive than meat.” But now, he understands why he is hungry even when he eats: his is not hungry for food — as that can be staved off by nutrition programs — he is actually hungry for knowing. He would like so much to know, to discover why the world turns. Why at times to the left or to the right, why some people have five or six jackets and some have only one (full of multi-colored patches), or one pair of shoes, as others have dozens.

He made me promise I will bring him a book, and I did.

But then, the eviction and re-location order had been handed down by the court and had taken place. A number of them were severely wounded as they fought with the authorities while protect-ing their homes for years.

And besides, what book do I bring to a man who has never read a book?

Once upon a street sweeper

WHAT a noble trade it is to be a street sweeper. It consists of sweep-ing the filth we produce, making our existence less infected.

Mindless and ungrateful are those who use the word sweeper in a disparaging way, and who do not understand how extraordinary and precious the sweepers are. We would die of stench, dirt and shame without them.

In earlier times back home, (dur-ing the 50s-60s), nobody wanted to be a sweeper. Branded as camine-ros or camineras, they were then called Metro Aides during Mrs. Marcos’ leadership. They gather the filth randomly, breaking the bags and emptying the dust bins.

In Smokey Mountain, instead of burning it, they spill it into shallow holes where it remained to taint the air with a putrid smell of mish mash trash. They never cleaned the sewer nor swept the alleys, path ways or sidewalks. In short, these were the bad sweepers — the

dark private side—he is envious, insecure, hateful and xenophobic and all those things that we think of when we think of somebody who is disturbed.

How did you come up with your version of Lex Luthor?

The script was fantastic. This character was written by a guy named Chris Terrio. He wrote “Argo.” He is a phenomenal writ-er… [creating] a character who’s bright but also scary, manipulative, unhinged and irrational.

That’s the kind of stuff I like to do, too, where the character feels like unpredictable, not stable and not in line with what the audience expects or what the other charac-ters seem to expect.

My job was to try to find the emotion behind that and find something that makes him appear not only human and authentic, but actually emotional and struggling.

What kind of mood were you in during the filming?

Chris, who’s now a friend of mine, and I had a good time craft-ing the character. We would send each other classical music tracks and what we think Lex would have

‘Lex Luthor’ curious about PH... PAGE B1

low somebody who has so much power to exist?

Then, I think about how my character’s xenophobia, how he isn’t only scared of somebody like Superman, but also paints Super-man to the public as a real threat to Earth.

You played journalist David Lipsky in “The End of the Tour,” but you do write in real life. What do you enjoy about writing?

I find the writing that I do to be an extension of the acting that I do. I write plays. I have a play (“The Revisionist”) that’s about to start up here (Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hills) and a play (“The Spoils”) on the West End in England. Those are extensions of my acting, because

I’m thinking about characters.Talk some more about those

two plays.We start “The Spoils” in the

West End in May. It’s again with an actor who films (“The Big Bang Theory”) across the street, Kunal Nayyar.

He plays my friend in the play. I’ve never actually performed in London, but in my second play (“The Revisionist”), Vanessa Red-grave was the main character (in the Off-Broadway production; Deanna Dunagan stars in the Bev-erly Hills staging).

What I learned from it as a playwright was something really wonderful, which is, that English actors—this is what Vanessa told

in his study, what kind of props he would use.

But what was really interesting to me was trying to figure out this character’s emotional back story, this guy’s relationship with his father.

It sounds esoteric and unrelated to the movie, but as an actor, it’s all this stuff that you like, all the stuff that when you’re doing 30 takes of something and it’s in the middle of the night and you’re exhausted—you go back to as a crutch to remember what’s driving this person.

When you were a boy, were you a fan of Superman or Bat-man—and did you read comic books?

I never read comic books grow-ing up. My father loved Superman. He stood in line for “Man of Steel” when the movie came out. My nephew, who’s 4 years old, loves Superman.

But what I really liked about this movie and its script was that for somebody like me who had no prior knowledge of the mythology of these superheroes, the movie was discussing these relevant, modern issues like, should we al-

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By Monet Lu

Tsibel Dental Team: They treat people, not teeth!A VISIT to any of the three

locations; South Pasadena, Pasa-dena, or Bellflower, will cause you to feel like you have a rela-tive in dental care. The doctors and staff treat every patient like family, and the results and smiles speak for themselves. It’s no secret that people would rather be doing a million other things instead of being in a dental chair, but accomplishing necessary dental treatment should not be procrastinated.

At the offices of Dr. Tsibel, a quality experience that is both convenient and comfortable translates to a life-long commit-ment to a healthy mouth. How important is that you ask? Good oral health can help improve birth outcomes, keep children from developing painful cavities and prevent seniors and those with chronic health conditions from developing life-threatening complications. Basically, good oral health is directly linked to general health and longevity.

An experienced team of dental professionals consisting of dentists and hygienists will thoroughly evaluate and clearly explain your oral condition. Without any pressure or discom-fort you will become informed about your dental needs, and will be able to make an appropriate decision about how you would like to proceed with attaining your goals. Best of all, you and your family will never have to go anywhere else regardless of what exams or treatment is required. Dr. Tsibel’s offices offer the latest technology including digital x-ray, Panorex, Ct-Scan, and Laser Dentistry, and a complete team of dental specialists trained in specific disciplines of dentistry. Whether you or your loved ones need root canal treatment, wis-dom teeth extractions, braces, children’s dentistry for all ages, gum surgery, or implants, they offer an Endodontist, Periodon-tist, Pediatric Dentist, Orthodon-tist, and Oral Surgeon on site.

“We provide all types of qual-ity dental treatments, from pre-ventative care to restoration procedures. That is what makes our dental practice unique. We always look at the bigger pic-

ture that best suits the patient, and not a quick fix but a lasting restoration. Treating patients like family is the key,” said Dr. Jaime Policarpio.

Dr. Policarpio, who came from a family of dentists, practiced dentistry for a couple of years in the Philippines before getting his dental license in California in 2008. He joined the Tsibel Dental Team because of its diversity and the variety of treatments and ser-vices offered to patients.

“I was attracted to this dental practice because of its diversity and thought that this is the right place where I could meet my goals. We are not just putting patients out of pain, but we give them the proper restoration for a good quality of life,” Policarpio shared.

Do you have anxieties and pho-bias about seeing the dentist? They treat that as well! Any specialized dental treatment described above or any general needs, whether cosmetic or routine fillings and crowns, can be performed under sedation. Whether you choose Oral or IV sedation, their specifi-cally licensed and trained doctors will have you resting and/or sleep-ing comfortably until the entire procedure is completed. You’ll wake up without recollection of the procedure, but will be well on your away to achieving the smile you always wanted.

The dental team genuinely wants you to enjoy every visit and try to make it comfortable for the entire family. At the larger Bellflower location, they provide snacks, complementary

childcare, a 40-seat movie the-ater, 4 exotic aquariums, free massage, and even bake their own cookies!

“A regular dental visit is always encouraged to prevent or avoid dental problems. We are here to help you,” Policarpio said.

For new patients, they are of-fering an unbelievable $49 special for a teeth cleaning, exam, and X-ray! If any additional treatment is required, personnel trained to provide financial arrangement and assistance are always on hand to explain your insurance benefits, or to make the cost of necessary dental care manageable.

Please visit any of their state-of-the-art websites for more patient reviews, videos, and interactive resources about everything that these offices represent. You can also read doctor biographies as an introduction to the people who will take care of your family. Stay connected via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Google Plus, Pinterest, and YouTube) for great offers, blog posts, services, and rewards at each convenient location!

Appointment requests can eas-ily be made online on any of the sites below or simply by calling either office directly. Convenient late evening and Saturday ap-pointments are offered at the Bellflower location. Offices have several Filipino staff members including Doctors Walter Lim and Jamie Policarpio who are featured in this article, and proudly serve our kababayan community in the LA region.

Monday, April 4 - We share an important announcement about the Philippine Heritage Collection in Echo Park as part of our celebra-tion of the National Library Week. Join us for an exclusive reading of Carlene Sobrino Bonniver’s “Memoir of a Stranger.”

Tuesday, April 5 - Join us for a LIVE show with Immigration attorneys Allison Aquino Silva and Richard Law. Call in from Los Angeles and ask your questions!

Wednesday, April 6 - Mid-week News Updates from the Asian Journal and Mia McLeod of

G. TönGi

The Global Kababayan

Programming of Kababayan Today, April 4-8, 2016McLeod and Associates gives real estate advice.

Sal Malaki, a graduate from the University of the Philippines College of Music, shares his experience of being the longest member of the prestigious Los Angeles Master Choral.

Thursday, April 7 - We chat with Victoria Montecillo, Amy Grifith and Professor Giovanni Ortega and discuss the Pomona College’s Theater Production of “Urinetown,” which opens today!

Watch out for details on how to get involved with the Filipino American Chamber of Com-merce Orange County.

Friday, April 8 - Pulitzer

prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas his historic crowdsourcing campaign to raise a million dollars for his media company called #Emer-geUS. Jose is joined by his video editor, Jenna Pittaway.

*** Giselle “G” Töngi is the host and producer

of Kababayan Today, a daily talk show that features relevant topics for Filipino’s living in America. Her aim is to bridge not only the cultural gap between America & the Philippines but to help with the generational gap between our own people. She is married with two children and is based in Southern California and makes frequent trips in the Pacific Rim to Hawaii and Manila to feature fellow kababayans who are empowering the FilAm community.

I MAdE plans of seeing my dear friend, Ruffa Gutierrez, when I went to the Philippines last February. She kept inviting me for dinner (part of the reason was for me to meet the person who is making my friend really happy), but because of my tight schedule, our supposed dinner didn’t happen. It would have been one hell of a catching up session and good opportunity to know the love of her life.

I’ve been friends with the Guti-errezes for a while now and I treat them as family. Ruffa is one of my trusted friends – the feeling is mutual. I was there when she was still married to her ex-husband, Yilmaz Bektas and even flew to Turkey to see her. Now that she has found “contentment and love” with her boyfriend of two years, Jordan Mouyal, she can’t wait to share with me her love-conquers-all stories (alluding to the fact that her mom is against the relationship).

despite Ruffa’s busy sched-ule juggling everything on her plate — her endorsements, her upcoming Teleserye with TV 5, and commitments with AVON Fashions as their Jewelry and Watches’ Ambassador – her enthusiasm and optimism never changes. I guess I have Jordan to thank for that.

In an interview with Ruffa, she said that she is happy that Jordan is secure with who she is when it comes to their relationship.

Jordan, who is a few years younger than her, is also a double-Masters degree holder, comes from a good family (in Paris), and is said to be a very secure man. In fact, Ruffa stated in the press launch of the 3rd season of “It Takes Gutz to be A Gutierrez,” that unlike other people who would opt to dis-tance themselves if they are in Jordan’s situation (Annabel’s disapproval of him), her boy-friend chose to stay.

“Yeah, I think it’s a two-way thing. Also with Jordan, he has proven to me and to my friends that he’s here for the long run. Hindi naman siya pangit, may trabaho naman ang tao, maganda naman ang kinikita niya. (He’s not ugly, he has work, he’s earn-

Ruffa Gutierrez on finding security with boyfriend, Jordan Mouyal

Ruffa Gutierrez with Jordan Mouyal

ing well.) He has a double degree in engineering.”Hindi naman siya yung parang walang pinag-aralan na hampaslupa. Hindi naman siya tambay sa kanto,” Ruffa said. (He’s not like some good for nothing person. He’s not someone who just loiters around the streets), Ruffa said in a recent interview with Rappler.

She also added that Jordan felt bad about what he has heard from Annabelle but this did not cause the businessman to lose respect for Ruffa’s mom.

Since I know their family for a while now, I understand – as much as Ruffa does – that An-nabelle just wants the best for her children. I’ve seen how she fought for them and while she ad-mittedly expresses her opinions too blunt (to a fault), she loves them all so much.

Ruffa’s love-hate relationship with her mom may be one of world’s “fascinating mysteries,” but one thing remains true for this mother-daughter tandem: They both care and love so much – they are willing to fight for it.

In one of Annabelle’s tweets, she said that she just wants to surrender all her issues with Ruffa, [since] she already said everything. She also added that it’s no use repeating them if her daughter will resist them anyway. She tweeted, “Surrender na ako. Hindi lang mga kamay ang itataas ko, pati mga paa ko itataas ko na rin sa pagsuko ko... (I sur-render. Not just my hands but my feet as well).”

Ruffa, on the other hand ac-

knowledges that at the end of the day, she is still her mother. And since she is a mother too, she understands what a mother’s love can drive people to do. But right now, she just wants to savor the experience of being loved and feeling inspired.

“Jordan serves as an inspira-tion… (But) it’s more on the side that we complement each other and we make each other happy. Kung may mga arguments man kami, it’s more on the little things lang. Petty. And the fact that we both love to travel, we both are hard working and at the same time, hindi kami parehong seloso na wala sa lugar, ” Ruffa said in an article.

As they say, ”True love con-quers all.”

To my friend, Ruffa: I am happy for you and Jordan. I wish I’ve met him that night when we are supposed to have dinner. But there’s always a next time. And from the looks of it, I’d still be seeing him with you in the years to come. Good luck to both of you! Love and cheers!

***Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-

winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at [email protected]

‘Lex Luthor’ curious about PH... PAGE B3

me—don’t meddle with the script. She was like, “Oh this is an Ameri-can tradition to try to change the script. We don’t do that.”

When did you start writing?I was 16 years old and in a

performing arts high school. Some-body exposed me to Woody Allen. I was so inspired by him that I wrote a script based on his life.

What lesson did you learn from that?

I learned the lesson of don’t put real people in movie scripts—they’ll sue you. After that, I started writing more fiction.

They’re trying to make a play as real as possible without the con-cerns for commercialization [unlike in movies].

And now, you’ve been directed by Woody Allen twice. What was that like?

It was great. My mom grew up as a socialist hippie. She was a folk-singing clown who created games that all the kids would win and no one would lose.

You have a great sense of humor. How did that evolve from your childhood?

When you’re starting out as an actor—I find this in the Jewish New York community, I feel like you have to caricature yourself a little bit. If you have some success, you can parlay that into playing, I’d say, characters who aren’t so coded as what we think of as that stereotype.

How are you coping with the increasing public attention?

I don’t get that much attention outside of places where you’re ex-plicitly going for it, like this.

What is Kryptonite in your life?

Probably inaction, just not hav-ing something to do. That kind of boredom kills me.

He is the greatest. It was inter-esting to be able to watch him direct because he has such a great facility with his work. As an actor, it’s easy to work with him because the way he shoots is so simple.

Was there a teacher or some-one who inspired you to write?

No, I never got that. If you’re driven, it’s the rejection that will push you farther than the accep-tance, because you have an extra fire underneath and an extra thing to write about, which is depres-sion.

After “The Social Network,” did you have contact with Mark Zuckerberg?

We speak every day (laughs). Mainly business stuff.

You must have enjoyed having a mom who was a professional clown when you were growing up.

WHILE the universe lay at her feet, coming home to the Philip-pines is never complete for reign-ing Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach without a trip to the country’s number one fastfood chain.

On her second trip home since winning the much-coveted crown, the Miss Universe did not only drop by Jollibee, she also helped spread joy to 20 kids from an orphanage who were invited to a special Jollibee lunch party.

The Jollibee Buendia-Bautista branch, on the border of the cit-ies of Makati and Pasay, quickly turned into a playground for four- to eight-year-old kids who – like Pia and her entourage – were served with a filling meal of two-piece Chickenjoy, chocolate sundae, and Peach Mango Pie. They were also treated to a special dance number by the Jollibee and Friends mascots.

Pia earlier revealed in a Buzzfeed Philippines interview that she’s a Jollibee fan, with the Chickenjoy as her favorite.

during the short program, Pia also imparted some life-lessons to the kids during the simple program. “Importante na lagi tayong maging magalang sa mga nakakatanda sa atin, mag-aaral ng mabuti, at parating magdasal, lalo na bago kumain (It is important that we are respectful to our el-ders, study well, and always pray, especially before meals),” said Pia, addressing the children.

A symbol of hope and persever-ance for Filipinos, Pia joined the local Binibining Pilipinas three times before winning the crown to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant. Her victory ended a 63-year drought

Miss Universe shares the ‘taste of joy’ with kids

SQUADGOALS. Jollibee and Friends joined Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach when she threw a kid’s party for Manila’s ERMA Foundation, a center for orphans. The kids spent the morning with dance numbers, surprise games, and sumptuous meals of Chickenjoy and sundaes, and special gifts from the Miss Universe herself.

DREAMS OF A QUEEN. The orphans of Manila’s ERMA Foundation were all excited and asked questions about how Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach made her dreams come true. She gamely answered the questions of the kids and even gave pieces of advice.

since the country last won the Miss Universe crown and brought jubilation among Filipinos here and abroad.

As a special gift to the kids, Pia distributed Jollibee toys and gamely posed for photos with them. (Inquirer.net)

ASIA’S Songbird returns to Los Angeles for her biggest show yet, when V Entertainment presents Regine Velasquez in “Timeless” on May 22, 2016 at 5pm at The Pasadena Civic.

“Timeless” features the legend-ary singer in fine form alongside guest performers John Gummoe of Cascades and Filipino pop-rock favorites Introvoys, plus a hundred voices from various LA choirs.

Velazquez is one of the most in-fluential performing artists in Asia. Celebrated for her vocal power, technique and versatility, this singer and record producer has influenced a generation of young female vocalists. She has collabo-rated and performed with legends from Michel Legrand to Paul Anka, and stars from Jim Brickman and dave Koz to Peabo Bryson, Brian McKnight, Ronan Keating, Jacky Cheung, and Alicia Keys.

She has won scores of awards and released platinum and gold albums throughout the region. The Philippine Association of the Record Industry hailed her the country’s Best-Selling Artist of All Time, with more than 7 million albums sold in the Philippines and 1.5 million albums in Asia.

Among her historic feats, Velas-quez was the first Asian artist to stage a solo concert at the

‘Timeless’ marks Regine Velasquez’s return to the big stage in Los Angeles

Carnegie Hall (1998) and the first Filipino to win in the MTV Asia Awards as Favorite Artist (2002); she won the same award the fol-lowing year. In 2003, she became the first Filipino artist to have a CNN Talk Asia special interview. And her performance of the Philip-pine millennium theme, “Written in the Sand,” made history when it was broadcast by the BBC to 67 countries, reaching almost a bil-lion people.

Watch “Timeless” and let Regine Velasquez transport you to golden days with her well-loved hits: “Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang,” “Narito Ako,” “Urong Sulong,”

“You’ve Made Me Stronger,” “You Are My Song,” “Ikaw,” “On The Wings of Love,” “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw,” “Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka,” “Nandiyan Palagi,” and many more!

The Pasadena Civic is located at 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101. Showtime is at 5 pm. Tick-ets are running fast at $48, $68, $78, $100 and $150 for Super VIP Limited. Call now to reserve the best seats in the house.

For inquiries, please call Vic Perez at V Entertainment at (818) 458-9258 or log on to www.venter-tainment.biz or ticketmaster.com.



They say that if you want to discover and enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine, you go to where a good number of Chinese people go. It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

For this reason, CheCK OUT ThIS new restaurant in Rowland heights. Find out why it is at-tracting the attention of many in and around the upwardly mobile, densely populated Filipino Ameri-can community surrounding it.

Delicious Chinese food, good

Love that Lobster Bay!prices and courteous efficient service —these are some of the very good reasons why Lobster Bay Restaurant’s popularity is on the rise among FilAm food lovers who pride themselves with having discriminating tastes and who want the best bang for the buck.

For foodies who live in La Pu-ente, West Covina, Diamond Bar, Puente hills, Chino hills and haci-enda heights, there is just no need to maneuver the gritty gridlock of Downtown Chinatown or drive Their Lobster dishes can be prepared in

different ways. Their Boston Lobster dish can be done as House Special; or with Ginger and Green Onion; Superior Soup Sauce; Deep Fried HK Style; Black Bean Sauce; or Steamed with Lemon Butter.

It is true what they say. If you want authentic Chinese food at the best prices, go where many Chinese people go. Many foodies are impressed with the wide variety and rich delicious taste of their course offerings.

Lobster Bay Restaurant opened over a year ago and is steadily building a name for itself despite the stiff competition among many food places in Rowland Heights. Many Filipinos who like holding parties at home or other venues find it practical and economical to order entrees from Lobster Bay in advance and pick them up. You can call and order at (626) 820-9066.

Bring your friends and your whole family to Lobster Bay Res-taurant and discover your next favorite hangout when it comes to eating great Chinese food. They have Main Dining Room and 5 function rooms, 2 of which can seat about 30 people.

If you are celebrating a special occasion at home or other venues and do not want to struggle with the cooking and cleaning while still wishing to impress your guests, you can order in advance to pick up your food from Lobster Bay Restaurant.

Lobster Bay is located at 18888 Labin Court #B 101, Rowland heights, CA 91748 with telephone # (626) 820-9066.


to Alhambra just to taste the best in Chinese cuisine. even people from Orange County who are on the hunt for delicious fare come to Lobster Bay and make a mental note to come back again and again Not only are the prices reasonable for the many varied and delicious Lobster Bay course offerings, the service is wonderful too.

If you spend $40 on orders which excludes any lobster order, you can buy a lobster dish for only $8.99/lb., OR get for FRee, a deep-fried whole fish OR get for FRee, a hALF order of deep-fried chicken.

If you spend $80 which ex-cludes any lobster order and with 7 people in your group, you can buy a lobster dish for only $8.99/lb., OR get for FRee, not ONe BUT TWO deep-fried whole fish OR get for FRee, a WhOLe order of deep-fried chicken. So what’s not to like?

Wi Spa: an urban sanctuary in the heart of LaThINK of a spa and the im-

mediate perception is an air of pretense and privilege that only a select few can indulge in, given the exorbitant prices.

however, if you live in Los An-geles, Korean spas have sprouted up, contributing to the idea that pampering oneself and affordabil-ity are not mutually exclusive.

Though the options are abun-dant, among the best is Wi Spa, known as the “Disneyland of Korean day spas.” While there are no shiny bells and whistles to it, the spa certainly lives up to its reputation as an urban sanctuary, and it’s family-friendly too.

Prior to venturing into a Korean spa, one must understand the significance it plays in Korean culture: a communal place for

worth $110 or more, the entrance fee is waived. The usual spa treat-ments, like acupressure massages, facials, manicure/ pedicure, can be booked by reservation. But one must try the full-body scrub, per-haps Wi’s signature offering.

Based on the traditional Korean technique of buffing, the scrub en-tails a procedure of sloughing off dead skin cells with an exfoliating towel, as you lie down on a table and get doused with water every so often. It may take a few minutes to get accustomed to the inten-sity, but the person (of the same gender) administering the service repeatedly asks you if you’re doing fine. The service can last 35 min-utes ($30) or can be reserved as a $90 package complete with the scrub, aroma oil massage, a face mask and hair shampoo, which all lasts for 90 minutes. Depending on one’s pain tolerance, the im-pression afterward may vary, but you’ll feel cleaner after the dead skin is washed off to make way for the lasting effects of radiating, supple skin.

On the co-ed floor (called the Jimjilbang, which translates to “bathhouse”), guests are re-quired to wear the yellow T-shirt and khaki shorts received upon check-in. There you’ll find families and couples convening at one of the five specialty sauna rooms, noshing on Korean cuisine staples at the full-service restaurant, or taking in fresh air on the rooftop deck. The floor also features a kid’s area, a library and computer

room. It’s worth noting that the five

sauna rooms—Bulgama, Salt, Clay, Jade and Ice—boast unique characteristics that contribute to the detoxification and healing powers. The Bulgama is set at 231 degrees, inviting guests to lie down somewhere between 10 to 15 minutes to sweat out toxins from the body; Salt features min-erals to purify and strengthen the body; layers of clay improved from Korea are placed in the Clay sauna to aid in lymphatic stimulation and heavy metal detoxification; the Jade room is hot to relieve any tension and stress; and the Ice sauna is recommended to end your visit to cool the body’s temperature, tighten the skin and improve circulation.

If you felt like you’ve detoxed enough from technology, free Wi-Fi is provided throughout the building to bring you back from your moment of zen, as are TVs in lounge areas.

Before you leave, don’t forget to take another shower and close out your tab. Whether you stay for an hour or the whole day, it’s nearly impossible to not feel rejuvenated and make you itch for another visit. Good thing, Wi won’t leave holes in your wallet. (AJPress)

Wi Spa is located at 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057 (on the corner of Ram-part). Visit http://www.wispausa.com/ for more details on spa services and specials.


friends and families to gather, bathe and receive the therapeutic benefits rooted in ancient bath-house traditions.

Conveniently located in be-tween Koreatown and Downtown, Wi Spa itself is an expansive, multi-level facility (48,000 square feet, to be exact) that blends the bathhouse tradition with the mo-dernity of marble and glass interi-ors. It is open 24/7, so you can go anytime, even on a whim.

enter Wi and the process of unwinding begins. For starters, valet parking is complimentary to relieve you of the stress of having to find parking, especially when there are a lot of guests checked in.

With the $25 admission fee, you gain full access to amenities like a fitness room, pools, showers, saunas, a restaurant, and the roof-top deck. A wristwatch is given as your locker key and form of iden-tification during your stay.

The rush of cramming in the day spa experience and trying out all the rooms is practically gone, as you are welcome to stay for hours on end. There are spaces to lounge in between services and even designated “sleeping rooms” for those who want to doze off in peace.

Wi is divided into gender-spe-cific floors, where the spa and other facilities are located, as well as locker rooms and changing ar-eas. For Korean spa newbies, it’s best to take a shower once you get settled in to wash away the day’s grime (dirt and the tubs do not make a great combination) and to ensure you get the maximum ben-efits of anything you decide to do, like sweating it out in the sauna. Outside the bathing areas, you’ll find changing rooms, complete with vanities and toiletries.

And take this as a fair warning to expect nudity from guests of the same gender, but any judgments and awkwardness should be left at the door.

If you want to treat yourself further, the spa offers a menu of body treatments at the fraction of the price tag you’d find at a spa elsewhere in the city. Better yet, if you purchase a treatment

ACTReSS Kristine hermosa is pregnant with her fourth child.

her husband Oyo Boy Sotto made the announcement on Instagram Friday, April, 1 by posting a video of an ultrasound of their baby.

“And another one! you never

fail to surprise us God. Thank you for this blessing!? #6weeks #KuyaKaleb #notaprilfools #for-real,” Sotto wrote in the caption.

The celebrity couple is parents to Ondrea Bliss, Kaleb hanns and adopted son Quiel. (Inquirer.net)

Kristine Hermosa pregnant with4th child, says Oyo Boy Sotto

Kristine Hermosa & Oyo Boy Sotto


FRESNO, CA --- Island Pacific Supermarket made its mark in the City of Fresno, California by commencing a 3-day grand opening celebration from March 18-20, 2016. It was an illustrious festivity of food, culture, art and tradition; highlighting the Filipino, Hmong and Hispanic ethnicities.

Excited new customers as well as distinguished guests from local Filipino, Hmong and Hispanic communities were present during the grand opening ceremony and store blessing held on Friday, March 18. The store blessing was led by Fr. Alex Ignacio from Sacred Heart Parish. Special guests include Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon Ascalon and wife Cecile Gregorio-Ascalon, District 4 City Councilmember and President Paul Caprioglio, President and CEO of National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), Faith Bautista, esteemed advocate of social justice and legal counsel of NAAC, Atty. Robert Gnaizda, Press Secretary and Director of APA Outreach for Sen. Jean Fuller, Jacqui Nguyen, Membership Development Manager of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, Sandra Vidrio, Steve Rontel of Colliers International, Dr. Toulo Thao, Robert Rodriguez of Fresno Bee and Ken Kirk, Vice President & Senior Relationship Manager of Rabo Bank.

Throughout the 3-day event, shoppers and guests were entertained with a series of performances by singer, Ryan Gallagher, Mariachi band Alas de Jalisco and Hmong Dance Group from the Hmong TV Network. Each performance represented the diverse and intricately beautiful culture of the Filipino, Hispanic and Hmong communities. Various prizes were also given away during the festivities via in-store raffles and live broadcasts done in the store by the Hmong TV Network and local radio station Mega 97.9. The event was also featured on local channel ABC30.

Nino Jefferson Lim, the CEO and Founder of Island Pacific Supermarket aims to meet the needs of the various underserved Filipino and Asian communities in America. And by opening branches in those areas, not only do the residents gain access to fresh and affordable food, but they are also introduced to a wide range of job opportunities at the store.

Island Pacific Fresno also has its own Filipino fastfood (Philhouse) and bakery (Bread Republic). Located at 6048 N 1st St, Fresno, CA 93710 (corner of First and Bullard). Open daily from 8:00am to 9:00pm. Visit www.islandpacificmarket.com for more info.

Island Pacific Supermarket Opens New Branch in

Fresno, California

april 2-5, 2016 • la WEEKEND aSiaN JOUrNal http://www.asianjournal.com • (213) 250-9797B�

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COMMUNITYJ o u r n a l

Atty. RobeRt Reeves GReGoRy J. boultAnd nAncy e. MilleR

Your ImmigrationSolution

SECURING an immigrant visa to the United States can be a long and stressful process. After waiting months or even years, an applicant concludes the process with a brief and concise inter-view with a consular officer. In the best case scenario, the im-migrant visa is approved at the time of the interview. However, not all immigrant visa interviews proceed without issue; and for some, the interview can result in the denial of their application. A de-nial is followed by confusion as the applicant and fam-ily members strug-gle to understand why the visa was denied and what action, if any, can be taken to remedy the situation.

An applicant who is denied an immigrant visa must be provided with written notice which specifi-cally identifies the legal grounds for the refusal. Generally, such written notices only identify the section of the law upon which the denial is based. As a result, many applicants are left confused as to why they were denied. In addition, depending upon the specific law cited for the denial, some applicants are informed that they may apply for a waiver which, if approved, would render them eligible for a visa. Others are simply advised that no waiver is available and that the refusal is the final decision. Obviously, ei-ther of these outcomes can prove devastating. And the first step, which should be conducted by an experienced and knowledge-able immigration attorney, is a determination of whether the denial of the immigrant visa ap-plication was legally correct.

The immigration laws of the United States are complex. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that the denial of any im-migrant visa application should

Immigrant visa denied — what’s the next step?

be thoroughly reviewed to de-termine whether the relevant law was correctly interpreted and applied to the facts of the case. If the review establishes that an error was made by the denying consular officer, a formal request for reconsideration of the denial can be made. Such a request must be in writing and submitted within one year of the denial, and must be supported by legal argu-ment and supporting evidence

which establishes that the denial was erroneous. If a request for reconsideration is unsuccessful, an applicant may then seek an advisory opinion with the Depart-ment of State. An advisory opin-ion is a formal position statement from the Office of Visa Services in Washington, D.C., which will issue a written position regard-ing any legal issue disputed from the denial of a visa. If such a for-mal written position is favorable to the applicant, the advisory opinion can be utilized to seek the issuance of a new decision on the denied application.

While the first step is to always

review, and challenge as appro-priate, the denial of an immigrant visa application, there are in-stances when the refusal to issue an immigrant visa is legally cor-rect. Under such circumstances, the issue then turns to whether the applicant is eligible for a waiver. While consular officers are afforded broad discretion to approve or deny a visa, discre-tion rarely becomes a factor in denying an immigrant visa. In-

stead, the denial of an immigrant visa is usually based upon a ground of inad-missibility – a set of laws which preclude cer-tain individuals from immigrat-ing to the United States. Com-

mon grounds of inadmissibility include convictions for certain crimes, fraud in an attempt to ob-tain an immigration benefit, and physical presence in the United States without authorization for certain defined periods of time. Some grounds of inadmissibility do not provide for a waiver. Such grounds of inadmissibility high-light the importance of carefully reviewing, and challenging as appropriate, the denial of a visa application. However, for those who are not successful in chal-lenging a visa denial, but who are eligible to apply for a waiver, the

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“ The immigration laws of the United States are complex. It cannot be

emphasized too strongly that the denial of any immigrant visa application should be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether the relevant law was correctly interpreted

and applied to the facts of the case.”

APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797C�

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Atty. RAymond BulAon

Minding Your Finances

VictoR Sy, cPA, mBA

Tax Tips

ARE you overwhelmed with debt problems that seem insur-mountable? Are you starting to feel hopeless about your finan-cial future and thinking you’ll never get ahead?

You may be at a critical point in your life where the decisions you make at this very moment will determine the kind of life you will have in the next few years. So it’s important that you make the right choices.

A famous author said: “It is in those moments of decision that our destiny is shaped”. I think what this means is that the decisions we make in life are so powerful and regardless of whether you realize it or not, you are constantly creating re-sults in your life, good or bad, at every single moment. You are literally the creator of your des-tiny. The path you take, whether right or wrong will take you to a certain destination. Are you on the right path?

Filing for bankruptcy when you are in debt may seem like a drastic step but when appropri-ate for your situation, it may be

Can’t decide if bankruptcy is right for you?just what you need to do a com-plete turnaround and get back on track. If your debt problems are making you very insecure about your financial future, the fresh financial start provided by our bankruptcy laws can put you on the road to financial recovery so that you can start building wealth again instead of accumu-lating debts.

If your life is out of control, only you can regain control of your circumstances by exercis-ing your power of decision. No one can do this for you. As a bankruptcy attorney, I tell my clients that my job is to help them understand their options but ultimately, they are respon-sible for the decisions that they make. The people who under-stand this are the ones who come out of bankruptcy success-fully over a very short period of time. Before long, they move on to bigger and better things in life. They understand the power of decision.

The refusal to decide is also a decision in itself. By refusing to decide what kind of life you want to have, you have made the decision to leave everything to

chance and be a victim of cir-cumstances. Don’t let this hap-pen to you.

There is power in decision-making. If you are burdened with financial problems, find out what options you have available and decide once and for all to get out of debt as soon as pos-sible. If you can get out of debt without filing for Bankruptcy, decide on what strategy to use to accomplish your objective. If Bankruptcy is your only solu-tion, however, perhaps you also need to decide that this is what you must do to change your life for the better. Seek legal help as soon as possible.

Call my office now at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 and request a free confidential consultation with me. I’d like to help you get your finances back in order. We have offices in Glendale, Cerri-tos and Valencia.

* * *None of the information herein is in-

tended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has success-fully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)

AmericAn DreAm

Allison Aquino-silvA, Esq

COMING to the United States as a K-1 Fiancée is an exciting and joyous occasion. After typi-cally waiting many months to be together, couples are finally re-united and ready to embark on a new life together. Most couples bask in the glow of their new marriage and smoothly navigate through the immigration pro-cess of obtaining a green card. But, because the transition to married life and to being togeth-er on a daily basis can certainly have its challenges, many other couples may not have such luck and may find themselves not wanting to remain in the mar-riage.

This can clearly cause sig-nificant problems for the spouse who must change their fiancée visa to a green card. Individu-als faced with this situation, however, need to realize that there may still be possibilities for obtaining their green card. This possibility, however, is only available if the individual actu-ally married their K-1 petitioner. If no marriage has taken place, then an individual generally has no ability to legalize their status in the US. The few exceptions available to those who do not marry their K-1 petitioner are those who may have been sub-jected to abuse, certain crimes, or were trafficked to the US.

As indicated, K-1 Fiancées who in fact married their K-1 pe-titioner continue to be eligible to become a lawful permanent res-ident even if they have already separated, or even divorced, their K-1 petitioner. This is the case whether the separation oc-curs before or after the adjust-ment application is filed.

This was made clear in a 2011 court decision, Matter of Sesay, 25 I&N Dec. 431 (BIA 2011). The case involves a Sierra Le-one citizen who entered the US as a K-1 fiancé. He had met his fiancée while studying in Ethio-pia. After he entered the US, he and his wife got married within the required 90-day period. Mr. Sesay, however, only filed his adjustment of status applica-tion about 14 months after his

K-1 fiancée: Adjusting status after a separation or divorceentry. The immigration service erroneously denied his applica-tion, which they later admitted to during removal proceedings. Unfortunately, Mr. Sesay and his wife got divorced about 7 months after the erroneous de-nial of his adjustment of status application.

About a year after removal proceedings had been initiated, Mr. Sesay got married again to another US citizen. In removal proceedings, Mr. Sesay submit-ted a second adjustment of sta-tus application based on his sec-ond marriage. Mr. Sesay also renewed the first adjustment of status application based on his first marriage. The judge denied the adjustment application based on the second marriage, ruling that a K-1 fiancé cannot adjust through any other basis except through the marriage to the K-1 petitioner. The judge also ruled that he had no authority to re-view the adjustment application based on the first marriage since Mr. Sesay and the K-1 petitioner had already divorced.

Mr. Sesay appealed the judge’s decision, which the ap-pellate court granted, ruling in favor of Mr. Sesay. The court determined that he continued to be eligible to adjust status based him having married his K-1 pe-titioner.

The rationale of the appellate court is that Mr. Sesay fulfilled the requirements of the immi-gration laws when he married the K-1 petitioner within 90 days of his entry. Therefore, even though he and the K-1 petitioner were already divorced for nearly 8 years, he continued to be eligi-ble for permanent residency so long as he could establish that the marriage between he and the K-1 petitioner was legitimate and bona fide.

The USCIS recently issued a memo confirming the court case and instructing its officers to ap-prove bona fide adjustment of status applications when a K-1 Fiancée has married the K-1 pe-titioner. The memo, however, provides further clarification that the K-1 Fiancée can only

successfully adjust status if the K-1 petitioner submits a valid Af-fidavit of Support. Accordingly, that regrettably does mean that the cooperation of the K-1 peti-tioner is needed in order to fulfill the Affidavit of Support require-ment. The only exception to this is if the K-1 Fiancée is exempt from the Affidavit of Support re-quirement by having earned or can be credited with 40 qualify-ing quarters of work by the So-cial Security Administration.

Individuals who or may be are faced with this situation must understand that it is vital to doc-ument the legitimacy of their re-lationship. Individuals must be able to prove that they have in fact lived together with their pe-titioning spouse through items such as joint bank accounts, credit cards, rental agreements, utility bills, insurance policies, pictures, etc. When faced with the emotional turmoil of the break-up of a marriage, many react unconsciously and fail to secure the papers needed to prove their good intentions and the bona fide nature of their re-lationship. Although difficult, individuals must make sure to strengthen their odds of suc-cessfully adjusting status by se-curing the evidence needed to prove that they were in a legiti-mate and bona fide relationship. Physically securing the docu-ments is often more difficult af-ter separation, so it may be wise to do so beforehand.

The court decision recognizes the difficult realities of marriage today. It allows individuals who have already been traumatized by an unsuccessful marriage to still seek the opportunities avail-able in the US.

* * *For further information, please schedule an appointment with an attorney at Aquino & Loew, Certified Immigration Law Specialists; (888) 797-1140 or (626) 799-3089; [email protected]. Please also visit Aquino & Loew at www.aquinoloew.com and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Aquino & Loew also handles family law and criminal matters. Providing Personalized Service Nationwide & Abroad Since 1996. (Advertising Supplement)

MOST of us take medical ex-penses for granted because we have to spend more than 10% of our gross income before we can deduct medical expenses. How-ever, changes in health care plans make this a good time to brush up on 10 medical expenses.

1. Only Prescription Drugs are deductible. Over-the-counter drugs, even if taken to alleviate medical conditions, are not de-ductible. In other words, no pre-scription, no deduction.

2. Special Diet has to be pre-scribed by a physician for a spe-cific ailment or supplemental to a regular diet. It should not be used for general well being or substitute for general meals.

3. Weight Loss Programs are deductible – again. The IRS ruled against weight loss programs but recently reversed itself, meaning that the cost of weight loss pro-grams prescribed by physicians to cure specific ailments is now deductible. However, the Service emphasizes that the cost of diet foods is still nondeductible. De-spite earlier private letter rulings, the IRS also states that costs to join gym and health clubs remain nondeductible even if prescribed by physicians for weight loss.

4. Cosmetic Surgery is nonde-ductible unless it treats an illness or disease. Common procedures such as face-lifts, breast aug-

Medical expenses revisitedmentation, and liposuction are not medically necessary and are therefore not deductible.

5. Medical Expenses of De-pendents are deductible even after we lose their dependency exemptions. When our children and other dependents exceed gross income tests, we lose them as dependents for exemption purposes. But not medical ex-penses. In other words, you may continue to deduct medical costs for dependents even if you can no longer take their exemptions for income tax purposes.

6. Capital Expenditures that do not relate to permanent im-

9. In-Home Health Care Costs for nurses, attendants, and care-givers are deductible if pre-scribed by a licensed healthcare practitioner for medical or long-term care.

10. Travel Costs for the di-agnosis, cure, mitigation, or prevention of a specific disease are deductible. Travel to a golf course even if recommended by a doctor to develop motors skills is not. Travel to Hawaii during winter to stay away from cold weather to alleviate arthritis or escape the flu season is not de-ductible either. Nice try though.

California did not change. It

Recent Development:Medical AGI Deduction Threshold: 2012 2013-2016 After 2016O Individual under 65 7.5% 10% 10%O Individuals & Spouses age 65 before year-end 7.5% 7.5% 10%O AMT Threshold 10% 10% 10%

stuck with the old tax-friendly floor of 7 .5% of federal AGI. In other words, you get to deduct more medical expenses on your California return.

* * *Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California.

* * *He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at [email protected]. (Advertising Supplement)

provements and are prescribed by physicians are fully deduct-ible. These include wheelchairs, crutches, and portable oxygen equipment.

7. Improvements to Property such as home elevators, hot tubs, air conditioning, and swimming pools, are deductible only to the extent that costs exceed any in-crease to value of the property. Maintenance of these improve-ments to treat continuing medi-cal care is always deductible.

8. Long-term Care Services paid to nursing homes and assist-ed living facilities for diagnostic, therapeutic or rehabilitative ser-vices prescribed by a doctor are deductible.

Atty. Kenneth uRSuA ReyeS

Barrister’s Corner

IN a divorce proceeding, peo-ple sometimes have a misconcep-tion that the only assets or prop-erties that have to disclose assets and properties situated in Cali-fornia. Even worst, sometimes parties even think that since an asset or property is situated in a different country or state, that property is not community prop-erty and not subject to division in California family court. One has to understand the general com-munity property presumption in California. Property acquired before marriage is the acquir-ing spouse’s separate property,

Disclosure and characterization of overseas assets in divorce

as is property obtained during marriage that can be traced to a premarital acquisition. Family.Code. § 770(a). Rents, issues and profits” of separate property are separate property. All property acquired during marriage and before separation, other than by gift or inheritance, is presump-tively community property. Fami-ly Code §§ 760, 771(a), 772; Mar-riage of Bonds (2000) 24 C4th 1, 12, 99 CR2d 252, 258; Marriage of Lehman (1998) 18 C4th 169, 177, 74 CR2d 825, 828.

Pursuant to Family.Code. § 760, community personal or real property is consistently defined no matter where situated. Fam-ily Code §760 defines “Com-

munity property” as “Except as otherwise provided by statute, all property, real or personal, wher-ever situated, acquired by a mar-ried person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.” As such, out-of-state community property is community property for all purposes, including intraspousal management and control fiducia-ry obligations. It does not matter if the property is located in an-other state or another country.

For the same reason, the par-ties to a divorce case is required to disclose all property, sepa-rate and community, including those outside the state. During

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APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797C� Community Journal

Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr.

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights

Q: TWO weeks ago I was fired from work. My employer told me my last paycheck will be mailed to me by next payday. I have not received it yet. When I called the company to ask where my check is, I was told it was on the way. I waited again but still no pay-check. What are my rights?

A: Your employer should have paid you immediately all wages due to you when it fired you. Making you wait for your final paycheck until “next payday,” which was several days away, is a violation of the employer’s le-gal obligation to you.

Under California law, employ-ers must immediately pay all compensation due to discharged employees. Aside from pay for all regular hours worked, compen-sation owed to employees may also include pay for all work per-formed beyond 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week. It may also include additional pay for lunch or rest breaks that the employer did not provide. If the employee was eligible for vacation, he or she may also be owed payment for unused vacation time. (Note: “Use it or lose it” vacation pay policies are illegal.)

Generally, discharged employ-ees should be paid “at the place of discharge.” If the employer tells you that they will mail the check, you must consent to such an ar-rangement. If the employer sent the final paycheck by mail with-out your consent, and the check was not received, it is considered that no payment was made. You may also authorize the employer to pay the wages into your bank

Fired but not given your final paycheck? You may be entitled to a penalty!

account. The employer has the obligation to make sure that you receive your payment.

If employees quit (this means they were not discharged), they should be paid at the office or agency of the employer in the county where they worked. If they resigned from work, the employer must pay all compen-sation due to them within 72 hours of the resignation. If they gave more than 72 hours’ notice of resignation, then all compen-sation due to them must be paid on the last day of their work.

If an employer willfully fails to pay all wages due to an em-ployee after the termination, the employee’s wages continue as a penalty until paid, for up to 30 calendar days. This is called “waiting time penalties.” Hence, if the employee worked 8 hours per day and was regularly paid $15 per hour, the employer may be held liable to pay up to $3,600 in penalty for not paying the ter-minated employee on time. Even if the employee only waited two weeks to receive the final pay-check, based on the $15 per hour rate, the employee will still be entitled to receive $1,680 in wait-ing time penalties.

These amounts may not all be that significant if one consid-ers the hassle factor of trying to claim these penalties. But what if the employer has implemented a company-wide practice of delay-ing the wages of all its terminated employees? Then the harm is not just to a single employee but a large number of former employ-ees could have been victimized.

Consider the case of former em-ployees from Bank of America:

A class of Bank of America (BOA) employees sued their em-ployer, claiming that BOA violat-ed California law by failing to pay them immediately all wages due, when BOA fired them from their jobs. BOA’s paychecks were of-ten late. For example, the class representative said that when he was fired, he did not get his paycheck until two weeks later. BOA’s practice of delaying the final paychecks for fired employ-ees apparently affected about 29,500 former employees in Cali-fornia.

Rather than continue to liti-gate the case, the parties agreed to settle with BOA agreeing to pay $8,000,000.

If an employee thinks that his or her rights have been violated prior to, during, and even after a termination, it would be smart for that employee to consult with a knowledgeable and experienced employment attorney to protect his or her rights.

* * *The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com.

* * *C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced

trial attorney who has successfully obtained significant recoveries for thousands of em-ployees and consumers. He is named Top La-bor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advo-cates Forum. (Advertising Supplement)

process of applying for such a waiver should begin in earnest.

For those eligible applicants, a waiver of inadmissibility must be submitted within one year of the denial of the immigrant visa. An application for a waiver of inadmissibility is filed not with the denying embassy or consul-ate, but rather with Citizenship and Immigration Services. Such waivers are typically complicat-ed given the required evidence to prove successful, and should be prepared by an experienced and knowledgeable immigration

attorney. If granted, the waiver approval will be forwarded to the embassy or consult which issued the initial denial, and the applicant will be able to proceed with his or her immigrant visa application.

The denial of an immigrant visa is a very serious matter, and one which typically requires the professional services of an ex-perienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney to explore and pursue all available options. While the denial of an immigrant visa can be devastating, it may not be the last word.

Immigrant visa denied — what’s…***

Atty. Reeves has represented clients in numerous landmark immigration cases that have set new policies regarding INS action and immigrants’ rights. His offices are located in Pasadena, Irvine, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City. Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rreeves.com.

***The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case. (Advertising Supplement)

PAGE C1 t

the marriage, the parties’ fidu-ciary duties require full and ac-curate disclosure of true and full information affecting community property transactions. Family-Code. §§ 721(b), 1100(e). In ad-dition,

disclosure duties arise upon separation in anticipation of dis-solution, nullity or legal separa-tion. The post-separation disclo-sure duties extend to all assets and liabilities in which either party has or may have an inter-est or obligation, regardless of community or separate property characterization, and to current earnings, accumulations and expenses. These duties “arise without reference to any wrong-doing.” Family.Code. §§ 721(b),

2100(c), 2102(a)(1); Marriage of Feldman (2007) 153 CA4th 1470, 1475–1476, 64 CR3d 29, 33; Mar-riage of Brewer & Federici (2001) 93 CA4th 1334, 1342–1344, 113 CR2d 849, 854–855. Parties to a divorce case has a duty to pro-vide full and accurate disclosure of all assets and debts including those in other states and other countries. Failure to disclose could result to certain legal con-sequences to the non-disclosing parties including sanctions and attorney’s fees. If you are con-templating a divorce and you own assets and properties out-side the state or country, its best to retain the representation of an experience family law attorney.

* * *Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified

Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail [email protected] or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

* * *Please note that this article is not legal advice and is

not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to

provide only general, non-specific legal information.

This article is not intended to cover all the issues related

to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply

to your matter may make the outcome different than

would be anticipated by you. This article does create

any attorney client relationship between you and the

Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not

a solicitation. (Advertising Supplement)

4 ways filing for divorce can benefit your…

reverendrodel G. BAlAGtAS

To Live With Faith

AT St. John the Baptist in Baldwin Park, California, they do something big at the conclu-sion of the Holy Thursday liturgy. The priests and the parishioners transfer the Body of Christ in a huge monstrance to an elabo-rately decorated hall.

You should see the faces of the people as they do this—they are filled with piety.

The people, mostly Hispanics, respond to this elaborate cel-ebration. And I believe that the reason for this passionate and zealous response is that they want to “see” and “feel” some-thing much bigger and tangible. And so the bigger and elaborate the visible sign of the invisible grace is, the better it is for them.

I saw a similar response when I was the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in East Hollywood. My parishioners would applaud at seeing me pour buckets of baptismal water onto

On big, tangible and concrete ways

the heads of the catechumens on Easter Vigil and delight in smell-ing the strong fragrance of newly blessed oil during anointing.

“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see me, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have. And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And they were incredulous for joy and were amazed.”

Touching and seeing; eating and drinking—these concrete, tangible and incredible ways of how Luke depicts the appear-ance of Jesus after his resurrec-tion made the disciples believe and opened their minds to un-derstand the Scriptures.

This seems to be an effective way to evangelize people, to bring faith to them: to be elabo-rate, to be more tangible, to be big, not just in liturgical and de-votional practices, but more so in the ways that we love, forgive, and are merciful to one another.

Luke, the one who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, shows the

tangible and elaborate witness of the faith of the apostles and the first Christian community in the way that they would break bread and would share the cup with one another, in the way they were of one heart and mind, and how they had everything in common.

How tangible, elaborate, and concrete are we in the ways that we care for one another? How big are our smiles? How genuine are our embraces and conversa-tions? How deep are our con-cerns for each other?

* * *From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

PAGE C3 t

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at [email protected] or [email protected]

Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

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GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW.CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES

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Eagle Rock High School Monthly Open House Tours laureate Open House Tours, from 8-10am during the spring semester on Friday, April

1. Eagle Rock Junior/Senior High School serves students in grades 7-12, and was the first school in the LAUSD to be authorized to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (grades 7-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12), a project-based program for concept and content-based learn-ing to promote global mindedness and service to others. The IB Open House is open to all interested students, and will include an introductory presentation in the ERHS library, followed by campus tours, classroom visits, and a short question-and-answer period. To register for the Open Houses, please visit www.erhs.la, and click on the “IB Open House Registration” link. Please email Mylene Keipp [email protected] for more informa-tion. We look forward to your visit!

APRIL 1

Prisoners of War Day at the Filipino Veterans Education CenterAll WWII veterans and families, please join us as we commemorate the historic 74than-

niversary of Prisoners of War Day and the Fall of Bataan, the Day of Valor, on Saturday, April 9th. In the spirit of reconciliation, friendship and international cooperation, let us leave the past behind us as we move forward with joined hands to attain peace for all mankind. The formal Commemoration and remembrance ceremony will start at 2:00pm in the Filipino Veterans Education Center, at the War Memorial Performing Arts Veterans Building (401 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco, CA 94102). This event is open to the public. Please RSVP [email protected]; [email protected]. Tel: 415 564 6262.

APRIL 9

Pilgrimages to Eastern Europe, Mexico and IndiaAmazing Pilgrimages for the Jubilee Year of Mercy! All are welcome to join Fr. Joe

Joseph of Holy Trinity Church for the spiritual and fun-filled experiences of EASTERN EU-ROPE (April 17- 30): Poland, Czech., Austria, Hungary, Medjugorje; COLONIAL MEXICO/OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (June 20 - 27): Mexico City, Theotihuacan, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Ocotlan, Xochimilco, Guanajuato, San Miguel De Allende, Guadalajara, San Juan De Los Lagos, Cristo Rey, Zapopan, Tonala; and INDIA (September 15 - 29): Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kerala. For more pilgrimage information and detailed flyers, please contact Berna-dette at [email protected] OR call 323-344-1548 & 323-547-6618.

APRIL — SEPTEMBER

Chino Hills Multicultural FestivalInspired by last year’s successful celebration of the community’s diversity, the Rotary

Club of Greater Chino Hills Foundation will host its second Multicultural Festival on Satur-day, April 23, from 3 to 9 pm, at the Chino Hills Community Center (14250 Peyton Drive, Chino Hills, CA 91709). Admission is free. There will be food booths, live entertainment, music, dance and performances by an array of participants. Sponsorship and advertisement packages are available for non-profit organizations to fundraise, and for businesses inter-ested in market their products and services. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.chinohillsrotaryclub.org. Contact: Ted Alvarez (909) 456-0359, [email protected]; Tessie Lightholder (909) 576-4152,[email protected], or Ginny Mondonedo (951) 212-4624, [email protected].

APRIL 23

COSC celebrates 27th Anniversary The Candonians of Southern California (COSC), under the leadership of their newly

elected president, Mrs. Elizabeth Gacula Singh, will celebrate their 27th Anniversary on April 30 at the Doubletree Hotel-Monrovia (924 W. Huntington Dr., Monrovia). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For questions and those interested, please email [email protected].

APRIL 30

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Atty. LAwrence yAng

Debt Relief

THE 2nd Century Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) Facility an-nounces the sponsorship of the Adult Day Care Food Program. Meals will be available at no sep-arate charge to persons enrolled at the center.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, re-

Adult day care food program public service announcementligion, age disability, or political beliefs.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program in-formation (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should con-tact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a discrimination complaint, write USDA, Direc-tor, Office of Civil Rights, Room

326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and em-ployer.

2nd Century ADHC Inc. is lo-cated at 2121 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057. For more information, please call (213) 483-1117. n

IMAGINE that you lived 2016 years ago in Jerusalem and that you were one of the new converts of Jesus Christ. You’re a 50-year old man or woman who was a gentile. You are a retailer of gar-ments with a stall in a busy retail district of Jerusalem. The news was aplenty about the 33-year old prophet whom the Jews in Je-rusalem say is their messiah, the promised one, who is to be their king who would free the Jews from the tyranny of Rome. You didn’t really care much about the Jews because you were a gentile minding your own business, with a sales permit signed by Pontius Pilate allowing you to do busi-ness in the Roman province of Jerusalem. But you have a Jew-ish friend who invited you to hear Jesus speak.

When you arrived at the place where Jesus was to speak, many people were there waiting for Him. About 5,000 people, men, women and children were sit-ting around waiting for the man called Jesus from Nazareth who performs miracles, healing lep-ers, blind people and paralytics. He is even reported to raise peo-ple from the dead! Your curiosity is piqued. Is this Jesus a magi-cian? His followers say that Jesus has said that He is the son of the one true God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai, El Shaddai, El Elohim. Is he really the son of the one true God? These are the thoughts going through your mind. The headlines in the Jerusalem times mention many incidents where Jesus is reported to complete-ly heal ten lepers in Galilee, a paralytic in Capernaum, a man born blind outside the temple at Jerusalem and two blind men at Capernaum! You’re thinking this Jesus is one cool dude, how can he heal these people, time and again, unless He is who He

He is risen!claims to be, son of the one true God? You’re thinking maybe it’s about time you stopped worship-ping molech who you sacrificed your first-born son to, a year ago; molech, the bug-eyed false god who demands the sacrifice of children. Maybe this molech is just a giant fly? And you’re think-ing that you must be a complete moron for sacrificing your first-born son to a giant fly; looks like your PHD in molecular theology was all for naught. When Jesus arrived at the gathering of 5,000, all, including you were hungry. You saw Jesus raise a basket of two loaves of bread and two fish and heard Him ask His Father to bless it. From there, you saw the bread and fish multiply until all 5,000, including you were fed with bread and fish. How can this be, how is this possible, this man is not a magician, you surmised, this man must truly be the son of the one true God!

The last headlines you read was that Jesus had raised the following from the dead: Jesus resurrects the widow’s son at Nain – “And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, weep not. And He came and touched the bier, and that bare him stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say unto thee, ARISE,’ and he that was dead stood up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.” In yet another instance, Jesus raises the daugh-ter of Jarius from the dead: “But when the people were put forth, He went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.” And recently, Jesus is reported to have raised his friend Lazarus who had been dead for four days: “And when He thus had spoken, and He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth, and he who was dead came forth bound hand and foot with graves clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him and let him go.”

Last week, Pontius Pilate, at the instigation of the Pharisees, the chief priests of the Jews, had

condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion. Pilate had asked Je-sus if he claimed to be the king of the Jews and Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Pi-late saw no fault in Jesus but suc-cumbed to what the Pharisees wanted because that was the politically correct thing to do. It was a Jewish matter, a local mat-ter of the Jews and he washed his hands of what he had done. It wasn’t his fault, he thought, condemning an innocent man to death. The Jewish Supreme court comprised of their religious big wigs, the Sanhedrin, wanted his death. Jesus is getting way too popular with the Jewish hoi po-lio. He claims to be the Son of God, a blasphemy. He has to die.

Now the news is that JESUS WILL RESURRECT ON THE THIRD DAY AFTER HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS. So last Sunday morning, you visit the tomb of Jesus and you see that the giant rock covering his tomb had been moved, His body was no longer there. What happened? Did Jesus truly resurrect from the dead? You hear the buzz. His followers are saying that they have seen and met the risen Christ! You go to Jerusalem and indeed you see Jesus, alive and well. He shows you the puncture wounds on His hands. He is gloriously alive in front of you!! INDEED, YOU PROCLAIM: HE IS RISEN!

“…The angel said to the wom-an, do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell his dis-ciples that He has risen from the dead.” — Matthew 28:6

* * *Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)

Dear Attorney Tan,MY US Citizen mother filed an I-130 immigrant petition on my

behalf, which has a priority date in February 2000 and which has been approved. She filed the I-130 petition after I came to the US in 1999 as a tourist from the Philippines. Since my arrival, I have lived in the US and have been out of status. Since I was pe-titioned as an unmarried adult daughter, I was advised that I had to wait several years to get a green card. Recently, my mother passed away. Can I still get a green card through my mother’s petition? -Apparently In Limbo

Dear Apparently In Limbo,When your mother passed away, the I-130 that was approved

on your behalf was revoked by operation of law pursuant to 8 CFR Section 205.1. However, depending on the facts of a par-ticular case, all is not lost. You may be eligible to get a green card pursuant to INA Section 204(L).

Under INA Section 204(L), relief from an automatic revoca-tion of an I-130 petition is available to certain surviving relatives. Surviving relatives who are eligible to seek 204(L) relief include a 1) principal or derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a deceased permanent resident or U.S. Citizen, and 2) derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a permanent resident or U.S. Citizen where the principal beneficiary has died. Section 204(L) relief is also available to derivative beneficiaries in I-140 employment-based petitions where the principal beneficiary has died.

Another requirement for Section 204(L) relief is that the person seeking relief must have “resi-dence” in the US. What is meant by “residence?” It is your primary home or principal actual dwell-ing place. At least one beneficiary must have resided in the U.S. when the petitioning relative died, and must continue to reside in the U.S. when seeking Section 204(L) relief. It is worth noting that all beneficiaries of a petition can benefit from Section 204(L) relief as long as at least one of the beneficiaries meets the residence requirement. Further, although “residence” is required, Section 204(L) does not require actual physical presence in the U.S. when the relative died.

In your case, it appears that you are eligible to obtain a green card. You are a principal beneficiary of an I-130 petition filed by your US Citizen mother. Further, you appear to meet the residence requirement in that you have been in the US since your arrival in 1999—you resided in the US when your mother passed away, and currently reside in the US. A check of the USCIS visa bulletin indicates the priority date for the I-130 petition filed by your mother on your behalf is current, so you can file an I-485 adjustment of status application, requesting reinstatement of the I-130 petition filed by your mother pursuant to Section 204(L).

As a sidenote, Section 204(L) relief is also available if one’s relative died while the I-130 was pending, not only after the I-130 petition was approved. Section 204(L) relief therefore is broader than Humanitarian Reinstatement of a petition under 8 CFR Section 205.1, which can only be re-quested by the principal beneficiary when the petitioner him/herself has died, and after approval of an I-130.

Relief under Section 204(L) is discretionary, and can be denied if factors in support of relief are not presented properly. It is accordingly recommended that you seek the assistance of an experi-enced attorney.

* * *Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is

a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277. Email: [email protected]. (Advertising Supplement)

Reinstatement for surviving beneficiaries of an I-130 petition filed by a deceased relative

Piyesta Pinoy BolingbrookPLEASE join us on Saturday, June 11 for the

3rd Philippine Fest Celebration (Piyesta Pinoy sa Bolingbrook) at the beautiful Bolingbrook Per-forming Arts Center (375 W. Briarcliff Rd. Boling-brook, IL).

This year’s event will include a variety of food vendors, business, merchandise, and non-profit organizations, as well as hours of dance, games, and musical entertainment, including special guest

performances. The Philippine American Cultural Foundation

(PACF) is proud to promote and share our rich Fili-pino cultural heritage and traditions in America. Your participation and support are always valu-able and critical to the survival of PACF and its programs. For more information, or to volunteer, perform, exhibit, or donate, please visit www.piye-stapinoy.net. n

APRIL 2-5, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797C�

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&MARKETPLACESHOWROOM

STI, Benitez family end squabble over PWU

PAGE D2

Atty. MichAelGurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

EVERYONE is familiar with Starbucks coffee houses, which are located on virtually every street in every city. In some cas-es, there may be four Starbucks coffee shops on each of the four corners of an intersection. In other words, Starbucks has loca-tions everywhere.

Some people have the impres-sion that in choosing an attorney to handle their case, the attorney must be like Starbucks: the attor-ney’s office must be located near the person’s home in order for the attorney to handle their case. Many people have asked if I can open a branch office near them, in order that my office could han-dle their case. (In one situation, while I already have a branch of-fice in San Francisco, the person lived in Daly City, which was only minutes away, yet they wanted me to open a branch office in Daly City).

But an attorney is not like a Starbucks coffeehouse. We do not need to be in the same city as you, for us to handle your case. In fact, immigration attorneys can

Law offices don’t need to be like Starbucks: offices on every cornerhandle immigration cases any-where throughout the US. This is because immigration law is fed-eral law, as opposed to state law. Therefore, even if an attorney’s office is in California, and the cli-ent is in Florida, the attorney can still represent that person.

During a taping of Citizen Pi-noy in Minnesota, one of the at-tendees came up and introduced herself as a former client from years ago. (I had helped her bring her child in from the Philippines although the child’s birth record was registered showing him as the biological son of his Lola.) The Citizen Pinoy taping was the first time I ever met that client in person. Yet it did not affect or hinder my office’s ability to handle her case, even though she was in Minnesota, her child was in the Philippines, and my office was in California. Everything was handled by phone, mail, fax, and e-mail. There was no need for me to have opened a branch office in Minneapolis in order for my of-fice to handle her case.

Even for removal hearing or adjustment interviews, every-thing can be done by phone,

mail, email, etc., and we simply drive or fly in for the day of the hearing or interview. We do that all the time.

My point is that if you want to hire a particular attorney for your immigration matter, but that attorney does not have a branch office next door to you, the attorney can still handle the case and represent you. Attor-neys need not be like Starbucks, with offices everywhere.

* * *Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an

active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an

active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.comCall Toll free to schedule a consultation for

anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKELFour offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES

· SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the

noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly

want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.

Business Quote of the Week

SMC’s Ang: LP, not justPoe, borrowed plane

by Doris Dumlao-abaDillaInquirer.net

POPULAR presidential aspirant Grace Poe has admitted to bor-rowing a private plane from San Miguel Group for her campaign, but it turns out that she’s not the most frequent flyer among those who want to take the place of President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) presi-dent Ramon S. Ang told reporters on Friday, April 1 that the plane borrowed at times by Poe was his personal plane and not owned by the company.

“By the way, even my personal plane if you want to check the log-book, 90 plus percent [of the time I lend to the Liberal Party or usually to the government],” Ang said.

He did not say, however, if LP presidential standard-bearer Mar Roxas was among the members of the ruling party who have bor-rowed his plane.

In February, Poe admitted to borrowing planes from two groups, Helitrend and SMC.

Ang said he lent his plane to anyone if he was not using it.

Among the borrowers was Poe, he said.

The SMC president is a licensed pilot and sometimes he flies his plane with his family as passen-gers.

Ang issued the clarification after Poe was questioned about her use of a “San Miguel” plane during the last presidential debate, held in Cebu City on March 20.

Asked whom he was support-ing in the presidential election, Ang said he was supportive of everyone.

“You know that I’m not stupid to support only one. I work in San Miguel so if I do that, the company will be affected. We support every-one who’s running. All of them are

Benitez retains control of PWU, STI gets Quezon City, Davao assets

by Doris Dumlao-abaDillaInquirer.net

AFTER over a year of legal battle, the Benitez family and STI group ended their feud over Philip-pine Women’s University (PWU) and its basic education arm Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS).

Under the deal, PWU will remain under the control of the Benitez family but the family will give up in favor of STI certain assets of Unlad Resources Development Corp.: the property in Quezon City where JASMS currently operates as well as a separate property in Davao.

In a joint statement disclosed by STI Holdings to the Philip-pine Stock Exchange on Friday, the Benitez family and STI said they had settled their differences through a “dacion en pago” or pay-ment-in-kind arrangement of these assets of Unlad.

Under the terms of the agree-ment, JASMS will remain on the Quezon City campus along EDSA until the end of school year 2017 after which it will be moved to a new location.

PWU, on the other hand, will retain its Manila campuses on Taft Avenue and Indiana Street in Manila.

At the same time, representatives

of STI- which is led by businessman Eusebio Tanco – will resign from PWU, allowing the Benitez family to consolidate control of this edu-cational institution.

PWU president Francisco Benitez described the settlement as “a mandate to rebuild PWU and JASMS while remaining true to the educational legacy of our founders.”

Benitez said talks were under-way to open new campuses outside Metro Manila in time for PWU’s centennial celebration in 2019.

In end-2014, STI and the Benitez group wrestled for control of PWU following disagreements over a three-year old joint venture. STI afterwards moved to take over a controlling stake in PWU, citing the Benitez group’s failure to meet obligations under a cooperation deal forged in 2011. STI previously initiated extra-judicial foreclosure proceedings against PWU cover-ing its Taft Ave. and Indiana St. campuses in Manila, the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School campus on EDSA, Quezon City and another property in Davao City.

But from the point of view of the Benitez family, when STI took over its loans, the latter had agreed to waive all interests, thereby chal-lenging the loan default declared by STI in court.

Manuel Villar is Philippines’ Real Estate Personality of the Year

MANUEL “Manny” B. Villar Jr, chairman of Vista Land & Lifes-capes Inc, has been named as the Real Estate Personality of the Year by the editors of Property Report, Asia’s leading luxury real estate, ar-chitecture and design publication.

Over the years, Villar has built about 300,000 quality houses for all market segments in 95 cit-ies and municipalities across 36 provinces around the Philippines. The Philippine Center for Inves-tigative Journalism (PCIJ) has, in fact, dubbed him “the dean of the (Philippine) real estate industry.”

Building homes and communi-ties – he prefers the term “Com-municities,” or integrated urban developments combining lifestyle, retail, office, healthcare, education and leisure components – that have raked in honors at the Philippines Property Awards, would have been unimaginable for Villar, who grew up in a small rented apartment in Tondo, one of Manila’s impover-ished districts.

“I am deeply grateful for, and profoundly humbled by, this recog-nition from the Philippines Property Awards,” Villar tells Property Re-port. “For me, the Real Estate Personality of the Year award is a testament to how Vista Land has been an instrument in improving

PAGE D3

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president Ramon S. Ang Inquirer.net photo

Manny Villar Inquirer.net photo

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PAGE D1

Frontier Communications completes acquisition of Verizon Wireline Operations in California

Los AngeLes—Frontier Communications Corporation on Friday, April 1 announced completion of its $10.54 billion acquisition of Verizon Communi-cations, Inc.’s wireline operations providing services to residential, commercial and wholesale cus-tomers in California, Texas and Florida. The acquisition includes approximately 3.3 million voice connections, 2.1 million broad-band connections and 1.2 million Fios video subscribers, as well as the related ILeC (incumbent local exchange carrier) busi-nesses. new customers will begin receiving monthly bills starting in mid-April.

“This is an exciting time for Frontier, and as always, we’re keeping the customer experi-ence at the forefront” said Me-linda White, area president for Frontier’s West Region, which includes California, oregon and Washington. “We have been im-pressed by the level of support received from community lead-

ers, elected officials and busi-ness owners. We look forward to welcoming our new customers and making this transition as seamless as possible.”

The website www.Meet-Frontier.com is available to customers today and includes news, information and other resources for transitioning customers.

Melinda White will oversee the addition of close to 5,000 former Verizon employees in California, the majority of whom are union members. Additionally,175 new jobs will be created in California as a direct result of this acquisi-tion.

After the transaction was an-nounced on February 5, 2015, Frontier received regulatory clearance from the U.s. Depart-ment of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and other public authorities. Additionally,

Frontier received the full support of the Communications Workers of America (District 9) and the International Brotherhood of electrical Workers (IBeW) Lo-cal 543 and the IBeW, AFL-CIo Local 824.

Frontier CommunicationsFrontier Communications Cor-

poration, now a Fortune 500 and s&P 500 company, is a leader in providing communications services to urban, suburban and rural communities in 29 states. Frontier offers a variety of ser-vices to residential customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks, including video, high-speed internet, advanced voice and Frontier secure digital pro-tection solutions. Frontier Busi-ness edge offers communications solutions to small, medium and enterprise businesses. Frontier’s approximately 28,600 employees are based entirely in the United states. More information about Frontier is available at www.frontier.com.

Ecotourism seen to drivetourism growth this year

by Louise Maureen siMeon Philstar.com

MAnILA—The Department of Tourism (DoT) expects eco-tourism to significantly drive the industry’s growth this year as it is eyed to draw in an additional 1.5 million visitors.

guided by the national Tour-ism Development Plan, DoT said it expects 1.3 million domestic and 200,000 foreign ecotourists this year.

“The push and improvement of the ecotourism industry supports

the country’s thrust of introducing new sights and activities to further encourage both local and foreign tourists to visit the Philippines,” DoT ecotourism Working group head Warner Andrada said.

Aside from its economic ben-efits, ecotourism is also geared towards community participation, protection and management of natural resources, culture and indigenous knowledge and prac-tices, and environmental educa-tion and ethics.

Andrada said there are more sites to explore in the Philippines

as the DoT continues to position local tourism to be more competi-tive and at par with neighboring countries.

Although the Philippines is an ecotourism destination with 32 key sites identified, he lamented the number of DoT-accredited establishments and personnel remains insufficient.

DoT said it is currently review-ing the promulgated rules and regulations to assess ecotourism standards and provide policy op-tions to ensure its efficiency and relevance to the industry.

Guided by the National Tourism Development Plan, the Dept. of Tourism (DOT) said it expects 1.3 million domestic and 200,000 foreign ecotourists in the Philippines this year.

Peso breaches 46 to $1 levelby Lawrence agcaoiLi

Philstar.com

MAnILA—The peso temporarily breached the 46 to $1 level yester-day due to the dovish stance of the Us Federal Reserve.

The peso opened strong at 45.9 to $1 but lost steam and closed at 46.07, four centavos weaker than Wednesday’s close of 46.03 to $1.

Volume on Friday, April 1

amounted to $600 million, lower than the previous day’s $925.5 million.

Bangko sentral ng Pilipinas gov-ernor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in a text message to reporters monetary authorities are monitoring market price reaction arising from the dov-ish set of comments from Us Fed chairman Janet Yellen.

“The strength of regional cur-rencies including the peso is a carry over momentum from the more dovish Fed comments,” Tetangco said.

Tetangco said the local currency continued to move in the same direction as other currencies in the region.

“so far the peso has continued to move in the middle of the pack of regional currencies thus no need for specific action on our part at this time,” Tetangco said.

Yellen commented earlier the Us central bank needs to proceed only cautiously as it looks to raise interest rates further.

Last Dec. 16, the Us jacked up interest rates for the first time in almost a decade and hinted of pos-sible four more hikes in 2016. The Us Fed earlier hinted the number of hikes could be reduced to two

instead of four this year.early this week, Yellen said au-

thorities would proceed with the rate increase cautiously as inflation has not yet proven durable against the backdrop of looming global risks including soft oil prices and the slowdown in China to the Us economy.

Manuel Villar is Philippines’...the lives of Filipinos by providing them homes to live comfortably and communities where necessities are within their reach. “

He adds, “Because for every Fili-pino, it is a fulfillment to see a tan-gible fruit of their hard work. This is a recognition of our contribution to the industry and our continu-ous effort to build quality houses and “Communicities” across the Philippines.”

Building quality houses for Fili-pinos has always been the priority for Villar, and with the outlook for the property sector still looking promising in 2016, Vista Land has a strong competitive advantage given its widest geographic presence.

“Rising middle class bodes well for the real estate development in the foreseeable future,” he says. “The business process outsourc-ing (BPo) will also help sustain the growth of the industry. The sector is still growing at a healthy pace, as favourable economic trends will continue.”

With Vista Land reporting a record year in 2015 with a 14 per-cent growth in profits amounting to PHP7.2 billion (UsD156 million), “the dean of the Philippine real estate industry” truly has come a long way from his roots in Tondo.

“I want to be remembered sim-ply as a man who built the most homes for Filipinos,” he says.

Through perseverance and dedi-cation, Villar helped in supporting his family’s education while grow-ing up. He eventually received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

In 1975, he established his construction supplies business that would become today’s Vis-ta Land. Villar’s company now operates several subsidiaries in-cluding Camella Homes, Communi-ties Philippines, Crown Asia, Vista Residences, Brittany, and the newly acquired starmalls Inc.

outside of Vista Land, Villar’s family also ventured in retailing businesses, with AllHome, a one-stop shop for home essentials; All Day, a convenience store; and Allshoppe, a department store. As part of the diversification of business activities, the family also has memorial parks (golden Ha-ven), schools and hospital (Vita-Care).

For his achievements, he was recognised as the Most outstand-ing UP Alumnus (1991) and Most Distinguished UP Alumnus (2004). He is also the recipient of sev-eral national awards, including: Ten outstanding Young Men Award (1986) by the Philippine Jaycees, Agora Award for outstanding Achievement in Marketing Man-agement (1989), Most outstand-ingCPA by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1990). A self-made man and one of the prominent billionaires in the Philippines, according to Forbes, with a net worth of UsD1.37 billion in 2016, he has been a central figure in the housing sector.

Aside from his distinguished career in business, he also has an exemplary record in public service as the first and only post-war public official who became both speaker of the House of Repre-sentatives (1998-2000) and senate President (2006-2008). He is also the president of nacionalista Party, the country’s grandest political party. Villar and his wife, senator Cynthia Villar, have three children following in their footsteps. Their eldest son, Manuel Paolo, a gradu-ate of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton school, is currently the president and Ceo of Vista Land. Their middle child Mark received his MBA from the University of Chicago and is now a congress-man for the district of Las Piñas. Their youngest, Camille Lydia, finished her MBA at the prestigious Iese Business school in Barcelona, spain and is the managing director of Brittany Corp. (Inquirer.net)

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. Philstar.com photo

Building quality houses for Filipinos has always been the priority for Villar, and with the outlook for the property sector still looking promising in 2016, Vista Land has a strong competitive advantage given its widest geographic presence.

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ADB: Philippine growth momentum sustainable by Czeriza ValenCia

Philstar.com

MANILA—Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects the Philippines to sustain its growth momentum this year and the next, driven by strong con-sumption and public investment.

In its Asian Development Out-look 2016 released on Thursday, March 31, the multilateral bank said the country’s gross domes-tic product (GDP) is expected to grow six percent this year and 6.1 percent in 2017, faster than the 5.8 percent expansion in 2015.

ADB country director Richard Bolt said the Philippines is expect-ed to weather external pressures and the prevailing dry spell.

“While the Philippines contin-ues to experience headwinds, in-cluding a strong El Niño weather event which has affected agricul-ture, as well as weak external de-mand, economic growth remains strong. Sustaining this growth will require the continuation of poli-cies that support infrastructure and human capital development, improvements to the investment climate, and better governance.”

The Philippine economy is still largely driven by domestic consumption that accounts for nearly 70 percent of GDP. ADB noted that increased employment, remittance inflows from overseas workers, and manageable infla-tion encourages households to spend.

Increased government expen-diture, which began last year, is also expected to pick up this year.

Private consumption, however, would continue to be the main growth driver in 2016 on the back of higher government salaries, increased employment, modest inflation and remittance inflows.

Private sector investment is expected to sustain growth as indicated by increased imports of capital goods in 2015 and higher foreign direct investment.

Infrastructure building would also expand driven by the imple-mentation of the projects awarded under the public-private partner-ship (PPP) scheme since 2010. These include highways, railways, an airport terminal and water sup-ply facilities.

ADB said any risks to sustain-ing growth would come from the impact of El Nino to agriculture

and food price as well as changes in policy after the elections.

The Philippines can also ben-efit from educating its large popu-lation of youth to help them find gainful employment.

“The demographic dividend can only be realized if the youth are in education, training or pro-ductive employment,” said Sona Shrestha, principal economist for the Philippines. “Overcoming this challenge should be a cornerstone of the Philippines’ development agenda for the coming years.”

Meanwhile, ADB expects growth to slow down in develop-ing Asia this year to 5.7 percent from 5.9 percent last year largely because of weakness in indus-trial economies and softer growth

SMC’s Ang: LP, not Poe, borrowed...my friends,” Ang said.

Level playing fieldHe stressed, however, that he

had never and would never ask a favor from anyone in the govern-ment.

“We only join public biddings and we only play on a level play-ing field. We never ask a favor from anyone in [the] government,” Ang said.

Some people describe him as “close” to President Aquino, Ang said this was furthest from the truth.

Ang noted that in the bidding for the Cavite-Laguna Expressway toll road, SMC submitted the best offer, but the government decided to rebid the public-private partner-ship (PPP) project.

The project was eventually

bagged by SMC’s rival, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. headed by Manuel V. Pangilinan.

In the bidding for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) expressway, Ang said, “even some parties who were not qualified were allowed to participate.”

SMC won the bidding for the project.

In the bidding for the Daang Hari toll road—the first PPP project offered by the Aquino administra-tion—Ang said: “We lost, but they changed the terms of reference and the government ended up subsidizing [the cost].”

The project was undertaken by the Ayala Group.

Cojuangco’s healthAsked about the health of Edu-

ardo “Danding” Cojuangco, Ang confirmed that the SMC chair had

gone to the United States for a medical checkup.

“As of last night, when I talked to the doctor, [I was told] he’s do-ing very well,” he said.

In 2012, Cojuangco completed the sale of the single biggest controlling block in SMC to Ang. But Cojuangco, whose leadership began in 1998, has remained chair of the conglomerate.

Analysts see Cojuangco’s move as part of the businessman’s estate planning, which is similar to the route taken by some retiring Amer-ican tycoons who cash out their controlling stakes in their compa-nies to distribute the proceeds to their heirs upon their retirement but make sure management will pass on to people deemed most fit to continue running the busi-nesses.

The Philippine economy is still largely driven by domestic consumption that accounts for nearly 70 percent of GDP. ADB noted that increased employment, remittance inflows from overseas workers, and manageable inflation encourages households to spend. Philstar.com photo by Jun Acculador

PAGE D5

PAGE D1

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Longo Toyota delivers world class experienceBeing the premiere

Toyota retailer in the na-tion, Longo Toyota aims to deliver a truly world-class experience to our guests on every transaction, ev-eryday.

it all starts with our friendly and welcoming staff, a clean and mod-ern environment, and a wide range of services to make your visit pleasant and convenient. Here are some of our key amenities at Longo Toyota:

Auto Club of Southern California (AAA)

in november 1999, Longo Toyota became the first automotive dealer-ship in the US to have the Auto Club on its prem-ises. For 14 long years, our Auto Club branch has served countless satisfied Longo customers with its wide array of services

Today, our on-site branch offers DMV servic-es, airline, car and hotel reservations, discounted movie and local attraction tickets, membership pro-cessing, OnBoard Teen Safe Driver Program, and more. Sign up at our Longo Toyota branch and get $13 off the origi-nal membership application price. Located in our new car showroom, our AAA branch is open Mondays thru Saturdays, from 11am to 7pm.

Verizon Wireless Premium RetailerLongo Lexus is the first car dealership in the

US to provide Verizon Wireless and Verizon Wireless neighborhood services on-site. Our Verizon branch offers the latest in telecommu-nications, mobile devices, accessories and ser-vices. We also offer complimentary cellphone charging stations for our customers. Our Ve-rizon retailer is located inside our parts retail center. Our Wireless Playground is open Mon-day-Friday, 7am-7pm; Saturday, 7am-5:30pm; and Sunday, 8-4pm. Please call (888) 623-2133 for more information.

Starbucks and SubwayWhile waiting for your car to come out of our

car-care service lines, you can enjoy a quick bite at Subway or a nice refreshing drink at Starbucks. We offer healthy dining options with Subway’s wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and wraps.

if you’re thirsty and you’re looking for that quick coffee fix, you can grab a refreshing Ha-zelnut Macchiato or a smooth Caramel Frappuc-cino at Starbucks. Offering only the finest cof-fee specialties, teas, juices, and assortment of pastries, there’s something for everybody at our on-site Starbucks branch.

Both our Subway and Starbucks branches are available for catering services.

Enterprise Rent-A-CarLongo Toyota also has two enterprise Rent-

A-Car offices on its prem-ises. One is located adja-cent to the Service Drive in the Pre-Owned Vehicle Showroom, and the other is in the Collision Repair Center. Customers are welcome to utilize the en-terprise rental services, re-gardless of whether or not they leave their vehicle in Longo for any car service.

Complimentary Vehicle Delivery Service

Longo Toyota also offer complimentary vehicle de-livery service. Our delivery service is available 6 days a week, Monday thru Sat-urday, anywhere within a 60-mile radius of Longo Toyota.

Longo Toyota Parts and Accessories Department

You can also shop at the Longo Toyota Parts and Accessories Department, which carries a wide se-lection of genuine Toyota parts and accessories for your vehicle. With thou-sands of parts and acces-sories in stock, we defi-nitely have whatever it is you’re looking for. Our

boutique also carries a selection of Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses, women’s and men’s apparel, and so much more.

Shuttle ServiceFor your convenience, Longo Toyota offers

complimentary shuttle service while your ve-hicles are being serviced. Our shuttles can take you to virtually anywhere within a 15-mile ra-dius of Longo Toyota – be it your home, work, the mall, or even the parlor! Anywhere!

An engaging stayWhile we understand that our customer’s

time is precious, we realize that many of them may need internet connectivity at all times. As such we are more than happy to provide FReeWiFi throughout our facility, and FRee use of our great business center. in our business cen-ter, we provide a quiet setting where our guests can work on our computers or on their own lap-tops.

We also provide free use of an iPad for Longo guests who are waiting for their vehicles. Our guest Check-in representative will be more than happy to arrange this for you.

if you decide to bring the kids to the dealer-ship, boredom will never be a problem. We also offer a variety of video games and DVDs just for kids so that they can also enjoy their visit to Longo Toyota.

For more information on our Longo Toyota guest Services, please log on to http://www.lon-gotoyota.com/dealership/amenities.htm.

Longo Toyota is located at 3534 north Peck Road, el Monte, CA 91731. Call (800) 617-4516 to set up your appointment.

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PAGE D3 prospects for China.

In the last quarter of 2015, ADB projected a growth of six percent for the region.

ADB expects growth in China, the world’s second largest econ-omy, to slow down to 6.5 percent this year from 6.9 percent last year albeit still within the government’s growth target. In 2017, growth in the Chinese economy is seen to slow down to 6.3 percent. Slower growth in exports and falling labor supply is reshaping China into a consumption-based economy.

“PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) growth moderation and uneven global recovery are weigh-ing down overall growth in Asia,” said Shang-Jin Wei, ADB’s chief

economist. “Despite these pres-sures, the region will continue to contribute over 60 percent of total global growth. Countries across the region should continue to implement productivity-enhanc-ing reforms, investment in un-der-supplied infrastructure, and sound macroeconomic manage-ment to help increase their growth potential and insulate themselves from global instability.”

Growth in Southeast Asia is ex-pected to accelerate to 4.5 percent in 2016 and 4.8 percent in 2017 from 4.4 percent in 2015. The re-gion would be led by Indonesia as it increases investments in infrastruc-ture and institute policy reforms to spur private investments.

Growth in developing coun-

tries in Asia is also threatened by potential rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve as well as weak prices for oil and other commodi-ties. The lingering effects of the prevailing dry spell also remain as a major threat to countries that rely heavily in agriculture.

“Potential interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve combined with broader weakness in emerg-ing markets mean that risks to the regional growth forecast remain tilted to the downside. Heightened risk aversion, intensified global financial market volatility, and a sharper-than-forecast growth slowdown in the PRC would fur-ther weaken the global outlook and directly hurt regional exports and growth,” said ADB.

ADB: Philippine growth momentum...

Get the season’s best deals at Sierra Honda

BUYING a car can be an intimidating process, so it’s important to choose a good dealership with a wide selection of vehicles.

At Sierra Honda in Monrovia, team members strive to make the car buying experience as pleasant and hassle free as possible for customers through exceptional customer service and highly-trained salespeople.

“I want our guests to feel like they are a part of the Sierra Family since Honda vehicles pretty much sell themselves,” said John Ruiz, a Filipino sales manager at Sierra Honda. “So it’s really important that not only do we know what we are selling, but also to make everyone feel welcome. And I truly believe this is where Sierra shines.”

Kababayans who walk into Sierra Honda can expect to be taken care of by the extensively trained staff and sales team, who include sales manager Ellen Leung, and sales consultants Jason Fang, Edward Chun, Carlos Mejia and Filipino Adam Corpuz. One of the ways the dealership carries out this goal is by providing guests with correct information to help them make the best decision in what car to buy. Staff and salespeople also work through credit issues that may present challenges for potential car buyers.

“Aside from that, I really think that our Honda sales team is very efficient. We listen to our customers on what we can do better and we go ahead and improve our process,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz adds that the dealership boasts a cafe with burgers that

are delicious with special sauce.In addition to its physical

location, Sierra Honda also has a website where car buyers can conduct research on vehicles before coming into the dealership, including used and new cars. A live chat option is available online that customers can use to obtain more information.

Ruiz adds that another contributing factor to Sierra Honda’s success in providing an excellent experience for customers is its team chemistry: many of the dealership’s employees have been working there for a long time.

“That speaks a lot because it shows that Sierra takes care of their employees. We are in the

business for the long haul so not only do we want to make sure our guests are happy, Sierra makes sure that everyone that works here is happy. Having happy employees makes happy customers,” he said.

Sierra Honda is part of the Sierra Auto Group, which includes dealerships that sell Chevy, Mazda and Subaru vehicles.

Sierra Honda1450 S Shamrock Ave.Monrovia, CA 91016HoursMonday to Friday: 8am to

9pmSunday: 10am to 8pmPhone: (800) 333-0497.

PLDT unit invests $5-M in US firmby LoueLLa D. DesiDerio

Philstar.com

MANILA—PLDT capital, the investment arm of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), has invested $5 million in US-based MATRIXX Software to be able to utilize the company’s digital commerce platform for its mobile business.

Through the investment, PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communica-tions Inc. would be using MATRIXX Software’s real-time digital com-merce platform to deliver an array of lifestyle services and content that can be individually purchased and customized.

Use of the platform would en-able Smart subscribers to man-

age their mobile account usage and spend, tailor services and choose ‘sachet-size’ packages based on their preferences and budgets.

PLDT chose MATRIXX citing the need for a real-time, customer-cen-tric platform that could immediately be deployed.

“Evolution of the telco into a digital service provider requires viewing the customer through a different lens, in order to identify new ways of serving them. We’re transforming the customer expe-rience, and we chose MATRIXX Software because its technology and performance is unmatched, and they are able to help drive the PLDT Group’s digital vision more rapidly than anyone else,”

Winston Damarillo, PLDT chief strategy advisor and PLDT Capi-tal co-managing director said.

Dave Labuda, founder, chief ex-ecutive officer and chief technology officer at MATRIXX Software said PLDT joins other companies that have opted to be both investors and customers in the firm.

“It is genuinely changing the game in Asia when it comes to digital service innovation, and we’re excited to help deliver outstanding experiences to customers of its wireless service provider, Smart Communications,” he said.

PLDT Capital was formed last year to grow the group’s digital services and to link to leading com-panies in Silicon Valley and around the world.

Through the investment, PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. would be using MATRIXX Software’s real-time digital commerce platform to deliver an array of lifestyle services and content that can be individually purchased and customized. Philstar.com photo

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