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Volume 9 – Issue 27 • 16 Pages

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APRIL 1-7, 2016

DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

PUBLISH ASIA CONFERENCE. President Benigno S. Aquino lll answers questions from the participants of the Publish Asia 2016 Conference during the opening ceremony held at the Manila Hotel in One Rizal Park in Manila on Wednesday, March 30. This year’s theme is “Mapping Challenges and Opportunities in the New Asian Media Game.” Malacañang photo by Benhur Arcayan

mANILA—It was President Benigno Aquino III’s turn to pose questions to the media yesterday to underscore the importance of truthful news reporting, especially with the coming elections and regional developments that help form public opinion.

he also delved on the challenges faced by the print media in light of the popular-ity of social media.

Aquino said truth, integrity and respon-sibility must not be compromised in the face of the apparent need for faster dis-semination of information.

he criticized sensationalism and bi-ased, speculative and inaccurate report-ing as well as the seeming lack of appetite for good news by media enterprises.

“media, and perhaps especially print media, (have) a special role to play before, during and after our elections – as it does at any critical time in even your own coun-tries. We filipinos will need a just,

comprehensive accounting of this his-toric time, and you are in the best position to do that,” Aquino said during the Publish Asia 2016 opening ceremonies organized by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IfrA) and at-tended by local and foreign journalists.

Aquino recalled that 16 years ago, his mother, former president Corazon Aqui-no spoke in one of the major universi-ties’ center for journalism in the country when she was no longer chief executive and referred to a hostage-taking incident in mindanao. she related how journalists seeking close contact with the hostages

Aquino slams media bias, sensationalism

CeBU CItY—Vice President Jejomar Binay on tuesday, march 29 said he remains friends with former president and now manila mayor Joseph “erap” estrada after the latter threw his support behind independent candidate sen. Grace Poe.

Binay and Poe are running for President in the may 2016 elections.

“respetuhin natin, kanya-kanya tayo ng de-cision [Let us respect it, we each have our own decision],” Binay, the standard-bearer of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), said when asked on the matter.

When asked if he was surprised with estra-da’s decision, the Vice President replied, “I was busy, proclamation ng anak ko e [it was my daughter’s proclamation].”

he was referring to the proclamation rally Vice President Jejomar Binay, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, interim president of the United Nationalist Alliance, talk after lunch at Manila City Hall. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

Binay: Estrada remains a dear friend

A fILIPINo-American was named the new Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) outreach director for the campaign for Democratic presidential candidate hill-ary Clinton.

the announcement of Jason tengco’s appointment on thursday, march 24 comes nearly a week after Lisa Changadveja stepped down from the position. Changad-veja, who was first appointed outreach di-rector last August, is moving to Colorado to take a position with the Democratic Party.

Prior to joining Clinton’s campaign, tengco was deputy director of the White house Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WhIAAPI). his past roles also include the Initiative’s liaison in the White house office of Public engagement and as a senior advisor directing commu-

Fil-Am named AAPI outreach director for Clinton campaign

Jason Tengco, deputy director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, was named the new Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) outreach director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Photo courtesy of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

NAPA, California—A filipina mother charged with child abduction and kidnap-ping her own daughter in Napa County, California had her hope for a better life re-vived when a 12-person jury found her not guilty of all the charges.

makati resident Anna Nepomuceno looked greatly relieved and teary-eyed as she turned to her lawyer, stacy Barrett, af-ter the verdict was announced, then hugged her family and supporters and thanked them profusely.

“the mood at the courtroom was very intense as we were also uneasy and ner-vous,” said faye Lacanilao of filipino Com-munity Center worker’s rights program and migrante NorCal. “When the verdict was announced, all of us found ourselves crying. We joined hands and hugged each other. Before that we were all praying and trying to console each other.”

Barrett also looked relieved, over-whelmed with feelings and seemed to be trying to hold back tears although she was heard saying that the verdict had not really

Filipina in California not guilty of kidnapping own daughters

mANILA—World boxing icon and sarangani rep. manny Pacquiao lauded on Wednesday, march 30 the stand of the Commission on elec-tions (Comelec) to allow his April 9 fight against World Boxing organiza-tion welterweight champion timothy Bradley of the United states to push through.

Pacquiao, who is running for sena-tor in the may 9 polls, said the Com-elec would allow him to fully con-centrate on his preparations for the much-awaited bout.

“I’m very happy right now because the Comelec came up with a favorable

decision. this further motivates me to work hard to ensure victory,” Pac-quiao said in a text message relayed by his brother roel.

“this is not for my personal glory. I’m fighting for the honor of our coun-try and to glorify God through sports,” he said.

roel often represents Pacquiao during campaign sorties.

Pacquiao said he had been praying for the Comelec not to block the bout.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the poll body has decided not to act on the complaints raised by for-mer senator rene saguisag and sena-torial candidate Walden Bello that the fight will give Pacquiao undue public-

Pacquiao thanks Comelec for allowing fight to push through

World boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, who is running for senator in the May 9 polls, said the Comelec would allow him to fully concentrate on his preparations for the much-awaited bout. AP photo by Bullit Marquez

the lawyer of casino junket opera-tor Kim Wong on thursday, march 31 said the businessman was innocent, hence could be off the hook the case filed against him by the Anti-money Laundering Council (AmLC).

“Walang kasalanan si Kim Wong. maski hindi niya sinauli ang pera, wala siyang kasalanan. tutulong siya

sa gobyerno natin para ituro ang mga mastermind. Whether Kim Wong will return the money or not, wala siyang kasalanan. (Kim Wong has no fault whatsoever. Even if he didn’t return the money, he’s innocent. He will help the government to pinpoint the mas-termind),” Atty. Inocencio ferrer said when asked by the Inquirer if returning the money meant his client could get off the hook.

ferrer himself turned over $4.63

million stolen by hackers from Bangla-desh’s central bank to the AmLC for safekeeping at the Bangko sentral ng Pilipinas (BsP) premises.

“early this morning, 48 hours after the adjournment of the senate hearing, Kim Wong asked me to visit AmLC and BsP in order to inform AmLC that we are officially turning over $4.63 mil-lion mentioned by Kim Wong at the hearing. We completed the turnover, including counting and verification of

bills,” ferrer told reporters.ferrer said it took them three hours

to count the huge sum of money in denominations of $100 using “many” counting machines akin to those used in bank.

ferrer said Kim Wong needed not return the money personally as AmLC and the BsP had been “trained” any-way to deal with such transactions.

AmLC’s office is located within the

Lawyer maintains Kim Wong ‘innocent’ even after turning over $4.63M to AMLCuPAGE A2

by AureA CAliCAPhilstar.com

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the Philippines ended its 2018 fIfA World Cup Qualifiers campaign in style, shocking North Korea, 3-2, tuesday, march 29 at rizal memorial stadium.

missing key fixtures in the match, the Azkals still were able to pull off the miracle against the fancied Korean side.

misagh Bahadoran scored the opening goal on a header following a deflected at-tempt from Javier Patiño at the 43rd min-ute.

however, so Kyung Jin immediately lev-eled the score just before the half.

PH Azkals stun North Korea behind late goals

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by reinA TolenTinoManilaTimes.net

by rAndolph B. leongsonInquirer.net

by Ben o. de VerAInquirer.net

by pAolo romeroPhilstar.com

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APRIL 1-7, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

From the Front Page

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. Photo courtesy of the North Cotabato Provincial Police Office

and hostage-takers, or seeking a scoop, likewise became captives, with their watches, laptops and shoes taken from them.

“After narrating that incident, my mother posed a number of questions which, I believe, re-main relevant not only in that particular context, or to Filipino reporters, but to each and every member of the industry today and in the years to come. Allow me to repeat some of those ques-tions now: are the reporters tell-ing what they see or what they think readers will pay to read? Do they understand what they see? Are they talking to the right people, or are they just retailing propaganda?” Aquino noted.

The President said his mother was simply questioning the jour-nalists’ dedication to the two most important values of the profes-sion, namely integrity and truth.

“Your dedication to these two values is especially important in light of your expansion to new media technologies, which are the crux of your discussion to-day,” Aquino said.

“We all know that there has

been a great shift away from the primacy of print to a 24/7 news cycle, where it only takes a single Tweet to break news — where anyone can report on anything, at any time, and have it reach anywhere in the world. These new forms of media chal-lenge what print, at its best, is supposed to represent: depth and breadth, context and a clear delineation between opinion and news,” he said.

Aquino said the job of the me-dia had become more complicat-ed because of the need to expand to new media forms, which have their own limitations in terms of dissemination.

“At the same time, dissemi-nation does not matter so much as the most basic responsibility, which is to deliver information — information that the people can trust, can lead to fruitful dis-cussions on issues of national and global importance, that can even lead to positive transforma-tion. This is the value and the service that you must provide,” Aquino said.

He said when the distinction between opinion and straight-

forward news gets blurred, the journalism profession is endan-gered.

“This is not only a matter of principle, it is also about practi-cality. Sensational headlines and articles composed of controver-sial rumors, for example, might increase your circulation… What happens, however, when the people notice your tendency to-wards such, when they realize that your articles are entertain-ing, perhaps, but cannot be veri-fied and consequently trusted?”

Trust and truth telling“In the long run, will they not

seek alternative sources of in-formation — sources that they know will tell them the truth?” the President said.

Aquino said this coming elec-tions, candidates vying for the highest posts were trying to win the people’s trust in a variety of ways: from promises, to attempts to smear mud on the names of their rivals; from presentations of their records of service, to curses and strong language.

“All of this appears in your pages — some more sensational

Aquino slams media bias…PAGE A1 t

on Monday of UNA’s local can-didates in Makati City (Metro Manila) including his daughter, Makati Second District Rep. Abi-gail Binay, who is running for city mayor.

The UNA presidential candi-date said he has no hard feelings.

“On my part, we remain to be friends. After all, [he got me as his] Vice President, I cannot for-get,” according to Binay.

Estrada ran for President in the 2010 elections and lost while Binay, his running mate, won the vice presidential race.

Further, Binay said his cam-paign is anchored on direct en-gagement with the public, when asked if Estrada’s decision has any effect on his.

“’Di ko naman sinasabing bale-wala. Basta kung may epekto man o wala, makikita natin pagdating ng halalan. Kasi ako I’m talking for and in behalf dun sa mga ta-ong nakausap ko. ‘Di naman ako nakikipag-usap sa inyo tungkol dun sa desisyon ni Erap [I’m not saying it’s nothing. We will see if it has any effect or none when the elections come. Because I’m talking for and in behalf of the people I talked with. I do not talk to you about Erap’s decision],” he pointed out

“Pagkatapos ng eleksyon e di parang walang nangyari. Pulitika lang ‘yan e. Walang personalan [After the elections, then it is as if nothing happened. That’s just politics. It’s nothing personal],” Binay said.

“Kaibigan ‘yun. Kaibigan ang tingin ko kay Presidente Erap [He is a friend. I see him as a friend],” he added.

In an interview on Monday night at the proclamation rally in Makati City, Rep. Abigail Binay told reporters that it was Estra-da’s right to endorse Poe.

“’Di ba sa politika, kalaban mo ngayon, kaibigan mo bukas. Ganun lang talaga so…hopefully naman after the elections, ‘di ba lahat naman, isang araw lang na-man ang eleksyon, pagkatapos ng lahat magkakaibigan na ulit. Magkakapamilya, magkakakilala [In politics, your enemy today is your friend tomorrow, right? That’s just the way it is so… hopefully after the elections, it is just one day].” n

Binay: Estrada remains a dear…PAGE A1 t

BSP compound.The “receipt of funds for safe-

keeping” was signed by AMLC Executive Director Julia Bacay-Abad, Bangladesh’s ambassador to the Philippines Major General John Gomes, and AMLC member Emmanuel F. Dooc.

Ferrer said Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III advised them how they could return the money to AMLC.

The counsel declined to say where the money was stored be-fore it was delivered to AMLC, only disclosing that they were provided a van with two securi-ty aides to accompany him and the huge amount on their way to the BSP.

“The stature of the Philippines in the world community is restored today; even without the [interven-tion of] courts, part of the funds were returned,” Ferrer said.

According to the BSP, the money will be kept for safekeep-ing by AMLC at the BSP vault that also contains the Commis-sion on Elections’ source code for the upcoming national elec-

tions in May.Not off the hookDespite Wong turning over

$4.63 million stolen from Bangla-desh’s central bank, he is not off the hook as far as the case filed against him by the AMLC.

“No, there’s no quid pro quo here,” AMLC member and Insur-ance Commissioner Emmanuel F. Dooc told the Inquirer in a text

Lawyer maintains Kim Wong ‘innocent’ even…

TURNED OVER. 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

message Thursday night when asked if AMLC could withdraw the case filed against the busi-nessman.

“His legal counsel, however, stressed that their turning over of the substantial amount to the Bank of Bangladesh with our help should in no way be interpreted as an admission of guilt on his client’s side,” Dooc said. n

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nity engagement. “Jason is passionate about

engaging AAPIs in the political process, building a pipeline for youth empowerment, and ensur-ing that the AAPI community’s diverse issues are heard and ad-dressed,” a campaign statement emailed to the Asian Journal said.

Among his accomplishments are managing the first-ever White House Summit on AAPIs and launching the E3! Ambassa-dors Program for young leaders, the campaign noted.

Tengco, whose parents are from the Philippines, was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from UCLA with honors with a bache-

lor’s degree in political science. In 2014, he was selected as a

delegate for the Philippine Em-bassy’s Filipino American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro), a weeklong immersion trip that brings young Fil-Am profession-als to the Philippines.

As election season unfolds, both Democrats and Republi-

Fil-Am named AAPI outreach director for…PAGE A1 t

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(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 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

cans have continued to reach out to AAPI voters, an electorate considered to double by 2040. A 2015 report from the UCLA Cen-ter for the Study of Inequality and Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies found that the electorate would rise to 12.2 million by then.

“Hillary Clinton’s campaign shakeup is a clear indication of

Fil-Am named AAPI outreach…her failing effort to win the hearts and minds of Asian American and Pacific Islander voters across the country,” Ninio Fetalvo, the Re-publican National Committee’s Asian-American and Pacific Is-lander press secretary, said in an email. “The only consistency with Clinton’s AAPI outreach campaign is that she has and al-ways will take our communities for granted.” (AJPress)

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candidates featured more promi-nently than others, I have to point out. Everything you publish is indeed devoured by millions. In a very real way, you are luckier than these candidates,” he said.

“By far and large, you — the press — already have our peo-ple’s trust. This alone reflects the magnitude of your responsibility to wider society: to disseminate information, instead of specula-tion; to foster higher levels of discourse, instead of becom-ing a rumor mill; to empower citizenries and nations, instead of tearing them down. It is my deepest hope that you will never forget this — that, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere in the world, you live and work accord-ingly with the greater good of the public in mind,” Aquino said.

These past years, Aquino said he witnessed and had even been at the center of some attempts to balance traditional print and new media, citing as example a forum that was live-streamed on the Internet, documented through social media and with articles to chronicle the event the following day.

“On the other hand, I am also told that the majority of, if not all, outlets have demonstrated a tendency to sensationalize titles, or post only provocative portions of articles online purportedly to encourage people to go through the whole piece — a tactic which I understand the generation younger than mine calls ‘click bait.’ Never mind if the reader chooses only to view that par-ticular snippet and assume that they have been presented with the complete story,” he said.

The President said the entire

situation was complicated further by the fact that these stories pub-lished also in print did not seem to adhere to any set standard and more often than not, the art of crafting headlines seemed to favor embellishment and innu-endo, as opposed to the facts.

“Some articles seem to be writ-ten with blatant bias, while oth-ers fail to adequately represent the situation accurately. Over the years I’ve increasingly wondered about this trend in light of the fact that print’s greatest advantage is that it can tell the complete story, whether in one article or in a se-ries, and have that read by a still-strong readership,” Aquino said.

For instance, Aquino said those from the local media were increasingly read by citizens from around the world, perhaps due to the fact that more nations were turning to the region and viewing it as wellsprings of op-portunity for collective growth.

“They seek information about us, which – and I believe you will be among the first to admit – you would likewise benefit from painting a complete picture,” the President said.

“Another example: Myanmar right now is undergoing a very significant transition. Print and indeed all forms of media can impair that transition by high-lighting fears and unfounded speculation. The opposite path, what we are glad to be seeing, is that they have lent their support to this transition by highlight-ing the good news, by telling the truth about people’s sentiments, their dreams and their efforts to realize that through democratic means,” Aquino said.

For his part, Aquino said he promised Filipinos in 2010 that,

when he steps down from office, he would leave behind a country in a far better situation. But in the coming elections, he said he was cognizant that his vote would be just like anyone else’s.

“When I have voted, I will wait for the results with the rest of the country,” he said.

“We believe the successes and reforms of our administration are enough to help our countrymen make the right decision in the upcoming elections; even now, I continue to do my part,” he said.

“We face a fork in the road: Will we choose to continue tread-ing the straight path of the past few years? Or will we choose the opposite?” n

PNoy slams media bias…PAGE A2 t

sunk in yet.“The support shown by the Filipino community

helped her case and uplifted her and my spirit. I have been practicing for ten years and I can say that this was the first time I’ve had protesters sup-porting my client. So I am grateful for this support and I know Anna is as well,” Barrett stated.

Anna’s eldest daughter from a previous rela-tionship, Nichole Nepomuceno, kept consoling, hugging and keeping Anna company. Anna’s own mother, Haydee, was also there to lend much-needed moral support.

Child molestation incidentsAccording to the timeline provided for the case,

Anna’s plight began in March 2012 when her erst-while husband, Jeremy Faust, started showing signs of having lewd intentions on her younger daughter, M, as after Anna reportedly saw Faust’s hand moving around M’s sensitive part.

Her suspicion was bolstered after she learned in 2013 that Faust had been giving then 16-year-old Nichole unwanted massages since September 2012 when Anna wasn’t home and especially when she was on business trips. In January 2013 Faust allegedly started putting his hand under Nicole’s shirt as the massages became intimate. Faust al-legedly even asked Nichole not to tell Anna of the massages so Nichole “wouldn’t get into trouble.” Anna also caught Faust looking at Nichole’s pos-terior.

Anna and Nichole reported the alleged molesta-tion to the American Canyon Police Department, leading to Judge Rodney Stone to grant a move out order against Faust and an emergency protection order (EPO) prohibiting him from having any con-tact with Anna and Nichole, aside from younger daughter M.

Divorce proceedingsAnna then filed for divorce in March 2013 the

succeeding summons of which accompanied an automatic restraining order (ARO) prohibiting either parent from leaving the state with M with-out the other parent’s permission. It was not clear whether Anna actually ever saw the ARO.

In August 2013, the Napa Sherriff Office (NSO) recommended charges against Faust for violations

of Penal Code on annoying or molesting a child un-der age 18 with respect to Nichole, and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14 for M. But these were rejected by the Napa District Attorney’s Of-fice (DA) in September 2013 for lack of sufficient evidence.

While the divorce case was ongoing, on July 25, 2014, Anna flew to the Philippines with M from SFO to visit Anna’s ailing father. Both mother and daughter had round trip tickets with a return date of August 25, 2014.

Her family lawyer dropped her, citing irreconcil-able differences, after Anna informed her she was in the Philippines. In Anna’s absence and without a lawyer to represent her, family court Judge Elia Ortiz granted full legal and physical custody of M to Faust and ordered Anna to return M to Napa County.

Anna and M failed to return to San Francisco on

Filipina in California not guilty of kidnapping…

Nichole and mother Anna Nepomuceno in a tight embrace outside the courtroom after the verdict was read. Migrante Norcal

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APRIL 1-7, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A� Dateline USa

NEW YORK – Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death in the Philippines. There is a vaccine to prevent the dis-ease, but at about US$45 per child, the price charged to the government by pharmaceuti-cal company Pfizer, this price may become unsustainable to vaccinate all children in the future.NextDayBetter – a sto-rytelling platform for creative diaspora communities – an-nounced on Thursday, March 24 that it is joining Doctors Without Borders’s efforts to encourage pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Glaxo-SmithKline (GSK) – the sole manufacturers of the pneumonia vaccine – to reduce the price of the vaccine to $5 dollars per child in the Philippines and all other developing countries.

The pneumonia vaccine is the world’s best-sell-ing vaccine, and last year alone, Pfizer brought in more than US$6 billion dollars in sales just for this product. At the lowest global prices, which the Philippines cannot access, it is now 68 times more expensive to vaccinate a child than in 2001, according to a 2015 MSF report, The Right Shot: Bringing down Barriers to Affordable and Adapted Vaccines. The pneumonia vaccine accounts for about half the price of vaccinating a child in the poorest countries. After years of fruitless negotia-tions with Pfizer and GSK to lower the vaccine’s price for use in its projects, in 2015, MSF launched the ‘FAIR SHOT’ campaign to ask Pfizer and GSK to reduce the price of the pneumonia vaccine to $5 per child (for all three needed doses).

“Due to the high price charged by the compa-nies, many countries where millions of children risk getting pneumonia simply can’t afford it, and for countries such as the Philippines the high price

threatens sustainability of the vaccination program,” said Dr. Greg Elder, Medical Coordinator for MSF’s Ac-cess Campaign.

NextDayBetter is hoping to amplify the “FAIR SHOT” campaign and make the pneumonia vaccine more accessible to millions of chil-dren in the Philippines. “The Philippine diaspora is very involved in the provision of healthcare on this conti-nent, while being extremely well aware of the situation at home. Together, we think we can put pressure on Pfizer

and GSK to reduce the price of the vaccine, and speak out against high vaccine prices in the Philip-pines,” said Elder.

To increase awareness about the pneumonia crisis in the Philippines, NextDayBetter will be launching a storytelling campaign that humanizes the people affected by this issue and highlights the work of Filipinos who are dedicated to improving the quality of public health in the Philippines. The campaign will be launching on NextDayBetter’s multimedia platforms with the intent of inspiring and empowering the Philippine diaspora to take action in effecting change in their homeland.

“The Philippine diaspora is overflowing with in-credibly talented nurses, doctors, and other lead-ers in public health who have pioneered break-throughs in healthcare. We have saved so many people around the world – now we need to focus on our own community back home,” said CEO of NextDayBetter, Ryan Letada.

To sign the petition and learn more about the “FAIR SHOT” campaign, visit http://nextdaybet-ter.com/afairshot/ or email NextDayBetter at curi-ous@nextdaybetter.com n

NextDayBetter, Doctors Without Borders join forces to reduce price of pneumonia vaccine in PH

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

ity and advantage in the senatorial elections.

Pacquiao earlier claimed that the media coverage will be on the fight and not on his campaign.

The lawmaker had asked jour-nalists covering his training not to report on his Senate bid but on his third fight against Bradley. n

Pacquiao thanks…PAGE A1 t

North Korea continued to pounce on the Azkals in the second half, with Ri Hyok Chol scrapping for the goal on a wild sequence to give his side the lead at the 48th minute.

But the Azkals kept on push-ing, firing exquisite passes which led to a Manny Ott goal at the 84th minute and a stunning Iain Ramsey goal at the 90th.

The Azkals ended the second round at third place in Group H with 10 points after three wins and a draw in eight games, put-ting them in a prime position to advance to the AFC Cup third round.

North Korea, meanwhile, saw its bid for the group’s top spot derailed as it stayed in second place with 16 points on five wins and a draw. n

PH Azkals stun North Korea behind late…

Manny Ott celebrates late goal. Inquirer.net photo by Tristan Tamayo

August 25, 2014. She was able to obtain a permanent restraining order on February 10, 2015 pro-tecting Anna and M from Faust at the Philippines Regional Trial Court. Judge Ortiz granted dis-solution of of Anna’s marriage to Faust on December 12, 2014 in Anna’s absence.

Arrested at SFOAnna returned by herself to

San Francisco on a February 27,

2015 flight from Manila; she was arrested at SFO airport. She was taken to San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City then transferred to Napa County Department of Cor-rections

The Napa Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Anna through then-Deputy Pub-lic Defender Stacy Barrett. Anna posted a $100,000 with the help of friends of her family and was released from the Napa Coun-ty Department of Corrections (NCDC) on March 12, 2015.

Deputy District Attorney Holly Quate then moved on November 9, 2015 to amend the original charge of child custody depri-vation, which is punishable by up to 3 years in county jail, to a violation of kidnapping with enhancement for purpose of permanently depriving a parent of custody of the child, which is punishable by up to 13 years in

state prison.Quate’s motion to amend the

charge was granted, and Anna was found not guilty of by the jury before Judge Francisca Tish-er in a trial that started February 22, 2016.

“We were ready to accept a mistrial outcome as we felt the jurors were taking a long time deciding on a verdict. We were then surprised that there was a unanimous decision that even some of the jurors waited for Anna to come out and hug her,” Lacanilao added.

“We are really happy that jus-tice prevailed, that Anna would be reunited with M and we hope that this will no longer happen to any Filipino mother like her,” Lacanilao declared.

Several members of Gabri-ela US came to show support for Nepomuceno. (Jun Nucum/In-quirer.net)

Filipina in California not guilty of kidnapping…PAGE A3 t

PAGE A1 t

H O L L Y W O O D — T i m o t h y Bradley believes he is now better equipped to handily defeat Man-ny Pacquiao in their showdown next week.

Though he has squeaked past Pacquiao in their first meeting in 2012, Bradley is still seek-ing a decisive victory over the Filipino icon, who got back at him in their rematch a couple of years later.

In a recent report by Lance Pug-mire of The Los Angeles Times, the 32-year-old American spoke about how he has matured, say-ing he likes his chances against Pacquiao this time around.

“Now, it’s four years later [since first fight], a couple of defeats under [Pacquiao’s] belt with me being a more disciplined

PITTSBURGH, PA—In a meet-ing with Representative Mike Doyle (PA14-D) attended by Filipino community members in Pittsburgh, Consul General Ma-rio De Leon, Jr. sought the sup-port for house bill HR 2737 seek-ing to award a US Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino Veterans of World War II.

Numbering just a few thou-sands in the US today, the ranks of Filipino WW II veterans con-tinue to dwindle daily without the benefit of being recognized for their service and valor. This is unfortunate considering that other minority groups in the US – such as the Tuskegee Airmen, Women’s Corps, Puerto Ricans and even the Japanese Nisei soldiers– were recognized and awarded their gold medal by the US Congress, Consul General De Leon said.

Consul General De Leon empha-sized that the Filipino-American community, numbering 34,000 in Pennsylvania and 3,500 of which live in Pittsburgh in Representa-tive Doyle’s district is supportive of the bill HR 2737, together with its Senate version 1555.

Consul General De Leon also provided Rep. Doyle with up-dates on the Arbitration case filed by the Philippines at the Perma-nent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, citing the Court resolution issued early this year assuming jurisdiction over the case which seeks to adjudicate maritime entitlements of claim-ant countries in the South China Sea. The US Senate passed a resolution no. 412 in 2014, and then a letter addressed jointly to the US Defense Secretary and the State Secretary in 2015 call-ing for claimant countries in the South China Sea to abide by the Declaration of Code of Conduct

Bradley claims to have figured Pacquiao out

Timothy Bradley during a workout. Philstar.com photo

fighter, I’ll have a better chance to beat him,” Bradley said.

Like Pacquiao, Bradley has been grinding it out at his gym in Indio, California for weeks, now looking sharp heading into their showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 9 (April 10 in Manila).

He claims to have solved the Pacquiao puzzle, having studied the latter’s past fights with Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and most recently Floyd May-weather Jr - all of whom had beaten the Filipino.

“I’m not spooked anymore. And the guys who’ve been funda-mentally sound have given him problems [Juan Manuel] Mar-quez, Floyd [Mayweather], [Erik] Morales,” Bradley added.

“This time around, I know ex-actly what I’m looking at. I know what kind of animal he is.” n

by Dino MaragayPhilstar.com

Filipino veterans, West PH sea issues top agenda in meeting between Consul General and Rep. Mike Doyle

and avoid escalating maritime disputes. The Philippines’ ex-pects a decision on the merit of the case around May this year, he added.

In reply, Rep. Doyle said that after a review of the bill, he con-veyed his support HR 2737 to be passed by the US Congress this year and had instructed his office to draft his endorsement. This year being an election year in the US, the window to pass laws is limited and the Philippines and the Filipino-American commu-nity should help Rep. Tulsi Gub-bard (an original sponsor of the bill) to lobby and circulate the bill on the floor, if necessary, the kind congressman suggested.

On the arbitration case, Repre-sentative Doyle also said that he will support any resolution ema-nating from the House of Repre-sentative supporting arbitration as a peaceful means of settle-ment among claimants in the South China Sea. He also agreed to join the US-Philippine Friend-

ship Caucus in Congress upon the invitation of Consul General De Leon.

Afterwards, community mem-bers led by Fil-Am community of Pittsburgh immediate past President Teodora Schipper and the FAAP Board conveyed their concerns to Rep. Doyle including improving city services for senior citizens and affordable health-care for everybody.

Congressman Doyle serves on the House Energy and Com-merce Committee which is one of only four exclusive commit-tees in the House and sits on the subcommittees on Energy and Power, Communications and Technology, Environment and the Economy. He is a member of the House Democratic Caucus and founder and co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus.

The day before, the Filipino community in Pittsburgh led by its current President Re-becca Quemado, past President

New York Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. meets with Representative Mike Doyle (PA14-D) at his district office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along with Special Trade Representative in New York JP Iñigo and Consul Felipe Carino, director of the economic section, and Filipino community leaders to discuss priority matters of Philippine-US relations.

uPAGE A5

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2016 A�Dateline USa

Dateline PhiliPPines

HERE COME THE GRADUATES. Happy and giddy, students of the Lupang Pangako Elementary School prepare to march during their graduation ceremony in Quezon City on Thursday, March 31. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan

Teodora Schipper, and about 20 notable members tendered a dinner reception for Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr., ac-companied by Consul Felipe Ca-rino and Trade Representative JP Inigo at the Laughing Buddha Restaurant, PA. Consul General De Leon will be remembered by the community as the Consul General who began intense ef-forts to promote economic coop-eration in the Allegheny Region with the first Philippine Invest-ment Roadshow in Pittsburgh last October led by Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr. and Dr. Bernie Villegas with captains of indus-try from the Philippines. n

Filipino veterans, West PH sea issues top…

Consul General De Leon is feted to a welcome dinner by members of the Filipino-American Association of Pittsburgh (FAAP) at the Laughing Buddha Restaurant in Pittsburgh.

PAGE A4 t

PITTSBURGH—In a visit in-dicating the Philippines’ strong interest in establishing closer economic ties with Pittsburgh and the Allegheny region, Con-sul General Mario De Leon, Jr., accompanied by Consul Felipe Carino and Trade Representa-tive John Paul Inigo, met with US Steel officials led by GM William Hinckley, GM for Strategy and Business Development Hayley F. Scott-Davis, and GM for Gov-ernance Strategy Rob Garretson at US Steel headquarters in Pitts-burgh. Subsequently, he met PPG officials led by Arthur Pang of Government Affairs and Sean Purdy, Global Platform Director (Protective Coatings), and finally Innovative Electronics President Mukesh Pattel, and Nirma Par-mar, Sales Manager.

Consul General De Leon was welcomed by US Steel officials and during an hour long meet-ing, the two sides exchanged views on US and Philippine economies and explored possible opportunities for US Steel in the Philippines given the resurgence of manufacturing in the country because of continuous economic growth.

Consul General conveyed that the Philippines is enjoying phe-nomenal growth buoyed by the emergence of the IT-BPM in-dustry and overseas remittances. The Philippines is part of ASEAN and the emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 pro-moting market integration pres-ent unique opportunities for US companies doing or wishing to do business in the 600-million ASEAN market. There is sig-nificant growth in the real estate and property development sec-tor, fueled by IT-BPM activities and overseas remittances where at least 30% is spent investing in real property, and there are op-portunities in major infrastruc-ture projects and ship building and repair. The Philippines can serve as a logistics hub for out-ward bound products and ser-vices throughout the region, he added.

Mr. Garretson welcomed the meeting with Consul General De Leon which he saw as an op-portunity for US Steel to get to know the Philippines as they are constantly on the look-out for opportunities. Mr. Hinkley, on his part, was interested to know the growth potential of the Phil-ippines and ASEAN in light of neighboring China which has a homegrown steel industry.

In the meeting with PPG In-dustries, Consul General De Leon related the experience in the Philippine property sector which is experiencing robust growth due to the overseas re-mittances amounting to US$25 Billion and the IT-BPM indus-try worth US$22 Billion in 2015 which is spurring demand in the commercial property sector and manufacturing sector.

Sean Purdy acknowledged Philippine growth and said that PPG is currently employing 21 people in their office in Manila, with plans to expand their main business in protective marine

PH Consulate General invigorates economic ties with Pittsburgh-based manufacturers

coatings and fireproof coatings while maintaining a business de-velopment office in Singapore.

Consul General De Leon en-couraged PPG to expand their operations in the Philippines and laid out possible sectors that PPG can tap such as ship-building, food-grade paints, maintenance and operations of ships, PPP projects, and wind farms. The Philippines is the fourth biggest shipyard outside Japan and PPG can explore cooperation with property developers to supply their paint/ coating products for commercial property projects, he added.

In his meeting with Innova-tive Electronics, Consul General De Leon was given a tour in the plant facility located in Trunbull, Pittsburgh which employs a few hundred workers and engineers working mostly on electronic contracts for major corporations and medical device companies. The company is said to be look-ing at expanding its business by opening a facility in Asia and they are considering a location in the Philippines.

Consul General De Leon said that the Philippines and the US share unique cultures and the Philippines has an English-speaking population that locators find convenient for manufactur-ing operations. Hundreds of US companies have a presence in the Philippines with electronics firms such as Texas Instruments, Canon, Brother and Phoenix Semiconductors operating plants in special economic zones and free ports set up for encouraging overseas investments.

Trade Representative Inigo said that the Department of Trade and Industry is prepared to assist would-be locators and provide airport-to-airport arrangements to facilitate meetings. He dis-closed that more than 200 com-panies are coming back to the Philippines with the resurgence of manufacturing and leveling of China’s growth. In manufactur-ing, there is industrial peace and wage rates are legislated and stable, he said.

According to Mr. Pattel, his company is exploring the man-ufacture of electronic medical devices like defibrillators and is looking at establishing a high volume production plant that can employ about 100 workers. The electronic components will come from China and Japan, so they need a location in Asia with an airport like Clark Freeport zone which has a logistics hub.

Consul General De Leon wel-comed Mr. Pattel’s plans and promised to assist Innovative to in a possible visit to the Philippines.

The Consulate General is strengthening its economic diplo-macy activities in various states in cooperation with Filcom busi-ness executives and members by visiting Fortune 500/1000 com-panies and officials in light of the resurgence of the Philippine manufacturing sector and other opportunities for investment such as IT-BPM. Last October, the first ever Investment Road-show in Pittsburgh was held led by Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Dr. Bernie Villegas and Consul Gen-eral De Leon in cooperation with the Allegheny Conference. n

Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. (center) meets with US Steel corporate officials led by GM William Hinckley (2nd from right), GM Rob Garretson (2nd from left), and GM Hayley Scott-Davis (3rd from left) at their Pittsburgh corporate headquarters.

Consul General De Leon and Pittsburgh community leader Ms. Teodora Schipper (far right) are given a tour of the facilities at the Innovative Electronics corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—With his six-year term about to end in three months, Amnesty International Philippines (AIP) expressed dismay with the per-formance of President Aquino in addressing and stopping human rights violations (HRVs).

Although the government has made strides in promoting hu-man rights in the country through the passage of laws that promote human rights, government ef-forts have fallen short of making the country HRV-free, AIP chair Ritzlee Santos III said.

During Aquino’s presidency, laws such as the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012 was passed.

But Santos said even with such statutes, decade-old cases of tor-ture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have remained unsolved with many more occurring under the Aqui-no administration.

“The (AIP) is disappointed (in the government) for not address-ing these cases,” he said, adding that even the Freedom of Infor-mation (FOI) bill has not seen the light of day under the Aquino ad-ministration.

During the first 100 days of Aquino, AIP rated his perfor-mance as “pasang awa” (barely passing) for human rights re-cords although the group recog-nized the “small feat” his admin-istration made, such as passing relevant laws.

In a report provided to jour-nalists here, AIP—citing various sources—said the “numbers of EJE (extrajudicial executions) are staggering and cases remain unresolved, perpetrators are not brought to justice, families re-main clueless and individuals-at-risk hanging by a thread.”

For instance, from July 2010, when Aquino assumed office, to September 2015, there were at least 438 recorded cases of EJE, and 31 cases of enforced disap-pearances, the human rights or-ganization said.

AIP said in many of these cas-es, the culprits were identified as security personnel of corpora-tions and members of the state

Amnesty Int’l PH dismayed with Aquino’s human rights record

by Jigger JerusalemInquirer.net

force but none of them had been penalized for their deeds.

Among those made target, she said, were members of the in-digenous communities and rural folk.

Quoting a data from the human rights group Karapatan, AIP said

since 2010, 53 cases of killings of indigenous people’s leaders had been recorded. None of these cases have been resolved and added to the 142 cases of human rights violations that Aquino in-herited from the Arroyo govern-ment. n

APRIL 1-7, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

RUDY Rosal lived in the squatters’ area across the creek from our house in Pa-ranaque when I hired him as a driver. But he had lofty dreams for himself and his family that he felt he couldn’t achieve by ferrying me and my family in our jalopy. Thus, at the first opportunity, he and his wife signed up with a labor recruiter and went off to work in Saudi Arabia.

Rudy and his wife became Overseas Contract Workers or OCWs. That term is no longer in common usage, having been replaced with the term Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). According to Google, “The term OFWs was officially adopted under the President Fidel V. Ramos Administration to give recogni-tion to millions of Filipinos who sacrifice by working in other countries.”

At any rate, there is a world of dif-ference between OFWs and the other kinds of overseas Filipinos, namely, im-migrants or naturalized citizens of their country of residence or foreign students, as in the case of Sen. Grace Poe-Llaman-zares, based on her account of her initial stay in the United States.

Joe Molano, the former executive direc-tor of the Commission on Filipinos Over-seas, has taken pains to make this dis-tinction, perhaps because of the unique status and the travails of the millions of Filipino contract workers laboring—of-ten suffering—in foreign countries.

On one of my visits to Manila, Rudy suddenly appeared at our house, driv-ing a nice-looking van. He was rightly proud of his possession, referring to it as “katas Saudi”—literally, the “juice” (or fruit) of working in Saudi Arabia.

“I just want you to know that my family and I are doing well,” said Rudy. “Our chil-dren have all finished college. One of them is an engineer, an-other one is a teacher. We’re no longer squat-ters. We bought a little

house in Paranaque. Lahat iyan, kuya, katas Saudi.”

I told Rudy that I felt really good, hearing that from him. But, at that point, the sheer hypocrisy of Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares suddenly came into stark focus. You see, she has often described herself as “also an OFW.”

Apparently, in an effort to ingratiate herself with the millions of Filipinos working abroad, in oil fields and facto-ries, as seamen, teachers, caregivers, nurses or domestics, Poe-Llamanzares has tried to portray her life in America as being similar to that of the overseas Filipino workers.

Does she realize how spiteful she is when she compares her affluent life in America with that of the average OFWs?

Being an overseas Filipino myself and having lived in the US for nearly 30 years, I would be embarrassed to compare my relatively comfortable cir-cumstances with that of our countrymen trying to earn a living in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and in Hong Kong and Singapore. It’s like rubbing salt on a wound.

In case Poe-Llamanzares is still bliss-fully unaware of the harsh realities of eking out the equivalent of “katas Sau-di,” here is an excerpt from an article by Shakira Sison of Rappler, published in May 2014:

“…there are a few things they don’t tell you about the OFW life; things that are often kept secret from those we leave behind…hard and menial work, long hours, or getting scolded by an employer. Nobody talks about the con-stant immigration struggle, or the fear involved in the life of an undocumented immigrant.

“Cramped quarters and poor living conditions rarely make it to Facebook posts. We don’t talk about bad bosses, layoffs, or the complete physical or emo-tional exhaustion overseas jobs guaran-tee. Nobody puts in a status update that they came as a nurse or a scientist but actually work as nannies. Nobody brags about being a tenured professor in the Philippines who works as a factory worker abroad. We do what we can and we keep the drama away from home, even if our lives aren’t exactly what we imagined. At least our families can imagine otherwise.”

Needless to say, Poe-Llamanzares never experienced any of that. To claim that she has is not just hypocrisy but dishonesty. By trying to sell herself as something completely detached from reality, she is no different from a used car salesman glibly pushing a newly-painted heap to a naïve and unsuspect-ing first time buyer.

Sadly, the counterfeit OFW claim isn’t the only problem with this person who would like to become president of the country. In recent weeks, the unraveling of the many facets of the life of Poe-Lla-manzares has begun to make one won-der who or what she really is.

She has portrayed herself as the epit-ome of honesty and integrity but recent public records unearthed by investiga-tive journalists indicate that she may have a dark side of her ostensibly pris-

tine character.Records in the US exposed by Philip-

pine Daily Tribune editor-publisher Ni-nez Cacho-Olivares indicate that a cer-tain Llamanzares Grace P., with the same date of birth of the lady senator, used two sets of social security numbers, one of them belonging to a deceased person. According to US law, that is a felony pun-ishable by imprisonment and a fine.

Poe-Llamanzares has acknowledged both SSNs while claiming that the sup-posedly illicit one was really her school ID number at Boston College. In fact, a student enrolling in a US college is rou-tinely asked for a social security num-ber. Lacking one, the school may assign a number to the student. But, unless, there have been coincidences that only the supernatural can explain, the fact that her school ID number is exactly the same as the SSN of a deceased US na-tional could mean that she claimed that number as hers, which was why it was assigned as her school ID number.

Another coincidence that perhaps the supernatural can explain is why and how that same combination of numbers – 005-03-1988 – has appeared in US re-cords as having been used by a certain Llamanzares Grace P. in circumstances remote to Boston College.

Poe-Llamanzares has accused a rival presidential candidate of refusing to appear before a Senate sub-committee investigating allegations of corruption, criticizing him of resorting to denials.

And yet, when Cacho-Olivares took up the dare to come up with proof of the allegations of illegal use of a deceased person’s social security number in America, Poe-Llamanzares resorted to exactly the same tactic: Denials.

Apparently, she has had the advan-tage of having media that have conve-

niently failed to print any follow stories on a matter more serious than the gos-sip they have routinely sensationalized.

Poe-Llamanzares, according to the findings of the Commission on Elections, willfully misrepresented her residency in the Philippines in order to qualify as a presidential candidate. She also ap-plied for dual citizenship as a “natural born Filipino” by claiming that she was the biological child of Fernando Poe, Jr. and Susan Roces. She must have known that it was not the truth. Was it really an “honest” mistake?

Her own presidential platform is founded on a fictional premise: She will ostensibly continue the good work of her father, the late Fernando Poe, Jr.

As someone who used to work in the Filipino movie industry, I am aware of the many acts of kindness and beneficence that FPJ showed to people in the indus-try, but beyond that, he never really did any “good work” that would qualify as a meaningful presidential platform as, say, achievements in land reform or em-ployment generation or social welfare or national defense or the fight against poverty or criminality or even achieve-ments in local governance.

FPJ’s achievements were mainly those depicted in his many fictional roles as a defender of the oppressed. Thus, Poe-Llamanzares, by promoting herself on the basis of fictional achievements and credentials and claiming to be a person of unsullied integrity, is no better than a used car salesman passing off a heap to an unsuspecting buyer as a vehicle in tip-top condition.

In sum, this presidential candidate still has to tell us the truth about herself. Will the real Grace Poe-Llamanzares please stand up? (gregmacabenta@ho-tmail.com)

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OpiniOn Features

ManilaTimes.net photo

ACCORDING TO a latest count by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, at least 542 candidates in the May 9 elections are considered sure winners. Not because of superior odds against their opponent—the result of a better program of governance, perhaps, or a more effective grassroots campaign—but simply by default: They are, in fact, running unopposed.

Political dynasties galore

One may argue, as reelectionist congressman Arthur Defensor of Iloilo does, that the lack of any adver-sary in what ought to be an exercise in choosing from a healthy plurality of options is, of and by itself, a win for democracy. “In a way, it is a validation from my constituents that what I have been doing for them is satisfac-tory,” he said.

Is it? Is it really a popular validation, or the perni-cious effect of the concentration of power and influ-ence in the hands of an individual, and the family or clan behind him or her, working in earnest to exclude any others from the fiefdom they have cre-ated? Out of the 542 unopposed candidates in the May elections, 14 are running for governor, 14 for vice governor, 220 for mayor, 255 for vice mayor, and 39 for district representative. One or two running uncontested as such might be seen as the people acclaiming in advance an overwhelming favorite, but more than 500 across the country tells you some-thing is plain rotten in the state of Philippine politics, with “democratic elections” actually leaving voters no choice but a smorgasbord of preordained—and recycled—faces.

Blame political dynasties for the mess. Scratch any of the unopposed candidates and, chances are you’d find members of a political family working full-time to ensure that not even a semblance of a contest threatens their standing as the ultimate gatekeeper and wielder of power in their bailiwicks. A look at

the candidates’ surnames reveals that many are members of families that have held positions or are in-cumbents in government, and now apparently see it as their birthright

to “inherit” such positions, passed on from one fam-ily member to the next as in a monarchy. Running unopposed in an election—a situation they are able to machinate by virtue of their grip on their constitu-ency—then becomes, as in the realm of kings and queens, an exercise in virtual anointment.

A study by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center has noted that, from 2004 to 2013, the portions of the country lost to the rule of yet another political dynasty have grown at an alarm-ing rate—47 percent in only 10 years. The story is similar whether set in the Ilocos or Samar or Lanao: A candidate gets elected, consolidates his or her hold on power by building advantage through in-fluence and patronage, starts a dynasty by fielding a family member or members in various positions in the next elections, and eventually entrenches the clan by basically refusing to yield to others the reins of government. The lopsided power structure then leaves voters hostage to the warped situation of having to elect only the candidate imposed on them by their political overlords.

This is exactly the unhealthy circumstance fore-seen in the 1987 Constitution: “The State shall guar-antee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by

Editorial

law.” Unfortunately, about two-thirds of Congress, the body tasked to define the law, are themselves the products of political dynasties. The heirs of such patent privilege would be the last to draw a sword against their class by authoring a law that would force their families to give up their political advantage by submitting to a level playing field.

Like the ill-fated freedom of information bill, banning political dynasties was another campaign promise on which President Aquino failed to follow through. After a lengthy silence on the issue, the Palace gave belated support to an antidynasty bill.

But at this late stage, it has no hope of passing, let alone making the slightest bit of difference in the perverted circumstances of the May elections, where a vast number of candidates from dominant families are set to get their positions and sinecures in government with no sweat—and the voters with no genuine, discerning hand in their victories.

An antidynasty bill has been filed, and consistently rejected, in Congress since 1987. The next president needs to commit to honoring the Constitution, and the Filipino electorate, by getting one finally passed. (Inquirer.net)

AFTER the March 20 Philippine presidential de-bate in Cebu, The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” asked its viewers in an online poll: “If the Philippine Presidential Election was held today, who would you vote for?”. The results of the poll aired on March 23 was quite a surprise. The “Dirty Harry” of the presidential slate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte topped the list with a whop-ping 60 percent rating among the viewers who voted online.

Duterte has taken over former DILG Sec. Mar Rox-as, who used to top Balitang America’s Isyu Ngayon online polls in the past. Roxas got 26 percent, despite being highly favored and endorsed by many Fil-Am community leaders in the United States.

Sen. Grace Poe, who got the biggest bump in the SWS survey in the Philippines after the said debate, placed fourth with only 9 percent.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago got 5 percent,

while VP Jejomar Binay got zero vote.

SWS Survey in the PhilippinesThe Social Weather Station

(SWS) conducted surveys in the Philippines to measure how the ratings of the candidates would be affected by the second presidential debate. here are the results:

The Bilang Pilipino SWS Mobile Survey of March 22, 2016 has the following new national scores in the Presidential race: Grace Poe 35 percent, Rody Duterte 26 percent, Jojo Binay 18 percent, Mar “Daang Matuwid” Roxas 17 percent, Miriam Defensor Santiago 2 percent, and undecid-ed/others 1 percent.

Post-Presidential Debate effectsOf the 35 percent who chose Poe in March 22, 25

percent also voted for her in March 18, while 2 per-

cent were former Binay voters, 2 percent were former Roxas voters, 2 percent were former Duterte voters, and 1 percent were former Santiago voters. One percent used to be undecided, while 3 percent did not respond to the March 18 mobile survey.

Of the 26 percent who chose Duterte, 19 percent were solid

Duterte since March 18, 2 percent switched from Poe, 2 percent switched from Binay, 1 percent switched from Roxas, and 0.3 percent switched from Santiago. Less than 1 percent used to be undecided, while 3 percent did not respond to the March 18 mo-bile survey.

Of the 18 percent who chose Binay, 15 percent were solid Binay since March 18, 1 percent switched from Poe, 0.3 percent switched from Duterte, 0.2

percent switched from Santiago, and 0.1 percent switched from Roxas. None of them used to be unde-cided, while 2 percent did not respond to the March 18 mobile survey.

Of the 17 percent who chose Roxas, 14 percent were solid Roxas since March 18, 1 percent switched from Poe, 0.2 percent switched from Duterte, and 0.1 percent switched from Binay. A marginal 0.3 percent used to be undecided, while 2 percent did not re-spond to the March 18 mobile survey.

WILL POE CARRY THE MOMENTUM UNTIL May 9? Or will Duterte be able to overtake her lead? Can Roxas pull an upset and be voted President?

* * *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

Balitang America poll: Duterte surges among Fil-AmsRoxas second, Poe third

Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

Will the real Grace Poe-Llamanzares please stand up?

GReG B. MacaBenta

Street Talk

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 1-7, 2016 A�Dateline PhiliPPines

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

FORMER Interior Secretary and presidential as-pirant Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas is not the only candi-date who has released a comics booklet on his life.

Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Ferdi-nand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. previously released his own comics booklet illustrating his life, career, and passion for public service.

In a series of Facebook posts dated last October, Marcos released a 20-page online comics book entitled ‘Asikasong Bongbong: Tuloy-tuloy!’ (At-tentive Bongbong: Continuous). Black-and-white pages of his life’s limelights were visualized – his menace and playful childhood, extravagant lifestyle with his family before their exile to Hawaii, until his current term as a senator.

The comics booklet was released during the same time as his filing of Certificate of Candidacy for the 2016 elections.

The comics booklet portrayed his return to the Philippines and how he witnessed the country be-ing ‘submerged in poverty and inflation of basic commodities’. This urged him to run for public of-fice, winning a seat in Congress in 1992. He lost a bid for a senatorial seat in 1995 but regained his momentum by serving Ilocos Norte as governor and congressman until he was finally elected as Senator in 2010.

Marcos’ stand and position on various issues hounding the country were enumerated in the comics booklet, such as his advocacies to seek jus-tice for the 44 Special Action Force troopers slain in Mamasapano in 2015 and to monitor implemen-

tation of public infrastructure projects. His skep-tical discernment of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law was also mentioned. (Gianna Francesca Catolico/Inquirer.net)

‘Bongbong’ Marcos also has his own comics booklet

Screengrab from Facebook/Bongbong Marcos

BORONGAN, Eastern Samar—Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday, March 31 prom-ised victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” that they would not go through the same suffering un-der his administration.

He said this during his cam-paign rally at the provincial cap-itol gym in Borongan, one of the

In this Nov. 9, 2013, photo, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors line up for water a day after the devastation in Leyte province. Inquirer.net photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta

Binay vows no repeat of ‘Yolanda’ sufferingby Marc Jayson cayabyab

Inquirer.netareas in Eastern Samar severely hit by the supertyphoon in Nov. 8, 2013.

As chair of the National Hous-ing Authority (NHA), Binay said he had to apologize to the vic-tims whom he promised to give shelter because funds had not been released by the national government.

“Sa aking pamumuno, ’di mangyayari yung naranasan ninyo sa Region VIII. Hanggang

ngayon, hindi pa tapos ang re-habilitation,” Binay said.

“Naging Cabinet member ako, may pera po talaga. ’Yun hong pinangakuan ng bahay, si-nasabi ko nga, pasiyensya na po, chairman ako ng NHA ha, hindi ho natin magawa lahat ng dapat gawin dahil sa Yolanda, kasi walang nire-release na pera. Ano bang klaseng gobyerno ito?” he added.

Yolanda, also known as “Hai-yan,” is the world’s strongest typhoon to hit land, killing over 6,000 people mostly in Taclo-ban.

The Vice President lamented that the government was resort-ing to underspending, at the expense of its beneficiaries, to claim it had a lot of savings.

“Gusto lang mayaman para sabihing mayaman, gusto maya-bang na maraming pera. Hindi po ’yan ang tamang pamama-hala,” he said.

In a statement on Thurs-day, Binay also vowed to build 190,000 houses for the vic-tims of Yolanda during his first year in office.

“Sisiguruin kong matapos la-hat ng housing projects para sa Yolanda victims sa loob ng un-ang taon ng aking administras-yon,” he said. n

MANILA—Presidential candi-date Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte vowed that media prac-titioners will be protected under his presidency.

Duterte called for greater pro-tection of journalists in the coun-try whose works he described as “under dangerous and even deadly conditions.”

“The state must protect the media,” Duterte said.

“In a democracy, the role of media is very important. In the absence of a credible opposi-tion party, you can rely on the media,” he added.

On Wednesday, the National Press Club challenged the presi-dential candidates to lay down their agenda for the media and their plans to address the media killings in the country.

Duterte said the media brings the wrongdoings and shortcom-ings of the government to the public’s attention and its role ex-poses them to danger.

Duterte’s spokesperson Pe-ter Laviña said the presidential candidate will establish special courts and prosecution panels to handle cases of media killings as well as offer rewards and incen-tives for the immediate arrest, prosecution and conviction of the killers.

Laviña said Duterte will order

Duterte assures media protection if electedby rosette adel

Philstar.com

police investigators and pros-ecutors to resolve the cases in a limited time to hasten the justice for slain journalists. “If not, they might as well look for another job,” he added.

Duterte’s spokesperson said the mayor has been a staunch protector of media rights, re-specting the media’s role as the “Fourth Estate” and never ques-tioning them when they write or say anything critical of his ad-ministration. He cited that the mayor never filed any libel case

against a journalist.The mayor was also reported

to have stood behind the media’s right to equal access during the first presidential debate in Cagay-an de Oro when he threatened to skip the Visayas debate last Feb-ruary 21 if the organizers limited the local media coverage.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philip-pines, there has been 170 jour-nalists killed since 1986, 30 of which occurred under the cur-rent administration. n

Presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte promised media protection under his presidency. Philstar.com photo by AJ Bolando

APRIL 1-7, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

peopleevents

artsculture

entertainmentapril 1-7, 2016

2The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY APRIL 1 , 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

by MoMar G. Visaya/AJPress

‘There are very few Filipino roles in theater’ is a statement that is oft-repeated in the community despite the fact that there have been a few plays and musicals like Pan-Asian repertory’s staging of ‘Imelda, A New Musical’ and the Public Theater’s ‘here Lies Love’ that focused on Filipino characters and stories. Ma-Yi Theater also staged Filipino-centric stories like Flipzoids back in 2010 and La Vida Imelda last fall.

This season, Ma-Yi is showcasing playwright A. rey Pamatmat’s house rules and giving its world premiere. Directed by Ma-Yi Theater Company’s Producing Artistic Director ralph B. Peña, hOUSe rULeS cast features Tina Chilip (Golden Child), Jojo Gonzalez (MA-YI’s The romance of Magno rubio), Mia Katigbak (NAATCO’s Awake and Sing!), Jeffrey Omura (The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks), Conrad Schott (The Glory of the World, BAM), Tiffany Villarin (Peerless, Yale repertory)

and James Yaegashi (Breakfast at Tiffany’s).

“It’s a beautiful play. It’s funny and moving. The characters are wonderfully flawed and complex. And audiences will be able to identify with the different life experiences these characters are going through,” cast member Tina Chilip said, describing house rules in a nutshell.

Veteran actor Mia Katigbak agrees with Chilip’s description.

“It is a very identifiable story and it’s a great story. It is relate-able, it’s about the relationship between parents and children and it’s a story of sibling rivalry. It covers a lot of ground,” Katigbak shared. She plays the role of Vera, the mother of two daughters Momo and Twee and and the neighbor of the two boys.

“They asked me to do a reading, we workshopped it for quite a bit. There’s not a lot of Filipina actresses of a certain age,” she said smiling. “Very few of us, very few roles too.”

HOUSE RULESDark comedy focuses on Filipino

family, death and mortality

Company, designed to nurture and showcase Asian-American playwrights in New York City.

Ma-Yi Theater, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director ralph B. Peña and executive Director Jorge Z. Ortoll, has distinguished itself as one of the country’s leading incubators of new work shaping the national discourse about what it means to be Asian American today. With Ma-Yi’s Writers’ Lab, there is now a stream of playwrights whose work - like house rules - can be produced.

“It’s exciting for me. Looking at all the moving pieces and paying attention to all the stories has been really entertaining. It’s good to see the seven characters – six of them Filipino or Filipino-Americans,” said Pamatmat, who graduated from Yale with his MFA in playwriting.

he also shared a little bit about how the project was born.

“There are certain things, we had a health scare in my family that sort of spurred the initial kernel of this play. A lot of the play started out with a writing exercise that I did prompted by PJ Paparelli of the American Theatre in Chicago,” he said.

“There is a discussion among the brothers in the play but it is not tackled in-depth. It’s about family dynamics. I write very specifically as though I was an audience member, like what I want to see as a viewer.

When I knew that I was going to write a play about family dynamics, the only way that it would make sense to me was to write the family as Filipino,” Pamatmat shared. “The things that I write about are very quirky and kinda strange. There isn’t really a Filipino-American family play out there.”

Pamatmat just came back from Chicago because they’re doing one of his plays “after all the terrible things i do” at About Face Theatre for their 25th Anniversary season. recently, his work was celebrated in Boston where the huntington and Company One Theatres presented After All and edith Can Shoot Things and hit Them concurrently in the Calderwood Pavilion. The latter premiered at the humana Festival and received the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation, and was nominated for GLAAD Media and Lambda Literary Awards.

“everyone’s really doing amazing work here so I hope the people come out to support us,” Pamatmat said in closing.

(House Rules will run from March 25 to April 16, 2016, from Tuesday to Saturday at 8:30 pm and Saturday-Sunday at 4:00 pm at HERE on 145 Sixth Avenue (enter on Dominick Street, one block south of Spring Street. Tickets are $30-$35, students and seniors at $15. For tickets and information, visit here.org or call 212-352-3101.)

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza is preparing for their anniversary project this July, dedicated to their fans. Philstar.com photo by Efigenio Toledo

ALDeN richards and Maine Mendoza announced that they’re preparing for an anniversary project this July.

“Mayro’n po kaming surprise sa buong AlDub Nation,” Alden announced when they were launched as Bench endorsers, Philippine entertainment Portal reported.

he even hinted that the project is “something everyone has been waiting for.”

Maine added that “tiyak na matutuwa kayo. Maganda,

magandang anniversary gift iyon sa inyo.”

This project is a follow up to their first movie together “My Bebe Love: Kilig Pa More!” which was one of the entries in the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.

It was in July when Alden and Maine’s love team started in “eat Bulaga’s” Juan For All, All for Juan segment. The discovery of their love team led to a new segment under the show’s segment which they called “Kalyeserye.” (Philstar.com)

AlDub to offer something we’ve all been waiting for

Karla Estrada holds her first major solo concert titled “The Queen Mother…Live in Concert” on April 30 at the Kia Theater.

She is known by younger audiences as the charming mother of Teen King Daniel Padilla — but now Karla estrada is steadily proving herself to be an entertainment force on her own.

A natural comedian and a powerful singer (her talents were recently showcased in the first season of ABS-CBN’s “Your Face Sounds Familiar”), Karla is currently one of the resident hurados of “It’s Showtime’s” Tawag ng Tanghalan and has been an in-demand guest in ABS-CBN’s game and talk shows.

This wasn’t always the case. In the beginning, Karla was perceived as content to just ride on the coattails of her son. Daniel was the “star” of the family, and Karla, the supportive mother, remained in the background. But then slowly, her own career started to gain

Karla Estrada steps out of son Daniel Padilla’s shadowby Boy aBunda

Philstar.com ground until “Your Face Sounds Familiar” came along, and all of a sudden, she found herself with her own growing fan base, and her own title — The Queen Mother — to boot. eventually, ABS-CBN decided to capitalize on this by offering her a contract.

Karla laughingly recalls her reaction when the idea of working full-time for the network was brought up. “I just laughed. That was my first reaction. ‘Ayoko!’ Gano’n ang sabi ko kay Tita Cory (Vidanes). Tapos sabi niya, ‘Ano ka ba, sige na, maganda ‘yon.’ Sagot ko, ‘O sige Tita, pero ‘wag mo akong gawing kalabaw.’ Tawa siya ng tawa. Ibig kong sabihin, ‘Wag mo ako i-loaded ng work ha, kasi siyempre, nakita ko si Daniel, how he works, every day. I could not do that.”

She was also concerned about no longer being able to spend

time with her kids if she said yes to the offer. “hindi naman dahil na gusto ko talagang tumanggi or

something, but this is the first time I’ll get to take care of my

Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid

NAMe it, Ogie Alcasid and regine Velasquez have achieved it all. But they don’t let the trappings of success turn into a trap. The Songwriter and the Songbird recognize the bigger “Star” in their lives—Jesus Christ.

They will pay homage to the Lord in “reborn: 1 Walker Worship Concert” on April 3.

even if it’s no longer holy Week, we should keep our faith burning. Let Ogs and reg lead the way.

Ogie, Regine keep their faith alive with worship concertby dolly anne CarVajal

Inquirer.nethere’s my tête-à-tête with

Ogie:What’s more fulfilling—

performing in a Christian concert or in your usual shows?

Nothing compares to singing for the Lord. Doing a praise concert is different because you actually don’t sing for the audience. Our band leads the singing to worship our Creator.

What made you and Regine put up a Christian band?

reg and I thought of putting up 1 Walker (our worship band)

Continued on Page 5

Continued on Page 5

James Yaegashi and Jojo Gonzalez

Tina Chilip, Jeffrey Omura, James Yaegashi and Tiffany Villarin House Rules Production photos by Web Begole

A. Rey Pamatmat Photos courtesy of Ma-Yi Theater

Chilip and Tiffany Villarin play the roles of Katigbak’s daughters.

The strong seven-member cast also features Jojo Gonzalez, Jeffrey Omura and James Yaegashi, who are part of the other family, and a character named henry played by Conrad Schott.

“I play henry. he is in a way a floating character in this play. he is not tied in a familial way to anybody and he is an outsider that way. he’s the only white character here. he is an ex-boyfriend, ex-fiancee of one of the characters,” Schott explained.

Asked if it was his first time working with a mostly Asian-American cast, he replied with a quick yes.

how did it feel like then to be a minority?

“I really love it. It’s a unique experience for me. We went out and had Filipino food last night, which I enjoyed a lot. Learning more about the Filipino culture which I didn’t know much about, I feel honored honestly to be a part of this project

with all these artists,” Schott related. The cast shared pancit palabok,

sinigang and adobo. And a halo-halo special.

The play has been a year in the making, since the announcement was made last April 2015. Casting was done starting around December last year.

“Around Christmas, ralph called me and they said they are doing rey’s play and asked if I wanted to do it. So I said yes,” James Yaegashi said.

“rehearsals have been fun, remarkably well specially since everyone is a little busy with their side projects,” Yaegashi added in a recent interview. “Mia is doing a show and people have things going on. The time that we have together is concentrated and I feel it has been very productive and fruitful. It’s a great group of talented people in the room coming together.”

“People come ready to work. I’ve been so impressed,” observed Schott, who wondered out loud if he was the only one who auditioned. Pamatmat said yes, they auditioned a number of people for the role of henry.

“Yes, so I auditioned. I read the story for the first time when I auditioned. It’s a wonderful introduction to Ma-Yi and the people helping it,” Schott added.

World premierePamatmat, currently the co-

director of the Ma-Yi Writers’ Lab of which he has been a member since 2004, is excited to see the world premiere of house rules.

The Ma-Yi Writers Lab is the largest resident company of Asian-American playwrights ever assembled. Currently led by Co-Directors Michael Lew and Pamatmat, the Lab is a professional peer-based workshop in permanent residence with the OBIe and Drama Desk Award-winning Ma-Yi Theater

Mia Katigbak Conrad Schott

3The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ApRil 1 , 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

Atty. MichAel

Gurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

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

Some people have the impression that in choosing an attorney to handle their case, the attorney must be like Starbucks: the attorney’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 handle their case. (In one situation, while I already have a branch office 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 handle immigration cases anywhere throughout the US. This is because immigration law is federal law, as

Law offices don’t need to be like Starbucks: offices on every corner

opposed to state law. Therefore, even if an attorney’s office is in California, and the client is in Florida, the attorney can still represent that person.

During a taping of Citizen Pinoy in Minnesota, one of the attendees 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 office to handle her case.

Even for removal hearing or adjustment interviews, everything 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. Attorneys 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)

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.

I AM doubling down and taking my own piece of advice. Unless absolutely necessary, I intend to be logged off for longer periods of time. How else can I SAVOR THE MOMENT except by living real life in real time with as fewer hours as possible spent on the internet?

Communication has become efficient, almost done by rote, and sometimes borders on the cold and impersonal. I still don’t enjoy being part of a global network to be used for someone’s purpose or agenda.

Log off and enjoy your hot chocolate

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything… They just make the best of everything that they have.” —Author Unknown

I REFUSE TO BE A PRODUCT TRADED ON WALL STREET. Yes, I am kicking and screaming. There’s a stubborn part of me that rebels and chafes at becoming part of a statistic. I resent being used for the purpose of advancing some corporate agenda.

There are companies who mine data from social networking sites and the gigantic hoard of public information mega databases. These are then sold to interested parties as valuable psychographic information. Companies package, repackage and sell personal information with

the sole purpose of manipulating the mass behavior of citizens in a free society. It stinks to high heaven when the powers that be use information for social engineering and political purposes such as skewing election results.

With blatant, unlawful NSA snooping on anything electronic by any citizen these days, can the Gestapo thought police be far behind?

I doubt if my opinions on a twitter account holds any gravitas to twitterverse users. Saying something by tweeting on anything can and will be held against you. A screen grab of your comment makes it permanent. Why give anyone any ammo? The number of users following you is supposed to be an indication of your fan

base. Few things on the net, particularly regarding the ego, are real however. I heard some enterprising company lets you claim thousands of fake twitter followers who purportedly follow your tweets. That goes for a fee, of course. The internet has become the de facto hothouse for growing gigantic egos.

We’ve all become easy targets for privacy intruders. Nothing seems sacred or private anymore. There’s more than enough out there in the public records to fill a dossier on anyone with an SSN or a pulse. We are living in the throes of the Information Age and the currencies being traded are bits and bytes of information. It’s like living in glass houses these days. There’s too much naked transparency.

As an ordinary, private individual, I am downright resentful. Celebrity is now a curse rather than a blessing. Witness the public meltdown of Hollywood celebrities whose lives more often than not, serve as cautionary tales. Because obscurity is becoming rare these days, it has become all the more precious.

No wonder our sense of mystery and awe at anything in this life is fast eroding. I regard social networking with a bit of trepidation and suspicion. And frankly, who’s got the time? I am probably one of a vanishing breed, always itching to get out of the virtual world and into the real world of doing things in private, without fanfare: creating, fixing, cooking, gardening,

Continued on Page 5

4The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ApRil 1 , 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

SERVICESEMPLOYMENT FOR SALE

SERVICES

BoBBy T. yalong

On thePEP FrontPeople, Events, Places

Our ever-changing world had been enormously manipulated and dominated by not only laudable men known for their commendable deeds that benefited mankind but also by their equally dominant female counterparts who have arguably defied the customary “men-power-rule” with their identifiably influential visions.

If only for this, the month of March was specifically earmarked to celebrate the paramount success of womanhood and their valuable contribution to society.

Adhering to its annual tradition of honoring worth-emulating female personalities greatly lauded in the eastern seaboard that have, aside from being successful in their chosen fields of endeavor, selflessly served the community, significantly influenced people, while simultaneously committed in the uninterrupted pursuit of honing their scholarly standing, the Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc. (PACCAL) makes it known publicly the four most distinguished and potent women to be conferred the coveted 2016 Most Influential Women title in connection with the celebration of International Women’s History Month.

Comprising the elite group of awardees are:

• Myrna Monares BaisAfter teaching for 27 years in

the Philippines, Myrna came to the uS in 1992 and found herself occupied in organizing a group of Household Employees who were without families and officially registered it in 1997 bearing the name Filipino Women’s Club of Connecticut. Now on its 19th year, the organization continues to carry on with its paramount advocacy…that of extending medical assistance to members and immediate family component

Four illustrious Influential Women of the Tri-state Area to be tendered with a ceremonious award and dinner revelry

since majority don’t have health insurance. FWCC also support Bantay Bata, Adopt A Classroom Project of Con. Gen. Cecile rebong, Filipino-American Legal Defense Council, Medical Missions of Hearts and Hopes Society, Inc., and Friends Indeed. Innately compassionate with a pair of helping hands, Myrna’s influential ways remain exceptionally unmatched.

• Dr. Felicisima David Quines

A graduate of Doctor of Medicine from uErM (university of the East ramon Magsaysay) in 1968, Dr. Fely Quines and her husband were former

presidents of PMAA that made both of them distinctly stalwart spirits and reputable figures in the Filipino-American medical arena. Dr. Fely Quines, in her instinctively benevolent nature and compassionate ways, could selflessly consider going out of her way if only to extend whatever relief or assistance to those in need. A born leader equipped with a defining knowledge, empowering status and dynamic foresight, Dr. Fely is dedicated with a powerful command and the ability to lead. Aside from being the President of the PMAA from 2004 to 2005, Dr. Fely Quines

Dr. Constancia Somera Uy Dr. Felicisima David Quines

Dr. Zorayda O. De Leon Myrna M Bais

Continued on Page 6

5The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MARCH 25, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

I made plans of seeing my dear friend, Ruffa Gutierrez, when I went to the Philippines last February. She kept invit-ing 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 sup-posed 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 Gutierrezes 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-con-quers-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 relation-ship.

Jordan, who is a few years

Ruffa Gutierrez on finding security with boyfriend, Jordan Mouyalyounger 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 distance 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, magan-da naman ang kinikita niya. (He’s not ugly, he has work, he’s earning 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 annabelle just wants the best for her children. I’ve seen how she fought for them and while she admittedly expresses her opinions too blunt (to a fault), she loves them all so much.

Ruffa’s love-hate relation-ship with her mom may be one of world’s “fascinating myster-

ies,” 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 surrender. 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 inspiration… (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 conquers 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

Ruffa Gutierrez with Jordan Mouyal

By Monet Lu

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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 mylene.keipp@lausd.net 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 Rudyasercion@gmail.com; naffaasf@gmail.com. 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 bcorp1114@hotmail.com OR call 323-344-1548 & 323-547-6618.

APRIL — SEPTEMBER

PUP/PCC to hold 1st Global Reunionattention all graduates of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Philip-

pine College of Commerce: join us in our FIRST GLOBaL ReUNION being organized by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines alumni association, USa Inc. scheduled on may 27-29, 2016 (memorial day Weekend) at the New Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. We promise a weekend of fun-filled activities, of friendship and camaraderie as we reminisce our best memories during our high school and college days. There will be lots of entertain-ment, singing and dancing and photo opportunities with your classmates and friends.

For more information, please contact any of the following: Loi Herrera at 562-544-8210 orloiherrera@yahoo.com; monette Santillan-Rivera at 818-970-8317 ormonette_san-tillan@yahoo.com; Rose mejia at 323-997-3838 or Rosemariemejia@kw.com; marissa Sugay-Palanca at 818-281-7460 or marispalanca@yahoo.com; Rose maghari at661-794-8906 or rmaghari@gmail.com; Sally mendoza at 323-695-0235 or sally.mendoza616@yahoo.com; Honeylette de Leon at 562-480-5743 orhoney@worldclassfreight.com; Virginia Herbito at virginiaherbito@gmail.com; Connie acosta at 323-854-5303 or connieacosta1@att.net; Violeta d. Cristobal at 310-880-5808 orvee@cristobalcpa.com; Jun mapoy at 323-627-5326 or jcmapoy@yahoo.com.

MAY 27-29

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 rotary.chino-hills@gmail.com or visit www.chinohillsrotaryclub.org. Contact: Ted alvarez (909) 456-0359, tedalvarez@verizon.net; Tessie Lightholder (909) 576-4152,tessielightholder@gmail.com, or Ginny mondonedo (951) 212-4624, vmondonedo55@gmail.com.

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 thecandoniansofsocal@gmail.com.

APRIL 30

Town Hall Meeting on how to cast your ballotThe Philippine Consulate General New York invites the public to a Town Hall meeting

on how to cast your ballot at the 2016 national elections for overseas voters at 6:30pm on Tuesday, april 5 at the Philippine Center (556 Fifth avenue, New York, NY). To RSVP, email events@newyorkpcg.org (Subject: OV Town Hall) or call (212) 764-1330 ext. 3866.

APRIL 5

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 monetsalon@aol.com

From Page 2

Ogie, Regine keep their faith...because we wanted to sing for the Lord in church.

1 Walker is a place where our faith grew. However, I think God had other plans. The Light of Jesus (religious community)

Karla Estrada steps out...children, ‘yung totally relaxed lang ako and I’m able to supervise them 24 hours a day.”

But Karla’s children knew that she had unfulfilled dreams, and after their mother had devoted her life to raising them, now it was time for her to step out and go after her own dreams and destiny. They were (and are) 100 percent supportive.

“Alam nila na hindi pa ako tapos, na bitin pa ako sa first page ng buhay ko,” says Karla. “And my children are outgoing as well. Kumbaga, okey sa kanila na nakikita ako sa TV kasi sila mismo, tawang-tawa din sa akin.”

Another consideration for

From Page 2

From Page 3

Log off and enjoy...making memories and connecting personally and laughing until my sides are nearly split. By choice, I am generally offline and often unwired on the weekends these days. My personal motto: LOG OFF AND LIVE.

There’s so much living yet to do: so many recipes to try, seeds to plant, topiaries to shape, weeds to pull, walls and blank canvasses to paint, places to see, photos to shoot, plays to watch, games to play, puzzles to solve and mysteries to unravel, books to read, people to meet, goals to achieve, skills to learn and courses to take, stuff to give away, stories to write, naps to take and a thousand and one more things to feel, see, touch, taste, hear and soak in before the end game. With all that’s in the past, life still feels like a tabula rasa —lots of living to do, so little time. Sigh.

I am picking and choosing from the constant flow of messages in my inbox, only this one below. Some of these forwarded messages are for laughs, others inform while some can make you think harder or even move you to take action. Pet peeves are those that are pure drivel and chain emails with a punitive clause, like a curse of bad luck, if you fail to forward. For

on April 30 (four days after Daniel’s birthday) at the Kia Theater. The show is produced by Cornerstone Concerts.

For sure, there are critics who will raise their eyebrows at the idea of a major concert, but those behind the show believe it’s high time, and that Karla is more than capable of delivering.

“We find it fitting to create a concert for her at this very opportune time as a treat to her increasing fan base. It is also Karla’s way of celebrating her career and love for music together with really close friends (like Vice Ganda) and her beautiful family,” says Jeff Vadillo of Cornerstone Concerts.

It’s a challenge for Karla, but she’s excited about this second chance to prove herself and what she’s capable of.

saying “yes” was that Karla felt she was being handed a golden opportunity to give back to the people who believe in her. “I always say that if someone gives you an offer, it means someone trusts you. At kung may nagtiwala sa iyo, bakit hindi, di ba? ‘Yung iba, binebenta ang sarili para pagkatiwalaan, ako nilapitan nila. Kaya sobrang nakaka-proud. Sobrang nakaka-flatter.”

So she did — and before long, projects started to come her way. She’s especially thankful that she’s been given a chance to go back to her first love, which is singing. Karla is about to headline her first major solo concert, titled “The Queen Mother…Live in Concert”

of Bo Sanchez, through Randy Borromeo, invited our band to perform in the Kerygma conference last year and now they are producing our coming concert for Anawim Foundation.

What’s in store for OPM this 2016?

OPM has many projects lined up. I am finally releasing my new album, called “Ikaw ang Buhay Ko,” under Universal Records.

When do you and Reg plan to have another baby?

God probably has other plans for us in the baby department.

malevolent messages and all the rest of the junk from scammers promising riches, simplify your cyberlife and hit DELETE. DO NOT ENGAGE. Better yet, mark them as SPAM.

Sometimes a golden nugget comes through that deserves to be amplified. So simple, it hits you right between the eyes. I searched for the author’s name but like many other pieces flung by anonymous, creative beings in Cyberville, authorship is largely unknown and unclaimed. To the originator of this metaphor then, whoever you are and wherever you may be, please accept a profound THANK YOU, from the rest of us. Here it is.

The hot chocolate storyA group of graduates, well

established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups-porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup

of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: ‘Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything… They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

But first, LOG OFF.* * *

Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

6The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ApRil 1 , 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

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New York Consul General Mario L. De Leon hosts a sit-down dinner for AETNA senior corporate officials at his residence last Tuesday, March 15, to discuss initiatives for closer partnership and collaboration with the Connecticut-based healthcare company which has an established and extensive presence in the Philippines. The Filipino menu items were catered by Nicole Ponseca, a New York-based Fil-Am restaurant entrepreneur.

Consul General Mario De leon, Jr. and Mrs. Eleanor De leon, hosted a dinner reception in honor of top AETnA officials led by Mr. William J. Casazza, Executive Vice President, and Mr. Charles Klippel, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, at the official Residence. The event was also attended by EXl officials led by Mr. Rembert de Villa, Executive Vice President, and Mr. Michael s. sefransky, Vice President, and Consul Felipe Carino and Trade Representatives JP Inigo and newly-arrived Representative Ms. Kat Banzon.

The event celebrated the strong business ties and improved business relations between the Philippines and AETnA. In the Philippines, AETnA maintains a significant presence by employing a few thousand employees in the IT-BPM sector and is a major player in the insurance industry. AETnA and EXl have maintained a robust partnership in the us and the Philippines with EXl providing AETnA with top notch, higher value BPo/KPo services through its branches in the Philippines.

Consul General De leon welcomed the officials from

WAsHInGTon, D.C. – Top officials of the Philippine statistics Authority (PsA) are in Washington, D.C. this week to conduct a training on civil registration and vital statistics (CVRs) for the personnel of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the united states. The training is being held as part of the Philippine Government’s extended commemoration of February as Civil Registration Month.

With the theme “Makiisa…Makisali sa Dekadang CRVs,” this year’s celebration is focused on encouraging Filipino citizens all over the world to report vital life events and be counted. The Embassies and Consulates General serve as the Civil Registrars overseas.

national statistician and Civil Registrar General Dr. lisa Grace Bersales underscored the importance of the training to “standardizing procedures, and gaining clear understanding of definitions and the things that need to be done.”

“This training also aims to start a network so that we will be able to dialogue more easily and update each other on emerging issues,” Dr. Bersales added.

Created in 2013, the PsA serves as the central statistical authority on primary data collection in the Philippines.

Consul General Emilio Fernandez together with Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) officials and Filipino community leaders after the Talakayan on CRVS held at the Philippine Embassy on Monday, March 28.

Getting every Pinoy and Pinay in the picture: Psa training renews focus

on PH civil registration in the Us

Its overall mandate is an amalgamation of the functions of the national statistics office, the national statistical Coordination Board, the Bureau of Agricultural statistics, and the Bureau of labor and Employment statistics.

In a Talakayan on CVRs last 28 March, Philippine Ambassador to the united states described well-functioning CVRs systems as “critical tools to make every life count”.

“Although all people have the right, from birth, to basic freedoms and protections, we access these rights once our births are officially registered and we become citizens. Dysfunctional civil registration and vital statistics systems mean that the lives of many of

our people, especially women, children and vulnerable groups, are not counted, not protected and remain essentially invisible to policymakers,” the Ambassador stressed.

“Good datasets are not just about numbers – they are about good policies and building a more inclusive society,” he further stated.

Joining Dr. Bersales are Deputy national statistician for Civil Registration and Central support office Estela De Guzman and Assistant national statistician Editha orcilla. Ms. De Guzman and Ms. orcilla focused their presentations on the civil registration procedure and updates on CRVs rules, respectively.

PH Consulate General in New York hostsdinner reception for insurance giant aetna

AETnA and EXl and praised the strategic relationship between their companies that has contributed to the growth of higher value IT-BPM services in the Philippines, particularly in healthcare information management.

AETnA’s Mr. Casazza thanked the Consulate General and EXl’s Mr. de Villa for their cooperation, support and friendship which

has encouraged AETnA to not only maintain its business in the country, but to explore other growth areas in higher value knowledge process outsourcing utilizing the Philippines’ highly-skilled human resource.

AETnA has an extensive network of about 300 accredited hospitals and 2,000 healthcare professionals in cooperation with EXl Philippines.

Philippine-New York Jaycees learn Real Estate 101

Edwin Josue giving his talk

(L-R) EVP Romainne Luis, Edwin Josue, President Stevenson Van Derodar and Jerry Sibal

Members of the Jaycees and friends at Halstead Property Office on Park Avenue

A GRouP of some twenty Philippine-new York members and friends learned Real Estate 101 from Halstead’s Associate Broker Edwin Josue on March 18, Friday night in its Park Avenue office, Manhattan.

Associate Broker Edwin Josue is a Filipino-American Real estate broker who has been doing real estate transactions in Manhattan for about 23 years.

The Real Estate lecture was part of the Financial Education series that the chapter is

implementing as one of its Management Development area projects, providing opportunities for its members, key information in finance, entrepreneurship and business-related skills.

The Real Estate 101 particularly was aimed at helping its members learn Real Estate Investment with the focus on how to invest in real estate as first-time buyer (primary home) and as an investor (succeeding properties).

Josue outlined the

From Page 4

Four illustrious Influential Women...was uERMMMC nEC President (2005-2006), PIDCI Grand Marshal (2014), ladies for Rizal (oKoR lI Chapter) President, former Director of Medicine and Chief Medical officer of nYs oMH, aside from being the former Editor-in-Chief of The Granary and The Aesculapian. Currently, the affable doctor is an attending physician at the Adult and Geriatric Psychiatry sunY Downstate-Kings Hospital.

• Dr. Zoraida Olaya De Leon From her grandfather’s

persuasion to become an agriculturist, Zorayda olaya ended up with an MD attached to her name. Armed with a Medical Degree from st. louis university in Baguio City, Dr. Zorayda o. De leon took her residency training at the Metropolitan Hospital Medical Center in new York and had her private practice in Jersey City with affiliation at Christ Hospital, Hoboken Hospital, and Jersey City Medical Center. A diplomate of American Board of Internal Medicine, a former president of the Hudson County Medical society and member of Medical society of Jersey City, Dr. De leon was last year’s PAFCoM Grand Marshal. When free from the confines of her clinic and hospital duties the fashionable medical practitioner tirelessly involves herself “cutting the rag” on the dance floor (with her husband Pol) fittingly donned in eye-catching ballroom wardrobes she designed and executed herself.

• Dr. Constancia Somera Uy

basic understanding on the requirements, credit qualifying, financial commitments and provided comparisons on both rental and property purchases in a real estate transaction. He also briefed on the many types and forms of real estate properties that are available in the city.

The Jaycees learned a lot from the talk and have had take away lessons on real estate investments hedging on time. In fact, they can easily recall how Josue shared success stories from clients who bought in the 1990s who are sitting on gold mines now from repetitive purchases to upgrades from studio to 1 - bedroom and 2 - bedroom units with increasing property values and how profitable real estate investments have been throughout the years.

The lecture over-all painted a picture of Manhattan’s ever-competitive real estate marketplace, with gentrifications taking place, changes in zoning, availability of market opportunities, the transactional processes required from beginning to end and the real estate professionals involved in a transaction.

President stevenson Van Derodar and Executive Vice President Romainne de Guzman luis thanked Josue for the invaluable real estate expertise shared to the members of the Jaycees and to John n. Wolhberg, Executive Director of sales, Park Avenue for allowing to host the lecture at their office.

JCI Philippine-new York is a group of young men and women whose mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change in the local and global community and their own lives through training and networking opportunities.

JCI is a membership-based non-profit organization of nearly 200,000 young active citizens ages 18 to 40 with around 5,000 JCI local organizations in more than 100 countries who are engaged and committed to creating impact in their local communities.

A professor of Pediatrics at the Rutgers-new Jersey Medical school and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Connie uy has been a recipient of 11 Golden Apple Awards for her excellence in teaching, has received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the university of Medicine and Dentistry of new Jersey Foundation, and the ultimate recognition of being a uMDnJ Master Educator in 2011 that catapulted her to be inducted into the stuart Cooke Master Educators Guild. she was the first Filipina to receive the new Jersey Woman of Achievement from the nJ Federation of Women’s Club and Douglass College. A dynamic administrator, brilliant medical educator, outstanding physician and a dedicated community leader, Dr. uy is currently the Chairperson of the PAFCoM Board of Directors and was a major innovator in changing its organizational structure thru constitutional amendments.

To celebrate their revered status and recognize their unparalleled contributions to the community, a dinner-dance bash cum awarding ceremony is slated on saturday, April 2, 2016 at 1:00 PM at the Crystal Ballroom of the Ramada Plaza Hotel along 160 Frontage Road, newark, new Jersey.

Gracing PACCAl’s spring event is the Honorable Con. Gen. Mario lopez De leon, Jr. and this year’s Honorary Chairpersons:

PIDCI woman on the totem pole Fe Martinez and pharmacist-philanthropist Joanne sy Bhatia.

simultaneously highlighting the affair is the formal induction and oath-taking ceremony of PACCAl’s newly elected officers for the Fiscal Year 2016-17. To be inducted to office are:

President – Ramona s. GapasinExecutive VP – Joey M. MayoVP for operations – Rolly JavierVP for Development – Marieta

lamarRecording secretary – Mae

legaspiCorresponding secretary

– Marilou songcoTreasurer – Rebecca

samanyaphonAsst. Treas. – Jujo ConolAuditor – Clara HayesBoard of Directors:Anthony Bautistaluz BurkeArmand DavidHermie GarciaHelen santillanRia serranoAdvisers: linda M. MayoBetty BuenviajeRose P. Javierlumen G. CastañedaCommunity Adviser – Dennis

Hayessenior Program Advisers

– Bing Antonio, Jose G. Red, Jose santillan

Cultural & Arts Consultants – Virgie Alvarez & Florentino Capili

PACCAL Staff:linda M. Mayo – CEo /

FounderContinued on Page 7

7The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ApRil 1 , 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

From Page 6

Four illustrious Influential Women...Bobby T. Yalong – Executive

DirectorAnita Tan – Fiscal OfficerEugene P. Respicio – Graphic

ArtistVisitacion Medinaceli

– Outreach Coordinator / CHWSusan Liguori – CHWPACCAL is profoundly

privileged to have equally prominent women Joanne Sy Bhatia and Fe Martinez as its Honorary Chairpersons.

Generosity and compassion plus a huge amount of affability are the sturdy foundations that cohesively hold the bricks of the world together…worth-emulating traits that Joanne Sy Bhatia

and Fe Martinez both possess. Despite being in the flourishing Pharmacy Business for years, Joanne consistently remains low-key and simple but behind her uncomplicated lifestyle lies a munificent heart within…ready to help and extend aid to those in need.

Incidentally, the existence of hardworking women in society undoubtedly gives inspiration to the increasing number of the female populace holding prominent position in the community. The moniker, Fe Martinez, has constantly been synonymous to being an achiever while simultaneously influential. Her rise to prominence in the

Filipino-American society is, without any cloud of doubt, a significant symbol of woman empowerment and dedicated service.

“A successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her.” Such an inspirational quote that could motivate the so-called men’s “weaker counterparts” … although the term no longer applies to our current social set-up since these women are already enthusiastically empowered and greatly driven by their innately prolific instincts… making them as influential and powerful as men.

For comments and suggestions, please email to: gemini0646@yahoo.com.

RAPPER Gloc-9 has responded to netizens criticizing him for performing at Vice President Jejomar Binay’s campaign rallies.

Gloc-9, who is known for composing songs touching on social issues, posted his statement on his Facebook page after people responded when he was seen performing songs at the proclamation rally of Binay’s dauther, Abby, who is running for Makati mayor.

He received flak for what he did, with some fans asking him why he chose Binay, who is accused of corruption. Others said he had failed them, especially since they idolized him because of his songs. Several mentioned his song “Upuan,” which tackles greed and the insensitivity of those in power.

Gloc-9 said his management asked him not to speak on the issue but he could no longer stay silent.

The rapper said that he respects the views of other people even if their words are hurtful.

“Paumanhin po kung hindi nasunod ang gusto ninyo at mawalang galang na din po sa mga nag sasabing hindi pwedeng TRABAHO LANG ITO dahil ITO LAMANG NAMAN PO ANG TRABAHO KO. (I apologize if I am not

Gloc-9 defends self from bashers after performing at Binay rally

by Kristine Angeli sAbilloInquirer.net

able to please you and to those who say that what I did can’t be just work, because this is what I do for a living),” he said, adding that he worked hard for two decades to earn a living in the music industry.

“Ako ay kumakanta sa entablado ng ibat ibang kandidato marahil ay hindi nyo lang gusto ang isang entabladong sinampahan ko,” Gloc-9 said. “Katulad ng lahat may kanya kanyang dungis na ibinabato sa bawat isa sa kanila gayon paman i wish all the candidates good luck sa darating na elections at naway ang mapipili ay tunay na mag sisilbi at tamang mamumuno sa bayan natin. (I have performed for different candidates and I guess you just don’t like one of the candidates I performed for. Candidates are like everyone else accused of various things but I wish

all of them good luck in the coming elections. I hope the one who wins will truly serve and lead the nation).”

Gloc-9 said that if his critics are proven right, he would like to apologize not to them but to his children.

“Dahil higit sa aking pagiging manunulat ng awitin, higit sa aking pagiging ehemplo at higit sa aking pagiging mamamayan ako po ay isang Ama. Hihingi ako ng tawad sa aking mga anak dahil naniniwala ako na sa kanila lamang ako may pananagutan. (Because more than being a composer of songs, more than being a role model and a citizen, I am a father. I would ask for forgiveness from my children because I believe that I am accountable only to them),” he said.

JOHN Lloyd Cruz has recently been at the forefront of showbiz intrigues as his colorful lovelife has once again spewed hot headlines.

However, at a press conference on Thursday, March 31, he is quick to admit the real status of his love life saying, “single na single”.

Yet the actor laughingly answered that his love life is actually “intriguing”, even attributing color to it saying, “It’s as intriguing as the color yellow. Love life ko, wala po eh.”

Reason for his separation to former girlfriend Angelica

John Lloyd Cruz sets it straight: ‘Yes, single na single!’

Panganiban is still a hot topic to the fans as none of them came to admit the real deal.

Since their break-up is highly connected to the separation of John Lloyd’s long-time on-screen partner Bea Alonzo to former boyfriend Zanjoe Marudo and that the public was quick to conclude that he and Bea may have indeed finally gotten together, John Lloyd quickly flashed a smile and denied all the issues.

When asked if he and Bea have actually discussed the controversies sorrounding them, John lloyd says, “We don’t feel the need to tak about it, alam namin yung totoo”. (Izel Abanilla/Inquirer.net)

John Lloyd Cruz

Princess Punzalan left showbiz for familyONE of the popular Filipina

villains is back as she stars in the ABS-CBN primetime series “The Story of Us.”

She’ll portray the role of Clodette, the mother of CJ (Bryan Santos), the third wheel in the relationship of Macoy and Tin.

“No’ng pinadala sa akin ang character sketch, na-excite ako kasi unang-una, na-miss ko talaga makatrabaho ang ABS-CBN,” she said about accepting the project, in an interview on Tuesday, March 30.

“Since naging very iconic ang character na Celina, I wanted to do something else na drama, may paka-kontra bida, pero ibang take naman. So ‘yon ang challenge for me,” she added.

Celina was the main villain

of Claudine Barretto-starring drama series “Mula sa Puso,” where Punzalan’s laugh became iconic.

Punzalan has been away for more than 15 years, but clarified that she didn’t leave the industry permanently.

However, her marriage made her decide that “it was a good step na iwan muna lahat ng ito at mag-concentrate sa buhay may asawa, na wala pa masyadong nakikialam sa buhay ko.”

“I really want to make my family work, my marriage work. So kailangan maging priority ‘yon para sa akin,” she noted.

She now has a two-year-old daughter who is with her in the Philippines while she’s shooting for the soap opera.

Janella Salvador celebrates 18th birthdayJANELLA Salvador was like a princess on her

18th birthday celebration.Janella, who recently turned eighteen, just

came back from Japan and celebrated her debut in advance. Her champagne-colored gown was designed by Pepsi Herrera, while the red gown was by Stephanie Tan.

Some of her showbiz friends present there are Marlo Morte, Elmo Magalona, her best friend Claire Ruiz, Julia Montes, Jane Oineza and Robi Domingo.

However, the most touching moment that night was when her mom Janine Desiderio dedicated a song for her. (Philstar.com) Janella Salvador imbibed her inner princess as she celebrated her 18th

birthday. Photo from Facebook/ Nice Print Photography

Asked if she’s willing to do another project after “The Story of Us,” Punzalan said it’ll depend on what she and her husband will decide later on. (Philstar.com)

Princess Punzalan

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8The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY ApRil 1, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine