NEW YORK—All eyes are now on Overseas Absentee Voters and their votes which could very well decide who the next Vice President of the Philippines will be.

In a tightly-contested match, Liberal Party’s Leni Robredo has taken the lead from inde-pendent candidate Bongbong Marcos a few hours after the unofficial vote tally were made available online. As of press time, Robredo has 13,841,197 votes against Marcos who has 13,608,721.

It may take a while to see the final results though because of a last minute Comelec rul-ing that took into consideration the fact that there is no mail delivery on Saturdays and Sundays. Consulate officials were worried earlier that many ballots would arrive Mon-

day, May 9, after the initially agreed upon 5 am deadline in New York, or whatever the time equivalent of 5 pm Monday in the Philip-pines when all the voting centers closed.

Mailed ballots that arrived up to the ex-

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INCOMING PRESIDENT. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is greeted by supporters during a campaign sortie. Duterte kept a convincing lead on Tuesday, May 11 breaching 15 million votes in unofficial count the day after the May 9 Philippine national elections. Duterte has parlayed decades at Davao City Hall into a successful, if controversial, run for Malacañang with millions seemingly endorsing his tough stance on crime and his self-described “gutter” language. Inquirer.net photo by Raffy Lerma

MANILA—Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is set to become the 16th presi-dent of the Philippines, as unofficial vote counts show him in an insurmountable lead and as top rivals conceded defeat.

As of this writing on thursday, May 12, Duterte, who ran under the PDP-La-ban party, clinched 15,915,687 million votes or 38.55 percent.

trailing behind in second was Liberal

Party (LP) bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas with 9,681,829 million votes, followed by Senator Grace Poe with 8,929,899 mil-lion votes, Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) with 5,313,602 million votes, and Sena-tor Miriam Defensor-Santiago coming in fifth with 1,420,595 million votes.

An estimated 54.5 million filipinos were eligible to vote on Monday, May 9 for over 18,000 positions throughout the country. More than 92,000 precincts

‘CHANGE IS COMING’

Duterte slated to be Philippines’ next president

MANILA—the transition team of presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte on thursday, May 12, bared the eight-point economic agenda of the incom-ing administration.

In a televised press conference in Davao City, Carlos Dominguez, a member of the Duterte transi-

Duterte’s transition team bares 8-point economic plan

tion team, enumerated Duterte’s plans that centered on taxes, in-frastructure, social services and rural development.

Dominguez, a former Cabi-net secretary for the Corazon Aquino and fidel Ramos admin-istrations, said that foremost, the incoming government will con-tinue and maintain the country’s current macroeconomic policy.

OAV votes may swing VP race results

SENAtOR ferdinand “Bongbong” Mar-cos Jr. on Wednesday, May 11, accused the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of using a computer command or ‘new script’ to wipe out his one million votes and to pad Rep. Leni Robredo’s votes on Monday evening.

francesca huang, speaking in behalf of Marcos, said the new script altered the hash codes of the packet data that started the “rather distinctive pattern” of dagdag-bawas (vote padding-vote shaving).

“Did Comelec know about the introduc-

tion of this new script? how does the new script affect the data and data reception of the transparency server?” huang asked.

“how were the data of election returns from these affected clustered precincts or VCMs [Vote Counting Machines] uploaded to the transparency server? Does this mean that the data could be uploaded to the transpar-ency server through other means of which we do not know about?” she said.

huang added that Marcos’ camp on Wednesday sent a letter of inquiry to Com-elec

Chairman Andres Bautista and the com-

Marcos: Comelec used ‘new script’ to cheat me

NEW YORK—the Philippine Consul-ate General New York has partnered with 15 filipino restaurants in New York and New Jersey for the second year of filipino Restaurant Week.

Representatives of each of the res-taurants – either as chef, owner or both – joined Consul General Mario L. de Leon, Jr. at the project launch on tues-day, May 10 at the Philippine Center. they brought with them a dish or two from their respective restaurants.

“We launched this project last year without much fanfare, and it was quite successful, ” remarked ConGen de

Leon. “We just wanted to put a spotlight on filipino cuisine and that’s why we are doing it again this year, and now we have more participating restaurants.”

Most of the participating restaurants last year reported increased patronage during and after the filipino Restaurant Week.

“We are excited to do it again and we are happy to have new restaurants joining us this year. We even have res-taurants from Elizabeth, Somerville and Union in New Jersey. this means that we are offering a wider array of filipino dishes, which will give filipino foodies a chance to experience more of our gastronomic offerings,” the consul

FILIPINO RESTAURANT WEEK 2016NY, NJ Filipino restaurants team up for Filipino Restaurant Week

Chef King Phojanakong, chef and owner of Kuma Inn explains how projects such as Filipino Restaurant Week helps in promoting Filipino culture to their restaurants’ diners, beginning with food. Also in photo are representatives of some of restaurants participating and guests Kat Popiel (second from left), Nicole Ponseca (Jeepney/Maharlika), Aris Tuazon (Ugly Kitchen), Faye Sa Agustin and Jay (La Parrilla de Manila), Tyrone and Cynthia Conshue (Pinoy Filipino Restaurant) and Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr. (right). AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

AftER decades of waiting, filipino World War II veterans living in the United States can now be reunited with family members under a new policy announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

the guidelines for the filipino World War II Veterans Parole (fWVP) Program were released on Monday, May 9, outlin-ing who are eligible to apply and what the process entails. the application comes nearly a year after the program was first announced last July in a White house re-port that provided recommendations on how to “modernize and streamline” the immigration system following President Barack Obama’s executive actions on im-

Filipino World War II vets can reunite with family under new parole program

Applications begin June 8

A fILIPINO federal security officer sus-pected of fatally shooting three and wound-ing three others was arrested friday, May 6, the Associated Press reported.

Eulalio tordil, 62, is linked to shooting victims at mall and supermarket on friday, less than 24 hours after he allegedly shot his estranged wife, Gladys tordil, 44, in the parking lot of high Point high School in Beltsville, Maryland.

his wife was at the school to pick up her children when tordil shot her multiple times in her car, Rappler reported. he also shot a bystander who attempted to aid his wife.

No students were reported to have been shot at the school.

Police in Prince George’s County have charged tordil with two counts of first-de-gree murder, two counts of attempted first-

Filipino suspected of shooting wife and others arrested

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by Christina M. OrielAJPress

by MOMar G. VisayaAJPress

by MOMar G. VisayaAJPress

Rep. Leni Robredo Sen. Bongbong Marcos

by JaiMe r. PilaPilManilaTiames.net

by JOVan CerdaPhilstar.com

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The Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC) led by Minister Patrick Chuasoto (3rd from right) with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. after the closing of the Consolidation System (CCS) on Wednesday, May 11. PH Embassy photo

MAY 13-19, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

From the Front Page

opened that morning at 6 am and closed at 5 pm; however, there had been reports of vote-count-ing machine (VCM) glitches in Metro Manila and beyond, so several precincts stayed open until 6 pm if voting was delayed.

At the end of the voting period, Commission on Elections (Com-elec) Chairman Andres Bautista told reporters that voter turnout was at 81.62 percent, a historic number compared to the last three automated elections.

Binay was the first presiden-tial candidate to head to the polls on Monday, filling out his ballot at San Antonio National High School in Makati City past 6 am. An hour later, Santiago cast her ballot at La Vista Clubhouse in Quezon City. Roxas was in Roxas City, Capiz to place his votes at Rufina Andrada Santos Memorial School. Poe visited the grave of her late father Fernando Poe Jr. before heading to Sta. Lucia Ele-mentary School in San Juan City.

Duterte, who was the last among the bets to cast his bal-lot, told reporters in Davao City in the afternoon that, “I don’t want to be presumptuous [about

the results]… I ain’t there until I am there. This will be my 11th election in my life. I never expe-rienced defeat. Maybe this time, if it’s God’s will. But If I win, I’ll do my job.”

Roxas, who came in second in the latest partial and unofficial results, held a press conference at the LP headquarters in Cubao, Quezon City, acknowledging Duterte as the winner.

“According to the unofficial tally of Comelec, Mayor Digong is the clear winner. I wish you success, Mayor Duterte. Your success is the success of the Fili-pino people,” Roxas said, thank-ing his supporters.

Before midnight on Monday, Poe (who has three years left in her Senate term) conceded the presidential race to Duterte. Early in the partial vote counts, Poe was placing second, but was ultimately overtaken by Roxas.

“Ako si Grace Poe...ay nagbibi-gay-daan kay Rodrigo Duterte...na siyang napili ng nakararami sa ating mga kababayan (I am Grace Poe, and I am giving way to Rodrigo Duterte, whom major-ity of our countrymen have cho-sen),” she said. Prior to talking to

reporters, the senator reportedly called Duterte to congratulate him.

The presidential candidates marked the end of the 90-day campaign period on Saturday, May 7 with miting de avances (fi-nal rallies) across Metro Manila in last-minute attempts to garner support: Duterte and running mate Alan Peter Cayetano at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park; Roxas and his running mate Rep. Leni Robredo held a star-studded event at Quezon City Circle, with the promise to continue “Daang Matuwid” (straight path); Poe and Sen. Chiz Escudero at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo; Binay and other UNA candidates at Law-ton in Makati; and Santiago and running mate Bongbong Marcos held a “street party” in Quezon City’s West Triangle.

On the eve of election day, President Benigno S. Aquino III called for elections that are “peaceful, orderly, and truly mir-ror the spirit of democracy.”

“Let me stress: In a democracy, everyone can decide. In the end, after the elections, hopefully, the bickering will end. Let us respect

Duterte slated to be Philippines’ next…

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tended deadline of 12 noon Mon-day were still included in the counting. Each ballot then had to be cross-referenced with the list of voters to identify as to which precinct it would belong to, be-fore being fed to the vote count-ing machines.

In New York, 314 ballots were delivered on Monday, bringing the post’s total to 10,267 votes cast. This figure represents a 39.5 percent turnout.

Presumptive president Rodri-go Duterte won the votes in the states covered by the Philippine Consulate General New York, garnering 4,971 of the total votes. Mar Roxas followed with 3,125 and Grace Poe with 991. In the Vice Presidential race, Leni Ro-bredo got 4,417 votes, followed by Duterte’s running-mate Allan Peter Cayetano with 2,594 and Bongbong Marcos with 2,205.

“The total margin is very slim, so I would say that this time, the overseas absentee votes may be a factor in determining who might be the next Vice President,” Con-

sul General Mario L. de Leon said.

Swing voteThere are 1,376,067 registered

overseas voters (land-based and seafarers), according to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs-Overseas Voting Secre-tariat (DFA-OVS). Of this figure, 275,689 come from North and

Latin America.The Philippine Embassy in

Washington, DC where all elec-tion results were tallied, con-firmed that there were 179,242 registered voters, but only 49,671 votes cast. Voter turnout was at 27.71 percent.

Leading for president is Duterte

OAV votes may swing VP race…

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“However, in the case of tax revenue collection, efforts will be complemented by reforms in the bureaucracy of the tax-col-lecting agencies. This will fulfill the president-elect’s promise that there will be less corruption in the government,” he said.

Secondly, Dominguez said the Duterte administration will accelerate the public-private partnerships to create jobs and inject economic activity in the country. “We are going to hold the people to their contracts,” he said.

Dominguez said the incom-ing administration will also en-sure the attractiveness of the Philippines to foreign direct in-vestments by easing economic restrictions and by enhancing competitiveness of doing busi-ness in the Philippines.

He said the national govern-ment will follow the “Davao model” where licenses in do-ing business are given in the shortest possible time. In addi-tion, Dominguez said this “also means reducing crime in the areas to increase the security of businessmen and consumers.”

Fourth in the agenda is the plan to develop the rural areas in the country by providing sup-port services to small farmers to

improve their productivity.“It also means that we are go-

ing to encourgae more agricul-tural processing in the agricul-tural areas,” Dominguez said. He added that the new government will also promote tourism in the rural areas of the country.

Furthermore, he said the Duterte administration will ad-dress the bottlenecks in the land administration system, where four state agencies - Land Reg-istration Administration, De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Department of Agrarian Reform - have difficulty cooperating.

“Security of land tenure is very important because it encourages foreign investment in the rural

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Duterte’s transition team includes Peter Laviña, Atty. Salvador Medialdea, Christopher Go, Leoncio Evasco (standing) and Carlos Dominguez. Inquirer.net photo by Nico Alconaba

TRANSITION TEAM. A day after President Benigno Aquino III reached out to the camp of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on the smooth transition of governments, Malacañang released the administrative order detailing the composition of its own transition committee. Administrative Order no. 49, which Aquino has mentioned in a statement, provides for the creation of a Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) and other agency transition committees. Presidential Transition Committee members, (clockwise from left) Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa (PTC head), National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) director general Emmanuel Esguerra; Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad; Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.; Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson; Foreign Affairs Secretary Jose Rene Almendras; Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima. Inquirer.net photo

Washington DC’s Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC) shuts down the Canvassing and Consolidation System (CCS) for the United States and the Caribbean on Wednesday, May 11. PH Embassy photo

areas,” he said.Moreover, Dominguez said

they will also strengthen the ba-sic education system and provide scholarships for tertiary educa-tion, which he said is relevant to the needs of the private sector.

“We will try to match what is taught with what is demanded in the field,” he said.

On the area of tax administra-tion, Dominguez said the that the incoming government will make the tax system more progressive by indexing the tax collection gradiations to the inflation rate.

Lastly, the Duterte government also plans on expanding the con-ditional cash transfer program initiated by the Arroyo adminis-tration and expanded during the Aquino administration.

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2016 A�From the Front Page

GETTING READY. Workers arrange documents at the session hall as the House of Representatives prepares to canvass votes for the presidential and vice presidential candidates. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan

general added.Nicole Ponseca, owner of

Jeepney and Maharlika, related how she used the things she used to be embarrassed about as a kid growing up in America as her main key points now that she is operating two of the more successful Filipino restaurants in Manhattan today.

“I was embarrassed to see my dad eating with his bare hands, and now we offer a regular kama-yan dinner,” she explained, add-ing that dishes such as dinuguan and balut should not be a reason for embarrassment but should be treated with pride.

At Maharlika, every time some-one orders balut, the servers and staff scream “Baluuut!” – similar to how vendors scream it as they sell the treat on the streets in the Philippines.

A new addition to the lineup this year is Phil-Am Kusina, a restaurant on Staten Island. They also run a Filipino food truck called Sisig City. The young man behind it is Manny Impe-rial, who was absorbing all the discussion between the owners and the chefs on how to further promote Filipino cuisine to the mainstream.

“As the youngest here, I’m just taking it all in. I would like to learn from the others’ experi-ences,” he said.

Imperial said he and his team announces on their social media account the whereabouts of the food truck. Most of the time, it is in Queens but they also do regu-lar stints in Manhattan, particu-larly near the United Nations on First Avenue.

New Jersey RestaurantsAmong the handful of new

participants are restaurants from New Jersey.

One of them is Calesa in Union, which had its formal grand open-ing Wednesday, May 11, a day after the FRW2016 launch in New York. Owned by a couple who worked in health-care, Calesa aims to showcase more Filipino dishes in the township, located about 20 miles from New York City.

Miriam Avregilla was a nurse before she became a restaura-teur, a passion project for her and her fam-ily. For her, Calesa is all about bringing Old Manila to New Jersey, which is why the restau-rant’s interiors scream Filipiniana – from the Capiz windows which they turned into sliding doors to the décor up to the uniforms of the

servers. “Every time we brought food

to our church, they liked it, and they’re not Filipinos. That made us think and gave us an idea to open a small restaurant so more non-Filipinos can taste more of our dishes,” Avregilla said, ex-plaining the spark that ignited her interest in opening a Filipino restaurant despite her lack of ex-perience in the field.

“Wala talaga akong experience being a restaurateur but I have met people along the way who helped me out, guided me and gave me pointers,” Avregilla said. “I’m happy that we are now of-ficially open and that locals have been coming to eat our food.”

In Central New Jersey, Pinoy Filipino Restaurant, owned by Cynthia and Tyrone Conshue is making a mark in Somerville. Lo-cated on the Arts District’s Divi-sion Street, a street permanently closed to traffic, Pinoy has add-ed Filipino cuisine to the city’s eclectic dining mix.

Chef Cynthia, who leads the restaurant’s kitchen, learned to cook traditional Filipino dishes from her mother who owned a restaurant in Tacurong. She uti-lizes this historical knowledge to recreate traditional dishes while utilizing fresh and local ingredients.

“We are introducing the beau-ty of the Filipino cuisine to the melting pot that we are finding in Somerville,” Chef Cynthia said. “We have found that people from all over New Jersey are coming to Somerville to experience food

NY, NJ Filipino restaurants team up for…from around the world and we are pleased to be able to contrib-ute to their enjoyment.”

(Filipino Restaurant Week 2016 starts Monday, May 16 up to May 28. In Manhattan, the participating restaurants are Grill 21, Jeepney, Kuma Inn, Mahar-lika and Ugly Kitchen. Queens is represented by Kabayan, Payag and Tito Rad’s Grill; in Brook-lyn, there’s Purple Yam and on Staten Island, Phil-Am Kusina. In New Jersey, it’s Max’s of Manila, Noodle Fan (Elizabeth), Pinoy Filipino Restaurant, Calesa and La Parrilla de Manila. For more details on the project, please visit www.newyorkpcg.org) n

Nurse turned restaurateur Miriam Avregilla is all smiles at the grand opening of her family’s restaurant, Calesa. Miriam is in charge of the restaurant’s pastries and desserts and among her specialties are her mango cheese cake and leche flan. Like the participating restaurants of Filipino Restaurant Week, Calesa hopes to showcase Filipino cuisine to a wider and broader market. AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

“We will also index that to in-flation so that the real value of the money for people under the program will be maintained,” he said.

In addition, the new govern-ment vowed to expand the cov-erage of the Philippine Health Insurance System.

Dominguez said that a num-ber of items in the new govern-ment’s economic agenda will have to be addressed through a constitutional convention.

“We will push for something more friendly to foreign invest-ments,” he said.

Currently, foreigners are barred by the Consitution from owning more than 40 percent of real properties and businesses in the Philippines.

Pressed on the issue of la-bor contractualization which Duterte vowed to address, Domin-guez said the transition team has yet to talk in detail about it but promised that it will be removed in the new administration.

He added that the transition team has yet to make economic growth targets pending consid-eration of the effects of El Niño to the country’s agricultural sector. n

Duterte’s transition team bares…PAGE A2 t

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and understand any decision borne out of the collective voice of the majority,” Aquino’s state-ment in Filipino said.

The president had previously urged Roxas to forge an alliance with Poe to defeat Duterte. How-ever, Poe rejected the proposal, saying she was not planning to withdraw from the race.

Replicating Davao City’s progress

Davao City, where Duterte has served as mayor for over two de-cades, was once considered the murder capital of the Philippines, but has since transformed into a model of peace and order for its strict rules, like a no smoking or-dinance in public places, liquor ban from 1 to 8 am, and 10 pm curfew for unaccompanied mi-

Duterte slated to be Philippines’ next…nors.

Leading up to Monday’s polls, the 71-year-old, who bears the nickname “The Punisher,” has consistently topped national surveys and gained popularity for being the anti-establishment candidate, whose no-nonsense platform promises to wipe out crime and corruption within six months of taking office. (He es-timates 100,000 criminals would be gone by then or else he’d step down.)

Before a crowd of thousands of supporters in Rizal Park on Saturday night, May 7, Duterte delivered a 90-minute speech, wherein he reiterated his anti-crime policy, which involves mass killings.

“If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as

mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out,” he said. “Because as the mayor, I’d kill you.”

In response to the criticism from human rights groups, he simply added, ”I will butcher him in front of them if they want.”

Even the controversies that arose during Duterte’s campaign — the rape comment about an Australian missionary, questions about his wealth and hidden bank accounts, and the alleged human rights violations for the Davao Death Squad’s extrajudicial kill-ings, among others — were not enough to detract Filipinos who are tired of the rampant crime throughout the country.

After voting on Monday, May 9, young Filipinos expressed why

with 24,789 votes (50.7 percent), with Roxas in second place with 12,820 (26.2 percent), and Poe in third with 5,480 (11.2 percent).

Robredo is leading in the vice presidential race with 18,407 votes (37.8 percent), in second place is Marcos with 14,193 (29.1 percent), and Cayetano in third place with 11,980 votes (24.6 per-cent).

In 2013, there were only 737,759 voters and of that figure, only 113,209 cast their ballots for a low turnout of 15.35 percent. The turnout was higher in the 2010 presidential polls with 26 percent casting their votes.

The Philippine Consulate Gen-

OAV votes may swing VP race…eral in Los Angeles leads the list of US posts with 55,000 voters, followed by San Francisco with 46,831 and Washington, DC with 28,000.

The Philippine Consulate Gen-eral in New York, which cov-ers the northeast states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, has about 26,000 regis-tered voters.

The consulates of Chicago and Honolulu round up the list with 13,000 and 9,000, respectively.

Middle East and Africa leads the list of overseas voters with 593,834, followed by Asia Pacific Region with 344,857. Europe has

161,687 registered voters.The month-long voting for

overseas voters began on Satur-day, April 8.

San Francisco voteIn San Francisco, the reported

unofficial total of valid ballots cast-ed by eligible Filipino voters in the consulate’s jurisdiction is 14,398. This represents more than 31 per-cent of the total 46,831 registered voters, surpassing the turnout in the last 2013 elections.

Consul General Henry Bensurto of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco believes that this may be because voters are now al-lowed to just mail in their ballots, as opposed to having to appear

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MAY 13-19, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A� Dateline USa

missioners, asking them to ad-dress their concerns.

“We are waiting for their an-swer. Our next move will depend on their answer,” she said.

Huang added that as of 4:15 p.m. on May 11, their tally showed Marcos posting a 189,529 vote lead against Robredo based on the votes from 52.38 percent clustered precincts.

The votes that contributed to Marcos’ lead came from Panga-sinan, Ilocos Norte, Sultan Kuda-rat and provinces under Region 4-B, like Mindoro.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting’s (PPCRV) partial and unofficially tally of votes initially showed Marcos having a commanding lead of close to one million votes over the camarines Sur lawmaker.

At about 10 p.m., however, Robredo’s votes came in and she eventually overtook Marcos shortly before 5 a.m., Tuesday.

As of 1:35 p.m., Wednesday, based on the 78.04 percent of

registered voters, the Comelec transparency server showed that Robredo was leading by 231,728 votes.

She had 13,958,608 votes com-pared to Marcos’ 13,726,880.

Huang said they sent people to the PPCRV headquarters in Manila after the group’s vice chairman Johnny Cardenas in-vited the Marcos camp to send observers there.

Also on Wednesday, Marcos appealed to his supporters, most-ly young people, to stay calm.

The Ilocano senator made the appeal after learning that a hun-dred supporters, mostly univer-sity students, staged a rally at the Rizal Park (Luneta) in Manila to show their indignation over the alleged vote padding-vote shaving scheme.

“I urge our friends, our sup-porters who are rallying their Facebook friends to come out and stage a rally to calm down. Cool down your heads,” Marcos said.

He added that his lawyers are preparing data that will show

Marcos: Comelec used ‘new script’ to cheat…clearly the Liberal Party had or-chestrated the alleged fraud to “freeze” his votes.

“What was even more puzzling was that the drop in my lead be-gan after the Comelec had said there was a glitch that delayed the updates of the transmitted votes in the transparency serv-er,” Marcos pointed out.

Marcos’ presidential tandem Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santi-ago came to the rescue of the senator.

“The roller coaster ride of vice-presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. invites comparison with a garrison state. In such a state, the authoritarian govern-ment feels free to manufacture numbers as they are needed,” Santiago said in a statement.

“I find it astounding that Mar-cos should have led in the vice-presidential surveys for many months, until the penultimate month, when suddenly the ad-ministration could jump up sur-vey results to finally overtake him,” she added. n

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Duterte is fit to be the country’s chief executive.

“I voted for Duterte because I support Federalism and he qualifies my requirements for a president. I want the next admin-istration to address the problem in education and income tax,” Ericka Cayton, 20, a marketing associate from Las Piñas, said.

“Duterte kasi kelangan na nang bansa ang pagbabago, yung ka-may na bakal para sumunod la-

hat (Duterte because we need a changed country [and] that hand of steel so everyone will follow), “ said Chris Talon, 25, from Caloo-can.

22-year-old Allen T. from San Pedro, Laguna added, ”Duterte, sawa na ko sa puro salita, kailan-gan na may gumawa (I’m tired of all talk, there needs to be ac-tion).”

The strictness that voters seek and now expect was reiterated by Duterte on Tuesday morning.

“I will be strict. I will be a dicta-tor, no doubt it. But only against forces of evil — criminality, drugs and corruption in government,” he said in Davao City.

Once officially declared the winner, Duterte will assume the presidency on June 30. Outgo-ing President Aquino has yet to reveal plans on what he will do after leaving office. (With reports from Mary May Portez, Godwin Gasacao and Ian Jamotillo / AJ-Press)

Duterte slated to be Philippines’ next…PAGE A3 t

personally at the consulate. This, he said, made voting easier for those who are far from the Phil-ippine Consulate office, but live within the jurisdiction of the SF PH Consulate (Northern Califor-nia, Washington, Oregon, Colo-rado, Alaska, Northern Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyo-ming).

Duterte came out as the win-ner in the presidential race, with 6,535 votes or 45.39 percent, fol-lowing by Roxas at 4,035 votes (28.02 percent). Third place went to Poe with 1,877 or 13.04 per-cent.

Robredo topped the vice presi-dential race with 5,588 votes (38.81 percent). Trailing behind her is Marcos with 4,316 votes (29.98 percent) and in third is Sen. Francis Escudero with 988 votes (6.93 percent).

Business community re-sponds

In a statement obtained by the Asian Journal, The Makati Busi-ness Club congratulated the na-tion for “another successful mani-festation of a fully-functioning and vigorous democracy” despite a campaign that deeply divided

the electorate.“The Commission on Elec-

tions deserves much appre-ciation for its management of a process, seen by many as highly credible, clean, and honest. We note that last minute changes in procedures, delays in logistical preparations, glitches in the Vote Counting Machines during elec-tion day itself, and the usual con-troversies presented significant challenges, which we believe Comelec adequately addressed,” the statement read.

The 2016 national and local elections were passionately con-tested. The campaign was fierce and people were deeply divided among personalities, parties, and platforms. In the face of these ten-sions, the will of the Filipino elec-torate prevailed.

Indeed, automation is the way forward given the improvements since 2010, and the refreshing practice of losing candidates con-ceding early to the apparent win-ners, demonstrating dignity in the face of defeat, and the apparent winners showing humility in vic-tory, should be commended.

We note that a record 81% of the electorate exercised their

right to vote, once again high-lighting the Filipinos’ resilience amidst discomforting conditions, as well as our rock-solid commit-ment to upholding democracy. We also commend our teach-ers, election volunteers, and poll watchers for their humble and selfless service.

The partial and unofficial results from the Comelec convincingly reflect the will of the electorate.

The Makati Business Club also echoed the calls of the candidates who have conceded and issues pleas for unity.

“Now the process of genu-ine healing must begin: Friend-ships must be restored, mutual trust must be reestablished, and wounds must begin to heal. We call on all Filipinos to come to-gether, to support our new lead-ers,” MBC said. “It is our hope that the 2016 elections bring forth a country grounded on the prin-ciples of protecting and strength-ening our democratic institutions, and on decency, integrity, justice, empathy, competence, peace and order especially in Mindanao, and respect for the rule of law.” (With reports from Malou Liwanag-Bledsoe)

OAV votes may swing VP race…PAGE A3 t

degree murder and other related charges. On Saturday, Montgom-ery County police said the gun-man is being held without bond for the charges, for which he was set to have a bail review on Mon-day, May 9.

Tordil, an employee of the Federal Protective Service since 1997, which provides security at federal properties, was taken into custody near the super-market, the last shooting scene, authorities told the Associated Press (AP).

He was stripped of his badge, credentials and weapon, and as-signed to administrative duties in march following a protective or-der issued against him when his wife said he had threatened to harm her if she left him, accord-ing to The Washington Post. The order stated that Tordil subjected their children to “intense-mili-tary-like discipline,” including pushups and detention in a dark closet.

After allegedly shooting his wife on Thursday, Tordil evaded authorities and shut off his cell-phone.

Prior to his Friday arrest, plain-clothes officers followed Tordil for an hour gaging the right time to conduct the arrest. Earlier on, he threatened to “commit suicide by cop” and authorities wanted to ensure the public was safe when he was arrested, according to the AP.

“Knowing his behavior today, knowing of statements he made in the past, we did not want to endanger anyone and have a shootout when we took him into custody and that’s why he was taken into custody the way he was,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger, the news agency reported.

Tordil was sighted when he re-turned to his car, at which point officers surrounded him.

“He jus got out of his car,” Jason Palmer, a private investi-gator who lives close by and be-

gan searching for Tordil himself, told the AP. “He gave up. They pinned him in.”

Montgomery Assistant Chief Russ Hamill said those shot in Montgomery appear to have been random targets that stemmed from Tordil’s attempted carjack-ings, according to the Post.

Students and teachers at Park-dale High School, where Gladys Tordil was a chemistry teacher known for encouraging students to be ambitious and sharing home-cooked food with her colleagues, were devastated by the shootings.

A new Filipino teacher who began working at Parkdale this year, Grace Mary Relador, told the Post that Tordil was an excel-lent teacher who made her feel welcome at the new school.

Another fellow teacher, Mary Alvarenga-Hercules, told the Post students loved Tordil.

“They don’t know how they’re going to go back inside of her classroom,” she said. (Agnes Constante / AJPress)

Filipino suspected of shooting wife and…PAGE A1 t

migration. Starting June 8, “certain ben-

eficiaries of approved family-based immigrant visa petitions” can request a discretionary grant of parole to come to the United States while they wait for their immigrant visa to become avail-able.

Estimates indicate that as many as 26,000 Filipino veter-ans (of the over 260,000 Filipino soldiers who fought in the war) became US citizens, after long being excluded from a law that granted citizenship to foreign soldiers serving in the US forces.

Some of the veterans have petitioned family members from the Philippines to join them in the U.S., but wait times can last years, often times exceeding 20 years, due to statutory visa caps.

With the population of the Filipino veterans rapidly aging — around 2,000 to 6,000 veter-ans are estimated to still be living in the US today — having family members by their sides would provide them with the necessary support and care.

“The Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program hon-ors the thousands of Filipinos who bravely enlisted to fight for the United States during World War II,” USCIS Director León Rodríguez said in a statement on Monday. “This policy will allow

certain Filipino-American family members awaiting immigrant-visa issuance to come to the United States and be with their loved ones. For many, it will also allow them to provide support and care for elderly veterans or their surviving spouses.”

Among the requirements for the application include: indi-viduals must be “beneficiaries of Forms I-130, Petition for Alien Relative” who were approved on or before the filing date of the pa-role and must be related to those who have “established they are either Filipino World War II vet-erans or are the surviving spous-es of such individuals.”

If cases where the petitioning relative is now deceased, family members may be able to seek re-instatement of their immigration petitions and then self-petition for parole.

Granting parole will be deter-mined on a case-by-case basis after interviews by the USCIS or Department of State consular of-fices.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) praised the announcement as a “victory” for Filipino-American communities across the U.S.

“After facing decades of in-justice and separation from their loved ones, courageous Filipino veterans in Nevada and through-out the country finally have the opportunity to reunite with their

families,” Reid said. “These brave veterans have made incredible sacrifices for our country, and I have spent years fighting to en-sure that the United States does everything possible to repay that great debt. Today’s victory is the culmination of years of hard work and advocacy on behalf of a group of people who have en-dured decades of false promises and denied benefits.”

The American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, a Washington-based advocacy organization, thanked Congress members, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, National Federa-tion of Filipino American Asso-ciations (NaFFAA) and “allies for their kind-hearted and dedicated lobbying for the Filipino elderly heroes, their widows and chil-dren.”

JT Mallonga, national chair of NaFFAA, called the announce-ment “heartening.”

“Our courageous heroes, who have waited for up to 20 years, deserve the opportunity to be with their children,” he said. “They must not suffer the pain of separation in the twilight of their years.”

The United States has set up similar parole programs in the past, such as the Cuban Fam-ily Reunification Parole Program and the Haitian Family Reunifi-

Filipino World War II vets can reunite with…PAGE A1 t

uPAGE A5

Lim, Peña won’t yield in Manila, Makati battles

LOSING mayoral candidates Al-fredo Lim of Manila and Romulo “Kid” Peña of Makati City are not waving the white flag just yet.

The two Liberal Party members and their legal teams are studying their next moves that could spoil the party of the declared winners in two of the most-watched local races in the May 9 elections, the Inquirer learned on Wednesday, May 11.

A day after election officials proclaimed reelectionist Mayor Joseph Estrada as the winner in Manila by a margin of only 2,685 votes, Lim’s legal counsel Renato dela Cruz said “we are preparing to seek the annulment of Estrada’s proclamation.”

Another member of Lim’s team said they were investigating why some of the vote counting ma-chines (VCMs) used in the city were brought to the canvassing

center at Rizal Memorial Stadium more than 10 hours after the poll-ing centers were closed. The VCMs had to be manually opened after failing to remotely transmit results from their assigned precincts.

Most of the VCMs that had to be transported to the stadium came from the so-called “Lim territory,” such as Tondo, he noted.

Proclaimed on Tuesday, May 10 after a canvassing that took 17 hours to finish, Estrada gar-nered 283,149 votes to top Lim’s 280,464.

Estrada, who said he didn’t expect Monday’s poll to be that close, had a simple advice for Lim: “Retire.”

In Makati, incumbent Mayor Peña, who has yet to concede de-feat to Rep. Abigail Binay, issued a brief statement addressed to his supporters: “I understand that you are all emotional but I hope we all set this aside first to avoid any trouble. We are continuously studying everything to shed light

on this issue.”Peña was referring to allega-

tions of vote manipulation in the city’s District 2, Binay’s turf. Poll watchers for the mayor claimed there were four precincts at Pem-bo Elementary School where he received zero votes, prompting them to barricade the campus Monday night to stop the teach-ers from turning over the election returns to the Makati Coliseum for canvassing.

In an interview before she was declared winner early Tuesday morning, Binay said “they (Peña supporters) cannot interfere with the transmission of results be-cause that is an election offense. It is also a sign of desperation. It seems that they do not want to re-spect the results and even want to do a manual count.”

Her camp could not be accused of election fraud since they were not the ones in power, said Binay, who led Peña by about 16,000 votes.

by Annelle TAyAo-Juego, MAricAr BrizuelA

Inquirer.net

MAKATI RECLAIMED. Makati City is back in the hands of the Binay family after Abby Binay was proclaimed city mayor on Tuesday, May 10. Also declared winner by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is her husband, Luis Campos, for Makati 2nd district representative. Winning the vice mayoral seat is Monique Lagdameo while former actor Monsour del Rosario was proclaimed 1st district representative. Binay beat incumbent mayor Kid Peña who took over the office after Binay’s brother, Junjun, was dismissed over charges of graft and falsification of public documents. Inquirer.net photo by Maricar Brizuela

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2016 A�Dateline USa

HIGH SPIRITS. Philippine Army servicemen and non uniformed personnel join in a boodle fight at Camp Aguinaldo to celebrate the peaceful and orderly elections last Monday, May 9. ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan

cation Parole Program. Under those parole programs, the ben-eficiaries were allowed to come to the US and were eligible to ap-ply for work authorization while waiting to apply for lawful per-manent resident status.

In a statement, USCIS added that eligible individuals who are interested in requesting parole under the FWVP Program are encouraged to do so within five years from June of this year. (Christina M. Oriel / AJPress)

Filipino World…PAGE A5 t

THE European Union (EU) and the United States are looking for-ward to working with the incom-ing 16th president of the Philip-pines Rodrigo Duterte.

EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said the EU has been encour-aged by the dynamic develop-ment of their relations with the Philippines in recent years.

“We look forward to con-tinuing our path with the next administration under the Part-nership and Cooperation Agree-ment agreed in 2012 between the Philippines and the EU,” Jes-

EU, US looking forward to working with Duterte

by Pia Lee-BragoPhilstar.com

sen said.“I am looking forward to taking

the EU-Philippine agenda for-ward with him and his adminis-tration,” he said in a statement.

The EU delegation and a num-ber of its member states ob-served the elections last Monday in Manila.

“I was encouraged by the high number of people who chose to exercise their democratic rights,” Jessen said.

On the other hand, the US said it would work with Duterte despite allegations of human rights abuses and his rhetorical statement that he was prepared to cut diplomatic ties after the

US and Australian ambassadors criticized his joke about the jail-house rape of an Australian mis-sionary.

“Washington respects the choice of the Filipino people. We will gladly work with the leaders they’ve selected,” State Depart-ment spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said in a press briefing in Washington.

The US congratulated on Mon-day the Philippines for “inclusive and democratic elections.”

The State Department said the US looks forward to continu-ing the strong and enduring ties with the Philippines under a new president. n

With Pacquiao as senator, Arum says Mayweather rematch won’t happenTOP Rank chief Bob Arum is no

longer optimistic about a rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. now that the Filipino icon is bound for the Philippine senate.

Speaking to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, Arum said he’s aware of Pacquiao’s impending victory, with the Sarangani congress-man now at seventh place in the senatorial race with at least 15.4 million votes.

“I texted him congratulating him,” said Arum, adding that he will personally talk to Pacquiao soon.

The veteran promoter said he realizes the additional obligations Pacquiao will face as senator, ef-fectively removing boxing out of his schedule.

“I’ll talk to him when I get there, because it will be easier being in the same time zone. But my feeling is that he’s been elected to a very, very important position in the Filipino govern-ment. So he owes an obligation to the people to work on his gov-ernment responsibilities, and that doesn’t give him time to screw around and train for a fight the way he has to. You can’t do that,” Arum continued.

“Being a congressman is one thing. There are like 400-plus congressmen, so if he does his job for his constituency, he can take time off and train for a fight. But now he’s been elected to nationwide office, and he has no

specific constituency. The entire people of the Philippines are his constituents, and he owes an obligation to them to handle business.”

Pacquiao fought and defeated Timothy Bradley last month before announcing his retire-ment to concentrate on politics. Nevertheless, speculations about a comeback continue to swirl, especially now that Mayweather himself is reportedly on the verge of fighting again.

The two superstars figured in the sport’s richest fight that earned them record-high purses, something impossible to repeat against other opponents.

So is Mayweather-Pacquiao

still possible?“I don’t think so,” Arum said.

“My mindset is that it’s over. When it’s over, it’s over. People say fighters always change their minds, but this is a different situation. If a guy like Sugar Ray Leonard retires and two months later decides to come back be-cause he’s bored, he can do that. Manny can’t do that, because he has plenty to do and an impor-tant job.

“Not only does he have an extraordinarily time-consuming job, Manny has to take time to learn how to do it and how to work day to day with the 23 other members of the senate.” (Dino Maragay/Philstar.com)

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao AJPress file photo by Andy Tecson

Palace: Talk about Aquino arrest not good for unity of nationby Kristine angeLi saBiLLo

Inquirer.net

MALACAñANg has said it is premature to speculate on wheth-er Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will listen to Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison’s re-quest to have outgoing President Benigno Aquino III arrested.

“Baka naman po mas mainam na iyang mga prospective na scenario na iyan ay hintayin na lang natin na maganap sa halip na tayo ngayon ay mag-e-engage sa espekulasyon dahil baka hindi ‘yan masyadong nakakatulong sa paglikha ng isang kaaya-ay-ang sitwasyon na kung saan ay pwedeng magkaisa tayo at tumu-gon tayo doon sa lumalawak na

panawagan for unity and healing in the nation,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said during a Palace briefing on

Thursday, May 12.He said arrests, for example,

could not be made until after June 30 when Aquino’s term of-ficially ends.

Sison, who was a former pro-fessor of Duterte, on Facebook urged the presumptive president to have Aquino and Budget Sec-retary Florencio Abad arrested in connection with the anoma-lous and now defunct Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Duterte earlier promised to visit Sison in the Netherlands where the latter is seeking politi-cal asylum.

Conflict is one of the issues that Duterte has promised to resolve by seeking dialogue with the CPP and other rebel groups.

Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

Court rejects Jinggoy, Napoles’ bid to reverse denied bailby Marc Jayson cayaByaB

Inquirer.net

THE Sandiganbayan has de-nied the appeal of detained Sena-tor Jinggoy Estrada and accused mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to reverse the court’s denial of their bail in the plunder case.

In its resolution, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division said it did not find any evidence that would

reverse its earlier resolution de-nying the bail plea of Estrada and Napoles.

“There is nothing in said mo-tions which would warrant the reconsideration or reversal of the questioned resolution dated Janu-ary 7, 2016 that has not been ex-haustively discussed and deliber-ated upon,” the court said.

The court added that it has “scrutinized every detail of the evi-dence” and that “there is no need to impose on it again the same duty premised on the same argu-ments.”

Division chair Associate Justice Roland Jurado said in his separate opinion that the denial of bail is not a “judgement” on the “final outcome of the case.”

The court denied Estrada’s ap-peal even though the detained senator cited the Supreme Court’s decision allowing Senator Juan Ponce Enrile to post bail in his plunder case due to humanitarian considerations.

In denying Estrada’s bail, the court earlier said it found evident

guilt with Estrada’s alleged use of conduits according to the bank inquiry report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

The court noted the AMLC’s findings that Estrada’s handwrit-ing in the bank checks was simi-lar to that of businessman Juan Ng, whose bank account allegedly holds millions of kickbacks from Napoles. The court said Estrada and Ng could possibly be one and the same.

Estrada’s alleged use of conduits is reminiscent of the Jose Velarde account, which was supposedly owned by Jinggoy’s father former President Joseph Estrada to stow away jueteng kickbacks. Joseph Estrada was later convicted but pardoned for the crime of plunder over jueteng kickbacks during his short-lived term as president.

Estrada is accused of receiv-ing P183 million kickbacks from Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam. He is de-tained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center with co-accused Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.

WHILE the Philippines has yet to reconsider its conservative stand on major issues such as same-sex marriage, divorce and death penalty, this predominant-ly Catholic nation is ready to wel-come its very first transgender congresswoman in the incoming 17th Congress.

49-year-old geraldine Roman made history as the country’s first transgender congresswom-an after winning the first legisla-tive district seat of Bataan follow-ing the national elections held on Monday, May 9.

“The politics of bigotry, ha-tred and discrimination did not triumph. What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect,” Roman told AFP after being proclaimed the win-ner.

Partial and unofficial election results as of Tuesday, May 10, showed that Roman won with 104,287 votes (62 percent) com-pared to Danilo Malana, who received 63,881 votes (38 per-cent).

A devout Catholic, Roman said it was her family’s love and sup-port, and her faith that helped her throughout this journey.

“I am Catholic and I just hap-pen to be a transgender. You can reconcile the fact that you’re Catholic and you are true to your-self,” Roman said.

Roman, who admitted to have undergone gender reassignment 20 years ago, said she is looking forward to proving her critics wrong.

“I’m elated, very, very happy. I’m also excited to work. I realize that the burden is bigger because the stereotype of people about the LgBT is we are frivolous, that we have nothing substantial to say, so I have to prove them wrong,” she said.

In an interview with ABS-CBN’s “TV Patrol” aired on Tues-day, May 10, Roman said that

PH elects first transgender member of Congressby BiLLy De La cruz

AJPress

public service has always been close to her heart because of her father, the late former Bataan Rep. Antonino Roman.

“Marami kaming natutulungan (we are able to help a lot of peo-ple), our family, ang parents ko (my parents) particularly. And I said, ‘well somebody has to con-tinue the tradition of service of the Roman family,’” she said.

Before politics, Roman worked as a senior editor for a news agency in Madrid, Spain. She decided to come back in 2012 to take care of her ailing father, who eventually passed away due to multiple organ failure in Janu-ary 2014.

Roman will succeed her moth-er, outgoing Bataan Rep. Her-minia Roman, who has already served the maximum three-year term for public officials.

Priority measuresRoman vowed to pursue anti-

discrimination measures that will promote equality for all people in every socio-economic status, and not just for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gender (LgBT) community.

“Discrimination in the work place, discrimination in all spheres of society, in daily situ-ations,” Roman said.

There have been various anti-LgBT discrimination bills

filed during the 15th and 16th Congress, but none have been passed into law. The latest ver-sion is House Bill 5687, which aims to eliminate discriminatory practices based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity by proscribing and penalizing dis-criminatory practices.

AAMBIS-OWA party-list Rep. Sharon garin, one of the spon-sors of House Bill 5687 or the proposed Anti-Sexual or gender Identity Discrimination (SOgI) Act, will push for the immedi-ate passage of the bill in plenary when Congress opens its third regular session on July 27.

In an earlier interview with In-quirer.net, Roman said that she also intends to file her own ver-sion of the Freedom of Informa-tion (FOI) bill to ensure that all documents required for public works projects were accessible to the people.

“This is one way of avoiding ir-regularities in public works proj-ects [because] some government officials connive with unscrupu-lous contractors. Public work projects should be done accord-ing to correct specifications and the right perspective to benefit the public, and not project con-tractors,” she said.

The 17th Philippine Congress will convene in July. n

Geraldine Roman Inquirer.net photo

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OpiniOn Features

ing their votes on who they want to lead the Philippines as presi-dent, vice president, senators, representatives and other local officials.

Fueled by discontent of the sta-tus quo and buoyed by the power of social media, ordinary Filipinos have been empowered to choose the leaders who they think will stir the nation to the Philippines of the future—their vision of a better, more peaceful, orderly, safer, and progressive Philippines.

The most number of Filipinos decided to traverse a path different from “Daang Matuwid” offered by President Benigno Aquino III in the past six years. The torch was supposed to be handed over to the administration’s bet—Former DILG Sec. Mar Roxas—moving

forward. But most Filipinos clam-ored for real change, and they dis-cerned a Roxas presidency would be more of the same.

And so they chose instead to trust Rodrigo Duterte, the mav-erick but tried and tested mayor who has made the City of Davao the peaceful, safe, clean, orderly and progressive city it is now. They believe what Duterte did in Davao, he could also do in all parts of the Philippines.

But a clean, honest government remains what Pinoys continue to aspire for, which could be the reason why as of press time, Con-gresswoman Leni Robredo—the widow of Former DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo—has been leading the race for vice president. Leni Ro-bredo has dedicated her life to be-

ing a lawyer for the poor, before she entered politics when her hus-band died in a plane crash. The most number of kababayans saw in her the genuine desire to serve the people, devoid of the hunger for power and greed for money that push many politicians to be embroiled in graft and corruption.

The results of the elections in the Philippines (based on partial, unofficial tallies of votes) mirrors the decision of Filipinos in Ameri-ca. The Overseas Absentee voters here also chose Duterte for Presi-dent, and Robredo for Vice-Presi-dent for the same reasons.

In the days leading up to the May 9 elections, social media was inundated with prayer requests for clean, honest, peaceful and orderly elections. For the most

part of the election process, such prayers were answered.

The result: record breaking turnout of Filipinos who decided to use their right of suffrage to effect change in the status quo through a peaceful and responsible way.

Kababayans were amazed at how fast the results of the election were reported, thanks to the use of voting machines.

Filipinos were in awe by the grace (no pun intended) and class of candidates who conceded early knowing they have lost the elec-tion by a big margin. Sen. Grace Poe, Sec. Mar Roxas and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano have shown the other candidates that the elec-tion is not about them. It is about the will of the people that must prevail, and that its is the moral

responsibility of those who were not chosen by the people to make sure there is a smooth and orderly transition to the next administra-tion. Through their example, they began the healing process that will lead to the unity of the citizens in looking forward to and doing their part for the success of the next ad-ministration.

After all, the success of Duterte, Robredo, and the newly elected public officials will be the success of the Filipino people.

* * *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

This year has seen the fastest transmission of election returns since the automated poll was introduced in 2010. At 10:50pm on Monday, the transmission rate for 2016 elections was already at 74 percent. In 2010 and 2013, the electronic transmission was only at 17 and 23 percent during the same time, respectively.

More Filipinos abroad also cast their votes during the 30-day voting period in 85 Philippine posts worldwide. Comelec reported a total of 376,586 out of the 1,376,067 registered overseas Filipinos worldwide or 29.56 percent voter turnout. It was 285 percent higher compared to the 2013 polls.

Garry Martines of Migrante International said that this year has seen a higher turnout of over-seas absentee voting (OAV) because FIlipinos abroad want accountability and new leaders who will nurture overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and migrant workers, and their families back home.

“Our OFWs have remained vigilant,” he said. “We have once again proven how resilient and significant our OFWs are. We have disproved all claims that there had been a growing apathy

among our OAVs.”For their part, the Armed Forces of the Philip-

pines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that the 2016 elections may still be considered generally peaceful despite some

isolated reports of Election Relat-ed Violent Incidents (ERVIs) and delays due to glitches in the vote counting machines (VCMs).

There were 164 recorded ERVIs since January, the beginning of election season. Despite the 140,000 police personnel deployed across the 36,000 polling precincts across the country on Monday, the AFP still recorded 22 ERVIs, which resulted to 10 fatalities and three wounded.

Both security agencies vowed to remain vigi-lant until the last winner is proclaimed.

Meanwhile, voting had to be extended until 6pm on Monday in some precincts due to some delays caused by malfunctioning VCMs. Comelec said that out of the 77,829 VCMs, 171 needed re-placement, which is equivalent to 0.2 percent.

All in all, Monday’s polls are gearing towards a satisfactory conclusion, which is more than what

is expected. Even international observers agree.These positive reports reflect how Filipinos

may have finally realized the power that belongs to them, which is to choose the leaders they think

are adequate to represent their best interests. It strengthened their participation in this democrat-ic process and trust in the system that is election. (AJPress)

Philstar.com photo

Progress report

Editorial

Historic Halalan 2016 busts apathy among Filipino voters

Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) proudly announced on Monday, May 9, that of the 54.4 million registered Filipino voters, about 40 million or 81.62 percent exercised their right of suffrage.

EIGHTY ONE PERCENT turn-out among registered voters in the Philippines is a reason enough to celebrate in a country that has complained about apathy among Filipino people, who have much to complain about lacking in the will and push to do something to do something about the problems that beset the nation.

After more than a year of pas-sionate, contentious and even nasty debates and campaigns, kababayans in the Philippines and around the world passionately made their voices heard by cast-

RiGobeRto D. tiGlao

Commentary An election of images, a collection of tribes

C’MON, just a day after the elec-tions: Who remembers the plat-forms of the five presidential can-didates, the topics they discussed in three presidential debates, or even their campaign slogans?

The more than 15 million Fili-pinos who voted for Duterte were not really voting for this 71-year old man, who for 22 years has been Davao City mayor, who even boasted he was the patron of – or the brains? – behind the Davao Death Squads. Indeed, even re-porters and editors scrambled to Google or ask their sources for some background about this mayor.

They voted for an image in their minds—to which they projected idealized qualities of goodness and courage of a man of the mass-es, the antithesis of the uncaring hacendero Benigno S. Aquino 3rd. The image etched in their minds was of this tough-looking guy in the kind of polo shirt and rub-ber sandals you could buy from a cheap store, with his fist raised up in the air, and saying: “I will fight for you.” Duterte was their aveng-ing angel against a hated Aquino of the rich, who has made life dif-ficult for them the past six years.

The image was so powerful that even values held dear by mod-ern civilization and Christianity such as reverence for human life and due process – which Duterte disregards openly in his public speeches – have been tossed away like garbage.

Elections in this country are no longer a contest of the best and the brightest or who can most successfully portray himself as the

best candidate.Due to the tremendous power

of media, including Facebook and other forms of social media – and especially because of their capability to disseminate photos and videos that form memes in people’s minds – Philippine presi-dential elections have become a contest of images.

While there is cause for con-sidering that Leni Robredo’s tight race with Bongbong Marcos has been Aquino’s Plan B for recap-turing power, her image as a comely widow with a captivating smile, even as one waiting alone for a bus to take her home to her province, pushed her candidacy forward. If another candidate such as former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had, instead, been fielded by Aquino for the vice presidency, even Antonio Trillanes would have trounced her.

If there’s one thing the elections on Monday also proved, it is that political machinery is no longer important in presidential and vice presidential elections, because we have moved almost totally into the age of images. This might also be due to the fact that more voters are young, with little ties to com-munity ward leaders.

Gripping imageDuterte has stumbled upon a

means of creating the most grip-ping image of himself that reso-nated with the masses – as a lead-er of and from the masses (though he came from the upper class), who would kill for them, who is as angry as them at the Establish-ment. His strength was that he did not need to artificially create an image: his world has always been in Davao City, where even the elite dress like the ordinary man on the street. In metropolitan Ma-nila, the elite speak Filipino only to their drivers and domestic help.

In Davao and other areas in Min-danao and the Visayas, the elite speak the language of the com-mon man, Bisaya.

Grace Poe Llamanzares, who contrived to project an image of herself as a virgin princess of sorts – which played on the masses’ confusion over movies and reality – still managed, of course, to fool a lot of people, but was no match to Duterte’s image.

I rooted for and voted for Vice President Jejomar Binay, as my reason told me he was the most qualified. But Philippine elections have never been a rational exer-cise.

Because of the two-year cam-paign by Aquino and Roxas to vilify Binay, the Makati city mayor had been unable to really shed his corruption-tainted image. Binay was also too decent to spit ver-bally at people, and he wanted to be a “healing President.” But the masses wanted somebody very angry, who spits at the Yellow Throne.

After all, how could a staunch defender of human rights, when he started out his law career, say that due process is an obstacle to fighting crime?

I’m sure if Aquino and Roxas had undertaken a similar two-year vilification campaign against Duterte, a huge sector of the masses’ image of him would also be of a corrupt mayor of a frontier town.

Duterte’s masa image siphoned off Binay’s political support, as he was the candidate who had pro-jected himself as the masa candi-date.

Roxas tried to project an image of a technocrat untainted by cor-ruption. But the masses haven’t been looking for a technocrat. Their gut feel has been that, hav-ing been screwed alternatively by

the rich and criminals all these years, therefore they need some-body able to fight for them.

As troubling, though, as the supremacy of images in deter-mining who would lead us is that the recent elections have laid bare the fact that more than a century since we were established as a nation of “Filipinos,” we have re-mained a collection of tribes, with each individual member behaving as a blind loyal subject to his tribal leader.

If Duterte’s image was domi-nant in his popularity in metro-politan Manila, it was tribalism that won for him the presidency. I don’t remember any instance of a province such as Davao del Sur (of which Davao City had been provincial capital in the 1950s) voting 96 percent for their prov-ince-mate. Mindanao, it seems, had voted 60 percent for Duterte.

Bisaya for Duterte, Ilonggos for Roxas

Those who speak Bisaya actu-ally constitute one big tribe, and Visayan-speaking provinces and cities (such as Cebu City) over-whelmingly voted for Duterte. Was it because reason told them he was the best candidate?

Similarly, the Ilonggo speakers voted overwhelmingly for Manuel Roxas, and seemed to have for-gotten he stands for the hated sta-tus quo. Also similarly, the Ilocano speakers went overwhelmingly for Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and the Bicolanos for Leni Robredo. Un-fortunately for Binay, he does not really have a “home” region or a province (except, of course, for the tiny Makati) to call on his tribesmen to rally behind him.

We are stuck with Duterte, though, and we really can’t afford another People Power uprising similar to that which toppled a previous President who had also

won the elections because the image he created had drawn the masses so strongly to him – Erap “para sa mahirap.”

I hope that his fiery rhetoric such as, among them, that he would fill Manila Bay with the corpses of 100,000 criminals and fatten the fish there, that due pro-cess only lets criminals get away with their evil deeds, are just that – rhetoric that helped him create the image the masses love, and not serious beliefs he adheres to. Or he won’t last two years in his new post.

Duterte’s inner circleOne thing going for Duterte

is that his advisers (or backers), whom I presume would be his inner circle in Malacañang, have had extensive experience in the country’s labyrinthine corridors of powers. For the sake of the coun-try, I hope that old adage isn’t al-ways true – “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

One of his close allies, Davao businessman and corporate ex-ecutive Carlos Dominguez, had served Corazon Aquino’s govern-ment as agriculture secretary for two years, as PAL chairman from 1992 to 1995 (until Lucio Tan fired him, after taking over the firm), and an informal but close adviser of Fidel Ramos.

Carlos’ younger brother, Paul Dominguez, was officially Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidential adviser for Mindanao, but was also her trusted adviser, being a member of Arroyo’s core team of advisers who reported for meet-ings with her almost every morn-ing during her first two years in office. Jesus Dureza, also from Davao, was a trusted Arroyo offi-cial during her nine years in office in various capacities, from being head of the talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to

press secretary. He would, there-fore, have a keen grasp of how Malacañang works.

Former Armed Forces Chief of Staff (2006 to 2008), Hermogenes Esperon, was also Arroyo’s 2009 to 2010 head of the Presidential Management Staff, a low-key but powerful unit in Malacañang. I bet Esperon would be Duterte’s defense secretary.

Angelito Banayo, said to have been Duterte’s campaign man-ager, seems to have a knack for correctly betting on who the next President would be before they get into power. He worked under three Presidents: as postmaster general under Cory Aquino, as Philippine tourism authority head and presidential political adviser under Joseph Estrada, and Na-tional Food Authority administra-tor under President Aquino. In the 1990s he was with Nationalist People’s Coalition big boss Eduar-do Cojuangco, and after that, with Senator Orlando Mercado.

Manny Piñol, a former radio broadcaster and North Cotabato governor, has been a de facto spokesman for Duterte, and with his background, could be his press secretary.

I don’t think these Davao guys would be able to work with the Senator from Taguig, Alan Cay-etano, and I bet they’d lobby for him to be as far away from Malacanang as possible, perhaps as foreign affairs secretary, as Duterte has once mentioned.

I do hope, though, that these very competent and experienced people won’t hear from Duterte what Estrada told his inner circle, when after a year in office, he got tired with their unsolicited ad-vice: “Mag presidente muna kaya kayo?” (Why don’t you become President first?) (ManilaTimes.net)

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2016 A�

Dateline PhiliPPines

VICE President Jejomar Bi-nay on Thursday, May 13, con-ceded defeat and extended his

TRANSPORTATION Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya admitted on Thursday, May 13, that there were “certain lapses” on the part of the government that resulted to the arrest of some “innocent” individuals, who were detained and charged for alleged posses-sion of ammunition while travel-ing in Manila’s airports.

Abaya said that from the very start, he believed that Gloria Orti-nez, an overseas Filipino worker who was detained and charged for allegedly carrying a bullet last October 25, was innocent.

If Ortinez was indeed inno-cent, OFWs advocate and sena-torial bet Susan Ople then asked if the government would apolo-gize to the victim, who now risks of losing her job in Hong Kong because of the incident.

Ople, who also heads the Blas Ople Police Center, said she and Ortinez will go to Hong Kong this Saturday to talk to the em-ployer and explain the incident.

“Wala pa akong naririnig kung may regret man lang po ba; mayroon po bang pabaon man lang na humihingi ng de-pensa sa isang OFW na halata naman pong inonsente? (I still yet to hear if there’s regret; is there an apology as a keepsake for an OFW who is obviously in-nocent?)” the senatorial bet said

Abaya admits lapses in filing cases vs innocent ‘tanim bala’ victims

during the joint hearing of the Senate blue ribbon and public services committees.

“Wala man lang po bang mag-papabaon ng sorry sa inyo kay Nanay Gloria dahil hindi po na-min alam talaga kung may traba-ho pa siya o wala sa Hong Kong? (Not even a sorry as keepsake for Nanay Gloria because we don’t know if there’s a job waiting for her in Hong Kong)” she asked.

“From the very start, noong nagsalita ako, naniniwala ako na walang kasalanan po si Nanay Gloria at ang iba pang mga bisi-ta natin dito,” Abaya said.

But Ople insisted that Ortinez, who she said was “completely” innocent, has to show some-thing that the government made a mistake.

“I do agree, I could write a let-ter right now. She could bring it with her. I could personally make a call to her (employer), if I could get the number , I’ll call the employer,” Abaya said.

“Obviously, there are certain lapses, may pagkukulang ang ating pamahalaan. Whatever Nanay Gloria would request me to do, I’ll do,” he added.

After the hearing, Abaya ap-proached Ortinez and apolo-gized.

Earlier in the hearing, Abaya promised to come out with a clear policies to look after OFWs “and at the same time also pro-tect our enforcers.” n

Stickers bearing Stop Tanim Bala warnings are handed out to passengers entering the NAIA Terminal 2, in Pasay City, by militant group Migrante to discourage anyone from planting bullets in their baggages. Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez

At last… Binay concedes, congratulates Duterte

MANILA—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thurs-day, May 13, denied cheating al-legations made by the camp of vice presidential candidate Fer-dinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the move to revise part of the programming script.

Comelec Chair Juan Andres “Andy” Bautista said the small change in the code was only “cosmetic” but it does not change the values in the transmission of votes from the Vote Counting Machines to central servers.

He said the that a programmer from supplier Smartmatic merely replaced the letter “ñ” with “n” from some candidates’ names to address complaints of a media outfit that the “ñ” is being trans-lated to a question mark when displayed.

He noted that Filipinos have a lot of names with “ñ” making the change necessary, citing senato-rial candidate Getulio Napeñas and the late presidential candi-date Roy Señeres.

The technical support team of Smartmatic Marlon Garcia then took the initiative to change the code to make it appear as it was spelled and later on informed the parties involved.

Comelec Chair Juan Andres Bautista

Comelec, Smartmatic deny cheating in revising server script

by Rosette AdelPhilstar.com

“It does not in any way change the results the counting and the canvassing of the votes and the source code of the automated election system,” Bautista said at a press conference at the Philip-pine International Convention Center where vote canvassing is held.

He assured the public that the minor change does not affect re-sults from the manual audit.

“This change was done openly in the presence of the political parties and, in fact, members of media who are present as well

as Comelec IT personnel. There was also a CCTV in place and if you wish to see that, that is also open for viewing so,” Bautista said.

“Once again all results can be compared against the printed election retursn of all VCMs the electronic results transmitted from all the VCMs the results in Comelec’s central server and the transparency server,” Bautista said.

For its part, Smartmatic as-sured the public that the change was only “minor.”

“It’s only changing the name of question mark for an ñ, so it’s not touching any of the numbers and that will be shown once we have the script,” Smartmatic Philippines General Manager Elie Moreno said.

Poll Commissioner Christian Robert Lim admitted that “there were lapses in this protocol” for he should have been informed first prior to changing the hash-code.

“In fact the change was made and the parties were only in-formed after the change was made,” Lim said.

Lim assured that they will show to the public the original script and its hashcode as well as the changed script and its new hashcode for comparison. n

congratulations to presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement late Thursday, Binay’s communications direc-tor Joey Salgado said Binay has talked with Duterte to congratu-

late him for winning in the 2016 elections.

“We confirm that Vice Presi-dent Binay has talked to Presi-dent-elect Duterte. He extended his congratulations and wished the president-elect all the best,” Salgado said. n

Vice President Jejomar Binay extended his congratulations to presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte. Inquirer.net photo

by MAilA AgeRInquirer.net

by MARc JAyson cAyAbyAbInquirer.net

SAN JUAN WINNERS. The Ejercito-Estrada clan can now rest easy as San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez and Councilor Janella Estrada were proclaimed as the winners in this year’s polls on Monday, May 9 . Gomez has secured her third and last term as the city’s top executive, winning over erstwhile ally, outgoing Vice Mayor Francis Zamora by a margin of only more than a thousand votes. Janella, the daughter of detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, trumped Councilor Totoy Bernardo, after she received a vote of close to 30,000. Inquirer.net photo by Jovic Yee

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peopleevents

artsculture

entertainmentMay 13-19, 2016

By Charisse Trinidad/AJPress

AsiAn PAcific AmericAn HeritAge montH

Rep. Frank Horton Rep. Norman Mineta

Kick-off presentation for the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday, April 22. Photo from LAAPHM Facebook page.

giving insight on it.Furthermore, visiting a

local Asian places like a city’s Chinatown or Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown when celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

Citizens explore a A lot of places have revolved around America’s modern culture, so discovering hidden spots where Asian traditions are still maintained is quite an interest to Americans.

Celebrating diversity and inclusiveness

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee proudly led a culturally diverse city in last year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Photo courtesy of APASF.org.

The Kariktan Dance Company doing the opening performance during the 2016 Asian Pacific American Heritage Awards Ceremony in San Francisco on Monday, May 2. Photo courtesy of APASF.org.

It was then expanded to a month-long commemoration in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. The month of May was chosen for two main reasons: The first is the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. A majority of the workers who laid the tracks on the western half of the construction were Chinese immigrants; while the second reason is that May marks the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States.

In the 1980s, the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California did not have a thriving Asian demographic. Monterey Park was the only city whose Asian household made up one-third of the city’s overall demographic. However, this began changing in

the 1990s and continues through to today. Now, cities such as San Gabriel City, San Marino, Rosemead, Arcadia, and Temple City not only have thriving Asian households and businesses, but they are also the majority of residents there.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the fastest growing racial group in our country, growing over four times as rapidly as the population of the United States. As one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse groups in America, the AAPI community reminds us that though we all have distinct backgrounds and origins, we are bound in common purpose by our shared hopes and dreams for ourselves and our children.

THRoUGHoUT the month of May, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the US celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Representatives Norman Mineta of California and Frank Horton of New York introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week in June of 1977. By 1978, President Carter signed a resolution making it an annual celebration.

our nation’s story would be incomplete without the voices of countless Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have called the land we all love home. This month, we honor the irreplaceable roles they have played in our past, and we recommit to ensuring opportunities exist for generations of AAPIs to come.

The AAPI community’s long and deeply-rooted legacy in the United States reminds us of both proud and painful chapters of our history. Confronted with grueling and perilous working conditions, thousands of Chinese laborers on the transcontinental railroad pushed the wheels of progress forward in the West. Japanese-American troops fought for freedom from tyranny abroad in World War II while their families here at home were interned simply on the basis of their origin. And many South Asian Americans in particular face discrimination, harassment, and senseless violence often in the communities in which they live and work.

Today, AAPIs lend their rich heritage to enhancing our communities and our culture. As artists and activists, educators and elected officials, service men and women and business owners, AAPIs help drive our country forward. Yet despite hard-won achievements, AAPIs continue to

face obstacles to realizing their full potential. one in three AAPIs do not speak English fluently, and certain subgroups experience low levels of educational attainment and high levels of unemployment. AAPIs also often experience heightened health risks, and millions of AAPI men, women, and children in the United States live in poverty.

“our nation’s story would be incomplete without the voices of countless Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have called the land we all love home,” President Barack obama shares.

People across the country honor Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month with community festivals, government gatherings, and educational activities for students.

How the US celebrates Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month

Asian Americans research on the geographic locations. Ethnicity goes from across Far East Asia (Korea, Japan, China), India, the Philippines, and it’s subcontinent (Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal), and the Pacific regions (Samoa, Micronesia).

Another way they celebrate is looking up Asian cities or states to find out how many Asian Pacific Americans reside there. Multi-cultural generations have grown tremendously over hundreds of decades broadening their knowledge about their surroundings and

2The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY MAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

IT was not his original intention, but actor Tom Rodriguez found himself getting a crash course in social issues—specifically, the plight of overseas Filipino workers (oFWs)—on the set of his new indie film, “Magtanggol.”

Initially, his primary goal was to tackle a role that’s out of the box. “Among my contemporaries, I look up to Dennis Trillo and Sid Lucero, who transform into their characters in the indie movies they make.”

In the action-thriller directed by Sigfreid Barros Sanchez, Tom portrays a senator who comes from a family of politicians.

“Several scenes were shot in the Migrante office,” he recalled. Migrante is a nongovernment organization that seeks to protect the rights of oFWs. “We learned about real-life atrocities committed against our countrymen abroad.”

It was an eye-opener in more ways than one. The most “shocking” incident involved an oFW who suffered burns after being hit with a flat iron by an employer. “They endure not only physical, but also emotional abuse,” he explained.

These “transgressions,” he pointed out, were not “gender-specific.” “Not only women, but men are victimized, as well.”

In light of the raging election fever, “Magtanggol,” he said, is very “timely.”

The film will open on May 18, nine days after the national polls.

Tom’s crash course in politicsby Bayani san diego Jr.

Inquirer.net

“I hope Filipinos would regain their voice and would vote wisely,” asserted Tom, who’s Filipino-American.

ResilientHe expressed the wish that

Filipinos would feel “empowered” after watching the movie. “We are resilient,” he said. “We will persevere. But we shouldn’t lose hope. Throughout our history, we’ve always shown strength and courage as a people.”

A dual citizen, Tom made it a point to register so he could vote in the election. “It’s important for me to play an active role in the electoral process, because I’ve chosen to raise my family in this country. It is my responsibility as a Filipino,” he related.

He said that he is eyeing a leader who will prioritize “economic growth.”

“Look at our neighbors in Southeast Asia,” he remarked. “(The hotel) Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is owned by a company that’s based in the United States. It generated numerous jobs not only for Singaporeans but for Filipinos, too.”

Perhaps the next President should consider opening up the economy to foreign investors, he said. “If we have decent, well-paying jobs here, our countrymen need not work abroad. They will be able to stay here and guide their children, the future of our nation, properly.”

He also raised “the possibility of looking into a parliamentary system of government.”

He said that straddling two cultures has opened him up to

“various concepts and ideologies.” “I learned a lot from my father (an American) and my mom (a Filipino),” he said. “And these days, there is no reason to be uninformed. Technology has become so advanced, you can easily find the information you need online.”

Speaking of inquiring minds, what’s the latest on his relationship with screen sweetheart Carla Abellana? They were recently reunited in an episode of the GMA 7 drama anthology, “Karelasyon.”

“It’s always a pleasure to work with her,” he quipped. “Although I get to see her away from work, I missed hanging out with her on the set. She’s easy to work with.”

Pressed to elaborate, he volunteered, with a tinge of school-boy thrill in his voice: “Carla and I are very good!”

Kris Aquino goes on sabbatical

Vilma Santos moves up from Batangas governor to first woman representative of the 6th district of Batangas.

VILMA Santos moves up from Batangas governor to 6th district representative of Batangas.

Vilma was announced congresswoman on Tuesday afternoon after defeating Bernadette Sabili. She garnered 79,065 votes against Sabili’s 57,458 votes.

The Star for All Seasons is the first female representative of Batangas province.

In an interview after the proclamation, Vilma said she “must have done something good” for her to win a seat in the Congress.

Vilma Santos elected first female Batangas representativeby JoyCe Jimenez

Philstar.com

SEVERAL hours after she voted last Monday, May 9, Kris Aquino packed her things and left for an undisclosed destination in the US with sons Joshua and Bimby.

As in the first time she went abroad, Kris said that it’s also her doctor’s advice to relax so that her blood pressure will remain stabilized. During their three-week vacation in Hawaii, Kris said she enjoyed being an ordinary mom to her sons, cooking for them and simply taking it easy.

She came back purposely to campaign for her Kuya Noynoy’s candidates.

This time, she will be away for two months and will be back end of July.

‘our new home isn’t finished,’ Kris texted Funfare before she left. ‘Bimb’s school calendar was adjusted to open in August.’

Asked about rumors that she might migrate to the US, Kris said, ‘No, I’m not.’

Advised that she refrain from posting her comings and goings on social media (to avoid being bashed), Kris promised, ‘I won’t. I will enjoy my sabbatical.’ (Philstar.com)

oN May 1, the Manila staging of “Les Misèrables” held its last show and closed its curtains after a stellar seven-week run. And Rachelle Ann Go, who played tragic character Fantine in the iconic musical, described the experience as “bittersweet.”

“I’m so happy I was able to share with the Filipino audience what I do in London. At the same time, I am sad that I will be leaving my family again—I will miss them,” said the singer-actress, who will

Rachelle Ann Go returns to Londonby allan PoliCarPio

Inquirer.netcontinue portraying the role in the production’s residency in the West End, starting May 12. “I will also miss the packed meals my mother always prepared for me,” she added. “I am spoiled here!”

So, despite her busy schedule, which required her to do eight shows a week, Rachelle Ann made the most out of her stay in the country, making sure to spend her free time with family and close friends. She also took the opportunity to finally move into her new home in Pasig City.

“I have been praying for

this my whole life. It’s a simple home, but my family and I will all be living in it—and that’s what’s important,” she told a group of reporters at a media conference for “Divas: Live in Manila,” the concert she’ll topbill with Kyla, Angeline Quinto, Yeng Constantino and KZ Tandingan at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Nov. 11.

“My new bedroom has a London vibe to it, to remind me of that part of my life and career. It is rustic…I also have a music room,” added the 29-year-old

artist, who previously landed the role of hardened bar girl Gigi in “Miss Saigon,” also in London. “It was tiring, but this is what I want.”

Unfortunately, juggling work and her personal life amid the punishing Manila weather eventually took a toll on her body. Rachelle Ann fell sick, lost her voice and was thus forced to miss a number of shows.

While some people couldn’t help but air their frustrations over not seeing Shin—as she is fondly called by those close to her—there were many others, she said, who were more understanding of her situation. “I was just as

Continued on Page 3

Kris Aquino

Rachelle Ann Go

Tom Rodriguez

3The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Atty. MichAel

Gurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

BEGINNING on June 8, 2016, certain family members of Fili-pino World War II veterans may apply to come to the US (through “humanitarian parole”) and wait in the US until the priority date on their family based petition be-comes current.

This program, announced on May 9, 2016, is called the Filipi-no World War II Veterans Parole Policy (FWVP), and offers “cer-tain beneficiaries of approved family – based immigrant visa pe-titions an opportunity to request a discretionary grant of parole on a case-by-case basis”.

USCIS announced this policy in recognition of the “extraordi-nary contributions and sacrifices of Filipino veterans who fought for the United States during World War II. The policy also en-hances the ability of such elderly veterans and their spouses to ob-tain care and support from their family members abroad.” In oth-er words, family members with pending petitions can come to the US years ahead of their pri-ority date being current, to help care for their elderly parents.

The basic eligibility require-ments are:

• The person seeking parole must be the beneficiary of an ap-proved Form I – 130 relative peti-tion, filed by the Veteran or his surviving spouse. Therefore, it could be a petition filed not only by the Veteran, but also by the Veteran’s spouse.

• The family members eligible for parole would include benefi-ciaries “under any family – spon-sored preference category.” This would include married (F-3) or unmarried children (F-1), or even brothers or sisters (F-4) of Veter-ans. (Immediate relatives of Vet-erans (spouse, parent, child under 21) are NOT eligible, since their

Families of Filipino WWII Veterans may be allowed to come to the US ASAP, and wait for their petitionsvisa is immediately available.)

• Also eligible for parole would be accompanying or following to join spouses and children of the principal beneficiary. For exam-ple, if Tatay petitioned an adult, married son in 2004 (F-3), not only will the son be eligible to come to the US right away, but also the son’s spouse and minor children.

• The petitioner (the Veteran) is living in the US, or, if de-ceased, was living in the US at the time of his death. So, there may be issues if Tatay went back to the Philippines to retire, and died there.

• If the petitioner is the “sur-viving spouse” of the Veteran, the persons eligible for parole would include only the children of the surviving spouse who are also the children of the Filipino World War II Veteran. This could also include “stepchildren” of the Veteran.

• If the Filipino World War II Veteran has died, the family members must first seek “hu-manitarian revalidation” from USCIS, to have the petition “re-instated”. Although humanitar-ian revalidation (or reinstate-ment) can be difficult or uphill, I believe being eligible for FWVP would be an excellent ground for having the petition reinstated. After all, if this parole authority is being exercised in recognition of the extraordinary contribu-tions and sacrifices of Filipino World War II Veterans, it would have no value if USCIS does not reinstate the petition.

• Finally, it must be estab-lished that the petitioner truly was a World War II veteran, based on records maintained by the US government.

There are many Filipino fam-ily members under petition by a parent who is a Veteran of World War II, but the priority date on their petition is still years away. This new program would allow these family members, and their spouse and minor children, to come to the US and be with their elderly parents and help care for them, while waiting for the priority date on their petition to become current. Then, once cur-rent, steps can be made for them to either adjust status in the US or consular process in Manila.

If you believe you or your fam-ily members could be eligible for this program, you should seek the advice of an immigration at-torney, who can evaluate your situation, help package the pa-role request, assist in processing through the US Embassy, and otherwise ensure you are eligi-ble and can document and meet the applicable requirements.

* * *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)

FATHER AND DAUGHTER REUNITE AFTER 40 YEARS OF LIFE-CHANGING CHOICES AND “MISFORTUNES” ON A BRAND NEW EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY! Decades ago, Tatay Rolando left his wife and daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the US. After getting his green card, he petitioned his family, except for Anna Lyn who had turned 21, and was left behind. The years that followed became a series of rough twists and turns for Anna Lyn, including being caught attempting to enter the US on a fraudulent visa. After a fraud waiver prepared by another attorney was denied, leading US immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL put together a convincing fraud waiver package that was quickly approved, paving the way for the much-awaited, happy reunion of this family on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY on Sunday, May 15 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.

Prof. enriQue M. SoriAno

The KiteRunner

(Last part)“IT’S not the first “prominent/

wealthy family” inheritance battle waged nor will it certainly be the last, but the on-going estate litigation of Potenciano ‘Nanoy’ Ilusorio’s heirs has emerged as one of the longest, nastiest, most public, no-holds-barred litigious family feuds in Philippine history or in the annals of jurisprudence.”

That is how the Ilusorio Family Conflict was described by the media and the Philippine courts after close to 300 civil and criminal cases were filed between two warring factions.

There are six Ilusorio children involved in the feud: sons Ramon

Family feuds and shattered families

(chair emeritus of Multinational Investment Bancorporation) and Maxie, and daughters Lin, Sylvia (president and vice president of Philcomsat, respectively), Honi and Shereen.

Ramon and Shereen were allied with mother Erlinda against the rest. Honi was allied with Ramon in the beginning, but has since shifted her allegiance to the other “team.”

Most of the rancor, however, now seems to be between Ramon on one side and three sisters—Lin, Sylvia and Honi—on the other. According to the source, Ramon and Shereen tried to keep the news of their mother’s passing from the three sisters in Manila. The sisters found out about it only four days

later from a relative of Erlinda’s attending physician in New York.

It was tit for tat, says another source, also close to the family. It seems that when Potenciano died, some of the sisters also kept the news from Ramon. A memorial service for Erlinda was held at Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, organized by the Manila faction.

Strangely enough, the funeral urn held Potenciano’s ashes, since Erlinda’s ashes were still in the keeping of Ramon and Shereen. A separate memorial, organized by Ramon, was held March 4 in Legazpi Village, Makati.

The three sisters were pointedly excluded from the

From Page 2

Rachelle Ann Go returns...

frustrated about it because of the terrible timing. I felt bad,” she said. “Perhaps it was a gentle reminder from God that I have to take things easier.”

“Les Misèrables’” London

staging runs until December this year. After that, Rachelle Ann said she intends to pursue still-under-wraps plans: “I’m turning 30 this year. I can see myself continuing my theater work.”

In “Divas,” Rachelle Ann said fans can expect her to perform

songs from the two musicals she’s been part of, as well as show tunes associated with characters from other musicals she hopes to act in someday— like “Wicked” or “Hamilton.”

“I’d love to perform on Broadway, too,” she disclosed. “I like claiming things—so, one day, it will happen!” Continued on Page 5

4The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

The phenomenal invasion of British boy bands during the mid-60s had inevitably clouded and unsuspectingly misted up the predominant supremacy of the then most idolized musical entertainers, balladeers, crooners, and vocal groups relentlessly topping the US Billboard chart. It was a perceptible sign of an impulsive musical revolution that altered the landscape of music and related genre.

There was the grandiose foray of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Dave Clark 5, herman’s hermits, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, and the likes which dominance were later imitated by American counterparts such as The Jackson 5, New Kids On The Block, Color Me Badd, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, NSYNC, and then just recently, the Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5, One Direction, Take That, and many more.

The imminent conquest of the european bands indubitably ignited the rise of fresh idol images and since then, noticeably, there never was a dearth of musical heartthrobs and idol materials all over the world. The craze straightforwardly strewn like wild fire and boy bands found their monikers supremely nestled

BoBBy T. yalong

On thePEP FrontPeople, events, Places

Hans, Shanne, & Kiel: All set to ‘Take The Stage’

Bergenfield high SchoolFavorite Subjects: Math and

ScienceLater on, I made the boys

answer common queries on subjects familiar to teenagers like them which they candidly responded:

What was your first musical instrument?

hans: “It was a slightly used Fender 70s Stratocaster that I saw on sale

Its original price could command a little less than a thousand dollars but I got it for $480.00 from my own savings with my mom paying half as my loan.”

Shanne: “Oh, that was one ordinary day from school when my parents surprised me with a starter set...that’s where I mastered my skills with the drumsticks.”

Kiel: “Actually, I started with violin but my father advised me to get into guitar and had my first bass guitar when I was in 6th grade

Since when did you start being hooked into your passion?

hans: “Just 2 years ago with one of my earliest compositions, “Waiting,” got noticed since I sang it last year at Payag Restaurant. It has been a part of our repertoire since.”

Shanne:“Just 4 years ago when I was hooked into watching bands on TV and kept my eyes closely glued on the drummers…especially Green Day Band.”

Kiel: “I was into musical instruments even when I was a child but learned to love playing the guitar after I switched from violin… and never allowed a day to pass without strumming it.”

Favorite subjects: Journalism & engineering

Shanne Stephen Samuel Garcia: Drummer and vocals

Birthday: November 2, 2003 (12 years old)

Zodiac sign: ScorpioBirthplace: Manhattan, NYCParents: hannah Murphy Garcia

& Samuel GarciaPersonal traits: highly

curious, sociable, charming, and determined

School: 7th grade at the Louis Armstrong Middle School

Favorite subjects: Math and Choir

Juan Ezekiel Garcia Calonzo: Bass guitarist and vocal back-up

Birthday: August 22, 1999 (16 years old)

Zodiac sign: LeoBirthplace: Jamaica, QueensParents: Zosima and elmer

Calonzo Sibling: elyza (12 years old)Personality traits: Charming,

secretive, innovative and responsible

School: Junior (Grade 11) at

on the zenith of the planet’s entertainment domes… with due credits from their distinct vocal talents, slick dance moves, vocal harmonies, peculiar costume appeal, and updated standards of presentation.

The profound impact of these notable influences brought to the fore the uninterrupted birth of even more boy groups all over the seven continents that unquestionably derailed, and at times paralyzed, the careers of up-coming solo artists and severely affected even those already established recording stars. From that time on music authorities have equitably predicted that: “Boy bands are here to stay!”

And true enough today’s generation has astoundingly produced enumerable male singing groups of every color and creed. Just lately, from out of the blue, from someplace within our community, there sprouted three fresh, young, talented, and promising new musicians who are slowly inching their way to fame and proficiently building a huge career unexpected from such very juvenile hopefuls named hans Garcia, Shanne Garcia, and Kiel Calonzo, collectively, ‘Take The Stage.’

In a recent encounter with the rising pop-rock boy band during one of their gigs in Queens, this writer couldn’t help but get mesmerized by their divergent brand of musicality…

something innovatively delivered…a performance with an up-to-the-minute appeal…somewhat extraordinary while incomprehensibly amazing to watch.

To my mind: how in this world could these young kids effortlessly play their instruments while singing and doing complicated footwork in thorough going vigor sans glitch and exhaustion? Just imagine a set of 25 to 30 minutes of unremitting performance seemed nothing but mere play for ‘Take The Stage’ boys… and they could still afford to accommodate photo-opportunity requests from avid followers after the show.

With a series of questionnaires installed automatically on my mind, I braved the crowd gathered around them with the aid of hannah Murphy Garcia, mom to brothers hans and Shanne, who acted as the boys’ guardian that night. In a cozy nook away from the deafening sound of the band playing on center stage, I allocated a few minutes for a getting-to-know-you moment to allow them to be at ease and readily open up.

For an opener, here are their basic personal facts:

Hans Garcia: Lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter-composer

Birthday: December 7, 1999 (16 years old)

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius Birthplace: Manhattan, NYC Parents: hannah Murphy

Garcia & Samuel Garcia Personal traits: Defined by

openness, assertiveness, and at times, restlessness

School: Talents Unlimited high School (Upper eastside in Manhattan)

What and how is a regular school day for you?

hans: “Well, I always take cereals for breakfast, brush my teeth and ready for school. I’m used to taking showers the night before. After school I loiter around the campus or play with my friends. Bedtime is usually 12 midnight after I finished my assignments or practice on the guitar when time permits.”

Shanne: “I normally wake up at 6, take shower, eat cereals or meat, and off for school. I play drums or basketball after school and go to bed at10:30 PM.

Sometimes I watch TV when I can’t sleep but I’ll be in bed by 12:00.”

Kiel: “I’m up by 6:00 and usually have eggs, bread, and coffee for breakfast.

Take a shower, get dressed, pick-up my sandwich, and off to school. I normally spend an hour in the gym and 2 hours in the basketball court and when there’s enough time, I hang out in the mall with my friends.

I go to sleep on or before 12… and no TV for me.”

What’s your future plan?hans: “I’m leaning towards

taking up either Psychology or Psychiatry or shift to Civil engineering once I’ve saved enough from my job as a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist.”

Shanne: “Nothing concrete at the moment but maybe it has something to do with what I’m enthusiastic about… and that would be music related.”

Kiel: “After high school I’m planning to take up Nursing like my mom…then maybe take another course that will offer professional advancement with rewarding benefits like an

Continued on Page 6

Hans, Shanne, Kiel collectively Take The Stage.

TakeThe Stage band

TTS bass guitarist Kiel CalonzoTTS drummer Shanne GarciaTTS lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Hans Garcia

SERVICESEMPLOYMENT SCHOOL

SERVICES

5The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

It’ll be Team Eduardo versus Team Sir Chief in the upcoming movie starring Jodi Sta. Maria.

The Kapamilya actress will be paired with her two leading men from separate shows in Star Cinema’s upcoming film.

She was paired with Richard Yap in the daytime TV series “Be Careful with My Heart,” while she was with Ian Veneracion in the primetime series “Pangako Sa ‘yo” and the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “All You Need is Pag-ibig.”

According to the teaser posted by Star Cinema, the story will be about a woman torn between two eligible men, who both have a special space in her heart.

The romantic-comedy film

Jodi Sta. Maria, Ian Veneracion, Richard Yap to star in a film

It’s a love triangle between Jodi Sta. Maria, Ian Veneracion and Richard Yap in the next Antoinette Jadaone film.

will be directed by Antoinette Jadaone, who made it big in the industry with her film “That Thing

Called Tadhana” which starred Angelica Panganiban and JM de Guzman. (Philstar.com)

Family feuds...From Page 3

service, according to the source. Security was even given detailed instructions to bar them from the premises.

This article is not meant to add fuel to the fire. We are simply re-stating the chronicle of events for a better understanding of those who are not familiar with the case and to drive home the point how important is the foresight to prepare for any such eventuality long before the heirs are confronted by the business founder’s mortality.

Agreements offers Hope, Clarity and Sustainability

Pursuing doggedly a family agreement is critical as it paves the way for family and business Governance but it is EMPTY if there is no owner’s agreement.

Documenting owner’s agreement is key while the family members are still young. Often called the shareholder’s agreement, it is meant to protect the rights of owners. It specifies the legal and contractual understandings

“I’ve made my money myself — my son should make his own way in the world.”

Even the popular singer Sting, who recently staged a concert here has time and again declared that he will not leave any inheritance to his six children. He was quoted as saying “ I have told my children not to expect to inherit my money (estimated to be worth more than $255 M or close to P12 B) as I don’t believe in Trust funds. I fear that my wealth will be albatrosses round there necks”.

In short, Sting was very clear…his children will have to fend for themselves and find their own way in the world as well.

* * *Prof. Soriano is an ASEAN Family Business Advisor, Book Author and Executive Director of ASEAN-based Consulting group, Wong + Bernstein Advisory. He is slated to deliver a series of talks in the US this May. Grab Prof Soriano’s book as he shares his insights and offer solutions to Family Businesses through his second book entitled “Ensuring The Family Business Legacy”. For those interested, please call Marianne at +639255224713 or email her at mrevilla@wongadvisory.com. Prof Soriano’s business articles can also be accessed at www.Faminbusiness.com.

among shareholder on ownership of shares and governance issues. The agreement is important because it is the blueprint for the transfer of ownership. Without such an agreement in place, transfers can become mired in differences of opinion.

As wills and estates lawyers authors Les Kotzer, Barry Fish and Jordan Atin explain in their book, “The Family War,” how a will is worded can pit family members against each other, as well. “For many children, a parent’s will is interpreted as reflecting something deeper about their lifelong relationship. Those words in black and white are an expression of a parent’s confidence or distrust, pride or disappointment in the child. A large gift, or a smaller one, is seen as a reward or a reprimand.”

There is now a vogue among the famous, including Anita Roddick, Bill Gates and Nigella Lawson, to declare that they will not spoil their children with ludicrous fortunes but leave the money to charity. Hong Kong superstar Jacky Chan once said:

6The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Anesthesiologist, maybe.”Who shops for your clothes

and other personal stuff?Hans: “I do…although my

parents know exactly what I want but it’s best when I personally pick them.”

Shanne: “I do. My brother and I would go to the mall or sometimes, buy them online.”

Kiel: “Before it used to be my mom or dad but when I turned 13, they respected my personal preference.”

Then, I segued to shoot a couple of individual pertinent questions:

Hans, what are your other compositions and sources of inspiration?

“I got them from my everyday encounter with friends and you’ll notice that my titles are typically one-liners: “Dirty” (about being lost & not knowing where to go); “Love” (it’s a personal emotional experience with a classmate); “Gums” (about the after-effect of addiction to smoking); “Noon” (funny, but this was about the same girl, that’s her last name, that dumped me); “Sell” (it’s about

From Page 4

Hans, Shanne, & Kiel... skills.”You look tall for your age,

what’s your height and how do you keep trim?

“I already stand 5’10” and still growing. I’m a health buff. I’m into a regular gym regimen and frequently playing basketball.”

Without doubt, ‘Take The Stage’ is one boy band that will find its way to the top. What with the kids’ insurmountable drive, keen focus, and determined dedication to their craft… and not to forget the unparalleled support of their parents and growing fan base.

Incidentally, just being under the limelight for only two years, the gregarious boys have already front-acted for big name performers like Parokya ni Edgar, Glen Jacinto, Florante, Ai-Ai De Las Alas, Marco Sison, Edlyn Peregrina and soon at PAFCOM’s 26th Friendship and Coronation Gala aside from mounting their own shows and semi-regular gigs in various watering holes and restaurants around the Queens Borough area.

For bookings, please contact: Elmer @ 917-859-0278; Hannah @ 347-613-1182; and Sam @ 347-613-1184.

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

exchanging one’s soul to the devil for fame and fortune… something similar to Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Faustus’); and “Talk” (just about casual conversation).”

Any crush at your age? This is for you, Hans:

“I have had a lot but the one when I was 14 has left a significant mark …although they said it was just puppy love… but I feel something else.”

For you, Shanne…could you still recall your first ever gig?

“Of course! That would be in 2014 in an Ati-Atihan festival in Jersey City.”

At a young age of 12, where do you see your band in 5 years?

“Well, with the way things are going, we will definitely be achieving what we aimed for… and that’s being successful!”

And finally, for you, Kiel… when did you join your cousins (Hans and Shanne)?

“Just two years ago… I was then a member of our school orchestra playing string bass…and I was assigned to the same instrument…but I’m also considering the idea of joining our school choir to hone my vocal

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LASAA dinner-danceThe Los Angeles San Antonian’s (Zambales) Association will hold its dinner-dance on

May 28 at the Holiday Inn-La Mirada, 14299 Firestone Blvd. The association is headed by Larnoe Dungca. Its president. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For questions, call the association’s vice president, Ramon Radoc, at (951) 751-3267.

MAY 28

Piyesta Pinoy BolingbrookPlease join us on Saturday, June 4 for the 3rd Philippine Fest Celebration (Piyesta Pinoy

sa Bolingbrook) at the beautiful Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center (375 W. Briarcliff Rd. Bolingbrook, IL). This year’s event will include a variety of food vendors, business, merchan-dise, and non-profit organizations, as well as hours of dance, games, and musical entertain-ment, including special guest performances. The Philippine American Cultural Foundation (PACF) is proud to promote and share our rich Filipino cultural heritage and traditions in America. Your participation and support are always valuable and critical to the survival of PACF and its programs. For more information, or to volunteer, perform, exhibit, or donate, please visit www.piyestapinoy.net, or email Piyestpinoy@gmail.com.

JUNE 4

Missionary Society of St. Columban Dinner-DanceThe Missionary Society of St. Columban will hold its annual dinner dance event on June

4th, 6pm, at the Friendship Auditorium (3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90941). Organized by the Dancing for the World, an affiliate of the Columbans, will celebrate the “Year of Mercy” to echo and emphatically support the call of Pope Francis’s Jubilee Year. This year is very important to be responsive to the call of the church and be faithful to the mission of God because God is by nature merciful. Thanks to the many dedicated mission-aries, priests, sisters and lay missionaries who responded to the call of God and live among the poor to make a difference and allow God’s mercy to flow into the hearts of those they minister. For more information, please visit www.columban.org. The Dancing for the World event on June 4 is also an opportunity to meet supporters, donors and friends to thank them for their valuable contribution to the Columban mission. Event will include delicious food, ballroom dancing, and fabulous raffle prizes. (For this year, the first prize will be a cruise for two to Mexican Riviera. The second prize is a Flat screen TV. The third prize is a Tablet.) There are many amazing prizes available for all lucky winners. The dinner dance ticket is $40.Reserve your tickets now or before May 15. For information and tickets please contact Carmencita Enriquez (213) 880-5075 or Ariel Presbitero (323) 691-5262, or at: 2919 Moss Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Thank you in advance on behalf of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and the Dancing for the World committee members. Please con-tinue praying for all Columban Missionaries all over the world and the success of this event.

Pechanga Bus tripThe Filipino American Law Enforcement Officers Association (FALEO), a 501c(3) non-

profit organization, will host a bus trip to Pechanga to raise funds for its scholarship. There will be two locations for pick up and drop off: First pick up is at 10:45 am; drop off at 8:30 pm at Carson Civic Center, 801 East Carson Street, Carson. The second pick up will be be-tween 11:15 to 11:30 am; drop off at 8 pm at Angels Stadium Metrolink, 2626 East Katella Avenue, Anaheim. Tickets are $35 and include games and a light breakfast while en route to Pehcanga. For more information, contact Pauline at igorott@yahoo.com.

Philippine Independence Day celebrationThe Philippine Independence Day Foundation in conjunction with the City of Carson

and GMA Pinoy TV will hold the 118th Philippine Independence Day celebration at Vet-erans Park and Sports Complex, 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson, CA 90745. The event is celebrated yearly in the City of Carson and is attended by thousands of Carson residents, as well as people from different parts of Southern California. The celebration will take place from 8am to 6pm. For more information, call (310) 549-3111.

JUNE 1 1

YFPA Annual Scholarship Gala 2016Your Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA) will hold its Annual Scholarship Gala with

the theme: “Collaboration is the New Bayanihan’” on Sunday, June 5, 6pm, at the Watts Room, Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. The event is to award YFPA Scholarship program recipients. For tickets: www.YFPASF.com/events.html.

JUNE 5

Santacruzan in ManhattanWhen: May 14, 2016 (Saturday)Everyone is invited to join the Santacruzan in Manhattan on May 14 at the Alphabet

City, St Brigid & St Emeric Catholic Church (located at 119 Ave B bet 7 & 8 St. NY 10009).1pm-3pm - Novena & Eucharistic Celebration3pm-4pm - Street Procession (Reyna’s & Sagala’s Parade4pm-5pm - Presentation of Participants5pm-6pm - Fellowship

MAY 14

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_santillan@yahoo.com; Rose Mejia at 323-997-3838 or Rosemariemejia@kw.com; Marissa Sugay-Pal-anca 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

PAFCOM 26th Friendship and Coronation BallThe Philippine American Friendship Committee, Inc (PAFCOM) invites you to their

PAFCOM 26th Friendship and Coronation Ball on May 28 (7pm-12am) at the Mariott Hotel (Newark Liberty International Airport).

Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

PREPARE to be amazed. A truly busy woman, who is both efficient and effective, has mastered by trial and error, over a period of time, that fine blend of mixing the art and science of planning her work and working her plan. Mix in the powerful emotion of love and she can produce stupendous results in every area of her life.

Nowhere is this life skill more put to the test than here in America where a person’s worth, whether we like it or not, is measured, not only by her productivity and her creativity but also, by her results.

With apologies to men, note that I refer to the multitasker as a woman. For with the liberated, emancipated status of women in some parts of the world, multitasking, as a socio-cultural phenomenon, has become the area of expertise of womanhood.

Some studies confirm that women’s wiring or DNA structure equips them to multitask at incredible levels.

Multitasking is a skill needed to navigate a person’s day-to-day life. The major strides in technology have further enhanced our capability to produce results. No matter how much we want to buck the system, there is no way we can get around the fact that in order to thrive, let alone survive at this time and in this place, the life skills we need to acquire and develop some level of competence in, are in the areas of planning our work and working our plan.

You know what a delight it is to work on a project that has been well conceived planned

Three cheers for the multitasking woman“In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa

and executed so that everything comes together in seamless fashion. On the flip side of the coin, we also know how aggravating it is to be involved in one that is a mess from the beginning.

Men have always been great planners and women have learned a lot from men. For some reason that may be attributed to the demands of modern life, women are somehow doing it better as they switch to the multifaceted roles they play as wife or significant other, mother, daughter, sister, worker, crusader … the list can go on and on.

History bears out that most of the great leaders of all time, whether in politics, in industry and in business are supreme planners. And contrary to common knowledge, such leaders not only see the nebulous big picture, but are also able to roll up their sleeves and work on the nitty-gritty — those thousand and one details very few people want to be bothered with.

In everyday life, we can perhaps single out a few names at work, in our church, in our club or association who can plan the work and work the plan. Like thoroughbreds, these account for a small percentage of the general population — a select breed of individuals who can shepherd a project sometimes with less than adequate time and resources from start to finish.

Here is how it’s generally done.

Break it down to bite sizes. As you flesh out the details of a project, the number of sub-tasks and the sequence with which these smaller tasks need to be done becomes clearer. Assigning who does what further breaks down the job to smaller and manageable bite sizes. As you look ahead, you are able to anticipate problems even before these happen. With good planning, things can be monitored much more closely to measure progress. Since projects almost always cost money, planning helps us stay within budgetary constraints. Ultimately, planning brings us full circle helping us stay focused on the goal.

But here’s a caveat. Lest we think that planning is foolproof, there is still a chance that no matter how carefully we plan and execute a project, we still need to accept that stuff happens and things could go wrong.

Robert Burns said it best, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” There are no guarantees that something will work out because of a great plan. Still, even if this possibility exists, mapping out projects and fleshing them out stacks good fortune in our favor and steers us towards success — all because of the simple act of planning our work and working our plan.

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

St. Aloysius 2016 Santacruzan ‘Mary, Mother of Mercy’Join us on Saturday, May 21 for the St. Aloysius 2016 Santacruzan at the Lincoln Park,

691 Westside Av, Jersey City. There will be a Procession (3pm), Mass & Crowning of BVM (5.30pm) and Dinner Dance (7pm). For more information, please contact: Fr. Ralph (201) 433-6365 Luz (201) 451-5025.

MAY 21

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and Honorary Chairman (3rd from R) of the Bohol Restoration Group expressed gratitude to the Filipino-American Community in New York at the Benefit Gala organized held at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event was also attended by (from L-R) Mme. Marie-Paule Roudil, UNESCO Representative to the UN, ANCOP Chair Roger Santos, Mme. Victoria Cuisia, and Consul General Mario L. de Leon, Jr. and his wife Mme. Eleanor de Leon.

NEW YORK—The Filipino-American community in New York, as well as the mainstream community, attended the Benefit Gala organized by the Bohol Restoration Group, with the support of H.E. Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York H.E. Bernadito Auza, last month at the UN Delegates Dining of the UN Headquarters. Entitled “Rising Above the Ruins - Restoring Cultural Heritage and Life in the Face of Climate Change”, the event was held for benefit the severely damaged heritage sites in the town of Maribojoc and Loon particularly the places of worship and the affected people in the surrounding communities.

The Bohol Restoration Group’s (BRG) efforts was a response to the call of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC for assistance from the community after the Bohol province was badly hit by a 7.2 earthquake in October 2013. Over 100 communities in Bohol are still under a state of disaster with limited resources to rebuild and restore their homes, livelihood and churches.

In his brief remarks, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia acknowledged the generosity of many benefactors and patrons who have come out to support the Gala. “The devastated churches and other heritage structures have been central to community life, and their restoration should be seen as a vital component of recovery and rehabilitation efforts,” he said.

During the program, Consul Mario L. de Leon, Jr. handed an

Bohol Restoration Group Benefit Gala drums up support from the Filipino-American community in New York

image of Sto. Niño de Palaboy, to H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, in his recognition of his role in pastoring the Filipino-American community in New York despite his heavy UN work. The Papal Nuncio, who is a proud Boholano himself, is an active supporter of the BRG’s initiative.

Archbishop Auza recalled his life in his village in the town of Talibon, northern part of the island of Bohol and his admiration on the Spanish colonial churches that dotted many towns along the roads that ring the round shaped island of Bohol which are now reduced to smithereens. He expressed his gratitude to the persevering commitment of the donors especially those who are not Boholanos. “I am deeply honored by your presence tonight and I thank you most sincerely for

your generosity because the cause of the Gala Dinner is not only very close to my heart, it is in my heart and DNA,” said the Papal Nuncio.

Ambassador and Mrs. Cuisia also received an image of Sto Niño de Palaboy from UNESCO Representative to the United Nations Madame Marie-Paule Roudil. The Sto. Niño image was created by UNICEF awardee sculpture and artist Seb Chua

In her acknowledgement remarks, BRG Executive Director Margaret Encarma, whose efforts made the successful Benefit Gala at the UN possible through her close coordination with the Office of the Papal Nuncio, ANCOP Foundation USA Inc, and the Philippine Consulate General in New York, conveyed her appreciation to the Filipino-American and mainstream community in New York for supporting the event.

7The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

PNB officials pose for posterity in their new Manhattan office on Seventh Avenue near Times Square. (From left to right, standing) Jing Monta, Evelyn Peque, Marcel Hermosisima, Geralyn Omoso, Raquel Rabang, Ma. Luisa Toribio and Lester Payawal. Seated, from left to right are Ricky Villacisneros, Regional Head, North America; Benjamin Oliva, First Senior Vice President & Global Filipino Banking Group Head and Araceli Manaloto, General Manager of PNB New York. The new office is located at 561 7th Avenue., 2nd Floor, on the corner of 7th Ave. and 40th Street. AJPress Photo by Momar G. Visaya

FYLPRO announces its inaugural board of directors after officially gaining its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. Joining the board of directors are Chairperson Maria Katrina “Kit” Zulueta (Hawaii), Treasurer Rommel Deleon Clemente (California), together with Philippine Embassy Vice-Consul Darell Arates (District of Columbia), JR Calanoc (California), RJ Diokno (Washington D.C.), Ty J.K. Cullen (Hawaii), Melissa Medina (Washington D.C.), Lakhi Mangharam Siap (Chicago) and Mariana Zobel de Ayala (Philippines). FYLPRO President Bea Rico (Washington) also sits on the board as a non-voting member.

Now on its fifth year, the organization soon will launch the application process for the 2016 Immersion Program, where 10 selected leaders will participate in a week-long program to meet with key officials in the Philippines to learn about its social, economic and political landscape.

“We are grateful to our partners over the years for their continued support to the program,” Zulueta said. “We now want to reach out and invite generous individuals and entities to help us ensure this program continues.”

Zulueta said supporting the program is an investment to Fil-Am youth and the future of the Filipino community.

“Our board brings diverse talent, expertise, and energy to FYLPRO.” said Rico, who spearheaded the efforts of sustaining and institutionalizing FYLPRO as a non-profit. “I’m looking forward to the level of expertise we’re able to access with the board and continuing to strengthen our nonprofit organization.”

FYLPRO board of directors hail from across the United States and the Philippines, and from both the private and public sectors, showing the organization’s diversity over the past years.

In 2015, FYLPRO officially became a public charity 501(c)(3) with tax-exempt status. Contributions donated to FYLPRO are fully tax-deductible.

The main objective of the board, in close coordination with the executive committee of FYLPRO, is to provide direction and financial support to allow the organization to continue to engage in its roster of activities that advocate for the Filipino American community.

NEW YORK—For the first time in Southeast Asia, a national tourism organization teams up with the award-winning creative technology agency, Beautiful Destinations, which built the largest travel and lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and Snapchat.

From 11 - 24 May 2016, the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is bringing in to the country five (5) of the biggest influencers from the Beautiful Destinations team who will capture destination images and videos in a unique perspective and curate them in a way that will drive interest amongst its followers and inspire them to visit the Philippines.

The team from Beautiful Destinations will be composed of its Founder and CEO, travel social media expert, Jeremy Jauncey; Head of Brand Partnerships and celebrated travel drone pioneer, Tom Jauncey; Community Manager and London’s top Instagram travel photographer and videographer, Jacob Riglin; world-renowned iPhone-only photographer James Relf Dyer; and the videographer for American DJ duo - The Chainsmokers, Sam Kolder.

Some of the top Philippine destinations that the team will travel to include Cebu, the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines and home to some of the country’s most iconic heritage spots; Bohol, home of the world-renowned Chocolate hills and the world’s smallest primate, Tarsier; Palawan, the title-holder for the World’s Best Island according to Conde Nast

Traveler; Manila, which was included by travel publication “Lonely Planet” among Asia’s coolest cities; and Pangasinan, home of the Hundred Islands Natural Park.

The Beautiful Destinations team will share moments throughout each day of the trip on the Beautiful Destinations Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as the PDOT’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 10 million followers around the world. The videos will also stream outside the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, New York, giving passersby a glimpse of the teams’ daily adventures in Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Pangasinan, and Manila.

In Manila, the PDOT will host an InstaMeet between the Beautiful Destinations team and local travel and lifestyle influencers from the Philippines whose photos have been featured on the Beautiful Destinations Instagram page. The meet will provide a platform, both to the local and foreign travel influencers, to exchange insights and ideas about photography, travel, and lifestyle. Some of the local influencers invited include celebrated Cebuano furniture designer Vito Selma, Filipino backpackers, and photographers Jaypee Swing and Rod Ruales.

“Advertising is evolving away from an art of interruption and towards an art of inclusion. We’re showcasing living, breathing, destinations stories in real time and are incredibly excited about partnering with the Philippines Department of Tourism to harness

Beautiful Destinations, Tourism Philippines team up for a pioneering partnership in Asia

the power of Instagram & Snapchat,” said Jeremy Jauncey, Beautiful Destinations Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Jauncey added that “Shooting what we call social-first content prioritizes unique perspectives shot by social media experts, that captivate travelers in a much more genuine way than content typically shot for print and broadcast campaigns.”

“With the highest percentage of its population highly active on social media compared to any other country, the Philippines has been dubbed as the social media capital of the world. On many occasions, the PDOT would leverage this strength by utilizing social media in most of our campaigns. Social media has, in fact, allowed us to be a game-changer in the tourism industry through our It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign, whose central strategy is executed and propagated by millions of active, enthusiastic Filipinos themselves, who feel they have the power to persuade people to visit their country as tourists,” says Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.

“As the social media landscape continues to develop at a rapid pace, we have to adapt to changing times in order to stay ahead of the curve. Collaborating with Beautiful Destinations, which has already set the global standard for creating social content, is surely an effective way to make our country’s presence in the digital space more felt by travelers who are highly reliant on social media,” Secretary Jimenez added.

FYLPRO announces inaugural board of directors, embarks

on fundraising campaign

PARLIN, New Jersey—The Philippine Chamber Rondalla of New Jersey, in fulfillment of its mission to promote appreciation of Philippine musical traditions and elevate musicianship, is presenting the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth String Ensemble in two concerts as part of OFY’s first International Awareness and Educational Tour. The concerts will be held on Friday, June 3, 7pm, at Zion Lutheran Church, 559 Raritan Road, Clark, NJ 07066 and on Monday, June 6, 7pm, at Brotherhood Synagogue, 28 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003.

The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth is a project of Ang Misyon, Inc., a Philippine-based nonprofit whose goal is to “help eradicate poverty in the Philippines through social change, simultaneously enhancing the country’s identity by creating career paths in Classical Music performance and redeveloping its Arts & Culture scene.” It is inspired by ‘El Sistema’, the global movement of establishing ‘nucleos’ or community-based orchestra programs for children in underserved communities. Presently, over four hundred scholars from disadvantaged families are given free music education and other opportunities to achieve their full musical potential. They hail from northern and central Philippines currently. A satellite program will open in southern Philippines soon.

OFY’s performances in the Philippines have been received with

overwhelming acclaim. In April 2015, the OFY joined forces with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to present “ANG SISTEMA: THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERENCE,” a fundraising concert & conference at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Arts Center. Gerard Salonga & Olivier Ochanine conducted. Jamie Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein’s daughter, and music education author, Tricia Tunstall, annotated.

The OFY String Ensemble, comprised of senior members of the orchestra, will be the featured performers during this international tour. They will be joined by Artistic Director, Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz.

Admission is free to both concerts but donations will be much appreciated. Donations of new and used instruments are welcome as well. For the June 6th concert, the public is requested to register in advance at www.brotherhoodsynagogue.org under ‘Upcoming Events’.

The concerts are made possible through the generous support of PCR’s friends at Filipino Families and Friends of North Edison (NJ), Our Lady of Fatima Filipino-American Association (Piscataway, NJ), and at the Brotherhood Synagogue (NYC), especially its Interfaith and Social Action Committees.

For more information, call Del at (732) 207-3284 or Tarit at (908) 359-3297, or e-mail PhilChamberRondalla@yahoo.com.

Philippine Chamber Rondalla presents Orchestra of the Filipino Youth String Ensemble in its 1st International Tour

Photos courtesy of Rod Ruales (@ninjarod) and Jaypee Swing

8The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY mAY 13, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine