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Volume 10 – Issue 8 • 16 Pages

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FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016

DATELINEUSAfrom the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

President Benigno S. Aquino III poses with US President Barack Obama and fellow ASEAN leaders for a Family Photo during the Special US-ASEAN Summit at the Sunnylands Garden and Center in Rancho Mirage. In the photo (L-R) ASEAN’s Secretary General Le Luong Minh; Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah; Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen; Indonesia President Joko Widodo; Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak; Laos President Choummaly Sayasone; President Obama; President Aquino; Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha; Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung; and Myanmar Vice President Nyan Tun. Malacañang photo by Gil Nartea

the first-ever two-day summit with President Barack obama and 10 southeast Asian leaders kicked off on monday, feb. 15 at the Annenberg retreat at sunnylands in rancho mirage, California. the standalone meeting between the White house and leaders of the Association of southeast Asian Nations (AseAN) is

meant to be a crucial step in the Us effort to “rebalance” foreign policy toward the Asia-Pacific, to improve relations with southeast Asian allies, and to address key issues including maritime security, Islamic state ex-tremists, and the south China sea.

the 10-nation axis (the world’s seventh largest economy) is also cru-cial for the growth of many American companies, including Us firms, who are the largest foreign direct inves-

tors in the AseAN region--America’s fourth largest export market--and contribute over half a million jobs in the Us, reported Al Jazeera. It is the first summit meeting held on Us soil.

other nations’ heads of govern-ment present at the summit included presidents from Indonesia, malaysia, singapore, thailand, Brunei, Viet-nam, Laos, myanmar, Cambodia,

US-ASEAN SUmmit focUSEd oN bUSiNESS opportUNitiES, pEAcE iN SoUth chiNA SEA

World leaders create measure to boost ASEAN economies

A fILIPINA transient was arrested on monday, feb. 15 for reportedly abandoning her newborn baby in a subway restroom in West Covina, California.

surveillance video released by the West Covina Police Department shows mary Grace trinidad enter the subway sandwich shop at 8:07 am on monday, february 15. After getting a cup from an employee at the register, trinidad appeared to fill the cup and then made her way to the restroom.

the 37-year-old filipina stayed inside the restroom for 10 minutes and left the estab-lishment through its front doors. A customer said that he saw trinidad leave, dripping a trail of blood, and informed an employee.

Witnesses heard cries from the restroom and saw an umbilical cord hanging out of

filipina arrested for abandoning newborn in West covina

A fILIPINo man who admitted to conducting sur-veillance for a law enforcement task force in the Philip-pines linked to the disappearance of a number of opposi-tion politicians was deported to the Phil-ippines last week by Us Immigration and Customs enforce-ment (ICe), accord-ing to a news release from the agency.

regor Cadag Aguilar, 42, was escorted by ICe enforcement and removal operations

US deports Filipino human rights violator Youth, loyalists enable

Marcos improve standing

Marcos, Escudero share top spot for VP in latest survey

the NAmesAKe son of the late dictator ferdinand marcos is counting on millennials and remnants of his father’s loyalists in his attempt to take back his family to within a heartbeat of malacañang 30 years after they were kicked out in a popular uprising.

sen. ferdinand “Bongbong” marcos has finally caught up with sen. francis escudero in the latest popularity survey conducted by the social Weather stations (sWs), released monday, feb. 15, sharing the top spot in the vice presidential race in the may 9 elections, each getting the nod of 26 percent of the respondents.

Analysts said the dictator’s legacy and possible ascent to power of his son were emerging as among this election’s top cam-paign issues.

“the bulk of the electorate, particularly the millennials, will likely vote for him because of

Nike dumps Pacquiao as endorser after insulting comments toward gays

the backlash has started.Nike on Wednesday, feb. 17, announced that it has

dropped manny Pacquiao as an endorser after the boxer remarked that people who engage in same sex relation-ships are worse than animals.

“We find manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” Nike said in a statement, according to esPN. “Nike strongly op-poses discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBt com-munity.”

Pacquiao’s controversial interview with tV5 became vi-ral online on monday, feb. 15. the issue was picked up by

Manny Pacquiao AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

rANCho mIrAGe—Us President Barack obama on tuesday, feb. 16 promised that the United states would stand by its allies and partners in southeast Asia and help strengthen their naval capabilities amid ris-ing tensions in the heavily disputed south China sea.

“I reiterated that the United states will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, and we will support the right of all countries to do the same,” obama told a news conference after the close of a summit with the leaders of the 10-

member Association of southeast Asian Na-tions (AseAN).

obama said he and the AseAN leaders agreed that disputes in the south China sea must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by the Philippines challeng-ing China’s sweeping claims in the strategic waterway.

China has refused to take part in the proceedings at the United Nations Perma-nent Court of Arbitration in the hague, but obama said parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the sea were obligated to respect the ruling, expected by April or may.

obama has been hosting the AseAN lead-

US, ASEAN hit china military buildupby Niña P. Calleja

Inquirer.net

Los ANGeLes—With both lead-ers soon to end their terms, the con-versation between President Benig-no Aquino III and President Barack obama revolved around their lives after they step down from office.

mr. Aquino and obama had a chance to talk during the two-day summit between the United states

and members of the Association of southeast Asian Nations, their first meeting as strategic leaders.

But personal discussions between mr. Aquino and obama during the gathering were a bit more personal.

“During the times that we got to talk, we did not discuss related topics. for instance, the last thing I mentioned to him was that in Au-gust, I will write to him about what a life of freedom being a normal citi-

zen is like. he said he would wait for it,” mr. Aquino told reporters.

At one point, obama asked him what he wanted to do after he ends his term.

he also asked mr. Aquino if he was happy about not having to take part in the ongoing election process.

“I told him, I think I share your sentiment,” he said.

their discussions revolved around

by leila B. SalaverriaInquirer.net

obama, Aquino talk of life after presidency

PresIDeNtIAL aspirant Grace Poe expressed hope on thurs-day, feb. 16, that the next leader or administration would become a “unifying force.”

“Kung sino yung magiging su-sunod na administrasyon maging unifying force,” Poe told report-ers after attending the 8th Go-Negosyo filipina entrepreneur-ship summit at the World trade Center in Pasay City.

“Kahit nasa kabila ka, op-position ka dapat mabigyan ng pagkakataon manilbihan kung walang kaso, matino at magal-

by Maila agerInquirer.net

poe hopes next leader would be ’unifying force’

SINO MISSILES ON DISPUTED ISLAND. China has placed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the Paracels, which is also being claimed by Vietnam, as it insists it has a right to build “self-defense” systems in the South China Sea.

by allySoN eSCoBarAJPress

Regor Cadag Aguilar

SEEKING GOD’S GRACE. Presidential candidate Grace Poe prays at Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Parish Church in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo City. Inquirer.net contributed photo

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by MoMar g. viSayaAJPress

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

From the Front Page

UNA, ONE CEBU ALLIANCE. United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard-bearer Jejomar Binay (third, from left) and his entire slate are endorsed by One Cebu, a party led by its gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia, in ceremonies launching the UNA-One Cebu alliance in Cebu City. In his speech, Binay promised to put up a Malacañang satellite office to personally take care of the needs of Cebuanos. He also promised that Cebu would get funds for at least one mega project per year during his administration. Inquirer.net photo by Tonee Despojo

and the Philippines. President Benigno Aquino III

and members of his Cabinet ar-rived in California on Monday morning for a brief visit. They were welcomed at the airport by a senior protocol representative from the US State Department; Jose Cuisia Jr., Philippine Ambas-sador to the US; and Consulate General Leo Herrera-Lim.

The Philippine delegation con-sists of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Finance Sec-retary Cesar Purisima, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr., Economic Planning Secretary Em-manuel Esguerra, Communica-tions Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Climate Change Commissioner Emmanuel de Guzman, reported The Philippine Star.

The first retreat session of the ASEAN-US Summit was themed, “Promoting an Innovative, En-trepreneurial ASEAN Economic Community.”

“Early in my presidency, I decided that the United States, as a Pacific nation, would rebal-

ance our foreign policy and play a larger and long-term role in the Asia Pacific. And this has included engagement with Southeast Asia and ASEAN, which is central to the region’s peace and prosperity, and to our shared goal of building a regional order where all nations play by the same rules,” Obama greeted leaders in his opening remarks. “This summit marks our seventh meeting. At your invita-tion, the United States joined the East Asia Summit, and together we’ve made it the region’s leading forum for addressing political and security challenges.”

Obama also highlighted ac-complishments of the US-ASEAN meetings: forging a new Strategic Partnership, increasing trade and economic partnerships, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, and boosting overall trade between the US and ASEAN nations.

“Our sustained engagement is delivering concrete results that benefit all of us--momentum that we can build on here at this summit,” he said. “Here, we can advance our shared vision of a re-gional order where international rules and norms, including free-dom of navigation, are upheld,

and where disputes are resolved through peaceful legal means.”

The first day’s touched on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade deal signed by Obama ear-lier this month, and currently in-cludes four of the ASEAN nations with more on the way, according to US Secretary of Commerce Pen-ny Pritzker. The controversial TPP is also intended to further reduce barriers to trade, but has prompted outcry over “restrictive copyright language and expanded rights of corporations to sue nations whose regulations get in the way of prof-its,” reported The Desert Sun.

The second retreat session on the following day revolved around “Protecting Peace, Prosperity, and Security in the Asia-Pacific.”

China’s growing boldness and influence in the region has con-cerned ASEAN leaders, includ-ing the Philippines and Vietnam, which are both involved in terri-torial disputes and want the US’s support for security.

The lack of consensus over Chinese policy currently divides ASEAN’s member nations, who all want to handle the China situ-ation differently without angering

World leaders create measure to…PAGE A1 t

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ers in the United States for the first time. That sends a subtle message to China that the Unit-ed States remains an important force in the region.

Halt to China actions“We discussed the need for

tangible steps in the South Chi-na Sea to lower tensions, includ-ing a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militariza-tion of disputed areas,” Obama said, using words that appear in a US-ASEAN joint statement is-sued after the summit.

ASEAN diplomats said it was the first time a declaration from the bloc used the term “milita-rization,” apparently referring to China’s actions in the South China Sea.

But the leaders’ joint state-ment after two days of talks avoided direct reference to Chi-na, reflecting the careful path that ASEAN members tread in their diplomacy with the world powers.

The summit closed as Taiwan reported that China has deployed surface-to-air missiles to Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago in the South China Sea. China, Taiwan and Vietnam are disput-ing ownership of the island.

China insists it has historical

right to virtually all of the 3.5-million-square-kilometer South China Sea and has built seven artificial islands, some with air-strips, in the Spratly archipelago to assert its sovereignty.

ASEAN members Brunei, Ma-laysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim parts or all of the Spratlys in the middle of the South China Sea, which is crisscrossed by sea-lanes where $5 trillion in global trade passes every year and where islets, reefs and atolls are believed to be sit-ting on top of vast oil and natural gas deposits.

ASEAN unityThough not a claimant, the

United States has spoken out against China’s conduct and has angered Beijing by sailing US Navy ships near some of the artificial islands to demonstrate freedom to sail there despite China’s territorial claims.

The United States has long argued for the maritime rights issue to be resolved peacefully and is looking for ASEAN to take a unified stance on the issue.

The joint statement did not refer directly to the arbitration case brought by the Philippines, but it does urge “full respect for legal and diplomatic processes” in resolving disputes.

The passage was from the re-marks of President Aquino dur-ing the summit, calling all parties in the South China Sea dispute and the international community to abide by the decision of the UN arbitral tribunal on the Phil-ippine case against China.

“It is crucial that ASEAN col-lectively and in a unified voice urge all countries to share with us full respect for the rule of law. For this purpose, it is especially important that we all commit to abide by the decision of the arbi-tral tribunal,” Mr. Aquino said.

“In this manner, we will avoid chaos in our relations and ensure greater stability, predictability and security,” he added.

Asked what he would do if China ignored a ruling in favor of the Philippines, President Aquino said he would like to think that China would be true to its word that it would abide by international law and wanted to preserve good relations with the rest of the global community.

Such a ruling could also tem-per China’s actions, he added.

Veiled messageBefore issuing the statement,

the ASEAN leaders discussed the South China Sea dispute among themselves, deciding eventually

US, ASEAN hit China military…

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NEW YORK — After five years of serving as the top official of the Philippine Consulate General New York (PCGNY), Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr. announced that he ends his tour of duty on 30 June 2016. He will be moving to a senior position in the DFA Home Office in July.

ConGen De Leon further announced that Atty. Tess Dizon-De Vega, presently the Chief Coordi-nator of Secretary Albert del Roasario is slated to take the helm when he leaves. He welcomes the designation of Atty de Vega who was the former PCGNY Deputy Consul General from 2011 to 2013 and is well known in the community.

A career diplomat, ConGen Mario assumed his post on 1 March 2011, and arrived to a rather fractious Filipino-American community. Foremost in his agenda was to bring reconciliation among some sectors and encourage cooperation among organization leaders. He has done more than re-pair community relations; the hardworking Con-Gen has initiated programs covering the three pillars of foreign policy: economic diplomacy, national security and assistance to nationals in distress.

Ever-present and visible in the community, ConGen has put people-to-people relations a top priority during his term and has always advocated

Consul General Mario De Leon to end his term in New York in June 2016

Changing of Leadership. Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr (left) will give way to Atty Tess Dizon-De Vega (right) as the new Philippine Consul General when he leaves his post in June.

uplifting the profile of Filipinos in the mainstream American society. He has led a pacific Filipino-American community who have bonded in solidar-ity over some of his legacy programs such as the Build-A-Shelter Project (for Yolanda survivors), Geographic Warden System, Leadership and Man-agement Seminar for Organization Leaders, Lead-ership and Mentoring Seminar for the Emerging Generation, Homecoming sa Konsulado, Filipino Restaurant Week, the return of Simbang Gabi sa Konsulado, just to name a few. n

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 A�From the Front Page

COMING SOON. MANILA’S tricycles will soon have an electronic version as the city government announced over the weekend that it is set to roll out “e-trikes,” the more eco-friendly version of the fuel-powered vehicle. The e-trikes would initially be fielded in the Ermita and Malate areas where there is a larger concentration of tourists. Photo courtesy of the Manila City Hall

these matters.Mr. Aquino is set to end his six-

year term on June 30, while Obama is on his second and last term that will end on Jan. 20, 2017.

The Philippines has just kicked off its official campaign period. In the United States, its Republi-can and Democratic parties have been holding primaries to select candidates for president.

According to Mr. Aquino, the Philippines and the United States have already reached an under-

standing on so many matters.Asked whether they talked

about the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement that would allow American troops access to Philippine bases, he said the two countries had discussed the issue in several meetings and dialogues.

“We have probably reached the point of our relationship where we already understand each other. Repeating the dis-cussions won’t be necessary,” Mr. Aquino said. n

Obama, Aquino talk of…PAGE A1 t

ing,” she said.(Whoever leads the next ad-

ministration could be the unify-ing force.

Even if you’re from the other side, the opposition, you should still be given the chance to serve if you are free from pending cas-es, intelligent and competent.)

Poe made the remark a day after she and her running mate, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escu-dero, were reportedly prevented from holding consultation meet-ings with students in a school in Capiz Wednesday.

The senator did not confirm the report but said it should have not been allowed under the administration’s “daang matu-wid” policy.

Poe said she did not want to dwell on it anymore but reiterated her call that students in all parts of the country should be given a chance to listen to candidates so

they could make the right choice in the upcoming elections.

“Kami naman sa gobyernonn may puso kahit na taga Davao, Cagayan, Capiz at kung saan pa man, importante na wala kang pababayaang Filipino kaya pu-munta talaga kami doon sapag-kat hindi naman porke’t meron na silang kandidato ay hindi na namin dadalawin yun at kami ay nagpapaslamat dahil sa taliwas sa sinasabi ng iba ay napakainit ng pagtanggap at napakasaya po ng aming pagtitipon dun,” she said.

(We, in the government, have hearts even for those in Davao, Cagayan, Capiz, or wherever else; what’s important is that no Filipino is neglected so we really went there. Just because they al-ready have a candidate then we won’t visit the area and thank them because contrary to what others say, they gave us a warm welcome and we had an enjoy-

able gathering there.)Poe and Escudero and their

senatorial bet Neri Colmenares had only two activities in the prov-ince, the known bailiwick of her rival, former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, when they went there Wednesday.

Poe reiterated the need for a leader that unified when asked again about her promised she made in her speech during the summit in Pasay City.

Among her promises include lowering of income tax rates, putting up CCTV cameras in ba-rangays to prevent crimes and faster wifi connection in all parts of the country.

“I think I can deliver all those promises and I think the Filipinos should really have a leader that unifies…” she said.

“I always take a stand but the important thing is to be able to carry the will of the people,” the senator added. n

Poe hopes next leader would be…PAGE A1 t

local and international press. Fili-pino performers Aiza Seguerra and Vice Ganda issued their own statements castigating Pacquiao calling him a ”bigot” and a “false prophet”. TV host and talent manager Boy Abunda also deliv-ered a stinging rebuke on his late night show on ABS-CBN saying that Pacquiao “crossed the line”.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Pacquiao took to social media and posted an apology through his Insta-gram account.

When Filipino-American Aries de la Cruz saw the apology, he went online and started a petition asking Nike to drop Pacquiao as an endorser.

“I believe apologies mean nothing without actions and consequences, and a plan for ad-dressing how the contrite person will make things right with those he hurt,” de la Cruz told the Asian Journal. “Everyone has the right to have religious, social and cul-tural beliefs, but if you are a po-litical leader and decision maker that is different because you have a duty to represent all your con-stituents, not just the views of a select few.”

In a little over 24 hours, the petition has generated more than four thousand signatures. Online and mainstream news outlets have also picked up the news. TMZ reported that Nike is “pre-paring to cut ties with boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao after his last round of anti-gay com-ments.”

New York City-based LGBT ac-tivist and graphic designer Scott Wooledge has also launched an online campaign asking the brands who have Pacquiao as an endorser to drop him.

He posted a tweet on Tuesday saying that Pacquiao speaks for these brands - Nike, Footlocker, Get Cracking and Nestle – and earned $12M in 2015 as face of these companies.

“I’m not surprised at all that the message of the petition that companies like Nike should not provide a platform for Cong. Manny Pacquiao’s anti-gay posi-tions has resonated with so many Filipinos all over the world, gay

and straight,” de la Cruz added. Born in Manila and raised in

Bacolod City, the 30-year-old de la Cruz is a graduate student of anthropology at Rutgers Univer-sity in New Jersey. Like many Filipinos, de la Cruz was proud of Pacquiao’s achievements on the ring.

“In the past, his prowess in the ring and his many victories has made me proud to be a Filipino, but being a hero means nothing if one does not use that platform to unite the people he is sup-posed to represent,” he shared. “As a Filipino with a large global platform, Pacquiao has a tremen-dous opportunity to heal with his words and not harm or hurt.”

But much more than that, de la Cruz says Pacquiao’s words “are not merely opinions but have material and legal consequences for the LGBT Filipinos who must face oppression each time they leave their homes.”

“His opinions are much more than opinions when he has cho-sen to sponsor legislation in the past that has restricted the rights of our gay and lesbian Filipino friends and neighbors,” dela Cruz continued. “That is why an apology is not enough.”

Top Rank Chief Executive Bob Arum believes that Nike made the right decision to drop Pac-quiao as its endorser. In an inter-view with TMZ Sports, Arum said that he agrees with the company, as the boxer’s remarks were of-fensive to many people, particu-larly those in the gay and lesbian community.

“Manny shouldn’t have said what he did, and Nike acted ap-propriately,” he added.

Arum has been promoting Pacquiao for many of his fights, and has helped him become a global superstar. Although he explained that the Filipino boxer was simply being true to the te-nets of his faith as a born-again Christian, he, however, does not share his opinion.

He is also unsure if the ongoing controversy will affect the pay-per-view numbers of Pacquiao’s fight against Timothy Bradley, Jr. on April 9 — supposedly the box-er’s last fight of his career.. n

Nike dumps Pacquiao as...PAGE A1 t

Aquino confers Ambassador Cuisia with the Order of SikatunaLOS ANGELES—President Be-

nigno S. Aquino III conferred the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Grand Cross (Datu) to Ambas-sador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. in recogni-tion of the envoy’s “exemplary ac-complishments in working for the advancement of the country’s na-tional interests in its relations with the United States,” in a ceremony during the President’s engage-ment with the Filipino communi-ties in Los Angeles and southwest-ern United States on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

The Order of Sikatuna is an or-der of diplomatic merit conferred upon individuals who have ren-dered exceptional and meritori-ous services to the Republic of the Philippines; upon diplomats, officials, and nationals of foreign states who have rendered conspic-uous service in fostering, develop-ing, and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines; or upon personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), both in the home office and in the foreign service. The Order of Sikatuna is one of the three senior honors of the Republic, the other two being the Philippine Legion of Honor and the Order of Lakan-dula,

“Alam po n’yo, talagang karami-han ho ng mga in-appoint nating mga ambassador ay tinatawag na career diplomat. IIlan po ang masasabi nating political appoin-tees. Si Joey Cuisia ay isa sa ating mga in-appoint. Talagang ipinag-mamalaki ko na in-appoint natin ang mga katulad ni Joey Cuisia,” President Aquino said in opening his speech addressed to the more than 800 members of the Filipino communities in southern Califor-nia, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The President described the Ambassador, as well as other po-litical appointees Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez as “self-starters,” who propose solutions to prob-lems and are tireless in promot-ing the interest of the Philippine Government and Filipino people in their places of assignment.

Ambassador Cuisia was also commended “for his unrelenting efforts and dedication in facilitat-ing increased trade, tourism, in-vestment, and people-to-people exchanges between the Philip-pines and the United States.”

H.E. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was ap-pointed Ambassador Extraordi-nary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States by President Aquino III on 30 November 2010 and con-firmed by the Commission on Ap-pointments on 09 February 2011. He formally assumed his post at the Philippine Embassy in Wash-ington, D.C. on 02 April 2011 and presented his credentials to US President Barack Obama on 07 July 2011.

Filipino community leader Dr. Marc Caratao offered his con-gratulations to Ambassador Cui-sia, crediting the envoy for giving “guidance and advice to the Fili-pino American leaders [to] whom he is able to outreach”.

“Because of him, we are begin-ning to activate ourselves within the community,” Dr. Caratao said.

The award likewise cited Am-bassador Cuisia for “spearhead-ing and shepherding innovative programs such as the ground-breaking Filipino-American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPRO) and for strongly supporting the es-tablishment of the Philippines-US

Society.” FYLPRO, established by the

Ambassador and his wife, Maria Victoria in 2012, has been provid-ing a transformative immersion ex-perience for next-generation and high-performing Filipino-Ameri-cans who demonstrate leadership in their respective communities.

“He has really linked us all, a bunch of Fil-Am young leaders, but we’re a family in moving things forward. He really showed us that our hard work in all of our differ-ent corners of different communi-

ties, near and far, haven’t been in vain, that we are on the right track and that we have to keep the mo-mentum alive,” Francine Maigue, FYLPRO Batch 1 (2012) said.

“We couldn’t be more inspired. We couldn’t be more proud of him,” Francine added.

Rynn Shumacher, FYLPRO Batch 3 (2014), stressed the im-portance of the program’s network in helping young leaders take on international initiatives.

“All of us can come together uPAGE A7

FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A� Dateline USa

leaders. On Day 2 of the summit, leaders

met for a working session, where Pres. Obama was seated between representatives from Singapore and the Philippines. The result of an hours-long meeting included a joint US-ASEAN statement, the “Sunnylands Declaration,” which calls for “Mutual respect for sover-eignty, territorial integrity, equal-ity and political independence of all nations by firmly upholding the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, the

ASEAN Charter and international law.”

A new initiative, the US-ASEAN Connect, was also announced by Obama. The US president said the “network of hubs” is meant to help connect business entrepreneurs and international investors.

“I believe this summit has put US-ASEAN on a new trajectory that will carry us to greater heights in the decade ahead,” Obama told reporters on Tuesday at the sum-mit’s end.

After the summit, Aquino was scheduled to be in Los Angeles for a working visit, where his activities

included addressing the Los An-geles World Affairs Council at the Intercontinental Hotel, receiving an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree at Loyola Mary-mount University, and meeting with the top executives of three big LA-based companies (Walt Disney International, Western Digital Cor-poration, and AECOM’s Enterprise Growth Solutions).

“Our kababayans in the US and I are looking forward to welcom-ing him once more to the United States. We’d like to wish him a successful visit,” Cuisia told Radio Television Malacañang. n

World leaders create measure to…

to veil the message that counters China’s provocative actions in the region but at the same time make it forceful, said a Southeast Asian diplomat.

Obama praised the united stand of the ASEAN and the United States on key principles outlined in the joint statement.

“When ASEAN speaks with a clear, unified voice, it can help

advance security, opportunity and human dignity not only for the more than 600 million people across ASEAN, but also for people across the Asia-Pa-cific and around the world,” he said.

The casual summit tackled is-sues on multiple fronts, includ-ing economic concerns.

The leaders concluded the

US, ASEAN hit China…

his competence, ample executive and legislative experience as well as youthful vigor and incisive pos-ture in addressing the challenges facing the nation,” said National Unity Party secretary general Reginald Velasco.

Velasco said another key de-mographic supporting Marcos was his father’s loyalists and those born and raised during the Marcos years who believe the 1970s were the “golden years of the Philippines” in contrast to claims of leftist and human rights groups.

“Bongbong’s victory will hinge on these twin groups that don’t really put much weight on the ‘sins of the past’ committed by the Marcos regime,” Velasco said.

Hitler and MarcosFormer Akbayan Rep. Walden

Bello agreed that Marcos was a catalyst to unite his father’s forces.

“Hitler and (deposed President) Marcos came to power through democratic elections. But are we exaggerating? I don’t think so. The Marcos revanchists are eve-rywhere, in the agencies, in the armed forces, in the political dy-nasties. They are now fragmented but a Bongbong presidency would unite them to possibly serve as base for a presidential coup as in 1972,” Bello said.

He called Marcos’ rise in the survey a “disturbing trend,” which had changed the complexion of the 2016 elections as it made the fight for the vice presidency as

important as the presidency.“It would be the height of irony

if Marcos would become Vice President on the 30th anniversary of the Edsa Republic. But it would underline the great failure of the Edsa system: the way its promise was strangled by traditional elite politics,” Bello said.

The real dealIn the latest SWS survey, Mar-

cos, with 26 percent, gained 1 point in the Feb. 5-7 survey from last month, while Escudero’s rat-ing fell 2 points from 28 percent in January to 26 percent.

Following them were Cama-rines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who both gained 2 points between January and February.

Robredo’s rating was up from 17 percent to 19 percent, while Cayetano’s rating rose from 14 percent to 16 percent.

Sen. Gringo Honasan had 6 percent, down from 8 percent, and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had 5 percent, up from 3 percent.

In a brief statement, Marcos said: “Every survey result keeps us inspired to work harder in the campaign. But, as I have always said, the real survey will be on May 9, 2016, and that has been our focus as we continue to persevere in bringing our platform of unity to every part of the country.”

On targetEscudero remained upbeat.

“It only means we have to work harder, and given our limited resources, find innovative yet not so expensive ways to reach out to

more people with our message of hope, honesty and progress for our country,” he said in a text message.

Robredo expressed elation: “We’re right on target. After all, I have only been going around for three months while my rivals have been doing it for three years,” she said in a statement.

Cayetano, who was campaign-ing in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental province, said: “The election is still far away. What’s important is that we are slowly but surely climbing up.”

Failure of EdsaACT Teachers Rep. Antonio

Tinio said the revival of the politi-cal fortunes of the Marcos dynasty was the price the present gen-eration must pay for the failure of post-Edsa administrations to hold the Marcoses accountable for wholesale plunder and human rights violations.

“I personally don’t believe he’ll win. The challenge is to use the campaign period as an opportu-nity to educate the electorate and the public on the true legacy of the Marcos dictatorship,” said Tinio.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said it would be a sad day for the country if the Marcoses would return to power without having atoned and accounted for “their sins, bloody excesses and plunder of the government coffers during the reign of the dictatorship.” (With reports from Jeannette I. Andrade and Marlon Ramos, in Manila, and Jigger J. Jerusalem, Inquirer Mindanao)

Marcos, Escudero share top spot for VP…

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OUT IN THE OPEN. A couple becomes the center of attraction during the “Casamiento de Cagsawa,” a free mass wedding held at Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay province. The event was organized by the local government in partnership with Pag-Ibig Fund during the celebration of February as Love Month and the Cagsawa Festival. Inquirer.net photo by Mark Alvic Esplana

(ERO) and arrived in Manila mid-day Wednesday, Feb. 10, Pacific Standard Time. His repa-triation follows his arrest on Jan. 5, 2015 in Union City in North-ern California.

Aguilar originally entered the United States on a visitor’s visa 15 years ago and overstayed, which led him to be placed in re-moval proceedings.

He admitted that from 1998 to 2001, he served as a surveillance agent for a law enforcement task force in the Philippines that tar-geted rival political figures, ac-cording to the ICE news release. He claimed he was unaware of the task force’s illegal activities

in that time period, but testi-fied that one of his surveillance targets disappeared and was as-sumed dead.

Aguilar further testified that his superiors told him members of the task force depended on his surveillance to abduct and mur-der a political figure, and that he heard superiors instruct task force members to torture ab-ducted individuals, according to the agency’s release.

“This day has been in the mak-ing for more than a decade, but it should leave no question about ICE’s resolve to hold human rights violators accountable for their ac-tions,” ICE Deputy Director Dan-iel Ragsdale said in a release.

“The successful outcome of this case is owing to the outstanding work by ICE attorneys and ERO officers who were determined to see justice served. We simply won’t stand by and allow the U.S. to serve as a safe haven for those whose actions have caused incal-culable harm to others.”

Aguilar was ordered to be re-moved in 2010 by a San Francis-co judge, after the exhaustion of all his appeals.

Since fiscal year 2004, the ICE has arrested more than 360 indi-viduals for human rights-related violations under various criminal and/or immigration statutes, ac-cording to the agency’s news re-lease. (Agnes Constante/AJPress)

US deports Filipino human rights…PAGE A1 t

the toilet. A newborn baby boy was found sitting upright, half-submerged in the toilet.

“They saw an umbilical cord leading into the toilet. When they looked inside the toilet they found the baby,” West Covina Police Spokesman Rudy Lopez said.

According to reports, Trini-dad gave birth in the restroom and left the placenta in the trash can.

Following the discovery, a Subway employee called 911, describing the cries from the newborn and blood left by the mother.

“We tried to keep her in and she just walked out. There’s a crying baby in the restroom,” a female employee told a dis-patcher.

Subway employees and cus-tomers tended to the newborn until paramedics arrived on the scene and rushed the baby to Queen of the Valley Hospital.

The baby was in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care and re-mains in critical condition, as

of press time. He is expected to survive.

Police found Trinidad nearby at the Pep Boys Auto Parts & Service shop. She was later tak-en to the hospital for treatment, and will be booked on suspicion of attempted murder and child abandonment once released. Lopez said bail will be set at $2 million.

Trinidad also has a $30,000 narcotics-related warrant out-standing for her arrest. She was arrested on Jan. 3 for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug parapherna-lia, according to police records.

The police department circu-lated Trinidad’s booking photo from the previous arrest to “bring more awareness to the Safe Sur-render Baby Law,” which allows parents or persons with lawful custody to safely surrender the infant to any fire station or hos-pital within 72 hours of birth, with no questions asked.

The sandwich shop is located in a Filipino-concentrated shop-ping center, where employees of

Filipina arrested for abandoning newborn in…PAGE A1 t

JASON Collins, the first open-ly gay player during his last days in the NBA, took to Twitter to air his side on the controversy sur-rounding Manny Pacquiao after the boxer said homosexuals are worse than animals.

“Manny Pacquiao I lost all re-spect for you,” Collins posted. “Bigoted people like you (and yes you are one) should never hold an office in politics.”

Collins admitted he was gay back in 2013, a few months be-fore turning into an unrestricted free agent. He spent most of his career with New Jersey Nets be-fore journeying around the NBA then retiring in 2014.

Pacquiao said in a controver-sial interview that gay people copulating with each other is a behavior worse than animals, which can distinguish the oth-er sex.

Former NBA player Collins on Pacquiao:‘Bigots should never hold office in politics’

by Bong LozadaInquirer.net

Jason Collins watches an NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks November 19, 2014 at the Barclay Center in New York. Collins, the first openly gay man in one of the four major US professional team sports, announced his retirement from the NBA today. Photo by Don Emmert

Collins played 13 seasons with the NBA and was a major figure during the #LoveWins

saga when the United States Su-preme Court legalized gay mar-riage. n

Mary Grace Trinidad’s booking photo from a previous arrest on Jan. 3, courtesy of the West Covina Police Department.

various businesses said Trinidad has been a local transient for years. She frequently begged for food and money in the area.

“I’ve done this for 36 years. I thought I had seen everything,” Lopez said. “I have no words to describe how I’m feeling about this.” (Christina M. Oriel / AJ-Press)

summit by posing for the tradi-tional family photo on the plush lawn outside a historic residence at Sunnylands, the storied Cali-fornia desert estate where the talks were held.

Sunnylands is also where Obama had his first formal meet-ing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

As the leaders walked off, Obama was heard thanking each one for attending. (With reports from Leila B. Salaverria and AP)

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has finally caught up with Sen. Francis Escudero in the latest popularity survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS), released on Monday, Feb. 15. Inquirer.net photo

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 A�

Dateline PhiliPPines

THE L SIGN. A man flashing the L sign poses for a picture with Jejomar Binay when the latter dropped by SM Mall of Asia to buy eyeglasses. The man seemed to be sporting the “Laban” sign of the Liberal Party. Inquirer.net photo by Marc Cayabyab

“WHAT has has done for Sor-sogon?”

Presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II of the Liberal Party said as he hit back at vice-presidential candidate Sen. Fran-cis “Chiz” Escudero for saying he has done nothing to improve his hometown Roxas City.

In an interview on Wednesday, Escudero took a swipe at Roxas, citing his failure to improve Rox-as City, despite holding various government positions.

The city is the bailiwick of the Roxas clan.

Escudero said Roxas has been close to three Philippine Presi-dents including President Benig-no Aquino III but failed to deliver more for his province.

In January 2000, Roxas joined the administration of Joseph “Erap” Estrada as trade secretary and was reappointed by former president Gloria Macapagal Ar-royo during her administration.

When he ran for the Senate in 2004, Roxas was number one in the top 12.

When he ran for Vice Presi-dent, he lost to then Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay in the 2010 elections. Political analysts said it was because of Escudero’s crucial endorsement of Binay that made Roxas lost the vice-presidency.

Now the two are again at log-gerheads.

“Siguro, tanungin din natin ‘yung mga kababayan niya sa Sorsogon kung anong nangyari doon,” Roxas told reporters in an interview in Quezon City on Wednesday.

(Perhaps, let us ask his con-stituents in Sorsogon on what happened there.)

“What can you expect from somebody like Chiz na saling pusa, nais na namang makahalo sa usaping pang-nasyonal,” Rox-as added.

The Liberal Party standard-bearer belied Escudero’s claims that he has done nothing for his home province.

“Alam ko ang Capiz, dati ma-hirap na mahirap, dati walang tubig, dati walang kuryente at negosyo. Ngayon maunlad na maunlad, ilan ang Jollibee , ilan ang malls. Ito ay hudyat na umuunlad ang isang komunidad

Roxas to Escudero: What have you done for Sorsogon?

at ang mga tao dun ang maka-kapagsabi niyan,” Roxas said.

(From what I know, Capiz used to be a very poor [prov-ince]. There was no water [sup-ply], electricity and businesses. Now it’s very progressive. How

many Jollibee [branches] are there? How many malls? These are indications that the com-munity has progressed and the people there will be the ones who can proved that.) (Nestor Corrales/Inquirer.net)

AN inspiration, a good father, a man “we can all be proud of.”

This was how friends and family members honored Lauro Vizconde as he was laid to rest Wednesday next to his wife and two daughters who were mur-dered in their own home in 1991—a gruesome crime that sent him on a quest for justice the rest of his life.

Vizconde, who died on Feb. 13 after suffering a series of heart attacks, got his wish to be bur-ied next to spouse Estrellita and children Carmela and Jennifer at Manila Memorial Park in Para-ñaque City.

At necrological rites held Tues-day night at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City, the 77-year-old Mang Lauro (not 78 as earlier reported) was also remembered for turning his personal tragedy into a mission. He was a found-ing member of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), a watchdog group who continued to hold him in high es-teem as its chair emeritus.

Pete Principe, one of the pri-

Lauro Vizconde buried next to Estrellita, Carmela, Jennifer

by Kristine Felisse MangunayInquirer.net

vate prosecutors in the Vizconde case, hailed him as “a symbol of justice and truth” who never wa-vered in his commitment to help other crime victims.

Principe recalled that a week before Vizconde was rushed to the hospital for the last time, he asked the lawyer to set up a meeting with a family whose property had been forcibly taken from them.

“He said: ‘Pete, I hope you help them; they are poor’,” the lawyer said. Vizconde was al-ready physically weak and re-quiring assistance himself, “but that was the real character of Mang Lauro… How can I forget his last request.”

VACC Chair Dante Jimenez said Vizconde loved his family so much that he refused to sell the house in BF Homes, Parañaque, where his loved ones were killed—with Carmela also raped—on June 30, 1991. “He is the epitome of a fa-ther with so much love (to give). He refused to let go of the house because he connects to his family through it.”

Mary “Rosebud” Ong of the People’s Movement for Justice cited Vizconde’s courage, “his

stamina to fight.” ‘Let go, be happy’“Nothing can stop him. For

someone who had so little (in material wealth), he gives us so much hope,” she said. “Now, the father of the VACC is resting. I’m happy when I think he is going to be together with his family.

“Ka Lauro, let go, be happy and we are here to remember your legacy,” she added.

In a statement read out during the rites, Vizconde’s relatives said: “(His) was a life marred by grief and sorrow during that fateful day that shattered his dreams, his will and his life. From that tragedy arose a man out for justice—jus-tice for his family—and eventually a founding member of the VACC.”

In January 2000, the Las Pi-ñas City court convicted six men for the crime, including Hubert Webb, son of former senator Freddie Webb. The guilty verdict was upheld by the Court of Ap-peals in December 2005.

But the Supreme Court, vot-ing 7-4, acquitted Webb and the others in December 2010, and twice denied Lauro Vizconde’s motion for reconsideration the following year. n

INMALEY, Pangasinan—Vice President Jejomar Binay told Pangasinenses during his visit that he is the most capable and fit for the job of president, citing his experience as executive and administrator in various offices for more than 20 years.

He also belittled opponents Sen. Grace Poe and administra-tion bet Mar Roxas, saying the former could not cite her experi-ence as a mother and the latter his kapalpakan (incompetence) in vying for the presidency.

“Pinag-uusapan natin dito ka-ranasan sa pamumuno hindi yong karanasan sa ibang larangan,” Bi-nay said, referring to Poe.

Binay, who topped the presi-dential race surveys, made a surprise visit in Binmaley before proceeding to Lingayen town where he was to address the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), which he heads.

Despite topping the surveys, the vice president said the results of the election are more impor-tant as he campaigned for people to vote for a candidate who has executive ability and experience like him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think I am the most capable and fit for the job of president,” he said, cit-

Binay: I am the most capable, fit for president

ing what he went through in life – a poor childhood and years as mayor, vice president and chair-man of the Metro Manila Devel-opment Authority – all molding him to become a good executive and administrator.

If elected, Binay promised to spend for the needs of the people.

“When you are given a budget, you are supposed to spend that.

How can they defend themselves on the issue on underspend-ing? The government is there to spend, not to save,” Binay said.

He accused the administration of saving in preparation for the elections as he stressed that he would continue and expand the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pili-pino Program) so more Filipinos could benefit from it. n

Presidential aspirant Jejomar Binay is welcomed in Pangasinan by Governor Amado Espino Jr., an ally of his rival Mar Roxas. Inquirer.net photo by Marc Jasyon Cayabyab

by eva visperasPhilstar.com

A FAMILY REUNITED. Relatives and friends of Lauro Vizconde arrive at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City on Wednesday, Feb. 17 to bury him next to three members of his family who were murdered in 1991. Inquirer.net photo by Joan Bondoc

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OpiniOn FeaturesBusiness trip

PRESIDENT Barack Obama welcomed leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday, Feb. 15, to discuss terrorism, maritime security, trade, and climate change.

Why you should apply for US citizenship now

“Economic growth that is inclu-sive, creating opportunity for all; mutual security and the peaceful resolution of disputes; human dig-nity, including respect for human rights, and development that is sustainable — that is our vision. That’s what brings us here together today,” Obama told the ASEAN heads of state.

President Benigno S. Aquino III was among the attendees of the two-day summit, which included leaders from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indo-nesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thai-land, and Vietnam.

The first US-ASEAN summit aims to strengthen the partnership that the US has forged with ASEAN since 2009, and will further advance the adminis-tration’s rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. This new multilateral initiative also aims to secure con-crete commitments from governments to promote transparency, fight corruption, empower citizens, and utilize new technologies to make governments accountable and effective.

“This ASEAN-US Special Summit is providing us an excellent opportunity to exchange our views and also provide direction for our officials in order to implement the outcome of previous ASEAN-US Summit in view of further strengthening our strate-gic partnership for the promotion of durable peace, stability, and prosperity for the future benefits of our nations and peoples,” Obama said.

According to Philippine Ambassador to the US

Jose Cuisia Jr., the summit is an op-portunity for leaders of the ASEAN and the US to have candid conver-sations about issues of mutual con-cern.

Cuisia also highlighted that the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US have never been more vibrant. He added that the two countries have reaffirmed their commit-ment to maritime security, climate change, violent extremism and economic engagement.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of the estab-lishment of Philippine-US relations, we highlight the durability, comprehensiveness, and dyna-mism of our ties. We have always been support-ive of the rebalance to Asia-Pacific policy of the United States as it is an opportunity to deepen further our alliance in various areas of coopera-tion,” he said.

Following the US-ASEAN summit, Aquino em-barked on a working visit to Los Angeles where he had a series of meetings with officials of Walt Disney International, Western Digital Corporation, and AECOM’s Enterprise Growth Solutions. Before leaving the US, Aquino also met with members of the Fil-Am community to share with them good news from the Philippines.

This may be Aquino’s final visit to the United States as Philippine president. With limited experi-ence in foreign policy and an apparent preference for concentrating on domestic issues, Aquino has managed to thrive with his official trips abroad.

Editorial

The history of state visits goes back several hun-dred years. These formal visits are an important part of international diplomacy—to reinforce ex-cellent relations, and intensify cooperation and ex-changes between economies. There will never be a lack of subjects that need to be addressed between governments. Issues to be discussed such as eco-nomic balancing, security challenges and maritime cooperation, (of bilateral and global importance)

should constantly be looked upon. Maintaining peace and stability is always a priority so that each country can focus on their own domestic issues.

State visits between important countries is an opportunity, not just for the attendees, but to each leader’s constituents as well. While Aquino’s state visits have yielded positive results, perhaps the trickier part of the process is making the outcome survive, years after the summit. (AJPress)

ManilaTimes.net photo

MANY kababayans in America, even those among my own circle of family and friends, take their sweet time before taking the first step toward naturaliza-tion to become US citizens. This, despite the pains and struggles of obtaining their Permanent Resident card (green card) so they can legally live and work in the US.

Some have separation anxiety—that sadness of letting go of their Filipino citi-zenship and professing loyalty to a coun-try other than the Motherland. Others are worried about the cost of filing for natu-ralization, while there are those who just forget about it until their green cards are about to expire.

If you and your family have made the decision to permanently live in the US, there are reasons why you should apply for citizenship sooner rather than later.

On The Filipino Channel’s daily news-cast “Balitang America,” Pinoy Panawa-gan legal counsel Atty. Lou Tancinco

shares the important reasons why, which I hope can help you make that urgent decision:

1. Family unityGreen card holders

or non-US citizens who are permanent resi-dents may petition their unmarried children as well as their spouses. However, unlike US citizens, they are not allowed to peti-tion their parents, their married children and their siblings.

Being a US citizen provides them the ability to petition more family members including their future spouses or fian-cées. Also, US citizens may petition their minor children and spouses faster (about 12 months) as compared to green card holder petitioners.

Filipino immigrants who are family-oriented would prefer to be naturalized as US citizens rather than wait to be re-

united with their fam-ily members.

2. Avoiding sepa-ration

Once a green card holder migrates, the permanent resident status is not really “permanent” in the sense that it may be

revoked for cause by the US Department of Homeland Security.

This happens when an immigrant is convicted of a removable/deportable of-fense, even if family members are all US citizens.

This happened to a longtime Filipino immigrant who was arrested for a traffic violation but was later found to have a criminal history. The criminal convictions he had were deportable offenses and re-sulted in his deportation from the United States; consequently, he was separated from his US citizen spouse and children.

This situation could have been avoided if the immigrant was a naturalized US citi-zen at the time of conviction.

To prevent any unintended immigra-tion consequences, it would be best to apply for US citizenship as soon as the immigrant meets the eligibility for natu-ralization.

3. Civic engagementFilipinos are the second-fastest grow-

ing minority group, and integration to the adopted land becomes critical. Natu-ralized US citizens are given access to voting, political rights and can seek equal protection of the law. A naturalized US citizen may hold elected positions that will not only protect the interests of their constituents but also their community.

4. Federal employmentA naturalized US citizen may be afford-

ed opportunities for federal employment with better benefits. Many Filipinos have joined the US military and have become US citizens giving them the ability to pe-

tition family members and enjoy military benefits.

5. Ease of travelThis is probably the least important in

terms of the reasons for becoming a US citizen but interestingly, some Filipinos carry pride in holding US passport when traveling to other countries.

Certainly, there are more than these five reasons to apply for US citizenship. The motivation may be toward immigra-tion integration but it does not take out the “Filipino” in the immigrant.

With success or failure, the Filipino naturalized US citizen will still be per-ceived as a Filipino in his/her adopted land.

* * *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

Gel SantoS-ReloS

The Fil-Am Perspective

RiGobeRto tiGlao

Commentary

The Candidates: Ms. Panday, theDirty Harry, the Clone and the Mayor

LET’S not fool ourselves into believing that the May election is one in which Filipino voters will choose a President that has the best platform of government for the country.

The scheduled “presidential” debates are not likely to be real exchanges of rational thinking to crystallize issues in the same way the college debates of our youth sought to thresh out issues. It will be a contest of sound bites, of the best and most imaginative verbal dirt-hurling in an “ang-pikon-talo” match – all intended to project a certain image of the candidate.

It is entirely a contest of image-building, even atrociously false ones. Thanks to the survey of Mr. Pedro Laylo Jr., made public in the Manila Standard, we have an empirical basis to describe these images.

Ms. PAndAyGrace Llamanzares surrounded

by posters of movies she should be grateful for.

The first candidate is Ms. Panday, Panday II, or Panday’s

daughter – Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares. C’mon, people are not voting for this foundling, or more probably the winter-spring lovechild of a 51-year old Philip-pine President with a 20-year old starlet, even putting her at the head of the pack.

They are not voting for this well-off Assumption College alumna who preferred to pursue the American dream in the US of A, and who worked in short-stints as a grade-school teacher, as “pro-curement liaison” for an obscure US government agency, and as sales assistant for an even more obscure private firm.

People are not voting for this rich actor’s adopted daughter who returned to the country when her father died and then decided to become a Filipino citizen in order to be qualified to become sena-tor … sorry, in order to serve the country.

Delusional Filipinos are choos-ing her in presidential voting-pref-erence surveys not because she is the poor adopted child of that near-recluse Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) and actress Susan Roces. They are choosing her because somehow in their minds, she is the daughter of “Panday,” the mythical hero por-trayed by FPJ in many box-office hits, or the daughter of the work-ing-class, anti-rich protagonist as he had played onscreen several times.

This is not a conjecture. That Laylo survey reported that 45 per-cent of the 29 percent who chose Llamanzares for President picked her because she is “kind, like her father,” that she will “continue the good work of her father” and that she will “fulfill her father’s prom-ises.” The father here obviously does not refer to FPJ, as a person but to his Panday image and other movie-screen heroes he had por-trayed.

As amazing as that is the fact that a further 7 percent responded that they will vote for Llamanzares because she “provided housing for the poor, fought the rights of wom-en, gave scholarships, helped ca-lamity victims and helped those in financial need.” But Llamanzares really hasn’t done any of those: clearly they are projecting non-existent accomplishments on her, the result of their belief that she is a hero’s daughter who does such kind things.

Such delusion, the mix-up of reel and real, is certainly not an infliction solely of the poor, and therefore, uneducated. Llaman-zares garnered the highest per-centage of her supporters, 30 per-cent, among the ABC economic class, bigger than the 27 percent in the E class.

That is really a repeat of the presidential elections of 2004, when ousted President Joseph

Faith bautiSta

Community Voice

SucceSSor to ScaliaWhy President Obama should quickly nominate

an Asian American to the US Supreme Court

PRESIDENT Obama, as a result of the unexpected death of US Su-preme Court Justice Antonio Sca-lia, has an opportunity to appoint the first Asian American to the US Supreme Court in its more than 225 year history. As the late Jus-tice Scalia has frequently stated, the court needs more diversity.

In America’s history 112 justices have been appointed and con-firmed. But despite more than 20 million Asian Americans, and the projections of the Census Bureau that the Asian American popula-tion will at least double in the next generation, no Asian American ap-pointees have ever been made.

We believe that this decision to appoint an Asian American should not be political since the very con-servative Justice Scalia has always raised the issue of lack of Supreme Court diversity. Many of us, includ-ing the authors of this article, dis-agree on what elements are crucial in President Obama’s appointment process. Therefore, we have sent

to the President on February 16th, three names of Asian Americans who are 50 or under who cover the spectrum of political opinions from those probably approved by Senator Cruz to those probably ap-proved by liberal governors such as Governor Brown. This includes California Supreme Court Justice Gordon Liu, who President Obama previously nominated to be a 9th Circuit Judge and is presently a brilliant scholarly progressive on the California Supreme Court. Somewhere in the middle, we have mentioned Jacqueline Nguy-en, a 9th Circuit (Western US) Jus-tice. Farther to the right, we have mentioned a former associate of Senator Ted Cruz, Sri Srinavasan. We also believe there are at least a dozen other well qualified and scholarly Asian American judges in the mix.

The obvious political advantage to President Obama of nominat-ing an Asian American is that it is likely to further unify the Asian American vote in favor of future presidential candidates. It also has the advantage of including the perspective of a community that potentially, within a generation, will have at least eight times the voting power of the entire Jewish community (Presently, three of the nine members of the US Supreme Court are Jewish.)

For Republicans, the advantage of such an appointment should they agree to hold hearings and support the nominee is that they will prove to the Asian American community that the Asian Ameri-cans are a key element in Amer-ica’s future progress. It is our hope and expectation that the Republican leadership will join with the President in supporting the late Justice Scalia’s commit-ment to and concerns about the lack of diversity throughout the 225 year history of the US Su-preme Court.

Our letter to the President will be followed, if possible, by meetings with both the Republican leader-ship and the President when the National Asian American Coalition and its allies from the Black and Latino churches and chambers of commerce are in Washington D.C during the week of March 1st.

It is also our hope that the leading Republican and Democratic candi-dates, including Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Bush and Ka-sich will begin to speak out on the need for the prompt confirmation of a fully qualified Asian American justice. As many Asian American leaders have often said, the US Supreme Court is far stronger by having three women, an African American and a Latino among the nine justices. PAGE A7

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 A�Dateline PhiliPPines

The Candidates: Ms. Panday, the…PAGE A6 t

SEIZED. Some 250 pieces of illegal election campaign tarpaulin streamers and posters that were removed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) were handed over Thursday to the enviromental group Ecowaste Coalition to be reused as tents and bags. MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez and MMDA Metro Parkway Clearing Group Francis Martinez turned over the tarpaulins to the environmental watchdog group, which is working with the government to promote “Basura-Free Elections.” Philstar.com photo

Estrada helped his best friend, Poe (Grace’s adoptive father), run for the top post against President Arroyo. Estrada convinced the in-troverted actor to run and win the presidency, because otherwise, Estrada would spend the rest of his life in jail for the plunder charges filed against him. Given that Poe lost by only 3 percentage points to Arroyo, Estrada now banks his hopes on the Panday’s daughter to sneak into the tight race and win the presidency this year. Those behind Llamanzares are the same gang of supporters as Estrada’s shadowy cabal of Chinese Filipino businessmen that included Wil-liam Gatchalian.

‘Mini-Me,’ the cloneAnother candidate is “The

Clone,” or a better “Mini-Me:” Manuel Roxas 2nd. “Mini-Me” is that character in those Austin Pow-ers comedy movies – the clone of villain Dr. Evil, identical in every way with the main character but “one-eighth his size.” It was a hi-larious scene when Dr. Evil, even if visibly disappointed that his clone is a dwarf, pompously dubs it “Mini-Me.” A similar scene came

to mind when Aquino raised Rox-as’ hand as he declared him the Administration’s candidate, even if he knew he was rating badly in the voter-preference polls.

Roxas is without a doubt the contest’s “Mini-Aquino” in the Laylo survey. A huge 42 percent chose him “because he will con-tinue Aquino’s programs, such as the conditional cash-transfer pro-gram.” A further 10 percent did because he was endorsed by the President.

Roxas fits the role to a tee. The Mini-Me of the movies often hilari-ously tries to be tougher than Dr. Evil, only to hide later behind his boss’s legs. Roxas also often tries to appear tougher than Aquino, as when he told the Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez in the wake of Yolanda’s damage: “Let’s face it, you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino.” Or when he replied to Duterte’s remark that he would slap Roxas when he sees him: “Bakit pa sampalan, pamba-bae ‘yan, suntukan na lang, ‘di ba?” But he kept his mouth shut when Duterte challenged him to a gun duel.

What dooms Roxas, and ex-

plains his low ratings, is that while 42 percent of those who chose him did so because “he will continue Aquino’s programs,” 38 percent did not vote for him because he will be “like Aquino who hadn’t changed things in the country,” and that he is precisely a Mini-Me, “walang sariling deci-sion, sunud-sunuran kay Aquino.” That is, it’s a wash being Aquino’s clone.

Dirty Harry, tHe sHeriffDavao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is

the contest’s Dirty Harry, the Wild West Sheriff. In the Laylo survey, nearly 70 percent picked him because of his tough anti-crime stance: “he is a disciplinarian and really punished criminals (22 per-cent),” “eradicated drug pushers and illegal drugs (20 percent),” “eradicated crime under his lead-ership (12 percent),” “strict in implementing the law (8 percent)” and “wielded the iron fist in disci-plining Filipinos (7 percent).”

Duterte has been mayor of Davao City for 20 years since 1988 (his daughter Sarah became may-or so he could skirt the term lim-its), and a congressman from 1998 to 2001. But those who chose him

and the world is that small, that I can reach out to somebody in New York, or San Diego, everywhere, and we can make things happen. That’s what he started,” Rynn stated.

The US-Philippines Society, through its Co-Chairs John Ne-groponte and Manny Pangilinan, extended their congratulations to Ambassador Cuisia.

US-Philippines Society Execu-tive Director Hank Hendrickson further said, “Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. is recognized as one of the most energetic and effective diplomats on the Washington cir-cuit. He has been a perfect repre-sentative of the Philippines under the Aquino Administration as it made impressive strides in good governance, economic growth and enhanced security over the past six years. Due in large part to Am-bassador Cuisia, relations between the United States and the Philip-pines have never been better.”

“He was instrumental in the 2012 launch of the US-Philippines Society and has been an invaluable partner in sustaining the Society’s work over the past four years. Thanks to Ambassador Cuisia’s support, the Society has achieved

Aquino confers Ambassador Cuisia with...PAGE A3 t a strong reputation and firm foun-

dation for carrying out its mission in the years ahead,” Mr. Hendrick-son added.

Ambassador Cuisia was joined by his family as he received the award from the President.

“I am humbled and greatly honored by this recognition. I sin-cerely thank President Aquino and Secretary Albert del Rosario for entrusting me with one of the most important diplomatic posts of our country. Without their trust and confidence, I would not have had the opportunity to further develop our alliance and partnership with the United States,” Ambassador Cuisia said.

The envoy also lauded the Fili-pino communities in the United States for their energy and resil-ience.

“Everywhere I go in this coun-try, Americans and other foreign-ers would tell me their positive views about their Filipino col-leagues, neighbors, friends and acquaintances. These testimonials make me proud to be your Ambas-sador and inspire the Philippine Embassy and Consulates in the US to ensure that we represent our country effectively,” he stated.

In his speech, Ambassador Cuisia took the opportunity to pay tribute to outgoing Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Ro-sario.

“His principled leadership, un-wavering dedication, and indefati-gable energy have resulted in a re-energized Department anchored on a foreign policy that embraces the total protection of national in-terest,” the Ambassador said. n

President Benigno S. Aquino III confers the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Grand Cross (Datu) on Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in Los Angeles, California. Also in photo is Mrs. Maria Victoria J. Cuisia

perceived him almost totally as a man who vanquished crime and who could “discipline Filipinos.”

Duterte’s image is as the ruth-less San Francisco detective Dirty Harry Callahan who didn’t hesitate to kill criminals where they stood, as portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the box-office hit movies where the lead character replaced the goody-goody iconic hero of the past.

Obviously huge sectors of Fili-pinos, tired of the wave of crimes that have grown worse under Aquino, want such a cold-blooded crime-buster as President.

But wasn’t Erap, with his PAOC nearly one, and aren’t most of our police, already of that kind?

the MayorAbout 20 percent of respondents

chose Vice President Jejomar Bi-nay because “he could replicate his success as mayor in develop-ing Makati” on a national scale. (“Napaganda/napaunlad niya ang Makati, baka magawa niya sa bu-ong bansa.”) The “good mayor” aiming for the presidency, that is.

This is the reason why the Aquino-Roxas camp undertook an expensive two-year campaign to defame Binay’s track record as mayor, and tried to show that his stint was one of corruption, the biggest instance of which, they

alleged, was the purportedly over-priced Makati City Hall Building II.

The Administration failed in this intense defamation campaign, even if it was supported by the big-gest newspaper in the country, and the plot even back-fired, which ex-plains why Binay is now leading in the voter-preference surveys.

The “Good Mayor” is a powerful image in national elections, given that most Filipinos’ encounter with government—especially out-side the metropolis—is solely with a mayor. It is at that level where they can feel the impact of having a good or bad government repre-sentative, a mayor, on their lives.

However, the second biggest group of Binay’s supporters chose him not just because of his track record as Makati mayor. A signifi-cant 19 percent of those who fa-vored him in the Laylo poll picked him because of his “wide experi-ence in government.” This could be due to the fact that aside from being Makati mayor, he served the high-profile posts of Metro Manila Authority chairman from 1990 to 1992, and its successor institution, the Metro Manila Development Authority from 1998 to 2001.

Binay took a clever move when he collaborated with the Aquino

Administration as that added to his political support base. Due to his work as Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns, 11 percent of respondents chose him because “he has helped OFWs in trouble in other countries.”

One of Binay’s strong points as revealed in the Laylo survey where 14 percent of those who support-ed him selected him because “he grew up poor, and therefore he is pro-poor.”

There has been no other presi-dential candidate—except Ramon Magsaysay, a former auto me-chanic who won the presidency in 1953—who managed to have such an image, which is an enormous edge in a country where I suspect more than 70 percent of voters see themselves as poor. (Manuel Villar tried to build up that image in the 2010 elections, and failed catastrophically as it backfired on him.)

Would you vote for somebody whose image is of the Snow White fairy tale type? Would you vote to office a “Mini-Me” so we would have the same kind of government as we’ve had the past six years, a Mini-Me wielding the vast re-sources and power of the Repub-lic of the Philippines as its leader? (ManilaTimes.net)

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FEBRUARY 19-25, 2016 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426A�

peopleevents

artsculture

entertainmentFebruary 19 - 25, 2016

Ann Ong’s sustAinAbility ClutCh bAg, One Of ny nOw’s best new PrOduCt AwArdees

by MoMar G. Visaya/AJPress

2The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

There were a couple of exhibitors from the Philippines and a handful of United States-based companies showcasing various handicrafts from all over Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.

On the final day of the event, the winners of the Best New Product Awards were presented to 9 exhibitors, representing the sections within the Home, Lifestyle and Handmade Collections.

One of the winners was Filipina designer Ann Ong, who presented her work through Artisan Resource and was under the Handmade Collection. Ong won for her SustainAbility clutch bag made out of salvaged wood and other materials.

“I am proud of what we brought here this time,” Ong said, as she reached for a clutch that was on display. “This one is nominated for the Best New Product award, and like the others we brought, these are one of a kind pieces using found and salvaged objects you can use somewhere else, like this clutch for example. There is so much heart and soul in this one, just look at the craftsmanship.”

Aside from being a functional bag, her pieces can also be made as home decors, she said, because they are “statement pieces.” As they say, every Ann Ong piece has a story to tell.

“My greatest inspiration ever since I started was nature. I always collaborate with nature. I don’t look at magazines to see the trends. I design using my own vision,” Ong explained. “Nature has given me so much creativity and I think through the designs of the found objects that have been thrown away, it is fun to come up with something different.”

With her advocacy directed at celebrating the world-class craftsmanship of the Filipino, it was

Reinvigorating PH handmade industry, one trade show at a timeFilipino companies showcase craftsmasnhip at winter edition of NY Now

inevitable that she’d be working with the people behind NY Now’s Artisan Resource. For this designer, her personal fulfillment comes in the form of giving back and duly recognizing the artisans who share the same vision of making Filipino design more visible in the world arena.

“I always mix fashion and art together to set me apart as a designer so I can also compete with other international designers,” Ong said.

Ong adds this award to her collection of three Katha Awards for Best Product Design for Fashion bestowed on her by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).

“I dedicate my New York Now Best New Product Design Winter 2016 award to the universe and to nature, my greatest inspiration,” she said when she posted her photo of the award on social media.

This is the second time that

Ong has participated at NY Now. Last year, she was part of the Design Philippines group under CITEM that exhibited Philippine-made designs and art works.

“We did well the last time and I said we should go back that’s why we’re here again. We should maintain the consistency of being seen here. New York has accepted my designs so it is important that I am visible here as a designer,” she told the Asian Journal. “My mission as a Filipino is to promote the artisans in our country.”

Ong laments that the handmade industry in the Philippines is a dying industry but she hopes it will be reinvigorated through efforts made my some designers collaborating with each other and working with groups such as Artisan Resource.

As part of the Handmade Collection at NY Now, Artisan

Rose and Hannah Oamil of Mele+Marie at the NY Now trade show at the Javits Center in New York City

Ann Ong poses with the accessories and clutch bags that she brought to the NY Now trade show. AJPress photos by Momar G. Visaya

The winter edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home, Lifestyle + Gift, the industry’s most expansive market event for tens of thousands of buyers, designers, and more took over every inch of the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City for four days a couple of weeks ago.

Resource is the production-sourcing section of the market for overseas artisan producers to present their handmade export product collections and custom artisan production capabilities.

For the winter show this year, Indonesia, Morocco and Tunisia has their own pavilion bringing everything from fashion accessories to apparel to home décor and lighting and body care products.

Like Ann Ong, even without the Philippine Pavilion and CITEM’s support, Rose Oamil and her husband Melecio decided to join the winter show to continue what they started last summer.

“Every season, there’s a new collection. Art deco is very strong at the moment and our company has always been known for our art pieces bags and jewelry,” said Rose, CEO of Mele+Marie. “You

can also display our items side by side with other art pieces.”

The couple started the company in 2010 and the company’s name was derived from combining the husband’s name Mele (from Melecio) and the wife’s name Marie (from Rose Marie). They use a variety of materials such as wood, shell, leather, metal, brass, precious stones and eco-friendly materials, among others.

“With the help of CITEM last year, we were able to make good sales last year and I must say we have repeat orders and our clients requested us to be here again so we decided to come back,” Oamil added. “We are very happy with the turnout so far.”

To date, Mele+Marie has clients from different countries in Europe, Asia, and South America, as well as Australia and United

States. The couple continues to build their client list as they build their empire. They believe that the only way they can be successful is that by keeping their artisan products maintain their high quality.

“We also did our homework before coming here. We knew that we had buyers coming and we’re prepared for them. We did not come here to wait,” Rose said.

She hopes that the government, through CITEM, continues to support them so they can promote Filipino artisans further and that they can directly compete in the global market.

“The good thing about globalization is that even if we come from a third world country, we are recognized for our handmade products and their craftsmanship,” she said.

Mele+Marie jewelry and accessories

Ann Ong with her award. Photo courtesy of @anngianinnaong Instagram account

Mele+Marie clutch bags and accessories are made out of wood, shell, leather, metal, brass, precious stones and eco-friendly materials, among others.

3The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Continued on Page 5

Atty. MichAel

Gurfinkel, eSQ

ImmigrationCorner

ELIGIBILITY for benefits under Section 3 of the Child Status Pro-tection Act (CSPA) is based on a mathematical formula, where you subtract from the child’s age the length of time it took USCIS to process and approve the peti-tion. You take the date the peti-tion is filed, and the date it was approved. How long did it take USCIS to approve the petition? Three months? Six months? One year?

Next, you wait (sometimes many years) until the priority date is current (or visa is available). How old is the “child” when the priority date finally becomes current? You subtract from the child’s age the length of time it took the USCIS to process and approve the petition. If the child’s age is calculated to still be under 21, your child could possibly qualify under the CSPA.

• Don’t ask USCIS to “expedite” the approval of the petition! Un-der the mathematical calculation, the longer USCIS takes to approve a petition, the more time you can subtract from the child’s age when the priority date becomes current. The faster the USCIS ap-proves a petition, the less time

ENCORE EPISODE ON “CITIZEN PINOY”: “MY PARENTS ARE GREEN CARD HOLDERS, AND HAVE BEEN IN THE PHILIPPINES FOR OVER TWO YEARS. CAN THEY STILL RETURN TO THE US ON THEIR EXISTING GREEN CARDS?” This Sunday, leading US immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel answers questions from Kapamilya in Rosemont, Illinois. Hear about the latest updates regarding Humanitarian Revalidation. Find out if a crewman can use his visa to visit his child in the US. Answers to all of these and more on an encore episode of the information-packed, award-winning public service program — “Citizen Pinoy,” this Sunday, February 21 at 6:15pm PST/EST (9:15pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

Things that can mess upyour child’s CSPA eligibilityyou can subtract from the child’s age. If USCIS took three months to approve the petition, you can only subtract three months from the child’s age. If USCIS took two years to approve the petition, you can subtract two years from the child’s age. Therefore it is always better, for CSPA purposes, for the USCIS to take longer to approve the petition.

• Your child must “seek to ac-quire a visa” within one year of when the priority date is current. Not only does a child’s age have to be under 21, but the child must also “seek to acquire” a visa with-in one year of availability. This is done by filing certain forms with either USCIS or NVC. In other words, CSPA eligibility is a two – step process. There have been many cases where the child’s age was calculated to be under 21 years of age, but the parents messed up by failing to satisfy the second step of “seeking to ac-quire” the visa for the child within one year of visa availability.

• Don’t naturalize after your child’s 21st birthday if he or she is CSPA eligible. If your child’s age is calculated to be under 21 and the child seeks to acquire a visa

within one year, but the parent naturalizes after the child’s 21st birthday, the child’s CSPA eligi-bility is destroyed. I know of sev-eral cases where the child quali-fied under the CSPA: the age was locked in, and the only thing left was the visa interview. But the parent went out and naturalized, which destroyed CSPA eligibility. There have been published court decisions specifically holding that if the parent naturalizes af-ter the child’s 21st birthday, the child is no longer eligible under the CSPA.

My point is that the CSPA can sometimes be a confusing and complex law. What may seem to make sense (such as rushing the approval of a petition) can actu-ally be harmful to a case. Before you act as your own attorney, giv-ing yourself advice, and making up your own laws and rules, you should, instead, consult with an attorney to make sure you’re do-ing it correctly and are properly strategizing the case.

* * *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.com

Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US:

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Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

(Part 1 of 2)“AFTER all the news vans are

gone from the crime scene, after the vacuous words of any sitting presi-dent have been said, after all refer-ences to the story are buried in the inside pages and eventually ground to a halt on the internet, and when the grieving families of victims have no more tears to shed, there is no answer to the question ‘WHY?”

Do you still remember the Bos-ton Marathon tale of murder and mayhem on a lovely spring day just a few years ago?

Pressure cooker violenceTwo young Muslim Chechen

brothers, who together with their families came as refugees 10 years ago and who lived much of their lives on state welfare allegedly committed this heinous assault on American soil.

The older terrorist died in a volley of gunfire and after being run over and dragged allegedly by his own brother. The surviving younger brother claim that they, particularly his brother who was the ringleader of the bombing, was angered by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are defending attacks on Islam. He is doing time for his crime yet he and his family are without remorse.

They murdered 3 innocent bystanders: a boy of 8, a 29 year old woman who was a restaurant man-ager, a 23 year old Boston University grad student of math and statistics from China and a well-liked 26 year

old campus police officer at MIT. The officer was killed by multiple gunshot wounds while in his squad car. Another police officer was gunned down. More than 180 people were injured and maimed while more than a dozen specta-tors have lost their limbs. So many people’s lives were turned upside down by these malcontents.

There has been no let-up in violence. Who can forget the heartbreaking murder of innocents in Newtown by a deranged misfit raised by a misguided parent?

Our hearts are heavy and there is a collective pall of gloom among the general population. Sadly, violence is a feature of modern life. A cursory glance at the day’s news everywhere around the world indicates that nothing much seems to have changed. We seem to be stuck on some kind of groove from hell. Man’s own inhumanity to man continues unabated and is still at

an all-time high. In 2010, Omar Thornton, a

black driver of a beer distribution warehouse, was recorded on video stealing beer from the Connecti-cut company he was working for. Confronted with the evidence, he was given the choice to quit or be fired, instead, he pulled out a gun hidden in his lunchbox and blasted away at his superiors, who happen to be all white, and according to one victim who survived the car-nage, as “cold as ice” fatally killed eight good people and injured two others before killing himself. The race card was immediately pulled out as a motive among the pundits trying to put a racial spin on the tragedy. The fact remains that one evil man wiped out the lives of eight good, productive people and forever marred the lives of those around him.

There’s a common thread — one man driven by religious

fanaticism, rage, jealousy, paranoia, desperation, depression over eco-nomic pressures, family problems or just plain deranged, decided he can’t take it anymore and instead of committing suicide, decide to inflict murder and mayhem killing several others, either his own fam-ily members or total strangers.

In 2009, there were more than 7 mass murders committed by ordinary people, with a total casu-alty count, including the murder-ers themselves, of more than 60 people before the first 100 days of the year were over. It is 6 years later and this tragic social phenomenon is still trending upwards.

Pundits and talking heads predict that as the percentage of the unemployed continues to hold steady as we stay in the grip of a stubborn economic downturn, we can expect more of this type of horror. God forbid.

The trend for mass killings is

global. Breivik who killed 77 Nor-wegians in 2011, most of whom were teen-agers is in jail serving a paltry 21 years. His only regret is not being able to kill more.

Ever since the Columbine mass murder perpetrated by 2 young misguided misfits garbed in black trench coats more than 10 years ago, things haven’t been the same. There were copycats exhibiting lemming-like behavior since then.

Evil glamorized by repetition and attention-getting drama seems to have morphed into many other incidents in North America and elsewhere, resulting in incal-culable, untold pain and suffering among families of the victims.

Who can forget the theater kill-ings in Colorado? Who can forget the great pain inflicted by the Virginia Tech mass murder which snuffed out the lives of 32, includ-ing Cho, the killer, who was a quiet,

4The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

BoBBy T. yalong

On thePEP FrontPeople, Events, Places

Michelle Michelle, the portrait of a hardworking singer-performer

Michelle Michelle: ‘Music feeds my soul,performing sustains my existence’

THE dimly lit posh entertain-ment venue was almost full to the rafters when I inched my way after a burly, stern doorman stamped my right wrist with an indelible admission insignia. Slithering in rectilinear locomotion like a snake hunting for its prey, my blinded sight prevented me to execute spontaneous steps for fear I might step on someone’s foot along the way. Sans a single usher to assist me find an available table was tantamount to trekking a thickly forested trail.

The crowd’s boisterous laughter and unrestrained tête-à-têtes seemed struggling to subdue the amplified voice of the band’s vocal soloist rendering an old time familiar fast-beat number. Seduc-tively donned in a black knitted mini bustier dress with thick kinky blond-dyed hair freely swaying as she tilted her head, the enticing lady crooner won her audience’s attention when she hit ceiling high notes while gyrating to the song’s infectious beat.

A prolonged thundering ap-plause strappingly coupled with chirrups and shrills was more than enough to gauge the singer and the band’s remarkable perfor-mance. The vocal frontliner? No other than fast-rising singer-per-former Michelle Pross, more popu-larly known as Michelle Michelle.

Michelle, who appears to live up to her French-y name with the way she dresses and projects, is remarkably making waves and unhurriedly establishing her distinct mark in various New York watering holes particularly in the Queens area. In just less than 2 years (since her arrival in August 2014), Michelle has incredibly built a huge following with an avid fan base.

From the verdant beachfront town of Nasugbu, Batangas, Mi-

chelle was born to Marilou Padilla and German-American David Pross on February 23 but the latter failed to see the formative years of his only daughter due to their short-lived union.

Hiding a passionate and sensi-tive nature while being an innate dreamer, Michelle is indubitably a true blooded Piscean who expresses her emotions and inner passion through body language (dance), poetry, and music. “Thanks to the invention of the karaoke machine,” Michelle quoted as an ice-breaker. “My entire family, from my Lolo and Lola, uncles and aunts, and even my mom, are all singers.”

It wasn’t until she was in her 3rd year in Nursing at the Univer-sity of the Philippines (Manila) when she decided to quit school and embrace singing as a career.

“I had to earn not only to sustain my studies but to support my four other siblings. My Mom remarried and had four chil-dren…all boys,” Michelle recalled sentimentally. “In 2004, I was lucky to be given an artist’s visa and joined an overseas-bound band to Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dha-bi, Hong-Kong, and other Asian key cities. I travelled extensively for 8 years with just a few months of vacation every year.”

Her Dubai stint was the most gratifying for Michelle since everything was offered free: their uniforms, hotel accommodation, food, and with only 3 hours of work every day. All they did was faultlessly master their setra (a band’s term for memorizing and learning new songs) and perfect their performance routine. “All our earnings were intact with bonuses and tips to bring home,” she disclosed.

“I’m really lucky to be paid while enjoying what I’m doing!”

It was while in the Middle East where she experienced to

participate in an international band competition, the Interna-tional Battle of the Bands, which was won by Sri Lanka. It was a loss that gained for her a full knowl-edge of a diversity of songs that developed her alternative rock style ala Evanescence. Not limit-ing her expertise, she could do jazz music, pop songs…and her Dubai stint also made her a ramp mannequin.

Performers, especially women, need to be updated with their costumes but Michelle knows ex-actly how to please her audience not only audibly but visually, too. “I am neither brand conscious nor would splurge a lot on clothes. What matters most for me is to deliver the best that they wanted to hear and wear outfits that may be provocative but enticingly much my music style,” the 5’4” 135-pounder singer who wears a size 8 justifiably said.

A prepared set of question-naires ably offered a deeper glimpse of Michelle’s personal life:

Asian Journal (AJ): Do you have a main job?

Michelle: I was armed with a Practical Nursing License before I came over that allowed me to work legally. My first case was a Jewish followed by an Italian. So far, I’m enjoying the best of both worlds…my main job and my singing career.

AJ: What are your personal favorites among the more than 250 songs in your repertoire?

Michelle: I always include Adele’s “Someone Like You” and Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” and “My Immortal” in my every gig.

AJ: What are your audience’s most requested songs?

Michelle: The crowd has always a variety of song preference… majority consistently requested for songs by Asin, Sampaguita,

and Aegis since these have been associated with me.

AJ: If given the chance to relive your life or given to make a choice, what other profession would you pick?

Michelle: Definitely, I won’t change a thing. I always loved to sing while I wanted to be a nurse. Given another year, I will be able to realize my dream to be a full-pledged nurse.

AJ: Don’t you dream of doing a huge concert as the defining moment of your singing career?

Michelle: Honestly, that never occurred in my mind. I could have done it long time ago but I wasn’t that ambitious. What I am and where my career stands now is just fine with me. For as long as I earn enough to maintain my lifestyle and send my family back home the support they needed, I’m happily satisfied.

AJ: How gratifying is the

compensation (in singing) here in the US?

Michelle: It’s way down less compared to the Middle East but okay na rin. May mga tips na-man… about $20 to $50 per song request… which I share with the band members.

AJ: How long will you be sing-ing?

Michelle: Well, as long as I’m still in demand and there are still bookings, my singing career goes on. But personally, if a performer is still young, say below 40, she could still effectively be a band frontrunner but when one has aged, she should be singing with a piano.

AJ: In the almost 16 years of doing shows, have you encoun-tered malicious attacks or unruly audience?

Michelle: Luckily, nothing of the sort. Although I have already anticipated such instances and

I’m ready to defend myself. I could befriend them to divert their (mad) intentions.

AJ: Here in the US, how many bands have you joined?

Michelle: It’s funny that, here, when a single band member leaves, they could immediately take a replacement and rename the group like new. So far, the first band I was with was the Intensity Band with Eric Celerio, then the CADA Band, Talahib Rock Band, Placid Band, and currently the Rockin’ Red Horse Band but I did also gigs with Rock Jeepney, NU7 Band, and other groups that need an alternate vocalist.

AJ: You’re always busy, how do you find time to rest? What’s your favorite past time?

Michelle: I love watching mov-ies either in theaters or television and reading books. You won’t be-

A souvenir shot when Michelle was crowned Mutya ng Batangas runner-up

Michelle with her band, the Rockin’ Red Horse

Continued on Page 5

SERVICESEMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT

FOR SALE

5The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Prof. EnriquE M. Soriano

The KiteRunner

By Monet Lu

“Paloma,” “Cardo” “Dan-iel Guidotti” “ B e s t f r i e n d E m m a n . “ —these are just some of the roles he por-trayed and yet these are the

very characters that were etched in our memories and became part of our lives as avid teleserye fans. Each of the roles are so distinct from each other and yet, all of them attest to the quintessential chameleon acting of Coco martin.

I’ve heard great stories about the young actor. It’s one of those stories that would inspire anyone who is just starting out in the tv and film industry. Such is my delight when I’ve seen how people enjoy his teleserye, “FPJ’s ang Probinsyano.”

as I am currently visiting manila for a much-de-served homecoming vacation, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how much things have changed in terms of who is getting more exposure in the entertainment arena. But I am so glad that Coco martin, who is one of the most talented actors of this generation, is getting his share of fame and recognition that he so very much deserved.

an online bio of him states: “Coco martin is one of the celebrities in the Philippines that earned his break through the indie scene. Coco or born as Rodel Nacianceno was dubbed as “The Prince of Philippine Independent Films.” Coco was born on November 1, 1981 in Novaliches, Quezon City. He was once an oFW based in alberta, Canada. He worked as a janitor for housekeeping. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree on HRm in National College of Business and arts.”

His website narrates his journey to stardom saying; “While his early years in the limelight were plagued with uncertainty, he still grabbed the opportunity to make every new experience count. Coco was launched as part of Star Circle Batch 9, landing him supporting roles in several films like luv Txt and other television shows. Nothing remarkable came out of this endeavor, so Coco went back to pursue his studies, putting his mainstream showbiz career in the backseat.

Coco was already starting to feel comfortable par-taking in smaller-scale projects instead, when he came across with Ferdinand lapuz, a respected promoter of Filipino films in international festivals. He offered Coco the lead role in the movie masahista, his initial foray into the independent film genre. Innocent to the provocative nature of the project directed by Brillante mendoza, Coco jumped into the so-called œindie film scene amidst personal doubts in high hopes of com-peting abroad, so he can seek a better job prospect in another land.”

I guess that explains his great talent in internalizing almost any role that was given to him – including a very beautiful woman cop undercover named, Paloma in the hit series, “FPJ’s ang Probinsyano” (recognized as the Best Primetime Show by Platinum Stallion media awards). In the said series, Coco played the role of twins ador and Cardo who were estranged from each other, yet they both pursued the path of law enforcement. ador was a celebrated police officer, who is married with a kid. Cardo on the other hand, loves the solitude of the mountains as a Special actions Forces Trooper. Their lives take a turn when ador gets murdered due to his entanglement in a syndicate. To cover the crime, Cardo was ordered to become his brother and live his

life, and in order to seek justice for his brother’s death. Coco’s life story as a regular oFW starring in several in-

die films, to being one of the finest actors in Philippine cinema has taught him – and those who want to be like him – that dedication to one’s craft will reap success, if he or she is just patient, hardworking as most of all, humble. I admire him for being one of the truest person in showbiz. He doesn’t try as hard to associate himself to controver-sial personalities or gimmicks. He is just plain, old, down-to-earth “probinsyano” like the character he plays.

Coco also starred in the blockbuster hit and Star Cin-ema’s entry to mmFF, “Beauty and the Bestie” opposite Vice Ganda. The latter earned over 500 million and was the season’s number 1 top grossing entry.

Throughout Coco’s journey to achieving his dreams, he remained simple, humble and grateful. To date, he has won more than 50 awards and showing no signs of fad-ing out of the limelight. I say this to most of my friends but I say this again to those who admire this young man: It is not always about the destination, sometimes – or more often – it is the journey that makes it all worth it. To Coco martin: congratulations on your journey.

***Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist

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

Coco Martin on his journey to fame

Coco Martin

Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS!PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT

GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW.CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651

DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS

PCCHS/ PUPLHS 1996 Golden JubileeThe Philippine College of Commerce High School Laboratory Batch 1966 (now Poly-

technic University of the Philippines) will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee from February 20-21 in Manila, Philippines. According to the President of the PCCHS Batch ‘66 Alumni As-sociation, ROLAND ATIENZA, about 55 batchmates from Australia, Canada and USA have confirmed attendance to the Homecoming and 50 from Manila local chapter. Activities lined up for the Golden Jubilee Celebration are as follows:

February 20, 2016 -- 6:00-12:00 pm. Formal Program/Dinner at the Banahaw Ballroom, The Legend Villas, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

February 21, 2016 -- 8:00 am - 9:00 pm - Visit the ANAWIM Home for the Abandoned Elderly, Montalban, Rizal Province (Fel-

lowship/Lunch/Donate basic needs of the elderly) - Tour of Manila (Former PCCHS in Lepanto, Intramuros Tour (old churches and Cathe-

dral, Rizal Park, Fort Santiago) - Dinner/Cultural Show, at Barbara’s, IntramurosFebruary 22, 2016 - BREAKUP GROUP (To Palawan, Laguna and respective hometown

provinces of the guests) For inquiries, please contact the following members of the CORE group: Agnes T.

Sule #09165567000 suleagnes@yahoo.com, Roland Atienza #09062947156 atienza8@ya-hoo.com, Rebecca T. Sayed 09064032624 rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com, Lourdes T. Flores lu-lutflores@yahoo.com, Rebecca Sayed rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com.

FEBRUARY 20

GK USA National Summit 2016There is no better time for Gawad Kalinga (GK) to present the Philippines as the new land

of opportunity, with a steadily rising economy--the fastest growing in the world next to China, according to Bloomberg--and alleviating poverty. GK continues to evolve as a movement, starting with philanthropy expanding to sustainability, and creating hybrid, innovative systems to end poverty. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Filipinos, GK volunteers, partners, and millennials to reconnect with their homeland, contribute to their country and social entre-preneurship, and help to build bridges for a thriving nation. Asian Americans will have a taste of the emerging market of world-class, affordable Philippine-made products, such as Bayani Brew, First Harvest Peanut Spreads, Human Nature beauty products, and Theo Philo choco-lates. Support GK’s humanitarian efforts to provide home and livelihood to the poorest of the poor, and learn about GK, GK USA, and GK Enchanted Farm programs. The Summit will take place from March 4-6, 2016, at the Radisson Midtown at USC, Los Angeles (3540 S Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007). To register, please visit gk-usa.org.

MARCH 4-6

Take the ‘Journey to Success’ at Cal State LA WHAT: Asian American and Pacific Islander students and families are invited to Cali-

fornia State University, Los Angeles for “Journey to Success,” a college exposition open to high school and community college students who are interested in Cal State LA. “Journey to Success” will feature workshops on how to prepare and pay for college, information on CSU requirements for admission and application processes, and representatives from Cal State LA and other CSU campuses to answer questions. The outreach event will include free parking, breakfast, special giveaways, college resources and student panels. The college expo is sponsored by the California State University’s (CSU) Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm WHERE: The Golden Eagle Ballrooms at Cal State LA. (5151 State University Dr, Los

Angeles, CA) For more information and details, please go to calstate.edu/journeytosuccess or call

the Office of Outreach and Recruitment at Cal State LA, (323) 343-3839.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

From Page 3

deranged malcontent who never quite fit in.

many noted that perpetrators of this troubling trend were often the quiet ones. We are now told to watch out for the quiet “pressure cooker” types, those who never cause a ripple, are withdrawn and spend hours on the internet and who find ways to circumvent the many state gun laws in place and and explode with volcanic inten-sity and wipe out those around them.

a young mentally troubled gun enthusiast from alabama, depressed over his life and who kept mostly to himself, killed 5 members of his own family and 5 other total strangers at random in a barrage of gunfire before taking his own life.

He was a Vietnamese immigrant named Jiverly Wong, aka Vuong,

The makings of a successful Chinese entrepreneur

THE overseas Chinese or hua-chiao is a term commonly used for the Chinese in Southeast asia. In a broad sense, overseas Chinese refers to all Chinese who have left their home in China to live and work abroad. The Chinese migra-tion to Southeast asia, particularly those who arrived between the 18th century and mid-20th century was mainly for economic reasons and focused in economic activities related to employment and trade. Their prime motivation was to make a decent living and survive in a practically new frontier.

Unparalleled work ethicIn my new book, “Ensuring Your

Family Business legacy”, I identi-fied eight out of the twelve most famous Filipino entrepreneurs and included wealthy businessmen whose families emigrated from

mainland China to the Philippines before World War II when the economy was strong.

I mentioned in my last column and I wish to reiterate that even if each took a different approach, there is one common denominator among them before they became famous Filipino entrepreneurs — unparalleled work ethic

While there are other factors that contribute to their achievements, such as being frugal, a good finan-cial sense, and a strong network of fellow Chinese businessmen for support, the collective image of these famous Filipino entrepre-neurs working hard and diligently has stuck in the minds of budding entrepreneurs in the Philippines. Indeed, if one aspires to become a successful entrepreneur, there is much to learn from the Chinese Filipino entrepreneurs.

The following list, initially three

due to limited space, gives an over-view of the most famous Filipinos in business, mostly Chinese with a handful of Spanish mestizos. I will start with the four most popular and successful businessmen. I am hoping my readers can learn a lot from these icons of the Philippine business scene.

1. Henry Sy. Henry Sy came from an impoverished family in Jinjiang, a town near Xiamen, China. The entire family left China in 1936 to help the family patriarch manage a thriving convenience store in manila.

as a child, Henry Sy used to work twelve-hours a day to help his father run their small family-owned convenience store. During the Second World War, their store was looted and burned so the young Sy switched to buying whatever he could to sell for a profit. Hard times and a humble background in retail,

shaped and molded the young Sy. Today, he is touted by the busi-

ness community as the richest man in the Philippines with a net worth of US$14.4 Billion, according to the Forbes.com list in march 2015. With over fifty malls and stores of various sizes, the most recognized of all famous Filipino business-men has foothold in virtually all the major cities in the Philippines. They recently even expanded to Guam and China. To date, four of the ten largest malls in the world are owned and operated by the Sy family.

2. Lucio Tan. lucio Tan worked as a janitor in a cigarette factory. after a few promotions, he eventu-ally resigned and started his own tobacco company. This company grew to capture a 60% share of the Philippine market. With its strong revenues, Tan was able to diversify. This famous Filipino businessman now owns several

prominent Philippine companies, many of them blue-chippers. The biggest chunk of his fortune comes from his Hongkong based Eton Properties. among the country’s wealthiest businesmen, Tan is arguably the most enigmatic. He is the most elusive, preferring to stay out of the limelight. His 2015 net worth is US$4.3 Billion according to Forbes.com.

3. Andrew Tan. andrew Tan is a billionaire businessman from the Philippines who engages in real estate, liquor, and fast food. His network currently stands at US$4.5 Billion based on the Forbes’ billionaires list. originally a simple immigrant from China, Tan was born in the Fujian province of China. He spent his childhood at an apartment in Hong Kong shared by other families and had a short supply of basic necessities. (Please see related article last year where I wrote about his phenomenal rise).

later, he moved to manila where he studied accounting at the University of the East. For eco-nomic reasons, he would head to school walking rather than riding on public transportation. During his early years in business, the local government unit of Quezon City honored him as “Businessman of the Year” in 2004. Tan now runs the alliance Global Group, Inc. (aGI), composed of four companies namely megaworld Corporation, Emperador Distillers, Inc., Travellers International/Resorts World manila and Goldern arches Development Corporation.

* * *Prof. Soriano is an ASEAN Family Business

Advisor and Chair of the Marketing Cluster of the ATENEO Graduate School of Business. He is a National Agora Awardee and book author of Kite Runner, a book on Family Business Governance and Succession. For comments, you may email the writer at sorianoasia@gmail.com

Pressure cooker ...a quiet, social misfit, driven by se-vere paranoia and frustrated over his “poor life” and poor English skills, gunned down 12 others in an immigrant center, 10 of whom came from 8 countries and who were students just trying to learn English as a second language.

one was a Filipina, Dolores Yigal, then, a recent immigrant who was studying so she could find a job. one was a long time substitute teacher named Roberta King. one was an Iraqi woman who survived 3 car bombs in her native Iraq and left behind a devastated family, a daughter at the Sorbonne in Paris and another daughter, a Fulbright scholar. all these lives were cut off by one sorry excuse for a human being in one fell swoop.

among ordinary families from all strata and from nearly every ethnic group, there has also been a rash of killings among fathers who have

decided to kill themselves because of their failures and are taking their whole family with them. on rare occasions, it is a mother who does it.

Sometimes, the sick and the elderly decide to take matters into their own hands and end it all. The murder suicide rate among families is on the rise, thankfully not in epidemic proportions just yet as to cause panic.

Perhaps, some of this is fueled by the effects of crumbling social and cultural mores. or this could simply be the effects of the eco-nomic downturn. Some are unable to cope with mounting financial pressures. and yet to merely focus on economics as the root of this troubling phenomenon is shortsighted and misses the whole point.

(To be continued next week)* * *

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

lieve it but I have a mini library of my collections since high school. I’m proud that I own a complete edition of the Guinness Book of World Records and almanacs. oh, and I love to eat… although I can-not cook. (and released a hearty laugh).

AJ: Are you currently dating?michelle: I have a very private

love life which I don’t merge with neither my job nor my singing career. The set-up gives me a re-freshing alternative different from what I publicly do. This serves as a neutralizer and an emotional reliever. We’ve been on for almost 4 years and he doesn’t meddle with my professional affairs.

AJ: If there’s but one place you want to visit, where is it? And why?

michelle: oh, that would be Netherlands! Simply because

Michelle Michelle: ‘Music feeds my...From Page 4 people there enjoy more freedom

and they’re like on their own. Walang pakialaman! I like to try living there. It is my type of place.

AJ: What are your other per-sonal favorites?

michelle: I like Jack & Coke, light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana, and I am very partial to pink and blue colors.

michelle has successfully estab-lished her name in the entertain-ment circuit while creating an image peculiarly hers. admittedly a woman of extreme personali-ties, she could easily adjust to any given situation, She might have been Paul mcCartney’s inspiration when he composed the love bal-lad “michelle ma Belle,” the 1965 featured single in the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album which goes:

“michelle, ma Belle… sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensem-ble…” (michelle, my sweetheart… these are words that go together

well…)For comments and suggestions,

please email to: gemini0646@yahoo.com.

Michelle was a ramp model in Dubai

6The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Grammy awards: A night of epic tributes and electric performancesBruno Mars takes home 3 Grammys

by Allyson EscobAr

AJPress

Filipino-American singer Bruno Mars took home three Grammys, including Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Remixed Recording (Non-Classical), and Record of the Year for his funky hit with producer Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk.” Photo posted by Bruno Mars on his Instagram account

THE 58th annual Grammy Awards, recognizing and celebrat-ing outstanding achievements in the music industry, was a big night for artists including Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Bruno Mars.

At the Premiere Grammy Awards Ceremony, most of the 83 awards in various categories were handed out. Only eight awards were presented live on CBS, along with a string of memorable perfor-mances that included Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Adele, Pitbull, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Jack Ü (Diplo and Skrillex), and many more. A performance by Rihanna was cancelled at the last minute due to bronchitis.

Taylor Swift took home presti-gious album of the year award for “1989,” during the live ceremony on Monday night, held at the Sta-ples Center in downtown Los An-geles. It was her third Grammy win of the day. (She also took home Best Pop Vocal Album for “1989” and Best Music Video for “Bad Blood,” featuring Kendrick Lamar.)

“As the first woman to win al-bum of the year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplish-ments or your fame,” Swift said in her acceptance speech, which some believe is a response to rap-per Kanye West’s lyrics about her in his new single, “Famous.”

“But if you just focus on the work, and you don’t let those peo-ple sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you’ll know that it was you and the people who love you that put you there,” she add-ed, “and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”

28-year-old rapper Lamar, who earned a record of 11 nominations, received his fifth Grammy of the day for best rap album for his ac-

Commemorative event of President Elpidio Quirino’s 60th

death anniversary on Feb. 29NEW YORK—The Philippine

Consulate General New York in partnership with the President Elpi-dio Quirino Foundation will host a commemorative event to mark the 60th death anniversary of President Elpido Quirino, 6th President of the Philippines, on Monday, Feb. 29 at the Philippine Center New York.

The event will coincide with the re-interment of President Quirino at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Manila in a ceremony to be held the same day led by President Benigno Aquino III and members of the Quirino family. Video footage of the re-interment ceremony will be screened during the event.

The commemorative event will consist of reflections on President Quirino’s life and legacy.

Consul General Mario L. de Leon Jr. will talk on President Quirino as the Father of the Philippine Foreign Service.

Mr. Elpidio “Elpi” Pineda Quirino, grand-nephew of President Quirino and one of the members of the board of advisers of the President El-pidio Quirino Foundation, together with his wife, Elizabeth Ann, will nar-rate how his Lolo Elpidio’s passion and commitment to the Philippines remains inspirational to this day.

Ms. Lilia Clemente, a Filipina trail-blazer on Wall St., will present how President Quirino focused on the economic rebuilding of the coun-try in the aftermath of World War II. Ms. Clemente’s grandfather, Me-lecio Fabros, was President Quirino’s Customs Commissioner during the Quirino term.

Dr. Jesus Ligot Jr., a Quirino

claimed “To Pimp a Butterfly.”“First off, glory to God, that’s

for sure,” said Lamar, who also thanked family and those who worked on the album. He added, “This is for hip-hop.”

Compton-based Lamar had one of the most powerful and talked-about performances of the night, with onstage images of jail cells, a giant fire and tribal dances, and the word “Compton” superim-posed over an image of the African continent. The rapper emerged in chains to perform a medley of his songs “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright,” from his award-winning album “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

It was also a night of music’s biggest tributes. Lady Gaga paid an eclectic tribute to the late David Bowie; Stevie Wonder sang “That’s the Way of the World” with Penta-tonix in honor of Earth, Wind and Fire’s Maurice White; Bonnie Raitt, Gary Clark Jr. and Chris Stapleton came out to honor R&B pioneers Ruth Brown and B.B. King, and Jackson Browne and the remain-ing members of The Eagles sang “Take It Easy” for Glenn Frey, who died on Jan. 18. Luke Bryan, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Tyrese and Meghan Trainor also performed a medley of Lionel Richie’s hits, later joined by the singer himself.

The Hollywood Vampires--which includes Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry--also made their fiery television debut, intro-duced by Dave Grohl. The group paid homage to the leader of Mo-torhead, late singer-songwriter Lemmy Kilmister.

Breakout performances includ-ed a pop duet by country singers Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood, as well as a riveting mashup of “Hollow / Let It Go” by newcomer artists Tori Kelly and James Bay.

Singer-songwriter Chris Staple-ton was awarded best country album of the year win for “Travel-ler,” while Ed Sheeran’s “Think-ing out Loud” was named Song of the Year. The British artist also received his first Grammy ever for

best solo pop performance. Rock quartet Alabama Shakes won the best rock performance with “Don’t Wanna Fight,” which was also named best rock song of the year, and the group won best al-ternative music album for “Sound & Color.”

The cast of Broadway’s “Hamil-ton” performed the hip-hop musi-cal’s opening number, which was broadcasted live from the Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City. “Hamilton” also took home Best Musical Theater Album.

Adele, whose new record “25” will make next year’s Grammy’s cut, had a rare weak performance when the sound cut out during her live rendition of “All I Ask.” “The piano mics fell on to the piano strings,

that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. Sh*t happens,” Adele tweeted later, brushing off the unavoidable tech-nical difficulties.

Filipino-American singer Bruno Mars took home three Grammys, including Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Remixed Recording (Non-Classical), and Record of the Year for his funky hit with producer Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk.” The prestigious accolade, presented at the end of the night by fellow Super Bowl performer Beyoncé, is Mars’ fourth Grammy Award.

“This is dedicated to the fans right here. We wouldn’t be here it weren’t for the people dancing in this song,” Mars said in his speech. “This is for ya’ll.”

PCGNY opens doors on Saturdays to accept consular services

NEW YORK—In fulfillment of its commitment to make consular ser-vices more accessible to its clients, the Philippine Consulate General New York is launching Consulate Saturdays as part of its Consular Out-reach program. The Consulate will be open on select Saturdays of 2016 to accept applications for Passport, Reacquisition of Filipino citizenship, Notarization and Authentication,

and Civil Registry (Report of Birth, Marriage, Death).

One Consulate Saturday will be held every quarter: Feb. 27, May 28, Aug. 27, and Nov. 19, from 10am to 3pm. No appointments are neces-sary for Consulate Saturdays. For more information, please emailcon-sular.outreach@newyorkpcg.org or visit their website www.newyork-pcg.org.

grand-nephew and a psychiatrist specializing in post-traumatic stress syndrome, will give a talk on how President Quirino demonstrated re-silience and fortitude in spite of the tragic death of his wife Alicia Syquia Quirino and their three children dur-ing the Battle of Manila in February 1945.

Michael Quirino Martinez, Presi-dent Quirino’s great-grandson, will give the closing remarks.

During the event, the family of President Quirino in the United States will also launch the book they co-authored titled “Statesman and Survivor Elpidio Quirino, 6th President of the Philippines”, which is available on Amazon.com and Blurb.com.

The commemorative event will be a fitting tribute to President Quirino, complementing the honor accorded to him by the country through his re-interment at the Lib-ingan ng mga Bayani in Manila, his rightful resting place, alongside past Philippine presidents, heroes and war veterans.

Gerald & Arci: A new team to watchUNEXPECTED pairing is how I de-

scribe Gerald Anderson and Arci Mu-ñoz’s first team-up in the Star Cinema post-Valentine offering “Always Be My Maybe.” The two make a tandem which is unapologetic but speaks of a surprise chemistry (make it engag-ing) that moviegoers will enjoy, espe-cially when their characters Jake and Tin-Tin essay a narrative that thrives on the complexity of a relationship.

Based on the movie trailers, it is a Dan Villegas movie that hits close to home, you know, similar to Pinoys’ penchant for multi-layered family drama.

“I’m Tin-Tin, who is always the victim of pa-fall,” says Arci of her character, who is on the verge of giving up on love. “Pa-fall refers to those pa-asa (men who give you the impression and the confusing signals that they also like you). She is siopao-zoned. It means binola-bola ka na nga (nung guy), asadong-asado ka pa rin, (the guy makes you believe that there’s something spe-cial between you and him and then you buy the idea.) Hindi (siya) nadala at paulit-ulit. (She has been trapped over and over again).”

The guy who could help Tin-Tin break away from that “vicious” cycle of romance is Jake, played by Gerald.

“I’m an aspiring photographer,” he shares. “(My character) struggles a bit with his relationships, ’wag kay-ong mag-alala, malayong, malayo sa totoong buhay [laughs]).”

Gerald, however, can relate to some aspects of the personal life of Jake, whose girlfriend of six years de-clined his marriage proposal.

“I can relate to the decision-making that my character has gone through in the movie, yung immaturity niya, yung commitment niya, yung realiza-tion niya,” he says. “

“There are many as far as relation-ships are concerned,” added Gerald of the lessons Always Be My Maybe offers to moviegoers, especially mil-lennials who get into complicated affairs. “The story revolves around relationships, about commitment, the maybe (type of relationship) and the no-label one, which happens every day. That’s why a lot can relate to the story.” This is what Jake and Tin-Tin will deal with head-on in the movie.

“If love is a maybe, then it is not

by JErry DonAto

Philstar.com

really love,” says Arci. “It is just an in-fatuation, crush or like. If it’s love, you have to be certain. Dapat sigurado ka, nakikipag-commit ka, dapat bu-ong-buo mong ibibigay yun. Hindi yan installment. (You should be sure of your feelings since you have committed yourself to the person. You have to give your all. You can’t give love in an installment basis.) When you’re in love, there is never a maybe.”

On a professional level, Arci and Gerald never held back to come up with a “natural” interpretation of their characters. This was done with the guidance of direk Dan, who be-lieves in creative collaboration. They would seek each other’s opinion to make the characters real, especially when film collaborators (director, writers and actors) need a female or male perspective.

“I came in the movie (set) and I just wanted to be honest with ev-ery scene and every situation, lahat ng pinagdadaanan ni Jake,” recalls Gerald.

Arci, on the other hand, has a dif-ferent story because Always Be My Maybe is her big break from Star Cinema.

“I’m excited,” she says. “It is not just a 24-hour success for me. I’ve been around for almost nine years. I transferred to different networks. Then, ABS had given me this big op-

portunity to showcase my talent. I’m grateful. I don’t know how to thank them enough.” Since her entry to the Kapamilya network, Arci has shown her range in the acting department from Pasion De Amor’s Norma Eli-zondo to her “remarkable perfor-mance” in “A Second Chance.”

“I don’t want to be labeled (as this and that actress). I just want to give what is expected from me — play-ing the role well, (na) maayos at maganda.”

Proof to this are the mature, titil-lating scenes she and Gerald had in the movie, aside from the seeming-ly-straight-from-everyday-conversa-tion lines that speak of this genera-tion’s relationships.

“He is a gentleman,” says Arci. “I’m not (surprised) why girls fall for him.”

“She was very professional be-cause what she did was difficult, medyo daring,” Gerald praises his onscreen partner. “We shot the love scene for almost a day. She did great. Her character would tease Jake. I wasn’t used to it because in some scenes I would normally be the start-er. Her sexiness was oozing. I think it was the most intense scene I had ever done.”

With the actors’ commitment to their roles, the movie works as a kilig romantic comedy with strong sem-blances of what’s happening out there.

Gerald Anderson and Arci Muñoz team up for the first time in Star Cinema’s “Always Be My Maybe.” Star Cinema photo

7The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine

Marian Rivera: I feel more complete

MANILA—After a four-month ma-ternity break, Marian Rivera is set to resume her TV work with two new projects on GMA 7.

The Kapuso primetime queen will star in the revival of the fantasy-series “Encantadia” as Ynang Reyna and will host her own talk show befitting her newfound status as a mother and homemaker. She’s also rejoining the cast of the comedy-variety show Sun-day Pinasaya.

All these were announced by GMA Entertainment TV boss Lilybeth Ra-sonable during a presscon last Tues-day, Feb. 16 for Marian. It was her first official media appearance since giving birth to her firstborn with Dingdong Dantes, Maria Letizia (nick-named Baby Zia), in November.

Stunning as ever and hardly show-ing any baby weight, Marian had re-porters commenting that she looks very much like when she was still single.

The 31-year-old actress respond-ed with a laugh, “Okay lang akong tawagin ninyong mukhang nanay na,” adding an emphatic “I don’t care” should there be comments on the post-pregnancy changes of her body.

Marian couldn’t stop talking about her family life. According to her, the feeling of becoming a mother is in-comparable. “Of course, it’s a different feeling when you get married. Pero ‘yung pagkakaroon ng isang anak, parang mas buo ‘yung pagkatao ko ng literal. (I feel more complete as a person, in the literal sense.) Iba talaga pag nanay ka.”

That’s why she’s having “mixed emotions” about returning to work as she finds it difficult to leave her daughter behind at home. She would turn emotional every time.

Nevertheless, she’s thankful to GMA because the network bosses have been considerate and cooking up plans even during her hiatus that could work around the big changes now happening in her life.

So, now that she’s back, her work schedule will have to ease up. Several soap ideas were presented to her, but she decided to take on the Ynang Reyna role (originated by Dawn Zu-lueta), which doesn’t require her to spend long hours on the set. Fans of the original “Encantadia” would remember Ynang Reyna appearing intermittently throughout the series. The talk show will have less taping time as well. “Ito lang talaga magawa ko para di mabigat sa akin. Of course,

Marian Rivera (who’s set to host her own talk show and star in Encantadia) on being a mom: ‘Of course, it’s a different feeling when you get married. Pero ’yung pagkakaroon ng isang anak, parang mas buo ’yung pagkatao ko ng literal. Iba talaga pag nanay ka.’

Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares as one of the godparents of Baby Zia.

by Nathalie tomada

Philstar.com

I love my work but my priority now is really my daughter.”

Marian proudly noted that she’s breastfeeding Baby Zia full-time. “No formula milk for three months now,” she shared. “Thank you Lord, marami akong stock (breast milk).”

“At first, it was hard. It even reached the point na naiiyak ako kasi maya’t maya I have to breastfeed, then ‘pag tulog siya, I have to pump, then when she wakes up, I have to breastfeed her again, siempre sobrang sensitive. Ang hirap pala pero sabi ng asawa ko, ‘Susuportahan kita, ‘wag kang susuko.’

“I’m really doing this for my daughter because they say, a breast-fed baby will be healthier and better behaved growing up. So, it’s okay. I’m willing to make sacrifices for our daughter.”

Having a child has obviously made Marian and Dingdong tighter as a couple. According to Marian, they’re very hands-on as parents, not even employing the help of a nanny. At the time of the presscon, she entrusted her daughter to her mother and lola.

“Sabi nga ni Dong, ‘Ang swerte talaga natin kasi nagkaroon tayo ng anak.’ Lagi niyang sinasabi na ang pagkakaroon ng anak ay isang mir-acle talaga. Ito ang totoong buhay para sa amin — ang magkaroon ng isang pamilya.”

Baby Zia was baptized last Feb. 14 at the St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori Parish in Magallanes Village, Makati. A reception followed at the couple’s Makati home. The godparents were a mix of showbiz and non-showbiz,

including Ai-Ai delas Alas, Gabby Ei-genmann, Bettina Carlos, Ana Feleo, director Mike Tuviera, GMA 7 senior AVP of Regional Business Develop-ment Oliver Amoroso and Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares, whose presence had the media speculating that her presidential candidacy in the May elections is being endorsed by the couple.

Marian said, “Lahat ng ninong at ninang na kinuha namin, magsisil-bing pangalawang magulang ng mga anak namin. So, yung binyag ni Zia, binyag lang talaga, walang ha-long pulitika.”

Contrary to Marian and Ding-dong’s lavish and much-publicized 2014 wedding, no media coverage was allowed for the christening. In general, exposure for Baby Zia — considered a “celebrity” even before she was born — has been noticeably limited, save for a few photos on her parents’ Instagram accounts.

Marian explained that they’re not trying to hide or keep her away from the public eye, but that they simply want to give her a “normal” child-

hood as much as possible.“Actually, nag-request talaga ako

sa asawa ko na gusto ko ang binyag ni Baby Zia simple lang, tipong pami-lya at malapit na kaibigan. Kasi di na-man artista yung anak ko. Siguro nga stage mother ako, kasi masyado daw akong protective sa anak ko.”

Marian also admitted that they have already received several en-dorsement offers for Zia as well. “A lot, but we — I wouldn’t say reject — said no because sobrang liit pa ng anak ko. We’re open to it. But gusto kong lumaki muna siya, at kung pwede sa edad na pwede na siyang tanungin na ‘Anak, gusto mo ba?’ at sasagutin n’yang, ‘Yes, mom.’”

The joys of raising Zia have only increased Marian’s desire of having more children. Ideally, she wants four more kids, with their age gaps spaced by at least two years. Being an only child, it has always been her dream to have a big family.

What if another one comes along — maybe, sooner than expected? Marian said, “Kung sakali po ipag-kaloob po sa amin, OK lang po!”

Filipino-American leaders to kick off voter registration & get-out-the-vote drive“IT is now generally known that

Asian Americans are the fastest growing voters in the United States today,” says JT Mallonga, Chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). “They are emerging as a key voting block that could significantly influence national and local elections in the coming years.”

Validating this trend is a report from the Center for American Progress, which shows Asian American voters in the last decade nearly doubling from more than 2 million voters in 2000 to 3.9 million voters by 2012, and is estimated to reach 5 percent of the voters nationally by 2025 and 10 percent by 2044.

“As the second largest Asian American population in the US, our challenge as Filipino Americans is to translate these numbers into political power,” adds Mallonga. “That means being actively engaged as informed citizens, exercising our voting rights and casting our ballots on Election Day.”

To achieve this goal, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), a non-partisan organization recognized by Washington policy-makers, private industry and other advocacy groups as the voice of Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States.

Fil-Am Vote is a national program directed at strengthening the voter registration, voter education, voter protection and get-out-the-vote capabilities of Filipino American communities nationwide

For New Jersey, the scheduled FilAm Vote launch will be sponsored by Philippine American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM):

Who: NaFFAA leaders and Filipino American community leaders and supporters

What: Nationwide launching of Fil-Am Vote

Where: 275 West Side Avenue, Jersey, NJ 07305

When: Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 12pm

“Our immediate objective is to register more Filipino voters between now and November 8, and mobilize a huge voter turnout by the time polling booths open,” says Juanito Amor, Fil-Am Vote

National Director. “We know that by increasing the voting ranks of the Filipino American community, we will not only make our voices heard but will most assuredly make a difference in determining who will lead our country.”

People PowerFil-Am Vote’s launching,

Amor points out, is not only “an affirmation of our civic responsibility as American citizens, but also a commemoration of the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines, which occurred 30 years ago this week. That historic moment taught the world what people can do collectively to assert their democratic rights to vote, fight against election fraud and ensure that the people’s will is carried out.

“Fil-Am Vote, therefore, draws from the energy, inspiration, passion and courage of the millions of Filipinos who used the ballot box to make their voices heard. Despite the threat by an authoritarian regime to suppress their right to participate in the electoral process, the Filipino people stood up to make sure each vote counted.

“Fil-Am Vote honors this powerful movement and is committed to carrying on the legacy of full, active civic engagement of the Filipino American community.”

Highest naturalization rateThe latest US Census Bureau

data indicate there are 2,790,928 potential Filipino voters nationwide. Figures from the US Citizenship & Immigration Services also show that Filipinos are among the top AAPI groups with the highest naturalization rates.

“But we have been lagging behind in terms of registered voters and voter turn-out,” explains Fil-Am Vote national adviser Gloria T. Caoile of Henderson, Nevada. “Our numbers won’t matter unless we enlist community members to register and show up at polling places on November 8 to cast their votes.”

NaFFAA Regional Chair Myrna Farinas Reyes of San Diego, CA. is calling on the Filipino American community to “come together and demonstrate our collective strength as an influential voting bloc. Let us proudly and unequivocally assert ‘I am a Filipino American Voter.’”

8The Asian Journal NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY FEbRuARY 19, 2016

An Asian Journal Magazine