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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

w w w. a s i a n . c o mVolume 15 - No. 3 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages JANUARY 15-21, 2016

DATELINEUSAFROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

ONE year ago, California’s Assembly Bill 60 (the Safe and Responsible Driver Act) was im-plemented statewide, granting eligible immigrants legal driver’s licenses regardless of status. Over 600,000 undocumented

Immigrant groups mark one-year anniversary of historic driver’s license law

HUNDREDS of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), including elected officials and busloads of Filipino-Americans from across California and Nevada, flocked to the San Gabriel Hilton on Thursday, Jan. 7 to rally their support behind Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

Part of her two-day campaign stop in South-ern California, Clinton’s appearance at the launch of AAPIs for Hillary was an effort to appeal to that population, which is consid-ered the fastest-growing minority group in the country that could be the critical swing vote in the next several presidential election cycles.

And what better place to reach them than in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, where over half of its residents are of Asian descent.

Taking the stage after an introduction by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) — the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress — Clin-ton said being in the area holds a personal meaning to her.

“When I think about this part of California,

Hillary Clinton seeks support from Fil-Am, AAPI voters

CALIFORNIA Governor Jerry Brown an-nounced a $170.6 billion spending plan for the state, covering funding for schools, climate change programs, and services for the poor, elderly and disabled.

At a Capitol news conference on Wednes-day, Jan. 6, Brown, in his fourth term as Cali-fornia governor amid a crippling recession, repeatedly warned of the possibility of an-other economic downturn, and rejected calls for more robust spending increases. He also criticized ballot measures that seek to extend temporary tax increases which he championed in 2012, faulting them for exempting revenue from Proposition 2, the budget reserve voters approved in 2014, reported The Sacramento Bee.

“That, in my judgment, is a fatal flaw,” he said to reporters. “It’s just a matter of bal-ance.”

Brown’s proposal would provide a boost to public education, increasing school spending

Gov. Brown proposes $171-Bstate budget

THE number of Filipino fami-lies who experienced involun-tary hunger decreased in the last quarter of 2015, bringing the full-year average to its lowest point in 11 years, according to a Social

Fewer Pinoys went hungry in 2015 – SWS

A MIGRANT group on Wednes-day, Jan. 13, renewed its call on the government to stop collecting terminal fees from overseas Fili-pino workers amid complaints of

Stop collecting terminal fee from OFWs, migrant group urges gov’t

long queues at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Migrante-Middle East urged President Benigno Aquino III to di-rect the Department of Transpor-tation and Communication (DOTC) to order authorities of the Manila

by YUJI VINCENT GONZALESInquirer.net

by ALLYSON ESCOBARAJPress

Californians have benefited from the historic law, swiftly passing identification and residency re-quirements, and both the written and behind-the-wheel tests to obtain lawful permits.

“The Department of Motor Vehicles committed to success-fully implementing this new law to increase safety on California’s

roads, by putting licensed drivers behind the steering wheel,” DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a press release. “One year after AB 60 implementation, there are 605,000 more drivers on the road who have passed all testing requirements and demonstrated their knowledge of California’s rules of the road.”

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by CATHERINE S. VALENTEManilaTimes.net

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THE Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday, Jan. 12, upheld the consti-tutionality of an executive agreement between the Philippines and the United States that permits increased rotational presence of US military troops in the country.

In a 10-4-1 vote, the top court ruled in favor of the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Agreement (EDCA), which was signed by the Philippines and US

in 2014 but was not implemented due to legal challenges. The agreement, which has a 10-year lifespan, also al-lows troops access to Philippine mili-tary bases. Furthermore, the US will be allowed to store and pre-position weap-ons, defense supplies, vessels, and air-craft, among other things.

The decision comes amid the ongo-ing dispute between the Philippines and China regarding conflicting claims in the South China Sea involving six Asian governments competing for con-trol of small islands in the region. It will

also support US efforts to reassert its presence in Asia, the Associated Press reported. The US has also indicated it opposes China’s claims in the disputed territory, citing the need for freedom of navigation in the area, GMA News re-ported.

The Court’s ruling is based on Article 18, Section 25 of the Philippine Consti-tution, “which allows the president to enter in an executive agreement on for-eign military bases if it is not an instru-ment that allows foreign military bases

PH top court rules EDCA constitutional

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PRESIDENT Barack Obama deliv-ered his seventh and final State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 12, in which he focused on the country’s future and his legacy as president, rather than urging Congress to pass specific proposals.

“For my final address to this cham-

ber, I don’t want to talk just about the next year. I want to focus on the next five years, 10 years, and beyond,” Obama said. ”I want to focus on our future.”

In a roughly hourlong primetime speech — one of his last chances to capture Americans’ attention before the November election — the presi-dent remarked that it is “a time of ex-traordinary change,” a condition that

has “made the progress of these past seven years possible.”

Some of the accomplishments he chose to highlight early on were: eco-nomic recovery, the passage of the landmark Affordable Care Act and the historic Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage.

Obama took a swipe at opponents who have undermined the state of the economy under his tenure, asserting

“a basic fact” that the United States has the “strongest, most durable economy in the world.” He reported that over 14 million jobs have been created and the once failing auto in-dustry had a record year in 2015.

“Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fic-tion. Now, what is true -- and the rea-son that a lot of Americans feel anx-

On average, the DMV issued approximately 50,000 new driver licenses per month under AB 60 during its first year of implemen-tation, with the most licenses issued in March, according to a press release. DMV offices state-wide have had over 2 million AB 60 customer visits, knowledge

by AGNES CONSTANTEAJPress

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by CHRISTINA M. ORIELAJPress

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

and drive test examinations since January 2015.

Since California Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law in 2013, and full implementa-tion two years later, AB 60 has improved the quality of life for many immigrant families.

“It’s been life changing for many of the Filipinos in our communities to receive an AB 60 license, because they get to work on time. They don’t have to take or wait for the bus. They get to do their errands, they get to take their children to school, make sure that they’re safe,” Nikole Cababa of the Filipino Migrant Center told ABS-CBN News.

The benefits of AB 60 include prevention of being ticketed or arrested for driving without a license, avoiding the expensive costs of car impounding, and increasing safety on California’s busy roads.

“Twelve percent of all Califor-nia drivers do not have a license. 1 in 5 vehicle crashes involve someone driving without a li-cense,” said LA Office of Immi-grant Affairs representative Jo-seph Bernardo in 2015. “This is not just a policy, economic, and moral issue—this is also a safety concern.”

However, one year later, thou-sands of applicants are still lining up at the California DMV to get the process started. Many immi-grant communities, particularly African and Asian Americans, have faced confusion, lack of un-derstanding, major delays and inconsistencies with the new program.

About 11,000 eligible im-migrants have still not been ac-counted for AB 60, for multiple reasons, including: the lengthy application review process, lan-guage barriers and lack of com-munication, improper training of

DMV staff, and proper identifica-tion requirements.

Filipino applicants have also had a hard time with the process, due to lengthy requirements and issues with certain Asian pass-ports and documents. Philippine passports, for instance, are not accepted right away by the DMV, leaving Filipino applicants stuck in secondary review.

“It feels like discrimination when all these other folks are able to present their passport and go through the process and get their licenses, we are being put through this long process where there’s no criminal record…it’s just the issue of identity, which they’re asking more than immi-gration [customs] asks for,” said Aqui Soriano Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center. “We’re really trying to advocate for less and less live-in condition or less live-in situ-ations, because that just opens up more opportunity for [work] abuse as well.”

Local consulates, including the Philippine consulate have tried to help Filipinos produce acceptable identification docu-ments to comply with the strin-gent requirements, but the main issue is extreme delays with sec-ondary review.

“We’re obviously advocating with the DMV that they have to accept all the Philippines pass-ports that it’s a primary docu-ment that can be received,” Cababa added. “Other issues include poorly-translated DMV documents and lack of Tagalog-speaking staff.”

Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles, in collab-oration with the Drive California Coalition, the African Advocacy Network, the California Immi-grant Policy Center, and other community partners, hosted a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 5 to address the serious is-

sue with inconsistencies in ap-plying for AB 60.

“If it wasn’t for the collabo-ration with these organizations and the diverse community, we wouldn’t have had 600,000 immi-grants go to the DMV and right-fully obtain their license,” said Anthony Ng, an immigrant rights policy advocate with Advancing Justice - LA. “We want to make sure that each population is ac-counted for, because this law af-fects so many people’s lives, jobs, and taking care of families.”

Advancing Justice and its partners promised to work with immigrant communities, local governments and the DMV to help sort out issues and back-log of applications, as more im-migrants expect to get licensed. Advancing Justice, the Filipino Migrant Center, the Pilipino Workers Center, and the DMV all have conducted public outreach events and multi-lingual train-ings to educate new drivers in the greater Los Angeles/South Bay area.

“The law has changed lives and created powerful new oppor-tunities for community members who worked diligently for two decades to make the licenses a reality. With so many more driv-ers licensed, tested and insured, Californians are benefitting,” Ng said.

“Thanks to the hard work of immigrant community mem-bers and the leadership of Gov. Brown, our legislature, and the DMV, hundreds of thousands of community members are now able to freely drive to work, school, worship, and more,” said Luz Gallegos with TODEC Legal Center.

“At the same time, our work is far from over. We will continue to advocate strongly so that all com-munity members who call Cali-fornia home are able to equitably access this vital opportunity.” ■

Immigrant groups mark one-year…

Weather Stations (SWS) survey.The survey showed that 11.7

percent of the respondents, or around 2.6 million families, said they did not eat at least once in the past three months. The fig-ure is four percent lower than the 15.7 percent—equivalent to 3.5 million families—recorded in September last year.

The average hunger rate last year of 13.4 percent is 4.9 points below the 2014 average of 18.3 percent and was the lowest an-nual average hunger rate since 2004 when an average 11.8 per-

cent was recorded.The number of respondents

who said they experienced “moderate hunger,” or lacking food to eat “only once” or “a few times” in the last three month decreased to 8.9 percent or two million families.

Meanwhile, 2.8 percent of those polled or about 621,000 families endured “severe hun-ger,” higher than in September, when 1.6 percent of respondents or an estimated 361,000 families said they had nothing to eat “of-ten” or were “always” hungry.

The survey was conducted

from December 5 to 8, 2015 among 1,200 adult heads of households nationwide.

Last week, the SWS noted that self-rated poverty among Filipino families steadied at 50 percent last quarter, similar to the 50 percent in the September sur-vey, while those who rated them-selves poor in terms of food—la-belled the “food-poor”—declined by two points to 33 percent from 35 percent previously.

The biggest drops were in Met-ro Manila, in Luzon areas outside the national capital region and in Mindanao. ■

Fewer Pinoys went hungry in 2015…t

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or it aims to implement existing law or treaty holding that EDCA is one such agreement,” Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said, according to GMA News.

Among those in agreement with the decision was the Depart-ment of Foreign Affairs, stating the Philippines and US can final-ize the full implementation of an agreement that is key in efforts to bolster national security and di-saster relief capabilities, accord-ing to The Associated Press (AP).

“This decision bodes well for deepening our defense coop-eration with a key ally,” and will “redound to improving our ca-pability to perform our mandate to protect our people and secure the state,” said armed forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri, AP reported.

Washington welcomed the court’s ruling. In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said the United States welcomes the high court’s decision and that it is a mutually beneficial pact and would strengthen the two coun-tries’ bilateral relationship.

“We look forward to working closely with our Philippine part-

ners on the implementation of this agreement,” the statement said.

The Court emphasized that the EDCA is an executive agree-ment, not a treaty requiring Sen-ate concurrence. It added that the president has the option to select a form of agreement that is not a treaty, as long as it is not the principal agreement that first allowed foreign military bases, troops or facilities entry or pres-ence in the Philippines.

“EDCA is not constitution-ally infirm as an executive agree-ment,” Te said during a news conference following the ruling.

PH vows to work on imple-mentation of EDCA

During the second Philippine-US 2 plus 2 Ministerial Consul-tations on Tuesday, Jan. 12, top diplomats from the Philippines and United States met at the State Department, following the high court’s ruling in favor of the EDCA,

US Defense Secretary Ash Cart-er said both countries discussed how the defense pact could be used to fortify maritime security capabilities and strengthen their role to maintain peace in the re-gion, Inquirer reported. Carter

added that the Philippines is an important ally, as the US looks to increase its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, Inquirer reported.

Philippine Secretary of For-eign Affairs Albert del Rosario also spoke favorably of the agree-ment.

“The recent validation by the Supreme Court of the consti-tutionality of the EDCA opens up new opportunities to fur-ther deepen our enduring alli-ance with the US, and we have committed to work towards the prompt and mutually beneficial of this agreement,” del Rosario said in an email detailing the meeting.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States has an “ironclad commitment” to the Philippines’ security and that they share a commitment to de-mocracy and human rights, ac-cording to Inquirer.

Del Rosario also said the Phil-ippines is exploring the possi-bility of joint activities with the United States in the South China Sea, but stopped short of saying they were entertaining the pros-pect of joint patrols, according to

PH top court rules EDCA…t

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ious — is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit; changes that have not let up,” he noted.

On health care, the president said “nearly 18 million people have gained coverage so far. And in the process, health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law.”

However, there is work that still needs to be done, such as “give everyone a fair shot at op-portunity and security,” “make technology work for us,” “keep America safe and lead the world” and “make politics reflect what’s best in us.”

The president chose not to go deep into policy prescriptions for Congress — recognizing that not much might get done in an election year — but mentioned his goals for the remainder of his term include closing Guantana-mo Bay prison, authorizing use of military force against ISIS, and looking into a “new moonshot”

that can cure cancer, an initiative that will be led by Vice President Joe Biden.

“And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us on so many is-sues over the past 40 years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the families that we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all,” he said.

Not directly naming any of the Republican presidential candi-dates, Obama slammed rheto-ric that “enemies [are] getting stronger and America [is] getting weaker” and said that the Islamic State is not a threat to the coun-try’s existence.

“The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations com-bined,” he said. “Our troops are the finest fighting force in the his-tory of the world…when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead

— they call us.”The president went on to ad-

dress hateful sentiments target-ing on Muslims, arguing it be-trayed American values.

“When politicians insult Mus-lims, whether abroad or our fel-low citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn’t make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is,” he said. “It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country.”

Though most of the speech was about his accomplishments, Obama recognized one of his shortcomings: failing to ease the political divide in the country.

“It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency — that the ran-cor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better,” he said. “There’s no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I’ll keep trying

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the first thing I think about is my mom, and how kind people were to her here when her own family was not,” Clinton said, as she re-called her mother who worked as a maid and went to high school in nearby Alhambra.

“I know how important family is to all of you. That is how I see our country. I see us when we are at our best, as lifting up fami-lies, helping families be strong, helping families get the support they need to do the best they can for their children and for their parents.”

Clinton touched upon several issues “that keep families up at night” and those that resonate with AAPIs, such as college af-fordability, tax breaks for family caregivers and immigration.

In a $350-billion proposal called the New College Compact, Clinton aims to end student loan debt by cutting tax deductions from the wealthy and instead, give grants to states so students can cover tuition costs at four-year public colleges and univer-sities.

She also proposed a new tax credit last November that offsets up to $6,000 in costs for middle-class families who care for their aging parents or grandparents and disabled family members. The plan also outlined providing caregivers with additional Social Security benefits and reforming work-family policies to support paid and unpaid caregivers.

On immigration, Clinton de-fended her vote on a comprehen-sive bill in Senate and promised to continue on President Barack Obama’s executive actions.

“When I was a senator, I worked to reduce the backlog on visas and reunite immigrant fam-ilies — I will keep up that fight. Immigrants from the Asia Pa-cific region make up 40 percent of the family visa backlog,” she said. “Some from the Philippines have been waiting for a visa for 23 years.”

Fil-Ams for HillaryBuses of Fil-Ams bearing

“Filipinos-Americans for Hillary” signs came from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas on Thursday morn-ing.

Amid chants of “Mabuhay Hill-ary,” Fil-Ams were one of the largest groups represented in the crowd, and were acknowledged in Clinton’s remarks.

In her speech, Clinton also mentioned Cheska, a Fil-Am DREAMer from Las Vegas who now works for the campaign.

“The day after I announced that I was running for presi-dent, Cheska volunteered with our campaign. Now she’s a field organizer in Las Vegas. She put her own college education on hold because she wants to shape the country that has given her so many opportunities,” Clinton said. “I want to give young peo-ple like Cheska every change to succeed…but I need your help to do that.”

When asked what a Hillary Clinton presidency would mean for Fil-Ams, Melissa Ramoso — a member of the National AAPIs for Hillary Leadership Council and a founding member of Filipi-no Americans for Hillary — said that it would bring more recogni-tion to the community.

“[She] and her husband’s ad-ministration have had Filipino-Americans as their top advisers and have elevated Filipino-Amer-icans into positions of leadership. Secretary Clinton understands the important issues relevant to our community, such as immigra-tion reform and caring for the el-derly. These are issues important to me personally and am grateful for a candidate that understands that they are for Filipino-Ameri-cans,” Ramoso said.

Added Fil-Am businesswoman and community leader Loida Nicolas-Lewis, who flew from New York for the launch, “Fili-pino-Americans should really be voting for her because she’s the only candidate — whether Dem-ocrat or Republican — who has recognized the Fil-Am communi-ty. In 1999, she was the keynote speaker at the National Federa-tion of Filipino American Associ-ations’ (NaFFAA) event, the first White House occupant to come to a Filipino event…She knows our issues very well. Early on, she has been for Filipino World War II veterans, for immigration reform, for education and for more funds for small businesses, all of which are issues important to Fil-Ams.”

Arnel Dino, vice chair of the Filipino-American Democratic Caucus of the California Demo-cratic Party, said that “it’s her time — she has the experience and we want someone who is a friend of AAPIs.”

Las Vegas-based community leader Gloria Caoile noted that the presence of Fil-Ams in the crowd showed that “it is a great

Hillary Clinton seeks support from Fil-Am…t

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to $10,591 per student ($3,600 more than at the tail end of the recession). However, Brown ex-pressed reservations about a $9 billion bond measure to pay for school and community college facilities, suggesting he will seek to negotiate an alternative with the Legislature.

The bond measure, Brown said, “favors wealthy districts over poorer ones because it says, ‘Hey, if you’ve got your applica-tion ready, you’ll be first in line,’ and that will favor the more af-fluent and the more resourced districts.”

The budget release serves as a reflection of the governor’s pri-orities; education, the poor, and the environment.

The governor reintroduced two major proposals for which he failed to secure funding last year: a multibillion-dollar plan to fund road repairs, and a modi-fied expansion of a tax on health plans to help generate funds for Medi-Cal.

He also proposed an “essen-tial” additional $2-billion pay-ment into the state’s rainy-day fund, growing the size of the reserve account to almost two-thirds of its legally-mandated goal, according to the Los Ange-les Times.

Brown, a longtime champion of environmental causes, also proposed using cap-and-trade revenue – money polluters pay to offset carbon emissions – to fund programs to reduce petroleum use in motor vehicles.

The environmental proposal comes less than a month after Brown returned from interna-tional climate talks in Paris, and revisits a legislative defeat on pe-troleum last year.

As part of a $3.1 billion spend-ing plan for cap-and-trade, Brown proposed $1 billion to re-duce emissions in the transporta-tion sector, including funding for mass public transit and incen-tives for zero-emission vehicles.

In an effort to win Republican votes and the support of health plans, Brown cast the tax plan Thursday, Jan. 7 as “a net gain” for the plans, and promised in-creased funding for the develop-mentally disabled if approved.

The new health plan tax would draw $1 billion in federal match-ing dollars, while generating ad-ditional money to help pay for in-home care givers and other

programs, Brown said. Any in-crease, though, would require the votes of at least several Re-publican lawmakers.

“I know it’s a heavy lift,” Brown said, adding later, “There’s no deal.”

“Unlike last year’s health plan tax proposal – which would have hit the industry with several hun-dred million dollars in increased costs that likely would have been passed on to millions of Califor-nians – the new proposal would net the industry $90 million,” said Michael Cohen, Director of Fi-nance. “The proposal would off-set corporate and gross premium taxes paid by the health plans.”

The budget includes more than $80 million in grants for the state’s network of regional centers, which arrange services for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, and would increase payments for the blind, elderly and disabled.

“This will be a huge help to 1.3 million people with disabilities and seniors around the state who are struggling to pay the rent and get enough food to eat,” said Frank Tamborello, executive di-rector of Hunger Action LA, not-ing that grant increases should be even greater to account for cost of living.

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) called funding for people with developmental dis-abilities “one of the most critical needs we must address,” and added the health plan tax “needs to be done now.”

“The community has waited long enough,” Atkins said.

The governor’s proposal comes amid ongoing improve-ment in the state budget since the last recession, leaving Brown and lawmakers with more funds to try and allocate.

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office projected in No-vember that the state will end the current fiscal year in June with $7.9 billion in reserve, at least $3.3 billion more than lawmak-ers expected last year.

Brown also included billions of dollars in one-time spending in his plan. State parks, which were strapped for cash during the last recession, would receive some of the $500 million in funds set aside for parks, levees and other maintenance work at state public works around California. Schools would also get a one-time in-crease of $1.2 billion to use how-

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International Airport (MIAA) to stop the collection of terminal fee.

“We are renewing our call to stop the collection of P500 termi-nal fee on every OFW. It violates the provision of Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act as amended by RA 10022, thus the government is committing an illegal act against the sector—the OFWs—who are helping the economy afloat through the bil-lion dollar remittances it sent to the country,” said Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona.

Monterona said the refund pro-vision of the terminal fee should not be used as a justification of its existence.

“The mere collection of ter-minal fee on OFW is an act that violates a special law. And it can’t be corrected by the Miaa refund provision,” he said. “Not only il-legal. It is like pain in the a** for every OFW Balik Manggagawa in getting it refunded with long queues at NAIA.”

Monterona said the terminal fee was an “unnecessary burden courtesy of the government.”

“One could not avoid to sus-pect that the slow terminal fee refund was intentional so that OFWs will be discouraged to get their P550,” he said. “By the way, saan nga pala napupunta ang mga un-refunded terminal fee ng mga OFWs? Milyones ang pinag-uusapan natin dito.” ■

Stop collecting terminal fee…t

Gov. Brown proposes $171-B state…ever they want.

The budget is the second since California voters approved a new reserve fund that is aimed at pro-tecting sharp swings in revenue and spending. Brown proposed shifting $3.5 billion into the re-serve, $2 billion more than re-quired by Proposition 2.

“Everybody thinks when they’re up here, it’s all wonder-ful. That’s what they thought be-fore the dot-com, and that’s what they thought before the mortgage meltdown,” Brown said, pointing to budget revenue charts. “And so here we are again.” (Allyson Escobar/AJPress)

Inquirer.Other topics of discussion at

the meeting focused on mari-time security, maritime domain awareness, and the 2nd Mil-lennium Challenge Compact for the Philippines. It will build on the success of the first com-pact, which has helped alleviate poverty, contributed to inclusive growth and contributed to elimi-nating poverty.

The meeting took place as both countries approach the 70th an-niversary since they established diplomatic relations.

OpponentsDespite praise from advocates,

the pact has faced opposition

from groups and individuals who argue it is more beneficial to the United States than the Philip-pines. Other opponents, includ-ing Justice for Filipino Americans (JFAV), a nationwide alliance of Filipino World War II veterans organizations and community advocates, say the benefits of the court’s decision to uphold the agreement are “superficial” because it has “disturbed” the balance of powers between the branches of government.

“They are using the constitu-tion against the constitution,” Ar-turo Garcia, national coordinator of JFAV, told the Asian Journal.

“They are circumventing the

PH top court rules EDCA…

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A COMPANY supplying Wal-Mart with meat is recalling about 90,000 pounds of product due to potential contamination from extraneous wood material, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Monday, Jan. 4.

Huisken Meat Company is re-calling Sam’s Choice Black An-gus beef patties with 19 percent Vidalia Onion that were produced between Nov. 19, 2015 to Dec. 9, 2015. The products post use-by dates in May and June 2016.

The recall covers two-pound boxes containing six patties and

Walmart supplier recalls approx. 90K pounds of meat

the establishment number “EST. 394A” inside the USDA mark of inspection.

There have been no reports of individuals who have become ill from consuming the contaminat-ed meat. The USDA has classified the recall as a Class II low health risk with a “remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.” However, the agency is urging those in possession of the prod-uct to dispose of it or return it to where it was purchased.

The meat was shipped to Wal-Mart locations across the United States and are sold at select lo-cations, according to the retail giant’s website. ■

by AGNES CONSTANTEAJPress

MILLENNIALS, who constitute one-third of America’s popula-tion, hold less favorable view of news media and religion com-pared to older generations, ac-cording to a Pew Research Cen-ter survey.

The report, published Mon-day, Jan. 4, also indicates that the younger generation tends to have a more positive perspective when it comes to labor unions, large corporations, small busi-nesses and big financial institu-tions compared to their elders.

In 2010, 73 percent of millen-nials said churches have positive effect on the country; in 2015, that number fell to 55 percent.

In the same time frame, the percentage of millennials who said national news media have positive impacts on America dropped from 40 to 27.

Among Generation Xers and Boomers, 62 and 67 percent, re-spectively viewed churches and religious organizations positive-ly; while 26 percent of both older generations indicated a positive perspective of news media.

Despite these less favorable views, millennials showed a 10 percent increase in positive re-sponse toward banks and large

Pew survey �nds Millennials less favorable about religion, news media

by AGNES CONSTANTEAJPress

corporations, an 8 percent rise in positive views toward labor unions and were 15 percent more favorable toward small businesses from 2010 to 2015. Their shifting perspective mir-rors that of their elders.

Generational differences were more apparent when it came to colleges and universities. Sev-enty-three percent of millenni-als say the post-secondary insti-tutions have a positive impact,

compared to the 64 percent of Generation Xers, 59 percent of Boomers and 51 percent of Si-lents that agreed.

As for technology companies, 77 percent of millennials, 73 per-cent of Xers and 70 percent of Boomers said they had a positive effect on the United States. Only 59 percent of Silents, however, shared that view.

The Pew study was conducted from Aug. 27 to Oct. 4, 2015. ■

time for us to speak out with our voices at the ballot box.”

Together with the Asian Pa-cific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and NaFFAA, Caoile and Rozita Lee have been get-ting AAPIs to register to vote in Southern Nevada, and will orga-nize town hall meetings in the coming months.

“In this room today, as a vet-eran — and I say that with pride — it’s a great reunion of folks who have worked on campaigns for the last 30 years and have empowered AAPI communities all over the country,” Caoile said, adding that a Clinton presidency would be advantageous to the Fil-Am community.

“Our voices will be heard, our issues will be addressed. Her record has really been tested for her stand on social and eco-nomic justice, for families and minorities. As a two-fer — as a Filipina and a woman — I really feel comfortable that we will now be part of this great political in-frastructure,” Caoile said.

Added Lee, “Hillary under-stands our culture and she’s go-ing to protect us.”

Republicans reactIn 2015, 56 percent of US-born

Asian American registered vot-ers were young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, while 29 percent were middle-aged (34-54) and 16 percent were 55 and older, according to a study by UCLA and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congres-sional Studies.

As both sides of the aisle ramp up campaign efforts, they will be courting AAPI voters.

Clinton called out the “hate-ful rhetoric” of the GOP, includ-ing that of frontrunner Donald Trump, who recently proposed barring Muslims from entering the United States.

“[Republicans] forget a fun-damental lesson about our great country. Being an open and tol-erant society does not make us vulnerable — it’s at the core of our strength of who we are,” she said. “Either we are going to de-fend the progress we have made and build on it or we are going to let a Republican president rip it all away. Make no mistake about it, what you’re hearing from all of them are the same, failed policies that led to the great recession.”

Despite the outpour of support for Clinton, Republicans immedi-ately listed reasons why the for-mer secretary of state is unfit for the presidency.

“Hillary Clinton’s policy pro-posals will not benefit our Fil-Am communities here in California

or across the country. We need a Republican candidate who will fight for our values – lower taxes, religious liberty and protecting our national security,” said Ce-cile Ramos of the Fil-Am Repub-lican Party of Los Angeles.

A memo released on Wednes-day, Jan. 6 by Jason Chung, Di-rector of APA Engagement, and Ninio Fetalvo, APA Press Secre-tary at the Republican National Committee (RNC), said that Democrat policies “harm, rather than benefit” AAPI communities. Among the affected segments that the memo cited are AAPI entrepreneurs, small businesses and youth, and suggested that the demographic will instead “stand with the Republican Party.”

Fetalvo further said that Clin-ton’s interactions with AAPIs are for “her own political fundrais-ing” gains.

“The reality is Democrats have long taken the AAPI community for granted, and Hillary Clinton will be no different as she con-tinues to support the same failed policies that hurt AAPIs across the country,” he said.

Fil-Am Ron Falconi, Mayor of Brunswick, Ohio, said that AA-PIs should “see which party can provide the right answers to na-tional security, lower taxes, and a stronger economy,” while Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes added that the Republican Party aligns with what many AAPI cul-tures value.

“As an Asian American Pacific Islander on both sides of my fam-ily, I have always been drawn to the Republican Party’s emphasis on rewarding self-reliance, hard work and the risks inherent with owning a small business with lower taxes, less government interference and economic pros-perity. The policies and principles of the Republican Party should appeal to AAPI’s more than the unfulfilled promises, false hope and burdensome regulations of the Democrats,” Reyes said.

Though Clinton is fairly popu-lar among younger voters, some Fil-Am millennials active in the GOP, including Gerard Gosioco, call on AAPIs to look into Clin-ton’s record.

“In light of the AAPI for Hillary launch, I implore Asian Ameri-cans and Pacific Islanders alike to really do their research before supporting Hillary Clinton. Al-though it may seem like she will be advocating for issues that are important to our communities, her voting record and the policies she has supported in the past say otherwise,” Gosioco said.

Get out the vote initiativesAlso present on Thursday

were Norm Mineta (the first Asian American to hold a post in the presidential cabinet, who was Secretary of Commerce dur-ing Bill Clinton’s administration and Transportation Secretary during George W. Bush); Cali-fornia State Treasurer John Chi-ang; Irene Bueno, who led AAPI outreach in Clinton’s 2008 cam-paign; and San Gabriel Mayor Jason Pu.

Michelle Kwan, who now serves as surrogate outreach co-ordinator for the campaign, em-phasized Clinton’s commitment to women.

“The difference is…[that] she is fighting for women’s rights…there’s so much at stake in terms of women’s rights and LGBT rights in this election, so it’s for everyone,” Kwan said.

The former Olympic figure skater and five-time world cham-pion appeared at the AAPI Demo-cratic Caucus (AAPIDC) meeting in Las Vegas on Monday, Jan. 12, where she said Clinton is the kind of “person I want to see in the White House.”

“When you look at the debates and see how Hillary conducted herself during the Benghazi hear-ing, [you see] her experiences in both domestic and foreign policy and her understanding [of] how to get things done. I think we need a candidate with [that] ex-perience and with that sort of leadership.”

Rocio Nuyda, who organized Clinton supporters through-out LA for the AAPI movement launch, noted that this year, her focus is to get more Fil-Am Dem-ocrats to register to vote.

“They could be here watching what’s going on and cheering, but if they don’t register and they don’t vote, then that’s useless,” Nuyda said.

Dino added that more has to be done to raise awareness on is-sues that are at the forefront of this election.

“We have a lot of people in our community who aren’t accessing services and who aren’t voting. When issues that come up that affect them, they don’t educate themselves,” he said.

Over the weekend, Clinton’s campaign held workshops in Los Angeles and the Bay Area on how to gather community support for the presidential candidate.

Clinton will once again appear in a Democratic debate on Janu-ary 17, which Fil-Am community members will be closely watch-ing. There are plans for a debate watch party that night in various areas, such as Los Angeles’ His-toric Filipinotown. (Christina M. Oriel / AJPress)

Hillary Clinton seeks support from Fil-Am…t

process because [EDCA] should be a treaty, not an executive agreement.... The US is not ac-countable to the Philippines because it’s a mere agreement — it’s not a treaty.”

Garcia added that the decision “reeks” of opportunism.

“We don’t have respect for the Supreme Court because they are subservient to foreign interests,” he said.

Left-wing activists in the Phil-ippines said they would consider filing an appeal.

Opponents also said increas-ing US military presence would not address the Philippines’ con-

cerns about China in the disput-ed territory.

“This is another sad day for Philippine sovereignty,” said left-wing activist Renato Reyes, who was among those who challenged the legality of the defense accord before the high court, according AP. “We maintain that the EDCA is not the solution to the problems of China’s incursions.”

Some, including former sena-tors, filed petitions against the EDCA, but were denied by the Supreme Court.

One petition filed by former senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada said that the terms and provisions of the

EDCA were “lopsided in favor of the Americans.”

Another petition stated that the agreement would give the United States “carte blanche power to establish and operate de facto military bases anywhere on Philippine soil, minus the cost of paying for one.”

The Philippines has one of the weakest armed forces in Asia, GMA News reported, and has been heavily dependent on US military aid for weapons and training.

The AP reported that the Phil-ippine military said at least eight local camps have been designat-ed as harboring areas for Ameri-cans, including some near the South China Sea and in areas sus-ceptible to natural disasters. ■

PH top court rules EDCA…t

to be better so long as I hold this office.”

But ending with a glimmer of hope (one of his campaign mes-sages in 2008), he gave examples of the diverse demographics of the country.

“That’s the America I know. That’s the country we love. Clear-eyed. Big-hearted. Undaunted by challenge. Optimistic that un-armed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. That’s what makes me so hope-ful about our future. I believe in change because I believe in you, the American people,” the presi-dent concluded, which was met with applause. “And that’s why I stand here confident as I have ever been that the State of our Union is strong.”

ReactionsDemocratic presidential can-

didate Hillary Clinton released a series of messages on Twitter, in-cluding “@POTUS is confirming what we know: Our economy — and our country — are stronger under a Democratic president.”

Arnel Dino, vice chair of the Filipino-American Democratic Caucus of the California Demo-cratic Party, told the Asian Jour-nal that the president will be re-membered for “trying to change the tone of our political system. He really made the attempt to better the economy and increase access for groups to be part of the system… He wants to leave a legacy of collaboration and co-operation between the different political factions in our country.”

“Whoever succeeds him, hope-fully a Democrat, should continue on his [progress] and not go back to where the country was before he was president.”

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said the speech “was just what our country needed” — “reassur-ance about the terrorist threat. And yet it also needed to hear that we should not scapegoat one another, and appreciate the diversity of our country,” accord-ing to NBC News.

Another Asian American law-maker Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) praised the speech, but emphasized that comprehensive immigration reform is crucial.

“The need for immigration re-form cannot be forgotten. Any serious proposal advanced by Congress to achieve this should be comprehensive,” said Honda in a statement released on Tues-day night.

Honda shared plans to rein-troduce the Reuniting Families Act and gave the example of his guest Fil-Am Irene Bueno, who “is a reminder of why our nation needs a families-first immigration policy — her family was separated for 20 years by our heart-wrench-ingly slow immigration laws.”

Meanwhile, Republicans took to Twitter to share their reac-tions.

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump described the speech as “really boring, slow, lethargic,” while former Florida Gover-nor Jeb Bush wrote “President Obama is living in a different world to think our country is saf-er and stronger,” and Ted Cruz called it “a state of denial.”

Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, both candidates in the Republican field, were not present for the president’s address.

Fil-Am Matthew Alonsozana tweeted that “Despite the rheto-ric, it’s clear Pres. Obama is drawing a pretty partisan frame-

work for the election.” After the president’s remarks,

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley delivered the GOP re-sponse and said Obama’s record hasn’t lived up to his promises.

“Barack Obama’s election as president seven years ago broke historic barriers and inspired millions of Americans. As he did when he first ran for office, tonight President Obama spoke eloquent-ly about grand things. He is at his best when he does that,” she said. ”Unfortunately, the president’s record has often fallen far short of his soaring words.”

Haley refuted Obama’s posi-tive view of the economy, health care and safety, contending that Americans are suffering from “a crushing national debt,” health care has become less affordable and accessible and cities across the US are experiencing “chaotic unrest.”

Shifting away from taking jabs at the president, the governor even criticized others within her own party.

“Today, we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation,” she said “No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”

While placing some blame on Democrats, Haley said “they do not bear it alone,” and called on Republicans “to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America’s leader-ship. We need to accept that we’ve played a role in how and why our government is broken. And then we need to fix it.” ■

t

MAMASAPANO PROBE RESUMPTIONDATELINE PHILIPPINES

A search for answers, says Enrileby CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO

Inquirer.net

SEN. JUAN Ponce Enrile on Tuesday, Jan. 12 said his move to reopen the investigation into the Mamasapano massacre was to “search for answers” and not because he had a grudge against President Aquino or had any po-litical motives.

“I am no errand boy of any-body,” Enrile, the Senate major-ity leader, said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.

But he admitted in a later radio interview that the “center of [his] questioning” will be the “par-ticipation of the President” in the Jan. 25, 2015, police operation that resulted in the brutal killing of 44 Special Action Force troops by groups of Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The Senate committee on pub-lic order headed by Sen. Grace Poe, has agreed to Enrile’s re-quest and will reopen its investi-gation into Mamasapano on Jan. 25, the first anniversary of the massacre.

The senator has said that he has new information on the in-cident which he had apparently obtained from the survivors of the Mamasapano operation who happened to be confined at the Philippine National Police Gen-eral Hospital in Camp Crame at the same time as Enrile. The senator was on hospital arrest in connection with the pork barrel plunder case against him but was

released on bail in August.Enrile said he has invited four

current and former Cabinet sec-retaries and other officials and main actors in the incident. But he has not summoned Mr. Aqui-no although he said the President was welcome to attend.

Enrile said he had no grudge against the President, contrary to what the latter had said last week.

‘Objective investigation’“My only motivation is to ask

the role of the President in the incident,” Enrile said.

“This will be an objective in-vestigation. I’m not going to be personal about it. I’m going to search for answers to questions I will present,” he said.

Enrile said it was important to find out the actions, decisions and preparations made by Mr. Aquino on that fateful day since he was involved and had desig-nated people for the operations.

He said he will ask Execu-tive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. where the President was on the day of the massacre as the Palace was “quiet” that day and there was no news of the incident for three days.

“Did we have a government or where they sleeping on that biggest incident that struck and thumped the country?” he said.

Malacañang said the govern-ment has always been “open and forthright” about Mamasa-pano, citing the “many inquiries

conducted and completed” by various government entities, in-cluding the PNP, the Senate, the House, the Commission on Hu-man Rights and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Party vice-presidential candidate Leni Robredo said the prudent thing for Poe and Sen. Bongbong Mar-cos to do should be to inhibit themselves from participating in the reopened Mamasapano in-vestigation.

She said there was no need to reopen the investigation as a lot of time has elapsed and lawmak-ers and other institutions had already spent a lot of effort into getting to the bottom of Mama-sapano.

TROs vs Comelec in Poe cases a�rmedby TARRA QUISMUNDO

Inquirer.net

THE SUPREME Court on Tues-day, Jan. 12 upheld the tempo-rary restraining orders (TROs) stopping the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from enforc-ing its resolutions canceling Sen. Grace Poe’s certificate of candi-dacy (COC) for President.

Voting 12-3, the Supreme Court said the TROs issued in Poe’s fa-vor would remain effective “until further orders” from the court.

The Comelec last month can-celed Poe’s COC, saying that she was not a natural-born Filipino because she was a foundling and that she failed to meet the 10-year residency requirement because she used to live in the United States.

But Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno issued last Dec. 28 a TRO in favor of Poe just hours after the senator’s camp filed two petitions asking the high tribunal to stop the Comelec from disqualifying her from the May election.

While the TRO remains in ef-fect, Poe’s name remains on the ballot as a candidate for Presi-dent.

Poe position boostedPoe said her position that she

was qualified to run for President received a boost Tuesday when the Supreme Court upheld the TROs against her disqualification.

The tribunal’s ruling was also good for democracy, the presi-dential candidate said.

“This strengthened my posi-tion that I am qualified to run

for President in the elections in May,” Poe said in a statement, where she expressed her happi-ness over the ruling.

“This decision is good not only for my case and for my support-ers, but also for democracy in general,” she added, vowing to continue her fight.

Poe’s spokesperson, Rex Gatchalian, said the court’s newly upheld TRO “prevented an injus-tice from taking place.”

“We are grateful to the good justices for their swift action, impartiality and wisdom. We are hopeful that in the coming days once the merits are discussed, they will see the basis of our posi-tion,” Gatchalian said.

Sen. Francis Escudero, Poe’s running mate, also thanked the Supreme Court.

“We hope that the high court will also uphold the laws and long-established jurisprudence when it decides on the other peti-tions in connection with the can-didacy of Senator Grace,” Escu-

dero said.Petitions consolidatedThe high court en banc also

consolidated the two Poe peti-tions against disqualification orders from the Comelec’s First and Second Divisions. The con-solidated case was scheduled for oral arguments on Jan. 19.

The court also required Solici-tor General Florin Hilbay to “give his views” on Poe’s cases against the Comelec, even while he had manifested that he could not rep-resent Comelec having already entered his appearance for the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) in the separate case.

“While the Solicitor General had inhibited himself from the Poe cases, the court will none-theless notify the SolGen and re-quire the SolGen to give his views in these two cases,” said court spokesperson Theodore Te.

Solicitor General Florin Hilbay earlier told the court that he could not defend the Comelec in the Poe petitions, as he was already counsel for the SET, which held a divergent position on the presi-dential candidate’s citizenship.

Disqualified presidential candi-date Rizalito David has a pending plea against the SET ruling in the high court, asserting that Poe, a foundling with unknown parent-age, is “stateless.”

“Originally set to be heard also on Jan. 19, the court reset oral ar-guments on this separate case “to another date, to be announced.” (With a report from Leila B. Sa-laverria)

Santiago hits rivals over ad splurgeMANILA—Sen. Miriam Defen-

sor-Santiago accused her presi-dential rivals of engaging in pre-mature campaigning.

Santiago noted reports that four of the presidential candidates spent as much as P2.3 billion for campaign ads last year.

She vowed to call for a Senate probe on the ad splurge, which she said adds a sense of urgency for her colleagues to finally con-sider her proposed Anti-Premature Campaigning Act and the related CIRPO Act, requiring any person interested in running for public of-fice to file a certificate of intention

to run for public office six months before the deadline for filing of a certificate of candidacy (COC).

She also urged voters to treat as red flags for corruption the billions presidential candidates are spend-ing for ads even before the cam-paign period.

“The question we must ask is this: how will these politicians recover the scandalous amounts they spend for their campaign? The simple answer is that they will steal from public funds, or will at least be tempted to do so,” San-tiago said.

Although sidelined by lung can-cer, Santiago did not let go unno-ticed the ad splurge of her presi-

dential rivals, adding that they might be forced to return favors to affluent campaign contributors once they are elected into office.

“An alternative would be to give favors to rich contributors, to the detriment of public interest,” San-tiago said.

Santiago took to task four of her rivals in the 2016 presidential elec-tions after they reportedly spent a total of P2.3 billion for television ads from January to December 2015.

Liberal Party candidate Manuel Roxas II was the top spender, shelling out P774 million, followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, P695 million; Sen. Grace Poe,

P694 million, and Davao City May-or Rodrigo Duterte, P129 million.

She noted that almost all candi-dates have spent beyond the ex-pected limit for campaign expens-es. By the standards set by the Commission on Elections (Com-elec), every presidential candidate may spend only P10 per voter, or a total of P545 million for the pro-jected 54.5 million voters in 2016.

“A president’s salary is only P120,000 a month. He or she may thus expect to earn only P8.64 mil-lion for the six years that he or she is in office. These big spenders therefore cannot say that they will earn theirmoney back if elected,” Santiago said.

by CHRISTINA MENDEZ Philstar.com

OPINION FEATURES

Last State of the Union address: Has Obama ful�lled his campaign promises?

Cost cuttingWHILE every life is a cause for celebration, taking care of the

next generation by keeping tabs on the population is a daunting challenge. Stabilizing the population—to not outstrip economic growth and the country’s resources—is a more challenging task.

Environmental stress, biodiversity loss, climate change and pressure on natural resources signal that the Philippines is already overpopulated. But the numbers are still exploding.

The Philippine population hit 102.4 million by the end of 2015. This year, it is expected to increase to 104 million as 1.5 million babies are expected to be born. Based on the data gathered by the Commission on Popula-tion (PopCom), in five to 10 years, the country will probably have the “biggest number of women of reproductive age that we will ever see, at 25 to 30 million.”

With these alarming numbers, a hard look on the country’s population control policies is the best option. The government needs to vigorously implement its population policy, which are re-sponsible parenthood and the advocacy for natu-ral family planning.

Health Secretary Janette Garin stressed the need to provide young and poor couples with fam-ily planning services to allow them to make better choices and to give their children a better future. She took note of the Philippines’ very young pop-ulation, wherein women as young as 14 years old are getting pregnant. However, this option was made unavailable after the Senate struck off the P1 billion allotted for family planning commodi-

ties for 2016 from the national budget.Garin said the Department of Health (DOH)

originally earmarked P1 billion out of its pro-posed budget of P124 billion from the P3 trillion national budget for this year to cover the free provision of condoms, IUDs, birth control pills particularly for breastfeeding mothers, in health centers.

Following the budget cut, Garin said that the department will have to exhaust its resources to provide for 6.7 percent of the country’s popula-tion with “unmet” family planning services. She added that to be able to sustain its health pro-gram for the rest of the year, the DOH would now need to be aggressive in tapping its international partners like the United Nations Population Fund and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Sen. Loren Legarda justified the budget cut say-ing that the P1 billion will be used for increases in other agencies, “including for DND air assets upgrading, which is timely and equally important given the West Philippine Sea issue.” A part of the P1 billion, according to Legarda, will be redi-rected to the increase of budget for state colleges and universities.

Senators Pia Cayetano, author of the Reproduc-tive Health law in the Senate, and Miriam Defen-

Editorial

sor-Santiago both were shocked by the budget cut.

“This abandonment is immoral in a country where some 200 out of 100,000 women who give birth die. The enemies of reproductive health never sleep. We, too, must not rest in fighting for women’s health,” Santiago said.

Perhaps it is best to remind the people who al-lot budget appropriations that a ballooning popu-lation interlinks a myriad of issues and its control simply equates a matter of survival of the human

race. While the causes of hunger, scarcity, dis-ease, poverty, war do not rest on the number of this planet’s inhabitants alone, controlling the population renders a chance for a better future.

It may be too late for this year, but in 2017, in preparing the country’s national budget, may the government also appropriate prudence and dis-cover why managing population is an essential formula to achieve poverty alleviation, disease eradication, and even safeguarding the economy and national security. (AJPress)

THE historic two-term tenure of the first Afri-can-American president is almost over.

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, President Barack Obama delivered his last State of the Union (SOTU) ad-dress.

Deemed as his valedictory speech, the president reported to the American people what his adminis-tration has accomplished and set the road map to where he hopes the next leader of the most power-ful country of the world would stir the nation mov-ing forward.

He also declared, with a sense urgency, what he would still want to complete and deliver in the last 12 months of his presidency, appealing to Con-gress to work with him for the good of the Ameri-can people they all have sworn to serve beyond party lines and personal interests.

In his SOTU, Obama also set the agenda on what the American people should be looking for, not only in his successor, but in other elected pub-lic officials, to make sure they continue to build

on the gains his administration has worked on and fought so hard for.

As of press time, ahead of Tues-day’s SOTU, Pres. Obama sent out messages to his supporters, invit-ing them to watch his last report to the nation. Here is an excerpt:

“When we took office, we were losing nearly 750,000 jobs a month. But over the last 69 months, our business-es have created more than 13.7 million new jobs -- the longest streak of private-sector job growth on record -- and the unemployment rate is down to 5 percent.

For the first time, more than 90 percent of Americans are now covered, and more than 17 million people have gained health insurance under Obamacare. Insurance companies can’t discrimi-nate against people with pre-existing conditions, or charge women more just for being women.

And America is now leading by example on climate change. The Clean Power Plan will cut carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030. We’ve cut our oil imports by more than half, while doubling clean energy production from wind, solar, and geothermal -- creating steady sources of good

jobs that can’t be outsourced. Even as our economy is growing, America has

cut our carbon pollution overall more than any other advanced nation on Earth. And we just helped secure the most ambitious global climate agreement in history.

These are your accomplishments, and that’s what I want to celebrate with you on January 12. As long as you’re out there organizing, on what-ever issue you’re organizing around, America has a bright future ahead.”

The stagecraft of his SOTU told much of his nar-rative. Each of his special guests were real people who stood for what his administration fought for, and what would have to be done -- economic re-bound after the recession; health care and educa-tion for all; immigration reform; keeping America safe and secure; stricter gun control measures; ad-dressing the challenges of climate change; hope, equal opportunities and help the middle class and ordinary Americans regardless of economic sta-tus, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual preference, reli-gious beliefs, immigration status, etc.

WHAT do you think? In the past seven years, has Obama delivered what his campaign prom-ised?

* * *

GEL SANTOS-RELOS

The Fil-Am Perspective

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO

Commentary ALONG WITH MAMASAPANO, SENATE SHOULD ALSO INVESTIGATE THIS

Roxas squarely responsible for MRT-3 messIT is President Benigno S.

Aquino’s criminal negligence that resulted in 44 police com-mandos massacred; that should convince us never, never again to have such kind of yellow leadership, especially that of a haciendero scion.

It is the criminal mismanage-ment by his candidate, Manuel Roxas 2nd, of the main mass transport system of Metro Ma-nila that has made the MRT-3 a daily hell for hundreds of thousands of commuters. That should be enough to convince every Filipino never ever again to vote into any position of pow-er anybody from the yellow cult, especially a haciendero scion.

Consider the facts and tell me if I am exaggerating.

For 10 years after MRT3 start-ed operations, the Japanese firm Sumitomo Corp. maintained the system under a contract with Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), the MRT-3 builder. The train was so efficient that Sumitomo would boast about MRT-3 in its sales pitch for bid-ding for similar projects around the world.

Sumitomo’s contract expired July 2010, and was renewed on a six-month basis only, but for four times by the MRTC, sub-ject to DOTC’s approval. MRTC chairman Robert Sobrepeña told this writer that Sumitomo was in a bind – it required a lon-ger time frame, so it would esti-mate how much of maintenance

inventory it needed to keep, which actually cost half of its more than $1 million monthly contract. Sobrepeña and Sumi-tomo continually wrote letters to the DOTC to request a bid-ding for a longer-term contract. “We got absolutely no reply,” he said.

In the letter of DOTC Secre-tary Joseph Emilio Abaya pub-lished in response to columnist Jarius Bondoc’s well-researched exposes, the secretary wrote:

“On 4 October 2012, the MRTC wrote the DOTC, inform-ing the latter that it would no longer procure a maintenance service contractor once Sumito-mo’s contract would expire (sic) on 19 October 2012.

Given the short period of time left before said contract would expire, the DOTC resorted to a simplified bidding process in line with the Procurement Law (Republic Act No. 9184) begin-ning in the first week of October 2012.”

Abaya lyingAbaya was lying so the blame

would be on MRTC, that it sud-denly stopped Sumitomo’s con-tract.

It was the DOTC’s MRT-3 General Manager Al Vitangcol who told the MRTC in early September that it would no lon-ger agree to extend Sumitomo’s contract.

The DOTC officially informed the MRTC on October 4 that Sumitomo’s contract would not be extended. It then scheduled a bidding in two weeks, a “sim-plified” one, which involved

simply the submission of bids, and for government to nego-tiate with what it felt was the best bidder. It justified this by claiming it was an emergency move taken in order to prevent, to quote its letter, “a stoppage of MRT-3’s operations, which would have severely disrupted the daily transportation needs of its close to 600,000 riders.”

That was the start of MRT-3’s deterioration.

Note that all this time, when a proper bidding could have been undertaken and bidders given all the time to prepare for it – two years after Sumitomo’s contract expired July 2010 – the head of the DOTC, the Cabinet member in charge of this crucial mass transit system, was Roxas.

Totally unexpected however – although conspiracy theorists allege another scenario – was the death of DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo Aug. 18, with Aquino announcing Aug. 31, 2012 that Roxas would replace him.

However, Roxas assumed his DILG post only Oct. 19, the day the Sumitomo contract expired, and an obscure PH Trams-CB&T, was designated winner of the simplified bidding.

PH Trams-CB&T was a brand new company only two months old, and had a subscribed capi-talization of only P2.5 million, or equivalent to only a 120th part of the P300 million cost of the MRT-3 maintenance contract it was given.

One of its six investors was known in Pangasinan province

as a Liberal Party financial sup-porter – Wilson de Vera. He had been accused by the Czech am-bassador of attempting in July 2012 to extort $30 million from the Czech company Inekon in exchange for winning the con-tract to supply MRT-3 its train cars.

On Dec. 15, the Ombudsman filed charges against Vitang-col, who signed the contract for MRT-3 and all of PH Trams incorporators for corruption involving the contract’s award. That’s another case why I ques-tion the Ombudsman’s integ-rity: Why weren’t Vitangcol’s bosses, first Roxas, and then Abaya, charged?

Why did Roxas drag his feet for a month-and-a-half to leave his DOTC post Oct. 19, even if Aquino had appointed him to the DILG post Aug. 31? Is this a huge coincidence that Oct. 19 was after the PH Trams closed the contract with MRT-3?

Am I too biased to suspect that Roxas was a segurista, that he wanted to make sure that his two-year plot to get a favored contractor in place before he stepped down pushed through? Was it even a better scenario for him that his apparently witless lackey, Abaya, and Vitangcol signed the contract papers and, therefore, would be accountable if the scheme wax exposed?

What these morons did not re-alize, though, was that Sumito-mo’s maintenance contract was not as profitable as it seemed. Half of the contract price was the cost of inventory for the

MRT-3’s parts, which were ex-pensive because many of them were precision-engineered and of the highest-quality steel.

What the idiots didn’t knowWhat these idiots did not

know was the typical Japanese business model that is so differ-ent from the Americans. Japa-nese companies have a longer-term strategy, so that they agree to the smallest margins, as long as their reputation is built up for more and bigger projects. Its MRT-3 maintenance contract barely made a profit, but Sumi-tomo used the rail’s efficiency as a sample of its expertise in light rail building.

Indeed, Sumitomo has built up a reputation as one of the best light-rail builders in the world, with its latest projects being the $500 million contract signed in 2012 to build Vietnam’s first ur-ban rail system and a $398 mil-lion supply contract for Chicago Metra’ commuter rail cars.

Trying to scrimp on cost as much as it could from its con-tract, PH Trams didn’t build up a stock of spare parts that it had to cannibalize its other cars for the required parts. The result: the number of cars run-ning at present stands at 14 at the most, down sharply from 70 when Sumitomo was running MRT-3.

Without replacements, the trains’ steel wheels have also become squeezed into ovals so that now these have to run slow-er or they would be derailed. With maintenance becoming so messed up, MRT-3 trains have

been stopping at mid-stations, are so few, or run so slowly.

But Abaya may not really be the person he may think he is, since he appears so “what-me-worry?” confident even if it has become obvious to many that he messed up MRT-3, that it is an accident waiting to happen.

On Christmas eve, Abaya awarded a new P4 billion con-tract to a Korean-Filipino con-sortium consisting of Busan Transportation Corp., Edison Development & Construction, Tramat Mercantile Inc., TMCI Corp Inc., and Castan Corp. As what happened during Roxas’ time, Abaya claimed there was an emergency situation so that the “winner” of the bid was de-termined through negotiations.

Roxas, when he was about to assume the six-year term of the top DOTC post, awarded only six-month contracts for the MRT-3. Abaya – who is also the Liberal Party president, by the way – having only less than six months to go before he leaves the DOTC as its secretary, signs a contract for three years, i.e., until 2018, long after he is gone. I think Abaya turns out to be more clever than Roxas.

If the Senate is reinvestigat-ing the Mamasapano massacre, they might as well investigate the MRT-3 mess, which could, if uncorrected, lead to accidents killing more than those mur-dered by the Moro insurgents in Mamasapano. (ManilaTimes.net)

Duterte vows to become respectable national leaderMANILA—Davao City Mayor

Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to transform himself from a local executive to a respectable na-tional leader if elected president in May.

“The clock is ticking. The transformation must begin now. It is time to decide if you and I will make the sacrifice needed and transform ourselves so we will be worthy of our country. The transformation must start with me. From a local leader, I have to become a national lead-er worthy of your respect and trust,” he said in a recent inter-view aired on dzRJ 810 AM.

Duterte, standard-bearer of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), also promised to be a Philip-pine president that the world would respect as the country is a member of the community of nations.

Duterte is known for being tough-talking. He drew flak for bragging that he is a womanizer and that he killed criminals. He was also lambasted for cursing at Pope Francis during the proc-

lamation rally of PDP-Laban where he complained about the traffic jams caused by the papal visit in January last year.

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes took a swipe at Duterte in a television interview, saying that the may-or’s disciplinary method “may have worked in Davao but it’s definitely not going to work in the national scale.”

“You don’t run the country like that. There should be a vi-sion, a program of action that you would actually have to enu-merate,” Trillanes added.

But Duterte asked the people if they would still want another six-year presidential term full of criminals, drug addicts, and continuing poverty and corrup-tion.

“Or do we once and for all fix our country so our coming gen-erations will have a future?” he added.

Duterte stressed that the 2016 presidential elections are the best opportunity for the people to unite in seeking re-forms the country badly needs.

Duterte and his vice presi-dential running mate Sen. Alan

Peter Cayetano started their nationwide campaign tour last week.

Duterte said among his plans for the Philippines is for it to be-come a drug-free country with less crime incidents.

He vowed to reduce the cost of food by 50 percent by getting rid of unscrupulous middlemen and loan sharks, and by mus-tering government’s resource to build infrastructure for the delivery of food to lessen spoil-age.

He promised to create em-ployment by putting up a steel industry “that will spawn facto-ries and create jobs.”

He also vowed to build more classrooms, raise the salary of teachers, and double the shifts of classes with the use of large-screen television sets.

“Government media and our schools must also teach values of honesty, hard work, respect for the law and above all dignity and pride as Filipinos,” he said.

“I have done many of these in Davao even with existing limita-tions of our government struc-tures. With your help, we can do it nationwide,” he added.

by ROBERTZON RAMIREZ Philstar.com

1st PH-made satellite set to go into spaceMANILA—It’s official. The Phil-

ippines is launching its first Filipi-no-made satellite in space in April this year.

Young Filipino scientists and officials of the Department of Sci-ence and Technology (DOST), led by Undersecretary for Scientific and Technological Services Rowe-na Cristina Guevara, turned over on Wednesday, Jan. 13 the Philip-pine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-satellite (Phil-Microsat) to their counterparts at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba City.

Phil-Microsat, nicknamed “Di-wata,” is the “first Filipino-made” and co-developed micro-satel-lite, which will provide real-time images that will help improve government’s response to natural calamities and the monitoring of the country’s agricultural, fisheries and forest resources, according to Carlos Primo David, executive di-rector of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Devel-opment (PCIEERD).

While the Philippines had in the past two communication satellites in orbit—Agila-1 and Agila-2—these were both privately owned and bought abroad.

Interestingly, this development in the Philippines’ space history comes almost 47 years since the country first won the Miss Uni-verse crown and man made its gi-ant leap in space exploration with the landing of the Apollo II mis-sion in the moon. More than four decades later, the Philippines has clinched for the third time the Miss Universe crown and is now set to actively join space exploration.

Following the turnover, Japa-nese experts conducted final tests on the micro-satellite’s space-worthiness before sending it over to the US’ National Aero-nautics and Space Administra-tion, David has explained. NASA would then hand the device over to SpaceX, which would launch sometime in April a rocket car-rying the micro-satellite to the International Space Station (ISS), David said.

The PCIEERD chief said that upon the entry of the 50-kilo “ba-likbayan-box-sized” micro-satellite into the ISS, an astronaut would conduct a final check on the device before releasing it into orbit for at least 18 months.

Diwata would be the first of two micro-satellites to be launched into space until next year. It is part of a three-year P840.82-million program, which would also see the construction of a ground receiving station in Subic, Zambales, called the Philippine Earth Data Resourc-es Observation (PEDRO).

PEDRO is tasked to receive and store data sent by Diwata, which is expected to take a daily average of 3,600 high-resolution images us-ing its four cameras.

Joel Marciano Jr., Phil-Microsat program head, earlier said that the Diwata has been equipped with a high-precision telescope that could “determine the extent of damage from disasters,” like an onslaught of a storm, as well as “monitor cul-tural and natural heritage sites,” like the Mayon Volcano in Albay province.

He added that Diwata has been fitted with a space-borne multi-spectral imager with liquid crystal tunable filter that could “monitor changes in vegetation and ocean

productivity,” a wide-field camera that could observe “cloud patterns and weather disturbance,” and a middle field camera, “an engineer-ing payload that would be used to assist in determining the location of each image captured by the other optics.”

Science Secretary Mario Mon-tejo said on Tuesday, Jan. 12 that because of Diwata’s capabilities, the government could have bet-ter disaster response mechanisms because of the availability of real-time data.

He added that the cost of this project was just a “small invest-ment,” noting that in 2013 when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” devas-tated Eastern Visayas, the gov-ernment had to pay around P56 million for a single satellite image showing areas affected by the ty-phoon.

When asked why the govern-ment took so long to invest in a space program, David said that it could be because previous admin-istrations “didn’t see its practical purpose at that point in time.”

He noted that while government could indeed buy particular servic-es from other countries, “inherent advantages” to developing Philip-pine technologies prompted the creation of Phil-Microsat.

Once Diwata becomes op-erational, not only will it aid gov-ernment in disaster events and monitoring resources, it will also capture the country’s natural won-ders, which will be uploaded every day by the DOST on its website, according to David.

This endeavor, Montejo said, has shown that “sky’s the limit” for our Filipino scientists and inno-vators, and that “we can turn our dreams into reality.”

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ATTY. ROBERT REEVES GREGORY J. BOULT

AND NANCY MILLER

Your ImmigrationSolution

SAN MATEO, Calif. – With the January 31 deadline for Califor-nians to sign up for affordable health insurance fast approach-ing, a network of agencies, com-munity organizations, and hun-dreds of individuals across San Mateo County are partnering to help every uninsured resident have access to quality, affordable health insurance.

Residents who do not enroll by Sunday, January 31, 2016 may have to wait until January 2017 to gain access to affordable health coverage and financial as-sistance. Applying for coverage also helps people avoid having to pay a federal tax penalty, which will increase next year.

With less than four weeks remaining to meet the enroll-ment deadline, there are still

Partners across San Mateo County target uninsured ‘hotspots’

January 31, 2016 is the deadline to enroll in affordable health insurance in 2016

an estimated 29,000 people in the county who are eligible for health insurance who have not yet enrolled and may qualify for financial help. Most of the 50,000 people who enrolled or reenrolled for health coverage in 2015 were encouraged to do so by a family member, friend, or physician.

Uninsured residents tend to be located in geographic “hotspots” across San Mateo County, includ-ing East Menlo Park, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, and North Fair Oaks. County outreach ef-forts are targeting these “hot-spots” by partnering with trusted, community-based organizations to enroll local residents. Efforts to raise awareness include post-ing billboards, distributing flyers, meeting with local businesses and schools, and hosting enrollment

events to make it easy for people to drop in and sign up.

“Everyone deserves afford-able health insurance and peace of mind that they will be cov-ered when they need it most,” said Srija Srinivasan, San Mateo County Health System Director of Family Health Services and the Health Coverage Unit. “Since the launch of the Affordable Care Act, we’ve made great strides in getting a large portion of our uninsured residents insurance, leaving only a few areas of the county with higher rates of peo-ple who are uninsured. We are focusing these remaining weeks on these ‘hotspots’ to make sure people know about all the local options available to them to en-roll. Whether it’s in person, on

u

SAN MATEO, Calif. – The new year brings an easier way for the public to understand how res-taurants score on food safety in-spections, as San Mateo County started to roll out its new res-taurant placarding program on January 1, 2016.

The new placarding program uses the same familiar traffic light colors—green, yellow, and red—which are already on dis-play at food facilities across oth-er Bay Area counties. The public can expect to see the placards go up throughout the first half of the year as County inspectors make the rounds at more than 3,000 restaurants, mobile food trucks, bakeries, schools, health care facilities, and some conve-nience stores.

At a glance, customers will

New restaurant placarding program starts in 2016New placarding program makes it easier for consumers to feel confident when eating out

be able to spot a green placard for “go,” which means a res-taurant passed a food safety in-spection, yellow for “caution,” a conditional pass, which means that the facility will be inspect-ed again in one to three days, or red for “stop,” indicating that the facility will be closed until unsafe conditions are cor-rected.

“Foodborne illnesses are 100 percent preventable, and yet ev-ery year, one in six Americans gets sick from them, and 3,000 die,” said Heather Forshey, Di-rector of San Mateo County Environmental Health Services. “This program will help consum-ers quickly understand a restau-rant’s food safety status and give restaurant operators a chance to show off their successful com-

mitment to food safety.” Over the last six months,

Environmental Health Services inspectors worked closely with restaurants to help them un-derstand and prepare for the new placarding program. En-vironmental Health Services also offered more than a dozen training sessions across the County in English, Spanish, and Cantonese, and has exten-sive training videos available in those languages at smchealth.org/placarding.

Taking a regional approach to grading and placarding cre-ates consistency for food opera-tors with restaurants in multiple counties, and benefits the public by providing an easy and con-sistent way to make an informed decision when eating out. ■

AS the New Year begins, there is hope that comprehensive immigration reform will legal-ize the status of millions, thus permanently uniting them with their families here in the United States. Unfortunately, the year has not begun on a positive note and the outlook for passage is not good. As 2015 came to a close, the Department of Homeland Security revealed plans to physi-cally deport thousands of Central Americans while moving to strin-gently enforce the Real ID Act in a manner which could affect the ability of many individuals, both documented and undocumented, from entering federal facilities and boarding commercial airlin-ers even with a valid state-issued driver’s license. Is this a portent of things to come? It is certainly possible.

For decades, the violence from civil wars and gang violence in Central America has led to an influx of individuals seeking ref-uge in the United States. While many of these individuals have obtained permanent or tempo-rary status in the United States, countless more have not. Some continue to reside in the United States having been ordered de-ported by an Immigration Judge, desperate not to return home. In a rather unprecedented move, and following on the heels of the recent arrival of thousands of un-accompanied children from Cen-tral America, the Department of Homeland Security has formally announced that it has specifically targeted certain Central Ameri-cans for physical deportation.

DHS is currently focusing on those individuals from Central America who have remained in the United States despite having been ordered deported by an Im-migration Judge. Some fear be-ing harmed if they return home; others are waiting for their fam-ily petitions to become current.

2016 Begins with planned mass deportations and stricter enforcement of the Real ID ActWhile some of these individuals have been ordered deported due to criminal convictions or other serious immigration violations, many of these people were or-dered deported solely because they remained beyond their vi-sas or entered the United States without papers. And the result of this newly-announced policy has already sent shock waves across many Central American commu-nities in the United States.

Adding to these shock waves is the very aggressive stance which the Department of Homeland Security has taken regarding en-forcement of the driver’s license provision of the Real ID Act. Con-gress passed the Real ID Act in an effort to prevent future terrorist attacks after 9/11. One element of the law was a federal mandate pertaining to security features on all state-issued drivers’ licenses. While many states have complied with these requirements, others have not. For those states which have not, privacy concerns have proven a central concern. Now, in an apparent effort to force full compliance, the Department of Homeland Security is raising the stakes against those states which have not complied. The threat now looms that non-compliant identification – including drivers’ licenses and ID cards – may be deemed legally insufficient proof of identity to enter a federal fa-cility, and may even preclude the use of non-compliant identifica-tion to board a commercial airline flight. Such a policy would affect United States citizens and oth-ers lawfully present in the United States as well as thousands of individuals who have secured valid and lawful driver’s licenses although they are without legal status in the United States.

As was very-well-publicized, last year California began to issue drivers’ licenses to individuals residing in the state without legal status. Should the Department of Homeland Security proceed

as planned, many of the benefits which have attached to this his-toric program could be notably curtailed. In one irony, these perfectly valid forms of identifi-cation under state law could lose all significance for those seeking to utilize these documents in an effort to legalize their status in the United States. If these forms of identification, which are valid under state law, are deemed le-gally insufficient to enter a fed-eral facility, individuals could be prevented from entering the very facilities where their immigration interviews are being held.

No matter how limited, any step forward on the path to im-migration reform is welcomed. However, this year has not be-gun on a strong note with certain Central Americans being targeted for physical deportation from the United States, and some state-is-sued driver’s licenses appearing not as valid as some had hoped. Fortunately, for many, there may be options available – even if an Immigration Judge has issued an order of deportation. Regard-less, the New Year presents a fresh opportunity to consult with an experienced and knowledge-able immigration attorney to see what options may exist as the law now stands. As the old saying goes, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. However, one can only do so by knowing all of their available options.

***

The CTVFiles

ATTY. DENNIS CHUA, ESQ.MONETTEADEVA MAGLAYA

ImmigrantLiving: 101 and Beyond

ONE man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

Flex the power of the dollar by hitting garage sales just for a little fun. There aren’t as many in the summer season as there are in spring. Despite the linger-ing malaise that currently af-flicts the country and despite 93 million plus people still unem-ployed, many have to still deal with their accumulated stuff, a lot of which have long ago out-lived their usefulness.

There are moving out sales or yard sales held to decongest and reclaim their living spaces, di-vest themselves of clutter or sim-ply to make a few extra bucks. If you have too much stuff and would like to simply reclaim your breathing space or to get rid of what has become dust catchers, you can have fun clearing out your stuff and convert them to cash by becoming the seller. The pace could be faster than selling your stuff on ebay.

Don’t just kibitz if you are a buyer. Enter the flow. Don’t for-get to bring along a few kindred souls, some cash and have some fun garage “sale-ing.”

A note of caution is in order. Garage “sale-ing” is one fun ac-tivity that can get out of hand if you let it. Particularly during these tough times, a good num-ber of people are becoming cre-ative on how to stretch the fast shrinking dollar and are looking at garage sales, either to sell or to buy. People are selling their stuff accumulated over the years, either at ebay or Craig’s List or right in their own front lawn to generate some extra cash.

Particularly for newly arrived immigrants or newly married couples starting a new life who are wary of getting into a whop-ping financial burden by going into debt at the outset, going to garage sales particularly in afflu-ent areas might be an option.

Cash remains king. With a little cash, you can go to garage sales, tag sales, estate sales, swap meets and thrift shops to find practically everything that you will need, and more besides, to set you up in your new place — practically for pennies on the dollar, at least during the begin-ning years, when you are con-serving your resources to prep yourself for the big purchase decisions, e.g. like buying a car or a condo or house, when the time is right.You will be amazed at what you can find.

Newer communities with yup-pies as residents will have newer, modern, mass-produced plastic or vinyl stuff, the kind that you get at Ikea while older commu-nities will have items from the past, perhaps still in working condition but in outdated styles. Unless those wily antique col-lectors and estate handlers beat you to estate liquidations as they most often will, if you’re lucky, you might stumble upon trea-sures or heirloom pieces that you only get to see on “Antiques Roadshow” ringing up unbeliev-able appraisals.

Be warned. Appraisals are just benchmarks of value given as ex-pert opinions, from which buyer and seller can begin negotiation

On how NOT to become a Pack Rat

and arrive at a purchase price, which can be higher or lower than appraisal value, depending on the motivation and time frame of both buyer and seller and the perceived intrinsic value of the item being sold.

Simply because manufacturers are not making more of it, good handcrafted furniture pieces made from mahogany and other prized hardwood of over 100 years or porcelain ware, hold up their value comparatively well as sought-after prized antiques than disposable, ready-to-as-semble furniture made from par-ticle board and melamine mass produced in China. Still, there’s no accounting for taste and indi-vidual preferences. The younger ones prefer the sheen and gloss of lacquer or the spanking new, modern furniture of plastic, steel or formica over the patina of old, seasoned wood.

Whatever your choice, dare to be different. Be creative. Im-merse yourself in the books writ-ten about styles you would like to emulate. You can have your own style with very little money. Let your imagination and a little el-bow grease help you create your own unique haven. The really creative ones do it on a shoe-string budget and still have great fun along the way while earning themselves some bragging rights in creating treasures out of junk. Also, you’re doing your environ-mental bit by recycling.

America is a consumer soci-ety and the amount of discarded things is simply staggering. Out with the old, in with the new. Ev-ery season brings new fashions and trends and since closet, base-ment and garage spaces are lim-ited (most times, bursting at the seams) and public storage units cost money, there is an endless round of garage sales going on in America, more so these days when money is tight for many households.

You will find that a lot of items, specially for babies and young-er children who outgrow their things pretty fast, look almost new and highly usable. Plates, silverware, kitchen items, small and big appliances, decor, furni-ture, framed art, clothes, videos, audio and video tapes and tools are the usual fare. Many items are still new and in their origi-nal packaging. Sometimes, there are genuine antiques or price-less works of art hidden in dust and grime. That’s when you hit paydirt. But such instances are few and far-between, so keep yourself grounded. There is no sales tax. Check your local com-munity newspapers or go online for these weekend events.

The early bird gets the early worm. The earlier you come during the day, the better the selection but the prices will be marked a tad higher unless the seller wants to seriously dispose of his merchandise fast and pack up early. The later in the day you come — from noon to early after-

noon — the prices are cut dras-tically, practically at giveaway rates, but the selection is much less, with junk a-plenty.

Learn to negotiate. In Ameri-ca, what you get is not what you deserve. Very often, it is what you negotiate. If you are uncom-fortable with haggling and if you happen to be with someone who can dicker with the seller in a courteous, pleasant way, get him to do it for you. The key is to be respectful. Never dispar-age what is being sold in the transparent attempt to get a lower price.

Many crafty buyers use this as a tactic and instead of get-ting a better price, all it does is irritate the seller. If you want a lower price on an item you like, ask politely, “Would you take less for this?” And then state the price you are willing to pay. Very often, the seller will coun-ter with a lower price and then you can proceed from there with the price getting tossed back and forth until you agree on the final figure.

Merchandise is sold on an “as is” basis and most of the time, is not returnable. Buyer, beware. Inspect closely. There are more trustworthy sellers than there are hucksters. They will tell you if the item is working or if there is a crack or a flaw on it. If you are uneasy about not be-ing able to return things, buy the item new in a department store which will usually take it back, if it is defective.

There are no guarantees when you buy stuff at garage sales. You decide on the spot and there is no turning back — most of the time. If you want to hone and practice your decision-making, buying and negotiating skills as an im-migrant, this is one inexpensive (translate that to cheap) way to go. It is also a lighthearted learn-ing experience of what people value and discard on the material level and a personal and up close method of interacting with peo-ple of various cultures no book or classroom can teach you.

Above all, have fun garage “sale-ing”. The joy of discover-ing something that you need or want practically at a price of a song and a dance is part of the whole experience. But as in all things good and bad, do this with balance and moderation. If you become obssessive-compulsive with even as trifling a thing as going to garage sales as a matter of habit, you can become a pack rat. Employ self-correction.

With time and as you accumu-late things, you will find yourself holding your own garage sales because you have encumbered yourself with too much stuff. Or you might find yourself rent-ing storage spaces for stuff that won’t fit in your home. When this happens you’ve reached a dan-gerous tipping point. The time has come to trim your posses-sions down to size and take back

Why do we do it? Why do we encumber ourselves with possessions? — Alice Thomas Ellis

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced that it is now accepting applications for the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC). There are $75 million in tax credits available during this application period for businesses that are expanding and adding jobs in the state. The deadline to submit applications is Monday, January 25, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) and the online ap-plication website will automati-cally close once this deadline has passed. The online application can be accessed at www.calcom-petes.ca.gov.

Members of the CCTC team are

the phone, or online, our enroll-ment counselors are available to help find the best plans for the person and their family.”

The public is invited to sign up for health coverage at the Raven-swood Enrollment Fair on Satur-day, January 9, 2016 from 9am to 2pm, at the Ravenswood Family Health Center. Congresswoman Jackie Speier will open the enroll-ment event with remarks about health care issues, and her staff will be in attendance to provide constituent services.

“The Affordable Care Act has opened the doctor’s office door to 22 million uninsured Ameri-cans,” said Congresswoman

Jackie Speier. “Thousands of San Mateo County residents now have affordable insurance, but there are many more in East Palo Alto and Belle Haven who could qualify for affordable, and maybe even free, coverage. I am excited to be part of this important Cov-ered California event and hope all of East Palo Alto’s residents will take advantage of this oppor-tunity to get health insurance.”

Bilingual enrollment counsel-ors are available to help people sign up at enrollment sites and events before the January 31st deadline. Other upcoming enroll-ment events include the City of Millbrae’s Health Care and Well-ness Fair on Saturday, January

Partners across San Mateo County target…23 from 9am to 1pm at the Mill-brae Community Center. The San Mateo Medical Center will also be extending hours leading up to the enrollment deadline and will be open on Saturday, January 16 from 8am to 4:30pm.

Enrollment events and ex-tended enrollment hours at exist-ing drop-in enrollments sites as well as languages spoken at each center can be found at www.smcgov.org/healthcoverage. Lo-cal in-person enrollment assis-tance is available by calling (650) 616-2002 or 1 (800) 223-8383. San Mateo County residents can also enroll directly through Cov-ered California’s website: www.CoveredCA.com. ■

GO-Biz now accepting applications for California Competes Tax Credits

available to provide technical ap-plication assistance. In addition, an application guide, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), pro-gram regulations, and a video ex-plaining how to create an account are available at www.business.ca.gov/CalCompetes.aspx. For applicants that are reapplying, the FAQs include instructions on how to copy information from a previously submitted application.

Businesses interested in learn-ing more about the CCTC can participate in free webinars on Thursday, January 7, 2016 and Tuesday, January 19, 2016.

If you have any questions re-garding the CCTC program or application process, please call

(916) 322-4051 or email CalCom-petes@gov.ca.gov.

About the California Gover-nor’s Office of Business and Eco-nomic Development (GO-Biz)

GO-Biz serves as California’s single point of contact for eco-nomic development and job creation efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, re-tention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlin-ing, clearing of regulatory hur-dles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state govern-ment, and much more. For more information visit: www.business.ca.gov. ■

t

u

THE country’s economy may be rebounding but a lot of people are still feeling the effects of the last economic downturn. Many who have not been able to recover from the last recession are having dif-ficulty paying their debts. Credi-tors have referred these defaulting debtors to collection agencies. Some of these collection agen-cies have become too aggressive in collecting these overdue debts such that these collection agen-cies have engaged in illegal tactics to collect these debts. The more common illegal tactics employed by these shady collection agencies are as follows:

• Collection agencies are sup-posed to call on reasonable hours or between 8am and 9pm. How-ever some of them have been calling in the wee hours or late at night just so that they could get your attention.

• Collection agencies may con-tact your lawyer regarding the debt if they know that you are represented by an attorney. They

Debtors’ rights against unscrupulous collection agenciescannot contact any other person regarding your debt. Thus, they cannot call your employer, neigh-bors or leave messages your debt to anyone.

• Collection agencies cannot make threats. It is therefore un-lawful for them to threaten you with bodily harm, arrest, or threat-ening to let your neighbors or employers know that you have a debt. Collection agencies cannot threaten you with illegal action such as taking money out of your social security check; taking other exempt property or threatening you with jail time.

• Collection agencies must iden-tify themselves and inform you who they work for. But a common tactic is that these collection agen-cies would pose as a government employee, police, lawyer for the purpose of intimidating you. It is unlawful for collection agencies to pretend to be someone else.

• Collection agencies cannot ha-rass you. Continuous calls at home and work as well as name calling, in-person visits and the accusa-tion that the debtor is a thief are the common forms of harassment. Harassment of a person who owes

money is unlawful.If you do not want to be con-

tacted by the collection agency, you may ask the collection agency in writing to stop further commu-nication with you. Once you have communicated with them your de-sire not to be contacted anymore, they can no longer call you re-garding your debt except to advise you that it is stopping its efforts to collect OR to advise you that it in-tends to take action, such as filing a lawsuit against you. If you have difficulty paying your debts, you may want to talk to an attorney to discuss your options.

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Americaalendar of EventsacrossC

ATTY. MICHAELGURFINKEL, ESQ

ImmigrationCorner

DR. VALERIE DE LEON

Dr. Val’s Dental Views

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS!PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT

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

FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS

Santo Niño Cruzada USA, with the participation of the Cathedral Knights of Columbus and a Sinulog group, is inviting everyone for a holy mass to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the Feast of Santo Niño, the Divine Infant Jesus, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles (555 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012) on Sunday, January 17, at 3:30pm. The main celebrant is Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik, with Father David Gallardo as concelebrant. For more information, please contact any of the following officers: Romy & Tess Esturas (213-387-9682), Rey & Tess Edpao (818-469-7292), Lilia Figuracion (626-394-2661, Car-men Estrada (213-413-2881), Fe Montana (323-218-1587), Ester Paredes (213-864-1149), Fe Reyes (213-413-5286), Laurie Dolorfino (213-407-0097), and Cherry Guerrero (213-632-2096).

The Philippine College of Commerce High School Laboratory Batch 1966 (now Polytech-nic 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 Association, 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 (Fellow-

ship/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@yahoo.com, Rebecca T. Sayed 09064032624 rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com, Lourdes T. Flores lulutflores@yahoo.com, Rebecca Sayed rebecca.sayed@yahoo.com.

The Officers and Members of Miss Magsingal Organization of America (MOA) cordially in-vites townmates and friends to attend our Miss MOA 2016-17 Coronation and Dinner/Dance on Feb. 6, from 5:00pm -12 midnight at the Hilton of Stockton (2323 Grand Canal Blvd, Stockton, CA). Our Royal Court to be honored and crowned are: Her Majesty Queen, Jillian Foronda; 1st Princess, Jemina Atanaya; and 2nd Princess, Jeramae Luczon. Attire is formal, dinner is $50/person, with live band entertainment. Limited seats are available on a first come first serve basis. For more details, please call Tereso U (209) 603-8440, Lanie (209) 814-8004, and Grace (209) 817-5674. Thank you.

The Batangas City Santo Niño Devotees, USA invites you and family to the 23rd Annual Santo Niño Fiesta on Saturday, January 16 at the St. Christopher Catholic Church (629 South Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790). The fiesta starts with Holy Mass at 2:30pm at the Parish Hall, followed by the procession of the Santo Niño images and our Little Princes and Princesses around the church. Food and refreshments will be served, along with games for children and adults. Drawing of raffle prizes and dancing until 11:00 pm. Come, let’s adore and honor the Santo Niño. For more information, please contact: Tony Panganiban (714) 828-3904, Emma Gutierrez (626) 913-5236, Edna Medrano (323) 605-8090, Marina Maranan (818) 894-9745, May Cabrera (626) 264-7822, or Evelyn Masongsong (626) 222-1287.

- Saturday, January 16 – Feast of Sto. Niño celebration. Sinulog starts at 11:30am. - Saturday, January 23 – Thanksgiving Mass, in honor of San Ildefonso, patron saint of San

Ildefonso, Bulacan, at 5:00pm. Followed by lunch celebration from 12:30 - 3:30pm at New Town Buffet.

- Saturday, February 6 – Valentine Dinner dance from 7:00 - 11:00pm. Cost of ticket is $30. For more information on all events, please contact Marian Nobleza at 818-219-6463.

The Infant Jesus of Prague Apostolic Group is celebrating 32 years of service and prayer, and will hold its 32nd annual 9-hour Novena and Mass in honor of the Divine Child Jesus on Saturday, January 30, at Saint Joseph the Worker Church (19855 Sherman Way, Winnetka, California). The Novena starts at 7:00am with Mass following at 3:20 pm. Based in San Fern-ando Valley, the Apostolic Group aims to promote the Gospel message of Jesus and spread devotions to the Infant Jesus. For more information, please contact Leo Nevada at (818) 633 3926 or visit www.IJPAG.com.

Beat the Valentine’s Day rush and get your tickets to “An Intimate Night with Miguel Vera,” a special Valentine Show featuring Miguel Vera, performing the greatest OPM hits and romantic Filipino classics by Cayabyab, Canseco, and Cruz. The one-night-only concert will take place at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel (7675 Crescent Ave, Buena Park, CA 90620) on February 12 at 8:00pm. Special guests include Annie Nepomuceno and Kit Navarro. Please call (714) 814-0412 or (818) 913-329 for tickets and information. Tickets are $40 each.

some of that breathing space you used to have.

Better yet, when you buy one thing, discipline yourself to get rid of 2 items at the same time. It is a feng shui principle to clear the pathways in your home. Avoid “plaque build-up” in the spaces of your home. Expedite the flow of “chi” or life force by becoming a minimalist. Toss things out.

Less is more. From a practi-cal standpoint, you get back the breathing space you had when

you first moved in to your emp-ty abode. Having less stuff also means possibly having more in your piggy bank, that will allow you to have better, more mean-ingful, fulfilling life experiences at the right time.

The ironic thing a recovering pack rat discovers about himself is that as he travels down life’s highways and byways, it is so much more liberating and more fun to travel light, refusing to be bogged down by mere posses-sions. The bonus is that one gets

to journey farther without stress-ing and straining while loading up instead on life’s precious ex-periences.

In our final journey, the only thing we might bring with us in that big blue yonder, if Alzheim-er’s doesn’t wreck our brains first, are our memories. Stuff, af-ter all, is just stuff.

* * *

On how NOT to become a Pack…t

“OUR life is what our thoughts make it.” That’s a powerful quote by Marcus Aurelius.

According to writer Alyssa Sparacino, New Year’s resolu-tions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely diffi-cult to maintain.

But I want to resonate the eight powerful words above that might just change your life for-ever. And that, my dear readers, connects me to the story of For-ever 21, the fifth largest specialty retailer in the United States that was started by a simple Korean immigrant with a dream.

The average Forever 21 store is 38,000 square feet; the larg-est is approximately 162,000 square feet.

It all began in a 900-square ft. shop on Figueroa St. in Los Angeles on April 21, 1984. For-ever 21 did not start off as For-ever 21, but instead, Fashion 21. Founded by South Korean husband and wife team Do Won Chang and Jin Sook, Fashion 21 was launched in Los Angeles in 1984. Back then, both of them were immigrants to the States.

Forever 21 has seen some re-markable accomplishments over the past 30 years.

PROF. ENRIQUE M. SORIANO

The KiteRunner The husband and

wife behind Forever 21’s global success

With a goal to become an $8-billion company by 2017 and open 600 stores in the next three years, it’ll be exciting to see the company achieve in three years what it initially took 30 years to do.

Forever 21 has expanded to an international brand, with 480 stores worldwide that generates around $3 billion in sales every year. What’s the story behind it?

In 1981, Jin Sook and Do Won “Don” Chang, both 26 at the time, emigrated from South Korea to California penniless, speaking broken English, and without col-lege degrees.

For three years, Don worked as a janitor, pumped gas, and served coffee to make ends meet. Then, a simple observa-tion sparked a monumental shift in their direction, which would eventually make them billionaires.

“I noticed the people who drove the nicest cars were all in the garment business,” Don told the LA Times in a 2010 in-terview.

This realization led them to open a 900-square-foot cloth-ing store in LA in 1984. They called it Fashion 21. Unlike the

three failed businesses that had previously occupied the space, they raked in$700,000 in sales in the first year. After this initial success, they began opening new stores every six months and eventually changed the name to Forever 21.

Since launching and working on Forever 21, the husband and wife team’s personal net worth has been estimated by Forbes to be over $4 billion. The role is complemented perfectly between the both of them: Mrs. Chang ap-proves the designs of the com-pany’s merchandise, while Mr. Chang focuses on turning Forev-er 21 into the fastest fast-fashion chain in the business, and in the process he has made the com-pany widely successful.

In an age where innovation is more than ever about being fastest to market, the Changs are faster than anyone.

What keeps Forever 21 go-ing?

Do Won Chang replies, “We keep changing. We are always thinking about the customer, not just for the company. That’s why we are successful. Women’s fashion is very difficult because

FOR both children and adults with special needs, dental care can be challenging. In some cases, limited coordination can make brushing and flossing tricky. In other cases there may be less access to professional care. Some patients may experi-ence high anxiety levels too.

Medications that lead to dry mouth can also contribute to dental care challenges.

But despite these challenges, everyone deserves a healthy smile. Here are three tips for helping patients and caregivers:

1. Let us helpA dental office can feel over-

whelming to those with special needs. But you know that regu-lar preventative care training is essential—especially for pa-tients and caregivers who may need instructions about special-ized home care. Let us know what we can do to help.

2. Utilize special tools if needed

Considerations for dental patients with special needs

The average toothbrush may not be ideal. Look into alternative options that can help.

• Electric toothbrushes can sometimes do more with less ef-fort.

• Modifying a toothbrush with a gripping tool is often very helpful.

• A water pik can be more comfortable and a fun alterna-tive to flossing.

• If you’re cleaning someone else’s mouth, a floss pik can make it much easier.

3. Simple preventative habitsCertain simple habits can cur-

tail dental risks, especially when thorough, daily dental care is difficult.

• Minimize snacks, especially starchy, sugary ones. Opt for crisp fruits and veggies.

• Reduce soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks. These have lots of acid and sugar that can harm teeth.

• Drink water regularly, and rinse after each meal or snack.

We know that each patient is unique

When we talk about special needs, we recognize we’re ad-dressing a very diverse group from elderly men and wom-en with Alzheimer’s disease, to children with developmen-tal disabilities. We know each patient who comes through our door has different challenges.

Please consider us your go-to resource. If we can’t accommo-date your exact needs, we will do everything we can to advise you and point you in the right direc-tion. Please call to visit with us about your specific needs. Or, if you know someone who could benefit from this post, please pass this information along.

Thanks for the trust you place in us. We appreciate you.

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EACH month, the Visa Of-fice of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that par-ticular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be avail-able for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your prior-ity date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved back-wards” and became unavail-able) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it be-comes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Applica-tion Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eli-gible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Applica-tion Filing Date for that month). This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for

The February 2016 priority dates

a green card. * * *

it is changing every day. Fashion changes so fast, so time is the most important thing. If you are too late, you are too late. If you are too early, you are too early. So timing is very important.”

Why is Forever 21 so suc-cessful?

“The company keeps its pric-es low. It lives up to its motto, “Shop Chic Styles for Less,” by continually updating its mer-chandise to remain fashion for-ward”, replies Chang.

Even with the company’s tre-mendous growth, it still remains a family owned business.

Daughter Linda Chang, the chain’s marketing manager says, “The great thing about this being a family business is that we all care so much. The stressful thing is that my mum and dad are also my bosses. I don’t have a per-

sonal life. We don’t stop. We talk about business over dinner. We go on mission trips [to Afghani-stan, India and Pakistan] instead of vacations.”

Her parents, who are born-again Christians, go to church at 5 a.m. every morning. Mrs. Chang has been quoted as say-ing that when they came to America, she went to the top of a mountain to pray – God told her she should open a store. Today, Mr. Chang is famous for keeping a Bible open on his desk, and the bottom of every Forever 21 carrier bag reads “John 3:16”, the core Christian message. Does their Christian faith jar with the ethics of sell-ing fast fashion? How will Brit-ish customers feel about the brand’s religious tilt? “There is no religious tilt,” answers Linda firmly. “The faith of the

founders is separate from the brand – the bag is simply a statement of faith.” (sorianoa-sia@gmail.com)

* * *

The husband and wife behind…t

HUMAN trafficking — it’s modern-day slavery, the world’s fastest-growing criminal enter-prise, and it’s happening right here in San Mateo County.

And, Mike Brosnan, the Coun-ty of San Mateo’s Human Traf-ficking Program Coordinator, wants to talk about it.

“My job, simply stated, is to initiate a conversation with ev-eryone surrounding the human trafficking subject – both sworn and civilian,” Brosnan said.

Brosnan is as focused on that dialogue on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, Human Trafficking Awareness Day, as he is every day. Designating just one day of awareness on an issue that in-volves the sale of human beings by means of force, fear and co-ercion for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitation is just not enough, he said.

“I want to create awareness, while at the same time build an infrastructure to dismantle hu-man trafficking for the future,” said Brosnan, who describes his work style on the topic as pas-sionate, inquisitive and optimis-tic.

Brosnan comes to the newly-created position under the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office with more than 28 years of ex-perience at the South San Fran-cisco Police Department as a po-lice officer, captain and deputy chief.

He coordinates, leverages and enhances the efforts between law enforcement and allied agencies who are all working together to prevent trafficking of human beings and shut down any illicit massage parlors in San Mateo County.

Brosnan said, San Mateo County has the potential for hu-man trafficking within both com-mercial sex and labor trafficking found in businesses, homes and online especially since the Bay Area is a primary transit and destination for victims.

“Human trafficking has no place in our society and by hir-ing Mike to help coordinate and leverage all the resources in

County of San Mateo hires Human Tra�cking Program Coordinator to combat sale of human beings

our county, we are assured that there will be focus on this impor-tant issue every day,” said San Mateo County Deputy County Manager Mike Callagy.

Callagy also serves on the California Massage Therapy Board which protects the public by certifying qualified massage professionals in California.

To date, more than 10 illegal massage parlors have been shut down in the unincorporated ar-eas of San Mateo County since 2012, according to the San Ma-teo County Sheriff’s Office.

“The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has aggressively targeted those establishments where human trafficking may be occurring. We are proud that there are currently no ille-gal massage parlors existing in any of the areas that fall under the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office,” Undersheriff Carlos G. Bolanos said.

Still, there’s more work to be done, “to get the message across that this behavior is illegal and unacceptable, and we are not going to tolerate it any more,” Brosnan said. The perpetrators of human trafficking have be-come more sophisticated and organized, requiring an equally sophisticated response from law enforcement and its partners to disrupt and dismantle their net-works.

“Human trafficking, like many other emerging law enforcement issues, is about training, aware-ness, partnerships, and collabo-ration,” Brosnan said.

His top priorities? To create awareness and build relation-ships, educate, train, prosecute, and make policy and procedural adjustments.

“We need to educate our law enforcement personnel so they can complete full and proper investigations,” Brosnan said. “Human trafficking is about force, fear and coercion. Our in-vestigators need to understand they may need to dig though very confusing statements and evidence to uncover the ele-ments of that force, fear and co-

ercion.”As important is educating

community members because “they are our eyes and ears, our reporting parties and witness-es,” Brosnan said. “We need to raise awareness, and then wel-come their suspicions through a quality investigative process to hold traffickers accountable. A well-engaged citizenry has proven to be beneficial many times over.”

Other primary issues for Bros-nan to tackle include educating victims by giving them hope for a better life and providing pre-vention and exit strategies.

Yet he knows he’s up against a tough task and said the amount of human trafficking is rising because it’s such a mon-ey maker.

“When the product and sup-ply is a human, a trafficker can sell that human multiple times, a much greater potential for revenue. Human trafficking is a business and we, as a society, need to view it as such,” Bros-nan said.

He explained that like most business models, human traf-ficking uses supply (victims), demand (buyers), and distribu-tion (traffickers / facilitators) to generate revenue.

“If we truly want to disrupt and dismantle this, we have to build partnerships, collaborate, and engage in all three parts of the business and operation,” Brosnan said.

Despite the obstacles, Bros-nan’s optimism and passion for the job stand strong.

“We are on the front end of social change within the human trafficking environment – both labor and commercial sex. I am encouraged by the level of outrage and engagement, and I believe we are going to see progress in raising awareness and fighting human trafficking wherever it exists,” he said.

For immediate safety con-cerns, call 911. Reach the Na-tional Human Trafficking Hot-line by calling 888-3737-888 or texting 233733 (BeFree). ■

WOULD you like utilize your laundry machine to water your plants? Here is an exciting opportunity to get a greywater (laundry-to-landscape) system installed at your house!

Sustainable Contra Costa and the City of Pitts-burg will be holding a hands-on greywater instal-lation workshop in Pittsburg on March 19th, 2016 and are looking for a host home.

Requirements: Laundry room must be on the first floor, adjacent to an exterior wall of the home, and within 50 feet of plants that are directly acces-sible (no large slabs of concrete) for an irrigation line. We are seeking a homeowner who is sup-

portive of the educational aspects of this workshop and willing to open their home to participants. Homeowner must sign a release of liability waiver. In exchange for use of your home, workshop at-tendees and professional installers/instructors will install the systems free of charge (no cost for labor, no cost for design).

To be considered please send an email ASAP with your name, address, phone number, and brief description of the site to tina@sustainablecoco.org.

To learn about the Sustainable Living Work-shop Series visit www.sustainablecoco.org/work-shops. ■

Hands-on greywater installation workshop in Pittsburg

ON June 2-4, 2016, more than 1,500 people will gather in Madison, Wisconsin for the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. The biennial event, hosted by the National Farm to School Network, is the only na-tional gathering of people seeking opportunities to learn, network, and collaborate with like-minded farm to cafeteria leaders work-ing to source local food for in-stitutional cafeterias and foster a culture of food and agriculture literacy across America.

This year’s theme, Moving Forward Together, will lift up new and innovative partnerships that

National Farm to Cafeteria Conference coming in June

continue to build strength and ensure long-term sustainability. Cafeterias in schools, childcare centers, universities, prisons, and hospitals serve more than 40 million Americans every day. That places the farm to cafeteria movement at the forefront of the fight to end obesity and strength-en local food systems.

The Center for Rural Affairs has worked closely with the Na-tional Farm to School Network to champion the Midwest Region’s efforts. We’re fortunate to be located in a region rich with ag-ricultural knowledge and skills. We’ve also been leading Farm

to School programs here in Ne-braska. We focus on small rural schools participating in Farm to School, and how that participa-tion can make our small towns more vibrant.

Farm to school enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers. It changes food purchasing and education prac-tices at schools and preschools. To learn more or find resources about Farm to School near you, we encourage you to use our Farm to School Online Guide-book. (Sandra Renner / Center for Rural Affairs)

EMPLOYMENT

FOSTER HOMECARE

EMPLOYMENTEMPLOYMENT

THE City of Redwood City an-nounced Monday, Jan. 11, that it is currently seeking applications for one short-term open seat on the Redwood City Planning Com-mission. Residents interested in serving their community are urged to apply. The deadline to submit applications is February 9, 2016 at 5pm.

“On behalf of the City Council, I encourage residents to apply and learn about ways to volunteer and be engaged,” said John Seybert, mayor of Redwood City. “The Planning Commission is a critical part of the City of Redwood City’s decision making process and has a direct community impact.”

The Planning Commission consists of seven members, ap-pointed by the City Council for

Redwood City accepting applications for short-term Planning Commission seat

terms of four years each. The open seat will expire June 30, 2017. The volunteer position is appointed by City Council.

The Planning Commission rec-ommends to the City Council, for adoption, a comprehensive long-term general plan for the physical development of the City. In ad-dition, the Commission reviews and acts upon the following:

• General Plan and General Plan amendments

• Neighborhood and specific area plans

• Environmental impact re-ports and negative declarations

• Tentative subdivision maps• Planned Development per-

mit applications for develop-ments of one acre or more

• Appeals from actions taken

by the Planning Director or the Sub-division

• Committee regarding appli-cations for minor subdivisions

• Subdivision Ordinance ex-ceptions

• Zoning and Subdivision Or-dinance amendments

• Special studies and reportsAll members serve without

compensation and cannot hold any other public office or posi-tion in the City while serving as members.

For more information call (650) 780-7220 or visit the city’s website at http://www.redwoodcity.org/departments/city-clerk/advisory-boards-com-missions-and-committees/advi-sory-boards-commissions-and-committees-recruitment. ■

APPLICATIONS are being ac-cepted for vacancies on the Park, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Commission; Planning Commission; Transportation Commission; and for a Walnut Creek representative on the Con-tra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control Board.

Applicants for all positions must live in incorporated Walnut Creek and be registered voters. The deadline to apply is 5pm Wednesday, Jan. 27.

One opening exists per Com-mission. In addition, there is one opening for a Walnut Creek rep-resentative on the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control Board. Commission appoint-ments are for a term of four years; the appointment to the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Con-trol Board is for two years.

Walnut Creek residents encouraged to apply for Commissions

Here are the main duties of each commission/board:

• The PROS Commission ad-vises the City Council on the gen-eral direction and emphasis of park, recreation, creek, trail and open space needs, facilities and programs.

• The Planning Commission reviews projects for compliance with the City’s land use and zon-ing regulations, and has approval authority for subdivision maps, use permits and variances. The Commission prepares, and rec-ommends for adoption by the Council, the City’s General Plan as well as Specific Plans.

Commissioners• The Transportation Com-

mission advises the City Council on issues affecting parking and transportation.

• The Contra Costa Mosquito

and Vector Control Board is es-tablished to govern the Mosquito and Vector Control District in their role of responsible handling of county-wide control of mos-quitoes, rats, skunks and ground nesting yellow jackets.

A complete listing of the Com-missions’ duties can be found in Sections 2-1.101 through 2-1.604 of the Walnut Creek Municipal Code at http://www.codepublish-ing.com/CA/WalnutCreek/.

Completed applications and the supplemental questionnaires must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office no later than 5pm on Wednesday, January 27. The City Council will interview se-lected applicants the evening of February 16.

For additional information, please contact City Clerk Suzie Martinez at (925) 943-5819. ■

CHRISTMAS tree recycling collection is available on regular service days. Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste Services) re-quest that you please follow these collection guidelines when placing your tree out for collection:

• Trees must be cut into 4 ft.

Christmas tree recycling available in Daly Citysections.

• Stands, lights and decora-tions must be removed.

• Flocked trees will be col-lected but not recycled.

• Multi-family residents must call Customer Service to arrange for pick-up.

• Place trees next to yard waste cart for removal.

After January 31, please call Customer Service for tree pick-up unless you are able to fit the tree in your green waste collection.

Customer Service may be reached at (650) 756-1130. ■

FORMER employees of Philippine Veterans Bank will hold their Grand Reunion on February 21, 2016 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Ma-nila.

We are trying to reach out to all members resid-ing all over the world to disseminate information about the upcoming event. For more details about

the reunion, please contact the following members through their Facebook accounts:

Southern California – Aurora CarilloNorthern California – Angie VirolaPhilippines – Lourdes Barbero Ramos and Lyn

LagpitanghapWe look to forward to see you all! ■

Former PVB employees 2016 Grand Reunion

DID you know that Martinez residents can now dispose of food scraps and other “organic” materials in their existing green carts? Under the City’s new Or-ganics Recycling Program, ser-vice days will remain the same, but green carts will now be col-lected weekly.

To make it easier for residents to start recycling organic mate-rials, Republic Services will be offering FREE kitchen organics pails to interested residents upon request in early 2016. Contact Republic Services at (925) 685-4711 with any questions regard-ing Organics collection and to request your free pail.

Organics Recycling ProgramTo increase diversion of recy-

clable materials from the land-fill and in accordance with state laws AB 1826 and AB 1594, the City of Martinez has approved the rollout of a commercial and residential “Organics” Recycling Program. The City’s Program diverts food scraps, food soiled

Martinez Residential Organics Recycling program begins

paper products and other organ-ic materials such as yard debris from landfills, helping to reduce landfill-associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the new program, or-ganic materials will be collected and sent to an industrial com-posting facility in Richmond. Di-verting these materials from the landfill represents a significant benefit to our environment.

Residential - Single and Multi-Family

New Residential Services Bro-chureStarting January 1, 2016, residents will be able to dispose of “organic” materials such as food scraps along with yard de-bris in their existing green carts. Green carts will be collected weekly, on the same day as gar-bage and recycling pickups.

In early 2016, Republic Ser-vices will be offering free kitchen organics pails to interested resi-dents upon request (exact date TBD). To put in your request for a free kitchen pail, contact Re-

public Services at 925-685-4711. Starting with the Reuse

Roundup event in October 2016, Republic Services will offer Martinez households one cubic yard of free compost, a rich soil amendment made from the recy-cled food scraps and yard debris! Proof of residency required.

CommercialOn April 1, 2016, businesses

generating eight cubic yards or more of organic materials each week will be required to partici-pate in the mandatory commer-cial Organics collection program. In subsequent years, the com-mercial Organics program scope will expand to all businesses. Collection will be at least once a week and up to three times a week, as necessary.

Republic Services will be offer-ing free “slim jims” to interested businesses upon request (exact date TBD). To put in your re-quest for a free slim jim, contact Republic Services at (925) 685-4711. ■

Friday, January 15, 2016

AMERICAN poet, novelist and short story writer Sylvia Plath once said that, “Every-thing in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.” For many writers, stories are drawn from their life experiences—where they’ve been, the people they’ve met—with a little more flair and drama mixed into it.

For first time author Dennis Macaraeg, it took an odyssey criss-crossing the major islands of the Philippines to open his eyes and start writing. Loosely based on his college experi-ence, his first attempt at writing was a love story—only to be rejected by literary agents. However, this did not deter him

from making another story.“When I began writing

again, I took a gamble and tried to write a thriller,” he said. The result of his new effort was Somewhere in the Shallow Sea: A Novel of Suspense, which was released last year, with an au-diobook released in the market last December 3.

Somewhere in the Shallow Sea contains all the elements readers would expect in a sus-pense novel: terrorists, kidnap-pers, intrigue, car chases, deceit and betrayal—with love and romance inserted in it. In the story, Macaraeg’s alter ego and lead character Danny Maglaya takes listeners and readers on a whirlwind ride throughout the major Philippine Islands. On a

‘Somewhere in the Shallow Sea: A Novel of Suspense’

by MALOU LIWANAG-BLEDSOE/AJPress

SF2 cover storyThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - January 15, 2016

by NIMFA U. RUEDA Inquirer

Dennis Macaraeg and Bill Johnston

Fil-Am author Dennis Macaraeg writes about love and betrayal

of an audiobook, Macaraeg explained that he spends a lot of time in his car and loved listening to books on CDs. “When I was a child, I listened to the radio drama shows with my grandma while she ironed shirts. I think that’s how it all began.”

He also added that listen-ers will be entertained with the story because aside from Johnston’s excellent portrayal of the characters, they will be educated with the history of the

Philippines.With this first novel, Mac-

araeg shared that he was scared days before it came out. “I was more concerned about what people will say, (like) ‘Dennis did what?’ But honestly, I was blown away by my friends and family’s praises, encourage-ments and the support with buying my book. Of course, fin-ishing the book is the pinnacle of my achievement.”

At present, Macaraeg’s plan is just to write one book per

year, so the one for 2016 has not been put on paper—yet. Still, he encourages people to read. “Keep on reading,” he said. “It is the cheapest and the fastest way to learn about other worlds that we won’t have a chance to see and people we will never meet.”

Somewhere in the Shallow Sea: A Novel of Suspense is available at online books sellers. The audiobook is now on sale at Amazon.com, Audible.com and iTunes.com.

“can’t fail” mission to rescue his colleague, Blake Mason, from his kidnappers, a radical group who call themselves “Kulog ng Timog” (Thunder from the South) led by the crazed leader they call Commander Berto, Danny must effectively rescue his friend before the clock runs out.

“Some say that most debut novels are autobiographical. This book is no exception,” Macaraeg said in an interview with the Asian Journal. “ Love is my inspiration. Though the main plot of the book is about rescuing a kidnapped friend, it’s really the love story between Danny and Helen.”

To make his novel true to its words, Macaraeg actually went on a backpacking expedi-tion in the Philippines for two weeks. With his cousin as his guide, confidant and morale support; he traveled to Manila, Olongapo City (where he was born), Baguio, Visayas and Mindanao.

To help Macaraeg bring Somewhere in the Shallow Sea to the audiobook market, he chose to team up with William “Bill” Johnston, a San Diego-based, veteran audible story-teller. Johnston became the voice talent, producer and audio engineer in the production of the audiobook. He is also an authorized producer/narrator for the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), an Amazon.com company.

“In the beginning, I thought I was only getting a narrator,” he said and then added, “Surpris-ingly, not only did I get a good (voice) actor to perform my novel, I also got a good friend, supporter and book publicist.”

When asked why he decided to commission the production

Fil-Am wins Golden Globe award for best animated film

BEVERLY HILLS—A Pixar animation film codirected by a Filipino-American has won best animated feature at the Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday night, Jan. 10.

Inside Out, codirected by Fil-Am Ronnie del Carmen triumphed over Anomalisa, The Good Dinosaur, The Peanuts Movie and Shaun the Sheep Movie.

“I feel so honored,” said Del Carmen, who watched the 73rd Golden Globe Awards night from his northern California residence with his wife and two children.

“I’m so lucky to be part of director Pete Docter’s team for the past five years,” he added.

The film is a colorful look at a young girl’s inner emotions.

“It felt like growing up is really hard, and that was an interesting subject to make a movie about,” Docter said in his acceptance speech.

Though Del Carmen could not make it to the event because of work commitments, he felt the excitement as he watched Docter receive the award. “I had a big smile on my face.”

It was the seventh Pixar movie to win in the 10 years since the award was created.

Dream bigDel Carmen said he hoped

the recognition would inspire Filipinos to dream big and tell their story.

“I had dreams and aspira-tions just like anybody,” he said.

Ronald “Ronnie” del Carmen, Filipino director and cowriter of the new computer-animated Pixar film “Inside Out.” Inquirer.net photo by Jilson Seckler Tiu

Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture – animated for “Inside Out” at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. AP photo by Jordan Strauss

cal for her role in the musical comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, told the Inquirer she appreciated learning about Filipino culture on the show.

Filipino cultureBloom plays the role of

Rebecca Bunch, a Manhattan lawyer who follows her high school boyfriend Josh Chan, a Filipino-American, to West Co-vina, a Los Angeles suburb with a large population of Fil-Ams.

The series made history after portraying a Filipino family’s Thanksgiving dinner for the first time on American television.

“We realized that no one has ever made an effort to show a Filipino family on an American show,” she said.

“It has taught me a lot about Filipino culture,” Bloom said.

“It also taught me about how important diversity is. America is a melting pot and I don’t think this has been acknowledged as much as it should.”

Fil-Am achieversHFPA’s Janet Nepales, who

wore a Michael Cinco gown, said she was proud to bring the me-dia and Fil-Am achievers, includ-ing filmmakers, tourism promot-ers and fashion designers, to the prestigious Hollywood event to represent the Philippines.

“It’s always nice to have the Philippines represented in a Hol-lywood establishment because you bring the perspective of other countries, not just the rich nations,” said Ruben Nepales, the first Filipino chair of the HFPA board.

Among the Fil-Ams at the

event was Oliver Tolentino, who was recently in the news for helping Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach win her crown when he sent her gowns for the crucial preliminary competition, follow-ing a last-minute plea of the Miss Philippines team.

Hope for FilipinosTolentino was accompanied

by his business manager Andrew Caruthers. Also at the event was renowned dermatologist Tess Mauricio and her husband James Lee, filmmaker Senedy Que and Jose “Boboi” Costas, a grass-roots tourism and heritage conservation advocate.

“Being here gives me hope that Filipino filmmakers can also make it big in Hollywood,” said Que, a multiawarded movie and TV screenwriter.

Ticker tape parade, courtesy call on Aquino await Pia Wurtzbach

A ROUSING welcome awaits Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, the country’s first Miss Universe after a 42-year drought, when she arrives late afternoon of Jan. 23, a Saturday.

Expect the world’s most hospitable people to pull out all the stops when they celebrate Wurtzbach’s homecoming with a ticker tape parade, a citation of excellence, a medal of distinction and a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III no less.

Some 300 members of the

by THELMA SIOSON SAN JUAN Inquirer

foreign media are expected to fly to Manila to cover Wurtzbach’s hectic schedule, starting with a press conference and interviews with media on Sunday, and a courtesy call on President Aquino at Malacañang on Monday morn-ing.

She then motors to the Sen-ate where she will be given a citation of excellence.

From the Sofitel hotel at the Cultural Center complex in Pasay City, a ticker tape parade will bring the beauty queen around Manila, the Makati central busi-ness district on Ayala Avenue, Continued on Page 3

and finally, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Grueling scheduleThe parade, which is ex-

pected to run into early evening, is part of what appears to be a grueling schedule that would faze even the strongest. But then again, the 26-year-old Wurtzbach lived for this day, wearing the Miss Universe crown having been her lifelong ambition.

Young as she is, Wurtzbach took a relatively arduous route to the crown—losing twice in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant,

What’s in store for AlDub outside Kalyeserye?

MANILA—What’s in store for AlDub outside Eat Bulaga’s Kaly-eserye this 2016?

GMA Network is looking forward to do the first prime-time teleserye for the AlDub love team of Alden Richards and Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza.

“GMA 7 really wants to give Alden and Maine a soap,” said Gigi Santiago-Lara, GMA senior assistant VP for Alternative Productions, in an interview early this week. “But di pa maka-com-mit sila Mr. Tuviera. The priority for now is Eat, Bulaga.”

Tony Tuviera is the big boss of APT Entertainment, manager

by NATHALIE TOMADA Philstar of Maine’s career and a subsid-

iary of Tape, Inc., the producer of Eat Bulaga. Alden, on the other hand, is solely being man-aged by GMA Artist Center.

There’s no telling how long will the Kalyeserye run or if a soap can be done simultaneously with the noontime show seg-ment. Maine already had a litmus test of sorts in teleserye acting when she guest-starred in Tape, Inc. and APT Entertainment’s daytime series Princess in the Palace.

Should the GMA teleser-ye push through soon or sooner than expected, expect a light-romantic drama, and word has it that it will be a Filipino remake of

a widely-popular Koreanovela.Lara said, “Something like

the concept, something that fits

Alden will release another album in May, while thereʼs an offer for Maine to record an album as well. Photo from Eat, Bulaga!ʼs Facebook page

Continued on Page4

“I concentrated on what I loved to do.

He encouraged Filipinos seeking success to work hard, keep going, be seen, show up and “seek mentors who can show you the way.”

“You also have to take risks … and start telling your story,” said Del Carmen, who was re-cently honored by the University of Santo Tomas as an outstand-ing alumnus.

He said he was very grate-ful to Docter and John Lasseter, Pixar Animation Studios’ chief creative officer, for supporting projects like Inside Out, which he described as a “unique and courageous” movie.

‘Thank you for Ronnie’He also thanked the group

behind the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press As-sociation (HFPA) and its Filipino members Ruben and Janet Nepales, for their support.

Docter, in a press briefing, described Del Carmen as a “great storyteller.”

“We’re excited we got to work with Ronnie,” he said. “He is an integral part of our team and the whole team of Pixar.”

“To the Philippines, thank you for making Ronnie del Carmen,” Docter added.

Rachel Bloom, who won the Golden Globe for best actress in a television comedy or musi-

SF3entertainmentThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE – January 15, 2016

From Page SF2

learning to perform and model as early as her pre-teens, finally being a model, and recently, a contributing beauty writer/stylist for Inquirer Lifestyle’s ToBeYou.

Congressional medal of distinction

It has been a journey that brought to the fore this young woman’s tenacity, discipline, innate intelligence and fierce sense of independence.

On Tuesday, Jan. 26, this year’s Miss Universe will pay courtesy calls on Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and acting Makati Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña.

In Quezon City, the House of Representatives will honor Wurtzbach with the congressio-nal medal of distinction.

AdvocaciesThe succeeding days will be

devoted to the beauty queen’s advocacies, including raising awareness on HIV/AIDS. The incidence of HIV/AIDS in the country has risen sharply in the last few years.

On Thursday, Jan. 28, a Miss Universe homecoming special is scheduled at Smart Araneta Coli-seum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Capping Wurtzbach’s home-coming is her return on Friday to Cagayan de Oro City, where she grew up. She was born in Germany where her German father and Filipino mother initially settled.

ExceptionalWurtzbach’s homecoming

Ticker tape parade, courtesy...

BY MONET LU

Winter beauty guide

DURING the winter our hair experiences dehydration be-cause of unavoidable exposure. we need to be proactive about maintaining moisture in our hair. For the entire winter months, we want to help you keep your hair and skin keep it shiny and healthy.

Hair Reborn, Brazilian keratin treatment, shimmer and shine are the perfect respite for hair that has been subjected to chemical treatments—such as perming, straightening, or tint-ing. This is also recommended for people who are just aiming to combat dryness during this freezing weather. I tend to sound repetitive about this but I can’t emphasize this enough: mois-ture, moisturize, moisturize!

Remember when a good haircut was enough to put a smile on our faces? If we hold on the little positives in our every-day lives, I have a feeling we’re going to pull through these tough times quite famously.

For someone who has been in the business of making people look good, I have some new hairstyle recommendations that are sure to add some hot tone to this cool weather.

For long-haired women who have heart-, square- or round-shaped faces, layers will work wonders, provided that it is molded closely to the edge of the hair so that it elongates the face. For an oval-shaped face, shorter layers are more appropri-ate. Sassy layers are very easy to manage as well. If you have curly hair, bangs should be adminis-tered with caution. Make sure it’s slightly above your lashes so that it looks flattering. The thing about bangs though is you have to maintain the ideal length that works for you, otherwise, the effect is not quite there.

The bob haircut is here to stay. It’s ideal for women who

have straight to wavy hair tex-tures. This is especially flatter-ing for women who have round faces. This type of cut usually requires blow-drying and to maintain the ideal length, you

need to have it cut every six weeks.

The pixie is ideal for people who have strong facial features. The pixie is easy to manage. A quick blow-dry and a dab of hair product, and you have a chic style that will last the entire day.

Just make sure that you apply a little shine serum to towel-dried hair before you put up your hair so that natural texture can be enhanced. This style is so comfy and will also have you feeling relaxed.

A slick ponytail can accentu-ate your features, while also get-ting annoying tendrils of hair out of your way. To prevent frizzy hair, use a leave-on conditioner or hair tonics that are specific for frizzy hair. If the ponytail is getting bor-ing, try a French braid. It will look chic and will also prevent you looking bedraggled.

For your skin, exfoliation is a must to clear away dead cells that can otherwise clog up your pores and cause unsightly pim-ples that can spoil your summer look. Use a scrub that does not dry your skin or make your own; sugar mixed with a little olive oil is very natural and skin-friendly.

Feet need to look good in winter. Scrub your feet with foot scrubs or make your own with some granular salt or sugar and olive oil. Rubbing this into your legs in a gentle upward motion will have dual effects of exfoliat-ing dry skin.

Winter is one of those times when less is best. Trying to enhance your natural looks with minimal embellishment will work best.

A matte powder over founda-tion with SPF is better than heavy foundation lotions and creams that will look patchy once you sweat a little. Gloss is best for lips. Lips need protection as well and it would be best to apply a lip gloss or lip balm with an SPF

of 15 or more to keep your lips looking fresh and pert.

Eye make-up is a zone of error in winter and you can avoid gaffes by sticking to near-neu-tral tones of eye shadow and waterproof mascara and liners. A creamy lipstick will be friendlier on the lips than matte lipsticks and will also last longer. Leave your foundation or tinted mois-turizer in the refrigerator. When you smooth it on, the heat from your face will melt it into your skin making it look like you have naturally perfect skin. Smudged eyeliner can look great on eve-nings and you can get this effect by heating the tip of your eye pencil with a lit match just before lining your eyes.

Keeping yourself adequately hydrated, adding essential nutri-ents to diet to avoid the heavier fats and proteins, taking plenty of vitamin C in the form of citrus fruits and juices, and getting the minimum 8 hours of sleep can help you going through win-ter with good looks and great relaxation.

Enjoy your winter and stay beautiful!

visit is being arranged by the Miss Universe officials with the Binibining Pilipinas Charities chaired by Stella Marquez-Ara-neta.

Marquez-Araneta, a former Miss Colombia, remains effusive when she talks of Wurtzbach.

“She’s really exceptional.

She’s always on time, never ever late,” she told the In-quirer. “Even the mentors were impressed with her. She’s always curious, always wanting to learn.”

Asked if she was surprised that Wurtzbach won, Araneta said, “Not at all.”

A rousing welcome on Jan. 23 in Manila awaits Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, shown here in a photo shoot at the Inquirer before she competed in Las Vegas to attain her lifelong dream.

READY FOR HOMECOMING. Members of the homecoming committee of the Binibining Pilipinas Charities (from left) 1973 Miss Universe MargieMoran-Floirendo, Binibining Pilipinas Charities chair Stella Marquez-Araneta, Conchitina Bernardo and Raymond Villanueva iron out the details of the Jan. 23 homecoming of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. Inquirer.net photo by Thelma Sioson San Juan

According to Marites, her aunt was already confined in a hospital in Phoenix after a heart attack and died four days after. She also added that Cielito’s body will remain in the US.

SF4 celebrityworldThe Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - January 15, 2016

celebrity worldBy Ferdie Villar

Philippine showbiz iconand Master Showman

German ‘Kuya Germs’ Morenopasses away at 82

THE Philippine entertain-ment industry was full of sad-ness last week when veteran actor and TV host German Moreno passed away last Friday, January 8 at the age of 82.

Fondly called Kuya Germs, it was his nephew, TV host John Nite, who confirmed the news through a statement re-leased to the media. Accord-ing to John, his uncle died due to cardiac arrest.

The rest of the statement also said:

“He passed on in the com-pany of his family and friends.

“He lived a full life, touched so many hearts through the years, and helped make dreams come true for most the biggest stars in the Philippine entertainment industry.

“We are deeply saddened by his passing but we are com-forted by the through that his legacy will live on.”

It was only last year when Kuya Germs had a mild stroke and was hospitalized. After a few weeks, he went back hosting his radio program and his weekly late night show, Walang Tulugan With The Master Showman. However, it became apparent to many that his health was deteriorat-ing. Being a professional, he continued to attend showbiz functions and events even when he was in a wheelchair.

German Molina Moreno was born on October 4, 1933 and first worked for an aunt’s taxi company when his Filipino-Spanish father, Jose Moreno y Calvo passed away after an accident involving an American soldier. To further help his mother, Aurora Molina and sister Pilar, he also sold bibingka, peanuts, cigarettes, and became a jeepney barker.

His involvement in the entertainment industry started as a janitor and curtain raiser at the Clover Theater in Manila in 1957. His first break was a role as Jesus Christ at the Manila Grand Opera House, and later on pursued a career as a comedian on stage and the post-war screen.

From there he brought his comedy act to Sampaguita Pictures, where he met his longtime co-host Ike Lozada. He also became a disc jockey, working for big names such as Eddie Ilarde, Helen Vela and Ben David.

However, his biggest break was on TV, when he became

Philippine showbiz icon, TV host, actor and Master Showman German “Kuya Germs” Moreno passed away last Friday, January 8, at the age of 82.

them, but we still can’t do it or we can’t confirm it because Eat, Bulaga is still the priority.”

Their first starring film together is also in the pipe-line. “There’s also a movie but we’re just waiting for mate-rial, we have to discuss it. But there’s a plan. Lahat ng gina-gawa namin (in Artist Center for Alden) naka-connect sa APT,” said Lara.

A follow-up release to Alden’s Wish I May album under GMA Records, which turned double platinum last December, is tentatively set in May. “It was supposed to be this first quarter, this February, but obviously it can’t be done, but we’ll do the second album this year, around May.”

Lara also confirmed that there’s an album offer for Maine from GMA Records. “I know they’re working on it but no formal signing yet.”

2015 was marked with international exposure, with the likes of BBC and Reader’s Digest featuring the phenomenal tandem. For 2016, according to Lara, “we’re working out some-thing—it’s not an interview—but yes, something international.”

Sought for a reaction on comments addressed to Alden’s management to ease up his workload amidst reports of Alden getting sick due to his relentless schedule, Lara said,

What’s in store for AlDub outside...From Page SF2

Former public affairs program TV host and actress Cielito “Mahal” del Mundo passed away last Saturday, January 9 in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 80. She was at one time co-host of “Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko” on GMA 7. (Photo from GMA Network)The Childrenʼs Choir at Saint Andrewʼs Church in Daly City is shown in one of their Sunday performances

during the recent holiday season. Some of the members are (L-$) Charisea Roldan, Eren Grace Padilla, Trishia Esteron, JJ Pasco and others.

Filipina singer Malou Hajian will celebrate her birthday on Sunday, January 17, at her residence in San Rafael.

A New Year welcome party was hosted by beauty impresario Ferdie Villar at his residence in South San Francisco on New Yearʼs Day, January 1, 2016. In photo are (L-R) Ora Seyler, Pressy Yusi, Marlyn Bernardo, Jett Navarro, Susan Pacifico, the host, Vangie Perez, Len Vinegas, and Dorie Paniza.

host of the Sunday noontime variety show, GMA Supershow in the 1970s, and eventually became the host, star builder and producer of That’s Enter-tainment, a youth-oriented variety show that discovered and kick started the careers of many well-known stars today.

Kuya Germs has been a fa-

ther figure to many of the stars he has discovered and worked with, including the Philippine Superstar Nora Aunor and Megastar Sharon Cuneta.

To the family of Kuya Ger-mans, our deepest sympathies. He will be truly missed.

***Another icon in the TV in-

dustry has died over the week-end as well. Cielito “Mahal” del Mundo passed away last Saturday, January 9 in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 80.

Although Cielito was more known for being one of the anchors of the longest-running public affairs program Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko on GMA, she

also was an actress. Among the films she was in included Langit Pa Rin Kita (1967), Basta Bisaya (1970) at Mga Ibong Pipit (1984).

It was Cielito’s niece, Marites Martinez-Guevarra who confirmed the news through a radio interview last Monday, January 11.

JD Charisma, actor/recording artist is shown together with stars of the hit TV Series “Arrow.” (L-R): Stephen Amell (as Green Arrow), JD Charisma, and David Ramsey (as John Diggle).

JD Charisma, actor/recording artist together with the Hollywood stars of the hit TV Series “Arrow” that currently airs on CW TV Network. (L-R): Caity Lotz (as White Canary), JD Charisma and Katie Cassidy (as Black Canary). Filipina community leader Mathie Roldan Vilasco,

member of the Mediatrix of Our Lady of Grace, is shown with Gloria de Haan, restaurant manager of Island Pacific restaurant in Pittsburg.

“I think nasasabi nila yan be-cause seven days a week siya nakikita (on TV) from Eat, Bulaga to Sunday Pinasaya. Gusto mo bang bawasan natin siya sa Eat, Bulaga, siempre sasabihin ng AlDub Nation na parang huwag kasi yun yung time nila ni Maine.”

She continued, “With Sun-day Pinasaya, it came first before what happened in Eat, Bulaga. Actually, sandali lang talaga siya sa Eat, Bulaga. That was the plan. But since he was welcomed into the show, na-katulong naman siya sa show and nakatulong naman ang show sa kanya… he decided to stay. I think it’s (the reason people think he’s overworked) because they see him seven days a week. But what will you do, the show is six days a week.”

As for the regional and overseas commitments of Alden, who’s now in the Middle East for concerts in Dubai and Doha, Lara said, “His trips abroad have long been scheduled. As for re-gional shows, tatlong beses lang siya nag-regional last year, lahat lang na ma-magnify I guess. It’s not just him (among GMA Artist Center talents) who’s doing that but maybe because it’s him so it gets noticed. But now that he has no soap, maaga siya na-tatapos although every day siya nakikita sa mga ginagawa niya.”

Alden has also said in a

previous interview that it was his decision to commit to “a lot of schedules because I’m a worka-holic” and that he enjoys being busy. “Yes, he’s very hardwork-ing,” Lara said.

2015 proved to be such an eventful year as well for AlDub in terms of brand endorsements. From print, billboards to TV, the love team was all over. As of Dec. 15, 2015, Alden has four solo endorsements and 10 more as part of AlDub. In the Kantar 2015 media report furnished to The Star, it was noted that from the 733 AlDub commercials aired in September 2015, the number leapt to 1,359 TVCs in November last year. (Figures for December 2015 are not avail-able yet.) More endorsement deals are expected to come this 2016.

Meanwhile, Alden and Maine mourned the demise of beloved showbiz icon German “Kuya Germs” Moreno.

Maine tweeted: “Maraming salamat sa magagandang alaala at saya, Kuya Germs. You will always be remembered. May you rest in peace.” Alden, for his part, wrote: “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving, that’s Kuya Germs. Rest in peace, Tay.”

Alden and Maine received stars on the Philippine Walk of Fame, a project of Kuya Germs, at Eastwood last Dec. 1.

KathNiel bags foreign best actor and actress awards in VietnamMANILA,—Philippine show-

biz’s Teen King and Queen Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo recently brought honor to the country after winning accolades in Vietnam’s Face of the Year Awards for their performances in the hit series Got to Believe, which has captured a massive following in the Southeast Asian nation where the Philippine teles-erye is currently airing on TV.

The series proved to be a big hit in Vietnam after Today TV started airing it on primetime television every day from 7pm to 8pm. Vietnamese viewers were indeed captivated by the love story of Joaquin and Chichay, as proven by the high ratings the show registers every night.

The phenomenal Kathniel tandem personally received the Best Foreign Actor and Best Foreign Actress awards last Friday during the gala night held in Ho Chi Minh city’s Opera House.

Organized by IMC, the parent company of one of Vietnam’s largest TV networks Today TV, the “Face of the Year Awards” aims to honor films and artists who had significant contributions to the industry over the past year and are voted by the Vietnamese audience.

For their respective catego-ries, Kathryn and Daniel beat actors and actresses from other

countries such as India and Thai-land.

“Thank you for this oppor-tunity. And to all our supporters here in Vietnam, thank you so much for loving our characters, Joaquin and Chichay, and for lov-ing the show Got To Believe. We love you!” said Kathryn.

“I’d like to thank Today TV. We just feel very humbled, very blessed, and we are very thankful. Maraming salamat,” said Daniel.

Prior to the gala night, Kath-ryn and Daniel already felt the love from Vietnamese Kathniel fans when they arrived at the Saigon Airport Friday, Jan. 8. Armed with banners, shirts, post-ers and caps, Vietnamese fans chanted “Kathniel,” and some

even sang the “Got to Believe” theme song.

Fans also flocked to a local mall in Ho Chi Minh last Saturday, Jan. 9 for Kathryn and Daniel’s meet-and-greet, where the two stars gamely posed for photos, signed autographs and answered questions.

In 2014, Be Careful with My Heart was also a phenomenal hit that earned lead stars Richard Yap and Jodi Sta. Maria the same Face of the Year Awards.

Got to Believe and Be Care-ful With My Heart are among the many ABS-CBN dramas that aired in different countries through the efforts of ABS-CBN International Distribution. (Philstar.com)

Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla won acting awards at the IMC Face of the Year awards night in Vietnam for their TV series “Got to Believe” which aired their last year. Twitter photo by Roxy Liquigan

entertainment SF5The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - January 15, 2016

‘Pilipinas Got Talent’ new judges ready for action

by ALLAN POLICARPIOInquirer

TWO judges are out but three new ones are in.

With veterans Kris Aquino and Ai Ai de las Alas dropping out of the judging panel, Pilipi-nas Got Talent (PGT) is gearing up for its upcoming season with new judges Angel Locsin, Robin Padilla and Vice Ganda.

Aquino will not be return-ing this season after reportedly citing health problems, while De las Alas is already tied with GMA Network after transferring last year.

Retired ABS-CBN head Freddie M. Garcia will remain as the fourth judge for his fifth consecutive season. “We have a lot of talent in the Philippines. We hope to discover them this season,” he said.

Real-life best friends Luis Manzano and Billy Crawford are keeping their hosting duties as well.

The four judges were all present during the show’s red carpet opening and taping of the first set of auditions on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Kia Theater in Quezon City.

“I am super ready, super excited to be a judge,” said co-median-host and box office star Vice Ganda in an interview.

Acknowledging that the competition would be very tight among the contenders, Vice Ganda said he was looking for an act who “will affect him and touch his heart and soul.”

“I don’t want this show to be “Pilipinas Got Awa (sympathy),” he said. “I want that this would all be about talent and the win-ner would be really deserving.”

Vice Ganda, who had previ-ously served as a temporary judge for the show, expressed excitement and said he was ready to have a fun time with his cojudges.

Padilla, meanwhile, believes that the latest season will be much more exciting than the previous ones. “The judges would be more excellent, as well as the talent of the performers,”

by ARVIN MENDOZA Inquirer

the actor said.He said he would be an ally

of the contestants throughout the competition. However, he added that he would not be too kind nor too strict.

“I will not show off. And I will say things from my heart,” said Padilla, who also had previ-ous experience in hosting a talent show.

For Locsin, talent is not the only key to succeed and win people’s hearts.

“I want good attitude. I want magic,” the award-win-ning actress said.

Locsin said she was lucky to have opportunities to showcase her talent in the past and now was the time to repay the ac-ceptance and chances people

had granted her.“I want to say yes to all but

that’s not possible because we have to be honest and fair to the contestants,” she said.

A new element in this year’s PGT is the power of each judge to pick one act that will dart straight to the semi-finals using the “Golden Buzzer,” accord-ing to business unit head Lui Andrada.

First introduced in the country six years ago, PGT is the local franchise of the Got Talent format created by Syco Entertainment, a company co-owned by music and television mogul Simon Cowell.

It is coming back for its fifth season this month, following the success of four Filipino acts

who got through the grand finals of AXN’s first Asia’s Got Talent (AGT) last May, two of whom are PGT alumni.

Season 3 finalist shadow-play group El Gamma Pen-umbra emerged as the grand champion of AGT, while singer Gerphil Flores from Season 1 finished in third place.

The talent reality show showcases performers across the country such as singers, dancers, magicians, jugglers, ventriloquists and other enter-taining aspirants, all competing for the chance to win P2 million.

The previous winners, who are all singing acts, include Jo-vit Baldivino, Marcelito Pomoy, the Maasinhon Trio and Roel Manlangit.

Michael V’s treasuresby ANGEL JAVIER CRUZ

Philstar

HE may be known for the wacky characters and comedy sketches he comes up with on GMA Network’s 20-year-old Bubble Gang or his Pinoy na Pi-noy everyman Pepito Manaloto but Michael V a.k.a. Bitoy is first and foremost a family man.

When asked who or what he treasures the most, he readily replies it’s his wife Ayoy.

“Ganun naman talaga eh, ‘pag kinasal ang dalawang tao dapat ‘yung partner mo ang iyong forever… most treasured person. Kapag marami akong ginagawa, buong araw halos hindi na kami nagkikita. At night ‘yung pagtabi sa kanya, ang laki na ng nagagawa nun. At ‘yung assurance na nandito lang ako, hindi naman ako aalis sa tabi niya.”

Time spent with his family is doubly precious given his con-sistently hectic work schedule. In fact, he would rather stay at home surrounded by his loved ones, doing mundane things like potty training his poodle Dexter, among other things, instead of going away on vacation.

“The fact that I’m rarely at home because of work, I’d rather have a staycation than a vacation,” he said.

The family owns a house in California which they visited two months ago but Bitoy is quick to point out that he’s far from materialistic. He is, however, thankful to have access to sev-eral cars because he can drive himself to and from work, pick up and drop off his children at school, and take his wife out on dates or accompany her if she has errands to run.

He is also thankful for his re-lationship with the Kapuso chan-nel. Bitoy admits he wouldn’t have stayed as long if it hadn’t been for the favorable working conditions and the relationships he has with the cast and crew.

“Every day, for me, is a treasure as a Kapuso artist. I’m one of the few who don’t have a network contract. My contract is per show. So I treasure the trust, the friendship, the relationship with the network and myself. I won’t last this long in one network if there’s no network. (That is if) kung pera-pera lang ang usapan.”

Bitoy is particularly proud that Bubble Gang has marked its 20th anniversary. Aside from the many awards it has reaped, the long-running gag show has created and provided jobs for many people, and can rightly be considered part of pop culture.

“It’s part of the Pinoy cul-ture. It’s already an institution. Kaya nga iyon ang tagline namin for the 20th year: I am BG. I am Bubble Gang. Kasi parang lahat naman ng ginagawa namin sa Bubble Gang, reflection ng kung ano ang estado ng Pilipino ngayon, ng bansa. There’s a Bubble Gang in every Filipino.”

He also has a soft spot for the long-running weekly program Pepito Manaloto and considers the main protagonist as his baby.

“Embodiment din siya ng Pinoy eh. At saka consistent yung character niya. Si Pepito frustration ng lahat ng Pinoy, hope ng lahat ng Pinoy, and at the same time, nakakatawa siya. So for me, Pepito Manaloto is my favorite.”

Whenever he starts to doubt himself or question his deci-sions, Bitoy remembers what TV and theater actor Jaime Fabre-gas once told him. “You don’t make the wrong decisions. With every decision you make, you have to make it right.” Words of wisdom he has taken to heart.

Now it’s his turn to impart what he has learned so far. “I’ve always said this: Whatever your dreams are, never lose sight of them and never let go of that hope that you will achieve them. At times, you will be sidetracked

but you have to do what you want to do.Whether you suc-ceed or not, you have to do it. Because you will not be truly happy if you’ll not be able to do what you’ve always wanted to do.”

Bitoy is also currently seen depicting various political personalities in a number of plugs shown on GMA, with the campaign’s much-anticipated re-veal scheduled on Jan. 15, in 24 Oras. Viewers can expect to see more of Bitoy’s latest projects in the days to come.

GONE is the happy-go-lucky Cristine Reyes. Having a child, she said, has given her life a new “focus” and “direc-tion.”

“When I was single, I didn’t have to worry much about anything. But now that I’m a mother, I always think about my future with my family. They inspire me,” related the 26-year-old actress, who has a 10-month-old daughter, Amarah, with mixed martial arts fighter Ali Khatibi.

Among those who ob-served such change in Cristine was Chris Martinez, her director in the Asawa ni Marie episode of Viva Films’ Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin—an upcoming three-part anthology that spoofs the various clichés found in local movies and television shows.

“She’s more serious and less playful on the set. She comes prepared and is more professional. Cristine has changed a lot; ang bait-bait niya ngayon!” he said at a re-cent press conference. “That’s not to say she wasn’t nice the previous time we worked!” the filmmaker quickly added, draw-ing laughs.

Private ceremonyCristine and Ali are set to

tie the knot on Jan. 27 in a private Christian ceremony to be attended only by their pas-tor and a witness. The actress, however, assured that there will be a big wedding in the future, in which family and friends will

Cristine Reyes says motherhoodhas changed my life

be invited.“We want to make things

right this year; I want our relationship to be blessed,” Cristine said. “We’re both very busy these days, so we want to have something small and inti-mate first. Planning a full-blown wedding will be stressful and difficult right now.”

Asked if she’s more discern-ing now when it comes to accepting projects, Cristine, who used to do sexy drama flicks, shows and photo shoots, said it would depend on the material. “Ayoko namang magsalita nang tapos,” the Viva star stressed, adding that she doesn’t think her future husband would object to her doing such type of work.

“Ali is understanding—if you explain to him that this or that project is good, I think he would approve,” she said of

her fiancé, whom she described as “kind and trying his best to be a responsible father and partner.”

Being pregnant, Cristine recalled, was a “great feel-ing”—“miraculous,” even.

Yes, she wants to have another baby, but not any time soon. “I want my body to fully recover and relax,” she said. “And I’m still enjoying Amarah (her baby) right now. I bring her with me when I’m shopping or eating out. She’s so fun to be with!”

Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin has two other episodes: Mark Meily’s Bala sa Bala, Kamao sa Kamao, Satsat sa Satsat, which stars Benjie Paras and Candy Pangilinan; and Andoy Ranay’s Shake, Shaker, Shak-est, with Maricel Soriano and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.

Retired ABS-CBN head Freddie M. Garcia, Angel Locsin, Robin Padilla and Vice Ganda are set to discover the Philippinesʼ biggest talents.

Michael V

Cristine Reyes

The Asian Journal SF MAGAZINE - January 15, 2016SF6

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